Discover the JOY of Missions

Partnering in Lynch, Benham, & Cumberland

Joy Bolton — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:40:37 -0400

Constance (Connie) Meredith and Trish Pelletier have teamed up to produce a great little book about ministry in three Eastern Kentucky communities. Based on the alphabet, this book introduces needs in Appalachia and 12 ministries that are working to help people and share Christ.

Through the pages of the book, Connie has used the alphabet to introduce ways that the reader can help. The pages contain lists of needed items, ways to volunteer, and contact information for every ministry. There is a brief description and pictures of each ministry. In addition, this alphabet book contains tips for planning a mission trip and good advice for mission teams. Trish has used a quilt theme to illustrate the pages along with pictures that illustrate each letter and ministry.

Ordering information may be found at www.MissionAlphabet.com. Anyone who is interested in Eastern Kentucky missions will find this to be a great resource.

GCR Challenges for Churches

Joy Bolton — Tue, 6 Jul 2010 13:06:24 -0400

"Penetrating the Lostness: Embracing a Vision for a Great Commission Resurgence Among Southern Baptists," includes 31 challenges for local churches and pastors. The sheer number of challenges is a clear reminder of the importance of the local church in fulfilling the Great Commission and of the pastor in leading the congregation to be on mission.

I will not list all 31 challenges to churches and pastors here, but let me highlight a few (read the full report at www.pray4gcr.com):
- Become knowledgeable of the mission field of your specific region, identifying the various people groups and developing a strategy to penetrate the lostness in your region. Be intentional in working with your local association, state convention, and NAMB in pursuing this task.
- Work to cultivate a Great Commission atmosphere that is contagious in your church.
- Strengthen missions education for believers of all ages, working with the Woman's Missionary Union and other missions education program. Every believer must be made aware of the global missions challenge.
- Give particular attention to the evangelizing and discipling of children and youth.
- Plan at least one evangelism training course annually for your church members.
- Plan at least one North American or international mission trip a year and/or encourage members to participate in mission trips sponsored by a local association. (You can contact Teresa Parrett, Missions Mobilization Coordindator for the KBC, for help with this one! Teresa's job is to match needs and people. Email her at Teresa.Parrett@kybaptist.org. Or visit the KBC website for a list of current project requests.)

The 2010 Kentucky State Missions emphasis materials drive home the importance of these challenges beginning right here in our state. This fall we will answer the question "Why?" Why state missions? Why do we do what we do in Kentucky missions? The answer is that people are lost in our state. The state missions DVD is in being replicated now and will be mailed to churches this month. The computer files section includes a document entitled "Lostness Indicators for Kentucky." This is a county by county look at the percentage of the county population that are adherents of any faith, percentage that are church members, and the average percentage in church on any given Sunday. The numbers tell the story of the lostness in our state.

The 2010 state missions prayer guide is built around Romans 10:5-15. Evangelism is the focus of the every prayer request. We will preview these materials at World Missions Unlimited, our summer training for WMU and Baptist Men on Mission leaders. We will have training for the leaders of all age-level organizations as well as for churchwide and associational WMU leaders. There will also be special interest conferences, including information about Project HELP: Human Exploitation, our new social ministry emphasis. This project is huge and includes responding to the problems of human trafficking, pornography, media exploitation, bullying, labor exploitation, and land exploitation.

WMU has always been about helping churches fulfill the Great Commission through learning, praying, giving, and going. Our materials are right on target with the renewed focus on the Great Commission. Join us!

GCR Challenges for Families

Joy Bolton — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:05:08 -0400

I spent this past weekend at Jonathan Creek helping with our Mother/Daughter Overnight, GA Overnight, and Acteens Splash. I spent the night in the dorm with the mothers and daughters and taught the Bible study for the GAs and their leaders (and many of the leaders were moms). I appreciated mothers who invested a weekend with their daughters, modeling the importance of missions. I appreciated women who gave a weekend to take girls to camp for a time that was fun but also had the serious purpose of helping girls focus on the Great Commission.

The recent Great Commission Task Force Report included challenges to families. The GCR Task Force emphasized the role of the family in teaching missions and had some suggestions for things families could do to instill Great Commission values into the hearts of their children. I believe these moms who took time to spend time at camp with their daughters are making a difference for the Kingdom and the Great Commission.

Some of the challenges to families:
- Make prayer for and the evangelism and discipleship of children a family priority that begins with parents and is assisted by local churches.
- Develop strategies as a family for praying for, serving, and sharing the Gospel with neighbors, coworkers, and others with whom family members come into regular contact.
- Adopt a different unreached people group each month and pray as a family (1) for IMB missionaries working with the people group, (2) for the conversion, baptism, and discipling of countless individuals within the people group, and (3) for the establishment of biblical churches among the people group.
- Adopt a different North American church plant each month and pray as a family (1) for the church's leadership team, (2) for the conversion, baptism, and discipling of countless individuals in the church's region, and (3) for the birthing of future church plants from the church.
- Spend a family vacation participating in a local church or association sponsored mission trip.
- Consider setting up a mission's saving account for each of your children that would enable them to spend six months to a year in a North American or International Missions context soon after graduating from high school.

WMU wants to partner with families to teach Great Commission values through missions groups such as Mission Friends, Girls in Action, Royal Ambassadors, Children in Action, Acteens, Challengers, and Youth on Mission. When missions teaching begins in the home and is reinforced through opportunities at church, missions becomes a way of life, a lifestyle.

A great resource for preschool parents is Families on Mission: Ideas for Teaching Your Preschooler to Love, Care and Share. This book by Angie Quantrell is available from WMU. Another great resource is The Family God Uses: Leaving a Legacy of Influence by Tom and Kim Blackaby. This book challenges families to be involved in missions together, locally and around the world.

The Great Commission begins at home - but it doesn't end there. I am grateful for the moms and other women who have brought girls to camps and overnights this summer at Cedar Crest (Cedarmore) or Jonathan Creek, spending time and modeling a missions lifestyle with their (our) daughters. Women who invest in girls in the church and community, are spiritual mothers and their influence is felt around the world!

