The Ohio Baptist Messenger is the monthly news publication of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. Visit www.scbo.org to learn more...
VOLUME 73 ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2025
State Missions Offering Special Edition
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Featured This Month Gospel Conversations Lead to Gospel Congregations by Dr. Jeremy Westbrook
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Don’t Lose Heart, Don’t Stop Proclaiming by Adam Pursel God Delights in Doing Big Things in Small Places The Legacy of Dr. Ray E. Roberts Looms Large in Ohio Church Planter Brings a Clear View of Jesus to Euclid Send Network Ohio – The Training Ground for Church Planters
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Replanting The Church Down the Road
Donated Shower Trailer to Serve Ohio Churches Hosting Mission Teams Urbancrest Baptist Church Donates Proceeds from Golf Classic to Ohio DR
Worship 4:24 2026 to Feature Guest Artist Paul Baloche
Declaring and Defining a Call to Ministry
Evangelism Grants Enable Community Outreach Across Ohio Twenty-Five Accept Christ, Thirteen Baptized at CampUCan
The Ohio Baptist Messenger Staff
Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, editor-in-chief Stephanie Heading, managing editor
Seth Wicker, digital communication assistant AJ Frasure, director of IT
-- Tell us your story -- The Ohio Baptist Messenger is a monthly publication highlighting what the Lord is doing in SCBO churches or min- istries, and we need your help! Tell us your story and we could feature it in an upcoming issue of The Messenger . Please submit your stories to messenger@scbo.org. For more information, please contact Stephanie Heading at messenger@scbo.org.
Published monthly by The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio for members of Southern Baptist churches in Ohio. | 9000 Antares Ave Columbus, Ohio 43240
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Gospel Conversations Lead to Gospel Congregations Gospel conversations lead to Gospel congregations. As you can see from the cover of this edition, we have seen a culture of multiplication begin to sweep across the Buckeye State through a movement of new church plants in recent years! The Lord has been so kind to us, providing an excellent SEND Network Ohio team, re- sources, and, of course, planters who have received and responded to the call upon their lives.
and discipled them along with many others who went on to embark on a planting movement. All of us can join the Great Commission and make disciples not only in our local congregation, but also in our local community. It does not have to always be a formal or weekly meeting, but as you go about your daily activities. A Church was Planted - Finally, after the city was en- gaged and disciples were made, a church was planted. This is the church planting journey of how the Lord start- ed the church in Corinth. As you can see, it takes all of us, not just the planters, to start a new work. As Tim Keller once said, “To put it simply, the multiplication of churches is as natural in the book of Acts as the multipli- cation of individuals.” I am beyond grateful for God’s activity among us in re- cent days, but we have so much to do in order to reach the people of Ohio with the good news of Jesus Christ. It will take all of us having more gospel conversations that will ultimately lead us to having more gospel con- gregations.
Gospel Conversations are at the root of this movement. In the New Testament, we see in Acts 18 that God wants to use all of us to be part of a church planting movement through our daily activities. Engage the City - The first item on the agenda of the Apostle Paul as he entered the city of Corinth was not to build a website or buy a building, but to engage the city. Please do not misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with building a website or buying a building. However, oftentimes we can miss the most important step in the process, and that is to engage the city we live in and are striving to reach with gospel conversations. Disciples are Made - Another important piece in the church planting movement is that disciples are made. The Apostle Paul, here in Acts 18, engaged the city, and then disciples were made. As he went about his daily activities, engaging the city as a tentmaker, he met Priscilla and Aquilla. He met with
Dr. Jeremy Westbrook Executive Director-Treasurer, SCBO
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President’s Pen Don’t Lose Heart, Don’t Stop Proclaiming
“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (2 Co 4:1–6). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
This is one of my all-time favorite passages, and there are a lot of reasons why. I’ll mention two.
First, Paul highlights the tension many of us experience in ministry. Ministry is a gift that we have been given through God’s amazing goodness, love, and mercy. We love it and are thankful for it!!! But also… It can be easy to lose heart…to feel discouraged…to look for man-centered techniques to manufacture results. We can feel tempted to tamper with the Word, to practice cunning or underhanded ways. Like Paul, we are called to renounce such wickedness and refuse to practice any manipulative or man-centered approaches to ministry! This brings us to number two. Without Christ, people are perishing. Let’s pause there. Without Christ, people are perishing. They’re dying. They’re lost. They’re without hope and without God in the world. Perishing. Blinded by the god of this world, unable to see the glory of Christ. Does that bother you? Are you grieved by the lostness in your community? Are you grieved that some people are currently kept from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ? Don’t lose heart. Don’t stop proclaiming. What we proclaim is not ourselves. We proclaim Christ! We proclaim the God who creates light in dark spaces and life in dead places. Don’t lose heart! As always, I want to remind you: there are amazing resources in our state to help church leaders faithfully proclaim Christ in their communities. You can always reach me at president@scbo.org.
