The baptisms resulted from a strong chaplain’s ministry at the jail, supported by the Sheriff, chaplains and a number of Illinois Baptist State Association churches.

IBSA Chaplain Coordinator Dan Lovin began each of the baptismal services by reading the account of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3.  Pastor John Stanford of Bluford First Baptist Church and Pastor Chuck Ellis of Park Avenue Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon took turns baptizing the candidates in a portable baptistery.

After the new believers were baptized, Lovin urged them to go back to their cells and read Matthew Chapter 4 which lists the temptations of Christ by Satan. “You can expect to be tempted as well,” said Lovin.  He admonished them to stay in God’s Word and pray.

Jefferson County Sheriff Roger Mulch attended each service.  After recounting his personal conversion and baptism 42 years ago, Mulch challenged the inmates, “If you are serious about accepting Christ, it will change your life. Once you are released, you will never be back.”

During the first worship service, Sheriff Mulch called two chaplains forward. Stanford was promoted to Senior Associate Chaplain and Tina Staples of Summersville Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon was promoted to Senior Chaplain. In a testimony, Staples said, “I see where God is working in the jail and so this is where I want to be.”

Mulch shared, “Our chaplains go above and beyond.  They have been of great assistance to me and my staff.”

There are 22 volunteers who serve through the chaplaincy ministry at the jail. Some travel as far as 60 miles round-trip to participate.  Each volunteer must complete a five-page application and go through an extensive background check.  Ministries include worship services, Bible studies, drug and alcohol addiction programs, and a Christian lending library.  Beverly Montgomery who helps coordinate the lending library said inmates like “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books as well as anything from the “Left Behind” series.

If you are interested in helping with this ministry or beginning a chaplaincy ministry in your own area, contact Lovin at (618) 242-2131 or chaplaindan@earthlink.net.

Serving as a chaplain can be rewarding. “Sometimes you think you are not doing much and then God blesses.  It’s just precious,” said Stanford.

A census of all Southern Baptist congregations, conducted by LifeWay Research on behalf of the SBC’s Executive Committee, revealed that 87 percent of pastors generally are satisfied with the Cooperative Program compared to 13 percent who generally are dissatisfied. One out of 3 pastors strongly agree that state conventions and SBC entities supported by the CP use the contributions efficiently.

According to Bob Rodgers, the Executive Committee’s vice president for Cooperative Program and stewardship, “The Executive Committee initiated the survey of all Southern Baptist churches to collect data that would provide an empirical baseline of our churches’ thoughts, feelings and perceptions about the Cooperative Program and stewardship, and to give us insights for developing a more focused strategy in the promotion of the Cooperative Program and stewardship across the convention.”

Pastors also selected one of six descriptions that best fit their view of the Cooperative Program. The description chosen by the most pastors (44 percent) was “mostly positive” stating, “We believe the CP perhaps could be improved in some ways, but is doing a very good job at present of supporting worldwide missions.”

The second largest group of pastors (36 percent) describes the Cooperative Program as “overwhelmingly positive,” stating, “We believe the CP is not only satisfactory, but is essential to the continued existence of the SBC, and the fulfillment of its mission of worldwide evangelism.”

Thirteen percent of pastors have a “mixed” view, agreeing that the CP “could be improved in many ways.” The remaining responses were spread across “mostly negative” (2 percent) and “overwhelmingly negative” (1 percent). Three percent of pastors describe their church as “unaware” of the Cooperative Program.

Pastors feel strongly that the most important objectives of the Cooperative Program are to send and support missionaries (83 percent) and to provide resources to plant churches (74 percent) in North America and around the world. More than half strongly agree it is important for the CP to educate and equip pastors, missionaries and ministry leaders, to address social, moral and ethical concerns, and to support state convention missions and ministries.

Pastors indicate that the most important benefit of the Cooperative Program is that it “allows my church to support more missions endeavors efficiently than we could on our own.” Seventy-six percent of pastors strongly agree that this is an important benefit and a nearly identical 74 percent strongly agree that this currently describes the CP.

