THE MESSENGER | FALL 2018
FELLOWSHIP ON THE FIELD
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he Book of Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison around 60-63 A.D. While suffering for the sake of the Gospel and persecuted for his faithfulness to Christ, Paul found comfort in the Lord and rejoiced in Him. His desire was that the same joy permeate the church at Philippi—thus, he wrote to challenge them concerning joyful living. Very interestingly, the first area of encouragement that Paul gives in chapter 1 of Philippians relates to “fellowship in the Gospel.” We, as Baptists, often refer to fellowship as any time we are eating, talking or having an activity together; the word basically means “to have in common.” Paul, however, is referring to much more than the Philippians enjoying a mutual church function. One of the greatest encouragements to joyful Christian living in the midst of ministry and the trials it brings is to know that we have brethren who stand with us, with whom we have a common goal, a common purpose and a common labor in the Gospel. For the missionary serving in a foreign land characterized by differences of food, language and culture, getting together with other believers for reinforcement of their relationship is vitally important. It was recently my privilege to be with multiple BWM families at their annual European retreat in Germany—a time to be reminded of three vital areas of fellowship that Paul demonstrates in our text. Fellowship involves having your brother on your mind (1:3-6). As you reflect on the persecution and imprisonment Paul endured at Philippi in Acts 16, you might be tempted to think that Paul’s memory of the people and the place would produce sorrow. He was
illegally arrested and beaten, placed in stocks, and humiliated publicly. But even those memories brought joy to Paul, because it was through his sufferings that many of the believers at Philippi had opportunity to hear the Gospel. Thus, when he remembered them, he rejoiced.
fellowship. How wonderful to do it face to face in a venue such as we enjoyed in Germany! Fellowship involves keeping your brother in your prayers (1:9-11).
The high priest in the Old Testament wore a special garment, the ephod, over How do we keep a brother on our mind? his heart. On it were twelve stones with Paul’s epistle reminds us of the need of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel continuing communication, either written engraved on them, a jewel for each tribe or verbal. Calling and emailing regularly (Exodus 28:15-29). He carried the people to learn about what over his heart as he is happening in our “For the missionary prayed; so did Paul. brother’s life is a One of the deepest serving in a foreign land vital link in ongoing Christian fellowships characterized by differences fellowship. Even better and joys we can than long-distance of food, language and culture, experience in this life is communication is facegetting together with other at the throne of grace, to-face discussion— praying with and for believers for reinforcement creating a venue for one another. of their relationship is vitally keeping one another important.” on our minds. When we think of praying for other Fellowship involves having your Christians, we too often think of praying brother on your heart (1:7-8). for their physical and financial needs, Have you noticed how often Paul used but Paul focused on their spiritual needs, specifically in the area of having a the phrase “you all” as he writes? This is deeper biblical love. He prayed for their more than an evidence that he was from discernment (v. 9), their integrity (v. 10) southern Turkey. There are at least nine and their fruitfulness (v. 11). As we sought instances of the phrase in this letter—he the Lord together at the European Retreat did not want to leave anyone out, because for each other and for our ministries, we he loved them and longed for them. were forging stronger links in fellowship, How can we tell that we are truly bound in though separated by great ministry distances. love to other Christians? For one thing, we are concerned about them. The believers Paul’s rejoicing in the fellowship in the at Philippi were concerned about Paul and Gospel kept the believers on Paul’s mind, sent Epaphroditus to minister to him. Paul was also greatly concerned about in Paul’s heart and in Paul’s his friends at Philippi, especially prayers. This should be the when Epaphroditus became ill and practical outworking of our could not return (2:25-28). Again, fellowship as well. spending time sharing your heart with a brother or sister in Christ by Dr. Bud Steadman is a vital part of encouraging
HIGHLIGHTS
FROM THE HIGHWAYS & HEDGES
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ollowing intense ministry, Jesus counseled His disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while” (Mark 6:27). These testimonials from the 2018 BWM European missionary retreat demonstrate the wisdom of His words.
