December 2013 - Ohio Baptist Messenger

OhiO Baptist MessengerPUBLICATION OF THE STATE CONVENTION OF BAPTISTS IN OHIO

DECEMBER 2013 | VOLUME 61 NO. 6

INSIDE: Momentum 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4Vacation Bible School Institute . . . . . . . .Page 5Women’s Missions & Ministries . . . . . . . .Page 6Men’s Summit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 11Press Toward The Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 12

P.11

By Bruce Smith

With a focus on Pray Ohio, 254 messengers plus guests gathered in Perrysburg for the 60th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio on November 7-8, 2013 . For Ohio Baptists to reach at least 1,000,000 of the 11 .5 mil-lion people in Ohio with the good news of Jesus Christ, the power of God is needed . In a presentation and prayer time called Pray Ohio: Partnering in the Great Com-mission, Cathy Pound, SCBO Women’s Missions and Min-istry Team Leader, reminded attendees to pray for people in Ohio and offered opportunities for churches to band together this coming year to pray for the spiritual harvest that is needed . Additional resources for the 2014 Pray Ohio emphasis are posted on scbo .org . As part of the partnering celebration, Bob and Anna Andes were recog-nized for almost two decades of ministry with Royal Ambas-sadors in Ohio . Jack Kwok, Executive Di-rector, called for people to Praise God, Repent, Ask, and Yield to God (P-R-A-Y) as churches move forward with Mission Ohio . Dr . Kwok also recognized Gary Odom, who has announced his retirement effective at the end of the year, for more than 17 years of church planting ministry in Ohio . Dr . Kwok also expressed appre-ciation for the support of Ohio churches in Mission Ohio and for their gifts to the Cooperative Program and the Ray Roberts State Mission Offering .

The messages of two of Ohio’s pastors spoke greatly to the hearts of listeners . In his president’s address, Mike Wil-son, pastor of Lincoln Heights Baptist Church in Mansfield, encouraged church leaders to stay the course and not give up . Rick Williams, pastor of Violet Baptist Church in Pickerington, challenged leaders to go deeper with God if they are to be wider in their influence . Gary Frost, Vice-President for the Midwest Region of the North American Mission Board, spoke from Acts 4 and reminded listeners that the X-Factor for the work of the church is bold-ness from the Holy Spirit to gain confidence, clarity, conspicuous-ness, and courage . Bobby Welch, Associate Executive Director for Church Growth, Tennessee Baptist Convention, encouraged small group multiplication to in-crease effectiveness in reaching more people for Jesus Christ . The Pray Ohio: Present-ing Christ presentation on Wednesday evening provided a focus on evangelism in Ohio through various channels . Ac-

cording to the Annual Church Profiles submitted by Ohio churches, the 2013 baptisms in Ohio Southern Baptist church-es were up 12% from the previ-ous year . On Thursday afternoon, along with an emphasis to pray for church planting in Ohio, Sharon Woods Bap-tist Church was presented the Church Planting Achievement Award for its ongoing minis-try in planting churches . The church has been actively estab-lishing language church plants for several years . On behalf of the church, Pastor Jim Dreis-bach received the award which was presented by Gary Odom . Among the language churches started by Sharon Woods is a Bhutan/Nepali church with about 200 people attending weekly . For 2013 a total of 33 new church starts were report-ed across Ohio . One special feature of the convention included a call to prayer for churches to take the next step in obeying the Great Commission and announce-ment of the Next Factor to as-

sist leaders in identifying both needs and resources . A dem-onstration was provided with the announcement of the Next Factor assessment tool to help church leaders identify key areas of needed growth and resources available to assist in that process . Church leaders can access the as-sessment tool at scbo .org/next-factor, complete the brief assess-ment and receive an immediate listing of available resources to assist a local church .

Officers elected for 2014 in-clude Mark Stinson, president; James Edwards, 1st vice-presi-dent; Cliff Morris, 2nd vice-pres-ident; Faye Rodgers, recording secretary; Annette Dessecker, as-sistant recording secretary; and Jack Kwok, historian . The 2014 Annual Meeting will be held on November 5-6, 2014, at Liberty Heights Church just north of Cincinnati .

60th Annual Meeting Celebrates Pray Ohio

Meeting ~ Continued on page 2

Dr. Jack Kwok announced the retirement of Gary Odom effective at the end of the year. Odom has served in church planting with the state convention for 17 years.

Jim Dreisbach received for Sharon Woods Baptist Church, Columbus, the Church Planting Achievement Award.

Mr. Bob! Thanking Bob Andes for faithful service. P.6

Merry Christmas!

from the staff at the State Convention of Baptists In Ohio

Go to scbo.org/pray for more information.

Page 2 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | December 2013

Messengers participating in the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio approved seven resolutions during the 2013 Annual Meeting held in Perrysburg on November 6 and 7 .  One of the resolutions called at-tention to the problem of human traffick-ing .  The resolution noted Ohio as fifth in the nation in human trafficking exploita-tion and Toledo as  fourth per capita in the nation for the criminal activity .  The resolution called for Ohio Baptists to pray for the problem and take action to help establish policies and ministries to rescue and rehabilitate victims .  Affirmation was also given for those already working in the public arena to address the issue . Resolutions committee members John McIntyre, Teresa Bailey, Betty Hoffmann, and Ryan Strother pre-sented a resolution that affirmed the Cooperative Program and encourged churches to increase their cooperative mission gifts by one percent . Another resolution approved by messengers in-cluded a commendation for the work of Woman’s Missionary Union in recogni-

tion of 125 years of mission education and promotion . In addition to two resolutions of appreciation for convention leadership, messengers approved a resolution that called for prayer for elected leaders and a resolution that affirmed the service of American military men and women and military chaplains . The complete statements of the ap-proved resolutions follows:

