FA ll 2015

In This Issue

In 1 Thessalonians 5:25, the Apostle Paul solicited the church at Thessalonica to diligently pray for him and his missionary team. The preceding verse attests to God’s faithfulness to accomplish His will, “Faithful

is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” The two are distinctly linked together for the accomplishment of God’s will concerning missions.

Paul again mentions the same request to the same church family in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.” If the Apostle Paul and his missionary team needed the local church prayer support in his day, how much more do our missionaries being sent out from our churches today?

Our local church had a single male candidate, who was called to serve in Cambodia with BWM. Our leadership and the church body together acknowledged that call and our duty to support him in it. But the first need for that young man was a wife to help him in a faraway place. So I asked our people to make this a daily concerted prayer request that God would bring the right helpmeet into his life. As we prayed, believing that God was doing something when we could not see anything, God was working in the heart of a young woman and her family. She was on a short-term assignment in India with a Bible translation ministry, and she was praying for God’s will in Southeast Asia. To make a long story a bit shorter, God did it! Leigha Reed and Jason Carpenter were married and immediately hit the deputation trail to go to Cambodia with Baptist World Mission.

Now, however, this newlywed couple had the arduous task of raising financial and prayer support, which typically takes three or four years for most missionaries. It was here that I challenged our church family and instituted a focused prayer target to help that young couple to get to the field as soon as God would permit.

I asked the Carpenters to send me their church deputation itinerary, that included the date when they would be there,

More than Just Money and Meetings by Dr. David Stertzbach

3

Mission Matters: Love with Shoes On

Ready to Go/Gone

4

Itineraries

2

Setting a Benchmark

the church name and place, and the pastor of the church. I would, in turn, make a list and send that to our church family via email asking them to pray daily and diligently. I solicited them as Paul did the Thessalonian church. I asked them to pray for the church where the Carpenters were going to be and for the pastor (by name), that God would bind their hearts together and that the congregation of that church would lock on to Jason and Leigha as prayer partners and financial supporters.

Our church family got the idea, and they did it! Each week, folks would mention where “the kids” were serving that Sunday and how they were seeking God for them with that

pastor and church family. I knew they were praying by their conversations that revealed their love, care and constant prayers for them. I would often mention in the Sunday morning pastoral prayer where they were that day and ask God publicly to bind them to that church and to bind that church to Jason and Leigha.

The result of that praying church was the miracle of God. In less than a year-and-a-half of full-time deputation, their support was fully raised. Over 50% was raised in the final six months when the full prayer plan was implemented. The deacons and I were specifically praying, sincerely praying and seriously praying that God would work magnanimously. It was a joyous occasion at Jason’s recent ordination for our church family to delight in their full support! Jason said this about the all-church prayer program for them: “I noticed a very marked difference in the connection with churches and the subsequent increases in support when I started regularly sending my itinerary to my pastor and church family.”

But it did something miraculous for the church too. To see such answered prayer encouraged the church that God truly answers prayer! It uplifted us as a body of believers, and a renewed spirit of faith overflowed into virtually every area of our ministry. A rejuvenated local church was the

Continued on page 2

“My initial intent was to get that couple to the field as soon as possible, but God’s purpose was so

much greater!”

Who is friendly, reliable, kind, hardworking, remarkable, always putting forth the best

effort, helpful, loving, sacrificial, impressive, generous, valuable, motivating, principled and making a difference? Evidently, that describes a BWM missionary. No, that is not our assessment, although we would agree with it. To make such a claim would be a bit ostentatious. So what is the source of these accolades? Does this come from a missionary’s parent? Or was this submitted as one of our appointee’s letters of recommendation? Perhaps it is from a sending pastor or an observant church member? Maybe you are thinking it came from a national pastor or an appreciative convert. We are sharing it with you, because it came by way of a letter from a committed Catholic lady in Italy.

