JOURNAL OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

www.msbaptist.orgDecember 2018 VOL. 72 NO. 23

German Christmas Marketplace

Southeastern Baptist College President's Report

A Christmas Message for the People of AmericaEditor's NoteEditor's NoteEditor's NoteEditor's NoteEditor's Note - We encour-aged each of the departmentworkers to include a Christ-mas message in their reportsfor this issue. SBC PresidentScott Carson shares a uniqueexperience he had in Germanywhile serving as a U.S. ArmyChaplain. A good lesson is seenhere in the perception othershave on celebrating theChirstmas season.

President’s Perspective“And suddenly there was

with the angel a multitude ofthe heavenly host praisingGod, and saying, Glory to Godin the highest, and on earthpeace, good will toward men.”Luke 2:13-14.

Merry Christmas! Linda andI were blessed with my beingassigned to Europe for eightstraight years. The histories

and diverse cultures betweennations were amazing! We ex-perienced so many differentlanguages and unique tradi-tions. Some of our fondestm e m o r i e scome fromthe Christ-mas seasonwhile wewere sta-tioned inG e r m a n y .Let me tellyou, the Ger-mans knowhow to doChristmas right! Their

Christkindlmarkts are amaz-ing fairy-tale like places wherecity main squares are trans-formed into beautiful outdoorChristmas markets.

It is interesting that the Ger-man culture is much more secu-lar than that of the UnitedStates, yet they have no issueswith the annual communitycelebrations of the birth of ourSavior! Everyone acknowl-edges the name of these an-nual events asChristkindlmarkts, which lit-erally means, “Baby JesusMarkets.” There is no problemwith German people wishing

others a FröhlicheWeihnachten, which means,Merry Christmas! In fact, it isexpected as a deeply ingrainedpart of their culture.

I remember during a seniorU.S. Army staff meeting on anAmerican installation in Ger-many, a discussion began onthe implications of the separa-tion of church and state for thelighting of the “Holiday” treeon the base. The discussionwent on and on and some wereinsistent that the name of Jesusand the word Christmas mustbe completely avoided! It wasduring this heated exchangethat a German national whohad worked for the U.S. Armyfor decades, raised his handand expressed his opinion. Hiswords were eye opening in-deed! He began by declaringhimself an avid atheist. Hethen proceeded to explain thatin his country, there is no is-sue with the overt and publiccelebration of Christmas. It hasalways been a wonderful timeof year and deeply ingrainedinto the German culture. Hesaid that Americans were waytoo sensitive of other religionsand especially during this timeof year that is clearly a Chris-

He explained that Christians should be allowedto proclaim the name of their Savior and their

countrymen and government should notsuppress their religious expression

Dr. Scott CarsonPresident

A Legacy of Hope: World Missions Day 2019How will you outlive your

life? We each want to leave alasting legacy; one that im-pacts people in years to come.This World Missions Day, BMAMissions will focus on believ-ers who leave a A Legacy ofHope. As an association, wewill honor missionaries, pas-tors, and church members whohave left a lasting legacy, whileinvesting in future ministriesso they, too, can leave a legacyfor Christ.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, “Andthe things that you have heardfrom me among many wit-nesses, commit these to faith-ful men who will be able toteach others also.” This versedemonstrates that a lastinglegacy requires a person to livefor things that they are willing

to die for, “otherness,” and thata person accepts the fact thatthey will probably not see thefull effect of their efforts intheir lifetime. Finally, a last-ing legacy requires that thebeliever has been a faithfuldisciple for many years.

On February 24, 2019, wewill celebrate those who beganministries long ago that con-tinue in growth and maturitytoday. Many of those minis-tries seemed small and insig-nificant at their inception, yettoday they have grown to in-clude dozens of churches,countless disciples and lead-ers, and an impactful legacy.

Leaving a lasting legacydoesn’t happen by accident, yetit is attainable for every be-liever. Every believer can out-

live their life. This World Mis-sions Day, join us in honoring

believers in your life who haveleft a lasting legacy, while alsoinvesting in future ministriesso that they can also leave ALegacy of Hope for future gen-erations.

When you register yourchurch for World Missions Day,your pastor will receive a com-plimentary BMA Missionsfleece vest, and your congrega-tion will receive free WorldMissions Day promotional re-sources such as A Legacy ofHope posters and bulletin in-serts. Register your churchonline at bmamissions.org/worldmissionsday, by emailingPaige West atpaige@bmamissions.org, orover the phone by calling theMissions office at 501-455-4977. report continues on page 3

2 December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

From The Mind of Chuck Lee

Bro. Chuck Lee

Church of the Covered Dish BY THOMAS TAPP

Journal of the Baptist MissionaryAssociation of Mississippi

Don BrownEditor

Don J. Brown, EditorE-Mail - editor@msbaptist.orgWeb site www.msbaptist.org

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The stress of the season...What a wonderful time of the year. It is a time of family,

friends, food, shopping, giving, receiving, decorations, spe-cial church services, programs, seasonal music, spending toomuch, etc. Wow! With all of that going on and taking up somuch of our time and attention, is it any wonder that STRESSis something that comes upon many this time of the year.

