Reaching a world for Christ is the goal of the 75 or more people who participate in Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church here.     GRIDLEY, Calif. (BP) – Reaching a world for Christ is the goal of the 75 or more people who participate in Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church here.   "Some people are kind of amazed that a church our size gives 30 percent of its budget to missions," says Rick Cunningham, the church’s pastor. "But our church has such a cooperative spirit that it’s not an issue; it’s just part of budget planning."   The Cooperative Program comes first – 18 percent of undesignated offerings, plus 7 percent for the work of Sierra Butte Baptist Association and 3 percent to other missions and ministries.   "We feel anything we can do to present the Gospel is the mandate God gives us as a church and as individuals," Cunningham said. "The Cooperative Program helps us fulfill our mandate at a global level.   "One of the great things about the Cooperative Program for me is that the [missionaries] we send out are taken care of through prayer, through the Holy Spirit, and through the Cooperative Program," Cunningham said.   "... One thing we in the Southern Baptist Convention do agree on … [Read more...]

Forty-five years ago John Vandercook saw a need in New Orleans no one was addressing.     NEW ORLEANS – Forty-five years ago John Vandercook saw a need in New Orleans no one was addressing.   Here we had one of the busiest ports in America, with hundreds of ships a year arriving from all over the world, bringing thousands of foreign workers who would spend a few hours in this country and leave without ever knowing the first thing about us. What an opportunity if someone were to meet them, befriend them, show them some hospitality, and if possible, tell them about the Savior. Many seafarers live in countries hostile to the Christian faith, nations that not only bar Christian missionaries but forbid their own people from converting to Christianity.   This could be an opportunity, John thought. If someone had the faith – and gumption – to begin the process.   First, he would have to find out how to board the ships. He would have to be credentialed as a chaplain. Figure out a means to bridge the language gap. Secure a vehicle for driving the crewmembers into town or to a church service. Line up volunteers to help. Find the time for this. And the energy. And of course, the finances.   The sheer scope of beginning such a … [Read more...]

Baptists have always believed and taught that Baptists have always believed and taught that "God can take any tragedy, turn it around, and use it for our good, the good of others and His glory." We base that belief on the promises of Scripture, our confidence in the integrity and invincibility of the Lord, and our life experience. However, immediately following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, most of us were challenged concerning that belief. As we reflected on shattered lives, destroyed homes and churches, displaced peoples, and devastated regions, we were left wondering, "What is God doing? Why has He allowed so much devastation and destruction? How can any good come from all of this?"   In the New Orleans region, we can now see that the Lord has responded to the tragedy of Katrina through the Church of Jesus Christ and He is bringing good to people and glory to His name.   We are almost eighteen months past the time of rescue and relief and the church of Jesus is still receiving accolades from the leaders and people of our city and region. Everywhere I go, people still comment on the fact that it’s been evangelical Christians (especially Southern Baptists) who have brought help and healing to our region. They now have hope, … [Read more...]

There’s something about the football mentality of Americans, particularly men, that makes us want to apply lessons learned on the gridiron to the rest of life. Even to areas that do not compare in any manner whatsoever, like the church.     There’s something about the football mentality of Americans, particularly men, that makes us want to apply lessons learned on the gridiron to the rest of life. Even to areas that do not compare in any manner whatsoever, like the church.   Some say, "If we could just get us a pastor like…" Finish the previous sentence with the coach of your choice.   Imagine the following conversation taking place in the church foyer following a Sunday service. One fellow says, "Well, all I know is that Tommy Bowden came into Tulane – always a doormat in college football – and within two years, had led them to an undefeated season and a bowl game and national ranking." Another man says, "Don’t tell me it’s not about the coach. If you can do it in football, you can do it in the church. All we need is to find the right pastor."   As an example, take Sean Payton, the first-year coach of the New Orleans Saints.   In his first year as an NFL head coach, Payton was named "Coach of the Year" in professional … [Read more...]

Although we, as conservative Baptists, talk a lot about our focus on the Bible as the basis for our beliefs and practices, in our actual use of the Bible, we often have in view much less than the whole. Although we, as conservative Baptists, talk a lot about our focus on the Bible as the basis for our beliefs and practices, in our actual use of the Bible, we often have in view much less than the whole. Of course, I’m thinking primarily in terms of our typical preference for the New Testament over the Old Testament.   What concerns me is that our typical preference for the New Testament over the Old Testament and our stress on Jesus, even when reading Old Testament texts, is a practice which looks and sounds quite pious, but which actually may be detrimental to our fuller understanding of the message of the Bible.   To put the statement another way – if we read a New Testament understanding into an Old Testament text, we risk obscuring the message of the speaker, or writer, which was originally intended for the first hearers or readers; we may then miss what could have been learned about God from that text. In turn then, that diminished understanding of God has the potential for undermining our fuller understanding of the … [Read more...]

January has come and, with it, the beginning of another year—out with the old, in with the new. January has come and, with it, the beginning of another year—out with the old, in with the new.   The "year" is an appropriate unit for measuring our lives. I’m glad someone was smart enough to look at the stars and the seasons and figure out how to count time in years. I couldn’t have calculated it. If left up to me, we would all have been lost in a continuous progression of time. I don’t even think I would have figured out "weeks." At the end of seven days, I would have kept going on to eight, nine, ten, etc.   I think I could have come up with the concept of "days." It gets dark. It gets light. It gets dark again. But marking time by days, while possible, can be cumbersome. Imagine saying, "I attended college for 1460 days" or "I am 20,648 days old"? How about "31,777 days ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent…"? It loses some of its sparkle, don’t you think?   But, oh, the year! What a great way to talk about time. "The ’69 Mets." "The class of ’73." "It was a very good year." Every year has a different number, which makes it easy to keep up with. When we finish one, we can tie it up with a string and put it … [Read more...]

Barry Joyner shares some personal facts and his most memorable moments in the ministry.     Director of Missions: Barry Joyner, Born: 1961. Number of Years as DOM: coming up on second. Number of years in ministry: 22. Education: Bachelor’s in Theology from LC, 1983; Master of Div. from NOBTS, 2000. Wife: Debbie Adams Joyner allows her husband time and opportunity to fulfill his responsibilities as Director of Missions, he said. She is a fourth grade teacher at Hico Elementary in Dubach, where she’s taught for seven years. Children: Three boys: Joshua, 17, will graduate this year; Jacob, 14, is in 9th grade, and Jessie, 13, is in 8th. Most exciting moment in ministry: "When each of my three children made professions of faith under my ministry," Joyner said. Wierdest thing that’s happened in ministry: One morning early in his first pastorate, a knock came on Joyner’s door, he said. "A gentleman stood there I’d never seen before. He introduced himself and said ‘I’m here because I want to get saved.’" Later Joyner found out that the man had been under the Lord’s conviction for some time, and one of his family members directed the man to Joyner. "The man made a profession of faith, joined the church, and became an active … [Read more...]

The educational opportunities of pastors and leaders in the Concord Union Association continue to improve because of Association and church funded scholarships for study through Seminary Extension.     RUSTON — The educational opportunities of pastors and leaders in the Concord Union Association continue to improve because of Association and church funded scholarships for study through Seminary Extension.   The Seminary Extension program, which is sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention’s six seminaries and directed through the Nashville office, provides educational opportunities for students who may not be able to travel to seminaries or take classes in traditional ways, said Barry Joyner, Director of Missions for the Concord Union Association and director of the Seminary Extension Center here. Classes take place at the missions and ministry center on Tuesday nights for about 3 hours for 14 weeks.   "It’s a wonderful educational opportunity for people who want to further their knowledge of the Bible and sharpen their skills in the ministry," he said. "The classes help students to develop the use of their gifts and their abilities so that they can further their ministries. We offer two semesters in a year, so they can … [Read more...]

The rolling red clay hills of Lincoln Parish, covered by tall pine forests and hardwood bottoms, gives way to the more varied landscape of Union Parish: hills, elevated plateaus, and fertile valleys.     CONCORD UNION ASSOCIATION — The rolling red clay hills of Lincoln Parish, covered by tall pine forests and hardwood bottoms, gives way to the more varied landscape of Union Parish: hills, elevated plateaus, and fertile valleys. Union Parish, which borders Arkansas to the north, and Lincoln Parish directly southwest of Union, together make up this association.   Once two associations—Concord and Union—Concord Union Baptist Association serves a largely rural population. The largest city, Ruston—Lincoln’s parish seat— has a population of about 20,000, including the students at Louisiana Tech, about 11,000. In addition, Grambling State University is about five miles west of Ruston with a student population of about 5,000. In Union parish, Farmerville is the parish seat and has a population of about 4,000.   Outdoor activities including fishing, hunting, rodeoing, hiking, camping, boating, swimming, tubing, and outdoor sports such as baseball, softball, and tennis abound in the two parishes.   "The actual uniting of the two … [Read more...]

Alone, the penny is the least of U.S. currency. Few things, if any, can be bought with it. The U.S. government has proposed no longer producing it, feeling it insignificant and often unused.     JACKSON, Miss. (BP) – Alone, the penny is the least of U.S. currency. Few things, if any, can be bought with it. The U.S. government has proposed no longer producing it, feeling it insignificant and often unused.   But Baptists all over the state of Mississippi now pay attention to pennies even on the sidewalk or in a parking lot, knowing that each one has value.   These Mississippi Baptists don’t pocket the pennies for themselves. They have been bagging the pennies and shipping them in bulk to the Baptist Building in Jackson. Or they may even tape a few pennies to a piece of paper and send them through the mail. Each penny will go to a special place because it represents something – rather, someone – special.   However they are shipped, the pennies will find their home among millions of others at a special "Memorial to the Missing," the Baptist convention’s tribute to the nearly 50 million children aborted in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.   To date, … [Read more...]