A Holy Ambition?

Preparations are well underway for our Fellowship’s annual General Assembly to be held this year in Atlanta. You can read more about the plans for our time together in this edition of fellowship! magazine. We will share powerful experiences of worship including sermons by two incredibly gifted women, commission new field personnel, endorse new chaplains, offer opportunities for learning across a series of learning labs, have space for meals hosted by CBF partners and gatherings of our ministry networks in addition to all the informal connections that are made. Old friendships will be renewed, and new ones will be made. We will continue to see the ways God is at work, inviting us into a growing community where we can be equipped for bold faithfulness so that by sheer grace we are being transformed and joining in Christ’s transformation of the world.

For now, I want you to begin to think about the theme we have chosen for this year’s Assembly. Perhaps it has caught you by surprise. We will be seeking “holy ambition.” Many of us have grown up with mainly negative associations with the word “ambition,” and we remember that the Apostle Paul warned the Philippians to avoid “selfish ambition.” But is it possible that there are holy ambitions that are essential for participation in Jesus’ mission in our congregations and around the world? What would it mean for us, in our Fellowship, in our congregations, in our field ministries and beyond, to be claimed by a holy ambition? How would it change the way we think, feel and act?

I believe the Triune God is inherently and unmistakably ambitious. How else would you describe the divine decision to create human beings free in the image of God? How else would you portray the determination to bless the whole world through Abraham, Sarah and their descendants? Don’t we see holy ambition in Jesus’ eyes and hear it rising through his words when he preaches his first sermon at his hometown synagogue, embracing a mission of “bringing good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind and letting the oppressed go free.” What other language could we borrow to depict the commission Jesus gave his first disciples to go into all the world to make disciples of all nations? Isn’t the mission of God to heal this broken world and gather all things in God’s love incredibly ambitious? If we are made in the image of an ambitious God, if we have been called to ministry and mission by an adventurous God, isn’t it necessary for us to be overtaken by God’s ambition?

I wonder if a holy ambition is increasingly overtaken by the ambition (the way of thinking and feeling) we see in Jesus Christ (Philippians 2). I wonder if it is not a relentless determination to seek first the reign of God and God’s righteousness (Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.)

As we gather in Atlanta for prayer, worship, study and fellowship, I am praying that the Holy Spirit will begin to overpower us with a vision of holy ambition. I am praying that we will find ourselves equipped with this kind of ambition because I believe it could change the way we view our ministries, our congregations and our calling in communities around the world. Holy ambition should rescue us from taking for granted things that should not be. It should keep us from giving up in the face of significant challenge and change. It should build an urgency for our life together and a reminder of the centrality of the lives of our congregations in the healing of our communities and the world. It should compel us to live more fully and completely into the ways God is calling us.

So as we prepare for those days together, begin to pray that God will give you a holy ambition for your life as a follower of Jesus, for the congregation to which you belong and your mission. Dare to wonder what might be different. And, as you read this edition of fellowship! magazine, look for evidence of the ways holy ambition is already being practiced in the work of CBF field personnel, in the lives of congregations and in the shared work of our Fellowship. May we more and more be claimed by holy ambition!

Fellowship! is published 4 times a year in September (Fall), December (Winter), March (Spring), June (Summer) by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Inc., 160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 500, Decatur, GA 30030. Periodicals postage paid at Decatur, GA, and additional offices. USPS #015-625.

Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley Associate Coordinatorfor Identity & Communications Jeff Huett Editor

Aaron Weaver Associate Editor Lauren Lamb Graphic Designer Jeff Langford

Phone (770) 220-1600

Postmaster: Send address changes to: Fellowship! Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 500 Decatur, GA 30030

14 PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE

CBF field personnel Rick Burnette cultivates abundance in Florida

By Marv Knox

18

FROM THE GARDEN TO THE TABLE: THE STORY OF MARIA

By Grayson Hester

20

THE PASTOR OF IMMOKALEE

Miguel Estrada invites farmworkers to Christ’s banquet table

By Grayson Hester

24

CENTRAL TEXAS CHURCH OPENS NAOMI HOUSE FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS

By Caleb Mynatt

27 IGLESIA DEL CENTRO DE TEXAS ABRE CASA NAOMI PARA SOLICITANTES DE ASILO

Por Caleb Mynatt

30 LISTENING & LEARNING

By Brian Foreman

2022 IMPACT REPORT: YOUNG BAPTISTS

2022 IMPACT REPORT: OUTREACH & GROWTH

From The Editor

We are filled with holy ambition as we welcome this new season in 2023. Thank you for reading this Spring issue of fellowship! magazine!

