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(The following excerpts are from The Golden Chain (2002, 2007), chapter 1 (1958 and 1961), by Bill Livingston.) BAY CITY, MI – Frances Brown was well-suited to the challenge she faced. She grew up in Illinois, at that time a pioneer missions state. She served in inner city missions and graduated from the Carver School of Missions at Southern Seminary in Louisville Frances went on to directed educational programs at a Kentucky church before coming to Michigan. Her strong-willed character and sense of calling made her an ideal candidate for the task ahead of her: “I worked with Frances Brown at her first GA camp at Bambi. Each of the kids kept their money with the counselors so it wouldn’t be lost or stolen, but Frances was reluctant to give the kids their money! ‘You’d better spend it on missions!’, she said…” - Peggie Dye “I was the camp pastor for the GA camp in 1961. Frances Brown was organized and had a working heart. I can still remember her walking by with girls out to the “prayer shack”, where she would lead them to the Lord.” - Marion Sherrill A major financial gamble in mid-1958 resulted in the acquisition of a major asset and ministry site that continues to serve Michigan Baptists in increased numbers- the campground at Bambi Lake. The Laurel Gun Club had a large tract of land for sale in the Roscommon area, where Fred Hubbs frequently went hunting: “When we obtained Bambi, it was a sinkhole lake…We bought it on a lark; they wanted $44,000 for a 14-acre lake, 240 acres, and 4 buildings. We thought it was a steal, but we had to ask “what if”, because the state was in a recession and many of our churches were already struggling financially. We needed to know that our people were behind it…so we organized a car caravan on a Saturday (June 21) to form a prayer circle on the property. We had hoped for 100 people to come; when we formed the circle on the property, there were exactly 100 people there… We could come up with about $3000 immediately, but we had to have the $14,000 down payment in about two weeks…We were still $8000 short when I approached Bob Bowman, one of the members of Eber Memorial and owner of a gas station, for a loan of $7000 so that we could meet the deadline…We had the money the next day.” - Fred and Shirley Hubbs How ironic that Frances Brown should be called to serve in Michigan within just a couple of months of the decision to purchase Bambi Lake in 1958. This writer never believes in coincidences…the calling of Frances Brown and the purchase of Bambi Lake led to incredible growth of RA and GA programs across the state in the 1950s and 1960s. Within a decade, GA state conferences drew nearly 800 girls and leaders. I was an RA camp pastor in 2001. Throughout the decades, Bambi Lake has provided a place where thousands of boys and girls….men and women, have come to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. For less than the price of an SUV, the impact upon the lives of our churches through Bambi Lake has been inestimable. Without question, Frances Brown was led by God to see that Bambi Lake would become a haven for evangelism, encouragement and inspiration. My wife, Anne, and I certainly encourage all of our members and friends to invest in the Frances Brown State Missions offering, and believe you will see a return on your investment that will last for eternity. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bill Livingston has been a graduate college professor, military contractor, Southern Baptist pastor, and historian. He has written about a dozen histories for Crossway Christian Church, the Bay Area Baptist Association, and the BSCM. He lives in Bay City, Michigan with the lovely Anne. His four kids, their spouses, and lots of grandkids are scattered around the globe; two are currently on active duty with the US Armed Forces. #OCTOBER2017

ROSEVILLE, MI – The theme for the 2016 Church Equipping Conference was “Breakthrough”, and the goal was to strengthen Michigan Baptist churches to breakthrough to new levels of service. As soon as the doors to Cornerstone Baptist Church opened on Saturday, September 16th, God began showing off. Hundreds of Christ followers packed the conference to learn how to best equip their local church to grow and reach their community better. As attendees entered the lobby, the excitement began to build as everyone gathered in fellowship. It was overwhelming how people showed up eager to hear what God had prepared for them. The conference began with worship led by State Director of Spiritual Enrichment and Retreats, Mick Schatz. It was a powerful moment where as a community attendees came together and praised the Lord. The room was filled with the passion for Christ as the musicians and attendees shared praise together. The Holy Spirit continued to work through keynote speakers, Dr. Richard Land and Curtis Woods. Land is the president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He gave an honest look at the state of our country, and the importance of holding onto the Word in this climate. Woods is the Associate Executive Director of Convention Relations for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He reminded each believer that they are just “decorated dust.” Woods said, “We are nothing without Jesus”. Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) Ministry Assistant, Lisa Johns said, “It was so humbling to be in a room with so many other people who have committed their lives to Christ and are dedicated to expanding His Kingdom. I was moved by the words spoken by both Dr. Land and Curtis Woods, but even more I was moved because I knew those words weren’t theirs alone. Jesus knew what each of us needed to hear that morning and He used those speakers to reach us. What an amazing thing it was to experience.” After gathering as a big group for worship time and messages by the keynote speakers, it was time to split into the various breakthrough sessions that were offered. More than 25 speakers from around the country had prepared sessions that would equip attendees with ways to better strengthen, send, and start local churches. Everything from children’s ministry to guest relations were covered. Johns added, “When I got home, I couldn’t sit still. I wanted to tell everyone about my weekend and the things that I had encountered. I wanted everyone to know how God had showed up at this event, and how I knew He was in the building with us. I left the event exhausted, but so pumped up spiritually! It was a day full of fellowship, worship, and spiritual truths.