In the Upstate, Associational Mission Strategist Mike Wallace of the York Baptist Association (YBA) is leading a network of 79 churches, teaching them how to be healthy and on-mission.

Through coaching pastors and training churches, Wallace’s desire is to see healthy churches supported by healthy pastors.  

Partnering with Churches Abroad 

For the past seven years, churches within the YBA have partnered with a church in the Middle East, funding programs in the Middle Eastern church that provide food, medical care, and education to those in need. The church in the Middle East is led by Pastor P, a local convert to Christianity who was burdened for the Muslim people in his country. With a congregation of around 50, the Middle Eastern church has given much of their time and resources over the past 15 years.  

“It was amazing what God was doing through this little church,” Wallace said. 

After seeing the impact that his church had on the community, Pastor P wondered if the same outreach could be done in other nations. Having traveled extensively in the United States since 2006, Pastor P was burdened for the Muslim-Arab community that seemed to lack engagement by the North American church.  

“These people are created in God’s image, and they have the right to know about Jesus,” Pastor P said. 

Intentionally Reaching Their Neighbors 

Through the YBA and the Arab Outreach Ministry Team, a committee of five churches within York County, Pastor P obtained a Visa within two weeks and came to the United States to begin a Muslim-Arab outreach ministry. Pastor P’s stay is supported by churches within the YBA, such as First Baptist Rock Hill, who provided a house for Pastor P to live in.  

The goal of the Muslim-Arab outreach in York is to meet as many people as possible, to establish relationships with those people, and to meet with those people either one-on-one or in a small group setting. Although one of the goals of outreach is to establish one Arabic-speaking church plant, Pastor P and Wallace’s ultimate desire is to see different communities come together in formal worship settings rather than segregate themselves from each other.  

“We want our people to be aware of the fact that the world is coming here. We want people to be aware of the fact that the Gospel is the Gospel that transcends cultures, languages, and expectations. It is the power of God unto salvation,” Wallace said. 

Specifics of the Outreach Program 

To see this unity take place, Wallace and Pastor P have developed a program for York Baptist churches. In this program, church members move through what Wallace describes as a “funnel.” At first, church members become familiarized with the Muslim culture and beliefs, learning to see their Muslim brothers and sisters as people who need the Gospel as much as any other person. Then, Pastor P and Wallace encourage those church members to seek opportunities to interact with their Muslim neighbors in the community. From this group of individuals, Pastor P and Wallace seek two to three individuals who feel burdened to reach the Muslim-Arab community in York.  

“It is about multiplying the work and teaching churches to grow in awareness for the people they rub elbows with every day,” Wallace said. 

In the past nine months since Pastor P has been in York County, three people of Muslim-Arab background have given their lives to Christ. In terms of outreach, Pastor P has compiled a database of around 80 Muslim-Arab people whom he has developed a relationship with. To meet these people, Pastor P interacts with them in ethnic grocery stores and restaurants, following up with each person by asking them to coffee or to share a meal in his home. Pastor P wants to see local churches in York County do the same by dedicating one day a week to intentionally interact with Muslim-Arab people.  

“It will take a long time to do something alone, but when you help the people to cast the vision, that will be a movement owned by the church,” Pastor P said. 

The Future of Outreach in York County 

In the future, Wallace and Pastor P would like to see a community center started in York County for Arabic peoples. The community center would provide a place for Arabic people to enjoy ethnic foods and teas, play familiar board games, and meet people from the YBA who can share the love of Jesus with them. Wallace and Pastor P’s desire is to reach the local Muslim-Arab people in ways that are relevant and contextualized to the culture they came from. 

“We want a place where natural conversations can happen in a setting the peoples are comfortable with, where the Gospel can be proclaimed,” Wallace said. 

For Pastor P, the transition to life in the United States has been a challenging, yet beautiful, experience. Although his youngest son was able to move with him, Pastor P’s wife and other two children are still in the Middle East. Pastor P asks for prayer for his family and a possible Visa option for his wife and two kids so that they may join him in the United States. Also, Pastor P is asking for prayer over his finances and finding a new vehicle. Most of all, Pastor P desires prayer for the hearts of North American believers to soften for their international neighbors.