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Jesus, The Greatest Gift of All Time

Merry Christmas!

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Jesus, The Greatest Gift of All TimeWhat a wonderful time of the year is the Christmas Season! For those who understand the true meaning of Christmas and the blessings that are ours because God gave His Only Begotten Son that we might receive the greatest gift of all, everlasting life, this is a GREAT TIME!

May each of us look for opportunities during this season to tell others about Jesus and what His birth really means for all men.

This is also a wonderful time to show kindness to those about us and pray that God will use our kindness to touch these people with His love and open the door for His Spirit to work in their lives. What a wonderful thing it would be to lead someone to Jesus as we celebrate His Birthday. As Mary gave birth to the Savior the word went out to all the world that the Savior was born. Our wish today is that you will truly enjoy this Christmas by spreading the word that The Savior Is Born!

Bro. & Sis Hoffmann

Your Kid Is Like A Kleenex

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by Travis Plumlee, Director of Family Ark Ministries

So many kids grow up and turn to alcohol and drugs. Many others get discouraged, and develop depression or anxiety. Still others start running with the wrong crowd, and as a result, make poor choices; which begins a pathway of destruction for them. So what can you do as a parent to help assure that your child will be less likely to follow these pathways? There are no 100% guarantees in an imperfect world. You can always raise your kids right, and by the bible; and they can still grow up and choose to live wrong.

However, you can say some things, avoid some things, and give your child the right foundation. Then, if they fall apart later in life, it won’t be because of a failure on your part as a parent. The foundation is poured early-on in life. Discouraged kids do drugs. Shamed kids become anxious, depressed and develop addictive behaviors. When kids feel like they are not fully accepted at home, they will start to run with the wrong crowd. There are many other explanations besides these I am listing, to cause these troubles. But many of these problems might occur because of things you say to your kids, and that is an easy thing to avoid doing.
Start off by understanding that your child or children, are like Kleenex tissues in two ways. Let me explain both.

1). Children are like Kleenex tissues in that their developing personality and self-esteem are very easy to get torn or crumpled. Think of how easy it is to tear a Kleenex in pieces. It takes very little effort. That is how it is with your kid. It doesn’t take much on your part to destroy their little hearts before they ever have a chance to grow. You are stressed out. You have had a bad day. And you snap at them. This marks their heart.

Perhaps they were talking in school. The teacher told them to be quiet and your child talked just a second longer. They didn’t get a star on their chart this week. They got a frown face instead. Don’t shame them. They already feel bad. Kids want to do well and please you. Say, “It will be okay. We will just continue to work on these things. Everyone makes mistakes. I think you are a very smart and good kid and I know you will do well in school the rest of the week, right!” Smile at them and give them a hug.

Sometimes your kids are in a bad mood. Don’t shame them if they don’t feel like hugging and kissing you and tell you 100 times they love you. Every person, even little ones, sometimes just need some down time. Don’t shame them here either. As my readers know I am a big proponent of biblical discipline. There are many instances where your kids do wrong, and you need to take disciplinary action. If your child develops an on-going pattern of misbehavior in the home or school, then we need to give them reproof or the rod. But no one is perfect. Kids make mistakes and learn from them. Help them learn from them. You don’t always have to make them feel bad to get them to do better.

Remember to always attack the behavior, and not them as a person. Don’t call them names. Cry Baby. Selfish. Brat.(Fill in the blank). You may need to correct behavior, but don’t have them feel like there is something wrong with them. Don’t think that somehow God made a mistake when He made them. And by the way, God doesn’t make any child with a deficit. They may have attention different, but they don’t have attention deficit. How would you like to be 10 and think you have a deficit compared to other kids! Don’t label.

2). Children are like Kleenex because they are absorbent. They absorb what they hear you say and do. Not all misbehavior has to be disciplined. So they messed up. Let them learn from their mistakes. Ask them what they learned. Ask them to help you problem solve. Ask, “What do we need to do different next time?” Kids want to correct their mistakes because no child wants to be a failure. They all want to succeed. And God wants them to succeed. They are His kids after all. God doesn’t want any of His kids to not be successful. Help them find the pathways that will make them successful. Not every kid has to go the same pathway. Each child is unique. Work with the teachers. Work with their educational modality, so that even with homework, they are given the right environment to be successful. Some kids take 30 minutes, and they are disciplined, motivated and done. Other kids are just as smart, but they need prodding, isolation, structured environment and help. Find what works for each kid.

