Recordings of messages from the men’s and women’s retreats are now available here.
(Due to the sensitive nature of the content, the men’s retreat Friday night messages were not recorded.)
 
 

Three Baptist agencies— Regular Baptist Builders Club, Baptist Church Planters, and Baptist Mid-Missions—are assisting churches and families affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Irma in Florida. The sister agencies have established donation links and are coordinating workers to go to the affected areas.
Harvey and Irma Relief:
Regular Baptist Builders Club-http://baptistbuildersclub.org/disaster-relief/
Harvey Relief:
Baptist Church Planters-http://www.bcpusa.org/give/
Baptist Mid-Missions-https://www.bmm.org
 

Ankeny Baptist Church will be hosting a Reformation Conference on September 30th and October 1st. Dr. Kevin Bauder, Central Baptist Seminary, Plymouth, MN, will be speaking.  Sessions will be held Saturday (9/30) at 9:30 am and 10:45 am, as well as, Sunday (10/1) at 9:30 am, 10:45 am, and 6:00 pm.
Click here to view and print a flyer: Reformation Conference

Sweet Fellowship, Straight Talk About Physical Intimacy, And True Accountability…
By David Cotner

Sweet Fellowship, Straight Talk About Physical Intimacy, And True Accountability…
When asked to describe the most recent Men’s Retreat at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp (IRBC), three concepts floated up fast to the surface of my mind: Sweet Fellowship. Straight Talk About Physical Intimacy. And True Accountability. This, I believe, would accurately sum up this year’s Men’s Retreat at IRBC. Let me explain…
1. Sweet Fellowship – This is probably the greatest benefit of attending Men’s Retreat. That is to say, you get to connect with the other guys in your church! I mean really connect socially, mentally, spiritually, and (dare I say it) emotionally. For me, the van ride up to Men’s Retreat is 3 1/2 hours. That’s 3 1/2 hours of jokes, catching up, and encouraging one another in our individual walks with the Lord. I’m an introvert by nature, but I love the awesome fellowship that takes place during Men’s Retreat (all of it) en route, there, and on the way back.
2. Straight Talk About Physical Intimacy – Dr. Jim Tillotson (President of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary) delivered a two-part message on the importance of physical intimacy in a God-honoring, Christ-exalting, biblical marriage. So much could be said about what he had to say on the topic of physical intimacy, but, suffice to say, these sermons were some of the most practical messages I’ve ever heard delivered from the Bible. These sermons contained warnings against pornography, the “other woman”, and a strong encouragement to go home and “rejoice in the wife of your youth.” (Prov. 5:18-19).
3. True Accountability – Now to be fair, this was Dr. Tillotson’s preaching topic in his third and final message, but this is also one of the unique aspects of Men’s Retreat. In other words, you get to experience a condensed, intense experience of true accountability. The men around you, especially the ones from your church, are constantly asking you about your walk with the Lord, your relationship with your wife and kids, and how things at work are going. It’s awesome! I truly believe that men need this accountability because (let’s be frank) our walk with God gets stale, our relationship with our wife and kids is sometimes difficult, and we tend to overwork and exhaust ourselves for all the wrong reasons! Bottom line: Men need accountability, and at this year’s Men’s Retreat, you got that accountability.
Time would fail me to talk about all of the activities, food, singing, and the gorgeous lakefront up at the camp. But what I’ve just mentioned (sweet fellowship, straight talk about physical intimacy, and true accountability), from my perspective, sum up the experience of Men’s Retreat 2017. Never been to IRBC’s Men’s Retreat? Well, there is always next year…and I would highly encourage you to go.