Newsjournal Of Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists

www.baptistdigest.com

March 2015Vol. 59 No. 3

Baptistigest

New Hispanic Church BeginsIn Downtown Kansas City, KS

The Avenue of Life Community Center at 500 N. 7th St. in Kansas City, Kan., is home to a new Hispanic congregation. Centro Familiar Cristiano began in mid-October 2014. Arturo Nuez is pastor. He previously was a Hispanic church planter in southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, northeast Okla-homa and northwest Arkansas. Here Nuez sings with the praise team during a Sunday morning worship service. The new Hispanic congregation shares the Avenue of Life build-ing with two other congregations. (Below) Ministry is a fam-ily affair as Arturo serves with his wife and two sons. Kim Nuez teaches the preschool childrens Sunday School class. The church celebrated its first baptisms on Sunday, Jan. 25, when a family of seven was baptized.

Hispanic pastors from Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa gathered Feb. 2-3 at the Baptist Building in Topeka, Kan., for a strategy meeting. They formed the Hispanic Church Planting Network with the goal of Hispanic churches serving as church-planting centers.

Week of Prayer for North American Missions s March 1-8Annie Armstrong Easter Offering National Goal: $60 million

WCC SUNDAY: APRIL 19, 2015Sunday, April 19th will be the date to celebrate 35 years of ministry for WCC. Beginning around the first week of March, there will be a new 2-3 minutes video on the WCC website (www.webstercc.org) for churches to download and show their members. This is not a fund-raising video, nor a fund-raising event. This is a special day to help our KNCSB church members see the min-istry of WCC whose first purpose statement is To assist churches in making disciples of Jesus Christ and developing leaders. Contact Terry McIlvain at tmcilvain@kncsb.org if you would like more information on this special day.

WWW.KNCSB.ORGM

ARC

H 2

015

2

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:INFORM -- Regularly share information about ongoing training, curriculum, events, support and personnel.RESOURCE -- Serve as a resource pool for practical ideas about what is working in KS-NE congregations and how it relates to all sizes of churches.GENERATIONAL -- Cast the widest net, providing sto-ries and information that will appeal to all generations of Southern Baptists in NE-KS.FAMILY-FRIENDLY -- Be family-friendly with stories, regular columns and helps for families and leaders who work with families.AGE DIVERSE -- Publish stories that address the diversity of age, ethnicity, and geographical regions of KS-NE.MISSION-ORIENTED -- Publish stories about people and congregations involved in missions and regularly publicize ministry opportunities.PART OF WIDER MISSION - Help congregations discover that they are part of the larger work of the Kingdom of God through their ministries.

To give local news:Local church and associational news may be submit-

ted by mail, phone, fax or e-mail.

Advertising:Advertising policy and rates are available upon

request Call 800-984-9092 or e-mail: tboyd@kncsb.org

STAFFEditor: Tim Boyd, PhD.

Associate Editor: Eva Wilson Printing Coordinator: Derek Taylor

Robert T. Mills, D. Min. KNCSB Executive Director

AFFILIATIONSAssociation of State Baptist PapersBaptist Communicators Association

The Baptist Digest (USPS 018-942)Vol. 59 No. 3

Leadership Newsjournal for Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists is published monthly (except for January and July)

10 times a year.5410 SW 7th Street

Topeka, KS 66606-2398Phone: (785) 228-6800Toll Free: 800-984-9092

Fax: (785) 273-4992E-mail: tboyd@kncsb.org

Web site: baptistdigest.com

POSTMASTER:Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS 66606 and additional entries. Send address changes to: The Baptist Digest, 5410 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS

66606-2398.

SBC Presidents Perspective

Ronnie Floyd

Presidents Perspective

Andy Addis

By Andy Addis KNCSB Convention President E-mail: andy@crosspointnow.net

I love a good metaphor. I love them, not only because they are often funny, but the imagery they create in the imagination often says more than any combination of words could produce.

