LETTER FROM THE LEAD
THE RISK TAKERS
risks is not the love of adventure, nor the limelight of heroism, and certainly not to brag about our own greatness. The motivation for risk is the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. “If our single, all-embracing passion is to make much of Christ in life and death, and if the life that magnifies Him most is the life of costly love, then life is risk, and risk is right. To run from it is to waste your life.” John Piper
Risk is not the way most of us choose to live. Instead, to quote Alan Hirsch, we live by the American values of safety, security, comfort, and convenience. If Not a day goes by that I don’t think about these are our highest values, where God’s vision for each of us. His desire is to is the adventure? Our allegiance to use us to do great things for Him. Jesus is ease and stability blinds us to the seeking men and women of faith. opportunities for adventure that Jesus places in front of us. So here is something that really bothers me. I get angry when people play it safe for God. Consider Abraham’s risk in leaving
home not knowing where he was Here’s why. Because we become mediocre going. Or Moses taking on Pharaoh. Or when we fail to step out in faith to take bold Joshua at Jericho. Gideon risking his risks for Jesus. life against the Midianites. And then there is David and Goliath? Or Elijah, “A great deal more failure is the result Daniel, Ruth, Esther, Peter, or Paul? All of an excess of caution than of bold were men and women of risk. experimentation of new ideas. The frontiers of the kingdom of God were never Risk is any action that exposes us to advanced by men and women of caution.” the possibility of loss. But if Jesus is Oswald Sanders our everything, and if Jesus promises
Here is why I’m troubled at this time. Whenever someone reaches a certain level of “success,” the tendency is to play it safe. To consolidate the gains. To hold on to what you have. That’s not the plan of Jesus for BACC. His plan is for us to take bold steps of faith, to go against the current of safety and security, to resist the values of comfort and convenience. That only happens when we are willing to step out in faith and take risks for the King and His kingdom.
“...we become mediocre when we fail to step out in faith to take bold risks for Jesus.” “A church which pitches its tents without constantly looking out for new horizons, which does not continually strike camp, is being untrue to its calling … We must play down our longing for certainty and accept what is risky.” Hans Kung Will you accept the risk that Jesus has put in front of you? A life void of risk is a wasted life.
Greg St. Cyr Lead Pastor
to never leave us or stop loving us, then “An excess of caution” is a killer when it ultimate loss is impossible. In truth, comes to a walk of faith. any earthly risk for His sake really isn’t “risk” but rather is gain. I’m not talking about embracing risk for the sake of risk. No. The motivation to take
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884 Chesterfield Rd. Annapolis, MD 21401
MAGAZINE CREDITS EDITOR IN CHIEF Josh Shirlen MANAGING EDITOR Arianne Teeple ART Josh Burgin Josh Shirlen CONTRIBUTORS Esther Sharon Jocelyn Rimbey Sacks Meredith Thompson Rachel Perry
On the cover - Downtown Hope church leadership team.
ELDERS Bill Smith Brian Mallare David McPeak Dennis Brady Greg St. Cyr J Upton John Battan Keith Riniker Peter Godfrey Rich Heath Roger Ishii Tim Dotson Tom Dalpini Tom Hogan Warwick Fairfax
Gathering Times: 8am 9:30am 11:15am
BAY AREA LEADERSHIP Brent Squires, Student Ministry Pastor – brent.squires@bayareacc.org Brian Hopper, Missional Community Pastor – brian.hopper@bayareacc.org Casely Essamuah, Global Missions Pastor – casely.essamuah@bayareacc.org Ed Kelley, Executive Pastor – ed.kelley@bayareacc.org Gail Wiles, Children’s Ministry Director – gail.wiles@bayareacc.org Greg St. Cyr, Lead Pastor – greg.stcyr@bayareacc.org Janet Graves, Women’s Ministry Director – janet.graves@bayareacc.org Jocelyn Rimbey Sacks, Connecting Director – jocelyn.rimbey@bayareacc.org Josh Shirlen, Gathering Team Leader – josh.shirlen@bayareacc.org Leanne Lane, Care Network Director – leanne.lane@bayareacc.org Lynn Dutton, Financial Administrator – lynn.dutton@bayareacc.org Micah Pringle, Worship Leader – micah.pringle@bayareacc.org Pat Linnell, Teaching Pastor – pat.linnell@bayareacc.org Ron Dutton, Operations Director – ron.dutton@bayareacc.org Tres Cozad, Technical Director – tres.cozad@bayareacc.org
For a comprehensive list of all BACC staff, elders and deacons, please visit bayareacc.org/leadership
MICAH’S MIX
by: Micah Pringle (BACC Worship Leader)
February is the month of love, right?? So I’m going to give you a couple album recommendations that I genuinely love. Cheers!
Jason Barrows “Islands of My Soul” This is the first album that Jason has put out, and he describes it as “pretty and nostalgic.” With pop music sensibilities and dream-like synth tones, the music itself casts a tastefully wide net. The lyrics are not predictable and bland, but are instead descriptive and will force you to pay attention.
What is discernment? Is it not deciding what is right and wrong? How does one discern what is right and wrong? John MacArthur tackles these questions in this unabashedly rational book. In this day where reason is under attack and any concept of absolute truth is supplanted with emotion and “reckless” worldviews based on pure “feelings, MacArthur argues the Church at large has lost its ability to discern what is right and/or wrong, and therefore has accepted blindly all sorts of doctrinal error as it retreats from reason and study. Under the guise of “tolerance,” we have lost our voice of clarity and truth. It’s hard to argue with this. In Paul’s day he called people to account by name for their error - think Peter
Preson Phillips “In Our Winters” Tommy Phillips is a Florida worship leader who isn’t afraid to press beyond the standard constructs of how worship music is often viewed/defined. There’s a rawness and a passion that he’s always exuded in his music, and this album marries those qualities with enough polish and production value to make it a serious offering.
and the eating with Gentiles, or Alexander and the great harm he did to the Church, or the local two ladies who couldn’t get along, or what he told Titus about Cretans. Paul addressed error directly and used names to do so. Today, we speak in nebulous terms in order not to offend. (In fact, the whole world is obsessed with not offending to the point that true debate normally doesn’t happen. Back in the ‘80’s they called it “political correctness; today the PC police have gone off the rail so far that it’s almost impossible NOT to offend someone when discussing anything). We are exceedingly careful to the point that messages are getting crossed or not spoken at all because people are far too sensitive. MacArthur believes this has infiltrated the church as well, impacting our ability to discern, to address error personally, and to retort people who have gotten off track (can we say Rob Bell?) mainly because we’ll be called judgmental if we do. But somewhere we must find the ability to discern, shepherd people in the truth, and still have the right motive and attitude. MacArthur writes, “...Spiritual truth is meant to be rationally contemplated, examined logically, studied, analyzed, and employed as the only
reliable basis for making wise (decisions) judgements. That process is precisely what the Scripture calls discernment.” Macarthur details the “War on Reason” in the first chapter and the “Rise of Reckless Faith” in the second. He then gives a Biblical formula for discernment followed by a simple treatise on the “Fundamentals of the Faith” (which many seem to have forgotten). When this book was written, some of his colleagues joined an organization called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT); he addresses that topic, and finishes with a rebuke of the “Third Wave” movement on the Charismatic world (The Toronto BlessingLaughing Movement-Word of Faith, etc.). MacArthur is one of the strongest voices in Conservative Evangelicalism today. The great thing about any MacArthur book is that he makes one think through why one believes what they believe. His motif is that the Bible is where we find answers, and a studious reading of Scripture will help one live this life as a light unto the world. He rejects hyper-emotionalism, poor scholarship, trendy fads, and Christian Celebritism, and it bothers him that almost anyone puts “reverend” in front of their name and people will blindly follow that person without rationality.
