A Tribute to Brother Jim Orrick
By: Kenny Hurst, Pastor, Storms Creek Missionary Baptist Church and Director, BFM
Bro. Jim Orrick and his wife Irene
To say that Jim Orrick loved Baptist Faith Missions goes without saying. It is like saying the people of Kentucky love basketball: their actions speak for themselves. Brother Orrick, by his actions, demonstrated his love for missions every day of his life.
I became a member of Storms Creek in October 1980. Brother Orrick had already been pastor of this historic church for seventeen years, having been called as pastor in October 1963. What impressed me most about him was his love for the Lord, the Word, and missions. He loved missions, especially BFM, and those who faithfully served as missionaries. Brother Orrick always had the missionaries come to Storms Creek when on furlough. He treated them like royalty, for that is how he viewed them. Many people may not know that Brother Orrick led Storms Creek, which is not a large congregation, to give fifty percent of their tithes and offerings to missions, the majority being designated to BFM. In doing this, he was sometimes taking money from himself and his family, but he was willing to make that sacrifice for the good of BFM. Every year he encouraged Storms Creek to give a special Thanksgiving and Founder’s Day offering, a tradition we continue to this day. My love for missions and Storms Creek’s love for missions was fueled by the example of Brother Orrick. He faithfully served as a director and executive secretary for years, in addition to being responsible for addressing the mission sheets each month. BFM has never had a greater friend or supporter than Jim Orrick.
In 2000, the Lord called me to preach, and in 2001, I was called to serve as co-pastor with Brother Orrick. Everyone knew,though, that he was really the pastor, and I was just assisting him. But he was insistent I be called co-pastor. His purpose for this was his upcoming retirement, and he was preparing me to take over the church full-time. Also, Brother Jim wanted to make sure the church continued its support of BFM. He did not want another pastor coming in and changing the way the church supported missions. In March 2005, he retired after forty-one years of faithful service to the church. As a pastor, what I remember most about him was his ability to say in thirty minutes what it took other men to say in sixty; he was not a long-winded preacher, but he was sound in what he preached. He had a tremendous influence on me, especially in the way he handled funeral services. I learned from him that funerals were the best opportunity to preach the Gospel. Those who knew Brother Orrick know how much he liked to laugh; he had a great sense of humor and loved to show it. He stood up for what he believed in, especially when it came to God’s Word and its importance in a believer’s life.
When Brother Orrick retired, he and Irene stayed at Storms Creek and turned the leadership of the church over to me. He was never critical and never offered any advice unless it was asked for, but supported and encouraged me in every way. For that, I will be forever grateful. He was my mentor and friend; I dearly loved him. I was so sad to hear of his passing. I am going to miss talking to him on the phone and hearing him preach at our Homecoming service each year. I take comfort in the fact that I know he is with his blessed Lord. There is only one Jim Orrick, and I had the privilege of working with him. May God bless all of those whom Brother Orrick touched during his ministry.
Yours in Christ,
Kenny Hurst
[Full obituary for Bro. Jim Orrick can be found here.]
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2014 Spring Conference [Tuesday Evening]
The 54th Annual Spring Conference continued this evening at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. We were all thankful to be worshipping inside as it was raining and starting to get a bit chilly outside!
♪ Bro. Donnie Hamilton led the congregation in “Love Lifted Me” and in a new song by the Gettys called “Hear the Call of the Kingdom”. [You can listen here.] ♪
♪ Shirley Messer and Heather Messer Carrus sang “The Power of the Cross” just before the message. ♪ Took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross! ♪
Bro. Jim Orrick, Director of BFM, gave a history of the beginnings of BFM. Bro. Orrick has been at every Spring Conference since they started in 1961 (except for one when he had fallen off a ladder and broken his hip, but he still received a phone call from the pulpit so his perfect attendance would stay in tact!).
You can’t read the Bible without seeing that God has a heart for missions. In fact, God was a missionary. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son…” –Galatians 4:4 // John 3:17
BFM has been in existence for 72 years. Hundreds of churches have been established and are still functioning all over the world.
It all began in the land of Brazil. Before BFM came along, at the end of the Civil War, some in the South decided to move to Brazil. A Confederate officer who had moved there with his family ended up returning to the States and wrote an article about the need for missionaries in Brazil. A man named William Bagley read the article and heeded the call, arriving in Brazil in 1881. He also wrote articles about the need for missionaries in Brazil, which were read by E.A. Nelson in Kansas. Nelson went to Brazil in 1891. With the help of Solomon Ginsberg, a saved Jewish man who was a missionary, they organized a church in 1897 and the first Baptist converts were baptized in the Amazon River. In 1900, Nelson organized the First Baptist Church of Manaus.
Meanwhile, in western Kentucky, a very mission-minded pastor, Boyce Taylor, had founded the Western Kentucky Bible Institute. His brother, WC Taylor, shared with him about “poor old Nelson” who was all alone down in the Amazon Valley. In 1922, WC went to Brazil and upon his return, the First Baptist Church of Murray, Kentucky, organized the Amazon Valley Baptist Faith Mission with the purpose to raise support for E.A. Nelson and any other preacher called to the Amazon. They raised $3,000 to buy a boat they called “The Buffalo”–it was the first oil-burning oil boat on the Amazon River.
