February/March 2015

WhitesburgFEBRUARY/MARCH 2015

missions It’s a family thing Page 4

Students on mission 9

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WHITESBURGBAPTIST CHURCH

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

February/March 2015 | Whitesburg 1

2 the task By Dr. Jimmy Jackson

4 Missions: it’s a family thing By Andrew Spain

8 john 3:16 God’s Message in a Verse

10 encouragement from afar By Pam Brassart

13 Kid’s space Valentine’s Day Mad Libs

14 How going on mission has changed me By Blain Burgess

19 students on mission Stories from student mission trips

26 Becoming a hometown missionary By Betty Baker

InsideWhitesburg

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015

Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist ChurchEditor-in-Chief: Rev. David DyeGraphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron SnyderEditorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Katie O’Boyle

Subscribe!Receive Whitesburg magazine in your home or business by subscribing in one of these ways:

• Visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/subscribe.• Email your name and mailing address to [email protected].• Call the office at 256-704-5678, ext. 279.

WHITESBURGthe caring place

BAPTIST CHURCHWHITESBURG

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Page 10 Encouragment from afar

Page 19 students on mission

Page 4 Missions:it’s a family thing

2 whitesburgbaptist.org

Our theme for this edition of the Whitesburg magazine is missions. Would you be surprised that the words—mission, missions, and missionary—are not found anywhere in the Old or New Testaments in the sense that we use those terms?

Hold on! Before you think I have lost my mind (others have beat you in thinking that), let me assure you that the Doctrine of Christian Missions is inescapable in God’s Word. The Old Covenant with Israel called for God’s people to be a Kingdom

The Task by Dr. Jimmy Jackson


Dr. Jimmy Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL.

of Priests to spread the good news of God’s holiness, His love, and the coming of His Messiah. In the New Testament, we are told that God sent His Son Jesus into the world to “seek and save that which was lost.” Of course, that includes all of us. God’s motive in giving His one and only unique Son was His love for all of the people on the earth. Matthew 28:19 and Acts 1:8 record the words of Jesus to His disciples. This was the final point that the Lord made to His closest followers. It seems that He considered evangelism as the central reason for the lives of His followers. Evangelism and being on mission with and for Jesus Christ call for involvement all the way to the end of the age. The key meaning of “age” is “forever.” That would mean that the task of missions—the teaching of the Gospel and the making of disciples—did not end with the Apostles, but applies to all who are followers of Christ today. The church is on mission until Jesus declares that “time shall be

no more.” To advance the Kingdom of God is the command of Jesus to all and each of us. The “body of Christ,” the local church, is to carry out the will of its Head—Jesus. Why do we obey? Consider the words of our Savior: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) Why do we pray, go, send, give, and carry the burden for the billions of unsaved in our world? Because Jesus loves us, His sacrifice for us leaves us no other choice. Because Jesus works in and through us as members of His body, His constant presence in us gives us the heart of God for all who have yet to hear the good news. The task is real. In our own strength and resources, we can become overwhelmed and discouraged, but when we meditate on God’s great love for us and what joy He has in our salvation, how can we not have a burning in our soul to see Him save others.


God uses the family as an integral part of His plan for the salvation of man. Not only did God create the family in the very beginning as a reflection of His relationship with Jesus and the church, but He still uses it to share the Good News of His redemption with the world. My wife, Katie, and I have been on a combined 50 mission trips to share the Gospel. We both came from families with legacies of involvement in missions – from church programs that support missions, like Royal Ambassadors (RA) and Girls

in Action (GA), to short term mission trips and long term involvement in organizations like Life Action Ministries and WinShape Camps. God started a chain reaction in my family growing up that brought our involvement in missions to life. When I was young, I looked up to my older brother, Thomas, as he traveled with Dr. Dick Thomassian, whom we all know as Bro. Dick. I just couldn’t wait to go on a trip myself. When I finally was old enough and went for the first time, it changed my life and how

Missions: It’s a Family T hing By Andrew Spain


I used my time and resources. I wanted to go constantly. In the following years, I traveled with so many members of my family – siblings, parents, grandparents, extended family, and future family. It became a big part of our life, and it has made our relationships great. It was one of the chief ways that our family grew together in our service to God. Traveling for missions is one of my favorite ways to share the Gospel. God creates a family among the team that travels together, sharing experiences that are often once-in-a-lifetime. My fellow teammates share a special bond that lasts beyond the trip itself. God also creates a special spiritual fellowship between the mission team and the local believers we are going to support. This was especially clear when

