baptist digest april 2014

8/12/2019 Baptist Digest April 2014

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Newsjournal Of Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists

www.baptistdigest.com

April 2014Vol. 58 No. 4

Baptist

igest

The KNCSB Youth Worship Arts Camp helped equip youth to go home and serve in their churches.The camp was held March 7-8 at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan. Jason Waller was thefeatured worship leader and led a workshop on song writing. He is a Christian recording artist andworship pastor at CrossPoint Church in Salina. Break-out sessions focused on a variety of worship-related topics. (Photos by Stephen Smith - Stephen Smith Images, Topeka, KS.)

Youth Worship Arts Camp at Webster Conference Center


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WWW.KNCSB.ORG

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES:INFORM -- Regularly share information about ongoingtraining, curriculum, events, support and personnel.RESOURCE -- Serve as a resource pool for practicalideas about what is working in KS-NE congregationsand how it relates to all sizes of churches.GENERATIONAL -- Cast the widest net, providing sto-ries and information that will appeal to all generationsof Southern Baptists in NE-KS.FAMILY-FRIENDLY -- Be family-friendly with stories,regular columns and helps for families and leaders whowork with families.

AGE DIVERSE -- Publish stories that address the

diversity of age, ethnicity, and geographical regions ofKS-NE.MISSION-ORIENTED -- Publish stories about peopleand congregations involved in missions and regularlypublicize ministry opportunities.PART OF WIDER MISSION - Help congregationsdiscover that they are part of the larger work of t heKingdom of God through their ministries.

To give local news:Local church and associational news may be submit-

ted by mail, phone, fax or e-mail.

Advertising:Advertising policy and rates are available upon

request Call 800-984-9092 or e-mail:[email protected]

STAFFEditor: Tim Boyd, PhD.

Associate Editor: Eva Wilson

Printing Coordinator: Derek Taylor

Robert T. Mills, D. Min.

KNCSB Executive Director

AFFILIATIONSAssociation of State Baptist PapersBaptist Communicators Association

The Baptist Digest(USPS 018-942)Vol. 58 No. 4

Leadership Newsjournal for Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists is published

monthly12 times a year.

5410 SW 7th StreetTopeka, KS 66606-2398Phone: (785) 228-6800Toll Free: 800-984-9092

Fax: (785) 273-4992E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: baptistdigest.com

POSTMASTER:Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS 66606 andadditional entries. Send address changes to: TheBaptist Digest, 5410 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS

66606-2398.

By Georges BoujaklyKNCSB State Director of MissionsE-mail: [email protected]

Prayer As Opening to GodThe Christian life is a journey into the heart of God

and Gods journey into our hearts. Sounds romantic,doesnt it? Dare we believe it? I do. This journey is an

ever- increasing opening of our inner being to God. Haveyou settled for same old same old in prayer?If asked about a do-over in ministry I would empha-

size training in learning to be open to God with the helpof someone further along this road less travelled. If I

were designing a course ofstudy for future ministryleaders I would include con-tent that deals with learningto open our lives to God.Opening to God is the wayof the prayerful life.

In following Jesus, every-thing on the journey is mate-rial for becoming conformedto the image of Christ.Journey means movement,actions, decisions, stops andrestarts, detours, delays andadventures into places wehavent been. The toughestpart of the journey for mostof us is learning to open our

selves to God in patient trust. A journey with God, as Ihave and suspect you have discovered, requires patient

faithfulness on Gods part as well as on our part. Myexperience of life with God, as yours may be, has taughtme that Gods work is slow. Like a Werthers candy, itcant be rushed.

God aims to make us godly, holy, and perfect as he is.Only he can do this through us. For this to happen weneed a complete makeover, which begins with repen-tance and trust and continues in repentance and trust allour life long. Repentance and trust are the rst strandsof our embryonic conversion faith. But these two strandsmultiply themselves to become an unbreakable rope oflove, which puts us in an ever-increasing communionwith God. Prayer is how the strands multiply and causeus to become open to God. Confession, praise, thanksgiv-ing, petition, and intercession are ultimately what we arebecoming: open vessels where God prays in, with, andthrough us.

Partly, prayer as we all know, is about conversa-tion with God. But a conversation is not restricted to ascheduled sit down time. Communion is a better term

Walking With the Master

Georges Boujakly

The Thought Occurred to MeBy Bob MillsKNCSB Executive DirectorE-mail: [email protected]

I am reminded of passage in Psalm 24:1, where theBible says; The earth is the Lords, and everythingin it, the world, and all who live in it. God owns

everything and we are his money managers. How arewe doing? With all the Lord has given us how are wedoing with what he has entrusted us?

Stewardship and discipleship cannot be separated.As a follower of Jesus Christ, he expects us to be stew-ards of life resources - time, talent and financial mat-ters. The first thing we need to acknowledge is Godowns it all and we do not. What we do with our liferesources speaks of our commitment and our relation-ship with God.

A good steward manages the assets of the owner.Friends, if He owns it all, (and I believe He does), what

we have is just entrusted to us not given to us. Why isit that we think we own all that we have? Perhaps it is

because we live in a consumer, stuff-oriented societythat we sometimes feel this way. Perhaps it has to dowith just being greedy and self-absorbed. As follow-ers of Jesus we have been called to a higher standard,a God-focused standard. God should be at the center

of our world and not what we think this world has tooffer.

