Decline to Sign
Please watch this video and post the link everywhere you can. We must educate people what the abortion amendment is really all about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnxAILMV7MQ|
Bart
Moving day
I am moving Carmen and Beau out of California today. It has been 6 years of begging God to bring them home. Today I am tired but O so grateful because my God is faithful. For all who have prayed alongside us and believed in God for the redeption of my daughter and grandson…thank you!
He is a faithful God and His saints have been a great encouragment as we waited on the LORD. He is good. This evening we start the journey home. Pray for mercy as we travel. Were almost home.
Bart
A Time for the Church to Stand
I attended a meeting yesterday with other church and local leaders concerning the Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024. This amendment has just received certification and now will need approximately 90,000 signatures from across the state in order to guarantee a limited right to abortion in the state. The group backing this amendment is sinisterly calling themselves “Arkansans for Limited Government.” This is a deceitful attempt to get conservative voters to sign the petition and ultimately vote for this measure under the guise of voting for things like limited government and second amendment rights in Arkansas. However, the reality is that they are tricking citizens into enshrining abortion into the Arkansas constitution. The passing of this amendment will constitutionally allow women to abort babies from 20 weeks until birth for reasons of rape, incest and the health of the mother (any health concern deemed by her physician). This is how they define “limited” abortions. This is really bad, and if passed, many Arkansans will wish for the days when Roe was still in effect.
“State officials must know that we (the church) are serious about stopping abortion, which is a matter of clear principle concerning the babies themselves and concerning a high view of human life.” - Francis Schaffer
“Decline To Sign” is the new slogan to counteract this nefarious amendment. We encourage all and want to educated all to be informed about what you may be asked to sign. In the next several months, there will be paid solicitors who will be at Walmarts, on the University of Arkansas campus, outside DMV’s, at the Northwest Arkansas Mall, and other public places trying to dupe people into supporting abortion with their signature. If you encounter such a person, respectfully ask what to see the bill which is written on the back side of the signature page (note - it is very small). Maybe you can explain to those about to sign what the solicitor is not saying.. again, please be respectful.
We will be talking about this at Covenant Baptist Church. We will be telling our congregation NOT to sign or vote for this amendment. This stand by our church against abortion does in no way support a political party or endorse a canditate’s political campaign. However, this stand is against those who desire to make abortion a constitutional right in Arkansas. Covenant Baptist Church will fight in obedience to scripture and as a righteous duty defending the unborn who need of someone with a voice to speak for them.
“Abortion – often referred to as the legal, systematic elimination of the most vulnerable members in our society – is one of the most heinous crimes known to man. I vehemently oppose it, and I ardently agree with the scriptural teaching regarding the origin of life at conception. My goal as a Christian has never been to force others to agree with me. Instead, my goal has been to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Abortion is a subject mentioned in political debates, but is primarily a subject found deep in the Word of God.” - Paul Chappell
There is an event this Sunday, January 28th on the Fayetteville Square (2 PM). The group Arkansans for Limited Government will be holding a rally celebrating the certification of their abortion amendment. At this event they will begin gathering signatures for the amendment. Media will definitely be present. Perhaps a large showing of people holding signs that say, “Decline to Sign - don’t sign for abortion!” just might end up on the news.
PS. If you plan to attend, I would suggest arriving by 1PM or 1:30PM because you may have to walk as parking will be an issue.
Bart
Covenant Baptist Church 2024
It’s a new and significant year for us.
Sunday, Covenant Baptist Church took a break from our expositional teaching in Galatians to cast a vision for the year before us. Josh and I co-preached the sermon by presenting our commission from Christ and a strategic plan for church planting. Yes, we plan to plant a church in 2024.
We followed the service with our first member meeting. The meeting was short as we welcomed nine new members to the congregation. That brings us to 25! Each new member had completed the membership process prior to the member meeting. During this part of the meeting, I was struck hearing the testimonies of our new members along with their heart felt requests to join the church. The current members of Covenant Baptist responded by voting each member into the church.
We also passed out our first budget! This budget is a 6 months mini budget to be followed with a July through July annual budget. Members will ask questions and vote in the budget at our next members meeting in two weeks.
