Go & Make Issue #26 (Dec. 2015)

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IN THIS ISSUE 18 COVER STORY: THE LIGHT CHRISTMAS Lead Pastor Greg St. Cyr examines how light reveals, overcomes darkness, guides, is pure and can be reflected, illustrating that John 8:12 and Matthew 5:14-16 tell us Jesus is the Light of the World, who came into the world at Christmas, and we as His followers are the light of the world.

22 MAKING THE CHRISTMAS EVE EXPERIENCE EVEN BETTER This Christmas Eve, Bay Area is rolling out a seat reservation system to help ensure a maximum number of people attending can participate in worship in the Auditorium.

20 BEHIND THE CHRISTMAS DESIGN Learn about the inspiration behind the Christmas theme and decor this year at Bay Area.

14 FROM MISSION TRIP TO MISSIONAL COMMUNITY Jon and Debbie Ringler share how the members of their Missional Community, which formed after they served together on a short term mission trip in El Salvador, serve one another and their community and grow together through studying the Bible.

26 SENT NETWORK’S MARK MCGEEVER Mark McGeever, executive director of Bay Area’s church-planting ministry, the SENT Network, shares his story of coming to faith and explains his passion for equipping church planters and leaders.

8 EDITORIAL: HOW TO WORSHIP WITH CHRISTMAS SONGS Worship Leader Micah Pringle uncovers how we can embrace and worship through familiar Yuletide hymns by reframing our thinking and paying attention to their words.

We appreciate your comments and questions. Please email us at feedback@bayareacc.org and a staff member or elder will respond within 48 hours.

Gathering Times: 8am 9:30am 11:15am

884 Chesterfield Rd. Annapolis, MD 21401

410.544.2222

MAGAZINE CREDITS EDITOR IN CHIEF Josh Shirlen MANAGING EDITOR Meredith Thompson ART Arianne Teeple Jake Williams Josh Burgin Josh Shirlen Meredith Thompson CONTRIBUTORS Jennifer Ginn Jocelyn Sacks Steve Onken Trevin Hoekzema

On the cover: Sculpture by Bob Candella, Johnny Reno & Jim David Photo by Josh Shirlen

ELDERS Brian Mallare David McPeak Don Wiley Greg St. Cyr J Upton John Battan John Taylor Keith Riniker Peter Godfrey Rich Heath Roger Ishii Tim Dotson Tim Grossman Tom Dalpini Tom Hogan Warwick Fairfax

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 Jerry Shirlen, Financial Administrator – jerry.shirlen@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, H.R. 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

Christian education gives the framework for total truth, rooted in the Creator’s existence and in the Bible’s teaching, so that in each step of the formal learning process the student will understand what is true and what is false and why it is true or false.

- Francis Schaeffer

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LETTER FROM THE LEAD

Grace revival. That’s what is happening in my life. As we approach Christmas, I’m swept up into the grace of God on full display through the Incarnation of Christ.

I can also choose to think about God, the birth of Christ, his death and resurrection. David models dwelling on God when he writes in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. Psalm 16:8-9

Christmas is about God doing what only God can do: A virgin conceiving and giving birth to God’s Son who will save us from our sins. The best word to describe this is grace.

David constantly made a choice to focus his mind on the Lord.

Knowing, not only in his head but also in his heart, that God was as close as his own right hand, he knew he was safe and secure. He knew that God was doing for him what he could not do for himself. And that’s grace! Flowing out of grace, David’s heart erupted in joy.

My grace revival was ignited afresh this June when Romans 5:17 broke into my struggles.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 I couldn’t get over the words “abundance of grace” and “free gift.” I still haven’t.

God’s unearned, undeserved favor was poured out not only at Christmas, but also on the cross. It is the cross of Christ that sets us free from the penalty and power of sin. By receiving God’s abundant grace and gift of righteousness, we can “reign in life.” This is the abundant life that Christ desires for each of us.

When we preoccupy our minds with the grace of God – especially the grace of the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus – circumstances and struggles loose their grip. Instead of being shaken, we are filled with joy and reign in life!

It’s my prayer during the weeks leading up to Christmas, as you preoccupy your mind with God’s Incarnate grace, that you too will experience a grace revival!

From here to the nations,

So what has been changing me? Here’s what I know: Intellectual facts about grace don’t lift me above my struggles.

I am being changed as I live in light of God’s grace.

Let me explain. Part of being created in the image of God is possessing the ability to think. I can choose what I am going to set my mind on. I can think about the Army-Navy game or the presidential race or how I’m going to spend my weekend.

Greg St. Cyr Lead Pastor

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More information on page 31.

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B

ay Area just completed a 9Lenses Church 360 feedback survey of our church. It’s an online interview that looks at our systems, processes and general health. Then the 9Lenses software coagulates the meanings of all the ratings, comments and suggestions, giving us a whole battery of results and analysis. Before we dive more deeply into what we found, let me give you some background.

We listened to and enfolded the information from 2013’s study, my 100-day report and other sources and worked diligently to improve our impact, communications and operations. Even the comment sections were more constructive and helpful this time. People gave us great ratings in the different categories and their ideas and comments were even more operationally helpful to us than in 2013.

Susan and I arrived at Bay Area at the end of 2012, having fallen in love with the church and its leadership (great lead pastor and chairman of the board). We’d been recruited earlier that year by several places but Bay Area’s vision and direction drew us to Annapolis. My only job for the first 90

What 9Lenses does is show the value of feedback. It is 100-percent anonymous, which is good (and bad as you can imagine), but it seems we receive honest and clear comments that way. It also shows another value of community. Without interaction with others, we can’t see our blind spots. Once we

days was to evaluate the ministries, operations, direction, etc.

Then I took 10 days and wrote a 100-day report for Greg and the board that detailed what I had observed.

know them, we can work on them. An adage I tell the staff all the time is, “I can’t fix what I don’t know about.” We also found some areas where we still have work to do. This latest survey certainly shows some areas where we have opportunity to grow and get better.

At the time, we had around 1,100 adults and a budget of over $2.7 million (as compared to today’s 1,600 adults and budget of $4.1 million). Bay Area was growing at double-digit rates but the approach to ministry seemed disjointed and unfocused.

To do an effective job of helping focus all the different aspects of our great church, I needed more information than my own private interviews, intuition and observation could provide.

Enter 9Lenses.

Former Bay Area elder Steve Pimpo actually introduced me to this firm that has done corporate 360s and consulting/coaching for firms like Exxon and Xerox. They had never done a church before, and because 9Lenses is an online consulting resource as well, they wanted to see if it would be helpful. We worked hard with the 9Lenses team to develop a church-specific 360 evaluation.

In 2013, we launched this massive online interview to staff, elders, deacons and key volunteers, and we got benchmarks in 14-15 key areas of our church including the visitor experience, gatherings, communication, facility, etc. We also utilized the software to evaluate other aspects of our church including Missional Communities, Student Ministry and Children’s Ministry.

This fall, we felt it was time to review our progress, so we launched another Church 360 to our staff, elders, deacons and Ministry Partners. The results for 2015’s version are back, and we’ve compared them to 2013’s results. Bottom line: YAY! In each area of focus (operations, key functions, gatherings, etc.) and every category, our ratings and comments have improved over 2013. Now just so you understand, the ratings/ feedback from 2013 were also good. The 9Lenses folks in fact were really impressed with our results back then! So I was expecting some improvement, but to improve in every area without one category being worse… well, YAY! I’ll say it again: YAY!

Our top-three highest ranking areas are leadership, workplace environment and gatherings. Our bottom three areas are bottlenecks, elephants in the room and leader for a day.

The top three are self-explanatory; the bottom three represent things like processes of communication to/from staff, vehicular and pedestrian traffic flows, and what people would do if they were “leader for a day.” There was a wide margin of opinion in these three areas: not much synthesis and agreement of opinion ergo low alignment of experience. We’re working through the analytics on these items trying hard to find action items that make sense for us.

Anyways, thanks for being a great church. Thanks for being patient with us as we seek to make improvements. Thanks for being flexible and ready to do anything in ministry that might help. Thanks to our staff members who serve on the 9Lenses Team. Thanks to Greg for being an inspiring leader.

Thanks to the Lord for the growth at Bay Area, both quantitative and qualitative. We certainly are not perfect, but we’re sure striving to be perfect, hopefully we’ll find “excellence” along the way as we pursue perfection.

Thankful, Ed Kelley Executive Pastor

Ed Kelley is the executive pastor at Bay Area Community Church and a monthly contributer to GO&MAKE.

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HOW TO WORSHIP WITH CHRISTMAS SONGS

By Micah Pringle

hristmas is upon us! And there will inevitably be a handful of things we experience for the next four weeks. We’ll see red, green, silver and gold decorations plastered everywhere, we’ll see mad rushes for merchandise that we’ll stuff under our Christmas trees, and of course, we’ll hear and sing (or refuse to sing) Christmas songs.

Carols. Yuletide hymns.

a song, it doesn’t matter whether it’s the newest, hottest Christian worship song on the planet, or the oldest, most forgotten Christmas hymn – I’ll not engage with it as fully as I should. So each Sunday during the month of December, before we engage in singing, take just a moment to pause and ask God to give you a heart and mind to see and feel the truth that is being sung in each song.

We sing them because it’s intrinsically tied to our traditions that surround Advent. And the reality is that these songs aren’t going anywhere, and for as long as we live, we’ll end up singing them for at least one month per year.

