Deputation - Baptist Bible Tribune

TRIBUNEB A P T I S T B I B L EJANUARY 2010 | VOL. 60 NO. 5 | $1.95THE JOURNEY TOBECOMING AMISSIONARYINSIDEFEBRUARY 2010 BBFI MEETING INFO p.8WITH GOOD REASON: APOLOGETICS p.9BAPTIST HISTORY: DON ESPINOSA p.24

DIVE RIGHT INfor an exciting,life-changingadventure!VBS 2010• Easy-to-Use• Evangelistic• Fun & Creative• Bible-Centeredwww.rbpVBS.org

O n t h e T a b l eA non-extrememakeovereaders will notice a slightly different look in the TribuneR this month. The pages are wider. There are some layoutand design changes. A few of the columns and ads have beenshifted, but nothing here could be considered an extrememakeover. It’s more a matter of redecorating than remodeling.More important is what we did not change. Our commitmentto communicate the heart and vision of this Fellowshipremains unaltered. In fact, with the New Year, I amdetermined to make the Tribune more useful and helpful toour Fellowship than ever. To that end, be looking for regularcolumns from pastor evangelist Tom Wagoner this comingyear on the subject of revival. Also, this issue carries the firstin a series of articles about apologetics. I call the series “WithGood Reason,” and each month this year a practical essay ondefending the faith will be offered.Of course, our mission remains the same. We will tellthe good news of what God is doing among the preachers andchurches of the Fellowship. We will stand for the Articles ofthe Faith of the Fellowship. We will promote biblical valueswherever we find them, both in and out of the Fellowship,and we will publish in such a way that others are encouragedto read over our shoulders. And we will honor our past, thisyear being our 60th as a Fellowship, but we will not enshrinethe past, preferring to spend more time looking out the windshieldin the front rather than the rearview mirror. The windshieldis, after all, much larger than the mirror for a reason.Speaking of honoring the past, two Fellowship heroeswere called to glory in the days just prior to our deadline. Weordinarily publish shorter notices in such cases, but ThomasRay, author of our Baptist History series, had providentiallywritten an article about BBFI missionary Don Espinosa a fewmonths ago, and with Don’s passing it seemed appropriatethat I publish Tom’s article. Likewise, when I heard of thehomegoing of Curtis Goldman, I pulled up an article I hadwritten about him in 2002 hoping to shorten it, but Mr. Goldmancould barely be contained in a book, let alone a few lines.So I offer the reprinted article with some appropriate edits.With this issue then, we begin a new year with a newlook. It is my hope and prayer that for our Fellowship and forthe Tribune, 2010 is a year of revival, a year of prosperity, anda year of countless spiritual victories. May we anticipate thesethings with good reason.January 2010Vol. 60 No. 5With Good ReasonApologetics as a tool for every ChristianJ. Curtis Goldman: One-of-a-Kind PastorA heart for souls drove this soldier-turned-preacherGlobal Partners: Becoming a BBFI MissionaryFrom answering the call to arriving on the fieldAPOLOGETICS91214Also in this issueBBFI Departments 4Digressions - News and views 6February 2010 National Fellowship Meeting Info 8Baptist History - Don Espinosa: 1934-2009 24Urban Current - Love in Any Language 25School News 26Fellowship News 27AfterWords - I'm here to interview for The Biggest Loser 38The Baptist Bible Tribune (ISSN 0745-5836) is publishedmonthly, except for a combined July/August issue,by the BBFI, 720 E. Kearney, Springfield, Missouri65803. Periodical class postage paid at Springfield,Missouri, and additional entry offices.Executive Editor: Keith BasshamAssistant Editor: Rob WalkerDirector of Office Services: Karri Joy PerryEmail address: editors@tribune.orgWeb site address: www.tribune.orgSUBSCRIPTION RATES: Individual subscriptionsare $15 per year anywhere in the U.S.; $20per year in foreign countries. Postmaster send addresschanges to: Baptist Bible Tribune, P. O. Box309, Springfield, Missouri 65801, 417-831-3996,fax 417-831-1470.By-lined opinions expressed in the Baptist BibleTribune are those of the authors and not necessarilythose of the editorial staff or the BaptistBible Fellowship.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 3

a r o u n d t h e b a p t i s t b i b l e f e l l o w s h i p i n t e r n a t i o n a lp r e s i d e n t i a l p e r s p e c t i v eRevival requiresunityw o r l d w i d e m i s s i o n sInternational GlobalMeeting 2011by Mark Hodges | President | BBFISixty years ago, a group of Baptists came together to form a fellowshipof pastors known today as the Baptist Bible Fellowship.This Fellowship has been successful in training young people for theministry, starting churches across America, and sending missionariesaround the world. Godly men banded together to make a differenceto a lost world that was lacking unity and integrity.This is to be “The Year of Revival” for our Fellowship. One ofthe key elements to revival in our Fellowship is a walk in unity —unity in doctrinal purity, unity in personal godliness, and unity inour divine purpose. Unity, not uniformity or unanimity. By unity, Imean a oneness of heart on our doctrinal position and our direction(purpose) of this Fellowship.Most are familiar with the book by Alexandre Dumas, TheThree Musketeers. The heroes of that story had as their motto “Allfor one and one for all.” The Apostle Paul challenged the church atEphesus to adopt a similar motto. Ephesians 4:1-7 says, “I therefore,the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocationwherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, withlongsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keepthe unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and oneSpirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, onefaith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, andthrough all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given graceaccording to the measure of the gift of Christ.”The Lord provides us with seven great possessions for unity:one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,one God and Father. Did you notice that everything is about Him?When our lives, our desires, our will, and our interests stop beingabout Him and start to focus on us, we are headed for trouble!I believe Satan's strategy to defeat the church is to divide andconquer. And if he can defeat our churches, he will defeat our Fellowship.Satan's method is deception and destruction. He wants todeceive us so that he might divide us and, therefore, destroy us.On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just73 seconds into its flight. The disaster was ultimately blamed on oneinexpensive O-ring. Records reveal the space shuttle comprised onemillion components, yet it took just one to destroy the whole. In ourFellowship and in our churches, Satan is working to find that onewhom he can destroy. That is why Paul tells us to exercise the rightwalk, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearingone another in love…” and the right work, “Endeavouring to keepthe unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”Sixty years old now, this great Baptist movement can unite ascomrades to be a tremendous testimony to the world. “All for oneand one for all.”by Jon Konnerup | Mission Directorwas visiting with Jun Lumagbas in a Starbucks in Cebu, Philippines.Jun is the associate pastor of Bible Baptist Church — Cebu.IWhen I shared an idea I had been praying about, he said he hadbeen thinking the same thing. The idea was to have an internationalglobal meeting outside the United States organized cooperativelyby U.S. and international Baptist Bible Fellowship leaders.While visiting our missionaries and national leaders aroundthe world, this same desire to be truly “international” has beenexpressed. So I brought this idea to the leaders of the BBFI-USA andthey also expressed excitement for a meeting where we celebratewhat God has done around the world for nearly 60 years — but thistime outside the U.S.We have established a planning committee of internationalleaders and set the meeting in Cebu, Philippines, for February 21-24,2011. Cebu is right for many reasons. The missionary effort of theFilipino churches has been amazing. One of our great missionaries,Bob Hughes, ministered in Cebu where a thriving church continuesunder the leadership of Armie Jesalva. They are well able to hostsuch a meeting and many missionaries and churches in the Philippineswould be able to participate. Transportation to and in Cebu isaccessible. The cost for accommodations is very reasonable.Excitement is already growing in many countries as they lookforward to attending this historic meeting. We anticipate pastors,missionaries, and national leaders from the USA, Africa, LatinAmerica, Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, Australia, and the MiddleEast to be in attendance to celebrate God’s work through the BBFI.Churches in America are already talking about sending theirpastor and his wife. Others are planning to send the entire staff, andsome plan to make it a mission trip for their church. Wouldn’t it begreat if every state would send their chairman or national director?Some suggest that states raise funds to send a national pastor fromanother part of the world. For that national pastor to meet otherpastors in various countries with ties back to the BBFI would givehim the understanding that he is part of something greater. What ajoy it will be to see and meet missionaries who can trace their faithto early BBFI missionaries sent from the USA.Our desire is to see the nations rejoice for God’s glorious gift —Jesus Christ. We want to celebrate and praise God for what He hasdone over the past 60 years and renew our vision for the future withthe intent of coordinating our efforts from every nation to reach outto all the people of the world with the gospel.The Mission Office will set up travel packages from severallocations in the USA. Accommodations are being reserved at thistime in Cebu. Costs will be provided as soon as we can get some confirmations.Plan now for Cebu, Philippines, in February 21-24, 2011!4 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

c h u r c h p l a n t i n gSearcy highlightsBoston "Ignite" foruma r e v i v a l m o m e n tRevival in theProvidence of Godby Wayne Guinn | Director | NCPOhat a great Ignite Church Planting Forum we had at BostonW Baptist College on November 16-17! We would like to thankDave Melton, Ken Gillming, Randy Ward, and all the students andstaff for being great hosts for our two-day event. We also appreciateGrace Snavely and the college ensemble for their special music.Ryan Bevin, who pastors Lighthouse Baptist Church in Chillicothe,Ohio, got us off to a great start, bringing a tremendous challengeto start new churches. Ryan shared his journey of how Godused him to start his church and his continued endeavor. He wasalso a part of our breakout sessions along with Duke Hergatt, RobWillis, Keith Gillming, Terry Kizer, Tim Robertson, and Matt andStacy Burns. We appreciate all of those who took of their time andmoney to be a part of the success of our Ignite Church PlantingForums.The highlight of our Forum was hearing from Nelson Searcy,author, pastor, speaker, and church planter. Nelson pastors TheJourney in Manhattan, New York. They now have several other locationsaround New York City as well. He was able to share a threehourinteractive workshop with 40 to 50 pastors and staff on theeight church systems he has developed and is now writing booksabout. Even in three hours, Nelson wasn’t able to cover everythinghe wanted to. However, those attending received great information.Nelson also handed out copies of his books to those who didn’talready have one and offered several free resources that would besent via email. He then had the opportunity to speak to the studentson Tuesday morning, giving them a brief testimony about how hestarted The Journey and what is happening with the work now. Hewrapped everything up by bringing a challenge and call for commitmentto church planting.If you would like to hear some of the sessions of our IgniteChurch Planting Forums, you can listen to the podcasts on our websiteat www.bbfincpo.com.We also want to make you aware of two events coming up.Please do everything you can to attend the February NationalMeeting in Savannah, Georgia. We thank the Baptist Bible Tribuneand Keith Bassham for allowing us to use this meeting to focus onchurch planting. It is our goal to get as many of our church plantersthere as possible. You won’t want to miss being there February 15–17.Our next Church Planting Candidate School will be held atCanyon Creek Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas in conjunctionwith the Texas State Fellowship Meeting and Conference April 19–23. We will give more information about both of these events duringthat week as they become available. If you know of anyone that isinterested in planting a church or getting ready to, please have themcontact the NCPO at (417) 889-1017 or office@bbfincpo.com.by Tom Wagoner | Pastor | Central Baptist Church | Dunn, NCn the last three Baptist Bible Fellowship gatherings that I haveI been a part of, I have noticed that the meetings have turned tothe subject of revival again and again. I have felt the heartbeat ofour pastors as well as our leadership, in particular our current president,Mark Hodges, who has announced “Revival” to be the themefor 2010. It really appears that in the providence of God, the winds ofrevival are beginning to blow — not only in our churches, but alsoacross our nation in various movements.My personal pilgrimage in search of revival began in the February2009 National Meeting when much was said about our need asa Fellowship to seek God’s presence and His glory. The Lord startedspeaking to me personally, so I began reading anything I couldfind on the subject and praying specifically for revival. A few weekslater, a close friend, Jack Lemmons, who is the pastor of McLeansvilleBaptist Church, sent me the biography Manley Beasley: Manof Faith/Instrument of Revival. This book so stirred my heart thatI shared it with a few men in our Fellowship. No matter where Ihave been for the last few months, I have found that it has spreadthrough several of our states.Manley’s story is an interesting one. His heart and his passionwere for revival and a life of faith. He, along with James A. Stewart,Bill Stafford, and others established what they called an “InternationalCongress on Revival” that gathered for the purpose of seekingGod’s face. They brought together revivalists from all over the worldas well as people who were experiencing revival personally. Therewas preaching and music, but most of the time was spent seekingthe Lord and speaking of revival.As a result of that book and the moving of the Spirit in my life,the Lord began to stir my heart to begin transitioning a camp meetingthat I lead in the mountains of North Carolina from just a historiccamp meeting to a “Southern Congress on Revival.” I announcedit to the camp meeting on the week of July 4th. While there, an olderman of God that I love and respect deeply, Billy Martin from WinstonSalem, taught each morning on the subject of revival. He saidthat the three things that have always preceded revival were prayer,preaching, and the providence of God. The first two did not surpriseme. When he spoke of providence, it was a stark reminder that wedo not have revival when we desire or prepare for it, but insteadwhen God deems that it is time for an individual, church or movementto experience genuine revival.Revival is defined many different ways. I will elaborate on thissubject in future columns, but I will offer this definition now: Revivalis an extraordinary move of the Holy Spirit producing an extraordinarywork of God among His people where Jesus Christ is glorifiedand magnified in an extraordinary way.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 5

DigressionsDigressions incontestibly are the sunshine; they are the life, the soul of reading.-Laurence SterneMusic ministry is a high stress jobOf the 15 most overworked and underpaid professionsout there, church music ministry ratesnumber five, according to PayScale.comYou may not think of people who plan, direct,and conduct performances for religious services asbeing under a particularly high amount of stress.But they also choose the appropriate psalm orhymn for every wedding and funeral — only someof the most important events in a family's life. Andthose stressful situations can create some demandingclients."Every now and then you'll get a strangerequest," said Dan Fenn, Music Ministry Directorat St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minnesota."A couple of years ago I got a request toplay the Beer Barrel Polka at a funeral. You haveto ask yourself, is this appropriate for a worshipservice?"How Payscale.com defined high stress and lowpay jobs: Starting from a database of over 2000jobs, Payscale used data from over 36,000 respondentswho ranked their jobs for quality of life factors,and chose those requiring a bachelor's degreeor higher where the national median pay is lessthan $65,000. The survey was conducted betweenAugust 10, 2009 and October 1, 2009.Source: CNNMoney.com and PayScale.comMegachurch-goers younger, give lessThe average age of megachurch-goersis 40, compared with nearly 53 at atypical Protestant church. Nearly twothirdsof megachurch attendees areyounger than 45, double the numbers inProtestant congregations of all sizes. Thevast majority are 18 to 44.• Nearly a third of megachurch attendeesare single, compared with 10percent in a typical Protestant church.They also tend to be wealthier and bettereducated.• Sixty-two percent of megachurchattendees said they had experiencedGolfing pastors thenew eco-terrorists?Now that researchers at theDanish Golf Union have discoveredthat golf balls may takefrom 100 to 1,000 years to decomposenaturally, concern hasbeen expressed regarding thepotential hazards to the environment.Overtime, chemicalsandmetals fromthe ballsleach intowater andsoil and canhave harmfuleffectson plant andanimal life.In response, several golf ballmanufacturers have introducedbiodegradable balls so golferscan enjoy environment-friendlyhooks, slices, and shanks.Source: CNN.com (Submitted byreader Bill Kolb, O'Fallon, MO)much spiritual growth in the past year.But nearly 45 percent never volunteer atthe church and 32 percent give little orno money to the congregation. The studydid not include comparable data on volunteerrates at churches of all sizes."The ethos of the megachurch is tosay 'You can't just sit there and spectate,that's not enough, you've got to do thisor do that,'" said study co-director ScottThumma, a sociologist at the Hartfordinstitute. "But a lot of people said, 'I'mperfectly happy coming here and doingthat.'"Social media trends:Reaching people faster38 yearsAmount of time it took forradio to reach 50 millionlisteners13 yearsAmount of time it took forterrestrial TV to reach 50million viewers.4 yearsAmount of time it took forthe Internet to reach 50million users.9 monthsAmount of time it took forFacebook to add 100 millionusers. If Facebook were acountry, it currently would bethe fourth most populatedplace in the world. Thismeans it easily beats thelikes of Brazil, Russia, andJapan in terms of size.Source: Econsultancy.comDivided loyalties also might play arole: Just three-quarters described themegachurch they were attending as their"home" church, and many said they wereattending more than one church.Thumma said the findings don't necessarilymean that megachurches don'tfoster involvement. The study found thatsignificant numbers of even the leastinvolvedparticipants still give generously,have invited others to church, and attendservices weekly.Source: Hartford Institute for Religion Research atHartford Seminary and Leadership Network6 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

