Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! As your Director of Missions, I want to thank you for your support of the Association and our ministry together in 2009. I look forward to our life together as we move into this new year. My prayer and vision is to help facilitate at least a 15% kingdom growth in East Hillsborough county during 2010. I pray for you and your church in the goals you have set.

Several of the goals we began to work toward in January, 2009 have been accomplished. We have had churches like Parkway (formerly Berea) that has turned around with the revitalization efforts implemented by the Association in partnership with the Florida Baptist Convention. We are organizing pastors and lay persons to be Foundation Builders to help in the continual revitalization needs of this nature as we move into 2010. please, consider helping us.

As this year ends, we celebrate the completion of the “Missionary-Minister’s Apartment” in our facility. Our desire is to offer it for use as a place of rest and care for ministers and missionaries. As a part of the Association, we would like to give you the opportunity to express ways in which you, your staff or ministry could use the facility. Thank you to each and every volunteer and church for your support in completing this project.

Two years ago we shared that we had a $50,000 note that we had paid down to $32,000. I am glad to report that this year that note is down to $20,000. As you and your church plan the 2010 budget, we encourage you to consider renewing your help and possibly increasing it so we can get that note down at least another $10,000.

Like many of our churches, we have had to adjust our budget this year because of the economy, however, we are planning to adjust and do more with less. Thanks for your continual support. Please let me know how I might better minister to you in the New Year.

On behalf of all of our Association family and staff, we wish you and yours a wonderful and prosperous New Year.

Several years ago I was the pastor of a main line Southern Baptist Church in the same Association where two of the larger churches were served by Pastor Ken Kemphill and Pastor Max Brunson. You know them as nationally known SBC pastor personalities. I know both of them well and know they are just as human as you and I. Often I and other main line Baptist pastors were hurt when members left us and went to the larger churches. I made a prayer determination that I would be a friend and seek to learn whatever I could in my relationship with these pastors and churches that would strengthen me and the ministry of the church where I was pastor. It took a great deal of prayer, spiritual discipline, and working hard at keeping a Kingdom vision. I found that Holy Spirit synergy was the more effective approach than thinking negative competition thoughts about the larger churches. I spent more time declaring the mission and positive ministry of the main-line Baptist Church where I was pastor and limited time thinking negative thoughts about the larger churches. I don’t have all the answers to that issue. However, I do realize that the real reason our over all churches are declining is not a simple answer as members are moving from the smaller to the larger churches.

I want you to know that I am here for what I call the “main-line” Baptist church, the church planters, the smaller membership church, and the struggling churches seeking to survive in today’s changing culture.. I am hear to develop friendship support with all pastors, revitalization for churches and pastors in need, spiritual support groups with pastors and church leaders. Currently, I am helping three churches in some form of revitalization and participate with those in the Sunday and Wednesday Worship services. In one sense I am a not voting member at large at each of our churches. I have been participating in a Tuesday Evening FAITH evangelism with Michael Lewis. It is sharpening my skills in personal evangelism. I have had the joy of leading two to Christ. I am convinced that some plan is essential for each of our churches to grow. I am open to come along side of another pastor and church during the first of the new year and offer services to develop an evangelism outreach program on site of that specific church. One of our main line churches may invite me to assist and we might invite other surrounding pastors and church laity to participate with them going out into their community following the training.

Our churches and pastors are going through a tremendous transition. It is much more difficult to build bridges with one another and deal with the changing church culture. Some of you have indicated that you and your church are going through budget cuts and even some with pastor and staff salary reduction. That is not easy and I know that in some cases it will lessen your giving to missions and to the Association. That is why that I sent out a notice for our Administrative/Stewardship team to review our needs in December before the New Year begins. My human wish would be that the larger churches and the few who are doing well with their budget would make increases to the Association. That does not seem to be their passion. God’s call is for us not to lean on them but on Him and to be faithful realizing that God’s real call is for us to really do and be missionaries.

In the coming weeks I will be talking with you and taking notes of how we might make the kind of transitions that would be a great advantage for our pastors and churches. It is important to me that I be a greater blessing to you and your ministry. Also, it is important that you give open and honest information with me that would help us move toward being a greater Kingdom builder together.

We are one church as the body of Christ but we are on mission together in different demographics, people groups, and mission points to fulfill God’s Kingdom. It is important that we strengthen our smaller churches and new churches focused on ministry and mission points reaching people that the larger church can not reach.