Grace and Peace, Adam Pursel SCBO President
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God Delights in Doing Big Things in Small Places By Rick Williams, Central Region catalyst
A few years ago, Word Baptist Church was just a dream in the hearts of a handful of believers. Meeting in the gym at Highland High School in Marengo since their launch in January 2022, this rural church plant has been proof that God delights in doing big things in small places. In just 30 months, Word BC has seen 26 people baptized and now averages over 60 in Sunday morning worship. This summer’s Vacation Bible School proved that point again. In their fourth year hosting VBS, Word BC saw its best attendance yet —113 students enrolled and an av- erage of 95 participants each night, including teen help- ers. Pastor Jeff Deel shared, “We didn’t have any public pro - fessions of faith during the week, but the students’ at- tention to the Bible stories each night was incredible. They were tuned in. You could see their interest in Jesus. We believe God was definitely at work.” That work was evident the following Sunday during the church’s VBS follow-up program. The small church plant shattered its attendance record, exceeding the previous high by 30 people. The sanctuary was full. The energy was high. And the gospel was front and center. For Pastor Deel and the Word BC family, numbers tell part of the story—but not the whole story. “Our prayer,”
Deel said, “is that the seeds planted during VBS will lead to souls saved—not just among the students, but also in their homes, among parents, siblings, and grandpar- ents.” In rural ministry, VBS is often more than a summer pro- gram—it’s one of the most effective ways to reach entire families. This year, Word BC didn’t just host an event; It created a space where the gospel was clearly pro- claimed, relationships were built, and hearts were stirred. Please pray for the gospel seeds planted to grow deep roots, bear fruit, and bring many in this rural Ohio com- munity to saving faith in Christ.
Word BC held a record-setting VBS with 113 enrolled and 95 averaged each night.
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The Legacy of Dr. Ray E. Roberts Looms Large in Ohio “The story of Southern Bap- tists in Ohio cannot be told apart from the life and minis- try of Ray E. Roberts, trans- planted North Carolinian whom God brought to Ohio by the way of Kentucky,” for- mer Ohio Baptist Messenger Editor L.H. Moore in his 1979 book, The History of South- ern Baptists in Ohio. By Stephanie Heading, managing editor Dr. Ray E. Roberts
renamed the Ray Roberts State Missions Offering in his honor. Throughout his tenure, Roberts kept the goal of SCBO in mind. “There are no geographical boundaries on the great commission, and it would certainly be a gross sin if we fail God in this ripe field of opportunity,” he said. “The goal for our work is a Southern Baptist church in every community in Ohio.” The vision of Ray Roberts continues in today’s SCBO. Funds from the Ray Roberts State Mission Offering are split 50/50 between church planting efforts in Ohio and Ohio Disaster Relief. Churches and individuals can contribute financially to state missions any time, but one week of September is set aside each year to emphasize the importance of mission work in Ohio. Many churches around the state will take this opportunity to join together in prayer, to share stories and testimonies of God’s continued work in Ohio, and to collect financial gifts in support of the Ray Roberts Offer - ing. To contribute online visit https://scbo.org/rayRoberts.
The Ray Roberts State Missions Offering is a fund sup - ported by Ohio Southern Baptists and managed by SCBO to further God’s Kingdom in the state of Ohio. It is named after one of the earliest pioneers of Southern Baptist Co- operation in Ohio who also served as the first Executive Director of the SCBO. Dr. Ray Roberts first visited Ohio in 1951. In July of 1952, he began serving as a missionary in Ohio for the Home Mission Board, Kentucky Baptist Convention, and White Water Baptist Association. Upon his arrival, Roberts shared his burden for Ohio and its lost population. “It is my deep conviction,” Roberts said. “That the ripest field for Southern Baptist work in the USA lies within the boundaries of the state of Ohio. This conviction has not been formed by hearsay, but as I have come face to face with undeniable facts. Every preacher who has been privi- leged to come in contact with the work in Ohio shares my conviction.” On January 8, 1954, the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio was organized under Dr. Roberts’ supervision with thirty-nine churches representing ten thousand members. Roberts served the SCBO as Executive Secretary for twenty-five years, during which time the convention grew to include fourteen associations and 449 churches. Upon his retirement, the SCBO State Missions Offering was
We are so grateful for your generous $5,000 grant toward our church park- ing lot project. Thanks to your support, we were able to move forward with much-needed improvements that will serve our congregation and communi- ty for years to come. The updated parking lot has already made a noticeable difference, providing safer access, additional space for ministry events, and a more welcoming first impression for visitors. Your partnership has truly helped strengthen our ability to serve others, and we are deeply thankful for your investment in this project. – Pastor Todd Cyphers, Waynesville Community Church, Waynesville Ray Roberts Offering Helps Pave Church Parking Lot
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Church Planter Brings a Clear View of Jesus to Euclid
By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
