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Mission Action Teams
Mission Recipients
Emergent Reserve Application
Mission Funding Application
Funding Sources
Ecuador
Mission Videos

Hear about Family and Missions. Click here.

The Board of Missions nurtures, supports, and encourages the mission ministry of the church. It is the Board's task to: develop, clarify, and affirm our theological foundation for mission ministry; explore how our Biblical heritage is relevant to our time; discover how our faith calls us to action; and discern, define, and implement mission opportunities that demonstrate Christian love and a commitment to justice.

Some of the mission projects of Myers Park Baptist Church include:

Mission Action Teams

The following represent many of the different Mission Action Teams that exist at MPBC. If you are looking for a place to get involved and one of these groups sounds interesting to you, please contact the persons listed below. If you know of an outreach team that is already working, but is not listed here, or if you would like to start a new team, please contact Tim Dean, 704-334-7232, ext. 23, or tdean@mpbconline.org.

Room in the Inn at MPBC
Joel Manson 704-366-6109 joelamy@bellsouth.net
Allen Hull, Jr. 704-442-7238 amhulljr@yahoo.com
Matt Martella 704-200-3611 mdmartella@yahoo.com

A program of the Urban Ministry Center that provides shelter and meals to homeless men women and families with children during the winter months. MPBC is one of more than 100 participating congregations and colleges.

Regional Aids Interfaith Network Care (RAIN) Care Team
Tammy Lesesne 704-333-9537 tlesesne@carolina.rr.com

One of RAIN’s programs is to connect individuals with HIV/AIDS to local congregations for care and support. The mission of the MPBC RAIN Care Team is to assist and nurture our Care Partner for the primary purpose of transforming his/her life by elevating self-respect and dignity in view of the impact of HIV/AIDS infection, through compassionate care, education and leadership development.

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RAIN Walk
The RAIN Walk is a 3K walk in 4th Ward, held annually in early May, raising money for RAIN in the Carolinas. 2006 was a record year in terms of number of walkers and money raised for both MPBC and the Charlotte walk. MPBC was the leading congregational team and raised over $10,000 for RAIN.

Lakewood Neighborhood Partnership
For 20 years Myers Park Baptist and Faith Memorial Baptist have partnered in a unique community building effort – facilitating the revitalization of the distressed, low-income, inner-city neighborhood of Lakewood in northwest Charlotte. Dramatic results have occurred but challenges abound. Volunteers are deeply enriched by sharing experiences with and giving hope and encouragement to families struggling to improve the quality of their lives and their neighborhood. The difficulties that arise daily in the lives of MPBC families also arise – often with multiplied impact – in the lives of Lakewood families. Entry points for involvement are found in the three neighborhood-based organizations listed below. Each organization has varied opportunities for getting engaged and making a difference. Anyone willing to walk with and work beside a Lakewood resident is welcome to share in the joy.

Lakewood Community Development Corporation
Dori Bowman 704-556-0491
Dave Nichols 704-369-2603 dave@lakewood-cdc.org

Lakewood CDC is about "building a great neighborhood—one family at a time." Its mission includes generating neighborhood physical improvements – particularly affordable housing that enhances community safety – and connecting residents with the resources and tools needed to improve the quality of family and community life. Assistance is needed in the following areas: housing – construction, remodeling and maintenance; landscaping; direct services to residents – legal, medical, and employment counseling; public relations – volunteer recruitment, program promotion, neighborhood relations, newsletter, and annual report; resource development – grant-writing, direct fundraising, promotional presentation development; general business management – accounting, budgeting, human resources, planning, and information technology; and special projects such as connecting families to computer resources.

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Lakewood Neighborhood Alliance
MPBC Contact – Bob Bishop 980-253-1692   rmb@ibcinternational.net
Food Club/Newsletter - Sandra Copeland 704-392-3186 sandra@lakewood-cdc.org
Earn-A-Bike & Trips-For-Kids - Michael Harper 704-398-7319 michael@lakewood-cdc.org

The Lakewood Neighborhood Alliance provides Lakewood residents with a forum for organizing various neighborhood improvement projects and initiatives. Volunteers are welcome to attend LNA’s monthly community meetings and special neighborhood activities and events to get to know Lakewood residents. LNA would appreciate volunteers willing to assist (1) in obtaining donations of school supplies for its annual back-to-school event and (2) in raising funds (fundraising events or grant proposals) to support LNA programs (especially Food Club, Earn-A-Bike and Trips-For-Kids). Volunteers are particularly welcome to participate directly in the various "out-of-school" programs for Lakewood youth that the organization has initiated or would like to initiate in the future.