We taught the congregation parliamentary procedures for amending and ratifying our bylaws and statement of faith. This will take up the bulk of our time in the coming member meeting. However, the investment of work and discussion will be well worth having these foundational elements in place as we move forward.
Josh has done a lot of work to get these things in order. I appreciate his gifting and knowledge in these areas as I tend to be more gifted in the artsy department.
Update… we still are loosing to the skunk. Josh was battling it today and I have yet to hear his victory scream here in Siloam. The air is so cold outside, I’m sure I would have heard it echoing over the hills. We may be in for another stinky Sunday. More skunk news to come… I’m sure.
Bart
A Christmas Surprise....
Church planting in Arkansas has unique challenges. We have a skunk that has moved into the church. Presently the smelly offender is residing in the crawl space under our feet as we gather for worship and fellowship.
My fearless ministry parner, Josh has set a trap for the varmint, but the latest report is that the bait was taken and the trap is empty. Skunk -1 Covenant Baptist Church -0. However, this game is not over! We will prevail, and evict our squater from the building. Welcome to Arkansas church planting. It’s a tough gig, and not for the faint of heart. If you attempt to plant a church in this state, make sure you invite some hunters and trappers to be a part of your core group! Big thanks goes out to Josh and Chad!
Bart
Carmen and Beau
Many of you have been praying for my daughter Carmen and her son Beau. Here is a quick update. Carmen has been trying to move out of the state of California for the last year and a half. She must request a move order from family court because of the visitation agreement she has with Beau’s dad. He is using the courts to prevent her from moving even though it would improve Carmen’s ability to provide a better standard of living for his son.
Carmen has had several court hearings to date. The next is January 17th 2024. Would you begin to pray with us that Carmen will be able to move? This is a trial which is different in scope from the hearings so far. Carmen’s retainer for the trial is $10,000 and she must have it to her lawyers no later than December 29th 2023. We have set up a go fund me account to help her with these fees. Up till now Carmen has worked hard to pay her attorney fees with the help of Mom and Dad and a few others. However, this is a lot of money that she needs to get together quickly. The reality is that she can not do it alone.
Thank you to all who have given to help Carmen move to Arkansas. We are looking forward to having her and Beau join our community of Faith at Covenant Baptist Church. God is writing a beautiful story of grace for Carmen and Beau. Thank you all for participating in that story. It has been a long story with many disappointments and we pray that God will begin to turn the tide and allow her to come home. We need your prayers most of all.
If you desire to help Carmen financially you can follow this link: Carmen GOFUNDME
Update 12/7/2023. I have pushed a pause on the Gofundme as a settlement negotiation is currently in process. Please pray for wisdom for Carmen. More to come as we hear news.
Thank you for your prayers and support
Bart
Thankful for our church plant
Thanksgiving 2023 is an opportunity to pause for a moment to reflect and to give thanks.
Thank you God for growing your church in East Springdale. Thank you for Josh Rice a faithful partner and friend. Thank you for all the families that You have connected together and who gather to praise your name in the Zion Oak Grange. Thank you for all those who sacrificed to financially support Covenant Baptist Church. Thank you for prayer warriors who have tirelessly lifted holy hand of intercession for our needs. Thank you God for Jesus and the cross, for forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
Thank you for a vision for Northwest Arkansas that makes us rely on you. Thank you in advance for new churches to be planted, new lives to be redeemed, families to be discipled and believers to be baptized. Thank you God for your mercy. We are not worthy of such lavish favor and blessing. You are greater than all we could hope for or desire.
We are grateful that you go before us and hem usnin behind. Thank you for leading us. Thank you for the strength to faithfully follow you.
Thank you for being our everything.
Bart
Why no groups?
Why are there no community groups or men’s, women’s or youth groups at Covenant Baptist Church? One word - discipleship. Josh and I believe in discipleship. It is inefficient but it creates lasting fruit. It is also hard to get going because it is hard to change our evangelical church culture. We desire to forge a culture of discipleship at Covenant Baptist Church and we want it to be forged with commitment. It will require commitment from a leadership and a congregation.
