“And His name will be the hope of all the world.” —Matthew 12:21 (NLT)
For over ten years, the Hope for the World Missions Offering has generated millions of dollars to reach the lost and hurting around the world, the U.S., and Middle Tennessee.
Brentwood Baptist Church’s Missions Minister, Scott Harris, explains:
The Hope for the World Missions Offering is our unified giving plan to support our mission partners throughout the year. The offering runs January 1 through December 31. We provide quarterly support based on the generosity of our members. With these funds goes prayer support, volunteers, engagements with mission journey teams, and more. These partners are not just names and faces on a piece of paper. We relly know them, and we partner with them for many years. It’s exciting over the years to see these ministries and these initiatives grow, to see churches started, to see lives changed, to see lives saved, to see the gospel grow and flourish in places in our local community and to the very ends of the earth.
For the Good News of the Gospel
In 2016, the Hope for the World Missions Offering is starting something new. Each regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church now has their own Hope for the World Missions Offering goal. The Church at Avenue South, The Church at Woodbine, The Church at Station Hill, and The Church at West Franklin will each work toward meeting their campus goal as a part of the larger Hope for the World Missions Offering.
In addition, a portion of the money given toward these campus goals will go directly to ministry partners chosen by each campus. These Focus Partners were chosen because the ministry they provide is aligned with the passion and interests of each unique campus.
Meeting Needs in Middle Tennessee
For example, Doug Jones, Campus and Community Pastor at The Church at Woodbine shares that their campus has chosen Begin Anew (formerly the Christian Women’s Job Corps) as one of their Focus Partners. “During the transitional period after Woodbine Baptist and Brentwood Baptist merged in 2014, the Vision/Transition Team spent a year planning, praying, and assessing the current WB situation, its history, and the potential for future ministry.
While conducting numerous surveys and interviews with people from the existing congregation, the neighborhood, local businesses, and schools, they discovered several ‘top-felt’ needs of the community. Begin Anew meets and addresses several of these top-felt needs. Coupled with the success of the ESL classes this past spring, where we had almost 100 students enrolled from over 17 countries, we believe that the Lord has confirmed to us that Begin Anew is the ‘perfect fit’ to partner in ministry in order to make disciples of Jesus and meet the needs of the local community.”
For Our Community
Matthew Page, Minister of Discipleship and Service at Avenue South, explains that one of the partners chosen by The Church at Avenue South is the Siloam Family Health Center. “The reason we chose Siloam is because they are literally .4 miles from our campus in Berry Hill. We also lease our parking from them. They are actively meeting the needs of the refugee population, and we are passionate about that as well.”
The Church at Station Hill has chosen The Well as one of their Focus Partners. Missions Coordinator, Leigh Ann Swords, explains, “The Well’s mission is to ensure that no household in Spring Hill, Thompson’s Station, College Grove or northern Columbia is without food assistance when needed. Their goal is to show God’s love and open doors to share the gospel by first meeting physical needs. Station Hill partners with the Well in various ways.
We hold 2-3 food drives a year. We also support the jet pack ministry by sponsoring kids at two local schools, providing food for approximately 40 children every weekend and over breaks. Several of our members volunteer on a regular basis, and this year we are providing parking and a bus to shuttle volunteers to the Tri Star ER to help with the mobile food pantry.
God is at Work Here
One of the partners for The Church at West Franklin is The Shalom Foundation. Matt Pearson, Campus and Teaching Pastor, shares, “The Shalom Foundation began by the help of West Franklin members, Tommy Sanders and Colon Pope. Many West Franklin members have been intimately involved in this ministry and have been used of God to see it become what it is today.”
Brentwood Baptist Church is about one thing: connecting people to the life-changing hope that is found in Jesus. That’s why the church invests efforts and resources into making Him known throughout the world. The annual Hope for the World Missions Offering is one of the ways this happens.
To learn more about all campuses and their Focus Partners, visit each campus website:
For a full listing of Hope for the World partners, click here.