“For the Cause of Revival…”
Joel 2:21 – “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.”

On August 9, 2010 my wife and I packed up our things and headed to the hospital to have our fourth child, Joel Richard Foster. Our baby was 5 days overdue, and Bonnie was scheduled for a routine induction. My wife and I were excited and looking forward to having the baby, and Bonnie had even felt the baby the night before. As the baby moved in her womb she thought about how the next day at that same time she would not see that anymore and be able to hold her new baby boy. Upon our arrival at the hospital, they began the normal preparation for delivery which included hooking up the monitor to find the baby’s heartbeat. After trying for several minutes to find the heartbeat, the doctor came in and did an ultrasound only to find that the baby had passed on into eternity sometime in the night.

Naturally our hearts were saddened, and we were shocked beyond words. The tears flowed and we wept. But even through her tears, my wife was able to say, “I trust in God.” After delivering the child we did decide that we wanted Joel’s life to be remembered and used to further God’s cause in some way. The name Joel in the Bible means “Jehovah is God.” When you read through the book of Joel it is not a very friendly, or encouraging book. God’s people had strayed away from Him and judgment was sent. When the children of Israel finally return to the Lord, there was great rejoicing and the land was returned to normal. In other words, when God’s people were revived, they also experienced real joy and rejoicing.

The application is simple, when we as Christians return to normal, which is living in the state of revival, then we will rejoice and the Lord will do great things. Our God will bless us with fruit and we will see the salvation of souls. This is the meaning of the book of Joel. So, we would like to use the Joel 2:21 Memorial Fund to encourage God’s people to seek His face for revival. Contributions will go toward promoting, encouraging, writing, and preaching about revival, evangelism, missions, and church planting.

A fund has been set up through Troy Baptist Temple in Troy, Ohio, 691 Staunton Road, 45373. The directors will determine where the money should be spent, and a link will be established on the Troy Baptist Temple website, www.troybaptisttemple.org. All contributions will be tax deductible. May God use the life of our stillborn baby to further His cause around the world for His honor and glory.  May we truly see God do great things through our son’s life.

- Written by Mike Foster

Dear Praying Friends,

This has been another busy time. We recently went to Manitoba to a missions orientation in Winkler. The hosting church was one of the first three churches that Dr. Jessup started out of a church he pastored in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This church, now over 20 yrs old, has a missions sending agency called CanAmera. The LORD has truly blessed this work and it was a joy to spend some time with Pastor Sullivant and the church family there.

When the LORD first gave us our van our children endearingly called it “Gus”. Recently “Gus” was bleeding quite profusely from under his hood. Our main concern was that we may have a major motor problem in poor “Gus”. We praise the LORD that after a week and a half of bleeding oil everywhere we went, our part finally arrived and we were able change it ourselves.

We are in Pennsylvania to report to some of our supporting churches and also work on a few church building projects. Please pray for safety as we arrived here and our trailer hitch was broken off the frame on one side. We praise the LORD for His hand of protection.

We were happy to see New Heights Baptist Church in Bridgton, Maine hold their “Get Acquainted Meetings”. Pastor Carl Morrison gave his burden to the congregation with an attendance of 50. We praise the LORD for the twenty-five visitors that came throughout the week. Please pray for this new work as Pastor Morrison seeks to be faithful to the work that the LORD has called him to do. We celebrated two birthdays in the month of June. We now have a son 12 yrs. old. This really is beginning to make me feel old since he is the third oldest in the family.

We praise the LORD for how He has used us. Continue to pray for us as we spend the next 6 weeks on the road. He has been so faithful to protect us. We are happy to report that our support level is now at just under 44 %.

After these meetings we will return to our home for a few short days and head out to central/western Canada.

Because of Him,

The Clarence Moore Family

Update on the building in St-Augustin / Mise à jour concernant le bâtiment à St-Augustin

Greetings to everyone,

First of all let me thank the churches and people who already gave us gave for our building fund. So far we received 11 500$. It’s still short 8500$ from our goal, but we are still expecting some gifts from people/churches who told us they will send something, and we are confident to reach our 20 000$ goal.

Second, here’s how things are at currently. We will finalize the transaction papers at the notary September 1st. Then we will clean up and move the following days in order to have our first service in our new building Sunday September 5.