This leaves us with a decision to make: We can either embrace these songs and worship with them, we can remain apathetic to them, or for some, we can reject them altogether and gripe about them in a truly Ebenezer Scrooge-like fashion.

2 – Then I actually pay attention to the words.

But worshipping through songs that use such unusual language and are so tied to tradition can be difficult to engage in. So how is it done? How can we take these songs and allow them to move us to a place of worshipping Jesus?

Here’s how I do it, and I hope it will free you to do it too: 1 – I re-frame my thinking.

If I am not intentional about taking time to pause and remember why I’m singing

Once I remove the roadblock of “it’s just a Christmas song,” it frees me up to actually focus on the words and truths we’re singing without a cynical or nonplussed attitude. Think about these words from “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”: “Hark the heaven-born Prince of Peace, Hail, the Son of Righteousness Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.

Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.”

life and our healer. God, laying down his glory and sacrificing himself for us that we might receive salvation… it’s MASSIVE! The reality is that these two things are things I try to do every Sunday. I reframe my thinking, then I pay attention.

But if there’s ever a time that it’s especially needed, it’s Christmas. Our gatherings are only as powerful as we individually allow them to be, because our individual decisions are what compose our collective decision. I call it vibe. I constantly talk about whether or not the “vibes are strong” from one Sunday to the next. And I’m praying that I will choose, and that we will choose, to have some strong Yuletide vibes this Christmas season as we worship through these incredible songs.

Micah Pringle is the worship leader at Bay Area Community Church and a monthly contributer to GO&MAKE.

Those words are amazing! They speak of Jesus being the one who brings us peace.

He’s our righteous one. He’s the giver of DE C E M B E R GO&MAKE 9

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Ice Skates & Icebergs

By Pat Linnell

H

ockey players can be very superstitious, especially the good ones.

A peek into the behind-the-scenes lives of some of the world’s best players uncovers specific routines that enable them mentally and physically to play loose, be creative and thrive in a game. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins for instance, in addition to keeping a relentless practice ethic, never walks past the opposing team’s locker room on game day, always eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before a game, still wears his old, threadbare athletic supporter, and is the next-to-last person to enter the ice – only after a special handshake with his Russian teammate Evgeni Malkin.

These are just a few routines that Crosby regularly incorporates into his day before he takes to the ice to lose to the Washington Capitals in the regular season, and ultimately defeat the Caps in the playoffs (to my dismay). Crosby has had great success playing the game, and it is largely due to the routines of practice, preparation and weird hockey traditions that we never get to see. His hockey life is like an iceberg – what you see on game day is only the top peeking out of the water – and it is supported by a massive ice formation under the surface.

Our spiritual lives are like this. When a person sees us on a Sunday morning, or when we are volunteering, or helping another person, that is like the tip of our iceberg – the public display of our faith. The looming question is how big and how deep is the rest of it? Do we

have a mountain of spiritual routine under the surface that allows us to play loose, be creative and thrive in our walks with Jesus? Like a great athlete, someone with a great faith will be supported by regular habits that will often go unseen.

What are your spiritual routines? How much and how often do you take the initiative to fill your faith tank, renew your mind with the Scriptures, take time to talk to Jesus, or get encouragement from friends who also follow Him? These are very important questions.

The answers will determine who wins the next time life’s titanic challenges smash into you – or crosscheck you – if we are staying on theme.

I have an unfair advantage of being a pastor who teaches the Bible for a living. My unseen routines are part of what I get paid to do, and I have a good deal of accountability that demands I stick to them. Sometimes I wonder how regularly I would read big chunks of Scripture, if I would take time to write out my prayers, or how often I’d meet with other believers who support and encourage my faith if I were not preparing to teach the Bible.

At the same time, because of my role I unfortunately see much of the damage that happens when we allow too much time to go by without figuring out our spiritual rhythms. When you don’t make time for Jesus to recharge you, you will end up depleting others.

When you don’t learn and apply the

Bible regularly, you will be deceived and captivated by empty teachings.

When you don’t pray often, you begin to forget you can. And when you don’t let people in, you open yourself up to the enemy in a multitude of ways.

Your routines are personal to you, although they can and should influence and incorporate others – especially spouses, children or friends. The regular ways you receive and respond to Jesus will likely take different forms given the different stages of your life.

But beware: Every life stage will push against these life-giving practices. Your job is to find the mind-renewing and heart-centering routines that work for you and put them on until they wear out, making you an unstoppable force as you labor for Jesus.

Pat Linnell is the teaching pastor at Bay Area Community Church and a monthly contributer to GO&MAKE. DE C E M B E R GO&MAKE 11

DECEMBER

BOOK: Thanks for the Feedback AUTHORS: Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

“The Science and Art of receiving feedback well even when it is off-base, unfair, poorly delivered, and frankly, you’re not in the mood.”

“I care very little if I am judged by you or any human court, for my conscience is clear and I do not even judge myself, for the Lord Jesus, He is my judge.” - 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 I had that verse inscribed on my whiteboard in Seattle for years.

Why? Because the more you rise in leadership the more likely something isn’t going to sit well with someone sooner or later. It’s bound to happen.

Whether it’s what you say or what you decide or what you think, you’re going to get feedback sooner or later that isn’t exactly positive. I want to be able to read/hear the feedback and pull the silver lining out of it, in order to be better.

At the same time, my self-worth and life direction are not based on what people (any people) think of my decisions, thoughts, politics, likes/ dislikes, etc. Only Jesus is my guide with that. However, our tendency is to dismiss “en todo” ideas/thoughts from sources we don’t trust or don’t like rather than look for the silver lining of what we can learn through the feedback process. Most people have a heck of a time with feedback. They don’t do it well. Well, do I have a book for you...

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Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen work for Harvard Law School and have written a NY Times bestseller, “Difficult Conversations.” This second book, “Thanks for the Feedback,” is about the feedback we receive in life. It’s not a Christian book but it does raise some very interesting points, including:

1. Shift from “that’s wrong” to “tell me more.”

2. Disentangle “what” from “who.”

3. Dismantle distortions (shoot for “actual size”).

Number one talks about the issue of “enemies” and being right. An adage I’ve explained to the staff is, “Try to understand BEFORE being understood.”

Number two talks about staying on point and not on personalities involved.

Even people I don’t agree with much like Oprah and Joel Osteen say some things that are probably right in their context. Number two argues we have to get by the personalities involved and concentrate on what is being said.

Number three talks about the issue of making issues much bigger than they really are. Once we verbally process

most things, we get the idea that it’s not an emergency after all.

Anyway, this book is full of helpful techniques that can be put to use by anyone at home or at work. It is potentially life-changing, as it is a road map to less defensiveness and less “inferiority” (which doesn’t allow for any criticism to come your way because you’ll get super mad or super sad – shutting down communication immediately).

This book is also full of scientific research on neuroscience and psychology (the latter needs your discernment as I feel this area is full of problematic theses), and it shows distinctly how really listening to feedback can help you grow as a person and in workplace/personal relationships.

I found it a fascinating read. Perhaps you will too.

Ed Kelley Executive Pastor

Reaching Our City With The Love Of Jesus

By Trevin Hoekzema

L

ocal Outreach (LO) at Bay Area exists to make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus here in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. It’s our desire that our city (and more specifically, our community) will find great inspiration through us serving together as a community of believers.

At its core, Local Outreach is simply you and I reaching out with the love of Jesus locally.

The truth is, despite being the LO coordinator, I’m not always great at reaching out locally. I tend to allow roadblocks to keep me from living intentionally every day. As a committed follower of Jesus who acknowledges Christ as Lord over my life, I am a sent one (John 20:21). We are sent as ambassadors of Christ, as missionaries.

I am called to be a missionary every day that I wake up.

Let’s look at John 20:21 a little deeper: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” This is where we see our commission as sent ones. But do you notice how Jesus is also a sent one?

Where was he sent? From where was he coming? I imagine you’ve thought about this event, maybe without realizing it.

Jesus was sent by God, from heaven, to a dirty little manger scene where he started his life as the Son of Man here

on earth. He woke up every day as a missionary because he was sent as one.

His mission was to bring glory to God through sacrificing himself for us.

Now clearly, we are not sent to save mankind (Jesus already did that). But we are sent to bring glory to God through making disciples. As a missionary, we don’t need to be sent to a foreign land.

We can simply be a missionary every day by reaching out locally.

My assumption is that if you’re anything like me, this makes sense and you’re more or less ready to do something about it. But if you’re anything like me, as soon as you think about being a missionary every day, you realize there are roadblocks. For many of us, we’re trying to overcome roadblocks such as:

I’m not quite qualified yet; I don’t know enough.

I really don’t have time right now.

I don’t even know where to start!

Do those resonate with you? Here’s my encouragement: Being a missionary every day simply means you’re called to be in relationship with someone who doesn’t know Jesus yet. You don’t need to be a pastor to be a friend to someone, right? That’s a pretty easy place to start, too, right? As you develop a relationship with people who are already in your life, all you have to do is talk about yours.

Tell them about your love for Jesus and how he has changed your life.

If you need more opportunity to build that friendship and to have more intentional conversations, let me leave you with a few ideas to do that:

Take a coworker out to lunch for the simple purpose of getting to know them better.

Invite your neighbors to your Christmas party.

Ask yourself this question: Who in my life needs Jesus? Make a point to talk to that person.

Grab some trash bags and some friends/family to walk around your neighborhood or in Downtown Annapolis to clean up any trash you see on the ground.

On your commute, turn off the radio/music and spend your time praying for your co-workers.

Plan a neighborhood cookie exchange, and invite friends from church and neighbors to participate.

