Baptist. The Mid-South. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. from your servants at the

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1 The Mid-South Baptist Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas from your servants at the December, 2018 Vol. 14, Issue 12 Mid-South Baptist Association. We appreciate you and love all of our pastors and church families. Have a blessed season! Dr. Mitch Martin Executive Director of Missions In 2019 and 2020, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board will highlight Memphis through a ministry known as CityReach in which they will ask mission teams from across Tennessee to come serve the churches of the Mid-South Baptist Association. We are preparing for this influx of volunteers. Here is what we are doing to get ready: 1. We have hired Shun and Mary Abram as our Mission 901/ CityReach Directors. The Abrams are gathering a list of mission needs here in Memphis. Does your church want or need help? If so, contact Shun and Mary at sabram316@gmail.com. 2. We have requested two summer missionaries to come help us in the summer of We are working with four local churches to host the incoming mission teams. These four partner churches are preparing their kitchens, sleeping quarters, and shower facilities. Please pray for The Dwelling Place, First Baptist Fisherville, Leawood Baptist, and The Monument of Love. 4. We are using videos and social media to invite people to a Vision Tour of Memphis on February 5. To see the City Reach video, go to 5. The Jack May Mission Offering will help us recruit and employ visiting mission teams. If you have not yet contributed to the Jack May Mission Offering, please prayerfully consider sending a generous contribution today. Finally, let me express my heartfelt gratitude to Pastor Drew Murphy and his team at Fayette Baptist Church. They did an excellent job hosting our Harvest Festival on October 21. I also want to thank all of the other churches who helped with games, music, evangelism, and hospitality. It was a great day in the Lord. To see a video that shows the highlights, go to Important Dates for December 3 Focus Church Training - 9:30 a.m. (Harvest) 3 Ministers Conference 11:30 a.m. (Bellevue) Thomas McGhee, speaker 4 Church Starting Team - 1:00 p.m. (MSBA) 10 Ministers Conference 11:30 a.m. (Bellevue) Ashley Ray, speaker 17 Ministers Conference 11:30 a.m. (Bellevue) Charles Ritchie, music program 22 MSBA Office Closes until January 2

2 Opportunities Within Our Churches Pastor First Baptist Church, Rutherford, TN Resumes and cover letters can be submitted to First Baptist Church - Rutherford, Attn: Pastor Search Committee, P. O. Box 277, Rutherford, TN or them to fbcrutherford@tennesseetel.net. Gore Springs Baptist Church, Gore Springs, MS Resumes can be submitted to: Gore Springs Baptist Church, Attn: Pastor Search Committee, MS Highway 8, Gore Spirngs, MS Morris Memorial Baptist Church is prayerfully seeking a bi-vocational pastor. Send resumes to P. O. Box 315, Moscow, TN or to braunwit@gmail.com. Associate Pastor of Students and Missions New Prospect Baptist Church, Olive Branch (F/T) Bi-Vocational Music Director Fellowship Baptist Church, Millington (P/T) resume to fellowshipbaptisttn@gmail.com. New Prospect Baptist Church, Olive Branch (P/T) Bi-Vocational Preschool/Children s Director New Prospect Baptist Church, Olive Branch (P/T) Children s Minister/Ministry Director Fayette Baptist Church (P/T) Send resumes Daniel Taylor, Fayette Baptist Church, Highway 64, Somerville, TN or to daniel@fayettebaptist.com. Youth Pastor Carriage Hills Baptist Church, Southaven (P/T) Send resumes to Carriage Hills Baptist Church, Youth Search Committee, 8352 Farmington Drive W., Southaven, MS 38671, or to carriagehills@att.net. First Baptist Fisherville (F/T) 3-5 years experience in Youth Ministry required. M.Div. or equivalent preferred. Send inquires, resume and references to youthsearch@fisherville.org. Highland Heights Baptist Church (P/T) Contact Mickey Nardin at Nursery Worker/Childcare/Preschool Leawood Baptist Church (P/T) Contact the church office at to schedule an interview. Special Events Coordinator Administrative Assistants Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (P/T) If interested, please contact Karen Nelson at knelson@mabts.edu. Chemical Dependency Group Facilitator Whitten Baptist Church - Ben Talley If you have filled a position, please contact Ashley McCollough at the Association office at or her at ashley@midsouthbaptist.com. Focus on Church Starting Art Groomes Church Starting God s Reign and Church Starting God rules over all His creation. He is sovereign and rules the whole world and all people with love, power and justice. God is not limited by anyone or anything, and He pursues a loving relationship with people. In His love, He invites all people to worship and serve Him. Psalm reminds us to: 1 Sing a new song to the LORD; let the whole earth sing to the LORD. 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. Psalm 96:1-3 (CSBBible) Because God reigns, we have hope and stability for He alone holds everything together. Because of God s loving and gracious rule, we must let the world know that He reigns and there is no other god besides Him. This is the good news of the Gospel. It is the message of John 3:16-17 that we are to proclaim to everyone. During this Christmas season, let s proclaim the good news of the one true God who will one day exercise final reign over all peoples. 9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. 12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! 13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! 14 The four living creatures said, Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:9-14 (CSBBible) Until His final reign, let s keep making disciples and starting new churches. Contact the Mid-South Baptist Association for information on how you can participate.

