Sagemont Baptist Church11300 S. Sam Houston Pkwy E.

Houston, TX 77089

Also visitwww.sagemontchurch.org

Or call us at281.481.8770

M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Periodical Postage

PAID

Houston, TX

July 2015Vol. 37, No. 7

www.facebook.com/SagemontChurch

Kids’ CampJuly 9 - 12

Camp Tejas in Giddings, TexasFor children in

completed 3rd - 6th Grades

Cost: $320

The GaME ON! Kids’ Camp is an awesome away-from-home camp experience for your school-age child! Cost of the camp includes a super-cool T-shirt, charter bus transportation to and from Camp Tejas, three night lodging in air-conditioned bunks, and great camp food! Our time together features small and large group interactive Bible studies, lively worship and praise, exciting games and recreation, and a variety of fun-filled activities around the camp.

Register at the AdventureLand Ministry Booth or online at www.sagemontchurch.org.

CAMP IN THE CITY

The fun of Pine Cove Camp is coming back to Sagemont Church August 3 - 7!

9:00 am - 4:00 pm dailyFor children in

Completed Kindergarten through 5th GradeGet more information and register online at

www.pinecove.com/summer-camps/camp-city

FOR ZION’S

SAKE

July 296:00 pm

Worship CenterCome celebrate the God of Israel through moving worship led by modern-day Psalmist Marty Goetz, and a touching message of what God is doing in the land by native Israeli Moran Rosenblit, Founder and Executive Director of Hope for Israel.

Moran Rosenblit,Speaker

Marty Goetz,Musician

Inside This Issue:

The Story Behind Sagemont’s Liberty Bell

From Agnosticism to Salvation: A Radical Transformation

3 Generations at Sagemont in 50 Years: A Legacy in the Making

Wednesday, July 17 pm @ The Cross

Invite your family, neighbors and friends as we celebrate our American freedom!

The evening will include

Baptism @ The Cross

FREE Concert featuring the big band sounds of

DENVER & the MILE HIGH ORCHESTRA

Bounce Houses for Kids

Food Trucks

FIREWORKS

Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and a picnic dinner and enjoy an evening on the grounds with great music,

great fun and great fellowship!

FREEDOMCELEBRATION

Denver & the Mile High Orchestra

from our pastor...

It is difficult to focus on prayer rather than problems. Every day we witness firsthand how this world is filled with trials and tribulations. But the good news

from the mouth of Jesus is “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Sagemont Life is the stories of how God brings victory when His people pray and seek Him. There is a personal word from God to you in this edition. Look for it! Read every word!

Your Pastor,

1 2

Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 DaysSundays, 9:30 amAugust 2 - October 23 • Workbook cost: $14. Register for this class by July 12.

2 PETER: How to Be Kept from FallingSundays, 9:30 amAugust 30 - December 20 • Workbook cost: $20.Register for this class by August 9.

ACTS (1-12): Jesus’ Witnesses, Empowered by His SpiritTuesdays, 9:00 - 11:30 amSeptember 1 - October 27 • Workbook cost: $20. Register for this class by August 16.

HEBREWS (1-4): Consider Jesus, Your Merciful High PriestTuesdays, 9:00 - 11:00 am AND 7:00 - 8:30 pmSeptember 1 - November 17 • Workbook cost: $23. Register for this class by August 16.

JOHN (12-21): The True Vine... One with HimTuesdays, 7:00 - 8:30 pmSeptember 1 - November 17 • Workbook cost: $31. Register for this class by August 16.

Register now online at www.sagemontchurch.org or on Sunday mornings in room WC 1319 before or after

the 9:30 and 11:15 iCONNECT classes.

UPCOMING CLASSES

REGISTER ONLINE!

3 4

“I had some extra time on my hands and I had never seen the Liberty Bell before,” explained Sagemont member, Rick Carr, who was the Captain of a Continental

Airlines Boeing 737 at the time when he was on a long layover in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That summer day in 1999, Rick visited Independence Square where he first saw the famous bell. After listening to the Park Ranger speak about the history and significance of this national symbol, a mother who was there with her three children asked why there were metal supports on the rim of the bell. Rick, too, noticed that there were eight supports around the base that all reached up inside the bell and connected at the top. The park ranger answered, “That is the spider!” He went on to explain that, because of the Liberty Bell’s age, metal from which it was made and the way it was forged, the bell is very fragile with over 500 additional cracks and fissures. Therefore, “the spider” keeps the bell from falling apart. Rick shared, “That was my aha moment! The spider was like the men and women who defend our liberty in our armed forces and those who love this nation. Without them our nation’s very liberty might very well crumble before our very eyes!”

The significance of the Liberty Bell and the Bible verse inscribed on the front, Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” impacted Rick Carr’s life, because he was not only a patriotic American, but also a Christian. He shared, “It was then that I thought about building a Liberty Bell replica for display, so that people might have the opportunity to stand in front of it, touch it and think about what liberty means to them. The Liberty Bell represents the connection of the early settlers to our country, to our community, and to our Biblical heritage.”

