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Missions
REACH
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
These are the last words Christ spoke before his ascension into Heaven. He shared with the disciples his expectations of what they were to do after his departure. They were to be his witnesses and to do it throughout the world. We are to do the same.
Here at Woodland, we are reaching our Jerusalem – Bradenton and Sarasota, and are moving beyond as we perform ministry throughout our state, nation, and world. How do we do it? We serve through the use of our time, resources, and financial investments.
Listed below you’ll notice the specific locations we’ll be reaching this year including Samoset, Chicago, Navajo, Honduras, the Philippines, and nations throughout the world. We provide this overview to help you know how you can pray but also to learn how you can be involved.
Let’s join together as the Body of Christ so that the world can be changed one person at a time!
REACH - Putting a Face on our Missions
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Uptown Baptist Chicago - Pastor Michael Allen
Pastor Allen is the pastor of Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago. Uptown is just 4 miles north of the heart of the Windy City. It is a very diverse area with people from all over the world living there. 30 years ago Southern Baptists purchased an aging historic church building from a dwindling congregation and planted Uptown Baptist Church to share the Good News and God's love with the Uptown neighborhood. Woodland takes a mission team to work with Pastor Allen and this church each year.
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Church Planter - Nelson Searcy
Nelson Searcy is the Pastor of a brand new church in Boca Raton called The Journey. He, along with his wife Kelly, moved to Boca Raton in early Summer 2010 to start this new church. Nelson moved to Boca Raton from New York City where he started The Journey Church of the City in Manhattan in 2001. We are excited to support Nelson and The Journey Church both financially and through service.
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Honduras - Children of the Light Ministry
Woodland continues to support the ministry Children of the Light through our time and efforts. The ministry rescues street kids who have been abandoned by family and neglected by the government. Children of the Light provides housing, food and spiritual help to meet their basic needs and to give them hope of a better future. Woodland supports this ministry through teams that travel to their campus. We work in construction, assisting as they continue to expand their facilities, as well as in children’s ministry as we help teach God’s Word in a loving way.
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IMB Missionaries - Rick and Cindy Jenkins
Since 1992, Rick Jenkins has been a Southern Baptist missionary with the International Mission Board. For the first ten years Rick, and his wife Cindy served in Guadalajara, Mexico working with students as they went out and planted churches. In 2003 he became the Personalizer for the Middle America and Caribbean Region. That means he helped churches in the US develop a strategy for missions. Their last assignment has taken them to Barbados in the West Indies where they help students and young professionals get connected with mission opportunities. Woodland supports the Jenkins through prayer and the cooperative program.
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Black Mesa, New Mexico - Pastor Jimmy Little
Pastor Little is pastor of Forrest Lake Baptist Church located deep in the desert of the Navajo Reservation in Black Mesa. With limited solar electricity, no running water or cell service, and each member living off the land, this congregation of 35 reaches out to the Navajo people in the region. Woodland is the only group of "white people" they encounter each year. Many say they are the "forgotten ones", but our church sends clothes, health supplies, blankets, toys, and church materials to them each year to impact their area.
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Philippines - Pastor Crisanto Gulliermo
Woodland has the privilege of supporting pastor Crisanto Guillermo in the Philippines who has begun a new church. We help him by paying his entire salary. This provides for his family and allows him to continue his ministry on this mission field. Although we do not send teams to this region, we support him through our prayers and are available to send resources for ministry as needed.
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OASIS Ministry Center - Samoset
OASIS stands for Outreach and Service In Samoset. It is a ministry of Woodland and our vision for the Oasis is to help strengthen families and demonstrate the love of God. In Fall of 2008, the county transferred the title of the abandoned Samoset community center to Woodland to restore and use as a need-meeting ministry to this neighborhood in central Manatee County. We continue to serve this community through children’s programs, construction projects and special events.
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Seminary Student - Freddy Taul
Freddy is a seminary student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He was saved in the 7th grade and called to ministry in High School. He felt called to preach in college, and recieved a B.A. in Theology from the University of Mobile. His post-seminary plans are undecided but he feels he will most likely be preaching and teaching in the church. Our gifts through the Cooperative Program help to provide the seminary for Freddy.
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Youth With a Mission - Troy Vanden Heuvel
Troy is in Australia currently training/volunteering/doing mission work with “Youth With A Mission” which is an international volunteer movement of Christians from many backgrounds, cultures and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world. Their purpose is simply to know God and to make Him known.
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Navajo Rez Refuge - John Van Eyke
John and Kelly Van Eyke have given their lives to the Navajo culture and people. They head up a non profit organization called Rez Refuge dedicated to the needs of the Navajo young people. In a place where suicide, drugs, alcohol, and abuse run rampant, the Rez Refuge Youth Center is a haven for the lost and needy. Woodland helped build this center and will assist in furnishings and supplies for years to come.
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IMB Missionaries - The Waters Family
Alan and Beth Waters, IMB missionaries, are from Manatee County and have served on the mission field since 1996. The Waters served in the Philippines, India and with many people groups in South Asia. They focused on helping tribal farmers improve their crop production as well as planting new churches across Asia. Alan and Beth have spent many years working with the “Diaspora”, a group of South Asian that has migrated away from their homeland. They are now in Malaysia continuing their mission work.
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Florida Baptist Convention - Haiti Relief
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the impoverished nation of Haiti with the epicenter located 14 miles from the center of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Florida Baptist relief efforts in Haiti have expanded to five communities surrounding Port-au-Prince, as the devastated nation tries to recover. Funds given through Woodland to the Cooperative Program go to help these that are on the front lines helping the Hatian people through this devastating time.
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Florida Baptist Convention - Havana Cuba July 2012 Mission Team
Woodland team to go in 2012 to do construction & evangelism.
Seminario Teológico Bautista The Havana Baptist Theological Seminary is the oldest institution among the evangelical denominations and has trained pastors for more than 100 years. The team will do some repairs on the structure. Each evening they will provide preaching and testimony for the worship services.
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