2012 November.pdf - International Baptist Convention

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ACM Theme Interpretation:“Uttermost Parts-Global Partnerships”By Norman EllisPastor, Emmanuel International Church, Paris, France• In Acts 1:8 (NIV) Jesus says,“But you will receive powerwhen the Holy Spirit comes onyou; and you will be my witnessesin Jerusalem, and in allJudea and Samaria, and to theends of the earth.” Two thousandyears ago Christ challenged His disciples withthese words, and I really like Young’s Literal Translation,“Having gone, then, disciple all the nations” (Matthew28:19, YLT).One hundred forty years ago, a young man in Englandwas challenged by these words of Henry Varley,“The world has yet to see what God will do with a manfully consecrated to him.” The words so touched theyoung man that a year later he recalled to Varley, “I feltthat I must not let more time pass until I let you knowhow God had used your words to my inmost soul.”They launched what would become a worldwide ministrywhose impact cannot be measured. The young man,of course, was Dwight L. Moody, and the rest is history.With the challenge of a few wordsfrom Varley and the power of the Holy8 | Highlights 11/2012“Having gone,then,disciple allnations”(Matthew 28:19, YLT)Spirit, Moody used the limited resourcesof the 19th century to reach the uttermostparts of the world for Christ.One hundred years later, when I was17, I left the comfort of home for theopposite side of the planet, movingfrom Lansing, Michigan (USA), to Saigon,Vietnam. It took mail 14 daysround trip back then; I’d ask a questionin a letter and by the time I gotthe answer, I had forgotten what thequestion was. I called home once; it was $12 for the firstthree minutes and $3 for each additional minute. That’s$33 for a ten minute call ($183 today, when adjustedfor inflation). I would later travel to other countries andshare the Gospel with people and disciple them; theywould then travel to other places and share the goodnews. That snail’s pace made the Great Commissionoverwhelming to me. How could we ever “then, discipleall the nations.” “But what is impossible with manis possible with God” (Luke 18:27).Today, I spend way too much time on Google Earth. Ican zoom in and see the playground outside my apartmentwindow in Paris. I can then zoom down to streetlevel and see people frozen mid-step with faces blurredso they can’t be recognized. And I can even zoom a bitcloser and read the sign on the door of my bank. Then Izoom away and see all of Paris; a little further, the countryof France; then Europe, then an entire hemisphere.With a flick of the finger I can twirl the globe and seethe entire planet spin before my eyes.I know pastors and missionaries and I have friendsand family who have served, or are serving, in morethan 100 countries. I am, as you are, one degree separatedfrom every point in the world. I can Skype, Facebook,e-mail, and IM, logging thousands of communicationsevery month without getting out of my rockingchair. I study maps, read profiles, and meet people fromvirtually every point on the globe. I review homepages,read blogs, receive texts, and I have a global phonepackage that allows me to call 200 countries at no additionalcost. We live in a virtual world of connectivityto a real world in need of the Savior.Now I open my apartment window, and I hear thekids on that playground, laughing and yelling and crying,and I intercede for a generation of French childrenwho might never know the hope of Christ. I step outon the street and see the Europeans and Africans, theAmericans and the Asians, the northerners, southerners,easterners, and westerners, their faces no longer blurredbut registering their pain, loss, and despair, and I prayfor them without knowing their names. I enter the doorof my bank to conduct business and conclude by sharingwith my banker, the message of salvation throughChrist. And I’m right there!“Having gone, then, disciple all thenations.”Last Sunday I spoke to ambassadors(that’s with a little “a”) from morethan 30 countries, as did many of you.This week, under the influence of thatmessage, they spoke to, prayed for,helped out, and reached people fromtheirs and many other countries. I amamazed at the end of the week whenI consider that through faithfulness toGod’s call, I am doing a small part (butway bigger than I had ever dreamed)to fulfill the Great Commission. Whether by design orby serendipity, God’s sovereignty or our choice, wehave come to a dramatic point in human history: “Andwho knows whether you have not attained [your globalplacement] for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14c).So today as I consider global partnerships, I’m notgoing to presume to tell you how to dream, create,build, or expand those partnerships. I know nearly everyonehere is more inventive and creative than I am.What I am going to say is thank you for all you do inreaching the world for Christ. You inspire me. As youreturn to your places of worship, take a moment to realizethat you really are just one degree of separationfrom the world, and you will be in awe of how God hasused you in His global plan.And with a flick of the finger we are spinning theworld. I used to be overwhelmed at the call, “to theends of the earth.” Now, whether by deliberate, directsupport of a Filipino medical mission, giving to theGlobal Missions Offering, serving the outcast at a homelessmission, or preaching the Gospel to thirty-plus nationalities,“having gone, then, [I will] disciple all thenations,” and so will you.•