Remember Acts 17:11: Paul is preaching in the squares of Thessalonica and is kicked out, then is sent to Berea by night. “Now these (The Bereans) were more ‘noble-minded’ than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining (studying, analyzing) the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so…” The Bereans used discernment by rationally checking the Scriptures to see if Paul was right. They weren’t just going to accept what he said as fact, no matter how popular or how good a communicator he was. The Bereans did this daily, showing that though Paul might have been right yesterday, he’s speaking new stuff today and they had to check that out as well. The lesson is simple. Be discerning. Decide by testing all statements in life and faith against the Holy Word (look up 1 Thess. 5:21-22 - it’s a life verse). If you don’t, you might find yourself with Reckless Faith. Enjoy reading a great, thoughtprovoking book. Yours, - Ed Kelley Executive Pastor
LOCAL OUTREACH
ANNAPOLIS LIGHT HOUSE SHELTER
By Trevin Hoekzema
H ave you read Matthew 25 lately? It’s
a doozy. It starts with Jesus telling the parable of the 10 bridesmaids (which is confusing). Then Jesus tells the parable of the three servants (which is challenging). And then Jesus simply breaks it all down and calls us to care for Him (which is convicting). In Matthew 25:40 He says, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” He’s calling us to care for “the least of these,” referring to the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and incarcerated. So as followers of Jesus, we, Bay Area Community Church, want to take an active stance in caring for those people. And last year we took a bigger step than we’ve done in the past by participating in Winter Relief (WR).
Homeless people can either apply or be recommended for the program. Only 2025 people from each of three regions in Anne Arundel County can participate at a time due to space limitations. In order to be accepted to the program, people must be clean (not currently addicted to drugs) and adhere to the few, reasonable rules that WR requires. Last March, we hosted 25 homeless people who were a part of WR. We had a great time with them, and are excited to be part of the program again this year. From March 16 to 23, we will have the opportunity to bless the guests who will reside within the walls of 884. We will serve them dinner and breakfast everyday, as well as provide a bagged lunch. This is a perfect opportunity for Missional Communities to serve together.
churches (including Bay Area) to commit to housing the homeless; and it remains regulated thanks to receiving centers like the Light House. And the great thing is that Bay Area is actively involved with the Light House, too. The Light House is a homeless prevention center, career resource center, job training site, shelter, food pantry, and more. Located off West Street near Route 2, the Light House literally stands as a beacon of hope for the homeless in the middle of Annapolis. Their mission is to break the cycle of homelessness, and Bay Area is excited to partner with them.
Homelessness is serious and has been around for a long time. So let’s do what Jesus calls us to do and care for these people. It’s all we can really do, anyway, to combat the cycle of homelessness. If Winter Relief requires the cooperation you’d like to get involved with Winter Winter Relief is a program organized and collaboration of several organizations. Relief or the Light House, email us at by the Arundel House of Hope in It starts with Arundel House of Hope, outreach@bayareacc.org and we’ll get an effort to get homeless people off which manages the program; it relies on you plugged in. the streets during the cold months.
Soon after I arrived as the new Missional Community pastor,
the disparity between the number of people who attended our Sunday gatherings and the number of people who were connected in community became very apparent to me. I thought, “If everyone wanted to get into an MC, they couldn’t because we didn’t have enough groups.” So, we created a new training to equip leaders to birth new groups. This month I thought it would be good to give you a glimpse into the life of a pair of leaders who recently completed our training and started a new MC. Let me introduce you to Pat and Denise Perry and their MC. Here is my interview with them:
SPOTLIGHT
ON MISSIONAL COMMUNITY By: Brian Hopper
few resulting “aha moments.” Through these initial meetings we were also able to get to know each other better and more We knew there was a need in the church for more groups to quickly by studying the book together. form. We had led a few small groups back in Pittsburgh, and were praying about the possibility of leading one at BACC. In another way, our group was recently drawn together in urgent prayer for the child of one couple in our group who had In general, how prepared did you feel after the training? a serious accident. Group emails were sent out with updates The training helped us distinguish between our previous for prayer immediately and it was sweet to see the responses of small group experiences and this new format of leading and love and concern. It was a blessing to keep the group updated participating in MC’s. It was helpful to actually experience a with gradually positive reports of healing! prototype of an MC to give us a glimpse into what this type of group could look like – with a focus on Up, In, and Out. What has been the highlight of your MC since you started? Denise and Pat, what was it that led you to want to lead an MC?
Probably our outreach experience when we served at Walk the Walk Foundation’s warehouse one evening in December. Our group started in September with a potluck dinner together. Afterward we went out to a charming Mexican restaurant for We decided to meet every other Thursday and just begin dinner. It was fun to work together for such an important with a snack or dessert rather than a regular dinner. We will cause and then to go out and eat, laugh, and just enjoy getting occasionally plan a dinner or outing for fun, but everyone’s to know each other! lives are so hectic that gathering together on a weeknight for dinner was not something our group chose to do. We do What has been the biggest challenge you/your group has faced however look forward to the fellowship time while having a since you started? little snack or dessert before we sit down and get started on Comfortably fitting enough chairs to seat 14 people in our our study. family room! When did you start?
What were your biggest concerns about leading an MC? We were concerned about having a group of people assigned to us by the connecting team rather than forming a group out of people we were already friends with or people we invited ourselves. But we were pleasantly surprised to find cohesiveness in our group by relying on prayer and trusting the connecting team to introduce people to our group.
Why would you recommend people getting plugged into an MC?
Getting involved in a Missional Community is a great opportunity to make new friends at BACC and to feel more connected to our church. It’s a good feeling to walk into the lobby at church and actually know some of the people you see. An MC is also an important vehicle for growing in our faith in a supportive atmosphere. It’s a place where we can do this life together with others who have some of the same We hadn’t had much experience with outreach in a small goals for spiritual growth and for caring for each other as we group before, and wondered how to incorporate that into our encounter life’s challenges. group. But Bay Area has connections with different ministry opportunities that work well for MC outreach opportunities. How have you seen the Lord working in your MC already? We started with a fun but profound book that touched on many hot topics. The discussions were lively and convicting for everyone. This prompted some deep conversations with a
If you would like to find out how to get plugged into an MC, go to www.bayareacc.org/missionalcommunities
By: Grace Elizabeth Tammadi Beyond884: Room for People is Bay Area’s vision and initiative to help make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from right here at 884 Chesterfield Road to Annapolis, D.C., Sudan, and India.
In
India, we partner with Pastor Samuel, who heads up International Cultural Bible Ministries, or ICBM. Pastor Samuel’s work in a primarily Hindu nation brings light to the many tribal people of India who live far from civilization. ICBM has a three-part approach to accomplishing this work:
As Pastor Samson began to go into shock, tears rolled down his cheeks. He pleaded with them not to sacrifice him and assured them that he didn’t have even five rupees with which to pay them. Deaf to his plea, they made him sit on that rock till evening. One by one, all the people of that village gathered at their secluded forest temple, brandishing sticks and swords. 1 PROVIDING FOOD, SHELTER, AND EDUCATION With no cell phone reception or way to call for help, Pastor FOR TRIBAL ORPHANS Samson began losing all hope of being rescued. His thoughts These orphans are raised with the knowledge of the love of turned to his parents, children, and other family members. their Creator and then, when of age, are sent back to their He found peace in the assurance that he would soon be with Jesus. tribes as witnesses of God’s grace. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit led him to praise and worship the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of his trials and troubles. Singing New churches are being planted and physically erected softly, he started praising the Lord; the villagers started throughout the tribal regions of India, providing space to shaking. One of the tribe’s head priests fell down unconscious. gather for worship and learning. A panic began to spread among the villagers. Simultaneously, the joy of the Lord was overflowing from the heart and lips of 3 TRAINING PASTORS Pastor Samson. He stood resolutely and began to belt out the New pastors are feeling the call from God to lead the church. praises that he had begun in low tones. Even the hairs all over ICBM is training these new pastors for the rigors of leading a his body were raised as he sang out song after song. Glory to church in a turbulent land. the Lord! Hallelujah! What was happening? Confusion and fear gripped the hearts of the village onlookers. They have their work cut out for them, as they often conflict spiritually with those they are trying to reach. It can be All the people then came near to Pastor Samson and pleaded dangerous work. with him to stop singing, and requested that he leave their village and not return until their festival was over. Even Pastor Samson, an employed pastor with ICBM, knows of this though they were afraid, they were also intrigued by the truth. In July 2008, he was working with tribal people in the power that seemed to be displayed by Pastor Samson and they Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh and went to visit their wanted to know more. village located in the deep interior forest. The tribal people were very busy that day with a tribal festival. They had erected Today, ICBM holds a small weekly gathering in that village in posts and hung many chickens on them. Everyone coming into hopes that many would believe in Jesus for salvation. the village was required to pass under the chickens with their permission or risk facing a severe penalty, even sacrificial “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring death unto the tribal goddess. me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – 2 Timothy 4:18 Pastor Samson, unaware of this ritual, passed under the chickens without permission. The villagers grabbed him and took him through the forest to a high place where they To help Bay Area support ICBM and it’s work, think and believed their goddess was. They laid him on a rock in front of pray about becoming a part of Beyond884:Room for a seven-foot stone image of this goddess. Pastor Samson was filled with fear. The tribal people demanded that he pay them People. To learn more about ICBM, Beyond884, or to 501 rupees as a penalty for improperly passing the chicken participate financially, please visit beyond884.com. post boundary. If not, he would face death.
