See page 3 for more about our kids summer camp experience! TVSBA July Executive Board Meeting Coming

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1 JULY-AUGUST 2015 volume 10 issue 4 The Focus What s INSIDE Treasure Valley Southern Baptist Association Director of Missions Church Camp Moderator Message TVSBA Calendar Operation Christmas Child 7 Church Giving 8 Living Proof Live!...an network of churches cooperating to assist each other in fulfilling the Great Commission. See page 3 for more about our kids summer camp experience! TVSBA July Executive Board Meeting Coming Set aside Thursday, July 9th to devote the evening to advancing the Kingdom of God here in the Treasure Valley. We re meeting at Trinity Community Church, 1765 E. Bergeson St., Boise, and making important decisions as an association. Registration is at 6:30 p.m., with the meeting beginning at 7 p.m. We ll join one another in fellowship following the meeting, and be treated with a snack. Guests of any number from association churches are welcome, but voting is restricted to the pastor and two messengers from each church and the pastor with one messenger from a mission. One of the common misconcep- tions about Executive Board Meetings is that these meetings are just for the pastors. Not so. Not only are all welcome, but our association will become stronger with more lay involvement. You ll be excited to hear about our new ministries in the Treasure Valley area, including our two recent mission start-ups. Join us! God Blesses Children s Camp 2015 with 108 Participants! PAGE 1 TVSBA Office:

2 volume 10 issue 4 A Word From Your Director of Missions Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Annual Southern Baptist Pastor s Conference and Convention meeting held in Columbus, Ohio. One of the reasons for going was to represent the Utah-Idaho Convention by serving on the Committee on Committees which selects two people from our two-state convention to serve on the Committee on Nominations. This committee in turn selects people to serve on various boards of our Southern Baptist Convention. It was a very educating time to say the least. Another reason for attending was to see what stance we would take as a Convention regarding biblical marriage and the national ramifications of same-sex marriage. It turned out that the living former Southern Baptist Convention presidents elected since 1980, issued a joint statement Wednesday declaring they will stand on the biblical truths concerning marriage despite anticipated legal and civil changes to the definition. Pastor Jack Graham called it the most critical issue of our times -- religious freedom and the very definition of marriage itself. Reading from the statement, Graham said, "The Scripture s teaching on marriage is not negotiable. We stake our lives upon the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. We will not accept, nor adhere to, any legal redefinition of marriage issued by any political or judicial body including the United States Supreme Court." The statement, signed by 16 former presidents, was not issued on behalf of the SBC but issued to the SBC, evangelicals and the nation, Graham said. Friends, as Christians, we must be prepared! If the Supreme Court declares marriage a constitutional right and affords gays and lesbians protected class status -- as the Civil Rights Act afforded the same status to blacks -- refusing to marry same-sex couples or affirm homosexuality in the workplace could come with fines, taxes, and, as demonstrated in one case in Idaho, threats of incarceration. Depending on how SCOTUS rules -- and the subsequent passage of laws and regulations pertaining to the ruling -- churches and religious institutions could lose their tax-exempt status for refusing to recognize or service same-sex marriages which, in turn, could ruin a church. Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX stated, "Many churches live on a razor-thin edge of finance and it well could be catastrophic to many churches. Even more than the tax-exempt status, are the fines levied against churches for failure to comply with local, state, or national regulations. Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, said, "We are urging every college, university and seminary to be crystal clear in their bylaws and in their operational manuals about what is and is not acceptable. We never saw this day coming but we are urging all to be very, very clear." I would encourage every church in our Treasure Valley Southern Baptist Association and beyond to be proactive in addressing these issues that are confronting us today. Most of the information I have given you in this article comes from the sbc.net website. I would encourage you to visit that website to get more information if needed. It is in a time like this that I am proud to be aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention. Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Cross Church in Arkansas, states it so well, The Southern Baptist Convention has not moved. The culture has moved. We stand on the Word of God that abides forever. And that's who we are to the glory of God." I say, Amen and amen! Blessings, Ray Sparkman TVSBA Director of Missions PAGE 2 TVSBA Office:

3 volume 10 number 4 YOUTH CAMP 75 participants CHILDREN S CAMP 108 participants AMAZINGRACE COMPETITIONS! HUMAN FOOSBALL! ARCHERY HIKING BIBLE STUDY PAGE 3 TVSBA Office:

