Over 60 volunteers, from ages 5 to 77, traveled from seven states to do ministry in 10 churches and four ministries in Baltimore during this summer's FamilyFEST, a hands-on missions opportunity for families sponsored by the Woman's Missionary Union.

Many Embrace Baltimore staffers have left behind family members and friends to come and serve here in Baltimore, MD. These individuals are joined by an even more important group of people who have been born and raised in Baltimore and know much of its history and culture.  Together we are being used by God to make an eternal difference in the city. And we've become a family.

This summer has been buzzing with exciting stories from mission team members who caught the vision to come to Baltimore and how God has blessed them and those they served through their experiences here. Each month in our Embrace newsletter, we would like to share one of their stories with you.

Three teenage boys tried to conceal their interest as they watched a team of 30 middle and high school students renovate an amphitheater. Only hours before, the concrete floor was covered with a thick layer of weeds, trash and shattered glass. But on an 87 degree day at the beginning of July, a team of students and youth leaders from different parts of the country came together to brush away the dirt and debris and make the amphitheater valid and useful again.

What if we decide everyone matters? You may have seen this provocative question on a billboard, a T-shirt, or as an ad on the back of a bus. Maybe you’ve wondered what it meant. This is the question that the Gallery Church is prompting the people of Baltimore to answer.

The latest news from our Director of Mobilization Jaimee LaFave includes recent Developing and Managing People training sessions for church leaders, participating in College Metro 2008 at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, and a new youth pastor here in Baltimore at FBC of Lansdowne.

A soccer ball may not seem like much of an evangelism tool but for Pastor Isaac Moncada, Baltimore Hispanic Church Planter for Iglesia Cristiana de Armistead Gardens, it is often the best way to bridge the gap to reach an unchurched and unbelieving people with the Gospel of Christ.

Most college students think of beaches and partying during Spring Break, but the Baptist Student Union of the University of Southern Mississippi had another idea. A group of 25 students and leaders decided to partner with The Church on Warren Avenue, a Baltimore Baptist Association church in the Inner Harbor section of downtown Baltimore. 

Over 1,100 youth from 65 Maryland and Delaware churches participated in this year's Student Evangelism Conference. Each group in attendance participated in mission service projects in 22 different locations throughout Baltimore, working with churches and organizations. 

“This was the most diverse group I have ever taken on a missions trip,” said Charleston Southern University campus minister Clark Carter, “The great thing was that God used all of us to minister in a powerful way to the people of Baltimore.”

Now in its first full year of implementation, Embrace Baltimore has spent the past several months in renovating its offices as well as developing its staff.