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The Master Builder’s Retreat 2019

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Master Builder's 2019The annual retreat for the Master’s Builders, was held on January 22nd -25th. For the first time, the Builders gathered at Daniel Dorm at Daniel Springs Encampment, in Gary, Texas. In April of last year, our men did some remodeling of the dorm and Daniel Springs can now offer a very nice facility for group gatherings. Bro. Jason Prewitt says the camp is “wide open” for large groups to enjoy. Daniel Dorm and Retreat Center offers sleeping quarters, a full kitchen, and a large multi-use room. The Master’s Builders will tell you that the facility is great for church groups, reunion, and retreats. You can contact Jason at 903-685-2433 or e-mail him at: jason@danielspringscamp.com. Several of our Builders remarked that this was the Best Retreat yet! We had 30 Builders who attended the retreat and stayed on the grounds and 1 couple from Lufkin, TX, who came to visit. We always enjoy our time together. We do a lot of eating, snacking, grazing, and game playing. We are happy to welcome a new couple into our group. Don and Pam Windam, of Fairfeld, TX, certainly ft right in to our fun group.

On Wednesday night, we had a special treat, as the Jacksonville College Choir, under the leadership of Bro. Randy Decker, came and fellowship with us and put on a great concert! Bro. Randy has asked each one of the students to greet new people and ask, “What’s your story?” And then to sit and listen and then share their story with them. What a GREAT dea!! This would be good for us all to do!! Step out of our comfort zone and make new friends! Bro. Randy, thank you for being a great music
leader and life leader WITH these students. He shared this thought with all of us, “We are not to be an in?uence by forcing someone to do something, or by doing something for them, but by doing something WITH them. While we were at Retreat, we learned of the death of our eldest Master’s Builder, Max Adams. He would have been 92 in a couple of months. Max lost his beloved wife, Wilma, last July and was certainly ready to be “home” with her and his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please pray for his family, his church family at Wyatt Baptist, El Dorado, Arkansas, and his Master’s Builders family. We will all miss him and his whistling!

The Master’s Builders have a busy spring coming up. Plans are to be back at Daniel Springs in March, Kenwood Baptist, Siloam springs, Arkansas, in April, New Liberty, Emmet, Arkansas, in May, and Riverview Baptist, Fulton, Arkansas, in June. If you are near one of these jobs, come see us, we would love to meet you! If you have questions about the Master’s Builders ministry, or if your church has any building needs, please contact our Office Coordinator, Bro. John Mangum, at 318-202-5155 or (cell) 318-607-4100 or our Field Coordinator, Eddie Sikes, at 903-725-6549 or (cell) 479-462-1675. Keep up with us on Facebook. Rose Bittner does a fantastic job keeping everyone informed of all our goings on! Like us at “ The Master’s Builders” w/ (arbor logo).
Nelda Malone – Reporter

February 2019 – Mission Director’s Report

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Now that things are starting to thaw and most activities are getting somewhat back to normal things are going to be very busy among our churches in Missouri. It is exciting to hear that a couple churches who have been searching for pastors have found someone to lead them and a few are having preachers in view of a call so that this time next month more might have pastors. It is also encouraging to know that some searching churches have found men who are willing to serve as interim pastors to help them have some form of continuity while they search for the man God wants to lead them. Amidst this encouraging news we are brought back to the reality that a pastor or two has resigned and other churches are searching for pastors to fll the vacancies. Please keep in mind that as director of Missions I constantly get calls from churches that are in need of pastors or who are looking for someone to “fll-in” during their search. Therefore, if you are available to pastor or fll-in please let me know so I can give your information to those who contact me, and I can publish your availability in this publication.
The joint meeting of the BMA of Missouri Special Missions Committee and the Missionary Committee of the Meramec Association was very positive as both associations are interested in helping support the planting of new churches in our state. We met with a prospective church planter and his pastor and were impressed with what God has laid on their hearts concerning the work in Missouri. Both committees are working to see just how we can join in this e?ort and we hope to have some ideas to share at our mid-year meeting in May of this year. Please keep praying for this effort. We are still praying for God to open doors and provide church planters all across Missouri as we know we need to be reaching more with the Gospel before the
Lord returns. I encourage Pastors and Pastoral Staff to do your best to attend the “Renewal Weekend” that we asked Bro. Ben Kingston to plan.

