1984 Miracle Yearbook

MM©ft©Cy COM®q@MG, A CHALLENGEFOR COMMITMENT J ohn 20:21 sparked the theme for the 25th annual missionary confer- ence:"... as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." The conference, which was held January 8-13, brought to the platform of the chapelfour men whom God greatly used to stir and challenge hearts for missions. Norman Nicklas, executive director of home mission work for the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism and one of last year's conference speakers,re- turned to campusfor the first two days of this conference. He challenged us to be in contact with the lost, not iso- lated from them, and to reveal the love of God in our attempts to win them to Christ. His open heart and down-to-earth illustrations enhanced his burden to challenge us to be in- volved in God's great program of re- demption. The newly elected president of Bap- tist Mid-Missions, Dr. Raymond Buck, brought many years of missionary ex- perience to the conference. He served 15 years in the Central African Republic before taking an administra- tive position in the mission. He empha- sized obedience to the great commis- sion from the life of Caleb and Joshua as well as from the theme verse of the conference. Jan Gazdik,church planter with Bap- tist Mid-Missions serving in Quebec, Canada,spoke four times and stirred our hearts as he shared how God is working inQuebec to call out a peo- ple for His name in an area that had formerly resisted missionary endeavors. He brought with him a "living illustra- tion" of the power of the gospel and prayer, Mr. Gilles Marcoullier, who shared with us his testimony. Mr. Gazdik challenged us to send an MIS team to Quebec. Dr. Viggo Olsen, veteran missionary with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism in Bangladesh repre- sented medical missions. Dr. Olsen re- lated not only the ministry of outreach he has had through medical missions, but also the importance of translating the Word of God into the heart lan- guage of the people. He stressed the vital roles of salvation, commitment, and service. Approximately 60 missionaries at- tended the five-day conference, re- presenting missions both at home and abroad. Colorful displays in the chapel and cafeteria provided students with the opportunity to visit with these mis- sionaries on a one-to-one basis. Six seminars were held, presenting such mission challenges as MK Education, Great Britain, medical missions, church planting in the USA,the single woman missionary,and the process involved in becoming a missionary. A number of missionaries visited the dorms in the evenings and answered students' questions. The Spirit of God worked in our hearts and students made many deci- sions during the conference. After the last session on Friday morning, nearly 100 students stood in the front of the chapel to indicate their commitment to serve the Lord in some phase of missionary work. Truly, this conference was a time of challenge and commit- ment to the Lord for service, and we praise Him for working in our midst. by Dr. Richard Durham '155