Baptist. The Mid-South. Whitney to Speak at Ministers Conference. Dr. Mitch Martin Executive Director of Missions.

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1 The Mid-South Baptist June, 2018 Vol. 14, Issue 6 Dr. Mitch Martin Executive Director of Missions The Southern Baptist Convention is struggling right now. In recent days, we have seen the following: sexual misconduct, vulgarity, pride, schisms, lack of spiritual passion, lack of evangelism, fault-finding, hate, wreckless communication, abuse of social media, polarization, and lack of prayer. First, let s pray for our SBC President, Dr. Steve Gaines. He has the unenviable job of moderating the annual meeting in Dallas. He has done a good job. Let s pray he finishes well. Second, let s confess our own sins. I can t confess your sins, and you can t confess mine. The Bible says, Humble yourself. Each of us has to deal with our own sin. Revival will not come until we confess and forsake evil. Third, although we cannot control the Southern Baptist Convention, we can influence the Mid-South Baptist Association. So let us resolve to do the following: live holy, respect everyone, be humble, forgive, strive for unity, be careful with our words, seek to win the lost, pray, be passionate about Jesus, and love. Let s create a God-honoring culture here in the 901. Will you join me? Important Dates for June 4 NO Ministers Conference - VBS 5 Church Starting Team Mtg. - 1:00 p.m. MSBA Office 8-9 ESL Workshop - MSBA Office 11 Ministers Conference 11:30 a.m. Jacob McAnally, speaker 18 Ministers Conference 11:30 a.m. Randy Pool, speaker 25 Ministers Conference 11:30 a.m. Keith Buckner, speaker 26 MSBA Staff Meeting - 1:00 p.m. Whitney to Speak at Ministers Conference Monday, August Appling Road, Cordova, $5.50 for lunch Dr. Don Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Seminary, will be leading a one-day conference on praying the scriptures.

2 Opportunities Within Our Churches Pastor Rosemark Baptist Church, Millington, TN Send resumes to Rosemark Baptist Church, Attn: Pulpit Committee, 9037 Kerr Rosemark Road, Millington, TN Bi-Vocational Pastor Providence Baptist Church, Alamo, TN Send resumes to Providence Baptist Church, Attn: Pulpit Committee, P. O. Box 69, Crockett Mills, TN 38021, or to Associate Pastor of Students and Missions New Prospect Baptist Church, Olive Branch (F/T) Bi-Vocational Music Director New Prospect Baptist Church, Olive Branch (P/T) Bi-Vocational Preschool/Children s Dir. New Prospect Baptist Church, Olive Branch (P/T) Student & Contemporary Worship Pastor Mulberry Baptist Church, Houma, LA (F/T) To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, at least one video leading worship and one leading a Bible study or preaching and other supporting materials to brad.simon@mullberrychurch.org. Youth Pastor Berclair Baptist Church (P/T) Call or if you are interested. 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. 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. Pianist Gracepoint Baptist Church Send resume to rredd@me.com. Magnolia Baptist Church Call Chuck Mann at if interested. Need is for Sunday mornings only. Range Hills Baptist Church Call (901) if interested. Special Needs Ministry Director Longview Heights Baptist Church (F/T) Send resume to alan@lhbc.me. Secretary Ardmore Terrace Baptist Church (P/T) Send resume to Sb1young@yahoo.com. Focus on Church Starting Art Groomes Church Starting Sharing the Gospel and Church Starting Now that the current school year has ended, many families will be on the move. This is a great time to plan for intentional gospel conversations with people you encounter at different venues. The picnics, socials, weddings, barbecues, pool parties, and various other gatherings will provide the perfect time for a gospel conversation. While attending one of these special events during the month of June, be on the lookout for opportunities to direct a casual conversation toward the hope you have in Christ and the difference the hope you have in Christ makes every day. Conversations that offer encouraging words will give people a lift and may provide an opportunity for someone who is being drawn to Christ to place their trust in Him or someone who has not heard about Christ to hear a word of hope. People will not hear about the love and grace of God unless we tell them about Him. This is how churches are started and grow. Now that people are moving about freely, let s focus on being intentional about sharing the gospel. Contact the MSBA to hear about how you can help with Church Starting in the Mid-South. Focus on Prayer by Jimmy Davis I have always heard the little but powerful saying, Prayer changes things. I really do believe that but also I believe that prayer changes people. Prayer has become a very precious part of my life. The disciples asked Jesus this question, Lord, teach us to pray. I believe that the Lord was very pleased with that question because prayer is a privilege, and He was willing to grant their request. As I have grown in the Lord, He has given me many opportunities to strengthen my prayer life. One of those ways is Pray 901. What a wonderful time to pray for those I may never meet in this section of our state. The reminder to pray at 9:01 a.m. and 9:01 p.m. is a great way to begin and end the day with prayer. I know that prayer has no limits and prayer is never a waste of time. Thank you, Lord for the power of prayer. Vertical Worship Conference Travis Laws, worship pastor at First Collierville, conducted a vertical worship conference for MSBA churches on May 15 at Cordova Baptist Church. The attendees learned many new ideas for ways to enhance their worship.

