MISSIONS & MINISTRYBlue River-Kansas City Baptist Association

Vol. 32, No. 12 Visit us at www.blueriver-kansascity.org E-mail: jenniferh@kcbaptist.org December 1, 2013

“We envision a network of healthy Baptist churches

partnering together to transform lives and

communities through the power of the Gospel of Jesus

Christ at home, in North America

and around the world.”

November 6 was a night many months in the making for BR-KC church LifeConnection, located in Independence, MO.

“Doubt Night” signs were posted in the yards of dozens of local churches who were supporting this unique outreach to the community. In an effort to reach people who were curious about God but not yet comfortable (or even resistant to) attending a local church, LifeConnection hosted “Doubt Night”, featuring a public forum setting with Campus Minister Carson Conover as moderator, and pastor Jason Allen along with MBC Collegiate Regional Coordinator Dr. Bill Victor as the Q&A panel. Held in the Truman Memorial Auditorium, audience members had the opportunity to submit questions through doubtnight.com, or could publically ask or text questions during the event.

The hour long event was the culmination of weeks of preparation and grassroots marketing. LifeConnection pastors spent the preceding weeks preaching through a series entitled “Doubting your Doubts”, covering some of the tough questions of faith. Church members and attenders where challenged to invite friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers to the event, as well as placing door hangers in local neighborhoods.Between 60-75 people not affiliated with LifeConnection attended the event. 10 of those signed up for a follow-up course titled “Alpha”, which meets weekly at the LifeConnection multi-purpose space on the historic Independence Square, to tackle many of these same questions of faith. Many more indicated they wanted more information about the church.

In This Issue:2Old Church/New LifeBaptist Builders Vancouver Partnership

3DOM Report Campus Ministry Disaster Relief

4

Church News CalendarFinances

BR-KC Baptists

BR-KC_Baptist

Three Big Events for January

Church Reaches Community with “Doubt Night”

2014 will be kicking off in a big way in BR-KC as three events are being hosted for Association churches.January 17th Pastor/Staff/Spouse Appreciation Banquet, FBC Raytown 7 p.m.The first event is our annual Pastor/Staff/Spouse appreciation banquet, a great evening of entertainment and fellowship. Our host this year is the First Baptist Church of Raytown.This banquet is for all BR-KC pastors, staff and their spouses. It begins at 7 p.m. and the cost is $5 per person. Call Jennifer at 795-1822 to make reservations.

January 18th Human Trafficking Fundraiser, Heart of Life in Lees Summit 7 p.m.The second event is a fundraiser for the BR-KC efforts to assist victims of human trafficking in Kansas City.In July Director Hammer shared at the Executive Board Meeting the needs in our city and the efforts in place to help these women and children.Come join us as we seek to be salt and light to “the least of these”.January 19th Horn of Africa Fundraiser, Noland Road Baptist 6 p.m.As a part of our ongoing ministry to refugees in the Mai Ayni Refugee Camp

in the Horn of Africa, BR-KC has taken on the task of assisting in the building of a library for children. Come help us raise the funds needed to help these precious children of the

Lord.The entertainment for all three events will be provided by Lyndy Phillips, comedian, illusionist, and pastor.Since high school

and college, Lyndy has been helping people laugh, hope and believe again by sharing truth using humor, slight-of-hand illusions, comedic storytelling and creative visual illustrations.Visit blueriver-kansascity.org to register!

Merry Christmas from the staff atBR-KC Baptist Association

Page 2 BR-KC Baptist Association News

Blue River-Kansas CityBaptist Association News

Chad Smith, EditorVol. 32 No. 12 December, 2013

(USPS 058-960)Published monthly for $1.00 per year

by Blue River-Kansas CityBaptist Association

4041 NE Lakewood Way, Suite 260Lee’s Summit, MO 64064

816-795-1822Periodicals postage paid at

Lee’s Summit, MOPOSTMASTER: Send address changes to

BR-KC Baptist Association, 4041 NE Lakewood WaySuite 260, Lee’s Summit, MO 64064

Dr. Rodney Hammer .......................... Executive DirectorJennifer Hutton .......................Administrative AssistantGregg Boll .............................................Associate DirectorLuis Mendoza ..............Multi-cultural Church StrategistTravis Hamm ............................................Student MinisterCarson Conover ......................................Student MinisterAndrew Huesing ......................................... People TeamsChad Smith_____________Communications Assistant

Vancouver PartnershipAs the Association continues its partnership with the WestCoast Baptist Association in Vancouver, British Columbia, we continue to look for churches

that are willing to partner with church planters in the Coquitlam area of Vancouver. Chane Hutton serves as our Associational Advocate for the Coquitlam area and he leads Vision Tours there twice a year. The next Vision Tour is scheduled for March 10 -12, 2014. This is a great time to get to meet the church planters in Vancouver. If you would like to find out more before committing to a vision trip, Chane would be happy to speak to your church group and answer any questions you have. Contact Chane at 816-550-0513 to schedule a time for him to speak.