3 Church Strengthening Through Kingdom Advancement Ron Roy Church Strengthening Coordinator Keeping King in Kingdom Matthew 2:2 Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. NASB King Jesus Himself taught His disciples to pray honoring God the Father first then praying for His Kingdom to come. King Jesus lived, ministered, died and was triumphantly raised from the grave to reign even over death. Matthew 27:35-37 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Every Christian along with each church must live with the conviction of honoring King Jesus with our lives, worship, service and love. Building the Kingdom along our ways and ingenuity without allowing the King to lead in every area is dangerous and futile. Revelation17:14 These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. NASB As we finish one year and begin another, let s make sure we are in alignment first with King Jesus as we pray with Him that His Kingdom will come to our neighborhoods, churches, nation and beyond. One-Day Revival Evangelism Emphasis January 13, 2019 The TBMB Vocational Evangelists want to encourage all MSBA churches to schedule a one-day revival on January 13, Resources can be downloaded from the REACHING APP to assist in preparing for the harvest day. If your church is interested in participating and you need assistance, please call Jessica Albritton at , or her at jalbritton@tnbaptist.org. Pastor s Conference Holiday Music Program December 17, 2018 The Pastor s Conference Music Program for December 17 features Bro. Charles Ritchie, long-time pastor of Agape Baptist Church, who will thrill and dazzle us with his organ keyboard wizardry! Charles led a Pastor s Conference program back in the summer and did such a wonderful job that we immediately enlisted him to do the music program that is traditionally the last Pastor s Conference of the year. A delicious meal begins at 11:30 a.m. and costs $5.50. The program begins at noon and will last just under an hour. Pastors, wives, and staff are all welcome to attend. Pray901 Text Alerts Dr. Mitch Martin, MSBA Director of Missions issued a 901 challenge for prayer. This includes praying at 9:01 a.m. and 9:01 p.m. You are encouraged to pray for your pastor, your church and the 901 area. If you would like to receive a text reminder to pray, to or go to remind.com/join/pray901 to be added to the list. Weekly Pastor Prayer Time Monday mornings at 10:45 a.m. Fireside Room A Bellevue Baptist Church 2000 Appling Road, Cordova, BIBLE DRILL is gearing back up for the year. Are you interested in having a Bible Memorization program in your church that has proven successful over the years? The Children s Bible Drill is 4th-6th grade, Youth is 6th-9th grade and High School is 10th-12th grade. If you are interested in starting a program in your church for children, please call Crystal McCartie ( ) or Gay Edge ( ) for information. For Youth/HS, call Denise Turner ( ). If you already have a program but would like training, call us! Love Packages Bartlett Hills Baptist Church is the MSBA local contact for a ministry called Love Packages. This ministry collects Bibles and out-dated Sunday School and Bible Study literature. They sort, package and ship about 140 tons each month free to mission fields around the world. If you have Bibles or literature to donate, contact Bartlett Hills Baptist Church at To learn more about the ministry, visit lovepackages.org or christianbook.com.

