Baptist TrumpetVolume 76 August 3, 2016, Little Rock, Arkansas Number 42

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF ARKANSASwww.baptisttrumpet.com

In This IssueNew Employees at CBC (pg. 2)

Bigger Doesn’t Mean Better (pg. 3)Obedience Leads to Blessings (pg. 3)

Hot Job in Texas (pg. 4)Leaves of Sunbeams (pg. 5)

See BREWER, Page 6 See UKRAINE, Page 4

Movingwith ministers

and staff

Wilmer Carpio, the first BMA missionary to Venezuela, will be on the field this month. He was or-dained July 30 at his home church in Pachuca, Mexico. Bro. Carpio is a native Venezuelan and his wife, Pao is Mexican. They have two children. Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Sul-phur Springs is seeking a bi-voca-tional pastor. For more information, contact Deacon Johnny Robinson at (479) 822-3644. Philadelphia Baptist Church in Dowdy is seeking a pastor. Resumes may be sent to Freddy Rounds, 1195 Rounds Rd., Batesville, Ark. 72501. Delaware Baptist Church in Sand Springs, Okla. is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. Resumes with ref-erences may be sent to Church Clerk Sherry Pearson, 12311 Rock School Rd., Skiatook, Okla. 74070 or sher-rypearson1065@gmail.com. Farley Street Baptist Church in Waxahachie, Texas is seeking a full-time student pastor. Resumes may be sent to resume@farleystreet.com.

By Nathan Brewer Editor’s Note: Bro. Brewer has served as director of the Arkansas Youth Department since November

Youth Director Announces“A Next Month Thing”

2014, and has served as high school pastor at Antioch Baptist Church in Conway for four years. The following was posted on Facebook about a new direction in his ministry, and is being reprinted with his permission:

Exciting News Eight years ago this past week, I was away with a traveling baseball team in Phoenix, Ariz. It was on this trip that I broke bones in both arms, resulting in being locked up in two casts for three months. It was a pain-ful and humiliating experience, but it also was not the only life-changing experience that I would come away with on this trip. My freshman year of college hap-pened to be less than a month away, and I had no idea where I was head-ed. I had taken the ACT one time, and had scored under what any col-lege would even consider accepting in a registrant. I was living in Oklahoma City, fresh out of high school, and found myself with the common feelings of “cabin fever” in the city that watched me grow. I never saw myself ventur-ing too far from my parents, but I went from having no idea of where to go to, within a matter of minutes,

knowing that Conway was the place I needed to be. Just as soon as I had made my de-cision about going to Central Baptist College, I made my decision about what church I would connect with. I also knew that I wouldn’t make this move without two of my best friends. One was already committed, and the other I had to convince that we’d be unable to live without each other. We were flatteringly referred to for many years as “the Oklahoma boys.” I also made all of my first impres-sions in Conway with two broken arms, including my first impression to the beautiful greeter at church who would one day become my wife. Conway fit me. Conway welcomed me. I am the proud alumni of CBC, and still run into people who know me by no other name than “broken arms kid” or “Oklahoma boy.” But I have also been shaped by the church that I have been with for all eight years, aside from a six-month stint. Charles Spurgeon refers to the local church as “the dearest place on earth,” and Antioch has been that for me over the past near decade. The friendships I have today, I

Mission:World Magazine is Free! One of the BMA’s goals is to serve our churches by sharing the work of the departments with as many people as possible. The place to stay connected with our ministry work around the globe is mission:world magazine, and now the subscription is free to everyone. With six editions a year, this high quality magazine leverages our professional in-house publication team and is available in both print and digital versions. We would only request that each subscriber consider an annual donation to help offset production cost. We have greatly simplified the process for registering and donating at www.missionworldmag.com. So get your copy of mission:world today! For more information, contact tasha@bmaamerica.org or call (501) 508-2261.

By Madelaine PriestAssistant Editor

On July 13, my husband, Michael and I, along with team member, Ka-tie Fleming, started a journey that would take us into the beautiful Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine where we would be at a youth camp for 10 days.

Through our home church, An-tioch in Conway, and led by our fear-less, veteran leaders, Dan and Cindy Williams, we had the opportunity to partner with the ministry of Belichi Baptist Church in Kiev, Ukraine. Belichi Baptist Church has a wide range of ministries, from teaching English classes to a very fruitful soc-cer (futbol) ministry, along with dis-cipleship.

“The staff at Belechi Bible Church is favorite thing of mine. They are amazing, beautiful souls sold out for Christ. They invest their lives

The Joys of Partnering With A Ministry in Ukraine

in these kids,” team member Katie Fleming said.

Dan and Cindy Williams, who have been to Ukraine over 10 times, describe what it was like to partner with that ministry. They opted to head to Ukraine a week early to have as much time with the students as possible.

“Dan and I met the Belichi Bi-ble Church family in 2008 after Jeff Franks, BMA missionary to

Michael and I in the mountains.

-2- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

Central Baptist College1501 College Ave. • Conway, Arkansas 72034

(501) 329-6872 • (800) 205-6872 • www.cbc.edu Twitter: @CentBaptCollege and @tkimbrow

Terry KimbrowPresident

PROFILE

See CBC, Page 6

Lacie Mayo has been named the Mustang Outfitters Manager. Mayo

previously worked in the Admissions Office at CBC as a Personal Admissions Officer. As Mustang Outfitters Manager, Mayo will plan, direct, coordinate and supervise the operations of the Mustang Outfitters campus store. She is a 2013 CBC graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Social Services, and is involved in a college ministry called Mayo Mondays at CBC. Mayo and her husband, Michael, are members of The Bible Church in Little Rock.

New Employees Britni Elder has been hired as Director of Human Resources. She will work under the direction of the

Vice President of Finance to develop sound, effective, well-documented and readily understood human resource policies and procedures. Elder will also provide leadership on special projects in the Business Office. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Arkansas State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She comes to CBC from New

Central Baptist College announces the hiring of Taylor Carnahan as Men’s Soccer Coach. Carnahan, originally from Russellville, was the assistant coach for the Mustangs in the 2015-2016 season, when they had a 5-9-2 season. The previous year, he was a student assistant, helping the Mustangs to a 10-7-2 season, where they made it all the way to the finals of the NCCAA Regional Tournament. CBC Athletic Director Lyle Middleton said, “I am very excited to add Taylor to our staff. He had a great career as a student athlete at CBC, is passionate and competitive about soccer and dedicated to teaching and mentoring. He sets a high standard for himself and others. I am confident that these characteristics will help continue to push our program to the next level.” Carnahan is a 2015 graduate of CBC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology-Exercise Science. He played for the Mustangs for three years before taking on the role as student assistant his senior year. Carnahan’s work experience includes working as a Personal Admissions Officer for Athletics at CBC from Jan. 1, 2016. Carnahan has also been an academy trainer

Employee PromotionLife Church Human Resources department. Elder is a member of New life Church in Conway, where she serves as a life group leader and a missions leader. She currently serves on the board of directors for Deliver Hope. She and her husband, Steve, reside in Conway along with their three children. Blake Forrest has been hired as a Personal Admissions Officer. He is a 2015 graduate of CBC, with a

Bachelor of Science degree in Bible and a minor in Youth Ministry. Forrest, a native of Searcy, has been very active with the youth and music ministry in his home church, West Race Baptist Church. As a student at CBC, Forrest has been involved with the CBC Ministerial Alliance and the CBC Chapel Band. He is a member of Antioch Baptist Church in Conway, where he works with the middle school ministry and Perspective, the college age ministry.

