ohio baptist messenger

Ohio Mission Round tableTelling The STory of god

For we cannot but speak the things

which we have seen and heard.

~ Acts 4:20

OhiO Baptist MessengerPublication of the state convention of baPtists in ohio

February 2013 | Volume 61 No. 1

INSIDE: sunday school events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 3bbb Project schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6vbsi training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7Women’s Ministries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 8-9Press toward The Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

ROYAL AMBASSADOR

CONGRESSP.12

Ohio Women, God is

Calling P.8 P.5

See page 4 for Momentum letter and Conference Schedule.

What comes to mind when you see this logo and read the words, “The Next Factor”? Does your mind drift to-ward the thought of another project, or perhaps another program? Do you fear this is just ‘another something’ to be pushed your way? Rest assured, The Next Factor is none of those things.

Turn to page 2 to get the story.

To read more, turn to page 4.

| Ohio Baptist Messenger | February 2013

Jack Kwok, Ohio State Convention Executive Director-Treasurer, Editor; Linnett Snodgrass, Administrative Assistant; Spangler Production & Design, Publication Layout. Published every other month for members of Southern Baptist churches in Ohio. Subscriptions provided out of each church’s Cooperative Program gifts. Member of Baptist Press, news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Ohio Baptist Messenger (ISSN 0472-7096) is published every other month by the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio; 9000 Antares Avenue; Columbus, Ohio 43240-2011. Periodicals Postage Paid at Columbus, Ohio. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Ohio Baptist Messenger; 9000 Antares Avenue; Columbus, Ohio 43240-2011.

By Duane Floro

“telling the story of God” acts 4:20 – “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard .” is our theme for this year’s Mission Roundtable Gathering to be held at first baptist church, Grove city on february 23rd, from 9 a .m . un-til 4:30 p .m . You will leave from this gathering with usable resources to aid you and your church to be on mission both locally and globally . The testimo-nies and breakout sessions are geared in practical ways to develop or enhance the mission strategies of your associa-tion and church . if you were with us last year, you already know . We hope you will be back this year and bring others with you . What can you expect? You will hear testimonies from church planters, ministries, missionaries, and leaders who are the pulse of the world around us . You will find ways to enhance your church’s mission ministries . as we close, Dr . Jack Kwok will wrap up our day with a challenge to send us out to the opportunities before us . Who is it for? The ohio Mission Roundtable is for you, your association-al leadership, pastors, mission leaders, teams conducting mission trips, and those who have questions about where they might plug in to missions . What will take place? We will be-gin with registration at 9 a .m . We will

gather for worship, testimonies, a word from Mark Morris with the interna-tional Mission board . lunch will be provided . following lunch we will be-gin the breakout sessions . We will close with testimonies and a challenge from Dr . Jack Kwok, our executive Director-treasurer for the state convention of baptists in ohio . We are following the “next factor” state strategy for our breakouts . here is our list of breakout sessions and who will be leading:

Session 1 – “Presenting Christ” EvangeCube – larry Randolph: The evangecube is a unique tool that one can use to share the message of the gospel . larry will demonstrate the ev-angecube . also, provide various ways to use the evangecube in everyday op-portunities . Soularium – brian frye: soularium has been used on several of our colleges and universities across ohio . it is a sim-ple way to allow spiritual discussions to occur . brian will explain the soularium evangelism resource to open opportuni-ties to share christ in various situations . Sports Evangelism – Jack helton: sports are big everywhere . how can sports camps, events, and personalities be used to share christ? Jack will pres-ent ways to use popular sports venues to open doors to those who need to know Jesus .

One Hour Evangelism – sam Kel-ley & al banner: This training will aid those looking for a simple understand-ing of what scriptures and steps to fol-low to share your faith with others . sam and al will provide evangelism resourc-es to share christ with clarity . Servant Evangelism/ Block Parties/ Community Outreach – Wendy ham-mock: churches have found great success using event evangelism community proj-ects . Wendy has much experience work-ing with block party events to open the door for churches to share their faith with the community around them . Wendy will provide an overview on how you and your church can minister to your community and open doors to share christ . Cultural Evangelism – cathy Pound: The nations have come to ohio . God is trusting ohio baptists to share his story with them . how? Where? When? Join cathy to discover tools recently cre-ated to answer these questions . begin the awesome adventure during this session through a powerful prayer preparation . IMB – Mark Morris: need to step back and get a “global” view of the Great commission? Mark will share how we as southern baptist are sharing the message of Jesus with the world .

Session 2 – “Promote Church Growth” Small Groups/Infinity Groups – Dwayne lee: are you looking to start a small group? Whether it’s a small group bible study through your church or you want to start a group to reach your neighbors, Dwayne will walk you through the steps of starting and sus-taining a small group ministry . Men’s Discipleship – Duane floro: are you and your men ready to take your men’s ministry to the next level? Where do you start? What tools are available? What do you want to see hap-pen? Duane will share the many won-derful ways for men to be on mission for christ . Women’s Mentoring – lisa bannis-ter: churches with intentional disciple-ship grow significantly . lisa, a naMb missionary and student working on a Masters degree in Women’s Ministry has spent many years mentoring Pas-tors wives, church planters wives, and any other women God brings her way . lisa has built a team and developed a mentoring process for ohio . attend this session to be inspired, informed and equipped to involve women in your

