JOURNAL OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

OCTOBER 1, 2010 VOL. 64 NO. 19

A Letter From President Leon Carmical

State Meeting Nears

National Missionsoffice announcesresignation ofFiodor Baraniuk

The BMAA Department of Missionswishes to inform all churches and min-istry partners,upon the requestof the Missions Ad-visory Committee,North AmericanRussian Coordina-tor FiodorBaraniuk has ten-dered his resigna-tion. Bro. Fiodor'sresignation is ef-fective October 1,2010. Churcheswho have directly supported Fiodor'sministry will be sent letters of explana-tion. The BMAA missions leadershipwishes to express our appreciation toFiodor for his years of service, and wepray for God's blessings on his futureministry.

Fiodor Baraniuk

by Leon Carmicalby Leon Carmicalby Leon Carmicalby Leon Carmicalby Leon CarmicalPresident, BMA of MississippiPresident, BMA of MississippiPresident, BMA of MississippiPresident, BMA of MississippiPresident, BMA of Mississippi

To The Churches and Messengers of theBMA of Mississippi,

What a great time to be a Christian,a Baptist and amember of theBaptist Mission-ary Associationof Mississippi!Our strong con-victions on theWord of God anda deep abidingfaith in AlmightyGod, and ourcommitment tothe Great Com-mission with our desire to work to-gether, makes the upcoming annualmeeting of the BMAM important.

This past year has been a year ofGod’s blessings on Mississippi Baptists.As you come to the state meeting youwill be hearing encouraging reports ofwhat God is doing through our people.Truly we can say, to God be the glory,great things He has done.

It is now time for your church tomake plans to be represented at theannual meeting of the Baptist Mission-ary of Mississippi. Let me encourageyour church to send messengers to berepresented at this meeting. We needyour wisdom, prayers, and vote.

Our theme for this year’s meeting is,“Learn It, Live It - The Life of theDisciple,” Acts 18:24-28. Please praywith me for the meeting that we willtruly catch the vision to disciple ourpeople to do the work of the ministry.

Let’s come together and associate forthe greatest cause of all, Jesus Christ!

The time is October 18-20 at South-eastern Baptist College in Laurel, Mis-sissippi. See you there!

Protecting The ‘Unprotected’

This “field service” was conducted Sept. 5 by Chaplain Inman for men who had beenon a firing range in Germany for three days, qualifying on weapon systems they will use inAfghanistan. “My ‘pulpit time’ with these guys is indescribable,” said Chaplain Inman.

Editor’s Note: BMA Chaplain DougInman is working with military person-nel and their families at Grafenwoehr,Germany, while the soldiers go throughtraining. As part of his duties, he wasgiven the assignment to organize andpublish The Vanguards Roll Call, anewsletter that is distributed to thesoldiers and their families.

Chaplain’s WordChaplain’s WordChaplain’s WordChaplain’s WordChaplain’s WordIt is my great pleasure to greet the

soldiers and families of 2-18 IN in ourfirst edition of The Vanguards Roll Call.

I will first introduce myself. My name isChaplain (CPT) Douglas J. Inman, andI call Arkansas my “where I come from”home. I am an avid Arkansas Razor-back and SEC fan. I love to hunt, fish,camp and, most of all, spend time withmy family.

I married my wife, Katja, 23 yearsago, and we have three great boys —Nathaniel, 13; Jonas, 10; and Caleb, 7.We have been on ground in Germany for

a little over 2 months now, and yes wehave received our household goods.

With that said, I want to let youknow I am very excited about beingyour chaplain. One thing soldiers andtheir families might not always knowis I am not only a chaplain to the onein the ACUs, but to his/her family aswell. I love to help families throughthose occasional rough spots they mayfind themselves in, so let the recordshow that I am here for you.

As we spend our time out here inGrafenwoehr going through some re-

ally good training, I can’t help butwonder if others may feel as I do attimes. Sometimes I feel quite unpro-tected! In fact, while deployed to Iraqthere were several times I felt unpro-tected. One of the reasons I felt that wayis because, as chaplain, I fall under anon-combatant role. That is exactlyright — I do not and cannot carry aweapon.

But even though I don’t carry a weapon

I still go “outside the wire,” in otherwords I go outside the safety of thecompound. Without going into greatdetails, I remember there were timeswhen I really felt vulnerable out there!

The chaplain’s branch came up withthe solution for this dilemma, and thatwas a chaplain assistant (CA). One ofthe main duties of the CA is being thechaplain’s security force. That’s right,he/she is my protection while on patrolsand such. I am really blessed to have agood CA, but that is not always enoughwhen it comes down to needing protec-tion from the things of this world.

Bottom line up front — sometimes weneed assurance that we are protected

continued on page 2continued on page 2continued on page 2continued on page 2continued on page 2

2 October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

News articles shouldcontain information that will beof interest to the general public

who are not members of thechurch that is reporting.

CHURCHNEWS

Spread the Word to Spanish-Speaking Congregations!

DiscipleGuide has Bible study resources in Spanish for all ages. These resources offer coordinated, Bible-intensive, life-oriented studies that equip both students and teach-ers. DiscipleGuide also offers additional Spanish-language resources including a fine selection of gospel tracts and a hymnal with an accompanying CD. Order online at www.DiscipleGuide.org/Spanish or by call-ing 1-800-333-1442.

from all the things that cancause us pain and suffering. Iwould like to share a verse withyou that brings me comfort andlets me know I am never unpro-tected! “The angel of the Lordencamps around those who fearhim, and he delivers them.”(Psalm 34:7) I believe whoevertruly fears the Lord, has noth-ing else to fear.

