Haiti church before repairs

NEVADA, Iowa—Thirteen members of Nevada Baptist Church recently spent two weeks assisting Baptist churches in Haiti in the aftermath of the January earthquake that devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The trip was coordinated by Pastor Prédestin Hérard, president of Association des Énglises Evangeliques Baptistes d´ Haiti (the Association of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Haiti).

“We came to greatly respect and appreciate his ministry as a pastor, director of the orphanages, and national representative for the Baptist churches in Haiti,” says James Reynolds, assistant pastor of Nevada Baptist.

The Nevada church spent four days at the boys orphanage and four days at the girls orphanage, originally intending to teach two Bible lessons each day. “After some translation issues and space issues we had to modify our plan,” Pastor James says. “God reinforced in our minds that we were there to care. We were able to teach some, but the majority of our time was spent playing with and loving these wonderful children who are living in these orphanages.”

Previous shelter used by Haiti church

The mission team also intended to help clear fallen buildings and rebuild some of the churches damaged in the earthquake. But the

group soon discovered that local Haitian churches had different needs, already having laborers (church members who were out of work), but not having any money for basic supplies.

As a result, the Nevada group gave a financial gift to Pastor Rony Lapointe to erect a temporary building where his church could worship. Previously the church was meeting on church benches under a large green parachute they scavenged for shade. Several members of Pastor Lapointe’s church were killed in the earthquake, his assistant pastor, but attendance has doubled since the quake and many people have made professions of faith.

Pastor Dennis Reynolds, senior pastor of Nevada Baptist, also travelled with Pastor Prédestin to visit damaged churches and pastors’ homes, gathering information about the cost of rebuilding. The Nevada group returned to the U.S. with specific information how U.S. churches can help local churches in Haiti. The biggest help will come in the form of financial donations, Pastor James says, suggesting that these funds could be used by Haitan pastors to purchase building supplies, church furnishings, and hymnals.

Completed project for temporary church shelter

“Haiti is one of the most naturally beautiful places I’ve ever been,” says Pastor James, who has previously been on missions trips to Brazil, Colombia, Hawaii, and Europe. “But at the same time, Haiti shows what can happen when humanity mars the glory of God. I walked on a beautiful beach that was destroyed by floating garbage.”

“We saw a distinct contrast between some of the church people and other Haitians who have pretty much given up hope. From this, I learned that I need to be encouraged in my own ministry. These pastors who have lost homes, churches, and family members are still out every day devoting themselves to the ministry of God’s Word.”

• Read more about the Haiti guest house sponsored by GARBC International Ministries.
• “Urgent Need: Couple to Minister in Haiti“

Pauline and John Hippard

PANA, Ill.—First Baptist Church elevated Pastor John Hippard to the position of pastor emeritus in a special service. John Greening, GARBC national representative, was the keynote speaker. Many relatives and friends attended, including the woman who ministered to Pastor Hippard when he made a public declaration of his salvation in 1954.

Individuals read letters from former churches he pastored and from people whose lives were touched by his ministry. Pastor Hippard and Pauline’s favorite hymns were sung, and a men’s quartet ministered in music. Pauline Hippard was commended for her faithfulness as a pastor’s wife and was presented with a dozen roses. Pastor Hippard received a framed certificate of merit, and the couple received a scrapbook containing many photos, letters, and cards.

Pastor John Hippard trusted  Christ as his Savior on Christmas 1953 at the age of 25 and was baptized a few months later. He married Mildred Lamprecht on Oct. 8, 1955. God called them into the ministry on July 15, 1956. He was licensed to preach by First Baptist Church, Hammond, Ind., on May 15, 1957 and was ordained by First Baptist Church, Lowell, Ind., December 13, 1963. Pastor Hippard and Millie had been married almost 48 years before her death in 2002. They were blessed with four children. Pastor Hippard and Pauline were married on Feb. 21, 2004. Pauline has five children.

