North Star Update A PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION Inside This Issue: Fellowship Foundations
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New at Fourth
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Larry Johnson, P&W Missionary
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MBA State Ladies
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Calendar
Volume V, Issue 6
Baptist Missionary History Comes Full Circle in Marshall By: Pastor Greg The modern missionary movement in the USA was pioneered by Adoniram Judson, the first American foreign missionary. Arriving in Burma in 1813, Judson’s life and ministry was fraught with challenges and setbacks, including the death of three children and his wife, Ann, imprisonment, and few evidences of conversion amongst those he ministered to. In the first 14 years of his labors, the church he started only had 18
December 12: 6 p.m. Pastor’s & Wives Christmas Dinner at Fourth Baptist, ($12/person) RSVP by 12/7 January 23: MBA Executive Cmte. 10 a.m.; Full Board, 1 p.m. @ Community Baptist, new Prague
April 20-21: MBA Ladies Retreat @ Camp Friendship
Burmese converts. However, in 1827, Judson recorded the conversion of one Tha Byu. He was not native Burmese, but a Karen, a tribal people who lived in the hill region of Burma. By 1840, over 1200 people were recorded as being part of Karen Baptist churches. Today, a large percentage of Karen identify, not only as Christians, but as Baptists. Fast-forward to 2011. Because of political unrest in Burma (now called Myanmar by its o ccup yi ng Buddh is t/ Communist regime), the Karen people have been forced to leave their homeland. At least part of the inherent tension behind the reasons for being deposed from their homeland includes their
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adherence to Christianity. Many Karen refugees (recent estimates are around 50,000) have been relocated to the US. Minnesota is home to over 3,000 of them, the largest concentration being
in St. Paul. A local turkey processing plant in Marshall has been actively recruiting and assisting some of the St. Paul Karen in relocating there for work. First Continued on page 3
Restricted Access Ministry By: Pastor
January 27,28: parent-Teen Conference at First Calvary, Inver Grove Heights April 2-3: MBA Pastors’ & Wives’ Retreat in Brainerd
October 31, 2011
This past August, the Lord allowed me to go to a restricted access nation as a homiletics teacher. A restricted access nation is a nation where western Christians cannot publically minister. I entered this country a tourist and was met by a leader of the indigenous church. Most of my two weeks were spent in a windowless attic teaching eighteen men how to better preach
the Old Testament narratives. Each of the pastors preached an evaluated sermon from the book of Ruth as the final task for the class. I learned the greatest blessings in ministering to people in a restricted access nation arise from hearing their wise biblical counsel. Therefore, I thought a few quotes from the sermons that they preached out of the book of Ruth might be instructive. “Our hope of heaven is not based on our race, education, or gender. It is based on our faith in God and His mercy.” “God does not change. He is still willing to bless those who
Tim Barr
are moldable. His blessings are not always obvious but He is faithful.” “You need to return to God no matter the circumstances you face. No matter what condition you may find yourself in.” “We should share our joy in seeing God’s blessing and redemption in our lives.” “The wealth of this world is not the blessing that we need, rather we need Jesus.” “Everyone has a role in society and being faithful in the small roles will help us be faithful in the bigger responsibilities. We must take our small responContinued on page 4
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North Star Update
Fellowship Foundations By: Rev. Robert Throughout our State there are retired pastors and missionaries who also support the MBA. The MBA Directory lists those who desire to be listed as available for pulpit supply. If, after the publication of the Directory, a preacher asks to be listed, the name is published in the UPDATE. The requirements for the list are simple; (1) a member of an MBA affiliated church; (2) agreement with the doctrinal statement of the MBA; and (3) the approval of their local pastor regarding their listing. As Interim State Missionary one of my opportunities of service is to Pulpit Supply when requested to do so, which is always a great blessing. At all such opportunities, I report on
recent information regarding the MBA, and the progress of the sale of Pillsbury Campus. Recent Opportunities— September 20 – My wife and I attended revival meetings at the Rockford Baptist Church, pastor Roger Louks (Sherrie). Rhoda was asked to serve on the piano. September 25 – I was invited to be a part of the program for the 50th Anniversary of the Faith Baptist Church, St. Paul. Pastor Julian Suarez (Kathy) was unable to attend as he was still recovering from recent physical problems. Associate Pastor Rodney Golightly (Jacqueline) and the church folks presented a great program. October 16 – Having no responsibilities for this Sunday,
Fuller, Sr., ISM
we attended the Sunday School and Morning Services at Silver Bay Baptist. Pastor Paul Michalski (Lisa) allowed me time during the Sunday School to present updates on the MBA and the sale of Pillsbury Campus. We were able to reacquaint with several friends that we remembered from Koronis days. In the Evening, we journeyed south to Faith Baptist, Hinckley. Pastor Reed Owens (Pat) allowed me time in the evening service to speak concerning the MBA and Pillsbury. It was a great blessing to once again visit that sister church. If I can be of service to you or your church, please contact me.