Some of you have asked about extra costs and renovations. Like I said, we don’t have any major repair to start with, which we are very thankful for. Nevertheless, the city just told us that they want all the parking spaces asphalted and bordered with cement. That’s an extra cost of 5000$ to 10 000$ from what we originally expected to have to do for the parking lot.

That being said, we would greatly appreciate the prayers and help from those of you who wanted to give something or to give more than planned in the beginning.

Thank you once again for your genuine concerns and care for us.

In Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior!

Pasteur Guillaume Roy, 2 Co. 4:5

Église Baptiste de St-Augustin
186 route Racette
St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC
G3A 2R7

Tél.: (418) 878-5972
Site internet: www.ebsa-ru.org

Dear Friends,

The month of June started with meetings in several New England states. I was able to present the ministry and preach in seven different churches. Two of these churches were started with the help of BCPM. It is good to visit these young churches and see them growing and strengthening. While in Rhode Island, we were able to visit the first Baptist church established in America.  It was interesting to take a look back in history and see the devotion of the early Baptist movement.

June was a productive month for Baptist Church Planting Ministry. The annual board and staff meeting was held in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It was good to be able to meet together and plan for the future of this ministry. While in Canada, I preached in three churches. The churches were friendly and accommodating, and I enjoyed our time with them.

The end of June finished with a great day in a church in Columbus, Ohio. The church was started just over a year ago and has outgrown its small facility and plans on expanding soon. I was able to teach Sunday School and preach both services. This church is already looking forward to the day they can birth a church in a nearby area. Because they are located in the city, there are over 100,000 people located within a three mile radius.

I have learned to be thankful for flat tires! On our way to Columbus, I felt one of the dually tires on the truck going flat. I slowed down and was waiting for a good place to pull off when I noticed smoke from our trailer. By the time I pulled over, I realized that the leaf springs on one side of the trailer had broken causing the whole trailer to rest on the wheels. The flat tire did not cause the springs to break, but if I had not slowed down, the trailer may have flipped over on its side. This is one time I was very thankful for a flat tire! We spent the next twenty-four hours at the RV repair shop and were back on the road.

Continue to pray for our safety, support, and fruit in church planting. We are currently working with several church plants starting in Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Idaho.

In Christ,

Jeremy Rowland
Assistant Director

The following health report is from Dr. Jessup as of Monday, June 14, 2010 at 12:58 p.m.

We are encouraged from the CT scan done last week.  It shows that the tumor in the middle lobe has only grown from 1.5 cm to 1.8 cm since January.  It was not in the scan in November, 1.5 in January and only 1.8 now which means it has only grown .3cm since January. This is good news.  The report on the 1CM mass in the lower lobe of the right lung is a little difficult to determine.  They call it a “nodular density” and not a tumor. The specialist is not sure it is cancer or related to the other tumors.  They are taking a wait and see position and it will be reassessed on the next CT scan.  There is no other evidence of metastatic disease in the body.  Dr. Nay said that I am doing very well at this point.  We realize that things could change quickly.

Nearly everyone we talked to since this morning wants to know if I found out why I am so tired.  We believe it is because of the work load and stress level with the move and the meetings this week.  I was improving until I hit this very busy time.  When we get through this month and things slow down a bit I believe I will regain more strength.  I am still fighting this cancer and my body is taking energy to fight it.  Also, the vegan diet is a factor and I am trying to eat more frequently.  My blood work showed normal levels in all areas which is very good.

We are going to step up the protocol some by including Essaic Tea and going to more juicing and less cooked food.  I will send these reports to the doctor in Mexico for him to assess and we plan on making a trip there in July to pick up more vitamins and minerals.  We are also thinking about scheduling another full week of treatment in Mexico next February.

We praise the Lord for what He has done in our lives and we know that this is His work and not ours.  We will do whatever we can but we are fully trusting the Lord for and with the results.

Sometimes when at a church, I have been asked, “Are you preaching today?”  I have jokingly responded, “If I am, I better find a Sword of the Lord and get a message.” Truthfully, I have never done that. I have read the Sword of the Lord and gotten some thoughts and maybe even a good outline for a message, but I have never taken a message and just preached it as it is.

Years ago, I was told a story about a preacher who was preaching for a call to a church. He preached a message nearly word for word from another preacher.  It just so happened that several people in the congregation worked for the Sword of the Lord and had proofed the next issue for the coming week. That message was one of the messages the Sword of the Lord was featuring in that issue. Needless to say, the pastor did not get the vote to come to that church.