Prior to being called into the ministry, Pastor Hippard served in the United Sates Navy as a Corpsman, and then served three and a half years as a field representative for the Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross. He attended Illinois State University and graduated from Chicago College of Medical Technology as well as Northern Baptist Seminary. His 54-year ministry includes pastoral positions in two churches in Indiana and one church in Nebraska. He also ministered in two Illinois churches—First Baptist Church in Shelbyville, where he had a live radio broadcast for 17 years, and First Baptist Church in Pana, where he has faithfully served for 15 years as visitation pastor.

This year the camp built a new dining hall and kitchen. The building will be insured for nearly $1 million but was built at a cost of only $460,000 through many donations and the sweat equity of friends. Camp officials recognized contractors and other workers for their service before cutting the ribbon and dedicating the building to the Lord.

• Read Minnesota Regular Baptist Camp’s building update.

Following a catered meal in the new dining hall, John Greening shared the priority and importance of camping ministries today. Current camp director Darrell Friar concluded the day’s activities by presenting the booklet A Jubilee Dream, which relates modernization and expansion plans for the future.

Minnesota Regular Baptist Camp began under the vision and direction of several Regular Baptist churches in Minnesota. The 27-acre property was purchased in the fall of 1959 for $20,400. After initiating a fund-raising campaign with the slogan, “If you put your heart into camp, camp will be in your heart,” individuals moved quickly to pay for the property, primarily through the sale of camp debentures. The $29,480 that people raised exceeded the amount needed to pay off the indebtedness. Individuals and small groups then worked to clean up the site, turning the old dance hall and grounds into a chapel and friendly campground. Six months later Minnesota Regular Baptist Camp held its first camp, a Junior Boys Camp (followed by Junior Girls the next week).

Several men have served as director of Minnesota Regular Baptist Camp in its 50-year history: Lynn Pace (1959–1961), Frank Peterson (1961–1967), Charles Pausley (1967–1968), and Austin Plew (1968–1970). All of these men served local churches while directing the camp in the summer. Dan Johnson was the first resident camp director (1970–1976). After that time, the camp enlisted both a summer director and winter director for many years. Harold Constant served as winter director from 1977 to 1984. Craig Busho directed the camp for one summer (1977) followed by John Safford (1978–1984). Safford, a schoolteacher in Iowa, commuted to Bass Lake each summer to lead the camp. Another key beginning took place when Paul Lobb became the camp director in 1985 while assuming the role as state representative of the Minnesota Association of Regular Baptist Churches. Today Darrell Friar ministers in this same capacity.

