February 25, 2003
FERGUSON – A Faith & Family Conference scheduled for April 5-7 at First Baptist Church, Ferguson, is drawing a pair of nationally known speakers in an effort to promote awareness among Christians of some of the leading issues of our day.
Dr. Richard Land and Phyllis Schlafly are coming to call Christians to action. Pastor Jim Carter is opening up his church in response to a longstanding dialogue he has been having with God, a conversation in which God helped Carter see clearly what is at stake.
"My prayer was that God would touch down in America in revival and He would also touch down in our city and our state, and certainly in our church," Carter said. "I just asked what I could do about it, and the Lord just impressed upon me to put on a conference here in St. Louis that would just be a challenge to have people hear the call of revival, and what we could do morally, politically and personally here in Missouri."
Land is known for his half-hour radio program "For Faith & Family," which goes out on more than 550 stations across the country. On the program he applies the Bible to issues that affect families and faith. Land is president of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Schlafly is founder and president of Eagle Forum, a national organization of citizens who participate as volunteers in the public policymaking process. She is the author or editor of 20 books on such subjects as family, feminism and child care. Her radio commentaries are heard daily on 460 stations.
A regional voice of conservatism who will be joining Land and Schlafly on the podium is Kenny Qualls, Missouri Baptist Convention assistant executive director for church and family equipping. Qualls will be speaking in two sessions—one focused on the theme that Christians need to make contact to have an impact, and the other under the heading "Homeland Security" during the Sunday school hour April 6.
"I’m certainly excited to be part of this ministry and I pray that the Lord will use this to help all of us be the salt and light He’s called us to be," Qualls said.
Central to what the conference is all about is placing the individual Christian at the heart of Bible-based activism. When a Christian believes that he can make a difference, Christ can be glorified throughout a society.
"The basis of the ministry that a church has is the understanding of our walk in Christ and our journey, and that includes every area of our life, not only just church attendance but what we do in business, the laws of our land, and then of course how it relates personally to our own families," Carter said.
"It is important, because we’re dealing with issues that our people in our congregations deal with every day, the decisions they make. We’re trying to have them become as informed as possible and to make Biblically based decisions."