December 1, 2022 Illinois Baptist

ERLC head pledges pro-life support here

Leatherwood addresses annual meeting

Edwardsville | The new head of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Brent Leatherwood, recognized the deep difficulties in fighting abortion in Illinois. In a live appearance at the IBSA Annual Meeting Nov. 3, Leatherwood said ERLC wants to partner with Illinois Baptists to encourage abortion alternatives.

“Illinois is an abortion destination,” Leatherwood told messengers. “People from my state, Tennessee, and other states are coming here to end lives. We need to meet them at your state borders with a message of life and with the tools to save lives.”

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade returned abortion regulation to the states, but Illinois General Assembly had already staked a claim for Illinois as the most progressive abortion state in the nation.

“As you all are too familiar, not every state would be choosing life in this moment. In fact, some have gone the opposite direction,” he told the messengers meeting not far from the states’ largest abortion clinic in Fairview Heights. “While tragic, in a state like Illinois, it means there’s more work to be done—work that requires the moral leadership that only our churches can provide.”

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner

Team Leader - Ben Jones

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The BIG Baptist family album

Our Illinois mission field

Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis will bless children and families with presents this Christmas season. For many of them, the ministry of the center is vital to their spiritual, educational, and physical nourishment.

Pray the news: ‘Holiday’ decorations

Jesus is front and center at the Illinois Capitol nativity. But other religions are often represented too, including demonism. Pray daily in December for visitors at our public displays to meet the Truth.

Cooperative Program at work

Tourists hang out in front of the Pantheon, a tourist attraction in Italy. By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. IMB is reaching the slums, ethnic populations, migrants, and young adults who live in them.

Giving by IBSA churches as of 11/11/22 $4,576,206

Budget Goal: $5,365,395

Received to date in 2021: $4,890,499

2022Goal: $6.2 Million

NATE ADAMS

Pursue presence

Thanks to multiple technologies and social media channels, we can now be more connected with one another than ever, at least virtually. Especially during months and months of pandemic restrictions, most of us came to appreciate the way videoconferencing can make those connections more visual and lifelike. When you can’t “be” with someone, the power to at least “see” them in real time is welcome indeed. No wonder Zoom has now joined classic brands like Kleenex and Coke in our vocabulary of household words.

Even so, most of us will admit that virtual, even visual, connection still falls far short of physically being together. Electronic waves aren’t the same as a warm handshake, and virtual hugs just don’t cut it. And the closer the relationship or the more important the topic, the more vital face-toface communication becomes.

The Christmas Advent season is an especially good time to embrace the intrinsic value of physical presence. Though God had long revealed himself to mankind through creation and in temporary manifestations, when the “fulness of time” came he showed up in person. He became flesh and dwelt among us. He smiled and touched and talked and wept. He showed us up close who God is and how we can know him. He was Immanuel—God with us.

As Christmas approaches, let’s show up for one another. Health permitting, let’s not settle for virtual connection alone. Let’s be present. Let’s travel again and gather again. Let’s smile and touch and talk and weep. And let’s do it like Jesus did in the fulness of time. Let’s do it in person.

I think I will always remember the people who came in person to our wedding, and who came in person to the hospital when our children were born. I think I will always remember who came to my dad’s funeral. In the right moment, in the fulness of time if you will, physical presence can be powerful. And that’s especially true when being present requires sacrifice. For Jesus and us, two such moments were the incarnation, and the cross. His loving and sacrificial choice to be present with us and for us in those moments mean everything.

A few years ago, one of our sons was far from the Lord and questioning his faith, even after attending a Christian college. Though we had many open conversations, he remained spiritually miserable. All his mom and I knew to do was to remain present, and to pray.

It was just before Christmas that year when our son reluctantly agreed to go with us to church. It was a nice but unremarkable church service from my memory. Yet our son came home from that service visibly troubled and spent most of the next couple of days in isolation.

When he emerged, he asked to speak with our entire family. He began by apologizing to us for the concern and pain he had caused us during his prodigal days. He said that during that pre-Christmas worship service he had felt compelled to immerse himself in God’s word. As he did so, he surrendered his life afresh to the Lord. He thanked us for not giving up on him, and for continuing to pursue him with our presence.

Pursuit through presence. That’s exactly what Jesus did for us in the incarnation. Omnipresent God revealed himself afresh, only now as God with us. Then after the resurrection, he gave us his continual presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And he still promises to be present in a special way each time we gather for worship as his body. He pursues us through his presence.

I’ve sometimes wondered what might have been different if our son hadn’t been physically present at church that Christmas. In his providence, I’m confident God would have pursued him another way. But I’ll always be grateful for the miracle God chose to perform that Sunday.

Yes, we are more connected with one another than ever before. But let’s not grow less present. During this season, let’s not miss the blessing of Immanuel’s presence, and the presence of others who know and love him.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Respond at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

Here’s how ‘God with us’ becomes personal.

From the front: ERLC adds illinois to sonogram list

Continued from page 1

Predictions that Illinois would become an abortion destination for women in states with stricter controls are proving true. The Fairview Heights Planned Parenthood facility reported a 38% increase in out-of-state abortions in the months after the last Missouri clinic closed. And a facility in Champaign recently doubled capacity in anticipation of a similar rise.

A mobile facility is expected to begin operating in Southern Illinois before the end of the year. And six new abortion clinics are planned for Carbondale, Doug Devore, interim Executive Director of Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services reported at the meeting. BCHFS opened GraceHaven Pregnancy Clinic in Mount Vernon to provide aid to women who choose to carry their unborn babies to full term.

The audience applauded when Leatherwood pledged tangible support in the form of ultrasound machines. “We want to make sure the next wave of our Psalm 139 ultrasound placements— of the life-saving ultrasound machines—come to states like Illinois.

The Psalm 139 project uses private donations to buy and place the machines, which allow pregnant women to see their unborn babies, even at an early stage. Seeing the child in recognizable phases of development is often a turning point for women who might otherwise consider abortion.

“So that’s why we want to partner with you,” Leatherwood told the church leaders in Illinois.

Leatherwood made two stops in the Midwest the first week of November, at state conventions in Illinois and Michigan. Elected to succeed former ERLC President Russell Moore in September, Leatherwood has engaged in multiple contacts with pastors, churches, and conventions in an effort to rebuild strained relations between the SBC’s main voice in the public square and grassroots Baptists who disagreed with many of Moore’s positions.

“As we work to reestablish and reimagine this Baptist institution,” Brentwood told

messengers, “it is vital that it is done in such a way that it responds to the needs of our churches, while building on the legacy of those who have come before us.”

Leatherwood was brought to the ERLC staff by Moore in 2017 and served as Acting President for a year after Moore’s resignation in 2020.

Some large churches in southern states withheld contributions during the height of disagreement over ERLC positions on immigration and Moore’s vocal opposition to some actions by the Trump administration. Much of that tension has been resolved in the past year as the ERLC has emphasized its focus on pro-life and religious liberty issues.

Merry Christmas

SBC Executive Committee CEO search narrows Nominee expected by February

Nashville, Tenn. | The team tasked with finding the new President and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has narrowed the field to seven candidates and is in the process of interviewing them, said search team chairman Adron Robinson of Illinois.

“We’re grateful for what the Lord has been doing,” Robinson, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in suburban Chicago, said Nov. 9. “The candidates that we are finding have a variety of qualities, many of which were the qualities that SBC membership were looking for through our survey findings.”