GCR Challenges

Joy Bolton — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:24:44 -0400

The report of the Great Commission Task Force entitled "Penetrating the Lostness: Embracing a Vision for a Great Commission Resurgence" was adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention messengers at our meeting in Orlando. The report included seven recommendations for the work of Southern Baptists. These were significant items and will impact our work together in the years to come.

While in Orlando, a friend asked, "How does this report impact WMU?" My response was that we in WMU would keep doing what we've always done, challenging and equipping people to carry out the Great Commission. But I also told my friend, that I would be drawing attention to the challenges included in the report and how we in WMU can respond.

If you were not in Orlando and have not read the GCR Task Force report, it would be easy to think that the report only speaks to how the national denomination will do things and has nothing to do with me or my church. While it is true that the SBC "cannot direct individual Christians, local churches, associations, or state conventions to take any particular or specific action," it is fitting that the GCR report included challenges that speak to all of us.

Challenges for individual Christians:
- Return to God in deep repentance of brokenness over sin, denying self, and coming to God with complete humility.
- Commit to the total and absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of your life, understanding that Christ's lordship is inseparable from all aspects of the believer's life, including family obligations, business and profession, and recreational or leisure pursuits.
- Devote yourself to a radical pursuit of the Great Commission in the context of obeying the Great Commandments of loving God and loving others.
- Participate in a church sponsored evangelism training class sometime during 2011 and make this a regular component of the discipleship process in your life.
- Develop strategies as an individual for praying for, serving, sharing the Gospel and discipling neighbors, coworkers, and others with whom you come into regular contact.
- Bear witness to the Gospel through personal evangelism, seeing every individual as a sinner in need of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ alone.
- Participate in a North American or international mission trip sponsored by your church or association at least once every four years.
- Grow in giving as a faithful financial steward with at least 10% of your income going to your local church. However, see 10% as a place to begin in grace giving but not as a place to stop.
- Determine to exercise a greater level of stewardship through estate planning and planned giving, leaving a percentage of your estate to your local church, the Cooperative Program, and to a faithful Baptist entity such as NAMB, IMB, a Baptist college, or our seminaries.
- Give serious consideration to adoption and orphan care as a component of Great Commission living.
- Determine to develop a well-rounded Christian worldview that allows you to clearly articulate both what you believe and why you believe.
- Repent of any and all sin that has prevented you from being fully used by our Lord in fulfilling the Great Commission. This includes sins of idolatry, pride, selfish ambition, hatred, racism, bigotry and other sins of the flesh that dishonor the name of Jesus.

There is a lot in just these challenges. The report also includes challenges for families, local churches and pastors, associations, etc. If each of us just chose one and committed to carry it out in the year ahead, we would see great progress in penetrating the lostness of our world.

For instance, the adoption and orphan care challenge could also be fulfilled through serving as an "In-Home Missionary" with Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children as a foster parent. KBHC needs the equivalent of at least one foster family per church to be able to really meet the needs in our state. Few of the children needing foster care are literal orphans, but they are spiritual orphans needing loving families who share Christ.

Your one commitment might be to take a personal evangelism class this year, or write your will and include a tithe to the Lord's work. It might be to go on a mission trip or develop a list of people who are lost that you will pray for every day.

Start somewhere. Choose one. The Great Commission is for all of us.

Missions is More than Collections

Joy Bolton — Tue, 8 Jun 2010 17:41:49 -0400

I attended a listening session on Monday evening for the Kentucky Great Commission Task Force. We were gathered to allow anyone who had questions or comments about the work of the Kentucky Task Force to do so. One pastor commented that he wanted his church to learn that missions was more than collecting things.

Right on. Collections are an important thing for us to do, but they are a first step to missions involvement, like unto the spiritual milk referenced in Hebrews 5:12-14. If collections are coupled with action and involvement, they are an awesome way to involve people in missions. But if a collection of items is the limit of our missions involvement, we are missing what God would have each of us to do.

The best collection projects are ones where the church learns about a need, collects the items, then sends a team to deliver them in person and interact with those who are touched through the ministry. In addition, the best collection projects include prayer for those who will receive the items and continued prayer for the ministry after the items are sent or delivered. It a team can deliver the items in person, then report back to the church about the ministry and how the items were used, the project will have more meaning. If the report includes how the church can continue to be involved with the ministry, this will take the collection project to the next level.

Certainly there are collection projects where our personal involvement may not be possible, such as the buckets for Haiti or Africa. But what is possible is for us to be in touch with missionaries or other personnel where the items are being used and report back frequently to our churches. If we can show pictures, share stories of lives being touched, and continue in prayer for the ministry, then this is a way to make the collection more than just collecting.

Let me share an opportunity where you can collect AND participate. Tates Creek Baptist Church (TCBC) is having a Community Health Fair on July 30th. They are collecting hygiene items (travel size) such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, wash cloth, soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc. Marilyn Creighton, an MSC missionary serving with TCBC, has invited anyone who would like to collect items to do so and bring them to World Missions Unlimited, our state WMU training event at FBC Richmond, on July 16-17.

But Marilyn is also looking for volunteers. First to help with a sports camp, July 12-16. They will have classes for all ages and are searching for a team to come help lead. Plans are to hold the sports camp from 6-8:30 p.m. each evening. Housing and meals will be provided by the church. For the Community Health Fair, medical personnel are needed to assist EKU personnel and student nurses who are heading up the 12 stations at the clinic. The health fair is strictly educational, but help is welcomed. In addition, various forms of entertainment are needed during the day. If you would like to assist, contact Marilyn Creighton at 859-948-2357 or email: marilyn2u@gmail.com.

