Online Edition August 2013 Volume 29 Issue 3. orizon. delmar state missions

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1 just another nikkel s worth 3 Online Edition August 2013 Volume 29 Issue 3 H orizon S delmar state missions Celebrating 30 years as a convention Reaching Wyoming: Building the kingdom together for God Lynn Nikkel The theme for the Delmar State Missions Offering is BUILDING THE KINGDOM TOGETHER IN WYOMING. We have known for years that the task of reaching Wyoming for Jesus Christ is ours to accomplish. By ours I mean the churches that cooperate through the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention. Now, that doesn t mean that there are not other denominations and ministries that are also working to spread the gospel here. It is just that we own the Great Commission responsibility for these Jerusalem s (towns) and our Judea (the state) as Southern Baptists. Our assignment is to cooperate as believers in churches who have aligned ourselves together for the purpose of making sure the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is advanced in this place. The Delmar State Missions Offering funds help us to do that. It happens through planting churches where they are needed. It happens as we assist existing churches with needed ministry resources and consultation. It happens in the summer as people gather at our Mountain Top Baptist Assembly. It happens as we ministry on college campuses across the state. It happens as we support pastors and churches that are going through challenging situations. It happens as we support missionaries who serve in areas across the state to support and strengthen churches and ministers. And it happens is so many other ways as we give to the cause of Christ here in Wyoming. The offerings received through the Delmar See State missions on pg. 2 On Nov. -8, the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention will be celebrating 30 years as a convention! The Annual Meeting will be held at First Southern 220 So. Pennsylvania, (East 2nd & Pennsylvania) in Casper. The schedule of events will be as follows: Wednesday, Nov. 6 at :00 pm Missions Service, First Southern Baptist Church Thursday, Nov. : ALL Seminary Breakfast, :00 a.m. Parkway Plaza Women s Conference Meeting, location TBD 9:00 12:00 Pastors Meeting, First Southern Baptist Church 9:00 12:00 Annual Meeting begins Thursday November 8 at 2:00 pm Friday, Nov. 8: Annual Meeting continues at 8:30 am and concludes Friday evening Meeting Basics: The ANNUAL MEETING will include the presentation of the Future Study Group report and recommendation for the convention future strategies and structure to be discussed. The Annual Sermon will be by Jim Ritter (pastor of First Southern Baptist Chapel of Glenrock), along with messages by Quin Williams (WSBC President and pastor See Convention on pg. 2

2 news 2 August 2013 planting for the future photos provided SERVING (ABOVE) New Orleans Seminary Students Reginald, Laura, Laurie, Andrei, Helga, Clay and Don Whalen, State Missionary for Church Planting Strategies for the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention. (BELOW) New Orleans Seminary students stand in front of the WSBC Eagle. From Left: Reginald, Clay, Helga, Andrei, Laura and Laurie. New Orleans Seminary students serve Wyoming Don Whalen Six seminary students from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary served on the field this summer with Wyoming Church Planters. These students enjoyed a 10-week, practical, hands on apprentice experience as these potential future church planters live and work alongside our Wyoming church planters. This high-velocity church planting experience provides NOBTS students with firsthand opportunities related to church planting on the mission field, as well as enabling students to discover and develop their call to ministry and gain practical experience, confidence and skills in reaching new people groups with the Gospel. The benefits for our Wyoming Church Planters are additional, fruitful hands for ministry, as lives are touched with the Gospel throughout Wyoming. Student Apprentices and Church Planters were: Laura Clark, serving with Mike & Karen Sain, Journey Church, Casper. Clay Carroll, serving with Marty & Nancy Rostad, Lifeway Church, Torrington. Le Reginald Jones, serving with Zach & Amber Edwards, LifePoint Church, Cheyenne. Laurie Nelson, serving with Jeff & Sheila Brown, Flat Creek Community Church, Jackson. Andrei & Helga Parvu, serving with Sam Martin, Laramie Valley Chapel, Laramie. STATE MISSIONS continued from pg. 1 CONVENTIONS continued from pg. 1 Offering stay 100% in Wyoming to support all those causes. As we move into our new future strategies and structure this offering will increase in importance to reach Wyoming and support our churches. This year s goal is again $80,000 and we are hoping churches and members will give like never before to reach and exceed that goal. of Boyd Avenue Baptist Church), and Lynn Nikkel (WSBC Executive Director). The closing message will be brought by Dr. Jim Futral, Executive Director of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board. Special guest speaker at the WOMEN S CONFERENCE will be Casey (Ewen) Avenriep with Peggy Nikkel as the MC for the conference. This will be a special time of worship. PASTOR S CONFERENCE details will follow watch the WSBC website, or call our office. Convention Hotels: Parkway Plaza, 123 West E Street, (I 25 & Center) Casper , $55.00 Ramada Plaza Riverside, 300 West F Street, Casper , $64.00 Contact the WSBC office for further details Wyoming Churches watch your mail for the Messenger information and plan to be part of this celebration!

