Southern Baptist M- MARCH 18, 1976
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^DIVL datlfornla Southern Baptist M- MARCH 18, 1976 Life Commit inent Month ... April located in a community of 106,000 Americans Our next step was a real faith who are serving in the American military in Our church voted to start a Su H ^ West Germany. Would you print in your March to staff it with some of nn, _ ay ^ issue the need of our church? uur most f • Our church is one of 41 Southern trained workers. What a hole w Baptist-oriented churches in Europe. We have would leave in our staff, but v/ ^ an English-speaking church in almost every to do it. We started'the fil „ -, country served by the American military. We November in the elementary scho • consider ourselves to be fraternally related to with what the staff considered a dL ^ twelve (including workers). 1SaPPu^ the SBC since all of our pastors are from SBC Well, the bottom line is h churches in America, and our Executive t at second Sunday in February the n " *' Secretary is a Missionary under appointment to the mission, James Baker, is n th ?** the Foreign Mission Board. 0 was greeted at the mission by 49 exl '** I We have a resident membership of over 300. youths, children, and pre-schoolets 11~ ** Bob Gierhart, student at Golden Gate Our Sunday School enrolment is about 500 our original six workers). ""^ Seminary, gave his testimony and led in prayer with an average attendance of 375. Our youth during the recent Student Missions Conference One person was especially happy L held at the seminary. Photo by Dan Shay, program involves at the present time almost the new pastor. She's a little lady whol* Fresno. 100 7-12th graders. We operate a full-time the mission Bible teaching work JL u Montessori pre-school and kindergarten with an Christ and baptized at Michigan Height, enrolment of 80 and a faculty of five. In the 6"U»t Sabbath Day or Lord's Day? first convert and member of the 1^ A letter to the editor stated that Christians near future we will open a day care center for Mission. must observe the Sabbath day worship else they working mothers and expect to enroll about 80 I hope and pray others will see beyo were guilty of breaking the Ten children. We have a full church program. Our local situations to people who Commandments. Granted, the Sabbath is on church is completely self-supporting with an missions, may never hear the gospel of ft, Saturday, but that is not necessarily the Lord's annual budget of $93,000.00. My thanks to Bill Bell and the Fresw Day. In fact, to the contrary, Sunday was the It is very difficult for us to find additional for challenging us to see 1006 in 76. observed day of worship for the early Christians staff members since we are so far from the Rod Murcray, Pastor long before Constantine or anyone else so source. I will be in the United States from Michigan Heights Baptist, |od ordered. March 15 until June 10, 1976. I would like to Scripture attests to a first day of the week interview possible candidates. Interested worship experience for early Christians. John individuals should send a complete resume, No Issue Next Week 20:1 says that Jesus arose on the first day. He including personal references, to 1790 Atlas There will be no issue of The Gfe met his disciples on the first day of the week Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38108, or I can be Southern Baptist datelined March 2$, I1 after His resurrection, Luke 24:13-31; John reached at telephone number (901) 386-7972. The next issue will be dated April 1, \91-~ 20:19, John 20:26. The Holy Spirit descended Any help that you can give us in this regard The California Southern Baptist is on the church on the first day to give life to the would be deeply appreciated. 48 issues each year, omitting one each r New Testament church. Acts 20:7 relates that Robert C. Ferguson, Pastor months of March, August, Novembft the New Testament Church met for worship on December. the first day. A spiritual revelation was made to Foreign Missions and John on the Lord's Day, the first day of the January Bible Study week. Baptist churches in the Philippines are C7&: (Zulfoima The early church fathers spoke of the first requesting surplus 1976 January Bible Study day: Didache: (A.D.) 70-75) On the Lord's Day materials to be used overseas in January of Youthen gather yourselves together, break bread and give 1977. thanks. If your church or its members would like to Baptist Barnabas (A.D. 74) Wherefore, we rejoice to share in this mission project, you may send keep the Lord's Day-the day Jesus arose. study course books, maps, filmstrips, etc., Published 48 weeks each year omitting «» > directly. Mark all packages "USED BOOKS," or months of March, August. November