discipleguide information shared by trustee...

JOURNAL OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

MARCH 1, 2012 VOL. 66 NO. 5

DiscipleGuide Information Shared by Trustee Boardby Clinton Everitt,by Clinton Everitt,by Clinton Everitt,by Clinton Everitt,by Clinton Everitt,

ChairmanChairmanChairmanChairmanChairmanDiscipleGuide ChurchDiscipleGuide ChurchDiscipleGuide ChurchDiscipleGuide ChurchDiscipleGuide ChurchResources CommitteeResources CommitteeResources CommitteeResources CommitteeResources Committee

To the Churches and Pastorsof the Baptist Missionary As-sociation of America-

It has come to my attentionthat there may be some mis-understanding or misinforma-tion being circulated aboutDiscipleGuide in respect to therecent resignation of our Ex-ecutive Director. Due to thetiming of Dr. Clayton’s an-nouncement and subsequentresignation around the Christ-mas holidays our trustee boardwas prevented from assem-bling a quorum to discuss thematter until the middle ofJanuary. But as soon as wecould, we did meet and begandiscussing the vacancy and

how best to fill it.Our initial discussions were

greatly shaped by our press-ing financial position and theanticipated announcementfrom Lifeword and Missions atthe Symposium concerningtheir plan to forge a more inte-grated and strategic relation-ship. I asked Brother SteveCrawley to address our boardand explain the nature of theirplan and possibly offer sugges-tions on how our selection ofan executive director could fur-ther facilitate greater coopera-tion and partnership betweenall our departments in equip-ping our churches to fulfill theGreat Commission.

Knowing we would meetagain in a month (February17) at our normal scheduledtrustee meeting, I encouragedour board to take the time be-

tween the two meetings to giveserious consideration andprayer to a few crucial factorsfacing us. (1) Our continuednegative cash flow in the pub-lishing and information ser-vices operations. (2) Whetherthere is room and a role forDiscipleGuide to work moreclosely with Lifeword and Mis-sions in ministry with ourchurches. (3) If so, then in whattime frame and what changeswould be necessary to affectsuch a change? (4) If we movemore slowly rather than fasterin replacing our executive di-rector, could we both improve

our financial position (if onlytemporarily) and in the mean-time gain a clearer picture ofwho or what kind of man ourexecutive director needs to bein light of the rapidly chang-ing publishing environmentand the shift in focus withinour own association?

It is probably this last con-sideration that was misunder-stood thus generating someconfusion among a few pas-tors. Let me state very clearly,for the record, theDiscipleGuide trustee boardaffirms the need for an execu-tive director to both overseeour various operations and topromote the level of coopera-tion among them that the As-sociation directed in the deci-sion to merge. We also know

Kellar Award Winner AnnouncedBMA Seminary Friends Dinner & Dr. Charley Holmes Golf

Invitational on tap for national meeting in Jackson, Mississippi

Gaylan Henry

The 2012 Seminary FriendsDinner will be held Tuesday,April 17, 2012 during the sixty-third BMA of America AnnualMeeting. At this year’s dinnerthe 2012 Kellar Award will bepresented to Brother GaylanHenry. Brother Henry is thelong-time pastor of South ParkBaptist Church in Fort Worth,Texas. After pastoring for ayear and a half at First BaptistChurch at Freestone, Texas,Brother Henry accepted thecall to become the pastor ofSouth Park Baptist Church inFt. Worth, Texas in 1957, andis in his 54th year as theirpastor. Brother Henry gradu-ated from BMA Seminary with

an M.Div degree in1972.

For over 54 yearsBro. Henry has beenmarried to the formerLinda Sue Webb. TheHenry’s have threechildren: David, Den-nis and Karen, sevengrandchildren, and onegreat grandchild, with threemore “greats” on the way.

This 9th annual award,named in honor of the late Dr.Gerald Kellar, the foundingpresident of BMA Seminary,recognizes a BMA Seminaryalumnus for outstanding con-tributions in ministry typify-ing the legacy of Dr. Kellar.

The 2012 dinner willbe on the Theater Level(3rd floor) of the Jack-son Convention Com-plex, rooms 1 and 2. Itcan be accessed by esca-lator, elevator, or stairs.This will allow you tokeep your parking spaceand be back at the meet-

ing on time. The cost will be$25 per person.

Once again, there will be adrawing at the SeminaryFriends Dinner for a free suitfrom Suits4Servants. To reg-ister for the drawing, stop bythe seminary table in the dis-play area. You must be presentat the dinner to win. Mr. Jim

Tatum and Suits4 Servantswill have a display located ad-jacent to the BMA Seminarytable. Available suit sizes are38-62 Long; 36-46 Short.

Golf Tournament ScheduledGolf Tournament ScheduledGolf Tournament ScheduledGolf Tournament ScheduledGolf Tournament ScheduledIn addition to the Seminary

Friends Dinner, the Sixth An-nual Dr. Charley Holmes GolfInvitational will be held onMonday, April 16 at WhisperLake Country Club, in Madi-son, about 28 minutes fromthe Jackson Convention Cen-ter. Tee time is 8:30 a.m., witha hamburger buffet providedafter play. The cost of entry iscomplimentary thanks to spon-sors of the event. There is a 36-player limit, so register early!

To make reservations forthe Seminary Dinner or theGolf Invitational contact CarolShine at 903-586-2501 [email protected]

continued on page 4continued on page 4continued on page 4continued on page 4continued on page 4

A WellDeservedHonor

by Editor Don Brownby Editor Don Brownby Editor Don Brownby Editor Don Brownby Editor Don BrownI had the privilege to re-

cently attend the retirementceremony of Chaplain Col.Forrest "Bo" Bankston. Col.Bankston has retired after 42years of military service to ournation.

Bro. Bankston has repre-

sented the BMA of Americawith grace and dignity as anendorsed chaplain by our de-nomination.

The ceremony was well at-tended by family, church mem-bers and friends, but this writerwas impressed by the numberof military personnel whochose to be at this event. It wasevident that their respect forCol Bankston and the servicehe rendered as their chaplainwas heartfelt.

Col. Bankston is to be com-mended for his service, themanner in which he conductedhimself and the lasting impacthe has had on the great num-ber of individuals to whom he

Bo & Debbie Bankston at recentretirement ceremony

continued onpage 5continued onpage 5continued onpage 5continued onpage 5continued onpage 5

2 March 1, 2012 • Mississippi Baptist

From TheMind of

Chuck Lee

February?For a month that is so short,

February has got to be the mostdrawn out month of the year. Ionce observed a slugcross an icy sidewalkfaster than the daysof February oozed itsway into March. Ifelt bad for saltingthe sidewalk, buthow was I to know aslug would pick thistime of year to gocross country?

Now, I realize Feb-ruary has its place tofill in the calendar,but for an impatientperson, such as myself, this isthe period of time where deerseason ends and the waitingbegins for turkey season to com-mence. True, I generally amfed up with deer hunting by thetime February comes around,but I am not completely tired ofhanging out in the woods. So

now I am left with no collegefootball, no deer hunting, andno patience for a whole month.