Ohio Mission Round table

Telling The STory of god

OHIO ~ Continued on Page 10

February 2013 | Ohio Baptist Messenger |

GIVE 365 SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE for the first time in u .s . history, student loan debt has sur-passed $1 trillion . This amount is larger than our current national credit card debt . in addition, tuition at colleges and universities has been on the rise for more than 15 years . in fact, college tu-ition has risen 4x faster than the rate of inflation during that time . economists predict that this rise in student loan debt could soon become a major economic crisis in america . Why? because college graduates are the fastest growing segment of the ameri-can population filing bankruptcy . in addition, many families are strapped with debt that is a direct result of assisting their children with multiple years of paying high tuition bills . Therefore, in an effort to assist college students with the ris-ing costs of undertaking a college education, the ohio baptist foundation is launching the Give 365 scholarship initiative . This scholarship initiative is designed to accomplish two simple objec-tives . first, to increase the number of scholarships we can award . second, to ask individuals and churches to invest a portion of their assets to help reduce education costs for ohio baptist stu-dents . in 2013, would you consider giving $10, $20, $50, $100, $250, or even $500 to the ohio baptist foundation scholarship fund? or better yet, would you consider creating an endowed schol-arship fund that would assist college students today and in the future? after all, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste” (uncf) .

Jack helton Director, The Ohio Baptist Foundation

Coaching, training & resources delivered when you need them.A way to resource your development as a leader.

SPECIAL!SCBO DISCOUNTLIMITED TIME$595(Local Church Annual Membership)

IMPACT AND RESOURCEEVERY LEADER IN

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The State Conventionof Baptists in Ohio

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For More InformationContact Steve Hopkins [email protected]

www.leaderbreakthru.com/lbu

SEEKING STAFF

have you ever had the experience of discovering a need for training in your ministry, only to find out that the training event was held two weeks ago? or you have a potential leader in your church who cannot take the time off from work to attend the conference that would take his or her ministry to the next level? These frustrating situations can be resolved by using Mis-sion ohio e-quip to get the training for your ministry needs . This online training tool is available for free, 24/7; anywhere you have web access at missionohio .e-quip .net . There are over 430 different presentations available in the e-quip database, 137 of these presentations contributed by Mission ohio . Presentations are categorized by church Planting, Disci-pleship, evangelism, leadership, Prayer and spiritual Renewal, student Ministry, sunday school and small Groups, Women’s Ministry, and Worship .

Some recently added presentations include the following:• Peacemaker Seminar – Rick shoemaker• Praying Through Scriptures – Don Whitney• Fresh Ideas for Women’s Ministry – Diana Davis• The Missionary Sunday School: 12 Trends – Thom Rainer• Becoming a Disciplemaker – hamish buntain & Paul Johnson

if you have any questions about this resource please contact steve hopkins at 614-827-1820 or stevehopkins@scbo .org .

MissionOhio.E-Quip.netAn Online Learning Community

Seeking Worship LeaderCalvary Baptist Church of Middletown, Ohio is seeking

a part-time bi-vocational worship leader. Prefer to be able to play piano/keyboard. Interested parties may email

[email protected] or call (937) 302-6697.


TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2013DOORS OPEN AT 9:00 AM

SESSION ONE: 9:30 am – 11:30 amOpeningPraise and WorshipPreaching Session 1 – David UthBaptism and OfferingPreaching Session 2 – Phil HotsenpillerAnnouncementsLunch (on your own)

Ladies Luncheon and Conference: Noon – 3:00 pm @ Genoa Baptist Church with Tammy Hotsenpiller. “Becoming A Woman Of Influence.”

SESSION TWO: 1:15 pm – 5:45 pmOpeningPraise and WorshipPreaching Session 3 – Tony Merida

Breakout Session 1Preaching and Contextualization: Tony MeridaKingdom Leverage Points: Phil HotsenpillerChurch Planting That Grows: Matt Pardi and Rob Warren

Authentic Manhood: Rick Caldwell and Tierce Green

Breakout Session 2 Engage 24: Matt Pardi and Rob WarrenTransformational Discipleship: Phil HotsenpillerAuthentic Manhood: Rick Caldwell and Tierce GreenVideo Story Telling: Shane TuckerLogos 5.0 Bible Software

Praise and WorshipPersonal Testimony: Ken BevelPreaching Session 4 – Michael CattClosing Comments

The next factor initiative was birthed during a retreat . What began as a seedling con-cept for one of our resource groups within the state con-vention of baptists in ohio (scbo) to consider; devel-oped into an initiative the en-tire scbo staff embraced with excitement and enthusiasm . The purpose of The next factor is to stRenGthen our churches throughout ohio in the following areas: The next factor directive is taken from acts 15:40-41, “…being commended by the brethren, they went through all the region strengthening the churches .”

Dear Pastor,

I wanted to take this opportunity to personally invite you, your staff, and your church membership to the 2013 Momentum Conference on Tuesday, March 19 at Lifepoint Church, Columbus, Ohio. Momentum 2013 will emphasize obeying the Great Com-mission by Presenting Christ, Promoting Growth, and Planting Churches. I am excited about the conference speakers, worship leaders, and workshop sessions. I know that attending the con-ference will be a rewarding experience for you spiritually and so-cially. We again will be giving away FREE ministry resources and some great ministry aides (I-Pad, I-Pod, Kindle Fire, LCD TV, etc). Feel free to contact me, ([email protected] or 614-309-9738), or my Administrative Assistant ([email protected] or 614-827-1783) with any questions you have. Also, as part of Mo-mentum, don’t forget about the Ladies Luncheon and workshop at Genoa Baptist Church. For complete Momentum details go to www.momentumconference2013.com. I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