I traveled to Ukraine two years in a row, working with the same believers. God laid a message on our host pastor’s heart that God had also revealed to me halfway around the world in the months leading up to the trip. He shared with our group how the people of Ukraine need God. Many there view religion as a crutch for the weak. From a worldly perspective, this is a negative thing. However, the wisdom of the Gospel shows that we are indeed weak and in need of our God, because He is able to hold us up. God was using His Spirit to teach us together as a family how to win the lost. The Gospel is about God adopting more children by redeeming the lost. There are inspiring numbers of people who respond to the Gospel on these trips, but there are two particular individuals who accepted Christ that always stick out in my mind. One young man in Belize was our driver for the week. I discovered a couple of days into the trip that he was not a believer in Christ. I immediately stopped to share the Gospel with him. He reluctantly participated in the conversation but within a couple of days he accepted Christ


Andrew Spain is a third generation member of Whitesburg Baptist Church and married his beautiful wife, Katie, in 2013. They are both graduates of Whitesburg Baptist Christian School and love children and missions.

along with many others we were witnessing to. While traveling home from one trip, I sat next to a man who was traveling to Alabama for work. After he fell asleep in his seat, God began tugging at my heart to witness to him. When I was finally obedient later in the flight, I woke him up and shared the Gospel. To my amazement, he was ready to accept Christ and did so before we landed! These were especially great victories, and they grew the family of God. What was special for me is that I was able to introduce this new believer to my own family in person, because

they were faithfully awaiting our return just past airport security. The arrival home is one of my favorite parts of a mission trip. An excited family welcome makes me feel like a hero and very loved. They want to hear about the trip and the impact it made, how others came into God’s family. It makes me hopeful that my arrival into heaven will be one of my favorite experiences in the life to come – the family of God welcoming me home for the last time, with those I’ve witnessed to lining the way sharing in our Master’s happiness.


John 3:16God’s Message in a VerseGod’s Love“For God so loved the world…” God’s love is so remarkable because He loves us not for who we are, but in spite of who we are. Harsh words, lies, selfishness—we are guilty of all of these and more. No matter what we’ve done, God still loves us. As sinners who have broken God’s commandments, we deserve His anger rather than his love. But God loves us so much that instead of turning His back on us, He turns His face toward us. Two thousand years ago, His love provided a gift only He could give.

God’s Gift“…that He gave His only begotten Son…” The gift is God’s Son—Jesus Christ. Because we have sinned, we deserve to die and be separated from God forever. The Bible identifies that place of separation as hell. But God gave His Son to take our punishment.

Begotten means “one of a kind.” Jesus Christ is God’s unique son. He is perfect. Christ is our substitute. On a cross two thousand years ago, He died for our sins. As God, He came back to life, proving He had conquered sin and death once and for all. Because the price for our sin has been paid, the way to God is clear and simple.

God’s Offer“…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus did not mean “whoever goes to church, is baptized, helps the poor, or tries to live a good life.” Whoever is not just the wealthy business person, the pastor at church, the volunteer at school, the alcoholic, or the struggling single parent—it’s every single one of us. The word believe means to “trust,” “depend,” or “rely on.” Knowing about Jesus is not enough. We have to place our trust in Jesus Christ alone to save us. That means we must trust Christ as our only way to heaven, the only way we can have a relationship with God.

Adapted from The Evangelism Bible®


Encouragement from Afar

By Pam Brassart


With a boost, I situated myself behind his hump, the only way to ride this Dromedary. No Christmas card Wise Men saddle – just a few blankets and knotted ropes. I wrapped my legs around the hump, pitching back precariously and suddenly forward as he stood up. Holding on for dear life, I understood why they called him Goliath. It was December 21st and we were embarking on a four hour camel ride in the Middle East – for fun! We had been serving with the International Mission Board for six months, far from

home and about to spend our first Christmas away from our families. A fellow worker approached Goliath and me, reaching up to hand me a piece of yellow cardstock. He said he thought I’d truly appreciate the card, since I was from Alabama. The cardstock, which bore a Christmas greeting and the words “We are praying or you” had traveled all the way from Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. Ten years before, we visited Whitesburg Baptist while passing through Huntsville,

The camel had beautiful eyes.

That’s whyI chose him.


but had no personal ties. My heart was touched and my spirit encouraged as I read the thoughtful message on that card. I paused, amazed, though I shouldn’t be, that a message from a church in my home state found me atop a giant camel in a dried up wadi halfway around the world – on December 21st, just before Christmas. Timely delivery of postal mail was rare. I had experienced a Christmas miracle. Encouragement “from home” keeps those serving in faraway places “up and running.” That card helped our family celebrate a Christmas that was bittersweet. It gave “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” I cherished the card and the prayers it represented.

