John parks photo
Contents 6 8 9 10 13 14
Church Spotlight: Hominy Baptist Church Partner Spotlight: Baptist History & Heritage Society Dawnings 101 Not depleted yet — Sam Harrell reflects on ministry journey in Kenya A primer on the CBF Offering for Global Missions Together for Hope — Native American pastor shares development dream for Navajo reservation
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New to Slovakia, Parkses take long view in addressing centuries-old Roma struggle Historic U.S. Slovak church celebrates 100 years through partnership with CBF field personnel CBF deploys field personnel, sends $10,000 in aid to help in the Philippines Celebrating Pastoral Care Week: A CBFblog series Little Rock church sets example for disaster response ministry Affect: December 2013 Disaster Response Affect: January 2014 Education
roma children in Slovakia
From the editor ECHOING RETIRED MERCER University professor Walter B. Shurden — one of the greatest shapers of Baptist thought of our time — CBF Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter writes on the preceding page, “One essential quality of our Fellowship identity is diversity in expression and common devotion in love.” The following pages of this issue display the diversity that exists throughout the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. From the stories of a solar-powered church in North Carolina (pp. 6-7) and a multicultural/multilingual congregation located on a Native American reservation with a Jewish liturgy-based worship style (pp. 14-15) to a feature on field personnel investing their lives in the future of the marginalized and persecuted Roma people (pp. 16-19), we see just a few examples of the diversity that is so essential to our Fellowship identity. To echo Shurden and Suzii, diversity is not devastating, but instead flows from our passion for freedom. So, let’s celebrate together the beauty in our diversity. Read these pages. Share our stories. Spread the word.
Aaron Weaver, editor, aweaver@thefellowship.info
fellowship!
December 2013/January 2014
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