Rake your neighbor’s yard this weekend while raking yours.

Plan a Christmas party with your MC and invite your friends who don’t love Jesus yet.

Above all, tell people about Jesus.

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SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONAL COMMUNITY

By Jennifer Ginn

W

hile they all initially bonded when preparing to serve as missionaries in a mountainside village in El Salvador, Jon and Debbie Ringler and the other members of their team returned from their trip in August 2014 with a deep connection and a unified drive to continue their outreach here at home. Their mission team metamorphosed into a Missional Community, and has been on the move ever since.

“Before going to El Salvador, we met up pretty frequently for about six months, so we already had been meeting at each other’s houses before the trip,” Debbie explained.

“We basically give everybody a backstage pass to our lives,” said Jon. “We share our struggles and challenges and we pray about them.” Jon said the guys also study a Bible verse or passage and use the S.O.A.P. method to dive deeper: S – read the Scripture, O – Observe what God is saying, A – figure out how to Apply it and P – Pray for God’s guidance in their application.

Debbie noted that the women’s meetups are almost identical to the guys’ in format.

and reflective vests in October. No, they weren’t building a new addition at Bay Area; they hosted the “Under Construction 4 Jesus” display at Trunk or Treat.

This holiday season, the group got together to donate and deliver Thanksgiving turkeys to the Stanton Center, and they are also taking part in the “Gifts for Children” outreach at Bay Area.

“ Having a Missional Community has made our experience at BACC that much better, and finding the right one is key. Before you know it, you have a network of friends that become family.”

The children in the group share collective time, too, after Missional Community dinners. “Through Bay Area’s ‘Kids in Community’ program, an adult from the church comes and leads the kids through “Throughout the trip, we got to know their own lesson and a craft,” said Debbie, each other and love each other. We really who serves as her community’s liaison are family to one another,” shared Jon. between the church and the children.

“The kids also have their own prayer Comprised of 12 adults and nine children, request time and the leader emails us the this Missional Community meets all kids’ requests so we can all pray for them While Jon and Debbie’s immediate family around the area in Crofton or Columbia, as well.” includes their two little girls – 6-year-old Severna Park, Lothian or Arnold. “The Avery and 4-year-old Camryn – their distance really doesn’t matter because As for outreach, the group initially Missional Community is their extended we have such an amazing time together began serving at the Light House Shelter family. “When we moved to a new home and a genuine love for one another,” Jon preparing dinner, serving, socializing in Lothian, our Missional Community highlighted. with the residents and praying for them. members helped us get a U-Haul and pack But Debbie came up with an idea that it up and then another group arrived at During their twice-a-month Friday night added icing to their efforts. Once a month, our new house and helped us unload,” gatherings, the group members share the Missional Community throws a party said Jon. “The outpouring of love has just supper, study scripture or previous for the residents who are celebrating been overwhelming.” sermons, discuss struggles, share birthdays. “We bring balloons, ice cream, celebrations, plan outreach efforts and cake and candles, and we sing,” she said. The group has helped other members pray together. “If there’s a fifth Friday, we move, welcomed new babies, swapped try to get together and do a game night, “It has been a big success and the childcare and endless stories, and even or go bowling or do something out of the residents really look forward to it,” added found themselves splitting wood together usual realm,” said Jon. Jon. “Some of these people come from in the pouring rain while getting pelted very hard walks of life and some have with falling acorns. “Having a Missional This Missional Community’s members never even had a birthday party before.” Community has made our experience at also meet in life groups. The guys get BACC that much better, and finding the together every Friday morning for Many area kids were also sweetly blessed right one is key,” said Jon. “Before you breakfast while the ladies meet up every by this Missional Community, when its know it, you have a network of friends other Wednesday night at a coffee shop. members arrived at church in hard hats that become family.”

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a fresh look at ministry partnership

B

By Jocelyn Sacks eing a part of Bay Area Community Church is like being part of an ever-growing family.

Wouldn’t you agree? As we grow and add to our family, our needs change, and we are always evolving.

One change coming soon will affect ministry partnership, Bay Area’s form of membership.

If you don’t know, ministry partnership is a mutual commitment to live out our faith together under the mission of making passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from here to the nations. It’s an invitation to pursue Christ personally, for our community and for the nations. It’s a commitment to be a disciple and to make disciples. Ultimately, ministry partnership is a process one goes through at Bay Area that unpacks all of these things and gives a close-up look at our mission, vision, theology and philosophy of ministry.

Ministry partnership is open to anyone who calls Bay Area their church home and would like to take the next step to commit to the church family. It’s also an important and

required step for all leaders and teachers at Bay Area. There’s never been a more important time in our church history (and culture) to be aligned in our thinking and to speak with one unified voice.

The partnership process has changed a lot over the last decade. Many years ago, Bay Area offered an overnight retreat. Years later, it became a twoweekend process, then a one-evening process. Then, three years ago, the staff came together to review ministry partnership, add value that seemed to be missing, and breathe new life into the process. The result was a semiannual, multi-week process that included an orientation, three learning communities and a dialogue with an elder.

While this process had many positives, the multi-week approach had one big barrier. Between work schedules, family commitments and even volunteering at the church, a large number of folks were regularly unable to attend.

The solution? We’re condensing the multi-week process into one, all-day Saturday orientation that will be offered four times a year. We hope this enables more of our family to participate in partnership.

The new all-day Saturday orientation will cover a few key things: our history, mission, strategic plan, leadership structure, position papers and expectations of ministry partners in areas of church involvement, stewardship and more. All who participate will also meet up with an elder or staff team leader for a ministry partner dialogue, which is an opportunity for a potential ministry partner to come with questions about anything learned during the process. It’s also a time for us to learn more about potential partners and their gifts, their struggles, and how we can best offer spiritual support. At the close of this process, each individual decides if he or she would like to sign our Ministry Partner Commitment.

We look forward to embracing this new change and hope more of our church family can lock arms with us as we move forward. If this sounds like something you want to participate in, come and be a part of our first one-day session on Saturday, January 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. KidCare is provided pending registration. For more information, registration and partnership application, go to bayareacc.org/ministrypartnership.

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LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Janet graves

BY MEREDITH THOMPSON

My first taste of community at Bay Area unfolded around a large kitchen table, as a sweet time of fellowship making memories to savor with soon-tobe friends.

I mean this literally: I went to a Christmas cookie baking party hosted three years ago by Women’s Ministry Director Janet Graves. The guests included women in their 20s who were part of a Missional Community Janet co-led with Janice Onken.

A five-foot-nothing Janet welcomed me through the front door of her Eastern Shore home sporting a warm smile and her favorite color – teal – complemented by a black apron and Santa hat.

(Janet will argue she’s taller, asserting, “I’ve always said I’m 5 feet, but at a physical a year or two ago, they said I was 5’1/2”. I was delighted, and even if it was a mistake it’s mine forever.”) Between her foyer and kitchen, I surmised a number of things about Janet: She’s a dog person, she loves people, and people love her. Oh, and Christmas? It’s definitely the most wonderful time of the year.

“We made a big deal about Christmas [when I was] growing up,” she explained. As kids, Janet and her identical twin sister Jeanne knew they were treasured, and were lavished with love and attention: Their parents had tried for 10 years to have children before their blue-eyed girls were born.

A week before the sisters’ eighth birthday, their father died suddenly of a heart attack. “It was like pulling the rug out from under us,” Janet recalled.

“Everything changed: We moved out of state, my mother had to go back to work … we weren’t near family anymore.” They migrated south from New York to the state in which Janet was born, Florida, where her mom remarried four years later.

Janet and Jeanne’s stepfather turned out to be abusive – it wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, Janet noted. But his son, who was two years older 16 GO&MAKE D E C E M B E R

than the girls, was the first person to share the gospel with Janet.

Offended by what he shared with her, Janet argued with her brother: How could he know for sure that he would go to heaven when he died? How was he good enough?

Soon after, friends invited Janet and Jeanne to a Youth for Christ meeting at their church. With the argument with her brother fresh in her mind, Janet couldn’t believe it when the speaker asked, “Do you know if you are going to heaven when you die?” She paid attention this time, and – twins born together twice – Janet and Jeanne both accepted Jesus as their savior right then.

Janet studied Christian education at Wheaton College, and earned a masters in college student personnel from Michigan State University, where she met an attractive guy named David at a friend’s birthday party. They became friends, and for two years Janet told God about her interest in David in her journal every time they got together.

With one year remaining in her masters program, Janet spent a summer in Minnesota for a campus ministry training program, and prayed Proverbs 21:1 every day: “The heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord; like rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wills.” She petitioned, “God, if this is your will, you’re going to have to open Dave’s eyes so that he asks me out when I get back.”

Her first weekend back in Michigan, she got a phone call and was asked on a double date – by Dave’s roommate. The second weekend, it was Dave who placed the call, and Janet nearly dropped the phone.

They married on March 26, 1983. While Dave pursued a degree in business, Janet worked in financial aid at a university in Chicago.

They moved from Illinois to Kansas to England to Pennsylvania, and ultimately landed in Baltimore. Mutual friends who knew the St. Cyrs recommended the Graves contact Greg and Mary Kaye, and they were introduced to Bay Area Community Church in 1997.

They church-shopped for a bit; Dave felt called to Bay Area, but Janet was bothered by the fact that they didn’t have a building. (Ironically, Dave later served as the first chairperson of Bay Area’s building campaign). After asking God for a sign as to what church they should call home, they stopped for lunch at Adam’s Ribs along the return trip from a marriage conference. A familiar voice from a nearby table was all the confirmation they needed; Greg was there meeting with someone, and Janet thought, “There’s our sign!”