In closing, I have felt a serious God calling need for us to become more acquainted, connected, and work together with other evangelical pastors and churches and evangelical outreach groups in our community. One of the ways I am recommending to do that is by developing prayer together and considers forming a International Evangelism Network. It begins here at home and reaches around the world. Actually the world and the international leaders have come to us. Thinking about that along with today’s technology it is only fitting that we think “International.”

I love to be known as a Friend, An Encourager, A Coach, and A Counselor with pastors. Building relationships and developing fellowship among pastors is a major part of my job as Director of the Shiloh Baptist Association.

I was ordained in one of the larger rural churches in central Kentucky, 1965. The church celebrated it’s one hundred and seventy-fourth anniversary last month. I was blessed by having one pastor who served from 1929 – 1965. He baptized my dad and mom when they where in their young years and he baptized and ordained me and then retired a month later.

I have served as pastor of seven churches in four different states and have been an intentional interim of three churches. My ministry duration at each church has been five to fourteen years. I came to the current position as Director of the Shiloh Baptist Association nine years ago, in 2000. There is a great congregation of uncounted hundreds looking down from heaven who have served with me.

My earned doctor’s degree from one of our highly accredited seminaries and the forty-three years of pastoral experience have given me credentials. I have served in small churches and larger ones. I have served in rural and suburban-city churches. Congregation members have shared with me that, “You are the greatest pastor we have ever had,” and “I believe you need to leave.”

My three children and six grandchildren have grown up in the family of a pastor. They each have a good walk with God as a result of God and their parents, sometimes in spite of the pastor-father and the church-congregation. I have had great enthusiastic excitement as well as discouragement to depression. My wife Brenda, and mother of my children, who shared thirty-seven years of that journey with me, knew what it was to be in the “fish bowl.” She modeled the way until God called her home six years ago, in 1993.

Brenda sometimes said, “We don’t have friends, we have church members.” Another, thing she said, “I wish we could sometime have the time and money to go off on a vacation other than our parent’s home.” Sometimes she would respond to family or friends who said life’s not fair by stating, “True, life is not fair. Get over it.” Not from scripture, but demonstrated by Jesus on his missionary journey to Calvary.

My wife, Joyce, has been on the journey with me for two years. She is a friend of pastors. Her saying is, “Keep it simple.” “Don’t think on it.” “What can you do about it?” “I can’t be bothered with that.” Her favorite prayer is “The Serenity Prayer.”

Here is what I have learned, “Pastor, you need a friend. You need a group of at least four to seven friends. Friends who will love you and not be judgmental. You need friends who will make a covenant with you, meet with you regularly, and develop a close trust and accountability.

I became a friend with Paul Pickern because he shared this passion for not only Baptists but all of our evangelical pastors. I applaud his passion and calling. I have asked him to address our Annual Baptist Meeting related to his pastoral care ministry. One of the strengths that our SBC churches has historically had has been the fellowship of pastors. Current cultural diversity and scheduling have weakened that fellowship opportunity. Now, All Pro Pastor’s is strengthening the fellowship.

It is my joy to be a part of a weekly support group and work across the denominational lines of this pastor care organization.

God used Paul to further expand my horizons and to enlarge my professional and a personal vision. I am expanding my professional and personal friendship to include all of you (all denominations) as God-called ministers.
I have coined the name “Foundation Builders” to include all of those in our Baptist and other denominational / non-denominational fellowships to team with Paul and offer support and encouragement to pastors and church leaders. I affirm Paul’s vision in the pastoral care support groups. I love being a part of my group and encourage you to “take a risk, don’t wait.” Volunteer or enlist to get in a friendship support group. Do it today!

Remember, you’ll never have a friend until you enlist and be a friend. The friends you enlist may not be perfect, so you and I may fit right in.

I leave you with this, “A friend is a person who says something good about you behind your back.”

Berea Baptist Church Update

The church continues to move forward in health and growth. Their highest attendance for the regular Sunday Morning worship service occurred last Sunday with 65 in attendance. There were several visitors this past Sunday. Some of them come just by driving by and seeing the church and sign. The pastor and revitalization leadership team requested that I make a presentation to the congregation Wednesday evening, August 19, 2009 related to the promotion name that they have added to Berea Baptist. It is not a name change of the organization but the name they are adopting for the purpose of affirming the new day and the future. The plan includes changing the sign in front using this new sign and image. The bank account and all legal documents will include both Berea Baptist Church and the added name. This strategy was approved by the congregation last year but put on hold until the new transition with the new pastor had happened. The church will have an opportunity to affirm this action in a special business meeting, Wednesday Evening, August 26, 2009. The added name being presented is “Parkway Baptist Church”.