In case your high school Eng-lish class is too many years ago, let me offer a quick refresher: A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Often denoted with the use of like or as. Here are a couple of examples: Those kids ran through here like a tornado. Or, the army came over the wall as a flood.You know, great imagery!

Just recently at a Grow Group meeting a friend of mine said, He was all over that like a monkey on a cupcake.I have NO idea what that means, but I do have an incred-ible mental picture. Im pretty sure he meant that it was an exciting opportunity that we should be all over like white on rice. I laughed like a hyena. We all sounded like a circus I told you I liked metaphors.Recently, I have been thinking about the mental images we have of the church: bride of Christ, ambassadors of heaven, bulwarks never failing, etc. Those metaphors are great for the hymnal, but I won-der how close to reality they reside. Dont mistake my direction, I know these are all true because the Bible says so, but I wonder if we are living out these truths in the real world.

Heres a test: Which metaphor best fits your real per-ception of your pastor? A pastor is a like a waiter humbly scurrying from table to table refilling drinks. A pastor is like a soldier bravely crawling from foxhole to foxhole bringing more ammunition. Ive been in vocational church ministry for a couple of decades now, and I think I can help you answer this ques-tion. Most pastors see themselves as a soldier, and most church members see him as a waiter. And, that in itself tells you a lot about the church today. We may know what the answer should be, but whats most important is the reality: how does the church really work? If a church has an inward-focused, membership-centered, people-satisfying target, then there is trouble, trouble, trouble in the house. Members will feel like the pastor is there to serve them, the church is there to enjoy and the decisions are up for a vote. And, the pastor goes from table to table asking, What can I get you to drink?But, if a church has a heart for the lost, a passion for mission and a spirit of self sacrifice then there is joy,

joy, joy in the house! Members look for a pastor to lead the charge, the church is a hospital where we serve the spiritually wounded, and the direction has already been decided by Jesus. And, the pastor dives into foxhole after foxhole asking, How much ammo do you need?Now thats a church. Remember 1 Timothy 6:1112:But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pur-sue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. You are the church, and change begins with you. Make a commitment to share your faith this week. Talk to fam-ily members about following through in baptism. Reach out to your pastor, look him in the eye and let him know, Im in the fight and Ive got your back.PushS away from the table and jump in the foxhole. Your church of sheepish lambs will roar like a lion!Man, I love metaphors.

the flag for the great need for many of our established churches to be revitalized. Personally, I think if a church is over five years old, it is an established church and will inevitably deal with the challenges of reinventing itself and renewing its commitment to its missional vision.

We must pray for a generation who will not just desire to plant new Gospel churches nationally and internation-ally, but also a generation of leaders who will lead our established churches as pastors.

The lessons and concerns are real.We need to rise up as leaders and churches, learn from

each other, and work through our concerns together. Our future individually, in our churches and our convention will depend on our willingness to change and take action to address these needs strategically and aggressively.

(Editors note: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. This article was published in Baptist Press.)

When I was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention last year on June 10, I realized I was about to begin a great journey.

I cannot even begin to count the places I have been, the people I have met and conversations I have had about the Southern Baptist Convention. I have enjoyed every minute of serving our Lord and churches over these months. It has been an amazing and blessed journey. Thank you for this privilege.

I have heard many things about our Southern Baptist Convention over these past eight months, some of which were concerns that cannot be ignored. I want to share three of these concerns with you. I only list these in nu-merical order for clarity, not by means of any priority.

Concern #1: We must prioritize evangelism again.It is hard to know what it means when people talk

about prioritizing evangelism, but this is what I do know: We do not need to blame our lack of evangelism in our churches on our associations, our state conventions or the entities of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Evangelism will only be prioritized again when it becomes prioritized by each of us personally and our churches collectively. Listen carefully: We must own the

Great Commission person-ally. Until this occurs, our evangelism will continue to limp along.

