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Newsjournal Of Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists
www.baptistdigest.com
March 2015Vol. 59 No. 3
Baptistigest
New Hispanic Church BeginsIn Downtown Kansas City, KS
The Avenue of Life Community Center at 500 N. 7th St. in Kansas
City, Kan., is home to a new Hispanic congregation. Centro Familiar
Cristiano began in mid-October 2014. Arturo Nuez is pastor. He
previously was a Hispanic church planter in southeast Kansas,
southwest Missouri, northeast Okla-homa and northwest Arkansas.
Here Nuez sings with the praise team during a Sunday morning
worship service. The new Hispanic congregation shares the Avenue of
Life build-ing with two other congregations. (Below) Ministry is a
fam-ily affair as Arturo serves with his wife and two sons. Kim
Nuez teaches the preschool childrens Sunday School class. The
church celebrated its first baptisms on Sunday, Jan. 25, when a
family of seven was baptized.
Hispanic pastors from Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa gathered Feb.
2-3 at the Baptist Building in Topeka, Kan., for a strategy
meeting. They formed the Hispanic Church Planting Network with the
goal of Hispanic churches serving as church-planting centers.
Week of Prayer for North American Missions s March 1-8Annie
Armstrong Easter Offering National Goal: $60 million
WCC SUNDAY: APRIL 19, 2015Sunday, April 19th will be the date to
celebrate 35 years of ministry for WCC. Beginning around the first
week of March, there will be a new 2-3 minutes video on the WCC
website (www.webstercc.org) for churches to download and show their
members. This is not a fund-raising video, nor a fund-raising
event. This is a special day to help our KNCSB church members see
the min-istry of WCC whose first purpose statement is To assist
churches in making disciples of Jesus Christ and developing
leaders. Contact Terry McIlvain at [email protected] if you would
like more information on this special day.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES:INFORM -- Regularly share information about
ongoing training, curriculum, events, support and
personnel.RESOURCE -- Serve as a resource pool for practical ideas
about what is working in KS-NE congregations and how it relates to
all sizes of churches.GENERATIONAL -- Cast the widest net,
providing sto-ries and information that will appeal to all
generations of Southern Baptists in NE-KS.FAMILY-FRIENDLY -- Be
family-friendly with stories, regular columns and helps for
families and leaders who work with families.AGE DIVERSE -- Publish
stories that address the diversity of age, ethnicity, and
geographical regions of KS-NE.MISSION-ORIENTED -- Publish stories
about people and congregations involved in missions and regularly
publicize ministry opportunities.PART OF WIDER MISSION - Help
congregations discover that they are part of the larger work of the
Kingdom of God through their ministries.
To give local news:Local church and associational news may be
submit-
ted by mail, phone, fax or e-mail.
Advertising:Advertising policy and rates are available upon
request Call 800-984-9092 or e-mail: [email protected]
STAFFEditor: Tim Boyd, PhD.
Associate Editor: Eva Wilson Printing Coordinator: Derek
Taylor
Robert T. Mills, D. Min. KNCSB Executive Director
AFFILIATIONSAssociation of State Baptist PapersBaptist
Communicators Association
The Baptist Digest (USPS 018-942)Vol. 59 No. 3
Leadership Newsjournal for Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists is
published monthly (except for January and July)
10 times a year.5410 SW 7th Street
Topeka, KS 66606-2398Phone: (785) 228-6800Toll Free:
800-984-9092
Fax: (785) 273-4992E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: baptistdigest.com
POSTMASTER:Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS 66606 and
additional entries. Send address changes to: The Baptist Digest,
5410 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS
66606-2398.
SBC Presidents Perspective
Ronnie Floyd
Presidents Perspective
Andy Addis
By Andy Addis KNCSB Convention President E-mail:
[email protected]
I love a good metaphor. I love them, not only because they are
often funny, but the imagery they create in the imagination often
says more than any combination of words could produce.
In case your high school Eng-lish class is too many years ago,
let me offer a quick refresher: A metaphor is a figure of speech in
which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which
it is not literally applicable. Often denoted with the use of like
or as. Here are a couple of examples: Those kids ran through here
like a tornado. Or, the army came over the wall as a flood.You
know, great imagery!
