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FENTON, MI – Happy New Year! I would like to give you an overflowing bucket of “new-starts” for 2019. I want this year to be “God-sized” and unlike any other year for you! If you know me, you know I do not enjoy ordinary routines. I do not watch car races circling on tracks hundreds of times. I watch movies one time. I do not watch TV reruns. I do not repeatedly return to the same vacation spots. I do not eat habitually at the same restaurant. Instead, I love to explore new territories. I want to meet new people. I want to have new conversations on new subjects with old friends. I enjoy new adventures. When it comes to a new year, if we are not careful, we will end up running around the same track and filling the calendar with the same past events with no anticipation of God-sized outcomes while looking to the same team members and leaders. The teams with whom we work might be community groups, civic clubs, or church teams. By placing the “correct” people on teams, you can come to expect bolder outcomes. When we are looking for new teammates, let’s examine the following areas: Character – Is this person trustworthy in all that they do in life? Would I trust them to care for my spouse and my savings? Does this person display the same type of self-control in challenging times that he or she does during the good times? Calling – Does this person understand the intense focus of a team, and what the team is specifically trying to achieve? Are they willing to invest physically and emotionally into the task? Competency – Is this person knowledgeable on the necessary subjects or hungry to learn all that is needed to become a valued team member? Will they read, study, and train in order to acquire all they can on the matter at hand? Commitment – Is there a proven track record in other areas of life that this teammate does not give-up when striving to achieve new results in his or her own life? Will he or she be able to dream-up new initiatives and implement the important steps to achieve bolder outcomes? Chemistry – Does this person play well with others? When you see them at gatherings, are they surrounded by other people? Do others feel valued by this person? Do not be fooled by those who use people, enlist those who love people. Confirmation – Ask other people their opinion as to whether or not an individual would make a valued teammate. Sometimes in our circles, out of mercy, we enlist the broken and put them onto teams before they are ready, before they are healed. Spiritually, emotionally, and morally unfit team members slow and derail a team’s effectiveness. In closing consider three final questions. If you were to measure yourself by these six areas, how would you measure up? Are there any changes that need to take place in your life? Will you make those changes before redesigning the teams with whom you work? I hope these brief suggestions will encourage you and help to create vibrant teams around you for the glory of the Lord. Each year, I see many talented and devoted people working hard and often alone, who would be strengthened by working alongside the “right” people. God says it best in Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT), “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” May we all live by that text during 2019. Happy New Year! 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. #JANUARY19

FENTON, MI – Applause filled Grace Church during the 2018 BSCM Annual meeting as Tim Patterson announced our new partnership with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). It’s something that the BSCM Executive Director and David Hardage (BGCT Executive Director) have been working on for three years. These two visionary leaders developed this partnership to punch holes in the darkness of both states. The Michigan/Texas Partnership will focus on 3 key areas: Church Revitalization, Church Starting, and Evangelizing Urban Centers. Tom Howe, representing Texas Baptists, was with us to kick off the partnership. During his report to the convention messengers, Tom challenged Michigan Baptists to help Texas Baptists meet the massive human needs on the border with Mexico. He set the tone by saying, “I’m going to let the politicians take care of the politics. I’m talking about the human need that we can meet to make a difference in people’s lives.” He shared that about 300 people make their way to the Texas border every day from Mexico and other countries. Many of these men, women and children arrive after a long, arduous journey, often without money and supplies that have long since been depleted. They need help with basic human needs. One of the many ways Texas Baptists demonstrate their compassion is by providing hygiene kits. Tom said, “It’s a way to love people in the name of Jesus.” We, churches of Michigan, can make these kits and send them to Texas for distribution. Below is a list of the items that go into make the Hygiene Kits. Please lead your church to collect these items, especially during the months of January and February. A mission team from Michigan will be leaving for McAllen, Texas February 28. Let’s help them help others in the name of Jesus by providing a truck load of hygiene kits to share! Let’s serve well alongside our Texas Partners to share the love of the Lord. Michigan Baptists, after you’ve collected and bagged the hygiene kits, bring them to the Baptist State Convention of Michigan Ministry Building at: 8420 Runyan Lake Road, Fenton, MI 48430. The hours are Monday – Thursday, 8am-4pm. We will ship the items to the River Ministry Hygiene Kit Project in Texas. That’s just one way Michigan Baptist churches can help our Texas Partners. January is the month of new beginnings. This year your church can be part of helping others beyond our state through the new BSCM partnership with Texas Baptists. Ask how your church can get involved. 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. #JANUARY19

