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Post by Church News on Jun 12, 2008 16:18:42 GMT -5
Master Horseman Tracts Now Available Through KBCRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsChristians seeking to reach equestrians with the gospel now have access to a themed tract developed by the Kentucky Baptist Convention specifically for those interested in or involved with horses. Entitled “The Simple Plan of the Master Horseman,” the 20-page tract features a variety of equestrian photos and a story line that compares the will of a horse with the will of sinful man. “Kentucky is the horse capital of the world, and yet there are very few evangelistic resources targeting those in the horse community,” said Eric Allen, mission service and ministries director for the KBC. “We wanted to offer a resource that would meet those needs. The tract is useful for sharing the gospel with anyone who is lost, but it will be most effective with those who work with horses, as well as those who ride for pleasure,” he said. The tract can “be used by chaplains, missionaries, and volunteers at racetracks and shared with those at 4H competitions, rodeos, horse shows, riding stables and county fairs,” said Allen. “We envision it being used throughout North America by many different equestrian ministries, missionaries, and churches.” A Spanish version of the tract was also developed as part of an ongoing emphasis to reach out to Hispanics in Kentucky. “Many of those working in the horse industry here in Kentucky are Hispanic,” he said. “This is an easy way for Christians to share the gospel with their Hispanic neighbors.” Allen also believes the new resource will play a key role in the KBC’s strategic outreach during the 2010 World Equestrian Games, when “hundreds of thousands of horse enthusiasts from all over the world will converge on Lexington.” The games will take place Sept. 25 through Oct. 10. The KBC is making the tracts available for purchase at a minimal cost-recovery rate. To learn more, visit www.kybaptist.org/horseman or email ministries@kybaptist.org. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jun 15, 2008 7:11:21 GMT -5
Kentucky Pastor Becomes Navy Chaplain at Age 48Ken Walker is a freelance writer based in Huntington, W.Va. It's been nearly 24 years since Ed Erwin observed Memorial Day in a military role, so it holds special significance this year for the longtime Southern Baptist pastor. At 48, Erwin joined the Navy as a chaplain on Jan. 7. The son of a retired Army officer enlisted at an age when many fellow Baby Boomers are pondering future pension benefits or Social Security's future. "I know as a chaplain I'll be involved in a number of services," Erwin said of Memorial Day's commemoration of men and women who died in military service. "I've done that before as a pastor in Shelbyville (Ky.)," said Erwin, who was pastor of First Baptist Church there for 12-plus years. Memorial Day began in 1866 to honor veterans of the Civil War, but after World War I it was expanded to include those who died in any war. "There are a number of veterans who inspire me," Erwin said. One is still living -- his father, retired Lt. Col. Hamilton Erwin. A conversation the two had in the fall of 2006 stirred the son to think about rejoining the Air Force. Ed Erwin had served with the reserves during the summers of 1983-84 while in seminary. When his father, a Vietnam veteran, commented that the Army was taking people back with prior experience, Ed began to ask whether the Air Force would do the same. "After he mentioned this is when I started getting excited," said Erwin, a veteran of 22 years in the pulpit, most recently in Kentucky, and a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Through Dad talking to me, I felt God had spoken to me about the military." However, after contacting an Air Force recruiter he quickly was told: "You're too old." A few hours later, a similar response came from an Army representative. Erwin put the issue on the back burner until he learned in February 2007 that the Navy's only age requirement was to be 21 and there was a possibility they would grant a waiver past normal retirement age of 62. If the waiver eventually is granted, it would allow him to complete a 20-year career, one of several goals he has set for the next two decades. However, before entering the Navy, Erwin had to pass various examinations. That included a physical in which he ran 1.5 miles in just over 10 minutes and did 71 sit-ups and 50 push-ups. That helped him prepare for basic military orientation training at the Naval Chaplain School in Newport, R.I., where in the brisk Northeastern winter he ran seven miles at a clip three times a week. His routine included regular weightlifting sessions and a weekly one-mile swim. Why submit to such rigors at his age? Because his nation is at war and needs chaplains, Erwin said. "It's challenging -- the separation from family, physical endurance, the stress," he said. "I have a great respect for my fellow chaplains; I'm proud to be associated with them. "You make many sacrifices," Erwin added. "There's nothing they could pay you to make up for these sacrifices. You have to be called. Most people don't have any clue what's involved." Erwin knows he could serve in the war-torn Middle East, even though that may not occur until 2011. Currently stationed at a base in Florida's Panhandle, he acknowledges that everyone who signed up recently faces certain duty overseas. Still, he doesn't regret his new career. "The chaplains are the cream of the crop," Erwin said. "They're the best kind of ministers. They're physically fit, emotional strong and intellectual. They're highly intelligent." Bolstering Erwin's decision to head for the military in middle age is his wife, Rhonda. The daughter of former missionaries, her father also had served in the Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam during the war in Southeast Asia. When her husband shared his thoughts about enlisting, she replied, "That's awesome. Go for it." Although that meant spending nearly three months apart during training, Rhonda stands by her decision to swap the role of pastor's wife for chaplain's spouse. "My philosophy has always been to be ministry partners together," said Rhonda, who taught Sunday School and helped lead Vacation Bible School in Shelbyville. "I'm still going to be doing the exact same thing, of being extremely supportive, not just to him but also in ministry with him. I will be ministering myself to different families and trying as best I can to help wives and counsel them." She said she is especially proud of her husband following in the same line as her family, noting that both sides came to America in the early 1600s and that many served in some military capacity through the years. So, when her husband lends his voice to Memorial Day observances, Rhonda Erwin also will reflect on those who went before her -- and call her father to thank him for his service to the nation. "Ed's father," she added, "did three tours in Vietnam before he got his shoulder blown off. I'm so honored and I want them to know how grateful I am for their sacrifice. "Anybody in the military -- that's all they do is sacrifice. It's not a job to get ahead make a boatload of money. All it is sacrifice for others and for your country," Rhonda said. Of course, with his wife handling the primary child-rearing duties for two youngsters, Erwin returns the favor when he talks about those who deserve the most credit. Spouses of soldiers and sailors make a greater sacrifice because they have to take care of financial and other family matters, including acting as a single parent when their loved one deploys, Erwin said. "The Navy spouses are the true heroes," he said. "They should get the glory for all they do. They're the ones who make it possible for us to do what we do." The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jun 20, 2008 15:32:19 GMT -5
NAMB Names Riley MSC Missionary of the YearRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe North American Mission Board (NAMB) has selected Harrell Riley of Princeton as Mission Service Corps Missionary of the Year for 2007. NAMB representative Mike Riggins presented the award to Riley during a May 28 chapel service at the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s Louisville headquarters. “What you see…in Harrell’s ministry is humble service that is reflected in changed lives. People are being shown the gospel in tangible ways,” said Riggins, a regional coordinator for NAMB. “You also see how God is changing lives through the many volunteers who are being reached and drawn in to expand the ministry.” Riley was nominated for the national award last summer after the Kentucky Baptist Convention named him as Kentucky’s MSC Missionary of the Year last May. “We receive nominations for the national MSC Missionary of the Year award from our 43 conventions each year,” Riggins said, noting that there are currently more than 2,100 MSC missionaries in the Southern Baptist Convention. “Harrell’s nomination just rose to the top.” Mission Service Corps missionaries are self-funded missionaries who are commissioned by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Riley gave up a steady job in a production factory in Princeton more than six years ago to become an MSC missionary through the KBC. Now operating from a minimal salary, Riley is head of Hell is Real Ministries, a ministry focused on evangelistic outreach. “I’m very humbled by him and I have a great deal of respect for Harrell,” said Eric Allen, mission service and ministries director for the KBC. “He is a tremendous example of what an MSC missionary is, and what our missionaries are doing in Kentucky.” Riley coordinates ministries at Job Corps sites in Morganfield, Greenville and Simpsonville and ministers at the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex in Eddyville. Job Corps is a federally funded program designed to teach occupational skills to economically and socially disadvantaged students. Another of Riley’s outreach programs involves bringing the Awana children’s program to the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex as a way to reconcile families and further minister to inmates. He also provides leadership to college student missionaries each summer, works with local homeless shelters, and actively ministers to motorcycle riders. Riley and his wife, Debra, have three children. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jun 22, 2008 8:30:57 GMT -5
Kentucky Relief Teams ‘On Alert’ for Iowa, Still Serving IndianaRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsAs Kentucky Baptist disaster relief teams continue providing aid to flood-stricken areas in Indiana, volunteers remain “on alert” while historic flooding continues to devastate much of Iowa, according to Kentucky Baptist Convention disaster relief associate Coy Webb. Two Kentucky teams will arrive in Indiana this weekend to assist with mud-out efforts. A team of six volunteers from Elizabethtown will serve from June 20-27, and six volunteers from Christian County will serve from June 21-28. The KBC had recently sent 19 volunteers to Franklin, Webb said, but those teams are now finished. “We are being asked to continue serving in Indiana, but we’ll be ready to help in Iowa once the water begins to recede,” said Webb, noting that NAMB is sending volunteers from other states to provide immediate relief in Iowa. “There are going to be tremendous needs in Iowa,” he emphasized. “But, until the waters go down, they don’t need us.” Webb said he has heard estimates that as much as 83 percent of Iowa is flooded. Officials from the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board predicted that it could be as long as two weeks before the floodwaters recede. At that time, Kentucky Baptist disaster relief teams will likely be called upon to do mud-out work, staff feeding teams and kitchen and shower units, as well as provide chaplaincy support, Webb indicated. Meanwhile, a shower unit belonging to Christian County Baptist Association was destroyed June 15 while en route to Iowa. Two volunteers from Hopkinsville were pulling the unit in a trailer along an Illinois highway when high winds from a thunderstorm spun the truck around, dislodging the trailer and sending it rolling. The men were not injured in the accident, but the shower unit was totaled. Webb said that while crews are not needed on site just yet, churches and individuals can still help with financial gifts given through NAMB or the KBC. “They’re saying that the damage is (Hurricane) Katrina-like and financial needs are going to be similar to Katrina,” he added. In the meantime, he urged trained disaster relief volunteers to be ready to help out when the time comes. “We are on alert and we are anticipating Kentucky teams to be needed in the coming weeks.” The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jun 29, 2008 20:48:35 GMT -5