Learn about additional missions opportunities across Kentucky at www.kybaptist.org. See the box that says "Latest Missions." Click on anything listed in the box, or click the button at the bottom that says "View all opportunities." Also, Teresa Parrett, KBC Missions Mobilization Consultant will be happy to match you with a need. Her job is to match requests for missions volunteers with people who want to volunteer. Email Teresa at Teresa.Parrett@kybaptist.org. She would love to hear from you. She can help you and your church take collecting things for missions to the next level!

Forethought

Joy Bolton — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:53:34 -0400

Every time someone in my family goes to the hospital, even just for a test, we are asked "Do you have a living will?" This document outlines a person's wishes should he or she become unable to make medical decisions. Such a document takes forethought.

This past year, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, and the Eliza Broadus Offering received significant estate gifts. They came from people who were never considered wealthy during their lifetimes, but had earned ordinary incomes. Like most of us, their assets were in things they owned like a house, car, insurance policies, and retirement accounts. But these individuals gave forethought to what would become of these things and planned for their use to benefit missions.

Planning for how we will care for family members, the disposal of assets, and many more important decisions are often put off until it is too late. Many families have had to deal with the lack of forethought by a loved one. None of us really wants to leave our families in a quandry but without forethought, it is a high probability.

To help you think through important issues and gather helpful resources, Kentucky WMU is partnering with the Kentucky Baptist Foundation to offer a Forethought Workshop on Saturday morning, June 5, with the theme of "Taking Care of Tomorrow Today."

The conference fee of $5.00 includes snacks and materials. Each participant who preregisters will receive a free copy of Because I Love You Family Organizer, a valuable resource booklet for you, loved ones, and aging parents. Just the booklet is a $10 value, which makes the conference fee of $5.00 a great bargain! So preregister now to reserve your copy. Registrations at the door are also welcome.

To learn more about the conference schedule, and download a promotional flyer, go to www.kywmu.org. To preregister, simply call or email Kentucky WMU. Phone: 502--489-3534 or 866-489-3534. Email: kywmu@kybaptist.org

Significant Challenges in the Great Commission Task Force Report

Joy Bolton — Sat, 8 May 2010 19:57:34 -0400

Since the release of the report of the Great Commission Task Force this past week, I've been in a number of discussions and read many of the comments which have been posted. While much has been said about the seven recommendations in the report, I have yet to ready any commentary about the challenges which are found on pages 17-26. The challenges are significant and address individuals, churches, and our SBC agencies and seminaries. Here are just a few of the challenges:
Individuals
- Participate in a local church sponsored evangelism training class sometime during 2011 and make this a regular component of the disciples ship process in your life.
- Participate in a North American or international mission trip sponsored by your church or association at least every four years.
Families
- Develop strategies as a family for praying for, serving, and sharing the gospel with neighbors, coworkers, and others with whom family members come into regular contact.
- Adopt a different unreached people group each month and pray as a family for 1) for IMB missionaries working with the people group, 2) for the conversion, baptism and discipling of countless individuals within the people group, and 3) for the establishment of biblical churches among the people group.
Local Churches and Pastors
- Become knowledgeable of the mission field of your specific region, identifying the various people groups and development a strategy to penetrate the lostness in your region. Be intentional in working with your local association, state convention and NAMB in pursuing this task.
- Strengthen mission education for believers of all ages, working with the Woman's Missionary Union and other missions education programs. Every believer must be made aware of the global missions challenge.

I encourage you to read the entire report found at: www.pray4gcr.com. If possible, attend the Southern Baptist Convention meeting, June 15-16, in Orlando where the recommendations to the SBC will be discussed and voted upon. The seven recommendations have generated much discussion and I will leave those comments to others. Our own KBC Mission Board has passed a resolution in support of the Cooperative Program and I am absolutely in full support of the resolution and CP. But I also want Southern Baptists to take note of the challenges in the GCR Task Force report. Even if none of the Task Force recommendations were passed, if Southern Baptists embraced many of the missions challenges included in the report, we would experience a Great Commission Resurgence!

Informal Survey

Joy Bolton — Mon, 3 May 2010 07:44:41 -0400

Because of my role in Kentucky, people often come to talk to me about WMU in their church or association. Sometimes the stories are wonderful and they just want me to know. Some are heartbreaking and they want me to give them a solution. In the last week or so, I've experienced both of those extremes in several different conversations.

Saturday night I attended a Missionary Birthday Party celebration sponsored by Three Forks Association WMU. It was a phenomenal event complete with wonderful decorations, gifts, a great meal, fun program, and wonderful affirmation of our missionaries in Eastern Kentucky. Any number of people thanked the WMU and spoke highly of how valuable their work was. One pastor's wife came up to talk about starting WMU in her church.

Yet a week earlier at another associational WMU event, a WMU member came to tell me about the state of WMU in her church where her new pastor had declared "there will be no WMU in this church."

While we in WMU must acknowledge that our ranks are not as strong as they once were, and many churches have been doing other programs for children and youth, we have not quit supporting and doing missions. With all the talk about the need for a Great Commission Resurgence, some of us are sorely tempted to say to those who quit doing missions education and are now calling for it once again in the SBC, "We told you so." WMU still is the leader in supporting, teaching, and doing missions. We have great resources. But we do need a missions education resurgence in our churches.

So, I want to conduct an informal survey. Here are my questions:
1. What is the state of WMU and Baptist Men on Mission in your church? (Include churchwide and age-level organizations - Mission Friends, Girls in Action, Royal Ambassadors, Children in Action, Acteens, Challengers, Youth on Mission, Women on Mission, Baptist Men on Mission, Adults on Mission. By churchwide, we mean the things that WMU does to promote missions in general, the offerings, etc.)
2. Does WMU receive the support of your pastor and church staff? Explain.
3. What would you like to do in your church to provide greater support and involvement in the Great Commission?

Please reply to: Joy.Bolton@kybaptist.org. Please include your name, church, and town. Send this blog to others. As many responses as possible will be helpful.

SALT & Camp

Joy Bolton — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:15:41 -0400

May has always been a favorite month. As a child, I remember the May Day celebration at my elementary school and getting old enough to participate in the may pole dance. We each had a streamer and there was a dance to music as we circled the may pole and wove the streamers around it.

