HBF Week of Thanksgiving

Leviticus 25:8-17

Year One: 2002

After over a year of bible Study in Harold Hatman’s basement God gave HBF planting team the ability to rent the Harrisonville Christian School on Tuesday evenings for bible study the fall of 2001. The mission Board at KCBT approved my church planting plan in October and Heartland Baptist Fellowship held their first service January 6, 2002. Special thanks to Al Sanken, Harrisonville Christian School and the Harrisonville Mennonite church for their hospitality to HBF for so many years.

We were off! With an overhead projector (the old fashioned kind not a digital projector), hard metal chairs and a used mini mixer tied into the schools public address system, by faith we launched off into our first service. Our subject the great commission, our text Matthew 16:18 we were certain Jesus would build his church and the gates of hell would not prevent it.

What a blessing! God has been good. The one thing you really appreciate when planting a church is the Word of God and the souls of men. Ultimately what we start with is all we end with when our race is done.

The first twelve months are full of foundational firsts and special memories:

• Our first prospective member’s meeting.
• Our first men’s breakfast had a great attendance with 1/3 of our men in attendance. All four of us had a great time!
• Our first board of directors meeting.
• Our first supported missionary was Blake Anderson
• Our first baptism service with nine baptisms! You should see the pictures. Special thanks to Cornerstone Community church for allowing us to use their portable baptism tank.
• Our first ladies fellowship at our newly remodeled rental home at 805 S. highland.
• I was ordained and our churched was commissioned at Kansas City Baptist Temples World Outreach Celebration in April of 2002.
• Praise the Lord our home in Independence sold June 1, 2002.
• Our STORM ministry went to the River Ranch Resort for camp!
• We held our charter service June 9, 2002.
• Our first 4th of July celebration at the city park. The Sloan’s, Hedges and Chris Chiodini anchored the event for HBF.
• In the fall of 2002 the Lord introduced us to Jeff Barker who was on deputation. Jeff joined us for a Tuesday evening bible study. Little did we know, our introduction would impact our church so dramatically? We held our charter service June 9, 2002
• In November of 2002 we held the first Thanksgiving dinner in our new home at 2601 Matt Street.
• We discipled several people that year. I personally had the privilege of working with Brandon Filer, Brian Prettyman, Chriss Lemler and Brandon Filer that first year.
• We began holding quarterly baptism services at Antioch Southern Baptist church. Special thanks to Pastor Ernie Cecil who has been a wonderful friend of the ministry of HBF.
• We rented our first office space on Commercial next to Judie Franklin’s office. This location served as a class room and office space for years.
• We purchased our portable sound system.
• God added many faithful folks who are still with us that first year.
• Michelle Sloan put together our first children’s play. It was held at Antioch Southern Baptist Church.

We headed into 2003 just happy to survive! Harold took over the children’s ministry, Tracy had the Jr. High and high school. Ralph Sytkowski joined us and did a great job of organizing many of our makeshift arragnements for our makeshift worship facility. We purchased our trailer and men like JR and John Daugherty faithfully loaded and unloaded for five years. Those days were difficult and very rewarding. So many times you hear of church plants that go bad. I admit there were times when we felt like things might come unraveled but utlimitaly we trusted Jesus was building his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

We still claim the promises God delivered to us years ago:

1 Thessalonians 5:24
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Charter of Heartland Baptist Fellowship

Resolved, that guided as we believe by the Holy Spirit, and relying on the blessing of God, we the undersigned, do here and now establish for posterity and ourselves an Independent Bible-believing Baptist Church.

We believe our command to undertake this charter to be a biblical mandate as set forth in Scripture in the Gospel of Matthew 28:18-20 and that the 1611 Authorized Version of the Bible is the standard of our government and practice as a church.

We have so covenanted with one another, this 9th day of June 2002, and have thus set our signatures below as proof of our faith in God to enable us to do so.

J. R. Hatman
Barbara Hatman
Scott Shankel
Diana Shankel
Mark E. Filer
Serethenee Filer
Alicia F. Filer
Felisa Prettyman
Bryan Prettyman
Pat Shell
Kyle Grant
Aaron Sloan
A. Ann Sytkowski
Ralph E. Sytkowski
Paula Grant
Roger Grant
Tracy Sloan
Michelle Sloan
Austin Sloan
Jeff Cunningham
Monica Daugherty
John Daugherty
Brandon Filer
Chase Hatman
Tracy Daugherty
Kristen Hunter
Cathy Lemler
Leroy Chriss Lemler
Tammy Hatman
Ashley Hatman
Harold Hatman
Sharon L. Bohlken
Robert D. Bohlken
Beverly Newland
Mark Newland
Brian Hedges
Amy Hedges