I realize that the associa-tions, state conventions and entities of our convention can raise the standard as leaders in evangelism. We need them to do this and help all of our churches reach our commu-nities more effectively. Yet, please know, it is not about they and us; it should be about we.

Concern #2: Our Cooperative ProgramWhile some may think our Cooperative Program is

becoming irrelevant, I just do not see it. As we look toward the 90th anniversary of the Cooperative Program this year, unquestionably we need to evaluate it continually.

But here are the facts: We are 5 percent above in giving through the Cooperative Program through the first four months of our fiscal year compared to last year. Be encour-aged! Another reality is our offerings for international mis-sions and North American missions are showing growth over a year ago. Be encouraged!

Our gifts through the Cooperative Program are still

funding the missions and ministries of our Southern Bap-tist Convention. Yes, it needs to improve, and I am com-mitted to seeing this done. I am doing all I can to address not just the Cooperative Program, but the entire financial future of the Southern Baptist Convention. Lets pray and work together toward increasing our financial support of what God is doing and wants to do through our Southern Baptist Convention.

Concern #3: Our established churches need to be revitalized.

We are a convention with many more established churches than new churches. I am very grateful that as we raise the flag for church planting, we are also raising

Sharing & Strengthening

3

MA

RCH 2015

Church Leaders from 13 States Converge for Leadership Summit in Springfield, Illinois

Listen to me, Midwest, the Father is seeking worship-ers, Frank Page intoned. Every man, woman, boy and girl on this globe needs to hear this message. The man who calls himself the SBCs Chief Encourage-ment Officer rallied local church leaders to advance the gospel in a region where Southern Baptists are relatively few and often far between. Im not trying to build a bigger denomina-tion, the CEO of the Con-ventions Executive Com-mittee said, Im trying to encourage you to help bring worshipers to Christ. Spiritual awakening and church revitalization were main themes of the Midwest

Leadership Summit held January 20-22. What we need, more than a strategy, more than a plan, is a fresh awakening, Andy Addis preached in the open-ing session. We want to see God do amazing things, we want to be his hands and feet, thats why were here! More than 1,000 pastors and church leaders from the Upper Midwest convened in Springfield, Ill., for the inspirational equipping conference held every three years. Called the North Central States Rally since its inception 50 years ago, the Summit was renamed this year as it expanded to include 10 Baptist state conventions representing 13 states, from West Virginia to the Dakotas. The Illinois Baptist State As-sociation hosted the event at the Springfield Crowne Plaza Hotel, providing a more cen-tral location as the Summits territory expanded on the western side. IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams chaired

the planning committee. We drove 10 hours to get here, one conferee from South Dakota said at the registration desk, telling how his association invited church leaders and brought them in a van. It took us two days, a North Dakota pastor in a bolo tie responded, but itll be worth it. The buzz in the lobby was positive, as re-turning attenders told new-comers the value of meeting for leaders who share the challenges of ministry out-side the traditional Southern Baptist stronghold.

Thank you so much for inviting us to the con-ference this week. The breakout sessions we at-tended were fresh and applicable for us. We have been debriefing and will continue to do so and then land on some immediate implementation. We are very grateful for your investment in our church and convention. Tim Johnson, New Cov-enant Church, Lincoln, NE

Comments from some of ourConvention Attenders

Thank you for taking care of the administrative details of the Advance Conference. It was a good conference for me and for our staff. Steve Hicks, LifeSpring Church, Bellevue, NE

Is there any way to get a copy of the opening service message? It was a wonderful sermon and my pastor is very interested in hearing it. Ethel Nicoll, First Baptist Church, Riverton, KS

What we did was not amazing strategy, what we did is that we simplified, Andy Addis said of his church.

by Meredith Flynn, Eric Reed, and Lisa Sergent, Illinois Baptist newspaper, with Kayla Rinker and Nick Rynerson

NAMB Midwest VP Gary Frost spoke on returning to the valley in the summits final session.

