Go & Make Issue #24 (Oct. 2015)

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IN THIS ISSUE 16 COVER STORY: SOUTH SUDAN As the dust settles in war-torn South Sudan, a new opportunity arises for the Kingdom of God. Josh Shirlen and a team of missionaries visit The Mission Gardens of Christ and return with a story of hope.

10 TRUNK OR TREAT Invite your friends, family and neighbors: Trunkloads of candy, carnival rides and inflatables will provide frighteningly good fun for the whole community.

7 COLORED BY COMMUNITY Missional Communities Pastor Brian Hopper illustrates how spiritual growth and impact happen best in community.

Pictured: Pastor Stephen Mathiang listens to his mentor, Bishop Nathaniel, speak at the Mission Gardens of Christ in South Sudan.

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20 SOUTH SUDAN: IN PHOTOS Photojournalist Arianne Teeple captures the spirit of The Mission Gardens of Christ in South Sudan.

36 FROM HERE TO THE NATIONS While overseas on a short term missions trip, team leader Chris Prado sheds light on life and culture in Southeast Asia through emails to her stateside prayer team.

14 LEADERSHIP PROFILE: LYDIA MACBRIDE She plays the mandolin, loves to write, and can sleep through anything: Meet Lydia MacBride, Bay Area Student Ministry’s new Middle School Coordinator.

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

MAGAZINE CREDITS EDITOR IN CHIEF Josh Shirlen MANAGING EDITOR Meredith Thompson ART Arianne Teeple Jake Williams Josh Burgin Josh Shirlen Meredith Thompson CONTRIBUTORS Chris Prado Hannah Anderson Jennifer Ginn Jerry Shirlen

On the cover: South Sudanese woman Photograph by Arianne Teeple

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

884 Chesterfield Rd. Annapolis, MD 21401

410.544.2222

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 OC TO B E R GO&MAKE 3

LETTER FROM THE LEAD

This is the third month in a row that I’ve written on this subject. It’s that important to me. Jesus invites us to be a part of the greatest adventure of all time: the adventure of being used by God to help change the world for Christ.

At Bay Area, that adventure is embodied in the saying: themselves as missionaries, looking for every opportunity to “Everyone a missionary!” participate in the mission of God. In John 20:21, Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you. This is the mindset we are called to have 24/7, right here, right As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” now. Imagine if each of us viewed life as if we were on a shortterm mission trip. In reality, we are on a short-term mission These words are among the most powerful, all-consuming trip until Jesus takes us home. Life is short. Our mission field statements of Jesus. They provide a north star as to how we begins with our family or roommates. It continues with our are to order life. Everywhere we go, we are to see ourselves as neighbors, friends, coworkers and the everyday people with sent by Jesus on mission – right here, right now! whom we interact.

To understand our calling to be missionaries, we need to grasp something very important:

Michael Green, in his book “Evangelism in the Early Church,” concludes that the early explosive growth of the church “was in reality accomplished by means of informal missionaries.”

God is a sending God. He was referring to normal, everyday people who carried on the mission “in homes and wine shops, on walks, and around Throughout the Bible we see the sending nature of God. God market stalls … they did it naturally, enthusiastically.” They sends Abraham to forge a new nation through whom He could lived like missionaries. bless the nations. While in Egypt, Joseph tells his brothers, “God sent me.” On Mount Sinai, God speaks to Moses in a Everyone a missionary. As disciples of Jesus, we are called not burning bush in order to send him to Pharaoh. God sends only to receive Him as Savior and Lord, but also to embrace Jeremiah to warn the Jews of coming judgment. Jesus delivers His call as missionaries. God invites us to be a part of the great a man possessed by demons and sends him home to tell all the adventure of impacting the world for Christ. That becomes a things the Lord had done for him. reality when we see ourselves as missionaries.

God’s motivation for sending messengers to those who have Who is God sending you to today? Which of your coworkers, rejected Him time and time again is His infinite, unconditional family members and neighbors needs to hear the truth about love.