It will be the last weekend in March and, as you see from the information on the front page, it should be very helpful to all who attend. This is a time to not only learn from experienced men but also a great time to fellowship and encourage one another in the Lord’s work. It doesn’t cost you anything but your time, and God has already given that to you!! So use it wisely!

by James Hoffmann, Mission’s Director

World Missions Day 2019

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World Missions Day Logo

World Missions Day in the Baptist Missionary Association of America is February 24, 2019. If your church has not made plans to participate in this special day go to bmamissions.org/woldmissionsday to register and to get ideas and materials to use for this special day. You can also email Paige West at page @ bmamissions.org or call the missions office at (501) 455-4977.

The Christmas Necktie

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Bro Randy J. Zinn(The Legacy of Missionary Baptist Pastor W.S. Gordon Lives On )
by Melissia Zinn

A small band of Missionary Baptists gathered in Fifty-Six, AR, in August, 1935, and organized the Fifty-Six Missionary Baptist Church where years later an eleven-year-old boy, Randy J. Zinn (named for his two Godly grandfathers) would walk the aisle of the church and accept Jesus as his Savior. In September, 1935, one month after the organization of the church at Fifty-Six, another group of Missionary Baptists, led by Bro. W. S. Gordon, a preacher from Beebe, AR, convened in the small town of Kewanee, MO, to organize the Kewanee Missionary Baptist Church where years later an eight-year-old girl, Melissia Frances McVay (named for her two Godly grandmothers) would be led to Christ by her pastor during a revival service at the church.

Melissia ministered in the Batesville church for eight years before they were married. Over the years, Bro. Zinn has been privileged to return to Fifty-Six on many occasions to preach and he has been honored, also, to preach at Melissia’s home church in Kewanee numerous times. Both churches continue to minister passionately and effectively in their communities.

In 1998, the Zinns moved to Houston, MO, where Randy pastored Houston Baptist Church and worked at an elementary school to supplement his income. While at the school, he met a teacher introduced as Mr. Gordon. Christmas, 1999, Mr. Gordon, knowing that Randy was a pastor, graciously presented him with a Looney Tunes cartoon, Christmas necktie he proudly wears every Christmas.

This gesture sparked an in depth conversation between them and Bro. Zinn shared how his wife was from Kewanee. which piqued Mr. Gordon’s interest. He excitedly related how his father, Bro. W. S. Gordon, was the founding pastor of Kewanee Missionary Baptist Church, to which Bro. Zinn responded that Melissia’s grandfather, Joseph McVay, was a charter member and one of the first deacons of the church. Not only that, in addition to Melissia, her mother and all six of her siblings were saved at the church, her father already a member and the music director. Naturally, from this exchange, a warm friendship developed between them – an astounding 64 years after the organization of the Kewanee church.

The Zinns moved to Dustin, OK, in July, 2000, where he was pastor of the First Baptist Church for over twelve years. One day in the early 2000’s, they received their copy of The Missouri Missionary Baptist and immediately their attention was captured and their hearts saddened by the article announcing the home going of Pastor W. S. Gordon and listing, most fittingly, one of the musical presentations at his service as “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” written by Ray Boltz.

From 2013 to 2015, Bro. Zinn was privileged to pastor the Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church of Malden, MO, a church started by their beloved Kewanee Missionary Baptist Church–and the legacy of Pastor W. S. Gordon continued to live on.

Today, Bro. Zinn and his wife, Melissia, live in Russell, AR. He pastors the Russell Missionary Baptist Church, just 33 miles from Beebe where the body of Pastor Gordon was laid to rest. The Zinns have only one thing to say, “Bro. Gordon, thank you so much for giving to the Lord, and thank you, Lord, for giving Bro. Gordon to our world for over 90 years.”

