2020-05-28

Informing and Inspiring Oklahoma Baptists Since 1912

BAPTISTMESSENGER.COM • MAY 28, 2020

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CO N T E N T S : Page 3 | Voices Sword & Trowel: Essential personnel >> BRIAN HOBBS

Page 4 | Gospel Ministry Rite of Passage: Squirrel problems

Falls Creek, CrossTimbers cancel summer 2020 camp season

Encourage: ‘It’s not about a place’

>> STAFF

>> HANCE DILBECK

DAVIS—Leaders with Oklahoma Baptists announced May 18 that Falls Creek Youth Camp and CrossTimbers Children’s Mission Adventure Camp will not hold any camp sessions during the summer of 2020, due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April, Oklahoma Baptists had announced tentative plans for a delayed start and revised schedule, with the provision to continually evaluate the tentative plans and make a final decision by May 18. Those plans have been cancelled.

“With a heavy heart, and after extensive consultation with pastors, lay leaders and information from public health officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all Falls Creek and CrossTimbers-Davis and CrossTimbers-Grand Lake sessions for 2020,” said Hance Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer with Oklahoma Baptists.

Oklahoma Baptists’ Board of Directors’ Executive Committee unanimously approved the decision to cancel the 2020 camp season. Oklahoma Baptists’ President Blake Gideon, who is senior pastor of Edmond, First, leads the Committee.

“In light of the fluidity of COVID-19, I affirm wholeheartedly the recent decision of the Oklahoma Baptist Executive Committee to cancel summer camps for 2020.

“It’s not about a place.” So said a man who had led a group at Falls Creek for 39 years in a row. We broke his streak when we cancelled our camps this summer. He was the group leader who took me to Falls Creek in the summer of 1983 when God called me to be a minister of the Gospel.

To tell you the truth, I was surprised to hear him say it.

He loves the place called Falls Creek! He has invested blood, sweat and treasure in that place—long hours, hot days, cooking, cleaning, teaching, corralling and comforting.

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>> WALKER MOORE

Page 5 | Missions & Ministry Southern Baptists pray for Persecuted Church June 7 >> ANN LOVELL

Page 7 | Features Arriving in July, an expansion of Hope Pregnancy Center >> OBHC STAFF

Page 10 | Church Toolbox What about VBS? >> MARK JONES

Page 12 | News & Culture First person: Our road to ‘Zion’—an adoption story >> MICHAEL MCAFEE

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Falls Creek, CrossTimbers cancel summer 2020 camp season ISSIONS & SPORTS & M /// PREVIEWED ON COVER Y MINISTR

>> by Staff DAVIS—Leaders with Oklahoma Baptists announced May 18 that Falls Creek Youth Camp and CrossTimbers Children’s Mission Adventure Camp will not hold any camp sessions during the summer of 2020, due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April, Oklahoma Baptists had announced tentative plans for a delayed start and revised schedule, with the provision to continually evaluate the tentative plans and make a final decision by May 18. Those plans have been cancelled.

“With a heavy heart, and after extensive consultation with pastors, lay leaders and information from public health officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all Falls Creek and CrossTimbers-Davis and CrossTimbers-Grand Lake sessions for 2020,” said Hance Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer with Oklahoma Baptists.

Oklahoma Baptists’ Board of Directors’ Executive Committee unanimously approved the decision to cancel the 2020 camp season. Oklahoma Baptists’ President Blake Gideon, who is senior pastor of Edmond, First, leads the Committee.

“In light of the fluidity of COVID-19, I affirm wholeheartedly the recent decision of the Oklahoma Baptist Executive Committee to cancel summer camps for 2020. During this time of uncertainty, safety and caution are of supreme importance. It is better I N E to O N Lsaid. choose wisdom overN desire,” E WGideon CONTENTinOther members ofBthe CLUSIVECommittee E -EXExecutive W clude Jeremy Freeman, first vice president—pastor, Newcastle, First; David Hooks, second vice president—pastor, Oklahoma City, Bryant Avenue; Jeanetta Bagwell, member, Ada, First; Johnny Derouen, pastor, Muskogee, First; Russell Duck, pastor, Elk City, First; Michael Staton, pastor, Mustang, First.

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Centers Director said, “The decisions were made with the well-being and safety of our campers, guests and staff inVmind.”

OICES Plans for Indian Falls Creek and LifeWay Collegiate Week, which were previously scheduled for late July and early August, also were cancelled.

The announcement to cancel the summer 2020 camp season comes as numerous other events across the nation have been cancelled out of concerns for public health and safety.

“While these beloved camps will not be able to meet on the campgrounds in 2020, our convention staff is currently producing a ministry curriculum and localized event strategies to come alongside churches to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with young people across the state this summer,” Dilbeck said.

The alternate summer outreach plans, which will be unveiled in early June, will be led by Todd Sanders, Falls Creek Program Director and Charlie Gatton, CrossTimbers Program Director.

In response to the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), many Oklahoma Baptist events have been postponed or cancelled.

For a current update on events and information, visit oklahomabaptists.org/coronavirus-response The following events have been cancelled: • Camp Perfect Wings —May 28-30 • CrossTimbers-Davis & CrossTimbers-Grand Lake —All Summer Camps • Falls Creek Youth Camps • Indian Falls Creek • LifeWay Collegiate Week • SBC Annual Meeting —June 9-10 • All GoStudents and BCM mission trips for 2020 FOR MORE INFO ON OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS’ EVENTS, VISIT WWW.OKLAHOMABAPTISTS.ORG/EVENTS

Amid COVID-19 factors, Falls Creek and CrossTimbers cancel summer sessions

>> PHOTO: FALLS CREEK ARCHIVE

“We plan to help our churches harness regional and virtual opportunities, so that students will hear and respond to the Gospel and call to service,” Sanders said.

Falls Creek, which was established in 1917, is owned and operated by Oklahoma Baptists and draws an average attendance of more than 50,000 campers and guests each summer. Three prior times—1943, 1944 and 1945—Falls Creek summer camp seasons were cancelled. The 1943 session was cancelled due partly to a poliomyelitis outbreak, according to historical records, while the 1944 and 1945 sessions were cancelled due to World War II-related factors.

For information about Falls Creek and CrossTimbers, visit oklahomabaptists.org. L I N E

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Ravi Zacharias, renowned apologist, dies at 74 TESS SCHOONHOVEN | MAY 19

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)—Ravi Zacharias, the renowned Christian apologist, evangelist and author, died Tuesday, May 19, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 74.

His death, which came days after his family announced treatment for a rare and aggressive form of cancer had been suspended, was announced by Sarah Davis, his daughter and CEO of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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SBC Executive Committee to host SBC Advance June 2 BP STAFF | MAY 19

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—While the 2020 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting has been canceled for the first time since 1945, Southern Baptists will still be provided with an opportunity to hear from Southern Baptist entities through an online event June 2 hosted by the SBC Executive Committee.

FIND ALL THESE STORIES AND MORE ONLINE AT WWW.BAPTISTMESSENGER.COM

May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com | News & Trends

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VOICES

Encourage: ‘It’s not about a place’ Hance Dilbeck Oklahoma Baptists’ Executive Director-Treasurer @Hance_Dilbeck

“It’s not about a place.” So said a man who had led a group at Falls Creek for 39 years in a row. We broke his streak when we cancelled our camps this summer. He was the group leader who took me to Falls Creek in the summer of 1983 when God called me to be a minister of the Gospel.

To tell you the truth, I was surprised to hear him say it. He loves the place called Falls Creek! He has invested blood, sweat and treasure in that place— long hours, hot days, cooking, cleaning, teaching, corralling and comforting. He knows what most all Oklahoma Baptists know: Falls Creek is a special place that God has blessed.

Yet these were his words, “It’s not about a place.”

If it is not about a place, what is it about? That question forces us to consider what “it” is. What

is the point, the purpose of Falls Creek? The purpose is bringing lost teenagers to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We do a lot of good things during a week of camp, but evangelism is the primary purpose. We want to see teenagers get saved—experience forgiveness and new life through Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to go to the Arbuckle Mountains to do this work of evangelism. What if, in our hometowns all across our state, we did what we do while we are at a week of Falls Creek? Do you think God would bless that work, as well?

The power of Falls Creek is no secret; it’s not magic. Have you ever thought about what we do during a week of Falls Creek?

1. We pray for teenagers by name; that they might be saved.

2. We love teenagers in tangible ways.

3. We spend time with teenagers—sharing meals, getting an Icee, playing ball, going fishing, doing chores, playing board games and sitting on the porch.

4. We talk to teenagers.

5. We share our testimony with teenagers; “Jesus changed my life!”

6. We tell teenagers the simple Good News of Jesus and the cross.

7. We ask teenagers to turn from their sins and trust wholly in Jesus as Savior and Lord, and we celebrate with them when they do.

I prayed about Falls Creek for eight weeks solid, every day. Now, I am praying that our Father will stir up Oklahoma Baptists to take the work we normally do in the Arbuckle Mountains and spread it all across our state and to make that same investment of time, energy and passion in the lives of the teenagers around us.

Oh Lord, give us a burden to pour our lives into teenagers this summer. I know they are open to the Gospel as never before. Use us right where we are— in every county and community—to do this work of evangelism. Indeed, this is not about a place; it is about Your purpose, Your power and Your promise.

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).

Sword & trowel: Essential personnel Brian Hobbs Editor of the Baptist Messenger @BrianGHobbs

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, many workers looked to the official government lists to find out if their occupation was considered “essential” or “non-essential” personnel.

The immediate implication was that essential personnel can and should keep working. The others? Well, they should either stay home or find alternate ways to work, such as telecommuting. Or we may not need their jobs at all.

In the church, we sometimes unwittingly divide ourselves up into essential and non-essential personnel. The pastor? He’s essential; he’s got to show up. Sunday School teacher, musicians leading worship, deacons—yep, yep, yep. They have to be there; they have to work.

On the other hand, it seems some of us sometimes fall into the trap of thinking some people are not necessarily needed, that they are non-essential to the ongoing work of the Church.

We need to be reminded of something, amid these unusual times for the Church. In the Body of Christ, every believer is essential.

The Apostle Paul described us as one body with many members (1 Corinthians 12). That means we are not expendable or identical. Instead, we are each unique and uniquely called.

C.S. Lewis, in speaking of church members or members of the Body of Christ, said it this way. “By members (Paul) meant what we should call organs, things essentially different from, and complementary to, one another, things differing not only in structure and function but also in dignity.”

He added, “I am afraid that when we describe a man as ‘a member of the Church’ we usually mean nothing Pauline; we mean only that he is a unit— that he is one more specimen of some kind of things as X and Y and Z. How true membership in a body differs from inclusion in a collective may be seen in

the structure of a family. The grandfather, the parents, the grown-up, the child, the dog and the cat are true members (in the organic sense), precisely because they are not members or units of a homogeneous class. They are not interchangeable.”

We know from the Bible that God has given all His children unique talents and abilities. Some have the gift of evangelism or teaching. Others have other gifts, and some spiritual gifts are common to all, such as prayer.

Sometimes we unwittingly sideline ourselves, not just during a pandemic, but during ordinary times. This is not only a mistake; it is an active harm.

Lewis went so far to say that “if you subtract any one member, you have not simply reduced the family in number; you have inflicted an injury on its structure.”

In this time of refocusing for the Church, let us all—young and old, male and female—remember that God has called us into service in His Kingdom.

This all means, sister and brother, that you are essential personnel to God.

Voices | May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com

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Rite of passage:S P OSquirrel problems RTS & T N AINME

& MISSIONS Y M I N I S T RWalker Moore

President Emeritus of Awe Star Ministries Email | walker@awestar.org @WalkerDeanMoore

O O L B OX T H C R U H C The epicenter for the COVID-19 virus in the Unit-

ed States is New York City. The epicenter for squirrels in the United States is my backyard.

We have lived in our current home for 17 years.

When my wife and I bought the house, it had four huge trees in the backyard: one oak, two maples and one pecan.FAI few S ago, an ice storm deE Dyears I maple S Stwo C L A our stroyed trees, leaving the oak and pecan tree. These two trees are an all-you-can-eat buffet for squirrels.

We are now in the season where the battle begins between us and our resident rodents. We plant green beans; they dig up our green beans. We plant flowers; they dig up our flowers. Our neighbor planted S on our fence line, so half of I C Etree VanOapple the tree cascades over to provide us with fresh apples. We have yet to eat a single one. These squirrels are like little children: They run along the fence, stop and pick an apple, take a few bites, throw it down, pick another one and repeat.

Squirrels only have two seasons in their life cycle.

In the fall, they harvest the pecans and acorns, digging in our yard to bury them, storing up for winter.

The rest of the year, they are digging in our yard,

T they buried their treatrying toEremember N T E Rwhere sures. It’s not unusual to see a half-dozen squirrels digging in our backyard, standing up to scratch their heads and then going to another spot. Our yard has only one season: A squirrel is digging in it 365 days a year.

E& For the last two tried planting sunO PI Lhave P Eyears, flower seeds. I wanted to H growNa E mammoth W S sunflowC R U H C er, harvest the seeds, soak them in a salt solution and roast them. To this day, I haven’t had a single sunflower sprout. I tried again this year, but I’m afraid the squirrels like sunflower seeds as much as I do.

My wife’s number-one Google search these days is “How to discourage squirrels.” Just recently, she read that squirrels don’t like the R Eof coffee T Usmell L U C & S W E grounds,N and if you sprinkle the grounds around your plants, the scent will repel them. My cup runneth over when it comes to coffee these days, and after every pot, she gathers up the filter and runs out to her vegetable and flower beds, spreading out the coffee grounds. I thought some of our plants had a disease, but when I bent down to examine them, I realized the black spots were coffee grounds. I won’t be surprised next spring to see coffee trees sprouting.

This morning, my wife read online that squirrels and other rodents do not like the smell of dryer sheets. I guess I must be a rodent, because I don’t like that smell, either. Besides that, I’m not sure how to coax a squirrel into the dryer. We have been told to get a dog. We had one, but it dug bigger holes than the squirrels.

And the main thing I dislike about squirrels is their attitudes. They smirk. In our living room, I have a big picture window that looks out onto the back 40. The squirrels will come up to the window, put their little paws on the glass and press their faces there to see if I am sitting in my La-Z-Boy. When we make eye contact, they start their smirking. As you can see, I have a squirrel problem.

Squirrel problems come in all shapes and sizes, and they are all a constant irritant. Yours might look like your boss, a next-door neighbor or even someone you gave birth to. But do you know why I really don’t like squirrels? They bring out the worst in me. My problem isn’t really a squirrel problem; it is a me problem.

Remember when the disciples had a squirrel problem of their own? They got outraged over a lady who poured expensive perfume on Jesus. “A woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked” (Matt. 26:7-8).

Jesus had to straighten them out. He knew her actions were not a problem but a blessing in disguise. Out of the woman’s obedience to anoint Jesus, she was preparing Him for His burial. What they saw as a waste, she saw as worship.

When annoyances come your way, take time to ask yourself what God is trying to teach you. Yes, God has even used squirrels to teach me His ways.

But I have the last laugh. Did you know squirrels are never mentioned in the Bible? Guess who is smirking now?

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May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com | Gospel Ministry

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I think by questioning. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but that is the way my mind processes the world around me. I find myself questioning many things in my life, things that are either well-established or not established at all. Ever since I can remember, I would ask myself things like: why was I born in this time and not during a different era? Why do I exist as myself instead of someone else?

Those might be strange questions to most people. I have never asked anyone if they ask themselves those questions. To put it another way, I have been questioning my existence since I can remember having use of my mental abilities.

Babies and children learn mostly by being curious and asking a barrage of questions, most of the time when they know they have to turn out the lights and go to sleep. Many question their parents and why they have to do certain things or why they are not allowed to do others. Many people question their teachers and those in authority over them. Most people, I would venture to say, question the government and the decisions they make, most of the time. I am sure many of us are doing that right at this very moment, with everything that is going on around us during this strange time in recent history.

As a Christian, I have asked myself

ness to Jesus hanging on the cross and His resurrection.

But what about us? What about the majority of believers who never saw Jesus walk on this earth? How are we to be witnesses of Jesus our Lord?

Even though we did not see and hear Jesus physically, experientially we can give testimony of what He has done in our lives. I can see the difference in my own life, when I did not know Jesus as Savior and Lord. I know how depraved my mind and my heart were, and I can compare my spiritual state then, to what I am now that Jesus has saved me. I can give witness to the fact that even though I continue to fall into sin, my response is now different than what it once was. I don’t want to fall into sin. I want to live a holy life for the One who saved me.

We can all be witnesses of Jesus Christ and what He has done in us, for us and through us, from the moment we were accepted by Him as children of God through His Son Jesus Christ. The weak state of the evangelical church is due to the fact that we as Christians stopped being witnesses of Jesus Christ to this world.

If we begin to take our role as witnesses of our Lord seriously, many more people would come to know Him and would become part of the Church of Jesus Christ. Our decline is not due to a lack of the power that dwells in us. It is caused by our unwillingness to be witnesses of Jesus like He commanded us to do.

I will stop asking myself all the questions and will ask a final question to all of us. What is keeping us from being the witnesses that Jesus called us to be?

F O R

Oklahoma Baptists’ Hispanic Ministries Ministry Partner

the question, “What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?” When I see the state of the evangelical church in our time, I ask myself, what is the main purpose for the existence of the church in the world? Thankfully, that is a question that I can answer objectively by simply looking in Scripture to see what Jesus said about this issue.

In John 15:26, 27, for example, Jesus said, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.” Jesus said it again just before His ascension back into heaven, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Church is to be a “witness” of Jesus Christ.

But that brings up another question: what is the role of a witness? When Jesus said that we as Christians are to be His witnesses, what did Jesus have in mind? We know from personal experience that a witness simply gives an account of an event or a conversation which occurred while he or she was present. They experienced the event in some way personally. Well, that would have been easy for the people who saw Jesus while He was living on this earth. The apostles and the early disciples certainly got to see and hear Jesus with their own eyes and ears.

They could recount the time when Jesus calmed the storm or fed the five thousand. They could even give wit-

P R A Y

Ever Borunda

P L A N T E R

I think by questioning

Stephen and Mona Earnest Oklahoma City, Mission Bible Church Launched January 2019

The Lord brought Stephen into the Kingdom when he was 36-years-old. He was from an unchurched background and did not know that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. In 2007, both Stephen and his wife, Mona Sabah, came to declare Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and were baptized together. Today they are serving together to plant Mission Bible Church with the confidence that God will bring many people into his Kingdom through the ministry of this new church.

Prayer Requests: • For the church to be strengthened during this pandemic.

• For provision and protection for those in the church who have lost jobs.

• For wisdom to lead the church well. mbiblec.com

oklahomachurchplanting.com

& MISSIONS M I N I S T RY

SPORTS & T MEN E N T E R TA I N

Southern Baptists prayUfor Persecuted Church June P L E &7 O E X P O B L O R C H TO NEWS CH /// PREVIEWED ON COVER

>> by Ann Lovell

IMB EDITORIAL DESIGN MANAGER

On average, eight Christians died every day for their faith in 2019. That equals more than 2,920 people killed for the cause of Christ last year, according to the 2020 annual report from Open Doors’ World Watch List. In addition, 9,488 churches or Christian buildings were attacked, and 3,711 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned.

Overall, 260 million Christians experienced high levels of persecution in the top 50 countries on the World Watch List in 2019, Open Doors reported. The top five include North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Pakistan.

In recognition of the persecution faced by Christians around the world, the Southern Baptist Convention last year designated the first Sunday in June as a Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

In 2020, the day of prayer is set for Sunday, June 7.

International Mission Board (IMB) President Paul Chitwood affirmed the necessity of intercessory prayer on behalf of Christians suffering for their faith.

“Prayer is our greatest resource in the Great Commission, and it is also the greatest act of compassion we could perform for our brothers and sisters around the globe who are enduring persecution,” Chitwood said. “Just as the souls of those slain for their faith cry out in heaven, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You will judge and avenge our blood…’” (Rev. 6:10, ESV), we should cry out on

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>> PHOTO: SCREENSHOT Visit vimeo.com/394840406 for a

video about Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

behalf of those on earth who continue to suffer.

“We ask God to give them courage and hope,” Chitwood continued. “We know that their temporary suffering will be rewarded in eternity and pray that it will result in many being saved from among the nations.”

Throughout IMB’s 175-year history, Southern Baptists have maintained an uninterrupted witness among the nations, in spite of famine, war and civil unrest. This commitment has not come without sacrifice, Chitwood said.

Approximately 60 missionaries and children have died due to violent circumstances while serving with the International Mission Board (formerly the Foreign Mission Board) since the organization’s founding in 1845. The causes include accidents such as drowning, automobile and aircraft crashes and ships lost at sea.

CHURCH

They also include deaths as a result of war and criminal or terrorist acts. In some cases, the missionaries were targeted specifically because of their faith or missionary service.

Of those 60, more than 20 FMB/IMB missionURE LThostilU C & aries lost their lives “as a result of human S W E N ity in a cross-cultural setting,” said Scott Peterson of IMB’s global research team.

The first was J. Landrum Holmes who served in China. Holmes and his wife, Sallie, were appointed by the Foreign Mission Board in 1858 and arrived in China in 1859. Less than three years later, Taiping rebels murdered Holmes. Although family encouraged Sallie Holmes to return to the U.S., the young mother chose to stay in China with her newborn son, Peterson wrote in a 2017 article.

Writing home, Sallie said at the time, “I think I might probably be instrumental in the conversion of more persons at home than here, but if I went home for that, and other missionaries acted upon the same principle, I doubt if there would be a missionary left in China.”

Sallie Holmes went on to mentor one of IMB’s most famous missionaries, Charlotte Digges “Lottie” Moon, for whom IMB’s annual missions offering is named. Lottie Moon also died while in active service aboard a ship docked in Kobe Harbor, Japan, Dec. 24, 1912.

IMB leadership encourages Southern Baptists to mark this upcoming emphasis on calenders and join in praying for the Persecuted Church June 7.

For more information, visit imb.org.

MISSIONS VOLUNTEER TIES

OPPORTUN

OKLAHOMA

Ongoing opportunities for volunteers: Camp Gibson, Hardesty—Tom Freeman– 580/3383452 or pbaok221@gmail.com Families Feeding Families Meal Center, Durant—580/230-9142 or familiesfeedingfamilies.org Hope Pregnancy Centers—South OKC 405/688-8700, North OKC 405/755-5433, Edmond 405/330-0200, Ardmore 580/223-7232 Tulsa 918/622-3325 Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children Campuses Oklahoma City—Peggy Duncan, 405/691-7781 Edmond—Brent Thackerson, 405/341-3606 Madill—Stephen Wiese, 580/564-2218 Owasso—Kate Eacret, 918/272-2233

Pray for Oklahoma Missionary William “Tom” Freeman Pray for Tom Freeman, who serves as interim director of missions in Panhandle Association, where there are 22 Southern Baptist churches.

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DISASTER RELIEF

Training:

Sept. 12-Owasso, First, 13307 E. 96th St. N. Oct. 17-Newcastle, First, 1650 N. Main Nov. 7-Madill, First, 210 S. 1st St. More information can be found at okdisasterhelp.org

Chaplaincy: Sept. 10-12: OSFA & Chaplain Manual Training-Baptist Building Time: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 for OSFA; $35.00 for Chaplain Manual.

Registration closes and payment due Aug. 27.

Pray for Oklahoma Missionary Travis Welch Pray for Travis who serves as director of missions for Kay Association in northcentral Oklahoma, working among the association’s 27 churches.

For Powerpoint slides of Prayer Guide, visit www.oklahomabaptists.org/cp

Missions & ministry | May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com

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175 years of sending & going: International Mission Board celebrates ministry milestone /// PREVIEWED ON COVER

A brief recap of 175 YEARS OF SENDING & GOING with the International Mission Board

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1850s

1845—Foreign Mission Board is formed 1846—The first African American missionary is commissioned

1850—Africa’s interior becomes a priority for mission work

>> by BP, IMB reports and Staff

>> PHOTOS: PROVIDED 1) The International Mission Board has made an in-depth historical timeline available for everyone at imb.org/175; 2) Lucy Smith was an Oklahoma missionary that served faithfully in China and Japan in the early to mid 1900s.

When 327 delegates met at First Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga., on May 8, 1845, they did more than start a new convention of Baptist churches in the South.

They began a missionary movement that would in time start new Gospel-proclaiming churches throughout North America and the world. On Friday, May 8, Southern Baptists celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of what became the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Baord (NAMB)—and the corresponding Gospel movement they launched.

“In 1845, our legacy began in sin and brokenness as Baptists in the South separated from the northern churches over slavery,” said Paul Chitwood, IMB president. “Only God’s redeeming love and the reconciling power of the Gospel could result not only in repentance, but in a convention of churches today that is among the most diverse in the world and whose membership includes thousands of African American churches and many other ethnicities. That diversity, from such a regretful beginning, causes this celebration of what God is doing through Southern Baptists to be even more joyous.”

The founding of IMB marked a change in missions strategy among Baptists in the United States. Earlier organizations of Baptists had funded individual missionaries through an associational method.

The convention’s founders preferred an approach where churches would take ownership of the entirety of Southern Baptist missions instead of only supporting individual missionaries. Many believe this decision helped to fuel the growth of mission work of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) over the next 175 years despite a Civil War, the Great Depression, two world wars and multiple global pandemics.

2 Nathan Finn, history professor and provost and dean of the faculty at North Greenville University, said many missions organizations have drifted away from Gospel proclamation and church planting as their main focus. The IMB, as well as the NAMB, resisted that drift.

There has never been a time when the two mission boards were seriously tempted to elevate other ministries over evangelism and church planting.

“These two mission boards have shown how missions can be a part of the DNA of a denomination,” Finn said. “Almost every group cares about missions.

They check that box. But the Southern Baptist Convention, if I can use this phrase, puts our money where our mouth is. It has always been at the heart of SBC life. It doesn’t mean that we’ve always done missions well. And it doesn’t mean there hasn’t been controversy. But I don’t think there has ever been a time when Southern Baptists have shrugged their shoulders about missions. That has largely been because these two boards have together gotten that into the DNA of Baptist life.”

Keith Harper, senior professor of Baptist studies at Southeastern Seminary, noted the important part that women have played in the history of SBC missions.

“The incorporation of women as missionaries stands as one of the great accomplishments of SBC missions,” Harper said. “We would not have missions

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as we understand them today without Southern Baptist women. They are crucial to our story!”

He also pointed specifically to Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong, whose names are a part of the annual offerings that provide a considerable portion of IMB’s and NAMB’s budget.

“Lottie Moon captured the imagination of the entire Southern Baptist Convention,” Harper said. “She is eloquent in the way she expresses herself. She begins writing for our missions journal. She speaks in churches when she’s home on furlough. People are captivated by this little bitty woman who is just a shade over four feet tall.”

Armstrong, he added, left a major imprint on how Southern Baptists advocate for missions through her work coordinating missions support at the Woman’s Missionary Union.

Harper noted the significance of the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified giving plan, in the history of the mission boards. With the Cooperative Program’s launch in 1925, the mission boards could more easily project their revenue on an annual basis, allowing for a significant increase in the missions-sending capabilities of Southern Baptist churches.

Finn and Harper noted a number of defining events in the 175-year history of Southern Baptist missions, including the start of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief in the 1960s, IMB’s focus on unreached people groups starting in the 1990s and NAMB’s increasing emphasis on church planting.

Oklahoma Baptists and IMB The relationship of IMB with Oklahoma Baptists is significant, as many Oklahoma Baptists have served as IMB missionaries since the inception of Oklahoma Baptists’ state convention in 1906. One in particular is Lucy Smith who is featured in the Missions Heritage Room at the Baptist Building in Oklahoma City.

“At the age of 15, Lucy Smith sensed God’s call on her life to be a missionary to China,” reads Smith’s presentation in the Heritage Room. “It wasn’t until she was 38 that her calling was fulfilled when she set sail to East Asia. Forced to leave because of Communist threats in 1949, Lucy continued to live the call by devoting her ministry to young people in Hong Kong and Japan.”

IMB interactive timeline As part of its efforts to mark the 175th anniversary of its founding, IMB launched an interactive timeline on May 1. The timeline can be found at IMB.org/175.

Many IMB milestones are featured in the timeline, as viewers can scroll through each decade, click on informative videos and read historical moments and missionary profiles. The timeline also includes opportunities for viewers to participate in international missions.

175 days of prayer A special 175-day prayer emphasis of IMB’s 175th anniversary began May 10. Southern Baptists are encouraged to sign up at imb.org/175-days-of-prayer to become advocates who pray for specific IMB requests that are distributed through a mobile app and on social media.

The prayer emphasis will culminate with Southern Baptists’ annual Week of Prayer for International Missions Nov. 29-Dec. 6.

May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com | Features

1870s

1860s

1865—The American Civil War devastates missions support operations

1873—Famed missionary Lottie Moon is commissioned to the field

1880s

1888—The first Christmas offering is collected in support of missions

1890s

1892—12 missionary resignations negatively affect ministry in China for the remainder of the 1890s

1900s

1903—The first Southern Baptist mission hospital opens overseas

1910s

1918—The Christmas Offering is officially named after devoted missionary Lottie Moon

1920s

1925—The Cooperative Program is established

1930s 1938—The first Native American missionary is commissioned

1940s 1946—The first Hispanic missionary is commissioned

1950s 1950—A record number of missionaries are appointed 1955—The missionary personnel count exceeds 1,000

1960s

1965—The Journeyman program starts

1970s

1970—Disaster Relief becomes a priority for mission work

1989—The first deaf missionary is commissioned

1990s 1997—The Foreign Mission Board changes its name to the International Mission Board

2010s

1980s

My Name Is...

2000s

2002—More than 500,000 people are baptized on the field

2010s—Amid three major viruses, ministry continues on the mission field

2020s

Discover a detailed recap of the last 175 years of history with the International Mission Board at

IMB.ORG/175

Arriving in July, an expansion of Hope Pregnancy Center >> by OBHC Staff Arriving in July, the Patty Ann Mobile Ministry Unit, a 27-foot RV, will begin serving women in and around Oklahoma City who are unable or unlikely to come to a brick and mortar pregnancy center. The mobile unit will enable “hope” to reach some of the most vulnerable to abortion. The unit is named after a benefactor’s wife who has always had a heart for the ministry at Hope Pregnancy Center.

Kathy Gibson will serve as the Hope Mobile Ministry director. Gibson has served in pregnancy center ministry for 24 years, the last 11 as executive director at First Choice Pregnancy Center in Weatherford. God placed a dream in Gibson’s heart six years ago to “go mobile.”

“I know it had to be God because this wasn’t something I had ever wanted to do,” Gibson said.

“When I heard Hope Pregnancy Center was beginning a mobile ministry, I began to pray about applying for the director’s position. Having worked for Hope Pregnancy Center, prior to my role in Weatherford, I was familiar with the organization and am glad to be back with Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children.”

Gayla White, Hope Pregnancy Ministries director, knows the mobile min3 istry unit will have a great impact on many women and families.

“The Patty Ann Mobile Unit has the equipment needed to offer excellent medical services to women who may never come to a pregnancy center,” White said. “Pregnancy testing and ultrasounds will be provided along with pregnancy-option education to empower women to make an informed pregnancy decision. The ultrasound machine, provided by Focus on the Family and a local family, provides the clearest images for early pregnancy.

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>> PHOTOS: PROVIDED 1) The new Mobile Unit. ICU Mobile is finishing up production in time for the July 2020 launch date; 2) The inside of the Mobile Unit will include ultrasound equipment allowing sonographers to perform an ultrasound whenever needed; 3) Kathy Gibson, Hope Mobile Ministry director, has been serving in pregnancy center ministry for 24 years.

“Hope Pregnancy Center’s mission of helping young men and women have hope and choose life will be put into action on the mobile unit,” White continued. “It will allow staff and volunteers to seek more opportunities to share the hope of Christ and shine His light into the lives and circumstances of those experiencing an unintended pregnancy, as well as those seeking abortion.

We are excited to have Kathy lead in this exciting new expansion of Hope Pregnancy Center’s work, and we invite everyone to be a part of it.”

Volunteers are needed for various positions including nurses, sonographers, pit crew and intake. Those interested may contact Gibson at 405/343-8830.

God is equipping Hope’s mobile team through partnerships with ICU Mobile, No Boundaries International and other pro-life ministries. ICU was established in 2004 to go to women facing an unintended pregnancy and share the miracle and wonder of life

through ultrasound. ICU is training the Hope mobile team how to identify the communities most in need of services, build trust relationships in those communities, utilize a pit crew and more.

No Boundaries International is a local ministry that responds to God’s call by meeting basic needs, providing inner healing, medical care and discipleship to those in devastation. No Boundaries is coaching the mobile team on how to recognize, communicate and provide helpful resources to women in the most difficult circumstances including human trafficking. A founding principle for both organizations is faith in Jesus Christ and seeking opportunities to share the Gospel.

Hope Pregnancy Center and Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children is hosting a dedication service at the Baptist Building, 3800 N. May, on Friday, June 19 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be a special prayer and commissioning time at 12:30 p.m. The unit will be open for tours.

The Patty Ann Mobile Unit will launch in July.

Del City, First Southern draws faithful for stadium service 1

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>> by Chris Doyle

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>> PHOTOS: PROVIDED 1) Del City, First Southern’s worship band, led by Amy Frazier, sang traditional favorites such as ‘I’ll Fly Away’ and ‘Victory in Jesus;’ 2) Lawn chairs were aplenty as attendees listen to Pastor Keith Burkhart deliver the message; 3) Del City, First Southern drew 500 people at the church’s May 10 stadium service; 4) Starlite Crusades at Del City Stadium started in 1965 and met in the summers for nearly 40 years.

MANAGING EDITOR

DEL CITY—Many recall the Starlite Crusades at Del City Stadium that Del City, First Southern hosted in the summers for nearly 40 years, beginning in 1965. On Sunday, May 10, the church met in Christian Heritage Academy’s football stadium for its first in-person 4 service since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The Sunday morning service did not have well-known Christian artists, like the Imperials, perform or national evangelists speak. However, Del City, First Southern did stir some memories of the yesteryear crusades and caused similar excitement from church members who were longing for in-person fellowship.

Keith Burkhart, senior pastor at Del City, First Southern, reported 500 people attended the Mother’s Day service in the stadium. He said people were spread out throughout the stadium and observed proper social distancing standards.

“We have that great heritage of the Starlite Cru-

sade and meeting in the stadium,” Burkhart said.

“I felt like it was a great reentry, having an outdoor service, to make people feel a little more comfortable before we move into the facility.”

Burkhart was a member of Del City, First Southern during his high school years in the ‘70s and attended many Starlite Crusades. He recalled a thousand people made professions of faith in Christ at the 1980 Starlite Crusade, which lasted three weeks.

“It was an amazing move of God,” Burkhart said. “I remember all the years we did that at Del City Stadium. It was unique and certainly at a unique time.”

Burkhart said he thought the stadium service would help rekindle a passion for church members to gather at the appropriate time, after observing online worship services in the last few months because of the pandemic. Attendance at the May 10 service exceeded Burkhart’s expectations.

“There’s so much energy and excitement,” Burkhart said. “I really didn’t know how many would

come because it’s still early, and some are still nervous about it. But the service more than exceeded my hopes. It was healthy for everyone.”

Del City, First Southern began meeting in its worship center on Sunday, May 17. Burkhart said the facility is capable for a thousand people to attend and observe proper social distancing standards.

“The church is ready; it will get stronger,” Burkhart said. “I am grateful that we have a facility to do this.

And new people are connecting with us. We think it’s the right time for us to start meeting together again. We will be careful and encourage people to stay home if they are vulnerable or concerned.”

Many other Oklahoma Baptist churches are observing drive-in services and lawn worship services.

Some are capable to properly demonstrate social distancing standards in their sanctuaries. For Del City, First Southern, they capitalized on the right timing to worship together by also reflecting on a great event of their past.

“Starlite served its purpose,” Burkhart said. “This was a way to celebrate those memories and look to the future, as we celebrate being ‘one church.’”

Visit oklahomabaptist.com/coronavirus for more information on Oklahoma Baptists and responding to the Coronavirus.

Features | May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com

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PEOPLE & EWS CHURCH N

O O L B OX CHURCH T

OBU announces 2019-20 outstanding seniors RE DS LT U NE WS & CU

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SHAWNEE—Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) chose to recognize its outstanding seniors for the 2019-20 school year in a unique way.

Awards to outCES V O Iseniors standing in all of OBU’s colleges and divisions are typically presented in a special awards chapel near the conclusion of the spring semester, which did not occur this year due to OBU’s move to distance learning because of COVID-19.

Instead, students received a personal touch online in their individual presentations. Representatives of the colleges and divisions

Leslie “Paige” Lehrmann

College of Theology & Ministry (Philosophy)

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recognized these senior award winners through announcements via OBU’s website and social media channels.

Chloe Stokes received OBU’s Rosalee Mills Appleby Award, the highest award given for an OBU senior woman. Mitchell Manlapig of Shawnee received OBU’s W.P. Blake Award, the highest award given for an OBU senior man. OBU President Heath Thomas personally presented both of these awards to Stokes and Manlapig.

Here are the 15 recipients of OBU’s 2019-20 outstanding senior awards:

Mitchell Manlapig Division of Music & W.P. Blake Award Recipient

Lauren Martin

College of Theology & Ministry (Christian Ministry)

Dawson Alley

College of Theology & Ministry (Biblical & Theological Studies)

Hayden Ashley College of Business

Ryan Fisher Division of Health & Human Performances

Tori Harrison Division of Art & Design

Emily Moore College of Nursing

Hudson Payne College of Science & Mathematics (Mathematics)

May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com | People & Church News

Olivianna Calmes Division of Communication Arts

Augustus Hull College of Science & Mathematics (Science)

Chloe Stokes

Rosalee Mills Appleby Award Recipient

Dannie Deason Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences

Emily Justice Division of Teacher Education

Jonathan Wood Division of Language & Literature

PEOPLE & EWS CHURCH N

O O L B OX CHURCH T

OKC, Wilmont Place honors moms amid COVID-19

EWS CHURCH N

LT U R E NE WS & CU

DS CLASSIFIE >> by Shawn Nichols

PASTOR, OKLAHOMA CITY, WILMONT PLACE

In an effort to continue our tradition of honoring mothers, Oklahoma City, Wilmont Place reached into the community to serve mothers in a unique way.

ES I Cdid Owe This V year, not have the opportunity to recognize the mothers in our congregation with flowers or a special gift. What we were able to do, however, is help honor some mothers who may otherwise have gone unrecognized. These moms are living at Jordan’s Crossing, a nonprofit, residential substance-abuse treatment program for pregnant women and women with dependent children under the age of 13 years old.

Wilmont Place was given the opportunity to present each mother living or working at Jordan’s Crossing a beautiful long-stemmed rose, a fancy cupcake (along with cupcakes for their children) and a card wishing them a Happy Mother’s Day from Wilmont Place.

The approximately 50 mothers at Jordan’s Crossing have been isolated due to

>> PHOTO: PROVIDED

OKC, Wilmont Place offered roses and cupcakes to mothers who are a part of Jordan’s Crossing.

the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept them from the rest of their families and support groups. Wilmont Place has been blessed with getting to be a part of these mothers’ support groups during this time.

Southern Baptist publishes book

Thomas Dillon served as a judge for more than 20 years in Georgia, and prior to his appointments he practiced law as a trial lawyer in Atlanta and was elected three terms to the Georgia legislature. He received a master’s degree from Southern Seminary. He is a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Jacksonville, Fla., Fruit Cove. Dillon recently had his book “The Road to Glory” published and is offering a free preview. Those interested, contact Dillon at judgethomasdillon@gmail.com.

Congregational News

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS DOUGLASS DEATH. Richard “Brooks” Douglass, 56, died May 9.

A 15 at OklaMMay O H Funeral service was A L K O E H T homa City, Putnam V EHe served ICity.

A R C HState S TOklahoma Senate for B A P TinIthe 12 years, championing groundbreaking legislation for crime victims’ rights. He co-created the movie Heaven’s Rain (later renamed The Amendment) to honor his parents, who served in pastoral ministry and on the mission field, and tell their family’s true story of love, loss and healing after a devastating crime. He is survived by his wife Julea and his two children, Brody and Cali.

KALICKI DEATH. Brandon Kalicki, 43, died May 9. Funeral service was May 15 at Watonga, First. In 2008, he accepted a full-time youth ministry position at Watonga, First and was recently appointed to the position of associate pastor. He was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 2004 and accepted his first ministry position at Norman, Alameda. He also served as youth minister at Ponca City, Northeast. He is survived by his wife Shanna and his two children, Kaitlynn and Joseph.

HEAD DEATH. Coetta Head, 67, died May 15. Funeral service was May 19 at Greenfield, First. She served 45 years in pastoral ministry with her husband Howard, who is currently the pastor of Greenfield, First.

She loved teaching Sunday School and worked as a police dispatcher and bookkeeper for many years.

She is survived by her husband, her son Timothy and two grandchildren.

PAXTON DEATH. Karla Paxton, 66, died May 15. Funeral service was May 22 at Mangum, First. Her husband Casey is pastor of Mangum, First, and together they ran two newspapers, the Cheyenne Star and the Mangum Star.

She loved teaching children in Sunday School and mentoring other teachers.

She is survived by her husband and her children, Tonya and Scott.

OKU

SUD

DISBANDED. Boswell, Choctaw Cowboy Church has disbanded.

TO SHARE NEWS, PLEASE EMAIL ALL INFO TO BAPTISTMESSENGER@OKBAPTIST.NET

RCH WORD SEA

C A R TO O N

Note: The word clues for the Word Search are chosen by the Messenger staff, while the puzzles and letters surrounding the clues are computer-generated at random.

Baptist Cauthen China Chitwood Countries

Denominational Elliff Foreign Globe History

International Journal Liberia Love Maddry

Mission Missionaries Nations Parks Pioneers

Platt Rankin Taylor Tupper Willingham

People & Church News | May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com

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O O L B OX T H C R U H C

What about VBS? >> by Mark Jones

CHILDREN’S PASTOR OKLAHOMA CITY, QUAIL SPRINGS

EDS lenges and work with your team S I FtoI solve S A L C them so you have a plan in place. This VBS

option is strong for reaching children outside the church building.

Among all the uncertainty of the day, churchFamily VBS can be very effective, espees are wondering about Vacation Bible School cially if you are able to connect to the fam(VBS). Many churches have announced their ily by digital means. We seem to have imdates for the event and purchased all the ma- proved greatly with this over these past S I C Eleaders terials. Do they need to move it to July or right two months. To host a Family V OVBS, before school starts? Should they just cancel will need to create VBS packs. Each child the event this year? If you were thinking along should get a pack with each day’s materials. these lines, you are not alone. Here are some It’s good to remember that preschoolers will options to consider. need activities that are age appropriate. We Vacation Bible School is an annual event that are still laying foundations for salvation even churches have supported with budgets and though we are not presenting the Gospel personal service. Primarily, because VBS is an like our elementary children will hear. outreach to families in your community and Following an abbreviated schedule, begin an evangelistic event where kids accept Christ each evening with a worship rally the family and the Gospel is shared with families. So how can watch at home. You can stream this live do we preserve the outreach and evangelism from the church or prerecord the rally. Always of VBS during this difficult time? provide the church website link, so families will Traditional VBS is marked by a church hosting know where to find the rally. a gathering at their building, either in the mornThe Bible story group time can be taught ing or evening, and sharing a daily Bible teach- by the parent or prerecorded from a teaching experience with singing, crafts, missions er at church. Be sure to provide the parents and recreation games. This might work later with needed materials to lead this. Games, in the summer if pandemic concerns improve crafts, family mission project can be great greatly and there is no relapse. Churches should fun if you choose activities and projects be mindful of teachers who are 65 or older in that are not too complicated. Family mission case they are unable yet to return. projects could support this difficult time Alternative VBS is often enjoyed by kids at with notes and posters supporting our medparks and even as a Backyard Bible Club but ical workers and community workers. Mayfor a shorter time period. This is an excellent be taking a treat and thoughtful note to a way to move a large group into smaller groups neighbor that has been stuck in their house and spread throughout the community. This during this quarantine period. could be a more effective outreach since you Virtual VBS is the same as a Family VBS but have the opportunity of inviting neighbors. focuses on neighbors with kids. Church memCreate a schedule that is about one and a bers without kids at home sign-up to take half hours. Begin with a worship rally using Family VBS packs to those homes around the pledges, Bible verse, motto and songs them. This can be a terrific outreach since and share a Bible story. Kids can be divid- these people do not come to the church builded into two groups if there are a lot present. ing. You are providing a way for the church to S can see your pastor, meet One group can enjoy the crafts while the oth- meet them.

E RFamilies G N I L S D R O er group plays the rec games. Everyone W comes teachers and see the inside of the building. together for a snack and Mission video before This has great potential for reaching people switching to the opposite activity. Finally, gath- right where they are. They may hear the Goser the group for a quick recap of the Bible story pel and choose to trust Jesus with their life. and verse before praying and dismissing.

When considering new options for VBS, I Concerns will include restrooms needed, hope you will not drop it but choose to lead in group size, unapproved adults walking up to a different and new way this year. If your VBS S or one day, just be sure to get the help, children coming with no adult around, AYweek E isSone V A D and enrolling children with parent contact word out and share the Gospel! Who knows, numbers. Any VBS scenario will come with it might become a new way of enjoying Vacachallenges, so plan to make a list of chal- tion Bible School each year.

BAP T IS TS OKLAHOMA H IG H L I GH T E C R U O S E R

MV P E M AI L SU PP O R T

OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS’ MULTI-VOCATIONAL PASTORS’ MINISTRY

If you are a multi-vocational pastor (MVP) or part of a small church, you may be interested in receiving updates and conference opportunities from the Oklahoma Baptists MVP ministry. oklahomabaptists.org/mvp

WO M E N ’S M I N I S T RY & LE AD E R S H I P R E S O U R C E S OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS’ WOMEN’S MINISTRY

Discover an extensive list of women’s leadership and ministry resources at the site below. Resources include podcasts, books and social media accounts. oklahomabaptists.org/leadership-forum

Check back with the highlight every issue to learn more about the resources available to every SBC church!

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May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com | Church Toolbox

PEOPLE & EWS CHURCH N GERS W O R D S L I N S & C U LT U R E NEW

A WORTHY PURSUIT >> AMY SPEAR

Can I just be real? Being a mom is S so hard! I mean, no Y A S E V A D one ever told me that it would be this hard! There is no book titled “Amy, do this when your kid does that.”

Too bad, because I would use that book everyday of my life! Don’t you always find those parenting books lacking real life situations and solutions to your specific “problem”?

IS TS BAP The magazine Home LifeA had a Tgreat article titled HOM OKLA I GH TMcGlothlin.

“Blood, Sweat and R Prayers” byH L Brooke H IG E C U O S E R “Sometimes, the greater lesson is in our Brooke wrote, failures because our limitations are often what lead us to the cross for help.”

For some reason, this gave me a great sense of relief. I was reminded, at that moment, I was supposed to fail at being a mom. It’s only then that I run to Him in desperation and cling to His Word. My failures are a window for God’s strength to shine through. Sure I read His Word daily and pray over my children regularly. But it’s not until I am in the thick of it that my prayers feel heavy with desperation, knowing I have no control over my situation.

Do you feel like a failure at something? Are you lacking control over a situation that only God can help you with?

To read the rest of Amy’s blog, visit baptistmessenger.com/blog-a-worthy-pursuit

RS RD SLINGE O W To read more blogs with Jesus in mind, visit www.baptistmessenger.com/blog

D AV E S AY S FIRST, UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM Dear Dave, AP T IS TS B A M I feel truly blessed.

Even with everything O H A L OK LIGH that is going on these days, I still jobT IGaHsteady E Hhave C R U O S E R and a good income. I’m thinking about taking some money out of my savings account in order to completely pay off my credit card debt. How do you feel about this idea?

—Erin Dear Erin, It’s not a bad plan if you’ve come to a point where you understand a few things. The credit card and the debt aren’t the real problems. They’re symptoms of buying things you probably don’t need with money you don’t have. You need to take a long look in the mirror, because the person who’s looking back at you is the real problem.

If you can accept this, and are committed to changing yourself and your financial habits, I’d say go for it. Just don’t wipe out your savings in the process. Leave plenty of cash in there, especially right now when so many things are uncertain. Also, make sure you cut up that credit card, close the account, and make a promise to yourself that you’ll never use those things again.

Once you do all this, and start living on a written, monthly budget, rebuild your savings as quickly as possible. Saving money is always a good thing. And everyone needs an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses for the unexpected stuff life throws at you!

—Dave

The views expressed by Dave Ramsey do not necessarily reflect those of the Baptist Messenger and do not constitute legal financial advice.

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mom_sharp@yahoo.com or FBC Search Committee P.O. Box 53, Shidler, OK 74652.

>> BI/VO PASTOR: Liberty Baptist Chapel in Liberty, OK is prayerfully seeking a BI/VO Pastor. Please email resume to: libertybaptistchapel@gmail.com or mail to: 2621 East 201st Street South, Mounds, OK 74047.

>> F/T YOUTH PASTOR-MUSIC LEADER: Utopia Baptist Church in Big Cabin is looking for a F/T Youth Pastor/Music Leader. Please send resumes to: utopiasbc@gmail.com.

>> P/T WORSHIP LEADER: Grace Place Baptist Church in SE OKC is looking for a P/T Worship Leader, God’s man, to plan, organize, & lead the church body in blended worship for a multigenerational congregation. Send resumes to: robbyroberson24@gmail.com Graceplacechurch.org

>> F/T PASTOR: Wetumka First Baptist Church in Wetumka, OK is seeking a F/T Pastor. Duties include worship, Bible studies, counseling, visitation & other pastoral duties.

Send a cover letter, resume, references & sermon link to: slee.hill@gmail.com.

>> F/T PASTOR: Accepting resumes for F/T Pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Send resumes to: IBCLeah@gmail.com.

>> F/T PASTOR: Warner First Baptist Church in Warner, OK is prayerfully seeking a F/T Pastor. Submit your resume to: fbcw@crosstel.net.

>> MINISTER TO FAMILIES: First Baptist Church of Mangum, OK is searching for someone to minister to young couples, children & youth. Updated house provided. Email resume to: mangumfirstbaptist@gmail.com.

>> F/T PASTOR: Emmanuel Southern Baptist Church in Liberal, KS, is seeking a F/T Pastor. Responsibilities include regular preaching & teaching, counseling, visitation & other pastoral duties including church administration in conjunction with the church council & other designated entities. Send a cover letter, resume, references & a sermon link to: esbc.liberalks@gmail.com.

>> F/T PASTOR: Fletcher First Baptist Church is prayerfully searching for a F/T Pastor. Send resume & cover letter to: Attention Pastor Search Committee, Office@fletcherfbc.com or Fletcher First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 359 Fletcher, OK 73541. >> BI/VO PASTOR: Parkview Baptist in Duncan, OK is seeking a BI/VO Pastor. Please send your resume to: mulsix@hotmail.com. >> F/T YOUTH MINISTER: F/T Youth Minister. View Acres Baptist Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Vibrant, multi-generational church in the West Tulsa area seeks F/T Youth Minister to lead growing student ministry. Send resume to: shannonfayebaker@gmail.com. >> F/T PASTOR: FBC Purcell, OK, is seeking a F/T Pastor.

Responsibilities include regular preaching & teaching, counseling, visitation & other pastoral duties. Include a cover letter, resume with references & a sermon link to: fbcpurcelltj@gmail.com. >> BI/VO PASTOR: FBC Shidler, OK is prayerfully seeking a traditional BI/VO Southern Baptist Pastor for a small rural church. Send resume to email:

>> F/T PASTOR: First Baptist Church of Cache, OK is seeking a F/T Pastor. Please send resume to: Office@fbccache. org or PO Box 437, Cache, OK 73527. >> F/T YOUTH MINISTER: First Baptist Church Clinton is accepting resumes for a F/T Youth Minister. Please submit resumes by mail to: Youth Minister Search Committee, 900 Frisco, Clinton, OK 73601 or email to: cfields@clintonfbc. com. >> P/T or BI/VO YOUTH PASTOR: Enterprise Baptist, Norman is prayerfully seeking a P/T or BI/VO Youth Pastor to lead current youth program. Resumes may be submitted to: EBC c/o Youth Search Committee, 2425 84th Ave, SE, Norman, OK 73026 or email: scbeutler@gmail.com. >> BI/VO YOUTH MINISTER: Hillside Baptist Church, McLoud, OK is seeking a BI/VO Youth Minister to begin this summer or in September. Great opportunity for a college student for ministry experience. All resumes will be considered. Email revwesbates@live.com.

CROSSWO

ACROSS 1 Eden’s gardener 5 “He...measured each __ of the porch” (Ezek. 40:48) 9 “He hath __ his bow” (Ps. 7:12) 13 Type choice 14 16 Across missionary

companion 15 Church choir voice 16 Called “greatest missionary” 17 Opposed to (dial.)

18 Site of Christian martyrdom 19 Where believers first called Christians 21 Coastal city visited by 16 Across 23 Papua New Guinea city

RD

24 Wager 25 OT prophet 29 “Many as are __ by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14) 30 Sky color (Fr.) 32 Athletic org. (Abbr.)

33 Isaac to Esau: “Prepare me the kind of __ food I like” (Gen. 27:4 niv) 36 Knobs 37 NYSE heading 38 Joseph’s coat was multi-__ 39 Extremely zealous 40 Scotland house of worship 41 Psalm, sometimes 42 “Go ye into all the __, and preach” (Mark 16:15) 43 Edibles in Peter’s vision (Acts 11:5-7) 44 Pinch 45 Travel on foot 46 Beggar’s garb 47 Good News 49 German article 50 Eternity 53 I “am __ than the least of all saints” (Eph. 3:8) 55 Skeptic looks at 47 Across this way 57 Sinners run __ of God’s law 60 Modern missionary’s transport 62 Fully satisfy 63 45 Across woes 64 Device employer 65 Murdered, slangily

66 45 Across, perhaps 67 “The __ shall be first” (Matt. 20:16) 68 16 Across needed one at times (Abbr.)

DOWN 1 Dismay 2 Ephesians’ idol (Acts 19:28) 3 Serious 4 Saharan nation 5 God __ 1 Across in Eden 6 “We __ also to love one another” (1 John 4:11) 7 Slide on snow 8 16 Across knew how to make one 9 16 Across preached here 10 Perga to Derbe (dir.)

11 French negative 12 __-la-la, musical refrain 15 16 Across birthplace 20 Why “ye should not __ the truth?”

(Gal. 3:1) 22 “Now __ your members...unto holiness” (Rom. 6:19) 26 Apostle Thomas’s mission destination, perhaps 27 Scuttle a shuttle 28 Opposite of doves 29 Company name ender (Abbr.)

30 Where to find 47 Across 31 They __ Jesus in a tomb 33 Sandal part 34 Visual partner

35 Leaks 36 God’s word as “a light that shineth in a __ place” (2 Peter 1:19) 39 Churns 40 Container 42 60 Across features 43 John __, traveler with 16 Across 46 Vacation spot 48 Thud 49 Holy Land fruits 50 Authorize 51 Church ensemble, maybe 52 “I am poor and __” (Ps. 40:17) 54 Former name for 16 Across 56 16 Across mission territory 57 She was “taken in adultery, in the very __” (John 8:4) 58 “I thank my God...__ you all” (Rom. 1:8) 59 Lode yield 61 Uncle Sam’s land (Abbr.)

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

Classifieds | May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com

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LT U R E NE WS & CU

First person: Our road to ‘Zion’—an adoption story

ES >> by O I C McAfee VMichael

and I had no clue anything holds tomorrow.”

I must have repeated was wrong. But the day bethese words to myself 100 fore, routine tests had led to times that week—when every parent’s worst nightBaptists are a Great Commission people. We take mare. I swallowed the lump I was laying in bed that seriously the call to take the Gospel to all nations of in my throat, signed the pafirst night, unable to sleep; the earth. We recognize this is the best way we can pers, and a date was set for when my home group love our neighbor: by sharing the Gospel of Jesus surgery the following week prayed over us the night with them. before surgery; when I was to remove a tumor on my Not all of us are called to leave our native land, one-year-old girl’s liver. carrying Zion to the operatcross cultures and share the Gospel with an uning room.

We did the only thing we Every child deserves a reached people group. However, we are all called to knew to do. Pray. And we home. Even if that child comes play a critical role in the work of missionaries around were not shy in that season, with emotional baggage or the globe. When you give to your local church each begging others to pray with special needs or cancer. If all week, a portion of your gift is going on to the field us. Desperation will instantly that God willed for our parto support this vital work. strip you of your pride. enting of Zion was to care for Yet, I wonder if we take seriously another aspect of We were overwhelmed by a girl who would die of canGreat Commission neighbor love. That is the call to the response from so many cer weeks after we finalized care for justice issues. One in particular I am passion- who reached out to us onthe adoption, it would have ate about is adoption. As Christians, we are specifi- line to let us know they were >> PHOTO: PROVIDED Lauren and Michael been worth it. We would have cally commanded to care for orphans (James 1:27). In praying for Zion. Weeks beMcAfee, with their adopted daughter Zion. been absolutely devastated. the same way, not everyone is called to be an adop- fore her surgery, only a handBut in the midst of the uncertaintive or foster parent, we are all called to care for or- ful of people in China and a few phans. For my wife, Lauren, and me we felt led to in America knew this girl existed. That week, we re- ty of the weekend between diagnosis and surgery, we pursue adoption as a means of starting our family. ceived messages from people on every continent ex- acknowledged that if all we get is caring for this girl Unexpectedly, our adoption process lasted near- cept Antartica that someone was praying for her. For during the worst and final days of her life, praise God ly seven years. Last summer, we finally matched example, a Christian radio station in Australia rallied that He would allow us the privilege of not letting her die alone in an orphanage. with the best little Chinese girl named “Zi.” We were their listeners to pray. Only God could do that.

This isn’t the end of our story. I don’t know how it leading a trip in Israel before traveling to pick her During this season, our pastor, Rick Thompson, up, and in Jerusalem chose to rename her Zion. We preached the Gospel with a big vision of a sovereign will end. Maybe cancer returns. Maybe I never get spent 50 peaceful days between the day we got her God who is in control of all things. When the bottom to walk Zion down the aisle to get married. Maybe and the day we thought we might H N E W Sdropped out, I was an emotional wreck just like any- we never have grandkids to spoil. Maybe Zion beC her.

Rlose U H C “We would like you to sign these cancer research one. When the worst news of my life rocked the world comes rebellious, and we feel the sting of a prodipapers.” I sat on the hospital bed in disbelief listen- I thought I controlled, I found solace in the old saying, gal child. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. But I ing to the doctor. Twenty-four hours prior, Lauren “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who know Who holds tomorrow.

ERLC COMMITTEE MEMBER ASSISTANT TEACHING PASTOR, BETHANY, COUNCIL ROAD

OMA T H E O K L A H HIVE C BAPTIST AR

‘HERE AM I. SEND ME.’

For many generations, believers have gone to the darkest and farthest places in the world to join God in His work of building His Kingdom. For some it was traveling on foot to an unknown village. For some it was on the back of a donkey up a lonely mountain, and for others it was flying to a melting pot city of millions.

For all these believers, tent-makers, teachers and theologians, the call was always simply to “Go.” Go embrace brokenness as opportunity for the Gospel. Go to the hospitals. Go to the jungles. Go to the house next door. Go to the war’s frontline. Go to the schools. Go to the cities.

Like Isaiah, the answer must gratefully be, “Here am I. Send me.”

The pictures shown here are snapshots from different mission fields, different missionaries, different contexts and different applications of the call to “Go.” Despite the differences in each picture, they each hold this act of obedience in common—They went.

Learn more about the 175-year history of Southern Baptists that went with the International Mission Board by visit imb.org/175.

Do you have Oklahoma Baptist history such as Falls Creek testimonies, historical church stories, or photos of a past Baptist event? Send them to baptistmessenger@okbaptist.net!

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May 28, 2020 | The Baptist Messenger | www.baptistmessenger.com | News & Culture

117” x 88” (4x3) Flat Graffi with Two End Graphic Temp

Graphic Size with 143.75”w x 90.25”

Final Graphic Are 140.75”w x 88.25”

Front Visual Area: 117.25”w x 88.25” Front Safe Zone: 113.25”w x 84.25