A Verdade Brazil Mission Team - What is 'A Verdade'? (by Jonita Barram)

Faith Baptist is praying for and helping the A Verdade Missions Team go to Brazil July 15–23. But where did that name, 'A Verdade,' come from?

Angel Long explains:

Hannah thought of naming the mission trip this based out of John 8:31 and 32. “A Verdade” is “The Truth” in Portuguese. The prayer is that we would hold to Jesus’ teaching, be His disciples, and all know “The Truth.”

The team will wear shirts that say “A Verdade Brazil Missions,” which should get attention and generate inquiries and conversations. Angel says that is what happened at Chick-Fil-A when our church turned out to support the team.

Lots of people that don’t attend our church asked about what we were doing. So, many spiritual seeds of encouragement were planted too! Praise God. The church showing up in support for the mission was a real encouragement to the owner and managers too—with them even asking for us to please come back.

The missions group has been preparing in other ways as well, spending 10 weeks working through Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. Angel says:

It was a real eye opener to our spiritual life and how we are using our God-given time and talents.

Angel hopes people will pray the following for the team:

Prayers would be that we would be used of God on His trip—from our preparing here to our future, even in our flight. May He totally use us for His glory, work in us for His kingdom, and work upon our hearts for deeper roots of fellowship with Him. Pray for all to know His love, grace, and mercy.

Related Posts:

• A Verdade Brazil Mission Team - Overview
• A Verdade Missions Trip - 14 Prayer Requests

The God of the Amazon Jungle is Same God of Inwood (by Jonita Barram)

‘If He Did It Back Then/He’ll Do It Again’

The Southern Gospel group Signature Sound has recorded a song called “The God of Today.” The chorus says:

For the God of the past,
Is the God of today.
If He did it back then,
He'll do it again,
He forever remains the same,
So trust in His unchanging power,
And follow Him come what may,
For the God of the past,
Is the God of today.

The Kingdom of Darkness

Several years ago, I got to read Port of Two Brothers: The Amazing Story ofTwo Missionary Brothers and Their Work on the Amazon, by Paul Schlener. Paul and his brother John evangelized and discipled a tribe of Indians called the Ticuna. These pagans were some of Satan’s choicest servants in the kingdom of darkness until “the Father … qualified [them] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light,” delivering them “from the power of darkness” and conveying them “into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (see Colossians 1:12–14). Schlener writes:

“Those people were in a sad state of spiritual, moral, and intellectual darkness.”

Any evil thing that goes on in Winter Haven went on in the Amazon Jungle, and the book gives some horrific details. Drunkenness, knife fights, revenge killings, physical and sexual abuse, thievery—all were a way of life. After the Schleners started ministering among the Ticunas, the two brothers “were convinced that Satan would not let these people go without a fight.” But God gloriously saved many of the Ticunas and transformed their tribe, much like Pastor Osborne’s vision for Winter Haven.

The Kingdom of the Son of God’s Love

When the Schleners started holding Brazilian church services, “in an unprecedented manner, our Indian friends crowded the Brazilian services on Sunday morning,” says Schlener. The missionaries then began Indian services, which were, he says, “inaugurated with at least 100 in attendance. Within a few weeks, the congregation increased to almost 500.” An American pastor who had visited the Schleners’ work encouraged the brothers, writing:

We’re asking God for a great harvest of souls—1,000 of them—why not? Is not our God able? Is this not His will? And if you are faithful, and if we are faithful, what can keep this from being accomplished? God bless you!

God did bless, and the church grew.

Schlener says

the Ticuna “didn’t have a written language, nor could they read or write Portuguese, the language of Brazil. . . . Officially the Indians were considered minors, a nation within a nation.”

So the missionaries opened a small school. Every night, a handful of their students went home and taught their families and neighbors to read and write. Christian Indians later began additional schools, camps, and churches. Several went to seminary and became pastors.

Schlener says:

“Literacy, accompanied with biblical teaching, brought higher moral standards, making life better for everyone in the Port of Two Brothers area, including the traders. The Indians began to produce more, but cheat and steal less. It took years of perseverance, maintaining an acceptable reputation in the area, to gain a good relationship with the business people.”

The following testimony illustrates the change in the Ticunas’ lives.

