I’ve always heard that a cat has nine lives. I believe it. I have robbed C.C., our feisty female feline, of at least three or four by near misses with my car in the driveway. Add in the occasional “Oh, I’m sorry; did I step on your tail?” with the “Oops, I didn’t mean to slam your paw in the door.” and our cat is living on borrowed lives.
Would it not be grand to know that we humans had nine lives to expend upon the earth? I can see it now. “Oh, I’ll just have fun in school this year. If I don’t study or pay attention in class, I can do better in my next life. Anyway, I’ll be in fifth grade eight more times anyway.”
Or, “I am going to live this life without God. I am not going to waste my time reading the Bible and praying. I’ll wait and do all that in my ninth life.”
Or, “I just want to know what it’s like to be high. If I “fry” my brain, who cares? It’s not the quality of life, it’s the quantity, and I have nine in all.”
Okay, I admit it. The reasoning is absurd and beyond the realm of rational thinking; but before totally dismissing my scenarios, consider the following: How many times do we rationalize our behavior and live our one-and-only life in the same manner?
Even though we cognitively acknowledge our one orbit “on this celestial ball,” our actions show otherwise. How many times have we said, “If I could live that part of my life over again, I would do it differently”? Many times, such a statement comes after years of experience and wisdom that only age can supply, and the person sees his earlier years from a more mature perspective. More often than not, though, we possess the wisdom to do the right thing in the present time; but we knowingly choose rather to be lazy, lax, or apathetic (you pick the adjective) and do the wrong thing or nothing at all.
Let me give you some examples from my own experience. My mother was notorious for accepting Christmas gifts of fine lingerie only to store the silk gowns and robes in her clothes chest to use if she “ever had to go to the hospital.” When she died and family members were disposing of her possessions, we found many beautiful items that could have been enjoyed throughout her life, but rather she chose not to use them.
I have taught high school English for over thirty years. I can safely say that in every class there were at least one or two students who were just drifting through their high school experience. They seemed to be in a perpetual daze when it involved classroom participation, study habits, or motivation to master the material. Their lackadaisical attitude in class caused me to say on many occasions, “Remember, I’m not taking the test on Friday. You are!” Another translation might be, “You have but one chance to do well in this class. When the semester is over, the grade you have earned is the grade you will receive.” But somewhere in the recesses of those students’ minds and personalities, the only-one-life idea has not sunk in. Their actions say, “I’ll do better next time.” In school, students are allowed to repeat a failed course; but in life, once is all we have.
How many times do we choose not to use our talents for the Lord, not to ask God for that blessing, not to say that word of kindness, not to do our best at school or in our job? Are we waiting for that ninth life with the hopes of doing it the right way then? Are we wasting the few precious years that are afforded us by a loving and merciful God?
As a child, I was always fascinated by Noah’s grandfather Methuselah, the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Bible. (Genesis 5:27: “And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.”) While our attention is often on the 969 years that he lived, we must not neglect to notice the last three words of this verse, “and he died.” Even though his life was long, it was still only one life. Even Jesus, who came to this earth and lived in sinless perfection, had but one life to expend on the cross.
We all have but one chance to get it right: one shot at the target, one lap around the track, one strike at the ball, one stroke of the pen.
If C. C. continues to live in our household, her days are probably numbered. Who knows, she may be on her last life. So am I, my first and my last and my only. May each of us live our one life as though it were our last.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Missions Conference Musings - 2006
Quiz: Okay, it has been almost a month since our annual Missions Conference. Take the following quiz to see how many facts you remember. (Answers appear at the end of this article.)
_________________ 1. Field of service for Jeff and Susan Turnbough?
_________________ 2. Field of service for Steve and Becky Riggs?
_________________ 3. Future field of service for Angela Emerick?
_________________ 4. The major European city the Turnboughs call home?
_________________ 5. Number of children the Riggs have?
_________________ 6. Number of children the Turnboughs have?
_________________ 7. The missionary couple who worked with their son and daughter-in-law in the same field of service from August 2003 until July 2005?
_________________ 8. The percentage of the population of Spain that are actual believers?
_________________ 9. The missionary who presented a PowerPoint presentation showing many volunteers helping to convert a building into a church?
_________________10. The missionary who calls the Tidewater, VA, area home?
Trivia buffs will probably do well on this quiz. Others might say, “Well, I don’t remember all the details, but I know I profited from the conference.” You are right: you most assuredly profited from attending the services. Anytime we are confronted with cultures different from ours, and we listen to the heart of those called to spread the gospel in foreign countries, we are reminded that Christ died for ALL people.
