BSCNC News

Camp Caraway Closes Week of July 6

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:40:00 -0400

CARY (BSCNC COMMUNICATIONS) - Camp Caraway, located just west of Asheboro, N.C., in the rolling hills of Randolph County, will be closed the week of July 6 as a result of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu. Following a week of Royal Ambassador (RA) camp June 22-26, two campers were diagnosed with the swine flu upon their return home. Parents of the campers alerted Camp Caraway Director Kenny Adcock who quickly contacted the Randolph County Health Department and alerted the families of all other campers who participated in RA camp the week of June 22. Adcock also scheduled testing for his camp staff, which resulted in six positive diagnoses. Members of the camp staff who tested positive are under a physician's care and are receiving treatment.

Jimmy Huffman, Director of the Caraway Conference Center of which Camp Caraway is a part, decided to close Camp Caraway for the week of July 6 as a precaution. "The Randolph County Health Department has told us that based upon the incubation period required for the virus, we are clear to re-open the camp on July 7, but rather than conduct a partial week of camp we've decided it is best to close the camp for the entire week," Huffman said. In addition, Huffman stated, "We have worked closely with our local health department and they have indicated that the response of our staff has been both correct and appropriate. I am proud of both the professional and Christ-like way our camp staff has responded."

Milton A. Hollifield, Jr., Executive Director-Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, stated, "We are very concerned for the young boys as well as the camp staff who have contracted this virus. I am appreciative of the compassionate and responsible manner in which our camp staff has responded and ask North Carolina Baptists to join me in praying for the speedy recovery of both the campers and camp staff."

Waiting by the window: Love marks Deep Impact

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:40:00 -0400

GRIFTON (BSCNC Communications) - Andrew's eyes never, not even once, lost contact with the face in front of him. He told the story of how two days earlier God saved him, and he spoke with such intensity and confidence that all one could do was put down the pen and paper and just listen, savoring a moment to be reminded of the Gospel's life-changing power. The Lord changed Andrew Somers' heart the first evening during the first week of Deep Impact 2009. During Deep Impact Grifton, Somers and other middle school and high school students served at sites throughout the community helping with construction, Vacation Bible School, prayerwalking and service projects. Every evening during Deep Impact youth participate in a worship service and this particular Monday night as Mike Sowers preached about confessing sin and following Jesus Christ, Somers could not deny that something was different. "I'm confused. I don't know what's going on. I don't know if I'm ready. I need to clean up my life first," Somers said to his youth leader Brian Gunningham. "You and the Lord are having an encounter," Gunningham told Somers. "He's telling me to follow Him. But I don't know how," Somers said. Gunningham shared the Gospel, read passages in Romans, the Lord awakened Somers' heart to the truth of the Gospel and he responded.

Gunningham's youth from First Baptist Church in Rochelle, Ga., were among 170 other youth participating in Deep Impact Grifton. Deep Impact began 12 years ago at the North Carolina Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell in Brunswick County, and in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. This is the second year Deep Impact expanded to include camp weeks at other locations. Deep Impact will also be held in Red Springs, Greensboro and Eastern Pennsylvania with about 1,650 youth expected to serve this year. "They're kids who are coming to do something," said Mike Sowers, North Carolina Baptist Men youth missions consultant. "They come here with a purpose; they come to serve." In the evening worship service Sowers is preaching through a series entitled "Are you listening?" which focuses on the passages in Matthew when Jesus calls out people to follow Him. Sowers begins each Deep Impact week with a training session to help equip the youth for their specific area of service that week. Some youth learn how to roof a house, others practice leading children through football drills, others receive training in evangelism.

One reason Gunningham chose to bring his youth to Deep Impact is because of these various mission tracks. Youth in Grifton spread out over the community at 15 different mission sites. Gunningham looks forward to taking the skills they learned in Grifton and using them to make an impact in Rochelle. Gunningham participated in prayerwalking Grifton. From apartment complexes to the hospital, "the Holy Spirit just gives you something specific to pray about it," he said. "I have a deeper understanding of what it means to pray without ceasing."

Ashley Matthews, a rising high school senior and member of Highlands Baptist Church in Garner, served with youth at an assisted living facility for adults with developmental disabilities. Deep Impact is Ashley's first mission trip. "We don't even really do that much," Matthews said of the youth's outreach at the facility. Yet, "you can tell that it means a lot." Ready for the students to return the second day, the adults waited by the window and waved as soon as they saw the van pull in. Wearing a big smile one adult insisted on hugging everyone who came to visit. It makes no difference that most of the adults cannot talk and cannot understand what the youth say to them. These teenagers sit patiently beside them and help them with their art projects. The teenagers call the adults by name and laugh and joke around with them. The youth do not seem the least bit timid - they love the people they came to serve.

One week is just long enough to build relationships and love people so much it hurts to leave. "Our whole group was in tears - they did not want to leave," said Terry Strickland, youth leader at Porter Swamp Baptist Church. Porter Swamp served last year in Grifton with Deep Impact, and caring for people around them is one thing they learned that stuck with them. Pastor Tim Moore still remembers the children he served last year during a sports clinic. One day this week, sitting on top a hot roof at a construction site, he thought about those children from last year, wondering where they are and how they are doing. As if reading his mind, a youth sitting with him on that roof said aloud the same thing - and at that moment Moore knew Deep Impact made a deep impact on him, and his youth. "This week impacts the people you're ministering to, and it ministers to you," he said.

Moore and Strickland do not want Deep Impact to be just another event youth attend only to think nothing more of it when they return home. The church leadership is committed to teaching the youth about missions and getting them involved in missions, so all year long during youth events leaders intentionally talk about lessons learned during Deep Impact. From car washes to dinners, raising money for their mission trip helps Porter Swamp youth invest in the trip early on. "They do not mind working hard," Strickland said. Sometimes they are "give slam out at the end of the day for $25." One thing Deep Impact continues to teach Moore is the need for leaders to challenge youth and to push them to do their best. "Kids do exactly what you expect," he said. "You get out of them exactly what you expect." The more leaders believe their youth can grow and learn, the more they will believe it, too.

Lindsey Hilburn, 16, of Porter Swamp came back for her second year of Deep Impact. "If I could live here I would," she said. For Hilburn, knowing she is helping other people is reason enough to want to put down roots in Grifton. Like last year, Hilburn is helping lead a basketball clinic. But she does much more than lead children through basketball drills - Hilburn shares her heart. "Sometimes the kids think they have to be good to impress other people," she said. So Hilburn shares her testimony and shares the Gospel and teaches the children truth.