The following is a letter received by a BR-KC pastor expressing the impact that the Missouri Baptist Builders has had on his church.

“My name is Anthony Andrews. I am the Pastor of Church of Faith International of Kansas City, MO. I wanted to take a moment and share my experience with the Missouri Baptist Builders. Words can’t fully state the way I feel about Leighton and the entire crew of the Missouri Baptist Builders. Our church is a young African American church plant started October 2005 with 3 people. In our first year we moved 5 times attempting to secure a stable location. In the fall of 2006 we rented space at another MBC church and stayed there for 5+ years. While in our nomadic stage, we had been saving and praying to find a place to call our own in the neighborhood the Lord wanted us in. We went after about 6 different properties and all of them did not pan out. One day I stood in the parking lot of the last church that did not work out for us and I cried out unto the Lord for help. The Lord told me to look and see our new church. I turned around and saw the old Southeast Community Center. This building had been vacant for several years and was being considered for demolition. There was only one big problem, we did not have the full amount of money or skill to complete the rehab and make the building viable. I spoke with my Director of Missions, Dr. Rodney Hammer with the Blue River-Kansas City Baptist Association, who not only prayed for our church, but donated the first $10,000.00 to our building project. Dr. Hammer helped to get our church and the Missouri Baptist Builders connected. Though I was a little nervous about the call I needed to make, in faith the Lord led me to contact Leighton Clemons and the Missouri Baptist Builders. When I spoke to Leighton he was out of town serving at a catastrophe

Baptist BuildersPublished On November 6, 2013; By Contributing Writer Bethany Bashioum/Democrat Missourian, printed with permission MBC The Pathway

HARRISONVILLE – He’s a man on a mission.Pleasant Ridge Church senior pastor Malachi O’Brien, 30, wants new life to be breathed through his rural Harrisonville congregation.The gathering is the second-oldest church in the area with ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.“I want to be at a place where God works and is changing lives,” he says.The church recently celebrated it’s 145th anniversary on Sept. 15, but the journey hasn’t been easy, O’Brien said.In the last 145 years, the rural congregation has seen 47 pastors come in and out of their doors.There have been splits, threats and hurt feelings over the years, but O’Brien, who is in his second year of ministry at Pleasant Ridge, is Kingdom-focused.“We’re experiencing some of the highest numerical numbers as a church that they’ve had in the last 20 years,” he said. “We’ve seen more people make professions of faith, baptisms and joining in the last two years than in the last 15 years combined.”When he first arrived to Pleasant Ridge in June 2011, O’Brien reported that weekly attendance averaged about 40 people.At that time, about 70 percent of his congregation were 60 years and older. The walls were painted a dull white. Hymnals from the 1950s were still scattered throughout the church.Youth and children ministries were nearly non-existent.Today, it’s a much different story.The walls are brightly-painted. The clutter from past decades is gone. The music is a little bit hipper. And technology is reshaping how the church operates.“Even the way we govern ourselves has changed,” O’Brien said.As a result, church attendance in the last two years has tripled and

Old Church Celebrates New Life During Anniversary

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cont’d page 4

BR-KC Baptist Association News Page 3From Your Executive Director

Can you pray for our students and faculty?Our plans for Doubt Night & Alpha have provided such a helpful opportunity for me to initiate spiritual conversations with students and faculty at both Blue River and Longview Community Colleges. I wanted to take a moment to share how God has been working and to ask for you to pray for these individuals.At one of the local community colleges I recently set up a table with a cooler full of free sodas or hot chocolate and a presentation board inviting people to share their opinions about various spiritual questions. One afternoon a young lady stopped by to inquire about Doubt Night and to participate in the discussion. She explained that she grew up with baptist and pentecostal influences. She later converted to a different world religion during her college experience at a large regional university through the impact of a philosophy course and a group of friends with eclectic religious beliefs.Our conversation eventually settled on the claims of Christ. She sees Jesus as simply a good religious leader. I shared our conviction that He claimed divinity. Long story short, I invited her to visit LifeConnection. Last week she did! Check out her comments about her experience with us:Hi Carson; I had a great time yesterday. The band was like being at a concert but spiritual. All the people were welcoming, even the young children and the environment felt warm and welcoming.See you on campus or perhaps at the first Doubt night. May God bless you and your family. Give my regards to your wife.Please pray for this young lady’s salvation—that God would draw her to Himself and open her eyes to see Jesus for who He truly is.

