Kentucky Baptists See Spiritual Needs in St. Louis
02/22/2012
ST. LOUIS –Standing inside a boxing ring that sits smack-dab in the middle of the fellowship hall, the tattooed pastor of Have Bible Will Travel Church asked for prayer.
His request: that "everyone will understand that the vision is larger than them," Pat Rankin told a group of Kentucky Baptists.
Rankin, who looks more like he belongs on a Harley than behind a pulpit, leads the church in Bridgeton, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis near the city's airport. Rankin came to know Christ as his Savior in 2001 through the work of the church's founder, who sought to reach people inside bars and tattoo parlors.
In addition to ministering in places some would never dare go, Have Bible Will Travel hosts sanctioned boxing matches as a way to reach a segment of the population with which most churches might never connect.
It's these types of unique ministries that are needed to reach St. Louis' 2.7 million people with the gospel, Scott Pittman noted.
The director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention's partnership missions department led a two-day "vision trip" to St. Louis last week. More than 40 Kentucky Baptist pastors, directors of missions and laypersons traveled to the Gateway City to explore the many missions and ministry opportunities there.
Check out a photo gallery of pictures from the vision trip:
The trip was just the beginning of a missions agreement between the KBC and St. Louis Metro Baptist Association, signed last November.
With the partnership in its infancy, Pittman is leading the way in getting the word out to Kentucky Baptist church leaders through the vision trip and informational sessions. Two such forums already have been held; a third is set for March 15 at Lone Oak First Baptist Church of Paducah. For details on the forum, visit www.kybaptist.org/stlouis.
During last week's trip, Pittman said the Kentucky group visited several churches and ministries in and around the city, ranging from established congregations that have been in the city for decades to recently planted churches. Most, if not all, need significant help, he said.
Matthew Sickling, DOM for Ohio County Baptist Association, described many of the St. Louis churches as desperate.
"They need individuals and churches to come alongside of them and help push back the darkness that is threatening to overtake them," he said.
Among them is First Baptist Church of St. Ann, an older, suburban congregation that is in need of revitalization. Symbolizing the country's economic struggles, St. Ann once boasted Missouri's largest shopping mall; it closed for good in 2010.
But help is coming, by way of northern Kentucky.
While in St. Louis, Bill Clark, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Independence, visited with St. Ann First's pastor, John Stack. Clark got a tour of the church's facilities and discussed ways his church could help minister to the area's 13,000 residents.
Clark said a family mission trip likely is in Hickory Grove's future. Many of the St. Ann church's needs involve putting on backyard Bible clubs and sports camps, as well as doing light repair and painting jobs around the facility.
"I really feel like that's where the Lord is leading us right now," Clark said.
"We just want to really be an encouragement to him," Clark said of Stack, "because I know it's very difficult when you're revitalizing a church."
Despite the hardships many St. Louis church leaders and planters face, Clark said the energy with which they seek to reach the lost is infectious. "These folks are just so passionate to reach their city," he said.
That passion, he added, will not only affect the city of St. Louis, but will have a carry-over effect in Kentucky as well.
"We need to bottle that up and have that same infectious compassion for our own cities here."
For details about the Kentucky –St. Louis Partnership, visit www.kybaptist.org/stlouis or contact KBC's partnership missions department by e-mail at partnership@kybaptist.org or by phone at (502) 489-3529 or (866) 489-3529 (toll-free in Kentucky).
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Story by Drew Nichter, news director, Western Recorder
