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FENTON, MI – We often refer to God as our friend because we know that He wants what is best for us. We confide in Him because we trust Him. In return God wants us to become friends to others. Friendship can be defined as “knowing the heart of another and sharing one’s heart with another.” We share our hearts with those we trust, and trust those who care about us. We confide in our friends because we have confidence that they will use the information to help us, not harm us. They in turn confide in us for the same reason. Good friendship involves walking with one another down some hard roads, losses, a bad diagnosis, financial problems and much more. We need friends to help us remember what God has done for us and that He will be faithful. In similar fashion, the vision for Women’s Ministry is to develop a caring network of women devoted to Christ, through significant and deepening relationships with one another. Building friendships is key to the success of this ministry. A Christ-centered focus on spiritual encouragement and growth is also an essential component to women’s ministry. The framework is currently being laid to begin a high impact mentoring program statewide to provide training for any woman who is interested in developing their leadership skills. Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) continues to help create a wide spread mission concentration on meeting the needs of each other in all seasons of our lives, and of those in our community and around the world. Look for further information to be forthcoming. Any programs or events in which we offer will most certainly change, grow or re-focus as God leads, and gives passion and mission to individuals & leaders. The event programs, retreats and trainings that we offer are basically about women playing their part in making a difference, by responding to the brokenness in our communities around the state. They’re about celebrating together a good, loving and faithful God who has a plan and a purpose for each of us in bringing transformation to the settings that he positions us in. So along with great worship, teaching and ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will reflect on lives that are being changed in very powerful ways. To begin 2019, we are excited to be offering the following women’s events: January 5th - Mosaic: Broken & Beautiful at Warren Woods Baptist Church February 15th-17th - ARISE: Women’s Missions Retreat at Bambi Lake, Roscommon April 6th - Women: Servants of God at Central Bible Church, Clinton Township April 13th - Women’s Conference with Courtney Veasey at Faith Baptist Church, Battle Creek April 26th-27th - Titus 2 – Multi Generational Retreat at Bambi Lake, Roscommon May 17th-18th - The Gathering: DREAM at Legacy Church, Novi Who does God want you to Friend request? Who can you invite to some of these events? Who will you walk beside in the next year to love and share Christ’s love with? Find a new Friend, you will be glad you did, because you will love harder, laugh louder, live richer and become more than you could ever be without them. It’s putting your heart and your name in the hands of another person and saying, "I trust you with all of this," as they do the same. Follow His lead. For more information about BSCM Women's Ministry, contact wmu@bscm.org. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sue Hodnett is the Women's Ministries/WMU Director for the BSCM. She attends Lakepointe Church in Macomb, MI. #NOVEMBER18

SWARTZ CREEK, MI – I would like to encourage every church planter, pastor or church member who reads this article to understand that God has already given us everything we need to grow and mature our churches. There is no BIG secret…only FAITHFULNESS to His Word and OBEDIENCE to His call. I know that sounds simplistic but I’ve found it to be true in the life of the church that I have been blessed to pastor for 25 years. Don’t get me wrong, there have been challenges along the way. Challenges that no doubt you are all too familiar with. I hear you, but I want to encourage you! When God called us to pastor 1ST Baptist Church of Swartz Creek, it was after some hurt and pain endured by this church community. I knew it well, because I was here. Many folks had left and just sort of drifted away. Not far, just away. Attendance went down, down, down. Workers were hard to come by. The budget suffered incredibly, as you can imagine. Who would want to come to a church like that? Afterall, there was no pastor and no staff—only a few dedicated people trying their hardest to plug the holes of a leaking ship. There is no BIG secret...only FAITHFULNESS to His Word and OBEDIENCE to His call. When God called, I wanted to say “No thanks, God,” but I knew I would never be happy outside of His will. So, “Here I am Lord, send me.” God showed me that it was His church, and He would do the multiplying. I just needed to be faithful. Our responsibility is to Him, and I promise you He wants nothing more than for His church to be obedient to the ministry that He has for it. He desires for His church to be…dare I say, “successful”? That success may look different from one church to another, but it will have some