SOUTHERN BAPTIST. July 18-22, 2011 THE WEST VIRGINIA. July-August, 2011 VOL. 41, NO. 6

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1 THE WEST VIRGINIA July-August, 2011 VOL. 41, NO. 6 SOUTHERN BAPTIST A Cooperative Program ministry gladly sharing the truth and gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the stories of our Lord s work in and through the churches of West Virginia Southern Baptists. July 18-22, 2011 July-August 2011

2 Executive Director Terry Harper My Dear Friends; Someone has said that if you don t like the weather in WV, wait a few minutes and it will change. Change. Sometimes we want change, especially in relation to the weather, but at other times we don t really want change at all. I understand that because I am just human enough to not want change myself. I like things to stay the way I am accustomed to them being. That feels more comfortable for me. The fact is that the world around us is changing and doing so very rapidly. Just think about the cell phones that most of us are using that just a few years ago did not exist at all and now we think we cannot do without them or at least we don t THE WEST VIRGINIA SOUTHERN BAPTIST (USPS ) Greg Wrigley, Editor gregwrigley@wvcsb.org Published nine times per year by The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists Number One Mission Way Scott Depot WV Note: No paid advertising or subscriptions accepted. This paper is fully funded by Southern Baptists in West Virginia. Periodicals Postage Paid Scott Depot, WV and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Number One Mission Way Scott Depot, WV From the Executive Director: want to. Leadership in our Southern Baptist Convention has decided that in order for us as a body of believers to be obedient to the Great Commission and see our Convention grow again, we must have some change. They have determined that we must spend more money on reaching the lost and un-churched of our society. Therefore, last year at the SBC some sweeping changes were made. Initially, I had strong reservations about those changes. But, the body has spoken and now it is time to move forward. As your leader here in the WVCSB, it is my responsibility to seek to lead our state convention in the best possible way to cooperate with the SBC body at large and to do the best things for our state convention. A few months ago our convention President, Dr. Seth Polk, appointed a task force that we are calling the Strategy Planning Group (SPG). This group was to study the way that we as a state convention have been doing things and to make recommendations to our convention as to how we might restructure for the future given that our major partner, the North American Mission Board, is changing dramatically. As most of you know this task force, made up of two persons from every association plus our WMU President, our trustee from NAMB, and the Administrative Committee of the Executive Board, has been diligently at work. The task force further includes two Associational Missionaries. The Strategy Planning Group has been divided into three sub groups to look at various portions of our work. They have had lots of meetings and have worked really hard on these issues. They have issued progress reports along the way and these are posted on our website at I believe that this group is seeking to bring recommendations that they feel will be the very best for our convention. This has not been an easy task nor has it been one that is entirely without some pain. Yet, they have determined to labor on your behalf and to strive to bring what they feel will be the best plan to lead us forward with a desired future. As you read the proposals that are spoken of in the preliminary/progress report, if you have any questions, please feel free to call me or Dr. Polk or a member of the Task Force. We will be happy to talk with you at any time. Please begin now to pray for the Strategy Planning Group and pray for our annual November Convention meeting where all of this will ultimately be voted on. Pray for our pastors as they lead their churches to respond to this report. Pray for Christians across WV that make up our SBC churches. Pray that each of us will have vision and that we will seek what is best for the whole and that most of all we will have a Great Commission heart that is burdened for the world of lost people that so desperately need a Savior. Finally, pray for me, that I will be the leader that God would have me to be and that we will join hands together and continue to cooperatively have an impact on West Virginia for the glory of God and that is honoring to Christ. The WVCSB is Building Strong Foundations for a Strong Future We are focused on ministries that Build the Kingdom: Missions and Evangelism Prayer and Spiritual Renewal Communication and Public Relations Strengthening Churches Fellowship...Fulfilling the Great Commission 2

