Leaders Guide. Yes, Lord! INTRODUCTION

Transcription

1 2016 Season of Prayer For State Missions and the Janie Chapman Offering For State Missions, Missions Education, and Great Commission Living September 11-18, 2016 Leaders Guide Yes, Lord! Scripture: 15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? Yes, Lord, he said to Him, You know that I love You. Feed My lambs, He told him. 16 A second time He asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? Yes, Lord, he said to Him, You know that I love You. Shepherd My sheep, He told him. 17 He asked him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, Do you love Me? He said, Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You. Feed My sheep, Jesus said. John 21:15-17, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Focal Passage: 17 He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said, Feed my sheep. John 21:17b Music: Congregation: Yes, Lord, Yes, Baptist Hymnal, 2008, page #445 Come, All Christians Be Committed, Baptist Hymnal, 2008, page #371, Baptist Hymnal, 1975, page #362 Trust and Obey, Baptist Hymnal, 2008, page #500, The Baptist Hymnal, 1991, page #447, Baptist Hymnal, 1975, page #409. Contemporary: Go Light Your World, Kathy Troccoli Music - Children: One by One, The Baptist Hymnal, 1991, page #561 INTRODUCTION In John 21:17b, Peter passionately exclaims to Jesus, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus response to Peter is one of equal passion - Feed My sheep. Through the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering, we, as South Carolina Baptists have the opportunity to give and pray so that more may be fed physically and spiritually, through a variety of ministries. Placing aside the fact that Jesus commands us to love, serve, and care for others, we should be well motivated and inspired to pray more effectively and give more abundantly as we read and learn more about the ministries that are supported through the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering. The missions focus areas for 2016 are South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief, the Detroit Partnership, School Partnerships, and Church Planting. The missions opportunities are here in our state. The ministries and the people leading and participating in the ministries are changing lives across the state of South Carolina. Human and physical resources can only continue to thrive if we, as South Carolina Baptists, do our part. What does it require? What do we have to do? Be obedient and respond, Yes, Lord! 1

2 DISASTER RELIEF / BAPTIST COLLEGIATE MINISTRY Janie Chapman State Missions Offering funds have served South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief and Disaster Relief Training for many years, but especially so during the state s record flooding of October A cold front stalling off the coast of South Carolina tapped into moisture from Hurricane Joaquin, developing a surface low that brought continuous rains into South Carolina from Thursday-Sunday, October 1-4, resulting in the flooding of rivers that washed away roads, bridges, homes and vehicles. In some areas of the state, more than 24 inches of rain fell in just a few days. Dams bursting increased the flooding. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called the event a 1,000-year flood ultimately resulting in estimated damage of $12 billion. South Carolina Disaster Relief (SCDR) responded immediately, establishing a command center at the state convention building in Columbia, and networking with other state conventions through the North American Mission Board Disaster Relief. As rains subsided and flooding eased, South Carolina Baptist churches turned out to serve and aid in their affected communities and beyond. SCDR reported serving 89,000 meals in partnership with The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross, assisted with more than 750 flood-related clean up jobs, made 3,741 ministry contacts and 744 Gospel presentations, and logged more than 8,600 volunteer days. As volunteers said, Yes, Lord to serving throughout South Carolina, it was Janie Chapman State Missions Offering funds that helped equip volunteers to serve effectively and share their faith as they served. Funds were used to provide supplies and equipment for volunteers, and to provide Hope in Crisis gospel tracts for volunteers to use with and give to flood-affected individuals. In November, as the initial response concluded, the focus turned to Rebuild SCDR, mobilizing and providing funds for local communities to work with Disaster Relief teams toward a goal of rebuilding homes in flood-affected areas. Through this effort, affected families completed application through SC Disaster Relief, and upon approval up to $3,000 was designated for Disaster Relief teams to use for rebuild materials. One of the groups stepping up to serve in flood recovery and relief was South Carolina college students, serving through Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM). A few days before the devastating floods hit South Carolina in early October, Anna Fox enjoyed lunch with friends from her college years at Francis Marion University. The 2004 graduate was active in leadership with BCM, and reminisced with those friends about some of the ministry experiences they had shared together. Days later, as the flood waters surged beyond the banks of the Black River near Georgetown, Fox s entire house was flooded with over a foot of water. Francis Marion BCM Director Kendal Danford and his wife Jennifer learned about Fox s situation on social media during the flooding. Both were trained in mud-out through Disaster Relief, and had led student teams in mud-out assistance following other disasters, like Hurricane Katrina. Danford knew the Florence Association was holding mud-out training, and quickly organized a team of student volunteers to train and then deploy to help the Fox family in Georgetown. There were many people living down river in our state who had been affected by the flood waters. When you deal with a natural disaster like this, you see a need and then meet a need. We knew how to do mud-out work, which can be overwhelming for the homeowners, Danford said. A team of nine left Florence around 7 a.m., maneuvering around washed out roads and detours to get to the house where Fox, her husband and young baby lived. They spent the day gutting the inside by removing flooring, insulation, and walls to above the water line. The students removed mattresses, appliances, and other items that were damaged from water, and spent time outside handling debris around the yard. Fox, a member of First Baptist Georgetown and elementary media specialist, said the timing of the team s assistance was perfect. Her family was on a two-week waiting list for a cleaning company to assist them, and visible mold had already begun to grow in the damp house. We were at the point where we honestly didn t know what to do next. I didn t know how long it would take the BCM team to get organized or even what they would be able to do, then was surprised to hear that the crew was ready and coming that very weekend. That took a huge weight off our shoulders to not only have help coming, but for it to be people we 2

