Spring Conference Recap [Wednesday Morning]
The final morning of the spring conference began at 9:30 on April 4 at Thompson Road Baptist Church.
Bro. Bryan Baggett who pastors Bible Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee and served as a missionary in Venezuela for five years was the first speaker. His wife Kris sang “God Will Make a Way,” and sang the second verse in Spanish.
Bro. Baggett’s sermon was about “The Orchestration of God’s Creation and His Work” as seen in Mark 4:35-41. The same God who orchestrates the plants blooming, the same day works the same in my life. He orchestrates all things.
Baggett reviewed God saving him, calling him, and working through him on the mission field. He had to leave Venezuela when Hugo Chavez came to power.
He exhorted his listeners to remember that God has a plan even when we don’t understand the situation. Keep your focus on the things found in Philippians 4:8-9. This describes Jesus. He is in the boat in the midst of the storm and has all things under control.
Jonathan Parks then ministered in song.
Bro. Donovan Stewart, Lexington Police Chaplain and Associate Pastor of the Baptist Church at Andover, spoke at 10:30 about how “God Has a Calling on Your Life!” as seen in 2 Kings 13:20-21.
He began by telling a story about a news reporter who once asked, “What are the two major problems in the world?” The response was, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” The reporter said, “You are right! Apathy runs throughout.”
God chose sinful man to accomplish His holy work—the highest calling.
There are three things we must be doing:
1)Preach the Word! It’s good news! Pews are cold because polar bears are in the pulpit.
2)Pray fervently.
3)Go soul-winning. Share the Gospel! Witness.
Suzanne Van Meter then ministered in song.
The third and final speaker of the morning session was Bro. Ben Glover who pastors Park Ridge Baptist Church in Gotha, Florida. His text was Romans 10:8-17.
We need God’s Word in our lives. This is the Gospel message: the death, burial, and ressurrection of Jesus Christ to atone for sins. We can be born Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu, but becoming a Christian is something we confess.
Matthew 7:20-23- “By their fruits ye shall know them.” So many people are busy working that they forget to preach the Gospel. Our business is to bring glory to God!
He emphasized verses 14-16, reminding us that we need to get the Gospel out. It is powerful and God said, “Go preach it!” We have the responsibility to tell others. Preach the message and let the Holy Spirit take care of the rest.
We must look to Jesus to be the sustainer of His church, BFM, and all things.
To read a recap of previous conference services, click here.
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Spring Conference Recap [Tuesday Evening]
The Lord blessed the Tuesday evening service at the 2012 BFM Spring Conference.
After the congregation sang “Blessed Assurance” and “Saved, Saved, Saved,” Bro. Randy Jones presented the future goals of BFM, all of which are in the Lord’s hand.
Future Goals of BFM:
- eliminate monthly deficits and increase income to the General Fund by 25% over a three-year period (approximately $125,000)
- increase the number of missionaries pending available funds
-one to be added in November 2013
-one to be added in November 2014
-one to be added in November 2015 - increase the base salary of our missionaries by 20% over a three-year period pending available funds
-5% appreciation lump-sum bonus in December 2012 ($1030)
-5% base salary increase beginning January 2013 ($1802)
-5% base salary increase by January 2014 ($1893)
-10% base salary increase beginning January 2015 ($2082)
[Current Salaries: $1717/month] - Change the retirement plan for new missionaries to a 401K or 403B type plan: match 6% to 10% of their salary placed in an individual account.
- Encourage the missionaries to support BFM and extol the benefits of the organization to them and their ministry during furlough visits.
- On a three-year cycle each missionary and his works shall be visited by a Director(s) and a Representative from his sending church beginning in 2013.
- Eliminate the “Car Fund” category
- Establish a repository of BFM documents
- Encourage visits by sponsoring churches to the mission field
- Establish a schedule of church visitation: every supporting church shall be visited by a Director of BFM representative once every three years.
