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MONROE, MI – Seven Michigan Baptist leaders attended a national Vacation Bible School (VBS) Institute at the Ridgecrest Conference Center on January 5-6, 2018. Along with Southern Baptist Leaders from across the eastern United States, they received training to improve planning and preparation for conducting VBS. Commenting on the event, Megan Line said, “It was a blessing to be surrounded by men and woman at Ridgecrest who not only love VBS but had a passion to make it better, to reach children for the Glory of God! It was great to get pumped up, trained and equipped to teach others how to provide an amazing VBS for their communities!” Another team member, Betty Ward, observed, “I enjoyed being at Ridgecrest and seeing people from other states getting as excited as I am about VBS. It was encouraging to see their willingness to take time out of their busy lives to come and learn and go back to their states to teach others.” This exceptional training equipped the team to return to Michigan and lead VBS Institutes for our local church leaders across the state. Shar Durbin commented, “VBSI gives a huge boost of excitement and an urgency to prepare for VBS. Although it is in the dead of winter, and VBS will be in the heat of summer, it is not too soon to get our hearts and materials ready. This year's songs are super loaded with Scripture and catchy tunes designed to stay in the hearts of children and leaders for years to come. They are already in mine.” The Michigan VBS leadership team members, who took this training, come from churches across Michigan. The team includes Shar Durbin, Megan Line, Nickol Mearnic, Carla Saunders, Debbie Turner, Betty Ward and Bob Wood. Michigan VBS Institutes will be held April 29, 2018 at Merriman Road Baptist Church, Garden City and again May 5, 2018 at Bambi Lake Retreat and Conference Center. VBS Institutes are on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A LifeWay VBS bookstore will be available at both locations. You can contact any of the team members, or call the BSCM office, for VBS information, training or assistance. Register online at bscm.org/register. Each VBS Institute starts with a worship / pep rally and includes core leadership workshops for all VBS leaders in the morning. After lunch, which is provided, breakout enrichment workshops are offered. Carla Saunders described from her experience with the breakout, Gospel-centered Children’s Ministry, “We learned the Bible stories we read and teach are truly centered around Christ.” Core leadership workshops will all feature LifeWay’s VBS theme. Most of the breakouts are curriculum-neutral; they are applicable to VBS no matter which curriculum you choose to use. Vacation Bible School continues to be one of the most effective outreach and evangelism tools your church can use. VBS Training enhances your evangelistic effectiveness. Research has shown that on average we baptize one person from VBS for every worker we train for VBS. Receive inspiration and training for your VBS leaders at one of the Michigan VBS Institutes sponsored by the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Wood is pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Monroe, Michigan. He also serves as a VBS consultant for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming to Heritage Baptist Church, he served as a state missionary for the BSCM. #FEBRUARY18

NASHVILLE, TN – Pastors not only want to succeed at church and home, we are required to. Is there any profession on this planet besides ours that requires you to win at work and home? Not that I am aware of. Having been a pastor and husband for thirty years, I realize the challenges that come with the territory and enjoy helping pastors win through our initiatives at LifeWay Pastors. You are blessed to belong to a state convention who also understands what is at stake. Last April, the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) and LifeWay co-hosted two Pastor Date Nights in metro Lansing and Detroit for about 80 couples. My wife, Janet, and I moderated a panel discussion with Executive Director Tim and Sabrina Patterson, and Southgate pastor Billy and Laurie Walker. Those date nights typically involve a meal or dessert and a conversational Q&A centered around helping pastors win at home and church. 2018 Event Dates: July 15-16 The Shack Lodge Inn & Hotel (shackcountryinn.com) July 17-18 Bavarian Inn Lodge (bavarianinn.com) July 19-20 The Kensington Hotel (kcourtaa.com) I am encouraged with how Michigan Baptists are taking pastoral health seriously. The BSCM website and events have been designed to equip pastors to lead their lives, homes, and ministries in a biblically intentional way. When state director of evangelism Mike Durbin asked Janet and me to speak at their marriage conferences this coming July, we jumped at the opportunity. These events will be regional, which will make it easier for you to attend and build your ministry marriage. Stay tuned for more details, and when they come, please save the date and inform your spouse. LifeWay just released a groundbreaking study in September about the lives of Protestant pastors’ spouses. “The representative study of 720 spouses found their lives are complicated and filled with blessing and stresses,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. Among the findings: 93 percent believe their spouse is a good fit for the present church. 