(video)

Mike Bowie: Dayton, Ohio. The world has been greatly impacted by this city named Dayton. I could go on and on about how this place was one time a place of prosperity. If it weren't for Dayton, we wouldn't have the airplane. It weren't for Dayton, we wouldn't have the cash register. It was one time a place of innovative change. But now, when you think about Dayton, what comes to mind? Dayton is now known for it's struggling economy. Dayton now is known for so many abandoned buildings. A city that was once filled with prosperity is now a city consumed with poverty. When I think about Dayton, I am reminded of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was known as the "City of God" and was a great and powerful city. But because of sin and compromise, a once prominent city lay in ruins. Dayton, Ohio, was a city considered as the "Gem City." I believe today God is calling you and me to polish this gem to restore hope. In order to restore the city's prominence, we as the people of God must reject compromise.

(end video)

Mike Slaughter: I was there over four months ago when Mike quit breathing in my office. It was in the middle of a sentence in a very rational conversation. I think we forget sometimes, in a moment. What does the Bible say, you can't count on tomorrow, you have to live each day, one day at a time. I think what is so important, what Pastor Bowie has demonstrated to all of us, is that you can't put off until tomorrow what God wants you to do today. Mike, so much of your impact will continue in the Dayton community because of your ministry here. You initiated the Belle Haven Elementary School project, in which we are deeply involved. We just had a program there this week. What was that program?

Mike Bowie: It was a field day and the kids went outside and had fun. We had servants from Ginghamsburg - thank you all who went out and supported them. It was a powerful event.

Mike Slaughter: You and I both know the way to restore a city is through education. We are going to celebrate today through memories of videos. Here is an important video that Mike did at Belle Haven School.

(video)

Mike B: "People are destroyed from lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6) When I think about this scripture, I am reminded of one of the most vital tools that is needed for thriving and healthy communities, and that is education. Knowledge is one of the key things that separates the haves and the have-nots, the rich from the poor. In Dayton, there is no exception. I believe right now we must make a strong emphasis by raising our young people, to train them in the way they should go, which will set them up for success. Not just with head knowledge, but to give them all of the tools that they need to have a well-rounded life. I believe if we educate a mind, we can change the world. Education is one of the vital tools that is needed in reclaiming the city.

(end video)

Mike Slaughter: Mike, what do you want to tell the people of Ginghamsburg? Belle Haven is really counting on us.

Mike Bowie: First of all, I think Dan did a great job on the field day event. You heard from Dave Webb, a servant from Ginghamsburg. Mrs. Haven, the principal gave us one key line that always stuck in my spirit. She said, "Don't over commit and under serve." That spoke to me so much. I thought about being raised in a single-parent home, how there were promises, promises, and folks never committed on those things. I want to tell you all, if God places on your heart to be a part of that restoration that is happening at Belle Haven, only do what you can do. Don't over commit and under serve because those kids know what it means to be let down.

Mike Slaughter: Mike, tomorrow at 1:30 there is going to be a vote at Ft. McKinley about merging with Ginghamsburg Church. We want to remind everyone to pray about this. How important do you feel about our literally moving to Dayton as a church?

Mike Bowie: I think when Dave said that this whole vision has been a God-breathed vision. It is not about me. But as I said, God speaks through me, in spite of me. God used me to begin this restoration process with Ginghamsburg Church and the urban community of Dayton.  It is so important that we have a presence right there in the heart of the city. People will know, once we get out of our comfort zones, that we care, just by our presence. Our love is spelled just by our presence there and I think that Ft. McKinley will be a great place where we can have some of you be "urban missionaries." If God places on your heart to go and give back hope and let them see what the big picture looks like, I think it would be a great thing. Be praying tomorrow at 1:30 so that the vote, which we know is ordained by God, will pass. It is going to happen with all of you furthering that vision, so keep praying about it. We need that to happen in the city.

Mike Slaughter: Mike, what hooked you and me together four years ago?  

