THE MESSENGER | SUMMER 2019
ELLOWSHIP ON THE FIELD
Book of Philippians was written the Apostle Paul from a Roman son around 60-63 A.D. While for the sake of the Gospel and ed for his faithfulness to Christ, nd comfort in the Lord and rejoiced His desire was that the was sameout joy family e the church at for Philippi—thus, a ride in thehe challenge themcountry concerning onejoyful lovely afternoon, when the fouryear-old sister suddenly erestingly, the first area of her fiveturned and asked “Where gement year-old that Paul brother, gives in chapter do babies come from?” ppians relates to “fellowship in The parents listened silently pel.” We, as Baptists, often refer front while the ship as in anythe time we seat are eating, boy thought it over r havinglittle an activity together; and finally answered, d basically means “to have in “Babies come from .” Paul, however, is referring heaven.” This explanation more than the Philippians didn’t quite satisfyOne little a mutual church function. sister, who thentoasked, eatest encouragements joyful“If come heaven, living inbabies the midst of from ministry why do people to the trials it brings is to knowgo that hospital to get them?” brethren who stand with us, The little boy answered, om we have a common goal, “Because that’s where they on purpose and a common get their skins put on!” the Gospel. For the missionary Yes, God gives children to parents n a foreign land characterized byas a gift from heaven. He creates the spirit, es of food, language and culture, soul and body of a child and places the ogetherchild with believers for for in aother home ideally to be trained His glory. While babies do not get their ment of their relationship is vitally skin from the hospital (this obvious point nt. It wasis made recently privilege tomay for themy younger ones who readingfamilies this article),at children multiplebeBWM theirdo have uropean retreat in Germany—a be reminded of three vital areas of
illegally arrested and beaten, placed in fellowship. How wond stocks, and humiliated publicly. But even to face in a venue such those memories brought joy to Paul, Germany! because it was through his sufferings Fellowship involves that many of the believers at Philippi had brother in your pray opportunity to hear the Gospel. Thus, when he remembered them, hechurch rejoiced. and home was to involve them in their internal character and external priest in the O conduct molded by the influences of the ministry with us asThe muchhigh as possible. the environment in which they are For example, each of them worehasaindividual special garmen How keep a brother on our mind? raised. do That we molding, his heart. On it were t especiallyepistle in the early Paul’s reminds us of the need of the parents names of the twelv years, is done primarily My appeal to Christian continuing communication, either written through the impact of engraved on them, a j is to remember their immediate family and emailing or verbal. Calling regularly that one day 28:15-29). He members, which brings me you will look into the(Exodus eyes of to learn about what to a question for those of ove your adult children, and what isushappening our who have been in blessed “For the missionary pray in various venues you see will be the result of brother’s life with is a the One opportunity of training the in ato foreign land of theirserving response the grace vital link in ongoing next generation—what will Chr differences our children (ourEven disciples) in their lives,by coupled with fellowship. better Godcharacterized and look like when they are what kind of skin you have put than long-distance of food, language and culture, grown? What kind of skin exp communication is faceare we putting on them? In on them. getting together with other at t the busy service to Christ, to-face discussion— in which most faithful pray believers for reinforcement creating a themselves, venue for believers find it is easy to memories of outreach visits made with one relationship is vitally miss the balance dedication of their mom and dad, whether in witnessing to a keeping one between another to ministry and attention to family. Yes, lost person or in ministering to an elderly important.” on our minds. every believer needs to be involved in his saint. Those visits, made with one or both Wh local church’s efforts to win souls, make parents, were frequently followed by a pray disciples and plant churches, both at stop at the ice cream shop (great oneFellowship involves having your home and abroad. But Christian parents on-one opportunities Christians, for putting on their we too ofte brother on your must not become so busy heart (1:7-8). skin). Such interaction for their physical and fi in the ministry that they of blending the ministry, Have noticed neglect you the kind of skin how often Paul used familybut and Paul yes, icefocused on th they are placing upon cream, continued intoin the area the phrase “you all” as he writes? This is specifically their children and upon their college years. As more an evidence that he was from time passed, deeper love. H those inthan their church’s thebiblical topics next generation! of discussion changed southern Turkey. There are at least nine discernment (v. 9), the from little league instances of children the phrase in this letter—he and their fruitfulness ( When our three Continued on page 3. werenot small,want one of to the leave anyone out, because did the Lord together at th ways we attempted to he loved them and longed for them. for each other and for By Dr. Bud Steadman find the balance between were forging stronger How can we tell that we are truly bound in though separated by g
PUTTING ON THEIR SKIN
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NEW MISSIONARIES
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od blessed Baptist World Mission with seven new missionaries this spring. We are happy to welcome the following to the BWM family: Jake and Ramona Allen (Hungary); Killick and Nehemie Aristide (Haiti); Jon Stover and his fiancée, Olena Rogova (Germany); and Emily Tyler (fiancée to BWM missionary Michael Germi), (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).
