JOURNAL OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

May 15, 2015 VOL. 69 NO. 10www.bmaofmississippi.com

2015 Senior Conferences Concluded

Military veterans were recognized at the recent North Mississippi Senior AdultConference held at Unity Church, Guntown. More photos and information can be seenon page 3.

SOAR Set for July 1-325th Edition Themed “Glorious”

SOAR, the BMA’s annual NationalStudent Conference, turns twenty-fiveyears old this July! Thousands of stu-dents and hundreds of youth have madeSOAR a yearly rite of passage. Featuringworld-class artists and some of the beststudent communicators found anywherein America, SOARhas set the standardin conferences insideand outside the ranksof the BMA, and 2015 looks tobe no exception.

Glorious, the theme for SOAR2015, will focus on Jesus! DonnyParrish, Conference Directorfor DiscipleGuide and one of the produc-ers of SOAR for the past twenty-fiveyears, said that the choice for the 2015theme was obvious. “For any conferenceto last twenty-five years is really incred-ible. SOAR has celebrated Jesus everyyear since its inception. To look closely atour glorious Savior was a natural for ourtwenty-fifth anniversary.”

Featured musical artist for SOAR 2015is Dove and Grammy award-winningChristian artist For King and Country.The group is making SOAR history bybeing the first musical artist to makeback-to-back appearances.

"The power of music can impact ourmood, emotions, our day. But when youmerge the strength of music with theheart, hope and passion of the Gospel, ithas the ultimate power not only to changesomeone's day, but to impact them foreternity. This is why we write music andsing songs - we hope that people will bemoved, encouraged and stirred to live alife for Someone greater than themselves"- (For King and Country).

Another highlight for SOAR 2015 willbe the speakers at the event. God birthedthe vision for SOAR in the heart of BobbyTucker almost three decades ago whenhe served the BMA as Director of ChurchMinistries. Bobby will return as one ofthe speakers for the event. Steven Carrollwas a staple as speaker and then Confer-ence Director. He will also preach. Dustin

Wisely, a SOAR favorite, and StevenCastleberry, making his first SOAR ap-pearance, will round out the featuredspeakers.

SOAR Village, a place for food, fun andfellowship, will also be making a returnto SOAR for its twenty-fifth anniversary.

SOAR 2015 will beheld at the world-class Dallas OmniHotel in downtown

Dallas, Texas. For informationon attending SOAR, registra-tion and hotel reservations, visitthe official SOAR website atwww.gosoar.com.

Missions & EvangelisticConf. Held in Yazoo City

Hillcrest Baptist Church, Yazoo City,hosted the 2015 Missions and Evangelis-

tic Conference. The chuch and PastorJeff Dixon were gracious hosts. Goods i n g i n g ,preaching,food and fel-l o w s h i pwere the or-der of theday.

E a c hspeaker dida great job ofpresentingthe Theme of"Follow Me".

Director Larry Geraldsonintroducing the program

Dixon Family presented special music

S.O.A.R.2015

Tuesday Talks, the monthly webcastdesigned to minister to pastors, staff andchurches of the BMA, has announced itsline-up for the nextsix editions. Tuneyour web browser towww.bmalife.com/tv every secondTuesday of eachmonth at 10:00 a.m.to tune in! All previ-ous editions of Tuesday Talks can befound at www.discipleguide.org/tuesdaytalks.

May 12May 12May 12May 12May 12- “Going to Camp? Here AreSome Things You Need To Know!” Jason Prewitt, Director, DanielSprings Baptist Camp

June 9June 9June 9June 9June 9- “I Found Out Some ThingsAbout My Church”Todd West, Pastor, Oasis, Maumelle, ARDirector, DiscipleGuide Church Solu-tions

July 14July 14July 14July 14July 14- “Three Vital Trends EveryChurch Must Prepare For” Dr. John Adams, Pastor, FBC

Mantachie, MS Director, BMAMoral Action Com-mittee

August 11August 11August 11August 11August 11- “MakeYour Sunday SchoolClass More than a

Lecture” Dr. Mark Livingston, Pastor, FBCKeltys, TX Managing Editor, DiscipleGuide’s Com-pass

September 8September 8September 8September 8September 8- “Is Your Church In TheRecliner?” Larry Barker, Director of North Ameri-can Church Planting

October 13October 13October 13October 13October 13- “Putting Your Church In aPosition to Grow” Dr. Scott Attebery, Director,DiscipleGuide Church Resources

Webcast Schedule Announced

2 May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

Baptist Missionary Associationof Mississippi

Department of Missions and Revolving Loan FundState Missionaries and Wives

601.428.8616 www.bmams.org

Larry GeraldsonDirector

Bob & Edie Burch Kenneth & CarolePollock

Bobby & LesaElliott

Sidney & BeckyFarmer

Wesley & HolleyMartin

Phillip & DawnBurns

Estuardo &Yasmine Marroquin

Elvis & WendyGarcia

Ed & PatriciaDuVall

Danny & BrendaBartlett

“In this was manifested the love of Godtoward us, because that God sent hisonly begotten Son into the world, thatwe might live through him.” 1 John 4:9

Mississippi Missions MattersMississippi Missions MattersMississippi Missions MattersMississippi Missions MattersMississippi Missions MattersIt matters because it matters to God.