The search team was encouraged by 5,000 responses to a survey distributed to messengers at the national convention in Anaheim and open to all Southern Baptists online.

“We’re finding [the candidates] to have pastoral experience,” Robinson said. “Some of them have lots of denominational experience. We’re finding that they are men of integrity. These are all things the messengers asked for during the survey.”

The team, which has been meeting about twice a month, mostly online, is now in the process of setting up online interviews with each of the seven remaining candidates. They plan to narrow the field to three and then conduct in-person interviews with those finalists. Robinson said he is aiming to have finalist interviews completed by the end of the year.

“We may not be able to with the holidays,” he said. “Still, that’s our goal and we are pressing hard to get there. We just want the messengers to continue to pray for the search team. There’s a lot going on, but God is at work and we are encouraged.”

The work of the ERLC dates back 100 years. Under Richard Land, the SBC’s Christian Life Commission became the ERLC. Land’s leadership was very public, and included a daily radio show. Moore led the organization for eight years. He was a frequent on-air commentator, speaking for Southern Baptists on Sunday morning interviews and cable news programs.

Leatherwood has maintained a lower profile so far, currently spending time connecting with church leaders over critical current issues.

Robinson reaffirmed that the team’s plan is to have a final candidate to present to the full Executive Committee at its regularly scheduled meeting in February 2023. The team was formed in February 2022, a few months after the resignation of former EC leader Ronnie Floyd.

Robinson said he is grateful for the prayers and concern of Southern Baptists, including those at the IBSA Annual Meeting in early November. “What I’m hearing consistently from people who stop me at the state convention or other events is, ‘We’re praying for you, and we’re glad this search team is on the job,’” he said. “We’re grateful for those sentiments, and we’re definitely grateful for those prayers. We can feel God at work.”

facebook.com/illinoisBaptist

– Eric Reed

– Baptist Press

ROBINSON

ERLC’s Brent Leatherwood

This is your December issue. It’s a little early with fresh news from theAnnual Meeting.

Open letter supports ‘male’ pastors definition

An open letter to the SBC Executive Committee calling for the definition of the pastoral role to be male only has been signed by more than 800 pastors so far. Mike Law of Arlington (Va.) Baptist Church initiated the campaign pressing the EC to bring an amendment to the SBC constitution forbidding SBC churches to “affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind.” Law said the use of terms such as “co-pastor,” “worship pastor,” or “youth pastor” for women all “trade on the office of pastor.”

The issue arose when messengers to the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting considered action against Saddleback Church which has ordained three women as pastors. In September, trustees of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary supported their President Al Mohler’s defense of the pastorate as male only. Mohler said at the Anaheim meeting that was clearly understood when he was involved in updating the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).

SBC President Bart Barber and Interim Executive Committee CEO Willie McLaurin issued a joint statement. “Although we did not reach a moment in Anaheim where the messengers were able to vote on these questions, as far as it lies within our authority to do so, we are committed to letting these questions come before the messengers at our 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. We plan to protect the messengers’ rights to discuss and decide these questions. This is how we resolve conflict and answer questions; we trust this process to give us the clarity we need.”

Saddleback stays SBC?

Bucket brigade

Baptists bless children through missions project

Edwardsville | “Tell your church we’re speechless,” said a visibly overwhelmed Shannon Ford, IBSA’s Missions Director, as a man approached him with a utility cart loaded with multiple five-gallon buckets. And that was just the beginning.

said tearfully as she watched church members bring items into the BCHFS exhibit at the Annual Meeting. “I just keep saying God shows up through his people.”

Over at the CAC exhibit, Jef Williams, the Center’s Executive Director said, “It’s so good to see God’s love in action. I know he is pleased.”

Andy Wood, who succeeded Rick Warren as pastor of Saddleback Church in July, said he hopes the California megachurch will stay in the SBC, despite the stir caused by its ordination of women. “We are committed to stay in fellowship and unified with other SBC churches even when we disagree,” Wood said. “Saddleback Church has a strong commitment to the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. We believe this approach is biblical and in alignment with the teachings of the New Testament as well.”

The IBSA Pastors Conference had yet to kick off when Illinois Baptist church members began arriving at Metro Community Church toting buckets, boxes, and bags overflowing with a bounty of blessings for Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS) and Christian Activity Center (CAC). It was all part of the IBSA Annual Meeting’s Buckets of Blessings Mission Project.

“People are so good,” BCHFS Director of Development and Marketing Paula Joy

WOOD

Wood’s wife, Stacie, holds the title “teaching pastor.”

Southwestern cuts staff

Interim leaders at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary said last month they were cutting programs, not staff to save 10% of the school’s budget. Then they cut staff. The number has not been confirmed, nor did a statement issued by PR department say whether more cuts were coming. Interim President David Dockery called the cost cutting “extremely difficult decisions.”

“For this institution to have a sustainable business model, we must reduce our campus footprint and the resource commitment it takes to maintain it,” Dockery told Baptist Press. SWBTS is selling an apartment complex on the 200-acre Fort Worth campus.

– info from Christian Post, Baptist Press

Lists provided by BCHFS agencies and the CAC prior to the meeting provided churches with existing needs and the opportunity to fill them. Buckets were prepared for Angels’ Cove residential center for mothers and newborns, Baptist Children’s Home pantry, and Pathways Counseling.

By meeting’s end, Illinois Baptists had filled 126 buckets, 25 moving boxes, and multiple additional boxes and bags. It was enough to fill one 15-passenger van and two 21-foot rental trucks headed to BCHFS and to CAC in East St. Louis. (See loading in progress on the facing page.)

“I’m always amazed by God’s people and their overwhelming outpouring of blessings,” Joy told Illinois Baptists. “You truly are a blessing to our staff and the families we serve. Thank you!”

Interim BCHFS Executive Director Doug Devore (pictured above) thanked the IBSA staff responsible for organizing the mission project “but most of all to churches for your response to Buckets of Blessings…. We’re grateful today, but we’ll be grateful for months.”

After the Annual Meeting, Ford said he was pleased with the project’s outcome.

“For me the expressions of delight from our ministry partners that were receiving the blessings were a blessing too. It was a delight. I wish everyone could have seen their expressions.”

Ford said calls are still coming in from churches asking if they can donate to the Buckets of Blessing Missions Project.

Churches are encouraged to coordinate directly with BCHFS at (618) 382-4164 or the CAC at (618) 874-5615.

IN FOCUS

Calling

Churches bolstered in their missionary identity

BY ERIC REED

Edwardsville | Messengers gathered in Metro East welcomed 13 new churches to the Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA), heard about additional plans to prevent sexual abuse and the hidden movement of offenders, and on the subject of Covid, were told by the outgoing president to let it go and “start fresh.” Then the spotlight turned to missions with the theme “Each church a missionary.” While missions leaders shared testimonies in the auditorium, church volunteers filled “Buckets of Blessings” with goods for children’s ministries.

These actions marked the 116th IBSA Annual Meeting at Metro Community Church in Edwardsville Nov. 1-3. Along with receiving missions reports from IBSA and its affiliated financial development and children’s home ministries, and national missions partners, messengers approved a 2023 Cooperative Program budget of $6 million, maintaining a 56.5/43.5% split in mission funds between IBSA and the national SBC.