Many counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, pastors,and family members are busy helping others to cope...Maybe,just maybe, if we were to put the correct ‘stress’ on this timeof the year there would be less financial, emotional, physical,and societal stress to deal with. Of course if we stressed thespiritual reality of Jesus and His work on the cross during therest of the year, I suspect that ‘bad’ stress would be much lessprevalent.

It is the Christmas season. It is called Christmas onlybecause of Christ. It is not the holiday season. It is Christmas.We call it Christmas because of Jesus. We celebrate andcommemorate His birth and His life and the reason for Hisappearing. Let us stress THAT this time of the year and let theworld know that Jesus is Lord.

He takes away the sins of the world. Now that is true stressrelief!

Merry Christmas from your Publications Department!

Southeastern College Seeking Academic DeanSoutheastern Baptist College is in search of qualified candidates to be considered for the

position of Academic Dean. A candidate must possess at a minimum a doctorate degree from anaccredited institution in an appropriate field of study, for overseeing Bible College degreeprograms in general education, Bible, business administration and church ministries. The idealcandidate should have experience in higher educational administration. A preferred candidateshould have an affiliation with the Baptist Missionary Association of America; however, otherqualified candidates will be considered. The candidate must possess a strong Christian character,with an excitement to join a rapidly-growing, Christ-centered educational institution. Interestedcandidates may send their résumé to Southeastern Baptist College, 4229 Hwy 15 N, Laurel, MS39440. For more information, call 601-426-6346 or stop by the SBC campus during our Tuesday,Wednesday, or Thursday office hours.

Music Professor Position Open at SoutheasternSoutheastern Baptist College is in need of a Professor of Music

for the Spring 2019 semester. The candidate must possess ata minimum at Master’s Degree in Music Education from anaccredited institution. In addition, the candidate should haveextensive practical musical experience, one who understandsand is able to educate others in various musical genres withemphasis on sacred works. A preferred candidate should havea connection to the Baptist Missionary Association of America;however, other qualified candidates will be considered. Thecandidate must possess a strong Christian character, with anexcitement to join a rapidly-growing, Christ-centered educa-tional institution. Interested candidates may send their resume’to Southeastern Baptist College, 4229 Hwy 15 N, Laurel, MS39440. For more information, call 601-426-6346 or stop by theSBC campus during our Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday officehours.

THAT I WOULD NOT, THAT I DOIt wasn't my most brilliant

moment, although with somany to choose from, it wasn'tmy most, uh, not brilliant (?)moment either. In fact, withall my mishaps from not think-ing things through to fruition,I could probably write a bookrivaling Winston Churchill'sA History of the English-Speaking People, at least inlength anyway.But hey, I founda way to comparemyself to Win-ston Churchill, somaybe not think-ing about thingsis not too terriblybad.

The moment I am speakingof came from watchingYouTube, a little hobby thathas caused me all kind of am-bitious thoughts. There was avideo showing how to grow agarden without tilling theground. As an avid believer inthe work smarter, not harder,method of doing things, I wasinstantly interested.

The off the grid (other thanmillions of YouTube viewers),heavily bearded man from thevideo explained that all you

had to do was pile a thick layerof hay overthe grass andlet nature doher job. Bythe timeplanting timecame along,all you wouldhave to do ispull back the hay, plant your

seeds, and re-place the hay.Sounded like mykind of farming.He even showedhow he had doneit with potatoes.There was no dig-ging involved.

When it came time for harvest,he just raked back the hay andpicked up his potatoes. I coulddo that.

Living out in the countryprovided me with severalpeople that dealt in hay, sofinding hay was no problem atall. In fact, one of my churchmembers dropped off a fewbales at the house one daywhen I was out of town. I wasexcited to get back and begin

my life of no-till gardening.The moment I got home, Idragged a bale of hay out to mygarden spot and began to mer-rily distribute it over theground. I noticed as I contin-ued, that my eyes began toswell and my nose began torun. Not a flattering look forme. Air began to be harder toinhale into my lungs. Then ithit me. I'm allergic to hay!

One would think that Iwould have remembered thatlittle tidbit of information, con-sidering the misery I gothrough every time my neigh-bor starts cutting hay everyyear. I just got caught up inthe moment. I went from be-ing miserable when the windwould shift my direction fromthe hay field, to literally play-ing in a big pile of hay. I knewbetter, but I did it anyway.Guess that's what happenswhen you allow something todistract you from the truth.

Oh well, my dogs have a nicebed of hay to sleep on at night.I'm just not sure how long itwill take for the straw to breakdown and lose its potency. I'msure someone on the internetcan tell me.Lee serves as pastor of Pine GroveBaptist Church, Purvis. He maybe reached by email atleecharles47@yahoo.com

3December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

4229 Highway 15 North, Laurel, Mississippi 39440, (601) 426-6346

Southeastern Baptist College Serving ChristWith A Biblical World ViewIn A Christian Atmosphere

tian celebration! He explained thatChristians should be allowed to pro-claim the name of their Savior andtheir countrymen and governmentshould not suppress their religious ex-pression, but rather encourage them toexpress their beliefs publically! Thiswhole idea of trying to suppress Chris-tians and Christmas was a ridiculousthought to the secular German. “Afterall,” he said, “Isn’t that what freedom ofreligion is all about?”

continued from front page When he finished his lecture, thosewho were against using the name ofChrist or the word Christmas wentsilent. The commander then instructedthe staff that it was okay for everyoneto refer to the “Holiday” tree as a Christ-mas tree. And that no person shouldattempt to suppress those who cel-ebrated the birth of their Savior. Wow,it took a foreign atheist to set the staffstraight!

