JOURNAL OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

www.msbaptist.orgNovember 15, 2016 VOL. 70 NO. 22

BMA Missions Offers Mardi Gras Missions TripBMA Missions is pleased to

join the ministry of Camp-ground Baptist Churchin Gulfport, Missis-sippi, to share thelove of Jesus on theMississippi GulfCoast! Each yearthousands of peopleattend the annualMississippi GulfCoast Mardi Gras Pa-rades. The 2017 paradeswill be in Gulfport, February17-18 and Biloxi, February 24-25. Campground Baptist has le-

veraged this opportunity to serveand share Christ with the

people who attend theparades. PastorBryan Atwood hasinvited the people ofthe BMA to jointhem in this minis-try. This is an ex-cellent opportunityfor churches to ex-

perience a short-termmissions trip that is

close in location, inexpensive andvery effective.

All BMA churches are invited

to join in this effort. However,because of limited space, thefirst 150 people who apply foreach weekend will be eligible toparticipate.

Training and lodging will beat Campground Baptist Church,20577 Highway 53, Gulfport,MS 39503

Requirements:Requirements:Requirements:Requirements:Requirements:Each participant must attend

training on the Friday nightbefore the Saturday parade. Thesession will begin at 7:00 pm.

Cost per participant is $35.00.

This will provide your lodging,training, evening snack, Satur-day morning breakfast,Bibles to hand out at theparade, a Mardi GrasMissions T-Shirtand other ministryoutreach during theparade.

Campground willprovide lodging. Beprepared to bringeverything you’dneed to go to camp includingbedding.

A Mardi Gras Missions T-

Shirt is required for each par-ticipant.

Each participant must be15 years of age. Because of

the sleeping arrange-ments and the na-ture of the ministry,no children are al-lowed on this trip.

Questions? EmailAngela Rice, Short-

Term Missions Coor-dinator, BMA Missions,

angela@bmamissions.orgor call 501-455-4977 EXT

3855.

Thanksgiving Is A NaturalReaction For Those WhoRealize They Are Blessed

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon hisname, make known his deeds among thepeople. 1Chron. 16:8

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good;for his mercy endureth for ever.

1Chron. 16:34

Surely the righteous shallgive thanks unto thy name:the upright shall dwell inthy presence.

Psalm 140:13

May You And Your Family Have A VeryBlessed Thanksgiving Season and May God'sBlessings Be Ever On Our Hearts and Minds

SOAR 2017: Save the Date!Student ministers and youth leaders, put these dates on your

calendar: SOAR 2017 will take place July 5-7 at the Gaylord TexanHotel in Grapevine, Texas.

This year’s theme is Self-less: Love God, Love Others.Speaker Dustin Wisely willchallenge students to imitateChrist by living a life of ser-vice and ministry to others.SOAR village will once againpresent students with oppor-tunities for ministry.

Additional guests, as well as new features, will be announcedsoon. Stay up to date on all the latest SOAR news at gosoar.com andSOAR conference social media pages.

Stepping Asideby Jeff Franks, BMA Missionary to Ukraine

The previous 22 years havebeen an incredible journey! Itmay surprise some of you tohear that just this October,Coleen and I moved our resi-dence from Ukraine back toArkansas to live near our daugh-ters Sarah and Leah, and theirfamilies! Our mission to Ukraineand former Soviet countries has

not come to an end – by nomeans! But we believe it’s timeto come home and formally stepaside. We believe it’s time toencourage younger missionar-ies to serve the Lord by makingdisciples among the lands andpeople we have come to love.

Here’s one of our early pre-cious memories. In February

1994, our church family,Southgate Baptist Church ofMoore, Oklahoma, sent us toUkraine for a whole month.

Mind you this was two monthsbefore we were even elected bythe BMA! What faith!

Our late Pastor HaroldHodges and Southgate churchmembers wanted to give Coleena first-hand experience of whatwould be required to live in aforeign land with two children.If indeed God was calling us,then the management of thehousehold and the education ofour kids would fall mostly onher. What’s more, Coleen wouldbear this burden in a Ukrai-nian-Russian speaking formerSoviet town surrounded by col-

Jeff & Coleen Franks

continued onpage 8

2 November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

Becky Ulmer is Nursing Home Adminis-trator of Jasper County Nursing Home,Bay Springs, Mississippi. She is a mem-ber of First Baptist, Bay Springs.

SENIOR SOURCES - byBecky Ulmer- becky.ulmer@jghms.com

Control The PressureHypertension (High Blood Pressure) -

If you are one who breaks down a word toattempt to figure out what it means, thisone will lead you in the general direction.Hyper meaning "over" or "over-active"and tension meaning "stress" or "strain".Well there you have it, hypertension isover or too much stress and strain. Stressand strain on what? Blood vessels, heart,brain, kidneys, lungs, liver and eveneyesight can be affected by high bloodpressure. When polling individuals abouthigh blood pressure and its consequences,most people understand that a strokecan occur if it goes "too high".

There are factors which predispose aperson to have hypertension. Age, gen-der and race are referred to as the "un-avoidable" factors. Obesity, smoking,and health conditions which provide ad-ditional risks such as heart disease dia-betes, renal (kidney) disease and highcholesterol are referred to be "avoidable"factors.

In the past, attention was placed onthe bottom number or diastolic reading.The focus has shifted now with bothnumbers being important in evaluatingthe proper function of the heart. Thesystolic reading (top number) indicates

the maximum arterial pressure occur-ring during the contraction of the ven-tricles of the heart. The diastolic (bottomnumber) is the pressure in the arteriesbetween the beats of the heart. This isconsidered the relaxation time when the

chambers refill withblood. The higher thenumber means morepressure on arteries andless relaxation on theheart.

