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WINDSOR, ONTARIO – Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was pried open twice. The first occasion was in 1887, twenty-two long years after his assassination. Why? You may be surprised to know it was not to determine if he had died of a bullet fired from John Wilkes Booth’s derringer. Then why? Because a rumor was sweeping the country that his coffin was empty. A select group of witnesses observed that the rumor was totally false, then watched as the casket was resealed with lead. A second time, fourteen years later, the martyred man’s withered body was viewed again – this time by even more witnesses. Why again? For the same grim purpose! Rumors of the same nature had again implanted doubts in the public’s mind. The pressure mounted to such proportions, that the same ghoulish, grotesque ceremony had to be carried out. In spite of the strong protests of Lincoln’s son Robert, the body was exposed a second time. Then finally – the corpse was permanently embedded in a crypt at Springfield. (Charles R. Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1983, pp. 105-107.) Pretty cruel, right? But rumors are like that. Lacking authoritative facts and direct source, information is loosely disseminated, creating unrest and harm. It is pandered by busybodies who cater to the sick appetite of petty people. Swindoll says, “Those who feed on rumors are small, suspicious souls. They find satisfaction in trafficking in poorly lit alleys, dropping subtle bombs that explode in others’ minds by lighting the fuse of suggestion. They find comfort in being only an ‘innocent’ channel of the unsure information… never the source. The omnipresent phrases ‘They say’ or ‘Have you heard?’ or ‘I understand from others’ provides safety for the rumor-spreader.” A pastor for more than 35 years, I have dealt with my share of rumors, and I have the scars to prove it. So, what do you do with rumors? I submit Swindoll’s four suggestions for silencing rumor-mongers: Identify sources by name. If someone is determined to share information that is damaging or hurtful, request that the source be specifically stated. Support evidence with facts. Do not accept hearsay. Refuse to listen unless honest-to-goodness truth is being communicated. You can tell. Truth is rarely veiled or uncertain. Rumors fade when exposed to the light. Ask the person, “May I quote you?” It’s remarkable how quickly rumor-spreaders can turn four shades of red! Equally remarkable is the speed with which they can backpedal. Openly admit, “I don’t appreciate hearing that.” This approach is for the strong. It might drive a wedge between you and the guilty… but it’s a sure way to halt the regular garbage delivery to your ears. You may want to look up Proverbs 10:11, Proverbs 15:1-7, and James 3:12, just in case you need a little more support from Scripture. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Garth Leno is the Pastor/Planter Care Specialist with the BSCM. He serves in a similar role with the Canadian National Baptist Convention, and he is the founding pastor of The Gathering Church in Windsor, Ontario, a church he planted with his wife, Patty, and a few of their friends. #FEBRUARY23

PLYMOUTH – At your invitation . . . I would be happy to lead your local church leadership, or better yet, a gathering of a few local church leadership teams in your area in a workshop filled with discussions, activities, and discoveries that will reignite a new passion for your church’s future. Imagine a one-time gathering of 3 hours during one weeknight, or on a Saturday, or during a Sunday afternoon where you could have conversations with people from your church. I will make myself available to fit your schedule. Seven Questions We would walk through seven questions and a process that will help your church take its next step to accelerate a Gospel movement in the lives of your members and in the lives of those in your community. Here is a general description of the questions: 1. What is your church’s current health condition? By looking at five options, you and your leadership will evaluate the current health of your church. You will enjoy strolling through the options to see if everyone can easily agree on the church’s current wellness. 2. Does the church’s decision-making process and flow of relationships match its size? The size of your church does not decrease or increase the value of the church, but the size of your church should impact decision-making and the relationship flow. When these elements of church do not match, health is hindered, and injuries occur. 3. How old is the church? The older the church the more pastors it had, the more models of ministry were followed, the more positive and negative events that occurred in its history, the more generations exist in the congregation, and the longer some things have become sacred cows. 4. At what point is the church in its journey? Imagine one car with four potential drivers traveling together on a long journey over a mountain range, then ask yourself who is driving this car? Is it vision? Is it disciple making? Is it programs? Is it management? 5. What is the level of generosity/stinginess in the church? The generosity/stinginess of the church members informs you as to whether the members believe they are giving to something meaningful, and whether they trust those who spend the funds? Examining how much is spent in the church compared to the amounts helping others outside the church reveals the Kingdom of God vision of the members. 6. What is the current pastor’s functional strength? Ephesians 4:11 mentions apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These functions were perfectly carried out in Jesus Christ who left those functions to us to complete as united church members. Pastors, elders, deacons, whatever designation is used in your church is healthier when leaders and members fill-in the gaps others are not easily suited to complete. 