KBC Recognizes Elkhorn City Missionaries for 25 Years of ServiceRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe Kentucky Baptist Convention has recognized Greg and Alice Whitetree for 25 years of service as directors of the Freeda Harris Baptist Center in Elkhorn City. KBC Mission Service and Ministries Department Director Eric Allen presented the Whitetrees with a gift of appreciation during a June 22 reception at the center, where 125 community members gathered for the celebration. The couple has served at the center since their appointment as missionaries by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board in 1983. Freeda Harris Baptist Center provides food, clothing, craft classes, children’s Bible clubs, teen leadership courses, sports leagues, vacation Bible schools and more to community members. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jul 6, 2008 7:42:38 GMT -5
Kentucky Baptist Injured During Mission Tripby Drew Nichter, Western RecorderUPDATE: Lawrence Kendrick, 68, died Wednesday, July 02, 2008 from injuries received in an accident that occurred while he was serving on a mission trip to Russia (detailed below).A Kentucky Baptist man serving on a mission trip in Russia is back home in Kentucky after sustaining serious injuries in a car accident June 6. Lawrence Kendrick, a member of First Baptist Church of Junction City, was visiting friends in the city of Bryansk, Russia, approximately 235 miles from Moscow, when the taxi cab he and others were riding in was struck by a dump truck on Kendrick’s side of the vehicle. The 67 year old was knocked unconscious and suffered several bone fractures, according to Steve Fegenbush, associate pastor of First Baptist, Junction City. One other person in the taxi suffered only minor injuries. Kendrick was part of a seven-person mission team consisting of members of the Junction City church and Lexington Avenue Baptist Church in Danville. The team was serving in Orel, Russia. Kendrick had travelled to Bryansk to visit a family he had befriended on a previous trip to the area. Following the accident, Ernest Martin, a fellow member of First Baptist, Junction City, and leader of the trip, relayed information back to the United States and Kendrick’s family. On June 12, his wife, Ramona, and Pete, one of his three sons, travelled to Bryansk. Doctors told Kendrick’s wife and son that Lawrence had suffered brain injuries, but were unclear as to what extent, Fegenbush noted. He also said that Kendrick had exhibited very little response since the accident. Nearly a week later, Kendrick was transferred to an American medical center in Moscow. Ramona and Pete began making arrangements to have Lawrence flown by air ambulance back to the Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport. That plan hit a snag when doctors conflicted over whether Kendrick would require brain surgery in order to travel by air. In addition, Fegenbush said Kendrick’s insurance benefits had essentially dryed up and the family would be responsible for nearly $250,000 in medical bills at the Russian hospitals, as well as another $150,000 for the air ambulance. After a couple of days, Russian doctors agreed to let Kendrick fly without surgery and he arrived back in Kentucky on June 23. He was immediately rushed to the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Medical Center and placed in critical care. Kendrick’s wife and son returned home the next day. Fegenbush said he spoke with doctors at UK who acknowledged that they were not clear about the Russian physicians’ assessments of Kendrick, and that they would be required to run their own tests to determine the extent of Kendrick’s injuries. According to e-mails from Kendrick’s family members and Fegenbush, doctors at UK have determined that Kendrick suffered fractures to multiple ribs, his pelvis, and right femur and knee, as well as a dislocated left hip. Most importantly, as of June 30, doctors have diagnosed Kendrick with diffuse axonal injury, a traumatic brain injury, which according to the Web site, eMedicine.com, is often caused by “high-speed motor vehicle accidents” and leaves 90 percent of diagnosed patients in a “persistent vegitative state.” According to an e-mail from Kendrick’s son Larry, the family is considering options on Lawrence Kendrick’s long-term health care. Fegenbush noted in another e-mail that the family may have Kendrick moved to a health care facility closer to home in Danville. Fegenbush said that the Lawrence Kendrick Recovery Fund has been established to help alleviate the financial burden on the Kendrick family. Those who wish to contribute to the fund can do so at any PBK Bank branch in Lincoln, Boyle and Rockcastle Counties, or through First Baptist Church of Junction City, P.O. Box 246, Junction City, KY, 40440. The congregation also will host a benefit concert July 13 featuring local Gospel music groups. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jul 9, 2008 5:19:02 GMT -5
Cox Named MSC Missionary of the YearThe Kentucky Baptist Convention has selected Shirley Cox of Mount Vernon as Kentucky’s 2008 Mission Service Corps Missionary of the Year. Mission Service Corps missionaries are self-funded missionaries who are commissioned by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since 2002, Cox has served as a photographer and journalist for Kentucky Baptists. A native of Eastern Kentucky, Cox says she began writing to tell the stories of “ordinary people that God is using in extraordinary ways to impact the lives of others.” As an MSC missionary, Cox reports on the ministry efforts of Kentucky Baptists, primarily in Eastern Kentucky. “Many ministries and missionaries in Kentucky have been encouraged and strengthened through the gifted writing of Shirley Cox,” said Eric Allen, director of the KBC’s Mission Service and Ministries Department. “She is an example of how God can take something as small as an ink pen and use it for His glory.” Cox’s articles are frequently featured in missions newsletters for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Her work has also appeared in the Western Recorder, the KBC’s weekly newspaper, and in magazine publications such as “Missions Mosaic,” “On Mission,” and “Altitude.” Each year, the KBC recognizes an MSC Missionary for his or her commitment to and effectiveness in ministry, evangelism or church planting. As the state honoree, Cox will serve as Kentucky’s nominee for the National Missionary of the Year award to be presented by the North American Mission Board this summer. Cox and her husband Bud have two children and two grandchildren. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jul 18, 2008 8:39:42 GMT -5
KBC to Offer ‘Super Saturdays’ for Church Ministry Trainingrelease prepared by Kristie RandolphThose who lead church ministries will benefit from a variety of training sessions at six Super Saturday events throughout the state in August and September. Sponsored by the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Super Saturdays are comprehensive church ministry training events. Hundreds of participants are expected at each of the six locations. Events will be held Aug. 16 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, Aug. 23 at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, September 6 at First Baptist Church in Somerset, Sept. 6 at Lone Oak First Baptist Church in Paducah, Sept. 13 at First Baptist Church in Pikeville, and Sept. 13 at First Baptist Church in Bowling Green. New this year, Comeback Church courses will be offered for churches seeking to experience turnaround church growth, and Safe Church Initiative courses will be offered to help church leaders and volunteers understand how to protect children and youth in church. A teen track will also be held at the Lexington, Louisville, Paducah and Bowling Green locations. “Super Saturday is designed to help Kentucky Baptists discover practical tips for strengthening their ministries,” said Wilson, who serves as Sunday school director for the KBC. “The conferences are designed to help church staff, teachers and volunteers map out a ministry plan for the coming year and help move their ministries forward.” According to Wilson, participants will benefit from new conference topics, expert speakers and networking opportunities at each event. Training is available for leaders and volunteers in most areas of local church ministry, including assimilation, church architecture, Sunday school, stewardship, discipleship, evangelism, Woman’s Missionary Union, women’s ministry, worship and music, preschool/children, Baptist Men on Mission, finance, deacon ministry, ministers’ wives and secretaries. Additionally, Hispanic ministry and church planting conferences will also be offered at the Lexington event, and small group and single adult ministry conferences will be offered at the Lexington and Louisville locations. Super Saturday participants can customize their event experience by selecting from a variety of conferences throughout the day. Participants will select one Leadership Conference to receive in-depth training in their primary ministry area, and two afternoon conferences based on their interests and needs. Super Saturdays begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Registration opens at 8 a.m., and lunch is provided. Registration is required for all Super Saturday events. The cost to attend is $20 for those who register by the Monday before each event, or $30 after the Monday before each event. To register for Super Saturday or for more information, visit www.kybaptist.org/supersaturday, call (502) 489-3572 or (866) 489-3572 (toll free in KY), or e-mail supersaturday@kybaptist.org. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jul 20, 2008 6:50:17 GMT -5
KBC Sends Mud-out Teams to IowaRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe Kentucky Baptist Convention is sending a disaster relief team to assist with the mud-out effort currently underway in Iowa, following severe flooding that caused damage in June. According to Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the KBC, a team of volunteers from Alexandria, Cerulean, Frenchburg and Utica will arrive in Wapello on Sunday, July 20, and will stay for approximately one week. Webb said the KBC is also hoping to send out volunteers to staff an on-site kitchen in Wapello. Trained volunteers interested in helping may contact the KBC’s Baptist Men on Mission Department at (502) 489-3527 or (866) 489-3527 (toll free in KY) for more information. Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers work in conjunction with other organizations, such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Together, Southern Baptists compose the third largest relief organization in the United States. To learn more about Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, go to www.kybaptist.org/drThe Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Jul 27, 2008 17:58:14 GMT -5
