The origin of International Baptist Mission, a Southern Baptist Church, has an interesting story. One simple question by an 84 year old at Braums in Oklahoma City evolved into IBM. It was a Sunday afternoon at Braums when this lady asked me, DO YOU KNOW JESUS CHRIST? My answer was in the affirmative and I told her I was coming after completing ministry from a nursing home. She immediately invited me to join her church at the other table. I went and sat at their table and introduced myself to the pastor and his church members. In fact, they were also coming from a nursing home. I shared my testimony with the pastor. After hearing my testimony, the pastor invited me to speak at his church. The following Wednesday I spoke in their church. God spoke that night. I shared with the pastor that I was praying whether I should stay in the other country or go back home to india. I came to the USA to pursue Masters in theology. Now that I was coming close to the end of my study I was seeking God’s guidance. God spoke to me through Zech 3:7. I told about this to the pastor of that church. He got me connected to the Executive Director of the Capital Baptist Association. I took an appointment with him and shared my testimony and vision. He was a member of FBC Yukon. He suggested that FBC Yukon might be interested to start a new church plant. He got me connected to the pastor of FBC Yukon. After nearly 8 months of interviews and help from CBA and NAMB and BGCO, the church voted me to become the pastor of International Baptist Mission on May 17th, 2009. I tell this because it was a time of recession when people were losing jobs. This testimony tells how God used a simple 84-year-old woman to bring forth a church in Yukon, OK. IBM is sponsored by NAMB, BGCO, CBA and FBC Yukon.

- Chandra Sekhar Rudrapathi

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