Earlier in February I had the opportunity to attend the Statewide Associational missionary workshop.  It didn’t take long for me to get information overload as I heard seminar leaders present great ideas for associational missions.  The featured speaker for week was Claude King.  You may recognize his name as the co writer (with Henry Blackaby) of Experiencing God and Fresh Encounter.  The lessons he taught form the basis of all missions endeavors.  I’d like to share some of these thoughts with you.

God’s mission is to restore fallen men to a love relationship with Himself.  He works through those who have responded to His call to repent of sin and enter into fellowship with Him to call other men and women to Himself. When His people fall away from Him they cease to be useful as instruments to carry out His mission so He turns His attention to returning them to a love relationship with Himself through patient chastening.  If His people repent then they experience revival.  If they do not repent chastening turns to judgment.  In Revelation 2,3 we see the warning of judgment to backslidden churches and we see the example of God’s chastening and ultimately judgment on individual believers in I Corinthians 11:30-32.  God is persistent in chastening unrepentant sin because He longs to use His holy people to carry out His mission to bring more people to a love relationship with Himself.

Throughout the Old Testament, in the New Testament and even in Church history we see example after example of how revival among God’s people has led to spiritual awakening and the rapid spread of the gospel where it had not previously been preached.  Consequently, we need to understand that missions activity in and of itself will not fulfill God’s mission.  God is looking for people who are in a right relationship with Him to join Him in His mission to seek and save that which is lost. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” (I Timothy 2:21)  May it be that as both individuals and churches we would

Plans are now underway for the 2010 mission trip to West Virginia. If you, or someone you know, is interested in this wonderful mission opportunity, go here for more information. An online registration form is also available.

The Georgia Baptist Association will provide training for those interested in being involved in the Disaster Relief Ministry of the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Hephzibah/Kilpatrick Baptist Associations.

Phase 1 Training is required for all volunteers. At this training you will receive an introduction to the Disaster Relief Ministry of Georgia Baptists as well as hands-on training in one of the five ministry areas. Phase 1 trainings are held each January, February, and March in preparation for the storm season. (Training Fees if paid by registation deadline: Phase 1=$35, Recertification = $15, Cross-training in another Ministry Area = $35.)

Intro/Recertification Training is for those persons who: 1. Want to learn about Disaster Relief or, 2. Are already trained and need to be recertified, which is required every 3 years. (Training Fees if paid by registation deadline: Recertification = $15, First Time Attendee attending for the first time to learn more about Disaster Relief = FREE.)

Phase 2 Training is designed for volunteers who sense the Lord leading them to become involved in this ministry at a leadership level. (Training Fees = $35. Additional charges may occur. See registration form for details.)

The closest Phase 1 training event is scheduled for March 12-13 in Thomson, GA. The deadline for registration is march 5th.

Online registration is available here…

For more information call George Pope at (706) 547-2800 or First Baptist Thomson at (706) 595-4252.

One of the unique opportunities I have enjoyed over the past three months as I have served the Hephzibah and Kilpatrick Baptist Associations is the opportunity to be in different congregations week after week. One thing that I am learning to appreciate is the uniqueness of each congregation. Just as every person is created by God and is unique, so also it seems that each church has a wonderful uniqueness about it. We are all quite aware that sometimes we, as humans, do not always appreciate our uniqueness. Sometimes we’d much rather have someone else’s looks or talents and abilities rather than our own. We also know that we can never maximize our potential as individuals until we learn to accept ourselves as God has created us and use the gifts and abilities that He has given to us to His glory. I believe the same thing is true of the local church.
Each church is unique in its temperament, gifts and specific mission. The small church and the large church are alike created by God and are called to use their God given gifts and abilities in His kingdom work. Through the years I have observed far too many churches that are more focused on what they do not have and what they cannot do than on the gifts that God has given them and what He can do through them. They have looked down on themselves because of the relative smallness of their congregation or their apparent lack of gifts or resources. Such a church fails to recognize the gifts of God has given them and thereby squanders the stewardship entrusted to it and will never accomplish its kingdom mission. As I have the opportunity to observe both large and small churches in our association I have seen that many are faithfully using the gifts and abilities that God has given to them. It is my hope is that every church will use its unique abilities and gifts to accomplish the specific kingdom mission that God has given it to His glory!

Tim Batchelor

In a joint meeting of the Executive Committees of the Hephzibah and Kilpatrick Associations, representatives from thirty-one churches voted to call Rev. Timothy W. Batchelor, formerly of  Spring Place Baptist Church, as Associational Missionary.

Brother Tim grew up in the Marietta area of Georgia.  He  “came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior” as a 12 years old and he was baptized at the Noonday Baptist Church.   As a teenager, he “came to the conviction that the Lord was calling” him to “the ministry as a vocation.”  In response to God’s call, Tim prepared himself by completing  a BA degree in Bible from Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina.  He received the Master of Divinity degree in 1990 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.

Brother Tim’s wife is Susan and they have three daughters:  Melanie, Sarah and Abby.  Susan graduated from Oauchita Baptist University in 1987  with a BA in Spanish and she completed the MRE degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1990.  Presently, she home-schools their children.

Brother Tim has been serving churches since 1990.  He spent two years as a pastor in Buckhead, Georgia and then two more as the assistant pastor of a church in Marietta, Georgia.  Since 1996, he has been pastor of a church of 450 members in northwest Georgia.  His present church has one full-time and one part-time ministerial staff members in addition to him.  Over the past 13 years the church has grown in attendance and recently completed a 19,000 sq. ft. Preschool/Children/Youth Educational addition debt free.  This new facility is designed “to accommodate current and future growth in addition to space needs for” their “Hispanic ministry.”  Under Tim’s leadership the church started an Hispanic ministry that has expanded to include a Spanish worship service and a Sunday School of over 70 in attendance.  This ministry has grown to a “mission” status and employs a full-time mission pastor.

Brother Tim has been active in his local Baptist association and has served as Moderator from 2000-2002.  He is currently a member of the GBC executive committee.  He has a zeal for missions and his ministry objective is “to help churches carry out the Great Commission by encouraging church health and facilitating involvement in missions.

His personal interests include hunting, beekeeping, building and woodworking.  He enjoy spending time with his family.