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A History of our Partnership
The visionary behind our mission in Eswatini was Rev. Jimmy Moore, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Washington, NC; who, after a trip to Southern Africa in 1996 felt called to respond to the meet the needs of the people he met there. Pastor Jimmy felt an immediate connection with the people of Eswatini and their hunger to know more about the Gospel. Within a year, he returned with other members of his congregation. They, too, fell in love with the people of the Kingdom and responded to their desire to know more about the Gospel. Thus, a mission and partnership was established.
Over time, a partnership began between First Baptist Church of Washington, NC and the Baptist churches of Eswatini. In partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries on the ground in the Kingdom, First Baptist began to send annual short-term mission teams to Eswatini to conduct revivals and homestead visits. These mission trips eventually expanded to include construction projects and medical teams focused on spiritual discipleship and meeting human need. God grew the church in Eswatini by hundreds, as more and more churches were planted. Following on the successful church plants in the south, the partnership felt the call and responded by moving its efforts to the north and began church plants there.
In addition to seeing to the spiritual needs of the people in the Kingdom of Eswatini, First Baptist Church began to care for the physical needs of the people, specifically those affected by the HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics. This led to the launch of regular short-term medical mission teams in February of 2013 with a focus on conducting traveling clinics across the country. As is always the case in mission and outreach, the person doing the mission work is often more affected than those who are receiving the care. In working with the people of Eswatini, God has touched the hearts of many within the church congregation who either have been led to give generously to support this mission or have given of their time traveling to serve in Eswatini. Over 100 members of First Baptist Church have previously participated on a mission team to Eswatini, many raising the funds to go more than once. As the mission at First Baptist grew, so others in eastern North Carolina outside of the FBC community joined the annual trips to join in the work. In this way, God faithfully provided the needed resources for this expanding mission.
The Eswatini Partnership officially launched in 2015 as a formalized coalition of American Baptist churches and the Baptist Church of Eswatini. Its mission: to saturate the Kingdom of Eswatini with the Gospel. Shortly after its launch, due to a restructuring of the International Mission Board, Eswatini was left without an IMB presence. The Partnership was given the opportunity to step in to continue to foster the growth of the Baptist church in Eswatini, even without a full-time missionary on the field.
The launch of the Partnership produced a plan to connect with new American churches to establish a foundation to facilitate the long-term development of Swazi Baptist churches. We have continued in partnership with Swazi churches without missionaries on the field via quarterly short-term trips that engage in evangelism, discipleship, construction, church planting and meeting human need.
Over time, a partnership began between First Baptist Church of Washington, NC and the Baptist churches of Eswatini. In partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries on the ground in the Kingdom, First Baptist began to send annual short-term mission teams to Eswatini to conduct revivals and homestead visits. These mission trips eventually expanded to include construction projects and medical teams focused on spiritual discipleship and meeting human need. God grew the church in Eswatini by hundreds, as more and more churches were planted. Following on the successful church plants in the south, the partnership felt the call and responded by moving its efforts to the north and began church plants there.
In addition to seeing to the spiritual needs of the people in the Kingdom of Eswatini, First Baptist Church began to care for the physical needs of the people, specifically those affected by the HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics. This led to the launch of regular short-term medical mission teams in February of 2013 with a focus on conducting traveling clinics across the country. As is always the case in mission and outreach, the person doing the mission work is often more affected than those who are receiving the care. In working with the people of Eswatini, God has touched the hearts of many within the church congregation who either have been led to give generously to support this mission or have given of their time traveling to serve in Eswatini. Over 100 members of First Baptist Church have previously participated on a mission team to Eswatini, many raising the funds to go more than once. As the mission at First Baptist grew, so others in eastern North Carolina outside of the FBC community joined the annual trips to join in the work. In this way, God faithfully provided the needed resources for this expanding mission.
The Eswatini Partnership officially launched in 2015 as a formalized coalition of American Baptist churches and the Baptist Church of Eswatini. Its mission: to saturate the Kingdom of Eswatini with the Gospel. Shortly after its launch, due to a restructuring of the International Mission Board, Eswatini was left without an IMB presence. The Partnership was given the opportunity to step in to continue to foster the growth of the Baptist church in Eswatini, even without a full-time missionary on the field.
The launch of the Partnership produced a plan to connect with new American churches to establish a foundation to facilitate the long-term development of Swazi Baptist churches. We have continued in partnership with Swazi churches without missionaries on the field via quarterly short-term trips that engage in evangelism, discipleship, construction, church planting and meeting human need.