Nearly 800 were present one Sunday when a youth interrupted the service by walking the aisle during Paul Schlener’s sermon. He said:

My father was a pajeh [witch doctor]. No like Christians. Never come church. Come home drunk; beat my mother; beat us whole family. We run, hide in jungle. We poor. No shoes, ragged clothes. We hear neighbors across creek singing. They happy, we sad. 

Always neighbors invite Dad go church. Never go. One day Dad go, but stay in soccer field. Listen singing. Hear you two holler. Next time come closer. Stay outside, just listen. Next time come inside, stand in back. One time, he accept Christ as Savior. No more get drunk. Not pajeh no more. No more beat my mother. Work hard. All family have shoes now. Little brothers learn to read and write. Pray before eat. Nighttime recite Bible verses brothers learn in school. If God do that for Dad, can do for me, too. I’m oldest brother, need Christ, too. I accept Him today.

As their lives changed, the believers influenced their unsaved peers. For example, when the missionaries noticed a man and his son-in-law absent from church services, they asked around and learned their family had moved. They also found out why: the two men had murdered a third man on advice from a witch doctor, and their neighbors objected:

All neighbors around, explained one of the Christians, don’t want them live here no more. Can’t do that no more. Old life, long ago; we know God now. Still some believe pajeh, not accept God’s Son yet.

Souls saved. Illiterates educated. Families healed. Work ethic transformed. Generosity increased. Testimonies confirmed.

If God “did it back then” for the Ticuna Indians of Brazil (and He certainly did!), “He’ll do it again” for unbelievers in Winter Haven, particularly Inwood.

When we pray, serve, and give, we have a part in that glorious work!

What We Sow, We Reap (by Jonita Barram)

Did you hear about the teenagers whose SUV ran off the road into a pond? Six of the eight died. I felt bad as I read about them the first time. Their poor families!

Then I learned more—they had stolen the SUV. One of the mothers shared that her son and his best friend “lied about staying over at each other’s homes that evening.” She thinks they went to a party. “If only he had listened,” she says. “I told him, ‘Don’t you go nowhere.’ But they’re kids” (Fox News). I felt worse. This was no tragic accident of innocent people doing nothing wrong. This was a consequence of sinful choices. Oh, if they had only made wise choices! (If only they had just been getting up to get ready for Sunday School that morning!)

“But they’re kids.” That mother may mean that children—or in this case, teenagers—often think they know better than adults, that they are indestructible, that bad things won’t/can’t happen to them.

The Bible has a word for this. In the King James Version, it’s “froward.” It means “habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition.” Obviously, not all kids are froward and all froward people are not kids. Certainly, before we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were disposed to disobedience and opposition. Our sinful hearts were froward. And just like any other sin, frowardness can raise its ugly head even in a believer’s heart. That’s why God tells us to submit ourselves to Him (James 4:7).

Here’s another word, “presumptuous.” It means “overstepping due bounds; taking liberties.” King David asked God to keep him from presumptuous sins. The NIV puts it this way: “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression” (Psalm 19:13; italics added).

Those teens who stole a vehicle and went joyriding, or whatever they were doing, disobeyed the law, parents, and common sense. They willfully did wrong. There were consequences. Deadly consequences.

It is taking liberties (presuming) on God’s mercy to assume He will not let us suffer the consequences of our unwise choices or our sin. And it greatly dishonors Him when we disobey and oppose Him (are froward).

Twenty years ago, the Lord taught me a lesson from the life of James Jordan Sr. He did not do anything wrong, but he did do something that ended in his death: he pulled over to the side of the road in his Lexus to take a nap—something he and others did frequently. In the past, it hadn’t been dangerous to do that, but by 1993 it was.

Two young men spotted his car, killed him, and stole the vehicle. The lesson: don’t presume that because you’ve often done something unwise without horrible consequences that you won’t ever face consequences. When I have a choice to make, I often remind myself that because I seemed to get away with something before (like pulling to the side of the road in a bad area of town or traveling without a cell phone), “I can’t count on getting away with it again. Remember James Jordan.” This carries over into the area of sin too.

That’s a lesson I hope the young people of Faith Baptist Church learn now, especially those disposed to a froward or presumptuous attitude. God’s Word says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man [or woman/boy/girl/youth] sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Learn from James Jordan—presume on God’s protection when you do something unwise, and there may be consequences.

