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Transcript of 2004 January/February
In some areas, residents of multi-family housing aremore familiar with drug dealers and pimps than withpolice officers or “church people.” Unemployment andunderemployment are often the norm, academic fail-
ure theexpected.
Soundslike the ideallocation to
carry out the Great Commission. At least that’swhat Anne Willis and First Baptist Church inAsheboro, N.C., think.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NorthCarolina agrees. In 2001, CBFNC made a$1,000 grant to MultiHousing Ministries ofAsheboro, a ministry started by First Baptist. AssortedBaptist churches, universities and organizations, as wellas other faith groups including Church of God,Presbyterian and community churches also participatein the ministry.
“All too often the involvement of the church hasbeen limited to bus ministries or to short-lived out-reach projects,” Willis explains. “What is needed is awitness that will move in and stick around.” That isMHMA’s game plan.
Asheboro First Baptist Pastor John Rogers’ visionfor a multi-housing ministry crystallized in 1997 as hetook part in a march against drugs, while doing his ownprivate prayer walk at the same time. By 1999, thechurch had an apartment and an office in one
COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP’S MISSION: SERVING CHRISTIANS AND CHURCHES AS THEY DISCOVER AND FULFILL THEIR GOD-GIVEN MISSION.
PartnershipsIncrease Gospel
Message in China
Large GiftsHelp Fund
Missions Efforts
InternationalMinistries ShareGlobal Impact
Church MakesMissional
Connections
Persian-SpeakingMinistry Stretches
Coast to Coast
INSIDE
CBFfellowship!C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
WWW.CBFONLINE.ORG
North Carolina Multi-Housing Ministry Brings Lasting Witness to AreaA S F A R A S S P I R I T U A L O U T R E A C H G O E S , apartment projects tend to be places ripe
with quick-fix ministries but little consistent gospel witness.
[continues p. 2]
The FellowshipMissional Church Initiative
Anne
Will
is p
hoto
Lisandro Chavez, wholives in an Asheboro
apartment complexand is a regularparticipant in the
Bible Club and after-school tutoring pro-gram there, postshis support for
MultiHousingMinistries of Asheboro.
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apartment complex — and Paula Settle willing to start up theprogram for the intern salary of $12,000 a year.
When Settle took a job with the Raleigh BaptistAssociation in 2001, the program was established and readyfor growth. Willis had been an International Mission Boardjourneyman in China and worked in sports evangelism inMexico. With extensive experience with Mission Arlington(Texas) — the prototype for multi-housing ministries — sheresponded to the call.
Building on a coreof First Baptist volun-teers but also involv-ing other area church-es, MHMA expandedfrom the single initialwork to permanent
and ongoing projects atfive other apartmentcomplexes in Willis’
first seven months asdirector.In her spare time,
Willis leads training ses-sions for other churches
interested in multi-hous-ing ministry and has set up a fund-raising
program and launched a “Girls in SportFestival” that attracted 80 participants in its first year.
“We are officially endorsed and highly recommended bythe city police chief and the county sheriff as an effectivemeans to fight the influx of crime and drugs,” Willis points
out. “Adults who have seen how we love their kids are ask-ing for Bible studies.”
One of Willis’ favorite programs is Teen Time, a weeklyprogram that has attracted almost 30 teenagers from two dif-ferent apartment complexes. In addition to picking them upfor church each Sunday, the leaders involve them in drama,community outreach and discipleship each Thursday.
“Basically we do something fun and then teach a Biblestudy about issues that are current and relevant in theirlives, like the need for sexual purity, and the dangers ofnegative peer pressure, and the fact that God loves themtotally but has a plan for their lives,” she explains. “Theycan cut loose, but they also have to be respectful.”
While attending a recent outreach program at a localBaptist church, 11 Teen Time regulars made professions offaith in Christ. On the van ride home, the teens spontaneouslysang spirituals and praise songs all the way, Willis reports.
“Their decisions were so real and immediate that theycame back the next night and brought their friends — andone more young man accepted Christ,” Willis says. Theirparents were invited to their baptisms.
It’s fulfilling work, but it’s hard work. The time demandson the volunteers are long and the noise and energy canstretch nerves taut. “God has some of His best people doingHis will in these apartments,” Willis marvels. “I can tell
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
Cra
ig B
ird p
hoto
Larry Cahoon, an engineer and MHMA volunteer, baits a hook at one ofhis popular fishing excursions with the group of boys he and his wife,Patti, work closely with.
Anne
Will
is p
hoto
Participants in the inaugural Girls in Sport Festival display varyingreactions to the proximity of a soccer ball.
Volunteer Pam Lathum is a student atWingate University and part of the WingateBaptist student group thatinvested a Saturday in thechildren of an Asheboroapartment complex.
Anne Willisphoto
w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
BUILDIN
G CO
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3
Baptist Studies Program,
Candler School of Theology,
Emory University. Millard
Fuller, founder and president
of Habitat for Humanity
International, will deliver the
Decalogue Lecture on “Where
Do the Children Live?” from
6:30 to 8 p.m., Feb. 17, in Tull
Auditorium, followed by a panel
discussion with Frank
Alexander, Emory professor of
law; Peter Ash, Emory associ-
ate professor of psychiatry;
and Mary Odem, Emory associ-
ate professor of history. The
discussion will be moderated
by Martin E. Marty. For more
information, contact David Key,
director of the Baptist Studies
Program, at (404) 727-6350 or
Baptist Theological Seminary
at Richmond. The seminary
has named the office of
Charles B. Bugg, professor of
preaching, in honor of
Elizabeth A. Pugh, pastor of
Richmond’s Grace Baptist
Church. A gift of $25,000 from
an unidentified friend of the
school, earmarked for this pur-
pose, was sufficient to perma-
nently name the office in
Pugh’s honor. Pugh has been a
small group leader and a men-
tor for BTSR students for many
years. She has served on the
staff of Grace Baptist Church
for 13 years, the last 6 years
as pastor.
The seminary also recently
recognized a former faculty
member and Virginia pastor by
permanently naming a faculty
office in his honor. Luke B.
Smith served as professor of
Christian ministry at BTSR for
three years in the early history
of the school. He taught min-
istry courses and directed the
school’s program of supervised
internships. Smith, a Georgia
native who died in 1998, had
previously served on the facul-
ty of Southeastern Seminary.
Prior to that, he was an admin-
istrator with the Southern
Baptist Foreign Mission Board
and had served pastorates in
Georgia, South Carolina and
Virginia. Smith’s name is now
attached to the office of Tracy
L. Hartman, assistant profes-
sor of practical theology. In
addition to her teaching duties,
she currently heads the
seminary’s internship
program.
The seminary announces its
sixth annual Chester
Brown/Hampton Baptist
Church Preaching and Worship
Conference on April 19-21.
Guest preachers will be
Thomas Troeger and Sarah
Jackson Shelton. The new
schedule begins the confer-
ence on Monday afternoon with
breakout sessions and ends
with a worship service on
Wednesday morning. For more
information, call (804) 204-
1241.