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lisa Johns is the Ministry Assistant at the Baptist State Convention of Michigan in the Church Strengthening/ Evangelism Department. Lisa received her BFA in Dance from Oakland University and spends her weekends teaching dance, and serving as the Preschool Ministry Lead at Mile City Church. She is excited to be a part of the launch team for Grumlaw Church, a new church plant in Grand Blanc, MI launching in January of 2018. #OCTOBER2017

FENTON, MI – This past September I had the great opportunity of being involved in the Church Planter Assessment. Over the course of 2-and-a-half days, a group of 25 people participated in this process at the Colombiere Conference and Retreat Center in Clarkston, MI. What is the Church Planting Assessment? Church Planting Assessment is a process organized by the Church Starting division of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM), consisting of Tony Lynn and our Church Planting Catalysts (CPCs): Dan Ghramm, Tim Shrader, Darryl Gaddy, Jason Robinson and Darren Greer. Our CPCs made connections over the past months with pastors and their wives who feel called by God to plant a church in Michigan so that we might partner together in the Gospel and be able to support them. Our Catalysts sought out 6 different people to be assessors for the assessment. Our Assessors were: Josh Tovey, Steve Long, Shar Durbin, Thomas Pettus, Tom Price and Larry Allen. I was blessed getting to meet and spend time with all of our Assessment Staff and Assessors. The process of Church Planter Assessment can actually be quite rigorous and personally invasive (particularly for our church planters) because it consists of the pastors sharing so much information, and also being asked many questions during our group exercises and break-out sessions. Despite this, our staff did an excellent job in creating a comfortable and friendly atmosphere for our church planters. There were many of our church planting candidates who went into the assessment feeling nervous and not knowing what to expect, but then came away from the whole experience feeling spiritually enriched and encouraged. During this process, the BSCM and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) must assess whether these Pastors are equipped and ready to plant a church, but also want to come alongside them for encouragement and to help provide support. Why do we do Church Planting Assessments? My favorite part of being able to attend and experience this assessment retreat was getting to see all of our different candidates share their hearts with us. We had 5 different pastors take part in this assessment. What was enjoyable was their lives and ministry backgrounds differed in various ways. It was equally interesting listening to their stories as well as learning of their passion and call to church planting. A common theme with all of our candidates was that they all had been through past trials and sufferings in both their lives and their ministries, but what was great to see is how God brought them through that and is using them now in church planting to spread the Gospel. I can confidently say, I believe God will use these 5 pastors as strong Gospel witnesses to their communities through their churches. The positive news to share is that all 5 of our church planting candidates were approved. Now they will be partnering in the Gospel with the NAMB and the BSCM. I would love to share with you these Pastors and their wives’ names as you might see or hear of them in the near future. Jason & Andrea Allmon Kevin & Meghan Armstrong Seth & Taylor Springs Mike & April Gates Robert Lodge Please be praying for these planters as the process of church planting is busier and crazier than one might be able to imagine. Pray that God would use them and their churches to be an effective Gospel witness in their communities, and to make His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Andrew Parsons works as a Ministry Assistant at the Baptist State Convention of Michigan under Tony Lynn, State Director of Missions. Andrew also serves as a Pastoral Intern at Onelife Church in Flint, MI. #OCTOBER2017

WAYLAND, MI – My wife, April and I married 24 years ago have four children, from the beginning we were following God’s road map and didn’t even know it. For the first 11 years of our marriage, we lived in Grand Rapids and did not attend church. I had been raised Catholic and April was not raised in church at all. I stopped going after I graduated from high school. In 2003, we moved to Mancelona, Michigan where my family is from and we were invited to church by a coworker of mine. My wife really loved the church. It was new and different, inviting and real. We went back a couple of weeks later for their Fall program. We each received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior a week apart in 2004. This was a life/eternity changing event, and we were baptized a few weeks later. Shortly afterwards I was called to the ministry and enrolled in Baptist College of America where I received my Master’s of Ministry. I became the Assistant Pastor in my church where my training continued until 2009. I was then called to be the Lead Pastor of Abundant Life Baptist Church in Midland, MI. In 2014 we moved to Wayland, Michigan in order to help take care of April’s parents while they were going through some health problems. We rented a trailer in a