Rick was born in Somerville, New Jersey, the second of three brothers. When he was eleven years old, his family moved to Mt. Prospect, Illinois, near Chicago, where his only memory of attending church consisted of his mother dropping him and his brothers off at church despite the fact that they were more interested in playing outside. As a teenager, Rick’s interests were in airplanes and trampolines. After being given a couple of rides in a Piper J-3 Cub, Rick cashed in all his savings ($700), earned from years of delivering newspapers, to pay for flight lessons. In

P e r f e c t F r e e d o m i n C h r i s t

high school, Rick also became a very successful gymnast who specialized in trampoline. When he was a senior in high school, Rick was recruited by the University of Oklahoma to join the gymnastics team they were creating. He, along with several of his high school teammates, accepted athletic scholarships and moved to Norman, Oklahoma. They practiced in a gym that had been converted from an old movie theater that was part of an old WWII Navy base. He shared an apartment with three other gymnasts in the movie projection room.

In 1968, his sophomore year of college, he won the Big 8 Championship in trampoline and went on to Nationals. Sadly, Rick “fell off,” which means he missed the trampoline, and that ended his season. Two months later he got more bad news, trampoline and tumbling were being eliminated from NCAA competition and replaced by floor exercise to make it more like

the Olympics. Even though his coach allowed him to keep his room and board by cleaning the gym every night after practice, his gymnastics career was over. Rick shared, “Everything that I had done for the last eight years was gone. All of a sudden I found myself asking, ‘What’s next?’, ‘What’s going on?’.”

About that time, one of Rick’s roommates, Mike Maxie, invited him to the BSU (Baptist Student Union) to play volleyball, meet girls and go to Vespers. Rick laughed as he recalled, “I didn’t know what a Baptist was or that Vespers was a Bible Study. I just remember thinking, ‘Volleyball and girls…that sounds good to me, let’s go!’ Under the leadership of the BSU director Max Barnett, Mike, and several other students, in the summer of 1968 I knelt down in my room with Mike, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.” Rick was baptized soon after.

While at the BSU, Mike helped Rick to make the second best decision of his life; he encouraged Rick to take notice of a girl named Phyllis. After dating for two years, they were married on May 22, 1971. Phyllis was born into a loving, Christian home in Quanah, Texas near Wichita Falls. When she was six, her family moved to Norman and that same year she began to take piano lessons. Her love of piano has never wavered. Phyllis was active at First Baptist Church in Norman as a child and then later in the youth group. Her first opportunity to play for a worship service came when she was 16 years old. She recalled, “That evening was the start of my love of sharing my talents in worship services.” Phyllis went on to graduate from OU in 1972 with a major in Music Education with emphasis on piano.

By Rick’s sophomore year at OU, he had converted his athletic scholarship to an Air Force ROTC scholarship. He knew from an early age that he would one day join the military. His father served in World War II and retired as a U.S. Army Reserve Lt Colonel in the Chemical Warfare Service. His uncle Bob, who was a P-51 pilot, was killed in action just weeks before the end of WWII. Later, Rick’s older brother, Bob, retired as a Marine Lt Colonel with 26 years of service, and his younger brother,

Ed, retired as a Marine Colonel after 28 years. Rick continued his flying lessons and earned his Commercial Pilot’s License the following year. He graduated in 1971 from OU with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. That same year he officially joined the United States Air Force (USAF), and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and immediately began USAF pilot training. Rick explained, “My first assignment was flying an F-106 Delta Dart which is a Mach 2+, high performance, single seat, single engine, afterburner powered jet fighter. As a 24 year old, you cannot imagine the thrill of my first solo flight!” He went on to fly the F-5 Freedom Fighter at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Nevada.

In their first eight years of marriage Rick and Phyllis moved seven times! Phyllis laughed as she admitted, “I was not prepared for a life married to a man in the military.” With each new location Phyllis immediately became involved in playing the piano in the local church as well as teaching piano lessons to children. On a snowy March day in 1975, while stationed in upper Michigan at K.I. Sawyer AFB, their first child, Amber, was born. In 1977, Rick left the Air Force to work as an engineer on the F-15 project with McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis. Early in 1979 the Carrs moved to Houston because Rick had been offered a full time position flying the F-101 Voo-Doo with the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Texas Air National Guard at Ellington Field. He eventually went on to fly the F-4 Phantom II and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

That spring Rick and Phyllis purchased a home in the Sageglen subdivision. That was when they had their very first Sagemont

Church encounter. Even though all Sagemont roads led past the church, it was the Sagemont members they first encountered that drew them to the church. John Elam was the agent who sold them their home. Don and Karen McMahon cleaned their home because they were participating in the “40 Days” program to earn extra money for the church to become debt free. Rick and Phyllis planned to join Sagemont right away, but in April

1979, Phyllis went to a routine prenatal doctor’s appointment with then four-year-old Amber and was given surprising news. She recalled, “I was told that we were having two, looking for three! I went on bedrest that day and identical twins, Traci and Julie, were born in July.” In August, Rick was hired as a commercial pilot for Texas International Airlines and went into training. The Carr family of five officially joined Sagemont Church in September 1979.

In May, 1982, a few years after joining the church, Rick and Phyllis attended a big revival led by James Robison and John McKay at the Pasadena Fairgrounds, where Phyllis’ doubts about her salvation once again resurfaced. “Through the years I often doubted my childhood salvation experience. I played church really well, but I was not sure that I had a personal relationship with Jesus.” She explained, “I kept saying, ‘I’m ok, I’m ok, I’m ok’, but God was saying ‘Oh no, you’re not.’” The following Sunday evening while listening to Senior Pastor Dr. John Morgan,

by Mikelle Challenger

Original Liberty Bell Facts:(The Liberty Bell Book by Megan Kopp)

In 1751, Isaac Norris, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, ordered a new bell to celebrate 50 years of statehood.