In sharp contrast to the strong overall view of the CP and agreement upon its objectives are pastors’ assessment of how efficiently contributions are used. While 65 percent of pastors strongly agree it is important for SBC entities supported by the Cooperative Program to use the contributions efficiently, only half that number (34 percent) strongly agree efficiency is present today. Similarly, 63 percent of pastors strongly agree that efficient use of funds by state convention entities is important but only 32 percent strongly agree this is the case today.

Stetzer explained, “Although the vast majority have a positive view of the Cooperative Program and a majority believe the funds are used efficiently, it is important to note that there is a noticeable drop between those who ‘strongly agree’ that it is important the Cooperative Program be efficient and those who ‘strongly agree’ it actually is efficient.”

Views of the current allocation of funds also fall short of the importance pastors place on it. Fifty-four percent of pastors strongly agree the appropriate division of Cooperative Program funds between state conventions and the SBC is important. Currently 31 percent of pastors strongly agree funds are divided appropriately between state conventions and the SBC.

A larger majority of pastors (62 percent) strongly agree that it is important for the Cooperative Program to allocate contributions appropriately among state, national and global ministries, missions and entities. Only 38 percent strongly agree the current allocation is appropriate among state, national and global ministries, missions and entities.

A summary of the results is available at lifeway.com/cpsurveyfindings.

After surveying pastors and directors of missions, IBSA found many were unable to attend two and three-day conferences because they were bivocational or single staff pastors who could not afford the time and expense the conferences required.

IBSA’s solution is regional conferences. Throughout 2009, three-hour conferences will be held in each of 12 regions situated so every church will have a conference taking place within an hour and fifteen minute drive from their location.

“The basic premise is each conference will be like a mini-SALT (State Association Leadership Training) Conference,” said Pajak.

He described the conferences as a “pilot project” because they will be held in lieu of the Church Strengthening Super Conference (formerly known as the State Evangelism Conference) originally scheduled for March 9-10 in Decatur. At the end of the year the conferences will be evaluated and a decision will be made about whether to continue with the model.

“We’re trying to give pastors what they would get at an evangelism or Sunday School conference in a one-day regional event,” said Pajak.  “The idea is bring the conference to Illinois Baptists’ backyards.”

By regionalizing and compacting the training Pajak said, “We’re hoping to open the door for thousands of pastors and lay leaders to receive training.”

Each of the free Churches of Strength Conferences will take place on a Saturday beginning with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. followed by three concentrated hours of conference time from nine until noon.

All conferences will include training in music and worship; evangelism and discipleship; leadership; church health; student and family ministry; and education (Sunday School).  Some conferences will also feature missions awareness and church planting training.

The first Churches of Strength Conference will be held on February 28 at Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville.  In addition to the training listed above, this conference will also feature missions for women, stewardship, hurch planting and prayer ministry training.

Conference information and schedules will be mailed to churches in each region in advance of the event.

For more information about the Churches of Strength Conferences contact Cathy Waters at (217) 391-3124 or e-mail cathywaters@IBSA.org

Students were challenged by Christian illusionist Brock Gill and sword swallower Dan Meyer and by Bulgarian missionaries Vlady and Katya Raichinov, who shared about being missionaries abroad. Students also learned how they can be missionaries in their own state and communities.

Grant Medford, Illinois Baptist State Association director of Student and Family Ministries, organized the event and said he is still receiving enthusiastic reports. “Even this week, I continue to receive calls, e-mails, Facebook comments and direct conversations from students, youth leaders and pastors about the positive impact Youth Encounter has had on their churches and youth groups,” Medford said. “Students are still responding to the gospel even after the event! It has caused a ripple effect across our state, motivating students to not simply ‘go’ to church, but to ‘be’ the church!”

Jeremy Bundren, youth pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Mattoon, brought a group of students to Youth Encounter. Two of the students accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.  “They had never before been to an event with our youth ministry and were invited by one of our students who regularly attends our church,” said Bundren.  “This gives evidence to one of the main purposes of Youth Encounter, which is to reach out to teenagers who are lost.”