Jesus knew mankind would struggle with materialpossessions. Jesus mentions money approximately 700times in scripture. Jesus understood the heart of manand the draw man would have toward material posses-sions.

I know that most of you reading this article are goodstewards of Gods possessions. Thank you for yourfaithfulness to God through your tithes and offeringsto your local church. These are tough times in whichwe live, with lots of people and organizations pulling

on us to give to this cause or another. Thank you forremaining faithful to God in your giving.

since it connotes something broader than just talking. Aloving and mature couple can have communion withoutconversation. Opening to God is more about the waysGod shares himself with us and us with him to the pointthat his divine nature is a vital aspect of our lives (2 Peter1:4). Prayer is communion with God.

In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye has anongoing conversation with God that is beautiful to see.Whatever happens to him, whether his milk wagonwheel breaks down, the people of his town are persecut-ed, or his daughters reject the traditional ways of beingJewish, we nd Tevye talking to God. But in spite of theconversational relationship with God we dont get theimpression that prayer for Tevye is about communionwith God.

At the center of our faith is God who is love (1 John4:8-9). His mercy and steadfast love endure and areavailable to all. From these truths it follows that our com-munion with God comes through love. God is more thansomeone we address in prayer. He is the ground of ourbeing. Therefore, prayer is our communion with God,which is our being-in-love with God.

David Benner in his Opening to God says that prayerhas to move from the head to the heart. When we allowprayer to begin to seep from our minds to our depths, itgives God access to those depths. Then and only then,can prayer spontaneously emerge as Gods action in us.Because God is in love with us, and because God is love,prayer ows through us as a loving action toward God.

But love does not stand still. Sweeter it grows. Glorybestows. Bright as the sun, ever it grows. This is the

nature of love. God seeks and courts his people. Heromances them. He marries them. He inhabits the depth

of their souls. He prays with them and through them(Dont the Psalms show us that God prays through us?).

God is more than we can imagine. Hes uncontainable.He does not inhabit my theological box, nor yours. Ifhe has a box its of his own making not ours. Are thereboundaries to our imagination when it comes to God?Sure. But fear not, you cant imagine such a God. Hes

so beyond imagination that we have to use symboliclanguage to speak of him. Ordinary language cant dohim justice. The Scriptures use all kinds of language:gendered language of males and females, tender-lovinggestures and habits of animals are used as attributes,even inanimate objects are marshaled to give us hintsof Gods identity and character (He is a rock). And whocould have imagined Jesus, the Son of God in esh ap-pearing?

This is a call to you and me to make time and space tothink about where we are in our communion of love withGod. Are there ways to expand our opening to God?Stillness and listening is one. Using objects as remindersof his presence such as when we light candles at Christ-mas time to celebrate his peaceful, hopeful, loving, andjoyful presence. But is there room for more. Going on awalk in the neighborhood, naming the owers or birdsas an act of worship, speaking the Lords prayer at mid-day, meditating on a Psalm throughout the day, speakingtruth claims such as Gods mercy endures forever orsimply raising open hands as a sign of our readiness tomove deeper into the heart of God as he moves deeperinto ours.

Are you open to opening to God? There are depths oflove that I cannot know till I cross the narrow sea; There

are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest in peacewith Thee. Draw me nearer, dear Lord.

Bob Mills

I would also be quickto say thank you foryour mission givingthrough the CooperativeProgram. Your faith-

fulness supports statemissions, (Kansas-Nebraska Conventionof Southern Baptists),national missions (NorthAmerican Missions),international missions(International MissionBoard), six seminaries(Midwestern, Southwestern, Southeastern, GoldenGate, New Orleans and Southern), Religious LibertiesCommission, and the Executive Committee of the

Southern Baptist Convention. Together, we are and cancontinue to be a strong mission enterprise for the LordJesus Christ.


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Sharing & Strengthening

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By Andy AddisKNCSB Convention President

E-mail: [email protected]

There is no denying, the news is dire.Im not talking about our current geo-

political situation though that is notgood.

Im not focusing of global econom-ics but it is worthy of our attention.

Im not describing the frontline of theculture war which is currently beyonddesperation.

Im talking about something muchnearer, dearer, and so close to home, itsin our backyard.

Baptism numbers across the SouthernBaptist Denomination are in decline, andthat means several things:nEvangelism isnt happeningnDiscipleship isnt happeningnThe Great Commission isnt hap-

peningThe problem is serious enough I

would echo the words of Dr. FrankPage, President of the SBC ExecutiveCommittee, when he said, God forgiveus and God help us.

I think the tendency of humanity isto overreact in the face of adversity, dif-ficulty and crisis. You know, like thatmoment you step on the scale and thenumber scares you to death, and you

say, I am never eating again.Overreacting also leads to programmadness. We look for a quick fix, tool,solution, and/or miracle pill. To staywith the overweight crisis motif, youmight recognize some of these pro-gramatic answers: Weight Watchers,

Presidents Perspective

Andy Addis

Nutrisystem,Adkins, Etc.

But, letsbe honest, ifthere werea magic pillthat workedfor us all,

wouldnteveryone beskinny?

Its impor-tant to hon-estly acceptthe reality of

Christianity in the world today and thedecline we are seeing in Southern Baptistlife, but our job (especially as pastors) isnot to react, but to repent.

The problem is always spiritual, and

when we look for other answers wedeny the reality of the real cause andpush healing further away, rather thanbringing it closer.