trailer park, because it was close to her parents’ house, with plans to move out and buy our own home after a year. However, God worked on our hearts and we fell in love with the residents of the trailer park, so we stayed. Our ministry is to reach the underserved residents of the trailer parks in the Wayland area. These residents have a wide variety of economic conditions, varying from retired people to young single parents that can barely pay their bills. One thing they all have in common is feeling hurt from being marginalized by society. This hurt and marginalization has resulted in the trailer park residents having some of the lowest attendance in church. Wayland is a small town with only 4,206 people living inside the town lines. However, there are 13,500 people that live within a 5-mile radius of Wayland. Within that 5-mile radius there are over 1000 homes in 4 separate mobile home parks. Since door knocking is not allowed in mobile home communities we plan on reaching the community through missional communities and family events such as BBQs and block parties. Our goal is to find a “person of peace” in each of the parks and begin a small missional Bible study group. It only takes one person to start. Once we have established 3 small groups in a community we will rent a space for group worship services. Our ministry is a missional style of church which fits perfectly with the trailer parks. This style allows us to build relationships first to overcome the lack of trust the communities have for churches. We fully intend to be co-vocational for our entire ministry. By doing so, it will help us build relationships inside the community and help us to show that we not only preach the word of God, but we live it every day. Our jobs give us the freedom to have church and study groups at night and on the weekends. Amazed by God’s timing and leading we are where we know He wants us, serving in communities that need the Good News. It’s a long way from where we started as a unchurched, young couple, but we can see now that we are exactly on the road where God sent us. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael Gates is the Outreach Pastor at Anchor Community Church. He has served as an associate and lead pastor, and has a Masters of Ministry from the Baptist College of America. He and his wife, April have been married for 24 years. #OCTOBER2017

DETROIT, MI – Coming into my freshman year of college at the University of Michigan back in 1999 I felt like I was at a Crossroads. Up until this point in my life I had four worlds that I juggled: school, church, the social scene (which quickly became the party scene), and sports. I injured my knee in high school and knew with that injury I pretty much had no chance at making it in collegiate athletics, so I was down to three. However, I was so anxious to do well in school I knew I would have to choose between the party scene and church. That year I walked into a university auditorium, Angell Hall auditorium B, to be a part of a church service right on my college campus. Over 100 college students worshipped Jesus and heard an authentic sermon that morning, and I knew this is what I wanted and what God wanted for me. Later that freshman year, at a Winter Retreat, I heard a pastor share Philippians 1:21 which begins, “To live is Christ.” In a moment I knew that’s what I wanted, and I made the decision to push all of my worlds into one world: Jesus. My story is a lot like that of many college students. College is a crossroads for many young people. College often is treated as our American rite of passage into adulthood. It is a time when young men and women are making decisions that will influence the next several decades of their life. All of which, along with a passion for the inner city that God developed in both Meghan and I from our childhood, are reasons that God used to lead us to plant a church at Wayne State University in the heart of Detroit. Can you imagine the impact of seeing the nearly 40,000 Detroit college students have the opportunity to hear about and experience Jesus? Can you imagine the impact these students will have as they take this faith into the world? Can you imagine the impact on this city for those for those who stay? We planted back in the fall of 2013 and God has grown us to a church of more than 100 college students and many city members. We believe God has more than numbers for us in the future, though. We believe He wants to see every member of our church, every Detroit college student, and every Detroiter know that He is dependable and can redeem every hurt. We want Detroiters to worship Jesus, and we want His kids mobilized here to tell the Good News, that the Kingdom of God is here. As a church, we want to tell this news and to live out Kingdom values in a city that Satan has tried to claim as his own. We believe that the church of Jesus Christ in Detroit will bring healing and hope to not only our campuses and our city, but an entire nation that has a legacy of sin in racial division and oppression. We are believing Jesus to build His church in a powerful and needed way, and we would cherish your prayers to our Father, asking for His guidance, help and protection. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kevin Armstrong is a pastor, church planter. He lives, along with his wife, Meghan, in Detroit, MI where they started the New Life Church of Detroit, a campus church. #OCTOBER2017

