Dedication of a new swim-ming pool for Seneca Lake Baptist Assembly took place on April 24. Mission Council members stood on the steps of the pool while Scott Seder, Camp Director, and Jack Kwok, Executive Director, led in the celebration. The new pool is located ad-jacent to other recreational fa-cilities in the northwest area of the Seneca Lake campus. The 94 foot pool replaces a 70 foot pool that was built in 1963. An extension built onto an existing shelter houses the filtration and chlorination system for the pool. Patterson Pool built the pool with stainless steel sides and a 15 foot concrete apron at a cost of $454,600. Funds remaining from the oil lease at Seneca Lake plus $65,000 from Antero Oil for the selection of the drilling site at the location where the old swim-ming pool sits allowed the pool to be built debt free.

Work on the new pool began after the last week-long camp in August 2013. The pool will be ready for use by the time the first summer camp begins in June, adding to the memo-ries of hundreds of children and youth during Kids Kamps, Youth Camps, and Mission Camps. Other actions of the Mis-sion Council included en-couragement for all churches to participate in and send messengers to the June 2015

Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus. The Mission Council also adopted a recom-mendation that Mission Coun-cil members engage in and en-courage churches to engage in Pray Ohio.

OhiO Baptist MessengerPUBLICATION OF THE STATE CONVENTION OF BAPTISTS IN OHIO

JUNE 2014 | VOLUME 62 NO. 3

Go to scbo.org/

pray for more information.

Mission Council Gathers for Dedication of New Swimming Pool at Seneca Lake Baptist Assembly

Mission Council members gathered on the steps of the pool for the dedication service.

Scott Seder celebrated the ministry of Seneca Lake Baptist Assembly during the dedication service.

An addition to the shelter houses the filtration and chlorination systems.  Jack Kwok and Scott Seder led the dedication service.

The 94 foot pool replaces the 70 foot pool built in 1963.

A Homegoing…Guy Morton, Jr.

Nov. 4, 1930 ~ May 11, 2014For more information, go to www.scbo.org.

INSIDE:2014 Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2Bible Drills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3Women’s Missions & Ministries . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6Pray Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8Evangelism Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9Press Toward The Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12

Page 2 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | June 2014

Jack Kwok, Ohio State Convention Executive Director-Treasurer, Editor; Linnett Snodgrass, Administrative Assistant; Spangler Production & Design, Publication Layout. Published every other month for members of Southern Baptist churches in Ohio. Subscriptions provided out of each church’s Cooperative Program gifts. Member of Baptist Press, news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Ohio Baptist Messenger (ISSN 0472-7096) is published every other month by the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio; 9000 Antares Avenue; Columbus, Ohio 43240-2011. Periodicals Postage Paid at Columbus, Ohio. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Ohio Baptist Messenger; 9000 Antares Avenue; Columbus, Ohio 43240-2011.

On March 20-31, 2014, the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio partnered with the Alas-ka State Convention to train and encourage church lead-ers in Southeast Alaska in the areas of Sunday School, Vaca-tion Bible School, and general church health. The SCBO team consisted of Charlotte Barbo, Tim Binns, Wendy Hammock, Dwayne Lee, Jackie Lee, and Steve Long. Our team traveled to Ju-neau, Sitka, Petersburg, Ket-chikan, and Prince of Whales. At each destination we met some great people with a heart to serve God. It was a great time of fellowship with our Alaskan brothers and sisters in Christ. We enjoyed hearing their sto-ries, sharing their struggles, and

rejoicing in their victories. Their desire to live out what God has commanded in His Word, and to discover ways to help others do the same was a blessing to all of us. We are very grateful for the partnerships that we have in our state and across the coun-try. Thank you for giving to the Cooperative Program. Your contribution helps make train-ing events like this possible. It is our prayer that we see lives transformed because of the con-tinued work and partnerships provided through the Coopera-tive Program.

In His Service,Dwayne LeeAssociate Leader, Bible Teaching/ Leadership Resource Group

Ohio/Alaska Partnership

Ohio Team, Dwayne & Jackie Lee, Steve Long, Wendy Hammock, Charlotte Barbo, Tim Binns.

Church on Prince of Whales Island.

Calvary Baptist Receives 10-Year Partnership Award

Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christ-mas Child recognized Calvary Baptist Church, 1920 St. Rt. 22 W, in Wilmington recently with a plaque recognizing a 10-year partnership with the ministry. Calvary Bap-tist serves as a relay center the third week of November where people, churches and or-ganizations drop off their filled shoeboxes during National Collection Week. These shoeboxes take a journey from Wilming-ton to Hillsboro to Charlotte, NC and then to their final destination. Along the way, many volunteers receive, inspect, and pre-pare the shoeboxes for distribution to chil-

dren around the world. The children that receive a shoebox also receive “The Greatest Gift” booklet in their native language, telling them about the love of Jesus Christ. They are also invited to participate in “The Greatest Journey” Bible Study and a graduation cer-emony upon completion along with a New Testament in their native language. If you have any questions regarding this ministry, you can contact Barbara Lanctot at 937-382-6517.