There Is Victory In Jesus, Jack Helton Evangelism Resource Group Leader

During the state conven-tion of baptist in ohio (scbo) 2012 annual meeting in no-vember, the bible teaching and leadership Resource Group un-veiled a new challenge for our churches in ohio—to start new groups . The challenge is simple . start new sunday school groups, small groups, home groups, etc . The basic challenge is for every southern baptist convention (sbc) church in ohio to start one neW group in 2013 . There are 748 sbc churches in ohio, and on the national average, every new group gath-ers at least ten (10) new people . That would equate to 7480 new people in our congregations by the end of year 2013 . i am confident that each one of our churches would like to be a part of that type of growth . however, i would like to kick it up a notch . instead of each

church starting one new group, i propose that you start one new group for every 100 people you have in attendance . Therefore, if you are averaging 200 in atten-dance that would equal two new groups; 300 in attendance equal three new groups; and so on . only God knows the impact we could make on ohio with this kind of growth . Many of you may be ask-ing yourself, “Why do we need new groups?” The real question is, “Why not?” The concept of ‘new’ allows for new life, new excitement, new opportunities, new leaders, and new faces . i encourage those who struggle with this challenge, to Just Do it . some may criticize; do it any-way . some may resist change, new ideas or different surround-ings; do it anyway! i heard the story of a man wearing a t-shirt that promoted a certain political movement .

When asked how the movement was going he said, “i don’t really know i just like the t-shirt .” We are not looking for another pro-gram or process . We are look-ing for churches committed to starting a movement . a com-mitment of new groups will take more than just wearing a t-shirt . it will take work, persistence, and patience . commit to the challenge . We are available to help you get started . visit the scbo website at www .scbo .org/new groups to find a list of resources that will help you understand the new groups challenge . if you would like more information, feel free to contact Dwayne lee at 614-827-1824 .

in his service,Dwayne leeBible Teaching / Leadership Resource Group

The Next Factor NEW Groups Challenge

utilizing specific resourc-es, trainings and personnel scbo can assist you to equip your church to make an im-pact for the cause of christ . as the lord gives opportunity for partnership, we will do ev-erything possible to help you design and implement a cus-tomized plan for your church . if there is ever a time for our churches to be more stra-tegic and intentional about what we do, it is today . God has given us the means by which we can collaboratively work together to make your church a next factor church . The next factor initia-tive details can be found on our website at www .scbo .org . You will find a list of the spe-cific resources, trainings, and personnel that can help you get started on your next fac-tor journey . if you would like to speak to any of our state convention staff about specific ideas or thoughts, feel free to call our office at 614-258-8491 .

MOMENTUM 2013 SCHEDULE


by brian frye

scott & Katy townley left oklahoma bound for gradu-ate studies at bowling Green state university (bGsu) in June 2009 . two years and two degrees later they found them-selves raising support to join h2o church, an sbc collegiate church gathering on campus at bGsu . at the state convention of baptists annual Meeting last november, scott and Katy took time to share about their story and ministry, and specifically why such a highly educated, “big dreams and careers ahead” kind of couple chose to do sup-port-based collegiate ministry . several folks asked to hear more about the townley’s, so the ohio baptist Messen-ger recently interviewed scott and Katy to learn about the blessings and challenges of their “support-based collegiate church” journey . We asked them five pensive questions, and here’s how they answered: OBM Question #1: How did you get involved in h2o Church at Bowling Green State? Katy’s Answer: We stumbled across an h2o church flyer around the beginning of octo-ber of our first semester in grad-uate school . We were homesick and struggling to find a church home . all it took was one sun-day and we were hooked! ev-eryone was so friendly and one of the pastors invited us to his small group . We felt loved, ac-

cepted, and challenged in our christian walk . OBM Question #2: “For some, the idea of a ‘college church’ is something new. What does it look like for h2o to “do church” with college students?” Scott’s Answer: it looks and functions just like a communi-ty church with the main differ-ence being that we don’t have our own building and most of our regular attenders are be-tween the ages of 18 and 28 . We have a weekly worship service on sunday mornings and 14 small groups of 15-30 people each that meet on Thursday nights . We provide commu-nity, discipleship opportuni-ties, mission trips, evangelism training, and really strive to show students how to live out their faith .

OBM Question #3: “You two both have graduate degrees from BGSU. Why did you decide to go on staff with h2o instead of getting jobs in your graduate-related fields?” Scott’s Answer: it took us almost an entire year to completely surrender to God’s calling on our lives . he started asking us to give up our plans and join the h2o staff team during our 2nd semester of graduate school . it was a dif-

ficult decision and we counted the cost . The hardest part was staying in ohio as our origi-nal plan was to move back to oklahoma after grad school to pursue careers and live closer to our families . ultimately, we decided to go on staff because we believed God’s plans and calling for our lives would be worth whatever we had to give up . any other choice would have been less than God’s best for our lives . OBM Question #4: “Where does the financial support come from for you two to do college ministry at Bowling Green?” Katy’s answer: We have 105 fi-nancial partners mostly from oklahoma but also from ohio, louisiana, texas, and Maine and over 300 prayer partners from all over . each person or group gives at varying amounts and frequencies . We spent a year sharing about our ministry with

