November 10, 2014 Illinois Baptist

What Columbus Day shares with Cooperative Program page 4

Washington: One year after the storm page 5

‘Elevate Marriage’ speakers urge higher standards page 6

Turke page 1

News and updates

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Constitution revision, ‘Common Core’ resolution delayed as messengers pray for revival

Springfield | The 108th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Baptist State Association might best be described as quietly surprising

Some actions expected from 433 registered messengers meeting at the Springfield Crowne Plaza Nov 5-6 were postponed, including a resolution on Common Core Education Standards that was sent back to the Resolutions Committee for further study

And a revision to the IBSA Constitution that was originally proposed for expedited consideration (reported in

the Oct 20 Illinois Baptist) will instead go through the regular two-year process needed for amendments

The primary focus of messengers turned Wednesday night to pleading for spiritual awakening individually, in small groups, and as a body At this Annual Meeting, prayer rose to the surface

Like last year, Mission Illinois again set the meeting’s theme, but with a new emphasis on prayer reflected in the Wednesday evening “Concert of Prayer ”

Continued on page 3

Heaven, hell and heresies

Survey says Americans ‘fuzzy’ on faith details

Nashville, Tenn. | It’s probably not surprising that 45% of Americans believe there are many ways to heaven But that 19% of evangelicals believe the same is one of the warning signs in a new report by LifeWay Research

Among other findings: 45% of Americans believe the Bible was written for each person to interpret as they choose, and 67% believe everyone sins, but most people are by nature good

“What comes screaming through this survey is the pervasive influence of humanism,” noted R.C. Sproul, chairman of Ligonier Ministries, who commissioned the research to measure American views of Christian theology

Many Americans get the basics right but are often fuzzy on the details, said

Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research

“People like to believe in a generic Christian-ish god with cafeteria doctrines,” Stetzer said “However, when we asked about harder beliefs things that the church has [considered] and still considers orthodoxy the numbers shift ”

The online survey of 3,000 Americans asked 43 questions about faith, covering topics from sin and salvation to the Bible and the afterlife Heaven is for real

Traditional Christian theology teaches heaven and hell are actual places, and the majority of Americans agree But

Special coverage begins on page 7

Praying at the wailing wall in Springfield

A mountain of corn meets a tiny but determined shovel Ministers’ wives keep faith in trying times

Come to this fountain so rich and sweet

they differ on what it takes to get there.

Along with measuring how many Americans believe there are many ways to heaven, the survey also found how likely people in certain religious groups are to agree Catholics (67%) and Mainline Protestants (55%) are most likely to say heaven’s gates are wide open, while Black Protestants (33%) and Evangelicals (19%) were less likely to say so

People believe hell is for real too, the survey found, although slightly less real than heaven; 61% of people said hell is a real place, compared to 67% who said the same about heaven Regardless, researchers found, most people don’t seem too worried about sin or going to hell: 67% told researchers that most people are basically good, even though everyone sins a little bit, and only 18% say even small sins should lead to damnation

2014 IBSA Annual Meeting

Broadview Missionary Baptist Church Choir

BRIEFING the

Mayor steps back from debate

Subpoenas issued to five Houston ministers ignited national controversy in October, religious freedom advocates said requiring pastors to turn over their sermons violated their First Amendment rights Mayor Annise Parker dropped the wo “sermons” from the subpoenas, and then relented completely Oct 29, dropping the subpoenas for the ministers, who had been part of an effort to repeal the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance

Pastors and Christian leaders rallied around the “Houston Five” in the wake of the initial subpoenas Blogged Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, “A government has no business using subpoena power to intimidate or bully the preaching and instruction of any church, any synagogue, any mosque, or any other place of worship ”

Yuan advises parents of LGBT kids

“P rents, love your LGBT or same-sex atted children and point them to a life of tly discipleship following Jesus,” ristopher Yuan told attendees at the RLC National Conference in October

The Moody Bible Institute professor ’s journey out of a lifestyle of addiction, which included same-sex relationships, was shaped by the love of his Christian parents, The Christian Post reported “The Gospel can best be communicated or can only be communicated while in relationship,” Yuan said

N.C. judges resign their posts

After same-sex marriage became legal in their state Oct. 10, six magistrates in North Carolina stepped down rather than be required to preside over same-sex marriages, The Christian Examiner reported “For me to do what the state said I had to do, under penalty of law, I would have to go against my convictions, and I was not willing to do that,” said Magistrate Gayle Myrick

Seminary alumnus is film’s focus

A graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is the subject of a movie released nationwide last month.

“23 Blast” is the story of Travis Freeman, a one-time high school football player whose life changed drastically when an illness cost him his eyesight

Freeman told Baptist Press, “Life does not end when tragedy comes into your life ”

Moses in the spotlight

First Noah, now Moses The biblical hero seems poised to be the next Old Testament figure to spark debate around a familiar story The Christian Post reported on the controversy after Christian Bale, star of the upcoming “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” told reporters Moses was “likely schizophrenic” and “barbaric ” Then, Moses biographer Jonathan Kirsch told The Huffington Post that Bale could be right Christian writer Brian Godawa blogged that the whole debate feels familiar “First a Noah who is an environmentalist whacko vegan animal rights madman with delusions Now, a Moses who is a schizophrenic barbarian?...I pray it isn’t happening all over again.”

The BIG Picture Now you see me

Cobden | For 14 years, First Baptist Church has been sending teams to do construction work, dental hygiene, and eye clinics in Mexico The long-term missions partnership recently caught the attention of The Southern Illinoisan newspaper “We are called to missions, but we are called to go to El Coyote, Mexico,” said associate pastor Matt Hartline “We are not just doing random missions,

but we’re called to go there All of us have a heart for the Mexican people, for these people ”

The church partners with a missionary from Mexico City who has planted churches in several villages The eye clinics started when deacon Brian Lukes noticed some of the people they worked with and ministered to had trouble seeing With an auto refractor, volunteers can prescribe and then

give out prescription glasses

“All of a sudden they look around it’s a whole new world,” missions volunteer Dan Hartline said “Then, of course, the first thing they do with their new glasses is we give them a tract about Jesus, and that’s what they read with their new eyes, which is pretty cool ” –

Adapted from The Southern Illinoisan (8/16/14)

Continued from page 1

Respondents were sharply divided on how important Jesus is to where a person spends the afterlife: 53% of Americans believe salvation is in Christ alone, while 41% said people who have never heard of Jesus can still get into heaven

How much does a Christian contribute to his or her own faith, particularly the initial salvation experience? People must contribute some effort toward their own salvation, said 71% of Americans who completed the survey. A large percentage of Black Protestants (82%) and

Catholics (87%) agree

Two-thirds say in order to find peace with God, people have to take the first step, and then God responds to them with grace That sounds right to many people, Stetzer said, especially in our “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” culture. But, he noted, it doesn’t reflect the Christian idea that faith is a response to God’s grace

Many Americans also don’t mind being disconnected from a local church: 52% say worshipping alone or with family is as good as going to church

About 4 in 5 respondents say

their local church has no authority to “declare that I am not a Christian,” according to the survey, and 56% believe their pastor ’s sermons have no authority in their life

The overall results, said Ligonier ’s Stephen Nichols, show churches have a lot of work to do

“This study demonstrates the stunning gap in theological awareness throughout our nation, in our neighborhoods, and even in the seat next to us at church ”

– Excerpted and adapted from Bob Smietana’s report for LifeWay Research

CHECK-UP – FBC Cobden’s Dan Hartline (right) uses an auto refractor to examine a patient’s eyes on a mission trip to Mexico Photo courtesy of FBC Cobden

IBSA Annual Meeting

Continued from page 1

Vocal quintet Veritas led in worship during the service, and attenders were led to pray through a cycle inspired by Isaiah 6: lament, repent, intercede, and commit

Also during the meeting, sermons by IBSA’s president Odis Weaver and Harrisburg pastor Dewayne Taylor urged Baptists to examine their hearts, and their willingness to reach the lost with the gospel.

“If Illinois is going to push back the darkness, it’s gotta start here,” said Weaver in his president’s message Wednesday afternoon

“If we’re going to push back the darkness, Weaver said, “we’ve got to ask the question: How desperate is my church for spiritual awakening?” (A full report on the Concert of Prayer begins on page 7.)

Church planting urgency

With prayer permeating the Annual Meeting and the Pastors’ Conference that preceded it, messengers also voted on officers for the coming year, welcomed new churches affiliating with IBSA, and heard reports from IBSA entities.

In his report, IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams shared encouraging news about the ministry of Illinois Baptist churches, including four new campus ministries begun this year, 260

congregations now registered as Acts 1:8 churches, and 140 pastors and leaders engaged in leadership development processes

Adams also pointed out areas in need of growth Through August of this year, IBSA has helped start 16 new churches, down from 24 last year, he reported “We are not satisfied with that level of church planting in Illinois, and it will not allow us to significantly impact the desperate need of the lost of Illinois for relevant new Baptist churches that can deliver the Gospel in their context,” he said

Citing the need for more church planters and more church planting sponsor churches, Adams urged, “Together, we must ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field, particularly in the area of the church planting in Illinois ”

Messengers approved six resolutions brought by the IBSA Resolutions and Christian Life Committee: affirming the Bible’s authority; encouraging prayer for elected officials; repenting of sinful choices related to media consumption; including younger leaders in denominational life; encouraging prayer for the Palestinian Church; and affirming the resolution on transgender identity approved by messengers to the national Southern Baptist Convention in June 2014.

