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Veteran Journeymen among newly appointed missionaries, mindful of church support Among the 58 missionaries participating in the Sending Celebration, 11 were former Journeymen. The IMB re- cently recognized the 60th anniversary of the program, which has become a strategic pipeline for career mis- sionary service. The program was created for young Southern Baptists between the ages of 21 and 29 to serve two-year missionary terms. More than 6,500 young adults have served in the Journeyman program in the past six decades. Lauren Ulmer, Zack and Courtney Newsome and Bridget Davis were among the missionaries in Dallas who served as Journeymen before making long-term commitments to service overseas. Ulmer knew she was called to missions after she went on a volunteer trip to Costa Rica with Southside Baptist Church in Live Oak, Florida, which is also her sending church. She wasn’t sure where she would go until a se- mester position with IMB in Quebec opened for her in the winter of 2019. The Florida native didn’t have any winter clothing, but her Southside Baptist family came through for her. “They rallied around me, gave me a winter coat and helped me raise funds for all the winter things that I would need,” Ulmer said. “Two months later in January 2019, I’m showing up to Quebec, in the midst of the coldest months, ready to do university ministry and hospitality ministry.” After her short-term service, Ulmer returned to Quebec as a Journeyman, serving from 2019-21. She said these were challenging years, but she relied on the Lord, her
ministry team in Quebec and the consistent support from Southside. In those hard days, Ulmer appreciated the emails and letters she received from Southside. “Someone would send the verse I needed to read or a prayer voice message I needed to hear,” she said. “My church inspired me and reminded me I wasn’t serving alone.” Zack and Courtney Newsome served as a Journeymen couple before answering the call to long-term service. They served as Journeymen from 2017-19, and through the two-year term, they realized they were called to be full-time missionaries. “As Journeymen, we were able to see a church planted and see this church grow and reach Muslims,” Zack said. They look forward to serving with the IMB in Panama. The Newsomes met while attending Murray State Uni- versity and were influenced by Hardin Baptist Church in Hardin, Kentucky. “It was in this church, under the leadership of my college pastor, Chris Lawrence, that I bore the most fruit,” Zack said. The Newsomes are also grateful for their sending church, NorthWoods Church in Evansville, Indiana, where Zack served as student pastor. “NorthWoods gave us that encouragement of, ‘Hey, we’ll support you!’” Courtney said. “Serving internationally, it means so much to have the support of a church, knowing they love us.” Bridget Davis said the two years of her Journeyman ex- perience went by faster than she thought it would go. “It sounds like a long time, but it’s not,” she said. She served in Sub-Saharan Africa with IMB missionary Kathy Shafto who had a big influence on her life. “Kathy taught me about seeing opportunities to speak the truth of God’s Word into the people’s lives and how to be strong and gentle at the same time.” Bridget and her husband Jude will be serving in Germa- ny with a missionary team with whom they have already made connections. Through their sending church, First Baptist Church of Rogers, Arkansas, the Davises took a short-term mission trip to Germany to serve with current IMB missionaries of whom FBC Rogers has a partner- ship. “We are going there because we got to see what it was like as a family to live there and serve there,” Bridget said. “I’m really thankful for the opportunities that our sending church has given us. They have been so supportive and have helped us work through our calling to missions.” Jude said he also appreciates the support of FBC Rog- ers, as well as the church he attended when he was in
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