3 August 2013 editorial 3 just another nikkel s worth Form a plan, but be sensitive to road blocks I read recently that Change is not a destination, it is a journey (Change Friendly Leadership, Dr. Roger Dean Duncan). The point of that chapter was that in order to navigate change you have to map out a course to arrive at the desired destination. That may seem like a simple and logical statement, however we don t always do that in reality. But, it is also inevitable that even when we plan a course that along the way you have chosen you will encounter unexpected challenges. nikkel Recently, as I drove into Tulsa to visit Peg and her family on the way to a meeting in Dallas, I encountered and unexpected road block. A road I usually take to cross town and get to her dad s house was closed due to construction. So, I had to quickly change plans and redirect our course. We had to drive through downtown until I could get back on the road I wanted farther down from the roadblock. In leading through change one must be sensitive to needed course corrections to avoid danger and mishaps. I could have chosen to ignore that road closed sign and gone around the blockade. But the sudden drop off the end of the overpass under construction would have ended my trip abruptly and with finality. However, making the adjustment allowed us to arrive safely at their house. Remember, we are not just moving toward a destination, but on a journey of cooperative life and ministry together. - nikkel If you are involved in leading through any kind of change (and I can t imagine anyone in ministry not facing some kind of change), this is a crucial lesson. It is a lesson I have certainly learned in leadership and ministry. As roadblocks of challenge or resistance develop, or as just unexpected needs for reassessment occur, one must stop, or at least pause, long enough to assess the need. The key to success in life and ministry is not only to plan a course to a desired destination, but also to be sensitive to roadblocks and not get discouraged when they occur. But, one must be calm and work around those issues. Then one must just work to find a way back to the path that will take you to the desired destination. Sometimes that means forging ahead because it is the right thing to do. Other times it means making a course correction to avoid unnecessary danger and damage. The decision to either forge ahead and ford the river of challenge, or make a course correction can be tricky. The decision should be made with an enormous amount of prayerful evaluation, and some good advice from trusted counselors and fellow sojourners. Once the decision is made, what followers need from their leaders is a clear, consistent and confident message. Not a message of arrogance that demands obedience, but one of confidence that inspires partnership and follow-ship. As we journey together as a convention, leadership is seeking the best plan for the journey that is available from God at this time. We will do our best to communicate that direction clearly as we travel forward together. We will undoubtedly face challenges and as yet unknown issues along the way, and we will face them with prayer, counsel and involvement of others as much as possible. And we will trust the Lord along the way. Remember, we are not just moving toward a destination, but on a journey of cooperative life and ministry together. That will inevitably mean challenges and adjustments along the way. However, also remember the promise of God, What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can stand against us? (Romans 8:31, NIV) WSBC Cooperative budget update Received Monthly % of budget Received YTD % of budget $545,000 April $4, % $16, % May $41, % $21, % June $30, % $248, %

4 4 news August 2013 churches on mission Are you connected? Bairoil Bairoil Baptist Church has called Bill Spicer to be their pastor. Cheyenne Frontier Baptist Church has recently called Doug Peirce to be pastor. Doug and his wife Ruth began their ministry June 2. Casper College Heights Baptist Church celebrated their 50th anniversary on June 23rd. Along with celebrating the past, it reported that the future building project is to begin in August or September. Also, the church has recently called Justin Wollerman as Youth Pastor. The Journey Church had their official church launch on Sunday July 28. The church is meeting on Sunday evenings at Principe De Paz in Casper. Mike Sain is pastor. Green River Monroe Avenue Baptist Church celebrated their 50th anniversary on Sunday August 4th. After Sunday School, Worship Service and dinner on the grounds, the celebration continued with music and sharing time. Bill Morris is pastor. Wilson Wilson Community Fellowship has recently called Jeff Brown to be pastor. Jeff and wife Shelia also serve the Flat Creek Community Church in Jackson. Don Whalen We re living in a connected world. In fact, being connected has never been more important than it is today. We wouldn t dream of going anywhere without a cell phone so that we can be connected to the world anytime and anywhere. For many, finding a Wi-Fi hotspot is a priority so that we can blog and visit web sites like