An additional resolution on Common Core education standards was referred back to the committee for further study and revision (See page 8 for more on resolutions )

The association’s four current officers were each re-elected by acclamation: Weaver, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Plainfield, as president; Kevin Carrothers, pastor of Rochester First Baptist Church, as vice president; Melissa Carruthers, member of Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church, Jacksonville, as recording secretary; and Patty Hulskotter, member of Living Faith Baptist Church, Sherman, as assistant recording secretary

At the start of the Wednesday evening session, messengers welcomed seven new churches affiliating with the association IBSA’s Credentials Committee also recommended during its report that the association disaffiliate with seven churches that have been non-cooperating for eight or nine years

Amendments postponed

Leading up to the Annual Meeting, the IBSA Constitution Committee was prepared to ask messengers to suspend the rules of the IBSA Constitution bypassing the usual two-year process needed for revision so that the IBSA Constitution could allow for the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services to have its own bylaws, in compliance with Illinois not-for-profit law

“Upon further examination, however,” Adams told the IB, “the Committee came to believe that it would not be proper parliamentary procedure

to apply the ‘suspending of the rules’ action that Robert’s Rules of Order allows to the Constitution itself

“Rather than go against the IBSA Constitution’s requirement for two readings at separate meetings, then, they decided that approval of separate Children’s Home bylaws and revision of their articles of incorporation at the IBSA Annual Meeting would allow for legal compliance, and that a first reading of the proposed revisions to the IBSA Constitution would be sufficient ”

Messengers at the Annual Meeting unanimously approved the new bylaws and articles of incorporation for BCHFS “If the IBSA Constitution is amended at the second reading next year, all the necessary documents will have been revised,” Adams said

Budgets from IBSA, Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services and Baptist Foundation of Illinois were approved during the business session. IBSA’s Cooperative Program goal for 2015 is $6 4 million, 43 25% of which goes to national and international SBC missions causes, while 56 75% stays in the state to support missions and ministry here (Reports for BCHFS and BFI are on page 9 )

Through the annual Ministers’ Relief Offering, taken during the Annual Meeting for pastors facing unexpected transitions, attenders gave $1,651

The 2015 IBSA Annual Meeting and Pastors’ Conference is scheduled for November 10-12 at First Baptist Church, Marion

BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY exists for the Church.

Pulling apart or pulling together

ecently the city council in Seattle, Washington, voted unanimously to change their designation of the second Monday in October from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day “Nobody discovered Seattle, Washington,” said one Indian nation president during the council meeting And so, at least on one day in October, the city of Seattle will go its own way

And yet, Seattle is not alone The Minneapolis, Minnesota, city council passed a similar measure earlier this year. In Hawaii, they now celebrate “Discoverers’ Day” instead of Columbus Day, while in South Dakota it’s now “Native Americans Day ”

As much as I appreciate our nation’s Native American heritage, actions like these seem to me to denote a troublesome attitude or mindset, and yet one that I’m noticing more and more, even in Baptist life It’s a mindset that says, “We’re mainly interested in what’s relevant and valuable to us here at home, and less interested in the bigger picture of what others are doing ”

In a way, it’s a mindset that’s ble with the deeply held Baptist autonomy “No one outside our going to tell us what to do!” same time it’s a mindset that tugs the very spirit of unity and coop ation that have always been the hallmarks and strength of Baptist churches

The way I see it expressed more these days is through practices such as designated rather than cooperative giving, or ecumenical rather than denominational partnerships For example, one large Baptist church in the south that used to give more than $1 million through the Cooperative Program recently shifted more than 90% of that directly to their preference, international missions And I see Baptist churches of all sizes occasionally doing missions or benevolence projects with partners whose doctrinal positions I daresay they have not examined.

Some of this is people just naturally doing what they want, or supporting what they find most compelling But in those individual choices or preferences, there are often also great losses When we each do what we prefer locally, we diminish what we can all accomplish collectively

As we come to the close of another year here in Illinois, and perhaps finalize our church budgets, I would encourage us to do more pulling together and less ng apart There is already great individuality and ersity among our churches And yet it is our unity und Baptist doctrine and cooperative missions pulls us together, and allows us to accomplish

together things that no individual church could do on its own

Recently I’ve been invited to a number of churches to share, usually in a combined adult Sunday school class, how and why “cooperative missions” works, and then to preach in the morning worship service Each time I do, there are older adults who come and say something like, “That’s why I’ve been Southern Baptist all my life ” And there are younger adults, many of whom didn’t grow up in a Baptist church or receive any childhood missions education, who say, “You know, I don’t think I really understood how we work together with other churches, but that really makes sense ”

In other words, our churches are already full of indigenous peoples, who naturally go their own ways Our responsibility as autonomous but cooperating Baptist churches is to pull people together around the Word of God and the Mission of God

Columbus wasn’t the first or only discoverer of America, and he wasn’t perfect But when we celebrate in his name, we pull together as a nation, and we affirm the spirit of adventure and discovery Likewise we should enthusiastically pull together as Baptists, around the name of Jesus Christ, and in support of the wonderful adventure we share, establishing His Kingdom in a new world

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

The ILLINOIS BAPTIST Staff

As the crowd thinned and the reception neared an end, one voice could be heard from a table near the chocolate fountain: “Come over here and take my picture so I can go home ”

Thurman Stewart was kidding; he wasn’t looking for press, just laughs Surrounded by other volunteers in yellow hats and shirts, he and his wife, Carol, marked the end of another day watching kids while their parents attended the IBSA Annual Meeting

The Stewarts are part of a group of Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers who provide free childcare every year Several of them also travel in the summer to the national Southern Baptist Convention to serve families there And they have a mobile Disaster Relief childcare unit, so they can help kids and parents in crisis across the country

teams to the other side of the world And some, hopefully, will join the Stewarts’ ranks on the third floor Or look for similarly vital roles that happen behind the scenes

“If

POSTMASTER: The Illinois Baptist is owned and publ shed biweekly, Jan , March, May, July-Sept , Nov ; month y in Feb , Apri , June, Oct and Dec , by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springf eld, Illinois

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At the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, their classrooms were stationed on the third floor, one level above the ballroom where the business meeting took place Downstairs, messengers to the 2014 Annual Meeting adopted several resolutions, including one on including younger leaders in church and denominational life Among several “resolved” statements, the document encouraged IBSA churches to pray for, identify and train young leaders, “and to release joyfully young leaders into ministry ”

But when they’re released, what kinds of ministries will these young leaders be looking for? Certainly, some will be pastors Some will serve on committees and trustee boards Some will lead mission

George Jones sang, “Who’s gonna fill their shoes,” about country music legends who are hard to replace No one’s ever going to be like Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash, Jones sings. But who’s next? “Who’s gonna give their heart and soul to get to me and you?” he asks in the chorus

The Stewarts and their fellow volunteers are the Illinois Baptist version of those country music superstars Giving their hearts to work that isn’t front and center, ministering to kids and families and underserved communities

Perhaps young leaders can make the greatest contribution to church and denominational life by emulating the example set by the Stewarts and so many others

Theirs are big shoes to fill

In this Baptist Press file photo, Thurman Stewart volunteers in childcare at the 2007 Southern Baptist Convention

Voices

Everything and nothing has changed

Humanitarian effort void of the gospel of Jesus Christ does nothing to change one’s eternal destiny Moments after making this statement during a sermon, a tornado would rip through our town, passing a quarter mile from our church

The day of the tornado was not without trouble, even before the storm came through Washington. A month before, my father-in-law had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer

The day before the tornado, my 14-year-old daughter laid on my living room floor near death, and that evening was in the hospital

Taking a full load in seminary, and trying to balance all that was going on in my life, I gathered our two young sons that Sunday morning and got them ready for church The rest, as they say, is history An EF-4 tornado hit our town as my congregation took shelter in the church basement

It would have been easy then (and now) to focus on all that changed that day, or how everything after November 17 would be different than before Indeed, a lot is different, even a year after the storm. Members of my church, deacons in my church, lost their homes

One of our deacons moved away, and for a small church, this is difficult

Change has touched my family too

My daughter eventually recovered from the infection that put her in the hospital, but my father-in-law passed away before the tornado

Not every change has been negative: After the storm, people seem more in tune to the needs of others, and thoughts about possessions have changed

But my focus, and our church’s focus, is on something that will never change: the gospel of Jesus Christ It was not by mistake that I would make the statement about humanitarian effort and the gospel moments before the tornado hit. Our focus has to be on the gospel

“When I told him I wanted to resign my position as youth pastor, he said to pray and persevere

The first 12 minutes are always the toughest ”

When people are hurting, our focus must be the gospel

When people are suffering, our focus must be the gospel

When people know not where to turn, our focus is the gospel

A tornado can change our circumstances, it can even change where we live But a tornado will not transfer someone from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light; only the gospel does this.

