Baptist Digest for July-August 2014

5/21/2018 Baptist Digest for July-August 2014

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Newsjournal Of Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists

www.baptistdigest.com

July-August 2014Vol. 58 No. 7-8

Baptist

igestHispanic Super Summer

Equips Youth to Serve

Morning workshops at KNCSB Hispanic Super Summer 2014 helpedcampers learn how to lead worship in their churches. Here Benjamin

Arevalo from Wichita, Kan., teaches a session on how to play a bassguitar.

KNCSB Hispanic Super Summer 2014 helped equip campers to useCardboard Testimonies to illustrate their lives before and after theyaccepted Christ. Here Nayeli Centano from Emporia, Kan., displays oneof the signs that illustrated a campers life before accepting Christ.Watch the YouTube video on Cardboard Testimonies at http://youtu.be/RvDDc5RB6FQ (at left) Morning workshops at KNCSB Hispanic Su-per Summer 2014 helped equip campers to go home and serve in theirchurches. A puppetry workshop helped campers learn the ne points ofusing puppets to share the gospel. (Photos by Eva Wilson)

KNCSB Vision and Values

see story on page 4


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WWW.KNCSB.ORG

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES:INFORM -- Regularly share information about ongoingtraining, curriculum, events, support and personnel.RESOURCE -- Serve as a resource pool for practicalideas about what is working in KS-NE congregationsand how it relates to all sizes of churches.GENERATIONAL -- Cast the widest net, providing sto-ries and information that will appeal to all generationsof Southern Baptists in NE-KS.FAMILY-FRIENDLY -- Be family-friendly with stories,regular columns and helps for families and leaders whowork with families.

AGE DIVERSE -- Publish stories that address the

diversity of age, ethnicity, and geographical regions ofKS-NE.MISSION-ORIENTED -- Publish stories about peopleand congregations involved in missions and regularlypublicize ministry opportunities.PART OF WIDER MISSION - Help congregationsdiscover that they are part of the larger work of t heKingdom of God through their ministries.

To give local news:Local church and associational news may be submit-

ted by mail, phone, fax or e-mail.

Advertising:Advertising policy and rates are available upon

request Call 800-984-9092 or e-mail:[email protected]

STAFFEditor: Tim Boyd, PhD.

Associate Editor: Eva Wilson

Printing Coordinator: Derek Taylor

Robert T. Mills, D. Min.

KNCSB Executive Director

AFFILIATIONSAssociation of State Baptist PapersBaptist Communicators Association

The Baptist Digest(USPS 018-942)Vol. 58 No. 6-7

Leadership Newsjournal for Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists is published

monthly 10 times a yearexcluding January and July.

5410 SW 7th StreetTopeka, KS 66606-2398Phone: (785) 228-6800Toll Free: 800-984-9092

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66606-2398.

By Georges BoujaklyKNCSB State Director of MissionsE-mail: [email protected]

Failure and SuccessHow do you describe failure in ministry? How do

you describe success? What does God think about thistopic of failure and success when we serve him andothers?

J. R. Briggs claims that there are four basic areas thatcould be labeled as failure for church leaders.

The rst failure is whenpastors fall into moral orsexual sin. This failure isall too common among usevangelicals. It is hurtful toall. It brings shame on devo-tion to our cause as repre-sentatives of Jesus. Leadersmust resist temptation, asall people must do. Indeedas Jesus did. But resistanceis not enough. Without astrong intent and plan tolive holy lives, mortify-ing our sinful nature, andbecoming godly servants,temptation will easily have

the upper hand (1 Timothy 4:7-8).Roger Olson, a connoisseur of evangelicals, says,Evangelical Christianity in America used to fo-

cus much more attention on separating from theworld. (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereol-son/2014/06/how-american-evangelical-christianity-has-changed/). It is time to return to the purity ofChrist whom we are to imitate in all ways.

My heart always skips a beat and a pain shootsthrough my heart when a pastor fails sexually. The pas-tor who does not live intentionally with a Christ-drivensexual purity is doomed to repeat the mistakes of manywho fall into sexual sins. Intentional detachment fromthe world as Psalm 1 teaches is a key to success in thisarea of our lives.

2. Another type of fall is what Briggs call the tragicfall. By that he means the failure that is at times presentdue to a major illness, a shocking termination, or a be-trayal by people who are inside our circle of condence.Perhaps the pastor has dared to do what I was told inseminary: You cant make friends with church mem-bers and especially not to conde in them unless youexpect things to backre.

Walking With the Master

The Thought Occurred to MeBy Bob MillsKNCSB Executive DirectorE-mail: [email protected]

This article is a continuation of my article from lasttime on church health. Remember, I am using a greatlittle book by Dr. Thom Rainer, entitled,Autopsy of aDeceased Church. Last time we looked at symptomsof a sick and dying church. In this writing, I want tohighlight what our responses might be when we findourselves in a church in need of revitalization.

A simple fix, an uncomplicated ministry action pre-scription, or a supernatural spiritual pill is not possiblewhen talking about church health. Revitalizing a sickand dying church is hard work and is not for the faint-hearted. If your church is beginning to show signs ofpoor health you might want to consider the following.

1. As a church, how desperateare you to see your

church become a healthy vibrant body of believers? Ihave seen some churches that recognize the need forchange but are not willing to take the steps necessaryto move in that direction. Just how important is health

church to your congregation? This might be considereda heart check.

2. Begin by offering continuous intentional concertsof PRAYER. The work of church health is a move-ment of God in the life of the congregation. The churchneeds to repent and confess its disobedience to theGreat Commission. The church needs to admit beforeGod that it has a need for renewal. Just how desperate-for change and renewal are we?

