CBF JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
fellowship! C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
INSIDE
Partnerships Increase Gospel Message in China
Large Gifts Help Fund Missions Efforts
International Ministries Share Global Impact
Church Makes Missional Connections
Persian-Speaking Ministry Stretches Coast to Coast
WWW.CBFONLINE.ORG
North Carolina Multi-Housing Ministry Brings Lasting Witness to Area AS FAR AS SPIRITUAL OUTREACH GOES,
apartment projects tend to be places ripe
with quick-fix ministries but little consistent gospel witness.
[continues p. 2]
Lisandro Chavez, who lives in an Asheboro apartment complex and is a regular participant in the Bible Club and afterschool tutoring program there, posts his support for MultiHousing Ministries of Asheboro.
Anne Willis photo
In some areas, residents of multi-family housing are more familiar with drug dealers and pimps than with police officers or “church people.” Unemployment and underemployment are often the norm, academic failure the The Fellowship expected. Sounds Missional like the ideal Church Initiative location to carry out the Great Commission. At least that’s what Anne Willis and First Baptist Church in Asheboro, N.C., think. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina agrees. In 2001, CBFNC made a $1,000 grant to MultiHousing Ministries of Asheboro, a ministry started by First Baptist. Assorted Baptist churches, universities and organizations, as well as other faith groups including Church of God, Presbyterian and community churches also participate in the ministry. “All too often the involvement of the church has been limited to bus ministries or to short-lived outreach projects,” Willis explains. “What is needed is a witness that will move in and stick around.” That is MHMA’s game plan. Asheboro First Baptist Pastor John Rogers’ vision for a multi-housing ministry crystallized in 1997 as he took part in a march against drugs, while doing his own private prayer walk at the same time. By 1999, the church had an apartment and an office in one
COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP’S MISSION: SERVING CHRISTIANS AND CHURCHES AS THEY DISCOVER AND FULFILL THEIR GOD-GIVEN MISSION.
Craig Bird photo
2
Larry Cahoon, an engineer and MHMA volunteer, baits a hook at one of his popular fishing excursions with the group of boys he and his wife, Patti, work closely with. C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
Anne Willis photo
BUILDING COMMUNITY
apartment complex — and Paula Settle willing to start up the program for the intern salary of $12,000 a year. When Settle took a job with the Raleigh Baptist Association in 2001, the program was established and ready for growth. Willis had been an International Mission Board journeyman in China and worked in sports evangelism in Mexico. With extensive experience with Mission Arlington (Texas) — the prototype for multi-housing ministries — she responded to the call. Building on a core Volunteer Pam Lathum is a student at of First Baptist volunWingate University and part of the Wingate Baptist student group that teers but also involvinvested a Saturday in the ing other area churchchildren of an Asheboro es, MHMA expanded apartment complex. from the single initial work to permanent and ongoing projects at five other apartment complexes in Willis’ first seven months as director. In her spare time, Willis leads training sessions for other churches interested in multi-housAnne Willis ing ministry and has set up a fund-raising photo program and launched a “Girls in Sport Festival” that attracted 80 participants in its first year. “We are officially endorsed and highly recommended by the city police chief and the county sheriff as an effective means to fight the influx of crime and drugs,” Willis points
Participants in the inaugural Girls in Sport Festival display varying reactions to the proximity of a soccer ball.
out. “Adults who have seen how we love their kids are asking for Bible studies.” One of Willis’ favorite programs is Teen Time, a weekly program that has attracted almost 30 teenagers from two different apartment complexes. In addition to picking them up for church each Sunday, the leaders involve them in drama, community outreach and discipleship each Thursday. “Basically we do something fun and then teach a Bible study about issues that are current and relevant in their lives, like the need for sexual purity, and the dangers of negative peer pressure, and the fact that God loves them totally but has a plan for their lives,” she explains. “They can cut loose, but they also have to be respectful.” While attending a recent outreach program at a local Baptist church, 11 Teen Time regulars made professions of faith in Christ. On the van ride home, the teens spontaneously sang spirituals and praise songs all the way, Willis reports. “Their decisions were so real and immediate that they came back the next night and brought their friends — and one more young man accepted Christ,” Willis says. Their parents were invited to their baptisms. It’s fulfilling work, but it’s hard work. The time demands on the volunteers are long and the noise and energy can stretch nerves taut. “God has some of His best people doing His will in these apartments,” Willis marvels. “I can tell
For more information about MHMA, contact Anne Willis at (336) 629-6018, artwks@yahoo.com or at MHMA, 1126 Kemp Blvd., Asheboro, NC 27203. For more information about the Missional Church Initiative, contact Bo Prosser at (770) 220-1631 or bprosser@cbfnet.org, or Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1615 or thamrick@cbfnet.org.
By contributing writer Craig Bird, San Antonio, Texas
Class Notes: News from Partner Schools Baptist Studies Program, Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International, will deliver the Decalogue Lecture on “Where Do the Children Live?” from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Feb. 17, in Tull Auditorium, followed by a panel discussion with Frank Alexander, Emory professor of law; Peter Ash, Emory associate professor of psychiatry; and Mary Odem, Emory associate professor of history. The discussion will be moderated by Martin E. Marty. For more information, contact David Key, director of the Baptist Studies Program, at (404) 727-6350 or dkey@learnlink.emory.edu. Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. The seminary has named the office of Charles B. Bugg, professor of preaching, in honor of Elizabeth A. Pugh, pastor of Richmond’s Grace Baptist Church. A gift of $25,000 from an unidentified friend of the school, earmarked for this purpose, was sufficient to permanently name the office in Pugh’s honor. Pugh has been a small group leader and a mentor for BTSR students for many years. She has served on the staff of Grace Baptist Church for 13 years, the last 6 years as pastor.
