TFWB January 2014 by Free Will Baptist Press

He has made everything beautiful in its time... (Ecclesiastes 3:11a esv)

January 2014

January 2014 Retirement Homes Month

This is a calendar of denominational events and regular holidays and special days/seasons of the Christian year.

SUNDAY

MONDAY

As times/dates may change, you can scan the QR code above for a more complete and up-to-date list.

TUESDAY 31

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

New Year’s Day

Carolina Brass 7:30 p.m. @ MOC

Martin Luther King, Jr’s Day

NC Guitar Quartet 7:30 p.m. @ MOC Minister’s Wives Retreat

at Cragmont

Remembering Christmas in the New Year By The Reverend Kelley Smart By now the decorations that filled our homes and churches during the seasons of Advent and Christmas have been packed away for another year. My how quickly the time comes and goes! We find ourselves not only at the beginning of a New Year, in the sense that it is 2014, it is also the beginning of the Christian Year. Throughout December, we celebrated the official start of the Christian Year by commemorating the season of Advent, a four-week journey toward Christmas. During Advent we reflected upon the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, while making room in our hearts for the Christ child. As we begin 2014, I do not want for us to leave Advent and Christmas too quickly in the past. It seems like the “spirit” of Christmas often begins to die out as the last ornament leaves the tree or the final box is placed in the attic. We quickly tell ourselves that the holidays are over and it is time to get back to life as usual. Family and friends go their separate directions. The gifts that everyone “just had to have” are placed on shelves or returned to department stores. Christmas goes out like a candle when we are not careful. The spirit of Christmas does not have to die out once December comes to a close and New Year’s Day ushers in a new year. After all, Advent and Christmas are about the start of something new.

When we read the opening chapters of Matthew, Luke, and the first chapter of John, we quickly discover that God was up to something new when he took on human flesh and dwelt among humanity. God did not perform such an awesome task just for his own sake. He came to offer us a better way of doing things, a fresh perspective on life, and hope for a brighter tomorrow. My question is, “What will our response be to this tremendous gift and how will it shape our being as we enter 2014?” Many people are in the midst of creating various resolutions to make this year different from those gone by. Resolutions are intended to function as guides for making one’s life happier, healthier, better organized, or more productive. While perhaps well meaning in their intentions, most people will not see these choices through to fruition. In fact, many will be broken within the first couple of weeks of 2014. Resolutions are nice to think about; they simply do not carry us very far. It is as though they are made just to be broken. Maybe our lives need something deeper than casual resolutions. Instead of placing Christmas into a box and removing December from our calendar, perhaps we should allow the major emphases of Advent and Christmas to offer guidance to us in this

new year. What are the new possibilities that await us beyond the horizon when we allow hope, peace, joy, and love to direct our decision making? Instead of just making a new beginning for our own sake, why not consider the implications that our decisions will have on others and the world at large. Too many of our traditional resolutions center upon our wants, needs, or ambitions. When we allow Christmas to journey with us into this new year, we discover that there is more to life than our own little place and our personal desires. The only way this year can prove any different from those gone by is for the Christ child to “be born is us today.” Just like we celebrated Christ’s birth on Christmas Day, we need a new birth ourselves. You and I can make plenty of nice resolutions. We can strive on our own to make our world better. However, the only hope for a new beginning is in the words of the Apostle Paul found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation, everything that is old passes away and all things become new.” (Author’s Paraphrase) A new year does not guarantee a fresh start. Our source for a better future is the same One we celebrated at Christmas: Jesus Christ— our HOPE; our PEACE; our JOY; our LOVE.

The Reverend Kelley Smart is the Senior Pastor of Free Union OFWB Church in the Central Conference. He currently serves as the Assistant Moderator for the Central Conference and is a member of the Free Will Baptist Press Board of Directors. He is married to Mrs. Marci Rollins-Smart and the couple is expecting their first child, a daughter, in February.

January 2014 Volume 132 • Number 1

Managing Editor Darren Davenport Production Manager Jerry Goff jerry@fwbpress.com

FEATURES & COLUMNS

Circulation, Accounts Receivable Amy Stokes

Reflections: A Guest Editorial

Accounts Payable Wallie Hargrove

A Time to Remember

Editorial Assistants Dixie McLawhorn, Carlton Oakley

From a Woman’s Heart with Nora Koonce Avery

Graphic Designers Jerry Goff, Nathaniel Ingram, Dixie McLawhorn

Pondering the Past with Celia Hales

Women in Ministry with Vicki Parker Medlin

Lesson Inner View with Adrian Grubbs

A Sling and a Stone with Marc Boswell

Dr. Pepper’s Book Corner

Psalms for the Soul with Linda Herring

amy@fwbpress.com

Production Team Ronnie Jones, Ted Johnston, Joshua Roundtree

www.fwbpress.com President Jeff Daughtry

jeff@fwbpress.com

DENOMINATIONAL MINISTRIES

Vice President Darren Davenport

Retirement Homes

Sunday School

Board of Directors

Foreign Missions

Home Missions

Children’s Home

Cragmont

Mount Olive College

darrend@fwbpress.com

Frank Flowers (Chairman), Central Mike Scott (Vice Chairman), Eastern Royce Reynolds (Secretary), Albemarle Joe Ballance, Cape Fear • Kelley Smart, Central Nancy Hardee, Pee Dee • Mark Hobbs, Central Linda Weathersby, Central • MeLinda Edwards, Western The purpose of this paper is to promote the cause of Christ among Original Free Will Baptists, and we reserve the right to refuse any article or news that is inconsistent with our purpose, programs, or policies, and that does not reflect a spirit of harmony and cooperation with the Free Will Baptist Press Foundation and the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. The contents herein do not necessarily reflect the beliefs and policies of the editor or of The Free Will Baptist. The responsibility for each article is given the person whose name appears under the title or to the person submitting said article.

For information on subscription rates, submission and photo guidelines, advertising rates and guidelines, and more, visit <fwbpress.com/tfwb>. © 2014 The Free Will Baptist • All Rights Reserved. The Free Will Baptist is edited and published monthly by the Free Will Baptist Press, P. O. Box 159, 3928 Lee Street, Ayden, North Carolina 28513-0159. Second-class postage paid at Ayden, North Carolina (USPS 2094-4000). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Free Will Baptist Press, P. O. Box 159, Ayden, NC 28513-0159.

ANCILLARY MINISTRIES 26

NCFCM

Youth Convention

Woman’s Auxiliary

Camp Vandemere

Community Connection

ON THE COVER Clock Art Fluorescence found at <www.upwallpapers.net/clock-art-fluorescence/>

contents

editor@fwbpress.com

A Time to Remember Deuteronomy 8:1–3; 18–20 This message was delivered at the Cape Fear Conference on November 12, 2013 by the Reverend Frank R. Harrison, retired Chaplain, Mount Olive College. Memory is both a blessing and a curse; an asset and a liability. Memory can help us to prevent mistakes of the past and can help guide us in the future. It can bring us joy as we recall good times and good things that have influenced us. We remember those loved ones who have been a part of our lives and whose good influence have helped guide us and prepare us for the future. We remember our founding fathers who established this great nation as they set aside the days of thanksgiving as they remembered God’s blessings upon them. Ship captains are told to remember the Titanic, a ship that was thought to be unsinkable until that tragic night of April 14, 1912 as the great ship made its way to New York with 2,200 passengers on board. The ship’s band played on while the Titanic went to a watery grave in the North Atlantic. Only 705 passengers survived. Memory. The ability to remember and build on that memory is a vital part of a growing and constructive civilization. Deuteronomy, chapter 8, is a chapter about memory. It is part of a speech by Moses to the people of Israel. This chapter makes reference to memory, either “to remember” or reference to the words “do not forget.” It is imperative that Israel remembers her past. The book of Deuteronomy is a review of Israel’s past and a challenge to renew her commitment and loyalty to God, as she would prepare for a home in the Promised Land as His people. The intent of the book is to be a guidebook for Israel to live as the “people of God” and to be a light to the surrounding heathen nations, and thus fulfilling her mission in the world. 4

The verb “to remember” is used 16 times in the book. Israel’s memory would be a big component of her future as God’s chosen people. Israel’s life and future would literally depend upon her memory of God’s activity and His revelation to her as His people and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the warning is very clear in the climax of the chapter in verses 19–20: “If you do forget…you will perish.” Israel was to remember the God who called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to remember that it is God who brings her out of Egypt into a new land for a home, a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Israel was to be a people with a memory: called to remember the goodness and greatness of a loving, merciful God as He graciously delivers her from the horrors of slavery. Israel’s life and future would literally depend upon her ability to remember who God is, what He has done for her, and what He promises her for the future. Without her memory of the goodness and mercy of God, Israel will surely perish. The entire Old Testament is the story of Israel as her life revolves around her capacity to remember her relationship to the God who called her ancestors and gave her birth. What is true of Israel some 3,500 years ago is true for the “new Israel,” the church of Jesus Christ, as we remember the Apostle Paul’s reference to the Church as the “New Israel” in Galatians 6:16. Briefly, I want to mention three things that I believe will be absolutely essential for our survival as Original Free Will Baptists as we face the challenge of the 21st century: one, we

must remember who God is; second, we must remember what God has done for us and the whole world at Calvary; third, we must remember the good and noble heritage God has given us as we seek to fulfill His mission in the world. First, it is imperative that we remember who God is! Israel was to remember who God is. Her life would depend on it. The God that Israel served and that same God that we serve today has not changed! He is not just some local tribal god, created out of wood or stone. No! This God is the Creator of the universe—Creator of all that is! This God existed from eternity to eternity - from everlasting to everlasting—no beginning and no end! This God created light and darkness. He is the One who said, “Let us make the worlds!” It is He who created the universe with all its billions of galaxies and each of those with billions of stars. We see the great handiwork and mysteries of this God’s creation with the Hubble and Kepler telescopes. This is the God of whom the writer of Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created…” This is the God who spoke the work and the whole material universe exploded into existence, creating time, space, and all material matter and energy in the universe. Oh, the great mysteries yet to be discovered as scientists are now discovering thousands of planets in other solar systems! This is the God who says to Moses in Numbers 11:23 “Is there any limit to my power? Moses, is there anything that I cannot do?” The Israelites were short of food and water, complaining to Moses about their situation. Moses becomes discouraged and carries the complaints to God. God reminds Moses that He is God and that nothing is beyond His ability! This is the same God we serve today. Jesus put it this way: “With God all things are possible.” We as Original Free Will Baptists need to remember that this is the same God we serve today. The great God we serve has no limits or boundaries or any fences to contain Him. May God enlarge our vision of who He is—the great God of the universe, the God of all nations and of all history, the One who is from everlasting to everlasting. He is alive forevermore and has the keys of death and hell. Always remember that the concept we have of God will determine the way we think, the way we live, and the view we have of the Church and life in general. So Israel must remember who God is! So must Original Free Will Baptists! He alone is the sovereign God of this world and the whole universe. What a mighty God we serve! The second thing that Israel was to remember and that is absolutely essential for us today is what God has done for her. Israel is to remember it was God who called the ancestors and made covenants with them and promises to them. It was God who heard their cries from the pits of slavery and delivered her out of the power of the Egyptians and would lead her through the wilderness to a new homeland. There, she would be His people and a light to the nations. Each year the Passover would be celebrated as Israel would tell and retell the story of God’s mercy and deliverance on her behalf.