Resolution #1Appreciation for Officers and State Staff Whereas, Jack Kwok and the staff of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio have led us during changing economic and structural issues with dedication to the fulfillment of Mission Ohio and the 2020 vision; and Whereas, Our convention presi-dent, Mike Wilson has faithfully and sacrificially served for the past year and has assisted with preparations for this meeting; and Whereas, Our First Vice President

Mark Stinson, Second Vice President James Edwards, Recording Secretary Faye Rodgers, Assistant Recording Sec-retary Annette Dessecker, and Historian Jack Kwok have ably served and assist-ed with preparations for this meeting; therefore, be it Resolved, That we the messengers of the 60th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio express our gratefulness and appreciation for their leadership . Resolution #2Appreciation for the Northwest Ohio Baptist Association and the Employees of the SCBO Whereas, The Northwest Ohio Bap-tist Association and their Associational Missionary Stephen Long have been so gracious to host the 60th Annual Meet-ing of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio; and Whereas, The employees of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio have played an extended role in plan-

ning and organizing this year’s Annual Meeting; and Whereas, The employees of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio have been faithful to minister through encourage-ment and prayer for those in Ohio; and Whereas, They faithfully serve the people and churches of Ohio through their travelling of many miles and their sacrifice of time; therefore, be itResolved, That we express our sincere appreciation for their continued minis-try to us, and to their attendance to our comfort and needs during these days of celebration and renewal .

Resolution #3In Support of the Cooperative Program Whereas, The Cooperative Pro-gram has offered a partnership strategy that supports mission work at the local, state, national, and international lev-els and has been the primary means of partnership support for Southern Bap-tists since 1925, and

Jack Kwok, Ohio State Convention Executive Director-Treasurer, Editor; Linnett Snodgrass, Administrative Assistant; Spangler Production & Design, Publication Layout. Published every other month for members of Southern Baptist churches in Ohio. Subscriptions provided out of each church’s Cooperative Program gifts. Member of Baptist Press, news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Ohio Baptist Messenger (ISSN 0472-7096) is published every other month by the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio; 9000 Antares Avenue; Columbus, Ohio 43240-2011. Periodicals Postage Paid at Columbus, Ohio. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Ohio Baptist Messenger; 9000 Antares Avenue; Columbus, Ohio 43240-2011.

Resolutions ~ Continued on page 3

Messengers Concur with Seven Resolutions at Annual Meeting

In the Mission Council report, Faye Rodgers related recognitions for retiring missionaries . Dan Duffy retires the end of the year after more 12 years of ministry as Associational Missionary for Northcoast Baptist Association . Dave Snyder was also recognized for almost 10 years of ministry in leading West Cen-tral Baptist Association . In actions taken by the convention, the 2014 bud-get was approved with a 0 .992% increase from 2013 . Providing personnel with a 2% cost of living adjust-ment, which is the first COLA provided since 2008, comprised the only significant change in the 2014 budget . The budget maintains the division of receipts from churches through the Cooperative Mission Pro-gram at 59 .75% for mission work in Ohio and 40 .25% for worldwide missions outside of Ohio . Seven resolutions were adopted by messengers at the Annual Meeting in Perrysburg . Woman’s Missionary Union was recognized for its 125 years of mission edu-cation and support . Appreciation was expressed for the

leadership of Mike Wilson as president for the past two years . One resolution celebrated the Cooperative Pro-gram and challenged churches to increase their Coop-erative Program gifts by 1% of their undesignated funds . The full text of resolutions is available at scbo .org .

Meeting ~ Continued from page 1

In his encouragement for starting small multiplying groups, Bobby Welch said that it is later than imagined and worse than imaged, but a solution “is easier than you ever thought.”

Gary Frost preached from Acts 4 to encourage boldness in the power of God.

A ladies’ quartet from Galilee Baptist Church, Defiance, led a time of worship on Wednesday evening.

Rick Williams challenged church leaders to observe a Sabbath rest to go deeper then wider in their influence for Jesus.

Church leaders such as Jeff Deel discovered additional resources and found opportunities to meet people in the display area.

LifeWay set up a book store in the display area.

December 2013 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 3

Resolutions ~ Continued from page 2

Whereas, The Cooperative Pro-gram provides balanced support for all mission and disciple making endeavors at home in Ohio and throughout the world; and Whereas, The Cooperative Pro-gram serves as a vehicle to assist South-ern Baptist churches in fulfilling the Great Commission, and Whereas, Cooperative Program gifts of cooperating churches support the Mission Ohio effort to attain at least 1,000,000 believers in 2020 churches by 2020; and Whereas, The Executive Commit-tee of the Southern Baptist Convention has encouraged churches to increase their Cooperative Giving gifts by one percent each year; be it therefore Resolved, That the messengers of the 60th Annual Meeting of the State Con-vention of Baptists in Ohio meeting in Perrysburg, Ohio, affirm the SBC Execu-tive Committee challenge and encourage churches to increase their Cooperative Program gifts by one percent to enhance Great Commission cooperative mission efforts; and be it further Resolved, That we express appre-ciation to the many churches that have faithfully and sacrificially given to the Cooperative Program; and be it further Resolved, That we affirm that the Cooperative Program provides an effec-tive, efficient means of mission partner-ship to reach the unreached and make disciples for Christ through starting churches, strengthening churches, and developing leaders across the state and the nation and around the world .

