Pastor Pete in Asia-Pacific
By Holly Meriweather, Lead Writer • BMA of America
Pastor Pete (Pedro) Etabag began serving at Lifeword in the 1970s when it was called Harvest Gleaner Hour. Throughout his 47 years of broadcasting, he has always used the most advanced technology available to reach the nations with the gospel. With the same vision as Lifeword, he sees a world without borders as cloud technology has taken the ministry to new heights.
He loves training new media disciples, and not just in the Philippines, where he teaches and trains students at the BMA Bible College. He is also a resource for Lifeword’s global partners in the Asia-Pacific region, all of whom have technology and government hindrances. In the past year, he has dealt with harsh pandemic lockdowns and his own lengthy bout with COVID, but has not slowed down. He is always in teaching mode and available to Lifeword’s global partners.
Pastor Pete says, “The challenge in some Asian countries is that they have slow internet, and some have government restrictions.” In Cambodia, slow internet is the primary issue. Dany Seng, a self-taught English speaker, produces Khmer-language content that includes a daily program aired on government-owned radio. Years ago, she had to be very careful about biblical content, but laws now allow her to broadcast more freely.
In Laos, the country is very open about its dislike of Christians, so those who produce Lao content there must be careful. There has only been one Baptist church in Laos, and it was through BMA efforts.
Many Filipinos live in Thailand. Two years ago, Pastor Pete began asking Filipino pastors there to produce videos for the Lifeword Cloud. He will continue to push them, he says, because it is such a desperate mission field.
Currently, Pastor Pete has a burden for heavily populated Muslim areas like Mindanao (an island in the Philippines), where people need hope. He was recently contacted by newly ordained Filipino pastors Jehosua de los Santos and Nhorgan Francisco about installing a 150-watt FM transmitter and other media equipment in Mindanao. It will reach three tribal villages and add three additional languages — Tiboli, Bla-an and Bagobo. Each tribe has pastors who preach and teach the Bible in their own languages. Fortunately, he says, the Philippine government does not limit radio, especially in outlying areas. They are much more interested in what’s going on in the big cities.
Since video is the king of content everywhere in the world, especially with young people, Pastor Pete loves to train eager students through media discipleship, so they are provided with the equipment. He says they especially need to learn scriptwriting so they can produce good quality (and short) media content that people want to hear.
He dreams of a training center for media technology, where broadcasters around the world can come for training and to share ideas. In the meantime, he is reachable any time for Lifeword’s global partners’ questions and concerns.
Pastor Pete says, “Beginning with analog in 1985, I had to learn about and usually teach myself the latest technology. I never knew God would lead me down this path. I’m always researching and learning so I can continue to have media disciples. Time is short. The Lord is coming soon.”
Team Lifeword Info
Lifeword Sunday 2022 is Oct. 23! If your church would like to schedule Donny or another team member to share what God is doing through Lifeword’s ministry, contact Jennifer at jennifer@lifeword.org.
Please pray for one of our Romania team members to help develop a kids camp for Ukrainian refugees. Also pray as our Lifeword global partners work together toward one important goal — that every tribe, every tongue and every nation would know the name of Jesus!
Join us in praising God for the way He is blessing the Gaitans’ media ministry in Nicaragua as they develop teacher training videos for children’s ministry and create married couples’ studies to be used locally and in Cuba.
Preaching Fanned the Flame
By Randy Shepherd, Pastor • Spring Lake Baptist Church, Texarkana
Clif Johnson, BMAA President: We often find difficulty in making the rubber meet the road when it comes to fleshing out the theme of the national meeting. This series of articles is meant to be helpful to you in thinking of ways to make the theme of “Preaching the Word” come alive in your ministry. May the Lord richly bless you as you give His Word its rightful place.
Executive Editor’s Note: See the first two articles in this series in the May 4 and May 11 issues.
I have attended our national meeting for the 49 years that I have been pastoring, and it is my opinion that the meeting we just had is the best I have attended. A sweet spirit of fellowship and cooperation was clear in the proceedings.
Driving home from the meeting, I recalled that the last meeting I left feeling spiritually refreshed was in 2004. Comparing the two meetings, I quickly realized why they had affected me the same — it was the preaching of the Word!
I am thankful to Dr. Clif Johnson for setting the theme this year as “Preach the Word.” His preaching of II Tim. 4:1-5 presented to the BMA where our focus needs to remain as we strive to fulfill our mission statement. This emphasis was backed up so well by the continued preaching of the Word. Richard Smith, Jason Goodwin and Johnmichael Poulin added fire to my flame, challenging me to remain faithful to my calling to preach the Word.