MySpace and Facebook. We re connected. We ve become a digitally connected culture. Our global world has now become glocal; we re connected to a global community. But, with all of our digital connectedness, nothing can whalen replace that personal, face-to-face connectedness that each of us needs and yearns for. Companies like Starbucks have successfully capitalized on that human connectedness. Starbuck has effectively marketed themselves as a third space. The first two spaces being home and work. The perception is that Starbucks is a place where you can go, and over a cup of coffee or latte, enjoy relationships, human connections. I think that there is an evangelistic application here. For many, evangelism is equated with high pressure sales. Selling God as if He were vinyl siding, replacement windows or late night TV gadgets. Evangelism means a rehearsed, mechanical monologue, uncomfortable confrontations where the truth is shared, whether they want to hear it or not. And the object of our evangelism, the lost, are just more human fuel for our religious machinery another convert, another notch in our belt, another convert to our ideology, another number on a report. It s no wonder so many are uncomfortable buying into and participating in evangelism! But, what if evangelizing those who are not-yet-believers was more of a conversation, than a high pressure sales pitch? And confrontation gave way to a simple sharing of our story, a sharing of our love relationship with Jesus? What if sharing Jesus was not so much having a series of logical propositions and right answers, but, was a matter of allowing the life of Jesus in you to be lived out in loving service to others as you truly connect with their lives? What if, productive evangelism was really a matter of moving out of the four walls of the church and beginning to connect with people, where they are. What if it was really about sharing Jesus in the daily routines of life, looking for those opportunities to make relational connections through the daily encounters of life, seizing upon every opportunity to build authentic relationships with not-yet-believers. The most effective way to impact lives may well be to build relationships that are based on real love and the value that Jesus places on people, and out of that relationship seeing people respond to Jesus. Jesus connected with people. He was short on sermons and long on conversations. He often asked more questions than He gave answers. Propositions were replaced with parables and condemnation gave way to compassion. Jesus was connected those around Him intuitively sensed His love and many responded. I can t help but wonder, are we willing to make that kind of connection? My Hope America: Billy Graham s desire to reach lost George Garner Wyoming Southern Baptist Churches are joining the effort of all evangelicals across Wyoming and North America with a concerted intentional cooperative effort to share the Gospel with everyone in every place in 2013 and Here is brief explanation of the process: My Hope America with Billy Graham is a nationwide effort to reach people across the United States with the Gospel of GARNER Jesus Christ. Following a simple biblical model, My Hope America with Billy Graham combines the impact of video programs with the power of personal relationships. Under the guidance of their local pastors, Christians across America will open their homes to share the Gospel message with friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors using one of several new evangelistic programs featuring life-changing testimonies & powerful messages from Billy Graham. Invite your friends and neighbors who don t know Jesus Christ to your home for a meal or dessert or gather them at your church or favorite hangout. Use a TV broadcast, DVD, laptop, or mobile device to show one of several new evangelistic programs featuring life-changing testimonies & powerful messages from Billy Graham. Next, briefly share how Jesus gave you hope and tell what He is doing in your life today. Ask your friends if they would like to make the same decision you did to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and pray with them. Matthew and Friends is the heart of this national evangelistic outreach. The Apostle Matthew invited people into his home to meet Jesus (Matthew 9:9 10). Now you can join concerned Christians across America who will also invite friends and family into their homes, or another gathering place, so that they can hear PRAY That your church will rekindle the fire to reach the lost For the Billy Graham team and the massive logistics involved That Christians all over the U. S. and Canada will generate a groundswell of prayer support the life-changing message of the Gospel. November 2013 is the target month in which nationally broadcasted programs will be seen by hundreds of homes as one of the highlights of process. Get involved for maximum impact on your community and your local church. For more information go online to myhopewithbillygraham. org. You may also contact the WSBC evangelism department and visit with George Garner or Shane Stone for further information or assistance.