all of these people and asked them to partner with us in this ministry . Without their faithful giving, we would not be able to be in the ministry God called us to at h2o church . This is an ongoing process that never re-ally ends . We were able to meet our initial goal but still spend time each month to maintain our partnerships and form new ones . OBM Question #5: “What advice would you give to those considering support raising to work with college students?” Scott & Katy together: first, pray a lot and be sure to count the cost . support rais-ing is hard and it is rigorous . in many ways, it goes against the “american idea” of how to make a living, and it feels like satan does everything in his power to discourage you on your journey . attend support school and read as much mate-rial as you can on the best prac-tices when raising support . be committed to at least a year of full-time support raising (which will require ample money in savings to live on) . finally, ex-pect God to do great things! it is a very humbling process in which God will refine your weak qualities and show you how much you need his pro-vision . in the end, it was the hardest and yet most rewarding year of our lives so far! OBM Team: “Thanks for the interview, scott & Katy . We are excited to see how God works in and through you through this incredible minis-try venture at bowling Green!” to learn more about scott & Katy townley’s ministry or to connect students with the h2o church ministry at bowl-ing Green state university, connect with them via email, blog, website below .

scott & Katy townleynaMb Mission service corps Missionaries, bGsu

Doing “Church” at Bowling Green StateScott & Katy Townly, Support-Raising Collegiate Missionaries

h2o Bowling Green Church Staff

Scott & Katy Townley at SCBO Annual Meeting.

Visit Our Blog: www .scottandkaty .wordpress .comemail: scott .katy .townley@gmail .comwebsite: www .h2ochurch .com | twitter: @scott_townley


View www.scbo.org for additional Ohio Baptist Messenger news items.

Camp Grace Mission Project Jan. 7 – 18, 20132559 Walker Chapel Rd. Children’s Youth CampRoberta, Ga. 31070 Building Projects Hope Children’s Home Feb. 18 – Mar. 1, 201311414 Hope International Dr. Children’s HomeTampa, Fla. 33625 Various Camp Projects Seneca Lake Baptist Camp May 6 – 10, 201355819 Skyline Dr. Prepare Camp for summerSenecaville, Oh. 43780 Various Camp Projects Springdale Baptist Church May 24 – 27, 201311494 Walnut St. Interior RemodelSpringdale, Oh. 45246 FBC Farmersville 1st Group – Groveport – June 7 – 14, 2013334 North Elm St. 2nd Group – Tennessee – June 21– 28, 2013 Farmersville, Oh. 45325 Build New Addition FBC Circleville 1st Group – Ohio BBB – June 7 – 22, 20131540 North Court St 2nd Group – Ky. Build. – June 14 – 22, 2013Circleville, Oh. 43113 Build New Addition If God leads you to work with the Buckeye Baptist Builders on any or all of the build projects listed above call or e-mail. Meals provided, lodging available if needed on each project. Ray Morris / State CoordinatorBuckeye Baptist [email protected] We may be adding additional projects as churches make requests of the Buckeye Baptist Builders.

March8-9, 2013

Violet BC

By Bruce Smith

Premature birth, disabili-ties, and family struggles left bill Reid living a life of bitter-ness and anger . his lack of self-control led a judge to place the teenage billy in the columbus state school for 8 years . but re-lease from institutional life gave him time to look for trouble . While others had attempt-ed to tell billy about salvation, it was a visit from Pastor harold smith, then pastor of Westside baptist church in columbus,

that brought billy to a realiza-tion that God loved him . even if he were the only person on earth, Jesus would give his life for billy . from the moment at age 28 billy accepted the love of christ, the hate and frustration that had been building inside for years suddenly left . While life still had its ups and downs, billy grew as a disciple . in his places of em-ployment, including 17 years at the baptist book store, and whenever opportunity came, he faithfully shared the good

news about Jesus . for the past 29 years he has been a faithful member of briggs Road baptist church in columbus . nolan Phillips, a retired pastor who served university baptist church, Middletown, ohio, heard the testimony of bill Reid over 30 years ago . Re-cently, he recorded the story of bill Reid in a biography titled Call Me Bill!, published by West bow Press . bill Reid can be reached by phone at 614-274-6945 .

The Bill Reid Story: Transformed from Bitterness

2013 Buckeye Baptist Builders Project

Schedule


in January 2013, the blue Ridge Mountains and Ridgecrest north carolina was the place for vbs training for our ohio team . lifeWay trains state teams from all over the country who will return to their states and train around 80,000 workers for vaca-tion bible school this year . We took 13 team members on our trip and went to over 50 classes that we will bring back to the buckeye state for vbsi ohio and our regional clinics . The new music is awesome and the children’s choir from a small church in tennes-see brought a great musical performance . We had fun getting dressed up in amusement park costumes . The expo with hands on crafts and fresh popped popcorn was a blast . ohio is pretty unique when it comes to training because of our statewide vbs institute . for only $10 per person you can bring your whole team to get great tools for a colossal evangelistic event . We are already getting prepared so we can have another awesome year of vbs! Get your team together and plan on at-tending one of the trainings that we offer throughout the state .

VBS Motto: facing fear! trusting God!

VBS Scripture: 2 timothy 1:7For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. (hcsb®)

Colossal Coaster World™ colossal coaster World will challenge kids to face their fears and trust God as they zip along the roller coaster of life . Through every twist, turn, and dive kids will learn that God has not given them a spirit of fearfulness, but a spirit of power, love, and sound judgment . at the end of the week, kids will want to do it all over again!

