Home Missions Director Larry Powell introduces a new challenge for Free Will Baptists.

The Connecticut Challenge

by Larry A. Powell

The National Association of Free Will Baptists has no church in the state of Connecticut. What an opportunity and challenge for Home Missions North America to make a connection for Christ in this beautiful state. This area has been in my heart and on my mind for some time now, and I would like to share some information with you.

Connecticut is bound on the south by the Long Island Sound, on the west by New York State, on the north by Massachusetts, and on the east by Rhode Island. The “nutmeg state” has 169 towns and cities without a single Free Will Baptist church.

The official song of Connecticut is “Yankee Doodle,” a song that we know well. Yet it would be even better to establish a mission church and hear a congregation singing hymns of faith in Christ Jesus. The population of the state is approximately 3.5 million. Connecticut is the fourth most densely populated state in America. The southwestern portion of this wealthy state is a part of the New York Metropolitan area. Along the I-95 corridor, the population is especially dense with 5,000 people per square mile.

The first settlers came with Thomas Hooker seeking freedom of worship and to escape religious persecution. Thankfully, that freedom remains. No passport or visa is needed to cross the state line and begin a new Free Will Baptist mission work.

Connecticut is not the “Bible Belt” of the South. A tremendous need exists for specially equipped and talented church planters to impact this area with the gospel message. Vast numbers claim no religious affiliation at all, and only a small number of churches could be characterized as “Bible-preaching churches.”

Many famous people hail from Connecticut: George W. Bush, Mark Twain, and Noah Webster, among others. Millions of people in Connecticut know these famous names, but do they know the One who can forgive their sins and set them free from condemnation and the bondage of sin?

The challenge for Free Will Baptists is that they may hear and know and trust our Savior.
If you would like to have more information on this area of ministry, please contact the Home Missions Department toll free: 877-767-7674.

About the Writer: Larry A. Powell is general director of the Home Missions Department. To learn more about the ministry of Home Missions, visit www.homemissions.net.