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Lakewood Preschool Cooperative
Sandra Paulson 704-542-3521 schoonover@carolina.rr.com
Jennifer Parker W- 980-343-5162 H-704-364-9386
Courtney Alexander 704-391-0600 calexander@lakewoodpreschool.info
The Lakewood Preschool Cooperative’s mission is to provide quality preschool for three and four year old children, and family education for parents of preschool children, infants and toddlers. Volunteer opportunities include: tutoring 4 year olds or K-3 grade graduates of Lakewood Preschool; grant-writing; facility maintenance (“handyman” services); providing childcare during parent meetings on Tuesday evenings; and assistance with collecting donated books, supplies, clothes, toys, paper goods and office supplies.

Crop Walk
Tim Dean 704-334-7232, ext. 23 tdean@mpbconline.org
This 10K walk raises money for hunger relief in Charlotte and around the world. MPBC walkers join thousands of others to benefit Church World Services for global food aid and Loaves and Fishes, Crisis Assistance Ministry and Second Harvest Food Bank, who combat hunger here at home. This year’s walk through Uptown Charlotte will take place on October 16, 2005.

St. Peter’s Soup Kitchen
Maria Long 704-541-9037 longm@gmh.org
Holly Hobson-Wood 704-334-2285 hlhobson@juno.com
Each second Saturday morning of the month, a group of MPBC volunteers prepares a noon meal for homeless persons at the Soup Kitchen, located in the Urban Ministry Center at 945 North College Street. Tasks include preparation of soup, sandwiches, salad, fruit cup, dessert buffet and cleanup.

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Uptown Shelter for Homeless Men
Tim Dean 704-334-7232, ext. 23 tdean@mpbconline.org
The Youth Department helps to provide a meal for the 120 residents of the Uptown Shelter every quarter. We serve this meal on the 5th Monday that falls within any single month. For 2006/2007 the dates include: October 30, January 29, april 30, July 30, October 29 (2007) and  December 31 (2007).

Ecuador Mission Team
Darlene and Keith Korenchuk 704-376-1412
Each summer, a team from Myers Park Baptist and recently Temple Beth El, goes to a remote village in the Andes of Ecuador for 10 days to provide medical (professionals only), educational and construction assistance. Families are welcome, as well as Spanish-speaking interpreters. Click here to read an article, written by Elaine St. Anne from the January 2006 issue of Today's Charlotte Woman about the 2005 Ecuador trip.

Missionary Round Table
Jill Kinney Weaver 704-523-8267
The Missionary Round Table is an organization of women who believe that God calls each of us to care for others. It is the purpose of the Missionary Round Table to study, learn and respond as we can to those needs that we perceive.

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MPBC Circle #2
Sara Rabun 704-554-6112
A primary activity of this circle, is to provide ongoing financial, social and emotional support during the college years of an eligible student from the Lakewood Community. New members/participants are welcome.

EarthKeepers
Sonya Dyer 704-552-7330 boson1@worldnet.att.net
MPBC EarthKeepers is a ministry encouraging interest in and understanding of the relationship of spirituality, ecology and our church. We seek to make a connection between the local and global use of resources, compassion and justice. Our primary focus is on education and empowerment.

“Christian Cooks”
Bob Bishop  980-253-1692  -  rmb@ibcinternational.net; Bob Edwards 704-891-0401 rbobarusky@aol.com
This roving band of do-gooders finds fellowship through planning, preparing and serving meals together. They partner with a group from FBC West on the second Sunday of each month to provide a meal for the residents at the Uptown Shelter for Homeless Men. In addition, they also provide meals to the shelter as needed when other groups have had to cancel. They cook 4 times a year at Faith Memorial Baptist Church, and as needed for other special events, including the annual MPBC Golf Tournament and the Lakewood Neighborhood picnic sponsored by the MPBC Youth Department.

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mission recipients

Crisis
Hunger
Affordable Housing
Shelter/Homelessness
Health
Outreach and Reconciliation
Mission Immersion
Denominational Missions
Emerging Issue Reserve
2006 Allocations

In addition to Mission Action Teams, Myers Park Baptist also supports local, national, and international organizations through our mission budget. Volunteer opportunities abound with many of our mission recipients as well. If you would like to get involved, please contact these organizations directly. And, if you would like to see a Mission Action Team formed around a particular financial partner, please contact Tim Dean (704.334.7232, ext. 23 or tdean@mpbconline.org).