It mattered enough that He sent Hisonly begotten Son to this world so thatwe might live. This is why we sendpeople to preach the gospel and plantchurches. The work of missions ismandated by God. The message is Hismessage. He choose the method and Hedetermined that you, the Churches,would be the means by which this workwould be done. This Missions Office isan extension of the Churches of theBMA of Mississippi. As your director, Icount it a great honor to serve thechurches by supporting the missionar-ies that those churches send out. Hereare some reports from your missionar-ies:

Caledonia Baptist Mission,Caledonia Baptist Mission,Caledonia Baptist Mission,Caledonia Baptist Mission,Caledonia Baptist Mission,Caledonia – Dr. Robert BurchCaledonia – Dr. Robert BurchCaledonia – Dr. Robert BurchCaledonia – Dr. Robert BurchCaledonia – Dr. Robert Burch

This report is an update for themonths of February, March, and April.We averaged 3 new contacts a week insharing of the Gospel. Sunday schoolattendance was an average of 24(weekly). The Sunday morning worshipattendance average was 64 (weekly).We have several projects going on at themission: 1. lights for pavilion, 2. updat-ing parking lot, 3. mounting monitorsto the walls in the foyer, 4. making roomfor Sunday school classes. The month ofMay, we plan to have a graduationceremony with Tyson Lee of MississippiState speaking to our youth. We alsoplan to have Mrs. Rita Sweatt to do thestory of Ruth at our church. We areplanning a crawfish cookout on the 31stof May for fellowship. We have 4 stillawaiting baptism and we also have anew family joining this week: Mike andTanya Davis and their two daughters.We gave $500.00 to Special Emphasisfor State Missions. Thank you for yourprayers and support. Bro. Bob Burch.

South Forrest Mission,South Forrest Mission,South Forrest Mission,South Forrest Mission,South Forrest Mission,Hattiesburg – Sidney FarmerHattiesburg – Sidney FarmerHattiesburg – Sidney FarmerHattiesburg – Sidney FarmerHattiesburg – Sidney Farmer

Five members of South Forrest par-ticipated in Evangelism Explosion train-ing recently in Clinton, MS. On April12, 2015, ten members that we’ve trainedin evangelism, met with 10 other mem-

bers and went witnessing for one hour.They reported twenty-six contacts made,with sixteen full presentations of thegospel. This is going to be a monthlyouting led by one of our men. This willenable us to evangelize the communityand aid in the training process of wit-nesses. Evangelism is one of the tracksin our discipleship program. Our highattendance for worship in April wassixty. Our high attendance for Sundayschool in April was 32. We continuework on our new facilities and estimatecompletion in August. We continue togrow our Discipleship ministry. Newfamilies are visiting and we have twoawaiting baptism. Thank you for yourcontinued support. Bro. Sidney Farmer

Grace Baptist Mission, Clinton –Grace Baptist Mission, Clinton –Grace Baptist Mission, Clinton –Grace Baptist Mission, Clinton –Grace Baptist Mission, Clinton –Danny BartlettDanny BartlettDanny BartlettDanny BartlettDanny Bartlett

This includes the months of Febru-ary, March, and April. We averageabout 3 new contacts each week, shar-ing the Gospel. Our Sunday morningworship has averaged twelve. Sundayafternoon service has averaged eight.Our offerings are growing and pres-ently average about $2,450 for eachmonth. In addition to making newcontacts and sharing the Gospel, ourfocus for April was getting our newbuilding ready for services, once wereceived approval from the City ofClinton. We were able to have our firstservice there April 19th, and we are sothankful to the Lord for this greatblessing. Bro. and Mrs. Geraldson vis-ited with us April 26th. Dr. CharlieHolmes, President of our Seminary inJacksonville, TX, visited with us onMay 3rd. After the service, he spokebriefly about the Seminary and thengave a 3 volume set of books on churchhistory to our mission. We are so thank-ful for his kindness. Recently, one per-son from the mission and I went throughEvangelism Explosion training. I amnow planning to teach this to our groupand hope this will lead to others partici-pating in our weekly outreach. Thankyou for the faithful support you give tous both prayerfully and financially. Bro. Danny Bartlett

Day Star Baptist Mission, SumrallDay Star Baptist Mission, SumrallDay Star Baptist Mission, SumrallDay Star Baptist Mission, SumrallDay Star Baptist Mission, Sumrall– Phillip Burns– Phillip Burns– Phillip Burns– Phillip Burns– Phillip Burns

It was such a joy to be with youThursday, May 7. Thanks for allowingme the opportunity to share what the

Lord has been doing at Day Star BaptistChurch. Thanks so much for yoursupport! We’ve had an average atten-dance of fifteen each Sunday. Our mem-bership stands at nine, and there havebeen four professions of faith over thepast few months. Three of those havebeen baptized. One is an older gentle-man who has been very excited andinquisitive about the Word of God. Herequested to have a crawfish boil at thechurch. We had this fellowship lastSaturday, and had a great turn out.Tim spent most all the morning joyfullyboiling crawfish and they were deli-cious. God is great!! At the present timefour of our members are going through‘One on One’ discipleship training. Theidea is that when they are finished theywill train someone else. This is excitingto watch unfold. God is faithful! We alsohave several other visitors who havebeen faithful, but have not joined. Oneof these men has made the statementthat he considers Day Star to be hishome church. We are hopeful that soonhe and his family will be joining.Thanks again for your financial sup-port! It is such a blessing to the mis-sion. Please continue praying for us, aswe follow the Lord and His leadership.May God bless the East Central Asso-ciation as you faithfully follow and serveHim! – Bro. Phillip Burns

Freedom Baptist Mission,Freedom Baptist Mission,Freedom Baptist Mission,Freedom Baptist Mission,Freedom Baptist Mission,Burnsville – Bobby ElliottBurnsville – Bobby ElliottBurnsville – Bobby ElliottBurnsville – Bobby ElliottBurnsville – Bobby Elliott