Jesus? Who among your friends is in need of the Gospel? Be praying for them, and be watchful for opportunities to be 1 John 4:8-10 says, “…God is love. In this the love of God was used by God as a missionary in their life. made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in to be the propitiation for our sins.” all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 God is a sending God because He is a God of love. Out of His love, He sends Jesus. And Jesus, out of love, sends us.

As a church, we are committed to spreading the Gospel globally. That’s why we are committed to places like South Sudan, Poland, El Salvador, India and many other nations.

One of the ways we advance God’s mission is through shortterm mission trips. On a global mission trip, participants see

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From here to the nations,

Greg St. Cyr Lead Pastor

TASTE and SEE

By Micah Pringle

As I write this, I’m perched in a perfectly appointed coffee shop in a beautiful part of Portland, Oregon, sipping a cup of coffee while morning light pours through the large windows.

Travelling is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it be someplace you visit every year, or an entirely new experience, there’s something thrilling about it that fills you up inside and stretches one’s perception of the world. From a hole-in-thewall restaurant that only the locals know about, to soaking in the unique beauty of a region or a people, there are a couple things that are almost universally true about travel: You’ll taste and see new things.

When you Google search what you should do when you get to that new place, it will inevitably tell you of places you should see, and restaurants from which you just have to get that amazing meal! This sent my brain into overdrive when I stopped to consider the richness of David’s words in Psalm 34, when he said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

What flavor is this goodness? Is it sweet? Savory? Bitter? What does “good” actually look like? Is it a vast ocean view at sunset? A towering mountain peak? Or what if it’s not our typical perception of “good” at all, and appears as a dirty back alleyway? We have strong associations surrounding

what we eat and what we see. These are two senses that help determine our experiences, and in so doing, help us decide whether something is “good” or not.

Example: “How was that new restaurant you went to last night?” … “It tasted fresh, and the presentation was great…

I’d say it was GOOD.”

“WE FILTER OUR EXPERIENCE THROUGH HIS GOODNESS; WE DON’T DETERMINE IF HE IS GOOD BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCE.”

seeing God’s goodness. Experiencing and sensing God’s goodness means knowing He is good even when everything else is not. That’s to say, we filter our experience through His goodness; we don’t determine if He is good based on our experience.

It means we find incredible peace and resolve through the bedrock realization that God. Is. Good. It means we can approach Him in confidence when we pray, sing and interact with truth from the Bible. It means that we can resist temptation because we understand that the false “goodness” offered through temptation cannot compare to the goodness of a loving Father. Goodness of the purest, highest, holiest form.

Psalm 34 reads as an invitation. It’s as though King David is saying, “Come with me to this new restaurant. You just have Taste and see. He is good. to see the place; you just have to taste the food. This place is really GOOD.” And the implication is that it’s something we Micah Pringle is the haven’t experienced in this way before. worship leader (Or at least not in a long time.) It’s as at Bay Area though we’ve forgotten how truly good Community Church God is. We’ve forgotten that He is the and a monthly embodiment of all that is good, and there contributer to is no true goodness outside of Him! GO&MAKE.

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NACHOS, PLEASE!

The good news of Jesus is the only way our fallen world will truly get any better. This is because the means by which God forgives, heals, restores and empowers a new life by the imparted Holy Spirit is through the Gospel. I was reminded of this a few weekends ago when I went on a nachos run at Nationals Park, where Kristen and I were attending a Zac Brown Band concert.

One of my wife’s favorite parts of any live show, concert or sports game is the very beginning. When house lights go down, and the stage lights blast, sirens go off, the Caps take the ice with swirling red spotlights, or the Ravens take the field and the crowd goes wild, when it’s game time – that makes her smile, and I think it’s fun too. Because of this, I am especially cautious to get her to events on time.