They look forward to printing promotional materials, letter head, business cards, stationary, and visitation brochures with the new name following the August 26, 2009 affirmation by the congregation.

Their finances are doing good. They do need approximately $5,000 to replace an A/C unit and they will also need an additional $1,500 to replace the letters on their church sign.

Update on Berea Baptist Church

Berea Baptist Church Leadership and Revitalization team met Wednesday Evening, July 26.

The pastor, Hal Sexton, reported that he had been there three months. The team indicated a very good evaluation of his leadership. The church has grown with twenty-one new members during that time. They had the highest Sunday Morning attendance that they have had during the eighteen months of revitalization. They have been able to pay the pastors’ salary, all their bills, and mission support and have a small amount of money in the bank. They report a great response in attendance and contribution of support for the recent Exchange Life Conference. The discipleship ministry touched those within the membership and ministers and laity from outside the church. They have a praise of God’s blessing.

The group recognized that they need to come up with support to purchase a new AC/Heating unit for their fellowship hall. Currently, they have air conditioning, however, as winter arrives they will not have heat. The church needs help from friends of Berea and assistance from anyone who can replace the unit during the next three months.

A discussion was made about completing the adoption of a new promotion name to add to the official Berea Baptist Church name. The revitalization and leadership team continues to affirm since it is some a new day and that people need to look ahead to the future that new name would be very good for the community to see. The church has gone through a positive transition and has a new pastor and new leaders. They affirm their Berea history and the Southern Baptist affiliation as they seek a new name. They have discussed three names: The Church On the Parkway, Parkway Baptist Church, and Parkway Worship Center. They have set Wednesday, August 5, to come back together and recommend a name for the congregation to affirm. The congregation voted and approved to adopt a new name in the fall of 2008. However, they waited to have a the new pastor to help guide the process.

Westside Baptist Church

Bro. Jimmy Jones resigned from Westside Baptist Church. He is seeking a job and God’s next calling related to ministry. We want to pray for him. He and is wife and to sons are visiting Countryside Baptist Church. Let us keep him in our prayer as they go through this time of transition.

Westside Baptist Church is without a pastor. Bro Cliff Halford (813-754-4959) is the only deacon they have at this time. There may be another one coming back and possibly one in training. Financially, the church is very limited and does not know how much they can pay a pastor. They owe some back taxes and have a June income $3,515.06 deficient of their monthly expenses. July will probably not be as good. The attendance is down to 15 to 30 in Sunday Morning Worship. There are two or three men who have expressed a call into the ministry. They are serving in the church. Their influence seems to be significant on the small congregation.
Sunday Evening, August 2, one of these young men, Mike Fredette (813-755-5534) was elected as the associate pastor. Their reason was that they needed someone available who is in charge to sign legal document or represent the church in any matter. Mike has a computer business and is an investor and has rental property. His wife is a childrens teacher. His schedule is flexible. He and his wife took the children on a camping trip this week. Mike has negotiated with IRS to make monthly payments on approximately $16,000 back taxes owed. Michael makes the announcements and oversees the worship services. He and his wife do the children’s church. This past Sunday they had approximately 15 children in the services. Some of the children are picked up by the bus.
There is another young man, Bryan W. Mattair (813-754-4260) to preach both services next Sunday, August 9. Bryan is single and in search of a job. He is working with the children of the church and has an interest in preaching. The church secretary is Tracey Bailey. She does not have regular office hours. She works the day shift in the Emergency room of the South Florida Baptist Hospital.
John Campbell preached Sunday Evening, July 25. According to Bro Cliff Halford he brought a message very relevant to the needs of Westside. I preached this Sunday, August 2, the message focused on Matthew 7:24-28 related to being a foundation builder. Sunday Evening I brought a brief message on staying focused with the vision of Jesus, Phil. 3:12-14. I made presentation Sunday Evening on the services of the Association with the network of support from the Florida Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board to assist them during this time.
The plan would include them doing the following:
1. Delay their selecting of a pastor search committee until a time of foundation building with an intentional interim and a foundation building team helps build a stronger church and prepares the church for calling of the pastor.
2. This program would be implemented over the months of August – October. Then evaluate to see where the church is related to their needs for additional development. The team evaluation would determine if the church is ready to select a pastor search committee. Then the team would work with the committee to coach in the pastor search and in a church and pastoral covenant as the pastor is called to the church.
3. One of the considerations would be the possibility of inviting the HopeWeaver congregation to join the Westside congregation and the two church leaderships develop a united philosophy of ministry.
4. The Foundation Builders team would have three representations from the Westside Baptist Church and three represented from the Foundation Ministry Team especially selected to meet the needs of the church. Danny L. Morris would serve as chairman and director of the Foundation Builders Ministry. The team would make a recommendation at the end of the three months related to the next pastoral ministry. Various ministers may be used in the pulpit during this first three months period to assist Dr. Morris. These would be ones the congregation would like to hear and ones with special ministry to assist in the foundation building.
5. The job description of the intentional interim would be approvedl in a written covenant with the church and pastor candidate.

