Serving our community during difficult times.
Send us your stories that encourage each other onward for good works, love for all, and service to God.
We would love to encourage those whom are able to help those in need. MBC is dedicated to our community corporately and individually. Whether you are serving on the front lines as a police officer, doctor or nurse or making delivers for those shut-in. Please send us your story to contribute to our Unhindered web-page.
How can you be Unhindered?
Submit your videos or photos with a brief write-up documenting your story.
Get Involved or Get Support.
MBC is active on many fronts. Whether you are able to contribute or you need a helping hand we are here for our community. Go to our Give Help\Get Help Page for more information.
The MBC Missions Team partnered with a local church (Camino de Fe, Pastor Dan Fenco) to help provide lunches to ELL kids in a local school.
This summer program is run by the school district. Our church Camino de Fe helped two years ago. Initially, it was for ELL (English Language Learner) students entering kindergarten. This year, they are including other ELL students that need additional help. The school district approached me and Camino de Fe and then I thought of involving other churches in the area that have been partnering with us.
These camps have been an initiative of the Somerset Hills School District to help students who have recently come to the country to adapt to the school system. Oftentimes the parents are not familiar with the school system nor their children have been in a school setting before. The school district’s program helps the children adapt and be familiar with the new school year in the fall. It also helps teachers become familiar with new students. The state, through different grants, compensates the ELL (English Language Learner) teachers.
In the past, there was not enough money to provide for the snacks and lunches. Oftentimes, the teachers and administrators took the initiative to provide for that need. The school approached the company that is in charge of their lunches, but it would be a huge expense since they have to buy food in bulk and it is a small group of children. Some food might go to waste.
The school does not necessarily have to provide the lunches/snacks, but they understand the challenges that families and their children face. Oftentimes, the children go home at the end of a school day and there is no one at home, so they thought it would be a good thing to provide snacks and lunches.
The MBC Teen on Missions trip.
MBC Teens worked hard and played hard this summer during their Missions work and weekly activities.
No baptismal? No problem!
Noah Graves makes a public profession of his faith in Jesus to all of creation…literally! Big brother, Johnny, had the honor of baptizing him at Round Valley Reservoir.
Hearts for Austin
Several of our MBC ‘tween girls reached out to a local high schooler who is battling cancer. Austin Lanphear received notes of support, encouragement and Jesus’ love from Bella, Rachel, Moriah, Laci, Heidi and Christina.
Small groups are still “ON” >>>>
Our Teen Family Small Group was unhindered outside with plenty of distance and lots of fun! We bi-weekly connect, serve, and encourage one another as whole families. If you have a teen or two, check out the Teen Family Small Group!.
Raised to New Life
Makayla Hentschel gets double-dipped baptized by her dad, Pastor Dave, and her youth pastor, Johnny Graves, at Round Valley Reservoir.
Young Adults Serve kids Breakfast
young adults gathered to serve for a breakfast packing event targeting kids in need.
Bo Columbine – Senegal auto repair campaign.
Pastor Bob talks with Bo Columbine and the impact our Expanding the Table giving campaign is having in Senegal. Specifically, MBC helped to renovate the Foyers Shama Auto Shop in the capitol of Dakar, leading to vocational training and relational impact amongst young Senegalese men and women.
MBC Missions
MBC prevents COVID job losses for pastors in Africa.
MBC provided money to these pastors to allow them to continue to minister to their congregations. These congregations are not able to support the pastors on their own because many have lost their jobs due to Covid.
Pastor Kioko in rural eastern Kenya
We seem to be having a 1st century experience, worship in homes. I have been sending a passage to read, a thought from the passage and some prayer needs every Saturday evening in readiness for Sunday using SMS. Families have organized themselves to have a worship leader, a song leader and someone to explain the thought. Some collect an offering. This means more people are involved than when we all gather in the Church building. I hear the services are also short! Very un-rural. I am so happy that worshiping Jesus is assuming another paradigm and not coming to a halt. I see the mature believers in families becoming disciple makers as the church grows. I am planning to give some training through social media. When we are back to Church (When!), I would like to see how we can continue having the home cells. ~Kioko
Pastor Sitati in rural western Kenya
It has been another good Sunday.
