“We appreciate so very much all the IBSA churches that use this time to pray for and give to the support of Illinois missions and nearly 100 Illinois missionaries,” King said, pointing out that it is the only time and offering that focuses specifically on our “Judea mission field.”

“The Cooperative Program provides critical foundational support we need day-in and day-out to meet the missions needs of Illinois Baptists’ 1,000 churches, as well as support nearly 11,000 Southern Baptist missionaries across the country and around the world,” King explained.

“But the Illinois Missions Offering and Season of Prayer give us an opportunity to focus on our own state and how we are working together to reach the more than eight million lost people in Illinois.”

The suggested dates for this year’s state missions emphasis are September 7-14 although churches need to plan prayer and offering dates that fit their own schedules.  King said the promotional materials are undated so they can be used throughout the fall.

“Every cooperating IBSA church should receive an IMO planning kit by the first week in August, in plenty of time to prepare for a September emphasis,” King said.

The kit includes a Planning Guide, a DVD with four brief Illinois mission videos, Prayer Guides and Offering Envelopes.  The quantities mailed to each church are based on the church’s reported morning worship attendance, however additional copies of all the materials are available free of charge by calling (217) 391-3116 or sending an e-mail to IllinoisMissionsOffering@IBSA.org.

Last year Illinois Baptists gave $382,000 to the IMO – an 11 percent increase over the previous year.  The 2008 goal is $390,000 although the staff is praying the offering will exceed $400,000.

“The need is so great that we simply must challenge Illinois Baptists to give their very best gift to Illinois Missions this year,” King said.

“If every IBSA church increased their giving by 10 percent, we would give more than $420,000, but if every church gave the equivalent of $7 per person based on their average Sunday morning worship attendance, we would give more than half a million dollars.  If they gave an average of $7 per resident member, that amount would double to over one million dollars for Illinois missions!”

King also explained this year’s offering will not be designated to specific projects as in past years, but will be used where it is needed most next year. 

“Gifts to this year’s offering will be spent next year to make it possible to do more missions – start more new churches, train more church leaders, support more associational mission partnerships, more evangelism projects, and more campus ministries.  Every effective ministry we provide our churches and associations requires increased support through the Illinois Missions Offering.”

For more information about this year’s Illinois Missions Offering and Season of Prayer, call IBSA at (217) 391-3116 or e-mail IllinoisMissionsOffering@IBSA.org.

“I do pray IBSA churches will see the importance of focusing on our Judea mission field this September, and will set aside time in their busy calendars for prayer and giving so that together we can do more to reach a lost state,” King said.

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Charles Campbell, director of Next Generation Church Planting, has been named associate executive director of the Church Planting Team.  Campbell, who came to IBSA in 2000, has been serving as interim AED for the past year.

Adams told The Illinois Baptist, “Charles has been a valuable member of the IBSA staff for years in the area of student and family ministry, and his move into Next Generation church planting almost two years ago has been a great, natural fit.”

“During the months I was searching for a more seasoned church planting strategist, Charles was growing rapidly on the job and helping start a church here in the Springfield area.  It’s now become evident to me and many others that there’s not a stronger leader for Illinois church planting than Charles Campbell, and I believe he will give IBSA churches strong, strategic assistance in reaching lost people with new churches.”

Campbell is a native of Oklahoma. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College and a Master’s degree from Midwestern Theological Seminary, each located in Kansas City, Mo. He was youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Morton, Ill. prior to coming to IBSA. He and his wife, Candi, have three daughters: Carrie, 19; Madeline, 9; and Hailey, 8.

Melissa Phillips, IBSA Financial and Personnel Services Director, has been named associate executive director of Business Services.  Phillips assumed the interim AED role when Larry Toller was called to serve on staff at Bethel Southern Baptist in Troy in May.  Phillips has served IBSA for 28 years.

“From my earliest days at IBSA I observed the incredible wealth of experience, skill and mature judgment Melissa brings to the staff and churches of IBSA,” shared Adams. “For years she has managed often behind-the-scenes functions such as financial services and human resources, and during the recent interim period has shown her capacity for much broader responsibility.”

“Melissa brings some great new perspectives to our management team, and I believe our staff and churches will continue to benefit from her service in many new ways,” noted Adams.

Phillips spent time in her early in years in South Korea, the daughter of now retired International Mission Board missionaries, Jim and Mary Lou Wootton.  She and her husband, Doug, have two daughters: Laura, 19, and Melinda, 15.

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Without getting into the church/state discussion, there are opportunities for you to tell others about Jesus. There is no legislation against sharing your personal beliefs when asked. So put yourself in a position for someone to ask.

Are you a student? Then be a dedicated Christ-follower on your campus. There are Christian clubs meeting on many campuses. Opportunities arise before and after school to meet with other believers for prayer and Bible study. If there is not a club on your campus, meet with a couple of friends and begin to invite others to join.

