By Mark Hodges
Months ago, the theme for the BBFI September 2009 meeting was set by the planners for the meeting: “Let God Arise.” The many hours of preparation and plans saturated in prayer were well invested. Now that the fall meeting is history, we must all express our appreciation to Pastor Mike Frazier and the wonderful people of Canton Baptist Temple. They were well organized and greeted each guest with gracious Midwestern hospitality. The theme became a reality as the name of our precious Lord was magnified through the preaching, testimonies, and music. The presence of the Lord was very evident. Elmer Towns and Jonathan Falwell of Lynchburg, Virginia, were our guests, and their challenge left us inspired and encouraged to move forward for the cause of Christ. It was a historic experience to witness Jerry Falwell’s (a graduate of Baptist Bible College) induction into Canton Baptist Temple’s Christian Hall of Fame.
Our business meeting was one of the best attended in years. Every entity of the Fellowship gave a great report. In our National Directors’ meeting, we challenged the directors, along with those state chairmen who attended, to take their responsibilities seriously. Luke 12:48 “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” That challenge included two aspects: (1) To be men of character (1 Corinthians 10:31) and (2) To be men of prayer (Jeremiah 33:3). We had a season of prayer before we proceeded with business.
Several of our mission policies were changed to accommodate prospective missionaries and new opportunities for our current missionary family. Three couples and one single were approved as career missionaries. One couple and two singles were approved for TEAM missions. One was approved for the chaplaincy. Many states had not reported their commitments for the Projects Offering at the meeting. Once these are received, we expect the goal of $800,000 to be reached. New trustees were elected in both colleges and one couple was approved with the NCPO. The constitutional revision regarding voting was approved unanimously.
There were some changes on the Executive Committee. Second Vice-President Rob Hoffman resigned from his office to serve in a new position at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. Keith Gillming was selected and ratified to complete his term. Third Vice-President Bruce Humbert resigned his position earlier in the fall to accommodate his busy schedule and plans for his church’s new construction. Dave Shaffer was selected and ratified to complete his term. He was serving as our treasurer. Therefore, we replaced him by selecting and ratifying Jim Stady as our new Fellowship treasurer.
It has been 39 years since the church in Canton hosted a BBFI meeting. I hope it won’t be that long again, as we experienced an awesome meeting!
As I stated in my previous article of the Tribune, we have entitled this coming year as “The Year of Revival.” Our future meeting locations were selected and voted on with a prayer that these meetings will stir our hearts toward a spirit of revival. Pastor Herb Hubbard and Bible Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, have graciously opened their doors to host the next meeting, February 15-17. With revival in mind, we will use the word “Remember.” We are getting back to what made our Fellowship great with emphasis on church planting and growth.
Our 2010 May meeting in Springfield will emphasize the word “Rededicate.” Our preaching will be directed toward integrity and holiness. Our arrangements will be somewhat different as we will hold our Monday evening service at Cherry Street Baptist Church and our Tuesday evening service at High Street Baptist Church. On Wednesday we will challenge our Springfield churches to join us for a big gathering at BBC’s W. E. Dowell Fieldhouse.
Our 2010 September meeting will be held at Sauk Trail Baptist Temple in Richton Park, Illinois. The word we will emphasize is “Rekindle.” Along with missions, we will be challenged for prayer and preaching.
The last meeting we approved looks to be a historic one. Our Fellowship will conduct their first international meeting overseas. Pastor Armie Jesalva and his associate, Jun Lumagbas, have extended an invitation to our Fellowship as they host the 2011 BBFI February meeting in Cebu City, Philippines. The Philippines has long been one of our Fellowship’s most successful mission fields. We expect hundreds of Filipino pastors and workers, as well as a host of American pastors, staff members, and church members to attend. There should also be many missionaries and national pastors from other countries. Information for travel packages will be given in the future. Make plans to go!