Following two days of solid preaching at the Pastors Conference, the yearly event also brought messages from outgoing IBSA President Heath Tibbetts (pictured above) and a missions challenge from Church Planting Director Paul Westbrook.

More actions to prevent abuse

Presiding over his third and final meeting as IBSA President, his term extended due to the departure of previous president Sammy Simmons, Heath Tibbetts, pastor of First Baptist Church of Machesney Park, told 392 messengers and guests that the next president would bring together an ad hoc group of committees already in existence to put extra teeth into enforcement of sexual abuse prevention guidelines.

“I felt what was important, instead of adding to our constitution, we could make use of the documents we already have,” Tibbetts said. IBSA staff produced additional plans for abuse prevention after the national SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force issued recommendations in May. IBSA’s plan expands previous guidelines with five new recommendations.

In addition, the actions will give extra force to the IBSA Credentials Committee. “It seemed best to clarify language to help the Credentials Committee to identify what is a ‘cooperating church,’” Tibbetts said. “This will identify the tools they will need to take action” if a church fails to act on credible claims of abuse.

“We were surprised and glad to find that there were already a number of trauma-informed counselors” as recommended by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force, IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams reported. “The most important thing is that we all be vigilant in our churches” with training and background checks. “Sadly, predators look to churches as vulnerable places where they might have contact with children and vulnerable adults.”

In his report on the overall work of the state association, Adams concluded that the rebound from the pandemic in many Illinois churches is ongoing and not fully complete. He explained the three-year refocus project of IBSA, which clarified the work of the association as a network of churches seeking to “deliver network value that inspires each church to thrive in health, growth, and mission.”

IBSA’s work has shifted from delivering programs to aiding churches in development of processes that strengthen their ministries for their settings.

“Is our cooperation as a network working?” Adams asked. “Well, it’s kind of like democracy. It’s messy and there are disagreements and it’s worth fighting for. In a similar way, autonomous congregations working together—that it hangs together is a miracle.”

Adams choked up as he said, “I believe God wants us to work together to reach the lost people around us.”

Tibbetts says ‘start fresh’

Tibbetts talked about ministry life after Covidinduced failures. “God is encouraging us to stop talking about 2020,” he said. “Stop apologizing for where your church is, for the people who remain…. They’re either back or they’re not, get over it.”

Instead, focus on a new season of intimacy with God. “Start fresh, my friend. Start fresh,” Tibbetts urged. “One way is to evaluate our ministries and our churches rightly. We need to stop using the metrics.”

Renewed intimacy with God means elevating time spent with God over reliance on personal ability. “You’ve got ability,” the pastor said. “Ability and humility can walk side by side. If God has given you gifts, lean into it. But also lean into a more intimate relationship with Jesus.

Mission takes spotlight

“Let’s do something big together,” Paul Westbrook told messengers at Metro Community Church, his former church. Westbrook joined the IBSA church planting team in early 2022 after 31 years as planter and pastor in Edwardsville. He had been scheduled to bring the Annual Meeting sermon two years ago.

“I didn’t plant a church for the limelight,” he said. “I did it because I became increasingly convinced that people need Jesus.”

Before the home crowd, Westbrook used a large cardboard box to make his point. “I stepped out of the box I was stuck in, and I stepped into faith.” He related the journey that included a small start for the church planted by Oklahoma transplants, and sojourns of more than a decade meeting in four public schools as the church grew. He urged church leaders to “Multiply Illinois” by supporting church plants to reach the state’s nearly nine million lost people.

“Maybe you got stuck in a box, and you haven’t stepped out in faith,” he said. “Hebrews says without faith, it is impossible to please God. Not hard, but impossible.”

At the conclusion of the sermon, Westbrook destroyed the box and stood on top of the pieces as he prayed for a multiplying movement of church planting and evangelism in Illinois.

New projects here, everywhere

Missions partners brought opportunities to the assembly. Former Benton pastor Sammy Simmons, now with the North American Mission Board’s Send Relief, announced the “Send Relief Serve Tour” in Chicagoland next August. Volunteers from Illinois will engage a variety of missions projects in Chicago to open doors for witness. “No act of love is insignificant when King Jesus is involved in it,” Simmons said. Information is posted at ServeTour.org.

International Mission Board missionaries to Brazil, Rick and Jill Thompson, shared experiences from the field. Rick is from Illinois. He welcomed fellow Illinoisans to venture to the mission field, whether local or international. Jill encouraged the people to start simple: get a passport and pray.

Adams introduced the 13 churches that affiliated with the state association earlier in the day. Later,

Nate Adams, IBSA Executive Director

Metro Community Church worship team

Church planters Daniel Nemmers, Jacob Goble, Jose Nuñez and IBSA Spanish consultant Jorge Melendez

he brought three church planters to the stage to share their stories.

Jacob Goble, planting pastor of Rooted Community Church in Lebanon, described a town divided by State Highway 4, with “have’s” on one side and “have not’s” on the other. Lebanon is home to McKendree University with 2,000 students from 43 states and 43 countries. “We believe the world is going to be changed through Rooted Community Church,” Goble said.

Jose Nuñez is pastoring Iglesia Buen Samaritano of Aurora. Through an interpreter, he explained the church started through 12-step programs for addiction and is ministering to first- and second-generation Latinos. “The support we have received from the Illinois Baptists and through your prayers allowed us to be with you. We thank you and we want to continue.”

Daniel Nemmers started Salt Church on the Illinois State University campus in Normal this fall. “We had our fourth kid two weeks before we planted the church. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” he said to laughter. “We’ve seen eight people saved and two people baptized. And I got to lead my neighbor to Christ.”

Making Illinois connections

Two Illinois natives provided reports from national SBC partners. Lifeway President Ben Mandrell of Tampico, Illinois focused on a new Bible study curriculum for churches outside the deep South. Mandrell was inspired by his experience as a church planter in Colorado.

Illinois’ own Sandy Wisdom Martin told a story of getting her mower stuck in a ditch. The Executive Director of Woman’s Missionary Union was mowing the grass when the mishap occurred. She waited, hoping someone with a truck and a chain would come by and pull her mower out. Someone did, and she likened that experience to the work of missionaries and churches. “When hope in Christ is all you have, hope in Christ is all you need,” she said. “We are at our best as Southern Baptists when we multiply our work cooperatively. She pledged the help of National WMU to all IBSA churches.

The new President of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission appeared in person to make connections with Illinois pastors and leaders. Brent Leatherwood promised support for Illinois, where “progressive” government has made the state an abortion destination in the region.

“This is urgent work,” Leatherwood said. “It is not for the timid, it is not for the fearful...but as we partner with you and your church and your con-

vention, it will allow us at the ERLC to speak more adeptly into the public square.”

Messengers acted on four resolutions, including transgenderism and the proliferation of gambling.

Be it resolved...

Messengers registered their views on three key issues. In addition to a resolution expressing thanks to host Metro Community Church, resolutions addressed controversial social issues and gospel need in Illinois.

Gambling

“Over the past two decades, rather than increasing efforts to identify and bring to the state new and more stable and diverse sources of income, government leaders have defaulted to adding and supporting more and more gambling…. The introduction of gaming establishments into our communities brings with it more crime, causing additional financial and operational burdens to law enforcement agencies…. Messengers urge IBSA churches and their members to stand against efforts to bring more gambling and gaming products into the communities of Illinois.”

