NOVATIVE MINISTRIES n INNOVATIVE MINISTRIES n INNOVATIVE MINISTRIES n INNOVATIVE MINISTRIES n INNOVATIVE MINIST

poor people, some advanced in years, who were no longer able to care for themselves. These are people who were made to work on farms in exchange for food, clothing, a bunk bed, and a minimal cash grant. John learned from his parents the importance of recognizing the dignity of these poor people and relating to them respectfully despite their immediate situation. Little did he know, at that time, that God was preparing him for a mission he would execute later in life. After John and Gloria completed their years of committed

service as a missionary couple in the Congo, the Marshalls returned to the United States. By 1997, they were in California carrying out a creative ministry that is as important as the one they fulfilled in the Congo – a ministry to homeless people. Homelessness is a serious problem in the US. Current figures

of the chronically homeless, people who are without a place to sleep for more than a year, are startling. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Alliance to End Homelessness, more than 600,000 people experience homelessness on any given night in the US. These homeless people face a variety of challenges. Their homelessness sometimes results from domestic abuse. It is sometimes accompanied by mental health challenges, substance abuse or prostitution. After gathering experience working with Rescue Mission

in Pennsylvania, the Marshalls established Stewards Inc., “to ignite hope and inspire futures in those who are challenged and marginalized.” By this means, they offer a ministry to help people turn their life around through the proper management of financial support provided by the US government. The US Social Services Administration (SCA) disburses grants

to beneficiaries who need assistance to secure shelter, food and clothing. However, some grant recipients fail to use the funds for their intended purpose. To assist them, the SCA collaborates with Payee Organizations that manage the monthly grants on behalf of the beneficiaries who have a record of misusing the funds. Stewards Inc. is committed to this ministry. Essentially, what the Marshalls have done is to establish a not-for-profit organization that operates as a Representative Payee Organization. The story of Stewards Inc. is told in Hope Reclaimed: A Plan and Hope for the Future (Denver, Colorado: Outskirts Press, Inc., 2010).

BWA General Secretary Neville Callam with Gloria and John Marshall

Evangelism that WORKS by Eron Henry 

There has been significant numerical growth among Baptists in different parts of the world over the past two decades in countries such as Ukraine, Uganda, Cuba, Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia, Myanmar and parts of India.

No one factor seems to account for this growth. Features that have contributed to growth may apply better in some contexts than others. It is also presumed that increased numerical growth does not necessarily translate into greater or improved Christian witness. However, the fact that numerical growth has taken place in the instances cited here cannot be denied.

Organization and Planning

Ukraine, a former republic of the Soviet Union, experienced phenomenal growth since it gained independence after the breakup of the Soviet state in 1991. Between that time and 2012, more than 1,500 new congregations were planted. The membership of the All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christians- Baptists increased from approximately 90,000 members in 1990 to about 125,000 believers in more than 2,300 churches in 2012. This was the continuation of a growth spurt that started in 1985 due to “perestroika,” a political reformation movement in the Soviet Union that opened up greater levels of freedom. This growth in Ukraine did not happen by chance. In the union, each congregation and each of the 25 regional associations has a director of evangelism. When meetings are held, evangelism directors from the different churches meet at the associational level. Nationally, the directors of evangelism from the associations meet together to make and execute evangelism plans. In this way, (Continued on next page)

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