My wife suggestedgetting a job dur-ing my “downtime”, but I dis-missed this absurdnotion as comingfrom someone whohas also been af-fected by winterblight, as I so af-fectionately callthis time of year.

Being of an in-dustrious nature, Ilike to take this

occasion to start procrastinat-ing on getting all my garden-ing and yard equipment readyfor Spring. I have found thatgetting an early start on put-ting off what needs to be donekeeps me in prime conditionfor all my endeavors through-out the year. It’s kind of like a

preseason warm-up. There is aposter on my wall that says,“Why put off tomorrow whatyou can put off today?” Sure,it’s not memorable and sage-like, but it works for me. It alsogives me the opportunity tovisit my neighbor when I bor-row his lawn and garden equip-ment after turkey season.

Speaking of my neighbor, heis a generous old fellow that isalways ready to loan outhis tools and equipmentanytime I need them.All I have to do isfigure out the com-bination on thelock, evade thetwo rabies in-fected Rottweilers, swim themoat and disengage his alarmsystem. If he is home, then itgets difficult. Being the neigh-borly sort of person that I am,rarely do I chastise him for nothaving an ample supply of fuelto run his equipment. It is thissort of tolerance that keepsdown the friction between us. Ilike to do my part.

I thought about using this“down” time to improve myculinary skills. Modesty pre-vents me from listing all theaccolades I have received downthrough the years for my abil-ity to mix and match differentquantities of ingredients intoan edible delicacy. My chil-dren often clap their hands

and yell“ Y a a a a a y !

Daddy’s cookingagain!” I’m sure

this has nothing todo with the anticipa-tion of seeing the firetrucks park in thedriveway. It certainlyhas nothing to do with

the fact that we generally eatat a fast food restaurant after-wards. I mean, what kid wantsfast food when they can eat ameal fixed by me?

Anyway, February alwaysgets me down. Perhaps now isthe time to start looking for allmy turkey calls. Maybe thisyear I will be able to find thembefore the season ends.

2012South Mississippi

Senior Adult Conference

Big Creek Baptist ChurchSoso, Mississippi

March 27, 20129:30 AM

News articles shouldcontain information that will beof interest to the general public

who are not members of thechurch that is reporting.

CHURCHNEWS

Evergreen Church toEvergreen Church toEvergreen Church toEvergreen Church toEvergreen Church tohost Todd Allen Familyhost Todd Allen Familyhost Todd Allen Familyhost Todd Allen Familyhost Todd Allen Family

Evergreen Baptist Churchwill host The Todd Allen Fam-ily on Sunday, March 11that 5:30 p.m. They live and travelon a bus 365 days a year. Pas-tor, Chad Cummins and theChurch invites everyone tocome hear them. EvergreenBaptist Church is located at 65Evergreen Church Road, Semi-nary, MS 39479.

Springhill Youth Revival SetSpringhill Youth Revival SetSpringhill Youth Revival SetSpringhill Youth Revival SetSpringhill Youth Revival SetSpringhill Baptist Church,

Laurel, will be hosting a youthrevival with guest speaker Dr.Travis Plumlee. Services willbegin Sunday, March 18, withSunday school at 9:45 and wor-ship at 10:45 a.m. Dinner onthe grounds will follow withanother service at 1:45pm. Ser-vices will continue MondayMarch 19 - Wednesday March21 at 7:00 p.m. All are invitedto attend. We are located at558 Springhill Rd in Laurel.For more info contact Bro. RickClark at 601-335-1886.

Lucedale Church toLucedale Church toLucedale Church toLucedale Church toLucedale Church tocelebrate Anniversarycelebrate Anniversarycelebrate Anniversarycelebrate Anniversarycelebrate Anniversary

Pineview Missionary BaptistChurch, Hwy 613, Lucedale,Mississippi, will hold its 55thAnniversary/ Homecoming onSunday, March 18. Morningworship is at 11 a.m. with lunch& afternoon singing. A specialinvitation goes to all past andpresent members with requeststo bring another past or presentmember with them. For moreinfo call 601-508-9909, 601-508-7005, or 601-408-0537.

Relationship seminarRelationship seminarRelationship seminarRelationship seminarRelationship seminarset for Baton Rouge churchset for Baton Rouge churchset for Baton Rouge churchset for Baton Rouge churchset for Baton Rouge church

Dr. Travis Plumlee will beconducting a relationship semi-nary at River Oaks Baptist inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, dur-ing the first weekend of March.Anyone wishing to attendshould contact Pastor BuckHughes, so we can be preparedwith ample food on Saturday.The workshop is free and ev-eryone is invited to attend. You

may call 225-454-8138 or [email protected].

Harmony MeetingHarmony MeetingHarmony MeetingHarmony MeetingHarmony MeetingThe February meeting of the

Harmony Association was heldFriday February 10, at UnityBaptist Church in Guntown.The church provided a deliciousmeal for those attending. Theevening message was broughtby Bro. Gary Smith. After themessage business was caredfor. The minutes and financialreports were read and ap-proved. Eight churches wererepresented with 63 presentand 7 visitors. The association

voted to support Moral Actionof Mississippi with 7% andFreedom Hills Mission at 20%of monthly receipts. Our nextwill be at Westview in Oxford.State Missions Director LarryGeraldson gave a report onmissions and introduced themissionaries who were present.There appears to be great en-thusiasm in the Missions De-partment, and this was evidentby reports that were given byBro. Ray Boone, Bro. ElvisGarcia, Bro. Bob Burch, andBro. Bobby Elliott.

Bro Tim Nall, ModeratorTony Marolt, Reporter

Serving God withServing God withServing God withServing God withServing God withAll of Our HeartAll of Our HeartAll of Our HeartAll of Our HeartAll of Our Heart

by Bro. Grover Lairdby Bro. Grover Lairdby Bro. Grover Lairdby Bro. Grover Lairdby Bro. Grover Laird"And in every work that he began in the service of the house ofGod, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God,he did it with all his heart and prospered." (II Chronicles 31:21)

Our text is speaking of a King in Judah by the name ofHezekiah who had his priorities straight. The Bible says thatwhatever pertained to the service of the house of God and theBible, he gave it his best. He did it with all his heart. This is a goodexample for us.

Half-hearted service is one of our greatest problems in thework of the Lord. This may seem like a strong statement, buthalfhearted service can kill a church. I realize this is a strongstatement, but half-hearted service, or being lukewarm causedGod to speak of terminating the Church at Laodicea. They weretold that unless they repented, or made a complete turnaround,they would cease to operate as a true church of the Lord. Here iswhat the Lord said, "So then because thou art lukewarm, andneither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth...be zealoustherefore, and repent." (Revelation 3:16, 19b)

Hypocrisy, pretense, dishonesty, insincerity, and half-heartedness have been enemies to the Lord's work in every age.This is why so many Scriptures admonish us to do the thingspertaining to the Lord with all of our heart. In this little messageI will call attention to a few of the things that we should never dohalfheartedly.