Central Baptist Theological
Seminary. M. Thomas
Thangaraj will deliver the
spring lecture, Feb. 18, at
10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
Thangaraj is the D.W. & Ruth
Brooks Associate Professor of
World Christianity at the
Candler School of Theology,
Emory University in Atlanta. He
served as a minister in the
Church of South India and
taught at the Tamilanadu
Theological Seminary, Madurai,
India. For more information,
please contact the seminary at
(913) 371-5313, ext. 111.
McAfee School of Theology,
Mercer University. William
Hull, professor and former
provost of Samford University,
will present the William L. Self
Preaching Lectures at the
school, March 8-10, in Cecil B.
Day Hall on Mercer’s Atlanta
campus. For more information,
contact the school at (678)
547-6470.
Truett Theological Seminary,
Baylor University. The semi-
nary’s Parchman Endowed
Lectures will be delivered by
Walter Brueggemann, profes-
sor of Old Testament at
Columbia Theological
Seminary, at 3 p.m., March 8,
9 and 11 in the Paul Powell
Chapel. For more information,
contact the seminary at (254)
710-3755.
The seminary also has
announced its new Doctor of
Ministry program participants
for this academic year. They
are Mark Bethune, pastor of
First Baptist Church, Eden,
Texas; Jesse Campos, pastor
of Braganca Baptist Church,
Brazil, and teacher, Word of
Life Seminary and Sao Paulo
Baptist Theological College,
Brazil; Phuoc Dang, pastor,
Vietnamese First Baptist
Church, Waco, Texas; Robbi
Francovich, one of CBF’s
Global Missions field personnel
in India; Eddie Hilburn, pastor,
First Baptist Church, Frankston,
Texas; Doug Jackson, pastor,
Second Baptist Church, Corpus
Christi, Texas; Brad Lankford,
youth minister, First Baptist
Church, Ft. Stockton, Texas;
Gary Long, pastor, Willow
Meadows Baptist Church,
Houston, Texas; Julie
Pennington-Russell, pastor,
Calvary Baptist Church, Waco,
Texas; David Rogers, communi-
ty minister, The Heights Baptist
Church, Richardson, Texas;
Bruce Troy, associate pastor,
First Baptist Church, El Paso,
Texas; Layne Wallace, pastor,
Samaria Baptist Church,
Raleigh, N.C.; and John
Wheatley, pastor, First Baptist
Church, Valley Mills, Texas.
Class Notes: News from Partner Schools
story after story of lives changed for eternity — and not justamong the residents but among the volunteers.”
MHMA has a wide range of volunteer opportunities.One promising program provides church groups headingout of state or out of country on missions trips with a bootcamp experience where they can hone evangelism andoutreach skills while still speaking English and havingaccess to Southern comfort foods. f!
For more information about MHMA, contact Anne Willis at
(336) 629-6018, [email protected] or at MHMA, 1126 Kemp
Blvd., Asheboro, NC 27203.
For more information about the Missional Church Initiative,
contact Bo Prosser at (770) 220-1631 or [email protected],
or Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1615 or [email protected].
By contributing writer Craig Bird, San Antonio, Texas
4
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Fortunately, interest from groups desiring to work or vol-unteer in China has grown tremendously in the past fewyears. Partnerships between Christian groups in China andChristian groups in North America, such as the onesbetween Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the ChinaChristian Council and the Amity Foundation, continue toexpand to meet the needs of Chinese Christians.
CBF of Missouri is an example of one of these partnershipsthat maintains an ongoing relationship with the ChineseChristians in the Guangxi region. Recently, a group from CBFof Missouri returned from a project tour in the region.
Brenda Lisenby, one of CBF’s Global Missions field per-sonnel and partnership coordinator in China, traveled withthe group. “The CBF Missouri Project Tour was a tremen-dous event,” she says. “We had an awesome time touringGuangxi and visiting projects while being hosted by localgovernment leaders and the Guangxi Christian Council.”
The group visited two completed project sites. “CBF ofMissouri had provided fundsfor computers for the specialeducation class at ZhuangStreet School, and we sawthe students busily demon-strating their newly acquiredcomputer skills,” Lisenbysays. “We visited NamaMedical Clinic where we hadprovided some funds to helpcomplete a new building andpurchase an ambulance.”
Not only did the groupvisit the completed projectsfrom their 2002 ProjectTour, they also surveyed andchose projects to be workedon during 2004.
CBF of Missouri agreed topartner with the GuangxiChristian Council to providemonetary gifts for two addi-tional specific projects for2004. Shitang Elementary
asked for assistance in building a kitchen and a dormitory.The school currently has 300 boarding students but nokitchen to provide hot, nutritious meals. CBF of Missourihas committed to a gift of $13,000 to help get the kitchenbuilt in the next year. The second project will help ShanglinChurch build a three-story building for worship in a newlydeveloping area of Shanglin County. CBF of Missouri hascommitted to a $15,000 gift.
In addition to project tours, Envoys are another way individu-als can immerse themselves in another culture and work along-side Chinese Christians. Envoys are CBF members employed byan institution while serving alongside CBF Global Missions fieldpersonnel or CBF partners. As CBF associate coordinators formission teams in Asia, Anita and Jack Snell believe that Envoysare an integral part of the Fellowship’s work in China.
“Under the capable leadership of our career personnelas well as our Envoys, the relationships that were alreadyforged with the China Christian Council, Amity and the
Fellowship Partners JoinChinese Christians to Share Gospel
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
O U T O F T H E 4 7 M I L L I O N P E O P L E living in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,
there are approximately 80,000 Christians — less than 1 percent of its population.
Fellowship representatives visit the Zhuang Street School special education class where CBF of Missouri hadprovided funds for purchasing computers.
Phot
os c
ourt
esy
of C
BF
of M
isso
uri
w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
other various areas of work have been strengthened andthe work has expanded,” Anita says.
“In the beginning, most of them were involved inteaching English, both short-term and long-term,” Jacksays. “But more and more, our Envoys are exploring otheropportunities for ministry in China: business opportuni-ties and physical therapy. Another is using her skills to setup and administer the regional office for a consortium ofBaptist seminaries. A retired EPA worker is assisting theleaders of his city in addressing pressing environmental
concerns.”“As the
[Chinese] peo-ple seekanswers to life’schallenges, theyare more andmore open tothe gospel foranswers,” Anitasays. “They arevery curiousabout Christ-ianity. Each ofour 15 CBF field
personnel working in China has had marvelous opportu-nities to share the gospel through their lives and throughindividual and group discussions that are all a part of thedaily experience.”
Having worked in China for more than eight years,Lisenby is excited to see how opportunities in China havechanged. “Since I have been involved, our opportunitiesfor partnering have increased tremendously as trust isgained and the Chinese are comfortable with CBF andwhat we say and do,” she explains. “Trust is the key, and ittakes time in China. CBF volunteers who come to teachevery summer and the CBF of Missouri team that comesevery year have been instrumental to the development ofthat trust.”