Interestingly, a year later the Lord moved us to Madison and we joined Whitesburg Baptist Church. The mission connections of Whitesburg Baptist Church move beyond our two yearly mission offerings. Presently, four young ladies who participated in children’s and youth mission organizations now serve internationally: Ginny Lou Henley, Chelsea McLain, Laura Kay Richardson and Kelly Vance. If you would like information on how you can encourage these four young ladies as well as others serving both nationally and internationally, contact Beverly Dishman in our Global Missions Office, 256-704-5678, ext. 211.

Pam Brassart enjoys being a stay at home wife who doesn’t stay at home, traveling with her husband Jeff to visit their daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughter whenever possible.


KID’S SPACE

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times of year. We

made __________________ for our parents at school. I used

__________________ hearts, white __________________,

and lots of __________________ glitter on mine. I

worked very __________________ to make it just right.

I can’t wait to give it to my __________________! Then

we had our class Valentine’s Day __________________.

This year we had cupcakes with __________________

frosting and __________________ shaped cookies. After

that, we passed out our __________________. I got

__________________Valentines in my mailbox!

Valentine’s DayMad Libs

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number

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How Going On Mission Has Changed Me by Blain Burgess


If you had told me at 16 years of age, during a church training exercise on Sunday night as I was instructed to write down my life goals that 34 or so years later I would have traveled to Israel, England, and Russia on mission for Christ I would have thought you were crazy. As I have just passed another milestone in my

life, reflecting on how my life has changed in this process of going on mission, I‘m not the same person I was then or even when I went on my first mission in 1990 in the US. When you go on mission, you get to experience the presence of God in a new way. As Paul said in Ephesians 3:20 “Now to


Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us,” I have seen more than I ever thought I would have seen. My latest mission trip was to Russia for the Winter Olympics in 2014. I was able to share Christ with people from all walks of life: fishermen on the Black Sea, families and friends of Olympians from around the world, a US Olympic Ski team therapist, and a member of the Olympic Committee for Brazil in 2016 to name a few. I had the privilege of talking to people about Jesus on the train, ski lift, gondolas, and at McDonald’s. Once while I was waiting in

the only restaurant at the train station going to an Olympic venue, the people sitting at the next table engaged me in conversation because of an Olympic pin that I was wearing. Olympic pin trading is an effective way for me to converse and then to explain why I am there, and then give them a pamphlet with the gospel included in both English and Russian if they would take it as a gift for talking with me. Another opportunity came in a coffee shop when I met a former Auburn swimmer who is now one of the ticket brokers for the nation of Israel. I have always loved people, but have not always been an outgoing person. By going on these trips


and allowing God to change me through each experience, I have now become that outgoing person I always desired to be. He has made me and gifted me for such a time as this to use pin trading and casual conversation to open a door for Him to work in the world around me. Even when I travel for personal business, I look for ways to talk to people about Christ and what He has done for me. It has just become part of the natural process of my life now.

I realized when Christ changes your life, you will look for ways to tell others about the work He has done. As Paul also said in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For you are saved by grace, through faith, and this is not from yourselves: it is God’s gift - not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”

Blain Burgess is from Lawton, Oklahoma and has been a member of Whitesburg since 1987. Blain’s hobbies include college and professional football. He loves to travel and meet people and make new friends whenever and wherever he can.


WILD GAME TASTING

VENDORS

DOOR PRIZES

LIVE MUSIC

Adult tickets $12 ($15 on March 5)Kids 10 & under $6 ($8 on March 5)

Tickets available in the ROC office at the Whitesburg South Campus, 7300 Whitesburg Drive.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015 Begins at 4:30 pm at the

Whitesburg South Campus7300 Whitesburg Drive

OUTDOORW H I T E S B U R G B A P T I S T

Randy HowellEvent Speaker


Students on Mission


Each year our High School student choir, Resolved Student Choir, takes the week of Spring Break to go on a mission tour. While this is a long-standing tradition at Whitesburg Baptist Church, it is one that has seen significant changes in the last few years. While previously the focus of the trip was on singing opportunities with some fun activities thrown in for good measure, today this has become an all out missions tour with the opportunities to sing and lead others in worship balanced well with opportunities to serve and meet needs both physical and spiritual. In recent years our students have completed a coastal tour

(visiting three cities along the Atlantic coast), as well as spent weeks in Atlanta, New York, Minneapolis and many other cities across the nation. For many of these students this tour becomes the birthplace of a life spent pursuing opportunities to serve God both at home and around the world. Below are some of the responses we received to the questions: What is your favorite mission tour memory? And, what mission tour means to me.