Blair Early agrees with Hilburn that Deep Impact is a good place to be. "It's one of those jobs I would do without pay," she said. Early graduated in May from Gardner-Webb University and is on staff with Deep Impact for a second year. She is one of four college students traveling to all the Deep Impact weeks to help Sowers plan and lead the mission weeks. Early enjoys living in community with staff and campers and she seeks to not only minister to the community, but to the youth groups who come to serve. Early treasures the opportunity to watch youth grow. She told about an experience at the assisted living facility, her favorite Grifton site. Several youth she served with were very nervous and worried about being around adults with developmental disabilities. Yet, by week's end, "they grew into people who cared for a population that is often neglected." Even after three days into the first Deep Impact week of 2009, Early already knew it was true: "Serving together breaks down so many walls. This group is really here to serve."

NEWSBRIEF: Oon Named National Youth Bible Drill Winner

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:24:00 -0400

CARY (BSCNC Communications) - Eesim Oon of Bethesda Baptist Church in Yates Association is the 2009 National Youth Bible Drill winner. Oon was among 30 youth competing in the National Invitational Youth Bible Drill and Speakers' Tournament June 19 at First Baptist Church in Covington, La. She competed against drillers from Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Missouri. Oon earned a perfect score in the drill and earned more bonus points than any other driller.

Oon, now in 8th grade, began drilling in 4th grade and has been drilling ever since. Winning the North Carolina Finalist Tournament May 16 at First Baptist Church in Greensboro qualified Oon for the national drill. Oon advanced to the Finalist Tournament after placing as the top scorer in her church, association and state level tournament.

Also representing North Carolina in Louisiana were Megan Russell of Salem Baptist Church in Raleigh Association in the High School Bible Drill, and Brian Carter of Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Eastern Association in the Speakers' Tournament. Since the National Drill began six years ago, North Carolina has honored two national winners and three runners-up.

The National Invitational Youth Bible Drill and Speakers' Tournament is sponsored by the Southeastern States Discipleship Group of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jeanie Whitehead, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Bible Drill Ministries Consultant for the past 10 years, joined the North Carolina drillers in Louisiana.

"The event was very tense and exciting as we watched the drillers and listened to the speakers," Whitehead said. "At this level of competition the youth are the very best from the states that participate. We are very proud of Eesim and very appreciative of the training and encouragement she received from her leader, Mrs. Merle Fish. God's Word is a gift to all of us and I commend every pastor, leader and parent who understands the worth and commitment of Scripture memory for their young people."

For more information about how to start Bible Drill at your church or important Bible Drill dates for next year click here.

For more information about Oon in the Finalist Tournament click here.

A Modern Mars Hill

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:21:00 -0400

CARY (BSCNC Communications) - Celebrated as a triumph of religious diversity and tolerance, the newest Hindu temple opened last week in Cary as thousands of Hindus came to celebrate the statues which were to be brought to life through the temple's dedicatory process. U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge and Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht Jr. joined Gov. Beverly Perdue in a tour of the new facility. The $3.5 million temple's statues were crafted in India and give the casual observer a feeling as if they are stepping directly into Tirumala Hills near Tirupathi, India - from which the temple in Cary is modeled. The five-day ceremony cost about $1 million and was 13 years in development. The Triangle region has a total Hindu population of over 21,000 and is growing rapidly.

Cary, originally called Bradford's Ordinary in 1750, was once a railroad stop for travelers on their way to destinations on the Eastern seaboard. Located between Raleigh and Durham, Cary now boasts a population of over 120,000 - a 20% increase from the year 2000. Most know Cary as a place of Northern transplants who work in the nearby Research Triangle Park (RTP). The city is home to the largest privately-held software company in the world - SAS Institute - and has attracted other world-class businesses including IBM, MCI, Siemens, American Airlines, Lucent Technologies, Oxford University Press, the Lord Corporation and Austin Foods. The city has become a cross section of a new suburban lifestyle and the old South as evidenced by the many upscale neighborhoods and businesses springing up even in a time of economic recession. It is internationally recognized as a place of many religions and a melting pot of international cultures.

The belief system of the Hindu religion is difficult to capture due, in large part, to its lack of theological precision. Most Hindus believe in a large unifying and nebulous force that governs all existence and cannot be completely known or understood by human beings. Various gods and goddesses are simply personifications of this cosmic force which results in the worship of deities that individuals believe directly impact their existence. Hindus select one or more deities to worship and conduct various rituals and ceremonies to bring about contact with them. Unity with the cosmic force is a common theme among Hindus and a person's karma dictates their purpose in this life and in the next.

The three primary Hindu deities are Shiva (the Creator and Destroyer), who destroys the old while creating the new; Vishnu (the Preserver) and his two most popular incarnations, Krishna and Rama; and Devi (the Protecting Mother), sometimes known simply as the Goddess, who appears in some form in every region of India. She is often identified as the creative energy of the universe, and is considered by her followers the equal of Vishnu and Shiva.

Cary is also home to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Milton A. Hollifield, Jr., Executive Director-Treasurer, stated that "more and more our state resembles a modern Mars Hill just like the one the Apostle Paul encountered in Acts 17." Hollifield said the temple is a clear indication that North Carolina is no longer to be considered simply part of the Bible belt. Rather, the state has transformed "into a place where world religions now dominate the cultural scene to the point that Christians are forced to articulate the radical difference between the God of the Bible and the gods of this world."

Acknowledging the fact that various religions can co-exist in North Carolina without fear of persecution, he said "North Carolina Baptists - and indeed all evangelicals - now must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints as our homeland has changed into the world's third largest mission field - only behind China and India. We face a future that was radically different from our past, and we must work to bring the gospel to our own culture in ways which would lovingly share the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ with those who possess radically different worldviews than our own. No longer can we assume that we minister in a culture familiar with Christianity. We must live as missionaries in our state so that the gospel might penetrate into every sector of our society."

More information on North Carolina Baptist Multicultural Ministry here. More about the North Carolina Missions Offering here.

Training for Tragedy: NCBM Disaster Relief

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:07:00 -0400

HUDSON (BSCNC Communications) - Hurricane Katrina all but destroyed the Gulf Coast as she slammed ashore on August 29, 2005. The entire infrastructure of major American cities collapsed under the weight of a storm which brought wave after wave of damage to fragile defenses never designed to withstand the torrent of a category three hurricane. In its aftermath, eyewitnesses to the storm remarked that the area looked as if it had been bombed. Government response to the disaster was marked at every level by all too public missteps and organizational obstacles causing widespread panic and frustration.

