PROMOTER July - August 2015 Volume 36 Number 4

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1 PROMOTER July - August 2015 Volume 36 Number 4 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE ASSOCIATION OF FREE WILL BAPTISTS

Going to the National Convention? Come see us! The Oklahoma State Mission Board is excited to host our own room in the main convention center (The DeVos Place) on Tuesday, July 21.

2 Going to the National Convention? Come see us! The Oklahoma State Mission Board is excited to host our own room in the main convention center (The DeVos Place) on Tuesday, July 21. Come to our Hawaiian themed party as we celebrate Doing More Together for Church Planting! Check out all that is happening there: Meet some of our TSP supported missionaries! Free beach balls for the kids! Drawing for a free vacation for one of our FWB church planters! Drawing for a free MacBookPro with a license of ProPresenter! Free sessions on church planting and evangelism! Meet and hear Dr. Tom Nebel, guest and planting strategist! Hear about new incentives. Learn how you can help us find new planters! All free! From our board to you, we hope you can drop by the most fun room at the convention! Host A Restricted Access Worker in July or August! Contact Gary Curry at (580) for more info. We have two of our TSP supported workers ready to come share with your church before they return to the field in late August. Catch them while you can! Call today. You re Part of Nepal and India s Recovery Thanks to your generous support, on May 6th, we were able to send $25,000 to our sister churches in Nepal and Northern India as they recover from the recent earthquakes. This will go directly to help the mission of recovery and spreading the gospel by partnering with our 155 sister churches there. Thank you. Please continue praying for and sending funds to our Reaching the Unreached program that funds so many of these churches and planters. Can your church help our dear brothers and sisters suffering there? Please send disaster funds to the Oklahoma State Association of Free Will Baptist, PO Box 7527, Moore, OK and designate them RTU-India. We also sent $5,000 to FWB International Missions for the World Missions Offering. We encourage you and your church to participate in this offering too. You can make a difference with this one time offering! Thanks for your trust and support! Our board and team is volunteer based with a little administrative help. But the work is growing and developing well. Thanks for your continued support of our Total Support Program (TSP). 100% of TSP funds are used to fund church planting and international missionary support. You are taking the good news of Jesus all around the world! ~ The Oklahoma State Mission Board 2