Just recently at a Grow Group meeting a friend of mine said, He
was all over that like a monkey on a cupcake.I have NO idea what
that means, but I do have an incred-ible mental picture. Im pretty
sure he meant that it was an exciting opportunity that we should be
all over like white on rice. I laughed like a hyena. We all sounded
like a circus I told you I liked metaphors.Recently, I have been
thinking about the mental images we have of the church: bride of
Christ, ambassadors of heaven, bulwarks never failing, etc. Those
metaphors are great for the hymnal, but I won-der how close to
reality they reside. Dont mistake my direction, I know these are
all true because the Bible says so, but I wonder if we are living
out these truths in the real world.
Heres a test: Which metaphor best fits your real per-ception of
your pastor? A pastor is a like a waiter humbly scurrying from
table to table refilling drinks. A pastor is like a soldier bravely
crawling from foxhole to foxhole bringing more ammunition. Ive been
in vocational church ministry for a couple of decades now, and I
think I can help you answer this ques-tion. Most pastors see
themselves as a soldier, and most church members see him as a
waiter. And, that in itself tells you a lot about the church today.
We may know what the answer should be, but whats most important is
the reality: how does the church really work? If a church has an
inward-focused, membership-centered, people-satisfying target, then
there is trouble, trouble, trouble in the house. Members will feel
like the pastor is there to serve them, the church is there to
enjoy and the decisions are up for a vote. And, the pastor goes
from table to table asking, What can I get you to drink?But, if a
church has a heart for the lost, a passion for mission and a spirit
of self sacrifice then there is joy,
joy, joy in the house! Members look for a pastor to lead the
charge, the church is a hospital where we serve the spiritually
wounded, and the direction has already been decided by Jesus. And,
the pastor dives into foxhole after foxhole asking, How much ammo
do you need?Now thats a church. Remember 1 Timothy 6:1112:But as
for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pur-sue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good
fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were
called and about which you made the good confession in the presence
of many witnesses. You are the church, and change begins with you.
Make a commitment to share your faith this week. Talk to fam-ily
members about following through in baptism. Reach out to your
pastor, look him in the eye and let him know, Im in the fight and
Ive got your back.PushS away from the table and jump in the
foxhole. Your church of sheepish lambs will roar like a lion!Man, I
love metaphors.
the flag for the great need for many of our established churches
to be revitalized. Personally, I think if a church is over five
years old, it is an established church and will inevitably deal
with the challenges of reinventing itself and renewing its
commitment to its missional vision.
We must pray for a generation who will not just desire to plant
new Gospel churches nationally and internation-ally, but also a
generation of leaders who will lead our established churches as
pastors.
The lessons and concerns are real.We need to rise up as leaders
and churches, learn from
each other, and work through our concerns together. Our future
individually, in our churches and our convention will depend on our
willingness to change and take action to address these needs
strategically and aggressively.
(Editors note: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist
Convention and pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in northwest
Arkansas. This article was published in Baptist Press.)
When I was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention
last year on June 10, I realized I was about to begin a great
journey.
I cannot even begin to count the places I have been, the people
I have met and conversations I have had about the Southern Baptist
Convention. I have enjoyed every minute of serving our Lord and
churches over these months. It has been an amazing and blessed
journey. Thank you for this privilege.
I have heard many things about our Southern Baptist Convention
over these past eight months, some of which were concerns that
cannot be ignored. I want to share three of these concerns with
you. I only list these in nu-merical order for clarity, not by
means of any priority.
Concern #1: We must prioritize evangelism again.It is hard to
know what it means when people talk
about prioritizing evangelism, but this is what I do know: We do
not need to blame our lack of evangelism in our churches on our
associations, our state conventions or the entities of the Southern
Baptist Convention.
Evangelism will only be prioritized again when it becomes
prioritized by each of us personally and our churches collectively.
Listen carefully: We must own the
Great Commission person-ally. Until this occurs, our evangelism
will continue to limp along.