7. What is the current pastor’s length of service? Most unions of pastors and churches go through three stages: the launch zone, the growth zone, and the fizzle zone. The most effective pastors with long records of service will tell you that they remained at one address for decades because they relaunched the same church before the fizzle zone led to the frozen zone. Leaders and members of the church should renew their health, every four to five years by asking: What is working? What is broken? What is confusing? What is missing? Coaching in Six One-hour Sessions If you desire, I will meet with you one-time every two-weeks, for a duration of one-hour, for a total of twelve-weeks. You will read one short article in preparation for the session, then apply that article to your church. These one-hour sessions will give time for each church leadership team to dig into more deeply one of these previous seven questions. Another Six Sessions to Create a Church Wellness Plan After the time of coaching is ended, each church leadership team will be guided to repeat the schedule together, for twelve more weeks, where they will focus on finding precise solutions that will lead to better health for the church. While looking for solutions, I will be available and can offer solutions, but searching for the correct solutions together may be energizing for the leaders and members of the church. Releasing the Revitalization Movement After the efforts are completed during those previous six months, the church’s leadership team can set-up a party where they can explain the grand vision they believe will start and continue sustained health in the church. The details can be left to each church to do as they believe matches their own congregation. The focus is on making the renewed mission, vision, values, and strategy of the church aim precisely for church health. Quick Summary of Sixteen Hours in Seven Months One 3-hour introduction workshop with me Six 1-hour coaching sessions digging into the questions with me Six 1-hour solution finding sessions with church leaders & members One 1-hour revitalization announcement party with the entire church If you want to invite me to serve you with “Seven Questions Pursuing Church Health,” call or write to Dan Carty who will set up an appointment between us: Dan Carty, (734) 776-6495 or Dan@bscm.org – I look forward to hearing from you. Sixteen hours over the course of seven months could keep your church health for decades to come. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Tony L. 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. #FEBRUARY23

MACOMB TOWNSHIP – My husband is a pastor and we have been in ministry together for more than twenty years. During these twenty years, our roles and titles have changed somewhat, but our purpose has not. We are called to share the gospel, build disciples, and minister to people. When ministering to people, we often help those who are sick, hurting, or in need. What happens when the needs become more than what we can handle? In ministry, the compassion opportunities will never end, so it is up to us to go before the Lord, and ask him to give us wisdom and discernment to handle the needs that are before us. As leaders in ministry, I think we can learn a good lesson from Jesus in John 5 when he healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda. Crowds of sick people – blind, lame, or paralyzed – lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” – John 5:2-6 (NLT) Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! - John 5:8-9a (NLT) It is important to point out that the passage says there were “crowds of sick people” who gathered at the pool of Bethesda who hoped they would have an opportunity to be healed by the waters. Can you picture this in your mind? So many people, with so many needs! In walks Jesus, the one who could heal all the sick and take away all their pain. However, that wasn’t His purpose on that day. Instead, Jesus made His way over to the lame man and asked him, “Would you like to get well?” I often think of this passage of scripture when I am feeling overwhelmed by the needs of ministry. God doesn’t ask us to meet all the needs we see. We are not the savior of the world. We have a Savior, and His name is Jesus. He has already come and because he has come, we can now go to Him and ask Him for wisdom and discernment in how to give compassion to those we see who are in need. I love this quote by Andy Stanley: “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.” We should focus on meeting the needs for the one God has asked you to minister to. How often do we start our day and begin straightaway meeting the needs of everyone right in front of us? What if we started our mornings with a prayer like this: Jesus, I surrender my day to you. Who do you want me to minister to today? Give me discernment in the decisions I make today so that I can walk out the purpose you have for me to be your hands and feet. I pray against distractions from the enemy and that I will be in tune with your voice as you lead. Give me the strength and stamina I need to be able to do what you are asking me to do. Help me to not do more than what you have purposed for my day. Please make it clear. – Amen This prayer is powerful because it invites Jesus to lead our day and ushers in an awareness of His presence. A great prayer to pray at night as we end the day is: Jesus, thank you for leading and guiding me today. Help me to be satisfied with the needs that you asked me to help meet today. I can now leave the other unmet needs in your sovereign hands knowing you have a plan and purpose to meet those needs. I pray for peace and rest tonight. – Amen When we consistently invite Jesus to lead our lives, we begin to see the way He is working and then allow Him to direct our steps more and more. Our eyes are then opened to see exactly what needs God has placed in our lives for that day. It also keeps us from trying to do more than what God has ever intended for us to do. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG) Friend, if you are in ministry or another vocation where you may feel a bit of compassion fatigue from time to time, I invite you to lean on Jesus today. Let Him be your guide. Surrender your day and your time to Him and let Him give you all you need. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karen is married to Scott Blanchard, pastor of Lakepointe Church, and moved from Florida to Michigan in the summer of 2009 to plant Lakepointe Church in Shelby Township. She enjoys mentoring and discipling women and also leads women’s life groups through her church. She is passionate about helping women find their purpose in who God created them to be. She is on staff at Lakepointe Church and loves being part of what God is doing in the Metro Detroit area! #FEBRUARY23