The seminary also recently recognized a former faculty member and Virginia pastor by permanently naming a faculty office in his honor. Luke B. Smith served as professor of Christian ministry at BTSR for three years in the early history of the school. He taught ministry courses and directed the school’s program of supervised internships. Smith, a Georgia native who died in 1998, had previously served on the faculty of Southeastern Seminary. Prior to that, he was an administrator with the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board and had served pastorates in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Smith’s name is now attached to the office of Tracy L. Hartman, assistant professor of practical theology. In addition to her teaching duties, she currently heads the seminary’s internship program. The seminary announces its sixth annual Chester Brown/Hampton Baptist Church Preaching and Worship Conference on April 19-21. Guest preachers will be Thomas Troeger and Sarah Jackson Shelton. The new schedule begins the conference on Monday afternoon with breakout sessions and ends with a worship service on Wednesday morning. For more
BUILDING COMMUNITY
story after story of lives changed for eternity — and not just among the residents but among the volunteers.” MHMA has a wide range of volunteer opportunities. One promising program provides church groups heading out of state or out of country on missions trips with a boot camp experience where they can hone evangelism and outreach skills while still speaking English and having access to Southern comfort foods. f!
information, call (804) 2041241. Central Baptist Theological Seminary. M. Thomas Thangaraj will deliver the spring lecture, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Thangaraj is the D.W. & Ruth Brooks Associate Professor of World Christianity at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta. He served as a minister in the Church of South India and taught at the Tamilanadu Theological Seminary, Madurai, India. For more information, please contact the seminary at (913) 371-5313, ext. 111. McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University. William Hull, professor and former provost of Samford University, will present the William L. Self Preaching Lectures at the school, March 8-10, in Cecil B. Day Hall on Mercer’s Atlanta campus. For more information, contact the school at (678) 547-6470. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. The seminary’s Parchman Endowed Lectures will be delivered by Walter Brueggemann, professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, at 3 p.m., March 8, 9 and 11 in the Paul Powell Chapel. For more information,
contact the seminary at (254) 710-3755. The seminary also has announced its new Doctor of Ministry program participants for this academic year. They are Mark Bethune, pastor of First Baptist Church, Eden, Texas; Jesse Campos, pastor of Braganca Baptist Church, Brazil, and teacher, Word of Life Seminary and Sao Paulo Baptist Theological College, Brazil; Phuoc Dang, pastor, Vietnamese First Baptist Church, Waco, Texas; Robbi Francovich, one of CBF’s Global Missions field personnel in India; Eddie Hilburn, pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankston, Texas; Doug Jackson, pastor, Second Baptist Church, Corpus Christi, Texas; Brad Lankford, youth minister, First Baptist Church, Ft. Stockton, Texas; Gary Long, pastor, Willow Meadows Baptist Church, Houston, Texas; Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Waco, Texas; David Rogers, community minister, The Heights Baptist Church, Richardson, Texas; Bruce Troy, associate pastor, First Baptist Church, El Paso, Texas; Layne Wallace, pastor, Samaria Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C.; and John Wheatley, pastor, First Baptist Church, Valley Mills, Texas.
www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
3
OUT OF THE 47 MILLION PEOPLE
living in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,
there are approximately 80,000 Christians — less than 1 percent of its population. Fortunately, interest from groups desiring to work or volasked for assistance in building a kitchen and a dormitory. unteer in China has grown tremendously in the past few The school currently has 300 boarding students but no years. Partnerships between Christian groups in China and kitchen to provide hot, nutritious meals. CBF of Missouri Christian groups in North America, such as the ones has committed to a gift of $13,000 to help get the kitchen between Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the China built in the next year. The second project will help Shanglin Christian Council and the Amity Foundation, continue to Church build a three-story building for worship in a newly expand to meet the needs of Chinese Christians. developing area of Shanglin County. CBF of Missouri has CBF of Missouri is an example of one of these partnerships committed to a $15,000 gift. that maintains an ongoing relationship with the Chinese In addition to project tours, Envoys are another way individuChristians in the Guangxi region. Recently, a group from CBF als can immerse themselves in another culture and work alongof Missouri returned from a project tour in the region. side Chinese Christians. Envoys are CBF members employed by Brenda Lisenby, one of CBF’s Global Missions field peran institution while serving alongside CBF Global Missions field sonnel and partnership coordinator in China, traveled with personnel or CBF partners. As CBF associate coordinators for the group. “The CBF Missouri Project Tour was a tremenmission teams in Asia, Anita and Jack Snell believe that Envoys dous event,” she says. “We had an awesome time touring are an integral part of the Fellowship’s work in China. Guangxi and visiting projects while being hosted by local “Under the capable leadership of our career personnel government leaders and the Guangxi Christian Council.” as well as our Envoys, the relationships that were already The group visited two completed project sites. “CBF of forged with the China Christian Council, Amity and the Missouri had provided funds for computers for the special education class at Zhuang Street School, and we saw the students busily demonstrating their newly acquired computer skills,” Lisenby says. “We visited Nama Medical Clinic where we had provided some funds to help complete a new building and purchase an ambulance.” Not only did the group visit the completed projects from their 2002 Project Tour, they also surveyed and chose projects to be worked on during 2004. CBF of Missouri agreed to partner with the Guangxi Christian Council to provide monetary gifts for two additional specific projects for Fellowship representatives visit the Zhuang Street School special education class where CBF of Missouri had provided funds for purchasing computers. 2004. Shitang Elementary Photos courtesy of CBF of Missouri
GLOBAL MISSIONS & MINISTRIES 4
Fellowship Partners Join Chinese Christians to Share Gospel
C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
For more information about ministry opportunities in China, go to www.CBFinChina.org or see the related sidebar on these pages.