Don’t let anyone try to suppress yourexpression of faith in the birth of your

Lord during this wonderful season thatis clearly Christian in nature. Neitherthe state, nor your neighbors shouldinfringe on your First AmendmentRights of freedom of religion, and espe-cially as we again remember the birthof our Great Redeemer, Jesus Christour Lord!

“For unto you is born this day in thecity of David a Saviour, which is Christthe Lord.” Luke 2:11.

Equipping the Saints!Dr. Carson

Spring SemesterPre-registration is Now!

If you want to get ahead of the ad-ministrative requirements for signingup for classes in the Spring Semester,you may do so now by going to the SBCWebsite and registering there or con-tacting Brad Phillips at 601-426-6346.On campus registration is January 8through 11. Classes begin the week ofJanuary 14.

Donor and Volunteer DinnerWe recently honored our much ap-

preciated individual supporters at aDonor and Volunteer Appreciation Din-ner. We had a wonderful time of fellow-ship with a full concert by AndrewIshee, a multitalented Christian enter-tainer. What a great night of celebra-tion! See the related pictures of thisgreat annual event.

Carson’s ArmyAt this week’s Donor and Volunteer

Dinner, Brother Chris Floyd reviewedthe success of “enlistments” of finan-cial support in the Carson’s Army fundraising campaign. To date we havethree general officers, two majors, andtwo captains. If you feel led of the Lordto enlist, call 601-426-6346 today! Pleaserefer to the “Carson’s Army” givingchart in this publication.

Thank You!Praise God for 1st Baptist Church of

Midway, Sumrall, Mississippi, for an-swering the call to help with food forour students! On November 29, thesegracious people provided ministry inthe Name of or Lord Jesus to our stu-dent body with a catered hot meal. Seethe adjacent photos of this event. Ifyour church family is also lead to pro-vide a one-time hot meal for 50 stu-dents, or on a routine basis, contactCoach Phillips at 601-426-6346 to coor-dinate.

Urgent Need CDL DriversWe are in immediate need of volun-

teer or paid CDL drivers to drive ourteam bus. We have numerous awaygames both in state and outside ofMississippi. We have a 30 passenger

bus without air breaks. If you can helpplease contact Coach Phillips at 601-426-6346.

Seeking Volunteer HandymanHaving been blessed with 56 stu-

dents living in our dormitories, and theinfrastructure being old, we often haveminor plumbing, electrical, window,door, and miscellaneous other itemsneeding repairs. We are offering anopportunity for someone to bless uswith their handyman skills to assist uswith these needs. Please contact Dr.Carson at 601-426-6346 if you wouldlike to help.

The Chargers BasketballSchedule Changes!

Changes to the season schedules forthe Men’s and Women’s Varsity Gamesand Men’s Junior Varsity Games can

Dr. Carson providing the prayer for theLaurel Homeschoolers Association KnightHawks Basketball Team in the SBC gymna-sium.

Members of Midway First Baptist Church, Sumrall, Mississippi, on the campus of SBCproviding a free fellowship meal for the students.

Above: Mrs. Linda Carson draws names fordoor prize winners at recent Donor & Volun-teer Dinner. Below: Ishees perform for at-tendees at dinner.

Recent Donor and Volunteer Dinner

Available to PreachDr. Carson is available to fill the pulpit

for preaching or to provide an updateabout the great things the Lord is doingat Southeastern Baptist College. You canreach him at 601-433-4736 or atscarson@southeasternbaptist.edu

be found adjacent to this article and isalso posted on our sports website: http://athletics.southeasternbaptist.edu/ andon our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SBCChargers

VA Educational Benefits AcceptedSBC possesses the 2018 Gold Award

level as a military friendly college. Haveyou served in America’s armed forces?Then you probably have Veterans Ad-ministration tuition benefits that youcan use toward a free education righthere at SBC. I urge you to contact yourlocal VA representative for an evalua-tion of your benefits. You earned them!And remember, many benefits are nowfully transferable to family members.SBC has numerous students receivingVA assistance for both online and in-classroom tuition.

4 December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

Missions Department &Revolving Loan Fund

State Missionaries and Wives

www.bmams.org - 601.428.8616Larry Geraldson

Director Wesley & HolleyMartin

Phillip & DawnBurns

Bob & Edie Burch Estuardo &Yasmine Marroquin

Ed & PatriciaDuVall

Johnny & Neta Williams

Sidney & BeckyFarmer

Kenneth & CarolePollock

Redemption Baptist Finds BuildingBy the time you read this, we will be headed to a

Planning Committee meeting at Hancock County,hoping to receive a zoning variance which would bethe last step in our Due Diligence before purchasinga building for Redemption Baptist at Diamondhead.I will share more about this story in upcoming issues,but suffice it to say, this is a God thing.