Resolution #4On Recognition of the 125th Anniversary of the Woman’s Missionary Union Whereas, The Woman’s Mission-ary Union (WMU) was created in 1888 with Annie Armstrong as its first cor-responding secretary; and Whereas, WMU has been an aux-iliary to the Southern Baptist Conven-tion for the past 125 years, supporting

Southern Baptist missions through prayer, missions education, sacrificial giving, and mission activities; and Whereas, The passion for missions stirred and channeled through WMU has assisted Southern Baptists in devel-oping one of the most extensive mission networks in church history; now, there-fore, be it Resolved, That the messengers to the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, meeting in Perrysburg, Ohio, express gratitude to God for our part-nership with WMU in impacting the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, joining WMU in celebrating 125 years of mission support to the Southern Baptist Convention and its cooperating churches for international and North American missions; and be it further Resolved, That we commend WMU for its faithful and continued part-nership in Southern Baptist missions through prayer support, and education-al programming such as, Women on Mission, Adults on Mission, myMIS-SION, Acteens, Challengers, Youth on Mission, Girls in Action, Royal Ambas-sadors, Children in Action, and Mission Friends; and be it further Resolved, That we commend WMU for its faithful financial support of mis-sions through the special offerings for international, North American, and state missions, and through the Coop-erative Program; and be it further Resolved, That we commend the members of WMU for their personal engagement in mission activities, such as Baptist Nursing Fellowship, Christian Men’s Job Corps, Christian Women’s Job Corps, International Initiatives, Mis-sionary Housing, Project HELP, Pure Water, Pure Love, WorldCrafts, Acteens Activators, Acteens Activators Abroad, MissionsFEST, FamilyFEST, and Youth Missions Teams; and be it finally Resolved, That we encourage WMU to continue to fan the flames for mis-sions with Southern Baptists until our Lord returns .

Resolution #5Prayer for Elected Leaders for Biblically Based Decisions Whereas, As Christian citizens guided by God’s Holy Word, empow-ered by God’s Holy Spirit, and commis-sioned to fulfill God’s holy mission for Ohio and beyond, we are to pray for our elected officials; and Whereas, We recognize the con-tinued degradation of biblical values in our nation, therefore be it Resolved, That we the messengers of the 60th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio pray for our elected leaders, praying for their salvation and praying that they seek Godly wisdom and council that will im-pact all their decisions, both private and public; and be it further Resolved, That we pray for civility in our public discourse, praying for an uncompromised Christian witness in the public arena that will influence and guide our nation into being filled with the fruits of righteousness . Scripture: 1 Tim 2:1-2, 1 Peter 2:13-17, Matt 5:13-16, Acts 1:8, Phil 1:10-11, Matt 28:18-20 Resolution #6Affirmation of Armed Forces Personnel and the Role of ChaplaincyWhereas, Thousands of American military men and women are deployed around the world in many places; and Whereas, NAMB currently endors-es 1,450 military chaplains who face growing challenges in their ministries, therefore be it Resolved, That we the messengers of the 60th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio meeting in Perrysburg, Ohio, continue to affirm, appreciate, and applaud the commit-ment and sacrifice of the members of the armed forces and their families; and be it further Resolved, That we express our con-cern for the wounded and our condo-lences to the families of those lost in battles for freedom; and be it further Resolved, That we affirm, appreci-ate, and applaud the commitment and sacrifice of the members of the chap-laincy and their families . Resolution #7On Human Trafficking Whereas, Human trafficking is criminal activity in which human be-ings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited through the use of force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of involuntary subjection to labor or commercial sex acts (see Trafficking  Victims Protection Acts of 2000 and 2013); and Whereas, The form of slavery known as human trafficking knows no

borders and preys on victims of any age, race, gender, or nationality, involving an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 persons being transported from place to place each year into some form of forced la-bor, including about 17,500 persons who are trafficked into the United States each year; and Whereas, Ohio is ranked 5th in the nation for human trafficking exploita-tion that forces the most vulnerable among us into the horrors of modern-day slavery (Ohio Human Trafficking Commission 2011); and Whereas, Toledo is currently 4th in the nation in terms of number of arrests, investigations, and rescue of domestic minor sex trafficking victims among US (behind Miami, Portland, and Las Vegas); and Toledo leads the nation for number of traffickers produced and number of victims recruited into sex trade per capita (Prevalence on Human Trafficking in Ohio 2009, Trafficking in Persons Study Commission); and Whereas, The victims deserve to be protected and provided services and treatment necessary to re-gain control of their lives; and Whereas, The Bible describes each individual as being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), affirms the sanctity and dignity of all human life (Psalm 8:4-5), and calls upon believers to speak up for those who cannot de-fend themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9); now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the messengers of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio meeting in Perrysburg, Ohio, No-vember 6-7, 2013, commit to pray for the victims of human trafficking and sexual  exploitation; and be it further Resolved, That we urge all Southern Baptists in Ohio to educate themselves and others about the various expres-sions of modern-day slavery, how to prevent it, and how to minister to those who have been victimized by it; and be it further Resolved, That we encourage Southern Baptists in Ohio to support agencies and ministries which help res-cue and rehabilitate trafficking victims; and be it further Resolved, That we call upon South-ern Baptists in Ohio to support pub-lic policies at the local and state levels which combat human trafficking; and be it finally Resolved, That we affirm the im-portant work of persons in law enforce-ment, education, medicine, counseling, and other professions who address hu-man trafficking through their assigned responsibilities and pledge our prayer-ful support .