Harold Phillips, coordinator for CBF of Missouri,agrees, “The first year we came they asked, ‘Who are thesepeople?’ The next time they said, ‘They came back likethey said they would.’ Brenda encourages us to ‘come andsee.’ Now it’s our turn to ‘go and tell.’” f!
For more information about ministry opportunities in
China, go to www.CBFinChina.org or see the related sidebar
on these pages.
By contributing writer Amy Walker, Atlanta
GLO
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5
The following opportunities are available in China. Volunteers
need to be in excellent health and age 68 or younger if it is their
first time to teach in China. Please note that dates are
tentative.
AMITY PARTNERSHIP
Date: July 1-Aug. 3
Need: Volunteer teachers to train Chinese middle school English
teachers and to improve their English communication skills
Cost: $1,100. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and second-
ary insurance, which total approximately $1,400.
GUANGXI UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
Date: July 1-31
Need: Teachers requested, plus interested mature high school
or college students to assist with activities, to provide Chinese
senior middle school students opportunity to interact with for-
eign teachers and peers
Cost: $500. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and second-
ary insurance, which total approximately $1,400.
CHINA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL PASTORAL ENGLISH
TRAINING PROGRAM
Date: July 1- Sept. 10
Need: Teachers with teaching qualifications and experience to
train Chinese church leaders in English for the purpose of inter-
national relations and exchange
Cost: $180. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and second-
ary insurance, which total approximately $1,400.
WORLD VISION TEACHER TRAINING PARTNERSHIP
Date: Aug. 16-30
Need: Teachers to train Chinese school English teachers in
Napo County and improve their English communication skills
Cost: $200. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and second-
ary insurance, which total approximately $1,400.
WORLD VISION ENGLISH MOTIVATORS
Date: Sept. 1-16
Need: Teachers requested, plus high school (home schooled)
students accompanying adults, to visit the 12 middle school
campuses in Napo County and participate in each campus’
“Speak English Day” for the purpose of motivating senior middle
school students and enhancing the English learning environment
Cost: $200. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and second-
ary insurance, which total approximately $1,400.
Application forms are available at www.destination
missions.net under the China page or at www.CBFinChina.org
Web site. Applications are due by March 31. The China appli-
cation process will be administered through the CBF Global
Missions Office in Raleigh, under the Volunteer Program. For
more information, contact Mary Carol Day at (877) 856-9288 or
China Volunteer Opportunities
Members of the CBF of Missouri Project Tourin China visit Hengxian Township Church andjoin in an impromptu hymn sing of “Holy, Holy,Holy” and “Amazing Grace.”
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“These gifts have been very important in strengthening theministry of CBF,” says Daniel Vestal, the Fellowship’snational coordinator. “They have made it possible for us tosend missionaries that would not have been sent otherwise.They have provided the financial resources for missionprojects, church planting and mission support.”
CBF Global Missions received$8.2 million of the $9 million gifts.The rest went to church starts, anadministrative subdivision ofGlobal Missions, and the ChurchBenefits Board. “The decision as tohow the funds would be used wasdetermined by the donors,” Vestalsays, “and as with all gifts, wehonor the desires and wishes ofthose who make a contribution.”
The funds will undergird themissions program of CBF, saysGlobal Missions Co-coordinatorGary Baldridge.
The unbudgeted funds, he says,have been or will be used to:
• select, orient, train, equip, deploy and maintain 16 newpersonnel to Toronto, North Africa, China, Los Angeles,Southeast Asia, Detroit, and Athens, Greece;
• help in the costs of maintaining veteran field personnelnearing retirement;
• fund partial or whole field projects of personnel aroundthe world – agricultural development, literature, orphanand street children assistance, hunger and refugee relief,medical, water development and Bible distribution;
• provide stipends for summer and semesterundergraduate and graduate students in hands-on missionsopportunities;
• help provide post-secondary schooling supplementsfor children of field personnel;
• defray costs of deploying volunteer counselors whohelp keep field personnel well physically, emotionally andspiritually;
• fund part of the implementation of Global Missions’
strategic plan priorities of partnership missions with localchurches, ministry to the most neglected and churchplanting.
“Gifts such as these enhance CBF’s work by relievingthe pressures of the relatively lean economic years,providing resources to boost a particular ministry like
the 600 percent increase instudent missionaries, and givingthe organization time to reboundfrom dips in normal revenues,”Baldridge says.
Anonymous gifts to theFellowship of any size areunusual, says Jim Strawn, theFellowship’s coordinator forfinance. “We don’t get many ofthem of any size,” he says. “Thesegifts were mission-driven, givenby people who have a love and aheart for missions.”
Had Global Missions notreceived the special gifts,
Baldridge says, it would have meant a moratorium onthe commissioning and deployment of new personnel,early retirement of veteran personnel, death to dozens offield projects for effective ministry, potential layoff ofstaff, and/or possible return home of some fieldpersonnel.
“The next challenge will be to maintain and to increasethese ministries beyond the life of the gifts,” Baldridgesays. “At some point within the next two or three years,normal giving to CBF will need to have increasedsubstantially for these works to continue.” f!
Use the envelope provided in this issue to contribute to the
Fellowship’s general missions and ministries budget which
helps support global missions and ministries, leadership
development, building community and congregational life.
You can also donate online by clicking on the “Ways You Can
Give” button at www.cbfonline.org.
By Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C.
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
Fellowship Putting Large Giftsto Good Use in Missions Efforts
S O M E M I S S I O N S P E R S O N N E L might never have reached the field, while others might be
at home now taking early retirement if not for two large, anonymous gifts that the Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship received in the past two years.
Two large gifts to CBF Global Missions help fund orphanand street children assistance and provide hunger andrefugee relief.
Cou
rtes
y of
CBF
field
per
sonn
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w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
COMPARED TO NORTH AMERICAN society today,even the rich culture I knew in my childhood in Miami inthe 1950s was relatively narrow. Miami was a relativelybroad and diverse community of Catholics and Jews,Cubans and Southerners – yet everyone spoke the samelanguage, claimed the same national identity, dressed thesame and shared the Judeo-Christian heritage.
In the world of my growing up, I never had the oppor-tunity to meet an Arab, or talk with an Indian or Chineseor Thai. I never met an Uzbek or Moroccan or Indonesian,and as far as I knew, neverencountered a Hindu or Muslimor Sikh. And I was much thepoorer for that lack.
What a different world welive in now. The ends of theearth have come to us.Everywhere I turn in the smalltown where I live, it seems, Iencounter people from all overthe world. For instance, theAmerican who owns the con-venience store gas station Ipatronize was born and raisedin Pakistan. Another, one of mygood friends and colleagues, anastronomer, came to America asa college student from Iran,being born and raised in thedesert where he developed his love for the stars and hisdevotion to Allah. Many like these come to the UnitedStates to become citizens and are tightly woven into ournational fabric, finding here economic opportunity,education and professional careers. Some come to us asrefugees from war, genocide, poverty, disease andoppression.
Many others come to America for only a short while asstudents, diplomats, representatives of multi-nationalbusinesses or to obtain technical training. Many come astourists. After a time among us, they return to their homenations and cultures.