South Forrest and Redemption Working TogetherWhat a blessing it is to see how Missionary Coach

Sidney Farmer has led his folks to reach out and helpthe folks at Redemption at Diamondhead. Bro.Martin has led his people to get involved in disciple-ship training and recently folks from South Forresttraveled to Diamondhead to team up and hit thestreets. They made 20 contacts and presented thegospel 10 times as a part of this day of hands-onevangelism training. Praise the Lord!#generationaldepth

Salt Light Baptist Mission Matching Funds Cam-paign

The Revolving Loan Fund Trustees have approveda matching funds campaign, from proceeds desig-nated for missions, to help offset the debt of SaltLight Mission. From now until January 15, 2019,every dollar received at the Missions Office, ear-marked for Salt Light’s Matching Fund Campaign,will be matched, up to $50,000.00. Please prayerfullyconsider helping with this campaign.

Day Star Completes Building ProjectDay Star Completes Building ProjectDay Star Completes Building ProjectDay Star Completes Building ProjectDay Star Completes Building ProjectThe books have been closed and this project is paid

for. Through the generous offerings and the help ofthe Revolving Loan Fund, the Day Star BaptistMission facility is paid for. Again, we want to say,“Thank you,” to all those who helped. Bro. Burns hasscheduled the organization service for Saturday,January 12, 2019 at 2pm. I hope you will mark your

Missionary Coach Sidney Farmerleading in Evangelism Trainingat Redemption Baptist Missionin Diamondhead.

The constellation of Christological titles given inthis verse of scripture, sparkles like the best litChristmas tree. Luke adorns the verse with theimplicit reality that Jesus is David’s son. He shinestruth brighter yet, when he proclaims that He is aSavior. As if to crown the verse with the best lit star,he says, this is, “Christ the Lord.” The propheticexpectation of the coming Messiah has been met.After more than 400 years of silence and darkness,He would come in the coldness of the Greco-Romanworld that was oblivious to who He was. The brilliantsupernatural fulfillment of God’s divine arrival wouldbe rejected by those who knew His story best butknew Him not. His arrival threatened a King whotried to kill Him and who fulfilled prophesy in theprocess. As if to summons the rocks to cry out,

focused on the sparkle and the gifts and we miss themost important simple message herein contained,“…unto you is born…a savior…” It’s the gospel! It’sthe message of salvation, and yet it is so oftenoverlooked. As we labor to enjoy all the sparkle ofChristmas this year, I pray that we will not overlookthis simple message; “unto you is born…a savior…”Go tell it on the mountain; Over the hills and every-where; Go tell it on the mountain; Our Jesus Christis born.

On behalf of all of us in the Missions and RevolvingLoan Fund office, and all our missionary familiesacross the State, I want to wish each of our Churchesthe very best Christmas time. We pray for you andconsider it an honor to serve you on the field ofmissions.

There is much going on during the Christmasseason.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

foreigners, Wise men from the east, would be the firstto worship Him. A testament to his future, He spentHis first days on earth, wrapped in grave clothes, thesame type of linen cloth that He would wear again atHis death. A man in the temple, named Simeon,would call Him the consolation of Israel and the lightto lighten the Gentiles, before telling His motherthat the child was set for the fall and rising of manyand that she would feel, as it were, a sword piercethrough her own soul. Oh, the depth of the Christ-mas story. This one verse burst on the world stagewith such illumination, blinding the eyes of themthat did not believe. So much is given in this oneverse that we could burn the candle all night andonly begin to scratch the surface. Unfortunately, itis often the case that we spend the entire season

calendar and plan to be there to encourage this newcongregation.

2019 Missions & Evangelism ConferenceThe 2019 Missions & Evangelism Conference has

been scheduled for March 29, 2019 beginning at9:30am. Next year’s program will be somewhatabbreviated, allowing us to hear some good preach-ing before lunch and after lunch, we will dismiss.The Conference Theme is, “Missions 101” and ourspeakers are as follows:The Mission – Justin Cameron, Pastor at Good Hope,ColumbiaThe Message of Missions – Vernon Watts, Pastor atFirst Baptist HenleyfieldThe Mandate for Missions - Brandon Burge, Pastorat College Heights, PoplarvilleThe Missions Minded Church – Jason Howard, Pas-tor of Canaan, RichtonThe Call to Missions – Blake McCain, Pastor of FirstBaptist Midway

The Conference will be hosted by First BaptistMidway. Please mark your calendars now and planto attend. More information will follow. Please keepchecking back in future issues for details.

Two New Mission Opportunities on the HorizonI have been contacted by two men who are prepar-

ing for church planting sometime after the first of theyear. Please keep this in your prayers as God blessesus with more opportunity.

Starkville Missionary NeededMissionary Coach Bob Burch and I are praying

that God will raise up someone to go plant a churchin Starkville, Mississippi, near Mississippi StateUniversity. Caledonia Baptist is ready to serve asthe Mother Church for this mission project. We askeveryone to pray with us about this.