We need to remember that spiritualproblems are not fixed programatically,but individually.nWho are you sharing Christ with,

personally?nWho are you weeping in prayer

over that they might come to Jesus?n

Who are you sacrificing comfortand convenience for, that they might seeJesus in a new way?

Southern Baptists (corporately) wontsee a change in our direction untilSouthern Baptists (individually) changewhere we are going.

We will always pursue what we value.If thats big buildings then we willchase budgets. If its doctrinal puritythen we will celebrate dogmatism. If itsattendance then we will esteem the bigcrowds.

But, in our repentance, what doesGods word say we should value?

In Luke 15 our Savior tells three sto-ries back to back about a shepherd wholost a sheep, a women who lost a coinand a father who lost a son. There aremany lessons in these stories that can betaught: evangelism, tenacity, forgiveness,passion, hope, etc.

But, DO NOT miss the one thing thatties each of them together: when theshepherd found the sheep they celebrat-ed, when the woman found the coin sherejoiced, and when the son came home

they partied hearty!We know what we value by what we

celebrate. Make baptisms a pep rally offaith. Include the ones who lead them toChrist. Let whole small groups/SundaySchool classes stand with the candidateand celebrate publicly. Make testimoniesthe center piece on the table at yourweekend services.

And, make sure you have exciting andpassionate stories to tell because you are

sharing the Gospel everyday, in every-way.No program will turn this around,

but faithful people sharing Jesus with aworld in need can change more than thedirection of a denomination they canchange eternity.

By Tim BoydDigest Editor

E-mail: [email protected]

The culture in the United States has changed quitea bit in my lifetime. When I was born, my grandfatherand my father ran a credit grocery store. In the part

of town that they operated, there was a similar storein the same block. These were all small operations.The stores carried one brand of almost everything andthe emphasis was upon staple goods, meats and veg-etables.

My father would take the orders over the phone, putthe items into a wire basket, deliver the groceries to thehome, and even put the groceries in the cabinet of theperson to whom he was making the delivery. It was avery customer-oriented process.

I remember when the first supermarket opened rightbehind my grandfathers store. Within a few years, his

store went out of business along with most of thoselike it. The first big box stores were making theirimpact. Currently, most of us do some shopping atWal-Mart, Target, or one of the other big-box stores.Often, there is no other choice because mom and popstores have gone out of business due to the competi-tion of these larger retailers. Much of the personaltouch and customer orientation was lost at the sametime

A similar process has occurred in church life. Mega-churches have been on the rise, and neighborhoodchurches have a hard time competing with the multiple

Along the Journey

Tim Boyd

ministries of these big-box churches. In an interest-ing paradox the number of mega-churches has rapidlyescalated in the last three decades or so while the over-all number of evangelical believers has declined.

We all have to shop for food and clothing. So, sooner

or later we wind up at the big-box store that suits usbest. But no one has to go to church. It is strictly a vol-untary activity. I believe that there is a direct correlationbetween the rise of the mega-church (along with theloss of many neighborhood churches) and the overalldecline in the number of evangelical believers.

The older model of neighborhood churches wasmore personal and intimate with their communities,and involved in their communities. Mega-churchesserve much larger areas and rarely are as completelyimmersed in their community. We have lost groundas a result. I believe that one of the keys for seeing

Kingdom growth in the United States is to find waysto revitalize the smaller churches with more of a fam-ily feel. Christianity is built on a personal relationshipwith God. Likewise, personal relationships with othersknits a church together.

In a similar vein, there is a movement afoot that saysthat local associations and state conventions shouldbe put aside in favor of larger national entities. It ismuch the same kind of movement that saw the riseof the big box churches. But is bigger always bet-ter? Will a national agency ever be able to be person-ally involved with a local church pastor in the same

way that an associational missionary is? I doubt it.Something valuable could really be lost in the daysahead.

I am grateful to be serving in a state convention,which has strong ties to the local association as well asthe local churches. I believe that we have somethingspecial here in KNCSB that makes us more effective inKingdom work. We are in the process of tweaking ourconvention structure through the work of the FutureDirections Taskforce, but we still will have a stateconvention partnered with local associations to servethe churches and leaders of Southern Baptist churchesin Nebraska and Kansas. Together we will carry outour Great Commission responsibilities in Kansas andNebraska.

Cooperative Program Its Potential

If two are better than one (Eccl. 4:9),

how much better are more than 16 mil-

lion? This is the current membership

in more than 45,000 Southern Baptist

churches across the United States. Witha global population exceeding 6.5 billion

and a command to take the gospel to

every nation, we must enhance our co-

operative efforts if we are going to fulllChrists command.

To help Cooperative Program reach its

potential, would you please:

n Pray.Pray regularly for your South-

ern Baptist missionaries in your state and

around the globe. Pray to the Lord of theharvest to send out workers. Matthew

9:38 (HCSB)

n Go.Be involved in some sort of mis-

sions endeavor. Talk with your pastor

about the available opportunities. You are

Gods missionary right where you live.Go...and make disciples of all nations.

Matthew 28:19 (HCSB)

n Give.Out of love for the Lord, give

regularly to Him through your church. If

you are not tithing, begin to do so and

also discover the blessings of giving be-

yond the tithe. Encourage your church toincrease its participation in Cooperative

Program.

Thank you for your love for the Lord, yourlove for people, and your participation in

Cooperative Program.