The church leadership (church council) will set a schedule to meet with Danny Morris related to the details and the presentation to the congregation for approval. Some of their leaders are away on vacation and children’s camp and will not be back until next week.

Shared Vision

I believe the Lord is providing some new opportunities for pastors and laity. Dr. Michael Lewis, pastor of First Baptist Plant City, has shared with us that he wants to be a partner with our churches and pastors in our Association. He has presented us with this vision and is willing to encourage every pastor and partner with us in training every member. Let us lead our churches to touch each home and be a witness to every person in East Hillsborough County. Here is the partnership vision statement we need to adopt:

*Every Pastor Encouraged
*Every church revitalized
*Every leader trained
*Every family reached
*Every life touched and changed with Gospel

We would like to invite you to a lunch, Wednesday, 12:00 noon, July 22, at FBC Plant City. We'll have a round table discussion on this shared vision. Our Association would like to invite you to attend this special event. This will be one way to discover and act upon God’s plan to turn our church growth around.

During these years of ministry I have focused on the revitalization of churches. Two of the churches the Lord guided us to help in our Association were more like emergency revitalization. God blessed us and our team as we applied the important principles and concepts needed. I will describe later some of the concepts and ways we have had good success.

Research in Shiloh Baptist Association reveals that over the past eight years our total church membership and Sunday school attendance has declined. The total church membership in 2009 , with 37 churches included , was 19,424 compared to 17,951 in 2009; a decline of 1,473 members. The average Sunday School enrollment/attendance decline from 10,523/4,343 in 2000 to 8,721/3,851 in 2009. This represents an 11% decline. Jim Robbinett, Director of the Church Revitalization Division with the Florida Baptist Convention indicated this decline is a trend across the state.

The Lord has touched my heart with the need to ask ministers and laity to pray for revival and revitalization. I invite every pastor and key lay leader with ideas and interest to join us in prayer for a great revival.

Let us fulfill the Church’s Biblical purpose in today’s highly technology focused culture with a focus on evangelism and revitalizing of churches. Let us seek God's presence and execute a plan in our community of churches.

2009 Southern Baptist Convention Observations and Personal Reflections (Part 2)

Debate over the proposed Great Commission Task Force and an Internet document named the "Great Commission Resurgence Declaration" had been the pre-convention talk, with some Southern Baptist leaders backing it and others expressing concern. The 8,700-plus messengers at the annual meeting overwhelmingly supported the task force with a motion that gave Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt authority to appoint a panel. He named the 19 members on the final day. The actual document that had begun the discussion never was proposed or brought to a vote.

The convention was meeting in Louisville to assist the Southern Baptist Seminary as they celebrated the 150th anniversary of their founding. The Seminary had a grand program on Campus on the concluding day of the convention. The seminary provided tours and a chapel presentation led by their president, R. Albert Mohler Jr. This year for the celebration, despite the loss of revenue from the cooperative program and the decline of other revenue sources, they built a luxurious new building, making the campus view a show case of beautiful Virginia architecturally designed buildings and areas of lovely rolling landscaped grounds in the aristocratic Eastside of Louisville, Kentucky.

In other Convention news, as summarized by Baptist Press news the messengers:
`-- received an update about the GPS (God's Plan for Sharing) evangelism initiative, which aims to see every SBC church planting other churches by 2020.
-- passed a resolution that calls the election of President Obama a step toward nationwide racial reconciliation but that heavily criticizes him for some of his policies.
-- passed a resolution encouraging Southern Baptist families to prayerfully consider adopting or fostering children.
-- approved an Executive Committee recommendation to cease the "cooperative relationship" with Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, over the issue of homosexuality.
-- re-elected Johnny Hunt to a second one-year term as president.