Submitted by Barbara Lanctot

Left to right: Debbie Hatten, Relay Center Coordinator; Barb Lanctot South Central Area Prayer Mobilization Coordinator; Bess Hewitt, Prayer Team Member; Pastor Dennis Humphreys; Jack Hatten, Community Relations Team Member; Ed and Helen Hiestand, South Central Ohio Area Coordinators.

How to submit Church News Send all church news and information to

Linnett Snodgrass at lsnodgrass@scbo.org

PHOT

O BY

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PLAN NOW TO ATTEND

June 2014 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 3

By: Ashley StickelState Bible Drill CoordinatorState Convention of Baptists in Ohio

Ohio has once again rounded the corner for sum-mer. Many harbored doubts we would ever see warm weather again. Not only did May signal a time of warmer weather, but May also brought the State Bi-ble Drill competition. It always amazes me how fast time flies. 2014 marks my 5th year serv-ing with the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio as the State Bible Drill Coordinator. It has been a pleasure to watch each student grow and develop not only as a person, but also as a child of God making an effort to know His Word. On May 3rd, Reynoldsburg Baptist Church hosted the State Bible Drill Competition. This year, we had 26 drillers from all over the state come and rep-resent five different churches. There were drillers from Parma Baptist Church, Rolling Hills Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Kettering, Reynolds-burg Baptist Church, and First Baptist Church of New Carlisle. There were new drillers partici-pating this year that I have not previously seen competing, and I am so proud of their courage, especially the young ones in the Children’s Drill. However, I also noticed a great amount of growth in the drillers who have competed for years. Certain in-dividuals displayed more con-fidence and knowledge of the scriptures than in years past, and I could tell it is because they have matured as individuals. This is a wonderful sight to behold.

This year’s winners de-served every bit of the recog-nition they received. What a great job they did! In our Youth Drill, the 3rd place winner was Joseph Mosh-er from First Baptist Church of Kettering. The 2nd place win-ner was Elizabeth Kastelien from Parma Baptist Church, and the 1st place winner was Matthew Allen from Reynolds-burg Baptist Church. In the High School Drill, the 3rd place winner was Nico-las DeSonia from First Baptist Church of Kettering. The 2nd place winner was Stephanie Cavanaugh from Reynolds-burg Baptist Church, and the 1st place winner was Julia Bon-ifield from First Baptist Church of Kettering. Both Matthew and Julia will be competing at the National Invitational Bible Drill Tournament in Helen, Georgia on June 20th. Julia Bonifield participated at the National Invitational Tourna-ment in 2012 as a Youth Driller and is thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to participate at the National level as a High School Driller this year. All of our drillers did a fantastic job competing to the best of their ability. Congratu-lations! In the last few years, we have unfortunately seen a de-cline in our numbers for par-ticipation in the State Drill Competition. I do not believe this is due to a lack of interest in the program, but rather due to the plethora of activities for students to choose from today. I would love to see a revitaliza-tion of the Bible Drill program in Ohio. It all starts with you.

The resources are available and the students are numerous. Show them that “…the Word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 HCSB). If you have questions about Bible Drill or want to get involved, please visit scbo.org for more information or email me at Ashley@scbo.org.I am thankful for the drillers and their incredible dedica-tion and hard work. I am also thankful for their Drill Lead-ers and parents. I know that their participation and success would not be possible without, first of all God, who puts the desire in each of their hearts to learn His Word, but also their Leaders and parents. Congrat-ulations on another successful Bible Drill season!

All 26 State Bible Drillers representing 5 churches across Ohio.

2014 State Bible Drill Competition growth through the years

Youth Bible Drill Winners L-R: 1st Place Winner Matthew Allen, 2nd Place Win-ner Elizabeth Kastelien, 3rd Place Winner Joseph Mosher.

High School Bible Drill Winners L-R: 1st Place Winner Julia Bonifield, 2nd Place Winner Stephanie Cavanaugh, 3rd Place Winner Nicolas DeSonia.

Lifeway Christian Resources has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged state conventions all over North America to join the movement to see 100,000 new groups started by the end of 2015.

The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio has picked up the gauntlet and is partnering with Life-Way Christian Resources to support this challenge: Ohio Southern Baptists have declared that we are going to raise up new leaders and create new groups. We are praying for 1000 new groups to be started by the end of 2014. Over the next few weeks you will receive a Groups Matter information packet in the mail. The packet will include a promotion poster, commit-ment cards, launch ideas, and other information about new groups. Please use the packet contents to

promote this challenge in your church, complete the commitment cards, and return them to the address identified on card. Many new groups have already been started this year, and we would like to include them in our challenge numbers. If you have started a new group this year, please contact me at dlee@scbo.org with the church name, number of groups started, and the date the group began. Join the movement and watch what God can do!

Page 4 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | June 2014

You just wrapped up Easter services and you’re looking forward to a bit of a break before you move into Vacation Bible School. So why would you pos-sibly want to focus on recruiting next fall’s volun-teers now?