The question is,"What is a normal blood

pressure reading?" 120/80 has beenused as the "normal" or "desired" readingfor the general population. Your healthcare provider will be able to evaluateyour overall health and risk factors andgive a reading that will be your desiredblood pressure reading. When takinginto consideration the dangers related tohypertension, "control" becomes a realgoal. A common pitfall is the decision tostop taking anti-hypertensive medica-tion when the blood pressure is "undercontrol" with normal readings. Thesemedications should never be stopped ordosage adjusted without consulting thehealth care provider who prescribed the

medication.All reactions or negative changes in

the way you feel while taking thesemedications must be reported to theprovider also. A mild light-headed sensa-tion is common in the initial phase ofstarting blood pressure medication andshould resolve after a few days. Dizzi-

ness, blurred vision, feeling faint uponstanding should be reported immedi-ately. Caution should be taken whengoing from lying down to a standingposition. Allow time to sit upright for aminute or so before standing. Medica-tions to control blood pressure should betaken at the same time of the day and onthe frequency prescribed.

Diet directly affects blood pressureand is the underlying cause in many ofthe "avoidable" factors. Control yourweight. Avoid foods which are high insodium (salt) and do not add salt tocooked foods. Use garlic for seasoningcooking and bake food rather than fry.Commercially canned foods are higher in

sodium content for the purpose of prod-uct preservation. If an item is listed as"low fat" it usually is higher in sodium.The label with "lower sodium" or "re-duced sodium" does not automaticallyrender this item healthy for those on alow or restricted sodium diet. Try squeez-ing a slice of lemon over the vegetables onyour plate. By the time the blessing hasbeen said, the reaction of the lemon juiceand heat of the food will create a palateexperience of salt flavor. Salt substitutesare available, but need to be cleared bythe health care provider for possible in-teractions with medication. Become a"label reader". The facts may surpriseyou!

The Bible makes reference to "salt"and flavor. This writer understandsfirsthand the dilemma of balancing diet,medications, and lifestyle to control hy-pertension. Pray about your own healthand well-being, seek guidance from ahealth care provider you trust, and fol-low the advice received .

"The heart of the prudent gettethknowledge; and the ear of the wise seekethknowledge." Proverbs 18:15

"The fear of the Lord (is) the beginningof knowledge; (but) fools despise wisdomand instruction." Proverbs 1:7

Children's Home Special EmphasisOctober & November 2016

Goal - $25,000

MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST

CHILDREN'S HOME118 LOWE ROAD, LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI 39443 - (601) 426-3928

SIDNEY DAVIS - DIRECTOR SIDNEY DAVIS

From The Mind of Chuck Lee

Bro. Chuck Lee

Pickin' and Grinnin'

Lee serves as pastor of Pine Grove Bap-tist Church, Purvis. He may be reachedby email at leecharles47@yahoo.com

There is just some-thing about grabbing aguitar and strumminga tune. It has the sameconcept as being saved.What I mean by that,is, I have never knownanyone who has learnedhow to play a guitarthat has ever regrettedlearning how to play and I have neverknown anyone that is saved having everregretted being saved.

Flat-picking seems to me to be the bestuse of a guitar, butthat may just be myown opinion. I wouldexplain the concept toyou non-guitar pickers,but you probablywouldn't understand.Bluegrass music isknown for its excellencein flat-picking. I actu-ally had a man statethat he didn't like bluegrass music, so Itried to witness to him with the gospel sothat he would get saved. He said he wasalready saved, but I highly doubted thatsince he didn't like bluegrass music. Inany case, I told him he may not likeHeaven very much if he didn't like blue-

grass music. We parted ways because Ididn't need that kind of negativity in mylife.

Some of the finest people I know like topick and grin. Most Friday and Satur-day nights can find me at some friends ofmine playing music. It's a good time andnot just because of the music. When youare able to spend time with people thatknow the Lord and get to play music aswell, then you have discovered the secretto a happy life. Throw in a potlucksupper and you complete the tri-fecta;friends, music, and food.

Music seems to be anexpression of the heart.It discovers feelingsthat are hard to de-scribe in any other way.Might I suggest some-thing? Learn to throwa football, hit a base-ball, shoot hoops, orwhatever, but don'tdeny yourself the life-

long privilege of learning how to pick andgrin. When you're too old to do anythingelse, you will still have music.

3November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

Scott Attebery

DiscipleGuideScott Attebery, Executive DirectorEmail: scott@discipleguide.org

Facebook: Facebook.com/scott.atteberyTwitter: @scottattebery

WWWWWill ill ill ill ill YYYYYou Catch Us?ou Catch Us?ou Catch Us?ou Catch Us?ou Catch Us?Scary. Exhilarating. Trusting.Scary. Exhilarating. Trusting.Scary. Exhilarating. Trusting.Scary. Exhilarating. Trusting.Scary. Exhilarating. Trusting.It was my first summer at church

camp. Recreation time was almost over.We were hot, tired, and ready to swim inthe pool.

Our recreation leader announced thatwe had one more activity. He asked fora volunteer. I was all too eager.

The leader placed me on a platformabout six feet off of the ground. Next, hearranged the rest of my group on theground into two rows, starting at thebase of the platform, facing each otherwith arms straight ahead crossing eachother. Looking down from the platform(which now felt more like sixty feet tall),my team formed a landing pad - for me!

Before the leader gave me instruc-tions, I already knew what I was sup-posed to do: fall backwards into thearms of my team. That’s right, back-wards – as in, without being able to seewhere I would land. It was a call toextreme trust.

Everything within me wanted toclimb down from the platform. Some of

my teammates didn’t look very strong.What if they dropped me?

The recreation leader, seeing the lookof uncertainty of my face, pulled measide and said something I’ve neverforgotten: “We are stronger when wework together.”

I still wasn’t com-pletely confident, butI knew what I had todo. I had to trust thegroup. (Besides, Icouldn’t let the cuteblonde-headed girlsee me back down.)I placed my feet onthe edge of the plat-form with my back

turned toward my group. With a deepbreath, I took the plunge. What a sensa-tion!