I. Sinners Must Believe In Jesus with All of Their HeartI. Sinners Must Believe In Jesus with All of Their HeartI. Sinners Must Believe In Jesus with All of Their HeartI. Sinners Must Believe In Jesus with All of Their HeartI. Sinners Must Believe In Jesus with All of Their HeartGod loved this sinful, helpless world so much that He provided

us salvation from our sins. Though it came at a tremendous costto Him and His Son, (John 3:16) it comes to us as a gift. (Romans6:23) We receive it by turning to God from the old sinner life andcoming to Christ by faith. (Acts 16:31)

Though our part in getting saved is so small, we are requiredto receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life with truerepentance and whole-hearted faith. The Bible speaks of sinnersrepenting in "sackcloth and ashes," (Matthew 11:21) and believ-


3March 1, 2012 • Mississippi Baptist

Pastor, what if the Seminary came to you? Many BMA of America pastors cannot attend the BMA Seminary campus for

instruction and most lay leaders have commitments that prohibit further higher

Christian education training.

What can BMA Seminary online do for you?

truths in the context of Christian ministry.

hours), you can participate in the BMA Seminary graduation ceremony.

Churches, encourage your pastor to enroll in this program; and underwrite his

Contact the BMA Seminary today for more details!

Are you a pastor and wish

you could attend Seminary?

ing in Jesus with all the heart.(Acts 8:37) While all may notexpress themselves alike, menare only saved when they be-lieve in Jesus from the heart--"For with the heart manbelieveth unto righteousness;and with the mouth confessionis made unto salvation." (Ro-mans 10:9, 10)

II. We Must Worship With AllII. We Must Worship With AllII. We Must Worship With AllII. We Must Worship With AllII. We Must Worship With Allof Our Heartof Our Heartof Our Heartof Our Heartof Our Heart

One of our greatest duties asa child of God is to worship andpraise the Lord. This is ex-pressed so forcibly in Psalm107. Four times in this Psalmwe see people in distress andcrying out to the Lord in themidst of their trouble. Eachtime the Lord would hear theirprayer and save them “out oftheir distresses." Then eachtime the Psalmist would say,"Oh that men would praise theLord for his goodness, and forhis wonderful works to the chil-dren of men!" (Psalm 107:8, 15,21, 31) He seems to be sayingthat praising the Lord is one ofour greatest duties, but also

Regret means to be disap-pointed about something. Tofeel sorry or grief over some-thing. It also means a sense ofloss and longing for a desireunfulfilled or an action per-formed or not performed. Thelonger we live, the more re-grets we can have. Regretsstart young. A young childmay regret what they said totheir mom or dad. A youngteen may regret an action theytook the previous night withtheir boyfriend or girlfriend. Ayoung adult may regret theydidn't study a different majorin college, or even perhaps forsome people, the fact that theydidn't go to college or take adifferent job.

If no limits are put on thistype of thinking, regrets reallytake off after age 30, and con-tinue throughout the life of aperson. Some people regretthat they married too soon.Others regret that they mayhave in fact, married the wrongperson. They start fantasizingwhat their life could have beenlike if they had only waited andperhaps married someone else.This other potential marriagepartner may be someone fromtheir past or it just may be afigment of their imagination.

Family ArkMinistries

Travis Plumlee

I So Regret ThisEither way, this mental preoc-cupation with how much bet-ter life could have been with adifferent marriage only feedsthe isolation and perennialstate of sadness they feel overtheir present situation. It doesabsolutely noth-ing to repair andrestore theirmarriage. It onlycontinues tosuck the life outof it.

The single big-gest regret I hearin churches isfrom older people over the waythey parented their children.After I do a parenting confer-ence, older people always comeup and say, "I wished I couldhave heard this information 20years ago. These young peoplesure are blessed to hear it now.I messed up." Parents take amental baseball bat and clob-ber themselves into depression.They wished they had not beenso strict, or so critical, or sodemanding. Others wish theyhad not been so permissive anduncaring.

Many older parents wishedthey would have been better atteaching their children theWord of God and how to pray.

They regret they could havedone devotions and spent moretime together as a family doingthe things of Godliness in thehome. Sometimes, when I seeall of these young parents run-ning from one sporting event toanother, I think I should makea CDrecording of all of these olderparents talking of their regrets

and just playthat back forthe young par-ents at aparenting con-ference. Itmight helpthem get theirp r i o r i t i e sstraight. Re-gretting what

you did as a parent is one of thesingle largest, on-going regretsthat people have. And it caneat you up. It can consume alot of mental energy. Parentsshould think about ways tochange the present day for thebetter, rather than just look-ing back on the past and beingimmobilized with regrets.

These examples then lead tothe whole point of this article.You must stop your regrets.Regrets for the most part aredrains on your emotional, men-tal, physical and spiritual well-being. The only time a regretmight be useful, is when itserves for you to learn from it.

Then you must leave it andgrow on. But that is not reallya regret. That is simply beingwise and learning from pastmistakes so that you can moveon to a brighter future. That issomething we should all do.Regrets are loathing yourselfand beating yourself up. Andin so doing, you will not changeone thing. It is done! It is over.It is finished!

You need to spend this timeand mental energy on learningto do something right now inthe present. What can you dowith those around you to makea better life? This is not tocompensate for your past mis-takes, this is simply to learnfrom those mistakes and helpothers have a better life for theglory of the Lord. Serving oth-ers is a great way to overcomeregrets. You can sit at homefeeling sorry for yourself on allthe ways you made mistakes inparenting, or you can get up offof your blessed assurance andgo change the future for some-one by making it brighter. Youmight be able to be a greatparent today to a child that isnow an adult. You might be awonderful grandparent, teach-ing your grandchildren theways of the Lord. You mightnot have these opportunities.But you probably have an op-portunity to reach out to somelonely hurting kid in your

church that just needs a help-ing hand, a hug or someonewho cares. There are tons ofkids who come to church asthrow away kids. God alwaysgives us opportunities to livetoday and crush our ugly yes-terdays.

Satan has a trap for yoursoul. It is one of his favorites. Itis a Christian sitting around inpity over their past. Regretsare a tool of the devil. You cancontrol your thinking. Whenthese negative thoughts start,change your thinking. IICorinthians 10:5. Take themcaptive to the Lord. Think ongood things in your life rightnow. Philippians 4:8. Read theBible and count your blessings.You can stop regrets. ClaimPhilippians 3: 13,14.

"Brethren, I count not my-self to have apprehended: butthis one thing I do, FORGET-TING those things which arebehind, and reaching forth untothose things which are before,I press toward the mark for theprize of the high calling of Godin Christ Jesus."