Jake and Ramona Allen come to us from Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, where Dr. Wayne Van Gelderen is their sending pastor. They have a two-yearold daughter named Abigail. Abigail will be a big sister in December! During his time in college, Jake was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma. After months of chemotherapy, God allowed him to be in remission, and today, he is a five-year cancer survivor. To God be the glory! Jake currently works for the city of Milwaukee and looks forward to going on full-time deputation soon. Ramona is the daughter of Gedeon and Yoli Olah, missionaries in Hungary. On a visit back to Hungary to see the Olahs, Jake and Ramona were burdened with the need for leaders and more church planters in Hungary. Please pray for God to hasten their way back to Hungary. Email: jallen@ baptistworldmission.org
Odenton Christian School. For as long as Jon can remember, he has felt God calling him into missions and has spent his life Killick and preparing for that opportunity. Olena is Nehemie Aristide from the Ukraine and was involved in are natives of Haiti. interpretation work for different ministries When they came to the United States, they had no intention while there, including interpreting for our own Baptist World Mission missionaries, of going back. However, after becoming Roland and Vera Mitchum. Olena rejoices American citizens, they took a trip back in the influence missionaries have had on to their homeland to help with several her life and views the Mitchums as her vacation Bible school programs in various areas of Haiti. While they were there, they adopted “parents.” She is thrilled to now witnessed over 100 people receiving Christ. serve the Lord as a missionary! She is also God used this time to give them a renewed currently teaching and is the K-5 supervisor at the same school with Jon in Odenton. burden to reach the people of Haiti for We are excited to see this young couple Christ. The Aristides have three children— minister in Germany in the years to come. two adult daughters and one teenage son Email: jstover@baptistworldmission.org Nathanael, who will accompany them on deputation and then on the return Emily Tyler is to Haiti. Killick and Nehemie are fluent engaged to be in three languages: English, French and married to Baptist Creole—this will be a huge asset to their World missionary ministry. Their sending church is Grace Michael Germi. They Baptist Church of Parker, Colorado, where will be married in Ward Smith is their pastor. We trust God August. Their sending to use this family in a great way as they church is Falls Baptist raise support and return to Haiti. Email: Church of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, karistide@baptistworldmission.org where their pastor is Dr. Wayne Van Gelderen. Emily’s mother led her to the Lord Jon Stover and at an early age. As she grew, God led her to Olena Rogova Baptist College of Ministry to major in Bible are engaged to and music. She is an accomplished violinist. be married in July. While she was in college, God worked in her Once married, heart to surrender to the mission field. Upon they will begin completion of deputation, Michael and Emily deputation for desire to plant churches among the Persian the country of Germany. Their sending church is Odenton populations of the United States, beginning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We are happy Baptist Church in Odenton, Maryland, to have this couple in the BWM family and and their pastor is John Lacombe. Jon is look forward to seeing how the Lord will use currently the youth/children’s director at them to reach Persian people for the Lord. the church, as well as a school teacher at Email: mgermi@baptistworldmission.org
RETIREMENT Following a lifetime of foreign missionary service in Germany beside her husband Ray, who passed away earlier this year, Marleen Virtue will retire from full-time missionary service on August 30. The Lord has certainly undertaken for our dear sister with large doses of grace and in many other tangible ways.