5 news August New church opens in Fort Laramie, Wy. Don Whalen The Each One Touch One church planting emphasis was affirmed as a new church was launched in one of the 64 Wyoming communities without any known evangelical witness! On June 23, 2013, Lifeway Church, Fort Laramie was launched. The new church is sponsored by Lifeway Church, in Torrington, Wyoming, which itself is a church plant in the process of constituting. Pastor and Planters, Marty and Nancy Rostad and the members of Lifeway Church of Torrington, recognized the need for a new church in the Fort Laramie community and began praying, planning and preparing for this event. Twenty-nine people attended the first service of Lifeway Church, Fort Laramie. The people of this new church consider this to be a great opportunity to share the love of Jesus and see lives transformed through the power of the Gospel. august WSBC Staff in-office week 23 Foundation Board Conference call at 3 p.m. 24 Green River / Overthrust Associational Annual Meeting september 1 Old Faithful Association Annual Meeting 2 Labor Day, WSBC Office closed 5- Hispanic Basic Training Journey, Jackson Big Horn / Wind River Associational Annual Meeting 8-15 Week of Prayer for WSBC Missions / Delmar Missions Offering photos provided TRANSFORMING LIVES FOR GOD Pastor Marty Rostad and Clay Carroll putting up a sign for the first service of the Lifeway Church in Fort Laramie. calendar of events Church Planting Catalyst Training (Billings) 14 Powder River Association Annual Meeting WSBC Staff in-office week 19 Energy Basin Association Annual Meeting october 6 Soul Winning Commitment Sunday BCM Director s Planning Retreat, Casper, WSBC office New Minister Orientation, Casper, WSBC Office 14-1 WSBC Staff in-office week november 6 WSBC Missions Service, Casper, First Southern Baptist Church 10 WSBC Office Closed, Annual Meeting 10 All Seminary Breakfast, Parkway Plaza DOAMs and Executive Director meeting, WSBC office Executive Board Administrative Team, WSBC office, 3:00 p.m. 11 Executive Board Meeting, WSBC office 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Women s Conference, TBD WSBC Pastors Conference, Casper, First Southern Baptist Church -8 WSBC Annual Meeting, Casper, First Southern Baptist Church (30th Anniversary) 8 WSBC Church Planter Fellowship Banquet WSBC Staff in-office week Servant Leadership Team meeting, WSBC office 28 Thanksgiving, WSBC Office Closed December 1-8 Week of Prayer for International Missions / Lottie Moon Christmas Offering 3-6 State Directors of Missions Meeting

6 6 news August 2013 Culture Digest: Pope s gay comments don t change Catholic teaching, seminary prof says NASHVILLE (BP) -- Pope Francis comment that he will not judge homosexuals does not signal a change in Roman Catholic teaching about sexual morality but reflects the pope s desire to p o r t r a y the Roman Catholic Church as loving toward eve r y o n e, according FRANCIS to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary s Gregg Allison. I think some, perhaps many people, both outside and inside the Catholic church, are hopeful that the pope s comments about homosexuality signal a change in the church s view of and policy toward homosexuality, but I have strong doubts that this is the case, said Allison, professor of Christian theology and author of the forthcoming book Intrigue and Critique: An Evangelical Assessment of Roman Catholic Theology and Practice (Crossway, 2014). The pope offered his comments July 29, during a wideranging press conference aboard a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Rome. He made off-the-cuff remarks that express his rightful compassion toward all people, those engaged in homosexuality included, Allison said. Like his similar remarks a couple of months ago about atheists and good works, the pope s comments are not official teaching on this issue. Francis commented on an alleged gay lobby in the Roman Catholic Church with inordinate influence. He said a gay lobby is bad but distinguished between the gay lobby and homosexual individuals, telling reporters, If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person? That statement led major media outlets to speculate that Francis may be shifting the church s ethical teaching. But Allison said such claims show a misunderstanding of Catholic theology. The pope s comments do not represent any official change in theological direction, he said. They may signal the fact that he will not be a pope who follows the path of his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in terms of the latter s projection of a more conservative, closed face on the Roman Catholic Church. The current pope seems to embrace everyone and wants to demonstrate to the world that the Catholic Roman Church embraces everyone. But this should not be taken to mean that Pope Francis is going to reform the church in terms of a new social or theological agenda when it comes to homosexuality, abortion, contraception, women