New This Fall at Fourth Baptist, Plymouth New Pastoral Staff Member Announced Dr. Sam Horn was installed the fifth president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary on Sunday, August 28, at a special service of the Fourth Baptist Church. In addition to serving as Central’s president, Dr. Horn is Pastor of Mentoring and Ministerial Training at Fourth Baptist Church. Dr. Horn believes that the relationship with Fourth Baptist Church is critical to the future growth of the seminary. School Begins at CBTS We are thankful for a larger than anticipated group of
incoming Seminary students for the fall semester. God has indeed attended our prayers with His rich blessing in this regard. Obviously, we are continuing to ask Him to grow the Seminary enrollment and we are hard at work spreading the word regarding the great things God is doing at CBTS. With the new students has come a renewed sense of energy and a fresh spirit and commitment to engage in the task of preparing men and women to proclaim the Gospel, preach and teach the Word, and serve the Church. School Begins at FBCS
On August 29, Fourth Baptist Christian School began its 46th year of partnering with Christian parents in the discipleship of their children with over 200 students enrolled. We now offer two kindergarten classes: a 3-day class and a 5day class. New faculty joining the school this fall are Mrs. Jacqueline Hale (K-5), Miss Amy Dekkers (1st grade), Mrs. Beth Horn (Spanish III), and Mr. Charles Ruegemer (Woodworking). FBCS also offers English as a Second Language (ESL), a program to help students for whom English is not their primary language.
P&W Missionary, Larry Johnson, A Tribute Larry Johnson, his wife, Mary, and his two sons (Ronald, 10 and David, 7) started as Planting and Watering Missionaries on December 1, 1959, in St. Paul. Shares were sought for $5/ month to support their ministry. He started
by working part-time, but by the next December, 59 ½ shares were pledged. They still needed 29. On January 8, 1961, after months of weekly Bible studies and prayer meetings, Sunday services were started. Their first Sunday’s attendance was 28 for Sunday School, 38 for the morning service and 22 for the
evening service. The church was started on May 11, 1961, as the Faith Baptist Church of St. Paul. Eleven members signed the charter on that day. The November, 1962, issue of the North Star Baptist has a report by the Johnsons that they were then working to Continued on page 4
Volume V, Issue 6
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MBA State Ladies Retreat, 2012 Ladies, start planning now for the 2012 MBA Ladies Spring Retreat. The date for the retreat is April 20-21, 2012 located at Camp Friendship near Annandale, MN. The theme for the weekend is "A Wise Woman Builds Her Home" from Proverbs 14:1. We are excited to have Marcia Phillips (Northland International University) as our main speaker. Marcia has lived her entire life in a ministry home. She has been married to Pastor Bill Phillips of Faith Baptist Church in Pembine, Wisconsin for the past 32 years. They have served churches in the US and Canada and also served as missionaries to Romania. She is the mother of four adult children and grandmother to one grandson. She has spent her adult life juggling the demands of family and ministry. In addition, she teaches history and missions courses at NIU, where she is also the Archivist, in charge of preserving special
collections. Please be in prayer for her as she prepares for her time with our ladies. Workshop sessions will include topics on making Scripture supreme in your home, hospitality, raising godly children, respecting your husband, and contentment. The cost for the weekend is $75 for overnight lodging and meals during the retreat. Other retreat price options may be available as the retreat gets closer. More detailed information will be coming in January 2012. We thank you for your prayers for this time as our women come together to be encouraged and challenged with the truth of God's Word.
