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FENTON, MI – Knock, knock, knock! The worn, lightweight aluminum screen door opened up toward our 12 year old faces. We were nervous. Tom stood behind me trembling in his tattered Converse sneakers, stained t-shirt, and gym shorts. Despite the summer heat, both of us froze in fear while our brains were screaming for us to run away when we saw Mr. Poindexter open the door with an impatient sigh. You see our neighbor Mr. P, as we called him, scared all of the kids on my street. He and his wife didn’t have any children so we didn’t really know him. All we knew is that when we crossed the corner of his yard to get to the little store or the ball field that he wasn’t happy with us. Mr. P wasn’t a screamer. He was quiet. Dead serious quiet! His glares made our hearts stop so on normal days we didn’t bother Mr. P. This particular summer day, back in the 70s was different though. Tom and I were building a fort out in the woods behind our houses. For 3-4 weeks we noticed that Mr. P was collecting wood from what we thought was a basement remodel. His scrap wood was collected on the ground at the side of his garage. On this particular hot hazy summer day, Tom and I decided that one of us was going to ask Mr. P for that scrap timber. Since I lived closest to Mr. P I would be the one to do the talking. “Mr. Poindexter,” I stuttered as each syllable stuck in my throat. “Tom and I couldn’t help but notice the scrap lumber laying beside your garage.” As I finished that opening line I think Mr. P glared at us even harder as if to say, “What business is it of yours!” I continued with a nervous tremor in my voice, “Sir, if you don’t have any plans for that lumber may Tom and I use it for our fort in the woods?” Mr. P replied, “No. I don’t have plans right now, but I might later.” With the thump of the word “later” came another long stare, silence that seemed to go on forever. I still believe part of my life ebbed out of my soul that day from his frightening look. Somehow I was able to form the words, “Okay sir. Sorry we bothered you.” as we turned and walked away much quicker than we had arrived. Some forty years later, I happened to run into Mr. Poindexter again. This time it was in my parents’ yard while visiting with my wife and children. He said, “Tony, do you remember when you and your little friend asked for that wood beside my garage years ago?” I said, “Sure do Mr. Poindexter. I’m sorry we bothered you that day.” Mr. P held up his hand as if to gently silence me then continued, “No, I’m the one who should apologize. I don’t know what got into me back then. I have always regretted not giving you that lumber. It all rotted after being exposed to the autumn rains and winter snows. It rotted and ever since I have regretted not letting you have that stack of wood. You were good kids and I should have given it to you.” I accepted his heart-felt apology all the while thinking to myself, “Wow, an apology forty years later.” Isn’t that the way we are with a lot of things in our lives, in our families, and in our churches? We buy, we hoard, and we don’t share. We justify our collections by convincing ourselves that one day, when we have enough then we will share. In Luke 16:9 (NLT), Jesus explains the emptiness of selfishness and the eternal results of generosity, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Please, pay close attention here or you’re going to miss it. Summer is coming to a close. A new church year is about to start. Many of you will review the annual church budgets this fall. It’s time for you to let go of the “lumber laying beside the garage” and let your funds extend God’s Kingdom. Here are two meaningful options that come to mind during this time of the year: The State Missions Offering & the Bambi Lake Retreat & Conference Center Restoration Project – In September, we are kicking-off a campaign with the theme “Because we believe in the power of one.” One more person, one more church, and one more contribution can make a difference! The state retreat center is where our churches and God fellowship together and inspire one another to strive for greater aims. Please, lead your congregation to give generously each week or each month to this incredible undertaking. Cooperative Program (CP) – For the first time in history, every church treasurer can make the church’s contribution to the Cooperative Program securely online at bscm.org. In fact, a recurring donation can be set-up where funds are automatically transferred from the church to the state convention. Those funds help us help churches in Michigan. Those CP funds help 20,000 students study for ministry and missions. Those CP funds help supply the needs of 8,500 missionaries and their children all over the world. Please, don’t let forty years pass before you realize the “lumber has rotted.” Mr. Poindexter and I agree, sharing is better than hoarding. Join the movement of God in Michigan. Great things are happening. People’s lives are changing. Believe in the power of one! 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. #AUGUST17