The bell was originally cast in London, England more than 200 years ago, but it cracked when it was rung. A second bell was made in Pennsylvania by two local craftsmen, John Pass and John Stow, who used the original metal to make a new bell. However, they added too much copper, which resulted in poor tone when the bell was struck. They remade the bell one more time and this is the bell that we see today.

The Liberty Bell is made of bronze which includes a mixture of 70% copper, 25% tin and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. It weights about 2,080 lbs and is 12 feet in circumference. The clapper is over 3 feet long and weighs 44 lbs.

Isaac Norris also asked that a Bible verse, Leviticus 25:10 be inscribed on the bell.

The Liberty Bell was built to make the sound of the musical note E-flat. The bell was rung for the first time in public on July 8, 1776 to call the people of Philadelphia to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was rung regularly to call the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly together and for special announcements and events.

The Liberty Bell was a normal bell when it was first made, but over the years it came to stand for freedom across the United States and around the world. The old State House bell was first called the “Liberty Bell” by a group of people trying to abolish slavery. In June 1944, the bell was tapped with a rubber mallet seven times during a radio broadcast to celebrate the D-Day victory of WWII.

The bell was used at the Pennsylvania State House until it began to crack. The crack was repaired, and the bell was rung on February 23, 1846 in honor of George Washington’s birthday, that is when they noticed another crack, about half an inch wide by 24.5 inches long, appear on the bell. It has not been rung since, thought sometimes it is tapped lightly. Every Fourth of July, children who are descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence are invited to tap the bell 13 times in honor of the original 13 states.

Starting in the late 1800s, the Liberty Bell began traveling around the country. It was shown at expositions and fairs in an effort to close the rift caused by the Civil War and to remind Americans of their fight for independence from Great Britain. The bell made its final journey home to Philadelphia in 1915. In order to keep the bell safe, it has not traveled since.

5 6

she felt that he was speaking directly to her when he said, “You can be sure, you don’t have to live in doubt.” That night Phyllis made the decision “to ask God to save me, and I have never had a moment of doubt since then.”

During their 36 years at Sagemont they have been greatly blessed. Rick shared, “Phyllis and I will be forever grateful for what Sagemont Church has done for our family because all three of their daughters were not only raised in Sagemont Church but were all saved here as well.” Amber married Zane Bone, and they have two daughters and live in College Station where they are active in their church. Traci married Richard Dvorak and they have recently joined Sagemont. They have three-year-old quadruplets, which includes the only grandson. A dozen Sagemont ladies faithfully took shifts helping the Dvorak family every week for the first two years of the quads’ lives. Julie married Ryan Riley and they have two daughters. Ryan sings in the Worship Choir and substitute teaches in several iCONNECT classes. Julie is active in the Women’s Ministry. Rick proudly pointed out, “Julie used her graphic design skills to not only help with the plans and lettering for the Sagemont Liberty Bell, but she also designed the new Sagemont logo!”

Rick and Phyllis are well known in our large church, because they both have been actively serving all these years. Phyllis was Sagemont’s Children’s Choir Coordinator and Director of the 4th-6th grade choir for many years. Since 1998 she has served as pianist for the worship services. Phyllis currently teaches piano lessons at Sagemont through the Centre for the Arts. Rick has ushered for church services for the past 25 years. After he retired from the Texas Air National Guard in 1992, he was invited to serve as a deacon and has done so ever since. Rick was Chairman of the Deacons one year and served on the Team on Teams. He currently volunteers weekly to work on the grounds at Danbury Lodge. Rick shared, “Phyllis and I believe that serving Sagemont Church with our talents will help enable those seeking the saving message of Jesus Christ to answer His call. It’s also rewarding because we get to serve with very outstanding people.”

Rick served in the USAF and Texas Air National Guard for 22 years and retired as a Lt. Colonel with over 2000 hours of jet fighter time. He flew for Texas International Airlines and later Continental Airlines for a total of 28 years and has 23,000+ hours in the air. It is easy to see Rick’s patriotism for the Liberty Bell as well as all things American. He explained, “Because of my family history and my personal history, I feel that we live in the most blessed nation in the world. I think of how God was at the center of the founding of the United States of America and how those involved believed in God’s help in this new land.

God’s hand has repeatedly covered us and protected us. How thankful I am. “

Six years after seeing the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Rick’s desire to make a full-scale replica for Sagemont Church never wavered. Casting a real metal bell was beyond his skill. He and his daughter, Julie, came up with the design concept where he would create 50 rings made from 3/4 inch plywood and stack

them on top of each other to make the shape of the bell. This would be cheaper, lighter and easier to transport from place to place. Then in 2005, John Mark Benson, who was an Associate Pastor of Worship, gave Rick the green light to start building the bell for an upcoming patriotic program that would feature the Sagemont Liberty Bell. Rick recalled both his excitement and urgency at finding out the news, “That was May 1st and the program was July 3rd! I had less than two months and I

was still working for Continental at that time. It was also almost time for my checkride, which is an important test that pilots take to allow them to continue to fly.” He laughed as he recalled, “I remember Phyllis came to me at one point and said, ‘Rick, you have a checkride coming up. It’s time you start thinking Boeing and stop thinking bell!” For eight weeks, Rick and Julie cut, shaped, glued, sanded, stained and painted the bell as well as carved the letters to create what we now know as the Sagemont Liberty Bell. They were putting finishing touches on the bell just 12 hours before the Sunday morning 4th of July program which was a big success. Rick shared, “The Sagemont Bell has since traveled to many venues, parades and displays. Continental Airlines even put it in the belly of a Boeing 767 and flew it to their hub, Newark Liberty Airport. It now resides in the Freedom Room next to the aquarium.”