By contributing writer Amy Walker, Atlanta
China Volunteer Opportunities The following opportunities are available in China. Volunteers need to be in excellent health and age 68 or younger if it is their first time to teach in China. Please note that dates are tentative. AMITY PARTNERSHIP Date: July 1-Aug. 3 Need: Volunteer teachers to train Chinese middle school English teachers and to improve their English communication skills Cost: $1,100. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and secondary insurance, which total approximately $1,400. GUANGXI UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP Date: July 1-31 Need: Teachers requested, plus interested mature high school or college students to assist with activities, to provide Chinese senior middle school students opportunity to interact with foreign teachers and peers Cost: $500. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and secondary insurance, which total approximately $1,400. CHINA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL PASTORAL ENGLISH TRAINING PROGRAM Date: July 1- Sept. 10 Need: Teachers with teaching qualifications and experience to train Chinese church leaders in English for the purpose of international relations and exchange Cost: $180. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and secondary insurance, which total approximately $1,400. WORLD VISION TEACHER TRAINING PARTNERSHIP Date: Aug. 16-30 Need: Teachers to train Chinese school English teachers in Napo County and improve their English communication skills Cost: $200. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and secondary insurance, which total approximately $1,400. WORLD VISION ENGLISH MOTIVATORS Date: Sept. 1-16 Need: Teachers requested, plus high school (home schooled) students accompanying adults, to visit the 12 middle school campuses in Napo County and participate in each campus’ “Speak English Day” for the purpose of motivating senior middle school students and enhancing the English learning environment Cost: $200. Volunteer responsible for travel, visa and secondary insurance, which total approximately $1,400. Application forms are available at www.destination missions.net under the China page or at www.CBFinChina.org Web site. Applications are due by March 31. The China application process will be administered through the CBF Global Missions Office in Raleigh, under the Volunteer Program. For more information, contact Mary Carol Day at (877) 856-9288 or volunteer@cbfonline.org. www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
GLOBAL MISSIONS & MINISTRIES
other various areas of work have been strengthened and the work has expanded,” Anita says. “In the beginning, most of them were involved in teaching English, both short-term and long-term,” Jack says. “But more and more, our Envoys are exploring other opportunities for ministry in China: business opportunities and physical therapy. Another is using her skills to set up and administer the regional office for a consortium of Baptist seminaries. A retired EPA worker is assisting the leaders of his city in addressing pressing environmental concerns.” “As the [Chinese] people seek answers to life’s challenges, they are more and more open to the gospel for answers,” Anita says. “They are very curious Members of the CBF of Missouri Project Tour in China visit Hengxian Township Church and about Christjoin in an impromptu hymn sing of “Holy, Holy, ianity. Each of Holy” and “Amazing Grace.” our 15 CBF field personnel working in China has had marvelous opportunities to share the gospel through their lives and through individual and group discussions that are all a part of the daily experience.” Having worked in China for more than eight years, Lisenby is excited to see how opportunities in China have changed. “Since I have been involved, our opportunities for partnering have increased tremendously as trust is gained and the Chinese are comfortable with CBF and what we say and do,” she explains. “Trust is the key, and it takes time in China. CBF volunteers who come to teach every summer and the CBF of Missouri team that comes every year have been instrumental to the development of that trust.” Harold Phillips, coordinator for CBF of Missouri, agrees, “The first year we came they asked, ‘Who are these people?’ The next time they said, ‘They came back like they said they would.’ Brenda encourages us to ‘come and see.’ Now it’s our turn to ‘go and tell.’” f!
5
GLOBAL MISSIONS & MINISTRIES
Fellowship Putting Large Gifts to Good Use in Missions Efforts SOME MISSIONS PERSONNEL
might never have reached the field, while others might be
at home now taking early retirement if not for two large, anonymous gifts that the Cooperative 6
Baptist Fellowship received in the past two years.
Courtesy of CBF field personnel
“These gifts have been very important in strengthening the strategic plan priorities of partnership missions with local ministry of CBF,” says Daniel Vestal, the Fellowship’s churches, ministry to the most neglected and church national coordinator. “They have made it possible for us to planting. send missionaries that would not have been sent otherwise. “Gifts such as these enhance CBF’s work by relieving They have provided the financial resources for mission the pressures of the relatively lean economic years, projects, church planting and mission support.” providing resources to boost a particular ministry like CBF Global Missions received the 600 percent increase in $8.2 million of the $9 million gifts. student missionaries, and giving The rest went to church starts, an the organization time to rebound administrative subdivision of from dips in normal revenues,” Global Missions, and the Church Baldridge says. Benefits Board. “The decision as to Anonymous gifts to the how the funds would be used was Fellowship of any size are determined by the donors,” Vestal unusual, says Jim Strawn, the says, “and as with all gifts, we Fellowship’s coordinator for honor the desires and wishes of finance. “We don’t get many of those who make a contribution.” them of any size,” he says. “These The funds will undergird the gifts were mission-driven, given missions program of CBF, says by people who have a love and a Two large gifts to CBF Global Missions help fund orphan and street children assistance and provide hunger and Global Missions Co-coordinator heart for missions.” refugee relief. Gary Baldridge. Had Global Missions not The unbudgeted funds, he says, received the special gifts, have been or will be used to: Baldridge says, it would have meant a moratorium on • select, orient, train, equip, deploy and maintain 16 new the commissioning and deployment of new personnel, personnel to Toronto, North Africa, China, Los Angeles, early retirement of veteran personnel, death to dozens of Southeast Asia, Detroit, and Athens, Greece; field projects for effective ministry, potential layoff of • help in the costs of maintaining veteran field personnel staff, and/or possible return home of some field nearing retirement; personnel. • fund partial or whole field projects of personnel around “The next challenge will be to maintain and to increase the world – agricultural development, literature, orphan these ministries beyond the life of the gifts,” Baldridge and street children assistance, hunger and refugee relief, says. “At some point within the next two or three years, medical, water development and Bible distribution; normal giving to CBF will need to have increased • provide stipends for summer and semester substantially for these works to continue.” f! undergraduate and graduate students in hands-on missions Use the envelope provided in this issue to contribute to the opportunities; Fellowship’s general missions and ministries budget which • help provide post-secondary schooling supplements helps support global missions and ministries, leadership development, building community and congregational life. for children of field personnel; • defray costs of deploying volunteer counselors who You can also donate online by clicking on the “Ways You Can help keep field personnel well physically, emotionally and Give” button at www.cbfonline.org. spiritually; By Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C. • fund part of the implementation of Global Missions’ C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
GOING TO HARD PLACES
International Ministry: The ‘Ends of the Earth’ are Here C O M PA R E D T O N O R T H A M E R I C A N society today,
Courtesy of FBC, Jefferson City