By Easter of ’98, they were all in: Janet and Dave completed the membership class, and were asked to lead a Missional Community (then known as a Home Group). Janet was invited to sit on a steering community for Bay Area’s Women’s Ministry, and served as volunteer coordinator from 1999-2003. Dave’s job took the Graves family back across the pond to Switzerland for a couple years, and upon their return, Janet joined Bay Area’s staff as Women’s Ministry Director.

She still serves in the role today, passionately equipping others for the work of ministry. Primarily through The Well, Women’s Ministry offers discipling opportunities for women through the study of God’s word in community with each other – though Janet’s investment in the women of Bay Area extends well beyond Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings.

Whether one-on-one, in small-group studies, or in the Missional Community she led for young women for several years, Janet seeks to partner where God is already working; she loves introducing women to the God who loves them, sharing the gospel, and discipling new believers. From women understanding the gospel for the first time to deciding to pursue seminary, Janet has seen God bear much fruit through the ministry to which He’s called her.

“I had my sabbatical this summer. Looking back at the last seven years of life in ministry and seeing all the things God has done – I’m just so in awe of who God is and what He’s done,” Janet reflected. “It’s just a privilege.”

“Looking back at the last seven years of life in ministry and seeing all the things God has done – I’m just so in awe of who God is and what He’s done.”

The proud parent of three adult children in their 20s – Liz, Caroline and Paul – Janet relishes visiting her two grandkids, Hope, 3, and 1-year-old Zeke, in Colorado once a quarter.

“They’re coming for two weeks at Christmas and I’m so happy! I get to babysit for like a week!” she interjected, beaming. As her nest has gradually emptied, Janet’s small black poodle Toby – God’s gift, by definition of his name and in actuality – has remained her trusty companion at home.

One of her favorite tunes to sing along to, Big Daddy Weave’s “My Story,” contains a line that was penned on her heart before she first heard its lyrics: “To tell you my story is to tell of Him.” Janet’s story is a testament to God’s grace, a common thread woven throughout her life – a thread she now helps sew in the hearts of the women He’s placed in her path.

“I owe the Lord everything,” Janet extolled. “He’s rescued Janet loves to read, travel and go to movies at the theater. She me many times in my life, and I’m so dependent on the delights in entertaining at her Chesapeake Bay-front home. grace of God.”­ She enjoys singing, too, though her choir days are over and she’s retired to singing along with the radio in her car.

DEC E M B E R GO&MAKE 17

By Greg St. Cyr

Christmas

lights: No Christmas tree is complete without them. No house is fully decorated if lacking strings of lights from the roofline, marking off the front door, or strung in front-yard bushes and trees.

Ever since Grover Cleveland’s White House Christmas tree was electrically lit in 1895, lights have been part of most Americans’ Christmases. For me, lights at Christmas serve as a reminder of who God is and what has been accomplished through the Incarnate One. 1 John 1:5 explains that God is light. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.”

To say that God is light means that he is holy. Light is a symbol of what is good, right or pure. Darkness symbolizes what is bad, wrong or impure. God is infinitely holy and good. He is clothed in light (Psalm 104:2), dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) and is the Father of lights who does what is good (James 1:17). This is why the Bible says that the Lord is our light and salvation (Psalm 27:1).

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Christmas is about the celebration of the light of the world entering our planet. What physical light is to the earth, Jesus is to humankind. The world needs light. Without it there would be no life and darkness would prevail. Earth would be empty, dead and dark.

Spiritually, the world without Jesus is a world of darkness and death. But the Good News of Christmas is that God is light who has sent his Light into the world.

Light is the great revealer.

Think of a beautiful vacation scene: Niagara Falls, Interlaken, Switzerland, and the hills of Tuscany all rush to my mind. The most beautiful of scenes is overcome by darkness until freed from the night through beams of morning sunlight. Darkness conceals but light reveals. Christ is the perfect revelation of the Father. As the Revealer, he is the light that enlightens

the true darkness of our souls. Jesus opens the eyes of our hearts so we can see life as he intended it to be. Meaning in life, wisdom at work, his plan for marriage, power and purpose are all revealed through Christ’s light.

Light overcomes the darkness.

I’ve only been spelunking once. Admittedly, I don’t see the attraction. Two hours buried in the heart of the earth, shimmying through narrow crevices. No, thank you. If you’ve ever been spelunking, you know the guide always says this: “Okay everybody, turn off your flashlights.”

That’s the only time I have ever “felt” darkness. Pitch black. Scary. Paralyzing. Then when everyone is sufficiently anxious, the guide turns his flashlight on.

Traveling at 186,000 miles a second, unhindered by space and time, in that instant, light permeates the darkness and everyone lets out a sigh of relief. Through just one flashlight, the deepest of physical darkness is overcome. In the same way, through the One Light, the deepest of spiritual darkness is overcome. Jesus, the light of the world, dispels the darkness. He lifts us from the depths of our sin and selfishness by shining the light of his love and forgiveness.

Light guides.

Crawling out of bed in the middle of the night to take some Ibuprofen, I fumble around the hallway in the dark trying not to wake up Mary Kaye. Entering the kitchen, I flick the light switch and easily navigate my way. Light makes all the difference. It illuminates the way forward. When the children of Israel left Egypt, light from a pillar of fire guided them. God gives us his Word as a light to our path. Jesus is the true light who desires to lead us. Apart from his light, we wander in darkness doing the best we can, but make inevitable messes of our lives. Our future is secure when we follow his guiding light.

Light is pure.

Air becomes contaminated with pollutants. Water from a spring might start pure, but becomes impure when it comes in contact with human habitation. But light shines through the most unclean medium and remains pure and unstained. Jesus entered our world that is polluted by sin. Pure, holy and sinless, the birth of the Son of God brought light to a dark world. A host of heavenly angels lit up the sky as they sung to sullied shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest.” The brightness of the star led the distant magi to the child to present their gifts. At the newborn king’s dedication in the temple, the aged Simeon blessed him as “A light of revelation to the Gentiles.” Christmas is about the holy and sinless light entering our fallen world to save us from the darkness of our sin.

Light can be reflected.

A wave of light reflects brightly off of a mirror. A mirror is not the source of light. It merely reflects the light from another source. Similarly, the moon is a luminary with no light in itself. Yet in catching the radiance of the sun, the sun’s light reflected by the moon penetrates the darkness of night. Without the light of the sun, the moon would be a dark and sterile ball in a midnight sky. Likewise, we are not the source of light. We simply reflect the source: Jesus, the true light, the light of Israel, the great light, the light of men. To know and reflect the light of Christ is our ultimate purpose.

Matthew 5:14-16 tells us, “You are the light of the world.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

I am. You are… IM/UR. That is what Jesus is saying: I am the light of the world, now you are to shine as light reflecting all that I am into the darkness of humankind.

As I think of the countless people at Bay Area who exemplify what it means to be the light of the world, Amy’s story comes to mind: Having moved from New Jersey to Maryland, Jamie’s father unexpectedly passed away at the same she found out she was pregnant. In her own words, “It was a dark time for me.” In the midst of Jamie’s darkness, God brought a light by the name of Amy into her life. Amy was not only Jamie’s co-worker, but also a friend whose love for Jesus shined in the midst of her own struggles.

As Amy prayed and talked with Jamie about Jesus, Jamie became more open. In January of 2014, Amy brought Jamie to Bay Area, where together they sat in the front row. Throughout the gathering, Jamie felt like the Lord was speaking directly to her. Afterward, Amy led Jamie up front for prayer. With Christ’s light continuing to shine through Amy, a few months later Jamie placed her trust in Jesus and was brought from darkness to light.

Her life has been radically changed. In November, Jamie was baptized during one of our gatherings.

IM/UR. Jesus is the light of the world. At Christmas we are reminded that the light of the world entered our world to dispel the darkness. But may we also remember and be challenged by the words of Jesus when he says, “You are the light of the world.” Like Amy, we are to reflect his light to our family, co-workers, friends and neighbors.

Jesus, the revelation of God, the One who overcomes the darkness, who guides us through life, who calls us to purity, wants to use each of us to reflect his light. Never forget: IM/UR.

DE C E M B E R GO&MAKE 19

Behind the Design Christmas 2015 at Bay Area

by Josh Shirlen

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eople have joked with me about being a sort of “one-trick pony” when it comes to Christmas themes. And it’s true; I often begin with a bit of a dark viewpoint. Remember “The Weight of the World” or “Jesus, In It With Us”? But I think you have to start there. Christmas happened because darkness exists. If the world was without sin, Jesus wouldn’t have had to come into the world. It’s essential that we recognize this to celebrate Jesus and Christmas. He didn’t take on flesh so we could sing songs and open presents; he came on a rescue mission to save the world. What was he saving us from? Sin, depravity, the darkness.

This year I was thinking a lot about this darkness. Man, it seems darker than ever. I know I sound like my mother saying that, but things just seem to be getting more negative in the world.

I don’t need to run down a list, you get it: Things are rough out there. And the darker things get, the more the world contrasts with Christ. It was out of this reality that we developed this year’s Christmas theme, “The Light Christmas.” We want to worship Jesus for how different he is from the darkness we face. The way he can never be overcome by darkness. The way he entered darkness to free us from its clutches. The way he called us light and illuminates our path in life as we navigate through the darkness. Our Messiah, the true light, is so good and worthy of our praise.

