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The Kentucky Baptist Convention's Brazil Vision Trip

2/28/2018

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In front of the Municipal Market

Baptist church in Sao Paulo

The Jehovah Witnesses

With Flat Stanley

Yesterday I returned, along with eleven others, from the Kentucky Baptist Convention's (KBC) Sao Paulo, Brazil vision trip. The purpose of the trip was to educate and connect KBC churches with opportunities in Brazil. We worked with International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries and Brazilian Baptist churches. Here are four observations I learned from one week in Sao Paulo:

1). The city is huge. Spread out, 20+ million residents, and diverse. The opportunities are limitless in any part of the city. There's never a shortage of people. The IMB missionaries said there's a need for 1,300+ new churches. Overwhelming is an understatement.

2). Sao Paulo has major challenges. The housing is dense - apartments everywhere - favelas taking over the city. Poverty, crime, gangs, and drugs all go together and Sao Paulo is no exception.

3). The IMB mission team is small. There are five "units" for 20+ million people - about fifteen people are trying to be a catalyst for reaching the city. This is where the partnership with KBC churches comes in. Basically, the laborers are few.

4). The city is lost. Brazilians love Jesus, but the picture of Christ they think of is different than the Scriptures. One of the IMB workers described it aptly as "peeling off the layers to get to the real Jesus." Roman Catholicism is entrenched in their culture. I found the people to be open to discussing spiritual topics, but Biblical Christianity can easily be included with the mixture of religious beliefs.

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3 Planning Keys to an Evangelistic Event

1/31/2018

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It's Winter, churches are now making their Fall plans. One of the ways to reach your community is to host an evangelistic event - a main event. If you're going to invite the community, you need to be prepared. Here are three keys to planning an event:

1). Prayer and Fasting. Evangelist Ronnie Hill of Fort Worth, Texas, asks churches to have a 40-day prayer and fasting focus leading up to the main event.

2). The right date and time. Traditionally, December and January are slow months for speakers. Evangelist Rick Gage tries to avoid summer crusades because school's out. When are people going to be in their weekly routine?

3). The right name. Evangelist Franklin Graham calls them Festivals, his son, Evangelist Will Graham, calls them Celebrations. Religious words such as Crusade, Revival, Harvest, and Camp Meeting can turn-off some would-be attenders. Conferences, Retreats, and Seminars have found their way into evangelistic titles.

Jesus wants people saved - with devoted prayer, the right timing and a neutral name - barriers are removed for people to come to Him.

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3 Bible Reading Plans for 2018

12/31/2017

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The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible was released on November 1, 2017

Reading Scripture is a must for Christian discipleship and growth. This is a non-negotiable for every believer. I was raised on the NIV Bible, switched to the HCSB in 2011, and switched again to the CSB in 2017. There are more options than ever for studying Scripture, every type of Bible, every type of reading plan. Here are three CSB options to consider in 2018:

1). The CSB Disciple's Study Bible - this features the Foundations 260 Reading Plan developed by Dr. Robby Gallaty at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. This is a new Bible, it was released on November 15, 2017 - learn more about it here.

2). She Reads Truth - this is also in the CSB - a Scripture reading movement for women developed with the hashtag: #SheReadsTruth - the Bible has a one-year Bible reading plan. It's also a new Bible, released on April 15, 2017 - learn more about it here.

3). The CSB Study Bible - this is the Bible I use for study. I was a fan of the HCSB before this one was released. There are two Bible reading plans in the back of this great resource - the first is a 3-year Bible reading plan that takes the reader through the entire Scripture over a 3-year period. The second is called, "Daily Bread," which is one-year reading plan that covers the Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice in one year. This was released on May 15, 2017 - learn more about it here.

Bonus: The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible also came out this year from LifeWay - outstanding resource from the great 19th century British pastor, Charles Spurgeon. Unfortunately, this new Bible doesn't have a Bible reading plan - learn more about it here.

