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WASHINGTON (BP) – In addition to reading and studying Scripture, it can be powerful to experience the Bible’s real-world impact. Inspire Experiences offers Christian groups experiential tours based around the biblical connections found in Washington, D.C. The organization explores the various monuments and museums around the nation’s capital while exploring the impact of the Bible and faith upon the nation’s history. Michael McAfee, Inspire’s president and co-founder, told Baptist Press the goal of Inspire is to give an experience that will help people holistically engage the truth of Scripture. “We exist to inspire a generation to be biblically literate, historically informed and spiritually engaged,” McAfee said. Inspire began test piloting their tours in late 2019, and officially launched its ministry in February 2020 – just before it had to shut down. After making it through the COVID-19 pandemic, McAfee said the demand for the various experiences they offer is now sometimes more than they can keep up with. Various groups that come can include anything from school or church groups, to couples simply wanting to have a special travel experience. Some of the sites explored within the tour options include the Jefferson Memorial and other historical monuments, the National Museum of African American History & Culture and the main attraction of the Museum of the Bible. McAfee formerly worked for the Museum of the Bible, even before it opened. He said the job helped him realize the incredible discipleship opportunity the city had to offer. “We realized that throughout Washington, D.C., there are so many biblical ties and connections that make a trip to D.C. a phenomenal discipleship experience,” McAfee said. “If people walk away with one thing from our trip, we want them to know the whole Bible is a story that points to Jesus and that they have a starting point for engaging with the Scriptures when they go home. “Ultimately, it’s not a win for us if we create a bunch of Pharisees that know a lot of things about the Bible but are not engaged in their church and living it out by making disciples in their own personal life.” Living out discipleship is something McAfee wants to be a part of his own life. Although frequently in Washington for his work with Inspire, McAfee is based in Oklahoma City where he serves as a teaching pastor at Council Road Baptist Church. Council Road is the same church where McAfee meet his wife, Lauren, when they were 7 years old. He now jokes that his whole life was figured out at that age because that is the same year he became a Christian, was baptized and determined he wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. “I couldn’t imagine if we weren’t engaged with a local church regularly,” McAfee said. “Our content and what we produce would be far less relevant, impactful or helpful. In our lives we’re trying to model discipleship and living in biblical community.” In addition to local church work, the McAfees are involved with several other ministries together. The two co-wrote a book designed to reach those in the Gen Z and Millennial generations who are disillusioned or disinterested in the Bible titled “Not What You Think.” Lauren is also a pro-life advocate and is a leader with the recently established Stand for Life organization. The two have even lived out a form of pro-life advocacy in their own family through adoption, but it has not been an easy road. The couple adopted their 4-year-old daughter Zion in 2019, and soon discovered a cancerous tumor on her liver. The cancer was diagnosed as Stage 1 and she is currently in remission, but the trials were not over. Since adopting Zion, the McAfees have experienced two failed adoptions, including one that was more than a year in process. Through those difficulties, the couple learned more about God’s loving plan in a tangible way. “We learned that God’s painful providences are for the purposes of intimacy,” McAfee said. “God is ultimately using painful situations to draw us closer to Him. As much as we want to control things ourselves, we can trust Him with their lives. “When you surrender and realize things happen to lead us to intimacy with God, then you start to kind of come out of the valley. You discover the intimacy you get with God is greater than the expectation of what you thought life was going to be better.” The couple is currently in the process of adopting another daughter and producing a book about what they learned throughout the whole experience. McAfee said he hopes Inspire creates experiences that will help Christians learn the Gospel and biblical truth in a way that will help them in life. “Being a Southern Baptist preacher, I am fully committed to the priority of preaching and the uniqueness of sermons and more generally in the importance of didactic teaching,” McAfee said. “I think it is also critical to have experiential ministry to come alongside of that to complement it. I think we see Jesus doing that in that He didn’t just come to the disciples to teach them, but He lived life with them. “There is a reason you remember so much of the experiences you have on vacation is that you’re not doing the same thing you always do. Why not do something like that that’s also a faith-deepening experience? Let’s associate this kind of memories with learning to read the Scripture and learning the Gospel and its implications.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Timothy Cockes is a Baptist Press staff writer. #FEBRUARY23

LOUISVILLE, KY (BP) – Eleanor Gorin, born March 5, 1921, grew up in the first house built on Cherokee Road in Louisville and received Christ after meeting the famous Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom. It was the late 1960s, in the middle of the Jesus movement, when Gorin says “the Holy Spirit jumped across the water,” all the way to Bermuda, where she and her husband were living at the time. There, Gorin became involved in a seven-person prayer group of “hungry, thirsty, cultural Christians.” “The Lord worked it so” that Ten Boom stopped there on a tour to share the story of her time in prison. “She had such an impact on my life,” Gorin said. Ten Boom, best known for her book The Hiding Place, was a watchmaker from the Netherlands who became imprisoned for hiding Jews in her family home during the Holocaust. At the time Ten Boom visited Gorin’s prayer group, already “The Lord had been drawing us to Himself.” Ten Boom stayed for nearly two weeks, and Gorin recalls how she shared her testimony, starting with her ministry to the mentally handicapped during her teenage years, then her imprisonment and her love for the Jewish people. Gorin recalls Ten Boom said, “With the mentally handicapped, you don’t worry about the intellect. The Holy Spirit goes straight to the spirit of the individual.” Ten Boom illustrated the Holy Spirit coming into the lives of Christians by pulling out “her little carpet bag,” holding up an empty glove, shaking it and saying, “these fingers in the