ROSCOMMON, MI – Happy New Year from Bambi Lake! 2018 was a fantastic year for the camp, and we anticipate 2019 being even more exciting as we witness God using Bambi Lake in amazing ways. A new year for many of us often marks a “New Beginning,” an opportunity to rethink or retool our everyday life and our plans for the future. Maybe a new year sparks new dreams or prompts us to refresh old ones in a new way. However we approach this “New Beginning” it will most likely require a reboot to our thinking. How we view our finances, our health, our relationships, our family - we have to look at these through different lenses. I recently had to start wearing glasses and they have literally changed how I see the world. They are progressive lenses so they help me see things far away, not so far away and up close. I now have the choice to live in my former blurred reality or a new clear reality. My new glasses have provided me a “New Beginning” that is now allowing me to see clearly - I can read my phone now! However, making the decision to go to the eye doctor, and have my sight examined required a new mindset. I had to acknowledge my eyes were not functioning properly, and decide this was no longer acceptable. As silly as it may seem, this required admitting I was getting older, going to the doctor, probably wearing glasses (one more thing to keep up with), paying for something I don’t want, etc., etc. Nevertheless, I decided my need was greater than my pride. This was my “New Beginning” moment that ushered in a new reality. Which brings me to this question - Is pride keeping you from a “New Beginning”? Is pride keeping you from a “New Reality” like it was me? I have no way of knowing the area of life you desire a “New Beginning”, but allow me to encourage you with this thought, this reality - “Grace Has Overcome!” Grace wins! What a liberating and life altering reality to live in, just realize this reality requires a new mindset. It requires surrender. Surrender demands humility and humility is the key that unlocks this “New Beginning” in our lives. We have to acknowledge our insufficient strength and resources to handle life on our own. Only by completely surrendering to and relying on the work of God’s grace can we truly have a “New Beginning” in any area of life. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8 (ESV). Grace saved you, now let it change you and let it permeate every breathing moment of your existence. Choose a “New Beginning” with grace. Live in the reality that your striving is insufficient BUT His grace is sufficient! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mick Schatz serves on the staff of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He is the State Director of Spiritual Enrichment and Retreats and lives at Bambi Lake. #JANUARY19

DURHAM, NC (BP) – What do we mean when we talk about the "favor of God"? The house you've always wanted goes into foreclosure and you buy it for a steal. Your kids bring their report cards home and it's straight A's. You find out that a long lost relative left you a tidy sum of money. Many people may think that God's favor is something like that. When life seems to break your way, it's easy to think, "God is really smiling down on me now. He must really love me." When we turn to the New Testament, though, we get a splash of cold water. The favor of God doesn't always line up with great circumstances. Case in point: Mary. When the angel Gabriel shows up to announce the first Christmas to Mary in Luke 1, he tells her twice that she has God's favor. But her situation sure doesn't look like it. Gabriel has just told her she is going to be pregnant out of wedlock in a culture where this isn't just frowned upon but could have been punishable by death. The man she loves, Joseph, is probably not going to understand the situation or believe her bizarre explanation and might leave her. She's already poor, and if Joseph rejects her, she'll be destitute. She might have to beg for a living. So here's Mary -- financially insolvent, with a ruined reputation, her most important relationship in tatters. Maybe you can relate if you sense no joy or good cheer this Christmas season, but dread. Your life doesn't look like one "blessed and highly favored." For you, Christmas only reminds you of all the good you don't have in your life. If that's you, then Mary's circumstances are particularly relevant, because she supposedly has the