First Baptist continued to maintain significant and generous support for mission outreach in the year 2009. Much of that support is reflected in the following information which is representative of what we do but not a complete list of our annual involvements.
- Specific support of the Dr. Clemmer in the
Congo. - We support the ABCNYS Iroquois Association with dues of $350 annually.
- Our building is used as Outreach by several of our denominational activities, training and meetings. Boy Scouts, Brownies, Family Capped meetings and other groups.
- We held food drives and additional requests to respond to local needs.
- We filled our quota for White Cross internal mission work through ABCUSA.
- We remain a covenant church with the Protestant Campus Ministry at Hendricks Chapel for several years. Alice Makul is a member of this ministry and Tim Volk is now a member of the Board. First Baptist provided food for the students' Sunday Thanksgiving Dinner at the chaplain’s house in November, financial support of $1000 annually, a place for the Board to meet periodically, emergency assistance for the New Orleans Trip, and we are responsive to special needs presented to FBC to be of assistance to the Hendricks ministry.
- Soup Labels, eyeglasses, clothing and periodic special appeals.
- Several additional individual mission involvements by our members, such as serving on community projects and Boards of Directors. By decentralizing our approach to missions over the last few years we have encouraged more members to participate in personal outreach.
- Numerous opportunities to financially support a wide variety of needs throughout the world are offered.
- The Kamanzi mission project has included Teacher Training, providing the financial resources for building the new school, providing learning materials for children and teachers, giving health care assistance and support, Pastor training and individual mission with a local farmer to encourage self sufficiency and mentoring of other farmers, library resources and rabies shots to name a few. (See Kamanzi report for additional details)
- See the list of Missions supported financially on the next page. We have contributed over $30,000 to various missions.
- We have joined with the Jamesville Ecumenical Food pantry as Board members and foundational supporters of this local outreach to nearly 700 households annually.
- One of the great missions that we at FBC provide is local outreach to groups who have no “home” for meetings. We are one of the few facilities that are handicapped accessible in a manner that encourages and welcomes individuals with handicapping conditions to visit and meet in our Center for Ministry. Many groups that have no financial resources to rent space come to First Baptist seeking permission to meet here. The following is an example of some of the groups that we extend mission and care to by opening the doors and being inviting…
The Iroquois Association of American Baptist Pastors meets several times a year for worship, teaching and fellowship. The Home Schooling Group of Central New York meet periodically as parents share resources, occasionally children come from activities, the HSG Board meets for conference planning. The Iroquois Nursing Home Administration and Staff and memorial services. The Syracuse Korean Community has had organization meetings and their annual New Year celebration dinner have been in the Center for Ministry and on the campus. Familycapped Board local group of parents and Board meet periodically. The Familycapped music therapy group for several handicapped children meets for several weeks a year in the music room or fellowship hall. There are groups that contribute a negotiated fee for use of the Center and they are the Institute Retired Persons related to SU (twice a month) and the High Peaks Rehabilitation Staff (monthly) for staffing training sessions. Our partnership ministry includes The River of Joy who meets at least 5+ times a week for worship, training, prayer and fellowship. The Korean School meets weekly for two semesters for four hours on Sunday afternoons. And ABCNYS hosts larger meetings at FBC.