common foundational truths that guide it. What we’ve learned is to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. With a very small congregation and few workers, we prayed earnestly for God to send people, but not just anyone—servants to jump right in and get to work. Incredibly, God answered and two families who had served as deacons and teachers and song leaders showed up and asked, “What can we do?” Let me tell you, when you see God answer like that it brings an excitement to the whole body. It’s a fresh wind in the sails. We also learned to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Those folks who had left were hurting, and felt as though God had abandoned them. So, we reached out to them, loved them, and shared with them that God had not left them. Again, faithfulness to God’s Word brought many of them back, and they are still serving today. One more lesson, we needed to learn was to always be true to the WORD, WORD, WORD. We live in a time when many church leaders feel as though we have to somehow water down the Word to make it palatable to the unchurched. Not so! I find what our culture is longing for is the truth. Church planter, pastor, church member, be true to the Word, and you will find there are many in your community who just want the truth. Pray, Love and Teach the Word of God. There are many things that can be difficult about church, but we’ve learned that if you “Love one another as Christ has loved you,” your church will be a magnet to a lost and searching world needing a place of refuge. Let me encourage you. Never give up and never give in. Our God is mighty to save and that’s the TRUTH. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jim Nelson is Pastor of First Baptist Church of Swartz Creek. #NOVEMBER18

KINGSLEY, MI – “Why do people want to hear preaching today?” I’ve asked this question a number of times. I’ve discussed it over the years with colleagues and students, and at a recent Send Network Church Planter Assessment it was asked of a candidate. Think about it. Preaching in the 21st century is utterly absurd. With YouTube, Netflix, and multi-million dollar blockbuster movies, who wants to sit and listen to a guy talk for thirty minutes? I’ve seen church budgets, and I’ve never seen a line-item for “preaching” approaching anywhere near a small independent film budget, let alone a blockbuster. People don’t just tolerate preaching – it is the primary reason they come to church in the first place. A Gallup poll conducted in 2017 found that 75% of churchgoers cited the preaching as the biggest reason to attend church. Think about it. People choose to watch one guy talk, rather than staying home and binge-watching Netflix dramas. It is absolute insanity. So why do people still gather, and still want to hear preaching today? I think Martin Luther came to a good answer which the reformers summed up as: The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. It is a very provocative statement. But it doesn’t mean that everything that we call preaching is actually preaching. No, the quote is referring to correctly communicating the biblical text. I think Luther and the reformers were right, though. And I think this is why people – millions of people – gather every Sunday in a physical place. I think this is why Christians around the world want to sit and listen. People want to hear the audible voice of God, and preaching offers them the opportunity. I suspect this is why congregations often place their pastor on a pedestal. Even if he constantly communicates his absolute need for Christ, he is still speaking the words of God. This is why a pastor who is not a particularly skilled communicator is still the best preacher in the eyes of his congregation – because he is speaking the Living Word in their physical presence. Luther’s idea is simultaneously horrifying and encouraging to me. It is horrifying because as James said, “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.” But it is encouraging because I have come to realize that something always happens when the Word of God is faithfully preached. God speaks through his Word, through his servant, and to his people. Whether people are conscious of this reality or not, this is why millions gather every week to hear preaching. This is why a multi-billion dollar film industry cannot compete with preaching. No, we don’t have a special-effect budget or large marketing firms, but we do have something that no one else can ever offer: The opportunity to hear God’s voice in person every week. Trembling confidence. Bold humility. God speaks every week at your local church. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nathan J. Norman is the senior pastor of The Orchard Church in Kingsley, MI, and the moderator of the North West Baptist Association. He teaches preaching in Vietnam through CrossTalk Global – a multiplying teaching organization. And he produced the Untold Podcast – a storytelling program. #NOVEMBER18