churches reach out to internationals in small towns and even the rich culture I knew in my childhood in Miami in large cities with conversation, friendship, relationships … the 1950s was relatively narrow. Miami was a relatively a gospel witness. For example, I watched recently as four broad and diverse community of Catholics and Jews, Koreans living temporarily in Jefferson City, Tenn., Cubans and Southerners – yet everyone spoke the same responded to the invitation one Sunday morning at First language, claimed the same national identity, dressed the Baptist Church, two seeking baptism. Each weekday same and shared the Judeo-Christian heritage. morning at 5:30 you will find a group of Koreans meeting In the world of my growing up, I never had the opporin the church for prayer. tunity to meet an Arab, or talk with an Indian or Chinese First Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla., recently celeor Thai. I never met an Uzbek or Moroccan or Indonesian, brated an International Thanksgiving Banquet at which and as far as I knew, never people from 30 different counencountered a Hindu or Muslim tries attended. The large numor Sikh. And I was much the ber of internationals connected poorer for that lack. to that church is the fruit of What a different world we English as a Second Language live in now. The ends of the classes Lillian Isaac began at earth have come to us. the church in 1960. Through Everywhere I turn in the small the years, hundreds of internatown where I live, it seems, I tionals have returned to their encounter people from all over homes around the world with the world. For instance, the warm memories of Christian American who owns the conhospitality, and many have also venience store gas station I taken with them a new life in patronize was born and raised Christ Jesus. Students demonstrate Japanese writing at their display booth in Pakistan. Another, one of my at First Baptist Church of Jefferson City’s first-ever I know of many other International Festival. Pictured are (l-r) Mana Akiyawa; Nola good friends and colleagues, an churches ministering to interIsobe; Barbara Shoemaker, chairwoman of First Baptist’s astronomer, came to America as International Ministries; Tou Yoshi Ohishi; and Taro nationals in their communities. Yamashita. a college student from Iran, Let us know about your church’s being born and raised in the involvement. Let us help you desert where he developed his love for the stars and his network with others who share a burden for the strangers devotion to Allah. Many like these come to the United in our midst. Fellowship field personnel from all over the States to become citizens and are tightly woven into our world can offer advice and assistance. We can all learn from national fabric, finding here economic opportunity, each other, and we can participate in taking the gospel to education and professional careers. Some come to us as the “ends of the earth,” even without leaving home. f! refugees from war, genocide, poverty, disease and For more information about ministry to internationals, contact oppression. Marc Wyatt, team facilitator for Ministry among Internationals Many others come to America for only a short while as at wyatt@cbfnet.org or (416) 926-2501. The International Team of CBF Global Missions ministers among refugees, immigrants students, diplomats, representatives of multi-national and international students in six major cities in North America businesses or to obtain technical training. Many come as and Europe. The free brochure “Ministry to Internationals” is tourists. After a time among us, they return to their home available from the CBF Resource Link at (888) 801-4223 or the nations and cultures. CBF e-Store at www.cbfonline.org. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions field To contact Patrick Anderson to speak about CBF Global personnel work among Arab people in two areas of high Missions, call (863) 686-9902 or e-mail panderson@cbfnet.org. Arab-American populations, Los Angeles and Dearborn, Mich. But the huge influx of new immigrants comes from By Patrick R. Anderson, CBF missions advocate all over the world, not just Arab countries, and many www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
7
BUILDING COMMUNIT Y
South Carolina Church Makes Connections at Home, Around the Globe F I R S T B A P T I S T C H U R C H I N C L I N T O N , S . C . , was a
missional church long before the term became popular. “This is a church that has been serious for years about not just giving to missions but doing missions,” says Blake Harwell, pastor The Fellowship since early 1998. “People here step Missional forward and get Church Initiative involved with things to connect this church with its community, both locally and globally.” The people doing missions from First Baptist are as varied as the places where they’ve served. Globally, it’s the church members who went this past year to Suriname, Brazil and Romania to work on medical and construction teams. It’s the 31 teenagers who went to
Sue H. Poss photo
8
First Baptist, Clinton, hosts a ‘Trunk or Treat’ event at Halloween as a community outreach. C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
Florida to work with World Changers. It’s the 48 members who went on a family mission trip to West Virginia or the 60 who went to Tennessee to build a church. It’s the one summer missionary sent by the church to work in Hungary. Locally, it’s the six women who made repairs and spruced up the living space for a homebound Related Resources woman who had a stroke. It’s the 41 THE FELLOWSHIP has several adults and youth who resources for churches wanting worked with information on becoming a Carpenters for Christ missional congregation: to repair the homes of • The Missional Journey: Being the elderly and poor. the Presence of Christ. Outlines It’s the dozens of all the characteristics of missional ages who visit regularly churches. Includes a CD of the in nursing homes and video, The Missional Journey: retirement centers Being the Presence of Christ. offering encourage(free, plus shipping) ment and hugs. • The Missional Journey Guide. “The Great Assists churches as they Commission was given discover, claim and commit to the to us, as a church. We mission God has for them. are supposed to go to ($29.95 for workbook, CD and the ends of the earth,” binder; $19.95 for workbook only, plus shipping) Harwell says. “Our church is to be Order from the CBF Resource involved in global misLink at (888) 801-4223 or the sions for life.” CBF e-Store at The contemporary www.cbfonline.org. worship service started in 1999 is another way the church is trying to follow the Great Commission challenge. “We felt there were people in our county not coming to church because they didn’t like the way church was being done, whether it was the music, the style, the dress or the time,” Harwell explains. “We made a decision that we were willing to compromise everything except the gospel to meet them where they were. We said, ‘We’d dress like them, play their kind of music, meet in a different place, whatever it takes.’” After two years, 88 people who had not been involved in any church before were a part of First Baptist because of the contemporary service. “We wanted to connect with people who weren’t connected and bring them into the presence of Christ,” Harwell emphasizes. “They found a home in an unair-conditioned gym that is loud and not very comfortable.”
something that will give us another line in the water.” “It’s exciting,” Harwell says. “I can’t imagine a more exciting time to be a pastor, to be doing missions, to be following CBF’s strategy of doing something where nobody else is.” f! For more information about the Missional Church Initiative, contact Bo Prosser at (770) 220-1631 or bprosser@cbfnet.org, or Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1615 or thamrick@cbfnet.org.
By contributing writer Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C.
Fellowship Partner to Begin New Children’s Camp Experience, PASSPORTkids! BEGINNING NEXT SUMMER, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner Passport Inc. will offer camps for children completing third through sixth grade under a new program called PASSPORTkids!. PASSPORTkids!, developed in partnership between the Birmingham-based Passport Inc. and the Fellowship, will offer some of the same elements as Passport’s well-known camps for teenagers in an age-appropriate format. “PASSPORTkids! will integrate missions commitment with the fun and excitement of a children’s camp,” says Mark McClintock, coordinator of PASSPORTkids! camp. “We want to plant the seeds early in children’s lives for a commitment to following Christ and to reaching out to people around the world.” PASSPORTkids!’ roots began several years ago, when a number of children’s ministers were clamoring for something more in a children’s camp. As part of the planning, close to a dozen children’s ministers were used as consultants, according to McClintock, who was himself one of those ministers prior to leaving his position at Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, to become the coordinator. “There has been a lot of contact with children’s ministers to make sure what we’re doing meets their needs,” McClintock says. In conjunction with the Fellowship, the entire staff at Passport was involved in the development of the new program.