RE: FWD: Beware Hoax Emails!!!ome Baptist Bible Fellowship pastors haveS been receiving hoax emails, purportedly frommissionaries who find themselves stuck in someoverseas situation or emergency. BBFI pastorsare a generous lot with missionaries, and if theamount requested is not too large, or if the situationdescribed seems plausible, they are quick torespond.However, at least two preachers acquaintedwith the Tribune, after receivingsuch an email, contactedthe BBFI Mission Office, onlyto discover the missionarywas not only not in anytrouble, but he was safe andbusy on the field — not insome far off country or in ahospital.Hoaxes, scams, and viruses are a part ofemail life. Do what you can to protect yourselfelectronically, but more than anything else, usecommon sense. It takes just a moment to contactthe missionary or the Mission Office to confirmthe truth.I discourage friends from forwarding emailsto me, regardless of the hilarity of the joke orthe depth of the need contained within. I alsoadvise people not to pass emails around whenthey contain many names in the To: field. Everytime someone does that with a forwarded email,thousands of strangers gain access to your emailinformation and that of your friends and family— and now they all know you enjoy receivingforwarded hoaxes, scams, and jokes.50 years ago...in the Baptist Bible TribuneThe TribuneStory appeared in the January 15, 1960 edition of the Tribune.Praying through the Tribune for January• Pray for the families of thepastors who have passed on toglory.• Pray for unity among thepreachers and churches of theFellowship.• Pray for revival among thepreachers and churches of theFellowship.• Pray for the planning of theinternational fellowship meetingin the Philippines.• Pray for church planters youmay know.• Pray for those who work inthe National Church PlantingOffice.• Pray for musicians and musicministers in your church.• Pray for the BBFI National FellowshipMeeting in Savannah.• Pray that God would use youto help open someone’s heartto Him.• Pray for missionaries who arein preparation.• Pray for those who work inthe BBFI Mission Office.• Pray for missionaries newly arrivedon the field.• Pray for those who work forGod in the inner cities.• Pray for the students in ourBible colleges.• Pray for those entering retirement,that they would continueto be productive for God.• Pray for those who ministerto strengthen marriages andfamilies.• Pray for Bible Baptist Churchin Galveston, as they continueto rebuild.• Pray for those struggling withweight and other health issues,that their lives would testify tothe power of God.• Pray for the Tribune staffand the annual offering to bereceived in February.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 7

SavannahG E O R G I ABBFI National Fellowship Meeting ■ February 14-17Bible Baptist Church | Pastor Herb Hubbard | Savannah, GA | www.bbsav.orgGuest SpeakersPaul MonroeMorris BrownMark HodgesWilliam FlukerRick JohnsonDuke HergattJoe MurrayPhil HopperJayson WorkmanMonty MapleArchie EmersonJim CombsCharles PetittBill MonroeIn the last nine years, it has been our privilege to be the host church for threeNational Meetings. The meeting this February is one we look toward to with much excitement.As one who has been deeply involved in our NCPO efforts, what joy it is that ouremphasis will be upon church planting! Many testimonies will be shared and men whohave started works will be preaching for us. Of course, mix all that with the beauty ofSavannah at springtime, with our parks, great southern food, and hospitality and youcome up with a formula for a wonderful time together. My church is excited and we lookforward to demonstrating again southern hospitality. God bless and we look forward toseeing you in February.Host HotelSavannah Marriott specialrate of $119100 General McIntosh Blvd.Savannah, GA 31401Phone: (912) 233-7722www.marriott.com/savrfReservation Link: standardroom Bible Baptist Fellowship(800) 285-0633Other HotelsHampton Inn & Suites Savannah/Midtown(brand new) $99plus tax per nightRate includes complimentarycontinental breakfast for up totwo guests per room20 Johnston StreetSavannah, GA 31405(912) 721-3700(800) 426-7866(use property code SAVMD)www.hamptoninn.hilton.comSpring Hill Suites (Marriott)special BBFI rate $79 untilJanuary 1611317 Abercorn StreetSavannah, GA 31419(912) 920-3787www.marriott.com/savshSpringHill Suites SavannahDowntown/Historic District$119150 Montgomery StreetSavannah, GA 31401Phone: (912) 629-5300Fax: (912) 629-5301www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/savhd-springhill-suitessavannah-downtown-historicdistrictFor those who would like tostay on the beach you can checkout www.tybeevisit.comHerb and Shirley HubbardBeach Hotels - about 35minutes from Bible BaptistChurch, 20 minutes fromdowntownOcean Plaza Beach Resort /$89 ocean front, $69 pool side15th Street & Ocean FrontTybee Island, GA 31328Phone: (912) 786-7777www.oceanplaza.comDesoto Beach Hotel / GrandDeluxe $116.95, Premier$89.95, Standard $69.95212 Butler AvenueTybee Island, GA 31328Phone: (912) 786-4542Toll-Free: (877) 786-4542www.desotobeachhotel.comSpecial EventsThursday Feb. 18, 2010Savannah Trolley TourLeaves the church at 9:00a. m. and includes a guidedtour of Savannah, lunch atLady and Sons, and returnsto the church by 12:30.Total cost: $37 per person.Reservations must be madein advance of BBFI meetingGolf TournamentBenefits go to the BBFINational Church PlantingOffice8 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

With Good ReasonBumper stickers, athiests, and little old ladiesby Keith BasshamGod said it. I believe it. That settles it.Nice sentiment, no? Not exactly a Hallmarkmoment, but I’ve heard it quoted(both in and out of the pulpit) and I'veseen it on enough car bumpers. Someone musthave thought it was finally worth answering, becausethe atheist equivalent showed up on busesin England earlier this year (“There's probablyno God,” the advertisements say. “Now stop worryingand enjoy your life.”), and in Seattle thispast month (“Yes, Virginia, there is no God.”).And that is what passes for defending thefaith, or defending the non-faith in the first decadeof the 21st century. Somehow, I don’t thinkthis graffiti-like repartee is the serious mentaland spiritual engagement Paul had in mind inActs 17:16-18:Now while Paul waited for them [friendsSilas and Timothy] at Athens, his spirit wasstirred in him, when he saw the city whollygiven to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in thesynagogue with the Jews, and with the devoutpersons, and in the market daily with themthat met with him. Then certain philosophersof the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks,encountered him. And some said, What willthis babbler say? other some, He seemeth tobe a setter forth of strange gods: because hepreached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.Nor does it look like Peter’s optimistic visionin 1 Peter 3:15:But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to everyman that asketh you a reason of the hopethat is in you with meekness and fear:In one sense, the bus signage is a brilliantcomeback. For instance, the bumper stickerbegins with, “God said it,” and the bus signsays, “You can stop reading there. There is noGod to say anything,” so the rest is pretty muchmoot. But the atheists have at least done meone favor — they have shown me where to starta series of essays on apologetics, defending theChristian faith.What is apologetics?The word apologetics comes from theGreek word apologia, used by Peter andtranslated by the word “answer” in the passagequoted above, and also used by Paul in Acts 22:1(“hear ye my defence”) and Philippians 1:17 (“Iam set for the defence of the gospel”).A simple definition is the one alluded to.The dictionary definition will use formal language,of course, but it boils down to some typeof defense of what you and I believe about Godand Christianity. A shorter description is, inPeter’s language, giving a reason for your (andour) hope.John M. Frame expands on that a bit andsays apologetics has three divisions:Proof – giving a rational basis for faith.Defense – answering the objections ofJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 9

unbelievers.Offense – exposing the foolishness ofunbelieving thought.Frame also says that these divisions areso interrelated that to do one completely, youhave to be doing the other two as well. But weare still not to the “how-to” stage, so I will leavethe statement on the shelf and come back to itlater.What is apologetics not?A couple of other things have to be takencare of here. For instance, what is apologeticsnot? It goes without saying that it is not apologizingfor the faith. We are not sorry for believingin God, or Jesus, or eternity. We defendthese beliefs, along with others, and we are notwilling to give them up, let alone apologize forthem. That is unfortunately not true for somein Christendom who have given up defendingthe faith in favor of making it more tolerable.You may be familiar with ChristopherHitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How ReligionPoisons Everything (2007). Known severalyears ago as a columnist and news commentator,he is better known now as a representativeof aggressive atheism, and in that role he frequentlydebates representatives of Christianity.In an October column for Slate.com, Hitchensdescribes some things he has observed on thedebate circuit. Read his comments about anopponent he simply calls Wilson.“Wilson isn't one of those evasive Christianswho mumble apologetically about howsome of the Bible stories are really just ‘metaphors.’He is willing to maintain very staunchlythat Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and thathis sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which inturn is the outcome of our rebellion againstGod. He doesn't waffle when asked why Godallows so much evil and suffering — of coursehe ‘allows’ it since it is the inescapable state ofrebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerityto the vague and Python-esque witteringsof the interfaith and ecumenical groups whobarely respect their own traditions and who lookupon faith as just another word for communityorganizing.” (Faith No More, October 26, 2009,www.slate.com)Even Hitchens knows the differencebetween apologetics and apologizing, and herespects a firm defense.Apologetics is also not just adopting aMy goal is not to proveskilled debater or thatmany facts at my fingedemonstrate that Chriscrafty debating style. The goal of apologetics isnot winning debate points. I admire great debaters,and I sometimes wish I had their skills;apologetics is not just about winning arguments.There is a relational component. Peter’squoted phrase begins with, “Sanctify the LordGod in your hearts.” The American StandardVersion translates the phrase, “sanctify in yourhearts Christ as Lord.” There is the startingpoint for apologetics rightly done. My goal isnot to prove I am a skilled debater or that I havemany facts at my fingertips, but to demonstratethat Christ is Lord.Nor does apologetics replace faith withproof. Rather it is more about removingroadblocks to faith so that the unbeliever mayrespond to the gospel. One who comes to Godmust believe that He is (Hebrews 11:6).Let me show you a Bible example ofhow faith and facts can work together. In theChristmas nativity story, we read in Luke 2 ofthe birth of Jesus Christ. Sprinkled throughoutthe story are various facts (it is interestingthat Luke takes pains at the beginning of hisGospel to tell us how he gathered these facts)about the community and politics of the time.We read of the decree of Caesar Augustus, theadministration of a man named Cyrenius, andsome calendar information. However, merelybelieving Jesus was born at a place and timein history is not enough for salvation to occur.John tells us God became flesh (John 1:1, 14),and Luke tells us when and where. Thus wehave secular truth and spiritual truth workingas partners, and that is a form of apologetics.Near the end of the Gospels, you are alsopresented with similar “secular” markers placedin the resurrection stories. What the Bible issaying to us by including this information isthat Christianity is not like some mysterious,esoteric cult with made up “facts” only theinitiated insiders fully understand (the Romanworld had plenty of those, by the way), butChristian and non-Christian alike can checkout the story, and an honest person will haveenough information to judge its credibility.Who needs Apologetics?Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminary saysat least three kinds of people need apologetics:anyone who is concerned about evangelizingthe lost, anyone who is concerned that professingChristians not abandon faith, and anyonewho is concerned about growing spiritually. Heis right.Apologetics and evangelism go hand inhand. In one sense, apologetics is not optional,or just for scholars, theologians, preachers, orevangelists, or the advanced Christian. For Paulin Athens (Acts 17, one of the most importantsections of the New Testament concerningapologetics) apologetics is simply teachingabout God the Creator and the resurrectedChrist. These concepts are essential to Christianknowledge, but they are not complicated.Granted, people sometimes throw up artificialroadblocks that the ordinary Christian may nothave solutions for (spurious questions aboutsupposed contradictions in the Bible or “whatifs”), but many do have serious questions aboutChristian beliefs that don’t sound quite right tothem. They deserve serious responses. That ispart of what Peter has in mind when he urgesus to have a good answer when people ask10 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

I am aI havertips, but tot is Lord.about our hope. A testimony of a life changedor of a need met, coupled with an intelligentanswer to a question, is a powerful witness.For instance, Christians are sometimesstymied when someone asserts there is no universalmoral law. This type of objection is morecommon these days with the prominence of thedebates about abortion and homosexuality. Theargument goes, “Who is to say something isright or wrong? What is wrong for you may beright for someone else.” And if there is no universalmoral law, then there cannot be only one“right” God or only one “right” way to believe.The truth is, everyone believes in someuniversal moral law. Chuck Colson, I believe,used to use an example about coming upon alittle old lady crossing a street. The questionis, “Do you help her across the street, or do youpush her out in front of a bus?” If only one ofthe options is correct, why is that so? How didthat “truth” get into us?Keep in mind, this example makes a point,but it doesn’t lead a person to faith. Apologeticsis best used like a recipe, with the ingredientsgathered in advance, and then mixedtogether gradually. And do not believe youare under pressure to make a convert. God’sSpirit and God’s Word does that (Romans 1:16).However, your sensible and logical responseto a question may be all that is necessary for aperson to become open to the Lord. Blombergreminds us that “God’s Spirit does not workin a vacuum,” and God uses people to bringpeople to Himself.Apologetics is also part of the solutionto people abandoning faith, an especiallyacute situation among our youth. Steve Wright,in ReThink, speaks of students who, “when theygraduate, they graduate from God,… We havemore workers, more activities, larger budgets,more staff, larger buildings, and still morestudents leaving the church and abandoningtheir faith.”Blomberg asserts, “In adolescence, manyfall away from the faith of their parents becauseno one is able to give convincing answersto their hard questions. Students go off touniversities and discover a whole new worldin the academic study of religion. When theirchurches back home show no interest in thisworld or are unable to reply, many give up onthe church.” Liberals and atheists often startout in conservative or fundamentalist churches,where “God said it, and I believe it,” is the beginningand ending of settled truth.What could happen if students in ourchurches were exposed to smart, thoughtfuldefenders of the faith from our colleges andseminaries, ready to answer the hard questions?Or think of the difference a pastor couldmake with a few sermons a year addressing thesame issues. Replace the bumper sticker theologicalslogans with well-thought-out responsesour youth can use in the lunchroom and onthe sports field. Don’t allow the teachers inthe classroom to become the sole authority onorigins and philosophy of life — give the kidsa viable alternative so their minds are guardedbeforehand.And those concerned with their ownspirituality need apologetics. Blombergsays, “Tragedies in the present have a way ofobliterating good feelings about God's presencein the past. Unless we have logical, rationalarguments for the truth of our faith on whichReplace the bumper stickerwe can fall back when our emotions betray us,we too will be tempted to ‘hang it all up.’ Or atbest, we will backslide rather than grow in ourwalk with God.”Apologetics is a way of telling the truthabout God. The dark prognosis, the emergencycall in the middle of the night, the death ofa child, or a community-wide disaster couldhappen to any or all of us, and in the presenceof such a formidable rock-face, bumper-stickerthinking is no comfort. In a foreshadow ofthe text from 1 Peter, Isaiah 8:13 speaks to us,“Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and letHim be your fear, and let Him be your dread,”that is, with an accurate view of God, He seemsvery big, and everything else seems very small.People armed ahead of time with a large viewof God, along with a sense of His plan and purpose,and filled with the hope of glory placedin the heart, will be more ready to stand in theface of personal tragedy. Apologetics, centeredas it is on the truth of God, creation, and resurrection,allows people to declare, “We have notfollowed cunningly devised fables when wemade known to you the coming of our LordJesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:16).So what is apologetics? It is an answer to aquestion and a defense of your faith. And whoneeds apologetics? We all do, to be effective inevangelism, to prevent our youth and othersfrom abandoning the faith, and to face badtimes with confidence in the one true God.This is the first article in the Tribune series,"With Good Reason", essays on the subject ofapologetics. Topics will help answer questionsabout God, Jesus, science, Truth, other religions,suffering, and other subjects.theological slogans with well-thoughtoutresponses our youth can use inthe lunchroom and on the sports field.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 11

