July 16, 2018 Illinois Baptist

Illinois Baptist

Last of a breed

What we’ll miss about Dorothy Patterson Classic

outreach

NO COINCIDENCE

Our amazing story of a VBS connection

P. 4

AFTER DALLAS

J.D. Greear on NPR

New president’s first national interview

Making inroads at Route 66 car show

P. 5

TABLE TALK

Women

Maybe I’m changing my mind

P. 6

Crucial moment

Key issues at stake in Kavanaugh nomination

Washington, D.C. | The announcement of Brett Kavanaugh as President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court cheered many Christians and conservatives July 9, including a coalition of evangelical leaders who released a statement in support of the 53-year-old federal appeals court judge.

“Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding choice for the Supreme Court,” tweeted Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore. “He has a strong record, and the Senate should confirm him without delay.”

Moore was one of 40 leaders who signed the statement calling for Kavanaugh’s quick confirmation. The nomination was met with criticism from many on the left, including several Democratic Senators who signaled they’ll fight his confirmation. Appointing Kavanaugh will require a simple majority in the U.S. Senate; Republicans currently hold a 51-49 majority.

The nomination came two weeks after Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement. Kavanaugh, who served as an aide to President George W. Bush, is viewed as more conservative than Kennedy, who often served as a swing vote on the Court. He authored the opinion in the Obergefell vs. Hodges in 2015, which legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S.

DEVOTION

Considering quitting? Advice to an ‘immature’ leader

P. 14

your church mailbox later this month.

U.S. SUPREME COURT

KAVANAUGH

Named #1 Christian Newspaper by the Evangelical Press Association

As Illinois turns 200 in 2018, IBSA is seeking to engage at least 200 churches in each of these challenges. Is your church one of them?

As of June 28

Goal: 200

MAKE

DEVELOP NEW LEADERS – Leadership Development

Churches Churches Churches Churches

Total Participating Churches: 155

Read more about these challenges and register your church for one or more at IBSA.org/Pioneering, or contact IBSA’s John Carruthers at (217) 391-3110 or JohnCarruthers@IBSA.org.

BICENTENNIAL MOMENT

Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois!

Celebrating our state and Baptist work across two centuries

When Illinois joined the Union in 1818, James Monroe was the president of the United States. He was number 5, and served 1817-1825. No one has written a musical about him, as far as we know.

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 7/06/18

$3,160,172

Budget Goal: $3,271,154

Received to date in 2017: $3,095,759

2018 Goal: $6.3 Million

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Managing Editor - Meredith Flynn

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner

Multimedia Journalist - Andrew Woodrow

Administrative Assistant - Leah Honnen

The general telephone number for IBSA is (217) 786-2600. 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.

NATE ADAMS

Curb appeal

If you haven’t visited the IBSA Building in Springfield recently, I hope you’ll find a reason to come this summer.

Perhaps you’ll join the thousands of tourists, families, and student groups who are drawn to the annual state fair, or to the perennial Abraham Lincoln sites. Or perhaps you’ll just drop by as you travel elsewhere, to say hello to your IBSA family at the corner of Stevenson and Dirkson.

If you do, I hope you’ll notice several improvements to our building’s “curb appeal.”

For one thing, the old Denny’s restaurant next door, that even I remember from my boyhood, has been demolished, and a new automated car wash is being erected in its place.

We’ve also made several improvements to our own building. The scraggly groundcover that we’ve been trying to tame since it was planted around the building in 1970 has been dug up and replaced with fresh new grass. New trees and flowers have been planted in fresh beds of mulch.

A new sidewalk leads from the front door around to a renovated patio area, which now offers picnic tables and benches. The parking lot has been freshly sealed and repainted. Inside, new customized carpet runners lead you from the doors to the elevators, and our reception area welcomes you with some new furniture.

Why the face lift? Well, it’s been about seven years since our last building renovation, and some of these things were intended and dreamed about then. Some of them are the answers to problems, such as the water main rupture outside our building last year. But most of the updates are simply intended to make our building more inviting, whether to IBSA pastors and church members, or to the building tenants who help pay our utilities, or even to the occasional vagrant who needs a cold drink or a bathroom.

Yes, we want the place where we work and serve to be inviting and attractive, but we also want it to be a positive testimony. Our sign and our reputation in the community tell people that we represent Baptist churches in Illinois. When they come in, we want them to see that what we do is important, and that we give it our very best.

Once I had the opportunity to lead a young man to Christ in our lobby, because it was inviting, and warm.

If curb appeal is important at the IBSA Building, then it’s even more important for each local church. And summer is a great time to take stock and ask what kinds of repairs, improvements, or updates could make our houses of worship more inviting.

We tend to be blinded by familiarity and overlook the needs of our church buildings, just as we do in our own homes sometimes. But I guarantee that first-time visitors notice the wear and tear, the needed repairs, and the musty smells that we too readily take for granted.

I recently visited a small country church in central Illinois on its 150th anniversary. Unlike many churches that age, the original building had never been moved, or burned, or rebuilt. We worshiped in the same auditorium as the church’s founders.

But that didn’t mean the property had been neglected. A new foyer had been built on the outside, along with a ramp for accessibility. A new basement had been dug under the original structure. An attractive parsonage had been added next to the church building. And the grounds were beautifully landscaped, and freshly mowed and trimmed.

Everything about that country church said to me “come on in,” and “what’s inside is worthwhile.” That’s what curb appeal should be all about in all our churches. And that’s why it’s worth our time this summer.

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

You may not notice frayed carpet or musty smells, but visitors do.

FROM THE FRONT: Evangelicals support Kavanaugh nomination

SupremeCourt.gov

Continued from page 1

Kennedy also agreed with the Court’s opinion in a 1992 ruling, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe v. Wade. The landmark 1973 decision to lift state restrictions on abortion figured prominently into discussion about Kavanaugh’s nomination. While the judge testified in 2006 that he would follow Roe “faithfully and fully” as the “binding precedent of the court,” he declined to give his personal opinion of the ruling.

During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to nominate conservative justices who could overturn Roe, a promise his supporters still see as a possibility—one made even more likely by a second conservative appointment to the Supreme Court.

“I think eventually a conservative court will either overturn Roe v. Wade or at least greatly diminish its importance and its power,” Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress told Fox News before the nomination announcement.

Kavanaugh’s D.C. court decided last year that an undocumented minor could have an abortion, an opinion from which he dissented by stating that she shouldn’t be able to receive an abortion “on demand.” The stance was seen by some pro-life advocates as not strong enough.

Also pressing for evangelicals is Kavanaugh’s record on religious liberty, particularly in light of several high-profile cases heard by the Court during their most recent session.

Christianity Today called Kavanaugh “another religious liberty defender,” referencing Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, whose pre-

appointment resume included supporting Hobby Lobby’s right to be exempt from providing contraceptives in employee insurance plans.

While on the D.C. Appeals Court in 2015, Kavanaugh, a Roman Catholic, dissented from the court’s opinion not to rehear a challenge to the mandate, this one from the nonprofit Priests for Life. He also issued an opinion in 2010 supporting the constitutionality of prayer at the presidential inauguration, and the words “so help me God” in the presidential oath.

During the session that ended June 27, justices ruled on Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado, in which they found in favor of a baker penalized by a state commission for refusing to create a cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony. They also instructed the Washington Supreme Court to reconsider the case of a florist similarly penalized, in light of the Masterpiece ruling.

Russell Moore referenced those rulings and others in his statement supporting Kavanaugh. “As we saw this past term…the Supreme Court plays a vitally important role in protecting the dignity of every life and religious freedom for all Americans.

“Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding choice for a Supreme Court justice. He will interpret the Constitution, not attempt to create laws from the bench.”

court decisions

Win for pregnancy centers

The U.S. Supreme Court found in favor June 26 of California pregnancy centers challenging a law that would require them to promote abortion services. The state’s 2015 Repro ductive FACT Act mandates that licensed pregnancy centers inform clients about public programs that provide family planning services, including abortion.

The high court ruled the pregnancy centers would likely succeed in their assertion it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and returned the case to a federal court for reconsideration in light of their opinion.

In Illinois, pregnancy centers are fighting a similar measure approved in 2017 that requires them to inform patients of all medical options, including abortions, and to refer people seeking those services to abortion providers. The Illinois and California laws, while not identical, are “very, very similar,” attorney Thomas Olp told the Chicago Tribune. Olp’s Thomas More Society is one of the legal organizations working with pregnancy care centers to fight enforcement of the law.

The Supreme Court’s decision in the California case “confirms our position in Illinois,” Olp told the Tribune, adding that both measures mandate “government-compelled speech.”

Court rules against unions

Illinois state worker Mark Janus won before the Supreme Court June 27 when justices ruled public-sector unions may not require fees from nonmembers. Janus signed onto a 2015 lawsuit filed by Gov. Bruce Rauner (who later was removed from the case) to stop the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from deducting “fair share” fees from employees not in the union.

In a 5-4 opinion, the justices ruled the practice is a violation of free-speech protections in the First Amendment. The ruling could have religious liberty implications for teachers, said David Schmus, executive director of the Christian Educators Association International. Schmus told Baptist Press, “For years many teachers, including me, have been legally required to financially support unions as a condition of their employment, knowing that their money was going to Planned Parenthood or similar causes—no more.”

– Chicago Tribune, Baptist Press

– Meredith Flynn, with reporting by Baptist Press and Christianity Today

SWING VOTE – Justice Anthony Kennedy (front row, second from left) was often an important swing vote on a Supreme Court also including (front row, left to right) Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Stephen Breyer, (back row, left to right) Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Neil Gorsuch.

Teams respond

After storms in Illinois, Iowa

Rockford | Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief teams worked at both ends of the state in late June and early July, helping homeowners recover from flooding in Rockford, and removing debris after storms in several counties in southern Illinois.

Later this month, teams will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to respond to flooding there.

Dennis Felix, pastor of First Baptist Church in Prairie Du Rocher, led a team of nine volunteers to Rockford during the first week of July. Much of the storm damage there was in basements, Felix said, so the team spent a week moving homeowners’ personal belongings, then pressure-washing and sanitizing walls and floors.

Felix’s history with Disaster Relief started in 1993, when his home was destroyed in the Great Flood of that year. “That’s where I got my heart for Disaster Relief,” the pastor said. “So many people came to help us, I wanted to turn it around.”

Later this month, Felix plans to take a team to Des Moines, where thousands of homeowners have requested help. For more information about opportunities for trained Disaster Relief volunteers, go to IBSA.org/dr. The next Disaster Relief training is Oct. 19-20 at Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp in Pinckneyville.

Church damaged

Bethel recovering after fire

Odin | Authorities are treating a fire at Bethel Baptist Church as arson, said the church’s pastor, Kevin Cox. The fire, which likely was set July 4 or 5, did extensive damage inside the building and is still under investigation.

The 186-year-old church is facing a “long process” to recover from the blaze, Cox said, but God is already providing, he added. People have reached out to ask how they can pray for the church, and a sister congregation, First Baptist in Odin, offered use of their facility for worship services.

The current building is the church’s second facility in its long history. “It will be back again, I have no doubt about that,” Cox said of his church, which runs around 50 people in worship. “And I truly believe God is going to bring good out of this.”

The pastor asked for prayer for his church as they make numerous decisions in the days ahead. They’re thankful no one was hurt, he said, and the things that were lost can be replaced. “Nothing that Satan does can stop the church,” Cox said. “He can burn down the building all he wants, but the building’s not the church. And all it will do is serve to make us stronger.”

‘Game on’ in Poland

Church answers missions call, meets VBS missionaries

Krakow, Poland | Rochester First Baptist Church had sent individual members on mission trips. What they hadn’t done, said Pastor Chad Williams, was send a team to serve together. In June, Williams and five others from his church traveled to Poland to serve alongside missionaries who are building relationships in a country characterized by institutional religion.

“Like most of Europe, it’s not the easiest place for ministry,” Williams said. The team originally planned to host sports camps in partnership with the Hesskew family, who serve in Poland through the International Mission Board. But the makeup of the mission team, which included several pre-teens, made them a good fit for ministry in local schools.

The group held a field day at a Montessori school and an after-school program at an international school, teaching English as a Second Language in both. They also helped missionary Albert Hesskew minister to athletes he coaches on baseball and football teams, and his church’s Upward sports program.

The Hesskews are familiar faces to many Illinois churches this summer. They’re featured in LifeWay’s “Game On” Vacation Bible School curriculum, a fact Williams was

unaware of until he started receiving messages from fellow church leaders saying they were praying for the Polish missionaries in VBS, even as the Rochester team was flying across the Atlantic to meet them inperson.

The focus on relationships that is so central to the Hesskews’ work can have an impact on how his church does ministry in their own community, Williams said.

“The opportunity to work with people in Europe, whether it’s Poland or somewhere else, I think it’s an opportunity to further strengthen how we view ministry here,” he said. “You have to build a relationship, and make connections, and then you have to follow through with that relationship.”

Rochester FBC is planning two international trips next year—to Toronto, and back to Poland.

“Even for small churches, there is the ability and opportunity to go overseas,” Williams said. “We’re not a huge church, but we sent six. And that willingness to be obedient to God’s call to go to the ends of the earth, I believe will be a bigger blessing than maybe anything else we do this year.”

COMMISSIONED – Rochester FBC prayed over their mission team before the group’s departure to Poland, where they helped missionaries with sports outreach and ministered in local schools (photo below).

HELPING HANDS – While working in Rockford, Disaster Relief volunteers also partnered with Pastor Jeremiah Griffin and Living Stones Fellowship for their PB&J outreach to local children.

WILLIAMS

Southern Baptist Convention

Greear answers tough questions

President addresses #MeToo, politics in national interview

YouVersion marks decade

Ten years ago, the YouVersion Bible app was developed and launched by Life.Church. One of the first apps offered in the Apple App Store, it has now been downloaded on more than 330 million devices, The Oklahoman newspaper reported. In the beginning, YouVersion offered the Bible in English and Spanish; now, it features Bible text in more than 1,200 languages.

“We look back and feel like it’s something that God has orchestrated from the very beginning,” said the app’s founder Bobby Gruenewald. “We really feel like God had placed us in the right place at the right time.”

Teams safe after riots

Washington, D.C. | Newly elected Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear addressed topics ranging from the #MeToo movement to politics and evangelicals in a recent interview with NPR, one of his first since taking the role.

In a June 25 interview with Rachel Martin of NPR’s Morning Edition, Greear said that even though evangelical Christians may appear to have a “restless conscience right now,” that restlessness has the potential to usher in healthy self-evaluation and repentance.

Greear described himself as brokenhearted over what some have referred to as Southern Baptists’ #MeToo moment—the firing of Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson over the alleged mishandling of reported sexual assault and comments he made about physical abuse.

But Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., said he believes the open conversation in the convention “has helped raise awareness that sometimes there’s been hesitancy to listen to the victim when you should have listened to the victim.”

Abuse is illegal and should never be handled internally, Greear said. If nothing else, he said he is grateful the situation “has helped raise the awareness of the conversation” of what to do when someone comes forward and says he or she has been a victim of abuse—especially when the alleged abuser is “someone else you know and love and trust.”

“There are wise ways to handle this,” Greear said.

During the interview, Martin also asked the SBC president what he thought about some evangelical Christians choosing to shed the identity of “evangelical” because of all the political meaning “baked into” that title in recent years.

“That’s certainly understandable, they can do that, but that’s not the path I have chosen,” Greear said. “What we need is not a change in label, what we need is a change of heart, a change in values.”

Evangelicals can take the criticism of outsiders and let it drive them to “say, ‘hey, here are some inconsistencies and we need

to repent,’” Greear said. “Thank God...that God doesn’t accept us based on how perfectly we’ve lived, he accepts us based on his grace.”

That’s the central message of evangelical Christianity, he said—that those who follow Christ repent of their imperfections, rely on grace, and invite others to join them.

‘Room for disagreement’

Evangelical Christians have much they can unite around—biblical values like helping the poor or caring for the vulnerable, Greear said. But when it comes to what the government’s role is in those things, “there’s certainly room for disagreement among Christians.”

“I think one of the things that there’s some concern over is have evangelical Christians taken their central message— which is supposed to be the gospel of Jesus Christ—and have they encumbered that with too much specificity about political positions for which there really is room for people of faith to disagree,” Greear said.

Also on the topic of faith and politics intertwined, Martin asked Greear how he felt about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ use of Bible verses to defend the zero-tolerance policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Greear responded that though he is grateful to hear of people attempting to interact with Scripture, just because the Bible is quoted, it doesn’t mean the person is “giving the full context of it or representing the full biblical message.”

“I mean, yes, the Bible does teach the submission to authority,” he said, but he noted that he has also “tried to be clear with this immigration question that we recognize that there is a certain charitable nature in passing laws and upholding them.”

Separating families “in the name of enforcing an immigration policy seems like much too harsh a punishment” for anyone caught breaking that law, he said.

For the full interview, go to www.npr. org/2018/06/25/623114791/j-d-greearelected-president-of-southern-baptist-convention.

– From Baptist Press

Baptist mission volunteers serving in Haiti were safe following rioting in the capital city, Baptist Press reported, but also stuck until airports reopened.

“We’re fine. Looks like the gunfire and smoke… have dissipated,” said James Jenkins, church planting director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Jenkins and 35 volunteers from his state stayed in a Port-au-Prince mission house during rioting that killed at least three Haitians. The violence started after the government announced it would raise already-high gas prices.

Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director John Yeats issued an urgent call to prayer for mission volunteers in Haiti, including several from his state.

Illinois Baptist churches and IBSA have sent numerous teams to Haiti over the last several years, but none were known to be in the country during the rioting.

Pruitt steps down

Scott Pruitt’s resignation as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency prompted the pastor of his Southern Baptist church to reflect on the high standards to which Christians are held. Pruitt resigned July 5 amid multiple investigations into his spending and management.

“The fact that one is a Christian means that he/ she will be held to a high standard for choices made, in policy and in personal matters,” Nick Garland told Baptist Press. Pruitt is a deacon at his church, First Baptist in Broken Arrow, Okla., and also previously served as a trustee of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Garland also lamented the “present ugliness” of political attacks, and a constant news cycle that has created a climate in which “one is guilty as soon as the press reports it.”

– Newsok.com, Baptist Press

PRUITT

No girls allowed?

Editor’s note: In the ongoing conversation in the Southern Baptist Convention about the role of women in churches, our perception is that many people are using similar language and Scripture passages, but reaching different conclusions. Here is how one Illinois pastor is dealing with the issue in his church.

My young daughter was heartbroken. Her dream to do something “big for God” seemed impossible once she learned that being a pastor was off the table for women. Her struggle with this fueled a question I had long asked as a young minister: “What can ministry look like for women?”

We should always be clear where Scripture is clear, and Paul’s first letter to Timothy helps clarify many points on church leadership. For this discussion, I’ll focus on two of them. First, there are two main offices within the church: pastor and deacon. Second, those roles are to be filled by godly men.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 gives additional instructions regarding women in worship. They should learn “quietly with all submissiveness” and “not…teach or exercise authority over a man.” Paul’s words are challenging not in content, but in light of our culture that deems such statements as archaic sexism. But in the Jewish culture of Timothy’s day, this was a revolution! Women, previously segregated from men, could now be present in a worship service to learn alongside their brothers, sons, and husbands. Jesus himself drew a large crowd of female disciples who discovered a rabbi that treated them like people!

Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 2 should be seen in light of the upcoming qualification laid out in chapter 3. The authority that was being reserved for the teaching pastor in the church should not be presumed by a woman within that church body. Paul is introducing the issue and then the standard. He isn’t making a statement of female ministry ability, but of God-established authority.

Can women serve in ministry?

For years I applied the qualifications of pastor to all ministry positions in church. Godly men I respected encouraged me to do so, explaining the church needed

to model the spiritual leadership of the home. While I believe the role of lead/teaching pastor and deacon do serve that purpose, I continued to wrestle with other positions in the church.

My breakthrough came when I realized my definition of ministry was incomplete. Jesus called us all into a “royal priesthood…that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”

(1 Peter 2:9). In this perfect description of ministry, I notice no limitations of ministry or gender.

Norman Geisler points out that the spiritual gifts fueling our ministry efforts are not segregated by gender. Women are just as likely to receive gifts of teaching and prophecy as men are.

Ministry opportunities for women are most often limited by a poor definition of what ministry is. Can women serve as pastors or deacons? No. Can women serve in ministry? Absolutely!

As the teacher of our co-ed Young Adults class, I’m allowing everyone in the class, regardless of gender, opportunities to teach all or part of a lesson with or for me. Five years ago, I would have never offered a woman this type of role. But 1 Timothy is about women trying to wrestle away authority that is not theirs. These women at our church are operating under my authority and instruction, so that our church won’t continue to struggle with inexperienced teachers.

Women serve on our administration and leadership teams. My wife has spent four years completely rebuilding our youth ministry, leading a team of men and women to serve and mentor our students into genuine disciples of Christ. My once heartbroken daughter is a valuable member of our worship team. She and her younger sister are both active in sharing their faith, recently leading one of their cousins to Jesus. That’s the power of women in ministry!

My relationships with women didn’t cause me to grow soft on God’s Word, but to take a second look at what it says. Sometimes a fresh look leads me to deeper resolve. Other times, I realize I’ve limited myself and others through an incomplete understanding.

I’m not asking you to endorse or adopt anything I’ve said, but to consider these questions: 1. Is your church properly defining ministry, and 2. Does the ministry leadership of your church reflect the makeup of your church?

Heath Tibbetts is pastor of First Baptist Church, Machesney Park.

Thanks, Dorothy

Had you seen her surrounded by friends and well-wishers at a ladies’ tea in Dallas, it would have been hard to imagine Dorothy Patterson had just lived through a very difficult few months.

The former first lady of Southwestern Seminary’s presence there is telling about her legacy in Southern Baptist life.

For those watching over the last few decades, she has been a significant figure, highly visible along with her husband, former Southwestern President Paige Patterson. The substance of her contributions, however, might surprise even long-time Baptists. As one of the writers behind the statement on the family added to The Baptist Faith and Message, Patterson helped redefine biblical womanhood at a time when the denomination was struggling to reclaim its roots in conservative theology, with gender roles playing an integral part in the process.

She helped establish women’s studies programs at the two seminaries her husband led; at Southwestern, the program included a center devoted to homemaking. With her sister-in-law and fellow seminary president’s wife, Rhonda Kelley, she edited a study Bible for women.

And the hats. Oh, her hats.

Patterson’s ideas weren’t always popular, sometimes garnering criticism in the SBC and often from the world outside it. Some will categorize her contributions as “of a time” and not currently relevant. Theological education for women doesn’t seem like an anomaly anymore, so it would be easy to forget that she was in many ways a pioneer.

The circumstances surrounding the Pattersons’ exit from Southwestern—his alleged mishandling of sexual assault claims and past comments he made about physical abuse against women—also will overshadow her impact, at least for a while. Even as trustees met in a late-night session to determine her husband’s fate, Dorothy extended hospitality to waiting reporters.

“She declines comment for publication— but offers tea,” tweeted Sarah Smith of the Star-Telegram.

Weeks later, after her husband had been terminated by the trustee executive board, Patterson sat down for tea again— this time in Dallas. That she was present at the meeting where her husband was to have delivered the convention sermon was astounding. Certainly, it would have been easier to stay home. But she was there, in a dress that matched her hat.

Dorothy Patterson seems to understand the value of presence, of being there. For decades, she “leaned in” before it was even a thing. For that, we tip our hat to her.

– Meredith Flynn

“Rumor has it that three deacons think the pastor’s sermon on gossip went too far.”

An incomplete definition of ministry could be leaving women out.

MISSION

Church hits the ‘Mother Road’

Red Hill’s outreach aims for a better city through gospel presence

BY ANDREW WOODROW

Edwardsville | In a town proud of its Route 66 heritage, thousands gather every year to celebrate what John Steinbeck called “the Mother Road.” For more than 20 years, Edwardsville’s annual Route 66 festival at City Park has offered visitors fun, food, and classic cars. What was missing, realized church planter Rayden Hollis, was a gospel opportunity.

Hollis is the planter and lead pastor of Red Hill church in Edwardsville. The church isn’t quite three years old, and they don’t have their own building yet. But Hollis is passionate in leading his church by a missions strategy based on Jeremiah 29:7.

“Just as the Israelites, exiles in their community, were commanded to seek out the welfare of the city they were living in,” Hollis said, “it’s our philosophy that we too, as exiles, need to seek out the welfare of the city we live in and pray for it.”

That philosophy is at the core of Red Hill’s presence at their city’s summer festival—and it’s a noticeable presence. At this year’s event

Full throttle ministry

“We have some big missional engagement opportunities here that we don’t want to go to waste,” says Pastor Rayden Hollis of his town’s Route 66 festival. The annual event is a summer priority for Red Hill Church, Hollis’s 3-year-old church plant.

Photos by Andrew Woodrow

Watch a video from the outreach at Vimeo.com/IBSA/RedHill.

HOLLIS

Continued

June 8-9, park visitors stirred the humid air with hand-held fans emblazoned with Red Hill Church. Diners at picnic tables ate under misting fans donated by the church. Dog walkers at the festival discussed their pets with dog walkers from Red Hill. Church members brought a bean bag set and played alongside park visitors.

And showcased just outside the church’s two tents at the festival: a 1955 Chevy Bel Air. The gleaming red and white car—made even more vibrant by the sun’s glare—attracted visitors to the Red Hill display.

To Hollis, Red Hill isn’t just about gathering for their Saturday evening worship, it’s about the church going out into the community and making the city better.

“I’ve been a part of churches where if the Lord removed that church from the community, the community wouldn’t even notice,” Hollis said. “We don’t want to be that church.

“We want to be so deeply integrated into the life of our community that if we were pulled out, it would have a devastating effect upon the regular rhythms that people engage in inside of our cities. So, we’re trying to find ways that we can step in and make an immediate impact and difference in the life of our city, just by observing what’s naturally happening in it.”

Nothing in return

Early on, Red Hill began to observe the rhythms and patterns of Edwardsville, seeking out ways to serve at city events with a focus to “breathe even more life into it,” Hollis said. “We want to be given an opportunity to show the city how much our church cares for it.”

Once Hollis learned of the success of Edwardsville’s Route 66 Festival, he knew he needed to get involved.

But at first, it wasn’t easy. Katie Grable, assistant director for the Edwardsville parks department, was uncertain about allowing a church to actively participate in the festival. “Initially I was a bit skeptical,” she told the Illinois Baptist. “Not because I was against a church partnership, but rather, I was nervous that their angle would be vocally evangelistic.”

Still, in 2015, Red Hill was granted permission to set up a photo booth tent in the far back corner of the festival. They provided props and space for festival-goers to pose for photos. “We wanted to do something that added to the festival’s success,” said Sarah Hollis, Rayden’s wife. “And through that, begin those gospel conversations with the park visitors.”

Realizing the potential to reach up to 10,000 people in one weekend, Rayden Hollis was eager to do more the next year. He asked Grable how Red Hill could best contribute to the festival, and the city’s success, from Red Hill’s own budget. His requests puzzled Grable, leading her to eventually ask Hollis what was in it for his church.

“Nobody just gives freely without wanting something in return,” Grable said. “And they were just willing to offer so much I eventually asked what Rayden wanted, and we would see what we could do to help.”

FESTIVAL FUN – The celebration of Route 66 offers rock climbing, local food choices, bounce houses, and a classic car show. As part of their display at this year’s festival, Red Hill brought a 1955 Chevy Bel Air (see page 1).

To Hollis, Grable’s question came as a surprise. “At first I didn’t know what she was talking about,” he said. “But then something really awesome happened.” Hollis was able to explain to Grable that what Red Hill was doing was meant to be a reflection of God’s love. Hollis further explained there wasn’t anything he needed but rather that the

opposite was true. “I told her I had something that she desperately needed,” Hollis said. “And I got to share the gospel with her.

“Now the unfortunate news is that she didn’t receive Christ, but because of what we’re doing as a church, I got the opportunity to share with someone why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

Grable wasn’t yet ready to receive Christ, but she understood Red Hill’s genuine intent in giving. And a partnership blossomed between the Parks and Recreation department and Red Hill.

“It was through that experience that I finally realized this was just an honest willingness in wanting to help,” Grable said. “They’ve been our most frequent partner since then and are the only organization that is coming out to basically anything that we do in the city.”

Valued partners

Since their first involvement with the Route 66 Festival in 2015, Red Hill has come a long way at the event. Their photo booth tent is no longer in the far back corner of the park. It has instead been moved to the front.

“We even have a second tent where we pass out handheld fans,” said church member Casey Elmore. “And we do almost all the volunteering for the kids’ activities.”

BEAN BAG TOSS – Rayden Hollis tosses the winning bag in a game outside Red Hill Church’s tents at the Route 66 Festival. Providing the game–and space to play it–is one way the church builds relationships at the annual event.

open those opportunities to share the gospel.”

The church is also fostering its relationship with the Parks and Recreation department, who has called on Red Hill to help open their newest park, and even made Hollis an administrator on their Facebook page.

The pastor thanks Illinois Baptists for giving through the Cooperative Program to help make his church’s outreach possible.

“Events like this would never happen unless Southern Baptists of Illinois continued to give to the Cooperative Program, to the Mission Illinois Offering, and other Illinois Baptist offerings. So, to every pastor, thank you for inspiring and encouraging your church to give. And to every Illinoisan who’s given over the course of their lifetime, thank you.

“Your generous gift helps make this moment possible for us to be a gospel witness and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this city.”

5 tips for effective summer outreach

Five IBSA leaders weighed in on ways churches can capitalize on this season of opportunity:

1. Focus on relationships. “Summer events are good opportunities to invite lost people to your church, but nothing is more effective than a personal invitation,” said Mark Emerson, IBSA’s associate executive director for the Church Resources Team. “There is a church growth principle that says ‘what brought them here keeps them here.’ If you start with relationships, relationships will keep them coming.”

2. Serve your school. Consider how you can help students, teachers, and school administrators by providing school supplies for the upcoming year or for summer school, said Jack Lucas, director of Next Gen Ministries.

3. Don’t forget tried-and-true outreach. “Never discount the value VBS and Backyard Bible Clubs can offer!” said Scott Foshie, an IBSA zone consultant and pastor of Steeleville Baptist Church. “These remain one of our church’s most effective methods of community outreach.” Foshie advised keeping a

“family night” program simple and gospelfocused, with an inviting, relaxed atmosphere. “Backyard Bible Clubs can have an advantage by taking VBS into the neighborhoods of your community, and have the potential of reaching even more unchurched kids and families than VBS at your church,” he said.

4. Show gratitude. “We have made nice fruit baskets and taken them to the local police department, fire department, city hall, and other local businesses,” said Brian McWethy, IBSA zone consultant and pastor of Grace Fellowship Amboy. “We thank them for all they do in our community and then we ask them how we can pray for them.” Then, he said, they pray right away.

5. Look around. “You don’t have to be amazingly creative people to pull off an outreach,” said Rayden Hollis, pastor of Red Hill Church in Edwardsville. “Just watch what’s happening in your city and see if there is something simple you can do that would make a difference.” His church provides simple hand-held fans at their town’s annual Route 66 festival. “Everybody was so thankful because it was hot, and it was a simple thing that we could do.”

Baptists in Illinois give about $6 million to Cooperative Program missions each year.

Your gift to missions through Southern Baptists’ Cooperative Program is Where does it go?

43.5% goes to the national SBC for missions, church planting, and education in North America and worldwide.

56.5% is used in Illinois to grow churches, start new churches, and equip Baptists for missions, discipleship, and evangelism.

Here are the ministries CP supports:

When your church gives a percentage of the weekly offering to missions through CP, the ripple effect is felt all over the world.

THE cooperative program • 2nd quarter report jan. 1 - June 30

This report includes contributions received by the Illinois Baptist State Association through the second quarter of 2018. For questions about this report, contact the IBSA Church Cooperation Team at (217) 391-3104, e-mail JeffDeasy@IBSA.org, or write to P.O. Box 19247, Springfield, IL 62794-9247.

We’re in this together

When your church gives a percentage of tithes and offerings through the Cooperative Program, IBSA sends to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee to support missions and ministry in North America and across the globe.

43.5%

56.5% stays in Illinois to plant churches, strengthen existing congregations, and meet physical and spiritual needs.

“The Cooperative Program is a big deal not only because it supports big, national entities…. It is a big deal because it plays such a large part in all Southern Baptist ministry across the board, both state and national.

– Augie Boto, interim president, SBC Executive Committee

The big picture

The last several years have brought good news and bad news related to Cooperative Program giving.

But state ministry support has shrunk by more than

40% $197million $41million 5.5% to 4.86% New Beginnings, Girard 1,350.00 28.13 New Hope, Litchfield 3,813.12 41.90 Nilwood, Nilwood 0.00 Paradise Southern, Jerseyville 595.42 27.06 Plainview, Plainview 120.00 2.00 Pleasant Dale, Girard 3,262.98 38.39 Raymond, Raymond 1,628.94 30.17 St James, Hillsboro 150.00 5.77 Trinity, Gillespie 3,476.00 47.62 SUBTOTAL 71,911.04 19.88 METRO EAST Cahokia First Southern, Cahokia 235.77 4.81 Calvary, Sparta 6,698.14 26.90 Calvary A D Church, E Saint Louis 0.00 Caseyville First, Caseyville 60.00 2.14 Charis Fellowship, Belleville 86.00 Columbia First, Columbia 34,853.77 66.01 Dupo First, Dupo 5,067.48 13.27 East Carondelet First, East Carondelet 0.00 Eastview, Belleville 6,219.19 64.12 Fairmont, E Saint Louis 863.92 4.57 Fairview Hgts. First, Fairview Hgts. 36,747.83 85.46 Faith, Freeburg 3,152.38 28.66 Faith, Marissa 473.99 11.02 Fifteenth Street, E Saint Louis 100.00 Iglesia Agape, O Fallon Jerome Lane, Cahokia 1,756.00 12.03 Lighthouse Community, Nashville 2,100.00 19.63 Maplewood Park, Cahokia 3,656.30 55.40 Mascoutah First, Mascoutah 9,892.18 58.88 Meadow Heights, Collinsville 11,710.02 41.67 New Antioch Missionary, Belleville 175.00 2.03 New Athens First, New Athens 0.00 New Baden First, New Baden 762.75 15.89 New Bethel Missionary, E Saint Louis 0.00 New Christian Fell., Fairview Hgts. 400.00 8.00 New Life Community, E Saint Louis 1,000.00 0.48 New Visions World Ministries, E Saint Louis 0.00 O’Fallon First, O Fallon 125,780.00 59.55 Perfecting Faith Ministry, Swansea 0.00 Pleasant Valley, Belleville 4,917.00 129.39 Prairie Du Rocher First 4,749.94 65.97 Red Bud First, Red Bud 4,659.54 15.48 Smithton First, Smithton 592.40 Southern Mission, E Saint Louis 1,650.00 1.19 Spring Valley, Shiloh 150.00 1.40 Sterling, Fairview Heights 6,253.97 51.26 Straightway, E Saint Louis 0.00 Swansea, Swansea 2,848.00 49.10 The Body of Christ, Saint Louis 50.00 0.41 The Journey Metro East, Belleville Towerview, Belleville 0.00 Villa Hills, Belleville 1,200.00 4.63 Waterloo First, Waterloo 14,763.00 28.23 Westview, Swansea 6,381.48 6.94 Winstanley, Fairview Heights 5,540.02 8.98 Light of Christ, E Saint Louis Mercy’s Door, Mascoutah 5,284.40 150.98 Millstadt, Millstadt 600.00 42.86 Purposed Church, Mascoutah 132.78 Redemption Community, Belleville SUBTOTAL 311,563.25 22.59 METRO PEORIA Agape Missionary, Peoria 0.00 Bartonville, Bartonville 1,529.20 30.58 Creve Coeur Southern 100.00 3.45 Elmridge So. Missionary, E Peoria 1,657.26 15.07 Emmanuel Community, Pekin 0.00 Faith, Galesburg 3,568.73 25.49 Galena Park, Peoria Heights 443.00 13.42 Hamilton First, Hamilton 675.21 16.88 Harvard Hills, Washington 272.30 2.27 Laramie Street, Peoria 1,225.87 19.77 Liberty, Pekin 4,504.72 10.48 Lighthouse, Monmouth 0.00 Marquette Heights First 900.78 45.04 McArthur Drive, North Pekin 700.00 6.67 Morton First, Morton 8,460.51 27.74 Richland Southern, East Peoria 5,568.16 42.83 River Terrace, Chillicothe 2,419.59 34.57 Roland Manor, Washington 4,536.60 22.57 Rome, Chillicothe 1,780.62 43.43 South Pekin, South Pekin 95.19 10.58 Temple, Canton 2,831.16 25.05 The Journey, East Peoria 300.00 Tremont, Tremont Trinity, Galva 784.25 23.77 University, Macomb 2,875.00 51.34 Vale of Peoria, Peoria 0.00 Washington First, Washington 5,860.68 68.15 Woodland, Peoria 50,878.81 212.00 Capernaum, Peoria 500.00 16.67 Manito, Manito 1,376.95 38.25 Restoration Community, Galesburg Road to Freedom, Galesburg 0.00 SUBTOTAL 103,844.59 37.93 NINE MILE Ava Missionary, Ava 0.00 Beaucoup, Pinckneyville 19,955.00 48.32 Chester First, Chester 2,668.48 16.27 Clarmin First, Marissa 1,040.80 26.02 Concord, Pinckneyville 1,618.85 15.57 Coulterville First, Coulterville Cutler First, Cutler 5,255.53 64.88 De Soto First, De Soto 2,107.68 38.32 Dowell First, Dowell 0.00 Du Quoin First, Du Quoin 24,998.00 34.24 Du Quoin Second, Du Quoin 3,084.00 14.83 Elkville, Elkville 4,453.44 47.89 Ellis Grove First, Ellis Grove 5,386.00 30.78 Elm Street, Murphysboro 16,666.65 21.42 Harrison, Murphysboro 0.00 Lakeland, Carbondale 19,649.56 209.04 Matthews, Pinckneyville 0.00