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions fieldpersonnel work among Arab people in two areas of highArab-American populations, Los Angeles and Dearborn,Mich. But the huge influx of new immigrants comes fromall over the world, not just Arab countries, and many
churches reach out to internationals in small towns andlarge cities with conversation, friendship, relationships …a gospel witness. For example, I watched recently as fourKoreans living temporarily in Jefferson City, Tenn.,responded to the invitation one Sunday morning at FirstBaptist Church, two seeking baptism. Each weekdaymorning at 5:30 you will find a group of Koreans meetingin the church for prayer.
First Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla., recently cele-brated an International Thanksgiving Banquet at which
people from 30 different coun-tries attended. The large num-ber of internationals connectedto that church is the fruit ofEnglish as a Second Languageclasses Lillian Isaac began atthe church in 1960. Throughthe years, hundreds of interna-tionals have returned to theirhomes around the world withwarm memories of Christianhospitality, and many have alsotaken with them a new life inChrist Jesus.
I know of many otherchurches ministering to inter-nationals in their communities.Let us know about your church’sinvolvement. Let us help you
network with others who share a burden for the strangersin our midst. Fellowship field personnel from all over theworld can offer advice and assistance. We can all learn fromeach other, and we can participate in taking the gospel tothe “ends of the earth,” even without leaving home. f!
For more information about ministry to internationals, contact
Marc Wyatt, team facilitator for Ministry among Internationals
at [email protected] or (416) 926-2501. The International Team of
CBF Global Missions ministers among refugees, immigrants
and international students in six major cities in North America
and Europe. The free brochure “Ministry to Internationals” is
available from the CBF Resource Link at (888) 801-4223 or the
CBF e-Store at www.cbfonline.org.
To contact Patrick Anderson to speak about CBF Global
Missions, call (863) 686-9902 or e-mail [email protected].
By Patrick R. Anderson, CBF missions advocate
International Ministry:The ‘Ends of the Earth’ are Here
GO
ING
TO HARD
PLACES
7
Students demonstrate Japanese writing at their display boothat First Baptist Church of Jefferson City’s first-everInternational Festival. Pictured are (l-r) Mana Akiyawa; NolaIsobe; Barbara Shoemaker, chairwoman of First Baptist’sInternational Ministries; Tou Yoshi Ohishi; and TaroYamashita.
Cou
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y of
FBC, J
effe
rson
City
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F IRST BAPT IST CHURCH IN CL INTON, S.C. , was amissional church long before the term became popular.“This is a church that has been serious for years about notjust giving to missions but doing missions,” says Blake
Harwell, pastorsince early 1998.“People here stepforward and getinvolved with
things to connect this church with its community, bothlocally and globally.”
The people doing missions from First Baptist are as var-ied as the places where they’ve served.
Globally, it’s the church members who went this pastyear to Suriname, Brazil and Romania to work on medicaland construction teams. It’s the 31 teenagers who went to
Florida to work with World Changers. It’s the 48 memberswho went on a family mission trip to West Virginia or the 60who went to Tennessee to build a church. It’s the one sum-mer missionary sent by the church to work in Hungary.
Locally, it’s the six women who made repairs andspruced up the livingspace for a homeboundwoman who had astroke. It’s the 41adults and youth whoworked withCarpenters for Christto repair the homes ofthe elderly and poor.It’s the dozens of allages who visit regularlyin nursing homes andretirement centersoffering encourage-ment and hugs.
“The GreatCommission was givento us, as a church. Weare supposed to go tothe ends of the earth,”Harwell says. “Ourchurch is to beinvolved in global mis-sions for life.”
The contemporaryworship service startedin 1999 is another waythe church is trying to follow the Great Commission challenge.“We felt there were people in our county not coming to churchbecause they didn’t like the way church was being done,whether it was the music, the style, the dress or the time,”Harwell explains. “We made a decision that we were willing tocompromise everything except the gospel to meet them wherethey were. We said, ‘We’d dress like them, play their kind ofmusic, meet in a different place, whatever it takes.’”
After two years, 88 people who had not been involved inany church before were a part of First Baptist because of thecontemporary service. “We wanted to connect with peoplewho weren’t connected and bring them into the presence ofChrist,” Harwell emphasizes. “They found a home in an un-air-conditioned gym that is loud and not very comfortable.”
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
South Carolina Church Makes Connections at Home, Around the Globe
The FellowshipMissional Church Initiative Related Resources
THE FELLOWSHIP has several
resources for churches wanting
information on becoming a
missional congregation:
• The Missional Journey: Being
the Presence of Christ. Outlines
the characteristics of missional
churches. Includes a CD of the
video, The Missional Journey:
Being the Presence of Christ.
(free, plus shipping)
• The Missional Journey Guide.
Assists churches as they
discover, claim and commit to the
mission God has for them.
($29.95 for workbook, CD and
binder; $19.95 for workbook only,
plus shipping)
Order from the CBF Resource
Link at (888) 801-4223 or the
CBF e-Store at
www.cbfonline.org.
First Baptist, Clinton, hosts a ‘Trunk or Treat’ event at Halloween as acommunity outreach.
Sue
H. P
oss
phot
o
w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
“Our mindset is that Jesus called us to be fishers ofmen,” Harwell says. “I fish all the time. ... If our objectiveis to catch people, we need to offer more than one bait onmore than one pole.”
When Harwell came to the church, worship attendancewas 279. Now it is 431; but for the past two years, he says, thechurch has been plateaued. “We’re looking to see if there isanother thing God wants us to do. We’re thinking aboutstarting a third type of service, maybe country-gospel,
something that will give us another line in the water.”“It’s exciting,” Harwell says. “I can’t imagine a more excit-
ing time to be a pastor, to be doing missions, to be followingCBF’s strategy of doing something where nobody else is.” f!
For more information about the Missional Church Initiative,
contact Bo Prosser at (770) 220-1631 or [email protected],
or Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1615 or [email protected].
By contributing writer Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C.
BU
ILDIN
G CO
MM
UN
ITY
9
BEGINNING NEXT SUMMER, Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship partner Passport Inc.
will offer camps for children completing
third through sixth grade under a new
program called PASSPORTkids!.
PASSPORTkids!, developed in
partnership between the
Birmingham-based Passport Inc.
and the Fellowship, will offer some
of the same elements as Passport’s
well-known camps for teenagers in
an age-appropriate format.
“PASSPORTkids! will integrate
missions commitment with the fun
and excitement of a children’s
camp,” says Mark McClintock,
coordinator of PASSPORTkids! camp.
“We want to plant the seeds early in
children’s lives for a commitment to
following Christ and to reaching out
to people around the world.”
PASSPORTkids!’ roots began several
years ago, when a number of children’s
ministers were clamoring for something
more in a children’s camp. As part of the
planning, close to a dozen children’s
ministers were used as consultants,
according to McClintock, who was himself
one of those ministers prior to leaving his
position at Seventh and James Baptist
Church in Waco, Texas, to become the
coordinator.
