That question has been more difficult for me to answer since moving to HOK and beginning to serve as your Director of Missions. For all of my adult life the answer came easy. "What do you do?" "I am a pastor." But now the answer is a little more complicated.

To give a clear answer to the question of what I do, there first must be a clear understanding of what we do as an association. What is the mission of Heart of Kansas Southern Baptist Association? As I have thought about how that question should be answered there some things I am coming to understand.

The association is not the church. We are not to do ministry in the place of the church. We are to create a culture of trust and cooperation among the pastors and churches so that we invest our lives together in partnership for the purpose of making disciples of all peoples for the glory of God.

Our vision is to see churches developing and implementing strategies which result in the health and growth of existing churches and the planting of new churches, and doing this in community with one another.

"So, what do I do?" I get to work with pastors and churches across this association and assist them in doing all that God has called them to do in reaching our world with the gospel for the glory of our King. "I serve Southern Baptist pastors and churches in Wichita and surrounding communities."

You see, since this summer, Viviana sees her life and the life of her family through a different glass. She gave her life to Jesus and has been growing in her new faith in her new church at Planeview. She faithfully walks to her church three times a week holding little Camila, her one year old baby, Her smile and joy are contagious. As I see Viviana paying close attention to every word during Bible study, I am reminded of the reason why we do what we do, it is all about those precious lives.

I thank the Lord for the ministry of our church planters, our summer missionaries and our volunteers from Arkansas and from the Churches in this Association. Through their services, many lives have been touched with the love of Jesus during the summer here at HOKSBA . Now, because of their faithfulness, little Camila has a wonderful future ahead, her mom will teach her to love Jesus and her heart will grow strong, full of the precious teachings from the Word of God.

Please pray for Viviana's husband, pray that he also will accept the Lord and will join his family in their new walk with Jesus.

A team of four Hispanic students from Rio Grande Bible Institute was supervised by Abraham Arevalo, our Hispanic Church Planter Strategist. These students worked alongside Daniel Diaz, a summer intern from 2008 who returned to Wichita in January of this year to start a church in Planeview, and Jeronimo De la Cruz, a church planter being supported by Immanuel Baptist Church. They also worked with some of the mission teams from Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas to do VBS in the communities they are reaching out to.

Our second team of seven college students, worked with Aviator Church. These students spent time in Derby, Mulvane, Rose Hill and Haysville passing out fliers promoting VBS's, Kids Day Camps and Aviator's Sunday services. This team also worked alongside the mission teams that came into the association to work with Aviator Church.

Finally, four Sojourners (incoming or outgoing high school seniors) and two college students made up the association team. These interns served no less than a dozen of our churches by helping them with either promotion, execution or follow-up for their VBS's. They also worked as staff at Kids Kamp and spent a couple of days at some of our Good Neighbor Centers. They also did some work around the association office like painting and landscaping.

This summer was incredibly busy, and God used these college and high school students to do his work. We are excited to see the fruit that continues to come as a result of their work. If you or someone you know might be interested in serving as a summer intern in 2010, check out our intern page and sign up to get more information about the projects we have planned.

• Country Acres Baptist Church, Olivet, and Ballwin Baptist Church from Ballwin, Missouri paid for the materials and replaced the roof on the Westside Good Neighbor Center.
• Concorde Baptist Church and Webb City Baptist Church from Arkansas collected 3,060 pounds of food for our Good Neighbor Centers.
• Greene County Baptist Association from Paragould, Arkansas collected an estimated one ton of food.
• Birdville Baptist Church, Ft. Worth, Texas, replaced one shower at Midtown Good Neighbor Center, requiring plumbing and sheet rock work, completely rebuilt all toilets, replaced all sink facets and shower heads, and did extensive cleaning.
• First Baptist Church, Lake City, Arkansas, performed maintenance at the Cottage Grove Good Neighbor Center: installed handicap ramps on two entrances, purchased and installed a handicap lift, stripped and repainted the baptistery, purchased and installed a baptistery pump, repainted several rooms, replaced carpet in several rooms, painted an outside shed, installed a handicap lift that had been donated to the Mid Town Good Neighbor Center.
• Park Place Baptist Church from Pearl, Mississippi installed showers at Victory Baptist Church, Southeast Good Neighbor Center.
• The Western Kansas Baptist Association donated their VBS collection, $762.52 for the Good Neighbor Centers.
• Country Acres Baptist Church took a love offering for the Good Neighbor Centers of $3200.
• As a final note, a church from Searcy, Arkansas called today to report they had taken up a love offering of $1400 for the Good Neighbor Centers..