Into the fray, North Carolina Baptist Men joined others across the nation in a rapid response to the crisis. The ministry fed entire regions and practically rebuilt the city of Gulfport, Miss. Such quick movement requires preparation and management by an organization that anticipates problems before they arise. Normally, government sectors - both military and civilian - drill for weeks on end to meet the demands of a large scale disaster. For a church-based group with an all volunteer enlistment to execute at a level of excellence which, in many ways, outperforms others with far more money and manpower is quite remarkable.

Gaylon Moss, Director of Disaster Relief for North Carolina Baptist Men, manages an operation that resembles a military outpost. Viewing a training session like the one recently held at First Baptist Church of Hudson, N.C., is an immersion into an experience tactically designed to provide all those interested in serving in disaster relief service a preparation second to none to meet the demands of everything from tornadoes to floods to hurricanes. "We design it this way to prepare them for what they will face in the field," Moss said. Each training session is held on the grounds of a church in friendly cooperation with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and becomes the central outpost for two days of intense instruction.

Moss has designed the training to seamlessly move a person from a general understanding of disaster relief to the specific details of childcare (where people learn the ground rules for caring for the children of disaster victims) to feeding to water purification to shower/laundry to recovery to chaplaincy. Each division is responsible for specific outcomes and is staffed by North Carolina Baptist volunteers who have hours of experience in disaster relief operations.

Three hundred fifteen people attended the most recent training in Hudson bringing the total available volunteer force to just over 9,000 trained responders. Like their governmental counterparts, various levels of leadership exist which are clearly identifiable with color-coded uniforms. All disaster relief volunteers wear what has now become almost a universally recognizable yellow shirt and cap. Blue hats and white hats identify leadership levels and remain a way volunteers on the ground can quickly direct questions and needs as situations develop and change.

"We are not just a tree service," Moss says. "Others can do that, but we hope that in the darkness which disaster brings, the light of Jesus Christ might shine to those who watch us and hear about what we are about." Moss is quick to state that the entire operation of disaster relief "is a tool in the toolbox of missions." The volunteers who take part in these weekends of training span the gamut of life. "There are no super-Christians here - only those who are willing to learn and serve others in the name of Christ," he said.

More than $1.5 million of equipment make up the footprint of the North Carolina Baptist Men's disaster relief footprint. Manna One is a state of the art feeding facility designed to feed thousands quickly and with a quality that resembles the efficiency of the support corps of the United State military. The command center is equipped with weather radar, generators for computer usage and a capacity to direct simultaneous actions across various levels of activity all at once. Showers and laundry units increase the ability of the operation to maintain a high level of production over an extended period of time.

Donations from individuals, churches and associations purchased a significant portion of the equipment, but the generous giving of North Carolina Baptists through the annual North Carolina Mission Offering continues to maintain the level of service many have come to expect from North Carolina Baptist Men. The reputation the organization has built with North Carolina governmental officials is one "for which we are extremely grateful," Moss says. "We enjoy a level of communication with federal, state and local officials that makes our job rewarding and much easier as we hope to help those in need and assist other partners as they work to help people in need."

Moss has built into the training an evangelistic component that is both intentional and respectful. Bill Fogarty, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Weddington, N.C., also leads a briefing designed to acclimate the future disaster relief workers with the physical and spiritual dimensions of trauma. "When you first encounter someone who has been confronted with tragedy, that is the time you most need to understand something about them and something about God," he said. "People respond differently to trauma, and you must be prepared to assist them at their point of need." Fogarty is a trained counselor who also serves as a police chaplain.

He recognizes that many churches are not prepared for what is really going on "just beneath the surface of peoples' lives." Fogarty is convinced the pain and suffering experienced by many people - especially during the time of tragedy - is all but ignored by many in the church because they "are unaware of what is taking place just outside their doors." The after effects of a tragedy often leave people alone to face the future with little help or guidance as to how to move on in their lives without their loved ones (in the case of death) or as displaced individuals (in the absence of their home or personal possessions). "We do not have an awareness of the vast dimensions of sin as it relates to the personal tragedies in the lives of those who live around us," he said. "Our hope is in Christ, and we are hopeful that this training will help the church to carefully respond when (not if) tragedy strikes - not simply to sporadically react."

Moss has scheduled the training sessions to include every region of the state so that "anyone who might be willing to serve can have the opportunity to train and become a part of what we are doing in this state, nation and even around the world," he said.

"We want to have skillful hands and hearts that care so that when others see our good works, they might praise our Father who is in heaven," Moss said. "We know that God is sovereign over every tragedy and He has prepared good works for us to do. We want to be found faithful in doing them and getting the gospel out in ways which will change our communities and our state."

More information on future training sessions here. More information on North Carolina Baptist Men here. More information on the North Carolina Missions Offering here.

Ready for Resurgence: Advance '09 and the Local Church

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:56:00 -0400

DURHAM (BSCNC Communications) - If the church vans parked outside were any indication of the demographic of the crowd inside the Durham Performing Arts Center, Southern Baptists would dominate the attendance of the Advance '09 Conference. The conference which drew over 2,500 to Durham was originally an idea to encourage a group of church planters in what has become known as the new urban South. Quickly, however, the event grew to incorporate a spate of speakers certain to draw people from not just the Raleigh/Durham area, but the entire Southeast region of the United States. Pastors like Greg Belser, senior pastor of the Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, Miss., joined Southern Baptist denominational employees such as Joel Rainey, a Director of Missions from Maryland, as well as others like Jarrod Scott, senior pastor of the Green Pines Baptist Church in Knightdale, N.C., in a regional conference designed to foster new networks for church planting and church revitalization.

Here, the only theme is the local church and the conference is evidence of an entire movement which has largely sprung up organically from local churches. The youthful audience can be attributed in some measure to the impact of technology as most of these pastors and church leaders are connected to each other electronically. They are finding their own way through new networks of their own making. Some say this conference represents the end of one era and the beginning of another - one not dependent on the institutions of the past. Others, such as Southern Baptist blogger Michael Spencer, believe the collapse of evangelicalism is near and this generation might well preside over its demise.

What is certain in this room is that this generation (approximate ages 25 - 45) represents a unique combination of style, liturgy and theology. The conference begins with a responsive call to worship followed by rousing songs (staples among evangelicals these days): Vicki Cook�s, Before the Throne of God Above and Keith Getty's, O Church Arise. These new hymns are filled with themes which mark classical Christian orthodoxy as a key plank of faith for this age group. These conference participants are knowledgeable of church history and seek to join the church of old by repeating prayers inspired by John Calvin and singing the old hymns of Isaac Watts to new tunes. Old time religionists might find this experience a challenge for them optically (the strobe lights are bright) and musically (the guitars can get quite loud). Overall, the people in this hall seem to share a remarkably personalized Jesus that is not simply emotional, but doctrinal.

