‘One Day’ makes eternal difference: Churches meet for missions

Jessica Vanderpool
Arkansas Baptist News

One day. Seventeen hundred mission volunteers. Fifty-one salvations.

That is what occurred at the Acts 1:8 One Day Mission Trip Oct. 1.

J. B. Huffmaster helps Lilly Grace Clark, 6, show off her stringer of fish caught at the fishing derby during the Acts 1:8 One Day Mission Trip.Breck Freeman, Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) missions ministries team member and Acts 1:8 One Day Mission Trip coordinator, said more than 125 churches from across the state converged on the Mena/De Queen area with a force of more than 1,700 volunteers for the mission trip. 

Together, the volunteers split into groups and went out to serve communities in the Ouachita Baptist Association and share the love of Christ with them. Teams ministered in more than 80 sites in the area.

Some groups did yard work, others held sports clinics or block parties. One even held a fishing derby. Still others distributed food, prayer walked, held medical or dental clinics or served in various other ways.

“It’s just an opportunity for us to present Christ to Polk County and even down into Sevier County,” explained Jerry Taylor, pastor of Concord Baptist Church near Mena, who also served as leader at the fishing derby in Mena. “We have a couple churches down there in our association, and so they’re doing the same thing down there.” 

Meanwhile, as fishermen and women cast their lines and waited for a bite in Mena, children and adults were biting into hotdogs at a block party at Iglesia Bautista Emanuel, De Queen, about 50 miles away.

Rich Lugo, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel, explained the church was chosen as a block party site due to the large Hispanic population. He said about 200 people came throughout the day.

Lugo explained, “And it’s not so much that they heard us preach and tell them about the love of Jesus, but they got to hear other people ... share the love of Christ and there was a very good response from the community in general. So … like they say, our work is now getting ready to start. Today was the easy day.”

By the end of the day, he said at least 13 people had accepted Christ at the block party.

“I just hope that as many that have made a decision for Christ and have heard the Word will open their hearts (and) continue with Him because that is the realization that that’s what’s going to help them in their life, and there really is no other place to go besides that direction,” Lugo said. “So that’s what we’re hoping occurs because we will see lives changed with that.”

Another 13 people were saved at the medical and dental clinics. Other salvations were spread out between sites.

Freeman added that, over the course of the day, not only did 51 people accept Christ, but also “numerous other decisions were made.” More than 5,000 people were fed, and 400 boxes of food were given out, as well.

“We have received very positive input from churches that were on the trip on how they are looking forward to upcoming mission projects,” Freeman said.

Contact Jessica Vanderpool at jessica@arkansasbaptist.org.