I first sat down with Lead Pastor Greg St. Cyr to talk about this concept for Christmas while at Hillsong Conference in Australia. The Lord had been speaking to my heart there, and I found myself craving light. Literally, I wanted to see things that were light-colored, white, pure and bright. These things would represent Christ amidst our condition. I told Greg that I’d like to explore painting the entire lobby of the church white for Christmas. Bless him for always being encouraging even when I have outlandish and overly extravagant ideas; he never puts out my fire.

After more prayer and brainstorming with the Creative Team, we decided not to paint the lobby white… yet. Instead, I started thinking about mirror. Once, a mentor in photography taught me that mirror reflected the most brilliant light. That memory surfaced, and I began to explore how we could use mirror and the color white to create an environment that would encourage us with the truth that Jesus is the Light of the world. I envisioned decorations covered in mirror that would give the feeling that light was falling like snow, covering everything and everyone. Furthermore, mirror would allow us to embrace another truth about Jesus – that he called us 20 GO&MAKE D E C E M B E R

the light of the world. Mirror would reflect not only light, but also our likeness, reminding us of who we are to Jesus and his Gospel. We came up with the moniker IM | UR to help us remember this truth at Christmas.

At this point in the design we had come up with some really beautiful design ideas, but things were a bit abstract, which I personally love… but I know doesn’t bless our more traditionally minded brothers and sisters. To incorporate a traditional Christmas decor element, we decided to use a nativity set that I picked up this year on a mission trip to El Salvador. I saw the set out of the corner of my eye just before leaving the market and decided to pick it up for my wife. She loves Christmas decor and nativity sets. We planned to recreate the characters in much larger dimension and cover them in mirror mosaic.

We were particularly fond of the idea because it speaks to our heart for the nations, the way so many of us have participated in missions, being light around the world.

We have an amazing team of volunteers that came together to bring it all into existence. I’m so grateful for the men, women and children of Bay Area who have joined in our passion to make something beautiful that reflects God at Christmas. I’m especially thankful for my team, Arianne Teeple, Tres Cozad, Micah Pringle, Josh Burgin, Brendan McBride and Meredith Thompson for their hard work that always goes far beyond expectation for the glory of God. We hope you are blessed by the worship environment this season, and that it draws you ever closer to The Light.

DEC E M B E R GO&MAKE 21

Seat Reservations

Making Our Christmas Experience Better

Every year after our Christmas Eve gatherings, Bay Area’s gathering team, staff and volunteers debrief on what went well and what could have been better. For the last five years, we’ve lamented the number of people forced to attend our gatherings in overflow spaces. Due to the increasing number of people attending the celebration and the limited space in our facility, hundreds of people watch the gathering on screens in either the Bay Café or the Warehouse.

While we always do our very best to make the overflow spaces warm and inviting, they are a far cry from the worship environment we’re able to create in the Auditorium. It is that environment that we care so deeply about each person experiencing.

Months of prayer and planning go into making the gathering something honoring to God and reflective of His creativity. Our greatest hope is that God would use our efforts, from the music to the decorations to the teaching, to connect with the hearts of those in attendance. We believe the best way to accomplish this is to help the maximum number of people attending Bay Area be able to participate in worship in the Auditorium.

Year after year attendance has increased by the grace of God, and thus, so has the number of people in overflow. In an effort to alleviate this 22 GO&MAKE D E C E M B E R

tension, we’re trying something new in 2015: seat reservations. We’re confident, after much research and consultation with similar large churches, that this plan has the best potential for helping us provide the best Christmas Eve experience.

How will seat reservations help?

In order for everyone who regularly attends Bay Area, as well as guests, to participate in our Christmas Eve gathering in the Auditorium, we need to more evenly disperse attendance over the various gathering times. That is precisely what seat reservations will help us do. By telling us when you’d like to come, we can better communicate which gatherings are getting full so you can choose one with enough room.

To the extent we can spread out over five gathering times, we will see fewer people in overflow.

How will it work?

First of all, this is NOT a ticket system.

You will not need a seat reservation to attend any of our gatherings; they are all open to anyone. However, a seat reservation is highly recommended, as it will give us the opportunity to help evenly disperse people over our gatherings, and it will give you the best chance of getting a seat in the Auditorium.

Beginning November 29, seat reservations will be available through our website (bayareacc.org) and in person at BACC. In the lobby, simply stop by the Christmas Eve kiosk and let us know how many seats you’d like and for which gathering. We’ll email you the reservation. Print it out and bring it with you on the night of the gathering. Alternatively, from your computer, tablet or smartphone, our website will direct you to the

Eventbrite page that manages the reservations.

Using this very user-friendly page, you can select the gathering you’d like to attend and the amount of seats you’d like. Again, print out the reservation and bring it with you.

On the night of the gathering, the doors will open for those with seat reservations 45 minutes before the gathering begins. The reservation will expire 15 minutes prior to the

start of the gathering, at which point the doors will open for all in attendance, with or without a seat reservation.

Introducing seat reservations to our Christmas gatherings poses a slew of complexities. It may not be wildly popular, and it goes in the category of “growing pains.” But the realities that there are only so many hours on Christmas Eve and only so many square feet in our Auditorium move us to act. We believe this system has the potential to be a great solution, and we’ll do our best to implement it well this Christmas season.

faq s Why do I need a reserved seat?

Seating is limited in our facility. Reserved seating allows us to create a better experience for everyone. We issue FREE Christmas Eve seat reservations to avoid overcrowding and to balance out attendance across the gatherings.

How much is a seat reservation?

Absolutely FREE.

What if I don’t have a reserved seat?

No problem! The auditorium will open to anyone present (with or without a reserved seat) 15 minutes prior to the start of each gathering.

What if all the reserved seats are gone? Can I still attend?

Absolutely. If the auditorium becomes full before you get a seat, you can watch the entire gathering from the overflow.

What is an “overflow?”

We refer to additional seating in the building but not in the auditorium as overflow. These spaces see the gathering live through a streamed video. On Christmas Eve, the Chapel will serve as overflow.

How can I get a reserved seat if I don’t regularly attend Bay Area?

Reserved seats are open to anyone at anytime through our website, bayareacc.org.

How will a person who doesn’t go to Bay Area know to get a seat reservation?

auditorium. You can choose whichever seat you like when you arrive.

If I reserve a seat in the Auditorium, does it guarantee me a seat no matter what?

No, 15 minutes prior to the gathering all open seats are available to be taken. Therefore, to ensure you get your seat please arrive early.

Will my reservation guarantee that my group will get seats together?

No, there is no guarantee for the arrangement of open seats. Our goal is simply to provide enough seats. If you are attending with a large group we recommend you get enough seat reservations for the group and arrive early to secure seats together.

Do I need a reserved seat for my child?

Any person, regardless of age, that requires a seat should get a seat reservation.

What time do doors open for reserved seating?

Doors open 45 minutes prior to the gatherings.

How do I cancel a reserved seat?

If for some reason you will not be able to use your seat reservation, you can cancel or change your reservation through eventbrite.com.

Alternatively, you can call the BACC office at 410544-2222 during office hours and we will be happy to help you. We appreciate the cancellation of unusable reservations, as it opens up the seats for someone else.

How can I reserve a seat for a friend, co-worker or neighbor?

Anyone who doesn’t attend Bay Area will call the church or check the website for gathering times. Seat reservations will be recommended at those points.

Simply reserve a ticket via the website or at Bay Area. A copy of the reservation will be emailed to you. You can forward the reservation to your friend or print it out and deliver it to them.

Will my reservation save a specific seat?

Did you know the Innkeeper isn’t actually in the Bible?

No, reserved seating simply gets you into the

Yes.

DE C E M B E R GO&MAKE 23

By Steve Onken

While leading Bay Area’s final short term mission trip of 2015 – El Salvador Team 6 – the GO&MAKE staff asked Steve and Janice Onken to report in real time about the work God is doing in Guayabo and Soyapango, and to share their heart behind leading teams year after year to this CentralAmerican mission field.

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reetings on behalf of the lovely children of El Salvador! Our team of 14 is investing the majority of our week at the children’s centers located in the mountainside village of Guayabo, and the populous, albeit dangerous, municipality of Soyapango on the outskirts of the capital city of San Salvador. These two localities could not be more different, but what they share is a significant population of children in desperate

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need of the compassion and security of the love of Jesus.

The focus of our efforts this week is on discipleship – both of the children and their parents. Some members of our team are meeting in pairs with parents of the centers’ children to encourage them in their faith and challenge them in the areas of prayer, devotions and fellowship. The rest of the team is presenting stories, skits,

crafts and activities that focus on areas of personal spiritual growth – making Jesus Lord, prayer, the Word of God and sharing their faith with others.

Over the course of the week, we are seeing God work in powerful ways, as several of the mothers of the children at the center have received Jesus as their Savior, and many others have grown in the assurance of their salvation and hunger for the Word.

That being said, we have yet to participate on a mission trip where God has not blessed the team members at least as much as He has used us to bless those in El Salvador!

The joy and contentment expressed by children who live on so very little is truly overwhelming. The love that they so freely share with us is authentic and unconditional.