(photos by Meredith Flynn, IBSA)

Attenders participate during a worship and praise session. Breakout sessions included topics on re-vival, spiritual awakening, evangelism and leadership, among others.

Andy Addis, KNCSB President and lead pastor of CrossPoint Church, Hutch-enson, KS, a video-driven multi-site church with 11 campuses across Kansas, spoke during the opening session and based his mes-sage on Jesus parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). He reminded us that God expects His church to bear fruit, not hopes; expects, not wants; expects.

EASTER OFFERING 2015M

ARC

H 2

015

4

Week of Prayer w March 1-8What is the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO)?

The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering gives major support for reaching lost people in the United States and Canada. It provides nearly half of the North America Misson Boards income. The offering was named for Annie Armstrong (1850-1938). She led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to forming Womans Missionary Union. She was the first national WMU corresponding secretary.

The reason we give to AAEO:To support the efforts of the North American Mission Boards Send North America strategy as mission-aries and church planters push back lostness in the United States and Canada. Send>>North Americas goal is to see 1,500 churches planted each year for a total of 15,000 new churches by the year 2022.

Amount of Annie Armstrong Easter Offering used to support missionaries and their work:

100 percent

2015 national goal for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering:

$60 million

Find resources to promote the offering at http://anniearmstrong.com/

Fast Facts about the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering

easter offering 2015

5

MA

RCH 2015

Driven By LoveIn Salt Lake City

Travis Kerns, 2015 Send North America Week of Prayer missionary, spent an academic career, punctuated with practical experience, in preparation for moving to Salt Lake City to establish Southern Baptist churches within the city. Kerns serves as city missionary for Send North America: Salt Lake City. The national goal for the 2015 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is $60 million. (NAMB photo by John Swain)

Seminary studies on Mormonism led North American Mis-sion Board mission-ary Travis Kerns to invest his life in Salt Lake City.

By Jim Burton

HERRIMAN, Utah Youve looked out the front window of your home and seen them com-ing. Two young males wearing white shirts and black ties are riding bikes in the neighbor-hood. When they knock on your door, what do you do?

North American Mis-sion Board missionary Travis Kerns would encourage you to love them. Thats what he has learned to do. His love for Mormons grew to the point that he now lives 35 miles from downtown Salt Lake City and serves as city missionary for NAMBs Send North America: Salt Lake City.

Kerns has something most Southern Baptists dont have: a Ph.D. in applied apologetics with a focus on Mormonism from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). During his undergraduate stud-ies in 1996, he had a class on new religious movements, and Mormonism was the first they studied.

It took hold of my heart, Kerns said of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In school, every paper I wrote was geared toward Mormonism.

When he began teaching at SBTS in 2007, Kerns started taking students to Salt Lake City. On the flight home after his sixth trip there in 2012, Kerns said there were fires on the mountains. As he viewed the smoke filling the Salt Lake

Valley during the planes ascent, it became a fresh vision.

What it said to me was that this city is on fire and burning, Kerns said. I just lost it, started crying like a baby.

Kerns grew up in Greenville, S.C., where his family attended First Baptist Church of Taylors. Hes the product of missions education, having been a Royal Ambassador.

His dad led him to Christ in their home when he was 9 years old.

Kerns chose to attend nearby North Greenville University where its president, Jimmy Ept-ing, had a big influence on him. He enrolled as a business major, but that soon changed.

In my freshman year of college, something in me just clicked, and I fell in love with the New Testament, Jesus and people in the church, Kerns said.

Being Southern Baptist in upstate South Carolina had its advantages, as there were many relationships and connections. That same dynamic is true for Mormons in Salt Lake City.

Utah is 70 percent LDS, Kerns said. LDS members run the state government. The ma-jority of judges, police officers, firefighters, lawyers, real estate agents and bankers are LDS. Almost everyone here is LDS.

When Kerns moved into a home with his wife, Staci, and their son, the neighbors already knew it was the NAMB house.