FENTON, MI – Shar and I recently had the privilege of participating in a God moment. We were sitting around the table with the Patterson’s, the Lynn’s, the Taylor’s, and the Schatz’s. Pastor Tim asked Mick and Jackie if they had ever considered serving in retreat ministries. Mick and Jackie looked at each other, and then told us it was something they had always wanted to do. That moment started the beginning of a new future for Bambi. Interviews were conducted, references checked, votes taken, and the call was extended and accepted. Somewhere in the midst of all that was Mick’s first trip to Bambi. Mick saw it initially without Jackie. I wondered what he would feel when he looked at Bambi Lake for the first time. There was a lot to see - the grounds, the buildings, the area, the schools, and so much more. And there was a long way to go to see it. He had no prior experience at Bambi to draw upon, no emotional connection, and no life changing moment at camp to color his experience. There was just the camp. He would look with fresh eyes, with eyes fixed on the Father, with eyes focused on the future. Was this the place, the ministry, God was calling him to invest his life? Would his family sense that same calling? That first look was overwhelming for him. I know because I was there. I could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. I felt for him as we went to the manager’s house for the first time - the place his family would live. We were in the process of remodeling the house, but all he saw was a house that had been dismantled. It wasn’t pretty. There wasn't a single room that was ready or even close to being ready. I watched and listened as he showed Jackie the house with FaceTime on his phone. I walked with him, painting a picture with words of what the house could look like, but at that moment it was floors without coverings, bathrooms without fixtures, walls in need of paint, dust and demolition debris. He took it all in. A lot of questions were asked. A lot was said. But one sentence that I’ll paraphrase stood out: “As I walked the grounds,” Mick said, “I realized that this place has a wonderful heritage to build upon.” Since becoming our State Director of Spiritual Refreshment and Retreats, Mick has been building on that heritage. There’s a whiteboard in his office that takes up most of the wall. It is filled with retreats, updates, and projects for the future. Improvements to the buildings and grounds are noticeably visible. It starts at the entrance of the camp where the signs have a fresh coat of paint and fallen trees and limbs have been removed. Mick oversaw the completion of the remodel of the manager’s house, and it’s beautiful. There’s a new stage in the worship center that makes a great statement. Repairs on the exterior of the lodge are taking place and the lodge is being repainted. The foyer has a new look that invites you to a fresh new experience at Bambi. One of the most noticeable additions is the waterslide. It rises 20 feet off the ground and descends 120 feet to the water! The first time Shar and I went to Bambi together was for a pastors and wives retreat. It was a Godsend in our lives. We had recently returned to Michigan after eight years of college and seminary. We were starting a new ministry after serving as a pastor in a rural church for five years. It was the first time in our seven year marriage that we lived in the center of a major city. The parsonage was on a noisy, five lane highway. Our first child was born just a few weeks after we made this major move. He was so little that we laid him in an open dresser drawer at Bambi to sleep. To say the least, it was a time of incredible transition in our lives. We arrived at Bambi exhausted, overwhelmed, and all the while trying to figure out the whole parenting thing. Shar was experiencing the beginnings of postpartum depression, but we didn’t know what that was at the time. There were all kinds of stressors in our lives. We needed encouragement, community, and a fresh encounter with God, and that’s exactly what we experienced at Bambi. The details vary, but believers all over Michigan have experienced fresh encounter and renewal with God at Bambi. I had the privilege of experiencing Bambi retreats as a student, adult, parent and now as a grandpa. Our children have been to Bambi on numerous occasions, and so have their wives. Shar and I have taken our grandchildren to Bambi camping. The camp has been a blessing to three generations of Durbins, and hopefully that will continue as the family grows and new generations are born. We have come to know the blessing of Bambi and hope you will come experience it as well. 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. #AUGUST17

ROSCOMMON, MI – What a ride! I have now been at Bambi Lake for 6 months and what a ride it has been! Each day brings new challenges and opportunities so no one day is ever the same as the last. Meeting new faces from a diverse variety of places is a true joy! However, there are three things about Bambi Lake that I am passionate about– it’s past, it’s present, and it’s future. Past – At every Camp or Retreat we host, I encounter stories of how Bambi Lake has impacted a life for eternity. I hear testimonies of individuals who were saved here as a child, and now serve in a church or full-time ministry. Most often, those individuals are now bringing their family or student group or church to Bambi Lake. I watch as friends reunite and share memories of first meeting each other at a camp or retreat fifteen or twenty years ago. I listen to students tell of the first time they heard the voice of God speak to them in the quietness and calm sitting by the lake. Numerous are the tales of cramming a few hundred into Hubbs chapel, but it did not matter because worship was the priority of