This update is designed to help churches that have embraced the Acts 1:8 Challenge be aware of resources from the North American Mission Board  (NAMB). Use them as your church plans and implements its strategy to reach North America with the love of Jesus Christ. Previous editions of the Samaria Update are available here.

Featured Response: Tell                                                                       

Crossover San Antonio Expects Thousands

An estimated 2,000 Southern Baptist volunteers will converge on San Antonio during the first week of June, when "Crossover San Antonio" comes to town in advance of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, June 12-13. Crossover is a great opportunity for your church to fulfill the "Tell" commitment of the Acts 1:8 Challenge.

Crossover is a comprehensive campaign to reach a significant segment of San Antonio's unchurched population. During the week and weekend leading up to the SBC meeting, volunteers - representing dozens of churches in San Antonio and around the nation - will take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the streets, parks and plazas of San Antonio, a city of some 1.8 million people and the second largest city in Texas. About 60 percent of San Antonio is Hispanic. For more information or to be a volunteer, go to www.crossoversa.org .

                                                                                              

Each Samaria Update highlights key Acts 1:8 Challenge Kingdom-growing responses to assist your church in fulfilling its Acts 1:8 Challenge commitment.

Go - Your Family On Mission this Summer

Registration is still open for Families on Mission, a pre-packaged, week-long (Saturday through Thursday) family mission opportunity that allows mom, dad, and grandparents to model an on-mission lifestyle for their children and grandchildren.

Mission activities include acts of kindness and other evangelism events, light construction and painting, yard work, prayer walking, and others. Stronger families will return home and look to serve God together through their church to have a great impact on their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Project locations are:  New Orleans, La., Lynch, Ky., East St. Louis, Ill., and Mobile Ala. (for homeschoolers). For more information go to www.namb.net/fom , or contact Rick Head, (800) 462-8657, ext. 6219, or email fom@namb.net .

Multiply - Vision Tour to Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Vision tours to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, are planned for Sept. 17-20, 2007. A vision tour is a great way for your church to begin the process of fulfilling its "multiply" commitment by getting started in North American church planting efforts.

The September tour is of the Greater Toronto area of Canada and will feature tours of communities where new churches are desperately needed.

The tentative schedule for the tour is as follows:

Sept. 17 - Travel day to Toronto
Sept. 18-19 - Vision tour in Toronto area
Sept. 20 - Travel day from Toronto

Churches are encouraged to participate in this significant Kingdom-growing event, said Mark Hobafcovich, strategic peoples manager in the Church Planting group at the NAMB.

"Please seek God's leadership and prayerfully consider participating in this visioning tour," said Hobafcovich.

Hobafcovich said cost of the tour is limited to airfare to Toronto.

"The North American Mission Board will pay expenses for local transportation transfer from the airport to hotel, hotel accommodations, tour transportation and meals; with the expectation that each pastor or leader participating will commit to lead their church to participate and partner in planting churches in the Greater Toronto area."

Space for the tour is limited to 15 people. Churches interested in participating should contact Hobafcovich by May 31 at mhobafcovich@namb.net or call 770-410-6228.

Go - Volunteers Needed for Cleveland Hope

Volunteers are still needed this summer to assist with Cleveland Hope in Northeast Ohio.

Cleveland Hope impacts individuals for Jesus Christ through the development of culturally relevant churches, leaders and disciples for the advancement of the gospel. Volunteers are needed to help local churches reach their communities through creative evangelism. Each event serves as a springboard for local churches to follow up on new friends in their communities.

Activities include:

• Painting Houses
• Upward Sports Camps
• Vacation Bible Schools
• Church Planting
• Servant Evangelism

For more information go to www.clevelandhope.com or contact Deborah Avery at 216-281-7919, ext. 208 or email davery@clevelandhope.com.

Learn - Participate in SFC Planning for San Diego

San Diego is known by locals as "America's Finest City," and, in many ways, that's not an exaggeration. Beautiful beaches, desert flowers, and nearly perfect weather make San Diego a great place to live. But San Diego is also a city with many needs.

There are more than 3 million people in Greater San Diego - the majority of whom haven't had their most basic spiritual needs fulfilled. The purpose of Vision San Diego (part of NAMB's Strategic Focus Cities initiative) is to see God's presence increase in San Diego and provide opportunities for people to come face to face with what it means to have a relationship with Christ.

For more information on Vision San Diego, call (858) 444-4400, email Cathy Smith at csmith@visionsd.org, or visit www.visionsandiego.com .

Check Out Other 'Kingdom-Growing' Responses

Be sure to check out the other Acts 1:8 Challenge commitments or to obtain more information about your church's Samaria response. For questions or comments about the Acts 1:8 Challenge, email tyarbrough@namb.net or call 1 800 4 ACTS 18 (800-422-8718).

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