favor of God in the midst of all her mess. How? Because a Son is being born to her -- a Son, the angel says, whose name will be "Jesus," meaning that He will save His people from their sins. Like all of us, Mary's main problem was a severed relationship with God. Jesus was coming to restore that. But Jesus was coming to do more than merely save from sin. Gabriel points out that He'll also rule from the throne of David (Luke 1:32). It's easy to miss how big that promise is. David's throne symbolized the restoration of worldwide peace and blessing -- a condition called shalom. Think of the promise in Joel where the prophet says, "I will restore the years that the swarming locusts have eaten." Not just forgive, but restore. Bodies destroyed by disease will leap and run in perfect health. Reputations that have been ruined will be exonerated. Relationships torn apart by death will be mended, as we see, in Tolkien's words, "all the sad things come untrue." We know that God will do this because He did this with Jesus. At the cross, Jesus went through pain that looked like a defeat. But the Father used that pain for our good. He reversed it and turned the devil's strongest attack into an opportunity to redeem us and restore the world. Mary isn't the only one with a miraculous birth in Luke 1. Her relative Elizabeth also gets a visit from Gabriel, and even though she's barren, she is promised a child. Barrenness has never been easy, but in those days it would have been devastating, the biggest disappointment a woman could imagine. The lead-up to Jesus' birth includes an elderly, barren woman getting pregnant because the birth of Jesus is God's promise to erase our deepest disappointments. What that means is we don't have to be frantic if we don't get to everything on our "bucket list." Many of us live with such an urgency to experience everything that life becomes worthless if we don't. It's not the glib stuff, like not seeing the Grand Canyon, that really leads us to disappointment. It's not getting married, or having children, or being financially comfortable, or overcoming an illness. What we need to see is that in the resurrection, under the reign of the Son of David, every disappointment will be fulfilled. We have pain; He will reverse it. We have disappointment; He will erase it. We yearn for justice; He will restore it. When we go through seasons of racial strife in our country, many people start to ask, "Will there ever be justice?" Or maybe the yearning for justice is more personal: You've been wronged and just can't get past it. You want to cry out like the psalmist, "Will the wicked go unpunished?" Unless we look to God's perfect justice -- instead of our judicial system or our own efforts -- we'll always be bitter. Perfect justice will be restored but only when Jesus rules from David's throne. That truth gives us the hope to continue working for justice now while enduring the injustice in the world. In the end, that's what God's favor is all about. It's what Christmas is all about -- hope. God's favor isn't always easy. Sometimes, as with Mary, it brings with it a lot of difficulties. But it's always good because it brings us a hope in God's promises and an assurance that His presence will be with us. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J.D. Greear is president of the Southern Baptist Convention; pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and author of several books including "Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches That Send." #DECEMBER18

NASHVILLE, TN – Most Americans want more religious meaning to the Christmas season, and for some that includes the seasonal greetings we say to each other. A new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) say, “Christmas should be more about Jesus.” Those looking for more Christ in Christmas in 2018 are significantly fewer than four years ago, however. A 2014 LifeWay Research study found 79 percent of Americans at that time said Christmas should be more about Jesus. While similar numbers disagreed in 2014 and 2018 (18 and 19 percent respectively), the percentage who said they were unsure if Christmas should be more about Jesus jumped from 3 percent four years ago to 16 percent today. “Saying Christmas should be more about Jesus is a little like saying Thanksgiving should be more about giving thanks. It’s in the name of the holiday,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Yet, it appears there is less cultural expectation for celebrations of the Christmas holiday to include the religious aspect.” Much of the shift came from non-Christians. In 2014, a majority of members of other faiths (63 percent) and almost half of the non-religious (46 percent) agreed that Christmas should be more about Jesus. Today, those numbers have been cut in half. In 2018, around a third of Americans of other religious persuasions (35 percent) and slightly more than a quarter of the non-religious (28 percent) believe Christmas needs more Christ. Fewer Christians also say Christmas should be more about Jesus. In 2014, 92 percent agreed, while 81 percent agree today. Still, 97 percent of those with evangelical beliefs agree today. One of the ways some want to