Ignite: Setting Our Churches on Fire, One Soul at a Time!

Transcription

1 just another nikkel s worth 3 Online Edition March 2018 Volume 34 Issue 1 Ignite: Setting Our Churches on Fire, One Soul at a Time! Dale Bascue The Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network held the 2018 Evangelism Conference on January 29 and 30 at the Ramkota Hotel in Casper. The theme of the conference was Ignite: Setting Our Churches on Fire, One Soul at a Time! It featured speakers from within the state as well as from outside the state. The opening session featured Mark Hensley, pastor from Hill Top Baptist Church in Green River, Wyoming. Mark brought an encouraging message reminding pastors of the value and importance of their wives in their ministries. The speakers in the evening services on the first day were Jerry Martin, Missionary for Sharing Christ from the Utah/ Idaho Baptist Convention, and Don McCutcheon, founder and president of Don McCutcheon Ministries from South Carolina. Both messages culminated in a time of prayer that God would send His Spirit on the individuals and churches of Wyoming. Several men and women knelt in prayer seeking a new revival. The second day of the Evangelism Conference featured Pastor Todd Olson from Cambria Community Church in Newcastle, Wyoming. Todd encouraged attendants to remember that the place God has called them to serve is holy ground because God is there. Evening services again featured Evangelism Conference participants. Don McCutcheon and Jerry Martin. Scott Baxter, music minister at Boyd Avenue Baptist Church in Casper, provided the music for the conference. He was accompanied by several musicians from other Casper area churches. The afternoon sessions were made up of two different breakouts. Jerry Martin, along with his wife v Learn about the Youth Evangelism Conference on page 7. Bonnie, led a breakout designed to increase prayer in our churches. The Martins have been trained by LifeWay Christian Resources to lead Prayer photo provided Bootcamp, a workshop designed by Claude King and the Kendrick brothers, which has grown out of the movie War Room. The breakout was well received and well attended. Many comments indicated that principles of prayer ministry were learned that will be showing up in the churches of the WSBMN. Don McCutcheon led the other breakout. After years of ministry in both local churches and denominational work, Don has developed the Intentional Evangelism Church Strategy. This workshop emphasized the importance See CONFERENCE on pg. 2

2 2 news March 2018 First Person: Must We Choose Preferences? John Yeats YEATS JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) -- I was reading my half-folded Wall Street Journal. I got to the fold and subconsciously realized my index finger was attempting to scroll the rest of the article up the page. I suppose I am caught in a time warp, preferring to smell ink and read hard copy and at the same time live in an age of digital communications. I can hear a purist for print and/or digital attempting to say, Choose between the two. I say not so fast. There is room for both. No need to create a hardline subculture for digital- and another for hard-copy enthusiasts. I can operate in the world of digital communications and still read books, newspapers and letters. Just because someone prefers one or the other does not mean I have to choose between the two. A recent Wall Street Journal article, What Is the Perfect Age? (Jan. 16, 2018), focused on researchers exploring certain preferences by certain age groups, and what is the best age to be alive. One person wanted to be in his 30s for 100 years, saying he had yet to fall in love and establish a career. Researchers found that many people in their 50s don t want to be 30. Seventy-year-olds are some of the most satisfied because they are the most time affluent, though no age group wants to look old. According to the research, the best time to make a financial decision is 50, while the best time to get a cellphone is 12. Best time to body build: 25. As you can quickly ascertain, asking people to make a choice for the best age is ripe for forming divisions based on chronological age. Yet it is Jesus who teaches His followers to Therefore don t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34 CSB). It is part of our human nature (one of the worst parts) for us to take our preferences and canonize them. Then we think, and too often verbalize, that if you are not also embracing my preferences, then shame on you! Why are we always picking and choosing people based on our personal list of preferences? Doesn t it sound rather juvenile to think, I don t like you because you don t measure up to my preferences, or you aren t the right age, or you don t like to do the things I like to do? From a biblical perspective, let s face the reality that we are all broken vessels and we all must come to God the same way: through the Lord Jesus. If we are to be His disciples, we must take our preferences to the altar and lay them down. We must live in the power of the Holy Spirit and with a perspective of truth based on the principles revealed in the Word of God. Sounds simple. Yet it s difficult because our preferences are often deeply ingrained within us from our childhood, where broken parents are attempting to train broken children in wisdom with God and man. However, part of our learning to be a disciple includes surrendering every area of our lives to the lordship of Christ, including our preferences. Too often in our churches we place someone s preferences over another. Such divisions have tragic spiritual and practical consequences. At a recent conference breakout, the leader made the statement that for years Baptists had a church planting strategy -- church splits. And sadly, the split typically does not involve a biblical issue. Most often the conflict rises from someone s preferences clashing with another person s preferences. The conflict takes such a toll on those involved that they are more focused on winners and losers than those who are lost and in desperate need of the