CLARKSTON, MI – When my husband and I were in youth ministry together we noticed quickly, this ministry needed both men and women mentors. So, we made sure to encourage healthy numbers of both to be youth workers for our teens. All of us, male and female, have a common need of people who can understand and mentor us through our struggles. I had not thought about this need for years until this past January when God prompted me, for the first time, to publicly share my private horror of experiencing sexual assault. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but God had His reasons which became apparent at the close of each and every event. One woman after another came forward with hands shaking and tears in their eyes bravely sharing their traumatic experiences. The sheer number of women who whispered, “I have never heard this addressed in church before”, was both crushing and convicting. It brought me right back to our years in youth ministry, and the unique needs of women of all ages. We need Women’s Ministry because women really do need each other. Healing from trauma and addiction, trying to fit society’s mold of female perfection, infertility, miscarriages, surviving abuse, being single in ministry, and many more struggles are rarely, if ever, mentioned in polite church circles. If God’s healing is to come, we need to change the narrative, open up, and begin to embrace our imperfections, struggles, and failures. We need our obedient and brave Deborahs to speak truth boldly into the dark places of our lives. We need the loyal companionship of the Ruths who stick with us through our worst pain. We need the Esthers who will stand up with us and for us against injustice. We need the loving wise mentorship of Eunice. We need the hope given from the Sarahs who tell us miracles can still happen, even when we least expect them. This last year I needed my dear friend Carolyn Minot, who’s never wavered in praying for my healing or Ebony Robinson, who directed me to place my burdens back on our heavenly Father. I find the courage to continue because of Kelly Yang, whose diligence in helping persecuted Christians reminds me to never give up or Melanie, Angela, and Lindsey whose gift for words and encouragement keep me moving forward in faith. There is the beautiful Joyya Pettus who reminds me what it looks like to unabashedly love everyone without fear, and Allison Hix whose passion for God’s word contagiously pushes me to read my Bible more. There are so many amazing women I still haven’t mentioned, but I would not have met any of them, if it had not been for WMU and Women’s ministry. If Robin, Shar, Karen, Marta, Sharon, and Sue had not invited, mentored, and encouraged me to join the Women’s ministry here in Michigan I would not have found the deep encouragement and wisdom I had been longing for. We all need women of God in our lives, and Women’s Ministry is an amazing way to meet that need. For more information on how to impact the women in your life, contact us at the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM). For more information about BSCM Women's Ministry, contact wmu@bscm.org. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Heather Windeler is a Mercy & Justice Ministries Coach with Michigan WMU who serves with Women Without Walls and Be the Bridge racial reconciliation ministries. She is a speaker, artist, wife, and mother of 3 who loves being a Cross Waves Church Hotspot leader with her husband Josh. #NOVEMBER18

ROSCOMMON, MI – There are many places in Michigan that one can view the creativity of our almighty God. One, in particular, is Bambi Lake Baptist Conference Center and Campground. When my wife and I first visited five years ago, we were struck with the beauty of the lake, the trees, and the night sky. It allows you to grasp the awesomeness of our Creator and marvel at His glory. However, the glory of God does not end at the tree line and I would like to share with you how Bambi Lake ministers to Michigan and to the nations. A large part of the ministry at Bambi is providing an opportunity for groups and individuals to come and experience God in a way that is meaningful and unique. This summer we were able to experience God’s spirit move through the lives of adults and teenagers alike. We had the opportunity to put on two weeks of summer camps for Michigan teens that we called Wild Week. During these two weeks, youth groups from all over the state came together to worship God and to hear His word. We had many that made decisions to follow Christ and dedicate their lives to live for the Lord. Although we only see some of these students once a year, we can praise God for allowing us to be a part of their spiritual journey. Along with weeklong camps, Bambi Lake also hosts and produces weekend retreats. Throughout the year, you will find retreats for women, men, married couples, worship leaders, and youth. Themes can vary from being a simple getaway to a time of training and growing in your walk with Christ. A lot of times adults don’t have the luxury to take a week off of work for a retreat, and that is why weekend retreats are a wonderful opportunity for believers to come and be refreshed and rejuvenated in their walk with Christ. Our hope is that Bambi will not only be a place to experience God, but a place for believers to create long lasting friendships that extend beyond their time at Bambi Lake. Finally, Bambi Lake is a mission field. Not only are their few churches in the area, but also many people