3 knew and loved, Fox said. Following the lead of those college students that said, Yes, Lord to serving flood victims, 73 BCM students from Clemson, Lander, USC Upstate and Spartanburg Methodist participated in a Columbia housing rebuild effort over their Christmas 2015 break. The teams assisted nine residents of the Pine Glen neighborhood, an area where many of the same students had served immediately following the flooding with disaster relief mud-out and other cleanup efforts. I have seen what helping like this can do for a family, said Carlee Campbell, a junior at Furman University who served on a collegiate disaster relief trip to New York following Superstorm Sandy in late October I try to imagine if I lost my home and what that would mean to me, and I can t imagine the grieving process these people are going through. It s humbling, and makes me appreciative to have this huge opportunity to serve people and share God s love, she said. Clemson University student Austin Holder worked with Campbell hanging sheet rock and preparing the new walls to be painted at a home in West Columbia. He said it was easy to give up less than a week of his vacation to help people whose homes were destroyed, and was surprised at how much they accomplished. Lander University sophomore Shannon DeSantis spent the week removing dry wall and insulation from the inside of a home with significant damage. She said the homeowner was overjoyed at the fast progress the BCM team made. Our help has given her some hope, and she has begun to share more of her personal story with us, DeSantis said. Avery Fox is a disaster relief volunteer from First Baptist Clinton, and served as construction coordinator for the BCM rebuild teams. Prior to the teams arrival, Fox secured the home project sites and worked with campus ministers to get an idea of the students skills and the need for training before they began. He noted the students teachable attitude to learn new techniques for the week, and also their open hearts for ministry in this ongoing relief effort. The University of South Carolina BCM is organizing another team of students, from several colleges, to work for a week in May in the Hemingway area of South Carolina s Pee Dee. Everyone has something to offer to the recovery, whether it s a day trip, a week, or the financial aspect of the rebuild efforts. The flood is over and so many people assume things are back to normal, but it will take years for some communities to become livable again. Everyone can help in this long-term recovery rebuild, Fox said. DETROIT MISSIONS Kevin Litchfield, a North American Mission Board (NAMB) church planting catalyst, talks about Detroit this way: You could parachute into the city and just randomly land somewhere, and you would think you are in a foreign country. There is a huge international population here and very few Southern Baptist churches. Janie Chapman State Missions funds go to help missions in Detroit, recently supporting a family outing a day of rest and fellowship - for Southern Baptist planters who said, Yes, Lord to serving throughout the city. For generations, Detroit was known for two significant things in the United States: It was the home to some of the most famous Gospel singers in the country, and the home of Motown Recording Studios; and it was known as the center of the country s automotive industry, where one of six U.S. workers was employed. Today, the automotive assembly lines have slowed and the sounds of Gospel music have been quieted reads a flyer produced by the North American Mission Board, naming Detroit as one of its Send Cities. Though church buildings can still be seen throughout the city, many that once housed some of the great Gospel voices in the country now sit virtually empty on Sunday mornings. Evangelicals make up only 12.2 percent of the (Greater Detroit) population. With only one Southern Baptist (SBC) church for every 30,452 people, it s one of the most underserved cities in North America. Litchfield, who has South Carolina roots, lives with his family in Detroit. In 2016, South Carolina Baptists from the Columbia-Metro Baptist Association went to Detroit as part of a vision team, meeting with church planters and viewing the 3

4 neighborhoods where they serve. Janie Chapman Offering funds are available to church planters, who can make future requests for grants to meet strategic needs in their ministries. Janie funds also supported the travel of the Columbia-Metro vision team, which included Bill Grant of Cinema Couture films, in Columbia, who is producing a video in support of the state missions offering. Litchfield said, We need to bring attention to the Greater Detroit area, where there are 4.5 million people, including 300,000 in Windsor, Canada. Within that area, 50 of Michigan s 100 most populated cities are in metro Detroit. Within those 50 cities, Warren is Michigan s third largest city with 125,000 people and only one Southern Baptist church. Sterling Heights is the fourth largest city in Michigan and only has one Southern Baptist church. There is a large Muslim population here, and a lot of internationals, Litchfield said. Hamtramck s population is 50 percent Bengali, and 50 percent of Dearborn s population is Muslim. In many ways, coming here is like coming to a country overseas somewhere. Simply, there are a lot of entry level jobs in Detroit, and those are appealing to internationals wanting to be in the United States. As the financial crisis came to the Detroit area the nation s poorest city according to CBS News people moved away, abandoning homes which have since been easily acquired by internationals. Detroit is the largest U.S. city to ever file for bankruptcy. Once a family comes here, a stream of that nationality and culture begins, Litchfield said. On top of the cultural shift and the poverty, there was record flooding in Detroit during August But there is hope, Litchfield said, especially as church planters say Yes, Lord and come to plant churches in the city and its suburbs. Disaster Relief volunteers that came for flood relief have maintained a base of operation in a local school where thousands of volunteers have worked and a church is taking root. Litchfield said volunteer teams of South Carolina Baptists are needed to serve short-term in Detroit. There are so many different type planters here that every possible gift and strength a team might bring could easily be used. We need Vacation Bible School teams, sports camp teams, prayer walking teams, construction teams everyone. Litchfield says Detroit s poverty leads many to wonder if the city is safe for volunteers. In any city, you have to be careful, he said. But we ve never felt unsafe in our two years here. There are only certain places within Detroit where safety is an issue, but that s like every city. What most people will see is the abandonment in the suburbs. There are houses for 2 million people and only 600,000 people are here. Because of the population decline, there is also diminished resources for public services. Compared to Cleveland, where Litchfield previously served, Detroit is not experiencing a Renaissance. Cleveland has pockets of believers, where in Detroit the believers are thinly spread over the entire city. Our planters are working to show unconditional love to everyone, to build relationships with people in the community, pouring the gospel into the communities of Greater Detroit, he said. That s exactly what Danita Free, administrative assistant at Columbia s Killian Baptist Church, took away from the vision trip to Detroit. The suburbs, because of the devastation and abandonment, were a little scary looking, but the city was beautiful, she said. It was depressing simply because the people are gone and the buildings are empty. But talking with church planters and hearing their heart, I came home renewed in my spirit for missions and for the local church, she said. In Detroit, our church planters are beyond the walls of the church building, helping people in need. They aren t caught up in church traditions; they go to homes and to the streets to be with people. Here, we tend to focus on what we are doing within the church, but there they focus on going into the community and helping people. Videographer Bill Grant had been to Detroit once with his previous employer, but was in a more middle and affluent area of the city about 12 years ago. My biggest take-away on this trip was the diversity, he said. There are areas of the city where you don t hear English or see anything written in English. It was not unusual to see Muslim men in long robes followed by women in full burqa. That s how they live; that s who they are. It s a transplanted culture. But everyone is so grateful to be in the United States, Grant said. Even if they can t pay their bills or make enough 4