More than 3,000 unreached people groups don’t have a single verse of Scripture in their language, said Paul Wynn of OneMessage.tv. And even if they did, 80% are oral learners, meaning they come from a storytelling tradition where the written word wouldn’t be of any value. With a goal of reaching those people groups for Christ, OneMessage.tv works with missions partners, including the International Mission Board, to produce a collection of 20 Bible story videos using members of specific people groups as actors and translating it into their languages. “Once that library is completed, we give it to the ministry, and then they can share those videos,” Wynn told The Baptist Paper. “They can do movie nights in the villages where they work and show it on a big screen,” he said, “or they can do little files on their phones and go … home to home and share them, or share them in small groups.” About a decade ago, Wynn was in Nigeria and noticed a herdsman wearing traditional African clothing standing with some cattle in a field. The man’s mobile phone rang, and he pulled it out and started talking. “Even in villages that perhaps don’t have power, they’ve got cell phones,” Wynn said, noting children sometimes start businesses pedaling bicycles to produce power for charging phones. Global partners For more than 15 years, Wynn and Doug Keesey worked in media production for various ministries through their company OneMisson.tv. In 2019, they launched OneMessage.tv after working with an IMB missionary in Colombia to use locals as actors in videos communicating Bible stories. During the past three years, Wynn and Keesey have been working with four people groups in Africa and South America, completing an entire library for one of the groups. They’re currently in discussions with a people group in northern Iraq. “When we go, we don’t ask the missions partners for anything except some sweat equity,” Wynn said. “If they can help us find actors for a few days and that kind of thing, that’s all we ask. We just give them the resource when it’s completed.” Typically, the videos are between three and six minutes, so it’s easy to sit down with someone and show it on a phone. If missionaries host a movie night, they may show five of the stories back to back. “We concentrate heavily on Genesis and Exodus and then move into the gospels,” Wynn said. “It’s based to a certain degree on the IMB storying method. They have a list of about 40 stories that they use.” Wynn and Keesey consider which stories will work well visually and address attitudes or misconceptions a people group might have. For instance, the story of the golden calf in Exodus 32 is relevant to groups that practice idol worship. “We move into Jesus’ birth, a number of His miracles and then His crucifixion and resurrection,” Wynn said. Stories of value The stories are so valuable to some that they go to great lengths to obtain and share them. “After we did our first set of stories, we heard of a man who was a believer who walked three or four kilometers up to a high spot where he could get cell coverage and download the stories. Then he walked back to his village so he could share the stories by Bluetooth with other people there,” Wynn related. They’ve even seen some of the local actors come to faith in Christ. “When we were in South America three years ago, we went to a village that had about 100 people but only two believers, a man and a woman,” Wynn recalled. “They were kind of our starting point for our actors. The very first story that we shot with them was Cain and Abel. This man got his brother, who was not a believer, to come and play Cain. The believer played Abel. “When we started that morning, the missionary kind of sidled up next to me and said, ‘I think he may be a little hungover this morning.’ But this guy totally got into it. He was hands down our best actor. This people group by and large is not overly demonstrative — you really have to get them going — but this guy took to it. He hung out with us for the next two days while we were shooting stories.” During the process the two brothers formed a relationship with the missionary, and a few weeks later the unbelieving brother started asking questions about Jesus. Within a couple of months he became a believer, Wynn said. New believers starting a church The people group now has about 10 baptized believers with plans to build a church. “When people watch these videos, they’re seeing their own faces,” Wynn explained. “They not only hear it in their heart language, they’re also seeing people who look like them.” He added this is a reproducible strategy that works in a lot of contexts worldwide. Some of the videos have found their way into villages missionaries haven’t even gotten to yet, Wynn said. “The people groups that we’ve worked with probably had not seen a video of any kind in their language,” Wynn related, and because of this project, the first one they’re experiencing is about the Bible. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erin Roach is a writer for The Baptist Paper. #FEBRUARY23

Let’s face it, churches spend a whole lot of money and time doing short-term mission trips around the globe. If we are going to invest so much, let’s do it right by being intentional from the beginning. My husband, Tim, and I have hosted teams taking entry-level mission trips in Panama. Our goal is always to help churches not only see but experience their role in carrying out the missionary task. We’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Through the years, we’ve found when you add prayer to the following six things, your mission trip will be intentional and impactful: 1. Flexible doesn’t mean “wing it.” Send teams that are prepared. Try to paint a picture for your team about what they signed up to do. Help them know what to pack, wear and what not to take. Make sure your team leaders spend time talking to missionaries on the field. They will have tips and hints on the best way to prep your team. Practice cultural greetings. Try food that might seem weird. Take a bucket bath. Talk about the concept of “time” as it relates to the people you will serve. This helps to get the “Ooh that’s weird” comments out of the way while still in the U.S. When you get to your country of service, it’s easier to slide right into the culture. Short-term trips are jam packed with activities. This means it is important to have your Bible lessons already prepared and be comfortable sharing the gospel. Not only will you have an immediate impact, but you’ll have time to invest in relationships, not to mention sleep more. No long nights preparing for the next day! 2. Partner with local believers. We can help! Yes, work with your IMB missionary but let us connect you to local believers, churches and ministries. While this may not be possible in every country, work toward partnering with nationals already doing the work. This is important for discipleship. After you go back home, what’s the plan for discipling the new followers of Christ? By partnering with local churches, not only will they take over the task of discipleship, but you become sister churches supporting each other. 3. If nationals can do it, you shouldn’t. The last thing we want to do is create dependency. Being tied to ministries with national believers keeps dependency down. Spend your time empowering, not enabling. This means if your trip involves teaching a Vacation Bible School, it’s your job to mentor and encourage the local believer as they teach beside you. This allows them to recreate the ministry after you are gone. This is an important principle with almost any type of ministry, whether it’s door-to-door evangelism or putting on a new roof. This approach is not only biblical but provides a legitimate reason for being in parts of town tourists don’t normally see. 4.The only solution you need is for lostness. It’s in our nature to fix things and make it better. The Lord reminded me years ago that I didn’t have enough power or resources to fix all the problems in the world. What you can try to fix, however, is your new friend’s eternity. Each day 157,690 people die without Christ. You have the solution for a lost world — the gospel! 