the day. Being uncomfortable was not an issue because God was in the house and His presence was imminent! That will preach! Many, many lives have been transformed by the power of the gospel here at Bambi Lake. What a heritage, what a legacy. Present – It has been said, the best gift we can give ourselves and those around us is to be present. With such an amazing heritage to learn from and stand on, by the grace of God, Bambi Lake now has the responsibility to be present. We cannot be satisfied and rest on the accomplishments of our past – however great – we must be present. We must be engaged in raising up new leaders, and fiercely empowering young and old alike to share the Good News of salvation, the Good News of Jesus. I am excited to say that this is a reality at Bambi Lake. At every Camp and every Retreat new stories are emerging. New chapters are being written in the lives of those who are discovering freedom, healing, joy, and forgiveness in Christ. Bambi Lake is discovering new ways to encounter the culture with the love of Christ. We are implementing new programs and opportunities for the Body of Christ to be encouraged and empowered for the Kingdom. Bambi Lake is striving to be a lighthouse in our community, state, nation and world! Bambi Lake is Present! Future – With a legacy of life change and a mandate to be present, I am ecstatic about the future of Bambi Lake. We should all be! As great as the past has been, I believe the future is going to be even more amazing. Not just because of new camps, retreats, or new activities, but because of people like you. Yes, people just like you reading this article, God’s people, Christian Michiganders who love God and worship together with other believers at churches filled with worship because the presence of God is evident. How you ask? By praying for Bambi Lake and taking advantage of opportunities to participate. Many of you already have stories written at Bambi Lake. Others have yet to experience a weekend or week of enjoying fellowship with God and making new friends and memories. I believe, like many of you, God has great plans and designs for Bambi Lake. His presence is being felt and experienced here in new and refreshing ways. The cool part? He is inviting you and me to come. So, come join the ride. Come be refreshed. Come find rest. Come be present and see God move! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike 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. #AUGUST17

HUDSONVILLE, MI – A friend of mine recently started a new job as a buyer with a large food distribution company in the area. He was describing the ins and outs of forecasting what products his customers are going to need in the next 2 to 3 months. So far, he had not under-purchased or over-purchased by any great amounts. Keeping the right amount of product in the pipeline keeps his boss and the customers happy. I laughed a little to myself, when he told me the story about a coworker who completely forgot to order hamburger buns for a large chain of burger restaurants in the area. You can imagine, there was some scrambling going on to find buns in order to prevent a drop in burger sales. In any industry, it is important to plan ahead, not only with product but also with people. Having the resources on hand to accomplish the job takes a lot of preparation, time, and energy. It is not done overnight. This kind of thinking is also important in ministry in the Kingdom of Jesus. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus did with his disciples. He trained them before, during, and after he sent them out for ministry. If we are going to see a movement of making disciples all around the state of Michigan and beyond, we are going to need to develop more missional leaders. We need to fill the pipeline and keep it filled. I am excited about a new tool called, the Church Planting Pipeline, that will be available from the North American Mission Board in August. Our church planters go through a rigorous pre-assessment process. The extensive report created from this process helps us determine if a planter is ready to move forward; an assessment retreat and then on to planting, or if we need to hit the pause button and get them some more training. Jeff Christopherson, vice President of the Send Network says, "The Church Planting Pipeline is a simple and systematic way for a local church to prepare leaders to become effective disciple-makers in a post-Christian world. Implementing the system in the heart of a church is the discipleship plan – they can prepare homegrown missionary teams that literally transform their communities. This puts the missionary movement back where it was always meant to be – in the local church." The Church Planting Pipeline is a tool for our pastors to raise up leaders and planters within their own church. It can be up to three years worth of material helping them prepare to plant a church. Level One (L1) focuses on spiritual formation and theological foundation. Level two (L2) focuses on missiology and disciple making. Level three (L3) is all about church planting. Each year has ten 4-week modules that the planter can complete under the guidance of pastors and coaches. I am especially excited about this opportunity because I have a number of men who are not ready to plant a church yet, but are confident in their call. They simply need more time and training. Beginning this fall, we will have four interns or residents using this material in at least two churches here in West Michigan. We need pastors and churches all around our state to fill a pipeline of missional leaders, not only for church planting, but for shepherding as well. We would love to get this tool into your hands. Feel free to reach out to me, any of our CPC's or Tony Lynn, our SDOM and we can walk you through more details. Let's work together to create a pipeline of missional leaders, both young and old, in preparation for a disciple-making movement here in our great state of Michigan. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dan Ghramm serves as a Church Planting Catalyst with BSCM/NAMB in Southwest Michigan. He is married to Amanda, a Sign Language Interpreter. They have five children: Elijah, Malia, Jacob, Joshua, and Sophia. They live in Hudsonville, Michigan and are members at Redemption Church, a two-year-old church plant in Grandville a suburb of Grand Rapids. #JULY17

KINGSLEY, MI – A church planter catalyst is as diverse as the area he serves. I have the privilege of serving in an area that stretches from Flint to Ironwood and across to Sarnia, Canada. This means God has allowed me to see churches catalyzed in two time zones and two countries! Some of the most exciting times include work started with the Native Americans, African Americans as well as Anglo churches. Recently, we have seen God replant in areas like Petoskey, Clio and Bellaire. This means that we have a struggling congregation that has new leadership, sees a new vision, and learns to grow and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as well as their new church planter pastor. One of the great blessings of my ministry was being on the ground level of a suburban church plant in Grandville. I also got to help plant a rural church in northern Michigan and watch the planter be encouraged by a block party event sponsored by our WMU. Currently, there is an African American church plant on the east side of Flint I am blessed to support. I also cross a few bridges in the literal sense - going across the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron to visit with one of our newest plants in Canada, or crossing the mighty Mac (Mackinac Bridge) to visit with our planter in the Soo (Sault Sainte Marie). All of this new work brings great joy to my soul. With so much traveling you may wonder if I ever sleep. Well, my days begin quite early with personal Bible study and prayer. One of the things I pray for daily, as Jesus commanded, is to have workers. He said the fields are white, pray for workers and the harvest. I would challenge you to pray with me this prayer because there are many places with great needs and opportunities. One of these great needs is in Marquette (the largest city in the Upper Peninsula) that has no Southern Baptist work. Alpena, the largest area on the sunrise side of the state is also without a Southern Baptist Church. On the west side of the state Traverse City, a growing and popular city, needs another church work planted. In addition to my support and encouragement of church planters, I look for men who are called by God to a specific area or to a people group, along with men and women, who are entrepreneurial and willing to start something new from nothing. I also look for the leaders who train disciples who then train disciples. I am grateful that God allows me to be part of His kingdom and to invest and work in the lives of Mid and Northern Michigan as well as Canadian churches and church planters. Let me invite you to come visit the prettiest part of our state and join me in punching holes in the darkness. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Darren Greer came to Michigan as a summer missionary in 1985. Since he has served in northern Michigan 27 of the last 30 years as a church planter, minister of education, pastor, DOM and now serves as Church Planting Catalyst with NAMB and BSCM in Mid and Northern Michigan. #JULY17

BELLVILLE, MI – It was always our hearts' desire to be able to do ministry in the United States or Canada. Most of my wife’s relatives live in Windsor, Canada or here in Michigan. We had heard that our Filipino Churches can use more pastors from the Philippines to do Church planting work and ministry. For the first time, in 1993, our family tried applying for permanent residency in Canada. All of us, especially our kids, were so excited, but the excitement soon turned to sadness and gloom when we learned we had failed the consulate interview. So we said, though it is sad, we will wait on the Lord. While waiting on the Lord, we kept on keeping on, pouring ourselves into our church work, and focusing on the youth and couples, and winning others for Jesus. After much consideration, prayers, preparation and the passionate encouragement of friends and relatives in the States, we went ahead and applied again in the spring of 1998, both in Canada and the United States. We learned from other peoples’ experiences that it is very difficult to get tourist visas to North America, especially when you bring all of the family. Coming from a third world country didn’t help either, so we needed a lot of prayers. Moreover, the thought of uprooting a whole family (Chrissy was 15 yrs. old, Ivan 13, and Jourdane 11) who had lived in the Philippines all their lives, and moving to the United States resulted in questions, some doubts, and fears. It all happened as my brother-in-law was getting married, and they wanted Nancy to