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PLYMOUTH – It is hard to imagine where I would be personally and more importantly where the life of Mile City Church would be without experiencing the benefits from the fuel of the Annie Armstrong Easter offering. Early on, having the financial support as a brand new church planter was monumental and helped give my wife Jen and I the courage to take the leap to start Mile City seven years ago. However, beyond the actual support dollars, was the spiritual support that was fueling and investing in us greatly. The church planter support system that is fueled by the Annie Armstrong offering is in a league of its own. It is the greatest church planting engine on the planet. Not only have I gotten to experience it myself, but now I have had the continuous privilege of walking with many other new church planters on their journey and watching them experience those benefits. At Mile City church it is a joy and honor to give back annually to the Annie Armstrong Easter offering that has helped give us the fuel that we needed to take off. To all the pastors out there reading this - if you have ever wondered if your investment into the Annie Armstrong offering is worth it; I humbly say with all glory to our great God that after seven years of existence, Mile City is now in two locations with three different languages, has multiplied six other times and is helping to plant many other churches. I’m living proof, and just one of many examples, that this offering is truly working. But as you know, there is much more work to do, and God in his amazing plan wants to use all of us to keep on fueling His great mission. What a privilege it is for each one of us to get a front row seat of watching him show off! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Travis Whittaker is Lead Pastor of Mile City Church. In 2015, Travis and a launch team of 75 people set out together to plant Mile City. Travis and Jen are raising their four children, Tristan, Lena, London and Tavin, and are honored to lead the Mile City family. #MARCH23

PLYMOUTH – It is now almost three years since we came to the US. One thing that our family is still getting used to is the potluck culture, which is not as common in Japan or Korea (where my wife Sunhee is from). So this happened last year when our family was invited to a dinner by one of our good American friends. We figured it will be a potluck, so we got some frozen mandoos (i.e. Korean dumplings) from a very fancy supermarket called Kroger. Three minutes in the microwave, bam! Easy peasy. Then, just to make it look more presentable, we placed the mandoos on a nice plate and brought them to our friend’s house. As soon as people saw the mandoos, they all exclaimed “how marvelous!” as if they have never seen a microwaved meal before. Sure enough, they all assumed that Sunhee cooked that thing from scratch. Even though I felt very guilty, it became too late to tell the truth and we went with the flow that evening. It really became awkward after that day, as people started talking about my wife’s homemade mandoos. Eventually, it became so awkward, and we found a good time to tell the truth, and it all ended with a big laugh. Oh, what a relief! If we are not careful, we can be living in a life full of lies. Scripture says that Satan is the father of lies and he is capable of cooking those lies as easily as those mandoos. I share this with you because Satan has been speaking lots of lies in my life. Since our church began three months ago, I wish I could say everything is going well. But things are tough. Some Sundays are great, others are not. Our church attendance is not growing as fast as I hoped. In those moments, the enemy finds a small crack, and speaks a lot of lies in my ears to discourage me. “Hey, do you really think you’re in the right profession?” “Do you think people are really changing through your sermons?” “Do you think you’re a good leader?” I’ll be honest. Sometimes I fall for those lies and get discouraged. There are mornings when I don’t want to get up from my bed. In those moments, what can I do but cling on to God’s truth. The Apostle Paul rightly said that we must wear the armor of God and fend those lies off with the truth of the Gospel. I am a child of God. I am forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am not perfect, but Jesus is perfect, and He will build this church. It may not be according to my timing, but He will build this church in His timing and praise the Lord for that. As I write this, my heart goes out to those pastors who are discouraged. My heart goes out to those pastors who are feeling insignificant. If that is you, I want to gently remind you that Jesus has won this battle. The Author and the Creator of life has got this thing rigged, and he will open the way. Let’s cut the lies of the enemy and keep sowing, keep plowing, and God will show His grace upon us. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pastor Maki Umakoshi is a pastor of Hikari City Church which was launched in October 2022 in Plymouth, Michigan. His family came to the US in February 2020 to bring the Gospel to Japanese people living in greater Detroit. His wife Sunhee is from South Korea and they have an 8-year old daughter. #MARCH23

