Baptist Press Stories for Jan. 3 2012 --------------------------------------- Hispanic church embraces Cooperative Program http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36876 CP gains ground, yet 7% below last year's pace http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36877 N.Y. Times notes NAMB church planting http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36878 48 Chinese Christians detained New Year's Day http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36879 NIGERIA: Christmas bombings, Islamist uptick http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36880 New flooding worsens Philippines crisis http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36881 FIRST-PERSON: The 'inconvenience' of motherhood http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36883 FIRST-PERSON: Here's a resolution: Welcome visitors to church http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36882 FROM THE STATES: S.C., Ala., N.C., N.M. evangelism/missions news http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36884 --------------------------------------- Hispanic church embraces Cooperative Program By Karen L. Willoughby Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36876 HYATTSVILLE, Md. (BP) -- "The beauty of the Cooperative Program," as Rolando Castro sees it from a church's perspective, "is that you can be involved no matter how big you are, no matter your location." Currently serving as interim pastor of a Hispanic congregation in the metro Washington area, Castro added, "You can be involved in reaching the world with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ." Castro has led Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Maryland from giving zero to missions to 10 percent of their offerings through the Cooperative Program to fund missions and ministry by the state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. When a church extends itself beyond its neighborhood through the Cooperative Program, it can become involved in international missions and in planting churches across North America, Castro said, describing its CP giving as "the first step in increasing involvement in missions, in evangelizing." "I think churches should be spending their resources -- actually God's resources -- to Kingdom first and then to themselves," Castro continued. "This is probably reversed in Christian churches in America. If you are giving to the Cooperative Program in this way, you can say 10 percent of your income is going to missions. That would be a really good point to launch a missional mentality in the church. "If we are giving, then the next step is to go, and the next step is to participate," said Castro, who also coordinates Hispanic church planting and evangelism for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. "You need to surrender yourself to be missional, and the first thing to surrender is money. "I don't think God is giving us His resources to pay the bills" solely for church expenses, he said. About 10 years ago, an average of 200 people participated in Sunday services at Primera Iglesia Bautista, located in Hyattsville, Md. But the number dwindled over time, and for at least two years the church was without a pastor. Castro filled the pulpit occasionally, and when he was asked to serve as a long-term interim, he agreed to do so if they would allow him to lead as a pastor would. "Because they were ready to change, they agreed," Castro said. "Now it seems like everybody is on the same page. They really want to see something happen. "And not only evangelizing, getting people involved in church, but being involved in other kinds of missions," said Castro, who is involved with a church plant in addition to his pastoral duties. Castro would like to see something similar to Primera Iglesia Bautista's transformation take place across the two-state convention, where about 30 churches worship in the Spanish language. Three or four more are in the process of organizing, and one or two are actively planting churches. "Basically we are desperately looking for pastors," Castro said. "The need is so great. We are praying for a huge movement of churches, and we are confident the Lord will multiply His people." About 750,000 Hispanics live in the Washington metro area, and up to 75,000 live in the three zip codes surrounding Primera Iglesia Bautista, which is one of perhaps five churches specifically seeking to reach people who speak Spanish. It's a mixed area of single-family homes and high-rise apartment buildings with 80 or more units per building. "We are in the first stages of what I hope to be a strong relationship with one elementary school in the community," Castro said of a school that he describes as having "a lot of needs." Church members plan to provide volunteers to read to the children, to coach age-appropriate sports and to give books, coats and uniforms to the students. "We just want to be a blessing to the school and to the families of that school," Castro said. "Already we are buying 600 books from the church budget." This is a marked change for a church that in the recent past struggled to pay its bills. "Now they see what is to be done," Castro said. "This is a church that really wants to be a part of the Southern Baptist life. They understand that participating in Southern Baptist life should be significant in every level -- from giving, going and being a part of the local association and state convention." Primera Iglesia Bautista has learned about Southern Baptists through its interim pastor -- Costa Rica-born and spiritually reborn in a Baptist church. When Castro moved to Maryland in 2003, his sister-in-law was part of a Southern Baptist church that was looking for a church planter. Castro had no education or training in pastoring or church planting, but he knew that with God's call came God's equipping. He's been studying ever since, and now he teaches biblical classes at Instituto CanZion in Washington, where he interacts routinely with Christians unaffiliated with the SBC. "I can't understand why someone would not be Southern Baptist," Castro said. "Doctrinally we are very good and also we have all the resources available for our church.... I can't understand why someone would reject being part of this wonderful denomination." Primera Iglesia Bautista's building is among the major challenges facing the congregation. "The place where we meet is probably 80 to 85 seats," Castro said. "We already have 65, which means we only have 20 chairs for [new] people to come. We know we can grow. We need a bigger place to grow. "Another dream: I want them to have small groups in their homes," Castro said. "I think that's the only way to grow and probably that will be my next big project with them." Castro's thinking turned to the second generation, and from them, to other ethnics. For many young people, he noted, Spanish is their second language. "What is needed is to develop an English church, to have a multiethnic side of the church," he said. "I think that will be huge, because the area we're in is multiethnic and we need to reflect that in the church. "If we are willing to extend the Kingdom, then we will have enough to pay the bills," Castro said. "I can tell you because I've been experiencing this for years: You will never, never be short of resources to pay your bills if you are extending the Kingdom." --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message, Dakota Baptist Connections and The Montana Baptist, newsjournals for those state conventions. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- CP gains ground, yet 7% below last year's pace By Staff Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36877 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 7.01 percent below the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank Page. The total includes receipts from state conventions and fellowships, churches and individuals for distribution according to the 2011-12 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. As of Dec. 31, gifts received by the Executive Committee for distribution through the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget totaled $44,269,203.77, or $3,334,711.13 behind the $47,603,914.90 received at the end of December 2010. For the SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget, the year-to-date total of $44,269,203.77 is 95.20 percent of the $46,500,000 budgeted to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. Designated giving of $11,700,343.07 for the same year-to-date period is 3.04 percent, or $367,237.99, below gifts of $12,067,581.06 received at this point last year. This total includes only those gifts received and distributed by the Executive Committee and does not reflect designated gifts contributed directly to SBC entities. "It is a great blessing to witness the faithfulness of God's people to give to God's work even in difficult times," Page said, citing the lingering impact of the economic crisis that has affected so many churches. Noting that consumer confidence continues to lag, he said, "Our confidence in God's gracious provision has not wavered. The promise of Philippians 4:19 remains true -- our God 'will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.'" The Cooperative Program is a program of giving through which a local church is able to contribute to the various ministries of its state convention and to the various missions and ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention with a single contribution. Traditionally, state and regional conventions have acted as collecting entities for Cooperative Program contributions. They retain a portion of church contributions to the Cooperative Program to support work in their respective areas and forward a percentage to Southern Baptist national and international causes. The percentage of distribution from the states is at the discretion of the messengers of each state convention through the adoption of the state convention's annual budget. A key facet of the Cooperative Program is the commitment of each state convention to comply with the SBC Business and Financial Plan. It states, "By agreement, all sums collected in the states for the causes fostered by this Convention will be forwarded at least monthly by each state office to the Executive Committee of this Convention, which shall act as the disbursing agent of this Convention." In turn, the Executive Committee complies with the Business and Financial Plan by remitting "weekly to each of the entities of the Convention the funds, distributable and designated, belonging to each entity." CP allocation budget receipts received by the Executive Committee are reported monthly to the executives of the entities of the convention, to the state offices, to the denominational papers and are posted online at www.cpmissions.net/CPReports. December's CP allocation receipts for SBC work totaled $15,841,476.75. This is the first month in the new fiscal year that contributions have exceeded monthly budget projections. Designated gifts received last month, meanwhile, amounted to $4,442,071.94. The end-of-month total represents money received by the Executive Committee by the close of the last business day of each month. Month-to-month swings reflect a number of factors, including the number of Sundays in a given month, the day of the month churches forward their CP contributions to their state conventions and the timing of when state conventions forward the national portion of their CP contributions to the Executive Committee. During the last fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2010 - Sept. 30, 2011), Cooperative Program receipts for the year were up 0.06 percent -- the first increase since 2007. Combined CP and designated giving for the year, meanwhile, were up 0.17 percent. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff. -- End of story -- N.Y. Times notes NAMB church planting By Staff Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36878 NEW YORK (BP) -- The North American Mission Board's Send North America: New York City church planting focus garnered attention from the New York Times over the Christmas holidays. "Seeing City in Need, Southern Baptists Plan Growth," the headline stated. The article was posted to the newspaper's website on Christmas evening and ran in the print edition Dec. 26 on page 25 of Section A. Rich Perez, a native New Yorker and one of two Southern Baptist church planters mentioned in the article, reported that feedback to the newspaper coverage "has been good and plentiful. We've had a couple of people say they want to visit because of the article." Perez pastors Christ Crucified Fellowship, which meets in two locations in New York City. In addition to featuring Perez, the Times article shared the story of Freddy Wyatt, a church planter who moved from Tennessee several years ago to help start a church in New York City. "I was blown away by the need for churches," Wyatt told Times reporter Meredith Hoffman. Today, Wyatt pastors Gallery Church in Manhattan. The article includes a link to the Gallery Church website and to NAMB's online presence. "New York City is probably the most influential city in the world," noted