As a people, as a church, we can allow a tornado to either drive us to what truly makes a difference, or distract us from it May our focus be on what makes a difference; may our focus be on the gospel of Jesus Christ

Josh Monda is pastor of First Baptist Church in Washington

Table Talk: Theology, ministry, and things

From 1978-1983, 30 5% of churches in the Southern Baptist Convention were seeing at least a 10% increase in total membership over a five-year period of time During this same time, 51.9% of our SBC churches were plateaued and 17 6% were in decline

Declining churches, as defined in this denominational study, are those where total membership declined by at least 10% in this five-year period of time Plateaued is categorized as between growing and declining

When you compare that with the most recent five-year period of record from 2008-2013, only 25.9% of our churches were categorized as growing by at least 10% in total membership During this same fiveyear period, 44.3% of our churches were plateaued and 29.9% were declining, meaning their total membership declined by at least 10% between 2008 and 2013 Again, plateaued is categorized as between growing and declining

This should burden each of us You

can see it clearly: As Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, put it: “In the years that this statistic has been calculated, we have never had fewer growing churches and never had more declining churches ”

I want to suggest four actions we can take to see this turn around over the next five years

1 We need to refocus our churches on evangelizing lost people. We need to stop imagining that real church growth occurs when we trade members between our churches Real church growth only occurs when we evangelize lost people

2. We need to develop a strategy and culture of discipling people Real church health can only occur as we disciple our people as Jesus said, “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you ” (Matthew 28:19b-20) Discipleship involves not only baptizing people, but also teaching people to obey all that Jesus commanded us to do Therefore, we need to develop not only a culture for disciple-making

π A slice of life

Growth status of SBC churches in 2013

Plateaued

Declining

Growing 29.9%

44.3%

Growing=10% or more increase in total membership over 5-year period

Declining=10% or more decline in total membership over 5-year period Plateaued is between Growing and Declining

declining

but also have a strategy for disciplemaking in our churches

3. We need to believe again that healthy churches grow In our excuse-making American culture, the church has adopted this same disease of excuse-making Most churches refuse to be honest with themselves in seriously evaluating their spiritual condition Acts 16:5 says, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily ”

25.9% –

Data from LifeWay Research

it ” Jesus is committed to building His church! This is the God Factor!

I believe the God Factor occurs when we preach the gospel, strategically reach lost people, and pray to the Lord of the Harvest who is committed to building His church in this world

Whether your church touches 35, 350 or 3,500 people a week, ask God to grow His church where you are Develop a strategic plan to see the church grow Lead the people to get it done by God’s power and grace, for His glory alone! Ask God for His vision for the church you serve and implement it immediately

Church health eventually leads to church growth Excuse-making of any kind by any leader or church cannot ignore nor deny this biblical reality

4. We need to experience the God Factor in our churches again. As recorded in Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build My church and the forces of Hades will not overpower

I believe with all my heart that God can move our Southern Baptist Convention churches into having more growing churches than ever before in our history We need pastors to lead, church members to support, and together strategize to see your church become healthy spiritually and grow numerically for His glory

Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in northwest Arkansas This column is reprinted from Baptist Press (BPNews net)

that matter

Fewer churches growing, more churches

We can allow a tornado to drive us to what truly makes a difference, or distract us from it.

Josh Monda

Ronnie Floyd

“ I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

– Matthew 16:18, HCSB

Honoring the vows

S p r i n g f i e l d | If marriage isn’t what it used to be, forces outside the church aren’t the only ones at fault, speakers said at the “Elevate Marriage” conference Oct 16

“Sinners are acting like sinners Unbelievers are acting like unbelievers,” said Kentucky pastor Kevin Smith. “But the testimony of the Christian church is robbed when [God’s] people don’t reflect His glory ”

growing But there’s good news too, said Walker, director of policy studies for the Southern Baptist Convention’s chief voice in the public square He suggested several response points for the church, beginning with a scriptural mandate:

“Be happy warriors. To speak the truth as we’re called to do is to do so in love ”

Smith joined Andrew Walker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and Jill Finley, director of women’s ministry at Bethel Baptist Church in Troy, at a one-day conference designed to help Illinois pastors and church leaders navigate shifts on marriage and sexuality

The ministry experts addressed how the church should respond to the wave of legislative and social approval for same-sex marriage, but they also challenged churches to elevate marriage within their walls

What will give Christians credibility in culture, Walker said, is “to model a better vision of marriage in our churches. We can be outraged all we want at what’s happening out there, but to quote the Apostle Peter, ‘Judgment begins within the household of God ’

“If Christians fail to proclaim and live out the truths of marriage in our own congregations, how can we expect to influence others and culture?”

Proclaim truth about marriage

The fight to defend marriage defined as one man and one woman has left Christians and churches feeling defeated in many states, and the list is

Walker ’s presentation primarily addressed the spirit in which the church should proclaim biblical truth about marriage Yes, he said, continue to insist that marriage is a God-ordained, timeless institution. Insist that the government respect people and businesses that believe marriage is between a man and a woman Model good marriages inside the church

Don’t be angry or bitter about the times we’re in, Walker said Instead, be joyful

“Inner peace and inner joy regardless of circumstances is an infectious witness.”

A message by Smith, an assistant professor of preaching at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, focused on proclaiming inside the church what the Bible teaches about marriage and sexuality Church leaders are up against powerful obstacles, including an oversexualized culture and the general “flattening out” of sex in society

Take the music some teenagers listen to, Smith said Not only is it objectifying to women, “but also it just makes the sexual act so flat. It’s just like jogging down the street, or going to get a workout

“No!” he insisted “The union between a man and a woman is ordained

TEACH IT – Preaching what the Bible says about marriage and sexuality can help ward against the “flattening out” of sex in culture, said Kevin Smith, a seminary professor and teaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky Smith and women’s ministry director Jill Finley were guest speakers at October’s “Elevate Marriage” conference in Springfield

by God in Genesis chapter two and it’s ordained with massive implications far beyond mere physicality And the church of Jesus Christ, under the authority of the Word, must declare that ”

The culture is oversexualized, Smith acknowledged, but the church can’t respond by becoming asexualized, especially in preparing young people for the world ahead of them

“Sexuality, interaction between male and female, is not absent from the Scripture, so in the preaching from our pulpits, particularly in the equipping of our young people in our youth groups and our middle school [and] high school Sunday school classes, we can’t be absent from addressing things that our young people and our congregants will have to address as they live in this world ”

He counseled pastors to preach systematically the whole of Scripture, addressing the Bible’s instruction on marriage and sexuality as it naturally comes up “I’m not saying we have to make the teaching of Scripture relevant,” Smith said “The teaching of Scripture is relevant, but we must teach the Scripture ”

Paint a holy picture

Marriage is a testimony to the outside world, for better or worse “We have an opportunity as believers in godly, biblical marriage, to show the world something different,” Jill Finley said “Our lives and our marriage should be different, even peculiar, in this world ”

The women’s ministry director explained how Bethel Baptist in Troy is elevating marriage and family through specific ministries, including groups for teen moms, women recovering from the emotional pain of

abortion, and women in prison. Finley’s personal and ministerial examples pointed to a central truth: A person’s relationships can be a window to their spiritual needs

“Before we can elevate marriage in the church, we have to elevate our own marriage,” said Tim Sadler, IBSA’s director of evangelism He and other members of IBSA’s new Church Resources Team came on stage in the afternoon session to offer advice ranging from the practical (like constructing church bylaws and membership policies) to the highly personal Like the role marriage plays in evangelism

“Christian marriage done rightly is a picture of how Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her,” Sadler said, giving pastors four suggestions on how to preach about marriage

“So, in our preaching we need to elevate biblical marriage and the living out of biblical marriage before a watching world, because it is only in biblical marriage, marriage done rightly, that the watching world gets a beautiful picture of how Christ loves the church ”

To watch videos of the Elevate Marriage presentations by Jill Finley, Kevin Smith and Andrew Walker, go to www IBSA org/Marriage

Pray through the news

Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to ways we can hold firmly to the truth of Scripture, while extending the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to the rapidly changing types of married couples we meet personally and in our churches

PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION – Conference attenders also heard from IBSA ministry specialists on how to construct church bylaws and membership policies in ways that protect marriage

Church leaders urged to ‘elevate marriage'

I’m not saying we have to make the teaching of Scripture relevant The teaching of Scripture is relevant, but we must teach the Scripture. – Kevin Smith

commit

Lament intercede repent

Team coverage of the IBSA Annual Meeting

November 5-6 • 2014

It was all about prayer

Messengers lament declining culture, intercede for salvation of lost and revival of Illinois churches

By Eric Reed

Springfield | Some years when you get home from the Annual Meeting, someone asks, “What happened?” and you tell them about the big issue that messengers addressed, the new initiative that was unveiled, or a ministry report that touched your heart

And then there’s this year

What happened? We prayed

And God was there

“‘Spiritually refreshing’ is the only way I can describe the wonderful Concert of Prayer we experienced Wednesday night, said IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams “Dozens and dozens of folks came to me after-

Adams invited the people to move to the walls of the room and use them as a sort of “wailing wall,” not unlike the famous one in Jerusalem where Jews pray Soon a chorus of voices and some sniffles filled the space

“I’ve never been to the Wailing Wall, but knowing the purpose of the wailing wall and what it represents just kind of got me,” said Rick Dorsey, pastor of Beacon Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago Heights

“It hit me in the gut And just made me lament that we are still struggling to reach a lost world and not doing everything that He needs us to do, that we need to do in order to reach this lost world.”