Bro. Jones then discussed the importance of the General Fund and the necessity of keeping it replenished. He ended his message by reading John 14:9-12. “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Bro. Paul Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, delivered the 8:20 sermon, sharing the heartbeat of his and his family’s heart. He spoke about what he has learned through years of church planting and discipling.
If one person shared the Gospel with one other person and taught them everything they knew about God for a year, and then the next year, the same person and the new person each agreed to do the same thing (sharing with one other person and teaching them for a year), then in 34 years, there would be more than 8 billion people following Christ. Nothing is impossible with God!
Bro. Hatcher mentioned that his son-in-law calculated out how long it took Paul (in the Bible) to plant a church amongst Jews: 42 days. Flabbergasted, Hatcher wanted to know how much longer it took the biblical Paul to plant a church amongst Gentiles: 42 days. Shocked once again, Hatcher said, “What did Paul know that this Paul doesn’t know?”
It has to be more than the minister doing the work of the Lord. You have to make sure every sheep in the flock is producing. It must involve every believer sharing the Gospel and teaching what they know.
When you’re teaching new Christians everything you know about God, keep these things in mind about the Old Testament and don’t complicate it. The Old Testament was written to teach us to love God and love our neighbor. (This is the interpretation of the Author, our Lord, given in Matthew 22:36-40.) The second objective is to keep Christ at the forefront because without Christ, you can’t love God or your neighbor.
The Gospel must be simple enough that the simple can understand. There are many good examples in John of how to keep the Gospel simple—straight shots of truth. (John 17:3; 1 John 5:11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:11, John 5:19)
The problem with the Gospel is that we talk. Love! What they notice is love. They see something different and want what you have.
Three important things to remember:
1) Know God = Eternal Life
2) Trust God = Our Challenge
3) Love like He’s loved us (sacrificially)
Bro. Hatcher told a story about a cell phone to illustrate building trust in God. When he first bought his cell phone, all he wanted to use it for was to call people. But as he learned what else his cell phone could do, he started to use it for other things. Pretty soon, he’d gotten rid of his alarm clock and was using his phone. He’d tossed his address book and used the contact list in his phone. He threw away his planner and used the calendar on his phone. But all he had planned to use it for was to make phone calls. It’s the same way with God. As we grow in knowledge, your trust in Him and Him alone begins to grow. As you know God, you lay off the things of the old man. And the most beautiful part? Everything you don’t know about Him is already there.
As we get to know God better, we begin to imitate Him and His character. “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19) You don’t model what you don’t see. To trust Him, you have to know Him. To imitate Him, you have to know Him. When we become so fascinated with Christ and become so excited about Him, we become like Him. “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15) “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1)
All of us must know what the essentials are. Learn to know God together and love Him more together.
To read a recap of previous conference services, click here.
[You can view a full schedule for the rest of the conference by clicking here.]
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Spring Conference Recap [Tuesday Morning]
The 2012 BFM Spring Conference continued Tuesday morning, April 3 at 9:30 a.m. at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky.
Bro. Joe Head, Pastor of Winton Place Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio delivered the 9:30 sermon from John 14:9-12 about “Keeping Your Dreams Bigger Than Your Memories.”
He highlighted the 3½ years the disciples spent with the Lord and noted the memories they made during that time. Then he focused on verse 12: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Following the message, Bro. Babji Vejendla from Ohio spoke for about five minutes concerning his desire to spread the Gospel in India. Bro. Paul Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, then gave a brief update about current situations in Brazil.
Bro. Dave Parks went over some of the things BFM is doing to obediently follow Jesus Christ into the future He has given us. He then went over some financial reports.
To read a recap of Monday night’s services, click here.
[You can view a full schedule for the rest of the conference by clicking here.]
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [April 2012]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
April 3, 2012
Another month has come and passed so quickly, and it is hard to believe that we are already in the month of April. May we be committed to serving the Lord, wherever He calls us to serve, and use our opportunities that He gives us for Him. This update will share ministry progress, as well as prayer requests.