For Kentucky WMU, May is our month to provide WMU SALT, State Associational Leadership Training. On Saturday, May 15, associational WMU leaders are invited to the Kentucky Baptist Building for a day of conferences. This year, associational leaders will be introduced to our new theme for 2010-12, Unhindered! and will learn about our new Project HELP emphasis on Human Exploitation. Associational leaders will focus on their roles in their association and how to enhance WMU work in the association and churches. If you are an associational WMU leader, it's not too late to register. The registration fee includes lunch and special resources for you as an associational WMU leader. Visit the SALT page (www.kywmu.org/salt) on the Kentucky WMU web site for more information and a registration form.

May is also time to get registered for camp. Kentucky WMU offers Missions Adventure camps at Cedar Crest starting June 14. We have two GA weeks, two mother/daughter overnights, an Acteens Overnight, and two Express Camps that are coed. Learn more at www.kywmu.org/camp . Cedar Crest is located on the grounds of Cedarmore, just outside of Bagdad, Kentucky in Shelby County.

We also offer three overnights at Jonathan Creek in Western Kentucky. On June 25-26 we will have a Mother/Daughter Overnight, GA Overnight, and Acteens Splash. It's a great weekend to bring girls, moms, and leaders together for missions experiences and lots of fun. Learn more at www.kywmu.org/camp.

Here's a May missions idea from Eastern Kentucky: Hold a birthday party for all the Kentucky missionaries in your area. We have over 120 MSC missionaries serving in our state, in addition to a number of career missionaries. Find out who serves in your area and have an associational or regional event in their honor. I will be attending a "Happy Birthday Missionary Party" in Hazard on May 1st. WMU of Three Forks Baptist Association is hosting this event to honor the missionaries and their families. This is a great idea and I hope others will do an annual party in their area.

Wishing you lots of May flowers. Joy

Pat’s Annual Meeting Wrap-Up

Joy Bolton — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:33:04 -0400

During her term as president, Pat has concluded each meeting with a wrap-up of what we have heard and experienced. Here is Pat's summation of our 2010 Annual Meeting.

Thinking back over the last couple of days, I am remembering:

We focused on Called to Love – Learn and pray for missions
What a beautiful sight – the flags coming in as we sang “We a Story to Tell to the Nations”
Mission education works – Acteens prayerwalking a mosque.
He put the Koran down and hasn’t looked back.
Great hospitality from the Westport Road folks – thank you.
Bertha telling us “My heart belongs to Jesus but my money belongs to WMU”!
Is WMU in your will?
Karen told us about Rosa’s depression. Then she met Jesus. She said “I don’t need pills – God changed my life.”
Won’t you adopt and pray for one of the 42 hills in a city in Chile?
How cool – a missionary praying for missionaries.
22 years of Christmas gifts from KY WMU.
Did you notice the gifts are used mostly for their ministries? Not for themselves.
Even in Kenya, take-out pizza and hot dogs when mom is out of town.
How would you like to buy 5000 pairs of school shoes?
Every 3.6 seconds someone dies from hunger.
Thank you KY Baptist - 9,650 buckets for Haiti Relief.
The piano music – heavenly! Thanks David.
Roxanne singing – especially “You’re the Only Jesus” - inspiring

Called to love – support missions
Kaye told us about her Daddy doing surgery under a mosquito net.
An answer to prayer - the X-ray machine named Lottie.
$1,204,763. for Eliza – we need to think about her being a multi-millionaire!
Happy Birthday Tim.
The deaf are the most unreached people group.
There are 80,000 deaf in Kentucky.
Joy is worried about the lack of mission education in our churches – we should be too.
Goodbye to some board members – a hardy welcome to new ones.
Thanks, Cheryl for the minutes!
I am so proud – my twin is the new President!
Cathy challenged us to teach missions in our churches. The next Lottie, Annie or Eliza could be in our group!
Glenda still smiling after 10 years.
Joy still going and going after 10 years!
Children and missions – Brenda’s passions - used for 27 plus years for KY WMU.
Was she telling us her retirement was biblical?
Brenda says “I’ll do my best everyday for Jesus’ sake”.
Sock it to Louisville was a great success.

Called to Love – Grow spiritually towards a missions lifestyle.
Kaye says a missions lifestyle was modeled in my life everyday – my daddy carrying a 14 year old boy with leprosy to the clinic.
Can’t you see those little girls with paraffin all over their arms and legs?
My leper friend and I gave our hearts to Jesus at the same time.
Cooperative Program – we can do more together than alone.
Rectangular money goes further than round money – the wisdom of a 3 year old – works for the Cooperative Program too!
Missionaries are still being called at GA camp.
In a Last Frontier Country – no heat in the home – 20 degrees – coat for a child – bought by a missionary Christmas gift.
"I heard – I want to believe" said a 103 year old man.
Baptism in a bathtub?
Roxanne reminded us we are a part of what this Last Frontier representative is doing.
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms – in Korean – beautiful.
To show the Korean’s appreciation for our partnership, Sook Jae gave us a gift from the heart!
To show KY WMU’s appreciation for our partnership, a gift to an endowment in honor of Sook Jae.

Called to Love – participate in the work of the church and denomination
My chains are gone – Amazing Grace.
Water buffalo in the manger?
Children proclaiming Jesus Christ – 16 Buddhist men were saved.
Who’s going to fill your shoes.
Trinity and Gabrielle – future leaders.
I could tell you weren’t from here!
The love of God constrains us.
Road paved with garbage.
He’s at work…not us!
Prayer, love and support sent us - prayer, love and support keeps us there.
Linda said “thanks WMU for supporting us and our kids.
5 nationally recognized Acteens
Brandie and Savannah - ROCK!!
I was a worm – now I’m a butterfly.
Ministry bus tour – about 170 of you!
About 600 of us.
Best DOM’s in the state.
More of Eileen’s faith…
Can’t keep my mouth shut.
“Find It Here” - 2,782 decisions
Please come see me – don’t know if I can hold on much longer.
"Jesus left something on our front door."
Even a missionary kid from Africa is learning about basketball rivalry.
"My heart is African. I miss my home."
See you in Bowling Green – March 25-26.