3 WVCSB Calendar WVCSB Calendar July 2-10:2 Prayer Focus 3 - Citizenship & Religious Liberty Sunday 4 - Independence Day (Office Closed) Blume, National Acteens Convention Missions Camp Volunteer Orientation Missions Camp SUMMER MISSIONARIES FILLING MINISTRY NEEDS IN WEST VIRGINIA There are eleven North American Mission Board appointed summer missionaries in West Virginia this summer. Six of them are students at North Greenville Baptist University. They are serving on one team assigned to the state convention. They will be in ten different places this summer. They will assist with VBS, childrens camp, youth camp, worship services, surveys, prayer walks, evangelistic block parties, multihousing, missions camp, and other activities. (L to R) Travis Leasure, Katie King, Jonathan Kirk, Jessica Culbertson, Ryan Lancaster, Christina Watson. (L) Another summer missionary, Erin Terry, stands with Pastor Gene Johnson of Glade Community Church. Erin is from Beckley, and is a member of Glade Community. Erin is a student at Marshall University. She will have the opportunity to serve in her home church helping with children and youth activities, outreach efforts, hanging out around the pool and playground in order to build relationships with people, and helping with Vacation Bible School. +++All of these students can serve in this way because of the Cooperative Program. August 2-10:2 Prayer Focus 7 - Social Issues Sunday Music Training Week 14 - Student Evangelism Day (SBC) Association Missionaries Update Shepherding the Shepherd Church Planter Networks 20 - Foundation Directors Mtg September 2-10:2 Prayer Focus 4 - Single Adult Sunday 5 - Labor Day (Office Closed) 10 - WVCSB Executive Board Mtg Week of Prayer for State Missions & Ola Cox Offering Church Music Emphasis WMU Officers Council Men & Boys Retreat 19 - Discipleship Rally (SBC) 19 - Church Planter Networks 23 - WVCSB Nominating Comm. & Committee on Committees October Cooperative Program Emphasis 2 - Soul-Winning Commitment Day 2 - Great Day in the Mountains 2-10:2 Prayer Focus 6 - New Ministers Orientation 9 - World Hunger Sunday November 3 - Church Planter Networks 3 - WVCSB Executive Board Mtg 3 - Pastors Conference and Ministers Wives WVCSB Annual Meeting 6 - Daylight Saving Time Ends 6 - Children s Missions Celebration Day (SBC) 24 - Thanksgiving (Office Closed 24-25) July-August

4 C-4 SUNDAY SCHOOL GROWTH CONFERENCE The Jason Lovins Band led the gathered Sunday School teachers, leaders, and outreach workers in worship. The renovated Cross Lanes Baptist Church building provided a great setting for the Band s singing but also for the powerful speakers. Wayne Poling (L) taught The A great weekend is planned in Canaan Valley with Spirit in the Valley Gospel Music weekend. A time of being with your family as well as with other Christians celebrating through music. There are activities planned each day. There is also time for you and your family to explore the area. Registration is only $10 for the weekend and money raised will go to local charities. See the fl yer above for more information, or go to wvmmin.com and click on Spirit in the Valley. Also please help us spread the word on this event by forwarding this to anyone you feel would enjoy this event Mark Joseph Pastor, Canaan Valley Baptist Church (L to R) John Freeman, Dennis Cherry, Matt Shamblin, and Dan Boone, met with Delton Beall to discuss how to be a better prepared disaster relief response team in West Virginia. The desire to have good training, more workers, and additional units, were discussed. Transformational Church Goes to Sunday School to the association Sunday School multipliers. Dr. Richard Ross, one of the founders of the True Love Waits emphasis, was a keynote speaker and also led breakout sessions. Dr. David Wheeler, a professor at Liberty University, led convicting Bible study sessions on the meaning of the transformed life. Wayne Poling is a specialist with LifeWay Christian stores. 4

5 MEN S GOLF TOURNAMENT, MINGO BOTTOM GOLF COURSE, ELIZABETH, WV the winning team! ready for a good lunch don t stand in front of them! July-August

6 The STRATEGY PLANNING GROUP, appointed by convention president Seth Polk, Pastor, Cross Lanes Baptist Church, continues to meet. The group has been tasked with trying to fi nd the best reaction and actions to deal with the Great Commission Resurgence report, passed at the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention. This means attempting to fi nd the best way for our state convention to deal with the application of the report by the North American Mission Board. This has proved to be a challenging task. North American Mission Board is refocusing its efforts to aggressively plant, champion, and support new church starts. Though it has been stated that NAMB will focus on major cities in the US, the leadership there has also informed our Executive Director that they desire to plant more churches in WV. Dr. Steve Davis, new NAMB VP for the Mid- West region will be working with Brother Harper and with Delton Beall in seeking to place more church planters here in WV. He will also be working with our Church Planting Catalysts to raise up more indigenous church planters from here in WV. above---steve Davis gave a helpful presentation to the Group As part of the refocus on church planting, all North American Mission Board funded Association Directors of Missions, will have a change in role. Starting above--pastor Rodney Hale (L) clarifi es a point with Dr. Davis. 