PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Arkansas Baptist State Convention Missions Team saw nine professions of faith this past weekend during a medical-dental clinic in Pine Bluff.
The clinic was held Saturday, July 15, at Watson Chapel Baptist Church in partnership with Whispering Pines Cowboy Church. Missions Team Leader Sam Roberts said the cowboy church was the original partner for the clinic but did not have the facilities to adequately house the event. The two churches partnered and used the Watson Chapel facility.
Roughly 45 people registered for the event. The churches had more than 70 volunteers.
“It’s awesome having that many people from the local churches that were there. Everybody was involved. They all had jobs to do,” Roberts said, noting a team from Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro came to help with evangelism. “It was a great clinic.”
Medical-dental clinics serve as an avenue for the local church to meet needs and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Approximately 10-12 clinics are held each year across the state. After registering, each patient has a one-on-one conversation with a volunteer, where the Gospel is clearly shared, and people are given an opportunity to place their faith in Jesus. All medical and dental services are provided free of charge.
The medical-dental clinics around the state this year have seen several come to Christ. On June 24, more than 20 accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the clinic hosted at the Olive Street campus of First Baptist Church in Rogers.
On June 3, during a clinic in Oden hosted by the churches of the Caddo River Baptist Association, the team saw 37 patients, two of whom gave their lives to Christ.
The first medical-dental clinic of the year was April 29 at Iglesia Bautista Roca Fuerte (Strong Rock Baptist Church) in Little Rock. This was the first time that a clinic was held in one of the Hispanic church plants, and 58 patients registered. There were 28 professions of faith.
Six more clinics are scheduled for the remainder of the year. The next clinic is July 29 with Rector First Baptist Church.
This ministry is provided through the gifts of Arkansas Baptist churches through the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering. For more information about medical and dental missions, click here.