This report is for the months of Feb-ruary, March andApril 2015. Wehave had an aver-age of 29 for Sun-day school and anaverage of 47 forthe worship ser-vice. Our offeringsare averaging$ 3 , 0 0 0 . 0 0monthly. Wehave four await-ing baptism witha couple of fami-lies showing inter-est in the church.We have severalprojects going andare getting readyto send our kids tocamp. We arehosting a fish fry

and have had two yard sales to raisemoney. We are also talking to severalpeople, getting ideas on getting ourparking lot finished and the land behindthe church landscaped. We have visita-tion on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I had the privilege of leading two men tothe Lord at our home this week. Pleasecontinue to pray for the mission andmay God bless you all for your contin-ued support. - Bro. Bobby Elliott

Redemption Baptist Mission,Redemption Baptist Mission,Redemption Baptist Mission,Redemption Baptist Mission,Redemption Baptist Mission,Diamondhead – Wesley MartinDiamondhead – Wesley MartinDiamondhead – Wesley MartinDiamondhead – Wesley MartinDiamondhead – Wesley Martin

This report is an update for themonths of February, March, and April.We make 4-5 new contacts a week andshare the Gospel as opportunity allows.We also are following up with eachvisitor to the Mission. Our averageSunday morning attendance is 56. Ouraverage offerings for the month are $$5,584.00. In the month of February,we signed the lease on our building. Wewere able to spend that month remodel-ing and preparing for our first service inMarch. We have now been meeting fortwo months and God has blessed usgreatly. We are continuing to buildrelationships and make connectionswith people in the community. We arehaving our first outreach event togetheras a Mission in May. We also are in thebeginning stages of organized smallgroups. One family has already offeredtheir home as a host home. We have

continued on page 6

3May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

DiscipleGuideScott Attebery, Executive Director

Email: scott@discipleguide.orgFacebook: Facebook.com/scott.attebery

Twitter: @scottattebery

Scott Attebery

COMMISSION ONSenior Adults

4226 Highway 15 North, Laurel, Mississippi 39440 Kenneth FlyntDirector

The Senior Adult Conferences for 2015are history and what a special time forGod’s senior saints. The commission

ministered to approximately 600 peopleduring the year.

The North Mississippi Conference

has just met with Unity Baptist Churchin Mantachie, with a full house of peoplerejoicing in the Lord. The churches ofNorth Mississippi re-sponded well and we arethankful. Bro. EddieBoutwell and Unity Bap-tist Church were excel-lent hosts.

Your continued sup-port of this ministry isappreciated. To thosechurches who have theCommission in your bud-get, I hope you in someway know what a bless-ing it is to so many. If

Musicians at North Senior Conference in-cluded Bob Saxton and Bobby Lowe alongwith Mrs. Anita Akers on the piano.

your church does not have the Commis-sion in your budget, why not consider

placing the Commission in your bud-get? You may just want to take a one-time offering for the Commission, andthat would be appreciated. Send all

offering to the MissionsOffice c/o Kim Parker.Truly, it has been a

jubilee time among thepeople of God. Just to seeand feel the presence ofthe Lord has been won-derful. These confer-ences have provided pow-erful preaching, inspiredsinging and spiritual fel-lowship.Pray for the trustees

and the director that wemight always be sub-missive to His wishes inplanning programs for

our seniors.May God bless you for being so good to

the Commission.

Bro. Bryson Haden led "afternoon Gospel singing"

Bro. Gary Smith brought the message.

A great lunch of Catfish and the trimmings was enjoyed.

DiscipleGuide Welcomes New Trust-ees Four new Trustees were added toDiscipleGuide’s Board during the 2015national meeting of the Baptist Mis-sionary Association of America inSpringfield, Missouri, April 20-22.

Heith Mitchell is the pastor of MyrtleSprings Baptist Church in Quitman,Texas. He has a passion for churchrevitalization and is active in the BMAof Texas state missions department’s“Revival in Texas” initiative.

Michael Treat is the associate pastorof student ministries at Central BaptistChurch in Conway, Arkansas. Michael’sdesire to equip students with biblicallysolid discipleship will be valuable toDiscipleguide’s publishing activities andstudent conferences.

Tracy McMillan serves as youth pas-tor of Bethel Baptist Church in Fulton,Mississippi. Tracy has been activelyinvolved in SOAR conference, SOAR:lit

curriculum, and Galilean Camp. Hebrings valuable experience and insightto the table for DiscipleGuide’s studentministries.

Kristen Riddle is the president andDirector of Clinical Services for USCompounding. Kristen’s professionalexperience combined with her back-ground in Girl’s Missionary Auxiliary,Daniel Springs Camp, and SOAR con-ference will bring fresh insight for fu-ture progress at DiscipleGuide.

The four new trustees replace outgo-ing board members Greg Medenwald,Zane Clark, Mark Livingston, and DavidNorvell. According to Executive Direc-tor Scott Attebery, “These men haveserved us well over the years.DiscipleGuide has been blessed by theirfaithfulness. At the same time, God isfaithful and has sent us wonderful newtrustees who will do a great job leadingus into the future."

It’s Time to Order Summer Literature!DiscipleGuide has begun taking orders for summer literature. Ordering

early ensures your literature will arrive in plenty of time for the upcomingquarter.

DiscipleGuide offers a full line of literature including Compass for adults,SOAR:lit for youth, and DiscipleKids for children. Other books, studies, andauxiliary materials are available as well. To order or to learn more aboutDiscipleGuide products, go to discipleguide.org or call 1-800-333-1442.

Daniel Springs ImprovingCamp Registration Process

form must be downloaded and filled outfor each attendee. Please bring twocopies of each release to camp, one foryour group leader and one for the campmedical staff.

We are thrilled about this camp sea-son and what God has in store for eachattendee. We look forward to partneringwith each church and to the relation-ships that will be formed during thesummer!

Great things are happening at DanielSprings in anticipation of the 2015 sum-mer camp season, and we think churcheswill be pleased.

