Arkansas Baptist Life—ABSC Newsletter—July 2023

TEAMWORK SCORES A HOME RUN FOR ARKANSAS MISSIONARIES

From church to college to mission field, the Cases reap the benefits of cooperative giving

Old bats, worn gloves, and weathered baseballs are proof that God can use the cooperation of His people to further His Kingdom.

Cliff and Cinthy Case currently serve as missionaries in Chile through the International Mission Board.

Prior to moving there in 2007, the Cases focused on reaching Rocha, Uruguay, with the Gospel. Missions was a mindset God had uniquely placed on their hearts long before moving to South America in 1992.

“Every summer, we would go on a missions trip,” Cliff said, recalling how active Baring Cross Baptist Church in Sherwood, Arkansas, was as he was growing up.

It was there that he heard of the cooperative work missionaries were

doing around the world thanks to the generosity of both Arkansas and Southern Baptists. What he did not know at the time was his future wife was one of those missionaries on the field. Cinthy’s parents served in Argentina, Panama, and Paraguay, and she attended Ouachita Baptist University with a heart for missions because of what she had seen the Lord do.

“Missionary life is all I knew. It was normal to me,” Cinthy said.

After meeting at Ouachita, where their education was in part supported by the giving of Baptists through the Cooperative Program, the two married and decided to pursue the Lord via missions.

They attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary together before ministering in Wyoming and ultimately being called internationally.

In Uruguay, the Cases did what most missionaries do—focus on enhancing the Gospel through church planting, discipleship, and evangelism, but it was through untraditional means that they saw the Lord’s hand miraculously transform lives.

“Baseball was the key in opening up doors to share the Gospel and plant several new works,” Cliff said.

Once, while the Cases were stateside, two new cable companies settled in Rocha, televising American baseball

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Arkansas Baptist Life is the official newsletter of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention

games and popularizing the city with the ballpark sport. When they returned, God used their knowledge of the sport to change lives.

“Since they had one American family in town, they decided to come and ask me about it,” Cliff said.

From there, Cliff and Cinthy forged a plan to teach locals the fundamentals of baseball and the Gospel. But first, they needed supplies. While they had access to plenty of Bibles, baseball equipment was not available in Rocha. So they leaned on their support group of Baptist churches in Arkansas and around the United States to mail them used gear.

“They cooperated to send baseball gloves and bats and balls,” Cliff said.

Though it wasn’t the way Baptists generally cooperate, the old bats, worn gloves, and weathered baseballs were proof that the support system of a missionary is vital.

With the help of some of their church members and eventually missions trip volunteers, the Cases began weekly

baseball workshops. Soon, a tournament began. At each plate along the way, Cliff taught the players about Jesus. They memorized Scripture, learned how to pray, and heard about the sacrifice Christ made before the final hit.

At the end of that season, five athletes accepted Jesus as Lord after attending an associational youth rally with the Cases. The game was not over, though. Word had spread around Uruguay, and these new believers began helping the Cases spread the Gospel in the same way. They taught the sport in physical education classes and met with students after school to drink tea and tell them about Jesus.

“We started a Bible study in the

school with an atheist principal giving us the key. So, you’ve got to know it’s all God at that point. This just doesn’t happen out of the blue,” Cliff said.

God was on the move, and He wanted every person in the game to slide into home plate before it was too late.

“It’s not just...one moment,” Cliff said.

In his 30 years on the field, Cliff has learned that while every conversation about God may not be a home run, it isn’t a strike out either. Every prayer prayed and every Scripture shared is a hit in the right direction. One base at a time, God is softening hearts and throwing a curveball the enemy’s way.

The Cases know it’s a team effort. Because of the support received from Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program, the Cases are still in South America carrying out the Great Commission.

“Southern Baptists have been so faithful in making sure that the missionaries on the field are taken care of and have the funds to buy necessary materials and Bibles for doing the work assigned to them,” Cinthy said..

A PEOPLE OF PRAYER FIRST

Arkansas Baptists prioritize prayer at Statewide Prayer Gathering, August 28–29

BY LARRY W. WHITE PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26–27 ESV).

The word “helps” means to take hold of the opposite together (Strong’s 4878). In our weakness, the Holy Spirit “takes hold of the opposite together” with us as we pray.