Consider this: The volunteers that served for your Holy Week and Easter services and events now have some de-gree of experience under their belt (even if they began the services as newbies). Their euphoria of having participated in a meaningful way is still present. Many of these folks will be traveling in the summer months and may not be readily available at the end of the summer (when you’d prefer to fo-cus on recruiting efforts). Many ministries require creative planning. Pulling together your teams now will give them

the time they need to meet and prepare during the summer months. Many areas of responsibility require training. Recruiting now can allow time for the educational process before fall ministries begin. Once you’ve recruited and received commit-ments from volunteers, it’s important to convey your church’s copyright compliance standards through a written Copyright Commitment. Make sure each person in a leadership position has a copy and post it above copiers, near computers, in your music room and anywhere you think copy-right issues might come into play. This document provides information and not legal advice. For more information and resources, including fact sheets, videos and idea kits, visit our State Convention of Baptists in Ohio page at www.christiancopyrightsolutions.com/scbo.

in partnership with

The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio

The Best Time to Recruit Next Year’s Volunteers is NOW!

Greetings to All,

Vacation Bible School (VBS) regional training has come to a close and Ohio churches are gearing up for a fun-filled week of discovering the truth about Jesus Christ. Hundreds of cadets went through intense Agency D3 training and came out on the other end approved field agents. Now they are ready to share with boys, girls, men and women what it means to Discover, Decide, and Defend their faith. Vacation Bible School still plays a very important part of reach-ing your community. As you continue to prepare and make plans for advertising this year’s VBS week, do not forget to include the “continued connections” with all of the families you will encounter this year. It is said that 10% of those that will attend a VBS this year will be “spiritual orphans.” Which means they do not have any con-nection to God, church, Jesus Christ, or you! Remember, you may be the very person that God wants to use to reach that family. Also remember that there are other churches and mis-sion points that would welcome your help in sharing VBS ma-terial, decorations, ideas, or even people! What a great way to have a summer mission trip and help another church conduct a VBS. Remember, if your State Convention of Baptists in Ohio can help you with your VBS needs, then please let us know. Stay in con-tact with us on Facebook. Go to VBS Ohio and post your pictures, family night ideas, make comments about how your week has gone, the ways God is blessing, etc. We look forward to receiving your stories. Have a blessed Vacation Bible School and may God receive all of the Glory!

In His Service,Dwayne LeeThe Bible Teaching/Leadership Resource Group

SAY YES TO VBS!Attention VBS Directors

Mark your calendars for November 22, 2014

The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio will be hosting a vacation bible school directors preview. We can’t tell you what the theme is right now but

this is a great jump start to the new year!

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW

June 2014 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 5

Being parents of interna-tional missionaries is a challenge. Feelings are mixed; happy your child and family are serving, yes. Happy about them being half-way around the world, not so much. It hurts to see your son or daughter go, and then there are those grandchildren… birth-days, Christmas, the first day of school, all to be observed from a distance – 12 time zones of dis-tance. There are many emotions to process for parents, siblings and grandparents of missionar-ies. The National Missionary Parent Fellowship was created to help. This year the group met in Kerrville, Texas, April 25-27. The event, hosted by the

Women’s Missionary Union of Texas, drew parents from many states. Well over 200 parents from several states, including Ohio, attended this retreat. Speakers for the event included Gordon Fort and Eddie Cox of the International Mission Board, as well as Wanda Lee

of the National Women’s Mis-sionary Union. Two current missionary families on state-side assignment were there and shared with the group about their life and ministries on the field. Workshops were available for parents to learn more about

how to support family mem-bers serving our Lord overseas. Some topics discussed includ-ed: I am a Missionary Parent, Now What? – Will You Pray for Our Children?– What Is a Third Culture Kid? and How to Leave a Legacy of Faith. Perhaps the most mean-ingful time for one mission-ary mom took place in a large group meeting as they prayed for IMB missionaries on their birthdays. That day happened to be her daughter’s birth-day. As she sat and listened to parents pray for missionaries around the world who were celebrating birthdays, she was deeply moved as she realized thousands of Southern Bap-

tists prayed for her daughter’s initials on that very day. She realized that no one knew her daughter by name, but the Fa-ther knew and heard those prayers. Thank you to all who regularly pray for our mission-aries on their birthdays! The next meeting of the na-tional fellowship will be April 7-10, 2016. Currently, Denise Hopkins is working to estab-lish the Ohio International Family Fellowship for parents and siblings of international missionaries. If you are an in-ternational missionary family member, please contact Denise (dhopkins@insight.rr.com) to be included on the contact list, if you have not already.