SOUTHGATE, MI – I heard this line today while watching a webinar. “The One who Sees the Future, will Seize the Future! I think it might be our theme for 2018! This past Sunday we talked about the richness that heritage can bring, and that reminded me of my parents and my parents’ parents. I have nothing but wonderful memories of my grandfather. He drove a great car – usually pretty fast – and one day he set me in his lap and let me drive it. At some point I swerved a little and took out a trash can that was set by the side of the road. In those days, all trash cans were metal – and it made a lot of noise. Unfortunately, a policeman had pulled in behind us and was probably thinking “Drunk Pastor!” Sure enough, the lights came on, and the officer came walking up, long before my grandpa could put me back into my seat. Grandpa just laughed and told the officer he was teaching his grandson how to drive. I think he was able to get out of the ticket, but he might have had to replace that trash can. Anyway – my grandfather started a church 63 years ago, and when he passed away, they asked my dad to become the Pastor. He said he’d do it until they found somebody else. 31 years later, they found me. I live in the shadow of a heritage they provided. I carry the same name as 5 generations of William Walker’s before me, but with 2 daughters, it looks like that one stops with me. Unless there is some type of Abraham & Sarah miracle that takes place (Just kidding, Laura – “Father of the Bride 1 & 2”). At times - just being real - that has been a heavy responsibility; but for the most part it has been a joy and privilege that benefited me far more than I deserve. But here’s the deal – while heritage has its place, if we simply look to the past, at what has happened, and we are not planning and preparing for what God has in store for the future, we do those who have come before us a great disservice. More importantly we stand to miss out on what COULD BE while we look at what HAS BEEN. And that’s when we (people, organizations, churches, athletes) become HAS-BEENS! In Matthew 16:18 – Jesus said to His disciples, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” When I was growing up, we had a gate about halfway up our driveway. While it swung open to allow us access in and out, it was permanent, and not meant to be moved. So, it would seem to me, that gates being a defensive measure, must mean the church is on the offensive. And be honest – it is so much more fun to be on offense (Batting, shooting, passing, dribbling, throwing, scoring). We are the ones moving forward, seeking to make a difference in the next generation and beyond. That means new ideas, new ways of doing things, and new methods of outreach. While the message of the Gospel remains the same, the approaches we use today are a lot different than they were at the time of Acts 2. But the same God who delivered miraculous results for those early believers, still desires for His Church to be on the move and to see those same results! And His promise still stands, too. Nothing will be able to stop it. There is nothing wrong with remembering, but we must not endeavor to relive it. Whatever happened during these first 6 + decades at Calvary has been awesome, but it happened while the church was moving forward. To relive it, means to head backward and the Church doesn’t have time to do that. We must: Raise the Bar of Expectation Raise the Bar of Personal Discipleship Raise the Level of Outward Focus For it is the church that Sees the Future, that will Seize the Future! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Billy Walker is the lead Pastor of Calvary Church in Southgate, MI. He serves as the President of the BSCM Pastor’s Conference, and the Vice President of the Billy Walker Evangelistic Association. He lives in the downriver Detroit area with his wife Laurie. You can read more at www.billywalker.org #OCTOBER2017

LANSING, MI – Michigan’s African American Fellowship (MAAF) is excited to announce its first annual mission trip to St. Croix. The team went to assist church planter and former Michigan minister, Pastor John Smith, in serving the gracious people of this small island nation, August 14-19, 2017. The diverse ministry team consisted of thirteen (13) pastors and lay members, ranging in ages from 16 to 70. Pastor Stan Parker, President of the Michigan African American Fellowship and mission trip participant, revealed the trip had a threefold purpose: expose, engage, and evangelize. The desire was to expose African American Churches to missions, engage churches in partnering with church planters, and evangelize so that others will make a decision to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. God did not fail as he allowed this threefold purpose to be accomplished. The mission team began its exposure to ministry in St. Croix upon arrival by visiting the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Terrace, which would serve as the ministry focus throughout the week. The management team at JFK was very receptive and welcomed the mission team. This housing complex, which was composed of low-income individuals from various backgrounds, ranging from no religious beliefs to conservative Muslims, would serve as fertile ministry ground for the mission team. Under the leadership of Pastor John Smith, the ministry team engaged in service to the individuals in the JFK housing complex throughout the week. These activities included the following: Praise and prayer Games/prizes Crafts Face painting Water balloons Food (hot dogs/burgers) Fellowship Teaching of lessons Conversational evangelism Door-to-door evangelism 3-day revival The mission team served more than 60 parents and children each day. And, by doing so allowed the team to share Christ with them, many of whom made decisions for Christ. The ministry team was able to glorify God by showering the beautiful people of St. Croix in His love. It is the prayer of the MAAF that the residents of St. Croix, will continue to accept Jesus as their personal Savior, that the saving of souls would continue daily, and the establishment of two bible studies in the JFK Complex in the near future. The mission team would like to conclude with a heartfelt thank you to Pastor John Smith. Thank you, Pastor John, for stepping out in faith to minister to the residents of St. Croix. God will surely reward your efforts! For more information about future Michigan African American Fellowship (MAAF) ministry mission trips and/or if you desire to support the ministry in St. Croix, you may contact Pastor Stan Parker at (517) 853-9897. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Angela Spencer, currently resides in Lansing, MI and works as a Senior Business Analyst for Accenture. She is also a minister’s wife, and faithfully serves as the Church Administrator for Faith Fellowship Baptist Church in Lansing, MI where Dr. Stan Parker is the Pastor. #OCTOBER2017

