Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers and leaders are preparing to respond to historic wildfire damage in central Colorado. Volunteer disaster relief chaplains are leading the way in ministry.

By Gary Frost 

Penetrating lostness in North America is a huge task. It will require thousands of church planters and tens of thousands of believers demonstrating and declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ with compassion and grace.

To call Jonathan Lemaster’s life busy would be an understatement. He pastors two churches and is helping to start a third. And, until recently, he also worked as a debt collector in Duluth, Minn., where he pastors.

“As the people of God, it is essential that we care about what He cares about, and He cares about the neglected.” This was Al Gilbert’s charge to the audience during a panel discussion on the biblical call to love neglected children around the world.

Telling pastors and other messengers attending the Southern Baptist Convention that the next generation of missionaries are already in their churches, North American Mission Board (NAMB) president Kevin Ezell called on Southern Baptists to dramatically increase the number of missionaries and church planters being sent to the North American mission field.

Southern Baptist church planter Carlos Pulgarin isn’t accustomed to worship services without responsibilities. At Zona Cera, his Spanish-language church plant in Vancouver, B.C., Pulgarin has to set up everything—such as the sound system, chairs and children’s ministry—before each of the church’s twice-weekly worship services.

Church planters, city coordinators and regional mobilizers from each of the five regions emphasized by the Send North America strategy staffed the North American Mission Board’s exhibit at the SBC Annual Meeting in Houston. The goal was to share their experiences and help mobilize other Southern Baptists to get involved in missions and church planting.

Using dots on a a timeline and visiting pivotal points in history, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) showcased significance moments in Southern Baptist heritage and challenged attendees to capture their moment to impact lostness in North America now.

These videos were featured during the North American Mission Board's presentation during the 2013 SBC Annual Meeting in Houston. To share or download individual videos, visit the links below.

A sun-soaked day broke over Houston on Saturday as thousands of volunteers scoured the city cleaning properties, renovating schools and homes, hosting block parties and sharing the gospel. It was all part of Crossover, the intentional evangelistic day of emphasis held each year in the host city of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting.

For those not attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston this week, a live video stream is available for both the Pastors' Conference -- beginning at 5:30 p.m. Central today (Sunday, June 9) -- and for the SBC annual meeting beginning Tuesday morning. Additionally, NAMB will be participating in a series of "Talk CP (Cooperative Program) Live" panel discussions being streamed live from the SBC exhibit floor. The schedule for discussions involving NAMB staff, missionaries or strategies is below:

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers moved into action following another round of deadly storms in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas over the weekend. A series of tornadoes north of Oklahoma City claimed at least 14 lives Friday. Four people were killed by floodwaters in Arkansas.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers are active in seven states responding to damage from floods, tornadoes and other disasters on the eve of hurricane season. The shear breadth of the responses--with hundreds of volunteers simultaneously engaged--is a humbling reminder of the enduring spirit of Southern Baptist service, SBDR leaders said.

For 90 minutes on the afternoon of Monday, May 20, 2013, Ivette Castro didn’t know if she, her 16-year-old daughter and 20-year-old son would live to see the evening as an EF5 tornado—the most powerful rating possible—bared down on them.  As Castro dealt with the aftermath, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were there to help her through it.

She was a singer without a reason to sing. But that was before Christine wandered into a Southern Baptist church plant in Montreal – and found what she'd always wanted.

Gary Hunley had seen it all before. As he looked around at the carnage left behind from last Monday’s EF5 tornado in Moore, Okla., he saw an all-too-familiar scene—overturned cars, metal sign posts bent to the ground and houses reduced to rubble.

As Corey Callens wades through the piles of broken furniture, brick, wood and toys that used to be part of his home, he stops every so often to pick up something shiny.“The shiny pieces fool you,” said Callens.

In this video update NAMB President Kevin Ezell shares what Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are doing to help survivors of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado.

In this video, veterans remember how they saw God at work through Southern Baptist military chaplains. Consider sharing this Sunday as part of a Memorial Day observance.

The North American Mission Board is encouraging churches to use Independence Day as an opportunity to honor members of the military, chaplains and veterans for their extraordinary service.