hp feb14 (1)

February 2014Vol. 44, No. 1

in this issue

Moving? See page 2 (0128)

Churches in the Pacific impacting the world B a p t i s t

See WMU focus ... Page 3

See VBS ... Page 5

By Joe Conway

Homestead, Fla.—You could say Patrick Coats is a product of his spiritual legacy. But it’s a legacy he attempted to elude—at least for a time.

A native of Miami, Coats was raised by his grandfather, Joe Coats, the first African-American pastor to affiliate with the Florida Baptist Convention in 1968. The elder Coats planted a church in a school build-ing and saw it grow to 4,000 members.

“Hurricane Andrew destroyed the church building, but it did not destroy the church family,” said Coats. “The last major project for my grandfather was rebuilding the church (facilities).”

Coats was never far from his grandfather, so he was constantly in church. When he was old enough, he began serving alongside his grandfather, first as a

music minister. A degree in music education followed, and though Coats will tell you he is primarily a trumpeter, he can play an array of instruments, including drums.

“I was immersed in Southern Baptist life,” said Coats. “I’ve been everything there is to be in church from a deacon to a preacher. But I ran from a specific call as lead pastor.”

Coast ran to music and started a Christian rap group. Although it was a rebellious run, his was a mild one. He remained involved in church leadership, but did not want to be a pastor. Coats’ uncle, Joe Coats, started a church, tap-ping his nephew to serve as min-ister of music. After 10 years his uncle had a new idea.

“In 2005 my uncle threw me into the pulpit,” said Coats. “That

began a three-year journey of preaching,

Honolulu—The Hawaii Pacific Baptist Con-vention has chosen Christopher Martin, pas-tor of Lahaina Baptist Church in Maui, as its next executive director.

A graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theo-logical Seminary and pastor in Hawaii for eight years, Martin has served in several con-vention roles and was elected president of the Hawaii convention just weeks before being named executive director.

Having resigned as president, he began as executive director Jan. 1.

Martin succeeds Veryl Henderson, who will

retire in December after more than 40 years in ministry.

A native of Louisiana, Martin worked for 10 years in the secular world as a maintenance mechanic and employee trainer before going to seminary and entering full-time ministry.

His first pastorate was at Angie Baptist Church in Louisiana, followed by two years at First Baptist Church in Cedar Key, Fla., a small island in the Gulf of Mexico. From there, God used a trip to Hawaii to lead Martin and his wife, Wendy, and their two children to minis-

“Even though geographically we’re separated ... (Hawaii Baptists) have a deep concern to be connected and to work together to share Christ in our communities and see lives transformed.”Christopher Martin

Martin ‘looking forward’ to God’s plan for Hawaii

See Martin ... Page 5

The Story Lives OnFocus on WMU Feb. 10-16

Once upon a time, in 1888, a group of women met in a Meth-odist church and formed what is

now Woman’s Missionary Union. Together, they worked on a plan that would ensure the story of salvation would live on in places far and near. And so an organization came to be in Baltimore, Md.

When the office moved to Birming-ham, Ala., in 1921, the women were ask-ing themselves about the impact of their lives: Does my life please God? Am I enjoy-ing my Christian life? Is there anyone I can forgive?

How much time do I spend in prayer? Am I trying to bring my friends to Christ? Is there anything I cannot give up for Christ? How does my life look to those who are not Christians? Is the world being made better or worse by my living in it?

The women were praying daily for mis-sionaries in Japan, China, Mexico and Africa. They were also praying for the social issues of the day like poverty and orphans, as well as people groups with no known believers.

Today, the world is different because of their efforts. Japan, China, Mexico and Africa have thousands of believers. Orphans have legal rights and advocates. WMU still publish a prayer calendar in “Missions Mosaic,” but women continue to ask themselves, “Is the world being made better or worse by my living in it?”

Tell your story this year as you focus on WMU. Here are a few ideas:

n Read through your church’s history to learn when WMU was started at your church or in your state. What else was happening in the world that year? How did WMU make a difference?

n Focus on the watchword from Acts 4:20. Enlist women, students and children to share stories of ordinary people who

Church planter embraces legacy he once tried to escape

See Coats ... Page 7

Church planter Patrick Coats (right), a NAMB missionary, baptizes Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church mem-ber Andrew Fellas, with the assistance of Coats’ uncle, Joe (left). Patrick Coats planted Kingdom Covenant in Homestead, Fla. to reach the mobile community of north Miami. Coats is a Week of Prayer missionary for NAMB and is being featured during the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering promotion. (Ted Wilcox/NAMB)

A N N I E A R M S T R O N G E A S T E R O F F E R I N G

Obedient to ‘the call’

“The best encouragement for a church planter is knowing he’s not alone. Through the AAEO, churches ... come alongside ... to help in a big way.”Patrick Coats

Lost LoveThom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, writes an open letter to Southern Baptists asking ‘Where is the passion’ to reach the lost?Page 2

easy peasyWhat are you doing for Children’s Ministry Day? We have some ideas to get you motivated.Page 5

GoaL-wortHyThe Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is upon us. How will you help Hawaii reach its goal of $150,000?Page 7

2 HAWAII PACIFIC FEBRUARY 2014

HAWAII PACIFIC BAPTIST2042 Vancouver DriveHonolulu, Hawaii 96822(USPS 237-540)

CHrIstopHer MartINEditor

FaItH McFatrIDGeAssociate Editor

The Hawaii Pacific Baptist is published bi-monthly by the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention. For general information, call (808) 946-9581. Periodicals postage paid at Honolulu, Hawaii, and additional mailing office.

to subscribe: Send request to the Hawaii Pacific Baptist at the above address. Subscriptions for non-resident members of the HPBC are $12 annually.To register a change of address: Send the mailing label from page 1, along with your new address, to The Hawaii Pacific Baptist at the above address.postMaster: Send address changes to HAWAII Pacific BAPTIST, 2042 Vancouver Dr., Honolulu, HI 96822-2491To give news tips: Call the editor at (808) 946-9581.to submit a letter: Letters on any subject will be considered for publication if sent to the above address, provided they do not make a personal attack on anyone. Letters are limited to 250 words and may be edited for length.publishing services provided by Western Recorder Inc., Box 43969, Louisville, KY 40253. Robin Bass, partnership editions director.

Join us on FacebookBe part of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention via Facebook. Already have an account? Simply type “Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention” in the search box.Then click the “Like” box on the right side of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention header. It’s that easy. Followers of HPBC will receive all the updates and be current with the events and activities as they are posted. Let’s keep connected. For more information, contact Faith McFatridge at [email protected].

GUest CoLUMN By David roach

There is no wrong place to start reading the Bible.The book of 2 Timothy says that “all Scripture is

breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteous-ness” (2 Timothy 3:16). While the apostle Paul wrote those words specifically about the Old Testament, they apply to the New Testament as well.

Regardless of where you begin reading, God guar-antees that the words on the page are true, sent from Him and powerful to change your life.

Still, different Bible reading plans are better suited for different people. Here are a few methods to consider:

n Read through the entire Bible in a year using a reading calendar. You can find many plans online for covering every single verse in one year.

n To read at a slower pace, use a one-year plan, but only read half of the assignment each day. This helps some people understand and apply what they read more effectively.

n Start in one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and read a chapter each day. These books are a great place to learn about following Jesus.

n Start at the beginning. Begin with Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and read Scripture in the order it is presented. Go at your own pace.

n Have the Bible emailed to you. Through a website such as Bible Gateway, you can have daily Scripture readings sent directly to your inbox. Without having to carry around a copy of the Bible, you can still read through either the New Testament or the entire Bible in a year.

n Use a chronological Bible to read Scripture in the order it occurred. Though standard Bibles are roughly chronological, some events happened in a different order than they are ordered in the Bible. For instance, the events in 1 Chronicles happened before the events in 2 Kings even though standard Bibles place 2 Kings first. A chronological Bible helps you understand the timing of Scripture’s storyline.

Beyond these, there are many other ways to approach the Bible which you can discover through a quick Internet search. They help you experience the blessings that come from studying the greatest book ever written. May it be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105). (BP)

David Roach is a writer in Shelbyville, Ky.

Read the Bible this year

An open letter: Have we lost our first love?By thom rainer

I could be writing to a broader audience. Perhaps I should be. And I know many outside our denomination will read this brief letter. I

hope those readers will bear with me as I have a “family discussion.”

Please hear me clearly. I am not writing out of any sense of superiority. Indeed, many of you could put me to shame. But my heart is break-ing with what I perceive to be a loss of passion for those who do not know Christ. Many of you have seen the numbers. We are reaching fewer people for the gospel

today than we did decades ago when we were a much smaller group.

The first loveWhere is the passion in most of our

churches to reach the lost? Where is the pas-sion among our leaders, both in our churches and in our denomination? Jesus told those at the church at Ephesus that they had sound doctrine, that they hated evil (Revelation 2:1-7). But He also told them they had lost their

first love. When we truly love Jesus with all of our hearts, we can’t help but tell others about Him. We can’t help but share the good news.

I thank God for our contending for the faith. I thank God for our affirmation of the total truthfulness of Scripture. I thank God for orthodoxy. But I pray that it is not becom-ing a dead orthodoxy—an orthodoxy that has lost its first love.

