The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/24/2017 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: More than watching a movie by John Weaver Date: May 24, 2017 - Wednesday DITTMER, Mo. (BP) -- Am I the only one who thought I was a martial arts expert after watching the movie "Karate Kid" and seeing the intense instruction that "Daniel-san" received from Mr. Miyagi? I saw the movie when it came out on the big screen in 1984. Sadly, my new knowledge did not make me a "black belt," especially since all the other kids I went to school with saw the same movie I did. Just watching a movie will never make me an expert in any particular field, although I might temporarily act like I am. Watching a movie like "Cool Running," for example, may give me a new interest in bobsledding and Jamaican winter Olympic sports, but actually thinking about going down a mountain of curving walls of ice at high speed in a fiberglass eggshell quickly brings me back to a sensible reality. Some people, akin to watching a movie, love to hear what the pastor, Bible teacher or missionary shares but that's often as far as they tend to get involved. God's Word clearly teaches us that following Christ is not at all a spectator sport. Being "like" Jesus Christ requires us to have and practice consistent faith -- which is directly correlated to "action." Sitting in a theater (congregation) and watching others live out "our faith" misses the mark. We're not here on this earth to just watch movies about the Light of the world, but we're commanded to go out and be the light of the world. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says," the Bible tells us in James 1:22-25. "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it -- not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it -- they will be blessed in what they do." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Iorg challenges graduates to 'be expert witnesses' by Katherine Chute Date: May 24, 2017 - Wednesday ONTARIO, Calif. (BP) -- Gateway Seminary President Jeff Iorg told students graduating from the seminary's Los Angeles-area campus May 20 that their primary role in God's kingdom is to be witnesses to the Gospel. "Tell your story and watch how God transforms those around you," he said. "Be expert witnesses. You have expert information about the Bible and practical ministry. Tell the truth no matter the consequences." Iorg reminded them that they needed to pray that God would give them insight. "We spent the last years giving you the tools of effective ministry," he said. "Use them wisely, but trust none of them to accomplish the supernatural work that God wants you to accomplish in the years to come. Trust instead in Him." He challenged them to never lose sight of the ends of the earth. "While your primary job is your current ministry, never lose sight of the world," he said. "Keep it in your vision. You are leaders in a spiritual kingdom. Tell your story, even if it's painful, and then tell it locally and globally." The seminary's Los Angeles-area campus in Ontario graduated 101 students from 17 states and three countries during commencement ceremonies held at Hillside Community Church in Rancho Cucamonga. The service was the fourth of five ceremonies, with a total of 201 graduates, conducted on the seminary's campuses. The Pacific Northwest campus, located in Vancouver, Wash., recognized the seminary's 9,000th graduate during ceremonies there May 12. LeShon Archer of California, who received the master of arts in educational leadership degree, said she came to Gateway because she wanted to be a Bible teacher. She began classes in the spring term of 2014, just before the announcement that the seminary was moving. "Dr. Iorg told the students that some had expressed concerns about competition in Southern California from other seminaries," she said, "but he told us that our mission was different. Our mission was to train leaders who expand God's kingdom around the world. That's when it dawned on me that we were partnering and joining with other believers to expand God's kingdom." Archer said she felt the faculty was there because they wanted to teach and that they challenged and changed and equipped her to fulfill the teaching ministry God had given her. "I enjoyed the training and the teaching the most," she said. "I still want to be a successful Bible teacher, wherever God leads me to serve." Benjamin Friedman of California, who earned the master of divinity degree, said he accepted Christ as a college student, felt the call to preach, and came to Gateway three weeks after college graduation and seven days after his wedding. "A call to ministry is also a call to prepare," he said. "I wanted the rich denominational history of the Southern Baptist Convention, but I wanted to do ministry outside the Bible Belt. I saw in Gateway Seminary a combination of those two factors. The most significant learning experience for me has been the training combined with intellectual rigor and practical application." Friedman received the William