Called to Love: The 2010 Kentucky WMU Annual Meeting

Joy Bolton — Sun, 4 Apr 2010 21:07:00 -0400

The Kentucky WMU Annual Meeting is just a few days away. It is not too late to make plans to come and the program will be worth the trip! Annual Meeting is Friday and Saturday, April 9-10 and no preregistration is required to attend. (Boxed lunches do require advance purchase, but there are often extras or just bring a sack lunch along!)

The meeting starts Friday morning at 10, but you will want to arrive around 9 a.m. to register, visit the displays and bookstores, and participate in our Annual Meeting ministry project. Carol Russ has organized a fantastic opportunity to make cards to be used in a number of local ministries. All the supplies will be on hand. You just need to stop by and make a card or two or more. You are also invited to participate in our "Sock It to Louisville" ministry project by bringing new socks and underwear for men, women, boys, and girls to be divided between three ministry sites: Jefferson Street Baptist Center, Churchill Downs Backside Ministries, and Baptist Fellowship Center.

We are honored to have Kaye Miller, national WMU president and author of Called to Love, with us to bring a theme interpretation in each session. You will want to hear Kaye tell stories from her experiences as a missionary kid that challenge us to love God and love others. Roxanne Nanney and David Headley will lead in music during each session. Interpretation for the deaf and preschool child care will be provided in all sessions.

We will begin the Friday morning session with a parade of flags which is always moving as we sing "We've a Story to Tell to the Nations." During the session Karen Wright will share her call to Chile. Karen has been with us before and you will want to see her again. If you have filled a bucket for Africa or Haiti, you will want to hear Susan Hatfield's update on the work of Baptist Global Response. On Friday afternoon, Kentucky missionary Tim Bender will share his work among the deaf. We will elect officers and honor Brenda Price upon her retirement from Kentucky WMU.

From 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. you will have much to choose from. There will be seven conferences at the church from 3:00-4:00 p.m. We will also be having Open House and a Reception for Kaye Miller and Brenda Price at the KBC building from 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. Missionary Parents will gather at 4 p.m. at the KBC building. (The KBC building is just 5 miles from Westport Road and it will be easy for you to get from one site to the other.)

On Friday evening, we begin at 6:45 p.m. with a concert by the Westport Road Boys. In the session, Dr. Billy Compton will bring greetings from the Kentucky Baptist Convention and focus our attention on the importance of the Cooperative Program in all of our work. A Last Frontier representative will share her work in Asia. New Life Korean Ladies Choir will sing, and Sook Jae Lee, executive director of Korea WMU, will speak about our partnership.

Saturday morning will include another opportunity to make cards before and after the session. In addition to Kaye, our Saturday speakers include David and Linda Jackson from West Africa, Larry Baker reporting on "Find it Here," and Larry Martin, Pat Day, and LaRaine Rice sharing about the upcoming ministries during the World Equestrian Games. Marvelous Grace, a ladies ensemble from Westport Road, will provide special music.

We will honor Pat Reaves during a Heritage Fund luncheon on Friday. Pat concludes her term as president at this meeting and you will want to thank Pat for the great job she has done for the past four years. You will also want to be present as we elect our next Kentucky WMU president and Executive Board.

For more information about Annual Meeting, go to www.kywmu.org/annualmeeting. I hope to see you there!

Do We Mean What We Pray?

Joy Bolton — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:01:01 -0400

Last week was stressful at my house. We had a plumbing leak in the basement on Thursday and then on Friday, my husband developed a rapid heart beat. Not knowing what would happen, a guest speaker for Sunday was enlisted.

I am grateful to report that the leak problem was solved quickly and things are drying out. After a jolt of medicine and an overnight stay in the hospital, Lee was fine and sent home on Saturday morning. But since Larry Baker had been enlisted to preach, Lee decided to rest and let Larry do the Sunday morning service as planned.

Larry's message was taken from Luke 11 and emphasized Jesus' teachings on prayer. Larry pointed out that the story in Luke 11:5-8 was told to emphasize the importance of persistence in praying. Larry said, "I know God hears us the first time we ask. But for some reason God is teaching us to persist in our praying."

Lee and I discussed the message and we both thought the same thing: Perhaps we are taught to be persistent to demonstrate whether or not we really mean what we pray.

It is so easy to quickly say, "I'll be praying for you," and never really pray. Or we say a quick one-time prayer for a situation and give it little thought afterwards. But when we mean what we pray, we will be persistent with God.

During the Pray the Perimeter Tour several years ago, I prayed with an older lady who said, "You've never really prayed until you have walked the floor all night praying." She understood persistence in praying for a child or grandchild or some other need.

Through "Find it Here!" we have been challenged to pray for our communities by prayerwalking our streets and praying for each home. We have been reminded of the importance of praying for lost people by name. Will we persist? Will we be bold in what we ask God to do? Luke 11:8 says "yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs." Jesus told this story for a reason. Let's take the lesson of the story to heart and pray like we mean it, praying persistently until lost people are saved.

Become a Fan!

Joy Bolton — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:41:21 -0400

Social media like Facebook, Twitter, and host of others have become popular ways to keep up with friends and share information. Groups and organizations have also found these to be great ways to communicate. Kentucky WMU, Kentucky Baptist Convention, and most of our agencies and institutions have developed pages on these and other resources.

You can become a fan of Kentucky WMU on Facebook. You can go directly to our page at this address: www.facebook.com/kywmu. When you visit the page, please become a fan! Just click the "Become a Fan" box at the top of the page.

Other Kentucky Baptist entities can be found on Facebook by typing in the organization name in the Facebook search box. All would appreciate having you as a fan!