And so we today must remember what God has done for us and the world at Calvary. The Apostle John gives us the whole message in one verse in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting live.” The Apostle Paul sums it up in these words: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:18) Beloved, we were lost in darkness, without God, without hope! God comes to us in the form of a Nazarene to offer us grace and mercy, cleansing us of all our sins! Ephesians 2:13 tells us “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Or in John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

It is the central message of the New Testament that salvation is found and experienced only by faith in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. We are living in a world today that is pluralistic in regard to religion with a philosophy that my “ism” is as good as your “ism.” Certainly, in America one of our great and cherished freedoms is the right to worship according to one’s choice and conscience. But Acts 4:12 is very clear: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” God has given us salvation in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper and each time it is to follow His command “This do in remembrance of me.” Like Israel, let us remember what God has done for us and the world at Calvary. Our life in this world and in eternity will depend on our acceptance of what God has done for us at Calvary! The third thing we must remember, as Israel was to remember, is that we are the “People of God—the Body of Christ,” the presence and servant of God in this world. The towel and the basin are to be our symbols of servanthood to a lost world. As Israel was to be the servant of God and a light to the nations, so the Church—the saints—the “people of God” are called out as new creations in Christ to carry His message of salvation to lost humanity. We are here to continue the ministry of Jesus to the world. As such, it is not about us, but Him—a Savior who died for the sins of all humanity. Now, He calls us and commissions us to go into the world and tell His story of saving grace. article continued on page 38 5

Connect Kids to Kids Around the World… Four true stories take you on a journey to foreign places and extreme struggles. Through their challenges, you can see the hand of the great Storyweaver—our Defender God—shielding and defending the defenseless in the amazing ways only he can.

Follow four real stories as they take you on a journey to faraway lands and unknown faces. Travel through their challenges and see the hand of the great Storyweaver writing endings you’d never imagine.

ISBN 978-0-7847-3697-5 Retail Price $8.99 Help kids understand and respond to the difficult issues facing children living in poverty and as orphans around the world. Interactive CD includes 6 sessions, fully editable and customizable. With creative take-home resources to guide family conversations and additional activities for Christian schools, family participation, and service projects, kids of all ages can connect their lives with the stories of children around the world!

Use with the Super Simple Mission Kit. Call today and save when you purchase additional copies for your leaders and kids! ISBN 978-0-7847-3528-2 Retail Price $8.99 Leader’s Guide ISBN 978-0-7847-3527-5 Retail Price $7.99

ISBN 978-0-7847-3698-2 Retail Price $7.99

…and Cultivate a Missions-Focused Life. See the world and its people through the eyes of Christ. Learn how to prepare for a short-term mission trip, serve while there, and debrief once you’re home. Live a mission-focused life all year with the help of weekly devotions. ISBN 978-0-7847-3571-8 Retail Price $14.99

Cross & Crown 3928 Lee Street Ayden, NC 28513 252.746.6128 1.800.849.3927 6

Great as a…

• Curriculum for your church missions conference • Follow-up to VBS • Mission experience during summer, spring, or winter break • Midweek or Sunday School program • Family ministry event

Mission Kit

ISBN 978-0-7847-7479-3 Retail Price $49.99

Cross & Crown

Vernon Park Mall (beside Belk) Kinston, NC 28504 252.527.2843

Cross & Crown

Glenburnie Plaza (behind Bojangles) New Bern, NC 28562 252.638.6193

Spreading the Word. For Life!

As we look at the churches that are supporting this ministry, it makes us wonder why some chose to give so little or nothing at all. Only about 65% of our churches are supporting the Retirement Homes Ministry. Our prayer is that other churches will see the importance of this ministry, like the church that was mentioned earlier has done, and put Retirement Homes in their budget. This ministry, like all our ministries, was started by our people who saw a need. That need has not changed over the past 39 years. The needs are still there, and, in some cases, even more prevalent than before. We diligently request your continued prayers for this ministry and our clients, and for your continued financial support. Any one of us could find ourselves in need at any time and it would be a real shame if the help needed was not available because giving had not been sustained, or begun. God has continued to bless the Disability Equipment Availability Program. We have a variety of pieces of equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs (electric and manual), bedside commodes, and bath chairs—to name a few, and, of course we have other items that some of our folks may need. So if you know of a need, please contact us. The Board of Directors and staff of your Retirement Homes Ministry pray you and your church family have a prosperous year ahead. Retirement Homes Sunday is January 19, 2014. We request that our churches receive a special offering on this Sunday for Retirement Homes and make this in addition to your budgeted support. Thank you for your prayers and support and may God richly bless each and every one of you in 2014.

Retirement Homes Ministry

The year 2013 has seen many things happen within Free Will Baptist Retirement Homes. We have had the pleasure of helping a lot of people who have found themselves in need of a little help. We ended 2013 with 25 clients in this ministry. We had one client to leave the ministry in October due to health reasons, but we added three new clients in November. One of our clients, who has been with us since 2009, found it necessary to seek housing. We are happy to have her as a residential client now as she was changed from a Supplemental Housing Support client. We pray that this change will be what she needs to be able to more fully meet her expenses. As we began looking at our budget for 2014, the first thing that really jumped out at us was just how great our God is in supplying our needs. Even with the economy the way it is, our contributions have been pretty steady. The contributions are down a little but we are managing with God’s continued blessings. We have just been notified by one of our churches that they are now going to be sending a monthly contribution to this ministry. We say “praise God.” The amount that this church has pledged will make it possible to fund one or more clients in the months ahead. This is not a small thing and we are continuing to praise God for His people who realize the needs of our senior members. We had to spend some money this past year to keep the duplex in a condition in which we can be proud. Before the client mentioned above could move into the duplex, we had to replace the carpet and do some painting. These unexpected expenses usually put us over our budget, but God always comes through with enough funds to keep everything going.

P. O. Box 39 • Ayden, NC 28513 • (252) 746.4963

January is designated as Retirement Homes Month by the Convention

P. O. Box 39 • Ayden, NC 28513 • (252) 746.4963 • www.ofwbi.org

OFWB International

Work in Targovishte (Bulgaria) by pastor kosta

As a pastor of the church in Targovishte, I like to share my joy with you brothers and sisters in Christ. For a period of two years we have been working hard to draw people near to God and our labor has been blessed. We had a three-day seminar speaking about “Live in Jesus.” The first day there were 28 people, till the end God blessed us with 70 attending the service, and there is a greater joy. We praise the Lord. These people are regular church members now. Most of them left Bulgaria ten years ago to search for work in Greece, Germany, and Belgium. I am very thankful for their return to their home and that they are attending church. At the same time, I am worried that poverty and unemployment will force them to go abroad again.

Turgovishte is the city with the highest unemployment rate in Bulgaria. Thanks to your gracious support we provide relief for the poorest families. Pray with us for these children of God.

Ministers Meeting and Overnight Prayer Meeting Palawan, Philippines BY MARK TALADRO

The ministers of the Central District—Palawan, held an overnight prayer meeting at Anilawan First Free Will Baptist Church, Barangay Babuyan, Puerto Princesa City. Pastor Elmer Garcellano lead the devotional message even with his physical limitations due to having MD. He gave his best voluntary service to the Lord and challenged us to be steadfast in serving the Lord. It was a blessing to all in attendance. 8

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

P. O. Box 249 • Middlesex, NC 27557 • (252) 235.2161 • www.fwbchildrenshome.org

Children’s Home 10

Friends of Children Day Friends of Children Day was celebrated on Saturday, November 23. It was a beautiful day to spend time with friends, and more than 185 people did just that. The gym had been decorated to reflect the harvest season with fall arrangements on the tables and other points throughout the building. Some special friends from Bethlehem Free Will Baptist Church in Chinquapin came early on Friday to assist staff and residents with the decorations. Special thanks goes to all who participated in the Friends of Children program. The guest speaker for the day was the Rev. Ricky Warren, Director of the North Carolina Foundation for Christian Ministries, he selected scripture from Jeremiah 32 and shared the following. “God’s promise of restoration gives us hope to invest in things others discard and Christ’s example of investing in humanity gives us hope to overcome our own failings. All of this is possible when we really believe God’s promise to restore what has been lost. If you believe in this future, I hope you will go back now to invest in the abandoned places, people, and faith you might have left behind.” Ms. Donna Hines George of Greenville First Church, provided musical entertainment and also played for the congregational singing. Vocalist, Ms. Bobbi Ann Crawford of Fremont OFWB Church provided musical selections throughout the service. It was a great day of thanksgiving and sharing with friends.

Church Ministry News The last couple of months are always busy ones for the Children’s Home. There are more “holiday” out of school days for the residents, lots of visitors and programs, and much shopping. Many visitors joined us for some of the events being held on campus. In early November New Jerusalem Free Will Baptist Church from Kenly joined in a Sunday night worship service with the Home. The youth read some of their favorite Bible verses, scripture and expressed their feelings on what it means to give thanks. They also shared some wonderfully inspiring music. Blair Mozingo, former Miss Goldsboro, Miss Tarheel, and a finalist in the American Idol competition visited the Home to share her musical talent in our worship service. Blair is also a youth leader at the Snow Hill Original Free Will Baptist Church of Duplin County. Her music was very uplifting and was enjoyed by all.

Keeping Tradition One of the traditions that is always celebrated on campus is a Thanksgiving meal for the children and staff of the Home. We call that celebration Campus Thanksgiving. This year we gathered in Heritage Hall for a welcome and brief comments from our president, Mr. Gary Lee, scripture and prayer by residents Alex and Sabrina. Next we were treated

to a wonderful thanksgiving “feast”—a meal of baked ham, roast turkey, creamed potatoes, gravy, mac & cheese, string beans, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, and a host of delicious desserts— especially the “oversized” red velvet cake. Members of Greenville First Free Will Baptist Church Woman’s Auxiliary and some of their spouses had outdone

themselves again. This was the third year the group had provided a delicious Thanksgiving meal for the Home. Each year it just gets better and better. Thanks Greenville First for sharing of your time, talent, and the delicious meal. Each of you helped make Thanksgiving just a little more special for the children (and staff ) at the Free Will Baptist Children’s Home.