I probably have not captured all the blessings but isn't it great to serve God and His Kingdom as a Southern Baptist?

• This data measures the current overall effectiveness in terms of church planting and evangelism.
• This data reveals the continuing faithfulness of HOKSBA churches in discipleship and nurture.
• This data helps leaders gauge various levels of participation in specific ministries of the church.
• This data enables the SBC to monitor church giving, stewardship and support for the primary ministries of missions at home and abroad.
• This data measures the total number of individuals who actively relate to churches as members.

Overall, this data will provide an additional catalyst for evaluating how HOKSBA can better assist churches in fulfilling your ministries on the local level.

• God still changes lives. Jesus Christ is still the only one that can change the life, will, and attitude of a person.
• Because Christ's love compels us. We are to love the things Jesus loved and Jesus loves people with Hurts, Habits and Hang-ups.
• Because without Christ, man cannot be set free. True freedom only comes from a relationship with Christ.
• Because people are worth it. Jesus put value on people, we can do no less.
• Because there is coming a day of reckoning. When this life is over only what is done for Christ will matter.

One of our CR men recently recounted how he came to be involved in CR. He came from a very well to do family, but nothing of material means could fill the vacuum in his life. He fell into deep depression and could only think of ending his life. He bought two fifths of vodka and two bottles of extra strength Tylenol. The police found him wandering the streets of El Dorado and took him to Good Shepherd. After drying him out they called me. I put him in the New Beginnings program at the Rescue Mission and in the CR program. Today he is in spiritual leadership and making his life count for Christ. God truly is using Celebrate Recover.

The second trip will be from February 11-14, 2010. We will leave Wichita early Thursday morning and drive to New Orleans. We will share the Gospel two full days at Mardis Gras and return on the 14th. We truly need to be sharing the Lord's love in both of these places. For those who haven't gone with us before, we will pair you up with someone who has been there. Please contact Loren if you have any questions about either trip. Please plan to join us.

The next mission team from Union Town, Arkansas picked up where the first team left off. They were able to complete the landscaping on the exterior, finish up the painting upstairs and with the help of Jerry Good, a volunteer from Metropolitan BC, replace the dry-wall and make various repairs throughout the building. The team also hosted an evening Bible School with a high attendance of 4, but a fun time was had by all.

The final team from Paragould, Arkansas was able to maintain work in two locations; spending the mornings at Crossroads and the afternoon and evenings at GODdard'S Place. The team, with the help of Pastor Jerry Smith of 1st Baptist, Andover, was able to put down new donated carpet in the upstairs. In the evenings the team hosted a Vacation Bible School with a high attendance of 19. The upstairs of the facility is almost 100% remodeled. Still lacking is minor trim work and general clean up.

Overall, there were three Block Parties, many contacts in the area, and much work completed in this new ministry venture in the Goddard community. During the summer efforts, many in the community stopped by to find out what was going on as they are somewhat excited to see activity again in what has been a dormant property. Contact was established with the local high school and commitments have been made to use the facility by school clubs and even establish a possible tutoring. The local teacher's union is also considering utilizing the facility as a meeting location. Opportunities have opened up to develop relationships within the community in hopes that through the ministerial efforts a Southern Baptist work will once again be a part of the Goddard Community.

We continue to see lives changed in this ministry. Please continue to pray for this ministry and your involvement in it by donating your time or providing funds for Bibles and other needs. We like to give each one who accepts Christ a study Bible that they can take with them when they leave.