First, this year’s registration is user-friendly and com-pletely online.Simply go towww.danielspringscamp.com,select a camp weekto register yourgroup and pay bycredit or debitcard. Also, tomake things more straightforward, theregular registration fee is $125 per at-tendee regardless of the preferred hous-ing (cabin or dorm). This will allowDaniel Springs to adequately preparefor the correct number of campers (i.e.ordering food, supplies, T-shirts, Biblestudy materials, etc.)

Registrations made within fourteendays of the camp’s start date will beconsidered late registrations and willincur an additional $15 fee per attendee.

Late registrants will not be guaranteeda T-shirt.

Registrations are transferable, butnot refundable and the balance is due atthe time of registration.Finally, we take seriously the safety of

the students entrusted to our care, so tobe in compliance with Texas state regu-lations, all adult sponsors are requiredto complete a background check andwatch a safety video that is linked toDaniel Springs Baptist Camp. Churchesare responsible for completing this pro-cess with each adult volunteer prior toarrival. Specific details for each sponsorare necessary for this process to becompleted.

The Daniel Springs medical release

4 May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

Don J. Brown, EditorE-Mail - editor@msbaptist.orgWeb site www.msbaptist.org

USPS 353-960P.O. Box 8181

Laurel, Mississippi 39441-8000

Phone 601-426-3293

PRICE$20.00 Per Year by Mail

$15.00 Per Year by EmailCHURCH PLAN

$ 1.30 Per Month per Family

Published on the 1st and 15thof each month by the Baptist Mis-sionary Association of Mississippi.Periodical postage paid atHattiesburg, Mississippi 39402.

Postmaster: Send addresschanges to the Mississippi BaptistPaper, P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS39441-8000.

Opinion PageJournal of the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi

Don Brown - EditorDon Brown

www.msbaptist.org

Baptist Missionary Associa-tion of Mississippi

www.bmaofmississippi.com

DEPARTMENTS & COMMISSIONS

Mississippi Baptist PaperP.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441

601-426-3293

Southeastern Baptist College4229 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-426-6346

State Youth Department4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440662-397-6832

Baptist Children's Home118 Lowe Rd., Laurel, MS 39443

601-426-3928

Missions & Revolving Loan Fund4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-428-8616

Commission on Senior Adults4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440

History & Archives Commission4229 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-729-8098

Moral ActionP.O. Box 88, Mantachie, MS 38855

Mother's Day has just passedand I thought I'd share this letter.Dear Sofilthy, I write to let you know I am still alive. I am writing slowly as Iknow you don't read fast. You won't know the house when you come home - we moved. Wehad trouble moving, especially the bed - the man wouldn't let us take

it in the taxi and we were afraid we might wake your father. Your father has a nice new job and very responsible. He has about 500 peopleunder him. He cuts the grass at the cemetery. Our neighbors, the Browns, started keeping pigs - we got wind of it yesterday. I got my appendix out and a dishwasher put in. There is a washing machine inthe new house here, but it don't work too good. Last week I put 14 shirts in thewasher and pushed the little handle. They whirled around real good but thendisappeared. I think something is wrong with the machine. I went to the doctor with your father last week. The doctor put a small glasstube in my mouth and told me not to open it for ten minutes. Your father wantedto buy it from him. It rained only twice last week - once for three days and once for four days.Monday was so windy that our chicken laid the same egg four times. I got a letter from the undertaker this morning. He said if we don't make up theinstallments on your grandmother's grave - up she comes.

Your loving mother,P.S. I was going to send you $10.00, but I had already sealed the envelope.

Sofilthy's Atticby Barbara White

Revival Services SetSkyway Hills Baptist Church of Pearl

will hold special services that we praywill result in a Heaven sent revival onSunday May 24 through Friday May29. Dr. Travis Plumlee will be ourguest evangelist and Bro. Bryson Hadenwill be our guest worship leader. Sun-day services will begin at 9:45 a.m. withlunch following morning service andafternoon services will begin at 1:30p.m. Services will begin each night at7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome and welook forward to worshiping with you!

Church SeeksYouth Minister

Skyway Hills Baptist Church in Pearl,Mississippi, is seeking the Lord's leader-ship as she seeks out the man that theLord would have serve as her youthworker. If you are interested and feel ledof the Lord to meet with our committee,you may contact Steven Clark at 601-498-1827.

Staff Position Open

Family Ark MinistriesDr. Travis Plumlee is a full-time professional speakerand leads Family Ark Minis-tries. For more informationor to contact him, visitwww.travisplumlee.com.

The Influence of Godly ParentsThe Influence of Godly ParentsThe Influence of Godly ParentsThe Influence of Godly ParentsThe Influence of Godly ParentsI find myself some days doing things

that my mother did. I find myselfsaying things that I used to hear her sayto me. Sometimes I realize just howmuch she influenced my life. Recently,it was Mother’s Day. My mom is rejoic-ing with Jesus in heaven these days.And if you are close to your parents;then life is never the same again afterthey go home to heaven. You laugh.You live. You have the great blessing of

having grandchildren to fill you withjoy. But life will never again be thesame. It can’t be. They are not here.Part of your heart is in heaven. It’scalled life. You miss them, but thankGod because of Jesus you will rejointhem some glad day! Sometimes, likeduring the holidays, just for a brief

moment; I will find myself thinkinghow much my mom would enjoy mygrandkids. She would just think theyare truly great,and laugh withthem. Holidaystoday are wonder-ful, but they willnever again be thesame as whenmomma washere.

And so I re-flected onMother’s Day justhow much I findmyself doing andsaying things thatshe did. And ofcourse, I thankGod I had such a Godly, Christ-centeredmom. We all have memories of whatour parents give us in life. It stays withus forever. God knew this when Hecommanded parents to raise their chil-dren to honor and obey them, as well asteach children about Him from HisWord. There are memories of course ofholidays, vacations or special ways ourparents and grandparents raised us.