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Cooperative Program

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Groups are essential to the health andmission of a church. They are likely thestarting point for community, disciple-ship, and service in your church. Infact, recent research shows that people

involved in groups are healthier spiritu-ally than those who arent.

People in groups read the Bible more,pray more, give more, and serve more,according to the Transformation GroupsProject conducted by LifeWay Researchduring 2012-13. They surveyed morethan 2900 American adults who attend aProtestant church at least once a month.The statistics contrasted spiritual prac-tices over the past six months of peoplewho never attended a small group with

those who attended at least four times amonth. Here are examples of responseswhen asked if they had done the follow-ing at least a few times a week.n Read the Bible: 27% (never attend)

vs. 67% (4+ times)n Pray for my church and/or church

leaders: 30% vs. 64%

KNCSB Goal: $215,000Supporting Kansas-Nebraska Missions Causes

50% to Your Association

50% to KS-NE Missions Causes

LvngTHE GREATCommission

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Phil. 4:13

Viola Webb Associational& State Missions Offering

n Study the Bible: 10% vs. 42%In addition, the survey revealed the

impact of groups on service and makingconnections.n I am intentionally putting my

spiritual gift(s) to use serving God andothers: 42% vs. 73%n I intentionally try to get to know

new people I meet at church: 37% vs.67%

Simply stated, your churchs groupsmatterwhether small groups, mis-sional communities, Sunday school, orsome other expression of groups. Groupsprovide an opportunity to be intentionalabout discipleship.

Marie Clark, leader for the KNCSB

Bible Study Team, is challenging everyKNCSB church to consider starting atleast one new group in 2014-2015. If youreally believe that groups make a dier-ence in reaching and growing people,how many will you commit to start thisyear?

W h y G r o u p s M a t t e r

The KNCSB Mission Board heard chal-lenges to renewed cooperation during itsmeeting on Friday, March 14.

Both Bob Mills, KNCSB executive di-rector, and KNCSB President Andy Ad-dis, told of the need for Southern Baptiststo regain their spirit of cooperation.

We must recapture that cooperativespirit of everyone working together,Mills told the board.

Addis challenged board members to gohome and promote the Cooperative Pro-

gram where they live. To help with this,Addis produced a talking-points docu-ment that can be found at http://one-church.net/cp.pdf

When you give to the CooperativeProgram you are changing the world,Addis told board members.

The meeting began with a devotionalby Joe Stiles, KNCSB vice president.Stiles used Exodus 14 as his text wherethe Israelites were standing on the shoreof the Red Sea with the Egyptians pursu-

ing them.What are we going to do? Stilesasked of Kansas-Nebraska Southern Bap-tists. Are we going to step backward orare we going to step forward? Were atthe waters edge, but I believe God hasexciting days ahead of us.

In other activity:

nAddis asked board members to savethe dates and help promote Crossover2014. (Crossover is the evangelistic em-phasis that precedes the KNCSB annualmeeting.) The 2014 KNCSB annual meet-ing will be held Oct. 13-14 at CrossPointChurch, Hutchinson, Kan., where Addisis senior pastor. Crossover 2014 will be-gin on Saturday, Oct. 11. Activities also

Mari Parker receives a recognitionaward from Bob Mills, Executive Direc-

tor, for 15 years of service to KNCSB.

Bob Mills, Executive Director, recognizes

Beth Payne for 15 years of service to

KNCSB.

will be held on Sunday, Oct. 12, and Mon-day morning, Oct. 13. Details are in theprocess of being nalized.nTwo KNCSB sta members received

service awards - Mari Parker, 15 years,

and Beth Payne, 10 years. Parker is di-rector of KNCSB womens ministry andworks in a variety of other ministries.Payne is the ministry assistant in theyouth ministry department.

KNCSB Mission Board HoldsSpring Meeting in Topeka

April 13 - Cooperative Program Sunday


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Jared Clough from Shawnee, Kan., led the choir workshop during the KNCSB Youth Wor-ship Arts Camp. Cindy Clough, his mother, was the accompanist. The Youth Worship ArtsCamp was held March 7-8 at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan. Its purpose was toequip youth to go home and serve in their churches. Participants in the choir workshopwere given music to use in their churches.

Two Retired

Ministers DieTwo retired ministers withKansas-Nebraska connectionsdied recently.

Frank Claiborne, a retireddirector of missions in Kansas,died Sunday, Jan. 19.

Long-time Nebraska pastorBob Payne died Monday, Feb.17. He was the retired pastor of

Calvary Baptist Church, NorthPlae, Neb., where he servedfor 35 years.

Frank Claiborne rst becamea pastor in 1948 when he wasordained by Pine Street BaptistChurch in Nevada, Mo

Over the years he helpedstart more than 48 churches inMissouri and Kansas. Frankand his wife, Idavee, weremissionaries with the HomeMission Board of the SouthernBaptist Convention. He heldmany titles, including pastor,chaplain, superintendent of mis-sions, director of missions andchurch starter strategist.

Among the survivors are hiswife, Idavee, and their threechildren: Cynthia Compton andhusband Harold, Macon, Mo.;Paul Claiborne and wife Shellie,

also of Macon, Mo.; and TimClaiborne and wife Liz, Topeka,Kan.; eight grandchildren andnine great-grandchildren.

Visitation was held Wednes-day night, Jan. 22, at Huon& McElwain Funeral Home in

Macon. The funeral was heldThursday aernoon, Jan. 23,at the Bevier Baptist Church inBevier, Mo.