2 PLANTING NEW CHURCHES
JESUS WANTS TO CONTROL YOUR CALENDAR S ometimes
Kristen and I dream of moving South. Maybe that is just because, as I write this, it’s 12 degrees outside. Maybe that is because I want to live out my redneck dreams of dirt bikes and pickup trucks, and in my mind people in the South are just giving away dirt bikes and pickup trucks. What does seem true about down South is that there is a slower pace of living, less rush, less “crazy busy.” Part of the culture of living and working in the D.C. metro area is that we are always busy. Our days are busy, our nights are busy, our roads are busy, and when we are not busy there is a weird stigma that we are being lazy. With our calendars so normally full, people of faith are lauded for just making it to Sunday morning church on a regular basis. If we can end our week by attending church – score for team Jesus. Attending refreshes us and recharges us for the rigors of the weekly grind and gridlock to come. For many, adding anything spiritual to that accomplishment is a hardship on our time. Some may allow room for personal devotions, prayer, or Bible reading –
By: Pat Linnell
these are the all-stars – a level us normal Community. And who has time for all people hope to get to one day. that? Probably Southern people. Here’s a hard truth. Jesus wants to control your calendar – all of it – because He wants all of you – all the time. In other words, Jesus will mess with your calendar if you take Him seriously. Does this mean it is not important to work, or to manage your time? Definitely not. Does it mean that how you prioritize your time might need to look much different? Probably. We might be very busy doing the wrong things. Does your calendar reflect the eternal goals of knowing Jesus and making Him known? If not, I want you consider letting Jesus slow everything down. He will slow you down to take you deeper in your knowledge of Him. We get to know Jesus primarily through the Bible. His words instruct us, guide us, correct us, and help us get our heads screwed on straight. Learning from Jesus will cost you time. It takes time to sit down and read the Bible. It takes time to meet up with friends to discuss things that you don’t understand. It takes time to attend a Learning Community or join a Missional
He will slow you down when you then decide to live out and be obedient to the things you are learning. The point of the Bible is not that we just learn it, but that we live it. Take for example the very simple command of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself. How many of us sacrifice the time it takes to love our neighbor at the altar of our busy calendars? We can get so fixated on our tasks that we become oblivious to the people whom God has sat down directly in front of us. If you see yourself at all depicted in these short paragraphs, I encourage you to make room for a prayer like this over your calendar before your busy day begins: “Heavenly Father, thanks for a busy day, for good work you have given me to do. Help me to accomplish not just my tasks, but also accomplish Your will with each person I meet today. Help me to know You better, and to make You known in all that I do.”
LEADERSHIP
PROFILE
Neal Schaefer By Meredith Thompson
N
eal Schaefer’s earliest childhood memories are of attending church with his family. He grew up in Christian school, faithfully placed 5 cents of his 25cent weekly allowance in the collection plate every Sunday, and believed what he heard preached from the pulpit each weekend. But none of it ever sank in as a personal invitation to walk alongside Jesus. That changed for the lifelong Anne Arundel County resident when a new youth pastor visited then 15-year-old Neal’s church for the summer of ‘71. “He was the one who really presented the gospel in a personal way and said, ‘It’s one thing to believe what you read in the Bible – the devil believes it – but it’s another thing to personalize it and ask the Lord into your life and ask Him to take over,’” he recalled. “That was the first time I heard that, and I was like, ‘Duh! Obviously this is the next step.’” Three years later, Neal migrated 700 miles south to earn his degree in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. Admittedly, he realized halfway through the five-year program that he wasn’t cut out for engineering – “I’ve never done 10 minutes of engineering work in my life,” Neal laughed – but he stayed the course to avoid changing his major and being in school even longer. Following graduation, a job offer beckoned in California, but Neal had met a girl back home during college, and his feelings for Kathie brought him back to Maryland. They married in 1982 at the Catonsville church where they met, and settled into what Neal promised Kathie would be their starter home in Glen Burnie. The two still live there today. Later in the ‘80s, the Schaefers adopted their two children: Andy, a Baltimore City Firefighter who is married to Prince George’s County Firefighter Stephanie, and Becky, who is mom to their first grandchild, 19-month-old Skyler. After nearly 30 years as active members of their home church, Neal and Kathie decided that as the church began to take a new direction, it was time for them to do so as well, and they began visiting Bay Area and other churches in 2004. “I said two things: I wanted to find a church that was closer, and I definitely did not want to go to a nondenominational church. I found out that the Lord has a sense of humor, because we searched and searched, and what we ended up finding was a
nondenominational church that was twice as far from home as we were before,” he said of BACC, laughing. Passionate about honoring God with his finances and helping others do the same, Neal eagerly began attending a class on Christian financial stewardship led by Elder Brian Mallare shortly after coming to Bay Area. He soon got involved helping lead the class, and ultimately assumed the role of facilitator himself. Over the past decade, Neal has devoted much of his time to leading a variety of financial classest and serving as an usher, making him a natural candidate for appointment as a deacon. When he was invited to become a deacon several years ago, Neal realized he and Kathie had never actually joined the church they considered home. Together, they went through ministry partner orientation, and once Neal was eligible to become a deacon, he was installed in 2011. Neal illustrated the deacons’ role is to administer the church’s benevolence fund, or money set aside to help members who are in urgent times of financial need. Currently, they are working with over 30 people, providing short-term relief with housing, rent, groceries, and gas. “Longer-term, we try to get them working with a deacon one-on-one to help them find long-term solutions and avoid problems in the future,” Neal added. “Financial counseling is the area I feel most focused – helping people understand the keys to financial freedom, [which are] learning to live on less than you make and acknowledging that God owns it all by giving back to Him,” the fourth-year deacon explained of his passion. Church-wide, he hopes to impart the same principles: “[I hope] to lead people to understand that God owns it all, that our role is that of stewards or managers of the little piece that He’s given to each of us, and that if we’re serving Him we’re called to use our talents, our treasures and our time for His glory – and we can’t do that if our mindset is to consume everything.” In addition to watching people grow in their financial stewardship by getting themselves out of tough places and going on to be successful, Neal noted one of his favorite aspects of serving as a deacon is spending time with his fellow deacons and learning from their experience.
Away from church and the office, Neal emphasized that the two days he spends each week with his grandson are the highlight of his life right now. His job at Northrup Grumman – where he has spent his entire career, dating back to 1978 when it was Westinghouse – allows him to work from home one day each week to be with Skyler and take most Fridays off. Approaching retirement, the avid sightseer began checking travel items off his bucket list in 2013 when he hiked across the Grand Canyon with a friend and fellow BACC deacon, and hopes to soon go cycling in central Europe and hiking in England. In addition to serving as a deacon, Neal noted he also partners with the Beyond 884 team in planning for the capital campaign’s efforts to fulfill the church’s mission of making passionate, maturing followers of Christ from here to the nations. “I’m really excited about the things we’re supporting and the opportunity to get behind it personally and support it,” he highlighted. “It’s just another unique thing about Bay Area that we really love.”