glove can’t do a thing,” like an individual without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like gloves without fingers inside, and can do nothing spiritually. “We were hanging on every word,” said Gorin, “our mouths were wide open.” After hearing from Ten Boom, Gorin heard from other influential speakers including Abram Vereide, some from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Cannon Wallace Bird. One night, Gorin went to a service led by Bird, an Anglican priest. “His face was radiant” as he shared his testimony. At the end of the evening, he led the listeners in a salvation prayer, one that Gorin prayed for herself. “That was when I knew that I knew,” said Gorin, and she “came to know Jesus in a personal way.” “If you make it real in your own heart,” Bird told attendees, “then go home and tell somebody before you go to bed tonight.” So Gorin went home and told her daughter, “Honey, I want you to know that tonight I asked Jesus into my heart.” Gorin then woke up her husband and told him the same. His response, which Gorin attributes as being from the Lord, was, “What’s going to be different?” One difference, Gorin said, was that her “values began to change.” Whereas before, music and art had been idols in Gorin’s life, “the Word of God opened up to me ‘like the petals of a flower,’” as she recalls someone explaining it, and God began convicting her of idols and sin. Previously, Gorin had struggled with sin, wondering why she could not change. Now those idols in her life became less important. Gorin says she started to “understand those mysteries” in the Bible after she “began to yield to the Holy Spirit.” After a six-year stay in Bermuda, when she and her husband came back to the States, they settled in Richmond, Va., and began opening their home for college student Bible studies, where they shared the Good News they had received and “saw miracle after miracle after miracle” as students turned from “drugs and other things” to the Lord. Now, the advice Gorin gives to young believers seeking to grow in Christ is to “become saturated in the Word of God.” Gorin’s husband, Lewis, who was saved some time later, spent later years reading the Bible to Eleanor. After he passed, Eleanor said “18 times he’d read the whole Bible” out loud to her in the kitchen. Gorin says that people need to “come to a place of deep commitment and surrender” to the Lord for growth. It is in the Word of God that we understand “how black our sin can be and how much he can forgive if we repent.” All through the Bible we receive “tremendous encouragement.” “Jesus still speaks to us from the seat next to the Father,” says Gorin, and we must read and listen. Gorin, previously a part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, is now a member of Hurstbourne Baptist Church in Louisville, where she attends faithfully. She feels she has been given the gift of a long life so that she can “touch more people with her testimony.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hannah Julian is a writer for Kentucky Today. #FEBRUARY23

SOUTH LYON – The writer of Ecclesiastes said that “there is nothing new under the sun.” He was right. The more that I see and hear about new things, the more I realize we’ve been this way before. With ministry, you always want to be fresh and have fresh ideas. Last week, I was in my office talking to a man who comes in just about every day. I asked him if he would like to go with me to visit with a woman who is now in her 90’s. We left and drove just a short distance to her house and rang the doorbell. It took a minute or two before she was able to get to the door, but when she opened it up, her eyes lit up, and her hands and arms flew into the air. There was a smile from ear to ear. She had just decorated her house for Christmas and couldn’t wait to show us her Christmas trinkets. All with stories behind them. We stayed for a while, ate cookies, talked, and prayed with her. Her smile was all I could think about that day when I got back to the office. The next day, I decided to drive over to an assisted living place in Northville. One of the ladies from our church had just moved in the week before, and she was trying to adjust to her new way of life. As I made my way through the hallway, I finally found her room. I knocked on the door. It didn’t take her long to open it. She smiled and I asked, “how are you doing?” She was quick to say, “I’m bored to tears.” She invited me in, and was glad to see me. Her place was a little bigger than my office at the church. Her bedroom, kitchen, and living room area were all the same room. A far cry from the two bedrooms, two floor place that she moved out of. We visited for a little while and when we were done, she said that she would walk me down to the door, that it would give her an excuse to get out of the room. My heart went out for both women, and my mind went back to the days when they were at church every service. Both of them were teaching Sunday School, rocking babies in the nursery, encouraging our young ladies. And now, life is a lot different, much quieter, much lonelier. In our quest sometimes to become younger with our church attendance, we tend to forget those who, in days gone by, were a big part in many of our churches. They worked hard to build and clean, many sacrificed money and time to reach out to those in need. Some were probably even the ones who shared the love of Jesus with you, and prayed with you to receive him into your heart and life. If we are not careful, these people become the forgotten, and they aren’t thought of much until you get the call that they have passed, and then the memories of who they once were comes flooding back again. One day, someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was? He said, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the next,” he said, “is much like the first. Love your neighbor as yourself.” There are folks out there who just need someone to say, “I thought I would stop by today to see how you are doing?” Let’s not forget to reach out to them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Randy Weaks is the Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church South Lyon. #JANUARY23