My working definition of discipleship is an intentional relationship that is focused and committed to spiritual growth. We intent to deepen our relationship with God through regular times of exhortation and encouragement as we live life together.
You will hear me say regularly, “someone at church must have their finger on the spiritual pulse of your life.” We don’t need places to hide in the body of Christ. What is needed is life-giving connection that propels us onward in our Christian faith. However, I fear that far too many men, women and children who attend church remain stagnant and idle. Faith in that state is boring, cowardly and weak. But, true discipleship provides accountability and training. It is for a day that you can’t see coming but you know is inevitable. It is preparation for the coming storm.
So, we can’t have groups because we are committed to developing a discipleship culture. I’m writing this blog as a way to get people at Covenant Baptist Church to think differently about their spiritual growth. How are you growing? Why wouldn’t you try something intensive that could cause your faith to grow more rapidly? If it feels like there is not enough going on at Covenant Baptist Church.. not enough programs.. It’s intentional. We desire to shepherd you well so we have limited what we offer.
It is time to act now! Discipleship is inefficient by design. It is one on one (sometimes one on some). Right now the pastors at CBC have time in their schedules to meet with you. Josh and I don’t meet with women one on one, but I know Kristen has time and is an excellent discipler of women.
Reach out and get started today. It’s how we grow at Covenant Baptist Church.
-Bart
Headed to Austin TX
It’s conference time once again for Kristen and I. This Friday we will head to Austin TX for a family ministry conference with RightResponse Ministries called The Household And The War For The Cosmos. We are exctied to hear Chris Wiley (Children As Artillery), Jared Longshore (Keeping Your Kids) and Joel Webbon (The Cost Of Being A Man). If you are interested in the content that we will be hearing, let us know and we can download the content over coffee.
We hope to glean ideas that are helpful to our philosophy of family worship. It is such a great blessing at CBC to have all the children in attendance in our service. Just last week I was encouraged as I saw Logan Boone (18mons) get on the stage after service and stand where I lead worship. Logan began to sing and bob up and down imitating me leading the congregation in praise. It is working! The children of CBC are seeing and imitating their parents worship and sit under the teaching of God’s Word. However this is just a sign of the greater work that we pray the Holy Spirit does in regenerating these young hearts. I look forward to seeing them come to Christ as an act of faith, and baptize them in obedience to Him. It is what we pray for and it is why we joyfully have them in worship with us.
We will miss everyone at CBC. I am grateful for Rob who will be leading worship. I am also sad to miss as Josh will be continuing our study of Galatians. I will have to listen online and get caught up. You can listen to our sermons online at - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/covenantbaptistnwa.
Lastly, another philosopy of ministry at CBC that we are developing is discipleship. I try to speak about it in my preaching often, urging men and women into intentional spiritual relationships. Someone needs to have their finger on the spiritual pulse of your life. This happens when we are intentional about growing spiritually with the help of another believer. If you are interested please talk to either Bart or Josh so we can get you connected today!
See you next week CBC!
Friends and Family Event/Chili Cookoff
Sunday night, October 22, 2023 Covenant Baptist Church celebrated our first All Church event called Friends and Family night which included a Chili Cookoff. This event will be the first of many bi monthly “all church” events. These events stem from our philosophy of gathering the church rather that dividing it up. So, instead of a small group ministry we have an all church ministry. Don’t get me wrong, small group/home hospitality is also a ministry element at CBC. We have charged our members to utilize their homes as centers for hospitality to visitors and the community. Hospitality is an organic ministry at CBC that stems out of heartfelt service rather than a program that the church manages.
Back to the Friends and Family night. We called this friends and family because we have many church friends who attend elsewhere on Sunday morning but they have a desire to see what is happening at the new church plant. So, friends and family came and we had seventy five-ish men, women and children along with around twenty pots of chili. I must say that the deserts were amazing and I confess to eating more sweets than chili. Jake Rice is Covenant Baptist Church’s 2023 Chili Champion and has taken home the trophy. His chili was spicy! He will return with the trophy next year to pass it on to the next champion.
We sang a couple of Psalms together to kick off the night, which gave me a taste for the sound of seventy five people singing on Sunday morning. It was loud and glorious.