Jesus can help us all to makea brand new ending to our lifestory. Jesus makes it possibleto love and live again. Get up inJesus power and grow on! Lookup, not back.

Serving GodServing GodServing GodServing GodServing Godfrom page 2from page 2from page 2from page 2from page 2



Opinion PageJournal of the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi

Don J. Brown, EditorE-Mail - [email protected] site www.msbaptist.org

USPS 353-960P.O. Box 8181

Laurel, Mississippi 39441-8000

Phone 601-426-3293Fax 601-763-4430

PRICE$20.00 Per Year by Mail

$10.00 Per Year by EmailCHURCH PLAN$ 1.30 Per Month

Published on the 1st and 15th of each month by the Baptist MissionaryAssociation of Mississippi. Periodical postage paid at Hattiesburg,Mississippi 39402.

Postmaster: Send address changes to the Mississippi Baptist Paper,P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441-8000.

Don BrownEditor

full well that a greater level ofcooperation and integrationwith other departments suchas Missions and Lifeword mightnot be realized without the di-rection of a capable leader. Tothis end an Executive DirectorSearch Committee was formedand a short list of candidateswas determined for interviewand consideration. But giventhe financial strain underwhich we are currently operat-ing, we couldn’t help but con-sider an option where yourtrustees offer to shoulder theload and responsibilities of anexecutive director’s daily du-ties in order to strengthen ourfinancial position and get abetter understanding of whereour department needs to go.Personally, I admire the menon our board for their willing-ness to serve the churches ofour association above and be-yond what is normally expectedand in addition to theirworkload at their local churchministries so we could showourselves better stewards ofDiscipleGuide’s declining re-sources.

Regrettably I do not antici-pate there will be a nomineefrom the trustees to present toour Association at our annualmeeting in Jackson, MS, giventhe time it takes to arrange forface-to-face interviews of po-tential candidates. But pleaseknow that we are doing ourbest to fulfill our directives fromthe Statement of Principles andCooperation to “fill any vacancybetween sessions that may oc-cur in the Executive Director’soffice.”

DiscipleGuideInformationcontinued from page 1continued from page 1continued from page 1continued from page 1continued from page 1

Jerry RiceJerry RiceJerry RiceJerry RiceJerry RiceBro. Jerry Rice is available

for pulpit supply, interim workor as the Lord leads. He is cur-rently living in Lucedale, Mis-sissippi and has been in theministry for 44 years. He maybe reached at 601-508-0703.

Gifts and Support AppreciatedBelow is a list of those Special Emphasis offerings that we have

received through the end of February. God hasagain blessed and provided funds to help keepthis ministry on sound financial footing. We aredeeply appreciative to all who gave to this minis-try in January. If you find an error, please let usknow.

May God bless you all for your support andthoughtfulness.

Senior Adult ConferencesBro. Vern Holifield would say, "You ought to be

there and you ought to pay your senior adult's feefor them to attend the South Mississippi SeniorAdult Conference on March 27 and to attend the North MississippiSenior Adult Conference on May 1.

He is not here to say that, but that is exactly what our churchesneed to do. The Conferences are a great time of fellowship, worshipand praise for our Senior Adults. They have done so much (and arestill doing) for our churches. Pastor, urge your Seniors to attend(bring them with you) and urge your church to pay the $15.00 fee.

National Meeting NearThe National Association will be held at the Jackson Convention

Complex next month in Jackson, Mississippi. What a great opportu-nity for the average church member to attend. The schedule for themeeting in on Page 8 of this issue. You will see there are so manygood events that you would enjoy. Make every effort to be there!

2012 Special Emphasis List

Anonymous $40.00Anonymous $50.00Antioch Baptist Church, Taylorsville $150.00Berean Baptist Church, Soso $103.00Bible Baptist Church, Ovett $200.00First Baptist Church Of Calhoun, Laurel $500.00First Baptist Church Of Shady Grove, Laurel $25.00Hillcrest Baptist Church, Yazoo City $242.15Hopewell Baptist Church, Laurel $100.00Hopewell Baptist Church, Fulton $50.00Lebanon Baptist Church, Ellisville $35.00Linda Collins, Carthage, Texas $50.00Little Creek Baptist Church, Perkinston $124.92Mineral Springs Baptist Church, Taylorsville $50.00Mt Gilead Baptist Church, Columbia $268.00New Bethany Baptist Church, Seminary $44.00Oak Grove Baptist Church, Lucedale $41.53Paramount Baptist Church, Wiggins $300.00Parkview Baptist Church, Laurel $120.00Pilgim Rest Baptist Church, Richton $50.00Riverside Baptist Church, Ellisville $75.00Shiloh Baptist Church, Kosciusko $332.26Springhill Baptist Church, Laurel $42.24Union Baptist Church, Bay Springs $823.90Washington Baptist Church, Neely $147.00Westover Baptist Church, Hattiesburg $50.00Zion Baptist Church, Anguilla $533.60Total $4,547.60

AVAILABLEFOR SERVICE

Letters FromOur Readers

Letters reflect the opinion of thewriter and not necessarily this

publication or the BMA of Mississippi

Church seekssong booksDear Editor,

Cypress Creek MissionaryBaptist Church is seeking afew copies (even used) of “Songsof Faith and Hope” (our copiesare black with limp binding).It was published in 1966 byTemple Music Co., Inc. in Nash-ville or Dallas. The songs werecompiled by James Blackwood.

If anyone can help with thisplease contact me at the ad-dress listed below.

Jolene O'Neal, church clerk1487 Benndale Rd.McLain MS 39456.

one of our most neglected du-ties.

Then in Psalm 103, we seethat when we do praise theLord it is to be done with all theheart. In this Psalm the Psalm-ist is praising the Lord for sal-vation, for health, for preser-vation of life, for God's tendercare, for the good things of life,for help in trouble, and more.And he started it all off withwhole-hearted praise. Notice:"Bless the Lord, O my soul: andall that is within me, bless hisholy name." (Psalm 103:1)

Whether in the Lord's house,or in our prayer closet, all wor-ship is to be done with all of ourheart.

III. We Must Trust the LordIII. We Must Trust the LordIII. We Must Trust the LordIII. We Must Trust the LordIII. We Must Trust the Lordwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heart

Consider first that God didnot make man able to functionin his own strength. We cannoteven get another breath with-out Him. Notice the words ofthe Prophet Daniel: "....and theGod in whose hand thy breathis, and whose are all thy ways,hast thou not glorified:" (Daniel5:23b) It is in Him that we live,and move and have our be-ing..." (Acts17:28) Really, "...ev-ery man at his best state isaltogether vanity. Selah."(Psalm 39:5) Whether we askfor it or not, we must have helpfrom above if we make it in thisworld.

