In his sermon, Luter encouraged believers to renew their minds to allow God to use the church in these turbulent days.

"I believe God wants to use this Southern Baptist Convention to bring about spiritual revival and renewal in America. I believe that with all of my heart," Luter said. "We need spiritual renewal in America. But in order for that to happen ... there must be a renewal among the people of God."

He referenced 1 Peter 5:8 in calling on believers to be sober and vigilant.

"The question of the hour is, 'How can we as believers stand in the midst of these attacks of the enemy so that God can use us to impact our community, our city, our state and our nation to the glory and honor of God?'" Luter said. "How can God use the messengers and the members of the Southern Baptist Convention to impact the darkness in this world? How can God use the messengers and the members of this convention to be lights in a dark world, as salt in a low-sodium society? How can God use us to attack what the enemy is trying to do in destroying our families, in destroying our ministries, in destroying our churches?

"The answer is you must have a renewed mind."

Many SBC leaders were in attendance. Kentucky Southern Baptist Convention President Adam Greenway attended, joined by Curtis Woods, an African American newly elected as associate executive director for Kentucky Baptist convention relations and communications.

There was also 87-year-old James Cox, the oldest active member of Dripping Spring, who joined the church in 1939 when his parents moved to Olmstead. He has maintained his membership since age 14 and is active as a deacon and Sunday School teacher.

Cox remembers when the church customarily got its water from the lone spring in the woods behind the building. "It just dripped," he said of the spring. "It didn't run a stream. It just dripped."

Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' staff writer. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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