Making Sense of an Ever-changing
Youth Culture Digital Natives I interviewed my grandmother a few years ago for a paper I wrote on my family history. I asked her about her life growing up and what it was like. I specifically remember her telling me about how her family was the first on her street to have a television. People all over the neighborhood would come over to watch. The introduction of the television was a giant step in modern technology that changed the way our world worked.
By Austin MacCubbin
been the same. “I understand, I was in high school once” is a constant sound bite that is often heard. The truth is that the world for teenagers today is different than it was for generations before and most likely will keep changing. Yes, we were all teenagers once, but the culture and context in which each of us grew up was completely different than today.
Never have we as a society had so much available in front of us. The rapid expansion of digital technology is a doubleedged sword. We can instantly be connected with someone on the other side of the globe through sharing pictures and video, but we can also find ourselves in a lot of trouble with everything that’s out there like porn, internet predators, and cyberbullying. So what do we do? Do we go off the grid, make our families go Amish, and swear off digital technology Chances are you can think of a specific piece of technology that forever? made a huge change in our culture, whether it was color TV, the VCR, the Walkman, laptop computers, or the iPod. While some I believe that we have a role to actively engage with students can remember a time before the internet, smart TV’s, Netflix, in this culture. The biggest mistake we can make is turning a YouTube, iTunes, and Facebook, today’s students have never blind eye and hoping that a teenager will turn out ok. Some known a world without the internet. Now any question can may say we should keep our kids from things like the Internet, be answered with a quick Google search. Instant gratification social media, and cell phones at all costs, but wouldn’t it be is at our fingertips with smartphones, tablets, and free wifi in better to preemptively sit down with them and begin the just about every major coffee shop. The rapid influx of digital conversation on developing Biblical decision-making skills. technology in the past two decades has drastically changed the landscape for today’s teenagers. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” When someone In his article “Digital Natives, Digital immigrants” Marc is trained they aren’t left to their own devices to figure it out on Prensky coined the term “Digital Natives.” Digital Natives are their own. Students need a community committed to walking anyone who was born into the digital world and are “native beside them to help them navigate the complex landscape speakers” of the digital language of computers, videogames, of today’s digital world. It’s always better to get there first to and the Internet. These natives pick up new technology at help put the pieces together than to arrive later to clean up rapid pace. Alternatively, Digital Immigrants are those who the mess. were born before this digital age, but have learned to adapt. Digital immigrants have acquired the skills necessary in our While I like to think of myself as someone who keeps up-to-date digital age, but don’t come by them as naturally. with the latest trends on the Internet and digital technology, I know the day will come when a student comes to me with Have you ever seen a baby with an iPhone or an iPad? It’s like something about which I have no clue. When that day comes they automatically know how it works. When a student gets an I don’t want to respond from a point of fear or ignorance, or iPod or iPhone they know what to do right away. Things like brush it aside. I want us to help guide students so that someday touch screens are expected. Oftentimes those who are older when they are on their own we can trust that they will make have to sign up for a class just to learn how to use a new iPad. decisions based on Biblical wisdom. We know what popular My mom, for example, can bake circles around me, but still has culture will tell a teenager, so instead of worrying about what no idea how her DVD player works. Digital technology doesn’t to shelter them from, let’s begin the conversation. Let’s point come naturally to the Digital Immigrant. There is nothing them towards Jesus so that when messy things come up they’ll wrong with this, but there is something to be learned. depart from the sin, not the Savior. I remember when my family got our first computer. It was one of those beautiful yellow flesh colored plastic cases with a giant old CRT monitor, the kind that weighed 100 pounds. I didn’t care what it looked like; I was so excited that we finally had our own computer. The home computer was another huge step forward in modern technology.
The big lie that has been told is that adolescents have always
the most marginalized people of the first century (the demonpossessed, the crippled, the tax collectors, and prostitutes), and in the homes of people who had never heard His name or professed any kind of faith.
o
ne of Jesus’ primary questions is whether or not we will go - will we leave our comfortable ways to be with Him? - as He is actively involved in the world. Will we leave everything to follow just as He left the comfort of heaven? That is the question Katie and I wrestled to answer when we moved our family to downtown Annapolis five years ago to be part of planting Downtown Hope. That is the question we again began to wrestle with in late autumn 2013 as I passed by an empty building that had recently been put up for sale with the address 255 West St. God never places us in a place for no purpose, and we felt it and saw it again that autumn - a vision, a dream, a new thing wrapped in an old, empty building. The for-sale sign said “great opportunity”; I thought that might be the most artificial way to describe what could be a conduit to populate the desolated streets of our city with hope again. That’s not to say every street of Annapolis is desolate, but there are many that have long been forgotten. Through the cold winter we walked by this empty building and prayed often. It was in the way. It was in the way on my walk to our studio (what we call our offices) and it was in my way on my walk home. It was in our way when we visited our friends downtown and it was in our way when we rode our bikes to the Sunday morning gathering. It was in my way in my dreams and it was in our way when we prayed for our city, as a team, every Monday morning. In early spring of 2014 as I shared our vision with Greg St. Cyr and Bruce O’Neil (Senior Pastor of Annapolis Evangelical Presbyterian Church) on two separate occasions, they both gave us the same advice: They believed that Downtown Hope should consider purchasing that old, empty, in-the-way building, and that they would like to participate in the vision! We continued to pray through the spring and asked the owner to make the empty building available to us for over $300,000 less than its $1.2 million list price. Amazed that he agreed, we began to make plans to share with the people of Downtown Hope. In the heat of summer 2014, I shared our vision for the space. Our vision is simple: That 255 West St. would exist as a gathering space for the good of our city - an estuary, a shared place where people from two drastically different ecosystems (those who profess faith in Christ and those who are yet to) are in the way of one another. An estuary is one of the most volatile parts of a river, but also where some of the most amazing things grow. It is not safe but it is rich in nutrients. This is the potential nourishment the gospel would provide through 255, and unlike a sanctuary, an estuary is a space where the person who is starving for God can see, hear, taste, and experience Jesus in an environment that is familiar. This is why in the gospels we find Jesus in the streets, in the marketplace, among
This is the kind of space we envision for 255 West St. It is located in the Arts District and in the upper West St. Corridor, an area that is being built up and will likely become the cultural center of the City of Annapolis over the next decade. The space will serve four very specific purposes: 1. A Gathering Space - For organizations and nonprofits to utilize and where Downtown Hope will hold worship gatherings through the week. 2. An Art Gallery - Where artists of the city and surrounding areas can display experimental work in a beautiful, transparent space directly on West St. in the arts district. 3. A Music Venue - Where musicians of the city and surrounding areas can create and perform their latest work. 4. A Training Center - Where the Downtown Hope team will continue to equip and train believers in our area in how to meaningfully care for the poor and how to make disciples in the context of their everyday lives. That late summer of 2014, the people of Downtown Hope made significant financial commitments, and during the fall both Bay Area Community Church and Annapolis EP committed to joining the vision as well. On New Years Eve 2014 we heard back from the owner that he had officially accepted our offer, and on January 4, 2015, we took a church-wide vote requiring 66 percent to vote in favor to move forward. To our astonishment, 98 percent of the votes were yes, so we signed the contract and will close at the end of this month! We are grateful and humbled that the Lord is providing the opportunity to curate this space for His glory. And though we are energized about this space, our focus will always remain on Jesus’ love for us shown and substantiated through His death on the cross and resurrection. This is the sole purpose of why we exist - for His glory - and the sole purpose of how 255 West St. will be utilized. Though the Lord has done and provided so much, there is still much to do, and we will need the help of the people of our mother church - Bay Area! This is an incredible opportunity to participate in the mission that is in our backyard and for our churches to collaborate. We have needs as it relates to specialized work, including electrical, plumbing, masonry, HVAC, and drywall, and we will need help with several basic skills anyone can do such as demolition, painting, moving in, etc. If you are reading this and have unique gifts God has given you, or operate a business that would be willing to offer some pro-bono hours, please reach out with an email info@ downtownhope.org. We are looking forward to being in the way, that the people who walk the streets of our city might be given a new heart one thriving with the hope that only Jesus, the one who fills all things, can provide. Grace to you + peace, Joey
Joey Tomassoni, Lead Planter of Downtown Hope, with the church leadership team.