The purpose of the letterThe purpose of this letter is not to chastise.

I am a messed up sinner who has no right to look at the splinter in the eyes of my brothers and sisters when I need to deal with the plank in my own eye. I need to fall more deeply in love with Jesus. I need to share His love as part of my very being. In His power I must do more and I must do better.

No, the purpose of this letter is simply to share a broken heart, and to express a heart-felt desire to change. I must love Jesus more deeply and tell others about Him more often. I must show Christ’s love not only with my words, but with every action and interaction I have. I must be more like Him every day.

I have no proposal. I have no new programs for now. I simply have a burden.

And as a commitment to God first, but then a commitment to you, I am asking God to lead

me to love Him more deeply than I ever have. I am asking God to put people in my life where I can show His love, and tell them about my Savior.

It must begin with meMy life’s desire is to glorify God by loving

Him with all my heart. And I have no right to say that unless I am so much in love with Him that I “am unable to stop speaking about what (I) have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Evange-lism must be as natural to me as breathing.

Pastors, will you join me in this plea? Will you be an evangelistic example for the churches God has called you to serve? Layper-sons, will you pray for evangelistic hearts in your own lives? I must make that prayer a part of my life every day.

Have we lost our first love? Is that love reflected in how we share the gospel of Christ every day?

May God break me until I am all His, tell-ing others about His Son every day.

And may the sharing of the good news of Christ once again become the focus of all our lives in the churches of our denomination.

Thom Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources. The open letter was posted Jan. 13 on his blog, ThomRainer.com.

Thom Rainer

GUESTCOLUMNIST

By Diana Davis

When a church begins new small groups or Sunday School classes, eternity is impacted. New hands are put to the

task. Easy entry points are established. Mem-bers are more likely to invite lost friends. Peripheral members become involved. And Christians joyfully rediscover the outreach purpose of the church.

Imagine what would happen if your church began lots of new classes this year. Need some fresh ideas?

n Life changes offer opportunities for new classes.

Provide a small group for expectant parents or engaged couples. (They will evolve into new parents and newlyweds classes.) How about a class for recent retirees or college students? If your youngest adult class has aged a bit, add a new class for younger adults.

n Your church ministries may provide opportunities for new small groups.

Example: a church with weekday childcare could invite those parents for a new class.

n Consider establishing a new small group for each decade of adults.

Fresh new classes attract newcomers and others who do not currently attend. Provide a list of new members who aren’t active in a small group, as well as recent guests and uninvolved church members.

Advertise the new class in your community.

n Look at growing areas in your church.

If the youth group is exploding, you might begin new small groups for par-ents of middle- or high school students.

n Look at “holes” in your current attendance.

What groups of people are unin-volved? What segments of your commu-nity are untouched? What types of new classes would include overlooked people? Example: About a third of adults in your town are unmarried. Are you organized to reach them?

n Kick off a targeted new group with a themed study.

For example, if there are lots of artists in your town, the class could begin with a short study of biblical art.

n Ask church members to submit suggestions.

What kind of small groups do church members think your church needs? Per-haps their ideas will lead to small groups leaders might never considered. Also ask for ideas for leaders and names of people that might attend.

n Challenge current classes to multi-ply themselves.

The current teacher shares responsi-bilities and helps train a co-teacher, and then some group members go with that teacher to begin a new class.

Will your church make a plan to reach new people by establishing new small groups?Diana Davis is author of “Deacon Wives,” “Fresh Ideas,” and “Fresh Ideas for Women’s Ministry.”

A challenge for new small groups

Diana Davis

GUESTCOLUMNIST

HAWAII PACIFIC FEBRUARY 2014 3

Join Agency D3 Special Agents as they examine eyewitness

reports, physical proof, and biblical accounts to uncover and

defend the truth about who Jesus really is.

Worship Rally and sessions for Preschool, Children’s crafts, Children’s music, Children’s mission, Children’s Bible Study,

Youth, Adult, Directors, and Backyard Bible Club.

For more information, Contact Clyde at 356-8331 or email [email protected]

The Gathering 2014 A Time of Worship and Renewal

Featured Speaker: Chris Martin, Executive Director-Treasurer, HPBC

February 21-23 Puu Kahea Conference Center, Oahu Worship, message, testimonies, games, friends, food, and slip-n-slide fun Conference starts Friday at 7pm Registration fee includes lodging, meals & materials Submit $65 fee before Jan 22 for early bird! ($85 after)

The Gathering Registration Form 2014 Name: _______________ Phone: ( )______________

Email: _______________

Church/Campus Ministry: ____________________________

Emergency Contact: ________________________________

Relationship: _________________ Phone: ( )__________

I will not hold Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, or its staff responsible for accidents or injuries which may occur. I also release my appearance in photographs and/or video tapes while participating in this HPBC sponsored event for the purpose of publicity, staff training, and/or promotion. Signed: __________________________________

have shared God’s story. Ask church staff if WMU members can share their testimonies in a service.

n Consider hosting a prayer vigil. Commit to praying 125 hours to repre-sent each year WMU has been praying for missions, evangelism and social issues. Or pray an hour for each year of WMU’s existence in your church.

n Plan a party to celebrate 100 years of missions education for girls. Use this as an opportunity to enlist new members in GA and Acteens.

n Arrange special offerings that include the number 125, such a 125 coins for the missions offerings.

n Design Project HELP: Human Exploitation projects that include the number 125, such as 125 recycling items, 125 alternatives to bullying or 125 volunteer hours at a local shelter.

n Prepare to participate in Children’s Ministry Day on Feb. 15.

n Construct a bulletin board with 125 ways to pray for missions and lostness.

n Organize a special book club din-ner. Use Rosalie Hunt’s “We’ve a Story to Tell: 125 Years of WMU.” As you read through the stories of our past, look for new ways to be involved in telling God’s story.

n Use this celebration time as an opportunity to tell others about the purpose and story of the Woman’s Mis-sionary Union.

WMU offers organizations and approaches, as well as ministries, that enable

every member of the church to learn about missions, become involved in mis-sions, and live a missional lifestyle.

WMU also offers many opportunities to fulfill the six areas of missions focus that are at the heart of missions educa-tion. Through the organizations and approaches, adults, students, children and preschoolers learn about the work and needs of missionaries.

There are opportunities to participate personally in missions projects, as well as develop a missions lifestyle. There is something for everyone.

What can WMU do for my church?n WMU creates an environment to

hear and understand God’s call and receive nurturing in that call.

n WMU creates an awareness and sen-sitivity toward people of other cultures and languages as people whom God loves.

n Churches with WMU are more likely to have a more actively involved laity in all areas of church missions and ministry.

n WMU leads people to experience missions personally through ministry and witness.

n WMU develops leaders for missions efforts among all age groups.

n WMU begins at the birth of a child, teaching her or him about God’s great love for all people.

n The activities of those involved in WMU help a church fulfill its mission.

n WMU helps a church stay focusedon the commission Jesus gave His followers.

n WMU creates a window to the world.Each benefit is an outgrowth of WMU’s six areas of missions focus:

l Pray for missions.l Engage in mission action and witnessing.l Learn about missions.l Support missions.l Develop spiritually toward a missions lifestyle.l Participate in the work of the church and the denomination.

Missions for all agesFor churches interested in growing

and strengthening Christ followers through missions education, WMU offers ongoing missions organizations and approaches for girls, women and coed groups in all age levels.

n Preschoolers: Mission Friends for birth through kindergarten, n Girls in Action for girls grades 1-6, n Children in Action for children grades 1-6, n Acteens for girls grades 7-12,n Youth on Mission for youth grades 7-12 n Women on Mission and Sisters Who Care for women aged 35 and older, n Adults on Mission for men and women aged 18 and older.In 2012, the Royal Ambassadors (for

boys in grades 1-6) and Challengers (for boys in grades 7-12) organizations were transferred to the WMU to administer from the North American Mission Board.

Churches can order curriculum and resources for each of these organizations.

So, as you can see WMU provides a variety of opportunities to involve all church members.

Church member involvement The following are examples of one-

time events, short-term activities, ongo-ing projects, and awareness opportunities.

n Families on Mission.n Prayer for domestic and interna-

tional missionaries and unreached peo-ple groups.

n Bible studies that relate to God’s mis-sions purpose.

n Giving of money and time for mis-sions causes.

n Annual learning opportunities of contemporary missions North America and international.

n Local mission action and witnessing projects.

n Volunteer missions projects in the U.S. and abroad.

If nothing else, WMU has a history of flexibility. Since 1888, WMU has worked with local churches, associations, state conventions and national entities to pro-vide missions education organizations for all ages in the local church.

The term missions is the work of God through His people the church by which the gospel of Jesus is extended in word and deed to all the people in the world.

For followers of Christ, missions is an integral part of being a believer. WMU is a channel in a church that can help

Continued from page 1

WMU focusWMU offers opportunities for the whole church

them find their way.For more information on Woman’s Missionary Union, go to: www.wmu.org.