Justin Hereford, 12th Grade Mission Tour is a time of ministering to a broken world. There are so many people out there who still need to hear about Jesus and


mission tour is a chance for us to tell those people about that Good News.

Sarah Cox, 11th Grade Tour is a time to take all of the songs and dramas you’ve learned and share them with others. It is a great opportunity to minister and witness to others. Not only was I able to minister to others but I grew closer to the Lord on the trip as well. It was also just a wonderful time of worship.

Laura Cook, 11th Grade In New York, we went around and invited people to our concert, prayed for homes, and prayed for people we met. It surprised me how many people were open

to us praying for them. After we walked away from them you could see a different expression on their faces. Even if they didn’t come to our concert, we could see that we had planted a seed.

Caroline Swann, 10th Grade Choir tour means a time when all of us students come together, we get to know each other better while we are strengthening our walk with the Lord and telling other about the awesomeness of Jesus.

Kristen Denman, 12th Grade Every year I look forward to choir tour all year long. I love going to new places with other students to sing and share the love of Jesus!


Hallie Lang, 12th Grade It gives us the opportunity to serve the Lord and other communities in the world and it’s a blessing.

Helena Bandy, 12th Grade Choir tour is a time to worship the Lord, minister to those who are lost, help those who are in need, grow closer together as a choir, visit new places, meet new people, and be a light to the world.

Jenna Baldwin, 9th Grade When in Memphis we went to this

organization and helped clean up outside. I would say it really humbled me.

Jackson Dennis, 12th Grade Going out into the world and serving others in various ways so they can see Jesus in our actions.

Austin Pugh, 12th Grade My favorite tour memory is running under the highways in Atlanta to give away sandwiches and share the gospel with the homeless there.


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I have always enjoyed helping others, even as a young girl . . . and even at times when my help was not wanted! I was saved at a young age, but it wasn’t until much later that I understood that we are all given one or more spiritual gifts. I came to understand that my gift is serving others.

In time, though, I realized that all the help I wanted to give so freely was not always given in the right spirit. It was given at times because I wanted to please others, I wanted to be involved, or I just wanted to do it my way. It is wonderful to help people and to give to people, but it is important as Christians that

Becoming a Hometown Missionary by Betty Baker


in helping and giving we do it for the glory of God and not for ourselves. Matthew 20:28 says: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” I realized that Jesus gave us the example of how we are to serve - with humility. Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” In 1994, my husband (Jack) and I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Brazil. That was my first mission trip, and I really felt called to go and take part. As I prepared for the Brazil trip and began to study and memorize the required

scriptures, God began to convict me of things that I needed to deal with in my own life, such as some of my attitudes and the fact that this was God’s mission and it was going to happen with or without my help. The Brazil mission trip was truly wonderful and a blessing, and opened my eyes to serving God and being on a mission both with God and for God. After the mission trip to Brazil, my desire to serve others continued. It was not always easy for Jack and me to go on mission trips due to our work schedules, but we were able to serve in the Bus Ministry (a great local mission field) and other ministries closer to home. When I retired I knew I really wanted to increase my service to others, although I was not sure of where or how. Pastor John Crocker started leading mission trips to Williamsburg, Kentucky, and I was immediately interested in serving as part of the team. I have now been on many mission trips to Williamsburg and am passionate about this mission. But after going to Kentucky, I began to think about Huntsville, Alabama. The conditions I saw in Kentucky I also saw locally. I began to pray and ask God


where He would have me serve. I like what Dr. Henry Blackaby teaches in Experiencing God: Find out what God is doing and join Him. I was attending a mission council meeting one Sunday afternoon and the need for a Hometown Mission Coordinator was mentioned. I asked what being the Hometown Mission Coordinator entailed, but I knew that God was saying, “You’ve been asking what you

could do and where to serve. This is where.” We have a multitude of excellent opportunities for hometown mission service right here in Huntsville, Alabama. Many are listed on our church website. There are many wonderful people already serving our hometown, but there is always a place for others with a heart for hometown missions.

Betty Baker loves missions. She and her husband, Jack, love to travel, love to fish, and love retirement which enables them to volunteer more with CAJA (Court Appointed Juvenile Advocate).


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February/March 2015

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