The Vision Of Missions Continue Matthew 28: 18:20; Matthew 25: 35-30 Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention Foreign Mission Department ISSUE 02 NOVEMBER 2012 This Issue LMBSC Missionaries Minister in West Indies Dr. C.S. Gordon, Jr 2 Rev. Gary Curtis 3 Tennis Shoes Drive 4 Dr. Tammy Mitchell 5 Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention Mission Team Travels to Dominica Pastor Lester George 6 Sis. Jacqueline Wesley-Spring 7 First Phase Completed 8 Financial Report 9 History of Calibishie, Dominica Back LMBSC Missionaries Minister in the West Indies By Jimmy R. Stevens On August 11th - 16th, 2012, twenty-four missionaries from the Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention, Dr. Chris S. Gordon president, ministered on the islands of Dominica and Antigua led by chairman, Rev. Jimmy R. Stevens, executive secretary Rev. Gary Curtis, and evangelism chairman Rev. Milton Ceasar. The missionaries ministered in four different villages in Dominica: Calibisie at the Calibisie Baptist Church, Woodfordhill at the Woodfordhill Baptist Church, Portsmouth at the Olivet Baptist Church and Wesley at the Marathana Baptist Church. The team ministered in four areas; first a medical triage, led by Dr. Tammy Mitchell and nurse Jamie Stevens, second, Vacation Bible School led by Brother Tyrone Davis and sisters: Faye Norton, Jackie Spring, Delores Stewart, Roseland Jackson, Elvert Bijou, Naomi Green, Elvenda Bonds, Evelyn Competon, Sherronda Butler, and third, Christian leadership school and fourth, revival services where sermons were preached each night by Ministers: Gary Curtis, Louis Guy, Shun Hartley and Desmond Wallace. Evangelism chairman Milton Ceasar ministered on the island of Antigua. Rev. Ceasar has now experienced three missionary trips to the West Indies. He has ministered on three different islands in the West Indies: Antigua, St. Thomas Virgin Island and Dominica. Congress State President, Dr. Jessie Billsberry led his 20th delegation to the West Indies. Members from the Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church of Baton Rouge accompanied him and ministered in the village of Grand Fond, Dominica at the church that Dr. Billberry founded, Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church of Dominica. Our executive secretary of Foreign Missions Rev. Gary Curtis participated in his sixth trip to the West Indies and remains in love with the people of Dominica and committed to seeing the believers in Dominica discipled and matured in the faith. His passion to see his pastor's legacy of a thriving Baptist Church in Portsmouth is apparent by his leadership and the faithful followship of the members of Second Zion Baptist Church (number one) of New Orleans who accompanied him. Second Zion will be celebrating their 100th Year Church Anniversary in 2013. On Wednesday night, many of the missionaries attended the ordination and installation services of Bro. Lester George, ordained and installed as the Pastor of the Woodfordhill Baptist Church. The services were led by island coordinator of the National Baptist Sunday Publishing Board, Dr. Thomas Bentley, Pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church of the St. Thomas Virgin Island. Dr. Bentley preached from I Timothy 5:17-20, Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that threadeth out the corn, and the labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." Dr. Bentley emphasized the necessity of the churches in the West Indies of financially supporting their churches by paying their tithes and offerings to their local churches. Then he encouraged the churches to take their pastors off their jobs and financially support their pastor in full-time ministry. The new pastor of Woodfordhill Baptist Church succeeded his father, the late Rev. Ned George. Rev. Lester George is a graduate of American Baptist College of Nashville, Tennessee. (Continued on Page 2)
Dr. C. S. Gordon, Jr., President of the Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention LMBSC Missionaries Minister in the West Indies By Rev. Jimmy R. Stevens The Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention November Quarterly Conference 2012 will be meeting in New Iberia, Louisiana November 6-8, 2012 hosted by the Union Sixth District Baptist Association, Rev. Norman Stovall, Moderator. President Gordon s vision for the LMBSC includes a life of service by the power of The Holy Spirit and one which embraces all constituents of Louisiana. He is committed to the mission of the NBCUSA, Inc. and continues to work diligently throughout our convention having held several leadership positions. Presently, Dr. Gordon serves as the Second Assistant Secretary and Board Member for our national convention. Dr. Gordon is entering his twentyfourth year as the Pastor of New Zion Baptist Church and continues to inspire NZBC to support our state and national conventions, respectively. He also serves as Moderator, Baptist Pastors Conference of Greater New Orleans and Vicinity and President, United Baptist Association, Inc.. Gordon previously served as the General Secretary for the LMBSC under Immediate Past President. President Gordon s two new