The class helps students learn to communicate more effectively to primary and secondary oral learners by using stories and narratives to communicate an essential Christian message. Bible Storying has proven effective in sermons and Bible lessons to adults and children.

• October 24
• Heart of Kansas office, 3474 S. Meridian
• 9 AM till 3 PM
• Lunch included
• Class cost: $10, scholarships available

Please call in your reservations to Ellie at 943-3446

Men's retreat in Salina at Webster Conference Center October 16 & 17. Have you heard of Bigger Breakfast? See this site for information. Starting in January 2010 there will be a 40 day Prayer plan for Spiritual Awakening. Look for more information soon.

Greetings. Let me give you a special invitation to attend the retirement celebration for Peck Lindsay on Monday night (October 12) of the 2009 KNCSB Annual Meeting at Country Acres Baptist Church, 8810 West 10th Street, Wichita, Kansas. We will have a special video presentation to celebrate Peck's significant ministry of almost four decades with our Convention. After the session, there will be a reception in his honor.

No person has impacted our two-state convention more than Peck. He has the longest tenure of any active State Convention Executive Director, and has steadfastly served these years as an executive doing the work of a missionary. He has been a top leader yet willing to serve and befriend pastors, churches, and associations.

This will be a special Annual Meeting. Please make every effort to attend. The speakers will be challenging, the music inspiring, and the fellowship sweet. This year's Pastor's conference features Dr. Brian Harbour. On Monday before lunch, I will interview Peck in a special segment of the Pastor's Conference. We will invite pastors to ask him tough questions about surviving in ministry, church growth, church planting, current trends, the future of our denomination, etc. What a practical time of mentoring that will be!

I look forward to seeing you in Wichita; I trust that we will come away with a sharpened focus and sharpened tools.

Yours for the Kingdom,
Steve Holdaway
President, KNCSB Lead Pastor, LifeSpring Church

As Christians we have been given clear orders over and over to "go out." That is what we at SAMARITAN'S ROAD are doing. Each Sunday we "go out" onto the lot where the truckers are. We invite them to come and join us, to be a part of our worship time and enjoy fellowship with one another. We visit with them about their jobs, families, and their spiritual well being. Many truckers are receptive and allow us to visit with them and welcome our visits, while a few wave us off or ignore us. That is to be expected.

With our short amount of time we have, we must make every moment count. It may be a long time before we meet again or it might be next week. For instance, on Sunday the 9th of August, we had 2 people receive Christ as Lord and Savior. I may never see them again in this area. But because we were there, we made an impact on two lives. A short time well spent serving the Lord. What a blessing!

You can make an impact too. We could use more volunteers to staff our Trucker's Chapel, to assist on Sundays and to pray and support us in other ways. Please consider what the Lord would have you do? Remember "one won one" by answering the call. You can reach me by e-mail: samaritansroad@cox.net or by cell phone: 316-519-5602. God Bless!

Country Acres Baptist Church
8810 W. 10th St. N. (TYLER & 10TH)

SPEAKERS:

• Joe Seitz, Crime Prevention Specialist for the Wichita Police Department
• Celia Easley, Information and Resource Specialist for the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging
• Marvin J. Martin, Writer and Retired Corporate Attorney

COST: $10 Per Person

There will be coffee, juice and snacks in the morning when you arrive and lunch will be provided.

QUESTIONS: Contact Eric Stone 722-1239

Much more recently I read an article calling us again to remember and focus on that which is central. The resounding theme is this, "Keep the main thing, the main thing."

As pastors, when we preach, we must remember that the main theme of our message should be aligned with the main theme of our text. If we are preaching from God's Word, and His Word has a main emphasis, we should focus on the main emphasis. The result of this kind of Jesus exalting Spirit empowered preaching is that God draws people unto Himself. We must keep the main thing, the main thing.

