November, 2013 A Monthly Publication of the Michigan State Association of Free Will Baptists LIBERTY DISTRICT November 2, 9:30 a.m. Crosspoint Free Will Baptist Church 4015 Allen Road, Allen Park, MI 48101 Rev. Gary Hill, Pastor Rev. Danny Slater, Moderator WEST MICHIGAN DISTRICT November 2, 9:30 a.m. South Haven Community Church 1045 E. Wilson, South Haven, MI 49090 Bro. Gary Guthrie, Pastor Rev. Bill Hughes, Moderator NEW HOPE DISTRICT December 14, 9:00 a.m. Liberty Free Will Baptistt Church 2415 Wendell Street, Detroit, MI 48209 Rev. Milford Byrd, Moderator WOLVERINE DISTRICT December 14, 9:30 a.m. Friendship Free Will Baptist Church 7110 Davison Road, Davison, MI 48423 Rev. Cody Mansfield, Pastor Rev. Michael Hill, Moderator CONCERT Tecumseh Free Will Baptist Church 5876 Occidental Hwy., Tecumseh, MI 49286 November 3, 11:00 a.m. Chere' Pepper Dinner on the Grounds Following the Morning Service Singing in the Afternoon, 2: :00 p.m. Rev. Gene Hurley, Pastor REVIVAL Tecumseh Free Will Baptist Church 5876 S. Occidental Hwy., Tecumseh, MI 49286 December 2-4, 7:00 p.m. Evangelists: The Locklears CONCERT December 5, 7:00 p.m. Stoney Creek Gospel Rev. Genee Hurley, Pastor Anti-Same-Sex Marriage Rally February 25 Courthouse in Detroit [More details forthcoming] Welch College Negotiating Sale of Campus to Aquinas NASHVILLE, TN Welch College and Aquinas College are in negotiations regarding the purchase and sale of the Welch campus located in the historic Richland-West End neighborhood in Nashville, according to Welch College president Matt Pinson. Both parties signed a non-binding letter of intent and are moving toward a contract which will await approval from the institutions boards of trustees. Both schools hope to close by February 2014. While many details are yet undisclosed, the parties are negotiating a transitional agreement for shared use of campus facilities. Plans call for the acquisition and
transition for Welch and Aquinas to take 18 months, including a year when both colleges will occupy portions of the Welch campus property while Welch builds the first phase of its new campus in Gallatin. In June 2014, Aquinas will renovate and occupy four buildings on the current Welch campus. Welch will maintain occupancy of the remainder of the campus buildings until August 2015, when Aquinas will occupy the total campus. The presidents of Aquinas and Welch met with representatives of the Richland-West End Neighborhood Association (RWENA) on Tuesday, October 15, to discuss the benefits of an Aquinas campus to the Richland-West End neighborhood. Debbie Mouser to Transition from Interim Director to Director of Enrollment Services NASHVILLE, TN Debbie Mouser, who has served as the interim director of enrollment services for the past year, has been named Director of Enrollment Services, according to President Matt Pinson. Mrs. Mouser joined the Welch College staff in 2010 as office manager/enrollment counselor for Enrollment Services and took the position as interim Director of Enrollment Services in the fall of 2012. She has also served as the College Choir pianist since 2008. President Pinson said, "Debbie Mouser, with her background in sales, her deep, abiding love for her alma mater, and being a parent of two Welch College students, brings a wonderful perspective to the recruitment and retention of students for Welch. She is doing a stellar job in this role, and it's only fitting that she assumes the full role of director." Mrs. Mouser said, I am thankful to have been given this opportunity and excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. I am blessed to work with a team that is passionate about the mission of Welch College and seeing our student body grow. Her Enrollment Services team is made up of Enrollment Counselor Daniel Armstrong, Director of Recruitment Nathan Willhite, Office Assistant Stephanie McVay, and several students who work in the call center. Date changed for appearance of Duck Dynasty s Willie Robertson on Oct. 19 to April 12 th at Viking Page 2 Hall Civic Center has been changed from Saturday, Oct. 19, to Saturday, April 12. Robertson is to speak at the event as part of a fundraiser to benefit Family Ministries School Expansion Project. Due to uncontrollable circumstances, the event s date has been changed from the scheduled date of Saturday, October 19 to Saturday, April 12. William Morris Agency apologizes for any inconvenience this personal scheduling conflict will cause ticket holders, Family Ministries and Viking Hall Civic Center. We at Family Ministries are very sorry for the inconvenience this date change will cause ticket holders, but unfortunately we have no control over the situation, said Derek Bell, Director of Development at Family Ministries. We can only pray that the ticket holders, sponsors, and Viking Hall will understand and be willing to work with the changed date. Tickets sold will still be honored at the new event date of Saturday, April 12 th. Tickets are still available for the opportunity to see Robertson, one of the stars of A&E s top rated show, Duck Dynasty. This is an event to benefit Family Ministries school expansion project, so I encourage you to consider keeping your tickets and attending on our rescheduled date of Saturday, April 12 th, said Derek Bell, Director of Development at Family Ministries. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Willie Robertson and help Family Ministries as we strive to better serve the children in our care. Bass Pro Shops, Johnson Commercial Development, and The Pinnacle are Premier Sponsors for this one-day event. I am honored to be a part of this worthwhile event and to help support Family Ministries School Expansion Project. This expansion is going to ensure that at-risk children in our region will have the same educational advantages as every other child, said Steve Johnson, president and CEO of Johnson Commercial Development and The Pinnacle. I know one of the best things I can do for the stability of our region in years to come is to ensure that every child is educated. Proceeds from the event will benefit Family Ministries planned 10,000-square-foot expansion
