Marty McCord, Director Of Missions In Southeast Kansas
By Eva Wilson
A drive through the rolling plains and woodlands of Southeast Kansas reveals small towns with Southern Baptist churches that are often small in attendance.
Southeast Kansas is the home of Tri-County and Twin Valley associations, where Marty McCord is director of missions. He has served in that position for four years.
Although many Southern Baptist churches in Southeast Kansas are small in number, they have big hearts and a passion for missions. They lead two major mission outreach events each year—the early-summer outreach on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Nebraska and the winter effort at the Beautiful Feet homeless ministry in inner-city Fort Worth, Texas.
They also give avid support to their camp—Weir Baptist Camp a mile west of Weir, Kan. Construction on a new cabin there began in the spring of 2009.
One of McCord’s concerns is reaching out to the many small towns that do not have a Southern Baptist church. But the existing churches are responding to that need. As just one example, First Baptist Church in Cherokee has started Bible studies in several nearby communities.
A major emphasis now underway in Southeast Kansas is reaching Hispanics. First Southern Baptist Church in Coffeyville started the first Hispanic outreach several years ago. Riverside Baptist Church in Independence began a Hispanic outreach about a year ago.
But Hispanic work is now going into high gear under the leadership of Arturo Nunez, regional Hispanic church planter.
On a recent Saturday night, Nunez stepped to the microphone in the fellowship hall at Trinity Baptist Church in Pittsburg.
“Bienvenidos a la casa de Dios. (Welcome to the house of God).”
Another service was underway for the Hispanic congregation in Pittsburg.
The church is part of a unique ministry that crosses state lines. Nunez is the regional Hispanic church planter in Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri. His funding is provided by KNCSB, the Missouri Baptist Convention and Baptist associations in the region, including Tri-County and Twin Valley. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention also has contributed money.
“This truly is a unique outreach,” McCord says. It “crosses state lines, associational boundaries, cultural differences and language barriers all for the sake of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ right where we live.”
Nunez left a successful pastorate across the state line in Joplin, Mo., to take the church-planting position. He started the Joplin church—Iglesia Bautista Communidad Cristiana—in 2001.
Under Nunez’s leadership, the Joplin church has spawned namesake groups from Pittsburg to Branson, Mo. Each church is called Iglesia Bautista Communidad Cristiana with the town name added at the end.
Sunday afternoons find Nunez leading the Hispanic church in Southwest City, Mo. The group shares the facility of First Baptist Church there.
Two other men lead the congregations in Neosho and Branson, Mo., under Nunez’s leadership. Aldo Cardenas leads the Neosho group that meets at 5 p.m. Sundays. In Branson, Roberto Morales leads the congregation that meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays.
McCord cited the need for other leaders to take over Hispanic works started by Nunez. That will free him to keep starting new congregations. In fact, the Joplin/Carthage area across the state line in Missouri is a high-priority area.
Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists are asked to pray for these needs in Southeast Kansas:
- Pastoral leadership in the Hispanic works. This will allow Nunez to continue starting new Hispanic congregations.
- Pastorless churches in the two associations
- Starting new congregations in the many small Southeast Kansas towns that do not have a Southern Baptist church.
- Development at Weir Baptist Camp, including building new cabins. Construction on the first new cabin began earlier this year.