It is a privilege to travel across Kentucky and meet so many Kentucky Baptists. We are very diverse in many ways, but committed to the word of God and cooperation in missions and evangelism.
My wife, Kay, and I traveled to the eastern and western parts of the commonwealth on six different occasions in September. I spoke at seven churches and association meetings as well as at a missionary retreat. I also attended the
Kentucky Baptist Foundation meeting at
Clear Creek Baptist Bible College.
One of the association meetings we attended was the 50th anniversary of the Pike Baptist Association at the
First Baptist Church of Pikeville. Former directors of missions Robert “Bob” Jones and Carl Boyd shared how God had blessed over the years. The music, food, messages and reports were outstanding.
It was also a special privilege to speak during the homecoming celebration of Premium Baptist Church in Letcher County. From its beginning as a Sunday school mission with about 20 boys and girls, the church has grown to about 350 resident members. David H. Banks was used by God in the development and growth of the church and Doc Frasier has continued that growth and development.
About 65 missionaries were present for the missionary retreat at
Mammoth Cave Hotel.
Geoff Hammond, president of the
North American Mission Board, and
Bill Henard, dually serving as
Kentucky Baptist Convention president and first vice president of the
Southern Baptist Convention, were speakers along with myself. We are grateful to Eric Allen,
KBC Mission Service and Ministries Department director, for his leadership in support of KBC missionaries, which include 149
Mission Service Corps missionaries.
It was also a privilege to be present for homecoming at South First Street Baptist Church in Mayfield. Pastor David Key and the church had a Saturday night dinner followed by a service of music. God moved in a wonderful way with several persons coming to the altar and two persons requesting membership.
I also enjoyed speaking at the Pilot Oak Baptist Church of Water Valley in the
Graves County Association. Pastor Jimmy Brown has launched a “Comeback Church” emphasis there. A young boy asked to share before he was baptized. He thanked the church for loving him and helping him to come to Jesus Christ.
In addition, it was a very special privilege to be present for the 120th annual meeting of the
Ohio Valley Baptist Association at the First Baptist Church of Uniontown. The program featured Bill Smithwick from
Sunrise Children’s Services along with Jerrell White who spoke about Job Corps ministries. We also enjoyed inspirational music, great food and fellowship, and the doctrinal and annual sermons.
I praise God for the common commitment to God’s word and the cooperation in missions and evangelism among KBC churches!
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posted by: Dr. Bill Mackey on October 7th, 2008
God blessed in an incredible way during the recent
Taylor County “Go Tell” Crusade with evangelist
Rick Gage. James Jones, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and chairman for the crusade, reported 393 professions of faith and 170 rededications.
The report included 160 professions of faith from the campus of
Campbellsville University. President Michael Carter reported that 120 first-time decisions came during a special freshman orientation called “First Class” and that another 40 came during the chapel service on Wednesday.
Carter says about half of Campbellsville students are not Christians when they arrive on campus. Praise God that the percentage has changed dramatically for the current freshman class!
It has been my observation that when God moves in this kind of dramatic way, the participants are impacted for a lifetime. There is a new spiritual benchmark in their lives and they continue to pray for God to keep bringing revival.
I also believe that God has only just begun to work in the lives of these participants. If revival history is repeated, a significant number of these students will respond to the call of God to vocational Christian ministry and missions.
During Wednesday youth night, there were 132 professions of faith. Attendance exceeded 3,500, marking the largest Christian gathering in the history of Taylor County.
In the past when God has provided revival, participants have shared their testimonies and the revival has spread to churches and youth groups. I pray that this will be true in this case as well.
Crusade Co-chair Skip Alexander, pastor of
Campbellsville Baptist Church, was mindful of the fact that Kentucky Baptists had just gathered in churches all over Kentucky to pray
“With One Voice” for God to send revival and spiritual awakening. We should not be surprised that God has blessed!
As Kentucky Baptists, let us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and pray especially for the new believers at Campbellsville University and in the rest of Taylor County. Pray also for those who are following up to disciple these new and renewed Christians.
Many believe that God may send revival through a younger generation that is desperate for Him. If the economic environment continues to decline, it may be that other generations will become desperate for God as well.
During this very critical time in the history of our nation, we all have an opportunity to seek the Lord in the spirit of II Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
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posted by: Dr. Bill Mackey on September 30th, 2008
In
2 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul commended the churches of Macedonia for their generous giving, in part because he considered their generosity a great inspiration for other churches.
First Baptist Church, Kuttawa, is an inspirational church for the same reason.
I was recently privileged to speak at the church’s 125th anniversary celebration that also featured a historical display, a meal for everyone and guest musicians. It was a wonderful time of celebrating the ways that God is working through this vital body of believers.
The church gives 18 percent of its undesignated receipts (a total of $55,091 this past year) to support missions through the
Cooperative Program. Since the Cooperative Program began in 1925, the church has given more than $666,000 with 44 percent of that having been given in the last seven years.
Undesignated receipts have grown by 93 percent during the same seven-year period. This has enabled the church to construct a multipurpose building for worship and activities. The members helped to finish the interior of the gym, kitchen and classrooms and had the facility completely paid for within a few weeks of its completion.
The church is now looking to future growth. The members are currently conducting research and praying about the Lord’s will concerning the construction of a new sanctuary.