Why choose LifeWay’s VBS? Reaching out with lifeWay’s vbs, you can rest assured that all aspects of your vbs will include age-appropriate outreach . Your church will have the opportunity to cultivate and establish ongoing re-lationships with all who attend . on average, 10% of kids who attend vbs are unchurched . for the aver-age vbs, 10% equals 10 people . Would discovering 10 un-churched people, and starting a relationship with them, be a big deal for your church?

Learning about God everything that happens during vbs grows out of the biblical content . Kids can connect to God’s Word in a creative setting where the gospel message can speak into their hearts .

Having Fun vbs is exciting! colossal coaster World vbs is flexible to meet your individual church’s needs . The new vbs 2013 backyard Kids club can even help you take your event out of the church and into the com-munity or onto the mission field .

for more information go to www .scbo .org/vbs and find all the dates and locations near you .

VBSI Training

VBS team: From Bottom to top Debbra Saffo, Jean Hall, Amanda Mishne, Pat Boggess, Lori Wilson, Wendy Hammock, Char-lotte Barbo, Catherine Boulder, Rachel Carter, Ryan Morris, Dan Duffy, Dwayne Lee, and Anthony Smith.

Above: Ohio Team Ridgecrest Vacation Bible School Institute 2013; Right: Crafts with Wendy and Lori.


Women’s Missions & Ministries

By Cathy Pound

Genesis records God’s call to abraham to be a blessing and his promise to bless . Through

Jesus’ sacrifice all peoples are called to be reconciled to God and his promise of

eternal life . The holy spirit calls from within our soul to continue dying to self and living in his promise of love .in acts 1:8 the call to all believers

is very specific: Receive the holy spirit and be his witness to all peoples . because the be-

lievers only witnessed in Jerusalem, by acts 8:1 a severe persecution was used to scatter the believ-

ers to all nations . according to ohio baptist history, our first church plants began in the

late 40’s and early 50’s . During the past, short sixty some years God has done an amazing work . he has brought all the peoples of the world to ohio . ohio baptists are so blessed to have an op-portunity to obey the acts 1:8 calling without leaving ohio . next factor Missions education tools include Three hour, Day long, Weekend and Week long mission opportunities to witness to the nations in ohio . for the present these opportunities are in columbus . april 27th during the 2013 beautiful feet experi-ence, northwest ohio will be added . other Metropolitan statis-tic areas (Msas), like akron, cincinnati, cleveland, Dayton and Youngstown will be added to the scbo website during the year . What an unique opportunity for ohio baptists to pray for, interact with and as the holy spirit leads build relationships that result in church plants for all the peoples of the world right here in ohio . Praise Jesus! for more information search scbo .org for Reach the nations or contact Women’s Missions and Ministries, amandaMishne@scbo .org or call 614 .827 .1814 .

Grace nepali baptist church in cincinnati received an early christmas present; The baptist association of Greater cincinnati association Missionary Dennis holmes delivered a much needed van to the church on sunday De-cember 16th . The van was donated by new friendship baptist church in auburn, Kentucky . Pastor Raj Ghimire of Grace nepali and the whole congregation were surprised and overjoyed to receive a gift that was truly an answer to prayer . Pastor barry Raley of new friendship met Pastor Raj on a vision trip and immedi-ately new friendship began to pray about how they could help this new church plant that has grown to over seventy mem-bers . Pastor Raj shared with Pastor barry that each sunday he and another member made five or more trips to get ev-eryone to church services and then returned them to their homes after services . a church van was much needed . Pastor barry prayed with Pastor Raj that God would meet the need and then began to put feet to his prayers by returning home to auburn, KY and asking his

congregation to pray about helping Grace nepali church . new friendship decided to donate their church van to the Grace nepali church . They also had it detailed with the church’s name . christmas came early for this wonderful congregation as God answered their prayers . to see Grace na-pali church’s first look at their new van, search “Grace napali church new van 2” on you-tube .com~ Oliver Hawkins

in 2011, Pastor bedanidhi (Pastor beda) Kadariya, pas-tor of the immanuel bhuta-

nese nepali baptist church in columbus, had a meeting with Dr . Rich halcombe, Director of Missions for the Metro co-lumbus baptist association, and Pastor Jim Dreisbach, sha-ron Woods baptist church . sWbc is the host church for this nepali fellowship . These men prayed and discussed the needs of the newly formed, but quickly growing church in columbus . The highest pri-ority need was transportation for those attending the weekly church services . The servic-es were being held at sharon Woods baptist church, ap-proximately three miles from

the apartments where most of the nepali people live . at the time of that initial meet-ing, several members of the church, including Pastor beda, were making up to six trips from apartments to the church to transport people back and forth to the church service . The churches began to pray for God to provide trans-portation, and Dr . Rich began to make the need known to other churches in the colum-bus area . in the fall of 2012, thanks to generous donations from the north american Mis-sions board, the state baptist convention of ohio, Metro

columbus baptist association, Jersey baptist church, and Dublin baptist church, sha-ron Woods baptist church was able to purchase a 15-passenger church van . The newly formed transportation Ministry of sharon Woods baptist church now averages four round trips at full capacity to the nepali service each sunday . God continues to grow the nepali church in columbus, and we are grateful for his pro-vision through the cooperation of sbc churches!

~ Jim Dreisbach

Answered Prayer 2012 State Mission OfferingOhio Baptists, Nepali congregations in Cincinnati and Columbus are thankful for God’s blessing and His amazing answer to your prayers.

Ohio Women, God is CallingShout Out for Women

In 2013 Women’s Missions and Ministries challenges you to: A – Adopt a Church Planter’s Wife to pray for, encourage and bless. B – Befriend women in specific affinity groups like soccer moms, moms of the incarcerated and/or victims of human trafficking. C – Connect with your associa-tion mission by joining a prayer team.


