'Run and Not Grow Weary' Missionillinois
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CP Report Card: Check your church’s missions giving • Pages 10-12 Volume 108, No. 11 JULY 28, 2014 ‘Run and not grow weary’ IB Insider Students go to IBSA camps Nehemiah’s pursuing spiritual growth and new breakdown – friends. And giant and mine water slides and page 5 wild green wigs. “Super Summer changed my life.” Border crisis leads Read three exciting The News Briefing page 2 stories, pages 8-9. “The sermon is too long” page 15 B101: Do you really love the church? Clip & share pages inside 5,000 licenses issued What are these young Prayer week emphasizes kids to same-sex couples detectives up to? page 3 State missions offering By Lisa Sergent to aid underserved News and updates people and areas Springfield | A new survey shows Throughout the week: 21% of same-sex couples in Illinois By Eric Reed have opted to wed since it became facebook.com/IllinoisBaptist legal in the state June 1, but a second twitter.com/IllinoisBaptist “Last year my wife and I gave the survey asks how long those mar- pinterest.com/IllinoisBaptist largest offering we’ve ever given to riages will last. And two more new vimeo.com/IBSA state missions here in Illinois,” IBSA polls cast doubt on the percentage of www.IBSA.org Executive Director Nate Adams said. homosexuals in the U.S. “And it wasn’t because the Illinois Equality Illinois, a group that ad- mission field is bigger or needier or vocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and Sign up for the weekly eConnection more deserving than other mission transgender issues in Illinois, sur- at www.IBSA.org/Communications. fields we care about. veyed the state’s 102 counties and “It was because we feel a growing, found at least 3,274 marriage licenses personal responsibility for the lost have been issued to same-sex couples people who are nearest us.” and 1,694 civil unions have been The Mission Illinois Offering and MAP QUEST – The promotion kit for Mission converted to marriages. According to Week of Prayer (MIO) has taken on Illinois Offering and Week of Prayer will be the most recent U.S. Census, 23,409 new importance over the past three mailed to churches in early August. Ministry to same-sex couples reside in Illinois. years, as IBSA’s national partners re- kids and families is the theme. Look for the Using this data, 21.2% of same-sex Peoria, Illinois Permit No. 325 duced funding to some Illinois mis- unique chalk-art poster, and a video showing couples in the state have married or U.S. POSTAGE PAID U.S. POSTAGE Nonprofit Organization sions work through IBSA. the map drawn right before your eyes. plan to marry. Through its “Send North America” The group stated the exact number emphasis on major metropolitan areas, “Church planting is certainly a sig- of licenses issued or civil union con- the North American Mission Board nificant priority for our churches’ versions is difficult to determine be- has focused on church planting in 32 work together here in Illinois, but it is cause not all the state’s county clerks cities, including Chicagoland and not the only priority,” Adams said. recorded whether licenses were is- metro St. Louis. But that means there “We deeply appreciate our church sued to same-sex couples, while oth- are other kinds of planting, missions, planting partnership with the North ers recorded conversions together and church strengthening that are in- American Mission Board, yet there are with licenses, not separately. creasingly the responsibility of Bap- Continued on page 2 Nine counties reported no licenses is- tists in Illinois. sued to same-sex couples or civil union conversions and five counties did not respond to the survey. mission illinois What might the future hold for these couples? The National Review’s Offering & Week of Prayer blog, The Corner, reported this month September 14-21, 2014 Continued on page 3 2 NEWS IBSA.org ILLINOIS BAPTIST MIO kit arrives in August the BRIEFING Continued from page 1 News updates every Tuesday at www.ib2news.org. Leaders call for border compassion What’s in The current border crisis is so mas- sive that it’s paralyzing for most the kit people, said newly elected South- ern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd. But the Gospel calls Christians to action. The chil- dren crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. “need immediate attention that elevates their health and safety above all,” Floyd wrote. He and Russell Moore, QUICK STUDY – The MIO promotion kit includes video stories of Illinois missionaries and church planters, including young Ashley Pittman and her family. president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commis- sion, both said a broken