Kevin Ezell, NAMB's president. "This article shows that when Southern Baptists get serious about serving communities and advancing the Gospel through church planting, the world is going to notice. We shouldn't feel overwhelmed by the size of the task. Let's just be faithful and see what God does." Send North America is NAMB's initiative to help existing churches start new evangelistic Southern Baptist churches in regions and cities that are under-reached and underserved in North America. Through Send North America, local coalitions of pastors and Southern Baptist leaders will determine how many churches their city needs and where they should be located. Then NAMB will help find existing Southern Baptist churches that want to partner in those cities to help start the churches. Congregations of any size can participate. "If you look at their online, social media and print presence, The Times is still one of the largest and most influential news sources in the nation and having some of our church plants mentioned by them will help us reach a whole new audience," said Mike Ebert, NAMB's vice president of communications. "We can expect more opportunities like this as more Southern Baptist churches respond to the call to start new churches in our great cities." Any Southern Baptist church or individual interested in partnering to start new churches can visit namb.net and click the "Mobilize Me" button. --30-- Reported by the North American Mission Board's communications staff. -- End of story -- 48 Chinese Christians detained New Year's Day By Staff Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36879 BEIJING (BP) -- Beijing authorities detained 48 members of a large persecuted house church on New Year's Day, marking a total of more than 1,000 church members who have been taken into police custody during the church's 38 weeks of attempting to hold outdoor worship services. "By arbitrarily detaining peaceful religious believers in the capital city on the first day of 2012, Beijing authorities show that they are determined to continue their crackdown on independent religious groups in the coming year," Bob Fu, president of China Aid, said. "In defiance of universal values and in violation of its own laws and constitution, which guarantees religious freedom, China's communist leaders are walking further down the road of the wrong side of history," said Fu, a former Beijing house pastor who was imprisoned for his beliefs. Among those taken into custody Jan. 1, 30 were believed to have been released by 10 p.m. and the remainder were held overnight at various police stations across the city, China Aid said. Many other church members had been kept under house arrest beginning Friday, the watchdog group said. Shouwang Church began meeting outdoors in April after being evicted from its rented meeting space and after authorities prevented the church from gathering in a portion of an office building it had purchased. The church tried three times to rent three different venues, but Beijing authorities have ordered landlords not to rent to them, China Aid said. Police arrest the Christians before the services even start and typically free them within 24 hours. China's Domestic Security Protection Squad has maintained constant surveillance outside the homes of senior church leaders, while police have camped outside the doors of other church members from Saturday night until noon Sunday, when service times technically are over, according to China Aid. Compass Direct News Service reported that early on Christmas morning church members arrived at a public square only to find it heavily guarded with industrial-strength rails blocking access. Police arrested 41 believers who attempted to worship at the site that day, Compass said. On the church's Facebook page, one church member said Christians who were detained indoors usually felt sorry for those waiting outside in the cold as they were able to "read books and have fellowship in a warm room," Compass reported. The Facebook post explained that the believer was interrogated on Christmas Day with an officer taunting him for being afraid to give his home address and threatening to hold him long enough for the man to lose his job, Compass said. Despite the ongoing persecution and winter weather, Shouwang Church leaders say they plan to continue meeting outdoors until a solution is reached. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- NIGERIA: Christmas bombings, Islamist uptick By Paul Marshall/Hudson Institute Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36880 WASHINGTON (BP) -- On Christmas Day, churches were bombed in five Nigerian cities -- Madalla (a suburb of the capital Abuja), Jos, Kano, Damaturu and Gadaka -- leaving dozens, perhaps hundreds, dead or wounded. The killings apparently were the latest handiwork of the violent Islamist group Boko Haram, and they show an increased level not only of violence but also of sophistication, since the explosions were coordinated and widespread, including the northwest, north and center of the country. These killings mark a further escalation in the growth of radical forms of Islam in Africa's most populous country. Muslims are a majority in the northern part of Nigeria, Christians are a majority in the south, and the two are about evenly mixed in the middle belt, which has often been the scene of violent conflict. This conflict has tribal and regional dimensions and involves political power, land and resources, but there also is persistent religious tension. Beginning in 1999, sharia law, hitherto applicable only to matters of family and personal status, was imposed in 12 northern states, effectively making Islam the de facto official religion in those states, in contravention of the federal constitution. Kano State formed a 9,000-strong Hisba (sharia-enforcement) force. Conflict over sharia led to thousands of deaths. At about this time, a group named al-Sunna Wal Jamma, and nicknamed "the Taliban," began attacking Christian settlements in Borno State from bases in the hills of neighboring Cameroon. In January 2004, the group led a violent uprising in Yobe State, displacing 10,000 people before federal forces succeeded in quashing it. In January 2007, the publisher of the Daily Trust newspaper was charged in the Abuja High Court with receiving money from al-Qaeda to fund the Nigerian Taliban, including payment for people to go for terrorist training in Mauritania. In early 2007, there were further attacks on the police in Kano by a group calling itself the Taliban, leaving dozens dead. The Nigerian Taliban's current