“On a Sunday morning, we’ll have 25-30 people, half will be African American, half will be white, but it’s a beautiful family, and we call ourselves a family on mission.” Lentrail says diversity is important in his ministry context. The city of Euclid is 60 percent African American, and 30 percent white. “Our church, from the inception, reflects our neighbor - hood,” he said. “It creates this entry point where different ethnic groups walk in and there’s someone that they can relate to, and it creates this beautiful culture that God is forming here at Clearview.” The church also emphasizes engaging its community with events like “Family Night.” “That’s one of our most well-attended events, and it’s simple,” he said. “We just bust out board games, and we have pizza, and we invite the community in to come and hang out with us. Our last game night, we had 45 people there. It’s a great time of engaging the community.” However, they want to do more than just engage their community. Their vision is to reach one percent of Euclid’s population. “Our biggest dream, part of our vision, is just to reach one percent of the city,” he said. “Sometimes I joke and say, ‘I don’t know if it’s just because my faith is smaller or just because one percent of 49,000 is a significant amount.” An opening in the local schools is moving the church to- ward that goal. “We were given the opportunity for me to go into Eu- clid High School and share my testimony with the ninth grade,” he said. “All freshmen came in. They had this elective class, and the teacher who ran that class let me come in and share my Christ-centered testimony.” Recently, the church was invited to an elementary school to pray over the school year. The principal also asked church members to come on the first day of school to high-five and encourage students as they entered the building. Above all, Lentrail hopes his work at Clearview will help the people of Euclid understand who God is and truly see what Christ has done for them. “When we moved here to Euclid and as we began to en- gage the community, we didn’t find many people who had some kind of knowledge about God,” he said. “And so that’s why we came up with the name, ‘Clearview.’ Our mission statement is just simply that we want to help peo- ple see Jesus clearly and follow him fully.”
Pastor Lentrail Abston and family
A Cleveland-area pastor lights up when he shares his sto- ry – a testimony of a new life in Christ, a call to church planting, and a mission to reach his community with the gospel. “So the Lord saved me in prison,” said Lentrail Abston, pastor, Clearview Community Church, Euclid. “While I was there, Jesus rescued me and gave me my calling.” When he got out of prison, he moved in with a mentor, who lived in Mansfield, and attended church with him. “I think the burden for church planting was birthed there, because I asked the question, ‘Why aren’t there churches like this in my old neighborhood?’ That’s when the burden was birthed.” As he grew in his faith and started studying, Letrail at- tended an evangelism class at Liberty University. “In the book Evangelism , they made this argument that church planting is one of the greatest ways to fulfill the Great Commission. That added theological conviction to my desire to church plant first.” Clearview Community Church was the result. It’s located about 15 minutes from his old neighborhood in Euclid. “I wanted to see something like this in my own neighbor- hood,” he said. Then the theological conviction started to form, and then a wide-open door through the program with Christ Community Chapel, which was our original sending church. That door was so wide open, it almost felt like sinning not to walk through it.” Lentrail developed a core team, many of whom drive from Hudson, 30-40 minutes away. The core team made a one- year commitment to the church. “All of them have stuck around,” he noted. “And that cre- ated this diversity amongst our church immediately.” Clearview’s diversity is especially seen during Sunday morning worship services.
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Click here to download the Prayer Guide
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Send Network Ohio – The Training Ground for Church Planters In 2024-2025, 52 churches have been planted or replant- ed in Ohio, and each one was led by a church planter. However, before Ohio church planters move from sens- ing the Lord’s call to starting a church, many seek the expertise and training available from Send Network Ohio. Send Network Ohio is part of Send Network, the largest church planting organization in North America and a divi- sion of the North American Mission Board. (NAMB) By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
preparing for what they believe God has called them to.” The Assess step is next and involves numerous online questionnaires. “One of the things I really appreciate about Send Network is the robust nature of our assessment process,” Taylor commented. “We are really doing our best to spend ad- equate time making sure that all the right pieces are in place to set these guys up for not only their personal health, their marital health, and their family health, but also the health of the church they believe God has called them to.” The assessment dives into all areas of a potential church planter’s life. “We ask very specific questions in those realms,” he said. “We get to learn about their marriage and their family, and we dive into some of the dynamics of how they commu- nicate, how they handle conflict with one another.” Candidates also share about their calling, discipleship strategy, and engagement strategy for their community. “One of the things we press huge with our guys is that your community doesn’t just need another worship ser- vice,” Taylor stated. “They need an army of disciples that are going to engage a city with the gospel, make dis- ciples from those who choose to trust Christ, and then from that, we start churches.”