As Christians, we are un-able to serve the Lord in ourown strength. Our sufficiencyis of God. Paul said, "Not thatwe are sufficient of ourselvesto think any thing as of our-selves; but our sufficiency is ofGod." (1I Corinthians 3:5) Wecan only be strong "in the Lord,"(Ephesians 6:10) and only dogreat things "through Christ."(Philippians 4:12)

However, we need not be dis-tressed over our insufficiency.There is not a question that

God cannot answer. There isnot a burden that He cannotlift. There is not a problem thatHe cannot solve. There is not afear that He cannot quench.There is no weak Christian thatHe cannot make strong. OurGod "...is able to do exceedingabundantly above all that weask or think, according to thepower that worketh in us,"(Ephesians 3:20) He is able tomeet any need in our life.

But it is our weaknesses andGod's sufficiency that causesthe Bible to keep telling us totrust in the Lord. Notice someof these verses: "....Blessed areall they that put their trust inhim." (Psalm 2:12) "Offer thesacrifices of righteousness, andput your trust in the Lord."(Psalm 3:5) "But let all thosethat put their trust in thee re-joice...." (Psalm 5:11) "O Lordmy God, in thee do I put mytrust: save me from all themthat persecute me, and deliverme:" (Psalm 7:1) Verses likethese show up all through theBook of Psalms, as well as many




Above: A shadowbox of awards and medals earned by Col. Bankstonwas given him along with a number of other items. Those presentingwere honoring Bro. Bankston for his service and thanking him for ajob well done.

Below: A large crowd of family, church members, coworkers andfriends attended the ceremony.

Formal Retirement Ceremony ofChaplain (Col.) Forrest "Bo" Bankston

Church of the Covered Dish BY THOMAS TAPP

ministered. We pray for God'sblessing on him and his wifeDebbie as they continue to servethe Lord.

The Bankstons will retire tothe Meridian, Mississippi area.

More Information concerningMore Information concerningMore Information concerningMore Information concerningMore Information concerningBro. Bankston's service.Bro. Bankston's service.Bro. Bankston's service.Bro. Bankston's service.Bro. Bankston's service.Biography/Summary of Service

Chaplain (COL) Forrest “Bo”Bankston, Jr. was selected toserve as the Mississippi JointForces Chaplain by MG Will-iam L. Freeman in April of2009. As the MS Joint ForcesChaplain, Chaplain Bankstonhas been the senior Chaplainof the MS ARNG and SeniorStaff Chaplain to the AdjutantGeneral of the MS ARNG.Chaplain Bankston’s primaryresponsibility has been to ad-vise the Adjutant General forall matters in which religionimpacts command programs,personnel, policies and proce-dures and personally managethe twenty assigned chaplainsin the MSARNG.

Chaplain Bankston is a 1969graduate of Magee High School.He continued his education atJones County Junior College,graduating in 1985 with anAssociate of Arts Degree. Hefollowed by attending WilliamCarey University inHattiesburg, graduating in1997 with a Bachelor’s Degreein English. Furthering his edu-cation, CH Bankston attendedNew Orleans Baptist Theologi-cal Seminary and later gradu-ated from the Baptist Mission-ary Theological Seminary in

Jacksonville, TX, where heearned a Masters of DivinityDegree in May of 1990. He haspastored churches in Texas andMississippi for over 25 years,before coming to Camp ShelbyJoint Forces Training Centeron Title 10 orders 1 September2005.

CH Bankston’s actual mili-tary career began on 11 De-cember 1969 as a Private in the623rd Ordinance Company,Collins, MS. He attended Ba-sic Training at Fort Campbell,KY and Advanced IndividualTraining at Redstone Arsenal,AL. After two years in theMSARNG, CH Bankston en-listed in the Regular Army Sep-tember 1972 as a Private serv-ing in Germany for two years.After re-enlisting into the AirDefense field, he again at-tended AIT at Redstone Arse-nal as a Short Range Air De-fense Repairman 27F. Chap-lain Bankston was assigned tothe 100th Ordinance Attach-ment, 9th Infantry Division,Fort Lewis, WA. He later servedas an Enlisted Training In-structor in the 27F MOS ShortRange Air Defense TechnicianSchool, Redstone Arsenal, AL.In September 1979 CHBankston was appointed WO1as a Short Range Air DefenseTechnician and was assignedto A Battery 3rd of the 4th AirDefense Artillery Battalion,Fort Bragg, NC. ChaplainBankston served as PlatoonLeader for the Air Defense Pla-toon, E Company, 782nd Main-tenance Battalion, DISCOM,

82 Airborne Division. CHBankston separated from Ac-tive Duty as a Chief WarrantOfficer 2, August 1993 and wasassigned to the IRR. CHBankston re-enlisted as a SGTin the MSARNG June 1996 inthe 114th ASG, Hattiesburg,MS. CH Bankston was laterCommissioned as a Chaplain1LT, April 1991 in theMSARNG and assigned to the298th Maintenance Battalion,Philadelphia, MS. ChaplainBankston served at the Bri-gade Chaplain, 631st Field Ar-tillery Brigade, Grenada, MS.The 66th Troop CommandChaplain, Jackson, MS. Vol-unteered to deploy to Iraq withthe 298th Corps Support Bat-talion, for OIF II 2004-2005and served as the MS JointForces Chaplain from July 2009– February 2012. His militaryschools include Air DefenseBasic NCOES, Short Range AirDefense Repairman, Air De-fense Warrant Officer School,Basic Airborne School, Chap-lains Officer Basic Course,Chaplains Officer CareerCourse, Chaplains LTC Course,and Command and GeneralStaff College.

Chaplain Bankston is retir-ing with over 42 years totalservice in the Military and with23 years 7 months Active Duty.Chaplain Bankston is the sonof the late Forrest Bankston ofMount Olive, MS. He is mar-ried to the former Deborah JoMagee of Mount Olive, MS.They have two sons, MSG Jo-seph H. Bankston and John W.Bankston, two grandchildren,Lily 4, and Zachary 2. Chap-lain Bankston will retire toMeridian, Mississippi.

Bankston Retirementfrom page 1from page 1from page 1from page 1from page 1

other places in the Bible.But if we get the help from

trusting the Lord that we need,we must remember our sub-ject. We must trust in the Lordwith all of our heart. Proverbs3:5 makes this very clear when

it said, "Trust in the Lord withall thine heart; and lean notunto thine own understand-ing."

IV. We Must Love the LordIV. We Must Love the LordIV. We Must Love the LordIV. We Must Love the LordIV. We Must Love the Lordwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heart

God's greatest command-ment to us is to love Him. Andthis is to be done with all of ourheart. Notice: "And thou shalt

love the Lord thy God with allthy heart, and with all thy soul,and with all thy mind, and withall thy strength: this is the firstcommandment." (Mark 12:30)

Divided affection, or half-hearted love, will not work inthe service of God. Notice thesewords of Jesus: "No man canserve two masters: for eitherhe will hate the one, and love

the other; or else he will hold tothe one, and despise the other.Ye cannot serve God and mam-mon." (Matthew 6:24) Thoughmany give their love and devo-tion to a corrupt world, and tryto be true to a Holy God at thesame time, the Bible continuesto say that it cannot be done.At the pointone is overcome with a love forthis sinful world, their love forGod waxes cold-- "And becauseiniquity shall abound, the loveof many shall wax cold." (Mat-thew 24:12) I John 2:15 saysthat a love for the world and alove for God cannot reside inthe same heart. Notice: "Lovenot the world, neither thethings that are inthe world. If

any man love the world, thelove of the Father is not inhim."

