January 20, 2014 Illinois Baptist

T e e n s

Spirit

Youth Encounter rocks students, builds faith

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a new group page 14

Eclairs page 15

Springfield | “Where are you?”

That simple question, asked from the Youth Encounter stage, has stuck with Kendra Lorton ever since she attended IBSA’s annual conference for students

“When God asks where are you, are you right behind him, or are you away from him?” Lorton paraphrased speaker Brian Burgess’ final message of the weekend

“That’s been in my mind every day since then ”

Get IBSA news and updates throughout the week:

Sign up for the weekly eConnection at www IBSA org/Communications

Lorton attended her first Youth Encounter December 27-28 as a leader from Herrick Baptist Church The church sent a group of 20 students and chaperones, including Pastor Jay Huddleston. He told the Illinois Baptist three students from his church made

Continued on page 3

HOLY ROAR – Accompanied by booming worship music, students and leaders raised their voices at Youth Encounter in Springfield, December 27-28 The annual event featured artists like 33Miles (top photo), and 32 people made decisions to follow Christ “Amazing isn’t even the word for it” is how youth leader Kendra Lorton described the conference

‘Surrendering the secret’ of abortion

Church’s recovery class aids healing

By Meredith Flynn

T r o y , I l l . | Dr. Chris Midkiff likely didn’t know what kind of bombshell she had just dropped during a women’s leadership meeting at Bethel Baptist Church

The OB/GYN mentioned an abortion recovery Bible study she’d read about called Surrendering the Secret

Some of the women in the meeting personally understood the need for such a study

Karen Schemerhorn remembers thinking, “What expression should I have on my face?” The prison ministry leader hadn’t told anyone about her abortions

Mary Beth*, also there for the meeting said, “If you’re a woman who has had that in your past, you’re sweating, you’re nervous, you’re

thinking everybody’s looking at you because everybody knows

“It’s one of those secret sins that just eats you alive ”

Return to ‘first love,’ Rainer pleads

In an open letter on his blog, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer urged his denomination to return to their “first love” of reaching people who don’t know Christ

“Where is the passion in most of our churches to reach the lost?” blogged the leader of the SBC’s publishing arm “Where is the passion among our leaders, both in our churches and in our denomination?

Now, more than five years later, Bethel’s women’s ministry has facilitated numerous Surrendering the Secret classes Dr Midkiff hosts the group at an off-campus location, and confidentiality is vital as women share their stories, many for the first time ever

Karen cites a statistic that nearly half of all women of child-bearing age have had at least one abortion

6

“Jesus told those at the church at Ephesus that they had sound doctrine, that they hated evil (Revelation 2:1-7). But He also told them they had lost their first love When we truly love Jesus with all of our hearts, we can’t help but tell others about Him We can’t help but share the good news ”

The post expresses concern that the Southern Baptist Convention is

Continued on page 2

BRIEFING the

News updates every Tuesday at www ib2news org

New podcast offers ethical Q&A’s

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, launched a podcast series this month to address et ical and cultural questions submitted by listeners The inaugural “Questions and Ethics” podcast focused on the question: When should you ask your potential spouse about their sexual history and how much should you know?

A second episode at erlc com addressed how churches should approach Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

“‘Questions & Ethics’ allows us to answer the more difficult moral and ethical questions of our day in a short, accessible format,” said ERLC’s Dan Darling in a written release “This podcast allows Dr Moore to answer a variety of questions people are asking or should be asking ’”

Religious hostility on the rise

More than three-fourths of the world’s population faces high or very high religious restriction, according to the Pew Research Center The new study, which measures religious restriction rates through 2012, found social hostilities toward religion were at a six-year high, with 33% of the world’s countries exhibiting high or very high levels Christians and Muslims are the religous groups that are harassed in the most countries, Pew found

2013’s most popular Scripture

Philippians 4:13 received “verse of the year” honors from the YouVersion Bible app, which noted it was the most bookmarked, highlighted and shared Scripture in 2013. The app’s single most shared verse: Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it ” YouVersion reported 49 million app installs in 2013

Creationist vs. ‘Science Guy’

Ken Ham, president of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky , will engage in a sold-out public deb on evolution with TV’s Bill Nye (left) The 4 event at the museum also will be live amed “It is an important debate to have as eal with the question, ‘Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?’” Ham posted on his blog Nye, host of TV’s “Bill Nye the Science Guy” in the mid-1990s, made headlines last year with a YouTube video calling creationism inappropriate for kids A recent study by Pew Research found 60% of Americans believe in evolution

The (church) dating game

A new game show will test the matchmaking prowess of church members competing to set up a single member of their congregation “It Takes a Church,” set to premiere on GSN this year, will be hosted by singer Natalie Grant. “There are a growing number of singles in the church who do not want to be single,” Grant told The Christian Post The show will visit a new church each week, and the winning “cupid” gets a donation made to the church in their name The best part: GSN says the unmarried church members will be “unsuspecting” until camera crews arrive

Bill would protect state marriage policy

Washington, D.C. | A U S congressman has proposed legislation to protect state authority in matters of marriage The State Marriage Defense Act of 2014, introduced by Rep. Randy Weber of Texas, would mandate that the federal government recognize marriages based on where a couple resides, not where their wedding was performed

That means states without legalized same-sex marriage would not be required to honor same-sex marriage licenses from other states in some matters involving taxes and benefits. The bill seeks to clarify state authority after the Supreme Court overturned part of the Defense of Marriage Act last summer

“Our country and our courts will soon experience a chaotic clash of marriage laws and regulations,” said Barrett Duke of the Southern Baptist Ethics &

Religious Liberty Commission

“At this time, the federal government is not capable of responding to the situation developing in the st

“The Weber bill w provide crucial guidance to policymakers and agencie at the federal level as states and concerned citizens attempt to navigate the crumbling landscape of marriage in the country ”

In the DOMA decision, the Supreme Court addressed a suit filed by Edith Windsor against the federal government Windsor was considered married to her lesbian partner in her state of residence, New York, and filed taxes accordingly But the couple’s marriage was not recognized for tax purposes by the federal government Windsor sued the federal government on the grounds that the “death tax” on her deceased partner ’s estate was discriminatory against her

Leadership center off the table

| A property being considered by the IBSA Board for purchase was sold to another buyer last month

The expansive house on 30 acres just a mile and a half from the IBSA building was initially proposed in 2012 as a potential site for a leadership development retreat center for IBSA churches

“I think it’s been a healthy and helpful exercise for both the IBSA Board and our staff to investigate the potential property acquisition over the past year and a half,” said IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams “We weren’t willing to

borrow money for the acquisition, and I think that was wise

It also gave us time to seek input from churches and leaders, and to do the necessary due diligence

“Another buyer got a great property, and we got a good learning experience,” Adams said “I’m certainly content with the outcome ” The property, originally valued at $1.8 million, sold for $735,000 in late December

An ad hoc committee of the IBSA Board had been studying the Springfield property, but Adams said he doesn’t anticipate the committee continuing to look for potential leadership

as both the heir and spouse, and the court ultimately sided with Windsor Weber ’s bill, filed Jan 9, ould require the federal govrnment to levy taxes based on he marriage law of New York, which happens to recogze same-sex marriage, but not permit federal agencies to presume same-sex marriage upon states where it is not recognized

“By requiring that the Federal Government defer to the laws of a person’s state of legal residence in determining marital status, we can protect states’ constitutionally established powers from the arbitrary overreach of unelected bureaucrats,” Weber said in a prepared statement

In addition to the Texan, eight Southern Baptists are among the 27 original sponsors of the proposed legislation

– From Baptist Press

center facilities

“This property was unique, especially in its proximity to the IBSA building and in its retreatlike setting The committee’s focus now is likely to be on how to make the current IBSA properties even more valuable and useful to IBSA churches ”

Leadership development will continue to be one of the organization’s top priorities, Adams added.

In addition to IBSA’s current strategies, churches should look for new leadership development opportunities coming to their regions, including peer learning groups, pastors’ cohorts, and leadership coaching networks

Letter: ‘Evangelism must be as natural as breathing’

Continued from page 1

“reaching fewer people than decades ago ” The letter includes the link to a 2013 news story that cites annual statistics showing SBC declines in membership, attendance and baptisms, but Rainer told Baptist Press the timing of the letter is unrelated to any other current events or developments in the convention

He said he struggled with whether to post the letter out of concern it might be seen arrogant or condescending, but was motivated in part by “the reality of the state of our denomination and the reality that that state is not getting better ”

Rainer characterized reaction

to the post as “overwhelmingly positive,” primarily because “people have, for the most part, responded out of a personal conviction that God needs to do something in their lives, which – in my own life – is what prompted me to write it ”

The letter echoed a resolution passed by messengers to IBSA’s Nov. 2013 annual meeting The resolution on repentance and evangelism encouraged Baptists in Illinois to repent of failure to share the Gospel regularly and faithfully, and to commit to do so

As for Rainer ’s letter, “I have no proposal I have no new programs for now I simply have a burden,” he wrote And, he

added, renewal must start with him And with pastors

“Evangelism must be as natural to me as breathing,” Rainer wrote “Pastors, will you join me in this plea? Will you be an evangelistic example for the churches God has called you to serve? Laypersons, will you pray for evangelistic hearts in your own lives? I must make that prayer a part of my life every day

“Have we lost our first love? Is that love reflected in how we share the gospel of Christ every day?

“May God break me until I am all His, telling others about His Son every day ”

From Baptist Press and ThomRainer com

Adams

Rainer

Youth encounter the Gospel, clear and creative

decisions to follow Christ, including a brother and sister Four Herrick students recommitted their lives to Christ. Huddleston also remembers Burgess’ “where are you” message:

“I’m telling you, the spirit of God touched all of us it was unbelievable ”

Final reports indicate 32 people at Youth Encounter made decisions to follow Christ; 1,003 students and leaders were registered for the conference, representing 91 churches

At the heart of Youth Encounter is the desire to present the Gospel in clear, creative ways, said Tim Sadler, IBSA’s director of evangelism That’s why Sadler and his team work to recruit a variety of artists and personalities for the YE stage In addition to Burgess, the 2013 conference featured bands Citizen Way and 33Miles, evangelist/illusionist Bryan Drake, entertainment from 321 Improv, and local rapper Loudmouth And they didn’t come just to perform.

“I was super impressed with the time our artists took with the students out in the lobby,” Sadler said “They were willing to pour into the lives of the students ” Huddleston agreed His group took pictures with Loudmouth and Drake and came to see the artists as “down-to-earth people ”

Breakout sessions, new to Youth Encounter this year, gave attenders another opportunity to engage with leaders in a smaller group setting

After the opening session, students streamed downstairs to the lowest level of the Prairie Capital Convention Center They lined the walls of two large rooms to hear about summer missions opportunities in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador and Jamaica

Students also crowded into a classroom to learn from Sadler about sharing their faith; others met with IBSA’s Steve Hamrick to hear about Illinois’ All State Youth Choir And a group of leaders listened as Pinckneyville native Brent Lacy gave suggestions on how to make the most of youth ministry in a rural context

GO Week, a new student experience from IBSA, also got its own breakout

session The inaugural project, scheduled for July 13-18, is an opportunity for those in grades 7-12 to work alongside church planters in Chicagoland Students will stay at Judson University in Elgin, and also gather there for worship led by Ben Calhoun of Citizen Way GO Week is part of a partnership between IBSA and Judson to involve more students and graduates in church planting Missions was a major focus at Youth Encounter on purpose, Sadler said

“The wedding between missions and IBSA’s student events finds its roots in the Bible,” he said, referencing James 1:22-23 “The rightful response of every believer is to live the mission; to impact the neighborhoods and the nations with the Gospel ”

For Kendra Lorton’s group, Youth Encounter was such a good experience that she wishes they could go more than once a year Her youth group runs 18 to 20 on Wednesday nights in Herrick, a town of less than 500.

“I think being in a big arena like that and that many kids, it opened their eyes up to a whole new experience ”

– As you read the story, ask the Holy Spirit to stop you to pray for a person (student or youth leader), a place (urban neighborhood or rural setting), and an idea (courage to share Jesus or to commit to a GO Team this summer) As you pray, listen/look for an unexpected focus of your petition

Pray through the news

SNAPSHOTS – (Clockwise from top) Judson University alumnus Ben Calhoun and band Citizen Way led students in worship during Youth Encounter, along with speaker Brian Burgess and illusionist/evangelist Bryan Drake Participants also attended breakout sessions on evangelism, upcoming missions opportunities, and church

planting

“

…Being in a big arena like that and that many kids, it opened their eyes up to a whole new experience.”

– Kendra Lorton, Herrick

Continued from page 1

Here we go again, only different

he Christmas and New Year holidays have passed, again The decorations are mostly put away The gifts have been placed into use, or into storage, or quietly returned The various stresses of the season now finally seem to be subsiding, only to be replaced with something new – the stresses of returning to our regular routines

One of the Christmas messages I heard last month focused on the shepherds Before telling the story of how the angels came to announce Jesus’ birth, and how the shepherds left immediately for Bethlehem, the pastor went into some detail on how miserable the life of a shepherd was during that day Their work was hard, and long, and dirty They were poor They had no status in society, no education, no real prospects They were not only physically unclean, they were also considered spiritually unclean, at least by religious people They had little hope

As the pastor spoke, I began to thi k b t how hard and thankless and frustra can be, and the drudgery of life’s None of us have it as rough as firs shepherds But I started thinking stacks of papers I had brought hom office, and had not yet touched I t about my job’s most challenging pro lems, projects, and people, all of which would be waiting for me after the holidays

Pray through the news

Pray for the requests below and pass them along to your pastor or prayer leader to use as a guide for weekly prayer meeting, Sunday School classes or fellowship groups:

– Reaching students with the Gospel, page 3

– Spiritual healing after abortion, page 6

Prayer prompts are provided by Phil Miglioratti, IBSA’s prayer consultant Contact him at philNPPN@gmail com

The ILLINOIS BAPTIST Staff

For questions about subscript ons, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3110 or IllinoisBaptist@IBSA org

POSTMASTER:

Yes, leaving my own field of work for a break had actually sounded pretty good to me just prior to Christmas The question was, whe enthusiasm for returning to that fi of us find new hope and purpose start of a new year, or a new week

We find it the same place the s We find it in the presence of our tentionally pull away from our w importance and fulfillment, and a sional drudgery and hopelessne worship We run to Jesus, and again that He is our hope, that strength, that He is our reason for that He gives purpose to our work

Whatever our life’s work may do it merely for a paycheck, or fo or to try and give our lives mea t tly feel like hopeless shep these shepherds returned to their fields r worshiping the Christ child! They were

rue, heartfelt worship allows us o return to the fields of our work and our ministries with renewed strength and purpose

Reporter’s Notebook: Baltimore Oracles

Why geography matters

The calendar says the season is winter, and the snow bank outside your house would seem to confirm it, but there’s another we must consider: it’s SBC presidential nomination season

Somewhere today in a church office or study, there’s a man praying about nominating his friend for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention And somewhere else, that possible candidate is asking God whether he should allow his friend to make that nomination public Rarely does one nominate himself to run for SBC President It is the work of prayerful men, considering the needs of the convention, and the qualifications of their closest friends to lead to meet the needs of the time As with the committee that selected Paul and Barnabas (“It seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to us”), nomination is a work of the Holy Spirit and prayerful men

It’s also a function of geography

For example, Fred Luter was elected SBC president in his hometown, New Orleans, in 2012 Orlando’s Jim Henry was elected at a convention there And in Texas, favorite son Ed Young, Jr., was reelected to a second term

Consider the location of the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention It’s in Baltimore Not since 1910 has the annual convention been held in Baltimore

On the East coast, 40 miles from Washington D C , a Baltimore convention is likely to draw a different crowd of messengers than if it were held in Texas or Florida For one

enthusiastic, they had hope, and they were eager to tell everyone about the Immanuel who had come and e in their lives are a pastor or busy church allowed the holidays to come ut pulling away for some gensonal, renewing worship time me urge you to do that before to your ministry field’s rou014 Gaze at Christ as if for the nd remind yourself what your s, and your work, and His, are out oughout the year, let’s let the mind us that we can always reds of our work and our min, with renewed strength and ncing true, heartfelt worship me, when we meet Christ It’s true once a year, when we pull away for the holidays and then start a new year It’s true every week, when we remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy It can even be true every day that we go to work, if we return to that same old field with a fresh view of the King

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

Americans split on legal marijuana

thing, there’s no “Six Flags over Baltimore” to draw the messenger who likes to pair the convention with a vacation The serious-minded will travel to Baltimore (Forgive us, Baltimore, if we underestimate the drawing power of crab cakes and historical sites, but without Shamu, how shall we entertain the children?)

And consider the nearest neighbors to Baltimore: the closest SBC seminaries are Southern in Louisville, Kentucky, and Southeastern in Wake Forest, North Carolina Many of the churches in the region surrounding Baltimore have their pastors and leaders supplied by these schools They are likely to be very well represented at the meeting in June

While we don’t know yet who will run, we should note that it has been three years since there was a contested election for SBC president Any match-up that pairs a Reformed candidate against one who identifies himself as a “traditionalist” – the labels used in the Calvinist theology debate of recent years – will likely test the peace loosely stitched by leaders of those camps just before the 2013 convention

A cursory tour of the blogosphere shows no suggestion that Baltimore 2014 will be for Calvinists what Dallas 1979 was for Conservatives – opportunity to bolster their leadership role in the denomination with thousands of close-by voters But with strong centers of Reformed theology in neighboring states and many adherents in the region, Baltimore may be the best location for a Reformed candidate to mount a campaign

After Colorado legalized the sale and use of small amounts of marijuana, ABC News polled a cross-section of U.S. adults and found 49% approve of legalizing marijuana, while 48% are still opposed

“Don’t dull your God-given powers of seeing clearly, and observing accurately, and thinking soundly, and remembering helpfully I would ask, ‘Can you commend Christ authentically to your friends during a marijuana high?’”

– John Piper, desiringGod com

“The Bible is very clear in warning against drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18) Isn’t ‘intoxication’ the main point of using marijuana for recreational purposes?”

– Jim Daly, Focus on the Family

“I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol If people can go into a liquor store and buy a bottle of alcohol and drink it at home legally, then why do we say that the use of this other substance is somehow criminal? I’ve never used marijuana and I don’t intend to, but it’s just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn’t succeeded ”

– CBN founder Pat Robertson, The New York Times

“Use the issue of marijuana as a way to engage conversations and introduce more and more teenagers to the only One who can change their lives on every level Jesus is the One who can give them true joy, lasting hope and exhilaration beyond any chemical on this planet ”

– Greg Stier of Dare2Share Ministries, ChristianPost com

Nate Adams

Going where the Gospel hasn’t been

My wife recently downloaded and played for me

Scott Wesley

Brown’s classic song

“Please Don’t Send Me

To Africa ” It brought back memories of college chapel services and the annual mission challenge to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth Tammie played the song for me because as I write this, I’m getting ready to join four Illinois Baptist pastors on a mission trip to the very continent Scott Wesley Brown was praying God wouldn’t send him

Among missiologists there is a growing debate on the effectiveness of such short-term trips Should we really go to Africa? Here are a few insights God has laid on my heart

First, I’m going to Africa because God commanded me to go. Some would say there really doesn’t need to be another point God has said it and that settles it When the Lord shared that we should “go into all the world and take the Gospel to every creature,” He wasn’t directing the challenge only to a small group of disciples at that particular time He was including you and me God was declaring that we are the instruments He has chosen to take the Gospel to the world

The second reason I’m going is because there are people who need the Gospel In Africa our team will visit UUPG’s – “Unreached, Unengaged People Groups ” These groups are less than 2% Christian and do not have an indigenous church planting strategy Simply put, there are few believers and no churches I have never been to a

Table

place where the Gospel hasn’t been. The privilege of being able to share the story of Jesus around the village fire to those who will hear it for the first time has captured my heart

And finally, I’m going to Africa because it may help others to go! Many groups are unreached in our world because it is hard to get the Gospel to them I have led numerous groups to fairly easy locations, many have gone, but we followed multitudes that had already been there

Going to West Africa is hard Inoculations are expensive; airfare is expensive, travel conditions are difficult, living conditions are outside our comfort zones But millions are dying without Christ If I go, maybe someone would be willing to go with me, or better yet, see going as not so difficult Pastor Kevin Carrothers from Rochester First Baptist Church is going with me in hopes of helping volunteers in Capital City Association engage an unreached people group He is going so others can go

I may have returned by the time you read this article If so, I would love to share with you how God opened doors and used our team to share the Gospel I would also love to share with you how your gifts through the Cooperative Program have provided full-time IMB missionaries who are working on your behalf to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth I will get to work alongside several of our missionaries during this trip They are anxiously awaiting the opportunity of working alongside you in Africa and all over the world Consider going!

Mark Emerson is IBSA’s associate executive director of missions

Theology, ministry, and things that matter

“My pastor says I should think of my job as a ministry Would you like with your burgers extra cheese, pickles, or an exposition of Romans 3:1-9?”

πA slice of life

Harris Interactive asked Americans: Do you believe in 12%

Today’s preachers are committing an ancient heresy

Marcion of Sinope lived in the second century during some of the most formative years of the early church

The son of a bishop, he was also active as a teacher in the region of Asia

Minor In 144 AD, Marcion parted ways with the Christian community by starting his own movement; by doing so, he encouraged thousands through his teachings to better appreciate the Bible

There was just one problem

In 144 AD, Marcion was excommunicated from the church for heresy What was his crime? Marcion taught his followers to reject the Old Testament entirely His reason? Marcion thought that the Old Testament represented a god different from the New Testament One cannot have two gods Thus, Marcion and his followers read only selective books from the Bible and rejected the 39 books of the Old Testament entirely Is the cult of Marcionism still alive and active in our churches? It has become apparent to me over the last seven years of teaching Old Testament Survey that students come to

my class with an under-appreciation for the text and history of the Old Testament This stems from the fact that most of their exposure to the Bible, through teaching and preaching, has come largely from the New Testament For many of my students, the stories of the Old Testament have served as illustration material and have rarely been allowed to speak theologically This situation falls dangerously close to what the followers of Marcion practiced in the second century So what can pastors and teachers do to help their congregations and classrooms grow in their appreciation for the entire Bible?

First, ground your people in the truth that all Scripture is under the inspiration of God and beneficial for preaching, teaching, correction and spiritual growth (2 Timothy 3:16) For Paul and the other authors of the New Testament, the Bible of

their day, the Bible that they read and used in the writing of the books of the New Testament, was the Old Testament.

Second, preach and teach from an entire book of the Old Testament and cover every verse Will this require a few good commentaries and other re-

Third, model life-changing application from the Old Testament in your teaching and preaching While it is true that some things have changed over salvation history, the Old Testament still contains timeless truths that need to be incorporated into the life of the faithful

sources that assist with understanding the culture, background and history of Israel? Yes, most definitely But as you preach and teach the text and incorporate that information into what you say, you will make the Scriptures come alive for your people You will also give them a context for reading the Old Testament on their own, with confidence, and with the ability to draw appropriate application for their lives

Finally, inspire your flock with the simple but profound truth that God is always the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) The “old” of the Old Testament cannot mean that God is somehow “updated” in the pages of the New Testament Help make the pages of the Old Testament come alive for your congregation as you focus on the gracious and loving God who has revealed Himself throughout the entire 66 books of the Bible

Greg Smith is associate vice president for academic administration and associate professor of Bible at The College at Southwestern, the undergraduate school of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary This column first appeared at www BPNews net

Mark Emerson

Women encouraged by stories of others who have been where they are

Continued from page 1

It’s a problem in churches too “That’s why my mother and father had to hide my abortion,” says Karen, the daughter of a Southern Baptist minister “What would this do to his ministry?”

The eight-week Surrendering the Secret class had already met for two cycles when she decided to join She couldn’t get it off her mind, she said, but she didn’t want to go She had been a leader at the church, a Sunday school teacher. When she arrived for her first class, she was welcomed with open arms

Carrying the shame

Telling her story was a major point in her life, Karen says After she went through the class, her story was written down by Jill Finley, Bethel’s women’s ministry director In the article, published in the ministry’s magazine, Karen describes the process of facing her past

“As I was confronted by the reality of what I had done, waves of grief w a s h e d over me I began to weep and grieve for my children and for the choices I had made I felt God gently wrapping me in His arms and rocking me as I held those babies to my chest, and I started to understand the meaning of His sacrifice Those sins, MY sins – He carried to the cross

“There was nothing I had done, or could do that His blood would not cover He took me out of it and it was no longer about what I did, but what Christ did for me! The chains fell right off!”

When asked now how integral the Bible is to the Surrendering the Secret study, Karen skims her class materials, calling out p a s s a g e s : God’s desire for peace for His people in Jeremiah 6:14 Hagar ’s story in Genesis 16 Christ’s promise to save and not condemn, as told in John 3:17

“As you’re freeing yourself and surrendering the secret,” Karen says of the Bible study, “you’re filling yourself up with God And you’re allowing him to fill you, instead of guilt and shame.”

Sharing the truth

Surrendering the Secret generally meets twice a year The names of women attending the class are kept confidential, but Jill says ladies involved in Bethel’s women’s ministry know when a class is going on “And we pray for those women ”

Those who have been in the class take an active role in leading it for the next group, Jill says Mary Beth went through Surrendering the Secret and has now helped lead the classes for several years She underscores the im-

– Karen Schemerhorn

portance of protecting the women’s privacy

“The biggest encouragement you can give those women is providing them with a sense of confidentiality, privacy, and to give them a place where they feel like they can maintain that secret even within the group

“I pray every day, never let their names slip off my tongue ”

She also emphasizes how important it is for women who have gone through abortion to hear the honest testimony of someone else who’s been in the same place

Karen combined her passion for prison ministry with her powerful testimony and now leads Surrendering the Secret classes inside a Greenville prison. Before she even finished her cycle of classes, she shared about it with women attending a Bible study at the prison

“One of the ladies just started bawling,” Karen remembers “And she said, ‘I’ve had an abortion, I’ve never told anybody

This is the first I’ve ever spoken of it ’”

73% repor t a

The woman was set to be released soon, so Karen met with her and a friend two days a week Since then, she’s led the classes in the prison twice a year

“God just opened the doors,” Jill says Supplies that might be forbidden inside the prison are allowed for Surrendering the Secret classes And women have been saved, she adds

For Karen, “Being free from any secrets has totally opened me up to accepting everybody, and looking at everybody differently,” she says “And just knowing that if my story is God’s story, I want everything to be for His glory ”

*Name changed

Grapevine, Texas | What if there was a way to direct a woman considering abortion to a crisis pregnancy center, and simultaneously rally a national network of partners to pray for her?

Nonprofit business Online for Life (OFL) has developed cutting-edge online marketing techniques to direct abortion-minded women to CPCs and their life-affirming message

Using Internet target marketing, OFL programming recognizes Internet searches for abortion services The goal is to have OFL affiliates pop up on the first page of results along with the abortion clinics, giving the searcher a choice of services

Research indicates 80 percent of the Internet traffic OFL monitors is on

mobile devices That puts a woman just one tap away from an abortion provider or a life-affirming pregnancy center

“Our goal is to get her talking to a pregnancy resource center as fast as possible,” said Tim Gerwing, OFL vice president of technology. The organization works with 50 crisis pregnancy centers in 23 states

And their work is undergirded in prayer The OFL iPhone application asks followers to pray Being able to pray in real time for a woman considering abortion has powerful potential, said Brian Fisher, co-founder of the nonprofit Mustering the prayers of many thousands of people across the nation on behalf of abortion-minded

women and their families could be a culture-changer

“When you have that many people interceding, you’re going to have babies saved,” he said

A new version of the app, due to roll out this month, is designed for all smartphones and Windows applications The app allows users to see realtime prayer requests, see the number of people praying at a given time, and post notifications to social media Churches and pregnancy centers also are able to post needs or events advancing the pro-life cause in their community

And it will continue to notify users of the number of babies saved, which will be the impetus for cultural trans-

formation, Fisher contends By celebrating the number of babies saved from abortion – the exclamation point at the end of the pro-life message – society will regain its appreciation for the miracle of life and champion its cause

From a report by Bonnie Pritchett, Southern Baptist TEXAN

“As you’re freeing yourself and surrendering the secret, you’re filling yourself up with God. And you’re allowing him to fill you, instead of guilt and shame ”

PEOPLE AND CHURCHES

AR OUND OUR STATE

Ministry Positions

The Illinois Baptist State Association is seeking resumes from individuals interested in a leadership position with Streator Baptist Camp Candidates should possess some skills in facility maintenance, calendaring and employee supervision Promotion or camp programming skills are a plus Send resumes to Melissa Phillips, Illinois Baptist State Association, P O Box 19247, Springfield, IL 62794-9247 or to Melissa Phillips@IBSA org For more information, call (217) 391-3104.

