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church homeless, and many drifted away. But he retained a core group of 45 members, with hopes of planting anew. Enter the North American Mission Board’s Send Network. After the pandemic Rick Williams, central region state cat- alyst for the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO), and Reginald Hayes, SCBO community convention re- lations leader, introduced Baker to the Southern Baptist Convention system of church planting, which seemed to gel with what he and his core team had in mind. Baker agreed to go through the process, watching for God’s di- rection. Baker met pastors in the Ohio African American Fellow- ship, completed a church planting assessment, and was encouraged by the available network of pastors and re- sources. “This is what I was looking for, because the first time I planted a church,” he said, “I didn’t know anything about a church planting network, or anything. Because me and my wife, and a couple of the ladies, we said we’d rent a space and run some radio ads and see who shows up.” He considers Send Network a godsend. “God just really gave me an affirmative,” Baker said. “He said the cities are where change happens. Culture hap- pens in the cities, and that’s how we came up with the name.” Send Network President Vance Pitman describes the Bak- ers as faithful church-planting missionaries, “engaging their city, making disciples, and planting a church despite the obstacles.”
“We are thrilled about God’s activity in and through Change City Church in (Pickerington), Ohio, and their sending church, United Faith International Church,” Pitman told Baptist Press. “We trust God to raise up thousands of new missionaries like the Bakers who will follow God’s call and trust in His promises.” On launch day, Baker and his wife, now an SCBO minis- try assistant, arrived at church to 200 seats and about 15 people. They began the service. But something started to change. “I could just feel it. I’m sitting on the front row. And I can see the reaction from our praise team on the stage,” Baker said. He stepped on stage. People had come. “It was people everywhere,” he said. Nearly 130 people braved the slick roads and the 1.8 inches of snow the lo- cal CBS station, 10 WNBS, reported that day, most of it falling midday. An ethnically diverse group of Anglos, Af- rican-Americans, Africans, Caribbeans and others came, he said, some driving 30 miles or more. “We had the best launch day,” Baker said. “We had 128 people come out in a snow emergency. And the feedback we got from first-time guests was like, ‘We are so glad we came.’” The launch was extended to a second weekend, with 200 arriving the following week. But launch day, with a wind- chill of 14 degrees, was made complete with ice cream after worship. “Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches from Sam’s Club,” Baker said. Article courtesy of Baptist Press
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