BEHIND BARS
MESSENGER STAFF
Brian Hobbs | Editor bhobbs@oklahomabaptists.org
Megan Meador | Communications Coordinator mmeador@oklahomabaptists.org
Brook Daniel | Graphic Designer bdaniel@oklahomabaptists.org
Jacob King | Staff Writer jking@oklahomabaptists.org
Bob Nigh | Contributing Writer bnigh@oklahomabaptists.org
CONNECT WITH US
Online | baptistmessenger.com
Facebook | thebaptistmessenger
Instagram | @baptistmessenger
The Baptist Messenger (ISSN 0744-9518) is published monthly by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, 300 Johnny Bench Dr., Suite 300, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104. Periodicals postage paid at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Circulation last issue: 36,251. Individual subscriptions are available upon request. When writing for a change of address or a subscription renewal, please include a copy of your mailing label. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Baptist Messenger, 300 Johnny Bench Dr., Suite 300, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104. Phone number is (405)-942-3000.
While the Baptist Messenger attempts to provide advertisers of integrity who furnish quality products, it is recommended that buyers be cautious, do research and get references to any advertiser with which they are not familiar. Publication of an advertisement in the Baptist Messenger does not constitute an endorsement of the products, services or businesses.
Member, Baptist Press News, Evangelical Press Association, Oklahoma Press Association.
GIVING THANKS EVEN IN HARD TIMES
As Thanksgiving approaches, many have difficulty finding ways to be thankful because of the hard season in which they find themselves. However, when a hard, life-changing thing happens, you can find God using it for His glory in amazingly redemptive ways.
Since my severe car accident and becoming an amputee on one leg and ankle fusion on the other, there are a number of things I grieve that I will never do again or do so in a limited capacity.
Perhaps the biggest thing is never running again and never being in another marathon. I was training for the Tulsa half marathon when the accident occurred. I’ll be honest, it was a hard pill to swallow, losing this part of my life.
Running is not just exercise for me but also stress relief. I do better personally when I have a goal I can set and work toward achieving. Benchmarks I set for myself in running and marathons did that for me in part. I was grieved to lose this.
However, I had a few fellow running friends reach out to me about the hand crank division in marathons. I had never heard of this. I knew people participated in wheelchairs in marathons, but I didn’t even know handcycles existed. I was interested, but I had no idea where to start.
Recently, social media suggested I follow Randy McCown. I noticed in his profile picture he was on a handcycle. I knew Randy is one of our great Oklahoma Baptists multi-vocational pastors, but I did not know he has had a long journey with spinal cord injury and has used a handcycle in many marathons and other running events.
I reached out to Randy. Jamy and I met he and his precious wife recently so we could check out his handcycle. We had a wonderful visit not just about the handcycle, but life and ministry as well.
I think this is something I will really be interested in and look forward to the possibility of returning to marathons and goal setting using this device.
We left meeting the McCowns in awe of how God, in the midst of a very difficult season for us, showed us His goodness and kindness and redeemed something bad for something good. Plus, we walked away with two new friends!
If you’re walking through a tough time right now, stay faithful to God. It’s easier to say this than do it. Trust me, I know.
But if you will not lose sight of the goodness of God, His providential plan to work for your good and His glory, and an eternal perspective on your current suffering, I am confident you will be greatly encouraged at how God is using your situation and giving you glimpses of His love and care along the journey of your suffering.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Todd Fisher Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer
LOSING BETS
November marks a great time of year for sports viewing. College Football, NFL, NBA and other sports are in action.
The gambling industry knows this. Sports betting apps are pushing ever-present marketing, trying to pull sports fans into gambling activity. Smartphone technology has made betting easier than ever. There is one report that indicates people will soon be able to place sports bets right from their TV remote control.
Young men, in particular, are being drawn into the web of sports betting. Studies have shown that sports betting has the same kind of addictive hold as Internet pornography.
It’s not only Bible-believing Christians that see the problem with this. Recent stories from secular news sources have spoken out against the rising tide of sports gambling addiction, which has an adverse effect on the user, athletes and sports in general.
The New York Times carried a story titled, “Sports Betting Apps Have a Powerful New Tool to Keep Users Gambling.”