The LDS Church does

research when real estate trans-actions are done, Kerns said. Plus, we didnt show up at the meeting house on Sunday.

Mormons attend meeting house (comparable to church) meetings based upon their residence. Between Logan and Provo, Kerns estimates there are 4,164 meeting houses or halls.

Its so Mormon here, many have never met or heard from anybody who is not Mormon, Kerns said.

Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in Utah, but the presence is min-imal. Most Protestant churches run between 50 and 100 people.

The hardest part about any Christian church (in Utah) is that the average tenure for pas-tors is 14 months, Kerns said. One key to success, he believes, is to keep showing up.

As city missionary for Send North America: Salt Lake City, one of 32 Send North America cities, Kerns oversees church plants in the metropolitan area.

The Utah-Idaho South-ern Baptist Convention has a goal that by 2020 they want to double the number of churches [in the two-state convention], Kerns said. That means an-other 150 churches. We want to

be one third of that number, 50 new churches by 2020.

By 2014, there were 18 active Southern Baptist church plants through Send North America: Salt Lake City, with 12 hav-ing started within the year.

Kerns spends much of his time mentoring the current church planters while recruiting and as-sessing future church planters. Utah County, which Kerns calls the cultural capital of Mormon-ism and the home of Brigham Young University, garners most of his attention.

The cultural challenges translate into logistical chal-lenges. Whereas in most major cities church plants can meet in public schools, that does not happen in Utah.

The new churches spend much money on rent, typically

commercial space. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) and Cooperative Pro-gram (CP) help new churches meet those challenges.

That money goes directly to our church plants to help them reach people, Kerns said. Without CP and AAEO, there would be no Send North America: Salt Lake City.

Theres been no shortage of resources when Ive asked. Its because of the generosity of Southern Baptists.

Kerns was close to tenure at SBTS when he accepted the call to lead Send North America: Salt Lake City.

Through his research, Kerns has built relationships with many LDS leaders.

In 18 years of doing this, Ive only seen two people convert from Mormonism to Christianity, Kerns said. He notes that on average it takes from two to seven years for most Mormons to convert, the majority being much closer to seven years.

Being around leaders of the LDS church to share my faith with them drives everything that I do.

(Jim Burton writes for the North American Mission Board.)

KNCSB ON MISSIONM

ARC

H 2

015

6

Campers on Mission ShowGods Love through Service

New Life Baptist Church, Independence, Kan., is on the regular rotation of Kansas-Nebraska Campers on Mission work projects. The church is constructing a new facility as money becomes available (below). (Photos by Eva Wilson)

Weir Baptist Camp, 12 miles southwest of Pittsburg, Kan., is on the regular rotation of Kansas-Nebraska Campers on Mis-sion work projects. Here Bill Streeter (left) and Curtis Kirkley work on constructing cabinets during the May 2014 COM work project at the camp. The group also holds its fall rallies, along with fall work projects, at Weir Baptist Camp. Kansas-Nebras-ka Campers on Mission welcomes new members. You do not need to own an RV rig to participate. For more information, contact Don Smith, COM president, at Sherry2don@gmail.com.(Photo by Shirley Streeter)

t

(This article includes informa-tion provided by Sue Marcum.)

The past year was a time of fruitful service for Kansas-Ne-braska Campers on Mission.

Along with participating in work projects in various places, they attended the 2014 COM National Rally at Glorieta Con-ference Center in New Mexico.

Rocky Mountain Rendez-vous with Jesus was the rally theme. The theme verse was taken from I Kings 19:11: Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.

Kansas-Nebraska COM members were responsible for helping with registration, refreshments, parking RVs and transportation to and from the dining hall at meal times.

Summer 2014 included a work project at New Life Baptist Church, Independence, Kan. The church is construct-ing a new facility as money becomes available.