I realize that the associa-tions, state conventions and entities
of our convention can raise the standard as leaders in evangelism.
We need them to do this and help all of our churches reach our
commu-nities more effectively. Yet, please know, it is not about
they and us; it should be about we.
Concern #2: Our Cooperative ProgramWhile some may think our
Cooperative Program is
becoming irrelevant, I just do not see it. As we look toward the
90th anniversary of the Cooperative Program this year,
unquestionably we need to evaluate it continually.
But here are the facts: We are 5 percent above in giving through
the Cooperative Program through the first four months of our fiscal
year compared to last year. Be encour-aged! Another reality is our
offerings for international mis-sions and North American missions
are showing growth over a year ago. Be encouraged!
Our gifts through the Cooperative Program are still
funding the missions and ministries of our Southern Bap-tist
Convention. Yes, it needs to improve, and I am com-mitted to seeing
this done. I am doing all I can to address not just the Cooperative
Program, but the entire financial future of the Southern Baptist
Convention. Lets pray and work together toward increasing our
financial support of what God is doing and wants to do through our
Southern Baptist Convention.
Concern #3: Our established churches need to be revitalized.
We are a convention with many more established churches than new
churches. I am very grateful that as we raise the flag for church
planting, we are also raising
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Sharing & Strengthening
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Church Leaders from 13 States Converge for Leadership Summit in
Springfield, Illinois
Listen to me, Midwest, the Father is seeking worship-ers, Frank
Page intoned. Every man, woman, boy and girl on this globe needs to
hear this message. The man who calls himself the SBCs Chief
Encourage-ment Officer rallied local church leaders to advance the
gospel in a region where Southern Baptists are relatively few and
often far between. Im not trying to build a bigger denomina-tion,
the CEO of the Con-ventions Executive Com-mittee said, Im trying to
encourage you to help bring worshipers to Christ. Spiritual
awakening and church revitalization were main themes of the
Midwest
Leadership Summit held January 20-22. What we need, more than a
strategy, more than a plan, is a fresh awakening, Andy Addis
preached in the open-ing session. We want to see God do amazing
things, we want to be his hands and feet, thats why were here! More
than 1,000 pastors and church leaders from the Upper Midwest
convened in Springfield, Ill., for the inspirational equipping
conference held every three years. Called the North Central States
Rally since its inception 50 years ago, the Summit was renamed this
year as it expanded to include 10 Baptist state conventions
representing 13 states, from West Virginia to the Dakotas. The
Illinois Baptist State As-sociation hosted the event at the
Springfield Crowne Plaza Hotel, providing a more cen-tral location
as the Summits territory expanded on the western side. IBSA
Executive Director Nate Adams chaired
the planning committee. We drove 10 hours to get here, one
conferee from South Dakota said at the registration desk, telling
how his association invited church leaders and brought them in a
van. It took us two days, a North Dakota pastor in a bolo tie
responded, but itll be worth it. The buzz in the lobby was
positive, as re-turning attenders told new-comers the value of
meeting for leaders who share the challenges of ministry out-side
the traditional Southern Baptist stronghold.
Thank you so much for inviting us to the con-ference this week.
The breakout sessions we at-tended were fresh and applicable for
us. We have been debriefing and will continue to do so and then
land on some immediate implementation. We are very grateful for
your investment in our church and convention. Tim Johnson, New
Cov-enant Church, Lincoln, NE
Comments from some of ourConvention Attenders
Thank you for taking care of the administrative details of the
Advance Conference. It was a good conference for me and for our
staff. Steve Hicks, LifeSpring Church, Bellevue, NE
Is there any way to get a copy of the opening service message?
It was a wonderful sermon and my pastor is very interested in
hearing it. Ethel Nicoll, First Baptist Church, Riverton, KS
What we did was not amazing strategy, what we did is that we
simplified, Andy Addis said of his church.
by Meredith Flynn, Eric Reed, and Lisa Sergent, Illinois Baptist
newspaper, with Kayla Rinker and Nick Rynerson
NAMB Midwest VP Gary Frost spoke on returning to the valley in
the summits final session.
