Reaching out "Glocally"
An article that apeared in the Belleville News Democrat:
Towerview Baptist Church plans to 'glocally' help the needy
Plans to take its mission worldwide
BY WALLY SPIERS
News-Democrat
Towerview Baptist Church in Belleville is thinking "glocally" these days, which is why the church is planning a mission trip to Africa but also helping area homeless.
"Why shouldn't we reach out, whether it's next door or around the world?" said the Rev. Brian Fuller, pastor of Towerview, 2401 Lebanon Ave.
Glocal, a combination of global and local, is a term coined for business and ecology but it has been adopted by churches to suggest they can help wherever help is needed.
The church is planning a mission trip to Nigeria, a youth trip to Mexico and to help homeless people in St. Louis.
While a lot of the young members have gone on missions around the country and even to Central America, the trip to Nigeria will be the first mission for adults. The church formed a six-member Vision Team to help plan the trip.
Team members are Fuller, Andy Anderson, Nikki Camey, Beverly Hancock, Angie Tucker and Ron Van Horn. No one is sure what they will find on the trip, but all are eager to find out.
"In reality, we hope to find what God wants us to do," Van Horn said. "A lot of groups over there have never heard of Jesus. That is one of things we're going over to do, share Jesus with them."
Hancock said she has a lot of experience with mission work in the United States, but never overseas. Several team members are either retired military or military spouses who have spent a lot of time overseas. Still, this is new.
"We have a big learning curve figuring out all you have to do to go to Nigeria," Fuller said.
The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has helped, and the church is sending the Vision Team on an 11-day scouting trip in March.
"We'll go and literally walk the villages and areas, praying and keeping our eyes and ears open spiritually to find out what God wants us to do," Fuller said.
Next month, the team will go to Tennessee to a conference where they will meet the family of missionaries who will assist Towerview on its Nigerian mission. Team members also will get training to prepare for the mission.
It has required quite a bit of preparation already.
"There are shots," Anderson said. "Lots of shots. I don't think people realized how many."
Required are rabies, hepatitis, yellow fever and malaria as well as recommended shots, such as typhoid.
The team also took a camping trip recently because that is how they will live in the field in Nigeria. That was a new experience for at least one member of the team.
The actual mission may go later in the year, possibly around Christmas. It could be as many as 20 people.
"We haven't been told what is a good-size group," Fuller said. "They don't like for you to draw undue attention over there. There is some tension between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria."
The date will depend on when the missionaries want them to come. It also will depend on the area's rainy season, which can last from May to October. It would be of no use to be there when it was continually raining and roads are nearly impassable.
What they do know is that the scouting trip will cost about $2,500 per person. They are already in the process of raising money and will be publicizing fundraisers as they occur.