Thinking back on the first trip we ever led, it may have been that our primary motivation was to serve Sarah Meehan de Solorzano, who we had already known and loved for a number of years – leading a trip to serve with her local Salvadoran ministry was an opportunity to be supportive to her. Little did we know that the first trip would so move our spirits, grip our hearts, and transform our lives that we would continue leading trips every year since. Our motivation is as simple as Jesus’ command to “let the little children come to me, for such is the kingdom of heaven.” And those precious little children have taught me what it means to come to Him with childlike faith!

we have yet to participate on a mission trip where God has not blessed the team members at least as much as He has used us to bless those in El Over the years, it has been so exciting to Salvador! see how God uniquely orchestrates the team members and details of each trip. I have to confess that on more than one occasion, I have looked at the list of those who have signed up and wondered how that particular combination of people would work out, only to humbly acknowledge afterward the amazing wisdom and sovereignty of God to assemble the perfect complement of His ambassadors to carry out His work for each and every trip!

The regular team meetings are critical as the trip approaches, as much for relationship-building as for planning and preparations. We try to make it a point each year to also schedule non-planning fellowships as well as a service opportunity with each team, to provide an opportunity for us to minister together in unity prior to departure.

During our regularly scheduled meetings, we spend time in prayer – the most foundational component for building a team. We typically coordinate with Sarah with respect to what service opportunities are available during the time of our trip, as it varies based on the time of the year and what is taking place in El Salvador and at the centers. Over the course of the last six years, God has grown the ministry in El Salvador from a single center for 35 children on a rented portion of land to two centers, one serving 130 children on a parcel of land owned by the center, and a second, opened in August 2015, serving 52 children.

That being said, there are often opportunities to participate in construction in El Salvador! Additionally, teaching workshops, VBS, crafts and the like are also typical experiences for teams heading south. New opportunities have also arisen for sharing the Gospel while leading seminars in the public schools and university in San Salvador.

This is but a taste of the life-changing experience available to anyone who hears and responds to the call of the Savior to serve on a short term mission trip.

Expect nothing less than a powerful work of the Spirit of the Living God both in your life and in the lives of those you go to serve! “To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think, to Him be the glory.” – Ephesians 3:20

Information about Bay Area’s 2016 short term mission trips is coming in february. Start praying now about where God might want to use you around the world.

DE C E M B E R GO&MAKE 25

The Man Behind The

SENT Network

Mark McGeever by meredith thompson

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photo by josh shirlen

hat kind of church would Bay Area be?

A kingdom-minded church that gives ministry away through equipping and sending, or one that is insular?

him.” After that, Mark said, it seemed like everywhere he went somebody was coming alongside him, talking to him about Jesus. Jim invited him to an event, where he heard the gospel and gave his life to Christ.

In 2007, the elders and leaders considered this question and decided that Bay Area would be a church dedicated to planting churches. They created a new staff position, pastor of church planting, and sent out the first church planting team the same year.

As a business major at the University of Richmond, Mark began to get grounded in his faith when one of his coaches challenged him and some friends to form an accountability group. Another man guided him in how to read the Bible. “I stopped playing LoneRanger Christian and got involved in a local church, and really started growing,” he recalled. “God began to really change my heart.”

Five years later, in 2012, the SENT Network was born to equip church planters and leaders, birthed out of Bay Area in order to partner more broadly with other churches. BACC’s pastor of church planting, Mark McGeever, was commissioned out as well, to serve as executive director of SENT. Born in the Garden State, raised in a log cabin, Mark came from a rough family background and wasn’t all that interested in God as a youth. The religious traditions his family observed held little meaning to him. Unsure of how to connect personally with God, he reasoned life was found elsewhere – in success, sports, popularity – all the the things that don’t really bring life, he admitted.

“

The vision is beyond anything I could accomplish by myself, so it’s driven me back to John 15 – an abiding reliance on Christ, a reminder that it’s my main responsibility to keep connected to the vine, be a good branch, and draw life from Jesus.

Mark McGeever

But his high-school best friend Jim, a fellow football player, knew where true life was found. He and his family of believers invited Mark into their home, loving him and discussing his questions over a couple of years.

One crystal-clear summer night before leaving for college, Mark laid outside stargazing, pondering life.

He looked up, acknowledging, “There’s definitely a God behind all of this – but I’m not ready to meet

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A campus ministry leader encouraged Mark and his friends to pray about becoming missionaries to college students, and Mark prayed, “All right Lord, if you can use me, I’m in.” He and his wife Mollie went into campus ministry after graduating, serving at Clemson, UNC Chapel Hill and Duke over the course of 15 years.

Partnering closely with the local church, Mark began to feel God calling him toward the pastorate.

With their three kids in tow, the McGeevers relocated to Baltimore, where Mark joined staff at Grace Fellowship Church while completing his master of divinity. Just after Greg St. Cyr was named lead pastor of Bay Area in 1997, Mark joined the leadership team of the then small Annapolis church that met in a high school. He wore a number of hats throughout the decade leading up to his tenure as pastor of church planting, including leadership development, adult education and serving as executive pastor.

Today, as executive director of SENT, Mark sets the network’s direction with the assistance of a leadership team and accountability to a board of directors. He casts vision and helps coach church planters to reproduce gospel-centered disciples, churches and planting networks. “I love seeing highcapacity leaders developed – head, heart and hands,” he emphasized of his ministry, explaining, “The fruit of my ministry is [often] on somebody else’s tree – if we see the gospel going forward and churches started, and they’re making disciples, I love supporting them and really seeing them flourish.”

His passion for and excitement about coming alongside leaders to develop and pour into them, and seeing them impacting entire communities, are undeniable.

With their three children – Megan, Stacie and Ben – grown and out of the house, Mark and Mollie live in downtown Annapolis within walking distance of the SENT Network office. A faithful Tar Heels basketball fan and connoisseur of mysteries and films, Mark enjoys spending his spare time out on the links trying to resurrect his golf game. He played in college, but kids and ministry took precedence in recent decades. Even on the course, he’s engaged in sharing the Gospel: At the invitation of Jim and Pete Hiskey, Mark plays with the “Mulligans,” a group that loves golfers and loves Jesus, who is the ultimate “doover.”

As he looks to the future of SENT Network, the avid cyclist casts a sweeping vision; in his words, the work is just getting started.

Mark and the SENT leadership team foresee more churches planted in the Mid-Atlantic, a reproduction of the network in the New England region, and global partnerships.

“The vision is beyond anything I could accomplish by myself, so it’s driven me back to John 15 – an abiding reliance on Christ, a reminder that it’s my main responsibility to keep connected to the vine, be a good branch, and draw life from Jesus,” Mark said. “There are up days in SENT, and there are down days … but at the end of the day, I just get to respond to God’s grace to me, and out of the overflow of that grace – go for it.”

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The Unlikely Missionary

By Jerry Shirlen

For the past several months, I have been sharing stories in this column primarily about people I’ve encountered who are living a missional life for Jesus. It’s been a great joy to see how God is working through His Holy Spirit to inspire those who answer His call to minister to the lost in these difficult days. This month, something very personal took most of my attention.

The impact of the event caused me to reflect on my life and what things played a role in bringing me to a point where I have totally and absolutely given my all to Him. And I thanked Jesus for the example of a missionary life that inspired me.

S

Dad was drafted back into the U.S. Navy where he served until after the war. Their plans for a family were put on hold.

I was the youngest of three children, born with James Jr. and Jody in line ahead of me, each of us six years apart in age. As the family grew, Dad and Mom purchased a rambler-style brick house three miles from the University of Maryland in College Park for $1,500. It was there that Mom would make our home a warm and comforting place to live.

Family meals together were memorable, always like a holiday feast. It was southern cooking at its best – roast beef that just fell apart melting in your mouth, mashed potatoes and gravy, cream-style corn, soggy and limp green beans cooked in fatback, and the most delicious, gooey apples ever.

There was never a meal that grace wasn’t said and we always enjoyed each other’s company.

he was 94 years old and just a small, fragile version of her former self. She had been a resident of the nursing facility for nearly 12 years, living there without any memory of the life she had led. Her name was Pauline and Our home was filled with humor and laughing. Each of us she was my mom. seemed to have a unique sense of humor, including Mom. Mom gave her life to God at a young age. She endured a very She often would accidently make a comment that would tough childhood during the Great Depression, made even make Yogi Berra proud. Here are a few of the more profound. more difficult by an alcoholic father who sold her clothes to “We’re going to have to go somewhere to get anywhere.” buy his next drink. In spite of the hardships, she never lost her faith in God. “We always have to do something whether we do In 1943, during World War II, Mom married James Shirlen, a sailor who had fulfilled his enlistment and had returned to civilian life and learned the printing trade. Dad was also a Christian, and he and Mom had taken up residence in a Maryland suburb and were planning to start a family. But, surprisingly, even though he had already served his country,

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it or not.”

“You gotta watch out what’s going on with your feet; you never know where they might be walkin’.”

“I always try to do my best, cause if you can’t do your best you might as well sit down and shut up.”

For many years and always as a family, we traveled to church in Washington, D.C. Mom was up early on Sunday mornings, and once she had her morning coffee, she was wired. She would crank up the southern gospel music on the radio and sing along loudly. Mom’s singing was interesting. It typically started out strong, but often would diminish into “do-dodos.” She was in Heaven with all of this and I was in… well, I was under the covers and pillows.

be saved. We all realize Mom would be pleased to know all of us can say with Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

I watched as Mom breathed her last breath on Friday evening, October 23, 2015. My sister and I sang some of her favorite hymns. But Alzheimer’s disease had robbed us of her long ago. She had virtually lost all memories that she could articulate by the time she moved into the Dad worked the night shift at the Government Printing nursing home and my heart would break every time I Office, so sitting through a sermon on just an hour or so of would leave her there. But today, I believe Mom has a sleep was understandably a big challenge for him. Mom had new body and a new mind. She is walking the streets of to punch him a few times to prevent him from snoring. The gold with Dad and other loved ones who have died in rest of us always found this to be amusing.