5 money at low-income jobs, they are so grateful to be here. There is an excitement among them. We were in one Bengali home, and they went on and on about their gratefulness. They had such a generous, hospitable spirit about them. Grant said one of the church planters and his 20 members had bought an abandoned church campus four buildings and a sanctuary on a city block for $250,000. The price was low because the area is abandoned and homes are used by squatters, who generally answer to an unofficial community mayor whose enterprises may or may not be completely legitimate. Abandoned houses have holes in roofs, open windows and graffiti on them. People living in these places will only engage people who are there living among them, Grant said. So the church planter and his people had to move there, buy and renovate property property that s not had electricity or running water for years. It s overwhelming to see church planters going to extremes to build relationships with people toward making Jesus known. It s very difficult to say no to help these servants. They are fighting there, they are up against it, and working hard to engage people. NAMB s Litchfield encouraged South Carolina Baptists to visit praydetroit.net, where they can register and connect through many prayer requests. Litchfield can be contacted by telephone at or at klitchfield@namb.net. Church-To-School Ministry SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS Alice Prevatt, a member of Temple Baptist Church in Simpsonville, remembers the day in 2009 when she heard a pastor on an Upstate radio station talk about hungry children in Fountain Inn. I called into that program, she said. I cried for three days, praying for God to open a door for me to help hungry children. I just can t stand the thought of any precious child going hungry. God answered Alice s prayers and Upstate Backpack Blessings was formed in her home, providing weekend food items for students to take home from school. Many of the children receive free breakfasts and lunches at public schools. Upstate Backpack Blessings, and programs like it, bridge the hunger gap over weekends and extended breaks in the school year. Janie Chapman State Missions Offering funds provide two training sessions each year for churches to learn about engaging local schools, provide financial assistance for some churches to start a ministry that serves local schools, and provide leadership development for a task force of state school leaders, General Assembly members, South Carolina Baptist pastors and directors of mission. Through God s blessings, we are serving into 14 schools and serve 215 children each week, Prevatt said. We send students home on the weekend with food for six meals, and we pack extra when they are away for a week or for the summer. We depend on people, churches and volunteers, Prevatt said. We try to make sure weekend backpacks include two breakfasts oatmeal, grits, breakfast bars and then items like ravioli, ramen noodles, beanie weanies, pork and beans, and stewed beef anything a child will eat and that will stay in their tummies for a while. Pudding cups, popcorn and peanut butter crackers are good, she said, noting that items like cookies might be a treat, but don t really have nutritional staying power. The food is delivered to schools on Wednesdays, and children take it home on Thursdays or Fridays. Unlike some programs that focus only on elementary schools, Upstate Backpack Blessings follows a child all the way through high school, if needed. One of the churches providing food for Upstate Backpack Blessings is First Baptist Church, Simpsonville. John Tinsley is on staff, serving in a position focused on local outreach and cultural engagement. This year, the church held a food drive for Prevatt s ecumenical ministry and food continues to come in even after the formal drive has concluded. School initiative is brand new for our church, Tinsley said. We announced our engagement in March when (State School Superintendent) Molly Spearman was at our church, speaking at the Educators Appreciation Luncheon. At the luncheon, Spearman was quoted by The Greenville News as saying, We, as educators, have been pretty 5

