March 2008

Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Louisville, Kentucky Permit # 976

KENTUCKY BAPTIST

FELLOWSHIP Equipping & Empowering. Cultivating Partnerships. Engaging in Missions.

Kentucky Baptist Fellowship 225 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., Suite 205 Louisville KY 40222-4929 Phone: Fax: Office email: Website:

502-426-1931 502-426-1612 offi[email protected] www.kybf.org

Officers

Moderator: Moderator Elect: Secretary: Treasurer: Past Moderator:

Alice Mull Robert Davis Mary Runyon Susanne Jenkens Lynne Huff

Extreme

Build

Coordinating Council

VISIT

Susan Allen, Kitty Baird, Margaret Barlow, Charlotte Benningfield, Jane Brake, James Browning, Linda Caldwell, Ottis Cave, Jeremy Colliver, Robert Coons, Stanley Crabb, Jica Crafton, Gwen Curry, Jim Dobbins, Nancy Fields, Larry Haltom, Patsey Jacobs, Mark Johnson, Don Mantooth, Bill McCann, Don McFadden, Kristen Terry Nethery, John Owen, Pat Ramey, Jay Robison, Don Rogers, Kimbrough Simmons, Naomi Walker, Howard Wilson, and Lisa Wood.

CBF Council Members

Bill Ellis, Robert Baker, Lynn Smith

Staff Coordinator: John Lepper [email protected] Administrative Assistant: Kathleen Cornetet offi[email protected]

2008 July 13-19 Don’t miss the Extreme Build insert in this newsletter. If you need more copies, please call the KBF Office: 502-426-1931.

the new website for KBF!

We will be continuing to add new content to the site, so be sure and check back often!

www.kybf.org

KBF News March 2008

KBF News is a newsletter of Kentucky Baptist Fellowship.

Kentucky Baptist Fellowship Spring Gathering at Highland Baptist April 25-26 Kentucky Baptist Fellowship will gather for the annual meeting April 25-26 at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville. This year’s theme is “Free to be the People of God: Christian–Islamic Dialogue.” Why? In a post 9/11 world, the need to understand one another in the world community has never been more important. Join Kentucky Baptist Fellowship in the annual Spring Gathering as we dialogue about Christian–Islamic relationships, both here, at home, and abroad. Our goal is to open the door to a more complete understanding of the basic beliefs of Islam, to look at our shared heritage and to discover ways in which we can build bridges of mutual respect and support. The keynote speakers for the weekend will be Karen Thomas Smith and Jean-Luc Blanc. Karen Thomas Smith is a native of Kentucky and currently serves as the Christian Chaplain at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. Karen also serves as pastor of the Protestant church in Ifrane. Jean-Luc Blanc is President of the Evangelical Protestant Church of Morocco as well as the pastor of New Baptist Covenant the church in Casablanca. January 30 - February 1 Dr. Ghouse Shareef, Chairman of the Education Committee of the River Road Mosque of Louisville, will join us for a panel discussion and will lead a breakout session on the basic tenets of Islam. Worship leaders will be John and Amy Wiles of Austin, Texas. The Wiles’ will lead us in creative worship experiences both Friday and Saturday of our Gathering.

Fifteen thousand participants in the New Baptist Covenant convocation arrived in Atlanta Jan. 30 seeking unity in Christ and departed Feb. 1 wondering where their quest will lead. For responses from KBF participants to their New Baptist Covenant experience, log onto www.kybf.org.