Executive Council Meets via WebEx• Following the changes made to theInternational Baptist Convention’s OperationsManual, the Executive Council (EC)of the convention met 2 October, prior tothe Annual Convention Meeting, via teleconferencing.The EC reviewed the 2013 budget recommendationfrom the Budget and FinanceMinistry Team. Based on input fromGeneral Secretary Jimmy Martin, the ExecutiveCouncil added 1,000 € for the Councilof Trustees to the recommendation.With that addition, they endorsed thebudget recommendation from the BFMT.The EC also approved the recommendationfrom the Missions Ministry Teamthat the Together We Build portion of theGlobal Missions Offering (GMO) go toTrinity Baptist Church, Metterich, Germany,to do repair work to the parsonage.The EC also approved a project to providecare packages for an evangelistic projectwith the Moldovan Baptist Union as thePartnership portion of the GMO.The EC also reviewed the application formembership of two new churches. Theywill recommend to the convention thatConverge International Fellowship, Darmstadt,Germany, and International GraceCommunity, Timisoara, Romania, becomeassociate members.Based on the recommendation of theNominations Ministry Team, the EC alsoapproved expanding the Women’s MinistryTeam to six persons.In addition to the action taken, thecouncil also heard a report from the generalsecretary about the European BaptistFederation council meeting and thelaunch of the new church plant in PanamaCity (23 September) and plannedlaunch in Darmstadt (7 October). He alsoreported that Diane Smith is visitingchurches every weekend doing trainingfor children’s ministry as part of the Virginiapartnership.Bill Tully, Moldova partnership coordinator,announced a mission trip to Moldovain February. Part of the GMO willgo to assist with an outreach campaignthat is part of this trip. Naty Tully said thatthe Women’s Ministry Team is looking forways to assist the partnership, in particularhelping with conferences on family life.•Global Missions Offering Sunday is 2 December• At its Annual Convention Meeting in October 2007, the International Baptist Convention voted to establish a once-a-year missionsoffering. This offering would be known as “Global Missions Offering” and would be collected on the first Sunday in December.This year’s offering will be distributed as:EBM IMP IBC/CP TWB PARTN EP Total %2012 22.5 % 10 % 22.5 % 20 % 20 % 5 % 100 %The European Baptist Mission (EBM) is themissionary-sending organization of EuropeanBaptists. The IBC is a member unionof the EBM and supports its work in Africa,Middle East, South America, and India.The money for the Indigenous MissionsPartnership (IMP) of the European BaptistFederation will go to support the work ofindigenous church planters in Moldovaand Romania. The partnership is celebratingits 10 th anniversary. The IBC has beenpart of the partnership from the beginning.The convention itself supports twoEuropeanBaptistEuropean MissionBaptistMission 22.5%22.5%IBC ChurchPlantingIBC ChurchPlanting22.5%22.5%EmergencyProjectsEmergencyProjects5%5%IBC Global Missions Offering 2012IBC Global Missions Offering 2012PartnershipMissionsPartnershipMoldovaMissionsProjectMoldovaProject 20%Together 20%We BuildTogetherWe Build20%Indigenous 20%MissionaryIndigenousPartnershipMissionaryPartnership10%10%missionaries. Convention churches supportanother seven.The IBC is also looking to plant newchurches within the convention. See the relatedarticle on page 14 describing the workof the convention’s LEAD teams and thelaunch of two new church plants this year.The Together We Build (TWB) portionof the offering will go to Trinity BaptistChurch, Metterich, Germany, to help withstopping water seepage into the basementof the church’s parsonage.The Partnership Missions portion (formerlyMay Missions or Home Missions)will go to an evangelism project in Moldova,with whom the IBC is in partnership.Care packages of food and clothing will beput together to be distributed in the townof Leova in February as part of an evangelisticcampaign. In past years, these packageshave proven to be very helpful inopening the doors to the Gospel (see relatedarticle on page 10).Emergency Projects (EP) are projectswhich arise throughout the year such asdisaster relief or hunger aid. •Repairs are made to prevent water seepage.9 | Highlights 11/2012
Page 4 and 5: Photo by Judith Lynn MaxwellJimmy M
Page 6 and 7: IBC Welcomes Two New Churchesand Ap
Page 10 and 11: IBC CD Now Available for Download
Page 12 and 13: “Abandon” Theme for Euroventure
Page 14 and 15: Congratulation: ‘It’s a church!
Page 16: News from the ChurchesParis, France

2012 November.pdf - International Baptist Convention

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