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K I D S & F I N A N C E S

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S P OT L I G H TD u a n e & A l i c e Wa l t e r s

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G OR e d e f i n e Va c a t i o n

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CONTENTS

FA M I LY F I N A N C E S

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MINISTRY STAFFC H I P S T E V E N S S E N I O R PA S TO R | cstevens@fbcstarkville.com

C L I F TO N C U R T I SA S S O C . PA S TO R O F PA S TO R A L C A R E & FAC I L I T Y A D M I N .

ccurtis@fbcstarkville.com

TO M J E N K I N S A S S O C . PA S TO R O F M U S I C & M E D I A | tjenkins@fbcstarkville.com

J A S O N D U R A N A S S O C . PA S TO R O F FA M I LY M I N I S T R Y & D I S C I P L E S H I P

jduran@fbcstarkville.com

N AT H A N TAY LO R U N I V E R S I T Y & M I S S I O N S M I N I S T E R | ntaylor@fbcstarkville.com

N E I L T U L LO S YO U T H M I N I S T E R | ntullos@fbcstarkville.com

L E A H F R A N C E S E ATO N DIRECTOR OF CHILDRENS MINISTRY | lfeaton@fbcstarkville.com

C H A R I T Y G WA LT N E Y DIRECTOR OF PRESCHOOL MINISTRY | cgwaltney@fbcstarkville.com

B O B BY D ’A L E S S A N D R O DIRECTOR OF MEDIA & TECHNICAL ARTS MINISTRY

bobbyd@fbcstarkville.com

FEATURES4 First Word from Chip Stevens

17 The Walters

OUR CHURCH FAMILY20 Upcoming Events

21 Calendar

G OR e d e f i n e Va c a t i o n

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t’s too expensive. We’re just too busy. I just don’t feel God calling me right now. We don’t travel well. These are excuses that I’ve made many times over the years as to why our family didn’t need to go on a mission trip together. However, this past Spring Break we “bit the bullet” and decided to go to Victoria, British Columbia, for our second mission trip as a family with FBC. And once again, every day, I kept saying to myself,

“This is a good thing.”I’ve said many times from the pulpit, “The reason so many fail to experience God is that

they fail to obey Him.” I’m just as guilty of that as anybody else. It’s amazing that when I do obey, I see so much of Him. So I thought I’d share with you some things God taught me about why every family should take a mission trip with their church.

• Our chi ldren need to see that the world is bigger than Starkvi l le.

Truth is, the world’s a big place. We forget that in our normal routines. For our kids, life can be all about the next test or the next ballgame. That’s such a small part of life. Also, we tend to think that our problems are the biggest in the world and that life has just been unfair to us. Going on a mission trip helps you to see that that’s just not true. Also, you can also see that God has created a world that is so majestic. We have lots of beauty here in Starkville, but there’s so much more out there.

• Our chi ldren need to see a bigger picture of the church.

We began our week by worshipping with Canvas Church, the church that we were help-ing with the camp. It was great for our kids to meet the members there and to see how, though we are different, we are united by Christ. In addition, some of their members

FIRST WORDFROM CHIP STEVENS

helped us with the camp. It presented a great picture of the kingdom of Christ joining together to glorify the Lord.

• It ’s an opportunity to watch your chi ldren grow.

If you’ve ever been on a mission trip, you know that almost nothing stretches you more. From long flights to long days, it can be exhausting. On top of that, you have to have a good attitude every day remembering that you are there to repre-sent Christ. Putting our children in those situations helps them to grow in their faith as they see God grant us perfect strength.

• It puts them in posit ions of leadership.

We forget that one is never too young to serve. My oldest son helped lead a group of 3rd - 4th graders and helped lead the group stretching sessions. My daughter worked with preschoolers. It was awe-some to see them serving in leadership roles. It also stretched them and taught them many lessons that are valuable for all of life.

• It helps you appreciate what you have.

