Heritage Baptist Outreach and Missions

"A Look At Last Year"

We have several exciting opportunities to serve our L:ord and be used by Him around the world this year. The application deadlines for the Mid East, Germany, & Brazil trips has passed. Please pray for these teams as they go out to minister this June and July. The deadline for the ManCode trip has also passed, their planned trip is in October 2010.

Trips for the 2011 calendar year will be announced at the April 25- May 2 Missions Conference. If you desire to go in 2011, start saving your money, praying, and be quick to fill out your application!

If you desire to go on a trip this year, it is not too late to assist HBC Sent/Supported Missionaries serving in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea (the mainland and Jeju Island).

The School of Youth Ministries in English (SYME) can use your help for an extended trip of 2-3 months. Their available dates are:

SYME VOLUNTEER TEACHER’S SCHEDULE

(KOREA) March 4 - May 2, 2010

(TAIWAN) March 25 - May 23, 2010

(JAPAN) May 13 - July 12, 2010

(TAIWAN) July 1 - August 29, 2010

(KOREA) July 29 - October 3, 2010

(JAPAN) August 26 – November 22, 2010

(TAIWAN) September 2 - October 31, 2010

(KOREA) October 7 - December 5, 2010

More information on serving with SYME can be found at http://wolsyme.com/

Also if you would like to assist in preparation for the opening of the Word of Life Bible Institute on Jeju Island then the following dates are available

March 28-April 9, 2010
April 11-23, 2010
April 25-May 7, 2010
May 9-21, 2010
May 23-June 4, 2010
June 6-18, 2010
June 20-July 2, 2010
July 4-16, 2010
July 18-30, 2010

As they move toward an August 2010 opening date, changes and new opportunities will likely happen. You can see the most recent info at http://www.wolbiasia.com/ especially view the tab on “work teams”.

Tim and Jennifer Farney faithfully serve at Heritage Baptist Church as the coordinators for the short term missions trip program. Their love for the Lord and passion for missions is a great asset to the missions program here at Heritage. If you have any questions regarding a trip, or are interested in participating in a short term trip, you may contact them at:

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The pastoral staff believe that it is important for every member of Heritage to experience a cross cultural short term mission trip sometime during their life. Short term trips expand our world view and our horizons as we move beyond our comfort zones into cultures and countries where we have never been before. Most importantly, short term trips challenge us spiritually and let us catch a glimpse of God's heart for the world!

Fill out an application by clicking on the link below and send the application to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Submit Short Term Trip Application NOW!

Outreach/Missions Office
Heritage Baptist Church
(434) 237-6505

Short term trips are a great way for the ministry of a local church to reach around the world, but they can also be little more than a glorified vacation and a poor investment of the resources that God has blessed His people with. Before you consider a short term trip or consider supporting someone going on a short term trip, please consider asking the following questions.

First, ask yourself and be prepared to explain to others your reason, purpose, or motivation for going on the trip. Is it an “Indiana Jones” adventure, or ministry? Are you looking at doing ministry halfway around the world that you’re not doing here? Who is the focus of the trip?

Second, look at your finances and determine how you will be able to provide the necessary funds for the trip. If we believe that the Lord prepares His people for service, then He will have prepared you financially to go on the trip. Have you been faithful in your stewardship in preparing for the trip? Heritage asks that each person going on a trip provide at least half the money themselves – not given by the church or even other individuals. But remember that God is able and faithful to provide if we are willing to trust in Him.

Third, ask yourself about the stewardship of the trip. Trips through colleges and some agencies will cost 2-4 times what it would cost to plan the trip by yourself or with the church. If your desire is simply an exposure to the field or the world in general, does it make sense to spend ,500 to go to Australia when you could go to Haiti or Mexico for less than ,500? Is the purpose of the trip enough to outweigh the reality that the money you spend on the trip might be better used by the national ministries?