st St. 255 We
SENT NETWORK CHURCH PLANTING PROGRESS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC
By Meredith Thompson well-caffeinated group – who collectively form Redeemer City Church – began holding regular gatherings in fall 2014, though the relationship-building process began months earlier. Mark highlighted that Redeemer City’s core group of leaders are focused foremost on meeting and discipling individuals in D.C., throw a dart at a map of the eastern Mid-Atlantic, and it’s building those priorities into the DNA of the church to serve as almost guaranteed to land within 50 miles of a maturing an example for years to come. “They’re very engaged with the new church planted over the last several years by Bay Area downtown culture. It’s pretty exciting,” Mark added, sharing that Community Church and its partners through the SENT during SENT’s January Collective – a monthly gathering of regional Network. church planters centered on prayer, encouragement, and training – Pastor Steven celebrated that a man came to Christ just days earlier. Church planting leader Ed Stetzer estimates that 3,500-4,000 churches shutter their doors every year in the United States. Fifty miles northwest, away from the bustle of the nation’s capital, The number of unchurched people in America has swelled to Redemption City Church held its first Sunday gathering that same twice what it was in 1991, and while over 40 percent of baby week in the home of church planter and lead pastor Bliss Spillar boomers are considered churched, the number of millennials in Frederick, Maryland. People with whom Bliss and his core team who frequent Christ-centered houses of worship is estimated of church leaders have been building relationships meet Sunday to be as low as 4 percent. In short, the church is shrinking – mornings for an hour of worship followed by a potluck lunch. rapidly and dramatically.
Richmond. Washington, D.C. The City of Brotherly Love. Silver Spring. Frederick. The Big Apple. Crofton. Naptown. Blindly
This nationwide attrition, paired with Bay Area’s mission to make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from here to the nations, led the church’s leadership to launch the SENT Network in 2007, two decades after BACC was itself planted by Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium. Established to equip church planters and leaders to advance the Kingdom of God, the SENT Network is led by Executive Director Mark McGeever and board and leadership team members who recruit and coach aspiring church planters and walk alongside them as their new churches mature.
Partnered with his wife, Shelby, Bliss developed a heart to see the gospel advanced around the world through the church while on staff with Portico Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he received training while serving as lead church planter resident. While Frederick is not without churches, Mark explained, Bliss has a heart for the city and felt its people needed a Jesus-centered expression. In addition to these two new, growing communities of believers, Mark highlighted that church planter Tim Mull has begun laying the groundwork for a church plant in Fells Point, Baltimore, as SENT prepares to next-level its church planting efforts. “We as a leadership team and the board affirmed that we were feeling called to have a stretch-of-faith goal on a couple different levels,” Mark said, explaining SENT’s heart behind its mission to plant 25 churches in the next two years. “We felt like we could just walk along, and if something shows up, be reactive, or we could be proactive and say, ‘Let’s trust God for 25.’”
While many new churches start with a building and seek out members, plants established by the SENT Network begin with individual relationships that grow into a community of people who meet regularly for food, fellowship, and teaching from the Word. Ultimately, a church is born. “We start fresh expressions of gospel-centered churches that actually bring the good news to folks, see them meet Christ and become growing disciples, and then keep planting more churches Not only will many more of the Mid-Atlantic’s unchurched hear the to keep reaching more people,” Mark illustrated. “We really message of Jesus Christ through this increase, but the replication see [SENT] as a growing network that keeps reaching more of church plants will better enable SENT to hone reproducible neighborhoods, subcultures and cities.” systems in preparation for expansion into their next region. “We’re praying about the New England region,” Mark said. “At the end of To date, SENT has birthed nine churches across the Midthe day, it’s about reaching people in the harvest.” Atlantic region, including Downtown Hope in Annapolis, The Well in Silver Spring, Redeemer City Church in Washington, As SENT Network prepares to multiply its efforts, Mark expressed D.C., and Metropolitan Faith Church in New York City. Mark his gratitude for Bay Area’s continued support in establishing noted the network currently is in dialogue with about seven church plants and encouraged BACC members to pray for the potential church planters, and its leadership has a heart to see network’s needs. “[Bay Area’s] unselfish generosity of people and 25 additional plants take root over the next two years. resources is just a great example – it helped the SENT Network get off the ground, and is a model for these other churches to have that A few blocks southeast of the Capitol Building in Washington, pay-it-forward mentality,” he emphasized, encouraging, “Pray for D.C., a fireplace and natural brick accents welcome about 50 church planters, that the Lord would send high-quality, pioneering folks to a large room above the Starbucks on the southwest church planters who want to keep Jesus central. He’s asked us to corner of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and 3rd Street SE at 10 pray for laborers, and you’re not going to have 25 church plants a.m. each Sunday for worship, prayer, and teaching from without the planters.” God’s Word. Pastored by church planter Steven Lee, the
Sent Network Chuch Planters and Leadership gather together each month for encouragement, community, and training.
SENTNETWORK.ORG
the unlikely trade-maker a By Jerry Shirlen
For any Christian who truly desires a meaningful, memorable, and lasting experience, there is none better than a mission trip. And, for anyone to whom the Holy Spirit speaks, responding “Yes Lord” will surely change their life. fter many years of feeling a calling from God, my wife Janice participated in her first short term mission trip to El Salvador in July 2013. This was just a few months after we began attending Bay Area, so Janice didn’t know anyone with her on the trip. Also surprising to me was that she had only traveled by airplane a few times, and always with me. But, she was determined to be obedient to God.
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While I was amazed and impressed by my wife’s decision to fulfill her near lifelong dream, I was absolutely certain that missions work of any kind was not for me. The thought of traveling to another country to do God’s work simply was not in my plans. Frankly, I was sure I wouldn’t fit into the culture, any manual labor I ever did usually resulted in me breaking something, I was concerned about safety traveling abroad, and I never had a great connection with very young children. Near-failing grades in high school foreign language classes had convinced me that English was as much as my tongue would ever be able to handle. In spite of my self-perceived inadequacies, something changed in my heart one Sunday last year when the first
Make the Trade initiative was rolled out and folks were being encouraged to sign up for short term mission trips. I had seen the amazing replica of a typical structure used for living quarters in third-world countries that was created in the BACC lobby. Not only was it a bit sad to see and imagine this reality, it also reminded me of what I had heard about some most unpleasant particulars of the living conditions in El Salvador that I knew I could not handle. And, there was also my son Josh’s serious confrontation with a saddleback caterpillar in the village of Guayabo. While he often embellishes the story for comic value, the thought
of his receiving an injection of medicine while sitting in a garage only heightened my resolve that this type of adventure was not for me. However, by the conclusion of the morning gathering, I was convinced that the Holy Spirit was calling me to go. The feeling was not accompanied by a vision, bright light, or crescendo of music, and I didn’t hear an audible voice. Rather, it was a still, small voice speaking deep into my soul, urging me to say “Yes” to Him. I left the gathering and found my wife and son, and I simply and quietly stated, “I’m going.” With this, my life was completely changed. Shortly after our arrival in El Salvador, I began to wonder if I had heard the correct message. Between the heat and the bus trip to our hotel, I began to have some doubts. Sarah Meehan de Solorzano asked our team what we each hoped to accomplish during our time there. I responded quizzically, “I want to find out why I am here.” While the Holy Spirit had called me to go, I really had no idea why. Our week was filled with many wonderful activities at the children’s center in Guayabo. Josh was leading our team and he had planned a very ambitious, “next level” kind of week for us. Some of our goals were painting a 50-foot mural on the outside wall of the center; reconstructing a retaining wall of a proposed soccer field (hard labor!); performing repairs at nearby homes; and acting out the story of creation, the fall of man, redemption, and restoration for the children. I played the role of God in the daily skits, and this was clearly a stretch role for me. After the final event of the week, a great parade with the children wearing costumes they had made, my question of why God had called me there still had not been answered to my satisfaction. It was then that Josh handed out the home visit assignments for the morning. I turned down the first one that was offered and was glad when a husband and wife accepted it (other lives were dramatically changed by these decisions). Along with team members Kim Mitchell and Michelle Testa, I then accepted the next assignment to go to the home of a woman who had a young child attending the center, as well as an infant. The woman’s home was as humble as one would expect, but she proudly showed us around. We were then surprised
when she asked if she could invite her neighbor Luis to meet with us. Luis was a 23-year-old man who had recently moved to El Salvador and was living in a one-room, cinder block dwelling attached to the woman’s home. As Luis showed us his room, we noticed that “Jesus Christ” was written in Spanish on the wall. He said this was on the wall when he moved in and he had just left it there. As we left, Luis came along to the front porch of the woman’s home. Kim, Michelle, and I felt strongly that the Holy Spirit was drawing Luis to Jesus. Each of us in turn shared our testimonies with Luis. For perhaps the first time in my life, I felt the Spirit of the Lord speaking through me with power and anointing. When we asked Luis if he would like to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he tearfully responded that he would. As we walked back to the children’s center, it struck me that I had just received the answer to my question. I had been sent to help this young man find salvation through Christ! This experience was the highlight of an amazing week, and would serve as the dawn of a brand new spiritual journey for me. As we prepared to leave El Salvador, Josh cautioned us to be leery of a possible letdown once we returned to our daily routines at home. This was sage advice, and I made sure I clung to my experience as strongly as Jacob had held on to the angel in Genesis 32. I found that I was growing in the Spirit with each new day. And, the Holy Spirit has continued to work in my life in amazing ways, opening new doors of opportunity to serve Him. I had heard many people say how their experiences on a short-term mission trip had changed their lives. I had always felt that was just a bit cliché, but now I understand firsthand the reality of what they were saying. For any Christian who truly desires a meaningful, memorable, and lasting experience, there is none better than a mission trip. And, for anyone to whom the Holy Spirit speaks, responding “Yes Lord” will surely change their life.
