Conference Speakers
Our Keynote Speaker (Sunday)
Dr. Dale Marshfield and his wife, Karen, were both saved during their Junior years of high school. They met while students at Baptist Bible College in Pennsylvania, and married after Karen’s graduation in 1976. For 34 years (1980-2014) Dale and Karen served as missionaries with ABWE International. They spent 26 of those years church planting and developing leaders in Durban, South Africa. In 2009, Dale and Karen moved back to the USA to head up the ABWE International Theological Education department. At the beginning of 2015, they joined Grace Global Ministries: Tri-M to focus on leadership education in rural India. In addition to the work Dale does in India, he works with a team of theological educators providing professional development seminars and facilitating curriculum design workshops. This work is done through Education by Design, LLC. He is also an adjunct faculty for Asia Biblical Theological Seminary. Dale and Karen have two children and three grandchildren.
Our Closing Speaker (Wednesday night)
Dr. Brent Slater was born and raised in Africa, where his parents served as medical missionaries. After completing his M.Div. at Denver Seminary, Brent served in Uganda as a church planter and leadership developer for 22 years. The continual civil unrest in Uganda, coupled with epidemics such as AIDS and Ebola, provided an environment where many were desperate to know the truth and hope of salvation in Jesus. As the necessity for training leaders increased due to the proliferation of churches, Brent established a Bible College and earned his PhD in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2005 his sending church, Highland Park Baptist Church of Southfield, MI, asked him to return as pastor. He continues to pastor this multi-generational, multi-cultural church today and has been an adjunct professor at Moody Theological Seminary. Brent and his wife, Inell, have three children and two grandchildren.
Conference Challenge
- Attend an Event Come to one event that you wouldn’t normally attend. You will be blessed!
- Meet a Missionary Meet a missionary that you have not previously met!
- Invest in the Conference Project Contribute to the India project.
Conference Events
Due to security issues with a few of our missionaries, last names are initial only. For complete information, pick up a brochure at the conference table in the Gathering. “!” means sign up involvedFriday, October 18
! 6:00 pm – Cutting Edge & Student Ministry Event
Come enjoy “Missionary Musical Chairs” and hear about the unique and diverse ministries of our guest missionaries. Pizza dinner will begin promptly at 6:00 pm.
Saturday, October 19
! 12:00 noon – Ladies’ Lunch in the Commons – come and enjoy a special time of yummy lunch, fellowship and a Q&A with our guest missionaries. Sign up to bring a salad – at the table or on the insert.
Sunday, October 20
9:35 am Balanced Worship in the Worship Center
Parade of Nations
Greeting from Ben & Kim B
Keynote Speaker: Dale Marshfield
9:35 am Missionaries speaking in ABC’s:
- Student Ministry (SMC): Serkan & Berna K
- Cutting Edge (SLC): Marcus & Rachel L
- Journey (Room 201): Emily V
- New Horizons (Room 202): Bill B
- Rooted (Room 204): Rod & Connie B
- Crossroads (Room 205): Paul G
- Berean (Room 206): Jim B
- Christian Families (Room 111): Paul & Susan D
10:55 am Creative Worship in the Chapel
Parade of Nations
Greeting from Paul & Susan D
Keynote Speaker: Dale Marshfield
11:05 am Balanced Worship in the Worship Center
Parade of Nations
Greeting from Paul & Lisa G
Keynote Speaker: Dale Marshfield
11:05 am Missionaries speaking in ABC’s:
- Friendly Bible (Fireside Room): Ken & Lois B, Ben & Kim B
- God’s Potpourri (Room 204): Jurene B
- Homebuilders (Room 111): Mike P & Michael P
6:00 pm Evening Worship in the Chapel
Greeting from Ken & Lois B
Keynote Speaker: Dale Marshfield
Kingdom Rock Choir and SonDown Station will meet as usual.
! 7:15 pm All Church Gathering in the South Life Center. Sign up and come for a light meal and a time of fellowshipping with our guest missionaries.
Monday, October 21
! 12:00 noon – Senior Adult/Mission Focus in the Commons. Come for lunch and a great time of fellowship with our missionaries!
!6:00 pm – Neighborhood Fellowship Choose the fellowship closest to your home or pick which missionary you would like to hear and please RSVP to the host to find out what side dish to bring. Ham is provided for the main course.