immigration system is to blame for the crisis. But, Moore wrote, “As Christians, we Christmas Offering for Interna- don’t have to agree on all the details of public policy to “If our Illinois families and churches don’t give tional Missions. agree that our response ought to be, first, one of com- Simply put, to advance this passion for those penned up in detention centers on the more to missions in our state, who will? year, more churches are needed border.” Illinois is our mission field.” – Nate Adams to join MIO. And church mem- bers should pray about giving more and giving sacrificially. Recurrence doesn’t dim doc’s faith “If our Illinois families and When Hannah Gay garnered attention last ministries that Illinois Baptists and he has really blessed there churches don’t give more to year for achieving a functional cure of a child must decide about for them- with people being baptized— missions in our state, who born with HIV, the Mississippi doctor cred- selves.” and then in Davis Junction,” will?” Adams said. “Illinois is ited God. Medical tests in July revealed In September, MIO will focus Pittman said. “IBSA was super- our mission field.” the virus is again replicating in the child, on missions unique to Illinois, supportive in what we’re doing, The state missions offering but Gay said God is in the details of the examining them through the because that’s what they’re all topped $400,000 for the first case, and those details have strength- eyes of children. The missions about as well.” time in 2011 when a one-time ened her faith. “…I learned many, many years ago that study videos will tell the stories “Because of Illinois Baptists’ bequest raised the total to God is far too big for me to understand Him, but at the of ministry to inner city kids, faithful commitment to mis- $430,249. MIO peaked at same time that His love for mankind is just as far be- outreach on university cam- sions giving, the IBSA Church $433,068 in 2012. The 2013 yond my comprehension,” she told Baptist Press. “So I puses, and evangelism that Planting Team is able to partner MIO offering totaled $405,690. trust Him even when I don’t understand.” touches our rural areas. with smaller rural churches,” The statewide offering goal is said IBSA’s John Mattingly. $475,000. Churches are urged Popping up everywhere “We presently have 13 ongoing to set a goal at least 10% higher A ‘religious temperature’ guage new works in Northwest Illi- than their 2013 goal. And Two young boys are standing nois.” churches that haven’t partici- Americans view Jews, Catholics and evangeli- by the door of a small metal cal Christians warmly, according to new Pew pated in the offering recently building, handing out bulletins. Calling all churches are encouraged to contact IBSA research that measures perceptions about dif- Their older sister, age 8, is in- ferent religious groups. Respondents ranked for help with their prayer em- side in the children’s classroom Last year 457 churches partici- phasis and promotion. groups on a “feeling thermometer” of 0 to 100. playing with several preschool- pated in MIO, compared to 587 The “warm” groups all received average rank- For more information, visit ers who live nearby. Their mom churches each that gave to the www.IBSA.org/MIO or contact ings in the low 60s, while atheists (41) and slices a spice cake in the kitch- Annie Armstrong Easter Offer- Muslims (40) got the lowest numbers. [email protected] for enette, while their dad tunes his ing for North American Mis- additional materials. guitar before he leads worship. sions, and the Lottie Moon They are the Pittman family. Baptist school wins in court Each Saturday evening, they A California Superior Court ruled in July drive about 45 minutes from that a Southern Baptist university had the their home in Ashton to Davis right to expel a transgender student for vi- Junction, a mix of farms, mo- olating its code of conduct. Domaine Javier, bile homes, and newer houses. a former California Baptist University nursing This area is beginning to student who identifies as a female, sued the grow. Some people who live school for gender discrimination after being here work in Rockford or the expelled for claiming to be female on his application. far west suburbs of Chicago. Judge Gloria Connor Trask ruled the school didn’t vi- Yet, until recently there was olate the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act because its on- only one small church to serve campus activities do not constitute a “business over 3,000 people in the imme- enterprise.” But Trask did award attorney’s fees and diate area. And frankly, that $4,000 in damages to Javier because he was excluded mainline church was strug- from off-campus enterprises open to the public.