J. Curtis Goldman: One-of-a-kind pastor by Keith BasshamFrom the Baptist Bible Tribune, February 15, 2002J. Curtis Goldman claimed that had he beenborn February 12, he would have been namedAbraham, after the 16th president of the UnitedStates. And had he been born the 14th, hewould have to bear the name Valentine. As itwas, he was born to John and Stella GoldmanFebruary 13, 1923, in San Angelo, Texas. The J isjust an initial, nothing more.John Goldman was what Curtis called a“weekend drunk,” and he was unfaithful to hiswife. Though Stella was a Christian, she hadlong given up hope that John would ever besaved. Curtis would ride his bicycle aroundtown looking for him on weekends. He actuallysaw his father with another woman one Sundayafternoon in 1938. Curtis’ love for his daddied that day. That love would be rekindledyears later, after Curtis was saved in 1945. JohnGoldman would himself be saved in 1948.By the time of the Second World War,Curtis had graduated from Tyler Junior College.After graduation, he enlisted in the Army AirCorps, volunteering as a combat glider pilot in1942. One event in his training shows some ofhis character.In the final phase of his training inOkmulgee, Oklahoma, after which he wouldreceive his commission, Goldman was instructedby his check pilot to hold his two-seaterTaylorcraft at 500 feet. The check pilot theninstructed Goldman to do a two-turn spin tothe left. Goldman said such a maneuver wasagainst regulations because the plane was toolow. The check pilot insisted he make the spin,taking full responsibility. Goldman says, “Ithrottled back as I pulled the nose up, kickingthe left rudder, causing the plane to come outof the stall into a spin. The ground was comingup quick, and as I held [the aircraft] in untilthe full two turns were completed, the checkpilot literally yelled for me to turn loose of thecontrols.”The check pilot took the controls andsafely landed the plane. Goldman knew hewould be among the 50 percent of his classwho washed out for doing such a stupid stunt.“Get out of the plane,” the check pilotsaid. Goldman’s heart sank. He thought hehad washed out. And then the instructor said,“You’re okay, kid. You passed with flying colors.”Goldman was speechless. The check pilotwent on, “All we are checking you glider pilotsfor is guts. Had you not completed the full twoturns, I would have washed you out!”Goldman received his wings in December1943. Although officially the G on his winginsignia stood for “glider,” Goldman and his fellowpilots said it stood for “guts.”Goldman participated in airborne invasionsof France, Holland, and Germany, as wellas resupply and evacuation missions all overEurope during the war. In July 1945, he returnedfrom Europe, planning to reenter the conflictin the Pacific after 90 days of furlough. Duringthat furlough the atomic bomb was dropped onNagasaki and Hiroshima, ending the war andCurtis Goldman’s military career.A friend, Clyde Davenport, arranged adouble date for Curtis and Katherine RuthAven in September 1945. When Clyde and hisdate got out of the car to enter a honky-tonk,Katherine remained in her seat. She refused togo in with Curtis because she was a Christian.No amount of persuasion would change hermind, so the foursome went skating. Or, atleast, Curtis tried skating. On the way home,Curtis told Katherine they would marry. Whenhe asked her for another date, she suggestedthey all go to Central Baptist Church the nextSunday evening.John Rawlings was preaching. Curtis washostile during and after church. He made ascene during the altar call when his friendClyde was responding to the invitation. Hecursed the preacher on his way out of the building.Poor Katherine decided to get some thingsunderstood. If she was to continue seeingCurtis, he had to agree to straighten up, and forthem to date during the week, Curtis must attendchurch with her every Sunday night. In hiswords, Curtis was trapped.Aware that Christians ought not to marryunbelievers, Katherine and her mother hadmade a pact that the couple would marry onlyif Curtis was saved before Christmas, about fourmonths away.The Sunday before Christmas, JohnRawlings was closing the service. Katherine wasplanning how she would return Curtis’ ring,praying for the strength and courage to end therelationship. Rawlings said, “I believe someoneis here tonight who should accept Jesus Christas your personal Savior. Who is it? Is it you?”Curtis knew he was the one with the need.Rawlings continued, “If it is you, will you,right now, by faith, receive Jesus Christ intoyour heart as your very own Savior and Lord?”Curtis responded from his heart, “Yes sir,I will.”J. Curtis Goldman had become a Christianjust a few days before Christmas. AndKatherine knew that she would soon beMrs. Katherine Ruth Goldman.Curtis and Katherine were marriedMarch 28, 1946. She introduced her new husbandto Christian basics, like praying beforemeals and tithing. He responded slowly andskeptically, but he came to enjoy his new life.In June, he thought perhaps the Lord might becalling him to preach.Curtis hated the idea of speaking inpublic. He had earlier attempted a course inpublic speaking. After less than two weeks, hisprofessor encouraged him to drop out, callinghim a hopeless case. Besides, Curtis also knewpreachers didn’t make much money.Finally, after months of struggling with thedecision, he surrendered to the call in March1947. The next day he quit his college classesand placed an ad in the local newspapers:Young preacher has never preached asermon, but wants to get started. Phone CurtisGoldman #5867.The next Saturday, March 8, the pastorof Central Baptist Church in nearby Lindalecalled. He asked Curtis if the ad was serious orjust a prank. After being assured the ad was aserious offer, the pastor engaged Curtis to fillhis pulpit the next day since he had to be awayfor a revival meeting and his supply preacherwas in the hospital.One of his hearers compared Curtis’preaching to that of Sam Jones. He was invitedback a couple of weeks later, but this time wasdifferent. The music service was short and uninspiring.Curtis tried to preach, but after about10 minutes he just dismissed the crowd. Whenhe came back for the evening service, he hardlyexpected anyone to show up. To his surprise,the church was packed. He preached, and sev-12 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

eral people were saved.Goldman enrolled in Bible BaptistSeminary of Fort Worth in the fall of 1947,studying under the faculty headed by J. FrankNorris and Louis Entzminger. In December1949, his pastor, John Rawlings, took him toCenter, Texas, where Central Baptist Churchwas seeking a pastor. The church calledGoldman and he fully plunged into the work,“having the time of his life,” as he puts it.School was put on hold, and itwould be almost 50 years beforeCurtis Goldman would receive hisdegree in theology.The church grew from about20 to over 200 in attendance overthe next 18 months. Near the endof May 1950, Goldman and hischurch raised a special offering of$100 for Bible Baptist Seminary. Thechurch’s treasurer, however, did notknow how to spell the word “seminary”so he left the payee line blankon the check, just filling in theamount. When Goldman arrived inFort Worth, the now famous split in the WorldFundamental Baptist Missionary Fellowshipwas underway. By Wednesday, May 24, theBaptist Bible Fellowship had been formed,along with Baptist Bible College and the BaptistBible Tribune. In the formational meeting,after the motion was made to begin BaptistBible College, Goldman seconded the motionand gave his check for $100, filling in the words“Baptist Bible College” on the blank line.One year later, in May 1951, Goldmanresigned the pulpit of Central Baptist Church,not knowing where he would go. He attendedthe first BBF meeting in New Mexico, hostedby church planter Howard Ingram in Roswell,New Mexico. Paul Morgan of Calvary BaptistChurch in Chickasha needed a preacher to fillin for him the next Sunday. Morgan was leavingChickasha to begin a church in San Antonio.Goldman preached a revival meetingin the church the next week, after which thecongregation called him as pastor. There was asmall split in the church within a short time ofhis moving to Chickasha, but the following twoyears saw growth, with an average attendanceof nearly 300 when he resigned in 1953. Again,Curtis did not know where God would lead.Two churches, Southwest Baptist Churchof Denison, Texas, and later Tabernacle BaptistChurch in Altus, Oklahoma, voted 100 percentin each congregation to call him as pastorduring the summer of 1953, but he hadno peace about those opportunities. Earlier,Howard Ingram had asked him about going toAlbuquerque to start a church, but the matterwas dropped, for Ingram at least. The thoughtof going to Albuquerque, though, grabbedGoldman’s heart. Albuquerque was why he hadturned down the other churches.In September 1953, Curtis and Katharineand their family moved to New Mexicoand began the Temple Baptist Church ofAlbuquerque. His dream was to build a churchwith 1,000 in attendance.The church organized officiallyOctober 18, 1953, with 17 members. The firstorder of business was to call Curtis Goldmanas pastor. His greatest hope, in fact, was tocontinue as pastor of the church until October2003. If Goldman accomplished this, he wouldoccupy a unique place as a founder and pastorof a church for 50 years.The second order of business was to secureproperty and to begin construction. Goldmanacquired several lots, and after some initialsetbacks, began building. One year later, over200 people packed out the small building.More plans and more construction followed.In 1956, after dozens of people had been savedweek after week, the church reached a recordattendance of more than 600. By 1983, after 30years, the church had gone through 10 separatebuilding programs, given over $2 millionto missions, established a Christian schoolwith 200 students, recorded more than 9,000conversions, and boasted an average Sundayschool attendance of over 1,000. On one specialSunday in the 1970s, 2,584 attended services atTemple Baptist Church.In the spring 1998, Curtis Goldman wentback to school. Baptist Bible College’s oldestunderclassman was a great hit among thestudent body. In May, after finishing requirementsfor the Graduate of Theology diploma,he walked the platform at graduation to the applauseand delight of all attending the ceremony.Upon receiving his diploma, however, hewas greeted with another document. The ceremonypaused as Curtis Goldmanwas presented an honorary doctorate.The unique surprise was fittingfor such an unusual preacher.Curtis Goldman’s ministrywas not without its bumps. Severalchurch splits occurred at TempleBaptist. He had been an outspokenleader in the Baptist BibleFellowship International, takingcontroversial positions on a varietyof issues. He “filibustered” one nationalfellowship business meeting,threatening to read through theBible beginning at Genesis 1:1, andholding the floor until the president agreed tolet him speak to an issue fully. At the end of thediscussion, Goldman’s motion was approvedby a great majority of the pastors voting. Hispersistence had won the day.Curtis Goldman remained devoted to hisfamily. He considered his greatest achievement(in partnership with Katherine) a family thatserved God. His children, Joe Goldman, SueGarard, and Kristy Haas, are all actively servingthe Lord.He will be known for his soul-winningzeal, his “straight shooting” manner, and hissometimes outrageous sense of humor. Onething is certain: he was never ignored.Curtis Goldman, US military veteran and BBFIpastor, passed from this life December 3, 2009.His son-in-law, Allen Garard, officiated a privatememorial service December 7, after whichGoldman was buried with full military honorsat Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas.His book, Silent Warrior, is available from 21stcenturypress.comand Amazon.com. For moreinformation about obtaining Curtis Goldman'sbooks and productions, contact the MustardSeed Foundation (suegarard@aol.com).January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 13

globalpartnersA Special Feature of the BBFI Mission OfficeJanuary 2010 EditionThe Journey to Becoming a Missionaryof the Baptist Bible Fellowship InternationalBy James G. Smith | BBFI Associate Mission DirectorSome of our earliest childhood memorieshave to do with playing games. From thestart of the game when we choose the colorof our token, through the progression of thegame, to the final satisfaction of the endaccomplishment, we have a simpleillustration of real life. Let’s usethat illustration to show thejourney to becoming an effectiveBBFI missionary!The evangelization ofthe world and the fulfillmentof the Great Commissionhas been the heart of Godand His people since the timeof Christ. Since the Holy Spiritcame to indwell believers on theDay of Pentecost, His purpose has been toempower believers to bear witness of the lightof the gospel. Our job, as believers connectedto that power, has always been to share theGood News.For fifty-nine and a half years, pastorsof the Baptist Bible Fellowship Internationalhave been approving missionaries sent outby local Baptist churches to go to peoplegroups around the world. Some of the detailsin that approval process have changed overtime, but the basic system has remainedintact. This concept of local churches sendingmissionaries to make disciples and establishlocal churches in other parts of the world andamong people different from themselves goesall the way back to Acts 13.According to the U. S. Center for WorldMission, there are approximately 16,000different major people groups in the world. Ofthis number, 6,880 are considered unreachedor least reached.Wycliffe Bible Translators defines apeople group as, “A large sociological groupof individuals who see themselves as having acommon affinity with one another. From theviewpoint of missions, a people group is thelargest possible group within which thegospel can be spread without encounteringbarriers of understanding oracceptance.”The churches of the BaptistBible Fellowship Internationaltake seriously the responsibilityto plant indigenous churchesamong all those people groups.It is imperative that our churchesbe sensitive to the Lord’s leadingin the lives of the followers of Christ inour care. Global Partners wants to encourageyoung people to obey the will of the Lord, preparefor His service in a cross-cultural context,go through the steps delineated in these nextfew pages, and become part of our great teamof interdependent missionaries identified withthe Baptist Bible Fellowship International.We are virtuously proud of the servantleadersthat God has saved, placed within ourchurches, and then called to take the GoodNews far away. We have asked some of them,including missionaries from different continentsand different generational perspectives,to share their experiences in the process ofbecoming BBFI missionaries. Hopefully you willenjoy the very personal aspect of each stepand will find this an interesting mix.Also, consider your personal participation.Every game has spectators and cheerleaders.Most games have commentators and critics. Iknow for sure that every game needs participants.Consider your part. Get in the game!STA14 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010global partners 14

RTCan You Hear Me Now?By Keith & Debbie Gandy, GermanyPaul Marcelli is theNew York actor thatpersonifies the 50 Verizonemployees who each drive100,000-plus miles annually totest the reliability of the Verizon network.Has the actor and the marketingemphasis brought the desired dividendsin a highly competitive market? From2002 to 2004, Marcelli and his well-placedads were able to not only gain market share,but reduce customer turnover. In the world ofbalance sheets, that is a good thing.As children of God, the question we constantlypose is, “Can I hear Him now?”Theologians will argue concerning the validity ofa biblical calling — is it a command or a call? Doonly vocational workers receive such a call? Inessence, that is the thrust of Gary Friessen’shelpful, albeit controversial, 1980 volumeDecision Making and The Will of God.Friessen would argue that there is nospecific will of God for the individualbeliever, but rather the exercising ofwisdom, based upon the guidelinesof what scripture indicates.Nonetheless, there arestrong examples of specifictask-oriented men whoanswering the biblical question. It simply indicatesthat my identity in Christ is momentarilylocked in a specific direction.As a 17-year-old whose life was not inany fashion Christ-centered, the abductionand subsequent murder of a work colleagueshocked me and caused me to question whereher soul resided in eternity. I had never sharedthe gospel with her and that burdens me tothis day. Over the following months, I wrestledwith whether I would put Christ first in my lifefor the first time. I eventually surrendered myheart to Him, never wanting another friend toenter eternity without at least having heard anexplanation of the good news of Jesus Christ.Within a few short weeks of that decision,I sensed a burning desire to eat sauerkraut.Well, maybe not! I did have a desire to ministeramong Germans, a people and culture not yetmine. Unexplainable? Well, maybe.Psalm 37:4 records: “Delight thyself alsoin the Lord, and he shall give thee the desiresof thine heart.” That is not a new age guaranteethat if you generate happiness in Jesus, allyour Disney fantasies will somehow be cosmicallyfulfilled. It indicates something even betreceiveda clear indication of what their ministry wasto entail, and to whom it would be:Jonah – not to the people of Tarshish,who also needed the gospel, but rather tothe inhabitants of Ninevah.Jeremiah – the prophet called fromthe womb who could not voluntarilylay down his assignment due to hisdeep-seated passion, even whenhe experienced pain as a resultof executing that calling.Barnabas and Saul –specifically separated for thetask of reaching out crossculturally.Pastors – Ephesians 4:11seems to indicate that God will givespecifically gifted men to mature thebody.While theologians wrestle with thescriptural principles, I personally sense a specificcommand tied to a specific people group:Germans. This does not mean that the subjective,pragmatic experience of one person will inany manner provide a convincing argument towards15 global partnersJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 15