Learn from those eight teens—sow willful disobedience and opposition, and there will be consequences.

• Read more articles from Jonita Barram

Big Prayers, Big Answers (by Jonita Barram)

A Praying Church

       Have you noticed that some of Faith’s members are looking slimmer, healthier, more buffed? Would you believe that their appearance is an answer to a BIG prayer? Last March 4, small prayer groups prayed “that all of Faith Baptist Church will be good stewards of our relationships, our bodies, our families, our homes, our resources, and everything that God has given us to manage” (emphasis added). That is indeed a BIG prayer!
      Did God answer 100 percent of those requests in 100 percent of our membership—I like to think yes; some of us are just slower to respond, but the Holy Spirit is still working, still answering this BIG prayer.
And speaking of 100 percent of our membership, that membership has increased to at least 1,000, largely in answer to BIG prayers, like this one, also from Mar. 4, 2012: “That souls will be saved, new believers baptized, and that discipleship will happen at every level.”
      Or how about this BIG prayer, one that cannot be answered in the short-term: “That Faith Baptist Church will have the courage to see the FX vision all the way to the end—an entire community changed by the gospel”! All the children who have believed on Jesus Christ through the FX ministry are the fruits of this BIG prayer and the hope for “an entire community changed by the gospel.” Now we’re asked to pray for and give toward establishing the first Faith Baptist Refuge, a courageous step toward fulfillment of the FX vision.
      On Mar. 25, 2012, Faith members prayed “that God blesses our April Faith Day offering on Sunday.” With an offering of over $130,000, God’s answer was a big YES!  (You can read specifically about April Faith Day 2012 here.)

BIG Answers from the Past

Dot Malcolm, one of the church’s charter members, recalls some BIG answers to prayer.

     One of our deacons, Pete Jenks, was critically injured in an accident. This was when our church was new. He had a head injury; he had broken ribs, a broken hip. It was touch and go. His wife, a nurse, stood by him, took him home in a full body cast, she was working full-time, they had four children, they were living in a mobile home. We just prayed and prayed. She had to teach him the alphabet all over again; she had to teach him to feed himself—it was just amazing. Yet he had a quick recovery. And to this day you would never know about the injuries because he has been able to compensate because now his brain causes him to read backwards, but he’s done it so for so many years now that he’s used to it. That was a big prayer request and a big thing for our church to go through when we were just new.

     Even finding places to meet—God answered those prayers. God answered prayers for property. God answered prayers for our first pastor, Missionary Pastor Willard Benedict. Then when we had some really challenging times come along, God helped us through those. And then when we were two years without a pastor, God sent such wonderful men to the pulpit at that time who just kept our church going.

     A large prayer group formed, and we prayed and prayed for a pastor. God sent us Pastor Osborne, and that’s probably one of the biggest blessings our church has ever experienced, because he has taught us and shown us what we were and what we should be.

     Pastor is very plain about God not being pleased with a critical spirit, to love people where they are, and to try to see them as God sees them, where they’re going to be. All the discipleship classes available and Bible study groups available we never had before. And the programs—it seems like a lot of programs that our church is involved in, but they’re all helping to show people Jesus Christ. That’s our purpose. And they’re tools, and we’re just so privileged to have the people who can head up those programs and keep them going and give them insight as to where they want to be in a few years with that. And, of course, our pastor is a visionary. He stretches our faith, and that’s a good thing. So we have been challenged through the years, and God has been faithful to lead us along through the good and the bad times.

     We’re so thankful for where we are today, and we know that we have much to learn, and we’re eager to learn, eager to continue learning, and to be able to just serve the Lord on this corner and to reach out to the whole world where He sends us.

It is no surprise that Faith has been and continues to be a praying church.

     Dot says that large prayer group—about 30—met before every evening service. “We were just praying mainly for a pastor at that time,” she says. Over the years, “that prayer group has dwindled down to where there are two or three of us now, but we still meet—mainly to pray for different individuals in our church—people who are ill or people who are hurting or any specific need in our church.” This group still meets every Sunday evening at 5:30.

‘BIG Prayers’ Groups

     People in “BIG prayers” groups met the first three months of 2012 and have been meeting in these early months of 2013. Volunteers lead the groups, which comprise the leader and those he or she invites to join; and they meet when and where they choose. That’s not to say the groups are closed to newcomers. If you are interested in joining a “BIG prayers” group, contact the church office.