A second visitation was beheld Friday, Jan. 24, at Hill andSon Funeral Home in AppletonCity, Mo. Interment then fol-lowed the visitation on Friday,

Jan. 24, in the Newton BurialPark in Nevada, Mo.

Memorials may be sent to theChurch Planting Memorial atthe Kansas-Nebraska Conven-tion of Southern Baptists, 5410SW 7th St., Topeka, KS 66606.

Long-time Nebraska pastorBob Payne died Monday, Feb.17. He was the retired pastor ofCalvary Baptist Church, NorthPlae, Neb., where he servedfor 35 years.

Payne was the longest-tenured Southern Baptist pastorin Western Nebraska, said PeckLindsay, retired KNCSB execu-tive director. Lindsay is now theKNCSB consultant for town-and-country associations.

Bob moved his family toNorth Plae believing that waswhere he should invest the rest

of his life.Calvary Baptist Churchs

aendance was running 15-20when Payne and his family ar-rived in North Plae.

He was bivocational for therst few years. His rst wife,

On Saturday, March 1, the Royal Ambassadors at First Southern Baptist Church, Lawrence,Kan., held their ninth annual Race for Missions. The $1,775 that was collected went intoour World Missions Offering which is distributed between the Lottie Moon, Annie Arm-strong and Viola Webb mission offerings, said Bob Drake, RA leader. Royal Ambassadorsis the Southern Baptist missions education program for boys in grades 1-6. (Submittedphoto)

Sue, also worked outside thehome to help support theirfamily.

Payne led Calvary Baptistto become self supporting andto relocate to a larger facility,Lindsay said.

His ministry was conductedwhile ghting an illness formany years.

On June 5, 1965, he was mar-ried Susan Power in Lincoln.They moved to North Plae in1975, where he brought manypeople to the Lord as seniorpastor at the Calvary BaptistChurch for 35 years.

He was united in marriageto Rebecca Carsten on March 2,2006, at North Plae.

Among the survivors are hiswife, Rebecca of North Plae;children, Robert (Kim) Payne IIof Bellevue, Neb., Kirk (RebeccaHansen) Payne of Lincoln, Jes-sica Payne of Crete, and JoshuaPayne of Lincoln.

The memorial service washeld Thursday, Feb. 20, at GraceCommunity Bible Church inNorth Plae. Private familyinurnment will be held later.

Memorials may be sentto Grace Community BibleChurch. Carpenter MemorialChapel, North Plae, was incharge of arrangements.

SBC Meeting to be Held in BaltimoreNow is the time to make

plans to aend the 2014 South-ern Baptist Convention annualmeeting.

It will be held June 10-11 atthe Baltimore Convention Cen-ter in Baltimore, Md.

The Crossover evangelisticoutreach will be held on Satur-

day, June 7. Crossover precedeseach SBC annual meeting. Learnmore about Crossover 2014 athp://www.embracebaltimore.com/crossover/

Show Us Your Glory willbe the theme of the 2014 SBCPastors Conference. It will beheld at the Baltimore Conven-tion Center.

Speakers will include Rick

Warren, Francis Chan, DavidPla and Ronnie Floyd. Findmore information on the SBCPastors Conference Web site athp://sbcpc.net/

The Womans MissionaryUnion-SBC annual meeting and

missions celebration will culmi-nate the celebration of WMUs125th anniversary. It will beheld June 8-9 in Baltimore.

Baltimore was the home ofAnnie Armstrong. The annualSouthern Baptist North Ameri-can Missions Oering wasnamed aer her.

Activities will begin at 4 p.m.Sunday, June 8, with a mission-ary commissioning service. Itwill be held in the BaltimoreConvention Center Ballroom.Both North American and in-ternational missionaries will becommissioned.

On Monday, June 9, theWMU Missions Celebrationwill be held at the Sheraton

Baltimore Center City Hotel.The morning session will beheld from 9 to noon. Breakoutsessions will be held during inthe aernoon along with a tourof Annie Armstrong sites. Readmore at hp://bit.ly/NnMh3qt

KNCSB ON MISSION


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VBS Enthusiasts Gather for Training

Agency D3: Discover, Decide, Defend is the theme of the 2014 main Vacation BibleSchool curriculum from LifeWay Christian Resources. It will help children discover, de-cide, and defend the truth about Jesus, the LifeWay Web site says. VBS participants willlearn that the Bible is true and that Jesus is Gods one and only Son. And they will learnhow to defend their faith. The theme verse is 1 Peter 3:15 (see lower-left graphic).

Despite a winter storm brew-ing in the region, Vacation BibleSchool enthusiasts gathered Sat-

urday, March 1, for the annualKNCSB VBS Jumpstart Clinic.

Clinic participants receivedtraining and inspiration to helpthem prepare for what can bea churchs most important out-reach event.

Agency D3: Discover,Decide, Defend is the themeof the 2014 main Vacation BibleSchool curriculum from Life-Way Christian Resources.

It will help children discov-er, decide, and defend the truthabout Jesus, the LifeWay Website says.

The theme verse is Buthonor the Messiah as Lord inyour hearts. Always be ready togive a defense to anyone whoasks you for a reason for thehope that is in you. (1 Peter3:15) (Holman Christian Stan-

dard Bible)This is the rst VBS weve

had with an apologetics theme,Jerry Wooley, LifeWay VBS spe-cialist, told Baptist Press.

