In an ever-changing society, the Rev. Roger Collins and his flock at Iola Baptist Temple, 426 N. Second St., find their answers in the Bible.
They worship three times a week — twice on Sunday and again Wednesday evening — in traditional manner. Passages from the Bible are the central theme of sermons and members flip open hymnals when they sing.
Technology essentially has no role, for which Collins makes no apology.
“I love the old hymns and style of worship,” said Collins, 57, of the independent Baptist church’s approach to “sowing the seeds of Christianity. We are eager to praise the Lord for the people who come to understand that He is their savior.”
About 75 to 80 attend each Sunday morning and a good share of the faithful participate in other services, which includes Sunday school starting at 9:30 with graded classes for youths and others for adults. Worship starts at 10:50. Sunday evening services are at 6 p.m. Wednesday evening sessions start at 7 o’clock.
While attendance is relatively stable, Collins said numbers were a little higher in previous years.
He thinks the flood of 2007, which robbed Iola of many homes and their residents in south Iola, and the closing of Haldex Brake affected attendance, along with normal attrition.
“We have a visitation program,” which involves members as well as himself, Collins said.
Purpose of the home visits is twofold; to lead people to accept Christ and to encourage them to attend church services regularly: “The Lord is interested in people being in His house and He isn’t satisfied until His house is full.”
“God is our focus in all we do,” Collins said.
Iola Baptist Temple has an occasional video presentation, usually to highlight mission work afield.
“I would feel inhibited if my sermons were tied to a PowerPoint or some other form of technology,” Collins said.
Music in Iola Baptist Temple services doesn’t waver from traditional hymns.
“There is some good music today,” he added, “but a lot of it has gotten away from bringing glory to the Lord. If it speaks to the foot it doesn’t speak to the heart. There are messages in the older, traditional hymns.”
Collins regards abortion, homosexuality and gay marriage as “social evils that are contrary Biblical teachings.
“Man has renamed sin to make it more palatable and acceptable in the name of political correctness,” Collins said. “Things acceptable today as the norm used to be considered terrible.”
COLLINS ISN’T a one-man show.
He credits wife Mary with being a strong and positive influence on his life and ministry.
They met when she and her parents, missionaries in El Salvador, came to Fort Scott to give an update on their activities at a church pastored by Collins’ father, Art, who now does evangelism work from a base at Iola Baptist Temple.
Collins’ life always was centered on the church, so much so that he never doubted he eventually would find a role in ministry.
His father was in Bible seminary when he was born. The elder Collins started a church in Bartlesville, Okla., when he was about the enroll in kindergarten. The family moved to Fort Scott when he was 12; his father was at Grace Baptist Tabernacle for the next 32 years.
Roger and Mary Collins were married in December 1975 and soon found themselves in Wichita, where he worked in a machine shop and then for Boeing.
They attended Wichita Baptist Tabernacle. Before long, he became a deacon and then heeded the call to ministry.
Collins’ first full-time commitment to the pulpit was in Sterling, Colo., where he was minister of music and youth. Six years later the Collinses moved to Austin, Texas, where he also was involved in music and youth ministry.
Then, in August 1994 he received a call from Iola Baptist Temple, and has been here since.
Recognizing that reaching out to youth is important for the mission of a church as well as to keep it vibrant and growing, Collins said his son-in-law, Rocky Randall, is building a youth program for middle and high school age youth.
“The last Friday of each month will be Atomic Friday at Iola Baptist Temple,” Collins said, with fellowship, games and religion instruction from 6 to 9 p.m.
Randall is married to Valerie, one of the Collinses’ three daughters. Others are April Haynes and husband Matt, who work with a church in Bethany, Okla., and Monica Buffington and husband Jude, who are at Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City.
Collins also is active in independent Baptist activities across the region.