official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, but it is more usually known by its nickname, Boko Haram, which translates roughly as "Western civilization is forbidden." In late July 2009, around the town of Maiduguri in the northwest, it attacked police stations, prisons, schools, churches and homes, burning nearly everything in its path. The violence spread to Borno, Kano and Yobe, where Boko Haram treated as infidel anyone -- Christian or Muslim -- who did not conform to its views. Christians were a particular focus of the violence. Many were abducted and forced, under threat of death, to renounce their faith. The riots continued for five days before police were able to stop them, with 700 people killed in Maiduguri alone. One arrested Boko Haram member, 23-year-old Abdulrasheed Abubakar, confessed to receiving $5,000 and military training in Afghanistan, with the promise of $35,000 on his return there. On Aug. 9, 2009, the group released a statement aligning itself with al-Qaeda and calling for jihad in response to the killing of its leader, Mallam Mohammed Yusuf. There are also reports that some of its members have trained with militants in Mali linked to the organization al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Boko Haram has now added bombing to its tactics. In August 2011, it claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Abuja, which killed 23 people. While it continues to attack security forces and outposts of Western influence, it is focusing its major attention on killing and displacing Nigeria's Christian population, which, at some 80 million, is the sixth-largest in the world. It is also picking Christmas as a focal time for attacks, a practice being followed by its international allies. In 2010, it attacked five churches in Jos as the congregations were celebrating Christmas Eve. Boko Haram has declared that it is in a "holy struggle to oust the secular regime and entrench a just Islamic government" and that it will "hunt and gun down those who oppose the rule of sharia in Nigeria and ensure that the infidel does not go unpunished." Its increased sophistication and contacts with other terrorist groups make it a threat not only to the country's Christians and traditional Muslim leaders, but to the stability of Nigeria as a whole. --30-- Paul Marshall is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom and co-author with Nina Shea of "Silenced: How Apostasy & Blasphemy Codes Are Choking Freedom Worldwide" (Oxford University Press, 2011). -- End of story -- New flooding worsens Philippines crisis By Staff Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36881 MANILA, Philippines (BP) -- The plight of people who survived a Dec. 17 typhoon in the Philippines has been worsened in 14 provinces by heavy rains that have caused new flooding. Southern Baptists are helping to provide assistance in the aftermath of the storm, which killed about 1,250 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. "The tragic events of the recent storms and flash floods in the wake of Tropical Storm Washi continue to unfold," said Pat Melancon, managing director of disaster response and training for Baptist Global Response. "More than 12,000 homes were destroyed. People are seeking refuge with families, churches, and in evacuation centers." The new floods affected 14 provinces in the country's east coast and southern region, according to news reports. Relief and rescue operations were being stretched by the fresh floods as soldiers, police officers and volunteers were dispatched to help more than 53,000 new victims, Benito Ramos, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, told the McClatchy-Tribune news service. Baptist Global Response initiated a rapid response with local partners shortly after the storm, Melancon said. "In cooperation with local churches and other groups, food, water, and other temporary relief has been distributed to the stricken areas," Melancon said. "Local situations have been assessed and a broader on-the-ground assessment of longer-term relief needs continues." Reports of more than 1,000 unaccounted-for victims continue to circulate but only 84 have been verified, government officials said. While tropical storms occur regularly in the Philippines, the devastation caused by Washi was worsened because it struck the southern part of the country, where such storms are not as frequent and people are not as prepared to deal with them. --30-- Reported by Baptist Global Response, on the Internet at www.gobgr.org. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: The 'inconvenience' of motherhood By Amanda Walker Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36883 RUSTON, La. (BP) -- When I was 27 years old my doctor told me that I would probably never have children. At that time I was single, and I wondered if I would ever be married. It was a difficult time in my life, but I knew God had a plan for me. Three years later I met and married my husband. I confided to him that we might not have biological children, so we looked forward to the possibility of one day adopting. Therefore, you can imagine the amazement we felt when, seven months into our marriage, we found out we were expecting our daughter. Makaylan is now six months old, and over the last several months people have sought to give my husband and me some "advice" regarding parenting. The advice normally sounds like this: "Enjoy this stage because it all goes downhill from here ... This is when they are sweet, and then they grow up to be a 3-year old, a pre-teen, and a teenager ... I remember when mine were this little and now they are a pain." Much of the time this "advice" is given right in front of their children and my heart breaks. What this precious child hears is that they were once valued, but now they are an inconvenience. We live in a world where we despise being inconvenienced. We eat fast food. We drive fast cars. We talk on fast cell phones. And we live in the fast lane. We even DVR our TV shows to watch at a more convenient time. As stated in a recent New Your Post article, more and more women are choosing not to have children or they regret having them -- all because of the apparent inconvenience of children. The article noted that choosing to be childless in order to pursue a more fulfilling life is on the rise. And those who have children wish they could experience more freedom. Since motherhood is a new role for me, I have learned a few things about being "inconvenienced." For example, I used to get 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but now I count it a blessing when I get 4 hours