Circling the Globe for Christ

The church to which my wife and I belong is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches/USA and the American Baptist Churches of Michigan. As you can probably guess, we are in Michigan.

A little over 200 years ago (1812), Adoniram and Ann Judson, became our first international missionaries when they went to what was then called Burma but now called Myanmar Republic. It was very difficult to get established there, and she died a few years after arrival. However, he persisted and the Burmese churches eventually began to grow. Then their growth picked up at a much greater pace.

You might be interested in knowing that there are many Burmese ethnic and language groups. It’s somewhat like saying that someone might be European, but he or she can only speak English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and so forth. Thus being from Burma does not guarantee that you will know the language of another Burmese.

In search of better lives, many Burmese people have come to the U.S. during recent decades. Here in Michigan, they are the fastest growing ethnic group in our denomination. We are happy about that and the fact that we will be holding our Annual Gathering soon at a Burmese church in Battle Creek.

Having started in Burma, International Ministries of American Baptist Churches (www.internationalministries.org) has now expanded to more than 70 other countries.

Although my first loyalty is to churches and activities within my denomination, I am also glad to publicize other Christian ministries that are reaching Burmese people both in their home country and elsewhere. One good example is Friends of Burma (www.friendsofburma.org). They are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I suggest that you look at their website. The idea for this blog came from their director, Neil Sowards, two days ago. He had copy of what I had written ten years ago and contacted me to ask if I am still involved in with my directory and website. Yes I am, and I hope that my efforts are doing some good.