Dear Friends,
The IMB Board of Trustees officially received and approved last week our resignation from missionary service effective November 1 of this year. We remain on Stateside assignment until then, with potential for two months of salary and benefits beyond that to the end of the year if we are still not in a new job by then.
We essentially were not going to be allowed to stay with the IMB while publicly opposing candidate policy. The Lord has given us peace, led us to resign, and is leading us through multiple discussions and possibilities about our future role. We will keep you posted. In the meantime, we continue to support and call for all concerned Southern Baptists to make known their dissatisfaction and write their State's IMB Trustees to ask that the candidate "guidelines" on baptism and ppl be revoked.
Some concerned Southern Baptist leaders are seeking meetings with their Trustees to do exactly that this summer. The next IMB BOT meeting is in September of this year and hopefully Johnny Hunt, new President of the SBC and reportedly against the policies, will be in attendance then.
So, while we pray that the policies will be overturned, we also encourage all to continue their CP and Lottie Moon and direct support of the IMB...to do otherwise will only hurt the missionaries and their ministries and we never want to see that happen. I believe the best way to deal with these issues is to make direct contact with IMB Trustees and call for this needed change.
Meanwhile, we Hammer's continue to seek the Lord, pray through several possibilities, and pray for our colleagues and friends at IMB.
Thank you for your prayers and notes of encouragement. We'd love to hear from you!
Rodney, Debbie and Luke
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Latest from the Hammer's
Dear Friends,
Thanks to the many of you who have continued to write, encourage, and pray for us! We are truly grateful for how you all have touched our lives and continue to bless us.
We pray for all of our colleagues in CEE who are in their season of AGM's (annual general meetings for missionaries and their families). We wish we could be there with you all, but know the Lord will refresh and empower you during those times of feeding on the Word, worshipping together and being equipped for further service.
We also pray for the many volunteer missions projects taking place around the region and the world this summer...that God will move mightily to draw many to Himself and change lives for His glory of both recipients and volunteer missionaries!
We Hammer's are enjoying some time away from it all in Colorado on stateside assignment right now. We are seeking to grow in the Lord each day, be renewed and refreshed, and consider the opportunities He is bringing our way to dialogue with others about various job and ministry possibilities for the future. They are diverse in location and type and covet your continued prayers that we will know the Lord's will and do it in His good time.
Please pray for the IMB Board of Trustee's meeting next week (Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25) in Richmond, that all will hear from the Lord, needed policies be reconsidered, and priorities and actions would reflect and glorify Christ.
Grateful for each of you,
Rodney
Thanks to the many of you who have continued to write, encourage, and pray for us! We are truly grateful for how you all have touched our lives and continue to bless us.
We pray for all of our colleagues in CEE who are in their season of AGM's (annual general meetings for missionaries and their families). We wish we could be there with you all, but know the Lord will refresh and empower you during those times of feeding on the Word, worshipping together and being equipped for further service.
We also pray for the many volunteer missions projects taking place around the region and the world this summer...that God will move mightily to draw many to Himself and change lives for His glory of both recipients and volunteer missionaries!
We Hammer's are enjoying some time away from it all in Colorado on stateside assignment right now. We are seeking to grow in the Lord each day, be renewed and refreshed, and consider the opportunities He is bringing our way to dialogue with others about various job and ministry possibilities for the future. They are diverse in location and type and covet your continued prayers that we will know the Lord's will and do it in His good time.
Please pray for the IMB Board of Trustee's meeting next week (Monday-Wednesday, June 23-25) in Richmond, that all will hear from the Lord, needed policies be reconsidered, and priorities and actions would reflect and glorify Christ.
Grateful for each of you,
Rodney
Friday, June 13, 2008
SBC Meeting Indianapolis
Friends,
I have just returned home from the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. I was not a messenger this year, but wanted to be there to speak personally with colleagues, SBC leadership, IMB Trustees, and other messengers as the Lord would direct.
I also wanted to hear first hand the proceedings and encourage my former supervisor and friend Avery Willis. Avery didn't win and is actually relieved! God will continue to use him mightily throughout the world. You can keep up with what he is doing at averywillis.com.
Dr. Johnny Hunt, someone I greatly respect and enjoy personally, was elected President on the first ballot and will do a fine job. I knew of his great evangelistic and missions heart, but he surprised me in his interview with Baptist Press just prior to the convention with his comments expressing concerns about the IMB policies on PPL and baptism. I hope and pray he will be of some help in addressing those policies.