as priests, married priests and the like. The Roman Catholic Church in general, and its pope in particular, does not -- I would add cannot -- function in that way. The official teaching of Roman Catholicism, articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is that some acts are intrinsically disordered, including homosexual activity. Such acts are always wrong to choose, because choosing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil, according to the catechism. Accordingly, Allison said of Catholic teaching, under no circumstances -- for example, the claim to be acting out of love, or to be reciprocating an expression of love -- is homosexual activity a moral act. It is always illicit. Another highlight of Francis trip to Brazil was his emphasis on the need for Catholics to evangelize more or risk losing the church s members. According to census data, the number of Catholics in Brazil dropped from 125 million in 2000 to 123 million in 2010, with the nation s percentage of Catholics falling from 4 percent to 65 percent. During the same period, the percentage of Protestants and Pentecostals soared from 15 percent to 22 percent. Jesus is calling on you to be a disciple with a mission, Francis told a crowd of 3 million in Rio de Janeiro on July 28. He added, Dear young people, Jesus Christ is counting on you; the church is counting on you; the pope is counting on you. Francis is well aware of Protestantism s recent success in Latin America as a native of Argentina, Allison said. This pope knows firsthand the immense impact of evangelical churches on the Catholic populations of South America, and he will be a leader for the Roman Catholic Church who challenges it to mirror and even reproduce the evangelistic fervor, community building, prayer, enthusiastic worship and the like of evangelicals, Allison said. Allison cautioned evangelicals not to assume they know what the pope means when he talks about evangelism. Evangelicals who minister among Catholic populations must make sure that people who seem to embrace their preaching are truly trusting in Christ alone for salvation, according to Allison. If we miss this important point... we are going to engage in ministry, share the Gospel and plant churches that are not properly contextualized, he said. Watch for your WSBC Annual Church Profiles! ACP time is quickly approaching! Thank you so much to all who are so faithful to complete the ACP for your church. The statistic and leadership information provided is vital to accurately answer who we are as Southern Baptists. It also helps the WSBC to know how to serve your church better. Watch your mail! I will be sending the ACP materials in mid-september and it will be due back to me November 18th. The survey may be completed online, mailed to the WSBC office or brought to the WSBC Annual meeting November -8 at First Southern Baptist Church in Casper. Thank you! Pam Hans Administrative Assistant ext. 15 hans@wyomingsbc.org PRAY for the harvest Pray for churches seeking God s direction for a new pastor. Mark Porter Frontier Foothills Encampment Joe Reynolds Overthrust Bridger Valley Lyman** Bill Morris Green River Wind River Pinedale Dale Bascue Wind River First Baptist Church, Jeffrey City Hilcrest Riverton Wilderness Dubois** Big Horn First Southern Worland ** Served by Transitional Pastor

7 August 2013 news Church returns blessings to Cooperative Program MARION, Iowa (BP) -- A year after Community Baptist Church was planted in August 2009, its members decided to double their giving to missions through the Cooperative Program. Darin Ulmer, who became pastor of the Marion, Iowa, church later that year, said he can t take any credit for the increase to 10 percent in CP giving. What we saw was that we had been blessed greatly by the support of other Southern Baptists, and as the Lord blessed us as a church, it was suggested - I don t remember by whom -- and the ULMER baptist press Sharing love Since 2010, the first summer of Community Baptist Church in Marion, Iowa, youth of the church have traveled each summer about 300 miles north to inner-city Minneapolis for a choir mission trip that also includes backyard Bible clubs and clothing giveaways. unanimous agreement was that yes, we could give more to the Cooperative Program, Ulmer said. The next year it came up again and that year we increased our support of the association because of the way the association had supported us as a church plant. We wanted to give more so more of that [church planting] could take place across the Southern Baptist Convention and in our association, Ulmer continued. Us supporting mission efforts locally and around the world comes back to us in generous giving. Ulmer compared the church s giving -- and its receipt of multiple blessings -- to the clothing his children wear. We have seven children; our oldest is going to be 19 and our youngest is, said Ulmer, who formerly was a bivocational