Mission gifts from Hawaii Pacific Baptist churches and missionsJan. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2013

Church/Mission CP LMCO AAEO SMO WH

Asia PacificKoza ................................................... 2,000.00 ................... 73,139.60 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00Seoul International .......................... 12,500.00 ......................7,000.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00Songtan Central ................................. 1,500.00 ......................1,000.00 .................. 500.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00Yokohama International ..................... 4,000.00 ................... 22,146.54 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00

Big IslandCornerstone Christian Fell ................ 1,315.00 .........................230.00 ...................... 0.00 ..................770.00 ......................0.00Engage ............................................... 1,587.50 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00Faith Baptist Mission ............................ 771.52 .............................0.00 .................. 140.00 ....................25.00 ......................0.00 Hamakua ............................................... 600.00 .........................250.00 .................. 554.00 ..................146.00 ......................0.00 Hilo Baptist ...................................... 22,234.00 .........................595.00 ............... 1,320.00 ...............1,460.00 ......................0.00 Hilo Korean Christian ........................... 600.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Iglesia Bautisa Ebeen-ezer ................. 1,921.35 .......................2088.00 .................. 400.00 ..................250.00 ......................0.00 In-Christ Alone House Ch ................. 3,934.15 .........................270.00 .................. 225.00 ..................100.00 ....................70.00 Kaumana Drive ................................ 20,338.45 ......................1,641.00 ............... 1,097.00 ..................135.00 ....................30.50 Kinoole ............................................ 15,860.45 ......................2,145.00 ............... 1,714.00 ...............1,837.00 ..................261.00 Kohala................................................ 9,368.00 .........................658.00 ............... 1,149.00 ...............1,447.00 ....................20.00 Kona ................................................ 12,000.00 ......................2,593.28 ............... 2,123.00 ...............1,774.00 ......................0.00 Naalehu Bible Mission* ........................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Ocean View ........................................ 4,989.82 ......................1,430.00 ............... 1,080.00 ..................440.00 ......................0.00 Ocean View Filipino* ................................ 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Ohana Church of Hilo* ......................... 300.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Pahala ................................................ 1,597.68 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Paradise Park..................................... 3,527.05 .........................320.00 .................. 115.00 ....................77.00 ..................380.00 Puna .................................................. 5,157.84 ......................1,412.00 ...................... 0.00 ..................700.00 ......................0.00 Puuanahulu ....................................... 3,427.53 ...........................54.94 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Sonshine Baptist Mission* ....................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ....................25.00Waiakea Uka Bible ........................... 17,154.63 ......................2,571.00 ............... 2,581.00 ...............2,594.00 ......................0.00 Waikoloa .......................................... 16,231.00 .............................0.00 ............... 1,207.00 ..................480.45 ......................0.00 Waimea, FBC ..................................... 3,802.18 .........................447.00 .................. 100.00 ..................300.00 ......................0.00

Garden IsleEleele ............................................... 16,306.57 ......................6,396.00 ............... 2,732.00 ...............1,700.00 ...............1,720.00 Lihue ................................................ 18,200.88 .........................535.00 ............... 1,350.00 ...............1,105.00 ....................50.00 Waimea ................................................. 900.00 .............................0.00 .................... 72.75 ......................0.00 ......................0.00

GuamCalvary .............................................. 3,063.70 .........................506.00 .................. 810.00 ..................271.00 ..................286.00 Chuukese Christian Fell ........................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Lighthouse* .......................................... 500.00 .............................0.00 .................... 87.00 ..................100.00 ......................0.00 Marianas ............................................ 1,100.00 ......................1,000.00 .................. 500.00 ...............1,057.00 ..................600.00 Saipan Good Baptist Ch ....................... 490.00 .............................0.00 .................... 75.50 ..................100.00 ......................0.00 Tamuning ........................................... 2,069.57 .........................200.00 ...................... 0.00 ..................296.00 ......................0.00 Yigo Mission* .......................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00

Maui CountyKaanapali Beach Ministry .................. 2,550.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Kahului ............................................ 16,482.57 ......................2,767.05 .................. 545.00 ..................935.00 ...............1,313.00 Kaunakakai ...................................... 10,359.66 .........................960.55 ................ 1277.09 ..................883.13 ......................0.00 Kihei .................................................. 2,400.00 ......................2,758.95 .................. 132.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Lahaina ............................................ 18,465.18 ......................1,057.00 .................. 264.00 ..................500.00 ......................0.00 Lanai ................................................. 6,042.29 .........................499.00 .................. 671.36 ..................689.00 ..................127.00 Maui 1st Korean ................................... 600.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Maui Philippine ................................. 2,366.45 .........................150.00 .................. 118.00 ....................10.00 ......................0.00 Pukalani ........................................... 28,503.00 ......................1,914.00 ............... 1,463.00 ...............1,048.05 ..................100.00 Valley Isle Fellowship ...................... 36,897.40 ......................4,407.27 ............... 1,401.00 ...............2,200.00 ...............1,000.00

Oahu NetworkAbundant Life Fellowship .................. 1,100.00 ......................1,000.00 ............... 1,000.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Agape Japanese .................................... 968.26 .........................152.00 .................. 130.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Agape Mission .................................. 1,600.00 ......................1,000.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Aina Haina ......................................... 3,399.00 ......................1,638.00 .................. 808.25 ..................695.00 ......................0.00 All Nations Fellowship....................... 1,660.10 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ..................387.05 All People Mission ............................ 1,500.00 .............................0.00 ............... 1,780.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Aloha Community.............................. 1,206.56 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Anapouo Chuukese .............................. 100.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ....................10.00 ......................0.00 Antioch .............................................. 4,125.00 .............................0.00 .................. 575.00 ..................550.00 ......................0.00 Bethel Korean ....................................... 900.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Central ............................................. 10,824.53 ......................1,755.00 ............... 1,396.50 ...............1,050.00 ..................690.00 Chinese* ............................................... 600.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Chuukese Waianae ................................. 71.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Cornerstone Fellowship .................. 50,314.75 ......................9,953.00 ............... 5,653.00 ...............5,024.23 ......................0.00 Cornerstone Korean.............................. 469.40 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Dong Tam Baptist* ............................ 1,182.90 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00Emmanuel Korean ............................. 3,000.00 ......................1,000.00 ............... 1,000.00 ...............2,000.00 ...............1,000.00 Enchanted Lake ................................. 2,442.00 .............................0.00 .................. 670.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Ewa Beach ........................................ 3,549.07 .........................359.00 .................. 145.00 ....................22.00 ....................97.00 Faith Baptist Church ................................. 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Fananua Fellowship................................ 80.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Fellowship ......................................... 3,271.02 .............................0.00 .................. 802.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00

Church/Mission CP LMCO AAEO SMO WH

Fellowship Sunflower* ............................. 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Fellowship Waipahu* ............................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Filipino-International ......................... 2,013.00 .........................120.00 .................. 166.50 ..................120.00 ..................120.00 Global Revival Korean .......................... 600.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Halawa Heights ..................................... 581.21 .........................620.00 .................. 505.00 ..................300.00 ......................0.00 Haleiwa Filipino Mission* ........................ 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Haleiwa, FBC ..................................... 2,759.71 ...........................50.00 ..................................................40.00 ..................115.00 Hawaii Bhansok * .............................. 1,500.00 .........................200.00 .................. 200.00 ..................100.00 ......................0.00 Hawaii Chinese ................................ 14,763.08 .........................678.00 .................. 764.00 ...............1,662.00 ......................0.00 Hawaii Chinese-English .................... 2,115.14 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Hawaii Christian Baptist Ch ............... 4,800.00 .........................180.00 .................. 180.00 ..................180.00 ......................0.00 Hawaii Hope Mission BC ..................... 200.00 .........................100.00 .................. 100.00 ...............2,227.00 ......................0.00 Hawaii Kai ........................................ 68,539.57 ......................4,212.97 ............... 4,230.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Hawaii Sinai Korea BC ......................... 300.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Honolulu Russian ..................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 International Fellowship .................. 11,224.25 ......................2,037.50 ............... 1,220.00 ..................580.00 ....................70.00Kailua ................................................. 8,400.00 .........................950.00 ............... 1,375.00 ..................900.00 ..................900.00 Kalihi ................................................. 9,037.67 ......................2,970.00 ............... 1,586.85 ...............1,427.00 ..................275.52 Kapolei...................................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 .................. 493.50 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Korean Waikiki ................................... 2,400.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Lao-Thai Ohana* ...................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Makaha Valley Chapel ....................... 1,442.70 .............................0.00 ...................... 1.00 ......................0.00 ....................10.00 Makakilo ............................................ 2,402.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Mililani ..........................................126,298.75 ................... 15,664.50 ............. 11,194.10 ...............7,477.00 ..................325.00 Mililani Fil-Am ..................................... 600.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Mililani Korean ......................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Mountain View .................................. 1,200.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Mt. Kaala ........................................... 2,847.90 .............................0.00 .................. 415.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Nanakuli, FBC ...................................... 500.00 .........................205.00 ...................... 0.00 ..................100.00 ......................0.00 New Community Korean ................... 4,550.00 ......................1,000.00 .................. 500.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 New Covenant ................................... 2,650.00 ......................1,500.00 ............... 1,500.00 ...............1,500.00 ......................0.00 New Life Christian (Filipino) .................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ..................123.00 North Windward ................................... 900.00 ...........................30.00 .................... 81.00 ..................213.00 ......................0.00 Nuuanu ............................................ 82,858.98 ......................8,628.00 ............... 5,355.40 ...............4,866.00 ...............2,396.00 Ohana Korean .......................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 OlaNui!.................................................. 300.00 ................... 18,542.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Olive Baptist Church ............................. 186.00 ...........................32.00 ...................... 0.00 ....................35.00 ....................35.00 Olivet .............................................105,464.94 .........................400.00 ............. 11,152.93 ...............8,626.25 ...............5,572.73 Olivet-Ilikai Mission* ............................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Olivet-Japanese* ............................. 12,477.36 .................................................... 1,252.00 ...............1,400.00 ..................715.00 Pali View .......................................... 17,246.26 ......................3,764.00 ............... 3,579.00 ...............2,471.38 ..................600.00 Pali View Japanese ............................... 581.90 .............................0.00 .................... 20.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Palisades ......................................... 30,081.89 ......................2,447.00 ............... 1,785.00 ...............1,995.50 ..................709.73 Pawa’a Community ............................ 9,384.15 .........................725.00 .................. 465.00 ..................268.00 ..................712.39 Pearl City, FBC ................................ 56,868.26 .............................0.00 ............... 6,782.00 ...............2,905.00 ......................0.00 Pearl Harbor Korean .......................... 2,100.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Pearl Harbor, FSBC ........................... 7,748.78 .............................0.00 ............... 1,000.00 ..................500.00 ..................683.00 Sa’Puk Chuukese Church .................. 2,633.69 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 The Gathering .................................... 3,074.00 ......................4,615.00 ............... 4,615.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 University Ave. ................................. 54,035.62 ......................8,075.40 .................. 794.10 ...............1,279.10 ...............1,053.40 Village Park .......................................... 250.00 .........................120.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Wahiawa, FBC ................................. 36,816.53 ......................4,207.32 ............... 1,648.00 ...............3,100.00 ...............2,806.02 Waialae ............................................ 32,967.23 .................................................... 3,209.00 ...............2,472.62 ..................802.00 Waianae ................................................ 800.00 ......................5,178.04 ............... 1,300.00 ..................945.17 ......................0.00 Waianae Chuukese* ............................... 80.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Waikiki ............................................. 21,742.80 ......................2,875.10 ............... 4,126.10 ...............3,471.49 ....................75.00 Waimanalo, FBC ................................ 4,860.02 .........................875.14 .................. 745.00 .............................................1,425.00 Waipahu Community ......................... 2,234.00 .........................225.00 .................. 225.00 ..................225.00 ..................225.00 Waipio Community............................ 6,560.17 .........................702.88 .................. 290.00 ..................389.00 ..................205.00 West Oahu Community ..................... 2,521.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ..................122.00