Jesus, freshly risen from the tomb, emphasized the Scriptures concerning Himself to His followers (Luke 24). Should we be doing anything less today? The infallible Word of God must continue to be the only authority by which the BMA continues to evangelize and disciple all nations.
With those thoughts in mind, may I encourage all of us toward these three goals for the remainder of the year:
• Practice what you preach. If we say that the Bible is sufficient for us, and is our highest authority, then let us make it a habit of asking the question “What does the Bible say about this” in every area of our lives.
• Pray for the pastors and churches around you. If we want to strengthen our fellowship within the BMA and expand our reach as the BMA into all the world, then praying for one another must be a priority. We are not in competition with one another, we are to be complementing one another. When we read of another church gaining members, we should go to the Lord in thanksgiving. When we hear of a church struggling or suffering sorrow, we should intercede for them. Our external missions and ministry efforts may only be as effective as our internal prayer meetings.
• Meet with the pastors around you. One of the most encouraging exercises a pastor can experience is the fellowship of other soldiers who are fighting the same type of fight. Encourage one another to stick to the text when preaching! Bounce thoughts off one another as to the meaning and application of the text, and build one another up to preach the Word!
Seven Ways Your Church Can Lead in a Post-Roe World
By Mary Holloman, Communications Coordinator • The Pregnancy Network
How does the church become the safest place for women facing unplanned pregnancies in a post-Roe world? What does this look like in practice?
“If Roe is overturned, are you out of a job?”
The question didn’t surprise me. Having worked at a pregnancy resource center for nearly a decade, I’ve noticed a common theme among those of us who identify as pro-life — we’re obsessed with Roe v. Wade; and understandably so. Roe represents a pivotal time in our country’s history — the establishment of a woman’s absolute, constitutional right to abortion. Many of us have prayed fervently for an end to Roe, while grieving the more than 63 million lives lost to abortion since 1973.
In the wake of the unprecedented leak of the Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we find ourselves facing the very real possibility of a post-Roe world — a world where hundreds of thousands of children will now have the chance to live.
But a post-Roe world wouldn’t mean the end of abortion. Rather, decision-making about abortion would return to individual states. As many as 21 states are poised to either ban abortions or severely restrict them.
A Possible Post-Roe World
So back to the question so many are asking — would the end of Roe mean the pro-life movement is “out of a job”? The end of Roe changes everything; but in many ways, it changes nothing.
As we rejoice over the thousands of lives that could be saved, we must also prepare for the reality that this decision would be frightening news for many women. For the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, fear is a powerful force in her decision-making, and abortion may feel like the only way out. That fear may be amplified even more if her “way out” becomes harder to obtain.
Abortions may decrease, but the number of women in need of support during and after pregnancy will only increase. So the church must lead the way by welcoming mothers and families with acts of service and sacrificial love.
How does the church become the safest place for a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy? What does this look like in practice? Here are seven suggestions for how your church can lead the way in a potential post-Roe world:
• Reach out to your local pregnancy resource center. There are more than 2,500 pregnancy resource centers across the United States. Each of these depends on the involvement and support of local churches to serve women and families. Take the initiative to invite a representative to your church for a meeting to listen and learn how you can come alongside them in a post-Roe world.
• Give financially. Evaluate your church budget and consider how to give sacrificially to meet the needs of women in unplanned pregnancies. At The Pregnancy Network (TPN), we challenge churches to give monthly. If it takes about $1,200 (estimated based on costs of a pregnancy test, ultrasound, RN services, classes, advocacy, etc.) to empower one woman to choose life, how many women could your church empower?
• Speak from the pulpit. According to a Lifeway Research study, half of men whose partners received an abortion were attending a Christian church at the time. Another study found more than 4 in 10 women were attending church at the time of their abortions, but only 7% of women discussed their decision with anyone at their church. Pastors and church leaders must not shy away from addressing these difficult topics. Rather, a gentle and regular cascade of truth, wrapped in love and compassionate support, must be the anthem of every church. When we refuse to discuss abortion, unplanned pregnancy and the hard choices surrounding each, it fosters a fear of judgment and rejection in the hearts of mothers and fathers.
• Share stories. At TPN, we’ve made a concerted effort to share stories through video, podcasts and blogs and have seen them make a significant impact within the church. When we share stories of the brave women who choose life in the face of immense social and economic pressures, we stir the hearts of church members, build compassion and normalize conversations around these tough topics. Ask your partnering pregnancy center for any videos they have. If they don’t have any, consider offering your available resources to help create content.