“We’re a family of churches, planting churches every- where for everyone,” said Aaron Taylor, Send Network Ohio church planting catalyst and pastor of Living Hope Church, an eight-year-old church plant in northwest Co- lumbus. “Networks don’t plant churches. Conventions don’t plant churches,” he said. “We believe churches plant church- es.” From expressing interest to launching a church, Send Network Ohio guides hopeful church planters through “The Church Planting Pathway.” The pathway includes a process known as “PACE,” which stands for Prepare, Assess, Care, and Equip. In the Prepare component, church planter candidates are evaluated in nine characteristics or competencies. “It centers on this idea of nine essentials for being a faith- ful and effective church planter,” Taylor explained. “We want to make sure that they have spent adequate time
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If candidates progress through the questionnaire phase, they are invited to a two-day in-person assessment with a Send Network Ohio assessment team. “It’s an in-person retreat. We bring in expert practitioners in certain fields,” Taylor said. The experts include experienced church planters, current and former church planters, as well as pastors’ wives and Christian counselors. “Again, we want to make sure that we’re sending out healthy planters, healthy marriages, healthy families, and healthy churches,” he explained. If the assessment team approves a candidate, the Care phase begins “It’s one of the things Send Network does best,” Taylor noted. Send Network Ohio catalysts come around church plant- ers and their families, providing care and encouragement. “It’s just that reminder that there’s a family of Southern Baptist churches all around North America that love you, that believe in you, that pray for you. We are cheering you on as you get this thing going,” he said. In addition to ongoing care, church planters who com- plete the assessment move into the Equip phase.
“They go through several months of training just to help them clarify – bring clarity to their vision, bring clarity to their discipleship strategy – a variety of things,” Taylor said. Send Network Ohio offers coaching to church planters for the first two years of their plant. Planters are paired with another church leader in their region who is trained to be a listening ear and help draw out what the Lord has already put inside a church planter. “So we offer a training piece; we offer that coaching piece, and then we just have a variety of resources available to equip our guys.” For more information about church planting or becom- ing a church planter, visit Send Network at https://www. namb.net/send-network/church-planting/.
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Replanting The Church Down the Road By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
While working in a well-established career in city plan- ning and development in Licking County, Chris Harkness felt the Lord calling and preparing him for a ministry in church planting. “He had been slowly kind of moving us towards minis- try,” Chris said. “We felt like he was speaking very clearly to us for maybe eight years. So it was like we knew he was moving us into ministry, but we were waiting on him to make it clear as to when and how and what we were supposed to do.” During those eight years, the Lord gave Chris opportuni- ties in his local church for increased leadership, preach- ing, and teaching as well as the chance to lead young families and groups. A few years later, he and his wife, Kari, sensed that the time had come. “It was time to get really prepared for something,” he said. “So I actually entered seminary and we began preparing.” Also during this preparation period, the couple began to feel an immense draw to relocate their family near the village of Fultonham, population 115, in Muskingum County. “I have all kinds of family connections here,” he not- ed.“This is where I grew up, and so when the Lord was moving and making it clear, he actually moved us back out here.” Chris thought the move would be a temporary situation, enabling his family to live close to his parents as he pre- pared for what the Lord had next. He believed he would go to seminary, get ready, and then the Lord would send him, his wife, and five children where he wanted them to go. Following the move to the Fultonham area, Chris and his family left the church they were attending and started a house church in their garage, and the house church grew to 20-25 people. Then the Lord brought a need to Chris’s attention. “The Lord connected us with a church that was literally half a mile up the street from our house,” he said. “It was essentially dying, and they were praying to the Lord.” Only four or five members were left in the 200-year-old church, and a little 89-year-old woman was leading the group to pray and ask the Lord to provide, because they were at a loss. “They had no pastor. They had lost virtually their entire congregation, and they were down to basically wanting to sell off the building and just kinda move on, almost, unless the Lord was going to provide. And he did.”
Pastor Chris Harkness and family
The 20-25 people in the house church connected with the dying church, and Chris knew this was the plan the Lord had laid out for him and his family. The house church and the struggling church merged and launched Uniontown Baptist Church with Chris as the pastor. “Well, what we actually found out was he had already moved us to the place he wanted us,” Chris said. “And so we didn’t move, because he wanted to send us some- where else. This was the plan.” Pastor Brian Moffatt, Friendship Baptist Church, New Concord, came alongside Chris and Uniontown Bap- tist Church and connected them to Send Network, the church planting arm of NAMB. “They’ve been a blessing,” Chris said, Chris was still working in city planning for Licking County and replanting the church, but his connection with Send Network helped him make one big life change. “Send Network kind of helped us go all in with the minis- try. A year and a half ago, I left that job in Licking County to become a full-time Replant Pastor here at Uniontown Baptist Church.” Today, Uniontown BC has about 60 people on Sundays, and the church is working hard to become an integral part of its community. “This is definitely where the Lord has sent us to share the gospel message for this community.”