We made it to this particular concert plenty early, but then there was a crisis. Kristen wanted nachos. So I left her and set off to wait in a long line for cheesesteak nachos, which were slightly gross, but would have to do. The opening act had finished a while ago, and Zac Brown was due to come on at any point. I gambled and lost. As I was handed the nachos, the big intro had begun. As I was finding my way back down the stairs to row G, I saw Kristen with her back turned to the show, racing up the stairs toward me.

When she realized that I was missing the big intro, she had set out to find me to say, “Forget the nachos – I don’t want you to miss this!” But if I hadn’t already been coming down the stairs, 6 GO&MAKE O C TO B ER

I have no idea how she would have found me. I could have been anywhere in the stadium of 50,000 people buying nachos. She gave up her favorite moment so that I could be a part of it. I won’t remember much about that show in the years to come, but I will treasure that memory.

I believe this was evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my wife. Why? Because she looked a lot like Jesus in that moment, denying herself and thinking about someone else. The Holy Spirit

empowers us to live a Christlike life, and when we respond in faith to Jesus and His sacrificial death for us, God the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our souls. This change of spiritual makeup changes our hearts, and when hearts are changed, families, communities, even nations can follow suit – to the extent that the individuals in them respond in faith to Jesus.

Yet it seems like our world is stuck on trying to change by embracing good advice, good ideas, or good morals, not the Good News. The concert was great – and Zac Brown’s music is very family friendly and positive – even

By Pat Linnell God-centered. If you are not into country music, Zac Brown may likely change your mind. One song that he introduced as “the most important song he has ever written,” called “The Remedy,” is a message to love one another – to follow the golden rule. I think that is great, and Biblical – not a bad message to sing to a crowd of thousands in Washington, D.C. The only problem with this good advice, even good Biblical advice, is that the message was disconnected from the proclamation of the Gospel.

And by that I mean salvation by Jesus’ atoning death, secured by genuine faith accompanied by repentance of sin. It is through the Gospel that we are reconnected with God, who “is love,” and then are able to “love one another” from a place of thankful dependence on Him. Because of the Gospel, it will be in our new nature to sacrifice for others, because that is what God Himself is like.

When the concert ended this picture was painted for me. On those same stairs that Kristen reminded me of Jesus, another lady and what looked like her young daughter were running through the crowded line of people waiting to exit the stadium. I figured she must have to catch a bus or a train, but the guy behind me seemed to only feel violated by her getting ahead. So he yelled, antagonized, and perhaps even was tempting her to a fight. After that great show, with that great message, why was it so hard for this guy to love his neighbor? Because sacrificial love doesn’t come to us naturally, and good advice falls short of the Gospel – the only true remedy for our hurting world.

colored by t Bay Area, we believe that spiritual growth and impact happen best in community. God didn’t design us to live in isolation or to walk out our faith alone. He created us to grow in Him through being in relationships with others who are also focused on Jesus. Rather than simply being in community for community’s sake, our desire is to be in the type of community that fosters spiritual growth and enables us to become more like Christ.

For us, Missional Communities are that type of community.

Whether you are relatively new to BACC or have been coming here for a while, hopefully you've heard about our Missional Communities.

Although, the fact that you've heard of them doesn't necessarily mean that you know what a Missional a Community (MC) is – and why we are so committed to helping everyone connect in one.

Missional Communities are our primary environment for adult discipleship. What differentiates an MC from other types of community is the intentionality to grow spiritually in a holistic manner. In other words, these are the places where we are encouraged to grow in all aspects of our faith.

So what exactly is a Missional Community?

We say an MC is a community of people who live as an extended family that

loves God back, loves each other, and loves their neighbors.

By Brian Hopper

missional communities pastor

Extended family describes the nature of our relationships together. It speaks to the interconnectedness and interdependence of our relationships as God’s people. It is best illustrated by thinking of a large family’s Thanksgiving dinner, where all the extended family is present and together. We see this in Acts 16 with Lydia and in Acts 10 with Cornelius, who both invited all of their extended families to hear the Gospel.

