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Presbyterian Missionary Union
& Venture Guild International
1650 Love Road, Grand Island, New York 14072 v Phone: 716-775-0442 v Fax: 716-775-3405 Email: pmu@bpc.org
Web: www.presbyterianmissions.org

J ANUARY/ FEBRUARY, 2009, #234 ® “Declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3

News to Know Christmas in Pbaom, Cambodia

• Synod Church Planting
Seminar
All BP officers are invited
to attend. Seminar will be
held March 19-20, 2009,
hosted by the Grand Island
BPC, Grand Island, NY.
More details coming soon.
• WRS Sponsors Counsel-
ing Seminar in Port Or-
chard, WA.
Dr. Kevin Backus lead a
special counseling seminar
at the Christ the Rock Com-
munity Church in Port Or-
chard, WA, on Saturday,
January 10, as well as
taught a concentrated Intro.
to Counseling course at the
school from January 12-16.
For more information on
future events, contact WRS
at registrar@wrs.edu.
• Myanmar Famine Relief
Effort Launched
Please consider making a
contribution to aid in fam-
ine relief in western Myan-
mar. Funds will go directly
to feed our BP brethren
there whose crops are being
destroyed by rats. The Bur-
mese government refuses to
provide meaningful assis-
tance. This is a two-year
project, and even a minimal
contribution can go a long
way. Please contact the
office for more info, and
watch upcoming Banners
for progress reports.
Rev. Mark Baldwin is enjoying the new ministry God has opened to
him. Recently, Rev. Baldwin was able to share the gospel in Pbaom, a
village in Takeo province about two hours from Phnom Penh. Approxi-
mately 150 people from the church, village, and neighboring communities
shared in a Christmas celebration. Following is Rev. Baldwin’s descrip-
tion of the event:
“Upon arriving, I found many volunteer workers gathered around the
boiling caldron of traditional Khmer curry. Just like in the US some of the
best fellowship at church events is with the workers laboring for their
church. We had a blessed time with the people. I spoke my “broken” Khmer, and Socheat
helped me when needed. We brought some “pigs feet” (a kind of slightly sweet, slightly
savory, deep fried dough) for the workers, though it mostly went to their children. The
celebration itself was divided into two parts, a service followed by gifts and food.
“The purpose of the party was to allow villagers who have only received bad information
about Christianity from those who hate God
and his church to meet us and hear the gos-
pel. We told and read the story of Jesus
and his birth from the Bible (from Genesis
through Romans). We taught why Jesus had
to come, why he had to be born a man, why
he had to lead a perfect life and why he had
to die on the cross, basically the gospel
message through the Christmas story.
“After the service and singing we handed
out gifts. If you remember Cambodian history, the Khmer Rouge killed about half the
population and around 1980 only around two million were left. Today, the majority of the
population are the children born to the generation after the Khmer Rouge lost power. As a
result most of the people who attend church are less than 10 years old. For them we had
bags of snacks. They were ecstatic as they almost never get to each such things. The peo-
ple in Takeo are subsistence farmers and have no money to buy things. I was shocked to
learn that many of the children never ate fruit (except for “rock apples” which are common
but not very tasty) until I brought some for them! For the older women we had traditional
cotton skirts that most of them wear. The gifts were thankfully received.”
PMU to Take On Intern
We are pleased and honored to accept the offer of Life Bible Presbyterian Church in
Singapore to send us a wonderful brother and his wife for several months this spring for
the purpose of training and mutual encouragement as the Singapore congregation prepares
to establish a missions agency similar to PMU in the coming year. Rev. Mok Chee Cheong
and his wife, Carol (at left), plan to arrive in early February here in the Buffalo area. They
are experienced missionaries, having served in Kenya and England for a number of years.
Mok will work with Dr. Pine in the office extensively and assist with various duties while
learning as much as possible about the inner workings of a missions organization.
In addition, the Moks will travel with Dr. Pine to several churches around the country
and participate in other outreach and promotional types of activities. They will also partici-
pate in the Buffalo church planting effort which will begin this spring. We hope to send
them back to Singapore armed with knowledge and confidence in the Lord’s grace to pro-
vide and direct what will become a vital part of the ongoing testimony of the Bible Presby-
terian churches in Singapore. We praise the Lord for this opportunity and privilege.