to provide updated classroom space and counseling facilities for the children that Family Ministries serve. The school expansion is scheduled to begin in October with an estimated completion date of summer 2014. Other sponsors for this event include Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, Eddie Cox of Farm Bureau, Food City, Personalized From Me To You online retailer, Reinhart Food Services and Wal-Mart on Volunteer Parkway in Bristol. (Family Ministries, headquartered in Greeneville, TN, has been providing unconditional love and support to young people and their families since 1939 through residential group homes, foster care, the Hope Center and The Oaks Retreat Center. Family Ministries is expanding its services to a new population group with The Laurels Retirement and Assisted Living Center and Governor s Bend Retirement and Assisted Living Center in Erwin, TN.) 2014 MEN S RETREAT January 26-28 Youth Haven Ranch Rives Junction, Michigan Cost: $100.00 Theme: Lay Leadership Please send reservation requests with names of those registering to gnorris4166@gmail.com. Bible Q&A By Tom Lovorn, Th.D. (I received this from a friend of mine, Rev. G. C. Lee, and thought it interesting.) Q. I would find it helpful if you could share a brief study distinguishing Bible characters with the same names. Rev. Bud Goude, Gloucester Point, VA A. Since most folks in Bible times didn t use second or last names, those having similar names can be confusing. We use familiar family names today; but we usually give them different second names, or call them junior, or give them a number to tell them apart. Of course, this list isn t exhaustive but it may help you separate some major Bible characters. Not counting the 2 Miriams of the Old Testament, which have the same derivative, there are at least 6 Marys in the New Testament. We have Mary, the mother of Jesus and Page 3 wife of Joseph, and Mary, the mother of Joses and James the Less (or the Little) who was an apostle. She is sometimes confused with Jesus mother since he also had brothers named James and Joses. She may be the other Mary seen at the Cross in Matthew 27:61 and the same as Mary, wife of Cleopas, an uncle to Jesus. Then, there s Mary of Magdala and Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha. We also know John Mark s mother (sister of Barnabas) was named Mary, and there was a Mary of Rome Paul greeted in Romans 16:6. There are at least 14 men named Joseph, who were often called Joses. The 2 most notable are Joseph, son of Jacob in the Old Testament, and Joseph, husband of Mary in the New Testament. Also, Jesus had a brother named Joses (probably Joseph, Jr.), and Barnabas real name was Joses. The New Testament mentions 4 Johns with the 3 most notable being John the Baptizer and cousin of Jesus, John the apostle and son of Zebedee, and John Mark, better known simply as Mark. Likewise, there are 4 James with the most memorable being an apostle and brother of John. Then, we have James, the brother of Jesus, leader of the Jerusalem Church and writer of a New Testament epistle; and James the Less, an apostle so called to separate him from the brother of Jesus. There are 2 Salomes: One dancing for the head of John the Baptizer and the other being the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John. Three Tamars are mentioned, along with 3 Sauls which include Israel s first king and the birth name of Paul. We have 7 men named Jude, Juda, or Judas. One was a son of Jacob (Israel), another was the brother of Jesus and writer of a New Testament epistle, and Judas Iscariot, the traitor. Also, there are 14 Simons or Simeons of which we remember Simon Peter and Simeon, the old prophet in the Temple. By the way, Silvanus is another name for Silas, the second partner of Paul, and Titus may be the same as Justis whom the NIV calls Justis Titius in Acts 18:7. But, aren t you glad God never confuses us because John 10:3 promises he calls his sheep by name? Good News from Spain Tim, Kristi, Alejandro, Ana Johnson Dear Michigan friends, It's a lazy Saturday morning here in the Johnson house. We don t have very many of these, so we're taking advantage of it to send this letter to all of you. Our last few months have been quite busy, especially since our teammates (Anthony & Lea Edgmon) have been in the States for their stateside assignment since the end of June. In their absence, Tim has to carry
