The Ohio Independent Baptist, October 1993

2 l ,\l )J) \ - l )nn'l fnrg.ct hll\avcyour 4u.lr tcr~ f,,r lht {) \\' Ml l proJc t: 5.50<) hl puhlt~h 7 ,tud) guides and l .000 lor a t,•rc duplat·.1li ng rnachtnc fnr liMM'. lnc\1h,g1l·a l ln. tructinntrvt ini stry r~nrichmcnt pr,,g. ram. Baptist Bible Seminary Ohio Extension Master of Ministry Degrees FALL COURSES Oct. 11-15, 1993 PT602 Principles of Church Growth --Dr. Howard Bixby SPRING COURSES Feb. 14-18, 1994 TH602 Church and Baptist Oistinctives Feb. 21-25, 1994 TH501 Oispensational Premillenialism --Dr. Robert Myrant Site: Call : Graham Road Baptist Church Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 216-928-7742 or 1-800-451-2287 Serving Ohio State Representative Larry Fetzer 884 Knebworth Ct. Westerville, OH 43081 6 14-523-3666 Having an Impact on Ohio Larry Fetzer State Representative This n1ontb we feature the "Miracl e at Harrisburg·· on the cover of thi s paper. Many of our Ohio people participated in the exciting adventure for God by building a new international headquar– ter for our mission, the A sociation of Bapti L<; for World Evangelism. Hun– dred of volunteer. came from al l over the USA to lend a hand in the project. 1l1e saving Lo ARWE amounted to over one million dollars of lhe Lord' n1oney. Recentl y in our lc)caJ new paper, We· terville News, there was an article about a similar project hy the Jehovah· Witne se , who built a " Kingdom Hall" in two day u ing 400 volunteer . How about doing that in Ohic) '? Some of our churche end C<)n lruction teams half-way around the world. W11at blc ing tbi bas brought to mi s ion world-wide. Couldn' t we do the srune thing right here in Ohio, u ing Ohio volunteers to further our own church– p1anting 1nini trie ? The OARBC i now accelerating our church planti ng ef for ts . The largest expense in church planting i the building. Ilcre i a way Lo cut that expense in hal f . (The Jehovah· Wi t– nessc spent about $80,C>OO for a $2()(),000 building.) I hope oon we can pre ent ome opponuni tie for our churche to work together to accomplish ju t uch a proj ect. kyvic"v Ranch has received $5,CX.>O towards the construction of the stahlc and horse program center lo be bui lt in memory o f Dutch Wolff. The project will cos t $25,000. by Pastor James C-0llingsworth II ' 'I there really a need to start a new church in Portsmouth?" That is the que lion many were asking as my family and I moved to Por tsmoulh, Ohio, a year and a half ago. The answer i the same today as it was then. " Ye !" Recent demographic surveys of Ohio communities show that 60-75o/o of the population either do not attend church a l all or do not attend regularly. Less than 10% attend biblical churches . In the greater Portsmouth area fewer than 5,000 people are in church on a gi ven Sunday, out of a population of approxi– matel y 30,000. Who i reachi ng the otber 25,000? onsider Franklin Coun ty, Ohio, where 98,000 people are expected to move in within the next ten years. Another area where phenomenal growlh i expected i the Hamilton-Middletown area in the outhwest part of the tate. Is there really a need to ta.rt new churches in Ohio? Yes! The most effecti ve tool of evangeli n1 i s found in starting new churches. What about your particular comer of the tate? Il is unlikel y that anyone reading this could say that their city, town or village i s aturated with the gospel. Most of u know of one or two areas where new churche are needed. L et us be like our Savior, who "was moved with compas- ion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto bis di ciples, the harvest trul y is plenteou , but tl1e laborers are few. Pray ye, tberefore, tbe l ord of the harvest, that he will end forth laborers into bi barve t" (Matthew 9:36-38) .