Note: If you are not already a Facebook user, you can still visit the Kentucky WMU and Kentucky Baptist Convention (and other organizations) Facebook pages. You will be able to view the page photo and basic information, but in order to view a page in its entirety or become a fan, you will need to join Facebook. Go to www.facebook.com to join.

And while you're out visiting pages, come by www.facebook.com/joy.bolton . It has been said that Facebook is like a year book that talks back to you. Come join the fun!

Questions about the GCR Report

Joy Bolton — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:33:10 -0400

After blogging about the Great Commission Task Force Progress Report a few days ago, I received some questions about the report. The questions reminded me that the report includes some terms that may not be familiar. After answering the email, I decided to share my response in case others had similar questions. I've also included some information specific to Kentucky.

1. Cooperative Agreements are the agreements that each state has with the North American Mission Board to provide funding for certain items in that state. The agreements vary from state to state. What it means is that the funds we send to NAMB via CP and AAEO are returned to states to fund missionaries and ministries in that state. Stronger states like Kentucky, send more to NAMB through these channels than we receive back. New work states receive upwards of 90% of their operating budgets through the Cooperative Agreements. In the 2009-10 KBC budget, it shows that we expect to receive $588,702 from NAMB. (KBC gave over $2 million to AAEO last year plus what was sent to the SBC through CP. CP is then divided between IMB, NAMB, the seminaries, etc.)
These are called Cooperative Agreements because there are only a handful of missionaries who are fully funded by NAMB. All other NAMB career missionaries are funded through a variety of sources depending on where they are ultimately employed (NAMB, state convention, association, church).
Note: MSC missionaries do not receive any NAMB funding. They are included in the prayer calendar and sometimes receive some program support for work that they do through the state convention or the association.

2. The Cooperative Program is a voluntary program at every level. Churches determine what amount they will send (usually a percentage of their undesignated receipts). State conventions determine what percentage they will send to the SBC, and the SBC designates how CP funds are divided among IMB, NAMB, seminaries, etc. The SBC division is approved at the Southern Baptist Convention each year.
The suggested percentage of church CP giving is 10% of undesignated receipts. We have churches that give far more, and many who give less. The current average is between 6-7%.
In Kentucky, 37.32% of CP is forwarded to the SBC where it is divided between IMB, NAMB, seminaries, etc according to the plan approved by the SBC. KBC retains 62.68% which is divided according to a plan approved by the KBC Mission Board. This division includes the work of the KBC staff as well as amounts for Christian Education (Baptist colleges and schools) and the KBC entities (Assemblies, Foundation, WMU, Sunrise, Western Recorder, and Baptist Healthcare System).
The 2009-10 KBC Cooperative Program budget is divided as follows: $9,136,887 SBC, $9,015,276 KBC Mission Board, and $6,327,837 for Christian Education and KBC entities. Total: $24,480,000.
KBC also has some other sources of income including the Eliza Broadus Offering, NAMB (Cooperative Agreements), investment income, etc. Total other income estimated for 2009-10 is $2,650,606.

3. Great Commission Giving: In addition to gifts through the Cooperative Program, and missions offerings (LMCO, AAEO, EBO) some churches want to give designated gifts to IMB, NAMB, etc. Some churches would prefer to do most of their support for SBC work through designated gifts rather than CP. Because of our emphasis on CP, sometimes these churches have not felt that their gifts were affirmed or recognized. The recommendation by the GCR task force is to celebrate all gifts to SBC causes, including designated gifts. This total will be called Great Commission Giving.

The Progress Report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force deals with both spiritual and methodological issues. Certainly we as Southern Baptists long for our denomination, including every church, association, and state convention to make the Great Commission a priority. If we do, we will see an increase in baptisms, missionary appointments, and missions giving. The GCR emphasis was also a call to study how Southern Baptists could more effectively use our resources to spread the gospel. The GCR task force has looked at very complicated issues and has presented a plan. Not everyone will agree with all the details (and there are still many details yet to be worked out). There are certainly hard choices that states will have to make. But it is also a fair question to ask ourselves as a denomination: With 95%+ of the Christian resources of the world found in the United States, where people can freely hear the gospel, should we not increase the amount that we use for international missions when there are people in the world who have never heard the gospel even one time? The recommendation in the GCR Progress Report to increase IMB funding from 50% to 51% (of national CP funds) is to indicate our desire to focus on reaching the world with the gospel. It is not a large increase at this time, but it is symbolic.

Many have encouraged state conventions to raise the percentage they send to the SBC, suggesting even that states work towards a 50-50 split of CP funds with states retaining 50% for work in the state, and sending 50% for SBC work (IMB, NAMB, seminaries, etc.). Dr. Don Mathis, our current KBC president, has been speaking out about CP and saying that he has studied the giving in our state. He has concluded that if every church would increase their CP giving by 1% a year to reach 10%, that there would be enough money to do everything KBC is doing now AND give 50% to national SBC causes.

Kentucky has also appointed a Great Commission Task Force to study how Kentucky Baptists can more effectively use our resources to fulfill the Great Commission. I was asked to serve on this committee which is meeting monthly between now and the KBC meeting in November. We hope to bring a report at that time. We are looking at every aspect of KBC work, including the work of the Mission Board and staff, as well as the colleges and all of the entities. The Task Force is charged with examining all of our work and making recommendations.

As I write all of this, please understand that my purpose is to provide explanations for those who may find that the GCR Progress Report contains some unfamiliar terms or ideas. As a member of the Kentucky Great Commission Task Force, I am committed to seeking God's direction for Kentucky Baptist work and the use of our resources. As a member of the committee, I have been given many things to read, will be hearing reports, and sharing in prayer and discussion with the other committee members. Please pray for the national GCR Task Force and for the Kentucky Task Force. Above all, pray that we will indeed see a renewed commitment to the Lord and the Great Commission.