Kids not only need to knowthe Bible is true and that Jesusis Gods one and only Son,but they need to know how todefend what they believe whensomeone asks them why theybelieve it.

Daily content for childrenand special needs is:

Day 1:Is Jesus Really GodsSon?

Evidence:An EyewitnessReport (Mahew 3:13-17; John1:29-36)

Christ Connection:Isaiah42:1 points to Jesus as Gods Son

whom God would send to pro-vide salvation for His people.

Summary:Kids can knowevidence proves that Jesus isGods Son.

Day 2:Was Jesus More ThanJust a Good Man?

Evidence:BackgroundCheck (Mark 6:1-6, 30-56)

Christ Connection:Jesus

told people in Luke 4:16-21 thatHe was the Messiah referencedin Isaiah 61:1-2.

Summary:Kids can knowevidence proves that Jesus wasmore than just a good man.

Day 3:Was Jesus DeathReal?

Evidence:Death Conrmed(Mark 14:22-28; 15:22-47)

Christ Connection:As fore-told in Isaiah 53:2-6, Gods planfor Jesus included Jesus deathand resurrection to provideforgiveness of sin.

Summary:Kids can knowevidence proves that Jesusdeath was real.

Day 4: Is Jesus Alive?Evidence:Physical Proof

(Luke 24:1-48)

Christ Connection:Just asDavid prophesied in Psalm16:10 and Peter testied in Acts2:31, God raised Jesus from thedead.

Summary:Kids can knowevidence proves that Jesus isalive.

Day 5:What Do I Do withthe Evidence about Jesus?

Evidence:Summing Up theEvidence (Acts 2:14-42; 1 Peter3:15)

Christ Connection:Daviddeclared (Psalm 22:31) andPeter preached (Acts 2:39) thatthose present and generationsyet to come would hear aboutthe righteousness of Christ andwhat He has done.

Summary:Kids can use theevidence about Jesus to defendtheir faith.

Backyard Kids ClubLifeway also is oering

the VBS 2014 Backyard KidsClub for reaching children in amission seing. It is based onAgency D3. Each kit oers:

nHost Folder: with infor-mation to guide you throughpromotion, registration, safetyand security, plus snack ideas

nMusic Folder:providesideas for opening and closingworship and music times

nChildrens Bible StudyFolder:provides ve 30-minuteBible study sessions for grades16; based on the Agency D3VBS content

nPreschool Bible StudyFolder:provides ve 30-minuteBible study sessions for ages 3kindergarten

nCrafs Folder:provides one

grade-school cra idea and onepreschool cra idea per daynRecreation Cardsfor both

grade school and preschoolrecreation

The kit also oers: Music forKids CD; Music for Preschool-ers CD; DVD with choreogra-phy instructions and demos;teaching pictures; window signfor promotion; and VBS 2014string ags.

Zip for KidsLifeWay also is oering a

new curriculum called Zip forKids for preschoolers throughsixth grade. It oers a exibleformat and can be used in avariety of seings.

Zip Essentials include:n Basic administration helpsn Tools for large- and small-

group Bible studiesn Up to 10 Bible study ses-

sionsn Sample schedule

n Daily Bible story videosZip Media oers addition-

al tools including:

n Zip music on CDn Bible story and application

videosn Countdowns and bumpersn Song lyricsZip Tracks consists of tools

to customize an outreach eventfor children in your community.It includes three main catego-ries. Each oers ve tracks fromwhich to choose, plus a com-munity service oriented trackcalled Live It.

nPlay It:Soccer, Basketball,Outdoor Games, Messy Games,Indoor Games, CustomizedPlay It Track

n Perform It:Drama, Per-cussion, Musical Performance,Cheer, Sign Language, Custom-ized Perform It Track

n Create It:Kitchen Con-coctions, Duct Tape Creations,

Art Works, Discovery Lab,Construction Zone, CustomizedCreate It Track

Read more at hp://lfwy.co/1fqamNL

E-Anytime, AnywhereLifeWay also oers E-

Anytime, Anywhere, a seriesof Bible lessons for preschool-ers and children. It oers greatexibility for use in both church

and mission seings.Lessons may be download-

ed from the LifeWay Web sitefor $4.95 per lesson. Each lessonincludes:

nA Bible story with keyverses

n Teaching tipsnActivities that use easy-to-

nd resourcesn A Fun Page that can be

used during the session or as atake-home page

Find more information athp://lfwy.co/1gq7aTd

Save the Dates for Crossover 2014

The 2014 KNCSB annual meeting will be held Oct. 13-14 at CrossPointChurch, Hutchinson, Kan. The churchs new building is scheduled to be com-pleted in early summer.

Crossover is the evangelistic emphasis that precedes the KNCSB annualmeeting. Crossover 2014 will begin on Saturday, Oct. 11. Activities also will beheld on Sunday, Oct. 12, and Monday morning, Oct. 13. Details are now beingfnalized and will be published in The Digest and on the KNCSB Web site.

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April2014

Chloe shared her story astears fell silently down her face.Since her earliest lile girl memo-ries, every male in her life sexu-ally abused her. She would cryout for her momma only to getbeaten because her mom thoughtshe caused those male familymembers to want to do those bad

things to her. As a young teenshe would try to hide in closetsand cabinets so they couldntnd her, only to suer theirhorric abuse when they did.By sixteen Chloe left her home

and took to the streets, hoping for a beer life. On thestreets she became the property of a man who kept hersupplied in drugs and alcohol, and insisted on a moneyquota each day. Doing what she never dreamed of asa lile girl, she sold her body through dancing andprostitution. One day several months ago, Chloe hitboom, walked in to an inner city ministry and criedout for help.

