THE CLARION JESUS CHRIST UPCOMING EVENTS 4.2 MILLION PEOPLE OVER 200 CHURCHES INLAND EMPIRE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION OCTOBER VOLUME 50 ISSUE 10 REACHING

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1 THE CLARION INLAND EMPIRE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION OCTOBER VOLUME 50 ISSUE 10 OVER 200 CHURCHES REACHING 4.2 MILLION PEOPLE WITH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST UPCOMING EVENTS October State Convention November 3 Golf Tournament October 23 Next Gen Conference November 4 Annual Meeting December 5 Christmas Dinner Inland Empire iesba 3210 E. Guasti Rd. Suite 545 Ontario, CA 91761

2 Page 2 DERYL LACKEY DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS Greetings in the name of our Lord. As always I want to thank you for your support of our ministries. I would like to invite you to our Annual Meeting, which we have scheduled for November 4 at the Gateway Seminary Chapel in Ontario. The meeting will begin at 11:00 am, with lunch being served around 11:30. In addition to hearing about the work here in our region over this last year, you will also meet a couple of people who are important in our association s life. Our new Executive Director of the California State Convention, Bill Agee, is going to take some time over lunch to share with us his journey, thoughts about his new assignment here in California, and to answer questions. I want to encourage you to come and meet him as he has a sizable and challenging assignment from God, leading our state convention into the future. Our association has partnered with the North American Mission Board to help a church plant in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver is one of NAMB s Send Cites and is a remarkable and challenging city for church planting. However, it may be one of the most strategic cities in Canada when it comes to spreading the gospel. Pastor Nathan Ammons and his wife are in the process of planting a church in the former Olympic Village. Pastor Nathan will be at the Annual Meeting to speak to us about his church plant. I want to encourage you to come and meet him, hear about Vancouver, and learn how your church can go on an International Mission trip. Please mark your calendar and join us November 4. CLAUDIO MEDINA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS As we look ahead we see new church starts in the Inland Empire. We are seeing extensive construction of homes in the Eastvale corridor and North Fontana area. Spring Advance/CLD Seminary classes will be starting in January We will start accepting applications in the next few weeks. We are having a great Fall semester, with 38 students participating in our very first Advance/CLD courses. This is a great opportunity for those who are busy working, raising families, and already involved in ministry to attend classes in the evenings and Saturday mornings. These are undergraduate courses from Gateway Seminary with certificate and diploma programs, and we offer classes in both English and Spanish. I would like to thank Pastor Luis Arroyo and his wife, Maria, for 13 years of dedicated service in organizing the youth camp for our association. I would also like to thank José and Linda Arías for coming alongside them for so many years and making this a very successful camp. Let us remain in prayer for Pastor Javier (Nelson) Chavez as he will take over the responsibilities of organizing and implementing this camp program. Congratulations to Pastor Randy Lanthripe and his wife, Cindy, for leading Church in the Valley in Diamond Bar for 30 years. They started this church and have birthed several new churches as a result of their faithfulness to our Lord. We would like to thank Pastor Javier Chavez for leading the Spanish marriage retreat last month at Tahquitz Pines. We also just completed a 2-day Spanish Church Planting certification program. I would like to thank Pastor Victor Pulido and Pastor Daniel Paredes for organizing this training. It is our pleasure and a great blessing to serve the local church in fulfilling the Great Commission. To God be the glory!

3 Page 3 BRUCE HITCHCOCK CHURCH GROWTH STRATEGIST Fellowship with God It is a shameful thing for a man to profess discipleship and yet refuse to learn his Lord s will upon certain points, or even dare to decline obedience when that will is known. How can a man be a disciple of Christ when he openly lives in disobedience to Him? Charles Spurgeon There has never been a time in the history of Christianity when the knowledge of God was so available and studied. However, the knowledge of God is not God s primary goal for the believer. Spiritual growth is the primary goal of discipleship. Our goal should be obedience to the Word of God leading to love and service for His honor and glory. Discipleship leads to spiritual growth and directs us toward spiritual maturity. However, spiritual maturity is not an attainable goal; it is a lifelong journey that will continue until death or the return of Jesus. Spiritual growth is essential to a continuing relationship with God (John 15:4, 2 Timothy 3:14, and 1 John 3:24). Our lives are an emotional and experiential roller coaster. Growing in our knowledge of God and willingly participating in His plan for our lives draws us nearer to Him and farther from the darkness of this world. Our spiritual growth, and its subsequent reward, provides us with a much smoother path in life (Proverbs 3:5-6). When we acknowledge God in all ways, placing Him first in all we do and say, He leads us on the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3). To this, you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). CLD/ADVANCE AT GATEWAY SEMINARY The CLD/ADVANCE courses launched at Gateway Seminary last month, with 38 enrolled students. Classes are being offered in English and Spanish. The ADVANCE center at Gateway is established under a cooperative agreement between Gateway Seminary and the Southern Baptist Association. It began with the mission to provide accessible ministry training at a post-high school level. Since 1980, dozens of ADVANCE centers teaching classes in several languages have offered affordable, quality education to ministry leaders across the United States and around the globe. ADVANCE offers courses (depending on location) in the following ministry areas: Chaplaincy, Children's Ministry, Christian Ministry, Christian Studies, Church Education, Church Planting, Discipleship, Leadership, Missions, Music Ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Peer Counseling, Preaching, and Women's Ministry. The next courses will begin in January.

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6 Page 6 DISASTER RELIEF-HURRICANE HARVEY Magnolia Church 8351 Magnolia Ave, Riverside, CSBC Disaster Relief has been activated for mass feeding in Texas in response to Hurricane Harvey, according to Mike Bivins, CSBC DR coordinator. With the one-two punch of these devastating hurricanes, Bivins noted, our prayers are needed more than ever for the residents of Texas and Louisiana as they attempt to recover and for Florida and Georgia who find themselves in the direct path of Irma. The most important thing for California Southern Baptists to do now is pray for victims and relief efforts and donate to CSBC Disaster Relief. Contributions may be used for the preparation of meals, cleanup of homes, recovery assistance and transportation of equipment for this and future disasters. Donations can be made online at csbc.com. Gifts also may be mailed to CSBC, 678 E Shaw Ave., Fresno CA and designated for Disaster Relief. Pastor s Wives Retreat 2017 The Southern California Pastor's Wives retreat was amazing!! 65 wives met at Tahquitz Pines in Idyllwild. The theme this year was Sparkle, and the key verse was Isaiah 60:1 Rise up and shine. Rhonda Stoppe, a pastor s wife, speaker, and author did an amazing job as the main speaker, and Candace Hunt, from Lakeshore City Church in Corona, led in worship and did a great job. There were crafts, a talent show, classes, an auction, and fun! Women went home refreshed and ready to do the work God has called them to do. We would like to thank all the women who helped in making this retreat a success.

7 Page 7 PASTOR S WIVES DESSERT NIGHT The pastor's wives dessert was a great success. There were 40 wives in attendance and shared great fellowship and amazing desserts. We will begin doing an event like this once a quarter at Gateway Seminary. The next one will be in January. Further details will follow. PASTOR S BREAKFAST SCHEDULE: 1st Wednesday of the month: 8:00 am, The Original Pancake House, 1750 Hamner Ave., Norco - (951) st Thursday of the month: 11:00 am, Asian Buffet, Twentynine Palms Hwy, #101, Yucca Valley nd Monday of the month: 8:00 am, Coco s Bakery, Bradley Road, Sun City nd Tuesday of the month: 8:00 am, IHop, 4422 Ontario Mills Pkwy, Ontario, CA (909) Last Saturday of the month: 8:00 am, Spanish Breakfast, location: contact Claudio Medina: SPANISH MARRIAGE RETREAT 2017 The Spanish Marriage Retreat was held on September 8-10 at Tahquitz Pines in Idyllwild, and was a great success! 24 couples attended and heard our speaker, Pastor Javier Chavez of Hosanna Christian Fellowship in San Jacinto, teach how to have an exceptional marriage.

8 (UPS ) Inland Empire Southern Baptist Association of California 3210 E. Guasti Rd. Suite 545, Ontario, CA Periodicals Postage Paid Telephone: (909) Periodicals Paid at Ontario, California Published Monthly INLAND EMPIRE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION STAFF Deryl Lackey Director of Missions Robert Hendricks Pastoral Care Claudio Medina Associate Director of Missions Brenda Lackey Office Manager Bruce Hitchcock Church Growth Strategist Angela Mantzey Graphics Specialist