(photos by Meredith Flynn, IBSA)
Attenders participate during a worship and praise session.
Breakout sessions included topics on re-vival, spiritual awakening,
evangelism and leadership, among others.
Andy Addis, KNCSB President and lead pastor of CrossPoint
Church, Hutch-enson, KS, a video-driven multi-site church with 11
campuses across Kansas, spoke during the opening session and based
his mes-sage on Jesus parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9).
He reminded us that God expects His church to bear fruit, not
hopes; expects, not wants; expects.
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Week of Prayer w March 1-8What is the Annie Armstrong Easter
Offering (AAEO)?
The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering gives major support for
reaching lost people in the United States and Canada. It provides
nearly half of the North America Misson Boards income. The offering
was named for Annie Armstrong (1850-1938). She led women to unite
in mission endeavors that ultimately led to forming Womans
Missionary Union. She was the first national WMU corresponding
secretary.
The reason we give to AAEO:To support the efforts of the North
American Mission Boards Send North America strategy as
mission-aries and church planters push back lostness in the United
States and Canada. Send>>North Americas goal is to see 1,500
churches planted each year for a total of 15,000 new churches by
the year 2022.
Amount of Annie Armstrong Easter Offering used to support
missionaries and their work:
100 percent
2015 national goal for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering:
$60 million
Find resources to promote the offering at
http://anniearmstrong.com/
Fast Facts about the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering
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Driven By LoveIn Salt Lake City
Travis Kerns, 2015 Send North America Week of Prayer missionary,
spent an academic career, punctuated with practical experience, in
preparation for moving to Salt Lake City to establish Southern
Baptist churches within the city. Kerns serves as city missionary
for Send North America: Salt Lake City. The national goal for the
2015 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is $60 million. (NAMB photo by
John Swain)
Seminary studies on Mormonism led North American Mis-sion Board
mission-ary Travis Kerns to invest his life in Salt Lake City.
By Jim Burton
HERRIMAN, Utah Youve looked out the front window of your home
and seen them com-ing. Two young males wearing white shirts and
black ties are riding bikes in the neighbor-hood. When they knock
on your door, what do you do?
North American Mis-sion Board missionary Travis Kerns would
encourage you to love them. Thats what he has learned to do. His
love for Mormons grew to the point that he now lives 35 miles from
downtown Salt Lake City and serves as city missionary for NAMBs
Send North America: Salt Lake City.
Kerns has something most Southern Baptists dont have: a Ph.D. in
applied apologetics with a focus on Mormonism from The Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). During his undergraduate
stud-ies in 1996, he had a class on new religious movements, and
Mormonism was the first they studied.
It took hold of my heart, Kerns said of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In school, every paper I wrote
was geared toward Mormonism.
When he began teaching at SBTS in 2007, Kerns started taking
students to Salt Lake City. On the flight home after his sixth trip
there in 2012, Kerns said there were fires on the mountains. As he
viewed the smoke filling the Salt Lake
Valley during the planes ascent, it became a fresh vision.
What it said to me was that this city is on fire and burning,
Kerns said. I just lost it, started crying like a baby.
Kerns grew up in Greenville, S.C., where his family attended
First Baptist Church of Taylors. Hes the product of missions
education, having been a Royal Ambassador.
His dad led him to Christ in their home when he was 9 years
old.
Kerns chose to attend nearby North Greenville University where
its president, Jimmy Ept-ing, had a big influence on him. He
enrolled as a business major, but that soon changed.
In my freshman year of college, something in me just clicked,
and I fell in love with the New Testament, Jesus and people in the
church, Kerns said.
Being Southern Baptist in upstate South Carolina had its
advantages, as there were many relationships and connections. That
same dynamic is true for Mormons in Salt Lake City.
Utah is 70 percent LDS, Kerns said. LDS members run the state
government. The ma-jority of judges, police officers, firefighters,
lawyers, real estate agents and bankers are LDS. Almost everyone
here is LDS.