Campbellsville University To Offer 27-Hour Online Certificate In Christian Ministry ProgramBy Joan C. McKinney, director of university communicationsCampbellsville University is offering an online 27-hour program for a Certificate in Christian Ministry beginning with the fall 2008 semester, according to Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University. "We are very pleased to be offering the Certificate in Christian Ministry as an online option," said Carter. "This illustrates Campbellsville University's commitment to serving the needs of pastors and church leaders in Kentucky and beyond with an additional option to secure good theological training while continuing their ministry and careers. "This program was advocated for sometime by various bivocational ministry leaders, including Rev. Dennis Bickers, chair of the Church Relations Council, and Rev. David Sandifer, director of CU's Heartland Bivocational Ministry Center. It is also a step toward our goal of offering the master of theology degree online in the near future. "Campbellsville University is committed to connecting with Kentucky Baptist Convention churches as well as churches of other denominations." "Bivocational ministers have to keep in balance five areas of life: their family life, their church work, their other job, their relationship with God, and their own personal well-being," Bickers said. Bickers said, even though many bivocational ministers would like to pursue an education, "It just seems overwhelming with all the other demands on their time." He said the new program from CU will offer bivocational ministers the flexibility they need to obtain their education at their own pace in a way that will fit their schedules. Sandifer said, "This program includes a congruent unit of study to assist ministers in the region who are currently serving churches, and especially for ministers who have been unable to engage in post-secondary study of a more lengthy nature. All courses taught in this certificate program are fully accredited and may be applied toward degree programs." Dr. John Hurtgen, dean of the School of Theology at CU, said the primary target audience for the program is the non-traditional adult learner especially the bivocational Christian ministers throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky and virtually beyond who desire beginning theological and ministry training at the baccalaureate level. He said the program will facilitate ministry preparation of persons with little or no formal theological education with a delivery method that can better meet the demands of the bivocational Christian minister. "We plan to produce Christian ministers consonant with the vision statement of the School of Theology, people who are passionately evangelical, rooted in the biblical story, church-connected, servant leaders, spiritual entrepreneurs and partners in an enduring fellowship," Hurtgen said. He said the 27-hour program will provide a way for students who already hold a baccalaureate degree and who desire master's level ministry preparation to obtain minimal prerequisite hours at the undergraduate level in an online format. Hurtgen said 85 percent of the pastors in Baptist and other churches in CU's multiple-county service region are categorized as bivocational ministers. "Since the certificate will be offered online, we are convinced that the need for more flexible ministry preparation that exists in our immediate region will be attractive to ministers throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the bordering states of Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee and beyond," Hurtgen said. "Today's Christian minister is increasingly likely to be the full-or part-time employee who is also pursuing God's call into Christian service and for whom the online certificate is a great first step in fulfilling that call." "We have had a few master of theology applicants who wanted to start our graduate program but did not have the prerequisite eighteen hours in undergraduate Christian studies. In placing the certificate online we thought this would give those students a flexible option for completing those hours." "The certificate of Christian ministry is a first step into the online world for the School of Theology. We are in the process of placing our 39- hour master of theology completely online. Like the certificate of Christian ministry, the M.Th. degree will also have to gain University and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) approval." Dr. Frank Cheatham, vice president for academic affairs, said the online certificate program will allow pastors across the state, especially bivocational pastors, the option of obtaining some additional Bible training without having to give up their time to minister to their congregation. He said Sunday School teachers may also be interested in taking these courses for improvement. For more information about the program, contact the School of Theology at (270) 789-5029. Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,405 students who represent 98 Kentucky counties, 25 states and 29 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2008 "America's Best Colleges," CU is ranked 22nd in "Best Baccalaureate Colleges" in the South and eighth in the South for "Great Schools, Great Prices." CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Aug 3, 2008 12:58:10 GMT -5
KBC's Inaugural '1:8 Leadership Experience' Reaches Rising LeadersFrom painting the ceiling of the Jefferson Street Baptist Center to installing water purification systems in the Dominican Republic, 19 Kentucky college students had anything but a typical summer. These students were part of the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s first-ever 1:8 Leadership Experience, a summer program designed to combine missions work with leadership training. The two-month program began on June 1 and concluded July 26. “We wanted to take direct ownership of training student leaders across the state so that when they go back to their schools, they can play key roles in their churches and schools,” said Keith Inman, director of collegiate and young adult ministries for the KBC. Preparing students for leadership through discipleship is central to the KBC’s approach to college ministry, Inman said. In prior summers, the KBC divided groups of students up into “Son Teams” for local and international missions work. Inman said the 1:8 Leadership Experience has replaced that program as a more effective way to train students and oversee their personal development. Following the missions model presented in Acts 1:8 of taking the Gospel to “Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” Inman said the 1:8 Leadership Experience is designed to prepare students for ministry at the local, national and international levels. “We wanted to provide an intentional discipleship and leadership experience, but at the same time have students be actively involved in ministry throughout the summer,” he said. “Many of these students are also planning on going on to do vocational ministry. This is preparation for all of that.” Inman said The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary served as a partner for the summer program by renting out rooms to the group in a setting where cafeteria and meeting rooms are readily available. Students participating in Baptist Campus Ministry programs at universities across the state were hand-selected for the Leadership Experience last fall. Nineteen students formed the inaugural group, representing University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Campbellsville University, Cumberland College, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University and Georgetown College. The group was led by Daniel Freeman, team director for the 1:8 Leadership Experience and campus ministry intern at Eastern Kentucky University, along with his wife Heidi. Freeman said over the course of the summer, the students have served at the Jefferson Street Baptist Center Hope Project, done landscaping at Refuge In Kentucky Church, practiced street evangelism throughout Louisville, helped with four vacation Bible schools at churches in downtown Louisville, and carried out two water purification projects in the Dominican Republic. The group served four days at the Jefferson Street Baptist Center, working on a variety of service projects while also engaging the guests in conversation. “Our primary ministry there was to sit down with people and talk to them,” Freeman said. “We had a lot of really good conversations and a lot of our students got to pray with different people they met. The evangelistic and service work was combined with a variety of discipleship sessions led by ministerial, business and political leaders, Freeman said. Chuck Lawless, dean of the Billy Graham School at Southern Seminary, taught a session on evangelism and spiritual warfare. John Barron, campus minister at Eastern Kentucky University, and his wife Elaina spoke on relationships and purity, while Tommy Johnson, campus minister at Western Kentucky University, covered the topic of discipleship. Hunter Bates, chief of staff lobbyist for Sen. Mitch McConnell, also addressed the students. During the evenings one week, the group interacted with people on the street in an effort to reach them with the Gospel. Tyler Elam, a senior at Morehead State University, had an extended conversation with a man named David. "There was a guy holding a sign at a stoplight and the Holy Spirit convicted me [that I needed to talk to him],” Elam said. “I got a bag of food at Wendy's and took it out to him. He told me that he had been raised Jehovah's Witness and I talked about Jesus with him and asked if I could pray for him." During a missions trip to the Dominican Republic from July 1-12, the group installed two water purifiers, one at a church and another at a school, and led health education classes. Toward the end of the program, each student delivered a 10-15 minute presentation about what they learned and how they can take it back to their respective campuses, Freeman said. By combining service and evangelistic opportunities with discipleship training from experienced leaders, Freeman said the 1:8 Leadership Experience is equipping students to make a difference on their college campuses. “What is beneficial about this program is that instead of it being solely a trip that gives them fun memories and cool experiences, we are teaching them how to be leaders by incorporating ministry experience with different speakers who are giving them the tools to be able to be a good leader and take that back to their campus,” he said. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Aug 17, 2008 6:44:24 GMT -5
Relief Teams Serving in Muhlenburg CountyRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe Kentucky Baptist Convention has sent a disaster relief team to assist with ongoing cleanup in areas of Muhlenburg County, in response to extensive damage caused by a tornado in February. According to Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the KBC, three volunteers from Auburn, Franklin and Lexington are currently serving in Muhlenburg County. Additional volunteers from Elizabethtown will be joining the effort later this week. The volunteers will assist with chainsaw work, brush removal and debris cleanup. Webb said it is uncertain how long the volunteers will serve, and that additional workers are still needed. Trained volunteers interested in helping may contact the KBC’s Baptist Men on Mission Department at 502-489-3527 or 866-489-3527 (toll free in KY) for more information. Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers work in conjunction with other organizations, such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Together, Southern Baptists compose the third largest relief organization in the United States. To learn more about Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, go to www.kybaptist.org/dr. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Aug 24, 2008 11:52:04 GMT -5
Kentucky Baptist Convention Launches Safe Church Initiativeby Kristie M. Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe Kentucky Baptist Convention has launched a special effort to encourage churches to implement policies and procedures to protect all participants in church programs -- especially children -- from sexual predators and other dangers. The Safe Church Initiative uses a special section of the KBC Web site (www.kybaptist.org/safechurch) to provide practical “how to” resources to help churches reduce risks. Sample policies and procedures, tip sheets, manuals, Web links, audio training sessions and more are included on the site. Printed Safe Church Initiative kits that contain much of the same information provided online are also available. These free kits can be ordered online or requested by telephone by calling 502-489-3375 or 866-489-3375. The KBC has also made arrangements with a firm that conducts background checks -- Protect My Ministry -- to provide a special discounted rate for Kentucky churches (www.protectmyministry.com/kybaptist). The convention recommends that background checks be conducted for all paid church staff members and volunteers as one of the initial steps in implementing safety and security procedures. Three sessions of KBC’s Super Saturday training conferences this year are also designated as Safe Church Initiative courses. An ongoing advertising campaign will also be used to build awareness and keep church safety and security on the front burner for Kentucky churches. “This is just such a vital issue for all churches, both large and small,” said KBC Communications Director Robert Reeves. “Every person should feel safe in God’s house and churches have a responsibility to be diligent in creating and maintaining an environment where everyone can worship and grow in the Lord.” Reeves said that implementing strong safety practices in a church sends an important positive message that the church is caring in its attitude and professional in its approach to ministry. “Implementing safety and security practices is very doable by churches of any size and will be appreciated by parents, church members, potential church members and the community,” Reeves said. “There are just so many dangers in today’s world and people expect that proper safety practices are in place.” The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Aug 27, 2008 16:11:47 GMT -5