Revolving Loan Fund UpdateAt a recent Trustee meeting, our Board of Trustees

voted to approve a 5-million-dollar loan re-quest. The funds, to ser-vice this loan, will beginto go out in May 2019.We are grateful for thisopportunity to serve oneof our BMA of Americachurches, and we feelconfident we can do so.However, we have otherloan inquiries that webelieve will develop intoloan requests in early2019. Therefore, I havegiven Bro. Newman thegreen light to solicit newdeposit accounts. Hewill be working hard topromote our fund andincrease ourshareholderdeposit ac-counts. Ourfund is cur-rently paying2.25%. If youwould like tohave more in-f o r m a t i o nabout how youcan be a part ofthis ministry,please call Bro. Newman at 601-428-8616.

Holiday ScheduleWe will be closed from Christmas Eve – New Years

and will reopen on January 2nd.

Merry Christmas from Waveland & thecore group of Salt Light Baptist Mission

5December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

Christmas Greetings From Your State Missions Staff

Feliz Navidad from the folks at El Camino, Biloxi

Feliz Navidad from the folks at El Camino, Hattiesburg

Feliz Navidad from the folks at El Camino, Laurel

Feliz Navidad from the folks at Way, Truth & Life, Oxford

Feliz Navidad from the folks at Way, Truth & Life, RipleyFeliz Navidad from the folks at Way, Truth & Life, Tupelo

Merry Christmas from Day Star Baptist Mission

Merry Christmas from Redemption Baptist Mission

Merry Christmas from the folks atHomestretch in Cleveland

Merry Christmas from some of the folksat Midway Baptist Mission at Batesville

Merry Christmas from the folks at Caledonia Baptist and Missionary Coach Bob Burch

6 December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

Pastor, leave sports out of the pulpit. Here’s why...

MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST

CHILDREN'S HOME118 LOWE ROAD, LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI 39443 - (601) 426-3928

SIDNEY DAVIS - DIRECTORSIDNEY DAVIS

The Excitement of ChristmasThe joy and excitement of Christmas has arrived once again. As the

holiday season approaches, our thoughts should certainly be focused uponthe ONE for which the season truly represents, JESUS!!!

It is always good at this time of the year as children get involved puttingup the Christmas tree and placing decorations on it to experience seeing thejoy and the excitement that Christmas brings to their hearts.

This Christmas as we gather around the guitar or piano and sing the songsof Christmas may we allow the radiance and gladness and joy fill our livesas the true meaning of Christmas is expressed through these songs andcarols that speak of the real significance of Christmas. The birth of JesusChrist!The Savior of the world! The excitement of Christmas!

Christmas with the Children’s HomeWe were with the Magnolia Baptist Church in Hattiesburg and Pastor

Greg Medenwald on Sunday evening December 2nd, for their annual“Christmas with the Children’s Home service.” As always they were gracioushosts and made this service special once again. Magnolia, thank you for yourprayerful and financial support of the ministry of the Home. Thank you forthe gifts. We enjoyed the fellowship and meal very much.

Expression of SympathyWe would like to express our sympathy to the family of Bro. Latrelle

Windham. Our prayers continue to be with his wife Linda, his twodaughters, Jennifer and Becky and the Windham family.

Prayer and Focus VerseContinue to remember the Home and its ministry in your prayers. “And

she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shallsave his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.

by Joe McKeever(printed with permission)

“Not everyone in the pews cares whowon that game. They could care lesswho Mickey Mantle or Hank Aaron,Joe Namath or Drew Brees are (is?).Tell them a Yogi Berra story and whileyou stand there waiting on the laugh,they will say, ‘Who is that?’ An eveningat a college football game with you isnot a delight, but punishment.” –Thevoice of sanity

Keep that in mind as you enter thepulpit area.

Dr. Cecil Randall pastoredTuscaloosa’s First Baptist Church dur-ing the era of the famous Paul “Bear”Bryant when winning national cham-pionships became a matter of routine.Later, as a professorin New Orleans Bap-tist Theological Semi-nary, he told his stu-dents not a singletime did he mentionfootball from the pul-pit.

“Not everyone inyour congregation islocal,” Dr. Randallsaid. “Some are fromthose other states and they cheer forthose other teams. Besides, you havebigger things to do today than talkabout a football game.”

Any pastor who questions that shouldgo back and examine his calling.

There is an exception.When the entire team comes to your

church for a special service, you maytalk football. All fifty-five athletes aresitting before you in the audience, alongwith six coaches and their families.Everyone in the building is fully ex-pecting you to talk about them, whatthey’re doing, the season before them,something. Try to inspire them, pas-tor, with what they are trying to achievebut without dumping on their oppo-nents, some supporters of which arealso sitting nearby and eavesdropping.

Pastors who have difficulty doingthis–honoring a team and challengingthem but without trivializing the gos-pel message–should seek advice andsuggestions from their mentors.

Leave football out of it.Or basketball if you’re in Kentucky

or North Carolina. Soccer if you live inEurope, South America, or Asia.

You are on a mission for the LordJesus Christ. You are not a lackey forthe local chamber of commerce nor anagent of the community public rela-tions campaign. You want this city todo well, but when you stand to bringHeaven’s message, you have greatergoals in mind.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.There is nothing wrong and every-

thing right with supporting all that isgood in your community. As a pastor,I once headed up the chamber ofcommerce’s beautification committeefor our town and often did 10-second

television spots promoting a clean andlovely community. And, as a memberof the local symphony board, at the endof the worship serviceI might mention theconcert Tuesday nightwith the hope morewould support it. Butour town was not largeand no one was of-fended.