CRISIS
Crisis Assistance Ministry
Crisis Assistance provides food, clothing, financial and other assistance to members of our community who need temporary crisis help to avoid losing housing, sustenance or other basic requirements of life.

HUNGER

Friendship Trays
Every day, a dedicated group of volunteers delivers hot meals and medically appropriate meals to people who have difficulty getting out of their homes or preparing food for themselves.

Community Food Rescue
The brainchild of a member of our congregation, Community Food Rescue distributes unused food from local supermarkets, restaurants and convention facilities to those in need.

Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank supplies over 500 nonprofit agencies and churches with food and essential grocery products. Its agencies are comprised of emergency pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, group homes for the handicapped, low-income day care centers, and other similar programs. Second Harvest also offers community education about the problem of hunger and engages in advocacy with public officials.

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is an international ministry that works in partnership with the economically poor to build houses that are bought over a 7 to 30-year period on an interest-free, non-profit basis.

SHELTER/HOMELESSNESS

Urban Ministry Center
Urban Ministry helps people who are on the street by providing nourishing meals, showers, laundry facilities, mail drop, and counseling services. The center also offers a wide variety of classes from Bible study to computer lessons, activities from sports to choir practice, and many services from nurse health checks to prescription handling to van transport to community agencies.

Emergency Winter Shelter
The Emergency Shelter houses homeless men when all other community shelters are full. From Nov. 1, 2003 through Mar. 31, 2004, it provided almost 23,720 nights of shelter and 28,008 meals for 2,859 different men who would otherwise have been left out on the street.

A Child’s Place
A Child's Place is a community organization that works in collaboration with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to provide education and support services, and to advocate for children and their families who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

St. Peter’s Homes - McCreesh Place
St. Peter’s Homes provides affordable single-room occupancy housing to 63 homeless men or men at risk of becoming homeless who suffer from disabilities.

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Samaritan House
Samaritan House provides a place for homeless individuals who have been discharged from the hospital to continue their recuperation in a safe and stable environment.

Charlotte Emergency Housing
Through advocacy, temporary shelter and support services, Charlotte Emergency Housing provides opportunities for families in their transition to stable housing, helping them avoid homelessness.

The Uptown Shelter
The Uptown Shelter houses homeless adult men who are clean and sober and able to take care of their personal needs. This is Charlotte’s only permanent year-round shelter for men.

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HEALTH

RAIN
The Regional Aids Interfaith Network was envisioned and initiated by a member of our church, and members of our church currently constitute teams who work with people with AIDS to provide friendship and support.

Community Health Services
Community Health Services provides an array of preventative health services to those who lack access to basic healthcare, such as the uninsured and underinsured.

MedAssist
A private, non-profit organization, MedAssist dispenses free prescription medications to eligible low-income seniors at its on-site pharmacy.

Teen Health Connection
Teen Health Connection provides affordable, accessible, physical and mental health care to young and women ages 11-21, emphasizing a family-centered approach. In addition to providing check-ups, acute and chronic

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OUTREACH AND RECONCILIATION

Lakewood Community Development Corporation
Lakewood is a low-income neighborhood in northwest Charlotte. Lakewood CDC's Board of Directors (more than half of whom, including its Executive Director David Nichols, live in Lakewood) assists the 800 residents of Lakewood in achieving the community's own goals toward neighborhood revitalization and self-sufficiency.

H.E.L.P.
Helping Empower Local People is a broad-based organization whose purpose is to make sure that poor, working, and middle-class people can be involved in political and economic decisions affecting the whole community.

Baptist Peace Fellowship
The mission of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is to gather, equip and mobilize Baptists to build a culture of peace rooted in justice.

Esperanza de Bastion Guayaquil, Ecuador
The “Hope of Bastion” is a K-6th grade school founded by Tim and Lillian Horne. It provides breakfast, health care, and education to over 120 children in a poor urban village called Bastion Popular. MPBC’s financial support helps to provide school programs, textbooks, medical assistance, and repairs to essential housing and education structures. Additional financial support for the breakfast program comes through our monthly Rice Bowl offering for hunger.

Mecklenburg Ministries
Mecklenburg Ministries is an interfaith collaboration of congregations and their members that fosters inter-religious cooperation, promotes racial and ethnic understanding, and addresses social needs in Mecklenburg County.

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North Carolina Council of Churches
Since its founding in 1935, the Council has focused on encouraging ecumenism (or Christian unity) and working together on issues of justice, especially racial, gender, and economic justice.

