Your IMB E-Letter
May 28, 2014  One sacred effort at the SBC
Imagine joining the Author of all history in one sacred effort! Find your place in God’s story at IMB’s exhibit hall booth at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Baltimore June 10-11. Find a people group that needs your church to pray, partner or engage so they might hear the Gospel. Find ministry projects that deliver physical and spiritual help to people God wants you to love. Learn more about IMB’s booth and other SBC exhibits.
To register, find hotel information or learn more about this year’s SBC annual meeting, check out sbcannualmeeting.net. Don’t miss the IMB report and presentation beginning at 11:12 a.m., June 10, with live streaming at imb.org. Pray that SBC attendees will become more committed to being a part of one sacred effort.  IMB and NAMB missionary commissioning service
Join us for a rare opportunity to participate in a joint commissioning service for International Mission Board and North American Mission Board missionaries and hear their stories! Be a part of the commitment, prayer and excitement as nearly 100 missionaries are commissioned to share the Gospel in North America and around the world June 8, 4:00 p.m. at the Baltimore Convention Center. Sponsored by WMU®, NAMB and IMB.
Admission is free. For more details, visit wmu.com/Baltimore.  On eve of Ukraine election, Baptist seminary sends out grads
Graduation is a “life issue” that followers of Christ face around the world, but this story peers into the additional challenges added by the political upheaval in Ukraine. Pray for wisdom for these recent graduates, with degrees in church planting, Christian education, counseling, youth ministry and pastoral ministry, to know how to continue in the middle of this crisis.
Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more glimpses into these “slices of life” behind the Ukrainian crisis in a series of stories coming soon on Eurasia Stories.  WorldView: New Americans
Has any land ever been such a powerful magnet to people yearning for freedom and opportunity as America? Some believe our society is being fragmented by the constant inflow of outsiders, and that E pluribus unum, “out of many, one,” is becoming “out of many, chaos.” New Americans bring new energy, creativity and productivity to our culture. The more important question: What are God’s purposes in this historic movement of people from everywhere to a single nation?
Visit WorldView Conversation, the blog related to this column.
 Living in obedience to God comes at a cost
The leadership of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, challenges and encourages their members to “live sent.” “Everything great in life calls for sacrifice,” says Daniel Montgomery, lead pastor, “... and we resolve to sacrifice for the mission of God, really for the joy that’s set before us.”
Watch a video, see photos and learn more about Sojoun church.
 Faithful in tough places
Many places in Southeast Asia are hard to reach for a reason. Christians often face threats and violence when they try to share the Gospel with the people God calls them to. Though it would be easy to give into fear, Southeast Asian Christians can't ignore God's call to share the story of Jesus with their Muslim neighbors. They choose obedience over fear, and God blesses their efforts.
 New missionaries say yes to God's invitation
IMB trustees appointed 59 new international missionaries May 14, at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The new workers come from a dizzying variety of personal and professional backgrounds. What unites them all? A desire to obey Jesus Christ and a deep burden for peoples across the world searching for Him.
 Elliff urges new paths for sending, supporting missionaries
Speaking to trustees May 13-14 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, IMB President Tom Elliff warned that IMB “must come to grips” with the unsustainable demand placed on the organization’s resources from years of declining giving. “… IMB’s only answer has been to encourage Southern Baptists to increase their giving. [It’s been] the same message – only louder – again and again,” Elliff said. The issue isn’t about money, he told trustees, but about the billions who don’t know Jesus.
Read Tom Elliff’s full report presented May 14, 2014, to IMB board of trustees
 Fervent prayer fuels church-planting movement in Cuba
During the last 20 years, God has answered the fervent prayers of Cuban Baptists. He has poured out His Spirit across their island nation until there are no longer enough churches to hold all the believers. In fact, Cuba is seeing one of the most rapid rates of church growth in the world.
 IMB worker in Prague sees flickers of hope for exploited women
Brandy is an IMB worker who is part of a prayer group that regularly reaches out to women exploited by the sex industry in Prague, Czech Republic. Women involved in this lifestyle have layers of pain and sin and abuse. It was hard at first for Brandy to realize she couldn’t rescue them – that there were no quick fixes in the red-light district. Includes video.
 Unrest in Thailand: Leaders urge prayer for peace
The Royal Thai Army declared martial law May 20 and gained control of the government in a coup just two days later. “We pray for a resolution that is best for the Thai people,” an IMB worker says.
 IMB and BGR help Baptist church reach out to South Sudanese fleeing ethnic violence
As a third of South Sudan’s population faces starvation, IMB personnel and Baptist Global Response are partnering with a local church to care for those fleeing violence.
 'A maximum connection that changes the world'
Most of the 9 million Syrians displaced by their country’s civil war are barely surviving. Their host communities are overwhelmed by the needs. Southern Baptists are working diligently with their overseas ministry partners to help families struggling in the Syria crisis.
Go to imb.org/giving to learn how you can help with human needs.
 VIDEO: Missions and tomatoes
Legacy planning accomplishes the objective of caring for your family, but it also gives you the opportunity to think about the impact your life’s work can have on fulfilling the Great Commission. Consider the impact Frances Murphy had on his family AND the kingdom in this video testimony, imb.org/missions&tomatoes. We have many ways to assist you, and in most cases, we can eliminate thousands of dollars in planning costs you might otherwise have to pay. Let us know how we can help. Find your IMB representative
 VBS 2014: Making a world of difference
Vacation Bible School can change the world! Whatever the size of your VBS, your kids can make a difference in reaching the world for Jesus by giving to support missionaries. Use these talking points based on the ministry of Martha Moore who serves in Germany and is the featured IMB missionary in LifeWay’s 2014 VBS: Agency D3. Whatever VBS materials your church uses this year, set an offering goal that will keep a missionary on the field for a week, a month or a year – a goal that will change the world!
See Martha’s story on video. Learn more about LifeWay VBS at lifeway.com/vbs. | 
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