Mark Driscoll, perhaps the most noteworthy of the current young evangelical pastors, continues to emerge as a favorite at conferences across the nation. The pattern continues here in Durham. As he begins the afternoon lineup of speakers, Driscoll frames the core doctrine of the church by attempting to Biblically define the church - what it is and what it isn't. Unlike many in his own generation, he is concerned with the doctrine of ecclesiology to the point that he is careful to challenge those who attempt to "do church" in an un-Biblical manner.

Yet, it was Tyler Jones of Vintage 21 Church in Raleigh who set the tone for what was later to come throughout the afternoon. Jones, a North Carolina native, began Vintage 21 Church in 2003 in downtown Raleigh with a desire to reach the entire community with the gospel of Christ. He admits the church had some terribly rough first days. He can point to areas of theology that he had wrong and some church practices that landed his congregation in the newspaper further creating confusion among some who wondered just what this young man was about in a city which, by some estimation, was full of churches.

Jones' passion for the region seems to be born of a realization that things are no longer as they once were in the South. Regionally, the South has been known as the Bible belt, but Jones is quick to correct anyone who thinks this description is still applicable to the area. "We�re bleeding," he says, "and the culture is now openly hostile to the church." He admits that the temptation is simply to "hunker down and do church events" in reaction to the tidal wave of the cultural onslaughts against the church. This must not happen as he believes this will create a false sense of reality capable of rendering the church's witness as something of little help to the world that is perishing without Christ.

"We have taken our eyes off Jesus, and Jesus is no longer our first love," he said. "The toxic nature of many of our churches makes others come to the conclusion that Jesus is a fraud." Calling pastors to "a long-term repentance" as the only path out of the depths of despair and lack of effectiveness in ministry, Jones stated that many wonderful things "can happen as a result of repentance." Admitting he was once jealous of other church planters who came to the downtown Raleigh area to plant other congregations, he found freedom and friendship in repentance as he labored to fight against the "sin of territorialism in the ministry." Jones said that the result of his own personal repentance was the very conference where people now sat to hear him speak.

When Bryan Chappell, President of Covenant Theological Seminary, stepped to the podium, he immediately began to speak of the power of sin. "The only reason sin has power in your life is because you love it," he said. Sin, as an object of the affections of the heart, possesses the destructive power to "lead you away from Christ." Chappell believes that to simply attempt to root out sin without replacing it with a greater object of affection capable of capturing the heart in love is simply to prolong sin�s power over the Christian.

Widely known for his book, Christ-Centered Preaching, Chappell has taught thousands of preachers the path toward a fully orbed manner of preaching which displays the Christological focus of the entire Bible in ways which magnify the person and work of Christ as the central character in all of Scripture. "We should be careful never to confuse the indicative with the imperative," he says. "We behave a certain way because we are new creatures capable of change by the power of the Holy Spirit." Citing Thomas Chalmers' famous sermon of the 19th century, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection, he encouraged the pastors to find their hope in a God who went to every extent to redeem them personally and provide for them a place of service capable of sustaining a fervent gospel witness built on Christ-centered truth.

Using the church of Ephesus as a model (Acts 19) of what could happen to a local congregation, Matt Chandler, lead pastor of the Village Church in Highland Village, Texas, began to call those in attendance to a fervent embrace not only of the cognitive aspects of the doctrines already presented during the afternoon session, but a commitment to love God and embrace the gospel in a way that affected them personally. Raised a Southern Baptist, Chandler communicated how spiritually deadly church programs can become for people raised to think "that God is in their debt because they were good as children." Chandler provided examples of the behaviors and practices that he was taught to avoid as he was growing up. One of the examples, the tragedy of divorce, has been the source of both heartache and confusion. He stated that members of his generation, raised in a strict Baptist tradition, are confused about God because they have been led to believe that God will not allow tragedy to afflict those who live "good lives." The expression of that confusion is readily seen following tragedy. "Because when our wives leave us or our parents divorce or something happens to us that is bad, we leave the church because our mindset is 'I was good and this is how you repay me?'" Chandler stated.

Chandler said that such theological thinking is widely in play among many of his generation. The Ephesian church publicly confessed sin in such a way that "things started raw, but over time got cleaned up" to the point that confessing sin all but disappeared. Initially, a radical desperation marked their behavior in ways which caused them to forsake the idols of their hearts and follow after God with an intensity born of brokenness and dependence. When this is lost, Chandler said that the foolishness of the gospel can quickly be replaced by idols capable of both sapping the power once present in a church resulting in "Jesus removing the lampstand from them" as He did said He would do in Revelation 2:1-7.

He admits that he is somewhat fearful of conferences "where the choir is assembled" to hear others talk about things "all of us know or at least should know if you are in the ministry." His challenge to those present was a call to desperation and an admission of powerlessness that could result in God actually advancing the church. Leading a church is not a "combination of leadership, doctrine and luck." Rather, he calls the pastors and church leaders to "become nothing; then something happens."

More about Advance '09 here.

The Gospel, Money and The Great Commission Resurgence

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:26:00 -0400

Message by Milton A. Hollifield, Jr. delivered at the May 20, 2009, BSCNC Board of Directors meeting. Slight variations exist to the content below from the original verbal presentation to allow for ease of reading and understanding. The theme and message context have not been altered.

I. Christ In You

It has been said that the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia revolutionized the thinking of Martin Luther and played a strategic part in the Protestant Reformation because what he wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the book of Galatians presented the supremacy of faith over works in man�s redemptive relationship with Christ.

In the book of Galatians, Paul spoke both with authority and emotion as he proclaimed that the gospel of Jesus the Christ is far superior to the old Levitical system that magnified the works of man. He taught that genuine faith in Christ and the power of the cross grants salvation unto lost men and women when good works were and are not sufficient. As you read the book of Galatians and some of the other letters of the apostle Paul, you can see that it is evident Paul longed for those he loved to personally experience the life of Christ working within them - not just at the point of salvation, but also in the process of sanctification. In Galatians 4:19, he wrote these words, "My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you." The Amplified Bible translates Galatians 4:19 this way, "�until Christ is completely and permanently formed (molded) within you!" And that's the subject I want to speak about briefly. It is one thing for an individual to experience salvation through faith in Christ, but that is not the end of the spiritual journey. Through faith we are born into the family of God, but we must grow and mature in our relationship with Jesus and we must maintain fellowship with Christ if we are going to know the kind of joy in our relationship God wants us to experience. When you trust Christ as your Savior you are saved and assured of heaven, but we will not know the joy God intended for us to know in our relationship with Him unless we allow the Spirit of God to develop us into disciples who love and adore God. We cannot remain effective in the work of God unless we are cultivating our spirituality through fellowship and obedience to God.

