New missionaries will carry light into darkness

Clearwater family to leave for Europe

Dec 7, 2004
MARK KELLY
International Mission Board

Photo by Joni B. Hannigan

DEL CITY, Okla. (BP)—The vast majority of the world’s people live in spiritual darkness, but Jesus came as the Light of the World—and gave believers a command to carry the light into darkness, a group of 68 new Southern Baptist missionaries were told during a Nov. 16 appointment service at First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla.

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Living without a knowledge of Jesus is like being in a windowless room when the electricity goes off, International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin told the new workers during the service, which was held in conjunction with the closing session of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s annual meeting.

“There’s pitch blackness around you. You grope for familiar surroundings, struggling to put your hand on a flashlight, desperate to bring light back into your world,” he said. “That describes the spiritual condition of most of the people in our world.

“As one new believer said, ‘When you are born in the dark and live your entire life in the dark, you don’t even know what light is.’”

As the new missionaries shared testimonies about how God called them to overseas service, several echoed Rankin’s message.

“An all-night festival for a Muslim saint was an opportunity to meet a young man who invited us to visit his family,” said one couple.

“Walking the dirt roads of a completely Muslim village, knowing that no one there had ever heard the Gospel, our hearts were forever burdened to bring the truth to them.”

“––––
Jesus didn't come to be just our light. Jesus said He was the Light of the World.

––––”

- Jerry Rankin
president, International Mission Board

The Scripture helped one new missionary understand God’s desire for her to leave her circle of light and carry a candle into the darkness.

“Five years ago, I started seminary, and there God opened my heart to think beyond my comfort level,” she said. “Isaiah 49:6 taught me that I was thinking too small. God wanted me to be a light, to bring His salvation to the ends of the earth.”

God expects all His people to help carry the light, not just a select few with special qualities, said another couple.

“Twelve years ago ... we were simultaneously called to missions at a conference,” they said. “It was there we first realized that missions is simply ordinary people doing ordinary things for an extraordinary God.

“Today, two children and a lot of perseverance later, we are the ordinary people, prepared to do ordinary things for our extraordinary God.”

Deep darkness may cover the peoples of the world, but the light has dawned on Christians in America, Rankin said, and God’s command is for them to “rise and shine” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

“Jesus didn’t come to be just our light,” Rankin said. “Jesus said He was the Light of the World. But it was more than 2,000 years ago that the Light came. Why does darkness still cover so much of the earth?”

The International Board appointed five with ties to Florida Nov. 16. Three will serve in Europe, and two in South Africa.

John and Jennifer Honard Putnam, graduates of The Baptist College of Florida, Graceville, will continue their work in South Africa. They have worked there since 2002 through the International Service Corps, and previously served in Liberia in the Journeyman program.

While continuing their education at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., he worked as an IRS customer service representative, and she, as customer service representative with Huntington Banks, Crestview Hills, Ky.

The Putnams have two daughters, Aubrey Hope, 13, and Mya Brianne, 5.

David and Debora Tumlinson Sechrist will serve in Moscow, Russia, where he will be doing evangelism and church planting among the business and professional community.

The Sechrists and their two daughters, Karissa, 15, and Kiersten, 12, are members of Calvary Baptist Church, Clearwater, and previously were members of First Baptist Church, Oviedo.

David Sechrist, with a degree in electrical engineering from Clemson (S.C.) University, has worked as a senior component engineer with Lockheed, Orlando, and Honeywell Space Systems, Clearwater. He also was employed by U.S. Robotics, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Debora Sechrist earned an associates degree from El Centro College in Dallas, Texas.

Cornel Tuns will return to his native Eastern Europe as an International Mission Baord evangelist and church planter.

The native of Curtici, Romania, is a graduate of The Master’s College and Seminary, Sun Valley, Ca.

Promise Land Baptist Church, Jacksonville, is his home church.

Tuns served previously as a missionary with the Baptist Seminary and Golgotha Baptist Church in Bucharest, Romania.

Tuns also formerly served as a church planter with the Florida Baptist Convention in 2001-2 and First Baptist Church, Jacksonville from 2002-4.

For information on becoming a volunteer with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, find forms, contact numbers and other related information online at the following Web site address: http://going.imb.org/vim/main/default.asp.

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