December 5, 2016 Illinois Baptist

Is that too much to ask?

Less than a month after an historic presidential election, Americans on both sides of the aisle are still surprised by the outcome and a long, hostile campaign beforehand. That President-elect Donald Trump’s victory was at least partially fueled by support from white evangelical voters has caused more confusion for the church during what was already a highly contentious time for the country.

In the days following Trump’s victory, Christian leaders encouraged believers to pray for the nation’s new leader, and also counseled them on how to navigate a deeply divided country and culture.

Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines put prayer atop a list of 10 things Christians can do after the election.

“There is nothing wrong and everything right for Christians who live in the United States of America to pray for God to bless our country,” Gaines said at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention Nov. 13. The pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., urged Christians to pray for the president, president-elect and others in leadership—whether or not one agrees with their views.

Gaines also urged Christians to prioritize family, work hard, and take care of their finances. Be involved in the local church, he said, minister to “the least of these,” share Christ, make disciples, and live a holy life. Also

Natal tranquility – here set against the bustle of the Capitol Rotunda offers a glimmer of hope to all of us exhausted by political upheaval.

NATE ADAMS

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

“Americans are most likely to identify in adulthood as religiously unaffiliated if they were raised exclusively by a parent or parents who were unaffiliated themselves.”

– Pew Research

Inter-faith households

About one-in-five American adults were raised with a mixed religious background (two parents who identify differently from one another in categories including Protestant, Catholic, other religion, and religiously unaffiliated):

Percentage raised with a mixed religious background:

27% 20% 19% 13%

Millennials (born 1981-1996) Gen X (born 1965-1980)

Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964)

Silent/Greatest (born before 1946)

The faith/family connection

Most people raised exclusively (either by one person or two) as Protestant, Catholic, or religiously unaffiliated, still identify that way as an adult.

– PewForum.org, Oct. 2016

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 11/25/16

$5,253,275

Budget Goal: $5,694,231

Received to date in 2015: $5,300,107

2016 Goal: $6.3 Million

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Sergent

Editorial Contributor - Meredith Flynn

For questions about subscriptions, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3119 or IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org

The Illinois Baptist is seeking news from IBSA churches. E-mail us at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org to tell us about special events and new ministry staff.

POSTMASTER: The Illinois Baptist is owned and published every three weeks by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-4440. Subscriptions are free to Illinois Baptists. Subscribe online at IBSA.org

A time for change

These final weeks of the year seem to always bring a mixture of emotions, as we gather sentimentally with family and friends for the holidays, and start reflecting on the ups and downs of the past year. Those year-end emotions seem supercharged this year, as the recent election has brought us a dramatic change in Presidential leadership, and with it potential changes in public policy that affect our daily lives.

I won’t go further than that into the politics of our times. Instead, in these days leading up to Christmas, I want to simply observe that this same sense of looming, unknown change that many of us are feeling may have been exactly how many of the faithful felt leading up to that very first Christmas.

Those to whom it was revealed that Messiah was near—Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, the wise men, eventually the shepherds—all had revelations from God that were fearful, and yet inviting. They were all awestruck with the news that this thing beyond their comprehension or control was about to happen.

And yet these folks all walked forward into the wonder of the incarnation, the wonder of Jesus, the wonder of unpredictable and unprecedented change, with faith-filled obedience and anticipation. They knew things were a mess. They knew that the status quo—Rome and religion and their own sin-sick culture—was not ushering in the Kingdom of God. They knew any discomfort of change under Messiah’s leadership was to be preferred over the best that frail humans had to offer. And so, they walked into the unknown, trusting God.

Of course, not everybody welcomed the change of the first Christmas. King Herod and the religious leaders of Jerusalem were scared to death of whoever Messiah was, and whatever changes he might bring. They held on selfishly and even murderously to their own power and self-determination as long as they could, refusing to know Messiah, much less follow him. Sadly, I did the same until I met Jesus personally.

And so this year, this Christmas, the climate of change and uncertainty and unpredictability that we face—may not be all bad. The people who walked faithfully into that first Christmas knew that change was needed, in their own lives and in their nation, and they knew that trusting God and following his Messiah into the uncertainty was the only path forward. Perhaps we have a similar opportunity.

I leave it to you to determine how this may apply to your own life, or your church’s. Personally, I am coming to the end of this year with a sense that I need Messiah’s presence in my life in a fresh new way, and I need him to bring change. I don’t know what that looks like exactly. But I don’t want things to remain the same. I don’t want to settle for the status quo.

Whoever the President is, whatever shifts are coming in public policy, or in the culture, I want to welcome the changes our sovereign God is bringing, and follow Jesus into them. Some of those changes may come in the form of new challenges, or adversity, or even persecution. I want to follow Jesus there. Some of them may come in the form of new opportunities, or new methods, or a new wave of revival or awakening in our churches, or in our land. I want to follow Jesus there.

The faithful who experienced the first Christmas waited a long time for Messiah to show up in a new way, and to bring change, and to follow him right on through it. I want to be among the faithful this Christmas who will do the same.

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

I come to the end of this year with a sense that I need Messiah’s presence in a fresh new way.

Continued from page 1

on Gaines’ list: Love your fellow man.

“Christians are commanded to love everyone, not just other Christians,” he said. Noting a key issue of the election, Gaines added that Christians are commanded to love people of all skin colors and ethnicities. “All lives matter to God. Jesus died for all people.”

Divided still

The deeply differing opinions that marked the campaign were on display among Christian leaders following the election.

Southern Baptist pastors and fellow Texans Jack Graham and Robert Jeffress both expressed their pleasure at the outcome. Referring to Hillary Clinton’s prochoice positions, Graham said, “We are very pleased and ecstatic that we have an opportunity to speak for the unborn.” The pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano told The Dallas Morning News, “We’re going to celebrate that as a victory.”

In an interview on Fox Business, Jeffress, a vocal Trump supporter who joined Graham on the candidate’s evangelical advisory team, called Trump a “change candidate” who galvanized the support of evangelicals who “were tired of eight years of the Obama liberal administration that was a war on religion.”

Thabiti Anyabwile, though, in a blog post for The Gospel Coalition, discussed problems associated with Trump’s support from white evangelicals. Anyabwile, pastor

of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C., said the evangelical movement’s turnout for Trump “has made its evangelistic mission more difficult with many it wants to reach....

“The vote for Trump creates or amplifies a credibility problem for evangelicals. Why should the unrepentant listen to their gospel when it seems so evident they’ve not applied that gospel to their political choices?....For many, Christ and the gospel are now bound up—rightly or wrongly—with evangelicals choosing a man with little resemblance to either.”

Immediately following the election, some Christian leaders sought to bridge the divide among evangelicals in the pews. J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, blogged about two key words for Christians: empathy and charity. Toward one another.

