Second Baptist Church
Liberty, MO
INSIDE STORIES FROM OKLAHOMA LEGACY: HARVEY THOMAS MISSION IN NEPAL SHARING THE LOVE
Transformation from the Sideline
GETTING TO KNOW: CBF Heartland PEDALIN’ PROF. of WJC|2BC
SPRING 2014
Children from the village of Surya Nigar, Nepal
Second Baptist Church
TABLE OF CONTENTS Sharing Our Stories: Jason Edwards . . . . . . . . . 4 Oklahoma Stories: Steve Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Legacy: Harvey Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Nepal Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sharing the Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Partner Profile: CBF Heartland . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Pedalin’ Professor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
The Bridge | Connecting Our Community Special Thanks to our team: Publication Editor: Sue Wright Production Manager | Graphics: Terri Soper Editing Team: Neita Geilker | Maggie Henderson
Contributing Authors | April 2014 Edition Ed Chasteen Jason Edwards Ellen Gregory Lilly Holt Jeff Langford Harold Phillips Steve Smith Terri Soper Sue Wright
Nepal Story Photography Lizzy Soper | Krishna Acharya Do you have a story you want to share? Do you know of a story we should tell? Do you want to be part of the Bridge Team? Contact us: Sue Wright | suewrights@att.net | (816) 781.1568 Terri Soper | tsoper@2bcliberty.org | (816) 781-2824
Welcome to the Bridge.
Jason Edwards Senior Pastor
Belong. Believe. Become. These words have come to symbolize so much what we’re after as we attempt life together as an evergrowing community of faith. And we hope that they are happening among us simultaneously and sequentially.
There is purpose in the sequence. We led with belong for a reason. We want folks at every level of church life, from newcomer to life timer, to experience belonging. But, of course, we realize there are different levels of belonging. Our goal is that all of us will come to experience the deepest level of belonging possible. This happens when we move from the sequential experience of that first feeling of belonging to the place where belong, believe, and become are happening simultaneously. This is what we mean in our mission statement when we say that Second Baptist Church is committed to fostering meaningful, Christ-centered community. Meaningful Christ-centered community is a place where true belonging nurtures deep transformation. In us. Through us. All around us. But how do we get there? How do we become that kind of community? 3
One of the most powerful tools we have in this endeavor is Story. We have to learn to find ourselves in the larger story of God. And we have to learn to find each other in that Story as well. We do this by learning and sharing. By learning and sharing God’s story. By learning and sharing our stories. At Second Baptist we have many mediums for this: worship, small groups, classes, fun events and shared mission opportunities are a few of the ways we pursue this. But they are not the only ways. We need to share our stories, and in this busy, on-the-go world, we’re always looking for new ways to do that. This is one of those ways. This thing you’re holding in your hand is the first edition of “The Bridge.” It will come out 3 times annually. When you see it, I hope you’ll grab it, open it, and spend some time with it. Because it’s filled with stories. Your stories. Our stories. Stories that unveil and inspire our life together. Stories that may serve as a bridge between us and others. Stories that are meant to celebrate and foster true belonging, so that deep transformation is continually being nurtured in us, through us, and all around us. We hope you enjoy this first step onto the Bridge. May it be one of many each of us takes toward meaningful, Christ-centered community… Stepping forward, Jason
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Steve Smith:
Stories of Oklahoma by Sue Wright
Dr. Paul Stephen (Steve) Smith, retired chaplain at Liberty Hospital, member of Second Baptist, and an expert on Disaster Preparedness— especially in the area of church safety and security—claims a long list of other interests and passions, too. In fact, you might conclude, perusing the list, he’s a man averse to even a second’s dull moment. For example, when he isn’t out of town lending his assistance in places like New York following Hurricane Sandy or Oklahoma left devastated in the wake of May 2013 tornadoes, he’s tending our Second flock on Lightburne Street as a crossing guard—Sunday mornings and during MOPS meetings. You’ll find Steve impossible to mistake for someone else once you get to know him. If he isn’t wearing the orange-bright vest that guarantees your safe passage across our busy streets, he’ll be sporting one of his many hats— derbies, Stetsons, straw, even a motorcycle helmet he dons to zip around Liberty on his motorcycle. In an article to come, Steve will share his story for I AM SECOND, one of our regular features spotlighting the life journeys of folks in our Liberty church. Meanwhile, here’s what Steve has written to remember some of the people he met in Oklahoma while deployed by the American Red Cross as part of their Integrative/Spiritual Care Team four days after the first tornado struck Oklahoma on Sunday, May 19. He was with them for two weeks. – Sue Wright
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JAYCI AND TINA I first met Jayci and her mother, Tina, at the Little Axe Multi Agency Resource Center (MARC). Jayci is 5 years old, and I had taken her to a play area while her mother went through the labyrinth of tables with different agencies that were there to help her family. We met again that night, staying in the same hotel. When another tornado warning came, I played with Jayci until the all clear was declared. Later Tina told me about the experience with the tornado that struck their house. They heard the tornado coming and ran across the road to a neighbor’s tornado shelter. After the tornado had passed, they came out to discover their house was gone, blown away. Nothing was left. They then moved to a hotel for temporary shelter. The next day Tina received an email from one of her high school friends whom she had not seen in 10–12 years. Her friend’s email said, “This has to be your daughter’s picture.” Sure enough, an attachment to the email was a picture of Jayci. Here is what had happened. A woman in Tulsa found the picture in her front yard and put it on her Facebook page. The high school friend saw it and “knew” it was Tina’s daughter. Prior to the tornado, the picture sat in a frame on a table in their living room. It was found, however, 150 miles away, without a frame. The picture had not been torn, folded or defaced in any way; neither was it wet. Working through the high school friend, the picture was returned.
