Bowling Green—RISK: Bowling Green has drawn nearly 500 individuals into a relationship with Christ as Warren Baptist Association churches engage communities with personal testimonies, prayerwalking and through a variety of outreach event.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention will hold its 177th Annual Meeting at Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green Nov. 11, and RISK: Bowling Green is a series of precursor events to engage the community with the gospel.
“We’ve surpassed the number of decisions made at last year’s RISK: Paducah,” said Chuck McAlister, KBC evangelism and church planting team leader. Last month, “267 of those decisions were made at one of our affinity evangelism events targeting female students at Western Kentucky University.”
WKU’s Baptist Campus Ministry hosted the Girls’ Night Out event that featured author Marian Jordan Ellis, who wrote “Sex and the City Uncovered.” More than 600 students attended, filling the Downing Student Union Auditorium.
Other associational outreach highlights included Hillvue Heights Church’s two-day Godstock event, which resulted in 50 baptisms, and a block party held by State Street Baptist Church that drew 250 people and had 19 salvation decisions.
John Mark Toby, Warren Association’s director of missions, said prayerwalking and evangelism training has made a significant impact on the record number of salvation decisions—47 decisions last week alone.
“I’m sure there are more, that’s all I can confirm right now,” said Toby.
In conjunction with the KBC Annual Meeting theme “Tell Your Story,” Toby said churches provided testimony training for members.
“Everyone has a testimony. Everyone has an experience. People can debate different things about faith, but they can’t debate a person’s life-changing experience with Christ,” Toby said.
So far, thousands of Warren Association Baptists have learned not only the process for sharing the gospel through their personal testimony, but also how crucial it is to use their new skills.
“According to LifeWay, less than 5 percent of Southern Baptists will share their testimony with anyone in their lifetime,” Toby said. “That’s a staggering statistic.”
Sample sermons and testimony training guides are available at www.warrenassociation.org. Look for “Testimony Training” under the “Tell Your Story” tab.
Toby said he is anticipating the Holy Spirit to continue moving across Bowling Green as visiting Kentucky Baptists help Warren Association Baptists spread the gospel.
“We want to penetrate this city with prayer,” Toby said. “May the Lord move mightily in their efforts. May we do great things for God and advance the cause for Christ.” (KBC)