But I am not writing about these. Iam writing about meaningful thingsthat become a legacy. These are theprecious memories that shape who weare as adults. I implore parents andgrandparents in my family conferences

to leave a legacyof holiness to theyounger genera-tion in theirhome. I can tellall of my readershere even, tostart today if younever haveworked at this.It doesn’t matterhow many timesyou failed in thepast. It doesn’tmatter if youweren’t saved,lived a life of

wickedness, or just flat didn’t thinkabout such things and now your kidsare grown and moved off. It is never toolate to leave a legacy. Even if there arehurt feelings in the family, the firstprecious memory they may have of youis when you come and ask them toforgive you for all the mistakes youmade while raising them, and asking

continued on page 5

5May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST

CHILDREN'S HOME118 LOWE ROAD, LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI 39443 - (601) 426-3928

SIDNEY DAVIS - DIRECTOR SIDNEY DAVIS

Thank God for Praying Mothers!Thank God for Praying Mothers!Thank God for Praying Mothers!Thank God for Praying Mothers!Thank God for Praying Mothers!“For this child I prayed; and the

LORD hath given me my petition whichI asked of Him: Therefore also I havelent him to the LORD; as long as heliveth he shall be lent to the Lord. Andhe worshiped the LORD there.” 1Samuel 1:27, 28.

Hannah had prayed that the Lordmight give her a child. When indeedGod answered her prayer she was will-ing to keep her promise that she madeto God and give her child back to theLord so he could serve the Lord all thedays of his life. 1 Samuel 1:11. Hannahis an example of a godly praying mother.

Children who have mothers like Hannahshould recognize how privileged theyare and blessed.

Looking back on the life of Hannahwe can learn some valuable lessons.First, she had a great love for God. Sheloved God so much she was willing to letGod have her greatest possession andtreasure.

Second, Hannah had a great influ-ence on her child. Her little boy re-spected her judgment and was willingto go and live in the house of the Lordand serve Him. 1 Samuel 1:28.

Third, Hannah was a mother who

sacrificed in her service to the Lord.She showed unselfish devotion. Servingthe Lord cost her something, but it wasworth it. 1 Samuel 1:24-28.

May 10th, we honored our motherson Mother’s Day. May we thank theLord for the lives of our godly, sweet,unselfish mothers.

Recent Church VisitRecent Church VisitRecent Church VisitRecent Church VisitRecent Church VisitRecently we were with the Mulberry

Baptist Church near Richton and Pas-tor Phillip Reynolds. It certainly was aprivilege to be with this good churchand worship with them. We reported onthe ministry of the Home, enjoyed a

delicious meal with them and greatfellowship. Our hearts rejoiced as weprayed together, sang spiritual songsand hymns, and the sharing of God’sWord in its truth and purity in worship.

Just A Few Days LeftJust A Few Days LeftJust A Few Days LeftJust A Few Days LeftJust A Few Days LeftIn just a few days the close of the

school year will be here. My, how thispast year has quickly gone by. The girlsand boys have had a good academic yearwith their studies and activities. Theyare looking forward to the summerbreak. As I said, they have had a goodyear and I will be reporting on theirachievements and accomplishmentsthat they have made.

Remember in PrayerRemember in PrayerRemember in PrayerRemember in PrayerRemember in Prayerand Focus Verseand Focus Verseand Focus Verseand Focus Verseand Focus Verse

Continue to remember the girls andboys and the ministry of the Home inyour prayers. “And Hannah prayed,and said, My heart rejoiceth in theLORD, mine horn is exalted in theLORD: my mouth is enlarged over mineenemies; because I rejoice in thy salva-tion.” 1 Samuel 2:1.

Our visit with Mulberry Church and Pastor and Mrs.Phillip Reynolds

It Only Takes OneThe power of one. It doesn't seem like

an overwhelming force. It doesn't strikefear in the hearts of the surroundingvillages as the Huns once had the abil-ity to accomplish. But oftentimes it isthe deciding factor of how well a partygoes, or how the outcome of a gameturns out, and many times the de-meanor of a church.

An overnightcamping trip provedto be one such ex-ample of a single per-son ruining it for ev-eryone. How was Ito know I was re-sponsible for bring-ing the snacks andthe toilet paper? Youwould have thought I had purposelydesired a night in the cold outdoors withnothing to eat and nothing to wi…, uh,well, there were plenty of leaves avail-able. Anyway, if PeeWee hadn't forgot-ten the Calamine lotion, I'm sure wewouldn't be having this conversation.

Overall, I would have said it wasn't abad night, other than having to spendthe night with Stinky Roberts, FungusToe Johnson, and Pig Sty Barton in atwo man tent. Oh yeah, PeeWee wasthere as well, but he didn't take upmuch room. It was kind of nice lookingup through the rip in the roof of the tentand seeing the stars with the sound of

From The Mindof Chuck Lee

Lee pastor's Pine GroveBaptist Church, Purvis.He may be reached by emailat leecharles47@yahoo.com

mosquitos buzzing in our ears. Thank-fully, the mosquitos soon left, but it wasprobably because the wind had pickedup and moved a brisk thunderstormoverhead. It was actually kind of ex-hilarating, dodging lightning bolts anddime size hail. As I told the guys, it wasgood for our cardio and besides that, I

didn't know the polefor the tent wouldrip a giant hole inthe roof.Many years havepassed and it's beenquite a while sinceI've run into any ofthe old gang. I'msure they haven'tbeen avoiding my

calls. I did, however, come away withan epiphany that night long ago and ithas served me well in pastoring churches.Sometimes, one person can ruin a goodtime. All you have to do is identify theone bad apple and take measures tokeep them from destroying the will ofeveryone else. And one of these days, Iam going to figure out which one of myfellow campers was guilty of causing arift in our friendship those many longyears ago. If I could find the secretmeeting place that Stinky, Fungus Toe,Pig Sty, and PeeWee congregate everyweekend, I will get to the bottom of thismystery.

for a chance to begin again. God is theGod of a second chance. And a 3rd andso on.