South PacificChinese FBC ..................................... 1,000.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ..................200.00 ..................200.00 Emmanuel............................................. 300.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Fagalii, W. Samoa ................................. 220.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Falemauga ................................................ 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Faleniu Baptist Mission ........................ 200.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Happy Valley ...................................... 2,685.00 .........................150.00 .................. 250.00 ..................250.00 ..................185.00 Pago Pago, First Baptist ....................... 300.00 .........................153.66 .................. 200.00 ..................617.12 ............................. Samoa Korean ................................... 1,200.00 .........................260.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ..................191.00 Seafarer’s Christian Fellows. .................. 50.00 .........................200.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Tafuna ....................................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Guam, FBC ............................................... 0.00 .............................0.00 .................. 200.00 ..................182.00 ..................357.00

OtherHawaii Baptist Foundation ........................ 0.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ...............1,118.17 ......................0.00 Kapaa ................................................. 3,744.51 .........................840.00 .................. 500.00 ..................450.00 ..................510.00 Miscellaneous ........................................ 20.00 .............................0.00 ...................... 0.00 ......................0.00 ......................0.00 Oahu Christian Fellowship ................... 100.00 .............................0.00 ................................................275.00 ......................0.00

TOTAL .......................................1,202,697.08 ............... 253,532.69 ..........113,768.93 ...........87,648.66 ............29,650.34

KEY: Cp—Cooperative Program LMCo—Lottie Moon Christmas Offering aaeo—Annie Armstrong Easter Offering sMo—State Mission Offering wH—World Hunger


Recovering from the Super Bowl? Digging out from a snowstorm? Planning for a spring break vacation with the family?

All of those things could be possibilities for you and your children. But what about planning to do something that will have eternal significance for your children, your family, your church, and your community?

Mark your calendar now for the seventh annual Children’s Ministry DayTM. This year’s theme is GenerationReach. Boys and girls across North America will be reaching out to all generations with the love of Jesus!

Start brainstorming now: Lead your church to plan a Children’s Ministry Day project that will encourage your children to participate in hands-on ministry in your church, community, association, or across the state!

generationREACHCHILDRen’s MInIstRY DaY 2014

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR

February 15, 2014?

“ LORD, I will sing about your great love forever. For all time to come, I will tell how faithful you are. I will tell everyone that your love stands firm forever. I will tell them that you are always faithful, even in heaven itself.”

(Psalm 89:1–2 NIrV)

Children’s Ministry Day 2014ter in the state beginning in 2005.

While at Lahaina Baptist Church, Martin served as a volunteer police chap-lain and a Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer.

He also was chairman of a task force for vision and direction for the Hawaii convention and served as second vice president and then first vice president.

Martin has represented Hawaii on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Commit-tee on Committees and the Committee on Nominations.

“I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to work with so many of our churches and have a great relationship with our staff at the convention office,” Martin said. “I look for-ward to what God’s going to do through our convention and through Hawaii’s involvement with the (SBC) as a whole. I’m excited, and I appreciate the opportunity.”

One of the unique ministry challenges for the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention is the vast geographical region it encompasses, making air travel essential, time-consuming and expensive.

Travel time between Hawaii’s islands is 30-40 minutes by air, Martin said, and several hours between the convention offices in Honolulu and the islands of American Samoa, Guam and Okinawa, Japan, where some of the convention’s churches are located.

Though the Hawaii convention is implementing new kinds of technology to help pastors and churches connect from their various locations, Martin said face-to-face ministry is a vital part of their culture.

Henderson, who was the first pastor of Lahaina Baptist Church and has been a mentor to Martin, became proficient at balancing the challenging travel duties while leading the convention, Martin said.

“Even though geographically we’re separated and the differences even on some of our islands church-to-church are challenging, we have a deep concern to be connected and to work together to share Christ in our communities and see lives transformed,” Martin said of Hawaii Baptists.

“There is a strong sense of ohana—the Hawaiian term for family—here. We really love each other, care about each other and want to invest in each other’s ministries,” Martin said. “You can’t help

but get excited to know that the churches you have an opportunity to work with day in and day out are actu-ally excited about each other and the kingdom work that’s in front of them.

“We realize there are a lot of chal-lenges, but they don’t seem to be discour-aging. They seem to be building a cre-ativity to move forward and to work bet-ter together, and those are very exciting opportunities,” Martin said.

In November, Hawaii became the 15th state to legalize gay marriage when the governor signed into law a bill passed by the state legislature. While the govern-ment pushed gay marriage, Martin said he saw tremendous support for biblical marriage among Christians in Hawaii.

“It actually has brought a stronger bond among our churches—not just Southern Baptist churches but the body of Christ as a whole on the islands,” Martin said of the fight against same-sex marriage.

“I think this will be a solid foundation to move forward in the days ahead, for a lot of our churches to understand the dynamics that even though we may be in a world that will constantly chal-lenge the ways of God, we can still be God’s people and still

show incredible love and encourage-ment,” Martin said.

“We saw a lot of love extended. We heard leaders sharing openly that we should be blessing instead of blasting. I think that thought has really encour-aged a lot,” Martin said. “Our churches in Hawaii realize that there will be chal-lenges ahead, but at the same time we’re engaged in moving through whatever the challenges are in God’s way and we will do our best to maintain that know-ing that our witness to the world is very clear through our actions that represent Him.”

Martin was heartened by the number of churches that took a stand for biblical marriage in Hawaii.

“Some may look at it as discouraging or we were defeated, but we never look at it that way,” he said. “We just knew we were going to stand not against anybody but for God, and we’ll maintain that position always with love and compassion.

“Even though the laws are going to bring some challenges to our churches in the days ahead, I think we’re ready to stand and handle things in a way that is honorable and pleasing to God and will speak great testimony to the world around us,” Martin said. (BP)

Honolulu—What are your plans for Feb. 15? You could sit in front of the TV and entertain yourself all day. You could complain about the cold and watch for snow flurries. You could max out your credit card at the mall.

Or you could join thousands of children in making a hands-on differ-ence for Christ in their own communities.

Some choices are easy.Mark your calendars now for the

7th annual Children’s Ministry Day. This year’s theme is “Generation-Reach.” How can the girls and boys in your church lend a hand to others out-side their own generation? Start brainstorming now! Lead your church to plan a hands-on Children’s Minis-try Day project that involves children in direct ministry to unchurched community members.

Use these ideas to get you started:

n Minister to a single parent.n Throw a baby shower for a crisis

pregnancy center.n Provide college students with

care packages.n Spend time with a preschooler

who doesn’t have family close by.n Serve a meal to a senior adult.n Wash a teenager’s car before they

head off to work.Keep the Children’s Ministry Day

2014 theme verse in mind as you pre-pare to serve: “Lord, I will sing about your great love forever. For all time to come, I will tell how faithful you are. I will tell everyone that your love stands firm forever. I will tell them that you are always faithful, even in heaven itself” (Psalm 89:1-2 NIrV).

