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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

91st Annual Session of the Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri

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The BMA of Missouri met at Bethel Baptist Church in Lonedell for its ninety-first annual meeting October 27, 2018. Twenty-two churches were represented by 49 messengers, with 10 additional churches represented by letter only. After a welcome from
host pastor Ben Kingston and the morning devotional by Bro. Brian Kingston, President Dale Fish called the business meeting
to order.

The body approved a change to the Association Bylaws, moving the Annual Association from the 4th Saturday of October to
the 2nd Saturday. Bro. Dennis Baker read his report outlining liability concerns of the Association and its individual departments. The Association asked the Special Missions Committee to give further consideration into the issues and recommendations highlighted in the report. A motion was passed to spend $1,563 from the Revolving Loan Fund to purchase liability insurance from Brotherhood Mutual to cover the Association for the coming year while the needs and recommendations are under review. Note: As we prepare this issue of the paper Bro. Dennis Baker informed us that insurance has been purchased to cover all the departments of the BMA of MO (except Camp Garwood which has insurance on another Brotherhood Mutual Policy)
and became e?ective November 1, 2018.

Bro. Gene Hankins, Pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in McAlester, OK and Missions Director of the BMA of Oklahoma was invited by the host pastor to come and share what God is doing with their Church Planting efforts in Oklahoma and to bring the morning message. They have a very viable work started northwest of Oklahoma City.His report and message encouraged us to do our best and trust God for results.

BMAA Seminary President, Dr. Charley Holmes spoke to us about the plans, needs and goals of the Seminary, emphasizing the need to raise funds for replacing the roofs on their buildings. The messengers voted to give an o?ering of $3,000 toward this project. Bro. Holmes has led our Seminary very well.

The Association also voted to give Camp Garwood $5,000 from the Missions Fund to be applied to the camp’s indebtedness
with the Revolving Loan Fund. This money was given in honor of the Chris Polk family for their ongoing dedication to the camp
ministry. We also encouraged him to pay himself the back salary for the few months this summer he withheld his pay while funds were low.

Bros. Ben Kingston and Jerry Adams were elected as the President and Vice-President (respectively) for the coming
year. Last year the Association approved a $2,500 gift from the Missions Fund to the Abundant Life in Christ Baptist Church
in Charleston to help with their parking lot expense. However, the actual cost ended up being only $1,445. The Association
voted to give the $1,055 balance to the church for their building.

A standing vote of appreciation was given to Bethel Baptist Church and Pastor Ben Kingston for their hospitality and for
the delicious chicken and steak lunch that was enjoyed by all. This meeting was well attended and the fellowship was
sweet and uplifting causing us to look forward to the next time we can be together. The 2019 Missions Symposium and Semi-Annual Meeting will be held with Grandview Baptist Church in Springfeld (May 17-18). The Annual Association will be at Bethel Baptist Church in Sikeston (Oct. 12).

Don Burke,
Recording Secretary

ALIVE STUDENT CONFERENCE 2018

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December 27 – 29, 2018

Doubletree Conference Center • Chesterfeld, MO
Information/Registration Packets have been mailed to the churches.
Please note the instructions about registering and the deadlines.
If you have not received your packet contact
Brad Banderman 636-629-2978
Get more info and stay in touch with updates by going to:
alivestudentconference.org
We look forward to seeing you in December!!

October 2018 – Mission Director’s Report

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How quickly this associational year has passed! It should remind us that what we are going to do needs to be done NOW and not put off to a “later date!” All of us have friends who are lost and need to hear the Gospel. Let’s not wait till it is too late!

Churches need to revitalize their methods and update their outreach. Someday it will be too late! God is patient and kind
but soon His wrath will be poured out against sin and evil. What are we doing to avoid that! May we start this new associational year with a greater desire to be busy about our Father’s Business and may we be able to say at the end of this new year in the Lord’s work that we have been faithful and can rejoice in the fruit of our labors.