“This has to be your daughter’s picture,” the email from Tulsa said.
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John & Helen
John and Helen were a couple I met at the Shawnee MARC. This is their story. A few years ago, John took money out of his retirement account to have a storm shelter installed in the front yard. The day of the tornado, when they heard the tornado coming, they ran to their shelter, built to accommodate eleven people. They had to hold the door shut as the tornado passed by. When the storm was over, they came out to find their house was gone, only one small thing remaining in the front yard. The item found was a small metal ‘sign’ from a cemetery across the way that funeral directors put down to mark a grave once someone has been buried. The sign they found? It was from Helen’s mother’s grave, whom they had buried a few months earlier.
Julie & Janice
When Julie and Janice left Moore, Oklahoma, that Monday morning for work, they made sure all of their pets were secured in their kennels. Later, hearing about the tornado on its way, they ventured outside their workplace only to see the top of the tornado roar through Moore, leaving its path of destruction. They wanted to jump into their car and race home, but their boss would not allow them to leave. Once it was safe to return to their house, all they found was a concrete slab. They searched everywhere for signs of Mak, Kali, Sunni, Radar, and Philli, but found only one of the dog’s blankets and one of Julie’s military uniforms. Both items were several blocks from the house. Over the next few days they went to all the vets and places receiving lost pets, but none had theirs. Julie and Janice were full of grief. To them, losing their pets felt the same as losing a member of the family. Their animals WERE their family. We spent time talking how they could best memorialize their “pet children.” It was a powerful loss for these women. **********
Beverly
I met Beverly at a rehab hospital in Oklahoma City. She had been taken there following her hospital stay for injuries sustained during the Moore tornado. This is her story, and, sadly, not a happy one. When Beverly and her husband of 39 years heard the tornado coming, they went to an interior room of their house. They had no basement. Beverly sat down on a stool they used in the shower while her husband sat on something else. Hearing the storm coming they joined hands. Suddenly the storm hit the house, and she felt her husband being lifted up, their clasped hands rising in the air. Feeling the house
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around them coming apart, Beverly heard a small voice within her say, “It is OK to let go!” Slowly Beverly released her husband’s hand and saw him fly away. His body would be found the next day. A few minutes after the tornado, Beverly hollered at rescuers she could hear outside the house. When they asked her if she was all right, she said yes, but that she was trapped and would need their help getting out. All of her husband’s side of the room was totally gone; her side, collapsed upon her. In a few moments, the lives of this couple married 39 years, were changed forever.
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Pastor Bond
At the corner of Fish Market Road and Cool Pond Road, stands the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The tornado on Sunday afternoon passed within a quarter mile of it, leaving a field of debris across the way where the funnel passed over Cool Pond. Six days later, I met Pastor Bond, Emmanuel’s minister. This is his story. Members met at the church after the tornado came though that Sunday afternoon. Once they had righted the steeple that had been blown over, the church of 100–120 people began to talk about ways they could help, deciding to buy $138 worth of food and cooking it. The next day as people drove by, they offered food to them. Some folks offered money back in return, but were told there was no charge. In less than a week, the small church was feeding about 900 people a day. Some of it was food they bought and some was donated. The American Red Cross provided 200–300 meals while
Emmanuel continued preparing the rest. In the meantime, Pastor Bond received a call from a food bank offering a refrigerated trailer full of food if the Church could keep the generator running and the food cool. The Pastor asked how much that would cost and was told $150 a day. “Bring the truck,” he said. Then, no sooner had he hung up than the phone rang again. A man asked what the church needed, and Pastor Bond told him they needed diesel fuel. The man responded by saying he would give them $800 for additional fuel. The following day, Pastor Bond realized he had forgotten to order the fuel: but noticing a group of Mennonite volunteers were about to leave, he decided he would ask them if he could buy some of theirs. Instead of selling him the fuel, they gave him what they had. During the transfer of diesel, another person drove up and said when they ran out he would share some of his. Two weeks later, they had yet to use the $800 first donated for fuel. I came to call Emmanuel a Miracle Church.