I was not slamminganother team. Godtold the Israelites inBabylon to “work forthe welfare of the city where I havesent you into exile and pray on itsbehalf; for as it prospers, you will pros-per.” (Jeremiah 29:7). Literally, “in itsshalom, you will have shalom.”

A few quick observations on thissubject…

One. You’re not going to stop peoplefrom discussing last night’s game be-fore Sunday School. So, don’t even try,pastor. Actually, there’s nothing wrongwith it. They’re fellowshiping, and any-thing is on the table for that.

Two. Personally, even if his prefer-ences are well know, the pastor shouldwear his partisanship lightly. Onechurch asked everyone to wear a t-

shirt for their favorite team the follow-ing Sunday. The pastor preached inone from his alma mater. My opinion

is he should have worna plain white dressshirt that day. Or, hecould have gotten re-ally creative and hadhis wife make up a shirtwith the logos of adozen good teams. Butif I’m an Alabama fanand the pastor ispreaching in an Au-burn t-shirt–or vice

versa–this is probably not going to bewell-received.

Three. This is not to say you cannotuse sports analogies or stories in ser-mons. They’re in Scripture. (ICorinthians 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:1; 2Timothy 4:7)

Four. Never forget the words of thebaseball catcher who watched as thebatter approached the plate and madethe sign of the cross. “Hey Buddy,” hesaid, “Why don’t we just let the Al-mighty enjoy the game?” It’s a goodreminder. (Was it Yogi Berra? Notsure.)

Five. If you know for a fact that somemembers of your congregation support

“that other team,” ask them to let youknow if they ever feel you have crossedthe line. Assure them of your love forthem and respect for their loyalties. Ifyour partisanship is extreme and deep,enlist their help in seeing that you toethe line.

Six. Pastor, leave the pennants andwall hangings from your team out ofyour office. For all the obvious reasons.

Seven. I’ll make a prediction. One ofthese days you will have in your con-gregation a professional athlete, some-one well known to the sports world,someone who pulls down a zillion bucksa year, someone whose image hasgraced Sports Illustrated numeroustimes. And he/she will be impressedthat you do not swoon, that you stay oncourse in preaching the gospel mes-sage. Because in 99.99 percent of thetime, the famous athlete knows betterthan anyone how ephemeral and shal-low are the accolades of his/her profes-sion.

Someone told Bob Devaney, the oldcoach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, ofa die-hard fan who had ordered hiscasket in fire-engine red with “Ne-braska” all over it. As I recall, he hadthe name of the team cut into his teeth,even. “What do you think about that?”they asked. Coach Devaney said, “Ithink he ought to get a life.”

Indeed. And that’s where you and Icome in, pastor. We know the One whois the Giver of Life and that moreabundantly.

Tell them about Jesus.

Dr. Joe McKeever

Kosciusko Church Special ServiceOn December 16, Shiloh Baptist Church

in Kosciusko, Mississippi, will host Musi-cal Evangelist Ronnie Warren. A Christ-mas Fellowship meal will follow our ser-vices. The Church is providing the meal,but feel free to bring a dish. For moreinformation contact Pastor Matt Steed.662-582-6450.

According to MatthewAccording to MatthewAccording to MatthewAccording to MatthewAccording to Matthewby Dr. Tony cleaver

Matthew 16.13 “Who do people saythat the Son of Man is?”

That’s a good question? Many peoplesay many things about Jesus. Somemight say He is a rock star able to puton a great show. Some might say He isa pronounced teacher who espousedsome great ideas and philosophy. Oth-ers might include He was a great leaderlike Lincoln, King, or Gandhi. That isonly what the flesh and blood of hu-manity is able to say of Him. The Fa-ther in Heaven reveals through theHoly Spirit that He is “the Messiah, theSon of the living God.”

Good Reader, who do you say He is?Is He a lecturer of good words, anhistorical figure who taught well, orperhaps just a “nice guy?” If that is allHe is, then you must ask the Father toreveal to you that He is the Messiah,the Son of the living God who is able torenew you in the image of God.

7December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

WOMEN'S MISSIONARY AUXILIARYPresident Beth Caldwell

166 Twin Creek Rd, Lucedale, MS 39452 - 601-947-60118

Corresponding Secretary Mrs. Shirlene Smith730 Hwy 533, Laurel, MS 39443 - 601-729-5638

ARE YOU A MISSIONARY?by Jackie Ricks, National WMA editor

Many times we focus on electedmissionaries and miss seeingthat ordinary people who

seemingly never have a “call” to themission field also play an importantpart in mission work. Let’s look at oneparticular life that’s a result of missionwork. Just as Paul says in 1Corinthians 3:6-7, “I haveplanted, Apollos watered; butGod gave the increase. So thenneither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth;but God that giveth the in-crease.” Many believers whowere saved and then discipledas a result of mission work inone form or another, can oftenlook to several different mis-sionaries who had a part alongthe way, but they know that ultimately,it was God who put those people intheir paths and worked everything outin their lives.

