| Home | Organization | Purpose | Work | Reports | News Updates | Special Projects | National Missions | History |
|---|
Reports
March 26 - 28, 2010
Purpose:
In the fall of 2009 a message came from Ron Elston, National Director of Extension, about a pastor in Montreal that wanted to join the conference of Seventh Day Baptists. We exchanged e-mail messages and finally set up a date for the visit. During the time that we were corresponding Gordon and Beverly Kilts heard of the planned trip and we invited them to come along with us. It was exciting to think of the opportunity to visit a new church. The Kilts invited us to spend a night with them before we traveled into Canada. So we took them up on the invitation and made our plans accordingly. We were to travel to the Kilts on March 25, then on to Montreal on the 26th. We planned to attend their Sabbath School then the worship service. After the worship service a meeting would be held to discuss the work there and the interaction of the Missionary Society. We were anxious to tell them about our denomination and the association of churches that exists in the United States and Canada. This visit was to introduce the church to the beliefs, polity, and doctrines of the Seventh Day Baptist denomination. We took tracts and books to help us discuss these items.
.
Observations:
Preliminary studies indicated that Montreal was a French-speaking community and it piqued our interest to wonder how a Spanish-speaking church was founded there. In corresponding with Pastor Julius he told us that he was Guatemalan and moved to California first. He had trouble getting American citizenship and he discovered that citizenship in Canada was easier to obtain. He decided to move to Canada. He first settled in Toronto but later relocated to Montreal. He has three daughters, each born in a different country. The first, Karla, was born in Guatemala, the second, Carolyn, was born in California, and the third, Daniela, was born in Toronto. His wife, Brenda, is also a Guatemalan.
Kirk and Vivian were hosted in the home of Pastor Julius and Brenda Martinez 
where we enjoyed a luxurious bedroom that they vacated for our benefit. We thank them richly for the accommodations. We felt very welcome and were made to feel very blessed.
Gordon and Beverly Kilts were hosted by Carlos and Rosie Seres. They live across
the cul-de-sac from Pastor Julius. Carlos works as an airplane mechanic and Rosie runs a day care in her basement. It is in the recreation room for the day care that church and other meets are held. They have two young daughters; Nichole and Michelle.
Sabbath morning service was held in the basement of Carlos and Rosie. The worship team was composed of Rosie and two daughters of Pastor Julius. Carlos was responsible for the music. They used CD disks for music. They began Sabbath School with a period of music. Sabbath School lasted a little over one hour and was taught by Pastor Julius. It was inspiring and thought-provoking. The lesson was developed by Pastor Julius. Their services were bi-lingual (English/Spanish) and were conducted with ease.
Between Sabbath School and divine worship we had a very delicious lunch that was prepared by Carlos and Rosie. The food and fellowship was tremendous. We ate well and talked about many different topics. Soon, however, we were back in the basement ready for divine worship service.
Kirk Looper delivered the message for the service and Pastor Julius translated. Again the music was led by the worship team. They did an excellent job in leading the praises for the service.
After the divine worship the members of the congregation met with us to discuss Seventh Day Baptists, our beliefs and polity. There were nine in the meeting including the Kilts and Loopers. The group included Julius and Brenda Martinez, Carlos and Rosie Seres, and Joel Manzano. Joel was the secretary for the church. We took time to discuss our polity and beliefs, using the tract, “A Church That’s a Little Different”, and gave them time to ask questions. We had given them several other tracts that we had brought with us and they looked at them. Again, they asked questions. Although it may have appeared to be a long meeting it was not anything compared to others that I have participated in. It was good to see them appear to be satisfied with the answers that we gave.
Pastor Julius and his family came out of the Church of God Seventh Day based in Denver. He was the person responsible for the establishment and development of the Canadian Conference of the Church of God Seventh Day.
After the meeting they treated us to a wonderful meal at a local Lebanese restaurant. We were able to sample several different foods and went away well satisfied.
We appreciate the fantastic hospitality given by all and felt welcomed at all times of the visit. We discovered that there were many beliefs that we shared and look forward to sharing with them again in the near future.
