Luther Osment was an area missionary for western North Carolina. The service opens with a presentation of special guests from Norway (00:00-00:54). Luther Osment reads from John 13:13-17, and he introduces the worship leaders (00:55-02:13). The audience is led in two songs of worship (02:14-09:41). Osment opens his sermon by sharing about the realities of mission work in the poverty-stricken region of western North Carolina (09:42-15:05). He appeals to 1 Samuel 17 where David is given Saul’s overweight armor and sword rather than the slingshot he is comfortable using as an illustration to show that churches in western North Carolina have a unique ministry, but they have been using methods that do not fit the way God made them to reach to their community (15:06-18:24). The remainder of Osment’s sermon are what he calls “smooth stone” stories of ministry in the mountain churches. His overarching theme for these stories are ministers in this region must give one hundred percent of themselves to caring for the people to be effective (18:25-29:19). Osment ends the service with a prayer (29:20-30:01).
Tony Brewington was the Director of Mission for the Burnt Swamp Baptist Association. The service begins with a reading from Luke 4:17-19, and a word of prayer is given (00:00-02:50). Tony Brewington is introduced as the Missionary Day chapel speaker (02:51-04:20). The choir sings a song of worship (04:21-06:30). Brewington begins his sermon by describing his mission work as a Native American in eastern North Carolina (06:31-13:33). He says that the church has taken Jesus captive, and it is now our duty to put him back into the world where people are suffering (13:34-17:06). He argues that the church today has a microscopic view where they are finding a way to make themselves better (17:07-19:09). He then argues that the church today has a telescopic view where they are doing outreach in an exclusive and narrow-minded way (19:10-21:35). Brewington proposes that the church should have kaleidoscopic view that is centered on true outreach and the love of Jesus (21:36-26:25). The second point of Brewington’s message is that the church has become a hostage of the world, and he believes the only way out is for God to be behind the church’s mission (26:26-35:59). The final point of Brewington’s message is that the world is a hostage of sin, and the solution is to let Jesus loose to lead the church in the mission of saving the lost (36:00-48:11).