Maria Carla Maestrini is an English language teacher in Grosseto, Italy. All the above compliments come from her letter dated January 15, 2015. She explains in her letter how she developed a friendship with and appreciation for the missionaries while they served as volunteers in her school. She also writes:

“Recently I have met another [BWM] family from Alabama who have just moved here, and I can say they are loving people too. I offered to teach them some Italian and to have their kids in my school so that they can help my students with the English and my students can help them with the Italian. They accepted and we will be starting soon. I think this will be a valuable and motivating experience for everybody, and I am grateful for this opportunity given to me and to our school.”

Maria concludes:

“I am Catholic so I do not belong to your church, and this makes the whole experience even more meaningful. What I mean is that in this period in which the religious differences are causing so many problems, what is going on here is something very special that brings about an outstanding message: no matter what God you worship or what church you belong to, we can still be friends and help one another…their kindness and their good principles are a wonderful lesson to us all.”

We share this letter, because it demonstrates the testimony missionaries should have within their communities and underscores a principle of missions; accepting the missionary is usually a prerequisite to accepting his message. Assimilation viewed only as a tool is mere mimicry. Only the deepest level of identification with a culture will yield this level of acceptance. This full embrace of culture is rooted in genuine love, tireless commitment and intelligent mastery of language and culture. In a sense, it is becoming Italian. As Paul wrote, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b). We say, “Bravo!” (Ben fatto!) to our four BWM missionary families in Italy. Your testimony is bearing much fruit on your field and is a benchmark for our entire BWM missionary family. God be praised for the evidence of His grace working in and through you!

Setting a Benchmark

result. My initial intent was to get that couple to the field as soon as possible, but God’s purpose was so much greater!

When Dr. Kevin Brosnan asked me to write this article for the encouragement of other sending churches, I was tentative that it might come across as braggadocious. As you can see, it is anything but that. It is simply a church doing what Paul asked the Thessalonian church to do for him and then God answering prayer amazingly as He promises He will do.

Getting our missionaries to the field is about more than just money and meetings. Yes, Jason was supremely diligent about calling and setting up services in churches. If a

missionary is not doing that rudimentary work, it will cripple the faithful prayers of the local church, but when the missionary is doing his due diligence and the local church family is praying earnestly for God’s direct hand, there is no telling what amazing and miraculous things the Lord will do!

BWM’s Deputation Director Dr. David Canedy wrote an excellent article titled “The Miracle of Deputation” for the last issue of The Messenger. We present this companion article by Dr. Stertzbach as a demonstration of the miracle of deputation from the perspective of a pastor and his congregation. Dr. David Stertzbach pastors Bethel Baptist Church of Tucson, Arizona. He also serves on the Board of Baptist World Mission.

More than Just Money and Meetings (cont.)

Christmas GiftsThe safest way to send monetary gifts to missionaries is through the BWM home office. Donations marked as “Christmas gift” are non-taxable to the missionary,

but are not tax-deductible for the donor. BWM will issue a receipt for Christmas

gifts—but not a tax receipt. Donors who wish to send tax-deductible gifts

should designate their gift as “missionary name - additional support.” Christmas gifts should be received no later than

November 30, to ensure the missionaries receive them by Christmas.

Mission Matters: love with Shoes Onby Dr. Bud Steadman

Dr. Darrell Champlin entered the presence of his Lord on Wednesday afternoon, August 26, 2015. When I received

the news from his son, BWM missionary Ethan Champlin, I took a moment to thank the Lord for the life and impact of this man of God and his dear wife Louise.

I first met Dr. and Mrs. Champlin when I was a youth pastor in North Carolina 30 years ago. While visiting our church to report on the work in Suriname, Darrell took the time to get to know me, encourage me and begin an investment in my life that has paid spiritual dividends in my pastoral and mission ministry.

In 1954, the Champlins answered the call of God. They, with their new baby David, went to the Belgian Congo, Africa, where they served for ten years in the primitive heart of the country. Describing themselves as “jungle rats,” they saw God do a great work in establishing 13 churches and 7 Christian schools. Thirty-six national preachers were trained under their ministry.

During the 1964 Simba rebellion, the Champlins were evacuated from the Belgian Congo, having witnessed the burning of their churches and schools. Twenty preachers were murdered, and hundreds of national Christians were massacred.

