In 2006 National Ministries raised up the caring ministries of American Baptists. The tragic reality of children living in poverty in the United States, the richest country in the world, cannot be ignored, so we launched the Children in Poverty initiative.

Many American Baptist churches already minister to children and families in their communities whose needs often go unnoticed by the majority of us. We want to celebrate those ministries and hold them up as inspiration and model for those seeking ways to minister to the least of these. On the Children in Poverty page of National Ministries' Web site, you will find a form for telling us about your ministries. Please take advantage of this so we can share your story with other American Baptists.

National Ministries has identified public education as a key to changing the lives of countless children. Research has demonstrated that education is the most important predictor of economic success in our society. Too many public schools lack the resources and public support to succeed in their mission. We want to provide resources that will help churches identify ways in which they can contribute to the health and effectiveness of public schools. Once again, the Children in Poverty pages of National Ministries' Web site will give you a start.

Meanwhile, the other areas of emphasis in NEW LIFE 2010 continue. We began eight years ago with a challenging goal of reaching 1,000,010 new disciples for Christ and planting 1,010 new churches. Most of our attention has focused on those two evangelism goals. Beyond that, we have invested in transformation of our congregations along with the efforts of regions and individual churches. For statistics on those efforts, check the report page.

My colleagues in evangelism, new church planting, discipleship, caring ministries and congregational transformation will be contributing to this site in the coming months. Check back often! We hope you will find useful and inspiring ideas.