“When a sibling in Christ votes a different way than you, choose to believe the better narrative about why they might have done so,” Greear wrote. “Be humble and charitable enough to realize that many mature Christians came to different conclusions about what the right posture was, and give them the benefit of the doubt where you can.

“You don’t have to agree with their conclusions, but in the church we can and must demonstrate a humility, forbearance, and civility usually absent from public discourse.”

– From Baptist Press and the Illinois Baptist

Transfer of power

Look to biblical leadership examples, scholar says

While a raucous election season might make a peaceful transfer of power seem unlikely, after the election Bible scholars urged prayer for a smooth presidential transition and thankfulness for that particular American tradition.

Ken Fentress, an Old Testament scholar and pastor of Montrose Baptist Church in Rockville, Md., said examples of leadership transition in Scripture should caution and instruct current and future U.S. leaders.

The smooth transition between Moses and Joshua is “a priceless example for any leader in any period of history,” Fentress said, in part because Joshua was faithful to God’s Word, courageous and fearless. The transition from Samuel’s leadership to Saul’s, on the other hand, should give pause to those zealous for change at all costs.

Saul’s rise to the throne, stemming from Israel’s demand for a king like the surrounding pagan nations, Fentress said, demonstrates “that sometimes the change that the people want is not what is most pleasing to God or what is best.”

The history of violent leadership transitions in the Old Testament stands in contrast to God’s blessing of peace in American transitions, Fentress said, noting the violent rises to power of the Assyrians and Babylonians.

“Even though there are people protesting the results of the election in the streets,” Fentress said of Trump’s election, “as Christians we should be thankful because” peaceful transition “is a priceless thing that God has graciously given to us, especially after such a rancorous political campaign season. The fact that things are as peaceful as they are…is really owing to God’s grace to us.”

Fentress said it is acceptable for Americans of color to be “concerned” due to past comments by Trump that appear to be racially insensitive. But believers should never be “afraid,” and they should pray for their leaders.

“My prayer always for whoever occupied the Oval Office,” Fentress said, “is that God will cause them to do what he wants them to do even if they’re not trying.”

– From Baptist Press

from the front: a CHRISTIAN RESPONse after the ELECTION

PEACE TALK – President-elect Trump and President Obama, who had harsh words for one another during the campaign, met for some 90 minutes at the White House Nov. 10. Wahington Post screen grab

Cup compromise

9 crews aid storm victims

Three salvations reported by team in South Carolina

South Carolina | Hurricane Matthew didn’t leave many small clean-up projects in his wake. The October storm, which inflicted heavy damage in parts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, felled large trees, caused major flooding, and devastated some picturesque beach communities that are still picking up the pieces.

When coffee giant Starbucks handed customers plain red cups last year, some complained the company was taking Christmas—and Christ—out of the holiday season. This year, Starbucks responded by introducing several new red cups with sketch-style designs of Christmas lights, candy canes, and ornaments, among others.

But the season hasn’t been completely devoid of controversy: Starbucks made headlines in November by introducing a green “unity” cup to mark the presidential election, and by once again serving up coffee in plain red cups to mark the beginning of the holidays.

Season’s spending

Americans will spend an average of $936 on the holidays this year, according to a new survey from the National Retail Federation. That may seem like a hefty amount, but it’s actually less than last year, when spenders set a record of $953 on average.

The largest share of spending is on gifts for others, the NRF reported, but 58% of consumers also plan to spend on themselves, taking advantage of holiday promotions and sales.

Nearest and dearest

When it comes to what people are most thankful for, family overwhelmingly trumps money this holiday season. A LifeWay Research survey of Americans found 66% of people cite family as the thing they are most thankful for, followed by health (13%) and personal freedom (9%). Wealth was last, with only 1% of people putting it at the top of their list.

Additionally, 63% of people said they typically give thanks to God on Thanksgiving Day.

– National Retail Federation, LifeWay Research

Get breaking news in The Briefing online, posted every Tuesday at www.ib2news.org.

“There weren’t any little jobs” in the South Carolina community where Debbie Porter and the Disaster Relief team from First Baptist, Galatia, traveled to assist with the cleanup effort. Debbie’s husband, Butch, served as the “blue cap” supervisor for a team that removed trees and debris from homes and yards, and ministered to homeowners still reeling from the storm.

One homeowner in his 90s came to know the Lord personally after the team shared the gospel with him. During their week in South Carolina, the Galatia team saw three people profess faith in Christ, something they hadn’t experienced before as a team.

“It wasn’t for lack of witnessing,” Porter said, “because we were, but we just never had witnessed a profession of faith.”

Another of the homeowners the team met was a woman who had been widowed just the week before. Volunteer Marge Fulkerson, who lost her husband, Don, last year to a heart attack while serving on a DR callout, was able to minister to the woman, Porter said.

“Marge was able to hold hands with that lady and pray with her and witness to her…Right off the bat, that woman needed Marge.”

Eye in the sky

The Galatia team was one of nine groups from Illinois who responded to the hurricane damage in South Carolina. DR volunteers give of their time and energy, and Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief covers their transportation to and from their callout locations. IBSA church members can assist on future callouts by giving to Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief, said IBSA’s Dwayne Doyle, who coordinates the state’s DR efforts.

To make a donation, go to IBSA.org/dr.

Airborne drone ready to assist DR search and rescue

Mt. Vernon | Illinois’ Disaster Relief search and rescue team has a new tool on its side—an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, also known as a drone.

The drone, which can be used to expedite the search for a missing person, was purchased to be used by the Disaster Relief team of Salem South Baptist Association. The association’s team has a search and rescue unit with a certified drone pilot, Don Bigham, pastor of Baker Street Baptist Church in Walnut Hill.

Bigham attended 44 weeks of classroom training at Rend Lake College with extensive hands-on training, and has logged more than 90 flight hours apart from that specific training. He continues to adapt the drone to the needs of Disaster Relief teams.

Currently, the search and rescue team has 15-25 volunteers ready to respond when needed. They follow a national training program and have completed several sessions in the art of tracking lost and missing people.

Search and rescue team leaders have offered search and rescue training during the annual Disaster Relief training session at Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp. For more information about upcoming trainings, go to IBSA.org/dr.

CARING CONCERN – The grandson of a homeowner aided by a team from FBC Galatia examines a “boo-boo” on volunteer Butch Porter’s thumb.

Cuba after Castro

Dictator’s shadow still chills island evangelism

Havana | Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, who died Nov. 25 at age 90, is being remembered as both an unwitting catalyst of revival and an opponent of religious liberty.

Castro’s death, said Southern Baptists with ties to Cuba, is unlikely to yield significant increases in religious liberty for the island nation until the fall of the communist government he inaugurated 57 years ago.