Let’s face it. We’re spoiled. Victoria is one of the most beautiful and most affluent cities in all the world, but there’s so much they don’t have---family stability, com-munity, and most importantly, Jesus. In addition, Canvas Church meets in a hotel meeting room. They rent the rooms they use for over $6000/month. They have to set up their equipment and take it down each week. Often, if the hotel has another event, they get bumped and have to find somewhere else to meet. It really is nice to have a facility that we can meet in every week, a brand new state-of-the-art children’s building, and the Warehouse where we can host large events. Some-times, we take that for granted.

10 REASONS TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY ON A MISSION TRIP

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 5

• It ’s great family t ime.

Life is busy for all of us. Especially as your children get older, you begin to go your separate ways during the week. Conversa-tions are hard to come by. On a mission trip as a family, you are all serving the Lord together. You are serving together, playing together, and eating together.

• It helps bui ld relat ionships with other famil ies.

We knew all the families that went to Victoria with us, but spending a week together helped deepen those relationships. It’s one thing to pass people in the hallways on Sundays and Wednesdays, but another thing to spend whole days together serving on the same team. It’s definitely a church builder!

• University students.

I can’t tell you how grateful that Sandra and I are that, at FBC Starkville, our children can spend quality time with university students who aren’t wasting their university years making decisions that they will regret for the rest of their lives. A lot of people have the philosophy that students will play during their college years and will grow up and get things right later on. Where is that found in the Bible? It doesn’t have to be that way! No child is perfect, but we want our children to see examples of students who are serving Christ during their college years. Tak-ing your family on a mission trip with the church will put your kids in a position to see these examples.

• Memories.

If you ask our children about their favorite trip we’ve taken as a family, they would all tell you the mission trip to Victoria. Yes, it was fun to hike trails, to see the mountains across the Pacific Ocean, and to eat halibut in the harbor, but the greatest memories are the times we spent serving together and the children that we served. We’ll be talking about that for many family holidays to come.

• It ’s an opportunity to join God in what He’s doing.

This is the best of all. This being our second trip as a family, we were able to see how God has worked since we were last there. We saw with our own eyes the little boy who came to camp two years ago who is now a believer in Jesus, and his mom has since become a believer as well. We have seen the church grow. We have seen the camp grow from around 50 kids to over 100 and how the camp was sold out and had a waiting list. We just got word that three families whose kids attended camp attended Canvas Church for the first time this past Sunday. God is at work there, and we can know He’s used us in a small way. That’s awe-some for all of us, but I’m really glad to know my children see that at an early age.

The bottom line is � every Christian should go on a mission trip with their family. If we want our children to be fully committed followers of Christ who are leading others to follow Him, we need to give them opportunities to see how to do that. A mission trip as a family is just the thing that will help you do that.

Drop the excuses, go, and see how God shapes your family!

FBC STARKVILLE BLOGTo read more artciels from Chip and other staff members in the future, check out the FBC Starkville Blog at fbcstarkville.com/resources/fbc-blog/.

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F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 7

B Y J AY R E E D

hen the time came to send our son off to Cowbell Camp, the lines to register were crazy. Hordes of anxious freshmen and even more anxious parents packed the lounge side of the new Fresh Foods building on campus. I considered wait-

ing with the rest of the family in the dining side, where a full deep breath could be taken without bumping into someone. But this was a big deal for Jacob (and us), so I decided to brave the crowds and stand with him. When we finally reached the table, it turned out to be a good thing; he was not yet 18 and I had to sign some forms on his behalf. Partial freedom was his. Fast forward to February. Groundhog Day took on a new significance – it was the day I took my daughter to the Highway Patrol Station to apply for her learner’s permit. Could all this really be happening? Wasn’t I in the FBC youth group just a few years ago myself? Nevertheless, my kids have grown up quickly and thankfully we have a church that care about the fam-ily, and us as parents, and are intentionally discipling our children. Because of FBC Starkville’s desire to see the family live out its gospel mission the entire month of April is family month. What does that mean exactly? It means a lot of things, but it doesn’t mean the more children you have, the greater the discount you get on your tithe. It definitely doesn’t mean that.

Maybe this will help: Senior Pastor Chip Stevens began the year speak-ing on the subject of “Who Are We?” as the church. As a part of this series, the month of April has been dedicated to teachings on who we are as a fam-ily, and within that broader theme, a plethora of family-focused activities will illustrate the importance of family to the overall health of the church, our culture, and our world.