Transexualism

Michael Nave of Cornerstone Church in Marion was elected to succeed Tibbetts as IBSA President. Also elected were Vice President Carlton Binkley of Tabernacle Church in Decatur, Recording Secretary Charlene Moe of Chatham Baptist, and Assistant Recording Secretary Matt Philbrick of First Baptist in Ramsey.

Pastor Bruce Kirk of Alpha Baptist Church in Romeoville brought a memorable moment in the final session. Telling a true story of a pastor who found a gas station lighted up late at night, but no one on the premises, the pastor said, “If you’re not doing business, take the sign down.”

In a rousing call, Kirk offered a personal testimony about witnessing to a dying man, in which he almost lost the opportunity share the gospel. Then he applied it to the church: “If you’re not preaching the gospel take the sign down!”

Kirk concluded, “No matter how hard it is, no matter how you feel, preach the gospel!”

“Pew Research study found 1.6% of U.S. adults now identify as transgender or nonbinary, including 5.1% of adults younger than 30; and the Williams Institute reports nearly one in five people who identify as transgender are ages 13-17, meaning a growing number of children are taking physical action to “transition” their gender…. There are men, women, and even children who are in deep spiritual, mental, and physical pain due to the promotion of transgenderism, and subsequently regret the damage and turmoil to their souls, minds, bodies, families, and others in their lives….

“We gladly invite all who suffer from the impact of transgenderism to trust in Jesus Christ…and be set free from all lies…. We will without hesitation welcome all into our churches where they may hear the good news that Jesus forgives and redeems sinners and offers true, spiritual transformation…. We will endeavor to help those redeemed from this turmoil to find peace in Christ that is beyond understanding (Phil. 4:7), love amongst the saints that is without hypocrisy (Rom. 12:9), and hope in the future where God makes all things new (Rev. 21:5).”

Commitment

“Millions of the residents of Illinois are still unsaved…. We encourage one another to stay in Illinois and spread the gospel here (to) encourage, support, and train ministry leaders in ongoing efforts to spread the gospel, plant new churches, and revitalize established ones… We urge all Illinois Baptists to dedicate our time, money, and lives to the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Illinois, in the cities, the suburbs, the small towns, and the rural communities.”

Resolutions were passed November 2, 2022 by messengers to Illinois Baptist State Association Annual Meeting.

IMB missionaries Rick and Jill Thompson

Pastor Bruce Kirk

IBSA Church Planting Director Paul Westbrook

BAPTIST foundation of illinois

Churches report BFI’s financial impact on their work

Edwardsville | Introducing the Baptist Foundation of Illinois report, Board Chair Newlin Wollaston said, “Some of us that are walking through these halls have a clear understanding and some of us don’t of what we do…. If you take nothing else back, spread the word about how impactful [BFI] can be.”

The stories of three churches shared as part of the BFI report made the point.

David Seaton, pastor of Heights Community Church in Collinsville, explained to messengers when conventional banks “wouldn’t even consider” the church plant for a loan, BFI would. “It was a huge steppingstone for our church,” Seaton said. While the building the congregation bought with that initial loan has served them well, the church has begun to outgrow it, and BFI is helping them look for a new building that will meet their future needs.

Seaton thanked Doug Morrow, Executive Director of BFI.

“I could talk for a lot longer about the different ways Doug has stepped up for us,” Seaton said. “They’re here for Illinois Baptist churches and they have your back.” According to Morrow, as of June 30 BFI has provided more than $16.2 million in capital loans to 77 churches and ministries in 2022. In all of 2021, BFI provided $14 million in loans to 70 churches.

Ronny Carroll, Associational Mission Strategist at Metro East Baptist Association, has seen first-hand how BFI’s Church Legacy Program works. When a church closes its doors, it doesn’t have to be the end of its ministry. Telling the story of one church, Carroll said, “The beauty of it was with all the assets they had with a paid off campus, they had the church devoted to recognizing five organizations to be funded in perpetuity.

They will give more than they ever gave before.”

At the same time, a growing congregation nearby was in desperate need of a new building, but low in funds. Carroll said, “Now it’s going to a church that’s really seeking to reach the community.” By the end of June, BFI had helped 37 IBSA churches establish a Legacy Fund with 13 church properties transferred to new churches and 10 under space sharing agreements. “Altogether,” Morrow said, “Church Legacy Funds have generated over $4 million to provide ongoing support to Kingdom causes!”

Steve Wright, Stewardship Chair at First Baptist Church in Waterloo, explained how BFI’s investment program assisted the church, which

houses the church plant Redeemer Church, but also helps individuals with investments. He shared a brief testimony of how BFI’s personal investment fund has enhanced his retired mother’s lifestyle.

In other business, BFI provided a record $100,000 in scholarships, up $20,000 over 2021. They include 13 seminary ($2,625 each), 31 bachelor ($2,000), and two associates ($1,000) scholarships to Illinois Baptist students.

Messengers received a report by the BFI trustees for a 2023 budget $429,107.

The 2023 BFI Board of Trustees Officers are Newlin Wollaston, Chair; Pam Robinson, Vice Chair; and Mihaela Sexton, Secretary.

Edwardsville | As he introduced the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services report, IBSA President Heath Tibbetts declared one of his privileges as president has been “learning more deeply what happens” at the agency during challenging times.

Former Executive Director and now interim head Doug Devore acknowledged those challenges in his report, which included staffing issues, a depressed economy that has affected giving, the search for a new

executive director, and other hardships.

Yet, “in the midst of this I can also tell you God is still at work,” Devore said. “Women are choosing life for their unborn children because of our work at GraceHaven Crisis Pregnancy Resource Clinic” and “relationships are being restored and individuals are finding healing through our counseling centers.”

And “families are being formed through Faith Adoption Ministry and Angels’ Cove Maternity Center” while “families are being strengthened and restored through Baptist Children’s Home,” he continued.

In the last year, four professions of faith have been made at Angels’ Cove. “We’re excited about the spiritual growth and spiritual awakening we’re seeing in our clients,” Devore said.

“Abortion is still legal in Illinois,” Devore said. “Many in our state want to see Illinois as an

abortion destination.” But BCHFS wants to help women coming to the state and those already in Illinois experiencing unplanned pregnancies. “There is a telephone number I want you to remember. It is (618) 382-4164 ext. 4. If a woman is pregnant and she wants to give that baby up, we want you to give that phone number to her. We want to help her.

“We want to be a shining light of support,” he said.

The BCHFS budget for 2023 is $3,901,074, a -0.1% decrease from $3,905,000 in 2022. Board of Trustees Officers were announced: Rebecca Whittington, Chair; Danny Hampton, Vice Chair; and Cheryl Dorsey, Secretary.

BAPTIST CHILDREN’S HOME & FAMILY SERVICES

‘Shining light of support’

Doug Devore and Cheryl Dorsey

Rebecca Whittington

David Seaton, Steve Wright, Ronny Carroll, and Doug Morrow

Pastors Conference brings refreshing

Edwardsville | “Do your job.”

There was noticeable inhalation of air when Pastor Doug Munton said that the first time, not a gasp, but an audible recognition of the importance of the statement.

“I’m going to tell you three things God does to bring encouragement to discouraged prophets,” Munton said as he read from Elijah’s story. But telling tired pastors to get back to work wasn’t what they expected to hear.