Other Prayer Groups

     Most of the “BIG prayers groups” disband after April FaithDay (the first Sunday in April), but the Faith family has plenty of opportunities to join other prayer groups that meet regularly.

I am privileged to attend a monthly meeting to pray for six or eight of our missionaries. Most of them work in connection with the USA. Then, once a month on Mornings for Missions, we meet together and remember the camp ministry at Camp Gilead and organizations that carry on missionary work if we have some requests from them.—Lorraine Hooser

Intense Prayer

In a letter dated Feb. 27, 2013, Pastor Osborne wrote:

     The Deacons and Prayer Leaders and I are urging and pleading with all of you to enter the month of March on your knees with us for a 31 day season of INTENSE PRAYER. Every day will find us—and I hope everyone of our church members—on our knees fervently praying for God to save souls in Winter Haven, praying that the baptismal waters would be constantly used, praying that God would show His powerful and victorious hand in establishing the first Faith Baptist Refuge, establishing Faith Baptist Christian Academy, and building a new auditorium that will be used to transform lives for generations to come. That Intense Prayer time will culminate on Easter Sunday March 31st with a service of Glorious Praise. I pray you and your family will join us in those days of INTENSE PRAYER.

     Our leadership has BIG faith, so they’re not afraid to ask God for BIG things. As a church family we have a BIG future of ministry to look forward to—because God gave the vision, honors our faith, and is glorified in granting our BIG requests.

How About You?
Which prayer group are you a part of?  To learn more about any of these prayer groups please contact our church office.

A Closer Look at FX Camp 2012

This past summer, FBC held it first-ever FX camp at Camp Gilead.  This massive undertaking was a tremendous success.  Our thanks go to Jonita Barram for putting this photo collection together so that you can get an inside look at this exciting week.

Fifty-two “FX kids” get together at Camp Gilead for the first-ever FX Camp, Aug. 5–9, 2012.

Sean Fielder, director of FX, says, “Let us never say, ‘There is no room, come back later.’ I have learned that if God sends someone our way, it is a divine appointment. Praise God for letting us watch Him save people!”

You Did What?

Gifts from members of Faith Baptist Church paid for 52 students to attend the first FX Camp at Camp Gilead. In addition to room and board, the church paid for special activities, such as zip-line/high ropes and paintball, and providing $20 for each camper to spend at the camp store.

Campers who choose to do the high ropes are bused to Fantasy of Flight for the ropes and zip line. Sometimes they’re a little intimidating.

Riding the zip line is a favorite activity at FX Camp.

FX Campers learn that it takes balance to succeed, and it helps to have a safety harness and trained  helpers—That sounds like life too!

Although about 90 percent of the campers don’t know how to swim, they don life jackets and go out to the trampoline.

Jonathan Fielder rides the “tube” with two campers. He was a junior counselor, working with eight boys, ages 10–12. Derrick, 10, reports: “When I was swimming with him [Jonathan], he always fell off. Two kids fell off. Then one of them went back on the boat. Then after that we had another turn, and I went on the boat.”

Tubing is a favorite lakefront activity. Most of the campers have never been tubing before this week. Jamie Simmons says, “Oh, the screams are just awesome.” Gary Simpson says, “When they get off, they say, ‘I want to go again! I want to go again!’ ”

The waterfront is a busy place!

Kids 12 and older play paintball, a first for many.

Jerrid, 10, describes the camp store: “It’s nice. You can hang out there and talk to your friends that you don’t get to, because they separate the older boys from the younger boys and the boys from the girls.”

Campers react to a live snake, one of the “Creation Critters.”

It’s All about Getting to Know You

Hannah Long, junior counselor to eight girls, ages 7–11, says, “I like to get to know them. They’re really sweet.”

Sara McMahon spent the week at camp, bonding with and loving the campers. 

Shelsetta Douglas, who works with FX girls during the school year, helps in a variety of ways at camp, including securing boys’ life jackets.

Shelsetta’s love for the girls has helped her win several to salvation in Jesus Christ. 

Jocelyn, 10, likes the camp staff “because they’re nice. They help us with stuff that we need help with.” 

“There’s not a lot of kids, so it’s easier to get closer to the kids and talk to them. It’s been really good,” says one of the summer staff.