Surely worldliness is drag-ging down, and even killing,Churches today. This is surelywhy the Bible speaks of "loveunfeigned," (1I Corinthians 6:6)and pronounces a blessing onthose who "love our Lord JesusChrist in sincerity." (Ephesians6:24) Our love for the Lordshould therefore be with all ofour heart.

V. We Must Work For the LordV. We Must Work For the LordV. We Must Work For the LordV. We Must Work For the LordV. We Must Work For the Lordwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heartwith All of Our Heart

Look again at our text andnotice King Hezekiah's whole-




GMA PromoterBeth Caldwell

166 Twin Creek Rd,Lucedale, MS 39452

601-947-6011

GMA GirlsSunbeam Promoter

Linda Dertinger132 HowardHill Road,

Soso, MS 39480601-729-2908

State GMA Camp 2012State GMA Camp 2012State GMA Camp 2012State GMA Camp 2012State GMA Camp 2012Hello girls,

I'm so excited about StateGMA Camp this year! It will behere before we know it - in factthe dates are March 16-17,

2012. Our theme is “Stop,Danger Ahead” taken

from Joel 1:15.Bro. CedricLumpkin will be ourcamp pastor thisyear. We have lotsplanned for you girlsand I'm so ready to

share the fun withyou. In the last paper I

had a design of the T-shirts.They will be safety orange, andif you have not already orderedone it not too late. The T-shirtsare $12. Send your money to164 Pine Tree Drive Lucedale,Mississippi.(It's okay if youdon't have an order form justbe sure to send your name andsize in with the money.)

Remember to bring yourscrapbook and design a posterthat goes along with the theme.Also girls if you want to makethings to sell at camp pleasedo. It has truly been a blessingto grow in Christ throughGMA's. I hope each one of yougirls continue to experience theblessings of GMA's. It is veryimportant that you girls prayfor camp and I hope that youdo. Thank you and I can't waitto meet everyone of you atcamp.

Love,Olivia ErkhartFirst Vice President

National Sunbeam Report

Little OnesCan Learn

I have several Sunbeamsunder four years old, and I thrillas I watch them learn. Wehave been working on John 3:16and last night at church onemother came up to me and said,“Joseph (a three year old Sun-beam) wants to say somethingto you.” He quoted John 3:16perfectly. His mother said hehad been going around instores, or where ever he was,saying it. One two year old canalmost say it by herself, and acouple of four year olds arevery close. What a joy to teachthese precious little ones.

We have our Sunbeam classon Sunday night during regu-lar church time. We always dosome type of craft to get thechildren excited. I order a lot ofthings from Oriental Trading,and buying crafts after the holi-days is a lot cheaper and theycan be used the next year. Ihave clear boxes that I put lace,ribbons, the crafts or anythingwe might be able to use forcrafts in the classroom. I getideas from the internet, books,and other people to use for mySunbeams.

Because all my Sunbeams atthis time are so young I keepthe lessons short, and repeatthe points I want to get acrossin different ways through outthe hour we have Sunbeams.Songs of course are alwayspopular with children of allages. When they are very youngthey will learn the motions andby the time they are two theywill be singing the words (some-times). I never stop beingamazed and thrilled when theyfirst start making the motionsto songs. Sometimes it is hardto keep back the tears whenthey make the motions the firsttime. I have been working withSunbeams since 1965 and I stillget goose bumps watching littleones learn.

Please, if you work with Sun-beams or have been thinkingabout working with them, cometo the Workshops on Wednes-day and Thursday mornings atthe National GMA Retreat,June 13th and 14th at DanielSprings Camp, Gary, Texas. Ifyou can not come and you wouldlike to have some of the infor-mation we present please con-tact me at [email protected] write me at 2685 FM 2710,Lindale, TX 75771.

God bless all of you,Claudie Marie Thompson

GMA Retreat, March 16 and17, 2012, Camp Garaywa,Clinton, MS

by Beth Caldwellby Beth Caldwellby Beth Caldwellby Beth Caldwellby Beth CaldwellGMA PromoterGMA PromoterGMA PromoterGMA PromoterGMA Promoter

Hello Counselors and GMAs,Retreat time is less than four

weeks away, so I want to re-mind all of you to be sure andget your registration mailed in.Also, it is not too late to orderT-shirts. We will have a fewextra T-shirts at camp, but wemay not have your size. The T-shirt design was in the lastpaper and I hope that you sawit.

The theme for retreat is“Danger Ahead,” Joel 1:15.Remember girls, make a posterabout the theme and bring yourscrapbooks. The officershave been busy plan-ning the retreatand will havewarning signs allaround camp.

Bro. CedricLumpkin, a longtime supporter ofGMAs, will beour retreat pastor.Margaret Bean willpresent the mission lesson onFriday afternoon.

Counselors, please bringquestions with you for our coun-selors’ time on Saturday morn-ing. Mark Jones, MississippiGalilean Director, will be withus and we will discuss ways toincrease our auxiliary pro-grams/ministries.

If you do not have an orga-nized GMA please join us atRetreat and learn what it is allabout. Our young people areprecious to our churches andthey must learn about our workand missions. There is not abetter place for them to learn,than in our BMA Auxiliaries.You may contact me at 601-947-6011 or 601-766-5702 or e-mail me at [email protected].

See you on March 16,

GMA Retreat NewsGMA Retreat NewsGMA Retreat NewsGMA Retreat NewsGMA Retreat NewsGMA Camp is March 16 and

17 at Camp Garaywa inClinton. The theme is “DangerAhead”, with the theme verse

2012 State GMA Camp NewsJoel 1:15. The project is One-third to the General Fund, One-third to Nikki Prickett, andOne-third to Alicia Ramshur.We are so excited! We want asmany girls as possible to at-tend. We hope to see you there!Please contact Mrs. BethCaldwell for registration infor-mation.

With Love,Lakelan Flynt,National and State Jr. Miss

GMA

Sofilthy's Atticby Barbara White

Praise The LordAnyhow!

Note:Note:Note:Note:Note: I found this the other day in a pile of "stuff" I was goingthrough and I noticed it is from one of Harold Holifield's pro-grams.

Poor Uncle Ned went to sit down,He grunted and grunted and, my, what a frown!

"What's the matter?" asked Auntie. "Are you ailin'?""Oh," groaned Uncle Ned, "this old body's failin'."

"Hurts my hands to open a door;Got no teeth, and my gums are sore.My legs cramp, and my eyes are red;

Can't half hear, and no hair on my head.