90 percent think ministry has had a positive effect on their family. 85 percent say, “The church we serve takes good care of us.” 83 percent enjoy their ministry work. 79 percent are satisfied with their role in ministry. Still, there are many challenges. Conflict in a church and a sense of loneliness are commonplace. Among the issues: 72 percent say their spouse has experienced resistance in the church. 69 percent say they have few people they can confide in. 68 percent worry about having enough money for retirement. 59 percent say church commitments limit family time. 49 percent say, “If I were honest at church about my prayer needs, they would just become gossip.” Why is investing in your marriage so important to your ministry? Because your ministry will never be stronger than your marriage. The last two pastors I followed ended their ministry with a marriage meltdown. You already know that prevention is less painful, and less expensive, than intervention. Everyone is equal in God’s sight, but you and I are not God, so let your convention and LifeWay invest in your most important discipleship group—your family, starting with your spouse. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark Dance served as a pastor for nearly three decades before becoming the Director of LifeWay Pastors in 2014. Mark is a graduate of Howard Payne University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Janet, live in Nashville, TN. #FEBRUARY18

BATTLE CREEK, MI – Aryn and I were blessed to be able to participate in the Pastors and Wives date night at FBC DeWitt. With three younger children, having opportunities to get away with just each other – even for a few hours in the evening for dinner – is a challenge. It can be even more difficult when you factor in the uniqueness of pastoral ministry, where, as much as we may not like it or try to lessen its impact, we are “on the clock” 24/7. The organizers and volunteers put on a lovely evening that included child care. Our youngest child has some severe food allergies (dairy and tree nuts) that can complicate meals and snacks, but the child care team went out of their way to ensure he not only had food that he could eat, but that he was included in all the events. We were thankful not only for the opportunity to enjoy dinner with each other, but also to spend it with dear brothers and sisters in Christ who know and understand the pressures of serving in ministry. The gracious gifts and presentations were much appreciated and helped to make it a relaxing and refreshing evening! Thank you! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Roy Henry serves as Senior Pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Battle Creek. He and wife, Aryn, have been married for 13 years and they have three wonderful PKs. #FEBRUARY18

FORT WORTH, TX – There isn’t a preacher among us who doesn’t desire to become a better preacher. At least, there shouldn’t be! A pastor wears many hats, but the one that fits him the best is preaching the Word. I was a pastor of two churches for 21 years and have been an interim pastor of 13 churches. I’ve also taught preaching for the past 30 years. I am the Dean of the newly launched School of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I love preaching! That’s why I am excited to be in Michigan on April 20-21, 2018 at Cedar Street Baptist Church in Holt, MI, to lead the Preaching Workshop sponsored by the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM). This will be a time of practical instruction as I speak on “How to Preach 1 John”. Other topics we will cover include: What is the structure of 1 John and how would you preach a series of sermons from it? How do you move from text to sermon? How do you outline a paragraph for preaching? What about illustrations? Finally, how can I be creative in my sermon preparation and delivery? You will walk away from this workshop with 20 sermon outlines, one for each paragraph in 1 John. You will also receive a copy of my book 1-3 John: Fellowship in the Family, in the “Preaching the Word” series published by Crossway. This book contains complete expository sermons, including exposition, illustration, and application, on every paragraph of 1 John. When I was a pastor, 1 John was one of my favorite books to preach through. It is all about fellowship within the church centered around Jesus. It is a message the church today needs to hear. Studies continue to demonstrate that the number one reason people choose to attend and join a particular church is the preaching. Other factors play a role, but nothing is more important