March 2026 | 11
We also met Banga, and he’s a member of Maldon Baptist Church. Since the hurricane hit on October 28, 2025, he’s been working to repair the damage to the church’s build- ing. During our time here, he’s come every day to work alongside us as we repair the school. While Banga faithfully works to repair the church and school, his own home sits in shambles. He is staying in the home of a church family, and his very elderly mother is staying with a different church family. His mother spends most of her days crying because she can’t go home. In another example of SBDR cooperation, the DR teams who came after us repaired Banga’s house, and he and his mom have moved back home.
The damage from Hurricane Melissa was enormous, but the support of SCBO churches and the Ray Roberts State Missions Offering enabled Ohio Disaster Relief to make a huge impact on residents, Maldon Baptist Church, and students at the primary school. By the way, the hurricane removed the swings on the school’s swing set. We replaced those, too! Thank you, Ohio Baptists. Jamaican students enjoying the new swings. Free Biblical Counseling Program Sees Encouraging Interest
By Ryan Strother, director of Convention Support
Research shows that even when people recognize they could benefit from help, several barriers often prevent them from taking that final step. Some struggle with the vulnerability required to share their deepest struggles. Others wrestle with busy schedules or wonder if their challenges are “serious enough” to warrant support. Some who have never had a counseling session before might wonder how counseling could actually help them. Within Christian communities specifically, there can be misconceptions that seeking counseling reflects weak faith or that prayer alone should be sufficient, when in reality, godly counsel has always been a biblical model for care (Proverbs 11:14). The SCBO established scbocounseling.org specifical - ly to remove two of the most common obstacles: cost and accessibility. This website makes it simple to know exactly where to turn when help is needed, and I hope you’ll utilize this great resource when you need support. I’m grateful for each person who has created a profile, and I want you to know that taking that step—whether or not you’ve scheduled yet—reflects wisdom and cour - age. If you’ve registered but haven’t scheduled, I encourage you to take that next step. If you haven’t explored this re- source yet, visit scbocounseling.org to learn more about how this ministry can support you in your calling. Thank you, SCBO churches. Your faithful giving through the Cooperative Program funds our counseling strategy.
At our Annual Celebration in November, I announced the SCBO’s new strategy for providing biblical counseling to staff ministers and their immediate family members from our cooperating churches. Offering accessible, free counseling is a significant vic - tory for our ministers and an encouragement to our churches, as Cooperative Program giving supports min- isters across the state. Since launching, we’ve seen encouraging interest. Twelve individuals have created profiles on our website, demonstrating a recognition that counseling could be beneficial. However, only four of these registrants have actually scheduled appointments. This gap between interest and action reflects a common pattern in accessing counseling.
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