Yet his admonition resonated.

In fact, it served as a fitting conclusion for a series of six messages that addressed the strains of ministry and the restoration that can be found in Christ. “We didn’t plan a one-two gut punch,” Vice President Jonathan Davis said, but he credited God for sermons that dovetailed on the topic.

reality: God doesn’t judge pastors by the metrics. God’s pleasure in us doesn’t come from what we do for him, “that little cherry on top.” To truly believe that we are the beloved of God because of Christ alone, he said, is “the hardest thing in the Christian life—because we could do nothing to add to or subtract from it.”

In that realization, there is joy.

Joyful tag team

Both Cam Triggs of Orlando and Fred Luter of New Orleans preached from Psalms, 63 and 34 respectively, on David’s discoveries in challenging times.

“Yes, there are conflicts. Yes, there are politics, but we have to focus on the mission.”

Chip Luter described meeting a former flight director at NASA who connected the work of 14 control centers across the U.S. Luter asked how he brought them all together despite distance and differences.

“Our mission is not about us, it’s about the astronauts,” the NASA leader said.

The preacher applied the lesson to the church which is sometimes disconnected and disagreeable. “It’s not about us, it’s about the kingdom! It’s about the Master!” he exclaimed. “It’s about the mission that draws us together!”

Munton followed with the final message. “I have a special word for the discouragement in my life. I call it Monday,” Munton said. Nodding pastors chuckled.

Citing Elijah, Munton said discouragement comes because of fatigue, failed expectations, and fear. “Opportunities and difficulties travel parallel tracks and they arrive at the same place at about the same time,” Munton quoted.

Pastors Shayne Robinson of Waterloo and Daniel Chung of Chicago both told about personal trials that robbed them of joy. Robinson described a head injury that continues to affect his cognitive abilities. Contrasting his injury with Paul’s thorn in the flesh, “it felt like a violent amputation, not a thorn,” he said.

“I couldn’t open the Bible and read, couldn’t turn on the lights. I spent months on disability, hiding in a dark basement,” Robinson said. “My identity as a man, my hopes and dreams—all gone.”

And yet, he was able to find blessing, and eventually joy.

“This injury was one of the greatest blessings in my life—a broken head, a shattered memory. When you feel God has taken everything away from you—you are walking in darkness, utterly insecure—in these moments God is saying what he said in Matt 11: ‘Come to me.’

The theme for the meeting was “Unspeakable Joy” from 1 Peter 1:8. Conference President Belafae Johnson of Mascoutah chose the theme in hopes that pastors tried by the pandemic would be encouraged.

Chung described the 15 months his church met online as especially difficult. “I felt like I had prayed the unpardonable prayer during Covid,” he said. “‘Would you just let the finances dry up, let the people walk away?’ because I felt like I couldn’t do this anymore. ‘Lord take it away.’”

The church plant lost its rental location, but the people stayed. Chung experienced a deeper

“The pandemic has shown us that this world has nothing to offer us,” Triggs said. “What do you do when everybody has a smaller church, everybody has the same shrinking numbers, when God closes the doors on all our churches?”

Triggs cited the example of David under persecution by his own son Absalom. “Waves of suffering will come in ministry (but) the waves will not push you away from God, but into God.

“We don’t follow Jesus for a better life,” Triggs said, “but because he is better than life.”

Former SBC President Fred Luter picked up the baton: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.”

“I could have handled the text better if it had said many are the afflictions of the sinner, the criminal…” Luter said. “Then I could have come to the conclusion that what goes around comes around, but the Bible doesn’t say that.”

He reminded pastors, “Afflictions come your way not because of who you are, but because of whose you are.”

Luter told a story about James Bond that concluded with the phrase “It’s in the script.” Using a rhetorical device, he cited a long list of the promises of God for his people, repeatedly holding his Bible in the air and shouting, “It’s in the script!”

Luter’s son, Chip, equally energetic, drew comparisons between the men in Mark 2 who lowered their disabled friend through the roof to Jesus and today’s pastors who must be equally compassionate, creative, and confident.

“If we want to see God do something in our church, we have to move to some new zones beyond our comfort zone,” he said. “We gotta have collaboration….We gotta get away from this Walmart mentality that we can do it by ourselves.

When his prophet is tired, God gives us a job, he shows us that he’s sovereign, and he proves

that we are not alone. Most important, God shows up. “Discouraged prophet, here’s what I want you to do,” Munton said. “Do your job. Do the next thing. Just obey God today.”

Outgoing president Belafae Johnson concluded, “If we desire for the Lord to move in our state, we need to be people who sacrifice our preferences to see much made of Jesus.”

Officers for the 2023 IBSA Pastors Conference are President Jonathan Davis of Springfield, Vice-President Bryan Coble of Chicago, and Treasurer Dustin Haile of Mt. Vernon. The Pastors Conference and Annual Meeting will be held Nov. 7-9 at Cornerstone Church in Marion.

CHIP LUTER FRED LUTER DANIEL CHUNG CAM TRIGGS SHAYNE ROBINSON

Worship leader Mark Goins

Doug Munton

Lean in and let go

‘Resilience’ is theme of Ministers’ Wives meeting

Edwardsville | Jacki King opened her message on resilience by defining what it isn’t.

“When we think resilience, we don’t need to be thinking we’re just going to barrel through, pull up our bootstraps, and make it through,” King told IBSA ministers’ wives meeting at Metro Community Church. “Instead, it really is leaning in, letting go, and trusting God.”

King, a women’s ministry leader and pastor’s wife from Arkansas, encouraged women during the annual IBSA Ministers’ Wives Lun-

cheon. Teaching from the life of Elijah, she noted the prophet had seen God work in amazing ways. He’d been fed by ravens. He had called down fire from heaven, and seen God deliver.

Yet, in 1 Kings 19, Elijah is faced with the devastation of things not working out like he thought they would. Instead of God’s great miracles resulting in Jezebel turning from her wickedness, she doubles down and vows to kill Elijah. And Elijah runs. It’s a reaction most people in ministry can sympathize with, King said.

“Hold on, God, I thought we were on the same plan,” she said. “I thought we’d do all these things—a, b, c, and d—and then the outcome is e.” When the outcome isn’t what we expect, she said, it’s isolating. King cited a recent statistic that more than half of pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry. Two in five, she said, have felt lonely or isolated.

Before the pandemic, ministry was hard, King said. Leaders were living with pressure and pain. “And then Covid came and it made it that

much harder and that much deeper and that much more painful to walk through.” The way through for us, she said, is the same as it was for Elijah: lean in, and listen to the tender voice of God. As Elijah stood on a mountain, he felt the rush of a great wind, the rumbling of an earthquake, and the heat of fire. But God wasn’t there. Instead, he was in the gentle whisper afterward.

“Sisters, I know it is heavy. I know it is deeply painful. I know,” King said. “And so I’m asking you to sit with your Father who loves you and

desperately wants to whisper sweet truth into your ear.

“And after that, get up marred, scarred, and a little bit limpy. But take the gospel, because the gospel does not end.”

– Meredith Flynn

1. WELCOME – Representatives of 13 newly affiliated churches were introduced at the Executive Director’s Dinner.

2. MEET THE PRES – Robert Matz (right), new president of Hannibal-LaGrange University, visited with teams from other colleges and messengers in the exhibit hall.