Conclusions:
The tenor of the meeting and fellowship led us to believe that they would be able to fit into our conference without problems. They follow congregational rule and open affiliation which allows any Christian to participate in their services and communion.
They requested more information for distribution to visitors and for evangelistic outreach. I have supplied them with one document in French and will send them what we have in Spanish tracts, etc. I would like to get our Manual of Procedure translated into Spanish and French. This will enable them to discuss our work with visitors and prospective members. It will also help them establish their own Statement of Beliefs, constitution and by-laws, and covenant.
I have contacted Herlitz Condison and given him the correspondence that has taken place between Pastor Julius and me. Pastor Julius has been in contact with Pastor Helmer Umana and they have exchanged e-mails.
I did receive an e-mail that said he was interested in joining the conference and looks forward to completing the necessary work for the inclusion of his group into the fellowship and association with the SDB Conference, USA and Canada. He wants to take it slow enough to ensure that they do it right the first time. We will be working with him closely to make them feel comfortable in their decisions.
Respectfully submitted,
Kirk Looper
Anchorage, Alaska
Trip Report
Nov 6-9, 2009
Purpose:
This was the second trip to Alaska. The first trip was in 2008 when we visited the group in Tok. We worked with them to get a church started and begin their outreach and development. This trip was similar in that, a group of Sudanese had started a group in Anchorage and Ron Elston and I went there to help them to begin their work in evangelism and development of the Sudanese church there.
We were also planning to travel to Tok to visit that group again. However, when we got to Alaska the weather had not cooperated and the family in leadership was suffering with the Swine Flu. Hence, we cancelled that portion of the trip.
We thought that we could also visit the many contacts that were in the regions around the two churches. One area was closed because we did not go to Tok. In the other area, closer to Anchorage, Ron spent a lot of time on the phone with them and discovered that they were older or very far from any of the churches and could not travel to make the services provided by the churches. Those who were young enough but did not want to travel were not interested in leadership positions of a beginning church. So, our planned visitation portion of the trip did not happen.
Observations:
In many ways it was good that we did not travel outside Anchorage. One is that it started to snow after a couple of days there. Two, it gave us some quality time with the Sudanese.
Working with the Sudanese allowed us to give more detailed help to them in the organization and development of their church. We were able to sit down with a group of them, over the 4 days that we were there and take them through the process answering any questions they might have concerning the organization and development of the church. Since all of the men worked we met during the evening hours. This gave us time during the day to produce the papers they needed and some of the paperwork that was discussed and decided upon, do some of the contact work that was in Alaska, and other office work. We discovered very quickly that the daylight hours in Alaska at this time of year is not very long. However, most of the work we were doing did not require daylight. We were thankful that the temperatures were not very low and this allowed us to move about without discomfort.
The church congregation is about 15. They spoke of many more who would like to join but wanted them to start the church first. They have permission to meet in a large room in the Faith Community Covenant Church on Madison Street. The Sudanese church has the responsibilities of keeping the room clean and arranged correctly. They have plans to use the room on Friday Evening, Sabbath Day, and possibly Sunday evening. They would like to have it for a mid-week Bible Study as well. They are an ambitious group and have had Ron develop a project that would allow them to reach out into the surrounding communities, some outside Anchorage. It was refreshing to hear them talk so excitedly about the plans for outreach.
The Sabbath worship service was held at 2:00 PM at the church and was their first service. There were at least four churches represented. These four churches were in charge of the service and the mixture was delightful. The four groups included Baptist (Sunday), Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, and Church of God. Each church group provided groups that sang and spoke. It was exciting and everyone appeared to be acceptable of and encouraging to the Seventh Day Baptist group. After worship service a light dinner was served of Pizza. It was very good fellowship.