One of the differences between PASSPORT camps and PASSPORTkids! camps is the missions experience. Unlike PASSPORT camps, which take teenagers
to offsite ministry projects, PASSPORTkids! will offer missions projects at the camps. Other unique elements include an overall design that is developmentally appropriate and natural settings with quality facilities, offering a variety of fun activities. The staff of 14 who will travel with the camp program this summer have been specifically recruited and trained to work with 8- to 12-year-olds, according to McClintock. Also offered are special activities aimed at sixth graders, to help prepare them for the coming teenage years. “The 2004 theme is ‘On the Edge,’ featuring the Romany people group of Europe,” says Colleen Burroughs,
executive vice president of Passport. In addition to the regular camp activities such as swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, archery and a ropes course, campers will work on projects that support the ministry of missionaries who work with the Romany and meet other missionaries from around the world. A worship service caps each day. “We want worship and Bible study to be well-integrated, so it is a holistic approach,” McClintock says. The 2004 PASSPORTkids! camps will be held in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri. The four-day camps run from mid-June through the end of July. Thirty-two churches have already pre-registered. The Fellowship will continue to partner with Passport on this program for the next two years. For more information, or to register, check out their new Web site, www.passport-kids.org, or call (800) 769-0210, or e-mail at mark@passportcamps.org. Children’s ministers can also subscribe to a free quarterly newsletter by and for children’s ministers called “TAG.” To subscribe, e-mail requests to tag@passportcamps.org. By contributing writer Alison Wingfield, Dallas
www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
BUILDING COMMUNIT Y
“Our mindset is that Jesus called us to be fishers of men,” Harwell says. “I fish all the time. ... If our objective is to catch people, we need to offer more than one bait on more than one pole.” When Harwell came to the church, worship attendance was 279. Now it is 431; but for the past two years, he says, the church has been plateaued. “We’re looking to see if there is another thing God wants us to do. We’re thinking about starting a third type of service, maybe country-gospel,
9
AS A WAY TO HELP REACH the estimated 80 million Persianspeaking people worldwide, CBF Global Missions field personnel Mich and Pat Tosan oversee the non-profit organization, Persian World Outreach (PWO) — a missions organization with goals to “raise Afghani and Iranian nationals to become missionaries and pastors for the future of their own countries,” Mich says. Once a devout Muslim, Mich became a Christian while living in a refugee camp in Denmark in 1988, four years after escaping Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. He understands firsthand the need for indigenous missionaries to meet the physical and spiritual needs of Persianspeaking people.
Outreach Opportunities CURRENT OUTREACH methods to Persian-speaking people
include: 1. Christian leadership training. Through the Iranian Bible School, Iranian Christians are equipped to share the Good News with other Iranians through classes taught in Persian. IBS provides biblical, theological, vocational and educational training for Iranian pastors, missionaries, church planters and other church leaders. 2. Mobilizing and equipping Christian workers among Persianspeaking people 3. Church planting 4. Partnerships and networking 5. Distribution of Bibles and other Christian literature 6. Humanitarian relief work The Fellowship and Persian World Outreach invite individuals and churches to be part of this ministry by praying for Persianspeaking people and supporting the ministry financially. For more information, contact Mich or Pat Tosan, Persian World Outreach, at (856) 878-9799 or pwo@cbfnet.org or go to www.persianwo.org. To order a free brochure titled “Individual UPG Flyer: Persian Speakers Worldwide,” contact the CBF Resource Link at (888) 801-4223 or the CBF e-Store at www.cbfonline.org. (Shipping will be charged.)
C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
Photos courtesy of CBF field personnel
FAITH FORMATION 10
Outreach to Persian-Speaking People Stretches from Coast to Coast “Right now, many Iranians are open to coming to church,” Mich says. “Many Muslim people are searching for peace and love.” Starting with a successful church plant in California during 1996, the Tosans moved to New Jersey in 2002 to continue their ministry. “We were church planting among the Iranians on the West Coast in California and we saw a need for the Iranian populations on the East Coast to have an opportunity to have a church and to go to church in their own language,” Pat says. The East The congregation of the Afghan and Iranian Christian Fellowship gathers for a Thanksgiving lunch. Coast move has resulted in the building of a multi-purpose missions training center in southern New Jersey and a church start in Vienna, Va., named the Afghan and Iranian Christian Fellowship – the first congregation where Afghanis have had their name officially included in an Iranian church. “We chose to honor the Afghans and put their names first, even though they weren’t as involved [as the Iranians],” Pat explains. She describes an “exciting event” on one Sunday when the Afghans led the worship, using their own dialect, while the Iranians watched. “It was truly an Afghan church that day!” “Iranian Christians have had experience with indigenous church planting and see today as an opportune time to help the Afghan churches get started,” Mich says, citing one reason for combined worship. “Each week, Afghanis and Iranians gather for worship together. Some Afghanis drive more than three hours to attend.” The Tosans are encouraged by involvement from Fellowship individuals and churches. “CBF churches are becoming more and more involved with our ministry,” Pat says. “CBF feels very strongly about the importance of indigenous worship and people being able to worship in ways that are culturally appropriate to them. We find this to be very true with the Afghani and Iranian worship.”
FAITH FORMATION
The Fellowship’s Offering for Global Missions, with the theme “Everyone … Everywhere, Being the Presence of Christ,” encourages this kind of personal missions involvement, along with prayer and financial support. MissionConnect, the Offering’s spring emphasis, highlights how the Fellowship and its partners are being Christ’s presence among people often neglected in the United States — Iranian and Afghan immigrants and refugees, Native Americans, and the Mississippi Delta’s rural poor. With many new ministry opportunities becoming
available for Persian-speaking Christians, Mich has a goal of someday partnering with the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond to provide master’s-level educational training. Mich realizes that books would have to be translated and curriculum provided but feels this remains a possible long-term goal to equip those serving. “Our hope,” Pat concludes, “is to raise leaders so they can carry on the job.” f! The Fellowship’s March 2004 missions education curriculum highlights CBF Global Missions field personnel, like the Tosans, who are reaching their own people. The February 2004 curriculum focuses on field personnel and partners who serve among the Minangkabau (see sidebar below). (Annual subscription: adult and youth, $20; children and preschool, $80. Shipping will be charged.) To order, contact the CBF Resource Link at (888) 801-4223. For more information about the Offering, click on the “Offering for Global Missions” button at www.cbfonline.org or contact Terry Walton at (770) 220-1653 or twalton@cbfnet.org.
A group of youth volunteers from Deerfield Presbyterian Church helps build a missions training center in New Jersey.
