This post originally appeared at BGAV.org.
Every year, Virginia Baptists embark on new projects and initiatives to reach people in our communities and around the world. We hear many great stories throughout the year, but there is always more going on.
Check out these initiatives, including some opportunities to learn more at the BGAV Annual Meeting:
Human Trafficking
Just last month, Henrico County police, where the Virginia Baptist Resource Center is located, caught two men accused of human trafficking.
Slavery didn’t end with the Emancipation Proclamation. According to the UN, an estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labor worldwide, and the problem is prevalent throughout the US. According to a Washington Times article in 2011, Task Force members in Maryland called “trafficking in the U.S. a “problem of epidemic proportion.”
Learn more at the Annual Meeting’s Breakout session entitled Trafficked: An Experience in Choices and Consequences, during Session #2 from 3:15 p.m.–4:15 p.m. in Ballroom E. Join us in navigating an interactive experience that will help teenagers understand how easily people can become victims of human trafficking. Teens are uniquely poised to help this crisis: the majority of trafficking victims are between 18-24 years old.
Discussion will focus on how we can encourage teens to assist victims through prayer, hands-on ministry, and prevention efforts. Contact Maria Lynn, Adult Missions Coordinator, WMUV, or visit the WMUV website to learn more about human trafficking in your community and around the world.
Kairos Initiative—Reaching Young Adults
The Kairos Initiative is an organized effort among Virginia Baptists to encourage collaboration and increase effectiveness in College Aged Young Adult Ministries with a three-fold focus: to develop disciple leaders, to build community and to serve on mission. This network includes churches, new church starts, young adult ministry groups, campus based BCM ministries, and others. It connects pastors, collegiate ministers, youth ministers & church planters to network together to better reach, disciple & equip young adults for the cause of Christ.
The Kairos Initiative is about:
- Developing Leaders – Students growing as disciple-makers in their church and community.
- Building Community – Space for ministers and those who also want to explore, learn and grow.
- Moving Missionally – Connecting individuals, groups, and churches with opportunities to discover and be a part of what God is doing in their neighborhood and around the world.
Hear from Kairos Initiative Director Welford Orrock at Breakout Session 1 or 2 on Tuesday afternoon in Hilton Garden Inn, Madison Room 1.
Breakout Session #1: 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #2: 3:15 p.m.–4:15 p.m.
Community Development
What if your congregation could build a bridge to great, untapped resources in your community?
Christian Community Development is a pilot initiative of the Courageous Churches team seeking to encourage congregations to develop life transformational culture through an incarnational, wholistic engagement of their communities.
What does this mean, practically?
For Huguenot Road (Richmond), it means opening their doors each fall for a health screening and seminar, providing life-giving resources while building new relationships in their community.
For Gayton (Richmond), it means building a bridge to the school and neighborhoods where many of their members already live and investing in the community itself.
Caitlin Figura, Coordinator for Christian Community Development at the VBMB, has led the formation of a CCD Regional Network in the Richmond area. The CCD framework of support includes small project stipends and subsidized coaching assistance.
This new framework encourages local church leaders to journey together as they transition to more sustainable, community-led development initiatives.
This regional network design will serve as a model for similar efforts in other regions across the Commonwealth.
Learn more about CCD and contact Caitlin Figura to see how you can connect.