While there we also discussed and planned a trip to Ethiopia and Sudan for January or February. The plan includes two to three members of the Sudanese church accompanying the Missionary Society to Ethiopia and Sudan to help work with the groups there. We hope to take funds to help register the conference in the countries and to build some meeting houses. To do this we will need to raise about $20,000. This amount will include air travel, some room and board, and food. We are praying that on this trip we will be helping to establish and develop 9 churches in the two countries. It will help us establish a foothold in the two countries. It will also help us to get into Sudan to work with the conference there. We plan to raise funds through donations for bricks to build church buildings in both countries. Each brick will cost $.50 US. Since each building will need about 9,000 bricks, each building will cost at least $4,500. It would be great if we could build four or five buildings but we will be happy to get any amount that come in for this purpose. We also need funds to register the conference in both countries. If you feel led to donate, the funds can be sent to the Missionary Society office designated for the Ethiopia/Sudan Trip. Any and all donations are accepted and appreciated.
The leader of the organization and development of the church in Anchorage is Mading Yat Bol. Mading played an important role in the organization and development of the church in Omaha, NE. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, NE, on May 23, 2009. This was after a very difficult time due to work and ministries. He is married to Nyaruot Kuoth, and has seven children: Mal (13), Duol (12), Nyagoa (11), Muoch (8), Kok (6), Chicng (4), and Nyekvooth (2). They are very well-mannered children who work hard and excel in school.
Conclusions:
We cannot express our thanks to Mading and his family who were willing to pick up and move to Alaska to make sure the church there is successful. We are working with him to provide funds for the outreach program that they have planned. We are working with him to find donations to make the trip to Ethiopia to get the conference started there. We can pray that the churches across the Ethiopian/Sudan border will be amicable to the conference that is already established in Sudan so that they can work together to deliver the Gospel to the folk in Sudan. We look forward to that trip and pray that the members of our conference will be willing to donate so that these trips will become possible and fruitful.
Our work through the world is getting to be very big. God knows what He is doing when He brings so many into focus in our outlook and work. We praise Him for this opportunity to work in His Kingdom. Maybe it is one of the ways each of us can work in His Kingdom, through donating to that work.
Photos of Tok & Anchorage, Alaska
Respectfully submitted,
Kirk Looper
Hardinsburg, Indiana
Trip Report
May, 2010
Ron Elston
Purpose:
On my return trip from the Missionary Board meeting in Ashaway, I traveled South from Indianapolis toward Louisville, KY, to Hardinsburg, IN, where I met with leadership from the Hardinsburg SDB Church. I was there to review and discuss the progress of the local church and to discuss and review plans for their Vacation Bible School as well as outreach meetings in the area.
Observations:
During my visit to the area I stayed in Croydon, IN, just South of Hardinsburg. It is the largest City between Hardinsburg and Louisville, KY. Croydon is a target area that is being explored by the Hardinsburg group and Pastor Brian Smith and his outreach committee. Demographics have been done by Pastor Smith and several sites are being reviewed as possible locations for evangelistic meetings later this year.
Discussion focused on the Vacation Bible School scheduled for June and I wrote a check for $500.00 from my TA Account following voice and email messages confirming the transaction.
The Hardinsburg Church is very appreciative for the assistance provided by the Missionary Society. They plan to draft a letter to this effect in the near future and send it to the board office.
The check for $500.00 will used to purchase electrical materials i.e. breaker box, wire, etc. to provide electricity to their current location, which is a mobile home. Pastor Brian will be doing the electrical work himself thus saving the labor cost.
I was pleased with the improvements to the facility as they have constructed a porch with rails and steps to the building. There were improvements to the driveway as well as a new Church sign.
Conclusion:
I am very pleased with this group and their leadership. They will be seeking membership into Southwest Association and will attend the Association meetings in Ft. Worth, TX, in June and plan to attend General Conference in Springfield, MO.
They currently have 28 members on the books with new visitors and interests. They have developed and completed most of their paperwork which I have reviewed. It has been a Blessing and Joy to work and assist in their efforts to become part of Seventh Day Baptists.
We're pleased to report that our "team" in Guyana has been working very hard to complete the job there within the six weeks alotted them. Calvin Babcock, Alfred Station SDB Church, organized the team and is being assisted by Justin Camenga, Milton, WI, and Curits Palmiter, of the Alfred Station SDB Church. We are looking forward to a complete report from the team when they return at the end of July. Let us keep the guys in prayer.
