2015 Letter from the President – Jim Erwin
As President, I am very encouraged by the work of the International Baptist Church Ministries (IBCM). It is wonderful to be part of this world-wide ministry. I get to see how our partnership with international English-speaking churches has helped to make disciples all over the world. I was pastor of the International Baptist Church in Bremen, Germany for four years. My church benefited from the IBCM. We had Americans who gave donations to our church through the IBCM to support the work we did in Northern Germany. Since then, I still have a heart for international missions to English-speaking people. I have watched as these churches reach out around the world. Since 2009, I have been involved in the work of international English-speaking churches. IBCM has been one way I can help that work.
Perhaps like me, you have wondered if you can be part of a world-wide missions movement but you don’t have the opportunity to go on a mission trip. Perhaps like me, you have been part of an international church, and you still have a desire to help out. Do you know that you still have an opportunity to impact people from around the world? All it takes is getting involved. You can partner with IBCM in a variety of ways:
You can become a member for $25 a year. This entitles you to a voice in how grants in the IBCM is dispersed. Money given by Americans to grant-recipient churches is designated to those churches. However, the IBCM issues its own grants to help churches who ask for help. Maybe they need equipment or they are planning to start a new ministry. You have a say in how that money is given.
You can also donate additional funds to the IBCM. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, you can be entitled to a deduction on your United States taxes for that donation.
You can designate donations to IBCM through the AmazonSmile program. If you shop online at Amazon, you can set up a portion of your purchase to be designated to the IBCM.
You can also bequeath gifts to the IBCM in your will. This is an excellent to help English-speaking churches for generations to come.
You can also spread the word to others. You can join us on Facebook and share that page with others. You can share the word about our website.
You can get directly involved by joining us at our Annual Meeting on February 6, 2016. We look forward to seeing you at the Riley Center in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
We look forward to partnering with you in spreading the Gospel to the entire world through English-speaking international missions.
Serving God together,
Dr. Jim Erwin