BBFI Mission office special featurecontinueter. When Jesus becomes the absolute focalpoint of your heart, you can be assured thatthe desires you carry were planted by Him.Can it be that a person who has dealtwith Jesus becoming the Lord in his orher life will come to a place whereJesus plants His direction and will?That is what this Psalm seems toindicate.Does that constitute a call?Is that only restricted to full-timevocational Christian workers?Does that specifically indicate thedetails and duration of the calling?Once again, there appears to be roomin that passage to indicate a leading ofChrist, and that it will be individually tailored.It is wise to filter the dreams of a 17-yearoldwhose life has been turned upside downfrom the emotions and shock of tragiccircumstances. At the very least, in the caseof this missionary/church planter, hundredsof Germans will line up and state that they arethankful that someone cared enough, thatsomeone had the passion to go, and someonehad the passion to sacrificeand send.Additionally, followingJesus is notfor the faint-hearted.Alan Redpath,the English writer,is famous for thewords: “When Godwants to do somethingimpossible, hetakes an impossibleperson and crushes him.”Pain, even deep pain of the soul, will causeany person to question whether running isthe best answer. However, that “calling,” thatdeep-seated assurance that their personalidentity is tied to ministry that brings pain, iswhat allows the soul to push through the foguntil clarity returns.It is my strong impression that thereare people who will experience a Psalm 37:4desire that cannot be explained away or denied.That passion must find expression. In myestimation, that meets the criteria of what inpractical circles would entail a “calling.”Even as theologians continue to debatethe biblical basis of a “calling,” even as we cannotagree on the biblical definition and applicationof the concept, we must agree that thereis a need and those with the skill-set must goand be sent.Somehow you read the pages of the Gospelsand Acts and hear the voice of the Saviorasking clearly, “Can you hear me now?”Advance toPREPARATIONPreparation atBaptist Bible CollegeBy Jesse & Glenna Parnell, UruguayWhen I received the call to be a missionary,I was 14 years old and wasattending the church where I had given my lifeto Christ the year before. Over the next coupleof years, I began to grow in the Lord. I metmy future wife, Glenna, at our church youthmeetings and we began dating. We shared acall and leading to the ministry, so when wewere married, we decided to go to Springfield,Missouri, on our honeymoon to visit BaptistBible College.While there, we monitored a church historyclass. I should have chosen any class butthat one because I didn’t have a clue what wasgoing on, and I left thinking there was no way Icould pass that class. I don’t know if it was thatexperience or something else, but we decidedto stay at our local church and not go to BBCat that time.16 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010global partners 16In March 1976, an evangelist came toour church and the Lordused his preaching tobring me to a very importantconclusionin my life. I realizedI had been calledto the missionfield but wasn’tmoving toward thefulfillment of thatcall. That night I toldGlenna I planned to be inBible college by September. In May,I accompanied my pastor to the fellowshipmeeting at BBC and began making arrangementsto start school.The professors at BBC were both spiritualand practical, giving us a good education andpreparation for the mission field. MissionaryElmer Deal was teaching missions during thattime and his passion showed as he sharedmany of his experiences on the field. Therewas great emphasis placed on our spiritualwalk with the Lord. I especially rememberthe special “lectures week” each semester.I always looked forward to them withmuch anticipation. The chapel speakerswere often pastors who challengedus to go forward.We had gone to BBC to getthe preparation necessary tobe missionaries and move on tothe next step. We were given theprivilege of returning to our homechurch in Odessa, Texas, to do ourinternship. During the eight years aftersurrendering to be a missionary, I had theopportunity to come in contact with many differentmissionaries and mission groups. Wedecided that the BBFI had the best missionprogram and there was no doubt that wewanted to be BBFI missionaries. In May 1980,we were approved as BBFI missionaries to thecountry of Uruguay.Advance toINTERNSHIP

BBFI Mission office special featureInternship is NecessaryBy Jason & Nadia Kratochvil, NicaraguaWhen I look back at when my wife and Igraduated from Baptist Bible College,our minds were full of great information wehad received from our studies, and we wereconfident that it would aid us in reaching Nicaraguafor Christ. There was just one problem:we were so green! The grandeur of walking inthe footsteps of great missionaries such asHudson Taylor and Fred Donnelson filled oureyes, yet we were still crawling, lacking thepractical experience needed to take those firstbig steps.A short time after graduation, we werecontacted by Edgewood Baptist Church inRock Island, Illinois, where Mel Brown is pastor.They asked if we would be interested intheir mission’s internship program ¬— which ofcourse we were. After a weekend interview, wewere brought on staff.The next two years developed into anintense practical training program thatprepared and equipped us to face ministryand life experiences that we could never haveexpected. We were trained and then given theliberty to apply that training in areas such aspreaching, officiating marriages and funerals,starting new ministries, counseling, dealingwith issues and problems both within familiesand the church, church administration,music, and children’s ministries.One aspect of our internshipfor which I will be eternally gratefulis that the focus was notonly on the “ministry.” A greatportion was also focused onunderstanding and developingourselves so that we could dothe work God called us to domore efficiently and with excellence.Great priority was given tostrengthening our marriage, which isvital as missionaries going to a foreign country.Each of the three pastors on staff gave uspersonal time each week to focus on buildingus in different areas of life and ministry.As a missionary now living in Nicaragua, Ican honestly say that without the training thatwe received at Edgewood Baptist Church, wewould have been severely handicapped as missionariesin our first few years here. We havegrown and learned many new things, yet weare constantly using techniques and applyingprinciples that we developed during our internshipat Edgewood. While the culture in Nicaraguais different, the principles are the same. Iwill forever be grateful to Pastors Mel Brown,Tim Green, and Ed Kuriscak for their investmentin our lives and ministry.The internship program atEdgewood was both thehardest and most fulfillingexperience we hadfaced up to that pointin our lives, and it notonly pushed us but italso enriched us andenabled us to serve theLord in ways that we hadnot considered before. In myopinion, an internship is not onlyimportant but necessary for every missionarygoing to another country for the first time. Ibelieve it could mean the difference betweensuccess and failure in those first few years onthe field.Advance toAPPLICATIONGreetings fromSpringfield, MOThe Application ProcessBy Sally Gritts, BBFI Mission Officewas seven years old as II watched my parents be approvedin 1982 as BaptistBible Fellowship Internationalmissionaries. Whilesitting with my grandparentsin the W. E. DowellFieldhouse, I was taking it allin and thinking how excitingit all was. We, as a family, weregoing to England to tell peopleabout Jesus! At that time, I had no ideaI would eventually be so personally involvedwith the process that brought my parents tothat point in their lives. Twenty years later,I went through a similar process and wasrecognized as a TEAM missionary toEngland while my parents sat onthe stage behind me. Today,I am still involved in thisprocess as I’m now partof the team who helpsprospective missionariesnavigate the route to approvalor recognition.A prospective missionary’sfirst contact withthe Mission Office is usuallya nervous phone call or email tothe new candidates office. We make every effortto help them feel at ease and answer anyquestions they may have. When they are readyto make an application, we ask that they do soadvance one17 global partnersJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 17

continueDeputation:Obstacle or Ministry?By Eric & Amanda Shadle, EthiopiaOur family was approved as BBFI missionariesto Ethiopia in September 2006. Likemost missionaries, we traveled the UnitedStates presenting our ministry to differentchurches, groups, and families.We learned very quickly that deputationis unique for every family. Some missionariesmay take longer getting to the field thanby either sending us an email or letter. Receiptof this prompts us to send out an applicationpacket, which outlines the necessary paperwork.In addition to the application, we ask forpersonal testimonies, a belief statement, collegetranscripts, and recommendations fromthe sending church, internship church, andother pastors. A physical must be submittedand some medical history paperwork mustbe completed. A background and credit checkis conducted on each applicant and spouse.Candidates have approximately 12 weeks tocomplete the paperwork and medical tests.Providing all internship, educational, and applicationrequirements have been met, a missionarycandidate is presented to the pastors onthe Mission Committee and then to the entireFellowship for approval/recognition.Candidate school is the final piece of theprocess. Each year, candidate school is held inJuly at the Mission Office. Career missionariesattend two weeks: the first week in the yearBBFI Mission office special featureothers. This may require them to make morecalls to pastors and to present their ministryin more churches. God may want to grow onemissionary family in a different way than another.It was good in those times for our familyto remember that God has a different plan andpurpose for each family raising support fortheir area of service. We were remindednot to compare our support level or ourdeputation time with others, but to acknowledgethat we were right on thethey are approved and the second week thefollowing year. TEAM missionaries attend oneweek in the year they are recognized. This isan intense time of learning for the missionary.Areas addressed include spiritual, relational,and practical aspects, as well as MissionOffice procedures. The subjects coveredencompass a vast range, from budgeting andsafety in a different country to keeping one’sspiritual life active and what to expect whenvisiting a church.I really enjoy working with new missionariesand am looking forward to the upcomingapprovals and recognitions in May. In additionto helping many great new candidates, I willhave the opportunity to take my little brotherand his wife through the process!Advance toDEPUTATIONtimeline God had for us in getting to Ethiopia.Some may have the idea of deputationbeing an obstacle to be overcome so thatreal ministry can start. Our family traveled forseveral years presenting the field of Ethiopia.It was important in those times to rememberthat ministry for our “deputation family”was already taking place.We tried to focus onbeing a blessing tothe next pastorand the nextcongregationknowing thatthis was at theheart of ministry.The goalwas not to justreach Ethiopia, butto love God and thosewe would be presenting our fieldto in a unique way. This helped usto see each pastor, church, andindividual as an opportunity forservice while we made our way toEthiopia.Our deputation experienceallowed us to meet pastorsand churches all over America.Spending time with these churchesand seeing their sacrifice formissions has changed our family.Their support is not just about financesbut attached to it are realpeople and memories from ourtime spent with them. A strongerfaith and having the privilege ofwatching God make a smoothpath for our family are some ofthe blessings. Watching Him providein very personal ways, andhearing how He was working inthe lives of those in the churchesleft a permanent impact. Deputationprovided the opportunity formany different areas of growth totake place in our family’s life andultimately to further prepare usfor our field of service.Advance toATTITUDECHECKglobal partners 1818 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

BBFI Mission office special featureAttitude MattersBy Beau & Valerie Moore, PortugalOver the past year I have often thought, “EveryChristian should spend a few years of his life ondeputation.” This is a completely different tune fromwhat I was singing at the start of our travels. I thoughtto myself, “What an ineffective system we have forgetting missionaries to their countries. In the timethat I am wasting here in the States, I could be on themission field seeing souls saved.” Over the past twoyears, God has taught me that I needed to experiencea few things in order to make it on the mission field.Most missionaries’ first experience is financial. Ileft my six-figure income and began collecting $400per month from my sending church with taxes andhealth insurance far exceeding that amount. I wasshocked to find that our expenses actually increasedwhen we became missionaries as gas reached $4.76per gallon and a Motel 6 charged over $100 pernight as we traveled the New England states. Deputationput us in a position to experience God’s provisionas only one can on deputation! We have a wealth ofexperiences concerning God’s faithfulness in provisionto recall during those tough financial times once wereach Portugal. The more financial burdens we facedas God stretched our faith, the more we trusted Himto provide.As we both quit our full-time jobs and sold oursecond car, we didn’t realize just how much time thatmeant we would spend together. We have traveledover 100,000 miles, bought 14 new tires, and couldwrite a book of humorous RV stories. This new “withyou-24-hours-per-day”schedule was challenging foronly a short time until we both quickly realized thatthere were moments that we were each other’s onlysource of encouragement. We had better get ourattitudes straight if we wanted to have a single friendin the world! During the lonely times of deputation, aspouse becomes a lifesaver.Our attitudes began changing about deputationas we started treating it as our current ministryinstead of something we had to endure to start our“real ministry.” Early on we had a bad experience witha church that promised support and reimbursementof our travel expenses (of which we received neither).Through that, God taught us that deputation was notabout us. We realized that God was the One openingthe doors to the particular churches we were in andthere was a purpose for each and every one. If weweren’t going to receive support, maybe a particularchurch member needed to be exposed to our burdenso God could call him to be a missionary. Maybe wewere there because the pastor needed a listening earand a source of encouragement during a difficult pointin his ministry. Maybe we were there to witness a particularministry idea to add to our list of “definitely dothis” or “definitely don’t do that.” Instead of expectingto receive from a church, we expected to contribute.It was just an added bonus when we were blessed inreturn, and we very often were.In two years, we have visited almost 150 churches.About half have taken us on for support, and weare so thrilled to be leaving for a European countryafter only two years of deputation. We give God all ofthe glory, of course, but we have had two little secretsto our ministry to which we attribute our success.The first was a weekly email we called the“Tuesday Newsday.” We made it a mission to find afew prayer warriors in every church, to present themwith our most pressing prayer requests, and to keepthe members plugged into our ministry with these updates.This list had grown to over 700 people prayingfor us every Tuesday, and we know that it is throughtheir prayers that God has worked so many miraclesin our lives.Our second secret has been our two beagles thathave made themselves memorable in many churchesby appearing on our prayer card and in the “TuesdayNewsday,” and by meeting the kids after services.Paisley even has her own supporting church as onepastor made sure we knew their church was taking uson because of the dogs! Ofcourse our beagles havenow taken the backburner to our beautifullittle three-montholddaughter, Avery.Our last deputationprayer letterwas sent just daysbefore we left for Portugal.In it, we reflectedover the past two years ofdeputation. We ended the letter with,“…the blessings of deputation have far outweighed theburdens. Overall we have had a wonderful experience.We recognize how valuable these life lessons will beonce we reach the field. What a great training groundfor exercising faith in your Christian life.” Deputationhas been essential in confirming our commitment toour call and increasing our burden for Portugal. Weare so glad we had the opportunity!Advance toLANGUAGESTUDY19 global partnersJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 19

BBFI Mission office special featurecontinueImportance of LanguageLearningBy Georgia Webb, Mexicomissionary candidate once asked me, “DoA you know of any successful missionarywho did not have much language aptitude?”My answer was “Yes, I have known some, butall of them had done their best to learn thelanguage.” I have never known one successfulmissionary who did not work at learning thelanguage.Another missionary candidate told mefrankly that he had no intention of learning thelanguage, that he planned to use an interpreter.He soon went back to the United States.It is possible to be fluent in the languageand to fail as a missionary, or to be deficient inthe language and succeed in the work, but I donot believe the latter will be true if the missionarydoes not do all he can since acquiring thelanguage is of paramount importance!It is my opinion, based on 61 years ofobservation, that failure to acquire a workingknowledge of the language is the number onecause of missionary casualties. This is sometimestrue even when it is not the expressedcause. It may be the underlying cause evenwhen the missionary says, and most likelysincerely believes, that he is leaving the fieldfor other reasons.The real reason may simply be that thismissionary is unhappy. Without the language,there can be no cultural adaptation. Oncea new missionary gets over the excitementof being where the Lord has called him tominister and a certain fascination with all thatis new and different, a sense of loneliness andhomesickness sets in. This is natural and willgo away as the missionary learnsenough of the new languageto be able to participatein the life of the country.But if there is nolanguage learning,there is no culturaladaptation, and themissionary has nolife outside of his familyand other Englishspeakingforeigners. Hethen becomes unhappyand leaves the field.Then too, not knowing the languageresults in much frustration in the ministry.How can you lead someone to the Lord if youcan’t speak his or her language? How can youcounsel effectively through an interpreter? Iwas told of a missionary who in a large evangelisticmeeting told the audience through aninterpreter that if anyone would like to knowmore to call and talk to him. Someone in theaudience responded, “How can we? You can’tunderstand us.”Preaching or teaching through an interpreteris usually very unsatisfying, no matterhow good the interpreter is. In the earlydays of the work in Mexico, G. BeauchampVick, who was noted for hisvery eloquent messages, cameto Mexico and preached inour churches. His interpreter,missionary ‘Big Jim’ Smith, toldhim, “Keep it simple, Dr. Vick,because no matter how muchsteak you put into it, when I finishwith it, it will be hamburger meat!”In these days of a global econ-The Best ToolBy Vernon & Mary Smith, TanzaniaAs foreigners in a developing country, wehave the appearance of being very richpeople. We have a decent vehicle to drive, anice home, clean clothes, and plenty to eat.Most of the people we deal with do not havethese things. Therefore, the gulf between uscan seem quite wide, and as missionary strategistswe ask ourselves, “How will we bridgethat gulf? How will we communicate the gospelto them?” In our experience here in East Africasince 1990, there is no greater tool thanopening your mouth in the language of thehost country in a mannerly fashion.I remember going into a lumberyard officeone day. There were at least eight peoplesitting in chairs and waiting. The older gentlemanbehind the desk at the end of the roomappeared to be the one in charge. I immediatelystuck out my hand as I headed towardshim to shake his hand. I uttered one word —“Shikamoo” — to the man. It is a very respectfulterm of greeting reserved for those whoare older or higher up in societal rank. WhenI said that one word, showing proper respect,immediately the office was abuzz with, “Oh…that foreigner knows Swahili, he really knowsSwahili.” But I had only said one word. The key?Language and manners. By showing respect Igained respect.When Mary and I embarked on the journeyof language learning, we had set our jawand made a commitment to learn the languageno matter what. We prayed and askedGod to not only give us the language for thesake of gospel communication, but to give it tous so that we could have some social satisfaction,i.e. friendships in the host language, andeventually the ability to be spiritually satisfiedand to be able to truly worship in anotherlanguage besides our mother tongue. God hasgranted our requests in every area that I’vementioned.Some keys to language learning:1. Commitment. Language learning hasbeen the hardest academic thing we’ve everdone. I don’t think I have ever put any moreeffort into any one thing as I have languagelearning. Yet, the ability to communicate thegospel freely has been priceless!2. Forward thinking. A missionary mustnot sacrifice his/her future ministry ofcommunication by yielding to the needs ofthe moment. The temptation is to just get atranslator, go and preach, get some people onboard, and then be able to give a good reportto our faithful supporting churches. However,whenever possible, direct communication isabsolutely the best choice. Not only is this abenefit from a ministerial point of view, but20 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010global partners 20