In these pages, find stories from CBF field personnel who are focusing on the food insecure and most vulnerable among us here in the United States and around the world. Read the story of Rick and Ellen Burnette and their ministry alongside farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida. They are gardening and helping to address the significant challenge of food insecurity in one of our nation’s largest food deserts (pp. 14-17). Learn about the story of Maria, a migrant worker from Guatemala, and hear how Cultivate Abundance has helped her to thrive despite many hurdles (pp. 18-19). Discover how Pastor Miguel is working to fill the tables of Immokalee with culturally appropriate food for the workers (pp. 20-22).

The CBF General Assembly is only three months away! Make plans now to join us in Atlanta, June 28-30, as we gather for a time of fellowship, learning, worship and inspiration. Don’t miss out on the other opportunities mentioned in this issue, including a new Lenten edition of CBF’s popular resource, Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus; and a suite of resources for congregations to aid with ministry during this period of economic volatility. Access both at www.cbf.net/eyesofjesus and www.cbf.net/economic-volatility

We hope you are inspired and encouraged by the stories in this issue!

AARON WEAVER is the Editor of fellowship! Connect with him at aweaver@cbf.net

LAUREN LAMB is the Associate Editor of fellowship! Connect with her at llamb@cbf.net

With

Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus calls us back to the central focus of our Christian faith: the Risen and Living Jesus!

Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus invites congregations into deeper faithfulness with each other, equips congregations to offer a bold, positive witness to the risen Jesus and transforms us individually and corporately while we co-labor with God to transform the world.

June 28-30, 2023

Hyatt Regency Atlanta, GA

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…”

Hebrews 10:24-25

This summer at the CBF General Assembly in Atlanta, you’re invited for a week of of learning, worship, inspiration and fellowship! Together, we will be equipped for bold faithfulness, be encouraged by friends and colleagues in ministry, and be challenged to come alongside God’s transforming work in the world.

Opportunities to Learn

Join fellow Cooperative Baptists in Learning Labs—three workshop-style experiences focused on 10 topical learning tracks. During Learning Labs, you will receive an introduction, deep dive into a subject, and practical takeaways for your community. Learning Lab topics are: Ministry Innovation, Global Missions, Cultivating Calling, Missions & Community, Vida Hispana (presented entirely in Spanish), Advocacy, Spiritual Care & Trauma-Sensitive Ministry, Racial Justice, Financial Wellness & Fund Development, and (Cooperative) Baptist Identity.

Deepen your learning experience through a Leadership Luncheon and Bold Faith Breakouts on Wednesday, June 28! Come together around lunch tables to consider the topic of confronting congregational anxiety; then spend two hours focused on one of three topics—experiencing Dawnings, cultivating a culture of stewardship, or engaging in courageous conversations.

Opportunities to Fellowship

Meet Cooperative Baptists from around the world, make new friends, and engage with some of your favorite organizations as you explore The Gathering Place, market, gallery and café!

Engage with CBF partners and initiatives through meal events, including:

• Leadership Luncheon (and Bold Faith Breakouts) – Wednesday, June 28

• La Familia Anniversary Celebration Breakfast – Thursday, June 29

• Friends of Baptist News Global Breakfast – Thursday, June 29

• Dr. Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice Trailblazer Award Luncheon – Thursday, June 29

• Baptist Women in Ministry Celebration Banquet – Thursday, June 29

• CBF Encourager Church & Advocacy Breakfast – Friday, June 30

• Chaplaincy & Pastoral Counseling Luncheon – Friday, June 30

• BJC Religious Liberty Luncheon – Friday, June 30

Opportunities to Play

To kick-start the Assembly, we’ll gather Wednesday evening for a party. Come ready to move, mingle, snack and celebrate CBF! It will be fun for the whole family!

Age-appropriate Assembly programs are also available in-person for preschoolers, children and youth throughout the event! These programs include special speakers and activities, including a field trip for children and youth on Thursday, June 29.

Opportunities to Listen

Hear from incredible preachers and teachers throughout the Assembly during worship, meals and partner events, including:

Rev. Laura Ayala

Coordinator of Global Missions

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Preacher | Thursday, June 29

Rev. Dr. Latonya Agard

Pastor and Church Planter

Transformation Fellowship Christian Church CEO – BeSpeak Solutions, Inc.

Late Night Worship Preacher | Wednesday, June 28

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

Senior Pastor

Trinity United Church of Christ

Chicago, Ill.

Dr. Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice Trailblazer

Luncheon Keynote Speaker | Thursday, June 29

Rev. Dr. Kat Kimmel

Senior Pastor

First Baptist Church

Memphis, Tenn.

Preacher | Friday, June 30