Needs List • Zip Lock Bags (quart and gallon) • 13 gallon Trash Bags • Liquid Dish Detergent* • Laundry Detergent • Desk & Chair for each resident bedroom ($150 each)

• 40 inch stoves* (call for details) • Chest Type Freezers (new) • Brooms (heavy duty) • Body Wash (boys and girls) • Cleaning Supplies: Fabuloso (purple), Clorox cleanup, kitchen cleaners, bathroom cleaners 11

634 Henderson Street • Mount Olive, NC 28365 • 1 (800) 653.0854 • www.moc.edu

mount olive college 12

Mount Olive College Celebrates Founding

Mount Olive College honored 31 employees and celebrated 62 years of providing Christian higher education at the College’s annual Founders Day Worship Service. Jean F. Ackiss, director of Church Support at the College, was the keynote speaker. Ackiss graduated from Mount Olive College in 1960, and began working at the College in 1965. Her service to the College has thus far encompassed 48 years. In her remarks Ackiss provided a historical overview of the College, which was started in 1951 with only $6.17. Today the College has an operating budget of $37 million. “Founders Day is a time of reflection, a time of appreciation, a time of opportunity and encouragement, and a time of challenge,” Ackiss said. Ackiss challenged the audience: “Each person in this auditorium today will leave our mark in some way. What kind of mark do you want to leave…a black mark, which will eventually become a stumbling block, or a shining mark that will make life better for those who come after us? The choice is ours, and I trust we will make shining marks.” Each year during the Founders Day celebration, the College awards one student with the Founders Leadership Award, a scholarship awarded in memory of the late Dr. W. Burkette Raper, president of Mount Olive College from 1954–1995. The award was established in honor and memory of those who, with vision and leadership, initiated the founding of Mount

Olive College in 1951 and those who in subsequent years have provided extraordinary leadership through dedicated services, leadership, and support for the advancement of the College. Payable on future educational expenses at Mount Olive College, the scholarship is presented to a senior in the traditional program who has distinguished him/ herself as an individual of character and initiative and who has demonstrated strong leadership qualities toward making Mount Olive College the institution of Christian higher education envisioned by its founders. This year’s Founders Leadership Award was presented to Elvia Rodriguez, a senior math education major from Dudley, NC. In one of the nominations for Rodriguez, a faculty member said, “Elvia has distinguished herself as a leader in the Department of Education since she first enrolled at Mount Olive College as a freshman. In the classroom, there is no one who works harder to understand the material and participate in a leadership role. Elvia goes above and beyond the expectations and pushes herself to excel.” As a seventh grader arriving in the U.S., Rodriguez spoke no English. She attributes her success to a teacher who worked with her to master the language. Having to overcome this obstacle has given Rodriguez an inner strength that challenges her to succeed and be a better person on a daily basis. Outside the classroom, she has distinguished herself as a peer tutor and as a peer academic leader for Supplemental Instruction. President Philip P. Kerstetter recognized faculty and staff for their continued dedicated efforts. He presented each service award recipient with a gift engraved with the College seal.

Each person in this auditorium today will leave our mark in some way. What kind of mark do you want to leave…a black mark, which will eventually become a stumbling block, or a shining mark that will make life better for those who come after us? The choice is ours, and I trust we will make shining marks. Jean F. Ackiss, MOC director of Church Support

Students Give Back to Community

Habitat for Humanity

Book Drive

The Mount Olive College Honors junior class recently assisted with the construction of a Habitat for Humanity Build at 1475 Beautancus Road in Mount Olive, NC. In addition, the class held a doughnut sale fundraiser that helped raise $500 for the Mount Olive build. More than 40 students were present to lend a helping hand including the Honors senior and freshman classes, two freshmen Advisement and Student Success classes, and the Men’s Volleyball team. They were led by Junior Honors professor Dr. Alan K. Lamm and Honors Chair, Dr. Norm Crumpacker. Dr. Lamm (pastor of Casey’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church) commented, “Most of the students, of course, had little training or background in construction, but the professionals who run the Habitat projects are used to that and know how to work with volunteers. After a somewhat slow start, the students were soon sawing boards, nailing nails, caulking holes, climbing ladders and helping in any way the project manager requested, the students were soon enjoying themselves and learning some new skills. They also succeeded in gaining the satisfaction of knowing that they were helping a local family in need to have their first home of their own. Other community groups and individuals will follow up on successive weekends until the house is finally completed. But the Junior Honors students can feel good knowing that they did their part by giving back to others one cold November day.”

The Mount Olive College sophomore Honors Class presented a collection of donated children’s books to the Wayne Uplift Domestic Violence Shelter of Goldsboro, NC. on Tuesday, November 26. The book drive was the community service project for the honors class in conjunction with their study of domestic violence issues in North Carolina. The goal of the class was to collect 150 books. “We initially thought this was a lofty goal,” stated Deborah Houston, assistant professor of Management. “Yet we are thrilled to report that we collected 389 books for this worthy cause.” In accepting the donation, Linda Holden-Cox, executive director for Wayne Uplift Domestic Violence Shelter, said, “We are so grateful for this wonderful donation. It is the largest educational donation we have ever received. These books will have the opportunity to touch many young lives for years to come.”

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) 13

Coats for Kids Students from our Agri-Business program bought new coats for local children and gave the coats out on December 4.

Holiday Mail for Heroes

Dr. Opey Jeans Honored On December 3, Dr. Opey Jeanes, retired vice president for Special Service at Mount Olive College, was presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the highest honors bestowed on a North Carolina citizen. Dr. Jeanes received the award for his many years of dedicated service in the field of education, 34 years of which was spent at Mount Olive College. Jeanes also received a written resolution from the College’s Board of Trustees.

Just Because, a ministry of our Chaplain’s office, partnered with Kenly OFWB Church and Holiday Mail for Heroes Program to send cards and well wishes to troops and veterans during the holidays.

COMING EVENTS at Mount Olive College • Carolina Brass

January 16, 2014, 7:30 p.m. • Mount Olive Assembly Hall (207 Wooten St.) • Free admission As a national touring ensemble and Summit Recording Artist, Carolina Brass has quickly become the premiere brass ensemble of the southeast, raising the bar for music performance and education in America. Their winning combination of virtuosity and humor brings a fresh approach to great music of all types, engaging audiences in a vibrant and energetic musical experience.

• NC Guitar Quartet

January 23, 2014, 7:30 p.m. • Mount Olive Assembly Hall (207 Wooten St.) • Free admission One of first ensembles of its kind when first touring in 1991, the North Carolina Guitar Quartet has recently reformed with new members Justin Hoke and Chris Wear along with founders Ed Stephenson and Robert Nathanson. This innovative combination will play some of the great standards of the guitar quartet repertoire. 14

Mount Olive College’s 31st Annual

Basketball Church Night Saturday, February 1, 2014

MOC Women vs. North Greenville, 5 p.m., Kornegay Arena MOC Men vs. North Greenville, 7 p.m., Kornegay Arena ● Special Admission: $1.00 ● Special Recognition to the Church with largest attendance ● Halftime Competitions include Youth and Youth Pastor Shoot-outs

Please RSVP by Monday, January 27, 2014 To reserve your tickets, call or e-mail Tim Woodard (919) 658-7793 or <twoodard@moc.edu>

Dinner will be served in the Cafeteria from 4–6 p.m. Price is $6.50 per person and does not include game admission. Proceeds go to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Please RSVP for dinner when you reserve your tickets.

Chicken Tenders • Fries • Baked Spaghetti Assorted Vegetables • Garlic Bread Pizza • Salad Bar • Assorted Desserts.

Gameday Sposored by:

Buddy’s Jewelry 15

High School Seniors and Juniors—Make Plans to Attend Visitation Day at Mount Olive College January 20, 2014. Visitation is designed to help students and parents learn more about academics, campus life, and athletics at MOC! Register online at <www.moc.edu/visitationday> or call (800) 653-0854. Planning List for High School Seniors: High school seniors planning to attend Mount Olive College in fall 2014 can get a head start on their college admission file by following this list: • Visit <www.moc.edu> and click on admissions to see the admissions requirements. • Click on “apply now” to complete the free online application. College transfers and new freshmen are welcome. • Complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). Go to <www.fafsa.aed.gov> to find the online form. Call MOC at (800) 653-0854 for assistance. It is best to complete your taxes for the calendar year 2013 before completing the FAFSA. • Have high school and college transcripts sent to Mount Olive College Admissions, 634 Henderson Street, Mount Olive, NC 28365. • If you have not had a campus tour, complete the “visit request form” or call (800) 653-0854 to arrange for a campus tour and admissions information session. Parents are welcome. • Upon acceptance for admissions, pay confirmation fee. • If already accepted, make plans to attend Admitted Student Day on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Admitted Student Day, Saturday, April 12, 2014. Complete the activity list above so that your admissions file is complete. Then pay your confirmation fee ($100 for residents; $50 for commuters). This day is for students who have been accepted and are coming in fall 2014. There will be information sessions, you will have your photo ID made and you will receive your fall class schedule. Parents are invited. MOC is the Number #1 Value for Adult Education with Experienced Staff and Faculty at All Locations. MOC offers one-night-a-week seated classes and online options that fit your work and family schedule. Adult students can apply online at <www.moc.edu> and schedule a visit to the location of choice. Complete visit request form on the website or call 855-MOC-GOAL to set up an appointment. Programs available include: • Associate degrees and • Bachelor degree programs with majors in: o Business administration, MIS (online), accounting (online), human resources (online), healthcare administration, criminal justice (online), early childhood, religion, and RN to BSN (online). o Classes are available seated (except where specified online) one-night-a-week, from 6–10 p.m., for five weeks per session. • MOC offers programs for adults at Evening College in Mount Olive, at Research Triangle Park in Durham, and in Wilmington, Jacksonville, New Bern and Washington, NC. MOC is also located in Goldsboro on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. • The online MBA program admissions requirements can be reviewed at <www.moc.edu/programs-of-study/online/ mba>. Contact Lesley Seibel, online admissions counselor, anytime at (919) 346-7046 or by e-mail at <lseibel@ moc.edu>.