Have you Enrolled? You only have only a few more weeks to be a part of the Fall 2016 class at Central Baptist College — that is, if you are a traditional aged student. For our PACE Program, we are enrolling daily with eight registration periods each academic year. We want to recruit you, but we know that it is God who will send you here. Don’t make the all-important, life-altering decision without much prayer and consideration. If we can help, we are ready to do so! Call us at (501) 329-6873 or go online to cbc.edu and explore all CBC has to offer.

Shatel Gaines has been named the Head Volleyball Coach at Cen-tral Baptist College. Originally from Jonesboro, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Ark. State University. Gaines comes to CBC from Cape Girardeau, Mo., where she served as Volleyball Coach at Cape Girardeau High School. She has five years of coaching experience in different ca-pacities at the high school and Junior Olympic ( J.O) levels. CBC Athletic Dir. Lyle Middleton said, “Coach Gaines fits our mission at CBC. We believe she has the experi-ence and expertise to make an impact at the college level. I am excited for our current players and recruits.” She attended high school at Jones-boro High School, where she earned all-conference honors and all-state volleyball honors. She also earned female athlete of the year her senior year of high school. She is married to Chris, and they have one daughter.

CBC Names Head Volleyball Coach

Carnahan To Lead CBC Men’s Soccer

and is currently a staff coach for the Arkansas United Soccer Club. The Mustangs open play Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. against Evangel University at the Centennial Soccer Complex in Conway. Carnahan is married to Katy Carnahan of Greenwood, and they have one daughter, Mackenzie.

NeedPrinting?

Trumpet Printing

can help. Call(501) 565-0479

By David Powell Comes By Hearing Ministry (FCBH) has partnered with 150 BMA congregations to provide Mil-itary BibleSticks (MBKs) for our na-tion’s military personnel and for our Veterans. An MBK is a dedicated lis-tening device built to military speci-fications that has been pre-loaded with the audio New Testament and an hour’s worth of selected Psalms. To date, BMA congregations have funded 6,515 MBKs. Overall, 692,123 MBKs have been distrib-uted by 1,685 chaplains to our active duty military personnel as well as to Guard and Reserve units and to Vet-erans — from Iraq and Afghanistan to installations across the U.S. A captain with the Army Reserve wrote: “Thank you so much for mak-ing this! I’m deployed to Iraq, and this makes it so easy to stay in the Word and stay positive. I like to lis-ten in the morning on the bus on the way to work and then read what I heard in evening.” A Navy petty officer wrote: “I am a submariner; the Bible Stick takes up little room and helps bring peace in rough times.” A Marine gunny sergeant wrote: “It helped me deeply when I was in the field and not able to get to my Big Book. I pray that more of the Bible Sticks can be distributed.” A Vietnam veteran wrote: “Thank you for your work getting the Bible out to people it makes my heart hap-py. I found the true Gospel by listen-

MBKs on Patriot Day

ing to your Bible at night as I sleep.” Chaplains have requested 35,700 MBKs since early May, including a request from the 101st Airborne, Fort Campbell, Ken., for 10,000. Pastors and their congregations are invited to partner with us on Sunday, Sept. 11 (Patriot Day) to provide additional MBKs for the troops and veterans. To help us fulfill the requests, sim-ply play our “Hope For Our Heroes” support video and demonstrate an MBK to the congregation and re-ceive an offering. Every $25 raised will place an MBK in to the hands of the troops/Veterans and also open a door to provide additional audio Scripture resources to their families back home. Please communicate with me at (800) 545-6552 if you would like to participate. I will provide support materials, and we will coordinate your plan. Thank you for your con-sideration.

s County Line, Marvell, Aug. 7-10, 5:30 p.m. (Sun.); 7 p.m. (Mon.-Wed.); Patrick McCloskey, evangelist; Joey Mcintosh, pastor. Zion, Fordyce, Aug. 14-17; 5 p.m. (Sun.); 7 p.m. (Mon.- Wed.); David Dillard, evangelist; Nick Flowers, pastor. Springhill, Greenbrier, Aug. 14-17, 6 p.m. (Sun.); 7 p.m. (Mon.-Wed.); Martin Jameson, evange-list; Ed Stephenson, pastor. Faustina, Harrell, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 7 p.m.; Jim Moss, evan-gelist; Gene Boyette, pastor. First, Taylor, Sept 18-21; Mi-chael Goodwin, evangelist; Randy Wilson, pastor. Chapel Hill, New Edinburg, Sept. 30-Oct. 2; 7 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.); 11 a.m. (Sun.); Rocky Good-win, evangelist; Dwayne Ashcraft, pastor. Kaley Hill, Quitman, Oct. 23-26, 7 p.m.; Tony Crocker, evange-list; Nick Parish, pastor.

-3- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

CHURCH HEALTHP.O. Box 878 • Conway, Ark. 72033-0878

(501) 455-4977 • larry@bmaam.comLARRY BARKER

Director of Operations North AmericaBMA of America Missions Department

Interestingly enough, researches tell us that half of all churches aver-age 100 or less in Sunday morning attendance. If you average 300 or more, you are in the top 5% of all churches in North America. We have become enamored with thinking that bigger is always better, and that is not always the case. In Rick Warren’s latest Purpose Driven Church training he reminds us that, “Bigger is not necessarily better. Bet-ter is better!” Better should equal healthy, biblical and faithfulness to the vision God has given your church! Is there any correlation between size and strength? Once again, War-ren challenges us to realize that there is no correlation between the two. A large church can be very wide, but not very deep. It can be focused on the wrong values and be more about the show and numbers. But let’s be cautious about auto-matically assuming that if a church is large they must be compromising the truth, and they certainly must be “a mile wide and an inch deep!” There are large churches, mega-churches, that are preaching the truth and are actively leading their people into an intimate discipleship with Christ. We know large churches are not necessarily healthy, but neither is a small church. Some people read-ily admit that they love attending a small church — but why is that? Do they love it being small for the right reasons? Just because a church is small does not mean that it is unhealthy. There are many small churches that are reaching lost people with the Gospel, discipling their people and making an impact in global missions. Some-one has said it well: “Don’t judge the size of the dog in the fight, but judge the size of fight in the dog!” When we think about any church, we must think about it fulfilling its purpose. What does God want every one of His churches to accomplish for Him? Warren goes on to say, “If your church will make a great commit-ment to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, you will be a church with a Great Purpose!” When you look at the Great Commission and the Great Com-mandment, there are five verbs that stress what every church’s purpose is as they pursue glorifying God. Whether a church is big or small, these verbs ought to direct the ac-tions of the congregation. • Go Make! This is evangelism and

Last month, I had the pleasure of getting to share with the ladies of the Mt. Calvary District WMA in West Monroe, La. It was truly a pleasure to spend a morning with these ladies and to share the truth that God had given me to share. Friends in Trumpet land, I’m al-ways honest with you; so I have to confess that I almost didn’t go. I al-most missed this amazing opportu-nity to share and grow. Typically, women’s ministry is not my thing. I don’t feel like my 27-year-old single perspective trans-lates to a generation that may have never actually lived a single life out-side of their parents’ home. But in all of my rationalizing as to why I shouldn’t go or couldn’t go, God never let me win that battle. Why? Because with all of the reasons on my pro/con list not to go, there was a pro that out weighed them all — God said go! So after many conversations with God that typically ended with “I am God. You are not. Do what I have asked you to do, and say what I have asked you to say,” I called and made arrangements to go. And can I just say that it was the greatest blessing! I felt that the Scripture text God gave me to share was juvenile, but God showed me such rich truth. I’m excited to share what God showed me with you guys, too. I was blessed with peace about fol-lowing God’s plan. I didn’t get behind on getting my new house project going like I thought I would. I didn’t get behind on my church workload.