than the pastor’s sermon week by week. People continue to be hungry to know what the Bible says. That is why we must preach today with excellence and faithfulness to the Word of God. Spurgeon said, “Bible hearers will become Bible lovers.” Our people certainly won’t be doers of the word until they are first hearers of it. “And how shall they hear without a preacher,” as Paul asks in Romans 10:14? None of us should be attempting to carve out our niche in the preaching hall of fame. But each of us should be attempting to become the best communicators of God’s word we can possibly be. I’m excited about this opportunity to join with pastors from all over the great state of Michigan to spend some time honing our skills in preaching. To register for the Text-Driven Preaching Conference, visit bscm.org/register. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. David L. Allen is Dean of the School of Preaching and Distinguished Professor of Preaching, George W. Truett Chair of Ministry, Director for the Center of Expository Preaching, at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX. #FEBRUARY18

FENTON, MI – How are you providing missions education to the next generation? Great question. Missions is a lifestyle! Learning begins at a very young age so the WMU missions education starts with a very simple foundation. It is important to see a child learn and understand the ways of our Savior, accepting His gift of eternal life. Then, as the student continues to learn about missions, their foundation is build up. As this young person enters high school and grows into their young adult years the Holy Spirit does a work in their hearts leading them to be open and obedient to the call of God on their life and to the mission field they are to serve. This is how we are providing mission education to the next generation and the next and the next. One young woman who had the opportunity to learn in the WMU missions education program, "AJ” now serves as an IMB missionary. For security reasons, we cannot share her name. For AJ it all began at GA camp (Girls' Mission Camp). Here is her story: I was the child that would rather have a book in my hand than playing with the other kids on the playground. I was not a talker, and that kept me from sharing my faith with others. GA camp at Bambi Lake was the place where I learned that God's heart is for all the Nations of the World to know Him. GA camp was where I met real world missionaries. They told awesome stories and shared amazing pictures, including some with them riding camels. They were rock stars to me! At that time, I had never thought that God wanted me to go to some faraway place and talk to people about Him. I had trouble talking to people at my middle school so, to me, the idea of going to a place to talk to people was probably the scariest career choice ever. Even so, I felt God tug at my heart telling me that one day I was going to be the one going to some far-off place to share the gospel. SAY WHAT?!!! However, scared as I was, I determined to follow what God had called me to do. With each passing year talking with people got easier and easier until it became natural to share my faith with strangers. Now whenever I meet a new person I am looking for a way to begin to tell them about the greatest, most life changing story ever. It began small by me going on short term trips in America, and then I got to spend a summer working at Bambi Lake. From there God called me out of my Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth. I signed on with the International Mission Board (IMB) and spent 6 months in France and England and then two years in South East Asia as a Journeyman. The country I was in was mostly Muslim. It is a place where most people have NEVER heard the story of Jesus. I constantly had young women over for dinner and they would continue to ask questions about Jesus far into the night. I was even able to give a few girls Bibles. We began a Bible study and would meet regularly to read through the Gospels together. I prayed God would give these young women a dream or vision to reveal His truth to them. It became routine to ask Nita, a local girl, if she had any dreams since we last saw her. In Islam, they believe that Allah speaks to his people mostly through their dreams. Most Muslims who end up converting to Christianity will say they had a dream where Jesus revealed who He is to them. "Nita, did you dream about Jesus last night." "No... but I did have a dream." She then describes a very vivid dream where she confronts a snake and a baby boy. After Nita woke up she went to look up what her dream meant. Teachers of Islam have published many books used for dream interpretation. Nita said the interpretation was "Someone will come to me and give me Good News." After a moment of shock, I slide over a Bible that was on the table and placed it right in front of her so she could see it had the words "Good News" printed on the cover in her local language. I told her, "Well that just came true." A closer look