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.

“God was working in ways I was not even aware of until I look back and am amazed at all He has done to bring us to River Church, San Marcos,” said Ray Owens, church planter and founding pastor of the church. “We are the fifth campus of the church to launch and are about 20 miles north of the first River Church in San Diego.