• Contact Us
  • Classifieds
  • About
  • Home

Pathway

Missouri Baptist Convention's Official News Journal

  • Missouri
    • MBC
    • Churches
    • Institutions & Agencies
    • Policy
    • Disaster Relief
  • National
    • SBC Annual Meeting
    • NAMB
    • SBC
    • Churches
    • Policy
    • Society & Culture
  • Global
    • Missions
    • Multicultural
  • Columnists
    • Wes Fowler
    • Ben Hawkins
    • Pat Lamb
    • Rhonda Rhea
    • Rob Phillips
  • Ethics
    • Life
    • Liberty
    • Family
  • Faith
    • Apologetics
    • Religions
    • Evangelism
    • Missions
    • Bible Study & Devotion
  • E-Edition

More results...

Star Hope Baptist brims with mighty harvest of souls

November 26, 2007 By The Pathway

Star Hope Baptist brims with mighty harvest of souls

By Brian Koonce
Staff Writer

ELSBERRY – The sower sows his seeds everywhere, hoping that some fall on good soil and take root. Star Hope Baptist Church is home to fertile soil.

The small church is located in Lincoln County, in a community about 40 miles away from Hannibal. The congregation averages 70 each Sunday in worship and recently saw 47 people accept Christ as their Savior, 15 rededications and seven other decisions.

“This big an outpouring that we saw something is very unusual for us,” said Star Hope Pastor Allen Calkins. “We just did the planting, then it was just a matter of waiting for God’s anointed harvester.”

In Star Hope’s case, the harvester was Evangelist Clyde Chiles who led the church in revival in early October.

“Clyde is a true evangelist,” Calkins said. “He preached for decisions, but was not manipulative about it.”

Although Chiles was the tool, Calkins said the conversions are all God’s doing.

“Lo and behold, God showed up. He did it,” he said. “It wasn’t even something the church was necessarily begging God for. It was something God chose to do when He chose to do it.”

Many of those who made decisions were children whose only connection was the recently begun Royal Ambassador (RA) and Girls in Action (GA) programs. The church also showed a screening of “Facing the Giants,” a major motion picture with evangelical Christian themes. Calkins is counseling with the children and adults who made decisions and said that while he doubts he will baptize all 47 people, the revival services were still a great outpouring of God’s blessing.

“If we baptized a third of those it would be as much as all of last year (17) and that was our largest baptism count in decades.”

Comments

Featured Videos

Lick Creek Fellowship - A Story of Cooperation

A declining rural church faced closure after years of dwindling attendance and aging members. But after the doors closed, a small group stepped in to build something fresh from its legacy. Watch this video to hear this story of cooperation and new life.

Find More Videos

Trending

  • Eight resolutions proposed for 2025 SBC Annual Meeting

  • The blessing of staying

  • IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

  • Southern Baptists to vote on Business and Financial Plan that emphasizes trustee governance

  • Amendment on role of women in pastoral ministry fails to achieve 2/3 vote

  • Twin Rivers Association, FBC Troy donate RV trailers to families affected by Hurricane Helene

Ethics

In ‘landmark ruling,’ Supreme Court upholds Tennessee law banning gender transition treatment for minors

Timothy Cockes

In a historic decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday (June 18) that a Tennessee law banning gender transition medical treatments for minors is constitutional.

Supreme Court instructs New York to uphold religious liberty

Laura Erlanson

More Ethics Stories

Missouri

Pastors equipped through MBC readiness assessments, coaching

Brianna Boes

“If you’re a pastor, we want you to succeed.” That’s the message Dustin Burdin received when he moved to Missouri to pastor full-time at First Baptist Church, Webb City. The support from his association and from the Missouri Baptist Convention spoke immediately of a nurturing culture unlike anything Burdin had experienced before.

Copyright © 2025 · The Pathway