with Nora Koonce Avery

A FRESH START Now that the holidays are behind us, we can turn our thoughts to the future. Of course, no one can predict what will happen in 2014, but it’s good to think positively about what the New Year might bring. We all have ideals we strive for—to be thinner, to get our money issues under control, to be more organized, to have less clutter to deal with, and the list goes on and on. I hate the cliché of a “New Year’s resolution,” because the implication is that a broken resolution lets you off the hook for the rest of the year. Let this New Year be a time of beginning afresh each day—no matter what day it is—a time when we devote ourselves to making changes to bettering ourselves and the world around us, a time to grow closer to the One who provides for our every need. Change is never easy, especially when we have to give up something in our life that we love. After all, if we were living every day in a state of perfection—an unattainable status, by the way—we wouldn’t need to make changes. One of the biggest mistakes we make is looking at others and seeing perfection. Hollywood hype through movies and print media have furthered the idea that we are somehow less of a person if our lives aren’t perfect. We hone in on what

someone else has that we want, without thinking about any negatives that may be in their life. You can be sure, however, that everyone has issues that they have to deal with on a daily basis. One person may have nice jewelry and expensive clothes, but may be fighting a medical issue. Another may have a beautiful house, but may be in a marriage struggling to survive. My biggest crux is food. I love sweets. I always have. As a child growing up in the country, I remember having to wait for the chickens to lay eggs in order to have enough for my mother to bake a cake. (It seemed like those chickens took forever!) I once knew a receptionist that would munch on one candy bar for a week, taking it out of her desk drawer to nibble on every few days. Not me! Open a bag of chocolate candy around me and it is history. On my own, I can’t stop eating it, even after that delicious first bite has diminished and the resulting bulk of chocolate no longer has that delectable initial essence. Add to that my dislike of exercise and it is easy to see why I have had weight concerns all of my life. My friend, Samantha, is just the opposite. Samantha has to fight to sustain her weight. She is ecstatic when she gains a pound. Just

like those of us struggling to keep our weight down, she has to work at keeping hers up to a healthy level. She often deals with wellmeaning people, sometimes complete strangers, making remarks about her thin physique. A comment about being thin, that would be a compliment to someone who wants to lose weight, is hurtful to those who have the opposite difficulty. I can’t blame anything or anyone else for my shortcomings. I and I alone am responsible for everything I do that is not pleasing to God, be that eating the wrong things or not exercising or spending too much money, etc. By myself I may be too weak to conquer it, but “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Help is as close as a prayer, no matter the issue we are facing. Instead of focusing on January 1, let’s concentrate on starting anew each day striving to be the person God meant us to be. He wants good things for us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go brush the dust off of my treadmill.

Nora grew up in Trenton, NC and now resides with her husband, Eddie, in Cove City, NC. They are members of Wintergreen OFWB Church, and she serves as the Woman’s Auxiliary Vice President. She and Eddie have two sons and three grandchildren. Nora enjoys photography and reading.

P. O. Box 39 • Ayden, NC 28513 • (252) 746.4963 • www.ofwbsundayschool.org

Sunday School Ministry

Tenth Annual

Ministers’ Wives and Widows Retreat Cragmont Assembly • Black Mountain, North Carolina The Original Free Will Baptist Sunday School Ministry is sponsoring the Tenth Annual Ministers’ Wives and Widows Retreat at Cragmont Assembly, Black Mountain, North Carolina, beginning Thursday, January 23 and ending with Sunday morning worship on Sunday, January 26, 2014. For this retreat, we will study in “The Cozy Mountain Lodge.” We will be studying the lives of Ruth and Naomi, bringing home Christian truths about making God our foundation, the protection Jesus provides, the importance of friendship, and much more. Our guest leader will be Ms. Linda Herring from White Oak Grove Church. When not involved in discussion sessions, you may choose to shop, hike, sleep, sing, or just relax in front of the fire. Each participant will receive materials that follow the format provided in the program. We will have time for meditation and discussion as we renew old friendships and make new ones. We will have

several special activities available during the spare time as well. We are going to let special activities be a surprise for you this year, but we are sure you will enjoy them. Registration is simple. Complete the following information and mail it to Mary Dudley at P. O. Box 39, Ayden, North Carolina, 28513. The information could also be e-mailed to: <director@ ofwbsundayschool.org> or submitted on the web site: <www.ofwbsundayschool.org>. The cost of the weekend is $150 inclusive. The registration must be postmarked by January 18, 2014. If you need it, transportation will be provided. We are hoping to have a comfortable bus for travel. A pick up schedule will be provided after we know just how many people are going. If you are not already a member, we invite you to come and become a member of the Cinderella Sisters Support Group.

Name:_________________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________ City:_ __________________________ State:________Zip:_______________ Telephone:______________________________________________________ E-mail:_ _______________________________________________________ Any special diet needs you might have:_ ______________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 18

It Is Alright I sometimes think, especially in my lowest and most depressed moments, that God is not, after all, a demanding God. What can this mean? Haven’t we all considered Him to be demanding of us in many, many ways? I think that we have been mistaken. God is actually very gentle with us, and it is we ourselves who form the notion that He wants us to do more and more. Yes, He is gentle. But this idea seems to fly in the face of many of our preconceptions. Indeed, this idea even seems to fly in the face of biblical injunctions, as, for example, the idea that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). But what about those times when we are sick, illness has overcome us, and we can barely care for our basic needs of survival? What does God think then, when good works in His Name are, at least for the moment, totally beyond our capacity to achieve? We know that God loves us anyway. We know this is our heart. And I think at such times a prayer for surrender to God is, I hope, all that God would want. We can say, in our sick body, “It is alright.” When I say these words, when my emotions are muted, I normally feel an immediate peace. I have imagined that this peace is the peace that “passeth all

understanding” (Philippians 4:7). And, indeed, such times are joyous indeed. I have surrendered to God, and I would like to think that the peace felt in my heart is evidence of God’s blessing. We are in winter. Many of us will have the flu. Some of us will even have sickness unto death. Whether the illness is small or big, we can still acknowledge to God that all is well with us—regardless of what tomorrow will bring. Life on this earth is not without struggle, whether illness or other difficulties, including financial (in these hard economic times). The struggle hones us into stronger people. Is there anyone of us who, on the other side of a major struggle, does not realize that he/ she is stronger for having walked through the clouds? Indeed, we may even thank God for the struggle, for we recognize, intuitively, that we are the better for it. This is not an easy thing to recognize when the struggle is raging, when dark clouds loom, and, particularly, when all

seems lost. At our point of greatest need, God is there to help us, but we will not normally recognize this. He may seem at His most remote, perhaps because our terrified emotions are so much in control of our minds. There is a modern-day parable of a man, seeing his life set out as footprints on the sand. There are always two sets of footprints, except occasionally. The man realizes that at these times of one set of footprints he was at his lowest. “Why did You desert me at my lowest, dear God?” he asks. “I did not desert you,” God replies. “At your lowest, I was carrying you.” One set of footprints. “It is alright.” I have often prayed this prayer when at my weakest, and I have never yet felt that my prayer went unheard. A peace (God’s peace?) descends upon me, and often I drift off in a dreamless sleep. “It is alright.” And, indeed, it is.

A former religion librarian at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Celia now lives with her husband Paul in Oxford, Mississippi. She was previously employed at both the Free Will Baptist Press and Mount Olive College.

Ayden • Kinston • New Bern

Spreading the Word. For Life! 19

2600 W. Vernon Avenue • Kinston, NC 28504 • (252) 526.9908

home missions & evangelism 20

Measure of a Man: A Celebration of Grace By Erin Broadway

man of God should not be measured by his height, his education level, how much money is in his wallet, how well he speaks a certain language, how much he can bench press, or even if he can stand on his own two feet. A man of God is to be measured by his zeal and passion for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Two men of extraordinary strength in their own right, the Reverends Scott Broadway and Jose Perez, have made a historical impact in the Original Free Will Baptist Denomination and an eternal impact for the Kingdom of God. The Rev. Scott Broadway, ordained February 2, 2013 by the Eastern Conference, was the first minister ordained into the Original Free Will Baptists with a disability at the time of his ordination. The Reverend Jose Perez, ordained July 20, 2013 by the Eastern Conference, was the first Hispanic minister to be ordained in the Original Free Will Baptist denomination. Both of these men have defied the odds and have “[pressed on] toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). From birth, the world has been a challenge for Scott Broadway. But despite every challenge, God has been glorified through his life. He was born six weeks premature and suffered a lack of oxygen during birth that caused the onset of cerebral palsy. His birth mother gave him up for adoption. But his life was changed forever when Murrell and Joan Rice Broadway adopted him, making him the grandson of the late Rev. Clifton T. Rice. The late Rev. Rice was an Original Free Will Baptist minister for over 70 years, often pastoring several churches at a time. He was a cornerstone in the history of the denomination and in his family as well. The Rev. Rice was licensed out of his home church, Arapahoe Original Free Will Baptist, and served several churches

in the Original Free Will Baptist Denomination. The Rev. Rice knew early on that pastoring churches was not enough to make ends meet for his family, wife Dorris and daughter Joan Carolyn, and so he became a bivocational minister when he founded Rice Monuments in 1942 in Kinston, North Carolina. Rice Monuments has been in operation for over 70 years now and is still serving customers in the original building on Vernon Avenue. Scott recalls that his grandfather once told him that he would be a minister some day. At the time, he remembers shrugging it off knowing his interest was in computers. During his teenage years, Scott wanted to participate in sports like many of his friends. Despite the concerns of his doctors and fears of his mother, Scott began his journey in the martial arts taught by the beloved and renowned Lemuel “Doc” Stroud. Today, Scott is a second-degree black belt in karate, judo, and jiu-jitsu. A few years later, Scott was attending a Christian coffeehouse in the Kinston area, known as “The Hiding Place.” One night after worship at “The Hiding Place,” Scott answered the call into the ministry. He struggled for a while with how God would use him, being that he was in a wheelchair. He was encouraged by the fact that many men throughout the Bible also struggled with how God could use them, such as Moses with a speech impediment, Paul with what was believed to be poor eyesight, Timothy who was so young, David that was so small, and so many others. Scott has faced challenges in his life, but with his dad’s motto “I can’t doesn’t live here” along with his spiritual strength and personal motivation from scripture found in Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me), Scott has prevailed and persevered in order to bring glory to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Reverend Jose Perez (left) and The Reverend Scott Broadway (right)

On July 3, 2005, Scott married Erin Bailey of Madison, North Carolina. They were eager to start a family a few years after they were wed. Scott and Erin were once told by a doctor that he, being disabled, wasn’t “supposed” to have children. Scott and Erin didn’t let that stop them from praying for a child and on February 15, 2008, Rachel Elizabeth Broadway was born. In 2002, he founded and incorporated Wheels on Fire for Christ, with its inspiration coming from Daniel 7:9. In 2010, it became a ministry of Home Missions and Evangelism of the Original Free Will Baptists. Wheels on Fire for Christ is a Ministry Affiliate of Joni and Friends, the ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada. Scott is the coordinator and his wife, Erin, is the Education Coordinator of the ministry that focuses on helping churches minister to people with disabilities. While Rev. Broadway has prevailed against physical challenges, Jose Perez has persevered by overcoming language and cultural barriers in order to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Originally from La Esmeralda, Chimalapa in Oaxaca, Mexico, Mr. Perez came to the United States in 1994 with his family in search of a better life. He gave his life to the Lord while he was here and stayed to grow in the Word of God. A few years later in 1998, he received the call to the ministry. In 2005, Mr. Perez started Alpha and Omega Hispanic Church out of Elm Grove Original Free Will Baptist under the direction of The Rev. Graham Lane.