Scary. Exhilarating. TrustingScary. Exhilarating. TrustingScary. Exhilarating. TrustingScary. Exhilarating. TrustingScary. Exhilarating. Trusting.Time stood still for a moment. And

then, all of a sudden, it was over. Myteam caught me! I yelled, “Let’s do itagain!”

Today, I stand on a different plat-form. Together with the entireDiscipleGuide team, we have placed ourtoes on the edge, and we are about tolean back. We are trusting you to catchus.

Two years ago, we realized the needto improve our associational curricu-lum. Church leaders shared their con-cerns with us. They loved the biblicalcontent of our material, but wanted

more focus on relevant application andgreater helps for teachers.

Curriculum development is a pro-cess. It does not happen overnight. Weknew that to make the improvementschurches were asking for would requiretime and resources – both of which are

difficult to come by when you have asmall staff. Keeping the current cur-riculum on schedule is a great enoughchallenge, but to add the development offuture improvements is almost impos-sible.

That’s why we began reprinting thewritings of Dr. E. Harold Henderson.Since these writings were already proofedand edited, it afforded us time to focuson improvements. We used that time tointerview teachers and leaders fromvarious churches and find out what ourcongregations need. And, at the sametime, we were able to assemble a stableof talented BMA writers.

The past two years of curriculumplanning and development have beenlike climbing up the platform at camp.Every rung requires energy and hardwork. Now we have completed the workand are ready to present it to ourchurches. How does it feel?

Scary. Exhilarating. Trusting.We have taken a huge risk. After

working hard to address everyone’sneeds, we know that not everyone willcare for all of the improvements. Cur-riculum funds the greatest portion ofour budget. Proceeds help us to investinto church revitalization efforts. Tomake any changes to our curriculum isa risk to our finances and, as a result,our ability to help churches. But I be-lieve it is worth the risk to create bettercurriculum that will serve our churchesmore effectively.

It is at this moment in time that Irecall the words of the recreation leaderat camp: “We are stronger when wework together.”

I believe you will love the improve-ments we have made to Compass. Buteven if the improvements aren’t exactlywhat you would have preferred, we stillneed you to catch us. We are not a hugebusiness with a massive research anddevelopment budget. We are a ministryof the BMA. We are your brothers andsisters in associational work. We aretrying to serve you in the best way weknow how.

If you want us to keep making im-provements in the future, please catchus.

If you want to continue having BMAcurriculum written by BMA writers,please catch us.

If you want to see improvements tostudent and children’s materials as ournext project (including a return toprinted materials) please catch us.

The winter edition of Compass hasgone to print. We are currently takingorders. We are all in and there is noturning back.

If every adult class in every BMAchurch will purchase compass this win-ter, this could be the beginning of a newera in BMA curriculum! Call800.333.1442 or go to discipleguide.orgto order.

We are trusting in our association.We are stronger together. Will you catchus?

Lifeword “Thanks to our Corporate Sponsors”With businesses ranging from banks

to bread companies, Lifeword’s 2016sponsors have one thing in common:They support Lifeword because of itsglobal reach. These businesses, schools,and churches have given either $1,000,$500 or $250 to help kick start Walkand Lifeword Sunday efforts. Contribu-tions during this season of Lifewordgiving will enable broadcast languagesto be added to the current thirty-eight,more media and leadership trainingopportunities around the world and newCommunity Radio stations to be estab-lished in third world countries.

We’d like to thank the following spon-sors for their faithful giving:

Hill City Popcorn in Fayetteville, AR

(Kirk Shelton and family)Rankin Cabinet Shop in Mobile, AL

(Dennis and Sylvia Rankin)First Security Bank in AR (Mike

Baldwin)Smith Family Pharmacy in Conway,

AR (David Smith)Arkansas Graphics in Little Rock,

AR (mission:world printer)Calvary Baptist Church and Schools

in LaVerne, CA (Lincoln Dial)Garrett Memorial Baptist Church

and School in Hope, AR (Clif Johnson)Cameron Homes in Conway, AR

(Craig Goad)Sunbeam Foods in Dallas, TX (Rich-

ard and Barbie Kraig)Balanced Life Concepts in Rogers,

AR (Dan and Temple Carson)Mike’s Sound Systems in Conway,

AR (Mike Jones)Solid Rock Audio in Conway, AR

(Mark Malone)McCown Veneers in Terrell, TX

(Robin and Pat McCown)All but one of these businesses are

owned and operated by BMA churchmembers, and we’re grateful for thesupport. In addition to being listed onthe back of the 2016 Lifeword T-shirts,they were also included in mission:worldmagazine and will receive a plaque. Ifyou’re interested in being a 2017Lifeword sponsor, please contactholly@lifeword.org for more informa-tion.

Prisoner’s Bible Crusade Announces New WorkerI want to Introduce Brother Donald Brown as a Field

Representative for the PBC. Brother Brown is former Pastorof Movella Baptist Church, Lucedale, Mississippi. Bro. Brownis now serving as a Crisis Chaplain at the South MississippiCorrectional Institution in Leakesville. He will be visitingchurches and associations presenting the work of PBC. Hiscontact info is Donald Brown, 2212 Stonecrypher Rd, Lucedale,MS 39452. Phone 601-508-4199. He may be reached by Emailat donaldandlynn7577@gmail.com. I want to ask our Churchesto give Him a call, set up a time that he can come and reportin person because as you know by now, I cannot travel muchany more. But, Praise the Lord I can still carry on withcomputers and phones.

To date this year we have given 6,554 Bibles and 520 New

Testaments. It looks like we are on track to go over 8,000Bibles this year. If you know of any prison or jail volunteersthat needs bibles please let me know.