Via Baptist Trumpet

ChaplainChaplainChaplainChaplainChaplainfrom page 1from page 1from page 1from page 1from page 1

204TH ANNUAL SESSION - BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

October 18-20, 2010 - Southeastern Baptist College - Laurel, Mississippi

LEARN IT LIVE IT

The Life of a Disciple

Association Schedule

Monday - October 18, 2010WMA & Brotherhood will meet at

First Baptist Church of Shady GroveWMA Officers 6:00 PMWMA (Sanctuary) 7:00 PMBrotherhood (Fellowship Hall) 7:00 PM

Tuesday Morning - October 19, 20109:00 AM Registration9:30 AM Association Convenes

Southeastern Baptist CollegeSBC Choir

Annual Theme Presentation11:15 President’s Message12:00 Adjourn for Lunch

Order of Reports

Baptist Music FellowshipBrotherhood

WMASoutheastern College

Youth DepartmentMissions Department

Publication’s DepartmentBMA of Mississippi FoundationSenior Citizens CommissionChristian Action Commission

Commission on HistoryBaptist Children’s Home

Tuesday Afternoon1:30 PM Association Continues

Southeastern Baptist College

2011 Annual Site & Speaker2011 Midyear Site & Speaker

Adjourn

Tuesday Evening6:30 PM PreAssociation Concert

Stubborn Love7:00 PM Special Music7:30 PM Annual Message

Wednesday Morning - October 20, 20109:00 AM Association Continues

Big Creek MenBig Creek MenBig Creek MenBig Creek MenBig Creek MenThe men of Big Creek Baptist

Church recently held a "workday" and Men's Breakfst. Theguest speaker for the breakfastwas Laurel's own Tom Lester.

Lester is a motivational speakerand known nationwide for thecharacter of "Eb" from TV'sGreen Acres program. Mr.Lester brought a devotional, gavehis personal testimony and toldus about his days in Hollywoodand the adventures he had. Tomalso spoke concerning the cur-rent condition of our countryand urged us to be involved in

Pastor Don Brown withTom (Eb) Lester.

restoring it to its Christianfounding.

Music - EducationMusic - EducationMusic - EducationMusic - EducationMusic - EducationPosition AvailablePosition AvailablePosition AvailablePosition AvailablePosition Available

Bethel Baptist Church inFulton, MS is looking for a full-time music/education director.Anyone interested in applyingfor this position should send aresume to: Bethel BaptistChurch, Attn. Dr. MartinJameson, 445 Bethel ChurchRoad, Fulton, MS 38843.

Lebanon Baptist ChurchLebanon Baptist ChurchLebanon Baptist ChurchLebanon Baptist ChurchLebanon Baptist ChurchHomecomingHomecomingHomecomingHomecomingHomecoming

Lebanon will be celebrating105 years on Sunday, October10, 2010. The guest speaker forthe day will be former pastor,Bro. Leon Carmical. Everyoneis invited to attend this specialday, especially former membersand pastors. Lunch will be servedafter the morning service, fol-lowed by an afternoon service.Worship begins at 10:00 a.m.for more information please call601-729-2436 or 601-729-2123.

Rock Creek ChurchRock Creek ChurchRock Creek ChurchRock Creek ChurchRock Creek Churchto hold Revival Servicesto hold Revival Servicesto hold Revival Servicesto hold Revival Servicesto hold Revival Services

Bro. Harold Floyd of Laurel,Mississippi, will be in revival atRock Creek Baptist Church,Union, Mississippi, on Sunday,October 24. We will continueservices through Wednesday the27th. Services on Sunday will beat 11:00 with lunch following at12:00. Our afternoon service willbegin about 2:00 p.m. with week-night services will be at 7:00p.m. The Mississippi Five willbe with us on Sunday October24. Everyone is encouraged toattend. Call 601-774-8236 forinformation.

Survey: Americans don'tknow much about religionEditor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: I hope you will read the following article in itscontext. For us as conservative Baptists, I think the article stressesthe point that we must do a much better job in discipling those inour denomination. Knowledge, solid biblical knowledge is vital tothe success of the individual Christian and can not be stressedenough in the local church setting.

A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found thatatheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestantsand Roman Catholics in answering questions about major reli-gions, while many respondents could not correctly give the mostbasic tenets of their own faiths.

Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in thestudy didn't know that, according to church teaching, the breadand wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but (as theybelieve) becomes the body and blood of Christ.

More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Lutheras the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation. And aboutfour in 10 Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the greatestrabbis and intellectuals in history, was Jewish.

The survey released (recently) by the Pew Forum on Religion &continued on page 3continued on page 3continued on page 3continued on page 3continued on page 3

3October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

SoutheasternBaptist College4229 Highway 15 NorthLaurel, Mississippi 39440, (601) 426-6346 Dr. Medrick Savell

President

Serving Christ With a Biblical World View In A Christian Atmosphere

It is October already! Thatmeans that the fall semester isone-half gone and it is time toprepare for the annual meetingof the BMA of Mississippi.

We are thankful that themessengers accepted our invita-tion to meet on the Southeast-ern Baptist College campus. Weare excited about seeing manyfriends and supporters of thecollege and all departments andareas of service to our Lord. Weare praying for another meetingwhere unity prevails and muchprogress can be made in theLord’s work among the churchesin this association. We wouldencourage everyone who can toattend. We need the time offellowship and spiritual renewalthat will be experienced if wewant it to.

The college will be providinga breakfast again in the libraryfor alumni and friends begin-

ning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday,the 19th. Please let us know ifyou plan to attend so we willhave a better idea of how manyto plan for.

The college choir will sing inthe opening service on Tuesday.

Special EmphasisSpecial EmphasisSpecial EmphasisSpecial EmphasisSpecial EmphasisThanks to all who have sent

in your contributions to SpecialEmphasis. We are listing thechurches, associations, and in-dividuals who have given offer-ings at this time. Please con-sider joining in this neededproject.