Pro-Active Response: We have always been a “Missions-Giving” church. Proudly we have ranked high on the list of giving to International and Home Missions. But are we a “Missions-Minded” church? I propose that a “Missions-Minded” church will have a pro-active response.
1. Praying: Apart from the WNAC Pre-Thanksgiving week of prayer and the International Missions Pre-Easter week of prayer, we have no organized method for praying for ALL of our missionaries. Would it not be profitable for us to organize a Mission Prayer Band in our local church? Each person who joins is given the responsibility of praying for one country. Each person collects specific information about the missionaries, their families, their ministry needs. (All the information is readily available via the internet. http://www.fwbgo.com) Those who join promise to set aside fifteen minutes each week to pray for the specific needs of their respective fields. Can you imagine the impact such a circle of prayer would have on those missionaries? On those who are praying? Are we praying consistently for the Lord to call our own children to a field of service? What a reaping we could see if we prayed earnestly for the Lord to call each child who attends Children’s Church into full-time Christian service.
2. Giving: Consider the possibility of regular giving to a missionary. I know, at times you feel overwhelmed, maybe a bit guilty too, because there are so many missionaries needing money. Maybe you feel you cannot afford any more expenses. Pray and ask the Lord to help you “find” a source for ten or fifteen extra dollars a month. Use the envelopes in the pew and designate your gift to a certain missionary. If every person in our denomination gave consistently, missionaries such as Sean and Jill Warren (and the other members of the M-Team) would not have to come home this summer to raise more support. Have you ever considered estate planning? What a legacy you would leave and what reward you would receive by leaving a portion or all of your estate to FWB International Missions!
3. Going: This year’s conference presented the need for short-term missions work. Our church is blessed with people of varied skills and talents. Why not consider a week or two, or maybe even a month, to volunteer for a home or foreign missions project. Do you have construction skills, teaching skills, cooking skills, sports training skills, medical skills, people skills? You name it. Why not consider taking the entire family, kids and all. What a summer trip that would be! Okay, Prime Timers, what about you? The poet, TS Eliot, once said that the years between 50 and 70 are the most dangerous: “You’re always being asked to do something and you’re not decrepit enough to refuse.” We have many “non-decrepit” seniors who could go.
4. Sending: Need a motivation to support foreign missions? Try sending your own child or grandchild to a foreign country for either a short or long-term assignment. Trust me, your heart will pay attention, especially when you have to sign the form that asks where your want your loved one’s body to be buried in case of their death--in the foreign country or back in the States. Ask the families of Heather Scruggs and Josh and Alicia Crowe. They are learning what it means to pray, go, give, and send for missions. Ask our pastor who traveled to France a year-and-a-half ago; ask Doug Little, Director of Mobilization; and ask James Forlines, Director of International Missions. They all will tell you that a missions-minded church is a church that is sending out missionaries from it own congregation.
Okay, time for the answers. Look below to see how you did. Even if you failed this trivia quiz, you can ace the test. Ask the Lord to show you what He would have you do. Will you pray, give, go, send, or all the above?
Answers:
1. Spain 2. France 3. Central Asia 4. Madrid 5. Four 6. Two 7. Turnboughs 8. Less than 1% 9. Steve Riggs 10. Angela Emerick
_________________ 1. Field of service for Jeff and Susan Turnbough?
_________________ 2. Field of service for Steve and Becky Riggs?
_________________ 3. Future field of service for Angela Emerick?
_________________ 4. The major European city the Turnboughs call home?
_________________ 5. Number of children the Riggs have?
_________________ 6. Number of children the Turnboughs have?
_________________ 7. The missionary couple who worked with their son and daughter-in-law in the same field of service from August 2003 until July 2005?
_________________ 8. The percentage of the population of Spain that are actual believers?
_________________ 9. The missionary who presented a PowerPoint presentation showing many volunteers helping to convert a building into a church?
_________________10. The missionary who calls the Tidewater, VA, area home?
Trivia buffs will probably do well on this quiz. Others might say, “Well, I don’t remember all the details, but I know I profited from the conference.” You are right: you most assuredly profited from attending the services. Anytime we are confronted with cultures different from ours, and we listen to the heart of those called to spread the gospel in foreign countries, we are reminded that Christ died for ALL people.