I think I’m going to need this.

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It all kicks off on Sunday, April 3, with guest speaker Stuart Hall. Stuart is a family man for sure: he is married to Kellee and they have a son who attends Duke University and two teenage daughters. He provides leadership to two different non-profits as well as developing students to be leaders among youth. He has also co-written several books with Andy Stanley and Louie Giglio. In our morning worship services Stuart will be speaking at 8:30 and 11:00 am from Psalm 90:12 as he will help us discover that when we realize that our time is limited, we tend to make what matters matter more. During the Community Group hour at 9:45 am in the Warehouse OC, he will speak to parents of youth and kids on how we all long to belong to a group, and a role that parents can fill is helping your kids or teens connect with people who love Jesus. Everyone is invited back that night at 5:00 pm in the Warehouse OC, we will begin a new Sunday evening series, the Family Feud game will be revived, and Hall will speak again, this time on how every phase in a kid's life is a time-frame that you can leverage distinctive opportunities in order to influence their future. Stick around afterwards for a dessert auction to benefit the scholarship program for Camp in the City. Stuart Hall

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 9

In Week Two, Sunday, April 10, the morning message will be “The Godly Man”. For the evening sessions everyone will break out into age-graded groups; i.e, the group you attend will correspond to the age of your kids, starting at 5:00 pm.

All Stages of Live Breakout Sessions

• Preschool Parents | 1st Flr. of Children's Building

Preschool parents will meet in the preschool area, and be led by Charity on the topic of “Using the Ordinary to teach the Extraordinary.” Charity says, “The key to teaching preschoolers about God, the Bible, Jesus, etc .is to take what they are wired to do naturally - play - and then focus it on lessons about God. And, of course joining them in their play. The point is to play with your child, spend time with your child, find ways to have simple God conversations with your child, and to use the ordinary items that your child is playing with on a daily basis to see that God is at work all around them.”

• 1st-6th Grade Parents | 2nd Flr. of Children's Building

Parents of the older kids will hear from Leah Frances in the kids area on the subject of “Making Intentional Moments Fun.”

• Youth Parents | Warehouse OC

Youth Relationship, Youth parents, led by Neil in the Warehouse OC, will discuss “The Parent-Youth Relationship, How It Changes Through the Years.” According to author Chap Clark in his book, Hurt, “Moms and dads need to see their parental role as a marathon, recognizing that building a relationship in which their child trusts them is even more important than whether they can trust their child regarding the immediate issues of the day.”

• Universtiy Students | The Poor House

University students will meet with Nathan Taylor at The Poor House, where they will talk around a pile of boiled crawfish about the delicate balancing act of honoring parents vs newfound independence. Nathan describes that discussion: “So many things change for a student in college. That includes his relationship with his parents as it transitions from an authoritative role to more of a consultant role. How can students honor their parents throughout their college years?”

• Parenting Your Adult Children and Parenting Your Parents | Applegate 114/115

Dr James Haynes, Pastoral Counselor /Director of Pastoral Counseling at FBC Biloxi, will be leading those with adult children and those that don't have children. He will be teaching on “Parenting your adult children and parenting your parents.”

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FAMILY WORSHIP NIGHTSUNDAY, APRIL 17 | 5:00 PM

WAREHOUSE OC

In week three, Sunday, April 17, Pastor Chip will share what the Bible says about “The Godly Woman”. That night in the Warehouse OC, families will meet together for a family worship time featuring music from the band that leads our youth on Wednesday nights. We will also hear from several church members who have recently been on FBC-sponsored mission trips . That night the kickball teams for the following week’s tournament will be announced, and the teams/families will gather around the tables with everyone’s favorite tailgate foods, so bring your favorite tailgate dish to share with the church family.

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 11

Kickin' It In The ParkSUNDAY, APRIL 24 | 4:00-7:00 PM

STARKVILLE SPORTSPLEX

On the final Sunday in April, the 24th, Chip will bring the Godly Man and Godly Woman together and talk about Godly Marriage. Later that day, beginning at 4:00 pm, everyone will meet at the Sportsplex for Kickin’ It In the Park 2016, the double elimination church wide kickball tournament for both family and competitive teams. Kickball appetites will be satisfied by way of grilled hot dogs and a family-sized cast iron pot full of Nathan Taylor’s famous jambalaya. Whether kickball is your favorite sport or you come to cheer on a team, this is an event for the entire church family.