3 2015 OK State Competition Winners Group Bible Memorization Clarksville Clarksville/Porter Group Bible Memorization A. Brown & L. Barrows Clarksville/Porter Group Bible Memorization Little Angels Mineral Springs/Muldrow Group Bible Memorization Allie & Daylin Cass FWB/Stigler Group Bible Memorization Alicia, Elva and Jaiden Mineral Springs/Muldrow Group Bible Memorization We Walk the Line Mineral Springs/Muldrow Group Bible Memorization Nick and Ryan Mineral Springs/Muldrow Group Bible Memorization Truthful Teens Mineral Springs/Muldrow Group Bible Memorization Christ Everlasting Mineral Springs/Muldrow Bible Memorization Laylee Abel Muskogee 1 st /Muskogee Bible Memorization Lilah Cariker Rejoice/Owasso Bible Memorization Lily Summers West Tulsa/Tulsa Bible Memorization Ainsley Burr Rejoice/Owasso Bible Memorization Candry Cariker Rejoice/Owasso Bible Memorization Shaelynn Campbell Cass FWB/Stigler Bible Memorization Jackson Keith Mineral Springs/Muldrow Bible Memorization Zora Summers West Tulsa/Tulsa Bible Memorization Carin Lee Smith Clarksville/Porter Bible Memorization Kaylee Garrett Arkoma FWB/Arkoma Bible Memorization Brynn Jones Rejoice/Owasso Bible Memorization Korry Burr Rejoice/Owasso Bible Memorization Connor White Mineral Springs/Muldrow Bible Millionaire Clarksville Clarksville/Porter Bible Millionaire Sunnylane Sunnylane/Del City Bible Sword Drill Ainsley Burr Rejoice/Owasso Bible Sword Drill Candry Cariker Rejoice/Owasso TicTacToe Mineral Springs Mineral Springs/Muldrow TruthQuest Jacob Keith Mineral Springs/Muldrow Vocal Solo Laylee Abel Muskogee 1 st /Muskogee Vocal Solo Katilyn Anne Smith Clarksville/Porter Vocal Solo Brett Pilcher Lowery/Twin Oaks Vocal Solo Abbey Jennings Kingsview/OKC Vocal Ensemble (5-12) Cass Kids Cass FWB/Stigler Vocal Ensemble (5-12) Clarksville Ensemble Clarksville/Porter Vocal Ensemble Duet Cornerstone Duet Cornerstone/Sperry Vocal Ensemble Duet Tyler & Abbey Kingsview/OKC Vocal Ensemble Trio Cornerstone Trio Cornerstone/Sperry Instr. l Solo Brass Jagger Mantooth Cass/Stigler Instr. Solo-Plucked Strings Elijah Hinson Cornerstone/Sperry Instr. Solo - Plucked Strings Matthew Blaylock Cass/Stigler Instr. Solo - Pitched Percussion Jacob Keith Mineral Springs/Muldrow Praise Band The Uncommon Band Rejoice/Owasso Keyboard Solo Elizabeth Dougherty Cornerstone/Sperry Keyboard Solo Tyler Seaton Panama FWB/Panama Sign Language Shaelynn Campbell Cass FWB/Stigler Sign Language Jaiden Story Mineral Springs/Muldrow Sign Language Jacob Keith Mineral Springs/Muldrow Sign Language New Home Sign Team New Home/Tulsa Sign Language Uplifted Hands Mineral Springs/Muldrow Preaching Micah Smith Rejoice/Owasso Preaching Hunter Perry Rejoice/Owasso Preaching Tristin Flynn Rejoice/Owasso Christian Literature Molly Cherry Mineral Springs/Muldrow Drama Aaron Pittser Rejoice/Owasso Drama Brynn Jones Rejoice/Owasso Drama The Prayer Request Rejoice/Owasso Drama Take a Little off the Sides Rejoice/Owasso Drama Come and Die Rejoice/Owasso Drama Does Darkness Have a Name Rejoice/Owasso Painting Leah Smith Clarksville/Porter Painting Ayla Jo Smith Clarksville/Porter Painting Chloe Wood Faith/Holdenville Painting Kyra Murray Faith/Holdenville Mixed Media Kylee Rollman Lowery/Twin Oaks Mixed Media Molly Cherry Mineral Springs/Muldrow Photography Lily Summers West Tulsa/Tulsa Textiles Lily Summers West Tulsa/Tulsa Textiles Zora Summers West Tulsa/Tulsa Conceptual Art Eli Garrett Arkoma FWB/Arkoma Conceptual Art Jakob Story Mineral Springs/Muldrow 3