In that phase of the prayer cycle, drawn from Isaiah 6, the messages of preachers at the Pastors’ Conference, which precedes the Annual Meeting, and the IBSA President’s message resonated with the prayers:

What comes next

After a season of personal repentance, attenders formed small groups and began interceding for lost people they know personally

Concert “I prayed last night with my head against that door, ‘God help me to be and do what you want me to be and do Help me to be about the Gospel ’

ward and told me how very much they needed it. In fact, many described it as the best thing they’ve ever experienced at an Annual Meeting ”

The issues, which promised to be the focus of the gathering, somehow diminished in importance as the time approached And even during the Thursday business session, the echoes of prayers in the Crowne Plaza ballroom the night before remained

“I believe we need to cry out to God for spiritual awakening and for revival in our churches,” Adams said as he opened the Concert of Prayer He asked attenders to lament the decline of our culture

“The world is at its darkest, it’s a mess in America, and sure enough in Illinois,” declared Marvin Parker, pastor of Broadview Missionary Baptist Church “Darkness is covering our state, with same-sex marriage and more It’s messing with the fabric of the family ”

“If we’re going to push back the darkness in Illinois and in our nation, we’re going to have to get desperate,” IBSA President Odis Weaver said “If we’re going to push back the darkness, we have to ask the question, How desperate is my church for spiritual awakening? How hungry are our hearts?”

And in phrase repeated by others several times, Weaver said, “We will either hunger for God’s righteousness out of desperation or out of devastation ”

“We pled for the salvation of those who don’t know Jesus yet, and we did some soul-searching about our own levels of commitment,” Adams said “That’s hard, spiritual work, and it’s not easy or even enjoyable at the time But by God’s grace it was refreshing ”

The next day, convention preacher Dewayne Taylor, pastor of Dorrisville Baptist Church in Harrisburg, told messengers about his experience at the

“Whether we’re in Harrisburg or Nicaragua or Uganda, or downtown Chicago, everybody we meet is either lost or saved, and the vast majority of them are lost Their only hope is the Gospel of Jesus Christ ”

“Many pastors and leaders told me they need and intend to continue this spirit of prayer in their own churches,” Adams reported “We couldn’t ask for more I guess that’s when you know it’s been a good ‘concert,’ when people leave humming the tune, and planning to sing it at home ”

Have your own ‘Concert’

Four short videos used in the IBSA Concert of Prayer are available free Each three-minute video supports one of the phases in the prayer cycle: Lament, Repent, Intercede, Commit. Also, there are suggestions for a worship service and other ways to pray And you can download the 31-Day Prayer Calendar for Mission Illinois at IBSA.org/pray4illinois

IN CONCERT – “Our musical guests Veritas brought wonderful worship leadership throughout the evening,” Nate Adams said of the group started in part by “Truth” founder Roger Breland They concluded the event with a stirring rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer ”

Nate Adams

Dewayne Taylor

Odis Weaver Marvin Parker

LAMENTATION – Pray-ers lined “wailing walls” during the first phase of the Isaiah 6 prayer cycle

Be it resolved

Messengers approve 6 resolutions

‘Common Core’ returned to committee

The Resolutions and Christian Life Committee brought a large slate of resolutions to the messengers of the 2014 IBSA Annual Meeting addressing significant social issues, including a Christian response to transgender identity, prayer for government leaders, and inclusion of younger leaders in denominational life. But the resolution that addressed the most prominent hot-button issue was returned to committee for rewrite and a possible vote next year

The resolution on “Common Core” state education standards criticized the standards themselves as “untested,” causing academic failure by students, and being implemented “unilaterially” without proper legislative or parental review

While most messengers who addressed the resolution agreed with its content, in particular the “resolve” that “messengers shall voice our concerns to members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor and call on them to repeal the Common Core State Standards” and “that we encourage parents and guardians to support and

monitor the schools where their children are educated by being aware of what is taught,” some who spoke disagreed with the tone of the resolution

“I want to make sure we do not cast a negative eye toward students or teachers,” said Phil Nelson, pastor of Lakeland Baptist Church “In most of the schools where I’ve been involved, the church is absent Let’s encourage our churches and parents to be actively involved in our schools ”

Julie Callio, a messenger from First Southern Baptist Church in Mattoon who described herself as active in PTA, disagreed with the wording, “as if we have no voice We always have a voice, and we need to learn how to use that voice.”

The remaining resolutions passed without much debate

Biblical Authority

WHEREAS, Bible skepticism has nearly doubled in the last three years and is expected to continue to rise in the next five years (Barna Research 2014) therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the messengers

Planters share kernels of truth

Exhibit points out vast lostness of Illinois

How much corn does it take to represent the entire population of Illinois?

If you count one kernel for every 10 people, it’s 1,200 pounds, or two dozen 50-pound bags

Surrounded by the yellow and white bags in the Annual Meeting exhibit hall, IBSA’s Church Planting team painted a picture of the state’s spiritual condition

First, they invited meeting-goers to choose their county sign from the wall behind the corn Then, they used a scoop to measure enough kernels to represent all the resident members of IBSA churches in that county That corn went into a smaller bucket

Next, those staffing the exhibit helped the people visiting the booth estimate the number of people those churches in that county will reach and baptize over the next five years (On average, IBSA churches baptize five people each year ) That corn went in the bucket too After nearly every county sign had been taken down from the wall (except the 10 Illinois counties without an IBSA congregation), the corn in the large trough still far outweighed what had been moved to the smaller tub.

The exhibit was designed to affirm what IBSA churches are doing to reach their communities, said Van Kicklighter, but also to draw attention to how many people still need to know Christ

In the midst of all the good things churches are doing, “there still is overwhelming lostness in Illinois,” said Kicklighter, IBSA’s associate executive director for church planting Starting new churches is all about trying to

reach people who are still without Christ, he said, and that’s the message his team tried to communicate in the exhibit hall

“It’s not just about having another church; it is about planting a church that’s sowing the gospel and having an impact on the lostness of that place.”

affirm our belief in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture; and that we encourage all pastors and members of our churches to affirm faith in God’s Word as often as possible, and in every way possible, to believers and unbelievers alike

Holiness/Purity

WHEREAS, we are commanded by Scripture in 1 Peter 1:15-16 to be holy as our God is holy, therefore be it RESOLVED, that the messengers exhort all of the members of all of our cooperating churches to an ongoing, Spirit-led process of repentance from all of our sinful choices in the creation and consumption of media, art, and technology

Palestinian Church

WHEREAS, there are currently more than 8 million people living in Israel and approximately 4 4 million people living in the Palestinian Territories that include the West Bank and Gaza, where Professing Palestinian Christians are a minority and make up approximately 1 5% of the population, and have suffered greatly therefore be it

RESOLVED, the messengers are encouraged to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian Church (and) all members of Southern Baptist Churches are encouraged to pray that the Palestinian people may live free from discrimina-

tion that the Palestinian people may achieve peace with all their neighbors that includes respect, equity, dignity, and freedom of religion

Transgender Identity

WHEREAS, God’s design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female which designate the fundamental distinction that God has embedded in the very biology of the human race; and the Fall of man into sin and God’s subsequent curse have introduced brokenness and futility into God’s good creation [and] according to a 2011 survey, about 700,000 Americans perceive their gender identity to be at variance with the physical reality of their biological birth sex; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that the messengers affirm God’s good design that gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception [and] that we extend love and compassion to those whose sexual self-understanding is shaped by a distressing conflict between their biological sex and their gender identity; and that we invite all transgender persons to trust in Christ and to experience renewal in the Gospel

Excerpted from resolutions approved by messengers to the 2014 Annual Meeting To read the full text, visit IBSA org/ibsa2014

VISUAL AID – With help from church planters like Stephen Bounds (top left, with his wife Juli), visitors to IBSA Annual Meeting exhibit hall learned what’s needed to reach millions of people in Illinois who don’t know Christ A colorcoded map (left) highlighted the presence of IBSA churches in Illinois counties

Photo above by Dan Sutton

The Word gives rest

God’s sovereignty is focus of Ministers’ Wives’ Conference

Ministers’ wives face a lot of expectations from themselves and from other people Often, those expectations are too high, said Sue Jones during the annual ministers’ wives’ conference and luncheon

“As we confront expectation, as we confront worry, what we need to do is to remember the truth that God has for us,” said Jones, who has been married to her husband, Clif, for 34 years 30 of those in ministry “That He will never leave us or forsake us, that He who has called us will complete the work in us

“Am I there yet? Oh my goodness, no ”

God’s sovereignty was the theme of this year ’s conference, held during the IBSA Pastors’ Conference Nov 5 Jones, a native Southerner, entertained her audience with stories about her family and frank life advice, which she said may some day make it into a book about common sense living She talked about her worries, and asked women to call out their own: money, children, church, husbands, not saying the right thing

Jones urged minister ’s wives to believe rightly by “taking every thought captive,” as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:5 How do we live transformed lives, she asked God led her to try to memorize John 1 She didn’t want to, Jones admitted; in fact, once she got to verse 11, she felt like that was probably enough But the words have helped her ward against worry

“When I lay down at night and those thoughts come to my mind, I say, ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God ” said Jones, quoting the passage

“And as I begin to pray John 1:1-11, I find peace He is God All things were made by him He is light and life I am dearly loved I am the apple of his eye There is nothing in my life, there is no hurt, there is no person, and there is no worry that is beyond the scope of the

God of the universe And I begin to discover rest ”

Libby Morecraft from First Baptist Church, Harrisburg, led in worship during the conference, and current officers Judy Taylor and Lindsay McDonald shared encouraging words about missions and marriage IBSA’s Carmen Halsey spoke about upcoming women’s ministry opportunities, and encouraged the audience about the position they have

“Yes, it’s different,” Halsey said “Yes, there are some hardships that come with it But it’s really a glory moment, too, that God trusted you to do something unique and put you out in front.” She encouraged women to “be the vessel” through which God works

Ministers’ Wives’ Conference officers for 2015 are: president, Judy Taylor, Dorrisville Baptist Church, Harrisburg; vice president, Lindsay

BCHFS helps kids meet Jesus

“We can’t be complacent about children and families in this day and age when the family is being assaulted from all directions,” said Doug Devore, executive director of Illinois Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services

During his report at the IBSA Annual Meeting, Devore invited on stage Nicole Hayes, who told the story of a young man who had grown up at the Baptist Children’s Home in Carmi

During those years, she said, Richard Daniels “remembers being at church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday nights, revivals, every time the doors were open,” Hayes said

“Sounds like us,” said her young son, who, along with his sister, helped his mom tell the story

“This ministry is taking kids who may not have a chance and taking them to meet Jesus and producing this,” Hayes said, pointing to her fam-

ily Richard, her grandfather, then stood as the audience applauded.