• Serve as mentors. At TPN, our Connect Program links women facing unplanned pregnancies with women in the church to create long-term, healthy support networks. We’ve had church members help new mothers unload moving trucks, cook dinners, provide Christmas gifts, donate furniture and cars, attend doctor appointments and organize playdates. By living life together with women in the church, young mothers are learning they’re truly not alone, even long after giving birth. If your local pregnancy center doesn’t have a mentorship program in place, ask what you can do to help get one started.
• Initiate relationships with local organizations that help women and families. Identify five organizations in your area that specialize in supporting women, children and families, then reach out to schedule a meeting. From there, you can find out which ones your church is uniquely equipped to serve, and delegate a few church members to serve as liaisons. Some ideas to get you started are your local pregnancy center, foster care organizations, maternity homes or your county’s department of social services.
• Pray. God uses prayer to transform the hearts of His people and move them to action, and a true culture of life within the church must begin with fervent prayer. Start with a small group of leaders within your church or schedule a church-wide prayer meeting. Ask God to reveal the ways your church is uniquely equipped to serve women and families within your community. Then pray that God will break your hearts over abortion and foster a compassionate love for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
The Heart of the Pro-life Movement
If the goal of the pro-life movement were to overturn Roe, then yes, many of us would be out of a job in a post-Roe world. But while legislation is a necessary and integral part of the work to uphold the sanctity of life, it’s not our ultimate aim.
We are pro-life because we recognize that an assault on human life — on image bearers — is an assault on our Creator. In his book Knowing God, J.I. Packer makes the argument that those who know God have great energy for God. He says, “While their God is being defied or disregarded, they cannot rest; they feel they must do something; the dishonor done to God’s name goads them into action.”
So, brothers and sisters in Christ — we cannot rest. Because we love God, we love the women and men facing unplanned pregnancies and their unborn children. Because we love God, we will continue to be innovative in the ways we create a culture of life within our churches. Because we love God, we will lead the way in helping families flourish and thrive in our communities.
Are we out of a job? No — the work has just begun.
— Mary Holloman is the communications coordinator for The Pregnancy Network in Greensboro, North Carolina. She has written for numerous organizations and is a contributing author of two books. Her debut picture book, The Anxious Lily (End Game Press) releases in 2023. This article is shared with permission from Lifeway Research. The original article can be found at research.lifeway.com/2022/05/12/7-ways-your-church-can-lead-in-a-post-roe-world.
MOVING with Ministers and Staff
To view previous listings from this column, visit our website at
www.baptisttrumpet.com.
Bryce King is the new pastor of Lone Oak Baptist Church near Blytheville.
In This Issue
Cleaver: And the Winner Is... (pg. 5)
Leading Requires Humility (pg. 3)
Parenting with End Times Prophecy (pg. 6)
Spotlight on Missions: Ballard (pg. 5)
The Marker’s of God’s Goodness (pg. 2)
Reddin Publishes Devotional Book
By Wade Allen
101 Cups of Coffee, a daily devotional book by George L. Reddin, was unveiled on April 19 at the annual session of the BMA of America in Springfield, Mo. Lifeword Executive Director Donny Parrish offered Reddin space at the Lifeword display for book signing and initial sales. Reddin served as Lifeword director from 1986 to 2011.
Reddin draws on his 23 years of service as a pastor and 31 years at Lifeword to offer inspiration for spiritual growth and encouragement. The book is a compilation of selected articles he has written in church bulletins and Lifeword publications and focuses on BMA people, churches and cooperative work.
“It offers insights into biblical passages, explores the wonders of congregational and denominational life and inspires believers who dare to excel as Christian warriors,” Reddin explained.
Reddin and his wife, Jerene spent Tuesday signing books and greeting friends at the national meeting. He said it brought back memories of helping man the Lifeword booth at the BMA meeting over the years.
“Donny Parrish was so gracious to haul the books from the printer in Conway to the BMA meeting and offer me a spot at the Lifeword table. We sold a lot of books, but the best parts were the hugs and kind words from so many friends — it was like a family reunion. Health issues have prevented my attendance at the BMA for the past few years, and I have missed it so much. Seeing everyone was a real shot in the arm,” Reddin said.
Books are available for $16 (including sales tax) by calling or texting Jerene Reddin at (501) 733-0996, emailing her at reddin.jerene@gmail.com or writing to the Reddins at 9 Cumbrian Drive, Bella Vista, Ark. 72714.