Buckeyes attend National Missionary Parent Fellowship ~ April 25-27

What did you do during the Buckeye Baptist Builder’s week at Seneca Lake Baptist As-sembly (SLBA)? Just to get you thinking you could have been a part of what 55 volunteers from around this great state were do-ing. Yes, 55 volunteers from the following churches spent a week at SLBA working on many jobs: Freedom Baptist Church, Ham-ilton / FBC Westerville / New-ark Baptist Church / Landmark Baptist Church, Dayton / Tala-wanda Baptist Church, Oxford / FBC Grove City /Beverly Bap-tist Church / Clough Pike Bap-tist Church, Batavia / University Baptist Church, Middletown / FBC Fairborn / Belle Valley Bap-tist Church / Perrysburg Baptist Church and two churches that aren’t even Southern Baptist! Wow, that touches all four corners and central Ohio. A great representation that shows the Love of Our Lord at work preserving our camp and pre-paring the way for souls to get closer to Him as they enjoy their time at camp this year. During 2013, a total of 2488 souls at-tended camps at SLBA, of which 229 became a follower of our Lord. That means over 9% of the folks who come to camp make a decision for Jesus. Oh yeah, what did they do? Well, for starters, they gave the chapel a new tin roof! Other jobs that were accomplished include outside painting of all 7 cabins, new lights in all 7 cabins, new roof on the tool shop along with

a new lean-to about 64’ by 35’ attached to cover equipment, painting of the outside of the tool shed, painting and trim around the new pool house, power wash both put-put golf courses, paint-ing the back side of the dining hall, and install a ceiling - trim and hand rail at the Buckeye Bap-tist Builders shelter house. The builders paid the expenses related for the shelter house. Along with supplying the materials for the shelter house, the builders took a collection

and bought two industrial size clothes washing machines for use by the camp! What hearts of love these folks have. Time, tal-ents, and funds all because “Jesus paid it all” for them! So will you be a part of this great group next year and join them as they work for the Lord? Set your calendar now for the week of May 3 - 9, 2015. Come see how God can use you!

Sam Kelley, SCBO

BUCKEYE BAPTIST BUILDERS AT SENECA LAKE BAPTIST ASSEMBLY

New tin roof on the Chapel.

Shelter house updated

June Help NeededFirst Baptist Church of Aurora, OH is hiring a part-time Family Ministry

Pastor with the goal of providing primary leadership to the overall youth and children’s ministry at FBCA with the goal of supporting

Christian parents and complementing non-Christian parents in the evangelism and discipleship of children from birth through grade

twelve. Please send a cover letter and resume to Pastor Drew Carroll by e-mail (pastordrew@fbcaurora.org) or fax (330-562-8070).

Page 6 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | June 2014

Women’s Missions & Ministries

How did you see God at work in yourself or others through this event? “Brought children who don’t normally go to church, to church.” Megan Cooper “More people getting excited to know about God.” Amber Sieg

Comments, suggestions, ideas:“I am very thankful that I came here today. God has really touched my heart. I am glad that God is taking care of me and helping me go down the right path.” Elaina Rae Shockey

Did God use the Beautiful Feet Experience to open your eyes to a type of ministry you would like to take part in, if it were available to you? If so, what ministry?“Missionary.” Mariah Coorey “Children.” Megan Cooper

How faithful is God? Within two weeks all four girls used their new “Gospel Presenting” skills at an association outreach event. To God be all glory and praise!

Join Us On Facebook! OWN-Ohio Women’s Network

Upcoming Women’s Ministry EventsEVENT DATEKids Kamp Week 1 June 16 - 20

Kids Kamp Week 2 June 23 - 27

Kids Kamp Week 3 July 28 - August 1

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer November 30 - December 7

Missions Camp August 4 - 8

Mother Daughter Retreat October 10 - 11

EVENT DATEPastors’ Wives Luncheon November 6

Ray Roberts Week of Prayer September 14 - 21

Royal Ambassador Congress April 11 - 12

Women’s Fall Retreat & Mission Celebration September 12 - 13

Women’s Regional Spring Retreats March & May

IMPACT Cincinnati Area Baptist AssociationIntentional Mission Project Affecting Community Transformation

2014 Beautiful Feet Experience

APRIL 12, 2014Thirteen Locations, Six Established Churches and Seven Church PlantsTwenty-Three ProjectsTwo Hundred Fifty + Volunteers from Forty-One Churches and Six AssociationsEight Reported Salvation Decisions

Find countless amazing stories about our awe-some God, His work in planning projects, prepar-ing resources, and presenting Christ, photos and testimonies at www.scbo.org and search Beautiful Feet 2014. Praise Jesus and thank you, Lord! One of these stories began in 2006 with Bob and Joanne Hopkins presenting Christ to children during Bible Clubs and Block Parties sponsored by Cornerstone Baptist Church, Batavia. Among other doors, volunteers knocked on the Coorey’s, Cooper’s, Sieg’s, and Shockey’s doors to invite their children. For the first time Mariah Coorey, Megan Cooper, Amber Sieg, and Elania Shockey heard the truth that Jesus loves them and gave His life to cover their sin. After six years of Bible club, eventually Sun-day School, and later youth group; by 2013 all

four girls invited Jesus to be the Lord of their lives. On April 12, 2014, Mariah, Megan, Amber, and Elaina volunteered to serve at a church plant, New Rock Baptist Church, in Cincinnati. Elaina and Amber chose face painting train-ing led by Heather Sheldon of Eastland Baptist Church, North West Ohio Baptist Association. Heather has a unique training because she only uses the Gospel Story colors. Mariah and Me-gan choose clowning training led by Susie Em-ery, FBC Woodsfield, Muskingum Valley Baptist Association. Susie has volunteers choose their clown “name” and costume to create an identity that opens doors to present Christ. Each of the girls shared personal testimonies in their church on April 13th.