Ask Beccaby: Becca Watts

Follow Becca on Twitter at @WattsBecca

Bigger Does Not Mean Better

every church is to be salt and light. We must have contact with those who are far from God so that we might share the Gospel with them. We are called to be His witnesses. Who are you actively building a re-lationship with so that they may see and know the love of God? Who are you praying for daily so that God the Holy Spirit will convict them and make them aware of their need of a Savior? • Baptize them! Next, we are to be actively working on our fellowship with other believers. The church is to be known by the love we have for one another and how we care for one another. We take care of each other, and we make sure that others real-ize they are not in this alone. One benefit of being connected to a small group, Sunday School class or Bible study is that they can be the “first responders” to those in their group when they need extra attention. • Teach Them! Now we get into discipleship and developing a pro-cess that encourages every believer to grow into maturity with Christ. What are those next steps in your church’s discipleship process? Hal Seed uses the analogy of the Sower and the Soil — the next steps are de-scribed as Dirt, Root, Trunk, Branch and Fruit. It is moving disciples from babes in Christ, to maturing in Christ, to mature in Christ and then reproducing more disciples! • Love God! We are to focus on worship! We place Him first because it is all about Him. We have been instructed by our Lord to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteous-ness.” Anything or anyone we love more than God becomes an idol. God will not allow us to have any other gods before Him. He must have the preeminence in our lives and rightly placed on the throne in every area of our lives. • Love Your Neighbor! This is demonstrated in the way we minis-ter and serve others. How will you demonstrate the love of God daily in a practical way? We have the op-portunity to allow our lights to shine through our good works so they might glorify our Father. This can

be done through servant evangelism, random acts of kindness and figuring out how we can bless those who are far from God. We are reminded by Rick Warren that these five purposes are modeled in Acts 2, prayed for by Jesus in John 17 and explained by Paul in Ephe-sians 4. Church health can be seen in the importance of these five purposes: We grow stronger through wor-ship! (This is “loving Christ.”) We grow warmer through fellow-ship! (This is “Belonging to Christ’s Body” — a church.) We grow deeper through disciple-ship! (This is “growing in Christ.”) We grow broader through minis-try! (This is “serving Christ.”) We grow larger through evange-lism! (This is “sharing Christ.”) These five purposes should “drive” the vision and mission of a church. How well are you loving Christ and worshiping Him? How well are you loving and caring for one another? How well are you making disciples who make disciples who make dis-ciples? How well are you serving others and serving the city where you minister? How well are you, as a congregation, sharing the Gospel with those who are in your circles of influence? Begin making intentional plans to fulfill these five purposes. Healthy churches are driven by these biblical purposes!

Greater Vision Concert, Aug. 5, 7 p.m.; free admission with an offering accepted; South Main, Malvern. Haley Creek Boys Concert, Aug. 6, 5 p.m.-meal; 6 p.m.- con-cert; Faustina, Hampton. Mark Lanier Concert, Aug. 7, 5 p.m.; love offering will be taken; Zion, Fordyce. The Turner Family Concert, Aug. 13, 6 p.m., Bold Springs, Strawberry. For more information, contact Pastor Deshawn Pankey at (870) 528-4981. Redneck Waterpark at Tren-ton, Marvell, Aug. 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; zipline, slip n’ slide, lots of fun; kids and adults are welcome; kids need to bring towel, change of clothes. David Markham Concert, Aug. 20, 7 p.m.; Southside, Hope; Ernie Sorrells, pastor. Marvin Loyd’s 80th Birthday Reception, Aug. 27, 1-4 p.m.; basket will be provided for cards, notes, and memories; no gifts, please; First, Cave Springs. Gold City Concert, Aug. 27, 7 p.m.; First, Magnolia. Arkansas Ladies’ Retreat, Sept. 9, Budd Creek Camp. The Bowen Family Concert, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.; Southside, Hope; Ernie Sorrells, pastor.

Obedience Leads to Blessings I was blessed financially. I was blessed with some much-needed family time. I found peace. I experienced grace. I got to have new experiences in the place where my mom grew up. (FYI — if you are ever in Monroe, La. you have to try Ray’s PeGe. They have the best po-boys!) Obedience always leads to some type of blessing if we look hard enough. Sometimes when we obey God, we so busy complaining that we can’t see them. Other times, when we approach His throne of grace with obedience and humility, we are able to see the big blessings He has for us. And know this, we all have times when we mess up either by not obey-ing or by being so focused on our-selves that we don’t see His bless-ings. I know I do. This is just one time when I happened to get it right, and I wanted to share it with you so maybe you can fully experience the blessings that come from obedience, too. So what is God calling you to do? How does He want you to obey to-day? Specifically, what is He calling you to do differently as you go into a new school year, a new athletic sea-son or a maybe even a new stage in life (like going to college). And how are you going to respond to that call? I pray you take the opportunity to obey God and be blessed. It truly is the greatest feeling to know and rest in God’s will. And if you ever need any advice, I’m always here ready to hear and ready to respond. Talk to you later, friends in Trumpet land.

-4- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

Baptist Trumpet (USPS 043-720) (ISSN 0888-9074) Published by the Baptist Missionary Association of Arkansas; sponsoring Missions, Benevolence and Christian Education.

MRS. DIANE SPRIGGS, Editor and Business Managereditor@baptisttrumpet.com

P.O. Box 192208 • Little Rock, Arkansas 72219-2208Telephone (501) 565-4601 • Fax Line (501) 565-NEWS

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Price: $18.50 per year; Church Plan: 36 cents per copy Published weekly except for the week of New Year’s and one week in April, May, July, September, November and December. Periodi-cal postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas. Editorial offices at 10712 Interstate 30, Little Rock, Arkansas 72209. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Baptist Trumpet, P.O. Box 192208, Little Rock, Arkansas 72219-2208. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the churches of the BMA.

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See UKRAINE, Page 7

See NOTES, Page 6

Trumpet NotesBy Diane Spriggs

Navy Wants to Honor Milk The Navy is set to name a ship af-ter the late homosexual rights icon and San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, according to a Congressio-nal notification obtained by USNI News. The July 14, 2016 notifica-tion, signed by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, indicated he intended to name a planned Military Sealift Command fleet oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206). Harvey Milk was the first ho-mosexual activist elected to public office in the United States and was assassinated in 1978. That record plus the fact that Milk, who bragged about being a pedophile, served in the Navy at a time it was illegal for homosexuals to do so, apparently justifies naming a Navy ship in his honor. It has also been reported that Harvey Milk was a sexual predator who preyed upon teen boys. AFA has urged people to contact their congressman and voice their dis-agreement about this action. (afa.net)

Is Dead Sea FulfillingEnd Times Prophecy? “An alleged discovery of fresh-water pools along the shores of the Dead Sea — which borders Jordan, Israel and the West Bank — has some people claiming the fulfillment of biblical end times prophecy, while others (including Messianic Jews and Christian scholars) dispute the

Ukraine, encouraged us to help with their camp. Pastor Nick Dekhtya-renko’s story of God’s grace in his life was an inspiration to us, and we quickly grew to love his family and the church family. Pastor Nick makes evangelism and discipleship high priorities. Church members are discipled in service, as well as in doc-trine. To claim to be a Christian in Ukraine is to take a stand for Christ. Christians are noticeable in Ukraini-an culture because of their different choices and lifestyles.”