We believe this extended family should have three focuses – an upward focus, where we love God back through faithful obedience, worship and prayer; an inward focus, where we love one another through mutual commitment and care while also growing in our knowledge and practice of the Word; and an outward focus where we love our neighbors by going beyond our own community to serve and share the Gospel with those who are near to us, but far from Jesus. Around here, we simply refer to this as UP, IN and OUT, and we remember it by thinking of a triangle (elementary, but memorable).

It is in these contexts that we see Jesus growing us as a body. Every day of the week, in almost every section of town, there are groups of folks who call BACC their home gathered as extended family to love God back, love each other, and love their neighbors. In doing this, the Lord is helping us not only become but also make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from here to the nations.

In September, we highlighted the important role that community plays in the life of the believer. You may recall Pat coloring a mannequin with color chalk, illustrating for us that when we are in community with other believers, we are “colored” to look more like Jesus. We desire for everyone at Bay Area to benefit from growing together spiritually and relationally by being in a Missional Community.

If you are not currently connected to an MC but are ready to take the next step in your spiritual journey, we invite you to join one. We are declaring October “Try My MC” month, during which almost all of our 40+ MCs are open for you to visit. To find out more about how to get plugged into one, you can visit the Connect kiosk in the lobby on Sundays to talk to our Connect team, where they can answer questions and provide more information; go to bayareacc.org/ missionalcommunities and read about MCs; or attend an MC Taster, which will connect you with others who are looking to get into an MC and help you experience a “taste” of what an MC does.

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By Hannah Anderson

f you have been searching for a way to entice neighbors, friends or family members to visit Bay Area Community Church, try offering them free candy, carnival rides and face-painting. On Friday, October 30, from 6:30-8 p.m., Bay Area’s Children’s Ministry will host Trunk or Treat, an annual event where churchgoers and Missional Communities decorate their vehicles’ trunks, dress in costumes, and distribute candy to attendees. This year’s Trunk or Treat will be held in the west parking lot near the chapel.

“The goal of the event is to create community and provide an opportunity for members of our church family to invite people in their communities,” said Children’s Ministry Director Gail Wiles. “If you’re looking to reach out to the family next door, this is a fun, safe environment for them. One family last year invited their child’s whole baseball team!”

More than 2,000 people attended last year’s Trunk or Treat.

There were more than 50 trunks, and Gail hopes to see the number of trunks double this year. The most creative trunk decorators will win the “best trunk” prize, which was awarded to an Elmo’s World-themed display last year. Other memorable trunks include Dave Earnest’s talking pumpkins and the Bay Area creative team’s gorilla habitat, complete with three adult gorillas, a baby gorilla and two zookeepers.

“There was a lot of creativity,” Gail said. “I’m looking forward to seeing this year’s trunks.”

Volunteers are needed to serve as parking attendants and to help with setup and takedown so that the parking lot will be ready for the Sunday morning gatherings. Both hosting a trunk and volunteering during the event are great opportunities for Missional Communities to help out. To register to decorate a trunk and and distribute candy, or to register to volunteer, go Trunk or Treat offers more than just candy collection: Other to www.bayareacc.org/deepblueevents or sign up in the Bay fun activities scheduled for the evening include carnival rides Area lobby on Sunday mornings. The cost to register a trunk is for kids and adults, inflatables for younger children, cotton $20; half of the total raised will benefit charity, and the other candy and face-painting. half will be awarded to the winners of best trunk.

“It’s a great place to build community,” Gail said. “Last year there were pockets of people standing around and chatting.

Sunday mornings can be rushed, and there’s not a lot of space in the church to gather and catch up like there will be at Trunk or Treat.”

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If you will not be able to attend Trunk or Treat, you can contribute to the night’s festivities by donating bags of candy, which will help offset the cost for trunk sponsors. Look for the candy donation boxes in the Children’s Ministry hallways upstairs and downstairs on Sunday mornings.