I admit to you that along with you I wrestle with this practice of maintaining fellowship with God. We are very busy in our lives, especially those of you who serve in the pastoral ministry and roles of church and associational leadership. Your schedules are so unpredictable and it may be difficult for you to have that systematic time of devotion with God. Yet, that does not negate the importance of it. I admit that I must fight and discipline myself to be alone in the presence of God. The devil will keep you busy doing good things if he can keep you away from those times of fellowship in the presence of God. Scripture says that, "for him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, it is sin" (James 4:17). It is wrong and detrimental to our love for Jesus and our usefulness in God�s Kingdom work when we ignore and sometimes abandon the practice of spending time alone in the presence of God. There is such a thing as the sin of prayerlessness. Andrew Murray's book, Living A Prayerful Life, speaks to this issue. It was published as a result of a conference held in 1912 in South Africa. A group of more than 200 church leaders gathered and wanted to see what God was saying to them. They said their unbelief and their sins were the cause of their lack of spiritual power. As they gathered together they listened to see what God was saying to them. They heard Him say they were robbing the church and their ministries of power; they began to sense that God was saying to them "you're guilty of the sin of prayerlessness."

My brothers and sisters, we cannot know joy, excitement and anticipation about seasons of fellowship with God if our Bible reading time is mechanical and if our prayer life consists of handing God our "laundry list" of the things we petition Him to do for us or other people. Psalm 100:4-5 reminds us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name for the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endureth to all generations." One of the important, missing ingredients in our prayer life at times that leads it to be dull and insignificant is that we come before God and we fail to praise Him and worship Him and thank Him and declare Him to be the God that He is.

Now, I fully recognize that those of us who bear the name of Christ are citizens of two kingdoms - earth and heaven. Because we live in a temporary world, we must work jobs, provide for those dependent upon us and deal with not only the cares but also the joys of life. But, we must never allow the fun or the difficulties of this present age to distract us from our reason for existence! We have been charged to live life to the glory of God. Our Lord and Master said we are to love God supremely and love our neighbor as ourselves.

My prayer is that North Carolina Baptists will become a people of vibrant and relevant prayer as we worship Him and pray toward His passion, asking what it is that God wants to occur. This is not an option if people who do not know Jesus Christ are to recognize something different about those of us who bear the name of Christ.

This leads me to the second division of this speech which I have entitled "National Economic Downturn." It is not unrelated!

II. National Economic Downturn

The economic condition of our nation and particularly of this state is changing so rapidly that the fallout is being felt in churches all across the nation. Perhaps you've seen the latest LifeWay Research report which showed that a massive 63% of churches have seen the need for benevolence to rise to levels not seen in decades. You are well aware that the labor force of North Carolina is changing rapidly as people are losing their jobs. Of course during these days, during these times, our message to those who are hurting is to point them to God and His unchanging nature from which we draw comfort by the Holy Spirit. Of course, we point them to the Bible and we anchor their heavy hearts in the assurance that God will supply the needs of all believers with the riches that far surpass the wealthiest vault of gold on this earth. This we are all doing, especially you as pastors and church leaders who are witnessing firsthand the tragedy of these days. And with that said we acknowledge that changes in the economy are forcing us to look at why we do what we do and how we do what we do in ways that directly serve you - as the churches who provide the Baptist State Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention with resources for the glory of God and the work of missionary outreach here in North Carolina as well as around the world.

This is not the first time we have faced a situation like this. At the turn of the last century you might be surprised to learn that North Carolina Baptists were facing some of the very same economic challenges. As a state Executive Director-Treasurer, I take comfort in the words found in Ecclesiastes 1:9, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." During the early 20th century, especially during the time that was called �the roaring 20s,� Southern Baptists were flourishing as state Baptist conventions were largely the dominant feature with much smaller seminaries and smaller mission boards which functioned largely from offerings solicited by their corresponding secretaries through direct appeals. At that time a group of Southern Baptist leaders, among which were E.Y. Mullins, the President of Southern Seminary; L.R. Scarborough, the President of Southwestern Seminary; and Charles Maddry, the Corresponding Secretary of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina; joined with others in writing a letter on February 14, 1923, in the Biblical Recorder:

"Look at the sick calling for hospitals; orphans calling for homes, food, clothing, and Christ; the young calling for Christian education; young preachers and other workers for better training; the aged preachers for our comforting aid; the enlargement of our schools and other institutions; the call of the multiplied millions of Indians, Mexicans, Italians, and other foreigners at our own doorsteps in the homeland."

When these words were written, Southern Baptists were at the midpoint of what would be the failed 75-million campaign which would later usher in the birth of the Cooperative Program. Even back then Southern Baptists called for a Conservation Commission which would be made up of people from associations, state conventions, and national entities to raise money and organize the structure of the Southern Baptist Convention. Does that sound familiar?

After October 29, 1929, life changed almost overnight. Black Tuesday changed the landscape of this nation forever. And it changed the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in ways which still impact us today. J.W. Bailey writing in the Biblical Recorder on November 27, 1929, said this: "We must cut down our overhead while hard times last. We cannot hope to increase income. We cannot hope to maintain income. We must therefore retrench. We must cut expenditures." There were direct appeals of support for the Cooperative Program, but churches that once were prosperous either died or shrunk dramatically because of the changing workforce and job scarcity. It truly was a dark time for the churches of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, much like today in this present economic environment. Yet, when Southern Baptist people recognize a need and they sense a call to fulfill a mission from God, they sometimes respond well. In spite of an economic downturn, people can be drawn to radical obedience when they possess a deep trust in God like the widow who fed the prophet Elijah with what she thought was the last of her meal and oil, but how God surprised her and honored her obedience.

Another example of radical obedience is found in the life of George W. Truett. Truett, originally from Hayesville, N.C., became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, in 1897. Under his ministry that church grew from 715 to 4,000 in membership. When Truett was in his 20s he was used of God to save Baylor University from bankruptcy. In the early 1890s Truett tromped across the Texas landscape speaking in churches and asking people to give of their resources to help eliminate a $92,000 indebtedness of Baylor University. I have heard stories of how Texas Baptists would even place their watches and jewelry in the offering plates when they did not have money to give for what they perceived as a noble cause.

This story introduces the third section of this presentation which addresses the financial situation of this state convention.