who don’t know Christ. Bambi Lake has a 25-site campground that is open to the public year-round. Many of our campers are here for our events, but we do get some that are not, and that can produce an opportunity to share Christ. A unique situation happened this summer where our camp director Michael Schatz had the opportunity to share Christ with a young couple. This young couple was from Israel and on their honeymoon, traveling America. They happened to see our sign and decided to stop for lunch. Although Bambi Lake is a private camp,an unexpected visitor is not uncommon, and we were curious who was visiting the camp. Michael approached them and asked who they were and where they were from, and in the midst of their conversation they asked what the cross that looks over the lake meant. This gave Michael an opportunity to share the gospel. Although they didn’t respond to the invitation to follow Christ, it showed us how Bambi Lake is a ministry that has kingdom impact, not only on churches in Michigan, but to people from all over the world. For more information about Bambi Lake, visit bscm.org/bambi. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brett Luker is a collegiate church planter at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI where he works with students to reach the lost for Christ. He serves as campus pastor for Jacob's Well on Campus Church. #NOVEMBER18

FENTON, MI – In 2019, Michigan Disaster Relief will continue to meet the needs of communities that are affected by disasters whether this is in our state or in other states across the country. One way those needs can be met is with increased attendance at Disaster Relief training events. There will be one scheduled training event in May at Bambi which will be in combination with a week-long chainsaw mission to help Bambi remove unwanted trees and brush. Additional training will be conducted at the request of churches or associations. We have found when training is requested and scheduled by a church or association, it is better attended and the resulting trained volunteers tend to step up, and respond sooner to a disaster callout. Michigan Disaster Relief will continue to be represented at the Michigan Homeland Security Conference and the Michigan Emergency Managers Conference to demonstrate the areas that Disaster Relief can assist in and how to request assistance. Michigan Disaster Relief will also attend regional and national Disaster Relief roundtables to share best practices and resources. For more information about Michigan Disaster Relief, visit bscm.org/dr. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Kiger serves as the Michigan Disaster Relief Director for the BSCM. He has been involved in Disaster Relief since 2008. Bob brings a wealth of diverse experience to the State Director’s position. His first major call out was in 2012 when he went to New York to help prepare meals for displaced residents after Hurricane Sandy. He was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ when he was twelve years old and has been a Baptist all his life. #NOVEMBER18

FENTON, MI – When I read, “Ministry Grid makes it simple to train every volunteer and leader in your church,” I had to know more. As a pastor, my assignment was to “...equip the saints for the work of the ministry....” so why wouldn’t I be eager to learn of innovative ways to raise up trained leaders in our congregation. Speaking directly to every pastor in Michigan, take these words seriously. Ministry Grid equips people through preaching, teaching, modeling, books and workshops. Church leaders and volunteers earnestly desire to serve Christ as effectively as possible. They long for training, growth opportunities and to learn lucid ways of serving better. The Challenge Let’s be honest, one reality every church faces is that it’s never been harder to get church leaders and ministry volunteers together for training. Life is busy. Schedules are full. People are balancing jobs, school schedules, community activities, family time, church and more. As a result, LifeWay Research tells us that only 1 in 4 churches has a plan in place to train and develop leaders today. If we aren’t training then how are we growing? Can we grow? The Solution What if your church could make first rate, trusted training, available 24 hours a day to your ministry leaders and volunteers? Would you be interested? Would the flexibility encourage growth opportunities for your volunteers? Well, that’s what Ministry Grid is doing. It provides every person in your church access to training anytime of the day or night. That means training to fit everyone’s schedule and to allow them to move at their individual pace. LifeWay is making Ministry Grid available, for a limited time, to Michigan Baptists for $399. If your church budgeted monthly to pay for this plan, it would cost more than a thousand dollars! But Wait, There’s More We, the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM), are committed to help churches train their leaders, so the BSCM will reimburse any church that gives through the Cooperative Program $200 toward the $399 special Ministry Grid price. That’s right, your BSCM will partner with you to pay the cost of this outstanding training resource. For