Evangelical Lutheran Church,

Other news

• Attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund have filed suit against Augusta State University, Augusta, Ga., on behalf of a counseling student who was told that her Christian beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession, reports WorldNetDaily. The student was told to stop sharing her beliefs with others and that she must change her beliefs in order to graduate from the counseling program. The professors found out about her Biblical beliefs, including what the Bible teaches about homosexual conduct. The school ordered Jennifer Keeton to undergo a re-education plan, in which she would have to attend diversity sensitivity training, complete additional remedial reading, and write papers to describe their impact on her beliefs. If she did not change her beliefs or agree to the plan, the university said it would expel her. ADF Senior Counsel David French responded, “A public university student shouldn’t be threatened with expulsion for being a Christian and refusing to publicly renounce her faith, but that’s exactly what’s happening here. Simply put, the university is imposing thought reform. Abandoning one’s own religious beliefs should not be a precondition at a public university for obtaining a degree. This type of leftist zero-tolerance policy is in place at far too many universities, and it must stop.” The ADF is currently litigating a similar case involving a counseling student at Eastern Michigan University and successfully resolved a case at Missouri State University. Also in litigation is a case involving a Georgia counselor fired by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because she would not agree to affirm homosexual behavior as morally acceptable.
• Just as the Tea Party movement is successfully fending off charges of racism, a group of “progressive” Christians tied to the Obama administration is attacking the movement as lacking Christlike charity, reports WorldNetDaily. Observers note that Obama favors and implements policies of government expansion over private-sector industries and individuals. These have given rise to the Tea Party groups, who believe that federal welfare programs are “coercively taking money from people and redistributing to other people, which at the end of the day, is legalized stealing.” Jim Wallis, who calls himself a Christian and is founder of a liberal group known as Sojourners, is a key member of Obama’s faith council. He stated, “Emphasizing individuals rights at the expense of others violates the common good, a central Christian teaching and tradition.” But WND pointed out that critics responded by asking how “Christian virtue” and the “common good” jive with Wallis’s own documented radical associations and stances, including support of violent extremists, oppressive regimes, and anti-American sentiment. Wallis reportedly served as Michigan leader of the Students for a Democratic Society, out of which Bill Ayers’s domestic-terrorist group, the Weather Underground, sprouted. Wallis’s magazine Sojourners “actively lobbied for communist regimes that seized power in Latin America in the late 1970s. His 1976 book Agenda of Biblical People called America “the great power, the great seducer, the great captor and destroyer of human life, the great master of humanity and history in its totalitarian claims and designs.” Wallis also tried to foment opposition to the Tea Party movement by painting it racist since it, he charged, “is almost all white.”
• The Boy Scouts is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. A report in the latest issue of World paid tribute to the organization, noting that “atheists have sued the Scouts so they can be members without having to pledge duty to God, but the Scouts have defended themselves vigorously—and successfully—in the courts.” But it hasn’t been without costs, which over several decades have amount to millions of dollars in legal fees. Nevertheless, “the controversies have earned the Boy Scouts the admiration of social conservatives and many others because,” as Eagle Scout Robert Knight said, “the Boy Scouts make it clear where moral authority comes from. From God. That’s controversial today, but most Americans still believe it’s true.” The Scouts recently acquired a 10,000-acre tract of land in West Virginia, which will provide a location for the National Scout Jamboree in future years. The 100th anniversary jamboree will be held at Ft. A.P. Hill in Virginia this year, as it has since 1981, but the ACLU has protested over the Scouts’ use of a military base. Now the Scouts will have their own permanent home.
• On Aug. 24, residents of Kissimmee, Fla., will have a chance to make “In God We Trust” their city’s motto, reports zionica.com. Mayor Jim Swan told News 13’s Stephanie Coueignoux, “This is a Christian community, and we all have strong Christian beliefs in this community.” One respondent to the news said, “I think it is about time Christians stood up for their beliefs. For too long, we have remained silent and let things go, such as Madelyn Murray O’Hair getting prayer taken out of schools. . . . I am offended that my rights are being taken away with this [Obama] administration.”
• USA Today recently reported on house churches, a growing movement, noting that they generally “consist of 12 to 15 people who share what’s going on in their lives, often turning to Scriptures for guidance. They rely on the Holy Spirit or spontaneity to lead the direction of their weekly gatherings.” “I think part of the appeal for some in the house church movement is the desire to return to a simpler expression of church,” said Ed Stetzer, seminary professor and president of Lifeway Research, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. “For many, church has become too much (like a) business while they just want to live like the Bible.” House church proponents claim their small groups are sort of a throwback to the early Christian church, noted the report.