III. CP Dollars and the BSCNC

What have we done to manage the decline in Cooperative Program dollars as your Baptist State Convention of North Carolina? We have scrutinized the budget. We have prioritized what we are doing and what we are going to do and how we're going to use the dollars that you send to us. We are challenging the staff at the Baptist State Convention to work smart, to work hard and to be efficient.

In 2003, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina experienced the largest downsizing in its history following a substantial decrease in Cooperative Program receipts, primarily due to the recession following the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. Twenty four (24) staff positions were eliminated, and the following year the budget was decreased by over $2.3 million in an effort to return to a positive cash flow. But then North Carolina Baptists responded through their giving because in 2006 and 2007, the Convention experienced the largest CP receipts in our history, topping $36 million dollars in both of those years. However, the recession of 2008 has impacted individuals, churches and denominations severely. Our receipts dipped last year to $34,486,000. Amazingly, careful budget and personnel management, along with resulting decreases to our institutions and agencies, enabled this Convention to end the year operating in the black. In order to deal with the lingering effects of the economic downturn, the Convention staff produced an internal budget for 2009 operations based upon our 2008 receipts. The result was that we now operate out of a budget that is nearly $4.8 million dollars lower than what the Convention adopted for a 2009 budget. Almost every ministry area has experienced significant decreases in CP allocations, including Convention Ministry Teams, institutions and agencies. However, the two areas that have actually received increased funding despite the overall budget reductions are these two: Church Planting and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Significant savings were realized by freezing the salaries of professional staff. We also asked the Convention staff to increase their contribution for the cost of their benefits. We worked to renegotiate property and liability insurance coverage. The advantages created by technology and infrastructure changes have dramatically decreased our expenses and are likely to continue to provide efficiency gains in the coming years. We have streamlined our work using the 7 Pillars document as our guide. Since the 2003 downsizing, seven new positions have been added to Convention staff, though we also have 10 positions that are unfilled at this time. It is significant that the reduction of the budget that has been accomplished to this point has been done without additional reduction of the overall Convention staff. I do not know if that will continue. I shared that possibility with our staff this week. Painfully, I told them, I could not promise that we would be able to avoid eliminating positions. If we do, however, it will be based upon what we consider to be mission critical in the direction of the work as documented in the 7 Pillars booklet. Certainly, our vacant positions have helped us to operate in the black. Each position�s impact on the bottom line has been thoroughly scrutinized and approved by the executive committee�s position evaluation committee before recommending that the position be retained or filled. We are pleased to report that through April 2009, the Convention is operating with a $549,599 positive balance with regard to income and expenses. We give God praise and thanksgiving for that. I also want to thank the staff of the Baptist State Convention and express appreciation to the institutions and agencies for the sacrifices they have accepted in receiving less income due to our budget deficit. Our YTD financial balance is firm evidence that the implementation of the reduced internal budget has been successful. I want you to know that in my best understanding of studying this Convention�s ministries and what is being accomplished and through careful study of our financial condition, I see the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina as healthy and doing well despite what some of you may read or hear. I believe we have a tremendously bright future before us.

IV. The Great Commission Resurgence

We are well aware that Cooperative Program receipts nationally have been falling steadily as they have here in our state. We must accept the reality that churches are changing their patterns of giving, and we must accept the reality that at this time people do not have as much money to place in the offering plate. Yet, we must stay the course. As your Executive Director-Treasurer I would encourage you, during this economic downturn, to not reduce your percentage giving to the Cooperative Program. The beauty of this approach is if you maintain giving on a percentage basis, your giving may be less during the economic downturn but as your church's income grows your missions giving will also grow. I can guarantee you that if you deter from your current percentage giving it will be a challenge for your finance committee to approve increasing the percentage later. It will be best if your church will maintain the percentage giving that they have been sending. Please note that I still believe with all that is within me that the Cooperative Program is the best means of supporting world missions that any denomination or organization has ever brought about.

If you have been reading Baptist news publications and some of the blogs, you are aware that one of the chief architects of what has been called the Great Commission Resurgence document is none other than the president of the Southern Baptist Convention seminary located here in North Carolina, Dr. Danny Akin. Together with Pastor Johnny Hunt, who is president of the Southern Baptist Convention, they have joined forces in spearheading this initiative across the entire Southern Baptist Convention. According to what President Johnny Hunt says, a final draft of the Great Commission Resurgence will be out prior to the 2009 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville. I am aware there has been some controversy and questions have been raised concerning some of the things written by Dr. Akin and President Hunt, but I would remind you that when they talked about a need for review they said that it�s the local church, the association, the state convention and the national convention. Employees in each of those categories have naturally felt �they are talking about me� and that �they are going to change what we're doing." There is a bit of resistance that we all tend to have around this subject. As a denominational employee who serves the local churches of this Convention, I want to make certain that all we do through our ministry with you, the churches of this Convention, is done with excellence and with a means that works to stretch every mission dollar.

As the Great Commission Resurgence presses forward, I stand with the leaders of this great movement in pledging support with prudence, critical examination and a willingness to change by direction of the churches of the Baptist State Convention. I do believe the local church still possesses the right under the authority of God to choose how they will do their missions support.

I will do my best to inform North Carolina Baptists with all the facts when there is a need for decisions that will impact the work of this Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Organizations need to be reexamined and we have been doing this with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in the past three years of my tenure as your Executive Director-Treasurer. I want you to know that both President Johnny Hunt and Dr. Danny Akin have acknowledged to me that they do not possess all the answers to tough questions that we face in our Convention. However, they both desire to see Southern Baptists become a stronger, vibrant force for world evangelization. I have confidence in their sincerity and commitment to this great need.

As Southern Baptists, we must surge ahead in the rapid remobilization to reach the lost of this state and the world for Christ. We cannot wait, but we cannot move ahead without careful forethought and much prayer. We must see this time in our denomination in the light of Scripture. As we think together about ways to maximize ministry that strengthens local churches and extends the kingdom of our God we must take a hard look at ourselves and be willing to face the truth and change when we discover better ways to be most effective as a convention of churches.

Some of you read an article recently that contained the thoughts of Dr. Henry Blackaby in which he spoke candidly about our need for helping Christians to grow spiritually. We can specialize in ways to help people share their faith. That is right and good, but unless those people who say they have come to Christ plant their lives in a local church we must say that we have failed in our evangelism. The Bible knows nothing of free-floating Christians who live lives as lone rangers away from the local church. The Great Commission itself is not simply a call to "baptize" but also to "make disciples" of Christ. New Christians in the early New Testament church were baptized into a church; a visible worshipping community with clear boundaries. Sometimes, it seems that evangelism in our day works to help the sinner see his/her need for Christ but have little regard for the church. This is not Biblical evangelism.