When Castro led a revolt that overthrew then-Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, he instituted a communist regime that viewed Christians as “anti-revolutionaries.” And he barred them from attending universities or entering certain professional fields, according to the persecution watchdog group World Watch Monitor. But the global decline of communism in the early 1990s yielded decreased oppression of believers in Cuba.

Castro’s government was “really hard on the churches during the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s,” said Cesar Perez, a Cuban-born American who directs Hispanic ministries at First Baptist Church in Richmond, Ky. “Then because of the economic situation” when the Soviet Union fell and could no longer support Cuba, Castro “just let the churches go a little bit.”

Cuba’s communist party “is still in control,” Perez told Baptist Press, but the easing of restrictions “helped the churches.”

The more moderate pressure on churches continued after Castro ceded power to his brother Raul in 2008. Last month, for instance, a Cuban court sentenced the pastor of a 550-member house church to a year of house arrest for holding loud worship services, according to Morning Star News, a news service focusing on Christian persecution worldwide.

Among ongoing restrictions, construction of church buildings requires government permission, Perez said, as do large gatherings. Yet those restrictions have driven Cuban believers to launch a house church movement that has spurred “a revival for the whole island” for the past 20 years.

In late 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama announced the United States would restore its diplomatic relationship with Cuba. Following that announcement, Lakeland Baptist Church Pastor Phil Nelson spoke to the Illinois Baptist about his extensive missions experience in Cuba. The Cuban Christians he worked with on multiple trips, Nelson said, are “passionate about the gospel, unashamed about anything. They had a boldness that we just don’t know anything about here in the United States.”

Mark Warnock was associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Columbia, for 11 years and Hillcrest in Country Club Hills for five years prior to that. On a mission trip to Cuba, he saw how the political system prevented people from flourishing, he told the IB

“Their cities were crumbling and their living conditions were meager,” Warnock said. “At the same time, under those conditions, the Cuban Christians were thriving and multiplying with a vigor I’d never seen in the U.S. “Part of me hopes that political relations between the U.S. and Cuba will continue to warm, so that we can resource the Cuban church and fuel the gospel movement there, and so the Cuban people can have some relief from the long economic slump of socialism. At the same time, I fear what consumerism and materialism might do to blunt their spiritual fervor, and I honestly think that the American church needs to learn from the Cuban church more than they need resourcing from us.”

In the post-Fidel Castro era, a Florida Baptist Convention leader who has been coordinating missions in Cuba for 18 years says Baptists will continue to be salt and light among their neighbors in the Caribbean, though they expect little immediate change in the Cuban government.

“Things aren’t going to change a whole lot [in Cuba] until the last name [of its leaders] changes,” Craig Culbreth, the Florida Baptist Convention’s lead catalyst for misisons and ministries, told BP. “And it’s still Castro. I think there will be some changes. How fast or how many I don’t know.”

In the meantime, Florida Baptists plan to continue sending an average of one mission team to Cuba every eight days, Culbreth said.

For Pablo Miret, a Cuban who pastors Iglesia Bautista Discipulos de Cristo in Miami, Castro’s death offers a ray of hope for Cuba’s future.

In a Facebook post he wrote, “What truly moves those of us who lived the communist experience in and outside of Cuba is the hope of a better future.”

– From Baptist Press, with additional reporting by the Illinois Baptist

Falwell turns Trump down

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr., turned down Presidentelect Donald Trump’s offer of a cabinet post, citing personal reasons, according to multiple media outlets. Falwell, one of the earliest and most visible evangelical leaders to endorse Trump, told the Associated Press Nov. 26 that Trump wanted him to make a four- to six-year commitment as Secretary of Education, but that he wasn’t able to leave Liberty for more than two years.

Texas Baptists oust gay-affirming churches

At their annual meeting Nov. 15, the Baptist General Convention of Texas voted to request that its executive board consider withdrawing fellowship from two churches that permit practicing homosexuals to be members.

“The BGCT believes First Baptist Church, Austin and Wilshire Baptist Church (of Dallas) are outside of harmonious cooperation as defined by the convention’s historical position and past actions…” the BGCT told Baptist Press. Their statement added, “While Texas Baptist churches are loving, respectful, and welcoming to all people, the convention’s position on biblical marriage remains unchanged. We believe the Bible teaches that any sexual relationship outside the bounds of a marriage between a man and woman is sin. This includes same-sex sexual behavior.”

Remembering Barrows

The man who served as Billy Graham’s music director for more than 60 years died Nov. 15 in North Carolina after a brief illness. Cliff Barrows was 93.

“There wouldn’t be a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in the way it is today without him,” said Graham following his friend’s death. “He was used of the Lord more than anyone else to keep us together with his strength, energy, devotion, and love for the Lord. “Cliff set an example and was a role model of what a Christian ought to be. His contribution to my ministry cannot be measured in human terms.”

Barrows was a member of the Nashville Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and the Southern Baptist Evangelists’ “Hall of Faith.”

– CBS News, Baptist Press

FALWELL

STRAINED RELATIONSHIP – Cuban President Fidel Castro’s government was notorious for its suppression of religion, but the leader met with Baptist World Alliance leaders in Havana in 2000. BP photo

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Finding grace in the gridlock

(Editor’s note: The 2016 IBSA Annual Meeting brought more than 500 pastors and church members to Broadview Missionary Baptist Church and Chicagoland, including some who hadn’t visited the city in a while— or ever before. Linda Darden who serves on IBSA’s Church Consulting Team, shared this “praise report” after her trip to the meeting. She was accompanied by her husband, Jerry, pastor of New Life Church in Waverly, near Springfield. Linda shared the following.)

If it hadn’t been for the annual meeting being in Chicago, and my poor sense of direction, I wouldn’t have asked my husband to take a few days off work at his secular job. Since he has gone bivocational, he usually can’t attend the meetings and conferences, but God had other things in mind for him.

I’d been praying that this would be a refreshing time for him, but it became so much more. His attitude toward Chicago was that it was THAT place, but God used this time to show him the faces of people in THAT place,

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and now he has a desire to bring what he has learned back to little old Waverly New Life. He was especially interested in the story of Jonathan de la O, who planted Starting Point Community Church in Chicago two years ago. If I understood correctly, the Hispanic church he is in has around 5,500 people in just one block. Jerry commented that in Waverly, there are around 2,000 people in a mile!

I’m not sure how God will use this in our lives, but I know he will. We plan on starting a prayer partnership with Rory Wallington of the hospitality ministry at Broadview. He has been working with gang members, so we have our first prayer request.

Jerry could probably verbalize this better than I’m writing it, but the bottom line is that this event has reached a pastor, and prayerfully will change a small church in Waverly.

So now you see why I’m thankful for Chicago traffic.

IN FOCUS

Prince of Peace

In a world of chaos, we need peace to reign again. How is it possible?

BY ERIC REED

Henry was despondent. His country was divided. His countrymen were at odds. Angry arguments had led to all-out war. And his son had joined the Army.