As you can see, April is going to be a great month at First Baptist, Starkville, for everyone in all stages of family life. Come join us as the church family studies together, eats together, and plays together.

JAY REED is a pharmacist by day (Synergy Phar-macy) and a freelance food writer by day off. He leads an adult Community Group in the same Ray Building where he was first brought to the nursery as a baby. You can connect with him on social media @eatsoneate or on The City.

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have never heard a parent say, "I really hope that my child grows up to be financially dependent upon me for the rest of his or her life." As a general rule, parents seek to raise children who will eventually mature into hard working, successful, and financially independent

adults, but ensuring that your children develop those qualities won't happen over night. As with all behaviors that eventually become habits, proper money management has to be introduced at a young age and reinforced over a child's lifetime as he or she becomes an adolescent in order for that mentality to truly take root. That's not to say that people who aren't taught at a young age to handle money responsibly cannot learn to do so as adults, but it will be significantly harder. Regardless of how old your children are, or even if you don't have children at all, there is no time like the present to start making healthy financial decisions for yourself and your family and to begin involving your children in that process.

I had the fortune of growing up with two accountants for parents, but it felt more like a curse when I was a child. While all of my friends got to go on shopping sprees at Toys R Us after collecting a ton of birthday money, I was only allowed to spend a small fraction of my loot while the rest was whisked away by my parents to a place called Wells Fargo - the land of no return, or so I thought as a six year old. This same rule was true for any money I received as a gift, regardless

FAMILY FINANCESB Y C O U R T N E Y D U E I T T

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 13

of the occasion, and this remained the rule at our house until I graduated from high school, but by then, it didn't feel so foreign or cruel to have to "give" my money away. I had grown accustomed to only buying one or two items and putting the rest away for later. Because my parents forced me to develop this habit, I was able to pay for my first car with cash! I had never been so thankful for those two number crunchers!

My parents took a similar approach to teaching my brother and I about money that is earned. Every month, we would be given a set amount of money, specific to our ages, that we worked for by doing chores around the house. However, when we received that money on the first of the month, we were required to tithe 10% and save 10%, and then whatever was left over was ours to spend, but we couldn't just go out and blow it on luxury items. Instead, we were required to pay for certain things each month with that money like school lunches or gas. Because of this, I learned at a very early age the difference between a want and a need. These principles that my parents taught me as a child still dictate the way that I spend money today, and when I grew up and got a real job, it wasn't hard for me to continue to tithe and save and spend responsibly.

This idea of teaching children about money at a young age is something that another one of our church members, Jonathan Eaton, can relate to because his parents raised him in a very similar fashion. They started teaching Jonathan about managing money when he was only five or six years old by giving him a small amount of money each month which they kept in a "bank account," and if he wanted to spend it, he could, but his parents

Courtney Dueitt and her family as a child.

Courtney and her husband Charley.

FAMILY FINANCE CLASSWEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 13, 20, & 27

6:00 PM | RAY BUILDING FELLOWSHIP HALL

Jonathan Eaton and Brian Lesley will lead this class

as they look at family budgeting, training children

to manage money, and question and answer

portions dealing with a range of topics

centered on family finances.

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recorded where it went in a log. When he was in the sixth grade, the real learning started as he was given the "Eaton Family Money Contract." He had similar stipulations with his monthly stipend: tithe 10%, save 10%, and be responsible for certain expenses; however, he was also required to write down where all of his money was spent in order to get the next month's check. He said that every year after sixth grade, his parents would add another responsibility, and because of this, the money would increase. They continued on this path until he graduated high school at which point Jonathan says, "my parents were giving me almost $300.00 a month, and I was paying for everything except rent." According to Jonathan, "The beautiful part about this scenario, at least from my parents side, was that it was not costing them an extra money. All of the money they were giving me was money they were already going to spend." Because of this hands-on training, Jonathan, like myself, learned early the importance of being frugal. He says that the biggest lesson his parents taught him was about debt. One clause of the contract stated, "No loans - period. No debt - period. No cash advances - period." This lesson continues to inform Jonathan's financial decisions today. In fact, he says, "As a family, we do not spend money that we do not have. Nothing in this world is worth putting my family in financial risk." When asked if he

will continue these lessons with his own children, Jonathan says, "How could I not? If we say we want the best for our children, then we must teach them to be financially responsible at a young age."