We are blessed in many ways and should share the Good News of Jesus every opportunity we have. People are searching for answers and we know WHO has THE answers we need so we can look forward to eternity. God has blessed us with the funds needed to do what we had planned to this year. He will be faithful to provide more funds and the personnel to do the things He want us to do in the year ahead.

Let’s work together to do more for God and reach the lost in the days ahead. We need each other’s support, encouragement, and help and with it more will be accomplished. We are not in competition with one another, but we are encouraged to work together for God’s honor and glory.

That’s what being associated means. It’s part of God’s plan that we help one another in life through our homes and churches. Let’s renew this spirit and let God show what He can do in each of our localities. Continue to pray for God to call men into the ministry who will make the sacrifces necessary to lead our churches to greater heights of labor for the Lord. Look for ways you and your church can help others accomplish God’s will in their lives and ministries.

Thank you for your words of encouragement and for your support of the work of the churches of the BMA of Missouri Missions. There is no limit to what we can do as we follow God in our lives. I have started trying to attend more local association
meetings in an effort to get to know more about what is going on in our churches and to get better acquainted with our people. If you would like for me to visit your annual meetings please let me know ahead of time when your meeting takes place and I will try to come. I look forward to the opportunity.

by James Hoffman

A reminder….

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It would be GREAT to see all our Churches
REPRESENTED AT THE

BMA of Missouri
Annual Meeting


Bethel Baptist Church, Lonedell, MO
October 27, 2018 • 9:00 a.m.
This could start a REVIVAL in Missouri!!

Overseas Bible Schools

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As Evangelistic International Ministries wraps up an amazing summer of Overseas Bible School (OBS) and we re?ect on all of the beautiful people that heard the Gospel, we’re in awe and humbled to be servants of Jesus! We were blessed to see the work of God in Shinyanga Tanzania, La Flecha Honduras and Ramnicu Valcea Romania! The cultures are vastly di?erent, but the power of Jesus’ saving grace is universal!!

Each summer we are amazed as God handpicks and prepares each team to come together and serve Him in a foreign country. The teams this summer were most defnitely called by God for His purpose and glory. We started our summer OBS in Shinyanga Tanzania. Renatus Kanunu serves as EIM Tanzania Missionary and he led our team with wisdom and confdence in the Lord. As we traveled Hut to Hut to share the Gospel in the village nearby Renatus’ young church, our team saw the power of the Living Word of God!! The following Sunday there were 22 new visitors in attendance for worship service! In the afternoon we had OBS
in a school close to a village where there are plans to plant a church. Our team led 300 children through scripture from
creation to the cross. Lives were changed, hearts were touched and souls were added to the Kingdom of God thru the work of
the Holy Spirit!

Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Guy, AR sent a fantastic team to serve with us in La Flecha Honduras. Manuel and Maira Lepe have served as EIM Honduras Missionaries for 12 years. We served with them each day in several di?erent schools as we presented the Gospel and gave the children a Shepherd’s Bags. In the afternoon we had OBS at a large school in La Flecha close to Maira and Manuel’s home church. The children and parents loved learning about the love of our creator and his perfect plan for our Savior! Pastor Jose’ served with us throughout the week and I’m excited to hear how he has been able to disciple this community.

To close our summer OBS a team from Antioch East Baptist Church in Magnolia, AR traveled with us to Ramnicu Valcea Romania. Throughout the week we served with Cristi Ciuculescu, Pastor of The Good Shepherd Church. Each morning we went into a gypsy village for OBS. The children and their parents were so excited for someone to care enough to come to them and share the love of Jesus. In the afternoons we had OBS at a soccer arena in Poscesti. Jesus Christ was made famous in both villages!
We have started plans for our 2019 Summer OBS!

Philippines – May 22 – June 1
Honduras – June 22 – June 28
Tanzania – July 10 – July 21
Honduras – August 3 – 9

Please visit our website if you are interested in serving with us next year! www.eimworldwide.org “The call of missions is to love Jesus in such a way that we strive to live every single moment committed to being witnesses of the Gospel and it’s transforming power.”

Alicia Jackson, EIM OBS Director,
Mike Goodwin, EIM President