When Kerns moved into a home with his wife, Staci, and their
son, the neighbors already knew it was the NAMB house.
The LDS Church does
research when real estate trans-actions are done, Kerns said.
Plus, we didnt show up at the meeting house on Sunday.
Mormons attend meeting house (comparable to church) meetings
based upon their residence. Between Logan and Provo, Kerns
estimates there are 4,164 meeting houses or halls.
Its so Mormon here, many have never met or heard from anybody
who is not Mormon, Kerns said.
Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in
Utah, but the presence is min-imal. Most Protestant churches run
between 50 and 100 people.
The hardest part about any Christian church (in Utah) is that
the average tenure for pas-tors is 14 months, Kerns said. One key
to success, he believes, is to keep showing up.
As city missionary for Send North America: Salt Lake City, one
of 32 Send North America cities, Kerns oversees church plants in
the metropolitan area.
The Utah-Idaho South-ern Baptist Convention has a goal that by
2020 they want to double the number of churches [in the two-state
convention], Kerns said. That means an-other 150 churches. We want
to
be one third of that number, 50 new churches by 2020.
By 2014, there were 18 active Southern Baptist church plants
through Send North America: Salt Lake City, with 12 hav-ing started
within the year.
Kerns spends much of his time mentoring the current church
planters while recruiting and as-sessing future church planters.
Utah County, which Kerns calls the cultural capital of Mormon-ism
and the home of Brigham Young University, garners most of his
attention.
The cultural challenges translate into logistical chal-lenges.
Whereas in most major cities church plants can meet in public
schools, that does not happen in Utah.
The new churches spend much money on rent, typically
commercial space. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) and
Cooperative Pro-gram (CP) help new churches meet those
challenges.
That money goes directly to our church plants to help them reach
people, Kerns said. Without CP and AAEO, there would be no Send
North America: Salt Lake City.
Theres been no shortage of resources when Ive asked. Its because
of the generosity of Southern Baptists.
Kerns was close to tenure at SBTS when he accepted the call to
lead Send North America: Salt Lake City.
Through his research, Kerns has built relationships with many
LDS leaders.
In 18 years of doing this, Ive only seen two people convert from
Mormonism to Christianity, Kerns said. He notes that on average it
takes from two to seven years for most Mormons to convert, the
majority being much closer to seven years.
Being around leaders of the LDS church to share my faith with
them drives everything that I do.
(Jim Burton writes for the North American Mission Board.)
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Campers on Mission ShowGods Love through Service
New Life Baptist Church, Independence, Kan., is on the regular
rotation of Kansas-Nebraska Campers on Mission work projects. The
church is constructing a new facility as money becomes available
(below). (Photos by Eva Wilson)
Weir Baptist Camp, 12 miles southwest of Pittsburg, Kan., is on
the regular rotation of Kansas-Nebraska Campers on Mis-sion work
projects. Here Bill Streeter (left) and Curtis Kirkley work on
constructing cabinets during the May 2014 COM work project at the
camp. The group also holds its fall rallies, along with fall work
projects, at Weir Baptist Camp. Kansas-Nebras-ka Campers on Mission
welcomes new members. You do not need to own an RV rig to
participate. For more information, contact Don Smith, COM
president, at [email protected].(Photo by Shirley Streeter)
t
(This article includes informa-tion provided by Sue Marcum.)
The past year was a time of fruitful service for
Kansas-Ne-braska Campers on Mission.
Along with participating in work projects in various places,
they attended the 2014 COM National Rally at Glorieta Con-ference
Center in New Mexico.
Rocky Mountain Rendez-vous with Jesus was the rally theme. The
theme verse was taken from I Kings 19:11: Go out and stand on the
mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass
by.
Kansas-Nebraska COM members were responsible for helping with
registration, refreshments, parking RVs and transportation to and
from the dining hall at meal times.
Summer 2014 included a work project at New Life Baptist Church,
Independence, Kan. The church is construct-ing a new facility as
money becomes available.