Envision praying about a serious need. In your weakness, as you’re praying, the Holy Spirit joins you by

PRAY F1RST

grasping the “opposite end” of your request. He not only lifts up your need (which is too heavy for you), He lifts you up before God with that need.

As we are praying, “the Spirit himself” communicates our prayers in ways beyond our capacity. Not only does He communicate our requests, He also “intercedes for us” (v. 26).

God the Father examines our motives to see if we are asking as He wills (v. 27). God “searches” our motives to see if our prayers are being prayed in faith, which is His will. The Holy Spirit’s intercession and the answers that follow are always in keeping with the Father’s “will” for us.

Prayer becomes a priority when we know God is not only working with our requests as we pray but is also working in us to bring about His will for us. It is true—time spent with God in prayer changes us.

Our greatest need is to be people of prayer, out of which flows God’s extraordinary blessings.

Extraordinary things happen when God’s people pray, both individually and corporately. Please consider attending the 2023 ABSC Prayer Gathering on August 28–29 at the City Center, 315 N. Shackleford, in Little Rock.

FOR MORE INFO, VISIT ABSC.ORG/PRAYERGATHERING

CHURCH, TYRONZA

esus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”...

Then the WOMAN LEFT HER WATER JAR, went into town, and told the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”

JOHN 4:14, 28–29

ARKANSAS WOMEN SEEK TO ‘FLOURISH’ BY ABIDING IN CHRIST

Inspire Women’s Conference offers exciting day for Arkansas Baptist women, September 23

BY ANDREA LENNON ABSC WOMEN’S MINISTRY SPECIALIST

Inspire is designed for women of all ages and stages of life. At Inspire, you can expect powerful worship, dynamic speakers, and meaningful times of connection that will bless, challenge, and equip you.

The theme for Inspire 2023 is Flourish Let’s celebrate together that God designed us to flourish! This means we do not have to remain stuck in the past or fearful of the future. We can flourish by abiding in Jesus. The outcome? We will grow in our love for Jesus and desire to live according to God’s plan. Real and lasting freedom is available to us in every area of life.

Dr. Tara Dew will be our keynote speaker. Tara is a national communicator, Bible study teacher, seminary professor, and down-toearth friend. Back by popular demand, Cory and Stephanie Epps will lead our time of worship.

Several things make Inspire special. Here are a few: Our vendor area features amazing missions and ministry opportunities. Let’s not forget the fun Inspire merchandise available during the Muffin & Mingle time! This year we are bringing back the “Party in the Parking Lot” because we love to have fun and laugh together.

I am excited about our Connection Group time. Here’s how it works! During the day, women connect in smaller groups for meaningful conversation and prayer. This means that everyone at Inspire has a chance to be seen and heard. When you register for Inspire, you will select the Connection Group you want to attend. Additional details and descriptions are available online at absc.org/inspire.

Please consider this your invitation to join the women of Arkansas at Inspire. Come and learn how to flourish in Jesus no matter your situation. Connect with women from across Arkansas who love Jesus and long to grow in their relationship with Him. Friend, it’s time to flourish!

Inspire Women’s Conference is happening on Saturday, September 23, at First Baptist Church in Russellville. Learn more and register at absc.org/inspire. Your faithfulness through Cooperative Program giving makes this day possible. Hundreds of women will hear the Gospel and experience life-change because your church prays, gives, and sends women to Inspire.

Register for the Inspire Women’s Conference at absc.org/inspire

Flou

WMU CELEBRATES GOD’S WORK THROUGH COOPERATIVE MISSIONS

Arkansas WMU Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration held during Inspire Conference

BY DEBBIE MOORE WMU EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Saturday, September 23, 2023, will be an exciting time for women of Arkansas to gather for worship, fellowship, messages from God’s Word, celebrating missions, and networking. Arkansas WMU Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration will take place during the “Connection Group time” at Inspire Women’s Conference.

Arkansas Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) is blessed to join with local church women’s ministry leaders and members to worship our Father and to focus on His life-changing work in our state, nation, and world. Any time we get a glimpse of how God is working through Southern Baptists we can celebrate the Cooperative Program (CP). Arkansas WMU believes in the CP! We believe in partnering together for the sake of the Gospel. Yes, we really believe we can do more together!

Although National WMU does not receive CP funds, Arkansas WMU is blessed to receive CP funds to help mobilize women (and men, youth, children, and preschoolers) to be on mission in our state and beyond.