Fast-forward to 2018. Our very own BMAA’s current Executive Director of Missions and and long-time Missionary, Dr. John David Smith, is the son of Bro. Arthur Smith who was a two-time pastor of the Kewanee church. His mother, Shirlene, graduated valedictorian from Kewanee High. Dr. Smith’s grandmother, Ethel Hall, was a long-time, Godly and faithful member of Kewanee until her passing and his uncle, Danny Hall, is still an active and faithful member there. And–Pastor W. S. Gordon’s influence continues to touch lives ALL OVER THE WORLD. Praise the Lord! Dr. Smith has been the revival speaker at the church on several occasions.

(Dr. Smith’s aunt, Mary Lou Hall Edwards, was my closest friend throughout high school and still my dear friend today. Bro.Arthur Smith was my pastor during his first term at Kewanee.)

The Christmas Necktie

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Bro Randy J. Zinn(The Legacy of Missionary Baptist Pastor W.S. Gordon Lives On )
by Melissia Zinn

A small band of Missionary Baptists gathered in Fifty-Six, AR, in August, 1935, and organized the Fifty-Six Missionary Baptist Church where years later an eleven-year-old boy, Randy J. Zinn (named for his two Godly grandfathers) would walk the aisle of the church and accept Jesus as his Savior. In September, 1935, one month after the organization of the church at Fifty-Six, another group of Missionary Baptists, led by Bro. W. S. Gordon, a preacher from Beebe, AR, convened in the small town of Kewanee, MO, to organize the Kewanee Missionary Baptist Church where years later an eight-year-old girl, Melissia Frances McVay (named for her two Godly grandmothers) would be led to Christ by her pastor during a revival service at the church.
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January 2019 – Mission Director’s Report

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Happy New Year from Mary and I. Thank you for allowing me to serve you in this capacity and for supporting the BMA work in Missouri with your prayers, finances and loyalty to God. Things are looking good as we enter 2019 as far as the possibilities of seeing churches find pastors and the potential of planting a new church or two.

Pray for the Special Missions Committees of our State Association and the Meramec Association as they will have a joint meeting before you get this edition of the paper to discuss the possibilities in
our state. We desire to be sensitive to God’s leadership in all matters, including planting new congregations and strengthening those who are struggling.

Our offerings continue to be sufficient to meet present needs, but if we start supporting a missionary or two the needs will be greater and more churches will need to send regular offerings. Please pray for our host pastor and myself as we plan the program for our annual Missions Symposium for this May. Host Pastor is Bro. Gary Longstaff of Grandview Baptist Church in Springfield and the date is May 17 for the Symposium and May 18 for the Mid-Year Meeting of our Association. Our annual meeting will be October 12 at Bethel Baptist Church in Sikeston.

I believe it is Scriptural for Churches to work together and God will bless our efforts if we are willing to cooperate with one another and support each other as we labor for the Lord. It seems to be an accepted practice today for pastors and churches to be self-centered and not put our much effort to work together. Let’s work to change this and see how God will bless if we let Him! If you have any suggestions for a program for the Missions we would love to hear from you, but we need your suggestions soon as we need to contact speakers and other who might be involved and give them plenty of time to adjust their schedules and prepare their parts. Hopefully, by February 15th we can have a program prepared and make the necessary contacts. Thanks for any input you can give us about this matter.

A Word About the Article “A Christmas Tie” I hope you have already read this article, if not stop and read it now. This came to me too late for the December issue so I have included it in this issue in an effort to inspire us to focus on the far reaching results of doing God’s will.

When I was a young boy Bro. W. S. Gordon was pastor of Chambers Park Church in St. Louis which is now Lindsay Lane Baptist Church in Florissant. Sometimes we forget we are involved in work that LASTS. Let’s do our BEST!

December 2018 – Mission Director’s Report

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I hope each of you had a blessed Thanksgiving and were able to take time to think of all the ways God blesses us as we serve Him. Giving thanks causes us to be blessings to others and help bring glory to God! As we approach the celebration of Christ’s Birth we are made to realize how thankful we should be for God’s mercy and grace as He sent His Son to provide the
way for our sins to be forgiven through His death and Resurrection.