“There has been a lot of contact with
children’s ministers to make sure what
we’re doing meets their needs,”
McClintock says. In conjunction with
the Fellowship, the entire staff at
Passport was involved in the develop-
ment of the new program.
One of the differences between
PASSPORT camps and PASSPORTkids!
camps is the missions experience. Unlike
PASSPORT camps, which take teenagers
to offsite ministry projects,
PASSPORTkids! will offer missions
projects at the camps. Other unique
elements include an overall design that is
developmentally appropriate and natural
settings with quality facilities, offering a
variety of fun activities.
The staff of 14 who will travel with the
camp program this summer have been
specifically recruited and trained to work
with 8- to 12-year-olds, according to
McClintock. Also offered are special
activities aimed at sixth graders, to
help prepare them for the coming
teenage years.
“The 2004 theme is ‘On the Edge,’
featuring the Romany people group of
Europe,” says Colleen Burroughs,
executive vice president of Passport.
In addition to the regular camp
activities such as swimming, canoeing,
horseback riding, archery and a ropes
course, campers will work on
projects that support the ministry
of missionaries who work with the
Romany and meet other
missionaries from around the
world. A worship service caps
each day.
“We want worship and Bible
study to be well-integrated, so it
is a holistic approach,”
McClintock says.
The 2004 PASSPORTkids! camps
will be held in Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and
Missouri. The four-day camps run
from mid-June through the end of
July. Thirty-two churches have
already pre-registered.
The Fellowship will continue to partner
with Passport on this program for the next
two years.
For more information, or to register,
check out their new Web site,
www.passport-kids.org, or call
(800) 769-0210, or e-mail at
Children’s ministers can also
subscribe to a free quarterly
newsletter by and for children’s
ministers called “TAG.” To subscribe,
e-mail requests to
By contributing writer Alison Wingfield, Dallas
Fellowship Partner to Begin NewChildren’s Camp Experience, PASSPORTkids!
10
FAIT
H FO
RMAT
ION
AS A WAY TO HELP REACH theestimated 80 million Persian-speaking people world-wide, CBF GlobalMissions field per-sonnel Mich and PatTosan oversee thenon-profit organiza-tion, Persian World Outreach (PWO) — a missions organi-zation with goals to “raise Afghani and Iranian nationals tobecome missionaries and pastors for the future of their owncountries,” Mich says.
Once a devout Muslim, Mich became a Christian whileliving in a refugee camp in Denmark in 1988, four yearsafter escaping Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. He under-stands firsthand the need for indigenous missionaries tomeet the physical and spiritual needs of Persian-speaking people.
“Right now, many Iranians are open to coming tochurch,” Mich says. “Many Muslim people are searching forpeace and love.”
Starting with a successful church plant in California dur-ing 1996, the Tosans moved to New Jersey in 2002 to con-tinue their ministry.
“We were church planting among the Iranians on theWest Coast in California and we saw a need for the Iranian
populationson the EastCoast to havean opportu-nity to have achurch and togo to churchin their ownlanguage,”Pat says.
The EastCoast movehas resulted
in the building of a multi-purpose missions training center insouthern New Jersey and a church start in Vienna, Va., namedthe Afghan and Iranian Christian Fellowship – the first con-gregation where Afghanis have had their name officiallyincluded in an Iranian church.
“We chose to honor the Afghans and put their namesfirst, even though they weren’t as involved [as theIranians],” Pat explains.
She describes an “exciting event” on one Sunday when theAfghans led the worship, using their own dialect, while theIranians watched. “It was truly an Afghan church that day!”
“Iranian Christians have had experience with indige-nous church planting and see today as an opportune time tohelp the Afghan churches get started,” Mich says, citing onereason for combined worship. “Each week, Afghanis andIranians gather for worship together. Some Afghanis drivemore than three hours to attend.”
The Tosans are encouraged by involvement fromFellowship individuals and churches.
“CBF churches are becoming more and more involvedwith our ministry,” Pat says. “CBF feels very strongly aboutthe importance of indigenous worship and people beingable to worship in ways that are culturally appropriate tothem. We find this to be very true with the Afghani andIranian worship.”
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
Outreach to Persian-Speaking PeopleStretches from Coast to Coast
Outreach Opportunities
CURRENT OUTREACH methods to Persian-speaking people
include:
1. Christian leadership training. Through the Iranian Bible
School, Iranian Christians are equipped to share the Good
News with other Iranians through classes taught in Persian.
IBS provides biblical, theological, vocational and educational
training for Iranian pastors, missionaries, church planters and
other church leaders.
2. Mobilizing and equipping Christian workers among Persian-
speaking people
3. Church planting
4. Partnerships and networking
5. Distribution of Bibles and other Christian literature
6. Humanitarian relief work
The Fellowship and Persian World Outreach invite individuals
and churches to be part of this ministry by praying for Persian-
speaking people and supporting the ministry financially.
For more information, contact Mich or Pat Tosan, Persian
World Outreach, at (856) 878-9799 or [email protected] or go
to www.persianwo.org.
To order a free brochure titled “Individual UPG Flyer:
Persian Speakers Worldwide,” contact the CBF Resource
Link at (888) 801-4223 or the CBF e-Store at
www.cbfonline.org. (Shipping will be charged.)
The congregation of the Afghan and Iranian Christ-ian Fellowship gathers for a Thanksgiving lunch.
Phot
os c
ourt
esy
of C
BF
field
per
sonn
el
w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
The Fellowship’s Offering for Global Missions, with thetheme “Everyone … Everywhere, Being the Presence ofChrist,” encourages this kind of personal missions involve-ment, along with prayer and financial support.
MissionConnect, the Offering’s spring emphasis, high-lights how the Fellowship and its partners are being Christ’spresence among people often neglected in the United States— Iranian and Afghan immigrants and refugees, NativeAmericans, and the Mississippi Delta’s rural poor.
With many new ministry opportunities becoming
available for Persian-speaking Christians, Mich has a goalof someday partnering with the Baptist TheologicalSeminary at Richmond to provide master’s-leveleducational training.
Mich realizes that books would have to be translatedand curriculum provided but feels this remains a possiblelong-term goal to equip those serving.
“Our hope,” Pat concludes, “is to raise leaders so theycan carry on the job.” f!
The Fellowship’s March 2004 missions education curriculum
highlights CBF Global Missions field personnel, like the
Tosans, who are reaching their own people. The February 2004
curriculum focuses on field personnel and partners who
serve among the Minangkabau (see sidebar below). (Annual
subscription: adult and youth, $20; children and pre-
school, $80. Shipping will be charged.) To order, contact the
CBF Resource Link at (888) 801-4223.
For more information about the Offering, click on the
“Offering for Global Missions” button at www.cbfonline.org or
contact Terry Walton at (770) 220-1653 or [email protected].
By staff writer Jo Upton
FAITH FORMATION
11
A DAY IN THE LIFE of one of CBF’s Global
Missions field personnel serving among
the Minangkabau
in Southeast Asia
comes to life
through “Praying
Through the
Images.” This cre-
ative tool distrib-
uted by e-mail
uses imagery and
text to help churches and individuals con-
nect with this people group.