Mike Bowie: Wow. We don't have a lot of time here. We talked about this and some of you know this. Some of you had confused me with Lance Watson. Do you remember Lance Watson came here and spoke about "one night with the frogs"? I am not Lance Watson, I am Mike Bowie. Someone said, "You had been here several times." I said, "No."

I came here August 4, 2004, for a General Board of Discipleship Conference. I was a facilitator on how to help churches grow. I had been reading about Ginghamsburg and heard about this guy (Slaughter) and how God grew a church in a cornfield. I told my wife, Jeanette, about it. I said, "Babe, look at this!" I was so excited about what God was doing here. I had never been to Tipp City, and never even been to Ohio. My wife and I were fasting and praying. We wanted a change. We wanted to be a part of something bigger than us, multicultural. We came here and who'd have "thunk" it?! Mike was sitting over there and we had never talked. Mike didn't know me from Adam. The music came on and the offering song came on. It was a song by Anita Baker, "Giving You the Best That I Got." Mike looked up at me with a "Slaughter" look, like, "Hey, you like that, don't you?" I'm am serious, we connected! I called my wife and said, "Baby, something is happening here." That was the start of how we got connected. And as they say, "The rest is history."

Mike Slaughter: Good history! I get emotional sometimes. Right before your surgery when you kicked everyone out of the room, that was an important time. You didn't kick me out of the room! We were talking about things that you won't miss about Dayton. What are a few of the things that you won't miss?

Mike Bowie: What won't I miss? I won't miss the skyline. Quick story – we were coming back here through Kentucky and we came to Cincinnati. Has anyone been through Cincinnati at night? It is beautiful. My daughter, Lauren, said, "Daddy, we don't have one of those in Dayton?" I said, "Baby, that is a skyline." I won't miss that. I won't miss the cornfields. I am a man of concrete.

Mike Slaughter: We caught something else on video of what you won't miss. Some of you remember this. Watch this one, Michael.

(video)

Mike Bowie: Hey folks, how are y'all doing? I guess you can see how I am doing. This past week we had over 10 inches of snow cover our community. I am going to be honest with y'all - I don't do snow very well. Me and snow, we don't get along. I was so unprepared for this snow. I still have my wife's gloves on. In Texas, we do humid, y'all do frigid. When I saw all the snow that covered our community, I wanted to make excuses, but I realized I had to do something. When I think about Nehemiah, he saw all the rubble, all the debris that covered his community. Nehemiah had to do something. He chose a group of people who were committed. He chose a group of people who were contagious. He chose a group of people who were compassionate. We call it "the family." Nehemiah couldn't do it by himself. He realized at the end of the day, it is a "family affair."

(end video)

Mike Slaughter: Nehemiah was a great series.

Mike Bowie: How many of you grew and learned from Nehemiah? It was a powerful series.

Mike Slaughter: Mike has been out of commission for almost five months. He has not preached since January 20. But since he came here, he has preached 52 weekends in that short time. The bulletin said he did 133 Bowie Bible Studies on Wednesday nights.

Mike Bowie: I want to say something. I want to thank all of the Bowie Bible "studiers." You all were like family. I was able to grow tremendously at Bowie Bible Study. I love you and you can't do anything about it.

Mike Slaughter: One of the other things we talked about was what part of Ginghamsburg will always be with you? You sat down and shared that in front of the camera this week. I want you all to see what he said this past week.

(video)

Mike Bowie: When I was in Houston I was a lead pastor, kind of like how Mike Slaughter is here, but it was a huge shift in humility. I'll be honest with you, for a few minutes, I kind of wrestled with that. But God showed me that at the end of the day, people mattered to him. I never allowed my title to stop me from being about the task with loving people. Hopefully I was able to love people to life. I realize that any ministry, any calling as you follow Jesus, know that people really matter to God.

(end video)

Mike Slaughter: Do you want to add anything to that?