Emmanuel Baptist Church
The wife of Pastor Bond told me this story. An organization came to Emmanuel with six or seven large pans of brisket. These pans, similar to what you would find in a cafeteria, were 3 inches deep and measured 15” x 30”. Each was running over with freshly cooked brisket. The pastor’s wife said about an hour later she thought to herself, “We’re going to need some buns for this brisket.” In just a few minutes, a truck pulled up and unloaded several racks of buns and bread, more than enough to serve with the brisket. But there’s more to the story. Beginning about three weeks before the tornado struck, the Church had an opportunity to purchase a commercial ice maker that retailed for $7,000, but was made available to them for a purchase price of only $3,000. The ice maker, which under normal circumstances would have seemed much too large for a church their size, was now, since the storm, pushed to the max to supply enough ice to preserve the food they were cooking and quench the thirst of volunteer groups stopping by. Emmanuel, a small, country church made a huge impact on its community by supplying basic essentials such as food and water. Their small fellowship hall was packed with paper products, water, Gatorade, food to be cooked and staples to be given away. Non-church members worked alongside church members in the kitchen and food distribution area. A woman who accompanied her son from Texas called some of her friends at home and soon three empty trailers were donated to store food and other items. Indeed, Emmanuel Baptist is a Miracle Church! **********
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LEGACY: HARVEY THOMAS A Liberty Tribune Column About A 2BC Treasure by Sue Wright When I came to Liberty in 1962, I knew two things about this county seat with nary a stoplight and a bustling town square. First, I knew the Oberkroms had moved here from Independence while our families were attending church together at Mt. Washington Baptist in Fairmount, Missouri. And second, I knew with all my heart William Jewell College was the prettiest site for higher education I had ever seen and that it would to be my home of choice for the next four years. Little did I know both Liberty and Jewell would still mean HOME to me, all these decades later. But why now when everything you need to live out a satisfying life—all the people, all the amenities required to raise a family— are here in what has continued to be my hometown of choice. Early on, Jewell’s hilly campus and its host town was like a giant playground-in-one for this girl from a suburb of Kansas City-- for someone totally on foot as I was for the first time in my life. I not only walked to where I studied in the classrooms of unforgettable professors like Bruce Thomson, Earl Whaley, Ed Chasteen, Norris Patterson, Murray Hunt, D.O. Moore, Charles Newlon, Myra Unger, Coaches Gourley, Flook, and Nelson, Richard Harriman, Pop LaFrenz, Will Adams, and Wesley Forbis, but I walked to where I bought my groceries, banked, and consumed scrumptious butterscotch sundaes at Beggs’ soda fountain. Between classes, I checked out the clothes at Lucille Davis, window shopped Braun’s and Whiteside Jewelry, clomped the quaint wooden floors of Breipohl Drugs and Boggess Hardware, dawdled the aisles of Mr. Scott’s dime store, and filled my senses full with the sweet bouquets of Fischer’s Flowers. I was also one of the co-eds back in those “golden days” that teetered down Franklin Street in high heels and gloves to worship at Second Baptist every Sunday. Sure, there were mornings when my girlfriends and I would have preferred sleeping in, but once we were welcomed into the fold by Harvey Thomas, our regular Sunday School
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Harvey Thomas
September 22, 1925–April 16, 2013
teacher, we seldom missed. As I wrote just lately to remember Dr. Thomas, a graduate of Jewell, industrial psychologist, and unapologetic fan of all things Liberty, “His beaming smile and the nimble, invigorating connections he so masterfully linked between scripture and what was happening in our lives—AND his—led us, his avid listeners, to appreciate the God-flame burning bright within him—one he was bent on firing in us.” Through the years—for fifty years—Harvey went on being the “enduringly cordial and caring face of my Sunday mornings at Second, embodying for me the very spirit of a Christ living amongst us, a spirit alive and stepping daily through the streets of Liberty.” It’s a sad fact, but many of the unique personalities who have made our town the electric spot it is, are gone now, including Harvey Thomas who died in May. Those of us blessed to spend time with any of these remarkable men and women—with Harvey—feel the lights of Liberty flicker and grow dim each time one passes. In the midst of our loss, we wonder how those lights can dare shine on with any brilliance. And yet somehow they do and will, we trust, for years to come. The reason why—the third thing I learned about Liberty along the way- it’s a place with “staying” power—for certain, enough wattage to keep this college girl in town!
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About Harvey Thomas Harvey was born September 22, 1925, in Marshall, MO, to David Monroe and Sue Elizabeth Thomas. He enjoyed a wonderful childhood growing up in Marshall with his seven sisters. He excelled in his public school education and participated in debate and music. While in high school he was accepted into the Navy V12 officer training program at Missouri Valley College and later was graduated from the Northwestern University Midshipman’s School in 1945. He served aboard the Flagship U.S.S. Taconic as a Tactical Radar and Photography Officer until the war suddenly ended and many young men of his generation returned home.
Dr. Thomas excelled in the complex dynamics of interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Over the years he shared his considerable expertise in individual counseling, group training and personnel research with the management of many Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike. His perceptive approach to executive selection, career development and team-building was widely recognized, along with his insightful writing on such subjects as creativity, learning theory, and interviewing techniques.
Harvey continued his education at William Jewell College and was graduated in 1947 where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and the Pi Kappa Delta Debate Society. While in college he met Irene Simon who became his wife and best friend over an amazing 65 years of marriage. Following college graduation Harvey and Irene moved to St. Louis where he attended Washington University to pursue a PhD in Psychology, graduating in 1953. While at Washington University, Harvey received an invitation to join the Sigma Xi Society for scientific research.
Harvey was an accomplished violinist. He loved all types of music and performed throughout his life as a soloist and member of several orchestras.
Harvey and Irene returned to William Jewell where, at age 23, he became Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychology. They have spent many years since then living in Liberty while raising a family of three boys. Changing careers, he joined the firm of Nordli, Ogan, Wilson, Consultants to Management in New York City. He later founded his own consulting firm, Thomas and Associates, Inc., continuing to practice until retirement in 2009.
Harvey enjoyed teaching Sunday School for many years. In 1996, he received the William Jewell College Citation for Achievement and in 2003, the Entrepreneurial Mentor of the Year award from the Kansas City Business Journal.
He loved all types of ships and was always engaged in building a new ship model for his extensive collection of sailing vessels. Harvey was an avid hiker and, over the years, returned to England, Ireland, and France for long “walks in the countryside.” He was never without his trusty pedometer and logged over 1,000 miles per year for more years than anyone can remember. He gave away many pedometers in hopes of helping others discover the joy he found in walking every day.