• A new study says white Christian Britons are being unfairly targeted for committing hate crimes, reports zionica.com. The study from think-tank Civitas argues that the new hate crime legislation restricts freedom of speech and has effectively introduced a new blasphemy law into Britain by the back door. Prosecutors and police are said to be unfairly singling out alleged crimes by white Christians, while ignoring other similar offenses by minority groups.
• A federal bill that seeks to restore voting rights in national elections to felons released from prison has been a pet project of one of the most dangerous members of Bill Ayers’s Weather Underground domestic-terror group, WorldNetDaily has reported. Linda Evans, who served 15 years of a 40-year federal sentence, pushed the plan of registering convicted felons along with the radical Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. She is a recipient of the Soros Justice Fellowship, bestowed by philanthropist George Soros. Evans was arrested in 1985 after transporting 740 pounds of explosives, which she acknowledged was slated for use by the Weather Underground in bombings of U.S. government buildings. Targets of her terrorist group’s activities included the U.S. Capitol. President Clinton pardoned Evans in 2001, and President Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, reportedly was instrumental in securing Evans’s pardon.
• Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R.) staved off same-sex civil unions when she vetoed last-minute legislation that would have legalized them, reports World. She objected the legislation because a civil union “is essentially marriage by another name.” The ACLU promised to take her veto to court. World also reports that NBC will change its application process to allow same-sex couples to participate in the Today show’s “Modern Day Wedding Contest.”
• The Presbyterian Church USA announced the denomination’s new moderator, Cynthia Bolbach. She was the only one of six candidates for the job who expressed complete support for same-sex marriage.
• A Wisconsin fundamental pastor and several of his members traveled the 140 miles from Monroe to Oshkosh  to witness for Christ at the main gate of a supposedly Christian—evangelical—event called Lifest, reports Pastor Ralph Ovadal of Pilgrims Covenant Church. They were shocked at “a couple of thoroughly corrupted ‘evangelical’ keynote speakers, the ungodly bands, and their anything but Christian music.” Among the speakers were Luis Paul and socialist-emergent Jim Wallis. What particularly shocked Pastor Ovadal was the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in Lifest. Mixed in among the many “evangelical sponsors” of Lifest was the Roman Catholic Green Bay Diocese; among the speakers were several Roman Catholics, including a priest; among the “worship,” a number of Roman Catholic masses; among the activities, daily rosary recitations; among the services, daily confessions to priests on site and “free spiritual walks with a certified Catholic spiritual director.” Lifest drew an average of 17,000 fans per day. Event officials estimated that approximately 25 percent of those fans were Roman Catholics.
• A former illegal alien has confessed that Arizona’s immigration law would be very effective and should be adopted, even as Arizona Gov. has called on a federal judge to reject the Obama administration’s challenge to the state’s law, reports Personal Liberty Digest. Gov. Jan Brewer said that President Obama is trying to prevent Arizona from protecting its citizens and blames the feds for “crushing personal environmental, criminal, and financial burdens on Arizona.”
• House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner is throwing his support behind a “read the bill” reform that would prohibit the House from considering new legislation until it has been posted on the Internet for at least three days, reports newsmax.com. Boehner said Democrats posted the revised wording of the $787 billion stimulus plan online after midnight and then called for a vote less than 12 hours later. And the 1,200-page cap-and-trade bill was unveiled at 3 a.m. the day it was to be voted on. “With government growing, and spending out of control, Americans should be able to see exactly what each vote means for them and their families,” said Boehner.
• Sixty-three members of the House and four senators have weighed in on the legal case to defend the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer, according to CNSNews.com. ParentalRights.org announced that it needs only five more senators to kill the ratification of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. The group said it would launch ads making known the inability of the rest of the senators to decide in favor of American families over international law. It also reported that the Helena, Mont., school board is facing the ire of parents over a recent proposal to provide sex education to students starting in kindergarten. A vote by the board is scheduled for Aug. 10.
• A Texas ride-share driver was fired from his job after he refused to transport a woman to a Planned Parenthood clinic, reports CitizenLink.com.
• Bethany Christian Services, the nation’s largest adoption agency, says international and domestic adoptions have increased by 26 percent over last year, reports CitizenLink.com.
• The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, N.Y., has thrown out a Federal Communications Commission policy that would have led to broadcasters’ being fined for filthy language on live television, reports OneNewsNow.com.
• Well-known gospel singer Doug Oldham died at the age of 79, according to Liberty University. Oldham was a good friend of Jerry Falwell.
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie won the praise of pro-life advocates by vetoing a bill that would restore the family planning funds his administration cut from the state budget because of deep economic woes, reports Lifenews.com. Christie believes there is little reason to send the abortion centers $7.5 million when the state currently has an $11 billion deficit.