3. Conduct a ministry auditfor your church.Evaluate all of the ministries of your church in light ofthe expected outcomes. Too many churches are doingministries without periodically checking to see if eachministry is accomplishing what is intended. Also, per-form a ministry audit of your members time to findout where folks are spending their time.

4. How outwardly focusedare we in relationshipto serving the community? What are you doing as achurch to add value to the community? What are wedoing to make the community a better place to live?

Theres better advice. Those who lead must neitherlead with fear nor let the tragedy of this kind of failuredampen their resolve to live open lives and receive

the blessings of such openness. Sure we all have to bechoosy of the people we trust and be willing to pay thecost. But the cost of isolation pastors experience is muchhigher than the risk involved in open book living. Ap-parently, as a group, pastors are the loneliest of people.No man is an island. Pastors included. Success is nd-ing people with whom you can be yourself without anypretense.

3. Some leaders will fall due to a failure that is gener-ated by a slow leak in the soul. Slow leaks are danger-ous. They can erode the ber of the soul; imperceptiblyat rst. They weaken our spiritual constitution. Outputwithout input leads to empty vessels. We give spiritual,

emotional, and intellectual support constantly withoutreplenishing those precious reserves. Humans haveleaky souls that must be plugged by worship, commu-nity, and serving others in healthy ways.

Plug the whole; stop the leak. Seek support. Askother pastors or leaders or people who have traveledthe same path to walk alongside of you. This is whatsuccess looks like here: One beggar telling anotherwhere to nd bread.

An individual or community of peers that under-stands the value of and are skilled in listening, guiding,and encouragement is an absolute necessity in minis-

try. This individual or group listens and helps discernwhere the slow leakages are and suggest preventive

measure before the leak turns into failure. But pityanyone who falls and has no one to help them up(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, The Message).

4. One last failure: Burning out because ministryhas become something like going from one crisis toanother. Overheating occurs and on its heels comesburn out.

All kinds of forces drive these potential failures. Onepastor says I grew the church from 125 to 24 over 10years. Whats wrong with me? Another says, Ourbudget cannot handle the demands and needs of minis-try. Another might say, I cant seem to make my stado their work without catching some ack for it. Andyet another says, How can I ever nish this dreadeddegree or project when I barely have time each week toput a sermon together?

Dear Leaders: No one wants to see pastors or leadersfail. There is nothing God honoring in failure.

What does success look like biblically?In one word: Faithfulness and running the race

together. We are called and gifted to be faithful. We arecalled to serve with others. Well done good and faithfulservant is our goal in the end.

What comes from failure is shame, loneliness,wounds, and leaving the ministry. Let us embracefailure and return to God as wilderness people who arebent on recovery and constant commitment to belongin the kingdom of his light. Let us accept who we are

and are not without pretense is a good place to start infacing the potential dangers of failure.

The church that is inwardlyfocused on its membersonly is on its way to poorhealth

5. Teach the congrega-tion to be a witnessforChrist in the marketplacesof our lives and in the com-munity. Building relation-ships with non-Christiansand investing time in theirlives is crucial. Helpingothers find Jesus throughdeveloping meaningful relationships is at the heart ofthe Great Commandment and the Great Commission.Are we sometimes too busy maintaining relationships

with other Christians and not enough time connectingwith potential believers?

This is not an exhaustive list of responses, but it isa place to begin our ecclesiological musing. Just athought.

Georges Boujakly

Bob Mills


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Sharing & Strengthening

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Presidents Perspective

By Jon SappKNCSB Director of EvangelismE-mail: [email protected]

I value training guides. I have encountered severalexcellent guides that have made my life experiencesricher. For example, back in Africa a good game

guide could transform a game park drive into a mem-orable event. A good guide can make or break yourtime in the game park. In our personal lives, guidescontribute to our life experiences. Parents, mentors,role models have the potential to be training guides forour lives.

Evangelism, or sharing the good news of a meaning-ful relationship with God, is a great place for training

guides. Often many seethis role of sharing moreas a salesman as opposed

to the role of a guide. Asalesman has a product,knows the product anddoes all he can to makethe sale. Yes, the salesmanwants the consumer to useand appreciate the product.That may work well in thebusiness world; but may notbe as effective as one sharestheir faith pointing othersto Jesus. So, I believe the

Gods Plan For SharingNew Testament model better fits the trained guidemodel. Yes, the guide knows what he is looking for.He has seen and experienced showing others what he,as a guide, knows is out there just like the guide in the

game park. He helps people see for themselves thebeauty and wonder of what the guide knows and hasexperienced.

In addition, the guide listens to what the other per-son wants to see. I have watched game guides providean excellent experience of watching tropical birds andnocturnal animals, as well as, finding lions, giraffe,cape buffalo and rhinos in the park. Good guides lis-ten and help others to see what is already there. Theypoint out the life that is right there and often missedby those that do not know the park or the ways of the

animals.Yes, I value training guides. In evangelism an initialarea for training could be in equipping prayer guides.I trust all of us are growing in our awareness of thepower of prayer. Jesus taught his disciples to pray forlaborers to join in the harvest. In Matthew 9:37, Jesustells us, The harvest is plentiful. These days it seemsmany feel the harvest is not there. Jesus said it wasthen and I believe it is still there. The problem is notthe harvest, it is laborers. Laborers are few. There arenot enough of us in the field. Lets start here. Join mein praying for laborers. Many are using Luke 10:2 as

a motivation to set their phone alarm to 10:02. Thatgives us the opportunity to pray twice a day at 10:02for laborers to join in the harvest.

Another area of guide training is to keep learning to

listen to those around us. Guides listen. Be alert tothose God has placed around your life. Listen to them;try to enter their experience with understanding andempathy. They have a life story and we can join intheir world simply by listening to them. In their story,we have the opportunity to pray for them, share withthem what we may have seen in similar life experiencesor to point them to another that could be of help.