4 New Name Proposed for Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College, Moore, Oklahoma Context for Name Change The Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College Trustees are proposing a new name for a place of learning and preparation that has served numerous generations. No organization of higher education should seek a name change without significant cause. Legal counsel advised that current trademark laws warrant a name change due to Hillsdale College in Michigan owning the trademark. With the rise of internet access and social media the confusion has affected both institutions. While we may not have desired to seek a new name at this point, the legalities necessitate action. History has shown numerous names for our beloved Hillsdale. Its predecessor was Tecumseh College, reborn as Oklahoma Bible College, briefly Trinity College, and in 1971 named Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. We would like to propose a name that can transcend the generations and continue to build on our proud heritage of sending men and women in ministry and professional careers prepared for a life of service to Christ. Nostalgia Helps Us Ensure the Hillsdale Legacy for Our Future If you are like me, leaving the Hillsdale name is regretful. This place, only known to me as Hillsdale, has been my second home for almost 30 years, first as a student and since 1989 as an employee. I have a nostalgic attachment to our name. However, in the time I have had to realize the necessity of choosing a new name for our institution I have concluded that this is more than a new name, it is a new opportunity. It is an occasion to refresh our vision and better fulfill of our mission. I have shared with our campus family and the trustees that if we live up to the Randall legacy moving into the future we will honor ourselves, our alumni, Free Will Baptists, and, most of all, our God. My vision for your school is to continue to exalt Christ and Bible while striving for excellence by: Equipping men and women to make a difference for Christ wherever they are called to go and whatever career they are called to do. Challenging young people to pioneer Church plants, effective ministry, and boldness in missions. Training bi-vocational pastors or Aquila and Priscilla teams, who can go to the out of the way places that need the touch of the Great Shepherd. Modeling the value of faith with integrity to each rising generation. Requiring academic excellence as a benchmark of responsible Christian higher education. Changing Names Does Not Change Our Mission Free Will Baptists envisioned an institution of Christian higher education in Oklahoma, even before statehood. The records of the Indian Territory Association of Free Will Baptists (1905) read: We believe in encouraging a higher system of education among the Free Will Baptists. The educational void was filled in 1917, when the Co-operative General Association of Free Will Baptists in the west opened Tecumseh College in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. The school was destroyed by fire in 1927 and was never completely rebuilt due to the depression, dust bowl days, World War II, and the Korean Conflict. Disappointment Did Not Change Our Determination During the decades after the fire at Tecumseh College, the churches of Oklahoma continued to keep the higher education dream alive. Numerous resolutions over the decades encourage support of and participation in the Bible Institute sponsored by the Oklahoma State Association. These Bible institutes eventually developed into Oklahoma Bible College (OBC). The official launch of OBC began in the basement of the First Free Will Baptist Church in Tulsa in February, l959. In a quest to find a permanent home for the infant college, it was moved to Wagoner in the fall of 1959, then to the Northwest Free Will Baptist Church in Oklahoma City in the fall of 1961, and finally to the Capitol Hill Free Will Baptist Church of Oklahoma City in the fall of On September 13, 1966, the college began operations on the present campus located three miles south of Moore, Oklahoma. An early president of the college, Dr. Don W. Payne ( ), noted that the college began with no library, no equipment, no facilities, no income, yet had one priceless asset: a company of committed Christians with an urgent sense of mission, persons of purpose and zeal, confident that God is all-sufficient. Having secured a permanent home for the college, the founding church articulated a vision of higher education which embraced the study of the liberal arts. The State association voted to change the name to Trinity College in 1970, but it was rejected by the Oklahoma Attorney General (another school had the same name). In a symbolic gesture, the governing board renamed the institution Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in honor of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, which began as a Free Will Baptist institution in 4

1844. (Hillsdale College in Michigan is no longer affiliated with Free Will Baptists.) Randall Graduate School was founded in 2002 and offers two masters degrees: ministry and public administration.