Pro-Active Response: We have always been a “Missions-Giving” church. Proudly we have ranked high on the list of giving to International and Home Missions. But are we a “Missions-Minded” church? I propose that a “Missions-Minded” church will have a pro-active response.
1. Praying: Apart from the WNAC Pre-Thanksgiving week of prayer and the International Missions Pre-Easter week of prayer, we have no organized method for praying for ALL of our missionaries. Would it not be profitable for us to organize a Mission Prayer Band in our local church? Each person who joins is given the responsibility of praying for one country. Each person collects specific information about the missionaries, their families, their ministry needs. (All the information is readily available via the internet. http://www.fwbgo.com) Those who join promise to set aside fifteen minutes each week to pray for the specific needs of their respective fields. Can you imagine the impact such a circle of prayer would have on those missionaries? On those who are praying? Are we praying consistently for the Lord to call our own children to a field of service? What a reaping we could see if we prayed earnestly for the Lord to call each child who attends Children’s Church into full-time Christian service.
2. Giving: Consider the possibility of regular giving to a missionary. I know, at times you feel overwhelmed, maybe a bit guilty too, because there are so many missionaries needing money. Maybe you feel you cannot afford any more expenses. Pray and ask the Lord to help you “find” a source for ten or fifteen extra dollars a month. Use the envelopes in the pew and designate your gift to a certain missionary. If every person in our denomination gave consistently, missionaries such as Sean and Jill Warren (and the other members of the M-Team) would not have to come home this summer to raise more support. Have you ever considered estate planning? What a legacy you would leave and what reward you would receive by leaving a portion or all of your estate to FWB International Missions!
3. Going: This year’s conference presented the need for short-term missions work. Our church is blessed with people of varied skills and talents. Why not consider a week or two, or maybe even a month, to volunteer for a home or foreign missions project. Do you have construction skills, teaching skills, cooking skills, sports training skills, medical skills, people skills? You name it. Why not consider taking the entire family, kids and all. What a summer trip that would be! Okay, Prime Timers, what about you? The poet, TS Eliot, once said that the years between 50 and 70 are the most dangerous: “You’re always being asked to do something and you’re not decrepit enough to refuse.” We have many “non-decrepit” seniors who could go.
4. Sending: Need a motivation to support foreign missions? Try sending your own child or grandchild to a foreign country for either a short or long-term assignment. Trust me, your heart will pay attention, especially when you have to sign the form that asks where your want your loved one’s body to be buried in case of their death--in the foreign country or back in the States. Ask the families of Heather Scruggs and Josh and Alicia Crowe. They are learning what it means to pray, go, give, and send for missions. Ask our pastor who traveled to France a year-and-a-half ago; ask Doug Little, Director of Mobilization; and ask James Forlines, Director of International Missions. They all will tell you that a missions-minded church is a church that is sending out missionaries from it own congregation.
Okay, time for the answers. Look below to see how you did. Even if you failed this trivia quiz, you can ace the test. Ask the Lord to show you what He would have you do. Will you pray, give, go, send, or all the above?
Answers:
1. Spain 2. France 3. Central Asia 4. Madrid 5. Four 6. Two 7. Turnboughs 8. Less than 1% 9. Steve Riggs 10. Angela Emerick
Sherwood Forest Youth Gearing Up for NYC Competition - 2007
If you see some of our teens walking around with a dazed expression, there may be a reason. They are probably a bit preoccupied with all they have to do. In addition to school, basketball games, church services, and social activities, these teens are working hard to prepare for Free Will Baptist Youth competition. Their goal is to make it all the way to the Nationals in Little Rock, AK this July.
__________________
1. Bible Bowl
This is the first year in many years that our church has had a Bible Bowl team. Bible Bowl is restricted to those in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Robin Howell sponsors our team: Thomas Mills, Stephen Nelson, Caroline Anderson, and Lonni Beth Gaskins.
The format for Bible Bowl is similar to any quiz bowl team. In actual competition, two teams compete at a time. The goal is to be the first person to press the buzzer and answer the question correctly, accumulating points for your team. Team members study certain portions of the Bible, not a pre-written list of questions as is done in Tic-Tac-Toe. In addition to individual study time, Bible Bowl members meet every Sunday night at 5:00 for practice.
2. Truth Quest
Two teens, Melissa Nelson and Paige Nobles, are preparing for Truth Quest. This is an individual rather than team competition. Each participant goes directly to national competition, bypassing any district or state eliminations. To prepare, these girls are studying everything there is to know about the Free Will Baptist denomination: doctrine, home missionaries, foreign missionaries, and the various departments within the denomination, just to name a few. Also, some of the questions will be based upon their Sunday school lessons for the last year.
