Nada Meeting a Great Success
March 8, 2008
The dream Keith Stillwell and others have had for several years finally came true. Keith is chair of the Mountain Hope Task Force of Kentucky Baptist Fellowship. Paula Settle shared the dream. Paula is Affiliate Field Personnel with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Her funding is provided by First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte, Third Baptist Church, Owensboro and Central Baptist Church Bearden, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Keith and Paula wanted to have a meeting of local leaders in the counties targeted by Mountain Hope in order to provide training and to provide a time to coordinate efforts for the summer. The idea was to “get people on the same page” regarding our philosophy and to plan a summer’s worth of ministries.
Fifty people attended this meeting in Nada on the weekend of February 29, 2008.
We were from diverse theological persuasions and varied geographical places. Places included: Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia. We were Baptist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, and other. Representatives from partners in targeted counties (Powell, McCreary, Owsley) were present. Most in attendance were from partnering congregations. These people represented a host of people who will come back to one of these counties this summer to provide ministries.
Jeremy Lewis provided the training component. He is Together for Hope Manager for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions. He helped us understand Asset Based Community Development by helping us develop asset maps. It’s so easy to look at the poverty and think about needs. To say we target the twenty poorest counties, for example, points to the deficiencies of these counties. Together for Hope (Mountain Hope is the Kentucky piece of this initiative) seeks to look at the community assets, helping local leaders and groups become aware of and mobilize their resources.
Time was spent planning mission activities and projects for Summer 2008. Church leaders (many who came from a great distance) met with local partners. Potential work sites were toured and chosen.
After a shared meal, John Owen welcomed us to the Nada Mission. He is pastor of First Baptist Church, Winchester as well as pastor of the Nada Mission. He pointed out how the Nada Mission has changed over the years. It began as a place of worship and Bible Study. And while it continues to serve this function, the Nada Mission has become a place of partnerships. Nada is a small community adjacent to the Red River Gorge. On Sunday afternoons, the mission is a place of worship and bible study. During the week it is a hub for the people of Nada, a kind of community center.
Perhaps it was fitting that the first “big” meeting of Mountain Hope partners be held at the Nada Mission. The fifty people present at this meeting point to the importance of partnerships for the Nada Mission and also for the success of Mountain Hope. The needs in the three target counties are tremendous. Partners from a distance come along side local partners, identifying assets to make a difference in the name of Jesus Christ.
Click here for pictures of the meeting.