Fox Valley Baptist Association

It has been my pleasure to serve the churches and missions affiliated with FVBA this last year. It is exciting to see how the Lord has been at work. We want to welcome three new pastors to FVBA: Pastor Alan Lewis FBC Harvard, Pastor Scott Ballance FBC Calvary Baptist Elgin, Pastor Jerry Gleason, Twin Oaks Baptist Church Sleepy Hollow.

We also welcome three new churches to their first FVBA Annual Meeting: Bethel Baptist Church, St. Charles, FBC Channahon—Pastor Randy Blan, New Hope Baptist Church, Aurora.

I want to personally thank Vision Team Leaders Frank Russo—Church Planting and Rick Springer—Church Strengthening who have given so much of themselves in service to the churches of FVBA. Each of these men have completed their 2 year term of service.

During this coming year we are moving to a regional approach on our Vision Team. In the past we have operated with a Vision Team Leader for Church Strengthening, Missions, and Church Planting. While these areas will remain the priorities of FVBA, we will approach them in a different manner. Each regional Vision Team Leader will work with the Pastors and Church Leaders of his region to address these priorities. The regions and Vision Team Leaders for this coming year are:
Hispanic Churches—Vision Team Leader Victor Mendoza(Iglesia Bautista Emanuel Aurora, First Baptist Meadowdale, Iglesia Bautista Be-Tel Cicero, Iglesia Bautista Betania Elgin, Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva Elgin, Iglesia Bautisa Eden Woodstock; Iglesia Bautista Fundamento Solido Wheeling, Iglesia Bautista Nueva Esperanza Mendota, Iglesia Bautista Piedra Angular.)

North Region—Vision Team Leader Roger Lance(FBC Crystal Lake, FBC Harvard, Lighthouse Fellowship Huntley, Victory Rock Marengo, FBC McHenry, Doxa Fellowship Woodstock)

Central Region—Vision Team Leader Matthew Johnson(Bartlett Baptist, Bethel Baptist St. Charles, Twin Oaks Baptist, Calvary Baptist Elgin, Larkin Avenue Elgin, Cornerstone Community North Aurora, Emmaus College Church DeKalb, Sycamore Baptist, Emmaus Community Church Genoa)

South Region—Vision Team Leader Randy Blan(Ultimate Faith Bolingbrook, Victory Baptist Mendota, Calvary Baptist Montgomery, FBC Channahon, New Hope Aurora, The Journey Sugar Grove)
The theme of the IBSA Annual meeting in November is “Churches on Mission,” so the primary emphasis this year will relate to sending missionaries. In 2011, the IBSA Missions Team goals include partnering with IBSA churches and associations to send believers to 100 mission destinations and we need your help to see this vision become a reality. One component of this strategy is for Illinois Baptists to go to every association in Illinois. To cooperate with this effort we would like to participate in a one day Missions Spectacular for FVBA during the summer of 2011. We would need to offer 10-12 mission projects for Illinois Baptists who would come for that one day emphasis. We would like for your church to suggest a project in your area. Here are some possibilities: one day sports camps, one day Bible camps, prayer walking, nursing home ministry, small construction projects, painting, block party, biker outreach, outreach to needy, etc. "The Illinois Baptist" paper is now available free of charge to every family in your church. The only requirement is your church needs to request it and send the home addresses to IBSA. Please take advantage of this.

Very soon you will be hearing about Acts 1:8 Foundation giving. Southern Baptists will be given an opportunity to invest in their local church and missions through investment or endowment giving. The suggestion for giving to the Acts 1:8 Foundation is 20% to the local church and 20% each to IMB missions, North American missions, Illinois Missions, and Fox Valley Missions. I would encourage all of our churches to take a look at this as an approach to faithful stewardship.

Changes are on the horizon for my role as missionary. With the passage of the Great Commission Task Force Report at our last Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention NAMB has been given a greater emphasis on church planting in North America and changes in the cooperative agreement with IBSA. That will mean some changes for subsidized DOM's such as myself. We know that nothing much changes for 2011, but beyond that no one can be sure at this point.

We can know that the Lord has a plan and it will be good.Looking forward to 2011. Below are few ministries of Fox Valley Baptist Association that will be of interest to you that began in 2010 and will continue into 2011.

Church StrengtheningThrive is a NAMB (DOM led) pilot program deisgined to assist pastors to lead their churches develop and implement thier mission statement, vision statement, and strategic plan. Three Thrive groups met in FVBA last year:one at Victory Rock Marengo on the third Saturday of each month, a second group on the third Tuesday of each month at Cornerstone North Aurora, and a third group at Vida Nueva Elgin on the second Saturday of each month. I led the Victory Rock and Cornerstone groups and Bro. Victor Mendoza led the Vida Nueva group. Thirteen pastors and churches partcipated. A Men's Retreat and a Ladies' Retreat were held in the FVBA last Spring. The Men's Retreat was hosted by Victory Mendota with the theme "When a Man Loves a Woman." and the Ladies Retreat was hosted by Twin Oaks Sleeply Hollow.

Be watching for dates for the Spring of 2011.Be watching for dates on quarterly Youth Rallies and a Youth Camp this summer. FVBA has been blessed by the FVBA Children's Camp each summer. Leaders of the camp are talking with a group of area churches including Iglesia Bautista Emanuel Aurora and Iglesia Bautist Gethsemani Montgomery who sponsored quaterly youth rallies and a Youth Camp this past summer. It is my prayer that more of the churches affliated with FVBA can particpate in these youth events.

