For the location of the Chaifetz Arena, click here.

Don Browning, college and seminary classmate, even in his career in music ministry is known for his ability to tell funny stories and make us all laugh.  But in this radio conversation he shares the serious and painful drama of his daughter’s becoming a martyr while in Wedgewood Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, TX.  From the church website: Wedgwood Baptist Church is often remembered for the event that occurred on the evening of September 15, 1999. Just before 7:00 pm that evening a crazed gunman entered the building and interrupted a youth activity, a "Saw You at the Pole" prayer rally. He fired over 100 rounds from two different handguns, and exploded a homemade pipe bomb. Seven young persons were killed, and seven others were wounded before the gunman ended his own life.  Syndey Browning was among the seven who died in that nightmare.  (Learn more at www.wedgwoodbc.org, including how to obtain Don Crawford’s book of the story, A Night of Tragedy, A Dawning of Light.) Don also reflects upon the memorial service held in the Texas Christian University football stadium wherein he and others spoke comfort and witness as to the grace of God in the painful trial.  Then Governor George W. Bush of Texas attended and ministered to Don and Diana.  The service was aired by CNN and was seen around the world.  The interview is additionally stirring as we hear Sydney Browning’s recorded voice sing about where she is right now: “O They Tell Me of a Land” and “I’ll Fly Away.” Don and Diana have been asked, “How can you go on after this?”  They answer that “going on” in their ministry and Christian living is their way of affirming the Biblical truth and their solid assurance that Jesus is able to provide comfort and victory through everything that we face in life…and death.  They rejoice in knowing that their beloved Sydney is in Heaven. They rest securely in the Scriptural promise that for the believer in Jesus “…to be absent in the flesh is to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8)

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Bob Caldwell began leading youth mission trips to urban areas in the early 1990’s.  From those early days churches wanted their young people to be a part of a sound and trusted summer witness and discipleship mission experience.  Thus was born Global Encounter Ministries (www.globalencounter.org), described on their website as “… a conservative, evangelical, para-church organization …” whose mission is “… Loving, winning, and training men and women as fast as possible in order to fulfill the Great Commission.”  Now each summer scores of churches send their young people by the hundreds to GEM sponsorship to advance the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:19, 20) in inner-city areas. 

In this radio conversation, Bob Caldwell shares specifics of the Global Encounter vision and activity.  A great strength of GEM is that, regardless of the size of a church, any church can send even one youth to a sound, discipling, witnessing, “fired up” youth mission ministry – a ministry with a good extended “track” record -- through participation in the Global Encounter summer experience.   

Following his sharing the vision in this “on demand” radio interview, Bob includes an expression of appreciation for GEM’s partnership with and support from the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Should young people in your church be a part of next summer’s Global Encounter mission trip?

For more see http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/10713.article.

Covenant Seminary (www.covenantsemainary.edu) President Dr. Brian Chapell delivered a compelling message at the Dr. M.L. King Celebration of Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church (www.ftmbc.org) in St. Louis, MO.  His inspirational content addressed the issues of the Bible and race, including observations from the 2008 Presidential election.  You can now hear his message as presented at Friendly Temple Church -- edited to fit radio time constraints -- as it was aired on KSIV radio in St. Louis, a part of Bott Radio Network (www.bottradionetwork.com).

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Charles Chatman’s life was in danger through his failing kidneys.  Remarkably, 13 people offered to provide him one of their kidneys.  But it was his daughter who had the joy of donating a life-saving kidney to her own father.  In this radio interview shortly after the transplant, Charles and Cindy Chatman Klouse talk of their impacting experience.  Charles Chatman - pastor, evangelist, missionary, servant of the poor -  has made more that 200 ministry journeys to Haiti, among the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere.  He and his Charles Chatman Evangelistic Association (www.charleschatman.com) has built 37 church buildings there, begun other churches, fed thousands of hungry children, provided medical clinics, and sponsors an orphanage for several hundred children.  Corporately 3,500 have gone on short term mission trips sponsored by his Association.  Within one year of receiving Cindy’s donated kidney, Charles made three preaching trips to Jamaica, scheduled other missions there, and made one evangelistic preaching trip to the Ukraine in the former Soviet Union.  Many thousands have come to faith in Jesus through this great and humble ministry.

Larry Collett led the Cass Bank Corporation in St. Louis to blossom regionally and nationally with a major focus on financial support of all kinds of Christian ministries.  The high integrity level and outstanding track record of Larry Collett and the Cass banking system has attracted multiple ministries to partner with them in areas requiring financing.  Cass’s open support of ministries local and nation wide, including their heavy focus on serving the needs of minorities, has grown their community trust through the years, now extending more than a century.   (www.cassbank.com).  Larry Collett’s long record of personal credits include his serving in 1999 as the General Chairman of The Billy Graham Crusade of Greater St. Louis.

Sharon and her husband Mike Cordner experienced a growing hunger to surrender everything to Jesus and serve Him completely. In the process they discovered Pastors John Mulinde of Uganda and Mark Daniel of Orlando of the World Trumpet Mission (www.wtmamerica.com). John Mulinde had for years, with others, had intently sought spiritual transformation for his HIV/AIDS-ridden nation, literally threatened with extinction by the dreaded epidemic. With great prayer and fasting, God’s transformation has wonderfully advanced in Uganda, resulting in Pastor Mulende being invited to many parts of the world to report the ways of God in bringing about that transformation, thus seeking the advancement of transformation in other parts of the world. Sharon Cordner, out of her deep sense of commitment, accepted the invitation to serve as the US Coordinator of World Trumpet Mission. In the interview she summarizes the story, and of two of John Mulinde’s prayer intercessors visiting to St. Louis, MO.

Bill Dallas (www.lessonsfromsanquentin.com) tells his remarkable story at the St. Charles (MO) Businessmen’s Prayer Breakfast.  A compelling riches-to-rags-to-prison-to-life change inspirational story.  It reminds us that no matter how far we fall or how hard we hit, our all-powerful God is available to us, working in our lives through it all. (It is reminiscent of the Chuck Colson story, once Presidential attorney who whet to prison during he Watergate era, coming out a better man.) Bill tells his story in Lessons From San Quentin: Everything I Needed to Know about Life I learned in Prison (Bill Dallas with George Barna).  This radio interview was timed to increase awareness of the Prayer Breakfast (in the St. Louis, MO, area - sponsored by St. Charles Ministry to Men – www.ministrytomen.net), but the story he tells is a timeless one of the power of God to work in each of us at the point of our deepest need!