OCTOBER BOOK: Who Moved My Cheese?

AUTHOR: Spencer Johnson, M.D. “Who Moved My Cheese?” is a book about change. Change affects all of us.

In fact, that was at the core of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (E=MC2); that is, that the universe is constantly in motion.

Newtonian Physics didn’t quite have that basis. This motion being constant means that all things – physical, emotional, mental and the like – are all in flux. No two moments are exactly the same.

Spencer Johnson is a doctor. He also happens to be a famous author, writing all sorts of books including the ValueTales series for Children. He also coauthored a giant of a book called “The One Minute Manager” with Ken Blanchard. It explains what is arguably the world’s most popular management method. In 1998, he wrote a different kind of book. A parable. “Who Moved My Cheese?” It’s all of 90 pages.

You know, people don’t really like change much. Trust me, as a longtime executive pastor I can tell you that with people - all people - staff people, volunteer people, servant people, little green people, whatever, change normally isn’t very popular. Think about it: We all have our favorite restaurants, chairs, TV shows, etc. and when those things change, we’re disgruntled, and some of us act like the characters in this book. We Scurry, we Hem, we Haw and sometimes we just get flabbergasted and lament on who’s to blame for all this change.

This book is mainly about how to deal with change in your work and your life.

It has been used by leading organizations

like Exxon, Goodyear, Marriott and others to train their people on how to interact with change. From marriages to careers, from tasks to college issues, this book has been credited with literally saving the aforementioned as readers find themselves in the four characters depicted in this lighthearted parable.

It only takes about an hour to read, this little book, yet it provides real insight about how to succeed in our everchanging world. It can be read by all ages and the lessons can be profound and make a significant difference in the enjoyment and accomplishment aspects of one’s life.

This isn’t a Christian book per se, but it’s certainly a fast, simple read. And if applied… well, let’s just say if applied, you may never be the same again.

It’s worth your hour. Enjoy.

Ed Kelley Executive Pastor

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By Jerry Shirlen

IN

the early 1980s, Jeff was in the midst of a four-year stint in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas. As an 18-year-old young man, he was searching for something, and the Army was a way to learn about life while serving his country. Although the Army provided everything he expected and more, Jeff still had an emptiness inside.

“ Although the Army provided everything he expected and more, Jeff still had an emptiness inside.”

Eventually, Jeff’s sergeant, an AfricanAmerican noncommissioned officer with a thin mustache and an overall unimposing presence, realized that Jeff was seeking something more than the Army or anyone or anything of this world could offer. Having his own personal relationship with God, the sergeant began to tell Jeff about salvation through believing in Jesus Christ. Jeff realized that what he was looking for was forgiveness for his sinful life. The sergeant’s words resonated with Jeff as the Holy Spirit began to tug on his heart.

Soon thereafter, the sergeant invited Jeff to accompany him to church. Having grown up Catholic, Jeff’s first impression as he entered the little church was one of complete surprise. The congregation was extremely vocal and very emotional.

Although he never had witnessed anything like this before, Jeff sensed the power of God and the presence of the Lord in their midst. When the minister asked if anyone wanted to give their heart to God, Jeff recited the sinner’s prayer, and he immediately changed. The hole inside his heart, mind and soul had been filled with God’s Spirit.

With this new life in Christ, Jeff continued to excel in his military service, rising to every challenge. Now his love of God and country drove his desire to apply to continue in military service as an officer.

As his enlistment ended, Jeff headed

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for the state university and pursued an undergraduate degree. Having successfully obtained it, he then applied and was accepted to the Army’s Officers Candidate School (OCS). It was during this time that Jeff found love and got married. It seemed his life was coming together in every regard.

Upon his acceptance to OCS, Jeff left his northern U.S. home alone and headed for Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Attending OCS would mean spending months away from home, but with a strong desire to excel and to reach his goal, Jeff was driven and could handle anything thrown his way.