“Our benefit from the retreat cannot be overstated. The preaching and the fellowship are absolutely vital to our family’s spiritual well-being. “We appreciated visiting with missionary Our children have friends from years ago, the bold assurance always come back from the retreat with a during the singing, and the reminders by greater love for the ministry, encouraged the speakers as to who we are and what in their own walk with the Lord and we’re doing.” having created priceless friendships. This is a place where no one is ‘performing’ or —Billy and Sophie Allardice, France needing to impress anyone, just spiritually sharpening and being sharpened. The “Among the many blessings, let me relaxing atmosphere allows us to soak in, single out one that evoked grateful tears. once again, those important spiritual truths We were dismayed, years ago, by the that drove us to the mission field. It is a premature departure of Don and Jill time to refresh our minds, strengthen our Vanderhoof from Germany. Against all spirits and refocus our vision.” odds, Bernice and I steadfastly prayed for Don’s recovery from the terrible disease —Frank and Jennie Maietta, Italy that struck him. You can imagine the thrill we experienced this year when we saw our “We all enjoyed the fellowship at the beloved Don and Jill and heard about their retreat. Our kids were looking forward wonderful ministry in western Germany.” to it for weeks, and it turned out to be especially important for them. We were so —Bernard and Bernice Dodeler, France thankful that so many people sacrificed so much so that we could be strengthened in “Among many other blessings, Alice and I this way.” especially appreciate the opportunity to be refreshed through the ministry of the Word —Aaron and Jenny Peterson, Germany in English and encouraged by our friends. We learn from others in Europe and those “The retreat this year was certainly a who come from the States, such as Cindy blessing! The messages from Dr. Steadman Bunker, to minister to us and our children. were encouraging and admonishing at the Our children benefit by being around other same time. Our teens enjoyed the ministry MKs.” of the Stoeckmanns, and Cindy Bunker is the greatest with the children. It is always —Tim and Alice Dysert, Spain good to see old friends (and new folks also). The softball game was great, the “The retreat is always a blessing—this year skits were fun and the fellowship was truly especially! The younger children love Miss a blessing.” Cindy. Pastor and Mrs. Stoeckmann were a great blessing to our teenage boys. The —Tim and Cynthia Peterson, Germany preaching reignited my passion for church planting beyond the scope of our present “We love to see how God fits the speaker’s ministry. I came away with that conviction, messages to our needs, but probably the not just through Dr. Steadman’s teaching greatest benefit is the fellowship with ministry, but also through the fellowship other missionaries. We meet old friends of other like-minded missionaries. We and frequently are able to make new ones. have now decided to make the retreat a No one truly understands missionaries priority, because it is such a great help to like other missionaries. And no one is our whole family!” able to encourage missionaries like other missionaries.” —Les and Jennifer Hill, Ireland —Dr. David and Jean Potter, Hungary
“Joleen and I have made attending the retreat a priority since our first year on the field. By July of our first year in Germany, we realized how drained we were and how much we needed the fellowship. This year was no different! We received great encouragement and spiritual challenges! And we had great fellowship with fellow missionaries, as well as with Dr. Steadman and with ‘Miss Cindy.’ We are so thankful for the refreshment and encouragement the whole week brought to us!” —Joel and Joleen Sandahl, Germany “The retreat is a ‘must do’ for us. God used the retreat in 1990 to show us exactly where He wanted us as missionaries. We have attended every year we were in Europe ever since. It is a blessed, joyful, rich, spiritually valuable, encouraging, fun, comforting, admonishing and active fellowshipping time. The encouragement from other European missionaries is beyond measure, as only another missionary can truly understand our joys and struggles. And our children need to be with each other’s children for the very same reasons. Everyone always leaves with the determination to come back the next year.” —Don and Jill Vanderhoof, Germany
Christmas Gifts The safest way to send monetary gifts to missionaries is through the BWM home office. Donations marked as “Christmas gift” are non-taxable to the missionary, but are not tax-deductible for the donor. BWM will issue a receipt for Christmas gifts—but not a tax receipt. Donors who wish to send tax-deductible gifts should designate their gift as “[missionary name]—additional support.” Christmas gifts should be received by BWM no later than November 30 to ensure the missionaries receive them by Christmas.
