Carnell is Kentucky MSC Missionary of the Year
08/16/2011
Rebecca Carnell (left) accepts the Kentucky Mission Service Corps Missionary of the Year award from Teresa Parrett, missions mobilization coordinator for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Carnell has been a MSC missionary for nearly 20 years, serving in literacy missions which shares the gospel with people as they learn to read. Click here to download this photo.
EUBANK –For more than 25 years, Rebecca Carnell has shared the gospel a page at a time.
As a literacy missions tutor, Carnell has turned many pages, equipping men and women—many told since childhood that reading was beyond their capability—to read God’s word for the very first time.
As literacy missions consultant with the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Carnell has helped potential tutors work through the pages of training materials, preparing them for the day when they would help children and adults learn to read the story of Christ.
For her service as tutor, trainer and gospel messenger, Carnell recently was named Kentucky Mission Service Corps Missionary of the Year.
Six MSC mobilization coordinators make the selection annually to a missionary who is "a true reflection of being an ‘On Mission Christian,’" according to Teresa Parrett, Missions Mobilization Coordinator for the Kentucky Baptist Convention.
"Rebecca’s motivation in doing literacy missions is so people can read and gain knowledge of God’s word," Parrett said. "Although much of her work involves training volunteers, she especially enjoys teaching students one on one."
Carnell began tutoring in 1985, and in 1993, became a Mission Service Corps missionary. MSC is a network of self-funded servants who use their own funds or raise financial support to assist churches, associations, state Baptist conventions and other ministries.
Nearing the 20-year mark, "Rebecca is the longest-tenured of our Kentucky MSC missionaries," Parrett noted.
Eric Allen, Carnell’s supervisor at KBC, said he was pleased that Carnell received the award "because of her passion and commitment to literacy missions.
"The latest literacy rates show that 12 percent of Kentucky’s population lacks the ability to read simple printed materials such as a brochure, newspaper or the Bible," Allen said. "Rebecca is a tremendous resource for churches that see teaching someone to read as another opportunity to share Christ."
Tutors and churches can select from three ministry options: Tutoring Children and Youth, Adult Reading and Writing, and English as a Second Language.
Scripture and scriptural truths are presented at the appropriate reading level for each student. Through the tutoring process, students learn about Christ, the gospel and the lessons of the Bible.
There are more than 800 literacy volunteers in Kentucky Baptist churches—Carnell has trained more than 600 herself—but literacy missions are long-term commitments that some congregations find hard to sustain.
"It is not easy," Carnell said. "You have to do it every week for a long, long time to be effective."
Building relationships is as important in literacy missions as it is in personal evangelism, she said. It takes time to build trust, especially for adult students.
"The adults I’ve taught have been told all their lives they couldn’t do it," Carnell said. "It takes everything you’ve got to keep convincing them they can do it."
The commitment is well worth the time and effort, "just to see that smile. You can see the light coming on" when a student reads about Christ for the first time, she said.
"We know that professions of faith are made every year because of what we do," Carnell added.
The impact of literacy missions often moves more quickly than one person at a time.
English as a Second Language "is very popular," Carnell said. "On average we plant one Hispanic church every year because of ESL."
Allen said in the past 15 years, 12 congregations in Kentucky were started as a result of English as a Second language classes.
Reflecting on nearly 20 years as a Mission Service Corps missionary, Carnell is thankful for the support she has received from friends, family and fellow Kentucky Baptists.
"There are ways to be supported besides an income," she said. "Eubank Baptist is probably the reason I’m still around."
The Pulaski County congregation provides Carnell a home at a nominal rent. She also works part-time in the church office two days each week.
Carnell was presented the MSC Missionary of the Year award during a Sunday-morning service at Eubank Baptist Church last month.
"There was no better place to do it," Carnell said.
Self-funded missionaries cannot always see how God will sustain the work He has called them to, Carnell said. "It’s step by step, and sometimes you don’t know where the next step is. It’s all about faith."
For more information about Mission Service Corps, visit www.kybaptist.org/msc.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
by Dannah Prather, KBC Communications