attend their wedding. At first, it was only Nancy who was coming, but she wanted me to go with her, then eventually we wanted our children to come, too. So in the end, we were doing what we wanted to do, 5 years before. First, we applied for a Canadian visa, we got approved. Then, we applied for a US Visa and got approved. In spite of the difficulty of our situation we were excited to say, USA here we come! We set foot in the United States on April 25, 1998, landing in L.A, then Columbus, Ohio, and finally our destination, Detroit. It took us 3 layovers, 3 different planes, almost 20 hours of flying, to finally arrive in Michigan. We didn't care, we didn't mind, this is the United States of America and we had finally arrived. We were here! Here in Michigan we found a home, and we found the work that God wanted us to do. We immediately connected with a Philippine International Baptist Church in Dearborn, and became actively involved in the ministry of that church. While serving PIBC, we started to pray and plan to do church planting in Canton, MI. With the prayers, support and help of PIBC, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Canton was launched, and on April of 1999 we held our first church service. That was one year after arriving in this country. Three years ago, Bethlehem moved from its original Canton location to Belleville, Michigan and last month, June 25, we celebrated our 18th Anniversary as a church. Indeed, the Lord has been faithful through the years, and the rest, as they say, is history. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Aaron Tanap & his wife, Nancy have 3 children, Chrissy 34 yrs. old with three children; Ivan our son is 32 and Jourdane is 30. They live in Canton, Michigan, where he has served as Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Belleville, MI since 1999. The Tanaps also planted two churches in the Philippines, serving as an associate pastor and pastor there. #JULY17

PHOENIX, AZ (BP) – Church planting drew the spotlight of the Chinese Baptist Fellowship's June 13 meeting in Phoenix. In fact, the mission of the fellowship is threefold, according to Benny Wong, president of the Chinese Baptist Fellowship of USA and Canada and senior pastor of First Chinese Baptist Church of Los Angeles. The fellowship exists for planting, caring and training. The fellowship's gathering was held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting on June 13-14. As a fellowship, their goal is to see 600 Chinese church plants by 2020. An International Mission Board worker among East Asian peoples (name not disclosed for security reasons) explained some of the work that his family is doing in East Asia. They work with a people group in East Asia who has a high illiteracy rate. Much of the work his family does is in oral Bible storying and Bible translation. "We want to encourage you to connect through the IMB so that you can go and be a part of reaching out to your brothers and sisters in those countries." he said, explaining that many of those present have family and friends in that area. Jeremy Sin, a national church planting strategist with the North American Mission Board, brought with him a team of Send City missionaries to share about church planting efforts in Send Cities throughout North America. Chris Wright in Chicago shared that Chicago is filled with immigrants from all nationalities, including Chinese. There are 42,000 Chinese people in the city, he noted. Three years ago there was only one existing Chinese Southern Baptist church in the city, but in the last three years two additional churches were planted. "We're very grateful to have two (more) Chinese planters, but it's simply not enough," he said, noting there are ongoing efforts to reach Chinese in Chicago. Seattle, Ron Shepard said, has become "the number one destination for mainland, Mandarin Chinese," and that they believe it's "God's time for us in Seattle church planting to focus on reaching the Mandarin Chinese." The city now has a church planter on the east side of the city, a church planter in Chinatown, downtown Seattle, and south of Seattle. "We really need prayer and engaged partners more than we need money. We need prayer partners," Shepard said. "We need encouragers. We need people who understand the unique challenges of immigrants and refugees and those who are ministering cross-culturally," he said. "We believe that God is going to reshape the greater Seattle metro-area with the Asian culture, and that we have a unique opportunity." Other Send City missionaries, church planters and strategists who shared what God is doing in the Chinese populations in their cities included Joshua Whestine in Minneapolis, Linda Bergquist in San Francisco, Jerico Deveyra in Denver, Ray Woodard in Vancouver, and David Butler in Boston. In addition, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary have extended their programs to include Chinese or Chinese/English bilingual programs. The next meeting of the Chinese Baptist Fellowship will be held in June 2018 in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas. Their biennial conference will be a cruise in Los Angeles in Sept. 2018. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Myriah Snyder is assistant editor of the Western Recorder (www.westernrecorder.org), newsjournal of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. #JULY17