Resolutions committee: (Left to Right) Teresa Bailey, Ryan Strother, John McIntyre, Betty Hoffmann (not pictured)

Page 4 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | December 2013

On Wednesday, October 2, 2013, Pastor Michael Brooks called a refrigerator service tech to come to the Communi-ty Soup Kitchen at Stowe Mis-sion of Central Ohio to check our commercial refrigerator which had stopped working . We use this fridge daily, and cannot serve safe meals with-out it . The service tech said, “Your twenty year old fridge is dead and it will cost $1500 – $1,600 to repair with no real warranty .” He mentioned that a replacement would run about three to five thousand dollars, but his company did not sell them! What a dilemma! We must have a refrigerator! We cannot run our Community Soup Kitchen without a reli-able, commercial refrigerator . Within 45 minutes of hear-ing this bad news — a miracle happened . A church called Stowe Mission to ask how much it costs to serve a meal in the Community Kitchen ($1 .54) . The church was plan-ning to make a monetary do-nation to help with future meals . Then the question was asked, “Does Stowe Mission have any more pressing needs

other than meal donations?” Wow! God has great timing! In less than 24 hours a new True T-49 54” Reach-in Com-mercial Refrigerator with free shipping arrived at the Stowe Mission of Central Ohio at a cost of $2,514 .93 — way under the earlier estimate . Thank you

Jesus! Thank you church sup-porters! In the meantime the refrigerator service tech talked to his company and they agreed to waive their normal service charge of $150 .00 . Praise the Lord! God is good, all the time!

Operation Christmas ChildThe Women On Mission of Park Heights Baptist Church in Cleveland set a new church record for Operation Christmas Child Boxes . They made up 40 boxes to be sent out . Pictured are Betty Turnbull, Myrtle Pack and Sylvia Churby .

Miracle at 888 Parsons Avenue

SEEKING STAFFCoshocton Baptist Church, located in Coshocton, Ohio, is seeking a full time Senior Pastor. Our average Sunday morning worship attendance is approximately 50-65. We have 94 individual active members and 50 active families as members. Please send all resumes to: [email protected] with a subject line of CBC Pastor Resume. All resumes must be received by Dec. 23, 2013.

First Baptist Church of Trenton is seeking a full time Senior Pastor. Please send all resumes to: [email protected]

Friendship Baptist Church in New Concord, Ohio is seeking a full-time pastor. Resumes with a cover letter will be received until December 15, 2013. Resumes may be sent to Friendship Baptist Church, 1390 Friendship Drive, New Concord, OH 43762, Attn: Dave Davidson, Search Coordinator. Email: [email protected]. The church prefers a person who has served in a pastoral position for 3 or more years and has a seminary degree or equivalent education. Compensation package includes salary and benefits commensurate with qualifications. Desired skills and qualities include sermon preparation and delivery of the message, Bible study and teaching, personal evangelism, leadership, and commitment to discipleship. Cut off date for resumes is December 15, 2013.

December 2013 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 5

In 2008, Rockwell Tay-lor, “Pastor Rocky,” asked his small congregation of about 50 people, “What would the com-munity think if we ceased to exist?” Unexpectedly, someone spoke up and responded out loud to the rhetorical question . “The community does not even know we exist .”

The Camps Pastor Rocky then began a journey to become a vital part of the community and in turn bring the gospel with them as they did so . This resulted over the next few years in the creation of Fun-damentals Camps in the sum-mer and a year round youth community theatre, 82nd Street Theatre . Fundamentals Camps now reaches out to 300 different kids in the community from over 190 families . Often 50 or more of these families are un-churched . In addition to the Bi-ble and the gospel being taught at every camp, the last “camp” of the season is always Vaca-tion Bible School and it is one of the most popular camps of the year . Without building rela-tionships with families through sports and theatre camps, some families would not choose to come to VBS .

Community Impact These ministries provide the church the opportunity to

be a positive influence to the community as well as to give to the community . If the value of the camps were just $50 per child, Abundant Life gave over $20,000 worth of camps away this past summer .

The Invite The church has the privi-lege to share the gospel to the

community and encourage un-churched families to come to church . This is done through a variety of means . Of course we share the gospel each week at camps, and we do several things to invite families to church . Kids come to camps and families are invited back on Sat-urday for a breakfast to honor

the kids . Often a sports star is there for autographs . Kids are encouraged all summer to come to Vacation Bible School, the “theme” camp . Kids come to VBS and are encouraged to come to sing at the VBS perfor-mance on Sunday morning and join us for the picnic afterwards . All camp families are invited back a month later to a Sunday morning end of summer “Back to School Bash .”

Follow Up We have learned that the key to follow up is to focus on those most likely to come and keep inviting . We have tried to build a system that has something else for families to do next . We want to see them come to church, but some families just need to break the barrier to come to the building first so we have the breakfasts . However, we offer church ev-ery week, and we offer special events such as VBS Celebration Sunday and the “Back to School Bash” which are connected to Sunday worship . Church and ultimately Jesus are the target destinations . The church is supposed to be a part of the community, but we are also supposed to be making the community a part of the church . If we do not tell them about eternity, who will?

Youth Impact One surprise ministry we found in doing the camps was to teens . When the camp min-istry was started, it was a min-istry to the community and it was focused on kids . A few teens from the church helped but most of the work was done by mission teams .