Harvey & Irene Thomas
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Mission in NEPAL
Transformation from the Sideline by Terri Soper
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T
raveling on mission right now is not an option for me. Physical restrictions and personal commitments prevent me from being a viable traveler, but that didn’t stop me from investing my heart, time, and talents in helping the 2BC Nepal mission team develop tools, gather resources, and prepare for their trip last summer. I become a “virtual traveler” to Nepal. While the team was in Nepal, I assembled the photos and stories to share back here and online on the websites, prayed for them, and upon their return from NepaI, helped the team sift through the feedback information and brainstorm on optional next steps. I have come to realize that this, too, is missions. This contribution can count in the lives of others. This is an opportunity for transformation. Practicing my faith and giving of myself toward the enrichment of another’s life holds in it the miracle of Jesus’ teaching. The more selflessly you give, the more enriched your life. I hope you read this story with an open heart. You, too, can participate, no matter the hurdles, commitments, or barriers you experience, even if it’s from the sidelines. Helping a team prepare, assisting them when they return, and praying for the endeavor can all be part of a meaningful missional experience for everyone. And, even though the primary goal of missions isn’t self-transformation like the Nepal relationship has shown me, through God’s grace transformation is delivered and the experience enriches our relationship with Christ. He promises.
Here is the unique story of our mission in Nepal. Where it Began Last January I met an amazing young man from Nepal. He is articulate, engaging and passionate about his homeland of Nepal. Krishna Acharya is an inspiring 31-year-old man. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a masters degree in Information Systems from the University of Arkansas in Fayettville, where he has studied for the last six years. And that is where our story starts.
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In 2009, Ron Whited, member of 2BC, was in Arkansas providing technology consultation and training for Walmart’s Corporate headquarters, where Krishna worked, when their paths crossed. As Ron says, it was “the gentle hand of God” that started their friendship that week. Krishna and Ron became fast friends and soon Krishna shared with Ron his personal vision for helping the people of his native Nepal. Krishna is Hindu and was born and raised in the monarchy that was Nepal. Krishna traveled to the US in 2007 to study. Ron shared his love of Christ and his faith story with Krishna, and a vision on how through Christ “all things are possible.” So began their journey together. Upon visiting Ron in Kansas City, Krishna met 2BC member Loulla Efstathiou. Loulla is a native of Cyprus and a true citizen of the world. She has a passionate Christian heart and monumental gift for missions. Loulla was an elementary teacher for over 30 years and had taught here in the Liberty Public School District. Loulla offered Krishna a glimpse at a piece to his puzzle—
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how to help the children of Nepal learn English effectively. English, what Krishna calls the gateway language, is a critical key to finding a path to a better life in Nepal and the world. Improving the English teaching methods in the public schools of Nepal was one of the three big goals Krishna held for his homeland. The wonderful thing about how this effort in Nepal is, it began with members of our congregation. Grassroots passion that did not come from one of our ministry partners, like CBF. No, this evolved from the stirrings of a few in our 2BC faith family into a fully implemented mission effort. Now, you might say, how can one young man effect such big change in an entire country’s school system? Let me share a little about Nepal. About Nepal Nepal is a small landlocked country about the size (square miles) of Iowa. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People’s Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. Its population is about 27 million. It is often referred to as the
top of the world as it is the home to the eight of the ten tallest mountains on earth, including the highest peak, Mount Everest (called Sagarmatha in Nepali). Hinduism is practiced by over 80 percent of Nepalis, making it the country with the highest percentage of Hindus. It is also the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. Nepal had been ruled by a monarchy since 1768 until 2008, when a decade-long violent civil war between the Maoist guerilla fighters and the ruling monarchy concluded with the elections for the constituent assembly that abolished the monarchy and established a federal multiparty representative democratic republic. An interim government was put into place, ending ten years of guerilla warfare and ending the killing of over 15,000 civilians throughout the small country. With the new, more peaceful, republic in place, building a more vital Nepal was at hand. This is where Krishna’s vision gained some momentum and hope was ignited.
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In 2010, Krishna invited Loulla and 2BC member Ann Henning, also a retired teacher, to visit him in his village during their planned mission trip to nearby India. The two teachers visited and saw first hand the struggles the village and country were having. Armed with a few teaching tools and good hearts, the two did what they could, but they knew more could be done. In 2012, Krishna organized a group of friends and family from his native village that shared his vision and inspiration. Their goal was to put together a development plan for improving the opportunities to escape
poverty for Nepali citizens through improved educational processes and grass-root economic development. They would begin their efforts in their home villages. He named the organization Everest Outreach; as with the mountain peak it’s named for, the team knew their goals were huge and the effort to accomplish them would be great. In the fall of 2012, plans began to emerge between Krishna and Loulla for a second, more focused trip to his village. Loulla called on a team of volunteers, Christian women, who were educational
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professionals. The team of education professionals was led by Dr. Barbara Wippich, a curriculum specialist and retired employee with the Liberty Public School district; Vicky Personett, language specialist, teacher and 2BC member; Betty Curry, an English as a Second Language specialist; and Jane Skinner, a school administrator and teacher. The scholars pooled their knowledge and generated a basic curriculum and several teaching tools. The Nepali teachers, most of whom barely knew English, faced the challenge of teaching English to their elementary grade level students.