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Christmas at Broadway

11/30/2017

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The Broadway Ornament Tree

One of Broadway Baptist's Christmas traditions is the Church Family Christmas Tree in the Welcome Center. Every December, church members are encouraged to bring a Christmas ornament from home and place it on the tree. The goal of this is to make the Christmas season personal for each family.

I remember several years ago, someone came up to me after church and said they don't think churches should be putting up Christmas trees. They said Nativity sets are acceptable, but not Christmas trees.

This is a question worth answering. Should believers and churches put up Christmas trees? Those who object to Christmas trees claim they have pagan origins. The scripture quoted opposing trees is Jeremiah 10:2-5.

If you study the history of the evergreen tree, it was considered a symbol of life in the Roman world. Europeans would cut down evergreen trees and plant them in their living rooms for a winter festival.

It is true about the possible pagan origins of evergreen trees - being an object of worship and life 2,000 years ago - but that's not the case today.

Christmas trees aren't idols. No one (at least I've never heard of one) worships Christmas trees. Folks don't walk into church on Sundays in December and believe we're worshipping trees. The Second Commandment (Exodus 20:4-6) does forbid us from idols, but Christmas trees aren't idols.

Christmas trees and December 25 aren't mentioned in Scripture, but this doesn't mean believers and churches can't celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, while using a tree.

Christmas trees and the presents under the tree, represent new life and the gift of Jesus we received on the first Christmas in Bethlehem.

This December we celebrate the birth of Christ - displaying a tree hopefully reminds people about new life in Christ and the importance of giving - God gave us the greatest gift of all!

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What We Can Learn From Martin Luther

10/31/2017

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500 years ago today, an Augustinian monk in Wittenberg, Germany nailed 95 theses to the door at All Saints' Church. This act of defiance was the beginning point of the Protestant Reformation.

What can we learn from this event today? Why does Martin Luther matter?

1). Luther reminds us the "church" can err. The Roman Catholic Church was selling indulgences - they had drifted away from the Scriptures. If it happened back then, it can happen today.

2). On January 3, 1521 Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. He was warned of his writings and views, and he refused to recant them. The word "Protestant" comes from the word, "Protest." All Protestant churches are in essence a "Protest" church of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. When he nailed his theses to the door four years earlier, he probably didn't intend to begin a new branch of Christianity and be removed from the Catholic Church.

The two main doctrines Protestants reject from the Reformation to today are papal supremacy and the sacraments. The doctrine of salvation reemerged as faith alone - by rejecting the sacraments of salvation the Catholic Church taught, Luther began the greatest revival in Christian history. Luther's rejection led to salvation.

3). Luther translated the Bible into German, the language of the people. The common people in Germany during the 16th century, did not know Latin. Luther translated the Bible into German and used the newly invented printing press to print mass copies. Regular Joe and Jane all of a sudden were able to read the Scriptures for themselves. They also were able to "Protest" the Catholic Church with their own Bible. Finally the Bible began to come to every home.

Today, the language of the people is mobile internet - if they can't read it from their hand, they don't read it.

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Preparing for Fall Festival 2017

9/30/2017

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Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington has planned an exciting Fall Festival on Sunday October 29 from 5-8 p.m. Here's what to expect and how you can help:

1). We'll have 50+ trunks to children to Trick or Treat from. We need your trunk. If you'd like to bring yours, here's what to expect:

You'll need to bring candy for 1,000 children.
You'll need to arrive by 4:30 p.m. to set-up.
You'll need to bring a chair - otherwise you'll be standing for 3 hours passing out candy non-stop.
You'll want to decorate your trunk and wear a costume.
We'll provide you with refill candy if you run out.
Ready to bring your trunk? Sign-up your trunk online here.

2). We have 3 rides from Air-Time Inflatables. The Mechanical Bull, Jacobs Ladder, and a 24-foot Rock Climbing Wall. All of these are free, but expect long lines.

