Updated Wednesday, March 26, 2008

113 new missionaries include two couples in N.C.

From BR and wire reports

TAYLORS, S.C. - A Feb. 24 service introduced 113 new missionaries appointed through the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

The service was held at Taylors First Baptist Church in South Carolina, where Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page is pastor. Two couples who serve in North Carolina were among those commissioned.

Mike and Mary Higgins are Mission Service Corps missionaries serving at the Tri-County Pregnancy Center in Burnsville. Mary is executive director and Mike is client service director. The center provides alternatives to abortion, Bible studies and prenatal parenting and nutrition classes for women from Yancey, Mitchell and Avery counties. The couple recruits donations of maternity and baby clothes, diapers and other necessities for mothers.

Jeff and Kimberly Smith used to serve with NAMB as national missionaries, but Jeff said, "It was kind of out of my calling. I was too far up. I wasn't able to start churches eyeball to eyeball."

The recent commissioning service recognized the couple as joint missionaries of NAMB and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC). Smith also works with the Cowboy Church Network of North America and is pastor of Central Station Cowboy Church in Midland and Tri-County Cowboy Church in Mount Pleasant.

"I just needed to be on the ground with the people," Smith said. He continues to go to state conventions and local associations when requested to teach them about cowboy churches.

The Convention wants to start 10-15 cowboy churches a year, Smith said, but his goal begins at 15.

The new missionaries join more than 5,000 already serving in North America. There are more than 2,800 Southern Baptist chaplains endorsed by the North American Mission Board. Chaplains serve throughout North America and in the military throughout the world.

"We welcome each of you from all over this continent," Page told the missionaries. "We are so glad we are seeing the commissioning of scores of North American missionaries. We want people of every tongue to hear the gospel in their heart language."