Mike Bowie: Yes. I think, as the video said, God's most precious commodity is people. Just to be a part of this team, just being able to love people and meet you all right where you are. Being part of a strategic team. Coming here, I knew how to preach, I knew how to pray, but I wasn't too strategic. That is the word we use around here a lot and I think it has been being part of a strategic team that has helped me be the best person that God has created me to be. That is what I am going to take with me, being part of a team, and how to be strategic.

Mike Slaughter: You did a video. I don't know how old this video is, but I think at least a year, and at that time you talked about how this place was changing your life. Let's watch a little bit of that.

(video)

Mike Bowie: God showed me a whole new approach to ministry. Ginghamsburg was totally different from what I was accustomed to. This ministry is all about team; it is all about strategic partners. Not only are you blessed, but it blesses other people who are in ministry with you. Together, in combination, we are a blessing to the people we are serving. It frees you; and it empowers other people. Most of all, it honors God. One thing that Ginghamsburg did, it really set me up to operate in my strength. I am the primary teaching pastor, I do Bible studies. The awesome thing about it is there are so many leaders like myself. We thought we would have to do it all by ourselves, but it is not about how much you do, but it is how effective you do what you do. It has revolutionized my life. Not only has it re-energized my calling, it has given me a new joy for ministry. It has revitalized my marriage, because I am not grouchy. I can't do all things, you can't do all things. But know it is so important that you maximize your strength and do it with excitement, do it with energy and do it with excellence. God gets the best out of us when we maximize our strengths.

(end of video)

Mike Slaughter: I remember after Mike Bowie came here, I flew to Houston to visit my son. It was the same time Bowie and his family went back for a visit. Mike took Jonathan and me out to show us Houston. We were out running around Houston, and Mike's mom called me and said, "Okay, you have my son when he is in Tipp City. But when he is in Houston, he is mine! Send him home right now." Can you believe that? Has she forgiven me?  
One of the things that is fun, and we all do this. When we video stuff, we have a lot of bloopers. You don't see the bloopers. We wanted to show you some of the Bowie bloopers.

(Blooper video)

Mike Slaughter: Mike Bowie has so many what we call "sticky notes" moments when he says something. Like something he said earlier; "Don't over commit and under serve." This is the truth. We were in his office a while ago and I got out my journal and started writing things down, because God speaks to him. I say, "Wait, say that again."

Mike Bowie: Somebody asked me how I did that, if I sat at home at night and thought of these things? I said, "No, that is the Spirit." We were talking, and I said, "Mike, whatever decision you make, don't do it out of fear, frustration, or fatigue." He said, "Let me write that down!" Y'all heard that first from me. All right?  

Mike Slaughter: It's God. We took a sampling of some of Mike's works. When you see Mike in a yellow shirt, it was his try-out sermon two months before he joined the staff. This is just a variety of teaching over the last four years.

(video clips of Mike Bowie)

How did our perspective change, Mike Bowie? I'm glad you asked. When you are free, you can invite others to come and meet a man who has transformed your tragedy into triumph. You can say, "Come meet a man who has used every test for a future testimony. Come meet a man who has used my mess and now he has turned it into a radical message. Come meet this man who knew all about me."

God will use your scars and he will turn them into stars. But you have to deal with your stuff. If you don't face it, you can't fix it.

Being blessed is not solely about what you hold in your hand, but is more so about what you have in your heart.

Whenever kingdom reformers seek to rebuild and restore communities, the ultimate goal is to see that God's Shalom is revealed throughout all people.

This is going to be in my second book, Chapter Two, write this down.

This morning we don't need a better car, we don't need a bigger house, we don't even need a new spouse. All we need this morning is the desire to be loved.

I realized something: you can't fix what you don't face. As long as you stay in denial, you will continue to live with this broken identity.

If you think pain, you will always experience pain. But where the focus goes, the power flows. Write that down and put it on your refrigerator.