We would request prayer for the health of our family. It is difficult to stay healthy here. Our daughter Camille contracted malaria, right after her first birthday. I recently contracted amoeba (a stomach illness), and am doing much better now. Camille is also doing fine now. We praise the Lord for the good medical facilities that we have here in Kitale, and the good care we have received. There are good places to go for medical help here, and we praise the Lord for this. Please pray for our continued health, as we are now upon rainy season, which brings more mosquitoes for malaria and water-borne illnesses.
This month, we celebrate two birthdays of people who are very special to me. McKenna has a birthday later in the month, and my wife has a birthday the middle of the month. I thank the Lord so much for both of them and how much they mean to me. Camille turned one year old in February, and is already crawling well, and will be walking soon, Lord willing. Please pray for our family, that we would stay in unity, love each other, and be committed to serving the Lord. One of my favorite quotes is “The family that prays together stays together.”
The Annex prison ministry is continuing well. I praise the Lord for the cooperation that I have seen of the chaplains, as well as the staff, and their support. So many prisoners feel forgotten and struggle in many areas. Hebrews 13:3 states “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” I recently received news that one of the main chaplains that I have worked with from the beginning of this ministry is being transferred soon. Please pray for him and his adjustments ahead, as well as for myself and the prisoners as we continue with the ministry.
As far as church planting, one of the groups my friend Roger Tate and I have been working with has expressed a definite desire and purpose to move in the direction of becoming a church. The people coming have been active in sharing their faith and teaching others as well. How exciting this is, and we ask prayers for us, as we continue to teach and train this group in church planting. We need a lot of wisdom from the Lord, and would covet your prayers for this. James 1:5 says “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” We will be sure to keep you updated on the progress of this ministry as well.
We hope each of you are continuing well in the year 2012, and we thank the Lord so much for your sacrificial giving, prayer support, and encouragement. We appreciate each one who sends a card, letter, or email. It means so much to us. There are many challenges here, and God many times tests our faith in Him. What I have discovered is that God is so faithful, even during the difficult times. God tests our faith to teach us to trust Him, and I am sure that many of you can identify with that at home as well. May we be faithful to serve, love, and surrender ourselves to Him. 1 Corinthians 4:2 states “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I hope and pray that this is our desire. God bless you all and we will be sure to keep you updated.
In Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Spring Conference Recap [Monday Evening]
The 2012 BFM Spring Conference kicked off Monday evening, April 2 with an encouraging and challenging night of worship at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky.
The choir opened the conference by singing “Send Me” as a slideshow with pictures of our missionary families played behind them.
Bro. Dave Parks introduced the theme of the conference and reminded us of the purpose. It’s not for the sake of tradition, but for the glory of God. This conference is much like what Paul and Barnabas did in Acts 14 by gathering believers together to report what the Lord had done through them.
Bro. Donnie Hamilton led the congregation in “To God Be the Glory” before we learned about the great things He has done through BFM over the years, as presented in a captivating media presentation by Bro. Randy Jones.
Bro. Joe Collins, Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Versailles, Ky. delivered the 8:20 sermon from Romans 1:1-7, emphasizing that our mission is still missions.
“Our mission is still missions,” Collins said. “The command is not for them to come in—it’s for us to go out.” Following is a brief recap of his message:
“…By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His Name…” [Romans 1:5]
We have been commissioned. We ought to be committed. All of us should be evangelistic, which is winning others to Christ. But all of us should also be mission-minded, which is baptizing them and teaching them after they’re won.
Attitude: “For obedience to the faith”
-We want to contend for the faith and guard the faith.
-Out of love, not fear. The love of Christ is what sustains you. His love should be your motive.
-“The thing that makes a missionary is the sight of what Jesus did on the cross and to have heard Him say, ‘Go.'” -Oswald Chambers
Assignment: “Among all nations”
-No matter how big or how small you are, you still have the same assignment: go into all nations.