Recently, I commented about the extreme need for an emphasis upon church health in our state and national conventions. It is with sadness I declare that many of our churches are spiritually sick and in great need of a fresh movement of God both within the leadership and the laity. Some of these churches are dying and need to think about the future. They would do well to consider allowing another group to come in for a church restart or allow a language group to use the facility, opening the door for the small congregation to band with another church.

When I originally came to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina over 16 years ago, I came as the Director of Evangelism. Evangelism is at the fabric of my heart. Yet, I do not believe that we will see a great movement in evangelism until the church of Jesus repents of sin, returns to holiness and becomes broken over the plight of lost people who desperately need a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ. The world is not the problem. The pagan community is not the problem. People in that lifestyle who are unconverted and unregenerate act the way they do because they don't know Christ as Savior. The problem is within the church of Jesus Christ. May God help us look to Him and to be different.

I firmly believe that God is calling us to become the strongest force in the history of this Convention for reaching people with the message of the gospel, but we will never see that happen unless we experience a spiritual awakening within the hearts of many North Carolina Baptist people.

I call on you today to search your heart and ask yourself if you have allowed other things to crowd Christ out of your life. Do you need to repent of the sin of prayerlessness and begin a new and closer walk with Christ in your daily life? Paul said in Gal. 5:16 to walk in the Spirit; meaning to let your lifestyle be characterized by submission to the Spirit of God. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So I conclude this message just where I started: Gal. 4:19 - I ask the question, is Christ completely and permanently formed (molded) within you so that you are living your life yielded to the will of the Father? May God help it to be so.

NEWSBRIEF: Surviving Financial Meltdown

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:59:00 -0400

CARY (BSCNC COMMUNICATIONS) - Based on his latest book, Surviving Financial Meltdown, Ron Blue will lead a seminar entitled "A Biblical Response to Economic Uncertainty" on Tuesday, June 9, from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh. Blue has more than 40 years experience in financial services and is the author of more than 15 books on personal finance from a biblical perspective. He is also founder of one of the 50 largest CPA firms in the United States and founder of Kingdom Advisors.

The seminar is sponsored by the Christian Foundation of the Triangle, Crown Financial Ministries, Kingdom Advisors and The Barnabas Way Foundation.

The event is free and registration is not required, however; groups of 10 or more may reserve seats by calling (919) 743-2555. For more information about the seminar call (919) 743-2024. For more information about Blue click here.

Resurgence of the Local Church: Advance '09

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:46:00 -0400

CARY (BSCNC Communications) - Ask most any person on the street their opinion of the church and a vast array of answers are certain to be given. For many, the church is a place seldom visited except at key moments of life such as a wedding or a funeral. People who attend church regularly (a number which is far lower than most think - less than 20% on any given weekend) often attest to the fact that their local congregation has been the source of some of the worst and downright mean-spirited relationships in their lives. Psychology Today, in a January 2008 article on the local church, found that more emotional pain and social dysfunction is experienced at church than in almost any other institution. Were it not for some theological doctrine tethering them to the church, many Christians might find their way to the nearest exit never to return.

Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research, revealed that on average, the life span of a local church is drastically short, as the older the church the more likely it will soon plateau or die unless something is done to radically reverse its downward trajectory. Contributing to this downturn are people who describe themselves as "spiritual, but not religious." By this they mean that while they maintain some semblance of spiritual thinking, it is neither rooted within the confessional boundaries of Christian orthodoxy nor resulting in a long-term relationship with a local church.

To advance the local congregation something must be done to change the thinking of many who currently lead and attend church regularly. One pastor who is attempting to making an impact is Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Dever has created and expanded a church growth ministry of sorts from within his congregation on Capitol Hill. He has emerged as an emblematic figure in church health, church growth, church revitalization, and church planting. Nine Marks Ministries is a church-based think tank of sorts that studies the church as an institution and works to evaluate the various cultural influences and dynamics associated within a local congregation.

Like most ministries of this type, their ideas are advanced through conferences, events, training seminars and online tutorials. Modern evangelical life is filled with specialty conferences which offer to enhance church life to the point that many pastors and church leaders are now forced to choose between events of greater worth based, in some ways, on ministry specialization. Conferences with the capacity to provide ongoing service beyond the event are seldom able to deliver beyond audio or video copies of the sermons. Seminars used as tools, however, can develop a following able to command large crowds to return year after year.

Normally such events are held in major cities with key speakers able to draw large crowds around particular themes. "When the idea first surfaced about hosting some sort of event in the Triangle for church planters, we thought that a few people might attend with a few speakers who possess a wide reach in their ministries," stated Tyler Jones, lead pastor of Vintage 21 Church in Raleigh. What developed was a speaker list of some of the leading pastors and teachers in modern evangelical life descending on what is known as "the city of medicine" in a region where the local church is dying.

The Southeast - once known as the Bible belt - is fast becoming a wasteland for the church in ways that are not fully understood by most pastors. Jones speaks of the former evidence of vibrant churches as seen in stately buildings which now stand as relics of a glorious past. He believes the extent of the problem cannot be assessed solely with demographic and sociological data - the problem is far too pervasive. "We've lost the Gospel," Jones states, "and it's a primary issue we've lost; it is deeply rooted." Like the church in Ephesus, Jones believes the church today has lost its first love in favor of doing other things. "Reclaiming the Gospel is the only hope," and that is the effort he helped organize: Advance 09: Resurgence of the Local Church. The conference will take place at the Durham Performing Arts Center on June 4-6, 2009. People are registered from as far away as the state of Maryland and current ticket sales indicate that the conference could well sell out.

Along with Jones, conference speakers include John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn.; Mark Driscoll, founder and preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Wash., Matt Chandler, lead pastor of Village Church in Highland Village, Texas; Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research and LifeWay�s Missiologist in Residence; Eric Mason, co-founder and lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, Penn.; Bryan Chapell, president and professor of practical theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Miss.; Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.; and J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C.

The conference is being sponsored by national, regional, and state organizations including Resurgence, Desiring God, Vintage 21, Mars Hill Church, Christ the King Presbyterian Church, Treasuring Christ Church, The Summit Church and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Conference topics include "Let the Nations be Glad," "What is the Church?" "Preaching the Gospel to the De-churched," and "Marks of a Healthy Community of Faith."

