FROM SHAPLEIGH TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
IT IS THE GOAL OF THE FBS MISSIONS COMMITTEE TO SERVE OUR MEMBERS, OUR COMMUNITY, AND OUR WORLD THROUGH THE SHARING OF THE GOSPEL.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
~ Acts 1: 8.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF SHAPLEIGH
MISSIONS
SERVING
THE SAWYERS
PHIL. 3:8: INDEED, I COUNT EVERYTHING AS LOSS BECAUSE OF THE SURPASSING WORTH OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD.
Our church considers it a privilege to support Travis Sawyer and his family as they humbly serve God through Straight Up Missions (SUM). They and their four daughters have been serving in Kenya since 2008, working to create the Mara Girls Home, Mara Christian Academy, and other community-oriented projects, all with the goal of bringing Christ to this lost country. "We are not here to build stone buildings, install water systems or any other external thing. However, because of our love for our neighbors and to show them the love of Christ, we do these things," Travis says of his family's projects. "We see them as another opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus."
SERVING
THE STUDENTS
1 Timothy 4:12: Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
One of the most overlooked mission fields today is the college campus. Our church has sent many students out into this world - students who want to make a difference for Christ, and who are working to change the presuppositions against God that are all too often found in educational capacities. Whether that means by bringing the positivity and respect of Christ to collegiate sports, interning in a foreign country as a teacher, working to bring better mental health awareness to the campus, or simply being open about their faith, our students are passionate about living for Christ. The church supports these efforts in the form of prayer and periodical care packages, as well as frequent updates on the status of the students.
SERVING
THE COMMUNITY
GALATIANS 5:13: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Our church makes serving the community a priority, with programs supporting local Christian radio station WSEW, the world-wide missions outreach Voice of the Martyrs, a pro-life pregnancy crisis program called Alpha Pregnancy Center, and New England Bible College. Alpha Pregnancy Center provides free pregnancy tests as well as information on all pregnancy options, including after-abortion support. New England Bible College is a small four-year coeducational Bible college in South Portland, Maine. There are on average 50 to 60 enrolled students each semester. VOM's mission is to serve persecuted Christians through practical and spiritual assistance, and lead other members of the Body of Christ into fellowship with them.
SERVING
THE WORLD
MARK 16:15: And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
The First Baptist Church of Shapleigh believes that everyone shares equal worth and value as God's image-bearers. To this end, we are firm supporters of short-term missions, and our members have been to many foreign countries spreading the Gospel and supporting full-time missionaries. Missions is the process of reaching unreached peoples with the Gospel, which requires intense language-learning, cultural study, and relationship-building. Short-term missions, therefore, does not exist. All of our missions — however long we’re physically in the country — are long-term missions. Church resources are invested in short-term trips as a way of supporting existing missionaries.