USA Today published a story titled, “Inside the HighStakes, High-Risk World of Sports Betting and How It’s Gripping Young Men.”
Another news secular news source carried an article, “Sports Betting Is Quietly Fueling A New Epidemic.”
One article showed a real example of sports betting addiction in a young man named Malek. He said, “It was a total warping of my mind,” said Malek. “I know what I’m doing. This is easy, this is great.” However, $10 bets became $100 wagers, which quickly morphed into stakes involving thousands of dollars and huge losses.
There are millions of others like Malek, addicted to sports gambling—an addiction which has been linked to a rise in anxiety, bankruptcies and, most disturbingly, even a rise in domestic violence.
Oklahoma is already a hot spot for gambling, and that’s partly why the gambling industry is trying to bring sports betting to the Sooner State. Legislation has been presented that would legalize sports betting in our state.
Policymakers are told the move would bring tax revenue to the state, but the reality is that taxes of this nature always over-promise and under-perform. Think of the 2004 approval of the lottery, how it was marketed as a cure-all for our schools and has fallen woefully short of those promises. Moreover, sports betting has not been the tax boom it was promised in some states who have already legalized it, or it has come at a higher social cost than first was imagined.
Oklahoma would be making a bad bet to approve sports gambling, one that will have devastating social and personal consequences for young men, families, and communities, as well as further erode our moral reputation as a state.
Churches are not immune to the spread of sports betting. In recent Baptist Messenger podcasts episode (at BaptistMessenger.com/podcast), pastors and other experts have spoken about the moral, economic and social costs they are seeing from sports gambling.
Churches should be equipped to minister to those families affected by gambling addiction. A helpful guide for churches was produced by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission titled, “Pay to Play: A Practical Guide to Addressing Gambling in the Church” (Download at erlc.com/research/).
Sports betting is a losing bet for individuals, families, communities, the church—and for our state. Don’t be tricked into this losing bet, Oklahoma. There is a better way.
Brian Hobbs Oklahoma Baptists Editor
November 30December 7
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Week of Prayer imb.org/lmco-resources/
January 18, 2026
Sanctity of Human Life
Sunday
oklahomabaptists.org/life
Februray 2, 2026
Priority of Preaching Conference Moore, First oklahomabaptists. org/event/preachingconference/
Visit oklahomabaptists.org/events/ to view more events happening throughout the year! Today,
Hear about all the ways the Lord is blessing Baptist Collegiate Ministry at OSU and about the exciting plans for a new BCM building on campus. today at baptistmessenger.com/podcast or find the Baptist Messenger Insight Podcast program on your preferred podcast platform.
Baptism Is a Really Big Dill
If you happened to have read my last article, you may remember that I talked about one of the challenges a new Christian who had seldom, if ever, attended church (me) might have.
Particularly, I dealt with the challenge of trying to figure out the stanza thing in the hymnals. I still carry the scars from that little piece of church life. So, you might imagine I was a big proponent of wall songs (The kind you project on the wall.). As long as the person kept pushing the “enter” key on time, I could pretty well keep up with those songs.
But there were other things that I struggled with as a previous non-church attender, now Christian. One of those had to do with baptism. The pastor that led me to the Lord told me I had to come down to the front of the church during the invitation on that next Sunday morning. I was more than a bit concerned that would be a personal invitation, and he would call out my name or something to come forward. He also told me that I would need to be baptized.
I honestly had never seen a baptism, and I was more than a bit unsure what it all entailed. So, I asked the pastor about it. He gave me the run down and told me not to worry about it because he had baptized a lot of people. I felt some relief in the possibility that he was a professional baptizer from way back.
That next Sunday night I was scheduled to be baptized. I remember walking into the sanctuary (That’s what we used to call the big room). I looked around a bit for enough water to do this deal, and eventually found it above and behind the back row of the choir loft. That, I learned, is where people would wear robes and sing to the congregation. It was obvious that they knew about the stanza thing which meant I wouldn’t qualify to be a part of that group. Besides, my chin didn’t shake enough when I was singing to get me accepted.