3 Church Strengthening Through Kingdom Advancement Ron Roy Church Strengthening Coordinator Healthy Garden - Healthy Church Gardens are getting a lot of attention these days. Weeds need to be taken care of and prevented from returning. Fertilizers are being used to help flowers and vegetables grow. Some plants do better in the sun; others need shade to flourish. Some need an abundance of water while others get by on the minimum. Those that were pruned back in the fall have taken off. While others who didn t are not letting enough light shine through for optimum growth. Enemies of gardens like moles, grubs, insects, snails and other pests are being dealt with so growth and harvest can be at their peak. Or, are they? It is not hard to notice which people are giving the attention needed to their gardens. Churches, in a lot of ways are similar to gardens and orchards. Planting, cultivating, fertilizing, pruning, etc. are also needed in church life. Like a garden, church strengthening requires planning, work, and attention to what is needed in certain situations. It is amazing that we have our own Master Gardener to assist in helping our church field to flourish with an abundant harvest. Enemies are defeated. Disruptive situations are attended to. Optimal, healthy growth is taking place because the body of Christ is following closely the Master Gardener s instructions. When the neighbors in your community see and hear about your garden (Church), what comments do you think they are making? Is your garden (Church) bearing the fruit it was planted to achieve? What areas of your garden (Church) are needing to be pruned, adjusted, or pulled up so that the rest of the garden (Church) can flourish for the GLORY OF GOD? Are the seeds that were planted, taking root? Multiplying? Are the gardeners procrastinating in attending the garden (Church) just hoping things will get better on their own? If you are looking for some assistance in planting or nourishing a new or present garden (Church), contact the MSBA and let us work together to help our gardens (Churches) thrive. Minister s Conference Schedule for June The Minister s Conference takes place every Monday at, 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 June are listed below. June 4 VBS No Conference June 18 Randy Pool MRM June 11 Jacob McAnally Level Up June 25 Keith Buckner Grace Bible New Church Memphis Celebrates 10th Anniversary Trinity Baptist Held MLK Service Several churches joined with Trinity Baptist Church in Cordova for a special service on March 25 in an effort to come together in racial unity. New Church Memphis celebrated their 10th anniversary on Sunday, May 6. Gary Griffis is the pastor of New Church Memphis. The guest preacher for the anniversary was Rev. Marvin Tharnish, pastor of Brookside Baptist Church in Olive Branch. Following the service, everyone enjoyed a fellowship meal together. Griffis was presented an anniversary proclamation by Dr. Mitch Martin, Executive Director of Missions.

4 Ellendale Partners with Holy Temple for Block Party Pastor Brian Carmichael and Holy Temple Baptist Church had their end of school block party on Saturday, April 28 at the church on New Allen Road. Sister church Ellendale Baptist and Pastor Fred Shackelford came to help out and join in the fun. Ellendale members manned the booths and cooked the food so Holy Temple members could build relationships with the attendees from the neighborhood. Missionaries Available to Speak Faith Baptist Church is hosting a missionary family who live and work in East Asia. This family has ben living and serving among an unreached people group for the past years. They will be available to speak at any churches on June 17, July 8 and July 15. They are also available during the week. Contact Faith Baptist at for more information. Let s Do Lunch! We need area churches to provide a simple lunch for mission teams coming to Brinkley Heights! Contact Jamae Zarshenas at or jzarshenas@aol.com. June 4, 5, 7, 8 (143 people) June 18, 22 (108 people) July 9 (206 people) Van Needed Jolly Springs Baptist Church in Dresden, TN needs a 12- passenger van for their ministry. If you have one to donate or sell at a low price, please contact Tony or Judy Michaels at (Tony) or (Judy). Focus on Legacy Giving Bob Dawkins MSBA Foundation Member The Future Is What You Make of It! While it s impossible to know or control what happens in the future, you can have security about achieving your ultimate goals by making a plan. Planning is one way to create a secure future for you and your loved ones. With a good lan, you can rest easy knowing that your family will be well cared for and your property will pass to your intended beneficiaries. What Are Some Options For Planning My Future? A Will - A will is a written document that permits you to state how you want your property or estate distributed, name an Executor to distribute your property, pay your bills and taxes, and handle other business affairs to settle your estate. Your Will is a public document and your Executor is accountable to the County Probte Court. A Living Trust - A Grantor Living Trust may be set up during your life with you and/or your spouse as the Trustee. The language in the Trust names the Successor Trustee details the income distribution for the life of the beneficiaries and details the distribution of the assets upon the last to die. Unlike the Will, the Living Trust will not be subject to the oversite of the Probate Court. Contact the MSBA office at to be connected with a member of the MSB Foundation.

5 happenings Baptist Hospital Auxiliary For more than 60 years, the auxiliary has given baby Bibles to the newborns. There are now over 400 babies being born at Women s Hospital every month! Churches in the association have always supported this ministry, but lately, donations have not kept up with the demand. Please consider sending a monetary gift to the auxiliary so this vital ministry can continue. Checks can be mailed to the Auxiliary Treasurer Suzanne Jones at 155 Sunflower View Road, Piperton, TN Weekly Pastor Prayer Time Monday mornings at 10:45 a.m. Fireside Room A 2000 Appling Road, Cordova, MSBA 2018 Directory of Churches is Online The 2018 Directory of Churches is online for you to view or print. Go to midsouthbaptist.com and you will find the directory under the About tab at the top of the page. Directories weren t printed and mailed to the churches. If you need a directory printed and mailed to you, please contact Ashley McCollough at You can also request one by at ashley@midsouthbaptist.com. Pray901 Text Alerts Dr. Mitch Martin, MSBA Executive 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. Prayer changes things, and the 901 needs to be changed. Thank you for joining this prayer effort! To register as a messenger, go to sbcannualmeeting.net. Program information is also available.