I did not go with a plan to offer a motion as I wasn't a messenger. I did however have many conversations with those who share concerns over the IMB Trustee policies for missionary candidates. It's my understanding there were those who considered motions in this regard from both a pro and con perspective, but none made it to the floor. I hope and pray that means there were some good private discussions with others to come to address these issues. I know that many are expressing their disagreement with these issues...some openly like at imbchange.info and some in conversations. We'll see what develops. The next IMB BOT meeting begins June 23.
I roomed with my good friend Scott Patty and two other guys from Grace Community Church in Nashville, TN and they were most encouraging and incredibly fun to hang out with. There were many excellent presentations and reports...my favorites were David Dockery's presentation on Confessional and Cooperative needs; Frank Page's President's address, Danny Akin's Southeastern Seminary report, and Al Gilbert's Convention Sermon. I think Dr. Page did a wonderful job leading not only this convention meeting but the SBC the last two years. The NAMB and IMB reports and presentations were excellent and inspiring and creative.
There were some awkward moments for me personally, but overall my interaction with IMB'ers, Trustees, Pastors and others were very good and I'm grateful I was blessed by the Lord with good interactions and discussions in Indianapolis.
Thanks to those of you who prayed and wrote before and during the Convention.
I have just returned home from the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. I was not a messenger this year, but wanted to be there to speak personally with colleagues, SBC leadership, IMB Trustees, and other messengers as the Lord would direct.
I also wanted to hear first hand the proceedings and encourage my former supervisor and friend Avery Willis. Avery didn't win and is actually relieved! God will continue to use him mightily throughout the world. You can keep up with what he is doing at averywillis.com.
Dr. Johnny Hunt, someone I greatly respect and enjoy personally, was elected President on the first ballot and will do a fine job. I knew of his great evangelistic and missions heart, but he surprised me in his interview with Baptist Press just prior to the convention with his comments expressing concerns about the IMB policies on PPL and baptism. I hope and pray he will be of some help in addressing those policies.
I did not go with a plan to offer a motion as I wasn't a messenger. I did however have many conversations with those who share concerns over the IMB Trustee policies for missionary candidates. It's my understanding there were those who considered motions in this regard from both a pro and con perspective, but none made it to the floor. I hope and pray that means there were some good private discussions with others to come to address these issues. I know that many are expressing their disagreement with these issues...some openly like at imbchange.info and some in conversations. We'll see what develops. The next IMB BOT meeting begins June 23.
I roomed with my good friend Scott Patty and two other guys from Grace Community Church in Nashville, TN and they were most encouraging and incredibly fun to hang out with. There were many excellent presentations and reports...my favorites were David Dockery's presentation on Confessional and Cooperative needs; Frank Page's President's address, Danny Akin's Southeastern Seminary report, and Al Gilbert's Convention Sermon. I think Dr. Page did a wonderful job leading not only this convention meeting but the SBC the last two years. The NAMB and IMB reports and presentations were excellent and inspiring and creative.
There were some awkward moments for me personally, but overall my interaction with IMB'ers, Trustees, Pastors and others were very good and I'm grateful I was blessed by the Lord with good interactions and discussions in Indianapolis.
Thanks to those of you who prayed and wrote before and during the Convention.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Time to Change
Fellow IMB M's,
You may have heard about the Time to Change initiative aimed at the candidate policies of the IMB. You can find it at IMBChange.info as well as the press release at sbcoutpost.com.
If you are in agreement and feel led to sign the 'Time to Change' statement, I would like to encourage you to do so.
The authors and moderators of IMBChange.info will confirm for accuracy and credibility but without divulging your name unless you specify. They are trustworthy, and precedent on the site is established for M's.
Additionally, I believe that much attention will be paid if there is heavy M signing. I believe this is your best opportunity to register your voice without censure or reprisal.
May the Lord encourage you today in your call and outreach...stay with it...we will continue to advocate for you.
Grateful for each of you,
Rodney Hammer
You may have heard about the Time to Change initiative aimed at the candidate policies of the IMB. You can find it at IMBChange.info as well as the press release at sbcoutpost.com.
If you are in agreement and feel led to sign the 'Time to Change' statement, I would like to encourage you to do so.
The authors and moderators of IMBChange.info will confirm for accuracy and credibility but without divulging your name unless you specify. They are trustworthy, and precedent on the site is established for M's.
Additionally, I believe that much attention will be paid if there is heavy M signing. I believe this is your best opportunity to register your voice without censure or reprisal.
May the Lord encourage you today in your call and outreach...stay with it...we will continue to advocate for you.
Grateful for each of you,
Rodney Hammer
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