the entire pastoral load and preaching responsibilities of the Alpedrete Church. Kristi organizes and promotes all of the activities of the Outreach Center and works with the ladies' ministries in the church. Needless to say, our days are long and often our schedules are a little bit crazy. So you can understand why a Saturday morning free from activity is a great blessing to us. And we are enjoying these moments together as a family before the next "wave" of activity sets in. Here are some of the projects in the coming days that you can help us pray for There will be a special workshop (in addition to all of our regular monthly activities) in the Alpedrete Outreach Center, where children and their parents will be invited to make fall crafts. As they glue and paste leaves and acorns and other fall items, may they feel the love of Christ we offer as we have these activities to reach out to the community. We will be preparing for Operation Christmas Child. For the past couple of years, our church has participated in this outreach where we not only send boxes, but we also work in the receiving center in Madrid. Boxes from all over Spain are brought here to be processed for shipment to children in Equatorial Guinea and refugee camps in the Sahara. We will be practicing and getting ready for our Christmas program. This year our theme is Comparte Navidad ("Sharing Christmas") and we will be presenting a flamenco-style program for family, friends, and contacts. Since our program will have a drama, adult choir, and a children's choir, almost everyone in our church gets involved and has a part. Pray with us now that many of our unsaved friends will attend and hear the Gospel presented. THANKS to all of you, our Michigan friends and supporters, for all you've done for our family over these last 15 years we've been here in Spain! [Ed. Note: I received this note a couple of weeks ago I am including in the Menorah. It helps clarify a few of the activities of a missionary.] TEN THINGS THAT MISSIONARIES DO EACH WEEK (all taken from our actual week) 1. Missionaries answer emails. This past week, we received more than 300 emails. That's an average of 42 a day, each requiring our time and attention. Some are easily deleted (junk mail, etc.), Page 4 but others call for research and time to respond. If we only spent 3 minutes on each email, that would be more than two hours of each day. We are certainly not discouraging you from writing us emails (because we LOVE to hear from you), but just hope you will understand if you don't hear back from us immediately. 2. Missionaries say lots of goodbyes. On Monday morning, we took Sam and June McVay to the airport and said goodbye to them. It was an emotional send-off, but we know they are going to be used mightily by God in their new position with FWBIM. 3. Missionaries prepare Bible studies and lessons. Just this past week, we spent time working on the following: a devotion for a prayer time, a Bible study, a lesson for another Bible study, and a kids' Sunday School lesson. And remember, we are doing all of this in Spanish, where we have to think about conjugations, vocabulary, and a myriad of other things that aren't necessary when we teach in English. 4. Missionaries deal with leaky pipes. When we went into our church on Tuesday morning, we saw a puddle of water forming in the sanctuary area, dripping from the apartment above. That required Tim to go upstairs and look for neighbors in the building, call a church member who is a plumber to help, talk to the president of the apartment building, and make several more trips to check to see if it was under control. 5. Missionaries make hospital visits. On Thursday, Kristi was asked to go with a lady in our church to visit a friend of a friend. When they arrived at the public children's hospital in Madrid, she was face to face with one of the saddest situations ever. A mother was all alone in a hospital room with her 14-year-old son, who was writhing in pain. The doctors had told the mother the day before that they wanted to just give up on him and let him die. Not only was she concerned about her son, but she was unsure of how she was going to pay her bills and she had no one to turn to. Thankfully, Kristi and the lady in our church were able to give her some food, sit with her for awhile, and pray with her. 6. Missionaries spend time with unsaved contacts. Every Friday morning, Kristi has coffee with two of our contacts here in Alpedrete. While politics, children, and the latest issues are always the topic, we are trusting that these weekly encounters will lead them to accept Christ into their hearts. 7. Missionaries take care of paperwork. Our church received a notice in the mail this week from the Spanish government, which had to be picked up the following day at the post office. Tim retrieved the package, which included a card with our final identification number. Then he had to take that to the
Page 5 bank to complete the church's file there. While it seems like there is always more paperwork to be done, we are thankful that the Alpedrete Church has completed each step necessary to be officially organized. nized. 8. Missionaries attend meetings. This past week, our music group at church had a meeting to discuss future plans and learn new songs. We also had PTA meetings in both Alejandro's high school and Ana's elementary school. While these are great ways to stay engaged in our children's education, we also recognize the value in forming a part of the community here by attending meetings and getting involved. 9. Missionaries use modern technology to communicate. Not only do we use our Magic Jack and Skype to talk to our family back in the States, but we also use modern technology to communicate with our Spanish friends. Besides Skyping, emailing, and texting (which form a regular part of our communications with our church), Kristi learned to use WhatsApp this week, where she created a group for her ladies' Bible study, which includes two ladies who are still "seekers". What a great way to use the Internet Superhighway to build relationships! 