In other highlights:

• BCHFS served 1,417 kids and adults last year in Illinois and in Uganda, through its Latreia International ministry to the world’s orphans

• The organization is supported by 600 IBSA churches that give $100 or more per year, Devore reported

• Board officers for 2015 are Lowell Huffstutler, chair; Matthew Flanigan, vice chair; and Darla Fitzjerrells, secretary

McDonald, First Baptist Church, Casey; and secretary-treasurer, Sue Jones, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Decatur

The 2015 Ministers’ Wives’ Conference and Luncheon will be held Nov 11 in Marion

Tweeting the meeting #IBSA2014

@IllinoisBaptist

tweeted: Nate Adams said, “I believe we need to cry out to God for spiritual awakening, & for revival in our churches ”

“Right now, pray for those you know who are without Christ And pray for your churches to be evangelistic, sending churches ”

Dewayne Taylor: “How in the world are you going to WIN lost people if you ’ re not WITH lost people?”

Odis Weaver: “We will either hunger for God’s righteousness out of desperation or...out of devastation ”

Larry Thompson: Are we taking the seeds God gives us, throwing them inside the church & hoping somehow we'll get a harvest?

@EvanstonBaptist tweeted: God is still using Illinois Baptists But may He make us more fruitful in the future

@JeremiahGriffin tweeted: You are anointed to kill giants act like it!! #GiantKillers

@IllinoisBaptist tweeted: Mike Keppler leads a corporate prayer of confession & repentance “We have walked in darkness and said, ‘It’s not that dark ’”

Blessed to hear the Broadview Missionary Baptist Church Choir perform tonight at the IBSA Pastors’ Conference

@PaulMCooper tweeted: Broadview’s Choir is legit!

BFI urges legacy of stewardship

“Challenging Illinois Baptists to think about the stewardship of our lives, that’s what drives us forward ”

Doug Morrow, executive director of the Baptist Foundation of Illinois, noted BFI’s focus on “life stewardship” before turning his report over to Larry Wells of First Baptist Church in Machesney Park

Telling the story of how he and his wife, Wilma, adopted their daughter, Michelle, Wells encouraged listeners at the Annual Meeting to be diligent about updating their estate plans, ensuring that a lifestyle of biblical stewardship continues even after they’re gone

In other report highlights:

• In 2014, BFI awarded a record

$76,250 in scholarships to 39 students through endowment funds established by Illinois Baptists

• The Foundation also made 10 new construction loans to IBSA churches in 2014

• By year ’s end, Morrow said, BFI could have $25 million in funds under management

• The Foundation assisted 137 families in 2013 and 2014 with Christian estate plans; the families have established a charitable gift expectancy of $36,862,867 This year also saw BFI distribute a record $93,374 21 to churches, BCHFS, IBSA, the Cooperative Program, and other ministry causes

• Board officers for 2015 are Ron Knox, chair; Dave Rochleau, vice chair; and Rosalie Gardner, secretary

SONG OF PRAISE – Women worship at the Ministers’ Wives’ Conference, held each year during the IBSA Pastors’ Conference Sue Jones (right) from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur shared about living a life transformed by a reliance on God’s Word

2014 LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING AND WEEK OF PRAYER

November 30 – December 7

National Goal: $175 million

Missions is personal DAY 1

Tony Mathews thought international missions wasn’t for everyone, that as a pastor his focus should be on the local church That changed in 2012 when he helped lead activities for children of Southern Baptist missionaries in Africa He realized how enriching a pastor ’s personal involvement in international missions could be to a local church “Now, I desire that everyone craves to be a part of it,” Tony says “I want to show my people that God is not only their personal God, but He is also a global God, and we need to be there to share that news with others ”

Pray about how you can share the Gospel both near and far, according to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)

Churches share the task 2

More than 6 million people and 60 language groups live in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast that’s getting on its feet again after a decade of war and turmoil Missionaries Mike and Heather McAfee envision partnering churches in the U S with local Abidjan congregations to share the gospel here

“Our vision is to encourage our pastors [here] to look outward where God is working in people’s lives and see if we can’t go there and start planting churches,” said Mike

Pray for the McAfees as they tell the story of Jesus to the people of Abidjan and for U S churches sharing in this task

Risk worth taking 4

The Dinka people group number nearly 3 million in South Sudan, where IMB missionaries Robert and Maridith Lane live with their son Moving there has been a major risk, even to the point that Robert calls in several times a day to assure his supervisor his family is still alive

“We need to be ready for those hardships, ready for those difficulties, ready to be used as a sacrifice for Christ as we try to make His name famous,” Robert explains

“When you have the privilege to know somebody in his pre-Christian state and see him [grow] as a Christian and as a father and as a husband then you realize there’s no price that would be too great to pay, because Christ is worth it ”

Pray for protection for the Lane family and for the salvation of the Dinka people

New wave of planters 5

For Mitch Englehart,* it’s a beautiful sight that’s taking place in some very dirty water The South Carolina native watches from the bank of a stagnant canal as six new believers are baptized outside a village in South Asia But the six baptized today are just the tip of the iceberg Between their two primary national partners, Mitch and his wife Nellie* have seen more than 1,200 new churches and more than 3,000 baptisms in the last five years alone

There’s still plenty of work to be done Mitch’s team is developing a new wave of church planters focused on the area’s least-reached districts many less than 0 1% Christian

“God is using these guys in mighty ways,” he says with a grin “There’s already a fire burning My role is to pour a little gasoline on that fire ”

Pray for the Engleharts to stay healthy amid their busy lives and work and for local leaders to have strength, wisdom and insight

Music makes relationships 6

Linda Hamfors of Stockholm, Sweden, grew up in an atheist family, believed Jesus was “a really amazing guy” and learned values from her parents like forgiveness, acceptance and love

Women are catalysts 3

When William and Nancy Potter* started pregnancy health classes to combat the high maternal mortality rate in a rural area of Southeast Asia, they never imagined it would be the catalyst for starting house churches The missionaries from Oklahoma taught local Christians not only to teach about healthy pregnancies and caring for newborns, but also to share Christ

The concept resulted in many new house churches in an area previously unreached “I’m not sure if it started with the women because when you are pregnant, it’s nine months of uncertainty, or what,” Nancy says “But if you look at how most of the new house churches started, it’s through women One came to faith and then started praying for everyone else ” Pray for an awakening in this ministry, which the Potters feel is on the cusp of a great revival

But good values couldn’t sustain the singer/songwriter through the tumultuous years when her parents began drinking more and pursuing materialistic gain Struggling with addiction herself, Linda searched for God She found a church She began singing in church, and the gospel songs moved her to tears

Then, she heard church planters Eric and Anissa Haney also musicians perform at an event in her city They sang songs Anissa had written about life, hope and love “My mind was going, ‘Oh, this is too much about Jesus and God,’” Linda recalls “But my heart was saying, ‘Yes!’” Today, Linda is a follower of Jesus She attends a couple of home Bible study groups She’s learning to tell her story in words and music

Pray Linda will continue to grow close to God, and that He will use the Haneys and their music to point others to Jesus

Scripture planting is key 7

When IMB missionaries Jon Gerwig* and Bradford Wotzke* moved to East Asia with their families in 2004 to share the Gospel with the Iron Peas,* the minority people group of more than 3 million had no known churches and only a handful of believers

The people group speaks six dialects, and many Iron Peas particularly women and children do not speak the country’s trade language

To reach them, the missionaries began to use a new method of ministry called “Scripture planting,” which integrates Bible translation into the heart language with real-time church planting, evangelism and discipleship This provides quicker access to Scripture so Christian workers can develop resources like worship songs, recorded testimonies and oral Bible stories Through Scripture planting, the missionaries saw their first Iron Pea believer in 2006 and the first church in 2007 The Gospel has spread throughout Iron Pea communities, resulting in multiple second- and third-generation churches

Pray that every Iron Pea person will have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel

Pointing people to Christ 8

Today, Lily Llambes helps others embrace the true God But at 25, she grappled with where to place her faith when she was invited into Santeria, whose practices are similar to voodoo Instead, she became a Christian For nearly a decade, she and her husband, Carlos, have served as Southern Baptist missionaries in the Dominican Republic Lily has led home Bible studies and counseled women how to lead Christ-centered lives, including on a radio broadcast in several Latin American countries