3). The Bradford BBQ Food Truck is coming - a sandwich, chips and a drink are $10.

4). We'll have a photo booth - pumpkins, hay, a Fall Festival atmosphere.

5). Be prepared to park in the Commonwealth Urology parking lot. We'll have a police officer helping you cross Pasadena Drive.

Save the date - bring your children and grandchildren - #BroadwayKids 2017 Fall Festival!

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Southern Baptist Disaster Relief

8/31/2017

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Houston, Texas - Hurricane Harvey

Last weekend Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas coast, creating possibly the largest natural disaster in U.S. history. Houston is America's fourth largest city, experiencing widespread flooding. Americans want to help, want to give, want to go.

It's important to understand the three "R's" of disaster response: Rescue, Relief and Recovery. Most Baptists are able to help in the relief and recovery phases. The recovery phase will last for a year or longer.

One of the best ways to give to Hurricane Harvey victims is through Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR). There are three ways to give to SBDR:

1). Through your Baptist state convention. The Kentucky Baptist Convention provides Disaster Relief training as well.

2). The North American Mission Board - you can give or go for a week in September.

3). Baptist Global Response - this is the Southern Baptist version of Samaritan's Purse.

Any of the these three Southern Baptist organizations provide relief and recovery during disasters.

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The Continual Need For Food Ministry

7/31/2017

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Downtown Welch, West Virginia

Five Loaves & Two Fishes Food Bank in Kimball, West Virginia

Earlier this month, Broadway Baptist Church, took a truck and trailer (and church shuttle bus) to McDowell County, West Virginia. Southern West Virginia is an area of need - former coal mining communities struggling for jobs. Drugs and unemployment have created a hunger and spiritual crisis. The churches there struggle. The needs are overwhelming.

Eleven people from Broadway went to work with Five Loaves & Two Fishes Food Bank in Kimball, West Virginia. The food bank receives a monthly donation of food from Operation Blessing International - founded by Pat Robertson in 1978. Wal-Mart used to donate food, but they went out of business.

On the third Saturday of the month, Bob & Linda McKinney - the directors of Five Loaves distribute at least 125 grocery buggies full of food to those in need. Many of the people receiving food camped-out overnight to be in line on Saturday morning. The need is great - hunger is real in America. 1 out of 6 people in North America are undernourished.

How can you help? You might not be able to travel to West Virginia, but you can support Global Hunger Relief, which is Southern Baptists' initiative to fight hunger in North America and throughout the world. Global Hunger Sunday is October 8, 2017 - 100% of every dollar given goes towards meeting hunger needs. Encourage your church to participate, encourage the children at your church to use bread banks ($75 for 50 banks from WMU) to collect change to meet hunger needs. Learn more about Global Hunger Relief here.

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VBS: Before & After

6/30/2017

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Esther Ausbun about to throw a pie!

Maker Fun Factory VBS

'VBS at Broadway Baptist Church was earlier this month - record attendance and a record offering! VBS is one of the best experiences during the summer to share the Gospel with children. There are several "keys" to a successful week of ministering to children during a week-long VBS.

1). Begin praying for the leaders, children and how the Gospel will be presented. VBS is all about God - pointing children to Christ - this requires devote prayer.

2). Develop an outreach and promotion plan. How will the community discover VBS? Signage, internet ads, fliers, visits...Your promotion (and prayer) determines your attendance.

3). Provide multiple opportunities for children to respond to the Gospel. During the Bible study time, opening/closing assembly, family celebration - if a child has questions or wants to make a decision to follow Christ - they need to know what to do or who to talk to. Make it a priority to train and equip those communicating Christ. Is the pastor, children's minister, or a decision counselor available to speak with them?

The best resource available for how to lead a child to faith in Christ is a book by Art Murphy called, T he Faith of a Child: A Step-by-Step Guide to Salvation for your Child. I wish every parent and children's ministry worker could read this.