more information, check out Ministry Grid At a Glance (From ministrygrid.com): Pre-built Training: Choose from our library of 3,000+ videos and pre-built Training Pathways for ministry area. “Train Every Leader: Every leader in every ministry area deserves training, and Ministry Grid helps you make it happen. Easy Onboarding: Invite individuals, small teams, or the entire organization in just a few clicks Coaching Dashboard: Track progress, take notes, and walk alongside your leaders as they train. Intuitive Workflow: Training appears as a simple “to-do list,” guiding leaders click by click through the process. Mobile-First Design: Because your people are busy, Ministry Grid is optimized for training on the go via any mobile or tablet device or computer” “Ministry Grid makes it simple to train every volunteer and leader in your church.” It catches your attention, doesn’t it. Interested? Go to ministrygrid.com and sign up for a free trial and check it out. If Ministry Grid is a tool you can use, subscribe your church through the special Michigan Baptist link: ministrygrid.com/bscm. The BSCM will reimburse cooperating churches $199 dollars toward the cost. That’s a full year of training for every person in your church for $200! Just send a copy of the receipt to mike@bscm.org and we will send your church a $200 check. Please note that checks will only be written to churches. Give the leaders and volunteers that serve Christ the versatile and trusted training that Ministry Grid provides. Michigan Baptists - Redeemed, Equipped, and On Mission. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike Durbin is the State Evangelism Director for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before joining the state convention staff, Mike served as Church Planting Catalyst and Director of Missions in Metro Detroit since 2007. He also has served as a pastor and bi-vocational pastor in Michigan, as well as International Missionary to Brazil. #NOVEMBER18

FLUSHING, MI – Westside Baptist Church is continually trying to do new things in and around our community to help spread the Gospel of Christ more effectively. We have tried many different evangelism events, but a couple years ago we wanted to try something new. We called it Harvest Days, and leading up to it we had three different evangelists come once-a-month for three months. But there was a problem. To make this new evangelism event a success was going to be expensive. I shared this idea with a staff member with the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM), and he said I should apply for an “Evangelism Grant.” I never knew the BSCM even had such a thing. They pointed me to the application on our website, I filled out the grant, and they quickly answered my request with a “Yes.”. It was such a simple process, and BSCM State Director of Evangelism, Mike Durbin, even helped us make sure we invited great quality evangelists. I would encourage you to look into requesting the BSCM Evangelism Grant the next time God gives you a dream of evangelizing your community, and it seems a little too big for you and your church to handle financially. As Southern Baptists we cooperate together and this is a great way to experience that cooperation. Evangelism is at the very core of who we are so working in partnership seems only natural. So here’s how the Cooperative Program investment in our Harvest Days worked out. We had more people saved on those 3 Sundays than the rest of the year combined. There were 22 salvation decisions, and we were able to baptize the majority of those new believers in the next few months. If you are sensing God challenging you to take a step of faith in your ministry to do something creative in evangelism, you do not have to walk it alone. Our cooperating churches and the BSCM staff are ready to walk with you. So be sure and make an application soon. Hurry, because I have already received another grant and will soon be apply for a third. Partnership is great especially when it is for His Kingdom work. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ed Emmerling is pastor of Westside Baptist Church, Flushing, Michigan. Ed and his wife Reneé together have 4 children and 4 grandchildren. Pastor Ed has been privileged to be Pastor of Westside Church since 2002. #NOVEMBER18

HOUGHTON, MI – We’re in a season of great adversity and trials because we have caught the eye of the enemy. We have seen 16 come to Christ and 63 baptized in the last two years. Our church is full of unchurched or de-churched people. The lost are coming. Broken and battered families are coming. Even the homeless are coming to our church. So, why I am sharing this? Why do I want you to know these things are happening? Are possible? Because across our state and nation churches are dying. Churches have plateaued or are in decline. It’s heartbreaking. Churches are shutting their doors never to be opened again. I know, because we faced this just five years ago. Our numbers were dwindling, and it was a scary time for us. But then we started to change the culture at Houghton Baptist Church (HBC). We started to make cuts where they were needed. We began to realize a new day. As a church we shifted our focus from keeping people to reaching people. We poured ourselves into the community instead of the church building. We moved people from rows to places of service. We stopped making it so difficult for new people or less mature people to serve and be apart. We made our church a place where lost people and unchurched people felt they could come and grow at their own pace. And, it’s worked. It’s grown the kingdom. It’s grown the church numerically. It’s grown our hearts for the lost and unchurched, and it’s completely changed our church and our community. If we make the mission number one, God promises to do great things. If we love the lost more than ourselves and our church routines, God begins to shake things up. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s quite painful at times. Church people typically don’t like or enjoy change, but it’s necessary and it’s worth it. We’re headed into this next year believing God for more of the same, bigger and better things. We’re hoping to launch a new Saturday night service that will only further increase growth and extend our reach. We’re in a season where we’re praying that God would send us additional help, additional mature believers to help us build up these new concerts. We need more staff to help manage and run the day to day as we grow. We’re believing God for the resources we need to keep ministering to some of the most poverty-stricken people in our area. Moving forward, we don’t plan to change a thing, but keep believing this act of God will continue. We’re grateful we’re seeing things that many don’t experience in a lifetime of ministry. We count it all joy, the trials and difficulty that we have faced because it has produced such kingdom fruit. Our struggles are minor compared to what God is doing. And all of these things, we give God the glory for. He changed us. He shifted our focus. He changed and adjusted the culture to cultivate the harvest we are reaping. It’s all Him and all His doing. We’re thankful we didn’t choose to go down with a sinking ship, but let our great God do great things through us at Houghton Baptist Church. Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” and our church is just one example of what God can do. ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Whitaker is Pastor of Houghton Baptist Church in Houghton, MI. He and his wife have been married 12 years and in ministry for 10 of them. They have three amazing kids who keep them super busy and of course Pastor one of the larger Churches in our area along with our Executive Directors position with Love Inc of the Copper Country. You could say, We’re all in for Jesus!!! #NOVEMBER18

FENTON, MI – The question I have is, where did it go? You know, Thanksgiving. Back to school sales were displayed in every store beginning in July, and then came the adornments for Halloween. The next thing I saw were Christmas decorations and those came up at the same time the jack-o-lanterns found a place on store shelves. What happened to Thanksgiving? And the fact is, that when I did find some “Thanksgiving” decorations or advertisements for this great national celebration, most of it had nothing to do with giving thanks. It seems as though it is not politically correct to give thanks to God. Most stores just say “happy holidays” or some other “fall greetings” that is as generic as it can be. With all that has transpired over the past months, the political upheaval, hurricanes, mass shootings and a myriad of catastrophes, we need to give thanks to God now more than ever. We need to be thankful to God for His wonderful provision and protection. Many want to play the part of historical revisionist and deny the intent and purpose of this holiday, but the fact remains it is a call for the people of America to pause and be thankful to a benevolent God. Thanksgiving Day in the United States is an annual day of thanks for the blessings of the past year. It is observed on the fourth Thursday in November in each of the states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It has its historical roots as a national, and religious holiday that began with the Pilgrims. After the survival of their first colony through the bitter winter, and the gathering of the harvest, Gov. William Bradford of Plymouth Colony issued a thanksgiving proclamation in the autumn of 1621: "Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience. Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all blessings." That first Thanksgiving lasted three days, during which the Pilgrims feasted on wild turkey and venison with their Indian guests. Days of thanksgiving were celebrated sporadically until, on Nov. 26, 1789, President Washington issued a proclamation of a nation-wide day of thanksgiving. He made it clear that the day should be one of prayer and giving thanks to God. It was to be celebrated by all religious denominations, a circumstance that helped to promote a spirit of common heritage. The origin, purpose and history of the Thanksgiving holiday is complete and without question. This day was established for the sole purpose of giving thanks back to God for what He has given us. As with so many of our religious holidays, Thanksgiving seems to have lost its meaning and purpose, or at least the way