Asheville Missions Trip Day 2

Today our contact, Kristin Kirby, connected us with Tom and Susan Turner who are the directors on site for North Carolina Baptist on Mission. Baptist on Mission is exactly like our Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief, same yellow shirts and all. They are operating out of First Baptist Church of Swananoa, on of the many hard hit small towns around Asheville. Tom and Susan grew up in Swananoa and have a particular passion for the work being done. We loaded up from the church along with supplies and followed David McDaniels from NCBOM to Fairview, NC. There we met Kristy whose home was significantly damaged by the flood waters during Helene. We were joined by about six college students and a couple adult volunteers with Campus Crusade for Christ. The group quickly emptied out the contents of the basement and the five of us were left alone to get to work.

Ken Abel was very patient with the rest of us and guided the team through putting in insulation, hanging sheet rock, and taping about 2 foot up the wall in the room and attached laundry room. We got a lot done and will load up with more supplies and head back out tomorrow. As we interacted with Kristy today I was reminded that when we pray about these natural disaster and catastrophic events we are praying for real people, really effected. I saw the tired, desperate look that was so common in our community following the tornado. I was grateful to God that you have let us come and somebody let those students come and Tom and Susan have come and stayed for people just like Kristy.

Asheville Mission Trip Day 1

Our entire team arrived in Asheville today. Two of us were able to attend the morning worship service at FBC Asheville. It’s an historic church in downtown Asheville. People were excited to meet us and have us here. They have been extremely welcoming. After lunch we met up with the other three and all five of us met with our lead contact and coordinator Kristen Kirby. The church provided dinner and we have run of the whole building. We are sleeping here at the church on newly ordered cots with memory foam.

We will meet with Kristin tomorrow and head to the Baptist on Mission worksite in Swanoa/Black Mountain. This was one of the hardest hit areas during Helene and after 6 months of initial cleanup and attaining permits they are ready to start working there. FBC Asheville has been sending out teams every other week to other hard hit areas but have not been able to get to Swanoa until now. The five of us are excited to get going tomorrow and find out what needs to be done.

Our theme verse for our time is Galatians 6:9-10 “ 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Please pray for safety, energy, and an opportunity to help.

Thanks

From L to R Kristen Kirby (FBC Asheville), Corey Fuller, Justin Dunn, Jim Vernon, Ken Abel, and Lisa Vernon

The Southern Baptist Convention Part 5

I originally posted this on Friday afternoon. After a night to think about it I have come in on Saturday morning to edit it. So if you read it on Friday I hope you will give me a little grace and reread it. No one contacted me about the first posting, I was just not completely comfortable with how it came across after I reflected on it for awhile.

With a little time to reflect and SLEEP, I wanted to write a “wrap-up” post. Denominational happenings is not the chief message that I share as pastor, but the church did allow me to go and I wanted to record my thoughts and accounts. This may not be the last blog of the summer, so stay tuned.

I had failed to mention that the so-called “Law Amendment” did not get the necessary 2/3 majority and so did not pass. That means there will not be an amendment to constitution saying that any church who has a woman serving as a “pastor” of any kind would be consider not in good fellowship with the convention. There were various reasons to have voted against this amendment, see an article here from Dr. Todd Fisher, President of Oklahoma Baptists.

My reasons were different as well and I will try to briefly outline them here, please contact me for more clarification or to discuss this or anything else further. UBC is a place where questions can be asked and I hope you will ask them being open to the example of Christ, the words of Scripture, and the work of the Holy Spirit to provide answers.

I voted against this amendment because for me the issue of women as pastors is an interpretive issue. Many will point to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 as the definitive passage on this issue and support it with a few others. Others would look at examples in Scripture and other texts and come to a different conclusion. Certainly when it comes to giftedness, the Holy Spirit is in charge of handing those out and I am not to keen on making that decision for the Spirit, only prayerfully recognizing it. At UBC we have women usinhg their gifts as deacons, Sunday school teachers, missions leaders, worship leaders and in preaching and teaching. The women who currently serve on staff have asked for the title of “director” because that goes along with their since of call and function. Our local church has affirmed their distinctions and honored their preferences.

I think the variance of interpretations is healthy and do not see this particular isssue as a first tier, uber important issue of fellowship. Furthermore, the Baptist Faith and Message is a confessional statement that we voluntarily align with and uniform acceptance does not seem to be necessary. If we come to a point that uniform acceptance is necessary it would seem to need to cover all the articles not just one. But we are not there and I would rather us not go there. Different, local Baptist churches while using the Baptist Faith and Message as a guide function according to their convictional interpretation. Some might even use a different edition of the BFM. Employees of Baptist institutions have to make their personal choice on what that institution may ask of them in this matter.

We differ with each other at UBC, and we differ with other's who support the work of the SBC and I think that’s okay. Let us rest in and on Jesus, let us preach Jesus, let us embody Jesus, and let us be Jesus, together.

The Southern Baptist Convention part 4

We ended the convention today. Amidst entity reports and a variety of motions, I want to address one of the resolutions that was approved today concerning reproductive technologies. You can read the full resolution here, and I would encourage you to do so. What I realized as we left Indianapolis is that many of the headlines did not give the full story. The resolution is not speaking completely against IVF but asking for careful, ethical considerations. That should be noted. However, after the resolution was presented , there was an amendment made that added language at various spots making the resolution considerably more empathetic and understanding of parents who would choose IVF. Another person spoke in favor of the amendment, saying simply, “I have a son because of IVF.” I felt that the amendment was necessary in making the resolution more sensitive and fair. I voted in favor of the amendment but it did not pass. Because it lacked the language that I thought it made it more kind and understanding I voted no on the resolution. It should be noted that resolutions made at the SBC are not binding on churches. The headlines that you may have read were not completely accurate and that is unfortunate. But the fact that the resolution as passed could have shamed caring, loving, life affirming parents is also unfortunate.

The Southern Baptist Convention Part 3

Tuesday was a full day of business. The highlight was the Commissioning of International missionaries who will go all over the world sharing Christ in tangible ways. It puts faces and voices to the offerings we give. President Bart Barber’s sermon on Romans 15 was a poignant, pointed message about the necessity for humility in gaining unity. President Barber was forthcoming and honest about his own mistakes and missteps in this area with a resolve to love one another and keep the love of Christ prominent.

Many things were debated, amended and presented, some of which I am sure got headlines. Please feel free to email me or text me about any specifics if you have questions. Though I am here and still have questions a good conversation can go a long way.

One decision that was voted on and approved was to accept the recommendation of the credentials committee that FBC Alexandria, VA be found “not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.” The church was reported to the SBC for practices contrary to the faith and practice of the SBC in 2022. They were then questioned by the committee and were honest that they have long ordained women as pastors and will continue in that practice. This was brought to the floor of the convention. The pastor of FBC Alexandria spoke with conviction, calm, and clarity about his church, their convictions on the ordination of women, and their desire to continue in cooperation with the SBC in the work of the church. Ultimately, the question before messengers was if the church’s practice violated the requirement from Article III of the SBC Constitution that a church “closely identify with” the “faith and practice” of the confessional statement, the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) in order to remain in friendly cooperation. Though I personally voted against this recommendation (i.e., against excluding FBC Alexandria from the SBC), the vast majority of messengers (over 91%) voted in favor.