What is the main mission for us as Heart of Kansas Southern Baptist Association? What is the role to which we are called and the mission to which we must stay true? Our mission as HOK is to assist the churches to be healthy and growing so that every culture of people in our area will have the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel and grow to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. What is the main thing for us? It is to create a culture of pastors and churches in this area who are willing to partner together to accomplish this great mission for the glory of our King.

Our main focus has been to evangelize to the Planeview community alongside local church planter, and former seminary companion, Daniel Diaz. The hispanic population in Planeview has become more numerous in these last years and the need to know Christ is more vital than ever. There are two reactions we usually get when evangelizing: 1) Oh how wonderful, good luck! and 2) Get outta' here! This has prompted us to pray more and it has given us a determination that was once only a hopeful outlook.

More recently we've had two weeks of Vacation Bible School that yielded four lives given to Jesus. Seeing these new brothers and sisters in the faith was a time for rejoicing that brought tears to our eyes. However, our time for rejoicing must be accompanied by more laboring. There are many more souls crying out for a meaning in life, and we have been comissioned to share this great gift with the world, one person at a time (Mt. 28:19-20).

The association team has been in Wichita since, May 29. The two college interns are local, but the high school interns are from across the country: Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas & Wisconsin. They have spent much of their time working alongside Loren Phippen.

Their first week in Wichita they helped Victory Baptist promote their Vacation Bible School. The next week, Victory held their VBS with the help of a mission team from outside the area. Their second week they helped Crossroads Community in Oaklawn go door to door and let people know about the new church. At the end of the week, they helped out at two of our Good Neighbor Centers: Cottage Grove and Westside. They also went out with people from Pleasantview Baptist Church, and Indian Southern Baptist Church to help them promote their VBS.

The rest of their summer will include Kids Kamp and helping at least four more Vacation Bible Schools!

During this time the interns are going through a workbook called "Listen to My Life." They are being encouraged to look back over their lives to see how God has been at work, and how God has shaped them to be used by him in unique ways.

If you want to keep up with all of the summer intern teams, be sure to check out the Summer Intern Blog.

We heard many testimonies of how our members enjoyed and benefited from participating in hands on training on the street. We also had churches that helped with the food, block party trailers, music and follow-up. Walking with Power, the power team this year, did a great job at the River Fest show and also did performances at Eldorado prison, JDF and one of our churches. Numerous souls were touched for the Gospel during this weekend. Many members of the ICE team and the power team commented on how impressed they were at how our association worked together. Please put this event on your schedule for next year and come work the harvest with us.

Thirty-nine individuals from seventeen churches and three Associations came from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi to tour our church plants and ministries to determine how they could partner with us in the kingdom work.

Results of the vision tour include mission teams coming in to do construction and VBS, food drives, school supplies drives and monetary support. As a result of relationships developed from three years of Vision Tours there will be about 850 individuals from 43 churches On Mission in the Heart of Kansas this year. Several are considering a monetary commitment this year or budgeting for long term support. This year already we have a commitment from church planter Norm Duncan to come to Wichita and Chad Pearce is already on the field.

A growing network of churches and Associations interested in long term relationships to do ministry had its origin in the vision tours over the past three years.

We invite all of our churches and leadership to plan on attending next year's Vision Tour, April 26-27, 2010!

The speaker this year will be Ken Weathersby. Ken is the senior strategist for evangelization at the North American Mission Board. Ken has overall responsibility for all evangelism events and strategies at NAMB and is a dynamic speaker.

As we have done in the last several years, we will have a small missions fair before the event. This will last from 5:30 to 6:30. Please let us know if you plan on using a table to set up a display for your ministry.

Please help get the word out regarding this training opportunity. Volunteers that are interested should contact the Heart of Kansas Association office at 943-3446. Please leave your name and phone number. You will be contacted regarding the time and location. Please join us in serving others in their time of need. You will be blessed!