“Youth Encounter was an amazing experience for our youth,” he said. “The Sunday after Youth Encounter, our students shared their testimonies and experiences.  Many of the students shared about the challenge they had been given to be a missionary.”

Danielle Brinkman was one of the students from First Southern Baptist Church in Mattoon who attended Youth Encounter.  In her testimony she shared, “Youth Encounter was an amazing experience that changed my life and walk with God.  One event that stood out to me was when Brock Gill said to just close your eyes and imagine this: you are with Jesus at the cross and you are carrying your sins.  Now picture walking up and giving all of your sins to Jesus. And at that time, when I imagined this, I felt only a feeling of pure joy.  It felt like my heart could not hold that much happiness at one time.  It felt great and I left changed.”

Medford is already looking forward to next year’s event.  “As we continue to focus this event toward reaching lost students, we will strive to look for creative and innovative ways of building an event that churches can use to reach lost kids from their community while at the same time offering encouragement to those students seeking a deeper walk with Christ.”

Youth Encounter 2009 will be held December 28-29 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield.

I know it’s a nice benefit to be able to establish a tax-free medical savings account each year.  But I always have trouble convincing myself to put much into the plan.  Yes, I needed a root canal last year, but surely I won’t need another one this year. Our son that plays basketball is graduating, and maybe our son that plays football won’t get injured as much this year.  Our first two kids needed braces on their teeth, but maybe the third one won’t.

In other words, as a generally optimistic person, I find it hard to sit down and anticipate adversity.  I want to believe that things will be better this year, perhaps easier, healthier, and more prosperous.  I don’t want to “limit” next year’s possibilities by presuming it will be a repeat of last year, and I certainly don’t want to “jinx” it by planning for it to be worse!

But the reality is that the cost of living life fully is usually a little higher than we anticipate. If we knew all the injuries that are ahead, we might be hesitant to let our kids play sports.  If we knew what viruses we will pick up, we might stay away from people who need us.  Just “doing life” brings with it a certain amount of illness or injury, and we should anticipate that and even embrace it, whether or not we can precisely budget for it.

The same is true in our spiritual lives, and in our churches. What if a church looks into the coming year and asks the question, “What will it mean for us to live fully as the body of Christ in this place next year, to take the necessary risks, and to commit to accomplishing His Great Commission purposes here?”  I suspect that church could anticipate some adversity. There are often injuries and illnesses that go with living as the body of Christ under the Lordship of Jesus.

What if we more accurately anticipated the adversity that comes from living fully for Christ, and from being the kinds of churches that really impact our communities?  What if, instead of turning away from the pain, we just banked on it as part of the cost of faithful living?  We have biblical reasons to do so, you know.  Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation …” and James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds ….”

In fact, look for the words “trials” or “tribulation” or “suffering” or “persecution” and you will find them all over the letters of the New Testament. If they had spiritual Flex 125 Plans in those days, I think they would be writing to one another, “Put a lot more in there, friends; living faithfully is going to be costly again this year.”

As my wife and I sat down to consider our Flex 125 Plan for this next year, we realized that we spent more on medical expenses last year than we had set aside. We didn’t think living normal, healthy lives would cost so much.  So next year we’ll plan for the “cost of living” to be a little higher, and be grateful for the continued life and health that God provides.  As churches, we would be wise, and faithful, to do the same.  Reaching our communities with the Gospel is likely to be more costly, in many ways, this year.  If we will acknowledge that and buy into it in advance, perhaps we won’t find ministry quite as … taxing this year.

My brother, Rep. Mike Bost (R), of Murphysboro, contacted me on Thursday to ask if I would fulfill the service.  With apprehension I accepted. The prayer had to respectfully embrace all members of the Illinois House before God as they faced this daunting task.  The prayer also needed to embrace other faith backgrounds. Yet, the prayer had to clearly express my faith in Jesus Christ as God.  This is what I prayed.