Are you a parent of a student? Be involved with your school and make sure there is such a club. Provide the donuts and milk and they will come. If you can't meet on campus, meet at a restaurant or church close to campus.

Are you a teacher? You may not have the opportunity to teach a Bible class but there are abundant opportunities for you to reach out to your pupils and parents. Ask God to give you the opportunity to be a compassionate witness. When they ask why you go the extra mile, the door has opened.

My wife, who is a teacher, told me about a parent who brought a rose at least once a week to a different teacher in her school. He would give the rose to the teacher as a reminder that he was praying for her on that day. (I don't know what he gave the two male teachers, but the females appreciated it.)

Everyone can prayer walk or "prayer drive" your school campus. If you aren't involved in a local school, you can nonetheless pray for the board members, principal, teachers and students. Teachers and students can pray for others during the day. Pray for the people who sit around you and the people you pass in the hall. If you pick up your student at school, pray specifically for the teachers and students you see.

Students, you can have a great impact on your peers. Your friends and acquaintances are not necessarily interested in how much of the Bible you know. They are interested in how much of the Bible you live.

Specific opportunities arise almost every school year that will allow you to share Jesus with others. When families go through crisis -- such as a sickness or death -- offer to cook a meal or cut a lawn. A very small act like this may open a door to share the love of Jesus.

Even if your witness is limited in your public school environment, everyone can become a good inviter. Invite your friends to church events. If you are a student, weeknight activities at church are great places to invite friends. Weekend events and church services are good, too. Look for the person who is new to your school. Find people who want to make new friends. The opportunities are endless, if you look for them.

Same thing goes for teachers. When a student asks what you are doing this weekend, tell them. If there is something special at your church, invite the parents of your students. Don't forget to invite your co-workers too. Find ways to invite people to hear the Good News.

So the next time you enter a school zone, slow down and pray. Pray for the "missionaries" and the mission field on your local campus.

Keith Manuel is an evangelism associate on the Louisiana Baptist Convention's evangelism & church growth team.
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Against such an ominous background, though, a recent news feature caught my attention.  It was about the California wildfires that were consuming millions of acres of forest and threatening the safety of thousands in nearby communities.  So vast and relentless was the threat that firefighters from all over the country had been called in to fight the blazes.  Yet after weeks and weeks of their tireless efforts using the latest technology, the fires just kept on burning.

In the midst of this overwhelming disaster, the reporter introduced us to some unique firefighting heroes known simply as “smoke jumpers.”  Their job, he explained, was to parachute solo into remote regions just ahead of the fire line.  Using just the equipment they could carry and that could be parachuted in alongside them, they were simply to do whatever they could to abate the fire and keep it from further advance.

As I heard a handful of the smoke jumpers interviewed, I was struck with their humble, heroic perspective on what they do.  Sure the jump is dangerous, and the fire is formidable, and the equipment is minimal, and the isolation can be scary.  But somebody has to stop the fire.  And they were the ones who were willing to do it one firefighter at a time, in a place where very few would ever see their heroics.

As churches prepare to receive the Illinois Missions Offering over the next few weeks, and as I prepare to give my offering through my local church, I want to remind you of the “smoke jumpers” in our mission against lostness here in Illinois.  They are the church planters supported by that offering who are “dropped in” with very little help or equipment to share the Gospel and stop the enemy’s advance until others can arrive to help.

I’ve been a church planter, and I know it can be a lonely, sometimes scary task that constantly makes you wonder if you have the skill, or the resources, or the perseverance it will take to keep going and truly make an impact on the community or people group you’re trying to reach.  If there are Christians around you, they often want the programs or facilities an established church offers, and so even attracting a core group or partner churches to your efforts can be challenging.

Yet most of the church planters I meet have the same simple, heroic attitude about their mission that the smoke jumpers in California have about theirs.  Sure stepping out into a church plant is a formidable task, and the culture works against you, and you don’t have a lot of resources, and you wonder when more help will arrive.  But somebody has to stop the fire.  Somebody has to bring these people the good news.  Somebody has to tell them that there is One who will rescue the perishing.

When I give to the Illinois Missions Offering, I feel like one of the things I’m doing is loading the airplane or the helicopter with supplies for these church planting smoke jumpers.  Like you, I’m fighting the fire of lostness where I am, and that is important too.  But there are places where the fire is uncontained. There are places – and people – that are as remotely removed from the reach of existing churches as the regions where smoke jumpers do their lonely, heroic work.

There are a number of good reasons to give generously through your local church to the Illinois Missions Offering this fall.  But I can’t point to a better reason than the support of Illinois church planters.  There may be a day when you’re ready to personally join one of these smoke jumpers, if you haven’t already.  But until then, please help us load the plane.

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