KBC Seeks to Strengthen Work in Poverty-Stricken Areasby Kristie M. Randolph, KBC Communications Every night in Eastern Kentucky, one out of every five children goes to bed hungry. In this same region nearly 800,000 people have no relationship with Christ. It’s numbers like these that motivate thousands of volunteers each year for ministry in Eastern Kentucky. It’s also what has motivated Teresa Parrett, missions mobilization coordinator for the KBC, to develop a vision to extend that same kind of volunteerism across other poor areas in Kentucky. Poverty in Eastern Kentucky is extreme, she said, but “you can find it in other parts of the state as well.” Parrett is hoping to connect volunteers to ministry opportunities in those unreached areas. Currently, Eastern Kentucky receives nearly 25,000 volunteers annually. Parrett, who had served as KBC missions coordinator for Eastern Kentucky since 1999 before being promoted to her new role in April, said her job is to match volunteers and resources to the needs of people in the region. “I get calls weekly…of people just wanting to do missions work,” said Parrett. Her desire is for the same type of work that has been taking place in Eastern Kentucky to be carried into the central and western parts of the state. Though she is working to expand volunteerism across other regions, Parrett said Eastern Kentucky has long been and will continue to be a focus for the KBC. Since 1999, the KBC has worked closely with Appalachian Regional Ministries and its director, Bill Barker, a North American Mission Board missionary. ARM serves Eastern Kentucky counties, working to meet the area’s many needs by creating jobs and spreading hope. Barker said 29 of the 100 most poverty-stricken counties in America are in Eastern Kentucky, while 21 of these counties are considered severe poverty. The KBC also works in coordination with the Mississippi River Ministry, which addresses poverty needs along the Mississippi River area. “We are seeing that as we address the physical needs of the people that there is an openness to the message of Jesus Christ,” said Barker. This summer, many volunteers have ministered to children through camps, backyard Bible clubs and block parties, along with the usual assistance with food. In some areas, ARM volunteers provided hot lunches to children who do not have food at home, said Barker. Across the country, individuals and church groups contact ARM looking for opportunities to serve, often after hearing about the ministry from one of Barker’s presentations or reading about the ministry in various publications. Parrett said most volunteers work three to five days at a time, but these same people often return to the same area several times, which often produces greater effectiveness. “They work through the local church or community center and join in on the work already being done,” said Parrett. ARM’s primary outreach ministries include assisting families with home repairs and churches with building repairs, as well as helping churches develop or carry out vacation Bible schools. Parrett cited Livingston Baptist Church in the Rockcastle Association as an example of the type of work coordinated through ARM that could easily be accomplished in other areas of Kentucky. Livingston Baptist Church had not had vacation Bible school in more than 20 years, partly due to not knowing how to get the program up and running. Low attendance on Sundays had begun to create the fear that the church would soon have to close its doors for good. Parrett matched Pine Hill Baptist Church with Livingston to help coordinate VBS for the church. Another group from Illinois worked simultaneously in the community through other evangelistic efforts like door-to-door evangelism and Christian video distribution. The success of the VBS and the efforts of the volunteers helped breath enough life into the church to keep it running. They baptized two persons shortly after VBS last year and conducted VBS on their own this summer, which averaged more than 30 participants. “Volunteers are needed across the state to make this kind of a difference in similar situations and unreached areas,” said Parrett. For more information about ministry in poverty-stricken and unreached areas across Kentucky, contact Teresa Parrett at 606-875-3079 or teresa.parrett@kybaptist.org. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Aug 31, 2008 7:12:32 GMT -5
KBC to Send International Relief Team to GeorgiaRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe Kentucky Baptist Convention is mobilizing a disaster relief team to provide humanitarian assistance for refugees displaced by recent conflicts between the countries of Georgia and Russia. According to Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the KBC, a team of six Kentucky Baptist volunteers will serve in Gori, Sept. 4-16. The team’s primary responsibility will be to provide meals to refugees, potentially “as many as 25,000 meals a day,” said Webb. “The situation is still tense, but we feel it is stable enough to begin providing relief,” he said. “The Georgian government has essentially turned the refugee areas over to Baptists, and we are grateful for the opportunity to minister there.” The Kentucky team includes Coy Webb of Shelbyville and member of Clayvillage Baptist Church; Tom Westerfield of Crofton and member of First Baptist Church, Hopkinsville; Dovie Smallwood of Frenchburg and member of Frenchburg Baptist Church; and Monticello residents Tommy Floyd of Oak Grove Baptist Church, Glenn Hickey of Monticello First Baptist Church, and Bernard Randall of Mount Zion Baptist Church. The Kentucky team will be second in a series of Southern Baptist relief teams to work in Georgia. A seven-member team from the Baptist General Convention of Texas arrived in Gori Aug. 27, and a similar team of specialists from the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma will arrive on site Sept. 7, said Webb. The effort is being coordinated by Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist global relief and development organization. Webb said Southern Baptist missionaries currently serving in Georgia “took the initiative with the Georgian government to see how Southern Baptists could help, and were then invited to provide help, particularly in mass feeding, and in helping train others to continue the relief work after we’re finished.” According to a Baptist Press news report, the feeding operation will be conducted primarily from a building shell made available to the teams by a local Baptist partner. The volunteers are currently working to restore the building for use. Webb is unsure how long the entire relief effort will last after the three Southern Baptist teams have finished their work. While on site, the teams will be working with Baptist Global Response’s regional representative and local missionaries to determine if additional assistance will be needed. “There is a possibility that we will need to send more teams from Kentucky, but we won’t know for sure until we assess the situation,” he said. “We will be training the local Baptist leaders and volunteers to continue the relief efforts,” said Webb. “They’re estimating that as many as 20,000 of the refugees have been displaced for the long-term because they have been forced out or burned out of their homes.” Funding for the feeding operation in Gori is being provided through the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund. According to Webb, 100 percent of donations given through the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund go directly to help feed people in need. The Cooperative Program and other missions offerings cover the administrative costs of distributing Hunger Fund gifts. Information about how to contribute to the World Hunger Fund is available at www.kybaptist.org/hunger. Contributions to the Georgia relief effort may be sent to the KBC, Dept. 5008, P.O. Box 740041, Louisville, KY 40201-9976. Please note "disaster relief" in the check memo. Online donations are also being accepted here. Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Together, Southern Baptists compose the third largest relief organization in the United States. Baptist Global Response is a global relief and development organization of the Southern Baptist Convention. To learn more about Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, go to www.kybaptist.org/drThe Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Sept 7, 2008 7:32:10 GMT -5
SBC Disaster Relief Teams Roll Into LouisianaAdam Miller is associate editor of On Mission magazine at the North American Mission Board. Mickey Noah, a staff writer for the North American Mission Board contributed to this article.CLINTON, Miss. (BP)-- The night's warm breeze gave way to a drizzle as Kentucky Baptist disaster relief units rolled out of Camp Garaywa, a Woman's Missionary Union camp located in this small town west of Jackson. The camp has long served as a staging ground for disaster relief operations, including those following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "I was here and went down there after Katrina," says Michael Webb, who served on a recovery unit then and today volunteers with the feeding unit as Kentucky Baptists prepare to serve 30,000 meals a day in Thibodaux, La., nearly four hours away. While most Southern Baptist disaster relief units routinely handle 10,000-30,000 meals per day, units in Houma and Baton Rouge will handle American Red Cross and Salvation Army requests for 110,000-150,000 meals as Louisiana Gulf Coast residents without power seek food and refuge. Feeding units are traveling to affected areas from Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia and Kentucky with more possibly to follow. Many of these units also will begin recovery operations in coming days as residents return home to find flooded or wind-damaged homes and downed trees. Places such as Baton Rouge will be in feeding operations into next week. Evacuees are still making use of shelters in Shreveport and Alexandria, La. As residents return home, they are asking disaster relief organizations and FEMA for essentials such as blue tarps to keep the rain out of damaged homes. On Sept. 2 as disaster relief units made final preparations in response to Hurricane Gustav, many Baptist volunteers reflected on Katrina, a storm that changed their ministry lives. Kentucky disaster relief communications specialist Johnny Kitchen said he decided to use his ham radio skills after he went 8-10 days without talking to his wife, who worked in a feeding unit in New Orleans following Katrina. "I was in communications in the Army," he said. "When I couldn't talk to my wife for more than a week because cell service was down, that's when I decided to use my interests to help people in trouble." Today Kitchen will join Tom Westerfield as they pull behind a trailer packed with ham radio, shortwave radio, scanners and a special communications system that allows them, via the web, to communicate with the North American Mission Board's disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga. "If you get into a disaster situation and you can't communicate, you can get in trouble," said Westerfield, who learned the craft more than 30 years ago. After a long night of preparing generators and gas containers, they enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, cereal and coffee. Afterward, a red 18-wheeler and half a dozen other vehicles began the 215-mile trip to Thibodaux. During the overall response to Gustav, Southern Baptists have deployed 41 feeding units to prepare and serve more than 500,000 meals to victims, first responders and volunteers in hurricane-affected areas and at regional shelters. Another 17 shower units have provided victims and workers with about 2,000 showers. The 58 feeding and shower units are being staffed and mobilized by 21 state Southern Baptist conventions, including those in Alabama, Virginia Baptist Mission Board, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Kansas/Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico and California. Heavy rains continue to hamper relief efforts. An Arkansas disaster relief team serving in Alexandria, La., awoke Wednesday morning to find their personal vehicles flooded and two inches of water in their food preparation kitchen unit. None of the equipment was damaged, but personal vehicles sustained water damage. Meanwhile, SBC disaster relief personnel in the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia and Florida already are planning for Hurricane Hanna, now hovering near the Bahamas but predicted to strike the East Coast this weekend. To donate to Southern Baptists Disaster Relief efforts, visit www.namb.net or call toll-free 866-407-6262. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Sept 14, 2008 11:25:03 GMT -5