Ever since the Government announced the closure of churches, my Sundays have been very busy. I put on my mask and visit individual families with the sermon. I wash my hands at every home and observe the social distance. We have a 30 minute service per family. People have been giving their lives to Christ. Members are being strengthened. New people have joined the church. We are experiencing tremendous growth. Please pray that the Lord continues to give me strength. I usually leave my house at 9:30am and come back at 6:00pm to beat the curfew. ~Sitati
6th graders moving up to 7th grade
We celebrated our 6th graders moving up to 7th grade and into the Youth program. We hosted a drive by celebration- the students received a new Bible and got to see their Sunday school teachers, Linda Clark, Linda Rigdon, Mark Melillo, and Lee Barnes.
Celebrating MBC 2020 Graduating students!
Visiting graduating seniors for “Unhindered” moments. We drove around to each senior with a sign signed by students and leaders and dropped off a gift for each one.
Devin Almonte Helped To Meet the Mental Health Needs Of Seniors During the Quarantine.
Devin Almonte’s private Facebook group, Hello Senior!, brings joy to senior citizens by creating a place for connection online. Devin and her team come to them virtually in lieu of visiting in-person visitations.
Lunch for staff at Sunrise Assisted Living.
Compliments of MBC’s CARE Leadership Team.
Johnny and Luke’s Social distancing party
Student Receives Christ Virtually
World Partner, Rob Mittuch, serving with Cru uses Zoom to meet with his team leaders. On the Misericordia campus, one leader reports that a new student joined the virtual meeting and placed her faith in Christ!
From Food Drops to Friends
Our World Partners, Curt and Janna, are making friends by making up goody bags filled with food and toiletries for their Thai neighbors, and helping to bring communities together around their commonalities and identities.
Got Legos?
One of our teen students from The Rush, Josiah Kam, is spurring on his peers to do good deeds by having them round up their genty-used Legos and sending them to organizations that hold camps for migrant kids and orphans in China and Vietnam.
A Gesture of Gratitude
MBC’s Young Adults group recently extended a gesture of gratitude by organizing and sending over a well-deserved and much-needed dinner break to the healthcare heroes working the COVID-19 frontlines at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.
Thank you Health Care Heroes, for serving our Veterans!
We care & appreciate you and your passion for our children!
We wanted to take this opportunity to send a word of encouragement from all of us here at Millington Baptist Church for all of your efforts during this challenging time.
So many teachers, instructors and medical professionals have gone above and beyond their usual duties of caring for our children. Rest assured, YOU are appreciated and are in our prayers. It is our pleasure to acknowledge you with this small gesture of thanks.
“…we are very touched by the church’s thoughtfulness and it gives us such encouragement that others are thinking of us, especially during this time. Please share our gratitude and thanks to those who organized the gifts” ~ Ceder Hill Teachers
Serving those who “Serve & Protect”
“Thank you” from our Mayor to our MBC community.
“… I also want to thank you for MBC’s continued volunteer efforts with regard to our Senior Hotline and cannot applaud your efforts enough for making such a positive difference to those in our community who need the most help… Again, thank you for making such an impact on our community during this very challenging time of need and your thoughtful assistance to our Police, first responders and educators.”
“A big thank you to the Church of St. James, the Rotary Club of Bernardsville, and Millington Baptist Church for all their ongoing efforts. Once the senior is matched, that organization then communicates with them regularly if they need future assistance. People helping people. I am very grateful for all the hard work so many of you are putting in daily. Thank you very much.”
Very sincerely yours,
Mayor Jim Baldassare, Bernards Township
Shut In, But Not Shut Out
The 56ers girls class (5th and 6th graders) and their teachers, Linda and Linda, meet weekly on a Zoom call. Last week, they made encouraging cards and sent them to people who were shut in at home…before we all became “shut ins”! We wanted to encourage people who may feel especially lonely during this time.
Thank you from the Hentschel Family.