“In despair I bowed my head,” he wrote, describing the depth of his anguish. “There is no peace on earth,” he said, “For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Perhaps it wasn’t unusual at the time for a man to express himself in verse, but with a son in battle and his wife recently deceased, it seems an odd time to opine on peace. But that’s what Henry did.

“It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent,” he wrote of the breadth of the national suffering. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, not in his America. This great angry gash “made forlorn the households born Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

So much for the forefathers’ intended peace.

Loyal to the Union, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ascribed this national violation to Southern aggression in a verse not included in our hymnals today:

“Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Longfellow’s poem, written at Christmas in 1863, became an anthem for people who desperately needed an understanding of their wartime devastation. Was it to be to be attributed to human failure? Unbridged aggression? The natural consequence of sin? Or was it the judgment of God? The people took sides, brother against brother, and a nation at war with itself, in the middle of moral downfall, wondered, Where is this peace we were promised—our constitutional commitment and our biblical hope? Where is God in this unrestrained, unprecedented mess?

Continued on page 8

PHOTO: Silent witness

In the crèche at the Illinois Capitol building, a baby Jesus figurine reaches out with the promise of hope to passersby who mostly keep moving to get their business done.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men!

The poet drew images in sharp contrast: the ringing of cast-iron bells in church belfreys and the roaring of cast-iron cannons on farms-turned-battlefields. If the poem ended there, there would be no hope, for Longfellow or for us.

An uneasy peace

Thanksgiving 2016 may go down as the holiday that almost wasn’t (and similarly we fear for Christmas). Psychologists were advising families to avoid discussion of politics after the tumultuous and divisive election. The foment that was reported from workplaces and universities and city streets was likely to spill over into family gatherings as political debate became festering, destructive argument. Every family has at least one person who voted for the “wrong” candidate. Those who managed to keep their mouths shut at work would have little reason to hold back with their relatives. “Just don’t talk about it,” the Dr. Phil’s warned, for the sake of the peace.

But peace, by definition, demands reconciliation. A truce only promises a cessation of aggression, but that may not necessarily produce long-lasting, attitudetransforming, life-preserving peace.

A Capitol Idea

The Springfield Nativity Scene Committee unveiled its ninthannual display Nov. 29 in the rotunda of the Capitol building. The nativity (shown in detail on the facing page), which is privately funded and sponsored, was joined in the rotunda by a menorah display and the governor’s annual “holiday tree.”

A ceremony celebrating the nativity and the Christmas season featured music led by local families and speakers from Illinois congregations, ministries, and state government. Also in attendance were representatives from First Baptist Church, Springfield, including Pastor Michael Henderson (fourth from

Can there be peace after Clinton, peace past Trump? And beyond American politics, in this troubled year will there be peace in Latin America after Castro’s halfcentury grip on his nation (and ours)? For Aleppo divided down the middle by a narrow demilitarized zone that draws fire from both sides? For Syrian refugees still fleeing ISIS and Assad and for war zones in West Africa? And for persecuted believers in China, North Korea, Indonesia, and all corners of the world?

The fabled Christmas truce of 1914 seems so attractive right now.

Pope Benedict XV recommended in early December of that year that fighting be stopped to observe Christmas. Though the Great War was only five months old, French and German soldiers on both sides laid down their weapons and at many locations, it is told, entered the no-man’s land between their battle lines calling “Merry Christmas!”

“First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours,” British rifleman William Graham later wrote, “until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful,’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing—two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”

Enemy soldiers swapped packets of cigarettes and plum puddings, played soccer together in at least one location, and generally enjoyed a day of peace. In all, up to 100,000 troops, about two-thirds of the battle forces, participated in this “short peace in a terrible war” as summarized in a Time magazine account. Some troops used the day to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades and give them a proper burial.

The next day, the shooting resumed.

If we may borrow Longfellow’s words, “The world revolved from night to day…” in the stanza that precedes the poet’s headlong plunge into desolation, but there was no voice, no chime, no chant sublime, only the tinny rat-a-tat of gunfire—in cities across France a century ago, as in Paris and elsewhere with recent terrorist attacks, as in Mosul, Chicago, Englewood, Urbana, and Springfield.

So much for a cease fire.

Come, Lord Jesus

The world Jesus entered as a baby experienced a false peace. It was enforced by dictatorship and military oppression. It was threatened by zealots, terror cells, and constant fear of revolt by the masses. And yet, the era was called Peace.

The Peace of Rome. The Pax Romana lasted for about 200 years, but it came at a high price. The Caesars were cruel and nervous men, as were their henchmen, the regional governors such as the paranoid Herods. Herod the Great would do anything to keep peace with Rome, and thereby keep his throne, even if it meant slaughtering a town’s entire population of boy babies.

The prophets predicted the coming of young king who would specialize in peace,

“…one who is to be ruler in Israel….. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace” (Micah 5:2, 4-5a).

But the people who read the prophets understood how this peaceful monarchy would (of necessity) follow turmoil. Micah opened his sweet messianic prophecy with this arch salutation: “Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us!” (Micah 5:1).

Even Isaiah, who gave the reassuring pronouncement that a Prince of Peace would be born, said honestly that saving the world is bloody business. “For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire” (Isaiah 9:4-5).

All this talk of peace comes with this honest admission: The Prince of Peace enters a world in chaos and bring his own chaos with him. The emergence of the Kingdom of God at the natal moment is not peaceful. Birth is not peaceful. It is bloody—and loud and painful. Birth brings its own chaos.

And the One born does not sleep in heavenly peace for long. “The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes…” and the carol writer Anonymous assures us “no crying he makes.”

Dream on, Anonymous.

That Baby cried in his first minute of existence outside his mother’s womb. His birth announcement was a plaintive wail, and nothing has been the same since. Kingdom burst into existence and crashed into conflict with this sin-stained world. It should not surprise us that we still long for peace, we still wait for peace, even after the Prince of Peace has come. His transforming work is not done.

Our American culture in its religious naivety loves Jesus as a baby, treating him as an amulet against bad things—like Annelle, the misguided hair stylist in Steel Magnolias, who decorated her front door with a score of tiny mangers.

“I went to the fire sale at the Baptist Book Store in Shreveport last month,” she said in a drawl appropriate to her bayou setting. “They were selling mismatched manger scenes at incredibly low prices, and I cleaned them out of Baby Jesuses…”

If only a score of ‘Baby Jesuses’ could ward off our national ills and personal fears.

A meeting with Jesus this year comes with the realization that the supposedly tow-headed youngster in the cradle is but a hint at the reign of peace to come, and that the coming of the Prince of Peace into this world first creates crisis.

“Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth,” Jesus warned his followers in Matthew 21:34. “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” And in John 14:27, his definition of peace apparently differs from our expectations: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.”