Because of church wide feedback after the recent Life Study focused on money, we decided to offer a series of classes for any adults who are interested in learning more about managing family finances. These will begin on Wednesday, April 6 and meet each Wednesday until April 27. The classes will be from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall located on the first floor of the Ray building. Jonathan Eaton will be sharing more about his story there, and Brian Lesley will also be a part of this class. Topics will include family budgeting, training children to manage money, and question and answer portions dealing with a range of topics centered on family finances. This class will be just one part of "Family Month" which also includes sessions on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights for the month of April as a part of the "Who Are We?" series. Everyone can benefit from this opportunity, so please make plans to attend.

COURTNEY DUEITT is an instructor in the English Department at MSU and a newlywed who is happy to have found a wonderful church home and family at FBC Starkville. You can connect with her on The City.

Jonathan Eaton's Family money manager ceretificate.

Jonathan, Leah Frances, & Elliott Eaton

Jonathan and his sister.

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 15

GOF B C S TA R KV I L L E

B Y A U S T I N F O R T E N B E R R Y

REDEFINE VACATION

ost of us are familiar with Christ’s command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). We don’t doubt that this command is integral to our faith, and we hear it weekly in FBC’s mission statement. Even so,

putting this knowledge into action is what proves difficult for most. Whether you find yourself in school full-time, working forty hours a week, or managing your children’s hectic schedules, fulfilling the command to “Go” can seem difficult at best and impossible at worst. As a result, it becomes easy for us to neglect our responsibilities to actively spread the Gospel and serve our communities. We appease our consciences by convincing ourselves that we will do so when we graduate, when we’re more settled, when our kids are older, or when we retire, constantly pushing the date of our obedience further in the future. This need not be the case, however. You do not have to go on an international mission trip to fulfill the Great Commission (though that is certainly one way of doing so!), nor do you have to have months of time to give. All of us, whether students, parents, or full-time employees, have some vacation time—no matter how limited—and with some planning and intentionality, we can use our limited breaks from work, school, and everyday to life to truly impact our communities and world for the sake of the Gospel.

I corresponded with Kevin Armstrong, a psychology professor at MSU who is active in FBC’s youth group, and Melanie Story, a stay-at-home mom who also serves faithfully with our church’s youth, about this very topic. I asked both how they regularly use the time they have to serve the church, the community, and their families.

Dr. Armstrong says that while his family members haven’t used their vacation times for any of the church’s “big” mission trips, they still do a lot of service in the community and church. “Both kids skip summer sports to help with Vacation Bible School, and both participate in other mission projects sponsored by the church,” says Armstrong. They learn the importance of serving at a young age, and by taking a week’s break from summer sports to serve at VBS, they learn the importance of prioritizing service. Kevin and his wife “serve in various roles in the community and the church, including leading youth Community Groups, singing in the choir, and sitting on various church committees.” The Armstrongs make it a point to serve throughout the year, not allowing life’s everyday demands to keep them from serving the Lord. And, when they go on vacations as a family (often to visit extended family who live in other parts of the country), Armstrong says that he and his wife are “purposeful about showing the kids things about God’s creation, our nation’s government system, and the variety of places and ways in which

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people live.” As the Armstrongs so beautifully show, we don’t have to cut out all vacations from our lives to serve the Lord—we can use travel as a means of appreciating God, investing in our families, and serving those with whom we come in contact.