see more recognition of Jesus in the celebrations this time of year is in our greetings. Around a third of Americans (32 percent) say it is offensive when someone says “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” A similar number (33 percent) say the same about using “X-mas” instead of “Christmas.” Those numbers are similar to four years ago. In 2014, 39 percent found “X-mas” offensive and 29 percent said the same about “Happy holidays.” Today, 40 percent of Christians find “Happy holidays” to be offensive, compared to 12 percent of members of other religions and 15 percent of the non-religious. Around two-thirds of those with evangelical beliefs (65 percent) say they are offended by “Happy holidays” being used instead of “Merry Christmas.” Americans 50 and over are almost twice as likely to say they find “Happy holidays” offensive than those under 50—42 percent to 22 percent. “It’s likely that Christians and older Americans are nostalgic for previous years or reluctant to acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Christmas this time of year,” said McConnell. “Many have the idea that most Americans are the same or that we share one culture of baseball, apple pie and Christmas, but that’s not the case,” he said. “And when we encounter someone who believes differently from us, that can be jarring and even seem offensive for some.” Frequent religious service attenders are more likely to be offended by “Happy holidays.” Almost half of those who attend a worship service once a week or more (47 percent) say the substitute greeting is offensive, compared to 35 percent who attend once or twice a month, 32 percent of those who attend a few times a year, 23 percent of those who attend once a year or less, and 21 percent of those who say they never attend. “Instead of refusing to accept there are other belief systems in our country today,” McConnell said, “Christians may be better served finding a way to wish their non-Christian friends and family would experience all the blessings possible during the season in which believers celebrate God blessing Earth with His Son.” For more information, visit LifeWayResearch.com or view the complete report. Methodology: LifeWay Research conducted the study of 1,004 Americans, Sept. 21-23, 2018. The survey was conducted using the web-enabled KnowledgePanel®, a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. Initially, participants are chosen scientifically by a random selection of telephone numbers and residential addresses. Persons in selected households are then invited by telephone or by mail to participate in the web-enabled KnowledgePanel®. For those who agree to participate, but do not already have internet access, Ipsos (formerly GfK) provides at no cost a laptop and ISP connection. Sample stratification and base weights were used for gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, metro/non-metro, home ownership, education and income to reflect the most recent U.S. Census data. Study-specific weights included for gender by age, race/ethnicity, region and education to reflect GSS 2016 data. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 3 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. Comparisons are made to a LifeWay Research phone survey of 1,000 Americans conducted Sept. 26–Oct. 5, 2014. Those with evangelical beliefs were determined using the National Association of Evangelicals and LifeWay Research evangelical beliefs research definition. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Aaron Earls is a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources. #DECEMBER18

DETROIT, MI – It’s here, it’s here, the greatest time of the year. As I have traveled from the sandy beaches of Miami to the snowy frozen lakes of Michigan Christmas time is the celebrated the same everywhere. We start thinking about this season on January 2 of each year. As the ole song goes: "City sidewalks, busy sidewalks. Dressed in holiday style. In the air, there is a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing. Meeting smile after smile. And on every street corner you hear. Silver bells, (silver bells) silver bells (silver bells)!" I believe that Christmas is truly a time to celebrate. It should be a season of Thanksgiving and High praise. As a Christian, I see that we many times forget the true reason for the season. I get chills every time I read Prophet Isaiah say in Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: "and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. Yes, we are celebrating the World’s all-time greatest Gift; Jesus Christ, provided to us by the world greatest giver Our Father God. And he gave us a gift not because we deserved it but John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Our God wanted to spend eternity with us. I am truly excited that I, a young man from Miami gets to live with this perfect gift. The thought “I want to be just like my daddy” comes to mind. That is why I believe this is the season of giving. We can give Our Father and Lord Jesus the gift of praise and thanksgiving. Psalm 100 says “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." Do not let the day we call “thanksgiving” be the only day