A good guide is aware of what God has done inthe past in the scriptures and their own experience inGods faithfulness in their lives. Growing as a guide

builds on our own growing confidence in the activityof God in our day to day life experience. Guides walkalong with others and at appropriate times help folksto see what has happened before in this experience orthe promises we have from God in His word that givesus hope for what we face.

Yes, I value training guides. Would you join me inbeing one of those spiritual guides in walking life inrelationship with the Lord and sharing your life withothers? Growing a community of guides excites meand I believe as we live this out we are joining in onGods Plan for Sharing.

Stewardship QuotesIf a person gets his attitude to-ward money straight, it will help

straighten out almost every otherarea in his life. -Billy Graham

Remember thisyou cant serveGod and Money, but you can serveGod with money. -Selwyn Hughes

I have held many things in myhand, and have lost them all; butwhatever I have placed in Godshands that I still possess. -Mar-tin Luther

William Carey, the consecratedcobbler-turned-missionary, gave$499,000 to missions during hisyears as a servant of the Lord inIndia. How did he do it? Careywent to the mission feld with a

salary of $250 a year. While in In-dia he was hired by the govern-ment to teach in a University at$7,500 a year. Carey continued to

live on $250, giving the rest to thework of the Lord.

A religion that gives nothing,costs nothing, and suffers noth-ing, is worth nothing. -MartinLuther

Jon Sapp

By Andy AddisKNCSB Convention PresidentE-mail: [email protected]

As I write this article sitting on myfront porch, my two sons are a stateaway serving on a student ministrymission trip. Im proud of them for giv-ing up part of their summer to workhard, sleep in tents, and serve Jesus fora few days.

I know exactly what theyre feeling.There is an amazing rush knowing

that the entire reason you are in a cer-tain place, and the ultimate purpose fordoing what youre doing, is to be a mis-sionary in every moment of everyday that you are there.

Ive experienced that feeling in theCaribbean, in Europe and in Asia.

I wonder, why dont I feel that wayright here in North America?

I believe the answer lies in the simple

word: intentionality.When you go on a mission trip youare extremely intentional with everymoment of your day. Every conversationyou have, every dollar you spend andevery task you complete is for the pur-pose of being on mission for Jesus Christ.

As you are on that mission trip,everything you do is so intentional!

We need more than a simple catch-phrase. We need something beyond aclever sign over the doorway leavingchurch. We need more push than a ban-ner on the road out of the campground.

We actually need to live out a reality:we are on a mission field, right now!

Can you imagine what would hap-pen if each one of us got up every day,in our own home, heading to our ownplaces of work, with the same mindset

we do when we are on a mission trip?What if in every conversation we had

today we looked for that open door toshare Jesus?

What if every dollar we spent wasprayed over for effective use in theKingdom?

What if every thing we put on ourcalendar we considered an opportunity

to be the church?Personally, I think it would make a

world of difference.That intentionality in personal lives

should be kick started by intentionalityin our churches. As summer draws to aclose and department stores are puttingtheir back to school items out, are youready for the fall? The season of greatgrowth and opportunity for the church.

How are you going to reach familiesas they settle into the patterns of the

next school year? How many youthbaptisms do you want to see before2015? Whats your plan to get yourcongregation reading the Bible? Howmany times will you share your faithpersonally in the next month? What isthe call to prayer for your faith com-munity that will drive it to its knees?Where is the deepest point of need inyour community? What do you needto do that could never happen if Goddidnt show up? What is God alreadydoing in your neighborhood, and howcan you join Him? Where do you needto plant a church, start a Bible study,begin after an school program, for-malize a food pantry, start a supportgroup? Into what place of darknessshould you boldly run towards to shinethe light of Jesus?

The truth is these questions willnever get answered by your church ifthe questions never get asked

Now isthe time; beintentional!

Call yourchurch toprayer to

make surethat the yearahead is themost incred-ible journeyyouve everhad. Getyour leadersto calendara retreat forthinking,

planning, dreaming and praying! Set

goals so big only God could reach themand then work like it depends on you.Begin asking questions youve

never asked, and listen for God to giveanswers you never imagined.

The future for your church is notintended to be one in which you sur-vive its intended to be one in whichyou should thrive.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, Now to himwho is able to do far more abundantlythan all that we ask or think, accordingto the power at work within us, to himbe glory in the church and in ChristJesus throughout all generations, for-ever and ever. Amen.

Lets allow Gods word to manifestitself in truth in our city, in our church,in our homes, and in our lives.

Pray and dream big. Plan and think

Andy Addis

intentionally. Remember you are a mis-sionary in a land that desperately needsJesus.

Lets just see what God will do!


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KNCSB ON MISSION

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By Alma Soto

Hispanic Super Summer

Equips Youth to Serve

Noel Marquez from Garden Grove, Calif., was one of thefeatured speakers for KNCSB Hispanic Super Summer 2014.He is known as El Ilustrador (The Illustrator) and usescreative methods to share the gospel. (Photo by Alma Soto)

Hispanic Super Summer kicked off the 2014 KNCSB youthcamps as it has for several years. The camp was held June16-20 at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan. Recre-ation at KNCSB youth camps has the underlying purpose ofteaching teamwork and unity. (Below) Carlos Bluvan fromGarden City, Kan., leads a large-group recreation sessionduring KNCSB Hispanic Super Summer 2014. The camp be-gan in 2004. Now campers from the early days are return-ing to serve as sponsors. (Photos by Alma Soto)

KNCSB Hispanic Su-per Summer beganin 2004. Now camp-ers from the earlydays are returning toserve as sponsors.