By staff writer Jo Upton
Minangkabau Resources: Praying Through the Images A DAY IN THE LIFE of one of CBF’s Global Missions field personnel serving among the Minangkabau in Southeast Asia comes to life through “Praying Through the Images.” This creative tool distributed by e-mail uses imagery and text to help churches and individuals connect with this people group. Following is an excerpt from a recent “Praying Through the Images:” I took a stroll through the market this morning and these are some of the people I met (see photo above). Young children whose parents sell fruits and vegetables and other wares at the market often accompany their parents to work. They mostly play or sleep while staying close by their parents. Some actually work. The young girl in the photo above was helping her father sell the fruit in the baskets. The fruit she was selling is called “salak.” It has a snake-like texture
to the skin. The edible part is white and a bit hard like an apple. The flavor is mild and the taste is unlike any fruit available in America. Most people here buy their food at the open-air markets. The vendors’ workdays are long and their earnings are small. Prayer requests: • Pray that the vendors might earn enough to support their families and send their children to school. • Pray that their children might not have to work at an early age. • Pray that when we are able to begin a scholarship program for needy kids that sponsors will be lined up ready to help. • Pray that we (you and us) will be good neighbors to the Minang. • Pray that we might love and care for children as Jesus did and does. Ways to use “Praying Through the Images” • Post a copy on a bulletin board in your Sunday school classroom. • Use it during your prayer time in Sunday school and missions classes.
• Post a copy on your refrigerator or in a frame as a prayer reminder. • Use the photos in your children’s classes. • Keep each “Praying Through the Images” sheet in a binder and use throughout the year. • Print out larger versions of the photographs for classroom settings to stimulate discussion about who our neighbors are according to Scripture and about similarities and differences between peoples around the world. • Put smaller versions of the photos along with the prayer requests on bookmarks to be distributed as prayer reminders. • Distribute copies regularly to those who do not have e-mail. • Include all or portions of “Praying Through the Images” in your in-house publications. To be added to the “Praying through the Images” distribution list, send request to fellowship@cbfnet.org.
www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
11
AS WE JOURNEY
2003-04 Offering for Global Missions: Everyone, Everywhere OURS IS A GLOBAL GOSPEL.
The incredible Good News for the whole world is that Jesus is
the image and incarnation of the invisible God. Other pictures of God are simply not as satis12
fying as the one that God has painted for us in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Stanley Leary photo
Jesus presents Himself to us not only as God’s representapresence is not known. We want every person in the world tive or God’s servant, but as one whose relationship to God, to hear the Jesus story in their own language and culture. origin from God, oneness with God and life in God is unlike This is not to imply that God is not already at work among any other human being who has ever lived. Jesus presents the unevangelized. God is surely at work and Jesus goes Himself to us as the one who by His death on the cross is ahead of us before we ever arrive to witness and minister. the world’s Savior. Jesus offers Himself as the one who The mandate is clear: everyone, everywhere. because of His obedience to God in death reconciles us to Another aspect to our global mission is that it is shared God. Jesus presents Himself as the by Christians from every part of the one who overcomes death. He is globe. Some of us falsely assume resurrected after crucifixion and that the global mission of the offers His eternal and abiding preschurch will be fulfilled primarily ence to all who will receive it. by Christians in North America, Ours is also a global church. when actually there are more misRecently, Cooperative Baptist sionaries from other parts of the Fellowship announced a partnerworld than there are from North ship with the Center for the Study America. The explosion of the of Global Christianity. We helped gospel witness in China is one of fund a world Christian database the great movements of God in the that provides valuable reference past 25 years. What is happening in information and analysis tools for Korea and parts of Africa is nothmissions. In receiving a brief ing short of amazing. Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Vestal overview of this database, I was So take heart and rejoice. But at reminded again how rich and beautiful is the worldwide the same time, be aware of unmet need and unreached peoBody of Christ. Beginning with a small rag-tag group of disples. For ours is a global challenge. There are still a billion ciples, the Christian movement has expanded to encircle people who have little or no access to the message of Christ. the globe. There is staggering human suffering, as well as inequity and The disunity and division in the Body of Christ is mindinjustice on this globe. We cannot be at ease or satisfied. boggling. There are thousands of Christian denominations, We cannot rest until the kingdoms of this world have and one cannot excuse or accept so great disunity. But if become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. one looks beyond the diversity in worship, liturgy, ordina• Everyone, everywhere has the need and capacity for a tion, and even theology, one finds great encouragement in personal relationship with God. the global church that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. • Everyone, everywhere experiences the brokenness, Ours is also a global mission. The command of Jesus guilt and alienation that results from sin. is “to make disciples of all nations.” The global mission • Everyone, everywhere feels the yearning for a knowlof the church is to be fulfilled without the triumphalism edge and oneness with God. or the coercion which has been practiced through • Everyone, everywhere is cherished and treasured by the centuries. And it is to be fulfilled in the spirit of the Creator. dialogue and mutual respect for other religions, as well • Everyone, everywhere is a person for whom Christ as diverse cultures. died. f! But make no mistake about it; our mission is global. We seek to make known the presence of Christ where that By CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
FELLOWSHIP FARE
Fellowship Roundup News from CBF’s states, regions and national offices FLORIDA A S S O C I AT E D B A P T I S T P R E S S
has named Tim Norton of Atlanta director of development for the independent news service. Norton served as executive director of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the U.S. Norton owns Crux Communication, a communications, marketing and development consulting firm.
GEORGIA T O U C H I N G TA L I A F E R R O with Love, an initiative and collaborative mission of CBF of Georgia and the local community in Taliaferro County, celebrated a groundbreaking in December. The land was donated to TTL Inc. for the construction of a community center, playground, ball fields, and a picnic area. CBF of Georgia has held two successful summer day camps in the Taliaferro community. The CBF of Georgia General Assembly is March 5-6 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton. Songwriter and recording artist Kyle Matthews will lead in worship and music. Matthews will also lead a workshop for ministers of music and worship. Otis Moss, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta, will be the keynote speaker. March Mission Madness, a CBF of Georgia mission weekend for youth grades 6-12, has grown to two weekends in two locations. MMM South is March 19-21, hosted by First Baptist Church, Forsyth. MMM North is March 26-28, hosted by First Baptist Church, Hartwell. For more information, contact CBF of Georgia at (478) 742-1191. Each year, the Baptist Women in Ministry of Georgia award a scholarship to a Baptist woman who has been or is a Georgia resident and is
enrolled in at least her second year of theological studies at the masters or doctoral level. Applicants may attend a Baptist or a non-Baptist seminary. The amount of the scholarship is $500. Applications must be received by March 15. For more information, contact Kim Hardegree Schmitt at (770) 378-3436, (678) 947-6476 or klhschmitt@yahoo.com.