Melanie Story and her children recently spent their Spring Breaks on the Puerto Rico mission trip with FBC’s youth group. While Melanie jokingly remarked that as a stay-at-home mom she doesn’t have vacation days, she did give up a week with no kids to go on the trip. To her, it was worth it. “We have a small amount of time to invest in our kids’ lives, and we need to be intentional about how we use that time,” says Story. Furthermore, “if I hadn’t been there in Puerto Rico with them, I wouldn’t have gotten to see them serving like I did. I saw all of the students, many of whom I have known for their entire lives, step up and step out in new ways.” Seeing firsthand students serving the Lord through serving others is what made the biggest impression on Melanie. I asked her why she felt the need to go on the trip, instead of just sending her kids and enjoying the week alone with her husband. She responded, “If they don’t see me as an adult serving, how can I expect them to go and do so? To use the old adage, actions speak louder than words.” My last question for Melanie was why she decided it would be better for her family to use their break to serve on a mission trip

rather than traveling to a popular Spring Break destination. She responded, “Prioritizing missions and service really shows my kids that life is about more than just them.” While there is nothing wrong with taking vacations, sacrificing them periodically to serve others can speak volumes about where our ultimate priorities lie.

I hope that the words of these two church members have you encouraged you in your own walk with the Lord. As they’ve shown, obedience to God’s command to “go” can take many forms, but ultimately, it boils down to being purposeful about using the time we have been given. Whether you use choose to your use limited vacation time to go overseas, invest in your community, or experience the beauty of the world God has created, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

AUSTIN FORTENBERRY is a junior English and

Religion major from Madison, MS. He leads an 8th Grade Community Group at FBC and enjoys running, eating gluten-free food, and reading. You can connect with him on social media @acfortenberry or on the City.

Puerto Rico mission team Spring Break 2016.

The Armstrong family in front of the Grand Canyon.

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 17

y story begins with my parents' early commitment to bring their children up in the church. Mama (Nellie Harned) was already a member of First Baptist when they married. Daddy was Episcopalian. It took them a few years

to finally decide which church to commit to. Becoming a Baptist was a big thing for Daddy (Horace Harned, Jr.), as he had to be baptized by immersion! (He had been sprinkled as a baby, of course.)

Anyway, as I tell in my testimony, I remember from an early age being in Sunday School and hearing wonderful stories from the Bible. When I would get hurt, my grandmother (Maudine Howell) would take me to her lap and sing to me "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, for the Bible Tells Me so." I never doubted God's love for me, but there were times when He seemed very far away.

I became a member of First Baptist at age 10, although I didn't have assurance of whether I would go to heaven were I to die. Normally, I should have met individually with the pastor before I was baptized, but there was a slip-up and I missed this one-on-one time. All through middle school and high school, I had questions and doubts. One of my Sunday School teachers when I was in middle school--a returned missionary--spoke about God as though she knew him personally. I had a longing to know God the way she did and in my mind, tried to figure out a way to visit her to learn more. Since my family lived out in the country, the logistics seemed overwhelming, and besides that, I would have to explain to my parents why I wanted to meet with my Sunday School teacher. In our family, we didn't talk much about spiritual things.

B Y A L I C E WA LT E R S

THE WALTERS

I took those questions and doubts with me when I went "away" to college, to the "W." Being away from home for the first time (not so far, but it seemed very far away), I was lonely. I thought perhaps I should try to get to know God, so I tried reading my Bible. I couldn't understand it, so I gave up on that.

Then, another student I met started inviting me to weekly meetings at Mississippi State. These meetings, called College Life, were evangelistic meetings sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ. At one particular meeting, a local pastor gave a talk based on four points. The first three, I was familiar with: God loves the individual; the problem of our sin, which keeps us from God; and Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection. When the fourth point was presented, that we must individually receive Christ, I realized that this was what I had been missing and when the opportunity was given, I prayed and asked Jesus to come into my heart. Immediately, I was filled with a deep peace and I knew I had found what was missing in my life. Later, through my involvement with Campus Crusade, I received assurance of my salvation, learned how to walk with God in the power of the Holy Spirit and keep short accounts with God, and began growing in my faith. After transferring to Mississippi State, I got involved with Campus Crusade there and learned how to share my faith, how to lead Bible studies and how to discern God's leading in my life.

From an early age, even before I knew the Lord, I had a desire to serve Him. And as my college years drew to an end and I considered how the Lord would have me invest my life, I sensed His call to serve

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Him in full-time Christian service and His direction to serve through Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru in the U.S.).

