The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/21/2015 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AT THE MOVIES: Lest we forget veterans by Phil Boatwright Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) -- Long ago Hollywood governed itself with a Motion Picture Code that forbade excessive content, even in war films. Movies such as "Battleground" made in 1949 and "The Longest Day," in 1962, vividly detailed the conflict of war without including obscene language or overly graphic violence. But times have changed. And I'll admit that if there is one genre deserving of a more in-your-face depiction of the realities of man's inhumanity to man, it's the war film. If we don't become immune to it, Hollywood's CGI (computer generated imagery) "realism" can have a visual and visceral impact that will stay with us long after viewing. Films such as 1998's "Saving Private Ryan" and "Flags of Our Fathers," 2006, inspect the nature of heroics and patriotism with a keen eye, revealing the depth of character submerged in average people. Such is the case with two selections I've chosen to spotlight in this Memorial Day tribute. Despite the rough language and vividly detailed wartime action, both my choices contain profound statements. Their violence clarifies the horror of war and indicates the necessity of battling evil in order to preserve the good. 'American Sniper' This movie recounts the military career of Chris Kyle, a Navy S.E.A.L. trained as a sniper to protect soldiers advancing within hostile zones. The 2014 Oscar-nominated action drama recreates many of his more than 150 confirmed kills. Superbly directed by Clint Eastwood, and memorably acted by Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, American Sniper does what most great military films do; it delivers a thoughtful exhortation on the costs of war. While it is pro-God (Kyle carried a Bible at all times) and pro-country (he did four tours of duty), the film points out the haunting price paid for freedom. It is an edgy, tension-driven thriller that also gives us a revealing portrait of home life for the returning vet. Despite its R rating, here's my ultimate reason for praising American Sniper. It drove home the fact that our military face and remember horrors most of us will never endure. The film reminded me not just to thank our soldiers for their service; I also felt the Holy Spirit putting a burden on my heart for these men and women. I now believe I'm supposed to pray the Lord will replace their nightmares with peaceful dreams, and gently restore wounded bodies and minds. I suspect our prayers for someone we don't even know is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. Surely He will not ignore them. 'We were soldiers' This movie from 2001 was written and directed by Randall Wallace, who managed to capture the heat, the fear, and the uncertainty felt by American soldiers in Vietnam. The emotions are downright palpable. As the filmmaker explores the true spirit of American combat forces, he wisely takes us out of the action, relieving us occasionally of the battle intensity. During these moments, the film looks at the wives back home. They have their own battles to fight, including the constant fear that their men will not return. Also, they must deal with America's increasing polarization over the first televised war. It is a difficult film to sit through, but there are many outstanding moments that balance the gut-wrenching segments. Its star, Mel Gibson, gives perhaps his best performance. Several times he delivers witty remarks -- to his kid, his wife, or to a fellow officer -- that could have come across as sappy and untrue, but here are expressed with a pitch-perfect clarity of intention. Gibson's Col. Moore is portrayed as a religious man, several times seen in prayer, reflecting a reverence for God and a need for the Almighty's direction. The character reminded me of what the biblical King David may have been like when heading his armies. By the end credits, these two motion pictures have declared that war is a tragedy, while also reminding us of the truth found in Ecclesiastes 3: "There is a time for everything ... a time for war and a time for peace." American Sniper and We Were Soldiers have given me an insight concerning one way evil surfaces to destroy the soul of man. American Sniper has recently been released on DVD/Blu-ray. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Royal' treatment helps family share true King by Kate Gregory Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday AMAZON REGION (BP) -- Most girls dream of becoming royalty, but few have the opportunity to realize that dream. For Naomi and Hannah Jansen,* teenage daughters of Southern Baptist missionaries among an unreached tribe in South America, it wasn't quite like the fairy tale of wearing bedazzled ball gowns and living in spacious castles. Their skin and hair, not their dresses, were what was decorated when they were inducted by the tribe to be ceremonial queens of the village, tribal peacemakers who hold positions of honor and reflect a high level of respect given to their parents. The most notable sign a girl has been deemed a village queen is that locals are not supposed to argue in her presence, or it brings shame upon the families. Naomi and Hannah haven't been called into service yet, but they know their role is to silence an argument, should one erupt among villagers. "The main reason they wanted me and my sister to do this was