If you have comments or questions, please email [email protected].

We look forward to helping your children do hands-on ministry!

(Photo by Jeremy Doorten)


Martin

Christopher Martin (left) has been selected as the new executive director of the Hawaii Pacific Bap-tist Convention. Martin is pictured with Denver Copeland, who is serving as HPBC president.

“(Hawaii Baptists) have a deep concern to be connected and to work together to share Christ ... and see lives transformed.”Christopher Martin


attending seminary and the realization that I had to embrace the call of a pastor to be obedient to my Lord.”

Perhaps still testing the waters lightly, Coats moved his family to Homestead and intended to start slow with his first church plant. He planned a small Bible study.

“We began with a group of 14 at the first Bible study preview,” said Coats. “They all asked a question I wasn’t pre-pared to answer. ‘What are you going to do now?’”

Coats did the only thing he could think of and began looking for meeting space. In December 2009, he located a movie theater that allowed him to rent space for the Bible study. The Bible study launch was set for New Year’s Eve.

“Forty people showed up for the Bible study,” said Coats. “The next week more came and everyone wanted to have a worship service. That year we baptized 30 people. In 2011 we baptized 33. I backed into church planting.”

All the while Coats remained involved in Southern Baptist life. He is one of six missionaries featured this year by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) as part of its 2014 Annie Armstrong Eas-ter Offering® promotion. Miami, where Coats serves, is one of 32 Send North America cities NAMB is bringing special emphasis and resources to in its effort to help Southern Baptists start 15,000 new churches in 10 years. Half of NAMB’s financial support comes from the Annie offering.

Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church was the result of Coats’ accidental plant-ing. He says the church is kingdom focused, connecting people with the Gos-pel. “God is up to something. You don’t have to over think it. Just do it,” said Coats.

With connections through working on the Florida Baptist Convention’s church planting team and through the North American Mission Board’s church planting network, Coats continues to sharpen his planting skills. Kingdom Covenant is establishing city groups to create a culture of discipleship, and it is working in practical ways.

“Last year we met a woman raised as a

Jehovah’s Witness,” said Coats. “She came to the services as a seeker. She sought me out after a service for clarification about what she heard. She eventually gave her life to Christ and is now a Bible study leader. She had the knowledge; she just needed to meet the author.

“If you go to a city, you go as a mis-sionary. The church grows out of your missional living. It’s not about making the right moves or reading the right books. It’s disciple making and obedi-ence.” Coats points to the example of his son’s football team as evidence of effec-tive missional living.

His son, Patrick II, plays quarterback for South Miami Senior High School. As

an involved parent, Coats got to know the team’s head coach. At a team meal for the families the coach asked Coats to give a blessing.

“From that I was able to share the gos-pel and three players have given their lives to Christ and been baptized since,” said Coats. “That’s how church happens, in living. It’s Acts 2:42.”

Living in church also led to an impor-tant introduction for Coats. He met his future wife in youth group.

“Archalena and I met in youth group in my grandfather’s church,” said Coats. “She was big into WMU. She was an Acteen queen regent. She would not even give me the time of day when we met. Eventually she allowed me to be her escort.”

In addition to son Patrick, the couple also has two daughters, Joy and Faith.

Being named an Annie Armstrong Week of Prayer Missionary was humbling to Coats. He has long known of the sig-nificance of the offering for North Amer-ican Missions.

“The Annie Armstrong offering is super important,” said Coats. “We’ve ben-efited from training, resources and part-nering churches who’ve come down and labored with us in the field. The best encouragement for a church planter is knowing he’s not alone. Through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, other SBC churches are made aware of church planting and they come alongside the plant to help in a big way.” (BP)

To learn more about Patrick Coats and the ministry of Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church, including a video, visit www.anniearmstrong.com. To find your place in God’s mission, begin with www.namb.net/mobilize-me.


Coats

NAMB missionary Patrick Coats (second from left) leads a prayer following a beach baptism ser-vice with members of Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church, the church he planted in Homestead, Fla. (Ted Wilcox/NAMB)

AnnieArmstrong.com

[email protected]

800-749-7479, option 3

ANNIE WALKER ARMSTRONG“The future lies all before us. Shall it only be a slight advance upon what we usually do? Ought it not to be a bound, a leap forward, to altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before?”

—Annie Armstrong

A passionate advocate for missionaries and their work, Annie Armstrong is one of Southern Baptists’ heroes. She championed missions involvement, and she gave personally and sacrificially of her time and talents to see the gospel go forward throughout the world. As founder of Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), Annie’s firm conviction that more could be and should be done toward Southern Baptist missions endeavors has created a rich legacy of people who have been awakened and have responded to the call of the gospel and the missions mandate to take it throughout the world. Were she alive today, she would be encouraging fervent prayer, generous giving and passionate engagement to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Promoting AAEO Week of PrayerBy Faith McFatridge

There are many ways your church can promote the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Below are several ideas to get you started. More information and ideas can be found at anniearmstrong.com.

1) Make a map of the U.S. (don’t forget to include Hawaii) and highlight a state whenever an amount is reached. If your goal is $1,000, for every $200 raised, fill in or add a state to your map. In this age of digital media, create a PowerPoint with the map and highlight the states as you reach your goal.

2) Invite a missionary to come and speak at your church or show videos of the featured missionaries provided by the North American Mission Board.

3) Create a PowerPoint or video mark-ing your church goal with a thermom-eter. Show as the offering is collected.

4) Create a visual cues that signify progression toward the goal. For exam-ple, display a lei with each flower repre-senting an amount.

5) Challenge Sunday School depart-ments collect the offering in their class-rooms and see who raises the most funds.

6) Involve children by providing them with containers in which to place their offerings. Let them decorate the boxes while they learn about the missionaries.

7) Use the Week of Prayer guide and email your members the daily prayer requests.

Whatever you do to promote the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions, know that all the

offering goes toward helping people spread the good news of Jesus Christ all across this country.

In Hawaii, your NAMB missionaries are: Ken and Shirley Brooks (Oahu Baptist Network), David and Nancy Whitehead (Big Island Baptist Association), Jared and Carlye Lawrence (Oahu Baptist Network, International Ministries), Meredith Brunson (OBN/International Ministries), Tram Nguyen (OBN/International Ministries), Sungho and Monica Kang (HPBC), Faith and Richard McFatridge (HPBC), Michael and Tina Abagon (HPBC), Sean and Teresa Latrhop (HPBC), Darrell and Teresa McCain (MSC/HPBC), Jim and Nancy Worth (MSC/OBN), Arjay and Tara Gruspe (MSC/HPBC), and Darla Richardson (MSC/Waianae Ministries).

For more information, contact Faith McFatridge at (808) 356-8326, email at [email protected].

Hawaii AAEO Goal$150,000

WHO IS ...

?


By elaine Gaston

Chavin De Huantar, peru—The Peruvian town that Jordan, 14, and Trevor, 11, moved to in 2009 with their missionary par-ents, Brian and Jennifer Pennington, is the site of the Chavín culture, which roughly dates the age of David and Goliath.

The temple ruins at Chavín de Huántar, within walking distance where the Penningtons have lived, draws interna-tional tourists who make day trips to the site by taking a bus over the mountains from the capital of the Ancash region.

Jordan and Trevor, however, wander through the archaeo-logical site’s tunnels with familiarity, using their iPod flash-lights to explore all the nooks and crannies.

“We’ve already seen it like 20 times,” Jordan said. It’s the standard “tour” his family does when visitors or missions teams pass through town.

IMB missionary Brian Pennington (left) and his son talk with village residents in Chavin de Huantar, Peru, where the family has lived for the past three and a half years. (Rebecca Springer/IMB)

ANCIENT CITIES & ADvENTUrE A day in the life of MKs

IMB missionary Brian Pennington (right) spends time with his sons, Trevor (left) and Jordan (center), at a favorite lake in the Andes Moun-tains along the road to Chavin de Huantar, Peru. (Rebecca Springer/IMB)

Rica, for a year of language training. But the curveballs didn’t stop.

“We thought we were going to Hua-raz, a city of 50,000,” Brian said. “And we’re from a city.... We thought, ‘Well, we can do 50,000 people. That’s still city-ish.’”

Just one week before moving from Costa Rica to Peru, the Penningtons were surprised again. Their future supervisor, who had originally written the job request, lived in Huaraz. But the Pen-ningtons would actually be working three hours outside the city in a rural town of less than 3,000. They also were told they would be changing supervisors.

Although nothing seemed to be going according to plan, the Penningtons still

felt confident in their call. Not knowing what to expect, they switched gears and moved to the tiny mountain town of Chavin de Huantar. They were ready to be Christ’s heart, hands and voice to the people of the Peruvian Andes.

Two weeks after arriving in Chavin, they met Patricia de Loarte, a Chavin native who had been living in the Peru-vian capital of Lima. Patricia, a Baptist believer, had recently moved back to Chavin and had been looking for a church.

“It was an answer to prayer for us because here was someone that God had placed in our path who said, ‘Come to my house. I want to start a Bible study

‘God’s plan’

By emily pearson

peru—Brian and Jennifer Pennington knew God was calling them to be mis-sionaries—and that was pretty much the extent of their plan.