Murdale, Carbondale 6,966.90 10.89 Nashville First, Nashville 9,000.00 56.60 New Heart Fellowship, Nashville 265.00 44.17 Nine Mile, Tamaroa 3,000.00 24.39 Oak Grove, Pinckneyville 2,325.00 16.61 Okawville First, Okawville 0.00 Paradise, Du Quoin 100.00 3.33 Pinckneyville First, Pinckneyville 9,495.38 17.75 Rock Hill, Carbondale 500.00 7.69 Roe’s Dale, Pinckneyville 3,955.10 54.93 Sparta First, Sparta 600.00 5.08 Steeleville, Steeleville 15,878.24 53.10 Sunfield, Du Quoin 25.00 0.26 Tamaroa First, Tamaroa 180.00 3.91 The Ridge, Carbondale 1,718.38 12.45 Tilden First, Tilden 774.24 22.12 Unity, Makanda 50.00 2.38 University, Carbondale 2,154.00 30.77 Willisville First Missionary, Willisville 0.00 Winkle, Coulterville 6,174.51 48.24 Carbondale Korean Vision 806.50 115.21 Christ Church, Carbondale 2,913.99 107.93 SUBTOTAL 173,766.23 29.57 NORTH CENTRAL Bible Community, Freeport 395.00 8.59 Calvary, Rockford 3,635.77 41.32 Cornerstone Community, Rockford 0.00 Freedom, Rockford 0.00 Halsted Road, Rockford 1,800.66 25.01 Karen of Rockford, Mach. Park 173.03 3.46 Liberty, Rockford Lincoln Wood, Rockford 564.86 4.71 Living Stones Fellowship, Rockford 300.00 9.38 Machesney Park First, Mach. Park 7,345.44 23.77 Pelley Road Christian, Rockford 2,309.00 44.40 South Beloit First, South Beloit 0.00 Living Stones Belvidere, 0.00 SUBTOTAL 16,523.76 17.02 OLNEY Bogota First, Newton 319.47 11.02 Clay City First, Clay City 100.00 1.82 Freedom, Noble 6,739.00 45.53 Hoosier Prairie, Louisville 5,938.07 53.50 Ingraham, Ingraham 640.75 13.08 Olney Southern, Olney 5,038.30 15.94 Zif, Clay City 1,759.81 38.26 SUBTOTAL 20,535.40 27.24 PALESTINE Duncanville Missionary, Robinson 859.65 6.77 Flat Rock First Mission., Flat Rock 2,915.12 53.98 Heartland, Hutsonville 1,000.00 23.81 Hidalgo, Hidalgo 300.00 14.29 Highland Avenue, Robinson 21,311.60 56.98 Island Grove, Martinsville 514.84 5.15 Lawrenceville First, Lawrenceville 1,979.30 14.88 Mt Olive, West York 4,115.59 37.41 New Hope, Robinson 2,098.51 14.47 Newton Southern, Newton 120.22 24.04 Oblong First, Oblong 8,140.07 37.69 Olive Branch, Martinsville 5,070.85 38.42 Prairie Grove, Oblong 784.32 29.05 Prior Grove, Oblong 4,746.08 49.96 Shiloh, Bridgeport 9,803.29 59.41 West Union First, West Union 3,753.33 27.20 SUBTOTAL 67,512.77 35.83 QUAD CITIES AREA Colona First Southern, Colona 2,266.67 11.06 Destiny, Rock Island 300.00 11.54 Faith Fellowship, Milan 856.51 21.41 First Congregational, Kewanee 1,676.00 26.60 Joy First, Joy 0.00 Macedonia Missionary, Rock Island 0.00 New Hope, Coal Valley 2,627.24 24.79 Northcrest Calvary, Moline 1,110.29 14.42 Peoples Missionary, Rock Island 0.00 The Word, East Moline Race of the Elect of Christ, Moline 218.00 7.27 Trail of Hope Cowboy, Joy 0.00 SUBTOTAL 9,054.71 9.05 REHOBOTH Altamont First, Altamont 2,723.60 10.05 Bayle City, Ramsey 83.00 0.58 Bethel, Vandalia 14,236.33 47.61 Brownstown First, Brownstown 4,698.94 46.99 Celebration Community, Pana 1,629.00 49.36 Coalton, Nokomis 530.25 7.26 Columbus Southern, Keyesport 281.46 5.12 East Fork, Coffeen 441.47 13.38 Effingham First, Effingham 39,304.72 59.55 Fillmore, Fillmore 1,833.02 25.11 Grace, Nokomis 1,722.55 14.24 Hagarstown, Vandalia 180.00 12.86 Herrick, Herrick 1,100.56 6.25 Hopewell, Pana 1,153.40 8.67 Mt Carmel, Ramsey 413.58 5.91 Mt Moriah, Coffeen 0.00 New Beginnings, Greenville 0.00 New Bethel, Ramsey 506.48 31.66 New Hope, Tower Hill 97.90 2.45 Oconee, Oconee 529.44 17.65 Overcup, Vandalia 1,007.74 10.28 Pleasant Mound, Smithboro 1,546.49 44.19 Ramsey First, Ramsey 9,710.56 34.93 Reno Southern, Greenville 261.35 3.11 Schram City, Hillsboro 596.38 14.91 Shiloh, Nokomis 150.00 1.05 Smith Grove, Greenville 3,652.00 16.99 Smithboro, Smithboro 200.00 15.38 Sorento Southern, Sorento 275.95 Taylor Springs First, Taylor Springs 375.60 3.29 Vera, Ramsey 1,883.74 78.49 Walshville, Walshville 908.25 20.64

Woburn, Greenville 411.52 11.76 Grace Comm. Fellowship, Vandalia 750.83 187.71 Redeemer, Panama 194.41 SUBTOTAL 93,390.52 25.72 SALEM SOUTH Antioch Missionary, Bonnie 40.00 8.00 Baker Street, Walnut Hill 616.00 34.22 Belle Rive Missionary, Belle Rive 7,293.31 33.46 Bethel, Mount Vernon 0.00 Bethlehem, Salem 542.67 30.15 Blaze Chapel, Centralia 0.00 Bluford First, Bluford 313.79 2.93 Camp Ground, Mount Vernon 549.67 4.47 Casey Avenue, Mount Vernon 545.00 4.95 E Hickory Hill Missionary, Bluford 200.00 3.85 East Salem, Mount Vernon 8,961.30 30.38 East Side, Mount Vernon 90.00 4.50 First Bonnie Missionary, Bonnie 102.00 1.15 Harmony Missionary, Mount Vernon 1,200.00 32.43 Kell, Kell 185.60 4.88 Lebanon Missionary, Mount Vernon 4,440.47 14.75 Logan Street, Mount Vernon 52,233.44 38.63 Long Prairie, Belle Rive 700.00 20.59 New Hope, Mount Vernon 3,338.00 26.49 New Life, Bluford 0.00 Old Union Missionary, Mt. Vernon 3,402.59 23.47 Opdyke, Opdyke 1,358.00 10.29 Panther Fork Missionary, Texico 3,830.45 27.76 Park Avenue, Mount Vernon 1,776.11 8.88 Pleasant Grove, Iuka 804.00 2.39 Pleasant Hill, Mount Vernon 7,743.30 15.67 Pleasant View Miss., Mt. Vernon 211.00 12.41 South Side, Mount Vernon 134.00 0.84 Summersville, Mount Vernon 0.00 West Side Missionary, Mt. Vernon 300.00 1.32 Woodlawn First, Woodlawn 3,000.00 24.39 SUBTOTAL 103,910.70 19.23 SALINE Bankston Fork, Harrisburg 3,376.70 31.86 Carrier Mills First, Carrier Mills 5,033.00 30.50 College Heights, Eldorado 991.13 12.71 Dorrisville, Harrisburg 39,056.54 67.57 Eldorado First, Eldorado 16,756.84 38.52 Galatia First, Galatia 8,594.04 24.55 Gaskins City Missionary, 806.00 10.33 Harco, Galatia 3,053.98 15.42 Harrisburg First, Harrisburg 37,421.37 40.11 Herod Springs, Herod 652.68 17.18 Junction First, Junction 0.00 Land Street Missionary, Harrisburg 244.00 3.05 Ledford, Harrisburg 1,540.00 15.10 Liberty, Harrisburg 7,524.90 54.14 Long Branch, Galatia 774.14 12.10 McKinley Avenue, Harrisburg 8,097.60 12.46 Muddy First, Muddy 0.00 New Burnside, New Burnside 1,195.00 35.15 New Castle, Harrisburg 443.16 14.77 New Salem, Carrier Mills 0.00 North America, Galatia 1,170.40 14.27 North Williford, Harrisburg 863.00 11.51 Ozark, Ozark 2,595.61 45.54 Pankeyville, Harrisburg 4,608.00 59.08 Raleigh, Raleigh 1,575.91 10.94 Ridgway First, Ridgway 2,694.26 18.45 Scott Street, Eldorado 1,232.70 44.03 Shawneetown First, Shawneetown 3,507.12 21.26 Stonefort Missionary, Stonefort 1,756.39 29.77 Union Grove, Eldorado 3,449.99 40.59 Wasson Missionary, Harrisburg 214.52 9.33 SUBTOTAL 159,228.98 31.36 SANDY CREEK Athensville, Roodhouse 1,012.55 32.66 Beardstown First Southern 2,493.54 14.84 Bloomfield, Winchester 0.00 Bluffs, Bluffs 1,172.24 16.75 Calvary, Jacksonville 946.50 32.64 Calvary, White Hall 300.00 8.57 Charity Southern, Greenfield 3,250.23 16.25 Community Worship, Murrayville 238.81 5.19 Cornerstone, Winchester 1,262.12 6.31 East Union, Manchester 60.00 30.00 Emmanuel, Roodhouse 1,331.44 14.02 Faith, Carrollton 2,047.70 13.74 Fieldon First, Fieldon 0.00 Franklin, Franklin 637.26 31.86 Glasgow, Winchester 210.76 4.79 Grace, Palmyra 1,061.30 11.41 Grace, Winchester 301.98 13.13 Hillview, Hillview 958.66 7.10 Lincoln Avenue, Jacksonville 41,293.00 116.32 New Beginnings, Ashland 1,391.44 36.62 New Hope, Waverly 93.00 4.65 Otterville Southern, Otterville 378.06 18.90 Panther Creek, Chandlerville 937.00 13.01 Pleasant Hill, Roodhouse 600.00 8.22 Rushville First Southern, Rushville 1,366.00 10.59 Sandridge, Winchester 0.00 Walkerville, Jacksonville 0.00 Wilmington, Patterson 1,191.02 56.72 Woodson, Woodson 775.36 25.85 Youngblood, Murrayville 1,202.96 22.70 Families of Faith Jacksonville Gathering of the First Born, Jacksonville 0.00 SUBTOTAL 66,512.93 27.79 SINNISSIPPI Bethel, Princeton 665.06 7.39 Emmanuel, Sterling 0.00 Grace Fellowship, Amboy 2,296.88 42.53 Grace Fellowship Ashton, Ashton 1,883.21 41.85 Iglesia Getsemani, Sterling 100.00 5.00 Maranatha, Rock Falls 120.00 4.80 Mision Hispana, Sterling 114.94 7.66 New Hope of Como, Sterling 2,922.00 58.44

Two tried-and-true tactics are the key to reversing course, Augie Boto said:

Evangelism

Beloved - Albany Park, Chicago

of the Beloved, Chicago

of the Beloved-Near West, Chicago

of Joy Fellowship, E Saint Louis

of Christ, Naperville

Estates Latino Ministry, Schaumburg

Hispana, Midlothian New City Fellowship, Chicago

Waterloo

Ukranian, Chicago Sojourn, Belleville

Crossing, Saint Jacob

for South Loop, Chicago 95.92

Baptist, Decatur 900.00

of East Alton, East Alton

Genoa, Genoa

Top 100 Illinois churches in Cooperative Program support through the second quarter of

Top 100 Illinois churches in per capita CP support through the second quarter of 2018

and

If every Baptist gave a tenth of what they earn, research shows Cooperative Program receipts would

tithing quintuple.

“…We could afford five times the number of the missionaries at home,” Boto said. “We could support five times the number of missionaries abroad.

“By any estimate, we could certainly expect a gigantic increase in all of our present fruit….And all of that improvement would come from just that one simple act of obedience— tithing.”

Don’t quit!

Read: Hebrews 12:1-2

The other morning I decided to go for a run. I hadn’t run in a while and I knew starting back would be tough. But I underestimated just how tough it would be. I started slowly by walking the first lap. Then on the second lap I began to run. Things were going well for a while and then it happened: Just a few laps in, I began to feel winded and my chest started to burn. Soon, pain kicked in, and the first thought that came to my mind was to quit.

Celebrating 150 years

people

With the Lord

Former Illinois pastor and director of missions Harmon B. Mills, 89, died April 16 in Salem. Mills, a carpenter by trade, served in the U.S. Army and pastored churches in Texas and Illinois, including Smith Grove Baptist in Greenville. He became director of missions for Kaskaskia Baptist Association, from which he retired.

Mills is survived by his wife of 69 years, Lucille; children Kathleen, Daniel, Beth, and Debra; 11 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.

Nominees needed For IBSA boards, committees

ADRON ROBINSON

Have you ever been tempted to quit? Quit your marriage, quit your ministry, or even quit your church? I have. Ministry is hard work; it’s spiritual warfare. If you do what God called you to do, there will be serious opposition, but don’t quit. Pastor, ministry leader, spouse, hear me clearly: God did not call us to ministry because we are able. He called us to ministry because he is able! And by his grace, he has chosen to display his strength in the midst of our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9). So, don’t quit serving, just quit trying to serve by your own power.

Paul David Tripp tells the story about the day he attempted to resign from his church. He was sure this was the best decision for him and his family. He was weary. On Sunday morning he made the announcement to the congregation. After the service, a member walked up to him and said, “We know you are immature, but where is the church going to find mature leaders if immature leaders run?”

Brothers and sisters, the church needs spiritually mature leaders, and God makes them by training us to endure trials and tribulations while trusting him. So don’t quit! Your family needs you, your church needs you, the Kingdom of God needs you. Don’t quit!

PRAYER PROMPT: Father, ministry is hard and at times we are tempted to quit. Teach us to trust your strength in the midst of our weakness and allow you to use every circumstance for your glory. Amen.

Adron Robinson is pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and president of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

In a sanctuary that’s been in use since 1869, New Lebanon Baptist Church marked a milestone anniversary June 24. The 150-year-old church in Kilbourne, now led by Pastor John Cotton, celebrated with a special worship service and an afternoon ceremony that included burying a time capsule and planting a tree in honor of their history.

The original New Lebanon congregation started meeting in a school in 1868, until construction was completed on a

church building the next year. Today, the church still uses the original theater-style seats.

Kids study the Word

Springfield | IBSA’s boards and committees are in need of 33 new members to begin serving next year. The committees that nominate those individuals are currently calling for recommendations; to submit a name, complete the form found at IBSA.org/nominations.

IBSA’s Nominating Committee recommends people to serve on the Association’s three boards: IBSA, the Baptist Foundation of Illinois (BFI), and Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS). The committee will fill 6 positions on the IBSA Board of Directors, 3 on BFI’s Board of Trustees, and 4 on the BCHFS Board of Trustees.

Terry Mathis, director of missions for Union Baptist Association, is chairman of the Nominating Committee and may be reached at mathisterry2009@hotmail.com.

The Committee on Committees will fill a total of 20 positions on IBSA’s six committees:

• Constitution Committee: 2

• Credentials Committee: 4

• Historical Committee: 4

• Nominating Committee: 4

• Order of Business Committee: 3

• Resolutions and Christian Life Committee: 3

Jerry Weber, minister of education and administration at Chatham Baptist Church, is chairman of the Committee on Committees and may be contacted at jerryaweber@ comcast.net.

NeTworkiNg

Find more information on ministry positions at IBSA.org/connect. Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

Calvary Baptist Church in Elgin is seeking a part-time worship leader to humbly lead, strengthen, and grow our music ministry as we pursue God’s vision for our church. We hope to find someone with experience leading in both traditional and contemporary settings. For more information or to submit a resume, e-mail cbcelgininfo@gmail. com.

Chatham Baptist Church is seeking a part-time ministry assistant. Send resumes to Senior Pastor Milton Bost at milton@crcomputer. com, or mail to 1500 East Walnut St., Chatham, IL, 62629, by July 19. For complete job description, visit chathambaptist.org. Steeleville Baptist Church, a growing, multigenerational church, is prayerfully seeking a part-time director of student ministry. Resumes may be sent to mbgb80@frontier.com.

YOUNG LEARNERS – Mt. Carmel First Baptist Church and First Baptist Church, Harrisburg, joined together May 12 for a Championship Bible Drill. Young participants, who advanced through individual church drills to the main event, were tested on their knowledge of Bible books, key Scripture passages, and memorized verses.