The church has also been generous of its own members. During my visit, I learned that First Baptist has had two of its pastors receive God’s call to international missions. The church also has six of its couples that are active
Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers.
First Baptist is having a tremendous impact on its local community. Under the leadership of Pastor Carl Nelson, the church has grown in Sunday school attendance (126 average) and worship attendance (175 average). Nelson and his wife, Pam, have served at the church for seven years and God has blessed in so many ways.
More than 50 youth attend the Wednesday night and Sunday youth activities. The youth minister, Randy Wright, is part-time but has an active ministry. His home is very near the high school so his wife prepares breakfast for students on Thursday morning before school so the students can meet for prayer and Bible study.
The Bible study came about at the students’ request. It was gratifying to see the church’s youth seated down front on the Sunday I attended.
Music Director Bill Allen works with children and preschoolers and has served for about eight years.
I pray that the example of the First Baptist Church of Kuttawa will encourage and inspire other church members to support their church and missions joyfully and generously!
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posted by: Dr. Bill Mackey on September 23rd, 2008
My wife, Kay, and I recently had the privilege of being present for the 78th anniversary and homecoming of the First Baptist Church of Cannonsburg, a giving church focused on missions. It was an exciting day as a congregation of nearly 240 witnessed two decisions for Christ as well as see two adults and two teens being baptized during the service.
Through the leadership of Pastor Stan Williams, church leaders, and part-time staff, the church has grown by 77 percent in worship attendance, by 173 percent in Sunday school attendance, and by 190 percent in undesignated receipts over the past 10 years.
Williams, who has served the church for 21 years, places emphasis on lifting up Jesus Christ in his preaching and leadership. He says it has been a blessing to see young people who grew up in the church become leaders.
The church has considered going to two worship services and will soon add Sunday school space to accommodate growth. An offering of more than $18,500 was received for the building fund the day I was there.
It has actually not been that long since the church built new facilities. When the church voted to build in 2000, members voted the same night to increase
Cooperative Program giving by 1 percent each year for three years. Missions giving increased and the building was paid off by 2006.
The 2000 educational building has a large youth center upstairs, some Sunday school rooms, kitchen and a half-size gym, which also serves as fellowship hall.
The church now contributes 15 percent of undesignated gifts to missions through the Cooperative Program, exceeding $30,000 each year. The significance of this decision is that 60 percent of the church’s total gifts to CP since 1925 have been given in the past eleven years.
The church is also strong in supporting all of the missions offerings.
International Mission Board missionaries Mark and Susan Hatfield have ties to First Baptist and inspire church members.
The church has been very involved in partnership missions in Russia, South America, Africa and other places. The church even financed and constructed a church building in Marmont, Haiti.
Cannonsburg FBC is also strong in its support of Greenup Baptist Association ministries and Williams has been very active on association, state convention and
KBC Mission Board committees.
He is also very interested in Kentucky Baptist history and has become a founding member of The J. H. Spencer Historical Society.
I am grateful for pastors like Stan Williams and for churches like the First Baptist Church of Cannonsburg who are so strongly focused on global missions and reaching their local area for Christ and His church!
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posted by: Dr. Bill Mackey on September 16th, 2008
This is the time of year when many Baptist associations in Kentucky are having annual meetings. These meetings are wonderful times to fellowship with other believers, learn about Baptist missions and ministries, be inspired by testimonies of those who are involved in life changing ministries, worship together and renew the vision for reaching people for Christ.
I believe associations are essential in Baptist life and worthy of our involvement. They are the denominational entity that is closest to the local church and most strategies are conducted in close partnership with local associations.
Associations are important because they can work with churches in meeting local needs that one church might not be able to meet on its own. Churches working together can accomplish all that God blesses.
The local association director of missions is often the one person who is most aware of the needs of local pastors and churches. He is generally in the best position to recommend local,
Kentucky Baptist Convention,
Southern Baptist Convention, or other resources that will meet those needs.
Associations provide great support for world missions by encouraging churches to support the missions offerings and the
Cooperative Program. Associations regularly conduct “On Mission Celebrations,” which brings missions and missionaries to local churches. KBC institutions and agencies also look to the associations to assist in promoting their ministries among the churches.
Another important function of the association is the collection of data for the Annual Church Profile. The association forwards information provided by the churches to the state convention and
LifeWay Christian Resources. This vital data helps the association, state convention and SBC determine the best ways to meet needs in the churches.
Associations also provide training for church leaders. One of the most popular events is the associational vacation Bible school clinic led by local leaders who have received training through the state convention. More than 350 workers are needed to conduct these VBS clinics each year.
Church planting is a key to reaching unreached people groups, especially Hispanics, other ethnic groups, and generational groups. Associations play a key role in identifying these groups and determining the best locations for new churches.
The focus on evangelism is essential in the local association. The
Glenmary Research Center has revealed that 41 counties in Kentucky are 70 percent unreached for Christ. Only 33.5 percent of the people in Kentucky are church members and only 12.1 percent attend on average.
The
North American Mission Board has a plan for “saturation evangelism” to get the Gospel into every home in America. This emphasis would not be possible without local associations.
I am grateful for all of our Kentucky associations and pray for their work daily. Please join me in that and plan to be involved in your local association!
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posted by: Dr. Bill Mackey on September 9th, 2008