Reflections on the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report

Joy Bolton — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:49:49 -0400

I was privileged to attend the presentation of a Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) Task Force Progress Report by Dr. Ronnie Floyd. The GCR report was presented at the SBC Executive Committee meeting and it is the subject of much conversation, twittering, emails, blogs, and so on.

One of the things that I greatly appreciate about the GCR Task Force is the way that they are communicating their findings and vision quickly to everyone who is interested. You can view a video of Dr. Floyd presenting the report and download a copy at www.pray4gcr.com. Most importantly, you can sign up to pray for a Great Commission Resurgence and for the Task Force. Over 6,000 people have committed to pray.

I wanted to attend the presentation for several reasons. First, I am serving on the Kentucky Great Commission Task Force and wanted to hear the tone and the content of the report from the national task force. Secondly, a number of WMU leaders attended because we know that WMU has always been about the Great Commission. We know that there will be implications for our work.

One of the significant changes will be in NAMB's primary assignment and in what we call Cooperative Agreements with the states. The phase out of these agreements and funding will mean change for many state conventions, especially in new work states. But the increased focus on planting churches in the parts of our country that are least reached with the gospel has great potential.

Another recommendation is to free the IMB to work with unreached people groups wherever they are found, regardless of geography. That means that some work to engage unreached people groups may take place in the United States when there are pockets of these folks right here.

Another recommendation is to both promote the Cooperative Program as our primary channel of support for SBC missions, yet at the same time affirm all Great Commission giving of our churches. Gifts to CP, missions offerings, associations, and other designated missions giving would be included in the reports of total Great Commission giving. This, too, will encourage giving through all channels of SBC missions support chosen by our churches.

The GCR Task Force Progress Report is one that every Southern Baptist needs to read. Much prayer and thought and hours of work have taken place. It is a progress report and the final report will be released on Monday, May 3rd. This Task Force needs our prayers as they hear reactions to the Progress Report and entities begin to think through the implications and how best to proceed. I urge you to sign up to be GCR prayer partner.

I also encourage you to sign up to receive the Kentucky Great Commission blog by email. The Kentucky blog provides great information about Kentucky missions and includes progress reports of both the national and Kentucky Great Commission Task Force.

Above all, pray for a Great Commission Resurgence. Like a spiritual awakening, it will be longed for and prayed for before it will become reality (Preparing for a Great Commission Resurgence). May it begin with me.

On the Road with Kentucky WMU

Joy Bolton — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:28:22 -0400

Years ago someone asked me about getting more senior adults involved in WMU. I jokingly said, "Have a bus trip." I said that because people like to travel and they like to see our mission work. A missions bus trip is different from a missions trip in that it's purpose is more to introduce missions and help people understand the needs. Then they can pray more effectively and will be challenged to give even more for missions.

Kentucky WMU has been asked from time to time to plan this type of trip. Since we hosted the national WMU Annual Meeting last June and had over 700 from Kentucky to attend, we thought that this might be a good time for a bus trip to the national WMU meeting.

The national meeting will be in Orlando, which is a long way to ride on a bus. But by traveling overnight, we save two nights of hotel expense. For folks who would rather not have the long walks of airports, plus having to go through security and keep up with your belongings, getting on a bus is much simpler even if it is a long ride.

The trip will depart from Louisville on Friday, June 11 and return early on Thursday, June 17. We will attend the national WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting (Sunday & Monday). We will also attend most of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting (Tuesday and Wednesday morning).

Click here for complete details and a registration form. Cost of the trip is $400 which includes bus transportation and hotel (double occupancy). Deposits ($100 per person) are due by March 15, with the balance by May 1. We must have at least 30 for this trip. If we do not have the required number, those who have signed up will be given the option to fly (at additional cost).

We are also offering the opportunity to go to Hawaii with the WMU Foundation for the Baptist Women's Leadership Conference and Baptist World Congress. This trip runs from July 23 - August 2. Click here for all the details.

On the road...again! Hope you will join us for one of these trips.

Buckets of Hope

Joy Bolton — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:02:18 -0400

Kentucky Baptists are joining a nationwide effort through Baptist Global Response to provide food buckets for Haiti. By filling a 5-gallon bucket with specified items, we can help feed hungry families in the name of Jesus. The cost of each bucket is approximately $30 plus a $10 donation to help with shipping costs.

All of the project details are listed on the Kentucky Baptist Convention Buckets of Hope for Haiti web page: http://www.kybaptist.org/kbc.nsf/pages/haiti-buckets.html. The web page includes a specific list of items and packing instructions. There is even a video to show you how to pack the bucket and get everything in it! Contact information for each association is also included on the web site.

Please follow the exact packing list provided on the web site. We have learned that buckets may be any color, but the items in the buckets must be exact. The buckets must be completed and delivered to your Baptist Association collection point by March 4, 2010. From there, they will be transported to Miami, Florida, where they will be packed in cargo containers and shipped to Haiti. Each bucket will be labeled as a "Bucket of Hope," indicating that the bucket is is a gift of Christian love and support from Southern Baptists. A gospel tract will be added to each bucket before shipment to Haiti.

The food items can be generic, store brand items. Once the food supplies are used, the Haitians will find multiple everyday uses for the bucket. Please do not substitute any item listed and do not add anything additional inside the bucket.

We have participated in sending coats and food boxes to Korea, buckets of home health care supplies to Africa, and now buckets of food for Haiti. Such tangible expressions of God's love open doors for a gospel witness. This is short notice and a quick deadline, but the need is urgent. Many Kentucky Baptists have wanted a hands on way to be of help, and Buckets of Hope is a project that individuals and churches can do.

Contact your association for the collection point in your area and pack a Bucket of Hope today.