His holiness collides with our sin—and by God’s grace overcomes it at Calvary. His peace confronts our warring—and the victory must first be won in our hearts.

The Prince of Peace himself is confirmation of God’s promise that peace will come to the earth. At his second coming, he will usher in peace forevermore. Until then, his peace will reign in believing hearts, even if peace seems remote in a decidedly unpeaceful world.

“Do not be afraid!” the angel told the shepherds on a green patch outside a farming village. One commentator pointed out recently that statement could rightly be translated, “There’s no reason for you to be afraid.” And the angel choir affirms this good news: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, Peace on earth to people he favors” (Luke 2:9, 14 HCSB).

The peace this year may not be political. It is certainly not pervasive. But it is providential. And it is deeply personal. In a world of chaos, the Prince of Peace reigns first and foremost in the heart.

In this time of uncertainty and unrest, we are reminded like Longfellow, who “thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along Th’ unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”

– H.W. Longfellow

fresh ideas

12 days of Christmas

The fun begins on December 14, and it’s better than turtledoves or maids a-milking! Each day from December 14-25, do one simple Christmas action project in Jesus’ name. With early preparation, most will take just a few minutes, but the impact will be great. You can do this with your kids, your small group, or individually. Use these ideastarters to determine 12 projects that fit your interests, talents, budget, schedule, and community.

The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas always ignites the stress of finding just the right gifts for loved ones and friends.

The reality is that Christmas in America is more of a commercial event than a religious holiday. Decrying commercialism won’t change things much, but there are some ideas to make your holiday season a more spiritual experience for your family.

life? What are some of the life situations you have faced when Christ has walked through with you? There may have been times of financial struggle, sickness, or death. How has Christ blessed you and your family throughout your Christian life?

Let me recommend an amazing gift you can give this year that will have long-lasting impact.

DIANA DAVIS

• Give gloves or a scarf to a needy person on a street corner. Keep the items ready in your car, with a Christmas note inside.

• Write a personal note to a relative you won’t see during Christmas.

• Buy a hot chocolate for the Salvation Army bell ringer or a construction worker on a cold day.

• Ask a nursing home if some residents might like to hear a reading of the Bible Christmas story. Read, chat about memories, and pray for them.

• Donate a new coat for a child in need, with a note in the pocket.

• When someone you know is sick, deliver soup and a note.

• Purchase a kid-friendly nativity set and give it to neighbor children.

• Visit a neighbor or friend who will be alone at Christmas. Take a thermos of hot water, tea bags, and cups to serve Christmas tea

• Invite someone who doesn’t usually attend church to the Christmas Eve service or Christmas Sunday worship. Meet them at the door.

• Deliver a small homemade gift with note to your garbage truck driver, Sunday school teacher, pastor, school administrator, restaurant server, grocery bagger, town mayor, mail carrier, neighbor, etc.

Use your project list to gather supplies in early December. Make several simple homemade gifts, such as bookmarks, ornaments, paperweights, and Christmas cookies. Attach a note to each item, including the words “Made just for you” and “Merry Christmas. God loves you!” For some projects, include a church brochure or salvation tract.

Each day, prayerfully accomplish one project. As you make a habit of being kind to others in his name, a “me-me-me” attitude morphs into a “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” focus. What a concept! This sounds a bit like Acts 20:35b: “It is better to give than to receive.”

© Diana Davis, dianadavis.org

I propose that you write your conversion story.

You could print it on parchment paper and perhaps frame it as a gift, or just write it as a letter. OK, so your kids and grandkids will want something more but, in the end, your story will be the greatest gift they receive.

As Christians, we need to leave a legacy of faith to our families. This could be a wonderful way to tell your faith story to your family. Title it your “Legacy of Faith.”

Here is an outline of how you might approach writing your story. It doesn’t have to be complicated; just share your story from your heart. And be sure to sign it when you finish.

Place your life in context.

For me, I can tell my family of the rich spiritual heritage I enjoy because of the faith of their greatgrandparents and grandparents. I can tell of the spiritual umbrella that was cast over our home because of the living faith in Christ and unreserved commitment to the church displayed in our home. Your story may be different. The context of your journey may be filled with brokenness and pain. Share your story with truth while not glorifying your past.

Relate what led to your decision to follow Christ.

I cannot remember a time I did not love Jesus. As a child, I knew the plan of salvation. Yet, one morning in Sunday school,

my teacher told us the story of the cross and said, “Boys and girls, someday you will give your heart to Jesus and trust him as your savior.”

At that moment, the Holy Spirit made the reality of my sin and Jesus’ death on the cross for my sin collide. I made the decision then to ask Jesus to forgive me and become my savior. I went forward in the service that morning, but I really decided to follow Jesus in Sunday school.

Share your faith journey since your decision.

What are the ways you have learned to follow Jesus? How has Christ made a difference in your

My life is transformed day by day as I follow Jesus. As I learned to feed on his Word and communicate with him through prayer, he became my forever friend. In every circumstance, I know I have a friend who will walk with me. Space will not allow me to elaborate, but you get the picture.

Even if your family members are younger and do not understand the significance of the gift you place in their hands, there will come a day when this gift will mean more than gold.

So give a gift to your children, your children’s children and generations who follow. Leave them a written “Legacy of Faith.”

“These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up…. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:6-7, 9).

Anthony

L. Jordan is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. This column is courtesy of Baptist Press.

For the kid who has everything, give this amazing gift

Your children (and grandchildren) need to know your faith story. Share the truth without glorifying your past.

Suddenly, Pastor Doug regretted agreeing to the live nativity.

MISSION

(Editor’s note: Our Lisa Sergent recently travelled to London to meet with members of the International Mission Board’s communications team. With staffing changes abroad and at the Richmond, Virginia headquarters, IMB is implementing new mission strategies. The goal is to multiply the number of missionaries on the field, especially short-term and volunteer workers who will practice their professions and their faith among the world’s lost people. Targeting huge cities in five regions of the world is one of those strategies.)

London by the numbers

300

‘Limitless’ gospel opportunity

New IMB strategy targets cities and self-funded volunteers

BY LISA SERGENT

London | Tourists from around the world flock to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The Tower Bridge, and other iconic English landmarks. Getting around via the Tube, red doubledecker buses, or those famous London black cabs is simple, and very British. It’s very easy to lose oneself in the surroundings. But the world is moving to London, and sharing its culture with it.

Across the street from the Royal London Hospital are rows of shops featuring Middle Eastern goods including halal meats, and just a few blocks away is the largest mosque in London. Other parts of the city are home to large Indian populations and curry has become a staple of the British diet.

Some 300 languages are spoken by its 8.3 million people within its 607 square miles. According to the International Mission Board, 37% of its residents come from outside the United Kingdom and one-quarter of its population arrived within the last five years. Forbes magazine named it “#1 City of Influence.”