Praying together. Not at them. Withthem. Reading the Bible together inyour home. Going to church together.These are precious memories. Familytraditions that center around Christ inthe home during holidays are thingsthat cannot be erased from memory.

What about those who still have theirparents with them? Write them a letterthanking them for all they have done.Yes, it can be mushy gushy. We don’ttell people enough in this society howmuch we appreciate them. If you can,share a story of how you are now doingsomething they taught you when youwere little. Remind them of some say-ing they always told you that you nowuse. It will make them smile. Text,email, twitter or try an old fashionedletter in the mail (it is still delivered tothose boxes out on the road –ha). Tellthem what they mean to you before youcelebrate a Mother’s Day or Father’sDay without them. Also, include yourgrandparents in this process. Above all,find things to thank your parents for. Itis an honoring act to do. Regardless ofour age, we are always supposed to

honor our mother and father. It will gowell for you if you do this. God promisedthis in the Old and New Testament.Exodus 20 – Ephesians 6

Today, I find myself doing so manythings that my dad did. He alwayshelped others. He made himself sickonce helping feed rancher’s cattle in ablizzard. He helped people stuck in carson the freeways. Always serving oth-ers. He is the one who most impactedme about Jesus. I saw this army soldier(my dad) burst into tears one night atchurch. He stood and told the wholechurch he wanted to give a testimonyabout Jesus. And he spoke for 15 min-utes about how wonderful Jesus was tosave him. My father was a quiet shyman who never publicly spoke. I was sotaken aback by all of this as a smallchild in the pew; it caused me to want toknow this Jesus personally like mydaddy did.

My mom was a prayer warrior. Shehad my church schedule of every whereI would be preaching and every day shewould pray for those people at thosechurches. The one thing I miss mostabout my mom is calling her everydayand us praying together. She was a realprayer warrior. She was also a soulwinner. She brought 180 people torevival when she was just 14 years old.The pastor signed all of this in the Biblethe church gave her for bringing somany. Even in later years she would

InfluenceInfluenceInfluenceInfluenceInfluencefrom page 4

write all of her relatives, including all ofus kids who are saved, and just re-minded us that we needed to be saved bythe blood of Jesus if we were not.

These are the precious memories.This is the legacy. Some day in thefuture; your kids and grandkids will bethinking about you on Mother’s Day orFather’s Day. You will be in Heaven.What will they remember about you?Now go make some memories!

6 May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

been blessed with one baptism and 15 to join themission since our start. As we continue to buildrelationships I feel that other families are close tomaking decisions to join the Mission. Thank you for allyour prayers and support. - Bro. Wesley Martin

Hispanic Missions (North)Hispanic Missions (North)Hispanic Missions (North)Hispanic Missions (North)Hispanic Missions (North)Coordinator Elvis GarciaCoordinator Elvis GarciaCoordinator Elvis GarciaCoordinator Elvis GarciaCoordinator Elvis Garcia

This report is an update for the months of February,March, and April. We go soul winning the lastThursday of every month. We make an average of 6contacts every week in Ripley. In Tupelo we average4 contacts weekly. In Oxford we average 5 contactsweekly. Sunday School average in Ripley is 53. Tupeloand Oxford don’t have Sunday school yet. The weeklyWorship attendance average in Ripley was 88; Tupelo19; and Oxford 22. The average weekly offerings at

Ripley are $1,163.00; Tupelo $196.00; and Oxford$253.00.

We have several projects that we need to finish atthe church in Ripley: 1) Painting the fellowship halland lobby; 2) finishing the church kitchen; 3) andfinishing the bathrooms. In February we had a specialmeeting for couples in a restaurant and we talkedabout marriage, relationships and commitments. Weinvited the two missions to bring their couples and wehad a great time.

Every 3 months we gather all the small groups fromOxford, Tupelo and Ripley to a gathering that we call“Small Group Explosion.” We honor the small groupwith ‘More Disciples,’ with ‘More Average Attendance’and with the ‘Best Leader for the 3 months.’ Theattendance at our most recent gathering was 150. Wewent out soul winning and talked with 20 people inRipley. Four received Christ that afternoon.

In April we had a sunrise service at 9:00 am. (It wasnot really sunrise.) A group from the church per-formed a drama about the resurrection and we had agreat attendance. Then we played soccer in theafternoon and it was really a wonderful day. In themonth of May we will conduct a family conference atthe church in Ripley. We have 4 ready to be baptized.We had VBS the first week of May in Ripley, the secondweek of May at Tupelo and we will have it the thirdweek in Oxford. Thank you for your prayers andsupport. - Bro. Elvis Garcia.

African American MissionsAfrican American MissionsAfrican American MissionsAfrican American MissionsAfrican American MissionsCoordinator Ed DuvallCoordinator Ed DuvallCoordinator Ed DuvallCoordinator Ed DuvallCoordinator Ed Duvall

Homestretch Baptist Church is striving and doingwell here in Cleveland. In spite of not having a lot ofconverts and baptisms, we are making a major impactin our community. Nearly all of our adult membersare involved in community ministry outside our church.Here are a few examples: Bro. Chris and Sis. Juanitaare both participating in the Women Resource Center(pregnancy crisis center). Sis. Juanita and my wifeare involved in the Job Corps mentoring program(witnessing and mentoring young ladies). Bro. Ed isinvolved in Campus witnessing, jail ministry, hospitalvisitation, ministry at the Dialysis center and variousother ministries. Sis. Tenesha is involved in campuswitnessing. Bro. Collier is mentoring young men whoparticipate in the Army pre- camp program. Sis.Hutton is doing nursing home ministry. We areaveraging approximately 15 contacts a week.

