Missions Conference

Announcement Video

Congregational: Blessed Be the Name | 3

Congregational: Your Name | 3

Welcome - Trent | 20

Time of Prayer for Joy Wahl | 5

Lauren Grant Update | 5

Honor Missionary Parents / Mize, Johnson, Littlefield, Penrod, Coffeys, Pepperdines | 3

Internship / Dylan & Lydia | 5

Charge: Sam Wilson | 20

Dan Gill Prayer for Scriptures | 5 / handshaking

Congregational: Be Unto Your Name | 3

Congregational: Stronger | 3

Offering Devotion / Stephen Cofield | 3 Minutes

Special | The Lord Almighty Reigns | 4

Jeff Bush | 15

Trent Cornwell | 15

Closing Song | Blessed Be the Name

Strangers & Family

3 John 3–8 (KJV 1900)

3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;

6 which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

7 because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

Through the work of sending in missions we get the joy of seeing strangers become family.

Joy Wahl

Joy Wahl is one of those stranger people.

Brief testimony telling where she is going. David Dipboye pray for her.

Lauren Grant

Brief Update

Through the work of sending in missions we face the challenge of sending our family on a journey.

Proverbs 3:27 “27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”

Honor Missionary Parents / Mize, Johnson, Littlefield, Penrod, Coffeys, Pepperdines | 3

Letter to the parents of missionaries

Written in 2014 after leaving an airport. I would change a few things about the analogy but it expresses the heart I want to have to our parents of missionaries.

Dear Parents,

Holding my wife and kids in my arms as they look past security to see our family headed to board a plane that will take them to South Africa is a real test of the heart. Even though this experience of not seeing our family for years is not limited to missions endeavors, it is difficult regardless of motivation. Knowing they are going for the sake of the Gospel is the only thing that keeps us from yelling, “Please stop and rethink this level of commitment!” As we drove back from the airport, I thought about my father and mother in grace (they don’t allow me to call them ‘in-law’s.) I thought about how it never gets easier for them, and rightfully so.

Filled with mixed emotions, I thought about this scenario as I began to visualize what this will look like when I take that long walk back to the parking lot with the parents in our church. I love the teenagers in our church, and I love their parents very much as well. The idea that I would encourage teenagers to act upon a desire that would cause the hearts of their parents to break is difficult to me. As a father I often think about how my friend Chuck Littlefield will feel when his little girl heads to mission field. I think about how Bret Johnson will spend Christmas on Skype, with one computer talking to China, and another device showing his daughter in Tunisia. I think about another parent who will in a few weeks see their son off at the airport knowing it may very likely be the first of many trips for him in the years to come.

Why do we do it? Is this really necessary? In moments like these I think this question searches from the depth of our hearts to the uppermost of our minds. If we decide the answer to this can only be answered from God’s Word and not from our emotions than the answer must be, “it is necessary and it is wonderful!”

So parents, I want to express to you that I know that there is no greater cost to you in this world than seeing your children change their addresses for the sake of the Gospel. My life and children are not immune to the effects that having a church with such a strong missions culture brings. I will not be disappointed in my son if he does not become a missionary, but I will be very much disappointed in myself if he passes from adolescence into adulthood without knowing it is a very legitimate, logical, and likely choice for his life.

I also want you to know that this “thing” of missions is not a novelty to us. It is not a passing fad that your kids are being swept up in. As a church, Lord willing, we will not be moving on to another strategy, leaving your children disconnected from the church and the plan for the advancement of the Gospel unto the world. I also want you to know we have no plans to send them out unprepared. We will give our lives to helping them prepare for a life of effective, God-glorifying ministry. We will do this in many ways, but one major way is in asking the entire church to stand with us as we see these arrows launched out.

Not all of your children will become missionaries. They will be obedient to the command to go by serving as senders inside of this church or another church God moves them to. They are no less Christian or obedient to God’s command. Other organizations have the responsibility of informing them that they can make a life out of being a fireman, an accountant, a welder, or another occupation. The responsibility lies solely with the Christian family and the church to help guide their hearts towards knowing they must first yield their lives completely to Christ before taking up any occupation in life.

So what does that look like for our middle school and high school students? Being that many of them will not know exactly the course God has for them in life and that they need to become life-long disciple makers, in accordance with the Bible, many of them will speak of being missionaries when they grow up. I know this illustration is not perfect because it elevates one role above another, but it is the best I can do. As with little kids who play baseball in youth recreation leagues. Some will grow up to be umpires, coaches, supportive moms and dads, and many other roles that support the sport of baseball. However, as a young person who loves the game of baseball many of them will dream of playing at Wrigley field and with the players they see on television. So, if ministry is baseball in this story I believe as your teenagers grow in their love for the “sport”, many of them will have a strong desire to do so not in the outfield but on the mission field. I also believe that many, many of them should and, by God’s grace, will serve there. Others will not, but will not be hurt by the love for the game they learned as a kid.

Parents, I do not know what it feels like to help my son or daughter pack their bags to return to the mission field. I do have the slightest idea with what I know from God’s Word and from the experience of saying good bye to many friends. It is a joyous occasion filled with tears. We do not encourage this radical behavior to hurt you, but do so for the glory of God and the joy of His people. We have counted the cost and believe the building is still worth building! I pray that if you have never faced the reality that your child may become a missionary that you will do so and embrace it with a heart of joy.

With sincere appreciation,

Trent Cornwell

1 Cor 16:15 “15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)”

Kids learn to love what we love. We have parents who love disciple-making and they have raised kids that look for it wherever they can.

We get to join them in this mission

Internship / Dylan & Lydia | 5

Picture of Dylan - we have joined a long line of people who have help Dylan

As a church we will have the opportunity to send him out, but right now we have the responsibilty to help prepare him.

This fall we are added Lydia Littlefield as an intern. Ladies pour into her, what you want to see poured out from her on the foreign field.

Faith Promise

3 John 3–8 (KJV 1900)

3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;

6 which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

7 because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

Testimony of charity

charity is not pity. it would be weird if it was 1 Peter 5:14 “14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

1 Cor 13:3 “3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

Agape / Love / Demonstrated in a willingness to alter your life to help someone along their way in their journey to carry the Gospel to others!

Faith Promise is what we call our missions in budget. It is short for “the money we set aside to help our church family and other brothers and sisters in Christ we meet who are on a journey to get the Gospel to others”

After a godly sort

You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

We are not to treat them, or anyone, as if they are gods but we are to treat the sending of them in a manner that demonstrates the value of what we know they are carrying!

thou shalt do well:

Theology: Because they go out of for His namesake

these is to be their true motive

They are not building a name for themselves, they are not building a name for us, they go out for His name

Practically: taking nothing of the Gentiles.

In this case it refers to unbelieving people.

Your support for me is an expression of love to this community.

Met a man a couple weeks ago and told him that he should be encouraged that God place me in his path. I have the wonderful opportunity, thanks to my wonderful church, to be fully devoted to the Word and this community and would help him however I can.

We are demonstrating our love to many portions of this world. We are sending the Living Word and we are sending living testimonies of the fact we serve a loving God.

Or love causes an ought in our lives

8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

There is a contrast given.

3 john 9 “9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.”

The difference between the fellow helper and the one who “received us not” is whom we place as the priority of our lives.

We must ask ourselves.

Do we live for our namesake or His?

If it is His let’s love and help all those we can spread the Gospel.

Let’s truly be fellowhelpers of the truth!