of sleep. I've also learned that just because your food is ready to eat does not mean that you will be eating it anytime soon. I laughed with a friend of mine the other day when she said, "I think my little girl hears the 'ding' of the microwave and decides it's time for HER to eat." Any way you look at it, motherhood is inconvenient ... and that is exactly how God designed it! Did we really think our precious children would come into our lives and not change things? From the moment you hear those amazing words, "You're pregnant!" God desires to mold and shape you into the parent who resembles His fatherly love. But this shaping can only happen as we give over our rights to ourselves and allow God the freedom to shape us. The problem I have noticed in myself and others is that, often times, we push against His molding. He wants to produce within us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), and the tools He frequently uses to teach us these virtues is our children. But, when we see and treat our children as individuals who have interrupted our nice, cozy life, we disrupt what God desires to do in us and in them. It saddens the heart of God when parents, especially professing Christian parents, handle their children with careless contempt. God shows His amazing love towards us when He inspired David to write: "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well" (Psalm 139:13-14). God wonderfully and miraculously made each child, and then gave them to us to be a blessing in our lives. They come into our world needing us, as mothers, to serve them, mold them, disciple them, and show them Christ's love. The Bible speaks over and over again about the blessing of children (Psalm 128, Psalm 139:13-19, and Jeremiah 1:5). One of my favorite passages on parenthood is Psalm 127:3-4 which says, "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth." Mothers, your children are a blessing to you. Yes, they are messy, loud, and interrupt your day ... but that is exactly what we should expect! I am SO thankful that God does not see me, His child, as an inconvenience. Instead, while I was still a sinner He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for me (Romans 5:8). When I have come to Him in need, I have never felt Him roll His eyes at me or turn away because I called at an inconvenient time. He delights in my need of Him, and He encourages me to come to Him ... with anything and at ANY time. He does not demand that I wait until morning, or that I grow up first, or that I get a grip. He offers Himself, and delights as we come to Him. What an amazing Heavenly Father we have who has given us the example of how to love, nurture and give, even when it is difficult. My prayer is that my little girl will always know and feel that her parents prayed for her and find her valuable -- even when she is 3 years old. So I ask you, Mom, do you see your precious children as inconveniences or as amazing blessings from God? I pray God will show you how to love and bless your children ... even during the inconvenient moments of your day. --30-- Amanda Walker is in the doctorate of educational ministries program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her greatest joy is serving alongside her husband who is the university minister at Cook Baptist Church in Ruston, La. This column first appeared at BiblicalWoman.org, a blog of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Here's a resolution: Welcome visitors to church By Diana Davis Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36882 INDIANAPOLIS (BP) -- A tattoo artist, a CEO, and a homeless guy walk into your church's worship service ... No, that's not the first line of a joke. It could become a weekly reality. Thousands of Southern Baptist churches will plan "attractional" events during the GPS emphasis (GPS2020.net) this spring, with the purpose of inviting their community to church. But when those strangers walk into church, will they receive a warm welcome? How can a church assure that outsiders are accepted? The answer is spelled with just three letters: Y-O-U. Yes, you -- the normal Christian person sitting in the pew on Sunday morning. It's nice when the greeter at the door says hello, and it's great if the pastor or church leaders have a moment to speak to guests, but what really makes a difference is when you offer a sincere hand of friendship to a guest. Will you make a New Year's resolution to welcome every guest who sits near you during worship? Try this strategy: -- Make a specific commitment. Look at your church layout and select an area, such as a section of seats, or three pews nearest you. Make a personal commitment to God to welcome anyone who sits in that area. Don't fret if others greet them; no one complains about being over-welcomed. -- Say a silent prayer as you enter church every Sunday. Ask God to direct you to those who need a welcome and to give you boldness to show His love to them. -- Just say "hello." Speak to each person who sits in that area. A simple "Hi, Teresa" can mean the world, even to regular attenders. Watch for ways to encourage them. -- Keep an index card in your Bible. Take notes on your smart phone. You'll discover that many people sit in the same general area, and you'll soon be calling them by name. This also makes it easier to recognize guests. -- Intentionally watch for visitors. It's difficult to be a first-time guest, but just one willing person -- that's you -- can help put them at ease. Sit beside or in front of the guest. Introduce yourself, and repeat his name in conversation. Write it on your index card or make a note on your smart phone. Make a goal to call him by name when he returns. Tell him you're glad he came. -- Introduce the guest to at least two other people before she leaves. For example, help a young mother meet another mom, then escort her to meet the pastor. -- Offer a "next step." Invite the guest to your small group, Bible study or an upcoming church fellowship event. Write down details for the guest. -- Offer friendship. Give her your personal contact info, and encourage the guest to email or call with questions. Invite her to join you after church for lunch or for coffee one day this week. Be sure to invite her to come again for worship next Sunday. What would happen if the world began to walk into your church doors next Sunday? Would those guests be shunned or warmly embraced? The answer is in your hands. You thought the first line of this was a joke, right? Instead, it's the crux of the Gospel, the serious work of loving all people to Jesus. Will you begin this Sunday to make a resolution to welcome guests? --30-- Diana Davis (www.keeponshining.com) is an author, speaker and wife of the North American Mission Board's vice president for the Midwest region, Steve Davis. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- FROM THE STATES: S.C., Ala., N.C., N.M. evangelism/missions news By Staff Jan. 3 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36884 EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. Today's From the States features items from: The Baptist Courier (South Carolina) The Alabama Baptist The Biblical Recorder (North Carolina) The Baptist New Mexican In North Africa: South Carolinians leave 'God's fingerprint' EDITOR'S NOTE: For security reasons, only first names are used in this story. COLUMBIA, S.C. (The Baptist Courier)--"You have left your fingerprint upon our hearts" were the tearful words of one pastor's wife as she said goodbye. That sentiment is echoed by the 21 South Carolinians who recently partnered with their Christian brothers and sisters in North Africa. Most of the diverse group of pastors and laymen agree on two things: Their lives were changed forever, and they were surprised by God's call. Pastor Larry heard about the urgent need for volunteers in North Africa and the uncertain window of opportunity associated with it. He prayed, "Lord help those people ... but don't send me." God spoke to his heart, substituting determination for his former reluctance. Carole, a pastor's wife, experienced great hesitation at the invitation. Her husband, Paul, immediately felt God's calling to go, but North Africa was not even on her radar as a destination of choice. "I spent a lot of time in prayer," she said. "I realized that I needed to put wheels to my faith. I'm not afraid of death," she added with a smile, "but the part leading up to it concerns me." Several other team members felt the call but could not see how God would overcome the obstacles. The ministry locations of the teams were as diverse as the volunteers. Some worked in established churches with a building, many ministered in house churches with changing locations, and some even ministered in garbage cities where the very beds people slept on were constructed out of garbage. Gene and Louie worked with a church whose brand new building had been closed down. The pastor and believers were warned never to return to the building or their families would suffer severe consequences. "We felt as if we stepped into the Book of Acts, living in the same conditions and culture as the early church," Gene said. "Despite the fear and uncertainty of their situation, the faith and resolve of the church is strong. They desire to start more house churches or even build another new church in a different location and start all over again. God's church is still moving forward, and the gates of hell are not prevailing against it," Gene said. The power of God's presence among the churches, the warmth of the people, and the passion for the lost were experienced by the teams all over the region. "They are the most joyful people you will ever see," Paul said. "The depth and passion they have is impactful." Despite these qualities, the team members agreed that one of the greatest accomplishments of the week was encouragement. Christians in the region have experienced very real persecution, which has affected the churches and pastors. "We sensed that the pastor and believers have been beaten down due to the persecution. I felt led to bring a message on hope rather than what I had prepared before going to Egypt," Steve said. "I believe that our greatest contribution was in encouraging the pastor and the people." The teams found themselves in situations unlike any they had experienced before. Pastors Rob and Larry spoke in many house churches. "We shared the gospel in one house, and 15 hands go up," Larry said. "The enemy was placing doubts in my mind, so I asked the interpreter to make sure they understood." The issue was not their lack of understanding, but the Spirit of God moving with such power, that it was overwhelming. "We went to another house where more people responded to the gospel but were told to go back to the first house because a man there was bound by a demon." Armed with a Scripture passage that God laid on their hearts, Larry and Rob returned to the house and a situation they had never before encountered. God moved in such a way that the man was transformed and proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ with tears in his eyes and obvious joy on his face. The end result of that day's ministry was that at least 31 people professed faith in Jesus Christ. As one of only two women, Carole found herself with a unique ministry opportunity. She was invited to spend some time just with the women. "In a country where women are not routinely held in high esteem, I led in a study affirming that as a woman, each has value and purpose." They responded with a hunger to know how to serve God better in their respective roles. Tony was impressed with the large numbers of young people and families in the church. In the airport before his return, he struck up a conversation with a young woman who was the clerk in a souvenir shop. He asked her if he could give her a little booklet about what it means to be a Christian. She seemed to accept it gladly. A short time later, Tony saw a security guard approaching him with the gospel tract in his hand. His fear melted away when the guard told him that the young lady wanted him to sign the tract and to deliver a gift to Tony. "Young people are searching," observed Marie (name changed), an International Mission Board employee. "They are open right now but could easily be led the other way." One pastor who is the only minister in a community of 120,000 people has made a heartfelt request. "We need more people to come to our country and help serve because there is much work here that has been given by God and only one person to do it alone. We need much prayer and fasting because we believe that nothing can be done except by God's help." The teams observed a level of prayer, fasting and zeal among the believers in North Africa that one rarely sees. "They are very passionate about calling out for God to save the Muslims and save their country," Paul recalled. Strong relationships have developed from this common faith and love for the Lord, leaving the team members changed. "My preaching has been different, and my dealings with other people have been different," Larry said. "We are challenged to live and have a more tangible and genuine faith ourselves," Carole said. The team members from South Carolina