Or, so he thought.

The OCS program included intense classroom and field training. The focus on leadership development would ultimately lead to an assessment of the candidates’ mental, physical and emotional potential. From the outset, the candidates would be grouped into squads where experience would be gained in all leadership roles. Candidates would be taught the basic leadership skills required of a commissioned officer. This meant they would face mental and physical challenges to test and evaluate their determination and their desire to excel.

Once the basic skills had been taught and tests were completed, the focus would be on their ability to use these skills and to work as a team. The teams would participate in a multi-week training mission.

Officers training was a grueling regimen that required many hours together with classmates. After being closed to them for many years, OCS was open to females, and they were as much part of the team as anyone. And while Jeff was succeeding

in all phases of the intensive training, he began to let down his emotional guard.

Since becoming a Christian, Jeff had both moments where he felt close to God and times when his prayers seemed to be shallow and unable to reach further than the ceiling of his room.

Now, as a result of his achievements, he was feeling completely self-absorbed and his relationship with God was getting increasingly cool. Ultimately, the time he spent with one particular female teammate led to an adulterous relationship. Jeff had allowed his arrogance to convince himself that he could do anything, and without consequence.

Jeff graduated OCS and entered the service as a Second Lieutenant. He headed home with the expectation that the affair was over and behind him.

Nine months later, he received a phone call that brought him crashing to earth.

It was from the woman, informing him that he was the father of a baby girl.

The confidence Jeff had felt was replaced by feelings of extreme guilt, shame, remorse and depression. How had he let this happen to him? What was he to do now? Was everything he had worked so hard to obtain about to be taken from him? He knew he had to confess his indiscretion to his wife, deal with the reality of being a father, and live with the possibility of losing the officer’s commission he had earned. But, he also knew he had to repent of his sin.

After some soul-searching, Jeff’s wife ultimately found it in her heart to forgive him. Not only that, she was willing to allow his daughter into their lives. On his knees, Jeff begged God to forgive him and he rededicated his life to Jesus. His indiscretion was not discovered by the Army and Jeff’s career as an officer proceeded.

However, Jeff was unable to forgive himself. As the years passed, his walk with Christ was consistently affected by

his inability to believe himself worthy of forgiveness. In Psalm 38:6 and 8, David expresses the sorrow Jeff was feeling: “I am utterly bowed down and brought low; all the day I go about mourning. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.”

It wasn’t until recently that the truth of Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – penetrated Jeff’s thinking. He accepted that he had committed a terrible sin, but he realized that he wasn’t alone in his weaknesses. Once Jeff was able to forgive himself, his relationship with the Holy Spirit was renewed. Just as David said in Psalm 32:5 after he had committed a similar sin, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Jeff retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel in 2004. Six years later, he began to hear rumors that his Christian mentor was facing some serious charges. He felt a sense of irony when he learned that the man who had led him to Christ had also had an affair while serving in Afghanistan, and was potentially facing a court martial. Jeff felt an urgency to find his old NCO and share his experience with him. The now sergeant major told Jeff that he never could have imagined he would have fallen to this sin. The words that came to Jeff were, “Never say never!”

After spending time with his old friend who was clearly hurting, they prayed together. Given the option to face a court martial or retire from the Army, the sergeant major opted to leave the Army in 2010 after 29 years of service. His wife was not in attendance at the retirement ceremony.

Jeff and his wife have been married for over 20 years. Today, he serves the Lord in various ministries at BACC. He looks for opportunities to be a missionary by sharing his testimony with others who are unable to forgive themselves.

“ Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’

And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

- Psalm 32:5

A few years ago, Jerry Shirlen said he would never go on a mission trip. It was unlikely he would ever see himself as a “missionary.” But in 2014, Jerry felt the call of the Holy Spirit to participate in a short term mission trip to El Salvador. Since then, Jerry’s faith has been radically transformed. He and his wife, Janice, have started a Missional Community; he returned to El Salvador a second time; and he now embraces his identity as a missionary.

