March 19, 2018 Illinois Baptist

Illinois | Just three months into the new year, 115 churches have accepted the Pioneering Spirit Challenge. That’s more than halfway to IBSA’s 2018 goal of 200 or more churches. But for those churches—and for all of us—the work is just beginning.

The Pioneering Spirit Challenge, timed to coincide with Illinois’ bicentennial year, seeks to bring frontier fortitude to Baptist work today. Our forebears lived in trying times, meeting danger head-on, and forging a new state. Many of them brought solid Christian faith to the hard-won territory, and many of those first Illinoisans were Baptists.

If the concepts of wilderness, lostness, and battle seem familiar, it’s

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 March 7

GO NEW PLACES – Church Planting

Goal: 200

NATE ADAMS

Thank you

Recently I attended a meeting of state Baptist executive directors, like myself, from across the country. The format of the meeting included several panel discussions on topics ranging from missions giving to working with local associations, and from disaster relief ministry to ways Baptist state conventions can help one another.

82

ENGAGE NEW PEOPLE – Evangelism 111

MAKE NEW SACRIFICES – Missions Giving

Churches Churches Churches Churches

One of the panels was comprised of four experienced leaders, and they were asked the question, “What have you discovered that encourages generous missions giving from churches through the Cooperative Program?”

DEVELOP NEW LEADERS – Leadership Development

Total Participating Churches: 115

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

The first Baptist meeting house was at a riverside settlement called New Design Just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, the church was organized in 1796 by early pioneers and preachers. The building pictured here dates to 1832, according to a sign over the door.

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 3/09/18 $1,202,743

Budget Goal: $1,211,539

Received to date in 2017: $1,116,174

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.

It was a question that certainly got my attention. While Cooperative Program giving is up in Illinois so far this year, last year it dipped below the $6 million mark for the first time since 1998. Many churches understand and appreciate Cooperative Program missions and ministries, and are giving sacrificially. But many are giving nominally, or at a rate lower than in the past. That affects missions and ministries not only in Illinois, but throughout America and around the world.

By the way, if you want to know how strong your church’s CP missions giving is, simply divide the amount your church gave through the Cooperative Program last year by the number of church members. Across all IBSA churches, that average is about $50 per member. The top 100 CP missions giving churches in Illinois give at least $100 per member. My home church here in Springfield isn’t large, but it gave about $200 per member last year. This “per capita” giving is really the most accurate way to compare churches of all sizes.

Anyway, so when I heard the panel discussion question about CP missions giving, I sat up straight and poised myself to take notes on whatever my colleagues might say about this important need. The first to speak was one of the most experienced and respected of all the executive directors.

“The first and most important thing is this,” he began. “Whenever I am in a church, whenever our staff is in a church, in fact whenever I have an opportunity to speak or write to pastors or churches in any setting, I always start with thank you. Thank you for prioritizing the Cooperative Program in your missions giving.”

I didn’t bother writing anything down. “I can remember that,” I thought. “What else will he suggest?” But he kept talking about gratitude.

“We all need to remember that churches, like church members, have a lot of demands on their resources. There are lots of ways they could spend their church’s offerings at home. Whatever they choose to send beyond their church field to the mission field and ministries of our state, nation, and world, deserves our humble gratitude. I always focus on saying thank you.”

Then, one by one, each of the experienced panelists began their remarks by affirming this foundational principle. “I agree, the most important thing you can do is say thank you.” “Yes, we must always remember to say thank you.” “We can never take a church’s missions giving for granted.”

Whatever else my colleagues said that morning, I came away with this note in my head. “The next time you write to Illinois Baptists, say thank you for their giving to Baptist missions and ministries through the Cooperative Program.”

So, thank you. Whatever your church is giving, it is making a difference here in Illinois and around the world, and it is deeply appreciated. In fact, I would love to come to your church and thank you personally, if you will invite me. Whether I deliver the morning message, or just share a brief word about Cooperative Program missions, you can be assured that my first words will be thank you.

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

Your missions giving is making a difference here in Illinois and around the world.

Pastors challenge ruling

Appeal judge’s decision against housing allowance

Chicago | A group of pastors and religious leaders have filed an appeal to protect the minister’s housing allowance, which was declared unconstitutional last year.

Codified as part of a 1954 law, the housing allowance allows “ministers of the Gospel” to exclude for federal income tax purposes a portion or all of their gross income as a housing allowance. Judge Barbara Crabb of the Western District of Wisconsin ruled last year that the housing allowance violates the Constitution’s Establishment Clause—which bans government-established religion.

In December, Crabb entered a final order declaring the housing allowance unconstitutional. That order, however, has been stayed for 180 days after all appeals are exhausted, meaning it currently has no impact.

were brought by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, who argue the IRS has violated the Constitution by refusing to permit its leaders to claim the ministerial housing allowance.

Pending legislation

Lawmakers mull multiple measures on the sanctity of life

COCHRAN

On Feb. 8, a group including pastors from the South Side of Chicago appealed Crabb’s ruling. The group is represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a conservative non-profit legal group.

Religious liberty at stake

If the ruling is upheld, it could have massive impact on ministers, including those in Illinois, said IBSA’s Rich Cochran “The housing allowance affects many pastors across Illinois and I believe its reversal would create a significant burden on our pastors, especially of smaller and mediumsized churches,” said Cochran, director of leadership development.

The ruling and its legal challenges also have religious liberty implications, he said. “Removing the housing allowance would actually create religious discrimination; instead of solving the problem, the Wisconsin court would actually be creating it.”

Crabb’s 2017 ruling was her second against the housing allowance. In 2013, she declared it unconstitutional, but the ruling was overturned by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Both cases

In the 2013 case, the Seventh Circuit ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the case. The current case is different, according to the Church Alliance, a coalition of large and historic denominational pension boards. This time, the alliance noted, the plaintiffs were granted a housing allowance by the foundation, “paid income taxes on the housing allowance, sought a refund of those taxes paid, and arguably have been denied tax refunds by the IRS.” The challenge specifically applies to the cash housing allowance; the part of the tax law that provides for tax-free use of a parsonage or other church-owned home is not impacted.

O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, said the Southern Baptist entity, which is part of the Church Alliance, has “monitored these challenges closely and will be prepared to provide amicus briefs at the appropriate time.”

“We believe the housing allowance law as it currently exists removes governmentimposed favor and allows churches to determine whether a church-owned home or providing a cash allowance is the best way for a church to provide for its minister’s needs,” Hawkins said. “We look forward to advocating on behalf of all pastors along with other denominational pension boards and with our Southern Baptist partners.”

GuideStone has advised ministers to consult its annual tax guide, available at www. GuideStone.org/taxguide, and its housing allowance information, available at www. GuideStone.org/housingallowance, to ensure they are properly documenting any housing allowance and reporting it appropriately on their income tax returns.

– From Baptist Press, with additional reporting by ChurchLawAndTax.com and the Illinois Baptist

Springfield | Several bills of particular interest to Christians have been on hold due to Illinois’ March 20 primary election, said Bob Vanden Bosch of Concerned Christian Ministries. The not-for-profit organization’s recent newsletter listed bills to watch, including several that deal with the state’s abortion laws. These bills are currently in Senate or House committees:

-HB 3210 would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

-Two bills, one in each house, would counteract a measure approved last year that allows taxpayer-funded abortions in Illinois, but their prospects aren’t hopeful. SB 2241 was assigned to the Senate Executive Committee and then the Subcommittee on Special Issues, where Vanden Bosch said “it is destined to die.”

-HB 4210 would ban abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

-The Ultrasound Opportunity Act, HB 4257, requires abortion facilities to offer an ulstasound to women seeking abortions after eight weeks gestation.

-HB 4393 would regulate “pregnancy termination centers,” defined as facilities that perform 50 or more surgical abortions in a calendar year.

Illinois lawmakers also could consider:

-Legislation that would allow Bible colleges to grant degrees without the approval of the Illinois Board of Education. Senate Bill 2822 is on its second reading on the Senate floor.

-Two bills, HB 3499 and SB 2231, would ban possession of firearms on church property. The Senate bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, while the House bill is currently in the House Rules Committee.

-Two bills, one in each house, would require public elementary and high school curriculum to include “a unit of instruction studying the significant role of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals in society.” HB 5596 is currently in the House Rules Committee, while SB3249 is in the Senate Education Committee.

Pastors’ Conference presidency nominee

Danny Wood, pastor of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., will be nominated to preside over the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference when it convenes in his city in 2019.

“…Dr. Wood understands the joys and challenges we face as pastors and will plan a conference that inspires our hearts with great theology and application,” Texas pastor Greg Matte said in the nomination announcement.

Prior to pastoring Shades Mountain, Wood pastored First Baptist Church in Ruston, La., and was on staff at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. He is the first Pastors’ Conference nominee to be announced.

Honoring Billy Graham

From the front: pioneering spirit

because they describe our spiritual frontier today—200 years later.

“It will take as much courage for today’s believers to bring the gospel to the millions in our cities, suburbs, and crossroads communities as it did for first founders to carve out those communities starting at the time of statehood,” said Van Kicklighter, IBSA’s associate executive director for church planting. “Winning over wilderness has gotten no easier in 200 years.”

Against the reality of at least 8 million lost people in Illinois, Pioneering Spirit engages IBSA churches in church planting, baptisms, missions giving, and leadership development.

Kicklighter and his team have identified 200 locations in Illinois in need of an evangelical church. So far, 82 churches have accepted the challenge to “Go new places,” praying for or partnering with a new church plant.

In addition, 111 churches have said they will “Engage new people,” taking steps to increase their church’s annual baptisms. The “One GRAND Sunday” emphasis on April 8, encourage 1,000 baptisms statewide, is one aspect of this “engagement.” It is led by Pat Pajak, associate executive director for evangelism. (See “Baptisms” article on page 5.)

Another 66 churches said they will “Make new sacrifices,” by increasing missions giving through the Cooperative Program. And 111 churches will “Develop new leaders,” preparing tomorrow’s pastors, missionaries, and church leaders to continue the work in the decades ahead.

In all, 115 churches accepted one or more of the challenges since the Pioneering Spirit initiative was announced at the IBSA Annual Meeting in November.

“We have been encouraged by how many pastors and churches are taking this commitment—and the critical challenge to advance the gospel in our perilous times—seriously,” said Kicklighter.

One example in the church planting area: Community Southern Baptist Church in Clay City has taken on the challenge of planting a church in Carroll County. That is one of 10 counties in Illinois with no Southern Baptist congregation. Pastor David Starr told Kicklighter that his church began praying about making the commitment after seeing IBSA’s “blue map” that illustrates lostness in the state.

To learn more about the four Pioneering Spirit challenges, and to register your own church’s commitment to one or more of them, visit PioneeringSpirit.org. Together, we will –

Go new places – praying for or partnering with a new church plant

Engage new people – taking steps to increase your church’s annual baptisms

Make new sacrifices – increasing missions giving through the Cooperative Program

Develop new leaders – preparing tomorrow’s pastors, missionaries, and church leaders

– Eric Reed

A North Carolina man has garnered more than 118,000 signatures to an online petition to name a holiday in honor of evangelist Billy Graham. Kyle Siler addressed his Change.org petition to President Donald Trump and other lawmakers, noting that Graham, who died Feb. 21, “preached the gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history.”

At least three counter-petitions on Change.org lobbied against the idea of a Graham holiday, but none has received as much support as Siler’s.

Moody faculty to affirm Bible’s inerrancy

After allegations of poor decision-making and theological drift at Moody Bible Institute, the Chicago school will require faculty members to affirm a statement on biblical inerrancy as a condition of employment, former Moody Radio Network host Julie Roys reported on her blog. Roys called the Chicago school’s adoption of the Short Statement of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy “a bold step to define and strengthen its position on inerrancy, and to hold its faculty accountable.”

– Baptist Press, Change.org, julieroys.com

Volunteers respond after flooding

Disaster Relief teams mobilize to eastern Illinois

Watseka | Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers responded in March to flooding in the extreme eastern part of the state that left hundreds of families with lots of work to do.

Teams worked in Watseka and other communities in Iroquois County, where homeowners had removed much of the debris from February flooding but needed help with power washing and mold remediation.

The volunteers also shared the gospel as they served, resulting in Lorena Macias (center in photo) placing her faith in Christ. “This is what DR is about,” said Jerry Ford, director of missions for Williamson Association. Volunteers from Ford’s association took a new mud-out trailer to Watseka to aid recovery efforts.

Six teams were scheduled to deploy to the region in March. Dwayne Doyle, state coordinator for Disaster Relief, said volunteers have received 176 job requests. The callout is expected to last at least three more weeks, and Doyle has requested help from neighboring states.

Cornerstone Ministries in Woodland is hosting the teams. For information on serv-

ing in Watseka, or to register for upcoming Disaster Relief training sessions, go to IBSA. org/DR.

– Page 1 screen capture from WAND-TV

KICKLIGHTER

Creating a culture of evangelism in your church

At a recent evangelism workshop, one Southern Baptist pastor articulated a major struggle in many churches.

“I hear so many pastors say, ‘You’ve got to love the lost, you’ve got to win the lost.’ People in the pew think, ‘I should but I don’t know how.’”

IBSA’s Pat Pajak equips pastors across Illinois to help the people in their pews answer that question: How do we share the gospel with the people around us? Pajak is leading an effort to see 1,000 baptisms in IBSA churches on April 8, the Sunday after Easter. In addition to the numerical goal, One GRAND Sunday is designed to help people begin thinking intentionally about evangelism.

“Who do they know that needs to hear the gospel?” asked Pajak, associate executive director for evangelism. “Are they willing to step out of their comfort zone and share their faith with others?”

April 8, 2018

Goal: 1,000 baptisms in IBSA churches

Register your church before the day: IBSA.org/Evangelism

Come back to the website to report and celebrate baptisms

The call to renewed evangelistic commitment comes amid declining baptisms in IBSA churches—and the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2017, IBSA churches baptized 3,441 people, a 13% decrease from the previous year’s total of 3,953. And 352 churches reported zero baptisms. The national numbers for 2017 will be released this summer, but in 2016, baptisms in SBC churches declined nearly 5%.

(Despite the lower numbers, Pajak often notes there is much reason to rejoice when one person comes to faith in Christ. The charts on pages 5-6 celebrate how God stirred the baptismal waters in IBSA churches last year.)

Cliff Woodman is preparing his church for One GRAND Sunday with a strategy they’ve used before to boost personal evangelism. Woodman, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville, asked church members to commit to share their faith with one person by the Sunday before Easter. They were invited to make their commitment public by placing a commitment card on the church altar.

Woodman prays daily for the people in his church who filled out the cards and will follow up with them after March 25 as a way to remind them of the commitment, and to hear their stories.

The pastor shared the idea with other churches in his association and with the IBSA Pastors’ Evangelism Network that Pajak facilitates. Nine other congregations are using the commitment strategy along with Emmanuel.

Top IBSA churches in total baptisms

Gospel conversations

At an Engage 24 workshop in Las Vegas in February, a panel of Southern Baptist leaders shared reallife stories of how churches are reaching people with the gospel. The training session was one of a series of workshops sponsored by the North American Mission Board and designed to give leaders practical ways they can create and foster a culture of evangelism in their churches.

Speaking at the workshop, SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page encouraged pastors to intentionally cross borders, risk negativity, and create a loving environment without compromising truth.

Referencing Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan Woman in John 4, Page spoke about the responsibility and call of the church to be leaders in building and maintaining relationships with those who are currently a part of a congregation, as well as those who are not. He noted this requires proactive engagement and responding to the responsibility of the church.

“Christ was the great example of reaching across ethnic and gender boundaries, and so if we’re going to follow Christ, we have to be his hands and feet in doing that in the world,” Page said. “And what other organization is it? Is it education? Is it government? Who is it that should be leading the way? It ought to be the church, not following, not pulling up the rear, but leading in this.

“The church is duty-bound because of our allegiance to Christ to be like him in this world,” he said, “and that’s reaching across these barriers like Jesus did with the woman at the well.”

WOODMAN

illinois voices

Scared to share?

Though I have shared the gospel message many times, I can still be afraid to share my faith with others. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I’ve heard many others express that same anxiety. Here are some reasons we might be afraid to share our faith and what to do about it.

We worry it won’t be well-received. I’ve actually had very few people who were offended that I tried to share the gospel with them. That doesn’t mean they all trust the Lord when I witness. It just means that people are frequently more interested than you might think.

Often, I ask for permission to share the gospel by saying something like, “Can I tell what the Bible says about how you can have a relationship with God?” or something like that. A few say “no” to that question. But many people are willing to at least hear the message.

We worry we won’t be able to answer their questions. It is true that we can’t always answer all the questions people ask about faith. Sometimes we have to say, “I don’t know” or “Let me find out more about that.” But we don’t have to know everything about everything to be able to share what we know.

And, all questions are not the same. Some questions people ask are more theoretical. Some are excuses. Some are genuine questions that need to be dealt with carefully. Often I find myself saying, “I don’t know the answer to that fully and will need to get back with you on it. But can I tell you what the Bible says about how you can know Jesus?”

If possible, I want people to be able to hear the basic gospel message fully, even if I can’t fully answer every question they might ask.

We worry about what others will think of us. Let’s face it. This one can be a big part of our fear of sharing the gospel. After all, like many of you, I can be something of a people pleaser. But God reminds us that

he wants to use us to be his ambassadors. In other words, our primary thought should be on what he thinks and not on what someone else thinks.

Remember that telling others is the natural result of what we believe. We are beggars who have found the bread of life. It is only natural that we want other beggars to find that same bread. While we can’t make them eat, it is our compassion that leads us to tell them about this life-giving bread. We should be kind and caring and loving in our sharing, but our primary focus should be on doing what the Lord wants us to do.

We worry we might mess up and are unsure how to make the gospel clear to them. I don’t want to add confusion to those already living in spiritual confusion. This is one of the reasons why a sound method of sharing the gospel is helpful and healthy. Learning a solid method can keep us on track and help us avoid confusing those who are hearing the gospel.

There are dozens of great tools for sharing the gospel. Whether it is the Romans Road or 3 Circles or Can We Talk or any other biblically sound method, these tools can help you to share the gospel in an understandable way. A solid methodology can help us overcome the fear of not knowing how to share.

If you have had any of these fears, or others, you are not alone. But, with God’s help, you can be a witness of God’s grace to others. Don’t let fear keep you from following the Lord’s command to share the gospel. And don’t let it keep you from the joy of learning that God uses people like us—fears and all— to accomplish his purposes.

Doug Munton is pastor of First Baptist Church in O’Fallon. This column first appeared at BPNews.net.

At Immanuel Baptist Church in Benton, people are learning specific tools to help overcome the barriers Page referenced. Every year, said Pastor Sammy Simmons, he and his staff focus on a tool people can use to share Christ. This year, they’re learning to share the gospel using their hand—a method they employ on mission trips to Africa.

Every Sunday between now and Easter, Simmons will explain the gospel-sharing strategy from the pulpit. He’s also using four consecutive Wednesday evening sessions to teach on gospel conversations, which he differentiates from religious conversations.

“A gospel conversation is when I am explicitly talking about the life of Christ, his death for our sins, his resurrection, and giving an invitation for them to turn from their sins and for Christ to be their savior,” Simmons said.

Continued from page 5 SIMMONS

Church members are sharing about their gospel conversations in 60-second videos. One such testimony was from a stay-at-home mom who threw a Valentine’s Day party and connected it to God’s love, sharing the gospel with her friends.

IBSA and the North American Mission Board also are encouraging churches to focus on gospel conversations this year, with a goal of recording one million of them by the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas this June. At gcchallenge.com, gospel-sharers can view 60-second videos on real-life gospel conversations, and upload their own.

With at least 8 million people in Illinois who don’t know Christ, the time for talking about Jesus is now, Pajak said. “We need to pray for lost people by name, train people in how to share their faith, and commit to witness to at least one person between now and Easter Sunday.”

Top IBSA churches in total baptisms per member

– Meredith Flynn, with additional reporting from Baptist Press

Live, work, play, serve

Families take an all-in approach to community transformation

BY MEREDITH FLYNN

On a family prayer walk, Edgar Rodriguez helped his children see their neighborhood in a new light. The pastor of New City Fellowship in Chicago’s Humboldt Park asked his kids what they saw as they walked.

“Our oldest said, ‘I see children,’” Edgar said. His response: “This is your mission right here.”

In the second-deadliest neighborhood in Chicago, Edgar and his wife, Sonia, are raising their seven children to play an integral role in transforming their community by sharing—and living— the gospel.

They’ve heard the questions about living in a dangerous place, Edgar said. “Why don’t you move out of there?”

“We believe that we have the solution to change their hearts, which is Jesus. Everything else is going to fall short,” said the church planter who launched New City Fellowship three years ago.

“We can’t leave.”

Sonia says, “If I’m giving my children the gospel, and they can give the gospel to another child, why wouldn’t I train them up for other people in the neighborhood to possibly know Christ?”

P. 8

Their mission field

In one of their city’s most dangerous neighborhoods, the Rodriguez family (above) is advancing the gospel by building relationships and trusting God to work.

Page 8: The Marshes of Macon are renovating an old church building to create a gathering space for their neighbors.

This article is the second in a series on Christ-centered parenting. Read part one online at IllinoisBaptist.org.

Rodriguez family collection

Life together

Edgar didn’t want to go back to his old neighborhood to plant a church. He was frustrated with the people—“his own people,” he said. Humboldt Park is undergoing gentrification, meaning coffee shops are popping up, along with more expensive housing. And a new demographic—hipsters—are joining large African-American and Hispanic populations.

Spiritually, though, religious tradition still had more influence than culture-impacting gospel ministry. But the couple sensed God was moving them back to the neighborhood where they both spent at least part of their childhoods.

“God, forgive me for being like Jonah,” Edgar remembers praying.

“We knew the mess that existed, but through prayer and counsel and things of that nature, we just kept telling one another that it makes sense. If the darkness in this neighborhood is what it is, and we’re light, it’s actually kind of foolish and cowardice to leave it like it is.”

Three years ago, the Rodriguezes started New City Fellowship in their apartment. Once they outgrew the space, they moved into the Humboldt Park headquarters of the Chicago Metro Baptist Association.

Planting a church in a tough neighborhood has its challenges, especially when you open your own home like the Rodriguezes have tried to do. They’ve invited drug addicts and dealers to share meals at their table. When a former friend reached out for help and a place to stay, they let him live with them for a while. That particular encounter resulted in Edgar sustaining a blow to the head when the man threw his phone at him in anger.

Months later, Edgar saw the man again. He walked up to him and reached out his arms. “Who would I be if I would not extend to you what Jesus extended to me?” the pastor explains now.

As they engage their neighbors, the couple exercises wisdom when it comes to protecting their children, but they say total security is an unreachable goal. They move forward holding out the gospel, and trusting God to work.

“Even at my best as a husband, as a father, as a protector, I can’t bullet-proof my family,” Edgar says. “When you look at Scripture, God didn’t avoid putting his people in the world. He gave his son knowing what he was going to face.”

New City Fellowship meets on Sunday for worship, but the church also gathers several times

during the week for Bible study and meals together. It’s an approach they call “life on life,” which Edgar admits sounds a little cliché, even to them. But it’s a way to describe how they’re trying to integrate gospel-centered community into the everyday rhythms of life—eating, shopping, laundry, etc. What can their small group of Christians do together, so that the gospel goes forward as they disciple each other?

Some people would say it’s too much, Edgar says, and it could be, if you’re going out of your way. But the things their church does together, they’re already doing.

“It’s not a burden for us, and it’s not too much for us. And other families are starting to realize, ‘I need this.’”

into a church they’re new to, but her family can offer their neighbors a place to sit and read and relax. “I look at that as kind of our ministry,” Marie says. “They can walk in the door and they’re going to be loved.”

The Marshes share the space with daughters Grace, 12, and KatieAnn, 22, both of whom are invested in their parents’ outreach to the community. KatieAnn “is the one that goes all in when there’s an outreach that I’m a part of,” Marie says, “like helping with Grace or making, decorating, and packaging 600 cupcakes for our church’s Easter outreach. She has a giving heart that doesn’t stop.”

Sixth grader Grace also plays a key role in building relationships. She was the Marshes first foster child placement, and the couple adopted her when she was three. “To her, there’s no such thing as a stranger,” Marie says of her daughter.

Because the Marshes have fostered several children during her lifetime, Grace is accustomed to people coming and going. “And now when children come into her life, they’re her immediate friends. She welcomes them,” Marie says. “Her role is just to be herself.”

Opening their doors

In a small community three hours from Humboldt Park, Alan and Marie Marsh (below) are creating a permanent space to welcome their neighbors. When the Marshes moved to Macon, just south of Decatur, they didn’t settle in a traditional house. Instead, they purchased a century-old church building they plan to transform into a community center.

“We believe that wherever the Lord puts us is where we need to reach out,” said Marie, who, as a baker and artist, has big plans for the former Presbyterian church that sits in a neighborhood of quaint homes.

The Marshes live in an office/classroom wing that was added to the original sanctuary, and the family uses the sanctuary to host a “life group” of people from their church, Tabernacle Baptist in Decatur. Eventually, the space could include a library, coffee shop, and other spaces for people in Macon to come together and, as Marie put it, take a little break from their world.

“One thing that I feel like I’ve learned throughout the years is that there are hurting people everywhere,” she says. People might not want to walk

Macon is a small community, and quiet—except on the school bus Marie drives, she jokes. When the Marshes moved to Illinois, she homeschooled Grace. Once she enrolled in public school last fall, Marie got her bus license and a job as a route driver. The job has given her an opportunity to meet families in town.

It’s Marie’s own history as a child in need of a home that motivates her and her family to reach out to others with similar needs.

“I looked at it as people opening up their home for me,” she says of her years as a foster kid, “so opening up my home to someone else is a way for me to give back to God.” Her voice breaks when she acknowledges, “You can’t repay, except to do unto others as it was done unto you in that sense.”

The Marshes are taking the long view of renovating their new home and future community gathering place. They envision family movie nights, craft sessions, and maybe a place for a church to hold a worship service again. For now, their mission is to be open to the possibilities.

“We invest in people’s lives,” Marie says. “And how we do that is just by opening up our lives and our doors to them.”

I look at that as our ministry: They can walk in the door and they’re going to be loved.

– Marie Marsh

Big missions day across Illinois

Little missionaries dispatched in 16 locations

Hundreds of young volunteers scattered to mission sites across the state on March 10 for a day of hands-on mission projects. Children’s Missions Day, held every spring in Illinois, mobilized almost 1,000 kids and leaders to visit nursing homes, prepare gifts for first responders, clean up local parks and zoos, and a host of other projects. At each site, the missionaries gathered in the afternoon to celebrate and share their ministry stories.

As the volunteers headed back home, Carmen Halsey, IBSA’s director of women’s ministry and missions, heard from some leaders about what the day meant to them and the children they brought:

- One leader admitted they didn’t understand at first why the groups gathered at one site, instead of staying home and doing projects there. Once the children got together, though, their energy was contagious and they realized they weren’t serving alone.

- Another volunteer described the impact of seeing children share their most valuable resource—themselves—as they sat and read to nursing home residents.

- One church has used Children’s Missions Day to reach out to new children in their community and connect them to the church.

- Another congregation has caught the vision for how participation in hands-on missions at Children’s Missions Day can catalyze greater engagement from the whole church.

For more information about missions opportunities for children, students, and adults, go to IBSA. org/missions.

Carlinville

Chatham

Fairfield

Steeleville

Carrier Mills

– Cover photo by Lindsay McDonald; photos on 10-11 submitted via Facebook

More photos from Children’s Missions Day

Annual

John Stonestreet

speaker. writer. cultural commentator. collaborator of worldview initiatives }

Since joining the Colson Center/Breakpoint team in 2011, his radio commentaries are heard on over 1,200 radio affiliates. John works with Summit Ministries and since 2007, has served as their executive director. As the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, John provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a Biblical worldview. On the faculty of Bryan College, he helped develop a Christian worldview curriculum while directing the Bryan College Worldview Team, an innovative educational initiative designed to teach students to analyze worldviews using the lens of popular media and culture.

politics Apologetics

BIBLICAL

Saturday, May 5, 2018

AM - 3:00 PM

Medinah Baptist Church 900 Foster Avenue, Medinah, IL

Contact Us: 708-781-9328 | www.illinoisfamily.org

April 10-12, 2018 • St. Louis, Missouri

Bethel Baptist Church, 7775 Collinsville Road Troy, Illinois 62294

Revitalization is a church-wide journey, seeking an urgent, intentional, corporate, and individual spiritual renewal process. It involves acknowledgment of the church’s current condition, evaluation of its processes and systems, an openness to risk, a receptivity to adjustments, and scriptural foundation.

This conference is designed for those pastors, staff, and lay leaders who hope for an effective and productive ministry where they serve.

Keynote speakers:

Gary L. McIntosh President of the Church Growth Network

Tom Cheyney Founder of RENOVATE National Church

Cost: $75 for pre-registered • $100 day of the event Register online at Revitalizeheartland.com

Casey

Simpson

Granite City

It’s true, we are all exhausted

A USA Today article confirmed what I’ve been thinking: I’m tired. I’m tired of bad news, the 24-hour news cycle, shootings, Congress, Tweets, screens, talking heads, arguments, and politics. I’m tired of zealots, protests, terrorists, bombings, and assassinations. I’m tired of hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards with names, missile testing, election meddling, special investigations, and dictators. And it turns out I’m not alone. We’re all exhausted, according to that Jim Beckerman article, and it’s not getting any better.

gion. The Ten Commandments weren’t enough; the Jewish teachers had mounted up 613 rules for daily living that still couldn’t keep adherents in right relationship with God. The yoke Jesus offers is his own teaching, by comparison easy, like well-fitting shoulder gear, and lightweight.

follow the example of Jesus, who, by his definition, is gentle and lowly. When we spend time with Jesus, learn more of Jesus, and live like Jesus, we find real rest.

As the writer of Hebrews points out, we’ve been seeking rest since God’s people fled Egypt.

“For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people…Let us then make every effort to enter that rest…” (Heb. 4:8-9, 11 CSB).

For believers, there is rest in eternity, but in the spirit of “abundant life,” there is rest now as well. The key, I think, is “keeping company.”

Cross-shaped love

Read: Matthew 22:36-40

Doctors report we’re losing sleep, gaining weight, and suffering anxiety in greater numbers. We toss and turn and fret and work up a sweat. “There is a sense of danger,” one therapist said, “that we’re living in very dangerous times.” And no one is predicting relief anytime soon. Which makes these words all the more important:

Come unto me.

If any period in biblical times seems to mirror our own, it’s the first century, especially in Israel. A massive empire is in charge, a foreign power ruling from a distance, but the Pax Romana seems a farce. The peace of Rome?

What peace? Troops march in the streets of all the major cities to keep a lid on the boiling pot. And in Jerusalem, the local government is threatened by activists plotting political and religious takeover. Thinkers are searching for solutions, and regular people want deliverance. Not even their religion offers relief. If anything, it only adds to the weight they carry, piling rules upon rules, and making daily life harder.

In this environment, Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden.” That is an address to an ample and ready audience. What he says next is especially nervy: “I will give you rest.”

The text in Matthew 11 is familiar and beloved. The rest Jesus offers is from the burden of reli-

But it’s not only a new teaching the itinerant rabbi offers. Jesus gives himself as a living example.

“Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.”

In The Message, Eugene Peterson phrases it this way: “Are you tired? Worn out?...Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

In times like these, we need especially to keep company with Jesus. The answer for our trying times is not to add more strident voices to the cacophony, but to

This scene in Matthew isn’t the only time Jesus invited his followers to escape the fray. “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest awhile,” Mark recorded as Jesus’ response to a frantic season of ministry (Mark 6:31). His disciples were so busy tending and teaching that they didn’t have time to eat. Jesus, the rest-giver, declared a Sabbath. Sounds good to me.

On a country road outside the small town where my mother grew up is a white wooden church on the flat top of a rise. It’s called Pilgrim’s Rest. Halfway to the next largest town, it seems a good place to pull the wagon off the road and give the horse a drink, before attempting the second half of the journey. Here, pilgrims rested. And a few learned to live there permanently.

Perhaps that’s what we need in these tiring times: to pull off the road, camp out with Jesus, and rest awhile.

Eric Reed is editor of the Illinois Baptist.

Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment. In his answer, Jesus teaches us that there are two things we must do individually and collectively in order to live a life that glorifies God. First, we must love God; and second, we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Our love for God is vertical; our love for neighbor is horizontal, so we are called to live out a cross-shaped love.

Love is not simply an emotional attachment. We get emotional about politics, we get emotional about football games, we get emotional when we hear certain songs; but love is more than emotions, love is action.

Love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person in which one gives oneself to another to bring the relationship to God’s intended purposes.

And you know what I’ve learned over the years? You can fake the vertical for a while and fool a few people, but you can’t fake the horizontal. God knows when you are faking and soon those close to you will know you are faking too.

Jesus says we are to love God with everything, but he doesn’t stop there; in order to display our love for God we are to love our neighbors.

These two commandments are an antidote for pride. Loving God and loving others keeps us from being infatuated with ourselves and creating idols of our preferences. Loving God and loving others causes us to stretch beyond our comfort zones and love people who don’t look like us or live like us. Loving God and loving others pushes us to live out a cross-shaped love that reflects the Savior who laid down his life in order to save you and me. Our vertical love for God is the basis for our horizontal love for one another. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 ESV).

PRAYER PROMPT: Heavenly Father, our perfect example of love, teach us to be living epistles of cross-shaped love. May it start with your church and then overflow into our homes, and our communities.

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

The Gospel Eggs at his last church had been plastic.

ADRON ROBINSON

devotional

Jesus offers a promise especially suited to our tiresome times.

A BIG REST – The world’s largest rocking chair beckons the weary in Casey, Ill., and beyond.

Easter is almost here, and many churches are preparing for the big day. They’re sprucing up and preparing for additional worshippers. But are our churches really “guest ready”? A woman who moved recently tells of visiting several churches, only to find that she wasn’t greeted by anyone, had a hard time finding her way around, and left without an invitation to a small group or any real means of connection.

From what she described, you could get a better welcome at Lowes.

Maybe we need a refresher on how to make guests feel welcome. Now, the Sunday before Easter, is the time to have a holy huddle with the regulars and review a few rules on “Welcome 101.”

LifeWay’s Thom Rainer has just released a book on that subject: Becoming a Welcoming Church. He says many things we would expect about good parking and clear signage. But it’s the attitude our church’s people display toward new people that really sticks. A smile and a heartfelt handshake go a long way.

In a related podcast, Rainer urges these 9 things for regular attenders:

1. Pray as you enter the property.

2. Park at the most distant spot.

3. Greet people.

4. Look for people to help.

5. Sit close to the front of the worship center.

6. Sit in the middle of the row.

7. Sit closely.

8. Volunteer to serve.

9. Pray as you leave.

– This list is from “Rainer on Leadership” #414

Growing up, letting go have to go to work.”

“IThe 2-year-old in our house pushes her hair away from her face, shoulders a miniature pink backpack, and starts trudging to the back door.

“Don’t go!” we say. “Stay here with us. It’s almost time for dinner.”

She replies, dutifully, “No. I have to go.”

She’s growing up—fast. And she’s not the only one. Everywhere you look, young people are taking on big responsibilities previously reserved for people older than they are. High schoolers take college courses. Tweens have detailed social calendars, and the mobile devices to manage them. There is a 6-year-old who made $11 million last year marketing toys on YouTube.

Some kids are tackling the most pressing issues of our day, the most recent example being the Florida teens campaigning for an end to school violence like the shooting that devastated their community earlier this year.

As an adult, especially as a parent, it’s easy to want to lock the doors, pull down the shades, and resolve to just make life work in-

side our house for the next 15 years.

At Children’s Missions Day this month, I saw evidence that many parents aren’t parenting like that. Hundreds of mini-missionaries worked in 16 locations across Illinois, baking cookies, tending yards, delivering care packages, and visiting nursing homes—all in the name of sharing God’s love with people who might need to hear about it.

My 2-year-old went with me to take photos at one of the sites that day, and I watched her watch the older kids. On the way home, I heard her voice from the backseat: “When I get older and bigger, can I do projects?”

Her question begs an answer—and a commitment— from her parents. To let her grow up and exercise the faith we pray she’ll make her own one day. To trust that God has a plan for her life that may include going somewhere we’ve not been, and can’t go along.

In a scary world, it’s a heavy commitment. We have time to get used to the idea, but not as much as we once did. They’re growing up fast.

Should Illinois Legalize Marijuana for Recreational Use?

Here’s what Chicago lawmakers don’t want you to know. In 2013, they legalized “medical” marijuana, ignoring the warnings and concerns from medical groups. In 2016, they decriminalized it to a mere $100 fine, plus records for possession are expunged every July 1st and January 1st

Colorado legalized marijuana in 2013.

What ’s happened there is tragic:

Youth (12-17) now rank #1 in the nation for “past month use” and 55% higher than the national average

A 66% increase in pot-related deaths

A 72% increase in pot-related hospitalizations; a 147% increase in Poison Center calls

A 268% increase in marijuana-related exposures for children ages 0-5

In Denver County, there are more pot stores than Starbucks, McDonald’s and Walmart’s combined by double

Nearing bankruptcy, lawmakers are looking for a new source of tax revenue to cover their years of reckless spending. But at what cost? Colorado’s revenue is a mere 0.8% of their budget. The negative consequences to families can’t be measured.

– Meredith Flynn

Hillcrest celebrates legacy of faith

Country Club Hills | The past and the future played key roles in Hillcrest Baptist Church’s celebration of its 50th anniversary.

At a banquet March 9, Hillcrest members and friends viewed video messages from some of the church’s founding members. And during a special worship service March 11, the church recognized five newborn babies and their families, praying with them and gifting each with a children’s Bible.

“It’s really humbling, because it lets you know that you are part of a larger narrative of what God is doing

With the Lord

Sarah Hall, 21, of Bluford died Feb. 10. Her husband, Corey, is pastor of Bonnie First Baptist Church. A homemaker, Sarah loved taking care of adults with special needs and caring for her children. Along with her husband, she is survived by her son, Aiden, and daughter, Leah; her father and stepmother, Tom and Tesa Glass; her sister, Amanda French; and her grandmother, Jean Smith.

