Since 1845, almost 25,000 Southern Baptist missionaries have shared the gospel, made disciples, planted churches and planted their lives in 185 countries around the world. In the link below you will find an interactive timeline that celebrates 175 years of Southern Baptists on mission through the International Mission Board, which was originally called the Foreign Mission Board. Get to know missionaries whose names may have been forgotten but whose stories remind us of the power of God and the courage of His people. Learn about significant moments in Southern Baptist history, often shaped by events happening in the world at large. Celebrate God’s faithfulness through 175 years of remarkable missions history.

CELEBRATE 175 years of continuous ministry by joining us in 175 Days of Prayer. Each day will feature one request and can be sent to you as a push notification from the IMB Pray app, accessed at imb.org/pray or the Pray Daily newsletter, or seen through IMB social media.

While we still can’t gather in-person, we want to provide you with some resources to begin thinking through the reopening process of your church. Here are some of the links regarding reopening a church campus and regathering plans:

https://cdn2.creativecirclemedia.com/kbc/files/20200423-124057-Reopening_a_Church_Campus.pdf

http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/when-will-our-church-buildings-reopen,25371

https://kenbraddy.com/2020/04/18/20-questions-your-church-should-answer-before-people-return/

https://kenbraddy.com/2020/04/25/24-more-questions-the-church-should-ask-before-people-return/

An example for a guide to helping churches make their space safe:

https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Covid19%20Clean.pdf?token=AWxKFGiDhgrEQMcyukxhmln4uIkKHA7lRnwOLD4sccUvsmQA0SsENvoRGPueWCWPZhk4VxflcmkhtjKsYO-2Yt1BnRNE5ENrG-l5EI2WnOMBEIy9X4W15cmltnVsG3NvlBlmBpxghhMyF0R-O0SP9rWGSUZ5ZnoK9FzuM0iIZATrPFztkwhNOn4qfZLFXK466EibTQkTe2krYmZ0FmYGfVcY

And a webinar:https://kentuckybaptist-ccr.regfox.com/reopening-the-church

We pray that some of these resources will be beneficial to you.

Know that we are thinking about you and praying for you in these crazy times. While we keep our eyes on Jesus and trust Him for all steps and decisions, so many people are struggling and it seems it might get worse before it gets better. There is fear, uncertainty, and so much unknown. It is not just the sickness the Coronavirus can bring, it is now the impact of the economy, shutting down of businesses, travel, and in particular churches.  There are many things impacting us and those in our congregations.

Our mission as an association is to strengthen local churches so that they glorify Jesus Christ and demonstrate His love by fulfilling the Great Commission.  During this unprecedented time, we want to help, encourage, and strengthen you! Please tell us how we can pray for your congregations and your leaders.  Let us know what resources you may be in need of.  Tell us how we can help your church at this time.  Stan and I will be calling all of our pastors over the next few weeks to encourage and pray for them.  We as an association are here to serve the local church.

Please be aware that we also want to lead by example during this time and will, therefore, be adjusting our office hours.  I (Mike) will be in the office on Mondays and Stan will be in and out of the office the rest of the week.  However, this does not mean that we will be unavailable.  I will be working from my church office.  If one of us is not in the office then calls to the association will be directed to my email where I will then be able to return your call.  But we encourage you to contact us directly at our personal cell numbers or personal emails. I also will be checking the association’s email everyday.  Together, let us seek the Lord in unity about these matters:

1. Ask God, in His mercy, to stop this pandemic and save lives — not only in our communities but around the world, particularly in places that are unequipped medically to deal with the virus. (Isaiah 59:1-2)

2. Pray for President Donald Trump and other government leaders — international, federal, state, and local — to have the wisdom to direct us in the best courses of action for prevention and care. (Romans 13:1–4) 

3. Scripture says: Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom in this moment of fear as the foundations of what we know are shaken, that others would realize how fragile life is and how real eternity is, and they would see their need to turn to God. (Psalm 90:12)

4. Ask God to protect our missionaries and their families around the globe, using this global crisis to advance His Good News to the whole world. (Mark 16:15)

Once again, we are here to serve and strengthen you during this. Let us hold fast to this verse found in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

The Nelson Baptist Association’s Spring Gathering, scheduled for March 21st, will be postponed. An alternate date will be determined at a later time. Please pass along the message!

With the growing concerns of the coronavirus, we want to help equip all of our churches with some excellent resources on the subject. Below are several links which may be helpful:

1. To answer your most common questions about the disease. See: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-we-know-coronavirus/
2. To give you spiritual and historical perspective on this global pandemic. See: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-we-know-coronavirus/
3. To help your church adapt to new restrictions on social interaction and public meeting. See:https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/church-online-coronavirus-age/

As the coronavirus spreads in the U.S. and several state and local governments are asking large groups not to gather, congregations are facing a situation many have never considered.

In response, the LifeWay Leadership team has developed pandemic response resources that are being made available for free to assist pastors and church leaders. Check out this link for more details:https://factsandtrends.net/2020/03/11/free-coronavirus-response-training-and-resources-available-for-churches/

The SBC Great Commission Council is calling all Southern Baptists throughout more than 47,500 churches to commit to a dedicated time of prayer this Sunday, March 15, 2020 for God, in His mercy, to stop this pandemic and save lives, for our governmental leaders, and to protect our missionaries. You can find the details at this link: http://www.bpnews.net/54460/greear-floyd-entity-heads-issue-call-for-day-of-prayer?fbclid=IwAR0tgLuDxNLDUYgbCRCYxjZs18yY9MCtHEpJs3x4VWwv0DdFohf4yAggvTI

The CDC has also come out with some guidelines for churches gathering this week: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html?fbclid=IwAR1VvbE-TH8hA9qBK61nGSeYoCrvj30T-sAgXAa9XL3io5uvrcWlp9AOXlM

Ultimately, according to the latest information from the Kentucky Department of Health : “The current risk for COVID-19 to people in Kentucky is low. Evidence to date indicates those most at risk for becoming ill with COVID-19 are: Those in close contact with someone with a confirmed COVID-19 infection, including healthcare workers and those who have traveled in the past 14 days in countries with ongoing community spread of the virus.”

We pray that this information helps you in regards to ministering to your congregations during this unprecedented time.