ChurchesAntioch, SosoBerean, SosoBethel, SeminaryCenterville, MantachieCommunity, PoplarvilleEast Fulton, FultonFirst Baptist, Bay Springs

Scholarship recipients announcedMary and Amanda Lavinghouse are the recipients of the Preston

and Louise Cochran Scholarship for the fall, 2010, semester atSBC. They each received $500 to assist in their tuition.

The Preston and Louise Cochran Scholarship was established in2009 by their daughter, Mrs. BettyTurner. Bro. Cochran, assistedby his faithful wife, Louise, was aBMA minister and educator. Shewas an honor student in highschool and took several collegelevel classes. Bro. Cochran re-ceived his Associate degree fromJacksonville Baptist College,Texas; his Bachelor degree andMaster of Education from StephenF. Austin State University,Nacogdoches, Texas; and did doc-toral studies at the University ofSouthern Mississippi. He pastoredseveral churches in Texas andMississippi, was editor of the Mississippi Baptist paper, presidentof Southeastern Baptist College, a high school teacher and princi-pal, and involved in many other ministries. Mrs. Turner estab-lished this scholarship to assist ministerial students, wives ofministers, music students, and any other deserving student whoneeds assistance.

Mary and Amanda are sophomores at SBC. They are membersof the SBC Choir and participate in many other campus activities.Mary and Amanda are from Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Mary and Amanda Lavinghouse

First Calhoun, LaurelForked Oak, BoonevilleGood Hope, OvettHopewell, FultonGrace, PerkinstonLee’s Chapel #2, PicayuneLittle Creek, PerkinstonNew Bethany, EllisvilleNew Hope, CollinsvilleOak Grove, LucedaleOakland Grove, SandersvilleParamount, PerkinstonRamsey Creek, SaucierRiverside, EllisvilleRock Hill, MeridianSpring Hill, LaurelTen Mile Baptist Church LadiesSunday School Class, PerkinstonUnion, Bay SpringsWashington, NeelyWestlawn, PicayuneZion, Angillla

AssociationsHarmony Baptist AssociationOak Grove Baptist AssociationWashington Baptist Association

IndividualsMrs. Louise CrawleyMrs. Marjorie HarperMr. and Mrs. James MooreMrs. Odell StephensWayne and Vivian Parker

Please continue to pray forthe ministry of SoutheasternBaptist College.

DiscipleGuide Gives Sunday Schools New OptionsKevin W. Clayton, D.Min.Kevin W. Clayton, D.Min.Kevin W. Clayton, D.Min.Kevin W. Clayton, D.Min.Kevin W. Clayton, D.Min.

Executive DirectorExecutive DirectorExecutive DirectorExecutive DirectorExecutive DirectorSome exciting changes in our

Sunday School and small groupresources are coming, and wewant you to know about them.In recent years our curriculumhas seen a number of beneficialchanges in each age level, but Iwant to focus here on some sig-nificant improvements to be in-troduced this winter.

The Victory SeriesThe Victory SeriesThe Victory SeriesThe Victory SeriesThe Victory Seriesfor Childrenfor Childrenfor Childrenfor Childrenfor Children

With the winter quarter 2010-11 we will introduce dual ver-sions of the Victory Series usingthe King James Version and theNew International Version. If achurch prefers, it can continueto use the Victory Series basedon the KJV, or it can take ad-vantage of the option to orderthe same material based on theNIV.

Online Crafts Are ComingOnline Crafts Are ComingOnline Crafts Are ComingOnline Crafts Are ComingOnline Crafts Are ComingColoring sheets and other

helps have been available onlineas supplements to the VictorySeries lessons for quite sometime. These have been very popu-

lar downloads among ourchurches. Now there are newtools coming for churches thatuse the Victory Series. In thewinter we will offer for purchaseOnline Explorer Crafts to helpteachers to teach and review theExplorer Bible lessons. Includedeach quarter are thirteen craftideas, one for use with eachweek’s lesson. Each week’s ma-terials include full directions andprintable patterns. Other agelevels will be added later.

Adult Classes toAdult Classes toAdult Classes toAdult Classes toAdult Classes toBe Given an OptionBe Given an OptionBe Given an OptionBe Given an OptionBe Given an Option

Beginning with the winterquarter 2010-11 Compass Point,which targets young adults 18-45, will be based on the NIV.The Compass adult SundaySchool book will continue to bebased on the KJV. Our churchesare using different versions, sowe are making every attempt toprovide resources in both ver-sions so that all churches haveaccess to DiscipleGuide prod-

ucts in a version they prefer.

Web-Based CurriculumWeb-Based CurriculumWeb-Based CurriculumWeb-Based CurriculumWeb-Based Curriculumfor Studentsfor Studentsfor Studentsfor Studentsfor Students

Under the leadership of part-time DiscipleGuide Youth Edi-tor Steven Carroll, DiscipleGuidehas established a long-term goalof developing Web-based curricu-lum for students and their teach-ers. As for Bible versions, ouryouth resources provide the Biblereference allowing the studentsand their teachers to use theversion they prefer.

These are a few of the excitingimprovements on the way.DiscipleGuide is constantlyevaluating to determine how wecan provide more effective re-sources for BMAA churches. Ifyour church has not seen ourSunday School and small groupresources lately, we encourageyou to take another look. Ordera free sample packet of fall re-sources online today atwww.Disc ip leGuide .org /samples or call 800-333-1442.

www.DiscipleGuide.org800-333-1442.

Public Life aimed to test a broadrange of religious knowledge,including understanding of theBible, core teachings of differentfaiths and major figures in reli-gious history. The U.S. is one ofthe most religious countries inthe developed world, especiallycompared to largely secularWestern Europe, but faith lead-ers and educators have long la-mented that Americans stillknow relatively little about reli-gion.