I met Chloe through a ministry in my city that helpsrestore women coming out of the sex-trade business.These women go through weekly Bible study, grouptime, serving in the sponsoring church six mornings a

When Ministry Hurts

Debbie EbleKNCSB Womens Leadership, Fit 4 Him Consultant

For the past seven

months our familyhas been dealingwith some very se-rious health issues.I thought I had toomuch stress before,but this has givenme a new under-standing of whatstress is. These aresome of things thathelping me:

1. Refuse negative thought paerns.Train your mind and thoughts to sele on

good things.Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,

whatever things are noble, whatever things arejust, whatever things are pure, whatever thingsare lovely, whatever things are of good report, ifthere is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthymeditate on these things. Phil 4:8

2. Be grateful.

A truly grateful person is never a negativeperson.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in ev-erything give thanks; for this is the will of God inChrist Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

3. Find balance.Jesus outlined a healthy lifestyle in Mark

12:30You shall love the Lord your God with all your

heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and

Pam McDonaldBNF President

I had just picked up my 5yr old grandson up frompre-kindergarten, when I noticed his daily report card.It stated that Trystan had eaten all his meals, read somebooks, played with blocks, oh yes, and he had a timeout. As we rode home I asked him why he had receiveda time out. After drawing a deep breath he replied,Maw- Maw, do you know how hard it is to be good allday!

Boy, do I ever know the truth of that statement! Dailywe make choices: some are large and some are small.Some are good for us and others are bad. And if you are

like me, sometimes it is hard to be good all day! The apostle Paul said it best

in Romans 7:14-24 during a discourse on his frustration over wanting to dowhat is good and right, but nding himself doing the very things he hates.

One such area of struggle for me is the proper care of my physical self. Iknow from the spiritual perspective that this mortal body is a gift from God.I also know intellectually and professionally, as a nurse, the value of andsteps to proper care for a healthier self. In fact, I spend a good part of myday instructing patients how to beer care for themselves. You would thinkI could follow my own instructions. Instead, like Paul, I do the very thingsI hate, from staying up late watching TV, eating too many things that arenot good for me, forgeing to take my medications, and leaving no time forexercise.

I have a feeling Im not alone with this struggle. So what is a woman to do?The answer has been right in front of my face all these years, and I m justnow seeing it. You will nd it in verse 15 of Pauls discourse, For I do notunderstand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do,but I do what I hate. Can it be that simple? We have heard it all our lives,Practice makes perfect. To practice means to set it as a priority, to make ita desire, and to repeat it until it is done.

God gave this body to us to be used for His glory and not ours. God calledall of you, your spiritual, emotional, mental and PHYSICAL you. From thispoint, let us encourage each other to beer health. With practice, we can begood all day long with our health.

Practice Makes

for Perfect Health

Six Spring Stress Busters

with all your strength.

Find balance in all four areas of your life:emotional, spiritual, mental and physical.Take the time to pray this through areyou allowing Jesus to be Lord in each one ofthese areas? When you get this, your stresswill almost disappear.

4. Eat to live.This is crucial. As Christians its time we

learn to discipline ourselves in the area offood, by making thoughtful choices on whatwe put into our body.

Do you not know that your body is the templeof the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you havefrom God, and you are not your own? For youwere bought at a price; therefore glorify God inyour body. 1 Thessalonians 6:19, 20

5. Help others.Do not neglect to do good and to share what

you have, for such sacrices are pleasing to God.Hebrews 13:16

6. Be still.This is more important than you think.

When was the last time you sat in total quiet

with the Lord, NOT TALKING, only listen-ing? Try it. Begin with just 5 minutes a day,and slowly work your way up to 15. Trainyourself to be quiet inside and out. Do notlet your adorning be externalthe braiding ofhair and the puing on of gold jewelry, or theclothing you wearbut let your adorning be thehidden person of the heart with the imperishablebeauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in Godssight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:3,4

week, counseling, needed healthcare, and at least twomentors who meet with them for one hour each week.

I entered Chloes life as one of her mentors. For sev-eral months we met at least once a week, usually for 2-3hours at a time. Over many cups of coee we learnedabout each other. She shared her story and her goalsand we worked on how she was going to accomplishthose goals.

During our last month together, the ministry director

shared with me that Chloes aitude at the house wasvery disruptive and combative and she was afraid shewas going to have to send her back home.

Ministry hurts at times. Through training and experi-ence we are taught to engage in ministry like this, butto keep a protective distance for our own sanity. Thistime, it just didnt happen. I let her in, became veryprotective of her, and fought for her to the end. Yousee, after twenty some years of people using her bodyand controlling her life, she found her voice. Chloewas not going to be used again. She just didnt knowhow to use that voice. She never had positive relation-ships modeled in her life. We role-played relationalconcepts. We talked about how she could have handledan issue in the house in a dierent way. We studiedscripture, focusing on grace and love. We talked aboutour actions and reactions. I saw such potential in Chloe.This frightened lile girl, confused young teen, the

desperate sixteen year old still accomplished geingher GED, acquiring 20 hours of college, sought help,moved to Kansas, began her faith story in Jesus Christ,was reading her Bible every day, and happily servingwith her new church family. Yet learning how to useher voice was still a challenge for her.