Almighty and Sovereign God,

As the Illinois House of Representatives convenes today, let our minds remember and let our thoughts acknowledge there is but One who is Sovereign and but One who is the Author of Absolute Truth.  The task which this House is called to fulfill will require Your power and Your truth if it is to be done appropriately.

Instill within these leaders the commitment to serve You and the best interests of the people of the State of Illinois.  Expand their vision to comprehend the fullest effect of the decisions they make.  Grant Speaker Madigan and each member of the House a mindset and a resolve to initiate correction and healing within the government of our state.

If there be a way, Holy God, let this body see with Your eyes.  Let truth stand over preference.  Let right stand over convenience.  Let what is best stand over what is good.  Let what is honorable stand above what is lawful.  Let what must be done stand over what could be done.

As our state watches, as our nation watches, and as our world watches, let this House today display a process of governance that honors You and fulfills the requirements of the Constitution of the State of Illinois.  As this process is fulfilled, let it continue until the wrongs and the ills of our present system are corrected.

In Your Holy and Almighty Name we pray, Amen.

I am fully aware this prayer, though genuine, did not change the course of history.  I am further aware how much change is needed to correct Illinois government.  However, what I witnessed from the House floor over the next ninety minutes convinced me that God’s input is desired.

As the proceedings unfolded I witnessed Speaker Madigan and our Representatives on both sides of the House conduct themselves with propriety, solemnity and sincerity. There was an air of sadness and embarrassment about the condition of Illinois government.  I encountered from both sides of the aisle men and women who spoke to me afterward and expressed agreement with the requests made in the prayer.  Many of these men and women who serve us are frustrated and bewildered with the system in which they must work, yet don’t know quite what to do to change it.  I have come to feel a deep sense of compassion for them.

Some would say all government is corrupt.  I witnessed a government that needs us to pray for God to let them see with His eyes.

Milton Bost is a native of Illinois and has pastored several Illinois Baptist churches. Last year he completed ten years as director of missions for Capital City Baptist Association and now serves as pastor of Chatham Baptist Church, Chatham, Ill.

At the end of the shopping spree, the Girls in Action group from Hillside Baptist Church in Greeley, Colo., left the department store with nearly $200 in clothing, all at half price. None of the GAs, however, will wear the clothing they bought. Instead, the girls wrapped them in bright Christmas paper for Chelsea, a girl they may never meet. Chelsea is one of 700-plus children served by the Christian Activity Center (CAC) in East St. Louis, Ill., whose Christmas depends on the generosity of missions volunteers.

The Girls in Action group has participated in the CAC’s Adopt-a-Child Christmas Program for so many years the leader can’t even remember the first shopping trip. “I think we started back in the early ‘90s,” Karen Thomason recalled, “after I wrote a unit on Chet Cantrell [the center’s director] for Girls in Action.”

In November, Margaret McCurdy, director of the Adopt-a-Child Christmas program for the past 14 years, sends a child’s name and Christmas list to volunteer shoppers. She makes sure each list includes some necessities and a special-wish item. Chelsea’s list included a coat and hair accessories. Most lists include a toy, shoes and clothing.

Each year’s shopping trip for the GA group begins the same way – by counting money. “We’ve never, ever, run out of money,” Thomason said.

Sometimes God provides in unexpected ways.

One Christmas, a young GA named Alicia brought all the money she had saved to get her ears pierced. Last year, Madison gave a gift card she had received for her birthday. Church members also give to help with shopping and shipping.

One year, the group was in the store, voting on which items to buy. Their enthusiasm caught the attention of a nearby shopper who wanted to know what was going on. When a leader explained that the girls had saved money to buy the only Christmas presents a child would receive, the woman insisted on giving $10 toward the purchase.

When Thomason considers the children the Girls in Action have helped over the years, she says, “Small groups can do big things for God.”

Beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, a retreat will be held for the Singing Churchmen, led by Lee Hinson, professor of Church Music at Oklahoma Baptist University. The retreat is open to new members as well as previous ones and concludes at noon Friday.

