Posted: 12/03/04
| Lee Chen, 11, (left) catches his brother Yang, 9, admiring his piece of pecan pie during a Thanksgiving meal for international students. The event is part of a First Baptist Church in Denton ministry to international students at the University of North Texas.(John Hall Photos) |
Denton Baptists use holidays to share
the gospel with international students
By John Hall
Texas Baptist Communications
DENTON–Thanksgiving and Christmas are about more than turkey and dressing for some members of First Baptist Church in Denton.
They use the holidays as an opportunity to share American customs and the Christian message with international students at the University of North Texas through food, fellowship and prayer.
Young people crowd into a church-owned house for the chance to practice their English and learn more about how Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, said Codi Knowles, International Friendship and Sunday school coordinator.
The celebration includes a prayer over the meal and several First Baptist Church members thanking God for working in their lives in various ways. Then Christians get to know the students and provide more information about each holiday.
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| Lacee Link looks at the sheet music as Tzu-Hsi Lin plays the piano during First Baptist Church in Denton's Thanksgiving meal for international students. |
The church works with International Friendship to partner American students and families with international students in hopes of sharing the Christian faith, said Linda Knowles, Codi's mother and director of International Friendship.
“We can talk about all the Thanksgiving dinners we want …, but its all about them coming to know the Lord,” Linda Knowles said.
Jim Herbison, another member of First Baptist Church, said serving these students through Bible studies, events and fellowship is like ministering on a foreign field.
Young people come from many countries, including Brazil, Japan, China and Korea.
Groups of as many as 100 students come five times a year to the University of North Texas and stay as long as two years, Herbison said. That gives First Baptist Church members an opportunity to impact the rest of the world.
Everyone who serves in the ministry is a volunteer who gives many of their own resources to see students become Christians. Each spoke of feeling God calling them to minister to international students.
“Everything that is done here, everything you see here, is done from right here–a place we call our heart,” Linda Knowles said.
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