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You have seen this little symbol (*) many times. You always look below the text to see the explanation or what is missing.

Kyle Idleman, in his book, Not A Fan, describes a very familiar commercial practice used especially by some car dealerships. The commercial blares forth that anyone can buy a car at their dealership, while on the screen there is an asterisk (*). At the end of the ad, you see the meaning of the asterisk. It reads “With Approved Credit.” So anyone does not really mean anyone! Only the qualified should seek to buy a car at that dealership.

Idleman suggests that this same approach is used in too many churches. The sign outside the church may read, “All are Welcome.” But when one ventures inside, actions speak louder than words. Sometimes the actions are subtle, while at other times not so subtle.

What happens at your church? How do you act toward strangers in your midst? What signals are sent to those who dare walk through the doors? Do you and your church send the signal that only those who are approved need walk through the door? Do we really mean we are open to everyone?

Think of how a stranger feels who is bold enough to venture into your church. Sometimes the act is as simple as a glare because the visitor is not dressed to “our standards.” I have actually watched while newcomers were asked to move because they had sat down in a regular member’s pew. Now there’s a mortal sin if I have ever seen one! Other times, the newcomer is ignored while church members focus on friends and family, leaving the guest to feel all alone.

In smaller towns, where residents know one another quite well, there is a collective gasp when known “sinners” walk through the door. Most egregious of all is when we make people of another race feel out of place.

These are all asterisks that have no place among us. Our welcome sign should match the words of Jesus. “All may come.” “Whosoever will may come.” “Let all who are thirsty come.” There are no asterisks in the Gospel and none should be a part of the church. There is no place for a welcome to only those “who are approved.”

If you, or your church, have an asterisk in your mind or in your actions, I challenge you to remove it. Jesus’ followers welcome all who are hungry and thirsty because Jesus did. The Good News is for all to hear and experience.

Anthony L. Jordan is executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

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Edna Dewey celebrates her 105th birthday on Feb. 8. That means she was born nine months before Oklahoma became a state on Nov. 16, 1907.

To help her celebrate her upcoming milestone, the Messenger staff thought it was time she had her own individual subscription to the state Baptist newsjournal. So, on Jan. 25, editor Brian Hobbs presented Edna with her own, individual subscription to the Baptist Messenger, along with an early birthday card from the Messenger staff.

Edna is an avid reader of the Messenger, having taken advantage of the Baptist Village’s copies. In the future, she will enjoy her own copies of the Messenger.

“I read the whole thing every week,” she said, adding, “I don’t really have a favorite section.”

Edna has lived at the Baptist Village since April 1999, moving recently to the Nursing Care Center from the Porter Assistance with Living Center.

She was born in Cohoors, S.D., a small community in the southeast part of that state on Feb. 8, 1907. She was the middle child in a family of nine children. Before she started school, Edna’s family moved from South Dakota to Minnesota.

When she was nine years old, Edna’s mother passed away, leaving her father as the sole provider for the nine children. This proved to be a more daunting task than he could handle, and he decided to contact Edna’s half-sister in Iowa, who then moved to Minnesota to help raise the younger siblings.

Edna attended grade school in Pequot, Minn., and graduated high school in nearby Brainerd, both in central Minnesota. By that time, Edna’s sister had graduated college and encouraged her to come back to school. She agreed, and Edna graduated with a degree in home economics. After college, Edna became a teacher, instructing students in small, one-room rural schools.

Edna met her future husband, Clifford Dewey, while at college in Iowa. They married in 1940, and Clifford served in the pastorate. Five years later, the Deweys traveled to India, where they would spend the next 32 years serving as missionaries. Their son, Frank, was born in India.

Edna recalls that living in India was quite an experience. The country was under English rule at the time, and required students to learn the English language prior to enrolling in college. Throughout their tenure in India, Edna attests to her pleasure in the eagerness of the students there to enrich and better their lives.

Included in the 32 years of mission work were four one-year furloughs back to the United States. During these times, Clifford and Edna toured the country, sharing their testimony of what God had done through their mission work and how it had impacted their lives.

Edna is slowed a bit these days by weak knees, which hampers her movement. But, up until just a few months ago, she could be seen refilling the salt and pepper shakers and folding napkins on the tables in the dining room of the care center, said Chaplain Chris Finley.

As the days go by, Edna said she continues to read her Bible—covering three chapters a day. She reads through her New International Version Bible every year. Her favorite book is Psalms.

Looking toward Feb. 8, someone asked Edna if she was going to have a big party. She shrugged her shoulders, smiled and recalled saying, “No, I’m tired of having parties!”

God has blessed her with a granddaughter, a grandson and six great-grandchildren. Edna has spent a third of her life in the mission field, and her entire life giving to others. She continues to give today with her grace and a heart full of gratitude.