O. Crews Presidential Award and the Zondervan Award in Theology. Other award winners included Lindsay Nicole Vacek of California, who received the Fletcher and Claudia Royal Award in Educational Leadership; Jin Ah Yi of California, who was awarded the Roger and Martha Skelton Award in Educational Service; Hannah C. McCloy of Minnesota, who received the Jack O'Neal Award in Intercultural Ministry; Cameron Schweitzer of California, who received the Baker Bookhouse Award in Theology; Miles Paul Wallace of California, who received the Gateway Award in Theology; and Bryan David Gill of Alabama, recipient of the Will Edd Langford Award. In addition, the Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Wayne Eurich, who graduated in 1950 with a bachelor of theology degree. At age 97, Eurich may be the oldest living alumnus of the seminary. He served in churches in Oregon, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska, Germany and South Africa. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Workplace devotion leads to baptisms, discipleship by Scott Vaughan/Baptist Courier Date: May 24, 2017 - Wednesday MAULDIN, S.C. (BP) -- After more than a year of traveling 40 miles roundtrip to lead weekly devotions at a Mauldin landscaping company, South Carolina pastor David Walker of Impact Community Church has witnessed 21 people claim Jesus as their Savior and has baptized several of them on the company's property. This story of chaplaincy in business in South Carolina has gained national attention through a network of Christian business owners. The story begins with Derek and Heather Gracely, who started Capstone Landscape Management in Mauldin about 10 years ago. The business has grown from operating out of their home's driveway to a small business employing about 30 people. They are members of NewSpring Church's Greenville campus. Derek Gracely is also a member of a local C12 Group, which, according to its national website, is the "nation's largest network of Christian CEOs, business owners, and executives." Gracely's group meets one day per month. Each of the members is assigned a monthly meeting and presents a lengthy report on how things are going spiritually, personally and financially in business. "Each meeting is like a board of directors meeting," Gracely said. "The presenter gets unbiased feedback, pushback and suggestions. At one of our 2016 meetings, a very successful businessman gave his presentation, and everything seemed to be focusing on his financial progress. Another member, an attorney, raised his hand and asked, 'This all sounds great, but what have you done to impact your company for the Lord?' You could have heard a pin drop." "I was so burdened by that question," Gracely said. "What if it had been asked of me? I felt God mashing on my heart." The next morning, Gracely walked into his office and called together his wife Heather and his administrative assistant, Fotini "Fanny" Mason. He asked, "What can we do to make a spiritual investment in our employees here?" Mason mentioned Pastor Walker at Impact Community Church in Duncan, where she is a member. She said he had been talking about reaching out and getting involved in the community. Right then, the trio assembled in the conference room and called Walker, who is a member of the South Carolina Baptist Convention's Immersion network and a church planter, to discuss starting a weekly devotion. Impact Community Church meets on Sundays at the Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan. "David was excited, and came to see me," Derek Gracely said. "We talked for over an hour. He was a great fit for us, and I knew he would relate well to our employees. I wanted to make sure that he would speak the Gospel, and he did not disappoint. In fact, that first devotion meeting, I thought it would just be about introductions, and David began preaching. "I was listening and wondering how my employees would react, and it was all positive," Gracely said. "In fact, some of the ones I thought would be offended were the first ones to thank me for having David visit with us." Pastor Walker soon began traveling to Mauldin on Fridays, leaving home at 6 a.m., to lead the devotion for the Capstone Landscaping crews before they went out to work. “It wasn't always easy,” Walker said, “but I knew the Lord was using those mornings." About 18-25 employees regularly attended the devotions as Walker built relationships with Gracely and his employees. This past October, one of the Capstone employees died tragically in a motorcycle accident on his way to work. Gracely immediately reached out to Walker, and the pastor asked if he could visit with the company's employees the following day. "So the day after this tragedy, I went with one of my church members, and we met with the other employees, about 25 people," Walker said. "After a time of remembrance for their friend, I shared the Gospel with them. God blessed that time, and 16 people immediately gave their hearts to Jesus." Excited and blessed, the two men began talking about how wonderful it would