December 2025 | 9
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Ohio’s IMB Missionaries Need Our Support on the Field, in the States
By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
Of the nearly 3,600 missionaries serving with the Interna- tional Mission Board, 78 of them call Ohio home. Recently, Dr. Ryan Strother, SCBO director of convention support, invited them to a Zoom meeting – the first step in learning how SCBO can better support our missionar- ies. “I worked with our IMB partners to contact those mis- sionaries and scheduled a virtual meeting. Eighteen mis- sionaries attended and gave input that will help us devel- op strategies for our churches to support missionaries on the field and stateside,” Strother said. At the meeting, he welcomed those on the Zoom call from far-flung places. The group included a wide spectrum of missionaries – some new to the field, now in language school, and others who have been on the field for years. “How thrilled I am! I’ve been waiting for this meeting,” he said. “I want this meeting to be an encouragement.” During the 90-minute meeting, Strother worked to learn more about their lives and ministries with two rounds of questions. “I designed these questions to get them talking about things that would give us helpful insight as I’m thinking through our strategies,” he noted. Their answers were illuminating, detailing both triumphs and challenges.
“A couple of missionaries will soon see the Bible trans- lated into the language of their people group – a labor 50 years in the making,” Strother exclaimed. “Among other encouraging connections, we linked Ohio missionaries in Eastern Europe with one of our churches that is minis- tering to Slavic people in our state. Our missionaries are doing amazing work!” Many missionaries minister in unreached places – less than two percent of the population is evangelical Chris- tian. “It seems the majority of our Ohio missionaries we are aware of come from the Central Asia affinity,” Strother said. “There are quite a few places in that affinity that would be more closed. They are working in some of the hardest places.” Ohio’s IMB missionaries shared the obstacles they face – experiencing isolation, seeing spiritual darkness, and pursuing an enormous task. Not only do IMB missionaries need support while they are on the field, but they also need it when they return on furlough. “Stateside typically happens every three to four years and can be about six months at a time,” Strother said. Housing and transportation are the biggest needs for fur- loughed missionaries. They don’t have their own homes and cars waiting for them when they return from the field. This is an area where Strother believes Ohio Baptists can step in to help. SCBO churches that have mission houses or vehicles in good shape and are willing to share these resources with furloughed missionaries can con- tact Strother at rstrother@scbo.org. Another stateside need is caring for missionary children who return to the states while their parents continue to serve overseas. These are known as “Third Culture Kids” (TCKs), and Strother hopes to meet their unique needs. “One of the things we heard twice was that there are two different missionaries who said they’re coming back to Ohio to look at Cedarville for their daughters,” Strother said. “Honestly, that wasn’t even on my mind, so that’s something to think about.” The first IMB missionary Zoom call won’t be the last. “I hope to hold a couple of these meetings a year,” he said. “Because they seem to enjoy it. I think it was neat for them to see each other as well. I love meeting with missionaries. I’m always impressed with missionaries and what they do.”
Charlotte Diggs (Lottie Moon) was born in December 1840 on the family estate, Viewmont, in Albemarle County, VA. This photo is one of three views of Lottie Moon’s Viewmont Home, Charlottesville, VA (circa 1927). Photo courtesy of the IMB from the Library of Congress Photo Archives.
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