Savior. Furthermore, to make healthy progress in reaching a community with the Gospel, it would be good for leaders in churches that have experienced a split to rediscover reconciliation. Imagine the power of conversations where surrendered preferences, forgiveness and reconciliation are the topics of the day. The outcome of such conversations does not necessarily mean the churches merge back together, but that is not beyond possibility. It does mean that the people of God can rekindle the vision of God to reach people with the love of God demonstrated through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. John Yeats is executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention and recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention. This column first appeared at The Pathway (mbcpathway.com), newsjournal of the Missouri Baptist Convention. CONFERENCE continued from pg. 1 of evangelism and discipleship and how it should permeate every area of church ministry. This workshop was also well attended and received. Again, principles were learned that will make an impact on any church that uses them. The 2018 Evangelism Conference was a mixture of lasts and firsts. It was the last event planned and conducted by the WSBC Evangelism Strategist. It was the first event conducted under the name Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network. It was also the first time the entire conference was held outside a church. The Ramkota Hotel provided a great space for worship and breakouts. The staff of the hotel has always been a tremendous partner and does an excellent job in taking care of the needs that arise during events. The future of the Evangelism Conference is uncertain at this time, but evangelism will continue to be a top priority for the Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network. fyi The 2018 Evangelism Conference was a mixture of lasts and firsts. It was the last event planned and conducted by the WSBC Evangelism Strategist. It was the first event conducted under the name Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network. It was also the first time the entire conference was held outside a church.

3 March 2018 NEWS 3 just another nikkel s worth Why So Surprised? When we pray, do we really expect God to answer in any discernable way? How often does our praying fall into just routine and rut, just words spoken with no real expectation? Does it ever happen in our church meetings that prayer is perfunctory and just the same words quoted over the offering, to open or close the service, or to bless a meal? How often has God answered a prayer, our prayer, and we don t even notice, or at least give him any credit? Could it ever happen that we pray, God answers, but we give the credit to a new medicine, some person, or in some other way explain the answer away without giving God his due credit, and our thanks? So, why are we surprised when answers don t come, when we don t expect them to? Why would we expect God to honor prayers that have no faith behind them? And, why are we so surprised when God does answer our prayer offered in faith? But, it happens, right? I was reminded in a recent quiet time of the experience of the church when Peter had been put in jail for his ministry. It says in Acts 12:5, So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him. (CSB). The church prayed fervently, it was intense prayer, desperate prayer, straining in prayer because this could end in Peter s execution. Then, the miraculous happened, while sleeping between two soldiers Peter was awakened We need to pray like we really believe God answers prayers. We need to pray in faith, and in specifics, like we really belive God hears. - lynn nikkel by an angel who threw open the prison doors and gates and delivered him from the prison. Wow! Peter then went to the house where he knew the church would be praying. And Acts 12:13-16 records the church s response. When told Peter was at the door, did they say Hallelujah!, Praise the Lord!? No, they told Rhoda, You re out of your mind! But, she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, It s his angel. It s amazing, isn t it, that we can pray for things, sometimes even desperately, and then be totally surprised when God does something to answer those prayers? It happened to me again recently. As messengers we voted at our Annual Meeting to sell the Convention property. I engaged a realtor and we listed the property in mid-december, expecting it would take months for anything to happen because of its unique nature. But, within a couple of weeks, a buyer made an offer to purchase the property. Now, our realtor is a believer, and as we talked early on about the sale we said in our conversation that if God intended for us to sell this property, unique as it was, he had a buyer ready to purchase it. As a staff, we have prayed fervently for God to show us his way and bring a buyer for the property. But, I ll admit it, I was shocked and amazed at the quick way God answered. Not only had we prayed for the property to sell, a few of us were praying that the buyer would lease back to us a portion of the basement, so our office could remain on the property. It just seemed natural that if we could do that it would simplify the move, meet our needs, allow us to be relieved of maintenance and repairs, but still be at home where we have been for so many years. And, the final offer on the property from the buyer is just the price we had hoped for, and it includes us leasing back the portion of the basement that we wanted, at a lease rate at or below other office leases in town. Listen, church, we need to pray like we really believe God answers prayer. We need to pray in faith, and in specifics, like we really believe God hears. I m not saying that God always answers prayer the way we think he should, but I do know that God always answers prayer! The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. ( James 5:16, CSB) Thank God for the privilege of serving Him through serving the churches of the Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network!

