The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/13/2012 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER:
Cancer becomes one of God's 'greatest gifts' to IMB missionary by Laura Fielding Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention is Dec. 2-9 with the theme of "BE His heart, His hands, His voice" from Matthew 16:24-25. Each year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supplements Cooperative Program giving to support Southern Baptists' 5,000 international missionaries' initiatives in sharing the Gospel. This year's offering goal is $175 million. To find resources about the offering, go to imb.org/offering. DURBAN, South Africa (BP) -- Roger Hesch should be dead. After stage 4 bone marrow cancer decimated his body, his recovery encountered several life-threatening setbacks, each of which should have overpowered his ravaged immune system. Doctor after doctor told him the chances of survival were next to nothing. But God had more for Roger to do. Saying 'yes' Years earlier, after graduating from high school in his hometown of Little Falls, Minn., Roger spent a year in South Africa as part of an international exchange program in Johannesburg that exposed him "to the bigger world," he said. He and his wife Meg met while attending college in Minneapolis and were married in 1980. Early on, the couple made a commitment to say "yes" to God's leading, regardless of what that meant. They said "yes" to Roger attending seminary and pastoring two Southern Baptist churches. "In January 1986, I was speaking on the Great Commission and while I was preaching, God said, 'You can't encourage other people to do what you are not willing to do,'" Roger recalled. It was then the couple said "yes" to serving overseas as missionaries with the International Mission Board. "We said we'll go where other people can't or won't go," Roger said. That led them to live in a dangerous country in sub-Saharan Africa with few missionaries -- Roger was even wrongfully imprisoned for a week. But he and Meg remained obedient, seeing 70 churches multiply to 500 in about six years. It was after a move to North Africa to pastor an international church that Roger and his family -- which now included three children -- would face their biggest challenge. The cancer Roger was coaching his daughter's school basketball team in 1999 when he began to lose movement -- first in his right arm, then his left. North African doctors couldn't diagnose the problem so they sent him to London. Doctors there diagnosed him with stage 4 cancer, meaning it had spread to other organs and was considered incurable. Another concern was a vertebra pinching his spinal cord. Doctors worried the weakened and brittle bones in Roger's neck may collapse, snapping his spinal cord. Within a week the Hesches were back in Minneapolis for Roger to begin chemotherapy. He also had a metal "halo" screwed into his head to keep his neck upright. "He was in [the halo] for four months," Meg said. "His head could never touch the pillow because it was propped up on bars; he couldn't turn his neck, and he endured it -- just day by day by day -- endured such hardship and such suffering." After four months of chemo the treatment began to kill his body. His only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant. God speaks As he lay in the hospital bed following the transplant, Roger told God, "I hurt -- I mean, I really hurt." But God reminded Roger of the pain He had endured. "His response to me was, 'I hung on a cross; you're lying in a hospital bed.... I had nails in my hands. You get ice chips when your mouth is dry; they gave Me sour vinegar.... You have doctors and nurses to care for you; I had Roman soldiers to stick spears in Me.... You've got Me to cry out to and you know I love you; and I cried out, 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?' "[God told me] 'You have a chance now to know just a small measure of the pain that I went through for you -- just a small measure of what I suffered,'" Roger said. And for the first time Roger truly understood God's grace. "We always look at cancer and we say, 'Oh, what a terrible thing,'" Roger said. "I think it's one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me, because I learned so much about God through the experience." Roger began to recover after the bone marrow transplant, but not without complications. "It was a long road back, physically," he said. Soon after his release from the hospital, with a weak immune system, Roger contracted a septic infection, which doctors told him kills 50 percent of healthy people. His blood pressure bottomed out and he had to be airlifted to the hospital -- but walked out two days later. "One of the doctors on the team shook his head and said, '[Roger is] the luckiest man I've ever heard of,' and one of the other attending doctors said, 'No, he's not lucky, he's blessed,' [because] the first thing I said to the doctor when I went there was, 'I know you can't cure me.... There are things neither you can control nor I can control, [things] we have to leave in the hands of God.'" As Roger continued to recover, he faced one obstacle after another: graft-vs.