Just remember you make a deposit or withdrawal every day in your child’s memory bank. When parents shame them, ignore them or criticize them; those are withdrawal days. These kids will soon be bankrupt and have troubles. Deposits are encouragement, praise and attention and affection.These kids are rich because their parents invest in them. Don’t ever forget that your children’s personality and self-esteem are as fragile as a Kleenex. They absorb. They tear easily. Constantly pray and seek God.

Mission Director’s Annual Report 2012

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October 27, 2012

This year we had some last minute speaker changes to our Mission Symposium plans. With a few minutes notice, Bro. Jamie Jones stepped up and did an excellent job in sharing his heart about the church planting efforts in Smithville. The Lord continues to bless the work with new leaders being raised up, new life groups started, and, in addition to a very public baptism of 10 souls in Smithville Lake. I spent a couple of days with the Jones family this month assessing a new associate, Jared Kathcart. I believe that Bro. Jared and his wife, Nikki, will be a wonderful addition to the staff at North Lake Church.

At the Symposium we received an offering from our churches in the amount of $2,397.58 to help the Abundant Life In Christ Baptist Church in Charleston, MO with their building fund.

The financial record will show that the offerings from the churches during the past associational year has continue to decrease from $42,648.14 to $39,829.36…a decrease of $2,800 for the year. I am very grateful for the 30 churches that continue to support the work of state missions and I want to encourage the remainder of our churches to please add state missions to their budgets.

A passion that has continued to grow within me is a desire to help our churches as well as our church planters. Of course, the energy and time this would require, has been hindered by my role as a pastor. I have been praying about my role as a Director of Missions and about my role as a pastor and what God would have me to do. Last week I informed the Lindsay Lane Baptist Church that I am resigning as pastor so I can give more time to the work of missions and offer my help to the churches of Missouri. Please pray for Lindsay Lane as they seek a new pastor and pray for me as I make myself available to our churches in the areas of church health, church planting, and leadership training. I am available to come to your church to preach and share about the work of missions.

Once again, I appreciate the opportunity to serve the churches of the BMA of Missouri.

by Danny Kirk

Annual Meeting of the BMA of Missouri

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October 27, 2012 • 9:30 a.m.
Kewanee Baptist Church
Kewanee, Missouri

October 27, 2012 forty-two messengers, representing 21 churches, and several visitors gathered at Kewanee Baptist Church in Kewanee, Missouri for the 85th Annual meeting of the Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri.

Pastor Dan Wisely welcomed everyone and asked Bro. David Griggs to lead a song with Sis. LaDonna Baker playing the piano.

Bro. Wisely brought a timely devotional from Hebrews 12:1-2 challenging us to not be weighted down with the things of this world as we work for the Lord.

In the absence of President Jamie Haguewood, Vice President, Dan Wisely called the meeting to order and seated the messengers.

Following the preliminary enrollment report in which one petitionary letter was read, the messengers voted to accept the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Caledonia, Missouri into our fellowship. This church had not represented by letter of messengers for a number of years and according to our by-laws needed to petition for reinstatement. Our by-laws (page 10 of the 2011 Minutes) state in Article III – Membership, #3: “Any church not identifying with this Association either by messenger or letter for three consecutive years shall be considered as having terminated her membership.”

We enjoyed hearing from some of our National Departments about how God is blessing in all areas. Bro. Charley Holmes represented the BMAA Seminary; Bro. John David Smith represented the BMAA Department of Missions; and Bro. Charles Atteberry represented LifeWord Broadcast Ministries.

Bro. Don Burke gave a summary of the Alive Committee work this past year with the following information on the 2012 ALIVE Conference. The dates are December 27-29, 2012; the place for the meeting is the Airport Hilton in St. Louis; with Alvin Red – the speaker, Broken Vessels – the band, 321 Imp5ov – the entertainment, the City Museum – the night entertainment, breakouts with Jaclyn Rowe for the girls and ??? for the boys. The service project will be “The Shoe Man.” For more information go to the ALIVE web site at http://alivestudentconference.com/

A written report from Ministers Resource Services was accepted to be included in the Minutes.

