News & Mission Stories
News / Mission Story
Courage in community: MBMM’s ministry amid rising fear on World Refugee Day
Valley Forge, PA (06/20/2025)—Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries is one of ABHMS’ partners that supports refugees and immigrants in their journey of resettlement, integration, and healing. It serves newcomers from Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma (Myanmar), Bhutan, Iraq, Central America, and Haiti, among others. Every year, it celebrates the resilience and dignity of people it serves on World Refugee Day, in the spirit of its mission: “to advocate, celebrate, and empower (A.C.E.) ethnic churches, pastors, and new Americans from different parts of the world. We promote and speak the language of love. Our work is weaving God’s love across cultures.”
Let the little children come: A summer of hope for Burmese refugee children
Valley Forge, PA (06/20/2025)—Summer vacation time is difficult for Burmese children living in Indianapolis. Due to financial constraints, many of them cannot participate in camps, summer schools, or other traditional programs in the area. Disconnection from peer groups and support systems means that they often struggle with keeping their English and math skills active.
'So it doesn’t happen again': Faith, memory, and the Japanese American pilgrimage to Manzanar
VALLEY FORGE, PA (05/27/2025)—“I was born in the Manzanar camp in January 1944,” said Bill Watanabe, a member of the Evergreen Baptist Church San Gabriel Valley, a Japanese American congregation in La Puente, Calif. His parents—farmers who had worked in the San Fernando Valley—and three older brothers were incarcerated there in March 1942. In September 1942, Bill’s older brother Takeshi passed away. He had serious medical needs that could not be addressed in the camp, which, coupled with low-quality, generic food and harsh desert climate, caused him to become weaker and die at the age of two.
ABHMS issues appeal for donations following deadly tornadoes in Central U.S.
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 05/20/2025)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has issued a call for prayers and financial support for residents of Kentucky and Missouri devastated by tornadoes May 16-17. The storms left upward of two dozen dead and many critically injured, according to local and state authorities. Kentucky was especially hard hit, with more than 19 fatalities.
'And how are the children?': Rev. Daryn Bunce Stylianopoulos leads a sacred reimagining of faith formation for the youngest among us
VALLEY FORGE, PA (05/13/2025)—For the Maasai people of Kenya, the subject of societal health is broached with a simple question: “And how are the children?” Reflecting a cultural conviction that the health of a community is best measured by the well-being of its youngest members, it is the Maasai’s way of asking, “Are we well as a people?”
Oakland Baptist church offers lifelines of aid and community to Burmese young people
VALLEY FORGE, PA (05/12/2025)—As of April 2025, the situation in Myanmar (also known as Burma), which operates under a military regime, has become a full-blown humanitarian and political crisis. Since the military took over in a 2021 coup, the country has been in turmoil. Armed resistance has spread, and violence has escalated. Even after an earthquake struck in March 2025—and the junta promised a ceasefire—the military continued launching deadly attacks, including airstrikes and shelling that have killed civilians.