After a long 36 hours of trav-el, we arrived at camp in Slavske, Ukraine. Our tasks for the week included teaching master classes to the students. I taught Drama, Mi-chael taught Photography, and Katie taught Crafts. We each had to pres-ent our classes on the last night of camp, so we all got serious about making sure our students not only listened, but learned the skill we were teaching.

Cindy taught English classes dur-ing the day, and it was such a joy to see the kids practicing their English by singing contemporary Christian songs and reciting Bible verses.

Missionary Jeff Franks was at the camp for the week and helped with translation as needed. He also was our tour guide, along with Pas-tor Nick, on our few days of sight-seeing. They took us to a medieval castle, a ski lift into the mountains and helped us navigate sightseeing in Lviv. We couldn’t have done it with-out Bro. Jeff translating and Pastor Nick leading the way.

Each evening there was a mes-sage brought by the youth pastor and leader of the camp, Sergey Ganitsky. The messages were on the logical side of the Gospel, in an attempt to bring those who were skeptical of the Gospel closer to opening their minds and hearts to it. Sergey chal-lenged the students to think through the problem of sin and to come up with a solution. He then challenged the students to look at the solutions and come up with flaws.

All of the students’ parents grew up in the Soviet era. Biblical messag-es and the Gospel were fairy tales to them, so that has caused many youth to reject any attempts of sharing the Truth.

Our job, after each lesson, was to take the message deeper. Michael, Katie, and I came up with discussion questions, and using the Bible, came up with answers. Each group had a translator that was a believer, so they could translate the questions in the best way possible. After the sixth night of sharing the Gospel through discussion, we had two students feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It was by far the most challenging, yet most rewarding part of any mission

UKRAINE(Continued From Page 1)

Send offerings to BMA MissionsP.O. Box 878 • Conway, AR 72033-0878501.455.4977 • www.bmamissions.org

MissionsSpo t l i gh t On

After 28 hours of planes, trains, buses, taxis and lots of walking, we finally arrived at our Philippines home, just in time to get started with our 2016-17 school year, which began June 6. We have been on a roller coaster since we landed! I can’t believe we are already in our second month, and we’ll soon be mid-term. Time does pass quickly when you are having fun. I guess we are having the time of our life! We were so glad to see our return students and get acquainted with our new students. We have an enroll-ment of 53, and we are excited that 24 of the students are taking music. Not all of them are music majors, but many of our Theology and Re-ligious Education students have a desire to learn music. Piano, guitar, violin and voice are being taught. At almost any given time, you can hear music coming from the second floor. Our practice rooms are full! (doug@musicservicesinc.com, diane@musicservicesinc.com)

Doug and his sight-singing class

Doug & Diane Lee • Philippines

Our teachers (L-R) Ezra Leyson, Guitar; Jirahlife Leyson, Piano and Voice; Shanelee Decretales, Keyboard and Violin; Diane Lee, Piano; Doug Lee, Piano, Voice and Theory.

claim,” said Brandon Showalter in a Christian Post report. Breaking Israel News  highlighted Samantha Siegel, a Jewish artisan baker from Jerusalem who frequently takes trips to the Dead Sea region, reportedly discovering freshwater pools. Although no official sources are linked in the article, the report asserts that the Dead Sea has been receding by one meter every year and that sinkholes around it have been filling up with fresh water and are teeming with fish, calling it “a prophecy appearing before her eyes that seemed to contradict the laws of nature.” The Dead Sea is more than 400 meters below sea level and is the lowest point on the planet. Because of its hyper-saline environment, it is a harsh place where life is not known to grow, hence its name. In a YouTube video Siegel posted online, she calls these things “signs of the times” when the Dead Sea finally comes to life. The report suggests that such discoveries signal the start of the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Dead Sea in Zech. 14:8 and Ezek. 47:8-9. The report further notes that in 2011, a team of researchers from Ben Gurion University in the Negev sent divers to the floor of the Dead Sea where they found fresh water flowing

DISTRICtCALENDAR

BMA of the Ozarks Mission Rally, Aug. 9, 6 p.m.- dinner; 7 p.m.- service; Temple, Rogers. Jonesboro Brotherhood, Aug. 9, Herman, Bono. Mt. Calvary District Youth Night of Worship, Aug. 13, 6-8:30 p.m.; students in grade 7-12 and families; Paul Byford, guest speak-er and worship leader; West Race, Searcy; visit westracebaptist.org to RSVP. Mt. Vernon Brotherhood, Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.; Grace, Wynne. Central Arkansas WMA, Oct. 9, 10 a.m.; Park Place, Bryant. Central Arkansas Brother-hood, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m.; North View, North Little Rock.

HOMECOMINGS Beacon, Bussey (Taylor), Aug. 7; 11 a.m.; fellowship and singing will follow services; Karry Easley, pastor. Bethany, Jonesboro, Aug. 7, 9:45 a.m. Sunday School; 11 a.m. worship; 12:30 lunch at the church; special mu-sic by The Poes; Jim Swinea, pastor. 110th Anniversary, New Friend-ship, Kingsland, Aug. 7; 10 a.m. Sunday School; 11 a.m. worship; lunch at church; Justin Wagnon, pastor. Sand Springs, Damascus, Aug. 7, 11 a.m. W.A. Anderson, message; Mercy River Boys will sing in the af-ternoon. Dwayne Thomas, pastor. 60th Anniversary, Springdale, Springdale, Aug. 21, 10:30 a.m.; lunch served at 12:15. Wes Hulvey, pastor. Faustina, Hampton, Aug. 28, 10 a.m. Sunday School; 11 a.m. worship; lunch after service. Robbie Duncan, speaker; Gene Boyette, pastor.

-5- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

Antioch, Conway, gained four new members. Dr. Jason Aultman, pastor. Brister, Emerson, welcomed three by baptism and one by letter. Dr. Eric Goble, pastor; Becky Fitzpatrick, reporter. Central, Texarkana, added one by baptism and one by statement. Phillip Dunn, pastor. Chapel Hill, New Edinburg, received one by baptism. Dwayne Ashcraft, pastor. Eastside, Fayetteville, gained five by letter and five by baptism in July. Dr. Tom Hover, pastor; Judy Faulkner, reporter. First, Emerson, witnessed one profession of faith, and added one by baptism and two by statement. Dale Fish, pastor; Nancy Williams, reporter. Lakeside, Newport, welcomed one by letter. Albert Mullins, pastor; Becky Evans, reporter. Needs Creek, Greenbrier, received three by baptism. Myron Milholland, pastor; Jim Atkinson, reporter. North Hills, Sherwood, gained four new members. Jim Ward, pastor. Oak Grove, Joneboro, added one by baptism. Wynndel King, pastor; Jan Files, reporter. Park Avenue, Searcy, welcomed two by letter. Keith Lunceford, pastor. Shady Grove, Piggott had an attendance of over 40 at their recent VBS. The children raised over $700 to help EIM Ministries to provide Shepherd Bags for about 110 kids around the world. Since the girls won the offering competition, Pastor Robert Gunnels took a pie in the face! Springhill, Greenbrier, received five by letter and three by baptism. Ed Ste-phenson, pastor. Spring Lake, Texarkana, added one by baptism. Randy Shepherd, pastor; Kristie Lambert, reporter. Zion, Fordyce, welcomed one by letter. Nick Flowers, pastor.

Deaths Helen Whitlow Hayes, 99 of Magnolia, died July 31. She was a member of First Baptist Church. Jessie Lee Glover, 96, died July 29. She was the oldest member of Needs Creek Baptist Church of Greenbrier. Noel D. Rogers, 82 of Magnolia, died July 28. He was a member of College View Baptist Church. Bessie Gibson died June 28. She was a member of County Line Baptist Church of Marvell.