MISSION MATTERS Confused about the Call of God? (Part 3) BY DR. BUD STEADMAN
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n our series on the call of God, we have thus far introduced key foundational concepts relating to the subject. This article will illustrate from the Book of Acts the practical outworking of the call of God in the life of Barnabas, one of the first two full-time vocational missionaries. The call of God is based first on the work of the transforming grace of God in the life of a sinner. Barnabas’ story is one of God’s grace— saving, changing and calling. The Scriptures do not tell us when he was saved, but we can infer that it was probably on the day of Pentecost, when Jews from all nations were gathered at Jerusalem for the great feast. As we review the Scriptural record of his life, we discover that he was sacrificial in his giving as a believer (4:36-37), a comforter of those in need (4:36), and a personal encouragement to a new convert named Saul (9:27). Eventually, Barnabas was sent by the church at Jerusalem to a new congregation at Antioch. As a lay leader he was an example in his lifestyle
(11:24), excited about the work of God (11:23), and an exhorter of the believers (11:23). God’s grace was growing him and making him a vessel fit for greater things. By Acts 13, God had placed him into a pastoral role in the church. In such a setting, the call came from God for fulltime vocational missions. The concept that the call of God is an emotional experience apart from ongoing sanctification and service is totally foreign to the New Testament Scriptures. The call of God is a call to the work of the living Word of God. In Acts 12:24, the Scriptures were growing and multiplying—that is, they were being used in the lives of people to save and change them. In such a context, Barnabas was called to the ministry of that Word. Throughout the New Testament the three elements of our Lord’s great commission are linked to the ministry of the Word— evangelism, discipleship (including leadership training) and church planting. These focal points of the work of the missionary are inseparable from his call.
NEW MISSIONARIES BWM had the joy of appointing six missionary families during the months of July and August. These families have all transferred from another mission agency and have the same sending church, Heritage Hills Baptist Church in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, shepherded by Pastor Steve Pittman. Brandon and Regina Bell have been missionaries for nine years and are currently serving the Lord in the Dominican Republic as part of a church-planting team. Brandon is a graduate of Piedmont Baptist College and Maranatha Baptist University. Regina also graduated from Piedmont. The Bells have three children. Email: bbell@baptistworldmission.org Jake and Joy DeWald have been in mission work since 2013. They are a part of the same team in the
In 1 Peter 1:23, we discover that it is the Word of God that births sinners into God’s family. Thus, the call of God is a call to evangelism. In Acts 20:32, the Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesian pastors that the Word of God is that which builds up His people. Thus, the call of God is a call to edification. Finally, in Acts 2:41, it is recorded that those who gladly received the Word were baptized and added to the church. Thus, the missionary must be capable in handling the Word of God. Baptist World Mission has requirements for applicants concerning their formal training and practical ministry relating to the Scriptures. Why? Because the work of missions is the work of the living Word of God. Is God’s grace transforming your life? Are you growing in your capability to use the Word in the lives of others? If so, you may be a candidate for the call of God. The question remains, “Whom does He call?” Next quarter we will consider how His sovereignty plays into His decision concerning those whom He sets apart.