initiatives for the convention are: Dr. Harry Blake Boys Academy and the Foreign Mission outreach to Dominica. (Continued from Cover Story) The Second Zion Baptist Church of Portsmouth was visited and damages were assessed to the building that was destroyed by Hurricane Dean in 2008. The Louisiana Baptist State Convention has made a commitment to rebuild Second Zion that was. founded by the late Dr. Matthews McGary in 1984. The rebuilding project will be done in five phases: clean-up phrase, roof beams phrase, roof completion phrase, painting phrase and the furnishing phrase. Funds have been received by the convention members, churches and associations of approximately $ 15,000.00 to begin renovations on the church. Also our State Convention members contributed 125 new pairs of tennis shoes for the children in Portsmouth to begin their new school year. We are so thankful and proud of the commitment and dedication of the Louisiana Baptist State Convention missionaries to foreign missions. Your faithfulness, love and obedience to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, "Go ye therefore in all the world and teach all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things in which I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always. Even unto the end of the world" and the network of our sister churches have helped to spread the light of Christ and strengthen the faith of many of the believers in the West Indies. Many of us traveling to the West Indies for the first time found the believers of the West Indies to be sincerely in love with Jesus and they received us with open arms. Many hearts were touched, new relationships established, the word of God taught and an indelible print has been impressed in the sands of time. 2
Rev. Gary Lee Curtis, Pastor Second Zion Baptist Church, No. 1 New Orleans, La Foreign Mission Executive Secretary Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. In our recent travels to the Island of Dominica, ministering Kingdom s service to the islanders, we were truly blessed in the Lord. The Mission Trip was a rewarding and uplifting experience. We wish to thank all that accompanied us on the trip. We, thank Almighty God, for truly His Great Grace was upon us. I would like to thank our Convention President, Dr. C S Gordon, Jr., and our Director of Foreign Mission, Dr. Jimmy R. Stevens, Delegates and Convention Supporters, for foreign mission initiative. What we intended to accomplished on this trip, was truly a blessing to all. As we, continue the vision and work of Foreign Missions in the West Indies, we look forward with great expectation of serving our sisters and brothers of the Island. Again, I wish publicly to thank this convention and its many supporters, along with our President, for allowing us to serve in the area of foreign missions. To God Be The Glory For All The Great Things He Has Done! His Humble Servant Pastor Gary Lee Curtis 3
Dominica Tennis Shoes Drive The missionaries of the Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention was able to send the children of Dominica 103 pairs of new tennis shoes for the new school year. Because of the generous donation of members of the convention across the State these teens shoes were bought and shipped to our sister churches on the island! Working with the Women Missionary Union presidents of our convention made this effort possible. Dr. Thomas Bentley, Island Coordinator made sure that the tennis shoes were distributed. On next year 2013 we would like to ship at least 200 new pairs of tennis shoes! Sis. Verda Anthony, President of the 7th District Baptist Association WMU auxiliary is the contact person cell (337) 884-6662 or home (337) 478-9818. PICTURES FROM DOMINICA TRIP VBS STUDENTS & MISSIONARIES 4
Missions Perspective from a Doctor By Dr. Tammy Mitchell Dominic is a tropical paradise which is well-preserved and it sits along the eastern seaboard of the Caribbean Sea. I along with Jamie Stevens, the licensed practical nurse who assisted me, had the privilege of serving the people of two villages, Wordfordhill and Calibishie. I also was able to serve by teaching the teen class during our Vacation Bible School at the Wordfordhill Baptist Church. The teens were very eager to learn and it was interesting to learn that they enjoy social media sites such as Facebook as much as teens here in the United States. As a medical doctor, I must say that I was very impressed with the overall health of the people of the island. Since the island is very underdeveloped, one would expect the overall health of the individuals to be very poor. Of the individuals which we saw, the most common diseases identified were hypertension and diabetes. Of those with these diseases, they were already treated and on medications. They had a health center in their prospective villages which they can go to and have their blood pressure and blood glucose levels checked regularly. I noticed that the locals eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet. In speaking to one who was practicing nurse on the island for over 30 years stated We eat what we grow and we grow what we eat. So you don t find many on the island desiring takeout or fast-food. I