Christ Jesus. She has a perfect memory as she sits at the feet of her Lord and Savior. While I mourn her passing, Dad suffered a heart attack during the summer of 1998 and it I rejoice in the belief that she is free from the shackles was then that Mom began to exhibit signs of dementia. Over of such a dignity-stealing disease. the next six years, she grew increasingly worse, especially in the evenings - a symptom commonly known as sundowning. Perhaps this is a good time to consider what legacy you On February 27, 2004, we buried our father, who had will leave. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:5-7, “You succumbed to cancer. We took Mom directly from the shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and reception after the funeral to her new room at the nursing with all your soul and with all your might. And these facility. It was her 83rd birthday. words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and Mom was as consistent of a Christian as there ever was. She shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when prayed often and lived a Christ-centered life. She insisted you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when that her children always be at church and that we “did the you rise.” right thing.” She often quoted a portion of Numbers 32:23 to me, “…be sure your sins will find you out,” and this always struck fear in my heart.

A few years ago, Jerry Shirlen said he would never go on a Mom leaves behind the legacy of a loving Christian family. As mission trip. It was unlikely he would ever see himself as a a result of her example and how she raised us in a Christian “missionary.” But in 2014, Jerry felt the call of the Holy Spirit environment, each of her children accepted Jesus as Lord to participate in a short term mission trip to El Salvador. Since and Savior. My brother is the pastor at First Baptist Church then, Jerry’s faith has been radically transformed. He and of Damascus and my sister attends church faithfully every his wife, Janice, have started a Missional Community; he week where she lives in Florida. I was saved at the age of 12. returned to El Salvador a second time; and he now embraces Most attendees at BACC know my son Josh and the impact his identity as a missionary. Relating to Jerry’s experience, of his ministry at the church as well as his being a licensed people often share with him their stories of faith. We’ve invited minister. He ensures his two boys understand about Jesus, him to share those accounts in Go&Make through an ongoing and recently his 6-year-old son Judah told Josh he wanted to series of articles titled “The Unlikely Missionary.”

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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 ?

For more information...

• K-5th: contact gail.wiles@bayareacc.org

Are you in the midst of any of these struggles or challenges: the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, divorce, job loss, addiction, discouragement, spiritual crisis, loneliness, parenting difficulties or any other challenge? These types of experiences can happen at any time in our spiritual journey.

Perhaps you even know of someone who is struggling and could use some help right now. God’s intention is that we engage with others and not walk alone through these circumstances.

Jesus wants to see us through challenges instead of avoiding or going around them. God is in the business of of restoring and renewing all things and we believe no person is beyond His redemption and grace. 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. After an assessment, we offer appropriate referrals within BACC and other outside resources such as Care Coaches, Missional Communities, financial assistance, Celebrate Recovery, Christian counselors, or an appropriate agency or program in the community. If you need help or have questions, email leanne.lane@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 p.m. for worship, a lesson/testimony, open share groups and fellowship. We share a meal together every first and third Monday of the month from 6-7 p.m. Third Mondays are potluck dinners. Stop by our kiosk in the lobby every first 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.

CONNECT WITH BAY 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 grey shirt in the lobby after each Sunday gathering or visit us online at www.bayareacc.org/new.

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CELEBRATION PLACE Celebration Place, the program for children at Celebrate Recovery, is on a hiatus until further notice. The need for this children’s program has declined in the last few months as fewer and fewer children have come with their parents to CR.

Until the need arises in the future there will be no Celebration Place for children.

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 at leanne.lane@ bayareacc.org or call 443-837-3718.

MARRIAGE MINISTRY TEAM Do you as a couple have a deep desire to see couples start and stay strong in their marriages? Have you been married 10+ years? Come join our growing Marriage Ministry team. This team seeks to encourage existing marriages through the development and scheduling of enrichment/ educational opportunities throughout the year. Some of these opportunities are Learning Communities, Marriage workshops, special events and small group Bible studies.

To learn more about the Marriage Ministry at BACC go to bayareacc.org/marriageministry or contact Leanne at leanne. lane@bayareacc.org.

PREMARITAL MENTORING Are you newly engaged? Or are you thinking about getting engaged? Premarital Mentoring is just what you need! Strong marriages are the cornerstone of a healthy, Jesus-centered family. BACC’s Premarital 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 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. Email premarital. ministry@bayareacc.org for more information.

THE GREAT DATE NIGHT The Great Date Night is back by popular demand! This fun couples event will take place on Saturday, February 13, at BACC from 7-9:30 p.m. Steve Geyer, a seasoned Christian comedian, will entertain us this year. Steve learned to do comedy as a way to cope with the trials of an abusive home and painful childhood. He traveled for 20 years performing stand-up comedy. Look for more information about ticket sales in the January issue of GO&MAKE. Check Steve out at thegrablegroup.com/speaker/steve-geyer/.

TEMPORARY HOUSING Occasionally couples come to the Premarital Ministry who are living together. We believe strongly in the Marriage Ministry that the best way to honor God is to remain pure and physically separated until marriage. Do you have space in your home that could be used by either a man or a woman on a temporary basis in order to fulfill this desire? To learn more contact Leanne Lane at leanne.lane@bayareacc.org or call 443-837-3718.

ISRAEL TRIP Have you ever been interested in taking a Biblical tour of the Holy Land? In March 2016, Pastor Ed Kelley will lead an 11day trip to Israel that will trace the footsteps of Jesus. To learn more or sign up, email Ed at ed.kelley@bayareacc.org.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTS TIDAL POOL Betty Bandell serves faithfully every Sunday with our 1-year-olds. She shares how blessed she is watching the little ones begin to trust their leaders while being away from mom and dad. In her spare time she enjoys walking on the beach and line dancing.

Thank you Betty for your heart to serve families of the Tidal Pool.

CORAL REEF Jessica de la Chapelle serves with our 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers by discipling them every Sunday morning. She loves seeing the same excited kids every week, getting updates on their lives, and watching them learn about God. Jessica and her husband have been enjoying their newlywed season in Annapolis and making memories with new friends. Thank you Jessica for your heart to serve the preschoolers of Bay Area.

STUDENT TRAINING SESSION II If your student missed the first training session, they are invited to attend the upcoming session happening Sunday, December 6 at 10:45 a.m. We will meet upstairs in the loft directly above the chapel. We require all students who serve in Children’s Ministry to attend one training session per year. We will go over in detail the policies, procedures and expectations of serving in the Deep Blue.

WAVE RIDERS Our next gathering is coming up and we’d like to invite families with preschoolers to join our Wave Rider play group Saturday, December 5, from 10-11:30 a.m. We’ll celebrate the Christmas season in community and enjoy activities, games and snacks together. It will be a great time for parents to connect with other families in this stage of life.

For more details go to facebook.com/waveriderplaygroup, or contact stacey.burkhardt@bayareacc.org.

TRUNK OR TREAT Our biggest fall event ever! We had 50 creatively decorated trunks filled with candy and welcomed almost 2,000 people in the community. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this happen. It was a great night enjoyed by all.

PARENT DEDICATION We celebrated with six families that made the intentional decision to raise their children for Jesus.

The Deep Blue is excited to partner with these families in discipling their children.

DIVE 45 More than 100 fourth- and fifth-graders came out for Dive 45 Movie Night. A movie on the big screens and concession snacks were enjoyed by all.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES KIDCARE TEAM MEMBERS Our team consists of individuals who have a heart for kids. Our workers are paid and we are consistently looking to add to our team. We provide KidCare to all ministries of Bay Area including The Well, Missional Communities, and various events throughout the year. If you or someone you know are interested in joining, contact the KidCare Coordinator Dax at dax.clinkscale@bayareacc.org or visit the Children’s Welcome on Sundays for more info.

FINANCIALS Operating Budget Financial Update As of November 8, 2015 New Fiscal Year Began September 1, 2015 Fiscal Year Giving Goal

$4,116,000

YTD Received YTD Goal YTD Actual vs. Goal (5.2% Ahead) NOVEMBER To Date Received NOVEMBER To Date Giving Goal

$784,836 $746,178 $38,658 $150,525 $142,136

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 original building debt or “Beyond884” for the new building expansion. Please note all undesignated checks will go toward the general operating fund.

How Do I Support The Cause of Beyond884: Room For People?

Preferred Methods eCheck: Go to www.bayareacc.org/give to give online through your checking account through a one-time or recurring donation on My Bay Area.

Direct Debit: Go to www.bayareacc.com/give to download the form. Mail completed form to the BACC Finance Department and we will debit your checking account directly each month.

Personal Check: Write “Beyond884” on the memo line and drop it in the offering basket on Sunday or mail the check to BACC (884 Chesterfield Road, Annapolis, MD 21401).

GLOBAL MISSIONS 2016 SHORT TERM MISSION TRIPS The 2016 STM trips are here! More information will be available in the near future, but in the meantime, we encourage you to pray about these dates to see if the Lord is leading you to serve on a STM in 2016. Contact Global Missions Pastor Casely Essamuah at casely.essamuah@bayareacc.org for more information.