The interesting thing about the baptism water was that it was very discolored. It actually had the look of pickle juice (I am not exaggerating). You may be
wondering if it was more of a sweet pickle juice or a dill pickle juice. I don’t know if you have ever thought about this, but unless you have pickles swimming around in their respective juice, it is remarkably difficult to tell what kind of juice you might be dealing with. Looking at some of the faces in the church crowd that night made me think it had to be dill-pickle juice or at the least a little Bread and Butter action.
But the colorization was actually water from the town’s supply. And after a few attempts at drinking the stuff, I finally learned no one in town drank it. It was good only for taking a shower if you held your lips together really tightly or for putting out fires. But not church fires. I learned those are pretty easy to start, but the pesky things are the dickens to put out.
So, the pastor and I climbed down into the baptistry. He said a few nice things and told me to grab my nose. I did. He grabbed my hand that held my nose and down I went. Between the two of us, we had a little bit of wave action going on. I am pretty sure some of that must have somehow splashed out on the men who sat on the back row of the choir loft. At least, that seemed probable after I saw the look on their faces later that evening.
If you haven’t been baptized, let me know. We will start collecting pickle juice to make your baptism memorable. Or if you are more into water baptism, we can probably arrange that for you, if you have been saved. If you have been baptized, good for you. It is the right thing to do. In fact, I often think back about the evening I was baptized – not the pickle juice phenomenon – just the act of being baptized. It was and is important to me. I am sure it is important to you as well.
Joe Ligon
Oklahoma Baptists Sr. Associate Executive Director
HOPE BEHIND BARS:
OBU PRISON DIVINITY GRADUATES SHARE GOSPEL, HOPE
Graduates of Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) often go on to be leaders in their field of study.
From nurses to teachers, pastors to business executives, OBU grads are making a difference for Jesus in this state and beyond.
The same can be said of the recent graduates of the OBU Prison Divinity Program (PDP) at the Lexington Assessment & Reception Center (LARC).
Since 2021, OBU has offered a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Studies to inmates in an Oklahoma prison. The OBU PDP, launched in partnership with Oklahoma Baptists, provides incarcerated men with an accredited Christian liberal arts education. All PDP courses are taught face-to-face at the Lexington Center, and the program is led by OBU Professor PDP Director Bruce Perkins.
The program’s objective is to facilitate change in the culture of the prison system with greater respect for authority as well as their fellow man.
In May of 2025, OBU graduated its inaugural class in the program, with 30 graduates.
Upon completion of their degrees, these graduates were eligible to be commissioned as “field ministers” and deployed to other prisons across the state.
When graduates are commissioned as field ministers, they serve in correctional facilities across the state to provide pastoral care, mentorship and moral guidance to their fellow inmates.
Of OBU’s Class of 2025 graduates, 17 have become field ministers, recognized by the Oklahoma
Department of Corrections (ODOC), which partners with OBU in this program.
Five OBU Prison Divinity Program graduates who are now field ministers are Miguel, Aaron, Dean, Shayne and Tracey (Class of 2025). Not only are these men each walking with the Lord personally, they also are now sharing Jesus with everyone they can and making disciples. Each of these men are serving an extended prison sentence, yet God radically changed each of their lives.
Miguel, Dean and Aaron were transferred from Lexington to the Allen Gamble Correctional Center near Holdenville, a medium-security prison.
“At first, when I learned we were going to be transferred to another prison, I was apprehensive and hesitant,” said Aaron. “But once we got here, I could see the Lord was it in, and that He put us here for a purpose.”
At Holdenville, the field ministers already have started weekly worship services, Bible studies and more. The worship service, which had not taken place at Holdenville until recently, is growing and has had as many as 70 attend. They have seen inmates who were stuck in lives of despair and addiction turn to Jesus and find hope and new life.
Meanwhile, Shayne and Tracey were transferred to J.H. Lilley Correctional Center in Boley.
All field ministers work in tandem with the chaplains— Ron Lindsey, Acting Chaplain at Holdenville, and Frank Gregory, Chaplain at Boley.
“These men are a Godsend,” said Chaplain Gregory. “The Lord was already at work in the lives of the men here,
but they have been such a blessing to extend the ministry.”
Shayne describes how he wants to share the Gospel with other men, so Jesus can change their lives as He has changed his. He said Bruce Perkins “has had a bigger impact on my life than any other man. Oklahoma Baptists would be glad to know of what a difference this program is making.” Shane added, “Prison is a dark place, but we want to share the Light of Christ.”