think it is not very difficult when you live on an island that has a vast array of fruit trees such as coconut, guava, passion fruit, mangoes, papaya, avocadoes, oranges, grapefruits, limes and bananas. I noticed the locals served fresh juices made from these fruits. The guava fruit has 4 times the fiber and 19 times the vitamin C than what is contained in an apple. Coconut oil is used often on the island and known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties and one of the healthiest oils on earth. I also heard multiple complaints of joint pain, primarily of the hip. I feel this is likely common because many people on the island walk most places and the terrain there is very mountainous and hilly. I did not see many obese people in the villages which we served. The island is also home to over 365 natural rivers, hot springs and waterfalls which are important sources of fresh water. Even though there are many mosquitoes on the island, there does not appear to be any recent epidemics of mosquitoborne illnesses. There is also a medical school called Ross University on the island in Portsmouth which good because the medical students provide care to people in the villages which increases their access to medical care. I feel honored to serve the beautiful people of this wonderful island and to God be the glory for the things He has done. I would like to thank the Louisiana Baptist Association Department of Foreign Missions and Rev. Jimmy Stevens for affording me the privilege. 5
Pastor Lester George Woodfordhill Baptist Church Woodfordhill, Dominica Lester George was born in Goodwill, Dominica in 1983. He grew up and was spiritually nurtured in the Calibishie Baptist Church in Calibishie, Dominica. He graduated from St. Andrews High School in Wesley in 2000. Lester received his call to the gospel ministry in 2004 and preached his first sermon in January in 2005. He moved to the United States in 2003 under the mentorship of the late Dr. John Rouse, past chairman of the National Baptist Sunday School Publishing Board and past pastor of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of East St. Louis, Illinois. Lester attended and graduated from American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee with a degree in Bachelor of Arts. He stayed in the United States for six years being exposed to the American culture, higher education system, music, technology and ministry of the Black Baptist Church. But after graduation, Lester felt an inspiration to return back to Dominica and impart the knowledge that he had gained at American Baptist College and mentorship from Dr. Rouse. So in 2009 he returned home and began working at the church that his late father, Rev. Ned George had labored in for several years in Woodfordhill. In 2012 Lester was called to the pastorage of that congregation. He was ordained and installed as the pastor of Woodfordhill Baptist Church in Woodfordhill, Dominica on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 by Dr. Thomas Bentley. His wife is Jermimah Xavier George. Now with a young, energetic and trained Baptist preacher ministering in that village there is new spirit of excitement that fills his congregation. The Woodfordhill Baptist Church turns a new page in their history with a new leader. With God's help our prayer is that many souls will be won to Jesus Christ and a village transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. Calibishie, Dominica 6
A DREAM COME TRUE BY SIS. JACQUELINE WESLEY-SPRING Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom all blessings flow!!!!! For truly it has been a blessing to be able to travel to Nature s Island, Dominica. I would first like to thank my visionary Pastor Dr. Rev. Jimmy R. Stevens for presenting this vision to our church family which gave me this opportunity of service unto God. It has always been my dream and vision to do missionary work. I am thankful to God for the trip to Dominica was truly ordained as the The Great Commission states in Matthew 28:19-20. Dominica: God s Place Our team of missionaries got off the plane at the airport in Melville Hall, Dominica. As we got our luggage we also got the shock of our life!!!! Our group from Lake Charles was not going to Portsmouth, Dominica. Some of us were re routed to Wesley, while others were going to Calibishie. At first I was thinking we would see each other later. After all, we did not get to say good bye, right????? Well Sis Faye Norton, Bro. Louis Guy, and I got sent to Wesley.