because they respected my father," Naomi said. "For someone's daughters to be queens, it's a huge honor for the parents." That didn't mean their father, Jacob,* didn't think twice about his daughters accepting this honor. He spent several hours asking a member of the tribe what responsibilities this role encompasses before giving his consent. Part of the family Besides Naomi and Hannah's honorary status, each member of the missionary family has been adopted into a family within the tribe. "When someone comes into this village, they like to adopt you to accept you as one of them ... so they'll know who you are, where you fit in," Naomi explained. As part of being introduced into this familial society, villagers ask: Who is your family here? Who is your mother here? "Until they know who your mother is, they really don't know where you fit in," Jacob said. "We were each adopted so that we would have a mother and a family that we fit into, and then everyone knows their relationship with us. They know whether to treat us as an uncle, nephew or brother" or as someone from another family. 'Rural' versus 'remote' The International Mission Board missionaries thought they knew a little about rural living. But there's rural and then there's remote. "I used to think we lived remotely when we moved from Texas to Tennessee and lived 20 minutes from a Wal-Mart," Jacob joked. Now, they are about four hours away from where they can buy supplies. In some ways, the family of seven has learned to be self-sufficient. Jacob, with some basic construction know-how, built the small family dwelling with a common living space and bunk-style quarters. His wife Jessica* homeschools the children still living at home; one is at college. But in other ways, life among this tribe isn't meant to be individualistic; it's corporate living dependent on one another. For example, if a family needs an ingredient to complete a meal, they ask another villager. Jacob learned this give and take while building his dwelling. "I stayed with my adopted family. ... They prepared my food for me," he said. When he gathered his clothes to wash them in the creek, his adopted mother asked what he was doing. She told him she was supposed to do that for her son. Princess in title only Despite their honorary titles as village queens, Naomi and Hannah help their mother with cooking and other chores -- no princess complexes allowed here. The couple's son, youngest daughter and Jacob similarly pitch in with household duties. As with the villagers, most everything is a cooperative effort. There are no dishwashers, except those with hands, Naomi said. There are no restaurants or telephones, so family time is easy to come by and hard to avoid. They have electricity in their main living area, so they can play DVDs, but they don't have lights by their beds so that usually means going to sleep early, Jessica said. She uses an outdoor tub to do laundry by hand with a scrub board. Before that, she washed clothes in the creek. Jessica was familiar with from-scratch cooking, but with limited ingredients and once-a-month trips to town that take nearly a day to complete, meal preparation requires time and planning -- four to six weeks' worth of menu lists at a time. "I've always been a list maker, but I've learned to make lists more than I've ever done," Jessica said. She can't always count on a steady bread supply in town, so she makes her own. The family has planted a small garden since pre-packaged vegetables are difficult to find. Transporting supplies has been easier since they obtained a 4x4 vehicle, made possible by Southern Baptists' giving through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Before that, the family rented rides to town on a flatbed truck. "We want to say thank you for giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering because without you, we would not be able to be here ... to do our part in sharing the Gospel," Jacob said. "Our people ... need to hear the Word of God. They have so many influences from the people around them." Sharing about the true King The people group that the family works with is unreached with less than 2 percent of its population being evangelical Christian. The ethnic religion is deeply rooted in the people's identity, and conversion to Christianity can equate to feeling separated from one's culture. Language learning is another hurdle for the Jansens, since villagers speak a tribal language different from the region's primary language. When Jacob tells Bible stories in the village, a member of his adopted family who knows the regional language translates the stories into the tribal language. This process enables locals who know both languages to hear the stories again. Jacob tells stories chronologically from Old Testament to New Testament to give the people a fuller understanding of God's Word, since most of them don't read. Jacob and Jessica work with language tutors, then Jacob spends time in the village practicing what he has learned that day while Jessica homeschools their children. Jessica practices language later while interacting with village women. As Jacob strikes up conversations with locals, "people get to laugh at me, people get to correct my pronunciation, and so part of daily life is just being laughed at as I learn the language.... "The only way they can really have their hearts opened in a good way is to hear the stories of God in their own language," Jacob said. "So we are motivated, we are driven, not by our desire