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make the trade short term mission trips 2015
El Salvador Poland Ghana Uganda India Brazil Malaysia Indonesia Registration Deadline February 28th
bayareaccaorg/stm
CARE NETWORK
HAPPENINGS
BAPTISM Wo u l d y o u l i ke t o b e b a p t i z e d ?
There are times when every one of us experiences difficulties such as the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, divorce, job loss, addiction, discouragement, spiritual crisis, loneliness, parenting difficulties, and many other challenges. God’s intention is that we engage with others and not walk alone through these circumstances! And Jesus wants to see us through the challenges instead of avoiding them or going around them. The Care Network is a free, confidential, Christ-centered ministry that assists those seeking help by serving as a bridge to hope and healing through a variety of resources. We offer appropriate referrals and resources such as a Care Coach, a Missional Community, financial assistance, Celebrate Recovery, Christian counselors, or an appropriate agency or program in the community. If you need some help or have questions, email leanne.lane@bayareacc.org for more information.
For more information... • K-5th: contact gail.wiles@bayareacc.org • 6-12th: contact brent.squires@bayareacc.org • Adults: contact arianne.teeple@bayareacc.org CELEBRATE RECOVERY Celebrate Recovery is for anyone seeking a richer life through worshipping God and being in community with others. Don’t let your hurts, habits, and hangups keep you isolated. Let Celebrate Recovery be a place of healing, hope, and community for you! We meet every Monday night, even on holidays, at 7 PM for worship, a lesson/testimony, open share groups, and fellowship. We share a meal together every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month from 6-7 PM. The 3rd Monday is a potluck dinner. Stop by our kiosk in the lobby every 1st Sunday of the month to talk with Celebrate Recovery representatives and learn more. Contact Tom at tmuth57@gmail.com or leanne.lane@bayareacc.org for more information.
C ON N E CT W ITH B AY AREA If you’re new or just have a question, we’d love to meet you and help you get plugged in. Look for a member of our connect team in a blue shirt in the lobby after each Sunday gathering or visit us online at www.bayareacc.org/waystoconnect
CELEBRATION PLACE This is a free, 52-week complementary resource for children, ages 1-12, of parents attending Celebrate Recovery on Monday nights. So while adults explore topics that bring healing and wholeness, children discover the same truths in age appropriate ways. There is limited space, so please be sure to secure a spot for your child/children. Contact Jen Marshall at celebration.place@bayareacc.org for more information.
MARRIAGE MINISTRY Have you been married 10+ years and have a deep desire to see couples start and stay strong in their marriages? If you have a heart for marriages and want to serve or learn more about the Marriage Ministry at BACC please visit bayareacc.org/marriageministry or contact leanne.lane@bayareacc.org for more info. THE GREAT DATE NIGHT Did you know that February is deemed Marriage Month in the United States? Bay Area loves to celebrate marriages so come out on Saturday, February 14, yes Valentine’s Day, from 7 - 9:30 PM at Bay Area and enjoy an evening full of laughter, yummy desserts, fellowship and comedy for ALL couples. You don‘t have to be married to enjoy this evening out. Invite some friends. Tickets are now onsale after each gathering in the lobby or you can purchase them online at bayareacc.org/thegreatdatenight. Cost is $35 per couple. Contact leanne.lane@bayareacc.org for more information. PREMARITAL MENTORING Did you get engaged or are you thinking about getting engaged? Premarital mentoring is just what you need! Strong marriages are the cornerstone of a healthy, Jesuscentered family. Our marriage ministry equips future and existing marriages with the tools they need to make it in marriage. The premarital mentor program pairs couples with marriage mentors, couples who have been married for 10 + years, to help prepare them for marriage. It doesn’t matter whether a Bay Area pastor is officiating at your wedding, being prepared is the key! This is the best gift you can give each other as you start your life together as man and wife. Contact Todd & Kim Christner at premarital. ministry@bayareacc.org for more information. DIVORCE CARE The Care Network is in the midst of developing a team to provide care and resources for those who are divorced or are currently considering divorce. Contact leanne.lane@bayareacc.org for more information. PRODIGAL CHILDREN SUPPORT Luke 15:11-32 tells us the parable of the lost son. He leaves home, lives his life the way he wants to and thankfully, he eventually returns to his father. This child has become known as the “Prodigal Child.” While this parable is part of Jesus’s messages describing God’s love for all of us, for some families it is reality. The journey/ trial of having a prodigal is incredibly challenging. If you are a parent that has a prodigal, you are not alone. Contact leanne.lane@bayareacc.org for more information about how Bay Area can lend you support & encouragement. HOSPITAL/HOMEBOUND VISITATION If you or a loved one is in the hospital or homebound we would love to serve you. Contact us so that we can learn more about how to be of assistance. Contact leanne.lane@bayareacc.org or phone at 443-837-3718.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Andy Saderholm serves with the babies in the Tidal Pool every Sunday. He loves to care for the littlest ones and enable the parents to attend their gathering. He has noticed what a big difference it makes for consistent leaders to care for these babies. We are so thankful for him to share his love of Jesus with the families of the Deep Blue. The rest of Andy’s family, his wife Melanie (shown below), daughter, and two sons are also heavily invested in ministries at Bay Area. Steve & Ilene Crabb serve in preschool during our 8 AM gathering and have been attending Bay Area for many years. They love spending time with the children and showing them the love of Jesus. They spend a lot of their time with their two daughters and their Boston Terrier, Zeke, who has a record of 30 bounces of a ball in a row on his nose. How fun! Thank you, Steve & Ilene for your dedication to our preschoolers. Melanie Saderholm is a dedicated 1st grade community group leader during the 9:30 AM gathering. Melanie will come in early and decorate her room (which by the way is the copy room) with great visuals for the kids to get excited about. She is also the first one to jump in to help with our large group by getting silly and just having fun. We love Melanie’s heart to serve, she really energizes our Sunday mornings!
BAPTISM CELEBRATION FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS Is your child expressing interest in sharing his/her love for Jesus through baptism? We’ve designed a special event for elementary, middle, and high school students to celebrate their decision with a baptism celebration on Saturday, February 28 at 6 PM in the Warehouse. Contact gail.wiles@bayareacc.org for more information.