On a ministry note, as our Missionaries practice Matt. 22:9which is Door knocking, I practice it by writing letters andphone calls to chaplains. We have16 new chaplains this year.My present project is writing letters to all the women prisonsin the US. It takes time as I send out about 10 letters at a timeand then wait for a response.

Paul E. Lee, DirectorPaul E. Lee, DirectorPaul E. Lee, DirectorPaul E. Lee, DirectorPaul E. Lee, DirectorPrisoners Bible Crusade

P. O. Box 696 Picayune, MS 39466Phone 601-798-1341

4 November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

Opinion PageJournal of the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi

Don Brown - EditorDon Brown

www.msbaptist.org

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

USPS 353-960P.O. Box 8181

Laurel, Mississippi 39441-8000

Phone 601-426-3293

PRICE$20.00 Per Year by Mail

$15.00 Per Year by EmailCHURCH PLAN

$ 1.30 Per Month per Family

Published on the 1st and 15thof each month by the Baptist Mis-sionary Association of Mississippi.Periodical postage paid atHattiesburg, Mississippi 39402.

Postmaster: Send addresschanges to the Mississippi BaptistPaper, P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS39441-8000.

Baptist MissionaryAssociation of Mississippiwww.bmaofmississippi.com

DEPARTMENTS & COMMISSIONS

Mississippi Baptist PaperP.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441

601-426-3293

Southeastern Baptist College4229 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-426-6346

State Youth Department4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440662-397-6832

Baptist Children's Home118 Lowe Rd., Laurel, MS 39443

601-426-3928

Missions & Revolving Loan Fund4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-428-8616

Commission on Senior Adults4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-729-2613

History & Archives Commission4229 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-729-8098

Moral ActionP.O. Box 88, Mantachie, MS 38855

662-282-7425

Thankful It's Finally Over!Like many of you I am so glad I do not have to hear anymore Presidential Debates,

watch one more political ad, or listen to another political speech. Our nation hasspoken and we have chosen a new leader and hopefully, a new direction.

In this season of Thanksgiving it is no small thing to thank our God that we livein a nation whose history is one of peaceful transition of power from one leader tothe next. That is not the case in much of the world today. Historically, the UnitedStates system of transition of leadership is unique.

Our prayer is that our new leadership, from the president, to his cabinet leaders,to congress, and to the lower levels of our government, will lead according to theprinciples of our founders and in a manner that honors God and his commandments,with great consideration given to the individual citizen and their God given rights.

In this season of Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for God's peace and may wepray for our leaders to follow a moral, ethical path for our nation. Let us pray forwisdom for those who lead, peace with each other as citizens, and all in a mannerthat pleases and honors our Lord.

Special Emphasis TimeNovember is the last month of Special Emphasis time for our Children's Home.

The Home does a wonderful work of impacting, and in many cases, saving the livesof young people. What a blessing to know that each of us has a hand in blessing thelives of children in need. Give! Give Liberally! The need is great and the Lord willbless.

BMA of Mississippi Annual Brotherhood ReportA brief report from the MinutesA brief report from the MinutesA brief report from the MinutesA brief report from the MinutesA brief report from the Minutes

After a welcome, prayer and specialmusic business was conducted. Secre-tary and treasurer’s report was ap-proved. The Mississippi State Galileansreceived 40% of the project funds and60% of funds were presented to theMoral Action of Mississippi. Also, $1,000was given for Louisiana Flooding Relieffrom the Disaster Relief Fund.

The followingofficers and ac-tions were ap-proved: Presi-dent, MarkJones (Bethel,Fulton); 1stVice-president,V e r n o nNewman (BigCreek, Soso);2nd Vice-presi-dent, RicheyHester (Pleas-ant Hill, Tupelo); Secretary/Treasurer,Roy Caldwell (Temple, Lucedale); As-sistant Galilean Director, Larry Tramel(Bethel, Fulton).

Elected to the Disaster Relief Com-mittee: 2019, Roger Jefcoat. Others cur-rently serving: 2018, Roger Akers; 2017,Dennis Knight.

2016-17 Officers

The 2016-2017 Project is Carl Sookraj,Peru Orphanage mission (60%), Missis-sippi Galileans (40%). The Sookraj mis-sion is supported by the BMAA MissionsDepartment.

Galilean Director Larry Tramel re-ported on the State Galilean Camp heldin March 2016 at Camp Garaywa inClinton. The theme for the coming year

is “Stand Out” from Romans 12:1-2.Dalton McMillen will be the camp pas-tor. Mark Jones gave a report on theNational Galilean Camp to be held inArkansas in June 2017. The theme forthe coming year is “Agape” from ICorinthians 13 and the camp pastorwill be Scott Cavin.

An Open Letterto BMA Teachers

by Dr. Scott AtteberyDiscipleGuide Executive DirectorDo you teach a Sunday school class or

lead a small group Bible study? If so, letme say thank you for investing in thelives of God’s people. You play a vitalrole in your church and in the kingdom.

DiscipleGuide is the BMA depart-ment focused on investing in localchurches. Through consultation, camps,conferences, and curriculum, we aim tohelp every local church maximize itsGreat Commission potential.

Over the past two years, we haveworked hard to update our CompassAdult Bible Study curriculum. We’velistened to teachers and leaders through-out the BMA and implemented theirsuggestions. Now we are excited to re-lease the improved Compass this De-cember.