This thankfulness should lead us to faithful service each day of our lives. My wife and I visited the morning service of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Alton, MO November 18th. We had never been to Oak Hill and enjoyed being there and hearing Pastor Edward Casey bring an inspiring message and getting acquainted with the good folks under his leadership.They are doing a great work there and are good supporters of our state work. We were impressed with their hospitality. We also visited the morning service at Stony Point Baptist Church in Mineral Point November 25th. You could sense excitement in this service as Bro. Claude preached a challenging message and the good people in the congregation paid close attention. They invited us to
stay for lunch and we would have loved to stay and enjoy their fellowship but we had a funeral to attend and had to leave right after the service was over. This church is also a good supporter of our state work and are reaching souls in their area.

I continue to work a Sunday or two each month with the Temple Baptist Church in Belgrade and are encouraged by the faithfulness of this small congregation as they seek a pastor. We appreciate the preachers who are helping out by flling the
pulpit each month and we ask you to pray for them as they seek someone to lead them on a permanent basis. Also remember to pray for all our churches who are searching for pastors.

Your BMAMO Special Missions Committee and the Meramec Association Missionary Committee are praying for God to lead someone
to plant a church in Missouri. There are some things happening that encourage us in this endeavor and we hope it will not be long until we can see God answering that prayer. You are encouraged to join us in praying each day for God to guide our associations.

Thank you for your support of Missions and for the encouragement you give us. May each of our Churches have a Blessed Christmas and experience growth in all areas of ministry.

by James Hoffman, Missions Director

Renewal Retreat March 29-30, 2019 at Camp Garwood

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Greetings to the Pastors and Pastoral Sta? of the BMA of Missouri and all local associations,

If you are a Pastor or Associate Pastor in a BMA church in Missouri I am desperately asking you to set aside the last weekend of March 29-30, 2019 for our Renewal Retreat at Camp Garwood. The details are still being hammered out, but I am begging
you to put these dates in stone please, to protect them and consider yourself obligated for that weekend that only death, severe sickness, or the rapture will deter you from coming.

Why, you might ask, is this so important? Well, brethren, it’s been a long time since we of the BMA Sate work have considered ourselves as “setting the woods on fre” for the Glory of the Lord. And I know that all of us would like to see that changed.
This is a joint effort fnanced by the BMA of MO and the Meramec Associations. So please invest your time and effort in the Association by making this Renewal Retreat a priority.

Thank you so much! More details will be forth coming in future papers.

Ben Kingston, Retreat Director

Ben Robinson and His Missionary Heart

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Ben and His Mother Kim Robinson drop o? contributions at BMA Global Ministry Center

Ben and His Mother Kim Robinson drop off contributions at BMA
Global Ministry Center

Editor’s Note: This article arrived too late to be printed in last month’s issue but I am printing it anyway hoping it will inspire our readers to face the challenges of life with faith and enthusiasm that will bring victory!

If you ever have the privilege of meeting Ben Roberson, you will never forget him. One of the frst times I saw him, he was at a football game cheering on one of his favorite teams, the Conway Christian Eagles. When things didn’t look so good on the field, he decided to do something about the quiet, unmotivated fans: He walked up and down the bleachers yelling, “Come on everybody! “Let’s go!” Of course, we all did what he told us to do and supported the team…he’s Ben. Nobody can say no to Ben.
Fortunately for us here at Lifeword, people still can’t say no to him. Ben learned about the media ministry he came to love when his family joined a BMA church (Antioch) in Conway, Arkansas, where he became friends with former Lifeword Executive Director Steve Crawley. His mom told him that Lifeword spreads the gospel through media, and when he heard about how he could
raise money for media missionaries by walking, he asked if he could do that.