At Boley, worship services, Bible study, and Navigators-style one-on-one discipleship meetings are happening each week and only growing.
Perkins has seen firsthand what a difference Jesus has made at Lexington, Holdenville and Boley. “We have seen more than 1,200 men come to Jesus through the OBU Prison Divinity Program at LARC,” he said. “An additional 200 men have trusted Jesus through the witness of our field ministries. With God’s help, we will continue to see the Lord at work through the PDP and field ministers program.”
Some of the field ministers are serving life sentences in prison. Yet because Jesus has saved them and set them into service, they now know that a life sentence can be turned into a life of service.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OBU PRISON DIVINITY PROGRAM
The OBU Prison Divinity Program was recently recognized as the top academic institution of the year at the National Moral Rehabilitation Conference, where Chaplain Ron Lindsey also received the chaplain of the year award during the event. This degree is a fully accredited, fouryear Christian liberal arts degree, which includes an internship with the prison chaplain.
The program also intends to facilitate greater safety within each unit where field ministers are deployed and allowed to serve and to provide a pathway to reduced recidivism of those who have been impacted by the service of the graduates. For more information, visit okbu.edu/pdp
By Messenger Staff with OBU Reports
Note: Bible translations
ACROSS
1 KJV’s “it came to __”
5 Prophet’s pronouncement
10 Los Angeles winter hour
13 Improvise (2 words)
15 Arctic dwelling, maybe
16 One of God’s flock, figuratively
17 Heaven is where “the righteous __ forth as the sun” (Matt. 13:43)
18 Intestinal pouch
19 Heaven, where God’s __ sits at His right hand 20 Unusual
Still sleeping
Norwegian inlet
WORDSEARCH
25 Heavenly colors, perhaps
26 “Anyone who __ to do the will of God” (John 7:17 niv)
28 Heavenly banquet liking
31 Wing-shaped
32 Heavenly vessels made of this
33 __ away from evil!
34 Another name for Lydda, Israel
37 In heaven, there is eternal __
38 Dwelling in heaven, perhaps?
40 Roof material for 38 Across, maybe
41 Superlative ending
42 Now we have __ of heaven
43 “All shapes and __”
Note:
44 Pearly Gates host
45 Ornate fabric for heavenly banquet?
46 Lessen
49 Brief epistle
50 Singer Ronstadt
51 42 Across is a gift of the __ Spirit
52 Choose
55 __ Times
DOWN
1 El __, Texas
2 Widespread childhood condition (Abbr.)
3 Skidded
4 Christ came to take away the guilt of __
5 We won’t have these in heaven
6 Like Anna in the Temple
7 What the Comforter gives (Abbr.)
8 Wasteful steward of parable had a large one (Abbr.)
9 Promise of heaven gives us __
10 Spanish currency
11 Peter did this when he denied Jesus
12 Inclines
14 It will surround you in heaven
22 It won’t sting you in heaven
24 Permanent heavenly state
25 Peter Cottontail, for one 26 Chunk
27 Maybe you’ll wear on in heaven
28 Mound
29 Car rental agency
30 Attic
31 Lil’ comic strip fellow
34 Ms. Minnelli
35 Spain stadium cheers
36 Writing need
38 __ d’Ivoire, Africa
39 Heaven’s gates swing __
40 “The __ is at hand” (Rev. 1:3)
56 Asian nation
59 In heaven there’s a __ of life
61 “They would have repented long __” (Matt. 11:21)
62 Colder
63 You might do this upon entering heaven!
64 Heaven, the __ Jerusalem
65 Sequence
66 Swerve
42 Dose that acts on the liver
43 Forest sprites of myth
44 Exercise mat
45 Pain unit
46 “Clothed in fine linen, white and __” (Rev. 19:14)
47 Pearly Gate need
48 Give
49 __ Dame Cathedral, Paris
51 “Thou shalt bruise his __” (Gen. 3:15)
52 White House office
53 South American nation
54 “I give to eat of the __ of life” (Rev. 2:7)
57 Winter pavement, perhaps
58 Pen brand
60 “His face was like the sun shining in all __ brilliance” (Rev. 1:16 niv)
WORDS
BIBLE STUDY CHRISTIAN STUDIES
CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
CULTURE CHANGE
DEGREE
DIFFERENCE MAKER
DISCIPLESHIP FIELD
MINISTERS
GRADUATES
HOLDENVILLE
INAUGURAL CLASS
INMATES LEXINGTON MENTORSHIP MORAL GUIDANCE OBU
ODOC
PASTORAL CARE PRISON DIVINITY PROGRAM WORSHIP SERVICES
Join us throughout the year in praying for our missionaries, serving locally and around the world!
