TBC gearing up for eastern seaboard mission

Tennessee Bible College planning mission trip to Watertown, New York — seeking others to join in evangelism effort

by AMY DAVIS
TENNESSEE BIBLE COLLEGE

COOKEVILLE — Next stop: Watertown, New York.

That's the plan come June 2008, when Tennessee Bible College representatives, along with area church congregations, board a northbound bus for the Empire State. The trip kicks off a long-term mission to evangelize the eastern seaboard, which encompasses states east of the Mississippi River — home to more than 180 million people.

"We want to go and do what we can to preach the gospel so people will become Christians," said TBC President Malcolm Hill.

As compared with previous TBC mission trips, which have included journeys to Africa, Russia and Malaysia, the 2008 excursion will be much closer to home.

"We began studying our world and where the gospel needs to be preached, and as we looked we thought about our own nation," Hill said. "We found that we have been flying over millions of people who have not heard the gospel to evangelize places with less population. So we decided to focus on the United States eastern seaboard."

An American mission. . .
Encouraging others to take part in Tennessee Bible College's 2008 mission trip to Watertown, N.Y., are, from left, Malcolm Hill, TBC president, David Hill, public relations director; and Kerry Duke, dean. For more information, call (931)526-2616.

While in New York, the mission team will be supporting the small congregation of Watertown Church of Christ by filling the pews during their upcoming gospel meeting, or revival, which is being planned for the last week of June. 

"The population is large in that area, and most people are unclaimed by any religious group," Hill said. "So we're hoping to go and encourage the Watertown congregation with singing, praying and fellowship."

Northeast Church of Christ in Cookeville, where Hill ministers, has already committed to the effort, and other congregations are encouraged to offer support as well, either by sending a busload of church members or contributing financially to the endeavor.

Because the mission field is in America, rather than foreign soil, Hill believes fundraising will be more challenging. 

"We must face the facts," he said. "When missionaries from the United States go to foreign nations like Africa, it's much easier to gain money, support and workers."

However, for mission work on the home front, he has found that interest and support diminish.

"I think we sometimes look at our own nation and say, 'We're blessed abundantly, and other nations of the earth are poor and needy,' and our mercy is so great for those nations that we may overlook the people right here at home," Hill said.

TBC became acquainted with the Watertown congregation when representatives surveyed some of the northern states — most recently, Pennsylvania and New York.

"We visited and learned about the work being done in those areas, and we found small groups of Christians who are meeting but have no preacher or hardly anyone to lead," Hill said. "So we want to go preach and teach them to build churches and evangelize. Then we hope to send some of our Tennessee Bible College graduates up there to live, teach and preach in those congregations."

Hill said the mission team's long-term goal is to each year visit and offer support to small congregations that need encouragement.

"We may decide to forgo a year at some point and return to Africa or Russia, but our chief goal is to do as much evangelizing on the eastern seaboard as we can do," Hill said.

What does the mission team hope to accomplish?

"We can build churches, teach existing churches and be a real source of encouragement to small groups of Christians meeting in the various places we visit," Hills said. "And we hope to teach and convert people and make them stronger in the Lord."

To learn more about the 2008 Watertown, N.Y., mission trip or to make a contribution, call Tennessee Bible College at (931)526-2616.