Presbyterian Missionary Union is a non-profit missions agency associated with the Bible Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is to
advance the cause of missions that are biblically based and practiced and to stand against any compromise of the saving gospel of
Jesus Christ. PMU is directed by a Council of Christian leaders who volunteer their time to guide the ministry. To learn more about
missions opportunities through PMU, or about the BPC, please contact us. The Missions Banner is published six times a year for
interested individuals and churches. It seeks to promote the clear stand of the BPC by providing a biblical perspective on issues,
fads, and theories in missions and church development. Our Editor is Len Pine, and our Publisher is Morris McDonald.
Looking Towards Synod: A Word from the BPC Moderator
The 71st General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church will meet August 6-11, 2009, in the mountains of East Ten-
nessee. This year marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, and it is fitting that we should be holding our ses-
sions in a part of the United States that was so dramatically influenced by Calvinism from the beginning.
An early East Tennessee Presbyterian Church was described by a visitor in this way:
A typical frontier Presbyterian Church of this period is pictured by Earnest Trice Thompson, drawn from a description by C.W.
Heiskell: “It is of logs, from twenty-five to thirty feet wide, forty to sixty feet long, and from twenty to thirty feet high. The pews
are unplaned benches of pine planks or slabs, eight to sixteen feet long, mostly without backs, though once in a while you find an
enclosed pew, but with backs so high and steep that children groan to sit in them…. The prayer is from fifteen to twenty minutes
long and the sermon an hour and half to two hours. Back home there is a cold dinner and a cold supper. There is no lev-
ity. Whistling is forbidden. Loud laughter, secular reading, or singing is prohibited. A solemn stillness, a holy atmosphere per-
vades the house.” [Samuel Doak, by Earle Crawford, Overmountain Press, 1980]
In the Ryder Memorial Church, our Synod host, you immediately see a
shadow of these early images in its log construction. Directly across the street
is a forest, and the logs hewn for the church were pulled from that area under
the direction of Presbyterian missionaries.
The Calvinistic heritage of East Tennessee produced an uncommon citi-
zen. The people of this region, blessed with a rich spiritual legacy, were known
for their courage, morality and endurance, and even secular historians find
themselves tipping their hats to the theology that bred men and women of such
strength. Quoting from the same book, the author writes:
Of this Calvinism, Roosevelt wrote: “…the old Calvinistic spirit left a peculiar
stamp on this wild border democracy. More than anything else, it gave the backwoodsmen their code of right and wrong. … They
at least always retained the fundamental virtues of hardihood and manliness.”
The theme for this year’s synod has not yet been determined, but we will be honoring the memory of John Calvin
with a series of special messages, including a keynote address by Dr. Joel Beeke. As the out-going moderator, I want to
urge you to make plans to join us in the mountains of East Tennessee for an uncommon time of fellowship and labor for
the cause of Christ. I assure you that you will receive a grand East Tennessee welcome from Pastor Cole and the church
family, who are renowned for their hospitality and commitment to the cause of Christ. — Rev. G. W. Fisher

Rev. Kevin Backus Ministers in Myanmar

From November 10-
20, Council member Dr.
Kevin Backus ministered
in Myanmar to aid in the
training of new leader-
ship in the growing BP
churches there, as well
as seeking to encourage
our brethren. Here are
Encouraged Rev. and Mrs. Kim
some of the highlights.
Taught 60 hours in Westminster Standards

Preached, administered
communion, visited Assisted in ordaining
orphans and other new elders in Yangon
ministries BPC

“Have You Heard?” — BPC News and Opportunities

This past August, the 70th BPC Synod requested that PMU incorporate more BPC news in its publications. While we
continue to include articles in our Banner, we are limited on space. The solution has been to produce monthly bulletin
inserts for our BPC churches. These bulletin inserts, called “Have You Heard,” began to be published in November,
2008. The goal of these inserts is to share church news, ideas for church outreach and growth, and encourage all of us in
our ministries for the Lord and His kingdom. As a communication tool for all of the BPC, we need ideas from every
church. Articles on outreach and church planting are especially desired. Please share what your church has done in the
past or plans for the future.
Please send ideas for articles (or ready-to-go news items) to Karen Pine at office@presbyterianmissions.org. Karen
can provide formatting and length requirements for you and let you know about our publishing deadlines.
Thank you for encouraging each of us by participating in this ministry. We look forward to your ideas!