5 1844. (Hillsdale College in Michigan is no longer affiliated with Free Will Baptists.) Randall Graduate School was founded in 2002 and offers two masters degrees: ministry and public administration. New online classes now begin every 8 weeks, go to for information. Randall University: A Free Will Baptist College Since 1959 The Board of Trustees of Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College and Randall Graduate School, at its meeting May 8, 2015, reached a consensus that the legal process is proceeding satisfactorily and it is now time to make the proposed new name public. Hillsdale, a Free Will Baptist college since 1959, will be renamed in honor of Benjamin Randall pending the approval of the Oklahoma State Association of Free Will Baptists in October Once the proposed name is approved, Hillsdale will be known as Randall University. Benjamin Randall (February 7, 1749 October 22, 1808) was the founder of the Free Will Baptists in the northeastern United States during the American Revolution. The name change would become effective July 1, Conclusion The more you read about our history (both of Hillsdale and Free Will Baptists) the easier it becomes to overcome the nostalgic ties to see we are entering a new chapter in the story of Hillsdale or Tecumseh and, when approved, Randall University. The governing board is sensitive to rising antagonism toward Christian missionaries seeking access into counties where the gospel is unwanted or feared. Therefore they chose to use Randall without a descriptor of Free Will Baptist or Christian. In addition, adding university reflects the growth of the organization which now houses Randall Graduate School and three undergraduate schools: Arts & Sciences, Christian Ministry, and Education. A brief bio of Benjamin Randall is included so you can see the historical prominence that he played in our movement. Pray with me that our school will have a reputation that honors Christ and that our reputation will be a reality before God. This benediction is attributed to noted Free Will Baptist theologian, Ransom Dunn, May earth be better and heaven be richer because of our life and labor. Respectfully Submitted, President Timothy W. Eaton, Ph.D. Biography of Benjamin Randall Pioneer Free Will Baptist Preacher Benjamin Randall was converted during the Great Awakening as a result of the preaching ministry of George Whitfield. Randall served in the New Hampshire militia during the American Revolutionary War. The first Benjamin Randall biographer, quoted Randall s journal in recounting his conversion experience: I saw in Him (Jesus) a universal love, a universal atonement, a universal call to mankind, and was confident that none would ever perish, but those who refused to obey it (Buzzell, John. The Life of Elder Benjamin Randel, principally taken from documents written by himself. Limerick, ME: Hobbs, Woodman, and Co. 1827). Randall s theological departure from the Calvinistic norm of his era occurred at the point of his conversion. Today Free Will Baptists are known for believing John 3:16 to be literally true, that God s love sent Jesus to die for the sins of humanity so that everyone has the opportunity to respond to saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Randall went on to found a church in New Durham, New Hampshire that we now recognize as the first Free Will Baptist Church in New England. He was instrumental in planting numerous churches throughout the region. The churches were organized into quarterly and yearly meetings becoming a force in the revivals of the nineteenth century, missions, and education. Benjamin Randall is recognized as the leader of the Free Will Baptists, an indigenous American religious movement which from its earliest beginnings included men and women of diverse ethnic and social backgrounds. The Free Will Baptists (also known as Free, General, Open Communion, and Anti-slave Baptists) were aggressive church planters on the American frontier and embraced missions among immigrant and freedmen populations, as well as, spreading the gospel internationally. Randallite Free Will Baptists were known for their opposition to slavery forming anti-slave societies, prohibiting slave owners from holding membership in the church, and publicly promoting abolition through the Morningstar (the official newspaper of the movement). In addition, Free Will Baptists founded nondiscriminatory institutions of higher education admitting men and women of different ethnic backgrounds such as: Bates College, ME (1855); Hillsdale College, MI (1844); Storer College, WV (1865); and Tecumseh College (1917), OK. Tecumseh College was the first Free Will Baptist college out of the Randall movement west of the Mississippi. 5

Dear Compassionate Friends: I cannot express enough my excitement over what ACM has accomplished as the result of God s guidance and your generous giving over the last ten years.

Over the past decade, Arms of Compassion has ministered compassion in some manner in 12 states and on five different continents.

6 Dear Compassionate Friends: I cannot express enough my excitement over what ACM has accomplished as the result of God s guidance and your generous giving over the last ten years. I admit I expected in some aspects so much more, yet in so many other ways our impact has been so much greater than I ever anticipated. Over the past decade, Arms of Compassion has ministered compassion in some manner in 12 states and on five different continents. We have assisted financially in over a dozen adoptions, as well as encouraged, informed, and supported innumerable adoptive and foster families. We have extended disaster relief to families and communities affected by tornados, hurricanes, ice storms, wildfires, earthquakes, and floods. We now have five generator teams strategically placed throughout Oklahoma with plans of developing teams soon in Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana. We are also in the process of developing debris removal teams throughout these same areas. Over the years ACM has given well over $100,000 support to orphan care ministries in Mexico, Brazil, Romania, and Uganda. This does not include various compassion grants we have awarded to various ministries and individuals. There is no way to know the extent of the impact of our giving, but we do know that innumerable impoverished children around the world have been fed, clothed, and loved in large part due to your giving. As Arms of Compassion looks to the future, our mission remains the same: We will equip and serve as an extension of the local church by extending the Compassion of Christ to those in need at home and around the world. In the future we will accomplish this in the following ways: 1. Disaster Relief - We will continue to develop new disaster relief teams in Oklahoma and the surrounding area and we will respond in times of disaster as God directs, permits, and provides. 2. Global Compassion - We will... - organize and administer compassion ministry trips in the US and around the world. - offer compassion grants for adoptions as well as various compassion ministries and needs. 3. Local Support - We will offer Compassion Workshops and assist in the development and effectiveness of compassion ministry in the local church and association. Call us to schedule your workshop today. As I said, the mission remains the same. We will continue to embrace those in need at home and around the world. We hope you will join us in accomplishing that mission. Remember, every dollar makes a difference... John Hewett Executive Director Arms of Compassion 2015 National Convention Services to Be Streamed Live July The National Association will have live streaming of the speakers each night of the convention at 6:00 p.m. Central Time at In addition to live streaming of worship services, the Media Commission has created an online archive of previous convention services dating to The files are available for download at The free archive replaces onsite CD and DVD sales at the convention.

