Greetings,
Dan wrote this devotional piece for the Judson Press Worship Series bulletin covers.We suspect, however, that many of you who have not seen this and will enjoy reading it
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Romans 10:13 ". . .for, 'Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
Church buildings of all kinds decorate the landscape of the Bahamas. Downtown Nassau features traditional church buildings with steeples and stained glass, many of which date back to the arrival of the first missionaries.On Sunday mornings, the doors of what otherwise might appear to be abandoned store fronts and warehouses during the week are opened to reveal that many newer congregations have taken their place amidst the older ones.A casual drive through town shows that most intersections are marked both by stop signs and churches, with at least one church, and frequently two, three, or even four churches, at nearly every intersection.As one moves out of downtown and into the outlying residential areas, modern worship centers mark the locations of more established congregations while large meeting tents erected on vacant lots, often alongside partially constructed buildings, identify newcomers on the scene.While visitors to Nassau are surprised by the number of churches they see, they are often unaware that, statistically speaking, the Bahamas has the highest per capita of Christian churches in the world.
This proliferation of church buildings, unfortunately, has not corresponded with a similar proliferation of Christian commitment and growth.Rather, beneath an outward appearance of Christianity, the Bahamas is suffering from serious moral decay that is evidenced by materialism, corruption, increasing drug addiction, and AIDS.
In the Bahamas and beyond, we must continue to preach the word and pray for God-glorifying changes that will begin to take place when people call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ so that they might be saved.
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THANK YOU!As always, we greatly appreciate the support you provide that makes our ministry in the Bahamas possible.
God Bless,
Daniel and Estela Schweissing
American Baptist Missionaries in the Bahamas
Mailing Address:
American Baptist International Ministries
Post Boxes Etc. PMB 918
2001 NW 51st Street
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309