Some of the door prizes drawn for at the luncheon included rounds of golf for four with cart at: Braeburn, Hesston, Derby Golf & Country Club, Reflection Ridge Golf & Country Club, and Rolling Hills Golf & Country Club; and a set of 4 tickets to the Kansas City Royals with seats in the first row behind the Royals dugout. This year the Grand Prize Door Prize included a 2-night stay at the Warren Family, LLC Condo in a Branson, MO. All of the door prizes were donated by companies or individuals and we greatly appreciate their generosity. A special thanks to the committee for organizing this event - Charley Powell (Tournament Director), Ross Searl, Leo Helsel, Rick Bailey, and Bob Runyan. GREAT JOB! We plan on repeating this event next spring.

We will hold our 3rd Annual Fall Two-Person Scramble on October 10, 2009. Watch the newsletter for more details.

Note to church office administrators: Please put the following two items on your church calendars: HOKSBA Fall 2-Person Scramble - October 10, 2009 (2nd Saturday of October every year) HOKSBA Fellowship Golf Tournament - April 24, 2010 (last Saturday of April every year)

You can read the full results here (PDF).

Since that article, I have talked to several churches in and outside of our association who are looking to do food drives to help the centers. One of our churches is looking to raise money for our centers to use at the food bank where we can buy food for as little as 16 cents a pound. Please prayerfully consider how you can get involved in this vital ministry.

Deborah and Johnny will be going to the Southern Baptist Convention from June 22 - 25th, please pray for traveling mercies.

For the 4th of July, we are going to have a picnic for the homeless and needy. The following is needed for this event: 5 grills and men to grill the hamburgers and hot dogs, potato salad, desert, volunteers to hand out Gospel Tracts, food bags and Bibles. If you can help with this event, or are willing to help with a fundraiser, please contact Deborah at 204-9517.

We continue to see lives changed in this ministry. Please continue to pray for this ministry and your involvement in it by donating your time or providing funds for Bibles and other needs. I try to give each one who accepts Christ a study Bible that they can take with them when they leave.

How do we promote fellowship within our Bible study groups? One way is to have regular class or department opportunities for socializing together. Some of these could be held at church, but most should be outside of these walls. While some should be planned far in advance and more detailed in nature, others could be impromptu gatherings for lunch after church or dessert after the Sunday evening service! It is important to have them OFTEN because you know that with everyone's varied schedules, you never get everyone together at the same time.

It is also important to remember that fellowship occurs each week as your class gathers together. Even within your Bible teaching, it is important to involve class members in discussion. It is through this interaction that you get to know your class and they get to know each other. Don't overlook the importance of receiving prayer requests as this is a great way to get to know others in your class or department.

If you have not already done so, please mark your calendar for the annual "Flight School" to be held on Monday, August 24th from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Metropolitan Baptist Church. This training event provides opportunity for pastors, Sunday School Directors, and teachers to receive training from Sunday School leaders who have experienced the challenges and successes of Sunday School. Plan now to bring a team of leaders from your church! Be looking for additional information over the next several weeks.

In order for this ministry to be most effective, we need churches and individuals to be involved. If churches or individuals would like to contribute funds or resources to help this ministry "take-off", please notify the HOKSBA office of your intended gifts so that this ministry may be viewed as a viable ministry capable of community impact.

Should the facility improvements be complete, this building may even serve more than just students with concerts, gatherings, club meetings of Goddard High School and possibly after school programs, it will hopefully become a community resource center capable of hosting weddings, receptions, conferences and various events. Each event presents opportunities to share Christ. If you have further questions feel free to contact John Stockstill (316) 619-0833 or the Associational Office at (316) 943-3446.

How can I answer that question in only a few words?

PAST - I heard great reports from many churches across the association who are experiencing record attendance. Since we know that no one comes to the Father except he be drawn by the Father, we know God is at work in the lives of people. Many of the churches of HOK are experiencing the working of the Spirit of God in drawing and winning the hearts of people. That is what is happening in HOK.

PRESENT - Seven HOK pastors and staff are leaving April 20-23 for Winnipeg, MB, Canada. At the request of the Associational Missions Development Council, we are looking at a potential partnership with our Southern Baptists work in Winnipeg. The potential of such a partnership is really exciting for Heart of Kansas churches.

