Paula Settle

Paula Settle serves in eastern Kentucky with Mountain Hope, the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship’s rural poverty effort in three Kentucky communities: Owsley County, McCreary County and Powell County’s community of Nada. Her work is part of Together of Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.

“I am working with individual families, reading to children in the local elementary school, working in a food pantry, a clothes closet, women’s groups, summer mission teams, housing repairs, senior adult assisted living center, and being an advocate for the poor with the school system and government agencies. I have opportunities to share God’s love with individuals and in group settings,” Settle said.

One of Settle’s ministry goals is to expose children and teens to other areas of the United States since many of them have never traveled outside their county.  One annual activity includes taking groups of youth and women to another state to get them out of their community and expose them to other areas of the country.


Related stories: 
• 2011 April/May fellowship!: 'The whole Baptist village'
• 2010 Winter fellowship!: Jewerly co-ops provide opportunities for girls, women
• Fellowship Baptists enjoy spirit of Christmas
• Churches come together to sponsor summer camp

Related links: 
• Mountain Hope
• Together For Hope
• Paula Settle's Ministry website

Multimedia: 
• Being the Presence of Christ in Appalachia
• Audio interview with Paula Settle

Annette Ellard & Steve Clark

Steve Clark and Annette Ellard minister in Louisville, KY, among Karen refugees from Burma. The Karen, who began resettling in the United States from refugee camps in Thailand in 2006, have suffered through nearly 60 years of civil war and persecution at the hands of Burma's military rulers. Due to the historic influence of Baptist missionaries, about forty percent of the Karen are Christian. Steve and Annette--along with Crescent Hill Baptist Church where they are members--are welcoming a growing group of Karen refugees and helping them adapt to life in the United States.

Also, Steve and Annette use their professional skills in video production to produce video resources that help share the gospel, support the work of other CBF field personnel and communicate the missions story to CBF partner churches.

"Everyone has a story to share. We often have been amazed at how a video camera and a notepad convey our genuine interest and invite people to openly tell us about themselves. This creates an opportunity for us to talk about our faith and God's love for them," Steve and Annette said.

Related stories:
• Baptist church provides welcoming place of worship 
• Video: The Plight of Karen Refugees
• Video: Crescent Hill Baptist Church's ministry with the Karen


Give
Steve and Annette are self-funded CBF field personnel. As self-funded affiliates, they are responsible for raising their own support to minister among the Karen refugees. If you would like to make a pledge toward that support, call (800) 352-8741 or pledge online. 

After you make a pledge, you can mail your contribution to: 
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392.
Include “Steve Clark and Annette Ellard ” on the memo line.