Partnership with German Baptists blesses LaGrange church

LA GRANGE—First Baptist Church in La Grange has hit a home run with hits baseball camp ministry in Germany.

Laura Mueller exemplifies that. She not only made a profession of faith in Christ through the ministry, but also now is serving the La Grange church as a children's ministry intern.

First Baptist Church in the Woodlandsbegan baseball camp ministry in 2007, and in 2008 four people from the La Grange church accompanied them to learn about it. The Woodlands church now has involved seven other churches in the ministry.

Laura Mueller, who made a profession of faith in Christ thanks in part to the ministry of First Baptist Church in LaGrange, began in July serving the church as its children's ministry intern, working with Pastor Jonathan Smith. (PHOTO/George Henson)

Mueller committed her life to Christ in 2008 while talking to some of the Texans after a camp meeting.

Pastor Jonathan Smith made his first trip to Germany in 2009, and he sensed something different about Mueller.

"Generally speaking, the people in Germany lack a certain joy that I see in even the average American, but what struck me in Laura's life was joy, joy, joy," Smith said.

"Laura also has great people skills—she can be as comfortable with a group of preschoolers as she can be with a group of senior adults."

When Mueller told Smith she was having trouble determining what to do after graduation, he mentioned the possibility she might travel to Texas. Mueller said she hadn't considered that possibility but began to pray about it.

"As I prayed, God really told me I should do that and use it as a journey to find out if children's ministry is how he wants to use my life," she recalled.

When she arrived in Texas July 3, "the first shock I had when I walked out of the airport was that it was so hot," she said.

When she returns to Germany in January, she will take new insights back with her.

"I've learned the importance of treating children as important because the children are the future of the church, and in Germany, that wasn't clear to me," Mueller said.

She also has learned to look more closely to see the individual needs of children, rather than seeing them as part of a group, she noted.

Training to work in children's ministry is unheard of in her region, Smith said.

"She could be the most trained children's minister in her region," he continued.

Mueller hopes to share her knowledge.

"I really hope I get more of an idea of how I can help children grow in faith and take back what I learned here and teach others what I have learned," she said.

While Mueller has gained new skills and knowledge to benefit her church in Germany, Smith said, she and Evangelisch Freikirchliche Gemeinde of Bunde also have made huge contributions to the La Grange church. This year, the German church came to Texas to minister here.

The volunteers from Germany conducted a soccer camp in Flatonia, helped First Baptist Church in La Grange with its Vacation Bible school and put on a cultural exchange night where the Texans could learn more about Germany.

"More than anything, we just strengthened our relationship that we have with them," Smith said.

"We are so connected at the heart with them that they are doing a dinner fundraiser so that they can … send money to people in the area who have been affected by the wildfires. It's a really strong partnership, and we have a really great friendship.

"Probably 100 people from our church are really good friends with 100 people from over there," Smith said. He speaks with someone from Germany almost daily, generally through a Skype connection.

"A lot of the models are, 'We're going to go and do mission work with you year after year after year," Smith said. "For us, a true partnership is more beneficial. They wanted to come, and we said, 'Come on.' And now, we'll probably flip-flop back and forth."

The people of La Grange noticed a deep faith and fellowship among the Germans.

"There's no cost for us to be Baptists; there's very little persecution. For our counterparts there, they use the word sect to talk about Baptists. The Baptists there are shunned," Smith said.

"Because of that, their fellowship is stronger. Their Christian fellowship is not in anyway surface level. When (a) church (service) is over there, the people stay for an hour or an hour and a half—just to be together. Here, we scatter to the four winds."

First Baptist La Grange is looking for another church it can teach how to lead baseball camp ministry in Germany. Only about half of the people who go have any real knowledge of the game, Smith noted.

"Last year, we sent a young lady who didn't even know that you hit the ball and run to first base. But she did know she could use the tool of baseball to share the gospel with kids," he said.

"We set up a very fun environment—it's as rah-rah and exciting as it can get.

"About half the people who go have a background in baseball, but we've had grandmas in their 70s go and be assistant coaches."

Mueller's growth illustrates what God can do when people invest in one another—an investment that goes both directions, Smith said.

"For me, I don't ever for the rest of my life want to be a part of a mission work where I go and do and come back and that's all. I want it to be a partnership. We pray for one another continually," he said.

"They have raised money for us, and we have raised money for them. Yes, it's mission work. But more than that, it's partnership work."