and ! Ignatius (A.D. 110) We no longer walk in Southern Baptist General Convention of CSB^' "USED EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR the ancient practice of observing the Sabbath, P. O. Box 5168. Fresno, Californi»| RELIGIOUS USE ONLY." Send surface mail. ELMER L. GRAY, Editor | but fashion our lives after the Lord's Day. Polly Anna McNabb. Associate E Justin Martyr (A.D. 138) On the day called Send to: Todd Hamilton, Church Growth Office, Philippine Baptist Mission, 2444 Taft The California Southern Baptist is a nteroher 0 Sunday, we gather. Press News Service of The Southern Bapti* < Avenue, Malate, Manila, Philippines 2801. Irenaeus (A.D. 178) The Lord's resurrection Individual Subscript lon- .$3.65|W1 Church Budgets-23 cents per ««* cannot be practiced except on the Lord's Day. A letter of thanks acknowledging receipt of printed by The Lord's day became the day of worship materials will be sent to each donor. Todd C. Hamilton California Baptist Press, Fresno,Of for the early church-begun by the Lord Second-crass Postage Paid at Fresrn>.< himself. Let none accuse the Lord of breaking Thanks for Challenge DIRECTORY the commandments. Paul says in Colossians Just a note to share one of the greatest THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST GENERAL «*MVEHT^Lrf , et t. SH.W, "•«•*„, 2:16-17, Let no man therefore judge you in experiences of my life. n Phon«e Ar,. C«*> 2» • £«ecotw«°V~ a respect to meat, drink, of an holyday, or of the ROBERTO HUGHES... Cool*'*'*? At the convention a year ago we were RALPH E. LONGSHORE sabbath: which are a shadow of things to come; challenged with the 1006 in '76 project. I RICHARD KAV . DAVID C OGLESBV .". but the body is of Christ. The New Testament returned to my church determined to lead our DOUGLASSUESS . WENDELL FOSS does not teach the keeping of the day of people towards establishing one church type E J COMBS . R L PATTlLLO.JR worship on the Sabbath. mission. JACOB O.GURLEY, JR CONCEPCIONPA01LLA. John B. Tompkins About January, 1975 we formed a Missions EDO L. BROWN •.•'.•'. JACK O'NEAl, Loo mis Committee to investigate the possibilities of VALTON L. PRINCE ..:-: • OARRELL AOCOCK:.:.•';' starting a mission in a city to the south of us LOUISE SCOTT Church in West Germany RONALD CHANOLER . (Lathrop). B E PITTS -.- DUANE BARRETT . Needs Youth-Music Minister The process, although slow, was deliberate. HARRY D WILLIAMS, JR ROBERT & LEWIS ~~. I am writing this letter to solicit your help. We started by driving through the area and R A WILLIAMS Our church is seeking a person to fill the simply asking people if they felt that a church position of Youth and Music Minister. We are was needed. VOL. 35 ears, but help in developing what's between sts Urged to Recall them," Schreiber said. "We need to come together as human beings with the same goals, same needs, same desires as 0f Ethnics in America you," Schreiber added, "for that is what we Role But as. Christianity developed, Larson said, are: human beings." by Everett Hullum TON D.C (BW-A Southern Christians began tribalizing themselves, thereby Participants learned that more than 700 »xSHI, missions leader declared here losing the power "to create, through SBC churches now offer sign language ^celebrating its 200th birthday reconciliation, a reunion of the human family." ministries and that there are at least seven .Sung the significant role of ethnic Larson called for Christians to develop a all-deaf SBC congregations with their own "deeper homogeneity" based on Scriptures full-time pastors. -Hits history- and "that allows diversity" and returns to the Despite rapidly growing language missions, . biggest mistake Americans- our Christian belief that "the Kingdom of God admitted Romo, "Baptists are not Baptists-could make in "° hi is to forget that God created the transcends the interests and activities of any communicating across barriers" as they should. ^ethnics created the United States," one tribe—it has species-wide significance." "We are adding over 100 new ethnic units Calls for understanding amid diversity, in per year to the convention," Romo said, "but ""director of the Home Mission fact, echoed throughout the conference. we need to form 5,000 new congregations in •^department of language missions, spoke Carter Bearden, Home Mission Board the next 25 years just to stay even with than 100 language missions leaders language consultant for the deaf, issued a plea population growth." aoss the Southern Baptist Convention that Southern Baptists understand that deaf Romo urged the language missions leaders E the 19th annual Language Missions people need to participate in all areas of Baptist to develop new techniques for reaching ethnics adnship Conference.