Respondents to the surveywere asked 32 questions with arange of difficulty, includingwhether they could name theIslamic holy book and the firstbook of the Bible, or say whatcentury the Mormon religionwas founded. On average, par-ticipants in the survey answeredcorrectly overall for half of thesurvey questions.

Atheists and agnostics scoredhighest, with an average of 21correct answers, while Jews andMormons followed with about20 accurate responses. Protes-tants overall averaged 16 cor-rect answers, while Catholicsfollowed with a score of about 15.

Not surprisingly, those whosaid they attended worship atleast once a week and consid-ered religion important in theirlives often performed better onthe overall survey. However,level of education was the bestpredictor of religious knowledge.

SurveySurveySurveySurveySurveyfrom page 2from page 2from page 2from page 2from page 2

The top-performing groups onthe survey still came out aheadeven when controlling for howmuch schooling they had com-pleted.

On questions about Christian-ity, Mormons scored the high-est, with an average of abouteight correct answers out of 12,followed by white evangelicals,with an average of just overseven correct answers. Jews,along with atheists and agnos-tics, knew the most about otherfaiths, such as Islam, Bud-dhism, Hinduism and Judaism.Less than half of Americansknow that the Dalai Lama isBuddhist, and less than four in10 know that Vishnu and Shivaare part of Hinduism.

The study also found thatmany Americans don't under-stand constitutional restrictionson religion in public schools.While a majority know thatpublic school teachers cannotlead classes in prayer, less thana quarter know that the U.S.Supreme Court has clearlystated that teachers can readfrom the Bible as an example ofliterature.

"Many Americans think theconstitutional restrictions on re-ligion in public schools aretighter than they really are,"Pew researchers wrote.

The survey of 3,412 people,conducted between May andJune of this year, had a marginof error of plus or minus 2.5percentage points, while themargins of error for individualreligious groups was higher.

4 October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

Opinion PageJournal of the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi

Don J. Brown, EditorE-Mail - editor@msbaptist.orgWeb site www.msbaptist.org

USPS 353-960P.O. Box 8181

Laurel, Mississippi 39441-8000

Phone 601-426-3293Fax 601-763-4430

PRICE$20.00 Per Year by Mail

$10.00 Per Year by EmailCHURCH PLAN

$ 1.30 Per Month

Published on the 1st and 15th of each month by the Baptist MissionaryAssociation of Mississippi. Periodical postage paid at Hattiesburg,Mississippi 39402.

Postmaster: Send address changes to the Mississippi Baptist Paper,P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441-8000.

Church of the Covered Dish BY THOMAS TAPP

Listing of names does notindicate endorsement.

This column is forinformation purposes only.

AVAILABLEFOR SERVICE

Virgil T. AinsworthVirgil T. AinsworthVirgil T. AinsworthVirgil T. AinsworthVirgil T. AinsworthVirgil T. Ainsworth is avail-

able for service as the Lord maylead. He may be contacted at thefollowing numbers - home 601-729-8059 or cell 601-577-0924.

Dale WirickDale WirickDale WirickDale WirickDale WirickDale Wirick is available for

service or pupit supply. Wher-ever the Lord may lead.He may be reached at the follow-ing numbers - Cell 228-369-2608& Home 228-474-8886.

Bro. Eli listens intently as the committeediscusses the merits of scented toilet paper

over non-scented toilet paper.

Guest EditorialGuest EditorialGuest EditorialGuest EditorialGuest Editorial

The Internal BattlesOf Even The Best Of Pastors

by Brandon Coxby Brandon Coxby Brandon Coxby Brandon Coxby Brandon CoxTruth: Your pastor is weak.

He’s flesh. He’s human, frailand doesn’t always have it alltogether. He may be faithful toGod and thereby filled with theHoly Spirit, but there’s always asecret side to him. He will prob-ably never mention it in a ser-mon or a deacon’s meeting.Chances are, he won¹t even tellhis wife; but he endures battles.I’ve been a pastor for 13 years,and I’ve fought these battles forall of that time. I just want toadvocate for your pastor today totell you a few things you prob-ably weren’t aware of.

Your PastorYour PastorYour PastorYour PastorYour PastorBattles LonelinessBattles LonelinessBattles LonelinessBattles LonelinessBattles Loneliness

Pastors are surrounded withpeople who love them, but whooften don’t know them inti-mately. They are celebrated onSunday, but wonder on a slowFriday morning if they’ll everenjoy a deep friendship withanyone. Call him and encouragehim.

Your Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesFeelings of InadequacyFeelings of InadequacyFeelings of InadequacyFeelings of InadequacyFeelings of Inadequacy

Most pastors today are ex-pected to be great preachers,teachers, counselors, hospitalchaplains, advisors, financialmanagers, publicists, apologists,scholars, organizers, recruitersand sometimes maintenancemen. That¹s a lot of pressure.Most pastors are hard-wired todo one or two of those thingswell, so it¹s a virtual guarantee

he feels like he’ll never meetyour expectations in all of thoseother areas. Call him and en-courage him.

Your Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesUncontrollable OutcomesUncontrollable OutcomesUncontrollable OutcomesUncontrollable OutcomesUncontrollable Outcomes

Years ago, I started design-ing websites. It’s therapeutic. Ican type a few lines of code andperfectly predict how the resultwill work. People are different.Pastors counsel, advise, pleadand beg, but some teenagersstill rebel. Some marriages stillend in divorce. Some addictsreturn to their old habits. Callhim and let him know he’s mak-ing a difference in somebody’slife. Otherwise, he may neverknow.

Your Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesTemptationTemptationTemptationTemptationTemptation

All believers battle tempta-tion, but pastors are on the frontlines and Satan hates them.Pray for him daily. Never missa day. And maybe, today, callhim and pray for him over thephone. In 13 years of pastoralministry, I prayed with hun-dreds of church members overthe phone. Every now and then,one would surprise me and prayfor me. Talk about making apastor’s day!