While serving at the international headquarters, at that time in San Bernardino, California, I discovered that God had gifted me in administrative gifts. I was still involved outside my working hours in ministering to others, either leading a Bible study or teaching Sunday School, but I found that I really enjoyed the administrative side of things. Even more encouraging was knowing that my work in the office was having an impact on the world, as materials I helped send or letters I wrote met the needs of those in the field. After my 2nd year on the staff of CCC, I had the opportunity to go on an international summer project, to western Europe. My role was to help prepare for the child care program and then to teach an English-language group during the two-week European staff conference. I was also available for evening babysitting, to enable parents of young children to attend evening meetings.

It was during that summer that I sensed God's leading to return full-time to serve in Europe, whether that would be Eastern or Western Europe. The European Campus Crusade staff whom I met had the same commitment to helping fulfill the Great Commission and they had a great burden to reach their fellow countrymen with the gospel.

When the time was right, I applied to fill a short-term need at the Western European HQ, in West Germany. There, I served as secretary to the European Field Director, and after his secretary left to get

married, he challenged me to return long-term to serve at that office. Later, I transferred to the Personnel area and served as Personnel Coordinator for Western Europe. During this time, I had the privilege to help send out some of Germany's and Switzerland's first short-term ministry staff. While serving at the Western European HQ, I reported to Europeans of various nationalities: Finnish, Irish, Swiss and Dutch. In my behind-the-scenes roles, I considered it an honor to fulfill administrative duties so that nationals would be freed up to be involved in direct ministry in their countries. Through my role as Personnel Coordinator, I also trained Personnel reps from many countries of Western Europe in how to evaluate candidates for international assignments.

Well, I went overseas single--to Western Europe, and Duane, whom I married in 1993, also went overseas single--to Eastern Europe. For a small window of time, the Eastern European office where Duane eventually came to serve was located less than ten miles from the office where I served. So, our paths crossed then and the rest is history! After we married, we had to decide whether our place of service would be in Germany or in Hungary, as the New Life Eastern Europe office was to be set up there. We sensed God's leading to join the Eastern Europe team, and we moved to Hungary in August of 1994, to help set up that office. Since before we married, Duane has served in the financial accounting area, the area of greatest need at the time he was assigned to the Eastern Europe HQ office.

F B C S TA R K V I L L E . C O M 19

During our five years of service in Hungary, I continued as Personnel Coordinator, until our daughter was born. Even as a mother, I was able to keep my finger in Personnel--helping with both new staff and debrief interviews, for example. We then requested to be assigned to a small national ministry--struggling to get established and needing administrative support--in the country of Lithuania. Our request was approved and we moved there in 1999. We greatly enjoyed being a part of a small national staff team. While there, Duane set up financial systems and trained local staff in CCC's accounting system. I trained some of the national staff in Personnel procedures and gave training in evaluating candidates for national and international service. We basically worked ourselves out of our jobs--which was good, as our ministry is committed to indigenous leadership--but scary at the same time, as we wondered what the next step would be! A huge "by-the-way": while in Lithuania, through an independent adoption, we added two little boys to our family.

Duane was challenged to join the Finance team back at the area office of Western Europe, and we sensed God was in this. So, again we packed up and moved to Kandern, Germany, where we lived and served for seven years before returning to the U.S. We now serve in our Global Leadership Office at the World HQ of CCC, in Orlando, Florida.

The thing that almost kept me from joining CCC staff was the requirement of raising individual support. Our ministry provides training and resources to equip its staff for this part of ministry. We see ministry partner development as a way to enable fellow believers to be involved with what God is doing around the world through partnering with us. It's also an opportunity to increase commitment to the Lord through investing in His work. God owns everything--when we give out of what He has entrusted to us, we honor Him and exhibit trust in His ability to provide for our daily needs. Throughout the Bible, we see various examples of how the Lord provided for those He calls to service. In the Old Testament, the Levites, the priestly tribe called to serve the Lord, were supported through the tithes and offerings of God's people. Many churches supported Paul's ministry through their gifts. And although for a brief time in one city, Paul was a tent-maker, the majority of his support was from others. Even our Lord's ministry was enabled by the support of individuals (Luke 8:1-3).