In 1936, LM Bratcher (Harold’s uncle) went on a river trip with Nelson where Nelson became very ill and had to return to Manaus. He died in 1939 and all the stores in Manaus closed for his funeral.
The Amazon Valley BFM had sent out 8 missionary couples, but only 2 of them had stayed on the field any length of time. The first was Joseph Brandon who went to Brazil in 1923. He organized the first Baptist Church in all of the Acre Territory, where Bro. Mike Creiglow is now.
Brandon changed sponsoring churches often and ended up losing his support. He met with HH Overbey and ZE Clark and they agreed if Brandon would go back to Brazil, they would raise support for him. HH Overbey promised to print monthly mission letters. This was the beginning of BFM.
There were 30 copies printed of the first Mission Sheet in which the offerings were recorded (a grand total of $14.50 for the first month).
The second missionary was RP Hallum who went to Peru with his family in 1935. They were supported by leftover funds in the Amazon Valley BFM at First Baptist in Murray. In 1937, they organized the First Baptist Church of Iquitos with 11 members, the oldest Baptist Church in Peru.
There have been many missionaries who have served in different countries over the years, including a native missionary in Columbia, a family in Honduras, the Carvers in Korea, 3 families in the Philippines, in addition to our current missionaries who are serving in Brazil, France, Kenya, and Peru.
Our missionary family has not been large, but their service has been long and their faithfulness has been great.
In closing, Bro. Orrick mentioned four things churches can do to help BFM.
1) Invite the missionaries into your churches when they’re home so you can get to know them.
2) Encourage people to read the Mission Sheets.
3) Promote offerings, special offerings, and projects
4) Give Memorial Offerings when people pass away
♪ Following the first message, we sang “Send the Light” and then the conference offering was given as Bro. Stanley & Sis. Emily Keyes from Illinois ministered in song through trombone, piano, and voice. ♪ O What Love ♪ (Lyrics)
There was a record number of BFM-associated families who were present and we recognized their years of sacrifice and faithful service. Missionary families represented included the Turners, Lauermans, Bratchers, Hatchers, Creiglows, Adams, Drapers, and Radfords.
♪ Wanda Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, sang a beautiful version of ‘Tis So Sweet, part of which was in Portuguese.
Paul Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, brought the second message from John 17. He started by reminding us that it’s all about sowing and plowing, and sowing and plowing, and sowing and plowing, and eventually, there will be a harvest.
The Gospel has to be put out there and sown day after day. Even in all of our goof-ups and mess-ups, God has taken all of these things and has made it work. The Gospel has been sown and God makes it produce. From Christ to our day, people have been sowing and reaping and sowing and reaping. So here we are, sowing and reaping. And since we are sowing and reaping, there will be another generation who will sow and reap. The work doesn’t depend on us though–our Heavenly Father makes it all grow.
No one will come to salvation without knowing the Son. People have to hear about and be introduced to this wonderful Jesus.
How marvelous that He would choose to dwell in earthly vessels like you and me.
God loves sinners who don’t have anything to return. Our world is reciprocal and the love of the world is reciprocal. Give to them and they give to you. But that is not God’s love. His love is love because He loves. It is His nature to love.
Our unity, which is a product of our love, is what will convince the world that Christ has come. “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me.” -John 17:21
What do you have that is different? God became a man and lives inside of you!
The day of salvation has arrived because you have arrived. But it’s not because of anything you have–but because HE dwells within you.
We ended the evening by singing, “Jesus, I am Resting”.
♪ Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed! ♪
We hope you can join us tomorrow! [Schedule]
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FaithWORKS Report [June 2012]
“BRING AN OFFERING…” Psalm 96.8
How to contribute to the missionaries who receive their support through BFM
1 – You can write and mail your checks to Baptist Faith Missions | George Sledd,
Treasurer | P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe FL 32747-1280 | grsledd@hotmail.com
2 – You can contribute online via debit or credit card by clicking on our DONATE/SUPPORT page. Click the appropriate button and follow the prompts.
3 – You may also enroll in an automatic recurring contribution program by going to the
same DONATE/SUPPORT page on our website and follow the prompts.
If your contribution is for a specific missionary or project, you should so designate it.
The greatest need we have each month is for the GENERAL FUND. The GENERAL FUND supplies the essential commitments we have made to our missionaries to maintain their ministries.
FURLOUGH ANNOUNCEMENT
Sheridan and Anita Stanton are planning to be Stateside until the end
of the year. If you wish to contact him for availability to schedule a visit to your church,
you may email him at sestantonperu@hotmail.com or 859.490.5370. Their Stateside
address is: 1012 Balsam Drive, Lexington KY 40504 | 859.277.3716
FOUNDER’S DAY – JUNE
The original post concerning Founder’s Day and promotional materials may be found by clicking here.