In 2022, the CP helped fund a firsttime missions trip for seven Arkansas Hispanic WMU members. At WMU Missions Celebration in September, these ladies will testify to how they saw God working in Peru and how He used them to share Jesus with Peruvians.

In 2022, the CP helped fund a team of six Arkansas Baptist mother-daughter teams in outreach to international

women and children in Brooklyn, New York. At WMU Missions Celebration, you’ll hear how this incredible experience blessed and encouraged moms and daughters to be on mission to reach internationals for Jesus back home in Arkansas.

Throughout the year, the CP helps Arkansas WMU provide life and job skills for women who are hurting and hopeless through Christian Women’s Job Corps ministries.

The CP makes it possible for Arkansas WMU to engage in partnership projects with Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries, WMU WorldCrafts artisans like Refugee Sewing Society in Clarkston, Georgia, and various NAMB and IMB ministries.

Arkansas WMU is passionate about calling Arkansas Baptists to generosity and helping people develop spiritually toward a missions lifestyle.

Join us on September 23 for Arkansas WMU On Board with Inspire Women’s Conference as we celebrate missions and showcase how the Cooperative Program truly helps us extend the missions reach of the local church. To register for Inspire, click on WMU Missions Celebration Connection Group, and join Arkansas WMU for a special celebration of CP missions!

Select the WMU Missions Celebration Connection Group

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM HELPS ENSURE WE DO MORE TOGETHER

The Cooperative Program is both the legacy and the future of Southern Baptist missions

BY BART BARBER PRESIDENT,

The Southern Baptist Convention can exist without the Cooperative Program. Heresy? No. It’s a historical fact. The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845. The Cooperative Program was launched in 1925. For 80 years, the Southern Baptist Convention existed without the Cooperative Program.

The Southern Baptist Convention can exist without the Cooperative Program, but why would we want to do so? Everyone who was alive in the preCooperative-Program SBC is long dead, leaving no one to remind us of what it looks like to cooperate as Southern Baptists without the Cooperative Program—no one, that is, besides dry, boring historians like me.

Before the CP, a much lower percentage of our gifts actually made it to the work we were trying to support. Sometimes I encounter Southern Baptists who are newly aware that a small fraction of our gifts goes to support insurance policies, legal services, and other overhead. But before the CP, every entity funded an army of fundraisers to go from church to church asking for money.

William Clark canvassed Arkansas Baptist churches in the years before the CP to raise money for the Home Mission Board, but he was permitted to keep in his own pocket the first several thousand dollars that he raised each year as his salary. Each board and seminary had to employ an army of “agents” like this at great expense, and each church was beset with agent after agent, all begging for a Sunday to appear before the congregation and raise money. Because of the Cooperative Program, a much higher percentage of your gifts gets to the front lines to do the work.

Before the CP, competitive pressures made it more difficult for entities in the SBC family to work together. The various entities were making direct appeals to churches for funding, so they had to highlight ways that their work was “more worthy” of church support than the other entities.

Because of the Cooperative Program, seminaries have been able to develop innovative training programs to get missionaries on the field faster, the SBC Executive Committee is able to partner with state conventions to collect ACP data, and local associations can equip associational disaster relief units to serve in state convention disaster relief ministries with funds provided by national Send Relief. The Cooperative Program really does promote cooperation.

There are only three options available to Baptists outside of the Cooperative Program, and they have all been around since at least the 1800s. The anti-missions route focuses all of the energies and funding of the local church upon that particular local church. It achieves peak doctrinal and methodological uniformity (since only one church is involved!), but it does so by ignoring the need to share the Gospel around the world. The societal approach of the old Northern Baptists or the convention approach without

SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

a unified budget achieves all of the good intentions of the Cooperative Program, but with massive loss to the inefficiencies of fundraising and duplication. The Independent Baptist approach makes each missionary an entrepreneur, forcing them to divide their time between missions on the field and fundraising back home. It often punishes with starvation rations the missionary powerfully gifted at reaching Japanese people with the Gospel while enriching the missionary who connects more naturally with wealthy Americans than with Buddhists living somewhere in a yurt.

The greatest periods of growth, stability, and efficiency for SBC state conventions and national entities have taken place since the creation of the Cooperative Program. The birth of the Cooperative Program also coincided with the healthiest and most evangelistically productive epoch for local SBC churches. That is not an accident. Nothing human beings manage is perfect, but we all will make wiser decisions when we realize that a Southern Baptist Convention without the Cooperative Program, while possible, is nothing to hope for.