The Rev. Jose Perez is the Director of Hispanic Mission Churches with Home Missions and Evangelism of the Original Free Will Baptists. He has found that one of the most difficult things to do as a minister is to get people to come to church. He says that the people will give lots of excuses as to why they can’t come. (This seems to be a trend that crosses cultural lines.) Rev. Perez states that it is not difficult to preach the Gospel. However, it was difficult to overcome the language barrier in order to preach the Gospel in English. Rev. Perez came to the United States speaking Spanish, his native language. He worked diligently for about seven or eight years to learn how to not only speak, but to read and write in English. He wanted to be able to take his ordination exam in English. He was motivated to take the ordination exam in English because the ministers and members of the Original Free Will Baptist Churches speak English and because it would be easier for him to communicate with his colleagues in ministry. Rev. Perez is still taking classes to better his skills in the English language and is working toward his GED and a college degree. Aside from being a minister of the Gospel, Rev. Perez is a very talented mechanic by trade. He can often be found assisting the Coordinators of The Harvest Connection Disaster Relief Ministry helping to maintain and repair various equipment around the site. The Rev. Jose Perez has been married to his wife, Vicenta, for 21 years and they have four children—Leticia, Jose, Jr. (George), Danny, and Tara. They also have one granddaughter, Jaylee Nicole. The Perez family is also very active in the ministry. His daughter, Leticia, has organized a Kids Connection event for Hispanic children and his son George helps with IT services at Home Missions and Evangelism. When asked what advice he has for upcoming ministers, he states to keep on reading the Bible, the Articles of Faith, and the Original Free Will Baptist history. He would like for the American churches to support Hispanic ministry and to invite him to your church to share the exciting things that are going on with Hispanic missions. There are currently five Hispanic missions: Hillsberry, Holly Springs, Alpha and Omega, Free Spirit, and Union Chapel. When asked how it felt to be the first Hispanic minister ordained into the Original Free Will Baptists, he responded, “It is a blessing to be the first. God is blessing our ministry.” The Reverends Scott Broadway and Jose Perez made history this year by being what the world would see as unlikely candidates to be ordained into the Gospel ministry. Both have proven that it is not one’s outward appearance or stature that measures how effective a man will serve God, but rather, how willing their heart is to serve their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When Israel was searching for a new king after Saul’s death, “…the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). 21

Women Ministry in

with Vicki Parker Medlin

A New Year…Now What? The decorations have all been stored for another year, the last remnants of the Christmas goodies are finally eaten and it is now time to look forward to another new year. Yet in looking forward it poses to each of us the challenge of looking back, looking back to assess the past. Did we accomplish all we had intended in 2013 or are there things that will roll onto to our list of desired accomplishments for 2014? As ministers—and we are all ministers whether we are licensed or ordained, we have been instructed that we are to be good stewards of all that God has given us and this includes our time, talents (spiritual gifts), treasures (finances), our temples (bodies) which are indwelt by the Spirit, and truth (the message of Christ). We learn that being a good steward means ministry of various sorts. Have we taken this task of ministry seriously? I am reminded of a story I read about teaching children in Sunday school. The story goes like this: There was once a Sunday school teacher named Teri, who asked her Sunday school class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Jimmy’s picture. The picture Jimmy drew of his favorite Bible story showed four people

in an airplane. When asked what the story meant, Jimmy responded. It is the “flight to Egypt.” “I see,” responded Jimmy’s teacher. “Then the people must be Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. But, who is the fourth person”? “Oh, that’s Pontus—the Pilot.” It is often easy for little children, and even some adults, to sometimes misunderstand names and scriptures and Bible stories. The word “minister” is one of the most misunderstood words in the religious world and in our churches today. Most often the word is used to refer exclusively to “the preacher” or “the pastor” of a congregation. Most often the word is only used as a noun rather that the action verb that the scriptures refer to. The word “ministry” is from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning “to serve” or douleuo, meaning “to serve as a slave.” Ministry in the New Testament is seen as service to God and to other people in the name of Jesus. Jesus provided the ultimate example for Christian ministry—Jesus came, not to receive service, but to give it. As chosen ministers of God’s word it is our duty to ensure that we present a factual and understandable Gospel message to everyone, including those little ones in Sunday school or to those

who are young in their service to Christ to ensure their accurate understanding of Christ’s message. Christians today are indeed ministers. The Christian should minister by meeting people’s needs with love and humility on behalf of Christ. Every Christian must minister to each other. If a fellow brother or sister in Christ, is weak in their spiritual life, and on the verge of falling, we have the responsibility to restore them (Galatians 6:10). Every Christian as a minister to his fellow man must help the needy (1 John 3:17–18). Every Christian must minister to others by praying for them (1 Samuel 12:23). Every Christian as a part of their ministry must teach the lost. We saw this in evidence when we read the account of the establishment of the church when nearly every member was a soul-winner (Acts 5:42; 8:1, 4). Therefore as we look back to 2013 how did we do as Christian ministers tasked with the care of our fellowman? As a Christian, what does our ministry for 2014 look like? Does our “to do” list for the New Year include ways to support and build Christ’s Kingdom? If not, I encourage you to make plans to actively minister in 2014.

Vicki Parker Medlin is a Johnston County native from Clayton. She is married to Preston Medlin, Jr. and is the mother of two daughters, Ami who is married to Jason Modlin and Keri who is married to Phil Heath; and they have three granddaughters. She is an alumna of NC Wesleyan College and Mount Olive College and is currently enrolled at Campbell Divinity School pursuing a Master in Divinity. Ordained in 2012, Vicki is currently a teaching minister at Smithfield First FWB Church and continues to work with the NCDHHS in Raleigh. Along with serving as a teaching minister at Smithfield First Free Will Baptist church, Vicki is the pastor of Covenant Original Free Will Baptist Church in Hope Mills, NC. 22

A deeper look inside this month’s lessons from the OFWB Foundation Curriculum and commentaries based on the International Sunday School Lessons.

“Jesus and the Just Reign of God,” the theme of our Sunday School Lessons this quarter, challenge us to move out of our comfort zones. The lessons last December reminded us that Christmas is not only about the baby in a manger, revealing God’s love for all humanity and providing salvation for all who will believe in him. But by examining those familiar Bible passages in light of God’s justice, we are also reminded that Jesus was born to turn our attention toward justice, humility, forgiveness, kindness, and peace (a few of the terms used in the Bible texts, giving us a sense of God’s justice). I do not know about you, but I find that looking at Jesus’ birth from that angle makes me uneasy. It makes us comfortable Christians uncomfortable. Nature seeks equilibrium, and it is natural for humans to seek comfortable positions. But when we become comfortable we tend to become complacent. If the birth of Jesus was about bringing peace, justice, humility, kindness, forgiveness, and

salvation into the world, what does that say about us who have received Jesus into our lives? Under our watch our world is becoming more divided, suffering abounds, hunger drives people to kill, and a majority of the people do not know our Lord. We in the USA comprise a small percentage of the world population but consume a major portion of world goods. We are a people of plenty and could make a tremendous difference in the lives of others, but we expend our energy squabbling about healthcare, welfare, social equality, and politics. The lessons this month continue to assault our complacency. The first two lessons are from Luke 6. The first is about honoring the sabbath. Some Pharisees question Jesus about his disciples breaking sabbath rules. (We may get the impression that the Pharisees as a whole were antagonistic toward Jesus; but Luke says it was some of them, not necessarily all.) In his argument Jesus cites a time when David broke a rule and ate bread consecrated for the priests (1 Samuel

with Adrian Grubbs

21:1–6). That example was not about keeping the sabbath, but about another rule. Jesus repeatedly makes the point that human need takes priority over religious rules. The second lesson is sometimes referred to as “The Sermon on the Plain.” In this sermon Jesus includes four blessings (beatitudes) and four woes (curses). In “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5) there are nine beatitudes, in which Jesus blesses the poor in spirit and those who hunger for righteousness. In Luke Jesus blesses the poor and the hungry and curses the rich and the full. Here, Jesus’ concern is for people who are suffering. Lesson three (Luke 14) is about table manners; well, actually it is about being humble rather than presumptuous. In the final lesson (Luke 16) we have Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus. All four of these lessons direct our attention to Jesus’ compassion for people in need. After studying these lessons I am still ill at ease. Since we are His servants in the world, what should be our attitudes, and what actions should we take?