“Every camper that comes through needs someone to love them, show them that they’re cared for, and to show them the gospel,” says senior counselor Caleb Jones. “That’s what it’s all about. Kids are kids—it doesn’t really matter who they are or where they’re from.”

The Serious Stuff - Every morning, the campers used the S.O.A.P. method

S = Scripture

O = Observation

A = Application

P = Prayer

A camper gets a hand up. Many camp activities foster cooperation and teamwork. 

Christina Acree, Lauren Dyess, Jonathan Fielder, Joseph Fielder, Cody Hancock, and Dakota Hancock lead the campers in praising God. Pastor Chris Elrod held the campers’ attention as he preached from God’s Word, illustrated from his own life, and applied God’s Word to the campers’ lives.

What Was It All For?

Fourteen campers made salvation decisions during FX camp. Many of them came forward in church Aug. 26, indicating a desire to obey the Lord by being baptized. 

Jamie Simmons - photographer

Editors’ notes: This report is a summary. It leaves out a lot, including the names of many of the Faith volunteers—our apologies to them. Also, speakers quoted in a caption do not necessarily appear in the accompanying photo. And last but not least, sincerest thanks to Jamie Simmons, who recorded FX Camp with her camera, and to Hope Olden for the photos taken at Fantasy of Flight.

• Related Post:  Read the Baptist Bulletin report on FX Camp

Before You Pass It On, Check It Out (by Jonita Barram)

I received another one today—one of those compellingly patriotic (or Christian or Republican), staunchly conservative e-mails. The ones that make us feel good about our personal beliefs. But this one, like so many others, wasn’t completely true.

I used to believe that a story coming from an acquaintance or friend must be reliable. But one experience about 15 years ago burst my naivety about e-mails. I had used a story from an e-mail as an illustration in an adult Bible study I was working on. Our retired former boss later read the illustration in the then-published study and let the new boss know the story was fiction. Oops! How embarrassing! That experience taught me to question every story, history lesson, etc. that comes via e-mail and to check out the ones I care about.

If your inbox is piling up with those patriotic (or Christian or Republican), staunchly conservative e-mails, this is for you: Before you pass it on, check it out. I recommend visiting www.snopes.com or www.truthorfiction.com.

Snopes is owned and operated by secular people. When you visit their site, you can type or copy the heading from the e-mail or a key word into the search box. If the particular subject has been addressed, you will find a version of the e-mail you received, a rating (true, false, or mixed), and an explanation. As you read the explanations, you will notice that the author(s) don’t necessarily share our worldview. And that’s why it is helpful to check out the Truth or Fiction site as well. Its owner/operator is a believer and as a Judeo-Christian worldview, but the Snopes site generally addresses more topics.

I’m no expert, just someone who’s “been there, done that” to my own embarrassment and who has learned to check things out before passing them on. I’d like to encourage every other believer to do the same. We, of all people, should not be perpetuating falsehoods and inaccuracies.

SLMF Meeting: My Personal Opinion (by Jonita Barram)

I like to smile at strangers in stores. I’ve gotten some interesting responses. Sometimes I get a friendly smile back. Sometimes I get a “Wow! I can’t believe somebody smiled at me” smile. But most of the time, I get no smiles.

I went to a store after the Sunshine Ladies Missionary Fellowship (SLMF) met at our church on Mar. 13. I noticed a contrast. All day I had been smiling at strangers, but all day I’d gotten smiles in return—friendly, “Hi, sister. Isn’t God good?” smiles. I felt so refreshed from the fellowship and challenged by the messages, both spoken and sung. I’m glad my boss let me attend as a reporter. (Read my official report at www.BaptistBulletin.org.) I’m also grateful for Lee Dusing, who took photos all morning and then lent me her camera to use after she had to leave.

Ruth Rhoden and Lorraine Hooser greet ladies and help them sign in.

The morning began with a continental breakfast provided by the church. I didn’t see Beth Brown, but I know she worked behind the scenes to organize everything. Then Evelyn Dinsmore, Dorothy Albritton, Dot Malcolm, and Mary Pence served and cleaned up both breakfast and lunch. The breakfast was a great time for reconnecting with ladies from other churches and meeting ones I didn’t already know.

Evelyn Dinsmore, Dorothy Albritton, Dot Malcolm, and Mary Pence serve and clean up so others can enjoy a great meeting.