CRUTo learn more about CRU go to CRU.org.

20 A P R I L 2 0 1 6 | I s s u e 1 6

COMMUNITY GROUP ATTENDANCE FOR MARCH

MARCH 6 | 1068

MARCH 13 | 796

MARCH 20 | 880

MARCH 27 | 929

LUNCH BREAK MENUS

APRIL 6Buttermilk chicken, Green beans, Mashed potatoes

Green salad, Rolls and dessert

APRIL 13Hamburger steak, Roasted potatoes, Baby Lima beans

Green salad, Rolls and dessert

APRIL 20Chicken and Rice Casserole, Roasted carrots, Salad bar

Rolls and dessert

APRIL 27Deluxe Salad bar 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SUNDAY NIGHTS IN APRIL To learn more about Sunday nights in April checkout Family Month on page 6.

• GUEST SPEAKER STUART HALL AND CAKE AUCTION | 5:00 PM | WAREHOUSE OC

• ALL STAGES OF LIFE BREAKOUT SESSIONS 5:00 PM | CAMPUS WIDE

• FAMILY WORSHIP NIGHT 5:00 PM | WAREHOUSE OC

• KICKBALL 4:00 - 7:00 PM | STARKVILLE SPORTSPLEX Join us for a church-wide kickball tournament. Families with kids 4 and up can register to play on the Family Kickball Field.

Youth and individual players 11 and up can register for the

Competitive Kickball Field. Register today at fbcstarkville.com.

FAMILY FINANCE CLASSWEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 13, 20, & 27 6:00 PM | RAY BUILDING FELLOWSHIP HALLJonathan Eaton and Brian Lesley will lead this class as they look at family budgeting, training children to manage money, and question and answer portions dealing with a range of topics centered on family

finances.

11TH GRADE ADVANCESUNDAY, APRIL 10 12:00 - 4:00 PM

TOPIC: SERVANT LEADERSHIPA selfless attitude and the actions that accompany it are attractive qualities, but it doesn’t come naturally. We have to learn to serve others by serving. In order to help prepare your teen for their senior year and increased leadership responsibilities we’ll spend the day not only discussing serving by looking at the leadership style of Jesus, but also through serving others. We’ll spend the afternoon at Catch A Dream learning from their staff in how they serve others as well as serving on

their property.

GTBA VBS PREVIEWTUESDAY, APRIL 12 | 6:00 PM | CHILDREN'S BUILDINGPlanning on volunteering for VBS? All VBS volunteers are encouraged to join us April 12 at 6 PM, here at FBC Starkville for the Golden Triangle Baptist Association VBS Training Event. You’ll become familiar with the VBS curriculum as well as learn teaching tips. You don’t want to miss this!

4TH-6TH GRADE GIRLS PAJAMA PARTYFRIDAY, APRIL 15-16 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 AMCalling all 4th - 6th Grade Girls! It is the time of the year for our Pajama Party on April 15th-16th. Registration is $10 and you can do it any

Sunday or Wednesday on the 2nd Floor of the Children’s Building. Invite your friends because this will the party of the year!

ENGAGE STARKVILLESATURDAY, APRIL 23 6:00 PM | THE WAREHOUSE | $5

TOPIC: SERVANT LEADERSHIPUniversity students, do you find it challenging to talk about spiritual matters with your friends and neighbors? Is it difficult to difficult to share your faith on campus?If so, Engage Starkville is for you!Join with author and speaker, Alvin Reid, as he challenges and encourages students to live out their faith as everyday missionaries.Register at www.engagestarkville.com

CHILDREN'S CHURCH

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

8:30 & 11 :00 AM | 2ND FLR. CHILDREN'S BLDG

WOMEN'S RETREATAPRIL 29-30 | CENTRAL HILLS BAPTIST RETREAT | $50

Join us for a Women’s Weekend Retreat as Jessica Thompson takes us

through a grace-filled guide to relationships. The covers your lodging

and three meals. Reserve your spot today at fbcstarkville.com.

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P E R I O D I C A L S

106 East Lampkin St. Starkville, MS 39759

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