5. The ENTIRE church should be involved, not just the five traveling. A short-term trip can transform the entire church. Have a plan to get everyone involved from the beginning and afterward. Ask classes to pray. Create notes of encouragement for your team to read — this can be done by kids, teens and adults. Study the country and people as a congregation. Stay connected with the team while they are ministering. When the team returns, the trip isn’t over. Your church will be forever changed by this experience. Use this opportunity as a springboard to deepen your church’s walk with the Lord. 6. Short-term trips should lead to a long-term commitment. Be forward thinking from the very beginning. There are more than 7,000 people groups among the least reached with the gospel in the world. It’s going to take all of us working together to reach the nations. This long-term commitment may lead to ministries not only with a people group in another country but also with them in your own community. We want to empower short-term mission teams to make disciples and multiply churches among the least reached peoples of the world. The IMB will help prepare you to serve alongside missionaries and national believers. Find a short-term trip that works for you and your church. Visit our trip finder and training resources. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tina Louderback is an IMB missionary serving in Panama. She teaches a course on “Short-Term Missions Success” at IMB Missions College. #FEBRUARY23

WASHINGTON (BP) – In addition to reading and studying Scripture, it can be powerful to experience the Bible’s real-world impact. Inspire Experiences offers Christian groups experiential tours based around the biblical connections found in Washington, D.C. The organization explores the various monuments and museums around the nation’s capital while exploring the impact of the Bible and faith upon the nation’s history. Michael McAfee, Inspire’s president and co-founder, told Baptist Press the goal of Inspire is to give an experience that will help people holistically engage the truth of Scripture. “We exist to inspire a generation to be biblically literate, historically informed and spiritually engaged,” McAfee said. Inspire began test piloting their tours in late 2019, and officially launched its ministry in February 2020 – just before it had to shut down. After making it through the COVID-19 pandemic, McAfee said the demand for the various experiences they offer is now sometimes more than they can keep up with. Various groups that come can include anything from school or church groups, to couples simply wanting to have a special travel experience. Some of the sites explored within the tour options include the Jefferson Memorial and other historical monuments, the National Museum of African American History & Culture and the main attraction of the Museum of the Bible. McAfee formerly worked for the Museum of the Bible, even before it opened. He said the job helped him realize the incredible discipleship opportunity the city had to offer. “We realized that throughout Washington, D.C., there are so many biblical ties and connections that make a trip to D.C. a phenomenal discipleship experience,” McAfee said. “If people walk away with one thing from our trip, we want them to know the whole Bible is a story that points to Jesus and that they have a starting point for engaging with the Scriptures when they go home. “Ultimately, it’s not a win for us if we create a bunch of Pharisees that know a lot of things about the Bible but are not engaged in their church and living it out by making disciples in their own personal life.” Living out discipleship is something McAfee wants to be a part of his own life. Although frequently in Washington for his work with Inspire, McAfee is based in Oklahoma City where he serves as a teaching pastor at Council Road Baptist Church. Council Road is the same church where McAfee meet his wife, Lauren, when they were 7 years old. He now jokes that his whole life was figured out at that age because that is the same year he became a Christian, was baptized and determined he wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. “I couldn’t imagine if we weren’t engaged with a local church regularly,” McAfee said. “Our content and what we produce would be far less relevant, impactful or helpful. In our lives we’re trying to model discipleship and living in biblical community.” In addition to local church work, the McAfees are involved with several other ministries together. The two co-wrote a book designed to reach those in the Gen Z and Millennial generations who are disillusioned or disinterested in the Bible titled “Not What You Think.” Lauren is also a pro-life advocate and is a leader with the recently established Stand for Life organization. The two have even lived out a form of pro-life advocacy in their own family through adoption, but it has not been an easy road. The couple adopted their 4-year-old daughter Zion in 2019, and soon discovered a cancerous tumor on her liver. The cancer was diagnosed as Stage 1 and she is currently in remission, but the trials were not over. Since adopting Zion, the McAfees have experienced two failed adoptions, including one that was more than a year in process. Through those difficulties, the couple learned more about God’s loving plan in a tangible way. “We learned that God’s painful providences are for the purposes of intimacy,” McAfee said. “God is ultimately using painful situations to draw us closer to Him. As much as we want to control things ourselves, we can trust Him with their lives. “When you surrender and realize things happen to lead us to intimacy with God, then you start to kind of come out of the valley. You discover the intimacy you get with God is greater than the expectation of what you thought life was going to be better.” The couple is currently in the process of adopting another daughter and producing a book about what they learned throughout the whole experience. McAfee said he hopes Inspire creates experiences that will help Christians learn the Gospel and biblical truth in a way that will help them in life. “Being a Southern Baptist preacher, I am fully committed to the priority of preaching and the uniqueness of sermons and more generally in the importance of didactic teaching,” McAfee said. “I think it is also critical to have experiential ministry to come alongside of that to complement it. I think we see Jesus doing that in that He didn’t just come to the disciples to teach them, but He lived life with them. “There is a reason you remember so much of the experiences you have on vacation is that you’re not doing the same thing you always do. Why not do something like that that’s also a faith-deepening experience? Let’s associate this kind of memories with learning to read the Scripture and learning the Gospel and its implications.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Timothy Cockes is a Baptist Press staff writer. #FEBRUARY23