"Can't see very well without my specs;When I turn my head, it hurts my neck.

On my arm is a great big bruise;Can hardly bend over to put on my shoes!

"Arthritis in my back, sinus in my nose,Knots on my fingers and corns on my toes.

I'm skin and bones, with my cheeks sunk in;When I close my mouth, my nose hits my chin.

"My legs ache, and my feet go to sleep-.When I move around, my joints creak.

I take cold in the slightest breeze;Those lumps are not doorknobs; they're my knees.

"Had about all the diseases you can name,Everything connected with an ache or pain.

I drag my feet across the floor;Besides all else, people say I snore.

"If there's anything more I'm supposed to take,It had better hit me quick - or 'twill be too late!

But I'm not givin' up - No-o-o-o-o, Ma'am!I just thank the good Lord I'm as well as I am!"

WOMEN’S MISSIONARWOMEN’S MISSIONARWOMEN’S MISSIONARWOMEN’S MISSIONARWOMEN’S MISSIONARY Y Y Y Y AUXILIARAUXILIARAUXILIARAUXILIARAUXILIARYYYYY

BMA OF AMERICA

2012012012012011 - 2012 PROJECT1 - 2012 PROJECT1 - 2012 PROJECT1 - 2012 PROJECT1 - 2012 PROJECT40% INTERACTIVE SELF-HELP ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PROGRAM (ISHELP)

40% HAITI RELIEF FUND15% YOUTH FUND

5% GENERAL FUND

SEND OFFERINGS FOR “PROJECT” TO

NATIONAL WMANATIONAL WMANATIONAL WMANATIONAL WMANATIONAL WMA% PAT DUNCAN

PO BOX 30HARDY, AR 72120


Mississippi W.M.A.Blinda Lee, President

77 Morrow Rd., Purvis,MS 39475601-596-3417

[email protected]

Corresponding SecretaryMrs. Shirlene Smith

730 Hwy 533, Laurel, MS 39443601-729-5638

LifePrep Resource Kit CD New and Improved

Teaching Boosters will make preparation for teaching easier than ever before for the youth teacher! Teaching Boosters are things you would normally have to make extra copies of, or signs and activi-ties you would have to make yourself. Now you can simply print them using the Life Prep Resource Kit CD. Coming the spring of 2012!

Rebecca Watts, youth editor

Missions Report FromBro. John Regueiras, Portugal

by Shirlene Smith,by Shirlene Smith,by Shirlene Smith,by Shirlene Smith,by Shirlene Smith,National WMA EditorNational WMA EditorNational WMA EditorNational WMA EditorNational WMA Editor

Bro. John Regueiras wasborn into a Christian home.Through the teachings and ex-ample of his parents, the Lordbegan to manifest Himself inthe life of their son. After aperiod of searching during hisyouth, Bro. John was savedwhen he was sixteen yearsold; he was baptized onOctober 1, 1960, at FirstBaptist Church in Lisbon,Portugal.

Bro. John gave the fol-lowing testimony of his in-volvement and associationwith the BMAA work, “I havebeen involved in the BMAAmissionary work in Portugalsince the days when Bro.Harold Morris and Bro. JackCourtney came as AmericanBMA Missionaries to Portugalin the last century. In fact, Iwas in the car with Bro.Courtney and his family whenhe had the car accident that ledto his return to the UnitedStates. At the moment of thecar accident, James Dean—then a tiny little baby—wassleeping on my lap in the backseat of the car, and Bro.Courtney has expressed manytimes his conviction that thisdetail may have been funda-mental to saving the life of thebaby. That Sunday afternoonwe were traveling to SetubalBaptist Church, where, manyyears later, I served in the pas-toral ministry.”

During his youth, Bro. Johndirected the Youth Departmentof the BMA of Portugal for sev-eral years. He promoted YouthWeeks, camps, and rallies withthe theme, “The ChristianYouth Complete” (O JovemCrente Total), which involvedthree specific spiritual stages:How to Know Christ; How toGrow in Christ; and How toCommunicate Christ to OtherKids. Those were very, veryblessed years in his life.

Bro. John was consecratedfor the pastoral ministry (or-dained) on January 10, 1981,at Morelena Baptist Church.He has pastored Morelena Bap-

tist Church and Setubal Bap-tist Church. He was serving inSetubal when Bro. John Davidand Kim Smith were in Portu-gal learning the Portugueselanguage in preparation fortheir involvement in the mis-sionary field of Cape Verde.

Serving as President of the

BMA of Portugal—PortugueseAssociation of BaptistChurches—for fourteen yearsgave Bro. John the opportu-nity of interacting among allthe churches in Portugal. Inthat leadership position, hecould provide different kindsof help to the BMA churchesthere.

Pastoring Morelena BaptistChurch at the present is only apart of his many responsibili-ties. He is also responsible forthe publication of BMAA Sun-day School materials in the Por-tuguese. These materials areused in Portugal, Angola, CapeVerde, and Guinea. One copyis sent to Brazil for them toadapt and publish for thechurches there.

Their “curriculum” for thesestudies is the same as thoseused in the BMAA churches inAmerica. Bro. John receivesthe original in English fromDiscipleGuide in Texarkana,Arkansas - he then translatesand adapts the lessons to thePortuguese speaking churches.In order to plan and publishthese materials on time, theirstudies are of necessity one yearbehind what is being studied inthe United States.

Portugal is the westernmostcountry of Europe, with a popu-lation of 11,858,764. The BMAof Portugal is actually inte-grated by twelve (12) smallchurches located from theNorth of Portugal to Lisbon,the capital area, and one mis-sion located in Maceira, Sintra,

under the responsibility ofMorelena Baptist Church.

Portugal is a very old coun-try (founded in 1143 A.D.) andthe Roman Catholic Churchhas been considered for centu-ries the “official religion of thestate.” This has resulted inpersecution of Baptist mission-aries in the past. Today thereis freedom to preach the gospeland do missionary work in Por-tugal.

Bro. John wrote these chal-lenging words, “In spite of manydifferent types of ‘crisis’ andoppositions, as you can imag-ine we believe that this is atime to continue pulling andpressing forward, standing onthe wonderful promises of ourGreat God and earnestly con-tend for the faith which wasonce delivered unto the saints.”

He continued, “Knowingthat our BMA Churchesin America are praying forus, not only encouragesand warms our hearts, butgives us also the assur-ance that our Great Godwill continue guiding andblessing our churches in

the difficult but wonderful taskof reaching the Portuguesepeople for Christ.”

Bro. John and the other pas-tors in Portugal, you are theone who encourages us inAmerica because of your stead-fast loyalty and faithfulness toGod and His work! God blessall of you in Portugal!

hearted service to the Lord.While we cannot be sure howfaithfully he cared for the ma-terial things around him, wedo know that whatever per-tained to serving the Lord,"he did it with all his heart."