Following is an excerpt from a recent
“Praying Through the Images:”
I took a stroll through the market this
morning and these are some of the people I
met (see photo above). Young children
whose parents sell fruits and vegetables
and other wares at the market often accom-
pany their parents to work. They mostly play
or sleep while staying close by their parents.
Some actually work. The young girl in the
photo above was helping her father sell the
fruit in the baskets. The fruit she was selling
is called “salak.” It has a snake-like texture
to the skin. The edible part is white and a
bit hard like an apple. The flavor is mild and
the taste is unlike any fruit
available in America. Most peo-
ple here buy their food at the
open-air markets. The vendors’
workdays are long and their
earnings are small.
Prayer requests:
• Pray that the vendors might
earn enough to support their
families and send their children to school.
• Pray that their children might not have
to work at an early age.
• Pray that when we are able to begin a
scholarship program for needy kids that
sponsors will be lined up ready to help.
• Pray that we (you and us) will be good
neighbors to the Minang.
• Pray that we might love and care for
children as Jesus did and does.
Ways to use “Praying Through the Images”
• Post a copy on a bulletin board in your
Sunday school classroom.
• Use it during your prayer time in Sunday
school and missions classes.
• Post a copy on your refrigerator or in a
frame as a prayer reminder.
• Use the photos in your children’s classes.
• Keep each “Praying Through the
Images” sheet in a binder and use
throughout the year.
• Print out larger versions of the photo-
graphs for classroom settings to stimu-
late discussion about who our neigh-
bors are according to Scripture and
about similarities and differences
between peoples around the world.
• Put smaller versions of the photos
along with the prayer requests on book-
marks to be distributed as prayer
reminders.
• Distribute copies regularly to those who
do not have e-mail.
• Include all or portions of “Praying
Through the Images” in your in-house
publications.
To be added to the “Praying through
the Images” distribution list, send
request to [email protected].
Minangkabau Resources: Praying Through the Images
A group of youth volunteers from Deerfield Presbyterian Church helpsbuild a missions training center in New Jersey.
12
AS W
E JO
URN
EY
Jesus presents Himself to us not only as God’s representa-tive or God’s servant, but as one whose relationship to God,origin from God, oneness with God and life in God is unlikeany other human being who has ever lived. Jesus presentsHimself to us as the one who by His death on the cross isthe world’s Savior. Jesus offers Himself as the one whobecause of His obedience to God in death reconciles us toGod. Jesus presents Himself as theone who overcomes death. He isresurrected after crucifixion andoffers His eternal and abiding pres-ence to all who will receive it.
Ours is also a global church.Recently, Cooperative BaptistFellowship announced a partner-ship with the Center for the Studyof Global Christianity. We helpedfund a world Christian databasethat provides valuable referenceinformation and analysis tools formissions. In receiving a briefoverview of this database, I wasreminded again how rich and beautiful is the worldwideBody of Christ. Beginning with a small rag-tag group of dis-ciples, the Christian movement has expanded to encirclethe globe.
The disunity and division in the Body of Christ is mind-boggling. There are thousands of Christian denominations,and one cannot excuse or accept so great disunity. But ifone looks beyond the diversity in worship, liturgy, ordina-tion, and even theology, one finds great encouragement inthe global church that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord.
Ours is also a global mission. The command of Jesusis “to make disciples of all nations.” The global missionof the church is to be fulfilled without the triumphalismor the coercion which has been practiced throughthe centuries. And it is to be fulfilled in the spirit ofdialogue and mutual respect for other religions, as wellas diverse cultures.
But make no mistake about it; our mission is global.We seek to make known the presence of Christ where that
presence is not known. We want every person in the worldto hear the Jesus story in their own language and culture.This is not to imply that God is not already at work amongthe unevangelized. God is surely at work and Jesus goesahead of us before we ever arrive to witness and minister.The mandate is clear: everyone, everywhere.
Another aspect to our global mission is that it is sharedby Christians from every part of theglobe. Some of us falsely assumethat the global mission of thechurch will be fulfilled primarilyby Christians in North America,when actually there are more mis-sionaries from other parts of theworld than there are from NorthAmerica. The explosion of thegospel witness in China is one ofthe great movements of God in thepast 25 years. What is happening inKorea and parts of Africa is noth-ing short of amazing.
So take heart and rejoice. But atthe same time, be aware of unmet need and unreached peo-ples. For ours is a global challenge. There are still a billionpeople who have little or no access to the message of Christ.There is staggering human suffering, as well as inequity andinjustice on this globe. We cannot be at ease or satisfied.We cannot rest until the kingdoms of this world havebecome the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
• Everyone, everywhere has the need and capacity for apersonal relationship with God.
• Everyone, everywhere experiences the brokenness,guilt and alienation that results from sin.
• Everyone, everywhere feels the yearning for a knowl-edge and oneness with God.
• Everyone, everywhere is cherished and treasured bythe Creator.
• Everyone, everywhere is a person for whom Christdied. f!
By CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
2003-04 Offering for Global Missions:Everyone, Everywhere
OURS IS A GLOBAL GOSPEL. The incredible Good News for the whole world is that Jesus is
the image and incarnation of the invisible God. Other pictures of God are simply not as satis-
fying as the one that God has painted for us in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Vestal
Sta
nley
Lea
ry p
hoto
w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
FLORIDAASSOCIATED BAPT IST PRESShas named Tim Norton of Atlantadirector of development for the inde-pendent news service. Norton servedas executive director of the Lord’sDay Alliance of the U.S. Norton ownsCrux Communication, a communica-tions, marketing and developmentconsulting firm.
GEORGIATOUCHING TAL IAFERRO withLove, an initiative and collaborativemission of CBF of Georgia and thelocal community in Taliaferro County,celebrated a groundbreaking inDecember. The land was donated toTTL Inc. for the construction of a com-munity center, playground, ball fields,and a picnic area. CBF of Georgia hasheld two successful summer day campsin the Taliaferro community.
The CBF of Georgia GeneralAssembly is March 5-6 at TabernacleBaptist Church in Carrollton.Songwriter and recording artist KyleMatthews will lead in worship andmusic. Matthews will also lead aworkshop for ministers of music andworship. Otis Moss, pastor ofTabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta,will be the keynote speaker.
March Mission Madness, a CBF ofGeorgia mission weekend for youthgrades 6-12, has grown to two week-ends in two locations. MMM South isMarch 19-21, hosted by First BaptistChurch, Forsyth. MMM North is March26-28, hosted by First Baptist Church,Hartwell. For more information, con-tact CBF of Georgia at (478) 742-1191.
Each year, the Baptist Women inMinistry of Georgia award a scholar-ship to a Baptist woman who hasbeen or is a Georgia resident and is
enrolled in at least her second year oftheological studies at the masters ordoctoral level. Applicants may attenda Baptist or a non-Baptist seminary.The amount of the scholarship is$500. Applications must be receivedby March 15. For more information,contact Kim Hardegree Schmitt at(770) 378-3436, (678) 947-6476 [email protected].