(Editors note: KNCSB His-panic Super Summer marked its11th year during the camp heldJune 16-20 at Webster ConferenceCenter, Salina, Kan. Here AlmaSoto from Primera Iglesia Bautista,South Sioux City, Neb., describesher experiences at this years camp.She frst came to Hispanic SuperSummer as a camper in 2007 andwas back as a sponsor this year.)

Im unable to move as I lookup at the climbing wall, helmeton and strapped in thinking, Icant back out now. I slowlymake my way up the ladder,clinging to the metal bars, at-tempting to make it took eort-less. The cheering is encourag-

ing, but the higher I go, thequieter it seems.

Now the climbing tower atWebster Conference Center isnot the tallest structure to climb,but to someone like me whois scared of heights its plentytall. But even so I keep makingmy way up the ladder, nallyreaching the top.

Clumsily stepping onto theplatform I instantly make themistake of looking down. OK,now Im a lile sweaty, but Imtrying to remain composed.Aer all I am a sponsor at thiscamp. I cant chicken out.

The guy at the top that isthere making sure things aresafe looks at me. As if he knowswhat is going through my head,he says, Believe me, goingdown the zip line is the easy

way down. I feel like I cando this! I can do this! I can doTHIS!!

He directs me to where Imsupposed to jump from. Then

he grabs my hand and helps meto take the two dreadful steps.Now dont get me wrong, Iwant to go down this zip line.

The rst time I came to campin 2007 as a camper I couldntdo it. I want to show the kidsthat even the scary things aredoable. I sit down and the guycounts One, two, and o I go,

with a loud shriek, eyes closedand fear at an all-time high.

I open my eyes and see thepeople down there looking atme, cheering and smiling. Thekids in my church group arelooking up at me in encourage-ment. My pastor is encouragingme and my friends are encour-aging me.

At that moment I trulyunderstood. It was like timeslowed down through the fearI felt. Through the motivation Ireceived I understood how Godis at work through HispanicSuper Summer to encourageus. Even the things that seem tobe just for fun end up being alesson.

Throughout the week I cansee a noticeable change in mychurchs youth group. Year aer

year this experience helps usgrow together. But most of allwe develop a deeper relation-ship with God.

Much like the zip line I see

youth take that leap of faith. Isee them struggle geing therejust like I struggled they fearand they doubt. But I see howthe camp pastors impact theirlives. Tears run down faces,hands are lied in the air, andthe Lords message reaches theirhearts and minds. I cant helpbut thank the Lord for each kidand adult that is there.

I am reminded of the rsttime I went to camp reluctantly.I went and I listened. I did notaccept Christ as my Saviorthere. But as the scripture statesin Isaiah 55:10-11, As the rainand the snow come down fromheaven, and do not return to itwithout watering the earth andmaking it bud and ourish, so

that it yields seed for the sowerand bread for the eater, so ismy word that goes out frommy mouth: It will not return tome empty, but will accomplishwhat I desire and achieve thepurpose for which I sent it.

And indeed the Word didnot return empty. It reachedmy life through this experience,through my pastor and throughmy family. I know HispanicSuper Summer will continue toreach more hearts and mindsthrough the years. The fact thatthe camp is bilingual helps toreach even more people to shareour culture and passion forChrist.

Now our ght through ourpersonal struggles as adults,being tired, sleepy and everyother hardship is meaningless

as youth began kneeling at thealtar professing their faith. Icould see it was all worthwhile,and I praise God Almighty foreach and every second of it.

Stay informed about how God is working at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan.

Sign up for the WCC E-Newsletter at http://webstercc.org/wcc/e_newsletter/

JULY-

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2014


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kncsb on mission

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KNCSB Annual Meeting Set for Oct. 13-14

CrossPoint Church, Hutchinson, Kan., will play host to the 2014 KNCSB annual meetingOct. 13-14. The church moved into its new building at 1410 E. 30th Ave., Hutchinson, inearly June. (Below left) Plans are now being made for Crossover, the evangelistic out-reach that precedes each KNCSB annual meeting. Activities will begin on Saturday, Oct.11, and end on Monday morning, Oct. 13. Among the Crossover activities will be prayerwalking in such places as Hutchinson Community College. Information on the KNCSB an-nual meeting and related meetings, such as Crossover, is being posted on the KNCSB Website as it becomes available. Find more information at http://www.kncsb.org/ministry/annual_meeting

The 69th KNCSB annualmeeting will be held Oct. 13-14at CrossPoint Church, Hutchin-son, Kan.

The meeting will be held inCrossPoints new building at1410 E. 30th Ave. in Hutchin-son. The building was complet-ed in early summer. Visit thechurch Web site at hp://www.crosspointnow.net/

Messenger pre-registrationIt is important that your

church begin now to considerelecting your messengers andalternates. Pre-registration isnow requested. Friday, Sept.5, is the deadline for submit-ting the pre-registration form.KNCSB mailed this form toyour church in late May.

Download the messengerpre-registration form [PDF] athp://bit.ly/1zXrWXi

When the elected messen-

gers turn in their cards at theregistration desk, they will re-ceive their Convention packets.The packets will include ballots,programs and other relatedbusiness items.

For more information aboutmessenger pre-registration, con-tact Peg Davis at KNCSB, (800)984-9092 ext. 806, or [email protected].

KNCSB mailed anotherinformation packet in late July.It included:

n Messenger cards whichyou are to ll out and give toyour elected messengers tobring with them to the Conven-tion

n Tentative annual meetingprogram

n Pastors Conference infor-mation

n Map with church locationmarked

n Motel informationn Information on the WMU

Missions Celebrationn Information on the

KNCSB Ministry Wives event

Convention hotelWe will not have a designed

Convention hotel this year.Visit the Greater Hutchinson

Convention & Visitors BureauWeb site at hp://visithutch.com/

Crossover HutchinsonCrossover is the evangelistic

outreach that precedes eachKNCSB annual meeting. Detailsare now being nalized forCrossover Hutchinson.

