Edisto Baptist Association News

Transcription

1 Edisto Baptist Association News Vol. 4 No. 1 Reaching America & the World through Missions Feb-Mar-Apr 2019 Calendar of Events in the EBA February 14 Happy Valentines Day March Revival at Rocky Grove D-Now, Springfield 17 The Singing Cowboy, Dusty Aleman at New Holland, 11 a.m. 17 Church Planting Emphasis Sunday 17 Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday 30 Women s Conference at Windsor 9-a.m.-11 a.m. Internationally known Ann White, speaker April 1 Ministers/Wives (Berlin) 9 WMU Spring Meeting (Dean Swamp) 6 p.m. 21 Easter 25 EBA Newsletter deadline, church information to Debbie Bass at ebainformation@gmail.com WELCOME Rev. and Mrs. Tom Shirk to Rocky Springs. Rev. Shirk has been serving as the Rocky Springs interim pastor, but has been called to serve the church as Pastor! After a career in education, he accepted the Lord s call on his life at age 72! He says it s never to late to serve the Lord. Read more about the exciting work at Rocky Springs on their new website: reetings to our EBA Pastors, Churches, Church Staff, EBA Staff, Directors and Guests, G Recently, Mrs. Roma was going through some mementoes left by her mother who went to be with Jesus at our home on Jan. 25, One item we discovered was an October 25, 1995 Baptist Courier with a picture of the 125 th anniversary of First Baptist Church Montmorenci where Mrs. Roma s middle sister, Alice and her husband Sandy Sales attended, worshipped and were members. I glanced through the issue and was quickly struck by an article on the Courier editorial page by the long time editor, Dr. John E. Roberts. The article challenged me to assist and support our EBA pastors/churches in a greater manner. The content and thoughts of Dr. Roberts were simple and straightforward. Therefore, I desire to honor him and give him the credit. As I share the essence of his article with you. may you be encouraged and blessed as well. The article s title was The leading qualities in a great church. Worship is paramount. A great church is one in which worship is placed first. It must be given top priority. Everything the church does is predicated on worship. The people come to services eagerly, happy, purposefully, expectantly when the church gathers to worship. Ministry is important. The church must care for its own and those in its midst. Ministry includes teaching Bible truths and God s love. It includes training for a richer Christian life. It includes counseling through hard times, caring for those who hurt, comforting those in grief, meeting each other s needs. The lost must be reached. A great church has a special zeal for finding the lost and unchurched in the community (evangelism). It has a plan and it works hard to reach them. It leads them to acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior and to a place in the fellowship. They love each other. A church grows in greatness as its members learn to get along, to work out differences in a Christian spirit and to achieve by working together what they cannot accomplish through argument and strife. It meets needs. The worship services, the programs, (events) of ministry, the mission opportunities, everything from parking area to quality music to nursery facilities must meet individual and family needs. A great church faces the reality that people hungry for a church home will search until they find one that seems best suited for them (and their family). It provides work opportunities. A great church finds things that need to be done and asks its members to get involved in doing them. They may visit the sick, repair homes for needy, teach the illiterate, give for missionary support, lead neighborhood children s programs. They know there is something for them to do. It makes a difference. A great church makes a life-changing difference to those whom it touches. It helps them to find new meaning and purpose in life. Prayer is primary. Those in a great church learn early that little substance is accomplished apart from prayer, and the seemingly insurmountable becomes possible through prayer for God s blessings and leadership. Work projects, mission goals, recreational activities, visiting prospects, etc., must have prayer in the launching and continuance-mine. Size means nothing. A church can be a great church with 50 members or with 5000 if its people seek earnestly to be the body of Christ. On the other hand, it can quickly become less than a church when cross purposes, self-centeredness, wrong priorities take control. Because of society s measurement, many small churches want to be big and few large churches want to be small. But size is not Christ s goal. He wants every church to be great. and us too, mine! A church is in trouble if...the fellowship fails. A congregation is only a gathering of people with diverse goals and opinions if a spirit of Christian fellowship is lacking. the leadership falters. The pastor leads. He must have the greatest of skills and vision to lead without driving, to direct without dictating. the purpose obscures. The church must worship together, nurture each other and share the good news of Christ with the world. the goals fracture. A membership in sharp disagreement on such things as what to build, which ministry programs to sponsor, how to do missions, which personnel to seek may find itself being less than a church. the vision dims. If the body loses sight of God, its troubles are deep indeed. blame is the game. Finding fault with each other rarely helps; almost certainly hurts. My addition: Preaching the gospel and whole counsel of God is absolute to its foundation in Jesus Christ! This article is not exhaustive nor inclusive of thoughts you may have (it was not intended to be). I am sure that you may not totally support all of Dr. Roberts thought processes. However, I thought the article served as a great reminder of who we are as members of smaller local Southern Baptist congregations fulfilling the Great Commission. Depending on the SBC s classification we, as the EBA, are predominately an association of smaller SBC churches. We can t always do everything the larger churches across our convention can do; neither are we supposed to or expected to in my estimation, but with God s guidance and direction we can find what God has called us to do right where we are and do it with all our might for His GREAT and AWESOME GLORY, HONOR and PRAISE! Ecclesiastes 9:10. Keep on keeping on and NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! Jesus is coming and please know how much Mrs. Roma and I LOVE EACH OF YOU and count it an humble privilege to serve you and serve with the great churches you are so faithfully serving. Blessings, BJ and Mrs. Roma