KBC to Provide Training for Substance Abuse MinistriesRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsIn an effort to equip Christians for ministry to substance abusers and their families, the Kentucky Baptist Convention is sponsoring Reclaiming Our Communities on Saturday, Oct. 25. The event will be held simultaneously in two locations that day; one will be held at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington, and the other at First Baptist Church of Madisonville. "Men and women who suffer from substance abuse and addictions lack resources and support for helping them to deal with their problem,” said Eric Allen, director of mission service and ministry for the KBC. “This is an opportunity for ministry that the church must seize if we desire to be salt and light in our communities." According to Allen, many Kentucky counties are experiencing the fallout of substance abuse in their communities. The KBC has identified this as an opportunity for ministry and is seeking to help equip Christians for effectively reaching out to those in need, he said. "This conference was planned in direct response to requests for ministry help from pastors and lay leaders who are wanting to offer help and hope to drug abusers and their families,” said Allen. Attendees will explore key issues related to drug abuse, as well as how to form or strengthen ministry to those affected by it. A variety of practical breakout sessions will be offered, including: • Helping Pastors Minister to Families of Addicts • “REACH” - A Comprehensive Multifaceted Ministry Model • Gathering Community Support to Fight Drug Abuse • Developing a Residential Treatment Facility • Working with the Legal System to Help Addicts and Families • Understanding and Using “S.W.A.T.” in Your Church • Understanding and Using “Celebrate Recovery” in Your Church • Broadening Involvement through Community Task Forces • Drug Prevention and Awareness Reclaiming Our Communities will run from 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. local time at both locations. The event is open to the public. Registration is $20 per person by Oct. 11, and $25 per person after Oct. 11. For more information or to register, visit www.kybaptist.org/reclaiming, or call 502-489-3530 or 866-489-3530 (toll free in KY). The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Sept 21, 2008 7:34:59 GMT -5
KBC Relief Volunteers Move to Texas for Ike AftermathRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsThe Kentucky Baptist Convention’s disaster relief volunteers previously staged in Thibodaux, La., have finished their work there and are now on their way to Beaumont, Texas, to join relief efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Ike. According to Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the KBC, the volunteers had been serving in Thibodaux since Sept. 3, shortly after Hurricane Gustav made landfall. Thirty-four volunteers from across Kentucky helped with the effort as part of the kitchen, communications and shower units sent by the KBC. Webb said all three units are being taken to Beaumont, along with 20 volunteers. Some of those volunteers are part of the original team first deployed to Thibodaux; others joined the effort when they were sent in as replacements. Those who will be serving in Beaumont include volunteers from Bowling Green, Cadiz, Crofton, Florence, Hopkinsville, Lawrenceburg, Monticello, Shelbyville, Shepherdsville, Versailles and Winchester. Webb said additional KBC volunteers have already arrived on site at Friendship Baptist Church in the Woodlands, an area outside of Houston, Texas, where a Southern Baptist feeding unit was already stationed. The team of 12 volunteers from Henderson will be replacing other Southern Baptists who have been working with the unit. It is uncertain how long either effort will last, Webb said, but the KBC is already working to coordinate additional volunteers to relieve both teams. The KBC is also keeping watch for potential relief needs in Louisville and across the state, following severe windstorms related to Hurricane Ike on Sept. 14. No formal effort is underway yet, Webb said, but some Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers are actively providing relief in their own hometowns. Webb, who just returned from a 12-day international relief trip to Georgia, said the six-member team helped provide more than 13,000 meals to refugees displaced by recent conflicts between the countries of Georgia and Russia. The team included Coy Webb of Shelbyville and member of Clayvillage Baptist Church; Tom Westerfield of Crofton and member of First Baptist Church, Hopkinsville; Dovie Smallwood of Frenchburg and member of Frenchburg Baptist Church; and Monticello residents Tommy Floyd of Oak Grove Baptist Church, Glenn Hickey of Monticello First Baptist Church, and Bernard Randall of Mount Zion Baptist Church. Contributions to the KBC’s disaster relief efforts may be sent to the KBC, Dept. 5008, P.O. Box 740041, Louisville, KY 40201-9976. Please note “disaster relief” in the check memo. Online donations are also being accepted at www.kybaptist.org/drKentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Together, Southern Baptists comprise the third largest relief organization in the United States. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Sept 28, 2008 15:13:37 GMT -5
Refugees Find Hope in Feeding MinistryThe refugees' despair troubled Coy Webb the most. Webb served on a six-member team of Southern Baptist disaster relief specialists who worked in Gori, Georgia, in early September, helping refugees driven from their homes a month earlier by fighting between Russian and Georgian troops. "It's just unbelievable the conditions they are living in," said Webb, who is the disaster relief associate for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. "One of the elderly ladies who had come back to their homes, the whole side of her apartment had been knocked out by shelling. Here's an elderly lady in her 80s, sleeping on the floor with nothing protecting her from the outside." An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 displaced people have taken refuge in Gori, with many of them housed in tent cities, others settled into government kindergarten buildings and about 2,000 taken into personal homes by local families. Southern Baptist volunteers, working in cooperation with Baptists in Gori, were providing hot meals to about 2,000 people a day, using money provided by the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund. "Even before the conflict, this area was very poverty stricken. I think they told us unemployment was somewhere between 40 percent and 50 percent in the area," Webb said. "We could tell immediately that it was really putting a lot of pressure on these folks who had taken refugees in, to be able to care for not only their own families but those they were taking in. We were able to see that it was a very important ministry that we were able to provide some food relief for these folks." Families in Gori are deeply moved that Southern Baptists care enough to help them in their distress, Webb said. "One of the most moving things for me was when we had delivered food to a daughter and mother. The mother was 100 years old and bed bound; the daughter was in her 70s, caring for her mother in a little one-room apartment," Webb recounted. "They weren't able physically to get where we were feeding so we delivered meals. "On the last day, they were sharing their gratitude for what it had meant to them for us to deliver the meals and pray with them and minister to them. The daughter tried to give me a piece of property outside Georgia as an expression of gratitude," Webb continued. "Of course, that's not why we were there and we shared that with her, but I was amazed at that beyond-overflowing expression of gratitude she was trying to share with us. "When you are visiting with someone in a one-room apartment where there's hardly room to move around and they are trying to give you something, it's very humbling and overwhelming." Serving among the displaced families reminded Webb that Psalm 68:5 describes God as "a father of the fatherless, a defender of widows." "Watching the folks come in through the lines, it reminded me that if we're going to be God's people, we need to be people who minister to the fatherless and the widows. Many, many elderly widows were coming through the line," Webb said. "It broke my heart. It was obvious they dug plastic containers and cans out of the garbage just to have something to take food away in, because we recognized some of that as what we were using to feed them with. "The other thing that struck me was the hopelessness and weariness you saw in so many faces," Webb added. "For us to be able to help with food -- but even greater, just to minister in the name of Christ -- hopefully we began opening the folks to the hope of Christ." To date, Southern Baptists have contributed nearly $100,000 for the relief operation in Georgia, said Abraham Shepherd, who directs work in Europe and the Middle East for Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist international relief and development organization. "The Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund is crucial for sustaining people in a desperate situation in order for them not only to survive but to have a glimpse of hope," Shepherd said. "And we witnessed that glimpse of hope in the smiles on many faces of refugees and internally displaced people as they were cared for holistically." It was exciting to watch as the Baptist congregation in Gori made plans to hold the first worship service in a building the volunteers helped refurbish, Webb said. "It was just a shell of a building. Through the volunteers who have come, along with the nationals we were working with, it was just unbelievable the transformation that has taken place in the building," Webb said. "Putting windows and doors in. Putting some floors down. It was all dirt or gravel floor." The building "will be a tremendous opportunity to impact this community, particularly with the number of people who are coming through now, eating," Webb said. The church has been meeting in an area dominated by businesses. The location where the feeding ministry has been conducted is on a main street, surrounded by apartment buildings. Webb said he hopes Southern Baptists will pray that Georgians will find true peace and hope through the feeding ministry in Gori. "I think there is still a great fear that the conflict will erupt again, that this is just a momentary peace," he said. "Pray that they would have peace." The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Oct 5, 2008 20:18:55 GMT -5