BBFI Mission office special featurecontinueomy, English is spoken in many parts of theworld. It becomes a temptation to somemissionaries not to bother to learn the nativelanguage of their people, but the hearts ofpeople can rarely be reached except throughtheir heart language, their mother tongue. Ittakes a great deal of effort and prayer to learna new language, but it is worth it.Learning the language requires a willingnessto make mistakes, be corrected, andeven be laughed at. When I first got to Mexico,I worked with a national pastor who wasalways getting up in front of the congregationand saying, “Have you heard the latestof Luisa’s jokes?” It wasn’t fun to be laughedat, but at least I learned not to say that again.Eventually I realized they weren’t laughing atme, they were laughing at the hilarious thingsI said.Languages vary in their degree of difficultyfor English-speaking people. Some use thatfact as an excuse not to bother with languagelearning. But the fact that the language ofone’s people group is harder than some othersjust means it will take longer to learn. Butno language is unlearnable. To a child, onelanguage is as easy to learn as another.Now for some recommendations.1. To future missionaries:Expose yourself to foreign languages asmuch as possible now. Study one if possible.Make the acquaintance of people who speakanother language. Listen to recordings ofother languages. Listening is the first step inlanguage learning, so listen, listen, listen.I do not recommend trying to learn alanguage on your own. I tried to do that withGerman. When I finally found a German ladyto help me, I realized it hadn’t worked. You willneed correction.Learning all you can in advance paysoff. I had two years of Latin in high school.Then I had 10 semester hours of Spanish incollege, and later took private classes at aBerlitz language school. The result? I startedteaching in Spanish three weeks after I gotto Mexico. However, this will not be true in allcases. Remember, I had a national pastor whoalways corrected any mistake I made and toldeverybody about all the funny ones!Back then, in 1948, we knew nothingabout language school. But we do now. I highlyrecommend that new missionaries enroll in thevery best language school they can find, preferablyon their field of service. Most will need theorganization and discipline of a school. If noneare available, by all means find a good tutor, onewho will correct you … and maybe laugh at you!2. To pastors and churches:Encourage new missionaries to make languagelearning their priority. You want them toreach people for the Lord and build indigenouschurches on the field. Help them see that thiscan only be accomplished if they take the timeto learn the language and the culture. Your missionariesappreciate and respect you. You willbe a blessing to them and to their work if youinfluence them to make language learning theirpriority.Advance toLANGUAGETOOLScontinuealso it is of benefit for longevity’s sakeon the field. If missionaries canform friendships because oftheir ability to communicate,they will obviously be morepersonally satisfied with ahost culture.3. Willingness tolaugh at oneself. Learninga new language is difficult!One will make mistakes. Humilityand a good sense of humorwill go a long way in helping themissionary to learn the language. At the endof our language school training in East Africa,Mary and I invited the teachers over for a pizzaparty. We agreed to speak Swahili the entireevening. As Mary explained the culture ofeating pizza by the slice and with your hands,she inadvertently mixed her vocabulary, andinstead of saying “we eat this type of food withour hands,” she said “we eat this typeof food with our feet.” The teachers,with surprised and humorouslooks on their faces,began to remove theirshoes! After a good laugh,you can bet that Mary hasnever made that vocabularymistake again! I havemade so many mistakesfrom the pulpit (sometimesfunny, sometimes not) that itwould take many pages to explainthem all.At the end of the day, I can say that I havecertainly enjoyed my four-wheel drive vehicle,decent clothes, good house, etc. However, ourbest tool by far has been the tool of language.Whenever possible, the missionary shouldlearn the language of the host country, andlearn it well.Advance toCULTURALADAPTATION21 global partnersJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 21

BBFI Mission office special featurecontinueCultural AdaptationJim & Amy Smith, JapanThe first year in a foreign country is like anextended boot camp. While my boot campfor the Marine Corps only lasted 13 (seeminglyendless) weeks, stretch that out to a yearand you have a fairly good picture of what thisexperience is like. First, there is the adrenalinerush, the "Wow, I'm really here!" phase. This isfollowed by a somber realization that, "Wow,I am really here," accompanied by the notion,"Okay, now what?" Then, there is a moresomber realization that you have no idea whatis going on, but that you'd better get to work,fast. After a few weeks of hard labor, you realizethat you have to pace yourself becausethis is going to be a long haul.There is no fast and painlessway to learn a new culture. It'seasy to learn about any culture.There are dozens of great bookson Bushido or the Samurai spirit,and tea ceremony, and tatemae(public expression), and honne(true thoughts). Anyone can learnabout Japanese culture. But toreally learn it is to live it, and in thecase of Japan, it's all tied up in language.Language isn't just a vehicle for expression,but is in itself a cultural forum with its ownintricacies and influence. Every once in a whileI hear of “missionaries” in other organizationshere in Japan that conduct all their activitiesin English. There may be a few foreigners herewho can receive the Word of God in English,but not many Japanese. It isn't so muchthat Japanese aren't well trained in English,because some are quite fluent. But if you wantto make a heart connection somewhere nearwhere culture and reality intersect, then it hadbetter be in their own language.I have found that an excellent way to learnJapanese, and perhaps other languages aswell, is a combination of intensive learningcombined with opportunities for application.Full-time language school gave me the basicknowledge to get started, but without opportunitiesto apply what I learned that day, thingswere easily forgotten. My Korean counterparts,for example, excelled because theyworked part-time jobs afterschool and had not onlyopportunities but thenecessity of using everythingthey knewto understand andbe understood.Regardless ofwho you are, learninglanguage takesa tough skin. I learnedto swallow my prideevery time I made a mistakeand people either looked at me quizzically orperhaps even laughed at me. I'd like to share afunny anecdote about language faux pas, butactually, I think my wife holds the title for "MostEgregious Language Error." I'll let her tell it."During my undergraduate Sophomoreyear, I came to Japan for the “Year-in-Japan”study abroad program. Some people lookingfor English conversation took me to lunch andlearned that I spoke a little Japanese. Theyprobably thought, “Let's have some fun,” andstarted asking me questions in Japanese.First, they asked me what I wanted to bringhome as a souvenir. I proceeded to tell themthat I wanted some pearls for my mother.However instead of saying the word for pearls,I confidently told my new friends that I wanted“mutual suicide like Romeo and Juliet” for mymother. Then they asked about my favoriteJapanese dessert. Well, I had become veryfond of Japanese sweet bean paste (anko)used in many traditional sweets. But instead ofanko I said unko. Let's just say that the latteris also a brown substance... I think that's probablythe best laugh those Japanese folks hadever had."A lot has happened since we came to Japan.Our entire family has learned a few thingsabout Japanese culture and language, but itis a lifelong process. However, now as we arestarting our first work in Saitama Prefecture,we are seeing some of the fruits of our laborsand the labor of prayer that so many in oursupporting family have undertaken. Just thispast month, we have seen our first two professionsof faith here at Wakaba and we hope tosee many more. We are grateful to God andall who faithfully support this ministry for theprivilege of being ambassadors to Japan.globalpartnersA Special Feature of the BBFI Mission OfficeJanuary 2010 Edition22 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

BBFI Mission office special featureThe JourneyBy Jon Konnerup, BBFI Mission DirectorIn this issue of Global Partners, our intenthas been to show the process of becominga Baptist Bible Fellowship missionary for onewho is called of God to serve on the foreignmission field and who desires to use the BBFIMission Office as his service center. It allbegins with the call of God upon that person orcouple, and it is this call that helps keep themissionary on the field when trials,discouragements, and attackscome his or her way.Two things I believestrengthen and prepare ourmissionaries the most arethe education and internshiprequirements. Many facetsof cross-cultural ministrywith an emphasis on churchplanting are covered during amissionary’s time of education.Our missionaries use different methodsto reach out to their communities, buttheir ultimate goal is to share the gospel andestablish local churches.The internship process our missionariesgo through enhances their abilities to accomplishthat goal. We have found, for the mostpart, that the longer the internship in a BBFIaffiliatedchurch, the shorter the deputationexperience of raising financial support. Weare one of the few independent Baptist missiongroups that require a one-year minimuminternship before going to a foreign country asa career missionary.The deputation process is a time to buildone’s faith and trust in the Lord. This processwas a great experience and training for meas I later encountered numerous situationsin Kenya. If I had not learned to put my faith inGod to supply my needs and take care of myfamily, I might have crashed and burned. Anadded blessing was to build a prayer team thatI knew was praying for us. When discouragementcame, knowing they were lifting us up inprayer encouraged us to keep going forwardfor the Lord.This process set up by the pastors of theBBFI has worked well for years. We must understandour world needs more people fromour churches answering the call and goingthrough this process.Our prayer is that more churches will becomesending churches and that many morepeople will follow the call of God to serve in anothercountry. As a result, they will experiencethe blessings of God upon their lives just asdid the ones you have heard from in this issue.May the Lord bless the efforts of the churchesand missionaries of the BBFI in reaching ourworld with the gospel of Jesus Christ.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 23

istoryBaptistby Thomas RayIn 1934, a 32-year-old Jewish woman discovered she was pregnant— her 10th pregnancy. Her plan was to obtain an abortion, justas she had with her nine previous pregnancies. But, fortunately forher unborn child, she was unable to acquire the $25 required for anabortion. On December 4, she gave birth to a baby boy she namedDon Jose Espinosa.Don’s childhood was filled with painful experiences. His fatherabandoned the family when Don was three, but the most painfulexperience of his childhood would occur when his mother wouldbecome angry and remind him that if she had been able to borrow$25, she would have aborted him. Subjected to this environment,Don became a professing atheist.Don, sensing a lack of personal fulfillment, attempted to fillthat void through alcohol and a love of gambling. However, he soonlearned that the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification could notfill the emptiness in his life. In 1961, Don’s life was impacted andchanged by a young Christian couple he met in a bowling league.His new friends became concerned about Don’s spiritual conditionand convinced him to allow their pastor, Jeff Meek, to visit him.Pastor Meek found Don angry and argumentative. After threehours of responding to Don’s arguments, he asked Don if he wouldlike to pray and receive Christ as his Savior. Don received Christ intohis life that day!Not long after his conversion, Don felt called to preach the gospel.He enrolled in Baptist Bible College in 1963. There he met CherieLoless, who would become his faithful companion and untiringco-laborer. Upon graduation in 1966, Don hoped to obtain a positionon a church staff in order to gain additional experience thatwould equip him for the pastorate. However, he did not receive anoffer. In fact, not even one pastor interviewed him.Disappointed but not deterred, Don gathered his family andreturned to Long Beach, California, and founded the Bible BaptistChurch where he would minister for six and a half years.In 1972, in response to what he believed was God’s call tothe mission field, he resigned his church and he and Cherie wereapproved as Baptist Bible Fellowship missionaries to Argentina.After 14 months of deputation, the Espinosas had raised their supportand were ready to enroll in language school. To everyone’s surprise,and especially Don’s, learning Spanish would be the biggestand most discouraging problem of his ministry. After seven monthswith little or no progress, he decided they would proceed to the fieldwhere Don could devote himself to learning Spanish.Settling in Mendoza, Argentina, he hired a private tutor, butafter two years of intensive study, he could barely make himselfunderstood. This was probably the low point in Don’s ministry.He began to wonder if he had made a mistake in going to a Spanishspeaking country and considered whether it would be wiser totransfer to an English speaking field. But he was determined to completethe final two years of his first term.Don Jose espinosa — The man who wouldn't quitIn 1977, he made a decision that would transform his ministry.He decided to move to San Rafael and start a church. In their home,the Espinosas founded the Temple Baptist Church. Even thoughDon's Spanish was limited, he persevered and depended upon theLord to produce results.And God did bless. People began to commit their lives toChrist and, miraculously, Don’s ability to communicate in Spanishbegan to improve. However, September 26, 1981, was to be a majorturning point in Don’s ministry.The Espinosas were driving a group of young people to achurch activity when a tire blew and their truck rolled over threeor four times. No one was killed, but Don’s neck was broken and hewas totally paralyzed. The doctor fused Don’s spine and informedhim he would never walk again. But feeling began to return to hislegs, and after a year of rehabilitation he returned to the field. Donbelieved God had spared his life for a purpose and that each day wasa precious gift.For the next 15 years, he labored relentlessly. He raised themoney to build a church building, improved and expanded the Bibleinstitute, and devoted himself to building a strong mother church inSan Rafael. God blessed his efforts with thousands of conversions.Approximately 35 young men were called into the ministry. Thrivingand vibrant churches were established. The church in San Rafaelhad a high attendance of over 1,100. An annual international youthconference was established in San Rafael that impacted thousandsof young lives. Don’s work is even more remarkable when you realizethere was seldom a day when he was free from pain.In 1996, he had spinal cord surgery to relieve his suffering. In1997, he was subjected to brain surgery, and in 1998, he was forcedto undergo another spinal cord surgery. Don was now in his 60s andno one would have criticized him if he had taken a medical retirement.But he refused to quit. He returned to the field after each surgeryeven though he had to learn to walk again after each operation.In spite of his doctor’s efforts, his physical health continued todeteriorate, and from 1998 to 2001 he was forced to preach from hiswheel chair.In May 2001, he suffered a massive stroke which left him completelyparalyzed on his right side. Don subjected himself to extensiveand painful therapy with the intention of returning to Argentina.But in March 2004, he finally accepted the reality that he couldnot return to his beloved people. Don’s health did not stop his ministry— it only changed it. The final blow came in 2008 when Don’sdoctor informed him that he had terminal bladder cancer. Althoughhe would experience unbearable pain, his thoughts were on the peopleof Argentina. One of his last efforts was to raise building fundsfor a congregation that had outgrown their facilities.Don left this earth November 23, 2009, but the life and ministryof Don Jose Espinosa continues through the people he won to Christand trained.24 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