Editor’s Note: The latest episode of the BSCM’s podcast “Punching Holes in the Darkness” addresses the issue of the local church and legal challenges. It also shares how the BSCM is helping local churches protect themselves from legal challenges. To listen go to: https://www.bscm.org/podcast/episode/f5611368/navigating-the-changing-culture LAYTON, UT (BP) – When God created Gary McKean, He gave him flat feet, and gave Southern Baptists McKean’s legal expertise. The flat feet canceled McKean’s dream of being a Naval officer. He turned to law instead because it “intrigued me, especially after taking an undergraduate Constitutional law course.” McKean was honored during the recent annual meeting of the Utah Idaho Southern Baptist Convention for 15 years’ service as a volunteer on the state convention staff, but pre- and post-retirement as a county attorney he has served Southern Baptists for more than 45 years, including an eight-year stint (2006-2014) on the SBC Executive Committee. “Gary’s work with our churches and legal guidance has saved our churches thousands of dollars and many headaches,” UISBC Executive Director Rob Lee told messengers to the two-state convention’s 58th annual meeting. “Without Gary’s legal guidance our state convention of churches would not function as effectively.” One of the things McKean does each year is post in the December issue of UI Connections, the state convention’s online communications tool, three things churches need to do in December, and the one to be done in January. He tells church leaders to check the applicable laws and procedures for their state or local governments and confirm their compliance for the following before the end of the calendar year: Confirm that a corporate renewal form has been submitted to the state. Designate by resolution the housing allowance for pastors for the coming year. Confirm the renewal of the church’s property tax exemption with the county tax assessor. In January, provide receipts or statements to all donors confirming each donor’s giving in the last year. McKean talked with Baptist Press about how knowledge of legal matters is essential for pastors and churches these days. “This is something that is generally not taught in seminaries,” McKean said. “The essential factor is that any given church has two natures: the spiritual or ecclesiastical and the business or corporate. Each engenders legal aspects. “It also means churches need to understand distinctions of function and responsibility between ecclesiastical leaders and corporate officers,” McKean continued. “Trustees have corporate duties and fiduciary roles that often are not understood by churches.” He notes that many churches are concerned with liability. Traditionally that has been based on claims of negligence, but today it may also be in terms of non-compliance, such as child safety. That necessitates well-considered risk management consisting of four basic components: having policies, training on those policies, monitoring compliance with these policies, and keeping records of all of that. “More governmental regulations have to be dealt with, such as with property, zoning, tax exemption, employment, sex abuse, religious liberty and more,” the longtime attorney said. “The need for legal advice and legal awareness on such regulations and other laws is increasing exponentially. “As long as there have been churches there have been legal matters to be addressed by the church. Over the last 30 to 40 years, the legal climate has been changing.” In today’s litigious climate, churches face a greater possibility of legal claims. McKean listed several hot-button cultural issues that 10 years ago wouldn’t have been significant: transgender bathrooms for youth and children, same sex weddings, armed church security, various types of discrimination and the ongoing struggle to preserve religious liberties. Courts will generally recognize a “ministerial exception,” meaning that the court will not rule on a theological or spiritual doctrine, but courts can and often will find there are secular aspects the court can rule on. As stated in McKean’s report at the 2022 UISBC annual meeting, “Each church should take the time to review its governing documents, its articles of incorporation, constitution/statement of beliefs, bylaws, and policies. Churches should be made aware of legal trends, developments, and concerns as these may impact the church’s ministry.” Churches need to be aware that when churches close or disband, there is a legal responsibility to lawfully dissolve the church entity and properly dispose of any assets, McKean told Baptist Press. For example, trustees are responsible for those assets and could incur personal liability if they were to give assets to another church rather than applying those assets to a church debt or give any assets to individual church members. McKean helps churches with all these issues, leads legal seminars and provides legal resources on the UISBC website. “When we talk about legal things with churches, I try to impress on everybody that the purpose of the church’s governing documents is to encourage and enable the church to fulfill its mission,” McKean said. “The mission is everything. “It’s important to understand what the law is, and what resources are available. There are a lot of Christian lawyers around the country. One important source for me is the Christian Legal Society. I’ve been very active in it for years. One reason is its central emphasis on fulfilling Micah 6:8.” CLS serves Christ through the practice of law, the defense of religious freedom, and providing legal aid to the needy, according to its website. McKean and other Christian attorneys operated a CLS Legal Clinic in Layton for 20 years. Insurance companies, Christian and religious liberties firms, Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and many state conventions make available resources, videos, webinars and more for churches. “These can be very informative and helpful,” McKean said. “Churches need to have a heightened awareness of the law and factor into that what they need to do next.” What to do if a suit is filed against a church? Don’t panic, the attorney said. First, contact and listen to an attorney, preferably a Christian who has some knowledge of how churches work. CLS can help locate an attorney. Second, notify the church’s insurance company. Third, designate a team and leader to deal with the suit. (Typically, that should be the trustees and their chairman.) Fourth, keep the members informed. And fifth, maintain a Christian witness through what can be a tiring and lengthy process. Churches ought to regularly review their governing documents – in particular their policies – and make sure they are following those policies, McKean suggested. They can have their local fire and law enforcement departments visit and inspect their facility for safety and security and provide training as well. They can consider having Christian attorneys or other experts lead seminars on children’s ministries, risk management, security, sexual abuse and more. “A church’s respect for the law will reflect the faith, character, and witness of the church and certainly its trust in God,” McKean said. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for Baptist Press. #JANUARY23

