The objective of this mission effort, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, Inc., is to collect and deliver shoe boxes filled with toys, educational supplies, and a Gospel pamphlet written in their language to children in war-torn or poverty stricken countries around the Christmas season. A Lead Team plans and leads promotional efforts to encourage FBC families to touch children’s lives with the love of Christ by packing shoe boxes and bringing them to worship for dedication. Many families in the church have made this a traditional part of their Christmas giving.

First Baptist Church of New Bern has had a personal relationship with the Good Shepherd Ministry Center and its career missionaries Dr. Roger Grossman and Dr. Vicki Grossman since its very beginning. We sponsor the ministry through our annual budget. We also send a team of workers to Guatemala annually to assist in their ministry.

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The Good Shepherd Ministry Center is made up of three primary mission tasks. They are as follows:

• The Good Shepherd Training Center is a critical tool for the development of future leaders, pastors, and missionaries. The center is used for training community health evangelists, Christian leaders, youth, women, pastors and on special occasions, is open to the community. The center is also the main site where mission teams are housed during their ministry time in the Western part of Guatemala.

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• The Good Shepherd Clinic helps the indigenous population of Guatemala physically, emotionally, and spiritually in light of the Christian world-view. The clinic seeks to empower patients through immediate patient care, health education, follow-up home visits, and the transforming power of Christ to have a full life.

• The Good Shepherd Children's Home invests in abandoned or at-risk children in Guatemala so they may reach the fullest potential God has for them in the areas of physical development, social skills, education, and Christian character enabling each child to become a productive member of society. 

CBF Encourager Churches are a crucial component to the work of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel around the world. Such relationships invite churches into a unique and intimate role in missions and unite churches with the ongoing mission work in CBF's three contexts: global poverty, global migration and the global church. It brings churches into the historic role of sending members of its body into the world as we cultivate beloved community, bear witness to Jesus Christ, and seek transformational development. CBF suggests that Encourager Churches include four encouragement areas: prayer support, program support, short-term engagement, and financial support.

Adam and Cori Willard and their family are members of FBC New Bern who have accepted God’s call upon their lives to be missionaries in Africa. Africa Inland Mission is an evangelical Christian mission agency serving in over 20 African nations. Their passion is to see Christ-centered churches established and thriving among all of Africa's peoples. We support the Willards through our prayers, finances, and hope to send a team to minister alongside them in the future.