Upon arriving for the National Association meeting, these girls will take a written test. The ten highest scorers will progress to the second round of competition, similar to Jeopardy that you see on television. The final round of competition will determine the winner.
3. Music, Drama, and Art
The six aforementioned teens will also compete in various music, art, and drama competitions.
4. Truth and Peace
Caroline Anderson applied and was accepted to be part of Truth and Peace 2007. Truth and Peace is a leadership-training program sponsored by Randall House Publishing, an adjunct company of the FWB denomination.
She will fly to Oklahoma City, OK on July 4th and spend the next week and a half at Hillsdale FWB College training with young Free Will Baptists from all over the country to be a part of the support staff at the Nationals in Little Rock. This will be a time of spiritual enrichment as well as a time for personal growth and the development of leadership skills. A few days before the start of the Nationals, Truth and Peace members will travel by bus to Little Rock to begin their work.
Truth and Peace members are essential to the smooth running of the convention. They man the competition rooms, serve as monitors, provide assistance with general sessions and services, and generally do the many jobs necessary to help those in charge of the various activities.
__________________
So, the next time you see some of our “overworked” teens, stop them and tell them that you are aware of what they are doing and that you will pray for them as they work to represent our church in the various activities.
__________________
1. Bible Bowl
This is the first year in many years that our church has had a Bible Bowl team. Bible Bowl is restricted to those in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Robin Howell sponsors our team: Thomas Mills, Stephen Nelson, Caroline Anderson, and Lonni Beth Gaskins.
The format for Bible Bowl is similar to any quiz bowl team. In actual competition, two teams compete at a time. The goal is to be the first person to press the buzzer and answer the question correctly, accumulating points for your team. Team members study certain portions of the Bible, not a pre-written list of questions as is done in Tic-Tac-Toe. In addition to individual study time, Bible Bowl members meet every Sunday night at 5:00 for practice.
2. Truth Quest
Two teens, Melissa Nelson and Paige Nobles, are preparing for Truth Quest. This is an individual rather than team competition. Each participant goes directly to national competition, bypassing any district or state eliminations. To prepare, these girls are studying everything there is to know about the Free Will Baptist denomination: doctrine, home missionaries, foreign missionaries, and the various departments within the denomination, just to name a few. Also, some of the questions will be based upon their Sunday school lessons for the last year.
Upon arriving for the National Association meeting, these girls will take a written test. The ten highest scorers will progress to the second round of competition, similar to Jeopardy that you see on television. The final round of competition will determine the winner.
3. Music, Drama, and Art
The six aforementioned teens will also compete in various music, art, and drama competitions.
4. Truth and Peace
Caroline Anderson applied and was accepted to be part of Truth and Peace 2007. Truth and Peace is a leadership-training program sponsored by Randall House Publishing, an adjunct company of the FWB denomination.
She will fly to Oklahoma City, OK on July 4th and spend the next week and a half at Hillsdale FWB College training with young Free Will Baptists from all over the country to be a part of the support staff at the Nationals in Little Rock. This will be a time of spiritual enrichment as well as a time for personal growth and the development of leadership skills. A few days before the start of the Nationals, Truth and Peace members will travel by bus to Little Rock to begin their work.
Truth and Peace members are essential to the smooth running of the convention. They man the competition rooms, serve as monitors, provide assistance with general sessions and services, and generally do the many jobs necessary to help those in charge of the various activities.
__________________
So, the next time you see some of our “overworked” teens, stop them and tell them that you are aware of what they are doing and that you will pray for them as they work to represent our church in the various activities.
Free Will Baptist National Convention 2005 (Sherwood FWB Church Newsletter Article)
NAFWB Convention
From this writer’s limited perspective, it seems a monumental task to be able to describe all that occurred last week in Louisville, KY. Those of you who have attended a national convention understand the multi-faceted schedule of events and the excitement of joining with almost 6,000 other Free Will Baptists. The air is electric, and the anticipation of each event is contagious.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention is actually three conventions in one: 1) the Free Will Baptist Convention, 2) the Women Nationally Active for Christ Convention, and 3) the National Youth Conference.
Perhaps the best way to describe the experience is to tackle one aspect at a time.