KBC Relief Teams Finish Gustav and Ike EffortsAfter four straight weeks of service, Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers have completed their work in Louisiana, Texas and Kentucky as a result of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. According to Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the KBC, a total of 349 Kentucky Baptist volunteers helped provide relief following Hurricane Gustav’s landfall on Sept. 1 in Louisiana and Hurricane Ike’s landfall on Sept. 13 in Texas. The efforts also included relief to damaged areas of Kentucky caused by windstorms related to Hurricane Ike on Sept. 5. Webb said volunteers working with a feeding unit helped provide a total of 219,081 meals and 37,000 snacks to residents in areas affected by the storms. The group’s shower unit provided more than 2,500 showers, and 129 chainsaw projects were completed. “We want to thank our volunteers for their hard work and great response, both with Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike,” said Webb. “We had a tremendous response in Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky. Their heart for ministry really helped make a difference in people’s lives during difficult times. “We have some of the best volunteers, and we are always grateful for their readiness to respond when there’s a need,” said Webb. Contributions to the KBC’s disaster relief efforts may be sent to the KBC, Dept. 5008, P.O. Box 740041, Louisville, KY 40201-9976. Please note “disaster relief” in the check memo. Online donations are also being accepted at www.kybaptist.org/dr. Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Together, Southern Baptists comprise the third largest relief organization in the United States. To learn more about Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, go to www.kybaptist.org/dr. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Oct 8, 2008 15:16:44 GMT -5
Kentucky Baptist Convention Annual Meeting Set for November 11Pastor David Platt to SpeakKentucky Baptists will focus on the urgent need to share the good news of God’s love during the 171st Kentucky Baptist Convention annual meeting Nov. 11 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington. The annual meeting will include an address by 30-year-old mega church pastor David Platt, senior pastor at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. in its final session on Tuesday night as well as the election of new convention officers, and an address by Convention President Bill Henard. Messengers will also set a new budget goal for the Cooperative Program and consider a formal definition of what constitutes a gift to the missions funding program of the Convention. The annual Distinguished Cooperative Program Leadership Award will also be presented. More than 1,500 messengers from churches across the state are expected to meet for convention business, fellowship and inspiration. The theme for the annual meeting will be “Kentucky Baptists Connect: Sharing Christ with Urgency,” continuing the Kentucky Baptists Connect emphasis which began at the 2004 annual meeting. Kentucky Baptists Connect is a five-year initiative focused on renewing commitments to evangelism, missions, leadership training, church growth, networking, and relationships with Baptist agencies and institutions. This year’s convention will put an emphasis on encouraging churches to make a strong push toward achieving the Connect goals. Three convention sessions are planned – Tuesday morning (8:20 a.m.–12 p.m.), Tuesday afternoon (1:25–4:45 p.m.) and Tuesday evening (6:50–8:35 p.m.). Convention messengers voted last year to forgo routinely holding a Wednesday morning session and no Wednesday session is scheduled for this year. The Tuesday morning session will feature an address by Henard who also currently serves on the First Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention, having been elected by SBC messengers in Indianapolis this past June. Tuesday’s afternoon session will include the election of a new KBC president. John Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset, is currently the only announced candidate for president. The election of other convention officers -- first vice president, second vice present, secretary and assistant secretary -- will also be held during the Tuesday afternoon session. Candidates for these offices have yet to be announced. Rev. Kevin Smith, pastor of Watson Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, will also bring the convention’s annual sermon on Tuesday afternoon. Smith, an assistant professor church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, served as first vice president of the convention in 2007. Platt’s message will be the focus of the Tuesday evening session. The senior pastor at the 3,500-member Church at Brook Hills since 2006, he has traveled extensively nationally and internationally to teach the Bible in churches, seminaries, the underground church and even under shade trees in Africa and Latin America. A life-long learner, Platt has earned two undergraduate and three advanced degrees. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Divinity, Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He previously served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as dean of chapel and assistant professor of expository preaching and apologetics, and as staff evangelist at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans. "I believe that God has uniquely created every one of His people to impact the world,” Platt says. “Some may count it as idealistic, but I believe it is thoroughly biblical, rooted in Psalm 67:1-2, yet covering Scripture from beginning to end. God is in the business of blessing His people so that His ways and His salvation might be made known among all people." The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Oct 26, 2008 14:36:23 GMT -5
KBC Relief Teams Clear Debris from 80 Louisville HomesRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsKentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers have completed work on 80 Louisville homes, in coordination with the Metro United Way’s Wind Warrior effort to help residents affected by Hurricane Ike winds last month. According to Mary Sullivan, director of volunteer development for Metro United Way, more than 30 Kentucky Baptist volunteers from across the state “helped clear debris from the homes of the elderly, disabled and homebound.” The volunteers began working on Oct. 20 and finished the effort on Oct. 24, said Sullivan. KBC Disaster Relief Associate Coy Webb said the volunteers came from Ashland, Bowling Green, Cadiz, California, Campbellsville, Elizabethtown, Greenup, Livermore, Louisville, Monticello, Paducah, Radcliffe, Somerset, Shepherdsville, Taylorsville and Wittensville. The volunteers were stationed at Ninth and O Baptist Church in Louisville. Meals for the volunteers were provided by Baptist churches in the area, including Audubon Baptist Church, Beechmont Baptist Church, Clover Leaf Baptist Church, Green Acres Baptist Church, Hillview Baptist Church, Hunsinger Lane Baptist Church, Hurstbourne Baptist Church, Ninth and O Baptist Church, Parkland Baptist Church and St. Matthews Baptist Church. Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Together, Southern Baptists comprise the third largest relief organization in the United States. Contributions to the KBC’s disaster relief efforts may be sent to the KBC, Dept. 5008, P.O. Box 740041, Louisville, KY 40201-9976. Please note “disaster relief” in the check memo. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 9, 2008 7:56:38 GMT -5
Kentucky Baptists Gearing Up for Cross Overby Drew Nichter, Western Recorder The fall season brings with it a chill in the air and a sign that the cold winter months are just around the corner. Winter also is the time of year when Kentucky’s neediest families struggle most. Trying to stay warm and well-fed is difficult for the thousands of low-income and homeless families in the bluegrass, many of which have children to care for. Three Lexington-area Kentucky Baptist associations hope that next weekend’s Cross Over Kentucky 2008 will jump start their wintertime ministry efforts. Elkhorn and Tates Creek Baptist Associations are coordinating blanket giveaways through their churches. Dubbed “Covering the Bluegrass with Love,” the associations are soliciting donations of new and gently used blankets from their congregations to hand out at several church locations Nov. 8. Seven churches in Elkhorn Association and two Tates Creek congregations are designated as pick-up sites for the blankets. Hamilton Valentine, director of missions for Tates Creek Association, said his association contacted the local school systems and social organizations to get the word out to needy families about the effort. Kentucky Baptists from three associations will be knocking on a lot of doors Nov. 8 as part of Cross Over Kentucky 2008, the missions emphasis that precedes the Kentucky Baptist Convention annual meeting. Churches from Elkhorn, Franklin and Tates Creek Baptist Associations will participate in a wide range of evangelistic events throughout next weekend. “We know these are people who need them and can use them,” he added. Not only can each family member receive a blanket, free Bibles will be available. Volunteers will be handing out the Bibles and serving meals, according to Sandra Williams, Elkhorn’s director of church and community ministries and coordinator for the blanket giveaway. “It’s an opportunity for us to touch their lives in a positive way and meet a practical need,” she noted. This is the eighth year for Cross Over Kentucky, which precedes the Kentucky Baptist Convention annual meeting. The emphasis is patterned after the annual missions event that takes place in Southern Baptist Convention host cities prior to the SBC annual meeting. The Cross Over approach has taken on different forms in years past, and this year the emphasis is individual churches. Associational leaders have taken the lead in planning Cross Over events, but local church leaders have spearheaded their own events. “It’s going to be up to each individual church,” said Stuart Cundiff, director of missions for Franklin Baptist Association. He has encouraged his churches to get involved in Cross Over through prayerwalking and handing out community surveys door to door. The association also has provided training for those activities. Prayerwalking is a common initiative for this year’s Cross Over. Members of Elkhorn Association churches will prayerwalk through areas of Lexington, specifically the Irishtown neighborhood in the city’s downtown area. Groups will pray over the community in the morning, then lead a parenting seminar for women in the afternoon, according to Pam Pyle, who directs Elkhorn’s Irishtown ministries. Volunteers from Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown will lead the event. “It’s going to be helping the mothers learn to interact with their children in a positive way,” Pyle noted. The training also will provide mothers with information on proper discipline for overactive children. One of Elkhorn’s Hispanic congregations, Ministerio Christiano Esperanza in Nicholasville, got a jump on Cross Over in early October by partnering with the Jessamine Jamboree, a community fall festival held near the church. Ray Van Camp, director of church planting and development, reported that church members and Pastor Emilio Zapata connected with 120 people during the festival through kids’ games and free food. In the heart of Lexington’s Hispanic community, Iglesia Bautista Cardinal Valley will host a festival in the church’s parking lot on Oct. 31. Van Camp estimated there are about 15,000 Hispanic people living within walking distance of the church, offering an abundance of opportunities to connect with unchurched people. Meanwhile, Tates Creek Association has been hard at work on the Rose Lane Project, a home repair job that began back in early spring. The home belongs to a man in his 50s, according to Jimmy Closterman, pastor of Faith Decision Baptist Church in Paint Lick. He said the house was in bad shape with a tarp covering a large hole in the roof. The resident also has been living without indoor heat or hot water. “We’re not making it brand new, but getting it to the point that it’s livable,” noted Closterman, who also is Baptist Men on Mission director for Tates Creek Association. He said he expects that the Rose Lane Project will continue far beyond Cross Over weekend, and likely will not be completed until next February. Leaders at all three associations agreed that the central thrust of Cross Over is to take the love of Jesus Christ to the community and to get to know residents better. To that end, all three associations are coordinating community-needs surveys that will be taken to neighborhoods door to door during the weekend. “What we’re trying to do with the survey is not pressure them into what we want, but rather to ask them what they want,” Van Camp explained. “What kind of prayer concerns they have, what kind of community concerns they have (and) how can a church plug better into the community? It’s pointed to help people to see that the church cares about them.” Cundiff agreed. The surveys “are part of the Great Commission,” he emphasized. “As you go, go out into the community. Sitting in a church building having a worship service … is not reaching the community if you don’t know what the needs are. “You have to get outside the four walls, walk down the sidewalk and knock on doors; get eyeball to eyeball with the people,” he added. “You’ve got to say, ‘Here we are. We’re the church. What can we do for you?’” Cundiff challenged Kentucky Baptist churches and associations not to wait for an event like Cross Over to emphasize community missions and evangelism. “We shouldn’t have to wait for the KBC to come to our area to have a Cross Over event,” he said. “It’s so important that it should be carried on by the churches on an ongoing basis. … We just can’t sit in a building and hope people are going to come to us.” The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 9, 2008 20:01:22 GMT -5