you give the great gift of thankfulness and praise. It should signify the start of the season. Praise God this season come on, people let the world hear you. Shout it from the mountaintop that Jesus is the Lord and Savior. On our Church sign at Temple of Faith it will read “It’s Jesus Birthday, and we are having a party.” The perfect gift to others is to give “Love” in Christmas season; Love is a gift worth giving. The world needs the Love of Jesus Christ. How do we give the Love that is life altering and life renewing? First, we can support Lottie Moon Christmas offering that will fund the missionaries that are out spreading God’s love and sharing Gospel around the world. Secondly, let us support our local Pastors and wives that are at the crossroads. Invite them to dinner and share your listening ear. Finally, let us give the world one of our most powerful resources our healing power of prayer. James 5:16 says "therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." This Christmas find a family member, missionary, enemy, a friend and tell them “You pray for me, I’ll pray for you. Watch God change things. The perfect gift for us and large enough to share with others is Jesus Christ. So let us celebrate today and make this the Merriest Christmas yet. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rev. David Cox, Sr. serves as Youth Pastor and Director of Stewardship at Temple of Faith Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. He is also a Trustee for Michigan on the GuideStone Financial Resources board. He serves as Treasurer for the Greater Detroit Baptist Association, Secretary for the Michigan African American Fellowship, and President of Education U-4 Life, CDC. David is married to Tiffany, his wife of 21 years. They have 3 children, Nya, David Jr. and Kelli. #DECEMBER18

JACKSON, MI (BP) – The Baptist State Convention of Michigan authorized its Executive Board to sell the convention's office building in Fenton, Mich., and adopted an increased 2019 budget. Messengers to the BSCM annual meeting also launched a church planting and revitalization partnership with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and adopted resolutions affirming "the dignity and worth of women" and denouncing domestic abuse. The Michigan convention convened Nov. 9 at Grace Church in Jackson, Mich., with 132 messengers representing 50 of the convention's 305 cooperating churches. The meeting's theme was "The Power of ONE -- Multiplied." A building sale was authorized because the BSCM's current office building contains 25 offices along with space for support staff though only five BSCM employees work in the building. A move would cut costs, but no offers to purchase the building have been made to date. The 2019 budget of $2,843,701 -- a 5.6 percent increase from the current year -- anticipates $1,300,000 in Cooperative Program giving from churches, $710,576 from the North American Mission Board and $55,000 from LifeWay Christian Resources. The convention will forward 27.5 percent of CP receipts to Southern Baptist Convention national and international causes, the same percentage forwarded in 2018. There are no budget provisions for shared ministry expenses. The convention launched two new partnerships. The partnership with Texas Baptists will focus on revitalization and church planting in inner-city Detroit. The Southern Baptist Foundation of Michigan began a partnership with WatersEdge Advisors, a tradename of The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma, in which the Oklahoma foundation will manage the Michigan foundation's accounts. Eight of the nine resolutions adopted by BSCM messengers largely mirrored resolutions adopted by the SBC at its annual meeting this summer in Dallas. A resolution "on the dignity and worth of women as co-heirs and co-laborers in the mission of God's church" "honor[ed] the immeasurable contribution of women to our cooperative mission of Great Commission work." A separate resolution "on domestic violence and abuse" "acknowledge[d] that abuse dishonors the marriage covenant, and fundamentally blasphemes the relationship between Christ and the church." Other resolutions addressed the integrity of ministry leadership, "the full dignity of every human being," "Christlike communication," immigration and domestic terrorism. The newly elected slate of officers included: president, Scott Blanchard, pastor of Lakepointe Church in Macomb, Mich.; first vice president, Roy Henry, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Battle Creek, Mich.; second vice president, Ed Emmerling, pastor of Westside Church in Flushing, Mich.; recording secretary, Eli Garza, pastor of First Spanish Baptist Church in Detroit; and assistant recording secretary, Roland Caldwell, pastor of Burnette Baptist Church in Detroit. Next year's annual meeting will be Nov. 8 at a location to be determined. EDITOR'S NOTE: Newly elected President of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, Scott Blanchard, is the pastor of Lakepointe Church in Macomb. Blanchard shared a few thoughts about where he would like to help lead Michigan Baptists in the coming year. He says his greatest desire is to see unity among the churches of our state. He adds, “I want to see Michigan churches root for each other, not compete with each other. I want us to realize that we are part of one team, and part of the capital “C” Church. When we are stronger together, we can make a greater impact in our communities.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. #DECEMBER18