Gospel

2022

$6,103,854

$2,062,828

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

The Cooperative Program was launched in 1925 right across the river from Arkansas at the Memphis Auditorium.

PARTNERSHIP REQUIRES PERSEVERANCE

The Cooperative Program is both the legacy and the future of Southern Baptist missions

BY PAUL CHITWOOD PRESIDENT, SBC INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD

Like most Baptist churches of the day, First Baptist Church of Murray, Kentucky, regularly hosted missionaries and denominational workers raising financial support. Growing frustrated with so many requesting to speak on Sundays, Pastor Harvey Boyce Taylor tried something new. He placed a box at the back of the sanctuary and told the congregation they could put extra offerings in the box and that would be their missions fund, divided up for specific, stipulated causes. The members were soon giving more to mission work through Pastor Taylor’s Box Plan than they had been giving for the individual appeals during Sunday gatherings.

Seeing the success, Taylor began a campaign to get other churches

across the state to adopt the model. The model became so popular that, on November 16, 1915, messengers to the annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention approved it, calling it the “unified budget plan.”

Ten years later, in 1925, Kentucky’s unified budget plan was renamed the Cooperative Program and adopted by the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention. Giving through the CP has exceeded $20 billion to date. A commitment to work together can make a history-altering Kingdom impact!

Over time, the Cooperative Program has become essential for the work of the International Mission Board. Virtually every penny of the support for our IMB stateside team members is provided by the CP. But we don’t use even half of IMB’s CP dollars in the U.S., as 60 percent of those dollars go to support your overseas missionaries and their

work. Thank you, Southern Baptists, for the nearly $100 million CP dollars that will come to the IMB this year!

Though the CP is an incredible tool for Kingdom impact, it’s been weakening. Through the first half of the fiscal year, IMB’s CP dollars were down $4 million in comparison to last year. Denominational conflicts, diminishing trust, and generational disconnect are weakening the CP.

Out of their devotion to God and their desire to be a part of God’s work, the New Testament Macedonian churches, though poor, gave an incredibly generous offering to provide for the needs of others. In 2 Corinthians 8, the apostle Paul is sharing about the Macedonian churches and boasting on them for their generosity.

Thank God for the generosity of the Macedonian churches! For the same reason, I’m thankful for Southern Baptist churches today. Thank you, Southern Baptists, for the grace of God that has been given among you, for your abundance of joy that has overflowed in a wealth of generosity.

I want to do everything I can to see the CP strengthened. Here’s what I am certain of: if or when it’s gone, we won’t get it back. So, let’s not allow our denominational frustrations to cause us to walk away from working together. Instead, let’s look for solutions to the problems that plague us. As history teaches us, those solutions can often result in unexpected, exponential Kingdom advance.

HOW YOUR INVESTMENT IN MISSIONS IS DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM 2023

HOW YOUR GIVING FUNDS MISSIONS: THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM (CP)

YOU YOU FUND MISSIONS WITH YOUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS TO YOUR CHURCH.

YOUR CHURCH

YOUR CHURCH ALLOCATES FUNDS FOR COOPERATIVE MISSIONS.

ARKANSAS BAPTISTS

ABSC DISTRIBUTES IN-STATE FUNDS TO MISSIONS LOCALLY.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

OUT-OF-STATE FUNDS ARE USED FOR SBC NATIONAL AND GLOBAL MISSIONS.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT HOW YOU AND YOUR CHURCH ARE BRINGING GOOD NEWS TO THE WHOLE WORLD THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM: ABSC.ORG/CP

Disaster Relief Regional Trainings

AUGUST 19, SEPTEMBER 23

When disaster strikes, Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief is not far behind. You can become a trained, credentialed Disaster Relief volunteer by attending a regional training. Join us at Indians Springs Baptist Church in Bryant on August 19 or at First Baptist Church in Rogers on September 23. Training is from 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Register today!

 abscdisasterrelief.org/ volunteer

Prayer Gathering

AUGUST 28–29

The tenth annual Statewide Prayer Gathering will be held August 28–29 at The City Center. This time of prayer for revival and spiritual awakening has become one of the most anticipated dates on the calendar for pastors, church staff, associational missionaries, and ABSC staff. Times of prayer are interspersed with times of worship on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

 absc.org/prayergathering

A MESSAGE FROM DR. REX HORNE, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ABOUT THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

Thank you, Arkansas Baptists, for your faithful giving through the Cooperative Program.