-host disease, shingles, the fusing of vertebra in his neck and thickening of the skin on his legs. "[The doctors] saw over and over and over again God's hand in the way that He did things in my body," Roger said. "Just the fact that I sit here without steel rods up and down my spine ... but I can move, I don't have neck pain, I can play basketball.... "God did that. The doctors never explained it, there was no medicine that did that -- God did that, and I give Him thanks for it." Following two years of treatment and recovery -- and despite physical limitations and setbacks -- Roger and his family said "yes" to God once again and headed back overseas in 2001 to Durban, South Africa. A new chapter In the summer of 2012, the Hesches left South Africa to begin a three-year IMB role in California to counsel those interested in serving as overseas missionaries. As they were preparing for the move, the family received upsetting news yet again -- this time, it was Meg who was diagnosed with cancer. Meg's heart ached as she watched her husband and children struggle with the news. In addition to facing chemotherapy treatments, she also had to deal with a transatlantic move and settling into a different culture. "Through God's great grace and fantastic support of family and friends, I have weathered well the necessary six rounds of chemo, even in the midst of moving and adapting to our new home and ministry," Meg said. "As a Christian battling a potentially life-threatening illness, the truth is that I am absolutely in a win-win situation, though naturally my heartstrings anchor me to my precious family, friends and ministry I love." Meg's illness is a reality with which her husband is all too familiar. But despite changes, moves, sickness and new jobs, Roger said the bottom line is knowing God. "God is faithful and He wants us to know Him, no matter what it takes in our lives ...," he said. "Our life is not about doing stuff for God but knowing God, loving God and living with Him in a relationship." --30-- Laura Fielding is a writer for IMB. Southern Baptists' gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and through the Cooperative Program help Southern Baptist missionaries around the world share the Gospel. Gifts for the offering are received at Southern Baptist churches across the country or can be made online at imb.org/offering where there are resources for church leaders to promote the offering. View the Hesches' missionary testimony: Stage 4 cancer did not deter Roger Hesch from God's call. Download related videos at imb.org/lmcovideo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Cancer builds couple's reliance on God by Laura Fielding Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention is Dec. 2-9 with the theme of "BE His heart, His hands, His voice" from Matthew 16:24-25. Each year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supplements Cooperative Program giving to support Southern Baptists' 5,000 international missionaries' initiatives in sharing the Gospel. This year's offering goal is $175 million. To find resources about the offering, go to imb.org/offering. DURBAN, South Africa (BP) -- When Roger Hesch was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, he immediately took it to the Lord -- who told him He was using the sickness to display His glory. "In the face of his illness, [Roger] set his face like flint, as it says of the Lord Jesus," his wife Meg said, "and [was] just determined to experience this with God ... and to not turn away from God in the face of his suffering." However, Meg did not have such an easy time accepting her husband's condition. "I had much more of a struggle coming to terms with it as a wife," Meg admitted. "I stared widowhood in the face multiple times during the course of his illness. ... I was facing mountains that were insurmountable to me, and God just helped me to start looking for the answers to how He was bringing glory to Himself through that. "I think one of the ways He did was through my husband's determined obedience." Roger said growing up in the States, he was taught to pray for comfort and healing, but through the cancer God changed his outlook. "The truth is, I was better -- I've been better -- because God let me be sick," Roger said. "When people ask me to pray now, my default prayer is not 'God fix them' ... my default prayer is 'God, let them see You; let them see Your grace in whatever this difficulty is.' "It doesn't matter what my body's like, really. My body's been sick, as sick as I suppose anybody thinks it could be, but it's not about the body. ... God has gifts for all of us that are so much deeper than physical health or a good job or lots of money -- just knowing Him when I've got nothing else and hearing Him say, 'I love you.'" When Meg and Roger met, before they were even dating, Roger told her that God would always be first in his life and he was looking forward to the day when he would be in heaven. "One of the things that attracted me to him was that Jesus was front and center in his life in a very clear way, but it was hard when I was so confronted with the possibility that I was going to lose him," Meg said. But Roger survived his near-fatal cancer and subsequent life-threatening conditions -- "and he did it for the kids and me," Meg said. During his sickest times, Roger's marriage vows were something that helped him hold on. "I could have said, 'I can't do this anymore,' but I made a commitment to my wife that I would stay with her in sickness and in health," Roger said. "I know most people think that means the well person stays with the sick person, but I was the sick person and I couldn't give up because I'd made a commitment to her, let alone to God and what we were doing." Meg admitted that "if I'd had a list of all the things we have been through as a couple and in our ministry overseas before we signed on [with IMB], I think I would have turned tail and run the other way." But God knew her capacity to handle suffering and gave Meg strength to meet each challenge as it came. "Suffering is never the school any of us want to go to; it's not the lesson we want to sign up for," Meg said, "but it is one of the key tools God uses to shape and mold human lives. It is the tool that He used to mold His own Son and so I think if we are Christ-followers, we're called to be willing to follow in His steps." Update Since this story was written, Meg has been diagnosed with stage 2 cancer. Though it is difficult for her and her family to face cancer again, Meg is "confident that God has blessed purposes for my life each and every day." --30-- Laura Fielding is a writer for IMB. Southern Baptists' gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and through the Cooperative Program help Southern Baptist missionaries around the world share the Gospel. Gifts for the offering are received at Southern Baptist churches across the country or can be made online at imb.org/offering where there