This diversity is why London was chosen as one of five cities the International Mission Board (IMB) has selected to be part of its Global Cities Initiative (GCI). In previous centuries most of the world’s population lived in rural areas. In this century, 54% of world’s population lives in urban areas and the Southern Baptist Convention’s missions sending agency has taken notice. The cities represent life-altering, world-changing, gospel-planting opportunities that can’t be missed.

The four other GCI cities are Dubai, where 80% of the population is foreignborn with more than 2 million residents from more than 200 nationalities; Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, home to 8 million people with 62% following Islam and 20% Buddhism; Shanghai, the largest city in China with a population of more than 24 million people, most of whom claim to be nonreligious or atheist; and an unnamed Southeast Asian city that’s home to nearly 17 million people with large populations of Hindus and Muslims and very few Christians.

Continued on page 12

37% 1/4

languages spoken of population from outside UK population arrived within the last 5 years

50

non-indigenous communities with populations of 10,000+

34 45% 20

average age in London

profess no religion, “nones”

average church attendance

– International Mission Board

NEW MODEL – This model of London (top left) fills a room at the New London Architecture Museum. The areas marked by white circles are near Underground (subway) stations. They are the focal points of church planting, making participation in worship and Bible study groups easily accessible to the city’s highly mobile population.

Continued from page 11

Underground strategies

“Every people group is represented in London. This is what heaven will look like,” said James Roberts, the IMB London city manager.

He described the economic conditions of the people living in the city, “There’s a wide gap financially, the poorest of the poor and the super wealthy, very little middle class. We’re trying to work together more across affinity groups.”

Where do you even begin to start in such a large city?

Victoria. Paddington. White Chapel. They’re all stations in the London Underground subway system where up to 4.8 million passenger journeys take place each day, according to Transport for London. There are 280 stations along the 11 lines of the Tube, as it’s commonly called. The stations are the key to IMB’s outreach here.

“The goal is to have a missional community in each area,” Roberts said, describing a mapdriven analysis of the entire city. “A missional community is a group that discerns how God is moving and tries to gather to share community—mom’s groups, small groups, men’s groups.”

The team in London knows it won’t be easy. “It’s a lot of networking, coffee, work, limitless streams of people coming in,” Roberts said. “We try to connect, catch people as they come with the goal of starting new groups and church work. It takes a village to pull this thing off and courage to pull this together.”

Shane Mikeska is a student mobilizer on the London team. Before coming to England, he and his family lived in Asia, but illness forced a move from the tropics. “Western Europe is the hardest place to engage the population. In Asia it’s easier to have a spirited conversation. Here in this context most (people) are apathetic.”

On campuses, he said, “the students most open to new things are internationals. There

are opportunities to connect to hold worship and Bible study.” Reaching them is a focal point in the cities iniative. “They can go home and go into their culture and share boldly.”

About 50,000 Americans study abroad each year and many are Christians. “We want them to come and plug into the local church and ministry, not just travel and experience things.”

You are here

The Global Cities Initiative allows people who feel called to go—but not in the traditional career-missionary way.

D. Ray Davis is part of the IMB mobilization team. “We used to say God is calling and people aren’t listening. Now we’re saying God is calling and more people are listening than we can send.”

IMB President David Platt uses the word “limitless” to describe his vision for reaching the world: limitless numbers of missionaries utilizing “multiple pathways” to the mission field. GCI is one of those pathways to “send limitless missionaries to engage lostness all over the world,” Roberts said. “Business professionals, students, retirees—a GCI person raises their own support.” Groups and individuals are also invited to come serve on short-term projects. “There’s no language barrier to overcome,” Roberts said of his London mission field.

After getting to know the city, Mikeska has grown to love London and thinks others will too. “Now, I look at this vast city and wail over it and cry over it, like in the Bible. God’s done a transformational work in my heart,” the young missionary said. Even as he weeps for the lost, Mikeska concludes, “We’re excited about the future, being part of this team.”

To learn more, visit IMB.org. All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are from the International Mission Board.

WAY OUT – Exit signs in the London subway system read “Way Out.” For Southern Baptists sharing Christ in this bustling multi-cultural melting pot, the phrase speaks of opportunity the gospel offers for more than half of Londoners who claim a non-Christian religion or no religion at all.

JAMES ROBERTS

TRULY POST-CHRISTIAN – “There is no lack of churches in London, but the average attendance is 20 people,” said missionary to students Shane Mikeska. With almost half the population unaffiliated with any religion, many are apathetic toward Christianity. “It’s a ‘been-here-done-that’ kind of thing.”

BIG CITY – One of London’s most iconic sites is Big Ben and the House of Parliament.

Week of Prayer missionaries take gospel light to dark places

Let the gospel resound

South Asia | The Indian bride wore blue silk, trimmed with gold. Rich fabrics in brilliant hues are traditional for wedding saris in this megacity.

But the guest list was anything but typical. Among those celebrating this day were 20 prostitutes—women who were like family to Shanti.* She knew them from the years she shared their heartbreaking lifestyle as a prostitute. That was before the ministry of a Christian activity center rescued Shanti from her former life. She is now a believer and has a good job to support herself. And on this day, she even married a Christian man.

International Mission Board missionaries Rodney and Helen Cregg* have partnered in establishing the activity center that offers prostitutes a place to learn basic skills in the middle of a notorious red-light district.

The Creggs are supported by the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, an annual offering facilitated by the International Mission Board and Woman’s Missionary Union in partnership with Baptist state conventions. Many churches will mark the Week of Prayer Dec. 4-11.

“This is why we do what we do, to see these ladies—and other people in [this city]—realize the hope in the gospel and then find victory in freedom,” Rodney says.

Another woman at the center agrees: “Being involved at the center, I am finding the love I didn’t get from my family from people who know the Lord. Through Jesus I am experiencing love. I am blessed.”

Finding home again

Missionary Layla Murphy* was shopping in a vegetable market in Southeast Asia when she heard phrases she understood. Two women were speaking the language of the Buddhist country from which she had just been expelled, after laboring for years to share the gospel.

Soon Layla learned that hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and refugees from her former country lived in this sprawling urban center. God’s providence had set her right in the middle of the gospel-hungry people that she’d felt called to serve. Then, a national pastor asked her to stay right there to teach, train, and disciple new believers from the country that she can’t live in but calls “home.”

On the first day of class, she planned for 15 students but 50 showed up. “God had put hunger for his Word deep in their hearts and this was the first time that they’d ever had the chance to learn [the Bible].” Though she would rather serve in the country she loves, “this deepened my trust in God.” Her students tease her that she is also a refugee—the American refugee, Layla says.

“That sort of binds our hearts together.”

For more Lottie Moon and Week of Prayer resources, go to IMB.org/lottie-moon-christmasoffering.

*Names changed.