2 VBS Planning from Mandy Fulmer Excitement is building for VBS and for all the children and adults who will come to know Christ and grow as a believers because EBA churches hold Vacation Bible School. Last year many EBA Churches sent their VBS reports to document this valuable outreach and missions opportunity. These church reports help in planning for the next year, help us see how many people we have impacted, and help us see where we can improve while working for HIS kingdom. The reports acknowledge our work and add to the broader State level impact. This year there are THREE VBS EXPOS March 9 Charleston The Church at Life Park 1151 George Browder Blvd. Mt. Pleasant, SC March 23 Greenville/Spartanburg Fairview Baptist Church 1300 Locust Hill Road Greer, SC April 6 Columbia North Trenholm Baptist Church 6515 N Trenholm Rd Columbia, SC Register online at scbaptist.org for the workshop. The Expo is for any curriculum your church plans to use. Send your receipt to Mandy to process EBA reimbursement. More VBS information is available at scbaptist.org, type VBS in the search line. Please contact Mandy Fulmer for more information. Corinth Fellowship and Outreach Corinth Baptist hosted a movie night and a time of fellowship and outreach. March Event in New Holland Dusty Aleman, "the singing cowboy," will bring the message and hold a concert at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, March 17 at New Holland Baptist. Dusty is an award-winning musical evangelist in full-time ministry for the Lord. Contact Rev. Owen McAlister for information. New Holland Baptist Church held a Winter Bible Study on Revelation chapters 1-3 each Sunday evening during February. New Holland enjoyed food and fellowship at its annual Sweetheart Banquet Saturday, February 16. It was a well-attended Saturday night event. Everyone attending enjoyed food, fellowship, and a strong message from the movie. Plans are to continue this type fellowship in the near future! Families and friends gathered to enjoy the evening together. Looking Ahead 2

3 Wagener First on Mission Wagener First and Delhi Bridge: A busy and inspiring mission Dec 26-Jan 5 Shared by Jen Smith This year leading up to the trip was a very trying year indeed. After returning home last year, Ross developed pneumonia and was hospitalized for 6 days. He subsequently had 3 more episodes of pneumonia which was starting to wear on him physically, mentally, and spiritually. Leading up to the trip he was hesitant about going. While I knew I would be fine going without him, I needed him to go with me. I want him to go with me. I don t want to do ministry/ missions without him. Thankfully, he received peace from God about going. Then, we had our newest member s Visa get burned one month before we left and we scrambled to get that replaced. There were financial struggles and other personal issues affecting us all. But God, was faithful through every trial and circumstance. We left home Christmas morning and drove to Atlanta to meet with an Indian National s brother and get some speakers to go with us. We arrived at the airport early enough to check in, grab something to eat, and board the plane. We had a layover in Paris and arrived in Delhi late the next night. Everything went smoothly until we tried to get the speakers out of the airport! A dozen guards surrounded half of our team while the other half were outside trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone finally made it out and we loaded the vans and headed to our motel. We arrived at the motel, checked in, and headed straight for bed. We knew we had a packed schedule the next nine days and needed to get rest before it started. Each day began the same, get up, get ready, open the door, breathe that first outdoor air, and look at a three-story high statue of a Hindu god in the lobby. I would stand in the hallway and pray. It was a constant reminder of why it was so important to be there and share the Good News. We would eat breakfast, have devotion, and wait for John and Adam to pick us up. During the day we had cultural exchange time at markets, shops, the zoo, a castle, and a fort. It was a great time to learn more about the Indian culture and to fellowship with Pr. John, Adam, Andrea, and the children. On Friday and Saturday we held Foundations Training for the leaders in the churches at Rama Vihar and Prem Nagar respectively. Because our team was small this year, we each led a group with an interpreter. We taught the first three stories in the Deliverance section with an accompanying scripture for each story. We broke the scripture down using the Hand Catch Questions technique. The trainings went very smoothly and we finished each training with a group meal in the church. During the evenings/nights we were in teams of two or three and visited homes of believers and non-believers. We shared our testimonies, read scripture, and prayed. Oh how we prayed! This allotted time that we have visiting is by far my most favorite time. It is a time of vulnerability...a time of sharing things that normally you would be embarrassed to share...a time of encouragement and strengthening because sometimes life is just hard; as well as a time of laughter, a time of brokenness, and a time of Good News. It is during this time that we share the Gospel more. Seven people came to know Christ as their Savior during this time! For the first time, I was able to present the gospel to a Muslim woman. I began telling her the Good News and she was so engaged in my message. Her eyes were locked with mine. Half way through the story, her husband s brother walked up behind her. He never said a word, but I could feel the tension. I finished the story and told them that they too could have the gift of salvation. She never said a word, but I could tell in her eyes she knew the truth. I still pray that she will believe and accept. I am thankful that she knows a believer she can access. I ll remember these images that last a lifetime and never forget those longing eyes. After visiting in the homes we would go to the local house church to worship. Each night a different team member would present a Bible story and some encouraging words. While each of the house churches are maintaining or slightly growing in number, they are growing deeply in the Word. We learned that our last house church in Rohini Sec 9 had not met since our last visit. That was very sad to hear, but God, works in amazing ways. As everyone was leaving I prayed privately with Manoj and Renu, with more encouragement to continue meeting regularly. Afterwards, we were invited into the home of the lady who had appeared earlier at the house. We prayed and John led the daughter to Christ! Manog was standing in the room with us and the daughter asked how she would learn more. John and Adam pointed out Manoj and informed her about Bible studies. As we left I just grabbed Manoj and told him, See! God needs you right here! Don t give up on your calling! This was so powerful. Rather than a picnic, we celebrated New Year s Eve with the church. It was a special time of worship, dancing, fellowship, the Word, food and chai!. It was Epic! After nine days we headed home. Each year gets harder to leave. Although there is a language barrier with some, their hearts speak clearly. The love between brothers and sisters in Christ is sealed because of what HE did on the Cross. It s incredible, I don t understand it, and I can t explain it. It is HIS love. After arriving home, we returned to the reality of work, school, and obligations. There is so much to process...so much we have witnessed...so much that God has taught us. For me it takes weeks to decompress. We have such an amazing God. He is a living God, who speaks to us, walks with us, meets our needs, and holds us in his hands. I am so unworthy to be a part of what He is doing. I am humbled everyday when I think that He uses me with all my flaws and failures; somehow He uses me. As He wills, He can continue to use me for however long He needs me in India. My heart longs to return soon and by God s grace I will! - 3