MISSOURIA “WORSHIP AND PRAISEGathering” has been scheduled for6:30 p.m., Feb. 1 at Wornall RoadBaptist Church in Kansas City. It willfeature blended worship and com-munion. The service is sponsored byCBF-partnering churches in theKansas City area.
CBF of Missouri is sponsoringtwo Girls on Mission weekends atWindermere Conference Center. OnMarch 12-14 and March 19-20, girlsin first through sixth grades will havethe opportunity to learn aboutmissions, meet missionaries,discover how they can participate inmissions and pray for missions. Theywill attend conferences and worshipservices, sing, do crafts, learn aboutother countries, swap “trading pins”with others, participate in cabindevotionals, and more. For moreinformation, contact Windermere at(800) 346-2215, (573) 346-5200or at [email protected].
The state youth event atWindermere sponsored by CBF ofMissouri has been scheduled forMarch 26-28. It will begin Fridayevening and conclude with worshipon Sunday morning. For moreinformation, contact Brian Fordat (573) 443-0617.
NATIONALSTAN PARKS, previously one of CBF’sGlobal Missions field personnel, hasaccepted the position of associate atWorldconneX, a new missions agencybased in Texas. “Stan’s passion andexpertise for 21st century missions ingeneral and World A in particular areassets that will continue to benefit thelarger missions community throughTexas Baptists the way they have throughCBF Global Missions,” says BarbaraBaldridge, CBF Global Missions co-coordinator. Parks will serve asassociate to Bill Tinsley, who beganleading WorldconneX in December.Parks and his wife, Kay, were appointedas Fellowship field personnel inSeptember 1993 as strategycoordinators for a people groupin Southeast Asia.
FELLOW
SHIP FARE
13
Fellowship Roundup News from CBF’s states, regions and national offices
Coming Attractions
Feb. 18-21
current Retreat
Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas
Speakers: George Mason, Diana
Garland
Info: www.currentonline.org or call
Mary McCoy, (770) 220-1637
Feb. 29-March 3
True Survivor Gathering for Christian
Educators
Providence Baptist Church,
Charleston, S.C.
Cost: $50 per person, plus lodging
Speakers: Dan Bagby of BTSR
Contact: Toni Draper, (770) 220-
1654, [email protected] or Bo
Prosser, (770) 220-1631,
For a complete schedule of events,
go to Community/Calendar at
www.cbfonline.org.
14
FELL
OW
SHIP
FAR
E
NORTH CAROLINAFOR MORE INFORMATION ongetting a list of possible speakers todiscuss China volunteer opportunitiesfor 2004, contact Shirley Kool at (828)586-5066 or [email protected].
OKLAHOMAVETERAN MISSIONARY Charles“T” Thomas has been hired by theCooperating Baptist Fellowship ofOklahoma as coordinator. Thomas, for-merly missions coordinator for CBF ofFlorida, was recommended to theOklahoma organization’s coordinatingcouncil Dec. 6, and assumed the newpost in January. Thomas, a former CBFmissionary, replaces Rick McClatchy aschief executive of CBF of Oklahoma.McClatchy recently left to become coor-dinator for CBF Texas. The Oklahomaorganization has three employees.
SOUTH CAROLINACBF OF SOUTH CAROLINA issponsoring an event called “Quest —God’s Call & My Response:Discerning God’s Path for My Life”Feb. 6-7 at Fernwood Baptist Churchin Spartanburg. “Quest” is designedfor university students and older highschool students who are followers ofChrist and want to serve Him, but donot have a clear understanding of whatit is they are to do. “Quest” will alsogive some clarity to understandingGod’s will. Featured vocalist will beKyle Matthews. For more informa-tion, contact Fernwood BaptistChurch by Jan. 23 at (864) 582-7467.
TENNESSEETENNESSEE CBF RECENTLY host-ed a chaplain’s meeting in Knoxville.Tammy Abee Blom, TCBF’s associatecoordinator for leadership develop-ment, hosted a lunch meeting thatincluded George Pickle, CBF nationalassociate coordinator for chaplaincy
and pastoral counseling. More than adozen chaplains from the Knoxvillearea responded. For information onCBF endorsement as a chaplain or pas-toral counselor, contact Pickle at (770)220-1617 or [email protected].
CBF to UnveilNew Web Site THE COOPERATIVE BAPT ISTFellowship Web site is getting anextreme makeover.
More than just a face-lift, theFellowship’s Web presence will have acompletely different look and feelwhen it is re-launched on Feb. 2. Afteran extensive interviewing and biddingprocess, the Fellowship hired IntegroeBusiness Consulting of Denver, Colo.,to assist in a graphical redesign andimplementation of new content man-agement software. This will ensure thatthe new site will be more up to date andmore user-friendly than ever.
“The Web is a dynamic environ-ment,” says Lance Wallace, theFellowship’s associate coordinator fornews and information. “In order foryour Web site to be effective, you can’tbuild it and leave it alone. We havedeveloped a site that the Fellowship will
not only find easier to navigate than theold one; it will have fresher informationdelivered in a more timely manner.”Wallace and Information Technology
COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g
Vol. 14, No. 1
CBF COORDINATOR • Daniel Vestal
EDITOR • Ben McDade
MANAGING EDITOR • Lisa M. Jones
PHONE • (770) 220-1600
FAX • (770) 220-1685
E-MAIL • [email protected]
WEB SITE • www.cbfonline.org
fellowship! is published 8 times a
year in Jan./Feb., Mar., April/May,
June/July, Aug., Sept./Oct., Nov., Dec.
by The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,
Inc., 3001 Mercer University Dr.,
Atlanta, GA 30341-4115.
Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta,
GA, and additional mailing offices.
USPS #015-625
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to “fellowship!”
Newsletter, Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship, P.O. Box 450329,
Atlanta, GA 31145-0329
Spring 2004 State/Regional CBF GatheringsState/Region Date Site CityAlabama March 5-6 Riverchase Baptist Church Birmingham Arkansas April 16-17 TBD Little RockFlorida April 15-17 First Baptist Church Ft. MyersGeorgia March 5-6 Tabernacle Baptist Church CarrolltonKentucky May 21-22 Lexington Ave. Baptist Church Danville Missouri April 23-24 University Heights Church SpringfieldNorth Carolina March 19-20 First Baptist Church GreensboroNorth Central March 26-27 Montgomery Community Cincinnati, Ohio
Baptist ChurchNortheast May 7-8 TBD Manchester, N.H.Oklahoma April 16-17 TBD TBDSouth Carolina April 23-24 Boulevard Baptist Church AndersonTennessee April 23-24 Trinity Baptist Church CordovaVirginia March 12-13 Manassas Baptist Church ManassasWest March 18-20 TBD Denver, Colo.
For more information, contact your state/regional CBF office.
w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
Infrastructure Administrator BrianWickman are leading the Web redesignproject.
The site will also be much moreinteractive. From every page in thesite, a visitor will be able to respondto the Fellowship in one of four ways:Learn, Pray, Give and Serve. By click-ing on these links, a visitor can learnmore information about the topic inwhich they’re interested, find prayerconcerns on the topic, be able todonate online directly to that min-istry area or notify the Fellowship ofinterest in volunteering in that area.