4 One of the privileges we have is to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. He wants us to call upon Him. He desires to spend time with us alone. One of the great joys I had as a child was when my earthly father took me alone fishing with him. It meant so much for me to have that time alone with him. In the same way God wants to have time alone with me now. God wants to have time alone with you. Love in Jesus, Pastor David volume 10 issue 4 Seeking Jesus...Spending Time With Him If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:11-13 Sharing Jesus...Bringing Others to Him What does a career worker for the SBC IMB actually do and what does that mean to me? Early in May the Treasure Valley Southern Baptist Association had the opportunity to find out! We hosted Max and Colette Hernandez*, a couple serving as SBC International Mission Board career workers in Southeast Asia who with their two teenage children were on stateside assignment in Tennessee for six months. We owe a big THANK YOU to Cooperative Program funding through the UISBC and a gift from a local TVSBA church for making their visit possible. Having visited Max and Colette in Southeast Asia as your UISBC IMB trustee, I knew they would be a delight. Hearing about their work among the people God has sent them to was eye-opening and inspirational. They are presently engaging young university students and professionals, as the locals desire to learn English opens a door to the gospel. Although their primary ministry is to students, they use every opportunity God gives, even a trip to the local market. TIES TO IDAHO--Collette s, mother, now deceased, grew up in Idaho and during her teens attended one of our local SBC churches. April 30 to May 5, they shared their experiences at area SBC churches and even at half-times at a Saturday morning soccer program at Central Valley in Meridian. Also, as recipients of the marvelous work of Mission Aviation Fellowship in Southeast Asia, they were excited to tour the MAF headquarters in Nampa. Colette s parents, who met in Idaho when her father served as a summer missionary, went on to serve in the Dominican Republic, where they raised Colette. Max and Colette have now served for ten years with the IMB, carrying on that heritage. It is our prayer that, as a result of hearing what God is doing in SE Asia, our folks will become excited about missions. We ve observed that when a church gets excited about missions elsewhere, they get excited about missions locally. Acts 1:8 *Names changed for security purposes. ~Connie Ward, IMB Trustee PAGE 4 TVSBA Office:

5 volume 10 number 4 Join us for TVSBA Events! JULY July 9--Executive Board Meeting at Trinity Community Church, Boise, 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. registration) July You Lead at Calvary Chapel, Boise (sponsored by LifeWay) July Living Proof Live (Beth Moore), Boise AUGUST August 30--Fifth Sunday Sing, 6 p.m. New Covenant Baptist Church, Nampa OCTOBER October 3--TVSBA Annual Meeting. Pierce Park Baptist Church, Boise 9 a.m. (8:30 registration) NOVEMBER November 29--Fifth Sunday Sing, 6 p.m. (Location TBA) DECEMBER Dec. 11--Pastors and Wives Fellowship Dinner (Location TBA) Standard A-Team meeting dates/times/locations: First Tuesday of each month, 9:30 a.m., Calvary Baptist, Boise Other standard Priority Team meetings--call the Priority Team Leaders for more information on CPET (Church Planting and Evangelism Training) or Church Health meetings. We WELCOME Two New Pastors: Bruce Kissee (wife, LuAnn) has come to pastor Central Valley Baptist Church, Cascade. His first Sunday was June 21. Scott Teater (wife, Sunshine) came in April to pastor Bend Southern Baptist Church, Horseshoe Bend. We Sadly Say GOOD-BYE to Three Pastors: Dr. James Brandon, Anchor Baptist Church, is retiring with his wife, Barbara, and left for Texas in June. Chris Costa and his wife, Gloria, are retiring from University Baptist Church, Boise, and moving to Indiana. Their last Sunday is August 2nd. Jody Brown and his wife, Lupé, are leaving Kaleo Church of Ontario to move to Texas, where they will be closer to family. SONFEST for Youth 7th-12th grades...august Registration has passed. Check out to see if there is any late registration available. PAGE 5 TVSBA Office:

6 The MESSENGER volume 7 number 3 volume 10 number 4 New Covenant s Adventure with OCC New Covenant started its adventure with Operation Christmas Child three years ago with a question from me. I asked, Can we do the shoe boxes? The next thing I knew, I was the chairman of the committee. The first year we packed 12 boxes, the second year 32, and the third year 61. Last year we hosted two packing parties and most of the congregation got involved. Every box that goes into a country that will allow Samaritan s Purse to do so has a tract packed inside. Last year over a million kids gave their hearts to Jesus because of the invitation to do so in the tract. If anyone is interested in getting involved in the adventure of packing a shoebox of love for a needy child, I would be happy to point him to the project chair for the Treasure Valley. We have an area meeting in Sept.-Oct., hear a lot of testimonies, and receive free boxes and instructions. We learn what to put in (hard candy is okay, but lotion is not!) and how to host a packing party. The process is not difficult; all a person needs is just a little time, some love, and prayer. Pack a shoebox full of a few toys, some soap and a washcloth or a pair of socks and shorts or perhaps a tee-shirt. Also, add $7 to ship it somewhere. Pray for the children who will receive boxes. If you are interested contact Samaritan s Purse directly, check out their information on the Internet, or call me at and I will help you to get connected. Jo Acuff TVSBA Fifth Sunday Sing New Covenant Baptist Church 624 Lake Lowell Ave. Nampa Sunday, August 30th, 6 p.m. Fellowship to Follow PAGE 6 TVSBA Office:

7 volume 10 number 4 TVSBA CHURCHES/MISSIONS GIVING 2015 Jan-June 24 Abundant Life, Eagle $ Agua Viva, Boise $ Anchor Baptist, Kuna $ Bend Southern Baptist, Horseshoe Bend $ Boise Korean, Boise $ Boise River Community, Mtn. Home $ 0.00 Calvary Baptist Church, Boise $ 3, Calvary Baptist Church, Weiser $ Central Valley Baptist, Cascade $ 1, Central Valley Baptist, Meridian $5, Emmanuel Baptist, Mountain Home $ 1, First Baptist Church, Fruitland $ First Southern Baptist Church, Caldwell $1, First Southern Baptist Church, Mtn. Home $ 1, Igelsia Bautista de Peniel, Nampa $ Kaleo Church, Ontario $ 0.00 Lizard Butte Baptist, Marsing $ Mision Bautista Emmanuel, Mtn. Home $ 0.00 Mountain Home Korean, Mtn. Home $ 0.00 Nampa First Southern Baptist Church $ New Covenant, Nampa $ 1, Pierce Park, Boise $ Sand Hollow, Caldwell $ 0.00 Silver Sage Baptist Church, Boise $ Trinity Community Boise $ 0.00 University Baptist Church, Boise $ 1, Word of Truth, Caldwell $ Grand Total: $23, YTD Budget (by end of June) $32, Over (Under) Budget: ($9,558.66) Individual Giving to Designated Accounts (through June 17): $14, MAILING ADDRESS: Treasure Valley Southern Baptist Association PO Box 739 Nampa, ID Phone: Find us on the Web at: OFFICE STAFF Ray Sparkman, Director of Missions ray.tvsbadom@gmail.com Michele Ring, Administrative Assistant tvsbaoffice.mring@gmail.com (Contact--M-Th., 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) ASSOCIATIONAL TEAMS AND LEADERS David Howell--Moderator easterlily1109@yahoo.com Travis Best--Vice-Moderator tbest77@cableone.net Richard Cook--Clerk fruitlandfbc@fmtc.com Chris Goettsche--Treasurer chrisgoettsche@yahoo.com Dan Robinson--Idaho SBC Camps Manager idfamrob@gmail.com Arie Sparkman--Church Health Interim hisprincess4ever511@yahoo.com Dan Ozuna--CPET Co-Leader (Church Planting & Evangelism Team) aguavivaidaho@gmail.com Help Needed: Church Health Team Leader, Church Leadership Development Team Leader, CPET Co-Leader, & Vice-Treasurer PAGE 7 TVSBA Office:

8 PO BOX 739 Nampa, ID RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID MOUNTAIN HOME ID PERMIT NO 14...a network of churches cooperating to assist each other in fulfilling the Great Commission. The FOCUS Volume 10 Number 3 July 24-25, 2015 (Friday--Saturday) at Century Link Boise Arena Don t forget YOU Lead at Calvary Chapel, Boise on July 23-24! Register online at Lifeway.com or by calling COST: $69 (just LPL) OR $144 combined with YOU Lead. NOTE: This event is filling rapidly. PAGE 8 TVSBA Office: