May 1, 2017 Illinois Baptist

Will your church join this nationwide effort?

Nate Adams P. 2

Baptists told, ‘Go West’

Meeting in Arizona for third time

Phoenix, Az. | When Baptists gather in Phoenix next month, they’ll address the challenges of taking the gospel to a world that seems less inclined to hear the message, and doing so with fewer resources to get the job done.

Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention June 13-14 will also meet against a very different political backdrop than a year ago, and could contend with the fallout of recent debate fueled by a raucous and divisive U.S. presidential election.

Or not.

Recent calls for Convention-wide unity—and similar statements by SBC leaders—could rule the day in Phoenix, where Baptists will focus on prayer, evangelism, and financial stewardship, said SBC President Steve Gaines.

“I believe Southern Baptists can be used of God to spark a mighty movement of prayer, evangelism, and discipleship across our nation and around the world,” said Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in metro Memphis, Tenn., in announcing the meeting’s theme. “Pray! For such a time as this” is based on Luke 18:1 and Esther 4:14.

What Illinois and Arizona have in common • Chicago pastors to preach • Insider’s tour guide P. 7-9

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

The evolving skeptic

Religious skeptics—people who either don’t believe in God or aren’t sure—comprise 38% of unchurched adults in the U.S., according to Barna Research. But the new generation of skeptics looks different than their recent predecessors: College educated

“…In giving his followers the Great Commission, Jesus didn’t say anything about doing what is easy. New levels of courage and clarity will be required to connect beyond the Christianized majority.”

– Dave Kinnaman, Barna Research

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 4/19/17

$1,763,099

Budget Goal: $1,938,462

Received to date in 2016: $1,772,511

2017 Goal: $6.3 Million

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Sergent

Editorial Contributor - Meredith Flynn

The general telephone number for IBSA is (217) 786-2600. For questions about the Illinois Baptist, contact (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

How to go, even when you stay

In just a few weeks, thousands of church messengers will gather in Phoenix for the annual Southern Baptist Convention and its many related events and opportunities. Last year’s St. Louis convention drew 533 messengers from Illinois, our state’s largest representation since 2002. Only host state Missouri and nearby Tennessee sent more messengers, and I believe Illinois Baptists’ strong showing gave us a stronger than usual voice in the national convention.

It would be great to have as many Illinois messengers as possible in Phoenix, but if history is any indicator, distance and travel expense will reduce our numbers significantly. Even if you can’t travel that far west this year, let me share a couple of ways you can stay engaged with the larger SBC from right here in Illinois.

First, the convention itself and some related events will be live streamed via the Internet, providing a front row seat from your computer screen. Our IBSA communications staff will also be there, uploading the latest happenings to IBSA.org and giving you an Illinois perspective on news coming out of the convention.

You and your church can also participate in the evangelistic efforts that surround this year’s Southern Baptist Convention, and in a way that reaches out not only to Phoenix, but to your community as well. This year the SBC is partnering with evangelist Greg Laurie to bring the Harvest America Crusade to the University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday evening, June 11.

While an estimated 65,000 people will gather in the stadium that night, the Harvest Crusade hopes to invite as many as 500,000 viewers through multiple simulcast locations, such as our churches and homes right here in Illinois. In a similar Harvest America Crusade in Texas last year, more than 24,000 people made professions of faith in Christ, many of them at the remote simulcast sites.

Might this Harvest America Crusade be something that your church would consider hosting on June 11, as a way of inviting your community to hear the gospel message, and participate in potentially one of the largest evangelistic events in American history? Or perhaps you would consider hosting a small group in your home, and using it as a conversation starter with friends for whom you have been praying.

Pat Pajak, IBSA’s associate executive director of evangelism, is already in communication with dozens of pastors and evangelism leaders across Illinois, asking them to consider hosting a simulcast location. If you would like information on being a host site on June 11, you can contact Pat directly at PatPajak@IBSA.org or (217) 391-3129.

It’s amazing to me that technology and a little planning and cooperation among Christians and churches can make it possible for a half million people to hear the gospel message at the same time. It also reminds me that we could do so much more to spread the good news about Jesus if we would leverage these same things more consistently in our churches.

For example, does your church have young people that could help you use social media more effectively in reaching your community, and beyond? Are there tech-savvy folks sitting in the back rows of your auditorium that could be invited to the front rows of service?

We can stay here in Illinois and yet engage the larger Baptist family as it gathers in Phoenix. We can stay in our churches or homes and yet be part of sharing the gospel with a half million people at once. And we can stay at our computer screens and help our church reach people in new ways through technology. Aren’t these amazing days, when God has given us the ability to go, even when we stay?

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

In Phoenix or from Illinois, you can help share the gospel with half a million people.

Continued from page 1

“If we will pray and abandon ourselves to the Lord, he will use us exponentially to take the gospel to people,” Gaines said.

Similar to the previous few annual meetings, Gaines said the 2017 gathering will include seasons of prayer, as well as a personal evangelism emphasis on Tuesday evening led by Greg Laurie

The California evangelist also will lead a Harvest Crusade Sunday, June 11, as part of the annual Crossover evangelistic effort that precedes the Southern Baptist Convention (see Nate Adams’s column on page 2 for more information). Organizers say the event at University of Phoenix Stadium, which holds 65,000 people, promises to be the largest single gospel presentation in Arizona history.

Focus on stewardship

Following the example of previous annual meetings, the gathering in Phoenix will include a panel discussion with SBC leaders. This year’s topic: financial stewardship.

Gaines told Baptist Press Southern Baptist churches cannot give more to SBC missions and ministries than church members give through their local congregations.

“The solution for increased funding for world missions begins in the heart of every individual believer in Christ,” he said. “Southern Baptists need to get our financial houses in order.

The Cooperative Program—Southern Baptists’ unified giving channel for supporting missions and ministry around the world—is likely to be a topic of conversation in Phoenix as well. In February, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, pastored by former SBC President Jack Graham, announced they would temporarily escrow their CP giving because of positions taken by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

ERLC President Russell Moore, a vocal critic of now-President Donald Trump during the campaign, has apologized for comments that seemed directed at all evangeli-

Follow

cals who supported Trump, and the ERLC’s executive board released a statement in April pledging their support for Moore. The statement also called for unity in the SBC despite differences, a sentiment echoed by Gaines.

“I believe all of us who are recipients of grace and forgiveness should grant him the same forgiveness that we desire from the Lord,” Gaines said after Moore and the ERLC executive board released the statement. “It is high time that we put all of this behind us…. It is time to move ahead and work together to double our efforts to take the gospel to our nation and the nations.”

If the recent controversy surrounding the ERLC does make an appearance at the SBC, it could be in the form of a motion from the floor, or during the Q&A time following Moore’s report, which is the final item on the meeting schedule. International Mission Board President David Platt could also face questions about the IMB’s support of a Muslim group’s fight to build a mosque in New Jersey. (Like the ERLC, the IMB also signed on to a friend of the court brief in support of the group.)

In February, Platt apologized for how “distracting and divisive” the brief was, and pledged that in the future, the IMB “will have a process in place to keep us focused on our primary mission.” Still, the mosque debate could spark a religious liberty conversation in Phoenix, as could President Trump’s controversial travel ban for people from some majority Muslim countries into the U.S. Online pre-registration for the Phoenix meeting is now open at sbcannualmeeting/ sbc17. Messengers and guests are required to be registered and properly badged in order to enter the general sessions June 13-14.

For more information about the Southern Baptist Convention’s June meeting in Phoenix, go to sbcannualmeeting.net.

– With info from Baptist Press

SBC News

TX church resumes CP giving

Three months after announcing it would “escrow” its Cooperative Program gifts because of concerns about the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Dallas-area megachurch Prestonwood announced April 26 they will resume giving “without designation.” The church, led by Pastor Jack Graham, had objected to ERLC President Russell Moore’s Trump-related comments during the 2016 presidential election cycle. The SBC Executive Committee heard similar concerns from other churches. EC Chairman Stephen Rummage said in March he hoped Prestonwood’s resumption of CP giving would indicate a resolution of most of those concerns.

Baylor’s female president

Baylor University announced April 18 that Linda Livingstone will serve as its 15th president—and first ever female leader. The school is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, one of two Baptist state conventions in Texas. Livingstone has been dean of The George Washington University School of Business since 2014, and previously served at Pepperdine University and Baylor, where she rose from assistant professor to dean of the business school. Baylor’s previous president, Kenneth Starr, was dismissed in 2016 after an independent investigation found the school had failed to protect students from sexual assault.

Lottie giving drops

Giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will be much lower than the 2015-16 offering, according to the Louisiana Baptist Message. Gifts received by the SBC Executive Committee from Oct. 2016 through March 2017 for the Lottie Moon Offering—100% of which supports the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB)—are $13.5 million less than the same time frame one year earlier. That did not include Lottie Moon donations that are sent directly to the IMB. The declining numbers follow a year of record giving, in which Baptists contributed $165.8 million to Lottie Moon, after the IMB reduced its overseas missions personnel and Richmond, Va., home office staff in order to balance its budget.

– Baptist Press, (La.) Baptist Message

facebook.com/illinoisBaptist

from the front: possible SBC actions in Phoenix

GAINES LAURIE MOORE GRAHAM PLATT

See our big preview of the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, page 7.

LIVINGSTONE

The rescuers

Two life-saving events in one week

Carlinville | On the day of his baptism, Trevor Clardy heard Pastor Cliff Woodman preach about a fishing story from the Bible. The 20-year-old college student also shared one of his own.

Clardy, whose family and friends celebrated his baptism at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville April 23, had a whirlwind week leading up it. On Easter Sunday night, he was fishing with friends at Lake Springfield when Dave Booker’s truck came around a sharp curve and crashed through a guardrail into the lake. Clardy drove to the site of the crash and jumped in after Booker, punching through the front windshield to pull the motorist out of the truck.

mission

Food pantry fixer-upper

Church leads in expansion of community outreach

Staunton | Shortly after Derrick and Ailee Taylor started NET Community Church last September, Ailee started feeling burdened for the community’s food pantry. Space was tight—the pantry was crammed into three small rooms in another facility, and people were waiting up to four hours to be served.

“Oh, dear heavens, we need to do something about this,” thought the 15-year veteran retail manager. She started volunteering alongside the food pantry’s coordinator, building a relationship so that she might one day earn the right to suggest changes to the pantry’s operation.

But soon, the coordinator came to Ailee with her own idea. “I need you to take this over,” Ailee remembers her saying. She was turning 70 and she told Ailee, “I think God sent you to me to take this.”

Over the next few months, Ailee worked with city officials and the pantry’s board to begin to institute some changes. The biggest was a move to a new facility, a former pharmacy in downtown Staunton. The Taylors’ church, just a few months old, guaranteed that the pantry’s rent and overhead expenses would be provided, and in February, volunteers from the NET and others in Staunton started demolition on the new space.

The relocation and renovation story is one of amazing orchestration, Ailee said. Their landlord, the pharmacist, pays for the pantry’s heat, water, and trash pick-up. A local contractor called to see how he could help just when they needed a wall built. And a church from Paducah, Ky., sent a team in early April to build shelving and help host the community for a block party and open house.

of the project, so many people that now end up coming to church with us,” Ailee said.

The food pantry is operated as a separate 501(c)(3) organization and staffed by volunteers from NET Community Church and four other local congregations. Ailee currently serves as a co-coordinator with two other women, including Carole Sharp, the longtime food pantry organizer who first recruited her to help run the operation.

“Another minute and the cab would have been filled with water,” Booker told the State Journal-Register. “I owe him everything.”

Booker and several of his family members were among those present for Clardy’s baptism at Emmanuel. After Pastor Woodman preached from John 21— where Jesus shows some of his disciples who he really is by leading them to a massive catch of fish—Clardy told the story of the Easter evening rescue. Booker’s fiancée also spoke, sharing the family’s thankfulness.

Clardy had been attending Emmanuel this spring, Woodman said, and sitting with his great aunt and uncle. During one service, he wrote on a contact card, “Ready to give my heart to God.” At a Tuesday afternoon meeting with Woodman, he accepted Christ as his savior. His baptism was scheduled for April 23.

What Clardy didn’t know then was that the events of April 16 would bond him with Booker, and give him an opportunity share about the changes in his life. In a local radio interview after the rescue, he told the hosts about his upcoming baptism and that Booker planned to attend.

“God put you in that place at that time,” one of the radio hosts responded, “and there’s no doubt it was divine intervention.”

Along with the new building, the coordinators raised money to purchase four freezers and four refrigerators, a move that allowed the food pantry to become part of the Central Illinois Food Bank. The partnership means food now costs the Staunton pantry $0.19 per pound at most, which drastically cut their overall costs, Ailee said.

The brightly lit new space with original, local art on the walls is also more than five times larger than the previous facility, and their volunteer force has grown from 11 to 60. People can be in and out in 20 to 40 minutes, and they can bring their kids. In the new pantry’s first week, traffic more than doubled from the previous location.

The project also has proven to be an effective outreach for the Taylors’ young church. “We have met so many people in the process

The pantry’s new name is the Staunton Helping Hands Center, which points to a vision for a facility that will one day be more than a food pantry. Through their rental agreement, the pantry also has access to an additional 1,200 square feet in a building next door that Ailee hopes they can use to bring government assistance to Staunton residents in need, who are currently traveling to nearby communities to receive those services.

NET Community Church has budgeted a certain amount each month to support the Helping Hands Center, but donations from the community are already helping to cover costs, Ailee said.

The partnership between individuals and organizations in Staunton is illustrated by art on one wall of the new pantry—black and white photos of the hands of actual volunteers as they serve people in their community.

In Staunton, many helping hands make for light work.

CASTING A WIDE NET – Church planters Derrick and Ailee Taylor (above) are making key community connections in Staunton through the new Helping Hands ministry. Church volunteers, fire fighters, and others (below) refurbished a former downtown storefront this spring.

TWO MIRACLES – Trevor Clardy (right) broke through the windshield of Dave Booker’s pickup to pull the man from the waters of Lake Springfield. A news report called Clardy’s rescue effort an Easter miracle. One week later, Booker (and his infant daughter) attended Clardy’s baptism at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville, another miraculous rescue involving water.

– Trevor Clardy photo

Abortion bill passes House

Governor is urged to veto HB 40

Springfield | Pro-life advocates are urging Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto a bill that would allow taxpayer-supported abortions. The measure, HB 40, was approved by a House vote of 62 to 55 on April 25. Next, it will go to the Senate where it is expected to pass, and then to the governor’s desk. Rauner has said previously that he would veto the measure, but the Illinois Family Institute and others are urging voters to remind the governor of his pledge.

The bill removes the provision from the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 which banned taxpayer funds paying for abortions through state employees’ group insurance policies.

It also amends the Illinois Public Aid Code providing abortions to Medicaid recipients. In addition, it amends the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975 which made state abortion law conform to the legal standards of U.S. Supreme Court decisions. It further removes language declaring an unborn child is a human being from the time of conception.

HB 40 is expected to pass easily in the Senate, however, Gov. Rauner has said he would veto HB 40 should it land on his desk. “Gov. Rauner is committed to protecting women’s reproductive rights under current Illinois law. However, recognizing the sharp divisions of opinion of taxpayer funding of abortion, he does not support HB 40,” Rauner spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said in a statement published in the Chicago SunTimes April 14.

The Illinois Family Institute responded, “Passage of HB 40 would translate into tens of thousands of additional abortions in Illinois every year through Medicaid…It’s a tragic day in Illinois when the most helpless have no protection from the adult lawmakers who are already born.”

Supporters of HB 40 held a march in Springfield the day the vote took place, patterned after the national women’s marches in March.

ERA ratification effort revived

Another drumbeat for women’s rights was renewed in the Illinois General Assembly with the reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment. Senator Heather Steans is sponsoring SJRCA 4, which is in committee and expected to be brought to the floor of the Senate soon. The ERA would make men and women legally equal in all things. Opponents from the time of Phyllis Schlafly have said since the 1970s that that includes the military draft.

Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the ERA in March 2017. To become part of the U.S. Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by 38 states. The deadline passed in 1982, but this push seeks to ignore the statute of limitations in order make the ERA the 28th Amendment. Advocates cite the 1992 ratification of the 27th Amendment governing congressional salary increases, which was first submitted to Congress in 1789.

– Lisa Sergent

Illinois bill would legalize pot

Springfield | Now that medical marijuana is legal in Illinois, there is a push to do the same with recreational amounts of the drug.

State Representative Kelly Cassidy filed an amendment to House Bill 2353 in March that revises the state’s Cannabis Control Act, allowing the recreational use of marijuana, regulating it like alcohol and legalizing the possession of 28 grams of the drug. Senator Heather Steans introduced the same bill into the Senate where it’s known as Senate Bill 316.

The move has drawn support from residents. According to the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, 66% of voters support legalizing marijuana for recreational use if it is taxed and regulated like alcohol.

Its largest base of support is in Chicago where 74% of voters support legalization, while downstate support is at 54%.

In an e-mail, Steans contended legalization would be good for Illinois. “In a regulated system, recreational marijuana would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue for the state and support licensed businesses. This new revenue is crucial given Illinois’s current fiscal crisis and

the governor’s proposed budget that includes a $5 billion funding gap.” She also proposes to use the funds to pay for alcohol and drug treatment programs.

Governor Bruce Rauner is not yet persuaded. He told WQAD in Rock Island, “I think recreational marijuana is a very, very difficult subject. I think we should look at other states [and] the impact in a few other states [that] have made marijuana legal for recreational use. I am not in support of Illinois going there until we study the ramifications of what’s happening in other states.”

David Smith, Illinois Family Institute Executive Director, is raising the alarm. He points to Colorado, which legalized marijuana in 2014. “Colorado is now ranked first in the nation for ‘past month’ use [of marijuana] for children between the ages of 12-17,” he said. “This is 74% higher than the national average.”

Smith also noted concerns about highway safety. “In the two years after Colorado’s legalization, marijuana-related traffic deaths increased 62%. A staggering 21% of drivers involved in all traffic fatalities in Colorado tested positive for marijuana.”

Porn: Health hazard

Tennessee became the fourth state to take a legislative stand against pornography when lawmakers passed a resolution in April declaring it a public health hazard. They follow legislatures in Utah, South Dakota, and Arkansas, who have also adopted such resolutions.

“The fact that states are beginning to recognize pornography as a public health hazard, underscores what the Bible has been clear upon—sexual sin is destructive not only spiritually, but also emotionally and physically,” Jay Dennis, founder of the One Million Men antipornography ministry, told Baptist Press.

Other states are considering similar measures. Virginia’s General Assembly said in February that porn leads to “individual and societal harms,” while Georgia lawmakers have two resolutions, both in committee when the recent session adjourned, that would declare pornography a public health crisis.

Churches see ‘Trump effect’

One in 10 evangelicals left their churches following last fall’s presidential election, according to a survey conducted by three political science professors. The people most likely to leave their churches, the researchers found, were people who didn’t see their level of support for Trump—even if they opposed him—echoed by their church leaders. And Trump supporters who didn’t believe their clergy supported him were more likely to leave than non-supporters whose church leaders supported Trump.

Bible class under fire

Two parents are suing a West Virginia school district over its decades-old practice of offering a weekly Bible class for elementary and middle schoolers. The suit claims the Bible in the Schools program in Mercer County “advances and endorses one religion, improperly entangles public schools in religious affairs, and violates the personal consciences of nonreligious and non-Christian parents and students.”

Mercer County residents are largely supportive of the non-mandatory, privately funded Bible classes, The Washington Post reported, but one of the parents who filed the suit, Elizabeth Deal, said her daughter faced bullying when she opted out of the class.

The case has been assigned to Judge David A. Faber—who was nominated by President George H.W. Bush—of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

– Baptist Press, The Christian Post, The Washington Post

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

DENNIS

Gorsuch hears ‘playground case’

New justice, High Court tackle church-state separation

Washington, D.C. | In his first week on the bench, new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch heard what many Court watchers have said could be the most important case of this term, and an important matter in the realm of church-state separation.

The justices heard oral arguments April 19 on what has been dubbed “the Playground Case,” which involves a churchowned preschool’s fight to participate in a state grant program.

Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, Mo., sued the state after its preschool was denied participation in a program that funds safer recreation spaces for kids. (Trinity’s playground is gravel, but operators wanted to replace it with a rubberized surface made from recycled tires.) The preschool was denied funding, even though it ranked fifth out of 44 applicants, and 14 received grants, USA Today reported. Missouri is one of more than 30 states with laws prohibiting religious institutions from receiving public money.

After the Court heard the arguments, multiple media outlets reported that even some liberal-leaning justices appeared to side with the preschool’s right to participate in the program. According to USA Today, concerns

raised by Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer could result in a 7-2 decision in favor of the preschool (should conservatives Gorsuch, John Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito move in the expected direction). However, the paper reported, the Court could rule “on narrow grounds, so as not to set a broad, nationwide precedent on public funding for religious institutions.”

It’s also possible the Court could rule the case moot after Missouri Governor Eric Greitens instructed the state’s Department of Natural Resources to allow churches to apply for and receive funding from state grant programs.

Prior to oral arguments, the case was thought to be an issue on which new Associate Justice Gorsuch would help shift the Court toward the school’s side. Gorsuch, formerly an appellate judge in Colorado, ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby in the company’s fight over the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that corporations cover birth control—including drugs such as Plan B and Ella—in their employee health care plans. He was confirmed by the Senate April 7 after Republicans invoked the so-called “nuclear option,” so that only a simple majority was needed to proceed with the nomination.

On Senate approval of Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, after a planned filibuster by Democrats was halted by Republicans:

“Senate Republicans did the right thing by changing the rules in order to ensure Judge Gorsuch’s nomination….Though we don’t yet know how Judge Gorsuch would rule on a particular case, it’s encouraging that his writings and lower court rulings have already affirmed that business owners don’t have to give up their religious freedom in order to earn a living, and that human life is sacred.”

– Autumn Leva, Family Policy Alliance

“The confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is good news….I am confident he will protect the Bill of Rights, especially our First Freedom of religious liberty. Judge Gorsuch’s judicial record, statements in confirmation hearings and his reputation for brilliance and integrity all commend him to sit on the nation’s highest court. I pray that he will serve for decades with principled commitment to the Founders’ vision of natural rights and ordered liberty.”

– Russell Moore, SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Please Call Governor Bruce Rauner to VETO HB 40

HB 40 removes all prohibitions on taxpayer-funding of abortions accessed through Medicaid throughout all nine months of pregnancy and removes the ban that prohibits Illinois state employees’ insurance policies from paying for abortions. We fear that these changes will result in a surge in abortions that could exceed more than 15,000 abortions each year. A disproportionate number of these new abortions will be in minority communities.

Illinois has serious fiscal problems and must make deep cuts to social services and programs for needy families and children. Why would state lawmakers propose spending an additional $5-10 million tax dollars annually to bankroll the abortion industry?

Please contact Governor Bruce Rauner and urge him to veto HB 40, as he promised he would: 312-814-2121 and 217-782-0244.

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours, and he knows you knew! And he will reward everyone according to his deeds.

—Proverbs 24:11-12 (Living Bible)

708-781-9328

For more information and updates, please visit illinoisfamily.org.

MOORE

GORSUCH

IN FOCUS

A preview of the 2017 southern baptist convention

Schedule highlights

Welcome to our mission field

Arizona Baptist shares a call to the Valley of the Sun

BY ELIZABETH YOUNG

For the third time in 14 years, Arizona Southern Baptists will welcome the larger Southern Baptist fam ily to Phoenix in June.

Baptists engaged in culture wars, made the local news. When you’re up to your eyeballs in lost people, it puts a different perspective on priorities of concern.

Spradlin, Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, Ca.

10:30 Joint Seminary Presentation and Reports

11:45 Closing Prayer

2:30 p.m. Opening Worship

2:55 Message from God’s Word

H.B. Charles, Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.

3:20 LifeWay Christian Resources Report & Presentation

3:47 President’s Panel on Stewardship

4:25 Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Report & Presentation

4:55 Closing Prayer

For a full schedule, go to sbcannualmeeting.net.

When Phoenix was chosen to host the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting the first time in 2003, we were more than a little surprised, given our reputation for high summertime temperatures. But with Baptists’ repeated visits, we figured the word must have gotten out that, given our low humidity, our average 102-106 degree June temperature isn’t as bad as “back home” for a lot of folks.

We’re delighted when the family comes to town. We hope, for many, it’s a reminder that Southern Baptist work does exist outside of the Deep South and west of the Continental Divide. Illinois Baptists may feel the same way about recognition of Southern Baptists north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

While we want to offer a warm welcome to the family, we sincerely pray that our guests will remember they are on a mission field. We pray for a quiet, peaceful annual meeting so that we don’t have to explain to our lost neighbors why feuding Baptists, or

Illinois Baptists probably understand this, too. Although we have some differences, we seem to have a lot in common.

You have more people—almost 13 million to our 6.9 million—but we have more land—nearly 114,000 square miles to your almost 58,000. You have more churches—nearly 1,000 to our about 450—but we have similar church-to-population ratios— one church for every 13,000 people in Illinois and one for every 15,000 in Arizona.

Phoenix Facts

Incorporated in 1881, it’s now the 6th most populous U.S. city and the country’s largest state capital. Phoenix has a median age of 33, and it was named one of Business Insider’s “12 best big cities to live in right now.”

YOUNG

P. 8

Phoenix Convention Center

More SBC gatherings

National Woman’s Missionary Union will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention, with a focus on the moments that define and inspire missions involvement. The meeting and missions celebration is scheduled for June 11-12 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel Ballroom. A reception to greet Sandy Wisdom-Martin, Illinois native and the new executive director/treasurer of National WMU, will be held 4:45-6:00 p.m. June 11. More information and a full schedule is available at wmu.com/ phoenix.

SBC ministers’ wives and women in ministry also will gather for several events, beginning with a Pastor’s Wife Conference on June 12 featuring authors Kelly Minter and Kay Warren, along with other leaders. Minter also will serve as the featured speaker at the annual Ministers’ Wives Luncheon on June 13. For more information and to purchase tickets for the luncheon, go to sbcwives.com.

Other groups meeting in Phoenix include:

AVANCE 2017 (Hispanic Advance Challenge) | June 12

Featuring Edgar Aponte, International Mission Board VP

National Hispanic Fellowship | June 12

Meeting will emphasize honing the organization’s focus

National African American Fellowship | June 12

Business meeting and banquet featuring Fellowship

President Byron Day

National Asian American Fellowship | June 12

Banquet will intro new fellowship group for second-gen Asian Americans

Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches | June 12-14

Meeting will include discussion on changes to organization’s constitution and bylaws

Chinese Baptist Fellowship | June 13

Update on goal to plant 600 churches in U.S. and Canada by 2020

Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship | June 13 Group will elect first executive director

Fellowship of Native American Christians | June 10-12

Featuring a 2-day conference for people interested in ministering among Native Americans

Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship | June 11

Includes worship with First Arabic Baptist Church, Phoenix

Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders | June 11-12

Sermons and workshops around the theme “Jesus Saves”

Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists | June 9-12 Retreat, business meeting, worship service, and sing-a-long led by SBC music evangelists

For more information about meetings and events in Phoenix, go to sbcannualmeeting.net.

– From Baptist Press

Continued from page 7

Both of our states have one large metropolitan area that encompasses two-thirds or more of the state’s population. And whether it’s Chicagoland or greater Phoenix, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the city is a massive sea of people who don’t know Jesus as savior.

Whether on not you make the trek to the Grand Canyon State this summer, our message to you is the same. We’re drawing from Paul’s Macedonian Call in Acts 16:9 and

inviting you to “Come over...and help us.”

Consider what God is calling you to do:

• Pray for God’s work in our vast state.

• Partner with an Arizona church.

• Plant a church in Arizona.

May God give all of us a “Macedonian” vision for Arizona—and beyond!

Elizabeth Young is director of communications for the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention and the editor of Portraits magazine.

Illinois pastors on conference stage

Chicago’s Allen and Choi to speak at “smaller churches” event

In a complete revamp from any year in memory, the 2017 Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference features pastors of average-sized SBC churches who will preach through one book of the Bible—Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Michael Allen, pastor of Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago and a former president of IBSA’s Pastors’ Conference, is one of 12 pastors who will take the stage in Phoenix June 11-12. The group also includes David Choi, pastor of Chicago’s Church of the Beloved.

Allen spoke with the Illinois Baptist about his upcoming message and what pastors like him contribute to the SBC family:

Q: What passage will you preach in Phoenix?

A: I’ll be preaching Philippians 3:17-21. This passage gives us a reminder of our citizenship in heaven, and helps the church distinguish itself from the world in how we think, act, and live. And then it also reminds us that it is the resurrection power of Christ that changes us both inside and out.

Q: What do you think is unique about what smaller or average-sized churches (and their pastors) add to SBC life?

A: The conference choice of pastors who lead small and medium-sized churches helps the conference attendees better identify and relate to guys just like them. We know that most churches in America, regardless of denomination, are small (less than 100). It also highlights the fact that pastors of smaller churches can effectively handle the Word of God, even in big venues. The Scriptures remind us not to “despise small beginnings” (Zech. 4:10).

Q: The conference this year also is focused on diversity. In your opinion, what is the value of hearing from pastors of different ethnicities and backgrounds?

A: We all have a unique cultural background which colors how we see and experience life. Culture also is a lens through which we see and interpret God’s Word and God himself.

So hearing from ethnically diverse preachers in our convention enriches us all, because God made us different and his intentions are that we learn from and complement each other.

Q: You represent both the Midwest and one of the country’s largest cities. What about your ministry experience in Chicago do you want the larger SBC family to hear and understand?

ALLEN

A: The SBC family needs to understand that the world continues to move into ever-growing metropolitan cities, making them more and more diverse— ethnically, socio-economically, religiously, and every other measurement of diversity. Therefore, we have a great opportunity to win the world to Christ without ever boarding a plane.

At the same time [increasing diversity] makes ministry more complex, and more resources are needed to do ministry here. Whatever strategy the International Mission Board is using to reach the world for Christ can and should be prayerfully considered to be employed in America’s rich and diverse urban centers. IMB and the North American Mission Board ought to continue to seek ways they can collaborate with each other for the glory of God in the salvation of souls.

The primary group of preachers at the Pastors’ Conference will be joined by four pastors who will give testimonies of how their lives and ministries have benefited from smaller membership churches:

SBC President Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga., and former SBC president

Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, and former SBC president

For more information on the Pastors’ Conference, including a full schedule, go to sbcannualmeeting.net.

WISDOM-MARTIN MINTER

WARREN

Deserts and desserts:

Something for everyone

IBSA’s Dennis Conner shares an insider’s guide to his former favorite city

SITES

Most locals refer to the region as “the Valley.” It’s also sometimes called “Valley of the Sun.”

North Carolina native Dennis Conner flew far from his roots 11 years ago when he and his wife, Cindy, moved to Phoenix to plant a church. After another move a couple of years ago, this time to Chicago, Conner has adopted another city and is working to plant new churches there too. But “the Valley,” as locals call Phoenix, is still close to his heart. Here is his list of sites to see and bites to try as Baptists travel west this summ

EATS

Mexican Cuisine

Arizona Capitol Museum

1700 W. Washington St. Immerse yourself in the state’s history, from its territorial days to now.

455

If you have an extra day or two...

Grand Canyon National Park

Great local spot and a favorite of generations of Phoenicians. (Yes, people from Phoenix are called Phoenicians.)

PLACES OF WORSHIP

Here are churches to visit while in Phoenix, recommended by Dennis Conner:

Valley Life Church

Several locations; the original site is Tramonto in north Phoenix, valleylife.church

Palm Vista Baptist Church

Rapidly growing church in Northwest Valley palmvista.com

Mercy Hill Church

Young church near the heart of the city mercyhillphoenix.com

Mountain Ridge

Glendale and northwest Phoenix mountainridge.org

Meadows Baptist Church

A more traditional expression of church in Phoenix, meadowsbaptist.com

The Way Fellowship Church

Young, discipleship-focused church thewayfc.net

Crosspointe Church

Planted by Conner, in Buckeye xpointe.net

First Southern Baptist Buckeye

The sending church for Crosspointe fsbbuckeye.com

GracePointe Church

Reaching recently retired, active seniors gracepointechurchaz.com

“I am almost as eager to talk about Phoenix as I am about Chicago.”

A powerful response

THE cooperative program • 1st quarter report jan. 1 - march 31

This report includes contributions received by the Illinois Baptist State Association through the first quarter of 2017. For questions about this report, contact the IBSA Church Cooperation Team at (217) 391-3106, e-mail JeffDeasy@IBSA.org or write to P.O. Box 19247, Springfield, IL 62794-9247.

“Our Southern Baptist churches have responded powerfully to the call for missions support and ministry support through the Cooperative Program.”

Frank Page, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee president

By giving a percentage of their tithes and offerings through CP, local churches in Illinois support missions and ministry in the state, in North America, and around the world, including:

Startingnew congregations in Illinois, including 16 last year

more than 5,600 North American Mission Board missionaries— church planters, student missionaries, evangelism catalysts, and more

Sending3,590 missionaries through the International Mission Board to reach unreached people groups around the world

Southern Baptist leaders credit a recent uptick in CP giving to churches willing to think sacrificially. “Southern Baptists’ persistent generosity through the Cooperative Program is one sign of God’s continued hand on our work. In denominational circles, it is a modern miracle.” Jason Allen, president, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

through the Cooperative Program, an increase of

3.47%

$6,073,404 over the previous year.

At the mid-point of the current fiscal year, year-to-date giving is down slightly, but

4%

Last year, Southern Baptists gave above the CP allocation budget for North American and international missions, theological education, and SBC operations.

‘A modern miracle’

CP: ‘A friend and resource’

The Cooperative Program helps supports church planters like Bryson Isom, who started Valley Life Church Camelback in metro Phoenix.

e are so incredibly thankful to the Cooperative Program, which has directly helped Bryson get ahead of his fundraising needs by financially contributing to our church plant,” says Isom’s wife, Marlee

Top 100 Illinois churches in Cooperative Program support through the first quarter of 2017

She says her understanding of the North American Mission Board and CP has deepened since she became a church planter’s wife.

“I recognize them as a friend and resource, equipped and eager to maximize efforts in aiding church planters and their families to reach people for the glory of God.”

– Info from Baptist Press, NAMB.net, IMB.org

Top 100 Illinois churches in per capita CP support through the first quarter of 2017

Fellowship, Vienna 31.78

Faith, Breese 30.85

Mt Zion, Piasa 30.75

Sandy Creek, Tamms 30.35

Waterloo First, Waterloo 29.38

New Hope, Litchfield 28.88

The Word in Marion, Marion 28.80

Emmanuel, Sterling 28.39

Casey First, Casey 28.31

Louisville, Louisville 28.01

Effingham First, Effingham 27.35

Lincoln Avenue, Jacksonville 27.30

Celebration Community, Pana 27.21

Nashville First, Nashville 26.95

Mt Zion First, Mt Zion 26.67

Columbia First, Columbia 26.63

Richland Southern, East Peoria 26.53

Cristo Es Rey, Bolingbrook 26.52

Redeeming Grace Chapel, Kankakee 26.32

Elizabethtown First, Elizabethtown 26.19

Mt Olive, Dongola 26.04

University, Macomb 25.99

Roe’s Dale, Pinckneyville 25.92

Steeleville, Steeleville 25.71

Crosswinds Church, Plainfield 25.60

Mascoutah First, 25.52

Not everyone celebrates on Mother’s Day

Almost six months ago, God gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever received besides salvation and an amazing husband: a son.

Sheridan Steele Colter, born at 8 pounds and half an ounce after 30 hours of labor, is truly an answer to innumerable prayers. I’m continually in awe of the miracle of his life each time I whisper my love in his ear, stroke his strawberryblonde hair, and tickle his tiny toes.

I’ve wanted to be a mom as far back as I can remember. My own mother modeled the role with excellence, and I grew up wanting to be just like her. Early in my marriage, however, God allowed my husband and me to experience the loss of precious life through miscarriage. Years that felt like decades passed, and with each one, we became a little less confident that we would ever become parents to biological children.

We were in near disbelief and cautiously elated when a positive result registered on an at-home pregnancy test. We cried tears of joy that were every bit as wet and salty as those we’d shed over our previous losses. Months later, six days after his due date, our precious son arrived, a gift who shines brightly in my life, and all the brighter juxtaposed with the dimness that came before him.

I want to be sure “to forget not all [the Lord’s] benefits” (Psalm 103:2) and to thank God for the graciously sweet gift of a child. Yet, my heart remains bruised for those who approach Mother’s Day with deep sadness. Some have experienced the loss of their own mother. Some have had to bury children. Some have grieved through the pain of miscarriage. And some have watched the dream of parenthood die.

Scripture tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), and on Mother’s Day, we have the opportunity to practice both ends of that command. It seems to me that most of us have an easier time with the rejoicing part, but it’s the bearing one another’s burdens portion that can

prove a bit more difficult. Here are just a few thoughts on how we might do that this year:

1. Don’t try to fix it. Only God can administer the “peace which passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Tell hurting friends you are praying for them, and then don’t forget to do it. Consider sending a snail mail card or even a text message to someone after you have prayed, letting them know you did so. Often, that will arrive at just the right moment to encourage your friend’s heart, and they will no doubt be grateful you’ve approached the Lord on their behalf.

2. Create an environment where they are welcomed to rejoice with you in your celebrations. Think less about the fact that it might make you feel awkward that you have been given a blessing they would love to have, and more about the fact that they might love to have something to celebrate along with you, even in the midst of their own pain. Don’t think that just because they are hurting they will not want to share in your times of rejoicing.

3. Give them space. After you have created a welcoming environment for them to join in with you, respect the fact that they might wish to step back for a moment. There is not one single way to grieve—some people might desire a bit of space to themselves as they work through their pain. This is one of those times when sending a card might be the way to go. There is nothing intrusive about an envelope with a note of care being delivered to their mailbox, but it certainly lets your friend know you have thought of them.

4. Don’t do nothing. Horrible grammar, I know. But, truly, this is not one of those if-you-justignore-something-it-goes-away things. Your friend is hurting, and even though you cannot take away their pain, you can acknowledge it. Be honest with your friend that you don’t know what to say but you want them to know you are there for them.

As I finish typing this, my son is squealing with delight in his swing next to my rocking chair. He is a beautiful gift and the “joy” that has come in my “morning” (Psalm 30:5). I’ll celebrate being his mom this year, thanking the Lord for his faithfulness in the darkest of times and the brightest. I pray God reveals that faithfulness to those who mourn this Mother’s Day and that my celebration won’t multiply their pain, but instead point to a God whose character is good in the bad times and the pleasant, and whose love is without end.

Sharayah Colter is a writer in Fort Worth, Texas, and owner of Colter & Co. Design.

– From Baptist Press

fresh ideas

Easy summer outreach

Looking for simple summertime ideas for your church? Why not plan something fun outdoors, and add an outreach purpose to intentionally welcome guests. Here are five ideas: Outdoor ukulele lessons. Offer group ukulele lessons weekly during summer months. Or form a drum circle, kitchen band, guitar jam, or harmonica hoedown. Set up chairs for lessons on the church lawn, with extra seating for onlookers. Kids, seniors, singles, and entire families will enjoy it, but be certain to include many guests, too.

Red, white, & blue drive-thru. Invite your community to drive through the church parking lot for free red, white, and blues snowcones on July 4. Play patriotic music and use helium balloons to designate a drive-through lane. Happy volunteers work quickly to avoid lines, and guests receive a “Happy 4th! See you on Sunday!” greeting along with a snowcone.

Host the community. Use church facilities to host a library story time, horseshoe or corn-hole tournament, new neighbors welcome coffee, or moms and kids playground hour. If you have a gym, host kids’ or teen gym time, pickup basketball, walking track, or singles’ volleyball tourney.

Vacation Bible School as outreach. Challenge every church member to invite at least one unchurched child they know. Deliver invitations to homes near the church. Do a Saturday outdoor registration booth. Follow up after VBS to invite guests to worship.

Bring a lawn chair. Host a concert on the church lawn. Use an excellent sound system and quality musicians. Include some Christian songs. Set a fun, relaxed atmosphere with stringed patio lights, outdoor fans, and lemonade. If it’s successful, plan weekly concerts next summer.