Bro. Dennis Baker gave the Brotherhood Report noting that the men’s retreats have been good and seem to be drawing the men of our churches closer as they get better acquainted through the fellowship.

Sis. Terry Adams gave the WMA report and Sis. Janet Widger gave the Ladies’ Retreat Report. The ladies raise d almost $2,000 for Camp Garwood at their retreat.

The BMA Loan Committee gave their report along with some recommendations for changes in our by-laws which would open the way to assist churches in times of special needs. These changes will be printed as space and time permits. Contact Bro. Dennis Baker for more information. Bro. Earl Johnston announced his resignation from the committee and a plague of appreciation for his 19 years of faithful service was presented to him. Bro. David Griggs was elected to replace Bro. Johnston as treasurer.

The Kenneth Gibson Seminary Student Grant Fund report was given noting there had not been any requests for assistance this past year.

Bro. Hoffmann gave the Missouri Missionary Baptist report noting that income is not keeping up with the cost of printing and mailing the paper and he encourage more churches to send monthly offerings to help overcome this difference. He encouraged the churches to keep their mailing lists up to date to avoid return postage. All churches are encouraged to send a mailing list to Bro. Hoffmann to insure your people receive the paper. An offering from your church will help with expenses but is not required to be on the mailing list. We hope each pastor receives the paper. If not please send Bro. Hoffmann your address.

Sis. Laura Polk gave the Camp Report since Bro. Chris was unable to attend the meeting due to some physical problems. She noted how God blessed the camp this year with many souls being saved and a great attendance. The “DEW” (Dollar Each Week) program is picking up momentum and should be a blessing to the camp. Remember a special “DEW” T-shirt will be given to each one who participates in giving a Dollar Each Week by camp time 2013.

The following association officers and committeemen were elected:
President Claude Evans
Vice President Ray Thurman
Special Missions Committee – Ben Kingston (2019)
Publications Committee – Denver Page (2015)
Encampment Committee – Lucas Polk (2017)
Youth Alive Committee – Don Burke (2016)
Bro. Don Burke gave the Recording Secretary’s report.
Bro. James Hoffmann and Bro. Don Burke were reelected as Editor and Assistant Editor of the Missouri Missionary Baptist paper.

Bro. Ted Hurley brought the annual message (see page 1) before we were dismissed for a wonderful lunch prepared by the ladies of Kewanee.
Following lunch the Missionary Committee met. Missions Director Bro. Danny gave his report (see page 3) followed by a report from Bro. Jamie Jones, missionary at North Lake, Missouri. Both reported on God’s blessings on the effort in North Lake. It was a joy to hear of the excitement of this new work.

Our Mid-year meeting and Mission Symposium will be at Bethel Baptist Church in Sikeston in the month of May 2013. The Annual Meeting will be at Springdale Baptist Church in Fenton in October of 2013. Please start making plans now to attend these meetings.
Bro. Russell Chitwood was elected to bring the annual message with Bro. Danny Kirk as the alternate.

We commend Pastor Dan Wisely and Kewanee Baptist Church for being very gracious hosts and providing a comfortable and pleasant place for our very harmonious meeting. We look forward to meeting again in 2013.

Missouri Ladies’ Retreat

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It was wonderful!!

The staff at the Drury Inn & Suites in Arnold took care of each request beginning at 10:00 a.m. Friday until we left at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The speaker, Jaclyn Rowe, was outstanding!! Her family, her church, First Baptist, Potosi, MO and her pastor Bro. Jamie Haguewood should be proud of her sound scriptural teaching. She made it exciting to learn about King Hezekiah.

Becky Cate did an excellent job with the music and getting us started on time. She has also put together a CD with pictures from Camp Garwood. If anyone wants to purchase a copy to use in your local church to help promote Camp Garwood, contact her.

There were a total of 83 ladies in attendance representing 27 churches (two being from BMA churches in Michigan, two SBC and one ABA).

The silent auction has become a fun tradition to raise money for Camp Garwood. This year was no exception. There were close to 400 items donated and at the end of the day, we raised $1,941.00 for Camp Garwood. Let me repeat that, $1,941.00!! I am sure that before the final count is completed, we will have at least $2,000 or more donated.