Unlike the actual Liberty Bell, Rick designed the Sagemont Bell not to have a crack or need the “spider” to hold it together. He wanted those who viewed it to see it as it was first seen: NEW, BOLD, UNBLEMISHED and READY to “Proclaim Liberty!” He was reminded of 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.”

When Sagemont members see our 170-foot Cross we recall how Jesus died for our sins. When we see the empty tomb we remember how Jesus rose from the dead and is alive! Rick shared his vision, “There is a deeper spiritual purpose than just making a bell for a patriotic program. When people pass by the Sagemont Liberty Bell I would like them to remember the men and women who fought and died to preserve the liberty of our nation, but more importantly to remember the man, Jesus Christ, who died to preserve the liberty of our souls.”

Sagemont Liberty Bell Facts:In 1999, Rick Carr visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he saw the famous Liberty Bell for the very first time. At that time you could still touch the bell. Through that experience, Rick was inspired to create a bell for Sagemont Church in order to remind everyone about the importance of liberty.

May 2005, Rick Carr got permission to create the bell for the July 4th patriotic program that was going to be focused on the Liberty Bell. Rick enlisted his daughter, Julie, to help him design and build the bell that had to be started and finished in just two months!

The Sagemont Liberty Bell is made of eight sheets of 3/4 inch plywood cut into arcs, formed into circular rings and then stacked on top of each other. The bell weighs 200 lbs, with the stand and yoke weighing 1100 lbs. The paint is Ralph Lauren Antique Bronze from Home Depot. Julie spent hours antiquing the bell, making it have the same old bronzed look that the Liberty Bell has. To see how the Sagemont Liberty Bell was made and where it has traveled please visit www.ringlibertyring.com.

Rick and Julie spent hours carving the same exact words on the Sagemont Liberty Bell:

Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof Lev. XXV. v X.

By Order of the ASSEMBLY of the Province of PENSYLVANIA for the State House in PhiladA

Pass and Stow.Philada

MDCCLIII

Unlike the Liberty Bell, Sagemont’s Liberty Bell was not meant to make a musical sound, but does “bonk” when struck. Using electronic sound, the Sagemont Liberty Bell was rung for the first time in public on July 3, 2005 during the special patriotic program at Sagemont Church. It also has been rung on several occasions when it has gone out for special events.

The Sagemont Liberty Bell stands for freedom from oppression as well as “perfect freedom” we can have in Christ.

There is no crack in the Sagemont Liberty Bell.

The Sagemont Liberty Bell has traveled around the country being displayed in buildings and on parades. It reminds all Americans of their fight for their nation’s liberty as well as the liberty Christians have found in Jesus Christ.

The bell now is located in the Freedom Room at Sagemont Church to honor our veterans.

7 8

Where were you in 1966? Some of you weren’t even around yet, some of you were in school, some married with or without children, and some were then in the

golden years of their lives, and are now with the Lord.

In 1966, Ed and Gerry Morrison were living in the new housing development called Sagemont as 25-year-old John Morgan knocked on their front door on a Saturday afternoon. Ed and Gerry answered the door and John began to talk. He explained to them that First Baptist Church of Pasadena was starting a church in the neighborhood with eight couples who would act as the core group and that he was going to be the pastor. He told them that if they chose to attend, they could be in on the ground floor of shaping the way the church functioned and grew.

The Morrisons agreed to join, and along with 50 others, began meeting in the home of Bob and Barbara Breeden on Sagehollow Lane because the church building wouldn’t be completed until October 1. It was the start of what would eventually become the Sagemont Church that we know today.

When Sagemont Church began, Ed and Gerry’s son Kevin was nine years old. He recalls helping his dad work on the original pulpit the day before the first service as they moved into what we now know as the “old Chapel.” That first Sunday in the Chapel, Kevin decided to give his heart and life to Jesus. Kevin said, “I can’t tell you what the sermon was about or any songs that were sung, I just remember wanting to accept Jesus.” He was immediately baptized, making Kevin the first salvation and the first baptism in the newly founded Sagemont Baptist Church.

As did most of the original church members, Ed and Gerry became an integral part of the day-to-day running of the church. Ed was a deacon who helped with the ministry to the growing number of widows who came to the church, and also served the church with the Lord’s Supper and any other duties that became necessary. Later Gerry started working at the church, originally as Beverly Chambers’ assistant, and then moved to the job of Duplication Secretary. (Remember – back then duplication meant cassette tapes.)

Kevin remembers growing up at Sagemont participating in what we all did back in those days: Sunday School and then a worship service, back that night for Training Union and another worship service, back on Wednesday night for Royal Ambassadors and another worship service. Kevin laughed as

BULDING LEGACYFROM THE BEGINNING

Ed, Gerry and Kevin Morrison

by BJ Massa

he remembered that one Wednesday night, there were so few people in attendance, they almost called off the service in favor of a visit to Baskin Robbins.

