ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Wednesday Morning
The morning session began with a musical prelude followed by Scripture reading and prayer. It was announced that Bro. Livingstone Lambert, Missionary to Tanzania, would not be able to be present and deliver the Missionary Sermon. Alternate, Bro. Carrion, will speak in his place.
Bro. Darrel Owens opened the Missions Meeting and Bro. Randy Cloud gave the Sec-Treas. of Missions report. A motion was made and seconded to adopt the report. It passed.
A plaque was given to Mrs. Wayne Harper in memory of her husband who served on the Missionary Committee until the time of his death. A standing ovation was given to show the messenger's appreciation for his service.
A motion and second was made to show appreciation to Bro. Cloud, Sis. Cloud, and Sis. Bull by standing ovation. The motion passed.
A short Missions video was shown.
The minutes from Tuesday's Missions Committee Meeting were read and adopted.
A separate vote was called for on Bro. John Steich. It was reported that the mission he is at practices open communion. There was much discussion concerning this issue and a vote was taken. The vote to take him off the list failed.
A separate vote was called for on Renato Rambaoa. It is reported that of the $700 monthly payout some of that money is being used to support ministry expenses. There was much discussion concerning this and the motion to reduce his salary to $500 per month passed. He will stay on the list.
There was no further discussion and the Missions Report was approved.
Nominations were taken for the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. Bro. Randy Cloud was the only person nominated. He was approved.
The Standing Missionary Committee was elected.
Charles Murphy was replaced by Larry Albritton.
Billy Shepard was replaced by Robert Myers.
Wayne Harper was replaced by Eddie Addison.
Charles Moore was replaced by Kirk Pirnell.
The Committee now consists of the following individuals.
Larry Albritton, Paul Vance, Robert Myers, Roger Stewart, Jerry Baker, Curtis Brown, Edwin Button, Danny Carter, Jim Crain, Billy Daniels, Victor Guzman, Eddie Addison, Jim Jones, Don Justice, Charles Kennedy, Buel Lewallen, Kirk Pirnell, George Moore, Vance Nutt, John Sanders, John Schmid, Bryan Sellers, H. H. Strickland, Jewel Vance, Robert Williams.
A motion was made and seconded to remove the following individuals from the table (These were individual motions were made individually but will be listed together for sake of space.): Stacy Irwin, Marco Mejia, Bro. Corbales (spelling?), David Law. All motions passed.
Stacy Irwin was approved for full salary.
Marco Mejia was approved for full salary.
Bro. Corbales (sp?) was approved for $1,200 per month.
David Law was approved for designated funds.
Bro. Owens informed the messengers it was time for adjournment. Any other mission business would be brought forth in the afternoon session (1:30 pm).
The exhibits were opened from 11:30am-1:15 pm.
ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Wednesday Afternoon
The afternoon session began with discussion on Bro. Moreno.
A motion and second was brought forth to prohibit any missionary that has been divorced and remarried from receiving any support from the office of Secretary-Treasurer in Texarkana. MUCH discussion ensued and a motion to postpone the previous motion was made. A second was heard and MUCH discussion pertaining to the motion of postponing the previous motion was heard. After some time, a call for a vote was made. The motion for postponement passed 310-245. (This means that the original motion is dead and will not be reconsidered in this meeting.)
A special in song was given.
A motion and second was made to make additions to the statistical report for missionaries (churches started, churches disbanded, missions started, missions disbanded, etc.).
The Camp Trustees report was given and approved. Camp Trustees were elected. Bro. Pevehouse replaced Mike Raines. The Camp Trustees are as follows: Gene Smith, Bro. Pevehouse, Marion Reed, Rick Whicker, Mark Harris.
A resolution concerning Camp ownership was removed from the table. A motion was made and seconded to transfer ownership to Arkansas (Bogg Springs) and to Texas (Pine Springs). Discussion ensued with a vote being taken. The motion was defeated.
The following items are listed but not given full detail due to them being items of usual business.
Report and Election of Chaplaincy Commission.
Report and Election of History and Archives Committee.
Law Enforcement Chaplains Report.
MBSF Report.
Music Director's Report.
Ladies' Auxiliary Report.
Other Miscellaneous Business.
The meeting was adjourned to be reconvened at 6:30 pm.