Fourth, consider the appropriateness of your appeals or raising funds from others. At Heritage, we believe and strive to have the Church body be the means of supporting ministries and not an individual person or a smaller group of individuals. Gifts and support for STMTs should be given through the church. By utilizing this approach, the church then has the ability to best determine who should and should not be supported based on the criteria important to the church and based on the goals of the trip determined by the church.

Fifth, take time to meet with Pastor Allen. As a church, how can we pray for and possibly financially support your trip if we don’t know your desires? Also, you may not be prepared or ready to go on a missions trip. If the purpose of the trip is ministry, you will have no problem submitting to the direction of the church’s leadership regarding your participation in a trip.

Sixth, ask yourself about your relationship to the church. Are you a member? Are you actively involved in the church? These are not only spiritual barometers which will indicate your preparedness for a short-term trip but they are also factors the church uses in determining if we will support people for short-term trips. Trips are often the church’s blessing on those who have faithfully served and specifically associated with the church.

Seventh, look at your gifts, skills, and abilities. Will they be used on the trip? God gifted you for a reason. Those gifts ought to determine what kind of trips, places, and works you should take part in. Too often people go on trips with little or no thought for their gifts and how God would intend to use them on the field. STMTs should use your gifts.

Eighth, be aware that the church is most interested, almost exclusively in sending trips that support current HBC ministries or that support our strategic partners. We see it as best to invest in what we already know God wants us to do.

Ninth, ask yourself about the impact the trip will have on the nationals – specifically, the national Christians. Has the trip been planned in conjunction with a national ministry taking into account their needs? So many “mass evangelism” trips look good from our view but in reality have no lasting effects on the field.

Tenth, ask yourself about the opportunity that your trip may be taking from others. We as a church would rather see more people go on trips rather than the same people going over and over again on trips. Would it be better to encourage someone else to go on the trip rather than going on the trip yourself?

There needs to be a genuine reason, purpose, and need for someone to go on a STMT. Though we typically plan one day for tourist type activities, STMTs are not vacations, they are ministry opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What about training and preparation?

Each short term trip that goes out from Heritage is first trained in a 14 week class held during wednesday night electives. Each member will learn about the country, culture, ministry preparation, visas, necessary shots, missions philosophy, and the missiology specific to the destination country.

What papers are needed to travel outside the USA?

A valid passport is necessary. For many countries, a visa is required. We will be happy to advise anyone on how to apply for these. You can download a passport application at http://travel.state.gov/get_forms.html

Are any shots necessary?

Each country has its own requirements. The Lynchburg Health Department (947-6785) can tell you exactly which shots are required and which shots are recommended. They will also advise you on any health measures to take while in that country.

Do short-term trips really help our missionaries?

Missionary Rod Kidd (Germany) answers, “The work team made a big impression on some of our unsaved friends, the other unsaved workers in the building who observed their lives, and upon our people through their joyous spirit of Christian living and giving. It was a tremendous encouragement for us and was a great help – otherwise we could not be so far along in our building program.” Short term trips help our missionaries and furthers our relationship as a church with them.

Should we take our children with us?

Daniel Rees (when age 9, about trip to the Ukraine) said, “Their services were interesting even though they were speaking another language. We were able to play together even though we couldn’t talk the same language. When I pray for Ukraine now, I know whom I am praying for and I remember my new friends, Nick and Vitali.” Many kids who go on missions trips remember it as one of the defining moments in their lives. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Is financial help available?

Yes, Heritage has designated funds to help subsidize this ministry opportunity. However, funds are limited. The STMT application has a place to indicate your need. Also, please read carefully the related points in “Guidelines for STMTs” on pages 3-4 of this booklet.

I'm new to the concept of missions, how can I learn more?

One good place to begin is to watch the short "What is Missions?" videos here on www.HBCmissions.com. If you would like to involve yourself in a more in depth study with more resources, please contact the Missions Office.

More Questions?

Ask our STMT Coordinators, Tim & Jennifer Farney at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , Pastor Allen or Mary Kay in church office, 237-6505.

What Do I Do Next?

APPLY!

2007

North Africa

2008

Maharashtra, India

2009

Coming Soon