– From IMB.org

3. A South American city, where David and Hanna Harris* are reaching a Jewish community of more than 200,000 people.

For more, go to IMB.org/lottiemoon-christmas-offering.

lottie moon christmas offering

‘Why we do what we do’

PRAYER CIRCLE – Young men in Southeast Asia meet to study the Bible.

SHARP CONTRAST – Rodney and Helen Cregg’s work in a large city helps rescue women from prostitution.

1. Mozambique, where Brian Harrell (left) and his family are sharing the gospel with a people group of 300,000 which has followed Islam for 1,000 years.

2. Italy, where Nick Copland (right) and his wife, Shannan, use social media to build relationships in the city of Verona.

More people and places highlighted in the 2016 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Week of Prayer:

– Photos by IMB

meet the team

Meet: Ken Wilson Church Planting Catalyst Central and Southern Illinois

Metro celebrates 25 years

Edwardsville | Metro Community Church marked its 25th anniversary Oct. 15-16 with a weekend of special services and activities, including a zip line, food trucks, and a celebratory fireworks display.

Family: I have been married to Cindy almost 31 years. We have four kids: Luke, Andrea, KJ, and Sadee. We have four grandchildren and one on the way.

Illinois history: I was saved at 19 and began attending Blooming Grove Baptist Church in McLeansboro. God put a passion on my heart to see others follow him. I began picking up teenagers in my dad’s pickup truck and hauling them to church. One Sunday morning we had 19 kids in the truck. The church wisely decided it was not safe, so the preacher let me use his station wagon until they bought a new van. More than 30 people came to faith during this time.

I answered God’s call to preach seven months after being saved. I served as pastor of South Benton Baptist Church, Lake Milligan Baptist in Miller City, Samaria Baptist in Albion, United Missionary Baptist in Buncombe, and Southern Illinois Country Church in Makanda. I also served eight years as a missionary in northern Michigan.

Memorable IBSA moment: My most memorable moment with IBSA came when I was serving as a church planting consultant. I was involved in a near fatal logging accident and IBSA churches prayed for me. I really don’t believe I would be alive today if not for people lifting me up in prayer.

Favorite movie: Holiday Inn

Favorite Scripture: Psalms 32:8—

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go and I will guide you with my eye.”

NeTworkiNg

Find more information on ministry positions at IBSA.org/connect

Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org

Senior and Founding Pastor Paul Westbrook and his wife, Melody (pictured right), started Metro in 1991, meeting initially in one family’s basement. The church moved to a local elementary school for its first official service on Easter Sunday that year, and met in schools until moving into their own facility in 2003.

The anniversary services, which celebrated things “only God” can do, included testimonies of people who met and experienced God because of Metro’s mission to connect disconnected people with him.

Important Year-End Information

Now is the time to double check your records to ensure all your gifts given through IBSA have been credited to the proper designations and so corrections can be made before the end of the year. Any changes or contributions received in our office by January 5, 2017, will be included in 2016 giving. Gifts received after this date will be credited as 2017 giving. Please contact Kendra Jackson at (217) 391-3111 or e-mail kendrajackson@ibsa. org if you have questions or need assistance. Thank you.

Logan St. ground breaking

Mt. Vernon | Logan Street Baptist Church broke ground on its new location Oct. 2, officially kicking off a construction project church leaders hope to have completed by spring of 2018, the Mt. Vernon Register-News reported. The church purchased the property on 42nd Street 18 years ago.

“Let the gospel pierce every activity that happens here at this ceremony,” IBSA’s Mark Emerson said at the ground breaking. “Let the miracle on 42nd Street be the lives that are changed by God through the work that is done in this place.”

Retirement celebration

Esther Eggley retired in November after 15 years of service at IBSA. When she joined the staff, Eggley worked in the evangelism department’s student and family area. She later spent several years as a ministry assistant with IBSA’s Church Planting Team. Esther’s husband, Tom, is a retired pastor, and the couple call Chatham Baptist Church home.

Welcome

Dale Tripp is serving as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Princeton. Tripp previously pastored Graves Southern Baptist Church in Georgetown, S.C., and is a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. He and his wife, Diana, have one son and three grandchildren.

Macedonia Baptist Church of rural Casey is seeking a bivocational pastor to share God’s word and lead his flock to a better and more functional Christ-centered life. Those interested in this type of ministry, please send resumes to Macedonia Baptist Church, Attn: Pulpit Search Committee, P.O. Box 55, Casey, IL 62420.

Marshall Baptist Church seeks a 30-hour per week director of student ministries who will work to foster a strong education program with teachers, students, parents, and church leaders. E-mail resumes and questions by January 1 to twtharp@frontier.com, Attn: Personnel Committee.

With

the

Lord Illinois Baptist church leader Orbley Ramsey died in November. He served as pastor of Heyworth First Baptist Church and Boody Southern Baptist, and as an associate pastor at Emmanuel Baptist in Decatur. After his retirement, he was a teacher at Galilee Baptist in Decatur. He is survived by his wife, Shirley.

Take the 2016 Church Needs Survey

An investment of 10-15 minutes of your time will help IBSA assess current ministries and plan more effectively for future work.

Visit: conta.cc/2e7gkOk

Thanks for your participation!

EVENTS

December 4-11

Lottie Moon Christmas

Offering & Week of Prayer

Info: IMB.org/lottie-moon-christmasoffering

January 12, 17, February 6-7

Tax Seminars

What: Valuable tax info for current and retired ministers, treasurers, and other leaders

Where: Jan. 12: FBC Marion, 7-9 p.m.;

Jan. 17: FBC Effingham, 7-9 p.m.;

Feb. 6: Gateway Association, 7-9 p.m.; Feb. 7: IBSA Building, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and Immanuel, Lemont, 7-9 p.m.

Register: IBSA.org/church_health

Contact: SylvanKnobloch@IBSA.org

January 22

Sanctity of Life Sunday

Info: erlc.com

February 9

iConnect: IBSA/Pastors

Meet-Up

What: Introduction to IBSA staff, ministries, training, and opportunities, for pastors and church staff members

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Contact: BarbTroeger@IBSA.org

February 10, 20-21

Rekindling the Call Retreat

What: Free retreat for pastors and wives

Where: Feb. 10: Streator Baptist Camp, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Feb. 20-21: IBSA Building, Springfield, noon Monday to noon Tuesday

Register: IBSA.org/church_health

Contact: SylvanKnobloch@IBSA.org

February 13-19

Focus on WMU

Info: IBSA.org/missions

February 18

Church Technology Conference

What: Learn how to use technology for worship and outreach at this retreat, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Cost: $10 per person, includes lunch Register: IBSA.org/worship

Contact: SteveHamrick@IBSA.org

February 25

VBS Clinic-Central Illinois

What: Training in age groups, music, crafts, missions, and more for this summer’s “Galactic Starveyors” curriculum; registration begins at 8 a.m., clinic concludes at noon.

