LOWRY CITY – First Baptist Church here hosted its third “Answer the Call” student gathering, March 31-April 2.
The gathering was born out a conversation between Pastor Jeremy Hostettler of First Baptist, Weaubleau, and Pastor Jeff Ferguson of First Baptist, Lowry City. Both pastors shared a burden about students or young adults: The students rarely say, “God has called me into full-time ministry.”
“Answer the Call” exists to help students understand and properly respond to God’s call. The two-night intensive series consisted of preaching, breakout sessions, worship and recreation for middle, high school and college students.
“Everyone must first respond to the calling unto salvation and only after that respond to the second call, the ministry calling to a specific need or people group,” Keynote speaker Todd Cobbs told students on March 31.
Jeremy Hostettler, in another sermon, preached from I Samuel 3, speaking about how students can avoid misunderstanding God’s call on their lives.
The real strength of “Answer the Call” were various breakout sessions that students could attend. Each session focused on identifying and responding to the call of God:
• Dennis and Jennifer Maupin, former IMB missionaries to Africa, shared their unique calling to go and minister in countries hostile to the Gospel using construction evangelism.
• Jeff, Amber and Parker Lowe, members at FBC Clinton, shared with students their current calling to be aviation missionaries to native Alaskans in the Aleutian Island chain. Jeff Lowe shared day to day challenges as well as how the Lord affirmed his calling to go when he was over 50 years of age.
• Ashley Daniel, a speech pathology major at Missouri State University, challenged students to overcome objections to God’s call to serve Him. Ashley related trials experienced as part of an evangelism team in Italy last year and her upcoming trip this summer to Uganda doing speech screening clinics in villages as an open door to share the gospel.
• Landon Mason, a junior at State Fair College and member of First Baptist Church, Greenridge, shared that God can call students regardless of their natural talent or experience. Mason related how the Lord recently called him to share the gospel with a Mormon friend and how that meeting led to multiple meetings with five different regional Mormon missionaries over several weeks.
• Pat Findley, the new pastor of First Baptist Church, Clinton, spoke to students from Psalm 77 about doubt and discouragement in the process of responding to God’s call on their lives. Pastor Pat related the challenges inherit with responding to a call and how some Christians even face depression like symptoms like Elijah in the midst of answering a call.
• Jeff and Amanda Sergent of Northeast Baptist Church, Clinton, related how their experiences with prior callings such as becoming foster parents, serving on church staff, and Amanda’s calling to direct a crisis pregnancy center all prepared them for their latest calling, to move to southern Alaska and do ministry with indigenous peoples there.
Worship was led by Justen McCarter from Coon Creek Baptist, Collins, and by the FBC Weaubleau worship team. Adults from FBC Lowry City provided meals each night, feeding over 100 both nights.
By press time, at least five students had come forward to trust in Christ, answering their call to salvation. One student asked to be baptized, and several more have begun to discuss the possibility of Christian service.
“Without a doubt ‘Answer the Call’ has been the best investment we have made in the lives of our students in the 24 years I have pastored here. In our community of less than Friday saw 80 students in attendance and Saturday 72 were present,” Pastor Jeff Ferguson said. “We surveyed our audience and found we had students representing seven area high schools and eight area churches. That tells me the Lord will be impacting far more students to Answer the Call after this weekend.”
Anyone interested in hosting a similar event is welcome to contact Pastor Jeff Ferguson at 660.525.4022 or at fbclc@hotmail.com.