GPS is a blessing
for Missouri Baptists

Over the past several years it has been a dark time of conflict for this pastor. Missouri Baptists have spent much time, money and energy focusing attention on legal jargon that has helped legal teams, but hurt the witness of our ministry. For me that ended last week!

I am a telephone encourager for the GPS (God’s Plan for Sharing) program. In fact I was trained by Ryan Stiffler who was mentioned in your last issue of the Pathway. As a telephone encourager, in just one week I have had the opportunity to lead Carmen from Indiana, David from Virginia, and Jeff from Maryland all to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

An important part of the system is a follow-up response from a covenant church. Your church needs to be a covenant church. Covenant churches get a message directly from the North American Mission Board that a person in their geographical area has received Jesus as their Savior less than 36 hours earlier. That is what leads me to say how proud I am to see a program that makes the main thing the main thing! Being evangelistic has always been the focus of Southern Baptists. To God be the glory! Let’s drop our defenses, become encouragers, or at least covenant church folks and let’s lead people to Jesus Christ. I am proud to be a Southern Baptist!

Todd Forman, pastor
First Baptist Church, Versailles

Obama’s health care reform
is pro-abortion, anti-family

The Senate Health Care Reform bill (H.R. 3590) passed by the House on Sunday, March 21, contains multiple pro-abortion provisions that undermine long-standing pro-life policies:

(1) Appropriates $7 billion for Community Health Centers with no restrictions on the use of these funds for abortion. The Hyde Amendment, which applies only to funds that flow through the regular annual Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriations, doesn’t apply.

(2) Contains additional pools of directly appropriated funds that are not covered by any abortion limitations.

(3) Creates a program under which the government would administer two or more national (“multi-state”) insurance plans that would be allowed to cover elective abortions.

(4) Allows private plans that cover elective abortions to qualify for a federal subsidy and requires every enrollee to make a separate payment into a fund used exclusively for elective abortions.

(5) Grants authority to the Secretary of HHS (Health and Human Services) and other federal entities to issue binding regulations on various matters that could include pro-abortion mandates.

(6) Revamps and reauthorizes all Indian health programs and contains no language that would bar these programs from providing elective abortions.

(7) Does not include adequate language to prevent penalties for health care providers who refuse to participate in abortions.

The executive order promised by President Obama was issued for political effect. It changes nothing. It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill. The president cannot amend a bill by issuing an order, and the federal courts will enforce what the law says.

This is the most expansively pro-abortion legislation since Roe v. Wade. This serves as a reminder for us all to be involved in the political process. Lives depend upon it.

Pam Fichter, president
Missouri Right to Life

Bethany Church holds prayer
for North American missions

Bethany Baptist Church recently held a special prayer service for North American missions led by Pastor Shawn Wasson. It was a very meaningful, motivating, spiritually uplifting service.

We specifically prayed for Jim Ballad, associational missions/church planting specialist with Eastern Idaho Association; Michael and Vicki McQuitty, collegiate evangelism, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.; Vivian and James McCaughan, (Vivian is the church planting/WMU specialist with the Missouri Baptist Convention); Craig and Suzy Miles, special ministries, Appalachian Trail; Bill and Carol Lightly, associational missions, Pikes Peak Association in Colorado; Michael and Marla Allen, church and community ministry, Uptown Baptist Church; and church planters Louis and Lourdez Rodriguez and Louis Spears.

We utilized the film provided by North American Mission Board (our CP dollars at work), with specific prayer for each of the missionaries. I thank God for my pastor and for his commitment to our association, our Missouri Baptist Convention, our Southern Baptist Convention, but more importantly his commitment to God!

Doug Austin, Bethany Baptist Church
Cape Girardeau

Phelps County Association
wants MBC to end lawsuits

This letter is to inform of recent recommendations brought to the floor and voted on by the Phelps County Baptist Association at its 104th annual meeting. Both (of the following) recommendations were unanimously approved by the messengers (attending the meeting) at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Newburg. Both recommendations regard the ongoing litigation between the Missouri Baptist Convention and five of our Missouri Baptist agencies. The Phelps County Baptist Association (1) registers its opposition to the use of Cooperative Program funds by the Missouri Baptist Convention for the current and ongoing legal fees; and (2) calls on the Missouri Baptist Convention to end its legal action against the five agencies.

Jerry Baumann, moderator
Phelps County Baptist Association