Evaluation comments from the girls include:

June 2014 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 7

Women’s Missions & Ministries

Called to PraisePSALM 117

State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, 9000 Antares Ave., Columbus, OH 43240 Jack Kwok, PH.D., Executive Director-TreasurerChurch Goal:

2014 RAY ROBERTS OFFERING AND SEASON OF PRAYER FOR STATE MISSIONS

Praise the Lord, all nations!Glorify Him, all peoples!

For His faithful love to us is great;the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Hallelujah!

Ohio Baptists continue to pray for and support SBC appointed mis-sionaries and mission projects for many volunteer missionaries in your community, in Ohio, all over the USA, and to the Ends of the Earth. Thank you!

Total offerings received by April 30 include:

International Missions, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, $765,584.47

State Missions, Ray Robert’s Offering, $36,700.73

North American Missions, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, $164,090.65

Mission Offering Giving Update April 30, 2014 Report

Called To Praise!Ohio Royal Ambassadors 2014 RA Congress

Baptist Faith and Message, Article Six, The Church, states: “Christ has also given the churches their mission. They are to seek to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Christ gave the mis-sion to the churches, not to boards, conventions and agencies.” As Ohio Baptists, our churches are blessed to be served by our national boards, North American Mission Board and the In-ternational Mission Board; our nation-al convention, the Southern Baptist Convention, and your state convention, State Convention of Baptists in Ohio; and the most amazing mission education agency in the world, Woman’s Missionary Union ® to obey Christ and follow Him to ex-tend the Gospel to the ends of the earth. North Fairfield Baptist Church, West Central Asso-ciation, hosted the 2014 RA Congress. Among many blessings like an amazing praise team, great organiza-tion, and awesome facility; was the gracious and gen-erous act of kindness from NFBC GA’s. They prepared meals and snacks that ener-gized and encouraged the participants. Royal Ambassadors, young men first through sixth grade, met Friday night, April 11 to praise Jesus, practice Campcraft skills, play in a Missions Around the World Bas-ketball Shoot Out, and on Saturday, April 12, to im-pact a multi-housing area with Church Planters Alan and Lisa Lawless. Lakota Pointe, the new church plant, is building relation-ships with residents in this 204 unit apartment com-plex. The RAs joined the 2014 Beautiful Feet Experi-ence to IMPACT Cincinna-ti Area Baptist Association by potting flowers, knock-ing on doors, and gifting each family with a plant and message from the church planter. Lisa Lawless com-mented that she saw God at work as she, “Watched RA’s work beautifully as a team bringing gifts to people who aren’t always open to strangers.”

NFBC Praise Team

Gracious GA’s

Above: Lad’s CampcraftAt Left: Badge Earned

Page 8 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | June 2014

More than five hundred women from Ohio have gathered at one or more of the five annual regional spring retreats offered this year. Each retreat was planned and led by a team from churches in each region.

All the retreats collected an offering designated to scholar-ship Ohio women and teens on first time mission trips, or first time over seas mission trips. Donations may be made to this offering, know as the Joan White Scholarship, or ap-plications may be picked up at your state convention office.

Amanda Mishne, State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, 9000 Antares Avenue, Columbus, OH 43240.

2014 Women’s Spring RetreatsWomen’s Missions & Ministries

Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” …So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. (Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5) Paul saw the need to visit the churches, that they might be encouraged and strengthened. He would add to a long list of sufferings, “Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:28) Paul’s pas-sion for the church was demonstrated in his prayers. His letters are full of prayer for the churches. Some he knew well, and some he had never visited. The Pray Ohio 2014 Mission Ohio Prayer Initiative (scbo.org/pray) turns

our attention to praying for PROMOT-ING GROWTH, one of the three elements of our NEXT FACTOR strategy. During February, we prayed for PRESENTING CHRIST, each day praying for salvation among the many people groups represent-ed in Ohio. Our prayer emphasis in Oc-tober will be PLANTING CHURCHES as we join NAMB for the 10:2 prayer for laborers (based on Luke 10:2). Our purpose in June is to mobilize Ohio Baptists to prayer drive and/or prayer walk June 17-19. There are three suggest-ed prayer drives: praying quadrant loops, circling the state or forming a cross over Ohio. You may determine your own route, perhaps covering your association, county or community. We are also encouraging you to take prayer meeting to the streets

Wednesday evening, June 18. Whether or not you have a traditional Wednesday night prayer meeting, take that evening to prayer walk your church field.