EL SALVADOR • CHILDREN’S MINISTRY & HOME VISITS • March 12-20 | open to Midshipmen only • May 21-29 • June 11-19 | high school ministry, children’s ministry & home visits • July 9-17 • July 23-31 | college & children’s ministry • November 12-20 GHANA • HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRY • June 2-12 • June 30 – July 10 • July 14-24 • August 4-14 | leadership camp ministry MALAYSIA • ENGLISH TEACHING & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING • May 16-28 • June 18-30 BRAZIL • MINISTRY TO CHURCH LEADERSHIP • July 15-25 • July 29 – August 8 POLAND • TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE • July 20 – August 1 INDIA • January 27 – February 5 | pastors’ conference | FULL • May 27 – June 4 | sports camp UGANDA • COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT • July 13-23 • July 27 – August 6

CONNECTING MINISTRY

Bank Check: Process through your bank’s Bill Pay service online for a bank check to be sent to BACC. Be sure to note “Beyond884” on the memo line.

Note: In order for contributions to be included in giving statements for charitable deductions per IRS guidelines, they must be given during the December gatherings, submitted online by December 31 or sent in by mail with a US Mail postmark no later than December 31. Checks with a December date sent in an envelope with a postmark after December 31 will be counted as 2016 contributions.

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DISCOVER BAY AREA NEWCOMER LUNCH New to Bay Area? We’re glad you are here! You may have some questions about who we are or what we believe so join us on December 6 at 12:45 p.m. in the Bay Cafe for Discover Bay Area.

Get a free lunch and hear from a few of our pastors and staff about our mission, values, and how you can get plugged in. No RSVP necessary, kids are welcome. Hope to see you there!

LEARNING COMMUNITIES

PRAYER MINISTRY

Did you know BACC has an entire ministry devoted to prayer?

The BACC Prayer Ministry is made up of teams of individuals devoted to gathering in prayer for our 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.

LOCAL OUTREACH The prayer room is located on the second floor of BACC. Also, every Sunday immediately following the gatherings, members LOCAL OUTREACH SERVING OPPORTUNITIES of our prayer team are up front and to the right of the stage if Missional Communities often don’t know how to get involved you would like someone to pray with. For more information with serving locally. We’re here to help. There are many about prayer or the teams, go to bayareacc.org/prayer or contact organizations in the Annapolis area that will be blessed by Pat at pat.linnell@bayareacc.org. your involvement; we’d love to connect you with them. Go to bayareacc.org/localoutreach and fill out the short involvement OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE form there.

Learning Communities are intended to strengthen your biblical knowledge, character and/or practical ministry skills.

They are also an opportunity to get to know others at BACC on Sunday mornings while in an environment of learning and interaction. For more information about learning communities go to bayareacc.org/learningcommunities.

GIFTS FOR CHILDREN Each Christmas season, Bay Area rallies together to bless children in Anne Arundel County through buying Christmas gifts for them. If you are interested in sponsoring a child or helping out, visit our kiosk on a Sunday morning in the lobby or email Trevin at giftsforchildren@bayareacc.org. You can also simply sign up to help by visiting bayareacc.org/ giftsforchildren.

AMBASSADOR TEAM: As our church continues to grow, we need your help in making connections for newcomers.

If you love Bay Area and want to serve visitors, being an ambassador is perfect for you. Email jocelyn.rimbey@ bayareacc.org for team details.

MEN’S BIBLE STUDIES

BAY CAFÉ & ESPRESSO BAR: Do you love coffee and lattés? Enjoy hospitality? Join our team in the Bay Cafe and/ or espresso bar. Contact: sherri.raimondo@bayareacc.org

MEN’S MORNING BIBLE STUDY Tuesdays from 6-7:30 a.m. in room 236 at BACC. Contact Dennis at dbradylaw@aol.com for more information.

MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES

AUDIO/VIDEO TEAM: We’re looking for a few more passionate, committed people to partner with our Sunday production team. Contact: tres.cozad@bayareacc.org

CHAIR MINISTRY: Serve on the chair set-up/tear-down team. Contact: chairs@bayareacc.org CHILDREN’S MINISTRY WELCOME TEAM: Our children’s ministry is rapidly growing and we are seeing an increase in many new families every Sunday. Our greeters welcome and assist families with everything from the electronic check-in system to escorting families to their child’s individual environments. For more details contact: chyloe. cheetham@bayareacc.org ELEMENTARY CASTING CALL: Do you have creative drama experience, enjoy worship or appreciate creative environments? We are currently recruiting for our large group drama and worship team and building an elementary creative team to assist with theming our spaces. Contact: aimee.coyle@bayareacc.org COMMUNION TEAM: Contact: arianne.teeple@bayareacc.org

MISSIONAL COMMUNITY TASTER September into early October was a time of focus on Missional Communities at Bay Area. About 150 people joined us for what we call MC Tasters: a time to learn about what MCs are.

Currently those 150 are getting plugged into our 40 MCs. Now, we are in a time of flux as new leaders are trained up and the MCs flex to receive the new members. We are looking at a start time of January 2016 for the new Missional Communities. If you’re interested in getting plugged into community at Bay Area, consider joining us for our next MC Taster on January 10 in the Warehouse at 12:45 p.m. RSVP online at bayareacc.org/ mctasterrsvp or email us at mc@bayareacc.org for more info.

PARKING MINISTRY: Serve by directing traffic and greeting those arriving at church. Contact Steve: parking@ bayareacc.org SAFETY TEAM: If you are passionate about safety or have experience in security, law enforcement, EMS, or First Responders and want to serve in this area contact Ed at safety@bayareacc.org.

HOSPITAL/HOMEBOUND VISITATION: Interested in being part of a team to reach out to those hospitalized or homebound? Contact: leanne.lane@bayareacc.org

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WOMEN’S MINISTRY THE WELL At Bay Area, we invite women to join us on a spiritual journey in community with others.

Like the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus meets us where we are and leads us to the next step. The Well at Bay Area is a place where women can come for spiritual growth. It doesn’t matter if you are new to faith or a longtime follower of Jesus, The Well can provide an opportunity for you to grow. You can register for our upcoming studies starting December 27 at the Women’s Ministry kiosk in the lobby or online at bayareacc.org/women/ spiritualgrowth.

THE WELL MORNING STUDY We have invited back Marilyn Anderes to teach her new, “I AM” study. The essence of the “I AM’s” in John’s Gospel is the clear proclamation that Jesus is enough for us. Join us in discovering this personal, powerful and life-transforming truth as we meet to look at Jesus as enough provision, enough guidance, enough power, and so much more. As Marilyn often says, “Our lives either declare or deny that Jesus is enough for us.” Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m., January 13 - April 13. Cost $15. Contact Laurie Gregory at thewell@bayareacc.org.

KIDCARE Available on Wednesday morning studies only. Cost $55/1 child, $75/2+ children for the study starting January 13.

Contact Dax at dax.clinkscale@bayareacc.org.

THE WELL EVENING STUDY “He Speaks to Me: Preparing to Hear from God” Come learn from Priscilla Shirer to see how God spoke to a young boy, Samuel, how he learned to respond to God, and the ways God speaks to believers today. This 7-week Bible study will take us close to the heart of God and teach us to recognize His voice. We will also have some guest speakers to help us learn practical disciplines for spending time alone with God. Join us Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m., January 12 - March 8. Cost is $15. Contact: Darby Cate at darby@dougcate.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS QUIET RETREAT: Live the “With God” Life Saturday, January 16, 2016 8 a.m. - noon. Join us for this special morning which will feature teaching by Betsy McPeak on practical spiritual disciplines followed by time alone to spend with God. There will also be a room set aside for those who want to take the full morning for quiet reflection. Cost: $15, includes a take-home resource and light snacks. Register with Jocelyn at jocelyn_mathews@yahoo.com.

WOMEN OF LEGACY (55+) Join us as we encourage one another in Christ and share about ways to practically care for others. On Monday, December 7, we will volunteer at the processing center of “ Operation Christmas Child” and help pack shoe boxes that will be distributed to children around the world. You can also join us for our Christmas lunch on Monday, December 14, at 11:30 a.m. at Hazel Ross’s house. For more information, contact Cedulie Sanchez at luisandcedulie@gmail.com.

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QUILTS FOR KIDS “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4. On Saturday, December 19, we will meet to sew quilts for kids from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at BACC in room 235. You don’t have to know how to sew to help! But if you do, bring your lunch, a sewing machine, sewing supplies, and we will give you a quilting kit to sew.

Contact Janet Hogan at annapolisQFK@quiltsforkids.org.

STUDENT MINISTRY

HIGH SCHOOL LATE NIGHTER It’s that time of year again! All high school students are invited to attend the BASM Late Nighter on December 18, from 7 p.m.

- midnight. We will begin the night at the church for some gym games, then head to laser tag and finish the night by seeing the newest Star Wars movie. Register at the BASM kiosk today.

We hope to see you there!

WINTER MELTDOWN If you are a high school student make sure you save the date - January 2931 - for our Winter Meltdown trip to River Valley Ranch. This weekend will feature horseback riding, paintball, zip-lining and so much more! You do not want to miss this.

Registration will open late in December. Email Brent Squires at brent.squires@bayareacc.org if you have any further questions.

CLUB678 This event is a monthly hangout for middle school students.

Our next Club678 will be on December 11 from 7-9 p.m.

Kids are invited to wear an ugly Christmas sweater or other fun Christmas attire. Students are encouraged to invite their friends and bring money for our snack bar. Kids will enjoy some holiday-themed games and a prize for the best outfits!

SATURDAY NIGHT SINGALONG Start your Christmas Season off right by joining us for a Yuletide Saturday Night Singalong on December 5 at 6p.m.! It’s a family-friendly environment where we’ll press into the depth of some of the carols we sing every year, rest in worship, and enjoy each other’s presence.

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