Nobody can say no to Ben, so, of course, she agreed. Having a missionary heart is in his DNA. His mother Kim lived on the
mission feld where her parents were IMB missionaries in Cali, Columbia. He knows about missionaries and what they do, so the
question about raising money came as no surprise to his family. Every year since that frst one, he has practiced, trained and gathered sponsors before the mid-October walk. This year his mom announced on Facebook that Ben would be walking again. His goal? Ten miles. But they would do it differently because of his health concerns. Ben would walk one mile each day leading up to the Walk, then the last mile at the Central AR Area Walk on October 10th. Contributions had already begun pouring in weeks before the event, and each time he asked his mom if he could hand deliver the checks and cash to our ofces. Leading up to October 10th, we saw him quite a bit, and it was a blessing every time. With almost every visit, someone in the ofce asked to take a picture with him. His determination has humbled all of us on the Lifeword team, and he is a celebrity at the BMA Global Ministry Center.

The night of the walk, his mom was out of town on a mission trip, but his dad and two of his adoring aunts walked with him for support. Ben came through the entrance gate that night with his entourage, sturdy walking shoes and new therapeutic
socks someone had donated so he could walk more comfortably. He did it. The training paid off. Now, it’s our turn to “cheer
from the stands” just like Ben does at football games when the fans are not doing their jobs. With funds still rolling
in, his most recent count is $3300. He’s challenging all of us: “Come on, people! Let’s go reach the world for Christ!”

If Ben can do it, so can you, and nobody can say no to Ben Roberson. Lifeword Sunday was October 21st but it is not too late!
Go to: lifeword.org/donate and make your donation today!

November 2018 – Mission Director’s Report

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As I prepare the report for the November issue of the paper I am reminded of all the things for which I am thankful as I try to serve as your Missions Director. I am thankful that I can still serve the Lord even though I cannot be as active as I would like to be. I am thankful for the churches that support missions and have a desire to see more churches planted
in Missouri and for the faithful pastors who are working hard to grow the churches with which they are working.

I am thankful for the fellowship we enjoy in the Lord as we work our various fields seeking to do His will each day and encouraging one another to be faithful. I am thankful for the fnancial support of many churches who continue to give to Missions and have provided funds that are available when we start a new work and that enable us to help in areas of our work
when needs arise while we look for a missionary.

We should all be thankful for the opportunity to work together in the most important work of carrying out the Great Commission. Thank you for our cooperation and involvement in Missions. As you look at the fnancial report above I hope you
will stop and thank God for His blessings as He has enabled us to be an encouragement to various areas of His work.
We had a great annual association meeting this past month and as revealed in the report on page 1 God led us to help financially in a few important areas of our associational work.

Here is an explanation of expenses in the financial report above and how these expenses are helping in Missions:
1. We support BMAA Associate Missionary Matt Baker in Nixa, MO in the amount of $200 a month. This is a mission project of the BMA of America.

2. We had committed up to $2,500 to help the Abundant Life in Christ Baptist Church in Charleston, MO for their parking lot. They only needed part of that amount for their parking lot, so the messengers voted to go ahead and send them the balance for their building fund. This church was started as a mission project of some of our local associations a few years ago.

3. Camp Garwood added several improvements at camp before this years state camp and needed to borrow funds from the Revolving
Loan Fund. The messengers voted to send $ 5,000 to the RLF to be applied to that loan in honor of Camp Director Chris Polk and his family for their continuing dedication to the camp ministry. The camp ministry is a mission outreach of our churches where many souls are saved each year.

4. We also voted to send $3,000 to the BMAA Seminary to be applied to the project of putting new roofs on their buildings, The seminary trains pastors and missionaries who serve in the United States and around the world leading many people to
Christ each year and planting churches in new areas.

5. The messengers approved a raise in salary for the Missions Director which is now $650 a month and our by-laws provide that Department ofcers and committee members shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in performance of their duties. In this report the Special Missions Committee meeting expenses in preparation for the annual association and the Director’s expenses are combined. The Special Missions Committee meets a minimum of two times a year. The Director is involved in all aspects of our mission endeavors with the Special Missions Committee acting as advisors and assistants as needed and as directed by the Association.

If you have any questions about the above or any other work of this department contact me or any member of our committee. We are THANKFUL to serve.

James Hoffman, Missions Director