Love in any languageUrbanCurrentI’ll never forget when Lydia got mugged. “Hehit me in the head and grabbed my purse,”she said. In the language of Lydia, “head” hastwo syllables. I could have pounded those thugsto a pulp for assaulting such a sweet lady.Lydia was a hillbilly (this is what dhesedhem dhose Chicagoans call people who aren’tfrom here). No, seriously! Hillbilly with a capitalH. I mean Hillbilly smothered with gravy andgrits on the side. From the hills of West Virginia,she never claimed it was almost heaven. I don’tthink she finished grade school, but she sure was“bwernd-agn” and she could play a mean gee-tar.Hard times marked her face. But you know what?The love of Jesus had her smiling more often thannot. Before Jesus, her live-in boyfriend abusedher girls. Her only son was troubled. She workedin a factory. Her working life ended when someperson with a forklift knocked her in the head.It severely affected her balance. Even after sherecovered from the blow, she couldn’t work. Thecompany told her there was nothing they coulddo. The lying, thieving cheats knew she was just apoor single mother and they didn’t have to coughup anything.What a servant she was. For many years ourafternoon Sunday school crew would wrap upministry at about 4:00 in the afternoon and thengo to Lydia’s house. She fed the crew of 10 peopleevery Sunday. Pork chops, greens, ham, homemadebiscuits, gravy. Mmm mm mm, I can tasteit now.She applied to live in Logan Vista. LoganVista was a 9-story building that a non-for -profitcalled Hispanic Housing had bought and renovated.It was a block north of our church next tothe Logan Square subway station. I said “Lydia,you’re not going to get in there. They’re fillingit with Puerto Rican grandmothers.” “I’m atrustin’ Jesus. I need a place,” she responded. Iturned around twice, and don’t you know she wasannouncing she got in Logan Vista. I know, whatwith federal funds and all they had to have ethnicquotas to fill. Somehow Lydia became the fillerof all quotas non-Hispanic. It was nine floors ofPuerto Rican grandmothers with a few grandfathersthrown in. There wasn’t another black orwhite person in the whole building. If they spokeany English at all it was poquito. Lydia, who lovedto talk to everybody, found she couldn’t talk toanybody. She smiled a lot.The great Chicago heat wave of July 1995caused power outages across the city. Oneknocked the electricity out at Logan Vista. Nolights, no power to pump the water to upperfloors, no elevator. Darkness, silence, oppressiveheat. Lydia went apartment to apartment, floorby floor with knocks, gestures, and smiles, checkingon the elderly residents’ well-being. She wasan instant hero. Everybody knew Lydia as the ladywho checked on everybody in the dark swelter ofthe blackout. She still couldn’t talk to anybody.Every time I turned around Lydia was buggingme, “We’ve got to get a Spanish speaker overto Logan Vista to start a Bible study.” “Yes, Lydia,yes,” I would say. One day Lydia announced to meshe had started a prayer meeting. “A prayer meeting,”I exclaimed, “how are you doing that?” Shesaid she started leaving the door open while cooking.The scents wafted up and down the hallways.Residents would follow their noses, find the opendoor, stick their heads in to be met by a cheery,Jesus-powered hillbilly woman. She would offersamples and invite people to come back for dinner,pointing to her clock. While doing this, shegot the idea of starting a prayer meeting. Withgestures she began to gather a group of Puerto-Rican grandmothers to pray on Friday nights. Thiswent on for weeks. I never had the heart to tellher that the repeated mention of “Maria, Maria”probably meant that they were not praying withone accord. Turns out, love is its own language.Kindness, service, and some down-home cookin’can forge deep bonds. With the prayer meetinggoing, Lydia became more and more insistentthat I get a Spanish speaker to start a Bible Study.She was now having 10 women every Friday nightin her small apartment.I finally found someone available on a Fridaynight. The first night the Spanish-speaking leaderheld a Bible study, five or six of these womentrusted Christ! Talk about picking the fruit someoneelse has planted and nurtured! Talk aboutriding over a bridge someone else built!The thing is, Lydia couldn’t have spelledcross-cultural communication if her life dependedon it. She certainly never went to a seminar orread a book on the subject. She was full of Jesusand His love. Oh, the power of the simple things.Lydia’s in heaven now, along with some ofthose Puerto Rican grandmothers and a whole lotof other people she helped win to Jesus. She’s myheroine. Without trying, she taught me love is theultimate bridge over all barriers and service is thekey to people’s hearts.by Charles Lyons, PastorArmitage Baptist Church,Chicago, Illinoischarles.lyons@armitagechurch.orgJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 25

f i s c h o o l n e w sb a p t i s t b i b l e c o l l e g eLet's reclaim ourfuture...together!b o s t o n b a p t i s t c o l l e g eNew stuffby Jim Edge | President | Baptist Bible CollegeBBFI President Mark Hodges has called upon our Fellowship topray for revival. Our officers, pastors, church leaders, and missionariesare praying for a moving of the Holy Spirit that will gripour hearts and inspire a fresh unity and vision. We at Baptist BibleCollege are committed to praying for our Fellowship and colleges toexperience a fresh encounter with God. Consider this informationfrom the Association for Biblical Higher Education regarding theeffectiveness of the church in North America:• Only seven church denominations or fellowships experienced anynet growth in the past decade — and that includes the Mormonsand Jehovah’s Witnesses.• The growth rate of established churches over the past decade iszero percent.• No county experienced church growth over the past decade.• Fifty percent of churches did not record one conversion last year.• Seventy-two churches close each week in North America, while48 new ones are being planted.While we hope that the above statistics do not apply to thechurches of the Baptist Bible Fellowship, we also must admit thatwe have lost momentum in recent years.At BBC, we have asked God for revival to begin in our heartsand the hearts of our students. As a college, we have been throughthe fire. When others were ready to pronounce the doors closedat BBC, God saw fit to sustain His college through the generosityof churches and individuals and the sacrificial work of faculty andstaff. We are grateful for how God has worked, yet we realize that ourgreatest need is for personal revival both in our lives and in the livesof our students. If our students are to truly impact their world, theywill need the constant empowerment and wisdom that only a meaningfuldependency upon God can provide. To reclaim our future, weare committed to join with the BBFI Executive Committee and otherleaders to pray and prepare our hearts for revival.In a world where darkness prevails, we will be more committedto the light of absolute Truth. In a world where selfishness and arroganceis the norm, we will model and teach humility and a spirit ofsacrifice as demonstrated by our Savior. In an environment whereleadership is seen as maneuvering and manipulating, we rededicateourselves to a spirit of servanthood, cooperation, and unity. In a culturewhere materialism and carelessness have replaced disciplineand hard work, we recommit to work strategically and tirelessly toreclaim the future for BBC and the Baptist Bible Fellowship.We believe that revival is possible because God’s desire forworld evangelization through the local church has not changed.More than ever we need every agency in our Fellowship to work andpray for one another’s success.by David Melton | President | Boston Baptist CollegeDid you get it? Whatever new thing — that Christmas gift youwanted — did you get it? Lots of us have been making “experienced”cars, carpet, furniture last a little longer than plannedbecause these aren’t the greatest days for buying anything new. ButChristmas is the exception. Surely all of us got something new.Here in Boston we have been waiting and still will wait a whilefor some new stuff we want. We do need a lot of new carpet, somenew computers, a new snow blower or two... “new” would be nice.But it is okay when we don’t go “new” just exactly when we thoughtwe would. I am glad, however, that we do have something new... Iam sure I see a newness in our students.I often say that our students get younger every year. That is justa “new” way for me to say that the age gap between them and mebroadens each year! We have to keep stretching to bridge the generationaldivide, and while that can get old, the payoff is a truckloadof “new” that shakes up the halls and classrooms of Boston BaptistCollege.Many of our students are new Christians. Most years almosthalf of our students are first-generation Christians, those not raisedin Christian homes. These young people bring lots of questions tocampus, and they have the most adjustment to get into our routine,but they also bring extraordinary new energy. I laughed to mysoul at one of them the other day. He used to be a drug dealer and adrunk. He told me his new faith was “so cool” because this was thefirst holiday he could actually remember!Our students also bring a new appreciation for grace. So muchhas been written and said about the impact of the implosion of theAmerican family on this generation. But I think not enough hasbeen said about how these young people respond to their adoptionas God’s sons and daughters. I know they have some differences, andI will be the first to admit that I don’t understand all of them, but Iabsolutely love to hear them talk about salvation. That is the onlyupside to sin that I can see — the young people who are saved out ofits depths seem to revel and bask in the warmth of the gospel. I jokewith them that they are addicted to their iPhones. But along withthat, I see in our students a reckless passion for the God who boughta relationship withr them on a Roman cross.I did get a new thing or two during the holidays. Our collegedid too. We have a couple more new supporting churches and severalmore new students. I must say, though, that this generation ofyoung people, so different from me in a lot of ways, these studentsat Boston, keep making ministry education “new.” We can assumelittle about them, but we ought to expect much from them. The gospelisn’t old hat to them. I’m sure glad we have them.26 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

October 18 was an exceptional day for the EgliseBiblique Baptiste and BBFI missionaries Paul andAlexis Dedeyan as they celebrated the completionof their new sanctuary after three years ofconstruction and much red tape. That morning,many people came for the occasion, includingsome who had not attended in over 20 years,f e l l o w s h i p n e w sBible Baptist in France dedicates new buildingChampigny, Francepacking out the new auditorium.For 37 years, the church met in an auditoriumtransformed from a guesthouse. However, thenew auditorium features ceilings 30 feet high andseating for 180 people. Dedeyan says, “In France, aBaptist church building constructed from scratchis a rare thing. Often French churches have to dependon renting a space or transforming an existingbuilding into church facilities.”The new edifice is across the street fromthe old one, which is now being used as a multipurposebuilding which includes a fellowshiphall, junior church, a baptistry, a nursery, Sundayschool classrooms, and a parsonage.The French congregation has paid off theold building in its entirety, and two-thirds of thecost for the new lot and buildinghas also been paid for.The Dedeyans are gratefulto the Lord for permitting thisproject to come to fruition, andto their sending church, SaukTrail Baptist Temple in Illinoisand the many churches in theU.S. who have faithfully supportedthem through the years.They invite you to stop by whenyou come through Paris.flexibilityLooking forin your Adult Bible Studies and Small Groups?Life Design adult Biblestudies from RBP areintensely Biblical,intentionally practical,and incredibly flexiblefor use in small groupsor the classroom.To learn more, visit www.rbpAdultMinistries.org800.727.4440 • Canada 800.366.8004More than 15 titlesto choose from!Regular Baptist PressBuilding Lives by the BookJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 27

f e l l o w s h i p n e w sMonroe honored at FlorenceBaptist's 40th anniversaryFlorence, SCFlorence Baptist Temple and Pastor Bill Monroecelebrated the church’s 40th anniversary onSunday, November 1, with over 1,800 in attendance.The church was challenged to rememberthe great work God has done and to give Him theglory for the last 40 years.During the event, special recognition wasgiven to the remaining charter members of thechurch, Harry and Dorothy Cook, Slim and AngeTurbeville, Larry Gore, Evelyn Bridgers, and Billand Norma Monroe. Also, people shared testimoniesof their changed lives from trusting JesusChrist as Savior.A highlight of the celebration was Monroereceiving two special honors. Lieutenant GovernorAndre Bauer presented him with the PalmettoPatriot Award and Senator Kent Williamspresented Monroe with the Order of the Palmetto— for his selfless service, contribution to thecommunity and state, ministry to those sufferingfrom addictions, and support of Christian education.Florence Christian School, which beganin 1972, now has nearly 1,000 graduates. Monroeacknowledged God’s blessings on his life and thechurch as well as the faithful service of thousandsof members through the years.Suggestions from GuideStone for healthier retirementBy Dixie BeardDaily we’re reminded of ways to improve ourphysical health: eat less fat, exercise, drink morewater, and reduce stress. While these things arecertainly beneficial and important, we can’t neglectour financial health either. Let’s aim for ahealthy body and a healthy retirement as well.Here are six steps for you to consider today:have to wait, whether it is a new car, thatlong vacation, or even the children’s collegeexpenses. Put a percentage of your incomeinto retirement savings automatically eachmonth, increasing it as you can. GuideStonemakes available helpful online calculatorsand other tools to its participants to help youestimate your investment and savings goals.4. Balance the budget and pay off existingdebt. Too much month left at the end of themoney? Make sure expenses are in line. Forthree months, keep a record of all your expensesand study the list for ways to reducecash outflow. If you are carrying high-interest-ratedebt, you are actually negating the1. Take time now, and figure out where youare. Whether you’ve started saving late in thegame, or you’re right on target, it’s crucial toknow exactly where you stand. Use a balancesheet format and make a list of all your assetsand liabilities. Know where all of youraccounts are, and how they are invested.2. Decide on a plan for the future. This is thefun part. Spend some time dreaming aboutwhat you want retirement to look like. Willyou downsize to a smaller home? Consideringmoving to another city or state? Whatwill your activities be? How much monthlyincome will you need to make this dream areality?3. Make saving for retirement a priority.You will likely spend 20 or more years in retirement,and inflation may average threepercent per year or more. Whatever is gettingin the way of saving for retirement may28 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

f e l l o w s h i p n e w sinterest rate you’re earning on your retirementassets. Cut up those credit cards andbegin paying them off as quickly as you can.5. Monitor your progress at least once a year.Use GuideStone's helpful resources to determineyour risk tolerance and to make sureyour portfolio allocation conforms to it. Youmay need to adjust your investment mix asyou get closer to retirement. Most importantly,don’t panic if you’re behind in yoursavings. Many adjustments can be made tolive less expensively after you leave the workforce,in addition to delaying retirement orworking part time in retirement.6. Know what you need and when you needit. Remember, depending on your retirementincome solution, you may not need your entireaccount balance on the day you retire.Your account will need to continue to growto offset inflation and to meet your retirementdreams.Whatever your situation, take the time tofully understand your goals and your retirementassets. The best time to prepare for your futureis today.For more information, contact Dixie Beard at214-720-4661 or Dixie.Beard@GuideStone.org.New retreat offers marital focus for Christian couplesArcola, MOThe Shekinah Retreat, a brand new ministry offeringChristian couples a marital focus, held adedicatory ceremony November 7. The chargewas given by Dennis Jennings, pastor of CherryStreet Baptist Church, Springfield, Missouri, andthen all in attendance surrounded the five-bedroomhome to individually pray for God’s blessingon the ministry. Couples from as far away asAtlanta, Georgia, attended the event.Following the ceremony, Shane Salmonprovided piano renditions while guests sampledappetizers and were given a tour of the retreat.Guests were also introducedto the board of theretreat, which includes:Cindy Besselman, CharlieChastain, Robert Gruenwald,Starr Himmel, andRandy Watson.“We pray this ministrywill live up to its nameHistoryC o n f e r e n c eBaptistas it endeavors to inject the ‘Presence of God’into each marriage. As couples strive for God'sleadership in theirmarriage, a beaconof light shows to aworld who findsitself exponentiallyimpacted bymarital challenges.The ministry teambelieves that if acouple is groundedin God's love,their joy togetheris greater than thesum of their individualparts,” saysCharlie Chastain.R e c e n t l y,Shekinah Retreatsent out gift certificatesto localpastors and theirwives in honorof “Pastor AppreciationMonth.”Conducted byDr. Thomas RaySubjects covered:1. Who are the Baptists?2. When did the Baptist Church begin?3. Are Baptists Protestants?4. Baptist Suffering & Martyrs5. Baptists and Religious Freedom6. Baptist Achievements7. Why are there so many Baptists in the South?And More!To Schedule a Meeting or For Information:Phone: 972-509-9240Email: Tray1701@verizon.netwww.thereapers.comLesa Chastain hasbegun to book pastorsfor their freenight’s stay andthe ministry teamlooks forward toseeing ministersrelax at the retreat.For morei n f o r m a t i o nabout the ministrycheck outShekinahRetreat.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 29