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Our team of Christians teachers, armed with minimal information about what would be helpful, researched and developed a method that was basic, supportive and sensitive to the Nepali culture, and a method that offered great opportunity for input from the Nepali teachers once on site. The team was also very intentional about their method and manner being grace-filled, open, and caring . . . allowing them to be the presence of Christ in a world that didn’t know Him. It was a good, flexible, measurable plan. A place to start. Until the civil war, Christians in Nepal were not able to practice their faith openly as the monarchy only
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supported the Hindu religion. It was an actual crime for Christians to come volunteer or to evangelize in Nepal until 2006. Plans were solidified and a trip was planned for June 5 through 22, 2013. THE TRIP The team traveling to Nepal included Loulla Efstathiou, Betty Curry, Jane Skinner and their young helper, 2BC member, Lizzy Soper (my eighteen year-old daughter). Krishna traveled ahead of the team two weeks prior to their visit to set things up and to solicit a team of volunteers and secure
accommodation for the team. The four women arrived in Nepal after two days of travel via Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (not a travel route we took lightly for four women). The team flew into Nepal via Katmandu then boarded a smaller plane that took them over the mountains to Krishna’s village of Surya Nagar in south central Nepal. As they shared, it was “a world quite unique and wonderful.” Their visit was originally planned with one school. But as word traveled of the pending visits, four other district schools contacted Krishna’s team and asked to
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be included. The team would spend five days with five schools in Krishna’s home district. Mornings were spent with Betty and Jane working in a group with all the teachers from the schools in a training session at one consolidated site. Loulla and Lizzy would manage a small team of volunteers that would serve in the classrooms with the children while their teachers received instruction. The gracious ceremony with which the team was received was striking. The children would line up on both sides of a long path with flowers to add to a necklace they draped around the visitors necks as they progressed through the welcoming gateway. Inside the host school, speeches from the school principals and the Everest Outreach team members were all laced with gratitude and humility toward their new friends from the United States. Likewise, the 2BC team took time to introduce themselves and thanked their hosts for the opportunity to learn, listen and share their knowledge, saying they looked forward to building this relationship. Krishna helped translate the speeches to the team and vice-versa. The cement structures of each school, walls and floors, were all sparsely furnished with simple tables and sometimes, benches for the students to
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sit on. No common space or hallways. Each class room emptied directly outdoors. A chalkboard was a luxury item and the teachers’ only tool. No computers, no electricity, no lighting, no plumbing. Children wear uniforms in an attempt to neutralize the ever-present Hindubased caste system. Even though a law in 1962 was passed making it illegal to discriminate against the untouchable castes, much like in the world at large, discrimination continues today. Education is now free and open to all castes, and most recently, since the democratization, public education is open to both genders, including lower caste women for the first time in history. Discrimination, although not allowed institutionally, is still practiced, though declining, socially. The new fledgling democracy understands the need to neutralize the discrimination practice to accomplish public education. But the tradition runs deep. The mornings were full of relationship building, sharing and listening intently to questions and struggling to bridge the language barrier with information that would be useful and able to be implemented by the teachers. Likewise, the team tried to be sensitive to how their new friends were receiving the information and whether their body
language said they were engaged and understanding. On both sides, the mornings were rich with purpose and trust-building opportunities. On the children’s side, Loulla and Lizzy traveled to the schools that were participating, offering each a morning of organized recess, not a practice found in Nepali education. This time of physical activity focused on a loosely structured, team-based activity. The team came prepared to introduce the children to “noodle tag.” What a hit. Each child received a slice of a foam pool noodle cut down to about 20 inches long. Loulla would bring a few children up front, show them how to bop each other, explain the few rules, and then she would proceed to chase them around the open area or field inviting them all to join in. As you can imagine, the freedom, the novelty, and the ability to venture outside their normal behavior norms made noodle tag a huge success. Additionally, the team taught the children short English songs which provided efficient practice for their English and again, being outside the normal school behavior realm for them, made the singing just as intoxicating as the game of tag had been. The children were very curious about the youngest on the visiting team, Lizzy. They were openly drawn to her
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youth and, most interestingly, to the pale color of her skin and her hair color and texture. They all wanted to touch her, as if the color suggested there might be a unique texture or feel to her skin. Their smiles and bright eyes were addictive to Lizzy. As she described, they each “crawled right inside my heart.” The team tried to offer enough time in their committed schedule for the children to just be with Loulla, Lizzy and their volunteers. Taking the time to show attention, kindness, and acceptance to any child who approached them was a goal. Though they most likely do not know Christ in their world, we hoped their first experience with Christians would be one where they felt valued and accepted. A small start to a long journey. The week passed quickly, each day bringing new friends, new faces, and new opportunities to connect for the children’s team and building trust and confidence for the teaching team and their pupils. The end of the week brought a great celebration for the teachers: celebration that Krishna’s Everest Outreach team invested heavily in—a certification ceremony for those teachers that completed the week with them.
Much to our team’s surprise, the primary Nepali national television station heard what Krishna’s Everest Outreach was doing and joined the team on the last day to broadcast the ceremony. Speeches of thanks by the School District leaders and by Krishna, Loulla, and other members of Everest Outreach were made. Each teacher received a certificate of completion for the five-day curriculum, and a hand shake from all the team members. The good-bye gestures were as ceremonial as the team’s greeting, full of flowers and smiles and thanks as the team prepared to depart. Lizzy shared, “The ability to invest myself, my energy, and my heart in the lives of other people and, as selflessly as possible, to focus on their needs and help them get results is what Mike [Lassiter] has always taught via our South Dakota relationship. ‘Never doing for them what they can do for themselves, but learning where an investment of our hearts, skill, efforts, resources, and relationship can help meet their defined needs and help effect the changes they want to make,’ Mike shares, ‘. . . is what it’s all about.’ I can see myself as part of this Nepali community here long-term and really want to commit to a longer relationship here. I saw first hand what Mike has
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always shared about ‘toxic charity’ and the ‘four Rs.’ This trip really helped make it real for me. I get it now.” The week was a whirlwind. But the work of Everest Outreach had just begun. Careful implementation began of ongoing follow-up to our first structured week. Krishna’s team has spent the last six months doing follow-up and monitoring, assessing implementation, and gathering direct feedback from the teachers on what they found helpful and where issues still need to be resolved. Krishna has visited on-site at the schools to see where the gaps and opportunity to do more might be. This evaluation phase was a key part of the strategy to effect improvement in the teachers’ ability to instruct the children in English. Additionally, due to the broadcasting of the certification ceremony, Krishna was featured and interviewed on the popular Nepali national morning show which is much like our Good Morning America. (See the interview at http:// youtu.be/btRon64lhg4). Other school districts have contacted him, and government officials have been in conversation with Krishna about the approach and implementation plans.