4 4 News March 2018 David Schroeder Weird-looking piece of furniture. Fashioned from oak, a pillar yet only three feet tall, its function was invisible through my denominational filter. On top was a nice ceramic... cereal bowl? The look on my face led my Methodist pastor friend to explain. This oddity on the sanctuary platform was, he said, the baptismal font used for sprinkling. Huh. Immersion is not the only way we Baptists are happily different. Along with our refusal to conserve water, we hold the calling of a pastor to be a sacred task. No Baptist church would farm that out. The Methodists are good folks, but I like our way of calling pastors without involvement of a bishop. Calling the right man is important. But no less important is being the right people, God s church. A Healthy Transition Time There are opportunities for the church between pastors. This passage in church life should not be viewed as either a deliverance or a defeat. Hopefully the departed pastor had a fruitful ministry. Hopefully he left well-liked and with good closure for all. In any event, this is time for the church to look at itself, as well as at prospective pastors. When a pastor has departed, it is a chance for a fresh start, and not just in the pulpit. A fresh start in the pew can be as lifegiving to the future of the church. Church folks often rise to new service when a church is between pastors. Work to restore fellowship and any relationships that have been hobbled by resentment and unforgiveness. It is time to pray for the church with renewed focus. Transition invites the church to evaluate strengths and weaknesses. What do we do well? What could be done better? Are there any basic functions of the church that are neglected, maybe to the point of being an obstacle to overall ministry? What is The Calling the model, the real motivator, that makes the church be like it is? Is the church intentional in all it does, or does inertia have more influence than we have realized or want? Rather than being a useless time, as some think, transition time can lead to Godgiven clarity about a better future for the church. The transition between pastors is also ideal for revisiting the heritage of the church. We are Southern Baptist. What does that mean? How are we perceived by our community, even by our own church members? Ideally, the church is known for well-spoken biblical beliefs, regular benefit to the community, and the way we work intentionally with other Baptists to advance God s Kingdom. Even a church in decline, thought of as a museum of Southern culture and the traditions of yesteryear, can be invigorated by renewed devotion to Good News and Baptist cooperation. A Good Pastor Search Committee We rightfully expect a PSC to be a reflection of the church. In fact, sometimes it is more so than we intend. This is true even for a pastorless people seeking SCHROEDER only to defend the status quo. The transition between pastors will likely go well for people willing to make a fresh start, evaluate their church and be loyal to the best parts of their heritage. And the PSC they choose will personify that church health. What kind of folks make good PSC members? They are happy to listen to people and consider other views before stating their own convictions. They are people known to be trustworthy, as servants of the Lord and His church. Church people are confident they will be humble, not flush with a sense of authority. They are open to change, without seeking change just for sake of change. Most importantly, they are growing in their faith, still moved by seeking after the Lord. They are people of prayer. The time between pastors is one to consider both the calling of a man, and the calling of the church. church planting highlight Meet Jesse: Church Planter of