Mission Teams We have had as many as 3 mission teams assist us in a summer . We currently have one team that comes for our largest camp . God has blessed us to be able to staff the other camps with teens and adults from our church, other community teens, and summer missionaries . However, we are always open to partnering with mission teams for any of our camps . As a matter of fact, we see it as the perfect mission trip . The trip has:• a place to stay (at the church)• a ministry set up for you (the

camp)• opportunity to share the gos-

pel with the lost (24% of our campers are unchurched)

• opportunity for a one time trip or a long term commit-ment

• small or large group• relational community ministry• afternoon or evening servant

evangelism projects available• low cost- large impact• large church or small• youth, or adults or combina-

tion• family mission trip• replace camp breakfast with a

Thursday night block party

Let us know if you want to partner with us through fi-nancial support of our camps; sending a missions team; send-ing a summer missionary; or, praying for us .

Tim Shamburger is a Mission Service Corp Missionary serv-ing with Fundamental Camps in Northeast Ohio with his wife and three children.

Abundant Life provides positive influence to community

How to submit Church News Send all church news and information to Lin-

nett Snodgrass at [email protected]

For information about the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio and more Baptist Press news, go to our website www.scbo.org.

Page 6 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | December 2013

Mr. Bob!

Women’s Missions & Ministries

Thank you Bob Andes for 19 faithful years leading the Ohio RA Congress and 18 years direct-ing the Ohio RA Camps . Many years before Will Pol-lard invited Bob to serve in these leadership positions, Bob was as-sisting Ron Martin in these same positions . Anna, Bob’s wife, and their son, Andy both worked with and supported Mr . Bob throughout his tenure as Ohio’s RA Leader . The Andes were honored during the 2013 Annual Meeting for faithful service and being instrumental in many Ohio young men who are now serving through missions around the world .

December 2013 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 7

Mr. Bob!

Women’s Missions & Ministries

By Andrew HedgesMorningStar Baptist Church You’re never too young to be on mission with Christ . As we began our new Chil-dren in Action (CiA) program at MorningStar Baptist Church in Centerville, we were confi-dent we had a great fit for our family ministry focus . CiA provides a way for us to guide children from learning about the heart and character of God (Great Commandment) to liv-ing out what they believe on mission with God (Great Com-mission) . It has also provided a great way to come alongside parents in seeing their children as active members of the family of God . In CiA, we make a pledge every week, and we fulfilled our commitment during the month of September in the following:• Pray for missions. We prayed

every week for the mission-aries and missionary kids in the testimonies and stories we heard . We also prayed for

a heart like Mordecai and Es-ther to have courage and faith in God as we act on behalf of those in need .

• Learn about missions. We learned about missions in Vancouver, the culture of the people, and unique way they show and tell the love of Christ to people in Canada . We even created our own ver-sion of sharing Christ through broom hockey and how we could tell others about Jesus at stops on the Sky Train!

• Give to missions. Our chil-dren and parents brought in money to help us purchase material that we would use to meet the needs of children in our area . Through our dollars and coins, we learned what it means to give sacrificially and generously .

• Do Missions. On our final week, CiA encourages chil-dren to participate in a service project . The suggested project had to do with helping the homeless, and we wanted to make it even more personal .

So, we brought in all the ma-terial to make 20 fleece blan-kets for children at the Dayton Gospel Mission with whom we partner to share Christ with the homeless . Parents and children alike came and tied blankets together as an

act of love toward the children at DGM who don’t even have a pillow or blanket!

Through CiA, we are valu-ing children as active mem-bers of our spiritual family and equipping families to be on mission together . Of course,

we know that we can only complete our pledge by doing everything through the power of Christ (Phil . 4:13) . We look forward to how God will work through our children in the months to come!

Children Meeting Needs

Recovering from the Super Bowl? Digging out from a snowstorm? Planning for a spring break vacation with the family?

All of those things could be possibilities for you and your children. But what about planning to do something that will have eternal significance for your children, your family, your church, and your community?

Mark your calendar now for the seventh annual Children’s Ministry DayTM. This year’s theme is GenerationReach. Boys and girls across North America will be reaching out to all generations with the love of Jesus!

Start brainstorming now: Lead your church to plan a Children’s Ministry Day project that will encourage your children to participate in hands-on ministry in your church, community, association, or across the state!

generationREACHCHILDRen’s MInIstRY DaY 2014

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR

February 15, 2014?

“ Lord, I will sing about your great love forever. For all time to come, I will tell how faithful you are. I will tell everyone that your love stands firm forever. I will tell them that you are always faithful, even in heaven itself.”

(Psalm 89:1–2 NIrV)

Visit scbo.org/nextfactor for more information.

Page 8 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | December 2013

Missionaries, Memories, and Mmmm Yummy Brigadeiros

Moms, mark your calendar now to bring your daughters to this fun experience on October 10-11, 2014.

Women’s Missions & Ministries

Mothers and daughters brought copies of their favor-

ite dishes to cook together. The recipes were shared and each family used scrapbook-ing materials to create their

own cookbook.

JB and TB, Ohio Ms serving an unreached people group, shared their story and

helped the girls learn how to use food to reach out to

friends, neighbors, and the international

population in Ohio.