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As 2014 begins, plans for the next phase of Everest Outreach’s educational efforts are taking shape, as are plans for the first phase of a microbusiness development plan. Currently, a team to assist in the exploration of micro-business enterprises is being recruited. The team will learn more about the Nepali villages and explore opportunities to share knowledge such as canning, jam and preserve making, perhaps even sewing, as opportunities to financially leverage their existing agricultural abundance and meet market needs. Loulla will be traveling with a team of college students back to continue the
teaching support and learning more about how we might support their efforts. The team will be traveling from May 30 –June 25, 2014 and there is still room for anyone interested in making the trip with the team. It is an exciting time to be the presence of Christ in a world so ripe with new hope. It will be amazing to see how God’s plans for us unfold. ___________ Now, you might ask, sideline transformation? Yes, I can tell you that from the beginning of this relationship with Krishna, to the villages in Nepal, to being able to tell the team’s story, to sending my only child around the world
to serve, I’ve invested in their vision. Seeing my daughter’s spiritual journey and her relationship with Christ mature is transforming for a mother. Learning to listen to God stirring my heart as it relates to my efforts toward Nepal and the team, is transforming. And, belonging to a strong faith community, believing in Christ, and becoming a part of efforts toward being the presence of Christ in the world IS transforming. Missions is more than just giving money and resources and traveling. It’s investing whole-heartedly, and selflessly what you can. Is God stirring your heart in this direction? What’s holding you back? For more information about Second Baptist’s missions teams and exploring missions opportunities contact: Mike Lassiter, Associate Pastor mlassiter@2bcliberty.org | 816.781.2824 ext 307 See the Certificate Ceremony and the Morning Show interview with Krishna on YouTube: Certificate Ceremony http://youtu.be/46pdv7r1sv0 Morning Show Interview http://youtu.be/btRon64lhg4
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The BRIDGE | Second Baptist Church | Liberty, MO | 2bcliberty.org
The BRIDGE | Second Baptist Church | Liberty, MO | 2bcliberty.org
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sharing the love . . .
2bc student ministry story. by Lilly Holt
A few months ago, our youth group here at Second Baptist had the pleasure of meeting a lovely young lady named, Bailey. Bailey is a student at Osage High School who our youth leader, Jordan Groves, got to know better as coach of the girls’ tennis team at Osage. One Sunday night, Jordan shared with us that there was a student on his tennis team who was about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and her parents would be out of town on her special day, leaving her all alone. Jordan proposed that we throw Bailey a surprise party at Minsky’s on her birthday, and he had a plan. He planned to go to dinner with Bailey and the other girls on the tennis team. He suggested any who would like to come from the church could trail in and seat themselves at other tables throughout the restaurant at staggered intervals. When Jordan got up from the table to “use the restroom,” we were all to put on our party hats, walk over to their table, and start singing “Happy Birthday.” Jordan also suggested we make a card for Bailey and hand it to her after we sang. That night, we all got together and did exactly
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what was planned. It worked like a charm. Bailey was so surprised, and I’m sure probably a little confused. Why would a group of strangers hand her handmade cards and sing to her when she didn’t know us and we didn’t know her? But her smile and tears indicated we had been successful in touching her heart. When I left Minsky’s that night, I felt clean and fresh. All who were there at Minsky’s that night, I’m sure, learned a very special lesson: doing for others feels much better than doing for yourself, even if those people are complete strangers. It is a lesson for all. God is always first, your neighbors are always second, and you are always, always last. Also, don’t forget, when you act out of kindness, don’t expect anything in return but for God’s love to surround you as it has before.
Want to learn more about 2BC’s Student Ministry? Here’s where you’ll find us: Facebook/Second Baptist Student Ministry 2bcliberty.org/student ministry Contact: Tyler Tankersley Associate Pastor for Student Ministry & Spiritual Formation ttankersley@2bcliberty.org 816.781.2824 ext 305
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“... whatever you did for one of the least of these ... you did for me.” — Matthew 25:40
God’s mission, your passion
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship www.fellowship.info/give
Church goal: ________________
WHAT IS THE COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP?
1020P002
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a community of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. Our mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission. Our vision is to be a national and global community bearing witness to the gospel in partnership with Christians across the nation and around the world.
Churches rarely grow beyond the capabilities and development of their leaders, including the laity. The challenges faced by today’s congregational leaders can be complex. CBF Heartland offers training, guidance and experience for church leaders in many areas.
For more than twenty years, CBF has been driven by its mission to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission. CBF Heartland serves individuals and churches throughout Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, and North and South Dakota as they seek to fulfill their God-given purpose.
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship can help you personalize missions right next door or around the world. As you participate where God is working, you can be the presence of Christ and also see the presence of Christ in others. The Fellowship provides volunteer opportunities for individuals, missions teams or students, including youth groups. Service is a significant way to be a part of the ongoing work of the Fellowship.
CBF Heartland offers a wide variety of resources, networking and expertise to help churches meet the challenges of the 21st century. Our goal is to help each church follow Christ in its unique way. Resources for churches include staff search expertise, leadership training, technical advice, including website development, and more. We help ministers—both new and experienced— navigate the paths of ministry. Resources include peer learning groups, confidential search support, professional development opportunities, networking and more.
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Young Baptists are an important and growing part of CBF Heartland. We offer opportunities to connect to missions internships, retreats and other resources.