WindCity Church North Jesse Weeks is church planter of WindCity Church North in Casper. If you do not know Jesse, his story is fascinating! Jesse worked as a golf pro at a club near Memphis. God called Jesse to leave a substantial position in the corporate world to a very significant role in ministry leadership. We are very thankful for active evangelists in the corporate setting. However, Jesse was asked to follow a different path. Jesse joined Chris Sims in the effort to plant WindCity Church. Later, he answered God s call to plant WindCity Church North, in the retirement housing facility where Jesse lives. WindCity North is a church reaching people in their senior years. Already, 40% of the residents are a part of this new church! However, there are approximately 60 percent of the residents who have yet to respond to Jesus invitation to salvation and/or worshipping and serving with WindCity North. Jesse asks us to pray for the following: 1. That he stays excited about the ministry to which God has called him. 2. That God gives him the wisdom he needs to love, counsel, and disciple those under his leadership. 3. That he has the endurance necessary to accomplish the call God placed on his life. There are many people to whom Jesse ministers that are in their later years. Please pray that these people would have clear understanding of the gospel, and a quick response that allows them to give the remaining years of their lives to Jesus. Thanks for praying for WindCity Church North and Jesse. God bless our partnership for His Gospel!

5 March 2018 news 5 calendar of events March 4-11 Week of Prayer for NAMB Annie Armstrong Easter Offering 8-10 Church Planter and Wives Retreat, Lander, Holiday Inn Express Mt. Region Two Day Church Planter Assessment Retreat, Hillside Baptist Church, Greeley CO South Region Pastor Couple Retreat West Region Pastors Retreat, Mechasa Ranch Church Planting Week SWBTS/ Partner Development 1 EASTER April 2 WSBMN Resource Center Closed (Easter holiday) 5-7 South Region Pastor Couple Retreat 6-7 Youth Evangelism Conference, Casper, College Heights Baptist Church 12 South Region Executive Board Meeting BCM Directors Planning Retreat, Casper WSBMN Resource Center 19 Administrative Team Meeting, WSBMN Resource Center, 3:00 pm 8:00 pm 20 Executive Board Meeting, WSBMN Resource Center, 10:00 am 4:00 pm Vacation Bible School Clinic, Casper, Casper, Mt View Baptist Church 23 June Horizons deadline (June, July, Aug) 25 Support Staff Appreciation Day Preacher School, Wheatland, Memorial Baptist Church Hispanic Laborers Conference, Jackson Hole May 12 Gateway Seminary Graduation Denver, CO 13 Mother s Day South Region Pastor Couple Retreat 19 West Region Executive Board Meeting, Location TBD 28 WSBMN Resource Center Closed, Memorial Day WSBC Cooperative budget update

6 6 news March 2018 SUTHERLAND continued from pg. 8 the community, counseling as requested by those who lost loved ones as well as those who were wounded, along with their family members. Pomeroy and his wife Sherri will be guests at the SBTC s Feb Empower Evangelism Conference along with pastor Paul Buford and his wife Martha of River Oaks Baptist Church near Sutherland Springs which hosted the FBI, Texas Rangers, Red Cross and other agencies after the Nov. 5 melee. Also ahead is an appreciation banquet for first-responders requested by First Baptist, with Elmore and Kevin Cornelius, pastor of First Baptist Karnes, now in the planning stages. There s no way you can repay the firstresponders for what they did, Elmore said. Their work was monumental. The gathering also will include grateful survivors and their families, with Elmore noting, There s great healing in an appropriate hug. Rallying to help Among San Antonio-area businesses at the forefront of helping