A Defining Moment, the philanthropic initiative of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville “to touch the nations for Jesus Christ,” held its third annual meeting Oct. 9 at the Westin Poinsett Hotel in downtown Greenville.
Attending the Greenville meeting were, from left, LifeWays Jimmy Hester, ADM campaign chairman Jimmy Draper and Greenville businessman Jack Shaw.
“The time is right for us to do the things we’re doing,” said Jimmy Draper, the retired president of LifeWay and now chairman for A Defining Moment.
ADM is focusing its efforts and channeling its funds toward three projects: Chinese Bible translation, True Love Waits International, and Kenya discipleship.
The projects were decided upon by a group of advisors to Draper known as the president’s cabinet. The projects will cost an estimated $10.5 million to complete. Draper reported at the Greenville meeting that more than $9.5 million has been pledged, with nearly $3.7 million already in hand.
Participants in the Greenville meeting included Rick Fisher, former pastor of Lexington Baptist Church and chairman of the SCBC Executive Board, and now foundation director for The Cliffs Communities and executive director of The Carolina Legacy Trust. Fisher serves on the president’s cabinet representing the trust, which last year pledged $1 million to the campaign.
Also involved in A Defining Moment as a major donor is Jack Shaw, chairman and CEO of Shaw Resources, Inc., of Greenville. Shaw, a member of First Baptist Church in Taylors, also is a member of the SBC Executive Committee and a trustee of the Southern Baptist Foundation.
Fisher and Shaw are among Greenville area business leaders who are involved in A Defining Moment.
The New Testament portion of the Chinese Standard Bible in Mandarin is now being distributed throughout the world. Unlike the Chinese Union Version of the Bible widely used by believers in China today – especially in the house churches – the CSB New Testament is a more readable and more accurate translation.
It is viewed, however, as “a helper” rather than a replacement for the CUV. A parallel edition of the CUV and the CSB is set for publication in December, followed by distribution efforts aimed at China’s house churches during December and January.
To date, more than 200,000 copies of the CSB New Testament are being distributed throughout the world. Last summer, copies of the Mandarin Gospel of John were offered free during the Beijing Olympics. Work is progressing on the Old Testament.
True Love Waits International is bringing the message of abstinence from sex until marriage to six African nations, primarily in the sub-Saharan region, and is credited with saving countless lives both physically and spiritually – in an area ravaged by AIDS.
Worldwide, AIDS kills one person every 10 seconds, and the most concentrated and high-risk area is the continent of Africa. It has been estimated that more than 60 percent of the world’s HIV cases are among people living in sub-Saharan Africa, a region which accounts for 10 percent of the world’s population.
Today, through a program begun some 15 years ago, millions of young people worldwide have signed commitment cards vowing to maintain sexual purity until they are married.
A Greenville native, Jimmy Hester, is director of student ministry publishing at LifeWay and project coordinator for True Love Waits International. Hester was minister of education at First Baptist Church in Florence for more than five years before joining LifeWay 24 years ago.
The 2 Timothy Discipleship-Kenya project aims at facilitating discipleship training in more than 3,500 Kenyan churches. Kenya, where the South Carolina Baptist Convention established one of its earliest missions partnerships, was selected by ADM due to its strategic location on the African continent and its ability for impacting surrounding countries.
The Kenya effort is guided by the apostle Paul’s instructions to Timothy, saying in 2 Timothy 2:2, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”
During his final years as president of LifeWay Christian Resources, Draper launched A Defining Moment as a $29 million campaign with a variety of ministries to promote evangelism and discipleship. The current LifeWay president, Thom Rainer, also is committed to supporting and completing the initiative.