The annual Worship Leader’s Retreat begins at 1 p.m. Friday, also at the Baptist Building.  Steve Hamrick, IBSA director of worship and music ministries, has planned four separate tracks to meet needs of different churches and worship leaders.  Each track will include four sessions, although “everyone is welcome to attend any track during any session,” Hamrick said.

A track for Bivocational and Part Time Music Leaders will be led by Hinson from OBU. Hinson’s sessions will focus on planning and conducting effective worship, adding instrumentalists to worship, and how to increase participation in the worship ministry.

Ron Upton, minister of music at Idlewild Baptist in Lutz, Fla., will lead four sessions designed for Full time and Vocational Worship Leaders of traditional as well as contemporary services.  Topics will include programs and programming, creative worship, staff relationships, how to increase your tenure and growing the worship ministry.

Sessions for Keyboardists will be led by Jeff Bennett, world class pianist, arranger and minister of music from Springfield, Mo.  Bennett will teach classes on playing in a more contemporary style, basic improvisation and arranging, and playing from a lead sheet.

The fourth track will help those responsible for The Technical Aspects of Worship including beginning and advanced worship projection, soundboard and microphone techniques, and working with effects.  David Jordan, national manager of MediaShout, and Creg Pierson, sound engineer from Decatur, Ill., will lead the sessions.

The cost of the workshop is $30 or a maximum of $50 per church.  Spouses may attend without charge, however only one music packet will be available per couple.  The conference concludes at noon, Saturday at the Baptist Building, 3085 Stevenson Dr., Springfield.

The Singing Churchmen, Bennett and Jon and Ben Burchfield will present a
concert at 7 p.m. Friday at Western Oaks Baptist Church.  The Burchfield Brothers, who are Illinois natives now living in Nashville, mix Appalachian, jazz, gospel, pop and classical music styles, punctuated with family comedy.

The concert is free and open to the public.  Western Oaks is located 2.5 miles west of Springfield on Old Jacksonville Road.

To register for the workshop or for more information on the weekend’s events, call Hamrick or Debbie Muller at (217) 391-3126 or go to IBSA.org, click on Ministries, then Church Strengthening and Worship and Church Music.

“I’ve been told I’m the oldest active full-time preacher in Illinois,” said Anderson.  “I’m in the pulpit every Sunday and Wednesday and still doing hospital visits.”

In his ministry career, Anderson has served six churches in the Union and Antioch Baptist Associations. Most of those years in ministry were bivocational, with his wife Mary at his side until her death five years ago.  After retiring from his job as housing community director in Metropolis in 1981, he has been a full-time pastor.  Anderson has pastored Antioch Missionary Baptist Church the past 16 years.

Anderson became a Christian January 18, 1942 and preached his first sermon on May 31, 1947.  The World War II Air Force veteran said, “The Lord dealt with me a year or two before I finally realized what He desired me to do.”

In recent years, Anderson has been gifted with a special ministry to senior citizens.  He shared how a woman who had been going to church since 1948 came to him one day and said that no one had ever talked to her about Jesus. “I was floored when she told me that,” Anderson said. He and some men from the church went to her house and began to share about Christ. “She accepted Christ in three minutes,” he said.

Anderson also told of a local man in his seventies “that nobody had been able to scratch.”

He saw the man at a funeral and said to, “I need to come over to your house and talk to you sometime.”  The man said that was fine, he would talk to him about anything but Christ.

A few weeks later the man became ill and had to be hospitalized.  Anderson went to visit him and said, “Today is your day.”  The man asked, “Who said?” “The Lord,” replied Anderson.  “He had tears in his eyes and asked me to tell him about Jesus.  Now that man is on fire for the Lord.”

Anderson offered this advice to young men struggling with a call into the ministry, “If the Lord’s calling you to preach, you will.”

He also urges pastors to “stay in the Word.  I read it every day, and I read a lot of other material, but the Word is what is most important.”

Today, Anderson has no plans to retire from the ministry.  “The Lord will retire me when He is ready.  He got me into the ministry, and He’ll get me out of it,” he said.