The church used RBP’s SeaQuest: Diving for God’s Treasure program. Sallie Wilson is the wife of Pastor Bert Wilson, as well as Children’s Ministries director. She says, “The week was packed with wonderful lessons in God’s Word, exciting games, and crafts. We had a wonderful time with the children, with the workers, and meeting new families—several new families have begun to come for the Wednesday night program with their children, and to church.”

Sallie says, “Puppets are a major part of our VBS program.” The children enjoyed learning from Sushi, the octopus puppet, and the crew of submarine puppets.

For the Wet and Wacky Water Day outreach, Sallie says, “We had waterslides, greased watermelon, silly hoses that were spraying water all over, and a giant waterslide, which we had rented. It was a fun time for all the kids and families, and was an opportunity for all the parents of the children who had come to meet with some of the people from our church.”

By the way, Sushi has returned to the Atlantic and is heading north. Sallie says he is on his way to a church in New York to help with their VBS.

The federal government’s

Other news

• An investigation by three Republican congressmen has revealed that the Obama administration has secretly spent $23 million of U.S. taxpayer dollars in Kenya to fund a “yes” vote on a constitutional referendum, reports WorldNetDaily. The referendum, scheduled for Aug. 4, would increase access to abortions in Kenya and establish legal status for Islamic law tribunals. Meanwhile, trusted sources in Kenya told WND that the White House has used Vice President Joseph Biden’s trip to Kenya in June and the office of U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael E. Ranneberger to put out the message that passage of the referendum would enable the White House to open the floodgates to allow millions of dollars of additional U.S. government aid and private investment capital to flow into Kenya. Last week, in response to inquiries from Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the U.S. Agency for International Development admitted to spending more than $23 million of U.S. taxpayer money to influence voters in Kenya to pass the highly contentious constitution.
• Evangelical leaders participated in a conference call with Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform as the Obama administration heads into a legal battle over Arizona’s immigration law, reports Christianity Today. The Obama administration has filed a federal lawsuit against Arizona’s immigration law that focuses on why federal immigration laws enforced by federal agencies should take precedence to laws passed by a state. Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah are all preparing measures similar to Arizona’s law, according to the Washington Post. Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice is filing an amicus brief representing at least 40 members of Congress in support of Arizona’s law. “It’s troubling that the federal government, which has repeatedly failed to secure our nation’s borders, is now attempting to punish the state of Arizona for doing just that,” said Sekulow.
• Well-known pastor Charles Stanley delivered a hard-hitting sermon at First Baptist Church, Atlanta, on July 4, warning and condemning socialism, reports The Christian Post. “America currently stands in a very dangerous position,” said Stanley. “Today more than ever, the country is turning away from God and moving toward socialism. And the consequences will be grave. We know the truth, we know the principles of God. In spite of all that, we find ourselves as a nation violating the laws of God, heading in a direction that is going to be disastrous for us, for our children and the generations that are to come unless there is a change.” Stanley cited the crucial need for prayer regarding “a tide that is bringing with it ideas and philosophies, actions and attitudes that will ultimately destroy the way of life that you and I have.”
• The Palestinian Authority expects “big movement” toward taking over most of the areas that would encompass a future Palestinian state by the end of the year, reports WorldNetDaily. PA officials said the U.S. has been negotiating the borders of a future Palestinian state that would see Israel eventually withdraw from most of the West Bank and some areas of eastern Jerusalem with the exception of what are known as the three main settlement blocks—Gush Etzion, Maale Adumim, and Ariel. While the PA does not believe it will see an actual Palestinian state by the end of the year, it expects in that time it will take over many more neighborhoods in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem that are normally controlled on the ground by Israel. The PA said the expectation is based on pledges by the Obama administration.
• ParentalRights.org announced its push for a Parental Rights Amendment, working to get more cosponsors. SR 519 would, they believe, preserve U.S. sovereignty and keep the U.S. from being victim to the United Nations’  Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would severely curtail parental control over their children.
• An adjunct professor and lecturer for nine years with the University of Illinois’ Department of Religion was fired recently after he explained in an introductory class on Catholicism that that body believes homosexual acts are immoral, reports CitizenLink.com. A student anonymously claimed to be offended by Prof. Kenneth Howell’s statements, calling them “hate speech.” Howell responded, “My responsibility on teaching a class on Catholicism is to teach what the Catholic Church teaches. I have always made it very, very clear to my students that they are never required to believe what I’m teaching and they’ll never be judged on that.” The Alliance Defense Fund is representing the professor in his quest for reinstatement.
• A North Carolina pastor, Ronnie Baity, was invited last month to serve as guest chaplain at the state House for the first week, reports ChristianPost.com. He provided a transcript of his prayer beforehand to a liaison for the Legislature, who said she had a problem with his praying in the name of Jesus. Pastor Baity said his faith required him to pray in Jesus’ name. His opportunity to serve the House was denied. In response to a letter from legal counsel, the House has formed a special committee to consider its guest chaplain program, reports the Christian Law Association. Baity said he has received an overwhelming amount of support form the general public and also from some of the House members.
