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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 A ROOM WITH A VIEWIt was the end of an extremely long day of travel. I put the bags in our room and headed for an orientation with the missionaries we would be working with. We were in East Asia. My expectations for the mission were based on six previous trips to the same part of the world. Little did I know that our room would be the site of multiple baptisms and the reporting of over 90 salvations, 34 were college students who were separated from any known church by several miles and decades of culture. The team was a statewide team made up from Baptist Collegiate Ministries on five different campuses. My instruction for such trips has always been, “Do whatever the missionary says”. On this trip the missionary said be bold in your witness. The students took this to heart. They shared the gospel openly and often. Almost every conversation turned to Christ. It was Christmas and decorations were everywhere in this large metropolitan city. They served as a spring board to share the story of Jesus and the love He revealed.We were for the most part on university campuses with no churches reaching this segment of the population. Our M wanted to use these salvations to start a church. How do we begin? The M said that the Biblical directive is to baptize these new believers and begin the discipleship process that he and his team would continue after we left. We read from the scripture everywhere baptism was mentioned wanting to honor God and be true to the scripture. It was decided that the person who shared the gospel would be the person to baptize the new believer. The baptistery was a deep children’s pool. Our hotel room became sacred ground as one by one those who were saved came to our room to be baptized. It was a first for me. Never before had I been a part of such an endeavor, we were beginning an infant church from ground zero. There was no pastor, no building, no organization, just believers who were hungry to grow in Christ. The M could not be the pastor. His job now is to work with these new believers asking God to call one of them to be the pastor they needed. As we left Asia, his work is just beginning. As we left Asia, the lives of everyone on the team were changed. God had placed a vision and a heart for Asia in lives of each one of us. Friday, December 2, 2011 WHY BCM?
6:44 am est There was a time when this would have been a common sense question. However, as time has passed some church leaders have forgotten why they initiated a special ministry to college students. This ministry was begun in the late 20’s and early 30’s. The UCO BSU/BCM was begun in the early 30’s and became a recognized student organization in 1932. The First Baptist Church of Edmond was the major player behind the organization. Dr. M. E. Ramy was the pastor advisor and Roland Beck was the faculty advisor.The church recognized that a special effort to reach and minister to college students was needed. A college or university represents a great opportunity for witness. Hundreds or thousands of young men and women, 18-24 years of age, gathering in one place to study, is an opportunity to influence the future. They saw the college community as a mission field. The BSU was an attempt to infiltrate the college community. It was to actually become a part of the college community in order to have a witness for Christ. The BSU/BCM becomes an organization on campus like 100’s of other organizations of campus. We participate in campus life. We have homecoming queen candidates, we have intramural sports teams, we have a voice in student government. The BCM is college life Christian style. Why do I write this blog? I write because I heard it said that if the church did its job we would not need BCM. This statement was made by a denominational leader. That is like saying if the church did its job we wouldn’t need police chaplains, or hospital chaplains, or a Boy’s Ranch, or a seminary, or if the church did its job we wouldn’t need to send missionaries anywhere. The BCM is a mission. We are losing college students from the church because that purpose is being forgotten. Forgotten by churches and forgotten by campus ministers who are struggling to see their purpose and not differentiating between the purpose of church and BCM. The BCM is to bring students to the church. It is the link that connects the campus to the church. One problem is that many BCM’s look like churches. They make disciples, fellowship, do missions, and worship not unlike any church in the community. However, they are not part of the campus life. If this is all they do then the question of why is legitimate. The BSU/BCM was meant to do more. Each church could start its own campus organization. At UCO they must have a constitution, two faculty advisors, and student leaders. Some churches have actually chosen this course of action. What if every church did this? At UCO there could be at least six Baptist churches with campus organizations on campus all acting independently of each other, all doing intramurals, building floats for homecoming, and involving themselves in every aspect of campus life. Truthfully no one other than the BCM is doing this at UCO. If they did they would not be a church they would be a campus organization with church backing. In other words they would be another BCM on campus. What does this say to a college community? The Baptist can’t cooperate. They compete against each other. They are saying the BCM isn’t doing its job so we have to start our own. If the BCM isn’t doing its job then changes need to be made. Changes come quickly on a college campus. Anything done two years in a row becomes a tradition. I retire this August. In two years not many will remember who the last director was. In four years no one will. On a college campus it is always a good time to start something. Let’s start presenting a united ministry to students. Let’s remember the reason BSU/BCM was started. A special ministry to students is needed, still. Sunday, October 30, 2011 This Thursday we will announce my successor. We trust that God has led our State Specialist in his
decision. It will be a momentous evening at the BCM. We covet everyone's prayer. Monday, August 29, 2011 WHY RETIRE?My college days lasted 41years. Actually they lasted 41 years past graduation with a Masters and Doctors degree. I have been asked why I am retiring several times. Sometimes people say, what are you going to do when you retire? The truth is I don’t know exactly. I have some ideas of what retirement will be like but there is uncertainty also. Why am I retiring? At times I wonder and then something will happen to make me remember. As much as I love being around students, I don’t have the energy I once had. I get tired and students need direction from someone with great energy. I have seen pro athletes try to play past their prime. I don’t want my career to end that way. The athletes kept playing because of their desire to be in the spotlight, or the money. Money will not keep me at UCO. I must admit I will miss the recognition that comes from being the UCO BCM Director. However, that is not a reason to stay. It is actually a reason to go. I’ve always thought that we should not desire recognition. It seems such a vane motivation. Part of my motivation is a desire to rest from the stress of the ministry. The stress is very real. I put most of it on myself. It results in 60-70 hour weeks for about 9 months out of the year. I want everything I do to be the best. Ultimately I hope am retiring for the good of the students. It is time to let the next generation have a chance at collegiate ministry. I have been keeping someone else from stepping into this position for 41 years. There is a season for everything. I am excited about the next chapter of my life. When August rolled around this year once again
I was excited about what God would do in the BCM ministry. He has lead hundreds of students our way.
How exciting to think God could use me in the life of a student. Monday, March 7, 2011 HALLELUJAH, WHAT A SAVIOR!Tomorrow we leave to go take care of our grandchildren while our son, Matthew, and daughter in law, Lora, bring our third grandchild into the world. I should, of course, give greater credit to Lora since she is the one that will be doing all the real work. Our son, however, will be stressed to the max as he comforts his wife and frets over the pain of childbirth. Like his father he is very protective and the fact that the one he loves is hurting will cause him considerable anxiety. It amazes me to think of God’s love for us. God the Son, Jesus, laid down His life for us. God, the Father, turned His back to allow His only Son to die for us. God the Son suffered real pain and God the Father the sorrow that comes from the suffering of someone you love. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” The purpose of the Christ’s suffering was in His eyes worth the pain. “…that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life." Just think of this great parallel truth in life. A mother goes through pain to bring life into the world. She loves a child she has only seen in an ultrasound. Our Lord died for us. He knew us only because of His divine providence and foreknowledge. Yet He went to the cross so that we might have life. God could not allow sin to go unpunished but He was willing to give His only Son to do away with this death causing curse. It is hard to understand the love of a mother for their child. It is even harder to understand the love of God for us. Psalm 8 says, ”When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” God the Father stood by and watched the pain of the one He loved. What grief that must have caused the creator of the universe. As the hymn writer wrote: “Hallelujah, what a Savior!” |
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