June is almost past – but it is still not too late to give an offering in honor of Founder’s Day. And, even if you never knew and do not remember BFM’s first founders from 70 years ago, you can still respond to the call and mandate of our faith’s FIRST AND ORIGINAL FOUNDER, JESUS CHRIST. He is ‘the Author and Finisher of our faith.’ He is THE FOUNDER and PERFECTER.
Here’s what each of us can do:
PASTORS – we encourage you to observe a special Missions or Great Commissions Emphasis Sunday and give your church the opportunity to give to the BFM General Fund. Emphasize Jesus’ command to preach His Gospel to all nations. That is what our missionaries are doing. That is the original burden and vision that inspired the founding of BFM. We are continuing to perpetuate that vision and burden. That is what we are supporting when we give to BFM’s General Fund. We will use these offerings to continue to supply our missionaries’ on-going needs.
GIVING FRIENDS – if your church is not participating in our Founder’s Day Offering, we encourage you to support your missionaries by giving a personal offering. You can give your offering by any of the means we have listed on the Contributions Page – or you can go directly to our Donate/Support page on our website and contribute through the options we have made available to you.
Of course, you can give as the Lord enables you to give – but what if every one of our missionaries’ Giving Friends gave at least a $70 offering in honor of the 70 years our missionaries have been faithfully preaching the Gospel?
MARGUERITE HALLUM
The original post Marguerite Hallum may be found here.
Marguerite Hallum was the unmarried daughter of the first missionaries BFM supported for missions in Peru. She served with them during all the years of their ministry in Peru, and then cared for them until their deaths after they returned to the States.
She lived and worked her adult years in Louisiana, but for the past six years has been living in DeLand FL in an assisted-living facility. Her niece, Teeter Mauldin, and husband, Steve, brought her to DeLand so they could care for her just a few minutes from where they live – and they did so faithfully and lovingly. Marguerite was attended constantly not only by Teeter and Steve, but also by the loving staff and visiting friends.
We had the opportunity to visit with Sister Marguerite during our BFM Winter Conference at Park Ridge Baptist Church back in January 2009, and she delighted us with her company, fellowship, and her many, many exciting stories of their ministry experiences in Peru.
Sheridan and Anita Stanton attended that same Conference, and after the Conference they spent an entire day with Marguerite as she shared with them volumes of photos and relived their experiences in Peru during earlier years.
God has called her Home to see the Face of Jesus Christ, and also to be reunited with all of her loved ones who are already there – and by the multitudes of ‘forever friends’ whom she was instrumental in sending there before her [Luke 16.9]. “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Sheridan and Anita attended her memorial service in Hammond, Louisiana on Monday, June 11, to express the love, respect, and appreciation all of us in the BFM fellowship feel toward her. Her family asked Sheridan to speak and testify to the missionary work that continues to this day because the Hallums were there.
Marguerite Hallum with the Mauldins
We encourage you to pray for Steve and Teeter Mauldin. Their email address is: steveandteeter@bellsouth.net.
You may address written correspondences to:
Teeter Mauldin
432 Rich Avenue
DeLand, FL 32724-4315
ROSES & NOSES by Jim Orrick
I recently heard a radio message where the pastor was stressing to his congregation the importance of them having their priorities in the proper order, especially in respect to their giving. He said that it is often seen at funerals where hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars, are spent on flowers that remain beautiful for only a short time and then are removed to the cemetery dump.
I laughed aloud when he said, “DEAD NOSES CANNOT SMELL ROSES.”
My father passed away in January, 1972. The weather was extremely cold, and as we drove to the cemetery, freezing rain and sleet were falling. A few hours after the service, the family went back to the cemetery to visit the grave. Several hundred dollars of flowers were on his grave, frozen stiff and covered with ice. In a few days, they would be removed to the cemetery dump.
While we all want to express our sympathy to the survivors and to show respect to the deceased, surely better use can be made of the money God entrusts us with than to give it to “DEAD NOSES THAT CANNOT SMELL ROSES.”
For years, my wife and I have made it a practice that when a member of our church congregation died, we would send a memorial offering to BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS. You can read in the MISSION SHEETS that there are others who do this also. To invest in eternal souls is better than to spend money on flowers whose beauty will fade in only a few hours.
For several months Brother Parks has been stressing the importance of giving to the GENERAL FUND of BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS. Why not make it a practice to give a memorial offering in memory of your departed friends and loved ones rather than spend it on flowers?
Remember, “DEAD NOSES CANNOT SMELL ROSES!”
2012 Thanksgiving Offering
Please be making your plans right now to give as generous and liberal Thanksgiving Offering as the Lord enables you. The needs are great and on-going. Remember, when you support the General Fund of BFM, you are supplying the essential needs of 12 faithful missionary families to obey Jesus’ Great Commission to go into all the world, preach the Gospel, baptize those believers, establish New Testament Baptist churches, and teach those churches to believe and practice everything Jesus Christ has commanded us. You will not find anywhere on this planet more Scriptural, committed, and fruitful missionaries than those who serve in partnership with BFM.
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