August 6, 1987
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Ouachita Baptist University Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine, 1985-1989 Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine 8-6-1987 August 6, 1987 Arkansas Baptist State Convention Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/arbn_85-89 Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the Mass Communication Commons Land of Lottie Moon Arkansas Q3ptist. In This Issue Cover Story Brazilian Seminary A Debt To Pay Head ~amed CARACAS, Venezuela-Missionaries Mike and Debi Rogers invited Yuri and Norelis, BELEM, Brazil-Southern Baptist mis friends in Venezuela, to a home Bible study. sionary Onnan Gwynn has been elected During their contacts the missionaries piesidc:nt of the Equatorial Brazil Baptist discovered that Yurt's business was on the Theological Seminary in Be1em. He point of coUapse. In fact, he had to close replaces Southern Baptist missionary Loyd his business the day after he accepted Moon, who W2S president for 15 years. Christ as his personal Savior. Moon wUl continue teaching :u the With debts unpaid and with a wife and seminary. Gwynn and his wife. EHZ2bcth , two small children, It looked a.s if Yuri were appointed to Brazil in 1964. would have to leave Caracas and t2ke his A8N photo/MlllleGIII family to live with Norelis ' parents. But Bringing Them In Yuri decided to t2lk with a suppller to A Missions Flavor ...... 8-9 whom he owed money. He explained his Scores of youth enjoy camping ex WPEI, llliwan-P:ostor John Chang of situation and offered to pay the debt over periences each summer. Arkansas Bap· the Hwai Ning Street Baptist Church in a period of time. The supplier told Yuri he tfsts' RA and GA cah1ps give a special 'P.lipc:i, T.liwan, has le:arned how to " bring appreciated his honest'y, saying that other twist to that ammal favorite. them in" to church services on Sunday debtors had just left town and refused to nights. He began playing the accordian as pay their debts to him. Would Yuri come Editor's Page ....... .. 3 15 or 20 church members stood outside in to work as his partner? He offered a salary viting a steady stre2m of passersby to come that would enable Yuri to remain in Caracas he= the good news of the Bible. Many peo and gradually pay off his debts. Speak Up ple CiUJle in, escorted by a church·member. Yuri gives God all the credit for the way You'll Be Glad To Know . 4 After talking for a few minutes, the church his problem was solved. Before knowing member led the visitor through the pl:an of Christ anO his teachings, he, too, might Charitable Giving. ... 4 salvation. More th:an 2,000 people have have left town and ignored the deb(. With One Layman's Opinion .... 5 prayed to receive Christ through the plan. Christ, he faced ihe problem honestly. Woman's Viewpoint ...... 5 Letters to the Editor ....... 6 Small Churches . .. 6 The Strength Faith At Work is more than a human enemy. It is the devil God Gives himself who seeks to destroy us. We don't Summertime Explosion . ... 7 just struggle with human problems. We are Ephesians 6,10-17 up against spirJtual evil that fills the world Local & State and extends beyond this world into When the astronauts went to the moon, spiritual reality itself. It is . fatal to Arkansas All Over . 10-11 they wore specially-designed suits which underestimate the power of evil. cost 1250,000 each. Without them, they Its avallabllity.-Paul defines God's Gardner 25th . .. 11 would have frozen, or suffocated, or strength in practical, down-to-earth Southwestern Grads. 11 floated helplessly in the low gravity of the realities. More than just praying for moon. They needed special equipment to strength in abstract , general terms, we are Nation accomplish their purpose in an alien en m "put on," or deliberately apply, certain vironment. Christians also are on a special elements already avalJable. Paul mention Group Disbands .. ... 12 mission in hostile territory. Go'd docs not ed six and compares them to the items of Grants Avail able. ... 12 send them there without the necessary a soldier's battle dress. The belt which sup equipment to survive and succeed. He ports and holds together is truth. The gives them his strength if they will use it. breastplate which protects the yita.l organs Lessons For Living .. 13 lis nature.-Tbe ChrisUan in the world is righteousness. The shoes which protect, needs more thin his own resources and suppon , and move us forward are made up World abilities. lf he is to " be strong," it must be of the gospel we bear. The shield that pro "in the Lord." His armor is the armor o f tects us from the att2cks of evil is bith. The 'The Past Is Past' ...... 