“The stated purpose of our Website is to inform and involveFellowship Baptists in the life of thismovement,” Wallace says. “That goalfeeds naturally into CBF’s mission ofserving Christians and churches asthey discover and fulfill their God-given mission. This new site is greattool for achieving our mission.”
Educators Gatheringto Assist with Self-Care
THE FELLOWSHIP’S congrega-tional life office is sponsoring anannual gathering for Christian edu-cators March 1-3 at ProvidenceBaptist Church in Charleston, S.C.
With the theme “True Survivor IVBack to the Future: The Island ofSelf-Care,” the conference willinclude interactive discussion timesand provide resources and ideas forthe care of participants’ ministries.
Keynote speakers include DanBagby and Gina Schreck. Bagby, pro-fessor of pastoral counseling at BaptistTheological Seminary at Richmond, isa well-known Christian educator andauthor of six books. A minister for 26years and a pastoral counselor in avariety of settings, Bagby leads work-shops on pastoral care, marriage andfamily counseling, and crisis care. He
is a consultant to hospice programsand United Way agencies.
Gina Schreck is a member of theGreenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. She is a nationally-renowned self-esteem andrelationship expert. Schreck is thepresident of a learning anddevelopment company in Littleton,Colo., and the author of three books.Since 1995, she has presentedkeynotes and seminars toassociations and Fortune 500corporations on life balance,communication skills, negotiatingthrough conflict, increasing self-esteem and reducing stress.
Cost is $50 per participant.
For more information and lodging
options, contact Toni Draper at
[email protected] or (800) 352-8741.
News articles by CBF Communications
FELLOW
SHIP FARE
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MAKE PLANS NOW TO ATTEND the 2004
General Assembly in Birmingham, Ala., so
that you won’t miss informative and inter-
active workshops and worship events.
Highlights of upcoming workshops
include:
“A Celebration of Preaching” — Hear
three simultaneous workshops of CBF
pulpiteers.
“The Single Staff Pastor” — How to do
Christian education/church administration
and pastoring within a 24-hour period.
“Working with Multi-Generations in
Church” — Learn how to engage five
different adult generations positively for a
growing church.
“Missional Church” — Hear stories and
insights of how churches are being missional.
New to this year’s Assembly will be a vari-
ety of worship experiences offered during
workshops sessions on Friday and Saturday.
Congregational Leadership Institute
Craig Van Gelder, professor of congrega-
tional mission at Luther Seminary in St. Paul,
Minn., will be the keynote speaker for the
Congregational Leader-
ship Institute scheduled
for June 24. Van Gelder,
who previously served
for 10 years as profes-
sor of domestic missiol-
ogy at Calvin Theological
Seminary in Grand Rapids,
Mich., will lead this learning experience for
clergy and lay leaders.
More information about the institute
will be available in upcoming issues of
fellowship! newsletter.
Auxiliary Event
CBF Congregational Life, together with
Upper Room Ministries, invites General
Assembly participants to “Bountiful Feast:
A Spiritual Formation Network Dinner” on
June 23 at 6 p.m. This event prior to the
General Assembly features table conver-
sation, great food and music, and a
keynote address by Tilden Edwards,
founder of the Shalem Institute. For more
information, contact Eileen Campbell-
Reed at (615) 662-8699 or
Hotel Accommodations
Rooms for the Assembly are filling quick-
ly. No rooms are available at the host hotel
Sheraton Birmingham; however, there is
availability at other downtown locations.
Hotel reservations can be made online at
www.cbfonline.org/community/ga2004
or by filling out the form in the
September/October issue of fellowship!.
All requests for room reservations must
be made in writing or by the Internet.
Contact S Stewart & Associates at
(770) 619-9671 for more information.
For more information about the
Assembly, go online to
www.cbfonline.org/community/ga2004.
General Assembly 2004: Workshops, Auxiliary Events Provide Ministry Resources
Craig Van Gelder
P. O. Box 450329
Atlanta, GA 31145-0329
Address Service Requested
CBF Ministry Partners Join to SendMedical Supplies to North Korea
FIRST BAPT IST CHURCH of Dalton, Ga., is at the centerof a joint partnership with the Cooperative BaptistFellowship and other Baptist entities that has resulted inmuch-needed medicine and medical supplies being sent toNorth Korea.
Just how the coalition came together is a perfect exampleof the type of partnership ministrythe Fellowship strives to promoteamong its affiliated congregationsand individuals.
“We’ve got a local church part-nering with CBF, partnering withBaptist Medical/Dental Fellowship,partnering with CrossLink, partner-ing with the Baptist World Alliance —this is a model for ministry,” saysDrayton Sanders, retired physicianand member of First Baptist Churchof Dalton. “The result is that we’reshipping $100,000 worth of medi-cine. It’s marvelous.”
The medical shipment originatedfrom a friendship Sanders enjoys with fellow church memberand Dalton-area business owner Chang Yim. Through Yim, aSouth Korean native who co-owns a plant with the governmentin North Korea, Sanders learned of the overwhelming needs ofthe people in North Korea. Yim told him that there are physi-cians there, but the country is lacking in supplies and medicine.
Though the idea of helping the people of a countrylabeled as one of the “axis of evil” was not popularinitially, the people of First Baptist of Dalton respondedby contributing $5,000. The Fellowship added $10,000from emergency relief funds. The children of FirstBaptist, Dalton, gave 150 packages of bandages inorder to make a more personal connection with the
children of North Korea.Sanders also persuaded the Rotary Club of Dalton to con-
tribute $1,000 toward the effort, which was channeled throughthe Baptist Medical Dental Fellowship. Based in Memphis,Tenn., the BMDF is a fellowship of Baptist physicians anddentists who help meet health care needs and share the gospel
of Jesus Christ around the world.CrossLink International, an
internationally-recognized medi-cine-providing ministry that start-ed at Columbia Baptist Church,Falls Church, Va., is filling the orderfor North Korea.
“I think this was a marvelousidea,” says Linda Cook, executivedirector of CrossLink. “It’s the kindof thing we need to see more groupsdo. We need more people likeDrayton who realize what one personcan do with God’s grace and help.”
The coalition raised $18,500 andthrough gift-in-kind contributions
and discount pricing, about $100,000 of medicine andmedical supplies was secured.
“We’re hoping to start a dialogue, and we’d like to go toNorth Korea for a visit someday,” Sanders says. “I hope thiswill open the door to visit and make some relationships.”
The Fellowship continues to be responding to the needsof North Koreans. In February, the Fellowship and TexasBaptist Men both contributed $10,000 toward a $25,000purchase of food. The delivery was coordinated by theFellowship’s Asian Network Coordinator Yoo Jong Yoon,pastor of the Korean Glory Church in Dallas. f!
By Lance Wallace, CBF Communications
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Dalton First Baptist members Bridgette Poag andChang Yim congratulate the church’s children for col-lecting 150 packages of bandages for distribution toNorth Korean children.
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