You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 2 March/April 2010 (1.3mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

The Baptist Testimony
Volume 56 Number 2 March/April 2010

The Word Has It
“Strengthen me according to Your word,” Psalm 119:28

Ken Floyd
MARBC Executive Director

“Free”

One of the most famous documents of American history is the Emancipation Proclamation. This document, which was drafted during the Civil War, specifically designated “that all persons held as slaves … are, and henceforward shall be free.” It was certainly a monumental and defining moment for a nation that was not even one hundred years of age.

You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 2 March/April 2010 (1.3mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

From The Baptist Testimony – Volume 56 Number 2 March/April 2010

HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS
When the devastating earthquake struck Haiti earlier this year, several MARBC ministries quickly responded. This included Bibles International (BI) which is based in Grand Rapids and is directed by Haitian native Dr. Hantz Bernard. Dr. Bernard ministered at last year’s MARBC Annual Conference as a keynote speaker.

Mar. 7 White Lake Baptist Church, Montague, MI

Mar. 11 Baptists for Life Banquet, Grand Rapids, MI

Mar. 12-13 GRARBC Church Ministries Conference, Grand Rapids, MI

You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 1 January/February 2010 (1.4mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

The Baptist Testimony
Volume 56 Number 1 January/February 2010

The Word Has It
“Strengthen me according to Your word,” Psalm 119:28
Ken Floyd
MARBC Executive Director

“Pain/Joy”

Alright, I admit that this issue’s column title is actually two words! And two words that seem to be polar opposites. However, I believe that these two words are more closely linked than most people might think.

This was made clear to me during the past year as I listened to my wife and daughter frequently discuss the issues of childbearing. This was a conversation that I conveniently sought to avoid by finding something to do elsewhere, anywhere! But it was a topic that was impossible to avoid while visiting in the hospital room following the birth of our grandson, Connor, on May 28. At one point during our euphoria there were approximately a dozen people in the room, the majority of them female. When the conversation turned towards the trading of “war stories” by the moms in the room, the heroic men began to shuffle for the farthest corner or the nearest exit.

You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 1 January/February 2010 (1.4mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

From The Baptist Testimony – Volume 56 Number 1 January/February 2010

MARBC ANNUAL CONFERENCE – “Real Hope for a Troubled World” was the theme of the 67^th Annual Conference of the MARBC, held at Forest Hills Baptist Church in Grand Rapids on October 26-27. This well attended conference featured a good cross section of younger and veteran pastoral couples who serve in a variety of pastoral roles. All regions of Michigan were well represented at the conference, including a large contingency from the Upper Peninsula. Several guests were in attendance from other states and non-affiliated Baptist churches. Over 40 displayers provided information and resources to the conference attendees.

“Thanks”

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16

Steve Goodier, editor of “The Life Support System” newsletter, shared a story a few years ago regarding the importance of giving thanks.

“When William Stidger taught at Boston University, he once reflected upon the great number of un-thanked people in his life. Those who had helped nurture him, inspire him or who cared enough about him to leave a lasting impression. One was a schoolteacher he’d not heard of in many years. But he remembered that she had gone out of her way to put a love of verse in him, and Will had loved poetry all his life. He wrote a letter of thanks to her. The reply he received, written in the feeble scrawl of the aged, began, ‘My dear Willie.’ He was delighted. Now over 50, bald and a professor, he didn’t think there was a person left in the world who would call him ‘Willie.’

2010 TALENTS FOR CHRIST: The 2010 MARBC Talents for Christ competition will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at South Baptist Church in Flint. Students may participate in either the Scholarship or Open Categories. Registration cost is $25 per individual category and $35 in the Open Categories. Those desiring to compete in the Scholarship Category should register at the National TFC website where other information and cost details are shared. For more information and downloadable materials, go to www.garbc.org/tfc.

“Aroma”

When deep-sea divers were searching the wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic several years ago, among the items recovered was a leather case containing 40 small vials of perfume oil. The little bottles, which probably would have been sold in New York as the ingredients for cologne, belonged to a businessman from Manchester, England. When they pulled the case from the water, the fragrance of the oils filled the air, even after being submerged for almost a century.

From The Baptist Testimony – Volume 55 Number 5 September/October 2009

The following is a testimony shared by Randy Reed, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Negaunee, at the memorial service for Pastor Martin Strolle. Martin’s testimony is like many of those faithful, veteran pastors who served in the Hiawatha land of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We share this testimony with our Baptist Testimony readers not only as a tribute to the Lord’s work in Martin’s life, but also in thanksgiving for the many faithful servants of God who have blazed a trail with the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the upper and lower peninsulas.

“Fire”
Those familiar with southern California know that the region frequently experiences wildfires. The paths of the fires are unpredictable. Dry conditions make even a small fire a giant problem. Wind currents can shift quickly and unpredictably as they move from valley to valley, making containment of the fires difficult.