Jones states that the main goal of the conference is to see long-term implementation involving the Gospel centering the ministry of local churches. "This event is intentionally structured in a way that will hopefully encourage follow up and practical application," he said. "Church leaders and members are encouraged to attend together, and the long lunch breaks and free evenings are intended to be times of discussion for the church to begin an application process of what they learned together in the sessions." The conference will also encourage partnerships among local churches and an online network of churches is also a goal of the conference.

Registration and more information here.

People are hungry

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:35:00 -0400

CARY (BSCNC Communications) - Journalists, on the whole, have been fascinated by hunger. For them, it is the unseen reality lingering just beyond the surface in the daily traffic patterns of most people. In 1886, A.S. Krausse attempted to reveal the harshness of hunger with his "Starving London" series first published in the London Globe in 1886. For three weeks he lived among the city's poorest and chronicled the lives of people who wanted to work and who were able to work, yet had no food. Krausse came to believe that "one of the most pitiable sights in the world" is that of a starving child's body. In Hunger: A Modern History, James Vernon writes about how such ethnographic journalism, specifically in Britain, helped "establish the humanity of the hungry" and birth a humanitarian effort to alleviate hunger. Newsprint imbued with heart-wrenching rhetoric brought to light the intense suffering of the hungry and gave evidence that charitable work did in fact make a difference in the lives of those without food.

Fast forward to 2009 and journalists still work to expose the plight of the hungry. In the words of Christianity Today contributor Cindy Crosby, to show that "hunger has a profile." Crosby�s headline expands the firsthand account of her time volunteering in her local food pantry and the people she meets - single mothers, senior adults, immigrants, refugee families, working professionals laid off from work and children. "Instead of a vague notion of 'the hungry,' I see the Muslim woman with the shy, dark-haired boy," she writes. CNN correspondent Sean Callebs sought to comprehend what it is like for the 31 million Americans using food stamps when he ate for one month on $176 - the amount he would qualify for should he have applied for federal aid.

The World Food Programme states that 963 million people around the world do not have enough to eat and 25,000 people die daily from hunger and related causes. WFP also reports that since the second half of the 1990s, the number of chronically hungry in developing countries has increased nearly four million per year. One in nearly seven people does not eat enough food. Feeding America, the nation-wide hunger relief charity that each year provides food assistance to more than 25 million people, reports that in 2007, 12.5 percent of the United States population was in poverty, translating to nearly 10 percent of families and 18 percent of children. Hunger is the often unseen need in reasonably affluent areas and the quiet killer close to home.

North Raleigh Ministries
On a sunny, chilly Thursday morning, an elderly woman waits by the door at North Raleigh Ministries. A few minutes later, another woman walks up. She folds her arms and pulls the hood on her sweatshirt tight around her face. Before the clock says 10 a.m. several others join the women and a busy day seems to be in store for North Raleigh Ministries (NRM). Before sitting down for this interview, Denise Crumpler, director of NRM, fields phone calls and arranges for other volunteers to come in, as several called in last minute unable to come. For a first time visitor to NRM the morning may seem a bit hectic, but for Crumpler, it is business as usual. As soon as the doors open people are waiting to meet with someone in the crisis center and a volunteer is already in the food bank organizing and alphabetizing cans.

The food bank at NRM models a grocery store. Upon arrival families get a shopping cart and they go up and down the aisles selecting food. They are given a grocery list so they know how much of every group - canned items, meat, etc. - they can get. Once they are done shopping a volunteer checks them out at the register, the groceries are bagged and someone helps them take the food to the car. The food bank often has weekly specials, just like a real grocery store.

Crumpler, a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, has been with North Raleigh Ministries since it began five years ago, when five local pastors decided to pull together church resources and give people one place where they could go for food and financial assistance during crisis. Now, more than 20 churches help sponsor the ministry. A ministry that began with only five volunteers daily now needs 30-35 volunteers every day to run the crisis center, food bank and thrift store. The crisis center helps individuals and families during financial crisis. The food bank is open four days a week and a person can get food once a month, six times a year, for free. All revenue from the thrift store supports the crisis center and food bank.

Feeding America reports that in 2008, food pantries experienced a 30 percent increase in emergency food requests. NRM also saw an increase in requests. As the need for the ministry�s services increases, so does the need for volunteers. As other agencies in the area are losing funding, Crumpler only expects NRM to get more requests for help. By March of 2008, NRM had helped feed 283 different families. By March 2009, that number was 364. NRM is supported in part by funds through the World Hunger Offering, North American Mission Board and the North Carolina Hunger Fund of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC).

North Carolina Baptist churches and associations can apply annually for hunger funds. Of the 46 ministries reporting in the first quarter of this year, more than 151,000 people were fed as a result of ministries receiving help from the North Carolina Hunger Fund. Nearly 2,000 volunteers helped serve more than 38,000 hot meals. About 120 people prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The North Carolina Hunger Fund distributes more than $100,000 per year. These funds are made possible by gifts to the World Hunger Fund, Southern Baptist Convention and the North Carolina Hunger Fund.

North Raleigh Ministries serves people living in five zip codes, from Glenwood Avenue to Wakefield. Food is supplied through donations, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and local restaurants. Businesses hold food drives and school children save their pennies to help buy food. "It really is a community effort," Crumpler said. NRM has seen days with a bare pantry � but not this year. "God takes care of it," she said. Some days the food bank feeds as many as 25 families. Crumpler and the volunteers try to help empower those who come to NRM. They provide easy recipes to help save people time and money. They counsel and point people to other resources. Most importantly, they share the Gospel.

Crumpler and Reta Johnson can share story after story of families and individuals who come to the food bank. On this particular day in April, Reta has already met someone who had hours cut at work and now doesn't make enough to make ends meet. Reta tells of a mom with four children under age 12 whose husband left her when she was four months pregnant. She lost her job and unemployment and food stamps aren�t quite enough. Another man came in who missed qualifying for food stamps by only $3. About 85 percent of those who use the food bank are on food stamps, and it�s simply not enough. More working professionals are coming into the food bank, people like college educated real estate agents and stock brokers. "It's the person next door who hit a hard time," Reta said. "It's everybody." Not everyone who comes in is on food stamps, even though they should be in the program. Sometimes it�s pride, and volunteers encourage them to apply to the program. And not everyone who comes to the crisis center wants to take food. One couple who came and applied for financial help to pay a utility bill also qualified for food. But they didn�t want to take it - they wanted to leave it for others less fortunate.

North Raleigh Ministries also exists for the volunteers. "People need to be able to give back. We have a safe place to do it," Crumpler said. She enjoys seeing "how people work together to serve the Lord and each other."

For more information about the North Carolina Hunger Fund, click here.