CBF Heartland invites involvement in one or more of its ministry teams. These small groups help strategize, organize and energize the work of the Fellowship in the Midwest. CBF Heartland Project Teams Bosnian Ministry Disaster Response Camp Connect Emerge Leadership
Collegiate Ministry Roma Partnership Greensboro Sessions Haiti Rebuilding
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One of the wonderful things about our relationship with CBF Heartland is not only that they work with us but they are “of” us. Coincidentally, all three staff members at CBF Heartland call 2BC their faith home. Here is a closer look at our CBF Heartland team.
Me & CBF By Harold Phillips
Many people at Second Baptist know me only as Gwen’s husband, the spouse of a 2BC staff member. When we first came here from Louisville, the roles were reversed. I was the church’s Minister of Education and Gwen was the spouse. No question, Second has the better deal today. When I left Second to become CBF of Missouri’s first coordinator, it was probably a foolish move. I was leaving a stable career in a great church for something brand new. But the move actually proved one of my favorite sayings—“God looks after fools.” On my first, fun visit to Bucharest in 2008 I fell in love with the people and with the music of Eastern Europe. One of the visits on that trip was to stop by the Ruth School in the Ferentari area of Bucharest— CBF is one of the proud sponsors of this school. It is the area with a concentration of Roma/ gypsy people. People in Bucharest say to avoid Ferentari at all costs, for personal safety. Instead, that 2008 visit and follow up contacts led me to a profound appreciation for the accordion. Gwen humored me with one as a birthday gift. For Christmas 2010, she offered to pay for weekly lessons for me. That gift is now entering its fourth year. The week that I write this note, I am at the Gypsy Smith School. This “school” is for Roma pastors and church leaders and is sponsored by CBF. This week there are 26 students. I am with two pastors from Missouri and Illinois. Last year Tyler Tankersley was one of the teachers, and one of my goals is to recruit Jason Edwards one year. During the breaks, these Roma guys burst forth in lively singing accompanied by accordion. It is like Heaven to me. What started as a stop on a fun trip to Romania in October 2008 has blossomed into a two-pronged Roma Road Partnership with CBF Heartland and CBF field personnel in Slovakia and a teaching partnership with Roma pastors in Bucharest, Romania. God does, indeed, look after fools. Be careful when you become attracted to accordion music— you might hear the Voice of God calling you to Eastern Europe and God’s love for the Roma people. The BRIDGE | Second Baptist Church | Liberty, MO | 2bcliberty.org
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Why I work for CBF by Jeff Langford
I never wanted to work in a church or for a church-related organization. When I was a teen, friends would ask if I planned to be a preacher. Youth leaders would suggest I consider seminary, but my answer had always been no. The reason: I had never heard God calling me in that direction (and still don’t). Yet here I am, entering my tenth year as associate coordinator of CBF Heartland. I blame Second Baptist Church. A few years after coming to Second, I joined a Renovare small group with several other guys, including Harold Phillips. Over the two years we met, it became apparent that God was doing something in our midst, and I experienced a deepened, almost tangible, awareness of Christ’s presence in my life. God worked in our professional lives as well: almost every member of our group made a significant career change during our time together. The change for me was to a new career with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I was an odd choice for the job. First, I was the first non-clergy person to be a full-time staff member at CBF of Missouri (now CBF Heartland). My hiring process resembled a pastor search, complete with a search committee, personality profile, psychological evaluation, theological assessment, and background check. Second, I wasn’t a survivor of the infamous Baptist conflict, like so many of my new CBF colleagues. To tell you the truth, I really didn’t care that much about being a Baptist. I came to CBF because I had the communications and management skills the organization needed. And, because of my time at Second Baptist, I cared deeply about helping people experience Christ’s presence in the same way I had. I cared about helping people share in God’s Kingdom, in their churches and with their friends and neighbors. My spiritual re-formation at Second Baptist had stirred a passion in me that I wanted to share. What I didn’t know was how strongly my own passion resonated with CBF’s vision to “be the presence of Christ” and its mission of “serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.” I had become a Cooperative Baptist, and I didn’t even know it. When I was first hired at CBF, I told people it was a great marriage of my professional skills and my personal passions. Ten years later, when people ask why I work for CBF, I tell them about Christ’s presence, and I tell them some of the ways God is transforming the world through the Fellowship. I tell them God is already working in and around us all. That’s something I learned at Second Baptist Church.
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My Journey to CBF by Ellen Gregory
As a college student at Missouri Western State University, I was taking general classes and uncertain what my major would be. My best friend decided to focus on computer programming, so I figured that would be as good as anything else. (What a way to choose a career path!) After graduation, jobs just fell into place. I loved being a programmer and time passed. I progressed from Programmer, to Programmer/Analyst, and eventually to Systems Analyst. I worked my way up the corporate ladder till I had the big job, the big office with the big window plus the big desk, and all the responsibility, stress, and anxiety that goes along with it. In the midst of this journey, we moved to Liberty and became involved members at Second Baptist Church. After Lindsey was born, I began to struggle with career vs. motherhood. Could I really be the mother I wanted to be while working long, hard, and sometimes odd hours? Emmy was born and the struggle doubled. I prayed long and hard about these life-changing struggles. Larry and I talked and calculated. Sherry McGlaughlin, who was on staff here at Second, was a big source of support and encouragement and finally in June 1999, after 20 years of working outside the home, I resigned my job and began life as a stay-at-home mom. Lindsey would be starting first grade in the fall and Emmy was two years old. This change proved to be a big “shock to my system” all the way around. In December, 1999, Harold Phillips asked if I would be interested in a part-time job with CBF of Missouri (now CBF Heartland). I jumped at the chance and, beginning January 2, 2000, went to work three days a week as the Office Manager. This has proved over and over to be such a blessing for me. Working for CBF afforded me the flexibility to work, yet have time at home with my girls and do those important school, scouting, and church activities with them. I was able to be at home when they arrived from school. But even more than all this, my job at CBF gives me opportunities to see and participate in the myriad of ministries that make up CBF Heartland. I may be the one who is left behind in the office to pay bills, answer phones, and keep the office running, but I see the good work that Harold and Jeff do each day. I speak to those on the phone who need or have experienced the support and expertise my co-workers can provide. I meet and correspond with CBF affiliates around the world, and it is fun when, working with our GA girls here at Second, we study CBF Field Personnel and I can say, “I know them.” God provides in so many wondrous and unexpected ways and I am thankful daily for the chance to be a part of Second Baptist Church and CBF Heartland.