Here is a list of projects that were completed:n Stained and installed

baseboards n Hung metal frames for fire

doorsn Hung eight solid-core fire

doorsn Stained doors after they

were hungn Put on hardware and door

closuresn Caulked around doors

n Put wood trim around doorsn Installed a new electrical

box in the store room off the kitchen

COM members returned to Alpha Christian Childrens Home, Perry, Kan., for a work

project in August 2014. The group completed a wide variety of maintenance and repair projects.

Weir Baptist Camp, 12 miles southwest of Pittsburg, Kan., was the site of spring and fall Campers on Mission work projects in 2014. The September work project was held in con-nection with the COM fall rally.

Officers for 2015 were elected during the fall rally. They are:n President Don Smith,

South Hutchinson, Kan.n Vice President Curtis

Kirkley, Hutchinson, Kan.n Secretary Mary Lafferty,

Lawrence, Kan.

n Project Coordinator Norm Marcum, Topeka, Kan.n Treasurer Barbara

Usher, Salina, Kan.Twenty-eight COM members

worked on projects at Weir Bap-tist Camp during the two weeks before and after the fall rally.

They completed a wide variety of construction and maintenance projects all around the camp. Among the many projects were pouring sidewalks and building new cabinets and shelves for the kitchen.

COM members gathered at the Baptist Building, Topeka, Kan., for a Christmas party on Saturday, Dec. 6. They celebrat-ed how God used them in 2014 and looked forward to serving Him in 2015.

Several COM couples spent part of the winter serving at Texas Baptist Encampment, Palacios, Texas, known as Pala-cios by the Sea.

Upcoming Campers on Mis-sion events include:n May 1-3 Spring rally

at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan.n June 17-19 Campers on

Mission National Rally, Tom Johnsons Rally Park, Marion, N.C. (about 25 miles east of Asheville)

For more information about Kansas-Nebraska Campers on Mission, contact Don Smith, COM president, at Sherry2don@gmail.com.

Church Seeks Worship/Student LeaderFirst Southern Baptist Church of Hutchinson, Kansas, is requesting prayerful applicants for the fol-lowing full- or part-time ministry opportunity combination: Corporate Worship Leader/Student Minis-ter. FSB is a healthy and unified body of believers genuinely seeking Gods person(s) to serve and grow here. Please send your resume (including ministry philosophy and five references) to FSBC, 1201 E 23rd, Hutchinson, KS 67502.

Church Seeks Bi-Vo PastorFirst Baptist Church of Nickerson is now accepting resumes for a Bi-Vocational Pastorate Position. The candidates should embrace the Baptist Faith and Message and Cooperative programs For additional Information, please contact Brian @ 620-960-3827. Please send resumes to: First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 377, Nickerson, KS 67561.

Church Seeks Worship LeaderFirst Baptist Church of Farmington, Missouri, is seeking a full-time associate pastor with an empha-sis in worship. Please email inquiries or resumes to fbcfarm@sbcglobal.net, attn. personnel com-mittee, or mail to Personnel Committee, 210 North A Street, Farmington, MO 63640.

Smelling Coffee AddictPatti BoswellKNCSB Womens Leadership: Ministry Wives Consultant

Some of my friends say they LOVE the smell of coffee, but they dont drink it. Me? Ive been drinking coffee since I was old enough to sip out of Grannys stirring spoon. In this house-hold, we are all about coffee. Its one addiction I allow myself, in modera-tion, of course!

But Im not just talking about REAL coffee today. I want to point you to a blog called Smelling Coffee, written by a pastors wife, just like you and me! www.smellingcoffee.com

Jennifer Walker is the author, and usually starts out Monday morning with some funny pictures and sayings about coffee. But thats not all. Jennifer uses Gods Word, personal family experience, and humor to encourage other pastors wives.

Check it out! I think youll like her. Even if youre not a coffee lover!

Spring Tune Up Gl w

Gifts Talents PassionsCAUTION: before you read on, theres something you must know about me. Im

that girl! Yep, you know the one Im talking aboutthat girl who loves to cook, from scratch, loves planning the menu: taking into consideration textures and colors of the food, and believes presentation of the food and table is equal to and supports the taste of the food. I know! Really?