Activities will begin onSaturday, Oct. 11. Some ofthe events tentatively beingplanned are: prayer walking;survey work; distributing chil-drens clothing; free oil changes;and a health clinic.

On Sunday aernoon, Oct.12, a large block party andworship celebration are beingplanned.

Crossover Hutchinson willconclude Monday morning,Oct. 13, with prayer walking

and survey work.Information twill be posted

on the KNCSB Web site when itbecomes available or at hp://www.crosspointnow.net/cross-overhutchinson

Crossover Hutchinsonis a mission partnership ofCrossPoint Church, First South-ern Baptist Church, Hutchinson,

Central Baptist Association andKNCSB.

Ministers Wives FellowshipMonday, Oct. 13, 1-3 p.m.

The group will meet in the

lobby of CrossPoint Churchand then caravan to downtownHutchinson for shopping andfellowship.

Please R.S.V.P. to Pai Bo-swell, KNCSB ministry wivesconsultant, at [email protected]

KNCSB Pastors ConferenceMonday, Oct. 13, from 1-4 p.m.CrossPoint Church, Hutchin-

son, Kan.Toward Church Revitaliza-

tion is the theme for the 2014KNCSB Pastors Conference.

Terry Rials will be thefeatured speaker. He is seniorpastor of Crestview BaptistChurch, Oklahoma City, Okla.,where he has served for morethan 22 years.

Rials is team leader forchurch revitalization in Okla-homas Capital Baptist Associa-tion.

KNCSB Missions CelebrationSurrender/Sacrice/Serve

is the theme of the annualKNCSB Missions Celebration.

It will be held from 4:15 to6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, atFirst Southern Baptist Church,1201 E. 23rd Ave., Hutchinson.

The cost is $5 per person andincludes dinner. Pre-registration

is required by Oct. 1.For more information, con-

tact Heidi Nelson at KNCSB,(800) 984-9092 ext. 828 [email protected]

Kansas-Nebraska WomansMissionary Union will hold ashort business session duringthis meeting.

Retirement celebrationA reception will be held

immediately following theopening session of the KNCSBannual meeting on Mondaynight, Oct. 13. It will honorthree KNCSB employees fortheir retirements.

Marie Clark will be retiringas team leader for Bible Teach-ing and Training aer serving18 years. Charles and JanieWood will be retiring aer serv-

ing 23 years as estate-planningconsultants.

KNCSB annual meetingCrossPoint Church, Hutchin-son, Kan.

The keynote speaker will

be Eric Geiger. He is a vicepresident at LifeWay ChristianResources, leading the ChurchResources Division.

KNCSB annual meeting

Session 1 Monday, Oct. 13,from 6:30-8:40 p.m.

This session will includethe presidents message byAndy Addis, the 2015 KNCSBbudget presentation along withworship and praise led by theKansas-Nebraska Singing Men.

Session 2 Tuesday morning,Oct. 14, from 9 to 11:35

This session will includeelection of ocers and the an-nual sermon by Ma Maestas,church planter in northeastKansas.

Session 3 Tuesday afernoon,Oct. 14, from 1:30 to 5.

This session will includeBible studies, reports fromvarious KNCSB and nationalSBC entities and introductionsof new pastors and church stamembers in churches.

Session 4 Tuesday evening,Oct. 14, from 7 to 8:45.

This session will include thekeynote address by Eric Geiger.

KNCSB ON MISSION


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KNCSB ON MISSION

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The Lord Claims 2 with KNCSB Ties

Leon Parker (second from left) and his wife, Beverly, (at right) were on hand when Leeand Ellen Martin retired from full-time ministry in late May. The Martins ended their full-time ministry after seven years at Family Dispatch Church in Topeka, Kan. They earlierserved as police chaplains in Topeka, and Leon Parker served with them. Leon Parker diedon Thursday, July 10. He and his wife had a long, fruitful ministry career. After servingtwo small Kansas churches, they had a long career serving in the inner city of Topeka. Af-ter a frst retirement, they served at First Baptist Church, Lyndon, Kan. Following a secondretirement, Leon kept busy doing pulpit supply work.

Two people with KNCSBties recently went to be withthe Lord.

Lucy Mae Adams, pastor swife at First Southern BaptistChurch of Blair, Kan., diedSaturday, May 24, at her homein St. Joseph, Mo.

Leon Parker, a long-timepastor in Topeka and Lyndon,Kan., died Thursday, July 10.

Mrs. Adams was a babysit-ter for more than 23 years inWathena, Kan., raised foster

children in Colorado and wasvery active with youth groups.She married Jerry Lee

Adams Sr. on Dec. 26, 1959,in St. Joseph. He survives ofthe home. Lucy was precededin death by her parents, eight

brothers and two sisters.Additional survivors in-

clude; two sons, Jerry Lee (Co-lee) Adams Jr. of Kansas andMark Steven (Tammy) Adamsof Topeka, Kan.; a daughter,Nancy Elizabeth Bohot of St.

Joseph, Mo.; numerous grand-children, great-grandchildren,great-great grandchildren andother relatives.

The funeral was held Thurs-day morning, May 29, at FirstSouthern Baptist Church, Blair,Kan. Burial was in MemorialPark Cemetery, St. Joseph, Mo.

Memorials may be sent toFirst Southern Baptist Churchof Blair in care of HarmanRohde Funeral Home, P.O. Box426, Wathena, KS 66090.

At rst Leon Parker wasvery reluctant to serve in inner-city Topeka.

We never really intendedto start a work in this neigh-

borhood, he said.