3. JUST DESSERTS – Pastors Tom Eggley and Rob Gallion enjoyed one of four dessert receptions after the Wednesday evening session.

4. NEW IBSA OFFICERS – President Michael Nave of Marion, VP Carlton Binkley of Decatur, Recording Secretary Charlene Moe of Chatham, and Assistant Recording Secretary Matt Philbrick of Ramsey.

Jacki King

Mary Sanders, Jennifer Carrothers, and Sue McKinney

Annual Meeting photography by Adam Anglin, Meredith Flynn, Ben Jones, Lisa Misner, and Eric Reed.

MISSION

345 days

Brooks decamps roof, raises $20 million for youth center

BY KAREN WILLOUGHBY

Chicago | Corey Brooks climbed down from his perch after nearly a year camping out above his community, drawing national attention to crime in his south side Chicago neighborhood and the needs of at-risk youth. In the process, he raised $20 million toward a $35 million goal to build a community center, and he became a Fox News phenomenon.

The pastor of New Beginnings Church stayed on his 40-foot perch atop shipping containers across the street from the church for 345 days in all kinds of weather.

He moved in for what he expected to be a short stay on November 30, 2021. He came down October 29, 2022.

Between January’s wind chill of 34 degrees below zero to a 115-degree peak in June, Brooks raised the first $20 million for the church’s Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center, envisioned as a safe place where kids and adults can learn skills and have fun that will enable them to start and work at businesses and trades that will improve the area’s standard of living.

“We would definitely not be where we are if not for the generous contributions from evangelical Christians around the country,” Brooks told Baptist Press. “Because of their gifts we will be able to witness to and transform thousands of lives for generations.”

While there was one $5 million gift, and several “matching” gifts, the majority of donations were smaller ones from individuals and churches, the pastor said.

The $20 million will be used for the construction of the 89,000-square-foot building’s shell. Volunteers would help keep costs down, Brooks said, adding that he would welcome assistance from Southern Baptist construction missions teams.

The pastor climbed down an orange scissor-lift ladder to the cheers of perhaps 2,000 people, including city leaders and many donors, such as entrepreneur Ken Griffin, who gave the largest gift, and Tom Ricketts, owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, a longtime friend of Brooks and frequent donor to the project.

A visit to his rooftop dwelling by children from the community was one of Corey Brooks’s favorite moments during the 11 months he lived in a tent high above his neighborhood. Business leaders and politicians also visited Brooks to talk about solutions for crime in the city. Brooks’s regular reports from the roof became a popular feature on Fox News.

“We’d reached the mark where we could break ground,” the pastor said. “The start of the building will give hope to many. Our city needs to be inspired in the midst of much violence.”

True words. Two days later, on Halloween night, random shots were fired from a vehicle at an intersection in Chicago, injuring 14 people, including three children, one just three years old.

Highlights

Among high points of his nearly year-long stay atop the roof, Brooks said, were “all the CEOs and pastors who came to spend the night to support the building and the transformation of lives.” The men discussed life in Chicago, the limitations of government, and how the Center could improve the life of the city as well as its residents.

“We cannot wait on the government,” Brooks said. “If we don’t do it, it’s not going to be done… First, we have to punish those who break the law. Second, we have to give people opportunities to change their lives.

“Politics can’t change hearts. It’s going to take us and the Lord to change the hearts. This is a heart issue. If we don’t get these people involved in another opportunity and options, their lives will never change, and everything will stay the same.”

Brooks said the best time was when more than 150 youngsters in one of the church’s summer programs came to the roof to see him.

“It thrilled my soul to see so many young people excited about the possibility and opportunities coming by way of the building,” Brooks said. “We need to do our very best to restore our good

faith in society.

“Our kids have nothing to care about, to believe in,” he continued. “They see failure everywhere. With the good faith—the hope in Jesus Christ— we can restore faith that society, neighbors, family cares about them. With that good faith we can restore the good will, that respect in our society. “We simply have no other choice, or the headlines will get worse.”

Brooks, already an experienced pastor in Indiana, moved with his family to Chicago in 2000 to start a church in the Woodlawn neighborhood, known even then as one of the most povertyentrenched and violent sections of the metro area of nine million people.

Six years later New Beginnings Church moved into a former bowling alley and skating rink, where over time the list of community ministries has grown: food distribution, clothing, K-8

Fall events build teen disciples

Hundreds of students gathered for discipleship events led by IBSA this fall. Youth Encounter (YE), IBSA’s annual one-day student event, featured a clear presentation of the gospel and practical evangelism training for teens. YE was staged at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur and Cornerstone Church in Marion.

“We really saw God move,” IBSA’s Kevin Jones said. “Over 760 attended with 39 decisions for Christ. Plus 16 students said they feel called to ministry.”

AWSOM Weekend, an overnight retreat for teen girls, was held Nov. 4-5 at Tabernacle. More than 200 middle school and high school girls focused on evangelism and discipleship.

“It was so powerful for the girls who attended and served,” IBSA’s Carmen Halsey said, “And the leader sessions and weekly post-conference digital devotions will prepare youth groups to launch new Bible studies this January.”

AWSOM stands for “Amazing Women Serving Our Maker.”

Christian education, music/dance studio, fitness center and vocational training. Its seventh class of construction workers is meeting this fall. Other students have graduated from the Metropolitan Peace Academy.

The church’s non-profit Project Hood (Helping Others Achieve Destiny) started in 2011. That same year came the purchase and demolition of a decaying hotel across the street from the church that had become a center for drugs, prostitution and gangs. Brooks raised about $500,000 for that.

Brooks’ aim is to rebuild his neighborhood, then the city one neighborhood at a time, as others catch his vision.

The center is to house training centers, sports, medical and arts centers, and a swimming pool. There’s a plan for a golfing set-up to teach youngsters how to be caddies. Brooks plans naming rights for major donors for each compenent.

“In our community—80% percent of Woodlawn adults are single parents—one of the reasons we have so much crime is a lack of opportunity and lack of businesses,” Brooks said. “We’ll also have a trauma center to help people deal with what they’ve gone through. A lot of kids have had friends and family members killed, and they’ve never dealt with the trauma.”

“The Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center is about generational change, about city change, about change across America,” Brooks said. “When you give people hope, help them find direction, there’s no limit to what God can do through them.”

– Karen Willoughby is a national correspondent for Baptist Press.

AWSOM girls in Decatur

YE speaker Pastor Nick Volkening

Youth Encounter met in Decatur and Marion (pictured here).

Pastor Corey Brooks

GROWING

Learning curve recommendaTions

My Utmost for His Highest

Oswald Chambers

Devotional

Over the past three years, Oswald put words to some of what I was feeling and experiencing. He affirmed for me that Christ was taking me deeper in my intimacy with him, when there wasn’t an actual person in my immediate circle that could do that for me. Even in its depth, Oswald still shares practical methods of knowing when God is speaking, leading, or affirming that growth is occurring. This was such a gift to me, one that I’m not sure I would have been ready for previously.

– Carmen Halsey IBSA Leadership Development Director

Five Proofs of the Existence of God

Edward Fesser

This book displays the unity of truth and beauty. The order and preciseness of Fesser’s logical argumentation is itself beautiful and has a depth of philosophical knowledge and rigor to which I aspire.