Missionary Full Circle, from page 1 Baptist has been actively searching for opportunities to connect with these people, many of whom have looked immediately for a Baptist church to worship in. Since August of 2010, the Marshall church has had a faithful contingent of Karen attend services each week. The attendance has increased gradually, to the point where they are currently seeing
upwards of 30 Karen on Sunday mornings. Arrangements have been made with the local bus service to provide transportation to and from the services on Sunday morning. A Sunday School class was recently started, which includes some hymn singing and Bible reading in the S’gaw Karen dialect. A number of Karen children and teenagers have begun to attend the Marshall youth group Bible classes and Kids 4 Truth programs on Wednesday nights, too. Earlier this year, Marshall also formed a partnership with Pastor Dwight DePenning of Harvest Baptist in Redwood Falls. Each
week now, Pastor Dwight conducts a Simple English Bible Study for the purposes of helping the Karen with receiving Bible teaching as well as helping them become more familiar with the English language. The congregation is thankful for the opportunities to minister to and receive these people into fellowship. Please pray for wisdom as the congregation and leadership seeks to incorporate them into the local body. The language and cultural differences do present challenges, as do long-standing historical ties with Baptists here in the United States that have long been tolerant of liberal theology. However, the gospel of Jesus Christ is capable of overcoming those barriers.
A PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION PO Box 527 Willmar, MN 56201-0527
We’re on the web! http:www.mbaoc.org
MBA Contacts Minnesota Baptist Association Rev. Gerald Stephens, President Community Baptist Church PO Box 212 New Prague, MN 56071 (952) 758-3287 pastor@npcbc.org
Restricted Access, from page 1 sibilities seriously.” “We will be devoured by this world and bound to darkness if we fail to turn from our worldliness. “ These quotes provide a
reminder that God’s faithfulness is mankind’s only hope. They also remind us to flee the love of this world and remain faithful to our Christian duties. These same themes pervade the
preaching of our MBA churches. It is encouraging to hear them preached in a restricted access nation.
Interim State Missionary Rev. Robert Fuller, Sr. 1549 118th Lane NW Coon Rapids, MN 55448 (763) 568-4078 rjfsr4@juno.com MBA Office contact@mbaoc.org Minnesota Baptist Association PO Box 527 Willmar, MN 56201-0527 Send Contributions to: Mr. Brian Veth, MBA Treasurer c/o Coon Rapids Baptist Church 11164 Hanson Blvd. Coon Rapids, MN 55433 Send Update Articles and Pictures to: drjfjr@comcast.net North Star Update Editor 315 S. Payne St. New Ulm, MN 56073 (507) 354-3323
Larry Johnson, from page 2 establish a new church in Coon Rapids. Dr. Robert Myrant became pastor of the church in St. Paul during the summer and on January 27, 1963, the first unit of their new building was dedicated at 296 East Cottage Ave. The May, 1963, issue of the NSB states that the Coon Rapids fellowship was growing so fast that a larger temporary location was needed. A Recognition Council was held at Faith Baptist Church of St. Paul on March 31, 1964, to recognize the new Coon Rapids Baptist Church as a “duly organized and properly constituted Baptist
church.” Rev. Edgar W. Mitchell, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, became the church’s first pastor on July, 26, 1964. In August of 1964, the church voted to construct a combination church-parsonage with a seating capacity of 138-150. Groundbreaking took place on March 14, 1965, with a dedication service on July 10, 1966. Brother and Sister Johnson then undertook to start a new church in the JohnsvilleSoderville area north of the Twin Cities. The new work was called the Fair Oaks Baptist Fellowship (NSB, January, 1965). Pastor Theodore F. Jess
was called to the Fair Oaks Baptist Church on July 11, 1965. A recognition council was convened by the church on October 12, 1965. The church burned their mortgage on November 26, 1967. The March, 1967, issue of the North Star Baptist reported Brother Larry Johnson was encouraged by the progress of the work in Duluth. At the time of the reporting they had a nucleus of 5 families and a partially equipped church building. The Bible Baptist Church of Duluth was officially organized on August 13, 1967.