But the Great Commission Task Force was the leading issue, not only in the minds of messengers but also for several of the meeting's preachers. Evangelist Billy Graham, 90 years old, even sent a personal greeting to messengers in which he said he had read about the "call to a Great Commission resurgence" with much interest.

The task force had the backing of Hunt, who is one of the 19 members and who named Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd chairman.

"I feel like the Southern Baptist Convention is in what we call a defining moment," Hunt said at a press conference following his re-election. "We are defining our priorities and ... we're saying to our 43,000 churches: The Great Commission needs resurgence. We need to fund our missionaries. We need to have more money for church planting. We need to be more intentional with the GPS.

"Hunt said he has "no desire whatsoever to touch the structure" of the convention. He also said he hopes to see-- through the study and the possible implementation of a proposed report
-- Cooperative Program giving increase and what he called "overlap" within the denomination lessen.

"Sometimes, the overlap has proved to be very healthy," he said. "But other times, the overlap is maybe taking some dollars [away] that could be placed somewhere else to cause us to go further in piercing the darkness with the Good News.

"R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, made the task force motion from the floor while speaking as a messenger from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. Frank Page, president of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., spoke for and supported the motion.

"This is not an effort to reinvent the Southern Baptist Convention," Mohler said, adding, "There is a generation ready and waiting to be challenged to do something great for the cause of Christ. I say we take this opportunity.

"In addition to Hunt and Floyd, the task force includes: Page; Mohler; Jim Richards, executive director, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; David Dockery, president, Union University; Simon Tsoi, first vice chairman, International Mission Board; Donna Gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn.; Al Gilbert, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C.; J.D. Greear, pastor, Summit Church, Durham, N.C.; Tom Biles, director of missions, Tampa Bay Association, Executive Committee member; Danny Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; John Drummond, St. Andrews Baptist Church, Panama City, Fla.; Harry Lewis, North American Mission Board; Mike Orr, pastor, First Baptist Church, Chipley, Fla.; Roger Spradlin, pastor, Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, Calif., Executive Committee member; Robert White, executive director, Georgia Baptist Convention; Ken Whitten, pastor, Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.; Ted Traylor, Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla.

RESOLUTIONS
The Obama resolution -- which passed nearly unanimously -- says messengers "share our nation's pride in our continuing progress toward racial reconciliation signaled" by the president's election. But the resolution says messengers "decry" Obama's assistance to "pro-abortion" groups. It also expresses "strong opposition" to Obama declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month. The resolution also calls on Southern Baptists to pray for Obama –- something they did immediately after its passage, with Hunt leading the prayer.

The pro-adoption resolution notes that the world has upwards of 150 million orphans and it calls "on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children." It also encourages "pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God's concern for orphans.

"Southern Baptists ceased their relationship with Broadway Baptist Church following a year-long study by the Executive Committee that began with a motion from the floor at last year's meeting. The congregation has at least two same-sex couples in the church and was embroiled in a controversy in early 2008 as to whether the couples should be pictured in a church directory. Supporters of the Executive Committee recommendation said that while the convention fully supports ministering to the homosexual community, the church -- by its actions -- was in violation of Article III of the SBC Constitution, which states that churches "which act to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior" are not in friendly cooperation. Some of the church's openly let homosexual members serve on church committees. Executive Committee members had suggested a statement from the church condemning homosexuality would have been beneficial; the church, though, decided not to go that route.

In other convention news:-- Geoff Hammond, president of the North American Mission Board, told messengers that the SBC's associations and 42 state conventions "have signed up" for the GPS challenge and "joined hands" together with the goal of seeing every SBC church, by 2020, planting other churches. Messengers were given a paperback book by Hammond titled, "God's Plan for Sharing: North America: Your Mission Field."

"We are about to embark on the largest, most extended, farthest-reaching national evangelism initiative that we have ever seen," Hammond said.

-- Thanks to a gift from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and an offering from the SBC Pastors' Conference, the International Mission Board received more than $100,000 to help fill the gap from its Lottie Moon Christmas Offering shortfall. The Lottie Moon offering fell $29 million short of its goal and $9 million short of its previous year's total.

During the IMB report, messengers heard from missionaries who serve in closed areas of the world; their identities were masked to protect their safety. IMB President Jerry Rankin said more needs to be done to reach a lost world.

"Are we saying that 5,000 missionaries are enough ... to evangelize the rest of the world while we support over 100,000 pastors, church staff and denominational workers in our own country?" he asked.

-- Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman told messengers that a fervor for missions trumps doctrinal divides and that Southern Baptists will unite for the sake of lost souls.