Dominican Republic. Jake is a graduate of Piedmont Baptist College, and Joy graduated from Grace Baptist Bible College. Email: jdewald@baptistworldmission.org
in the Dominican Republic. Adam graduated from Grace Baptist Bible College and Maranatha Baptist University and Seminary. Jodi is a graduate of Piedmont Baptist College. The Pittmans have three children. Email: apittman@baptistworldmission.org
Cleverson and Stefanie Faria have been missionaries for about five years. They are also serving as part of the team in the Dominican Republic. Cleverson is a native of Brazil and is a graduate of Seminario Batista Regular do Sul. He is currently enrolled in Maranatha Baptist University. Stephanie graduated from Piedmont Baptist College. The Farias have three children. Email: cfaria@baptistworldmission.org
James and Joyce Sechrest have 30 years of ministry experience, including 28 years in the pastorate. They are now on deputation to become furloughreplacement missionaries. Both attended Grace Baptist Bible College. Email: jsechrest@baptistworldmission.org
Adam and Jodi Pittman have been missionaries for five years and are also on the team serving the Lord
Peter and Gail Tidd have a burden for the Hispanic population and are currently planting a Hispanic church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Email: ptidd@baptistworldmission.org
ITINERARIES
Dave Canedy
Mike Martin
Steve Anderson
September 15-17
September 16-19
Grace Baptist Bible College Winston-Salem, NC
Hardison Baptist Church Byron, GA
September 30
September 23
Faith Baptist Church Easley, SC
First Baptist Church Rockford, IL
October 1-4
September 26
Bob Jones University Greenville, SC
Woodcrest Baptist Church Fridley, MN
October 14-17
September 30
Beth Eden Baptist Church Fitchburg, MA
Calvary Baptist Church Winona, MN
October 22-24
October 14
Appalachian Bible College Mount Hope, WV
Grace Baptist Church Pelzar, SC
October 29-November 2
October 21
Ambassador Baptist College Lattimore, NC
Faith Baptist Church Warren, MI
December 2-5
October 27-November 6
Prairie Winds Baptist Church Elkton, SD
Administrative Trip Mexico
December 9
November 11
Bible Baptist Church Hudson, WI
Heartland Baptist Church Marysville, OH
January 6
November 25
Calvary Baptist Church Huntsville, AL
Meadowlake Baptist Church Mobile, AL
September 19-23 Meadowlake Baptist Church Mobile, AL
September 30 First Baptist Church Land O’Lakes, FL
October 14-18 Bible Baptist Church Hudson, WI
October 21-24 First Baptist Church Napoleon, MI
October 27-31 Marquette Manor Baptist Church Downers Grove, IL
November 4 First Baptist Church Clarkston, MI
November 11 Faith Baptist Church Davison, MI
November 25 Community Baptist Church Saginaw, MI
January 7-18 Baptist College of Ministry Menomonee Falls, WI
Spring Meadow Baptist Church Franklin, TN
First Baptist Church LaSalle, IL
September 16
January 27
Kevin Brosnan
October 21
October 19-21 Calvary Baptist Church Sun Prairie, WI
November 1-13 Administrative Trip Romania
January 13 Calvary Baptist Church Huntsville, AL
Crooked Creek Baptist Church Athens, GA
October 7 Hillsdale Baptist Church Tampa, FL
October 11-14 West Haven Baptist Church Clemmons, NC
October 28 Community Baptist Church Saginaw, MI (AM)
October 28 Ashley Baptist Church Belding, MI (PM)
October 29-31 Camp CoBeAc Bible Institute Prudenville, MI
October 30 IFBAM Conference Belding, MI
November 11 Grace Baptist Church Norfolk, VA *All BWM administrators will attend the Annual Meeting October 8-10, 2018.
January 20
Pat Delaney
January 27-30
September 30 – October 3
Grace Baptist Church Birmingham, MI
Plainville Baptist Church Plainville, MA
Calvary Baptist Church York, PA
Bud Steadman
October 24-28
September 3-19
Valleyview Baptist Church Northhampton, PA
Korea, Philippines
November 4
Emmanuel Baptist Church Kings Mountain, NC (AM)
Lighthouse Baptist Church Buckingham, PA
September 23
FOLLOW BWM
September 23 Morningside Baptist Church Greenville, SC (PM)
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