10. Missionaries write updates to supporters. Each Sunday as we sit down at our computer to write our update, we think back over the week and decide what to share. Thanks for taking time to read our updates and pray for the ministry here. While there are certainly a LOT more than "ten things" we do each week, this gives you a snapshot of what our life here in Spain is like! Tim, Kristi, Alejandro, and Ana November 3, 6:00 p.m. at Central Free Will Baptist Church 2005 Rochester Road Royal Oak, Michigan 48073 Phone: 248 248-547-7755 Pastor: Tom McCullough Associate Pastor: Jacob Riggs Understanding Islam and Your Muslim Neighbors Blacklisted by the Syrian controlled government in Lebanon, Ata Mikhael left the Middle East with his family in 1988. He eventually came to Michigan and began working with Radio Bible Class translating Our Daily Bread and other bible commentaries into Arabic. In the last 20 years he has planted three ArabicArabic speaking churches in our area (Lansing, Windsor, Clawson). For the last 12 years he has been broadcasting the gospel to the more than 200,000 Arabic speaking people of Greater Detroit and Windsor on WNZK 690 AM. He also currently has a live TV show on Aramaic Broadcast Network (ABN) on satellite TV. Pastor Mikhael just returned from his annual annu trip to Beirut and Northern Iraq where he is a popular conference speaker among the converted Muslims in this and other unnamed locations in the Middle East. Pastor Mikhael sees one of his most important ministries to be helping his fellow American Christians stians in two ways: 1) to be alerted to and informed about the growing Islamic movement in our country, and 2) to be prepared to share Jesus with Muslim friends and neighbors. Hear Pastor Ata Mikhael A love for the Word in the pulpit is bound to produce a love for the Word in the pew. Merrill Unger
The Michigan Free Will Baptist MENORAH 4166 Maplewood Meadows Avenue Grand Blanc, Michigan 48439 God s Machine Shop There is a machine shop on the C. & O. Railroad that is kept immaculately white and clean inside. A long axle runs from one end of the shop to the other, high above the heads of the workmen. There are nearly one thousand wheels on it. Each wheel carries a belt connected with a machine below. Each of these machines is different. Each one has a specific job to do. Together they take a piece of raw material and make it ready for service on one of the giant mountain climbing machines. One tremendous belt runs through a slit in the wall. It s the connecting link between the giant dynamo and that long axle. Until it moves, that machine shop stands helpless. It furnishes the power for every machine. We are God s machines. This world is His great machine shop and we are helpless until He turns on the power. A church should be a powerhouse making available God s power to the rest of the world. We deal in power and when we, the church, cease dealing in power, there is no excuse for our existence. Death Notice Sister Old Time Prayer Meeting died recently at the First Neglected Church on Worldly Avenue. Born many years ago in the midst of great revivals, she was a strong healthy child, fed largely on testimony and scriptural holiness, soon growing into world-wide prominence, and was one of the most influential members of the famous Church family. She was a great influence for good, gathering the multitude of mankind to her bosom to hear the story of Him who wore the seamless garment; a story of never failing interest to all. For the past several years Sister Prayer Meeting has been failing in health, gradually wasting away until rendered helpless by stiffness of knees, coldness of heart, inactivity, and weakness of purpose and will power. At the last she was but a shadow of her former self. Her last whispered words were inquiries concerning the strange absence of her loved ones, now absent from her presence, busy in the marts of trade and places of worldly amusements. Her older brother, Class Meeting, has been dead for many years. Experts, including Dr. Re-Form, and Dr. Joiner, disagreed as to the cause of her illness, administering large doses of organization, socials, contests, drives and religious education, but to no avail. A post mortem showed a deficiency of spiritual food coupled with lack of fasting, faith and change of heart. Shameless desertion and non-support were contributing causes. Only a few were present at her death, sobbing over memories of her past beauty and power. Carefully selected pallbearers were urged to tenderly bear her remains away by failed to appear. There were no flowers. Her favorite hymns, Amazing Grace and Rock of Ages were not sung. Miss Ima Modern rendered Beautiful Isle of Somewhere, but none had any idea where this fancied isle might be. The body rests in the beautiful cemetery of Bygone Glories, awaiting the summons from above which shall bring her, with her blood-washed garments, into the presence of the God of Glory, spotless, blameless and full of glory. In honor of her going, the church doors will be closed on Wednesday evenings, save on the third Wednesday of each month, when the Ladies Pink Lemonade Society serves refreshments to the member of the men s handball team. The Michigan Free Will Baptist MENORAH is a monthly publication of the Michigan State Association of Free Will Baptists, Rev. Ron Helms, moderator; Rev. Joseph Jones, assistant moderator; Rev. Allen West, clerk; Rev. Jeff Isaacs, assistant clerk; Rev. Steven Thrasher, treasurer; Rev. Rick Locklear, assistant treasurer; Rev. Gene Norris, Promotional Director.