Other News

Friday evening,May 16, 2014, approximately 25 people from BMA Churches across Missouri met at Faith Baptist Church in St. Charles for the annual Mission Symposium. A very interesting program was presented by Missions Director Danny Kirk featuring Missionaries Jamie Jones and John Herring along with BMA of America Director of Church Planting Larry Barker.

Bro. Kirk led in a question and answer session giving each of these men an opportunity to answer questions regarding missions and how they go about planting churches, making disciples, and building a work for the Lord. It was a time of learning as we focused on the work that these men are doing.
Following the question and answer portion of the meeting, Bro. Larry Barker brought a challenging message about Our Vision based on Nehemiah chapter 2. He pointed out that Vision is usually born in the heart of an individual, 2:1-6; Vision grows with the help of many, 2:7-9; Vision dies because of a few, 2:10, 19; and Vision succeeds because of the faith of all, 2:20.

Each person attending went away with a greater appreciation for those who are planting churches for the Lord.
Several churches contributed offerings at the symposium for the goal which was the Missouri Missionary Baptist paper. You can see the report of offerings received before, during, and after the symposium on page 6. Thanks for the great support!

Saturday Morning, May 17, 2014, a larger crowd gathered for the mid-year meeting of the BMA of Missouri. President Claude Evans was well prepared and did a great job leading this meeting. Host Pastor, Justin Arender, brought a challenging devotional based on I Chronicles 12:18, which was followed by the seating of the messengers.

Bro. Don Burke was reelected as Recording Secretary with Bro. Dale Fish being reelected as Assistant. Bro. Wayne Gibson was elected to fill the term of Bro. Ted Hurley (who has moved out of state) on the Loan Committee.

Following each report a prayer was offered in behalf of that department or committee and the ministry represented.
During the Mission Report it was noted that Bro. Jamie Jones had come to the end of his five year support and was transitioning the mission to self-support. We voted to continue financial support for this work by sending them $500 a month designated for “rental or payments” on a place to meet. This support will be reviewed at each association meeting. The work in Smithville is progressing well.

A motion and second was passed to express our appreciation to Faith Baptist Church and their pastor for their hospitality by a standing vote of appreciation.

The business portion of the meeting was adjourned and a message, entitled “Giving Up or Looking Up” based on Luke 18:1-8, was delivered by Bro. James Hoffmann.

We then enjoyed a delicious meal provided by the host church, and visiting with each other before departing for home.

Our annual meeting will be at Landmark Baptist Church in DeSoto, Missouri, October 25, 2014. The starting time is 9:00 a.m. Please mark this date and make plans to meet in DeSoto.

The BMA of Missouri Brotherhood Spring Retreat was a great blessing! The weather was ideal and eighteen men studied the Scriptures, fellowshipped, and of course enjoyed great food prepared by Bro. Lucas Polk.
Bro. Roy Callahan prepared a wonderful devotion entitled, “Are you ready?” Bro. Callahan’s devotion focused on “Are you Ready” to serve the Lord when you face adversity in your Christian journey. Following our devotion time, we enjoyed personal testimonies from several of the men. It was wonderful blessing listening to their experience of salvation.

After breakfast on Saturday the men enjoyed the Third Annual Turkey Shoot. Jeremy Nettington and Roy Callahan were the winners of the Turkey Shoot.
There was a three-way tie between Brian Whitlock, James Callahan, and Don Adams in the Skeet Shoot with six of nine hits.

I would like to encourage the men of the churches of the Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri that do not have an organized brotherhood, to start a brotherhood within your local church. The purpose of the brotherhood is to promote Christian fellowship, biblical leadership education, and mentoring.
This ministry depends on the financial support of the churches of the Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri. We want to encourage your church to support this ministry.

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by Dennis Baker, Brotherhood President

WHEREAS, we live in a society that is moving further and further away from the concepts of God and His Word, we shall resolve to:

1. Be more committed to our own personal study of God’s Word, spending time in prayer and preparing ourselves to be better fit for His service.
2. Be available and willing to work and serve in each of our own local churches and strive to help make a difference in our communities.
3. Be faithful and supportive in our State Associational work.
4. Join together nationally, with urgency as we realize the soon return of our Savior, to help the Baptist Missionary Association of America keep the Great Commission and carry the Gospel to the world.