• At their meeting this year in New Orleans, the largest professional organization and labor union in the U.S., the National Education Association, featured a new caucus: the NEA Drag Queen Caucus, reports OneNewsNow.com. Responded Finn Laursen, executive director of the NEA alternative, Christian Educators Association International, “They already have had the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, [and] Transgender Caucus and apparently felt that the drag queens needed their own caucus. . . . America, I think, needs to respond and to realize what the National Education Association stands for; they’re not hiding it. It’s appalling to many of our conservative Christian educators who, in their own lives, could not support this kind of thing, but find that their dues are being used to support just those kinds of things.”
• Christian and conservative groups in Washington, D.C. are determined to take the gay marriage issue to the U.S. Supreme Court after their appeal to let the people vote on the matter was rejected, according to ChristianPost.com. “In America, we respect the right to vote. The citizens of the District of Columbia should not have their voices suppressed by the government, but that is exactly what is happening here,” remarked Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. Lawmakers in the district legalized marriage for gay and lesbian couples in December, and the law went into effect in March.
• Operation Rescue is calling for an independent auditor in light of connections between Iowa Gov. Culver, Attorney General Miller, and Planned Parenthood. A telemed abortion scandal came to light recently, as Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, based in Des Moines, has been the recipient of Title X funds as well as money from other federal programs. Thousands of tax dollars have been disbursed directly to PPH through the Iowa Attorney General’s office. Some of the missing $1.8 billion is believed to have made its way to Iowa. “We believe the public has a right to know where their tax money is going. It is time that Planned Parenthood gives an account for the money it has siphoned from hard-working taxpayers,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. Evidence of overbilling by a number of Planned Parenthood affiliates has surfaced in California, where a state audit discovered that PP of San Diego and Riverside Counties had overbilled the state $5,213,645.92 for birth control pills alone.
• Momentum is building for a national “Back to Church Sunday” slated for September 12, notes ChristianNewsWire. Already more than 1,500 churches across the country have committed to inviting people who once attended church, but don’t anymore, to special worship services. Last year a survey found that participating churches increased their weekly attendance on average by 19 percent.
• A Christian-inspired weekly communications group in Spain has been fined $125,000 by a government agency for its broadcast of TV ads that promote the traditional family, reports WorldNetDaily. The ads, using video footage of homosexual pride events, ask, “Proud . . . of what?” A report by the European Center for Law and Justice notes that a democratic country like Spain should not have a “thought police” and contends that the fine violated the fundamental democratic principle of the right of expression.
• Controversy is surrounding Muslims’ efforts to build a mosque in New York City’s Ground Zero, reports Christian Post. Sarah Palin has criticized the plan, saying that it “stabs hearts.” Other politicians are defending the project, including Michael Bloomberg. But GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio called for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, his opponent in the race for governor, to probe. However, Cuomo backs the project. Meanwhile, a televangelist, Bill Keller, has announced that he plans to open a Christian center nearby. “The Christian center will serve to ‘combat this new evil being constructed near ground zero’, and ‘bring people the truth of God’s Word and the love and hope of Jesus Christ,’ ” said Keller.
• A California library is under fire for displaying “anti-religious” paintings as part of its current art show, reports Christian Post. The Sacramento County Public Library’s most controversial painting is one of a large Bible with a label reading, “Warning: May Impair Judgment.” “I came to the conclusion that there must be something about religious faith which renders people stupid,” remarked the artist, Jeri Wyrick, who is also a lawyer in San Francisco. The Pacific Justice Institute is demanding the library take action. “It is outrageous that our local public law library is actively promoting anti-religious paintings by an artist who calls people of faith stupid,” remarked Brad Dacus, PJI president.
• A Supreme Court officer, says Personal Liberty Digest, made remarks such as “Move along; no praying here; it’s against the law” to an Arizona Christian school group as they stopped for a moment of prayer outside the building they were visiting. As a result, the Alliance Defense Fund has sent a letter to U.S. Supreme Court officials urging them to stop their police officers from prohibiting people from quietly praying outside the court building.
• A new Rasmussen survey finds that only 23 percent of those polled believe that the federal government today has the consent of the governed.
• The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has a new president, Matthew Harrison, considered much more conservative than his predecessor, Gerald Kieschnick. One commentator asked, “Will he [Harrison] act on the need for unity in doctrine and practice, or will political considerations supersede the Bible, as they did so often in the Kieschnick administration?” Herman Otten, editor of Christian News, called for those in the Missouri Synod who are not conservative to go their own way so each side of the fence can “do its mission in peace.” To the liberals he said, “Your church body can be part of [the] liberal ecumenical movement with its anything goes churches like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Ours will then be free to work for a worldwide Reformation and Formula of Concord by the time of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on October 31, 2017.”