Recently, we have called churches toshare the news. More often than not,pastors tell us that they let you, theteachers, choose the material you willteach from. So I decided to write a letterdirectly to you explaining why we be-lieve you should consider using Com-pass. Here are three reasons:1) Proceeds from Compass help BMAchurches receive help. Our Activatechurch revitalization program is fundedin part by curriculum sales. If you aregoing to spend money on curriculumanyway, why not help a BMA churchwhile you are at it?2) Compass trusts in the sufficiency ofScripture. Compass is more than “selfhelp” material with a few Bible versessprinkled on top. We believe the “Wordof God is quick and powerful” (Hebrews4:12) and that it is “profitable for doc-trine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness” (2 Tim.3:16). Every Compass writer is commit-ted to the inspiration, inerrancy, andinfallibility of Scripture. Further, wepartner with the BMA Theological Semi-nary to ensure biblical accuracy.3) Compass is completely relevant. Con-trary to popular belief, scripturally-richteaching does not sacrifice relevance. Infact, just the opposite is true. THERE ISNOTHING MORE RELEVANT THANGOD’S WORD! Every Compass lessonnow includes discussion questions andapplication points to help your classapply God’s Word in the way Scriptureintends.

This winter, give us the privilege ofre-introducing Compass to your Sun-day school class or Bible study. Learnmore about the improved Compass atdiscipleguide.org/compass or call800.333.1442 to order.

5November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

AVAILABLE FOR SERVICE

Serving Christ With a Biblical World View In A Christian Atmosphere

Danny Pitts - President4229 Highway 15 North, Laurel, Mississippi 39440, (601) 426-6346

SoutheasternBaptist College

Danny Pitts

Church of the Covered Dish BY THOMAS TAPP

AcademicDean Perspectives

Greetings from the Number OneOnline Bible College in the United Statesfor 2016!“Blessed is the nation whose God is theLord; and the people whom he hathchosen for his owni n h e r i t a n c e ”(Psalms 33:12).

As I sit at mydesk here at theCollege and writethis article, twothoughts come tomind. The first isthat our nationalelections are con-cluded for thiscycle and the re-sults are in. Ev-eryone knows bynow what those results are. Leading upto this event there was great fear andmany reminders to each other as Chris-tians that God is still on His throne nomatter what the results would be. Well,now we know and many conservativeChristians are rejoicing, as well as I!

Let us be mindful that, although wehave hope for the future for positivechange in our nation towards people offaith, that our enemy Satan is stillactive, and perhaps more so now, todrive his anti-Christian agenda forwardin suppressing the Gospel message andto silence the Lord’s people in public life.

Continue in prayer for our politicalleaders that they may remain humbleand determined to support and renewthe positive influence of conservativevirtues that our Christian faith bringsto our society and to our great nation.

My second thought being, as this is

my first time writing an article for theMississippi Baptist since assuming myrole as Academic Dean here at South-eastern Baptist College, I am trulyhumbled and cherish this position.While being entrusted with the aca-demic affairs of this great educationalinstitution these past five months, Icontinue to learn more about the ad-ministrative demands that our tremen-dous staff work hard at and achieveeach week.

Accreditation ReportAccreditation ReportAccreditation ReportAccreditation ReportAccreditation ReportRecently, we have been blessed with

positive outcomes administratively. Amajor annual report to our AccreditingAgency was able to be completed andsubmitted on time. We are grateful toannounce that Southeastern BaptistCollege remains in good financial stand-ing with the Association of BiblicalHigher Education, as there was a con-cern over the sale of a piece of schoolproperty to one of our missions. This isno longer a concern and the schoolcontinues to be well positioned for main-taining its future accreditation.

Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord!Though our accreditation remains

secure, the college’s basic financial re-quirements remain. Our God is able tomeet all our needs, and He uses thepeople of our associational churches tokeep the electricity on. In the Missis-sippi Baptist last publication, BrotherPitts stated he was looking for a donorto meet a significant financial obliga-tion we acquired. Thank the Lord thatthis immediate need has been met byvery generous members of our associa-tion! Thank you to each church andevery individual who responds faith-fully to the Holy Spirit’s leading in

giving and praying for the ministry ofSoutheastern Baptist College!

Volunteer Help AppreciatedVolunteer Help AppreciatedVolunteer Help AppreciatedVolunteer Help AppreciatedVolunteer Help AppreciatedBrother Charles Bobo, an alumnus of

Southeastern and a BMAA retired mis-sionary of 39 years to Japan, donatedhis time in making minor repairs andsprucing up the front of the College.While here, Brother Bobo brought a

dynamic message to our students in ourweekly chapel service. Our chapel ser-vices are posted on YouTube and can beaccessed through our Facebook page.

HEADWAEHEADWAEHEADWAEHEADWAEHEADWAEEach year the College’s faculty and

staff nominate one outstanding profes-sor and one exceptional student to berecognized at the Higher Education Ap-preciation Day, Working for AcademicExcellence (HEADWAE). HEADWAEwas established by Mississippi Legisla-tive Resolution to annually honor theacademically talented students and fac-ulty members of Mississippi's highereducation institutions who have madeoutstanding contributions in promot-

ing academic excellence. The Apprecia-tion Day, hosted by the Legislatureeach February inJackson, is theLegislature's wayof saying "thankyou" to these stu-dents and facultyfor their commit-ment to the fu-ture of Missis-sippi. This year,SoutheasternBaptist College’shonorees are Dr. Scott R. Carson asfaculty representative, and Brother MattCrumpton as student representative.

College RecognitionCollege RecognitionCollege RecognitionCollege RecognitionCollege RecognitionThe College has received two recogni-

tions in recent weeks. Not only are wethe number 1 Online Bible College for2016 in the country as determined byBestColleges.com, and selected byAffordableschools.net as number 6 ofthe Most Affordable Bachelor’s Degreesin Religious Studies, we also were re-cently notified thatAffordableColleges.com has selected usas number 7 of the Most AffordableSmall Private Colleges for 2016! Inaddition, Southeastern Baptist Collegeis designated as a Military FriendlySchool for 2017 by Victory Media whowill list our school in their publicationswhich are distributed to over 135,000military personnel on 255 bases aroundthe world. Our members of the BMA ofMississippi can be proud of these out-standing and important public recogni-tions that help keep Southeastern Bap-tist College in the limelight for potentialfuture students and our significantstanding among religious institutionsof higher learning throughout the U.S.