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Pedalin’ Prof. by Ed Chasteen For more than a century and a half William Jewell College has sat atop a hill on the east side of our town, a place called Liberty, in our state called Missouri. Kansas, Franklin and Mississippi Streets all end at the college, Kansas being a one-way street into the college on its south side; Franklin, one-way from the college on the north side, leaving Mississippi the only two-way street in and out. All three streets run parallel to one another, each one block from the other, all lined with homes dating from long ago. From the college one block down Franklin comes Lightburne Street, and on the corner of Lightburne and Franklin stands Second Baptist Church, having been there since 1849, even before the college came in 1859. Early classes at the college were held at the church, a practice made easy since both were Baptist. Second Baptist Church occupies the entire block between Lightburne on the east, Leonard on the west, Kansas on the south and Franklin on the north. Being close in both distance and doctrine, Second Baptist became the unofficial college church, attended by faculty and students, sharing programs and personnel. Both the church and the college were affected by the turmoil in the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1980’s and 90’s. Both withdrew from the SBC.
notion and expanded it two blocks east to include both church and college. Both now, in my mind, became this little piece of God’s good earth. When in 1987 I rode my bicycle alone and without money from Orlando to Seattle to Anaheim, I would ride 125 miles on my longest days. So when I had been back a while, I drew a map with my college, my church and my community at its center and going out in all directions for 125 miles. Greater Liberty, I dubbed this little piece of God’s good earth. This name I chose only in part because our town is called Liberty. By Greater Liberty I mean to describe not only a place but also a principle; in fact, primarily a principle. The principle is this: We all have Greater Liberty than we know to live above and beyond all the limitations other people expect of us and we too easily assume. Limitations of race, religion, nation, income, education, gender, age. Greater Liberty, the place, extends north from our town of Liberty to Creston, Iowa, and south to Carthage, Missouri; west to Manhattan, Kansas, and east to Columbia, Missouri, including 104 counties in parts of four states: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. This little piece of God’s good earth is Greater Liberty, the place. Greater Liberty, the principle, grants those who embrace When Dub Stiencross was pastor of Second Baptist in the it the opportunity to become World Class Persons, able 1980’s, he often described the church as “this little piece to go anyplace at anytime and talk to anyone about of God’s good earth”. As a faculty member at the college anything and feel safe. This little piece in God’s good earth is Greater Liberty, the principle. and a member of the church, I grabbed hold of that
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from WJC & 2BC In 1985, Second Baptist Church appointed me “Ambassador to Other Communities of Faith,” giving me permission and authority to take our folks to visit other faith communities and to invite others to visit us, understanding that we did not come to join them or change them, only to build bridges over troubled waters that might in the future come between us. When a Klansman in Louisiana was elected to their State Legislature in 1988, my students and I at William Jewell formed an organization we called HateBusters, and, by invitation of the governor, we went to Baton Rouge to help the state redeem itself. Word got out, and we began to be invited all over the country by governors, mayors, ministers, rabbis, imams, schools, colleges, civic clubs, prisons, police departments. So in demand did HateBusters become that in 1995, I left William Jewell to devote all my time to HateBusters. I wrote a book, “How to Like People Who Are Not Like You,” that we used at WJC and 2BC. I sent word by email to newspapers in all 104 Greater Liberty county seat towns that HateBusters would come, free of charge, to help anyone hurt by hate in their little piece of God’s good earth. My vision for WJC and 2BC and the surrounding 125 miles in all directions, the place I call Greater Liberty, is fueled by my lifetime in the church and by Don Quixote’s response to his well-meaning friends who think he is crazy, want him to abandon his quest, and advise him that “wickedness wears thick armor.”
“And for that you would have me surrender?” he asks. “Nay, the enchanter may confuse the outcome ten thousand times, still must a man arise and again do battle, for the effort is sublime.” WJC and 2BC have entrusted me, on their behalf and in their name, to go forth in this little piece of God’s good earth we call Greater Liberty to seek greater liberty for those who might thereby be encouraged and inspired to become World Class Persons. And when some who live in Greater Liberty can go anywhere at anytime and talk to anyone about anything and feel safe, all who live in Greater Liberty will find their days more peaceful and their lives more productive. So in my fire engine red PT Cruiser, license # H8BSTR, I will, by invitation, drive to each county seat town and park on the town square. I will open the hatchback and take out my red bicycle: “Ed Chasteen” written on either side of the top tube; “HATEBUSTERS” on both sides of the seat post; “The Pedalin’ Prof” on the right side of the down tube “from William Jewell College” on the left. I will ride around town, greeting everyone I see, asking where folks who live there like to eat. There I will meet the one who has invited me to come. We will get acquainted as we eat. My host will have planned a 90minute activity following our meal so I can talk to folks and listen to what they would tell me.
INVITE ME AND I WILL COME. JOIN ME AND WE WILL WIN GREATER LIBERTY.
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Second Baptist Church
Liberty, MO
300 E. Kansas St., Liberty, MO 816.781.2824 2bcliberty.org