4 Hurricane Michael impacted many in its path. There are opportunities to serve those who have been devastated with destruction. First, PRAY. Pray for those who are dealing with loss as well as those serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. Second, GIVE. Donations can be sent to the Mid-South Baptist Association at 1157 N. Collierville Arlington Road, Collierville, TN They will be forwarded to the associations in the hardest hit areas. Lastly, GO. Disaster relief teams are being sent from the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and area churches. Partner with one of them to minister to those in need. One by One is a faith-based mentoring ministry to new and expectant mothers. They work through the local church and faith community to recruit and train volunteers to come alongside moms in need to provide support and encouragement. They are looking to hire a Community Ministry Director. This person will work 30 hours per week with some eventings and weekends and travel. Salary is $28,500. If interested in applying, your resume toheather McCaskill at hmccaskill@onebyoneusa.org. Focus on Prayer by Doug Landrum - Intercessor Team Leader How would you describe prayer in regard to its essence, purpose, design, and end? Many people would rightly say that prayer is simply talking with God. What a glorious reality that we have access to a Father who desires our continual communion with Him. Surely we should honor the One who bought this access for us by His blood, Jesus Christ, by lingering long at the throne of grace and savoring His presence (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19). Still, there is a piece that appears to be missing often when we speak about prayer namely, surrender. Consider the Lord s Prayer when Jesus teaches His disciples about the nature of prayer. It is interesting that Jesus denounces vain repetition. Certainly this means He does not desire that these words simply be spoken in a rote memorization and repetition. Rather, He teaches us here what we might refer to as the manner in which we should approach prayer and the model of prayer that God desires. Therefore, is it not insightful that Jesus begins by noting that we should ask that God hallow His name? This phrase has the force of an imperative and really expresses an exhortation that God make His name hallowed. Jesus follows this first petition with two others that amplify His first point: Your Kingdom come Your will be done. 7 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen (Matthew 6:7-13) The point here is abundantly clear. For us to enter into prayer correctly, our attitude must be one of seeking the exaltation of God s name, God s Kingdom, and God s will. Certainly this means that God s purpose in prayer is to break us of our will so that our communion with Him is one of sweet surrender. And, in that surrender, we begin to ask our good Father for that which He wills to give us (1 1 John 5:14-15). Therefore, the call to prayer is the call to die and really live in communion with Him. For anyone who has lingered long in God s presence through Jesus Christ, you know that God pursues our surrender so that He can have our hearts and conform us to His will. Let us draw near to the throne to be broken again and useful to Him! Minister s Conference Schedule for December The Minister s Conference takes place every Monday at Bellevue Baptist Church, 2000 Appling Road, Cordova, Lunch is $5.50 and begins at 11:30 a.m. The program follows at noon. Enter through the West Entrance and proceed to the Fellowship Hall. The speakers for December are listed below. December 3 Thomas McGhee Bellevue Frayser December 24 No Conference Christmas Eve December 10 Ashley Ray Ridgeway December 17 Charles Ritchie Agape - Music Program December 31 No Conference New Years Eve Alfredo Lopez, part of the pastoral team at Pueblo de Dios, shares the Four Fields at a breakout session of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Summit in Jackson. Franklin Rosas, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Bartlett, also spoke at the Summit.

5 March 10-13, 2019 Southwestern Seminary recruits churches to hold revival meetings in the spring and pays for the preacher's roundtrip transportation to these churches. The host church provides meals, lodging and local transportation for the preacher while they are on the field. Revival meetings generally begin on Sunday morning March 10 and end on Wednesday evening March 13, 2019, providing the preacher with five preaching opportunities. Alternative formats for the revival meeting are available if there are circumstances which prevent this schedule. The preacher partners with the pastor to engage lost people from the host community in evangelism during the weekdays. For more information please contact us at , ext. 6330, or by at Save The Date! April 29, 2019 Churches Hold Joint Service Mullins Station Baptist Church, Iglesia Evangelica Bautista Nuevo Desafio, and Ethiopian Baptist Church met together on November 19 for a joint service and Thanksgiving meal. Approximately 250 people were in attendance. Pictured at right are the three pastors: Adera Mestetu, Luis Reynoso and Danny Spurlock. Speaker: Dr. Gordon Fort IMB Faith Baptist Church 3755 N. Germantown Road Bartlett, TN Pastor Eric and First Lady Yvette Givens Celebrate 22 Years as Pastor and Wife at Second Baptist Church, Coldwater Outgoing MSBA Moderator Rev. Derrick Joyce Was Recognized at the November Executive Board Meeting at Bellevue