LOUISVILLE, KY (BP) – Eleanor Gorin, born March 5, 1921, grew up in the first house built on Cherokee Road in Louisville and received Christ after meeting the famous Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom. It was the late 1960s, in the middle of the Jesus movement, when Gorin says “the Holy Spirit jumped across the water,” all the way to Bermuda, where she and her husband were living at the time. There, Gorin became involved in a seven-person prayer group of “hungry, thirsty, cultural Christians.” “The Lord worked it so” that Ten Boom stopped there on a tour to share the story of her time in prison. “She had such an impact on my life,” Gorin said. Ten Boom, best known for her book The Hiding Place, was a watchmaker from the Netherlands who became imprisoned for hiding Jews in her family home during the Holocaust. At the time Ten Boom visited Gorin’s prayer group, already “The Lord had been drawing us to Himself.” Ten Boom stayed for nearly two weeks, and Gorin recalls how she shared her testimony, starting with her ministry to the mentally handicapped during her teenage years, then her imprisonment and her love for the Jewish people. Gorin recalls Ten Boom said, “With the mentally handicapped, you don’t worry about the intellect. The Holy Spirit goes straight to the spirit of the individual.” Ten Boom illustrated the Holy Spirit coming into the lives of Christians by pulling out “her little carpet bag,” holding up an empty glove, shaking it and saying, “these fingers in the glove can’t do a thing,” like an individual without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like gloves without fingers inside, and can do nothing spiritually. “We were hanging on every word,” said Gorin, “our mouths were wide open.” After hearing from Ten Boom, Gorin heard from other influential speakers including Abram Vereide, some from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Cannon Wallace Bird. One night, Gorin went to a service led by Bird, an Anglican priest. “His face was radiant” as he shared his testimony. At the end of the evening, he led the listeners in a salvation prayer, one that Gorin prayed for herself. “That was when I knew that I knew,” said Gorin, and she “came to know Jesus in a personal way.” “If you make it real in your own heart,” Bird told attendees, “then go home and tell somebody before you go to bed tonight.” So Gorin went home and told her daughter, “Honey, I want you to know that tonight I asked Jesus into my heart.” Gorin then woke up her husband and told him the same. His response, which Gorin attributes as being from the Lord, was, “What’s going to be different?” One difference, Gorin said, was that her “values began to change.” Whereas before, music and art had been idols in Gorin’s life, “the Word of God opened up to me ‘like the petals of a flower,’” as she recalls someone explaining it, and God began convicting her of idols and sin. Previously, Gorin had struggled with sin, wondering why she could not change. Now those idols in her life became less important. Gorin says she started to “understand those mysteries” in the Bible after she “began to yield to the Holy Spirit.” After a six-year stay in Bermuda, when she and her husband came back to the States, they settled in Richmond, Va., and began opening their home for college student Bible studies, where they shared the Good News they had received and “saw miracle after miracle after miracle” as students turned from “drugs and other things” to the Lord. Now, the advice Gorin gives to young believers seeking to grow in Christ is to “become saturated in the Word of God.” Gorin’s husband, Lewis, who was saved some time later, spent later years reading the Bible to Eleanor. After he passed, Eleanor said “18 times he’d read the whole Bible” out loud to her in the kitchen. Gorin says that people need to “come to a place of deep commitment and surrender” to the Lord for growth. It is in the Word of God that we understand “how black our sin can be and how much he can forgive if we repent.” All through the Bible we receive “tremendous encouragement.” “Jesus still speaks to us from the seat next to the Father,” says Gorin, and we must read and listen. Gorin, previously a part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, is now a member of Hurstbourne Baptist Church in Louisville, where she attends faithfully. She feels she has been given the gift of a long life so that she can “touch more people with her testimony.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hannah Julian is a writer for Kentucky Today. #FEBRUARY23

SOUTH LYON – The writer of Ecclesiastes said that “there is nothing new under the sun.” He was right. The more that I see and hear about new things, the more I realize we’ve been this way before. With ministry, you always want to be fresh and have fresh ideas. Last week, I was in my office talking to a man who comes in just about every day. I asked him if he would like to go with me to visit with a woman who is now in her 90’s. We left and drove just a short distance to her house and rang the doorbell. It took a minute or two before she was able to get to the door, but when she opened it up, her eyes lit up, and her hands and arms flew into the air. There was a smile from ear to ear. She had just decorated her house for Christmas and couldn’t wait to show us her Christmas trinkets. All with stories behind them. We stayed for a while, ate cookies, talked, and prayed with her. Her smile was all I could think about that day when I got back to the office. The next day, I decided to drive over to an assisted living place in Northville. One of the ladies from our church had just moved in the week before, and she was trying to adjust to her new way of life. As I made my way through the hallway, I finally found her room. I knocked on the door. It didn’t take her long to open it. She smiled and I asked, “how are you doing?” She was quick to say, “I’m bored to tears.” She invited me in, and was glad to see me. Her place was a little bigger than my office at the church. Her bedroom, kitchen, and living room area were all the same room. A far cry from the two bedrooms, two floor place that she moved out of. We visited for a little while and when we were done, she said that she would walk me down to the door, that it would give her an excuse to get out of the room. My heart went out for both women, and my mind went back to the days when they were at church every service. Both of them were teaching Sunday School, rocking babies in the nursery, encouraging