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services has an immediate opening for a husband and wife houseparent couple Position is full-time, with salary and benefits package Send resumes to Scott Kiser at 949 County Road 1300 North, Carmi, IL 62821, or call (618) 382-4165, ext 206

FBC Valier is seeking a full-time or bivocational pastor Contact the church at (618) 724-7823, or search committee chairman Joe Moyers at (618) 420-3911

Send news for Around Our State to MeredithFlynn@IBSA org

in the Zone

• •

Zone 1: Dale Davenport reports Blu Church, a Korean congregation in Park Ridge, recently held an installation service for Pastor PJ Jung and four other new leaders: Byung Kwan Jung as elder, Jeong Il Kim as deacon, and Soo Jung Lee and Hyung Mi So as exhorters

Zone 8: Eight people were baptized in one month at The Body of Christ in East St Louis Pastor Jarvis James is doing a great job reaching his context for Christ, said zone consultant Eddie Pullen

Zone 9: WSIL TV in southern Illinois reported in December on a unique way Vienna’s Fellowship Baptist is reaching out to its community The church, pastored by Russ Kreuter, serves as a “warming shelter” for people who are stranded or without power during winter weather

IBSA staff members serve as zone consultants working with directors of missions and churches across Illinois

The Jefferson Baptist association, south of st Louis, mO, is looking for a full-time Director of Missions requirements: degree from an sBC-affiliated seminary and senior pastor experience Full salary and benefit package send cover letter and resume by Feb 28, 2014, deadline to domsearchteam@gmail.com.

Easter missions offering materials in the mail

Volunteers from two Illinois churches joined IBSA staff in Springfield on January 16 to pack the kits for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions

“We enjoy packing,” said Nancy Whitlow of Heartland Baptist Church in Alton, who welcomed others to join her in the annual missions day “There is a need to get all the materials out to the different churches, and we enjoy coming up (for the project),” she said

The kits are being mailed to approximately 1,000 IBSA churches for promotion of the annual offering that supports church planting and missions in North America

Many churches will observe the Offering and Week of Prayer March 2-9 The theme is “Firmly planted rooted in the Gospel ”

The usual materials are in the mailing, including posters, offering envelopes, and prayer guides, but the North American Mission Board is mailing the planning guide/DVD to churches separately It is inside the new issue of On Mission magazine

In addition to current subscribers, every church office will receive a copy of the magazine Additional copies may be ordered by subscribing to On Mission magazine Call NAMB at (888) 239-3990

The Spanish and Korean translations of the videos are not included on the DVD They may be downloaded at www AnnieArmstrong com

NAMB also mailed each church a set of missionary postcards featuring 50 NAMB missionaries, including the six missionaries featured in the Week of Prayer Extra sets may be ordered at (866) 407-6262

The national goal for the 2014 offering is $70 million “All gifts (100%) given through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering go directly to the field to share the Gospel in large metropolitan areas and beyond, throughout North America,” said Carmen Halsey, IBSA Mission Mobilization director

Current BFI bonds

The Baptist Foundation of Illinois has three bond issues now open for individual or institutional investors:

• 2013N ($150,000): Closes Jan 30, or when fully subscribed

• 2014A ($500,000): Closes Feb. 15, or when fully subscribed

• 2014B ($396,000): Closes Feb 28, or when fully subscribed

BFI bonds are sold in $1,000 increments and support Illinois Baptist church capital improvement and/or construction loans Current BFI bonds have a 3% coupon paid semi-annually For more information, call (217) 391-3102 or go to www baptist foundationil org

Churches exceed Lottie Moon Offering goals

MODERN DAY ANNIES – In the late 1800s, Annie Armstrong personally wrote as many as 18,000 letters per year urging churches to support Lottie Moon and other Southern Baptist missionaries These women (above) from churches in Alton and Medora continue the tradition, packing and mailing promotion materials for the mission offering named for Miss Armstrong

FOR LEADERS

8 ways to start a new group

When a church begins new small groups or Sunday school classes, eternity is impacted New hands are put to the task Easy entry points are established Members are more likely to invite lost friends Peripheral members become involved And Christians joyfully rediscover the outreach purpose of the church

Imagine what would happen if your church began lots of new classes this year Need some fresh ideas?

1 Life cha offer opportun for new clas

Provide a sma group for expectant parents or engaged couples (They w evolve into new parents and newlyweds classes ) How about a class for recent retirees or college students? If your youngest adult class has aged a bit, add a new class for younger adults

2 Your church ministries may provide opportunities for new small groups Example: a church with weekday childcare could invite those parents for a new class

3 Consider establishing a new small group for each decade of adults. Fresh new classes attract newcomers and others who do not currently attend Provide a list of new members who aren’t active in a small group, as well as recent guests and uninvolved church members Advertise the new class in your community

clude overlooked people? Example: About a third of adults in your town are unmarried (see www census gov) Are you organized to reach them?

6 Kick off a targeted new group with a themed study For example, if there are lots of artists in your town, the class could begin with a short study of biblical art

7. Ask church members to submit suggestions about needed small groups, along with ideas for leaders and names of people that might attend

Acts 6:7

4 Look at growing areas in your church If the youth group is exploding, you might begin new small groups for parents of middle school or high school students

5 Look at “holes” in your current attendance What groups of people are uninvolved? What segments of your community are untouched? What types of new classes would in-

Training Oppor tunities Training Oppor tunities

Jan 25: All State Choir Auditions at Rochester FBC; Dorrisville, Harrisburg; Emmanuel, Lemont; and Calvary, Elgin For students in grades 9-12 (217) 391-3126, DebbieMuller@IBSA org

Feb 6, 7: Tax Seminar at the IBSA Building, Springfield on Feb. 6 and the CMBA Office (1356 N Rockwell, Chicago) on Feb. 7 (217) 3913126, DebbieMuller@IBSA org

Feb 8: Churches of Strength Conference, IBSA Building, Springfield

Free training in leadership development, Sunday School, evangelism, music & worship, student ministries, church renewal, prayer, WMU, and more. Starts at 8 a.m. with continental breakfast; concludes at noon CathyWaters@IBSA org, (217) 391-3124

Feb 21: Youth Ministry Worker Connection in Springfield; 6-8 p.m.