14-15 God. The term "whole armor" is a single helmet which guards the head is salvation. Unshackled Witness ...... 16 word in the Greek, carried over into And there is one offensive weapon, the English as " panoply." More than just defen sword of the Spirit, the Word of ·God. Incredible Crowds ....... 16 sive equipment, It includes all the resources Those whose Uves are fortified with such Helicopter Purchased ..... 16 needed by the soldier. For the ChrJstian to forces will not go down in the battle of Ufe. depend·on his own stCength' alone would They will go forward to victory. be like the astronaut trying to breathe his own breath instead of an outside oxygen Al1aplcd rro~n " Proclaim,'' Oct: ..Dec. 1979. COPJrlalu supply. 1979 Tbe Suod.ay Sdlool Board or the Soutben~ aapWI CO...Cal.loa. All ripe. racn'Cd. UKd by permltaloa.. For Its necesslty.-Paul says we need more •ubacripl.loo torormadoa , write to ltlaterial SeniCe• than human strength because our enemy Dept., 127 Nlatb A~ Nonh, NaabYIUe, TN 37lH. Page 2 ARKANSAS BAPTIST NEWSMAGAZINE is the so-called " package" suppo rt for pastors and staff members. Insurance, car mileage, and retirement shoul d never be considered as a p.:ut of the pastor's sa lary. These arc import21lt fringe benefits. but ] . EVERETT SNEED they do nothing to meet the daily t..'<pcnses a pastor and his family incur. Clearly, when a pastor visits tl1e hospital or the lost, he is ministering for the church. Soon every congregation will be fo r All business mileage should be cared for mulating irs 1988 budget. Perhaps the area outside the pastor's saJary. When a chu rch your pastor will be most rcluct21lt to expects the pastor to take his professional d..isaw is his own salary. Many pastors even· or business mileage from his package, it Is le2ve the budget committee meeting when asking the pastor to pay for the privilege the subject comes up. It Is vital, however, of doing the work of the church. that every church do its utmost to ade Insurance and retirement are important quately support its pastor and his family. to the pastor. But both of these a.re almost This requlres a pr2yerful cwniruttion of the as important to the congregalion. Jr there pastor's financial needs. is no annuity or Insurance and the pastor Unfo rtunately, a few still seem to hold dies or becomes ill, surely the congre.aga to the attitude of the church member who tion would feel responsible for caring for is said to have prayed, "Oh, Lord, please the pas tor or his family. keep our pastor poor and humble." On se times of sorrow, to .assist in times of joy, Christ emphasized the spiritual duty of cond thought, he offered, "Lord you just to counsel, to visit , and most of all to his followers to care for those who m he keep him humble; we'll keep him poor." witness to the lost. called into his ministry. When he sent out Actually, many of our churches arc to be In determining the pastor's salary, the the 12 apostles as workers, Jesus said, " Pro commended for the tremendous progress church should begin with the amount the vide neither gold, nor silver, nor br2ss in that they have made in providing support average member o f the congregation your purses ... for the workman is wor for pastors. Many others have a long way receives. Information on the effective buy thy of his meat" (Mt. 10,9- 10). to go. If the pastor's support is to be what ing power of the ave1.1ge family can be ob Paul emphasized the necessity of caring God would want it to be, then key lay peo tained through the Cb:unbcr of Commerce, fo r those who are involved . in the pro· ple must take the initiative. WaUace Building, Little Rock. clamation of the gospel. The apostle There arc many factors which contribute The congregation should recognize that declared, " Even so did the Lord ordain th:u to a lack of proper support for the pastor the pastor has expenses that members of they which proclaim the gospel should live and his family. Flr.;t , in responding to God's the congrcg:nion do not have. The paswr by the gospel" (I Co. 9,14). c.aJ1 to ministry, most men have relinquish will have much greater mileage than most Each church should strive to properly ed any desire they might have had for great membc.rs. P:lstors an: expected to wear suits care for its pastor and staff. Monetary wealth. Ceru.inly, this is as it sho uld be. more often than the rest of the congrega· remuneration is one war a congregation However, the pastor and his family should tion.