are resources for church leaders to promote the offering. Download related videos at imb.org/lmcovideo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Poll: 60% of voters back traditional marriage by Staff Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Despite four victories by gay marriage supporters on Election Day, a solid majority of voters nationwide still believe marriage is between one man and one woman, according to a new poll. The survey by the Polling Company shows that 60 percent of voters in this year's election agreed that "marriage is between one man and one woman." Fifty-one percent agreed strongly. All total, 34 percent disagreed with the statement. The poll of 800 people who voted either on Election Day or who voted early was conducted Nov. 7. Voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state chose this year to legalize gay marriage, while voters in Minnesota defeated a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The margins ranged from 51-49 percent in Minnesota to 52-48 percent in Maryland and 53-47 percent in Maine and Washington. It was the first time voters in any state approved gay marriage. "The outcome of the marriage votes in four very liberal states has caused some to speculate as to whether the American people have changed their views on marriage. This scientific poll shows that the answer to that is, 'no' they have not changed," said Brian Brown, president of the traditional group National Organization for Marriage. Traditional marriage is one that draws support across party lines, Brown said, noting that the traditional side on the ballots outperformed the Republican ticket by an average of 6.6 points in the four states. A financial disadvantage contributed to the losses by traditionalists, Brown said, with his side being outspent at least 4-1. "We were fighting the entirety of the political establishment in most of the states, including sitting governors in three of the states who campaigned heavily for gay marriage," Brown said. "Our opponents and some in the media will attempt to portray the election results as a changing point in how Americans view gay marriage, but that is not the case. "Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states." --30-- Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Engage24: Gospel reaches 9,300 collegians by Kaitlin Warrington/Texas Baptists Communications Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday ARLINGTON, Texas (BP) -- It seemed like any other day for Amy at her college, going from class to class. Then a Christian classmate asked to go for a cup of coffee. Amy accepted the invitation. "You see, I was kind of happy she asked because there was something I desperately needed her perspective on," Amy wrote in a subsequent email. About a year ago, Amy had an abortion and was condemned by her mother. Carrying an immense amount of pain, guilt and disappointment, she shared her story with her classmate, expecting also to receive judgment. But that didn't happen. "She surprised me," Amy wrote about her classmate. "She smiled, grabbed my hands and told me all about how and why everyone is messed up -- most importantly, how and why everyone still has a hope. She told me it was the Gospel and that it meant that regardless of who and where I was, I was loved." The conversation between Amy and her classmate is just one of thousands that took place on Oct. 11 through Engage24, a 24-hour period when college students involved in Baptist Collegiate Ministries around the nation and Canada made intentional efforts to engage their campus with the Gospel. The goal was to see every Christ-following student share his or her faith with at least one person that day. Though Amy did not make a decision to follow Christ that day, she has been openly seeking answers and learning more about Christ since her encounter. "Your Engage24 really gave me something tangible, and it has been the first piece of life I've seen in a while," Amy shared in her email to leaders of the initiative, who asked that her real name or location not be published. "I've even begun to see new strength, and it is helping me begin to do things like rebuild my relationship with my mother," Amy wrote. Amid 17 million-plus college students across the U.S. and Canada, leaders with the Baptist Collegiate Network, an organization of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries in the U.S. and Canada, have had a heart for each student to hear about the hope of Christ. As the leaders began to pray in October 2011 about involving more college students in evangelism efforts on college campuses, their hearts were drawn to promote a one-day effort for sharing their faith. "Our heart was to somehow move evangelism forward on a national level and communicate to all the college students in the U.S. and Canada that we want them to be out sharing their faith," said Christi Brazile Matthews, associate director of the Baptist Student Ministry at the University of Texas at Arlington who serves on the Baptist Collegiate Network evangelism committee, which includes ministry partners like the North American Mission Board and LifeWay Christian Resources. Through the Engage24 outreach, nearly 2,700 students across the nation and Canada reported sharing the Gospel more than 9,300 times, with 96 students choosing to begin a relationship with Christ. "We just have been absolutely blown away with what God has done," Matthews said. Each campus ministry decided how it would participate in Engage24. Some held evangelism training the weeks prior to the effort while others held services or campus events in order to engage students with the Gospel. John Shaffner with the BCM at the University of Arkansas said his group planned a campus revival around Engage24 and saw 39 students choose to follow Christ. "Students have been connecting with and praying for lost friends this semester and this was the week to take it to the next level and share the Gospel," Shaffner said. "We planned 'REVIVE' with the hope that this would be a harvest event, a place where students