PLYMOUTH – As 2022 was nearing the end, I reflected on the illustration a well known speaker made to a gathering of pastors. He described our life cycle in four quarters and gave some common characteristics of each quarter. Based on his analogy and the life span he used to divide the quarters, I’m in life’s 4th quarter. Ouch! Of course, the way my mind is wired, I immediately thought of making it to overtime. Churches have a life cycle too. It’s most often pictured as a Bell Curve with the start on one side and the end on the other. At the topmost point of the curve is when the church is thriving and healthy. People are coming to faith in Christ and growing as disciples. It is a time of growth - spiritually and numerically. Vision drives everything as more and more disciples are made. Organizational structure is developing in such a way that it maximizes vision and discipleship. The focus is on reaching people with the Gospel and making disciples, not maintaining the organization. Mission and ministry go forward hand in hand as the church enthusiastically embraces the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. This is the proverbial “Mountain Top” new churches long to reach in the beginning or existing churches look backward toward during a period of decline. As you look at the Bell Curve, where would you place your church? If your church is on the downslope, you’re not alone. The overwhelming majority of churches are looking backward toward the mountaintop. The closer your church is to the peak on the downside, the easier it is to turn things around. The further the church moves down the slope, the greater the downward momentum pulling your church toward life support. If the church doesn’t experience revitalization, it will die. The good news is: CHURCH REVITALIZATION IS POSSIBLE. Your church can experience renewed vision and vitality. It’s not easy. It will probably take longer and cost more than you expect, but revitalization for your church is worth what it takes. The BSCM exists to help your church take your next step to accelerate the Gospel movement. For many churches that is a step toward revitalization. That’s why we have partnered with Dr. Rob Peters of Corpus Vitae. Corpus has a proven record of helping churches experience renewed vitality. The tools and processes Corpus uses were born out of the local church, and are rooted in Biblical principles. They come alongside local church leaders with practical resources they can use on the revitalization journey. Let me point out two quotes from the Corpus website (https://corpusvitae.org) that capture the heart of their ministry: “Corpus exists because church leaders need help. Leading a church through the revitalization process can be challenging and overwhelming. We are here to help.” “Corpus is a church-based ministry. All the products and services we provide have their origination within the church and are then customized for your individual church. We are not an ivory tower of theory and experimentation. Rather, we are practitioners, and our primary calling is to serve the local church.” Dr. Rob Peters is going to be in Michigan on Monday and Tuesday, March 27-28. to meet with pastors who want to learn more about Corpus Revitalization. We will organize his schedule based on the pastors that are interested in talking with him. Please contact mike@bscm.org so we can make the most of his time with us. 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. #JANUARY23

Editor’s note: The following story is the second in a three-part series about the challenges of training pastors under the Iron Curtain in Romania. Because our training program called Biblical Education by Extension (B.E.E) was organized and taught by foreign teachers and the Romanian communist regime was xenophobic, we had to keep the program secret. Our "assistant principal" Doru Popa (future pastor and leader) was responsible to go to the train station, at a pre-scheduled date and hour. There, he had to identify the teacher who was supposed to wait around the ticket selling area. We never knew where the teachers came from. The agreement was that they were supposed to carry a typical Romanian bag (a “rafia”) and a postcard in their hands. It sounds simple now, but it was risky since everything seemed suspicious then. To confuse the secret police, the teachers would buy their train ticket for a more distant city than their real destination; if the cashier reported them as suspicious and the police wanted to wait at the destination on the ticket, the teachers were already off the train. To keep our network secret, we created a system with several levels. After the first year, a student would become a "teacher" for the second generation of students; then, the second generation would teach the third one, and so on. While only the first generation met the foreign teachers, the other generations also received the books, and this increased the risks. The secret was getting harder and harder to keep with each new generation of students. Therefore, we had to select trustworthy students, as the Bible teaches us in 2 Tim 2:2. Even with all these precautions, we still had moments where our organization was almost found out. One time during summer vacation we were holding conferences, the Militia came to the mother of the pastor Sorin A wanting to find out what meeting was held at her home. The poor lady had no clue what happened the day before at her house. I didn't tell my parents either about B.E.E. The secret police did not intervene against us until November 17th, 1987, when the Militia interrupted our meeting. To downplay the significance of this incident, the Secret Police did not show up, but sent the regular Militia to investigate. In addition, the Militia did not indicate in their report the presence of foreign teachers. “Why didn't the Secret Police (“Securitate” in Romanian) intervene in full force to stop the seminary?”- I asked myself. I didn't know how much they knew about us. At that point, our study system (B.E.E) was widespread in the country and the incident clarified that they were watching us, and that we had to be more careful. It was also possible that we had a mole amongst us, and we were betrayed. It was only the good hand of the Lord that stopped them for the moment. During those days, there was one of the extremely rare political riots against the Romanian regime. The Romanian dictator Ceausescu was afraid to increase the tensions in the county at that moment. Therefore, the order was to kick all the foreigners out of the country (our teachers included) and to simply warn us not to engage in this kind of “illegal” activities anymore. We were lucky this time, although we knew that they would come back after us. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Doru Radu is one of the elders at Golgotha Romanian Baptist Church in Warren, Michigan. Radu immigrated from the communist Romania and likes to write stories about the good hand of our Lord who protected us during the 45 years of communist persecution. #JANUARY23