we celebrate it. As a nation we must return to a humble gratitude toward our Father who is our source and supply. What if He were to cease being our source? One such story illustrates this well. One day the sun did not rise. Six o'clock came and there was no sign of dawn. At seven o'clock, there was still no ray of light. At noon, it was as black as midnight. No birds sang and only the hoot of an owl broke the silence. Then came the long black hours of the afternoon. Finally, evening arrived but no one slept that night. Some wept, some wrung their hands in anguish. Every church was thronged with people on their knees. Thus, they remained the whole night through. After that long night of terror and agony, millions of eager, tear-streaked faces were turned toward the east. When the sky began to grow red and the sun rose, there was a loud shout of joy. Millions of lips said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" because the sun had risen after one day of darkness. The very consistency of God's blessings sometimes dulls our gratitude. The wonderful thing about the mercies of God is that they are fresh every morning and new every evening. Let us remember to be constantly thankful to our gracious God. I believe we must have an attitude of living in Thanksgiving. Twenty four hours a day. The question has been asked and rightly so, “What if we only had what we gave thanks for yesterday?” There is a story in Luke 17:11-17 that tells of 10 lepers who were healed and the rewards of thankfulness. 11 Now it happened  as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers,  who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them,  “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so, it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice  glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a lSamaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” May your life be full of thanksgiving today and every day. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. #NOVEMBER18

Urgent Mission With nearly 10,000,000 people in the state, Michigan ranks 10th among all of the United States in population. In terms of landmass, Michigan ranks 11th. The Great Lake State has the longest freshwater shoreline in the entire world. If we mathematically divided the state’s population by the number of Southern Baptist churches, each church would be responsible for reaching out to, engaging, witnessing, and discipling an estimated 31,250 people. That is per church! Crunch the Numbers Can you imagine your church and you bridging relationships with 31,250 people this next year? How many new people entered and remained at your church this past year? What would each church have to do to reach radically more people for Christ? If each church, by the numbers, did their part next year that would mean each church would have to engage 86 new people every single day for 365 days. Each church would have to engage 86 new people every single day for 365 days. This summer, I was in Dallas, Texas speaking to a retired policeman at one of the large, well-know congregations. He was directing security for the church. The man’s face was wrinkled and tanned. I could hear voices coming from the earbud in his left ear even though he tried to conceal it with his gray hair. His eyes had a gleam as he scanned the congregation of thousands gathering for worship. After learning I was from Michigan, he said to me, “I lived and worked in Michigan all my life; but only after retiring and moving to Texas did someone tell me about Jesus Christ. I am so glad my wife and I found Him and we love our church.” Insert: One man said to me, “I lived and worked in Michigan all my life; but only after retiring and moving to Texas did someone tell me about Jesus Christ.” Keeping it Brief In the shadow of the overwhelming numbers and in light of the urgency to reach more people for Jesus Christ as described above, I want to share a vision, a mission, and 5 values for church starting. We want to see healthy churches starting new churches in places and among people groups in the Great Lakes region, so that everyone is extended an invitation to follow Jesus Christ. In fewer words, our mission is starting new churches everywhere for everyone. Starting new churches everywhere for everyone 5 Core Values Reliance upon God - We rely upon God for His leadership through the study and application of the Bible. By means of private and corporate prayers, we pursue obedience and boldness through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through corporate and private worship, we treasure God above all things and we display that dedication by starting new churches. Collaboration with others – This network is a mosaic of cultures, colors, communities, and languages with one mission, which is starting new churches. Working together we are powerful. Working together, under the Lord’s leadership, we are unstoppable. Sacrificial Focus – We come together to do one thing with excellence. We dedicate ourselves to starting new churches within population segments and among people groups in the Great Lakes region. We sacrifice other worthy endeavors knowing that this intense focus changes eternity for people in the region. Leadership