FINANCIALS Operating Budget Financial Update December 31, 2014 New Fiscal Year Began September 1, 2014
FAMILY BLESSING EVENT - registration ends soon The last day to register for this years Family Blessing Event is Tuesday, February 3, 2015. Join us Saturday, February 7 to hear our Senior Pastor Greg St. Cyr share the importance of leaving a legacy and passing on the blessing to your children. Continental breakfast and KidCare provided. RSVP is required visit bayareacc.org/deepblueevents to reserve your families table at this event. Contact chyloe.cheetham@bayareacc.org STUDENT TRAINING Students fifth grade and above serving in Children’s Ministry this year are required to attend a training session. If you were unable to attend our fall training, join us in The Docks Sunday, February 22 at 10:30 AM. We will discuss the policies and procedures of serving in all of our Deep Blue environments.
CONNECTING MINISTRY
Fiscal Year Giving Goal
$ 3,832,000
YTD Giving Goal YTD Received YTD Actual vs. Goal 2.9% Ahead DECEMBER Giving Goal DECEMBER Received
$ 1,369,239 $ 1,408,978 $ 39,739 $ 456,964 $ 517,757
Building Debt Status as of December 31, 2014 Balance Due Fiscal YTD Donations
$ 1,859,432 $ 7,850
For weekly financial updates, please visit us online at www.bayareacc.org/financials Please be sure to designate all Building Fund Donations on the Memo Line of your check: “One & Only Life” for Existing Debt or “Beyond884” for the Building Expansion & Beyond884 Outreach. Please note all undesignated checks will go toward the Bay Area Operating Fund.
How Do I Support The Cause of Beyond884: Room For People? Preferred Methods (no fees charged) Direct Debit: Go to www.beyond884.com/give to download the form. Mail completed form to the BACC Finance Department and we will debit your checking account DISCOVER BAY AREA New to Bay Area? Welcome! Join us in the Bay Cafe for directly each month. Discover Bay Area on February 1 from 12:30-1:30 PM to learn more about who we are, what we are about, and how you can Personal Check: Write “Beyond884” on the memo line and get plugged in. It’s a great chance for you to get to know us drop it in the offering basket on Sunday or mail the check to and for us to get to know you. Free lunch included. No RSVP BACC (884 Chesterfield Road, Annapolis, MD 21401). needed - just bring yourself! Kids welcome. We hope to see Bank Check: Process through your bank’s Bill Pay service you there! Our next Discover is March 1. online for a bank check to be sent to BACC. Be sure to note “Beyond884” on the memo line. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Interested in church membership? Here at Bay Area, we call “membership” ministry partnership. This 5 week ministry partner process informs and equips you to lock arms with us as followers of Jesus on mission. LEARNING COMMUNITIES The next round starts in March. To learn more or register, visit bayareacc.org/ministry-partnership Learning Communities are smaller groups of people that meet in The Docks (the building in the east parking lot) with the EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES focus of learning, applying, and living out the Bible. We offer many different courses not only to help develop theologically, KIDCARE TEAM MEMBERS Our team consists of individuals who have a heart for kids. but also in our character development and practical lives Our workers are paid, and we are consistently looking to following Jesus. We are currently underway for our Winter add to our team. We provide KidCare to all ministries of sessions. For information about our next semester of courses Bay Area from The Well, Celebrate Recovery, Missional starting in April go to bayareacc.org/learningcommunities. Communities, and different events throughout the year. If you or someone you know are interested in joining, contact jen.marshall@bayareacc.org or visit the Children’s Welcome Desk on Sundays for more info.
WINTER RELIEF IS COMING We’re housing 25 homeless people March 16 - 23. Are you interested in serving? Contact us at outreach@bayareacc.org
GATHERINGS
SATURDAY NIGHT SINGALONG Join us for Saturday Night Singalong on February 7 at 6 PM. MEN’S BIBLE STUDY This is a great opportunity to rest in worship, prayer, and testimony as a church body. There will be a special space for children to worship with the adults, therefore we will not MEN’S MORNING BIBLE STUDY have KidCare. Our next Saturday Night Singalong is March 7. Tuesdays from 6-7:30 AM in room 236. Email Dennis at dbradylaw@aol.com for more information. Contact micah.pringle@bayareacc.org
GLOBAL MISSIONS
MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES
Through the Make the Trade initiative, short term mission teams from Bay Area will travel to 7 different countries this summer. We invite you to prayerfully consider how you might be a part of Make the Trade this year and serve on one of these trips. Please fill out a GO Form online at bayareacc.org/stm. All GO Forms are due by February 28 along with a $100 registration fee. There is a mandatory training on February 28 at BACC, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. This training will give you necessary information and preparation for your short term mission trip.
MISSIONAL COMMUNITY TASTER Get a taste of what a missional community is through our MC Taster event. Join us on Sunday, February 8 for a light lunch and some info from our Missional Community Pastor, Brian Hopper. We’ll spend about an hour together in community with each other, in loving God, and thinking about how to engage those around us. RSVP online at bayareacc.org/mctaster-rsvp or email mc@bayareacc.org for questions.
*Note: All trips are subject to change based on leadership availability MALAYSIA • June 14-28
EL SALVADOR • May 30-June 7 • June 13-21 • July 4-12 • July 11-19 • July 18-26 • November 7-15 • May 30 - August 9 Nanny needed in El Salvador
POLAND • July 8-20 • July 22 to Aug 3 • October 12-21
BRAZIL • July 10-18
INDONESIA • August 14-24 INDIA • May 9-19
GHANA • June 4-14 • July 2-12 • July 16-26 • August 6-16
LOCAL OUTREACH LOCAL SERVING OPPORTUNITIES Missional Communities often don’t know how to get involved with serving locally. We’re here to help. Email outreach@bayareacc.org to start the conversation. There are many organizations in the Annapolis area that will be blessed by your involvement; we’d love to connect you with them.
PRAYER MINISTRY The Bay Area Prayer Ministry is made up of teams of individuals devoted to gathering in prayer for the church worship gatherings, the pastors, our missional efforts and missionaries, the ministries of the church, those who are sick or saddened by grief and those who are wrestling with life’s struggles. The Prayer Ministry provides an opportunity for us to gather together and share our hearts with our Father who loves us. Let’s pray together. The prayer room is located on the second floor at Bay Area. Also, every Sunday immediately following the gatherings members of our prayer team will be up front and to the right of the stage if you would like someone to pray with. For more information about prayer or the teams, go online to bayareacc.org/prayer or contact pat.linnell@bayareacc.org
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE AUDIO/VIDEO TEAM: We’re looking for a few more passionate, committed people to partner with our Sunday production team. Contact micah.pringle@bayareacc.org BAY CAFÉ: Interested in serving in the Bay Café? Contact sherri.raimondo@bayareacc.org CHAIR MINISTRY: Serve on the chair set-up/teardown team. Contact ron.dutton@bayareacc.org CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: Do you have theatre experience and appreciate energetic environments? Our Elementary large group time may be your perfect fit. Contact aimee.coyle@bayareacc.org COMMUNION TEAM: Contact arianne.teeple@bayareacc.org
PARKING MINISTRY: Serve by directing traffic and greeting those arriving at church. Contact Steve at parking@bayareacc.org SAFETY TEAM: If you are passionate about safety or have experience in security, law enforcement, EMS or First Responders, come be part of helping our church stay safe. Contact Ed at safety@bayareacc.org STUDENT MINISTRY: Interested in serving middle and high school students? Contact michaela.graf-jones@bayareacc.org WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Interested in serving on an event committee for Women’s Ministry this year? Contact janet.graves@bayareacc.org
WOMEN’S MINISTRY From HERE to THERE. “A disciple who is fully trained will be like his teacher” Luke 6:40. At The Well, our women’s Bible studies, we grow from HERE to THERE in our relationship with God. No matter your starting point, God desires a closer relationship with you.
