The 360. Foster Care Closet. Read story on page 5! Friday 8:30-12:00 pm

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Corey McBride
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The 360 Investing in Kingdom-focused churches that make a local and global difference for Christ. Volume 43, Number 7 July 2017 TO Foster Care Closet Read story on page 5!

1 The 360 Investing in Kingdom-focused churches that make a local and global difference for Christ. Volume 43, Number 7 July 2017 TO Foster Care Closet Read story on page 5! Office Phone: Office Hours: M-Th 8:30-4:30pm Friday 8:30-12:00 pm Director of Missions: John Thielepape, D.Min. john@parkerbaptist.org Director of Baptist Student Ministry: Mark Nelson mark@parkerbaptist.org Financial Coordinator: Leah Newman leah@parkerbaptist.org Administrative Assistant: Lauren Johnson lauren@parkerbaptist.org

2 The Future of the BSM by Mark Nelson What does the Free Lunch mean to us? 1. It means a chance to meet students on our campus at an event that is non-threatening. 2. It s a great relationship building time for us with students. 3. It s a way for students to hear the gospel presented in real, tangible ways. 4. It s a way to share the Coyote BSM vision, to connect students with ministries, missions, and discipleship. 5. It s a great opportunity for churches to connect with students around a meal, a chance to share their vision, ministry opportunities, missions, and discipleship. Pray for ways that your church can get involved in this ministry. Call the Office and sign up for one of our open dates, and pray for this ministry (Free Lunch) each week as we engage students on our campus. You can now sign up to host a BSM Lunch online. To sign up and view available dates, visit Vermont Update I was able to travel to Vermont this past month to meet with our missionaries living there. During that time, I joined them at a student orientation on the campus of the University of Vermont. We shared about the Vine, their college ministry, and a couple of events that are coming up at the beginning of the fall semester. Prayer Needs: - for students to invest in, to form small groups to disciple, share the gospel - for an event they are planning September 8-10, 2017 event name: Survival Purpose: to teach students how to survive in nature, and to teach them how to survive spiritually - For Alec: he is beginning to work on a new campus (Champlain College) For people of peace, contacts in the school administration. For opportunities to be on campus, engaging students. He is bi-vocational, and is worried about how much time he can invest on campus, with his current job, and his family. - For Lacee: she just moved in June, A job that will support her, she is a teacher and is currently looking for a position there. She has ministry opportunities at Daybreak Community Church, where she attends. Pray for wisdom as she commits to serving there. 2

3 3 Critical Questions for Church Vitality by John Thielepape Church revitalization is a hot topic these days and for good reason. Many churches in America are declining or dying and we struggle for ways to recapture spiritual vitality. Unfortunately, when churches think of revitalization they often dream of recovering some forgotten sense of vitality from the past rather than dreaming of a new future. While giving a nod to previous successes, the key to vitality resides in discovering how we can best serve God in the present with a dream toward the future. Here are three critical questions that can help: 1. Can we see where God is taking us? In the Church Unique Vision Process, Will Mancini teaches that Where is God taking us? is the powerful question answered by a clear vision. Given the unique context and capabilities of each congregation, it is important to clearly discover God s unique sense of direction for each church. I was sitting with a group of church leaders recently as they discussed some characteristics of a healthy church, listing things such as love, faithfulness, outreach, Bible study, etc. One leader commented that a lot of churches possess many of those characteristics but continue to struggle. In my opinion, the main ingredient missing is a clear sense of where God wants to take them. We often think too generically (God wants us to grow), or we think too small (God wants us to maintain). More than 300 shipping vessels navigate the Houston Ship Channel every day. All of them move either cargo or people, but within those broad parameters they each have a unique purpose and destination. The same is true for churches. We are all called to glorify God and make disciples of Jesus, but we do it with a unique set of gifts and sense of direction. 2. Do we have a culture of disciple-making? Culture can be defined as the shared pattern of actions, beliefs, values and attitudes for a group of people or an organization, such as a church. Every church develops a distinctive culture, a shared set of habits that become comfortable for most everyone. If we want to revitalize our church, then we must ask questions related to culture and be honest enough to admit that sometimes our culture gets in the way of vitality. Perhaps the most critical question that we must address is whether our culture creates an environment of busyness or disciple-making. All churches are busy. All pastors are busy. If you don t believe it, just ask us. But the critical issue is whether our activity produces disciples of Jesus who make a difference in the world, and produce more disciples. 3. Are we making Kingdom imprints? I have written before that Jeff Christopherson defines a Kingdom imprint as, a documented occasion when a believer meets a physical need in the community and attaches the credit to the grace of Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest expressions that I can find of what it means for a congregation to make a difference in a community. Too often, we think of ministry as a church activity, waiting for the staff or a committee to plan something in which we can choose to participate, or not. But notice in Christopherson s definition that a believer makes a Kingdom imprint. So, the opportunity exists every day for each believer to make an imprint of God s Kingdom in the community by meeting some need and giving credit to the grace of Jesus. Nobody needs to wait for an organized activity to make it official. These questions are linked. If we have a clear vision of God s direction then our church culture will ultimately focus upon disciple-making, and active disciples make Kingdom imprints. If you are looking to revitalize your ministry, let us help you think through these critical questions. 3

P M y t i s n s u i o o C n s r e 2 k 01 7 r a FBC

Germany is rich in protestant FBC Willow Park Munich,

Canada Northside Chicago, Illinois Greenwood Brooklyn,

Del Rio, TX Friendship Harlingen, TX religious history,

The remaining 5% is made up of a variety of other

Willow Park Baptist will be sending a student to go share

Northside Brooklyn, NewYork Religions in Haiti: Indonesia

Sunni Islam is the majority religion throughout most of

7% are Christians (4.1% Protestant and 2.