2025 MISSIONARY Prayer Guide
Who & Where Why How to Pray
Randy and Anita Jordan work in Auckland, New Zealand. They are reaching out to international and Pacific Island students. Auckland is an international city full of international students. Many students are hearing about Jesus for the first time, and they get to introduce them to Jesus. Then they walk beside them as they search for truth, meaning, and purpose. The Jordans enjoy inviting students to their apartment for a weekly meal and a discussion about the Bible.
In August of 2023, Jonathan and Alysa Knox and their son planted Magnify Church in Norman. Their specific vision from God is to reach the “Nones” and the “Dones.” The Nones have no religious affiliation. The Dones were part of a church and now are done. These groups embody a lot of hurt and mistrust, often at the hands of the church. To remove those barriers, they meet around tables to foster community and connection in prayer, teaching, communion and singing.
Matthew and Julie Espeland and their two young daughters live and work in the highlands of southeast Madagascar. They work with the Tanala people, who live in the rural mountainous rainforest between. The Espelands drive at least two hours one way to visit their villages to share the Gospel. In one village, the Tanala have started a church. They worship with them on Sundays and try to do discipleship during the week. Julie enjoys that they can serve as a family.
Across Oklahoma, struggling families and hungry people need help with food supplies. Hunger Funds provide resources for local churches to establish a ministry for those in need. Through this ministry, churches can meet physical needs, creating an opportunity to address spiritual needs and advance the Gospel in their communities. Oklahoma Baptists partner to fight hunger and share the Gospel through food pantries and food serving lines across Oklahoma.
Pray the Jordans will have opportunities and open doors so they can meet new students.
Pray the Jordans will be granted a longterm visa.
Pray many students will grow in knowledge of God, enter into a relationship with Him, and be discipled before they return to their home countries.
Pray God will provide a building of their own so they can add another ministry during the week.
Pray Magnify Church will form a good relationship with the workers of a unit of Cleveland County Department of Human Services, whom they have adopted.
Pray that relationship will be an avenue to share Jesus with them in both word and action.
Pray the Tanala church and national believers will grow and stand strong in following Scripture, especially when it goes against Scripture.
Pray the Espeland family will be safe as they travel to and from the villages and that their children won’t get carsick.
Pray for the children as they are homeschooled and will continue to make local friends and learn the language well.
Pray Oklahoma churches can continue to partner with local school systems to distribute food to Oklahomans in need.
Pray those receiving food will know that Jesus loves them.
Pray churches will give generously to the Edna McMillan State Missions Offering so no Oklahoma families go hungry.
Randy & Anita Jordan
Matthew & Julie Espeland
Hunger Funds Ministry
Jonathan & Alysa Knox
PASTOR In Focus
Can you share about your ministry calling and career?
DOUG BURROWS
Pastor, Fitzhugh, First Fitzhugh, Oklahoma
I was called to ministry at Super Summer before my senior year of high school. Less than three years later I had gone to Oklahoma Baptist University to prepare for ministry, married my high school sweetheart and began my career in youth ministry at a church there in Shawnee. I served in full-time youth ministry in McAlester, Muskogee and Holdenville before answering God’s calling to go to Alaska and pastor a church there. My wife and I struggled with this decision because it represented giving to God something huge that we had held back from Him. For Kecia, it was moving away from family, and for me it was pastoring a church. I felt that I was called to student ministry and never wanted to be a pastor, but we knew that this was where and what God was calling us to. After learning and growing tremendously over those nearly five years in Alaska, we returned to youth ministry in Texas. In 2016, we came to Fitzhugh and spent five years as youth minister here. When our pastor retired, I was called as pastor and have been doing that for nearly four years now.
Can you tell us about your family?