Those who register their prayer driv-ing/walking will receive prayer cards, out-lining the prayers of Paul for the church. You may register your church on our website or by contacting Amanda Mishne (amishne@scbo.org 614.827.1814) Several prayer re-sources are available free for download at scbo.org/content/prayer-resources. Paul concluded one of his prayers for the churches with “…Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”(Ephesians 3:20-21) We pray because we believe He is able to do above and beyond all we ask, according to His power. We invite you to join Mission Ohio praying for His glory to be seen in His church.

Pray Ohio: 2014 Mission Ohio Prayer Initiative – Prayer Driving/Walking June 17-19

Pastor King, Columbus Tamil Church pictured George Kroupa, Dublin Baptist Church.

June 2014 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 9

MOMENTUM 2014

Evangelism Highlights

Momentum 2014 (The State Evange-lism Celebration) was held March 18th at Jersey Baptist Church in Pataskala. The day was exciting, encouraging, and challenging. More than 305 folks en-joyed a day filled with excellent preach-ing, tremendous worship, and multiple ministry training opportunities. The day was jam packed with activ-ity. A special group of musicians from various OH churches kicked the morn-ing off with some rousing and reflective music. Johnny Hunt (www.fbcw.org) followed with an outstanding message entitled “Encouragement That Fuels Enthusiasm.” Immediately following we had the joy of hearing about Engage 24 (www.engage24.org) and then seeing a husband and wife baptized that had accepted Christ just a few days before Mo14. Praise the Lord! David Uth (www.firstorlando.com) followed with the message “Poured Out.” He challenged us to live a life completely poured out for Christ. What a great word in our day! Many attendees were able to enjoy

a delicious barbecue meal catered from 62 Barbecue of Johnstown, OH. And of course the ladies enjoyed their annual luncheon with special guest speaker Jaye Martin (www.jayemartin.com). After lunch Ed Stetzer (www.ed-stetzer.com) challenged churches to be-come “Harvest Focused Churches.” His message was passionately delivered as he asked attendees to pray specifically for his lost father and other lost family members. May we covenant to do that for all our families as the Lord leads! Mid afternoon was filled with 10 breakout sessions covering a wide variety of min-istry subjects. Thanks to David Uth, Ed Stetzer, David Uth, DA Horton, Derwin Gray, John Hays, Keith Matthews, Todd Smeltzer, Rick Duncan, Chad Allen, Jeremy Westbrook, Shane Tucker, Steve Hopkins, and Jaye Martin for leading these valuable and relevant sessions. After our breakout sessions Ed Stetzer led a very interesting panel dis-cussion on the subject of “Taking the Gospel to a Lost World.” Kudos go to

Ed, John Hays, Derwin Gray, and DA Horton for their valuable insights and their rousing conversation. I especially enjoyed the interaction and the ex-changing of cultural nuances explicit to each ministry context. After the panel discussion DA Hor-ton (www.reachlife.org) preached a theological masterpiece entitled, “One Voice.” His impromptu rap was also very entertaining and extremely reflec-tive of how to engage our culture. Der-win Gray (www.transformationchurch.tc) closed the day with a message enti-tled “Vision Casting.” He challenged at-tendees to Look Upward, Look Inward, Look Outward and then to Roll Out for ministry! All of us need to take this message to heart. If not we just might encounter the evangelism linebacker when we least expect him! Special thanks go out to our praise band. They did an exceptional job lead-ing worship and continually prompted our hearts to seek God’s face and hear God’s Word. In addition, John Hays,

his staff, and the volunteers from Jer-sey Baptist Church were exceptionally fine hosts. Their servant hearts, sweet spirits, and hard working hands were refreshing to our souls. Thanks for be-ing so gracious, competent, and minis-try minded! Special thanks also to our State Convention Resource Team for their hard work in helping make the day a rousing success. In closing, let me say “THANK YOU” to everyone that participated, served, and attended. Mark your calen-dars for Tuesday, March 24, 2015. We’ll be back at Jersey for Momentum 2015. Begin making plans today to attend. There Is Victory In Jesus, Jack Helton, Evangelism Resource Group Leader

Church Growth and Revitalization Conference Jersey Baptist Church hosted the Church Growth and Revital-ization Conference on Monday March 17th. The event, co-spon-sored by the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio and The North American Mission Board, is de-signed to equip and resource de-clining or plateaued churches in infusing new life into their con-gregations. Unbelievably, 72% of Southern Baptist churches in North America fall into this category. Johnny Hunt, pastor at First Baptist Church Woodstock, GA was our keynote speaker and confer-ence leader. He was joined by Michael Lewis (www.namb.net/pastor-support), Chris Emery (www.namb.

net/revitalization), and Jim Law (Executive Pastor @ FBC Woodstock). Pastor Johnny spoke on three core concerns facing the church today: Health that Leads to Growth, Leading for Change, and Discovering and Developing Leaders. In addition Michael spoke on the subject Can Dead Bones Live. More than 125 pastors and church leaders at-tended. All attendees were given the book Revital-ize, lunch, and a $25 gift card to Lifeway. In addition everyone received a CGRC workbook. Answers to the fill in the blanks in those workbooks can be seen at http://www.scbo.org/content/evangelism-resource-group/resource-group-article/2014-revitalization-conference. Or go to www.scbo.org, hit the browse resources tag and look under the evangelism heading. Revitalization 2014 is the first file listed. Video con-tent of the conference can be viewed at www.momen-

tumconference2014.com. If you have any difficulties contact me at jackhelton@scbo.org or 614.309.9738. For additional information about Church Revitaliza-tion visit www.namb.net/revitalization.

“NOW is the day of salvation” ~ II Corinthians 6:2

Momentum 2014 messages are on video and can be viewed

or downloaded from www.momentumconference2014.com.

Johnny Hunt served as Revitalization keynote speaker and conference leader. Michael Lewis addressed the 125 participants of CGRC.

Some of Momentum’s 305 attendees.Ed Stetzer leads a panel discussion.David Uth Challenges listeners.

Page 10 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | June 2014

It is hard to believe that Living Hope turned 5 years old on Easter Sunday. Thank you for your prayerful and sacrificial investment over the years. The Lord clearly wanted a new church here in this town of 19,000 people. I am humbled, honored, and happy to share with you the harvest we received on Easter:

• 21 individuals went public with their baptism...(all-time high)• 556 people in attendance...(all-time high)• Many first-time guests to hear the Gospel message

Please continue to pray for us as we strive to make disciples and multiply here in Central Ohio. In these past 5 years, 164 people have been baptized, with 44% of them being adults. The Lord has blessed us with an incredible opportunity to turn this audience into an army. Words cannot express our gratitude for you.

Thanks & God Bless,Jeremy Westbrook,Living Hope Church,Marysville

Evangelism Highlights

This is an excerpt from a collegiate student attending-h2o Bowling Green that re-cently participated in assisting UrbancrestBaptist Church with their Dust weekend (a leader-ship and equipping event de-signed specifically for 7th-12th graders). “I went to Lebanon, Ohio to minister and council a bunch of high school wom-en for a weekend. Little did I know, the ENTIRE time I was being challenged as a person and leader. I was mentored and didn’t even expect it. I saw the POWER of God in more high school students than I thought possible. The music and wor-ship was so raw and beautiful. The speaker was phenomenal. My Co-leader showed me how

to be such a powerful woman of God and to step out of my comfort zone to serve and love. It was REAL. There is NO WAY I would have seen that coming. God is good, all the time. Lives are always changing. People are discovering the TRUTH. I’m speechless.” WOW! What a picture of Christians co-laboring to-gether to advance the cause of Christ in Ohio. Is your church reinvesting itself in the life and ministry of others? Are you supporting a collegiate church plant through prayer? Missions mobilization? Finances? For more information concern-ing student ministries, please contact Tim Binns (tbinns@scbo.org), or Brian Frye (bfr-ye@scbo.org).

Collegiate Ministry: The Power of Partnership

Dust weekend leaders

Partnerships That Work

The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio is excited to announce a Fall Sunday School conference like no other. You heard right…Change your Sunday School or Die! This conference offers a unique look at the church as a whole and how Sunday School plays a very important part of the overall ministry of the church. Authors Josh Hunt and Ken Hemphill will be our key-note speakers for this invigorating conference. We will also be offering age graded breakouts for ALL of your teachers. I’m encouraging everyone from Pastor to Preschool leader to make plans now to attend this conference September 5-6, 2014 FBC Groveport Ohio (near Columbus).

COST: $10.00 in advance $15.00 at the doorREGISTER AT: www.scbo.org search “Sunday School”

We look forward to seeing you there!

June 2014 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | Page 11

Evangelism Highlights

Churches Planting Churches Training Many pastors and church leaders desire to reproduce churches through starting new churches. Often there seem to be more questions than answers on how to accomplish this task. Many would love to have a guide that would assist their congre-gation in making this church planting dream a reality. Part of the Send North America strategy of the North American Mission Board is to help churches find answers. To help accomplish this we have partnered with the training net-work, Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI), to of-fer “Churches Planting Churches” Training (CPCT). This is a biblically-based, practical resource. The event is a “workshop” for planting new churches, not a conference. You will actually work with your team to complete an implementation assign-ment before you leave the CPCT.

WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR?• If you are a pastor or church leader who has never planted a

church and want to learn basic principles and steps to engage in church planting.

• If you would like to learn more about being a Sending Church (or Mother Church).

When the training has concluded, you will be able to...• Begin to envision what God may do through you and your

congregation• Overcome barriers, answer fears and objections to starting a

new church• Implement a six-step process to successfully plant new

churches

Look for a CPCT event coming soon to your region of North America: www.namb.net/cpct

“This training is essential to any and every church that wants to obey God’s call to fulfill the Great Commission but

doesn’t know where to start. After this training, the excuses will be gone and the vision will have started to develop.”