From there we went into the chapel, where the SLMF president, Maribeth Smith, welcomed everyone. Then Bea Ide spoke on behalf of the Faith ladies. “We love you all, and we’re glad you’re here,” she said.

Bea Ide, liaison between the SLMF and Faith, welcomes the ladies.

I won’t give a detailed account of the day, but I would like to touch on some highlights and our ladies’ involvement.

Sheila Vegter, accompanied by Rebecca Tarquino, sang “I’m Surrounded by His Love” during the morning session and “Don’t Quit” during the afternoon session. Both songs were written by Doug and Donna Lowry. When Sheila introduced the first song, she mentioned that she is related by marriage to Doug Lowery: he is the brother of Jerry Vegter’s wife Diane. (Jerry is Bill’s brother, Vi’s son, and so forth and so on.) Doug is an evangelist; he and Donna travel the country as a ministry team.

Sheila Vegter sings "I'm Surrounded by His Love

Rebecca Tarquino accompanies Sheila

I noticed several of “our ladies” looking over the book table, brought by Connie Overholt from Heritage Baptist Church. Maribeth thanked Connie and the others from Heritage for bringing the books. Then she plugged her brother Larry’s book, Elephant Trunk Steaks and Other Adventure Stories about growing up as MKs in Africa.

Carla Gaswint and Ellen Balsley visit the book table, managed by Connie Overholt (Heritage Baptist, Lakeland, far right)

Margaret Tolosa, the SLMF secretary/treasurer, told us about this year’s project. EBI (Editorial Bautista Independiente) has put together a 26-book library for pastors in Spanish-speaking countries outside the U.S. A pastor can pay $20 for his library, but it cost $150 more to publish the books. So EBI is asking for others to donate the funds. (EBI covers the postage.) Ladies groups in the various churches have been saving money since the October 2011 meeting. When the offering was collected on the 13th, the project money amounted to over $730! That’s almost half of the SLMF’s goal to raise $1,500 to purchase 10 libraries.

Margaret Tolosa introduces the 2012 missions project:  purchasing 26-book libraries for 10 pastors in Spanish-speaking countries outside the U.S.

When we ladies divided into pairs or threes to pray, I had the privilege of praying with Margaret and with our missionary speaker for the day, Nancy Ball. Nancy was a missionary in Ghana for 45 years. She gave her testimony in the morning and showed slides in the afternoon. She was part of a literacy work, teaching nationals to read. (For more details, see my report at www.BaptistBulletin.org.)

Nancy Ball points to a stack of Bibles: two New Testaments and one complete Bible in the Waalii language of Ghana.

Stephen Simpson ran the sound so we could hear Nancy speak, Sheila sing, Maribeth lead the music, others make announcements, and Maribeth and her cohorts put on two hilarious skits about translating for American speakers. (For more details on the skits, see my report at www.BaptistBulletin.org.) It was good to laugh so much!

Stephen waits for the afternoon session to begin so he can run the sound system.

Maribeth Smith and Dessie Johnson demonstrate the language barrier when Americans use figures of speech and interpreters translate literally.

People who enjoy an event always tell those who weren’t there, “You missed a great time.” But really, ladies, if you weren’t there, you missed a great time. Think about attending the next meeting, October 9, at Bethany Baptist Church, Avon Park.

2012 Mission Conference (by Jonita Barram)

The 2012 Missions Conference began Friday night. Chaplain John Murdoch opened the conference by preaching from Exodus 3 and 4. He pointed out how the shepherd’s rod Moses had in his hand (4:2) became “the rod of God” (4:20). He challenged everyone to use for God whatever He has placed in their hands. Read more about the Murdochs.

Saturday
The next day we ate breakfast with the missionaries. The delicious meal was prepared and served by men of the church and Beth Brown. Following the meal, Pastor Brock divided us into three groups, who rotated between the auditorium, the chapel, and the fellowship hall to meet with our missionaries.

Jim Blizzard and our own Jim Phillips and Sean Fielder talked about the partnership between Child Evangelism Fellowship and Faith’s FX program. All the local elementary schools that Jim Blizzard contacted about having after-school Good News Clubs turned him down. So FX busses kids from Westwood Middle School to the church as part of its ministry. Read more about Jim Blizzard.