Campus Ministry By Carson Conover

Dear Partners in Mission,Now that the sale of the Mission Center is complete, the Finance and Administrative Committees have begun the task of finalizing the Vision 2020 Grant process. Beginning in 2014, funds will be made available each quarter to be spent on missions and ministry projects that would enhance our abilities to serve churches and expand the Kingdom.Below is the timetable for 2014 which includes application deadlines and review dates.Quarter 1: Deadline for submission January 8 Administrative and Finance Committee Review by February 12Ministry Teams Review and Approval February 13Grant Checks written February 19Quarter 2:Deadline for Submission April 2Administrative and Finance Committee Review by April 9Ministry Teams Review and Approval April 10Grant Checks written April 16Quarter 3:Deadline for Submission August 6Administration and Finance Committee Review by August 13Ministry Teams Review and Approval September 11Grant Checks written September 17Quarter 4:Deadline for Submission October 1Administration and Finance Committee Review by October 8Ministry Teams Review and Approval October 9Grant Checks written October 15 Grants can be requested by BR-KC churches, church plants, associational personnel, and ministry teams to expand missions, ministry and provide assistance to our churches that are consistent with the Vision 2020 strategy previously adopted by the Association. For a detailed explanation of the Spending and Investment Plan, visit our website.Grant applications are available by contacting our office at 816-795-1822 or by going online to www.blueriver-kansascity.org and clicking on “Resources/Vision 2020”.We are excited about the provisions God has given and look forward to seeing what His resources can accomplish in and through our churches.

The Disaster Relief crew has been busy this fall! In August they removed some

limbs off a roof in Kansas City, KS for a ministry called Adelante Mission. In October they assisted an elderly couple who had a tree fall on their house in Martin City. Team member John Brewer spent a week in Colorado with a chainsaw crew from Spring River BA. He started out doing chainsaw work and ended up digging mud out of homes. John reports they worked on a home that had 5 feet of silt and mud. Please pray for this crew as they work in areas that are in dire need and serve those who are hurting due to tragedy.

Disaster Relief Report

Page 4 BR-KC Baptist Association News

South Kansas City Baptist church is now operating as Cedar Creek Community Church and will be meeting at Cedar Creek Elementary School in Lee’s Summit on Sunday mornings.Calvary Baptist Church of Blue Springs is hosting Gospel Music from several different individuals and groups December 31, 6 p.m. to midnight. They will break at 8:00 pm for refreshments and fellowship, then continue the evening with music and conclude with 2013 & 2014 testimony and prayer period. Contact (816) 228-5540 for more infoOakwood Baptist in Kansas City is searching for a Part-Time Minister of Music. Please send resumes to steve@obckc.com.Blue Summit Baptist Church in Kansas City, has just called Charles Beeghley to be their new pastor. Pastor Beeghley lives in the Northland with his wife Tammy.The Missouri Baptist Convention’s 2014 State Evangelism-Discipleship Conference is being held in Springfield on January 27th and 28th. This year’s conference is called Sowing in Tears. To register, go to www.mobaptist.org/sowing or call the Evangelism-Discipleship office at 1-800-736-6227 x319.Forest Avenue Family Shelter is holding their “Christmas to Remember” Celebration Dec. 14. It is not too late to volunteer to help in the FAFS Community Christmas Celebration. There will be a musical presentation, a gospel message and a free meal. Between 750 and 1,000 people are served each year. Call 816-753-4753 and talk with Elouise if you are interested in helping. Also check out their website (forestavenuefamilyshelter.org) for more info.

CalendarDecember

5 E3, Faith Harrisonville 11 Finance Committee12 Ministry Teams19 E3, Palabra Viva Kansas City23-Jan 1 Office Closed

January1 Office Closed 9 Ministry Teams17 Pastor Appreciation Banquet18 Human Trafficking Fundraiser19 Horn of Africa Fundraiser20 Office Closed23 Executive Board Meeting

Periodical

Receipts from churches $35,198.80 $347,370.59 Other Income $8.65 $118.93 Total $35,207.45 $347,489.52 Less Expenses ($35,393.34) ($349,143.90) Balance as of October 31, 2013 ($185.89) ($1,654.38) Budget $424,904.00 Annual $35,408.67 Monthly $354,086.70 Budget Receipts + other income $347,489.52 Receipts compared to budget 98% ($6,597.18)

October Financial Report

Current Month Year-to-Date

News from the Churches

Old Church Celebratescont’d from page 2

and he said he would contact me when he made it back to town. I will never forget that day. Leighton pulled up in a big truck, shook my hand and said he was here to serve the Lord and help churches that needed assistance. We walked the building and Leighton said he could get us in the building and ready to have worship services. YES, the Lord had once again answered our prayers. To sum it up I have made a friend with Leighton Clemons and the Baptist Builders that I will cherish for the rest of my life. We are now in the building, saving souls, baptizing people, discipling people, serving the community, and being “light” in a dark world.”

Baptist Builders cont’d from page 2

the demographics have shifted, too. O’Brien now estimates that about 70 percent of his congregation are about 40 years old and younger.Pleasant Ridge also now offers vibrant nursery, children and youth ministries.

“There’s a big emphasis in the Southern Baptist Convention for church revitalization, for new life breathed back into them,” said O’Brien, who is also working on a doctorate in church revitalization.O’Brien says his church is a community of repenting sinners.

“I tell them that this isn’t a church for everybody,” he said. “This is not a club…We’re an army. This is not a cruise ship…this is a battleship.”