Carlos started church-planting classes to reach Haitians as well as Dominicans, resulting in nearly 100 new churches within the past five years

This year, the Llambes relocated to Mexico City, population 28 million, to plant churches Of the capital city’s more than 4,200 neighborhoods, more than 3,300 of them do not have an evangelical church, Carlos says

Pray for the Llambes family as they embark on a church-planting effort in Mexico City

“Our strategy in Sweden is simple,” says IMB worker Eric Haney (above, left) “We really care about their stories ”

See

PEOPLE & CHURCHES

New Faces

Alexis Dumire joined IBSA’s Church Resources team in October as a ministry assistant She worked part-time for IBSA’s Business team before leaving in 2009 to attend Lincoln Christian University, where she earned a degree in intercultural studies Alexis and her husband Gilbert are members of Living Faith Baptist Church in Sherman

In Memory

Condolences to Steve and Debra Hardin on the loss of their daughter, Amy, 24, on October 26 Amy, sister to Christopher, worked at Lincoln School in Morton, Ill , as a paraprofessional and also worked in child care at Five Points Washington She was a member of Roland Manor Baptist Church, where her father is pastor

Condolences also to Floyd and Kristine Hendrix on the loss of their daughter, Casey Vannier, 27, on October 23 Casey, a nurse at Prairie Village Health Care Center and member of Nilwood Baptist Church, was wife to James and mom to daughter Raelynn and stepson Daniel Her father is pastor of First Baptist Church in Cutler

Ministry Positions

First Baptist Church, Bolingbrook, located approximately 25 miles outside Chicago, is seeking a senior pastor Send resumes to Nancy Mavrick at First Baptist Church, 314 E Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440 or bolingbrookfbc@sbcglobal net

Kaskaskia Baptist Association is seeking a full-time Director of Missions to begin in 2015 Candidates should have experience working with churches and pastors, understanding that the DOM is a servant role who is willing to visit regularly with the association’s 30 churches Ministry includes facilitating a month-long camp, as well as encouraging churches to be mission-minded Contact Karla Rogers at Kaskaskia Baptist Association at (618) 432-7133 or office@kaskaskiabaptist org

Macoupin Baptist Association is seeking a part-time Director of Missions to lead the mostly rural association of smaller churches that have a strength and passion for missions, especially international Candidates should possess life and ministry experience, as well as leadership and administrative skills Parsonage is available. Direct correspondence to DOM Search Committee Chairman Curt Ebert at Macoupin Baptist Association, 718 N Broad, Carlinville, IL 62626, or curtebert@gmail com

Leaving their mark at Sallateeska

Illinois Changers aid camp renovations

Lake Sallateeska | Last year, Illinois Changers helped build the framework for an expanded dining hall at IBSA’s camp in southern Illinois This year, they ate together in that dining hall before heading to other projects on the campgrounds: building a boat dock, painting the chapel, roofing a cabin and giving the mini-golf course a facelift

The third-annual Illinois Changers fall weekend put 125 volunteers to work at Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp, and brought them together for worship led by young musicians from Elkville Baptist Church Speaker Phil Nelson, pastor of Lakeland Baptist in Carbondale, challenged the students on Friday and Saturday, and IBSA’s Rex Alexander led a closing worship service on Sunday morning

The student volunteers completed substantial projects, said Alexander, IBSA’s director of missions mobilization, that will have a lasting impact on the ministry of the camp

“Almost all of these projects were things that even over the next several years, they’ll still be able to look back and say, ‘I did that ’”

Church Goal Total Bartonville $730 $810 Como FBC, Sterling $500 $581 FBC, Creal Springs $75 $99 FBC, Martinsville $1,000 $1,180 FBC, Zeigler $500 $1,100 Panther Fork Missionary, Dix $600 $775 Springfield Southern $3,000 $3,061

Mission Illinois facts, videos and materials are still available at www IBSA org/mio

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Cornerstone Community Church, a small but growing Southern Baptist Convention affiliate of 35 member/families located in Winona, Minnesota, is seeking our next bivocational pastor The successful candidate will have a passion for sharing the love of God with all generations through preaching, teaching and serving Preference will be given to applicants with a Bible college degree or seminary training Compensation is commensurate with the average outlined in the most recent SBC compensation study/Minnesota-Wisconsin conventions, for bivocational senior pastors

Winona is a city of 30,000 located in the picturesque bluff country of Southeastern Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River It is home to two universities, one technical college, a wide range of industry, and an outstanding school system Visit www cccofwinona org to learn more about our church

Please submit your resume, a 2-page letter including a short testimony, education, and any mission or doctrinal statement, and minimum of three references to prgaddis@msn com

TEAMWORK – Students paint the chapel at Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp during the October Illinois Changers project

Contact

Zone news

Zone 4: Two churches in northwest Illinois recently worked together to celebrate the baptisms of five people, reported John Mattingly, IBSA’s church planting director in the region Faith Fellowship Baptist Church in Milan pastored by David Overstreet doesn’t have a baptistry of their own, so New Hope Baptist in Coal Valley hosted the baptism in their building Among those baptized were a father with his son, and another dad with his daughter

Need

help? Call Pat Pajak at (217) 391-3137

Zone 8: Several Hispanic ministries in southern Illinois gathered at Sterling Baptist Church in Fairview Heights for a festival in September Sterling, led by Pastor David Gray, recently marked the oneyear anniversary of its Hispanic ministry, pastored by Calixto Ulloa. The two groups worship together at least once a quarter, Gray said, and his church is already in the planning stages for next year’s festival

November 14 & 15, 2014 thth

Special Speakers

Dr. Dwain Miller, Dr. Mike Fogerson, Dr. Len Turner, Dr. Ron Herrod

Chester’s First Baptist Church

719 State St. Chester, IL 62233

For More Information

618.826.3918 or www.chesterfbc.org

“For the time is near...” Revelation 1:3

Southern Illinois Bible Prophecy Conference

I G H T

A s e r i e s f r o m t h e I l l i n o i s B a p t i s t • V o l

W e s e r v e i n … c o l l e g e t o w n s P a s t o r D e r r i c k B a k e r ( r g h t ) b a p t i z e s P a r k a n d C o l l e g e s t u d e n t S h a w n C a m p b e l l , w h o h i s c h u r c h m e t t h r o u g h c a m p u s o u t r e a c h

T h e y c o n n e c t e d w i t h 7 01 0 0 s t u d e n t s , B a k e r s a i d , a n d w e r e a b l e t o s h a r e t h e g o s p e l w i t h e i g h t o r n i n e p e o p l e d u r i n g t h o s e f i r s t f e w w e e k s S h a w n C a m p b e l l c a m e t o C h r i s t , a n d w a s b a p t i z e d i n a s w i m m i n g p o o l a t t h e h o m e o f a C h u r c h o f t h e C r o s s m e m b e r B a k e r ’s c o n g r e g a t i o n i s n ’ t a c h u r c h o f c o l l e g e s t ud e n t s i t ’s a m i x o f p e o p l e i n t h e i r 2 0 ’s , y o u n g f a mi l i e s , a n d s e v e r a l p e o p l e w h o a r e r e t i r e d o r a p p r o a c h i n g r e t i r e m e n t “ F o r u s , i t w a s a m a t t e r o f s e e i n g , n u m b e r o n e , t h a t M a h o m e t h a s a c l o s e c o nn e c t i o n w i t h P a r k l a n d , ” t h e p a s t o r s a i d “ S o , i f w e ’ r e g o i n g t o r e a c h o u r c o m m u n i t y , w e h a d t o t a k e P a r kl a n d s e r i o u s l y . ” H i s c h u r c h a l s o s a w o p e n d o o r s f o r m i n i s t r y “ A s t h o s e d o o r s w e r e o p e n e d , w e f e l t l i k e w e c o u l d n ’ t l e t t h o s e t h i n g s p a s s u s b y ”