( As I look back, I think about Paul in the book of Acts drifting away from his original planned trip because God had chosen the course Paul would take. So it was with my trip to Wesley instead of Portsmouth.) So as I m on my new course I asked the question Why would God send me to Wesley? Wesley, Dominica is a place that is hidden away from society. There are no hotels, luxury beaches, or restaurants to write home about. There are no tourist attractions, so why Wesley, Dominica?? Psalm 24:1 says the Earth s is the Lord s and the fullness thereof and they that dwell therein. God s people are everywhere and in spite of voodoo and other idol worship God gave the great commission Matt.28:19 20. God s Word will go forth. As a person who seeks the face of God, wanting his best for my life, so it is with the people in the village of Wesley. The people of Wesley wants the best God has for their lives and it begins with the Word. But why would God send me to a place that has my maiden name? Yes, I was born Jacqueline Wesley and as I was enroute to the guest house that I would be staying, I said to myself God has a sense of humor!!! I felt like Alex Hailey, the author of Roots.. I found you!!! As I traveled about ten minutes to Wesley from the airport, the surroundings looked like a jungle, rough looking grasslands of palm trees, and shrubs. It is clear there are not a lot of commercial businesses. There is a lot of undeveloped land. Wesley is a mountainous region with big houses, old and new houses side by side.it is a village that has no subdivisions. The goats, chickens, little shacks, big houses are all together. After getting over the shock of not going to the place I had envisioned, I began to see the village of Wesley as a place I was supposed to be. It was then that I saw the beautiful tropical plants, and green mountain ranges. There are benches along roadsides of Dominica---------not for bus stops..there is no bus transportation. The benches are for liming a place where the locals gather and socialize with each other. There are signs on homes throughout the village that says ice sold here. Some homes are used as restaurants, while others operate as local corner stores.the village of Wesley, Dominica is the most undeveloped, of the places where our missionaries visited. There were limited fans, no air conditioning, and there was no running hot water. Wesley, Dominica is truly nature s island. The name Wesley already represents family to me, since it was my maiden name. Being in the village was a great connection of fellowship at its best. As our team from Lake Charles arrived at the guest house we were also teamed with a lovely couple and granddaughter from Texas City, Texas. Deacon Emile and Sherry Henry, along with their granddaughter Tory also from Texas City. Deacon Henry led our team in a prayer meeting every morning before VBS. Deacon Henry was a live wire and assisted Bro. Guy, Sis. Faye and I as new missionaries. Each morning, Pastor John would come and pick us up for VBS. We would ride on the back of his truck. It is custom for women to ride on the back of the truck and the men ride in the front. As we would ride to church, the people in the neighborhood were lovable, kindhearted, and grateful for our presence. We were shown much love by the children also. Each morning we were greeted by 70 children or more for VBS. Most of the students would be in church anxiously awaiting our arrival. They were so excited and I thought to myself, We are thousands of miles away, only to find that the people of the village of Wesley wants what every Christian wants, love and acceptance, as they study the Word. They want a good education for a better life, and as we fellowship we can share our testimonies of what God has done and what He will do. The children were so excited to share in the VBS theme Heaven s Kitchen-- Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. The importance of VBS (August 12-17) week was to remind us that although we depend on food to nourish our physical bodies. God requires us to study the Word of God daily for our spiritual food. Food is necessary for the nourishment of your mind, body, and soul, but studying the Word of God keeps us from being spiritually dead. As we study his Word, we are receiving his spiritual daily bread, which nourishes our mind, body, and soul. Each morning our VBS Director, Sis Sherry Henry opened our service and Bro. Guy led prayer. Our praise and worship leader was Sis Faye. The children were so charged up as Faye taught many new songs that had them energetic and ready for the Word. Tory worked with pre-k ages 3-5 with a total of 10 for the week. I worked with primary ages 6-8 with a total of 21 for the week. Sis Faye worked with ages 9-12 and total of 31 students for the week. Deacon Henry worked with the youth and had a total of 15 for the week. We also had Adult VBS each night taught by Deacon Henry before night service. Bro. Guy preached the nights of Monday and Tuesday. We had a very rewarding week knowing that it was God s grace and goodness that would allow us the opportunity to travel across the waters to share in God s work. As the island of Dominica is nature s island with natural resources, clear water, beautiful mountain ranges, the Caribbean Sea, it all belongs to God. As the words spoken from my mouth in through the power of the Holy Spirit it all belongs to God..To God be the glory for all He has done for Dominica and America and will continue to do all for His glory. 7