NEAR FUTURE - The Vision Tour is taking place April 27-28. We will be hosting churches and associations from outside KNCSB who will see what the Lord is doing here in HOK. As these churches see what is happening, the Lord may use them to assist our churches in doing the work of our Lord in this place.

As we invite these churches to come to HOK to help, what about the churches who are already here? Are there ways that your church could help a sister church or ministry right here in the HOKSBA? It thrills me to see our churches helping one another. And if you want your church to be involved, the Vision Tour might be for you. As a member of HOK, come and see what the Lord is doing across the association, then pray about how the Lord would have you to be involved.

FUTURE FUTURE - I have had the opportunity to speak to several men's groups from our churches over these last months. I have found many men interested in developing their men's ministry. One idea that has been mentioned is an area wide Men's Fraternity. This would be an area wide weekly men's meeting for any men who would have an interest. There would need to be a core team of men to help direct it, but no additional responsibility would be placed on any of our pastors. If you might have an interest in this kind of ministry, you can contact me at the HOK office.

Today 17 Mexican people came to my house about noon to visit. SEVENTEEN PEOPLE. There were several families, all of them related; brothers, sisters, cousins, parents and children. They rode the horses; we practiced some shooting with 30-30 and 30-06. We ate pizza and sandwiches together. They were so happy. Some of them are believers in Jesus, but others are not. In any case, the testimony was given.

We are looking for the opportunity to talk to them more about spiritual issues. It is a matter of building a relationship with these families to bring them to the feet of Jesus. I have asked the Lord several times, why did you give this land and a house?

Well, they enjoyed their time here so much, that they are planning to come back. Bryan and Judy came also and visited with them. I see this as Bryan, Judy and I received these families in my home as a team. Judy brought pizza and drinks. The Mexican families brought sandwiches and drinks. It was a wonderful blessing. It reminded me of the work my family and I did in Mexico. We led so many Mexicans to Jesus, times where we had many people at home most of the time. I pray for every one who came today, for their salvation, and I thank you Bryan and Judy for coming. -- Carlo Guarneri

We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and for the courage and patience of His people. Please pray for Carlo, Judy and Bryan as they continue their efforts to share the gospel with the Hispanic people in Hutchinson.

If you have a ministry or event that could benefit from these teams, please contact Mark Jackson, 943-3446 to check on their availability.

With the sale of Shiloh, we are searching for locations to house many of these teams. If you have space available to house one or more of these teams please contact Mark Jackson, 943-3446.

Among the 27 people who went, were at least three nonbelievers. Since other students invited them for the retreat, I'm not sure that they completely understood what they were coming to. After the first night, where I talked about what the Gospel was, and the hopelessness we have without it, one of the nonbelievers had had enough. As a committed Buddhist, she was offended to hear such pride and arrogance. It seems like Paul said that would happen (1 Cor 1:23). She wasn't interested in participating in the teaching times anymore, however she did join us for the fun activities. On the last day, we had a wrap-up time, and she was one of the most talkative ones. She even gave me a note thanking me for helping her to understand more about God.

Overall the retreat was a great success. Students asked other students for forgiveness for critical attitudes, and to hold them accountable in the future. As the semester comes to an end, we will be sending students home or to other universities to continue their studies. Please pray for us as we replace leaders, and look for how God plans to use us on the campus in the future. Hundreds of new international students come to WSU each year, and we have the wonderful opportunity of reaching them for Christ, or helping them grow in their faith. Thank you for the opportunity to serve these students, and the association churches in this ministry.

There were ten of us that went to Mardis Gras this year. We worked with a group of about 50 men from around the country. We handed out over 60,000 tracts. On Saturday night before Mardis Gras, it was reported that 1 million people were on Bourbon Street. What an opportunity to share God's love. Each year we have many responses by mail to the tracts we hand out.