W h e n D e r r i c k B a k e r s t a r t e d C h u r c h o f t h e C r o s s i n M a h o m e t i n 2 0 0 6 , h e f i g u r e d h i s n e w c o n g r e g a t i o n w a s c l o s e e n o u g h t o t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s t h a t t h e y c o u l d h a v e a n i m p a c t o n c a m p u s , a n d m a y b e i nv o l v e s t u d e n t s i n c h u r c h p l a n t i n g i n t e r n s h i p s . W h a t h e h a d n ’ t c o u n t e d o n w a s a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r m i n i s t r y a t P a r k l a n d C o l l e g e , a c a m p u s o f a r o u n d 1 0 , 0 0 0 s t u d e n t s l e s s t h a n f i v e m i l e s f r o m U o f I , a n d j u s t 1 5 m i n u t e s f r o m w h e r e C h u r c h o f t h e C r o s s m e e t s o n S u n d a y s B a k e r r e c e n t l y b a p t i z e d t h e f i r s t P a r k l a n d s t u d e n t t o c o m e t o C h r i s t t h r o u g h t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s h i s c h u r c h i s b u i l d i n g o n c a m p u s a n d i n a n e a r b y a p a r t m e n t c o mp l e x W h e n t h e a p a r t m e n t s w e r e u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n t w o y e a r s a g o , B a k e r p a s s e d t h e m e v e r y d a y o n h i s w a y t o w o r k “ I a l w a y s t h o u g h t w h e n t h e s e t h i n g s a r e b u i l t , t h i s i s g o i n g t o b e a g r e a t o p p o r t u n i t y t o w o r k w i t h s t ud e n t s , ” s a i d B a k e r, a U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s g r a d u a t e w h o t e a c h e s m a t h , h u m a n i t i e s a n d p h i l o s o p h y a t P a r k l a n d . T h e y s t a r t e d w i t h a s i m p l e o u t r e a c h e f f o r t : h a n d i n g o u t P o pT a r t s t o s t u d e n t s a s t h e y l e f t f o r c l a s s b eg i n n i n g i n a c o l d e rt h a nu s u a l J a n u a r y . “ T h e f i r s t f e w t i m e s w e d i d i t , i t w a s b e l o w z e r o , ” B a k e r s a i d “ A n d I t h i n k t h e y t h o u g h t w e w e r e c r a z y , b u t w e d i d i t a n yw a y ” A t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h i s s c h o o l y e a r, h e f e l t l e d t o p o u r m o r e e n e r g y a n d r e s o u r c e s i n t o t h e m i n i s t r y e ff o r t . P a r t n e r i n g w i t h a n o t h e r l o c a l c h u r c h , C h u r c h o f t h e C r o s s h e l p e d d u r i n g s t u d e n t m o v ei n d a y s , a n d h o s t e d e v e n t s a t t h e c o m p l e x a l m o s t e v e r y n i g h t o f t h e f i r s t w e e k o f c l a s s e s

C l ip an d Sha re B10 1 w i t h Pasto r s Chu r c h s ta f f Discip les hip leade r s Miss ions leade r s New me m be r s L o o k f o r B1 0 1 i n e v e r y i s s u e !

R e a c h i n g 1 0 , 0 0 0 s t u d e n t s n e x t d o o r I n t r o d u c i n g t e e n s t o C h r i s t

I t ’s a r a r e e v e n t t h a t c o m b i n e s h i ph o p , i m p r o v c o m e d y , w o r s h i p m u s i c , a n i l l u s i o n i s t , a n d t h e g o s p e l B u t t h a t v a r i e d l i n eu p i s w h a t s t u d e n t s f i n d i n S p r i n g f i e l d d u r i n g Y o u t h E n c o u n t e r, a n a n n u a l s t u d e n t e v a n g e l i s m c o n f e r e n c e h o s t e d b y t h e I l l i n o i s B a p t i s t S t a t e

T o d a y ’ s h e a d l i n e s c o m b i n e d w i t h a s p a t e o f a p o c a y p t c b o o k s a n d m o v e s h a v e s t i r r e d a s e n s e o f u r g e n c y a m o n g b e l i e v e r s a n d r e n e w e d c u r i o s i t y a b o u t t h e e n d o f t h e w o r l d i n m a n y o t h e r s O u r C h r s t i a n e s c h a t o o g y ( t h e s t u d y o f a s t t h i n g s ) h a s a l w a y s u r g e d u s t o s h a r e o u r f a i t h , b e c a u s e t i m e i s i m i t e d a n d J e s u s w i l b e r e t u r n i n g s o o n B u t h o w s o o n ? I n t h e e a r l y 1 9 7 0 s , t h e r e w a s m u c h d i s c u s s i o n a b o u t t h e r a p t u r e a n d t h e e n d t i m e s A n d w h e n t h e “ L e f t B e h i n d ” s e r i e s w a s f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n t h e

1 9 9 0 s , t h e a n t i c i p a t i o n w a s r e n e w e d N o w w i t h s u c h u n r e s t i n t h e M d d l e E a s t , t h e r e a p p e a r s n e w u r g e n c y t o s h a r e t h e g o s p e l , b e f o r e i t ’ s t o o l a t e . T h i s i s a 2 0p a r t s t u d y o n t h e b a s i c b e l e f s a n d m i s s i o n s o f o u r d e n o m in a t i o n I t i s d e s i g n e d f o r n e w b e i e ve r s , n e w B a p t s t s , a n d t h o s e w h o w a n t a r e f r e s h e r C i p i t o u t o f t h e n e w s p a p e r, f o d i n t o a f o u rp a g e e a f e t , a n d s h a r e w i t h t h e p e o p l e w h o w o u d b e n e f i t f r o m t h e n f o r m at o n Y o u m i g h t e v e n l e a d a s t u d y B1 0 1 c a n b e u s e d f o r : • N e w m e m b e r s c l a s s e s • S t u d y o n m i s s i o n s i n I l l i n o i s a n d a r o u n d t h e w o r l d • E x p l o r a t i o n o f d o c t r i n e s i n T h e B a p t i s t F a i t h & M e s s a g e M a k e a s m a n y p h o t o c o p i e s a s y o u n e e d f o r s t u d y g r o u p s , c h u r c h m e m b e r s , a n d w o r s h i p a t t e n d e r s O r d o w n o a d t h e P D F s a t w w w . I B S A . o r g / B 1 0 1 . P r o d u c e d b y h e e d t o r s o f t h e l i n o s B a p t s t : E r c R e e d , M e r e d t h F l y n n L i s a S e r g e n t D e s i g n e d b y K r s K e l

W h a t a r e y o u d o i n g o n W e d n e s d a y n i g h t s ?

T h s i s t h e 1 2 t h i n o u r 2 0p a r t s e r e s . T h a t m e a n s m o r e t h a n h a l f t h e e s s a y s o n T h e B a p t s t F a t h & M e s s a g e a r e r e a d y f o r u s e i n a n e w m e m b e r s c a s s , s m a l g r o u p , o r d o ct r i n e s t u d y L o o k o n l n e a n d d o w nl o a d t h e s e t W e ’ v e b u n d l e d t h e m f o r e a s y p r n t i n g a n d d s t r i b u t i o n B y t h e w a y : I f y o u n e e d c o p i e s o f T h e B F & M ( 2 0 0 0 ) , t h e y c a n b e d o w n l o a d e d t o o , o r I B S A w l l p r o v i d e t h e m f o r y o u r n e w s t u d y g r o u p . L i s a S e r g e n t @ I B S A o r g

T i m S a d l e r t e a c h e s a Y o u t h E n c o u n t e r b r e a k o u t s e s s i o n o n s h a r n g y o u r f a i t h

A s s o c i a t i o n . T h e s l a t e o f e n t e r t a i n e r s o f f e r s s o m e t h i n g f o r e v e r y o n e , a n d a g u e s t s p e a k e r u s u a l l y a n a t i o na l l y k n o w n e v a n g e l i s t c o m m u n ic a t e s t h e g o o d n e w s o f J e s u s s e v e r a l t i m e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e t w od a y c o n f e r e n c e .

A m i d t h e t h u m p i n g m u s i c , s l i g h t

o f h a n d , a n d f u n n y s k e t c h e s , e v a ng e l i s m i s t h e f o c u s o f Y o u t h E n -

c o u n t e r, s a i d I B S A ’s T i m S a d l e r.

T h i r t yt w o p e o p l e c a m e t o k n o w

C h r i s t a t t h e m o s t r e c e n t Y o u t h E n -

c o u n t e r, w h i c h u s u a l l y b r i n g s a r o u n d

f e r e n c e s w i l l h a v e t h e i r o w n e n t e rt a i n e r s , w o r s h i p l e a d e r s a n d s p e a ke r s . T h e g o a l i s t o c r e a t e Y o u t h E n c o u n t e r s t h a t a r e “ s t r a t e g i c a l l y f o c u s e d o n r e a c h i n g t e e n s i n d i f f e re n t p a r t s o f t h e s t a t e , ” S a d l e r s a i d “

T h r e e l o c a t i o n s , o n e d a t e , o n e c o n t i n u e d v i s i o n , a n d t h a t i s t o s e e s t u d e n t s c o m e t o k n o w C h r i s t . ” T h e 2 0 1 4 Y o u t h E n c o u n t e r w i l l b e h e l d a t t h e P r a i r i e C a p i t a l

1 , 0 0 0 s t u d e n t s a n d l e a d e r s t o S p r i n g f i e l d S a d l e r a n d t h e t e a m t h a t h e l p s o rg a n i z e t h e c o n f e r e n c e i s g e a r i n g u p f o r b i g c h a n g e s i n 2 0 1 5 . Y o u t h E nc o u n t e r t r a d i t i o n a l l y h e l d t h e w e e k e n d f o l l o w i n g C h r i s t m a s w i l l e x p a n d a n d m o v e t o t h e S u nd a y a n d M o n d a y o f C o l u m b u s D a y w e e k e n d “ W e ’ r e n o t d o i n g o n e Y o u t h E nc o u n t e r, ” S a d l e r s a i d “ W e ’ r e d o i n g t h r e e Y o u t h E n c o u n t e r s . ” L e a d e rs h i p t e a m s i n t h e s o u t h e r n , c e n t r a l

C o n v e n t i o n C e n t e r i n S p r i n g f i e l d ,

2 9 -

D e c .