H. Adrian Grubbs, Jr., was born in Dade City, Florida, to the Rev. Herman A. and Lillian Kinard Grubbs. The family moved to Mount Olive, NC, in 1959. Adrian was ordained in the Eastern Conference in 1963 and has served eight churches. After a 30-year pastorate at Deep Run OFWB Church he retired in 2007 because of vocal problems. Grubbs has served the denomination as President of the Sunday School Convention, Moderator of the Eastern Conference, member of the Eastern Conference Ministerial Examining Board, and is currently on the Mount Olive College Board of Trustees. Adrian and Jo Ann have one son, two daughters, and six grandchildren. 23

1233 North Fork Road • Black Mountain, NC 28711 • (828) 669.7677 • www.cragmontassembly.com

CRAGMONT ASSEMBLY 24

Velma’s Hearth Countless campers and guests have sung, “Cragmont seems like home to me,” in absolute sincerity. Coming to this place has been “coming home” because at Cragmont’s hearth we have experienced the rest and security of home. Through the ages the fireplace hearth has held center place in family life. From the days of the earliest settlers in America the hearth with its glowing fire has been the focus of family life. It was a primary source of illumination, the only source of warmth and even the location for cooking meals in many early homes. In addition it was the place of security, rest and peace after long days of labor. If we enter a room with a fireplace on a chilly evening our frozen feet step toward the hearth and our body without conscious thought turns our backsides to the flames to drink in the fire’s warmth. In the glowing embers we find that wonderful feeling of safety that only a true home can give. It is at the hearth that much that makes a house a home is recognized. Countless campers and guests have sung, “Cragmont seems like home to me,” in absolute sincerity. Coming to this place has been “coming home” because at Cragmont’s hearth we have experienced the rest and security of home. Here, for at least a little while, we escaped the rush of life and renewed our vitality for the work ahead. No one expresses and absorbs that feeling of home better than Velma Morris. From her first trip to the Woman’s Conference to the last trip her frail earthly body allowed her to make in 2012 coming to Cragmont was coming to a second home for her. Velma knows all about hearth and home. She knows the love that generates from family, the delicious wonder of kitchen aromas that came from her own talented hands, and the warmth of life-long friends that can be expressed at the hearth of the home. As much as she had those experiences in her Vanceboro home and at Juniper Chapel OFWB Church; she also knew them and shared them in and through Cragmont. Her belief that Cragmont is a place dedicated to God’s work went beyond mere “lipservice.” She committed herself to the growth of this

place set aside for Christian nurturing. She carved out opportunities to tell others about Cragmont and she encouraged others by her example to give and then give again to each new project. This winter Cragmont will begin a major renovation and expansion of the kitchen and dining room. This project will include some and hopefully all of the following items: 1) increase the area of the kitchen, 2) new appliances for the kitchen, 3) increase the area of the dining room to provide for more seating, and 4) a fireplace to provide an additional area suitable for group fellowship. Don Lassiter and family have provided a generous initial (or starter) gift for this much needed project but other financial gifts are needed to reduce the potential debt involved in a project of this magnitude. Based on the fact that a kitchen is one of the most expensive remodeling jobs in a private home, consider the price tag on a commercial kitchen that must meet

[Velma’s] belief that Cragmont is a place dedicated to God’s work went beyond mere “lipservice.” She committed herself to the growth of this place set aside for Christian nurturing. She carved out opportunities to tell others about Cragmont and she encouraged others by her example to give and then give again to each new project.

The Family Cragmont Made The family portrait printed above is of a family Cragmont made. It is a group of very diverse people connected above all else by the ties of love. We are surely not bound in this special group by physical birth although a common ancestry is shared by some of our numbers. We came to this union because of the nurture and care we found here. We made the amazing discovery that Cragmont was home and family. Some of use came by way of an invitation of a life long friend. Some came by way of a summer job. Others

began life here. At least one came hunting for one experience and made a far richer discovery. Whatever the initial reason for coming to Cragmont we stayed connected because of the belonging we found here. We became family. As in all good families we fund acceptance of who we are based on love and care. This acceptance never wavers. It remains a steadfast love in our best of times and the worst of our days. Beyond a doubt people make families but Cragmont was the foundation upon which this family was constructed.

many health, handicap, and fire code requirements. If Velma were physically able she would already be industriously collecting pledges and money to accomplish this project. Velma surely understands the concept of hearth and home as it applies to Cragmont because “Cragmont seems like home” to thousands who have felt the touch of the Father here. The responsibility is now ours to fulfill yet another dream for Cragmont and Velma Gray. Therefore it is only fitting that our newest project be named “Velma’s Hearth” in honor of one of our most dedicated supporters. Show your love for Cragmont

Many of you are probably a member of a family that Cragmont made. The summer camp week that is especially important to you because that week and those people helped change your life. A family of friends built at Cragmont with who you never completely lose contact. Spend a few minutes in this New Year considering and remembering your Cragmont family. As you think thankfully about your family that Cragmont made perhaps you would like to make a gift to “Velma’s Hearth” in honor of your Cragmont family.

and for Velma Gray Morris, the Cragmont Board’s longest serving member, by joining us in building “Velma’s Hearth” (Cragmont’s new kitchen/dining room). Seek God’s leadership in the amount you can give and make out your check to Cragmont earmarked “Velma’s Hearth” and mail to Cragmont 1233 North Fork Rd. Black Mountain, NC 28711.

P. O. Box 210 • Mount Olive, NC 28365-0210 • (919) 658.5250 • admin@ncfcm.org • rwarren@ncfcm.org

NC Foundation for Christian Ministries

Resolving to Get Some Important Things Done By the Reverend Ricky Warren, Executive Director of the North Carolina Foundation for Christian Ministries

A Call to Work for Improvement As a new year begins many people will feel compelled to have a fresh start and make some needed improvements in their life. Some will make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, read the Bible through, or finally get around to cleaning out the storage room. Though a few will make fun of such noble efforts, the Apostle Paul taught that the Christian faith demands that we work for improvement when he wrote: “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal [of becoming like Christ]; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained” (Philippians 3:12–16, nrsv). Surely we all have some areas of life that need a little work and the turning of a new year is an ideal time to begin.

Consider Making a “Bucket List” It is common today for one to make a “bucket list,” which is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying.” Things like “ride a hot air balloon,” “swim with dolphins,” and “bungee jump” are among the popular items seen on such lists. For many people, especially thoughtful Christians, items on a bucket list might also include something good for others like “leave a lasting legacy.”

Plan to Leave a Lasting Legacy Leaving a lasting legacy can easily be accomplished in many cases with a plan to use a portion of the estate one 26

leaves behind after passing. God has been good to many of us, providing far more than we will require to meet our needs. It is fitting that we put plans in place to ensure those unused assets are applied to something good. If plans are not already in place to protect one’s assets before, during, and after one’s passing, then now is the time to get those plans ready. We live in an uncertain world, and it is likely that one’s wishes regarding their estate will not be fully known and carried out if not in writing. Additionally, there are unfamiliar legal requirements that could jeopardize the plan if it is not well thought out and reviewed.

Getting the Information You Need For these reasons, the North Carolina Foundation for Christian Ministries will be partnering with the Original Free Will Baptist Sunday School Ministry to provide needed information on this subject at the LIFE Conference to be held at Mount Olive College on March 1. The Foundation’s session will focus on estate planning, wills, medical directives, life insurance and other plans that could influence the legacy one leaves behind. Young and old alike are invited to join the discussion. This information will also be available to anyone who contacts the Foundation and makes a request.

Conclusion Matthew 6:20 tells us to store up treasures in heaven where they will be safe, which should remind us of how fragile earthly treasures are. Plans can be made now to ensure one’s heavenly wishes for earthly resources are carried out at the time of passing. This is one important item that should be on everyone’s “To Do List” for the New Year. Contact the Foundation today at (919) 658-5250 or <rwarren@ncfcm.org> for more information or to create a plan to fit your needs. There is no fee or obligation implied.

Endowment Spotlight

The Michael R. Pelt Endowed Scholarship Fund The Foundation is honored to partner with Dr. Michael R. Pelt in providing permanent, ongoing scholarships for Christian ministry. Dr. Pelt was one of the first to establish an endowment with the Foundation after it began in 2005. The retired professor of religion and author of A History of Original Free Will Baptists was also instrumental in establishing the partnership with Mount Olive College and Campbell University Divinity School, which has already prepared many of our Free Will Baptist ministers. Thanks to the on going generosity of Dr. Pelt, his former students, and other friends, over $33,000 has been received into the fund thus far. Now, his good name will live on and scholarships for Free Will Baptist ministerial students will always be supported.

Retirement Income Comparison CD Rate 1 (0.23%) • CGA Rate 2 (5.1%)

The Foundation Legacy Society

1. National Average 12-month CD (Source: Bankrate.com) 2. Lifetime rate from the Foundation for a person age 70

The tiny acorn, so full of potential and so wanting of protection and promise, is a metaphor for life and has been adopted as the symbol of the Foundation’s new Legacy Society. The Foundation Legacy Society recognizes donors who have made plans to leave a gift to the charity of their choosing through the Foundation. While a legacy gift may take different forms—bequest (will), insurance, trust, annuity, etc., the result is the same: providing for the future needs and opportunities of a given church, ministry, endowment, or other charity. The Foundation Legacy Society is similar to a club, where membership is determined by a donor’s gift or plans to leave a gift. It provides a way to thank donors for their future contributions during their lifetimes, which will also stimulate the interest of other potential donors.

An acorn fell from an old oak tree, And lay on the frosty ground “O, what shall the fate of the acorn be!” Was whispered all around…

We are currently compiling a list of the charter members of this auspicious group of people. If you would like to be included, please contact us today.

__________________ Taken from “The Acorn” by Elizabeth Oakes Smith, 1843 27

Woman’s Auxiliary

2014 Cragmont Woman’s Retreat (s) Registration Form Please complete one form per person (make copies as needed) and mail with $25 nonrefundable registration fee (required) to: Joan H. Little, 7063 Stantonsburg Road, Farmville, NC 27828 (make check payable to Cragmont Woman’s Retreat). Name:_ ________________________________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________________ Phone:________________________ Church:__________________________________________ Emergency Contact:_______________________________ Phone #:________________________ Please complete all items below which apply to you. Rooms assigned when registration fee & form received. _____ I need a downstairs room due to medical reasons (Limited Availability). Roommates desired:_______________________________________________________________ Lodging request:

_____ Main Bldg. (2–4 per room) _____ Upstairs _____ Downstairs _____ Lodge (3–4 per room) _____ Motel (2–4 per room) _____ Hollifield House (6–8 per room) _____ Girls Dorm _____ Boys Dorm _____ Floyd House (8)

CHECK Retreat and all related information which relates to that retreat. _____ Morning Star Retreat (April 25–27) • Speaker: Elaine Swinson _____ $25 registration fee enclosed ($80 Balance Due to Cragmont upon arrival). _____ Dayspring Retreat (June 4–7) • Speaker: Tanji Bass _____ $25 registration fee enclosed ($90 Balance Due to Cragmont upon arrival). _____ Dayspring Retreat also welcomes couples/families. _____ Cornerstone Retreat (August 3–8) • Speaker: Linda Herring _____ $25 registration fee enclosed ($125 Balance Due to Cragmont upon arrival). _____ I plan to ride the bus at a cost of $55. Travel Day—Sunday a.m. _____ Side trip will be to Biblical Times Dinner Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN. _____ Kings of Psalms Dinner Show. Total Cost $55 (bus, meal, and show) _____ $30 nonrefundable deposit enclosed for side trip. _____ Emmanuel Retreat (September 12–14) • Speaker: Carol Pittman ____ $25 registration fee enclosed ($80 Balance Due to Cragmont upon arrival). 28

with Marc Boswell

In Search of Good Air Recently, while driving around Richmond, I was listening to a recorded lecture about the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche, a 19th century German philosopher, is best known perhaps for his criticism of Christianity and Christian values. While discussing this aspect of Nietzsche’s thought, the lecturer used the phrase “thick piety” to describe the type of Christian moral environment which Nietzsche criticized and found to be stifling. What the lecturer was referring to by this phrase, it seems, is a type of piety or morality that is hesitant or scared of embracing our lives in all of their tragic messiness, ugliness, and beauty. In other words, a “thick piety” is a type of morality in which we are primarily concerned about avoiding contact with what we think is unseemly, unfit, sinful, or simply bad. To state it yet another way, it focuses primarily on what not to do—how to avoid guilt and shame—how to avoid judgment and condemnation. Living in this type of overly scrutinizing moral universe makes it hard for one to freely be or to breathe deeply because, as Nietzsche was fond of saying, the air was foul and difficult to breathe. This phrase, “thick piety,” stuck with me for several days. It reminded me of my attempts as a zealous young adult to live into a fundamentalist expression of