FIRST PHASE COMPLETED Roof of Church after 2008 Hurricane Dean Pastor Gary Curtis (left) & Pastor Jimmy Stevens (right) First Phase Completed Under the Foreign Mission initiative of our President, Dr. C.S. Gordon the work on the Second Zion Baptist Church of Portsmouth, Dominica has begun. In 2008 Hurricane Dean devastated the island of Dominica. The Second Zion Baptist Church which was built by the late Dr. William McGary in 1984 suffered extensive damage and the congregation has not been able to worship in their facility for the past four years. This church located in Portsmouth was once a thriving ministry reaching out into the community in worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and evangelism. Each year this church hosted the National Sunday School Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated under the leadership of island coordinator, Dr. Thomas Bentley with a week of VBS, lectures, and preaching from our missionaries from the convention. The Clean Up Phase has been completed at a cost of $350.00. Bids are now being taken for the second phase of the project which is the rebuilding of the roof. The roof was completely taken off due to Hurricane Dean. With the sacrificial giving of the District Association, Churches and individual giving of our State Convention, the Second Baptist Church will soon be renovated and the members of this congregation will again be able to worship and minister in their church building. We encourage all to continue to sow into this mighty Foreign Mission initiative of our President. We are committed as a State Convention to making this vision a reality. We trust that in Pthe fall of 2013 the Second Zion Baptist will be rededicated to the glory of God and the missionaries and delegates our Baptist State Convention will again worship on these sacred grounds. Our Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention has received over $ 15,000.00 from its members designated for this project. The renovation projection will be completed in six phases. Clean Up Phase Roof Rafter Phase Roof Completion Phase Electrical, Doors and Windows Phase Paint Phase Furnishing Phase 8
Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention President Rev. C.S. Gordon, Jr. General Secretary Edward Alexander, Jr. May Quarterly Conference 2012 Second Zion Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Dominica Home/Foreign Missions: Finance Report NAME AMOUNT LITTLE RIVER BAPTIST ASSOCIATION- WOODROW PELLERIN $2,364.00 MODERATOR NEW COVENANT FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH - REV. JIMMY STEVENS 1,600.00 WOODVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH REV. DR. MARC NELSON, SR. 1,500.00 ZION TRAVELERS BAPTIST CHURCH REV. DR. MAURICE WHITE 1,500.00 CENTRAL UNION ASSOCIATION MARC NELSON, SR. MODERATOR 1,315.86 NORTHWEST 14TH DISTRICT BAPTIST ASSOCIATION JAMES SMITH MODERATOR 1,000.00 SECOND ZION BAPTIST CHURCH NO.1 REV. GARY LEE CURTIS 1,000.00 FIRST DISTRICT BAPTIST ASSOCIATION-REV. ROBERT TURNER, MODERATOR 500.00 NEW ZION BAPTIST CHURCH REV. DR. C. S. GORDON, JR. 500.00 MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH DR. THERON JACKSON 500.00 REV. DR. RAY CAPTAIN, LAKE CHARLES, LA 500.00 THIRTEENTH DISTRICT BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION ROBERT HUDSON MODERATOR 500.00 GREATER LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH REV. DR. CALVIN W. WOODS, JR. 400.00 TUESDAY NIGHT OFFERING/CASH 221.00 MR. & MRS. MILLER TURNER 200.00 UNCLASSIFIED DONATION 200.00 SAINT JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH, INC., 0774 REV. BLACK MAGEE 100.00 GRAND TOTAL COLLECTED 05/08/12 $13,900.86 9
THE HISTORY OF CALIBISHIE, DOMINICA CALIBISHIE COVE Calibishie is one of several villages in Dominica that have retained their original Carib name. Located some 20 minutes drive from both Melville Hall Airport to the east, and from Dominica's second city of Portsmouth to the west, the coast around Calibishie is a delight of secluded, white sand beaches. Calibishie is a town in Dominica. It is located on the north coast of the island, immediately to the east of the village of Hampstead. The Calibishie Coast Travel Area is thought by many to be the most scenic and unspoiled region of Dominica. Stretching from the rugged mountains of Pennville, through the picturesque fishing village of Calibishie, to the crashing surf of the Marigot beaches, the Calibishie Coast is one of the few areas in the world where you can travel from the seashore to rain forest in little more than a mile. Calibishie is also home to Dominica's best beaches: Batibou, Hampstead, Hodges, Point Baptiste, Turtle and Woodford Hill Beaches. Lush, tropical, and secluded, the town's beaches are truly part of what makes it special. The area has palm-fringed beaches, freshwater rivers with secluded bathing pools, tumbling waterfalls and dense rain forest with exotic birds and lush vegetation. Visitors may hike into the rain forest wilderness to catch a glimpse of the colorful Jaco parrot. Take a spin on a mountain bike or take to the sea for great snorkeling and world-class scuba diving. A wide variety of accommodation is available along the coast, from simple guesthouses to cliff side cottages overlooking the sea to a private villa perched on a mountainside. The local population is very friendly and quite a few small, local restaurants have begun to sprout up the meet the needs of growing tourism to the area. THE VISION OF MISSIONS CONTINUE CONTACT Rev. Jimmy Stevens 337 436-8300 jrstev22@hotmail.com Rev. Gary Curtis 504 579-4279 revgarycurtis@bellsouth.net 10