3 0 . G o t o w w w . I B S A . o r g / s t u d e n t s t o r e g i s t e r

a n d C h i c a g o l a n d r e g i o n s w i l l w o r k w i t h

S a d l e r t o o r g a n i z e t h r e e e v e n t s t a i l o r e d t o t h e s t u d e n t s i n t h o s e a r e a s . T h e s i m u l t a n e o u s c o n -

C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s : T h e u pa n dc o m i n g f e e l o f t h s n e g h b o r h o o d i s e v d e n c e d b y t h e e x p a n s i o n o f h o t e s a n d c o n d o s P r a y : F o r p a n t e r s t o s t a r t n e w c h u r c h e s i n t h e S o u t h L o o p m i s s i o n i l l i n o i s P r a y f o r a n e w c h u r c h

L o c a t i o n : C h i c a g o s S o u t h L o o p

F o c u s : N e w r e s d e n t s i n t h e a r e a

–F r o m t h e I B S A C h u r c h P a n n g T e a m

LEADERS AND LIFE

#CreativeThanksgiving

Try this simple, fun way to inspire church members to give thanks to God this Thanksgiving season Use it for your entire church, or adapt it to fit a Bible study group or family Thanksgiving celebration

Step #1: Use white, legal-size cardstock paper to print a sign with huge black letters: “#ThankYouGod ”

Step #2: On the back of the sign, print these instructions:

You are invited to participate in this unique way to express thanks to God for His blessings It’s for all church members and guests, teens and kids and grandpas and single adults everyone! We want every person who attends this church to submit at least one photo Here’s how:

• Take a few digital photos to show things that you thank God for. The “#ThankYouGod” sign must be visible in each photo

• Be creative An artsy shot of your refrigerator ’s interior could show thankfulness for food Consider how to use a photo to show thankfulness for salvation, creation, your allowance, friendship, peace, etc Use the ThankYouGod hashtag thoughtfully

• Be creative with angle and pose Examples: grandpa napping, a profile of dad’s smile, a child at play, a silhouette, your Bible class praying

• Submit your favorite two photos to [your church office e-mail address ] Submissions begin today

• Bonus: If you use social media sites, please upload your photos using #ThankYouGod and #FirstBaptistLakeside (your church name/current hashtag.)

• Photos will be used in our worship services this month as a special thanks to God for His blessings, so don’t miss a Sunday

Step #3: Distribute a copy of the #ThankYouGod sign and instructions to every person in your church on the last Sunday of October

Step #4: As photos are submitted, create a looping slideshow or PowerPoint Add new photos weekly

Step #5: Every week in November, use the slideshow for pre-service or post-service visuals, as the backdrop for a song or offertory, or as a sermon illustration If your church celebrates with a Thanksgiving dinner, play the slideshow during the meal A church may also make prints to create a #ThankYouGod photo wall in the church foyer

This Thanksgiving season, keep your entire church family thinking about God’s innumerable blessings

© Diana Davis is an author and columnist in Pensacola, Fla Visit her website, www dianadavis org

Training Oppor tunities Training Oppor tunities

Nov. 10, 17: plantMIDWEST Training for church planters and partnering churches

Where: St Louis, Nov 10; Chicago, Nov 17

Contact: St Louis: Charles Campbell@IBSA org; Chicago: DennisConner@IBSA org

Nov 19-21: Chicago Vision Tour

For potential planting partners

Where: Chicago, city and suburbs

Contact: DennisConner@IBSA org, (312) 405-6459

Nov. 22-23: International Student Conference

Host international students in your home and bring them as guests to your church

Where: Springfield

Contact: DebbieMuller@IBSA org

Dec. 29-30: Youth Encounter

Student evangelism conference

Where: Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield

Cost: $40 through Dec 5; $45 Dec 6-Dec 28; $50 at the door Web: www IBSA org/students

January 10: Tax Seminar

For pastors and financial leaders

Where: FBC Woodlawn

Contact: Sylvan Knobloch@IBSA org

January 24: All State Youth Choir Auditions

For students in grades 9-12

Where: Dorrisville, Harrisburg; Emmanuel, Lemont; Rochester FBC Auditions also may be submitted in MP3, CD, or video format

Contact: DebbieMuller@IBSA org

January 30-31: Church Technology Conference

For staff and volunteer leaders

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Contact: CathyWaters@IBSA org

See more calendar listings at www IBSA org

DAVE Says Financial advice from Dave Ramsey

Ask for expectations

Q: I loaned some money to a good friend recently He’s going to help me with a job I’m working on, so do you think I should pay him for the work or just forgive the debt instead?

A: The big question is whether or not you’ve already agreed to pay him for the work Another is how he views the situation In his mind, he may just be helping a friend and looking at it as he still owes you the money

If you don’t already have an agreement, my advice would be to ask him what his expectations are Just talk to him, find out what he’s thinking and figure out what seems fair to you both The big thing at this point is that you’re on the same page. If you have already agreed on a certain amount, and the value of the work is pretty close to the amount you loaned him, you might talk to him about the possibility of knocking out the debt that way He could work off the debt while helping you on this project

There’s really no right or wrong answer to this question However, I would recommend not loaning money to friends or family in the future

Sometimes things work out and everyone’s happy. But in most cases it changes the dynamics of the relationship The Bible says that the borrower is a slave to the lender, and there’s a lot of truth to that statement financially and emotionally

I’ve seen situations like this go bad and even ruin friendships It sounds like you two are good buddies and have a great bond, but if someone close to you really needs help, and you’re

not enabling bad financial behavior in the process, just make the money a gift Sooner or later this kind of thing will mess up a relationship

Selling a car with a lien

Q : H o w d o y o u s e l l a v e h i c l e w i t h a l i e n amount that’s higher than the actual value of the car?

A: First, you have to find a way to cover the difference between the amount of the lien and what you can get for the car Let’s look at an example

If the car is worth $15,000, and you owe $18,000, that would leave you $3,000 in the hole How do you get out of that car? The bank holds the title, and until you give them the payoff amount of $18,000, you’re not getting the title The easiest and simplest way would be if you had $3,000 on hand to make up the difference But if someone comes along and buys the car from you for $15,000, you’ve got to be able to cover the remaining $3,000, right?

Barring the best-case scenario where you actually have the money, you could go to a local bank or credit union and borrow the remaining $3,000 I hate debt, but being $3,000 in the hole is a lot better than $18,000 in the hole Then, you could turn around and pay back the $3,000 quickly

After that, you’d give the total amount owed to the bank They would give you the title, and you sign it over to the new owner That’s how it works!

Dave Ramsey is a prolific author and radio host

Describe the Bible Trending

Barna asked non-Christians in the Millennial generation what words they would use to describe the Bible Their top five:

50% 38% 36% 30% 30%

30% said the Bible is a useful book of moral teachings, while 27% said the Bible is dangerous and has been used to oppress people

19% of non-Christian Millennials called the Bible outdated, with no relevance for today

– Barna com, Oct 2014

Pop quiz

Match the well-known phrase with its biblical origin (A King James translation will help )

a. Job 15:7

b. Matthew 15:14

c Hosea 8:7

d Luke 12:28

e. Isaiah 57:21

f. 1 Thess. 1:3, Hebrews 6:10

g Isaiah 40:15

h Romans 13:1

i. Job 19:20

j. Psalm 107:27

:yeK

– From www phrases org uk/meanings/ bible-phrases-sayings html

Chart Toppers

More ministry ideas online, including how to make this three-hand turkey. www.Pinterest com/ IllinoisBaptist

GIVE THANKS

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; endures forever ”

A recent description of Thanksgiving p day for feasting, football, and family Th certainly a part of our current celebration menus, check sports schedules and make ments Like those of you reading these w also includes the matter of faith As we d three places where we look

We look UP and give thanks for the fa God to us through His love

We look AROUND and give thanks fo blessings of family, friends, and opportu God

And we look WITHIN and give thank looked blessings of good health, strong b certain calling of God

PRAYER PROMPT: Heavenly Fathe your steadfast love and care for us that is demonstrated in our daily lives

Odis Weaver is pastor of Friendship B Plainfield and is currently serving as pre Pastors are invited to join the online “IB Prayer Room” by e-mailing oweaver730

The year’s best, according to the 2014 Dove Awards

Song of the Year: “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” Hillsong UNITED

Artist: Hillsong UNITED

New Artist: Ellie Holcomb

Songwriter: Chris Tomlin

Children’s Music Album: 25 Favorite Bible Songs, Veggie Tales

Potluck Blogger

A new spin on pumpkin pie

Sheila Odle found this dessert on Pinterest and made it for the fall meeting of the Baptist Foundation of Illinois trustees And it was a hit!

Ingredients

½ c butter, melted

½ c plus ¼ c pecans, chopped

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 c powdered sugar

3 c whipped topping, divided

2 ½ c milk

3 small packages white chocolate

instant pudding

15 oz pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

To prepare: Preheat oven to 350° Combine flour, butter and ½ c pecans, and press into greased 9x13 pan Bake for 15 minutes and let cool Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and one cup whipped topping Spread over cooled crust Then, mix milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, spice, and one cup whipped topping until smooth Spread over the top of layer two Spread remaining whipped topping on top, and sprinkle with pecans Let chill for three hours or until set

For a nut-free version: Use crushed ginger snaps for crust and topping

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE

Clip and save in a prayer journal, your Bible, or stick on the fridge

Missionaries:

Ron and Rebeca Closson (with Joel, Kayla & Micah)

Planting: Strong Tower Church in Xenia

Focusing On: The midland area of Illinois Xenia is a small town in need of a true Biblebelieving and teaching church We’re focusing on outreach, building relationships in the community, and most importantly, reaching the lost

Prayer request: For a building to worship in, as our house is getting a little crowded