Christianity. I was constantly anxious about my shortcomings, and I walked around feeling incessantly the intense stare of an angry God who watched my every move. Upon entering ministry, I channeled this feeling into my sermons so that I could be sure that other Christian folk shared my misery or this very “thick piety” in which I found it increasingly difficult to breathe or to be myself. As someone once said, “There’s no fun in fundamentalism.” This idea came to mind again as I finished teaching a Global Ethics course at VCU. As I talked with students throughout the class, I realized that our adventures together through heavy ethical problems (e.g., human trafficking and global warming) left many students saying things that sounded remarkably familiar to my past fundamentalist days. “I’m not doing enough.” “I’m not thoughtful enough.” “I feel guilty about….” Given the gravity of these issues, I wanted to encourage them to take seriously their/ our participation in these structures of oppression and destruction. However, I also had the sudden sense that I was once again reproducing the same kind of hypercritical introspection that, more times than not, tends to produce an unhealthy, smothering type of moral being that does more harm than good, i.e., a “thick piety.”

Therefore, on the last night of class, I tried to clumsily navigate a course between their convictions about “not doing enough” in the face of these very real problems, and, simultaneously, dispelling the foul or “thick” air of piety which might serve to deflect any potential, constructive ethical action. Ethics, I would go on to say, is about determining what constitutes a good life. And when determining what constitutes a good life, we actually have to take into consideration all that is good, beautiful, and true in our world. Where we find those things being suppressed or denied, we must do all that we can to make those conditions better (Matthew 25); and where we find those things shining forth into our world, we should celebrate, revel in, and enjoy them (Luke 14:15–24). Or, as my grandmother would say, you have to know when to let your hair down and be willing to have a good time. That’s a type of piety that perhaps is not so “thick,” but one in which we can be ourselves—breathe deeply—relax— celebrate life—and have plenty of space in which to move around freely. This is a type of piety, I believe, which many young adults would be more than happy to find in our congregations. It’s certainly one that’s possible to find in our Savior (Matthew 11:19).

Marc Boswell is from Saratoga, NC, where he grew up as a member of Spring Branch OFWB Church. He is ordained in the Central Conference and currently lives in Richmond, VA, where he is working toward the completion of a Ph.D. in the fields of Theology and American Religious History at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

youth convention 30

Help Support the Fountain of Youth Endowment and Stop Hunger Now at the 2014 Youth Convention Each year, each church is asked to send in “project money” to the Annual Youth Convention in May. In year’s past, this money was designated to a certain “project” for a designated denominational ministry. The ministries were on a rotating schedule, so each one benefited once every 10 years or so. In 2012, the Commission on Youth & Student Ministry Leadership and The Original Free Will Baptist Youth Convention established an endowment with the NC Foundation for Christian Ministries to benefit the Original Free Will Baptist Convention Ministries. Long after we have left this earth our giving will continue through this established fund. After the initial amount of $10,000 has been received, an annual distribution of the interest earnings will be given to the ministries. To date, approximately $3,000 has been received toward this Youth Project. For the past few years, our children and youth have also engaged in

service projects at the Annual Youth Convention. This year’s officers and representatives decided for the 2014 service project to be the packaging of at least 10,000 meals for the Stop Hunger Now ministry. Stop Hunger Now is an international relief organization driven by the vision of a world without hunger and a mission to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and lifesaving aid to the world’s most vulnerable and by creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources. Stop Hunger Now’s meal packaging program is a volunteer-based program that coordinates the streamlined packaging of highly nutritious dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables, flavoring, and 21 essential vitamins and minerals. The meals are easily transported to crisisburdened areas or supplied to school feeding programs around the world. The meals cost only $0.25 per meal to create. More information on Stop Hunger Now can be found at <www. stophungernow.org>.

To accomplish the goal of packaging at least 10,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now AND working towards the $10,000 needed for the Fountain of Youth Endowment to start benefiting our denominational ministries, the Youth Convention is asking each church to send in at least $150 prior to the Annual Youth Convention. Approximately half of the money sent in will be used to pay for the 10,000 meals we will be packaging for Stop Hunger Now and the other half will go to the Fountain of Youth Project. For more information on the Stop Hunger Now project and the Fountain of Youth Endowment, please contact any member of the Commission on Youth & Student Ministry Leadership. Youth groups, auxiliaries, individuals, or other church groups may send in their contributions for these projects at any time. Please mail them to: OFWB Youth Convention, c/o Victor Jones, 264 Kirby Thigpen Rd, Pink Hill, NC 28572.

EACH CHURCH IS ASKED TO SEND AN OFFERING OF AT LEAST $150 TO GO TOWARDS THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH PROJECT AND TO FUND THE PACKING OF AT LEAST 10,000 STOP HUNGER NOW MEALS

2014 YOUTH CONVENTION Of Original Free Will Baptists May 16–18, 2014 Mount Olive College ENJOY GREAT MUSIC, A DYNAMIC SPEAKER, FUN-FILLED WORKSHOPS, INFLATABLES, AND FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN KIDS AND TEENS! FOR ALL AGES PRE-SCHOOL—18 YEARS OLD! Keynote Speaker: Kevin Davis, Minister of Youth, Antioch Baptist Church, Lumberton, NC. Founder of Kevin Davis Creations Ministry. Graduate of Campbell University and Southeastern Baptist Seminary. Find out more about Kevin Davis at: http://kevindaviscreation.com Band: Traditional City (formerly The Noise) www.TraditionalCity.com

Keep an eye out in future issues of The Free Will Baptist for more details! 31

Book reviews in this column are not meant to reflect any theological or political positions.

Max Lucado, Traveling Light Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001. 220 pages. ISBN 978-0-8499-1345-7.

God’s Role in Reducing Life’s Baggage God As Yahweh Max Lucado turns to the Twentythird Psalm to clarify how we might be able to spend our life with less baggage. In his book, Traveling Light, he insists that the weight of baggage is not the heaviness of our packed bags but the burdens in our minds—numerous burdens from discontentment, weariness, guilt, hopelessness, arrogance, shame, loneliness, fear, grief and doubt to homesickness. How do we lighten our burdens? David tells us in the Twentythird Psalm to build our trust in God whom David called Yahweh over other names: El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Elyon (God Most High), El Olam (God the Everlasting) (13). Why did David choose Yahweh? God spoke to Moses and identified His name as Yahweh, which means, “I AM” (14). Lucado notes that I AM is close to the Hebrew verb havah (to be) (14). Lucado observes: “It’s quite possibly a combination of the present tense form (I am) and the causative tense (I cause to be). Yahweh, then, seems to mean ‘I AM’ and ‘I cause.’ God is the ‘One who is’ and the “One who causes’” (14). The presence of God as Yahweh is a presence forever on our trail. Lucado recounts biblical stories of people who could not escape God—Adam and Eve “hiding in the bushes” (145) with God asking where they are, Moses wandering in the desert only to see “a bush blazing” (146), John the Apostle on Patmos where he felt the skies open and the presence of God with him (146), Lazarus three days dead only to hear a voice and rise 32

up (146), the disciples being followed by God in the storm (146), and the unnamed Samaritan woman who heard God (146). Yahweh is. Yahweh exists with us, His rod and staff comforting us, His protection restoring us (5). The secret of traveling light is the secret of Psalm 23: What you have in your Shepherd is greater than what you don’t have in life (32).

Stories That Lighten Burdens In the 18 chapters of Traveling Light, Max Lucado presents an array of stories to emphasize the importance of God’s role in diminishing burdens. He reminds us that David as a boy took care of sheep—not an easy task, because sheep are “woolly, simpleminded and slow” (39). For sheep to sleep, everything has to be right—no predators, no tension, no bugs, no hunger (39). Sometimes oil has to be put on the sheep’s nose to prevent flies from “depositing their eggs into the soft membrane of the sheep’s nose” (126). Sheep can go insane from the “wormlike larvae” (127) in the nose. The “oil-like repellent” (127) can keep “insects at bay and the flock at peace” (127). David knew how important the shepherd was to the sheep’s survival; thus, he begins his Twenty-third Psalm: “The LORD is my shepherd” (5). David’s imagery comes from the reality of his childhood when he as a shepherd found green pastures, a safe location, and a place where he could watch over the sheep. The shepherd was in charge so the sheep could sleep (40). God as man’s Shepherd allows us to “be able to get some sleep” (40).

Lucado tells the story of a cookie party where those who attended had to bring a plate of cookies. Lucado did not cook and found himself without his own plate of cookies until a “saintly sister in the church” (66) gave him a gift of cookies to give him “a place at the table” (67) at the party. God allows us to be present by virtue of His gift of Jesus Christ (67). Another story Lucado spins is his vacation adventure at a small town café where he thought people were looking at him because they recognized him as a writer. What he discovered, however, was that he had blood on his face from shaving and people were frightened (71–72). God found a way to keep Lucado humble. Lucado recalls an “elementary-age boy” (76) who came home and excitedly told his mother that he had a part in the school play. He exclaimed, “I got a part. I’ve been chosen to sit in the audience and clap and cheer!” (76). He was part of a team. Charles Spurgeon trained ministers to think of themselves not as great orators but as humble servants (76). To give his daughters a sense of protection, Lucado pretended he was Shamu the whale who dived with them in the family pool. He would take them to the bottom of the pool and then bring them back up to the top. He notes: “After several plunges they realized they had nothing to fear. They feared no evil. Why? Because I was with them” (85). The story of the death of Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse’s wife is poignant. Barnhouse was driving home with his children after his wife (and their mother) had been buried. A moving van passed his

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car leaving a shadow over Barnhouse’s car. He suddenly asked his children, “Would you rather be run over by a truck or by its shadow?” (94). Then he explained that the “truck of death ran over the Lord Jesus” (94) so that today they might only experience the “shadow” (94). Loneliness is a burden in traveling and Lucado tells the story of an elderly woman who lived alone in an apartment in the Austin, Texas area. She ordered a jug of water each day rather than have city water so that a person would come to her each day (105). God’s intimacy can lighten loneliness. Lucado compares God’s gift of hope to lighten the baggage of life to a childhood memory when as a child he would go down into his grandmother’s cellar in West Texas. He would see how long he could stand the darkness, because “not even a slit of light entered that underground hole” (136). When he couldn’t take the darkness anymore, he “would race up the stairs and throw open the door” (136). At that moment “light would avalanche into the cellar” (136). Lucado stresses: “Just as light poured into the cellar, God’s hope pours” (136) into our lives.