NeTworkiNg

through this church,” Pastor Adron Robinson said of the milestone anniversary. Robinson, who also serves as president of IBSA, has led the church for eight years.

“We’re standing on the shoulders of those who sacrificed time, talent, and treasure in order to make Hillcrest Baptist Church possible, and to minister to that community long before we ever came along,” he said.

The worship service also included a message from Revelation 4 by Darron Edwards of United Believers Community Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in

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

First Baptist Church, Effingham seeks a full-time student pastor to work primarily with grades 7-12, but also with grade-school students and college-age young adults. Bachelor’s degree required; theological education and experience a plus. Resumes may be sent to: Search Committee, First Baptist Church, 213 W. Fayette, Effingham, IL, 62401 or fbceffrm@consolidated.net.

First Baptist Church, Goreville seeks a full-time pastor who can provide Holy Spirit-inspired leadership, teach the Bible as the inspired Word of God, and lead our congregation to become the church God desires. Submit resumes to: Goreville First Baptist Search Committee, 608 West Main St., Goreville, IL, 62939, or e-mail gfbc1890@frontier.com.

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services seeks a full-time director of operations. For a detailed description of the position and an application, visit bchfs.com/ employment. Applications and/or resumes may be sent to BCHFS, Attn: Melinda Bratcher, 949 County Rd. 1300 N, Carmi, IL 62821.

Kansas City. Dale Davenport, an IBSA zone consultant and Robinson’s predecessor as Hillcrest’s pastor, was on hand to present the church with a plaque of appreciation from IBSA.

CLASSIFIED AD

Central Baptist Church (SBC), Eureka, Missouri (one of the fastest growing communities in West St. Louis County) is prayerfully seeking a full-time Senior Pastor. The ideal candidate will be an experienced senior pastor, possess a seminary degree, be dedicated to the mission of Christ, and devoted to the preaching/teaching of the Word of God. A letter of interest, resume, references and statement of faith should be sent to Pastor Search Team, Central Baptist Church, at centralpastorsearch @gmail.com.

Pat’s Playbook

Building, giving, and faith

QDoes a building program threaten our giving to missions? That’s the reason some in our church are giving for preventing construction of a new children’s building.

AIf the need is genuine and space is a real issue, what will hurt your missions giving as well as your budgetary giving will be limiting the space needed to grow.

Many churches discover that as they trust God for the expansion or addition of building space, new members are drawn to the facility and missions giving actually increases.

PAT PAJAK

Let the church know the cost of the construction, the weekly budget requirements, and your missions percentage, and tell them you are committed by their faithfulness to meet all three.

Mulling a meeting change

QThe church leaders want to cut our business meetings from monthly to quarterly. They say that churches that reduce the amount of stuff the congregation votes on actually get more done. A few people are objecting. Would you support this change?

First Baptist Church, Sesser seeks a full-time or bivocational pastor. We desire candidates with a heart for the community and doctrinal integrity consistent with historic Baptist beliefs. Send resumes, including calling and testimony, to First Baptist Church, Box 503, Sesser, IL, 62884, or e-mail sesserfbc105@yahoo.com.

Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Huntley seeks a part-time worship leader to lead a blended worship service for a multigenerational audience. Contact interim pastor Dave Jenkins at mzeedavejenkins@gmail.com or (630) 649-4350.

AQuarterly business meetings should be able to cover all the business the church is going to conduct over a 3-month period. A monthly financial report can be printed and made available if that is a matter of concern. And, of course, a church can call a special business meeting if an issue of major importance arises.

My advice is to give quarterly business meetings a one-year trial and decide if the schedule works well for your church. If not, go back to your previous practice. But if after a year the church is in agreement about the new schedule, keep it going.

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

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY – IBSA zone consultant Dale Davenport (left) honored Pastor Adron Robinson and Hillcrest Baptist Church at the church’s March 11 worship service. Submitted photos

Harrisburg church marks 150th anniversary

First Baptist Church, Harrisburg, celebrated 150 years in February with a weekend of festivities including a historical fashion show, special music, and a beard contest.

On Saturday, Feb. 17, FBC Harrisburg members and guests gathered for a style show of fashions from 150, 100, and 50 years ago; an organ concert and a performance by a quartet; and a beard judging with awards for categories including “oldest with a beard” and “scruffiest.”

The next day, the church gathered again for a worship service where IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams presented Pastor Chris Winkleman a plaque of appreciation.

“One hundred fifty years doesn’t happen apart from God’s grace,” Winkleman told the Harrisburg Register. “But we also want to celebrate the faithfulness of the church to God.”

Winkleman noted trials and difficult decisions the church has faced in its history. “And yet, here we are,” he said. “It hasn’t all fallen apart. That’s because of God’s goodness and people’s desire to carry on. And, we want to keep doing that.”

MILESTONE – FBC Harrisburg Pastor Chris Winkleman (above right) accepts a plaque from IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams during the church’s 150th anniversary celebration, which also featured a quartet and a beard contest (honorees pictured at left). Submitted photos

EVENTS

March 23-24

Refresh: IBSA Ministers’ Wives’ Retreat

What: Retreat featuring author and pastor’s wife Kandi Gallaty

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Register: IBSA.org/Women

March 23-24

Illinois Leadership Summit: Chicagoland

What: Training from top leadership

practitioners

Where: Broadview Missionary Baptist Register: IBSA.org/Summit

April 4-8

New Orleans Mission Trip

What: A team of ministers’ wives and women’s ministry leaders will serve at Friendship House’s annual health fair for the homeless population in the French Quarter More info: IBSA.org/Missions

April 5-6

Disaster Relief Chaplaincy Training

What: Training in C.I.S.M. (Critical Incident Stress Management)

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Register: IBSA.org/DR

April 7, 21

VBS Clinics

What: Learn about LifeWay’s 2018 “Game On!” curriculum

Where: April 7: Broadview Missionary Baptist, April 21: Northside, Dixon Register: IBSA.org/Kids

April 8

One GRAND Sunday

What: One day, one goal: 1,000 baptisms in IBSA churches Register: IBSA.org/Evangelism

April 10-12

Revitalize: Hope for the Heartland

What: Equipping leaders to bring renewal and revival to their churches

Where: Bethel Baptist Church, Troy Register: revitalizeheartland.com

April 14

Illinois Student Ministry Conference

What: Leadership training for everyone serving in student ministry, from volunteers to senior pastors

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Register: IBSA.org/Students

April 20-21

Disaster Relief Training

What: Chaplaincy class begins Friday at 1 p.m.; Basic Training courses begin Friday evening; specialty classes offered Saturday. Pre-registration is recommended. Where: Crosswinds, Plainfield Register: IBSA.org/DR

April 27-28

Priority Women’s Conference

What: The women’s event of the year! Enjoy a time of spiritual renewal, fellowship, and training.