We all show our love for family and friends in different ways. This is mine! Whats even more shocking is that the gift of hospitality never shows up in a Spiritual Gift As-sessment for me. Thats why its so important to not just discover your spiritual gift and move on, but also spend time focusing on your abilities, talents and passions.

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 HCSB

God uses all that we give him, to make himself known to all people. If you have the gift of leadership, then lead. If you have the ability to build a house, then build. If you have the talent of cooking, then cook. If you have a passion for serving, then serve.

Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. Dont hesitate to be enthusiasticbe on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when youre in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. Contribute to the needs of Gods people, and welcome strangers into your home. Bless people who harass youbless and dont curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. Consider everyone as equal, and dont think that youre better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Dont think that youre so smart. Dont pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good. Romans 12 CEB

Shiggaion,Mari

www.knwomen.com

7

March 2015

Debbie EbleKNCSB Womens Leadership: Fit 4 Him Consultant

Time to kick your activity level up a notch! Warmer weather means outdoor fun and digging deeper into all kinds of things like house cleaning, yard and garden work, baseball with the kids and long walks with your family and friends. Be wise and begin this process by scheduling a physical. Surprisingly, only 20 percent of Americans get an annual physical, and keeping tabs on your bodys vital functions is very important. With your doctors blessing begin working out at a low intensity, but dont quit! Do something every day to drive your body to increase metabolic rate, build endurance, and reduce body fat.

Here are 5 basic exercises to get you started: 1. Standing knee lifts lift both arms overhead then bring elbows down as you lift one knee up

toward your chest. Alternate knees, and continue at a steady, rhythmic pace for one minute. 2. Squats stand with your feet hip-width apart and place your arms at your side. Pretend

there is a chair behind you and almost sit bringing your arms out in front, keeping your back flat and abdominal muscles pulled in. Continue for one minute.

3. Reverse Lunge Stand tall with hands on hips, step right foot back into a lunge and return to start, step left foot back and return to start. Keep alternating for one minute. Lift your chest, draw your abs up and in, and stay balanced throughout.

4. Up and Overs Stand with feet hip width apart, shift your weight onto the right leg as you reach your left arm up and over your head. Shift over to your left leg and reach your right arm up and over. Draw your abs up and in and continue for one minute at a steady pace.

5. Windmill Standing with legs wider than hip width apart, arms straight out to the side, bend at waist and take right hand down and across toward left foot. Return to center position before taking left hand down and across toward right foot. Alternate sides, stopping briefly at the center each time.

Repeat the whole sequence 23 more times for a great 10-15 minute workout! The key to seeing results is doing the moves back to back without any rest. You could do this low intensity workout every day, any time of day to oxygenate your body, boost energy and burn calories.

Spring is a good time for a spiritual tune-up, too. Schedule a check up. Sit quietly with Father God and ask Him to bring to mind any sin that is hindering your walk with Him. Commit to getting rid of that sin and any unhealthy behavior that is getting in the way of serving Christ. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.. 1 John 1:9

Begin working out immediately by displaying these basics, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22 God freely offers us His love, His forgiveness and His Word with an expectation that we will obey Him and so share His truth and likeness everywhere we go. You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Be a light in the darkness this spring by honoring God with your body, mind and spirit.

by Sarah Schmidt KNCSB Womens Leadership Childrens Resource Team Leader

Give is our theme for GLOW, the annual Mother/Daughter retreat for 1st-6th grade girls. T he scripture for this event is 1 Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver. Girls and their moms will learn how being a cheerful giver can impact their lives and the work of our missionaries. Our speaker, Amanda, has lived and worked overseas. Robin Pelton will be leading us in worship music. We would love to see you and your daughter, granddaughter, or other girl in your life join us Friday, April 10th and Saturday, April 11th at Webster Conference Center. Look for registration and promotional information in your church office or online at www.KNwomen.com

Writers cramp intensified! Without the aid of e-mail, a computer, printer or even a typewriter, Annie Armstrong wrote and addressed by hand letters to all the state central committees and to as many of the 1,206 missionary societies as the states requested. Hour after hour she wrote until her fingers ached and she had to loosen their hold on the pen. Her right hand bothered her the rest of her life. And why all that work? To begin the Week of Prayer for Foreign Missions and promote the first Christmas offering for foreign missions.