Jason Davis is development and public relations specialist with Baptist Village Communities.
Bob Nigh is managing editor of the Baptist Messenger.

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Eric and Mykel McFall have been waiting for three years, and will probably never see their son, Kash, with a smile on his face.

It’s not that Kash is an unhappy child, but he was born with a rare condition called Mobius Syndrome, which affects his cranial nerve.

“Kash has facial paralysis, which renders him unable to smile or frown, and he can’t blink or squint his eyes,” said Mykel.

Kash is fortunate, Mykel said, in that he has a mild case and was diagnosed when he was 3 days old.

“It’s a blessing, because some people with Mobius Syndrome aren’t diagnosed until they are teenagers, or even adults,” she explained. “Many doctors have never heard of it, and there is no cure for it.”

Eric said the disease doesn’t affect mentality or life span.

“A lot of Mobius adults live fulfilling lives,” he noted. “One in particular was a CNN correspondent at the White House. Another case we read about was a lawyer.”

In addition to a lack of facial movement, Kash has a deformed right hand and an asymmetrical tongue, which causes struggles with speech.

“Kash is in speech therapy, and we’re seeing a lot of good things come from that,” said Mykel. “He will start preschool in August.”

The McFalls, who have been married six years and live in Carmargo in Western Oklahoma, have gone through a lot of testing to determine what genes are involved in the condition. They know that it is genetic, but Kash’s 6-month-old sister, Kennedi, has no sign of Mobius Syndrome.

The McFalls say they’ve seen a lot of miracles in Kash’s young life.

“We almost lost Kash when he was 3 weeks old due to a medical mistake,” said Mykel. “He coded, but God saved his life. So we know God has a plan for Kash, and we want to take every opportunity we can to share what God has done through his life and our lives because of him.”

With that as a catalyst, Eric, who is an electrician by trade, resigned his position as youth minister at Hammon, First, to step out and help churches understand the importance of ministering to families who have special needs children.

“Statistics show that the divorce rate is much higher for parents with special needs children, because the stress level goes way up,” said Eric. “We would like to go to churches and help train Sunday School workers on how they can minister to these children and to the parents.”

Eric pointed out that awareness is the number one problem—helping people realize there is a need to stop and ask the parents, “How can I best help your child?”

“A lot of times, the kids are just thrown in a Sunday School class, or teachers assume, because they have a handicap, they can’t learn or be ministered to,” Eric stated. “A lot of people don’t think about that. They see the handicap, and they can’t look past it.”

He emphasized that their number one goal is to share their story and raise awareness, pointing out things that have happened in their lives.

The McFalls recently shared their story at Prairie View Church near Elk City.

“We were blessed to hear their testimony,” said Pastor Charles Henthorn. “Their journey in discovering the incredible blessing they have in Kash is an encouragement worth sharing.”

“We just want an opportunity to share what God has done in our lives,” said Eric. “We believe God will open doors, and if He wants us at a training event, that’s where we’ll be. If He wants us to share our testimony, that’s what we’ll do. We feel God has a plan for everything. We know He gave us Kash for a reason, and we want to make sure we are faithful with that.”

The McFalls may be reached through their website at McFallministries.org.

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Louisiana is the most pro-life state in the country, while Washington is the least, according to AUL.

It was the second time in three years that Louisiana has held the top spot on a list based on the states’ policies on life issues such as abortion and physician-assisted suicide. Last year, Louisiana was the runner-up to Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, AUL ranked Washington, California and Hawaii as the three “least life-affirming states” for the third consecutive year.

Released Jan. 19, AUL’s seventh annual ratings show these states in the top 10 behind Louisiana and Oklahoma: 3) Pennsylvania; 4) Nebraska; 5) Arkansas; 6) Missouri; 7) Texas; South Dakota; 9) North Dakota; and 10) Indiana.

Joining Washington, California and Hawaii in the bottom 10 were: 41) Nevada; 42) Connecticut; 43) New Jersey; 44) New York; 45) Oregon; 46) Montana; and 47) Vermont.

The most-improved states, according to AUL, were Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina and Utah.

It was a record-breaking year for state regulations of abortion. AUL reported more than 70 “life-affirming, abortion-related” bills were enacted. Earlier in January, the Guttmacher Institute said states adopted 92 restrictions on abortion, far surpassing the previous high of 34. In all, 47 states considered more than 460 abortion-related proposals, according to AUL.

The rankings show “tremendous gains in defending life in law,” said Charmaine Yoest, AUL’s president. “The states are preparing for the day after Roe.”