• Read “Grace Baptist’s New Roof Comes from Above” from the Washington Times-Herald
• Watch “Miraculous Project for One Local Church” from WTHITV.com

The church had gotten plenty of value from the original 1979 roof, but knew it would not last forever.

“Unfortunately, funds were always really tight,” Showers told the Washington Times-Herald. “We began to do some research and through the association we are part of, they have what they call a Baptist Builders Club.”

Michael Nolan, director of Baptist Builders Club, took the call from Pastor Showers and explained how the Build Up program gives grants to existing churches.

“We do more than give money to hurting churches. We offer funding to churches so they can make needed repairs without going into debt,” Nolan says, explaining how this helps churches solve facility needs without curtailing vital outreach and discipleship ministries that might otherwise suffer.

The resulting grant of $7,000 covered most of the $9,000 expense for materials. When the church learned that labor costs would be an additional $20,000, Showers contacted Continental Baptist Missions and asked for more assistance.

CBM arranged for help from the Nehemiah Project, a group of full-time volunteers who help with church construction and remodeling projects around the country. The team included project leader Steve and Anna Meyers, Geoff and Donna Bondi, Jeff and Barb Kaiser, and Dick and Selma Patrick.

Further demonstrating the power of Baptist networking, a work team from Bible Baptist Church, Kokomo, Ind., led by Randy Teachout, assisted the missionary builders.

As an additional benefit, the project attracted plenty of attention. Pastor Showers describes Washington, Ind., as a tightly knit community of 12,000, the sort of place where bad news travels fast, especially if a church suffers through a traumatic period. “I’ve gotten burned with the media in the past,” Showers says, “but when these stories came out, I was delighted with the coverage.”

“This really was a positive thing for us in the community. We could not have asked for a better testimony of what God is doing.”