So when the couple from Fort Worth, Texas, and their two young sons arrived at International Mission Board’s candi-date conference for new missionaries, they didn’t have much to go on.

“We were in Richmond, and everyone there already had their assignment before they got there,” Brian recalled. “We were the only ones there who didn’t know where we were going. Everybody’s researching their people groups, and we’re still trying to figure out, ‘OK, God, where do you want us to work?’”

Brian first felt called to full-time mis-sions in Peru while on a short-term mis-sions trip in the Peruvian jungle, so he felt sure he would be heading back there.

“Our starting point was Peru,” he said. “All I had ever been to was the jungle. But when we found out more about the position, it just wasn’t a good fit for our family. So we looked at the positions that were left.”

The only other position available in Peru was a church-planting position in the Andes Mountains.

“We weren’t thinking mountains,” Brian said. “But God showed us Isaiah 52:7, which says, ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.’”

With a long-term plan in place, the Penningtons moved to San Jose, Costa

leads Texas family to mountains of Peru

group,’” said Jennifer.With Patricia’s help, the Penningtons

began a small Bible study where Peru-vian believers study Scripture and learn to share the gospel with others.

As the group grew, Brian began teach-ing oral Bible storying as a way of shar-ing the gospel with those who could not read. Many Peruvians living in rural areas outside Chavin only speak Que-chua—a difficult, indigenous language. Teaching bilingual believers in Chavin to tell Bible stories helps spread the gospel to other Peruvian villages where Que-chua would be a major obstacle for most North American missionaries.

Patricia, a passionate evangelist and promoter of Bible storying, has also invited members of her former church in Lima to make missions trips to villages around Chavin. She encourages them to use storying as a primary method of evangelism.

“My prayer request is to reach the whole community,” she said. “I offer this community to the Lord, so that we can see souls come to the Lord and know the Word, and meet with us.”

“I think she realizes storying is a way she can tell others (about Jesus),” Jennifer said. “She sees this can be beneficial to so many people.”

Despite the initial challenges and uncertainties, the couple believes mov-ing to Chavin and meeting Patricia was part of God’s larger plan for reaching the lost in the Peruvian mountains.

“In the end, we definitely could see that it was God’s plan all along,” Jennifer said of their ministry in Chavin. “Maybe we wouldn’t have picked that job request if we had known it was a city of only 3,000 people. But that was the way that God got us there.”

“Nothing actually turned out like it was supposed to be,” Brian said, “but we’ve always taken comfort in the fact that God knew the whole time how it was going to be. It wasn’t a surprise to Him, and we learned to trust Him.”

Recently, God surprised the Penning-tons once again. The family have acceped a new missions assignment to help with training, logistical support and strategy in an effort to plant churches in more than 100 communities across Peru. (IMB)

Does the proximity of so much history make history their favorite subject? Not necessarily. The boys, both home-schooled, agree science is their favorite subject. Jordan said grammar is his least favorite subject.

After school, the boys often head outside to play pickup basketball games with their dad and neighborhood boys in a nearby schoolyard. Basketball is a fun way for their fam-ily to connect with boys in their town.

Another activity that tops Jordan and Trevor’s list is skateboarding. They can’t skateboard well in their town’s rough streets, but they occasionally take their boards to a local park. When their family makes a trip to Peru’s capital, Lima, they like to tote their skateboards along with them to ride in the city’s skateboard park that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. They often meet other boys while they’re skateboarding there as well.

There are obvious differences between living in the mountains of Peru and their hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. “No Mexican food” in Peru is one of them, the boys said. The fast-paced lifestyle in the United States is another.

“It’s more chill over where we live than in the States, where it’s all superfast and stressful,” Jordan said.

However, the boys love both places. And they enjoy get-ting to see extended family when they visit Texas. Jordan said sometimes children he meets when he visits the U.S. imagine his life in Peru a lot differently than it really is.

“A lot of people think Peru is like deep jungle,” Jordan said, “so when you tell them you were watching TV, they say, ‘Whoa, you have TVs there?’”

One constant of the missionary life is change. Late last year, the Penningtons learned that they would be taking over a different assignment. That change meant they’d need to move from their mountain town to Lima.

Life in a megacity like Lima will be different. The boys said they will miss the basketball games with neighbor-hood boys and hiking in the mountains, but it will mean more skateboarding. (IMB)


Commonly used bad ‘facts’

By Bob smietana

Nashville, tenn.—Sometimes a preacher or conference speaker gets things wrong.

Maybe not in theology, but in facts.Like this one, which came halfway

through one preacher’s sermon on mar-riage recently: There’s no difference between people sitting in these pews and everyone else when it comes to divorce, the preacher told the congregation.

It made a great sermon illustration. Only it’s not true, said Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecti-cut and author of “Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ... and Other Lies You’ve Been Told.”

Wright, who has been writing about faith and divorce rates since 2006, looked at statistics from the General Social Sur-vey, a national random survey of Ameri-cans taken since the 1970s. Half of the “Nones”—people who claim no religious identity—were divorced. Only 42 percent of self-identified Christians—and mem-bers of other faiths—were divorced.

Catholics (35 percent) were least likely to divorce, followed by mainline Protes-tants (41 percent) and evangelicals (46 percent), Wright reported.

Believers who show up to church every week were even less likely to divorce. Wright found that only about a third of evangelicals (34 percent) and mainline Protestants (32 percent) and a quarter of Catholics (23 percent) who go to church are divorced.

Still, the myth that churchgoers divorce at the same rate as everyone else persists. Wright thinks people pay more

attention to bad news than to good news.

Mark Regnerus, a sociolo-gist at the University of Texas

in Austin, said a “confirmation bias” might be at work. In other words, people like statistics that

reinforce their beliefs. If people are fearful that marriages are in

trouble, he said, they’ll tend to believe statistics that confirm those fears, even if those statistics aren’t exactly right.

Regnerus said using bad statistics about marriage can be appealing because bad news can motivate people to action. But it can also undermine the credibility of a pastor’s message.

“Bad news can be galvanizing. But we trust our pastors to tell us the truth,” Regnerus said.

Are Christians really bad tippers?Marriage isn’t the only subject where

perceptions about Christians don’t match the statistics. It’s also the case with tips believers leave servers at restaurants.

Earlier this year, Alois Bell of the World Deliverance Ministries Church in Granite City, Ill, and a group of friends went to Applebees. Their server, Chelsea Welch, added an automatic tip to the bills in keeping with company policy.

Bell was not pleased. “I give God 10 percent,” she wrote on the bill. “Why do you get 18?”

Welch posted the check on Face-book and it went viral. She eventu-ally was fired, while Bell apologized (indicating she’d left a cash tip) after her note made headlines.

Turns out Welch isn’t the only server to have a bad run-in with church folks.

Karen Swallow Prior, an English professor at Liberty University,

worked her way through college as a waitress. Christians were notorious for being bad tippers, she wrote in a piece for Christianity Today’s website.

“Knowing there would be little, if any, tip left at the end of their meal, the servers saw the Christians’ robust attempts at ‘friendliness’ instead as pushy and arrogant,” Prior said.

But a study from Michael Lynn of Cor-nell University and Benjamin Katz of HCD Research, showed that, overall, Christians are pretty good tippers. Their online survey of 1,068 Americans found that the average Christian tipped 17 per-cent for good service. Only 13 percent of Christians left a smaller tip for good service.

There are a lot Christians out there—and since people tend to remember bad news, a few bad tippers give all the other Christians a bad name.

The sky is falling phenomenonStatistics about the future of the

church also give pastors and other church leaders a hard time. Like this one: “94 percent of Christian young peo-ple leave the church never to return,” which was used to promote a major Christian conference several years ago.

It’s partly true—many young people do tend to drop out of church. A 2009 LifeWay Research study of 1,000 young Protestants found that seven of 10 stopped attending church for a time after high school.

A few more details: The students sur-veyed had all attended church for at least a year in high school. Most dropped out because of a life change—such as going to college—and just over a third had come back to church by age 30.

The idea of anyone dropping out of church is a concern, but there’s no sign that the vast majority of young people are forsaking the church.

Left-handed people, Texans & catsAnother bad statistics was used by a

megachurch pastor to promote a Chris-tian conference: “There are more left-handed people, more Texans, and more pet cats than evangelicals in America.” Actually, one-third of the claim is true.

There are more cats (and dogs) than evangelicals in the U.S. But not Texans or southpaws.

While there are about 95 million cats in the U.S., according to the Humane Society, there are between 50 million (Religious Congregations & Membership Study, 2010) and 75 million evangelicals (Pew Research).

That’s more than the estimated num-ber of southpaws—between 30 and 45 million Americans—and Texans (26.6 million, according to the U.S. Census).

Bad statistics persist because they work—at least in the short term: They can help sell books and tickets to confer-ences, make good sermon illustrations and get people in church fired up. The problem, said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, is that bad statistics don’t solve real problems.

It’s difficult to solve a problem when you don’t understand it, Stetzer said.

Too many bad statistics can also undermine a leader’s credibility. Get too many facts wrong, and it’s harder for people to trust.

Setting the record straightStetzer said Christians should view

all statistics with healthy skepticism. That’s especially true if a statistic is found in an advertisement. Ads, Stetzer

said, are used to sell things. They’re not particularly concerned with getting the facts right. Also, be wary of any statistic that can’t be verified.

