Grace Baptist Mission (GBM) has served a group of independent, conservative, evangelical Baptist churches since 1861. Originally called the Strict Baptist Mission, it worked almost exclusively in India until the 1960s. Since that time it has expanded to many parts of the world, and today has 58 missionaries serving in 14 countries. Its radio and literature work now reaches countless people in Africa and India.
GBM’s annual day was on 24 October, when about 900 people converged on the Friends Meeting House in Euston, London. There was an annual business meeting and full programme of seminars, with missionary reports from Kenya, Philippines, UK, Spain and Austria, and special meetings for the young.
Throughout the day there was rejoicing in God’s work of mission and thankfulness to the Lord for his unfailing goodness.
Obedience
To hear of how the Lord’s work among the deaf in Austria has been blessed with conversions to Christ was great; but we also heard of the challenges and hardships of dealing with Manila street people – and the heartaches too. We rejoiced in new missionaries who joined GBM last year, but regretted there were no new ones this year.
The day closed with a combined evening rally, at which we said goodbye to Roger Cook, who has served with GBM for 40 years, in Belgium and radio work. Roger will continue to train radio broadcasters and producers in Africa for some time. Keith Underhill (a missionary in Kenya for 40 years) brought the word of God in a most powerful way.
Using Moses’ meeting with the Lord at the burning bush as his starting point, he made us face our readiness to make excuses for not doing what the Lord has clearly told us to do.
We are told to ‘go’, but we don’t. We are told that he will be with us, but still we don’t go! Peter showed an alternative to this attitude in Luke 5:1-11. As a fisherman he had been humiliated by his failure to catch fish. Yet he simply obeyed Christ and the result was great blessing.
Finally the question was put to each of us – will we obey the last will and testament of our Lord Jesus Christ? Will we go?