What: Theme: Where: When:

Karen Thomas Smith, Keynote Speaker

Jean-Luc Blanc, Keynote Speaker

KBF Spring Gathering Free to be the People of God: Christian–Islamic Dialogue Highland Baptist Church, 1101 Cherokee Rd., Louisville April 25 -26, 2008

We are a fellowship of churches and individuals who share a commitment to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

Dining With Jesus By Bob Coons, Pastor, Seven Hills Church, Owensboro, KY

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 (NIV) There was a picture of a group of people standing in a 1920’s soup line. Men, women, and children are holding an assortment of bowls, waiting to be fed. Most are dirty and rumpled-looking. The boys and girls have on clothing that appear either too big or too small. Many of their faces are turned away. The few which can be seen are unremarkable—just faces in the crowd. Superimposed above the line of people is a depiction of Jesus, smiling. It seems to suggest that feeding hungry people is a God-thing, something Jesus approves and watches over. It surprised no one that Jesus found joy in seeing hungry people fed. The painting hung prominently in the hall where the soup was served. Those who worked in the soup kitchen took great pride in the painting. They began to think of themselves as doing Christ’s work—being Christ, in fact, to those hungry people in the soup line. As they served, they thought of Christ smiling at them. They took a measure of pride in pleasing their Lord. One day, a surprising discovery was made. Close examination of the faces in the painting revealed a startling similarity to the face of Jesus. Every one of the soup-line faces had the features of Jesus—whether boy, girl, woman, or man. This revelation suddenly transformed the servers’ attitudes. The painting became a source of humility rather than pride. “Remember,” they would say to each other as they served, “Jesus will be dining with us today!” For almost two years, Jesus has been dining with us on Wednesday evenings. He comes to our Home Cookin’ soup kitchen. I don’t always remember to look for Jesus, but occasionally I see him in the faces of those 40-45 people who gather for a warm meal each week. A few of our regular attenders are probably “homeless” (like Jesus). They appear to be living in their cars. They come for the food. It may be one of the few meals they will eat this week. Some are unemployed, just trying to provide for their families until a job is found. Some come to stretch a tooshort disability check to cover life’s necessities over a too-long month. Others are trapped in a cycle of medically-imposed poverty, where prescriptions and other medical costs have left them unable to buy food. A few who gather on Wednesdays could likely afford to pay for their meal. They’re neither homeless, nor poor, nor unemployed. Yet, they are hungry--hungry for human contact, for fellowship (or koinonia to give it a biblical name). Finally, some are here to serve. They cook, clean, carry trash, and dine with Jesus. And although they may not come hungry, they, too, find themselves strangely “filled.” I guess dining with Jesus will do that to you.

KBF 2007 Contributions Received from Churches Because of the generous contributions of numerous individuals and churches, Kentucky Baptist Fellowship is able to make a difference for Jesus Christ. Approximately 90% of KBF receipts comes through churches. Some of the money is part of church budgets and some is designated to KBF by church members. The list below reflects contributions KBF received from churches during the 2007 calendar year. Thanks for your generous contributions. General Fund (undesignated) contributions: Anchor Baptist Church, Richmond Audubon Baptist Church, Louisville Bagdad Baptist Church, Bagdad Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville Buechel Park Baptist Church, Louisville Burlington Baptist Church, Burlington Calvary Baptist Church, Lexington Campbellsburg Baptist Church, Campbellsburg Cecilia Baptist Church, Cecilia Central Baptist Church, Lexington Colesburg Baptist Church, Elizabethtown Community Baptist Church, Henderson Cornerstone Baptist Church, Monticello Cove Hill Baptist Church, Carrollton Crescent Hill Baptist Church, Louisville Crestwood Baptist Church, Crestwood Deer Park Baptist Church, Louisville Eminence Baptist Church, Eminence Emmanuel Fellowship, Jackson Erlanger Baptist Church, Erlanger Evergreen Baptist Church, Frankfort Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown Fellowship of Mercy, Independence First Baptist Ashland, Ashland First Baptist, Eastwood First Baptist, Ft Thomas First Baptist, Bowling Green First Baptist, Frankfort First Baptist, Lebanon Junction First Baptist, Middlesboro First Baptist, Brandenburg First Baptist, Morehead First Baptist, Corbin First Baptist, Winchester First Baptist, Vanceburg First Baptist, Carlisle First Baptist, Shepherdsville First Baptist, Williamsburg First Baptist, Madisonville First Baptist, Drakesboro Foundry United Methodist Church Georgetown Baptist Church, Georgetown Grace Baptist Church, Lexington GracePointe Community Church, Mt. Washington Harrodsburg Baptist Church, Harrodsburg Highland Baptist Church, Louisville Hillview Baptist Church, Louisville Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort Latonia Baptist Church, Covington Lewis Lane Baptist Church, Owensboro Lexington Ave Baptist Church, Danville Living Faith Baptist Fellowship, Elizabethtown Lyndon Baptist Church, Louisville Maple Grove Baptist Church, Louisville Masonville Baptist Church, Utica