KBC Launches Women’s Ministry BlogRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsWorking to better equip women for ministry, the Kentucky Baptist Convention has launched its latest blog, “Cross-Eyed Living,” an online resource for women’s ministry. The blog can be accessed at www.crosseyedliving.com and is authored by a team of three women. Shelly Johns, KBC women’s and senior adult ministry associate, is the lead contributor to the blog. Donna Coffey and Aundie Starks also contribute to the blog. Johns said the blog is designed to be “a place where writers share experiences common to women at different seasons of life.” “As we are honest about our struggles and provide resources for Christ-centered success, I hope the blog will encourage leaders to keep their focus on Jesus in every area and role of their lives.” In her role at the KBC, Johns organizes training events for women and senior adults. She also helps churches implement women’s ministries, working closely with the Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union and other Christian women throughout the state. She has served on the KBC staff for 11 years. Coffey is a graduate of the Women’s Ministry Institute at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Starks holds a Bachelor of Ministry degree in Biblical Counseling. Both women are Kentucky residents who are involved in women’s ministry at the local church level. “Cross-Eyed Living” serves primarily as a resource for churches in Kentucky, but Christians with Internet access around the globe can benefit from the online journal. Readers can share their own insights and stories through the “comments” feature at the bottom of each post. According to Johns, a variety of issues that affect women will be discussed on the blog, including “whole-hearted devotion to Christ, singleness, Christian leadership, relationships in general, health and beauty issues, the different roles women play, and other topics as God directs.” Johns hopes to “expand with guest writers periodically who will help keep the blog fresh and current to our readers.” “Cross-Eyed Living” is one of 11 KBC blog resources available to Kentucky Baptists at www.kybaptist.org/blogs. Readers of all KBC blogs may elect to receive e-mail updates when a new post is added to any blog. This feature is available on the home page of all KBC blogs. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 16, 2008 13:53:04 GMT -5
BCM Students Involved in Fatal AccidentTwo University of Kentucky students returning to Lexington following a Baptist Campus Ministry retreat have died and another has been injured as result of a traffic accident on I-75 North on Sunday November 9. According to Kentucky State Police Public Affairs Officer Don Trosper, Thomas May and Bradley Hall were fatally injured as a result of the accident just south of Berea. The students were traveling back to Lexington after a Baptist Campus Ministry retreat in Laurel Lake. Trosper said May was driving a 2001 Ford Taurus when it crossed the median and struck a tractor trailer in oncoming traffic. The accident, which is still under investigation, occurred at 1:37 p.m., he said. Ben Cooley, and 18-year-old freshman from Harrodsburg and passenger in the Ford Taurus, was injured and transported to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for treatment. The truck driver, James A. Donaldson, 51, of Oregon, Ohio, was taken to Rockcastle County Hospital as a precaution. He was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. May, a 20-year-old junior from Louisville, had been an active member of the University of Kentucky's Baptist Campus Ministry for three years, according to Daniel Berry, campus minister. Hall, an 18-year-old freshman from Rockfield, Ky., was new to campus and new to BCM, but not new to ministry. He was active in Kentucky Changers, a week-long summer missions camp where students repair homes for low-income people. He participated in Kentucky Changers for the last four or five years, according to Joe Ball, youth ministry associate for the Kentucky Baptist Convention and a veteran Kentucky Changers leader. More than 100 students gathered at the University of Kentucky Baptist Campus Ministry center Sunday night as news of the tragedy spread. Students hugged, prayed, shared stories and talked with counselors. "We are all saddened by the tragic loss of these fine young men and the injuries sustained by the third. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and fellow Baptist Campus Ministry students," said KBC Executive Director Bill Mackey. "Difficult days are ahead for all of those connected to these students. As we mourn, we also reflect on how thankful we are to have had these young men as part of our campus ministry." The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 16, 2008 13:55:50 GMT -5
John Mark Toby Elected KBC PresidentRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsJohn Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset, was elected president of Kentucky’s largest denomination today. Messengers affirmed Toby by acclamation during the afternoon session of the 171st annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention at Immanuel Baptist Church. There were no other candidates. Also elected unopposed were Skip Alexander, pastor of Campbellsville Baptist Church in Campbellsville, as first vice president, and E. Lee James, pastor of Bellview Baptist Church in Paducah, as second vice president. The convention also reelected Wilma Simmons as secretary and Mike Melloan as assistant secretary. This is the second consecutive year in which there was only one candidate for each elected position. Charles Barnes, a member of Hurstbourne Baptist Church in Louisville, nominated Toby. Barnes praised Toby’s strong support of the Cooperative Program and his years of experience in KBC life. Toby served as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference in 2006 and as first vice president of the Convention in 2005-2006. ”He has a passion for the lost, he has a passion for missions, and he has a passion for the mission of the KBC,” said Barnes. Toby has served as pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church for the past nine years and as chaplain with the Kentucky Army National Guard since 1983. He previously served in pastorates at First Baptist Church of Fairdale and Hedgeville Baptist Church in Danville. Toby is a graduate of Luther Rice Seminary, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Eastern Kentucky University. James Jones, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Campbellsville, nominated Alexander. Alexander, who has served at Campbellsville Baptist Church since 2002, previously held the office of KBC second vice president in 2003-2004 and has also served on the KBC Mission Board. He is currently vice chair of the Western Recorder’s board of directors and served this year on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Committee on Nominations. Alexander previously served Kentucky Baptist churches in Louisville and Shelbyville. He is a graduate of Georgetown College, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. Don Mathis, staff evangelist at Eastwood Baptist Church in Bowling Green, nominated James for the office. Simmons is a member of Big Spring Baptist Church in Ekron. Melloan is a member of Yellow Creek Baptist Church in Owensboro. Also during the Tuesday afternoon session, two individuals and several churches were recognized for outstanding leadership and support of the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ method for collectively funding mission and ministry efforts. Anna White and James Jones received the Distinguished Cooperative Program Leadership Award for their leadership in supporting the Cooperative Program. A lifelong missions educator, White served in a variety of positions with the Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union for 40 years. Jones serves as pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Campbellsville and has served in a variety of leadership roles for the KBC, including president of the Convention in 1989. Six churches were also recognized as top givers to the Cooperative Program. Three were recognized for total dollars given in 2007: Living Hope Baptist Church, Bowling Green, which gave $436,102.05; Immanuel Baptist Church, Lexington, 349,131.24; and Porter First Baptist Church, Owensboro, $273,402.31. Three were recognized as the top per capita givers, including: Paducah Korean, Paducah, whose 10 members gave a total of $4,247.99, or $424.80 per member; Riverview Baptist Church, Catlettsburg, whose six members gave $1,796.11 or $299.35 per member; and Journey Church, Union, whose 39 members gave $9,680, or $248.21 per member. Billy Compton, executive associate for Cooperative Program and resources, announced that the KBC is preparing to launch a three-year Cooperative Program emphasis called the “CP Missions Challenge.” Compton said a steering committee has been put together to provide leadership for the effort. Rallies for the challenge will be held in the spring at 11 locations across the state. Messengers also affirmed KBC President Bill Henard’s nominations to the Committee on Committees, the committee that names members to all other standing Convention committees. Those named include: Micah Carter of Mackville Baptist Church, Mackville; Dan Summerlin of First Baptist Church of Lone Oak, Paducah; and Hershael York of Buck Run Baptist Church, Frankfort. Kevin Smith, pastor of Watson Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, delivered the convention sermon during the Tuesday afternoon session. During a report from the Committee on Arrangements, messengers approved a motion to host the 2011 annual meeting to Florence Baptist Church in Northern Ky., where the church is currently building a new facility. New board members for the coming year were also approved by messengers during a report from Farrell Isenburg, chairman of the Committee on Arrangements. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 17, 2008 16:46:47 GMT -5