But soon Emory Gadd became the Youth Minister. Kevin recalls, “Emory was very influential in my life. He was the main reason I looked forward to the youth group each week. Being under his leadership was a great experience for me.” He recalls that Emory was a dynamic leader and kept things exciting all the time, and that was a big part of why he looked forward to the youth meetings. But he also remembers one day in 1977, standing upstairs close to the Fellowship Hall, staring out the windows that act as an observatory to the parking lot, and noticing a most beautiful young lady walking in.

That young lady was Terri Baughman, youngest daughter of Jim and Ann Baughman. Though the Baughmans were new members of Sagemont in 1977, Jim’s and Ann’s friendship with John and Beth Morgan extended back to John’s baseball-playing days at Baylor University.

Terri credits her sisters, Donna (now married to Bryan Willingham) and Pam (now married to John Lewis), in being instrumental in her salvation. Terri was mostly interested in “partying” in high school, but went to church with her sisters anyway. The summer before her senior year of high school, Terri felt the call of the Holy Spirit, and surrendered her life to Jesus. She, too, became involved in the Youth Ministry under the leadership of Emory and Susan Gadd, and remembers, “Susan was so influential in my spiritual growth. I just loved being at church with her, and have such great memories of the youth group back then.”

Terri and Kevin were mutually interested in each other, and finally one day Kevin called and asked Terri out. They recalled together, “We went to see Walking Tall and then ate at Steak and Ale. That was pretty expensive back in high school!” They both laughed, “We pretty much fell for each other immediately, so we dated one year and then got married August 4, 1978. We were 18 and 21 when we married, just kids ourselves.” Kevin was on the janitorial staff at church all through high school, so he added, “We had over 1,000 guests attend and I had to set up

the chairs for my own wedding! But it is a great memory; Emory Gadd was my best man!”

A couple of years later, they began serving with the Youth, and Kevin was licensed for the ministry through Sagemont Church. They went to several local churches where Kevin served as Minister of Youth/Associate Pastor in the early ‘80’s before returning to Sagemont. Terri remembers first participating in Susan’s Sunday School class, and then attending and chaperoning youth camps, trips and small groups. She and Kevin have hosted Journey weekends in their home, and acted as chaperones at youth retreats. Later on, Terri, along with her five-pound Chihuahua, Mia, worked in the Pet Ministry – going to various Senior Citizens homes, where Mia would “pray” with them. When Sagemont Church partnered with then College Minister Russell Cravens to start a church plant in the downtown Houston area called Neartown, Kevin and Terri were in on the ground floor as part of the vision team.

In due course, Kevin and Terri had two children, Jonathan and Lauren. Lauren eventually married John Armstrong, and Russell Cravens was the officiant at their wedding. Jonathan recalls when he was 11 years old and in a truck with his dad on the way to the deer lease; they were having a conversation about life after death, heaven and hell. He remembers his

dad very clearly sharing the gospel, explaining and answering all of his questions, and then simply asking him if he was ready to accept Christ. Jonathan knew he was ready, and right there in the truck he prayed with his dad to accept Jesus as his Savior. He admits he didn’t really understand the concept or the significance of believer’s baptism then, and is thankful his parents didn’t push him into immediately being baptized, because when he was 16 he fully came to grasp what he needed to do to be obedient, and he did it with complete understanding.

Jonathan remembers two men who were instrumental in the growth of his own faith: Keith Smith, who was the Youth Minister at that time, and Tim Sharer, who was an active member and mentor. “They mentored and challenged me to be a leader and to grow in my faith. I guess that’s where some of the equipping started to happen in regard to leadership for me.”

In 2007 Jonathan went on his first mission trip to Ethiopia in partnership with Innovative Mission Opportunities. He recalls a specific moment on the trip that he shared with a Muslim man, and that man prayed to receive Christ. The man then shared with Jonathan that, in making this decision, his life was going to be in danger. His family would definitely disown him, but even more

than that, he would almost certainly be subjected to physical harm. He knew he would have to leave his home and family to escape persecution, but was willing to do all this based on this one conversation. Jonathan explained, “That was

the draw and the call in that moment – there are people who have never heard of Jesus and the Spirit opens their hearts in something as simple as a conversation. I want to go have that conversation with people!” The Lord opened several doors. Jonathan – like his dad - was licensed to preach the gospel, and for the next two years he found himself living in Ethiopia. “When a door is opened, I’ve found it’s scarier NOT to walk through it. When you feel like the Lord has put something in front of you, how can you not walk there? I felt like I was obeying Him to move and serve there.”

Kevin and Terri knew their son was obeying God, but some things about it were still hard on them as parents. Terri laughs, “Jonathan was kind of scared of things as a kid; he was scared to ride a roller coaster, scared to learn how to snow ski, and now he was taking off all by himself to live in a third world country. As his parents, we were concerned for his safety, but we finally gave it up to God to protect him. It was hard, because communication was very sketchy, so we went for long periods without hearing from him. That’s when we had to draw our strength and peace from the Lord.” Kevin added, “It was the neatest thing, though, when we dropped him off at the airport. He was moving to Ethiopia, his eyes glowed, and the strength and security the Lord gave him was visible to us. The peace we received was overwhelming.”