6 January 1, 2012, the job title and the job description will be church planting catalyst. [see last edition] Exactly what this implies has not been stated. It has been strongly suggested that NAMB will support a fewer number of catalysts than the State has Association Missionaries now. So the Group, made up of two people from every association, has to deal with what this might mean. The SPG is dealing with other ideas and challenges. They are good people. They want to do the best thing in the best way for the churches and for God s Kingdom. Pray for God s wisdom to guide them. below--smaller groups have been a key part of the process; this one meets prior to the larger meeting below--many individuals have given a lot of time and effort to this process, such as Pastor John Freeman; he is chairman of one of the subgroups (L to R) Henry Webb, Dan Garland, and Roy Edgemon, lead the Transitional Pastor training at a seminar in Nashville, TN. Dan Jividen, Don Deel, and Greg Wrigley attended the training. The concept is for an interim pastor to work with the church to help the church fi nd out better who they are and what kind of pastor would best fi t their needs and vision. Muslims Destroy Church in Egypt, But Christians Quickly Rebuild Posted on May 13, 2011 by Mark Kelly NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Fewer than 40 days after a mob of Muslim villagers destroyed a church's building in Egypt, the congregation celebrated Easter in a reconstructed building at the same site. The Egyptian military rebuilt the Church of the Two Martyrs in Sool after rioters set fi re to the facility March 4 and demolished a large part of what was left by hand and with sledgehammers, the Compass Direct news service reported. The congregation's pastor, Balamoun Youakeem, said the reconstruction was fi nished in "amazing time" and was carried out over the objections of villagers, Compass reported. The building was attacked after a Muslim imam told his followers to "Kill all the Christians" in response to a rumor of an affair between a Muslim man and a Christian woman, both married to other people. EVANGELIST KILLED IN ETHIO- PIA -- A Christian evangelist was murdered and his pregnant wife assaulted April 21 in Worabe, Ethiopia. Abraham Abera was lured from his home at night by four Muslim men who told him a friend of the evangelist was ill, according to a report from International Christian Concern. The men beat Abera with rods and when his wife, Birtukan, tried to intervene, she was beaten as well. Abera's wife, who sustained a severe head injury, was left unconscious in the street, where she was found and taken to a hospital in Butajira. She said the attackers told her and her husband, "You [Christians] are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message. We will destroy you." 'ANIME' OF JESUS' DEATH TAR- GETS YOUTH -- A new short fi lm on Jesus' crucifi xion attempts to reach youth and young adults with the Gospel using the "anime" style popular in Asia, especially in quake-ravaged Japan. The nine-minute fi lm, "My Last Day," was released in April by the JESUS Film Project, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International, according to a report from Mission Network News. The story is told from the perspective of one of the thieves crucifi ed alongside Jesus Christ. Using some of the dialogue from the original "JESUS" fi lm, the short fi lm

7 fl uid, genderqueer, intergender, neutrois, pansexual, pan-gendered, third gender, third sex, sistergirl and brotherboy. A proposed government "Gender Watch" bureau would monitor business compliance. "Being Indian by birth and having married an Australian of Anglo-Celtic origin, I am all for diversity," Francis said. "But I am not going to commit to 'neutrois' until someone tells me what it means." Mark Kelly is an assistant editor and senior writer for Baptist Press. FALL, PRAYER, AND EVANGELISM Now is a good time to start thinking about and planning toward one or more fall outreach events. Soul-Winning Commitment Day is set as October 2, 2011, but the time such a day works best for you is when you should do it. The focus this year is on prayer evangelism. The shows the thief grieving over his guilt as he realizes Christ's innocence, MNN reported. "It's perfect to provide opportunities to open doors to engage the 'media generation' and could be a prelude to effectively presenting the Gospel to tens of thousands of young people across the globe," Jim Green, JESUS Film Project executive director, told MNN. "My Last Day" can be viewed at AUSSIE PANEL ADDS 19 'GEN- DERS' -- The Australian Human Rights Commission has produced a list of 19 "genders" it wants the government to protect with anti-discrimination laws, ranging from "cross dresser" to "neutrois." "In the beginning there was male and female. Soon there was homosexuality. Later there were lesbians, and much later gays, bisexuals, transgenders and queers. But anyone who thinks LGBTQ is the full count of contemporary sexualities is sadly out of date," Babette Francis, national coordinator of the Endeavour Forum pro-life, pro-family organization told the MercatorNet news service. "For example, the transgendered have for some time been divided into those who are awaiting treatment, those have had hormone treatment, those who have had hormones and surgery, and those who have had hormones and surgery but are not happy and want it all reversed." The AHRC document, "Protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex and/or gender identity," lists transgender, trans, transsexual, intersex, androgynous, agender, cross dresser, drag