A Prodigal Son returns. As I write today our Oklahoma State Free Will Baptist Teen Camp is underway. Next week our children s camp will convene.

It was a great service that took place during their week of camp.

Being in the service brought back many happy memories for me. I attended youth camps every summer from the time I was 9 years old throughout my teen years. The camps deeply influenced my life.

I still haven t gotten over it. A few years later she became my wife and we will soon celebrate 43 years of marriage. She is even more beautiful now than she was all those years ago.

I had been sensing God s call to ministry upon my life for several months, but instead of yielding to the call, I am ashamed to say that I rebelled and was in a backslidden condition when I arrived

7 A Prodigal Son returns. As I write today our Oklahoma State Free Will Baptist Teen Camp is underway. Next week our children s camp will convene. Combined, somewhere between participants will attend. Just last week I was privileged to attend a building dedication on the Eureka District Campground. It was a great service that took place during their week of camp. The Chapel was completely full and it was clear the campers were not only having a blast but were being directed to faith in our Lord Jesus. Being in the service brought back many happy memories for me. I attended youth camps every summer from the time I was 9 years old throughout my teen years. The camps deeply influenced my life. In fact, at a youth camp in the mountains of Southern California at the age of 15, I developed a crush on a beautiful girl whose name was Jeannene. She was knock down gorgeous. I still haven t gotten over it. A few years later she became my wife and we will soon celebrate 43 years of marriage. She is even more beautiful now than she was all those years ago. At the same camp in the San Bernadino Mountains just two years later I had a life-altering encounter on the final night of camp. I had been sensing God s call to ministry upon my life for several months, but instead of yielding to the call, I am ashamed to say that I rebelled and was in a backslidden condition when I arrived that week at camp. Each night after the evangelist preached his heart out I would hang on to the chair in front of me in great conviction as the invitation was extended. Wouldn t you know it, on the very last night, the evangelist preached from Luke chapter 15 on the story of the Prodigal Son. I had heard the story taught in Sunday School classes throughout my life but it was on that night at the age of 17 that God revealed to my heart that it was more than an interesting story. It was my story, I was the son who was squandering my Father s inheritance and living in a manner that was very much like wallowing in the pig sty. When the preacher got to the part where the father in the story saw his son coming home and ran to meet him and threw his arms around the rebellious son s neck, God touched my rebellious heart with the truth that he still loved me. I began to weep and ran to the altar as soon as the invitation was given. Folks, to this day I can tell you I have never forgotten that night and I have never been the same. It was as though my heavenly Father ran to meet me at that alter, and threw His loving arms around me. I acknowledged that I had sinned against heaven and in His sight and that I was no longer worthy to be called a son, but with all my heart, I wanted to come home. I left the altar knowing that just like in the story of the Prodigal son, God still loved me. I yielded that night at youth camp to God s call upon my life. So you see, youth camps hold a very special place in my heart. By the time you read this article our state camps will be over. I am confident that eternal business will be transacted during these present camps. Please join me in praying that the work that has begun in so many young lives will grow in the days and years ahead. Maybe even another Prodigal has come home. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Luke 15:24. Bro. Mike Written by Mike Wade, Executive Director for Oklahoma Free Will Baptists 7

8 Promoter Oklahoma State Assoc. of Free Will Baptist P.O. Box 7527 Moore, Oklahoma Return Service Requested Mike Wade, Director

PROMOTER September - October 2015 Volume 36 Number 5

PROMOTER September - October 2015 Volume 36 Number 5 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. Deut. 6:6-7a pg. 6