- West Lansing: Jim B at the church, Fireside Room, contact Judy Peterson at 256-4942
- West Lansing: Bill B at the Oldhams, 729 Laurelwood Dr, Lansing; contact Marilyn Oldham at 393-8439
- West Lansing: Emily V at the Thelens, 6025 Claremont Ct, Lansing; contact Bethany Thelen at 281-5121
- North Lansing: Serkan & Berna K at Cadgewith Farms, 2300 E. State Rd., Lansing; contact Elaine Snyder at 267-0725
- DeWitt: Marcus & Rachel L at the Grays, 3421 Hawthorne Woods Pkwy, DeWitt; contact Melissa Gray at 819-3492
- Potterville: Rod & Connie B at the Bradmans, 5963 Billwood Hwy, Potterville; contact Lisa Bradman at 896-9205
- Mason: Jurene B at the Rischs, 3004 N Every Rd, Mason; contact Kathy Risch at 490-5484
- Mason: Mike P & Michael P at the Eastmans, 4788 Nichols Rd, Mason; contact Judy Eastman at 676-1450
Tuesday, October 22
! 7:00 am – Men’s Breakfast in the Commons. Come for a great breakfast and hear from Rod B and Marcus L
! 7:00 pm – Communion Service in the Chapel. Join us for worship, communion and message from Pastor Don.
Wednesday, October 23
! 5:15 pm – Family Dinner in the South Life Center. Cost is $3.50 per adult, $2.50 for children age 3-12. Maximum cost per family is $15.
6:30 pm – Closing Program in the Chapel. Come and hear a greeting from the Petkofs, Q&A Missionary Panel and a message from Pastor Brent Slater from Highland Park Baptist. Awana, Awaken and ESL will meet as usual.
Conference Project
North Asia
Bill & Denise B have been serving in Northern Asia for the last 14 years. One special area of ministry with which they have partnered in the past is the rehabilitation ministry. Due to the fact that the country as a whole is without Christ, there are many who try to find comfort in drugs and alcohol such that they become addicted. The government recognizes the gravity of the problem, but they are unable to provide a lasting solution. Believers meet this need as a platform for ministry, realizing that even many teachers and pastors were former addicts themselves! This ministry also reaches out to the families associated with those who need rehab. And so in partnership with their mission, a rehab center was built in 2013.
Two years ago, a new church was planted. God is blessing the ministry, and they are at maximum capacity. Thus the need to build a church building that will double as a rehab center. The first floor will be dedicated to a meeting/fellowship hall, and the second floor will be dedicated to smaller meeting rooms, several of which will house a rehab ministry. This new facility will be smaller than the previous one; at roughly 5000 square feet, and thus the total cost will be around $90 -100 thousand.
South Asia [M* -name shortened for security reasons]
South’s women’s team has had the privilege of visiting the M church several times and ministering to the women and children there. There is an interest in English in the M area. Our missionary friends have been teaching ‘spoken English’ classes there for three years. In August the church had their first English service which was attended by 40 people.
The M* Church desires to start an English Kindergarten next year. The kindergarten will serve as an outreach, enabling the pastor to engage with many more families in the community where otherwise he would be looked upon with suspicion. In addition the kindergarten will generate income for the church since they will be able to charge tuition.
Total cost of the project is $20,000. Our part of the project will help with building renovations, equipment, supplies, and initial salaries for the teachers. After that the fees will cover the costs.
To invest in the conference project, please use the conference project offering envelope (available at the Conference table in the Gathering) or a pew envelope marked “Mission Project.” Gifts will be divided between the 2 projects. Be sure to include your name and the amount of your gift on the envelope if you would like record of your gift for tax purposes.
Children’s Project is Build: Tanzania
The Tanzanian school year runs from January to December. Nuru Komsanga School Pre and Primary school will start Kindergarten and 1st Grade in January. South’s missionary, Julie Schmidt, teaches Kindergarten at this school. Their local church partners plan to add a grade every year through 7th grade (which is the end of primary school there). In addition to receiving a quality education, they pray that students will fall in love with Jesus through Biblical truth integrated into every subject they study. Finally, they also pray that this school would be a bridge that brings access to the gospel to whole families among the Zigua! The time has come to build another block of two classrooms so that the school will be set up through the 2022 school year. Please prayerfully consider giving towards this project. The total cost is estimated at $10,000.
Children’s project collection days are on:
Sunday mornings – October 6,13, 20, 27
Wednesday evenings (Awana) – October 2, 9, 16, 23
Adults can participate, too – mark this on the project envelope!