Today, we are facing an even bigger problem.  Preachers are browsing the internet to get messages to preach to their church family. At least with the Sword, you had to rewrite the message, but with the internet, all the preacher has to do is copy and paste it into his document, walk into the pulpit and preach. Preachers who do this can easily get two messages ready late on a Saturday night with little preparation. This leaves them the rest of the week to administer the church program or do whatever else they choose to do.

Preacher friend, this is a very dangerous practice and a warning needs to be sounded against this sin. The Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)  As we read this verse, do we realize what it says? Can a preacher who preaches something he gets off the internet, where he uses the outline and content nearly word for word, actually be “approved of God”? Maybe this is the reason our people just come, sit, leave, go through their week, and return the next Sunday to simply repeat the process? If this came to light (and it will at the Judgment Seat of Christ), would we be “ashamed”? If the congregation found out, how would we feel?  Are we really “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” when we just go to the internet, copy a message and preach it in the pulpit?

The internet is filled with preachers espousing weak doctrine, doctrinal error and principles that we as Baptists would not accept. When a preacher falls into this practice, there is a greater chance he will teach error to his flock and also fall prey to the error himself. It may be subtle, but Satan can use it to cause the flock to stray. I am afraid some are using messages from men who do not even believe the King James Bible is the Word of God and do not pastor Baptist churches.

Some may say, “Well, my people will not find out.” If they do not find out, it is a sad commentary on our preaching. It says that our people really do not care what they hear from the pulpit and do not study for themselves. This is an indictment on the pastoral leadership of the church. They have not been taught to be like the Bereans who “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11) Many years ago a college professor said that when he went to a service, he could tell how much study the pastor put into the message. Over the years, I have found that to be true. For me, it is easy to spot when a preacher has put little time into a message and that he is just spewing out what he got from someone else. There is no passion, no fire, and no real commitment in his message. He is just trying to get through another sermon so he can go on with his life. A couple of years ago, I was in a church we helped start. When the Sunday School teacher, a friend of mine, finished the lesson, I went to him and told him I could tell he had spent many hours preparing to teach the class. I may not be the “sharpest knife in the drawer,” but if I can see this, I am sure that many others can figure it out as well. It is like a good dinner. It makes a difference when someone spends time preparing it properly rather than leftovers from the refrigerator.

Are we really “feeding the flock of God” when we scour the internet for messages we can “copy and paste” into our Sunday sermon? Is there more to meeting the needs of our people than this?  I know the internet was not available for the first century church, but would those preachers have used that as a source of content for their messages? I think we have the answer in Acts 6:3-4, “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves CONTINUALLY to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” (Emphasis mine.) It is about time our pastors get back in the study and spend the time preparing to minister to the flock of God. According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “continually” means “to be earnest towards that is, (to a thing) to persevere, to be constantly diligent.” It is hard to believe that getting messages off the internet fits Acts 6:4.

1Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” Is it right for a pastor to get his pay check when he preaches messages taken from the internet (or any other source for that matter)? I know we all use information we receive from books, other preachers, the Sword of the Lord and other sources, but to fall into the trap of using the internet to get a message and preach it brings dishonor to the Lord and our calling. It is saying to the church family, I have more to do than to study and properly prepare messages from the Word of God. The Bible says we are to “preach the Word” in II Timothy 4:2, and when you study that passage you will find the reason is because it is the Word of God that will judge both believers and the unsaved. We are failing our charge when we run to the internet to get messages to fill a spot on Sunday or any other time we are to “feed the flock of God.”

Preachers who have fallen into this snare are creating several problems for themselves. First of all, they are breaking the law. It is called plagiarism. According to dictionary.com, plagiarism is “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.” They also state that the consequences are as follows: “1) The paper you are writing can be marked failed. 2) You can be sued for using another person’s work. 3) You could be asked to pay a fine. 4) You can be fired or lose your job.” Secondly, the pastor is creating a scenario where his people will not trust his preaching. When they find out (someone eventually will stumble on to this), word will spread through the church that the pastor is getting his messages off the internet. After the Sunday service, they will run home to check the internet to find where this message came from. It is easy to do. I have heard messages like this and found the source with just a few clicks of the mouse. All they need to do is Google the passage and title or a few of the main thoughts. Once they have discovered the truth, their confidence in the pastor and his ministry will be undermined. It could lead to members leaving or worse, a church split. Thirdly, this practice also severely cripples the spiritual well being of the church. No pastor who gets his messages from the internet preaches with the same fire, passion, and commitment as he does when he locks himself in his study and gets his message from God.  It is no wonder our churches are anemic and spiritually weak. Finally, the reputation of the pastor is ruined when word circulates through the church and other churches that the pastor is doing this.  Yes, it is wrong for people to talk, but people still talk. For a pastor to deny such a practice, when in fact he is doing it, cannot be tolerated.