My wife, Kecia and I have been married for 31 years and she has been a true partner in life and ministry every minute of it. We have two kids, Keira and Rylan, who both love and follow Jesus and we could not be prouder of them. They have given us three grandchildren, who we take every opportunity we get to spoil rotten.
God is doing some amazing things at Fitzhugh. Can you share about some of the ways the Lord is at work in your church and community now?
When I became the pastor at Fitzhugh, I knew that this was a great church because I had already spent five years as the youth minister here. Yet during the COVID year, some things came forward I knew that we needed to grow in. Like many churches, that was a hard time. We lost some members. In addition, our pastor of 30 years retired in 2021. It was a hard time, but the Lord kept me here and called me out to lead us through a hard time. The first couple of years, our focus was on community. Fitzhugh has always been a loving and community-oriented church, but we needed to rediscover how to love each other deeply. The second year, our focus was on cooperation. We celebrated how our church was deeply committed to cooperating in our association, our state convention and the SBC
to send the Gospel around the world. This year, we have challenged and equipped our church to live out the Great Commission personally, and we have seen our people praying for their lost friends and family, seeking out opportunities to have spiritual and gospel conversations, and we have celebrated so many of those people receiving Jesus and being baptized!
The truly incredible thing is that all of this has happened during a really tough time. In this last 14 months or so, we have walked through tragedies, injuries, serious health scares, difficult family struggles and more with nearly every family in our church. But through all of that, we have seen two things. Our church family has truly grown to love and support one another in a way that they never did before, and we have learned that God is faithfully leading us no matter what comes our way—we can trust Him.
A few Sundays ago, I was able to report to our church that our monthly Sunday School average was back to where it was before COVID. God has truly grown our congregation in number, and in faith and in love for the Lord and one another.
We also have a building program that is underway, but that is not even the most exciting thing that is going on here. This is a really mature, faithful, loving, generous and godly congregation, and I am blessed to be their pastor.
Your congregation is active in missions and giving. Why is it important for your church to support the Cooperative Program?
Our commitment to missions and cooperation has always been a priority at Fitzhugh. When I was
pastoring in Alaska, Fitzhugh actually paid the salary for our youth minister for about 9 months. They have done things like that for years, and they continue to have a generous heart towards their pastor and staff, other churches and our community. In addition, our church gives a total of 23 percent of every dollar to cooperative ministry, either in our association or to the CP. I’m sure there are other churches that do that, but I am so proud to be the pastor of a church that values missions to that degree.
How can Oklahoma Baptists pray for you?
I think the biggest prayer request for me as a pastor would be that God would continue to work through me to minister to this congregation even when I have no idea what I’m doing! I am a career youth minister who the Lord called out to pastor this church. Pray that God would continue to work through me and in me as I strive to serve Him faithfully.
Church NEWS
SHELLY WATKINS NAMED NEW OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS MINISTRY WIVES MINISTRY PARTNER
Shelly Watkins was recently announced as the new Ministry Wives Ministry Partner for Oklahoma Baptists. Watkins has been involved in ministry for more than 30 years with her husband Scott Watkins, pastor of Kingfisher, First. “Ministry Wives are such an important part of the Oklahoma Baptists family,” said Oklahoma Baptist Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher. “They have an incredibly valuable ministry to their families and churches and we are eager to help encourage them as a state convention.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, SOUTH LINDSAY CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY
Members of Oklahoma City, South Lindsay enjoyed a day full of activities on Sun., Oct. 5 as they celebrated the church’s 100th anniversary. “It’s time to sing and say, ‘Look what the Lord has done; 100 years later, the vision of 1925 far surpasses anything man could have imagined or accomplished,’” said Pastor Mike Price in a message to the congregation.
SHAWNEE, FIRST INDIAN CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Emerson Falls, Oklahoma Baptists’ Native American ministry partner, right, presented a certificate on Oct. 11 from the Oklahoma Baptist Historical Commission to Al Patneaude, pastor of Shawnee, First Indian commemorating the church’s 50th Anniversary.
TRIBUTES
Ted Lam died Oct. 1. He served as the Language Mission Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) and he helped found the Tulsa International Baptist Church (TIBC). He also served on the BGCO Board of Directors.
