PHOTOS BY_______


Association in Oklahoma also has come on board to partner with them, as well as Foothills Community Church in Georgia, that will be sending mission teams. “God really moved our hearts not just for church planting, but for church planting in this specifi c place. And we just have to follow,” says Riley. “We’re already seeing the blessing from it. There’s such a considerable amount of people here who have a huge spiritual need, and meeting that need with Christ is the heartbeat driv- ing Kassie and I as we go.”


THE CABES’ STORY


Newlyweds Kevin and Kristi Cabe fell in love with New York City on their fi rst visit together to the metro area. Ready to invest their lives outside the Bible Belt, the two took a vision tour hosted by the New York Metro Baptist Association. That’s how they met Nathan Tubbs, a Southern Baptist church planter and pastor of Cornerstone Church in Bay Ridge. His vision for reaching people in the Brooklyn neighborhood struck a chord with Kevin and Kristi. “We were drawn to NYC because of the lostness


here,” says Kevin. “The Bay Ridge community covers only two square miles, but there are more than 70,000 people who live here and only one Southern Baptist church.” Months later, they packed their bags, left their


home in Knoxville, Tenn., and planted themselves in Brooklyn. As North American Mission Board missionaries,


Kevin serves as associate pastor of the church plant while Kristi works with children’s and women’s minis- tries. The Cabes are MSC-funded missionaries, so they raise their own support. Kevin, a bivocational pastor, works at the Bowery Mission in Manhattan. “We completely moved here on faith that the Lord


would provide,” says Kevin. “It was hard at times to have that faith, but we knew that if God called us to it that He would see us through it. He has provided greatly. Many friends, family and co-workers back in Knoxville gave to us so that we were able to sustain ourselves for several months here.” The Cabes see reaching Bay Ridge as a challenge


and an even greater opportunity—one that’s worth investing their lives. “When you reach someone for Christ in New York, it literally has the opportunity to spread around the world,” says Kevin. “We’re seeing people of all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds that are being reached for Christ and then returning to their homes and starting churches and spreading the gospel.” OM


Carol Pipes is editor for On Mission. Sara Shelton is associate editor for On Mission.


Is God calling me to plant?


By Warren Mainard P


eople often ask how I knew God was calling me to be a part of a church plant? I tell them there is no “one way” to determine


17 Fall 2012 • onmission.com


God’s calling. God will uniquely call each person. There are, however, some principles and practices we can follow to help us determine God’s will and calling in our lives. Calling begins with a vision or a


revelation from God. This does not necessarily imply a supernatural experience, but rather an immedi- ate or growing sense that God is revealing a part of His kingdom plan in order that you might par- ticipate in it. This process of calling can manifest itself through: • Becoming aware of a need or


a problem that results in an intense burden. Often times, when you see a need and have a growing desire to see God bring resolution to that need, it can be an indicator


that God may be calling you to be a part of His plan in that area of ministry. • Prayer and fasting. Taking in-


tentional time away with the Lord to focus on Him and His call in your life is essential in sorting through the clutter that fi lls your life. In these times of quiet refl ection, God often allows you to hear Him more clearly. • A fresh understanding of


Scripture. Many times, a Scripture or set of Scriptures will begin to speak and convict you in a new way as you become aware that God is preparing your heart for something new. • The vision or experience of a fellow believer. It may be that


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