Pastor, if this is your practice, may I give you several suggestions. First of all, if you cannot spend time in the study, resign the pastorate and travel, preaching the same messages in different churches. God can use you to be a blessing to others. Secondly, if you are afraid to do that, then resign and get a secular job and let someone else “feed the flock of God.” Thirdly, be honest with someone who loves you and have them hold you accountable for your preaching. Let them know you have a problem in this area. Humble yourself, repent, and get back in the study. Forget about all the peripheral things and the less important tasks you may be wrapped up in, and reclaim your calling.

In 1 Peter 5, after we are told to “feed the flock of God,” Peter says in verse 4, “And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” It is reasonable to believe that we shall receive that “crown of glory” because we fed the flock. Please do not give up on this special crown for the pastor.

Dear Friends in Christ,

We just finished our fourth church plant for this spring and the Lord blessed all the meetings and the new churches. We praise the Lord for the way He has continued to bless the ministry and our staff.  I am so thankful for the staff the Lord has given us and how they have diligently worked to see these new projects started successfully.

Our last church plant for the spring was in Harrison, Maine, where New Heights Baptist Church was planted. One of our supporting churches, South Haven Baptist Church in Springfield, TN, reproduced this new church with the help of several churches in Maine.  Pastor Jason Stoeber, pastor of Westbrook Baptist Church in Westbrook, Maine, did much of the legwork in Maine, saving our ministry a great deal of travel and money.  We helped reproduce his church six years ago and the entire ministry has a heart for church planting.  Brother Rowland and Pastor Gagliano led the services and did the preaching.  Pastor Morrison reported there were twenty-four first-time visitors during the GAM and on the Grand Opening Sunday, there were twenty-four in attendance with seven first-time visitors.  There were another three first time visitors on Sunday evening. This was a great start for a rural community in Maine and we are so thankful for God’s blessing on this church plant.

We are preparing for our 17th annual meeting for BCPM. It will be held at Heritage Baptist Church in Barrie on June 15th.  The staff and board didn’t want me to travel so they are all coming here for the meeting.  Pastor Pennell is also hosting an “appreciation dinner” in the evening for Beth and me.  We are so honored to be a part of this ministry.  Please pray the Lord will lead us in the decisions we need to make.  With my health is such a fluid state there is much uncertainty as to what we should do.  We need the Lord to help us and we ask you to pray earnestly for us as we move forward with this ministry.

Some of you are already aware that another 1 cm tumor has been found in the lower lobe of my right lung. It was discovered while they were doing a CT scan of my kidney.  I will have a full body scan on June 8th and we will have the results on the 14th.  We will put out an update on the results through the website as soon as we know something.  Please pray the Lord will give us the grace for whatever is found and will give us wisdom as to how to proceed with treatment.

Many have asked about how I am feeling.  I am doing just fine other than getting tired more quickly than before.  That may be from just getting old or it may be from the “vegan” diet that I am strictly adhering to. I am trying to get my rest and exercise.  I am also trying to get as much writing done as possible and also get the college class and some other recording done.  We are praying that the Lord will give me the time I need to complete these projects.  I am traveling some but not a lot.  After the results from the scan, we will see what I can continue to do.

Thank you so very much for your love and prayers for us and our ministry.  We believe with all our heart that God has blessed us because of your faithfulness to us.  We will be eternally grateful. Also thank you for your financial investment in our ministry and us.  We realize how important this is for the cause of church planting.

Please continue to pray for us.

Co-laborers Together in the Great Commission,

Earl D. Jessup

Dear Friend,

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised…” penned the Psalmist.  The month of May flew by, but much was accomplished.