By Nelda Moore The Master’s Builders returned to Jacksonville College ( JC) in Jack-sonville, Texas on July 18 to do sev-eral projects around the campus. Dr. Mike Smith had lined out several areas that needed a “facelift.” Buckner Chapel had several proj-ects — a new sound booth in the bal-cony, a reworking of area around the stage, new handrails for the steps up to the stage and new platforms for an area in front of the stage. Another project was the bathroom renova-tion at a house that was recently purchased across from the JC cam-pus, which will be used for student housing. The Ragsdale House got a new laundry room, the cafeteria got a new 20 ft. cabinet with a decorative top and a couple of our men helped Randy Decker put new tops on 10 tables that will be used in a science classroom. Four shelters were built for the picnic tables outside, includ-ing one that is a pergola. There were 14 of our Master’s Builders who helped with the work during the two weeks we were at JC. We also had two young men who spent part of their summer vacation working in the heat with our men! Thanks so much to Kyle Farmer of Hattiesburg, Miss. and Noah Mo-rales, of Waxahachie, Texas. We also enjoyed young Jeremiah, four-year-old grandson of Randy Decker.

Jim and Carolyn Thompson re-cently celebrated their golden wed-ding anniversary at Big Creek Valley Baptist Church in Jonesboro. They were married by the late Bill Gibson on July 23, 1966 at Ridgecrest Bap-tist Church in Jonesboro, where she was a member. Bro. Thompson is a 1966 graduate of Central Baptist College. He sur-rendered to the ministry in July 1962 at Big Creek Valley Baptist Church, where he had been a member since 1955. His pastorates include: Center Grove at Cord (twice); Center Hills in Jonesboro (twice); and Pleasant Grove in Annieville. His last pas-torate was at New Home Baptist Church in Marmaduke (ABA) while keeping his membership at Big Creek. He also served as youth pas-tor at Ridgecrest in Jonesboro. Mrs. Thompson retired from AT&T in 2000 after almost 34 years of service. She then worked at Par-ent’s Day Out at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, retiring in May 2016 after 12 years of service. She served as church clerk at Big Creek Valley for eight years, and he serves as assistant treasurer, modera-tor and Sunday School teacher. They have three children — Brett (Dana) and Blake (Brandy) Thomp-son of Jonesboro and Kelli (Dikelin) Evans of Damascus. They also have 10 grandchildren. The Thompsons’ mailing address is 2805 Neely Rd., Jonesboro, Ark. 72404.

A “Hot Job” in Texas“Miah” blessed our hearts! Thank you to everyone who helped make this hot job much more enjoyable —President Smith and all the staff and workers at Jacksonville College; the cafeteria staff who pro-vided great meals along with won-derful fellowship; and to First Bap-tist Church in Jacksonville, Pastor Vernon Lee, the Jubilee Club and the WMA for all you did for The Mas-ter’s Builders while we were there. Now, The Master’s Builders will en-joy a much-needed rest! But remem-ber, if you have questions about our ministry, or if your church has building needs, please contact Office Coordina-tor John Mangum at (318) 205-5155 or (cell) (318) 607-4100; or Field Co-ordinator Eddie Sikes at (903) 725-6549 or (cell) (479) 462-1675.

Thompsons Mark50th Anniversary

By Sherry LaminackNational Sunbeam Promoter

September 19-23 is Sunbeam En-listment and Promotion Week, and the theme is “Pick Up Leaves Of Sunbeams.” Our theme verse is Prov. 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” We, as Sunbeam counselors, have a part in training boys and girls to learn about God and His salvation. Plan special activities for this time. If you already have Sunbeams, make this week a special time for your group and make a special effort to enlist children in your church and community who are not members of your group. If you do not have Sun-beams, now would be a good time to organize a group. Sunbeams is a program for chil-dren, ages birth through third grade. Sunbeams lessons are designed to help the children develop a firm foundation in the Christian prin-ciples and doctrines upon which the Baptist Missionary Association of America is founded. The goal of the program is to train the children to live in his/her community and church, and to challenge the children to know more of God, His salvation and how to live for Him. If you would like more informa-tion or help in organizing a new group, please contact me at jaslami-nack@cox.net or (870) 543-9640. Listed below are suggestions for

- Don Burke, Trumpet Photography Club

Pick Up Leaves Of Sunbeams

activities for this week of promo-tion. These are just suggestions — do whatever works best for your group: •  Have a special awards program for the Sunbeams who completed Star Awards requirements. •  If your group is just getting started, have a special program and present each student with their pin or sash. • Use leaves for decorations. • Invite the parents to your meet-ing, and explain the Sunbeam pro-gram to them. •  Let the Sunbeams sing in a church service. • Serve cake and ice cream at one meeting, and invite children in your

church and community who do not attend Sunbeams. •  Take your group to a nursing home to sing. • Select a method to raise money for the Sunbeam project, Moral Ac-tion. Sunbeam counselors have been blessed with great treasures — the lives of children. Let’s “Pick Up Leaves Of Sunbeams” during Sun-beam Enlistment and Promotion Week, Sept. 19-23. God’s Word can change the lives of these boys and girls!

-6- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

Banks, Banks, Aug. 6, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; breakfast and lunch will be served; theme: Pets Un-leashed. Kingsland, Kingsland, Aug. 6, 8:40 a.m.; theme: The Good Samaritan. Antioch West, Magnolia, Aug. 7-9, 3:30-7 p.m. (Sun.); 6-8:30 p.m. (Mon. and Tues.). Landmark, Hermitage, Aug. 8-10, 6-8:30 p.m.; theme: Barnyard Roundup.

Central Arkansas District WMA met July 9 at South Main in Mal-vern, with 39 present representing 8 churches. Val Blackmore, Ellen John-son, Ann Raines and Linda Black were appointed as the Nominating Committee. Casey Wallace led in “The Bible,” and Pastor Pat Her-rington of South Main brought the message. A moment of prayer was given for the safe return of teens and sponsors from SOAR. Valarie Fish will be the speaker for the October meeting. (Linda Black, reporter)

By Holly Meriweather October 23 is 2016 Lifeword Sunday, and we want all BMA churches to be involved in learning about, praying for and giving to Lifeword on that day. To help each church participate in this emphasis day, we will be mailing out what used to be called “walk packets” to all BMA churches. Each packet will include a letter from Executive Director Steve Crawley, a 2016 Lifeword video, two posters and a sample bulletin insert. (Order more inserts online when you order your T-shirts at lifeword.org/lifewordsunday/ or contact holly@lifeword.org.) We want BMA church members to understand our unique ministry that uses media to spread the Gospel, even if their churches no longer hold a fundraising event like Walk for the World. The short video and bulletin inserts will help to tell our story. Pastors who commit to participate in Lifeword Sunday by registering their churches will be entered into a Dec. 12 drawing for a 60-inch TV. Other re-quirements for entry include the following: naming a contact person for Life-word Sunday/Walk for the World and sending in contributions (marked “Walk” or “Lifeword Sunday”) by Dec. 12. To register your church or order T-shirts, go to lifeword.org/lifewordsunday. In addition to being entered into the drawing, pastors and Team Lifeword lead-ers will receive free T-shirts just for registering. Don’t forget to mark your church calendar, register your church, show the video, give out inserts and send in your contributions to enter to win the TV. (Churches who have already registered will be included in the drawing.)