6 nervous about working with church folks. We re so afraid that we re going to do something wrong and break the law. I truly believe we have to stop that. We can work together as partners, because what we want to do and have to do in this state to make every child ready, we can t do this by ourselves. We have got to have help and what better partners than our friends in the faith community, she said. I tell my Christian friends that they can go into the schools. While they can t go in there talking about Jesus, they can go in there and act like Him. At that luncheon, First Baptist s pastor Wayne Bray spoke about his former church, Beulah Baptist in Douglasville, Georgia, and its church-to-school initiatives. Tinsley said, Pastor Wayne had planted the seeds of our church s involvement with schools, and then I attended one of the state convention s conferences funded by the Janie Chapman Offering. That conference solidified our involvement. We are looking at serving schools in the Upstate and we want to embed into those schools by serving as reading buddies, providing teacher appreciation activities, supporting efforts like Upstate Backpack Blessings, and whatever the schools want us to do toward loving on children and staff. We re also hoping that our involvement can be a testimony for other churches to get involved with schools, Tinsley said. There are a lot of schools in South Carolina, more than we have South Carolina Baptist churches, and so it may be that churches need to step up and serve as many schools as possible. How can we turn any of them away? As First Baptist Simpsonville said Yes, Lord to church-to-school ministries, Don Hansen, of First Baptist Church, Myrtle Beach, was saying the same thing to a reading ministry in a local elementary school. An offer to volunteer in the school quickly became a churchwide ministry supported by the entire congregation. In 2015, Hansen attended an Impact Conference breakout session led by Emory Hiott, children s minister at First Baptist Charleston, who shared about her church s reading ministry. A few months later, as I was teaching a children s Bible study, I asked a few to read some verses. They struggled to read, and it was excruciating to watch. I realized we can t make disciples out of people who can t read, Hansen said. In October 2015, Hansen approached the principal of Myrtle Beach Elementary to get started because, as he put it, I felt convicted that if I didn t do this, I would be disobedient to God s call. At first, Hansen met a few teachers and read to their classes. Then he was paired with two students that he now reads with for an hour on Mondays, and tutors in math for an hour on Wednesdays. He also volunteers every Wednesday morning helping teachers with odds and ends, and then in a classroom with students who need extra attention. He doesn t allow any moment at the school to be wasted. After establishing a consistent presence in the school, Hansen invited members of First Church Myrtle Beach to join him. I was the first to jump in the pool, and told them the water s fine, come join me, he said. Interest increased as Hansen excitedly shared his experiences, and by November the church named First Baptist Church Reading Buddies as a formal outreach initiative. Volunteers sought approval through the school district, and 16 went through a school orientation in December. I have been received with arms wide open at the elementary school. Someone thanked me for being there and said, You have already made such a difference in our school. I thought, you ain t seen nothing yet! I have a whole lot of friends who are preparing to invade this school for God s kingdom, Hansen said. Hansen said he s already seen how spending weekly time with a child creates stability for them. That time each week might be the only attention that child gets, so you become important in their world. There are people in Myrtle Beach literally dying for us to get out of this church and impact their lives. First Simpsonville s John Tinsley affirmed Hansen s testimony about schools wanting the partnership with churches. So many times, we think of schools and say Put prayer back in school or we lament that God has been taken out of school but church-to-school ministry allows us you and me to be the prayer and to be a reflection of Jesus in the schools. We can t be a spectator any longer. It s a blessing to be involved. 6

7 Church Planting / The Missional Church Funds from the Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions are used each year to help church plants, mission outposts, and existing churches reach unreached and under-reached people. Freedom Biker Church, in Aiken, and the mission work of Open Arms Fellowship, in Hampton, are two examples. Freedom Biker Church For seven years, Pastor Gary Hannah served Redds Branch Baptist Church, in Aiken, and while he loved the church, God was turning his passion somewhere else. And as that passion heated up, Gary Hannah said, Yes, Lord. About 19 years ago, my wife and I began riding bikes (motorcycles), Hannah said. We rode with South Carolina Faith Riders through the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Through that experience we saw mission opportunities as we rode around Aiken, but also as we served during Bike Week at Myrtle Beach. We saw hard core bikers come to Jesus bikers who weren t interested in the traditional church. Of course, to be honest, the traditional church wasn t interested in the bikers either. For years, we prayed about the biker mission field and our place in it, and I realized that I had a passion for bikers. The Lord let me to plant Freedom Biker Church in Aiken. Freedom Biker Church, of Clayton, North Carolina, is a network of 11 churches under the vision statement of We are a brotherhood of bikers bound by a faith relationship in Jesus Christ, a passion for bikers and the freedom of the open road. Bikers reaching bikers with the message of true freedom in Jesus Christ. Connecting with the Freedom Biker Church network in 2013, Hannah used the organization s model for planting the Aiken church in November Janie Chapman Missions Offering funds have assisted the church in hosting Bike Nights, conducting its weekly Sunday meetings, and beginning a small group culture toward reaching the biker community. In the first year, we had 27 baptisms, he said. We have gone from a core group of six people to about 90 that call us their church home. Freedom Biker Church meets at a former homeless / rescue shelter in Gloverville, South Carolina between North Augusta and Aiken, in Aiken County. Hannah has a unique perspective, having served in a traditional South Carolina Baptist church and then planting a very untraditional church, reaching a unique population group. Most churches operate from the mindset of come to us, preparing for and expecting people to come to services and activities at the church property, Hannah said. That s not a criticism, but with Freedom Biker Church and many church plants our mindset is more we go to them. Our church understands the concept that church occurs Monday-Saturday, and then we gather on Sunday to celebrate. One of the ways that Freedom Biker Church goes into the community is through one-day motorcycle training events, helping motorcycle police officers, sharing the gospel and feeding people in community settings. Bible Studies and an evangelistic bike ride to the mountains are being planned for later in We believe in building relationships with people, Hannah said. To reach bikers, members of our church must sometimes go to places where people might not want to go. We are definitely reaching people with the gospel in places other churches don t feel comfortable going. There are three kinds of people that we see at our church, Hannah said. We see people who are already walking with the Lord and want to worship with us, and some are not bikers. We see people who have been hurt by a church somewhere, and they appreciate our transparency, our honesty and that everything is real and open. We see people who are not walking with the Lord, but who come to know Jesus. But the thing that brings us all together is that there is an openness about our church and a message that we are all broken and in the business of being repaired by the gospel. We talk a lot about second chances and that we do second chances really well, he said. Original vision-casting saw Freedom Biker Church as an adult-focused church, but hurting families have come, bringing 7