Have you ever tried to get one over on God before? Thinking no one is watching? Maybe no one at this service, maybe at the next service.

(Bowie-isms)

Glad you asked, in the balcony.

I know that is none of y'all here today.

Sometimes loose lips sink ships.

For a moment just turn to the person sitting next to you. Look in their eyes and say, "I love you and you can't do nothing about it." Turn to the person on the other side and say, "I love you, too, and you can't do nothing about it." There is something about knowing that God loves you.

(end video clips)

Mike Slaughter: You know what I just noticed? You have had 10 pairs of glasses since you have been here!

Mike Bowie: Yeah, my vision has changed and I had to add some things, and I lost some things. But can I say something? I have thought about talking about this whole thing about "Glad you asked" and people have asked me how I got that. Glad you asked! But I got that coming out of an African-American church. There is something called "call and response." When I got here, I was thinking, man, this is some good stuff. I was just preaching and teaching, and y'all weren't saying anything. I was waiting for someone to say, "Well, how does that happen?" So I would say, "Glad you asked." I would have a conversation with myself in the middle of a message, and y'all finally picked up on it almost four years later. So, thank you very much!

Mike Slaughter: You just explained that to me this afternoon. When I am in an African-American church, they give you energy because they talk back to you. And here, you do have to talk to yourself.

Mike Bowie: Now, seriously, when I leave here, if Mike says something real good, say "Amen" or say "That'll preach" or say "Preach, Brother." Do something. Say, "Say it again!" Help him! We thrive off of that. We need some help. This is not a monologue, this is a dialogue.

Mike Slaughter: I want to invite your family up here now. You guys know this about your dad. This is an incredible man of God. He is a great husband and he is a great dad. That is the first calling in his life. On Thursdays at 2 p.m., we meet together and what we always talked about first was our commitments to our wives and our families and being men of integrity. One of the reasons that Mike is making this decision is so that he can continue in his first priorities, which is his marriage, and to get well, and to live a full life and to be the patriarch of generations of faithful followers of Jesus. Mike would like to have everyone come up and pray for his family, but not everyone can come up. We randomly picked a few people to represent all of you to come up here and have a prayer of blessing. Would you come up to pray? I ask you to lay hands on them.

Jay: "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You so much for the miracle You performed in early February on our Brother Bowie. We thank You that he got through that time and he is still here, he is with his family. We are going to pray him out of here, Lord. Father God, we need to thank You for all the great memories, all the great messages. We thank You for his faithfulness and for staying on mission with this church. Lord God, we thank You for the times he reached out to us in this recovery community. He prayed for people who thought they had no hope. God, we are so thankful for that. We are thankful for his family, when there were nights when he wasn't home, when he was ministering to others. We are so grateful that You put this man and this family in our lives. Lord, this is a family affair. As the Bowie's leave here, Lord, and they start a new journey, we pray that the time spent with us here will stay with them. We know You have a plan for him and we pray that the plan will work out. Lord, the healing that is going to happen in the next 18 months, I thank You in advance for that, that he will be healed. I know he will be healed. I pray for his family, that they will be accepted back in their city, back in a new school system. I pray for Jeanette to have strength as she will go out and teach. Lord God, we know that all things are possible because of You. Again, we thank You so much for bringing this man into our lives and into the lives he is about to touch. We praise You and thank You and pray all this in Your Son, Lord Jesus Christ's name, Amen."

(video)

Mike Bowie: My parting words for you today are that I didn't come here knowing that lives would be changed. I didn't come here knowing I would meet so many great people, and make new friends. I just came here being a Joshua and said, "Here I am." As I pray every week, "Lord, use me, in spite of me." Thank you, I love you, and there is nothing you can do about it.

(end video)

Mike Bowie: Words can't express how I feel. I said this before, because of all of you here, I am a better me, and I thank you for that. Ellen DeGeneres usually dances on every show. Mike Bowie has something different he does, so... (leading singing) let the church say, Amen, Amen, Amen...