EDITOR'S NOTE: Story updated Sept. 25. Over the weekend (Sept. 23-24), Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) workers learned the situation has changed in Puerto Rico. The extent of the damage has made the situation extremely volatile and has temporarily complicated SBDR’s ability to get in to Puerto Rico. SBDR reported it will be doing everything possible to get onto the island and minister to the people there. Updates will be sent to Baptist Press as information becomes available. ALPHARETTA, GA (BP) – After Hurricane Maria knocked power out for nearly the entire population of Puerto Rico, the island's infrastructure is devastated and initial reports estimate that it will take months before services can be completely restored. On Thursday afternoon (Sept. 21), FEMA officials sought to organize a response in Puerto Rico with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) as well as American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Sam Porter, the North American Mission Board's (NAMB) national director for disaster relief, worked with state SBDR leaders to mobilize their response. "At 3 p.m. yesterday (Sept. 21), FEMA asked us to get a plan together to send teams to Puerto Rico to start serving 200,000 meals daily," Porter said. "By 6 p.m., we had kitchens capable of feeding 100,000 meals a day committed to be driven to Florida, packed onto boats and shipped to Puerto Rico." NAMB and SBDR will continue coordinating throughout Friday (Sept. 22) to send the necessary teams to Puerto Rico. The goal is to have feeding units in transit to Puerto Rico from Florida on Monday (Sept. 25). When Irma smashed through the Atlantic and the Caribbean a week and a half ago, the damage sustained in Puerto Rico was severe, but the island avoided a direct hit. An SBDR kitchen from Alabama had been diverted from Puerto Rico to the U.S. Virgin Islands at the request of officials because of the damage sustained there. That unit (along with another) will be serving 5,000 meals a day in the Virgin Islands. "The whole world is watching what's happening with these historic storms," Porter said. "Our response will tell Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands that Southern Baptists care about you." The goal, Porter said, is to have between six and 10 kitchens sent to Puerto Rico and it will take between 200 and 300 volunteers to operate the kitchens and serve the needed meals. Porter said volunteer fatigue is a significant concern right now. "This is week five of responding since Harvey made landfall," Porter noted. "A lot of our teams are tired and weary. We really need more Southern Baptists to step up in a big way in the next month." Porter urged volunteers to go and serve, especially if they have disaster relief training. Those without training are also welcome. "If you don't have training, that's a big part of what NAMB's Send Relief is for," he said. "Southern Baptists have ways for everyone to get involved in this huge response." NAMB's vice president of Send Relief, David Melber, also added, "Another part of our approach is to provide support packages to our Baptist churches in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. We will also be putting together support packages for their pastors." Those support packages will include: generators, food, water, financial resources and other items as needs continue to be made known. "Our desire is to affirm the position of the local church in all the response areas," Melber said. "Our goal is to get the local church positioned to be the pillar in the community. We also want to make sure local pastors are supported and empowered to lead their churches." Southern Baptists have been striving to get as many resources as possible into areas affected by these disasters. In their Sept. 18-19 meeting in Nashville, the SBC Executive Committee voted to send the first $1.25 million in overages to the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget to NAMB's Send Relief ministry. In addition, the SBC Executive Committee will send its income overages toward International Mission Board disaster relief initiatives. Harvey efforts moving toward rebuild SBDR units in Texas and Louisiana have started moving from the recovery phase to the rebuilding phase. A lot still needs to be accomplished, but several churches have come alongside SBDR to minister. More than 1,000 volunteers from Southern Baptist churches are signed up to serve in Houston through NAMB's Send Relief ministry between now and the end of October. NAMB president Kevin Ezell was in Houston on Thursday (Sep. 21) to visit with and encourage pastors. "It is great to see the Southern Baptist family responding in such a big way," Ezell said. "I heard story after story of churches and individuals that have made unexpected donations or just shown up and asked, 'How can we help?' Houston will need this kind of assistance for months and even years to come, but it is incredibly encouraging to see how God is already at work." As of Sept. 21, SBDR had served over 1.3 million meals and completed over 2,200 jobs in their response to Hurricane Harvey. Volunteers have seen at least 230 people come to faith in Christ. Hurricane Irma response in Florida In Florida, eight SBDR feeding units are on site throughout the state, serving between 38,000 and 60,000 total meals each day, for a total eclipsing 310,000 served by the end of the day on Thursday during the response to date. SBDR volunteers have completed 507 clean-up and recovery jobs and seen 26 professions of faith in their response to Irma. Less than five percent of the state was without power as of Wednesday evening and that was mostly in the Florida Keys. Even as power gets restored, many residents still need meals provided by Southern Baptists since they have been unable to work in the aftermath of the storm to put food on their own tables. For more information, visit sendrelief.net or your state Baptist convention's disaster relief web site. Watch videos about what Southern Baptists are doing to help hurricane victims: ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board. Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. #OCTOBER2017