December 2013 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 9

By Jeff Deel

In today’s world, we often hear of churches in decline or churches that are closing their doors, but we don’t often hear of two churches coming to-gether as one .  That is exactly what happened in Buckeye Central - Erie Baptist Associa-tion .  The Glory Baptist Church, which started in 2009 as a new church plant in Marengo, had been meeting in the Highland Schools since their beginning .  They had been hoping to find property to build on or an ex-isting building to call home . “It seemed like we were always at a dead end in our search for a place”, said Pastor Jeff Deel .  “There just wasn’t anything available in our area .”  On the other hand, Mt .Gilead Baptist Church had a building and property but were search-ing for a pastor after the re-tirement of Pastor Lawrence Combs in June .  Pastor Combs had pastored Mt . Gilead for 24 years .  Mt . Gilead Baptist need-ed a pastor and Glory Baptist needed a building .  On August 25th, both churches voted in a

joint worship service to merge and come together as one to form the new Mt . Gilead Glory Baptist Church .   The SBC has always been known for cooper-ation amongst churches, work-ing together to spread the good news of Jesus Christ .  This is just a visible example of that cooperation .  “The first 10 weeks have been great,” said Pastor Deel . “We had a celebration service and dinner on the grounds Sep-tember 29th and we are trusting God to do some amazing things in the near future .  He has al-

ready done a wonderful thing in bringing us together and there’s an excitement and enthusiasm amongst the people .”  In October, the parking area was doubled .    Eight have joined the church in the first 10 weeks, three of which were baptized October 20th .  Expansion ideas  for the build-ing are  in the discussion stag-es .  As you Pray Ohio, pray for this church in Morrow Coun-ty .   Morrow County has an ap-proximate population of 35,000 people with just two Southern Baptist Churches .

We are aware of the battle still raging . Even though we know the outcome of the war, we need to stay focus on the present day battle . We have the ammunition (The Word of God) . We are ready with “Come unto me, all ye that la-bor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,” (Matt . 11:28); I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father but by me,” (John 14:6); “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not parish but have everlasting life .”(John 3:16) These are great and needed when we are trying to get some one to have a relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ, but let’s really look at life as God sees it and how people are actually

living . We as Christians have what the world needs: EXPERI-ENCE . The 55+ are living a dif-ferent life style today . They are retiring and finding themselves in many different situations than those that their mom and dads were confronted with . The generations of the past were living to the tune of grad-

uating from college, getting a job, starting a family, working to raise their children and then retiring to a life of leisure and relying on their religious be-liefs to get them through until God calls them home . It is not that way today . We must realize to begin with, that many, many people don’t even attend church . They are retiring and need something to do . They are running into situations such as “empty nest syndrome”—tak-ing care of aged parents—hav-ing adult children coming back home”—having to raise grand-children- and yes, just needing to do things with a purpose . With the advancement in the medical field, people are living longer and are healthier and can be more active . So, you ask, how do we

minister to these so called Baby Boomers? Folks, the har-vest has not changed; it is more plenteous then ever . We need to share our EXPERIENCE with them . How many of us, as 55+ adults, can share our relat-ing to, empty nest syndrome? How many of us can share the fact that we are caring for ag-ing parents? How many of us can share the fact we are rais-ing our Grandchildren? How many can share, giving their life purpose, by volunteering in community work? Start your personal harvest, first, by relat-ing the fact that you have been there and done that . Second, share the fact that you care and you do understand where they are coming from . Third, after you come to an understanding and have a friendly relation-

ship and an honest relation-ship, you share how God has been your rock and solid foun-dation through it all . Senior Adults, don’t let your life’s experience go with-out notice . You, sharing your life with someone who’s going through the exact same thing, could be the opening of their eyes to a true blessing from God . Let God use you in this very needed ministry . You will truly know then WHAT’S HAPPENING ON GOD’S FRONT . In His Service, Pastor Dale NorrisPastor to Senior AdultsUniversity Baptist ChurchMiddletown, Ohio 45324dnorris@universitybaptist .us

What’s happening on God’s front?

Mt. Gilead Glory Baptist Church celebrates God’s goodness

Pastor Jeff Deel addresses the congregation at the celebration of the merger of the two churches.

The time of celebration included dinner-on-the-grounds.

Almost 100 people attended the September 29 celebration of the merger of the two congregations.A time of fellowship followed the worship celebration.

Pastor Dale Norris

Page 10 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | December 2013

The Bible tells us to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15) . We are using this year’s VBS theme verse to motivate our preparations for Vacation Bible School in 2014 . On November 9, 2013, the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio hosted a VBS Director’s Preview at FBC Westerville . This pre-view gave directors from all across Ohio an ex-citing preview of next year’s theme Agency D3 . Each director received instructions in the “Jump Start Kit” provided by the Bible Teaching / Leadership Resource Group . With these classi-fied instructions, each VBS director will have a head start on their assignment for next year . All of the churches that attended were also entered in a special drawing to win 10 free 2014 VBSI Ohio registrations . We were excited that Abun-dant Life, a church plant in North Royalton won this prize . In keeping with our theme, the day consisted of “Top Secret” information on such things as:• Agency D3 week long overview• Enlistment methods• VBS director personal preparation• New and Experienced VBS director breakouts Even if you were unable to attend the Di-rector’s Preview, please mark your calendars for the VBS Institute of Ohio that will take place on March 8, 2014 at Violet Baptist Church, Picker-

ington . This will be a full training for all VBS staff and teachers . We will be providing a com-plete LifeWay VBS bookstore for you to buy all of your curriculum and decorating needs . Re-member, if you would like to order your mate-rial early, we will have order forms available for you (available February 1) to e-mail in advance, and we will have your order pulled and ready for pick up upon your arrival . Registration opens on December 1, 2013 at scbo .org . We hope to see you there with your whole VBS team! We extend a special thank you to FBC Westerville for helping host this event . The Lord has blessed them with a great addition to their building, and we are grateful to them for allowing us to use it .

“Thanks to all who had a part in organizing and implementing the jump start preview. It was

extremely helpful - and motivating. I am excited to be a part of VBS at our church and have met

with our pastor to put plans in place.”~ Char Gates

Nearly 72% of Southern Baptist

churches in North America

have plateaued or are declining in number. Send North America is designed to combat

this trend by increasing the birth rate of new churches and decreasing the death rate of

existing churches, but we need your help. The Send North America Church Growth and

Revitalization Conference is a one-day experience intended to equip you with tools to

infuse new life into your church and others like it throughout North America. Register

for the Send North America Church Growth and Revitalization Conference and partner

with us to penetrate lostness in North America through healthy, thriving churches.