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Resolutions Committee
Jodi Rhea – Oklahoma
Debbie Clark – Oklahoma
submitted by Norma Womble, Reporter

The messengers of the Churches of the Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri met May 18, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. in the facilities of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Sikeston.
President Claude Evans called the meeting to order and the messnegers were seated as a call was made for changes in the By-laws.

The Missouri Missionary Baptist Loan Association Trustees presented changes in the By-laws for this committee which were necessitated by the incorporation of our association last year. These changes were adopted.

Bro. Don Burke was re-elected as our Recording Secretary and Bro. Dale Fish was re-elected as our Assistant Recording Secretary.
It was noted that the meeting place for our annual meeting needed to be changed and the moderator called for invitations. Bethany Baptist Church in St. Louis extended an invitation and the messengers voted to accept the invitation to meet at Bethany October 26, 2013, at 9:00 a.m.

Reports for the following entities were heard: The Kenneth E. Gibson Seminary Student Grant Fund; the Missouri Missionary Baptist paper; the Missouri Missionary Baptist Loan Committee; the Recording Secretary’s Report, and the ALIVE Committee.
The Missionary Committee met and recommended that we designate $800 of the director’s monthly salary as housing allowance. They also recommended that we give a love offering of $1,000 to each of the three missionaries who spoke ot the Missions Symposium Friday evening. Such offering was for their work funds.
Following the Missionary Committee meeting the messengers voted to approve their recommendations.

The Encampment report was given via a video presentation. Camp Evangelist for this year will be Bro. Wade Allen who is serving in the Phillipines.

The Brotherhood report was given.
All reports were accepted by the messengers.

A standing vote of appreciation was given to Bethel Baptist Church and Pastor Jerry Adams for their wonderful hospitality .
Bro Jerry Adams then brought a message that challenged us to be witness for Christ using examples of people in the Bible who let the Power of God help them witness to others.

Following the message the meeting was adjourned until October. We enjoyed a delicious meal provided by Bethel and a wonderful time of fellowship in the activity building.

The missions simulcast is over but you can access the recorded sessions at
BMAAMissions.org

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MISSIONS SIMULCAST
100 Churches in 3 Years
Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 10:00am – NoonThis simulcast will cover how to build a multiplication process in your church and give you more information on how to involve your church and churches in your area in church multiplication.
Special Note: From 11am – Noon we will be discussing the integration of BMA Missions and Lifeword.

Make plans now to take part in this live simulcast from Lifeword Studios at one of the following locations:

• Oasis Church, North Little Rock, AR
• Springdale Baptist Church, Springdale, AR
• Garrett Memorial, Hope, AR
• First Keltys, Lufkin, TX
• New Harmony, Tyler, TX
• First Baptist, Galena, KS
• Vardaman Street, Wiggins, MS
• Fusion Church, Fountain, CO
• Majestic View, Kiowa, CO
• Southgate Baptist, Moore, OK
• Temple Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR

Other host sites may become available or contact me (larry@bmaam.com) if you are interested in being a host site.

A recording of this simulcast will be available for viewing later on the BMA Missions website.

February 27, 2013
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Learn about Multiplication Centers
If you’re interested in being a host site please contact me at larry@bmaam.com
Invite your friends to watch with you

Remember, 100 Churches in 3 Years!

Thanks again,
Larry Barker
North America Director of Operations
Baptist Missionary Association of America
9219 Sibley Hole RD
Little Rock, AR 72209
501-455-4977 (Office)
501-766-2606 (Cell)

Forty years ago my wife and I took our young family to a famous vacation spot. We could not afford the trip, but we went anyway. Wow! What a place! It had everything imaginable for us to vacation with our family. This past week my wife and I returned to the famous resort. Forty years of work had transformed it beyond “wow,” and it was now more than wow. The only reason we checked out of our room was because a man with a pistol came to our room, forced us to leave for other guests had reservations in this same room. I left reluctantly. Forty years of human imagination, planning, execution, vision, and lots of money had made this place even more a superlative vacation spot.