After we came home from the church plant in Bellefontaine, OH, I left Bev in Minnesota and went to Parkville, MO.  It was a blessing to be with the Solid Rock Baptist Church there that was birthed just a few months ago.  The church did receive permission to remodel their rented facilities to almost double the seating capacity.  That church has now seen fifteen professions of faith since the beginning of the year.

I drove on out to the Harvest Baptist Church in Manhattan, KS, for a church planting school.  My heart was blessed to see a good number of men who were serious about planting some new churches.  Bro. Townsley and Bro. Creighton did a great job of teaching the truths that can really make a difference in America.  Those truths were about planting new churches.

Up in Maine, the John/Romans have been distributed for the new church birth in Harrison.  It brought great joy when the pastor indicated that the very first one he delivered resulted in a lady being saved and then getting involved in helping in advertising the meetings.

Please pray for Pastor Rust and the Liberty Baptist Church in Toledo as they put new covers on the John/Romans in preparation for a church re-start near them.   Pray the Word will go out in great power to new homes.

The first couple of weeks of May were busy with some doctor and dentist appointments. We did not get to be with our granddaughter Lindsay as she graduated from college in Texas.  We are very proud of her accomplishment! The end of the month was an exciting time as our home church, New Hope Baptist Church, held an International dinner. On Sunday, they had an all day mission emphasis. Bev and I were honored to be able to participate in those events.

Please continue to pray for the strengthening of my heart.  The end of June is the time set to determine whether I will need a defibrillator installed.  Praise the Lord, June will be a busy month, and we will cover many miles. Please continue to pray for safety on the road with the trailer.  We love each of you and pray for each of our supporting friends and churches.

Because He lives, we must serve,

Loren & Beverly Steven

Dear Friends,

May was an eventful month starting with several good meetings in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan and ending with meetings in Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.  It is exciting to see areas of America where church planting is catching fire and God’s people are praying for a church planting revival. One of these areas is New England. Pastors are beginning to see a hunger and determination from God-called men to start churches in these states. I am excited to see what the days ahead will hold as churches reproduce churches in New England.

The third week of May brought a tremendous church plant in Bridgeton, ME. The new church is New Heights Baptist Church and the new pastor is Carl Morrison. The reproducing church was South Haven Baptist Church of Springfield, TN, with Pastor Frank Gagliano. Because of the great distance from the reproducing church, there was a need for another local church to assist. Westbrook Baptist Church of Westbrook, ME, stepped in under the leadership of their pastor, Jason Stoeber, and did much of the leg work needed. The average attendance during the Get-Acquainted Meetings was well over forty. Five churches came to give their support. During the “Grand Opening Sunday,” they had twenty-four in attendance. There is already a core group of four families forming with interest in joining soon. Please pray for this new church as they continue to reach their community. Pray also for our next church plant which will be in Burleson, TX, near Fort Worth.

The Lord has been faithful to supply many preaching opportunities and to continue to bring financial support. We are thankful for four more churches that have begun supporting us during the months of April and May. Loudonville Baptist Church of Loudonville, OH; Sun and Shield Baptist Church of Marana, AZ; Revival Baptist Church of Columbus, OH: and Fellowship Baptist church of Clark Lake, MI, have partnered with us in the ministry. Our schedule is filling for the year, and we have now begun scheduling meetings for 2011. You can track our meetings by going to www.bcpm.org and clicking on the calendar tab.

May was also a month for several maintenance problems to begin. Driving into Indiana, our fuel pump went out, and we had to be towed. Fortunately, we were only a few miles from our destination. Driving into Michigan, the tread on one of our trailer tires came off, but the tire did not blow, allowing us time to get off at the next exit and put on the spare. God has been good to us and has kept us safe, providing our every need. Thank you for your prayers and support. We definitely know many are praying for us. Pray especially for the annual BCPM staff and board meeting being held June 15^th in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. We will need God’s wisdom as we discus critical decisions for the future of this ministry. Dr. Jessup should have the results from his full body scan by then, and this will weigh on decisions being made.

In Christ,

Jeremy Rowland and family

Volume 18, Issue 1 of the Cultivator is available. Read Dr. Jessup’s article entitled, “Study to Show Thyself Approved Unto God: Effectively and Ethically Feeding the Flock of God.”

There are several articles which will update you about Baptist Church Planting Ministry.

CLICK HERE to view this issue of the Cultivator.