Does one of these ignite a summer idea that will fit your church? Focus on outreach by advertising through social media, word of mouth, and an outdoor banner. Plan well, then relax and have fun. Guests will see Christian fellowship at its best, and you’ll have opportunities to help them know God. Summer days are fleeting! Don’t miss an opportunity to shine for Jesus.

“Make the most of every opportunity…” (Ephesians 5:16).

I got three responses to my Mother’s Day sermon... “Don’t slouch,” “Visit more often,” and “Why can’t you be more like your brother, Steve?”

© Diana Davis is an author, columnist, and minister’s wife in Pensacola Beach. dianadavis.org

Like other holidays, this one can also be stressful.

DIANA DAVIS

2017 missions calendar

Starting this month, Illinois Baptist church members will serve through IBSA-sponsored mission projects at home and abroad—in some cases, very abroad.

Illinois

Missions Spectacular | June 3

See calendar listing, page 15

Uptown Baptist | July 7-11, Oct. 6-11

Community engagement in Chicago

Cost: $350 per person

ChicaGO Week | July 23-28

See calendar listing, page 15

Cairo, Illinois | July 28-29

See calendar listing, page 15

Illinois Changers | July 31-Aug. 4

See calendar listing, page 15

Meet the Nations | July 31-Aug. 4

Meet Chicago’s international affinity groups; Cost: $350 per person

Christian Activity Center | Aug. 4-6

Back-to-school party in East St. Louis

Cost: $30 per person

United States

WellHouse | June 25-29

Help exploitation victims in Birmingham

Cost: $400 per person

New York City | Sept. 18-21

IBSA ministers’ wives serve in the Bronx; Cost: $350 plus airfare

The World

GO Team Dominican Republic | June 17-24

Students help church planting efforts

Cost: $1,350 per person

Dominican Republic | June 21-24

Community engagement and medical missions; Cost: $1,000 per person

GO Team Toronto | July 1-8

Students host soccer ministry and VBS

Cost: $850

GO Team Jamaica | July 22-29

Ministry to kids through VBS-style activities; Cost: $1,350 per person

Amazon Project | Oct. 19-26

Serve through medical, dental, eye clinics, and evangelistic outreach projects along the Amazon River

Cost: $2,600 (IBSA church), $2,700 (non-IBSA church)

Go to IBSA.org/missions for more information.

NeTworkiNg

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

Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org

Calvary marks 50 years

Elgin church celebrates missions legacy

people

Welcome

Tammy Butler has joined the IBSA staff as a ministry assistant on the Church Resources Team. A member of Raymond Baptist Church, she serves as clerk and VBS director for her church and for Macoupin Baptist Association. Tammy is married to Ronald and they have two children, Natasha and Kelab.

Elgin | Extra seating in the church parlor had to help hold the 265 people present for Calvary Baptist Church’s anniversary celebration April 23. IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams preached during a celebratory worship service as the church marked its 50th birthday. Adams, who has long-time close ties to the church, preached a message titled “Find us faithful,” from 2 Timothy 1:1-14.

“My wife, Beth, and I were members there as newlyweds in the mid-80’s, and it has been ‘home church’ to my parents, and to two of my sons during their college years,” he said.

“Calvary is really my ‘home away from home church,’ and it was wonderful to celebrate 50 years of God’s faithfulness with my good friends, and to do it in a full house of worship.”

The congregation started in 1967 and met in the former downtown site of First Baptist Church for a few years, until purchasing a former Methodist church building on the east side. Tim Wills served as

A MILESTONE BIRTHDAY – IBSA

Executive Director Nate Adams presented a plaque of appreciation to Pastor Scott Ballance at his church’s 50th anniversary celebration. Adams’s son, Noah, serves as associate pastor at Calvary Baptist in Elgin.

pastor for 25 years, establishing strong connections with the Judson University community. Scott Ballance has served as pastor since 2009. The church welcomed Cambodian refugees in the early 1980s, and was featured on the cover of Christianity Today.

The church also hosts a Spanishlanguage church plant to reach out to the growing Latino population in Fox Valley.

Leah Honnen is serving with IBSA as a ministry assistant on the Church Communications Team. She and her husband, John, attend Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church, where Leah is active in women’s ministry and children’s ministry. She is the daughter of Melissa and Bob Carruthers, director of missions for Sandy Creek Association.

Tammy Ratsch is serving as a ministry assistant with IBSA’s Church Planting Team. A member of Living Faith Baptist Church, she is active in music ministry there and through IBSA worship camps for children and students. Tammy is married to Tom, and they have two children, Elizabeth and Josh.

Celebration

Austin and Rachel Carter welcomed son Ryne, on April 16. Rachel is a ministry assistant on IBSA’s Church Planting Team.

Prior Grove Baptist Church, a church south of Oblong with an average attendance of 75, is seeking a bivocational pastor. Send resumes to Jack Vaughn, 5625 N. 275th Street, Oblong, IL 62449, e-mail vajvaughn@yahoo.com, or call (618) 592-3710.

Strasburg Baptist Church is seeking a part-time or bivocational pastor with at least two years of ministry experience. Contact Carol Menter at (217) 875-7450 or menterc46@ yahoo.com.

Jackson Grove Baptist Church in Benton is seeking a part-time youth pastor and supply preacher Contact Don Bullard at (618) 5214564 for more information or an application.

SWEET FELLOWSHIP – Members and friends of Calvary Baptist Church share a meal after the church’s April 23 anniversary service.

EVENTS

June

3

Missions Spectacular

What: IBSA’s largest annual one-day mission project

Where: Metro East St. Louis and Chicagoland Register: IBSA.org/missions

June 3

BCHFS Central Illinois Golf Tournament

What: Annual fundraiser for Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services

Where: Edgewood Country Club, Auburn Info: BCHFS.com

June 9-10, 16-17

Father/Son Camp

What: Overnight camp for fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons, and adult mentors and young men of all ages

Where: June 9-10: Streator Baptist Camp; June 16-17: Lake Sallateeska

Cost: $40 per person Register: IBSA.org/kids

So Shine IBSA Summer Camps

• Week 1: June 12-16

(Streator, grades 3-6)

• Week 2: June 18-22

(Lake Sallateeska, grades 3-6)

• Week 3: June 26-30

(Lake Sallateeska, grades 3-6)

• Week 4: July 10-14 (Streator, grades 3-12)

• Week 5: July 17-21 (Streator, grades 3-12)

Cost: $160 per person, includes food, lodging, and T-shirt Register: IBSA.org/kids

June 12-14

SBC Annual Meeting & Pastors’ Conference

Where: Phoenix Convention Center Info: See pages 7-9, or go to sbcannualmeeting.net

June 26-30

Illuminate IBSA Student Camp

What: Camp experience for students in grades 7-12

Where: Lake Sallateeska

Cost: $160 per person, includes food, lodging, and T-shirt Register: IBSA.org/students

June 27-July 1

Super Summer

What: Discipleship-focused week for students who have committed their lives to Christ

Where: Greenville College

Cost: $225 per person

Register: IBSA.org/students

dave says

Choose Roth over pension

QMy wife and I are both 25 years old. I have a 401(k) through my employer, and she has a pension. Currently, we’re falling short of the 15% of income you advise putting toward retirement. Should we get IRAs, or start socking money away in her pension?