The goal? Raise $160 million dollars by the end of the year The purpose? To send more light into the darkness, to touch more lives with the Gospel, and to raise up more nations in His name. How does it happen? One way is giving and lots of it. Another way is prayer - 2018 Week of Prayer for International Missions – during December, and everyone can be part of both. Generous giving to the 2018 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® makes a massive difference in the world. Men, women, children, and entire communities are transformed as a result of this offering. Your gifts enable thousands of missionaries to live among, serve, and share the gospel with people who have never heard it until now. Where does all that money go? Through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, you and your church are: Supporting over 3,600 missionaries Enabling disciples to be made and churches to be multiplied around the world Continuing the SBC’s 173-year commitment to missions, worldwide To view additional videos, visit imb.org/lottie-moon-christmas-offering-resources In addition to the week of dedicated prayer for world missions there are stories to share: Larry Pepper traded a space mission for a medical mission among the sick and hurting in Africa. God is using a small church in Tennessee to make a big difference in the work of IMB missionaries in Asia. Hispanic churches are crossing cultures and engaging the world with the gospel. A partnership between a Kentucky church and a Brazil-based team is reaching Sao Paulo with the gospel. Ukrainian believers are planting churches, trained by IMB missionaries and supported by a North Carolina congregation. The impact is mutual when American students travel to East Asia to serve college students alongside IMB workers. It takes the support of many churches to keep a small hospital running in Tanzania. Refugee ministry is both local and global for a church in Atlanta. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is just one way of making the Christmas Holiday all about the Baby Jesus coming to save the world. Won’t you be part of continuing the efforts that all may hear?! To lear more about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and to download free resources, visit imb.org/lottie-moon-christmas-offering #DECEMBER18

FENTON, MI – The Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) staff has announced that Michigan Baptists are closing in on this year’s goal for the Frances Brown State Mission Offering. This year’s goal is a faith-stretching $90,000, and as of December 1st, churches and individuals have given $83,756.74. With less than a month to go that places the remaining amount to reach the goal at just more than $6,000. The State Mission Offering is one of the primary methods that Michigan Baptists use to fund starting churches, strengthening churches and sending churches across the state. This year’s offering will be shared between those three areas as well as the Bambi Lake Conference Center. BSCM designates one week in September to highlight the ministries supported by the Frances Brown Offering, as well as to pray for them. But Michigan Baptists are free to support the offering at any time throughout the year. That gives churches and individuals a few more weeks to help BSCM to reach this year’s goal whether they have not given to the offering yet, or they would choose to give more to help the state top the offering mark. BSCM Executive Director, Tim Patterson, calls on Michigan Baptists to continue to pray for the state’s many ministries. He says, “The fuel that fires the engines of the ministries of BSCM is prayer. Without prayer to power the work of God, our efforts would be useless.” This year’s theme for the state offering is “The Power of One; Multiplied.” BSCM Women Ministries Director, Sue Hodnett says, "This has been an amazing state missions campaign. Our goal of $90,000 for 2018 is so attainable, just $6,000 more to go. Working together we are MULTIPLYING are resources! We are laying new foundations for our next generation of churches! The Power of ONE, the Power of HIM, working together through US!" To support Michigan missions, give to the Frances Brown State Mission Offering by visiting bscm.org/giving. #DECEMBER18

FENTON, MI – All Michigan Baptists are invited to visit the BSCM Ministry Building for snacks and good conversations with our Executive Director Tim Patterson, State Director of Missions Dr. Tony Lynn, and State Director of Evangelism Mike Durbin. Join the celebration of another year in partnership together proclaiming the Word. Michigan Baptists are making an impact on the world around us, through our churches and combined efforts of giving and sending. We have much to be thankful and most of all, a living Savior born into this world to pay the ultimate price for our sin, reuniting us with the Father. Let us rejoice! The Open House is December 10 & 11 at the following times: Monday from 9am-4pm Tuesday from 9am-8pm We are located at the BSCM Ministry Building: 8420 Runyan Lake Road, Fenton, MI 48430 Hope to see you there! #DECEMBER18

ROME, ITALY – The simple sound of the name “Mary” opens up very different views in people's’ hearts and minds. For some, she was what the New Testament says she was: a young Jewish woman who was chosen by God to supernaturally conceive and give birth to Jesus, thus becoming part of the way in which the Son of God became a man. This group, not without their own doubts and setbacks, believes her biblical portrayal indicates that she was also a member of the first community of men and women who followed Jesus. She is soberly respected, yet she does not occupy center stage in their overall Christian experience. For others, Mary deeply shapes their whole spirituality and entire life. She is prayed to and venerated, surrounded by a vast array of “Marian” devotions, such as rosaries, processions, pilgrimages. The titles with which she is referred to (Heavenly Queen, Mediatrix, Advocate) resemble those ascribed to her son, Jesus Christ. She looks like an altogether different person than the one the previous group perceives she was. There’s Something about Mary The process through which Mary became so venerated was long and not linear. It accumulated different viewpoints, devotions, and doctrinal formulations that eventually led to a body of beliefs and practices centered on Mary but beyond biblical boundaries. The real, biblical Mary became an idealized Mary. Some apocryphal (literally “obscure”) gospels (e.g., The Protoevangelium of James) elaborated on traditions that tried to embellish the gospel story at the expense of its authenticity. Whereas the canonical gospels are realistic, the apocryphal ones are excessive in their attention to Mary’s life. Besides the influence of these writings, the spiritual framework that gave us Mariology was generated by popular piety. Liturgies centered on Mary, prayers addressed to her, devotions to honor her—this is the religious milieu of the Mariological crescendo. It was through the practice of devotional prayer that Mary was transformed from being a model of faith to becoming an object-subject of faith addressed in prayer and praised in the context of Christian worship. Against this background, the Council of Ephesus (AD 431) gave Mary the title “mother of God.” The “motherhood” of Mary that first related to Jesus Christ was extended to her motherhood of other areas—mother of the church and mother of the human race. Marian Dogmas and Devotions In nations and cultures where Roman Catholicism is prevalent, Marianism largely defines the religious experience of Roman Catholics who pray to her and are devoutly committed to her. The Catechism of the Catholic Church goes as far as to say, “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship” (section 971). To call devotion to Mary “intrinsic” means there can be no proper worship without devotion to her. It also implies that when dealing with Marian devotion, one touches a central nerve of the whole of Catholic spirituality. It’s not something that can be dealt with independently. Marian Prayers and Rosaries Prayer to Mary quintessentially defines Marian spirituality. She is perhaps the most invoked figure in many religious quarters. Acclaimed as mother, she is sought to give help and strength. She is approached with reverence and awe. Mary can be approached confidently because she can obtain for us from her divine Son anything she asks for. Against the background of such deep theological and devotional vision, the list of prayers mirrors a Marian-centered spirituality: “Hail Holy Queen,” “Regina Coeli” (Queen of Heaven), Ave Maris Stella (Hail Star of the Ocean) are only a few of the most common Marian prayers. Another significant form of Marian prayer is the Rosary, which means “crown of roses.” The conviction behind this expression is that each time people say a “Hail Mary” prayer in the Rosary, they give her a rose. And each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. The Holy Rosary is considered by those adherents to be a perfect prayer because within it lies the story of salvation retold in a way that highlights Mary’s central role in redemption. Instead of inculcating salvation history as the Bible tells it, the Rosary is a powerful tool to shape one’s own imagination in terms of the pervasive presence and agency of Mary in whatever the Triune God is and does. The whole orientation of Roman Catholic “biblical theology” is inherently Marian, in that Mary is thought of as sharing the prerogatives and roles of the Son. This is totally contrary to the gospel whereby all that is said in the Scriptures needs to be seen in the light of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27) and that there is no mediator apart from Christ for our salvation and prayers (1 Tim. 2:5). Marian Shrines and Apparitions Apart from shaping the life of prayer and the overall spiritual understanding of salvation history for Catholics, Mariology is also a determining factor for the arrangement of worship in its spatial dimension. Thousands of church buildings around the world are dedicated to Mary, thus forging the minds and hearts of millions of people. Aside from huge church buildings and sanctuaries, Marian devotion marks its territory in the form of small shrines disseminated in crossroads, hospitals, schools, apartment blocks, and offices to signify the nearness of Mary in everyday life and in every place. The strong Marian emphasis of Roman Catholicism has also been enriched by alleged apparitions of Mary throughout the centuries, with an increase of these episodes since the nineteenth century when Marian piety pushed the Church to promote the dogma of Mary’s immaculate conception. Each apparition generated the rise of more devotional practices, such as pilgrimages and shrines to the memory of the apparition and to further its message. The most famous Marian apparitions are those associated with Guadalupe in Mexico, in Lourdes, France, and in Portugal. Rather than promoting a Bible-based, Christ-centered faith, all these messages have reinforced Marian practices and venerations. Although Marian apparitions may at times seem like fanciful tales to non-Catholic observers, their impact has been significant. They’ve led to the conversion of millions to Roman Catholicism, the building of some of the largest Marian shrines around the world, the formation of Marian movements dedicated to the spreading of Marian devotions, encouragement for the development of Mariological doctrines, and the drawing of hundreds of millions of pilgrims to Marian sites. What is at Stake? In all its theological force and devotional ramifications, Mariology is an inescapable, all-embracing, and fundamental tenet of Roman Catholic theology and practice. For all Bible-believing Christians, Mariology is a big source of puzzlement. They love Mary, but they cannot come to terms with what happened to the memory of the young lady called by God the Father to be the bearer of the person of the Lord Jesus. They don’t see how the biblical Mary can be reconciled with the hypertrophic Mary of subsequent Mariology. Its development seems to respond to rules and criteria that go way beyond what is written in the Bible. Mariology, as it stands, needs to go through a process of radically biblical deconstruction if it wants to become a biblically defined and viable Christian option. All the stratified accumulation of Marian suggestions, expansions, and developments should go through the healthy refinement of clear biblical teaching in order to be given Scriptural shape. Pointing our attention to the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—this was Mary’s way. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma and director of the Reformanda Initiative. His most recent book is A Christian Pocket Guide to Mary. #DECEMBER18

FRANKENMUTH, MI – Anyone who has traveled I-75 North of Flint and beyond has seen the roadside signs. The Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland and it’s 27 acre site right off the highway. The “store” itself is the size of two football fields. The Wonderland draws more than two million visitors every year, and has become one of the top ten man-made attractions in the entire state of Michigan. It’s hard to believe that this giant extravaganza got its start as a little sign shop more than 70 years ago. Wally Bronner and his wife, Irene, built their own building in 1954, and even then half the sign shop was dedicated to Christmas decorations. Now, there are 350 decorated Christmas trees, 6,000 types of ornaments, more than 500 different nativities, and 50,000 trims and gifts. The outer focus of Wally Bronner’s life was the store, but the inner focus was his relationship with Jesus Christ. Bronner was clearly a successful businessman, but he said that it was Jesus who had given his life meaning and purpose. So, Wally built his business around the Person he honored with the capitalized letters of “CHRIST”in Christmas. The gift of salvation he had received from God had so dramatically changed Bronner’s life that he loved to share it with others. In fact, visitors to the company website will find a clear presentation of the Gospel here. https://www.bronners.com/topic/the-story-of-wally-bronner.do?from=fn&sortby=ourPicks. Wally loved working at his store, and even late in life he would spend 10 hours a day welcoming his visitors. He would joke that he only worked on days that end in “y”. Bronner passed away on April 1st, 2008. He joked that he was going to heaven “to make sure the decorative touches are in place.” On his last Good Friday on earth Bronner wrote these words, “Today’s Good Friday was an especially GOOD FRIDAY when our dear family in prayer agreed to the reality that our loving Lord and Savior – the CHRIST of CHRISTmas – is ready to receive me into his heavenly kingdom where all believers in the Creator God will be with him FOREVER AND EVER...NOTHING COULD BE GREATER!” Wally Bronner understood what it meant to be a Christ follower and exhibited such in all his affairs. His example stands the test of time as people from all over come to his CHRISTmas store not just to spend money, but to experience the Spirit of Christmas. #DECEMBER18