She was sent home, on a bus with a winter stormwarning issued. Destinationthe inner-city of one ofAmericas largest cities, with the only assurance that

she could stay with family for two weeks. Rememberwhat I said about her family life?

Boy does ministry hurt sometimes! Its not like I hada God complex and thought I could heal her. Its thelayers God was revealing in her character before myeyes, and selshly, not having enough time with her tosee how He would completely transform her.

Lesson learned? Sometimes we get to enter the huge,messy life of a person, and our role is phase one ofmany phases to healing. And God has others for eachof those phases.

So with this knowledge, Im jumping right back in,with a new girl whom I will let in and become veryprotective of and will ght for to my end of Gods as-signmentknowing God has another to walk with herthrough the next phases.

ShiggaionMari

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WCC

Update

n Bryan Jones, Pastor of Tyler Road Baptist Church in Wichita, waselected to ll a position on the WCC Board of Directors for the Heart of Kan-sas Association by the KNCSB Mission Board in their March Meeting.n The KNCSB Mission Board also approved the 2014-2018 WCC Strate-

gic Plans. These plans will now be presented to the WCC Board of Directorsfor nal approval in their May Meeting.n In early February, WCC received a 2014 Matching Challenge Grant

from a Kansas family for the Dining Hall expansion project to increase DiningHall seating to 500. The grant will match dollar for dollar all gifts given up to$50,000.

n A second Matching Challenge Grant was recently given by a differentfamily in Kansas to move the Picnic Pavilion to a new location and upgradethis facility. Again, this grant will match all gifts given dollar for dollar up to$10,000. This move becomes necessary because of the Dining Hall expan-sion.n Send Matching Challenge Grant contributions to Webster Conference

Center, 5410 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS 66606-2398 and indicate whichgrant to which your gift should be applied.n KNCSB churches may begin booking their 2016 meetings at WCC

beginning April 1, 2014. Call 1-877-922-7378 to reserve your dates.n Several major projects are now nearing completion such as: Dormitory

bathroom upgrades, Disc Golf Course development, New sidewalks at twolocations and lighting improvements between the Chapel and the Dining Hall,and Chapel upgrades to mention a few.n Thank you for your prayers and nancial support of WCC.

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!Thank you for your continued support of this mission facility as wecontinue to reach people for Christ and train believers for the work ofthe ministry! The WCC Staff

Salina Church Seeks PastorFIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH, SALINA, KANSAS is prayerfullyseeking the Lords leadership to call a Senior Pastor. Recommendations orResumes may be sent to Ryan Kejr, Chairman, Pastor Search Committee,2401 S. Ohio St., Salina Kansas 67401 or [email protected].

Day by Day is a ministry for those who have lost a spouse. If you arelooking for a place to be encouraged, equipped and inspired, come

join us on Saturday, April 12 from 11:00am -1:00pm at Lenexa Bap-

tist Church located at 15320 W. 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa, KS(Lunch is provided). To plan for food, please RSVP by April 7th at913.627.9357 or [email protected].

Melanie Golightly will share from Gods Word about

Discovering Single Joy:

Be Fresh, Flourishing & Fruitful!

CFCC & Associates, Inc. is a nonprof-it counseling center that incorporates,when appropriate, horses to assist thehealing process of children and adultssuering from a variety of traumatic lifeevents. The name of our equine programis Horses Easing Lifes Pain (HELP).

We are hosting a 2-day event, with anArena Obstacle Course (AOC) on Satur-day, April 26th, and a Competitive TrailChallenge (CTC) on Sunday, April 27th.

The April 26th event will be 8 obstaclesin an open eld. In addition to the AOC,we are hosting a Family Fun Day (pleaseregister at www.counselingtopeka.com)during the contest for those that dontride. There will be kid activities and craftsincluding making yarn dolls, jewelrymaking, pin-the-tail-on-the-horse, sackraces, face painting and more! Addition-ally, there will be live music, a silent auc-tion, and BBQ afterwards! See https://

www.actha.us/ride/6748/view for fur-

ther information.The April 27th event will be 6 obstacles

covering 6-8 miles of trail. In addition tothe CTC, we are also having contests forBest Dressed Cowgirl, Best Dressed Cow-boy, Best Groomed Horse, Best DressedDog, Pluggin Along Award, Hard LuckAward, and Farthest Traveled Award.Cowboy Church will be held that morn-ing if you choose to attend, and lunchwill be served after the ride. See https://www.actha.us/ride/6767/view for moreinformation.

The cost of the ride depends on thedivision of which you sign up and de-pends on your level of expertise. Pick andchoose which day you would like to rideor come to both! But please remember aregistration is needed for every event. Ev-eryone must sign up online at the pageslist above. If there is a reason you cannotsign up online, please call us at 785-272-

0778 and we will do it for you.

2014 SBC ChurchCompensation Survey

Be part of the largest church compensation survey inthe country.

Largest, free survey of its kind

Quick to take easy to submit

Results are available to all participants

Confidentiality guaranteed

To participate, visit:

www.GuideStone.org/CompensationSurveyDeadline is May 31!

Take the survey for a chance to win a free iPad!

Christ First Counseling CenterHosts Equine Event

Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists arein partnership with all Southern Baptists

through the Cooperative Program.

baptist digest april 2014

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