March 29, 2018
East Texas Baptist University held a series of events as a part of the annual ETBU Global Missions Week on Monday, March 26 through Wednesday, March 28 to highlight both international and local missions during Holy Week. The University invited more than 40 organizations to setup informational booths at the Mission Marketplace and chose Texas Baptist Men (TBM) Chief Executive Officer Mickey Lenamon and Woman's Missionary Union of Texas (WMU) Executive Director-Treasurer Tamiko Jones as guest speakers for the week's chapel services.
"There's no better time to emphasize the idea of call and response," Jones shared. "This week of Passion, the days leading up to the death of our Lord, should help to shape our response to God's call. It brings to my mind the question of what we are prepared to do for Him. When I think about responsibility as children of God, I consider that the call of God is not always to a glamorous vocation and its fruit in this world is often bittersweet. Yet, God has called us according to our gifts and talents and chooses the path for us that is most effective," Jones continued. "We are no longer fishing for self, but for men. We are no longer singing for ourselves, but for souls. We are no longer teaching toward employment, but toward service of the King."
Global Missions Week allowed ETBU faculty, staff, and students to remember and reflect on the sacrifice and victory of Christ, while learning about practical ways to integrate faith into every area of their lives.
"With Global Missions Week, we wanted to expose our campus to the many possibilities for fulfilling the command to love your neighbor as yourself," ETBU Director of Global Education and the Great Commission Center (GCC) Lisa Seeley shared. "Regardless of their calling in life, every Christian is called to minister in their community, across their state, and around the world."
Mission Marketplace was an opportunity for students to network and connect with believers living to fulfill the Great Commission. With organizations such as Mercy Ships and Marshall Food Pantry represented, the exposition provided students with a comprehensive understanding of the diverse avenues to be involved in mission work.
"We want all students to know that there is a place for them to serve in God's Kingdom," Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Director of Mobilization Barry Calhoun said. "We have the partnerships and resources necessary to get any student started with missions right here in Texas. God may send them elsewhere in the world, but we can prepare and train students now for wherever God wants them to be."
To conclude Global Missions Week, Lenamon led the University during a chapel service on campus. He has been involved with Texas Baptists since its foundation in 1972. The organization began in Texas and now serves across the globe. Today, TBM has 15,000 volunteers. Working with 5,300 churches in Texas, TBM has relief teams serving in more than 40 states.
"As believers, we only have one mission and that is to tell people about Jesus. During physical disaster, we often forget about spiritual disaster," Lenamon said. "Last year we built 11 wells, but we don't only go to drill water wells. We go to tell people about living water. Everything we do as the body of Christ, we do to share about Jesus."