We have had 2 decisions for the month of April andMay, but no baptisms. We are averaging 9 for Sundayschool and 12 for Wednesday night Bible study. We areaveraging 18 for Sunday morning worship and ouraverage monthly offering is approximately $3,000.00.Bro. Cook and Harvest Mission in Olive Branch aredoing well. They are looking for another meetinglocation because they have outgrown the presentlocation. Thank you for your continued support. - Bro.Ed Duvall.

Hispanic Missions (South)Hispanic Missions (South)Hispanic Missions (South)Hispanic Missions (South)Hispanic Missions (South)Coordinator Estuardo MarroquinCoordinator Estuardo MarroquinCoordinator Estuardo MarroquinCoordinator Estuardo MarroquinCoordinator Estuardo Marroquin

This report is an update for the months of February,March and April. We average 5 new contacts a weekwith the sharing of the Gospel at El Camino in Laurel;2 at the Hattiesburg mission; and 2 at the Biloximission. Our average Sunday School attendance at ElCamino in Laurel is 90. Our average Sunday morningworship attendance average at El Camino in Laurel is115 and 25 at Hattiesburg. The Biloxi mission does notyet have Sunday morning worship services, but theyaverage 5 in their weekly small group meeting. Theaverage monthly offerings at El Camino in Laurel are$5,000.00 and $1,500.00 at Hattiesburg.

We have several projects going: 1) Visiting andEvangelism on weekends; 2)Bible Institute classes on

Missions Reportfrom page 2

continued on page 8continued on page 8continued on page 8continued on page 8continued on page 8

7May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

“Thank You Ladies of the W.M.A. of Mississippi

Moral ActionP.O. Box 88, Mantachie, MS 38855

www.moralactionofms.net

for supporting Moral Action as your annual project inprayer and in finances. We ask that each lady in ourBMA of Mississippi work give to help us as weinfluence our political leaders in Jackson and in Wash-ington, D.C.God can restore our nation Again! Help us please.

Women'sMissionaryAuxiliary

Dr. John AdamsDirector

Serving Christ With a Biblical World View In A Christian Atmosphere

Danny Pitts - Interim President4229 Highway 15 North, Laurel, Mississippi 39440, (601) 426-6346

SoutheasternBaptist College

Danny Pitts

GraduationGraduationGraduationGraduationGraduationThe date for Graduation at South-

eastern Baptist College was May 14thwith Shane Singleton as the commence-ment speaker. Bro. Shane is the pastorof Parkview Baptist Church in Laureland a graduate of Southeastern. Thosecompleting their requirements for de-grees were Michael Beasley, JeffreyCarney, Christopher Sean Piper, andJustin Rhodes with AA's in Bible andMaston Tony McMahon with an AA inBusiness. Congratulations to each ontheir accomplishments.

Online Summer ClassesOnline Summer ClassesOnline Summer ClassesOnline Summer ClassesOnline Summer ClassesEveryone is reminded of the four

online classes to be taught this sum-mer. They are Bible Geography, Wor-ship, the prophetic book of Revelation,and The Minor Prophets. Register nowso you can get an early start in prepara-tion for the courses. Contact our dean,Dr. Aaron Parker, or Ronnie Kitchensat (601)426-6346 for more information.The first semester for totally online

degrees will be available this fall.

Scholarships AwardedScholarships AwardedScholarships AwardedScholarships AwardedScholarships Awarded

The Revolving Loan Fund has sup-ported scholars at Southeastern for manyyears. At the Missions and EvangelisticConference scholarships were given toWesley Martin, Holden Stegall, JoshDaniels, Justin Cameron, ChanceCameron, and Ben Dixon. We give a"Thank you" to Bro. Larry Geraldsonand the Revolving Loan Fund Trustees.

Library AdditionsLibrary AdditionsLibrary AdditionsLibrary AdditionsLibrary AdditionsRecently some special donations of

books to the library have been made.The widow of one of our pastors contrib-

Arnold Knight Scholarship Recipients

Ben Dixon (center) with SBC PresidentPitts and his father Jeff Dixon

SBC President Pitts and Chance Cameron

Receipient Justin Cameron (center)

Receipient Wesley Martin (center)

Receipient Holden Stegall (center)

continued on page 8

8 May 15, 2015 • Mississippi Baptist

Sunday morning; 3)painting the build-ing (outside); 4) building a new SundaySchool classroom; 5) building a newlobby; Purchasing a church van (15passenger). In the month of May, ElCamino Laurel, Hattiesburg and Biloxiwill be having a special service forprayer on Friday May 29, 2015 from 7pm till midnight. We will also be attend-ing the Hispanic conference at DanielSprings Camp, Gary, Texas, on FridayMay 15-16, sponsored by the BMA ofAmerica Missions Department. OnMay 31 we will have a special fellowshipactivity at Paul B. Johnson State Parkand conduct a baptism service. ElCamino, Laurel has seven still await-ing baptism; El Camino, Hattiesburghas two awaiting baptism and Biloxi

Missions Reportfrom page 6

has two. In addition to this, El CaminoLaurel, Hattiesburg and Biloxi are allinvolved in discipleship of new families.Thank you for your prayers and sup-port. - Bro. Estuardo Marroquin

Missionary CommitteeMissionary CommitteeMissionary CommitteeMissionary CommitteeMissionary CommitteeRecommendationsRecommendationsRecommendationsRecommendationsRecommendations(to be considered by the Association atthe Mid-Year Meeting)

1) That we approve the participationin a partnership with the BMA ofAmerica to support Bro. Anders Lee asa church planting missionary in DesotoCounty, MS;