Rose Ng is just such a person. Thisnative of Vietnam became an adultwithout really knowing much aboutGod or Jesus, other than through afriend as she grew up. Later, she feltthe stress of life and decided to put anend to all of it. However, God inter-vened through a tree. Her clothescaught on a tree branch as she at-tempted to jump into the river. God

had a reason for stopping Rose and sherealized that there was something, orSomeone, greater than she.

Rose calls Genesis 1:1 her salvationverse. Through reading the Bible onher own, she was saved. However, amission of another Baptist group helped

to disciple her. They also pointed her toa Christian institution where she couldlearn more. Although Rose didn’t re-ally intend to go to a Bible college, Bro.Doyle Moore convinced her that sheneeded to go there. That’s how Rosebecame a student at the BMA BibleCollege in the Philippines when shehad been a Christian only about threeyears. With only one month to prepareto go, Rose had to make many adjust-ments.

Doyle and Linda Moore took Roseunder their wings and taught her

through example what true missionar-ies are. She considers them her spiri-tual “Mom and Dad.” She spent fouryears at the Bible College on scholar-ship and received her BA in religiouseducation in spite of the fact that shealready had a degree from Vietnamand a career mak-ing good money.

The decisionwas not an easyone for Rose be-cause her careerwas establishedand she had nointention of be-coming anythingdifferent. How-ever, God hadother plans. Shehad heard a mis-sionary talk aboutthe children inCambodia who needed so much, bothregular education as well as spiritual.That became a burden on Rose’s heart.

While in the Philippines, others alsoinfluenced Rose along the way. PatQuesenbury arrived in the islands twicefor women’s conferences. As usual, herdynamic Christian presentation andcharming personality fused with Rose’senthusiasm and they became instantfriends. Rose now considers Mrs.Quesenbury a mentor in her life. How-ever, there are probably many morebecause Rose never really meets astranger and she seems to learn some-thing from everyone she meets.

For years, Bro. James Speer trav-eled to the Philippines to help themwith their youth camp. That’s how heand Rose became acquainted. Now Roselives in the United States and consid-ers James and Barbara Speer her fam-ily. Although Rose is a student at theBMA Theological Seminary working

on her MA in ministry, she returns toCarthage to attend First BaptistChurch with the Speers every chanceshe gets. In fact, the whole church hastaken her in, as one member or anothercomes to pick her up and then returnsher to Jacksonville when she goes, be-cause Rose does not have a vehicle.

Stan and Donna Scroggins, also mis-sionaries to the Philippines, helpedRose before she came to the UnitedStates. By that time, the Moores hadretired and returned to the states. TheScroggins helped Rose get her visa.Then they helped raised the necessaryfunds that she would need in her en-deavor.

Since Rose wants to return to Cam-bodia and began a K-12 school for thechildren of the boat people, she plans toremain in the United States to com-plete her PhD in education. As part ofthat, she wants to research how to setup a Christian school and how to be anadministrator. While in Jacksonville,she has become friends with StephanieAttebery, wife of the dean at BMATS.Because she teaches in a Christianschool, Mrs. Attebery gives Rose in-sights into the world of educating stu-dents.

These are only a few of the Chris-tians who have impacted Rose duringher short life as a Christian. Noticethat many of these were not what mostof us would consider actual missionar-ies. Many more people have sent moneyand prayed for the work all over theworld. You may think you don’t have apart in anything like this; however, theBible tells us all to go and teach. We canall disciple if we do what we should.Are you a missionary?Rose loves to speak about her plans tobecome a missionary through educa-tion. She can be contacted throughBMA Theological Seminary.

Rose wants

to return to

Cambodia and

began a K-12

school for the

children of the

boat people

New Year’s Eve Sing to be held at Southeastern Baptist College

Mark Lanier

The Bibletones

There will no admission charge, but a love offering will be taken. For more information call 601.323.4400.

Bob Sellers

The Stephens

A New Years Eve Sing will be held at Southeastern Baptist College in Laurel onDecember 31, 2018. The program will begin at 7:00 pm and feature the followinggroups: The Stephens from Northport, Alabama; The Bibletones Quartet from SouthMississippi; Mark Lanier from Ball, Louisiana; and Bob Sellers from Gordo, Alabama.

8 December 2018 • Mississippi Baptist

BMA of Mississippi Pastor’s RetreatJanuary 21 - 22, 2019

Lake Tiak O’Khata — Louisville, MississippiSPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

“…exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”1 Timothy 4:7

The Registration Fee this year is $65.00 if staying in thebunkhouse. This includes the retreat, one night in the bunkhouse,and your three meals.

If you choose to reserve a hotel room, then the RegistrationFee will be $45.00 which includes the retreat and three meals.You are individually responsible for reserving and paying for yourhotel room. The number to Lake Tiak O'Khata for reservations is662-773-7853.

Registration will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon andthe retreat will conclude with lunch at 11:30 on Tuesday.More Info To Be Released Soon

January 2019Publications Department Special Emphasis

The Mississippi Baptist continues to keep our churches informedabout the work of the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi and America

- Your Support is Needed & Appreciated -

Christian Couple Prevails Against DiscriminationA Christian couple from

Idaho was handed a major vic-tory after a four-year battlethat came as a result of reli-gious discrimination.