"The victories of faith in the life of the convention did not happen because men and women loved doctrine," Chapman, president of the Executive Committee, said during the morning report June 23. "They happened because they loved Jesus.

"Chapman mentioned some of the issues that have been debated in recent days, noting first that the convention must "maintain a careful balance between cultural adaptation and Gospel proclamation."

"Some of the church growth methodologies that masquerade under the guise of Bible exposition are increasingly known for the crude themes and the vulgar language of their strongest advocates. The sacred desk is no place for the carnal, the sensual and the sensational," he said.

-- The annual Crossover evangelism outreach that precedes the annual meeting yielded more than 1,000 decisions for Christ. Approximately 3,000 volunteers from 107 churches participated.

-- John Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset, Ky., was elected first vice president, while Stephen Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., was elected second vice president. John Yeats, director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, was re-elected SBC recording secretary, and Jim Wells, director of missions for the Tri-County Baptist Association in Nixa, Mo., was re-elected registration secretary. Mac Brunson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., was elected to preach the 2010 convention sermon in Orlando, Fla.

-- LifeWay Christian Resources presented the inaugural HCSB Award posthumously to Fred Winters, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill., who was shot and killed while preaching. Winters' widow, Cindy, appeared on stage and received the award. Their two daughters also were present. The award will honor individuals who have shown a high commitment to the preaching or teaching of the God's Word.

"I am tempted to say I bet Fred wishes he were here to see all of this, but since I know where Fred is, I am certain that he is content to stay put," Winters said.

-- The SBC Pastors' Conference heard from Charles Colson, Mike Huckabee and David Platt, a 30-year-old pastor who previously was unknown to many attendees but whose passionate sermons were well-received. Platt, lead pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., also delivered a theme interpretation during the annual meeting.

Next year's annual meeting will take place June 15-16 in Orlando, Florida.

2009 Southern Baptist Convention, Observations and Personal Reflections (Part 1)

Joyce and I were privileged to join with more than 8,700 messengers attending the 152nd session of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting on June 23-24 at the Kentucky Exhibition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Others attending from our Association included: Dr. and Mrs. Michael Lewis and Dr. and Mrs. Bill Clark, messengers from First Baptist Church, Plant City. We did not have opportunity to visit each other in the sea of messengers and various opportunities and responsibilities of the week. Michael Lewis serves through 2009 on the Administrative Committee of the SBC.

Mrs. Lewis served on the committee to organize a minister’s wives luncheon and program. The luncheon event was held Tuesday, June 23, with 1700 minister’s wives attending. Joyce and my daughter, Lisa, were able to be among the 1700 attending the lunch.

My eight-nine year old uncle, W.H. Morris, attended as a messenger from his Louisville, Kentucky Baptist Church, He is a faithful deacon and a tremendous inspiration.

We had the joy of staying at their Louisville residence with my daughter and son-in-law, Steve and Lisa Yates, during the convention week. Steve is completing his PhD in ministry and administrative leadership. He plans to go to work with Southern Baptist Lifeway, and may move to any of the nationally located 150 stores. We are grateful for answered prayer as he begins this job, Wednesday, July 1, by having an eight week training at the Louisville Lifeway store.

We concluded the week spending some time with my mom who lives in a retirement home in Campbellsville, Kentucky. She continues to weaken physically and suffers from loss of memory and other mental abilities. It is wonderful that she knows us and enjoys our visits and has good care.

Here at home, Pastor Hal Sexton shares that members of Berea Baptist Church (James Redman Parkway) were able to hear and watch parts of the Convention on the I-Max screen. An opportunity provided by the new technology of SBC internet. Bro Hal indicated that he looked forward to having the entire convention available in the coming years.

Our Association has a copy of the audio CDs of the Convention and Key Note preachers of the Convention. Pastors and church leaders are welcome to check them out of the Library here at the Resource Center.

Pre-convention events began for us on Sunday as we attended the two day National Director of Missions Conference. I estimate that there were approximately 300 of the 950 national Director of Missions attending. Key note speakers included Dr. Ken Hemphill and Dr. Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway. Their messages focused on building relationships, developing fellowship, offering forgiveness, and doing Kingdom priorities as servants exampled in the New Testament Church. The second day included break-out seminars on subjects such as: competence and future directions of Director of Missions, Prayer Ministry, Changing models affecting Association ministry, and new services offered by NAMB for the Association. It was an enjoyable time of fellowship and opportunity to network with leaders across our country.
The major goal of our Convention this year was finding ways for Southern Baptists to “work more faithfully and effectively" together in fulfilling the Great Commission. They, like all of us, have to look at doing more with less. The messengers to the convention's annual meeting affirmed asking a task force to examine the denomination for one year and report back to the 2010 meeting in Orlando Florida.