MIDLAND – Everything Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers do in a crisis, centers on not only meeting physical needs, but extending the invitation to receive eternal, spiritual Hope. SBDR responds to a wide range of crises, primarily meeting critical needs in the aftermath of natural disasters. We are part of one of the largest disaster response groups in the nation, we fall under the auspices of Send Relief, which is a collaboration between the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board. This network of state-based volunteer teams does more than just clean up; we bring the healing of Christ to those whose lives have been impacted. Everything SBDR and Send Relief do to meet needs in the throes of a crisis centers on not only meeting physical needs but extending the invitation to receive eternal, spiritual hope. When we go to a home to help, we try to have a volunteer chaplain on every team that interacts with a homeowner. This is regularly the most important person on the team. While the other volunteers focus on physical needs, the chaplain interacts more with the homeowner. They listen to them, let them tell their stories, and are ready to share the good news about Jesus. Those that are not saved are usually amazed that we travel as far as we have and do this work, at no cost to them, because we love them in Jesus’ name. To be a Chaplain, you must be trained in another Disaster Relief discipline. We want our Chaplains to understand all aspects of a disaster and recovery. The Chaplain serves the needs of the volunteers, as well as survivors of a disaster. On the physical side, teams from Michigan focus on three main areas: flood relief, chainsaw and feeding. Flood recovery, sometimes referred to as “mud-out” involves removing furniture, appliances and personal belongings that were affected by flood waters. We try to reclaim what we can and then aid in disposing of what can’t be saved. It may include shoveling mud from homes. We tear out sodden drywall and insulation and take everything down to the studs. We then apply disinfectant to the affected areas of the home for mold remediation. Our goal is to leave homes “contractor ready”, as livable as possible while the homeowners wait for rebuilding. Chainsaw, as the name implies, is the cutting and pulling of trees, limbs and debris that have fallen due to high winds. It also includes putting tarps on roofs that have been damaged. We focus on trees that are blocking drives, doorways, and houses. Cutting the wood is just half the job. It takes just as many volunteers to help pull the brush and pile the cut wood so that it can be eventually removed. This much needed part of the task can be done by those that are not comfortable running a chainsaw. Feeding involves preparing food. It is for the volunteers that are assisting in cleanup. It may also involve feeding the community at large if they have been impacted by larger scale outages of utilities such as electricity or water. We may be working in a church kitchen or a mobile kitchen unit. We follow health department requirements, similar to those in a commercial kitchen such as a restaurant or school cafeteria. We don’t always know what food will be available to prepare so the feeding team regularly must get creative with the menus. There is a camaraderie among the volunteers that is hard to explain. The work is not “fun”. It is tiring, and frequently we are in unpleasant conditions. However, you are working side-by-side with others that know and love the Lord. You are doing what He has called us for, to help those in need and show them God’s love in real and tangible ways. Those we help have very real needs. They frequently tell us they are blessed by our assistance. What we learn however is how true the Scripture is when it says it is better to give than receive (Acts 20:35). We also come away blessed. Training in all these areas is offered on a regular basis for those that may be interested. We urge you to attend and find out if this may be for you. We are looking for additional helpers to add to the pool of volunteers. Typically, only a fraction of the Michigan DR volunteers are available to travel to any particular disaster area when we are called out. We don’t know when a disaster will occur, so we always need to be ready. Among the places (and types of disasters) Michigan SBDR volunteers were called to in 2022 include: Ohio – tornado - feeding and chainsaw Colorado – wildfire - feeding Florida - hurricane relief – feeding Michigan – tornado damage assessment and chainsaw We ask for your prayers for the homeowners and the survivors. They have been devastated and need the strength and hope of Christ. Pray that the witness of our volunteers across all our locations will be strong, powerful, and visible. If you would like to join us or want more information, you can find it at the Michigan Disaster relief website at https://bscm.org/dr or call (810)714-1907. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bill LaFollette and his wife Linda live in Midland. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. They volunteer with community organizations and attend Sunrise Baptist Church. #JANUARY23

NASHVILLE, TN – For many, Vacation Bible School (VBS) is the best time of the year, and many ministry leaders and volunteers are already preparing for VBS 2023. To help prepare these leaders to make next summer a game changer, Lifeway Christian Resources is hosting VBS Preview events to train, equip and encourage leaders. According to Lifeway Research, 6 in 10 Americans say they attended VBS growing up, and 7 in 10 parents say they would let their child attend VBS at someone else’s church if they were invited. VBS remains one of the most popular church programs in America—and for good reason. Most American adults who attended VBS as children say they have positive memories of VBS and that it helped them understand the Bible better and positively influenced their spiritual growth. That’s why Lifeway will host five VBS Preview events in four cities in January 2023. Each preview will include both English and Spanish breakout sessions to provide ministry leaders with opportunities to develop their volunteer team, gain valuable training and build momentum and excitement for “Twists & Turns” VBS. “VBS Preview is the first opportunity to get an in-depth look at the resources and theme and get a jump start on planning,” said Melita Thomas, VBS and kids ministry specialist for Lifeway. “Plus, when you bring your team (or key leaders) to a VBS Preview, everyone gets on the same page and leaves pumped up and ready to get started.” Three cities will host two-day VBS 2023 Preview events, spanning Friday and Saturday. VBS Preview events in Nashville will be single day events. 