3,000.00 1,248.00 1,316.23 14,185.35 5,500.00 66.63 6,607.72 9,899.23 306.81 1,400.00 394.31 2,410.80 600.00 653.27 3,923.36 6,337.14 2,085.29 3,419.63 876.00 2,400.00 2,500.01 12,954.64 1,011.92 25.00 50.00 2,746.81 180.00 260.00 349.41 6,271.24 2,700.00 1,996.66 2,778.90 7,895.35 288.67 3,925.00 6,018.02 380.00 5,181.00 326.28 6.00 13,019.24 459.92 1,200.00 3,233.24 6,928.70 1,814.80 18,143.40 7,553.98 736.41 18,266.77 5,467.50 1,464.55 10,933.57 609.40

Melbourne Heights Baptist Church, Louisville Midlane Park Baptist Church, Louisville Midway Baptist Church, Midway New Fellowship Baptist Church, Elizabethtown Payneville Baptist Church, Payneville Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Louisville Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Shepherdsville Ridgewood Baptist Church, Louisville Rosedale Baptist Church, Richmond Salem Baptist Church, Morgantown Southside Baptist Church, Louisville St. Matthews Baptist Church, Louisville Stanford Baptist Church, Stanford Third Baptist Church, Owensboro Trinity Baptist Church, Lexington West Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville Westport Road Baptist Church, Louisville Woodland Baptist Church, Louisville

300.00 501.34 7,632.50 521.72 417.45 3,293.82 3,038.44 1,628.70 452.39 3,438.00 2,005.00 1,479.13 10,439.58 6,324.11 2,496.00 2,800.00 2,100.00 2,305.00

Missions Contributions (includes all missions designated contributions such as missions offering and Extreme Build) Anchor Baptist Church, Richmond 115.00 Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville 1,492.00 Buechel Park Baptist Church, Louisville 2,000.00 Central Baptist Church, Lexington 3,956.00 Colesburg Baptist Church, Elizabethtown 232.10 Cornerstone Baptist Church, Monticello 50.00 Crestwood Baptist Church, Crestwood 2,000.00 Deer Park Baptist Church, Louisville 2,350.00 First Baptist, Vanceburg 490.00 First Baptist, Morehead 82.00 First Baptist, Shepherdsville 2,171.00 First Baptist, Corbin 902.00 First Baptist, Winchester 365.00 First Baptist, Middlesboro 416.63 First Baptist, Williamsburg 200.00 Georgetown Baptist Church, Georgetown 2,395.00 Highland Baptist Church, Louisville 2,600.00 Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort 1,000.00 Lexington Ave Baptist Church, Danville 900.00 Masonville Baptist Church, Utica 30.05 Midlane Park Baptist Church, Louisville 1,325.00 First Baptist, Stearns 500.00 Third Baptist Church, Owensboro 300.00 Westfork Baptist Church, Versailles, IN 900.00 Woodland Baptist Church, Louisville 4,955.00 Morocco Partnership Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown First Baptist, Middlesboro Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort Latonia Baptist Church, Covington Lexington Ave Baptist Church, Danville Living Faith Baptist Fellowship, Elizabethtown Third Baptist Church, Owensboro Westport Road Baptist Church, Louisville

1,200.00 580.00 2,655.00 145.00 5,605.87 2,333.25 1,200.00 390.00

What: KBF Spring Gathering Theme: Free to be the People of God: Christian–Islamic Dialogue Where: Highland Baptist Church, 1101 Cherokee Rd., Louisville When: April 25 -26, 2008 Friday, April 25, 2008 5:15 PM