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Donated Shower Trailer to Serve Ohio Churches Hosting Mission Teams By Dr. John Heading, Ohio Disaster Relief director
Through your generous participation in the Ray Roberts State Missions Offering, Ohio Disaster Relief has been able to purchase much-needed equipment. This new equipment has provided the opportunity to respond more efficiently to crisis events. What people often do not see is how the offering helps us give new life to donated equipment and get it ready for use by Ohio Disaster Relief and local churches. The latest example is a shower-laundry trailer donated by The Pecos Valley Association and SBC Disaster Re- lief of New Mexico. This unit has six showers and two washer/dryers. It is a little rough right now, but after a small investment from the Ray Roberts offering, it will be ready to go. If we were to purchase the unit new, it would cost around $80,000. The need for shower units continues to grow in Ohio, especially in churches that have mission teams coming. Churches usually have room for mission teams to sleep and eat, but very few churches have showers available. If Ohio Disaster Relief loaned out our current shower all summer, then we would not have showers for our teams when a disaster strikes. This new unit will primarily be for churches that need it for mission teams. We want to meet the needs of people affected by disas - ter, but we also want to help the local church in its mis- sion to make disciples of all nations. This helps the local
A donated shower trailer will be primarily used by SCBO churches hosting mission teams.
church be stronger, and Ohio DR to be more prepared in the future. We are looking for a church to manage this shower unit. It would involve having a heavy-duty truck to move the unit, and an investment in insuring the unit. If you would like to know more, contact me at jheading@scbo.org. Thank you so much for your church’s participation in the Ray Roberts State Missions Offering. I want to encour - age your church to be even more involved in spreading the gospel through disaster response and church plant- ing.
Urbancrest Baptist Church Donates Proceeds from Golf Classic to Ohio DR
Urbancrest Baptist Church hosted the 27th Annu- al Urbancrest Golf Classic on Friday, August 22. We were honored to have 100 golfers participate in the event. The golfers were treated to a Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich and a player gift bag at check-in. Foursomes played 18 holes of golf on one of the best days of weather this year.
Following golf, we joined together for the Awards Lunch, which featured a meal from City BBQ and prize drawings. We were honored to have retired Cin- cinnati Bengals kickers Jim Breech and Doug Pelfrey in attendance. Doug shared his personal testimony of how he came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. We were blessed to have one person give his life to Christ, as well as several prayer requests. The focus of the day was to raise funds for Ohio Disaster Relief. We were honored to present a check for $16,500 to Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, SCBO executive director and Dr. John Heading, Ohio Disaster Relief director. - Mark Daubenmire, Urbancrest Baptist Church
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Worship 4:24 2026 to Feature Guest Artist Paul Baloche By Zac James, worship consultant
As your SCBO Worship Consultant, I want our worship leaders to be able to learn from the best worship ministry trainers in the world. That’s why I’m excited to share that Paul Baloche will be our guest artist for Worship 4:24 on January 30-31, 2026! Paul brings a wealth of worship leading, songwriting, pastoral, and training experience to our conference. He served for 25 years as a worship pastor, while winning three Dove Awards across 12 albums recorded through Integrity Music. Paul deeply cares about pastoring the teams he leads and has become known as an incredible worship teacher and trainer through his master classes and video resourc- es, with millions of views on YouTube. A vast amount of this training is available for free on his YouTube channel and his website Leadworship.com. You probably have heard some songs from the early 2000s that Paul has written, including “Open the Eyes of My Heart” or “Hosanna (Praise is Rising)”…we sang these all the time growing up. But my favorite Paul Baloche song is one he wrote more recently in 2020: “Behold Him.” It’s a modern, but beautifully simple song about beholding Je-
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Heather Wagoner, a lifelong musician and southwest Ohio native, serves as the Wor- ship Director for Grace Point Fellowship, Franklin, the church she helped plant in 2015, alongside her husband, Lead Pastor Reagan Wagoner. She loves being mom to their four beautiful kids, Reese, Ty, Tess, and Presley, good coffee, and getting herself into more DIY projects at home than she can actually handle. Heather graduated from Gateway Seminary in 2025, where she earned a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Meet the New West Region Worship Catalyst
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sus as He truly is. HeartSong teams from Cedarville Uni- versity lead this song, and for good reason. It’s a fantastic song that I commend to our churches. I’m asking every SCBO church to send at least one wor- ship leader or team member to Worship 4:24 this year, whether they’re a volunteer song leader trying to help keep the ship afloat or an instrumentalist or a tech team member. If they come, they’ll get to soak in worship train- ing from a true, faithful veteran of worship ministry in Paul Baloche, and go to breakouts that give them tools to solve problems and lead more effectively. Celebrating the Cooperative Program CP100 - Episode Five: Jeff and Barbara Singerman, retired IMB missionaries Throughout 2025, SCBO is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Cooperative Program with “CP100,” a series of interviews highlighting the im- pact of the Cooperative Program on churches and individuals in each of Ohio’s six regions. This month, CP100 is visiting Ohio’s West Region. For almost 34 years, Ohioans Jeff and Barbara Sin - german served as International Mission Board mis- sionaries, sharing the gospel and seeing thousands come to Christ in Benin and the Democratic Re- public of Congo. The Cooperative Program funded their ministry as well as the efforts of all Internation - al Mission Board missionaries who work to fight the world’s biggest problem: lostness. Don’t miss CP100 – Episode Five: Jeff and Barbara Singerman, retired IMB missionaries.