Training for new volunteers Friday and Saturday Cross-training for current volunteers on Saturday DR clothing sales DR Badges will be issued or updated as needed Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age (21 years of age for Child Care unit)

*Serving in Southern Baptist Disaster Relief requires membership at an Ohio Southern Baptist Church

CPR Training will be available for those already trained in Disaster Re-lief. This requires pre-registration at a cost of $ 20.00 per person for the CPR class only!

To Learn More contact Ministry Evangelism Assistant Sam Kelley: (614)309-9751 [email protected]

Friday 6:00 PM Registration 6:30-9:30 PM “Involving Southern Baptists in Disaster Relief” Saturday 7:15 AM Continental Breakfast 8:00 AM Unit Training 12:00 PM Lunch Provided by DR Food Service 12:30 PM Evangelism Training 3:00 PM Dismissed Background check information will be requested during this session. All volunteers must have a background check performed. “...Giving a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name” from Matt: 10:42

OOHIOHIO SSOUTHERNOUTHERN BBAPTISTAPTIST DDISASTERISASTER RRELIEFELIEF

UNIT TRAINING* IN

● CHILD CARE

● CHAIN SAW

● FOOD SERVICE

● MUD OUT

● SHOWER/LAUNDRY

Training Fees $35/person $50/couple

Volunteer and Trainer sleeping rooms are available in the church Friday night.

Bring a bed roll and personal items. Disaster Relief is a ministry of the SOUTHERN BAPTIST COOPERATIVE PROGRAM and RAY ROBERTS STATE MISSION OFFERING

May 3 & 4, 2013 May 10 & 11, 2013 Nov. 15 & 16, 2013 Genoa Baptist Church First Baptist Church Liberty Heights BC 7562 Lewis Center Road 590 W. South Boundary St 7904 Princeton Road Westerville, Oh 43082 Perrysburg, Oh 43551 Liberty Township, Oh

Women’s Missions & MinistriesUpcoming Events

Join Us On Facebook! OWN-Ohio Women’s Network

Date EventFebruary 11-17 Focus on WMU WeekFebruary 16 Children’s Ministry DayFebruary 23 Ohio Missions Roundtable

March 2 Southeast Spring RetreatMarch 3-10 Annie Armstrong Offering Week of Prayer for North American MissionariesMarch 16 Southwest Spring RetreatMarch 19 Momentum Ladies Luncheon

April 19-20 RA CongressApril 27 Beautiful Feet

May 4 Metro Columbus Spring RetreatMay 17-18 SLBA Spring RetreatMay 18 Northwest Adventure

June 10-14 Kids Kamp 1June 17-21 Kids Kamp 2June 24-28 Sports Camp (NEW)

July 29-August 2 Kids Kamp 3

August 5-9 Missions Camp

September 20-21 Fall Retreat & Mission CelebrationSeptember 15-22 Ray Roberts – State Missions Offering Week of Prayer for Ohio Missionaries

October 11-12 Mother Daughter Retreat

November 7 Pastors’ Wives Luncheon

December 1-8 Lottie Moon Offering Week of Prayer for International Missionaries

2013CHAPLAINCY TRAINING

March 8 (6pm) thru March 9 (8 am—3 pm)

State Convention Office9000 Antares Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43240

Bring your gear and sleep in the office! Or ask for a list of local motels

Pre-registration Required: cost $ 40 .00includes: snacks, sat . breakfast & lunch, materials

To Register Contact: al banner, DR chaplain coordinator

(937) 885—7872 or email: albanner@cbceng .com

This training is for men and women who desire to serve as a Disaster Relief chaplain . This is one step in the process that takes approximately one year and includes other required train-ing in one of the DR Ministries, including food service, child care, chain saw, shower unit, and Mud-out . Operation Stress First Aid (OSFA) is also required and will be provided at a nominal cost April 12 – 13, 2013. You must also provide reference letters and complete a naMb questionnaire .


By Brian Frye

in october 1986, andy and lisa Weems came to ohio from the south following a call to campus ministry . They planned to stay for a two year commitment with the home Mission board as Mission ser-vice corp . (Msc) missionaries . God had a more extended stay in mind . two years turned into

five in hamilton, oh, and then in 1991, andy accepted the role of metro collegiate director in akron, oh . seven years later (1998), the Weems tribe moved back to southern ohio to work with the colleges and churches of the Greater Dayton associa-tion of baptists . over their years in ohio, andy and lisa Weems added five children to their fam-

ily, and touched the lives of hundreds of students in ohio, across the nation and around the world . Through their work in campus evangelism, in-dividual discipleship, small groups, campus worship, mis-sion teams of all varieties, the Weems family tribe have sown the gospel faithfully and fre-quently . While the fruit of their ministry has been great, we’ve only begun to see the long im-pact . and though they are leav-ing ohio in the spring of 2013, their strong legacy will remain . This January, andy tran-sitioned to south carolina to become the campus director at the university of south caro-lina . lisa and their family will follow this May at the end of the school year . ohio baptists are sad to see the Weems fam-ily leave, but we are overjoyed at the opportunities ahead for them in south carolina . as andy shared news of

his departure, we asked him to reflect a little on his tenure in ohio . We gave him a few ques-tions about collegiate minis-try in ohio . here is what Dr . Weems had to say:

Q: in your view, why is reaching collegians so important? A: “collegiate students are the future of our society and our

churches . The vast majority of students on university cam-puses need a relationship with christ and that is the starting point . The first thing we do is make sure a student knows christ or has the opportunity to hear the gospel . once they have a relationship, we work with them to help them be-come disciple makers . if we

“See You Soon,” Andy Weems: Saying Goodbye to a Pillar of Ohio

Baptist Collegiate Ministries

Andy and Lisa Weems

church to disciple each other so the story of God lives on in each one . Coaching – steve hopkins: a team is in disarray on the field if there’s not a coach on the sideline . learn how to train others and how to be trained in your walk with christ . steve will lead this group through the coaching process to be more effective as you mature in your life with christ . Missions Education – amanda Mishne: Research re-veals that Missions education has a significant positive influ-ence on church growth . aman-da, Missions education spe-cialist and member of Women’s Missions and Ministries state leadership team, has first-hand experience in developing and producing resources that equip believers to share the sto-ry of God . attend this session to learn about the vast array of resources to plan 2013 mission

education designed to fit your church vision . Youth Discipleship – tim binns: What will happen to turn this next generation back to God? tim will share how God is at work in the youth across our state and how you can develop a youth ministry to bring change and hope to our youth today .

Session 3 – “Planting Churches” Adopting a Church Plant-er’s Wife – Penny litchfield: Planting churches encompass-es, many aspects including the Planters family . Penny, a naMb missionary, who is married to a church Planting strategist, is coordinating a comprehensive system for cleveland hope as-sociation to intentionally bless their Planters’ wives . attend this session to learn about the vast array of resources to plan 2013 mission education designed to fit your church vision .

SEND Cities – Dennis holmes, Jeff calloway, & Dean fulks: Reaching our cities for christ! our three city coordinators for senD cities (cincinnati, co-lumbus, & cleveland) will lead us through a presentation on how God is moving, how we can be involved, and how to create a senD city strategy for your area as well . Supporting & Sponsor-ing Churches – steve hopkins: ever heard the expression – “it’s lonely out there?” That can be true for a struggling congre-gation or a church planter and his family . steve will be shar-ing how you and your church might come along side to offer encouragement and partner-ship . Language Works – Gary odom: has God placed lan-guage works on your heart? Gary will share with you how you can be part of a language work in your area . he can help

you get connected, trained and launched to reach the peoples of the world right here in ohio . African-American Works – Quinton Moss: one excit-ing area where God is moving here in ohio is in our african-american churches . Quinton has the pulse of the leaders, the existing churches, and plants for new church starts . he will be sharing ways you and your congregation can be part of this movement . Merging Church – brian frye: What can we do to stop the closing of churches all across the countryside? Who will step in and bring the gos-pel to people in an area where the church closes its doors? brian will walk you through an exciting way for churches to partner together to keep the light of the good news of Jesus christ shining through “The Merging church .” Mapping – bruce smith:

when was the last time you walked through the stores in your community and thought, “when did our community change?” understand that is the change you can see, but what else is going on around you and how can your church family have a ministry to those around you . This will help you better understand the needs of the families around your church . bruce has a clear un-derstanding of resources that are available to sharpen your view . We plan to have a “free book table” for those in attendance and giveaways for associational missionaries, church planting catalyst, and pastors who at-tend . You can pre-register on-line at scbo .org under ohio Mission Roundtable – “the story of God .” if you have any ques-tions contact amanda Mishne at (614)827-1814 or by email amandaMishne@scbo .org .

OHIO ~ Continued from Page 2

Weems family


miss only one generation, it will impact the church for gen-erations to come .”

Q: as you look back, what one word would you use to de-scribe your legacy? Why? A: Relationships! if we had a couple hours i could share sto-ries of the lives that have been impacted for the Kingdom and how my life has been changed because of the relationships i have sought to develop to glo-rify God’s name .

Q: Who would you put on a top ten list of ohio “influencers” who most impacted you and your ministry? A: top ten list is very difficult because so many people have impacted my life here in ohio over the 26 plus years . here are only a few: Grady evans (helped me see my calling to ohio), Ken Dillard and bill Reid (for serving by my side), David Wheeler (a wonderful model and constant inspira-tion), charles Whitlock, Don McMurry, Ken Moore (great supervisors/mentors and sup-porting me 100%), John Pope (grown from a student leader to fellow pastor/peer in Day-ton), Dean fulks (who went from student, to my boss, and

someone i knew would suc-ceed wherever God led him), Jim epling, Jim slabach and Margaret slabach (wonderful mission trip partners), clyde Kimble (great friend and the one who helped me see my

calling to serve in Dayton), and hudson Moore (best friend here in ohio and wherever i go, he always support and prays for me), brian frye (very gracious with me, even when i was not very pleasant to work with) . last, and i know this is more than ten, all the pastors/leaders i have had the honor of serving with in this state who have helped to mold me into the minister and servant that i am today . i am grateful that God has blessed my jour-ney with so many tremendous people .

Q: What is your favorite memo-ry as a ohio baptist collegiate Ministry director? A: i could not isolate one mem-

ory, but as i reflect back on my ministry here, it is with fond af-fection that i remember all the mission trips and wonderful times i have had serving in the states and around the world . each mission trip has memo-ries i will treasure forever be-cause of the relationships i de-veloped and enriched on each and every trip .