Where: Decatur Conference Center and Hotel Register: IBSA.org/Priority

May 11-19

Germany/U.K. Vision Trip

What: Team will be introduced to the work of IMB missionaries serving among South Asian peoples in Frankfurt and London; a second vision trip is planned for July 20-28 More info: IBSA.org/Missions

Your retirement, your money

dave says

QI’ve been following your plan, and I’m ready to start investing. Do employer contributions count toward the 15% you recommend putting into retirement?

AInvesting 15% of your income in retirement accounts is Baby Step 4 of my plan. That means you’ve already paid off all your debt, except for your home, and you’ve increased your $1,000 beginner’s emergency fund to a fully-funded emergency fund of three to six months of expenses. Way to go!

I want you to control your destiny, so employer contributions do not count toward the 15% I recommend setting aside for retirement. The first thing you should put money into is a matching retirement account. If you’ve got access to a 401(k)— and your employer offers a match—you should do that up to the match before anything else.

It’s nice if your company will match up to a certain point, but chances are that will still mean you’ve got some work to do. To make up the remainder, you could look at a Roth IRA. Then, if the Roth, plus what you invested previously to get the match, doesn’t equal 15%, you could see about a 403(b) or go back to your 401(k) to complete the 15%.

You’re doing great. Keep up the good work!

Get it in writing

QMy mother wants everything, except for her home, left to my brother and me when she dies. She would like her long-time boyfriend to have her house. We don’t have a problem with this, but it has not been written into her will. Her mind is still sound, so does she need to officially update the will?

AYes, the will needs to be changed to reflect her wishes where the house is concerned. Since she’s still able to make decisions independently, the will should be legally updated to reflect exactly what she wants to have happen with every piece of her estate. It’s fine if she wants to give her boyfriend the house. It’s your mom’s will, and her estate, so she can do pretty much whatever she wants. She could also leave what’s called a life estate that says her boyfriend gets use of the home while he’s alive. Technically, in this kind of situation the house would be left to you, but he would legally have use of it during his life. Upon his death, the home could then revert to you or your brother.

Illinois Leadership Summit: Chicagoland

March 23-24, 2018 • IBSA.org/Women IBSA Building, Springfield

Illinois Leadership Summit

For more information or to sign up, e-mail RichCochran@IBSA.org or call (217) 391-3131.

March 23-24

Broadview Missionary Baptist Church, Broadview

Featured speaker is Daniel Im, director of church multiplication at LifeWay Christian Resources and author of “No Silver Bullets: 5 small shifts that will transform your ministry.” Breakout sessions will feature top leadership practitioners from IBSA and Chicagoland Baptist churches.

DAVE RAMSEY

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

Exegete the culture Understanding

the world where we live and serve

Church needed here...

Location: Sublette

Focus: Residents of this rural village in north central Illinois

Characteristics: Sublette is a community of 450 people, with a regional population of approximately 1,600. Within 10 miles of the village, there are five camping resorts, including Woodhaven Lakes—the world’s largest privately-owned camping resort.

Prayer needs: Pray God would send a planter that can identify with local farmers. Pray God would continue to grow the community of believers in and around Sublette.

Rural America:

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

Growing together

Church prays to see God move

In its fourth year, Brad Pittman’s church was in a good place in a lot of ways. They had stable leadership and great Bible study attendance. The church even outgrew the building they started in and moved to the local elementary school.

But something was off. Pittman, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Davis Junction, realized the problem was a lack of prayer. “You’re the shepherd; you need to start praying more specifically,” he sensed God saying to him.

“You keep saying you want more salvations, but you’re not praying corporately to see my hand move.”

The church started praying. Pittman and his leadership team set goals about how many people they wanted to come to know Christ. They set aside part of the service to pray for God to work in their community. So far in 2018, five people have come to Christ because someone from the church led them to him.

of the U.S. population resides in rural areas, although growth in cities continues. That’s 46.2 million people.

“Christian morality is being ushered out of our social structures and off the cultural main stage, leaving a vacuum in its place—and broader culture is trying to fill the void.”

– Barna Research

Going their own way

“Every culture must determine what is acceptable morality for its people.”

(% strongly agree or somewhat agree)

New call to rural church planting

We must become an expert of the culture, which takes endurance and patience. We’ve all heard the statement, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” a phrase originated by Peter Drucker and made famous by Mark Fields. Each leader I talk with could be an expert on building a strong strategy. But they all started with talking about culture. They invested in the community, looked for places people spent time, and learned the history and customs of their town. They fell in love with the rural community, ultimately earning them a seat at the table.

– Wes Holland, Rural Matters Institute, Billy Graham Center

– BarnaTrends 2017

Davis Junction is a small village south of Rockford. Grace Fellowship is the third congregation with that name to be planted in the last several years, and Pittman’s own spiritual journey is closely connected to the churches. In 2002, on his second visit to Grace Fellowship in Ashton, he came face to face with the truth about his spiritual condition.

“I just realized that I’d been playing games with the Lord for pretty much my whole life,” Pittman said. He came to faith in Christ that day, and later became a deacon at the church. His family was active in the planting of another church—Grace Fellowship in Amboy. It was there he sensed a call to ministry, and after serving as associate pastor, Pittman and his family were sent out to start a third Grace Fellowship Church in Davis Junction.

The church, launched in 2014, now has 5060 regular attenders. Meeting first in a small metal building that was once a machine shop, now the main worship service is at a nearby school. The church is seeing more visitors than ever. Pittman said his greatest joy as a pastor is when someone in his congregation talks to him about how they’re sharing the gospel with people in their lives.

In the future, he hopes to help more people from Grace Fellowship experience missions outside their community too. He recently returned from a trip to Uganda, and is planning to go back in 2019 to help lead a pastors’ conference. He wants to take people from his church with him.

Many people at Grace Fellowship haven’t been involved in church for a while; others were drawn to the opportunity to be part of a close-knit church family.

One that prays together, Pittman said.

“If we want God to move, as a church, we need to seek him.”

– IBSA Church Planting Team

PITTMAN