Lunch and Learn Webinar Series

July 18: 5 Skills that Empower Others

Aug. 15: Best Practices for Planning

Sept. 19: Leaders Eat Last

When: 11:30 a.m. to noon

Info: IBSA.org/WomensEvents

July 20-28

U.K. Vision Trip

EVENTS

August 18

IBSA Slo-Pitch Softball Tournament

Where: Rotary Park, Decatur

Cost: $130 per team

Info: DwayneDoyle@IBSA.org

August 25

Training Day

No obligation here

What: Team will be introduced to the work of IMB missionaries serving among South Asian peoples in London

Info: CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org

July 26-August 6

South Asia Mission Trip

What: Quality, free training in women’s and men’s ministry, music, students, children, church financial practices, church security, outreach, and small groups

Where: FBC Effingham, 8:30 a.m. to noon Register: IBSA.org/TrainingDay

September 1-8

Costa Rica Mission Trip

What: Team will partner with an IMB missionary to help plant a new church through prayer walking, evangelism, and creative outreach

Info: DwayneDoyle@IBSA.org

September 8

What: Team will work alongside missionaries who operate a girl’s day center, and engage families through Bible storying

Info: CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org

July 30-August 2

Meet the Nations

What: Mission team will spend time in a variety of Chicagoland communities, prayer walking and learning to engage different people groups

Info: CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org

August 14

Training Night

What: Quality, free training in women’s and men’s ministry, worship, students, children and preschoolers, outreach, prayer, small groups, social media, and security

Where: FBC Fairview Heights, 6-9 p.m. Register: IBSA.org/TrainingNight

August 16, 18

Coaching Clinics

What: Increase your leadership effectiveness through coaching skills

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield (clinics are single-day, identical events)

Cost: $25 IBSA-affiliated churches, $125 non-affiliated Register: IBSA.org/WomensEvents

Sunday School Director Training

What: Training from Wayne Poling, former LifeWay Sunday School Specialist

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Cost: $10 per person, lunch included Register: IBSA.org/discipleship-groups/ events

September 11

Training Night

What: Quality, free training in women’s ministry, music, students, children, church security, outreach, and small groups

Where: FSBC Colona, 6-9 p.m. Register: IBSA.org/TrainingNight

September 14

Chicagoland Pastors & Spouses Date Night

What: An evening of fellowship and entertainment by IBSA pastor and comedian Ken Schultz

Where: Broadview Missionary Baptist Church Register: IBSA.org/LeadershipEvents

September 15

Living Proof Live Simulcast

What: Teaching by Bible study author and leader Beth Moore

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Cost: $15 per person Register: IBSA.org/WomensEvents

QMy father died recently. He walked out of my life 25 years ago when I was a teenager, and he never wanted anything to do with me after that. His brothers, who have already paid for some of his final expenses, asked if I wanted to pay to have his body cremated. They didn’t ask for money, they just offered it as a chance to be part of things. I’m in good shape financially, and I could easily afford the cost. Morally, I wonder if I have a responsibility to help with things. Do you feel I’m obligated in any way?

AI’m sorry for your loss. I’m sorry, too, about what happened with your father. I can’t imagine the mixed emotions you must have in your heart. When someone asks me a question like this, I try to put myself in their shoes. Under the circumstances, I don’t think you have any obligation whatsoever—morally or legally—to help pay for anything. If you want to help, and you can afford to do so, then follow your heart. At the same time, I don’t think you should lose one wink of sleep over this if you decide not to contribute.

Twenty-five years is a long, long time. I don’t know your dad, and I have no clue about his situation or state of mind back then and in the time since. I can’t imagine doing that to a child of any age, though. Do what you feel in your heart is best. But in my opinion, there’s no obligation here. God bless you.

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

Step by step

QWhen is the right time to buy a house when someone is following your Baby Steps plan?

AThat’s a good question. Let’s start by going over the first few Baby Steps: Baby Step 1 is saving $1,000 for a beginner emergency fund. Baby Step 2 is paying off all consumer debt, from smallest to largest, using the debt snowball. Baby Step 3 is where you increase your emergency fund to the point where you have three to six months of expenses set aside.

Once you’ve done all that, you can begin saving for a home. I’ll call it Baby Step 3b. For folks looking to buy a house, I advise saving enough money for a down payment of at least 20%. I don’t beat people up over mortgage debt, but I do advise them to get a 15-year, fixed rate loan, where the payments are no more than 25% of their monthly takehome pay.

Doing it this way may take a little more time, and delay your dream of becoming a homeowner a bit, but buying a house when you’re broke is the quickest way I know to turn something that should be a blessing into a burden!

OCTOBER 5 – Chicago South Connection Community Church

OCTOBER 6 – Chicago North Starting Point Community Church

OCTOBER 7 – Decatur Tabernacle Baptist Church

OCTOBER 7 – Marion Cultural and Civic Center

NOVEMBER 11– Metro East First Baptist Church, O’Fallon

Choose from 5 locations: For more information, go to IBSA.org/students.

DAVE RAMSEY

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Pat’s

Playbook

Keep them coming back

QHow do we combat the once-a-month tendency that’s infecting even our (formerly) best attenders?

Exegete the culture

Understanding the world where we live and serve

Church needed here...

Location: Buckley

Focus: Residents of this town of almost 600 people

Characteristics: Why would we consider planting a church in a town of 593 people? Because God is at work in Buckley. There currently is no evangelical church there, but a group of believers meeting in a house has asked us to assist in planting a new church.

PAT PAJAK

AThe truth is that many younger church-goers may not see the necessity of weekly attendance, and feel like once or twice a month is enough. Unfortunately, that has carried over to some of our former best attenders. Preaching an exciting series or book of the Bible could help keep listeners connected from week to week. You might remember how Batman used cliffhangers to get people to tune in next week. Consider putting something similar in your sermons. Leave the congregation with a question, challenge, or idea that will be resolved in next week’s message.

Talk it out

QI strongly disagree with some of what they’re spending our church money on. Can I redirect my offering?

AHolding back or designating your offering could be perceived as a power play to try to exert control over the process, rather than a way to correct a legitimate concern. If your church has a budget committee or finance team, see if you can set up a meeting with them the next time they are together. Discuss the approved budget, and determine if money is being spent outside of that plan. If not, be prepared to explain exactly why you are in disagreement.

Stick to the lesson

QWe had several big arguments about politics in our Sunday school class— real doozies—but they were about important biblical issues. Should we declare a politicsfree zone, or keep arguing and hope we don’t drive anyone away?

AWhen a group of Christians addresses issues like abortion, homosexuality, the sanctity of marriage, evolution, gender identification, or prejudice, it’s natural for politics to play a role in the conversation. But remember, Sunday school is not designed to argue or resolve worldly issues. Stay focused on the Scripture lesson of the day. If a political viewpoint is shared, discuss it, but stay on track. In some instances, you may simply have to agree to disagree, and move on.

Pat Pajak is IBSA’s associate executive director for evangelism. Send questions for Pat to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

Prayer needs: Pray for the group meeting in Buckley. Pray for other homes to be opened for Bible studies, and for a larger gathering place where these groups can meet for corporate worship.

– IBSA Church Planting Team

Young adults

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

“Giving is considered an act of worship—and clicking on a mouse may not feel as holy as putting your offering in the collection plate.”

– Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research

How do you give?

Among Americans who give to their church:

25-34

are a large segment of the population

13.8 % In Chicago

In Illinois

How do we reach them?

Segmentation

19.1% Yes or No

Churches try letting younger people set up their own style of worship or ministry. But leadership expert Will Mancini warns,“Segmentation may lead to a fragmentation. It reinforces a personality-based culture, rather than a shared vision, if two sub-congregations form around preferences of different leadership styles.”

Better methods involve bringing young adults into leadership and worship, building multi-age teams, and planning early for succession of senior leaders.

– Sperling’s Best Places, WillMancini.com