MISSOURI A “WORSHIP AND PRAISE
Gathering” has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Feb. 1 at Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City. It will feature blended worship and communion. The service is sponsored by CBF-partnering churches in the Kansas City area. CBF of Missouri is sponsoring two Girls on Mission weekends at Windermere Conference Center. On March 12-14 and March 19-20, girls in first through sixth grades will have the opportunity to learn about missions, meet missionaries, discover how they can participate in missions and pray for missions. They will attend conferences and worship services, sing, do crafts, learn about other countries, swap “trading pins” with others, participate in cabin devotionals, and more. For more information, contact Windermere at (800) 346-2215, (573) 346-5200 or at reservations@WindermereUSA.org. The state youth event at Windermere sponsored by CBF of Missouri has been scheduled for March 26-28. It will begin Friday evening and conclude with worship on Sunday morning. For more information, contact Brian Ford at (573) 443-0617.
Coming Attractions Feb. 18-21 current Retreat Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas Speakers: George Mason, Diana Garland Info: www.currentonline.org or call Mary McCoy, (770) 220-1637 Feb. 29-March 3 True Survivor Gathering for Christian Educators Providence Baptist Church, Charleston, S.C. Cost: $50 per person, plus lodging Speakers: Dan Bagby of BTSR Contact: Toni Draper, (770) 2201654, tdraper@cbfnet.org or Bo Prosser, (770) 220-1631, bprosser@cbfnet.org For a complete schedule of events, go to Community/Calendar at www.cbfonline.org.
NATIONAL STAN PARKS, previously one of CBF’s
Global Missions field personnel, has accepted the position of associate at WorldconneX, a new missions agency based in Texas. “Stan’s passion and expertise for 21st century missions in general and World A in particular are assets that will continue to benefit the larger missions community through Texas Baptists the way they have through CBF Global Missions,” says Barbara Baldridge, CBF Global Missions cocoordinator. Parks will serve as associate to Bill Tinsley, who began leading WorldconneX in December. Parks and his wife, Kay, were appointed as Fellowship field personnel in September 1993 as strategy coordinators for a people group in Southeast Asia. www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
13
FELLOWSHIP FARE
NORTH CAROLINA F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N on
getting a list of possible speakers to discuss China volunteer opportunities for 2004, contact Shirley Kool at (828) 586-5066 or koolskdk@smnet.net.
and pastoral counseling. More than a dozen chaplains from the Knoxville area responded. For information on CBF endorsement as a chaplain or pastoral counselor, contact Pickle at (770) 220-1617 or gpickle@cbfnet.org.
14
OKLAHOMA V E T E R A N M I S S I O N A R Y Charles
“T” Thomas has been hired by the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma as coordinator. Thomas, formerly missions coordinator for CBF of Florida, was recommended to the Oklahoma organization’s coordinating council Dec. 6, and assumed the new post in January. Thomas, a former CBF missionary, replaces Rick McClatchy as chief executive of CBF of Oklahoma. McClatchy recently left to become coordinator for CBF Texas. The Oklahoma organization has three employees.
SOUTH CAROLINA C B F O F S O U T H C A R O L I N A is
sponsoring an event called “Quest — God’s Call & My Response: Discerning God’s Path for My Life” Feb. 6-7 at Fernwood Baptist Church in Spartanburg. “Quest” is designed for university students and older high school students who are followers of Christ and want to serve Him, but do not have a clear understanding of what it is they are to do. “Quest” will also give some clarity to understanding God’s will. Featured vocalist will be Kyle Matthews. For more information, contact Fernwood Baptist Church by Jan. 23 at (864) 582-7467.
TENNESSEE TENNESSEE CBF RECENTLY host-
ed a chaplain’s meeting in Knoxville. Tammy Abee Blom, TCBF’s associate coordinator for leadership development, hosted a lunch meeting that included George Pickle, CBF national associate coordinator for chaplaincy C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P
www.cbfonline.org
Vol. 14, No. 1 CBF COORDINATOR • Daniel Vestal EDITOR • Ben McDade MANAGING EDITOR • Lisa M. Jones PHONE • (770) 220-1600
CBF to Unveil New Web Site
FAX • (770) 220-1685
T H E C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T
Fellowship Web site is getting an extreme makeover. More than just a face-lift, the Fellowship’s Web presence will have a completely different look and feel when it is re-launched on Feb. 2. After an extensive interviewing and bidding process, the Fellowship hired Integro eBusiness Consulting of Denver, Colo., to assist in a graphical redesign and implementation of new content management software. This will ensure that the new site will be more up to date and more user-friendly than ever. “The Web is a dynamic environment,” says Lance Wallace, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for news and information. “In order for your Web site to be effective, you can’t build it and leave it alone. We have developed a site that the Fellowship will
E-MAIL • fellowship@cbfnet.org WEB SITE • www.cbfonline.org
fellowship! is published 8 times a year in Jan./Feb., Mar., April/May, June/July, Aug., Sept./Oct., Nov., Dec. by The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Inc., 3001 Mercer University Dr., Atlanta, GA 30341-4115. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices. USPS #015-625 POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to “fellowship!” Newsletter, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 450329, Atlanta, GA 31145-0329
not only find easier to navigate than the old one; it will have fresher information delivered in a more timely manner.” Wallace and Information Technology
Spring 2004 State/Regional CBF Gatherings State/Region Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Missouri North Carolina North Central
Date March 5-6 April 16-17 April 15-17 March 5-6 May 21-22 April 23-24 March 19-20 March 26-27
Northeast Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Virginia West
May 7-8 April 16-17 April 23-24 April 23-24 March 12-13 March 18-20
Site Riverchase Baptist Church TBD First Baptist Church Tabernacle Baptist Church Lexington Ave. Baptist Church University Heights Church First Baptist Church Montgomery Community Baptist Church TBD TBD Boulevard Baptist Church Trinity Baptist Church Manassas Baptist Church TBD
For more information, contact your state/regional CBF office.
City Birmingham Little Rock Ft. Myers Carrollton Danville Springfield Greensboro Cincinnati, Ohio Manchester, N.H. TBD Anderson Cordova Manassas Denver, Colo.