Church Planting
Below is a list of Church Planting efforts in FVBA. The Lord is at work in Church Planting in FVBA. Please pray for each one:
: West Chicago Hispanic Sponsoring Church Iglesia Bautista
: Emanuel DeKalb Hispanic Sponsoring Church Iglesia Bautista Emanuel
: Iglesia Bautista Nueva Esperanza Mendota Sponsoring Church Iglesia Bautista Emanuel and Victory Baptist Mendota
: Emmaus College Church Sponsoring Church Sycamore Baptist
: Emmaus Community Church Genoa Fox Valley Baptist Association
: Iglesia Bautista Piedra Angular. North Aurora Sponsoring Church
: Cornerstone Baptist North Aurora Bhutanese Mission Work Sponsoring Church Cornerstone North Aurora
: The Journey Sugar Grove—Fox Valley Baptist Association
: Spring Grove—Fox Valley Baptist Association
: Iglesia Fundamento Solido Wheeling Sponsoring Church Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva Elgin
: Earlville—Sponsored by Victory Mendota
: Elgin International Church Sponsoring Church Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva Elgin
: South Asian Mission Sponsoring Churches are Bartlett and FBC McHenry
: West Elgin—Sponsoring Church First Baptist Wooddale FVBA Missions Disaster Relief
Kent Smith is the new FVBA Disaster Relief Coordinator. Four people from FVBA attended the Streator training and 25 people attended the Disaster Relief Training at Cornerstone in August.

Block Party Trailer—FVBA is putting together a Block Party Trailer for next summer. Items needed are: trailer, snow cone machine, pop corn machine, bounce house, portable sound system, etc. If your church would like to purchase or contribute toward one of these items please let us know.

Below are three examples of FVBA Missions—Roger Lance Missions Vision Team Leader will be sharing more.
1 . Multihousing Missions Team at Bartlett Lake Apartments sponsored by Bartlett and Bethania churches. Email from Pastor Jose Luis Hernandez describing the week.
2. Email from David and Glenda Travis—mission volunteers in FVBA with the Bhutanese people. Several of the Bhutanese people have attended the ESL and Cultural Classes at Emanuel Aurora. Cornerstone Baptist is encouraging David and Glenda in their efforts.
3. Joe MacDonald FVBA Mission Service Corps Missionary who serves as Christian Business Men's Chaplain. He coordinates events such as the one below all over Chicagoland.

1) Note from Jose Luis

Brother Mark,

I just arrived home from our final day of vacation bible school. This summer's school surpassed all of my expectations. I would like to thank you for leadership in connecting Bethania with the KC missionary team. I'm extremely pleased to report 17 more lives for Christ and countless contacts that we are excited to follow up on. We found a community anxious and ready to hear about the gospel. This has been a great experience. The missionary group will enjoy a day of tourism tomorrow in downtown Chicago with one of our deacons as their guide. After they return, members from our church will meet at Larkin Avenue Baptist Church to wish them farewell at 6:00pm. We will take this time to thank them as well as recap on the entire week. If your schedule allows it, please feel free to join us. We'd like to share with you, more in detail, how much God has blessed us this week.

Jose Luis


2) Excerpts from Report from David and Glenda Travis
Ministry To Refugees From Bhutan

Social Ministry

Glenda and I have consumed many cups of tea and meals in the homes of these Buhutanese families. I always eat as they eat with my right hand. Before all meals and often before leaving either Glenda or I led the families in prayer while holding hands.


Spiritual Ministry
1. Presented four families with a copy of
a. Covenant New Testament by Tyndall Pub. Co.,
b. What Christians Believe by Moody Press,
c. Turn by Max Lucado which is a study on 2 Chron. 7:14.

Special Notes of Interest:

1. A High School senior assured me he would read the books to his father and explain the meaning. It was this family that I helped move to Pittsburg.

2. While in Pittsburg from September 10-12, I met many other refugee families. I rode up with the family to Erie, Pennsylvania, and met many more of their friends and relatives. One man asked me which god I worshipped. I told him that I worshipped only the Lord Jesus Christ. He then assured me that this was also the God he worshipped. Time did not permit any opportunity for follow up other
than to congratulate him for this decision. Pray that an opportunity for a follow up will become possible.

3. September 20, we had an appointment with a Bhutanese family who are Christians. The husband was pastor to a body of believers prior to his arrival in USA. The church now consists of only the immediate family and meets in their home. Glenda and I met two of the daughters on Sept. 17 and gave them copies of the same books that I had given earlier to other families. God only knows what our relationship with this family will become in the future.

4. Glenda and I went forward on promise of a letter to the Corner Stone Community Church which is near our area of ministry in Aurora. We are most thankful for Rev. and Mrs. Frank Russo who are wonderful people. We pray that we can eventually be instrumental in bringing many of these refugees into the church. The DOM of the Fox Valley Baptist Association, Dr. Mark Inman, introduced Glenda and I to the pastors in our area of service.

Ministry with the Larkin Avenue Baptist Church

Glenda and I are also assisting on Tuesday mornings with the Larkin Avenue Baptist Church's food panty program. We have now attended four times and have been able to extend a Christian witness to each family or person assigned to our table. This ministry is coordinated by Mrs. LaDonna Spurlock and Rev. Richard Sanders. Please pray for each of these and the other church members helping with this ministry. David and Glenda Travis


On a special note, I want to thank Alice, my wife for meeting the physical needs of Mr. and Mrs. Travis for 4 weeks and Dr. Samson for 6 weeks while they resided in our home.


Respectfully Submitted by, Dr. Mark Inman, Associational Missionary Fox Valley Baptist Association