Here is a list of projects that were completed:n Stained and
installed
baseboards n Hung metal frames for fire
doorsn Hung eight solid-core fire
doorsn Stained doors after they
were hungn Put on hardware and door
closuresn Caulked around doors
n Put wood trim around doorsn Installed a new electrical
box in the store room off the kitchen
COM members returned to Alpha Christian Childrens Home, Perry,
Kan., for a work
project in August 2014. The group completed a wide variety of
maintenance and repair projects.
Weir Baptist Camp, 12 miles southwest of Pittsburg, Kan., was
the site of spring and fall Campers on Mission work projects in
2014. The September work project was held in con-nection with the
COM fall rally.
Officers for 2015 were elected during the fall rally. They are:n
President Don Smith,
South Hutchinson, Kan.n Vice President Curtis
Kirkley, Hutchinson, Kan.n Secretary Mary Lafferty,
Lawrence, Kan.
n Project Coordinator Norm Marcum, Topeka, Kan.n Treasurer
Barbara
Usher, Salina, Kan.Twenty-eight COM members
worked on projects at Weir Bap-tist Camp during the two weeks
before and after the fall rally.
They completed a wide variety of construction and maintenance
projects all around the camp. Among the many projects were pouring
sidewalks and building new cabinets and shelves for the
kitchen.
COM members gathered at the Baptist Building, Topeka, Kan., for
a Christmas party on Saturday, Dec. 6. They celebrat-ed how God
used them in 2014 and looked forward to serving Him in 2015.
Several COM couples spent part of the winter serving at Texas
Baptist Encampment, Palacios, Texas, known as Pala-cios by the
Sea.
Upcoming Campers on Mis-sion events include:n May 1-3 Spring
rally
at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan.n June 17-19 Campers
on
Mission National Rally, Tom Johnsons Rally Park, Marion, N.C.
(about 25 miles east of Asheville)
For more information about Kansas-Nebraska Campers on Mission,
contact Don Smith, COM president, at [email protected].
Church Seeks Worship/Student LeaderFirst Southern Baptist Church
of Hutchinson, Kansas, is requesting prayerful applicants for the
fol-lowing full- or part-time ministry opportunity combination:
Corporate Worship Leader/Student Minis-ter. FSB is a healthy and
unified body of believers genuinely seeking Gods person(s) to serve
and grow here. Please send your resume (including ministry
philosophy and five references) to FSBC, 1201 E 23rd, Hutchinson,
KS 67502.
Church Seeks Bi-Vo PastorFirst Baptist Church of Nickerson is
now accepting resumes for a Bi-Vocational Pastorate Position. The
candidates should embrace the Baptist Faith and Message and
Cooperative programs For additional Information, please contact
Brian @ 620-960-3827. Please send resumes to: First Baptist Church,
P.O. Box 377, Nickerson, KS 67561.
Church Seeks Worship LeaderFirst Baptist Church of Farmington,
Missouri, is seeking a full-time associate pastor with an empha-sis
in worship. Please email inquiries or resumes to
[email protected], attn. personnel com-mittee, or mail to
Personnel Committee, 210 North A Street, Farmington, MO 63640.
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Smelling Coffee AddictPatti BoswellKNCSB Womens Leadership:
Ministry Wives Consultant
Some of my friends say they LOVE the smell of coffee, but they
dont drink it. Me? Ive been drinking coffee since I was old enough
to sip out of Grannys stirring spoon. In this house-hold, we are
all about coffee. Its one addiction I allow myself, in modera-tion,
of course!
But Im not just talking about REAL coffee today. I want to point
you to a blog called Smelling Coffee, written by a pastors wife,
just like you and me! www.smellingcoffee.com
Jennifer Walker is the author, and usually starts out Monday
morning with some funny pictures and sayings about coffee. But
thats not all. Jennifer uses Gods Word, personal family experience,
and humor to encourage other pastors wives.
Check it out! I think youll like her. Even if youre not a coffee
lover!
Spring Tune Up Gl w
Gifts Talents PassionsCAUTION: before you read on, theres
something you must know about me. Im
that girl! Yep, you know the one Im talking aboutthat girl who
loves to cook, from scratch, loves planning the menu: taking into
consideration textures and colors of the food, and believes
presentation of the food and table is equal to and supports the
taste of the food. I know! Really?