“Ask, how do you know that?” Stezter said. “If you can’t think of a way to verify a statistic, it’s probably not true.”

Stetzer also said to beware of stats that don’t match reality, noting, “It’s OK to apply your own censor, to say this doesn’t make sense.”

It’s important to realize all research is imperfect and context matters. Research-ers don’t have unlimited resources. They can’t interview or poll everyone. Instead, they interview a representative sample of people, asking a few questions.

So go to the source. Find out who did the research, how many people they interviewed and what specific questions were asked, before assuming the research is valid.

For example, a poll from professional researchers using a large sample will likely be more reliable than an informal poll taken by a professor of the students in class.

Finally, look at more than one study.“To understand the whole picture,

responsible researchers look at various studies, their methodologies, and their results,” Stetzer wrote in a 2010 story about bad statistics for Christianity Today. “We reach bad conclusions when we latch onto one finding of one study, drag it out of context, and proclaim it from the rooftops without knowing whether our interpretation is justified.”

Facts are our friends, as Stetzer often says. Just make sure the facts are true. (BP)

Christians are bad tippers.

There are more cats in the U.S.

Young people are abandoning the church.

than evangelicals.

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TOP 25 HYMNS1. How Great Thou Art2. Great Is Thy Faithfulness3. Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine4. All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name5. Holy, Holy, Holy6. Jesus Paid It All7. Christ the Lord Is Risen Today8. Crown Him with Many Crowns9. It Is Well with My Soul10. To God Be the Glory11. The Solid Rock12. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing13. I Stand Amazed in the Presence14. Victory in Jesus15. Nothing but the Blood16. Amazing Grace! How Sweet the Sound17. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty18. At the Cross19. Revive Us Again20. Be Thou My Vision21. Because He Lives22. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee23. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God24. O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing25. America, the Beautiful

This list was created by LifeWay after combining the sales from a traditional arrangement and a contemporary arrangement of each hymn from 2008-2012.

By Ken Camp

Last summer’s controversy over removal of the contemporary hymn “In Christ Alone” from a new Presbyterian hymnal because of doctrinal differences illustrates the importance of church music not only to celebrate, but also to inculcate a faith tradition, said a Baptist music professor.

“I rejoice in the controversy,” Terry York, professor of Christian ministry and church music at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, said of the dustup over a line in the song that says “as Jesus died the wrath of God was satis-fied” that divided the hymnal commit-tee over theology.

York, who has published more than 40 hymns and served as project coordi-nator for the 1991 edition of “The Baptist Hymnal,” said the debate is evidence of increased interest in theology in worship songs.

“We’ve gone through a time when if it rhymed and said ‘Jesus,’ that was enough,” York said. “We’re finally back to giving attention to what we are saying,” York said.

Todd Wilson, pastor of worship and music at First Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, also welcomes the serious examination of hymn texts.

“What we sing shapes our theol-ogy, and a careful reading of the text of any worship song is necessary for inclusion in the publication of a denominational hymnal or a weekly service of worship,” he said.

Wilson said church music should always

Singing faith Hymns both praise and teach

By Ken Camp

Musical tastes and worship styles come and go, but some hymns of the church endure for centuries. Worship leaders say hymns that cross denomina-tional lines and span generations are those that people can embrace as a shared experience, both corporately and as individuals.

Shared identity “Essentially, they are hymns that give

us a sense of a shared identity that is sus-tainable across many eras and cultures,” said John Jackson, minister of music at First Baptist Church of Farmington, Mo. “Many times they are passed down from generation to generation within fami-lies, churches and denominations through various means as a result of this shared identity.”

Biblically accurateBob Brooks, dean of the graduate

school of ministry at Dallas Baptist Uni-versity, said enduring songs of worship “are biblically accurate, theologically sound, musically well-written and ‘sing-able’ by the people of God.”

Many people view “Amazing Grace” as the quintessential enduring hymn. Brooks noted it appeared in “Olney Hymns” in 1779, but it wasn’t paired

with the New Britain tune—with which it is known now—until 1844.

Even today, classic hymn text set to newer tunes is well received, Brooks said.

Wedding word and musicTerry York, professor of Christian

ministry and church music at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Semi-nary, said what matters most is a good marriage of melody and lyrics.

“In a good marriage, the tune does not fight the text, but underscores and maybe enhances it,” said York, who has written more than 40 published hymns. “New musical settings must match the mood and the meter of the text—one is not enough.”

While the timeless character of some hymns never should be discounted, wor-ship leaders should also recognize the importance of songs that speak mean-ingfully to a particular time and place, York added.

“It’s OK that some songs don’t endure,” he said. “Some are long-lasting, and there are some that are for the moment, and that’s all right.”

“Songs of worship that endure are both timely and timeless,” York said. “Their timeliness never goes away, and they become timeless. Some are timely, period. There are none that are timeless without first being timely.” (ABP)

Why the great texts endure

reflect the congregation’s theology, but it also serves a teaching function and that places a heavy responsibility on worship leaders to examine songs they select.

York said well-rounded worship demands consideration of both bib-lical truth and the full range of human experience.

“I don’t know if there are any biblical concepts that are not ‘singable,’ but there are some that we don’t like to sing,” York said. “We don’t like laments. We don’t want to sing slow and sad in a minor key.”

York said the ten-dency to focus only on celebration, so guests will see the church as “a happy place” and the peo-ple of God as perpetually joyful, is a concept for-eign to the psalms in the Bible.

“Shortcuts to evange-lism and church growth have stolen 11 o’clock on

Sunday morning,” York said. “It’s fun to sing praise and testimony of

how God is at work in our lives. We also need to sing laments,

or the cork will pop somewhere.”

John Jackson, minister of music at First Baptist Church in Farmington, Mo., said com-pared to “the incessant debate

over what style of music should and should not be sung in the

church,” the theology expressed in wor-ship songs has received too little attention.

“Churches, pastors and church musicians owe it to themselves, their congregations and the lost communities they seek to reach to offer songs that contain sound doctrine and use those songs in contexts that reflect and complement the truth of

the gospel,” Jackson said.Bob Brooks, dean of the gradu-

ate school of ministry and director of the master of arts in worship leader-

ship program at Dallas Baptist Univer-sity, said each congregation “has its

own musical vocabulary” to inform of its approach to worship.

Cowboy churches, for example, may use classic hymns or gospel songs presented in a country-

western style, Brooks said, while young congregations may have con-

temporary Christian music.“We should celebrate the great diver-

sity of the people of God,” Brooks said. “It doesn’t have to be the same for everyone.”

Wilson said worship leaders need to take responsibility for studying the lyrics of hymns before selecting them for con-gregational singing.

“Sometimes, we have found that word choice in a text might leave the truth open for interpretation that is distant from the original meaning,” he said. “The context out of which the text appears will often shape word choice that could lead to misrepresentation of the original intent.”

“I have often researched the writing of various songs of worship and have found a greater depth of meaning, out of that context, that has heightened the rich truth found in the lyrics,” Wilson said. (ABP)

MayberryLife lessons from


MayberryMayberryLife lessons from

By rick Houston

ridgecrest, N.C.—They came by car and church vans, by themselves and in groups, and they were headed to a place where all the world’s problems could be solved in 25 minutes.

One man drove the 700 miles or so from Pascagoula, Miss., alone. A mother and daughter, both recently widowed, were there.

Another woman was just a month removed from the death of her husband. In the past, an attendee has celebrated the end of her chemo treatments by heading to the conference.

All these years later, a fictional North Carolina town and its beloved inhabit-ants still have that kind of allure.

‘Live a better life’More than 500 people from 18 dif-

ferent states attended the sold-out “Life Lessons from Mayberry: It’s All There in Black & White” confer-ence at LifeWay Christian Resources’ Ridgecrest Conference Center. The event showcases Bible studies that are structured around episodes of the classic 1960s sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show.” Atten-dance has doubled in the three years it has been held at Ridgecrest.

“God has provided this means for us because the show has such practi-cal lessons,” said Debbie Whisenant, the event’s creator and producer. “It’s not a lot of deep theology, but it’s how to treat your fellow man. It’s how to treat people right. I think what most people need is just inspiration to live a better life based on biblical principles.”

This year’s conference featured Karen Knotts, daughter of Don Knotts who played Barney, the show’s bumbling but well-meaning deputy and perhaps its most beloved character; LeRoy McNees, who appeared on two first-season epi-sodes; and tribute artist Allen Newsome.

Breakout sessions covered some of the most popular episodes in the show’s eight-year run, including “Man in a Hurry,” “A Feud is a Feud,” “Rafe Hollister Sings,” “Barney Fife, Realtor,” “The Haunted House,” “Bailey’s Bad Boy,” “Opie’s Newspaper,” “Aunt Bee’s Medicine Man” and “A Date for Gomer.”

None of the episodes have an overtly Christian mes-sage, but each has themes that are directly connected to Scripture—restlessness, pride, gossip, strife, decep-tion, arrogance and vanity.

“I do know that Andy Griffith was quoted as saying that he insisted on there being a moral in every episode, something that we could learn from it,” Whisenant said. “I just really feel like God must have had His hands on some of those writers and their scripts, even though some or maybe all of them weren’t Christians.”