Educators Gathering to Assist with Self-Care T H E F E L L O W S H I P ’ S congrega-
tional life office is sponsoring an annual gathering for Christian educators March 1-3 at Providence Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C. With the theme “True Survivor IV Back to the Future: The Island of Self-Care,” the conference will include interactive discussion times and provide resources and ideas for the care of participants’ ministries. Keynote speakers include Dan Bagby and Gina Schreck. Bagby, professor of pastoral counseling at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, is a well-known Christian educator and author of six books. A minister for 26 years and a pastoral counselor in a variety of settings, Bagby leads workshops on pastoral care, marriage and family counseling, and crisis care. He
is a consultant to hospice programs and United Way agencies. Gina Schreck is a member of the Greenleaf Center for ServantLeadership. She is a nationallyrenowned self-esteem and relationship expert. Schreck is the president of a learning and development company in Littleton, Colo., and the author of three books. Since 1995, she has presented keynotes and seminars to associations and Fortune 500 corporations on life balance, communication skills, negotiating through conflict, increasing selfesteem and reducing stress. Cost is $50 per participant. For more information and lodging options, contact Toni Draper at tdraper@cbfnet.org or (800) 352-8741.
News articles by CBF Communications
General Assembly 2004: Workshops, Auxiliary Events Provide Ministry Resources ety of worship experiences offered during workshops sessions on Friday and Saturday.
MAKE PLANS NOW TO ATTEND the 2004 General Assembly in Birmingham, Ala., so that you won’t miss informative and interactive workshops and worship events. Highlights of upcoming workshops include: “A Celebration of Preaching” — Hear three simultaneous workshops of CBF pulpiteers. “The Single Staff Pastor” — How to do Christian education/church administration and pastoring within a 24-hour period. “Working with Multi-Generations in Church” — Learn how to engage five different adult generations positively for a growing church. “Missional Church” — Hear stories and insights of how churches are being missional. New to this year’s Assembly will be a vari-
Congregational Leadership Institute Craig Van Gelder, professor of congregational mission at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., will be the keynote speaker for the Congregational Leadership Institute scheduled for June 24. Van Gelder, who previously served for 10 years as professor of domestic missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Craig Van Gelder Mich., will lead this learning experience for clergy and lay leaders. More information about the institute will be available in upcoming issues of fellowship! newsletter. Auxiliary Event CBF Congregational Life, together with Upper Room Ministries, invites General Assembly participants to “Bountiful Feast: A Spiritual Formation Network Dinner” on
June 23 at 6 p.m. This event prior to the General Assembly features table conversation, great food and music, and a keynote address by Tilden Edwards, founder of the Shalem Institute. For more information, contact Eileen CampbellReed at (615) 662-8699 or eileen.cr@mindspring.com. Hotel Accommodations Rooms for the Assembly are filling quickly. No rooms are available at the host hotel Sheraton Birmingham; however, there is availability at other downtown locations. Hotel reservations can be made online at www.cbfonline.org/community/ga2004 or by filling out the form in the September/October issue of fellowship!. All requests for room reservations must be made in writing or by the Internet. Contact S Stewart & Associates at (770) 619-9671 for more information. For more information about the Assembly, go online to www.cbfonline.org/community/ga2004.
www.cbfonline.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
FELLOWSHIP FARE
Infrastructure Administrator Brian Wickman are leading the Web redesign project. The site will also be much more interactive. From every page in the site, a visitor will be able to respond to the Fellowship in one of four ways: Learn, Pray, Give and Serve. By clicking on these links, a visitor can learn more information about the topic in which they’re interested, find prayer concerns on the topic, be able to donate online directly to that ministry area or notify the Fellowship of interest in volunteering in that area. “The stated purpose of our Web site is to inform and involve Fellowship Baptists in the life of this movement,” Wallace says. “That goal feeds naturally into CBF’s mission of serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their Godgiven mission. This new site is great tool for achieving our mission.”
15
F I R S T B A P T I S T C H U R C H of Dalton, Ga., is at the center
children of North Korea. of a joint partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Sanders also persuaded the Rotary Club of Dalton to conFellowship and other Baptist entities that has resulted in tribute $1,000 toward the effort, which was channeled through much-needed medicine and medical supplies being sent to the Baptist Medical Dental Fellowship. Based in Memphis, North Korea. Tenn., the BMDF is a fellowship of Baptist physicians and Just how the coalition came together is a perfect example dentists who help meet health care needs and share the gospel of the type of partnership ministry of Jesus Christ around the world. the Fellowship strives to promote CrossLink International, an among its affiliated congregations internationally-recognized mediand individuals. cine-providing ministry that start“We’ve got a local church parted at Columbia Baptist Church, nering with CBF, partnering with Falls Church, Va., is filling the order Baptist Medical/Dental Fellowship, for North Korea. partnering with CrossLink, partner“I think this was a marvelous ing with the Baptist World Alliance — idea,” says Linda Cook, executive this is a model for ministry,” says director of CrossLink. “It’s the kind Drayton Sanders, retired physician of thing we need to see more groups and member of First Baptist Church do. We need more people like Dalton First Baptist members Bridgette Poag and of Dalton. “The result is that we’re Drayton who realize what one person Chang Yim congratulate the church’s children for colshipping $100,000 worth of medican do with God’s grace and help.” lecting 150 packages of bandages for distribution to cine. It’s marvelous.” The coalition raised $18,500 and North Korean children. The medical shipment originated through gift-in-kind contributions from a friendship Sanders enjoys with fellow church member and discount pricing, about $100,000 of medicine and and Dalton-area business owner Chang Yim. Through Yim, a medical supplies was secured. South Korean native who co-owns a plant with the government “We’re hoping to start a dialogue, and we’d like to go to in North Korea, Sanders learned of the overwhelming needs of North Korea for a visit someday,” Sanders says. “I hope this the people in North Korea. Yim told him that there are physiwill open the door to visit and make some relationships.” cians there, but the country is lacking in supplies and medicine. The Fellowship continues to be responding to the needs Though the idea of helping the people of a country of North Koreans. In February, the Fellowship and Texas labeled as one of the “axis of evil” was not popular Baptist Men both contributed $10,000 toward a $25,000 initially, the people of First Baptist of Dalton responded purchase of food. The delivery was coordinated by the by contributing $5,000. The Fellowship added $10,000 Fellowship’s Asian Network Coordinator Yoo Jong Yoon, from emergency relief funds. The children of First pastor of the Korean Glory Church in Dallas. f! Baptist, Dalton, gave 150 packages of bandages in By Lance Wallace, CBF Communications order to make a more personal connection with the Courtesy of FBC, Dalton
GLOBAL MISSIONS & MINISTRIES 16
CBF Ministry Partners Join to Send Medical Supplies to North Korea
P. O. Box 450329 Atlanta, GA 31145-0329 Address Service Requested