king, drag queen, gender- attempt is to focus on ways to reach communities for Christ using prayer as a central component. The idea is for the church to mobilize believers to select neighbors for whom they will pray, intentionally develop a relationship with them, and to invite them to an event or activity of the church. Any time during this process a person should look for opportunities to share the gospel. There is a resource available called Praying Your Neighbors to Christ Evangelism Strategy. The resource is available on-line at A Leader Guide and a Student Guide are available. The intention of the strategy is to pray for neighbors, invest time in them, invite them to a special event or church event, and look for opportunities to share Christ. What are some special events you could target prayer, evangelism, and invitations around? The movie Courageous would be a good idea. Sunday School high attendance day another; a sportsman s banquet; an athletic dinner or event. What is good for your town? July-August

8 8 WV FOUNDATION SNEDDEN-SLAUGHTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND THE 4/40 PLAN PURPOSE: to provide scholarship grants to West Virginia Southern Baptist church members who are enrolled in college or seminary and who are studying in preparation for work in a church ministry vocation or as a missionary. PLAN: Since last year was the 40 anniversary of the state convention, ideas for giving are built around that theme. GOAL: To increase the Snedden-Slaughter Scholarship Fund from its current $16,000 level to over $200,000 by the end of the year The offi cial goal is $202,020. People are encouraged to give in these categories, but certainly any amount a person wants to give is welcome and will make a huge difference people give $4 =$16, people give $40 = 16, people give $100 = 40, people give $400 = 40, people give $1,000 = 40, people give $4,000 = 40,000 4 people give $10,000 = 40, people $232,600 A church may want to pick a particular Sunday during the year that they would emphasize the Fund and encourage giving on that day. Also, individuals, Sunday School classes, or other groups may want to give to the Fund. It is possible that people who live outside West Virginia may want to give to the Fund, also. Two college students were awarded the JOHN I. SNEDDEN SCHOLARSHIP for students preparing for the ministry in Applications have been received for this year and are currently being reviewed by the Scholarship Committee. (above) Josh Horner is pictured with his wife, Casey. Josh is a student at Southern Seminary. Josh is the son of Mike and Sherri Horner. Josh s dad, Mike, is pastor of Williams Creek Baptist Church, Immanuel Association. Josh believes God has called him to the preaching ministry. He is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. Josh believes God has gifted him for the pastoral ministry. He is a graduate of Williamstown High School. The second winner of the Snedden Scholarship in 2010 was Sarah Cox. Sarah is a student at Blue Mountain College, in Mississippi. She believes God has called her to career missions. Sarah anticipates majoring in math education. She is a graduate of Pikeview High School. Sarah s parents are Sam and Bobbie Cox. Sam is the pastor of Sun Valley Baptist Church, Mountain State Association, Athens, West Virginia. The John I. Snedden Scholarship Fund was established in 1979 by the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists. The scholarship was to honor John Snedden for his many years of work in helping to organize and then to lead the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists. At the 2010 state convention, the messengers approved combining the RAY SLAUGHTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND with the Snedden Fund. This was done with the prior approval and recommendation of the Immanuel Baptist Association, which had started the Slaughter Fund for the same purpose many years ago, to honor the devoted ministry by Ray Slaughter on behalf of the churches. The purpose of the SNEDDEN- SLAUGHTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND is to provide scholarship money for students in college or seminary who are preparing for service in a church vocation. The interest from the Fund is used to provide the scholarship monies. A Selection Committee chooses the winners of the grant. Each spring, a letter describing the Fund and an application, is sent to each pastor. Each pastor then passes the information along to qualifying students who may want to apply. The Fund has increased from about $12,500, to a little over $16,000. This is a refl ection of the additional Slaughter funds and of some gifts made to the Fund. Even though there has been an increase, the total amount is still small. This greatly limits the amount of money that can be awarded each year. I would like to see the principle at $200,000, or more, said Greg Wrigley, the offi ce director for the Foundation. That would give us about $10,000 each year we could divide among the applicants, instead of four or fi ve hundred dollars. With the cost of education, it would be nice to make a real impact on the assistance to young people preparing for the ministry. Anyone interested in contributing to the Snedden-Slaughter Scholarship Fund can contact Greg Wrigley at , ext 118, or at gregwrigley@wvcsb. org.

