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The following is a Christian Work Project sponsored in part by a grant from the Boston Baptist Social Union.

Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries (MBMM)

Mission and Purpose

  1. To shepherd as many ethnic and other pastors through the recognition process of COOM (Commission on Ordained Ministry) who would otherwise be disadvantaged in so doing.
  2. Work with Ministerial Preparation and Ministerial Standing committees of COOM to remove or alleviate any difficulties in so far as vocational integrity allows them to do so.
  3. Promote and strengthened ethnic churches relationships with the American Baptist Churches, USA.
  4. Oversee efforts to meet the distinct needs of the variety of newcomers/refugees in the community. To identify the location of new immigrant groups, identify their needs, develop relationships with the local churches to work with these groups,
    and to raise awareness within the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts family as to the plight of newly arrived and culturally diverse communities.
People Served in 2008
  1. Four ethnic (two Haitians and two Karen) pastors have received ordination recognition in The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.
  2. More than ten pastors are in the process of getting recognition.
  3. Conducted three half day conferences for three different ethnic groups:  such as the Haitian, Hispanic and Portuguese. Altogether thirty pastors attended the meeting and renewed their interest to relate with the American Baptist Church and centered their denominational standings with the domination.
  4. Started two ethnic pastor's Together in Ministry Groups ( Haitian and Hispanic). Both groups have received a grant from the National Ministries Council, that is funded by a Lilly Foundation endowment.
  5. Help Chin refugees children from Burma living in Dorchester, MA in getting school supplies in the fall of 2008.
  6. Conducted a statewide Friends from Burma Reunion event on January 3rd 2009 in Allston, MA where more than 100 refugees from all over the state came, and had representatives from four different refugees' agencies including the Commission
    for Refugee and Immigration Services.
  7. Built relationships with many ethnic pastors.
Proposed Programs in 2009

Proposed expansion in two areas:

  1. Four overnight conferences for four different ethnic pastor's group, Haitian, Hispanic, Portuguese and Asian. These conferences will include identifying ethnic specific ministries in Massachusetts and strengthening common missions of the American Baptist Church in general and TABCOM in specificly. Invite different Baptist organizations, including the BBSU, to give greetings and build relationships with the ethnic churches. Invite local churches' mission board/committees to interact with and exchange ideas about doing local missions in the community with the ethnic churches.
  2. Expand the Refugee Works program to other ethnic group such as Karen, Chin, Bhutanese, Iraqi's and Africans. The numbers of the influx of refugees are increasing and are connecting with different Baptist Churches in the region. Identify the needs of these groups and connect them to various local churches in the area.