2) That our support be classified assupplemental support in the amount of$1,000.00 per month for a period of oneyear. This support may be renewed bythe Missionary Committee after reviewfor up to the same amount and period oftime. 3) That Bro. Anders Lee shall beclassified as a BMA of Mississippi church

planter.Director’s Explanation - The Mission-ary Committee gathered on March 12,2015 to consider a request from Dr.John David Smith, Executive Directorof Missions for the BMA of America, topartner with the National MissionsDepartment in the financial support ofBMAA Partnership Missionary AndersLee. This request was accompaniedwith a letter of request from Bro. AndersLee, formally requesting support fromthe BMA of Mississippi Missions De-partment. Together with my recom-mendation to approve our participationin this partnership, the committee con-sidered this request under the provisionof “Article VI - Cooperation -Section 1:The State Mission’s Department is au-thorized to cooperate with local churchesand local associations in mission en-deavors when approved by the Directorof Missions and the Missionary Com-

mittee. It is authorized to cooperatewith other state associations and thenational association in mission endeav-ors when approved by the Association ineither annual or other session.” Afterhearing Bro. Anders Lee present hiswork at Southaven, MS, and after prayerand discussion, the committee unani-mously agreed to make the recommen-dations to the State Association at theMid-Year meeting.

Please continue to pray for your StateMissions program. We are nearing theend of Special Emphasis (end of May)and we are praying for a better thanusual response. We are deeply gratefulfor the support that we receive from thechurches of the East Central BaptistMissionary Association. If you wouldlike for me to come to your church toshare a report in person, please give mea call at 601-428-8616.

Great Opportunity for GrandparentsSunbeam News

National SunbeamWorkshops Set

by Sherry LaminackNational Sunbeam Promoter

Sunbeam workshops will be held atDaniel Springs Baptist Camp in Gary,Texas during GMA camp. The followingworkshops will be conducted:

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 9:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 9:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 9:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 9:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 9:00– 10:30– 10:30– 10:30– 10:30– 10:30Sunbeam Material Presentation & Up-datesSherry LaminackNational Sunbeam Promoter

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 11:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 11:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 11:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 11:00Wednesday, June 17, 2015 @ 11:00– 12:00– 12:00– 12:00– 12:00– 12:00Scripture MemorizationSandra KizerAssistant National Sunbeam Promoter

Thursday, June 18, 2015 @ 10:30Thursday, June 18, 2015 @ 10:30Thursday, June 18, 2015 @ 10:30Thursday, June 18, 2015 @ 10:30Thursday, June 18, 2015 @ 10:30– 12:00– 12:00– 12:00– 12:00– 12:00Mission InformationLinda DertingerMississippi State Sunbeam Promoter

Sunbeam Treasurer’s ReportMay 8, 2015 - by Shirlene Smith

Contributions to the Sunbeam project:1. Big Creek Baptist

Church, Soso $ 100.002. Donna Lawrence

Memorial Fund 325.003. Hopewell Baptist

Church, Laurel 205.004. Skyway Hills Baptist

Church, Pearl 25.005. Mt. Carmel Baptist

Church, Carriere 100.006. Temple Baptist

Church, Lucedale 150.00Funds raised at Sunbeam Camp:7. Snack Shop 71.008. Craft Sales 48.50Total received $1,024.50

PROJECT:20% General Fund $ 204.9040% Phillip Burns, Sumrall 409.8040% Coleen Franks, Ukraine 409.80Total received $ 1,024.50

The 2015-2016 project for the MS StateSunbeams is 25% General Fund and 75%Southeastern Baptist College. Please mailfunds for this project to Shirlene Smith; 730Hwy 533; Laurel, MS 39443. Thanks to allwho supported the Sunbeam Project thispast year!!

by Sherry LaminackNational Sunbeam Promoter

Are your grandchildren as cute andprecious as mine? Would you like to dosomething to honor them and the Lordand help lead people to the Lord?

The National Sunbeam project is col-lecting money for Shepherd Bags. $10.00will supply funds for one Shepherd Bag.One in three bags leads to the salvationof a soul.

I am giving grandparents the oppor-tunity to honor your grandchildren bygiving to this project. All grandparent'snames and grandchild’s names will bepublished in your state BMA paper. Nomoney amounts will be published. Anyamount will be appreciated. You mightwant to give $10.00 to purchase sup-plies for one bag or you might want topurchase a bag in honor of each grand-child.

Please send your donations along withyour name and the names of your grand-children to:Sherry Laminack, 1047 Maple Ridge

uted some classic books from his library. She desires that the source remainanonymous. The request will be honored, but we thank her, and the Lord recognizesthe gift. The BMA Seminary has added to the volumes they gave last year. Thesehave been placed in separate shelves. We appreciate their efforts to help andencourage us at Southeastern.

Advanced DegreesAdvanced DegreesAdvanced DegreesAdvanced DegreesAdvanced DegreesAt the national meeting, the BMA Theological Seminary announced the plans to

offer a doctor's degree. SBC has needs now, and hopes to have greater needs in thefuture, for those with accredited doctor's degrees. The plans at the BMA Seminarywill make it possible for students to get their bachelors at Southeastern, and thenthe masters and doctorate at BMATS. This ability to gain it all in our work will bea first for accredited degrees. Does God want to use you?

Southeastern Collegefrom page 7

Drive, Greenwood, AR 72936. Makechecks payable to: National SunbeamProject

Your grandchildren will be happywhen they see their name published

and know that you have honored them.But, most of all, you will have had a partin spreading the gospel and contribut-ing to the salvation of lost souls.

Please, Grandma and Grandpa!!!!James and Sherry Laminack will be atthe top of the list! Please send money byMay 31, 2015.

2015-16 BMA of America Brotherhood Officers