I met so many wonderful new people. Also, in attendance were the generous couple who have leased us the building which we gather in to worship. It was a blessing to say, “thank you” and let them see all the renovations in the Zion Oak Grange.
Our next All church event will be in December as we prepare for Christmas. Plans are happening. Look for announcements in your weekly email newsletter for the date and time.
See yall there.
October Update
It has almost been a month since my last blog. So, time for an update. We have been continuing our work in the church. Lanny and I have mused together that we should start our own PBS show called, “This Old Church.” The show would be about us renovating old churches and plant new congregations in them.
Lots of painting has been done including the back half of the sanctuary (multiple times), the entry and the kitchen. I did fall off the ladder with minimal injury, however I am still sore. Kitchen cabinets are installed and we are waiting for the counter tops and kitchen sink to be installed. We discovered that the building has never been connected to the gas company so after weighing our options we have decided to put a propane tank on the property to heat the building. Just in time too because cold weather is coming.
As far as church plant is concerned we have been surprised by visitors who saw the sign out front and then re-surprised that they came back a second time. It has been remarkable how God is sending people to our little church. We now have a weekly newsletter that goes out via email. If you are not on our email list and would like to receive updates please contact me. Also our first Sunday night event will be happening Oct 22, 2023. We will have our first annual chili championship with Psalms and a time sharing grateful stories and hearts with one another. There has been talk of a fire pit being installed on the property.
Pastorally, I have been meeting with Brady Boone for discipleship and to sharpen his theology. Also, my counseling load is increasing. This is an exciting development as discipleship quickens my ministry passion. I will be pursuing more men for intentional spiritual development. Covenant Baptist Church needs more elder qualified men. They may not be presently called to Eldership but they must be ready to serve. As always its a busy time church planting.
Lastly, we are looking forward to a visit from the Elders from Crossway Fellowship in Lynnwood WA. More details will be coming.
Launched
Lanny said, “The Warship has been
launched.” and it has been launched. Sunday was launch day for Covenant Baptist Church. We had worked diligently all week to prepare the space for worship by trimming out windows, setting cabinets, work on the second bathroom, installing our sign and painting everything white. Even with all our work, the core team was there early on Sunday with shop vacs raging as Kathy and Jake practiced for worship.
We prayed together as is our Sunday morning practice, joined by friends from Austin TX. Then people started to come. 54 in total for our greatest gathering so far! Our service began with many announcements given by Josh Rice - including next week’s baptism. Kathy and Jake led us in amazing songs of grace and peace. Sunday was also the beginning of our series study on Galatians and I had the honor of launching such a rich letter about freedom in Christ. We finished with more hymns and a time of communion.
It was good to finally meet the Hacking family who had moved to NWA from Seattle. We look forward to getting to know them more.
Our good friend Maggie said that the Holy Spirit was present in the service and that she so enjoyed the old hymns that were sung.
After the service we stayed to after 2PM for a launch lunch. Those who stayed sat outside in the most perfect weather we could have ever dreamed for, with children playing everywhere. It was a filling celebration of the goodness of God with joy-filled conversation and feasting on sandwiches, chips and cookies.
Thank you for all the text messages from all around the country communicating acts of prayer on our behalf. God has answered and Covenant Baptist Church is officially launched. Tell everyone you know.
Almost home
It was wonderful to see so many wonderful friends on our trip to Seattle. I’m with Kristen on our final flight to Northwest Arkansas. We had to run from gate D30 to B47 with 15 minutes to make our connection. We wanted to say thank you to the Smith Family, Eric, Kate, Susanna and Amy for allowing us to stay in their backyard Barn suite. It was so comfortable and met all our needs (review 5 stars). Thank you to Barb, the Ryburns, the Rosenau's, the DeVight's, the Casey’s and the Hobbs for making us or buying us food! Thank you to Crossway and the 3strand south churches for listening to me talk about God's Word and the Kingdom of God. Thank you to all who encouraged us in so many ways… like Frank who sent us back with soooo much fudge and nut brittle. We are exhausted and refreshed all at the same time. We look forward to seeing you all again soon as we return with more news of the church planting lab experiment in Arkansas. Please come visit us! We are ready for visitors.
