by Brenda Hastings

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Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19 call believers to “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” But for one Virginia Baptist church, that prompted a simple question: Where is our world?

Pastor Randy Allensworth of Shiloh Baptist Church in King George County began asking that question several years ago, and the search for an answer led the church on an unexpected journey.

The first step was a mission trip to Mississippi with Believers Because, a South Carolina ministry that has faithfully served the same community for the past 25 years. In 2023, nine members of Shiloh joined the team, not only to minister but also to learn what it looked like to build long-term relationships through repeated visits to one community. It didn’t take long to realize that Shiloh could embrace a similar vision.

After returning home, the church began searching for a place where it could make that kind of long-term commitment. With guidance from BGAV field strategists Susan McBride and Andy Barnes, the search eventually led to Southwest Virginia.

After months of conversations, a five-member team traveled to Marion to meet Barnes and David Sizemore, director of missions for the Lebanon Baptist Association and pastor of East End Baptist Church. Through those conversations—and much prayer—the team sensed God leading them to partner with East End Baptist Church.

Shiloh made its first trip to Marion in the summer of 2024 with a team of 28 volunteers focused on Vacation Bible School for all ages. The following summer, the church returned with both a VBS team and a work team. That’s when something changed. We were told that we were not visitors, but family.

Along with leading VBS, the work team cleared brush, stabilized ramps, and completed other yard work for elderly members of the East End congregation. Familiar faces welcomed them back, while new relationships continued to form.

This past June, Shiloh returned once again. Eighteen volunteers led Backyard Kids Club each morning at Greenfield Baptist Church before hosting evening VBS for all ages at East End Baptist Church. The team also completed outdoor projects and painted two rooms in another church, expanding both its ministry and its relationships within the community.

Participants in these trips have witnessed lives being changed, but they have also experienced change themselves.

It is a humbling experience to know you are being used by God. When someone comes to Christ because you were in the right place at the right time, when lives are transformed through Christ, and when God’s glory is reflected in the eyes of children, those who serve are changed.

Mission trips are just as much for those who go as they are for those they serve. What began with our church asking, “Where is our world?” has grown into lasting relationships that continue to shape both congregations. God’s hands are with us in all things, as Philippians 4:13 reminds us: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Brenda Hastings serves on BGAV’s Mission Council and is a member of Shiloh Baptist Church in King George, a BGAV-participating congregation.

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