could personally invite those they have been praying for and investing in. Souls were saved and lives were changed." Richard Parsons, a business management major at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, told of meeting a student who was struggling with his faith as the BSM students were using Solarium witness cards at a nearby table. "We exchanged contact info and had a deep talk. He was really depressed," Parsons said. "We were going try to meet up last night, but he was tired and we ended up texting. It seems he's getting back on the right track again. It's great to see how we were trying to connect and make an impact with non-believers, and yet we were making an impact for the struggling believers, as well!" At the University of Texas at Arlington Baptist Student Ministry, Matthews and other leaders held evangelism training each hour of the day on Oct. 11, equipping students to share their faith. The group also gave away coffee and more than 600 donuts, giving students an opportunity to connect with others on campus and begin Gospel conversations. Matthews herself was able to explain the Gospel to students four different times that day. "There are students in the BSM who have grown up in church but had never shared their faith until Engage24," Matthews said. "I think because it was a national day, they felt encouraged to be bold and take part in sharing their faith." Beyond spreading the Gospel to students who may have never heard, Engage24 is the start to helping students make evangelism a daily part of their life, Matthews said. "I hope that this helps them to have a lifestyle of evangelism," Matthews said, "that they will look at their everyday personal lives they are living as a chance to share Christ, that they won't see this as a one-day event but a lifestyle of sharing Christ with friends and family." --30-- Kaitlin Warrington is the new media manager for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Next year's Engage24 is slated for Oct. 10. For more information, visit www.Engage24.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------- David Lee to retire as BCM/D exec by Bob Simpson Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday SILVER SPRING, Md. (BP) -- David H. Lee announced his plans to retire as executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware during his Nov. 12 address at the convention's annual meeting. Upon his retirement July 31 of next year, Lee, 62, will have completed 19 years of service to the convention, the last 13 as executive director. Before joining the BCM/D staff, Lee was pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Glen Burnie, Md. The North Carolina native also has pastored churches in Mississippi and Maryland. Lee was the unanimous choice of the BCM/D General Mission Board in 2000 to succeed Charles Barnes, who was retiring at the time. Lee's tenure has been marked by a strong emphasis on missions and church planting, building relationships among pastors, and helping existing churches become healthier and more Great Commission focused. Lee and his wife Sherry have together championed the support of ministers, their wives and their families through numerous intentional initiatives and ministry events. Lee told the messengers during the Monday evening session of the BCM/D annual meeting at Global Mission Church in Silver Spring, Md., that "I have lived a blessed life. God changed my life at age 15. At age 16 I said 'yes' to God's call to preach. At age 20 God gave me a life and ministry partner. I would not be where I am today without my wife. Sherry and I will celebrate 42 years of marriage in December. God blessed us with two godly sons who with their wives faithfully serve Jesus, and four wonderful grandchildren who are the apple of Grandaddy's and Mimi's eyes." Lee continued, "I have been given the privilege of standing in the pulpit to preach the Word of God and be called pastor by some of God's most special people. All of life and ministry have not always been easy, but God has always been faithful. My journey with you has been a tremendous blessing. You are a blessing. Sherry and I love you. It has been such a privilege to serve you. I was given specific tasks by God when I came to serve you. I am convinced that assignment has been completed. I am at peace in announcing it to you tonight, because I want to allow the leaders to have ample time for a search process for your next leader. We cannot afford to lose focus on our mission. Together we will pray and seek God's direction. Thank you for the privilege and opportunity to serve you." Lee holds master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and was honored in 2008 with the seminary's Distinguished Alumnus Award. Lee also is a graduate of William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss., where he was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2005. --30-- Bob Simpson is editor of BaptistLIFE (www.baptistlifeonline.org), newsjournal of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mich. Baptists celebrate ethnically rich missions by Karen L. Willoughby Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday MONROE, Mich. (BP) -- Tears tumbled from the eyes of a number of the 300-plus people gathered for the 55th annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. The tears fell as the impact grew of what messengers and guests were seeing and hearing: nine ethnic groups in national attire, one after another following their nation's flag from the back to the front of the worship center at Monroe Missionary Baptist Church, singing "People Need the Lord" in their native language, including American Sign Language. "This is beautiful," whispered Pat Holewinski of Roscommon (Mich.) Baptist Church as she gazed at people in Hmong, Chinese, Korean, African and American attire flowing toward the altar. "I didn't expect something as special as this." From all accounts, the Baptist State Convention of Michigan's annual meeting was "something special," with challenging messages, unanimous votes for all officers, financial