Fann a trend starterThe show-flavored Bible studies didn’t

start with Life Lessons from

Mayberry. Joey Fann, author of “The Way Back to Mayberry: Lessons From a Sim-pler Time” (B&H Books 2001), is widely credited with starting the trend in Huntsville, Ala., in the late 1990s.

Since then, hundreds of churches have dug into the Bible, looking to Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee and the rest of the Mayberry gang for inspiration.

That’s actually how Life Lessons from Mayberry got its start. Whisenant, who works as an advertising writer and proj-ect manager for LifeWay, has taught semester-long studies at her Nashville-area church for more than a decade. She mentioned the idea to one of her managers.

One thing led to another, and the Life

Lessons from Mayberry conference was born. In the fall of 2011, 240 people attended. Last year, 260 showed up. This time around, the Sept. 24-26 conference exploded in popularity through a few ads here and there, word of mouth and Whisenant’s efforts on social media.

“I don’t attribute it to anything other than God just saying, ‘Go for it,’” Whisenant said.

The show has definitely become a part of Whisenant’s life. She has a picture of herself taken at around age 13 with George Lindsey, the actor who portrayed the lovable Goober Pyle on both The Andy Griffith Show and its spinoff “May-berry RFD.” A Mayberry trivia contest was a part of her bridal shower. She and

husband John also have an adult son named Andy.

Filmed and origi-nally aired during the turbulence of the 1960s, the wholesome simplicity of the show resonates with viewers in reruns and on DVD more than 50 years after its debut.

“It just takes you away from the culture that we live in now for a few minutes,” Whisenant concluded. “The characters are so lovable. They have their own foibles. They’re not perfect. Barney and Gomer are so childlike. It’s like the comfort food of television for me. It’s just such a comforting place to go.”

Dates for next year’s event are Sept. 21-24. Register at lifeway.com/mayberry. (BP)

at LeFt: Actors Andy Griffith and Ron Howard of The Andy Griffith Show are shown in a 1961 publicity photo-graph. rIGHt: In one episode, Andy returns from a trip to find that Barney has man-aged to put all of Mayberry’s citizens behind bars in the town jail. (CBS)

aBove: Actors Andy Griffith, as Sheriff Andy Taylor, and Sterling Holloway (right), making a guest appearance as Burt Miller, are seen in the 1962

episode “The Merchant of Mayberry” on The Andy Griffith Show.

Holloway played a new Mayberry merchant who has trouble getting

his business off the ground.at rIGHt: Don Knotts, as Barney

Fife, and Jim Nabors, as Gomer Pyle, are seen in this

1964 publicity photo. (CBS).

12 HAWAII PACIFIC FEBRUARY 2014AROUND THESE ISLANDS

prayer calendar

FeBrUary1 Helen Taura - Retired, Oahu 2 Betty Russell - Retired, Okinawa3 David Whitehead - Assoc., Big Island7 Jerrell Tate - Abundant Life, Oahu8 Sunny Chung - Chaplaincy, Oahu10 Vailua Simi - Fagalii, Samoa12 Jay Armstrong - Kihei, Maui12 Amy Kaneshiro - Valley Isle, Maui14 Todd Morikawa - Kailua, Oahu14 Danielle Reagan - Waipahu, Oahu14 Emiko Takaki - FBC Haleiwa, Oahu15 Vhee Bosi - Lighthouse, Guam15 Tim Morita - Olivet, Oahu 16 Jon Elliff - Makakilo, Oahu16 Chris Metcalf - Lihue, Kauai17 Somporn Kool - Laotian, Oahu21 Joo Huyn Son Lee - Olive, Oahu23 David Park - New Community, Oahu23 Masue Uejo - Retired, Big Island24 Joanne Moses - Chaplaincy, Oahu27 Yun Seok Jeong - Global Revival,

Oahu27 Andrew Tong - Hawaii Chinese, Oahu27 Diana Ventura - Waikiki, Oahu

MarCH1 Cristy Hasha - University Avenue, Oahu2 Song Ja Choi - Hawaii Bhansok, Oahu3 Sue Wagner - Hawaii Bhansok, Oahu

HPBC sponsored events in bold

FeBrUary1-28 “True Love Waits” Emphasis Month7-8 WMU Annual Meeting, Pagoda Hotel9 Racial Reconciliation Sunday10-16 Focus on WMU15 Chaplains & Church Planters Family Picnic15 Children’s Ministry Day17 President’s Day21-23 The Gathering, Puu Kahea23 Connect, Oahu

MarCH1 Disaster Relief Training, Oahu2-8 Youth Week2-9 Week of Prayer & Mission Sunday Annie Armstrong16 Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday16 Church Planting Emphasis Sunday20-22 Children’s Missions Adv. Camp, Puu Kahea26 Prince Kuhio Day

aprIL 5 Disaster Relief Training, Maui5 VBS Training, Oahu6 SBC Seminaries Sunday10-12 Wives in Ministry Retreat11-12 HBEEA Leadership Conference12 Disaster Relief Training, Big Island13 Cooperative Program Sunday13-18 Baptist Doctrine Sunday18 Good Friday20 Life Commitment Sunday26 Disaster Relief Training, Kauai28-30 Church Planting Training

hpbc calendar

3 Stephanie Williams - Ch Planting, Oahu

5 Joan Matsukawa - Retired, Oahu5 Casey Oh - Retired, Oahu7 Arjay Gruspe - Pawa’a Community,

Oahu9 Deanna Aoki - Retired, Oahu10 Meredith Brunson - Intl Min., Oahu10 Katherine Sanbei - Retired, Big Island11 John Reimer, Koza BC - Okinawa,

Japan12 Kisha Cabatingan - Valley Isle, Maui12 Janice Richey - Waikoloa, Big Island13 Tram Nguyen - Intl Min., Oahu14 Al Chong - Retired, Oahu14 Gay Sprankle - Waimanalo, Oahu14 Alan Tamashiro - Puna, Big Island17 Betty Petherbridge - Retired, Oahu19 Emily Hew - Olivet, Oahu19 Jared Lawrence - Intl Fellowship,

Oahu20 Dick Bento - HBA, Oahu21 Ralph Honjo - Retired, Oahu21 Yoo Ho Kim - Guam FBC, Guam23 Tupe Sovea - Pago Pago, Am. Samoa24 Song Sakai - Waiakea Uka, Big Island26 De Ann Gray - FBC Wahiawa, Oahu27 Lydia Gomintong - Hawaii Chr, Oahu28 Shane Sowers - Central, Oahu29 Cindy Gaskins - University Ave., Oahu

OnMission status and future strategy, the search and mobili-zation of the next generation missionary, as well as the revival and revitalization of the local Korean Baptist churches in Honolulu.

Cost is $200 for Hawaii resi-dents. To register, contact Jong Ho Aum, the executive officer of the Korean SBC of North Amer-ica, at [email protected].

Worship leader neededCornerstone Fellowship

Mililani is looking for a new team member to serve in the position of worship pastor at the church.

Cornerstone has grown to more than 200 regular mem-bers and attendees each week and currently holds three

services—two of which are con-temporary. The church expects continued rapid growth and is looking for someone to help take them to the next level.

Cornerstone is looking for a passionate, motivated worship leader to work with their wor-ship team. If you are re a natu-ral born leader with music expe-rience and would love to be a part of a dynamic, innovative team that is shaping the future and impacting lives in a grow-ing church in the middle of Oahu, then this position might be for you.

Contact Vicky Kawamae by email at: [email protected] for more details. For more information about the church, visit cornerstonemililani.com.

Hannah Tomita (center) began serving as minister of youth and worship coordinator at Olivet Baptist Church on Jan. 1. She is a recent graduate of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and is the daughter of Daniel Tomita, pastor of Kinoole Baptist Church, and his wife, Karen. Tomita is photographed with Olivet Minister of Edu-cation and Outreach Jason Hew (left) and pastor Tim Morita.

Welcome to Olivet Baptist Church

Ellen Moss retired as the secretary of Mililani Baptist Church after serving 35 years. She was honored in December with a koa box and a monetary gift from the church by pastor Alan Krober. Moss served under five pastors: W. “Dub” Efurd, Eugene Phillips, Emerson Wiles, Derrick Norris and Alan Krober.

Korean Baptists and world missions

OnMission Celebration of World Korean Baptists will be held April 21 - 24 at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel for missionar-ies, pastors, seminary students and lay leaders who want to partner for world missions.

This celebration is for the unity of Korean Baptists, a resto-ration of Korean missionaries and will review of the current

Senior pastor neededLana’i Baptist Church is once

again requesting applications for its senior pastor position.

Two prerequisites for the position are:

(1) Applicant attended seminary, and

(2) Applicant has at least five years of experience as a senior pastor.

Also, the church is searching for an interim pastor while they search for a full-time, perma-nent pastor.

Applicants may contact the church via email at [email protected], or by call-ing (808) 563-0691.

Gillchrest called by Kapaa Baptist Church

Kapaa Baptist Church, on Kauai, has called the Bob Gill-chrest to serve as transitional pastor.

Gillchrest’s previous Hawaii pastorates include Kaunakakai Baptist and Kalihi Baptist.

His first Sunday was Jan. 5.

Thanks for 35 years at Mililani

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