Your Pastor Battles FatigueYour Pastor Battles FatigueYour Pastor Battles FatigueYour Pastor Battles FatigueYour Pastor Battles FatigueAt times, it’s short term.

Other times, it’s long term. Butyour pastor gets tired in thesame way you do, especiallyduring seasons when the church

is growing and doing well. Sendhim to a retreat. Let him knowit’s okay to take a day off.

Your Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesYour Pastor BattlesDoubts About the FutureDoubts About the FutureDoubts About the FutureDoubts About the FutureDoubts About the Future

He has most likely read ahundred books on church growthwritten by guys who made itlook so easy - start with fivepeople, add water and multiplyto thousands and get speakingengagements all over the coun-try. Your pastor asks now andthen, ‘will I ever get there?’ Callhim and share with him onesuccess story you’ve noticedwithin your church family. Re-mind him that it isn’t about themasses of unknown people, it’sabout that one.

The fact that your pastorstruggles with these issuesdoesn’t make him less qualifiedas a shepherd, it makes Himmore so. The writer of Hebrewssaid of Jesus, ‘For in that hehimself hath suffered beingtempted, he is able to succourthem that are tempted.’ (Heb.2:18) That’s true of your pastoras well.

Call him. Send him a note.Send an email. Pray for him.Pastors are heroes. Show yoursa little love today.

Don BrownEditor

The RevivalisT "RevivedFor a number of years this

editor was privileged to be a partof the ministry of Bro. GroverLaird's "Re-v i v a l i s t "newspaper.Within thepast year Bro.Laird stoppedthe printingand mailing ofthis publica-tion. It was ablessing to somany for solong and wewere one of those who hated tosee its publication cease.

I have received word fromBro. Laird that the publicationhas found new life on the Internet.

Bro. Laird now has a new homefor The Revivalist. It is avail-able free of charge on the web atwww.groverlaird.com.

I have taken a look at it andthe publication maintains thelook and feel it has had all theseyears. We are glad Bro. Lairdhas begun publishing once again.Take a look on the web at theNew Revivalist format. Just aclick away atwww.groverlaird.com.

May God bless this newmethod of publication as He didthe printed page for so manyyears.

If you wish to communicatewith Bro. Laird you may do soby Email atgroverlaird@nexband.com

2010 Annual MeetingBMA of Mississippi

October 18-20, 2010

The Life of a Disciple

Southeastern Baptist CollegeLaurel, Mississippi

5October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

October 1, 2010

Greetings from the Mississippi Baptist Children’s Home:We would like to express to you our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your prayerful and financial

support during the past year. Because of your love and concern in helping boys and girls in need you havemade a difference in preparing their lives for the future.

First and foremost, the most important preparation one can make for the future is to receive Jesus Christas their personal Savior. It is a joy to report that three of the boys and girls at the Home came to knowChrist as their personal Savior during this past year.

There is another area that is vitally important for one’s future life. And that is receiving the propertraining in the basic tenets of faith as outlined in the scriptures. You have helped these young people tobe placed in a better position to prepare themselves in a good home setting that promotes the buildingof Christian character that well equips them for their future lives.

As you are aware, October and November are Special Emphasis months for the Children’s Home eachyear. The Lord has been gracious in giving us the ministry of caring for children who are in need. Yourhelp during this Special Emphasis is important to the ongoing operation of the Home. Indeed, “HelpingChildren Prepare for the Future” has been our goal and continues to be so.

Pray for the ministry of the Mississippi Baptist Children ‘s Home that we will provide children with theloving warmth of Christian life and upbringing in an atmosphere that will help prepare them for the future.

Helping Children Prepare for the Future,Sidney D. Davis, Director

Mississippi Baptist Children's Home

Special Emphasis - October - November 2010

Sidney & Pat Davis

6 October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

2010 Mississippi Ladies Retreat Report

Mississippi W.M.A.Mrs. Ruby Bynum, President

43 Bear Pen Creek Rd., Laurel, MS 39440601-428-1901

Corresponding SecretaryMrs. Shirlene Smith

730 Hwy 533, Laurel, MS 39443601-729-5638

A good crowd at the 2010 Ladies Conference

WMA President Ruby Bynum addresses ladies

by Donna Lawrenceby Donna Lawrenceby Donna Lawrenceby Donna Lawrenceby Donna LawrenceMississippi State WMA EditorMississippi State WMA EditorMississippi State WMA EditorMississippi State WMA EditorMississippi State WMA Editor

Ladies just let me tell you if you were not at theMississippi Ladies Retreat September 10 & 11, 2010,you sure missed a great retreat with multiple bless-ings. This year we had so many that had never beento a retreat. What made that such a blessing was thatmany of these ladies were young women which will beour future leaders of tomorrow. Thank you Lord forputting it in their hearts to come. We also had somethat were above 80 years of age. I talked to one ladythat was 90 years old.

Mrs. Anita Akers, from East Amory Baptist Churchand wife of Pastor Roger Akers, was our speaker. She

did such a fantastic job presenting ‘Big Girls GrowingUp in Christ’. She chose II Peter 3:18 as her text verse,“But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lordand Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now andforever, Amen.” She made the comparison of thenatural birth to the spiritual birth. Each birth startsas a baby to be fed and nurtured or there is a failure tothrive. Just as babies have to be fed milk at first, newChristians have to be fed the milk of the Word beforethey can digest the meat of the Word. It is so amazinghow God has worked all this out for us. Let each of us

start off this new church year more eager to pray andseek God’s will for our lives, then stay busy growing upin Christ. This takes work. Nobody said that it will beeasy, but it is worth it all.