have returned home, but the partnership mission is just beginning. Each church now has a greater vision for the need and a greater desire to make a difference. The fingerprint that was left upon the hearts of the North African believers was undoubtedly God's, and it is shared by those who experienced His power as they worked hand in hand to reach many who had never heard the life-changing message of salvation. --30-- This article originally appeared in The Baptist Courier (baptistcourier.com), newsjournal of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. ********** Andalusia's Hopewell Baptist sends 40 members on 15 missions trips in 10 years By Gary Hardin ANDALUSIA, Ala. (The Alabama Baptist)--How did a small, rural church outside Andalusia send 40 members on 15 missions trips to 12 countries in the past 10 years? Most folks at Hopewell Baptist Church would bring up Phyllis Walters' testimony. Before 2001, no one at the Covington Baptist Association church had ever gone on a missions trip. But that year, Walters' uncle invited her to take part in a missions trip to Honduras. There she helped cook meals for a church construction crew from Georgia and Florida. The trip, and what she saw God do, set her on fire spiritually. "When Phyllis returned, I asked her to share a testimony from her missions trip," Pastor Barry Wilkinson said. "Her testimony got people excited, and it also convicted other members to go on missions trips." Not long after Walters gave her testimony, four church members participated in an Alabama Baptist partnership missions trip to Venezuela. They returned and shared their experiences. Soon other members signed up for missions trips. They shared their testimonies, which prompted more members to go. In fact, in the past 10 years, Hopewell Baptist members have done short-term missions in Honduras, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Poland, China, Uganda, Zambia, Japan, Panama, Ukraine and Haiti. A group will return to Haiti in early 2012. Jan Gager, a church member and nurse, went to Ecuador for the first time in 2003 on a medical missions trip. Since then, she has gone back three times, doing both medical and English as a Second Language ministries. "God has given me a heart for the people of Ecuador," Gager said. "I am amazed how God has used me." Tara Bulger stepped out of her comfort zone to go to Haiti, where she taught Bible studies to women. Before this trip, Bulger had never been away from her preschooler, flown on an airplane or been outside the United States. "I'm quite the homebody," she explained. "A small-group study of the book 'Radical' made me aware I needed to do something for others. I prayed and prayed about going to Haiti, and God gave me the courage to go. And I didn't get homesick." Glen Walters has participated in several missions trips to Honduras and Haiti to work on construction projects. He has helped build a Christian radio station, housing at a Christian camp, a missionary house and churches. "On a trip to Honduras, I was a crew leader with one missions trip under my belt. We had no interpreter, no place to stay, and we endured a long bus ride to our work site. We really were operating by faith," he said. "But God provided everything we needed. Even the pilot of our plane helped us find a hotel to stay in." So why do so many church members keep going on missions trips? Longtime members Marcus and Joyce Godwin credit Wilkinson's leadership and, of course, God's direction. "When I came to this church, I never imagined we would see God taking us in this direction," Joyce Godwin said. Lori Foreman, who grew up in the church, said, "It's been incredible to see our church's missions journey. We now view ourselves as a missions control center." --30-- This article originally appeared in The Alabama Baptist (thealabamabaptist.org), newsjournal of the Alabama Baptist Convention. Gary Hardin is a correspondent for The Alabama Baptist. ********** Church planting snapshots EDITOR'S NOTE: In his travels across North Carolina, Mike Creswell, who is a senior consultant for the Baptist State Convention in Cary, N.C., visits churches who receive Cooperative Program money. Here is a look at four churches attempting to share the gospel with their communities. Paradigm Terry Hollifield is seeking unchurched people, but in a targeted way. Think of Paul addressing the Greeks of Athens. The Paradigm Church Hollifield leads as pastor meets in the second floor of a strip shopping center near Asheville's Biltmore Square Mall; downstairs there's a sandwich shop and a martial arts center (paradigmasheville.org). Hollifield says Paradigm is specifically seeking people who are unchurched or dechurched – especially those who have embraced other, non-Christian views. Paradigm's aim is to clearly present the Good News of Jesus Christ, but is being innovative in its approach. He says he is actually targeting himself, as he once was, growing up in "the new Asheville," before the gospel changed his life and led him into ministry. He served as minister of education for six years at Pole Creek Baptist Church in nearby Candler; Pole Creek now supports his church-planting ministry. "We invite people from all backgrounds, all belief systems, skeptics, you name it. We discuss things that really matter. We discuss the most important things in life like truth, the nature of God, and who God is, and has God spoken, and how do we know that?" he said. Along with more traditional Bible studies, Hollifield seeks to answer such questions in small group meetings around the city. He wants to start a conversation about beliefs and answer questions from a biblical, Christian perspective, not just preach. Many people in the Asheville area reject Christianity for New Age ideas or embrace spiritual truths from Eastern religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism, he said. "Asheville is interesting. People are asking the right questions here. Sadly, though, the church hasn't done a very good job of answering them, engaging them with the Bible, who Jesus is," Hollifield explained. After a Sunday service, Hollifield throws the service open for questions and assures those present that any question is OK. An open atmosphere is needed for sharing Bible truths, he believes. "Here, people are seeking, but they want to do so in an environment where I'm not going to shove truth down their throat. They want to talk about it. So we try to do that. It is a reflection of the culture here." Since Paradigm launched Oct. 10, 2010, the church has grown steadily, mostly as people engaged in small groups eventually become confident enough to attend a Sunday service. River of Leland Mention "Thunder Alley" in relation to most churches and maybe you'd be talking about the pastor's preaching style. But for River of Leland, a new church in Leland, near Wilmington, Thunder Alley is where they meet (riverofleland.com). It's a 20,000-sq.