Roe v. Wade is the 1973 Supreme Court decision that not only struck down all state abortion bans, but also had the effect of legalizing abortion for any reason through all stages of pregnancy. The Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe would return abortion policy to the states.

The pro-life laws enacted by states in 2011 included ones that:

• defunded Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
• barred abortion coverage in state insurance exchanges established by the 2010 federal health care reform law.
• prohibited abortions at 20 weeks gestation or later based on evidence a baby in the womb experiences pain by that point.
• banned “telemedicine,” or webcam, abortions, which occur when doctors at remote sites give counsel by means of videoconferencing to women seeking abortions and dispense the two-drug abortion method RU 486 to them without being in their physical presence.
• instituted new regulations for abortion clinics.

AUL, based in Chicago, is a prominent legal organization in the pro-life movement.

The “Life List,” as it is known, can be accessed online at www.aul.org/auls-life-list-2012-rankings.

The 21st Annual Rose Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol is Wed., Feb. 8.

Participants are encouraged to bring roses to their legislators, the lieutenant governor and governor and encourage the legislators to protect the unborn by introducing and supporting pro-life legislation in our state.

Compiled by Baptist Press Washington bureau chief Tom Strode.

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But wait . . . the Supreme Court declared that the unborn are sub-human, or in essence, not human at all until live birth. Tragically, the most dangerous place for a child in America is the mother’s womb. Since that declaration, states have passed laws to restrict so-called “late-term abortions.”

The battle waged for the unborn has been difficult. Public opinion has slowly shifted more and more toward the sanctity of human life and protection of the unborn. In Oklahoma, as in other states, we have seen legislative measures that have provided more recognition of the unborn child as being fully human and thus protected. That is why in many states, when someone murders a pregnant woman, the perpetrator can be tried for two murders. Yet, there is a limit to how far those laws can go.

I have long been in this battle for the unborn, and my reasons are simple. Each time my children walk through the door, I am reminded that they could have been among the dead babies ripped from their mother’s wombs by the hands of an abortionist. Both of my children are adopted.

My children are young adults today. Throughout their lives, I have taken each birthday to pray for their biological mothers. I know that somewhere in this world, there are wonderful women who chose life rather than death for their babies. They could have taken the easy route. “Get an abortion and no one will be the wiser,” touts Planned Parenthood. If their biological mothers had listened to the propaganda of Planned Parenthood, they would have considered these children nothing more than pregnancy matter; an abortion would have only removed tissue, not a child.

But their biological mothers didn’t listen to the propaganda; they followed their hearts. They gave birth to their children. My hope is that deep in the hearts of these remarkable women there is a sense that they remember the days they gave birth. I do not know where they are nor do I know if they have other children today. What I do know is that on each of my children’s birthdays, I pray for these women.

Abortion destroys. Adoption gives life. As we reflect on Jan. 22, remember that it marks one of the darkest days in the history of America—a death sentence for the unborn. But also remember the courageous women who give life to their children and give them for adoption so those children can have a chance for full and meaningful lives.

Anthony L. Jordan is executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

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“We are thrilled that the Lord has provided so abundantly,” said Anthony L. Jordan, executive director-treasurer for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

“In Oklahoma Baptist churches Cooperative Program giving, we experienced consecutive down years in 2009 and 2010. That streak has been snapped, as we exceeded our 2011 goal by more than $1 million,” he said. “Not since the 1930s have we seen a trend reversal like this.”

At the time of this writing, the BGCO Finance Office showed that $25,285,013 was given to the Cooperative Program by BGCO churches in 2011, which is 3.36 percent ($821,515) over 2010 and 4.48 percent ($1,085,013) over budget.

“The BGCO is so grateful for the generosity of Oklahoma Baptists in 2011 as we experienced a recovery in giving to CP and the SMO offering with the second highest amounts ever,” said Kerry Russell, the BGCO’s chief financial officer.

“While we rejoice, we are reminded that almost half of our associations experienced giving that was less than the prior year,” he added. “The national economic crisis in 2008 and 2009 set back CP giving by at least four years, but we anticipate improvement as we enter an election year filled with national and global economic challenges.”

Oklahoma, compared to other states, was unique in the upward trend of CP giving. Oklahoma was in a minority of states that saw an increase in its CP giving.

The increased CP giving in Oklahoma did not detract from the Oklahoma State Missions Offering.

In 2011, state leaders had set an ambitious goal of $1 million for the missions offering, which supports more than 20 vital ministries in the state. As of Jan. 12, $1.018 million had been given.

“It is a blessing to see Oklahoma Baptists catch a vision of what we can do together and answer the call to do missions in Oklahoma,” said Randall Adams, BGCO Church Outreach Team leader. Adams’ team oversees the promotion of the Oklahoma State Missions Offering.