The City of Louisville
Louisville is a wonderful setting for such a meeting. It is a city full of history, chartered in 1780 and named for King Louis XVI, the French king who aided the colonies during the Revolutionary War. The architecture is varied with a lot of classical revival, Victorian, as well as contemporary style. On a ride through the city one afternoon, I noticed a lot of what I call “shot gun” houses--narrow but deep, two-story houses set closely together, probably originally built in the 20s and 30s, as well as the craftsman style houses of the 30s and 40s. The city is separated from Indiana by the Ohio River. From our hotel, we could see the bridge over the river and the Colgate plant with its huge clock. (We were told by the locals that the clock is the third largest outdoor clock in the world.) Also, from our hotel, we could hear the calliope of the steamboat Belle of Louisville, an original 1914 paddleboat that still plies the waters of the Ohio River.
Most of our group stayed in the Galt House Hotel, two blocks from the convention center. Thanks to an enclosed sky pedway, we could make the two-block trek to the convention center without going outside. The Galt House has a history of its own. The original Galt House, built in 1823, boasts guests such as President Lincoln, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain. Our carriage driver told us that Mark Twain was a resident at the Galt House when he was writing Huckleberry Finn.
Some in our group took a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum located a few blocks from our hotel. Professional baseball players continue to have their bats custom made at this wood bat manufacturing facility, not far from where the very first bats were made back in the 1800s.
The food choices were varied and good. Most restaurants featured a Louisville classic, the Hot Brown: an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich topped with a rich cheese sauce. This favorite originated at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in the early 1900s. Besides eating from our own food stashes in our hotel rooms, we tried such restaurants as the Spaghetti Factory, Kunz’s, and T.G. I. Friday’s.
The Services/Themes
As exciting as Louisville was, the 69th annual Convention was the main attraction. The adults, youth, children, and pre-schoolers had their own separate worship services.
For the adults in the main convention hall, the preaching theme was “Pleasing God” based on 2 Timothy 2:4. Rev. Jeff Manning, pastor of Unity FWB Church in Greenville, NC and son-in-law of Rev. Dennis Wiggs, preached in the Monday evening service. The Wednesday evening missionary service was a very moving experience as all the foreign and home missionaries able to attend marched on stage to a standing ovation and special prayers for their individual fields.
The WNAC theme was “Let Us Pursue” based on Hosea 6:3.
The National Youth Conference Theme was “Yes, Your Majesty” based on Psalm 145:5.
The Music
The music at the convention was a blended worship experience similar to our own services at Sherwood Forest. Richard Davis was the worship leader for the Sunday morning service. Each evening service included piano, organ, orchestra, vocal groups, and a mass choir. Our own Kineth Nelson, Lisa Fields, Martha Anderson, and Richard Davis sang in the mass choir each night.
Some favorites sung by the mass choir were the Dennis Jernigan song entitled “Blessed Redeemer,” ("Who can satisfy my soul like you? Who on earth could comfort me and love me like you do? Who could ever be more faithful, true? Lord, I will trust in you. ... There is a fountain, who is the King. Victorious Warrior, and Lord of everything. My Rock, my Shelter, my very Own. Blessed Redeemer, who reigns upon the throne.") and the Mike Speck arrangement of “Wish I Could’ve Been There” sung with the Mike Speck Trio.
The Seminars
In addition to various business sessions, the convention offered seminars for pastors, laymen, and teachers.
One such seminar was taught by Katie Greenwood, an editor with Randall House, entitled “CLEAR Made Easy.” The purpose of this seminar was to explain the new curriculum and to allow for feedback from teachers who use the curriculum each Sunday.
Several interesting points:
1. The CLEAR curriculum quarterlies are written in magazine format to encourage their being read at home.
2. The plan of salvation is given inside the back cover of each book, making them useful outreach tools. Mrs. Greenwood told of one girl who took her quarterly to school and used it to have a Bible study with other students.
3. The Scripture for each lesson is purposely not written in the book to encourage students to use their own Bibles.
4. Each quarterly is formatted as a daily devotional guide. The preschool through upper elementary books are set up so that the daily reading is about the previous lesson. The teen and adult books are the opposite.
5. Randall House also solicits teen writers to contribute to CLEAR Direction and CLEAR Horizon. They are looking for the following ideas:
1. Fictional stories that illustrate principles of the Christian faith.
2. Inspirational--God brought you through a rough time? Share your experience.
3. Christian growth articles--Been thinking about hope, true Christianity, discipleship, faith, etc.?
4. Testimony--Describe how God’s changing you in “Changing Lanes.”
5. Biographical--You or your youth group doing something exceptional? Are you a musician, actor, athlete, etc. who’s not ashamed of Christ?