If you are a pastor and you want to learn how to lead worship leaders, come with your worship leader. We’re planning breakouts tailored just for you. The conference will be hosted again at Cedarville Univer- sity. We love Cedarville. Thank you to the Cedarville Wor- ship Department and leadership for making this possible year after year. Bottom line: Pastors, I’m really excited for you, your wor- ship leader, and your worship team to get to learn about best practices in worship ministry from Paul and his team, and for us to worship together this January. Now, I say this every year, and this is the secret: if you register your team today, it will only cost $50 per adult and $25 per student. Don’t wait to lock in this price; it will go up as we get closer. Also, for your 14-18 year olds, please encourage them to attend the Weekend of Worship on Thursday! It adds a bonus day to the conference! You’ll get to meet Paul and his team, spend time with worship bands from Cedarville, and select bands will get a chance to play and receive feedback from worship professionals. Register your team today at worship424.com, and lock in a great price for an incredible conference for your whole worship team. Declaring and Defining a Call to Ministry The outdoor patio at Pizza Cottage in Pickerington was the location for the “Called to Ministry” lunch gathering in early August. Thirteen full and part-time youth leaders took time to in- vest in 12 young adults who are exploring a call to minis- try. We handed out Calling Out the Called books by Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt of NAMB to the pastors and youth leaders at the meeting. After connecting around lunch, we interviewed those in ministry on topics including: defining a call to ministry; discovering your specific area of ministry; balancing fami - ly and ministry; paying for college and seminary; living on a ministry salary; and establishing a “rhythm of rest” that will avoid burnout. It was wonderful to see the interactions around the table and how eager the ministry candidates were to learn from the experienced ministry veterans. It is encouraging to see how God is still calling and raising up young leaders to lead the church into the future. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions about Super Summer, our Student Leadership program, or if there is any way that I can be of assistance at khurt@ scbo.org. Let’s keep raising up Next Gen leaders together! By Keith Hurt, Next Gen director
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Evangelism Grants Enable Community Outreach Across Ohio Vacation Bible School, Hillside Church, Polk
God blessed our 2nd VBS since we launched Hillside. We averaged 24 with a high of 25. It was nice to see families walking to VBS in our town. One 12-year- old girl was saved and then baptized the next Sunday at our church pool par- ty. We had two visitors that Sunday and four the next Sunday. Our volunteers worked hard and were amazing. What a great spirit. Thank you SCBO for your partnership in prayer and financial assistance. – Pastor Mike Feliciano, Hillside Church
July 4th Block Party, Good Shepherd Baptist Church, Amherst The event was wonderful, and all of the volunteers walked away tired, yet sat- isfied, because we had over 100 people at the event, with 14 families coming from around our community. We got to serve our guests, feed our guests, and talk to our guests. Many of us spent time telling them about our church and what Jesus has done for us. Even after all the time, energy, planning, and work that went into it, our congregation is ready to do it again. They are holding on to the hope that if we can show our community the love of God, more of them will be willing to hear about his love and sacrifice too. – Pastor Gabriel Ray, Good Shepherd Baptist Church Back-to-School Bash, Elyria Church, Elyria Elyria Church’s first-ever Back-to-School Bash was great. Having it in our front yard drew the attention of our neighbors across the street. We had about 100 people show up. We grilled food, passed out backpacks of school sup- plies, and gave out additional school supplies. We also handed out teen bags for older students. Our Clothes Closet was also open. One single mom walked out with bags in her hands and tears in her eyes, saying, “Thank you so much. I was so worried about what we were going to do for school clothes this year, and here we got all our needs met for free.” The conversations throughout the event were great. Questions were asked about wanting to know more about the church, what classes we have and for what ages, what other events that we offer to the community, as well as asking about who God is and why He is so important. Pastor Josh was able to give a brief testimony and share the gospel. We let people know about our service times and our Trunk-or-Treat in October. It will be exciting to see who will show up at a Sunday morning service, as well as see if they will return to our next event this fall. – Pastor Joshua Hargis, Elyria Church
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September 2025 | 17
Vacation Bible School, Grace Point Fellowship, Franklin At Grace Point, we registered over 500 kids and volunteers at VBS and saw 37 kids take next steps towards Jesus! We baptized three on the Sunday after VBS on Family Day, and have baptized several more since then. One family we talked to after VBS came and spoke with me last week, as their 6th grader came and gave her life to Jesus. She then talked to her 12th-grade brother, and he gave his life to Jesus last week! Their family had never heard John 3:16 before we began sharing the gospel with them! God is good, and he moved at our two campuses during VBS, as we offered a daytime VBS at Grace Point Franklin and a Night VBS at Grace Point Hunter. – Pastor Regan Wagoner, Grace Point Fellowship Summit County Fair Outreach, Church on the Boulevard, Akron The 2025 Summit County Fair proved to be highly successful, providing nu- merous meaningful conversations and exposure that would not have been possible otherwise. A “fair” guess, pun intended, we estimate having engaged with over 150 individuals in discussions lasting at least 90 seconds. This event presented an excellent chance to share the gospel with a wide audience. Among these interactions, three involved deeper conversations with individ- uals interested in learning more at a later date. We connected them