Were on our way to see you!
Kristen and I are waiting for our flight to Seattle. Can’t wait to see everyone at Crossway Fellowship!
Coming To Seattle For A Visit
We will be in the Seattle area September 2nd through the 11th. Why are we coming to the PNW? I am honored to be asked to preach on September 3rd at Crossway Fellowship. We also have signed up for the Crossway Family Camp at Lakeside Bible Camp. It is our desire to give glory to God with a report on all that He has done in our church planting endeavors in Arkansas.
It will be such a joy to see as many of you as possible at camp and at church. We know our time will go by quickly and our schedule will fill up. So, Please give us a call to set up breakfast, coffee, lunch or dinner if you desire to spend some additional time together with us.
We have some needs for our time there in Seattle:
1. Do you have an extra car that you could loan us? We need a means of getting around locally to visit with people.
2. We will be at Family Camp and we need some bedding or sleeping bags to use in the cabins.
We wait to hear from you! See you soon.
Bart
Developments
I preached last Sunday with the comfort of AC. I believe it helped the message - I wasn’t sweating through my shirt.
This week the insulation is sprayed into the attic and into the walls. Also, the new windows are in. I can’t wait to see them installed - what a transformation that will bring to our worship gathering! I imagine the installation will happen on Saturday.
Also our sound system is coming together which is timely as the dust will settle from all the construction - dust and sound equipment don’t go well together.
My family - all my children and grandchildren were in worship last Sunday. With Kristen’s family joining us at church, we had about 46 (unconfirmed). This was our highest attendance on a Sunday and stretched some of our limits - One toilet and no sound system. We give God the glory for all that he is doing at Covenant Baptist Church.
Sermon postings
https://open.spotify.com/show/5FrfBkcX5U137lDp1U26Qt
This link will take you to the Sermon archive of Covenant Baptist Church.
We are using Spotify for now as we figure out a permanent place to post our church sermons. So far it is only audio recorded with a handheld digital recorder. We are not mic’d so when I wander away from the pulpit….which I do more than Josh… you will hear my voice get quieter as I walk away from the recording device.
These are the early years… more to come later.
BTW our launch date is set - September 17, 2023
The Slough of Summer
It is hot here.
Kristen and I are feeling the exhaustion that comes with hard work and acclimation to the South. Last week, as we worked on the church building, Sam, son of Jake Rice, told me that his dad works with someone they call, sweaty Eric. Without skipping a beat he said to me, “You’re just like sweaty Eric.” There was no malice or disrespect, it was just a matter-of-fact statement like, “You’re tall” or “You’ve got a tiny beard” (also said to me by Jake’s daughter).
The good news is that with hard work, progress is being made. The AC unit will arrive tomorrow and the ducting will be run in the attic. Hopefully, the building will be cool on Sunday. The next two worship gatherings are forecasted to be burners at 91 and 96 degrees respectively (Worship gatherings in burning ovens are biblical and we have done a couple already - see Daniel 3).
An answer to prayer is that our lease is in hand. With all the labor and materials we are putting into making this space suitable for gathering, we have been praying for the security of a lease. The lease will ensure that we are at this location for the next 7-10 years worshipping our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. All thanks be to Him.
We are working on my employment at Covenant Baptist Church. My employment transfer from Crossway Fellowship to CBC will make Arkansas state taxes so much easier. However, this is a big job for us as a fledgling church. Pray that we administrate it well and that God connects us with wise people who can help us in the process.
Last, it is such a joy to work and live in this community of faith. We have new brothers and sisters who encourage and love us. God is so good. What we could only imagine in Seattle is now reality, with faces and names. God knew all along, and we just had to have a little bit of faith and courage to believe and trust Him. Packing up a moving truck and sloughing across Wyoming in a winter storm seems so far away. And soon this slough of summer will be in the past as well and God will have new things for us to trust him with as this heat and trial becomes a memory.
This is the path of faith. Ours is that thrilling story John Bunyon allegorizes in Pilgrim’s Progress. Paul says it this way,
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
Our blessed faith is believing Jesus, and pressing on in life, all while straining to see glory.