6. Book reviews--Opinionated? Read a Christian book and give the pros and cons.
If your submission is accepted, you will be awarded a $35-$50 honorarium! (Submission does not guarantee publication.)
For exact submission details, see Martha Anderson.
The Youth Competition
With our church having eleven entries in youth competition, it took some juggling to be on time for each event. The NYC rules state that Bible competition takes precedence, so the music and arts competition had to work around each competitor’s schedule. Thankfully, we made it to each venue on time, though sometimes out of breath. Ten out of eleven of our entries placed in the competition.
Following are the results:
Tic-Tac-Toe - 3rd place
Elizabeth Lamm - Sword Drill - 2nd place (Level B)
Piano - 2nd place (Level B)
Jacob Austin - Photography - 1st place (Level A)
Piano - 1st place (Level A)
Melissa Nelson - Graphic Arts - 1st place (Level C)
Vocal Trio - 3rd place (Level C)
Vocal Quartet - 1st place (Level C)
Vocal Ensemble - 1st place (Level C)
Drama - 1st place (Level C)
You Just Had To Be There!
Our church group was an eclectic mix of personalities. You just had to be there to see and experience the hilarious and emotional moments:
1. The entire morning service attendees wishing our pastor a happy 40th birthday. (Thanks to Richard Davis who was worship leader for the Sunday morning service.)
2. Jill Nobles and Lisa Fields sneaking contraband into the hotel. (Actually, it was a microwave wrapped in a blanket.)
3. Ralph and Pam Gaskins making multiple trips to their Tahoe to refill their suitcases with food brought from home. (When I say food, I mean a home-cooked ham, home-made pimento cheese, and enough food of every sort to feed our entire group of forty-three for a week!)
4. Pam Gaskins running from the Tic-Tac-Toe competition room with her cell phone ringing one of those wonderful personalized rings. (I know, she has asked for forgiveness, but it certainly fits with “You Just Had To Be There!”)
5. Speaking of running, Richard Davis dashing into the convention hall and up on stage to sing in the mass choir dressed in a suit and TENNIS SHOES. (When asked about his attire, he replied in his usual demonstrative tone, “Well, I knew I was running late, and I would never make it on time with my dress shoes on.”)
6. Judy, Cindy, and Stacie crying tears of joy when Elizabeth won her awards for Sword Drill and piano. (Miss Judy, we are all so glad that you decided to go to Louisville!)
7. The preacher shouting (it sounded more like a war-hoop) and jumping in the air each time our church had a winner.
8. The expression on the faces of our Tic-Tac-Toe team every time they were asked a question in a game. (The best way to describe it is that “I’m going to be sick” look mixed with the “I know this. . .
I know this. . . hurry and finish the question so I can answer” look.
9. Gwen Nelson trying to contain herself and act dignified during a Tic-Tac-Toe match. (She almost succeeded.)
10. Rachel Janus trying to keep up with the rest of us. (The word “waddling” come to mind.)
11. Harvey and Barbara Godwin being able to out-walk all of us.
12. The Mills family being early for EVERY meeting and competition.
13. The preacher being angry and sinning not when being sprayed by the teens with silly string at his birthday party, and Miss Loreida scraping it off the hotel wall the next day.
14. The “I swallowed a canary” look on Elizabeth’s and Jacob’s faces each time they won an award.
15. Robin Howell calling her mom on a cell phone after every match to give an update on the Tic-Tac-Toe competition. (Thanks, Miss Barbara for all of your help.)
16. The sound of Elizabeth’s feet hitting the stage floor each time she stepped forward with the correct passage in Sword Drill competition. (Let’s put it this way, you could be looking away from the stage and still tell when she stepped forward. Go, girl!!)
17. And last but not least, the tears on the faces of our group as they watched our vocal groups sing in competition. It was very evident that the teens were singing from their hearts in praise to God, and that message of love and praise reached not only the judges but also those in the audience. All the glory belongs to Him!
From this writer’s limited perspective, it seems a monumental task to be able to describe all that occurred last week in Louisville, KY. Those of you who have attended a national convention understand the multi-faceted schedule of events and the excitement of joining with almost 6,000 other Free Will Baptists. The air is electric, and the anticipation of each event is contagious.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention is actually three conventions in one: 1) the Free Will Baptist Convention, 2) the Women Nationally Active for Christ Convention, and 3) the National Youth Conference.