9 West Virginia Prayer Focus Your state convention staff meets each working day for a brief time of prayer. We pray for missionaries, campuses, associations, churches, and church plants by name each day. We invite our readers to pray as well. Prayer and Missions, Missions and Prayer: Partners in Reaching the World While prayer should be a natural and frequent part of every Christian s daily life, it can easily be neglected. If we are not careful, we can let dozens of activities distract us from spending quality time in prayer, it has been called the captivity of activity. Missions and prayer go hand in hand in reaching the world for Christ. Without devoted and dedicated praying people the mission lacks the support, strength and stamina needed to effectively lead people to Jesus. Many of us pray for the missionaries but how do we engage our entire congregation in joining together to lift up, support, and diligently pray for mission efforts world wide. Missions leaders play a vital role in developing the prayer life of the church family. What kind of prayer life does your church need? What kind of prayer strategy will work in your church? I suppose that really depends upon your church! You have to customize what you do for your church members. One strategy will not work for everyone; however, just because one strategy will not work for everyone doesn t mean your prayer strategy can be nonexistent! Your church s prayer strategy should be written down. Some things to keep in mind in the process might be: 1) Keep it short, 2) Bullet the ideas for ease of use, 3) Outline how you plan to use the prayer strategy in your church, 4) Defi ne how the prayer needs of your church will be adequately covered. Start by taking some time to review the current prayer life of your church. Examine what is happening in your church. Identify ways to encourage growth in what is already going on. Also, be on the lookout for gaps in your church s prayer life, areas that have been previously overlooked. If your church is not yet engaged in an effective prayer strategy, it s not too late to start. Open the lines of communication and begin working together to develop a comprehensive and cohesive prayer strategy for your church. If you would like more resources on prayer and prayer strategies visit Start today. Date Association Campus Church Church Plant July 11 Coalfields Charleston Area First, Burlington The Church at Martinsburg July 12 Greater Huntington Concord Univ. First, Ceredo Crossroads, Burnsville July 13 Immanuel Marshall Univ. First, Chelyan Faith, Winfield July 14 Monongahela Mt. State Univ. First, Chester Faith Community, Wheeling July 15 Mountain State WVU Morgantown First, Craigsville Freedom Biker Church July 18 Pioneer Bluefield State First, Fairlea Friendly July 19 Potomac Highland Charleston Area First, Fort Ashby Gateway, Peytona July 20 Tri-County Concord Univ. First, Hinton Grace, Pleasant Valley July 21 Upper Ohio Valley Marshall Univ. First, Huntersville Harbor Light, Steubenville July 22 Allegheny Mt. State Univ. First, Kenova HarborLight, Oceana July 25 Coalfields WVU Morgantown First, Princeton Hatsal Korean, Martinsburg July 26 Greater Huntington Bluefield State First So., Fairmont Hope, Richwood July 27 Immanuel Charleston Area First So., Grandview Lifesong July 28 Monongahela Concord Univ. First So., Nemours Lighthouse, Follansbee July 29 Mountain State Marshall Univ. First So., Sutton Living Hope, Petersburg Aug. 1 Pioneer Mt. State Univ. Foxes Hollow Living River Aug. 2 Potomac Highland WVU Morgantown Freedom, Beckley Marland Heights Aug. 3 Tri-County Bluefield State Freedom, Charleston Marshall Community Aug. 4 Upper Ohio Valley Charleston Area Freedom, Nutter Fort Ministry of Salvation Aug. 5 Allegheny Concord Univ. Gilbert Creek Mountain Ministry Chapel Aug. 8 Coalfields Marshall Univ. Glade Community New Life, Arnoldsburg Aug. 9 Greater Huntington Mt. State Univ. Good Shepherd, Scott Depot New Vision, Martinsburg Aug. 10 Immanuel WVU Morgantown Gordon North Jefferson Aug. 11 Monongahela Bluefield State Grace, Branchland Solid Rock, Hundred Aug. 12 Mountain State Charleston Area Grace, Fayetteville South Wheeling Aug. 15 Pioneer Concord Univ. Grace, Parkersburg SB Community Min., Reedy Aug. 16 Potomac Highland Marshall Univ. Grace Fellowship, Wana Abundant Hope Aug. 17 Tri-County Mt. State Univ. Graydon The Bridge Aug. 18 Upper Ohio Valley WVU Morgantown Hamlin Carpendale Aug. 19 Allegheny Bluefield State Harmony Centerpointe, Hurricane Aug. 22 Coalfields Charleston Area Hebron Chinese Mission Aug. 23 Greater Huntington Concord Univ. Hedgesville The Church at Martinsburg Aug. 24 Immanuel Marshall Univ. Heritage Crossroads, Burnsville Aug. 25 Monongahela Mt. State Univ. Highlawn Faith, Winfield Aug. 26 Mountain State WVU Morgantown Hillcrest Faith Community, Wheeling Aug. 29 Pioneer Bluefield State Horsepen Freedom Biker Church Aug. 30 Potomac Highland Charleston Area Immanuel, New Martinsville Friendly Aug. 31 Tri-County Concord Univ. Immanuel, Princeton Gateway, Peytona Sept. 1 Upper Ohio Valley Marshall Univ. Indian Creek Grace, Pleasant Valley Sept. 2 Allegheny Mt. State Univ. Isaban Harbor Light, Steubenville July-August