CBC(Continued From Page 2)

Honor and Memorial Gifts A gift honoring Mrs. Anne Clements was given by Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Whittingham. The following memorial gifts were also received: J.T. & Carmeleda Beene by Ann Gardner; Evelyn Garlett by Mrs. Margaret G. Harris, Mr. & Mrs. Norman D. Crass; Mrs. Carolyn R. Hall by Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Riddle; Ruby Hefner by Mr. & Mrs. Norman D. Crass; Dr. Ron Mitchell by Ann Gardner; Dr. & Dr. Henry Smiley by Pleasant Valley Baptist Church of Greenbrier; Brittany Parrish by Dr. and Dr. Henry Smiley, Mr. & Mrs. Shawn Hammontree and DiscipleGuide Church Resources, Inc.; Burl Walker by Mr. & Mrs. William H. Harvey.

DiscipleGuide is pleased to continue offering Compass Bible Study users a sur-vey of the entire Bible through our “Big Picture” series. For the past several quar-ters, Compass has surveyed individual books of the Bible in an attempt to give readers a bird’s-eye-view of Scripture. As with any genre, book or passage of Scripture, a lifetime could be given to explore the depths of God’s truth. The goal is to provide believers with a bet-ter understanding of the entire whole of Scripture. Sometimes seeing a large map helps you navigate specific terrain. The Fall quarter will focus on portions of Paul’s epistles, the writings of others such as John, Jude and Peter. Eventually, we are led to Revelation where we see the sweeping panorama of God’s redemption completed. Believers can be confident that the stories and truths contained in these pages of the New Testament are relevant and applicable today. All Scripture is profitable (Rom. 15:4; II Tim. 3:16-17), and every book preaches Christ in a unique way (Luke 24:27; I Cor. 10:11). For more information or to order Compass, go to discipleguide.org or call (800) 333-1442 today.

Part 5: 1 Timothy-RevelationTO THE END OF THE AGE

Fall 2016 Adult Bible Study

Compass “Big Picture” Series Lifeword Sunday Packet And Drawing Information

Bradford Baptist Church is seek-ing a full-time youth pastor. Submit resumes by mail to Bradford Baptist Church, P.O.Box 216, Bradford, AR 72020. For more information, please contact Bro. Matt Grantham: church office (501) 344-2414 or cell (870) 995-2524. You may also email bbcbradfor-dar@gmail.com with any questions. Harmony Baptist Church in Stuttgart is seeking a pastor. Re-sumes may be sent to the church, 910 E. 19th St., Stuttgart, Ark. 72160. Haynes Baptist Church in Haynes is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. For more information, contact Hollis Mitchell at (501) 940-1668. Hillcrest Baptist Church at Texarkana is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. Contact Greg Kelley at (903) 559-2180 or gkelley.txk@gmail.com. Meadowside Baptist Church in Pittsburg, Kan. is seeking a pastor. For more information, contact Greg Hardister at (620) 704-6860 or gregh@pittks.org. Myrtle Springs Baptist Church at Quitman, Texas is seeking a pas-tor. Resumes may be sent to the church at 2185 FM 2225, Quitman, Texas 75783.

BREWER(Continued From Page 1)

owe to the ministry of Antioch. The hands-on experience I have in min-istry, I owe to Antioch. After being involved with the life and ministry of Antioch for four years, I received a call in June 2012 that shifted the trajectory of my life and ministry as I was invited to be part of the staff. Over these four years of ministry at Antioch, I have found life through being part of home groups and by walking with high school students. Antioch is the place where it felt like nearly half of the congregation cheered on my pursuit of a girl named Lynzie Lamb. Lynzie was brought to faith in Christ through the ministry of Antioch Baptist Church and today leads our home and our family of six in a way that brings joy to our home and glory to her King. Through the faithfulness of Jesus, we owe everything to Antioch — in-cluding our next step.A New Direction As many great things as I have had to say about Antioch, we have known that God was preparing us for something beyond her. For the past five years, we have had a love and an ear open to the city that I left disgruntled in 2008 — Oklahoma City. While being all in where God has us in Conway, we have attempted to remain open-handed in where we may be called. While pouring hours and energy into being involved in our amazing community through becoming foster parents, adopting two of our children and investing back into this local or-ganization by training families to be-come foster families as well as serving on the board at the local and state lev-el, we knew that we had to continue living with an open-handed mindset. In January of this year, Lynzie and I became intentional about praying

for a clear opportunity to take this step if it was what we were supposed to do. Expecting and planning for it to be more of a 2017 thing, we have been given the opportunity for this to be like a next month thing. We are excited for the opportunity to partner with and learn under the ministry of Grace Hills Church in Bentonville. What we anticipate just as much is the fact that after a time with them, we will be sent into the Okla-homa City Metro area to meet and build relationships with people who are far from God. We will invite them into what we dream will become their “dearest place on earth” as we plant a church for people to meet and follow Jesus through church planting. It has been amazing to experience what God has done in our hearts to give us this vision. I obviously have so much more that I could share about our past, present and future. We have no doubt that God has led us to this place. We have no doubt that conversations we have had over the last five years have brought us to this point of preparing to do some-thing we feel so inadequate to do. We have no doubt that God has be-gun a good work and has invited us to be part of it.

Central Ark. WMA Meets

NOTES(Continued From Page 4)

in from craters that were 15 meters across and 20 meters deep. These cra-ters were “carpeted with mats of mi-croorganisms, showing that the Dead Sea was not entirely dead.” “Scientific research has proved the existence of life at the bottom of the Dead Sea, but due to a unique set of circumstances, signs of life have begun appearing on its very shores, precisely as it is written in the Book of Prophets,” the report claims. (christianpost.com)

Chinese Seminary StudentsOrdered to Deny God “The government’s continued crackdown on Christianity in China is now forcing seminary students to deny God and put the Communist Party first by living under ‘absolute obedience’ to the state,” said Michael F. Haverluck in a OneNewsNow.com. Evidence of the state-run church being controlled by the government has been witnessed through a video mentioned by a Christian persecu-tion watchdog organization, which tells of students being recorded while singing the Chinese anthem at Zhe-jiang Theological Seminary’s gradua-tion ceremony. “It is obvious the seminary has degenerated into absolute obedience to the Communist Party’s so-called Christian pastors’ education base, be-coming a Communist Party school dressed in the cloak of Christian-ity,” China Aid Correspondent Guo Baosheng reported, according to The Christian Post. Baosheng contends that the communist government has infiltrated and taken over the so-called Christian Church in China. The state-run church is said to be nothing more than an instrument used by the government to make Christians submit their full-fledged allegiance to

the Communist Party and its agenda. In order to curb the spread of Christianity throughout China, China Aid reports that the Commu-nist party has removed the rooftop crosses from thousands of churches in a number of provinces, giving the excuse that the Christian symbols mounted atop the worship centers were violating building codes. In another form of Christian per-secution suffered at the hands of the Chinese government, students attend-ing a house church in China’s central Guizhou province were reported by China Aid to have been threatened that they would not be permitted to at-tend college if they continued to wor-ship at the church. As an extra effort to diminish the church’s size and in-fluence so that more Christians would be forced to only attend the state-run church, members of the house church were ordered to sign documents prom-ising that they will not bring minors to their church. Despite the wide-scale crack-downs, China, which currently boasts the world’s largest population with more than 1.3 billion people, is projected by a missions group to also contain the greatest number of Christians on the planet by the year 2030. (onenewsnow.com) (See page 10 of last week’s Baptist Trumpet)