Perhaps the best way to describe the experience is to tackle one aspect at a time.
The City of Louisville
Louisville is a wonderful setting for such a meeting. It is a city full of history, chartered in 1780 and named for King Louis XVI, the French king who aided the colonies during the Revolutionary War. The architecture is varied with a lot of classical revival, Victorian, as well as contemporary style. On a ride through the city one afternoon, I noticed a lot of what I call “shot gun” houses--narrow but deep, two-story houses set closely together, probably originally built in the 20s and 30s, as well as the craftsman style houses of the 30s and 40s. The city is separated from Indiana by the Ohio River. From our hotel, we could see the bridge over the river and the Colgate plant with its huge clock. (We were told by the locals that the clock is the third largest outdoor clock in the world.) Also, from our hotel, we could hear the calliope of the steamboat Belle of Louisville, an original 1914 paddleboat that still plies the waters of the Ohio River.
Most of our group stayed in the Galt House Hotel, two blocks from the convention center. Thanks to an enclosed sky pedway, we could make the two-block trek to the convention center without going outside. The Galt House has a history of its own. The original Galt House, built in 1823, boasts guests such as President Lincoln, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain. Our carriage driver told us that Mark Twain was a resident at the Galt House when he was writing Huckleberry Finn.
Some in our group took a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum located a few blocks from our hotel. Professional baseball players continue to have their bats custom made at this wood bat manufacturing facility, not far from where the very first bats were made back in the 1800s.
The food choices were varied and good. Most restaurants featured a Louisville classic, the Hot Brown: an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich topped with a rich cheese sauce. This favorite originated at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in the early 1900s. Besides eating from our own food stashes in our hotel rooms, we tried such restaurants as the Spaghetti Factory, Kunz’s, and T.G. I. Friday’s.
The Services/Themes
As exciting as Louisville was, the 69th annual Convention was the main attraction. The adults, youth, children, and pre-schoolers had their own separate worship services.
For the adults in the main convention hall, the preaching theme was “Pleasing God” based on 2 Timothy 2:4. Rev. Jeff Manning, pastor of Unity FWB Church in Greenville, NC and son-in-law of Rev. Dennis Wiggs, preached in the Monday evening service. The Wednesday evening missionary service was a very moving experience as all the foreign and home missionaries able to attend marched on stage to a standing ovation and special prayers for their individual fields.
The WNAC theme was “Let Us Pursue” based on Hosea 6:3.
The National Youth Conference Theme was “Yes, Your Majesty” based on Psalm 145:5.
The Music
The music at the convention was a blended worship experience similar to our own services at Sherwood Forest. Richard Davis was the worship leader for the Sunday morning service. Each evening service included piano, organ, orchestra, vocal groups, and a mass choir. Our own Kineth Nelson, Lisa Fields, Martha Anderson, and Richard Davis sang in the mass choir each night.
Some favorites sung by the mass choir were the Dennis Jernigan song entitled “Blessed Redeemer,” ("Who can satisfy my soul like you? Who on earth could comfort me and love me like you do? Who could ever be more faithful, true? Lord, I will trust in you. ... There is a fountain, who is the King. Victorious Warrior, and Lord of everything. My Rock, my Shelter, my very Own. Blessed Redeemer, who reigns upon the throne.") and the Mike Speck arrangement of “Wish I Could’ve Been There” sung with the Mike Speck Trio.
The Seminars
In addition to various business sessions, the convention offered seminars for pastors, laymen, and teachers.
One such seminar was taught by Katie Greenwood, an editor with Randall House, entitled “CLEAR Made Easy.” The purpose of this seminar was to explain the new curriculum and to allow for feedback from teachers who use the curriculum each Sunday.
Several interesting points:
1. The CLEAR curriculum quarterlies are written in magazine format to encourage their being read at home.
2. The plan of salvation is given inside the back cover of each book, making them useful outreach tools. Mrs. Greenwood told of one girl who took her quarterly to school and used it to have a Bible study with other students.
3. The Scripture for each lesson is purposely not written in the book to encourage students to use their own Bibles.
4. Each quarterly is formatted as a daily devotional guide. The preschool through upper elementary books are set up so that the daily reading is about the previous lesson. The teen and adult books are the opposite.