Q: What “until i see you again” words do you have for the ohio baptist family? A: Well as parting words to ohio, i only have one thing to say . i plan to be back on mis-sion trips here through the south carolina partnership and i want to invite anyone and everyone to come serve on a

short or long term mission trip in south carolina . so it is not goodbye, but “see you soon!” Thank you, andy, for all you’ve done to make christ known to students around ohio and around the world . You are in our thoughts and in our prayers, and may God bless you, your family, and your ministry richly in the years ahead . Please be in prayer for andy and lisa as they make their transition . if you or your church would like to partner with the Weems’ through mis-sion teams either to or from south carolina, please contact andy via email (andylweems@gmail .com) .

New Pastor & Staff

OrientatiOn

Date/Time: March 14, 2013 9:30am - 3:30pmLocation: SCBO Resource Center, 9000 Antares Ave., Columbus, OHYou must register to attend. To register, contact Linnett Snodgrass at [email protected]


to use the parlance of valentine’s Day, John 3:16 is one of God’s val-entines to humanity . Many students of human behavior rank the need and/or desire for love along with the need for security as the highest of all needs and/or desires . both needs can only be met completely in the love and security of God provided through salvation . The Gospel of Jesus christ (his death, burial, and resurrection) is the only source for this salvation . God loves the world . he gave his son to provide salvation for the world . individuals must repent of sin and re-ceive Jesus as lord and savior to receive his salvation: happy valentine’s Day . We have the joy and the responsibility of sharing God’s message of love and salvation . Through the cooperative Mission Program, southern baptists are supporting missionar-ies and missions around the world and here in ohio . The state convention of baptists in ohio is the missionary organization of southern baptists in ohio that assists southern baptists churches and associations to obey the Great commission . all events and activities are designed for this purpose . several are occur-ring soon . february 23, 2013, the first baptist church of Grove city is hosting the second ohio Missions Roundtable . You can meet some of your missionaries and participate in

activities that will enable you to learn more about our cooperative mission work and how you can support missions and do mis-sion work personally . The state convention of baptists website http://www .scbo .org/content/womens-missions-ministries/event/ohio-missions-round-table-2013 has more information . Mission ohio focuses on strengthening churches to start churches . “The next fac-tor” is an initiative that helps a local church identify its next factor and secure necessary resources to take the next step in its Great commission ministry . Presenting christ, Promoting Growth, and Planting churches comprise the major categories for the next factor initiative . This issue of the Messenger contains more information for you . “Momentum” is the name for the annual evangelism conference . lifePoint church in columbus is hosting the March 19 con-ference . More information can be found at http://www .scbo .org/content/evangelism-resource-group/event/momentum-confer-ence-2013 and in this issue of the Messenger . These and all events planned by Mission ohio are designed to assist churches and as-sociations to obey the Great commission . The Great commission is command of Jesus to take his Gospel to the whole world . it is a joy to partner with ohio southern baptists to share the love of God with those who live in ohio and the rest of the world . Mission ohio is the cooperative effort to reach at least 1,000,000 believers in 2,020 congregations by the end of 2020 . let’s press toward that mark . happy valentine’s Day!

For information about the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio and more Baptist Press

news, go to our website www.scbo.org.

How to submit Church News Send all church news and information to

Linnett Snodgrass at [email protected]

PRESS TowARD ThE MARK

Jack Kwok, Ph.D.Executive Director-TreasurerState Convention of Baptists in Ohio

If you are not a Christian, have never surrendered your will to the Lord Jesus, let me share briefly how you can make this life changing decision. GOD WANTS YOU SAVED.

First, you must believe that God loves you and wants you to have peace in your heart and an everlasting life (John 3:16).

Second, you must recognize that you are a sinner, that you have done things which have displeased God and that you have separated yourself from Him (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Third, you must believe that Jesus came to this earth, was actually God in the flesh, lived a perfect life, and yet went to a cruel cross, dying for your sins, paying once and for all the penalty of sin (I Peter 2:24).

However, it’s not enough just to know these three things. Many of us knew them for years before we ever gave Jesus our lives.

Fourth, you must personally ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sins (Revelation 3:20).

You can pray this prayer now and if you mean it with all of your heart, Jesus will come in just like He said. He cannot lie.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I’m really sorry for my sins, Lord. I ask you now, Lord Jesus, to come into my heart, forgive me of my sins, take control of my life, and make me the kind of person You want me to be. I now receive You into my heart. Thank You for coming in. I will follow You all the days of my life. In Your name I pray, Amen.

How to become a

Christian

APRIL 19 - 20, 2013FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

5521 Groveport RoadGROVEPORT, OHIO

THEME: “WORKING WITH OTHERS TO SHARE CHRIST”

RACER DERBYCAMPCRAFT COMPETITION

TRACK MEET TROPHIES AWARDED

Prepare now to bring your Royal Ambassador Chapter to the annual Congress. Plenty of fellowship, messages

from God’s Word, challenges, individual and chapter competitions, and the famous R. A. Lunch

(Hot dog/ chips / drink)!

Cost: $ 10.00 per person

STATEWIDE MISSION PROJECT: CANNED / BOXED FOOD ITEMS.

COLLECT NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS AND BRING TO THE CONGRESS. FOOD WILL BE DONATED

TO A LOCAL FOOD BANK. MEDALS AND PATCHES WILL BE AWARDED.

CONTACT BOB ANDES

(937) 581-1239 FOR MORE DETAILS

ROYAL AMBASSADOR

CONGRESS

ohio baptist messenger - february 2013

Documents

ohio mission roundtable

ohio women

mission leaders

southern baptist convention

mission trips

mission strategies

churchs mission ministries