This is a wonderful example of what the WMA ladies can do for mission endeavors. Even though some of the ladies participating in this retreat and auction were not active WMA ladies, they still have a heart for missions and support many of the WMA projects.
On behalf of the Retreat Committee, I thank each lady for attending and participating. We are already looking forward to the 2014 MO WMA Retreat.

Janet Widger, Chairman
MO WMA 2012 Retreat Committee.

The Joy of the Men’s Fellowship

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by James Hoffman

Twenty-five men and boys gathered at Camp Garwood September 28th – 29th for the Fall Men’s Retreat. Lucas Polk and Manuel had arrived early and prepared a delicious barbecue meal that was enjoyed by all. The camp ground looked beautiful with freshly mowed “green” grass and the fall colors starting to show in the trees on campus and around on the hills.

A few men had also arrived early and did some deer hunting but they did not have anything to brag about as they had not been able to bag any game.
Following the evening meal, Bro. Jerry Adams brought a great devotional on how every saved person can and should be an evangelist by telling others what Jesus has done for them. Using the stories of the demon possessed man of Gadara and the woman at the well in Samaria, he emphasized how they both told others about their experiences with Jesus and many believed on Him as a result.

The evening continued with Bro. Dennis Baker building on the theme of witnessing to others and challenging us to use our experiences with the Lord to tell others about Him.
He used the hunting experience and how we get others interested by telling them our experiences and then mentoring them as they get involved.

Many commented on how they were moved to reflect on their own experiences, how they enjoyed this time to hear the experiences of others and how they were moved to be better witnesses.
There were some door prizes of “beef jerky” given out before we dismissed.
Following a time for visiting among ourselves we retired for the night.
A delicious breakfast of biscuits, sausage, bacon and eggs, was enjoyed at 7:30 Saturday morning. This was followed by the archery competition.
Winners in the various division are as follows:

Deer Shoot
Adult:

  • 1st Place – Manuel Spraggs
  • 2nd Place – Tom Foster
  • 3rd Place – Lucas Polk

Youth:

  • 1st Place – Caleb Foster
  • 2nd Place – Bradley Evans
  • 3rd Place – Dennis Moenmann

Target Shoot

  • 1st Place – Lucas Polk
  • 2nd Place – Caleb Foster
  • 3rd Place – Tie
    Bradley Evans
    Manuel Spraggs

Go to this gallery for pictures of some of the activities and participants at this year’s retreat. Even though everyone did not participate in the competition, everyone had a great time. It was especially enjoyable to see some of the experienced participants “mentoring” those boys and men who had less training. The spirit of fun and cooperation was a blessing to behold as all present seemed to be more interested in having a good time rather than “win.”

Thanks to Bro. Chris Polk for his facebook pictures some of which are included on this page of the paper. We hope it helps you understand the joy experienced as our men and boys fellowship in this way. Watch for details about our next Retreat and make plans to get in on the action!

An Update on DEW

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A Dollar Every Week for Camp Garwood by Claude Evans

Let me give you a quick update on the Dollar Every Week to Camp Garwood.  The response has been over whelming. When I suggested this at camp, I was not thinking about the logistics of the endeavor, nor just how many of you would accept the challenge. A great big thank you to all who have committed to D.E.W. Your commitment is between you and God. It is based on the honor system. Bro. Ronald Garviett has designed a T-shirt logo and is offering to print one free for each person making a D.E.W. Commitment.  As you turn in your money at your local church, the Treasurer should make a memo on the check for D.E.W.

When you have given $50 write down the size T-shirt you want and give it to your pastor or your Disciple-In-Training, and they can send it on to me.  We are planning to give out the T-shirts at camp and designate one day at camp as “D.E.W. Day” and we will all wear our D.E.W T-shirts.

If you have any questions, call me at 573-562-7036 or contact Bea via message on facebook at Beatrice Fulmer Evans. Let’s Dew it for God’s honor and glory and for the souls of our children.

October 2012 – From Bro Jones…

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Dear Friends,
Last week we held our 2nd annual “campfire fellowship” on September 25th – 27th. Campfire fellowship consists of food, friends, fire, & lots of laughs. The food was great, the fellowship among friends was quite enjoyable, and the laughs were plentiful.