The silent auction brought in $967.50 that will gotoward our project, the work of Bro. Ray Boone and theHattiesburg mission. Thank each lady that broughtsomething to sell or made a purchase that made the

silent auction the success that it was. Rememberladies, if you haven’t sent in your project money, pleasedo this as soon as possible. It is amazing when we allwork together what we can do for the glory of the Lord.The Hattiesburg mission needs our help so they canspread the Gospel to a lost and dying world

A very special thanks goes out to Mrs. SharonLindsey, Mrs. Chris Smith, and all their helpers for allthe work that they put into making the plans andcarrying them through - great job & well done. Thanksfrom all that benefitted from your hard work.

Our Mississippi State WMA meeting will be Mon-day, October 18, 2010, at First Shady Grove, Laurel,at 7:00 p.m. We are looking forward to seeing a greatcrowd. Do your part to be present. There will be anofficers meeting at 6:00 p.m. prior to the meeting. Wewill be electing new officers for the coming year.

Sofilthy's Atticby Barbara White

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward thesky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in themorning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why doesa topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why arethe officers UP for election and why is it UP to thesecretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends, we brighten UP a room,polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers andclean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and someguys fix UP the old car. At other times, the little wordhas real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, lineUP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UPexcuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressedUP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be openedUP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store inthe morning, but we close it UP at night. When itthreatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When thesun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To beknowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look theword UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary,it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UPto about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, youmight try building UP a list of the many ways UP isused. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don'tgive UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

All of these UPs remind me of a song, "Lift Up YourEyes, Your Redemption Draweth Nigh". Thank Godfor that fact!

"UP"

1.2 Million Shepherd Bags for HondurasNot Just a Dream but Reality! - “A Three Year Window of Opportunity”

have told many people that this opportunity for Shep-herd Bags ™ sounds so impossible that people havebegun to believe it is possible. This is the kind ofenthusiasm that is needed to reach such a God goal.

We have put together a three-year plan for thisendeavor. Why three years? The President of Hondu-ras can only serve a single four year term. PresidentLobo took office in November of 2009. His term willexpire in November of 2013. Not knowing who thenext President will be nor their agenda, we feel thatGod has opened this door of opportunity for the nextthree years.

How do we make this cost effective and insure that

we are being efficient as well as good stewards? Eventhough we are still in the development of this massivecampaign, we’re praying and planning to step out infaith and start. Listed below is what we feel to be ourplan for success.

1. Allocate an $8.00 amount for each Shepherd Bag™.This will allow us to purchase the contents of the bag& cover the shipping and distribution charges. To ship1.2 million Shepherd Bags™ will take sixty 40 footcontainers. It will be important that we build into thecost of the bag expenses for shipping and in countrydistribution.

2. All bags will be uniform and exactly the same. Weare phasing out girl and boy bags. This is veryimportant for several reasons. 1) It is easier to pack &load the container by allowing us to get an equalamount of bags per box; it simplifies the ordering &record keeping process and makes distribution moreorganized in Honduras. 2) It insures that that no childwill feel they were cheated or discriminated against.This will be important when government officials areparticipating in the distribution process. We do notwant to show the appearance of partiality to anyoneregardless of gender, race, religion, or economic stand-ing. 3) Our target group is kindergarten children ages5 and 6. We want to insure the children receive ageappropriate bags with items that would not be a healthhazard. The decision for the specific items beingpurchased for the new uniform bags was based uponthe advice of our EIM Director in Honduras.

Since our initial announcement of our call to provideShepherd Bags ™ to all the kindergarten classes in thecountry of Honduras we have been flooded with greatideas and suggestions on how to make this a reality.We do appreciate everyone who emailed and called theoffice. Your interest and excitement has been a greatencouragement to us at EIM. This has been just oneof many ways God has confirmed to us that all of thiswas ordained by Him and Him alone. It has beenamazing to see how many churches, WMA’s, VacationBible Schools, GMA’s, Galileans, Sunbeams, Awanaclubs and individuals that have already begun to getinvolved. It’s awesome to see how God is at work. I continued on page 7continued on page 7continued on page 7continued on page 7continued on page 7

7October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

E.N.C.O.U.R.A.G.E. OthersE.N.C.O.U.R.A.G.E. OthersE.N.C.O.U.R.A.G.E. OthersE.N.C.O.U.R.A.G.E. OthersE.N.C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Others

Family ArkMinistriesTravis Plumlee

Part OnePart OnePart OnePart OnePart OneRomans 15:2 "Let every one ofus please his neighbor for hisgood to edification."

As I travel around the coun-try, I have never seen a greaterneed for brothers and sisters inChrist to encourage one another.Our society as a whole is sodiscouraged that if we start en-couraging lost people in theirlife, I believe it gives us a win-dow of opportunity to witnessand hopefully lead them to Christ.By us reflecting encouragementto others, it gives them cause tolisten to this hope that is withinus. That lays the ground workfor them to listen to the Word.Faith comes by hearing andhearing from the Word. So,encouragement is good to buildup our family, friends, and thebody of Christ. Encouragementis also good to pave the way toopportunity to witness about thehope of Jesus Christ. All of thisis good.

Now you may be feeling thatyou need a little more encour-agement. You may need a lot ofencouragement. One thing forsure, I have never met anyonethat says they are over encour-aged from their family. I have

never heard someone tell methey need to talk about a prob-lem followed by the statement,"I am too encouraged at work. Ialso am overwhelmed with en-couragement and appreciationat home." Encouragement issomething we can all use moreof. I want to exhort you to give itaway freely.

You see, if you encourage oth-ers you will be encouraged. Whatgoes around comes around. Oras scripture teaches in Galatians6, we reap what we sow. If youneed some more encouragement,don't hold back. Don't be pettyand say, I will encourage myspouse when they give me someencouragement, or whateverrelationship you are speakingof. If you want to be encour-aged, give it away.

Senior adults are often lonelyand have a lot of problems. Theyneed someone at church to saysomething encouraging to them.

Teens growing up today arediscouraged. Can you imaginetrying to live for Jesus in apublic school today! They mustmeet with a lot of discourage-ment along the way. An encour-aging word from an older personat church might spur them on

to keep the faith. 99.99999% ofmarriages need more encourag-ing words to flow between eachother.

And if you don't like yourpastor or youth minister, tryencouraging them some Sun-day and you might just get anew preacher. You'd be surprisedhow little some ministers areencouraged. People might think

it is a calling full of encourage-ment and thankful people. Inmost churches today, it is justthe opposite.

I hope you are getting the ideathat we all need more encour-agement and we all need to giveit more. Let's don't sit aroundwaiting for it to come to us. AsChristians, one of the easiestand fastest ways to let our lightso shine before others is to be aperson of encouragement. Thisworld is hurting and looking for

some encouragement. Let it befound in the people who followJesus Christ. Here is whatencouragement stands for.

E - Edify. Edify comes from thesame root word of edifice whichis a building. We should buildeach other up by our words.Find one thing nice to say eachday to everyone you meet.

N - Nurture. Nurture means tocause to grow. Our words ofencouragement can cause peopleto grow in the Lord. Did youknow that the number one wayto keep kids off of drugs is toencourage them? Discouragedkids are like an injured rabbit tothe roaring lion known as Sa-tan. The jaws of the drug cul-ture peer group are ready todevour discouraged kids.

C - Courage. It takes courage tospeak up to someone you don'tknow very well at church. Itmay take some courage for asenior adult to speak to a teen-ager. It takes courage for a co-worker to stop the work day longenough to listen and encouragesomeone. It takes courage for aspouse to put their arm around

their spouse and encourage themafter a hard day. Ask God for thecourage to encourage others.

O - Opine. It means to give youropinion. Sometimes encourag-ing someone is making a state-ment like, "Well, I think you aredoing a good job and I am proudof you." Others may not besaying that. It is encouraging toothers to show you believe inthem even when they don't be-lieve in themselves. While it isjust an opinion, it is that shot inthe arm of energy that we reallyneed some days. But be sincere.

U - Understand. It is encour-agement to others if you justunderstand where they are com-ing from. There are many timesin my life when I can't knowhow it feels for this person to begoing through something, be-cause I have never had theirexperience. But we can all showthat we understand they are inpain, or lonely, or hurting. It isempathy. Understanding thepoint of view that your spouse istrying to make to you can bevery encouraging. Watch forthe remainder of this article inthe next issue.

3. If you would like to assemble Shep-herd Bags™ this is the new procedure.We will have standard items that wouldbe ordered from our EIM office andshipped directly to the address you pro-vide. Example: If you were to raise$1,000 & would like to assemble bagsyourself or with a group, this is whatyou need to do. Contact the EIM Warrenoffice & provide information we willneed to order and upon receiving yourdesignated Shepherd Bags ™ offering,we will order the contents for the 125bags you will be making, (excluding theone gallon storage bag. At the presenttime, we are unable to get a bulk rate forthe bags). Allow up to four weeks fordelivery of items. It usually takes twoweeks or less to receive the items butthere are occasional backordered itemsdue to the volume that we order. It’s agood idea to not set your assembly workday until all of your supplies have beenreceived.

4. We will announce in the next fewweeks drop off sites for all the ShepherdBags™ that have been assembled. Wewill have strategically placed these lo-cations to cover six states. We will have

individuals that will travel to the dropoff stations and collect the bags andbring them to Warren, Arkansas forboxing and /or shipping. If you or yourchurch would be interested in being adrop off site, please contact us.

5. To make this goal achievable we areasking for 1000 churches, Sunday Schoolclasses, GMA’s, WMA’s, Youth groups,Sunbeams, Awana Clubs, Civic organi-zations, or individuals to commit toproviding 400 bags per year for threeyears. That would allow us to ship400,000 bags a year for three yearsreaching our goal. Of course, you arenot limited to a specific number of bags.Some have decided to join with others asa group to work to reach or surpass thisgoal.

6. Some might prefer to financially sup-port this effort instead of making bags.That would answer a great need byproviding the funds for us to purchaseitems and assemble bags locally at ourWarren warehouse. We are set up toassemble, box and store our bags untilshipment. If you want to give an offer-ing to help, designate it: “Shepherd

Bags” and mail to: EIM, Attn: Julie, P.O. Box 297, Magnolia, AR 71671.

Since its beginning in 1999, we havenot changed the way we do the Shep-herd Bags™. But when God grows aministry like He has this one, manytimes you have to change and adapt togrow. At this time, we truly believethese changes will allow us to moveforward to meet this incredible goal.We’re humbled that God would everprovide an opportunity like this.

Whyhave so many people become ex-cited about this? Why is EIM excited?It’s not because of the Shepherd Bag™itself, although it is a blessing to see asmall child get his or her first gift or toy.It is because of the opportunity to preachan uncompromised Gospel to millions ofpeople over the next three years. Howmany will be saved through this effort?Only God knows. But what I do know isthat millions will at least hear theGospel. And isn’t that all we have beenasked to do? The Shepherd Bags™ isonly a tool we use to present the mostimportant thing in life, and that is the

Good News that Jesus Saves. TheBible tells us in John 12:32, “And I, ifI be lifted up from the earth, will drawall men unto me.” Over the next threeyears we will be lifting Him up tomillions of people and over the nextthree years God will be drawing mil-lions unto Himself. How incredible isthat? What a God!!!

Please visit our web site if you havequestions. www.eimworldwide.org .We are in the process of updating ourShepherd Bags ™ link and will have itup and running in a couple of weeks. Ifthe web site doesn’t answer all yourquestions please email or call FondaNorris at the Warren office at 870-226-3626 or email her atfnorris@eimworldwide.org.