July 10-14

Summer Worship University

What: IBSA’s premier worship, music, and arts event for students in grades 6-12

Where: Hannibal-LaGrange University

Cost: $225 per person

Register: IBSA.org/students

July 16-21

Fused Teen Camp

What: A week of dynamic preaching, worship, recreation, and small group discipleship for all students in grades 6-12

Where: Lake Sallateeska

Cost: $265 per person Register: IBSA.org/students

July 23-28

ChicaGO Week

What: Students in junior high through college serve alongside Chicagoland church planters

Where: Judson University

Cost: $265 per person (IBSA churches); $290 per person (non-IBSA churches) Register: IBSA.org/churchplanting

July 28-29

Mission Trip to Cairo, IL

What: Engage the southern Illinois community with a back-to-school fair and mobile medical ministry

Cost: $100 per person; team members are responsible for transportation to and from site Info: CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org

July 31-August 4

Illinois Changers

What: Missions experience for college students and adults with skills in carpentry, general contracting, and building, or a willingness to volunteer on a construction project

Where: Metro Peoria

Cost: $125 per person

Register: IBSA.org/missions (click on “Judea” under “Choose your mission field”)

AI wouldn’t put money into a pension. For one thing, when you die after putting money into a pension, in most cases it dies with you. Number two, when you put money into a pension, you’re going to get about a 6% rate of return in the current environment—maybe even as low as 5%.

You’re not making much on it while you’re alive, so I don’t advise putting money in pensions. We let employers put money in pensions, if they want to. That’s a nice benefit, but I wouldn’t add to it.

I would do a couple of Roth IRAs, and max those out. Then, max out whatever you’ve got at work that you own. Of course, when you’re vested in a pension, you own it. That much is true. But still, I don’t advise adding to pensions, buying years up, or any of those kinds of things.

There are a few examples out there where that kind of thing works mathematically to your benefit, but they’re very hard to find. Out of all the years I’ve been in this business, I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve seen it work out.

So no, I wouldn’t do more with a pension where you add to it yourself, especially at such a young age.

Why the smallest debt first?

QI’m new to you and your plan. Why do you want people to pay off the debt with the smallest balance first, instead of the one with the highest interest rate?

ASimply put, because personal finance isn’t all about math. Personal finance is only about 20% math. The other 80% is behavior.

We list debts in the debt snowball in order of the smallest to the largest balance, putting as much as possible toward the smallest while paying the minimum payments on the others. The reason, as I mentioned earlier, is behavior modification. It helps you see yourself making a dent in your debts.

It’s easier to change bad habits when you see quick results from your efforts to eliminate negative behaviors. Paying off the smallest debts first, instead of the debts with the highest interest rates, will give you quick wins that will help keep you motivated. It provides proof that you can succeed and become debt-free!

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

DAVE RAMSEY

Don’t miss the moment

QI read that you’re leading evangelism for IBSA now. How do I turn an ordinary conversation toward spiritual matters?

AYou’re on the right track: We need to stop thinking about only doing an evangelism presentation, and start having conversations with people. Discuss normal, everyday life issues. Really listen to what the other person is saying and look for remarks or opportunities that could point the conversation toward Christ and how he changes our circumstances.

Too often, we are so worried about remembering the correct Scripture or presenting the gospel in some exact order that we miss the moment of a “divine encounter” that simply allows us to tell how Jesus changed our life.

Remember that the Holy Spirit draws the lost to salvation. Your responsibility is to obediently be ready to share the truth (I Peter 3:15), and to leave the results to God. Simply being open about sharing your testimony may be the best way to turn an ordinary conversation toward spiritual matters. Use your story for God’s glory!

Listen up

QI started a read-through-the-Bible plan three years ago. I thought I’d never get through Leviticus with all those skin rashes. I’ve only made it to 2 Samuel. Any recommendations?

AI’ve read through the Bible several times, but one of the most helpful things I ever did was purchase and listen to the Bible on cassette tapes (today’s version would be on CD’s or a digital format). Listening to the Bible being read made it come alive. I could do so as I traveled, and as the narrator read through the passages, I gained a much clearer insight and picture of all that was being said—the struggles, battles, victories, failures, and miracles.

Many churches have a copy of the Bible on CD, and some Bible apps actually read the Word chapter by chapter. You might just discover a new love and appreciation for God’s Word by listening instead of utilizing only the discipline of reading.

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

Church needed here...

Location: North and west sides of Champaign

Focus: Young families and college students

Characteristics: These areas of Champaign are growing rapidly, but there is no evidence of evangelical churches being planted here. Parkland College is located on the city’s west side, presenting a greater need for a gospel presence.

Prayer needs: Pray that God will call a church planter to this area, and that churches will invest their resources in starting a church with a Kingdom impact.

Compounding our problems

Read: Joshua 9

Life had been progressing well in the Promised Land with victories at Jericho and Ai, after courageously dealing with Achan’s sin. As Moses’ successor, Joshua also took the time to remind Israel of God’s commands for them, which included the provision that no covenant of peace was to be made with the Canaanites.

illinois religious landscape

Creation or evolution

37% 30% 27% 4% 3%

of adults in Illinois believe humans evolved due to natural processes believe humans always existed in their present form

say humans evolved due to God’s design

say they don’t know say humans evolved, but they don’t know how

KEVIN CARROTHERS

Evidently, this law of God was discovered by the Gibeonites as they enacted a plan that duped Israel’s leaders into a peace treaty. Offering convincing proof that they were a people from a land far away, for which God had provided a means of peace, Israel’s leader entered into a covenant with them without inquiring of the Lord.

When it was discovered that Gibeon was not far from Israel’s camp, there was outrage and humiliation over the deception. The nation was faced with a crisis. Do they honor their word made in the name of the Lord God of Israel? Or do they break their oath and avenge the deception? To break their word would have led to more sin and dishonored the Lord.

Even though Joshua made a covenant in violation of God’s law, he kept his word by preserving the Gibeonites’ lives, albeit in servitude. When we fail, let us make amends without compounding our original sin with more sin. In Christ alone we find hope, no matter how sinful our past.

PRAYER PROMPT: Father, forgive us of our sins. Help us honor you in all that we do.

Kevin Carrothers serves as DOM for Salem South Association and IBSA president.

At Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp

June 18-22 Grades 3-6

June 26-30 Grades 3-6

At Streator Baptist Camp

June 12-16 Grades 3-6

July 10-14 Grades 3-12

July 17-21 Grades 3-12

To register go to

www.IBSA.org/kids

PAT PAJAK

– IBSA Church Planting Team