Pastors Challenged to ‘Run to Win’ in MinistryRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsKentucky Baptist pastors were challenged to serve with excellence in their ministries at the annual Pastors Conference held here at Immanuel Baptist Church Monday. Meeting on the day before the annual Kentucky Baptist Convention meeting, the pastors used the theme “Running to Win.” Pastors Conference President Corey Abney said the conference was designed to “challenge pastors to run in such a way that they obtain the prize the Lord has for them.” Six guest speakers were the focus of the day.• John Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset, challenged pastors to rely on God’s provision as they “run the race of life.” Drawing from Exodus 15, Toby compared the Israelites who failed to trust God to Christians today who live in a “culture of entitlement” and seek to be self-sufficient. “God will test us to find out if we really trust him as we run the race of life,” said Toby. “How easy it is to forget what the Lord has done for us. We need to stand firm, we need to remember that God will strengthen us every step of the way. We need to be in the very presence of God.” • Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif., urged pastors to adopt a culture engagement mindset and find creative ways to share the gospel. “Cultural engagement thinking requires us to go where unbelievers are,” said Iorg. “You have to go on their turf and find yourself able to function in that capacity. “You also have to enjoy being with unbelievers. If you are not motivated by a deep love for unbelievers, they will sense it in a second and turn you off in a nanosecond,” he said. • James Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Ga., spoke from 2 Timothy 4:1-5 about the importance of preaching truth the Bible. Merritt challenged pastors to rely on Scripture as they preach compellingly, courageously and compassionately. “We are nothing without the word of God,” said Merritt. “Your goal in life should be to preach the whole counsel of God.” • Jimmy Scroggins, pastor of First Baptist Church, West Palm Beach, Fla., encouraged pastors to be intentional in meeting non-Christians in order to share the gospel. “You will rarely accidentally win someone to Christ,” said Scroggins. “You have to be purposeful. You have to put some effort into it. “If we’re going to do evangelism, we have to aim for conversions,” he said. “We want to see people converted – not just people who walk an aisle, but people whose lives are transformed because of the gospel of Christ.” • Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort spoke from Genesis 27 about the importance of strong families. York charged attendees to protect time with their families in order to pass down their faith and teach them the gospel. “There will come a time that they will want to sell their birthright and say that something else is more significant,” said York. “Your child needs to understand that you love them exactly how they are and that you’ll be there when they fail.” • Hayes Wicker, pastor of First Baptist Church in Naples, Fla., challenged pastors to “run the race with endurance” and to look to Christ with faith. “Because we have the faith of the Lord Jesus in us, and his strength and power, the moment you believe in the slightest way, God moves into action. “When you and I are tempted to quick the race, look to Jesus,” he said. “Whatever you do in ministry, you better do it for Jesus.” Audio files of each message will be available online in streaming and .mp3 format later in the week at www.kybaptist.org. In other business, pastors elected Kevin Smith pastor of Watson Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, as president-elect. Smith will preside over the 2010 Pastors’ Conference. They also chose Micah Carter, pastor of Mackville Baptist Church in Mackville, to serve as secretary/treasurer. Tom James, pastor of Eastwood Baptist Church in Bowling Green, will serve as president of the Pastors’ Conference in 2009, which is scheduled to meet Nov. 9 at Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 17, 2008 16:55:24 GMT -5
Kentucky Baptists Resolve to Protect the Unborn, Prepare for CrossoverRelease prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC CommunicationsKentucky Baptists reaffirmed their desire to protect the lives of the unborn and committed to support the Southern Baptist Convention’s Crossover Louisville event through resolutions passed during the 171st annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Five resolutions were presented by Russell Moore, chairman of the KBC Committee on Resolutions, and approved by messengers during the Tuesday morning session of the Nov. 11 annual meeting at Immanuel Baptist Church. The approved resolution for protecting unborn human life was put forth to reiterate the conviction of Kentucky Baptist churches “that the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision was an act of injustice against innocent unborn children, as well as vulnerable women in crisis pregnancy situations.” The resolution calls on KBC churches to “remain vigilant in the protection of human life” and also calls on government officials to “take action to protect the lives of women and children.” The resolution on Crossover Louisville called for KBC churches to support and participate in the evangelistic effort, to be held in advance of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Louisville, June 23-24, 2009. Crossover is a joint effort of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Long Run Baptist Association, the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, Kentucky’s Woman’s Missionary Union, and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Another resolution passed called for Kentucky Baptist churches to maintain strong Christian stewardship during challenging economic hardship and to care for the poor while discipling believers in wise financial stewardship. Messengers also approved a resolution on the development of young leaders, challenging experienced ministers “to help train young leaders through participation in training events, personal challenges and mentoring of young leaders.” A resolution calling for the appreciation of Immanuel Baptist Church as annual meeting host was also passed. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 19, 2008 20:43:45 GMT -5
Platt: Gospel Urgency Must be Motivated by the Glory of ChristChristians must be people who long for the glory of Christ and believe that Jesus is “worthy of our trust,” said David Platt, senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. during a stirring closing session of the annual meeting. Platt was the featured speaker during the Tuesday evening session of the 171st annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention at Immanuel Baptist Church. Preaching from Luke 9:57-62, Platt challenged Kentucky Baptists to concern themselves with spreading the glory of Christ more than their own comfort. “The key to urgency in the mission of Christ is found in zeal for the glory of Christ and its impossible to be urgent in the mission if we do not have zeal – deep zeal for the glory of Christ,” said Platt. “He doesn’t need us at all. We need him. We desperately need him,” said Platt. Platt named three characteristics that “Jesus is making clear about himself” in Luke 9. “Jesus is worthy of all of our trust,” he said. “Jesus is worthy of all of our plans and dreams. Jesus is worthy of all of our affections. “He’s saying that in following Jesus, there is a plan for your life that supersedes all other plans.” Recalling his experience in a foreign country where Christian evangelism was illegal, Platt told of a group of believers who risked their lives to identify with Christ and sat for hours while Platt taught them about the Bible. “They love this book. It means something to them. They’re not playing around when they study it.” Platt told of a time when he was studying baptism with the group, when “it hit me – for them to publicly identify with Christ in their culture [by baptism] could literally cost them their lives.” “We have prioritized our comfort over the needs of others and we need to repent. Do we believe he really is worthy of our trust?” he said. “There are brothers and sisters around the world who are giving their lives--and I say we join them. Everything we do is only good as much as it enables us to accomplish the mission that he [Jesus] gave to us. “God, raise up a church that is no longer content to wait for a tingly feeling to go down our spines…but that is ready to take the gospel to all nations and everywhere in between.” Platt called for Christians who will “keep Jesus the main thing” and be willing to set aside programs and buildings if needed. “There is only one God who is worthy of all their worship, and his name is Jesus,” he said. “We go because he is worthy.” Noting that there are an estimated 6.7 billion people in the world today, Platt said, “even the most liberal estimate would put our world at one third percent Christian. That leaves over 4.5 billion people today who are on a road that leads to an eternal hell. “We don’t have time to play games in church….not with the urgency of the mission before us, and I believe it begins with falling on our faces and saying ‘Lord Jesus,’ you are worthy of our trust. We want you, Jesus. You are worthy of our plans and dreams.” Following Platt’s sermon, many in the room responded in prayer to what they had just heard. At the close of the session, KBC Executive Director Bill Mackey recognized outgoing KBC officers, including President Bill Henard, Vice President Jim Castlen, and Second Vice President Rick Reeder. Mackey also recognized Secretary Wilma Simmons, Assistant Secretary Mike Melloan, and parliamentarians John Chowning and Scott Kilgore. At the open of the Tuesday evening session, 789 messengers were registered, along with 205 church members and visitors. The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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Post by Church News on Nov 20, 2008 20:56:49 GMT -5
RelationshipsThe following article was written by Dr. Bill Mackey, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.....Dr. Bill Mackey, executive director Kentucky Baptist Convention In his book, Concentric Circles of Concern, the late Dr. Oscar Thompson said the word “relationships” is the most precious word in the English language. He added that perhaps the most welcomed words are “I forgive you.” For Christians, our primary relationship is the one we have with God through Jesus Christ. In II Corinthians 5:17, Paul says, “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.” Because we have a new relationship to God, we are new people, and we need to see people from the perspective of Jesus Christ. For years, my goal had been to have a conscious awareness of God. I have come to realize though that relationship goes beyond conscious awareness. Relationship also involves dealing with any sin barriers that hinder or restrict the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Misunderstanding can be one of the greatest barriers to good relationships. In most cases, people do not intend to hurt or offend someone by what they say or do but it is easy for words and actions to be misunderstood. People are so different in the ways they think, process information, relate and make decisions. Reacting based on one’s personal perception and not the other person’s perspective can often lead to an overreaction. I find that, for me, it is often helpful to wait a few days in order to gain a better perspective on a situation before reacting. When misunderstandings do occur, the rift in relationships can be healed when one party is sincerely willing to seek forgiveness, reconciliation and love and the other party is willing to respond likewise. The way we maintain our relationships to one another in the church and in public is important. II Corinthians 5:19 says, “…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself …and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” In John 17, Jesus says our unity as believers will result in the world believing that God sent Him, and that God has loved them as He has loved Jesus. Showing unity and love for one another is also crucial in our ministry of reconciliation in the world (II Cor. 5:18-20). I pray that we will always be considerate and respectful of others, gracious and caring in our relationships, slow to react emotionally, willing to see other perspectives, and always willing to exercise love, forgiveness and reconciliation. In a day when extreme emotional reactions seem to be common, please join me in becoming ministers of reconciliation in home, church, convention and community to the glory of God! Dr. Mackey's column appears weekly in the Western Recorder. To subscribe to the Western Recorder, call (502) 489-3535.The preceding article was from the Kentucky Baptist Convention which is affiliated with several Clay County churches who are members of the Booneville Baptist Association. Read the entire article at kybaptist.org.
Booneville Baptist Association consists of 25 churches in Clay and Owsley counties which are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. For more news and information go to.....Booneville Baptist Association
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