The exhibits were opened from 4:15-6:20 pm.
ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Wednesday Evening
The meeting reconvened at 6:30 pm with a music prelude followed by devotional and prayer. A special time of music (30 minutes) was given by the Messenger Choir. A motion was made and seconded to accept nominations for the 2013 meeting place with a vote being taken until there was a clear majority. Rogers, Arkansas, Springfield, Illinois, and Dallas, Texas were the places pre-selected as meeting venues. Two complete votes were taken before Dallas, Texas was chosen by a vote of 676 to 458.
The Mission Committee Presentation gave wonderful words of encouragement to all and ended with the 191 Missionaries and their families supported through the office of Secretary-Treasurer standing at the front of the building. (The line of Missionaries and their families stretched from one end of the building to the other.)
At 8:20 pm, Bro. Carrion, Mexico, brought the annual Missionary sermon. Following the sermon, announcements were made. $10,933.75 was received in the special Missionary offering received Wednesday evening. Scripture and prayer were given and the meeting adjourned at 9:15 pm.
The exhibits opened from 9:15-10:30 pm.
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’Tis Jesus’ precious blood
15 hours ago
7 comments:
Bro. Matt,
I don't know if you're leaving this for your final analysis, but I think an explanation needs to be made about what the charge was against Bro. Steich. Was not the issue because the mission takes the Lord's Supper apart from the sponsoring church even while they retain their membership in the sponsoring church? It would appear, however, just from the terminology used against him that he was allowing non-church members or non-Baptists to partake. I think it highlights the problem inherent in our current missiology. When we consider the mission only to be an arm of the sponsoring church, we will inevitably run into these kinds of problems. My thinking is that instead of trying to toe the line between acting as a church and be a mission, this brother should organize.
Yes. I'm trying to be very generic, neutral, objective (you pick) in my presentation of what happened. So now is my final(?) analysis. To my understanding (and I asked several about it), the issue was because the mission takes the Lord's Supper apart from the sponsoring church. As far as retaining the membership in the sponsoring church, I think that is correct. Furthermore, I do not believe he has allowed anyone outside that membership to partake of the Lord's Supper. Having said that, I too agree that our current missions operations are troubling. We teach local, local, local church (which is right!), but then do the church/mission thing. It contradicts what we teach. Just establish churches and then there's no problem!
Hope y'all made it back home safely by now.
The different reports I read about the meeting indicate some problems are created by the "system" itself. This so-called "open communion" issue is one such. If there was no such entity as a "mission" then the issue wouldn't exist. I found it curious the folks would call a sponsoring church and a mission practicing communion at two separate places "open communion". Perhaps in his mind it was because he felt they were not authorized to have communion. But in a sense this is on the opposite end of the spectrum from open communion, which opens the service to all who claim to be Christians. Right or wrong, it was "closed", not "open". If a mission is not "authorized" to take communion, I wonder why folks aren't as upset that they perform most every other function that a church does!?
I propose that there needs to be a new term coined for this type of communion, since it obviously is not open communion. How about "mission status communion" or "anarchical communion" (since they are authorized) or "split communion" (taken in two places by one church)? Maybe there should be a contest to find the best name.
We are back home now...finally.
Yes, it is very interesting to see how a "mission" may baptize and conduct other "business" that is normally reserved to a church, but if they observe communion then that is different. Now, speaking for myself, I prefer to see churches and not missions started (organized, etc.). This would stop an "open communion" debate and further, it would follow the Biblical example. However, it was quite interesting to see the debate the ensued.
I agree about churches need to be planted instead of missions. In regards to this situation, I was thinking the same thing--that a new term needs to be coined for it. By calling it open communion, you could really hurt a good man's ministry. I think that they need to organize because if they are still members of the sponsoring church, technically it is not Scriptural for them to take it apart from the sponsoring church.(1 Corinthians 11:20)
from what my pastor said, he was VERY careful about making it clear that the members of the mission
were the only ones to take it.
I think I'll take myself out of the "coining" a new name for the communion situation. I get in enough trouble as it is!!! Ha!
Yes, it did seem to me that he was very careful in the wording. Though, sometimes people only hear what they want to hear. (Especially when you deal with preachers!)
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