ALLEN PARK, MI – Wow! I am a pastor’s WIFE? Who among you know that God has a strange sense of humor? Some say His ways are foolish! (1 Corinthians 2:14) I wholeheartedly agree! How else would you describe the process of taking this teen unwed mother, pan-theistic, bar-hopping, aspiring country music singer and transforming her into a God-loving, gospel-sharing, child of the Most-High God? Yep. God’s got jokes! Thanks to a pastor who unashamedly shared the Gospel with our family, and a church who lovingly discipled us; thanks to God for allowing us to stumble and grow, my Pastor/Hubby Tim (PH) and I watched Him conform ‘our’ dreams into His plan. (Jeremiah 29:11) I was “in the zone” when I wrote the above.... I just returned to finish my article 24-hours later. Where have I been? I’m glad you asked! I paused to help facilitate a workplace Bible Study downtown. I went to the home improvement store for my PH. I painted the first coat of polyurethane on the new floor. I ran a visiting evangelist, who is also a Pastor’s Wife, and my BFF, (check out allenministries.com) around town on errands. I rushed back to the church to give food to a hurting family. I lay down for a nap, but the doorbell rang as a neighbor returned items she borrowed. I ran back to church to give food to hurting family number two. I applied the second coat of poly while I made dinner for our visiting guests. I hosted girls’ night for a movie, prayed with a few people over the phone, then went to bed. I blinked and it was time to wake! Today’s activities included morning errands, applying the third coat of polyurethane and helping prepare for Saturday’s memorial service. Our Manna Ministry delivered over 600 loaves of bread to a senior apartment complex and two food pantries. After a quick (HA! 2+hours!) trip to the store, I made it home and helped arrange food for an impromptu cookout. Somewhere in there I did three loads of laundry, and other household chores. I helped format and print promotional material for our ministry friends as they prepared to hit the road again. After a relaxing dinner, my BFF and I are here watching a movie while we each work on our computer. Michelle is catching up on the family’s bills, and I am preparing this little article. But I digress…. I am Gayle Marie Jones, and I am a Pastor’s Wife. As I was saying, God has a GREAT sense of humor. The last 24 hours have been awesome because I have spent it helping my husband, my neighbors, my best friend and her family’s ministry. I fed the hungry, comforted the widows and orphans, cared for the lame, and even had a bit of time to relax. Beloved, I love my job! God simply asks me – and YOU – to show up! Then He uses me – and YOU – “… to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). I won’t lie – there are days when I feel overwhelmed, but those days are few. I’m blessed with a PH who gets it when I need to stop and recharge. But I get going again because people have to know about Jesus (Acts 4:20). Sometimes I think God is kidding when He chooses to use me and I gotta laugh and trust Him. Yeah. God’s got jokes. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gayle Marie Jones is the First Lady of The Road Church in Allen Park Michigan. She is wife of Tim, Mom of 5, Grandmother of 12 and “Momma Gayle” to countless others. #OCTOBER2017

FORT WORTH, TX – "I have a boring testimony," one student said when we shared our testimonies in a Sunday School class I co-lead for a group of high school guys. What he meant is that he made a profession of faith at a young age in response to his parents' Gospel presentation. He was, therefore, not saved out of a life of drugs; he did not overcome a shattered life; and he did not find Christ from a prison cell, then share the Gospel with his fellow inmates through a Spirit-led prison ministry. Perhaps the student's testimony would have been more interesting if any of those things were true. So, from a human perspective, maybe he was right when he said he had a "boring" testimony. Then there's the instance of three students here at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary walking along the sidewalk and a teenage girl who walked toward them after getting off a school bus. The team had an opportunity to engage her in spiritual conversation, with one member sharing his testimony along with the Gospel. When the girl responded by expressing her desire to profess faith in Christ, another team member led her in prayer. The girl, who had stepped off the bus a lost person, simply heard the Gospel, responded by confessing Jesus as Lord and went home a Christian. Perhaps these two individuals -- and perhaps you as well -- have a "boring" testimony. But maybe we shouldn't view our testimonies from a human perspective. Jesus said there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner repents (Luke 15). Apparently, regardless of how "boring" our testimonies may seem to us, heaven hasn't heard a boring testimony. Now there's something to think about. Perhaps, then, we should reconsider how we articulate our testimonies. Consider the story of the teenage girl who stepped off the bus. Biblically speaking, she was a spiritual orphan but now is an adopted child of the King; she was empty and enslaved by sin but now is indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God; she was dead but now is alive. When put in those terms -- when the reality of salvation is made clear -- the story is anything but boring. Let's consider this point another way, this time from your perspective. The Creator of the universe, who sits enthroned above all creation as King over all, out of the 7 billion people on this planet, knows who you are. And in spite of knowing who you are and all the sins you have committed, He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die in your place, taking your sin upon Himself, and with it, the punishment that that sin deserves, so that you, an unworthy sinner, could be forgiven and freely receive by faith (not works) eternal life with Him in paradise. In other words, God wants to spend eternity with you, and He made a way for you to do that -- to bask in His glorious presence for all eternity. This instead of what you actually deserve, which is eternal fire in hell, separated from Him. He spared you from this by paying the ultimate price of His own life. This is the furthest thing from a "boring" testimony. Every testimony tells this story. Every testimony is an indication that God is loving, merciful, gracious, holy, mighty, awesome, powerful, humble and indescribably, incomprehensibly big yet considerate, compassionate, concerned about His people, hearing our cries, looking upon the lowly and opening His hand of provision to every creature. Our testimonies are a story of this God. From a human perspective, some testimonies may be more compelling than others. But biblically speaking, every testimony is an affirmation of who God is and what He has done for us. And when our testimonies are articulated in this manner, they should inspire lost people to seek the Lord through faith, and they should inspire saved people to praise the Lord for what He has done for them, for who He is. Indeed, every testimony -- including the student in my small group who came to faith at a young age, the girl who stepped off a bus and yours -- is a story of how great and good God is. Think on these things and realize: There is no such thing as a boring testimony. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex Sibley is associate director of news and information for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of Everyday Parenting, a parenting anthology released by Seminary Hill Press, the publishing arm of Southwestern Seminary. #OCTOBER2017

WHEATON, IL – I am absolutely convinced that there has never been a genuine missional movement—the kind that has both exponential growth as well as transformational impact across a wide domain—that does not have APEST ministry. APEST, which stands for Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd and Teacher, comes from Ephesians 4, and I strongly believe movements need all five APEST functions active and engaged in order to make any lasting impact for the cause of Jesus. Below is a description of the Shepherd component of the APEST model. The Shepherd Exposes disciples to the need for self-awareness and understanding, philosopher, systematizer, translator. The ideal of a good shepherd is widespread throughout the Bible (Psalm 23) as is conversely the image of a bad one (Jerimiah 21). The shepherd, the one who cares for his sheep, symbolizes one of the ideal forms of political dominion in Israel. Following the many archetypal biblical cues, fulfilled and exemplified by our Great Shepherd, the shepherding purposes given to the church will tend to be those associated with social connectivity and the church’s purpose to be an agent of God’s healing—helping people develop resiliency and protecting them from damaging influences. The shepherding function exists to: Enrich communal experience. At its core, the Church is a community gathered in adherence to Jesus—the recipients of His saving, reconciling and healing grace. Friendship, mutuality, reconciliation and devotion in the midst of life together, demonstrate a better way to be human together. Social bonding. In many ways, the shepherding function develops the necessary attachment and bonding to the movement and its purposes in the world. The focus therefore falls strongly on developing loving relationships that mirror the love of Jesus in the world. Credible witness. The shepherds purpose is to nurture local disciples witnessing to the blessings of the kingdom of God. Protective abilities. Healthy communities are notoriously difficult to develop and maintain. Because each member of the community is capable of sinful actions and each community is made up of selfish people, community life is inordinately vulnerable to damage. Therefore, like the Good Shepherd, shepherding will serve to protect the church from influences and people that will destroy it from the inside out. Healing. This function spans from practical care of the sick and feeble, to prayer for healing, to counseling and reconciliation in broken relationships—a very important aspect of healthy community. Shalom and wholeness. The biblical idea of peace (shalom) involves not just an absence of conflict, but also the active experience of harmony, restoring of wholeness and the experience of godly prosperity. Inclusion and embrace. The members of the church are chosen by Jesus and not by societal trends and preferences. The church is a new humanity made up of all classes, ethnicities and genders, united together in Jesus and called into his body. There is a deep respect for the poor and the excluded. Discipleship in the Way. The local church is at essence a disciple-making system where everyone is committed to following Jesus in the context of all of life. Perhaps one of the best ways to articulate the essence of the shepherding function is summed up in the word formation. Human flourishing. The shepherding function creates a culture and an environment where people can thrive, flourish and reach their full potential as creatures made in the image of God. Cultivate the family of God. One of the main goals of the shepherding function is to draw people together and reconcile them together as a redeemed family. Cultivating rich and loving community. Scripture is clear that one of the main ways the world will know us is by our reputation as a loving community (John 13:35). Deep and meaningful relationships with one another, along with a strong value for each person’s story, exemplify the shepherding functions that seeks to create and maintain healthy community. The roles of the shepherding person At its core, the shepherd is the vocation tasked with creating and maintaining healthy community, promoting the common good, encouraging people in the faith and ensuring the welfare of the people as well as the broader society in which the community abides. Shepherds pay close attention to their immediate environment, noticing details about people and the state of the community. They have strong empathic aptitudes and heightened capacities for meaningful friendship and relationships. To be a good shepherd would be to know all the names and stories of the people in one’s immediate care. Because of their great sense of and need for cohesion and unity, shepherds will find it disheartening when people leave the community. People, even the most unlikely and insignificant ones, matter to shepherds. This content is an excerpt from Hirsch’s latest book, 5Q: Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ. Order the book to learn more about the APEST model. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alan is co-founder and associate faculty for the M.A. in Missional Church Movements at Wheaton College (Illinois). He is also adjunct professor at Asbury Seminary, Fuller Seminary, George Fox Seminary, among others, and he teaches frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the United States. He is series editor for Baker Books’ Shapevine series, IVP’s Forge line, and is an associate editor of Leadership Journal. #OCTOBER2017

NORTHWEST, AR – “I’m tired of caring for Miles.” I actually spoke those words out loud in our small group. Keith and I have the privilege of teaching a group of young married couples every Sunday morning. We knew God wanted us to share with them what was going on in our lives. I didn’t want to. Sharing our lives and struggles with them is usually easy, but we were tired and our lives felt extra messy that day. I don’t mind sharing my messy life with people, but I prefer to do it after God works, restores and redeems. But God was asking us to share our hearts in the midst of being weary. But it just felt like a big ask. “Eight years.” These two words have been running through my head all month. We just celebrated Miles' 8th birthday, and his birthdays always throw me in a funk. I celebrate knowing he is being remembered. I celebrate his physical age, but developmentally, emotionally and mentally, we are nowhere near that number. And it’s just hard. Every year that goes by, I find myself grieving where I thought we’d be. I read posts from years past and realize we haven’t come as far as I thought we had or hoped we would. But this year, it seemed heavier. I couldn’t help but wonder if I can do this for eight more years? And then eight more? And then eight more after that? “We’re caregivers.” Keith spoke those words to me as I stood in an ocean washing sand off of me. I had been playing in the sand with our friends’ children and I told Keith I forgot how fun it was to play with kids that can play back. Playing with Miles is work. Keeping Miles safe is work. Keeping others safe from Miles is work. And because he has no self-care skills and is not potty trained, caring for his physical needs is a lot of work. The role of caregiver can be exhausting. And lonely. “Let us not grow weary of doing good…” God has been speaking these words over me the last month. He has been whispering them to my heart because He knows I am tired. And weary. He has been reminding me that “… in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). But that is so hard when you are walking through what could be the rest of your life on this earth. “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh…” God is using this verse found in Galatians 5 to bring clarity to my weariness. When I say I am tired of caring for Miles, what I actually mean is I am tired of what caring for Miles requires from me. It requires a daily dying to self, a daily crucifying of flesh and a daily decision to lay my life down so Jesus can shine. Crucifixion was such a slow and painful way to die. So when we are told to be crucified with Christ, when we are told to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, we need to be prepared for that death to be slow and painful. "I never want to be the me before Miles." Those words are just as true today as the day I first spoke them. Caring for Miles is the hardest thing I've ever done, and it is the greatest privilege of my life. Nothing has ever challenged me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and eternity more than the gift of Miles who has the gift of Autism. "So, how are you doing?" I wish I could sit with you over a cup of coffee and ask you that question. I wonder today what has you feeling tired and weary? What has you feeling defeated? What "gift" has God given you that feels too big and too heavy? Don't give up. Don't give in. Don't lose heart. Keep your eyes and heart fixed on Jesus. Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Eternal, the Everlasting God, the Creator of the whole world never gets weary or tired. His wisdom is beyond understanding. God strengthens the weary. Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. But those who trust in the Lord will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run - never winded, never weary. They will walk - never tired, never faint" (Isaiah 40:28-3). Read more about Jackie's journey here. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jackie Harmon is wife to Keith, the Marriage and Family Pastor at Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas. Together they have two sons, Alex and Miles. Read more about their family on their blog. #OCTOBER2017