LYNWOOD BAPTIST PLANS TO OPEN FRUITLAND CHURCH IN SEPTEMBER

Fruitland and the surrounding region has long held the attention of area Southern Baptists.

"I've been in the Cape Baptist Association five years and I know they were already talking about it when I came," said Mark Anderson, pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church.

What area Baptists were talking about was launching a mission outreach in the Fruitland area. That goal will become reality September 12, when the Fruitland Community Church holds its first Sunday morning service.

The Fruitland mission is being undertaken by Lynwood, whose explosive growth has seen the congregation move to a new complex on Lynwood Hills Drive in Cape Girardeau. Plans have been made since January 1998 to plant a Fruitland church. The Jackson R-2 Fruitland Attendance Center has been leased to use for services.

"After prayer I had a greater conviction in my life that we needed to start a mission in Fruitland," Anderson said, "especially with the way the area is growing."

Proctor & Gamble's explosive growth is projected to continue, with increased population in the north of the county. These new residents are the prime focus of the mission planners.

"We are aware that there are already churches in Fruitland and Jackson," said Phillip Davidson, minister of youth/missions for Lynwood, who is liaison between the Fruitland mission and Lynwood. "We really believe that because of the growth of the Fruitland area, there is a need for another church -- not to compete with, but to complement other churches there.

"We're really looking for unchurched folks moving in, who would respond to a Southern Baptist Church. Many who move in will respond to existing churches in the area, and that's great."

That no Southern Baptist church is in the immediate Fruitland area has always been the impetus for the mission. Davidson pointed out that the closest church, New Bethel Baptist, near Pocahontas, is five miles away and Iona Baptist 10 miles away.

Mike Perry, a member of Red Star Baptist Church and long-time Baptist Student Union director at Southeast Missouri State University, will serve as pastor of the Fruitland church.

"This is the first time any of us have done this," Perry said. "It's exciting and we're learning a lot. God is leading the way."

"It's a new venture for all of us," Davidson agreed. "Anything we have done, we've prayed about it and sought wisdom from those who have been there."

"Seeding" or "planting" a church, the denomination's term for launching a new church or mission, requires a built-in church body to be successful. Anderson and Davidson sent out a call this spring for volunteers to commit to attending the Fruitland church for two years. This self-imposed exile of sorts is not an easy undertaking. Anderson noted that it requires a high level of commitment for members to leave their home congregation for two years.

About 20 families (nearly 50 individuals) are considering making the commitment to Fruitland. Anderson calls them the "core group." This core group will represent a wide range of ages.

"This is a difficult undertaking for each family," Anderson said. "It's not as if they weren't happy at Lynwood and wanted to leave. It requires a sacrifice on their part."

Of course losing 20 leading families -- even in a church Lynwood's size -- will be a sacrifice for the church, as well.

The project has been moved along gradually.

"A lot of thought have gone into it," Perry said. "We haven't just rushed out there and done it haphazardly. We've tried to do it right. Hopefully by the first service we'll be ready to hit the ground running.

"We'll focus on the unchurched, focus on quality programs and focus on being very relational. We want to offer quality worship and quality ministry."