Parker went to be with theLord on Thursday, July 10.

Despite their reluctance toserve in inner-city Topeka, Godhad other plans for Parker andhis wife, Beverly.

New Hope Baptist Church(now New Hope Food Pantry)held its rst meeting in theParkers living room on therst Sunday of February 1981.Twelve people were presentwho intended to join the church.

We had one man who camein o the street very poorlydressed and barefoot in thesnow and drunk, Parker

recalled.The Parkers had a long, fruit-

ful career serving in inner-cityTopeka. Leon also served as achaplain with the Topeka PoliceDepartment for 17 years.

The Parkers retired fromNew Hope Baptist Churchon Dec. 31, 2000. The churcheventually closed its doors butevolved into New Hope FoodPantry.

But God was not throughwith the Parkers next theyserved at First Baptist Church,Lyndon, Kan. Aer a secondretirement, Leon kept activedoing pulpit supply. They weremembers of Covenant BaptistChurch in Topeka.

The people in Parkers vastcircle of inuence are mourninghis loss. Yet they are celebrating

the life of the good-natured manwho served Jesus passionatelyuntil his last breath.

Parkers rst pastorate was atFaith Baptist Church, Lawrence,Kan. Faith Baptist later mergedwith East Heights BaptistChurch to become CornerstoneBaptist Church.

He then served as bivoca-tional pastor of Mill Creek Bap-tist Church, McFarland, Kan.When the Parkers responded toGods call to serve in inner-city

Thank you for supporting the Cooperative Program.

Topeka, Mill Creek Baptist gavethem a gracious send-o. It pro-vided hymnals, literature andchairs for the new mission.

The celebration of life forParker was held Tuesday, July15, at Topeka Bible Church.Burial was in Penwell-GabelCemetery, Topeka, with militaryhonors.

Ociating at the servicewere: John Thacker, pastor ofBerryton Baptist Church, Ber-ryton, Kan.; Fred Holloman, re-tired Topeka pastor and retired

chaplain of the Kansas Senate;Lee Martin, retired Topeka pas-tor and retired Topeka police

chaplain; and Casey Ingold,pastor of Covenant BaptistChurch, Topeka.

Thacker told how of his callto preach and how Parker men-tored him.

I challenge you to ndsomeone to mentor in yourlife, Thacker urged the crowd.Leon always found time tomentor.

Ingold, who was Parkerspastor, told how Parker con-stantly encouraged him.

Leon loved and respected

the oce of pastor as fewpeople Ive ever met.

Leon and Beverly Parker

led a small group at CovenantBaptist Church. The nightbefore he died, Parker playedminiature golf with his smallgroup during the churchs Fam-ily Night. The Parkers also wenton Covenants mission trips toArkansas.

He nished his life well,Ingold said of Parker.

Among the survivors are hiswife, Beverly, of the home; threechildren; 10 grandchildren; and18 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be sent to

New Hope Food Pantry, PMB112, 2828 SW Arrowhead, To-peka, KS 66614-2447.

Send North America Event Set for August 2015The North American Mission

Board is developing plans forits third Send North AmericaConference Aug. 3-4, 2015, atBridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The conference encour-ages, equips and mobilizes layleaders in local congregationsto penetrate lostness in NorthAmerica.

The Send North AmericaExperience Tour will lead up

to the Send North AmericaConference.

The tour is traveling tomultiple cities in 2014 and 2015,all leading to the Send North

America Conference in Nash-ville.Among the Send North

America Experience Tour stopswill be:

nOct. 7, 2014 MidwesternSeminary, Kansas City, Mo. This

event will be held from 7-9 p.m.Find more information at hp://snaexp.sendconference.com/events/kansas-city/register

n Feb. 3, 2015 Kansas

State University, Manhaan,Kan. This event will includeworkshops for college students.More information will be postedsoon at hp://snaexp.sendcon-ference.com/events/kansas-state-university/register

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Many of you have experienced moun-taintop highs this Summer. Those whowent on missions trips, Super Summerstudents, life changing messages throughyour Sunday worship teachings, smallgroups, VBS, and more. You have seenGod work in huge and signicant ways.Youve heard His voice clearly give direc-tion. Youve been encouraged throughdicult circumstances. And some took

the rst steps in beginning their life as afollower of Jesus Christ.We tend to think that only Mountaintop experiences

leave spiritual markers that solidify our faith.One of my favorite get-a-ways is our cabin in Colora-

do. It sits in a valley with the Rio Grande river windingthrough and is completely surrounded by mountains.As I sat on the porch of that cabin last week, the Spiritopened my eyes to the good in the valley. Gods moun-tain fortress surrounded me with a sense of security,safety, protection, peace, and fortitude. A spiritualmarker was made.

You see, I love to go jeeping over mountain passes-the higher and rockier the beer! The view from on topalways amazes me with the bigness of God! On one ofthose rides last week we stopped at the top of a moun-tain range, above the tree line, and it reminded me of ascene from The Sound of Music. So, of course, I had tobreak out in song-the hills are alive with the sound ofmusic!

The trail up was rough, but so was the trail down. Thetrail didnt turn in to a smooth road until we hit the val-ley. And, bam, thats when the Spirit saidits the same

God! Whether you have a mountaintop high or a valleylow, God is God and both are transforming experiences.The God of the mountains is the same God of the val-

leys. (1 Kings 20:28)Dont fear the valleys! Dont live only for the mountaintops!

ShiggaionMari

Its the Same God

by Pam McDonaldBNF President

Several years ago there was a Bible study that profoundly impacted me. It was a study on King Josiah in 2Kings and the importance of beginning AND ending well. Having a sanguine personality, I understand howhard this is beer than most. After all, I didnt earn the title of Queen of the Unnished Project for nothing!Although the Bible study was about our spiritual journey, it got me to thinking about all of our other journeys.As a Baby Boomer, Ive come to realize that our generation has avoided thinking about one journey with avengeance, and that is the End of our Life journey.