The BGCO Finance Team, which handles all of the accounting of the giving, has studied the positive implications of the 2011 goals being met.

“While we are rejoicing in this good news, we recognize that we are still making up ground that was lost in the downturn,” added Jordan. “Nevertheless, we are grateful and feel blessed beyond measure. These dollars translate into actual ministry touching actual lives.”

For more information on giving, contact the BGCO Finance office at 405/942-3000, ext. 4549.

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Record crowds are expected at the Oklahoma State Capitol Wed., Feb. 8, at 11:45 a.m. for the 21st annual Rose Day rally as pro-life advocates gather in the fourth floor House Chamber to promote pro-life legislation.

From 9:30-11:30 a.m., participants will present red roses, as a symbol of the sanctity of life, to their state legislators and other elected officials.

Keynote speaker for the event is Abby Johnson, author of Unplanned and a former Planned Parenthood clinic director and volunteer. Johnson shares about her struggles after assisting with an abortion performed using ultrasound and witnessing a 13-week-old baby fight for her life, only to lose in the end. She battled the demons within until she resigned days later, but her battle only began as Planned Parenthood was threatened by her new voice for the unborn. Johnson will share her story through triumphs and tribulations to a motivated pro-life crowd of hundreds.

Along with Johnson’s testimony, pro-life legislators will be recognized during the rally for their support and commitment to life.

“We believe Rose Day has played a major role in the passage of significant pro-life legislation for the last several years. Because of the response of many denominations, we are anticipating another record-breaking year,” said Heidi Wilburn, public affairs consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) and Rose Day Committee Chair. “Rose Day participants will be encouraged to share their stance on the upcoming pro-life legislation with their legislators as they present them with a rose to signify the sanctity of life.”

Rose Day is sponsored by a faith-based Rose Day Planning Committee and the BGCO. Organizations, churches and individuals are encouraged to take part in the day’s activities. For more information, visit www.bgco.org/RoseDay.

For additional information or interviews, contact Hillary Glaze by calling 405/255-1365.

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This is the cry of celebration from the people of Owasso, First to our God.

Six months ago, we began to make some BOLD statements and pray some bold prayers. One of those statements was:

“We will be a generous church. We will give more than we think we can afford and trust God to provide. We will recognize that we are tremendously blessed and that because we have been given much we can give much. We will not shy away from trying to meet the needs of as many people as God entrusts to us. We will be the church that serves people and serves other churches.”

We have asked God to give us a generous heart. We have challenged one another and shaped our ministries so that we could serve people and serve other churches. And now—God has answered one of our prayers.

On Jan. 1, 2011 the people of Owasso, First owed $1 million on our current campus. By the greatness of our God and the faithful generosity of His people, today, we are debt free.

Last year was a year of transition for the people of Owasso, First. The search for our next senior pastor continues, while 2011 saw God call other key leaders to ministries in churches in other states. We’ve said from the beginning, God moves the troops around. He’s placing all the right people in all the right places to accomplish His purpose for His church in this community and around the world.

What God accomplished through the people of Owasso, First in the last few days of 2011 is another example of how He is preparing the way for our next exciting season of ministry together. What God did financially through the people of this church is nothing less than miraculous.

Between Dec. 1-31, 2011 more than $350,000 was given to eliminate our mortgage. We entered 2012 debt free.This represents more than $28,000 a month freed up to accomplish the mission and ministry of our church.

Nearly $30,000 was given to the World Mission Offering—that’s almost double what was given in 2010.

Additionally, specific ministries at Owasso, First received significant restricted designated gifts designed to enhance ministry in those areas.

All this occurred while more than $2,190,000 was given in tithes toward our Annual Operating Budget.

God’s goodness and the church members’ faithfulness are so great it’s difficult to describe! The good news keeps coming.

We began 2011 having spent more than $13,000 out of our reserves to cover regular ministry expenses. We began 2012 able to replenish those reserves, having received more than $55,000 than was spent all year long.

God is clearly positioning and equipping the people of Owasso, First to fulfill His purpose in this community and around the world.

On Sunday morning, Jan. 15, Owasso, First celebrated  the greatness of our God and the faithful generosity of His people as we burned the note. Because this is such a significant event in the life of our church we adjusted our regular schedule and brought together our entire church family between services for a special ceremony of praise and worship.

That evening, we celebrated again with a vision service and fellowship, expressing our passionate praise to God and casting vision for our next exciting season of ministry together.

God has blessed and the people of Owasso, First have demonstrated with remarkable acts of generosity that they are faithful. It’s time to give thanks, refocus our generosity, refresh our vision and get ready—God is doing something remarkable among us.

Chad Balthrop is  minister of leadership development at Owasso, First.

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