– Ethan Williams Student, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

The Message

Sirius XM Radio

I listen everyday driving to and from work. I believe that God’s Word, through music heals, transforms and inspires me exactly as he has planned. I can’t count how many times I’ve felt just the right song has a message I need to hear. I love that God uses songs to speak to my soul!

– Sheila Jessen Baptist Foundation of Illinois

illinois voices An incarnation story

Sometimes we need for God to send us a person

The fall of 2017 brought some of the greatest challenges of my life. Unemployment came unexpectedly after the home health agency where I had worked for six years shut down. I applied for many jobs, but the future remained uncertain. Then in December, my dad had a procedure to remove a cancerous tumor discovered a few months earlier.

After two hours in surgery, the doctor reported to my mom and me the operation was a success. I walked to the hospital lobby to call my wife regarding the news. While speaking to her, I noticed a young woman crying nearby. I wondered what news she had received. The news I had received brought joy, but in a hospital both joy and sorrow are constant companions.

As I hung up with my wife, I looked over and asked, “Can I help you?”

She lunged at me, hugged me, laid her head on my shoulder, and cried. After a few minutes, I asked to pray for her. I still knew nothing of her nor she of me. After praying, we sat down together.

She told me her name was Tiffany. The young African American woman had come to the hospital that morning for an interview in the food services department. While driving to the interview, her mom had called to inform her of her father’s death overnight. Tiffany drummed up

the strength to enter the hospital for her interview. But as she waited, she sat alone on the windowsill and cried while many people passed by, unaware of her plight.

During the months prior, I had taught John 13-16 and Philippians 4 in two Bible studies I lead. Both Jesus and Paul speak of joy, peace, and contentment that Christ offers despite the circumstances of life. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13) is not an incantation to be able do anything. It is Paul concluding he had learned to be content in all situations no matter the circumstances because of Christ.

This is not an easy concept to grasp.

Even Paul had to learn this kind of contentment (Phil. 4:11). Through the circumstances of my life, I had times of anger, sadness, numbness. Through all those times and even now, Christ has called me to find joy, peace, and contentment in him, not in my circumstances. I am learning this kind of contentment.

As I sat across from Tiffany listening to her story, I was reminded of all the Lord had taught me over the previous months. I shared some of my journey with her. She looked at me and said, “God sent you to me.” With humility, I agreed.

It had nothing to do with me

but had everything to do with sharing the peace Christ offers all who call upon his name. Our moment in the hospital lobby was one broken heart on the mend sharing with another newly broken heart.

I asked Tiffany if I could pray for her again before she went on to her interview. As she walked away, I stood amazed at the opportunity the Lord provided me.

The significance of that moment happening at a hospital in St. Louis was not lost on me. That we were such different people, a middle-age white man and a young African American woman, did not matter to Tiffany, or to me. And if you remember the racial tensions in St. Louis at the time, the moment is even more remarkable. She was hurting. I was hurting. God brought us together to pray.

The Lord is at work in us and in those around us each day. How might he use us as his followers to encourage and strengthen those who are hurting? As C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”

Jared Pryer is a Christian counselor and a Bible study teacher at Ten Mile Baptist Church in McLeansboro.

“I sat across from Tiffany, listening to her story. “God sent you to me,” she said.

“You know he’s just gonna play with the box.”

The

Glory

n a collection of paintings from the late 20th century, a website that focuses on depictions of Jesus in pop culture gathered versions of the nativity in contemporary settings. In each one, the artist offered visual conjecture if Christ had been born where they live.

Most are set in cattle sheds of some kind. There’s a Nicaraguan lean-to, an English barn, a Congolese stable of branches lashed together, the porch of a Thai house, a Crow Nation teepee.

A painting by a Texas artist is set in a small apartment. Mary is lying in a single bed, cradling her infant. The night table beside her has a reading lamp and a white slimline Princess phone. There’s a bassinette nearby. A man, Joseph perhaps, looks on from a distant place. Outside, three men in business casual attire topped with birthday party hats are coming down the sidewalk, bearing gift boxes

evident but harder to capture. Rendering sky-fields of angels in brilliant light with banners reading “Gloria in excelsis Deo” may be cliché, but it communicates. Pampers-swaddled Jesus in a Texas barrio—that’s more of a stretch. And yet he is there, in all his glory.

John said, “We beheld his glory,” but what did the apostle see that he understood to be glory? And now, as then, why does the glory keep popping up where it’s least expected?

Heavy, brother

A newborn baby weighs about as much as a gallon of milk, which is to say, not a lot. But when we consider the Holy Newborn, we have to think about weightiness. The concept stretches back to an Old Testament understanding of glory.

More than bright, shiny, or praiseworthy, glory has in its Hebrew roots “weight.” A new penny, a fresh scrubbed face, and a good report card may be bright, shiny, or praiseworthy, but they don’t have the weightiness that demands honor. What Moses experienced close-up at the burning bush the Hebrew people witnessed later from a distance in cloud and storm—the presence of God.

That was glory.

That was kavod, almost too heavy to bear even from afar. The people knew kavod when they saw it (2 Chron. 5:14), and they knew kavod when it was absent (1 Sam. 4:21). The glory of God left no one scratching his head and asking if he had missed it.

From the shepherds onward, Jesus’ followers would find his glory in ordinary places and events: stables, roadways, temple porches, cemeteries, social gatherings.

Far from the throne room of heaven or a flight of angels in chorus, a wedding is a lovely celebration but relatively lower on the glory scale. But at such a festive event, Jesus chose to show the weightiness of his presence with a miracle; he turned water into wine. He blessed the couple, but he also honored his mother’s plea. Honoring father and mother is commanded in the Ten Commandments with same Hebrew root word for kavod (Exod. 20:12).

For John who was also present for the party, “This, the first of his signs…manifested his glory” (John 2:13). In New Testament Greek, it’s doxa, which produces our English word doxology.

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” the company of heaven sings in Revelation 5:12. Ascribing such glory to the Lamb is not only for what he has done. It is more rightly for who he is.

John Piper describes God’s glory as “an attempt to put into words what God is like in all his magnificence and purity. It refers to his fullness of all that is good.”

that might have been wrapped at the credit counter at Sears. Apparently Magi still shopped at department stores in 1995.

The paintings are all reverential. The infant Jesus is often in the center of the composition or in the foreground. In some, there’s a light source overhead and in a couple Jesus himself is especially bright. His is not a reflected glory; Jesus himself is the light source.

Since the angels broke into the night sky over Bethlehem singing about the highest glory, humans have been surprised by the myriad ways God shows up. And still, depictions fail us, in words or pigments, of the divine doxa

What complicates the matter more is that God shows up in lowly places, where the contrast may be more

Glory was a real concept for Israel. They were accustomed to God’s appearances in impressive places among impressive people, specifically among kings and priests and in the capital of the world as they knew it, Jerusalem.

They were not prepared for it among shepherds, carpenters, or in a quaint suburb six miles outside of the big city, but at Bethlehem the glory was revealed. The shepherds saw it first. “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear” (Luke 2:9).

The heaviness of God’s glory is not to be taken lightly. Fearful shepherds knew it, even if they didn’t understand what was happening. God had interrupted their ordinary jobs as night watchmen with a declaration that bore investigation and repetition.

They saw the glory in the lowest of places—work.