with a nearby SBC church for follow-up. Additionally, two families expressed interest in discovering more about Church on the Boulevard, its community work, and potential collaboration opportunities. Many attendees also paused for prayer, either by submitting prayer requests on index cards placed in a treasure chest or receiving personal prayers offered by dedicated volunteers. We are thrilled about the relationships forged not only with community members but also with partnering churches, and we value the encouragement and support from both these churches and SCBO. We are grateful for this incredible opportunity and eagerly anticipate future outreach events together. – Pastor Robert Hale, Church on the Boulevard Community Outreach Booth, Vertical Church North, North Ridgeville The town festival was great! We had many conversations, and even a few opportunities to pray with people from our community. We handed out infor- mation about our church, invited the community to our school supply drive, and had crafts and popsicles for the kids. This event allowed us to get our name out in our community and helped us invite people to church who nor- mally don’t have access to the gospel daily. We’re praying that we planted some seeds. Thank you again for your generous donation that allowed us to be present in our community and share the love of Christ. – Tiffany Fairbairn, Vertical Church North, Leadership Team
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18 | September 2025
A Year of Gospel Impact, Summit Association, Akron The two main events we focused on as an association were to promote our gospel-centered congregations at the Summit County Fair in Tallmadge and to provide our congregations with school supplies to engage their communi- ties locally. The county fair event allowed us to engage hundreds with the gospel and for the glory of God. The school supplies are still impacting our association as we were able to equip at least six congregations. We are so thankful for the investment of NAMB and the SCBO in the evange- listic outreaches in the Summit Association of Churches. – Summit Association Mission Strategist, Mark Jones Continual Community Impact, Freedom Hill BC, Kent In the spring, we had over 600 people participate in the city-wide event. We partnered in gospel impact with three other local congregations. We gave every child a piece of candy connected to a card with a QR code that pointed to a gospel cartoon from SpreadTruth.com. In August, we had the opportunity to feed the local football team twice with burgers and chicken, but more importantly, with the gospel via cards inserted in their lunch bags, as we were not given the opportunity to vocally share. Please pray for the families and players impacted. We are so thankful for the evangelism funds that allowed us to accomplish these events. – Pastor Mark Jones, Freedom Hill Baptist Church
September 2025 | 19
Twenty-Five Accept Christ, Thirteen Baptized at CampUCan By Reginald Hayes, CampUCan founder
CampUCan 2025 brought 90 young males, ages 9-15, from diverse backgrounds and cultures to experience the love of Jesus Christ. In early August, youth from urban communities in Cincin- nati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo descend- ed into the hills of north central Ohio’s Mohican Region. Powered by Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” CampUCan challenged and encouraged young men to believe they can do all through Jesus Christ. Attendees who are fatherless, hopeless, frustrated, seemingly hostile, unreachable, unwilling, fed-up, lost, broken, hurting, alone, and struggling were loved, re- assured, brought hope, and strengthened by devoted Christian adult male mentors along with Christian ath- letes and speakers who challenged them to live their lives in the way God created them to be. Rev. Jimmy Mann, pastor, All Nations Bible Fellowship Community Church, Dayton, served as camp pastor and encouraged the youth to believe God made them to be- come men of good character and courage. Pastor Mann also urged the young men not to let their environment, no matter how difficult, sideline them from their God-given destiny. It was a phenomenal week. We witnessed 25 decisions and 13 baptisms. SCBO, Florida Baptist Convention and Huddle Touch Sports Inc. partnered to “Touch a child, reach a family, change com-
munities, and make them better places to work, worship, pray and stay.” - Dr. Jeffrey Singletary, catalyst, Florida Baptist Convention. Kirby Mitchell, CampUCan director, said, “Growing up on Chicago’s south side, I had heard the name Jesus, and I had heard the name God. However, I didn’t know the power within those names could change a person’s life, circumstances, and situation. That revelation changed my life. When youth learn the power of and how to use the name of Jesus in any given situation, their lives will be changed. That’s the reason in John 14:13-14, Jesus says, ‘And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.’ What Cam - pUCan does is help young men know the power of Je- sus’ name.” Because they gave their lives to Jesus Christ, 25 youth will help communities all over Ohio hear more about the love of Jesus Christ. That’s why CampUCan is so essen- tial. If you are interested in financially supporting CampUCan, please make checks payable to CampUCan/SCBO and mail to 9000 Antares Avenue, Columbus, OH 43240, or donate online at scbo.org/UCAN. It’s Time to Collect Christmas Backpacks for Appalachia By Anne Lock, Christmas Backpack coordinator Once again, it’s time to think about getting involved with the Christmas Backpack Program. This program is a lifeline for children living in the Ap- palachian areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. I’m asking every church to please consider packing backpacks this year! They not only help the children but also impact the families who receive them with items that are needed, as well as the Christmas story. What a perfect way to spread the love of Jesus. Last year, we were able to send 400 backpacks. I know we can do more this year for this very important cause. Will you join me and collect Christmas Back- packs? If you need help or have any questions, please feel free to call me or email me at christmasbackpackso- hio@gmail.com. My phone number is 513-518-7051. Download the Christmas story and the gift sugges- tions at https://scbo.org/christmas-backpacks. Thank you for your support!
