Women On Mission

Roxie and Tom Mcleod shared about their ministry, Transformation Jacksonville (TJAX), when Women on Mission met April 8. TJAX has the vision of reaching every heart and home with a demonstration of the transforming power of the Gospel. 

Transformation Jacksonville is a unified movement to show God's love for the city. Tom explained that their lifestyle is PRAY, CARE (listen to the needs of your neighbors), SHARE (minister to their needs in whatever ways you can and share the love of Jesus through sharing your story). In other words, “talk to God about your neighbor before you talk to your neighbor about God.” Tom said “pray, care, share postures his heart to be responsive to what my neighbor needs.” The Jacksonville effort started with prayer-walking neighborhoods to listen to what God revealed the needs are. “We need the body praying so that God can execute and deliver.”

Tom grew up in Dallas, TX, and met Roxie – the child of missionaries who grew up in east Africa – in Fort Worth where they both attended seminary. After marriage and moving to Florida, they were led to partner with Go To Nations, a local mission agency. They were headed to eastern Asia when they realized the mission field was in their own backyard. Tom became the executive director of TJAX in 2015 and over the years has worked with leadership programs including C12, Lifework Leadership, Colson Fellows, and Wise Counsel, to name a few.

One of TJAX’s annual events is an appreciation luncheon for the local school superintendents where they are thanked for what they do and reminded they are called for such times as these. Another county asked that TJAX do the same for its school principals, Tom said, with local pastors listening to the principals’ needs and taking those needs back to their churches’ faith communities to help meet the needs.

A pastors and principals partnership breakfast brought together some 200 school leaders and another 200 pastors. During the breakfast, various pastors and principals shared what the partnership has meant to them.  Tom said 15 new partnerships have been started already this year. “You’d be amazed at what a mayor, sheriff, or superintendent will share with you about their needs,” he commented.

TJAX also has developed the “Bless Every Home” online tool that captures commitments to pray for neighbors, forming movements of prayerful people who can talk to God about their neighbors before they talk to their neighbors about God and hear their body, labor, emotional, social, and spiritual (BLESS) needs. The movement follows the five-part BLESS posture: Begin with prayer, Listen to them, Eat with them, Serve them, and tell your Story.

Next month, Rick and Cindy Jenkins will be WOM’s guest speakers and will share an overview of their 24 years on the mission field. Both Georgia natives, Rick and Cindy met at North Georgia College and were appointed missionaries by the International Mission Board in April 1992.

The Jenkinses’ first assignment was to Guadalajara, Mexico, where they worked with students on the 11 campuses of the University of Guadalajara and other universities. They served there 10 years. From 2004 to 2007, Rick’s primary role was service as a connector for the Americas, working with churches and colleges and universities on how to develop a mission program and how to be strategically involved in spreading the Gospel to the nations.

For the next four years, the Jenkinses served in the Caribbean and lived on the island of Barbados. In 2009, Rick became the student facilitator for American Affinity, which involves connecting students from the United States with places they can serve from Mexico to Chile. Their last overseas assignment was in Panama, where Rick continued o serve as the student strategist for the Americas. They took early retirement from the IMB in December 2015. In 2016 they moved to Columbus, GA, where Rick was the campus missionary to Columbus State University and LaGrange College for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

Women on Mission will meet Monday, May 13, in the Buchanan Hall at First Baptist. A covered-dish luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the speakers’ presentation at noon.

In cooperation with the Atlanta Dream Center, WOM are writing messages of encouragement that can be handed out to young women who are being trafficked in Atlanta. WOM also supports Hope House of Union County by collecting personal hygiene items such as shampoo, body wash, deodorant, etc., which are distributed free of charge to Hope House clients. Through offerings collected monthly and budget funding from First Baptist, WOM are supporting the following ministries:

• Cowboy Church of Jerusalem to purchase food and new boots.
• Pure Love Pure Water for more filters to be sent to missionaries.
• The Clarkston After-School Ministry, which provides a meal for the children and to purchase supplies for the children.
• Missionaries Troy and Jeana Nicholson, whose home in Albania was damaged in a December earthquake.

WOMEN ON MISSION have a passion for missions.  We meet the second Monday of each month at 11:30 in the Buchanan Hall under the Rock Chapel. Each month a special speaker is invited to share with us his/her time of ministry on the field, whether it be overseas or here in the United States. We have heard speakers from Russia, Albania, Turkey, Peru, Honduras, Tanzania, and many other places around the globe, as well as representatives from the ministry to refugees in Clarkston, GA, Out of Darkness Ministry in Atlanta, Voice of the Martyrs, and many other U.S.-based mission groups. We each receive a blessing from hearing the testimonies of these speakers. Often we learn of ways we can be involved in reaching out to the lost through these ministries.

WOM supports a different missionary each year by sending them a monthly love gift. We also save and collect our loose pocket change to provide water filters for missionaries who do not have access to potable water. Periodically, we provide toiletry items which Hope House of Blairsville can share with its clients. As the Lord leads, we engage in projects which help missionaries or reach out to the lost. In all that we do, we aim to bring glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We encourage you to come and join us on the second Monday of any given month. Participation is open to ALL women — young, old, or in between.

If you have questions, feel free to contact Nancy Brock at untilhisreturn@gmail.com or 706-781-6358 for further information.