8 children and students. That s led to age-focused ministries. The typical Sunday morning at Freedom Biker Church begins with a one-hour time of fellowship from 9-10 because bikers like to hang out. At 10 the group forms a prayer circle which is followed by a worship rally at 10:30. On Wednesday nights, there is a Refuel Bible Study at 6:30. Hannah said, We have a bell that we call the Freedom Bell. When someone is saved, we ring the bell. One of the remarkable things is that our people are leading others to Jesus it s not just the pastor. Sometimes, I m outside talking to folk and I hear the bell ring. It s a cool thing to know many of those coming to Jesus are coming by the witness of someone else in the church. Open Arms Fellowship Pastor James Porter thought he was going to Western Canada as a church planter. That was the plan until God said, You match up well with Open Arms Fellowship in Hampton, South Carolina and after initially resisting, Porter said, Yes, Lord. What came from the partnership of James Porter, the churches of the Allendale-Hampton Baptist Association, and Opens Arm Fellowship is arguably one of the best missional examples of church-to-community relationships in South Carolina. I was going to be a church planter, had gone through training with the North American Mission Board, and was ready to go to Western Canada to be a church planter, Porter, originally of Easley, said. NAMB asked me to come down to Hampton for a year to help Open Arms discover its values and its vision. After that year, God began to work on me about staying. I resisted it because I had no desire to stay. I was going to Canada to plant churches. But the call was so persistent and so real, and so audible, that I decided to stay. I ve been here for seven years now. God spoke again to James Porter. In 2012, God instructed the church to purchase the local Hampton skating rink, which came with a half-size Olympic swimming pool, and two other buildings. The property was in horrible shape and I said, God, no thanks, I don t think I want it, Porter said. We had eliminated some of our church debt and this was going to be additional debt. But finally I took it to our elders and we began praying. God arranged for us to get the property with the goal of it being a mission center. This time, it was Open Arms Fellowship that said, Yes, Lord. We named it Connexxiionn with the double letters identifying the partnerships occurring through the center, he said. It brought our church together with other churches, the association, and community and government organizations to build missional relationships. About 100 families benefit from a food distribution each Monday, including fresh bread, produce and meat. Partners include Open Arms Fellowship; Brunson Baptist Church, of Brunson; First Baptist Church, Hampton; United Ministries of Hampton County; and Second Helpings, a non-profit, South Carolina Angel Charity, providing refrigerated food delivery to food pantries in South Carolina s Low Country. At-risk teens receive help with homework, recreation time and character-building time through Teens After School, meeting at Connexxiionns, Mondays through Thursdays from 3-6 p.m. Many of the students elect to attend a voluntary, 30-minute Bible Study. Quarterly, meals are cooked and provided for families of the teens, and volunteers including Porter - are mentoring many of the students. The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice is a partner in the effort. Camp Wildwood, using the Connexxionn pool and nearby high school facilities, reaches about 600 children from three counties each summer, teaching water safety, character building, sports camps, and incorporating Bible Study. Open Arms provides a few volunteers each summer to help the community-centered camp, now in its 11th year. In partnership with Unchartered Waters (UW) Sports Ministry, 2016 is the third year of a sports camp reaching almost 150 children, most of which are not connected to the area churches involved. Porter says the camps 8

9 have helped remove racial barriers in the community. Occurring the week of July 4, the camp is similar to Vacation Bible School wrapped around sports. Brunson Baptist; First Baptist Church, Varnville; Open Arms Fellowship; and Sandy Run Baptist Church, Hampton are all partners in the camp led by UW Sports Ministry college students. Churches from all around the Allendale-Hampton Baptist Association come together to feed more than 3,500 each year at Thanksgiving. Some churches provide financial contributions, some provide volunteers, and some provide both. Porter said half the meals are served on-site and half are taken by volunteers back to their local church communities for distribution. Janie Chapman State Mission funds have helped churches like Open Arms Fellowship purchase supplies for block parties, evangelism and discipleship books, and other necessary supplies and promotion materials to communicate within the community. Funds also help send leaders, like Porter, to specific training events designed to help those in missional service. We are considering using two other buildings on the Connexxiionns grounds, Porter said. We want one building to serve as a transitional home for a family up to one year. During that year, we would help the family with parenting and prepare them for home ownership. The other building, which was partially burned, is on our wish list as a safe haven shelter for women and children with the support of our local sheriff s department. This is a great time to be on mission and to see the Lord work through so many people to serve so many people. CONCLUSION Jesus lovingly, gently, and kindly speaks to each of us throughout our lives and asks us to Feed His sheep. We respond to Him in a variety of ways faithful service, ministry, prayer, and the sharing of our resources. All are needed for the work of ministries across our state to be instrumental in helping to lead people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. We often think, I am but one person. How can I possibly make a difference? You can and you do! It has been said often, Jesus is not as concerned with our ability as he is with our availability. Faithful servants, hear Jesus saying to you, Feed My lambs, Shepherd My sheep, Feed My sheep. And, in turn, may Jesus hear you respond, Yes, Lord! 9

10 Procedures for All Ages 1. Read Yes, Lord! 2. Pray for guidance as you prepare and lead this season of prayer. Pray for those who will participate. 3. Obtain resource items needed. If you need any of the materials listed on page 18, contact South Carolina WMU at the phone number or address found on page Study the plan for your age-level. 5. Gather resources and materials for each activity. 6. Enlist others to assist you. ADULTS - Rob and Nancy Pierce, Pastor and WMU Director, Latta Baptist Church, Latta, Writers Display: South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief and Baptist Collegiate Ministry logos (can be retrieved from the website, a Detroit Tigers (MLB) or Detriot Lions (NFL) logo; a baseball cap or jersey from each of your local schools. Music: Choose a hymn from the following; Come, All Christians Be Committed, Baptist Hymnal 2008 edition, page 371 or Trust and Obey, Baptist Hymnal 2008 edition, page 500 or use a more contemporary song like Go Light Your World by Kathy Troccoli, available from itunes for.99 cents. Meal: Plan a basic meal like one used on the field at Disaster Relief sites. Use the hinged Styrofoam to go boxes that are available at most grocery stores. An example of the meal may be chicken bog, green beans, and cole slaw, served with a piece of white bread. Use the plastic fork sets that are pre-packaged with salt and pepper. Teaching Procedures: Review the information on this year s theme and emphasis using this Leader s Guide. Also review the videos on the State Missions DVD. Pray and ask God to reveal truth to you to assist you in your teaching. Enlist someone in your church or area that has been affected by a natural disaster. You may also enlist a volunteer who has helped with Disaster Relief. Have these folks share a testimony of how they were impacted by the disaster. You may make a video in advance in order to edit for time constraints or to utilize a volunteer who may not be able to attend your study. Share information from the Leader s Guide. Use this opportunity to promote the next Disaster Relief training in your area. Have someone lead in prayer for our South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief teams and leadership. Have someone share a testimony of a partnership missions trip in which they ve participated. Have them share their experiences regarding the lostness they encountered in people s lives. Share information about the Detroit partnership. Use this opportunity to promote an upcoming partnership missions trip. Pray for those serving in Detroit and for those who ve already responded to God by saying Yes, Lord! Enlist a local school teacher or guidance counselor to share with the church the needs of their students. Many will not know that there are children in their community who are living in substandard housing with no electricity or water; children who are homeless; children who will go to bed hungry each night. Share information about the church-to-school partnerships. Make a list of ways your church can help meet the needs of students in your local school. Interview a church planter. Share the statistics of lostness in that church planter s area. Share information on church planting from the Leader s Guide. Consider the options your church has to partner with a church planter by praying for 10

11 them, providing needs that the church may have, or by planning a missions trip to assist the church planter. Share specifically about the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering and how it is used in ministry in the areas presented. The State Missions DVD and the WMU website ( both have an allocations sheet with information about other areas of ministry which receive funding from the Janie Chapman Offering. Tell participants that giving to the Janie Chapman offering is one way to say Yes, Lord! Give participants a Janie Chapman offering envelope. Tell the participants about opportunities for them to say Yes, Lord! by actually going on a missions trip, participating in disaster relief opportunities, or being involved in meeting the needs of a local school. Be creative in giving everyone an opportunity to say Yes, Lord! Participants can also say Yes, Lord! through their prayer life. Using the prayer guide, they can pray for specific ministries, missionaries, and church planters right here in South Carolina. As you close, make sure you lead in prayer for the various ministries and for the Janie Chapman offering. STUDENTS- Michelle Todd, Youth on Mission Leader, Little Bethel Baptist Church, Mullins, Writer SUPPLY LIST: Items that you need for a disaster response (bucket, cleaning supplies, sponges, etc.) SC map Outline map of Detroit Map of Detroit cut into puzzle pieces according to the size of your group Detroit Facts (optional) Backpack of food items (crackers, spaghetti, mac & cheese, etc.) Pencils or pens Tape Prayer Journal or 5 5x7 index cards per student to write prayer request Posters identifying each area of study Volunteer for each station PREPARATION: Pray for God s guidance and wisdom to give you direction and strengthen you. Read the 2016 Season of Prayer For State Missions Leader s Guide. SET UP: Prepare your room with four stations. Each station will have a table with supplies that support one of the ministries highlighted in this year s study. Display a poster identifying the ministry highlighted at that station. As participants arrive, welcome them and let them know the purpose of this study - to be a willing servant who is committed to prayer and to saying Yes, Lord. Visit each station, allowing six to eight minutes per station for discussion, prayer requests and prayer for that ministry. 11