Sutherland Springs in the immediate aftermath of the killings were the H-E-B independent grocery chain founded by the late Howard Butt Sr. and the Beldon Roofing Company led by Brad Beldon. H-E-B, through its Spirit of Giving charity, has built ramps for the injured at their homes that meet ADA standards and provided direct aid to survivors and family members of the deceased through donations made at check-out lines in their Texas stores. Beldon took the lead in funding the restoration needed for the memorial and created a GoFundMe account that has raised $1.2 million from nearly 500 donors since setting an initial goal of $250,000 on Nov. 7. Several other GoFundMe accounts have been created for the shooting victims, including one honoring 6-year-old Ryland Ward s mother Joann and two sisters who also were slain, Brooke, 5, who died in her mother s arms, and Emily, the middle of the family s five children. In addition to Ryland, his father Chris and his oldest sister Rihanna, 9, survived. To GoFundMe donors, the Ward family wrote, You have made a difference in how these children will grow up and face a life without their mother and siblings. Churches on mission The Game Plan Wright Wright Baptist Church has a new pastor Andrew Lee. Andrew, Misty, and their son Philip are from Tennessee. They arrived on the field in December. Alpine Morning Star Baptist Church has called an associate pastor Dustin Opitz. Warren Jones serves as pastor. Fort Laramie The church plant Lifeway Ft. Laramie pastored by Marty Rostad has recently incorporated and changed it s name to Ft. Laramie Country Church. A Constitution service will be held soon. Saratoga First Baptist Church has called Ken Gunter to be pastor. Ken has served as a member at Lifeway Church in Torrington before being called to Saratoga. Meet at: MOUNTAIN VIEW BAPTIST CHURCH CASPER, WY on Poison Spider Rd Be there by: Friday 5:30 (Dinner) 6:15 (Clinic) Concludes: Saturday Noon LifeWay s 2018 VBS invites your kids to grab their megaphones, lace up their cleats, and tune up their instruments as they realize God has given them His ultimate playbook. He wants them to: TRAIN HARD JOIN HIS TEAM & CELEBRATE SALVATION ENCOURAGE OTHERS Get in the spirit today with Game On! VBS

7 March 2018 news 7 PRAY for the harvest Pray for churches seeking God s direction for a new pastor. YOUTHEVANGELISM CONFERENCE 2018 David Schroeder South Region Iglesia Bautista Agua Viva, Rock Springs Wamsutter Baptist Church, Wamsutter First Southern, Rawlins Fred Creason Northeast Region Evansville Baptist Church, Evansville* Sunrise Baptist Church, Casper* Cambria Community Church, Newcastle Dale Bascue West Region Bridger Valley Baptist Church, Lyman First Baptist Church, Big Piney* First Southern Baptist Church, Worland Grace Southern Baptist Church, Greybull Warm Valley Baptist Church, Pavillion When: April 6-7, 2018 Where: College Heights Baptist Church Casper, Wyoming Cost: $10 per person Guest Speaker Nick Ewin May First Baptist Church May Texas FREE Concert Friday Night Scott Brownson and Holy MNTN For more information contact Lynda Roark at or you can wyomingyec@gmail.com Have a story that needs to be told? Genuine: To actually have the reputed or apparent qualities or character THE REAL DEAL! Ramkota Hotel Special Rates for WSBC (Breakfast Included w/room) Hotel arrangements are the responsibility of the attending church Friday April 6 Registration 6:00 7:00 p.m. (@ College Heights) General Session 7:00-8:30 Break 8:30-8:50 Concert 9:00-10:30 Return to Hotel - 10:30 Saturday April 7 Breakfast at Hotel 7:00-8:15 Travel to College Heights 8:15 General Session 9-10:00 Breakouts 10:15-12:15 Lunch 12:15-1:00 (provided) Closing Session 1:00-2:00 *Served by interim pastor. Pam with your story idea at hans@wyomingsbc.org.

