Archives For WMU

What happens at camp

ib2newseditor —  June 26, 2017

Canoeing at Streator Baptist Camp

When our IBSA executive staff recently pulled away for a couple of days of long-range planning, we chose to drive north to Streator Baptist Camp. Mike Young is doing a great job as camp manager there, and we arrived to see new roofs, new siding, new paddleboats on the lake, a newly furnished and equipped dining hall, new mattresses on the beds, and improvements to the grounds too numerous to mention.

Though the camp was bustling with workers making final preparations for the summer camp season, Mike and his staff hosted us graciously, serving delicious meals, and giving us a tour of the well-kept grounds. After dinner, he prepared a toasty campfire for us, complete with marshmallows and all the ingredients for s’mores.

I don’t attend as many camps these days as I once did. But something about the campfire, or the bunk bed, or perhaps the wooded setting made me think back to my first Royal Ambassador Camp at Lake Sallateeska, our other fine Baptist camp in southern Illinois. Believe it or not, this year marks Lake Sallateeska’s 75th year of service to Illinois Baptists!

That summer camp was one of the first times I can remember being away from my parents for more than a night. I can still feel the anticipation of packing up and leaving home with my friends, but then also the homesickness of bedtime, and laying there in the dark with only the sounds of the woods. I recall the fun of canoes and archery and crafts, then the seriousness of the lessons from the Bible and about missions.

Sometimes we get to see down the road a little to the fruit of our efforts in tomorrow’s leaders.

Looking back, what made that first scary and wonderful week away from home OK was my trust in a guy named Ray, who was my RA counselor both at camp that week and at church every week. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, Ray had been investing in my young life for a long time, leading me down a road of Christian discipleship and leadership.

He probably knew he wouldn’t see me all the way down that road. A couple of years later another devoted Christian man led me, then when we moved on to another church, and another. For a while, it was week after week of RA’s followed by camp, and then it was week after week of youth group followed by a retreat. But always my church gave me a Christian man, and his weekly commitment and friendship, and an occasional week away from home when I could stretch my Christian commitment to a new level.

I know I’m not alone in this experience of disciple making and leadership development. Recently I was visiting with Evelyn Tully, IBSA’s retired Woman’s Missionary Union Director. She showed me a commemorative booklet from Illinois WMU’s 100th anniversary, and it was filled with pictures of Baptist women investing themselves into the lives of Baptist girls. One of those pictures was Evelyn with a young Sandy Wisdom-Martin, who is now the Executive Director of National WMU in Birmingham. Sometimes we do get to see down the road a little, to the fruit of our efforts in tomorrow’s leaders.

I don’t know where Ray is today or if he ever got to see much of the result of his investment in my life. But being at camp again last week reminded me of that investment, and the lasting difference it’s made in my life.

There’s an advertising slogan for Las Vegas that simply says, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” But that’s not the case when it comes to investing in kids at a Christian camp. What happens there can last a lifetime—and spread all over the world.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Respond at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

In Heartland , , , , , , , , ,
permalink

Encouragement is the aim at SBC women’s meetings

ib2newseditor —  June 2, 2016
AnitaRenfroeCopy

Anita Renfroe

Christian comedian and communicator Anita Renfroe, will be the keynote speaker for two events for ministers’ wives at the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis.

Based on the theme, “Be Encouraged,” women’s events will include a Ministers’ Wives Luncheon, a Pastors’ Wives Conference, and a Women’s Expo that will be open prior to both events.

“A lot of churches are smaller churches, and ministers’ wives may not receive the encouragement they deserve,” said Vickie Munton, president of this year’s Ministers’ Wives Luncheon and the wife of FBC O’Fallon pastor Doug Munton.

“We hope this luncheon will help them feel encouraged and that they are not alone.”

Renfroe has been featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “Dr. Phil,” CBS’s “The Early Show,” Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” and many other media outlets. Millions of people have viewed her YouTube video of her singing everything a mother says to her children in a single day to the tune of “The William Tell Overture” in just two minutes and 55 seconds.

She is also the author of “DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU: Kids, Carbs, and the Coming Hormonal Apocalypse.”

The luncheon is Tuesday, June 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Marriott St. Louis Grand-Majestic Ballroom. Luncheon tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Ministers-Wives-Luncheon or by contacting Munton at dougmunton@gmail.com.

Renfroe also will speak during the Pastors’ Wives Conference, held during the morning session of the Pastors’ Conference on Monday, June 13, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Other speakers include:

• Selma Wilson, executive leader of organizational development at LifeWay Christian Resources, on “Owning Your Development”
• Trillia Newbell, director of community outreach at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, on “Leaning Into Our Changing Culture”
• Missionary Reese Ripken, on “Missional Matters in the Persecuted Church”
• Anne Graham Lotz, a speaker and author who is the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, will lead in a prayer time based on her book, “The Daniel Prayer.”

The conference will be hosted in the Marriott St. Louis Grand-Majestic Ballroom. There is no cost for the event and registration is not required. Women who serve in any facet of local church leadership, missions and denominational work are invited to attend.

Pastors’ Wives Conference organizer Susie Hawkins emphasized her hope that Southern Baptist wives can get to know each other better.

“Southern Baptist men always know each other, but women not so much,” she said. “We want to pray and worship together, and to really encourage women in their roles as ministers’ wives.”

WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting

Sharing Christ by all means is the focus of this year’s Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting, June 12–13. The meeting’s theme — By All Means — is also WMU’s emphasis for 2016–2018. The impetus for this theme is found in 1 Corinthians 9:22b–23: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

“This new emphasis in WMU challenges us to follow Jesus’ example … to step into the world around us, cultivate relationships, and create opportunities to demonstrate the love of Christ,” Wanda S. Lee, executive director of national WMU said. “Then, by all means, let’s share Christ with those waiting to hear.”

On Sunday there will be a reception in honor of Lee as she retires later this year following 20 years of service through national WMU — 16 years as executive director and four years as president.

Speakers will include Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary; Sebastian and Erin Vazquez, international church planters; Goldie Francis, an International Mission Board worker; Travis Kerns, a missionary serving with the North American Mission Board in Salt Lake City; and Katie Orr, author and pastor’s wife. Iorg’s book, “Unscripted: Sharing the Gospel as Life Happens,” will be the emphasis book for WMU in 2016–2017.

Get additional information about the meeting at wmu.com/missouri.

With reporting from Baptist Press

 

In Southern Baptist Convention , , , ,
permalink

The Briefing: The ‘spiritual’ state of the union and who’s next for National WMU?

Lisa Misner —  January 12, 2016

The BriefingWho’s next for National WMU?
Wanda Lee, National WMU Executive Director, announced her retirement Monday (Jan. 11) at the annual January Board Meeting of the Woman’s Missionary Union. Lee has been at the helm of the National WMU since 2000 when she replaced Dellana O’Brien. Among those speculated on as her possible replacement is Sandy Wisdom-Martin, former Illinois WMU Executive Director and current Executive Director of Texas WMU. http://www.sbcthisweek.com/national-wmu-facing-pivotal-moment-with-lees-retirement/

SBC President on the ‘spiritual’ state of the union
As President Obama prepares to give his final State of the Union address tonight (Jan. 12), the President of the Southern Baptist Convention issued his own spiritual state of our union. Floyd shared on his blog, “What’s especially alarming to me, serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, is that we fail to realize how the spiritual health of our nation affects the state of our union. As our spiritual lives go, so goes the nation.” http://www.ronniefloyd.com/blog/10027/

Over 5,000 to join Chicago’s March for Life
Pro-lifers in Illinois are expecting over 5,000 people to join the annual Chicago March for Life event ahead of the national march in Washington D.C. A local version of the march held every year in the nation’s capital on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, the Chicago march on Jan. 17 is expected to be the largest held in the entire Midwest. http://www.christianpost.com/news/chicago-march-for-life-5000-pro-lifers-attend-illinois-abortion-declining-parental-notification-154282/#CSgVFLGvvAWl5t93.99

Process begins to remove prof over ‘same God’ comments
A panel of Wheaton College faculty will meet within the next 30 days to consider whether to recommend termination for political science professor Larycia Hawkins. Administrators placed Hawkins on paid leave in December after she made comments on social media about Muslims and Christians worshipping the same God. http://bpnews.net/46121/first-steps-taken-to-fire-prof-over-muslim-comments

Churches see need to screen volunteers
Almost half of the background checks requested by churches through LifeWay’s program with backgroundchecks.com reveal some type of criminal offense. Most of those are minor incidents such as speeding tickets, but 21 percent of inquiries discovered misdemeanors or more serious crimes. http://factsandtrends.net/2016/01/07/more-churches-recognizing-need-for-volunteer-screening/#.VpQoi3mhqUn

Sources: Baptist Press, Christian Post, Facts and Trends, RonnieFloyd.com, SBC this Week

In Briefing , , , , , ,
permalink

Meet ‘Miss Annie’ in Baltimore

Meredith Flynn —  June 9, 2014

Annie_ArmstrongTwelve charter buses of women toured Annie Armstrong’s Baltimore today, stopping at churches she attended or influenced, visiting her grave site, and praying over her city. The tour was part of the WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting.

Some of the women even met Annie in person, or at least someone very much like her. At Woodbrook Baptist Church, formerly Eutaw Place Baptist, “Miss Annie” sat at an antique secretary once owned by Armstrong herself. She answered questions about her life, her work, and her possible meeting with fellow famed missionary Lottie Moon. (We’re not completely sure, but they might have met at a missionary commissioning service for Lottie’s sister, Edmonia.)

Others on the tour sat in chairs Miss Annie might also have sat in at Jesus Our Redeemer Church in Federal Hill, which was established as Lee Street Baptist in 1855. Each bus visited Federal Hill Park, where women prayer walked and looked over a formerly poor part of Baltimore that’s now home to the city’s rich and famous.

Becky Arnett, Janet Craynon and Evelyn Tully sit where Annie Armstrong could have sat, at Jesus the Redeemer Church in Baltimore.

Becky Arnett, Janet Craynon and Evelyn Tully sit where Annie Armstrong could have sat, at Jesus the Redeemer Church in Baltimore.

In SBC , , , , ,
permalink

How will you celebrate your 120th birthday?

Meredith Flynn —  August 13, 2013

Tuesday_BriefingTHE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

A majority of Americans don’t want to be centenarians (plus 20 years), but they think their neighbors might, according to a new study by Pew Research. The survey of 2,012 American adults found 56% of them said they wouldn’t choose to undergo medical treatments in order to live to 120. But 68% expected most people would.

According to the survey, 69% of people place their ideal life span in the 79-100 range.

Pew also asked leaders from a variety of religious groups about their views on radical life extension. Jeffrey Riley, a professor at the Southern Baptist seminary in New Orleans, said evangelicals’ acceptance of life-extending technology and methods would depend on how those strategies are framed.

“If this was being advertised as never dying, I think a lot of people and the leadership of my church would be opposed,” Riley said in an article on Pew’s website. “However, if this was incremental and was seen as a way for people to continue flourishing, my church would more readily accept it.”

To read more about religious leaders’ responses and the study itself, go to PewForum.org.

Other news:

Judge orders new name for baby “Messiah”
A judge in Tennessee has ordered the parents of 7-month-old Messiah DeShawn Martin to change his first name because, “The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ.”

According to ChristianPost.com, Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew first met the parents when they appeared in her courtroom to argue over the child’s last name. Judge Ballew helped settle that dispute, but may find herself in the middle of another, as the baby’s mother plans to appeal her ruling. Christian Post reports more than 700 babies were named Messiah last year in the U.S., making it the 387th most popular baby name.

Read the full story at ChristianPost.com.

Warren returns to pulpit after son’s death
Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Ca., stood in his church’s pulpit July 27 for the first time in 16 weeks. Warren, the author of the bestseller “The Purpose Drive Life,” took a leave of absence after his son, Matthew, committed suicide in April following a long struggle with mental illness.

Warren received a standing ovation that Saturday evening, and thanked Saddleback staff, members, his family and local pastors who supported him. Then, with comments from his wife, Kay, he shared the first message in a series titled, “How to Get Through What You’re Going Through.”

Read writer John Evans’ full story on BPNews.net.

Carmen Halsey to lead IBSA mobilization, WMU
Carmen Halsey will serve as the Illinois Baptist State Association’s new director of Missions Mobilization beginning this month. As part of the role, she also will give IBSA staff leadership to Illinois Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), and serve on the national WMU board along with Illinois WMU President Gail Miller.

Read more in the new issue of the Illinois Baptist, online now at http://ibonline.IBSA.org.

In Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,
permalink

After bungee jump, church planter takes the plunge in Chicago

Meredith Flynn —  June 11, 2013
Scott Venable shares his story of planting a church in Chicago at the WMU Missions Celebration in Houston.

Scott Venable shares his story of planting a church in Chicago at the WMU Missions Celebration in Houston.

HOUSTON | God used bungee jumping to move church planter Scott Venable to Chicago. At the WMU Missions Celebration, Venable told women he and his wife, Ashley, knew they were called to start a new church, and had visited the city several times in search of housing. But they were waiting to sell their house in Texas before fully committing.

On his 30th birthday, Venable went bungee jumping, and hesitated mightily before finally taking the plunge. Later that day, Venable said, he heard God say, “I want you to jump.”

“I had to go back and tell my wife that God has used bungee jumping to get us to go to Chicago,” Venable said to laughter from the audience. They found an apartment online, put down a deposit, and 10 minutes later, got a call that someone wanted to put a contract on their house in Texas.

The Venables’ church, Mosaic, is now two years old and averaging 75-80 in worship. They just baptized four people in Lake Michigan. The church also runs a busy program for kids in their neighborhood.

Venable thanked WMU specifically for their unflinching focus on missions, like the mounds of cards they send to missionaries on their birthdays. “Don’t ever underestimate what those mean to us on the field,” he said. “[They] brighten our day and strengthen our hearts and our courage.”

A veteran of Southern Baptist missions education programs, Venable told the audience he was a Mission Friend (the SBC program for preschoolers), and later accepted the call to ministry as an RA (Royal Ambassador).

“Missions is at the very center of what the church should be about,” he said, congratulating WMU on its first 125 years, and urging women to maintain that focus on missions.

In News, SBC , , , ,
permalink

Chet Cantrell shares Christian Activity Center’s story in Houston

Meredith Flynn —  June 9, 2013
"God is alive and well in the inner city," Chet Cantrell told attenders at the WMU Missions Celebration in Houston.

“God is alive and well in the inner city,” Chet Cantrell told attenders at the WMU Missions Celebration in Houston.

SBC | Chet Cantrell, executive director of Illinois’ Christian Activity Center, spoke about his ministry in East St. Louis this afternoon at the annual Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Missions Celebration, held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention.

“God is alive and well in the inner city,” Cantrell told women (and a few men) gathered in the Hilton Americas hotel. At the CAC, Cantrell and his staff partner with an army of volunteers to run a daily tutoring and mentoring program that has resulted in a 95% graduation rate among the kids they serve in poverty-stricken East St. Louis. The center, located next to an infamous housing project, is a haven in the neighborhood.

But it wasn’t always that way. When he arrived in the city and asked parents what he could do to help, their answer was “Keep our kids alive.” Cantrell told his audience the playground that now sits opposite the center was once a weed-plagued field. When he set out to mow down the tall grass, a young child told him he couldn’t do that. When Cantrell asked why not, the reply was, “Because that’s where they throw the dead bodies.”

What child should have to grow up in that environment, Cantrell asked. He shared stories of what God has done in the years since, like transforming that field, and turning a street known for trafficking into a place where kids can feel safe. He thanked WMU for their support of ministry centers like his, and encouraged them from Isaiah 45, where God says:

“I will go before you and level the uneven places; I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two.I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I, Yahweh, the God of Israel call you by your name.” (Isaiah 45:2-3, HCSB)

“I would like to tell you that I’m smart and I’m capable, but sometimes God just asks you to show up,” Cantrell said.

“…God was at work in East St. Louis long before I got there.”

Cantrell ended with a challenge: “You want to find God, you come serve in areas just like mine, because God shows up.

“Will you?”

In SBC , , , , ,
permalink

Tuesday News Briefing: Missions in Chicago, Pope Benedict, the influence of athletes

Meredith Flynn —  February 12, 2013
Nanette Franks (center) and Judy Rinkenberger (right) share information about a women's luncheon with a Chicago resident.

Illinois WMU volunteers share information about a women’s luncheon with a Chicago resident.

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

A volunteer mission team braved cold temperatures and gusty winds yesterday to bring a little warmth to Chicagoans. Eight women representing churches across the state and Illinois Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) worked in the name of Chicago’s Uptown Baptist Church during the annual trip.

Several in the group stood outside Uptown, handing out gloves, hats scarves and socks. Others worked inside the church’s kitchen to prepare an evening meal for more than 100 people.

“It just really opens my eyes [to needs] that I read about, but don’t ever see in my everyday life,” said Nanette Franks, a Harrisburg resident, as she worked on table decorations for the Valentine’s Day-themed meal. Uptown hosts a free dinner every Monday evening.

Along with the meal and clothing giveaway, the women helped organize Uptown’s clothes closet and hosted a women’s luncheon. They also worked with a neighboring missions organization, and visited local nursing homes and hospitals. For more information about the trip, see the March 4 issue of the Illinois Baptist.

Evangelicals: Pope Benedict has been a ‘friend of life’
(From Baptist Press) As the world reacted to the unexpected news that Pope Benedict XVI would become the first pope in six centuries to resign, evangelicals acknowledged major theological differences while citing Benedict’s commitment to human dignity as a key part of his legacy. Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, located in a heavily Catholic region, told Baptist Press that Benedict “is a man worthy of our respect and appreciation.”

“Although there are profound differences in Baptist and Catholic perspectives on faith, we shared a commitment to the sanctity of life and other biblical values.” Read the full story at BPNews.net.

Athletes have more influence than clergy, survey says
A new Barna survey found 64% of Americans think professional athletes have more influence in society than faith leaders, and 61% of respondents favor athletes talking publicly about their faith. Read more at Barna.org.

Frost to lead NAMB’s Midwest region
(From Baptist Press) New York pastor Gary Frost has been named the North American Mission Board’s new Midwest Region vice president. Frost spent 18 years as pastor of Rising Star Baptist Church in Youngstown, Ohio, and plans to locate near Cleveland for his new role.

“I love the Midwest and I came from Ohio, so we are excited about the move. And people in Cleveland face many of the same issues we face in New York. I hope I will be able to draw on those experiences and apply them to reaching new people and helping plant new churches in the Midwest.” Read more at BPNews.net.

In Briefing , , , , , ,
permalink

Chick-Fil-A faces more heat for its views on marriage

Meredith Flynn —  September 25, 2012

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

The national fast food chain landed back in the frying pan in mid-September, when a Chicago alderman announced he had succeeded in changing the company’s mind concerning its support of same-sex marriage.

Joe Moreno, who sparked a national debate this summer when he threatened to block Chick-Fil-A from opening restaurants in his ward because of the company’s views, claimed the chain had promised to no longer give money to groups against same-sex marriage.

But others are calling foul on the alderman’s supposed victory.

“There continues to be erroneous implications in the media that Chick-Fil-A changed our practices and priorities in order to obtain permission for a new restaurant in Chicago. That is incorrect,” said Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, via former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s website.

“Chick-Fil-A made no such concessions, and we remain true to who we are and who we have been.”

Two things seem to be Moreno’s main issues with Chick-Fil-A: The company’s contributions to organizations that support traditional marriage, like Focus on the Family; and an anti-discrimination policy that Moreno claims Chick-Fil-A has introduced in the aftermath of the summer controversy.

The alderman said Chick-Fil-A agreed to add language “opposing discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to the company’s employee handbook,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

But Chick-Fil-A’s “Who We Are” document, to which Moreno said the new language would be added, repeats the wording the company used this summer when defending its beliefs and practices. According to a Baptist Press report, Chick-Fil-A’s tradition is to “treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.”

The Who We Are document also says Chick-fil-A “supports programs and marriage retreats to help strengthen and enrich marriages,” which more than 4,000 couples attend annually.

According to CNN, Moreno said Cathy”s statement “at the least, muddied the progress we had made with Chick-fil-A and, at the worst, contradicted the documents and promises Chick-fil-A made to me and the community earlier this month.”

The public continues to weigh in on Chick-Fil-A’s Facebook page, posting thousands of comments. Now, it’s your turn:

In your opinion, has Chick-Fil-A done a good job of navigating this summer’s debates over its leader’s views?

Other news:

Supreme Court justice predicts DOMA will appear before Court
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court justice since 1993, said in an address at the University of Colorado Law School that the Defense of Marriage Act is likely to go before the nation’s highest court by next year. “I think it’s most likely that we will have that issue before the court toward the end of the current term,” said Ginsburg, according to the Christian Post. Earlier this year, the First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned DOMA Section 3, which defines marriage in federal law in the traditional sense. Read more at ChristianPost.com.

WMU announces young women’s outreach
(From Baptist Press) National Woman’s Missionary Union is stepping up its ministry to younger women through myMISSION, a new, primarily web-based organization for young adult women engaging in missions. The new organization builds on the website mymissionfulfilled.com that WMU created in 2007 to provide missions discipleship resources to the next generation of young women. The site features missional Bible studies and products, interactive blogs from six young adult women in different stages of life, and articles on such topics as prayer, social justice, time management, money and relationships. Read more at BPNews.net.

LifeWay surveys churches’ Lord’s Supper practices
(From LifeWay Christian Resources) The majority of Southern Baptist churches permit anyone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ to participate in the Lord’s Supper, according to a survey by LifeWay Research. The survey of 1,066 SBC pastors found 96 percent of their churches allow individuals who are not members of that local church to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Only 4 percent restrict participation to local church members. The survey also revealed that 57 percent of SBC churches observe the Lord’s Supper quarterly. For more findings, go to lifewayresearch.com.

In Commentary , , , , , ,
permalink