-ft. bowling alley. When co-pastors John McIntyre and Travis Currin looked for meeting space, the new, modern and well-placed bowling alley looked promising. Owners/operators Ricky and Ginger Roberts were delighted to be asked to host a new church. As Christians and longtime staffers with a Christian family ministry, they were already exploring how to help churches. The name-emblazoned River of Leland van and trailer parked outside are reminders of the set-up duties that come every Sunday with such meeting locations. Still, the facility's lobby area has served well. The church is casual dress – who dresses up to go to a bowling alley? – and strong, contemporary music. McIntyre grew up near Wilmington and served several churches, including Southside in Wilmington, before committing to starting a new church. Currin grew up in Angier. The best problem the church faces now is that the seating space in the bowling alley is near capacity. Soon they'll need a bigger meeting space. They're hoping a new shopping area, delayed by the recession, will be completed when they're ready to move. Home groups, an important part of the church, have grown from three to eight just this year. As Greater Wilmington continues to grow, McIntyre and Currin want River of Leland to grow as well, helping bring increasing numbers of people to faith in Christ and helping start multiple new churches. Reflection Church Head out North Center Street in Hickory on a Sunday morning and you'll come to one of many strip shopping centers that dot the area. Some of the Sunday morning traffic heads left to a gym for a physical workout. Even more people head to the right for the spiritual workout available in two Sunday morning services at Reflection Church (reflectionchurch.com). Lead pastor Ken Case and his staff recently contracted for more space in their former restaurant building by taking out a wall; steady growth was the reason. Contemporary worship and casual dress do not obscure the truth delivered in Case's plain talk and Bible-based sermons, usually delivered verse-by-verse and organized in series. Home groups, studies and other activities are designed to bring people to faith in Christ and then to reflect Him in their lives, hence the church's name. Revo Church Church planter Nathan Cline was living in South Carolina two years ago when God began to call him to start a new church. Over the next year he developed a core group of some 30 people who also wanted to "spark a revolution of life change through Jesus," hence the name, Revo Church (discoverrevo.com). The church started Sunday services Feb. 27 with several hundred people present; already they are considering moving to another location. But their first meeting place has been impressive — the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in downtown Winston-Salem. Though actually a refurbished building, the center looks crisply new and modern. It opened September 2010 and is equipped with an auditorium. The casual observer may question whether one more church is needed downtown; other church buildings are visible from the arts center. But Cline answers that of young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 in the city, 83 percent are unchurched, unreached, unevangelized. That is their primary target group, he says. --30-- This article originally appeared in the Biblical Recorder (brnow.org), newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. ********** N.M. Church Tries Unique Outreach Tool LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Baptist New Mexican)--The men of First Baptist Church in Las Cruces set in motion a unique tool for reaching out into the city this fall when they formed a committee to plan a Law Enforcement Appreciation Pig Roast that would be held on Friday, Nov. 11. A relatively new church member, Greg Smith of the New Mexico State Police, had heard that his pastor, R. Maurice Hollingsworth, had a background in Tennessee whole-hog barbecue. Fascinated by the prospect, he wanted to learn more. Smith, along with Las Cruces Police Chief Richard Williams and Las Cruces Police Gang Unit Leader Pat Doyle, met with the pastor to draw together a group that would plan such an event. "Some people bait hooks with worms; we'll bait the hook with a 375-pound hog," Hollingsworth told one elderly church member. Since it takes a good 20 hours to cook an animal of that size, it was prepared for the pit by 8 p.m. on Thursday. A good crowd of church members, 100-150, came to see the pig put on the fire, Hollingsworth told the Baptist New Mexican. "It was a time of fun, food and fellowship," said Hollingsworth, who had just days earlier been elected to a second one-year term as president of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico. "It was also a time to build bridges into the community among those who faithfully watch over the city." Many came out of curiosity just to see what a whole hog barbecue looked like, and many of them stayed until midnight. The pig was cooked the full 20 hours, and several men stayed with it all night long. Although a few ladies jumped in to help with the event, it was largely under the leadership of the men of the church. A retired lady in the church had this to say about the event: "Many people will look at those pictures and think about a big pig being roasted. ... You know what I see? I see a group of men, deacons of my church, who were drawn together in a common cause, doing for others, and enjoying Jesus. "In my mind, so much more was accomplished there than at a deacons' meeting," she said. "It was SO MUCH MORE THAN 'JUST' A PIG ROAST!" she emphasized. On that Friday evening, the church fed more than 140 members of the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department, the New Mexico State Police, the District Attorney's office and members of their families at the church. "Of course, there were some New Mexico twists, with the addition of charro beans, hot salsa and homemade tortillas," Hollingsworth said. "It was a time to say 'thank you for service,' as well as build bridges into community—all to the glory of the Lord." --30-- This article originally appeared in the Baptist New Mexican (bcnm.com), newsjournal of The Baptist Convention of New Mexico. -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net