pastor. Throughout the years the Lord has given us clothing by the bucketsful. We have seen blessing in our personal life, in our faithful giving. How is that any different in a church? I believe one of the reasons we re financially healthy as a church is because we ve been faithful in our support of missions efforts both locally and around the world. In addition to giving to state, national and international missions through the Cooperative Program and to Cedar Rapids-area outreach by Northeast Iowa Baptist Association, Community Baptist has made a commitment to financially support a local Hispanic church plant. We as Southern Baptists are not the only ones proclaiming the Gospel but I believe we do it in a very effective manner, one that supports our missionaries in a way other organizations don t, Ulmer said. I believe the Cooperative Program is an incredibly effective tool and I support the concept wholeheartedly... By working together we can accomplish a lot more. About 0 people attend Sunday morning worship at Community Baptist -- a church that has grown as members share Christ with their friends and invite them to church. Planting a church is hard work, and especially in areas that are not historically Southern Baptist, Ulmer said. Here, where it s predominately Lutheran and Catholic -- very different from Baptists and Southern Baptists -- you can t just start a church, hang out a sign and expect people to show up. It takes effort and commitment. See Blessings on pg. 8 baptist press Making a difference Community Baptist Church in Marion, Iowa, meets in a storefront. Northeast Iowa Baptist Association, Baptist Convention of Iowa, and the North American Mission Board also partner in the church plant.

8 8 news August 2013 baptist press Together Whether gathering at a local park or sitting on the floor of New Hope Baptist Church in inner-city Minneapolis, the Redemption youth group from Community Baptist Church in Marion, Iowa, reach out with their hands and hearts and voices to tell of God s love for people of all races everywhere. BLESSINGS continued from pg. But Ulmer has an edge: He s a Cedar Rapids native and knows the culture. Most of those we have seen come to Christ have happened because a friend has shared Christ with a friend, and that s the way our church has grown as well, Ulmer said. Our city parade comes right by the front door, and we hand out flyers, but that hasn t done much... We encourage personal evangelism because that s the most effective tool anyway -- people sharing what the Lord has done in their life. Community Baptist s outreach also extends to two care facilities, a jail and a women s halfway house. What I didn t know was, when inmates leave jail, they don t have anything. Having someone bring them a sack of toiletries -- shampoo, makeup -- brings a very positive reaction, Ulmer said. On a regular basis we provide support for those in that situation, and... one One of the wonderful things about our church is there s a lot of wisdom in our congregation. of the great blessings to a pastor s heart is to see people in a gentle and loving way bring new believers along in their faith. To see people exemplify Jesus heart with people, watching people surround somebody and gently love them, rather than being harsh and pouncing on somebody [for less than perfect behavior], it s just a joy to watch. Community Baptist s youth have gone on an inner-city choir mission trip to Minneapolis each year that also includes backyard Bible clubs and clothing distribution. It s exciting to see how it s affected them, Ulmer said. Just watching these teens learn to share - darin ulimer their faith -- they do it in English and Spanish -- and watching these young people who have never shared their faith before, sit down and show kids what Jesus did, it s very pleasing to a pastor s heart. The church, which constituted in April, meets in a storefront that formerly was an antiques store. Our seating capacity is 125, and we re past the point the statistics say you need more space, Ulmer said. We have Sunday School in every corner of the building and even a hallway. Everyone has been gracious and worked together and been patient about it, but the fact is, we need a bigger space. But we don t want a bigger space to have a bigger space; we want to have the right space to continue to be effective in our community. One of the wonderful things about our church is there s a lot of wisdom in our congregation, the pastor added. There are a number of people who have walked with the Lord for many years; the concept of giving to the Lord is part of their lifestyle... They re Kingdom-minded people, and we re just one part of the Kingdom. It s a blessing to be a part of that Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message and Dakota Baptist Connections, newsjournals for their state conventions. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your (baptistpress.com/ SubscribeBP.asp).