into her dream brought us to the book of Isaiah chapter 11. Not only does this chapter talk about a baby playing over the hole of the cobra, the chapter itself is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. God has allowed me to do some pretty amazing things and to be part of something so much bigger than me. I am constantly humbled by it all. I would like to thank the WMU and other women who have supported the IMB and making programs like GA camp possible. Thank you for helping me find my voice and sending me out. “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10 We are thankful to the home church AJ attends. They understand the importance of providing WMU missions education for their members. If you are interested in learning more about WMU missions education for your church, life group or home schooling program, send me an email at wmu@bscm.org. I would love to share the many resources and passion we have for missions. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sue Hodnett is the Women’s Ministry & WMU Consultant for the BSCM as well as the Executive Director for WMU of Michigan. She attends Lakepointe Church in Macomb, MI. #FEBRUARY18

ORLANDO, FL – Do you have a passion to see your church revitalized? Then the Michigan Renovate Church Revitalization Conference is for you! The Renovate National Church Revitalization Conference is coming to Michigan for two One-Day strategic conferences across the Baptist State Convention of Michigan March 22 & 24, 2018. The Renovate Annual Conference launched in 1997 and now is the largest gathering of pastors, church revitalizers, and laity meeting on church revitalization and renewal anywhere in the country. Beginning in 2014, Dr. Tom Cheyney the Founder and Directional Leader of the Renovate Group began offering additional conferences all across the United States as one-day events, and the response has been incredible. In conjunction with Mike Durbin, the State Director of Evangelism who focuses on Strengthening Churches, the Renovate Conference will partner with the convention to help churches all over Michigan. The two Renovate One-Day Conferences are a great place to start your church revitalization efforts and get the tools you need for revitalizing your church. In a day where it is reported that more than ninety percent of protestant churches in North America are in decline, the time for such a conference across Michigan is urgent. Church Revitalization is a movement within protestant evangelicalism, which emphasizes the missional work of turning a plateau or rapidly declining church around, and moving it back towards growth. It is lead through a Church Revitalization Initiative, which is when a local church begins to work on the renewal of the church with a concerted effort to see the ministry revitalized and the church become healthy. Church Revitalization means that the local church knew how, at one time previously, to renew, revitalize, and re-establish the health and vitality of the ministry. One of the challenges for the laity in the days in which we live, is that they have lost the knowledge of church renewal and no longer want to cultivate the skill sets necessary to see their church experience revitalization. Even sadder is when a congregation does not have the corporate memory that there was a day when the local church was reaching people for Christ Jesus and active as evangelistic witnesses into their community. Renovate is more than a conference, it is a movement of church revitalizers, both laity and ministerial, committed to learning, growing, changing, and leading change. This church revitalization conference is designed to connect, inspire, equip, and challenge church revitalizers. To register for the Renovate conference, visit bscm.org/register. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Tom Cheyney is the Founder and Directional Leader of RENOVATE National Church Revitalization Conference. Cheyney also serves as the Executive Director of Missions, Greater Orlando Baptist Association. Tom is a nationally recognized conference leader in church revitalization. He has taught all over the world and is the author of: Slaying the Dragons of Church Revitalization: Dealing with the Critical Issues that are Hurting Your Church, as well as countless others. Dr. Cheyney lives in Orlando with his wife Cheryl, Florida. #FEBRUARY18