Marleen’s move to Barmstedt, Germany, transpired smoothly, and the location is ideally close to her daughter and son-inlaw. We are also very thankful that the church in Hamburg has called missionary Tim Peterson (BWM) to help them take the final step toward becoming fully autonomous under a national pastor. Please continue to pray for grace and guidance as Marleen continues to honor and serve the Lord in her new circumstances.
MISSIONARY ORIENTATION BY DR. DAVID CANEDY
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he Lord blessed BWM recently with a great week of Orientation at Camp Joy in Whitewater, Wisconsin. For two years in a row, we have begun our Orientation week with an April snowfall! We are thankful that all arrived safely in spite of the weather. The teaching sessions and the preaching made for a blessed week of encouragement. This time of preparation for deputation and field ministry was invaluable to our new missionaries appointed at BWM’s Spring Meeting, as well as many other deputation missionaries. While this time of preparation is vital, the building of relationships is equally important. At BWM, we believe it is expedient for the missionary to build a solid relationship with his administrator, as they will be working closely together in the years to come. An added blessing is the camaraderie and friendship built among the missionary families. Many lifelong friendships were made, and we thank the Lord for this happening. It was a joy to have Pastor Nathan Deatrick, one of our board members, with us and hear him preach for a couple of the evening services. His messages were both practical and from the heart. His experience in the ministry made him a delight to have at the camp. It was also a special pleasure to have Pastor Mark Shore with us for several days. He is an emeritus board member who has served
with BWM since 1986. It was a joy to fellowship with him and his dear wife Ann. They have a tremendous amount of wisdom to offer each of us! During the week, we enjoyed many activities, such as fishing and the sky glide, and some even risked the cold to go out in a boat on the lake! We enjoyed having Nathanael, the teenage son of one of our missionaries, with us that week. Nathanael has a passion for fishing, and on the morning of the last day of the week, he reeled in the biggest fish he has ever caught! It was a joy to celebrate that morning with him. God cares even about the little things in life! On Wednesday night, we enjoyed entertainment by Peter
Wright and the Merry Heart Quartet. The four gentlemen spent an hour presenting fun songs and skits to us. Their sacrifice showed their love for the BWM missionaries, and each person there had a fun time listening to and laughing at their humorous songs and anecdotes. The week spent at Camp Joy was delightful in so many ways. We are thankful for the number of missionaries in attendance this year. With missionaries and staff, we had over 30 people there! This number reflects answered prayer, as we have asked the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers. We are encouraged by this trend and trust the Lord to bring forth many more missionaries into His harvest field. Will you pray along with us? We praise the Lord for this great week. The missionaries, as well as the BWM administrators and staff, all came away refreshed in the Lord!
Putting On Their Skin (continued) baseball to current trends in theology, but the ultimate goal was always impacting them for the Savior. Basic acts of Bible Christianity in the home, such as daily prayer and Bible reading as a family, coupled with very human activities, such as eating meals together, make for wonderful opportunities for putting on the right kind of skin. The cliché is still a valid one—the family that prays together stays together. The spiritual glue, the blessed tie that binds, has throughout time been our Lord and His Word. My appeal to
Christian parents is to remember that one day you will look into the eyes of your adult children, and what you see will be the result of their response to the grace of God in their lives, coupled with what kind of skin you have put on them. May God enable you, with wisdom and grace, to be shaping your children for His glory, so that when you gaze upon their maturity, you will see godly eyes. For each of us who are involved in impacting Christ’s future servants— whether we have children in the home or
not—we must be diligent in recognizing that the skin God wants us to put on the next generation is that of likeness to Jesus Christ. Christ commanded us through the writing of Peter, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” To be involved in making holy disciples, we must be deliberate and strategic in giving time and energies to the task. Only then will we fulfill the mandate given to us in 2 Timothy 2:2 to commit what we have learned to the next generation. Let’s make sure we are putting the right skin on our spiritual kids!