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky Banquet

7:00 PM

Worship with KBF or Join Highland Baptist Friday Church Worship* (then rejoin KBF worship service)

8:30 PM

Meet and Greet with Jean-Luc Blanc and Karen Thomas Smith

Spring Gathering Music led by John & Amy Wiles

Saturday, April 26, 2008 8:00 AM

Coffee Time

8:30 – 9 AM Business Session 9:15 – 10:15 Breakout Sessions 10:30 – 11:25 Panel Discussion with Karen Thomas Smith, Jean-Luc Blanc and Dr. Ghouse Shareef 11:30 – 12:30 Worship and Communion

Breakout Sessions: KBF Morocco Partnership: Led by Karen Thomas Smith and Jean-Luc Blanc Basics of Islam: Led by Dr. Ghouse Shareef

Come experience worship through music led by John and Amy Wiles. John is finishing his doctoral degree in Choral Conduction at the University of Texas where he directs the UT Men’s Chorus. He additionally serves as pianist for St. Peter’s United Methodist Church. Amy teaches music to Kindergarten through 5th grade in Leander ISD near Austin. Both Amy and John are excited to be a part of the KBF Spring Meeting.

Telling Our Story: Led by National CBF Staff Member Extreme Build: What it is and how and why to be involved: Led by Sharon Davis “Friday Church” Alternative Worship: Led by Joe Phelps, Pastor Highland Baptist and Chris Sanders, Worship Leader of Friday Church, Highland Baptist

*An optional worship experience is being provided at this year’s Spring Meeting. You are invited to attend “Friday Church” which is Highland Baptist Church’s alternative worship service. On the night of the Spring Meeting, “Friday Church” will meet at Highland United Methodist Church (one block from Highland Baptist). Since that service is only 45 minutes in length, those who attend “Friday Church” can join the opening worship service of the Spring Meeting (already in progress).

Book Your Room Jameson Inn 502-267-8100 Cost: $72.99 Plus Tax Reserve by 4-21-08 Country Inn & Suites 502-261-9434 Cost: $72.00 Plus Tax Reserve by 4-25-08 Microtel Inn 502-266-6590 Cost: $45.00 Plus Tax Reserve by 4-1-08 Comfort Inn 502-266-6509 Cost: $75.00 Plus Tax Reserve by 4-4-08 Holiday Inn Express 502-240-0035 Cost: $109.99 Plus Tax Reserve by 3-25-08 There is a 20-room block under the name Kentucky Baptist Fellowship for each hotel and through each date listed.

One Church’s Journey into Diversity A Leadership Conference with Dr. William (Bill) Kincaid, Pastor, Woodland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Lexington Friday, April 25; 1-3:45 PM, Highland Baptist Church This year’s leadership conference is in keeping with the theme of our strategic planning – telling our future story. Those who attend this conference will learn ways to live out a future story of becoming more open and diverse places of worship, fellowship and service. Dr. Bill Kincaid has been on faculty at Lexington Theological Seminary, works with the Regional Disciples of Christ and writes extensively for Christian publications. Each hour will begin with a presentation and then break into small group work. Dr. Kincaid has led his church to be more open to dealing with diversity on many fronts for several years. The cost of the conference is $15 ($10 if pre-registered by April 10 or only $25 per church group of 3 or more). Baptist Seminary of Kentucky students may attend at no cost. To register, mail your check to KBF, 225 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., Suite 205, Louisiville, KY 40222. Please include your name, phone number, and name of your church. Call 502-426-1931 if you have questions.

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky Banquet at Annual KBF Meeting Baptist Seminary of Kentucky will hold its annual banquet this year at the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship Spring Gathering. Friends of KBF and friends of BSK will join together in this time of fellowship and information sharing. Date and Time: April 25, 2008, 5:15 PM Place: Highland Baptist Church, Louisville Cost: $15 per person Advance reservations required. To make reservations, contact Glenda Simpson at BSK office: 859-455-8191 or [email protected]