Welcome Dr. Michael Lewis

This week we are inviting our Association pastors to come to a fellowship at South Florida Baptist Hospital to meet First Baptist Church of Plant City's new pastor, Dr. Michael Lewis. The fellowship will be on Wednesday, June 17th at 7:30 am.

Dr. Lewis came to Plant City from Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. The church membership at Great Hills is approximately 5,500, averaging 1,993 in worship and 1,730 in SS. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and on the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Committees, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Committee on Order of Business.

Education:

Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary; Master of Divinity, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Bachelor of Arts, Major in Bible with minor in pastoral ministry, Columbia International University.

Evangelism and Missions:

Michael has led mission teams to India, Mexico, Africa, Brazil, and Romania. He has been committed to leading one international mission trip each year. Michael is featured as the FAITH pastor in the new filming of the LifeWay revision of FAITH Evangelism and Discipleship. Michael has preached at many conventions and conferences around the United States and in Romania.

Family:

Michael and his wife, Liliana, have three daughters - Charity, Faith and Hope. Liliana is a graduate of Columbia International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible and Elementary Education. She enjoys homeschooling her three girls.

A New Opportunity for Renewal & Revitalization for Pastor and Church

Hal Sexton is pictured here with his wife, Denise, and their four children, Emily, Melanie, Gracie and David. He comes to a church which began a revitalization process twenty-one months ago. Pastor Hal recently served ten years as pastor of West Thonotossasa and resigned to take a renewal sabbatical. God has called a pastor and a church in which both are in a renewal or revitalization process. It will be exciting to continually report what God will be doing in their lives as God guides in their renewal process.

One of the things Pastor Hal has brought to our attention that made such an impact on his renewal was the "Exchanged Life Conference" led by John Woodward of Grace Fellowship International out of Pigeon Forge, TN. Hal and Denise attended this conference during his sabbatical and found it to be life changing. Pastor Hal and Berea are bringing this conference to our community on July 17 & 18. It sounds very exciting as it is set to bring joy and renewal to the lives of God's ministers and their families. We pray the Holy Spirit would use this time to bring renewal to all of us. (Information about the conference is on a brochure prepared by the Sextons and is available on our web site, http://www.shilohba.org/ .

A Vision to Reach East Hillsborough County
I invite all of our churches to join in the launching of the vision to witness to every Resident of East Hillsborough County and beyond by members of the churches of our Association.

Let us join with the vision of witnessing to every resident of East Hillsborough County and beyond! Dr. Michael Lewis announced to his congregation Sunday evening that launching the Sunday School Faith Evangelism emphasis begins in August. Michael has been one of the leading pastors in the SBC using the FAITH evangelism approach. A few of our pastors are using or are trained in FAITH. Dr. Benny Keck, pastor FBC Dover, has used it continually in his leadership. Their church has effectively grown and reached new people for Christ over his nine years as pastor. Michael shared with me that he would love to have all pastors interested in beginning the program in their church to come to a getting acquainted lunch, on Thursday, July 23, at FBC Plant City. Doug Williams will be guest for the lunch. Michael and Doug will be leading a FAITH Training event July 23 - 25th. He invites any pastor interested to come and be trained in FAITH. This is an exciting local opportunity to get to know and use this evangelism approach in our churches. I remember when Pastor Bobby Welch, FBC Daytona, launched this new evangelism method at his church and made it available for pastors in the 1990's. It was most costly to travel and get the training. Now it has been brought to Plant City. Even Bobby Welch, former president of our SBC and founder of FAITH Sunday School Evangelism will be coming, August 16th at 6:30 pm to challenge people in the Sunday School Evangelism. What an opportunity for our churches to share the vision of witnessing to every resident of East Hillsborough County and beyond!

Vacation Bible School

We are excited that several of our churches are having Vacation Bible School this month. This week Bethany, Northside, West Thonotosassa. We are preparing for a mission VBS in our Association building. We had a work day this past Saturday from 9:00 am - 6:30 pm., and next Saturday, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm our Mission Church, Free Riders Fellowship, will have another work day getting ready for VBS.