The burden of not feeling at home is also baggage in traveling. Lucado tells the story of the parakeet named Pootsie from Green Bay. One day she escaped and found a new home after Mrs. Gleason adopted her from the humane society. The little bird was happy but one day whispered into Mrs. Gleason’s ear an address—1500 South Oneida Street, Green Bay. Mrs. Gleason took Pootsie to that address and found 79-year-old John Stroobants who had missed his parakeet Pootsie. Lucado writes: “Deep down you know you are not home yet” (153). Why? God has planted “eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Images and Lines of Note in Lucado’s Voice Max Lucado has a way with images in his writing voice. He speaks of “the baggage claim of life” and “the duffel bag of weariness” (38). He talks about the “energy gauge on the dashboard of our forehead” (39) registering empty. He calls worry “the burlap bag of burdens” (47). He sees people wanting to cut “a path through the underbrush of sin and death” (58). He calls Calvary “the compost pile

for guilt” (67). He speaks of the bags of the mind that we carry are loaded with “binges, blowups, and compromises” (66). A man afraid of crowds sweats “like a sumo wrestler in a sauna” (99). He speaks of the “deadly briefcase of envy” (133), of both goodness and mercy as the “celestial escort of God’s flock” (145), of the difficulty of the “languages of disease and death” (153), of miracles around us popping “like fireflies” (162), and of nature being the “gallery” (162) of God. Lines of note in Lucado’s voice are these: 1) “The bow cannot always be bent without fear of breaking” (42). 2) “Ponder your success and count your money in a cemetery” (75). 3) “And the best way to face life is to be honest about death” (84). 4) “Anger lives in sorrow’s house” (91). 5) “We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one?” (92). 6) “A person can be surrounded by a church and still be lonely” (108). 7) “The empty tomb did not erase the crowing rooster” (116). 8) “Aging is God’s idea. It’s one of the ways he keeps us headed homeward” (155).

Pepper Worthington was born in Kinston, NC, and married an OFWB retired minister, Michael Gauker Warning, in 1996. The Rev. Warning served as pastor to Free Union OFWB at Sea Level, NC. She received her B.A. degree cum laude at Meredith College in 1965, her M.L.A. degree at Johns Hopkins University in 1969, and her Ph.D. with Phi Kappa Phi honors at the University of Maryland at College Park in 1976. She has been a professor of English at Mount Olive College since 1979. She is also currently the director of the Mount Olive College Press.

215 N 3rd Street • Vandemere, NC 28587 • (252) 745-3171 • www.campvandemereinc.org

Camp Vandemere 34

Happy New Year from Camp Vandemere Greetings from Camp Vandemere, nestled on the banks of the Bay River. The New Year we are celebrating brings a new beginning to Camp Vandemere with our building project restoring the camp to God’s intended ministry. It has been a busy time during this past holiday season. As we reflect on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would like to say thank you to each and every individual, church, business and group that has helped us give back to the community that we are in and for making this camp what it is today, a BEACON for God’s children. We are thankful to those who had a vision for a camp so many years ago. We look forward to continuing that vision as we continue to raise money to rebuild the camp bigger and better for His glory. We know once the planned three buildings are complete, each one of you will be pleased and excited about what you will see. We were pleased to give back to the town of Vandemere with our Third Christmas Celebration held at the camp on Saturday, November 23. We raised the big tent and had special singing by the West Craven Choral Group and a message brought to the group by The Rev. Dale Belvin. Many Christmas trees were decorated and on display for the town’s people to enjoy and then select to take home with them. There were Christmas decorations, toys, household goods, and a yard sale area set up for the townspeople to shop in at no cost to them. The Candy Store and Beverage area provided sweets and refreshment for all who attended. The Camp Vandemere board appreciates all of you that helped in the preparation for this event. Through your labor, prayers, and finances, we again were able to give back to those in need a portion of what God has so richly blessed us with. We ask for your continued support of Camp Vandemere as a new year is upon us. We are praying for

God’s will to unfold before us, reinstating His ministry that was started nearly 50 years ago in providing His people with a camp facility that will be a place of rest, relaxation, and revival. For further information concerning how you can help in the building program of Camp Vandemere, please contact Rick Price, Executive Director, at (252) 6709775 or Victor Jones, Chairman of the Board, at (252) 559-3876.

Beech Receives Sunday School Perfect Attendance Pin

Church & Ministry Positions Available • Robert’s Grove Church, Spivey’s Corner, NC is seeking a full-time minister due to the retirement of long-time pastor, Fred Baker. Please send résumé to Pastoral Search Committee • 304 N. Southerland St. • Mount Olive, NC 28365. • First Church of Wilson, NC is looking to fill the position of a full-time senior pastor. All interested candidates can send a résumé to: First FWB Church, Attention: Terry Johnson • 4865 Nash St. NW • Wilson, NC 27896. • Ordained Minister (38 years experience) is seeking opportunities to serve. Will fill in for vacations, sickness, interim, or pastoral. Available after May 1. Please contact: Braxton Carter (919) 553-7246 [H] or (919) 868-5923 [M] or at <preacherbrack@aol.com>.

Psalms for the Soul with Linda Herring

community connection

Mr. James Beech received his pin for 62 years of Sunday School perfect attendance from Janice Haley, Sunday School Superintendent. Mr Beech is an active member of the Tarboro First Free Will Baptist Church and has served on the Board of Deacons, as Sunday School Superintendent, and as Chairman of the History Committee. For many years he has been the head of the Christmas Jail Ministry at Tarboro First Church, Tarboro NC.

The Bible speaks to us but the Psalms speak for us. The Psalmist wrote, “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my hope.” What is our hope? It is found in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him, for the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with a voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” The sky, not the grave, is our goal. O trump of the angel, O voice of the Lord. Blessed rest, blessed hope of my soul. Are you planning to be there? God loves you and He wants to be with you forever. It is your choice. Do not let the stresses of the day steal your Psalm.

Linda Herring is married to Vernon Herring. They have two children, Amy and Vernon and three grandchildren, Jenna, Jared, and Noah. Linda is an active member of the White Oak Grove OFWB Church in LaGrange, NC. Linda leads a Bible study group, Circle of Friends. She has been a drama director of two dramas that she wrote, They Called His Name Jesus and The Book of Ruth. She is a resource for the OFWB Woman’s Auxiliary. Her outreach ministry includes this column in TFWB, a radio broadcast by the same name (aired on WAGO 88.7 FM), and a weekly devotional article for the La Grange Weekly Gazette and The Sampson Weekly. She also has a devotion book printed by the Mount Olive College Press. 35

A Time to Remember continued from page 5

Original Free Will Baptists of the English General Baptists heritage have the right doctrine and view of the Scriptures as the inspired Word of God. Our Articles of Faith rest squarely on the Scriptures! Our forefathers, John Smythe, Thomas Helwys, John Burton, Thomas Grantham, and many others who followed them have given us a great and noble heritage—a faith “delivered unto the saints!” Original Free Will Baptists are the third oldest religious group in North Carolina. It is a faith centered in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Scriptures. It is a faith that proclaims the central concept of the priesthood of all believers wherein all believers stand equally before God without priest or sacrament, all having equal access to the Holy Spirit, equal citizens in the Kingdom of God, believer’s baptism only, democracy in church government, separation of church and state. We have a great heritage that has come to us through the persecution, imprisonment, sacrifice, and commitment of all those who have gone before us. First Peter 2:9–10 tells us: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…but are now the people of God….” As ancient Israel had a mission to the world, so do we. He has called us to go into the world and share His story! Our life and the future of the world will depend on our faithfulness to the task given to us as the people of God in the world. If we forget the Lord and His calling to us, like Israel, He will reject us and judge us as well. Today, we have the most modern building and facilities in which to worship, the best in our history, but we have a choice to make: either follow Jesus and fulfill His mission to the world, or our buildings will become museums and fossils! It is absolutely imperative that we understand more clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus, to take up a cross, thereby giving up our religious egos, and in some cases, quit worshiping our church CDs (certificate of deposits) and get down to the real business of the Church! Many folks today want the crown but not the cross; want the name, but not the commitment to follow Jesus! Several years ago there was an article in the magazine, The Biblical Recorder, August 2, 2003 where a leading layperson of the Primitive Baptist Church was interviewed. The title of the article was “A Recipe for Church Extinction.” Her number one statement was summed up in six words: “We have no desire to change.” The article lists five ingredients for insuring that a church has no future: 1. Never, never change: do what you have always done. (But how do you grow without some change? A baby must change by growth if they are to become mature adults.) 2. Oppose any innovation: no new worship styles, no Sunday School, etc. 36

3. Minimize education: “The preachers don’t study nothing.” (How do you have a future without prepared leadership? Leadership is necessary whether it be Sears, Wal-Mart, or the Church. It is time we start thinking in terms of our requirements for our ministers to have a four-year educational preparation.) 4. Downplay stewardship. 5. Be satisfied: “The Lord will take care of it all.” Beloved, we can choose to follow the path of the Primitive Baptists and become fossils, or we can choose to follow Christ, be His people in the world as a vibrant, living, growing Body and servant of the God of all creation! The choice is ours! The word of God to Israel was to remember! God’s word to us as Original Free Will Baptists is to remember our mission in the world. God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill us and empower us to live out His calling as His Body in the world and as His Servant in the world. Let us remember who God is—a God of unlimited power and resources, the God of all nations and of all creation. Let us remember what God has done for us and the world at Calvary and in His resurrection. Let us remember the great heritage and mission that God has given us as His people. Let us go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and in His victory to claim the world and serve Him who is the Everlasting One, King of Kings and Lord of Lords who lives and reigns forever and ever! Praise be to God! Amen.

Winterville FWB Church is seeking to hire a full time youth minister. The individual chosen for this position will be expected to plan, develop, coordinate, deliver, and evaluate youth related programs and ministries of Winterville Free Will Baptist Church in partnership with parents, members, and staff. If you are interested, please send a résumé to:

Chris Viverette

Winterville FWB Church Pulpit Committee 489 Cooper Street Winterville, NC 28590

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