The best part however, was the engaging discussions. We chose to focus on faith and studied John 4:43-54, in which Jesus heals the nobleman’s son from a distance. The first night started with a question: “Where are you in your faith?” That may seem like a simple question, but it led to a great discussion and some honesty among friends. We learned that on a scale of 1-10, many were as low as 2, and some were as high as 9 in their faith. We also admitted/confessed that our faith often fluctuated with circumstances. It was a good evening that got better as the night was ending. Sherri, a newcomer to North Lake announced that she had made her peace with God and placed her faith in Christ on Monday morning. Prayers had been answered, as many had been praying for that very thing. Tears were shed and faith grew that night.

On night two of the faith discussion we asked: “What would it take for your faith to grow?” Many answer’s were given, but one sticks out to me, “Watching someone come to Christ.” No-one knew what was about to happen as a young teen named Samantha says’ “I’ve been listening to what was said tonight, and I want faith”. So, as the fire flickered, we shared the process of salvation with Samantha and watched as God changed a life right before our eyes. Our faith was strengthened by watching what God does best, change people.
You see, when God changes people it affects the faith of others. The healing of the nobleman’s son in John 4 affected a lot of people. The nobleman went to Jesus in faith, his son was healed, his family became believers, and no doubt many who were under the authority of this nobleman were impacted by the miracle Jesus performed. God can work through your faith to bring about amazing impacts upon others.

Now this is cool… Samantha is Sherri’s daughter. Samantha’s dad Mike, was baptized in July of this year. God had been, and is still, working in the faith of this family.

Enjoying watching God change lives,

Jamie Jones,
Smithville, MO

October 2012 – Mission Director’s Report

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This past month I was involved in a 3-day long assessment of 8 church planting candidates and their wives for the BMA of America. During the assessment weekend, the candidates are asked to share their vision, their plan for reaching the community, demonstrate an ability to teach God’s word, demonstrate evangelistic skills, and also speak to a counselor about the state of their marriage. The assessment team is made up of 8 or more individuals and the purpose of the assessment is to help each candidate to fulfill God’s calling in their lives. Recommendations always include further training and an assignment of a coach to help them to move forward. It has been shown that when a missionary candidate receives assessment, training, and assigned a coach, his success rate will increase from around 25% and up to 80%. As someone who has been involved in 5 different church plants, I can say it is a brighter day within the BMAA for those who want to plant a new church and desire help in doing so.

One of the candidates in the assessment weekend was John and Alisha Herring. Bro. John and Alisha have been on the pastoral staff for
10 years with the Oasis Church in Maumelle, AR. If the Lord wills, they have a desire to move to Missouri to plant a church near the Springfield area. God has blessed their prayers and already two families from Oasis Church are making plans to relocate with them to begin this new work. In the next few months the Herrings will be on deputation seeking financial support from churches and individuals. If your church has a desire to become personally involved in church planting and working with a great family, please consider helping the Herrings with your support.

by Bro. Danny Kirk

September 2012 – Mission Directors Report

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From Our Director…Bro. Danny Kirk:
The Special Missions Committee met with church planting candidates, John and Alisha Herring at Bethel Baptist Church in Sikeston, MO. The committee was impressed with the Herring’s vision for Nixa, MO and their prospectus outlining their plan on how they will plant a church. A final recommendation concerning this couple will come before the BMA of Missouri after they have completed assessment. John and Alisha will be a part of the BMA of America’s church planting assessment weekend in September and afterwards continue to raise partnership support.

I attended the annual meeting of the BMA of South Western Missouri along with John Herring and Jamie Smith. It was a delight to meet with these churches and pastors. They voted during their association meeting to continue their mission support of Jamie Jones and to begin support of the Herrings in Nixa, MO. I praise the Lord for their support of the Lord’s work!

I recently hosted a 3 day retreat for all the North American church planters at the Meramec Retreat Center in Richwoods, MO. Eighteen men from across the nation came together for a relaxing time of skeet shooting, golfing, team building exercises, and great food. A big “Thank You” goes to Pastors Ben Kingston, Brad Banderman, Johnny Dover, and Jamie Haguewood for serving and loving on these men who are serving on the front lines of building God’s Kingdom. These men went back home refreshed and ready to charge ahead for the sake of souls! Pray for all of our church planters!

Some of those who attended the Church Planter’s Retreat at the retreat center in Richwoods, MO.