12 FIRST STATION: Display the items that relate to a disaster. Share information related to Disaster Relief/Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Ask students, By saying Yes Lord, how did the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) meet the needs of the floods victims? How is the BCM continuing to minister and share Christ even though the flood is over? Ask students to write a prayer asking God how He can use you in this ministry. Pray. SECOND STATION: Ask students to imagine a state that is in North America but has a large Muslim population and is like a country overseas. Show the outline map of Detroit Share information on the Detroit partnership. Ask students to name some hardships that Kevin Litchfield (NAMB) and other church planters encounter. How are these church planters showing unconditional love and building relationships to help make Jesus known in Detroit? Have each student take a puzzle piece and place puzzle pieces to form the state of Detroit on the map. Ask students to write a prayer request for lost people of Detroit and the church planters working there. Pray. THIRD STATION: Ask participants, Can you imagine how it feels to be hungry? To go home and have no food in the cabinets or refrigerator or not have any food for several days? Show the backpack with food. Share information related to the Church-to-School Ministry Ask participants, How is the Upstate Backpack Blessings bridging the gap between church and school? How can our church minister to a local school? Ask students to write a prayer request asking God what they can do to make sure that no children ever be hungry. Pray. FOURTH STATION: Share information related to Church Planting/The Missional Church (Freedom Biker) Ask How is the Freedom Biker Church planting churches within biker groups? What other special interest type groups might be the basis for a new church? Ask students to write a prayer request for Pastor Gary Hannah as he continues to lead the lost to Jesus. Pray. Share information related to Open Arms Fellowship Ask How did one year of service for Pastor James Porter turn into a seven year vision to reach so many? Has God ever led you in unexpected ways? Ask students to write a prayer request for Pastor James Porter as he continues to reach the lost. Pray. Read John 21:15-17 Jesus confirms His love for Peter even though Peter failed him, and gives Peter the opportunity to confess his love to Jesus. As we pray daily, God gives us the opportunity to confess our love for Him. He shows us those who have spiritual and physical needs and empowers us to meet those needs. Let it be our daily desire to think of others, care for others, do for 12

13 others, and try to lessen the sadness and increase the joy of this sinful world by saying Yes, Lord. Give each student a Prayer Guide and a State Missions Offering envelope. Encourage each to continue to pray for the needs, prayer requests and give as God leads them to give. Close in prayer. CHILDREN Sallee Weston, GA Leader, First Baptist Church, Columbia, Writer OVERVIEW: Children will learn about State Missions and how to adopt a missional lifestyle as they pray and give to support missions throughout South Carolina, with emphasis on the Janie Chapman Offering. (1 hour, total session) PREPARATION: Segment 1, read: Disaster Relief / Baptist Collegiate Ministry in the Leader s Guide. Choose to share highlights of the story that will be understood by your target age group. Provide 7 4x6 index cards for each child for prayer bookmark craft, plain white printer paper or manila paper, markers, tape, crayons, powdered lemonade drink mix, small and large zip top bags, construction paper, scissors, birdseed. Segment 2, read: School Partnerships: School Partnerships: Church-to-School Ministry. Bring a sampling of non-perishable food items, or ask your group members on a prior week to bring one item each from a prepared list. Segment 3, read: Church Planting: Church Planting / The Missional Church: Open Arms Fellowship. Provide plain white paper, construction paper, markers or crayons. Cut out the shape of a T-shirt (see pattern on page 15) and arms. With markers or crayons write, The Open Arms Fellowship, folding the paper arms inward, like a hug. You will tape the hands the children make to the T-shirt. Provide birdseed and small zip top bags to make seeds of faith. Children may also make a church bank to encourage giving to the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering. If children choose to make this bank, they will need to tape index cards together to make a church shape (see pattern on page 15). OPENING (5 minutes): Say: Does it seem to you sometimes that you are too young to do the most fun or really important things in life? You may have to grow another few inches to go on a big ride at the fair, or maybe you think setting the table at home for a meal is not as important as your parent or older sibling cooking and preparing the meal (or driving to a fast food restaurant for a quick order to go!). The truth is, when you love God and want to honor Him with your life, you don t have to wait until you grow up to be part of His mission. You can learn, pray and give to support missions just as you are! (Explain about the Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions.) STORY (15 minutes): Tell the story of the continuous rain that resulted in the severe flooding in our state. Since South Carolina residents were affected in different ways with a range of mild to severe impacts (some students just missed school while others lost homes or loved ones), please be sensitive to the children s experience with the flooding. Emphasize the collegiate ministry helpers who volunteered to clean up homes, provide food and share the Gospel, as well as responses by South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief. 13