Ann Baughman was a little concerned herself. She called Brother John and discussed her worries about his physical safety, and like a good grandmother, asked specifically, “Where will he find a wife?” Bro. John shared Romans 8:28 with her which states, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (KJV)

And Grandma was right. Living in a third world country took some adjusting, and not a little bit of courage. Jonathan said, “In some places, some hotels, the comfort level we experience in the U.S. was non-existent.” He remembers more than one occasion of pulling back the sheets on his bed and seeing roaches scuttling out of the way. When he turned off the lights, he could hear rodents scurrying around, which he jokes, made him want to sleep with the lights on, if there was electricity, that is. Running water was a luxury, and air conditioning just did not exist. “But it was all worth it,” Jonathan humbly explains. “Not because

of me, but because of the Lord and our whole team. We were privileged to see thousands of salvations, see churches planted, pastors trained, humanitarian efforts achieved and through all this I grew exponentially in my walk with the Lord.”

About five months after moving to Ethiopia, Jonathan hosted a group of missionaries from Georgia. A lady named Marla Duet was on that trip, and she sensed from the Lord that Jonathan needed to meet her daughter. Jonathan didn’t think much of it because he still had almost two full years in Ethiopia in front of him; but once stateside, he did meet Savannah Duet, and today her name is Savannah Duet Morrison. Once back in Houston, Jonathan and Savannah went to help at

the church plant, Neartown. He helped organize their early mission trips, wrote training materials and helped with local outreach. In 2012 he and Savannah felt the call to come back to Jonathan’s home church, Sagemont. Jonathan started teaching in Amazing Grace, and then moved to Roots and the Young Adult Ministry. Savannah jumped right in and now serves as a small group leader in the Student Ministry, working with ninth and tenth grade girls, working in VBS each summer, and what she sees as her “day to day” ministry: teaching first grade in an inner city elementary school.

Before he left for his two years overseas, Jonathan told Brother John Morgan that he remembered two main things from his years of listening to sermons here at Sagemont. First, “Do you know that you know that you know you are a Christian?” and second, “Are you willing to take that to the uttermost parts of the world?” Jonathan is glad that he said yes to both questions. He realizes that although he taught some things abroad, he also learned much. “All the way up from the youth group, to trip training, to whatever… I was taught and challenged here at Sagemont Church to share my faith, to take what I learned here and apply it to whatever situation I was in. I learned here how to be effective with the gospel anywhere.” Now on staff as the Associate Missions Minister, Jonathan understands he is just a vehicle by which the gospel can be carried to the ends of the earth. “Having the opportunity to be on staff at a place that has had so much influence on my life, and having people who I have looked up to for so long now be co-workers and co-laborers for the gospel is a blessing and a joy. I’m excited about the opportunity to serve the church well, as it has served me so well.”

Kevin summarized the whole family’s feelings by saying, “We have had the opportunity to hear some of the greatest pastors of our generation here at Sagemont. And that definitely includes John Morgan – we are so fortunate to be serving under him – he is one of the preachers at the top.”

Lauren & John Armstrong

Jim & Ann Baughman

Mia “praying”

Terri & Kevin Morrison

9 10

Jonathan serving in Ethiopia

Jonathan and Savannah Morrison

This story almost didn’t happen. When I called Bettie to ask her to share her testimony through Sagemont Life magazine, she was hesitant. She felt that most of the people she knew at Sagemont Church were familiar with it from a video segment done years ago. As I was asking her if she thought that there might be someone her story would help she said yes, but …

She was sitting at her computer while talking to me and had just clicked on the “Sagemont Life This Week” email when Zach Nicolson’s blog titled “What Can I Do with My Testimony” popped up. Talk about getting a word from God – she agreed to do the interview. Bettie told me that she not only had this affirmation but also the Sunday night service on “Skeptics” and then the Monday morning before we sat down she received a Facebook posting from Debbie Wilson Doris about sharing your faith. Now I’d like to share Bettie Tolar’s testimony with you.

I was saved at Sagemont in 1995. I wasn’t expecting to get saved; I wasn’t searching for God. I had lived the past 22 years as an agnostic*. Nothing traumatic had happened in

my life that drove me to seek God. That’s why this event took me by surprise and really shocked those who knew me. Let me go back and start at the beginning.

I was raised in a Christian home where we went to church every time the doors were open. I guess you could say I had a form of religion but I didn’t know truth. I had no clue about the need for a personal Lord and Savior. Grace was not a word I knew.

agnostic, noun: one who doubts the possibility of knowing the existence of God or absolute truth.

But I did hear a lot about “works” and how you had to be good because this church believed that you could lose your salvation. I found that to be very scary. I thought I had to be “good enough” to make it to Heaven. I became more and more disillusioned and discouraged. So I washed my hands of religion and, for the next 22 years, I lived an agnostic life.

In my early twenties I was a very self-righteous person tied to legalism in a huge way. I thought I was in the “chosen church.” I could argue doctrine all day long; and I KNEW I was right! This church’s beliefs dictated that not only did I know we were right, I truly believed that anyone who did not believe EXACTLY as we did was not going to make it to Heaven. I saw God as a very stern authority figure that sat in Heaven just waiting to ZAP us if we messed up. I thought baptism and good works would get you to Heaven. I went to church all the time and was baptized three times, but I was still the same old Bettie. Discouraged and mad at God, I thought, “If it is so hard to make it to Heaven, then I probably won’t. So why bother trying?”