Why is VBS so exciting even with all the tremendous work involved? Southern Baptist research has revealed that Vacation Bible School is the most strategic outreach tool for our churches to reach children and young families for Christ. In 2008, 2.8 million people were enrolled in VBS. Eighty-eight thousand decisions for Christ were reported. Thirty-seven thousand were enrolled in Sunday School. Twenty-six percent of baptisms were the result of Vacation Bible School.

A part of my journey is to get pictures and reports from the different VBS's going on in our churches. Thanks for helping by e-mailing pictures and updates to me at dmorris@shilohba.org .

A New Form of Communication

Today I began a new form of communication, creating a journey blog as a social networking tool of Shiloh Baptist Association and its friends. It's really new for me and I appreciate your encouragement and suggestions in this new endeavor. Change is important today! pastor Michael Lewis is using the theme, "It's a New Day" as a sermon series and the beginning of his FBC Plant City pastoral ministry. That theme applies to all of us each day, whether or not we are beginning a new job or establishing a new relationship. It is important to affirm the value of change. I am reminded that there is going to be a lot of change when God calls me to heaven.

Every day is a new day and we are called to action with each new day's opportunities. Joyce and I have adopted the Serenity Prayer as a devotion thought for our lives in our journey.


The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. -- Reinhold Niebuhr

We are committed to be a friend and give added partnership support to the pastors, church leaders, and all of our churches. Our passion is to improve our mission work each week. If you have needs, suggestions, or information for our web ministry or Blog, let me know. You can email me back.

Our Ministry Assistant, Kim Smith, has left us and accepted a position as Dr. Michael Lewis' Pastoral Assistant at FBC Plant City. We are blessed to have Barbara Grainger in that position each morning from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm. Her major responsibilities, beyond receiving calls and greeting people, includes newsletter publication, promotion of special events, coordinating our calendar events with Florida Baptist Convention, keeping updated information on the pastor and church profiles. Barbara is knowledgeable of graphics and media and will have an added responsibility to help us and our churches with the web ministry, promotion of events, and monthly newsletters. This should advance our partnership-mission work. She will be a blessing in this time when we need to change and improve our communication. This does not change Ginny Diaz's role as our Administrative Assistant, it just adds a new dimension to, and advancement in our team mission work.

Since May 17, Joyce and I have enjoyed getting acquainted with the preaching and leadership of the new pastor, Dr. Michael Lewis, of FBC Plant City. It is one of the few times we have had the opportunity to be in regular attendance. Pastor Michael has a spiritual passion combined with energy to live and preach God's Word making it relevant in today's culture. He has shared with me his desire to partner with us in our Association. He does not see any church as small or any pastor as less important. He spoke to me about the SBC Ezekiel program which encourages a partnership of churches to provide assistance to revitalize our churches with special needs. He spoke of the value he placed on having peer group meetings with fellow pastors. He encourages the value of pastors meeting regularly in a covenant fellowship relationship. His sermon notes, video support, audio mp3 from each Sunday morning and evening messages are available on FBC Plant City web site. He shares his morning prayer/devotion time on blog with members and friends who subscibe to it.

Pastor Hal Sexton has had a good beginning since coming on May 20th as the new pastor at Berea Baptist Church. It is great to see Berea's revitalization and most of all to see Hal's revitalization after taking a 3 month sabbatical following his ten year pastorate at West Thonotosassa. He and Denise took advantage of some special retreats during this leave. I was really impressed with his determination. One of the retreat events that was most meaningful to him was the Exchanged Life program and he will be bringing this to Berea and our community on July 17th and 18th at Berea Baptist Church. We will post more information about this conference on our web site as well as email a brochure to our churches.

Our program committee is beginning plans to think about our Annual Meeting. We want it to be something that is relevant for our pastors and our people as they invest their time in attending. This year it will be held on October 19, 2009 at Eastside Baptist Church. Some of the ideas for the program have been suggested as follows:

1. 
   Key persons to make presentation of the changing church culture here in America and how it is affecting us in the East Hillsborough County area. The knowledge of the new religions influencing our local culture and suggestions related to our missionary response. This would appropriate suggested responses that we as pastors and churches might respond.
2. A key person to present the changing legal issues that is affecting our families and our churches. This would include a call to affirm our testimony and our witness in a changing and uncertain time.
3. A preacher to proclaim our response to these needs of our times with a "Great Awakening and Spiritual Revival"
4. Invite the new pastors to participate in the program this year.

There may be other important issues or topics that you and your people are most interested in having a messenger of God address. If you have a topic or a suggestion, please email that to our office. Even if we are unable to get it on the October Annual Meeting program, we might address it at another time to give support. Let us know.