9% are Buddhists, Confucian and other; and 0.

FBC Millsap Brooklyn, NewYork FBC Willow Park Mission

Chiriquí Province, Panama Beulah Santiago, Dominican

sent 4 missionaries to Panama on June 15th.

The Panama team saw about 150 people surrender their

Beulah Haiti Lakeshore Drive Indonesia Religions in

4 P M y t i s n s u i o o C n s r e 2 k 01 7 r a FBC Weatherford Minnesota Religions in Germany: Although Germany is rich in protestant FBC Willow Park Munich, Germany Greenwood Vancouver, Canada Northside Vancouver, Canada Northside Chicago, Illinois Greenwood Brooklyn, NewYork Spring Creek Comanche County, TX Lakeshore Drive Del Rio, TX Friendship Harlingen, TX religious history, only 31% of Germans claim to be evangelical Christians. 33% say they are not religious. 31% identify with Roman Catholicism. The remaining 5% is made up of a variety of other religions. Willow Park Baptist will be sending a student to go share the Gospel in Germany in July. Northside Brooklyn, NewYork Religions in Haiti: Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world. Sunni Islam is the majority religion throughout most of the country. About 87 % of all Indonesians are Muslims. 7% are Christians (4.1% Protestant and 2.9% Roman Catholic); 1.7% are Hindu, 0.9% are Buddhists, Confucian and other; and 0.4% are unspecified. FBC Millsap Brooklyn, NewYork FBC Willow Park Mission Alington, TX Midway Managua, Nicaragua Friendship Chiriquí Province, Panama Beulah Santiago, Dominican Republic Greenwood Haiti Salvation in Panama: Friendship sent 4 missionaries to Panama on June 15th. Their team joined up with 25 other missionaries from the states. They worked in villages of the indigenous tribe, Ngöbe Buglé. God did amazing things in the hearts of the natives. The Panama team saw about 150 people surrender their lives to Jesus! Beulah Haiti Lakeshore Drive Indonesia Religions in Haiti: The most dominant religion in Haiti is Roman Catholicism (including Catholic-Vodou Syncretism). This religion makes up 80% of haiti s religious beliefs. Protestant Christianity makes up 16%. The remaining 4% is made up of Islam, atheism, judaism, and other eastern religions. Pray for Beulah Baptist as they share the Gospel and equip pastors in Haiti! If your church is doing missions this summer and would like to be added to the map, let us know! lauren@parkerbaptist.org

5 July Prayer Focus: June 25 - July 1 Christway Church at the Crossing Clear Fork Community July 2-8 Crossroads Emmanuel Eureka FBC Brock July 9-15 FBC Dennis FBC Horseshoe Bend FBC Millsap FBC Poolville July FBC Weatherford FBC Willow Park Fellowship Friendship July Garner Grace Covenant Greenwood Harmony Churches currently without permanent Pastors: Brazos Trails Central Garner Soda Springs Church News & Announcements MusiCamp 2017 takes place at Lakeshore Drive Baptist Church July from 9am-4pm. Camp is open to all boys and girls who have completed grades 1-6. Cost for the week is $90, which includes camp t-shirt, lunch each day, materials & supplies, and admission to Splash Kingdom Water Park on Thursday afternoon. Camp concludes with a concert Friday, July 28 at 7PM when we will present the musical Nic at Night. Registration closes on July 14! For more information, contact the church at or visit Lakeshore s website at VBS 2017 July Calendar July 9 13 FBC Willow Park 5:45pm 8:30pm July 9 13 FBC Dennis 6pm 8pm July Brazos Trails 6-8:30pm Brazos Trails Friday night Sorting Practice. Every Friday night, weather permitting, at 6:30pm. Cost is $25 per rider. We will be adding a few more events, probably in the month of June. Come join us at FBC of Willow Park on Sunday, July 30 at 6:00 pm for an evening of worship led by Southern Gospel favorites, The Steeles. We are pleased to host this fine musical group led by pastor and songwriter Jeff Steele. Admission is free. For more information contact the church. FBC of Willow Park 601 Ranch House Rd Willow Park, TX Ph: Parker Baptist Association We have updated our website ( You can refer to our website for info on our ministries, initiatives, news, and other resources!

7 Calendar of Events July 4 Independence Day Office Closed July 20 Pastor Staff Prayer Breakfast Breakfast at 8:30 Connect with Us Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. This is where we post announcements, important news and each weeks prayer list.

The 360. Friday 8:30-12:00 pm. Back to School Fair will be from 9:00am to noon at North Side Baptist Church. See page 6 for more info.

The 360. Friday 8:30-12:00 pm. Back to School Fair will be from 9:00am to noon at North Side Baptist Church. See page 6 for more info. The 360 Investing in Kingdom-focused churches that make a local and global difference for Christ. Volume 43, Number 8 August 2017 Back to School Fair will be from 9:00am to noon at North Side Baptist Church.