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Faithfulness in difficult places sums up missionary Kay Bennett’s ministry to the marginalized in one of America’s most challenging cities.“Baptist Friendship House is a ministry center to folks who are impoverished, to folks who are unhoused and to human trafficking survivors,” Bennett said. “The people we minister to come from all walks of life. Some grew up here in NewOrleans, in Louisiana. Others come from different states, and some even come from different countries.” Bennett, a missionary with the North American Mission Board, has served through the Baptist Friendship House for more than 30 years. She works among those society routinely overlooks, believing the gospel message can transform any person’s life. Through their ministry, the Baptist Friendship House gives out food, clothing and hygiene kits in backpacks that help meet the needs for those in the community. “As we minister to those basic needs that we all have, it opens the door to minister to the spiritual need, which is the greatest need of all, so that a life-changing relationship can begin with Jesus Christ, ”Bennett said. Life on the street means — whether rain, shine, in oppressive New Orleans humidity or through the occasional cold spell — constantly enduring the elements outdoors. There are consistent threats of violence, addiction, sickness and infection. The National Library of Medicine stated in 2017 that the average lifespan for a homeless person is 17.5 years shorter than the general population. “You’re at risk every day of your life when you walk around on the streets,” Bennett said. “On Tuesdays when we have folks come in our yard at the Friendship House, one of the things that we often do is we have lots of first aid supplies, antibacterial ointments, creams and band-aids to give away for those who’ve been hurt.”No one wants to live this way, but the hurdles they have to overcome to get a job and find a place to live can seem insurmountable. They lack identification, and they have either lost or never had the documentation to get an ID. Many have endured trauma and abuse. They have run away or been cast out, grown up on the streets and become adults. “We encourage them to come to Friendship House where we can offer them counseling and case management and try to resolve some of those past issues too,” Bennett said. “I’ve even had folks that can’t read and write. So we’ll teach them to read and write, and then build on that skill and help them get their GED,” she noted. “Then, we build on that with life skills and with job readiness skills.” Bennett first met a young woman named Yvonne Schaad in 2006. Schaad visited the Baptist Friendship House when they were handing out food. For 10 years, Schaad would attend a Bible study while continuing to struggle with alcoholism and living on the streets of New Orleans before things began to change. The overwhelming love Schaad experienced from Bennett and others at the Baptist Friendship House played a huge role in her transformation. “You know, they loved me no matter what. And it took some time, but they showed me that there is a God, and He loves you,” Schaad recalled. “And that’s just amazing right there, everything that I’ve done and did, God forgives me,” she said. “It took me a long time to forgive myself, but I think that I have now.” Schaad has been sober for several years and regularly comes to the Friendship House to serve. With the help of Bennett and her staff, Schaad completed her GED and is successfully working. “I’m grateful I can come here ...and help them,” said Schaad. “Most of the people I used to run with have passed, but there’s some that I still see now and maybe they’ll see that there is another side.” Schaad’s transformation is just one of many that Bennett and her fellow staff members have seen. “No matter what circumstance or situation we find ourselves in, Jesus Christ is truly the only person that can turn somebody’s life around,” Bennett said. “I get to watch God show up and show out. It’s amazing to watch. He still works miracles.” The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering provides half of NAMB’s annual budget, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the field. The offering is used for training, support and care for missionaries, like Bennett, and for evangelism resources. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board. #MARCH23

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Telling the story of Michigan Baptists TOP STORIES Travis Whittaker 2 minutes ago TOP STORIES The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering; fueling new churches Maki Umakosi 2 minutes ago MICHIGAN NEWS Mandoos, lies and Satan Brandon Elrod 2 minutes ago SBC NEWS Missionary’s ministry in the Big Easy highlights hard work Doru Radu 3 minutes ago MICHIGAN NEWS A first-hand report of the Turkish earthquake through the eyes of Christian relief workers COLUMNS Tim Patterson 3 minutes ago 3 min Lasagna life PLYMOUTH – The longer I live the more I realize that the persons we have become are a composite of all the experiences of our lives. Some... Tony Lynn 4 minutes ago 3 min Sending out new generations PLYMOUTH – Save the date Saturday, 09/09/2023, 9 am - 2 pm, in Michigan. Imagine repeated waves of Michiganders making noise and... Mike Durbin 4 minutes ago 2 min Vacation Bible School grants and training PLYMOUTH – People all over Michigan have heard the Good News through VBS. It’s a great opportunity to share Jesus and we encourage every... Garth Leno 4 minutes ago 3 min Fatal entry plans There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. – Proverbs 14:12 WINDSOR, ONTARIO – In January 1985, a large... MICHIGAN STORIES The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering; fueling new churches Mandoos, lies and Satan A first-hand report of the Turkish earthquake through the eyes of Christian relief workers New steps to connect pastor’s wives in Michigan New growth, new development, and Revitalization Not an option: church revitalization Fix your eyes on Jesus What good is a bruised reed? Classified Ads More MICHIGAN stories… SBC & OTHER STORIES Missionary’s ministry in the Big Easy highlights hard work Missionary returns to field a third time to finish task How to get your “WHY” back More SBC stories…

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