A jury in northern Idahorecently awarded the couple— Jeremy and Kristy Morrisof Hayden — $75,000 in theirlawsuit against West HaydenStates First AdditionHomeowners Association, rul-ing the HOA illegally discrimi-nated against the pair on reli-gious grounds.

Every year, the Morrises areknown for erecting elaborateChristmas decorations, com-

plete witht w i n k l i n glights, live mu-sic and a nativ-ity scene withactors portray-ing the holyfamily.

The contro-versy firstarose, JeremyMorris told the Couer d’AlenePress, when they decided tomove to a new home in 2015.The Christian couple had beentransparent about their plansto continue their annualChristmas display, which they

called a “ministry,” but weregreeted with a letter from theHOA board, explaining whythey could no longer set uptheir holiday decor.

It should be noted the fam-ily made an extra effort to en-sure they were not in any way

violating the HOA’s rules, evenmaking special arrangementsfor parking for those who cometo see the display every year.

One of the reasons includedin the HOA’s letter, though,was the Morrises’ Christianfaith, according to Premier.

“I am somewhat hesitant inbringing up the fact that someof our residents are non-Chris-tians or of another faith,” theletter read, in part. “And I don’teven want to think of the prob-lems that could bring up.”

One neighbor, Angie Cox,claimed when she asked Jen-nifer Scott, chair of the HOA,whether the issue was reallyabout the Morrises breaking

the rules or not really wantingthe Christian family in theneighborhood, the HOA leaderreplied, “We just don’t wanthim here.”

After receiving the notice,the Morrises decided to pro-ceed with a lawsuit, claimingthey were discriminatedagainst because of their Chris-tian faith.

In response to the victory,Jeremy Morris said, “Our fam-ily will live wherever we wantto live to spread the message ofJesus Christ and the birth ofour savior. We’re looking for-ward. We’re positive. We’reexcited.”

The Dying Churchby Michael Snyder

from Prophecy News Watch Website

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018November 30, 2018November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 - Americais littered with thousands uponthousands of church buildingsthat aren't being used anymore.As you will see below, between6,000 and 10,000 churches aredying in the United States everysingle year, and that means thatmore than 100 will die this weekalone.

And of course thousands ofothers are on life support. Allover the country this weekend,

small handfuls of people willgather in huge buildings whichonce boasted very large congre-gations. At one time, Americawas widely considered to be "aChristian nation", but that re-ally isn't true anymore.

As an excellent article in TheAtlantic has noted, even thoughmost Americans still considerthemselves to be "Christian", thenumbers are telling us a verydifferent story...

Many of ournation's churches canno longer afford tomaintain their struc-tures--6,000 to10,000 churches dieeach year inAmerica--and thatnumber will likelygrow. Though morethan 70 percent of ourcitizens still claim to be Chris-tian, congregational participa-tion is less central to manyAmericans' faith than it oncewas.

Most de-n o m i n a -tions aredecliningas a shareof the over-all popula-tion, anddonationsto congre-g a t i o n shave beenfalling ford e c a d e s .M e a n -while, religiously unaffiliatedAmericans, nicknamed the"nones," are growing as a shareof the U.S. population.

In fact, the "nones" have risenfrom just 6 percent of the popu-lation in 1991 to 25 percent to-day. That makes them the singlelargest "religious group" in theUnited States.

Today, less than 20 percent ofall Americans attend church ona regular basis. As a result,churches are dying in very largenumbers, and this is a trendthat appears to be accelerating.According to Thom S. Rainer ofLifeway, when you break thenumbers down it means that"around 100-200 churches willclose this week"...

Between 6,000 and 10,000churches in the U.S. are dyingeach year. That means around100-200 churches will close thisweek. The pace will accelerateunless our congregations makesome dramatic changes.

Any institution needs re-sources in order to survive, andchurches are not any different.

As attendance has declined,so has giving, and at this pointthe percentage of charity dona-tions going to religious institu-tions is at an all-time low...

Religious institutions are stillthe single biggest recipients ofoverall charity donations, ac-cording to the 2015 survey by

the Giving USA Foundation.About 32 percent -- $119.3 bil-lion -- of a total of $373.25 billionAmericans gave to charitieswent to churches, synagogues,mosques and temples.

But that is down from about50 percent since 1990, accordingto Rick Dunham, vice chairmanof Giving USA, and the percent-age has been "in steady declinefor some time."

So when churches die, whathappens to their buildings?

Well, some are torn down,some are renovated for residen-tial or business purposes, andsome are being put to otheruses...

A large number of abandonedchurches have become wineriesor breweries or bars. Others havebeen converted into hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and Airbnbs. Afew have been transformed intoentertainment venues, such asan indoor playground for chil-dren, a laser-tag arena, or a skatepark.

A similar thing is happeningin Europe, only on a muchgreater scale. Over there, hun-dreds of churches have beentransformed into Islamicmosques, and this has gener-ated quite a bit of controversy.

We are witnessing societalchange happen at a pace thatwould have been absolutely un-thinkable a couple of genera-tions ago.

Not only didearly Ameri-cans identify

themselves asChristians, but

nearly all ofthem regularly

attendedchurch.