We all show our love for family and friends in different ways.
This is mine! Whats even more shocking is that the gift of
hospitality never shows up in a Spiritual Gift As-sessment for me.
Thats why its so important to not just discover your spiritual gift
and move on, but also spend time focusing on your abilities,
talents and passions.
Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are
different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different
activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person. 1
Corinthians 12:4-6 HCSB
God uses all that we give him, to make himself known to all
people. If you have the gift of leadership, then lead. If you have
the ability to build a house, then build. If you have the talent of
cooking, then cook. If you have a passion for serving, then
serve.
Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on
to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family.
Be the best at showing honor to each other. Dont hesitate to be
enthusiasticbe on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Be
happy in your hope, stand your ground when youre in trouble, and
devote yourselves to prayer. Contribute to the needs of Gods
people, and welcome strangers into your home. Bless people who
harass youbless and dont curse them. Be happy with those who are
happy, and cry with those who are crying. Consider everyone as
equal, and dont think that youre better than anyone else. Instead,
associate with people who have no status. Dont think that youre so
smart. Dont pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil
actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.
Romans 12 CEB
Shiggaion,Mari
www.knwomen.com
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March 2015
Debbie EbleKNCSB Womens Leadership: Fit 4 Him Consultant
Time to kick your activity level up a notch! Warmer weather
means outdoor fun and digging deeper into all kinds of things like
house cleaning, yard and garden work, baseball with the kids and
long walks with your family and friends. Be wise and begin this
process by scheduling a physical. Surprisingly, only 20 percent of
Americans get an annual physical, and keeping tabs on your bodys
vital functions is very important. With your doctors blessing begin
working out at a low intensity, but dont quit! Do something every
day to drive your body to increase metabolic rate, build endurance,
and reduce body fat.
Here are 5 basic exercises to get you started: 1. Standing knee
lifts lift both arms overhead then bring elbows down as you lift
one knee up
toward your chest. Alternate knees, and continue at a steady,
rhythmic pace for one minute. 2. Squats stand with your feet
hip-width apart and place your arms at your side. Pretend
there is a chair behind you and almost sit bringing your arms
out in front, keeping your back flat and abdominal muscles pulled
in. Continue for one minute.
3. Reverse Lunge Stand tall with hands on hips, step right foot
back into a lunge and return to start, step left foot back and
return to start. Keep alternating for one minute. Lift your chest,
draw your abs up and in, and stay balanced throughout.
4. Up and Overs Stand with feet hip width apart, shift your
weight onto the right leg as you reach your left arm up and over
your head. Shift over to your left leg and reach your right arm up
and over. Draw your abs up and in and continue for one minute at a
steady pace.
5. Windmill Standing with legs wider than hip width apart, arms
straight out to the side, bend at waist and take right hand down
and across toward left foot. Return to center position before
taking left hand down and across toward right foot. Alternate
sides, stopping briefly at the center each time.
Repeat the whole sequence 23 more times for a great 10-15 minute
workout! The key to seeing results is doing the moves back to back
without any rest. You could do this low intensity workout every
day, any time of day to oxygenate your body, boost energy and burn
calories.
Spring is a good time for a spiritual tune-up, too. Schedule a
check up. Sit quietly with Father God and ask Him to bring to mind
any sin that is hindering your walk with Him. Commit to getting rid
of that sin and any unhealthy behavior that is getting in the way
of serving Christ. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins.. 1 John 1:9
Begin working out immediately by displaying these basics, love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. Galatians 5:22 God freely offers us His love, His
forgiveness and His Word with an expectation that we will obey Him
and so share His truth and likeness everywhere we go. You are not
your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are Gods. 1 Corinthians
6:20
Be a light in the darkness this spring by honoring God with your
body, mind and spirit.
by Sarah Schmidt KNCSB Womens Leadership Childrens Resource Team
Leader
Give is our theme for GLOW, the annual Mother/Daughter retreat
for 1st-6th grade girls. T he scripture for this event is 1
Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver. Girls and their moms
will learn how being a cheerful giver can impact their lives and
the work of our missionaries. Our speaker, Amanda, has lived and
worked overseas. Robin Pelton will be leading us in worship music.