Jim Morrison died Oct. 9. He retired as BCM/BSU Director at Southwestern Oklahoma State University after serving for nearly four decades. He led students
on mission trips to the inner city of Houston, orphanages in Mexico, Belize, the Philippines, and other destinations.
Phyllis Louise Droke Salamy died Oct. 10. She was retired executive assistant to Tony Kennedy, Greg McNeese and James Swain, presidents of Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children.
Clifford Springwater died Oct. 11. He was the pastor of Ponca City, New Faith.
OKLAHOMA BAPTISTS’ STATE CONVENTION COMMITTEES:
The following individuals were appointed to serve on various committees for the 119th Annual Meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.
CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE
Andy Harrison, chair, Pauls Valley, Trinity
D. J. Carney, Bristow, First
Vern Charette, Coweta, First
Mark Custalow, Oklahoma City, Glorieta
Jon Johnston, Oklahoma City, Exchange Avenue
Michael Martin, Cushing, First
Jeff Moore, Altus, First
Troy Taylor, Lawton, First
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Kelly King, chair, Oklahoma City, Quail Springs
Joshua Clayton, Claremore, First
Eric Costanzo, Tulsa, South Tulsa
Libby Gandy, Ada, First
Steve Hall, Noble, First
Mike Keahbone, Lawton, First
Christy Kendrix, Madill, First
Emily Kuykendall, Owasso, First
Stacie McCracken, Minco, First
Rachel Miller, Hobart, First
Danny Mills, Hugo, First
Kevin Moss, Spencer, Antioch
Nathan Presley, Newcastle, First
Landon Warren, Snyder, First
James Wilder, Shawnee, Immanuel
TELLERS COMMITTEE
Travis Markes, chair, Blanchard, First
Bill Bergstrom, Ardmore, First
Reid Jackson, Oklahoma City, South Lakes
Kent Jaggers, Clinton, First
Jim Lewis, Coalgate, First
The Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon: 4 Ways to Promote & Advance Missions
by Brian Hobbs
As the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering nears— and as the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program (CP) in 2025 continues—now is a great time to consider how promoting both can help promote a culture of missions in your church.
1. REMEMBER CP AND LOTTIE BOTH FUND MISSIONS
The CP is “Southern Baptists’ unified plan for giving, through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of funding support.” The single largest recipient of CP funds is the International Mission Board (IMB). In Oklahoma, approximately 20 percent of every dollar given goes to the IMB, for ongoing support. Meanwhile, the IMB points out that when people give through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, “100 percent of your gift goes directly to missionaries and their ministries overseas.” When it comes to giving, it’s not an either/or scenario. Both the CP and Lottie fund missions work.
2. OFFER MISSIONS EDUCATION FOR KIDS (AND GROWN-UPS)
Through the lesson of the widow’s mite, Jesus taught us that there are no small gifts in the Kingdom of God. Churches can and should give children an opportunity to give. Churches can also educate children on missions, showing how giving through the CP and giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering play a big role in that. At oklahomabaptists.org/cp, there are children’s activity pages that a Sunday School class can use. The IMB has excellent resources, such as videos, that will help children visualize who our missionaries are.
3. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Week of Prayer for International Missions is Nov. 30-Dec. 7. This is a great time to remind people to pray for missionaries and the Gospel work here and around the world. At oklahomabaptists.org/cp, you will find slides and prayer information for Oklahoma Baptists who are specifically serving in missions. When we pray, by name, for the people on the mission field, God uses it to further open our hearts to give and to be active participants in missions.
4. SHOW THE LINK BETWEEN PRAYING, GIVING AND GOING
If you talk to IMB missionaries, many will tell you that God first worked on their heart to “go” when they were young. They saw a missionary speak at church, and the Lord gave them a dream to become a missionary. Their family prayed for missionaries, and God used that in their call. For others, when they put money in an envelope and dropped it in the offering plate, the Lord stirred in their hearts to go on mission. Still others, they went with their church as a teenager on their first short-term mission trip, and now they are a vocational missionary. All of these actions—learning, praying, giving—can lead to going.
These are only a few ways we can promote missions education and fulfill our call from the Lord to go to the ends of the Earth with the Good News.
“And (Jesus) said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.’” Mark 16:15