our young ladies. And now, life is a lot different, much quieter, much lonelier. In our quest sometimes to become younger with our church attendance, we tend to forget those who, in days gone by, were a big part in many of our churches. They worked hard to build and clean, many sacrificed money and time to reach out to those in need. Some were probably even the ones who shared the love of Jesus with you, and prayed with you to receive him into your heart and life. If we are not careful, these people become the forgotten, and they aren’t thought of much until you get the call that they have passed, and then the memories of who they once were comes flooding back again. One day, someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was? He said, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the next,” he said, “is much like the first. Love your neighbor as yourself.” There are folks out there who just need someone to say, “I thought I would stop by today to see how you are doing?” Let’s not forget to reach out to them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Randy Weaks is the Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church South Lyon. #JANUARY23

Editor’s Note: The latest episode of the BSCM’s podcast “Punching Holes in the Darkness” addresses the issue of the local church and legal challenges. It also shares how the BSCM is helping local churches protect themselves from legal challenges. To listen go to: https://www.bscm.org/podcast/episode/f5611368/navigating-the-changing-culture LAYTON, UT (BP) – When God created Gary McKean, He gave him flat feet, and gave Southern Baptists McKean’s legal expertise. The flat feet canceled McKean’s dream of being a Naval officer. He turned to law instead because it “intrigued me, especially after taking an undergraduate Constitutional law course.” McKean was honored during the recent annual meeting of the Utah Idaho Southern Baptist Convention for 15 years’ service as a volunteer on the state convention staff, but pre- and post-retirement as a county attorney he has served Southern Baptists for more than 45 years, including an eight-year stint (2006-2014) on the SBC Executive Committee. “Gary’s work with our churches and legal guidance has saved our churches thousands of dollars and many headaches,” UISBC Executive Director Rob Lee told messengers to the two-state convention’s 58th annual meeting. “Without Gary’s legal guidance our state convention of churches would not function as effectively.” One of the things McKean does each year is post in the December issue of UI Connections, the state convention’s online communications tool, three things churches need to do in December, and the one to be done in January. He tells church leaders to check the applicable laws and procedures for their state or local governments and confirm their compliance for the following before the end of the calendar year: Confirm that a corporate renewal form has been submitted to the state. Designate by resolution the housing allowance for pastors for the coming year. Confirm the renewal of the church’s property tax exemption with the county tax assessor. In January, provide receipts or statements to all donors confirming each donor’s giving in the last year. McKean talked with Baptist Press about how knowledge of legal matters is essential for pastors and churches these days. “This is something that is generally not taught in seminaries,” McKean said. “The essential factor is that any given church has two natures: the spiritual or ecclesiastical and the business or corporate. Each engenders legal aspects. “It also means churches need to understand distinctions of function and responsibility between ecclesiastical leaders and corporate officers,” McKean continued. “Trustees have corporate duties and fiduciary roles that often are not understood by churches.” He notes that many churches are concerned with liability. Traditionally that has been based on claims of negligence, but today it may also be in terms of non-compliance, such as child safety. That necessitates well-considered risk management consisting of four basic components: having policies, training on those policies, monitoring compliance with these policies, and keeping records of all of that. “More governmental regulations have to be dealt with, such as with property, zoning, tax exemption, employment, sex abuse, religious liberty and more,” the longtime attorney said. “The need for legal advice and legal awareness on such regulations and other laws is increasing exponentially. “As long as there have been churches there have been legal matters to be addressed by the church. Over the last 30 to 40 years, the legal climate has been changing.” In today’s litigious climate, churches face a greater possibility of legal claims. McKean listed several hot-button cultural issues that 10 years ago wouldn’t have been significant: transgender bathrooms for youth and children, same sex weddings, armed church security, various types of discrimination and the ongoing struggle to preserve religious liberties. Courts will generally recognize a “ministerial exception,” meaning that the court will not rule on a theological or spiritual doctrine, but courts can and often will find there are secular aspects the court can rule on. As stated in McKean’s report at the 2022 UISBC annual meeting, “Each church should take the time to review its governing documents, its articles of incorporation, constitution/statement of beliefs, bylaws, and policies. Churches should be made aware of legal trends, developments, and concerns as these may impact the church’s ministry.” Churches need to be aware that when churches close or disband, there is a legal responsibility to lawfully dissolve the church entity and properly dispose of any assets, McKean told Baptist Press. For example, trustees are responsible for those assets and could incur personal liability if they were to give assets to another church rather than applying those assets to a church debt or give any assets to individual church members. McKean helps churches with all these issues, leads legal seminars and provides legal resources on the UISBC website. “When we talk about legal things with churches, I try to impress on everybody that the purpose of the church’s governing documents is to encourage and enable the church to fulfill its mission,” McKean said. “The mission is everything. “It’s important to understand what the law is, and what resources are available. There are a lot of Christian lawyers around the country. One important source for me is the Christian Legal Society. I’ve been very active in it for years. One reason is its central emphasis on fulfilling Micah 6:8.” CLS serves Christ through the practice of law, the defense of religious freedom, and providing legal aid to the needy, according to its website. McKean and other Christian attorneys operated a CLS Legal Clinic in Layton for 