Masters Level CourseMasters Level CourseMasters Level CourseMasters Level CourseMasters Level CourseIn our commitment to offer further

excellence in meeting the needs of ourstudents, Brother Pitts and I have beendiscussing with the Baptist MissionaryAssociation Theological Seminary re-garding the possibility of offering aMasters level course here in Laurel,Mississippi. After very positive meet-ings and discussions, I can now an-nounce that we will soon offer a BMATSextension Masters level course on ourcampus. More information will be pro-vided as we work out the details of thisnew exciting opportunity!

Dr. Scott CarsonAcademic Dean

SBC employee Hubert Dyess chats withBro. Charles Bobo taking a break whileworking on the roof of the gynmasium.

Matt Crumpton, SBCHEADWAE student

Hunter PhillipsBro. Hunter Phillips is available for

service either to fill in or pastor. He andhis wife Jessica are members of TigerCreek Baptist Church in Ovett, Missis-sippi. They have two children and areeager to serve the Lord as He leads. Bro.Phillips may be reached at 601-550-1109or through his pastor Bro. Jerry Overstreetat 601-735-0141.

6 November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

Girls Missionary AuxilliaryState Youth Auxiliary Director

Beth Caldwell166 Twin Creek Rd,Lucedale, MS 39452

601-947-6011

State GMA PromoterBecky Farmer

464 Churchwell RoadHattiesburg, MS 39401

601-596-1005becky@southforrest.org

Children's Home Special EmphasisOctober & November 2016

Goal - $25,000

MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST

CHILDREN'S HOME118 LOWE ROAD, LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI 39443 - (601) 426-3928

SIDNEY DAVIS - DIRECTOR SIDNEY DAVIS

Left to Right: Macey Jones 1st VP, GracieIngram Historian, Lakelan Flynt Presi-dent, and Anna Myers Secretary. NotPictured: Hope Burns 2nd VP, McKennaRhodes Corresponding Secretary, andHaley James Song Leader.

Please send all Big Creek Miss GMA,Junior Miss GMA, and Sunbeam candi-date packets to Lane Flynt, 1059 Hwy.532, Mt.Olive, MS 39119 by December15th. Contact me with any questions at601-641-1475. The next district meetingwill be February 4th at Big Creek Church,Soso at 10:00 am.

Big Creek GMA Officers & News

Women's Missionary AuxiliaryPresidentLinda Smith

2816 Old Bay Springs Rd.Laurel, MS 39440

601-470-1398

Corresponding SecretaryMrs. Shirlene Smith

730 Hwy 533Laurel, MS 39443

601-729-5638

Hobolochitto WMAHobolochitto WMAHobolochitto WMAHobolochitto WMAHobolochitto WMAThe Hobolochitto District WMA met

October 22 with Benville BaptistChurch. After a song and prayerRosanna Lee brought our devotion. Weelected new officers for the coming year.Melissa Comeaux is President and JeanDunn was chosen as Vice-president. Wewere blessed by a message from Bro.Caleb Lee on following Christ.

Our next meeting will be held atLees’ Chapel Number 2 on January 28.The Awards Banner was give to WolfCreek Church.

Debbie Lott, reporter

State WMA Special Guest

Mrs. Celia Broom is given a hand ofappreciation by Mrs. Shirlene Smith atthe recent state WMA meeting. Celia

was the speaker for the WMA and iswife of BMA Missionary Dale Broom.The Brooms are self-support missionar-ies to the African country of Ghana.

Mrs. Broom presented their work inGhana which includes churches, Bibletraining and an active water ministry.

National WMA Editor Shares Ukraine Mission WorkDear Brothers and Sisters,

We would like to share with you ournews and blessings, and to thank youfor participating in this important workof the Lord.

This year in Ukraine four majoractions were held – Four Christianyouth festivals: Western, Central,Southern and Eastern. The largest innumber and scope took place in theWestern Ukraine from 16th to24th of July and was led byPavelchuk Alexander, who is incharge of youth ministry in West-ern Ukraine. Together with a teamof ministers he was impressed bythe fact that the festival has offi-cially registered about 1,800 par-ticipants from all over Ukraine.The event was held under thetheme "The Church whichchanges society." For seven daysthe youth reflected on importanttopics: The power of Prayer, Power ofUnity, Power of Holiness, Power ofTruth, Power of Love, and Power ofLight. It was an unforgettable week ofbeing under influence of the Word, whichis living and active. The Lord touched

hearts. During the festival week about200 young people repented.

We also want to thank you for yoursupport. With your support we can helppeople who live in the area of counter-terrorist operations in the East, whichare constantly fighting for the indepen-dence of our country with pro-Russianmilitants. We cannot stand aside fromthe problems of innocent people. There-fore, we constantly send humanitarianaid, food, warm clothing. We supportresidents, chaplains and our troops.Also we support them spiritually - senda team of people who help to carry outevangelistic ministry there. Particularattention is paid to kids - we bring giftsand sweets for them. This year anothertrip to the East for Christmas is beingprepared.

So we ask you to continue to pray and

support us. Let God enrich you with Hismercy, peace and joy of serving Him.Best regards, Alex PavelchukP.S. Here is a link for some video ouryouth fest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0bAQFv3Hhc

7November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST

CHILDREN'S HOME118 LOWE ROAD, LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI 39443 - (601) 426-3928

SIDNEY DAVIS - DIRECTOR SIDNEY DAVIS

Give Thanks“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” Psalm 92:1. Thanksgiving

is an ideal time to give thanks to God for His many, many blessings. It is a timewhen we can reflect and make sure that the true spirit of thankfulness isexpressed to our Lord not only at the Thanksgiving Season, but every day thatHe allows us to live and give Him praise.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesusconcerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Special Emphasis ReminderThe Special Emphasis period for the Children’s Home for 2016 is about to come

to a close. We are grateful and thankful for the response already in regards tothis year’s Special Emphasis. If you have not given an offering as of yet, allowme to encourage you to do so as the Lord gives you leadership and guidance.

