Those who knew Ko Tha Byu in the 1820s did not think very highly of him.  They would never have pegged him for the spiritual father of a dynamic family of faith.  But God works in surprising ways.  When he was baptized by Adoniram Judson's missionary colleague George Dana Boardman in 1828, Ko Tha Byu was the first member of the Karen people to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Hundreds of thousands of Karen have followed in his footsteps in Myanmar and Thailand.  And today, thousands of Karen Baptists are bringing new passion and energy to American Baptist congregations in the U.S. (see www.karenkonnection.org, or the page for Duane and Marcia Binkley at www.internationalministries.org).

Myanmar Baptist Convention office

Today the Karen Baptist Convention is the largest of the 18 regional and ethno-linguistic conventions that make up the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC). The MBC is nearly as large as American Baptist Churches, U.S.A. Though they are a small minority within their nation, the Baptists of Myanmar are a committed, energetic and inspiring faith movement.

It is a great privilege to be able to spend the first half of March with our sisters and brothers in Myanmar.  I look forward to both learning from and encouraging them during this visit.  MBC has a full range of theological education activities going on, from grassroots workshops to graduate level seminaries, from long-established formal curricula to experimental programs.  One of the new educational efforts that I will be visiting is a pilot program in inductive Bible study within the Karen Baptist Convention.  As one who has been a passionate practitioner of inductive Bible study for over 34 years, I am eager to see what the Lord is up to among our Karen brothers and sisters!

 
Blessings,
Stan