The divine Presence of the universe is so amazing that all creation gives him glory because he is glory itself. Glory! But, can you believe it, he who is worshipped in heaven also chooses to express his glory down here with us.

On earth, the wedding at Cana was only the beginning of signs John catalogued. Jesus’ miracles were for friends in low places, if we may borrow from country singer Garth Brooks. The blind see miracles, as do the deaf, diseased, and demonized. God’s glory is made manifest for the least people in the most need, as Jesus revels in revealing the power of the Almighty in ways that elevate the lowest and confound the highest. He did so all the way to the cross.

“And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed,” Jesus prayed on the night before he was crucified (John 17:5). Even at Calvary, he was simply being himself, glorified in heaven, glorified on earth; glory in the highest, glory in the lowest.

And he still does today, everywhere he shows up.

Eric Reed is editor of Illinois Baptist media.

glory of the Christ Child keeps showing up in unexpected places.

PARTY HEARTY – Magi in birthday hats arrive for celebration in this contemporary rendering of the nativity by Texas artist James Janknegt.

– used by permission

January Bible Study

Former BCHFS staffer sentenced

Carmi | A former staff member of the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services was sentenced to 22 years in prison Nov. 3 in White County Circuit Court.

Daniel W. Lanning pled guilty to two counts of criminal sexual assault of a minor ages 13-17. He was arrested in April on four counts involving a teenager in his care at the Carmi facility. Two charges were dropped. The sentence is 11 years for each of the class 1 felony counts to run consecutively.

Lanning and his wife were house parents in a BCHFS cottage from July 2021 until the time of his arrest when his employment was terminated. His wife was not implicated in the investigation. Interim BCHFS Executive Director Doug Devore said a thorough background check was conducted at the time Lanning was hired with no incidents reported.

Lanning could have been sentenced from 8 to 30 years in prison without parole. He could be released after serving a minimum of 85% of the sentence.

– with info from Judici and WROY/WRUL

Jim Walkington retired after 23 years at Wilmington Baptist Church. He also served 13 years with the Illinois Department of Revenue and was a farmhand prior to that. First called to preach as a junior college student in Mississippi, Walkington served Illinois churches bivocationally including Milton, Meredosia, and White Hall. Walkington is one of four sons. He and his wife, Patricia, are parents of one daughter and two sons.

(Note: A previous version of this story included some incorrect numbers. We apologize for the error.)

Churches face legal issues all the time, so they need to be prepared. And when an issue arises, churches need trusted counsel.

With over 24 years of service, at all court levels, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has seen the cultural and legal trends clearly shift against the Church.

We can help your church prepare itself for these changes.

Whether your winter landscape looks like a day at the beach or you’re up to your elbows in snow, it’s a great time for a personal growth. The January Bible Study is a Southern Baptist tradition, focusing on Ephesians this year. Plan for 8 sessions, as a week-long or month-long study.

BRIGHTER DAY

A Savior foreshadowed

“T

his week is a real challenge. I feel like I threw you all into the deep end.”

My friend’s text message, sent with a squinchy-faced emoji, indicated our study of the Book of Joshua was about to get a lot more challenging. She had guided our Friday morning Bible study through the first few chapters fairly easily. We heard Joshua’s charge to be strong and courageous. We marched around Jericho blowing our trumpets. Now, though, we were approaching pages and pages of unfamiliar people and places. We trudged through the hard-to-pronounce cities and endless land allotments for each of the tribes of Israel. We clung to the small bits of story in those chapters, thirsty for any snippet of conflict or dialogue amid a very long geography lesson.

Blessedly, what started to emerge from the shadows of ancient history was a picture of the deliverance that would one day come—first, as God brought the Israelites safely into the promised land and later, when he would provide the spiritual saving they needed far more.

Near the end of the book, once the initial battles were over and the land conquered, Joshua charged the people to stay close to the God who had brought them to the promised land.

Joshua, whose own name means “to save or deliver” in Hebrew, said he and his family would serve the Lord. But, he warned, Israel would inevitably fall short in worshiping only the one true God (Joshua 24:19). Even in victory, near the end of his life, Joshua knew the people will need another, better deliverer.

Nearly 1,500 years later, another Yeshua (an early version of the name Jesus) would arrive, bringing better, lasting deliverance. The Book of Joshua, like the rest of the Old Testament, sets the stage for Immanuel by reminding us of our need for salvation.

At the end of our study, our leader asked each group member to choose another Bible book to read on our own. Half of us chose Judges, the next book in the Old Testament. At first blush, it’s a strange place to spend Christmas. But Israel’s repeated slide back into the idolatry they never fully left is a timely reminder of the gift we celebrate this season.

Jesus, the better Savior, come to earth to deliver us from the judgment we undoubtedly deserve. Immanuel, born to rescue a people prone to wander.

Meredith Day Flynn is a wife and mother of two living in Springfield. She writes on the intersection of faith, family, and current culture.

Tracker

Trends

Faith: Jesus

is an important spiritual figure, said 84% of American adults. But what about his followers?

In a 2022 Ipsos poll called “Jesus in America,” more than half of Christians described themselves as giving (57%), compassionate (56%), and loving (55%).

But non-Christians described Christians as hypocritical (50%), judgmental (49%), and selfrighteous (46%).

“We are encouraged that the research shows Americans still find Jesus compelling, but we also see that the behavior of many of his followers is a problem…. This is a wake-up call for us. We hope to ignite a revival of love that encourages all Americans to do a better job of loving their neighbors.”

EVENTS

December 4-11

Lottie Moon Christmas

Offering

and Week of Prayer for International Missions

Contact: LisaHarbaugh@IBSA.org

Info: LottieMoon.com

January 12

Tax Seminar

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Contact: FranTrascritti@IBSA.org

January 17-18

Illinois Leadership Summit

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Contact: FranTrascritti@IBSA.org

January 30

Religion in America

Online Courses

Winter Term Classes begin

Cost: $25 fee per course

Contact: LindaDarden@IBSA.org

Info: www.IBSA.org/equiponline/

February 25

VBS Training – Central

What: “Twist & Turns” theme, Psalm 25:4

Where: Chatham Baptist Church, Chatham

Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org

neTworking

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Gospel: A Christmas Witness

Adam Ramsey says this season is great for evangelism. Christmas Eve may be our best shot all year at welcoming friends to a church service.

“Your neighbours will say ‘no’ to 100% of the invitations that you don’t extend. Your odds can only go up.”

He advises in our gospel conversations to “redeem Santa.” Compare naughty-list keeper and rewarder of good works Kringle to the real giftgiver Jesus. And remember the King’s Promise: “I am with you.” So, step out in faith and ask: Would you like to come to church this Christmas?

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services is looking for Christ-centered people to come on mission with us in the following positions. Visit bchfs.com/ employment for more information.

• House Parents or Single House Mother, Residential Care, Carmi

• House Mother, Angels’ Cove, Mt. Vernon

• Development Officer

• Multimedia Marketing Specialist

• Baptist Children’s Home Campus Program Manager

• Licensed Counselor, Metro East Outpatient Location

New Life Baptist Church of Waverly seeks highly motivated bi-vocational preacher. Must have knowledge of the Bible and be willing to share it with others. Help grow our church and have a desire to serve God. Send resume to 341 East Elm, Waverly, IL 62692.

MEREDITH FLYNN

– Michael Curry (ECUS)