Oh, there were times I thought I needed to get my life right and would go to church for a short while but it never lasted very long. In retrospect, I can see that I must have thought it was easier just to believe there was no God than to believe there was one waiting to ZAP me for messing up and not measuring up. During those years I didn’t want anyone inviting me to church or even mentioning church to me. I had a very hard heart about “Church.”

11 12

Thankfully, I had a godly daughter (Carin) who had accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in her early teens, and she was instrumental in leading me to truly seek the Lord. She had started going to Sagemont Church in 1994. When we all went out of town for the weekend, she just had to be back for Sunday morning church. I always asked her, “What’s the big deal? You miss this week; you can always go next week.” I simply didn’t get it!

Carin started inviting me to go to church with her occasionally. I went a few times. I liked the music. At Easter in 1995, Carin told me that a Jewish Christian man was going to do a Seder meal for the Easter sermon. Of course, that was Stuart Rothberg. She said he was just great and asked me to go. I told her I’d go on Saturday night because I liked to sleep late on Sundays.

I went that night and sat captivated at what I was hearing. I remember thinking, “I wonder why the Jews don’t get this.” Then I thought, “Bettie Tolar, you have never gotten it either.” I got up the next morning (completely forgetting my resolution to sleep late) and went back to hear it again. I continued to come back to Sagemont from that point on. At first I just thought I was “going back to church” again. But I remember one Sunday morning when Pastor John Morgan talked about salvation. He said we were all sinners in need of a Savior, that we were saved by God’s Grace (that was one of many new words for me to hear in church). He said we had to confess that we were sinners and to ask Jesus to come into our hearts. I realized at that moment that I had never asked Jesus to come into my heart. At that very moment I prayed the prayer that Brother John led and I did ask Jesus in. I remember where I was sitting in the old sanctuary (now known as the HRA), and I remember very vividly praying the sinner’s prayer. However, I can’t tell you the date, but I know that God knows it very well.

At first I had very little faith. Then I remembered the story of the mustard seed –if you had just a little faith, God could increase it. That’s when I made a “deal” with God. I told Him if He were really real he’d have to show me. But, I told Him I would do my part too. I would listen only to Christian radio and music and read only Christian books. And I would read the Bible. I told Him I would really give him a try. I did not know at that time that I had just proclaimed one of God’s promises. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will search for Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” And in the next verse the Lord says, “I WILL be found by you.”

I’m not going to give Satan any glory by telling all the details of my life as a sin-laden heathen. However, I will share some things just to show you how mighty our God is and how He can change the hardest of hearts. To God I give all the glory, honor and thanks for saving me and changing me! Please know and take heart that if you have someone in your life that looks like an impossible case to accept Jesus, don’t give up. In Genesis 18:14, Luke 1:34, Luke 18:27 and Jeremiah 32:37, God’s word tells us that NOTHING is impossible for him and I am living proof. My youngest sister Dianne is a very godly woman and told me once that she had actually given up praying for me because she thought I was a hopeless case. Thankfully I was sandwiched between two godly women; my mother and my daughter. They

both prayed for my salvation. And the Lord had other plans for me. Dianne tells others now, “If my sister Bettie can get saved, anyone can.” I know that to be an absolute truth.

In my old life I was very much a feminist. I decided early in life that no man would tell me what to do. I was my own woman. Being career-oriented, I worked many hours to “get ahead” in the business world much to the sacrifice of family time.

I was so vindictive in business dealings that I had a negative reputation. People said, “Don’t make Bettie mad – you’ll regret it.” And true to form, my motto at that time was “Don’t get mad, get even.” Adding to this mindset, I was a very profane woman with an explosive temper when things did not go my way.

Along with the characteristics from my work environment I also smoked three packs of cigarettes a day and drank every single day. Yes! IT WAS ALL ABOUT ME. Of course, during this time, I fully embraced the secular pro-choice position on abortion. Even though I knew I would never have an abortion, I thought it was a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her own body. During an English Composition class in the early 90’s we had to write a position paper. I chose the topic of abortion and took the pro-choice stand. I made an A+ on that paper. One night soon after I was saved my husband asked how I felt about abortion now. I told him I didn’t know at that point because I wanted to know what God’s Word said about it… not what I had heard others say. I wanted to see for myself. God did show me in His Word that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and we are the workmanship of His hands. I learned from His Word that He had a plan for us before we were ever born. I knew then that abortion was murder and that it was detestable to our Mighty God.

I knew there were so many things I needed to change in my life and, initially, I thought I had to do it all by my own power. That thinking was totally corrected by the message Brother John delivered during a Wednesday night service. He said that we could come just like we are to Jesus and Jesus would change us. We didn’t have to try to do it on our own. We didn’t have to “get our life right” before we could attend church. I remember to this day what a relief that was for me. God began to make changes in me immediately. And I do mean immediately. Instantaneously, I could no longer stand to hear profanity. That was the very first thing He changed in me. My family and the people I’d worked with for 20 years couldn’t believe it when I asked them not to curse in front of me. Yes, ME – the one with the profane mouth.