Sunday
During the Sunday School hour, Chris and Diane Marine reported on the transition from their previous mission to Faith Baptist Mission. Read more about this transition. They also reported on their current ministry. Listen to their report.

(Chris & Diane Marine)

Sunday morning, Dr. Jim Jeffery, president of Baptist Bible College and Seminary, preached “Training Up Timothys.” He defined missions as “the extension of Christ’s redemptive mandate in this world.” He said,

“The work of the church today is to extend that message to the entire world ... If you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ and you are not in some way involved in fulfilling that mandate [Acts 1:8], then you’re totally missing what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.” Listen to “Training Up Timothys.”

(Dr. Jim Jeffery)

Sunday evening, Pastor Brock questioned the missionaries. We learned what Scripture verse or passage has most impacted each missionary’s life (the book of Romans won), what each one enjoys most about ministry (people), and the biggest discouragement faced daily in ministry (various answers). Curt Jones and John Murdoch told how God led them from the pastorate into their current ministries, and several shared stories of how they personally have seen the gospel change a life. Listen to the Q&A time.

The Kids Conference
Lisa Brock, Kelly Hill, Jennifer Taylor, Jim Taylor, Buzz Rutenbar, and Helen VanHorn led the kids conference. Kids had to follow clues that uncovered passages of Scripture and application. Buzz appeared as Detective Herlock Sholmes, and Jim as Tick Dracy. Buzz says,

“The message was that, little as the kids are, God has put something in their hands. As they grow, they should look for what that is.”

(Buzz Rutenbar aka 'Herlock Sholmes')

 Helen taught an object lesson Friday night, using 25 different styles of gloves as the objects. She pointed out that a glove has no value until someone puts it on. She encouraged the children to put themselves into the things that interest them, and use them for God.

The next day the kids enjoyed singing and skits put on by young adults, as well as their own round robin. Three classrooms were spectacularly decorated to match the missionaries’ countries. Lisa Brock taught the children about Chaplain Murdoch’s ministry, Kelly Hill talked about CEF, and Jennifer Taylor taught about China.

Pastor Brock, says the conference reached the goal of encouraging people—even kids—to use their gifts to minister the gospel in local areas and around the world.

Other Posts from the 2012 Mission Conference:

• 2012 Mission Conference Recap & Reflections (by Stephen Simpson)
• 2012 Mission Conference Report (by Jonita Barram)
• 2012 Mission Conference - Chaplain John Murdoch
• 2012 Mission Conference - Jim Blizzard & CEF

2012 Mission Conference - Jim Blizzard and CEF (by Jonita Barram)

(Jim Blizzard)

A native Floridian, Jim Blizzard is a husband and the father of two sons and a baby daughter. He grew up in a family with many generations of vocational Christian workers. He shared his session with Jim Phillips and Sean Fielder.

Jim Phillips is chairman of the local CEF committee and serves as treasurer. He told how he often cannot pay the local CEF staff on time. In spite of that, Jim Blizzard enthusiastically pursues sharing the gospel with the 167,000 children of Polk, Hardee, and Highlands counties.

Sean Fielder told about the partnership between CEF and FX. Since CEF cannot hold clubs in local schools, Faith Baptist’s FX and CEF have worked with Westwood Middle School to pick up children after school and bus them to the church for a club time.

Jim Blizzard told us a little about CEF in general—how its purpose is to evangelize, disciple, and establish children. Through CEF’s various clubs and outreaches, 11 million children a year hear the gospel of Christ. Schools in the Winter Haven area have declined Jim’s requests to hold Good News Clubs in their facilities, but a public school in nearby Alturas has requested a Good News Club. Jim challenged Faith members to prayerfully consider accepting this opportunity for outreach.

Jim’s heart for children and dedication to his mission are obvious. In the Q&A Sunday night, he told about leading his two young sons to salvation in Jesus Christ. They had heard the gospel repeatedly through Jim’s use of the Wordless Book. This is a tool that anyone can have “in [their] hands” and use for God’s glory—here in Polk County or around the world.

Other Posts from the 2012 Mission Conference:

• 2012 Mission Conference Recap & Reflections (by Stephen Simpson)
• 2012 Mission Conference Report (by Jonita Barram)
• 2012 Mission Conference - Chaplain John Murdoch
• 2012 Mission Conference - Jim Blizzard & CEF