Job Postings
Let the Ohio Baptist Messenger help your church find a new pastor or staff member! The Messenger is offering classified ads free of charge for Ohio churches searching for new pastors and staff members. The Messenger is read by churches and individuals in Ohio and across the country. To submit a classified ad, please send brief information about the position along with a return phone number or email: classifieds@scbo.org Sugar Ridge Baptist Church, North Ridgeville, is seeking a senior pastor for full-time employment. Inquirers can find the Pas - toral Profile at sugarridgechurch.org. For additional information, contact Sugar Ridge Baptist Church at (440) 327-9465. BI-VOCATIONAL PASTOR | Central Community Church, Akron Central Community Church, Akron, is an inner-city ministry center that has made an impact in its community. Our church has 50-60 congregants from multi-ethnic cultures and language groups as one united family. Recently, our pastor passed away after a battle with cancer. We are seeking a bi-vocational pastor who is doctrinally sound, willing to love us, learn our culture, and lead us with a fresh vision to make a greater kingdom impact. The prospective candidate will lead worship services, equip us for gospel ministry, provide discipleship opportunities, and engage the men to develop leaders. We also desire the candidate to live within 10 minutes of the church. We are a Southern Baptist congregation committed to partnering locally with the Summit Association, SCBO, and SBC. We are proposing 20-25 hours per week at $2,000 per month with a reimbursement account. Please send a cover letter, ministry resume with statement of beliefs and references, as well as at least two video sermons to centralccakron@gmail.com. BI-VOCATIONAL PASTOR | Ridgewood Baptist Church, Wadsworth Ridgewood Baptist Church, Wadsworth (https://ridgewoodbaptistch.org) is seeking a bi-vocational pastor with hopes to move fully vocational in the future. We are seeking a man of God to love and lead us after the loss of our previous pastor to cancer. We are a congregation of 40-50 in average attendance in a community of approximately 25,000, with fifty percent of the pop - ulation lost without Christ. We are seeking someone preferably willing to preach from the King James Bible. We are seeking someone to love and lead us to engage our community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do not desire someone with a reformed persuasion. We believe scripture teaches the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. We desire a pastor who believes evangelism is import- ant and part of the discipleship process. If you are interested in becoming our next pastor, please send your resume to: Ridgewood Baptist Church, c/o Search Team, 7891 Ridge Rd., Wadsworth, OH 44281, or email our AMS at summitassociationams@gmail.com. BI-VOCATIONAL PASTOR | First Baptist Church, Beaver First Baptist Church, Beaver, Ohio, is searching for a bi-vocational pastor to shepherd God’s people. If you feel God leading you to a new ministry challenge or have a desire to assist a church in completing the building of a new worship center, we would welcome your inquiry. Send resumes to the attention of David Burchett in care of First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 44, Beaver, Ohio 45613. SENIOR PASTOR | Sugar Ridge Baptist Church, North Ridgeville FULL-TIME KIDS MINISTER | Jersey Church, New Albany The Kids Minister at Jersey Church plays a vital role in leading children from birth through 5th grade to know and follow Jesus in age-appropriate and engaging ways. This position is responsible for creating a fun, welcoming, and spiritually rich environment where kids can grow in their faith and understanding of who God is. A key emphasis is partnering with parents in the spiritual development of their children and helping every child feel seen, known, and loved. Apply online at https://jerseychurch.org/ resources/employment/. SENIOR PASTOR | Hillcrest Baptist Church, Carlisle Hillcrest Baptist Church is looking for a new senior pastor following the retirement of Pastor Larry Lambes at the end of August. Please send a resume, statement of beliefs, and references to hbcadm820@gmail.com.
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