An opportunity for student ministry workers to network and share best practices RSVP by noon Feb 17 to JennaNickelson@IBSA org

Feb 22; March 1, 29: VBS Clinic at IBSA Building on Feb. 22, FBC Herrin on March 1 and Pleasant Hill, Mt Vernon on March 29. Free training event for pastors, VBS directors, and leaders in preschool, children, special needs, Backyard Bible Club, music, crafts and

missions Starts 8:15 a m , concludes at noon (217) 391-3124, Cathy Waters@IBSA org

March 1: Worship Technology Conference at the IBSA Building in Springfield Training in video, audio-visual, and other elements of technical worship DebbieMuller@IBSA org, (217) 391-3126

March 7-8: Ministers’ Wives’ Retreat at Vale Community Church, Bloomington A time of renewal and fellowship for wives of pastors, vocational ministry staff, state and associational staff, missionaries and retired ministers Cost is $45 per person; includes conference fee, hotel and meals Contact Alice Davis at (217) 6491699, alidavis@mchsi com

March 8, 11, 25: Children’s Evangelism Conference at IBSA Building on March 8, FBC Herrin on March 11, and Broadview Missionary on March 25 Training for parents and children’s workers on how to share the Gospel with children (217) 3913127, JennaNickelson@IBSA org

March 15: Children’s Ministry Day in Chicago, Granite City, Carbondale, Mt. Vernon, Springfield, Bourbonnais, Peoria, Decatur and Bridgeport Hands-on mission projects for kids in grades1-6 $15 per person; register online at www IBSA org/Children

8 Challenge current classes to multiply themselves The current teacher shares responsibilities and helps train a co-teacher, and then some group members go with that teacher to begin a new class Small groups in our church plant are committed to reproduce regularly, and 24 new Christians have been baptized as a result!

It’s a new year Will your church make an intentional plan to reach new people for Christ by establishing new small groups?

© Diana Davis is author of “Deacon Wives,” “Fresh Ideas,” and “Fresh Ideas for Women’s Ministry” (B&H Publishing) Visit her online at www dianadavis org

2013’s best selling Christian albums

1. WOW Hits 2013, various artists

2 Burning Lights, Chris Tomlin

3 Precious Memories, Volume II, Alan Jackson

4 Eye On It, tobyMac

5. Miracle, Third Day

6 Rise, Skillet

7 Come To The Well, Casting Crowns

8. Release The Panic, Red

9 A Messenger, Colton Dixon

10 The Hurt & The Healer, MercyMe

11 Zion, Hillsong United

12 Gravity, Lecrae

13 10,000 Reasons, Matt Redman

14 Into The Light, Matthew West

15 The Struggle, Tenth Avenue North

16 Let The Future Begin, Passion

17. Gold, Britt Nicole

18 How Mercy Looks From Here, Amy Grant

19 Wow Hits 2014, various artists

20 Reckless, Jeremy Camp

– Billboard com, Jan 2014

“

.the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became bedient to the faith ”

DAVE Says

Using your emergency fund

Q: Sometimes our budget gets busted because of home improvements and various other things I think we should take money f r o m o u r e m e r g e n c y f u n d w h e n t h i s h a ppens, but my wife says it should come out of our restaurant and fun money

A: Overspending is not an emergency. So, I’m siding with your wife on this one If you budget a set amount in one category and go over, you’ve got to have something you reduce or cut out completely to stay within your budget

You’d be surprised at what some people call an “emergency ” But here’s the deal: If something happens on a pretty regular basis, it’s a predictable event You need to budget a larger amount for home improvements or whatever the problem area may be

Overall, on a month-to-month basis, if you find you have $200 budgeted for car repairs and the repair turns out to be $250, I’d rather you cut back on eating out to make up the difference That’s the way my wife and I did it back in the day We never touched the emergency fund for anything except big, unexpected, scary stuff

For more financial advice from Dave Ramsey, go to www IBSA org

cured that baby,’ HIV specialist says.

Jackson, Miss | The continued good health of a Mississippi baby born with HIV causes Hannah Gay, the doctor who treats the child, to speak of divine intervention

The Mississippi pediatrician has been in the spotlight for months after achieving a functional cure of the child, who remains in remission more than 18 months after her last anti-viral treatment The continued lack of any replication of the virus indicates the first documented case of HIV remission in a child, The New England Journal of Medicine reported in October Gay doesn’t particularly like the public speaking engagements that have come her way, she told Baptist Press, “but it is an opportunity for me to be able to say when I treated this baby I was not even thinking of curing the baby. That was the furthest thing from my mind I was simply trying to prevent infection and I failed at what I was trying to do,” she said, seeing failure in her inability to keep the baby from being born HIV-positive

“However, my failure in God’s hands turned into a miracle And it was God that cured the baby and I just happened to be standing close by at the time ”

Gay, an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the Uni-

versity of Mississippi Medical Center, was first credited in March with achieving a “functional” cure of the child, indicating the viral presence remained in the child but was no longer replicating The viral presence was so low it could only have been detected by ultrasensitive methods, but not the standard clinical tests

She treated the child, born to a mother who received no prenatal care, with an unprecedented, aggressive regimen of three anti-viral medications within 30 hours of birth three years ago The mother discontinued treatment of the baby after 18 months, but when she returned the baby for treatment at 23 months, tests revealed that the virus had not been replicating Gay continues to monitor the child, and sends samples of the patient’s blood to labs of her colleagues for ultrasensitive studies The pediatrician, who served six years as a Baptist medical missionary in the Horn of Africa 20 years ago, said she doesn’t know why God is using her for such a public task as breaking barriers in the cure of pediatric HIV A sermon her pastor, Steve Street, delivered in

SONS OF THE FATHER | CHRIS, LES, & BRENT SNYDER

It was an honor to be at IBSA’s Annual Meeting to celebrate our 25th year in full-time ministr y. Thanks to Dr Nate Adams and IBSA staff for including us

Thank you to all of the churches of IBSA for your suppor t of our ministr y over the past 25 years!

Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you in the coming year

Available for : Concer ts, Conferences, Banquets, Revivals, and more

www.sonsofthefather.com

www.facebook.com/sonsofthefather

(618) 339-8107

March, shortly after Gay was credited with achieving the functional cure, reminded her of Moses’ reticence for the spotlight.

“The first Sunday back when I went to church I found that my pastor was just starting a series of sermons from Exodus And on that first sermon he started preaching about the call of Moses, and God saying to Moses, ‘What’s that in your hand?’ and Moses said, ‘It’s just a stick, God ’

“And then God proved to Moses that He can use just a stick to get water from a rock, or to part the Red Sea, or whatever. So with Moses protesting all along the way, ‘God I can’t talk,’ God sent him anyway,” Gay said

“I have felt very much like that and I can’t tell you that I’m happy with the idea of having to be the one on the speaker ’s stage all the time I’m still not happy with it, but there have been a lot of things that I have learned,” she said. “Yeah, I can’t talk but God is providing words ” –

Adapted from a Baptist Press report by Diana Chandler

Potluck Blogger

Chocolate Éclair Dessert

IBSA’s Barb Troeger recommends this low-carb but still sweet treat

Ingredients

One large box sugar-free chocolate pudding

One large box sugar-free vanilla pudding

One 8-oz container fat-free whipped topping

Twelve full low-fat graham crackers

4½ cups skim milk

To prepare: Make vanilla pudding as directed with 3 cups skim milk

Set aside for two minutes; then, fold in 1½ cups whipped topping Make chocolate pudding with remaining skim milk, and set aside

Line bottom of 9x13 dish with six graham crackers Pour vanilla pudding on top Layer with six more crackers, and top with chocolate pudding Refrigerate overnight before serving Optional: Top each serving with a thin layer of whipped topping

Send your favorite recipes for church fellowships or small group noshes to MeredithFlynn@IBSA org

BEHIND THE SCENES – Hannah Gay, the self-described “shiest pediatrician in America ” Photo courtesy of The University of Mississippi Medical Center

‘God

‘I just happened to be standing close by ’

@ the Crossroads

@ the Crossroads

Where ministry meets real life

Evangelism is alive, if not well

Disconnect between

While 100% of evangelica they have responsibility to sh their faith, only 69% of them say they have explained their religious beliefs “to someone who had different beliefs, in accept Jesus Christ as their to be “spiritually mature” ar

Middle-age and middle-income opt out

als’ and lower income likely to share -sharing has either remained the declined among the generations of ain Christians, except for one: young who star ted coming of age at the of the new millennium showed a 9% crease in witnessing since 2010

Currently 65% of Millennials say they have witnessed to someone at least once in the past year. The youngest adults are ahead of Baby Busters (49%) and Baby Boomers (48%) who both showed significant drops in personal evangelism

Two lumps

Just like sugar produced on island plantations in abolitionaist William Wilberforce’s day, many of the products used by Westerners are often touched by slavery Cotto sugar, coffee, steel, electronic goods cocoa, and shrimp top the list cited b Kevin Bales, a professor who studies modern-day slavery They’re not 90 slave-made, he said, “they may be on or 3 or 4 or 5 percent, but we’re poor at cutting those out of the supply ch

That’s something to think about at y next lunch or coffee break, Bales said

Clip

Barna Researchers also found th ple in the lower third of household ($39,000 or less per year) were m to evangelize , up from 49% in 2008 57% today The sharpest decline in nessing is among middle-income ad

Social justice generation matures

The Millennials are alternately lauded and criticized for their focus on social justic Critics say concern for the physical nee the poor comes at the expense of evan But Barna’s findings don’t suppor t that While few younger adults are born-aga Christians, those committed to their fa a stronger sense of urgency to spread t Gospel on behalf of their generation

Find your Calcutta

“Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right there where you are – in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society – completely forgotten, completely left alone ”

– Mother Teresa

Trending...

compiled by Eric Reed

Is it live or Memorex?

“Tape” has been replaced by Gigabytes on a “cloud” somewhere, but the question is per tinent in preaching circles today With half of the 5,000 multi-site churches using video deliver y of sermons, pollsters asked, Do you prefer in-person preaching or a video sermon? While 65% still prefer a real live preacher on the platform, a growing number say

Either way is ok: of young adults (ages 18-29) of older adults (ages 45 and above) of Northeasterners of irregular attenders

37% 24% 40% 47%

Bumper Snicker Theology

“Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to see Him ”

Missionaries: James and Kristen Amos (with Edison)

Planting: The Resurrection Church, Granite City

Focusing On: A multi-ethnic transitional community, and people caught in poverty and substance abuse

Growth Stage: Holding weekly Bible studies and forming a core group

Pray: For outreach events, and financial and prayer support

Lewis

“If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I don’t recommend Christianity ” – C S

Pray for unreached people

Location: Mokena, Will County

Target: Suburban families

Characteristics: This fast-growing Chicago suburb has mostly single home dwellings and middle- to upper-income families

Pray: For people in Mokena to hear the Gospel in a fresh way and for a new church to be planted there

Budget Goal: $6,500,000

Received to date 12/31/13: $6,396,037

Received to date in 2012: $6,278,257