The miracle on Galveston IslandBy Dan Greer, pastorCommunity Baptist ChurchThe Woodlands, TXJust over a year ago on Friday, September 13, HurricaneIke made landfall on Galveston Island at2:10 a.m., packing winds of over 120 mph. It wasthe largest Hurricane ever witnessed in the Atlanticand the third-most-costly hurricane in theUnited States. I had never been in a hurricane soI spent the day before buying all of the supplies,gasoline, and equipment that I could get myhands on. Throughout the night, winds howled,trees fell, tornados spawned, houses vanished,and people died. In fact, I was on the phone withone of the men of our church who was telling mea tree had crashed through his living room whenall of a sudden there was a pop and the powerwent out.From left: Mark Reynolds, Kent Wilson, Mark Butcher, Aaron Lybrand,Carl Hughes, Tim Thompson, Dan Greer, Brian Lee, Jess Hill, JustinMilam, Paul Foster. Front: Dennis Hankinsf e l l o w s h i p n e w sThe aftermath was… I can’t think of an appropriateword. No electricity, no communication,and destruction everywhere. Dennis Hankins,pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Galveston,had loaded his family and began evacuating themainland the evening of the 13th when the windspicked up and the storm surge began floodingstreets on the island. Nearly three weeks later mycell phone rang and Dennis, on the other end,breathlessly said, “Danny, can you bring somepeople down and help us?” I responded, “Dennis,I can’t, I am overwhelmed with all of the damageup here in The Woodlands.” He had been allowedback on the Island to make an assessment ofthe damage to his church, which reached nearly$500,000.The next day I began receiving calls fromall around the country, mainly because Dennisand I had talked about evacuation via an Internetdiscussion group and now no one could get incontact with Dennis. Suddenly, an army of volunteersbegan to assemble and funds began to comein. The scheduling of volunteers seemed to flowfrom an invisible general contractor, as many inour Fellowship began to unify behind the cause. Ifound myself in the midst of a miracle!Throughout the Houston area, nearly everychurch in the Fellowship suffered considerabledamage, loss of revenue, and attendance decline.However, a bond of true brotherhood emergeddue to the leadership of Tommy Turnbow, BobLogan, and Bill Campbell, members of our localexecutive committee. East Texas churchesraised a major portion of the total funds and evenpurchased a motorized wheel chair for Dennis.Week by week the miracle continued to unfoldwith volunteers arrivingfrom placeslike Kelview Heightsin Midland, Texas,where Jerry Berry isthe pastor, MidwayBaptist in Aubrey,Texas, where JohnHenry Theisen pastors,Rockpointe Fellowshipin Leander,Texas, where ShaneO’Brien pastors,and Bible Baptist inCHRISTIAN POETRYABOUT THE AUTHORWaneta Fern Van Tuyl was born October 26, 1924in LaCygne, Kan., to Jesse and Dollie Van Tuyl. Shewas third youngest in the family, having four brothersand three sisters. A graduate of LaCygne HighSchool, she also attended Baptist Bible College, inSpringfield, Mo. Her church is Overland Park BaptistTemple, in Overland Park, Kan., and at present she isa resident of Lenexa, Kan.A Sunday School teacher for many years, Van Tuylis a gifted Christian writer whose poetry and shortstories touch the hearts of those who read them. Herunique way of presenting the gospel in poetic form isa talent which lends itself to easy reading and understanding,whether writing of biblical events or simplyinspirational verses. Short stories by this author havea Christian message of righteousness and often bringtears to the eyes of readers.Forbidden Desires was written in the late 1950s orearly 1960s and is Van Tuyl’s first novel to be published.Readers will enjoy the gentle romance and thebook will be a welcome addition to any libraryTO PURCHASEPOETIC REFLECTIONS $10.50FORBIDDEN DESIRES $12.50(PLUS $3.50 S&H)VAN TUYL PUBLICATIONS14125 W 88TH TERRACELENEXA, KS 66215(913) 492-5367RELIGIOUS NOVEL30 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

(continued)f e l l o w s h i p n e w sGulfport, Mississippi, where Jim Stady pastors.One of the most incredible miracles was to seefunds materialize that completely dissolved thechurch’s indebtedness to the NCPO.In November of this year, we decided to conveneour local East Texas meeting in Galvestonat ground zero. Dressed in work clothes, baseballhats, and with hammers in hand, we completedwork on the roof that was required by the inspector.Many came up to me and expressed the satisfactionof physically doing something of suchsignificance.We are now down to the finish work, but area little short of funds and manpower. I am convincedthat, with a little effort, we can experiencea celebration of completion by the time we haveour Texas State BBF meeting on January 18-19,2010, which will be held at the Moody GardensHotel, located blocks from the church. In orderto accomplish this goal, we’ll need another surgeof volunteers and finances. When the first waveof workers arrived on the scene, there was debilitatingdespair with visions of bulldozers and totaldemolition. Just over a year later, there is newhope and dreams of an extraordinary future withthe emergence of a debt-free new facility. I havepersonally had the privilege of being involved inthe miracle on Galveston Island.Great Lakes Baptist Temple holdsrevival with Kent YorkFlint, MIGreat Lakes Baptist Temple, pastoredby David Chittenden, held afour-day revival with Kent York November1-4. Chittenden became thepastor of the Great Lakes church inJune 2006 and began planning forthe revival at that time. During thefour days, seven people made professionsof faith.Kent York (left) and David Chittendon.Basics in BiblicalCounselingConferenceTraining over 3 Weekends!Ozark, MissouriFebruary 12-13, 2010March 19-20, 2010April 16-17, 2010For More Information:www.sonrisebiblicalcounseling.comFridays 5:00 pm - 9:00 pmSaturdays 8:00 am - 5:00 pmLunch included each weekendRegistration: Individual $200Couple $350Learn...Grow...Change...Help OthersThis course provides the foundationaltraining required to begin to counselbiblically and to continue on toward theNational Association of NoutheticCounselors (NANC) certification.Conference SpeakersBill Piatt, M.Div.NANC FellowKevin Carson, D.Min.NANC CertifiedOther Speakers Include:Dale Davidson (NANC Certified),Brandon York (NANC Certified)January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 31

32 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010f e l l o w s h i p n e w s

Won by One the theme ofGlenville mission emphasisWichita, KSf e l l o w s h i p n e w sGlenville Baptist Church and Pastor Bruce Thomascelebrated missions the first three weeks ofNovember with the theme of “Won by One,” emphasizingthe difference one person can make inevangelizing the world. The church hosted a differentspeaker each Sunday and using the backdropof New York’s Times Square, each week theypresented a continuing drama about how we areeach responsible to reach those around us, oneperson at a time.Kicking off the celebration on November 1,Jeremy and Charissa Jones (son and daughterin-lawofveteran missionariesDave and BonnieJones) shared their burdenfor missions and hepreached on the nationsof the world and ourmandate to reach themwith the gospel.For the second week of the celebration,James and Sharon Smith ministered for the dayat Glenville. The Smiths served in Ecuador for 30years and are now serving in the Baptist Bible FellowshipMission Office.Jerry Thorpe spoke at Glenville for the closingweek of the missions celebration. Thorpeserved as pastor in Odessa, Texas, for 36 years.Following his message on the “Empty Boxes inOur Lives,” 22 individuals accepted Christ as theirSavior.Inner city KC church hosts community ThanksgivingKansas City, MOPastor Joey Candillo and Bales Baptist Church,with assistance from Antioch Baptist Churchof Kansas City, served 500 plates of food to 350people the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving.Bales Baptist is in the inner city of Kansas City.Bales Baptist is partially supported by AntiochBaptist where Bob Baier is the pastor. Thebackstory on this Thanksgiving dinner has to dowith Antioch’s own tradition. Joey says, “They doa huge Thanksgiving dinner every year for theirsuburban community. This year they decidedIs your churchin compliancewith the IRS?to do their dinner in the city to help people. Sothey called me and we held it at our church. Theybrought all the food and about 80 volunteers,plus we had many volunteers helping too.”Joey and an elementary school principal distributedannouncements in the school next doorto the church. "Many that attended were homelessand came in from the streets. It turned out tobe a cold, rainy night and I think that kept somefrom coming. Nonetheless, we had a good turnout.I met many folks from the community that Ihaven't met before.” says Candillo.The two churches consider the dinner tohave been a great ministry outreach.1410 E. Kearney St., Suite D, Springfield, MO 65803We specialize in churchand minister tax andaccounting services.Ministerial TaxPreparationChurch PayrollProcessingCompliance ChecksSERVICINGALL 50STATESCall toll free1.800.920.3238or 417.863.6303www.ncctax.cominfo@ncctax.comJanuary 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 33

CaBBF takes study tour of growing churchesSan Diego, CALBU 4x4.87 Male Ad:Layout 1 10/28/09 10:22 AM Page 1f e l l o w s h i p n e w sThe October meeting of the California BBF tookto the road when pastors and staff members metfor meals and tours of three growing churches inthe southern part of the state.The tour, led by Jim Baize of Midway BaptistChurch in San Diego, began Monday eveningOctober 5 with a dinner and meeting with PastorTony Foglio Jr. of Sonrise Church in Santee. Thedinner was followed with question-answer sessionsand a walk-through of the Sonrise facilities.Baize says, “Sonrise actually began as a churchplant out of Midway 20 years ago and was initiallycalled Midway Baptist Church East. They runabout 2,400 in attendance every weekend and arehugely influential in East San Diego County.”Tuesday, the group met for breakfast thenmoved on to East Lake Church where Bob Hensonis on staff. The church, pastored by MikeMeeks, has about 5,000 to 6,000 people in attendanceeach weekend.Baize said, “Mike’s church is a cutting-edgechurch in every respect. They are very contemporaryin their music. Their ‘target’ is a 35-year-oldmale, so everything they do is geared to reachinghim. Mike said if they reach the man, they reachthe family.”Baize also said, “No one can join the churchwithout also committing to tithing and serving,yet the church baptized 900 last year.”Following the East Lake tour, the group metfor lunch and business at a Mexican restaurant inthe Old Town section of San Diego. At this meeting,Lewis McClendon, pastor of Ventura BaptistChurch, was elected the new chairman/directorof California, due to John Waldrip’s resignationlast month. Lewis was the long-time camp directorat Ponderosa Pines Christian Camp beforebecoming the senior pastor of Ventura BaptistChurch, where he succeeded George Golden.Later that afternoon, the BBF preachers metwith Miles MacPherson, former wide receiver forthe San Diego Chargers and now pastor of TheRock Church. He was the founding pastor of TheRock a few years back when they first met oncampus at San Diego State University. Now theyhave over 12,000 in attendance every weekend ina $54 million facility.Baize reports, “Miles was inspirational, spiritual,visionary, exciting, and practical — let’s see,what other superlatives are there? He was a keyplayer in the success of California Proposition 8[defining marriage as being between a man anda woman].”According to Baize, Miles’s ministry is wherethe Fellowship used to be in the late 60s and early70s — on fire and out to save the world!Responses from those attending the BBFmeeting were appreciative. Tony Birge said, “Thetours of the different ministries were great, butI think the greatest part was sitting down andlistening to the pastors from these ministries, especiallyMiles. His energy and passion for doingsomething for the Lord is really contagious. Afterspending some time with him, you can’t help butbe pumped up to go do something for the Lord."Newly elected CaBBF chairman Lewis Mc-Clendon agreed. He said, “[These churches] real-(continued)Continue Your MinistryWhile You CompleteYour Degree· No set residency requirements· Open enrollment – Start anytime· Easy transfer of credits· $98.00 per semester hour –interest free payments· Conservative in Doctrine –Progressive in methodology· Study on-line, on-campus, orthrough distance education· Outstanding alumni· Approved school of the BaptistBible Fellowship InternationalBACHELOR, MASTER,AND DOCTORATE DEGREEPROGRAMS.Elmer Dealʼs AutobiographyOut of the Mouth of the Lion, volume one (226 pages), is the rst-person account of Elmer and MaryDeal’s lives and dynamic ministry through 1964. Includes dramatic stories of winning Africans toChrist, survival when their residence was red upon, escape from Baluba warriors, evacuations,Mary’s near-fatal illness and the tragic martyrdom of two key leaders in their ministry.“…one of the greatestmissionary storiesever written.”Dr. & Mrs. Carl Boonstra, former BBFI Mission Director“…outstanding biography.”Mike Haley, Pastor of Hallmark Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas“…describes the truespirit of pioneermissionary service…a must read.”David and Barbara Lingo, Missions faculty, Baptist Bible College“ F O U N D E D I N1 9 7 3 ”Louisiana Baptist University andTheological Seminary6301 Westport AvenueShreveport, LA 71129(318) 686-2360 www.lbu.edu$15 per copy plus S & HOrder your copy online at www.craigcountybaptist.com (Credit cards accepted viaPaypal) or by phone at (918) 256-7255 or mail to Craig County BaptistChurch, 1517 E. Country Club Drive, Vinita, OK 74301.34 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

(continued)ly stretched my thinking. They were not all alike.One method is not for everyone. They all knewexactly what their strategy was and were very passionateabout it. If I could not agree with a particularmethod, I could appreciate their passionfor the methods they were using. And actually,”Lewis continued, “The one I disagreed with themost gave me the best practical idea.”f e l l o w s h i p n e w sA pastor from Napa reports the meeting“grew my vision for Napa, because if God can dothat in San Diego, He can do it in Napa, too — Ijust need to dream more, believe more, and praymore.”Craig Henson in Venice Beach said, “If thereis one lasting truth that continues to ring in myears, and Miles really kept hammering it, it’s thatGod is bigger than all of it — He is bigger thanmoney, bigger than any of the obstacles, and biggerthan their quite substantial personalities andministries."Jim Baize concluded, “This tour shows meGod is still looking for people to bless. Let’s beone of those people!”Friendship Baptist holdssenior adult jamboreeOwasso, OKFriendship Baptist Church celebrated their firstannual Senior Adult Jamboree November 8-9.Groups attended from seven churches in threestates to hear guest speaker Tom Porter, the senioradult pastor from Temple Baptist Church ofTitusville, Florida. “Tom has over a quarter centuryexperience in ministry to that age group. Hespoke with lots of humor that presented truth ina very practical way,” says Loran McAlister, senioradult pastorat Friendship.Music was providedby theAscension Quarter and saxophonist James Taylor.The morning session ended with a BBQ meal aspart of the program.“Surveys say that only one person in 500,000come to know Christ after the age of 65,” statesMcAlister. “The purpose of our Jamboree was tohave a good time and encourage those who attendedto see the need for outreach to that greatunreached people group.”January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 35

f e l l o w s h i p n e w sReierson retires after 51 years inthe ministry, 38 at VictoryPensacola, FLOn November 1, Pastor Robert “Bob” O. ReiersonSr. retired after celebrating 51 years in the gospelministry and 38 years as pastor of Victory BibleBaptist Church. In honor of his years of service,he was installed as pastor emeritus of the church.Reierson was born and raised in Mason City,Iowa. He joined the U.S. Army at the age of 16.While there, he met and married his wife, DeloresTaylor. In 1955, in Chester, Virginia, Reiersonwas saved. After surrendering to preach in 1958,he attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield,Missouri, and graduated in 1962.Reierson pastored churches in Virginia andIowa before accepting his pastorate in Pensacola.He was called as pastor of Victory Bible BaptistChurch in November 1971. “Due to Pastor Reierson’spreaching, teaching, and leadership,” statesAllen Cotton, Victory’s current pastor, “multiplepreachers, missionaries, and teachers have beencalled into the ministry and countless souls havebeen saved, baptized, and discipled in the Lord.”Bob and Delores Reierson will celebratetheir 61 wedding anniversary on March 6 of nextyear. The couple has four children, 10 grandchildren,and 14 great-grandchildren.tribuneclassifieds69¢ per word ($12 minimum). All adssubject to approval of the Baptist BibleTribune. Advertising in the BBT doesnot necessarily imply the endorsementof the publisher. To place an ad, call(417) 831-3996.The Bible Rebinder Don’t Retire YourBible — Rebind It! Fifteen years’ experiencerebinding and repairing Bibles.Contact Joe Gleason, 2256 E. Nora,Springfield, Missouri 65803, for prices.(417) 865-3823.Religious books for sale List sentemail dudley@dam.net. Evangelist BillDudley, 1116 Lacy Dr., Lebanon, MO65536, (417) 532-2665.www.dudleyusedbooks.com.Christian Home-Based BusinessEver High Tech Manufacturer offersunique opportunity for Christian familyhome-based business.Call 888-298-0157 for recorded messageand complete information.Sermon sets/Outline booksSamples and brochure. Charles Swilling,P.O.Box 1093, Jacksonville, TX 75766(903) 683-4342; ciswilling@aol.comwww.swillingpublications.orgEvangelist ads are available to any evangelistlisted in the Fellowship Directory for $10 perissue. To place an ad, call (417) 831-3996.Dr. Robert L. Sumner’s 41st book,Fights I Didn’t Start … and some I did.Editor Bassham says, “I found thesefascinating 360 pages of logic and coherencehard to put down.” Fifteen chapters,360 pages, $12 postpaid. BiblicalEvangelism, 5917 Pine Drive, Raleigh,NC 27606Hand to Hand GospelOur low prices help you reach more people with the gospelDoor Hangers • Mini Posters • True Witness CardsMinistry Magnets • Custom Church Greeting Cardsticm@centurytel.netKendall Fortner417-300-0046Joe Boyd • Joe Boyd FoundationP.O. Box 177, West Union, WV 26456.Phone: 304.873.2522 60 Years on the Revival TrailDon Brown • Beth-Eden Bible Camp10638 Ottawa Dr., Conway, MO 65632 Springfieldoffice: 417.887.3396 Camp office: 417.589.6485www.bethedenbiblecamp.comMarc Cheney • Straight to the Heart Ministries318 Stonehenge Road, Winchester, VA 22601.Phone: 540.327.1288 www.marccheney.comRandy Carroll • Carroll Evangelistic Ministries5672 Powers St., The Colony, TX 75056.Phone: 469.384.2120 Cell: 469.964.9796Email: EvangelistRC@juno.comThomas Ray • The ReapersP.O. Box 796541, Dallas, TX 75379.Phone: 972.509.9240 www.thereapers.comRandy Hogue • Randy Hogue MinistriesPO Box 834 Cullman, AL 35056Phone: 888-464-8338 www.randyhogue.orgTracy Dartt • The Dartt QuartetP.O. Box 422, Greenbrier, TN 37073Phone: 615.643.0200 www.darttmusic.comPhilip Sawilowski • Olive Tree MinistriesPO Box 180188, Arlington, TX 76096Phone: 972.660.5117 www.olivetreeministry.org36 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