be for the employees to have Bibles. Impact Community Church purchased new Bibles for each employee. David delivered them. But that's not all. "We had the idea to baptize these new believers in the yard behind the landscaping company's shop," Walker said. "But we had no idea how to put that portable baptistry together." That's where NewSpring's Greenville campus stepped in. Gracely reached out to Greenville campus pastor David Nasim. After a meeting with Gracely and Walker, NewSpring provided the portable baptistry and donated four containers of shorts, T-shirts and even underwear, kept on hand for spontaneous baptisms. Gracely transported the portable baptistry on one of his Capstone Landscaping trucks. "So, with four of our Impact members, we visited Capstone for our regular Friday devotion, and I talked about next steps after salvation," Pastor Walker said. "I explained baptism, and you should have seen their faces when I told them everything was on hand for them to be baptized right there. I gave another salvation invitation, and five more responded to the Gospel. That was 21 salvations. When I said that those wanting to be baptized could step forward, nine new believers responded. Others said they wanted to be baptized later in a church or with family present. "There are so many things to celebrate about this story, and God gets all the glory,” Walker said. “I think it's a beautiful example of an [Southern Baptist] church plant taking the church out into the world to push back the darkness in people's lives. … I was really blessed by NewSpring's generosity. This is the kingdom at work in South Carolina, and we need to celebrate it." While Walker continues to visit Capstone each week and lead devotions, Gracely's C12 Group heard about the partnership. One of the organization's objectives is to promote workplace chaplaincy. "C12 heard about our work on a national level and wanted to produce a video about it," Gracely said. "That video was shared with C12 groups all across the country. God is so much bigger than we think He is." The video can be seen at http://bit.ly/2joHyQO. Just recently, Pastor Walker was able to show the C12 video to his congregation, inviting more of them to participate, not so much at Capstone, but at their own place of business. "I ask the question of our folks and of churches across the state convention, 'What are the possibilities where you work? Is there a way your church can sponsor a group that meets at your workplace?,” Walker said. “Is there a way my church can sponsor a workplace meeting for our members?'" "Impact Community Church partnered with Capstone for a solid year before life suddenly happened, presenting an opportunity to get real with people," Walker said. "We were in a position to respond. We must take advantage of our relationships, be there for people, and pray for them at their workplace to have a great day. I believe the door is open for that within South Carolina businesses, probably more than we really realize." Gracely, of Capstone Landscape Management, says, "When Heather and I started our business, we kept saying that we weren't called to ministry someplace, but we wanted to be about something greater than ourselves. We wanted our business to glorify the Lord we love and serve. "I believe those of us in business miss such an opportunity to minister in people's lives," Gracely said. "We spend so much time with the people where we work. … We are missing a huge opportunity to have an impact every day." For more information about workplace chaplaincy contact pastor David Walker at (864) 263-8406 or david@impactcommunity.church. Or contact Derek Gracely at Capstone Landscape Management, call (864) 270-6769. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Miracle man' Stewart continues ministry after accident by Diana Chandler Date: May 24, 2017 - Wednesday ANCHORAGE, Alaska (BP) -- A two-hour "Holy Ghost revival" was in progress in Jimmy Stewart's office not long after he returned to work at the Alaska Baptist Convention earlier this year. Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Kim and his wife Rebekah from Boston were visiting the director of evangelism and church development. A small group of ministers and friends were praising God for answering their prayers and healing Stewart from a July, 2016, gas leak explosion at his rural Alaskan cabin. Physically fit and athletic before the accident, the evangelist was scarred from third-degree burns over 77 percent of his body. "You know Brother Jimmy, before the accident you were handsome and strong," Rebekah Kim said. "But now God is shining through you and you are more beautiful." Such statements have encouraged 59-year-old Stewart, who returned to work Jan. 10 and has told his testimony at churches and meetings between follow-up surgeries. His wife Kathryn, a certified personal trainer he describes as an angel, companion and encourager, helps him deal with the physical pain that often accompanies his joy. "God has used these statements to encourage me, and I don't mind if it took a