ROSCOMMON, MI "I will make you fishers of men." ~ Jesus Like many people who move to Roscommon County I love to hunt and fish. This affinity continued when I came to Christ. At times, I felt guilty because I enjoyed them too much. Still the Lord said he would give us the desires of our hearts. He never took the desire to hunt and fish away from me. Like the disciples who went fishing after Jesus left the earth I told Jesus that if he wanted me to give more time to evangelism and not hunting I was willing. Instead he did something even more miraculous, He made me a fisher of men. Twenty-three years ago, Roscommon Baptist Church (RBC) started a wild game dinner to share the gospel with sportsmen who may never darken the door of any church. We feed them all kinds of wild game, and homemade desserts. We give out amazing door prizes and we earn the right to share the gospel with these hard-core outdoors men, women and children. It is important to try to get the best speakers available, and this past year we asked Chuck McAllister the former host of Adventure Bound Outdoors TV and the Evangelism director for the Kentucky Baptist Association. Working with the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) we saw an opportunity to get Chuck here, and have him speak at the March men's retreat and stay over for the Wild Game Dinner at Bambi Lake Baptist Retreat and Conference Center. More than 400 people attended this year’s event. Fourteen men made decisions for the Lord during the men's retreat and 79 people during the Wild Game Dinner. What is the key to such results? Affinity evangelism! Chuck McAllister who used and taught this form of outreach in Kentucky and many other states says, "Affinity Evangelism is a strategy to help churches find exciting, innovative ways to share Jesus with the “people groups” in their communities. These groups aren’t necessarily ethnic in nature; the groups are made up of people who have a common affinity—a similar interest, hobby, need, or concern. When churches design appealing ways to connect with people according to their affinities, they find an open door to building friendships and helping people encounter Jesus.” McAllister continues, “Jesus and His disciples used Affinity Evangelism, meeting people where they were, and sharing the good news using parables and illustrations the common man could understand. When Paul visited Athens (Acts 17:16-34), he preached boldly in the marketplaces and to the community leaders, connecting with those listening to him by starting with what was important to them. He found a way to use their interests as an “in” for the Gospel." To extend relationships with outdoors people the “Outdoor ministries program” at RBC has joined a youth archery program called “Centershot Ministries”, a hunter safety program, “hooked for life” fishing program and a Kicking Bear Camp weekend retreat at Bambi Lake for families. We also do youth hunts to give youngsters a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. Each event has had varying degrees of response, but we are focused on the outdoor affinities because 2 of 3 people in our area recreate in the out of doors. We will be doing another dinner March 10, 2018 and Big game hunter and President of Southern Seminary, Paige Patterson, will be share his hunting stories and his first love Jesus Christ. What's cooking at your church? I think I smell the muskrat stew! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Mike Ritchie attends Roscommon Baptist Church in Roscommon, MI where he serves as the Director for Outdoor Ministries as well as the Sunday School Director. He also runs the local chiropractic office in town along with assistance from his wife, Laurie. #FEBRUARY18

ROSCOMMON, MI – It is not by chance as Bambi Lake nears its 60 year anniversary that people are being drawn back to the roots of their faith experiences. Only God can orchestrate such events that bring meaning to those from the past, while instilling God’s grace and design for those working in the present. We wonder what God is doing here. What is drawing so many people from past to come to Bambi Lake? They come to walk where they walked as a young child. “It has been a strange few weeks,” says Janice Fuller. “I can’t remember any time that this has happened so frequently.” These are the early steps of their Christian walk; as a GA, as a college student on mission for the summer, as a boy watching his father build the new Cafeteria, as a previous employee, as a volunteer who spent the summers helping at camp, and on and on. Their memories are so vivid and bring such delight as they walk around sharing how things used to look, and how much the camp has grown and changed. With tears in her eyes, one lady reminisced of being in the original chapel. She was reminded of cool days and needing to grab a sweatshirt. More memories triggered as we walked out the door. How many pictures of groups at camp have been taken on the steps of the Hubbs lodge by the water? There is excitement as they see the Wilson Building with its Worship Center and Cafeteria, the cabins and chalets, the changes to the lodge as it has evolved since the beginning days of camp. They love the new water slide that is underway. As the vision is shared to make the gym into a multi-season activity center, to renovate the cottage for a center for a small group retreats, to put café tables in JBs for a casual “shake shop” feel, to build small cabins in the campground to house families, and more. The anticipation grows. The potential of Bambi Lake is growing. Events need to be great, too. So, looking forward, Bambi has scheduled some fabulous events for 2018. A Comedy of Love Retreat for married couples will be held in April with Michael Smalley from the Smalley Institute. With the addition of an outdoor stage to be built in the area near the Lodge parking, there will be outdoor gospel concerts. On Saturday, May 26, during the Memorial Day Camping Weekend, the gospel concert day will be topped off with The Martins in concert at 7:00 pm. On the Fourth of July, Karen Peck and New River will be performing in the evening as well as many local gospel groups. Our other scheduled events include the men’s retreats, women’s retreats, youth retreats, summer camps, all with excellent, featured speakers and new amenities. Linens-sheets, blankets and towels will be provided no matter where you are staying. Guests will be pleased with the new approaches in the dining room, too. Event planners are being encouraged to choose the menu and serve family style dinners when possible. Registration is easier with online deposits. If you cannot register online for any reason, call the office for assistance. And when you arrive, stop by the Coffee Bar for coffee and a cookie as you check in. The staff is anticipating your arrival with many preparations and prayer. The best success is when visitors come with minimal distractions, and hear God speak. Bambi Lake has a great heritage. God is moving in some very special ways. The camp is changing and improving because of the gifts and support of Michigan Baptists. The legacy of Bambi Lake is and has always been transformed lives. For more information about Bambi Lake or its events, visit bscm.org/bambi. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nancy Spears is a ministry assistant for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan and serves on the council for Michigan’s Women’s Missionary Union (WMU). She is member of Anchor Community Church in Grand Rapids where she has served as event coordinator for ten years. God has blessed her with an understanding and supportive husband of 42 years, children and grandchildren. #FEBRUARY18

LANSING, MI – Michigan Baptist churches have been sending mission teams to minister at home and aboard for decades. Unfortunately, many of these teams lacked representation from the African-American community. Today, we praise God that this no longer true. The Michigan African American Fellowship, a group of African-American Churches sent their first mission team to St. Croix earlier this year. The team was made up of individuals from various churches and was multi-generational. They were on mission for seven-days, serving others who were in need. Kamyra Thomas, a student from Michigan State University was part the team. She says, “Being my first mission trip, and being able to share Jesus Christ was truly awesome and a life changing experience for me.” Kamyra has already signed up to go back to St. Croix in 2018. The mission team provided ministry in the form of backyard Bible clubs, sports, face painting and skits at the Harbourview Housing Complex. Harbourview is one of the largest housing complexes on the island. The children and adults who live there opened their arms and welcomed the team with smiles and love. The residents were happy to see visitors who looked like them. Prior to leaving for St. Croix the team was provided with mission training. The training helped the team understand the Island’s needs, and how the culture, while similar, is different from the United States. Upon arrival the team was hosted by Missionary, John Smith, a native from Pontiac, Michigan, and a North American Mission Board (NAMB) church planter. Pastor Smith is the only Southern Baptist church active on St. Croix Island. Serving with Pastor Smith was indeed a joy as the team was able to help him with planting Shepherd Fold Church, while also serving the residents at Harbourview housing complex. The mission trip became a reality due to several Fifth Sunday Fellowship Services which are sponsored by the Fellowship. The churches were challenged by the Fellowship President, Dr. Stan Parker, to become more involved with missions. Parker and Faith Fellowship Baptist Church have been involved in mission field ministry for more than twenty years. He brought his hunger for mission work to the African American Fellowship, and they answered the call. The recent trip to St. Croix provided spiritual growth for all who were part of the team, and has served to wet the appetite for others. Therefore, the Michigan African American Fellowship is making plans to return in August of 2018. The Fifth Sunday Fellowship services also provide for training and great preaching. The Fellowship hosted a Pastor Shift Conference in April, and Pastor Mark Croston was the keynote speaker. There were seminars of evangelism, financial stewardship, missions, and a special session for pastor’s wives. Parker says, “Those who attended left with a strong urgency to be part of what God is doing in Michigan as we work together to stamp out darkness in our state.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Stan Parker serves as senior pastor for the Faith Fellowship Baptist Church of Lansing, MI. He has a passion for communicating the Gospel with people of all races and in every corner of our world. #FEBRUARY18

2017 A Look Back FENTON, MI – Michigan Disaster Relief (DR) responded to two major events in 2017 - one in Michigan and the other in Texas. In July and August, Michigan DR assisted Midland residents with help cleaning out their homes after the most devastating flooding event in that city's history. The DR teams worked tirelessly helping the flood victims get back into their homes and see life return to normal, all in Jesus name. In September, after one of the most destructive hurricanes of all times devastated the greater Houston, Texas area (Hurricane Harvey), two Michigan DR volunteers, Bob Kiger and Fritz Kinsey, were asked to establish a Send Relief site in Galveston. Once the site was operational, they continued managing the site for two months while several other Michigan DR volunteers heeded the call, traveling to Texas so they could respond by preparing food and cleaning out homes. The Texas devastation will continue to need help to recover for months and years to come. We are thankful, as Michigan Baptists, serving through Disaster Relief to help the people of Texas in their time of need. We are the hands and feet of Jesus before those in need. 2018 A Look Ahead Michigan Disaster Relief will continue in 2018 to facilitate the integration of Disaster Relief services and Send Relief. The next generation of Michigan volunteers will be prepared by building on the successful training completed in 2017. If you and your church are not participants of this amazing hands-on ministry, it’s not too late. We will have training opportunities throughout the year and the needs are always there. Come join us in representing the Lord with our hard work and love for others. For more information about Michigan Baptist Disaster Relief, visit bscm.org/disaster-relief. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Kiger serves as the Michigan Disaster Relief Director for the BSCM. He has been involved in Disaster Relief since 2008. Bob brings a wealth of diverse experience to the State Director’s position. His first major call out was in 2012 when he went to New York to help prepare meals for displaced residents after Hurricane Sandy. He was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ when he was twelve years old and has been a Baptist all his life. #FEBRUARY18

JACKSON, MI – I like being a servant of the Lord. Being a Chaplain, serving through the Michigan Disaster Relief (DR), just adds to the glory that I get to give back to God. Most often we are working with desperate people that have lost their homes and everything in it. It is moving when you go to their door and tell them you’ve come as a volunteer to help; to be God’s hands and feet. As a DR Chaplain, my main task is to spend time with the homeowner. I work to build trust and encouragement. I help them go through precious items that have been ruined by flood waters, tornados or other natural disasters. Item by item we go through pictures and Christmas boxes, especially Christmas decorations, as they lead to open doors for sharing the Gospel of Christ. Over the course of the day, I pray with homeowners about the unimaginable difficulty they are enduring. As the owner watches the DR team clearing the house, the tears flow down their already tear stained faces. It is my joy to take their troubles to God and seek wisdom and strength these people. We leave the homeowner, who has been devastated physically and emotionally, with a cleared-out home and a copy of Eternal Hope, God’s Word. A hard day’s work makes for eternal differences in many of their lives. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeannie Dolson, Disaster Relief volunteer since 2005. She lives in Jackson, MI and attends Grace Baptist Church. #FEBRUARY18

How Short-Term Mission Trips Can Make Our Churches Healthier SOUTHGATE, MI – As Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) churches across our great state seek to be healthier, the short-term mission trip can be one way to make that happen. There’s nothing quite like teams from our churches taking the Gospel to another place. There’s something very Biblical about it. There’s something very transforming about it. There’s something very healthy about it. Our church, Calvary Baptist of Southgate, has taken five short-term mission trips in the last seven years and the positive impact on the church has been very evident. We’ve been to Honduras, New York City, the Philippines, Los Angeles, and Peru. Those on the mission teams have experienced tremendous blessing from serving Jesus beyond the walls of the church and beyond the borders of their communities. And, the church family has been blessed by praying, supporting, and sending the teams. What are some healthy outcomes of sending mission teams from our churches to other parts of the country or other parts of the world? Here are just a few: 1. Short term mission trips can produce the satisfaction of fulfilling the Great Commission Healthy New Testament churches are to be “going into all the world to preach the Gospel” and the short-term mission trips are one way our churches can be obedient to this Commission. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus sent His disciples on short trips to other parts of Samaria and Galilee to share the good news of His kingdom (Luke 10:1-2). And, in the early church, Paul and Barnabas were led by the Holy Spirit to go on the first of three mission trips into Asia Minor and beyond (Acts 13:1-3). So, “sending” churches are being collectively obedient to the Lord of the harvest and are, therefore, healthier because of doing so. I recall when our church was “on mission” in Honduras, Central America, some years back and we made a conference call back to the church in Michigan. As we utilized technology to speak with the congregation over the church’s PA system during a morning church service, one of the closing comments to our team from a Deacon of the church was, “Thanks for representing all of us there in Honduras. It’s like we are there with you!” That statement was evidence that our whole congregation was healthier as they experienced the mutual joy of fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission into the “uttermost”. 2. Short term mission trips can produce longer term missionaries from within our churches Studies have shown that many of those that go on short-term mission trips will go on to consider being full-time career missionaries. In fact, most mission agencies, including the International Mission Board (IMB) encourage potential missionary candidates to go on a short-term mission trip before making their final decision about missionary service. This can be the way Jesus confirms to people that He wants them on a mission field for the rest of their lives. Could the apostle Paul have caught the vision for more missionary journeys after his first one? What if he would not have gone on the second and third journeys? There may have not been any Macedonian call and, thus, no Gospel witness to the continent of Europe and, thus further, no Gospel eventually going from England to America. Mere conjecture, indeed, but something to think about. Jesus could have used that first missionary journey to motivate Paul to keep going, and to keep making trips further out into the world. This phenomenon of short-term mission trips being “sparks” that light a “fire” in someone destined to be a career missionary is very real. And, while we may not want to lose the brightest and best from our churches to a distant mission field, we must admit that this very thing can make our churches healthier. It engenders a sense of deep joy that young people, as well as older people, in our churches who are spiritually healthy enough to receive the call of Jesus to the mission field. That means our churches are healthy, because it is a place where people come to know Jesus as Savior, grow in faith in Him, and are open to hearing His call to the mission field. And, as more and more people are called to missions, it continues to produce a healthy environment in our churches. This type of multiplication seems to have happened in the early church (Acts 9:31). May the churches in our state convention multiply in this way. And, for sure, mission trips can help facilitate that very multiplication. 3. ​Short term mission trips can produce more giving in our churches and to the Cooperative Program No discussion about the health of our churches can omit the mention of money. And, while “the love of money is the root of all evil”, the love of using money for missions is anything but evil. When our churches partner together to send a team of their own people on a short-term mission trip, it reveals the value of the money they are giving. They see the passion of the team. They see the adventure of the mission. They see the resulting souls saved, saints edified, and mission projects accomplished. It can give our churches a renewed desire to be faithful in the giving of their tithes and offerings to their own local church, as well as revive their loyalty to the Cooperative Program. So, these are just a few ways that short-term mission trips can increase the health in our churches. Feel free to come up with others. Let’s be bold to declare these things in our churches! Let’s be ready to go on a mission trip. Let’s challenge our people to get a passport, pray over it, asking Jesus to lead them on a mission trip beyond Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Dan Russell is the Executive Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Southgate, Michigan, a NAMB Coach for church planters, and an adjunct professor for Spring Arbor University. He has 37 years of pastoral experience, including lead pastorates in Missouri, Kansas, and Michigan. Dan and his wife, JoLinda, live in Brownstown, Michigan, and have three adult children, along with seven grandchildren. #FEBRUARY18