20 years. Insurance companies, Christian and religious liberties firms, Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and many state conventions make available resources, videos, webinars and more for churches. “These can be very informative and helpful,” McKean said. “Churches need to have a heightened awareness of the law and factor into that what they need to do next.” What to do if a suit is filed against a church? Don’t panic, the attorney said. First, contact and listen to an attorney, preferably a Christian who has some knowledge of how churches work. CLS can help locate an attorney. Second, notify the church’s insurance company. Third, designate a team and leader to deal with the suit. (Typically, that should be the trustees and their chairman.) Fourth, keep the members informed. And fifth, maintain a Christian witness through what can be a tiring and lengthy process. Churches ought to regularly review their governing documents – in particular their policies – and make sure they are following those policies, McKean suggested. They can have their local fire and law enforcement departments visit and inspect their facility for safety and security and provide training as well. They can consider having Christian attorneys or other experts lead seminars on children’s ministries, risk management, security, sexual abuse and more. “A church’s respect for the law will reflect the faith, character, and witness of the church and certainly its trust in God,” McKean said. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for Baptist Press. #JANUARY23

PLYMOUTH – As 2022 was nearing the end, I reflected on the illustration a well known speaker made to a gathering of pastors. He described our life cycle in four quarters and gave some common characteristics of each quarter. Based on his analogy and the life span he used to divide the quarters, I’m in life’s 4th quarter. Ouch! Of course, the way my mind is wired, I immediately thought of making it to overtime. Churches have a life cycle too. It’s most often pictured as a Bell Curve with the start on one side and the end on the other. At the topmost point of the curve is when the church is thriving and healthy. People are coming to faith in Christ and growing as disciples. It is a time of growth - spiritually and numerically. Vision drives everything as more and more disciples are made. Organizational structure is developing in such a way that it maximizes vision and discipleship. The focus is on reaching people with the Gospel and making disciples, not maintaining the organization. Mission and ministry go forward hand in hand as the church enthusiastically embraces the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. This is the proverbial “Mountain Top” new churches long to reach in the beginning or existing churches look backward toward during a period of decline. As you look at the Bell Curve, where would you place your church? If your church is on the downslope, you’re not alone. The overwhelming majority of churches are looking backward toward the mountaintop. The closer your church is to the peak on the downside, the easier it is to turn things around. The further the church moves down the slope, the greater the downward momentum pulling your church toward life support. If the church doesn’t experience revitalization, it will die. The good news is: CHURCH REVITALIZATION IS POSSIBLE. Your church can experience renewed vision and vitality. It’s not easy. It will probably take longer and cost more than you expect, but revitalization for your church is worth what it takes. The BSCM exists to help your church take your next step to accelerate the Gospel movement. For many churches that is a step toward revitalization. That’s why we have partnered with Dr. Rob Peters of Corpus Vitae. Corpus has a proven record of helping churches experience renewed vitality. The tools and processes Corpus uses were born out of the local church, and are rooted in Biblical principles. They come alongside local church leaders with practical resources they can use on the revitalization journey. Let me point out two quotes from the Corpus website (https://corpusvitae.org) that capture the heart of their ministry: “Corpus exists because church leaders need help. Leading a church through the revitalization process can be challenging and overwhelming. We are here to help.” “Corpus is a church-based ministry. All the products and services we provide have their origination within the church and are then customized for your individual church. We are not an ivory tower of theory and experimentation. Rather, we are practitioners, and our primary calling is to serve the local church.” Dr. Rob Peters is going to be in Michigan on Monday and Tuesday, March 27-28. to meet with pastors who want to learn more about Corpus Revitalization. We will organize his schedule based on the pastors that are interested in talking with him. Please contact mike@bscm.org so we can make the most of his time with us. 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. #JANUARY23

Editor’s note: The following story is the second in a three-part series about the challenges of training pastors under the Iron Curtain in Romania. Because our training program called Biblical Education by Extension (B.E.E) was organized and taught by foreign teachers and the Romanian communist regime was xenophobic, we had to keep the program secret. Our "assistant principal" Doru Popa (future pastor and leader) was responsible to go to the train station, at a pre-scheduled date and hour. There, he had to identify the teacher who was supposed to wait around the ticket selling area. We never knew where the teachers came from. The agreement was that they were supposed to carry a typical Romanian bag (a “rafia”) and a postcard in their hands. It sounds simple now, but it was risky since everything seemed suspicious then. To confuse the secret police, the teachers would buy their train ticket for a more distant city than their real destination; if the cashier reported them as suspicious and the police wanted to wait at the destination on the ticket, the teachers were already off the train. To keep our network secret, we created a system with several levels. After the first year, a student would become a "teacher" for the second generation of students; then, the second generation would teach the third one, and so on. While only the first generation met the foreign teachers, the other generations also received the books, and this increased the risks. The secret was getting harder and harder to keep with each new generation of students. Therefore, we had to select trustworthy students, as the Bible teaches us in 2 Tim 2:2. Even with all these precautions, we still had moments where our organization was almost found out. One time during summer vacation we were holding conferences, the Militia came to the mother of the pastor Sorin A wanting to find out what meeting was held at her home. The poor lady had no clue what happened the day before at her house. I didn't tell my parents either about B.E.E. The secret police did not intervene against us until November 17th, 1987, when the Militia interrupted our meeting. To downplay the significance of this incident, the Secret Police did not show up, but sent the regular Militia to investigate. In addition, the Militia did not indicate in their report the presence of foreign teachers. “Why didn't the Secret Police (“Securitate” in Romanian) intervene in full force to stop the seminary?”- I asked myself. I didn't know how much they knew about us. At that point, our study system (B.E.E) was widespread in the country and the incident clarified that they were watching us, and that we had to be more careful. It was also possible that we had a mole amongst us, and we were betrayed. It was only the good hand of the Lord that stopped them for the moment. During those days, there was one of the extremely rare political riots against the Romanian regime. The Romanian dictator Ceausescu was afraid to increase the tensions in the county at that moment. Therefore, the order was to kick all the foreigners out of the country (our teachers included) and to simply warn us not to engage in this kind of “illegal” activities anymore. We were lucky this time, although we knew that they would come back after us. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Doru Radu is one of the elders at Golgotha Romanian Baptist Church in Warren, Michigan. Radu immigrated from the communist Romania and likes to write stories about the good hand of our Lord who protected us during the 45 years of communist persecution. #JANUARY23

MIDLAND – Everything Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers do in a crisis, centers on not only meeting physical needs, but extending the invitation to receive eternal, spiritual Hope. SBDR responds to a wide range of crises, primarily meeting critical needs in the aftermath of natural disasters. We are part of one of the largest disaster response groups in the nation, we fall under the auspices of Send Relief, which is a collaboration between the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board. This network of state-based volunteer teams does more than just clean up; we bring the healing of Christ to those whose lives have been impacted. Everything SBDR and Send Relief do to meet needs in the throes of a crisis centers on not only meeting physical needs but extending the invitation to receive eternal, spiritual hope. When we go to a home to help, we try to have a volunteer chaplain on every team that interacts with a homeowner. This is regularly the most important person on the team. While the other volunteers focus on physical needs, the chaplain interacts more with the homeowner. They listen to them, let them tell their stories, and are ready to share the good news about Jesus. Those that are not saved are usually amazed that we travel as far as we have and do this work, at no cost to them, because we love them in Jesus’ name. To be a Chaplain, you must be trained in another Disaster Relief discipline. We want our Chaplains to understand all aspects of a disaster and recovery. The Chaplain serves the needs of the volunteers, as well as survivors of a disaster. On the physical side, teams from Michigan focus on three main areas: flood relief, chainsaw and feeding. Flood recovery, sometimes referred to as “mud-out” involves removing furniture, appliances and personal belongings that were affected by flood waters. We try to reclaim what we can and then aid in disposing of what can’t be saved. It may include shoveling mud from homes. We tear out sodden drywall and insulation and take everything down to the studs. We then apply disinfectant to the affected areas of the home for mold remediation. Our goal is to leave homes “contractor ready”, as livable as possible while the homeowners wait for rebuilding. Chainsaw, as the name implies, is the cutting and pulling of trees, limbs and debris that have fallen due to high winds. It also includes putting tarps on roofs that have been damaged. We focus on trees that are blocking drives, doorways, and houses. Cutting the wood is just half the job. It takes just as many volunteers to help pull the brush and pile the cut wood so that it can be eventually removed. This much needed part of the task can be done by those that are not comfortable running a chainsaw. Feeding involves preparing food. It is for the volunteers that are assisting in cleanup. It may also involve feeding the community at large if they have been impacted by larger scale outages of utilities such as electricity or water. We may be working in a church kitchen or a mobile kitchen unit. We follow health department requirements, similar to those in a commercial kitchen such as a restaurant or school cafeteria. We don’t always know what food will be available to prepare so the feeding team regularly must get creative with the menus. There is a camaraderie among the volunteers that is hard to explain. The work is not “fun”. It is tiring, and frequently we are in unpleasant conditions. However, you are working side-by-side with others that know and love the Lord. You are doing what He has called us for, to help those in need and show them God’s love in real and tangible ways. Those we help have very real needs. They frequently tell us they are blessed by our assistance. What we learn however is how true the Scripture is when it says it is better to give than receive (Acts 20:35). We also come away blessed. Training in all these areas is offered on a regular basis for those that may be interested. We urge you to attend and find out if this may be for you. We are looking for additional helpers to add to the pool of volunteers. Typically, only a fraction of the Michigan DR volunteers are available to travel to any particular disaster area when we are called out. We don’t know when a disaster will occur, so we always need to be ready. Among the places (and types of disasters) Michigan SBDR volunteers were called to in 2022 include: Ohio – tornado - feeding and chainsaw Colorado – wildfire - feeding Florida - hurricane relief – feeding Michigan – tornado damage assessment and chainsaw We ask for your prayers for the homeowners and the survivors. They have been devastated and need the strength and hope of Christ. Pray that the witness of our volunteers across all our locations will be strong, powerful, and visible. If you would like to join us or want more information, you can find it at the Michigan Disaster relief website at https://bscm.org/dr or call (810)714-1907. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bill LaFollette and his wife Linda live in Midland. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. They volunteer with community organizations and attend Sunrise Baptist Church. #JANUARY23