little fire to make me more beautiful," Stewart said in a February testimony at First Baptist Church in Anchorage. "I'll say this, more people have been drawn to me in a kind, compassionate way, than the opposite. And people walk up to me and ask me about the story, and I get to share Christ as a result." Stewart spoke with Baptist Press by telephone May 23, the 10-month anniversary of the accident, while he was at Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. It was the day before he was scheduled for an outpatient procedure -- the latest of nearly 20 surgeries. Today, doctors are repairing skin grafts that haven't healed from a March operation that restored mobility in his left arm. "I was told this was going to be a marathon and as a result I feel I am on about mile 9 of the race to heal," Stewart said. "I have had many months of wound care and therapy for the scars and wound healing. Except for the top of my head, all of the wounds have healed." While checking the source of a gas leak in the crawl space of his family's rural cabin, Stewart took the brunt of a gas tank explosion that blew open the cabin as his family was inside. He describes the fire as a "flash bang" that miraculously extinguished within seconds. "Visqueen (plastic sheeting) covered me, melted from the blast, and flesh was hanging from my body," Stewart said. The fire burned his skin white, took his hair and all but the collar of his shirt, and shredded his pants, he later learned. Powered perhaps by adrenaline, Stewart ran to check on his family. His son drove him to the nearest road to meet the ambulance that arrived within 10 minutes. He was flown to Harbor View Medical Center where he spent the next four months -- two months in Intensive Care, five weeks in acute care and two weeks in rehabilitation -- before his discharge from the hospital in November 2016. Hospital staff called him the "miracle man" for surviving the accident they considered deadly, Stewart said. His family plastered his hospital room with Scripture, family photos and some of the 900 inspirational cards he received worldwide from Southern Baptists and others who noted their prayers for him. As the Kims learned of his accident, they began a 24-hour prayer chain and "just went to town praying," Stewart said. His wife Kathryn relied on "prayer support of dear sisters and brothers in Christ," and the "encouragement of gracious friends and loving family," she said. "Thanking the Lord for every detail that we have to be so grateful for every hour" helped sustain the family, she said, noting most of all the comfort found in Scripture. "'So do not fear, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,'" she quoted Isaiah 41:10. "Psalm 56:3, 'When I am afraid I will trust in you….' "I just always felt He had it in His hands," Kathryn said of God. "We never had any doubt even in the difficult times." God still performs miracles, the Stewarts acknowledge. "It truly was a miracle that I survived the initial explosion and fire," Stewart told BP. "The first 48 hours in the hospital were critical. God protected me and sustained me … I believe God did many miracles." Since his release from the hospital, Stewart has told his testimony at Antioch Baptist Church in the Boston area where Kim, who serves as Asian-American relations consultant to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, is pastor emeritus. Stewart traveled to North American Mission Board offices in Alpharetta, Ga., to thank NAMB President Kevin Ezell and others for their prayers and financial gifts, and attended a luncheon given in his honor by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. He has spoken at college and youth ministry events. On Dec. 10 in Seattle, he escorted his daughter Katelyn down the aisle for her wedding, officiated the ceremony, and led her in the father-daughter dance. At Christmas, he attended the 70th wedding anniversary of his parents. Stewart's wife accompanies him on all of his trips, making sure he gets needed rest and leading him in his daily physical therapy. Stewart still has nerve pain and skin problems including painful rashes, and sometimes is forced to simply stop and lie down. Kathryn considers everything that would increase his comfort, she said, especially on difficult days. "Those are the days," Kathryn said, "when I ask the Lord more, 'How can I help him?'" -------------------------------------------------------------------- Association pioneers church revitalization model by David Roach Date: May 24, 2017 - Wednesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Baptist Association Emphasis is May 21-28 in the Southern Baptist Convention. ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Two years ago, First Baptist Church of Affton, Mo., knew it was dying. So it sought help from the local St. Louis Metro Baptist Association. In a process facilitated by executive director of missions Jim Breeden, First Baptist decided to replant itself in March 2016 as Church at Affton, led by replanter Jason Helmbacher. During its first year, the replant baptized 15 new believers and has come to average just over 100 worship attendees -- about 40 of whom were First Baptist members before the replant. Helmbacher described the church as being "reborn for the sake of the Gospel," according to a video on the association's website. Within the St. Louis metro area, Church at Affton is not alone in its testimony of revitalization. Among the 140 congregations that cooperate with the local Baptist association, more than 30 have participated in an association-led revitalization process over the past seven years, Breeden told Baptist Press, with more than a dozen opting to replant as new churches. The replants have experienced a collective 400 percent increase in worship attendance, Breeden said. That success has led the St. Louis Metro Association to partner with the North American Mission Board in publishing resources for church replants -- including the Associational Replant Guide -- that it hopes will spur sister associations to similar success. The resources are available at www.churchreplanters.com. Revitalization process In St. Louis, church revitalization begins when a congregation that is plateaued or declining requests help from the association. At times a church initiates contact, and at times the association does. Citing data from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Breeden estimates 90 percent of churches -- both large and small -- may be candidates for revitalization. Each revitalization effort is led by the association's church revitalization team (CRT), which comprises pastors who have revitalized or replanted congregations in St. Louis. The CRT evaluates the church under consideration. Then a series of meetings culminates in recommendations the church must accept or reject in a business meeting. The recommendations always are customized, Breeden said. "There's not a one-size-fits-all or a cookie-cutter approach," Breeden said. "Every church is unique, and every situation is unique. Every part of St. Louis, for that matter, is unique and needs a church that's healthy and fits their culture." The association's church revitalization manual notes six potential courses of action that may be recommended to a congregation: -- Change "systems, structures and strategies that need to be changed to effectively fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in the church's current context." This course of action is the least drastic and "may or may not require new leadership," the manual states. -- Partner with a stronger church as a mission or satellite campus. -- Replant the church. -- Merge with one or more sister churches. -- Transition the facility from housing one church to serving as "a center for many ministries to reach a community. This could include multiple churches meeting in one building and/or several types of ministries to be started or invited to join at a single location." -- Sell the building and start a church planting fund. In every case, Breeden said, associational leaders "don't do things to churches" but "with churches." If a church does not affirm the CRT's recommendations, the association exits the revitalization process and seeks to support the congregation in other ways. Replicating the model One key leader in helping other associations launch revitalization ministries like that of the St. Louis Metro Association is Bob Bickford. Called in 2012 as pastor of declining Sherwood Baptist Church in St. Louis, he led the congregation to replant as The Groves Church and began to dialog with other replanters in the process. Within months of launching the replant, he joined the CRT and currently chairs it. As Bickford's passion for church replanting increased, he launched churchreplanters.com in 2015, with testimonies, forums and other resources for replants. This year, Bickford joined NAMB's replant team as associate director, and his website has been incorporated into NAMB's church replanting strategy. "Our prayer," Bickford told BP in written comments, is that the St. Louis Metro Association's approach "will serve to further the work of replanting by equipping [directors of missions], associations and churches to envision what God can do when a church determines to make courageous decisions and changes necessary to see their congregation move from decline and near death to life." Johnny Rumbough, associational missions emphasis coordinator for the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders, echoed that sentiment. Breeden "is a seasoned and skilled leader on the topic of church health and revitalization," Rumbough, executive director of missions for the Lexington (S.C.) Baptist Association, told BP in written comments. "He understands the necessity to have the right leaders equipped and available to customize the revitalization process for each church requesting assistance, which is the key to the association's effectiveness. "The St. Louis Metro Baptist Association has created a church health culture,” Rumbough said, “and a process for assisting that is a model for associations today."