5. Randall House also solicits teen writers to contribute to CLEAR Direction and CLEAR Horizon. They are looking for the following ideas:
1. Fictional stories that illustrate principles of the Christian faith.
2. Inspirational--God brought you through a rough time? Share your experience.
3. Christian growth articles--Been thinking about hope, true Christianity, discipleship, faith, etc.?
4. Testimony--Describe how God’s changing you in “Changing Lanes.”
5. Biographical--You or your youth group doing something exceptional? Are you a musician, actor, athlete, etc. who’s not ashamed of Christ?
6. Book reviews--Opinionated? Read a Christian book and give the pros and cons.
If your submission is accepted, you will be awarded a $35-$50 honorarium! (Submission does not guarantee publication.)
For exact submission details, see Martha Anderson.
The Youth Competition
With our church having eleven entries in youth competition, it took some juggling to be on time for each event. The NYC rules state that Bible competition takes precedence, so the music and arts competition had to work around each competitor’s schedule. Thankfully, we made it to each venue on time, though sometimes out of breath. Ten out of eleven of our entries placed in the competition.
Following are the results:
Tic-Tac-Toe - 3rd place
Elizabeth Lamm - Sword Drill - 2nd place (Level B)
Piano - 2nd place (Level B)
Jacob Austin - Photography - 1st place (Level A)
Piano - 1st place (Level A)
Melissa Nelson - Graphic Arts - 1st place (Level C)
Vocal Trio - 3rd place (Level C)
Vocal Quartet - 1st place (Level C)
Vocal Ensemble - 1st place (Level C)
Drama - 1st place (Level C)
You Just Had To Be There!
Our church group was an eclectic mix of personalities. You just had to be there to see and experience the hilarious and emotional moments:
1. The entire morning service attendees wishing our pastor a happy 40th birthday. (Thanks to Richard Davis who was worship leader for the Sunday morning service.)
2. Jill Nobles and Lisa Fields sneaking contraband into the hotel. (Actually, it was a microwave wrapped in a blanket.)
3. Ralph and Pam Gaskins making multiple trips to their Tahoe to refill their suitcases with food brought from home. (When I say food, I mean a home-cooked ham, home-made pimento cheese, and enough food of every sort to feed our entire group of forty-three for a week!)
4. Pam Gaskins running from the Tic-Tac-Toe competition room with her cell phone ringing one of those wonderful personalized rings. (I know, she has asked for forgiveness, but it certainly fits with “You Just Had To Be There!”)
5. Speaking of running, Richard Davis dashing into the convention hall and up on stage to sing in the mass choir dressed in a suit and TENNIS SHOES. (When asked about his attire, he replied in his usual demonstrative tone, “Well, I knew I was running late, and I would never make it on time with my dress shoes on.”)
6. Judy, Cindy, and Stacie crying tears of joy when Elizabeth won her awards for Sword Drill and piano. (Miss Judy, we are all so glad that you decided to go to Louisville!)
7. The preacher shouting (it sounded more like a war-hoop) and jumping in the air each time our church had a winner.
8. The expression on the faces of our Tic-Tac-Toe team every time they were asked a question in a game. (The best way to describe it is that “I’m going to be sick” look mixed with the “I know this. . .
I know this. . . hurry and finish the question so I can answer” look.
9. Gwen Nelson trying to contain herself and act dignified during a Tic-Tac-Toe match. (She almost succeeded.)
10. Rachel Janus trying to keep up with the rest of us. (The word “waddling” come to mind.)
11. Harvey and Barbara Godwin being able to out-walk all of us.
12. The Mills family being early for EVERY meeting and competition.
13. The preacher being angry and sinning not when being sprayed by the teens with silly string at his birthday party, and Miss Loreida scraping it off the hotel wall the next day.
14. The “I swallowed a canary” look on Elizabeth’s and Jacob’s faces each time they won an award.
15. Robin Howell calling her mom on a cell phone after every match to give an update on the Tic-Tac-Toe competition. (Thanks, Miss Barbara for all of your help.)
16. The sound of Elizabeth’s feet hitting the stage floor each time she stepped forward with the correct passage in Sword Drill competition. (Let’s put it this way, you could be looking away from the stage and still tell when she stepped forward. Go, girl!!)
17. And last but not least, the tears on the faces of our group as they watched our vocal groups sing in competition. It was very evident that the teens were singing from their hearts in praise to God, and that message of love and praise reached not only the judges but also those in the audience. All the glory belongs to Him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)