AFA Asks Hilton ToRethink Its Marketing The American Family Association (AFA) is asking a hotel chain to stop explicit ads aimed at homosexuals but viewed by families. An ad placed in Travel and Leisure Magazine by Hilton Worldwide in June shows two men cuddled in bed. AFA spokesman Ed Vitagliano says the ad goes too far. The Hilton hotel chain includes Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns and 11 other properties. (afa.net)

-7- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

Office Location: 10712 Interstate 30 • Little Rock, AR 72209 (501) 565-4601 • E-Mail: bmaofarkfrontdesk@gmail.comMailing Address: PO Box 195514, Little Rock, AR 72219

Director’s Email: arstamis@comcast.net

Missionaries Hershel Conley, The Bridge, Mountain Home; (870) 656-4080 Michael Hight, Hispanic Outreach, Little Rock; (501) 326-0198

Juan Carlos Posadas, Misión Creciendo en Cristo, NLR; (501) 712-8752 Jim Tollison, Mustard Seed, Alma/Mountainburg; (870) 370-3938

Jorge Vasquez, El Faro, Little Rock; (501) 350-6878 Chad White, Connection Point; Brookland; (870) 243-4683

BJ Wright, Grace Pointe, Mayflower; (501) 827-9665 Darrin Smith, Life Journey, Fort Smith; (479)-763-8909

www.bmaofarkansas.com Paul Whiteexecutive DirectorFacebook.com/ArkansasMissions

It was good to be with Pocahon-tas Baptist Church Sunday to share the work of State Missions, as well as share a message from God’s Word. Like so many of our local churches, Pocahontas Baptist is a product of your State Missions. Their love for lost souls in their community, our state, nation and the world can be seen in their faithful and system-atic support of Missions as a whole. Thanks for caring!

The Work Of Missions Continues Have you ever stopped to think that, in actuality, all of us are prod-ucts of mission work as a whole? Somebody, sometime ventured out to fulfill the Great Commission, and every church that dots our country is the result of the missionary and those faithful churches that sent them out. All my invitations to share State Missions have been completed, and my request for your church to take a special offering has been made. Now all that is left to do is wait in antici-pation to see what God is going to do through His faithful people! A special thanks to all of you who have given to support the vital work of State Missions.

Every Church Every Month You have been seeing and hear-ing this phrase over the last several months. It is an invitation for each and every church in the BMA of Ar-kansas to come alongside and share in the harvest by including State Missions in your budget if you have not done so at the present time. May we all desire to be a part of some-thing bigger than we are alone.

From Our Missionaries Connection Point, Brookland: Chad White writes, “It was a good week for us at Connection Point. Sunday, we had a great crowd in our worship service. It was really good to see some guests come back and wor-ship with us. God’s Spirit was there in a very powerful way, and we en-joyed a time of real celebration. “This past week, our ladies hosted a ‘getting to know you’ event at a lo-

Once a Mission Church,Always a Mission Church

cal restaurant. They had a great turn-out, with lots of guests and a lot of fun. “Also, our teens spent the week working on a mission trip in South-east Tennessee. While there, they scraped and painted a house for a disabled man who is raising his grandson. They also helped host a Block Party, complete with games and activities. They canvased a neigh-borhood, going door to door, sharing the Gospel and handing out Bibles. They also passed out school supplies to some local families for the upcom-ing school year. We are thankful for the opportunity they had and the impact they made there. “Pray for us. Pray that God would help us to love Him more and to love others better. Pray that He would grow His church here in Brookland and that we might see more lives changed.” The Mustard Seed, Alma/Moun-tainburg: Jim Tollison writes, “It is hard to believe that July 2016 is in the history books. This year has flown by, and there is so much yet to be done. We have been reaching out to people in the community, and we have had some successes and some disappointments. It is so easy for people to make and break promises in our day. I can remember when a man’s word was his bond. Keep on praying for us as we try to reach peo-ple with the Gospel. So many lives are falling apart in every community across this state and ours is no excep-tion. “We have some folks that we are working with right now who need the Lord. The success of their fami-lies is in the balance.  Pray with us that God will send undeniable con-viction into their lives. “We are still waiting on our spe-cial order doors to come in. Hope-fully, they will arrive this week, and we intend to install them as soon as possible.  We also are planning a work day to repaint our walls in the auditorium, as well as putting down laminate flooring in a classroom. “We had some good services Sun-day, and a visitor, Chris Hyatt from Rison, dropped by to worship with us. He is a fine young man, and we were so thankful he paid us a visit. Pray for him as he seeks God’s will for his life. “Keep on praying and supporting the work of BMA State Missions of

Arkansas. God bless you all.” The Bridge, Mountain Home: Hershel Conley writes, “This has been another hard week for our mis-sion. We lost our Brother Creek, who has helped me all these years here at the mission. He will be missed, but I am still mad that he beat me to Heaven! “Wednesday was another good week at the Master’s Blend Kitchen with new visitors every week. “Sunday morning, we had a good number again, and one person is very close to coming to Jesus. Sunday night, Diane gave her testimony, and it inspired us all. We love you all! “The following is a note from Wanda to all of you prayer warriors: “Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, George and I want to tell you that your prayers saved George’s life. At the very darkest times in the last six months, when we could see no hope of George making it another hour, I felt the prayers being said on his behalf. There were times when I was so alone and frightened, that’s when the most loving peace came over me and gave me comfort, and that could only come from the Lord we worship and in answer to prayers from friends like you. George has a long way to go, but with your support and God’s grace, he will be able to serve for years to come. Thank you, George and Wanda.” El Faro, Little Rock: Jorge Vasquez writes, “We had over  75 people in our Mission El Faro Sunday. We had good fellowship, preaching of the Word of God, being glad, rejoicing, praising and glorify-ing God. With great joy, we thank God for this day. “We are preaching in a series of messages — Christian Service at home, in the church and community, following the example of Jesus. “Please pray that God will raise up great servants of God in our church and that they will see others as more important than themselves so they will be servers who will bring glory to God. “Thank you for your prayers and for supporting us  in extending  the kingdom of God.” Grace Pointe, Mayflower: Wil-liam (B.J.) Wright writes, “It has been a very busy week at Grace Pointe. We have been preparing for our first VBS this week.  This was the last week of preparations before

we begin VBS on Tuesday. We have been canvassing the city with fliers and talking to as many people as pos-sible. We set up outside of Harps on Saturday and handed out free bottles of water with our church and VBS information on them and talked to quite a few people.  “Sunday, we had a first-time visi-tor who had visited with some of us on Saturday at Harps. Sunday morn-ing, we also had our friends, Eddie and Joy Kelso with us to worship and speak about their prison ministry. Our church will be helping with the Angel Tree ministry this Christmas to purchase presents for children in our area who have a parent in prison. “Friends, if you have not heard them speak about this ministry in your church, you need to. They were an incredible blessing to us, and we are proud to partner and help support them in their work for the Kingdom. “Please pray for our VBS this week, that lives will be changed to the glory of God. Thanks friends, have a great week.” Misión Creciendo en Cristo [Growing in Christ], North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “The trip to Lake Ouachita, July 22-23, was a success! We had Bible teaching, lots of fun, good food and it was a good time to create group identity. Saturday afternoon, it rained near the lake, leaving us a nice cool breeze under the shade of clouds. God cared for us from the time we left until our return. “Last week, we held a baby shower for Adela, who is expecting Diana on Aug. 23. It was the first time that Adela was involved in a baby shower, and she was so grateful. She does not know Christ, and we had the op-portunity to serve her, show her the love of God and meet her friends. Nine people visited us for the first time. From 23 persons who partici-pated, only 9 have a relationship with Christ. It was a great opportunity to make new contacts and affirm our re-lationships with our friends in order to prepare them to hear the Gospel. “Sunday, we had our worship to-gether with the brothers and sisters of Berean Baptist Church. We had a beautiful time of fellowship and good food, and, of course, we praised our Lord! “My children, Maria Fernanda and José Carlos, are already accom-panying the praises with their gui-tars. It is a great blessing to Sayra and me, to see them serving the Lord with this newly acquired skill. Grad-ually, God provides gifts and abili-ties to His church. The experience of participating in the establishment of this church is exciting, and in every detail, we see God’s provision. “Please, if someone has a guitar that does not get used a lot, and you want to invest in the kingdom of God, this is your chance. My son, Jose Carlos, needs one. The one that he is using is in disrepair. God