C h u r c h A d sALABAMA• Shelton Beach Road BaptistChurch, 401 Shelton Beach Rd.,Saraland, AL 36571, 205/675-2122Pastor Gary W. Shockley• Trinity Baptist Church, 1500Airport Rd., Oxford, AL 36203,256/831-3333 www.trinityoxford.org.Pastor Bud Grinstead• Maranatha Baptist Church,2284 Third Ave., Dothan, AL 36301334-794-2536 Pastor Bill SchneiderALASKA• Anchorage Baptist Temple,6401 E. Northern Lights, Anchorage,AK 99504, 907/333-6535, www.ancbt.org. Pastor Jerry PrevoARIZONA• Thomas Road Baptist Church,5735 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ85031, 623/247-5735. Pastor KenAdrianCALIFORNIA• Calvary Baptist Church ofOakhurst, At the corner of Highway49 and Redbud (location only),559-641-7984. Pastor Bob Wilson• The Fundamentalist BaptistTabernacle, 1329 SouthHope St., Los Angeles, CA 90015,213/744-9999. Pastor Dr. R. L. Hymers,Jr. sermon manuscripts at www.realconversion.com• Midway Baptist Church, 2460Palm Ave., San Diego, CA 92154,619/424-7870 Pastor Jim W. Baize• Tabernacle Baptist Church, 301W. Whyte Ave., Roseville, CA 95678,916/728-5500 Pastor Brad Gunter• Calvary Road Baptist Church,319 West Olive Ave., Monrovia, CA91016, 626/357-2711, www.calvaryroadbaptist.orgDr. John S. WaldripCONNECTICUT• New Testament Baptist Churchand School, 111 Ash St., East Hartford,CT 06108. 860/290-6696 PastorMichael StoddardDELAWARE• Southside Baptist Church, 4904S. DuPont Hwy. (US 13 So.), Dover,DE 19901, 302/697-2411 Pastor ChrisKondracki• First Baptist Church, 6062 OldShawnee Rd., Milford, DE 19963,302/422-9795 Pastor David PerdueFLORIDA• Liberty Baptist Church, 2451Dora Ave., Tavares, FL 32778,352/343-0061 Pastor Timothy J. Green• Palm Springs Drive BaptistChurch, 601 Palm Springs Dr.,Altamonte Springs, FL 32701,407/831-0950 Pastor Scott Carlson• Eastland Baptist Church, 9000Lake Underhill Rd., Orlando, FL 32825,407/277-5858 Pastor Daniel Green• Tabernacle Baptist Church,6000 West Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL32808, 407/295-3086 Pastor SteveWare• Winter Haven Baptist Church,1500 Dundee Rd., Winter Haven, FL33884, 863/294-6478 Pastor Mark D.Hodges• New Testament Baptist Church,2050 South Belcher Rd., Largo, FL33771, 727/536-0481 Pastor Matt Trill• Trinity Baptist Church, 800 HammondBlvd., Jacksonville, FL 32221,904/786-5320 Pastor Tom Messer• First Coast Baptist Church,7587 Blanding Blvd., Jacksonville, FL32244. 904/777-3040 Pastor RichardEdwards• Harbor Baptist Church, 428 TomokaAve., Ormond Beach, FL 32173,386/677-3116 Pastor Ronald L. Todd• Colonial Baptist Church, 261651st Street West, Bradenton, FL34209, 941-795-3767 Pastor R. C.Landsberger• Sonshine Baptist Church, 23105Veterans Blvd., Port Charlotte, FL33954, 941-625-1273 Pastor WilliamK. Bales• First Baptist Coconut Creek,formerly Calvary Baptist Church, Ft.Lauderdale, FL. 954/422-9611Pastor Jerry Williamson• Victory Bible Baptist Church,3906 Andrew Ave., Pensacola, FL32505-4107. 850/432-6969 Sr. PastorRobert Reierson, Co-pastor AllenCotton• Calvary Baptist Church, 123Thunderbird Dr., Sebastian, FL 32958.772/589-5047www.calvary-baptistchurch.comPastor Clifton Cooley• New Life Baptist Church, 35000Radio Rd (at Poe St.), Leesburg, FL34788 352/728-0004newlifebaptistchurch@earthink.net• Bible Baptist Church, 820 South14th Street, Fernandina Beach, FL32034 904/261-5457• Suncoast Baptist Church, 410Warrington Blvd., Port Charlotte, FL33954(941)625-8550, Pastor Chip Kellerwww.suncoastbaptistchurch.com• Grace Bible Baptist Church,1703 Lewis Road, Leesburg, FL 34748.352-326-5738, Pastor George MulfordIII www.gbbconline.com• Orlando Baptist Church, 500 S.Semoran Blvd., Orlando, FL 32807.407/277-8671, Pastor David Janneywww.worldchangingchurch.comGEORGIA• Cornerstone Baptist Church,1400 Grayson Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA30245. 770/338-2677 Pastor Tim Neal• Central Fellowship BaptistChurch and Academy, 8460Hawkinsville Rd. Hwy 247), 3 milesnorth of Robins Air Force Base, MaconGA 31216. 478/781-2981www.centralfellowship.orgPastor Rodney Queen• Camp Creek Baptist Church1761 Camp Creek Rd, Cornelia, GA30531, 706/778-0622,www.campcreek.orgHAWAII• Lanakila Baptist Church,94-1250 Waipahu St., Waipahu, HI96797. 808/677-0731 Pastor StevenC. WygleILLINOIS• Sauk Trail Baptist Temple, 4411Sauk Trail, P.O. Box 347, Richton Park,IL 60471. 708/481-1490 Pastor BruceHumbertIOWA• Lighthouse Baptist Church1690 Elm St., Suite 175, Dubuque, IA52001, 563/584-9040, Pastor BrianMiller www.lighthouseofdbq.orgKANSAS• Millington Street BaptistChurch, 1304 Millington St., Winfield,KS 67156. 316/221-4700. Pastor K.B.Murray• Friendship Baptist Church2209 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67213316-263-0269, Pastor Steve DayKENTUCKY• Florence Baptist Temple, 1898Florence Pk., Burlington, KY 41005.859/586-6090 Pastor Wayne G. Cox• Oak Hill Baptist Church, 2135Oak Hill Rd., Somerset, KY 42501,606/679-8496 Pastor Harold BrownMARYLAND• Riverdale Baptist Church,1177 Largo Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD20774, 301/249-7000 Pastor Brian C.Mentzer• Crossroads Baptist Church,10290 Old Columbia Rd., Columbia,MD 21045, 410/309-6590 PastorRobert HaasMASSACHUSETTS• Temple Baptist Church540 Manley St., West Bridgewater, MA02379, 508-583-5190www.templebaptist.info Pastor BillSmithNEBRASKA• Plains Baptist Church, 2902Randolph St., Lincoln, NE 68510,402/435-4760. Pastor Raymond SmithNEW JERSEY• Open Bible Baptist Church,2625 E. Main St (RT. 49), Millville,NJ 08332. 856/863-0226,Email:gardner07@comcast.net PastorDanny GardnerNEW MEXICO• High Plains Baptist Church,2800 E. 21st Street, Clovis, NM88101-8620. 505/769-1382 PastorCharles D. MillerNORTH CAROLINA• Northside Baptist Church, 333Jeremiah Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28262,704/596-4856 Pastor Dan Burrell• Mid-Way Baptist Church, 6910Fayetteville Rd., Raleigh, NC 27603.919/772-5864 Pastor James L.Upchurch• Trinity Baptist Church, 216Shelburne Rd., Asheville, NC 28806,704/254-2187 Pastor Ralph Sexton, Jr.• Central Baptist Church, 6050Plain View Hwy., Dunn, NC 28334,910/892-7914 Pastor Tom Wagoner• Berean Baptist Church &Academy517 Glensford Dr., Fayetteville, NC28314910-868-5156, www.bbcfnc.orgPastor Sean HarrisOHIO• Bible Baptist Church, 990W. Main, Mt. Orab, OH 45154.937/444-2493Pastor Charles Smith• Ashland Ave. Baptist Church,P.O. Box 86, 4255 Ashland Ave.,Norwood, OH 45212. 513/531-3626Pastor Jerry E. Jones• First Baptist Church, 1233 US Rt.42, Ashland, OH 44805. 419/289-3636Pastor F. R. “Butch” White• Grace Baptist Church, 3023 N.Union Rd., Middletown, OH 45044,513/423-4658 Pastor Roger D. Green• Calvary Baptist Church, 516W. Sunset Dr., Rittman, OH 44270,330/925-5506 Pastor Jerry BurtonOKLAHOMA• Temple Baptist Church, 2200E. Oklmulgee, Muskogee, OK 74403.918/687-4793 Pastor Alton ChilesOREGON• Tri-City Baptist Temple, 18025S. E. Webster Rd., Gladstone, OR97027. 503/655-9326 Pastor KenMcCormickRHODE ISLAND• Ocean State Baptist Church,600 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI02917, 401/231-1980 Pastor ArchieEmersonSOUTH CAROLINA• Capital City Baptist Church,2243 Percival Rd., Columbia, SC29223, 803/738-1480 Pastor PaulMonroe• Lighthouse Baptist Church, 104Berkeley Sq. Lane, PMB 250, GooseCreek, SC 29445. 843/824-6002 www.lbcgc.org Pastor Bobby GarvinTEXAS• Central Baptist Church, 2855Greenhouse Rd., Houston, TX 77084.281/492-2689 Pastor Larry Maddox• First Baptist Church of Meadowview,4346 N Galloway Ave.,Mesquite, TX 75150. 214/391-7176Pastor R.D. Wade• Liberty Baptist Church, 602Manco Rd., Lewisville, TX 75067.972/436-3493 Pastor Dick Webster• First Baptist Church, Hwy. 64,Wright City, TX 75750, 903/839-2700Pastor Richard G. Boone• North Park Baptist Church,4401 Theiss Rd., Humble, TX 77338.281/821-2258 Pastor Tim Thompson• Berean Baptist Church, 302 N.Town East Blvd., Mesquite, TX 75182.972/226-7803 Pastor David Mills• Cypress Creek Baptist Church,21870 Northwest Freeway, Houston,TX 77429. 281/469-6089 Pastor BillCampbell• Burleson Boulevard BaptistChurch, 315 N. Burleson Blvd., Burleson,TX 76028-3907. 817/295-4342Pastor Terry M. Williams• Temple Baptist Church, 4301Thomason Dr., Midland, TX 79703.432/694.3634 www.tbcmidland.comPastor Stephen WillisVIRGINIA• Community Baptist Church,Chantilly, VA, Washington D.C. area.703/968-8871. www.cbc4me.org PastorMike Aylestock• Faith Baptist Church, 3768 S.Amherst Hwy., Madison Heights, VA24572, 434/929-1430 Pastor BrianHudsonWEST VIRGINIA• Fellowship Baptist Church,U.S. Rt. 60 E. at Huntington Mall,Barboursville, WV 25504,304/736-8006 Pastor Jerry WarrenChurch ads areavailable to anyBBFI church for$10 per issue.To place an ad, call(417) 831-3996.January 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 37

AfterWordsI'm here to inverview for The Biggest Loser By Ed ChavisAssociate Pastor | Lumpkin Road Baptist Church | Augusta, GAWith that self-incriminating, quite humiliatingstatement, my life was about to be turned upsidedown. For the third year now, our local NBC affiliatehas been promoting a competition loosely based onthe hit television show, “The Biggest Loser.” It features twotrainers, nutrition guidance, and weekly weigh-ins; unlikethe show, there are no challenges, no eliminations, and nodrama. They accept applications for a couple of months,from which they choose 20 finalists; from those 20 interviews,the field is narrowed to 12 participants.Last year, I was told that I just missed the cut,and was offered a consolation prize of a reducedfeemembership. I said,“Thanks, but I think I’ll justdo it on my own.” Twelvemonths and 20 poundslater, I reapplied, receivedthe long-awaited phonecall, and walked throughthe doors at the televisionstudio. The lobby wasnoticeably empty, but Ilowered my voice and saidto the receptionist, “I’m hereto interview for The BiggestLoser.” Two weeks after that,I was in.Most of us who strugglewith our weight fight the battle privately, unless we chooseto share our experience with a few close friends. Signingup for the Augusta’s Biggest Loser competition did notafford me that luxury. Since the competition is sponsoredby the local gym and the local nutrition center, and paidfor with advertising funds, our faces, stories, and startingweights are splashed all over the local newscasts and incommercials for their respective businesses.I have seen three immediate benefits to participatingin such a program. First, God has used this experienceto place me in the middle of a large number of peoplewho do not know Christ. I have an opportunity to havean impact not only on my five teammates and the sixcompetitors on the other team; but also on the local TVpersonalities, trainers, gym managers, reporters, andmany others that I would have never met otherwise.Second, because the TV station is filming profilesof each contestant “in their element,” we had theopportunity of having a news crew in our AWANA programand around our church family on a Wednesday night. Thestory aired three times on our local news, and it was atremendous opportunity to get our church name out intothe community.Third, but certainly not least, are the health benefitsI have already begun to reap. When I began, my bloodpressure was 140/90, my back hurt every day from theresidual effects of two back surgeries, I had frequentmigraine headaches, and I could hardly do anythingwithout having to stop and catch my breath. I had put mytrumpet aside, because I could not play with any qualityof sound; singing was aneffort, and none of my suitsbuttoned. Four weeks intothe competition, my bloodpressure is down to 120/80,backaches and headaches arecompletely gone, my breathingis better, my jackets button,and I am 33 pounds lighter.People began asking meimmediately for advice onlosing the extra pounds — Ihad to tell them that one weekof training and dieting doesnot make me an expert. But Idid learn these two things earlyon. First, if you have a significant amount of weight to lose,your chances of being successful by yourself are slim tonone. The accountability, support, and companionship ofthe group have been key to whatever success I have had sofar.The other thing I have learned is about the changeswe try to make in our lives, whether it be in the area ofweight control, relationships, or any part of life. If we makelittle changes, we get little results. If we make temporarychanges, we get temporary results. If we make radicalchanges, we get radical results.With five and a half months left in the competition,and the workload increasing all the time, I’m not sure if mytheme verse should be “I can do all things through Christwhich strengtheneth me”, or “Master, carest thou not thatwe perish?” Losing the weight is simple — but it’s not easy!Ed Chavis is blogging about his weight-loss journey athttp://echavis64.blogspot.com.38 | Baptist Bible Tribune | January 2010

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