If you would like someone from EIMto come and share with your church orgroup, please contact: Rocky Goodwinat rgoodwin@eimworldwide.org ormyself, Mike Goodwin atmgoodwin@eimworldwide.org and wewould be happy to schedule a represen-tative or ourselves if our schedule per-mits.

Shepherd Bags for Hondurasfrom page 6from page 6from page 6from page 6from page 6

2010 Annual MeetingBMA of Mississippi

October 18-20, 2010

8 October 1, 2010 • Mississippi Baptist

Commission on Senior AdultsVern D.Holifield, Director

4226 Highway 15 NorthLaurel, Mississippi 39440

Here we are in the Fall of2010. The leaves are beginningto turn and fall to the ground.It seems that the years passmore quickly than they use to.One's age might have some-thing to do with that. The timefor us to be up and about theLord's business is now. It is ajoy to talk with our many friendsby way of the Mississippi Bap-tist Paper. It is good to be ablereport on the Commissionthrough the ministry of thispaper as well.

Our BMA WorkOur BMA WorkOur BMA WorkOur BMA WorkOur BMA WorkAs I travel around to the

various Local Associations andobserve the attitude and spiritof our people I am encouraged.It seems that there is a renewedinterest in the work. My wifeand I attended the three Asso-ciations in North Mississippi inSeptember and we really en-joyed the meetings. The atten-dance was better in all threeAssociations.

The fellowship was a specialblessing to us. The Judson As-sociation held in its Annualmeeting on Saturday, Septem-ber 11. It was a good day. TheState Department leaders were

well received . Dot and I at-tended the Annual Associationof the Mid Central Association.These churches took a step tosupport the Commission. Iheard Brother Doyle Moore inseveral meetings. He thrilledour hearts as he reported on thework on many foreign fields.The Baptist Missionary Asso-ciation in Mississippi and theBaptist Missionary Associationof America are not dead. Themessage of Jesus Christ is heardin many parts of the worldthrough the BMA. I amhumbled to be a part of such aScriptural work. .

Your CommissionYour CommissionYour CommissionYour CommissionYour CommissionYour Commission on Senior

Adults enjoyed a good year.More churches are organizinga ministry to their seniors. Wewelcome Temple BaptistChurch, Lucedale, to our fam-ily of budget givers. BrotherB.J. Hudson is Temple's pas-tor. If your church does notsupport your seniors and se-niors over the state through theCommission, then why not? Itwould be good for every churchto help us help your dear se-niors.

Church VisitsChurch VisitsChurch VisitsChurch VisitsChurch VisitsSouth Prentiss, Baldwyn;

Sardis, Iuka; Hillcrest, YazooCity; Magnolia Heights, For-est; Hickory Grove, Lumberton;Springhill, Laurel; Midway,McClain; Broadmoor, Merid-ian.

Association VisitsAssociation VisitsAssociation VisitsAssociation VisitsAssociation VisitsHobolochitto, Washington,

Tombigbee, Harmony, Judson,and Mid Central.

2011 Conferences2011 Conferences2011 Conferences2011 Conferences2011 ConferencesThe Big Creek Baptist

Church, Soso, and Pastor DonBrown will host the SouthConference. The date is Tues-day, March 29, 2011. Time9:15 AM till 3 PM.

The First Baptist Church,Mantachie, and Pastor Dr.John Adams will host the NorthConference. The date is Tues-day, May 3, 2011. Time 9:15AM till 3 PM. The theme forthe Conferences is Discipling ormaking Disciples. We mustteach our people how to win lostsouls and how to serve the Lordin a positive way. Jesus said toHis Church, GO, teach or winthem, and baptize them, and toTEACH them to OBSERVE allHe said to do. (Matt. 28: 19-20).It is a huge task, but Jesus saidto do it.

We are praying for and be-lieving for 350-400 to be at BigCreek, and 200-250 to be atFirst Baptist. I am askingevery pastor to be a positive

promoter of these great meet-ings. Pastor, if possible youwill do yourself good to attend aSenior Adult Conference in2011. You say there is nothingexciting going on in the BMA ofMississippi? Well, you haven'tattended a Senior Adult Confer-ence. Try it and you will like it.The Conferences will be pro-moted through this paper andby letters to the pastors andchurches.

Senior PreachersSenior PreachersSenior PreachersSenior PreachersSenior PreachersWe will give special recogni-

tion to preachers reaching fiftyyears in the ministry in 2011.We will mail a form to thechurches and ask qualifyingpreachers to fill in and returnto the office. It takes time toprocess these and to have theplaques made. Please help uswhen you receive the forms.

MINISTERS RESOURCE SERVICESRetirement Agency of the BMA of America, Ron Chesser, Director

Retirement PortfolioExceeds $10 Million

God has blessed MRS beyond our expectations. On September24, 2010 our BMA Retirement portfolio passed 10 million for thefirst time, closing that day at 10.1 million. We have been prayingfor a long time that God would continue to bless this ministry byallowing us to reach this milestone. We are so thankful to our Lordfor the outstanding growth we have experienced in recent years.Our BMA Retirement portfolio was at 3.2 million just 10 years ago,so we have more than tripled the portfolio during the past 10 years.

Get on board. October is “Pastor Appreciation Month” through-out the BMAA. Show your appreciation to your pastor and churchstaff by enrolling them in the BMA Retirement at MinistersResource Services. Our Long Term Growth retirement returnshave averaged a growth of 8% each year for the past 8 years. Weare only a phone call away at 870-774-2654.

We would also be encouraged by a love offering in October fromyour church to assist us in continuing to “Serve the Servants ofGod.” October is our special emphasis month, by vote of theassociation, for such an offering. What can I say that I have notalready said about this retirement ministry, except to pray, “Lord,let it continue to grow so it may minister in meeting the needs ofyour servants for your honor and your glory. Amen.”