Where: Emmanuel Baptist, Carlinville

Info: IBSA.org/kids

Contact: CathyWaters@IBSA.org

Is this too intense?

QMy wife and I make a little over $50,000 a year combined, and we’re almost debt-free. Right now, we have $50,000 left on our mortgage and $4,000 in student loans left to pay. We’re both really excited about the future, and we’re thinking about selling our home and moving into a trailer her parents own. On top of this, we’d like to save my wife’s entire salary for five years to buy another, better house. What do you think of this plan?

AMan, I’m really excited for you two. You’re working hard to take control of your finances and pay off debt. This is what I mean when I use the phrase “gazelle intensity.” However, I think selling your home is going a bit too far at the moment. Despite a really rocky road the last several years, the housing and real estate market is finally starting to rebound. At this point, there’s every indication that your home is going to go up in value. If you go with your plan, you’re going to lose all that appreciation value and lower your standard of living at the same time.

While you have something of a modest income, I think you make enough money to pay off the house and become prosperous during the next five to seven years, without going to the extreme.

Keep up the great work!

Illinois Leadership Summit

Jan. 24-25 | IBSA Building, Springfield

Featured

Financial advisor Dave Ramsey is a prolific author and radio host.

Q Coverage options

My husband and I are selfemployed, and we currently pay almost $1,000 a month for health insurance. I’ve heard you talk about the potential for rates to increase as much as 40-60% next year. Are there other options, such as just saving the money in case of medical emergencies?

AYou don’t want to go completely without insurance, because you’ll get penalized by the government. Remember, when it comes to health insurance, the problem usually isn’t a kidney stone or a trip to the emergency room for a few stitches. The problem is a cancer diagnosis, which ends up costing $500,000 or more.

You might want to check into an HSA (Health Savings Account) type of plan within the exchanges. Another thing you could look at is one of the medical sharing programs through a Christian organization such as Christian Healthcare Ministries.

But a higher deductible, HSA-type plan might help keep your premiums down. It’s sad, but this is what Obamacare has done to independent people like you and me who are selfemployed. It’s destroying small group plans, and I guess that was their intent. I suppose they wanted to put those companies out of business, so the government could take it over.

DAVE RAMSEY

Illinois Baptists gather in Springfield for this major leadership training event. Learn to make your church more effective in ministry and outreach.

teacher: Mac Lake is a leadership expert specializing in church growth, personal development of leaders, and creation of the leadership pipeline. Learn more about Mac at maclakeonline.com.

i lead

Disciple your leaders

To most any observer, there are at least some similarities between leadership and discipleship. For example, the real focus of discipleship is on the person who is being discipled, as is the real focus of leadership. It is a moot point to have a superb leader if no one is following. If a leader points the way through a forest and there is no one to hear his directions, then the “leading” might as well have not happened at all. In fact, it didn’t!

Church needed here...

Location: Deerfield

Focus: Students and young families

Characteristics: While the population has declined in recent years, this community is home to 19,000 people and characterized by high levels of education and income.

Prayer needs: Ask God to use connections with Trinity International University in Deerfield to start a new church.

devotional

What we really need

STEPHEN WILLIAMS

There are other similarities. Because it’s God’s aim (Romans 12:2), the goal of a disciple-coach is transformation. Whenever we are leading, our goal is the wellbeing of the follower as their life meshes with the will of God.

It is sobering for me to entertain the idea of leading a congregation because I am not endeavoring to bring about any self-empowerment; rather, I am entering into the act of caring for followers. This keeps me from using coercion at all. All power belongs to God when it comes to either discipleship or Christian leadership.

Here is another similarity: When I become a disciple-maker, ultimately I will be replaced. Hopefully some of those I coach in following Christ will carry on the gospel beyond my years. Some of those I have coached will take my place in the very endeavors I treasure most. After all, discipleship has really happened effectively when the person I am coaching outdistances me and I must step aside.

The same is true for leadership. If I have been effective, I can focus my attention elsewhere and celebrate the wins of those who have learned to take the reins themselves. This is delegation; but it is also discipleship.

According to Joseph Rost in “Leadership for the Twenty-First Century,” leadership “is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes.” Influence is central to both leadership and discipleship.

Leading is good when the follower knows it’s his own idea to follow in the direction the leader is leading. The purpose is mutual as a result of good leadership. Discipleship is like that too. The leader has won them over when they know it is no longer the leader’s idea. Leadership is discipleship!

W. Stephen Williams is pastor of Simpson Missionary Baptist Church and an IBSA zone consultant in southern Illinois.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Every time I read this passage, my imagination runs away with me. I picture myself as one of those shepherds in that field on that night. I am shocked, terrified, and awed by the messenger. He quickly seeks to calm my fears and tells me about some good news.

We all want good news. In a culture filled with despair and hopelessness, we need a message that will lift our spirits and give us hope. This is the good news of Christmas for all people.

The message is about Jesus our savior and deliverer. The one who died on the cross for our sins. The message is about Christ, the Messiah of Israel and the anointed one of God. He is the redeemer of his people, bringing them back into the Kingdom of God. The message is about the Lord who became flesh and dwelled among us, was raised from the dead, and will return to establish his rule forever.

PRAYER PROMPT: Lord God, we celebrate your salvation in and through Christ Jesus. May we faithfully proclaim the gospel to those without hope everlasting. Amen.

Kevin Carrothers serves as pastor of Rochester FBC and president of IBSA.

Pastors, join the IBSA Pastors’ Prayer Room on Facebook. E-mail oweaver7307@ gmail.com.

pinterest.com/illinoisBaptist

Two special Sundays

Both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on Sunday this year. How will we make these days, which might tend toward lower attendance, extra special?

Throw a birthday party for Jesus. In the hour before the worship service, celebrate! Include balloons and a birthday cake. Kids will love it. Serve hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. Families with young children may have trouble getting to church that morning. Provide breakfast.

Bring your toys to church. Tell families a week ahead to let their children bring their favorite new toy to show and tell. Turn it into an object lesson on the best gift of all: salvation in Jesus Christ.

Carol fest. You can never have too many Christmas carols. Sing them all, one more time. If your worship leader is out of town, let unlikely singers take a turn. It will warm even the Grinch’s heart.

Tell tales. Build a service around worshippers’ personal stories. Share how God has moved in wonderful ways this year.

Pray in the new year. Make the service all about prayer: prayer for the nation, prayer for the church. Place requests for salvations in a bowl on the communion table. Pray over them all year long.

Plan a consecration service. Help people dedicate themselves to God’s purpose in 2017. For those who need a fresh start, this is day to do it. Or baptize someone at the start of the first worship service of the year. That would be a fine sign of a year-long commitment to evangelism.

Share the Lord’s Supper. An ideal way to honor Christ at the start of the new year.

KEVIN CARROTHERS