10 The newsletter from Berkeley Baptist Church reports that a group of 17 had the privilege of attending a Bill Gaither Homecoming concert on May 14 in Johnstown, PA. In spite of a number of minor mishaps, the group received a blessing from the trip. The seniors group, the UpWord Gang, held a progressive dinner recently, attended a gospel concert at Friendship Village in Bedford, PA, and have plans to take a mystery trip. The Women on Mission provided water and snacks for the teachers at Berkeley Springs High School, Warm Springs Intermediate, and Warm Springs Middle Schools. It was a means of letting teachers know that the church appreciates all they do for the children of the community. The Food Pantry served 87 families in the month of May. Each month the pantry receives at least 3,000 lbs. of food from the food bank. Dennis Sieglaff pastors the church. TRI-COUNTY ASSOCIATION The youth from Second Southern Baptist Church in Martinsburg enjoyed solving a murder on Mystery Night recently. They have been busy raising funds for their mission trip to Impact Virginia in July. The church celebrated their 100th Anniversary on May The Saturday night reception offered an opportunity for former pastors to share memories of their time at Second Baptist. The Sunday worship service, with a message by Dr. Shawn Edwards, honored the former pastors along with men ordained into the ministry at the church. Former pastors in attendance were Rev. William Thompson, Rev. Lester Curtis, Dr. Shawn Edwards, Dr. Jonathan Hartiens, and Rev. Malcolm Cadd. Ministers ordained at Second who attended included Rev. Ron Branch, Rev. Bruce Rockwell, and Rev. Marvin Clipp. Following the service a catered dinner was served to over two hundred guests. Brian Persinger is the current pastor. COALFIELDS ASSOCIATION Charlie Minney, the Associational Missionary for the Coalfi elds Association, reports that two mission teams came from Georgia to help local churches. A team from Cherokee Baptist Church helped at Hugh Dingess Elementary School, having a block party and doing a construction project, and also doing a block party at Ferrellsburg Baptist Community Fellowship. The other team was from First Baptist Woodstock, and they helped with two camps, a soccer camp in the morning at Ferrellsburg and News from West Virginia Churches a basketball camp in the evening at New Covenant Fellowship. Hebron Baptist Church in Green Bank reported that a group of men from Williamston Memorial Baptist Church, Williamston, NC, came in May and helped to do some much needed touch up work at the building. (right) Pastor Paul Murdock, who was a member of Williamston Memorial in the 1990 s, was glad to have Pastor Robbie Parker and his wife, Melinda, and four men, (right) willing to do painting and repair work. A major task was cleaning the steeple. The group also helped with a revival meeting during the week, at which Brother Parker preached. MOUNTAIN STATE ASSOC. Good News in the Park Brushfork Baptist Church hosted an evangelism event at a park in the heart of Bluefi eld, VA. The Gospel was presented to over 100 people in and around the park as they listened to Brushfork s Praise Band (left), enjoyed East End Baptist s Drama Team, and heard preaching from Pastor Jim Drake, Youth Pastor Wes Lambert and East End s Youth Pastor, Chad Lambert. (left, below) In addition to the events on stage, church members excitedly engaged people throughout the park using several personal evangelism methods. The Gospel was presented to children at face painting and wordless Gospel bracelet tables. Adults and teens were personally engaged with Gospel conversation starters and tracts. Christ was honored and lives were touched. WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH ALLEGHENY ASSOCIATION Exciting things are happening at White Sulphur Springs Baptist Church in White Sulphur