to learn another language but by our desire to communicate clearly the Gospel." So far, six believers in the village have been baptized and meet together weekly. "We were able to see them come to understand who God is and what He can do for them and how they can love Him," Jacob said. The goal is for one of them to eventually lead the services, Jacob said. Other villagers interested in hearing God's Word are beginning to attend. On Sunday mornings, the missionaries gather 60 to 80 village children to play games associated with a Bible story that will follow. Jacob makes follow-up home visits to tell parents the stories their children are learning. Fridays and Saturdays are youth and family game nights, including a type of field hockey using sticks. Naomi started a weekly Bible study for girls, weaving arts and crafts in with girl bonding time and conversations about Bible stories. Where God wants them Jessica felt called to missions as a teenager at church camp. For Jacob, it was as an adult on a mission trip. He had felt called to and studied ministry, but it wasn't until one of his mission trips to South America that he realized the location for that ministry was going to be in South rather than North America. The family didn't end up where they thought they were headed, but in retrospect, this is where God was leading, Jacob said. During a plane layover on a mission trip to the region, Jacob and his mentor had prayed, "God, would you send one of us back here to reach the people?" Years later, the older mentor told Jacob he had prayed God would specifically send Jacob to reach the people of this area where the Jansens now live. *Name changed. Watch the Jansen family talk about the joys and challenges of living in a remote Amazon region: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Redeeming your building to reach community by Mark Clifton Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Legacy church planting isn't limited to churches at the very end of their lives. Many churches find themselves with buildings far larger than they need even as they struggle to impact their immediate community in a meaningful way. They love Jesus and the Gospel. They love lost people, but they can't seem to crack the missional code of the people who live around them. They aren't ready emotionally to turn over their ministry to another entity. But they live daily with the reality of a building that is far too big and a community that seems unresponsive. Sound familiar? Keep reading. God has raised up an entire generation of bold, Gospel-focused young men who are planting Bible-believing, community-transforming and disciple-making churches all across North America. Almost 1,000 new Southern Baptist churches launch each year. One of the single greatest challenges for these new churches is finding a location in which to meet and from which to conduct ministry. There are tens of thousands of Southern Baptist church buildings in neighborhoods throughout cities, towns and villages around the continent. At the same time there are tens of thousands of Southern Baptist churches that are praying for their cities, towns and neighborhoods to be reached. Maybe God wants to use a new church plant as the impact point to reach that community and to use part of your church building from which to launch that new church. The new church could lead the way in pushing back the lostness of the community and the older established church can provide a building and a base of love, care and, most importantly, strategic and constant prayer. This model of legacy church planting is happening all across North America. Community Baptist Church in Bellingham, Wash., is one such example. After decades of effective ministry, the church stopped growing and spiraled down in decline. In frustration they even considered closing the doors. Instead the church did something courageous. Noticing a need to reach Spanish speakers in the community, they invited church planter Ivan Montenegro to plant a Spanish-language church from their building. At first Ivan wasn't sure if the timing was right. But God soon confirmed the timing through a man Ivan met named Bautista -- which is Spanish for Baptist. Ivan told the man he was considering starting a church in the community and asked him if he'd be interested in helping. After the man answered affirmatively, he returned to the hotel where he worked and invited all the Spanish speakers he knew to the potential church. That became the foundation of a new church to be hosted at Community Baptist. The Spanish-language church plant thrived from the beginning. Where the community once saw a struggling congregation, it now saw a place full of life and new people. Another church, Armour Heights Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., had struggled to reach the community and experienced few results -- much like Community Baptist. Their building was large enough to house several churches so they opened it up to share with a Southern Baptist church plant. The two churches worked together on children and youth ministry and Vacation Bible School. In short order Armour Heights gained a new vision, and they too began to grow! Sometimes, as the Holy Spirit leads, the new church and the older church may become one. Sometimes the older church may hand over its facility to the new church at a later date. Sometimes the two continue to serve side by side. They may even add a third! That old building that seemed too big for the declining church can once again be filled with Great Commission activity for God's glory and your joy! You don't need a multi-million dollar budget or a large staff to become a supporting church to a new church plant. You simply need to practice that old-fashioned Christian virtue of hospitality. Connect with a church planter who has the gifting and calling to plant a church among an underserved segment of your community. Come alongside of him and the new congregation. Do joint ministry in the community. Start a new church together. In one sense you'll become a supporting church without ever leaving your building. It just might be the most important legacy your church will ever leave your community. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'God is with you wherever you go,' Akin tells grads by Staff/SEBTS communications Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday WAKE FOREST, N.C. -- "Our God is a global God. He is always with those who are on mission with him," Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said to the seminary's spring 2015 graduates. Southeastern's 61st graduating class included 274 graduates receiving 44 undergraduate, 197 graduate and 38 doctoral degrees. In his commencement address on May 15 in Wake Forest, N.C., Akin challenged the graduates with Jesus' last words in Matthew 28:18-20. He highlighted God's sovereign power, plan and promise. "As you go and do what God has called you to do, you need to daily continue to acknowledge His authority," Akin said. "Now that you are in Christ you have access to His authority and power." He challenged the audience to remember they are going as Christ's missionaries to make disciples. Akin quoted missionary Hudson Taylor, "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." Akin emphasized the 3.78 billion people who have limited or no access to the Gospel. "The Bible gives clear evidence that King Jesus needs to be known by those people," he said. "You will go to the hard and difficult places, do not question the command of your King." He also called believers to consider going to the underserved areas in North America "where the Gospel light is nothing but a flicker." "What an incredible promise from an awesome King," Akin said. "Wherever He sends you, He is already there. God is orchestrating events for your good and His greater glory." Akin read the words of missionary David Livingstone, "without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere!" Akin said, "That is my prayer for you this morning. He promises to go with you wherever you may go." Among the graduates: Timothy Akin, Daniel Akin's son and campus pastor of Family Church West of First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, Fla., earned a master of divinity degree with Christian ministry; Matt Carter, pastor of preaching and vision at Austin Stone Community Church in Texas, earned a doctor of ministry degree; Scott Hildreth, director for the Center for Great Commission Studies and assistant professor of global studies at SEBTS, and Jeff Struecker, lead pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga., and former ranger and retired chaplain for the U.S. Army, both earned doctor of philosophy degrees. To watch this message online, please click here. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Boy Scouts should allow gay leaders, BSA pres. says by David Roach Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday ATLANTA (BP) -- The Boy Scouts of America should end its ban on gay adult leaders, BSA President Robert Gates said today (May 21), lending credence to the concern expressed in a 2013 Southern Baptist Convention resolution that opening the group's membership to homosexual youth was "merely the first step toward future approval of homosexual adult leaders in the Scouts." A policy allowing gay Scout leaders "was a matter of time," said Ernest Easley, who was chairman of the SBC Executive Committee in 2013. "Back when they changed their thinking regarding the boys themselves, I knew that within a year or so they would reverse their stand with the leadership. And frankly, I think it was the plan to begin with: Start with the kids. We get that done. Then we come back later with the adults." Gates, a former C.I.A. director and U.S. secretary of defense, told attendees of the BSA annual meeting in Atlanta he is not asking the national board to change the leadership policy immediately. But he said the Scouts must voluntarily accept gay leaders before a court forces them to do so. "Between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the BSA finds itself in an unsustainable position," Gates said according to a copy of his prepared remarks, "a position that makes us vulnerable to the possibility the courts simply will order us at some point to change our membership policy. We must all understand that this probably will happen sooner rather than later." A new leadership policy should, Gates said, "allow all churches, which sponsor some 70 percent of our Scout units, to establish leadership standards consistent with their faith. We must, at all costs, preserve the religious freedom of our church partners to do this." Easley, pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., questioned whether the BSA can truly protect religious liberty for churches with Scout troops. "Our religious liberties are being stripped away state by state," Easley told Baptist Press. "And depending on what the Supreme Court does in the next month or so, it may