OSHKOSH, WI – A little over twenty years ago, while serving on the staff of a large church in Fort Worth, Texas, God called my family to plant a church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. God used the study, “Experiencing God” to call me to go. I knew little about Oshkosh when God orchestrated a move there. All I knew was that there were thousands of spiritually lost people in that small city of 65,000. God called together five adults and five children, all Southern Baptists from somewhere else, to move there, and believe a new church should be planted to reach the lost around them. That reality is key: They believed a new church should be planted to reach the lost around them. We weren’t focused on reaching other people from the south who had moved north, we were focused on reaching the indigenous lost people of our city. That is what church planting is about, and that has not changed. Now, as a church planting catalyst in Michigan, I have the privilege of working with new church planters. They have the same passion and calling to reach spiritually lost Michiganders as we did those twenty years ago to reach spiritually lost Wisconsinites. One thing that has changed, though, is training. I am happy to say that our NAMB church planters today are offered the best training in the church planting world. When we planted a church years ago in another state, the approval process was minimal, to say the least. For many, just saying that you wanted to plant a church was enough to get you approved. Sadly, during those years, we had many failed church plants due to pastors not being fully accessed, equipped and coached. Since coming to Michigan one year ago, there is now a thorough NAMB approval process that seeks to make sure that the potential planter is called, equipped, and ready to plant a church. Thankfully, there is ample training to equip and encourage the new church planter, too. New Michigan church planters are given a trained and approved church planter coach, connection with the regional church planter catalyst, encouragement from the Sending Church Pastor, as well as the access to training. Although church planting is still difficult and challenging, the church planter should never feel isolated. As one of Michigan’s NAMB church planting catalysts, I get to train some of our new planters in a course called “Multiply”. Multiply helps new church planters master the competencies that NAMB has identified are necessary for successful church planting. We cover: calling character missional engagement vision bold faith values fundraising disciple-making systems and structure team building communication multiplication That’s definitely a lot of material to cover, but each one of these competencies are key to seeing a gospel-centered, evangelistic church planted that will not only reach the lost around them, but will also plant other churches in the near future. I am grateful for the way God blessed our church plant in Oshkosh years ago, but oh how I wish I had the opportunity to learn the way our new church planters are learning through Multiply. I am confident that many of the mistakes I made would have been avoided with proper training. That training is offered now, and it is excellent. So if you are reading this and sense that God is calling you to plant a church, be a supporting or sending church, or joining a church plant launch team, but you are reluctant because you don’t know how, contact Dr. Tony Lynn at the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, tony@bscm.org. He will connect you with the church planting catalyst in your region and they will help you discover the joy of reaching the lost around you through church planting. ABOUT THE AUTHOR With degrees in music and divinity, Church Planting Catalyst Tim Shrader has more than 30 years experience in ministry. Tim Shrader was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in the Metro East area of Granite City, Illinois. He has been happily married to Debbie since 1980 and they have 3 children, Beth Anne, Rachel, and Nate. In his spare time, Tim loves the St. Louis Cardinals baseball, Green Bay Packer football, and motorcycling. #JULY17

FENTON, MI – Remember the TV commercial that stated, “I’m not a (fill in the blank) but I did stay at the Holiday Inn last night!” That is sort of how Disaster Relief training works. We need volunteers who have taken the time to train so they can come to the aid of those in need. We need volunteers, willing to listen and learn, so we can bring you back spiritually blessed, and not physically broken. We have found that where 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 talks about training and the prize of working for the real crown to be our encouragement. As the State Director for SBC Disaster Relief, I am often asked, 'Why do I need training to be a volunteer'? Not only is that a great question that everyone should ask, but the answer is equally important. The government Emergency Management Officials we work with require that all volunteers be credentialed by an organization, like ours, before they are allowed to work in a disaster response area. Our training is designed to meet these requirements, and to prepare volunteers to do effective ministry when called upon. The Disaster Relief training prepares us in our understanding of disasters and the needs that arise in times of disasters. But the greatest reason to train is that God deserves our very best, and to achieve the best requires discipline, effort and knowledge. Disaster Relief training opportunities allow us to grow as believers in Christ so that when God calls, we are prepared and ready, both physically and spiritually. I encourage you to attend the next training opportunity and learn the other 8 reasons to take disaster relief training before volunteering. We need you, but we need you trained. The Disaster Relief Full Trainings this fall (unless we are activated to a major disaster) are: Lake Bible Church 309 Decker Rd. Walled Lake, MI September 29-30th Bambi Lake Retreat and Conference Center Old 76 Highway-using Exit 222, 3468 East Robinson Lake Road, Roscommon, MI October 6-7th Friday, October 6th at 7:00pm-10:00pm Basic Training (Involving Southern Baptists in Disaster Relief) Cost $10.00 Saturday, October 7th at 8:30am-3:00pm Unit Training Feeding - Chain Saw - Mudout - Shower/laundry - Water Purification - Chaplaincy Cost $25.00 Cost covers background, ID badge, and cap. Lunch on Saturday will be provided by feeding team. Free to stay over night, bring your sleeping bag, cot and your personal need items. Please register by calling Judy Roy at 810-223-2465 or email at judyroy26@gmail.com. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Win Williams has been the State Director of Disaster Relief for Michigan since 2007. He has been married to his bride, Carolyn, for 53 years. Win has been involved with Michigan Southern Baptists since 1961. #JULY17

TAYLOR, MI – From the Hot Climate of the Philippines to a cold state, obeying and following the calling of the Lord, I, together with my husband and 5 children (ages 3-11 years old), moved to Michigan in September 1990. My husband, Roberto was called to pastor the First Filipino Baptist Church in Dearborn, MI. It was a big transition for me as a mother and as a pastor’s wife. It was not easy for my children as well. We struggled for the first 3 years both financially and emotionally. I had to work to help support my husband in the ministry and in providing for our family. Such struggle has been a valuable tool for me in encouraging other Filipino pastors’ wives as they transitioned into the ministry here in Michigan. God has used our church, now called Philippine International Baptist Church, in starting 5 churches in Michigan and in Windsor, Canada. Looking back, I entered seminary in 1973. In my years of study at the seminary, I prayed that God would give me someone who is also involved in the ministry, not knowing what to expect, God gave me a pastor. Roberto, entered the seminary in 1975 and in 1978 we tied the knot, and since have been partners in the ministry serving the Lord wherever He leads us. As a pastor’s wife, I learned to be flexible in meeting the needs of our family, our members and the Filipino community in Michigan. During the early years of our ministry in Michigan, my husband and I tried to reach out to new immigrants by affording them some help, like teaching them how to secure a driver’s license, open a bank account, and driving them around when needed. We would also invite them to our home for a time of fellowship and Bible study. As a result, we became an extended family to many of them and by the grace of God, many of them have come to know the Lord. I have been a big sister to some of the women. They called me Ate Rose (“Ate” means big sister). Now, most of them are married and have children. I see my role now as giving them motherly counsel and to be there for them whenever needed. The Lord is not done with me yet. My desire is to continue helping others, especially young pastors’ wives, and encouraging them to be steadfast in the ministry despite the struggles involved. God called me to serve Him with my whole heart wherever He puts me. I am called to a life of love, service, and obedience. I am responsible to live out my faith wherever I am today, trusting and honoring God. I am blessed. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rose Santos is a wife, mother, teacher and women’s ministry leader, who lives in Dearborn, MI. Her husband, Roberto Santos, is Senior Pastor of Philippine International Baptist Church in Taylor, MI. They have 5 grown children, 3 of which are married with 7 grandchildren. Rose holds three degrees: BA in business administration, Masters in Christian Counseling and Theology. #JULY17

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI – LifeWay Christian Stores recently opened a new store in Sterling Heights. The new 5,400-square-foot store features Bibles, books, reference tools, children’s products, Christian music and movies, gifts, Bible studies and church supplies. In operation for more than 90 years, LifeWay Christian Stores is the largest Christian bookstore chain in the U.S. with more than 170 stores in 31 states. Cossy Pachares, vice president of LifeWay Christian Stores, said he is excited for the opportunity to serve the Sterling Heights community. “LifeWay Stores’ desire is to come alongside individuals, families and churches as they seek to know and serve God by providing biblical solutions that spiritually transform lives and communities,” Pachares said. LifeWay Christian Stores will celebrate its new location in Sterling Heights with a grand opening through July 8. This will mark LifeWay’s first store presence in Michigan. There will be some special offers and discounts along with giveaways during the grand opening celebration. Located in the Clinton Valley Shopping Center on Schoenherr Road near Office Depot, the store is open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. LifeWay Christian Stores are closed on Sundays to give store associates time for worship, family and rest. The LifeWay store filled the location previously occupied by a Family Christian Store, which recently closed all of its stores. “Our hope and prayer is that people and churches will give us an opportunity to serve them,” Pachares said. “We have store employees who are trained to help. We match the prices of any online or brick-and-mortar store. And because we are a nonprofit ministry, when people support their local store, it enables more people to be reached with the gospel and for us to remain in the communities.” The Sterling Heights store is one of four new stores nationwide in locations where Family Christian Stores previously operated. The other locations are in Boise, Idaho; Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Mentor, Ohio. “Many people don’t realize LifeWay already has stores in 141 of the previous Family Christian Store communities,” Pachares said. To get to know previous Family customers better, LifeWay is offering special discounts and allowing customers to “trade in” an unused Family gift card for $20 off their first purchase in any LifeWay Store until the end of July. “We are looking forward to serving everyone!” LifeWay Christian Stores are owned and operated by LifeWay Christian Resources with headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. The nonprofit publishing and retail company is known for publishing best-selling author Beth Moore, the New York Times bestseller The Love Dare, the Christian Standard Bible translation and other Christian resources as well as being the largest Christian bookstore chain in the U.S. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Carol Pipes is director of communications for LifeWay Christian Resources. #JULY17

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Our Declaration of Independence (including excerpts) WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation. WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness... We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. But July 4, 1776 wasn't the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776). It wasn’t the day we started the American Revolution either (that had happened back in April 1775). And it wasn't the day Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence (that was in June 1776). Or the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that didn't happen until November 1776). Or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776). So what did happen on July 4, 1776? The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. They'd been working on it for a couple of days after the draft was submitted on July 2nd and finally agreed on all of the edits and changes. July 4, 1776, became the date that was included on the Declaration of Independence, and the fancy handwritten copy that was signed in August (the copy now displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.) It’s also the date that was printed on the Dunlap Broadsides, the original printed copies of the Declaration that were circulated throughout the new nation. So when people thought of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 was the date they remembered. In contrast, we celebrate Constitution Day on September 17th of each year, the anniversary of the date the Constitution was signed, not the anniversary of the date it was approved. If we’d followed this same approach for the Declaration of Independence we’d being celebrating Independence Day on August 2nd of each year, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed! But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. How did the Fourth of July become a national holiday? For the first 15 or 20 years after the Declaration was written, people didn’t celebrate it much on any date. It was too new and too much else was happening in the young nation. By the 1790s, a time of bitter partisan conflicts, the Declaration had become controversial. One party, the Democratic-Republicans, admired Jefferson and the Declaration. But the other party, the Federalists, thought the Declaration was too French and too anti-British, which went against their current policies. By 1817, John Adams complained in a letter that America seemed uninterested in its past. But that would soon change. In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People. After the War of 1812, the Federalist party began to come apart and the new parties of the 1820s and 1830s all considered themselves inheritors of Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans. Printed copies of the Declaration began to circulate again, all with the date July 4, 1776, listed at the top. The deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826, may even have helped to promote the idea of July 4 as an important date to be celebrated. Celebrations of the Fourth of July became more common as the years went on and in 1870, almost a hundred years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a national holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas. Further legislation about national holidays, including July 4, was passed in 1939 and 1941. We, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES… God Bless America! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Constitutionfacts.org provided the information included in this article. #JULY17