Initially, after being saved, I carried a lot of guilt. Guilt that I had not raised my children in a Christian home. Guilt that I had wasted 22 years of my life not serving God. Then one night in Bible Study Fellowship about a year after I was saved, we talked about Joel 2:25 that says, “The Lord will restore the years the locusts have eaten.” I had never heard anything like that nor did I know you could take a scripture from the Old Testament and apply it to your own life. That same week Adrian Rodgers preached on that very same scripture during his morning radio program. I didn’t realize it at the time that God was confirming His Word to me. It wasn’t until a few years later that I understood that God is the One who calls us to salvation and it is in HIS timing.

by Sandy Shiver

By now you probably think everything was being resolved in my life and falling into place just as God ordered and as he answered my prayers, right? WRONG. A few months after I was saved, I read 1 Peter 3:1. You know the verse about wives being submissive to their husbands. As I read that passage, I remember thinking, “ O Lord, could you make it any more difficult! You know I have not been a submissive wife.” Another thing that made this position hard for me to take was that at that time I didn’t think my husband was saved because he refused to go to church with me. From then on not only did I pray that God would change me but that he’d also change my husband. And I didn’t stop there. As I grew in faith and even led Bible studies, I’d ask people - lots of people - to pray that my husband would come to know the Lord.

In 2010, while I was preparing to teach one of my last sessions in the Teaching Foundational Stones curriculum, my husband Charles came in and asked if he could come to my class. I did a review on Salvation. Charles came back the next week too and Easter Sunday. The rest, as they say, is history. He is saved and knows Christ as his personal Savior and attends Sagemont faithfully.

God is AMAZING. I never want to lose my amazement for Him and what He does for His children. I was led to an iCONNECT class taught by Joy Pitts. Joy and other godly women in that class really mentored me. He placed Anna Lee Rhodes - one of the

most powerful prayer warriors I have ever known - into my life shortly after I accepted Christ. She invited me to come to their monthly prayer meeting and I heard ladies pray in a way I’d never heard before. These ladies prayed as if they were talking to their friend, someone who cared about them and every aspect of their lives. Their example gave me the desire to pray like that – expecting God not only to hear my prayers but to answer them in His way and His timing.

As we wrapped up this interview, I caught a glimpse of a picture Bettie had sitting off to one side. As I picked it up she described the scene and told where it took place. In 2006, Bettie was able to make the journey to Israel with Stuart Rothberg and Sagemont and Istrouma Baptist Church members. Brother Stuart baptized her in the Jordan River as a reaffirmation of her faith.

Betty still leads Bible study sessions for LifeTouch Ministry and has even started a Bible study group in her home. The

scripture that is most relevant for Bettie today is:

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” Mark 12:24 (NLT)

And just like in the beginning of her story, Bettie is in church every time the doors are open. Only this time around, she’s saved; she knows Christ and is serving GOD.

SAGEMONT LIFE (USPS 585730) is published monthly by Sagemont Baptist Church, 11300 S. Sam Houston Parkway E., Houston, Texas. Periodicals Postage Paid at Houston, TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SAGEMONT LIFE, 11300 S. Sam Houston Parkway E., Houston, TX 77089.

13 14

Wednesday Night Dinner

Serving lines open 4:15 - 5:50 pm

July 1 - No Dinner - Freedom Celebration

July 8 - Ernie’sHamburger OR Two Hot Dogs, Chips, Drink, Ice Cream**Special Price: $5/meal for everyone!

July 15 - Luby’sChopped Steak or Spaghetti, Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans, Roll, Salad Bar, Cake

July 22 - Ernie’sChicken Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Salad Bar, Roll, Cobbler

July 29 - Andy’s Hawg Wild Bar-B-QueSliced Beef and Sausage, Potato Salad, Pinto Beans, Banana Pudding

July Staff Anniversaries

Congratulations to the following friends and co-workers who celebrate an employment anniversary with

Sagemont Church during the month of July.

Mrs. Rose Ehrlich 15 Years

Membership Involvement Secretary

Mrs. Sandra Sawyer10 Years

Receptionist

Mrs. Amy Smith Three Years

AdventureLand Ministry Associate Minister

Mrs. Daneysa Berdejo Two Years

Spanish Ministry Worship & Praise

Mrs. Virginia Lara Two YearsCounselor

Mrs. Debbie Hubenak One Year

Café Assistant/iCONNECT Coffee Kiosk Team Leader

baptism @ the cross

july 1 • 7:00 pmIf you would like to be baptized at

The Cross or in the Worship Center, please call John Mark Benson at 281.898.4631 or email

johnmark.benson@sagemontchurch.org

Retiro de varones17-19 de Julio

Rio Frio, TX

Campamento donde los Varones de Sagemont tendrán la oportunidad de conocerse y tener

compañerismo.

30SPOTADVENTURE

July 21 • 10am - 4pmCost: $25

First 30 people get to go, so be one of the first ones to sign up! Come and hang out with the Student Ministry Staff for fun and excitement. The mystery outing will be revealed when you check -in that morning in front of the HR Chapel. Online registration begins July 8.

SSM

for 7th-12th grade studentsisrael mission trip

september 1-11Would you like to know more about Sagemont’s next ministry trip to Israel? Contact Stuart Rothberg at 832.221.7409 or stuart.rothberg@sagemontchurch.org.

More than ever, the Jewish and Arab people living in the Holy Land need to know of the Holy One of Israel, the Lord Jesus.

This September adventure is sponsored by the Missions Ministry of our church. Spaces are limited so don’t delay in contacting Stuart if you feel God leading you to serve the people of Israel in Yeshua’s Name.