Dear MBC Church Family, Thank you for your steadfast prayer support for Juli’s dad, Adam Perrotti. After being diagnosed with COVID-19 and being on a ventilator for 17 days, he had been given a poor prognosis and told to start “end of life” care. But because of our merciful God, and after being hospitalized for 46 days, he made a miraculous turn around and he was recently discharged! It’s been a long journey, and we are supporting him through rehab, but we have seen God’s hand throughout these last 6 weeks and we are filled with hope. We would like to thank you for never giving up on our prayer-hearing God.
“He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” (Ps 107:20) With Love, Pastor Dave and Juli
Master baker, baking in mass!
Our very own Gina, not only bakes 60 loaves of bread for friends and neighbors, She made an additional 65 loaves of bread to go to all the employees at the assisted living at Avalon in Hillsborough, NJ. They were deliver this past Saturday.
Neighbor Connect with Feeding Hands
MBC is participating in a new initiative from our partner organization, Feeding Hands. The goal of Neighbor Connect is to spark a “viral” program of neighbor connection that encourages folks to safely connect with their immediate neighbors and “work from home” to feed and care for their neighborhood and community.w
Sending Fun to Special Folks
Adults with special needs and their caregivers across 20 group homes throughout Somerset County, have been and sheltered in place since early March. They were thrilled to receive games, puzzles, craft supplies and activity books from Heather Wenzel, Denise Midthassel and Laura Garcell.
Fighting the Good Fight
Our own Laura Williams and her team of frontline warriors nursing COVID-19 patients back to health in Bergen County.
Social Distance Delivery
Gina Muller delivers her delicious baked goods to friends and neighbors from a safe distance and her 6-foot delivery pole!
It would be easy to see a worldwide quarantine as something that would stop ministry altogether. But we have seen the gospel continue to impact students even in the midst of challenging constraints.
The book of Acts ends by highlighting a surprising opportunity in the midst of a similar limitation. Paul is under house arrest, but his “stay-at-home” order does not prevent the gospel from going forward. We’re told that he welcomed visitors for two years and “proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31).
For many of us, the last two months have felt like house arrest. But while the coronavirus has certainly changed campus ministry, the gospel has continued to advance “without hindrance.” We’re grateful for the technology that has allowed us to continue discipling students as we proclaim the kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here are some highlights of how we have seen that happen.
Thank You
It’s because of your prayers and generosity that our ministry has been able to continue. In the midst of uncertainty, you have remained faithful partners. We are so grateful for each of you.
Please know that we are thinking of you and are here for you, too. We recognize that you may be struggling, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need someone to talk to
Lancaster-Area Large Group Meetings
We combined all three campuses in Lancaster to have one meeting via video chat. As you would expect, we saw a decrease in number. But close to 50 students still joined us every week for a time of worship, hearing God’s Word taught, and meeting in small groups afterwards.
New Life in Christ
An Elizabethtown College student shared with one of our leaders that she gave her life to Christ this semester. She had not been able to attend our large group meetings on campus because of a schedule conflict, but she was able to come to our online meetings during quarantine. She told the upperclassman who was discipling her that she changed her mind about Jesus and is now convinced of his love for her, despite the difficult experiences she has faced in her life.
Women’s Conference Live
DiscipleMakers still held our annual Women’s Conference–this time it was virtual. Over 290 women tuned in, which is the most we have ever had in attendance!
Small Group Bible Studies
Small group Bible studies continued every week with all three of our schools. Some were led by faithful students still prioritizing community and outreach; others were led by staff to continue training students in Bible study and disciple-making.
Delighting in the Psalms Podcast
For the month of April, the DM Lancaster team hosted a podcast to track through the Psalms together. These 15-20 minute conversations were brief reflections and responses in order to help our students delight in the Word on their own. You can listen to them here on Spotify.
Service that extends beyond our church walls.
More MBC stories of hope and connection.
Hope grows faith, builds community, and nurtures restoration.
The hope of the Gospel compels us to reach beyond ourselves and guides us on our journey of faith together in harmony and charity.
Our enduring growth as a body is dependent upon each of us embracing our assured future and sharing it with those around us.
Join together with us to let hope in?