news stirring spontaneous applause from impressed messengers, and a near-contentious vote over a revised constitution. Undergirding each message and presentation was the statement, "Michigan is a mission field and Michigan Baptists are a missions force." Michigan in population is the eighth-largest state in the United States, with a population of 9 million people, 6 percent of whom are Muslim, 1 percent of whom are Southern Baptist. More mosques than Southern Baptist churches are scattered across the state where people speak 125 languages. Michigan Baptists worship in 18, including English. Executive Director Bobby Gilstrap, known in Michigan as "lead state missionary," was the first speaker to challenge the audience. "The church today needs to recover a militant spirit," Gilstrap preached. "The church is to be a bride in combat boots. Michigan is a missions field; Michigan Baptists are a missions force." With Michigan's annual meeting coming a few days after a hard-fought political battle for the U.S. presidency, and a few days before Veteran's Day, Gilstrap's "The Battle is the Lord's" message challenged the messengers. "We must have an aggressive mind, global strategy, disciplined membership and adequate resources," Gilstrap noted regarding each of the four points in turn. "When we become a Christian, we don't just join a church, we join a cause. ... It's time for us to wage open war. ... Our strength is found in the invincible power of the Gospel." Roscoe Belton, president of the Michigan convention and pastor of Middlebelt Baptist Church in Inkster, picked up on the theme presented in the opening session by nine of the 17 non-English language groups with a Michigan Baptist presence. People need the Lord, and God has opened doors to reach them, Belton preached from 1 Corinthians 16:9, emphasizing open doors of opportunity, obligation and opposition. "Our God is opening doors to us Michigan Southern Baptists," Belton said. "Let's seize the opportunity while we can, rather than let it pass us by. ... God brought us together for just such a time as this. ... Let's be faithful and obedient ... despite the opposition that is sure to come our way. ... The bride has to have combat boots on. We must be a missions force." Larry Allen, pastor of Warren Woods Baptist Church in Warren, presented the annual sermon on the dry bones of Ezekiel 37. Hopelessness gripped the hearts of the people of Judah, who were in Babylon, modern-day Iraq, Allen said. And just like the prophet Ezekiel, "I think God wants to bring life to this [statewide] community" of Michigan Baptists, Allen said. "Our bones have come together, but without God's breath? ... Oh dear God, we must have your breath." Earlier in the 55th annual meeting, Allen was unanimously elected as the 2013 president of the Michigan convention. The other officers, all of whom were elected by acclamation, are vice president Rob Freshour, pastor of First Baptist Church of South Lyon; second vice president Kevin Hester, pastor of Sanctuary Church in Watervliet; recording secretary Jimmy Jones, pastor of First Baptist Church of Trenton; and assistant recording secretary Art Werry, pastor of New Life Baptist Church in Frazier. Michigan as a state has suffered economically over the last 10 years, and so has the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, said Ken Render, pastor of Lakeside Community Church in St. Clair Shores, as he presented financial news and the 2013 budget. As "we are trying to get our financial house in order," Render said, the state staff has endured reduced benefits and additional duties as a result of attrition and downsizing. Every year over the last 10 years, it has been necessary to dip and sometimes ladle into restricted funds to make up for income shortfalls, Render said. But this year, "We have made up $158,000 of the $320,000 in restricted funds," Render said to sustained applause at his unexpected words. The $2,869,088 budget for 2013 is up $46,490 from 2012. The new budget includes a 90/10 supplement from the North American Mission Board for jointly-funded personnel and ministry, up from an 85/15 split last year. Succinctly, for every $10 contributed by the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, NAMB contributes $90. Michigan Baptists again this year plan to contribute 30.5 percent of income to Southern Baptist missions and ministry through the Cooperative Program, after $214,753 in shared items. The 2013 budget includes an anticipated $1,450,739 from Michigan's churches, $47,654 more than 2012. In other business, a motion barely passed to allow former directors of missions to continue working part-time in their associations while fulfilling new assignments as regional church starter strategists. Gilstrap said he would be attending this year's annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist Convention to present a plaque in appreciation of their partnership with Michigan over the last five years, two years past their original commitment. Messengers passed a resolution "that we Michigan Baptists diligently work as agents of reconciliation in our divided nation." Messengers presented the "Lighthouse Mission Volunteer of the Year" award to Jim Ellsworth, an active member of Tecumseh Missionary Baptist Church, for the way he engages in missions "the Acts 1:8 way in his Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world" and encourages others to do the same. Another highlight was recognizing the "sea of yellow disaster relief shirts" present as the state convention celebrated 20 years of ministry through disaster relief. The convention's DR outreach was initiated by 12 men, several of whom were present and still are actively involved. The 189 registered messengers came from 79 of the state convention's 248 churches, 48 chapels and 17 Bible study fellowships. All of the state convention's associations were represented. Messengers scheduled the 2013 annual meeting for Oct. 28-29 at Cedar Street Church in Holt, with Scott Blanchard, church starter and pastor of Lakepointe Church in Macomb, bringing the annual sermon. The alternate speaker is Eli Garza, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana in Detroit. --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message and the Michigan Baptist Beacon, newsjournals for their respective state conventions. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: High-profile Christians & their public testimony by Jeff Iorg Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP) -- About a year ago, a friend of mine committed himself to Jesus Christ. He happens to have a high-profile occupation. The conversion was genuine and the spiritual growth over the past year has been consistent. A few weeks ago, he shared his faith in a public forum for the first time. It was a short testimony -- powerful not for its length, but for its clarity. It may surprise you that I encouraged my friend to grow for a while in his commitment to Jesus before making too many public statements about his faith. While he has been very open about his new faith with his family and friends, it was important his commitment be stabilized before he made a public statement. Over the years, it has frustrated me when athletes, politicians, actors or other public figures were rushed into public pronouncements about their faith. In too many cases, these new believers were expected to be public witnesses just because they are well-known. That is a poor qualification for taking the responsibility to speak out about the Christian faith. Before a person takes that responsibility, they should mature enough in their faith to handle the expectations of public life as a believer. Christians sometimes get caught up in the celebrity culture and think any well-known person who commits to follow Jesus should immediately start speaking, preaching or singing about their faith. That does them a disservice and leads to embarrassing gaffes by people not yet ready for that kind of responsibility. Worse, it hurts the reputation of the Gospel and the credibility of the church. Every person who commits to follow Jesus should be willing to share their faith. But why does it have to immediately be from behind a microphone? Let's encourage people to start with their family and friends, maturing a bit before we rush them into a public venue. So, the next time a high school athlete, city councilman or business owner in your community becomes a Christian, let them grow a while before you have them speak at your church or otherwise go public with their faith. They will be served by your patience, and when they finally begin speaking about their faith the impact will be even more profound. --30-- Jeff Iorg is president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif. This column first appeared at his website, JeffIorg.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE STATES: N.C., Calif. & Ariz. evangelism/missions news by Staff Date: November 13, 2012 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. Today's From the States features items from: Biblical Recorder (North Carolina) California Southern Baptist Portraits (Arizona) Trip to Moldova inspires pastors By Shawn Hendricks CHISINAU, Moldova (Biblical Recorder) -- Terry and Andrea Davis smile nervously as they're about to sing in front of hundreds of Moldovans at Jesus the Savior Church in Chisinau, Moldova. Looking around for a translator, Terry realizes he will have to use the basic Romanian he learned during the week to introduce himself and Andrea. Before even a few awkward moments of silence pass, Terry gives a flawless introduction with the few words he knows. One quick glance around the church, and it's easy to tell everyone is impressed. The Davis' are among more than 20 North Carolina Baptist pastors, church leaders and wives who traveled to Moldova Oct. 22-29 to see how they and their congregations can partner with Moldovan believers to reach their country – and beyond – for Christ. The trip is part of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina's effort to lead churches to partner with the 33 districts of Moldova. "We've been praying for Moldova for so long, and then the opportunity came to go," said Terry, who helps lead youth and children's ministries with Andrea at First Baptist Church Leland. Terry said Moldova has meant missions to him since he first heard about the fall of Communism there in the 80s. "It's only natural to say ... 'We're there,'" he said. "We're definitely planning to be back." Moldova is that sliver of a country situated between Ukraine and Romania. Most of its people are known for being the poorest in Europe. But while many of its people struggle economically, there also is a growing spiritual darkness. Though elaborate Orthodox churches and decorative crosses with pictures and statues of Jesus can be spotted along most roads in the country, there are few evangelical congregations. About 90 percent identify themselves as "Orthodox Christians," but few claim to have put their trust in Jesus as their Savior. During the week in Moldova, the North Carolina group divides into two teams to travel up and down the country to meet many Moldovan pastors and church leaders working with the Moldovan Baptist Union. Among those churches represented on the trip are Grace Community Church, Sylva; First Missionary Baptist Church, Concord; First Baptist Church Leland; Dublin First Baptist Church; Gorman Baptist Church, Durham; River of Leland; Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fayetteville; Hephzibah Baptist Church, Wendell; New Piney Grove Baptist Church, Kannapolis; Southside Baptist Church, Wilmington; and Abiezer Baptist Church, Rock Hill, S.C. N.C. pastors on the trip are greeted warmly by Moldovan Baptists. Local pastors share about efforts to send out missionaries and minister to their villages, region and other countries. While most share about how God is changing lives, they also endure the challenges and hardships of life in Moldova. "The ministry has become more difficult in the recent years, and the growth is not as fast as in the 90s," said Peter, who pastors Kalarashovka