• Learn more about Baptist Builders Club Build Up program

Pastor Ron Faith, Associate Pastor Carl Gibbs, and former Associate Pastor Brian Cannon all took part in the preaching centered around the theme of the marriage of the Christ and His church.

After the morning service, everyone gathered outside for a group picture.  Then the children buried a time capsule to be dug up at the church’s 50th anniversary.  After dinner together, guest attended the vow renewal service for the first couple married in the church.

It was a day of blessing for the church and for the almost 250 in attendance as they celebrated God’s goodness.



Pastor Parrow was familiar with RBP’s VBS before he and his wife, Mary, went to Ireland 15 years ago. “In the early days,” he says, “we did all of our own work. That was fine when we had 20 or so coming.” But with 50 to 60 students, having a complete program really helps. “We love the skits,” says Pastor Parrow. “As pastor, I get to pick the roles, so I get to play the comic role. Everyone loved Dr. Skuba this year, and they all remember Doug A. Fossilup.”

Fun and games aside, Pastor Parrow likes RBP’s VBS programs because “they are solidly Bible based and well thought-out. A major determining factor is that we can get the whole package when we order from RBP. The themes are always exciting and easy to use. Our older kids who now work in Kamp often compete to try and remember all the themes since ’02.”

Ministering to kids in Ireland is different from ministering in the U.S. Pastor Parrow says, “Things are a lot different here. So far we have been able to adapt everything to make it work.”

While Kids’ Klub Kamp runs in the afternoons, in the evenings teens meet for Colour Clash. Pastor Parrow says, “We use RBP’s devotional guide for that. The average attendance is in the upper teens.”

Pastor Parrow’s summary of the Friday night closing service accentuates the Irish flavor of Naas Baptist Fellowship’s SeaQuest program: “On Friday night we have Kids’ Klub Kamp Klosing from 7:30–9:00, and Colour Clash also has a short presentation. We have a short programme highlighting each class, then a prize giving. Afterwards we have tea and biscuits (cookies) for the parents and family. We usually have over 100 total for this night.”

Don Michaelsen, Todd Daily, and Joachim Armbruster at service in Bad Heilbrunn, Germany

BAD HEILBRUNN, Germany—July 20 was graduation day for Maranatha Independent Baptist Church, nestled at the foot of the Bavarian Alps in the heart of Roman Catholic territory, with missionary Todd Daily passing the baton to Pastor Joachim Armbruster.

Maranatha Independent Baptist Church took its name from the camp formerly held on the property where the church meets. For 34 years hundreds of campers came under the teaching of God’s Word at Camp Maranatha. Many were saved, discipled, and encouraged in their walk with the Lord.

With the closing of the camp, the property became available for holding Bible studies and then church services. In 1991 a group put together a constitution and was organized as a local Baptist church. Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries served at the church, praying for the day when it would be under the leadership of a German pastor.

In 2002 Todd Daily arrived to train Joachim Armbruster and prepare the church for independence. Pastor Armbruster was installed as pastor in November 2008, and the church became a legally recognized body in December 2009.

Pastor Don Michaelsen from Slater Baptist Church, Slater, Iowa, Todd and Dawn Daily’s sending church, spoke at the June graduation service. He referred to graduation as “the day when the training wheels come off.” He said the ride may be kind of uncertain at first, and there may be a few more bumps and bruises along the way, but the Lord will help the church do His work.

Pastor Michaelsen passed the baton to Todd, who encouraged the church from Joshua 1 to be bold by holding fast to the Word of God. Todd then passed the baton to Pastor Armbruster, who took the opportunity to thank Slater Baptist Church and the many other churches that have supported missionaries. In his challenge from the Word, he encouraged the church to look forward to the great things God can do through them.

After a year of furlough, the Dailys will return to Ingolstadt, Germany, to a church in which they worked for nine years. This church, under the leadership of Pastor Christoph Rüttgers, desires to start a daughter church in the next five years. Todd will work with a team of men to disciple them for leadership and teaching positions in both the current church and the church plant.