Jersey Church

13260 Morse Road SW

Pataskala, OH 43062

Cost: $30

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notebook, lunch, refreshments and a $15

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Learn more and register online today at

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For more information, email

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or call 770-410-6388.

with Johnny Hunt

in partnership with

The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio

It’s That Time of Year Again- Christmas Production Planning!

Many in church music ministry are actively engaged in plan-ning holiday music and events . Here are five tips to help give you confidence and peace of mind, as you work through the checklist for your holiday productions:• Understand  how to  fully utilize church copyright blanket

licenses . • Annual blanket licenses are the easiest, quickest and most cost

effective way to provide coverage for many of your activities that use copyrighted material .  A Performance Facilities and Event License is necessary for most Christmas programs .

If you want to webcast or stream your program online, you’ll need a Music Internet Performance License .  For detailed information on blanket licenses, you can down-load a Free Fact Sheet: http://www .copyrightsolver .com/docs/fact-sheets/FactSheet-ChurchBlanketLicenses .pdf\

Don’t assume all Christmas songs are covered by the CCLI License or in the public domain. Many Christmas songs are copyrighted and owned by secular companies and require permission for duplication, streaming or performance . You can find out what songs are secular and are not covered by the CCLI license by downloading our free List of Secular Christmas Songs .

Recordings require additional licensing. If you plan to record your program (audio or video), obtain Mechanical and Synchronization Licenses for all copyrighted music and sound recordings . You can obtain these licenses on your own or through CCS’s online PERMISSIONSplus Service . Allow time to obtain licensing from publishers & record labels .  Many Christmas songs have secular owners and admin-istrators and licenses can take  12 weeks or more  to complete . Christian music publishers and labels usually take 6 to 8 weeks  for completion .  This means you should get started as soon as possible!

Obtain proper participant consent.  Be sure to get signed consent and release forms from any par-ticipants (staff or volunteers) who will appear in your production . This is especially important for any children or minors . For many more Christmas Production ideas and tips, down-load our FREE Christmas Production Idea Kit! If you have remaining questions, contact a CCS Copyright Solver at 855-5SOLVER (576-5837) . We’re available and happy to help! This document provides information and not legal advice . For more information and resources, including fact sheets, vid-eos and idea kits, visit the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio page at http://www .christiancopyrightsolutions .com/scbo .

Vacation Bible School in 2014

For additional details you can contact Jack Helton ([email protected]) or Ashleigh Moodie ([email protected])

December 2013 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 11

By Pastor David Bickers

As a guy in his 50’s, I recently was convicted to step up my commitment in taking better care of my health . Needless to say, changes in my exercise routine and diet were the first things I examined . Years ago, I used to enjoy running; so I found that to be a natural starting point as far as working out . One early morning this summer, I just happened to join a few of the guys from the high school football team as they were doing laps at our local track . I’m sure the coach had them do-ing some conditioning that day, and I thought I’d jog along with them . As we got about 2 miles into the laps, some of the players began to drop their pace . A couple of them even started to walk . A trainer came out of nowhere and began yelling at the slower players to “MAN UP!” He shouted that they should not quit and that they should not slow down . That seemed to motivate them! All of the sudden, with a renewed burst of energy, the sluggish players began to keep up pace with the rest of the team . I also noticed that my pace began to in-crease . As I approached the end of my run, I started to slow down and go into a cool down jog . All of the sudden, a

voice from behind me boomed “MAN UP!” Was that directed at me? “DON’T QUIT!” Wow, I kicked it back into gear and ran an extra mile that day . Hebrews 12:1 gives us the “behind the scenes” account of those who are al-ready with Christ cheering on those that are still running the race of life . We are told to lay aside every weight and run with endurance . As we run, we look to Jesus . It’s as if those who are in the pres-ence of Christ are encouraging those that are still running to not quit and not slow down . I need that voice telling me to “MAN UP!” When I want to slow down or even quit, the voices of the faithful still ring out for me to keep on running . We invite you to join us for the Men’s Summit at Urbancrest Baptist Church on January 24-25, 2014, in Lebanon, Ohio, and urge you to come ready to “MAN UP .” Guest speakers include Joe T . Veal, evangelist with You Turn Ministries, Andy Addis, Senior Pastor at CrossPoint Church, KS . The cost for the Summit is $5 .00 (includes Friday evening dinner and Saturday morning breakfast) . Each year we partner with the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO) and continue to expand this outstanding event throughout the Tri-State area . If you would like to attend the Men’s Sum-

mit, register yourself or your group by visiting www .urbancrest .org/mens-sum-mit . The deadline for registration is Jan-uary 22 . Deaf interpretation is provided .

If you need additional information, con-tact Mark Daubenmire at 513-932-4405 or mdaubenmire@urbancrest .org .