Inventory includes:

• 14 Puppets (in excellent condition) $85.00 each
• Assorted Scripts and Music CD $225.00
• Blueprints for Scenery and Completed Set $1200.00
• Purchase entire inventory for package price of $1500.00

If interested please contact Teresa Fry at Metro East Baptist Church by phone, 316-733-5088, or send e-mail to: tfry@metroeastbaptist.com.

One lady who has been with us for a year, testified that she had been grieving over sexual abuse as a teenager, emotionally abandoned by her mother and the loss of her dad. She spoke of how her life was broken with no hope or future. When she came to know Christ as her Savior and friend, her life began to turn around and Celebrate Recovery enabled her to face her grief, her hurts and her anger and it has given her hope and a future. She is now happily married and serving in Celebrate Recovery.

Celebrate Recovery is a place where you can find support, comfort, and a safe place where you can share without someone condemning you or trying to fix you. We believe the Holy Spirit is the only one who can fix you, so we point you to Jesus Christ who can heal you from your hurt, habit, or hang-up.

Join us on Tuesday night in the fireside room for CR at Midway Baptist Church. We are a ministry to the community. We also have a ministry to youth, 6th through 12th grade, called "Life Hurts, God Heals." In the near future, we will be offering a ministry to kids of Celebrate Recovery families, ages 4 years through 5th grade called "Confident Kids". All ministries are on Tuesdays at 6:30pm. For more information call Tom or Marilynn Melton at 316-524-4237.

I want to encourage pastors, treasurers and finance committee members to be a part of this workshop. It will be a great opportunity for us all to think again about how we handle the churches finances and how IRS laws must be applied in the life of the church.

The Seminar will be held from 9am to 1:30pm. Lunch will be provided, so please let us know of your attendance.

• Could God be calling you into church planting?
• How has God equipped you to be a planter?
• When should you get involved?
• Where should you plant a church?

Come begin the process of discovery.

Mark Jackson
RSVP 943-3446

The Heart of Kansas Association has available three chain saws with chaps and helmets for loan to church mission teams upon request from the association office. There is also available a DVD on chain saw safety and operation that each mission team is encouraged to view prior to using the chain saw equipment.

The equipment may be reserved on a first come basis. The borrowing organization would assume responsibility for the safe operation of the equipment and returning the equipment in a clean serviceable condition following the mission event. The borrowing church representative will be asked to sign a release of liability to the Heart of Kansas Southern Baptist Association for use of the equipment.

The mission equipment is being provided to assist and encourage our churches to become engaged in hands-on mission activities in sharing God's love and compassion.

HOKSBA also provides opportunities for individuals to participate in mission activities through the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry. The primary purpose of Disaster Relief is to share the love of Jesus Christ through feeding and recovery services resulting from natural disasters. Individuals interested in this ministry may contact the association office or the Disaster Relief Committee at 788-3466 or 788-1237.

FamilyFest is a partnership with the national Woman's Missionary Union, the Kansas/Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists, and the Heart of Kansas Southern Baptist Association. It is designed to give families (age six and up) a prepackaged missions experience.

How You Can Participate

Think about the needs in the community around your church. How could FamilyFest volunteers assist you and your church members in meeting some of these needs? These volunteers could work on anything you have a vision for: vacation Bible school, backyard Bible clubs, light construction, sport camps, survey work, etc. Perhaps some families in your church would like to travel across town to help another church.

For more information contact Mark Jackson 316-943-3446, mark@hoksba.org or Ellen Noeller 316-215-0135, jenoell@prodigy.net

Contact has been made with an outside mission team who is looking at putting down new carpet and painting the former sanctuary to prepare it for new ministries. With continued efforts, it is believed that GODdard'S Place will be a facility to utilize beginning in the fall of 2009 with outreach events conducted in connection to the Goddard High School. It is believed that this ministry venture can have an impact in the Goddard community and reach beyond Goddard through student and adult involvement and participation. As GODdard'S Place gains notoriety through events, it is believed that enough support can be raised to keep it open as a youth center with the vision of seeing it utilized for other purposes including possibly a Senior Center or a regular meeting place for outreaches or potential church growth efforts.