THE WELL EVENING STUDIES Children of the Day: A study of I & II Thessalonians Enjoy the latest video series taught by Beth Moore and engage in large group & small discussion groups that will bring you closer to God & each other. Join us Tuesdays, from 7-9 PM, January 13 - March 24 in the BACC Warehouse. Contact Darby Cate at darby@dougcate.com Crossroads on the Journey: Pursuing a Lifetime Commitment and Transformation This small group purposes to disciple women new to the faith journey as they take the next steps in learning to study God’s Word, pray, rely on the Holy Spirit, and discern their spiritual gifts. This small group is taught by Janet Graves and Deb Shipley on Tuesdays from 7-9 PM, January 13 - March 24. Cost $15. Contact Janet Graves at janet.graves@bayareacc.org WOMEN’S GETAWAY “Undone by God’s Love: Transformed to Love Like He Does.” March 13, 7 PM - March 15, noon Speaker: Kammi McGinty Join us at the beautiful Osprey Point Retreat and Conference Center in Royal Oak, MD for a time to relax, recharge and reconnect with friends and with the God who loves you. Registration includes Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday breakfast. Cost: Double - $235/per person, Triple - $185/per person. Scholarship donations accepted. Space is limited to the first 60 women who register. Registration is not complete without payment. Register on Sundays, Feb. 1, 8, 15 at the Women’s Ministry kiosk in the lobby or online at bayareacc.org/womensevents. Contact janice.onken@gmail.com for more information. WOMEN OF LEGACY (55+) This group of women meets to encourage each other in their walk with Jesus and to leave a lasting legacy for others. Join us on Mondays, February 9 & 23 from 10:30 - 11:30 AM. Contact Cedulie Sanchez at luisandcedulie@gmail.com. You can purchase the book, Teach Me to Number My Days for $15.
THE WELL MORNING STUDIES Just like any other relationship, we need to learn how to communicate well in our relationship with God. Starting this month, we will focus on learning to listen and talk to God to bring us closer to Him. Register online at bayareacc.org/womenspiritualgrowth Lord, Teach Me To Pray This Kay Arthur study, based on the Lord’s Prayer, gives practical lessons helpful for women to learn how to talk to God through prayer. Join us Wednesdays 9:30 - 11:30 AM, March 4 - April 15. Cost: $15. Contact Laurie Gregory at thewell@ bayareacc.org KidCare is available for The Well morning studies only. For this class only, $25/1 child, $35/2+ children. Registration isn’t final until confirmed by Jen Marshall. Contact jen.marshall@ bayareacc.org
QUILTS FOR KIDS Join us as we take donated fabric and make quilts for kids in shelters and hospitals. Our next sewing workshop is Saturday, February 21 from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM at BACC in Room 223. All skill levels are welcome. Kits are available. All you need to bring is your sewing machine, sewing supplies and your lunch. If you would like a quilt kit, have a quilt you would like to donate, or have a question about this ministry, please contact Janet Hogan at annapolisqfk@gmail.com
WOULD YOU RATHER READ GO&MAKE IN A DIGITAL FORMAT? View it at BAYAREACC.ORG
STUDENT MINISTRY
LEADER SPOTLIGHT
SUNDAY TEACHING SERIES: JUDGEMENT CALL When was the last time you had to make a tough call? Was it when deciding what to eat for lunch? To drink Coke or Pepsi? Go to the gym or skip it? The truth is, we make judgment calls all day long, from what we watch on TV or who we hang out with to more complicated decisions like whether to attend a party or stick with a tough friendship. And, in every decision, we’re forced to ask the question, “Which option is better?” The problem is, our natural tendency to judge leaks into places it shouldn’t—like our relationships. We start thinking of people as options and deciding which ones are better or worse. Many of us are even tempted to make those judgments about ourselves. Unfortunately, most of the time, we make decisions about people without all the facts. We don’t know someone’s whole story, their whole situation, or their whole potential. We miss the big picture. Maybe that’s why, in the Bible, God makes it super clear: Judgment is His call. Not ours. Sunday, February 1: “Bad Girl?” (No Fuel high school gathering due to winter meltdown) Sunday, February 8: “Not Against”
Sarah Wieduwilt is a new leader this year, but she has shown herself to be a dedicated member of our team. Working with our 9th grade girls, she is loved for her great sense of humor and her sidekick in the form of her outgoing daughter, Parker. Sarah is extremely creative and enjoys party planning, knitting and crocheting, and making wedding cakes. Sarah is also an upand-coming actress as you saw her in the December series video along side her husband, Jake (mentioned below). Jake Wieduwilt is also new to our team this year. We are glad to have him mentoring our 11th grade guys and passing on to them his wisdom and his love for life. Jake is just as creative as his wife, Sarah (mentioned above). He loves photography and getting his hands dirty with woodworking. For a living, he drives boats, which seems like the dream job for any Annapolis resident. He is also well travelled as he has gone to over fifteen countries. Apparently, he also makes the best guacamole around. If you see him around church, you should definitely challenge him to a cook off!
BAPTISM CELEBRATION FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS Is your child expressing interest in sharing his/her love for Jesus through baptism? We’ve designed a special SUNDAY TEACHING SERIES: CHAOS When was the last time you felt totally out of control? Maybe event for elementary, middle, and high school students it was when your car fish-tailed, just for a second. Or maybe it to celebrate their decision with a baptism celebration wasn’t that dramatic. Maybe your plans got changed at the last on Saturday, February 28 at 6 PM in the Warehouse. minute and you had no idea what to do. Or maybe it was with Contact at brent.squires@bayareacc.org for more info. a friend or a family member whose behavior left you shaking your head. We all have moments like that. Moments that make no sense. Moments that leave us feeling tense, anxious, and wondering how we’re supposed to handle it all. The problem is that sometimes those out-of-control moments don’t just go away. They stretch into days, weeks, and months. We go from having stressed out moments to being stressed out people. It’s no surprise that God never intended for our lives to be defined by stress. Thankfully He doesn’t tell us to handle it on our own, either. He invites us to bring our worries and anxiety to Him. And when do, we find that He doesn’t just remove the chaos from our lives. He replaces it with something better—peace. PARENT DESSERT Sunday, February 15: “Stressed” Sunday, February 22: “Approved” Sunday, March 1: “Done”
Parents of Middle and High School students, join us Wednesday, February 4 at 7 PM for a chance to meet our leaders, fellowship with other parents, and learn about what is going on in the Student Ministry. Hope to see you there!
VERTICAL WEEKEND Bay Area’s Student Ministry is hosting its fourth annual Vertical Weekend: an intown retreat for middle school students, grades 6-8 , February 20-22. This retreat is aimed at focusing middle school students upward (or Vertically) towards a God that desires to be in a relationship with them. During this retreat, students gather at BACC for four sessions from Friday night to Sunday morning. Each session will feature dynamic worship, and relevant teaching. After Friday night’s session, students depart in gender/grade-specific community groups where they will stay in local host homes for group discipleship and discussion. Throughout the weekend, students will also be treated to fun games, snacks, and other activities. Your middle school student will not want to miss this event! Register at the Student Ministry Kiosk and online. Register by February 5 for $50. Register after February 5 for $70. Registration Closes February 8th.
MIDDLE
friends and bring a pillow to crush anyone who opposes you. Don’t forget to bring a few bucks for the snack bar. Club 678 happens on the second Friday of every month from 7 - 9 PM and is our monthly outreach for middle school students. Host Homes and Volunteers Vertical Weekend is our in-town retreat, and we couldn’t pull it off without the amazing body at Bay Area. There are many opportunities to serve during this amazing weekend for students including opening your home to host a group of 8-10 students and their leader, transporting students to and from host homes, meal preparation and more. Contact austin.maccubbin@bayareacc.org to get involved.
High school students, join us every Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 PM for our mid-week gathering where students grow deeper in their walk with God through group-based discipleship. Each Amplify gathering features free food, games, and gender/grade specific Community Groups led by trained February Pillow Fight Club 678 Who doesn’t like a good Pillow and caring adult leaders. Students will experience true Fight. Middle school students, join community and discipleship in the context of their peers, all us for Club 678 this month for a in a fun environment. Contact brent.squires@bayareacc.org battle royal pillow fight. Invite your for more info.