-Love home missions, but don’t do home missions at the expense of foreign missions.
–“Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.” –Psalm 96:3
-Press in my heart the woe and put in my feet the go.
Authority: “For His Name”
-There is no greater authority.
-All power was given to Jesus. –Matthew 28:18
-It is according to His will and His purpose.
The evening concluded with an invitation hymn: “I Gave My Life for Thee.”
“My Father’s house of light, My glory circled throne I left for earthly night, for wanderings sad and lone; I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me?”
[You can view a full schedule for the rest of the conference by clicking here.]
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [March 2012]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru for 28 years. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies' ministry and developing children's material.
March 10, 2012
Dear friends and family,
Mardonio and Liberata came for membership in the Calvary Baptist Mission-Church, the newest mission work that I am currently pastoring. This couple clearly represents a new socio-economic phenomenon that has developed in Peru during the past ten or more years. For centuries the Quechua speaking, Andean Mountain people have been dedicated to agriculture. Their custom is to live in small rustic villages with common wall, condominium style homes built out of adobe mud bricks with small windows and doors, covered over with a tin roof. During the day, they go out and attend to their “chacras” (small farms) that surround the village. In the region of Huánuco, the main agricultural crop is potatoes.
The mountains that surround Huánuco are being covered in adobe brick homes. Bro. Stanton guesses they will reach the top of the hills in about five or six years.
About the time Anita and I came to Peru in 1983, the government began trying to build elementary schools in these rural areas, all over the country. The government mandate was that the teaching given in these schools must be in the Spanish language and not in Quechua (the ancient Inca language). Soon the idea of speaking Quechua was considered “lower class” to these dear folks and they do not want to be heard speaking Quechua when in the cities. All parents want the best for their children and soon the mountain folks began leaving the “chacras” and moving to the bigger towns and cities for better education opportunities for their children. The socio-economic phenomenon is that Huánuco and many other cities like it are growing rapidly during this transition period. For those of you that have been to Huánuco in the past the mountains that surround our town are being covered in adobe brick homes. I would guess another five or six years and they will reach to the top of the hills.
Traffic in Huánuco has become congested, but because of the growth is that there are more people with which to share the gospel!
Along with the population growth comes the hunt for jobs. It seems that most of them find the quickest way to make a living is investing in the small, three-wheeled taxi vehicles imported from India. The streets of Huánuco are now seemingly impossible to cross because of the constant traffic and lack of traffic enforcement. The noise level is at an all-time high.
The good news because of the growth is that there are more people with which to share the gospel! I now see the feasibility of several more churches strategically located in the mountains surrounding Huánuco. Remember us in your prayers as the Lord brings us to mind. The field is still white unto harvest and the laborers are still few.
Hitler, a young man who recently trusted Christ, had a motorcycle accident about a month ago and the operation to fix his foot was not done correctly, so now poor Hitler is waiting for a second operation to fix the first operation.
Two have trusted Christ this past month at the Calvary Mission. One young man named, Hitler, trusted Christ and has been very faithful in his attendance. He had a motorcycle accident about a month ago and the operation to fix his foot was not done correctly, so now poor Hitler is waiting for a second operation to fix the first operation. It sounds strange to ask people to “pray for Hitler”, but that is what I´m doing!
My counseling load has increased a lot lately and one young fifteen-year-old girl trusted Christ as her Savior last week. She made a serious attempt to take her own life recently and ended up in the hospital for three days. I had not seen a smile on her face in a long time but when she gave her life to Christ the biggest smile appeared! It was beautiful to see. I am seeing more cases like hers all the time. Christ is the only real hope for inner peace and joy this world has. He continues to change lives here in Peru just as he does all over the world. Serving the Master is a very rewarding life!
Thank you all for your constant prayers and support for this part of the Lord´s work here in Peru, South America. We are seeing much fruit as a result of the labor and you folks make the labor possible. Anita and I are looking forward to seeing you soon when we come to the States for furlough in May. God bless you all! Until next month.