Baptist Children’s Homes
Well known as an orphanage in years past, Baptist Children’s Homes now meets diverse needs of children and families ranging from residential and emergency care for children to a wilderness camp for boys to group homes for the adult developmentally disabled, and more.

Time Out Youth
Provides support, advocacy and education to gay and lesbian youth and young adults in the Charlotte Metro area.

Catawba Lands Conservancy
Catawba Lands Conservancy is a non-profit land trust that permanently protects water and wildlife habitat to enhance your quality of life in North Carolina’s Southern Piedmont and lower Catawba river basin. The Conservancy has a team of dedicated volunteers who visit each property at least annually to document and monitor conservation values.

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The Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte
Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte is a senior citizens’ center dedicated to mobilizing active older people as volunteers, to offer programs to encourage learning, and to offer services to older adults to aid them in remaining securely at home as long as possible. They offer medical transportation, handy-man services, errand services, companion aid referrals, learning programs and hot meal delivery.

Church World Service
In 2006, Myers Park Baptist Church allocated loose plate funds for earthquake relief in Pakistan.

MISSION IMMERSION

Youth
Each summer, our middle and high school youth are invited to participate in one of two mission/service trips. To assist with the cost of the trip, and to subsidize the cost for each participant, the Board of Missions supports these trips financially. Recent destinations include: Urban Promise in Camden, NJ (a summer camp and after-school center for Camden youth); Hurley, VA (construction and housing in rural Appalachia); NC office of the National Farmworker Ministry (education and advocacy for migrant farm workers in NC); In Our Own Backyards (a week of local service/education in Charlotte); and Heifer Ranch in Perryville Arkansas (an education center and working ranch of Heifer International that offers hands-on education about global development, sustainable agriculture, economic justice, and environmental preservation).

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DENOMINATIONAL MISSIONS

American Baptist Churches USA
From our earliest days, Myers Park Baptist Church has been affiliated with American Baptists. This historic group of Baptists dates back to the earliest Baptist partnerships in the United States. Our financial support is directed to the United Mission of ABC life (both for programming and administrative costs) as well as One Great Hour of Sharing, an annual offering that has widespread support across denominational lines.

Alliance of Baptists
The Alliance of Baptists is a loose-knit association of individuals and churches dedicated to the preservation of historic Baptist principles, freedoms, and traditions, and to the expression of ministry and mission through cooperative relationships with other Baptist bodies and the larger Christian community.

EMERGING ISSUE RESERVE

A small percentage of the total missions budget set aside for supporting unforeseen needs as they arise.

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WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

There are basically five ways to contribute monetarily to good works through our church:
• Your annual pledge – a percentage of your pledge goes directly to missions
• Loose-plate offerings on Sunday – all non-designated checks and cash put in the offering plates goes directly to a specified recipient each month
• Rice Bowl Offering – collected on the first Sunday of each month and divided equally between Loaves and Fishes and the Ecuador Food Basket ministry in Guayaquil
• 5-in-1 Offering – is taken each May to support 5 different mission partners
• Sunshine Fund – The Sunshine Fund is a discretionary mission fund allocated by the senior minister

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2006 Allocations

$116,000 through church pledges – a figure which represents 8% of the church’s budget

$ 28,000 through Loose Plate Gifts and our monthly Rice Bowl offering

$ 22,000 through the annual 5-in-1 Offering to various causes (RAIN, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Lakewood Preschool, Baptist Children’s Home and two of our national Baptist affiliates: American Baptist Churches and Alliance of Baptists.)

While approximately $166,000 overall is a generous amount, the needs are far greater for helping fewer people go hungry, providing health care to the poor, giving shelter to the homeless and doing all the work mandated by our Christian calling. Always, we must strive to do better, and the Board of Missions hopes that such outreach will steadily increase the missions budget to at least 10% of the church’s budget.

The more generous your annual church pledge, loose plate gifts (including checks), 5-in-1 contributions, Rice Bowl offering, and Sunshine Fund donations, the more we can help those in need. In addition, you are welcome to make designated gifts to the Board of Missions at any time to support our critical work.

Thank you for your generosity. Because of you, our church will continue to make a significant difference in many people’s lives who are deeply grateful for your help.

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For more information, contact Tim Dean, Minister of Youth and Missions, 704-334-7232, ext, 23, or tdean@mpbconline.org and Allen Hull, Jr., Chair, Board of Missions at amhulljr@yahoo.com.