2023 dates and locations include: Friday, January 6 – Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, Tennessee Friday, January 7 – Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, Tennessee Friday-Saturday, January 13-14 – Sugar Creek Baptist Church, Sugar Land (Houston), Texas Friday-Saturday, January 20-21 – Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas Friday-Saturday, January 27-28 – Ridgecrest Conference Center, Black Mountain, North Carolina Registration is open at vbs.lifeway.com. VBS Previews are designed to equip VBS teams for success. Leaders get to experience what a worship rally and family night can look like, learn VBS music, preview videos, dig into resources, hone their skills as a teacher or director, bond with their team and network with other VBS leaders. Each VBS Preview event will feature a VBS Event Store where leaders and volunteers can shop for “Twists & Turns” curriculum and decorations. It’s the only place to shop for VBS materials in person. Leaders will get Preview-only discounts on VBS shirts and have opportunities to pick up exclusive VBS swag. Through main sessions and breakouts, VBS experts train VBS teams with the tools they need to make this summer’s VBS a game changer, including helps for developing classroom skills, providing a safe environment for kids and recruiting and mentoring new leaders. Leaders will leave inspired to plan and execute a VBS that impacts lives for eternity. “Trained leaders have a different perspective of their roles and responsibilities during VBS. They see their work through the lens of the gospel and understand how their roles present unique opportunities to build relationships with children that lead to gospel conversations,” Thomas said. “They understand how the pieces of VBS strategically come together to maximize evangelistic opportunities. Trained leaders learn how to share the gospel effectively with children and readily recognize ‘gospel opportunities’ throughout the week.” Lifeway’s VBS isn’t just for kids. It includes age-appropriate Bible study and rotations for students (7th-12th grade) and adults. VBS Preview events offer sessions on these resources as well as best practices for leading Student VBS and Adult VBS. “The more leaders and volunteers who catch the vision and embrace the ‘why’ of VBS, the more effective their VBS will be at reaching children and families for Christ,” Thomas said. “There is tremendous opportunity for reaching entire communities with the gospel through VBS.” For more information about Lifeway’s 2023 VBS Preview events, including how to register and get discounted hotel rates (for a limited time), visit vbs.lifeway.com. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marissa Postell is a writer for Lifeway Christian Resources. ABOUT LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN RESOURCES In operation since 1891, Lifeway Christian Resources is one of the leading providers of Christian resources, including Bibles, books, Bible studies, Christian music and movies, Vacation Bible School and church supplies, as well as camps and events for all ages. Lifeway is the world’s largest provider of Spanish Bibles. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway operates as a self-supporting nonprofit. For more information, visit Lifeway.com. #JANUARY23

PLYMOUTH – People are different. I can hear your reactions right now: “Yeah, Duh! Real genius statement there Tim.” And yes, it is very obvious that each human being is as unique and varied as a snowflake. Different in appearance. Different in thought. Different in cultural conditioning and social bias. Different in ethnicity and race. There are so many differences, yet for some reason we pastors and leaders fall into the erroneous mindset that everyone should think, perceive, and believe as we do, and view matters from our perspective. We so easily fall into the “trap” of believing this that we are of the opinion that the way we communicate will reach, be understood, and be accepted by all. That is why I must remind myself on a regular basis that PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT. A good example of this is me and my sweetheart Sabrina. When I first met Sabrina, I could see that she was “really different” and boy, did I like the difference! “Viva la difference’.” But it was not until we had been married for a few weeks that I began to understand how different we were. The full understanding of these differences has been and will continue to be a lifelong living and learning experience. One example I have come to realize is that I want to get the full experience of situations, people and places, and Sabrina wants to get the exposure. Now that might not make much sense to you, so bear with me a moment and allow me to explain. When we travel to different places and countries, I relish the idea of soaking in all the ambiance, culture, and the “moment”. I want to feel the temperature and atmosphere as well as take in the aromas, colors, sounds and uniqueness of a place. I actively seek out those experiences and try to implant them in my memory. I don’t want to get in a hurry and rush through something. Sabrina loves photography and wants to capture an exposure of that place on her camera. That has been her quest since she began years ago using film to do this and now does so digitally. She wants the picture. Exposure. I want the Experience. Is one better than the other? No. They are just different. Each of us view things from a different perspective. Sabrina tells me she doesn’t want to forget those places, so she captures them in a digital media. I don’t want to miss anything, so I use all my senses to help me remember. This is just one of our many differences. This year I want to be keenly aware and sensitive to the unique and varying differences in each of us. I want to apply the principle of “seeking to understand before seeking to be understood” that I learned many decades ago but have somehow forgotten to consistently apply. It is a basic desire of all humanity to be heard and understood. All of us want to be truly seen and not just viewed. If I am to be a true communicator of the Gospel, then I must be acutely aware of those to whom I speak. I must watch and carefully observe the person and not just look at the human. This will take hard work and practice. Patience will be needed in abundance. It may take an inordinate amount of time to truly get to know and understand someone, but the effort will be more than rewarding. It could very well make an eternal difference in their lives. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, and this is not one. This is a choice. It is a choice that every Believer could and should make. To seek to truly understand others in order that we may be better communicators of the Gospel. It is not a resolution, but it will take great resolve. May this be a great New Year for you and the Gospel. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. #JANUARY23

PLYMOUTH – During the mid-1980’s my wife and I served the Lord as house parents for Kentucky children, ages first grade through high school graduation, while I attended Southern Seminary in Louisville. Being house parents means that we lived in a cottage with ten girls for three days, followed by three days in a boy’s cottage before having three days off for recovery. With our first-born, we moved from one cottage to another then to our, on campus, efficiency apartment. We were on call 24/7. In our second year of service, I was enlisted to serve as the campus pastor for the entire population of students and staff in a rural setting of rolling hills near Glendale, KY. The setting was serene and spacious with a local nearby Baptist church that was a valuable partner in helping the children learn about how the Lord can guide people out of generational family bondage toward a new way of life in Jesus Christ. Though the setting was peaceful, the conflicts the children faced were chaotic and confusing. The children lived on campus for years, being cared for by Kentucky Baptists because their parents were unable to get their lives under control. The poor decisions and actions of the parents led to horrible outcomes in the lives of the children. The children should have been able to rely on their parents and family members to guide them toward safety, success, and salvation in Jesus Christ, but that security seldom arose, so Kentucky Baptists loved and provided for the children, replacing what the children’s families failed to do. During the regularly scheduled, in-home, family visits we repeatedly saw the children and teenagers regress into poor or dangerous behaviors weeks before their departure and then helped them, through therapy and biblical counseling, to overcome their poor and sometimes violent behavior after returning to campus. It was exhausting and rewarding. Today, as we look at a new year getting underway with 2023 upon us, I had a vivid recall of an annual conference we set-up for the teenagers at the children’s home during the 1980’s. The event was labeled, “New Beginnings.” It is worth noting because the event could help someone you love, your church, or you. Please, take a few more minutes and let me describe the simple set-up and its implications. Let me explain how the event grew out of one man’s renewed life. In that local nearby Kentucky church, the children and teenagers we served were amazed when on a sunny autumn day, a former local bank manager returned to the church after years of imprisonment for embezzling funds from the small-town bank. The former bank manager stood before the church on that Sunday morning with his wife and children at his side confessing his desire to start a renewed life in the community and the church. With emotion and well-chosen, tender words the former banker thanked the members and the pastor of the church for their unwavering support and love during his imprisonment. He replayed how he, years ago, had confessed his dishonesty in court after his arrest and through a handwritten letter to the church before going to prison. Now upon his return to his family and community, he wanted to restart his life. The former bank manager confessed his former felony without any excuse and asked for a chance to prove that his faith was strong enough to form a new life of integrity and Christlikeness. After the former banker spoke, the pastor prayed over the family and invited members of the church to greet and welcome the former banker back into the church and the community. I was startled out of my own deep reflections over the bold confession, as I took note that it was the children and teenagers from the children’s home who rapidly streamed out of the pure white pews with red velvety cushions toward the former banker, his wife, and children. They were first in line. The handshakes were awkward, the words were few, but the actions of the children from broken homes spoke so loudly that even the hardest heart in the sanctuary would have been ashamed to refuse a second chance to the former banker and his family. From the response of the children at church, I knew there was something to be gained by focusing on this spiritual lesson at the children’s home. That impression was further confirmed by weeks of discussions during daily cottage devotions with the children who were amazed at the confession of the former banker. They admired his declaration of failure. As a staff, we realized that the children we served were surrounded by family members who never confessed personal failure, so the children consequently thought they were the ones, with shame and guilt, that had failed their unhealthy, immature, and neglectful parents. The entire staff mobilized to organize what we called the “New Beginnings Conference.” The guest list included the former banker, a recovering addict who worked on the campus, the campus activities coach who promoted healthy practices, a social worker who mapped out lessons on change, and the director of the children’s home, Mr. Buckley, who was a former longtime resident of the campus forty years earlier. We discovered the children were inspired more by those who dug themselves out of previous failures than the stories of those who appeared to live perfect, pristine lives. Let me finish with some questions for your private reflection: Does your life and church provide a culture that, while we all strive for devoted Christlikeness, allows for someone to confess failure immediately followed by personal spiritual guidance toward godliness without exclusion? Who guides and promotes the culture of redemption in the church and is that redemption process often described publicly so people know that deliverance from sin and its consequences is a process available at the local church? Would an event in your church setting, with this theme, among the adults and teenagers be worth creating, conducting, and evaluating? You might wonder, will it help? My response is that it led to healthy transparent conversations that led toward biblical solutions for the children and teenagers. Here is a short story that explains the new culture’s impact. Billy was an older teenage resident at the children’s home. We nicknamed him “The General” knowing that he was in control of most of the teenagers’ actions. Billy had the most violent past. One night he ran off campus for a nighttime party at a nearby river park. After the discovery of his transgression, Billy was brought before the director. Billy explained his failure and his success that night with these words, “Mr. Buckley, I understand I did wrong. But I made better choices than I usually do. While at the party, I could have been with a girl, taken drugs, and drank beer – but all I did last night was drink beer. I am making progress because of what I am learning here at the children’s home!” Does the culture in your life and church allow others to make spiritual progress within the biblical community that you provide? This may be worth discussing with those in church. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Tony L. 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. #JANUARY23

WINDSOR, ONTARIO – When I visit churches in my new role, I like to ask staff and lay leaders alike what encourages them most about serving in their church. The result has been a journey of discovery! Allow me to put my learnings into language that may help other pastors and church planters. 1. Be generous in recognizing contributions to the team. When someone on your team makes a slam dunk, celebrate it together as a team. Acknowledge them when your team is together. Give a shout-out at staff meeting. Write an encouragement card. Give her a $10 Starbucks card. 2. Hang out with your team. No agenda whatsoever. Just enjoy each other’s company. Have fun together. Ask families over for dinner. One administrative assistant I spoke to said, “Being able to laugh and tell jokes around each other is encouraging, because we can be ourselves.” 3. Give hand-written notes of encouragement. We are in the habit of writing notes to the people we work with across the state. I hear from pastors every week who tell me their card came at “just the right moment!” Not a coincidence, for sure. We pray over every card before we send it, and ask Jesus to lift people with it. Pastor, it doesn’t take much time to write a heartfelt thank you to the selfless servants of God in your church, and they will love you for it. 4. Trust members of your team with important stuff. When you give significant projects to a member of your team, with sufficient information and corresponding authority, then trust them to carry the ball. It helps them strive for excellence knowing that the stakes are high. Celebrate the win when it’s all over! 5. Ask about stuff that is going on outside of work. Encourage and support your colleagues to pursue their dreams for ministry inside and outside the church. Ask also about their lives, their dreams, their families, their hobbies outside of work. As I spoke to someone last week, I could see and feel the pain as they spoke about a pending surgery. Ask questions that go beyond Sunday’s football game. 6. Affirm God’s call in their lives. A director of worship and creative arts told me she is inspired to strive for excellence by knowing that it’s what God has called her to do. “It’s not about man, or job descriptions, goals, or anything of the like! It’s merely knowing by experience that God is a God of excellence, and He desires excellence from us.” Affirming God’s call and God’s anointing in the life of staff members (paid or unpaid) will produce great results and encourage them to do their best for God’s glory! 7. If you can make a decision with your team, then make it with your team. One church staff member listed “collaboration and group decision making” at the top of what she values in a work environment. Hmmm. That’s challenging for me because I’m the type of leader who wants to set the course and then go for it. No collaboration for this cowboy! I’m learning that is not the most productive or helpful way to lead. 8. Nurture flexibility with accountability. Leaders in our churches are encouraged when they know we can be flexible with schedules, meetings, time away from the office, vacation time, etc. But it must be flexibility with genuine accountability in order for the team to fire on all cylinders. One without the other makes an unhappy workplace. 9. Practice taking risks with your team. Baby-boomer leaders need to learn how to take risks with their younger, gifted, millennial counterparts. We must give them room and encourage them to think outside the box, give them permission to try new things, take risks, and learn from their mistakes. And a few don’ts to follow: Don’t micromanage. Nuff said. Leaders hate to be micromanaged. Passionately hate it. Don’t shift the blame. If you blow it, own the mistake. Don’t shift the blame to another team member or an administrative assistant. Do not tolerate “the meeting after the meeting.” The staff needs to talk openly about “stuff,” not behind closed doors. Don’t “use” people to accomplish anything. The people you work with are not stupid. If you use them to accomplish your dream, your goal, your objective, your target, your aspirations, it will flop. Guaranteed. Work with your team, not around them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Garth Leno is a Planter/Pastor Care Specialist for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He always works in a similar role with the Canadian National Baptist Convention. A graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Bethel Theological Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Garth loves to serve, lead, and preach for the sake of the kingdom. #JANUARY23

ROSCOMMON – Happy New Year from Bambi Lake! We anticipate 2023 being exciting as we witness God using Bambi Lake in amazing ways. A new year for many of us often marks a “New Beginning”. An opportunity to rethink or re-tool our everyday life and our plans for the future. Maybe a new year sparks new dreams or prompts us to refresh old ones in a new way. However, as we approach this “New Beginning” it will most likely require a reboot to our thinking. How we view our finances, our health, our relationships, our family - we must look at these through different lenses. I recently had to start taking diabetes medicine and taking an insulin shot every morning because I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Honestly this diagnosis made me angry because in my mind only unhealthy eating and obesity causes diabetes. Obviously, this thinking was incorrect because I am neither of those two. For some time I had begun feeling slow, lethargic and my eyesight was blurry at times, and I knew something was amiss, but I didn’t want to admit I was sick. Nevertheless, I finally went to the doctor. Making the decision to go to the doctor and be examined required a new mindset. I had to acknowledge my body was not functioning properly, and decide this was no longer acceptable. As silly as it may seem, this required admitting I was getting older, needed to go to the doctor, probably having to take pills (one more thing to remember), paying for something I don’t want, etc, etc…. Nevertheless, I decided my need was greater than my pride. This was my “New Beginning” moment that ushered in a new reality. Which brings me to this question - Is pride keeping you from a “New Beginning”? Is pride keeping you from a “New Reality”? I have no way of knowing the area of life that you desire a “New Beginning”, but allow me to encourage you with this thought, this reality - “Grace Has Overcome!”. Grace wins! What a liberating and life altering reality to live in! However, it requires a new mindset. It requires surrender. Humility is the key that unlocks this “New Beginning” in our lives. We have to acknowledge our insufficient strength and resources to handle life on our own. Only by completely surrendering and relying on the work of God’s grace can we truly have a “New Beginning” in any area of our life. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8 (ESV). Grace saved you, let it change you! Let it permeate every breathing moment of your existence. Choose a “New Beginning” with grace. Live in the reality that your striving is insufficient, BUT His grace is sufficient! My only hope is in the cross, my Savior died, He paid my cost A slave to sin my soul in chains, until His grace, flowed down like rain Amazing grace how sweet the sound, when Your grace like rain comes flowing down, It’s a beautiful sound! Your Grace, Your Grace has overcome, overcome! Your Grace, Your Grace the battle won, the battle won! Forgiven I stand in victory, for the glory, of my Savior King, Your Grace has overcome! (Grace Has Overcome-Michael Schatz) ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mick Schatz serves on the staff of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He is the State Director of Spiritual Enrichment and Retreats and lives at Bambi Lake. #JANUARY23