Recent Visits to the HomeOn November 5, the youth of the Fountain of Faith Missionary Baptist

Church nearMobile, Ala-bama took ouryoung people ona visit to theMitchell Farmsnear Collins.

Then on No-vember 12, theyouth of theMulberry Mis-sionary BaptistChurch nearRichton visitedthe Home andgave a miscel-laneous pound-ing of items thatthey had gath-ered together forthe girls andboys at theHome.

We enjoyedour time witheach youthgroup and areappreciative oftheir interest inthe ministry of the Home.

Mulberry Youth Group

Fountain of Faith Youth Group

Servant Recognizedfor Years of Service

The Big Creek Association recentlyhonored Bro. Robert Bynum for his 34years of service as Treasurer. Duringthe November meeting Bynum was pre-sented with a plaque marking his longtime service and dedication to the posi-tion he so faithfully carried out. Asso-

ciation Clerk Justin Rhodes presentedthe plaque on behalf of the association.Bynum and his wife are members ofFirst Baptist Church of Calhoun, Lau-rel.

Bro. Justin Rhodes present a plaque ofappreciation to Bro. Robert Bynum uponhis retirement as Big Creek Treasurer.

50 Years In MinistryDr. James Shine was honored by

Enterprise BaptistChurch, Jackson-ville, Texas, with achurchwide lunchand fellowship onNovember 6, in cel-ebration of FiftyYears in the minis-try and twenty-oneyears as pastor ofEnterprise BaptistChurch. Congratu-lations to Bro.Shine for his years of ministry andservice.

Dr. James Shine

New Year’s Eve Gospel SingPine Ridge Baptist Church, Laurel,

will hold its third annual New Year’sEve Gospel Sing will feature Spoken 4Quartet and Bros 4 Quartet. Singingwill start at 6:00 pm and end about 9:00.Soups, sandwich, desserts, and drinkswill be served during break. There is noadmission charge and the public is in-vited. For more information call 601-319-8466.

Tiger Creek, OvettHello from Tiger Creek Baptist

Church. The busy season is upon us andwe tend to forget what it's all about. Weat Tiger Creek would like for everyonewho reads this to first be thankful forwhat blessings you have received fromGod in the past year. We have to takethe word Thanksgiving and break itdown what does it mean to you.

Thanks - for instant give thanks forthe food that God prepared for you,thanks for your home, health, freedomto worship, and freedom of speech. Thereare so many things to be thankful forthat we forget and take it for granted.

Giving - give back what is rightfullyHis in tithes and offerings; giving to thepoor, giving of your time to God, likereading and studying his word, offeringa helping hand to the needy.

That's what Thanksgiving is allabout. We all love you from Tiger CreekBaptist Church. Pray for us as we prayfor you all.

Brenda Overstreet, Reporter

Seniors Enjoy Conference in Branson

Dr. Allen Tilley

Senior adults from BMA churchesaround the country gathered in Branson,Missouri, for DiscipleGuide’s annualSenior Adult Conference. This year’sgathering featured the music of DallasHolm, The Harper Family, and TheHaygoods.

Dr. Allen Tilley, pastor of First Bap-

tist Church in Carthage, Texas, deliv-ered a series of messages entitled “He-roes Reborn.” Larry Wood, minister ofmusic at Farley Street Baptist Churchin Waxahachie, Texas, led congrega-tional singing.

The highlight of the conference wasthe family atmosphere. Attendees genu-

inely loved one another and enjoyed thefellowship with members of sisterchurches.

Next year’s Senior Adult Conferencewill take place November 13-15, 2017 atthe Branson Hilton Convention CenterHotel. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his

courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless hisname. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; andhis truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

Godly Thankfulness

8 November 15, 2016 • Mississippi Baptist

Sofilthy's Atticby Barbara White

Note: Bro. Frank Panzrino wrote thefollowing in 1983 when he was just a weelad of a boy. He wrote it as a gag gift fora Christmas gift to a pig farmer.This is strictly FYL*.

A pig is an animal that doesn't have much poise,For when eating they make a lot of noise!Their appetite is obvious quite tremendous!And what they eat is equally stupendous!

Although they are conversant, who knows what they say,And when the weather is dispersive they lay around on hay!

The Bible relates that swine are horribly unclean,But when it comes to eating. then they are deliciously keen!

The Bible tells of a herd of demon possessed swine,That the frightened Gadarenes could never find!

They did indeed go violently over a steep cliff,And they drowned boisterously in the deep drift!

They all precipitated in that watery rift,And I now get the whole "ode to a pig" gist!

*For Your Laughter

Ode To A Pig

lective farm villages. Imagine that!Giving us that blessed trip was just

the beginning of an abundance of careour loving Southgate and many BMAAchurches continued to express in theirprayers and giving over more than twodecades of our ministry, then still ahead.

That spring after we were elected atthe National Meeting in Pigeon Forge,Tenn., we began to visit our BMAAchurches. In a WMA meeting, one ladyasked my wife, “Will you have a dish-washer in Ukraine?” Coleen smiled,looked at Sarah and Leah, and said,“You bet! Two of them!” We laughedthen, and many hard years hence welaughed again in Ukraine when I fi-nally brought home a Russian-madedishwasher.

Our mission events were often costly.Travel to Armenia or Georgia to gather25 or more church planters for a three-day conference with provision of work-books and meals was no small under-taking. Coleen’s arts and crafts minis-tries to children and adults was a vir-tual logistical enterprise requiring al-most a warehouse of hard-to-find mate-rials. Yet you sent them!