With the door to the Congo closed, Darrell, Louise and their growing family followed the Lord’s direction in 1965 to Suriname, South America, where they have served since. During

the past 50 years, the Lord has established 9 churches, 11 chapels, a Bible institute, 2 clinics and many evangelistic outreaches in villages and towns over a 150-mile area.

I have been privileged to be a supporting pastor of the Champlins over much of the past 30 years, as well as serving for a time with Darrell on a mission board.

Perhaps Dr. Champlin is most widely known in the United States for his sermon, “Love with Shoes On.” In that moving message, he tells stories of missionary sacrifice, including the account of a challenge given to him by a witch doctor in the Cottica River village of Ricanau Moffo. The challenge was accepted; God wrought a

great victory, and a church stands in the village today (it was my privilege to visit the site in 2008). An audio recording of his sermon is on the BWM website (http://bit.ly/1TXHDdE).

Today Darrell walks heaven’s shore with the same love for Christ that he demonstrated when he walked the shores of the Cottica. Louise continues her faithful service to Christ in the jungle town of Moengo, Suriname.

Missions really is love with shoes on! May the Lord help each of us to walk the path of faithfulness to Him.

Ready to GoThese missionaries have almost reached 100% support. They are READY TO GO! Perhaps the Lord of the Harvest will enable you or your church to help get them to their fields of service. Contact them today!

Gone!Jason & Leigha Carpenter (Cambodia)The Carpenters have reached an incredible 108% support and have arrived on the field.

Mike & Sarah Frueh (Hungary)mfrueh@baptistworldmission.org The Fruehs plan to leave October 16.

Don & Jill Vanderhoof (Germany)dvanderhoof@baptistworldmission.org 81%

108%

94%

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Phone (256) 353-2221office@baptistworldmission.org

Canada OfficePO Box 51Milton ON L9T 2Y3Phone (905) 876-9936bwmission@bellnet.ca

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Itineraries

Steve AndersonSeptember 1 – October 6Calvary Bible Baptist Church Cape Town, South Africa

October 21–25Kingsway Baptist Church Ringgold, LA

Kevin Brosnan September 20Bible Baptist Church Hampton, GA

October 9Falls Baptist Church Menomonee Falls, WI

David Canedy September 9–24Kenya

October 4Community Baptist Church Hixson, TN

October 19–22Bob Jones University

October 25Valleyview Baptist Church Northampton, PA

October 26–28Appalachian Bible College

November 2–6Ambassador Baptist College

November 9–10Baptist College of Ministry

November 10–11Maranatha Baptist University

Pat DelaneySeptember 20Marshall Baptist Church Winston Salem, NC

September 21–23Grace Baptist Bible College

October 11Grace Baptist Church Coatesville, IN

October 21–25Calvary Baptist Church Ottawa, KS

October 28Olathe View Baptist Church Olathe, KS

Jesse GarzaNo meetings scheduled

Bud SteadmanSeptember 16Lighthouse Baptist Church, South Bend, IN

September 19–20Mt. Tabor Baptist Church, Lebanon, IN

September 27Morningside Baptist Church, Greenville, SC (PM)

October 3–4Bethel Baptist Fellowship Brooklyn, NY

October 7–9Grace Baptist Bible College Winston Salem, NC

October 11Crosspointe Baptist Church Indianapolis, IN (PM)

October 18Northside Baptist Church Charleston, SC

October 20–23Bob Jones University Block Class

October 24–28Grace Baptist Church Kettering, Ohio

October 30–31 Wilds Board Meeting Deering, NH

November 1Mountain View Bible Church Dublin, NH (AM)

November 8–10Catawba Springs Christian Church Apex, NC

November 11–15Woodcrest Baptist Church Fridley, MN

November 30Appalachian Bible College

This publication is available at baptistworldmission.org.

All administrators will be attending the BWM Annual Meeting from October 12–14, 2015, at Crosspointe Baptist Church, Indianapolis, IN.

Schedule an Administrator or Director at Your Church!BWM administrators and directors offer a wonderful blend of passionate preaching and current field experiences. Please contact the mission if you would like to schedule any of these men for your next conference.