4). After VBS is when follow-up begins. Churches spend thousands and thousands of dollars on VBS and believe it's over. In network marketing, there's a slogan, "The gold's in the follow-up." There's no better person inviting a family to church than the VBS rotation leader. Bring them cookies, let them know you appreciate their attendance, build a bridge to other ministries in the church.

With prayer, promotion, Gospel communication, and follow-up - these "keys" will provide a successful VBS!

Related Posts:
Three Ways to Invite People to Church Without Saying a Word
Five VBS Takeaways

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Five Facts For Fun Factory

5/24/2017

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VBS 2017 at Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky is almost here! Here are five facts you need to know to prepare for THE most-exciting week of the summer! Monday June 19 to Friday June 23 from 6-9 p.m. 2 years old to completed 5th grade. Drop-off and pick-up will be at entrance "A."

1). VBS is completely free. The only optional expense are t-shirts for leaders. Every leader will receive a VBS t-shirt and they cost Broadway $6 each. If you need a leader t-shirt, email our VBS director, Nancy Crawford at: nancy.crawford505@gmail.com. Leaders need to wear their t-shirts and name badges each night. If you're interested in serving at VBS, email Nancy.

2). Dinner is served every evening to children and leaders. The menu will be posted on the church's Facebook page before VBS begins. We also have themes for children and leaders each day:

Mismatch Monday
Team Day Tuesday (Roll Tide!)
Wacky Socks Wednesday
B.A.R.F. Day Thursday (Bring A Real Friend)
Orange Day Friday (Aren't You Glad You Came To VBS)

3). We'll have a "Penny War" between the boys and girls. This is a contest to see who will bring the most money for our VBS offering. If the boys win, our children's director, Mrs. Sherry Lyons, will happily receive a pie in her face. If the girls pull off a rare upset and win...Every penny given goes towards the Kentucky Baptist Convention's Sunrise Children's Services. Sunrise is Kentucky's largest non-profit provider of services for children in crisis. We hope to raise over $470, which is our all-time VBS offering record, set last year. We want children to give their offering to help other children. Begin saving your coins!

4). Sunday June 25 at 6 p.m. is VBS Family Celebration! Your children will perform their VBS songs, hear a Gospel presentation from Pastor Daniel Ausbun (meet below from the Panama Canal), everyone will be served hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, popsicles, and jump on inflatables! All family and friends are invited to celebrate an exciting carnival-style Maker Fun Factory week! Everything's free.

5). VBS online pre-registration closes on Friday June 16 at midnight. We close pre-registration three days before VBS to prepare for class sizes. If you miss pre-registration, you can still register in-person on Monday June 19 at 6 p.m. Avoid long-lines and paperwork by pre-registering your child by June 16. Register your child online here. Our goal is over 153 children, which was last year's all-time record.

Parents, our commitment to you is for Broadway Baptist Church to provide a safe environment (every leader has undergone a background check), teach your children about Christ in a fun, engaging setting they will remember for a lifetime. Experience Lexington's Maker Fun Factory! June 19-23 from 6-9 p.m. 2500 Harrodsburg Road 40503

Related Posts:
AWANA - Engaging Children for the Gospel
Five VBS Takeaways

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Mission Panama

4/18/2017

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We visited a kindergarten class

Cuban refugee camp in Panama City

Earlier this month, Broadway Baptist Church sent a team to Panama to work with the Kuna Indians in the San Blas Islands. Multiple teams the past several years from Broadway have traveled to Panama to work with the Kuna Indians. We had the privilege of baptizing five believers in the ocean, preach at a Kuna Baptist church, visit a Cuban refugee camp, and meet IMB missionaries. We hope to go again in early 2018 and work with the Embera and Wounaan indigenous peoples.