14 SHARE THE BIBLE VERSE: Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. (NIV) 1 Timothy 4:12 The story concludes with the statement by Avery Fox, Everyone can help in this long-term recovery rebuild. Read the Bible verse above and lead older students to repeat the verse with you. Ask for suggestions from students on how they can contribute to the recovery efforts: pray for those most affected, host a lemonade stand to raise funds to donate to South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief, donate gently used clothing and children s books to local shelters, provide outreach to families by planning events at their local church where families can be fed and children can enjoy activities which promote discipleship and encouragement. MISSIONS ACTIVITY (10 minutes): Draw an outline of South Carolina on a sheet for children to color. Remind them of the story of Noah and suggest a rainbow and sunshine in their picture to show hope for a brighter future after recovery from the flood. Let the older children make bookmarks by folding index cards in half so they are long. Have them decorate them to place in church pews for members to use in their Bibles as a reminder to pray for communities affected by the South Carolina Flood. Place a few teaspoons of powdered lemonade drink mix into each small zip top bag for the children to take home and share with a neighbor to give refreshment. Explain that while people often choose to help in response to a disaster, there are needs year round for food donations. Share how Alice Prevatt, and her church, Temple Baptist in Simpsonville, started a ministry called Upstate Backpack Blessings to help feed children affected by hunger. Recite the focal passage, [Peter] said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said, Feed my sheep. John 21:17b Discuss the variety of non-perishable food items (cereal bars, macaroni & cheese boxes or single serve microwave meals, peanut butter or cheese cracker packs, canned meat sticks or ravioli) that can easily be enjoyed by a child who is affected by hunger, especially on weekends when they do not have meals at school. Place assorted items into large zip top bags for donation to a local school for at risk students. MISSIONS ACTIVITY (10 minutes): Help the children to trace their hands on printer paper or manila paper. Using scissors let the children trim out the hands, then tape them onto construction paper arms. Place this on top of a paper cut in the shape of a T-shirt. With markers or crayons write, The Open Arms Fellowship, folding the paper arms inward, like a hug. Let the children place birdseed in a small zip top bag and tape onto the craft. Ask them to share it with a neighbor and invite them to church by spreading seeds of faith. Tell about Pastor James Porter and his church in Hampton, South Carolina. Say: Do you know that everything you have is provided for you by God? Even your very life is a gift from God. Sometimes when we receive a gift of money, we leap from the thought of thank you to it s mine, and I can spend it on what I want. As followers of Jesus, we must remember that He gave everything, His very life on the cross, to save us from our sins and to give us a relationship with God. While learning about serving God and growing in our faith, we discover that we are stewards or managers, and what we have really belongs to God. As we choose to spend our time, money, and talents, let s remember to make choices that please Him. Have children tape index cards together to make a church shaped bank to hold their offering. Have markers or crayons so they can personalize their design. Recite the verse below. 14

15 Bible Verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace in its various forms. (NIV) 1 Peter 4:10 CLOSING (10 minutes): Discuss how the Janie Chapman Offering is a state offering that keeps the donated money in South Carolina and also supports the state Baptist camps. Invite them to share about Camp McCall and Camp La Vida, if they have attended these camps. Describe activities like: swimming, canoeing, archery, Bible study, missionaries and crafts. Tell how much fun children have when attending either camp in the summer, and that many make decisions to follow Jesus. Explain that at these camps they learn about missionaries, ministries and how we all can be on mission to tell others about Jesus while participating in daily activities. End the session by inviting the children to pray, if they wish, and then by closing the meeting time with the following prayer requests: South Carolina flood victims: that people would continue to care for neighbors who are still recovering from loss of homes, cars, or especially, lost loved ones Churches to build partnerships with schools to provide food, and also to establish and grow Bible studies For churches in small communities to thrive and partner to grow new churches For people to give generously to the Janie Chapman offering to continue to support missions projects, church planting, camps, and more. Items Needed: 7 4x6 Index Cards Tape Paper Cross or Stickers Instructions: Remove shaded corners of front and back cards Tape edges together Decorate with paper cross or stickers 4 X 2 Front & Back X 2 Sides (Left & Right) X 2 Roof 1 Base 15

16 PRESCHOOL Jamie Fay Padgett and Amanda Richards, Mission Friends Teachers, Nixville Baptist Church, Estill, Writers Concept Areas: Jesus, Family, Friends, Community, and the World Teaching Aims: Preschoolers will understand more about working together and helping one another. Bible Thoughts: (1) We work together. 1 Corinthians 3:9, (2) Help one another. Galatians 5:13 and (3) Do not forget to do good and to share with others. Hebrews 13:16 Preparation: Pray for God s guidance as you are preparing this material and for the preschoolers you will be teaching. Read the 2016 Season of Prayer Leader s Guide and be prepared to share the story about Disaster Relief and Baptist Collegiate Ministry with the preschoolers. Gather the material you will need for the interest areas below. Greeting: Welcome preschoolers. Greet them at their eye level and invite them to have a seat. Ask them to talk about their house, their school, a park, their favorite place to go, etc. Say: I am going to share a story about college students who helped others when their house, school, or park was flooded. Group Time: Last October, Anna Fox, a college student, and her family lost their entire house in a flood. The Director of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), Kendal Danford heard about the Fox s situation and he said When you deal with a natural disaster like this, you see a need and then meet a need. Danford organized a team of student volunteers and trained them and then they went and helped the Fox family. When the team of volunteers arrived at the home, Mr. Fox was extremely surprised because he didn t know what would happen to them if they did not get help. Ask: What does it mean to be a volunteer? Why should we help people we don t know? Stop Here for Threes and Fours Continue for Kindergarten: Carlee Campbell, a student volunteer, said I have seen what help like this can do for a family. I try to imagine if I lost my home and what that would mean to me. It s humbling, and makes me appreciative to have this huge opportunity to say yes to God, to serve people, and to show God s love. Austin Holder, another student volunteer, said It was easy to give up less than a week of my summer vacation to help people whose homes were destroyed. Mr. Fox said, Everyone has something to offer to help a family in need and give them a sense of hope. Ask: How could you help people who are in need? Homeliving: Include different clothing or items that might represent volunteers who would help during a time of need. Examples: hard hat for construction, nurse, doctor, yellow hat (Disaster Relief), etc. Encourage the preschoolers to try on this clothing or use the items. Talk about how the person using the items or clothing might help someone who has a need. Music and Movement: Play the song I m Trading My Sorrows (Yes, Lord!). Have the preschoolers sing and try to act out the chorus. The movements are as follows: I m trading my sorrows (move hands in front of eyes like they are crying) I m trading my shame (cover face with hands and forearm) I m laying them down (put your hands down as if you are laying something down) 16