Baptist Church near the far northern corner of Moldova. In recent years the area has become a "spiritual desert," Peter said. "There is only one evangelical church or group per 5 villages," he said. Many Moldovan Baptist leaders work with local pastors who are desperate for mentorship and support from churches in the United States. Behind all of the presentations and excitement with starting new work, there are many who struggle to provide for their families and lead a church. Unlike many pastors in the States, most in Moldova are bivocational. Economic challenges in the country have forced many Moldovans – pastors included – to move out of the country to find a better way of life. "It seemed like the last four or five years we started to lose the leaders more than [we] used to, and … the main factor is economics," said John Miron, executive director of the Baptist Union of Moldova. Miron will speak at the Baptist State Convention's annual meeting in Greensboro to challenge N.C. pastors to partner with Moldova. "When looking back we [didn't have] much freedom as we have now, but … the big challenge now is everybody thinks 'How can I feed my family, take care of my children?'" John McIntyre, pastor of the River at Leland Church, said he feels a "kindred spirit" to many of the pastors he met in Moldova and their struggle to lead a small church. "I definitely know how it feels," said McIntyre, a bivocational pastor who walked away from a full-time ministry position to plant the church he is now serving. "When we first planted, I went for six months with no income," said McIntyre, who has had to take on a variety of odd jobs to provide for his family. "I know that [Moldovan pastors] have faith in their call, and they're greatly committed to do what they're called to do, and they know that God's going to provide," he said. "They're definitely an encouragement to me." "It's been a hard summer, but … I hear them say it's been … a hard few years." Regardless of his own challenges, McIntyre plans to find a way for River of Leland to partner with a Moldovan church planter. "We'll definitely be partnering in some way," said McIntyre, noting his church may team up with another N.C. church to help. "Whether that's coming once a year, maybe helping rent a facility for a new church plant to meet," he said. "A hundred dollars a month will rent a house for a new church plant. That's doable." Moldovan pastors also are encountering and struggling with other growing issues -- such as divorce -- among their members. Human trafficking is another growing problem in the country. Pastors are desperate for mentorship from experienced pastors in the States, said Vitalie Fedula, pastor of Jesus the Savior Church in Chisinau. "I think pastors need to be encouraged ... and taught what it means to be a pastor," he said. "My desire is for the church to be the kind of church that would make Jesus smile." Though oceans apart, Cameron McGill, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dublin, explains his connection with many of the Moldovan pastors and his desire to help. "The issues we face are similar," said McGill, who traveled overseas for the first time with his wife, Tiffany. She went to Moldova earlier this year with another mission team. "We're in a small town," McGill added. "We're a fairly small congregation, and if we're not careful, we'll begin to say, 'We can't do anything.' What we need to do is that which God has called us to do, and we can do these partnerships." With a congregation of about 70 people, Ronald Hester, pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Fayetteville, said his church may partner with its association. "Reality is reality," said Hester, noting few at his church would be able to travel. "It would not be possible for our church to send a complete team, so we'll work through the association to do a partnership." The key is for pastors to be passionate about the need, said Mike Sowers, senior consultant with Great Commission Partnerships for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC). Hoping to spark more interest, the BSC led this latest trip by footing the bill for much of the expense. Each person on the team paid $600 to help with flight, meals and hotel expense. The convention covered the rest. "Very rarely have we taken people on a vision trip or to a spot, and they haven't caught at least some vision to get involved," he said. "All we're doing is putting seed out there because we want to equip the local church. If it's going to be successful, it's got to be a ministry of the local church." Aaron Wallace, pastor of Hephzibah Baptist Church in Wendell, explains that if the BSC needs the church's help then that's good enough for him. "We want to follow our Cooperative Program dollars," Wallace said. "We want to partner with the convention. … I don't want to work outside them." "We could help with the medical missions. Our church is strong with camps. ... We're equipped and ready to do it." Wallace challenged other pastors considering the partnership "to start small" when challenging their congregations to get involved. "Let that passion go from you to a few others," he said. "That's the nature of discipleship. Kingdom growth is multiplication. It's just going to continue to grow." --30-- This article appeared in the Biblical Recorder (brnow.org), newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Shawn Hendricks is managing editor of the Biblical Recorder. ********** Literal fruit of labor growing at Telegraph Center in Oakland By Amanda Phifer OAKLAND, Calif. (California Southern Baptist) -- There's metaphorical fruit from the labor of believers - and sometimes there's literal fruit, too. Such is what's growing now in the formerly eyesore space of land that abuts Telegraph Ministry Center in Oakland: fruit trees, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, beans and all manner of herbs. This cornucopia of produce is the result of the most literal kind of food ministry, which the center embarked upon early this year: a community garden. "Our main ministry