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The Kuna Indians of Panama

3/31/2017

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A boat the Kuna Indians use to travel among the 365 islands

Tomorrow I leave for the San Blas Islands off the Atlantic coast of Panama. Broadway Baptist Church has an International Mission Board partnership with Panama to reach the Kuna Indians. The Kuna are a people group of 85,500 people with 4% being evangelical, which means they're considered a "reached" people group. In order for a people group to be considered "reached" they must be at least 2% evangelical.

The area we'll be traveling to are islands where no churches are present. We hope to evangelize, baptize new believers, train pastors, and disciple believers we meet. Please be in prayer for our trip - you can learn more about the Kuna Indians of Panama on the IMB's People Groups website.

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AWANA - Engaging Children for the Gospel

2/28/2017

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AWANA - which stands for Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed - every week 3.7 million children in 47,000 churches participate in the largest children's ministry throughout the world. This early beginnings of Awana reveal why children enjoy it:

"In 1941, the children's program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago laid the foundation for the principles of Awana. Lance Latham, North Side's senior pastor, collaborated with the church's youth director, Art Rorheim, to develop weekly clubs that would appeal to churched and nonchurched kids. As a pioneer in children’s ministry, Art created new and innovative ways to reach kids with the gospel and lead them to know, love and serve Jesus Christ. Other churches learned about the success of the program and inquired about its availability. In 1950, Latham and Rorheim founded Awana as a parachurch organization."

From my experience, children attend and enjoy Awana because it's fun. One of the biggest challenges to reaching children is overcoming boringness - gametime, prizes, and weekly themes makes Awana interesting and fun.

If your church is struggling reaching children - Awana creates the excitement and interest children will want to attend. As they memorize Scripture, children earn Awana bucks to purchase items from the store. As they complete their book, they earn badges. Games, Prizes, Badges, Scripture memorization - Awana is the most-child engaging program available to reach for Christ. All four of our children love it!

Related Posts
Why I Love Awana

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60+ Years of Ministry

1/31/2017

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Jim Heard with his new Toyota Camry

We just completed our first month of ministry here in Lexington. It's been 31 days of meeting people, learning the community, and planning for the future. One of the great men I've had the opportunity to spend time with is Broadway Baptist Church's minister of outreach and visitation - James Heard - also known as "Brother Heard."

Brother Heard has been in the ministry for 60+ years and is one of the greatest assets to Broadway Baptist. A former pastor of several Lexington churches and the former interim pastor of Broadway Baptist.

Brother Heard took me on my first home visit, first hospital visit and knows nearly every member and attender at BBC. One of the great blessings of discipleship is not only do you get to disciple others, but someone will disciple you. Brother Heard has discipled me this first month.

On January 1 - 30 days ago - during my installation service, the director of missions prayed that our time at BBC will be our most fruitful years of ministry. What an accurate prayer - with a mentor in Brother Heard, it can certainly happen!

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422 Miles North

12/28/2016

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Broadway Baptist Church in the snow!

Introducing everyone on December 11

Placing an ornament on the church's Christmas tree

Our new home in Lexington!

Earlier this month on Sunday December 11, Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington voted to call me as their new pastor. Tomorrow we move 422 miles north up I-75. Sherri and I have only lived in three cities: Vestavia Hills, Alabama (hometown), New Orleans, Louisiana (seminary), Moreland, Georgia (First Baptist Church), and now Lexington, Kentucky.

We moved to Moreland 8 months pregnant in a horse trailer. We leave with 4 children and 11,000 lbs. of "stuff."

We're excited about the future, yet sad about leaving friends behind. First Baptist Moreland is an outstanding, Bible-believing, established 187 year-old church in south Coweta County. Many folks for nearly 12 years have been saved, baptized, and disciples made. I'll never forget the Fall Revivals of 2010 (with Gerald Harris) and 2013 (with Bailey Smith) - there was a line to get saved - a 15 minute invitation - we sang "Just As I Am" 19 times...

God's going to bring a great pastor to First Baptist Moreland who will take the church to a new level - whether in Moreland or Lexington - God is always advancing His church forward!

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