We would love to see you and your daughter, granddaughter, or other
girl in your life join us Friday, April 10th and Saturday, April
11th at Webster Conference Center. Look for registration and
promotional information in your church office or online at
www.KNwomen.com
Writers cramp intensified! Without the aid of e-mail, a
computer, printer or even a typewriter, Annie Armstrong wrote and
addressed by hand letters to all the state central committees and
to as many of the 1,206 missionary societies as the states
requested. Hour after hour she wrote until her fingers ached and
she had to loosen their hold on the pen. Her right hand bothered
her the rest of her life. And why all that work? To begin the Week
of Prayer for Foreign Missions and promote the first Christmas
offering for foreign missions.
But Annie did more than write letters. She ministered to
immigrants in Baltimore, missionaries heading to foreign fields,
Native Americans and African-Americans, those living in Baltimores
poorhouse, and missionaries on the frontier. She led the project to
help build a church in Cuba. In her honor, we collect the Annie
Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. As her
tombstone reads: She hath done what she could. Have we?
Bev HiltonKN WMU President
She Hath Done What She Could:
God Loves A Cheerful Giver
SEND NORTH AMERICA
-
www.KNCSB.orgM
ARC
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Webster UpdateApril 24-25, 2015--Webster Conference Center
For Leaders in Churches Running Under 150 in Worship
Keith Strasburger and Gene Jacobs from Real Life Ministries
Our Focus This Year Will Be on Building a Disciple-Making
Process in the Local Church
On Campus Registration for those staying at Webster Conference
Center is
$40.00 per adult or $60.00 per couple. This includes one nights
lodging, Saturday breakfast and lunch.
Off CampusIf you would prefer to stay off-campus your
registration cost is $15.00 per person. This includes Saturday
breakfast & lunch.
Childcare is provided at no cost.
Please mail registration and payment to: KNCSB, 5410 SW 7th St.,
Topeka, KS 66606
If you have any questions or information about hotels if you
prefer to
stay off campus, contact Jana Gifford ([email protected]) or
call 1/800/984-9092 (Ext. 840).
Registration Deadline: April 10, 2015
JUST ANNOUNCED ON FEBRURY 6, 2015WCC has been given a new Dining
Hall Matching Challenge Grant for 2015,
BUT THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT:n The amount is $75,000 NOT $50,000 as
in previous years.n This challenge must be met by June 30, 2015 NOT
December 31, 2015.n If this challenge is met, we should have enough
funds & pledges to receive the $100,000 grant from the Mabee
Foundation. (If we fail to meet this challenge, we will forfeit the
$100,000 Mabee Foundation grant and we will need to raise $100,000
more to finish the project.Make checks payable to WCC and send all
gifts to: WCC at 5410 SW 7th Street in Topeka, KS 66606.
CORRECTIONIn the last issue, dates were given for reserving WCC
for 2017. Those dates were incorrect and below are the correct
dates. We regret any inconvenience that this may have caused our
constituents.n Associations began reserving dates for 2017 at WCC
beginning February 1st. n Churches can begin reserving dates for
2017 at WCC beginning March 1st.n All other organizations can begin
reserving dates for 2017 at WCC beginning March 16th.
To reserve dates at WCC, call Sarah Jaster, Office Manager,at
1-877-WCC-RESV (1-877-922-7378).
URGENT PRAYER REQUESTSome things have changed in Saline County
and WCC will be required to totally rework the sewer system. This
will require an approximate $300,000 overall of the system for the
safety and well-being of attendees at the conference center. No one
saw this coming, but it is now a reality that must be dealt with
immediately. Pray for the WCC Staff and WCC Board as they comply
with this new ruling and determine the best way to accomplish this
task. More news will be coming soon on this issue.
COME FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS, PREPARE FOR THE NEXT 30.
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