...to teach and portray biblical manhood and how it is to be lived out in today’s world.

friday-saturday

jan2014 24-25

Guest Speakers: JOE VEAL, You Turn Ministries ANDY ADDIS, CrossPoint Church, KS

TICKETS: $5 Purchase: www.urbancrest.org/mens-summit FRIDAY: Dinner at 5:00 pm; Summit at 7:00 pm SATURDAY: Breakfast at 7:30 am; Summit at 9:00 am

More Info: [email protected] or 513.932.4405

Men’s Summit

Page 12 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | December 2013

The Father blessed our annual state convention meeting in a tremendous way . “Pray Ohio” captures the need of the South-ern Baptist Cooperative Missions and Mis-sion Ohio . Prayer is essential to His mission of sharing the Gift of God with a lost world . The Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord . This is the reason for the Christmas season, and it is the reason for Mission Ohio and the Southern Baptist Convention . Please view scbo .org to partic-ipate in statewide Mission Ohio cooperative prayer opportunities this year . At the close of the year 2013, we shall once again celebrate the coming of Christ to provide eternal life to all who will repent of their sin and receive Him as Lord and Savior . With the coming of 2014, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the State Conven-tion of Baptists in Ohio . Much has changed since 1954, yet we continue to face the same root problem since the original fall of humanity in the Garden: sin . His Story continues to be the an-swer to the sin problem as we move into the 6th decade as a state convention . At Christmas, even the world participates in varying degrees in the celebration of His Story . Mission Ohio calls us to invite more Ohioans to embrace His Story not just once a year, but for eternity . Eternal Life is the everlasting benefit of the Greatest Gift that anyone can receive: salvation through Jesus Christ . This past year thousands of Ohioans have received the Gift of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord: 12+% increase in baptisms reported on the latest ACP and 33 new church starts . Yet, millions haven’t . Mission Ohio: 1,000 believers in 2020 con-gregations by the end of 2020 continues to call us to perseverance in proclaiming the Gospel and new means of sharing the Gospel . Let’s press toward that mark .

PRESS TOWARD THE MARK

Jack Kwok, Ph.D.Executive Director-TreasurerState Convention of Baptists in Ohio

How to become a Christian

If you are not a Christian, have never surrendered your will to the Lord Jesus, let me share briefly how you can make this life changing decision. GOD WANTS YOU SAVED.

First, you must believe that God loves you and wants you to have peace in your heart and an everlasting life (John 3:16).

Second, you must recognize that you are a sinner, that you have done things which have displeased God and that you have separated yourself from Him (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Third, you must believe that Jesus came to this earth, was actually God in the flesh, lived a perfect life, and yet went to a cruel cross, dying for your sins, paying once and for all the penalty of sin (I Peter 2:24). However, it’s

not enough just to know these three things. Many of us knew them for years before we ever gave Jesus our lives.

Fourth, you must personally ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sins (Revelation 3:20).

You can pray this prayer now and if you mean it with all of your heart, Jesus will come in just like He said. He cannot lie.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I’m really sorry for my sins, Lord. I ask you now, Lord Jesus, to come into my heart, forgive me of my sins, take control of my life, and make me the kind of person You want me to be. I now receive You into my heart. Thank You for coming in. I will follow You all the days of my life. In Your name I pray, Amen.

The “New Beginnings” banquet to celebrate and pro-mote church planting in Ohio returned with a huge splash during the recent State Con-vention meeting .   This event had been a part of the annual Evangelism Conference (now Momentum) for more than 12 years, but after a two year leave it returned to coincide with this new venue .   Since the banquet was set up at pool side in the ho-tel that housed the convention, the theme was  “Make a Splash for Church Planting!” A mix of frolic and fun was nicely blended in with the serious and heart touching testimonies and sharing from several church planters and Associational Church Plant-ing Leaders from all areas of Ohio .  A dinner for the 130 pas-tors and leaders in attendance was provided by the Church Planting Resource Group .  The funds for this event came from the Cooperative Program . After some light hearted-ness the program started off with church planter Dan Ste-

venson sharing of the great work God is doing at the New Heights church plant and the New Heights North plant lo-cated in the city of Toledo .  The Lord is doing a wonderful work with these new plants .  Up next was Associational Missionary Rich Halcombe and Bhutan/Nepali church planter Beda from Columbus .  This is a truly amazing story that reads as if it jumped off the pages of the Book of Acts .  This is a story of many refugees coming from camps in Nepal after being dismissed from Bhutan .   They are now coming to the United States .  This group now has 200 in attendance and

has baptized 30 this year . Den-nis Holmes, Church Planting Catalyst in the greater Cincin-nati area shared similar stories of another Bhutan/Nepali church plant in his area .   What a pow-erful story we heard . Ben Cur-ry, African American Church planter in Cleveland contin-ued the momentum by sharing what the Lord is doing in a new church plant that he and his wife are planting . Buck Wilford then shared with those in attendance what God is beginning to do in the new church plant that he and his wife are involved in the Summit Association . This

new church plant meets in the Brunswick, Ohio, area . Associa-tional Missionary Steve Stiglich then brought it home with more inspiring stories of new church plants in the Greater Dayton area . It was encouraging to those in attendance to see how the Lord is at work in new church plants in all areas of Ohio and in many different cultures and lan-guage groups . Mason Fenner, deaf church planter in Cleve-land, brought the presentations to a close by signing a prayer which further illustrated what an amazing God we serve who can hear prayers in English, Ne-

pali, and even sign language .        Just as the event was about to finalize some unnamed persons in the audience took it upon themselves to further illustrate the theme of “Make a Splash for Church Planting”  by choosing a certain undeserving person and tossing him in the pool . The event was fun, silly, serious, and heart touching all wrapped up in one big splash for church planting . Hope to see you at next year’s “New Beginnings” banquet .

Submitted by: Gary Odom, Church Planting Resource Group Leader

“NEW BEGINNINGS” BANQUET RETURNS WITH A SPLASH!

Food and fellowship at the New Beginnings Banquet Gary Odom makes a SPLASH for Church Planting.