bless you all, and thank you for your prayers.” Life Journey, Fort Smith: Dar-rin Smith writes, “Over the last few weeks, we have made contact with many new families. It is always good to see new faces in the crowd each week. I met a lady, age 60, who mentioned something to me about praying, and I saw the opportunity to ask her about her salvation. Her testimony began with, ‘I always knew Jesus...’ and I thought here we go. But the testimony went in a different direction. ‘...but about three months ago I realized after all these years I needed to have a personal relation-ship with Him.’ “She then shared with me what that meant to her. I was amazed, and when I asked her what brought her to that conclusion, she told me she was listening to a preacher on the ra-dio who, day after day, talked about the difference in knowing about Je-sus and knowing Him personally. She realized that she didn’t know Jesus and then asked Him into her heart. She was in church this past Sunday. God is so amazing.”

UKRAINE(Continued From Page 4)

trip I’ve ever been involved with.Michael agreed with this. For him,

this trip had many firsts—first time on a plane, first time out of the coun-try, first time in a new culture, etc.

“Before this trip, I had never even been on a plane before, but sharing the Gospel with those kids and see-ing two of them come to Christ was worth every minute of my 36 hour travel into the Carpathians,” he said.

This was my fifth trip, my fourth to Eastern Europe and my second to Ukraine. It really did feel like visit-ing home, and I miss it each day that passes! Both Katie and Cindy felt the same way.

“Going to Ukraine is like visit-ing home for me! They welcome you with open arms and just bless your socks off! I am so blessed that Cindy and Dan invited me. I look forward to going back very soon,” Katie said.

“For me, going to Ukraine each summer is like going to a family re-union, a foretaste of Heaven where I am with brothers and sisters in Christ who love the Lord,” Cindy said.

We all are seeking the Lord’s guidance as we prepare for another visit in the future. For all of us, this trip was an amazing blessing. We praise God for allowing us to go and serve Him in such an awesome way and in such a great place.

“I was truly blessed to be part of this camp and I hope to go back someday,” Michael said, and I agree. I pray we can go back and partner with the ministry in Ukraine again someday if the Lord wills it!

(See collage page 8.)

-8- BAPTIST TRUMPET, August 3, 2016

Ukraine Trip 2016

By Terri Stovall Baptist Press — She sat in my of-fice and tearfully told me she was leav-ing seminary to go fight for her mar-riage. This promising student, let’s call her Shari, had discovered her husband was the epitome of unfaithfulness. The details are not important other than to say it involved adultery, deceit, an unplanned pregnancy and a wounding that cut to the core of her being. And yet, she wanted to fight. As I heard Shari’s story, I applauded and encouraged her decision. At the same time, I knew that many would not blame her, some would even en-courage her, if she walked away from her 15-year marriage. We all know marriages where adul-tery has occurred. We have watched television couples who profess to be Christians as they dealt with adultery. And many, even those in the church, are astonished when the first response is not to walk away from the marriage. Marriage is a sacred union with a purpose greater than the bride and groom vowing to one another. God did not institute marriage only for the pleasure and procreation of humans. It was also created to be a visible rep-resentation of the relationship Jesus has with the people of God. When a man and woman stand before God and enter into a covenant relationship, it teaches us about our relationship to God like none other. The apostle Paul unpacks this in Eph. 5:22-31. These verses, which conclude the fifth chapter of Ephesians, are part of the continuation of the command in verse 1 to “Be imitators of God”: •  Verses 22-24 — “Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord...” The phrase “as to the Lord” in connection with the remaining verses sets marriage as a reflection of the relationship be-tween Christ and the church. That puts a whole new meaning and purpose to submission and to marriage in general. Submission is not just a good idea or

Guest EditorialAdultery, Divorce & the Believer

even step one in “seven steps to a happy marriage.” It is much loftier than that. The biblical model of marriage places wives as a picture that parallels the re-lationship of the church to Christ. • Verses 25-31 — “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her...” The love of a husband is to be a sacrificial love that imitates the sacrificial love of Christ for us. But even further, note that Paul goes on to speak about the one-flesh relation-ship. Marriage brings men and women into an intimate relationship that it’s as if they become a single person. A hus-band doesn’t wish to hurt his own flesh, and thus does not wish to hurt his wife because she is “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” Just as the wife reflects the rela-tionship of the church to Christ, so does the husband. Christ loves the church be-cause the church is, in fact, His body. It is easy to embrace this higher pur-pose for marriage when the picture is bright, happy and colorful. But what happens when it becomes difficult? Should a believer divorce her spouse solely because he has been unfaithful? Let’s look at this through the lens of the purposes for which marriage was created. Any believer initiating divorce, even in the case of an adulterous spouse, paints a picture of God walking away from His faithless Bride. Shari could have chosen to initiate divorce from her husband, since the man with whom she entered into a covenant relationship vi-olated that covenant. Many biblically-faithful Christians would counsel that God would allow her to do so because of what is called by some the “excep-tion clause” based on Matthew 19. But Shari chose a different path. It is noteworthy that Jesus says that the reason Moses provided for divorce was “because of the hardness of your hearts” It was granted as an option, not an expectation, and was predicated on Israel’s sinful heart. The purpose and permanence of marriage was estab-lished from the time Adam and Eve

were created, as Jesus made crystal clear in the text. God does not compromise His principles nor lower His standards because of the sins of His children. Sin may distort but it does not trans-form the greater purpose of marriage. It is always meant to proclaim the Gospel, the whole Gospel, and adultery provides a powerful opportunity to do so. Adultery provides a believing spouse the opportunity to show redeeming, unconditional love. Shari chose to stay and fight, waiting for her husband to return. She showed faithfulness in the midst of the unfaithful. And, through much prayer, work, counsel and sup-port from godly mentors, in the end their marriage was restored. You may be reading this, having fought, but lost. This is not a magic rem-edy that heals all marriages. An offended spouse who chooses this path cannot be guaranteed a restored marriage. What can be guaranteed is this — if she loved, forgave, kept arms of redemption open in the midst of the pain and violation and did nothing that closed the door for restoration, then she will stand before the Lord without regret for the choice she made. God will heal her hurts because she is His child. And He will completely forgive where she may have fallen. We are called to forgive in the same way God has forgiven us. We are called to love uncondition-ally in the same way God loves us without condition. We’re called to be faithful in the midst of unfaithfulness the same way God re-mains faithful when we are faithless. We’re called to remain bound to the covenant we made in the same way our covenants with God cannot be broken Is it easy? Absolutely not! Is it possible? With God’s help, yes! Shari’s story is not uncommon, but her response was. Perhaps if this be-came the expected solution for the body of Christ instead of looking for “the exception,” marriages would be stronger, and the silent observers that we may never know will be reminded that there is a God who will never let us go, no matter what. (bpnews.net)