Many of you have already put together a bucket list. This is a fun thing to do, but what about an AdvanceDirective, Living Will, or just your thoughts on your End of Life care? Not as much fun is it. You didnt have asay in your birth and how you were raised, but you can have all the say in how you live out the rest of your lifeand your death. Lets look at some thought-provoking topics for your consideration.

First of all, schedule time to be alone, and seriously think through all the scenarios of growing old. Remember to take into ac-count your nancial and relational situations. Be realistic. Do you want to live with a family member or friend that is willing totake care of you if you cant care for yourself? Do you want to live in an assisted living facility or your home, as long as you cantake care of yourself? At what point would you consider living in a nursing home. What kind and location?

This is the hardest part for me. Think through what you want others to do for you if cannot do them for yourself. What bringsyou comfort now? Do you want others to read the Bible or books out loud to you? Do you want to have music or the TV playingmost of the time? Do you want your hand held? Have your nails or hair done on a regular basis? Have a massage? What do youwant in your room to make it comfortable? Have your favorite quilt, family pictures, plants or your collectables? Keep in mindthat your loved ones cant read your mind now and wont miraculously have the ability to do so in the future.

At the end of your life, do you want everything possible done to save you for as long as possible? Under what circumstanceswould you want life sustaining measures to be withdrawn? Who will you designate to make sure your wishes are followed?Finally, what do you want concerning your funeral? Do you want to be buried or cremated? Where do you want to be buried?

What do you want done with your ashes? What kind of service do you want? If you want to be buried, what kind of casket doyou want and what do you want to wear? The more specic you are the easier this will be for those making the arrangementswhen the time comes.

Now, write all of this down! Give copies of it to the family and friends that will be involved in your End of Life journey. Thenenjoy life and work on that Bucket List!

The Art of Finishing Well

Beverly HiltonKNCSB WMU President

Can you believe Fall is coming?The Fall is packed with opportuni-

ties like WWW and Shine. And for

you WMU participants, October is theKNCSB Convention/WMU meetingin Hutchinson. The WMU meeting isat my home church, First SouthernBaptist, Hutchinson. Come, let usserve you.

I am really excited about a new opportunity foryoung women. Its not an organization but a re-source. Since I rst fell in love with Southern Baptistmissions as a young woman, I have a heart for youngwomen and their missions connection. myMISSIONis designed to help collegiate and young women

MOREBy Calah TitusKNCSB Women 4 Him Team

Ladies, its time! Are you ready? Do you need to beencouraged, refreshed, uplifted, comforted, convicted,inspired, or just have some fun? These are all wordsthat women, just like you, used to describe their experi-ence at WWW and we dont want you to miss out!

The deadline is fast approaching so email, Facebook,call, and talk to every woman you know. Encourageeach to join you this September 12 & 13 at WebsterConference Center in Salina, Kansas.

Author and speaker Angie Smith will be sharing fromScripture what God has laid on her heart and Camala

Nuers beautiful voice will be leading us in worshipthrough music. As always, our breakout sessions willbe led by ladies within KNCSB an well be blessed tohear from one of our very own missionaries.

Conference information, publicity materials, andregistration forms may be downloaded now at www.knwomen.com.

Our focus this year is on Ephesians 3:20-21 ...MORE. Join us expecting to see what MORE Godhas in store!

Next 5 Months Happenings

Quinn JacobsKN Womens Leadership Teen Girls Consultant

I am so excited to begin helping planand lead Shine 2014 and into the future

with my team. For a quick introduction,my name is Quinn Jacobs. My husbandand I live in Ogden, KS serving andworking with the teenagers throughoutthe community. We love hosting youthgame nights, playing Lego Batman fordate nights, and hanging out with our

son, Thomas, who was born in April 2014. But most ofall, we love our Lord Jesus Christ, and we strive to do asHe calls us. Which leads us back to Shine!

What does it look like to Shine Bright for God? InDaniel 12:3 it says Those who are wise will shine as

bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righ-teousness will shine like the stars forever. This year at

fulll their mission as a follower of Christ. It is online,so its designed to t anyones schedule. The web-site myMISSIONfullled.com will explore the livesof people who are experiencing missional living.Monthly updates will include: Bible studies, prayer

resources, mission stories, social justice articles andmore.

The new national WMU social justice issue is PostTraumatic Stress Disorder which is becoming an in-creasing challenge in our society. Its not just return-ing military who suer from PTSD. This year we arechallenged to Surrender. Sacrice. Serve. SometimesI say I want to serve, but am I ready to surrender mywill and sacrice my time to do it? Too often I andmy get in the way. It will be a learning year.

Bring on the Fall!

Shine, 6th-12th grade girls will nd out how to ShineBright for God exactly where they are. Things will looka lile dierent this year at Shine, including the mis-sions project. This years mission project will be basedon taking it home to your local community and living

out what the girls will be learning. Sponsors and lead-ers: be thinking about a location in your communitythat could use some extra love, such as a nursing home,community center, shut-ins, a school, etc. The teen girlswill be learning about missional living in their commu-nities while Shining Bright and sharing Gods love withour broken world.

I am super stoked to announce that One Girl Na-tion will be joining us this year as both the musicianand speaker (www.1girlnation.com). Be watching forregistration packets to arrive at your church in the com-ing weeks, and plan on joining us November 7 & 8 at

Webster Conference Center for a fun-lled weekend ofloving Jesus and learning to love others through mis-sional living.