is emergency food and clothing to needy families and individuals, to about 1,200 individuals a month, and we only occasionally get fresh produce to give," explained Chris Watson, director of the center -- owned by California Southern Baptist Convention -- since 2010. "Fresh produce and meat are what our clients request the most, and of course we want our clients to be healthy, so a garden seemed like a good idea. "We had some land that was just dead grass and weeds, and we wanted to do something with it that was not just pretty, but productive," Watson explained. So in February, he and center staff and volunteers began the process of converting their weed- and grass-filled plot of land into a community garden. To his amazement, partners began appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "One man, whose mission is to help local gardeners produce extra to offer food banks, contacted us about working with us," Watson said. "And from the connection with him, we gained other partners: FoodPool, the Victory Garden Foundation, Hillside Gardeners of Montclair, and just people from the community. God just sent us resources." Indeed: Waste Management donated topsoil and mulch - two "huge" truckloads full; nurseries donated plants and seeds; local hardware stores donated gardening equipment. The only major expense - besides the serious sweat equity involved in a garden - was updating the sprinkler system to drip lines -- and a volunteer from the community shared expertise on that. "Not only is this a great opportunity to get fresh food to our clients, it also has been an outreach for us," Watson said. "This got people from the community, who don't have food or clothing needs, to come to our center, and has been a great way to connect with them and build relationships with them." But even a well-planted garden suffers without tending. To that end, five to 12 volunteers come in weekly (mostly on Saturdays) to tackle a daily to-do list of garden maintenance. A special community involvement day saw about 45 volunteers do special projects such as a memorial garden. Volunteers, naturally, get first dibs on harvest. The garden has three separate areas, all according to a master plan drawn up in February: one area of fruit trees and bushes; a kitchen garden with primarily spices and lettuces; and a third area (not yet fully developed) that includes everything from tomatoes to beans. Watson -- who freely admitted to being a gardening novice - said while at times it was challenging getting all the disparate groups on the same page, it helped that everyone had the same goal. "I've been surprised at how quickly everything came together," he said. "We sat down to talk in January and by April were already seeing things come up. It's really rewarding to see it make fruit so fast." So is a "crop" of chickens on the future menu? Watson laughs and says, "Well ... probably not, but you never know for sure!" That would be a different kind of fruit, but with the same goal as all of Telegraph Center's activities: ministry to those in need, in the name of Jesus. --30-- This article appeared in the California Southern Baptist (csbc.com/csb), newsjournal of the California Southern Baptist Convention. Amanda Phifer is a writer for the California Southern Baptist. ********** Unto the least: Serving in Christ's name By Jeremiah Bradford CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Portraits) -- "I was sick and you took care of Me," (Matthew 25:36b, HCSB). These are among the words that our Lord Jesus will speak to His people when He returns. They are words that two of Christ's servants here in Arizona look forward to hearing. Dr. Douglas Parkin and his wife, Alice, are ministering to the poor and sick in Arizona and around the world. The couple, members of Trinity Southern Baptist Church in Casa Grande, lead the work of the Stanfield Medical Clinic, part of Seeds of Hope Ministry. Housed by First Baptist Church of Stanfield, the clinic has four examination rooms, a check-in and waiting area, and an office. The clinic, open 20 days a year, provides medical care to those who are unable to afford it. "Some [clients] drive as much as an hour and a half," Alice says. "We see cases both large and small," says Dr. Parkin, "from kids with sore throats to adults with diabetes and severe hypertension. "A prescription medication program also exists for their clients. On Wednesday nights, the clinic sees a steady stream of patients. About 80-90 percent of the patients are from the Hispanic community. These days, more and more people are in need of free medical care. In 2009, the clinic saw 439 patients. That was up to 538 clients in 2010 and 714 in 2011. "When you run [a clinic] like this, it's exhausting! If you don't have a wife like Alice, it's really exhausting," says Dr. Parkin of his wife. "Alice takes on the brunt of the day-to-day stuff." But the caring couple is quick to point out that they are not alone. "It truly is a team effort," Dr. Parkin says. They also serve alongside a number of caring physicians, nurses and staff. The Lions' Club is also on site, offering visual screenings and assistance with the purchase of eyeglasses. Many others donate time, money and other resources to make this ministry a reality. "When you see such great needs, you just have to do something about it, "Dr. Parkin says. Meeting needs has sent this couple around the world. Over the years, they have been part of medical missions in many countries, including Ghana, Nigeria and Mexico. They continue to see needs and to minister in the name of Jesus. Why do they do all of this? Dr. Parkin answers, "It's really about Matthew 25. Being a Christian involves serving others. It's the Christian life." "And the King will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me,'" (Matthew 25:40, HCSB). --30-- This article appeared in Portraits (azsobaptist.org/portraits_main.shtml), news magazine of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. Jeremiah Bradford, a freelance writer living in Casa Grande, is pastor of Grace Church in Casa Grande.