be the end of religious liberty as this nation has known it historically. So I don't think religious liberty is even going to be an issue much anymore." In 2013, the BSA voted to approve new membership guidelines stating, "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone." Previously, a Boy Scouts policy stated, "Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed." Initially, BSA executive leadership planned to change Scouts policies to allow avowed homosexuals to become members and hold leadership positions. But following an outcry from Scouts, their families, sponsoring organizations and the American public, the BSA board took additional time to review the policy and recommended changing only the membership standards. Less than a month after the change of policy, messengers to the SBC annual meeting in Houston adopted a resolution expressing "continued opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy." The resolution said the Scouts' decision was "viewed by many homosexual activists as merely the first step in the process that will fundamentally change the BSA," putting "the Scouts at odds with a consistent biblical worldview on matters of human sexuality." The resolution added that the decision had "the potential to complicate basic understandings of male friendships, needlessly politicize human sexuality, and heighten sexual tensions within the Boy Scouts." At the time, Southern Baptist leaders echoed the resolution's prediction the Scouts would eventually drop their ban on gay leaders. Among the leaders voicing that opinion were Steve Lemke of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Russell Moore of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and Roger S. Oldham of the EC. "We grieve that the Scouts have planted the seed of their eventual destruction," Oldham, EC vice president for convention communications and relations, said at the time. "It won't happen overnight, but the course has been set." In related news, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America has reaffirmed its policy of accepting transgendered persons into membership. The reaffirmation came in response to objections by conservative organizations, including the American Family Association, to allowing boys "who are confused" to join, CNN reported May 20. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: May 24, 2015 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the YOU curriculum. Bible Passages: Matthew 25:31-40 Discussion Questions: How have you been the hands and feet of Jesus? How would you respond to someone who tells you your contribution doesn't matter? Food for Thought: Congratulations, it's your serve! But, be forewarned: The work is strenuous; there's no glamour involved and sometimes, it can be downright humiliating. Blessings are the reward for plowing through. For some, that's sufficient. We find joy in simply being the hands and feet of Jesus. For the same amount of work, many of us would much rather elevate ourselves -- chasing a prestigious job title, earning a trophy for physical prowess, or seeking the esteem that comes with a high social rank. Entitlement is our focus. For too long our society has tempted us saying, "You deserve it. You want it. Make sure you receive it." Whatever "it" is, people still aren't happy, just weary from pushing their way to the top -- without meeting a single need of others. What incentive is there to serve? Today's study demonstrates that when it comes to being the hands and feet of Jesus, no service is insignificant. Your service matters, no matter how small! Matthew 25:31-46 is best taken as a literal description of the final judgment. The King, Jesus, will judge people based on their reception and treatment of the least of His brothers. It begins with Jesus' discourse to the disciples on this topic. He uses the analogies of "shepherd," "sheep" and "goats." Shepherd and sheep are commonly used to represent Jesus and His followers. Sheep have mild temperaments, need leadership, and enjoy their shepherd's protection. They listen to His voice. Jesus' analogy is spot on. However, in this passage, goats symbolize unbelievers. Goats and sheep often grazed together, but the herds had to be separated because of the male goats' aggressiveness. The significance of the separation of the peoples is found in the statement that Jesus "will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left" (v. 33). In this context of separation, the "right" was the position of honor and benefit while the "left" was the position of shame and destruction. Those in the position of honor and benefit will be invited by the King to join Him in the kingdom. As we look over the activities Jesus commended and gave as the rationale for the "sheep" to be brought into the kingdom (vv. 35-36), it should strike us that no great or earth-shattering works are listed. What we do notice is that every one of the listed activities is something simple, something you and I and almost everyone else can do. Each act of service matched the need. Likewise, when we see needs, we ought to do our best to match our service to those needs. After exploring Jesus' examples, consider inviting the Holy Spirit to soften your heart toward others. Hopefully, you'll soon be able to say, "Thank you Jesus; I get to serve." Congratulations, it's your turn! YOU Intentionally focused on African American, urban and multicultural believers, YOU is biblically based with culturally relevant and affirming lessons to help people connect, grow, serve, and ultimately be engaged in impacting the world for Christ. This flexible, non-dated all-in-one quarterly resource offers weekly Bible study for leaders and learners, devotionals, and teaching plans, as well as articles on hot topics and missions. For additional online teaching resources, visit LifeWay.com/YOU. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ohio Baptists praying outside 88 county seats by Diana Chandler Date: May 21, 2015 - Thursday COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- Ohio Southern Baptists are praying publicly outside all 88 county headquarters across the state through May 29, proclaiming Scripture, praising Jesus and pleading for county officials, businesses and community concerns, organizer Cathy Pound told Baptist Press. "Most of the counties have specific concerns," said Pound, Women's Missions and Ministries Resource Group leader with the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. "Maybe it's single moms, maybe it's drug addiction, maybe it's sex trafficking; whatever their specific concerns are, we've been lifting those concerns up." At least 65 team leaders including pastors and lay leaders across the state are participating, with individual county teams varying in size. On average, seven people have prayed at each county seat, and 81 counties will have been reached through today (May 21), Pound said. The outreach is designed to unite and energize Baptists across the state in prayer. "The short-term goal is that Ohio Baptists literally would be purified and unified as one, and cry out as one voice for Jesus to draw the lost to Him in every single county," Pound said. "And of course we, along with (Southern Baptist Convention President) Ronnie Floyd, we are praying that awakening will happen in Christ followers here in Ohio. "We're seeing long-term goals that church plants would come from this. We're believing that as our people really seek the Lord for their county, there's going to be some significant changes in the lives of the officials in the county, and there's going to be changes in the lostness. We're believing that." Churches in various counties have made plans to schedule prayer outreaches at county seats weekly, monthly or quarterly, Pound said. "One of the goals that we had for long-term was that this would not just be a one-time thing, but that these prayer leaders would really believe in the Lord that this is the beginning of something that they will pick up and carry on," Pound said. "What we do want to do is encourage that there's a prayer champion in every county and it's coming from the Holy Spirit through them. These people live in these counties and it's their heart, and it needs to be between them and the Holy Spirit how they move forward." The county seat outreach was divinely inspired, Jack Kwok, executive director/treasurer of the Ohio Baptist convention, told Baptist Press. "A number of years ago, God just kept putting it on my heart to go to our county seats. We're not protesting, we're not marching, we're not obtaining permits to have a public gathering," Kwok said. "We just wanted to gather, whoever would come, in smaller groups, and pray at that county seat and pray for the lostness in that county, pray for the spiritual conditions -- the difficulties families are facing ... the elected officials, and the service people, the police force, the fire and emergency people, and most of all just pray for a movement of God all across our state in every county." The county prayer gatherings are part of Ohio Baptists' Pray Ohio Call to Prayer initiative that began in 2014 and is scheduled to continue at least through December, with a unique emphasis each month. The prayer gatherings at county seats began May 5, in addition to a May 12 prayer gathering held at Genoa Baptist Church of Westerville and prayer and fasting on the first Friday in May across the state. "We believe in prayer and we've been praying that the Father would bless in Ohio," Kwok said. "We have 11 and a half million people and we believe God could use Southern Baptists to reach at least a million of those. "We figure it would take 2,020 congregations to disciple and care for that many people. So that's our 2020 vision," he noted. "All along, we've had a five-core strategy that fits in the hand analogy quite well, with the thumb being prayer and spiritual renewal. And then, more and better disciples, more healthy congregations, discovering and developing leaders and working with associational church plants." Other Pray Ohio events have included prayer drives around and across the state and prayer targeting the causes of pastors, church planters, Woman's Missionary Union, and North American and international missions. "This has been a long emphasis of ours. We think it's very providential Ronnie (Floyd) came along with a similar vision and heartbeat in praying for awakening, and it just fit real well," Kwok said. "Prayer at the end of the day is surrender to the Lordship of Christ and aligning our lives with God's purposes and God's will in our lives. We're seeing an increased awareness and participation, and various other prayer emphases that have come alongside of that, some of them perhaps have branched off from it. But I rather think it was just God bringing that awareness to our folk all across the state." In June, Ohio Baptists will pray for Crossover Columbus and the city of Columbus in advance of the June 16–17 SBC Annual Meeting there.