Jesus told us He was going to prepare a place for His kind of people. He told us he was coming again to take us there. It is a place in His Father’s community. It is a more than a “Wow!” kind of place. It is a place beyond human planning, vision, and yes, ability to construct. It is a place of perfect residence for those who love Him and look for His appearance. It is a place unequaled in human thought-“more than we could think.”

If very bright humans can build and continue to improve a famous vacation spot over forty years, imagine what the Son of God- the Creative Element of the universe, the Force that holds creation together- can do in His preparing a place for those who are His followers. He has been working on it more than forty years!

I do want to return to the famous vacation spot I left last week. I will have to reduce some credit card debt before I do. The “Wow!” place Jesus has for us is free. He asks me to put my life into His care, believe Him, trust Him, repent of my sins, and turn to Him for life—that is life of the same quality God Himself has. He wants to share the “Wow!” place with you and me. “Come with me to my Father’s house where there is joy, joy, joy.”

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by Tony M. Cleaver

by Dr. John M. Adams • Executive Director – Moral Action

Paul Harvey (1918-2009) transformed radio by inspiring a nation to listen to common sense. This man was unique not only in radio voice but in timely sayings.

The brutal murder of his father shaped Paul Harvey’s life and career, howbeit, through many tears. He had a wonderful high school teacher who helped launch his career into radio. He became a champion for God, His church, those serving in uniform, and our American nation.

Paul Harvey wrote and quoted a prayer that he wrote in 1952. It was a plea for God to raise up a certain type of President for our country. The following is that excerpt:

“Almighty God, send us a leader.
A man with his feet planted firmly in American tradition.
A tall man…with his head above the fog of selfish interests.
Not a common man.
This time, God, send us an“Uncommon man”…a statesman.
We don’t deserve him, but send him anyway.
And hurry, please. The hour is late.
The candle of freedom burns low.”

In the foreword of the book by Stephen Mansfield and David Holland, Paul Harvey’s America, is presented the fact that Paul Harvey understood that America is unique in human history, a nation founded in a vision of freedom that was new in the world at that time.

Harvey wanted Americans to never forget the price our forefathers had to pay for freedom. He would give us the “Rest of the Story” series to teach us what little we knew of our Founding Fathers and Mothers. They were stalwart souls who paved a great path for each of us.

So, that is the reason that at the peak of his radio talk it was estimated that 24,000,000 people a week listened to his inspirational presentations of hope and love.

One of his greatest speeches was given on April 3, 1965. It is as follows:

“If I were the Devil…I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States. I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve; ‘do as you please.’ ‘Do as you please.’ To the young, I would whisper, ‘The Bible is a myth.’ I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is ‘square.’ In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me: ‘Our Father, which art in Washington…’

“If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa. And then if I were the devil, I’d get organized. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions…let those run wild. I would designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say ‘she’s right.’ With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

“If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle. If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And then, my policestate would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps. In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.”

Paul Harvey, Good Day.

I recommend for enjoyable reading the patriotic common sense book, Paul Harvey’s America, written by Stephen Mansfield and David Holland, Tyndale House, $19.99.

I would like to say the Paintball Retreat was again a great time for everyone who attended. We had 35 players and close to 20 non players present. There are pictures and a video on Facebook in the Camp Garwood group. If you haven’t seen them check it out! Thanks to everyone who helped support this retreat.

Don’t forget about the Men’s retreat May 4-5th and the GMA retreat July 13-14th. Both are going to be great weekends.

On June 9 & July 7th we will have cleanup/work days. Try to set one or both of these weekends aside to bring your youth to camp. There are a few light construction tasks that can be done along with regular grounds clean up and maintenance. Of course my family and I will be at camp on many other weekends. If neither of these dates work for you contact me and set up your own time to help.

Though we don’t have a lot of funding for major projects this year. I’m working on a couple new recreation activities to keep everyone cool and hav’n fun. Along with a few low budget upkeep projects. I’m excited about camp and hope you are too. Please join us in praying for The Harper Family, Bro Dustin Wisely, our class teachers, the cooks, and each soul that will be at camp this summer.

And, Invite someone to Camp Garwood July 30- Aug 3rd!
Blessings,
Chris Polk