4 R ev. Owen McAlister delivered the missions message from John 15: 8, at the 2018 EBA Annual Meeting. This worship opportunity inspired everyone through a baseball analogy to be prepared for the base we are on when following Christ. We all have opportunities to grow in and share God s Word. First, we abide in Him, then become a disciple, and finally, lead others to Christ. Pastor McAlister encouraged all to stay in the soul winning game and let our changed lives Income from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 Gifts Designated Berlin 5, Bethcar 2, Corinth 1, Dean Swamp Kedron 1, Mt. Ebal 5, Mount Hermon 3, New Holland Oak Grove 1, Perry Pleasant Hill 3, Rocky Grove 6, Rocky Springs 1, Salley 3, Seivern 1, First Baptist Church Springfield 2, Tabernacle Wagener First Baptist Church 3, Windsor First Baptist Church 1, Pleasant Hill leads missions team in India Pleasant Hill took a team of 12, representing four churches, to minister in Delhi, India February Participants included from Pleasant Hill Pastor Adam Hensley, Berry Gambrell, Diane Still, Lena Kittrell, Kyle Barr and Timmy and Margaret Ann Barr. Pastor Bill and Gayle Paulling went from Mt. Ebal. Pastor Jim Bogstad and wife, LeAnne, represented Prospect Southern Methodist Church in Branchville, and Harry Collins from Mt. Tabor Baptist Church in Branchville participated. A one-day training in Foundations at three different churches was conducted simultaneously. Approximately 140 adults were trained and about 100 children came to participate in the planned crafts and activities designed for them. It was all very successful! The ladies led a women's gathering, providing encouragement from God's Word and ministering to about 45 women. The youth/young adults had fun one evening playing games. Afterwards, Kyle Barr brought an encouraging message. Pastor Adam and Pastor Bill led a pastor's meeting with the church's leaders. They taught about how to interpret scripture. This was a beneficial portion of the trip that will be continued. There was an opportunity to be tourists and the team enjoyed going to a big craft fair and visiting the Akshardham Temple. But what the team enjoyed the most were the home visits where testimonies were shared, along with devotions and the Gospel. The team was blesses when nine people accepted Christ. In the home visits, relationships were deepen and strengthen, a result of seven years of this missions ministry. The team has made some wonderful friends in India and can't wait to go back! The work and needs continue there. If you have questions or if your church wants to get involved as a church partner, please contact Timmy and Margaret Ann Barr at Missions Project Youth Rally Vacation Bible School Love Gifts 4, WMU Receipts Miscellaneous , Annie Armstrong Easter Offering March 10, 2019 TOTAL $48, $3,

5 Refugee problem brought to life in Wednesday evening service An eye-opening refugee simulation was held for the adults and teens of Springfield First and Pleasant Hill during a Wednesday night service. The goal of this fact-based simulation was for everyone to develop a greater understanding about the issues refugees face, to learn what the Bible teaches about our response to refugees, to give us a greater empathy for refugees and to think about how we can make a difference for the cause of Christ. eye-opening experience for everyone. How Christians treat others is an extension of faith. We encourage continued prayer for the safety, healing, new communities, and work of God in the lives of refugees. Contact Margaret Ann Barr for information on the refugee simulation activity for your church. =================================== A pictorial look at the Pleasant Hill led India Mission Experience (see related story on page 4) 5