8 8 news March 2018 Sutherland Springs lifted by influx of compassion Art Toalston photo from gofundme Ryland Ward, whose mother and two sisters were killed in the Sutherland Springs massacre, receives a hero s sendoff after two months of hospitalization and numerous surgeries at University Hospital in San Antonio. SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (BP) -- Kris Workman, paralyzed during the melee at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, is leading worship from a wheelchair for the rural Texas congregation. Ryland Ward, age 6, came home from the hospital Jan. 11 after multiple operations for four wounds inflicted by the gunman who killed 26 people -- including his mother and two of his sisters -- at First Baptist on Nov. 5. Ryland -- riding in a fire truck in a police convoy -- returned to Sutherland Springs after a twomonth hospitalization in San Antonio, 30 miles away. There are so many people stepping up who want to help, said Ted Elmore of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention -- from firemen and police in San Antonio to the SBTC and its churches across the state, the North American Mission Board and a San Antonio-based independent grocery chain and a leading roofing firm. And certainly the people of rural Sutherland Springs and nearby communities are keenly involved despite the horrific losses suffered in their unincorporated community of 400 people. First Baptist has formed a sixmember restoration committee, including one member from a nearby town who was stirred to join the church after the massacre. The committee also includes several First Baptist members described by Elmore as wonderful, common sense laymen along with a former associate pastor at the church. That s the nature of this community, said Elmore, who participates in one or more conference calls each week with the committee and First Baptist pastor Frank Pomeroy, whose 14-year-old daughter Annabelle was among the fatalities at the hands of Devin Kelley who committed suicide shortly after driving away from the church property. Life has been forever changed for these folks, but in spite of the deepest hurts, they have embraced and said, The devil will not win, Elmore said as the SBTC s primary contact person with First Baptist in his work in the convention s pastorchurch relations, field ministry and prayer strategy. Also on-site for six weeks are Mike Landry, who works part-time with the SBTC in church revitalization, and his wife Connie, both certified grief counselors. Landry is assisting Pomeroy in pastoral ministry as needed and visiting people in the community to hear and help heal their anguish. The SBTC serves churches. We re there to serve Sutherland Springs in their recovery, Elmore said, noting, All the decision-making is theirs, and we respect that. Sutherland Springs Rebuild The North American Mission Board, meanwhile, is taking the lead in the construction of a new worship center and education building for First Baptist, along with a memorial garden, retaining the firm of Myrick Gurosky & Associates in Birmingham, Ala., as general contractors. We think roughly it will be $1 million to $1.5 million, NAMB President Kevin Ezell said during a Feb. 6 meeting of the mission board s trustees. The construction company has worked with the church for free to come up with a design for new buildings and walked through it with pastor Pomeroy and the leaders they have appointed, Ezell said. Funding-wise, he noted, There has been such a desire to help among Southern Baptists and... we will let churches know that if they want to give they can. If 1,500 churches were to give $1,000, that s $1.5 million. In the SBC family, everyone who wants to can be a part of that. Churches and individuals can donate at Sutherland Springs Rebuild. NAMB spokesman Mike Ebert said the range for the cost of construction stems from anticipated donated services from various contractors who will be working on the rebuild. It will be a full-fledged construction project with a start and end date that will not entail the removal of the former worship center, which is now a memorial, nor an adjacent education building, Ebert told Baptist Press. Decisions on those facilities will be made by First Baptist. Visitors welcome The church memorial, with white chairs for each of the 26 victims in a white interior patched and painted to cover the bullet holes, is being staffed by volunteers from churches in the local Gambrell Baptist Association and other churches in Texas, such as First Baptist Church in Karnes City, Valley Hi First Baptist Church in San Antonio and Christ Central Baptist Church in Robstown near Corpus Christi. The memorial is open from 10 a.m. until 2 or 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The volunteers greet visitors and listen, pray with people and if opportunity permits share the Gospel, Elmore said. Pomeroy has reported more than 30 professions of faith. Pastor Frank says it will remain open as long as people are getting saved. People have driven from various states and from Canada and one couple flew in from Germany to see the memorial, Elmore said. First Baptist, meanwhile, is meeting in a modular unit with 170- plus padded chairs. Workman, the worship leader -- a young man who once was a race car driver -- fronts a praise band made up mostly of survivors or family members of victims in the Nov. 5 gunfire -- a band that Elmore said could lead music in lively and worshipful fashion anywhere. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention s assistance to First Baptist includes providing Pomeroy s salary for one year and a vacation for him and his wife for a time of healing later this spring and, in See SUTHERLAND on pg. 6