Development – We gather and engage leaders for the purpose of starting new churches. We develop leaders, so they anticipate, prepare for, and overcome challenges. We offer leaders the tools and the processes by which they can multiply and empower others, so that new generations will produce new leaders. Urgency – Though God is eternal, our involvement to achieve His desires in each of our lifetimes is limited; therefore, we take the responsibility to do as much as we can in the time each of us is allocated in our respective lives. We do not wait on something to change or someone else to lead. We take the initiative to do as much as we can with the resources God provides in each season of our lives. There are waves from the Great Lakes that shape the shoreline of the state, night and day. What if there was an ever-increasing wave of churches that saturated every population segment and every people group within the Great Lakes region with the Gospel? Can you imagine what God could accomplish, during the coming years, if we would strive to increase the number of Southern Baptist churches in Michigan? What part will you take-on in this endeavor? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony Lynn is the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as lead pastor for more than six years at Crosspoint Church in Monroe, Michigan. He and his wife, Jamie, also served with the International Mission Board in Africa and in Europe. #NOVEMBER18

FENTON, MI – Everything stopped. Instantly. It was the first day of school and a six-year-old girl in our extended family was missing. Our daughter-in-law called my wife in tears. Her twin sister’s daughter didn’t get off the bus after school. She called the school to let them know. Surveillance cameras showed her daughter leaving the building after school, but not getting on her bus. School officials started calling the bus drivers, obviously thinking she got on the wrong bus. They searched the school, but she was nowhere to be found. The family was getting more and more concerned as time passed. Every moment seemed like an eternity. A lot of time had already passed and no one knew where she was. Immediately, I began to process the information my wife was sharing and the questions began to fly; Have the police been notified? Have the buses been checked? Have they called any friends she might have gone home with? Have they searched the school? The playground? The neighborhood? Nearby businesses? Is the family mobilizing to search? How can I help? My wife couldn’t answer any of my questions. She had given me all the information she had. I asked her to call our daughter-in-law back, and find out any other information that she could. It was already late afternoon. I didn’t say anything, but I knew that the window to find a missing child grows smaller as time passes. There was a growing urgency in me to mobilize family and friends to start searching quickly if she wasn’t found. I continued praying as I waited for my wife to call back. I also started writing a note to ask for people to join us in prayer. A little girl, a six-year-old, was lost on the first day of school. My mind went to the quote: The only thing worse than being lost is to be lost and no one is looking for you. Shar called back. The police had been called. She wasn’t found playing in the school or playground. Bus drivers were returning calls but so far she wasn’t on any of the buses. I was scheduled to leave town later that day for a four-day training. I cancelled the trip in my mind knowing that the family would need me if they didn’t find her. We waited. We prayed. We tried to remain calm, but anxiety grew as time passed. Another call. Every bus driver had checked in or finished the route, but one. They tried repeatedly to contact that one bus driver, but he didn’t respond. Hope was alive, but I could tell by the way Shar spoke that anxiety was rapidly growing in our daughter-in-law and the family. I was about to send out the emergency prayer request when the phone rang again. The little girl was on that last bus! I was immediately relieved and grateful to God that she was safe. Though I did not see it, that must have been a particularly sweet embrace between momma and daughter that afternoon. I suspect time and again that mom would hold her daughter close as tears filled her eyes. I suspect that dad did likewise, and the family prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. As I recall the events of that day, I wonder if that is a picture of what God feels when a lost child comes home spiritually. Jesus punctuates the stories of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son with the words, “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:32). It’s an incredible picture of Heaven celebrating and rejoicing that the lost are found! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike Durbin is the State Evangelism Director for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before joining the state convention staff, Mike served as Church Planting Catalyst and Director of Missions in Metro Detroit since 2007. He also has served as a pastor and bi-vocational pastor in Michigan, as well as International Missionary to Brazil. #NOVEMBER18