But Annie did more than write letters. She ministered to immigrants in Baltimore, missionaries heading to foreign fields, Native Americans and African-Americans, those living in Baltimores poorhouse, and missionaries on the frontier. She led the project to help build a church in Cuba. In her honor, we collect the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. As her tombstone reads: She hath done what she could. Have we?

Bev HiltonKN WMU President

She Hath Done What She Could:

God Loves A Cheerful Giver

SEND NORTH AMERICA

www.KNCSB.orgM

ARC

H 2

015

8

Webster UpdateApril 24-25, 2015--Webster Conference Center

For Leaders in Churches Running Under 150 in Worship

Keith Strasburger and Gene Jacobs from Real Life Ministries

Our Focus This Year Will Be on Building a Disciple-Making Process in the Local Church

On Campus Registration for those staying at Webster Conference Center is

$40.00 per adult or $60.00 per couple. This includes one nights lodging, Saturday breakfast and lunch.

Off CampusIf you would prefer to stay off-campus your registration cost is $15.00 per person. This includes Saturday breakfast & lunch.

Childcare is provided at no cost.

Please mail registration and payment to: KNCSB, 5410 SW 7th St., Topeka, KS 66606

If you have any questions or information about hotels if you prefer to

stay off campus, contact Jana Gifford (jgifford@kncsb.org) or call 1/800/984-9092 (Ext. 840).

Registration Deadline: April 10, 2015

JUST ANNOUNCED ON FEBRURY 6, 2015WCC has been given a new Dining Hall Matching Challenge Grant for 2015,

BUT THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT:n The amount is $75,000 NOT $50,000 as in previous years.n This challenge must be met by June 30, 2015 NOT December 31, 2015.n If this challenge is met, we should have enough funds & pledges to receive the $100,000 grant from the Mabee Foundation. (If we fail to meet this challenge, we will forfeit the $100,000 Mabee Foundation grant and we will need to raise $100,000 more to finish the project.Make checks payable to WCC and send all gifts to: WCC at 5410 SW 7th Street in Topeka, KS 66606.

CORRECTIONIn the last issue, dates were given for reserving WCC for 2017. Those dates were incorrect and below are the correct dates. We regret any inconvenience that this may have caused our constituents.n Associations began reserving dates for 2017 at WCC beginning February 1st. n Churches can begin reserving dates for 2017 at WCC beginning March 1st.n All other organizations can begin reserving dates for 2017 at WCC beginning March 16th.

To reserve dates at WCC, call Sarah Jaster, Office Manager,at 1-877-WCC-RESV (1-877-922-7378).

URGENT PRAYER REQUESTSome things have changed in Saline County and WCC will be required to totally rework the sewer system. This will require an approximate $300,000 overall of the system for the safety and well-being of attendees at the conference center. No one saw this coming, but it is now a reality that must be dealt with immediately. Pray for the WCC Staff and WCC Board as they comply with this new ruling and determine the best way to accomplish this task. More news will be coming soon on this issue.

COME FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS, PREPARE FOR THE NEXT 30.

@MBTS | MBTS.EDU | 816-414-3733 | KANSAS CITY, MO

UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE DOCTORAL ONLINE

Ministry leaders are facing challenges previous generations could

not imagine. Our nationally-ranked degree programs are innovative,

affordable, and available fully online. Apply today at mbts.edu/apply

March_2015_page1March2015p2March2015p3March_2015_page4March2015p5March_2015_page6Mar15p7March2015p8