Time to Shine Bright

www KNCSB org


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WCC

Update

n WCC applied to the Mabee Foundation in Tulsa for an $180,000 grantfor the Dining Hall expansion project. In their July Foundation Meeting,WCC was awarded a grant for $100,000 contingent upon the churches andindividuals in KNCSB will match the balance of the funds needed to com-plete the Dining Hall expansion in the next year. Watch for upcoming detailsof the exact amount of money which KNCSB will need to be raised by July of2015.n User Days and revenues are ahead of the 2013 pace for the rst ve

months of 2014. 2014 stats were 4,908 May User Days*, up by 290. Rev-enues for May were $103,266.40*, up $3,306.97. Year to date totals for

2014 are also upan increase of 3,034 User Days and $5,852.17 in rev-enues over the 2013 year-to-date totals. *June and July stats were notavailable at press time due to T.Mac being out of the ofce to conduct SuperSummer 14.)n Please pray for all the children, youth and sponsors who have attended

camps at WCC this summer. The Childrens Camps have been completed,and Super Summer ends on August 1st. Pray for the attendees as they gohome to live out what God has directed them to do while at camp.n The 2014 Matching Challenge Grant for the Dining Hall expansion proj-

ect to increase seating to 500 is gaining momentum. As of mid-July$24,996.67 has been received. (Approximately $25,000 is still needed toreach this challenge grant.)n The Matching Challenge Grant for moving the Picnic Pavilion to a new

location and upgrading this facility is doing well also. As of mid-July$3,490.00 has been received. (Approximately $6,500 is still needed to reachthis challenge grant.)n Send Matching Challenge Grant contributions to Webster Conference

Center, 5410 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS 66606-2398 and indicate whichgrant to which your gift should be applied.

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!Thank you for your continued support of this mission facility as we

continue to reach people for Christ and train believers for the work ofthe ministry! The WCC Staff

Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists are inpartnership with all Southern Baptists through the

Cooperative Program.

Church Seeks PastorStar Hope Baptist Church ( Elsberry, MO ), an afliated SBC congrega-tion, is looking for a pastor who (a) supports the Cooperative Program and(b) embraces the tenets of the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. Someseminary training desired. Interested applicants should send their resumto [email protected].

Church Seeks Worship LeaderMinister of Music and Worship at First Baptist Church of Arlington, Texas.For more details visit www.fbca.org/apmworemail [email protected].

F i r s t D a y . M o m s P r a y .Begin a new rst-day-of-school tradi-

tion at your church! Plan a community-wide coee for moms after they dropkids o at school. It begins right afterthe school bell; so if your districtselementary, middle and high schoolsstart at dierent times, plan three coees.Theres no formal programsimply fel-lowship and a sincere, encouraging timeof prayer for the children.

Advertise with an exterior sign, andcreate Facebook and email invitations

for members to forward to friends. Statea half-hour schedule, such as 8:00-8:30a.m., so working moms may be enticedto come, too.

Your planning teama mom fromeach grade level, a ministers or deaconswife, and a senior adult womanplansadvertising and schedule, and theydelegate responsibilities for the details.Since moms will be wildly busy gettingkids ready for the rst day of school, asenior adult ladies class could prepareand serve drinks and light snacks.

Create a celebrative mood as guestsarrive, and use the rst fteen minutesfor snacks, informal conversation andfriend-making. Ensure a welcomingatmosphere by assigning friendly momsto intentionally meet and include new-comers and members. Invite the pastors

wife, if shes available.Divide moms by grade levels or

schools for prayer groups. The pre-selected leader invites ladies to introducethemselves and tell their childs nameand grade level. She leads a time ofprayer, assuring that each mother andchild is mentioned by name, and prayingfor their teachers, friends and schoolleaders. Play Christian background mu-sic during prayer, then raise the volumeto signal closing time.

Conclude by inviting those who donthave a church to worship with you onSunday, and give printed invitations toupcoming events and Bible classes forparents and school age kids. Then servemore coee for those whod like to fel-lowship longer.

One more idea: Oer a similar eventfor schoolteachers and administrators.They stop by the church right afterschool for a pray for your new stu-dents cookie fellowship.

As this new school year begins, make

the most of every opportunity! (Colos-sians 4:5 NLT)

Diana Davis is an author andcolumnist based in Pensacola FL. Her

husband, Steve, is vice president of SBCsNorth American Mission Board, South

Region. www.dianadavis.org

Featu red V ideos Available to churches cooperating with KNCSB by contacting [email protected] or calling either 785/228-6800 or 800/984-9092. Ask for Barbara Spicer

Unseen, But CertainBy Daniel Akin

Includes six 30-minute video lessons, leader guide & workbook.This DVD series presents what the Bible authoritatively teaches aboutsome of lifes most complex issues and commonly asked questions.

The Spiritual Reality of AngelsThe Spiritual Reality of Satan

The Spiritual Reality of DemonsThe Spiritual Reality of Hell

The Spiritual Reality of Heaven-Part 1

The Spiritual Reality of Heaven-Part 2

Resilient FaithBy Mary Jo Sharp

Includes one group member book and one DVD.This six-session study based on 1 Peter will show your group what resilientfaith looks like and help them nd a faith that endures. Faith may comeeasy to you or you may be like so many who struggle with trust. Our faith istested when difculties knock on our door. And for some of us, our faith canbe shaken.

Focused FaithActive Faith

Enduring FaithReady FaithJoyful Faith

Victorious Faith

Mark Elliott, Director of Missions in Eastern Nebraska,

has written a good thought piece entitled, Critical DesignComponents of Effective Disciple Making Churches.

If you would like to read a copy you can get it at

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9833525/Critical%20

Design%20Components%20for%20Disciple%20Making.pdf

Baptist Digest for July-August 2014

Documents

Transcript of Baptist Digest for July-August 2014