Pictorial Indulgence

Aloha friends and family! In the couple of weeks since our last blog we have been rather busy (big surprise right?). Fortunately, we have been busy with some new and exciting things with the BCM and our family.

First, two students on our leadership team started doing Coffee House on campus again. Each Tuesday night from 6 to 8 we load up coffee makers, espresso machines, milk, ice, coffee, cups and a car-full of sound equipment up to one of the dorm lounges. There, our students serve coffee to dorm residents and provide some free live music to set the tone. The BCM has done this in the past, and we were enthusiastically invited back by one of the residence managers to do it again this year. We are really excited about the potential this time has for allowing us an inroad to the personal and spiritual lives of students.

Second, and thanks to a handful of Hilo churches, our Free Lunch Wednesdays have been a huge success! Churches have been faithful to provide food for an average of 50 students each week at the BCM. Free Lunch is another great way to make connections with students who otherwise might not step foot in the BCM or be willing to talk about spiritual things. It also helps that the food is always delicious!

Third, this Thursday, October 21, Dr. Mike Licona of the North American Mission Board is visiting our BCM to give a lecture with Q&A on the topic, "Contradictions in the New Testament Gospels". Dr. Licona directs apologetics for NAMB and visited Hilo last fall as well to hold a similar forum. We are hoping and praying for a good turn out from more than just our students. We have papered the campus with flyers and posters and have been talking it up with students for some time now. Check out our blog next week for an update on this forum.

Finally, Nikkie, Abigail and I have had some time to just be a family together, which is a real blessing! There is a great little beach park not far from our house where the weather is great and the water is perfect. Abigail got a little feel for the ocean and we're thinking she'll be a great little swimmer in no time.

      

Nikkie has also discovered her inner Martha Stewart. Over the weekend she created a handful of personalized burp cloths for Abigail and a name plate to go over her crib. Nikkie has done such a great job of helping our house become a home, and I think there is a budding interior designer/seamstress in the works with her. It is so much fun to be married to someone who is so creative and inspiring. I am so blessed! Here is a look at her handiwork. She is taking orders now for all your burp cloth monogramming needs!

It is really amazing how so much can happen so fast in life. Please continue to pray for us as we move forward with Coffee House, reach out through Free Lunch, and venture into "Contradictions..." with Mike Licona. It is bound to be an eventful week for us. God continues to be so good. Thank you for your support and prayers.

In Christ,

Stephen, Nikkie and Abigail

A Week of Meetings

September 27-29 took us to Honolulu and a Missions Leadership Conference for church planters and missionaries in Hawaii. The conference turned out to be a really good time for our family and for us individually. We had a chance to meet with our good friends, Jason and Emily Hew, and take a trip to a nice beach with our families. Jason and I intended to surf and against our better judgement, made a nearly half mile paddle out to the surf break. We caught one wave each, Jason got stung by a jellyfish, and we paddled back in. It was EPIC!

The conference itself focused primarily on strategy development for ministry. Sitting through seminars with other pastors and missionaries as we shared our strategies with one another was a great encouragement for me. Hearing about the many church plants and missions on the Big Island alone burdened our hearts for the work that still needs to be done, the people who still need to be reached with the Gospel. We left the conference excited about the progress of ministry on the Big Island and encouraged in our own situation at the BCM in Hilo.

We ended last week with the periodic Big Island Baptist Association Executive Board meeting in Waimea (central part of the Big Island). This was our first meeting with the executive board, and by and large the meeting went well. We had a chance to discuss the progress of the BCM and plans for the future. Of particular excitement to us is the startup of a new discipleship group that will be led by two of our students. The intent of the group is to grow in their individual walks with Christ, knowledge of Scripture, and to put that growth into action by serving and sharing the gospel to their campus community.

Finally, we have one more meeting tomorrow night with the BCM Support Team. The support team consists of church members and pastors from Hilo and other parts of the Big Island. This team is critical to the ongoing success of the ministry of the BCM. This will also be our first meeting with the support team. As we discuss in detail the current and future states of the BCM we will be dealing with some challenging issues that will weigh heavily upon the future direction of the BCM. Please pray that our team will exercise wisdom during this important meeting.

Needless to say, we're a bit tired, but there is still much work to be done! 

Until next time, aloha and mahalo,

Stephen, Nikkie and Abigail