~ Noah Oldham, Pastor August Gate

“New churches need intentional support and an unmistakable commitment from their mother churches. The

“Churches Planting Churches” training gave us some biblical and practical ways that we can foster a healthy relationship with our

daughter churches. Church leaders, please make time for this important training. You won’t regret it!”

~ Dr. Michael O’Neal, Minister of Evangelism and Missions, FBC

“This training will prove to be a turning point in the trajectory of the ministry I will engage in

through the rest of my life.”

~ Chad Wilkins, Pastor

Page 12 | Ohio Baptist Messenger | June 2014

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord declares 2 Corinthians 5:8. Our good friend Pastor Guy Morton met our Lord Jesus face-to-face May 11. “Practice the Pres-ence of Jesus” governed the life of Guy Morton. This favorite statement of his truly governed his life and ministry. Guy Morton became a Christian through the witness of a pastor who gave him a ride as he was hitchhiking to pitch for a baseball team in South Caro-lina. Eventually, Guy Morton played for the Boston Red Sox team and was a locker mate with Ted Williams. His promising baseball career ended with a torn Achil-les tendon. Visiting his office is the clos-est I have ever been to the baseball hall of fame. He displayed autographed pho-tos and memorabilia of the Hall of Fame players and other greats in the world of baseball. God called him from a promising ca-reer in baseball to an even greater life’s work: the Gospel Ministry of our Lord Je-sus Christ. Guy Morton considered being the pastor of a New Testament church the greatest calling of all. He served as pastor of the Lorain Baptist Church, the West-wood Baptist Church, and the Lakeview Baptist Church for a total of 44 years. At the time of his homegoing, he was serving as the interim pastor at Firelands Baptist Church for the last 3 years. Brother Guy served as a trustee for the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, moderator of the Northcoast

Baptist Association, President of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio for 2002-2003, chair of the Collegiate Study Commit-tee, chair of the Faith, Family, and Future Campaign, and many other notable positions for Mis-sion Ohio and the Southern Bap-tist Convention. Perhaps the most memorable

legacy of Guy Morton is that he was a Barnabas. Acts 4:35 states, “Joseph . . . the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encourage-ment.” Guy Morton was a Barnabas to his family, the lost, the community where he lived, the saints, his church members, pas-tors, convention workers, and all whom he encountered. He was my friend. Sister Jeannie has served faithfully and energetically with Brother Guy. She exemplifies the same “Barnabas” charac-teristics of Brother Guy. To Sister Jean-nie and the Guy Morton family I must say “Thank You” for enabling him to serve in so many strategic positions within the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio and the Southern Baptist Convention to ad-vance the Kingdom and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Guy Morton leaves an iconic legacy of “Practice the Presence of Jesus” in the his-tory of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. His passion to share Jesus person-ally and through the Southern Baptist Co-operative Mission Program and live like Jesus as a “Barnabas” will continue to in-fluence those who follow in his footsteps. Let’s press toward that mark.

PRESS TOWARD THE MARK

Jack Kwok, Ph.D.Executive Director-TreasurerState Convention of Baptists in Ohio

How to become a

ChristianIf you are not a Christian, have never surrendered your will to the Lord Jesus, let me share briefly how you can make this life changing decision. GOD WANTS YOU SAVED.

First, you must believe that God loves you and wants you to have peace in your heart and an everlasting life (John 3:16).

Second, you must recognize that you are a sinner, that you have done things which have displeased God and that you have separated yourself from Him (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Third, you must believe that Jesus came to this earth, was actually God in the flesh, lived a perfect life, and yet went to a cruel cross, dying for your sins, paying once and for all the penalty of sin (I Peter 2:24). However, it’s not enough just to know these three things. Many of us knew them for years before we ever gave Jesus our lives.

Fourth, you must personally ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sins (Revelation 3:20).

You can pray this prayer now and if you mean it with all of your heart, Jesus will come in just like He said. He cannot lie.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I’m really sorry for my sins, Lord. I ask you now, Lord Jesus, to come into my heart, forgive me of my sins, take control of my life, and make me the kind of person You want me to be. I now receive You into my heart. Thank You for coming in. I will follow You all the days of my life. In Your name I pray, Amen.

For information about the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio and more Baptist Press news, go to our

website www.scbo.org.

For free promotional materials including posters, prayer guides, prayer cards, and

envelopes, contact Amanda Mishne, amanda@scbo.org, or by phone, 614-827-1814.

Thank you for praying and giving to support Ohio Missionaries and Mission Ohio!

Called to Praise

PSALM 117

State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, 9000 Antares Ave., Columbus, OH 43240 Jack Kwok, PH.D., Executive Director-Treasurer

Church Goal:

2014 RAY ROBERTS OFFERING AND SEASON OF PRAYER FOR STATE MISSIONS

Praise the Lord, all nations!Glorify Him, all peoples!

For His faithful love to us is great;the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Hallelujah!