Inspire/WMU Onboard

SEPTEMBER 23

Inspire Women’s Conference is designed for women of all ages and stages of life. At Inspire, you can expect powerful worship, dynamic speakers, and meaningful times of connection that will bless, challenge, and equip you. This year our theme is flourish. WMU Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with Inspire 2023 at First Baptist Church in Russellville. The deadline to register is September 18.

Pastor + Staff Appreciation Month

OCTOBER

The members of your church staff work hard to lead and serve your church every day, not just on Sundays. October is Pastor + Staff Appreciation Month. Visit absc.org/psam to find resources you can use to thank your church staff members for all they do. A simple act of kindness can go a long way and everyone needs encouragement, especially these who encourage so many.

Your giving will contribute to camps, missions efforts, conferences, and many other efforts this summer that will be Christ-honoring and Kingdomexpanding.

People will come to know Christ, others will become aware of God’s plan for their life’s work, and many more will grow as devoted followers of Christ.

You and I will have a part of all of this because of our cooperative giving that fuels our partnership in missions and evangelistic efforts.

One Day Acts 1:8 Missions Experience

OCTOBER 7

One Day Acts 1:8 Missions Experience provides an opportunity for Arkansas Baptists to impact lostness in a specific area of our state. Partnering with the churches of a local association, Arkansas Baptists spend time on the first Saturday in October serving in a variety of ministries, including prayer walking, evangelism, children’s activities, block parties, construction and home repairs, medical/dental clinics, and much more.

 absc.org/oneday

Arkansas Baptist Pastors’ Conference

OCTOBER 23

Join us for the Arkansas Baptist Pastors’ Conference, October 23, with Dr. Robert Smith Jr. and Jim Cymbala. Every time D. L. Moody prayed for a pastor, he always prayed that God would, “Re-sign them to ministry.” Come prepared for God to “re-sign” and refresh you in His calling!

 absc.org/pastorsconference

Arkansas Baptist Annual Meeting

OCTOBER 24–25

This year’s Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention will be held October 24–25. It’s not just a time to gather and focus on business; it’s a time to hear what God has laid on the hearts of pastors across the state, worship together as one body, and nourish friendships we’ve created over the years.

 absc.org/annualmeeting

2023 ServSafe Training

OCTOBER 28

Does your church serve food? Make sure you serve it safe! Our ServSafe training will be at the ABSC building from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. The cost will be $70. After classroom instruction, a proctored exam will be given to attendees for a five-year ServSafe Manager certificate. Sign up your kitchen volunteers today!

 absc.org/servsafe23

PRAY FOR CHURCH PLANTERS

Pray for the Varghese family and their South Asian church plant in Rogers, and pray daily for Arkansas church planters using our monthly prayer calendar.

Bose and Shiny Varghese are planting a South Asian Church in Rogers. Pray for this couple as they are in an apprenticeship with First Baptist Church of Rogers. Ask God to give them wisdom as they are in the beginning steps of planting a church to reach South Asians in this community.

Pray

7 Pray that God would provide us converts from Hindus and nominal Christians from the Indians.

7 Pray for growth in international local evangelism.

7 Pray that God would raise up qualified and committed colaborers.

7 Pray for good fruit from the men and women whom we are already involved with friendship evangelism.

We spend each month praying for planters around the state. You can find a daily calendar each month at absc.org/prayforplanters

Stay connected to us on social media, watch and listen to our videos and podcasts, sign up for our monthly eNews, and find all things Arkansas Baptist on our website.

Get started at:

ABSC.ORG/ UPDATES

CALENDAR

August 19 Disaster Relief Regional Training

August 28–29 Statewide Prayer Gathering

September 10-16 Week of Prayer for Arkansas Missions

October 23 Pastors’ Conference

October 24-25 ABSC Annual Meeting

If you would like to receive a monthly electronic newsletter with links to these events and more, go to absc.org/subscribe or call 501-376-4791 ext. 5153.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPECIFIC EVENTS, CALL 501.376.4791 OR 800.838.2272 OR VISIT ABSC.ORG/CALENDAR FOR COMPLETE EVENT INFO.

The ministries of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention are funded by the generous giving of Arkansas Baptists to missions through the Cooperative Program and the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering.