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  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

Worth the risk

ib2newseditor —  May 2, 2016
A whirl of color – The Illinois mission team tries on pieces of the sari indigenous to the culture.

A whirl of color – The Illinois mission team tries on pieces of the sari indigenous to the culture.

As Carmen Halsey walked the roads of this South Asian country, she challenged herself to a game of sorts. “I’m a make eye contact, smile kind of person,” said IBSA’s director of women’s ministry and missions. Halsey tried to lock eyes with women she passed and see if she could get them to smile. But it never happened.

“I’ve never seen the face of oppression like what I saw there,” Halsey said, remembering how she tired of the multiple calls to prayer at the mosque, ringing out daily and reminding her mission team of how many people are walking in spiritual darkness.

Halsey’s trip to South Asia was actually years in the making. When she joined the IBSA staff in 2013, she mobilized women in the state around awareness and prevention of human trafficking—a focus started by National Woman’s Missionary Union.

In Illinois, Halsey has continued that emphasis, putting in place a task force to study the issue, create resources for churches, and facilitate mission trips in North America and internationally to be involved in rescuing victims of trafficking. The trafficking focus is how Halsey met Kimberly Sowell and Bangladesh: For Faith and Freedom.

The April trip, led by Sowell, gave Halsey and Illinois women an opportunity to see up-close trafficking prevention and rescue at the Light of Hope Center. But they also saw the importance of encouraging national Christians—South Asian women who have come to Christ and are now risking persecution to reach others with the gospel.

During their trip, the Illinois women saw in a new, real way the threats Christians face in other parts of the world. The awareness that believers in South Asia could lose their lives for their faith spurred the team on, Halsey said, and inspired “intense, beautiful” prayer. It also left Halsey wrestling with a bigger question: As Christians in the U.S., most of us don’t have a target on our backs. Why then are we not sharing here?

As the team ministered in a village one day, they were asked to pray for people who were sick. One woman went to get her son, a Muslim, so Halsey could pray for him. Halsey describes what happened next as her boldest moment. “I looked at him and said, ‘I will pray for you. But I have got to be clear: There is only one name I’ll pray to.”

In this place, where people are in desperate need of hope, only one Name can deliver it: Jesus.

For more information about IBSA mission opportunities, contact Carmen Halsey at (217) 391-3138 or CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org.

– Meredith Flynn

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The Briefing: Call to prayer, most persecuted, tax-exemption questioned

ib2newseditor —  April 19, 2016

The BriefingSouthern Baptists called to prayer
On June 14, the entire Tuesday evening session of the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis will be committed to praying for spiritual leaders, our churches, nation, and world. Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd issued the call stating, “the critical need of the hour in America, the state of our churches, the needs of our pastors, the status of our evangelism or lack of it, and the exponential lostness of the world while we are bringing home hundreds of our missionaries… it is time to pray.”

New churches outpace dying ones
America is launching new Protestant churches faster than it loses old ones, attracting many people who previously didn’t attend church anywhere, new LifeWay Research studies show. More than 4,000 new churches opened their doors in 2014, outpacing the 3,700 that closed, according to estimates from 34 denominational statisticians.

Christian women most persecuted
A survey of 192 countries has demonstrated scientifically what many have long known anecdotally to be true: Christian women are more religious than Christian men. The lesser known fact: those women bear the brunt of persecution in the 50 countries where it is hardest to be a Christian.

Tax-exemptions for churches questioned
Massachusetts authorities have challenged the tax-exempt status of a Catholic shrine and retreat center. The center offers daily Masses, religious conferences, a soup kitchen for the hungry, and a Christmas festival of lights. The case which has gone to the state’s supreme court, begs a deeper question: Do religious organizations decide for themselves what they require for their devotional and educational missions, or do municipal tax authorities decide for them?

Porn labeled ‘public health hazard’
The effort to reverse the spread of sexually explicit material and its effects received a boost when Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution saying pornography is establishing “a public health crisis.” The first-of-its-kind resolution, which National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) helped craft and the state legislature approved unanimously, recognizes “the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change” to confront “the pornography epidemic.”

Sources: IB2news, Facts & Trends, Christianity Today, Boston Globe, BPnews.net

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Tuesday Briefing: Same-sex marriages begin in all 50 states

Meredith Flynn —  June 30, 2015

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

All 50 states have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Baptist Press reports, even those in which officials disagree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 ruling to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.

The_Briefing“We don’t have a choice but to comply,” said Louisiana Governor and presidential candidate Bobby Jindal, “even though I think this decision was the wrong one.”

In Texas, the state’s attorney general said “numerous lawyers” are willing to defend officials who refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses and therefore could face lawsuits and fines. Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, Texans’ fundamental right to religious liberty remains intact.”

Read the full story at BPNews.net. And here’s a state-by-state update from CNN.

The Supreme Court’s decision continued to dominate headlines over the weekend, as Christian leaders and others offered a range of perspectives on what the country now faces:

In other news:

Six people were arrested after heckling Houston pastor Joel Osteen during a church service Sunday.

Among Barna’s findings on women and church: While only 5% name church or religious activities as their top time commitment, 22% say that’s the area of their life they’d most like to improve.

Almost the same number of Americans believe Islam is a threat to religious liberty at home and abroad, LifeWay Research reports in a new survey.

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Leadership in focus at women’s Priority Conference

Meredith Flynn —  May 25, 2015

Editor’s note: The following post is a report from the Priority Women’s Resource Conference held in Decatur, Ill., in April. For a full list of ways to get involved in Illinois Baptist Women’s Ministry, go to www.IBSA.org/womensmissions.

HEARTLAND | Lisa Sergent

“You’ve got to minister outside the four walls of your church,” Carmen Halsey told women gathered in Decatur for IBSA’s Priority Women’s Resource Conference.

“When we meet a need, we earn the right to share the gospel. We’ve got to be women who are willing to speak and share our stories…Leadership development involves every one of us.”

Leadership was the focus of the April 24-25 meeting, formerly known as the Women’s Missions Celebration. More than 430 women representing 108 churches came to Decatur for plenary sessions and breakouts designed to give them tools to put to use in their own churches and communities.

“We’re part of a local body that God has put together,” said Halsey, IBSA’s director of Women’s Ministry and Missions. “Why would we want to be trained and equipped if we’re not going to do ministry?”

During the two-day conference, Illinois leaders and national speakers made clear the main message of the meeting: Leadership requires action.

More than a mist

Sowell_blogKimberly Sowell (right), founder of Kingdom Heart Ministries, told the women that leadership means meeting needs. Addressing them during a large-group session in Decatur, Sowell shared the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. In the parable, the priest and the Levite chose to continue down the road to do the things deemed important by them, she recounted. Only the Samaritan man chose to help the beaten man and see to his wellbeing.

Like the priest and the Levite, Sowell said, we get caught up in our religious duties and can get our priorities out of order. “Whatever we choose to do is most important to us.”

When prioritizing our lives, Sowell noted, “There are certain things we should all be involved in; coming into the house of God, worshipping God and studying God’s Word so we can get filled up with the power of the Holy Spirit so it will power us up to go out into this world and be living water.”

However, she cautioned, “Let it not be said of us that in our exuberance we drown out the sounds of the cries for help.”

Following God’s leadership—even as he transforms us—was also a key discussion point at the conference.

“We are not called to stay the same,” said speaker and author Rachel Lovingood. “We are to be informed, we are to be transformed…We are called to be intentional and practical with our lives.”

Reading from James 4:13-17, Lovingood sprayed her travel-size can of hairspray into the air to demonstrate the temporary nature of a fine mist and said, “If I’m obsessed with controlling my own life, it’s just a mist and will have no impact…If I’m willing to give up my own life and invest where God chooses, then the impact can be immeasurable.”

This is only done through a reliance on Christ, she said. “We are doing the best we can sometimes, but we’re doing it by our own strength. We need to rely on Him.”

Speaker Rachel Lovingood asked women at the meeting to stand arm-in-arm to demonstrate unity. "There is no telling what can happen in the state of Illinois if we start getting together,” she said. Photo by Lisa Sergent

Speaker Rachel Lovingood asked women at the meeting to stand arm-in-arm to demonstrate unity. “There is no telling what can happen in the state of Illinois if we start getting together,” she said. Photo by Lisa Sergent

Focus on missions
To kick off the Decatur meeting, Halsey and others spoke on needs in Illinois and abroad, and how organizations like Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) can help engage women in missions. Clella Lee brought greetings from National WMU, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., and Jill McNicol was re-elected president of Illinois’ state chapter. McNicol is a member of First Baptist Church in Patoka.

Women also elected members of WMU’s lead team, who will serve in a variety of roles throughout the year to organize missions opportunities for children, teens and adults in Illinois.

Early Saturday morning, some meeting attenders participated in a 5K Run/Walk for Missions. Around 30 walkers and runners assembled in Decatur for the inaugural event.

Going home changed
In the meeting’s final session, pastor’s wife and International Mission Board global missions catalyst Lori McDaniel emphasized the importance of faith in women’s lives. “You’ll be ready for tomorrow if you’re OK with God interrupting your normal,” McDaniel said. “God’s interruptions are never convenient.”

She said women have got to stop asking themselves “what if” questions and follow God. “We have so much faith that we’re not going to go backwards. But, we have so much fear that we’re not going to go forward.”

Recounting the Bible story of Gideon, McDaniel said, “God raised Gideon up to be a judge, but not before Gideon back-talked God and showed a lack of faith.” Just as he eventually accepted his assignment, “If we’re going to be ready for tomorrow, then we’ve got to accept the assignment that we’ve been sent,” McDaniel said. “In your ordinary life you have room for an extraordinary God. Where in your life is He at work in a way that can only be explained by Him?”

“Are you going home changed?” Halsey asked the women at the end of the conference.

“Tomorrow begins today,” she said. “We have a personal choice to make whether we are going to live our lives with intention or let someone else decide it for us.”

Read the current issue of the Illinois Baptist online at http://ibonline.IBSA.org.

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Illinois women’s meeting to make leadership a ‘priority’

Meredith Flynn —  March 30, 2015

PriorityHEARTLAND | Living a life with intention is the theme of this year’s IBSA Women’s Resource Conference April 24-25 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur.

The two-day Priority Women’s Resource Conference is designed to equip leaders serving in the local church. The conference will include worship and large group sessions led by nationally known speakers, 40 breakout offerings on a variety of topics, a luncheon for ministers’ wives, exhibit area with ministry resources, and a 5K walk/run.

A screening of “War Room,” a new film from the creators of “Fireproof” and “Courageous,” will follow the Friday evening session.

Priority begins Friday at 1 p.m. with a missions celebration featuring North American and International Mission Board missionaries and Tajuan McCarty, founder of The WellHouse ministry that seeks to rescue victims of human trafficking. Clella Lee, a leadership consultant for National Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), will also speak during the opening session.

Lee directs WMU’s Christian Women’s Leadership Center, which engages women in discovering and implementing leadership gifts in their churches and workplaces. Women desiring to express those gifts are sometimes hampered by demands on their time, or by other factors.

“I think women are hesitant sometimes; they don’t want to come across as too aggressive,” Lee said. “And so I think sometimes they aren’t always as apt to take a hold of those leadership skills they have…they have a sense of call or a sense of need, and recognize some of those gifts, but sometimes they’re hesitant.”

Lee will speak about the Christian Women’s Leadership Center, and also will lead three breakout sessions during the conference on the dynamics of a ministry family, the private spiritual life of a leader, and creative approached to missions in a church plant.

Rachel Lovingood will continue the leadership theme in the Friday evening session. The author, pastor’s wife, and speaker at LifeWay events will delve into how women can develop into the leaders God has created them to be. She also will unpack specific topics in several breakout sessions.

The Friday evening session also will feature author and missions advocate Kimberly Sowell, and worship led by Pastor Chad Ozee of Journey Church in Bourbonnais.

Saturday begins early with a 5K fun run or walk, and concludes with an afternoon session featuring Lori McDaniel, an International Mission Board global mission catalyst and church planter wife from Arkansas. Ministers’ wives also are invited to a luncheon with Kathy Litton, the North American Mission Board’s consultant for ministers’ wives ministry.

Cost is $25 for attenders who are part of an IBSA church, and $30 for all others. Conference information and registration is online now at www.IBSA.org/womensmissions. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel (across the street from Tabernacle Baptist Church). Contact the hotel at (217) 422-8800.

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A gentle and quiet spirit is not about volume.

“Woo-hoo! Otherwise, I’d be in trouble.

“It’s about a heart that fears and loves the Lord.”

Trillia Newbell, speaking on biblical womanhood

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At RNC, Romney opens up about his Mormon faith

Meredith Flynn —  September 4, 2012

THE BRIEFING | Posted by Meredith Flynn

Mitt Romney’s faith was on display at the August 27-30 Republican National Convention. In accepting the nomination to serve as the Republican Party’s candidate for president, Romney opened up and spoke about his Mormon faith, something he has been reluctant to do in the past.

“We were Mormons,” he said recalling moving to Michigan with his family while still a child. “And growing up in Michigan, that might have seemed unusual or out of place, but I do not remember it that way. My friends cared more about what sports we followed than what church we went to.”

Fellow Mormons also took to the podium to give testimony to Romney’s service through his church. Grant Bennett, the assistant pastor of the congregation Romney belonged to in Massachusetts, shared how he believes Romney lives his faith. “He found the definition of religion given by James in the New Testament to be a practical guide. ‘Pure religion is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction.’ … Mitt taught faith in God, personal integrity, self-reliance, and service to our fellow men.”

Romney’s Mormonism was also a topic of non-Mormon speakers at the convention.  Southern Baptist and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, shared, “Let me clear the air about whether guys like me would only support an evangelical. I care far less as to where Mitt Romney takes his family to church than I do about where he takes this country.”

Paul Ryan, a Catholic and Romney’s pick for vice-president, weighed in on the subject during his speech.  “Mitt and I also go to different churches, but in any church, the best kind of preaching is done by example, and I’ve been watching the example … Our faiths come together in the same moral creed. We believe that in every life, there is goodness and for every person there is hope.  Each one of us was made for a reason, bearing the image and likeness of the Lord of life.”

What do you think? Do Mitt Romney remarks about his Mormon faith affect the way you feel about him as a candidate? Leave a comment below.

Lisa Sergent is contributing editor of the Illinois Baptist and reported this story for ib2news.org.

Other news:

Seminary students face sky-high debt
Seminary graduates aren’t immune to the country’s $1 trillion student loan debt, according to the Association of Religious Date Archives. It’s not unusual for seminarians to graduate with up to $80,000 in debt, and the average starting salary for full-time clergy was $44,140 last year, the U.S. Labor Department estimated. Read more at Baptist Press.

Science Guy: Kids need evolution
Bill Nye, a scientist, actor and author best known for his TV show “Bill Nye the Science Guy” released a YouTube video where he urged parents to let their children believe in evolution, “the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology.” In the video, produced by The Big Think, Nye said denial of evolution is unique to the U.S., and the portion of the population who doesn’t hold to the theory “holds everybody back.” Watch the video.

Christian women weigh in on election
An extensive study of Christian women by Barna Research found that they will likely constitute 30% of likely voters this fall, the largest voting bloc in the presidential election. Of Christian women surveyed who plan to vote, 32% said they definitely plan to vote for Barack Obama, and 30% definitely plan to vote for Mitt Romney. However, a larger percentage (23%) of undecided Christian women are said they’re probably voting for Romney than for Obama (15%). Read more at Barna.org.

Tebow faces criticism with grace
The skin of New York Jets back-up quarterback Tim Tebow will no doubt thicken this season, now that he’s playing in one of the NFL’s most notoriously critical markets. Boomer Esiason, a former Jets quarterback and current sports analyst, got the ball rolling when he urged the team to cut Tebow because his presence does nothing to help them. Tebow, an outspoken Christian, responded with, “I’ve heard nothing but great things about Mr. Esiason. I know he was a great player here, and I just wish him nothing but the best in his announcing, and God bless him.” Read the full story at Baptist Press.

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