Feature

Falls Creek hosts 10th annual Fall Back event with COVID protocols /// PREVIEWED ON COVERCHURCH TOOLBOX PEOPLE & CHURCH NEWS

>> by Chris Doyle

MANAGING EDITOR 2

DAVIS—Fall Back Weekend turned 10 years old as Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center hosted the annual event, Oct. 16-17. With 1,200 people in attendance, Fall Back was the largest event at Falls Creek since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Andy Harrison, director of Oklahoma Baptists Conference Centers, said Falls Creek prepared well in advance for Fall Back, making sure attendees followed a list of COVID protocols.

“We required masks and social distancing in all indoor venues, which included the Tabernacle, 1917 Café and public restrooms,” Harrison said. “In openair locations and in cabins, it was recommended to wear masks and social distance. We also recommended that church groups wear masks while traveling to Falls Creek and talk to cabin owners to make sure that cabins were sanitized.”

Harrison said Falls Creek leadership made sure no staff members had been exposed to anyone who had COVID. “All of us were COVID free,” he said.

Fall Back featured three worship sessions in the Tabernacle. Worship through music was led by Rivers worship band. Christian artist Fedel also gave a Friday night concert in the Plaza.

Wade Morris, a regular speaker at Falls Creek, was the preacher at Fall Back. He talked to students about going through the pandemic and handling school differently.

“I have been praying that God would do huge things here,” Morris said. “I know that we live in a very weird time. I know we are in the middle of this pandemic.

OKLAHOMA

Ongoing opportunities for volunteers:

Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, OKC and

Community Food Bank of Eastern OK, Tulsa—both locations, call 405/972-1111 (Many Oklahoma Baptist churches receive food from them for local food pantries) Arms Around Broken Arrow—food pantry, clothes closet - 918/258-7714—hugh@armsaroundba.org

Lake Texoma Baptist Resort Ministry—Pete Richards,

Director, 580/579-1671 or thehelm2034@gmail.com

Cherokee Baptist Assembly, Cherokee—918/506-5482 Pray for Oklahoma Missionary

Seth Bevers 1

CLASSIFIEDS

NEWS & CULTURE

>> PHOTOS: CHRIS DOYLE 1) Fall Back speaker Wade Moore preaches on 1 John; 2) Worship band Rivers lead a time of worship through music at Fall Back.

Some of you are in school. Some of you are in virtual school. Some of you are doing both at the same time. Everybody seems a little bit out of rhythm, but in VOICES the end, Jesus has stayed the same the entire time. My hope and my prayer is not only that we have the chance to meet here, but that God would move in a way that when we leave we would say ‘Jesus is still good.’”

Morris preached from 1 John in Fall Back’s opening session. He said John’s message was Jesus is the atoning sacrifice “not only for our sins but for the sins of the entire world.” The reason for John to write his first letter, Morris said, was to help Christ’s followers discern the true Gospel message against the message of false teachers.

“John was writing to say, ‘The message I was telling you about Jesus 30 years ago is the same message that is true today, and it’s going to be the same message that is true for all time,’” Morris said.

Harrison said many students did respond to Morris’ appeal for making decisions for Christ. He also appreciated Morris sharing the Gospel and encouraging students to respond. Pray for International

Missionary

Albert Hesskew

“Wade always does a really good job,” Harrison said. “He’s gifted as an evangelist and able to stick to the Scripture, exegete it well and then ‘run to the cross.’”

Each session featured times of invitation for students to make spiritual decisions. Youth pastors and church leaders stood in the aisles of the Tabernacle, as students would come to them for counseling.

“Our prayers were always focused on having the event so that we could see the Gospel advance,” Harrison said. “Not having that throughout the year has been difficult. That’s what we are there for. During the first invitation and response time, there were several people who indicated they spoke to their sponsors about salvation. I heard from several group leaders who said they had kids who were saved and several made decisions.”

Overall, Harrison and Falls Creek leadership were happy with the results of this year’s Fall Back. Falls Creek plans to host Fall Back next year and will continue to work with state youth pastors in planning the

VOLUNTEER MISSIONS OPPORTUNITIES

DISASTER RELIEF

Campers on Mission:

Campers on Mission is a fellowship of Christian campers who share their faith while camping or doing mission activities. They work on projects in Oklahoma and across the U.S. For more information email mvanzandt@ oklahomabaptists.org.

or cba_tahlequah@yahoo.com

Seth is Baptist Collegiate Ministries Director at Western Oklahoma State College in Altus. Pray that the BCM will continue to have an impact on the campus of WOSC.

event. For more information visit fallscreek.org.

Albert and his family have served in Krakow, Poland since 2008 as International Mission Board missionaries. Pray for continued growth of the church in Krakow.

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

>> by Mike Schueler

WATERSEDGE VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING

AND COMMUNICATIONS

After serving and strengthening Oklahoma Baptists for nearly three quarters of a century, the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma has a new name. Since 1946, the Foundation has inspired generosity and multiplied giving that has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to Kingdom-impacting ministries across the state. Now, the nonprofit Christian financial services organization is laying the groundwork for the next 75 years as it shifts to a new brand: WatersEdge.

“We’ve outgrown our name,” said WatersEdge CEO Robert Kellogg. “The word ‘foundation’ is simply too limiting—it doesn’t accurately describe the broad suite of financial services we’re able to provide to individuals, families, churches, ministries and institutions. Besides, few know what a ‘foundation’ is anymore. It’s a vague word that doesn’t resonate, especially with younger generations.”

The new WatersEdge brand serves as an umbrella for the organization’s two branches—“WatersEdge Advisors” and “WatersEdge Ministry Services”— each focused on one of the two primary groups the nonprofit serves: donors and ministries. WatersEdge Advisors meets the needs of donors, assisting individuals and families with charitable giving solutions that maximize tax advantages and multiply gifts to ministry. These services include estate planning, endowment, donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts and other giving solutions.

WatersEdge Ministry Services focuses on the needs of churches and ministries, providing practical financial solutions that grow resources and minimize the burden of ministry finance. These services include church loans and investments, ministry accounting, asset management, online giving and more.

If the WatersEdge name sounds familiar, it’s because the Foundation has been preparing for this change for more than three years. The transition first became public in January 2019, when the Foundation moved the majority of its church-focused services to the WatersEdge Ministry Services brand. That success laid the groundwork for the Foundation to transfer the remainder of its services to the WatersEdge Advisors brand Nov. 9.

“Our new name may be one of the worst-kept secrets in Oklahoma Baptist life, and that’s intentional,” said Shryln Treadwell, WatersEdge Advisors president. “We have been wrestling with this decision for years. We’ve explored numerous options, sought counsel from dozens of Oklahoma Baptist leaders, including both donors and pastors across the state, all while covering every step of this process in prayer. It’s not a choice we made lightly, but

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we know it’s where the Lord is leading us.”

Rebranding isn’t new to Baptist life. In 1997, the “Foreign Mission Board” changed its name to the International Mission Board, later adopting the acronym IMB. The “Sunday School Board” followed suit in 1998, changing its name to LifeWay Christian Resources. In 2004, the “Annuity Board” rebranded to Guidestone Financial Resources. Closer to home, the “Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma” became Oklahoma Baptists in late 2019. These changes help organizations respond to growth, meet challenges or explore new opportunities, and mirror the Lord’s practice of changing names to set apart His people for a specific purpose.

“Our move to WatersEdge is no different,” Kellogg said. “For the past 75 years, the Lord’s hand has been on the Foundation. We’ve been blessed with tremendous growth that has allowed us to help Oklahoma Baptists channel hundreds of millions of dollars to advance the Gospel. And now we find ourselves at a crossroads when many Baptist organizations need greater financial support than ever before. We’ve been called to meet that need; we’ve been set apart for that purpose, and the WatersEdge name reflects that truth.”

Kellogg stressed that though the Foundation’s name has changed, its commitment to serving and strengthening Oklahoma Baptists has not.

“Our leadership and our staff are the same,” he said. “Our partnership with Oklahoma Baptists and our allegiance to the Southern Baptist Convention remain unchanged. The only thing that’s changed are the limitations that the Foundation’s name placed on the work that God is calling us to do.”

In addition to offering new services, the WatersEdge brand also opens doors for the Foundation to expand who receives those services, including likeminded ministries and Baptist organizations outside Oklahoma. As one of the largest ministry-based lenders in the Southern Baptist Convention, the Foundation has provided loans to Baptist churches across the country for more than a decade.

“I frequently receive calls from Baptist pastors outside Oklahoma who have heard about our gested the name “WatersEdge.” She

church loan program and want to know if they can apply,” said Jerry Vaughan, WatersEdge Ministry Services president. “Many mistakenly assume we either can’t help or aren’t willing to help because we have ‘Oklahoma’ in our name.

“But I’m grateful I can tell them ‘yes,’ because Oklahoma Baptists are Kingdom-minded people. We want to see the Gospel advance, not only in our state but across the country and around the world. Why do we send Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief teams to states like Texas, Colorado and Louisiana when there is a hurricane, fire, flood or tornado? Because God’s Kingdom is bigger than Oklahoma. That same truth drives us to serve other Baptist churches and ministries, especially in states where fewer churches mean the state’s Baptist convention isn’t able to offer the same number of services that WatersEdge is blessed to provide to Oklahoma.”

Kellogg added that expanding the Foundation’s client base out of state also allows the Foundation to improve services within the state. “Growth means we can continue to lower fees and develop new services, like Ministry Accounting,” he said. “But serving and strengthening Oklahoma Baptists will always be our primary purpose, whether we’re known as the Foundation or WatersEdge.”

Learn more about the Foundation’s new name and get answers to frequently asked questions at WatersEdgeServices.org/newname.

To discover how WatersEdge can help you and it WatersEdgeServices.org or call 800/949-9988.

The story behind the ‘WatersEdge’ name

>> by Robert K. Kellogg ideas. Then came what I truly believe was divine WATERSEDGE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER inspiration. A Foundation staff member sugyour church multiply your God-given resources, vis-

Why WatersEdge? It’s a question I antic- was struck by the many miraculous ipate I’ll answer many times in the com- biblical events that happened at ing months. or near the water’s edge, from When the Foundation began the Moses parting the Red Sea to rebranding process more than three Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan years ago, we knew we wanted a River. But it was the passage of name rooted in Scripture. There were Christ calling His first disciples a lot of ideas tossed around—some in Luke 5 that resonated most. good, some not. We even hired con- You know the story. After borsultants and branding experts to rowing Simon’s boat to teach a help. Everlast, True Vine, Reverent, Upshift and Invok were among the rejects. The Foundation nearly became >> PHOTO: WATERSEDGE Robert Kellogg shares insight to the new name WatersEdge. crowd gathered on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus asks him to take the boat into deep “Lamplight,” but despite the obvious water and drop his nets. Sispiritual implications, we eventually decided that mon, who had already spent the night fishing and name wasn’t right, either. caught nothing, reluctantly agrees. But this time, By this point we were frustrated and out of when Simon and his partners, James and John, at-

tempt to bring up their nets, they are so full of fish the men’s boats began to sink.

“Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him” (Luke 5:10-11).

This is the real miracle of this story—not the nets full of fish (which was also certainly miraculous)— but a man’s life so shaken by an encounter with his Savior that he was willing to leave everything at a moment’s notice to follow Him. Jesus called Simon to something radically different, changing not only his eternal but earthly destiny.

It’s that kind of change that drives WatersEdge. Our purpose is to financially empower donors and ministries to transform lives with the Gospel. If the Lord is calling you to make a Kingdom impact through your giving or your ministry, I invite you to partner with us.

Together, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to a lost and dying world.

>> by Brian Hobbs

EDITOR

BROKEN ARROW—Beginning on Nov. 10, at the 114th Annual Meeting, Oklahoma Baptists began a multi-week united prayer effort. The effort, called “Urgent Prayer for Desperate Times,” focuses on several key areas, including praying for pastors, churches, unity, healing, gratitude and missions.

“God’s Word tells us to make everything a matter of prayer, to pray without ceasing,” said Hance Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer for Oklahoma Baptists. “By joining our hearts in prayer, Oklahoma Baptists will call on the Lord to do what only He can do, amid challenging times.”

Oklahoma Baptists are being encouraged to focus on the three upcoming Sundays in November (Nov. 15, 22 and 29) as part of the prayer emphasis. The prayer emphasis dovetails with the International Mission Board’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering week of prayer, Nov. 29-Dec. 6.

Bible bookmarks with prayer points and verses were made available to Oklahoma Baptists at the Annual Meeting, as well as online. The prayer points are designed to be used during a worship service and in personal prayer time.

The following information reflects the prayer points and materials:

Pray for Churches and Pastors (Nov. 10)

Pray for Churches 2 Thess. 1:11-12

Pray: That the Lord would make us worthy of His calling. That God’s power would equip us for every good work. That we would glorify the name of the Lord. That we would serve according to His grace.

Pray for our Pastors

Pray for Gratitude (Nov. 22)

Gal. 6:9

Pray: That they would not grow weary in their work. That they would faithfully shepherd the flock of God. That they would faithfully share the Word of God. That they would not give up.

Pray for Healing (Nov. 15)

Pray: That God will restore health to those who suffer from COVID. That God will comfort those who grieve the loss of a family member or friend. That we, as Oklahoma Baptists, will be able to gather for worship, camps, retreats and trainings without fear of health risks. That the Lord will provide a solution to the Pandemic.

Psalms 147:3

1 Thess. 5:16-18

Pray: That we would be thankful for the salvation offered in Jesus Christ. That we would, privately and publicly, give thanks to God for His manifold blessings. That we would be grateful in times of plenty and in want. That we would learn to be a people marked by humility and gratitude, without complaint.

Prayer for Unity in Gospel Advance (Nov. 29)

Pray for Unity

Eph. 4:1-3

Pray: That we would live worthy of our calling. Pray for a spirit of humility and gentleness. Pray for opportunities to encourage one another. Pray for unity of the Spirit and bond of peace among our church family.

Pray for the Nations

Rev. 7:9

Pray: For missionaries and their families. That many people would come to Christ and stand firm in their faith. That church plants would flourish. For believers in Oklahoma to have boldness to share the Good News.

The 2020 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Week of Prayer is Nov. 29-Dec. 6. Visit www.imb.org/lottie-moon-christmas-offering-resources for more information. For complete information and for downloadable materials, visit oklahomabaptists.org/ urgentprayer.

Urgent Prayer for Desperate Times:

A UNITED CALL TO PRAYER FOR OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS

For information and resources visit oklahomabaptists.org/urgentprayer

Churches link arms in response to California fires

>> by Chris Forbes

STAFF WRITER

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—On Aug. 16, Pastor Drew Cunningham awoke to an urgent 1:30 a.m. text from Tyler Hurt, his associate pastor. A family of eight Cunningham knew had been evacuated because fires were coming through the Santa Cruz Mountains, and they had nowhere to go.

It was the beginning of a mega fire that would cover 86,000 acres, destroying more than 1,200 homes, ravaging 40 percent of the area’s redwood forest and displacing about 77,000 people.

Quickly, the pastors jumped into action providing sleeping bags and mattresses for the family, letting them sleep in the church sanctuary.

“The next morning the staff huddled together,” Cunningham recalled. “We said, ‘These aren’t going to be the only people that are evacuated. How can we serve people in the name of Jesus?’ Immediately we started making phone calls and posting on Facebook, letting people know that if they needed help that we were available.

“We converted all of our Sunday school rooms, offices, fellowship hall and sanctuary into hotel-like accommodations,” he explained. “We set up house plants, inflatable beds, got games for kids and started taking people in—pets and all. We had two cats, a dog and a bird at one point as well.”

The church took in 38 people who needed emergency accommodations, caring for them, feeding them three meals a day for 16 days. “Most importantly, we were able to pray with and share the Gospel with each of these people,” he said.

Cunningham, a native Oklahoman, also reached out to his home church, Edmond, Henderson Hills, to help coordinate a response from Oklahoma Baptists in the days ahead to meet the needs of Santa Cruz families who lost their homes.

“We heard from people who were in the Paradise and Santa Rose fires that it takes about two to two and a half years before people are able to build back to where they were before the fires,” he said. “We want to step into that however we can and allow people to see the tangible body of Christ

>> PHOTO: PROVIDED 1) The Santa Cruz church took in 38 people who needed emergency accomodations; 2) the fires covered 86,000 acres, destroying at play in this situation. This is a huge more than 1,200 homes and displacing 77,000 people. opportunity for us to link arms with churches from Oklahoma to do that.”

Mike Wall, Henderson Hills’ pastor of global and team worked incredibly well doing all of the physlocal outreach, said his church is working with Cun- ical labor, but also in being sensitive to the loss of ningham and the Santa Cruz church in meeting the the family by trying to salvage anything that may needs of the California community. Groups coordi- have personal value,” nating with Henderson Hills will be clearing burned One special memory from the trip, Odam redebris and sharing the Gospel with people. called, was that “amid all the rubble, we found a

“I would like to say how grateful I am for Oklaho- glass nativity scene given to (the family) by a grandma Baptists’ help with getting the word out and al- mother, and they were incredibly thankful that we lowing the opportunity for others to be in prayer were able to save it.” for the ministry that is being done now and will Odam said the group accomplished exactly continue to be done in Santa Cruz,” Wall said. what they set out to do in clearing the site of the

On Oct. 22, the first group traveled to Santa debris. “Not only was a physical need met for the Cruz, consisting of 12 from Henderson Hills and family, but (the clean-up) also opened the door for from Weatherford, First, partnering in relief ef- Drew to connect and build relationships with the forts. Seth Odam, youth pastor for Weatherford, unbelieving neighbors. Our splash made an imFirst and trip leader, gave details about the work mediate impact, but we set into motion two-plus the group accomplished. years of ministry for Santa Cruz Baptist Church as

“The team primarily did clean-up for a family who they continue to serve the community like Jesus lost their entire home in the Santa Cruz fires in Au- would,” he said. gust,” Odam said. “We filled two 40-foot dumpsters “It’s such a huge blessing to be able to work with full of rubble—one filled with metal and the other somebody like Drew,” Wall said, “for our churches filled with ash and broken glass. Along with that, the to walk with them, to help them, to do things so team placed 45 hay wattles around the properties they can be the church there and just provide more of surrounding neighbors to prevent their property ‘boots on the ground,’ especially in a time of need.” from washing away during the rains this winter. For more information about Henderson Hills’ re-

“I was surprised how fast a bunch of young Okla- sponse to the Santa Cruz fires, contact Mike Wall at homa students could work!” Odam continued. “The mwall@hhbc.com.