Springs, WV. Since January 1, 2011, eight individuals have been baptized and seven joined the church. On Sunday, May 1, 2011 we had two baby dedications. In lieu of a full time minister, Rev. Lewis Brooks, our former minister, performed the baptisms and baby dedications. We will fi nish our second year of AWANA with the awards ceremony on May 25, Everyone is excited and looking forward to the AWANA program which will begin again in August. A new roof has been put on the church and new sound system installed. We thank God for his continued blessing on the church. The new work in Reedy, WV, was able to get a banner that advertized their church meetings. The banner is portable so when they do block parties or other events, they can take their sign with them. At least one family has stopped by their meeting place on SR 14 as a result of the sign. 10

11 The Children of East Williamson Baptist Church (COALFIELDS ASSOC.) did a musical on May 22nd called the Big Apple Adventure. Randy Rhodes is the leader; the pastor is Bob Norman. News from West Virginia Churches Want to go on a mission trip this summer? Then go with others from West Virginia to Emmanuel Baptist Church in Tyrone, PA, for a week of Bible Club, servant projects, youth ministry, and good fellowship. Contact Greg Wrigley if you are interested; space is limited xt 118 OR gregwrigley@wvcsb.org Below are three pictures of things and places you might do or see in Tyrone. Last year the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists was a part of Bridge Day at the New River Gorge Bridge. We provided a Baby Comfort Station where families with young children could change the child s diaper or mothers could feed their babies in privacy. Over 50 individuals took advantage of the station while close to 150 people were thankful for us providing the service. The Convention has all the equipment needed to provide this service at county fairs, festivals, or special events. If you would like to use the equipment at an event or would like to know more contact the state offi ce, or call Mark Joseph at Dick Howie, Association Missionary for Immanuel Association, stands with a family of golfers. Howie (R) stands next to grandpa Coy Wade, who is next to his son, Jeff, and on the far left is grandson Jason. HAVE A GREAT TIME WITH VBS! Have a wonderful family night. Plan for follow up. What can you do to make a couple of more contacts with the children who came? Plan a fall VBS party that introduces the 2012 theme. Let the children sing the music in a nursing home or another church. Share your decorations with another church. Be sure to report your VBS results. HOW IS A PERSON BE SAVED? It is summer time! I like it. But then I like winter, too. The older I have gotten the more I appreciate summer---it warms me to the inside of my bones. People are complaining about the heat. People are saying it is hot as the Devil s home. It is not, of course, but people like cursing that way. I guess I have heard folks say that it is as hot as that place so much that it does not bother me, or I just don t recognize it. But I heard it the other day and it really bothered me again. How hot, evil, tormenting, agonizing, and dark a place will hell really be. You don t want to go there. It is better to impose a physical handicap on yourself in this life than to go be with the Devil in his new place. Many people are trying to avoid Hell, but that is the mistake. The only way to avoid it is to get a guide away from the many paths that lead there. There is only one way that leads away from Hell, the other roads go there. Jesus wants to be your guide away from Hell. Trust Him. You cannot go to Heaven by your own efforts, work, wisdom, or plan. Only Jesus can get you there. You must ask Him. Tell Him you need Him alone. Give up on all the other possibilities. Ask Him to guide you. Follow Him. Make Jesus the boss of your life. Do what He says. Tell others about Him. Get baptized. Go to church. Get involved. Pray. Read your Bible. July-August

12 MEN AND BOYS RETREAT SEPTEMBER STATE BIBLE DRILL WINNERS The State Bible Drill Tournament was held at Witcher Baptist Church, Belle, WV, on Saturday, May 2. The children did an outstanding job with the passages of Scripture. The children are with their main teacher at their church. From left to right, Jancee Crotts, Zane Pennington, Bradley Johnson, from Good Shepherd Baptist Church; Briana Belcher, Jacob Sweat, from Willowbrook Baptist Church; and Nate Mounts, from Brushfork Baptist Church. CONGRATULATIONS!