Paul also had a whole-hearted dedication to theLord's work. In Romans 1:15we find him saying, "So, asmuch as in me is, I am readyto preach the gospel to youthat are at Rome also." (Ro-mans 1:15) David also tookcare of the Lord's work withall of his heart. Notice: "Now Ihave prepared with all mymight for the house of my Godthe gold for things to be madeof gold...." (1 Chronicles 29:1)If a church had this kind ofdedication to the Lord's workthroughout her membership,they would surely enjoy themighty power of God upontheir ministry.

We do have a work to bedone for the Lord. Jesus hascommissioned His Churchesto go into all of the world withthe gospel message, and topreach it to "every creature."(Mark 16:15) All that we winand baptize are to be taught toobserve whatsoever Jesus hascommanded His people to do.(Matthew 28:19, 20) The Holy

Spirit can enable us to carry onthis commission. (Acts 1:8) Andwe need to carry on the work ofthe Lord with all of our heart.

The fact that this work of theLord can determine the des-tiny of the lost, the happinessand peace of the saved, and theglory of our God should causeall of us who serve the Lord todo His work as Hezekiah did--with all of our heart.

VI. We Need To Pray With AllVI. We Need To Pray With AllVI. We Need To Pray With AllVI. We Need To Pray With AllVI. We Need To Pray With Allof Our Heartof Our Heartof Our Heartof Our Heartof Our Heart

There are a number of thingsthat can help in making ourprayers effective. A righteouslife will help one's prayers toavail more. (James 5:16; Prov-erbs 15:29) A heart free of mal-ice and ill-will can help in get-ting our prayers through.(Psalm 66:18; Mark 11:25) Agood relationship between hus-bands and wives will help ingetting an answer to prayers.(1 Peter 3:7) Faith is such avital part in getting through toGod. (Mark 11:24; James 1:5-7) But one of the most impor-tant things in making ourprayers acceptable to Godisearnestness, or whole-heartedness.

Many Scriptures promise ananswer to those who cry untoGod in Prayer. (Psalm 34:6, 15,17; 38:3; Luke 18:7, 8) When noreal need is felt and an half-hearted prayer is prayed, we




Dr. Charley Holmes Invitational Golf Tournament

The Sixth Annual Dr. Charley HolmesGolf Invitational will be held on Mon-day, April 16 at Whisper Lake CountryClub, in Madison, about 28 minutesfrom the Jackson Convention Center.Tee time is 8:30 a.m., with a ham-burger buffet provided after play. Thecost of entry is complimentary thanksto sponsors of the event. There is a 36-player limit, so register early!

To make reservations for the Semi-nary Dinner or the Golf Invitationalcontact Carol Shine at 903-586-2501 [email protected] Whisper Lake Country Club Golf Ccourse

63rd AnnualBMA of America National Meeting

April 16-18, 2012Jackson Convention Complex

Jackson, MississippiMonday Morning, April 168:30 Display/Exhibit Set-up2:30 Registration Set-up (Enrollment and Finance Committee)

Monday Evening, April 167:00 First General SessionMusic and Opening PrayerWelcome and IntroductionsSpecial MusicPresident’s Message andIntroduction of Theme “Until The End”

Tuesday Morning, April 178:00 Registration8:30 WMABrotherhood10:00 Pastors’ and Laymen’s Conference

Tuesday Afternoon, April 17(Called Meetings)1:30 Committee MeetingsMissions DepartmentBaptist Music FellowshipLifeword Media MinistriesDiscipleGuide Church ResourcesBMA SeminaryNominating CommitteeMinisters Resource ServicesMoral Action

Tuesday Afternoon, April 173:00 Second General SessionMusic and Prayer3:10 Enrollment Committee (Initial Report)Welcome Petitioning Churches & Seat Their Messengers3:20 Proposed Changes to the Constitution3:45 Nominees for Nominating Committee3:50 Clerk’s Report4:00 BMA Seminary4:30 Miscellaneous Business5:00 Prayer/Adjourn5:30 Seminary Dinner

Tuesday Evening, April 177:00 Third General SessionMusic and PrayerAnnual Message George ReddinPrayer/Adjourn

Wednesday Morning, April 188:30 Fourth General SessionMusic and Prayer8:45 Nominating Committee Report9:05 DiscipleGuide Church Resources9:35 Brotherhood Report9:45 WMA Report9:55 Moral Action10:25 Master’s Builders Report10:35 Coordinating Council Report10:55 Baptist Music Fellowship11:05 Vote on Constitutional ChangesMiscellaneous BusinessPrayer/Adjourn

Wednesday Afternoon, April 182:00 Fifth General SessionMusic and Prayer2:15 Final Nominating Committee Report2:25 Minute and Clerk Hire2:35 Election of OfficersElection of Annual Speaker3:00 Lifeword Media Ministries3:30 Committee On Arrangements3:45 Ministers Resource Services4:15 Revolving Loan Fund Report4:20 Election of Missions Advisory Committee Members4:30 Final Enrollment Committee Report4:40 Prayer/Adjourn

Wednesday Evening, April 187:00 Sixth General SessionMusic and Prayer7:15 Missions DepartmentMissionary Commissioning Service9:00 Closing Prayer

Enrollment Committee ScheduleMonday 2:00-4:00 p.m.6:00-7:00 p.m. and 30 minutes after sessionTuesday 8:30-9:00 a.m.2:00-3:00 p.m.6:30-7:00 p.m. and 30 minutes after sessionWednesday 8:00-8:30 a.m.

Jackson, Mississippi Convention Center

National Brotherhood Project ReminderAttention men! Time is running out to support the National

Brotherhood project for 2011-2012.The project for this year is 25% Galileans; 10% General

Fund, and 65% ISHELP (International Self-Help EnglishLearning Program).

Send your offerings to Treasurer Robert Bynum, 43 BearPen Rd.,Laurel, MS 39443.

All our men are encouraged to attend the National Broth-erhood meeting on Tuesday morning, April 17, 2012, at 8:30,duirng the BMA of America National Meeting at the JacksonConvention Complex, Jackson, Mississippi.

Bro. Arthur Smith, Editor/PromoterNational Brotherhood of the BMAA

normally do not get very far inour praying. But when we getdesperate and cry out of greatneed, help will often timescome. I do fearthat much ofwhat we call prayer is tooempty of earnestness torightly be called prayer, andtherefore comes short of thehelp we ask for. Help will verylikely be on the way when weseek God with all of our heart.This is about the way the Lordsaid it. Notice: "And ye shallseek me, and find me, when yeshall search for me with allyour heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

If there is one verse of Scrip-ture that would put this wholemessage in one sentence, itcould be Colossians 3:23. Readit over a few times and noticecarefully each word: "Andwhatsoever ye do, do it heart-ily, as to the Lord, and notunto men;"

I trust this little messagehas brought you to the placewhere you will sincerely praywith the Psalmist, "Give meunderstanding, and I shallkeep thy law; yea, I shall ob-serve it with my whole heart."(Psalms 119:34)


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