You see, God was always present inevery opportunity, and always early orright on time with ample provision! Intruth, looking back over our 22 years ofmissions, there was not one trainingevent, not one crafts class, not one

camp, for which the Lord did not pro-vide financial support through ourchurches. Not one!

Oh yes, there were a few times whenwe wondered how or through whomsupport would come. But come it did,thanks be to God. Oh, how He encour-aged us through His faithful, mission-hearted American pastors and churches!We stand amazed, grateful, and blessed.

But we are not just looking back. Ourmission continues. Coleen is alreadygathering materials that are not avail-able in Ukraine, to send to the smallgroups she started there. Our brothersin Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia haveasked me to lead church-plantingtrainings and leadership conferences in2017. How could I say no? Only Godopens doors to encourage national mis-sionaries to make followers of our LordJesus, the life-source of every newchurch. Only God!

Even though we are officially retiringfrom the roster of BMAA missionaryfamilies, our work fund will remainactive for these purposes. Even so, whenyou hear of younger families answeringGod’s call to missions, please put yourlove, prayers and financial support be-hind them, just as you have for us!

Coleen and I would love to come seeyou to say thanks and to share ourvision for the future and a message ofhope from God’s Word for these troubledtimes. Please write us by email atjeffdfranks@gmail.com. May the Lordcontinue to bless your every effort inmissions for His name’s sake!-via Baptist Trumpet

Stepping Asidefrom page 1

Turf WarsBy Larry Barker, Director

BMAA North American MissionsThe word turf is simply defined as “a

layer of matted earth formed by grassand plant roots, peat, especially as ma-terial for fuel, and a block or piece of peatdug for fuel.” The reality is that theterm has taken on its own etymology. Ithas been used to refer to a neighborhoodover which a street gang asserts itsauthority, a city where a church has itsministry and evena ministry some-one oversees inyour church. Theturf “war” hap-pens when some-one steps into ourarea of oversightand we feel threat-ened.

While living inRomania in 2000,my family and Ivisited a village on the request of one ofthe pastors there. We arrived on aSunday morning to meet him and dis-cuss the day of services.

When I pulled up, I saw anothermissionary looking over at us, and hebegan to walk our way. When I rolledmy window down he said, “What areyou doing here? This is my village, andwe have a ministry going on here!” Wewere quite taken aback, but the realityis that there are 10,000 villages therewith no Gospel witness.

Here is a reality check for churches –if all the people in your communitydecided to attend church this comingSunday, there wouldn’t be enough seat-ing for all of them!

over-spiritualize this by thinking thatthe way you think it should be done isequal to how Jesus wants it done. Besubmissive and teachable to timelessprinciples, not just present traditions. Here is something that mustbe asked – is your church making dis-ciples? Are you seeing a multiplicationof disciples, leaders and churches?

Second, why you do something is asimportant as what you do. All too often,we get consumed with all of the activity.We think that because we are busy, allis well. Not necessarily so!

Some churches require members tobe present eight to nine times a week,but souls are not being saved and dis-ciples are not being developed. Perfectattendance is not the ultimate goal, anddoes not guarantee spiritual maturity.

Ezra 7:9-10 describes well this laserfocus of how we are to study His Word (IITim. 2:15), live out His Word (James1:22) then also teach His Word (II Tim.2:2) to others.

Third, always value people over thetask and the program. Make sure youare focused on the ministry of buildingup people, not people building your min-istry. If you want more out of your team,you must put more into them.

How can you help and resource themto make them as effective as possible?No one is perfect, and do not expectthem to always do things the way you

would. Do everything with excellence! Agreat definition of excellence is thatdoing the best with what you have.

Fourth, be clear about the vision andthe process of making disciples. Some-one has said, “If there is a mist in thepulpit, there will be a fog in the pew.” Alltoo often, when you speak to churchstaff (paid and volunteer), even they areunable to clearly explain the vision anddirection of the church.

You must work hard to ensure thateveryone knows where you are headedand how you plan on getting there. Youcan test this by asking several leadersto articulate to you what they believeyour vision is and how to carry it out.

Fifth, make sure everyone is on thesame page. Every ministry must be apart of the vision and the process ofdiscipleship. We can become so preoccu-pied with programs that they becomean entity in themselves. They must beevaluated to make sure that they aretools that facilitate the vision of thechurch. Without proper alignment withthe overall vision, the workers can be-come passionate about their ministry tothe point of protecting their turf.

Healthy churches protect their vi-sion by saying yes to the best things andno to anything else. They refuse toprotect their turf just to keep pet pro-grams alive because they have alwayshad that program.

The highest reported statistics saythat maybe 25% of the population is inchurch on any given Sunday. Do themath! If you live in a city of 20,000, thatmeans 15,000 need Jesus. That meansthat in the Little Rock, North LittleRock Conway metropolitan statisticalarea, 540,000 people need Jesus. Theproblem is not too many churches; it ishaving churches who see that the fieldsare white unto harvest.

Mike Breen has written on threethings killing the American church andlists them as celebrity, consumerismand competition. Looking at the third,competition, we must all admit thatthere have been times we have beentempted to think we must have betterprograms, better music and better fa-cilities than everyone else. We are in acompetition with other churches to getmembers!

What if we all focused on reachingthose who are far from God? Ourchurches should exist to help people findJesus and follow Him.

Sometimes, the competition is insidethe church. Ministries are competingfor workers, space, recognition and fi-nances. People have their “pet” pro-grams that they have “always” directed,and they will protect their turf.

Recently, when visiting a church, Iwas told not to go into a certain area ofthe building because it was under the“control” of a certain member. Really?No one should own a room, a pew (orchair), a parking space or a particularministry. If that occurs, they can holdthe church hostage! How do you protectyour church from turf wars?

First, remember that Jesus is Lord ofthe church. It belongs to Him, and if wewant it to honor and glorify Him wemust recognize this principle. Do not

Barker