In HIM by HIS grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
Apartado Postal 140
Huanuco, Perú
South América
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
Phone: 614-500-8823
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
Phone: 615-562-0529
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [March 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear friends,
Another year is ended. This one went by so rapidly. We are grateful to God and rejoice in his blessings and mercies.
The Lord blessed; the missions (church starts) had a great year. In October, six of the missions were ready to organize and incorporate as Baptist churches. At the same time six new Baptist ministers were ordained to the gospel ministry. The legal paperwork was a little complicated, however, all was completed. The following month of November, an additional eight churches were organized and properly registered with the government. Six additional pastors were ordained to the Gospel Ministry. Certainly this is reason for us all to rejoice in the Lord. You share in these blessings through your prayers and contributions to missions here in Brazil. Together, we are making friends for eternity. It is certainly a priceless hope to have eternal life. Imagine the joy of being received by friends in eternity – Brazilian friends you never knew in this life time – friends you made by sending the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they believed and now are children of God even as you and me.
Wanda and I thank you, too. Thanks for being prayer partners and giving friends. Jesus Christ has promised “Great is your reward in heaven.”
Now, a news update regarding our family. Wanda and I are doing well. We have great joy seeing our children walking with God and serving our Lord. We are enjoying our wonderful grandchildren – two boys and four girls. All the children, spouses and grandchildren are doing well.
We ask that you remember us in prayer, here are some special requests for the year: that the gospel will continue to grow and those who believe will grow in the Lord. Pray that the door of opportunity for the gospel will stay open. Pray that we will be wise stewards of our time and resources to achieve maximum amount sowing and reaping of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that God will strengthen us in faith, love and persistence.
We love you in Christ Jesus. May God richly bless you with peace and grace in Jesus Christ.
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Bobby & Charlene Wacaser in Brazil [March 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 8, 2012
Dear Friends,
I nearly didn’t get this letter prepared! I have a group of 53 youth and adults coming in from the Tampa, Florida area tomorrow and, with all the preparations involved, I almost forgot to share with you what the Lord has been doing around here this past month. I mentioned last month that we were going to hold a family camp during Brazil’s Carnaval holidays. That camp went really well. We had a very good turnout and we were especially happy to have some families participate with whom we have been sharing the gospel for a while. These families were very receptive to everything we taught from God’s word and have seemed increase their interest in things relating to the Lord.
We had our missions training seminar near the beginning of the month followed up by a practical missions trip to four different towns. The Lord provided us with tremendous opportunities for sharing the gospel through dramatic skits, personal testimonies and Bible preaching. There were over 3500 people present at our meetings during the extended holiday and many listeners professed faith in Jesus Christ. We have begun regular Bible studies with 69 of those and hope to see them baptized and growing in their relationship with Christ soon.
The construction at our new church work continues steadily. All the plumbing should be working by the time you read this report and we have had a steady increase in attendance at our meetings. We are very grateful to you who have contributed to this new church plant. God has used you to do several things that we are aware of, and probably many others that we aren’t. Our own team members have given graciously, but they have been further encouraged by seeing that they are not alone as they economize in their family budgets. Having the joyful news that other brothers and sisters care and also want to see God’s name glorified in spreading the gospel is very motivating as they feel the pinch of tightened resources from their giving toward the new work. Now they are praising God for using you to assist them in making Him known. Thank you very much.
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this report, tomorrow a group of 53 is arriving to work with us. We will be taking the gospel to six public schools during the course of a week and reaching out also in public parks and squares. We are especially happy that our daughter, Jessie, will be coming with the group as their translator guide. My team and I will be very, very busy during the course of this week, but we are very excited about the fact that many thousands of people will hear of our Lord Jesus Christ from folks who have made a great effort to come share His love. We pray God will be glorified and many will come to know Him personally.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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