Missions Offerings Are Growing

Joy Bolton — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:22:06 -0400

As I keep tabs on the amounts given for our missions offerings, I also enjoy stories from churches about what has happened in their church in response to the offerings. In the Central Baptist Association newsletter, Bro. Jim Heneisen, interim pastor, Unity Baptist Church shared this report about their Lottie Moon Christmas Offering:

"The recession has hit our little church as it has others. Several have lost their job and yet another will this coming year. In spite of this we dared to set a goal higher than ever before for International Missions: $600.00. Not so high compared to other churches, but high for Unity. Soon as the the church set this goal, I discovered that it takes $787.15 to support a Foreign Missionary for a week. I challenged our folks to reset the goal to that figure. This past Sunday we announced the results of our sacrificial giving: $1,315.00! Unreal. Fantastic. I often tell them: 'You don't have to be big to be good.' Unity Baptist Church may be very small but they are a church with a very big heart. I am proud to be able to help them."

Thanks Bro. Jim for sharing this story of sacrificial giving. Thanks to everyone at Unity Baptist for giving to support the spread of the gospel around the world.

The largest Lottie Moon Christmas Offering amount from Kentucky was given in 2007-08 - $4,435,031.69. Last year (2008-09), we gave $4,420,420.28. As of February 3, our LMCO total is $3,658,491.86. We are well on our way to exceeding the largest amount ever given for international missions from Kentucky! (Note: Our fiscal year for KBC is September 1 - August 31, and we also track all missions offerings and the Cooperative Program for the same time frame.)

Another special note: The 2009-10 Eliza Broadus Offering has exceeded the goal of $1,100,000.00!! As of Feb. 3, the total given is $1,149,380.74, making this the largest Eliza Broadus Offering ever!

Thank you Kentucky Baptists for your faithful giving.

Big Jar Giving

Joy Bolton — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:33:03 -0400

A few days ago I was by myself in the office. I went to our KBC Ministry Database to look up an address. As is my custom, before doing whatever I've opened the database for, I check the Eliza Broadus Offering total to date. Overnight, the offering had gone from $978,540 to $1,111,000+. I was ecstatic. We had exceeded the 2009-10 goal and it is only January! (Our offering year is September 1 - August 31.)

I looked to see where the funds had come from, and found a gift from the Cherry Hill Baptist Church in Central City of $121,550.58. I thought it must be a mistake and that was Lottie Moon Christmas Offering money. A little more research showed large gifts to AAEO and LMCO, too. I asked around and someone knew that Cherry Hill was the home church of an aunt of a former Kentucky WMU staff member.

I called the church and learned about Marie Nicholson, a widowed retired school teacher who loved the Lord and missions. When she died earlier this year, she left the bulk of her estate to her church and designated that most of her gift was to go to missions.

I've asked the Western Recorder to follow-up and to do a story on Mrs. Nicholson. What I want to point out is how her story is a perfect illustration of Big Jar Giving.

Our partners in Christian Estate Planning, the Kentucky Baptist Foundation and PhilanthroCorp, tell us that for most Americans, the majority of their wealth, whether modest or large, consists of assets, not cash. Assets include things like your home, life insurance policies, retirement, IRA, etc. They are not readily available for cash gifts during your lifetime. This is the Big Jar. On average, the Big Jar represents about 91% of your net worth.

The little jar is our regular income. This may be salary, retirement or annuity income, investment distributions, etc. The little jar is cash income and it is the source of how we generally give during our lifetime. We are taught to tithe our income. But the little jar represents only about 9% of our net worth.

What if we all planned to tithe from the Big Jar? Tithing from the Big Jar takes forethought. Once you die, it is too late. Legacy giving such as demonstrated by Mrs. Nichols comes as a result of planning ahead. You cannot take your money with you when you die, but you can determine how it is used. With forethought, you can plan to take care of your family AND contribute to the Lord's work, making an impact for years to come.

You are invited to utilize a great free resource available on our web site, the Estate Plan Organizer. The EPO will help you gather into one place information that you need to plan your will and provide for your family and the Lord's work at death. It may be completed on line and printed out OR we can provide you with a blank print copy to complete by hand. All information completed on line is confidential. Once completed, you can take it to your lawyer or financial planner for assistance with your estate planning.

Thank you Mrs. Nicholson for your Big Jar giving.

Shelby Touched Twice Clinic

Joy Bolton — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:00:05 -0400

Folks in Shelby County are organizing a free one-day clinic to be held on Saturday, April 24. The primary purpose of this ministry is to meet needs in Christ's name. Organizers want to meet medical, spiritual, and physical needs of guests who receive services at the clinic. Services to be offered include medical, dental, optical, haircuts, clothes closet and food pantry.

Judy Phillips, a member of Salem Baptist Church in Shelby Baptist Association, is leading this effort. She participated in a Touched Twice clinic in Lynch last summer and determined to bring it to Shelbyville. Touched Twice is a national ministry that organizes clinics. Learn more about them at http://touchedtwice.org and http://touchedtwiceunited.org.

Shelby Touched Twice now has a website through Salem Baptist church: http://touchedtwice.southvillesalembaptist.org. Additional volunteers are needed for this effort. If you would like to help with the Shelby Touched Twice effort, please visit the website and register. Volunteers are needed before the clinic as well as the day of the clinic.

Shelby Touched Twice is collecting non-perishable food, spring and summer clothes, toiletry items for gift bags and Bibles (English and Spanish translations). STT hopes to send each guest home with a bag of food, toiletry gift bag, Bible and clothes if they wish to receive them.

Shelby Touched Twice is also receiving financial donations for the clinic through Salem Baptist Church. Please visit the web site for more information. Or contact Judy Phillips at: shelbytouchedtwice@gmail.com

A significant part of the Shelby Touched Twice story is that about 20 people from Salem participated in the Lynch Touched Twice clinic last year. That might not seem remarkable, but when you consider that this congregation runs about 80 on Sundays, that number represents 25% of their people. The experience not only made an impact in Lynch, but it has had a profound effect on Salem Baptist Church. Now they are leading the way in organizing the ministry in Shelbyville. Missions involvement always takes people to a new level spiritually and one touch brings another and another. It is not just the guests that are touched twice. So are the missions volunteers.

Want a second touch from the Lord? Get involved in missions. You'll find that you are touched twice, too.