Missions
Bayside has a very active Missions Team that helps to support, both in prayer and finances, a variety of missionaries and mission organizations locally, nationally, and throughout the world. Bayside has a rich history in being a "sending" church, with many sons and daughters of the church involved in full time missions work and ministry, both past and present.
Adopt-a-School Good News Clubs
Bayside provides workers and supplies for Good News Clubs at Bryant and Cooper elementary schools. Good News Club is a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship. It has provided sound biblical training and a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children throughout the world for over 75 years. We are privileged to be able to partner with this ministry to provide this exciting opportunity to reach children in the public school with the life-changing message of hope through Jesus.
Missionary Update
Through our tithes and offerings, each one of us partners with a number of different missionaries who are sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ in various places around the world. What a wonderful, modern day example of Christ taking a few loaves and fishes (my small contribution) and multiplying it to feed the multitudes!
For a number of years, Bayside Baptist Church has been supporting Chuck and Betty Selander with our prayers and financial gifts as they have served Spanish speaking people in Mexico and more recently in Northern Minnesota. They have been working with Cristo La Roca Church in Pelican Rapids, MN the Baptist Mission Cristo Viene at Park Rapids, MN and helping to facilitate a bilingual (Spanish/English) worship service with Faith Baptist in that area. The power of the Holy Spirit is working mightily in the hearts and minds of Northern Minnesota! After many years of service, Chuck and Betty have recently retired. It is with sadness that we bid them adieu.
Shortly after our Bayside Missions Committee received the announcement that the Selanders were retiring, a new missions opportunity presented itself. The Committee decided to take the monthly pledge that we had been sending to the Selanders and apply it to this exciting new outreach.
We are passing the "baton" to Dave and Yoon Raxdale and their four children, Isaiah age 12, Sarah age 10, Jonah age 8, and Hannah age 6, who are following the call of God to take His Good News to Gallaudet University campus in Washington, DC. Gallaudet is a very unique situation: it is the 'home away from home' for students from 60+ nations, 50 states and 2 U.S. territories; it is the ONLY liberal arts university in the world for hearing impaired (deaf) students; it is the epicenter of the global deaf culture; 97% of the deaf don't attend a church regularly. As Dave writes, "We believe God is sending the mission field to us! We long to reach the deaf world for Christ!"
In addition to the financial support that Bayside sends to the Raxdales, please hold them and their ministry to the deaf students up in your prayers. As we are learning in our 40 day prayer challenge, prayer is a powerful way we can partner with God to reach those who haven't heard His Good News. Pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare the way and open hearts so that they will be able to receive the Love of Christ.
Ukraine Sister Church
Bayside has a Sister Church relationship with The Voice of Truth Baptist Church in Konotop, Ukraine. Over the years we have sent several short-term mission teams to Konotop to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ in their work of sharing the Hope of Christ in their city. We have helped with camping programs - both residential and day camps, orphanage visits, benevolent ministry, youth work, and prayer support, as well as financial support for ministry and workers. Please keep Pastor Yuriy Cherevko and his congregation in prayer as they do God's work in their part of the world. Also remember to pray for discernment in God's timing for future trips to Ukraine.