September 23
Tampa, FL
First Baptist Church Rockford, IL
October 11-14
September 26
September 9–10
Woodcrest Baptist Baptist Church College of Ministry Steve Anderson Menomonee Falls, WI Fridley, MN April 23–July 2 Furlough Replacement September Cape Town, South Africa
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September 11–12
Maranatha Baptist University
Watertown, WI Calvary Baptist Church July 3–August 27 September 30–October 3 Administrative Trip Winona, MN Bob Jones University
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Madagascar, Kenya, South Africa
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2
ege
October September 4 and 11
Greenville, SC
14
Faith Baptist Church Grace Decatur, AL
Baptist Church Pat Delaney Pelzar, SC
September 29–October 1
Spiritual Life Conference October 21 Faith Baptist Church Faith Baptist Queens, NY
August 4 Grace Baptist Church Coatesville, IN Church
Warren, MI
Mike Martin Kevin Brosnan October 27-November 6
urch
No meetings scheduled
June 16 (AM)
Administrative TripHeritage Hills Baptist Church Winston Salem, NC Mexico Dave Canedy June 16 (PM)
November 11
Catawba Springs Christian Church Apex, NC Heartland Baptist Church Administrative Trip British Columbia,Marysville, Canada OH July 1–8 Administrative Trip July 14 Dominican Republic November 25 Good News Baptist Church September 29–October 2 Chesapeake, VAMeadowlake Baptist Church Victory Baptist Church July 21 Mobile, AL Jacksonville, FL Russian Baptist Fellowship Brooklyn, NY
June 20–July 3
July 28
January 20
Spring Meadow Baptist Church TN
Hillcrest Baptist Church Elmira, NY Franklin,
West Haven Baptist Church Clemmons, NC Bud Steadman
October 2823, and 30 June 16,
Summer Bible Conference Community Baptist Church Calvary Baptist Church Saginaw, MI (AM) Huntsville, AL
July 8–23 October 28
Administrative Trip
Ashley Baptist Church Russia Belding, MI6 (PM) August
Schedule an administrator or director at your church!
Slavic Baptist Mission Board Meeting
October 29-31 Indianapolis, IN
Camp CoBeAc Bible Institute August 7 Lighthouse Baptist Prudenville, MI Church Ashville, AL
October August30 11
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The Wilds Christian Camp November 11 Brevard, NC
GraceSeptember Baptist4–8 Church Crossroads Norfolk, VA Baptist Church Columbus, NC
September 15–18
*All BWM administrators will attend Calvary Baptist Church Watertown, WI the Annual Meeting October 8-10, 2018.September 16–17 Wisconsin Fellowship of Baptist Churches Watertown, WI
September 19–22 Central Baptist Church Greeneville, TN
January 27 Plainville Baptist Church Plainville, MA
Bud Steadman September 3-19
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FOLLOW BWM
Emmanuel Baptist Church Kings Mountain, NC (AM)
Canada Office PO Box 51 • Milton ON L9T 2Y3 Phone 905.876.9936 bwmission@bellnet.ca
September 23
Very inte encourag 1 of Philip the Gosp FOLLOW BWM to fellows talking or the word common. to much enjoying of the gre Christian and the t we have with who a commo labor in t serving in difference getting to reinforcem importan be with m annual Eu time to b
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Korea, Philippines
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he by BWM administrators and pris directors offer a wonderful blend of passionate suffering preaching and current persecute field experiences. Please Paul foun contact the mission if you would like to schedule any in Him. H of these men for your next permeate conference. wrote to Call 256.353.2221 living.
First Baptist Church IFBAM Conference Troy, MI Belding, MI September 2
September 23 Morningside Baptist Church Greenville, SC (PM)
Phone 256.353.2221 office@baptistworldmission.org PO Box 2149 Decatur, AL 35602
ITINERARIES
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