Relating to Jerry’s experience, people often share with him their stories of faith. We’ve invited him to share those accounts in Go&Make through an ongoing series of articles titled “The Unlikely Missionary.”

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LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Lydia Macbride

BY MEREDITH THOMPSON

SHE LOVES MIDDLE SCHOOLERS. It’s an age where they’re still willing to have fun, she explained. They’re not too cool yet. More importantly, it’s an age at which they can have Jesus as a friend early on and build the foundation of their faith to carry them through high school, college and beyond.

She knows this because, though she asked Jesus into her heart at the young age of 5, her middle school years were the age at which she began to understand that trusting Jesus was a choice to live a different way and follow after Him fully.

Lydia, who serves as Bay Area Student Ministry’s Middle School Coordinator, grew up in a Christian home in southern Anne Arundel County. The daughter of a mailman and a secretary, she worked on her family farm as a youngster and volunteered to lead Sunday School and Vacation Bible School at the small Methodist church they attended.

She met her husband Brendan during her first summer in college. “The first day, he told me, ‘I’m a youth leader and I play in a praise band at my church,’” Lydia recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, you’re the one! I definitely want to hang out with you.’ We hit it off right away.”

She began attending his church, serving in youth ministry alongside him during her college years, and fell in love with pouring into the kids.

Halfway through pursuing a degree in journalism, Lydia wasn’t feeling it anymore. She loved to write, but she didn’t feel it was where God wanted her to be.

“I felt like I wanted to be working with kids, felt God calling me to do that, but I told God, ‘No, I need to get done with school. I don’t want to pay more; I don’t want to figure this out,’” she said.

Post grad, Lydia was unsure of what she wanted to do. It only took a week to realize she did not want to continue the job she had landed doing marketing for a chiropractor’s office. As she shared her lack of direction with the youth pastor at her church, he surprised her with the offer of an internship in student ministry. A year later, the job became full time, and Lydia was hooked. “I just fell in love with it and knew this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said. “There’s nothing else I would want to do besides working with kids.”

After investing in that church for six years, Lydia felt God tugging her to step out in faith and try something new. A friend directed her to a job posting for a nearby church, Bay Area, and Lydia told her, “Wow, that church is awesome! I’ve always been interested in what that church is doing.” So she applied.

In her role as middle school coordinator, which she has held since May, Lydia plans and leads the middle school Sunday morning gatherings, oversees the community group leaders who volunteer in the ministry, and plans trips and events including Fall Retreat and Victory Jam. Just weeks into her new post, Lydia accompanied 45 of her middle schoolers to Victory Jam, a weeklong beach trip in New Jersey, with the goal of learning all of their names. She learned that and more, listening to their stories to find out where they were in their faith, what their needs were, what questions they had. She explained, “You have to really know the kids and where they are in order to serve them and be praying for them.”

Lydia and Brendan married in 2012, and continue serving in ministry today: Brendan assists in leading worship on Sunday mornings at Bay Area. She enjoys music, too, and plays the mandolin and bass. Together, they write songs. “Throughout dating, we served in student ministry together. We worked at churches together. We’ve always been partners in ministry, and it’s always been a big part of our lives,” she smiled, noting she also enjoys reading, writing, snowboarding and, above all, spending time with her family.

Still, her greatest passion undeniably is pointing kids toward Jesus.

“I do [student ministry] because I want kids to have a relationship with Jesus – the relationship that helped me get through middle and high school because I dealt with bullies and things like that,” she said.

“I hope that I model a real relationship with Jesus … and that they fall in love with God’s Word. … I started to growing up, and I always try to figure out, ‘How can kids fall in love with God’s Word?’ Because I think it’s the most important thing for our faith – to really dig into the Bible and understand it and want to know it more.”

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South Sudan:

Opportunity of a Lifetime

I

By Josh Shirlen

have a friend who recently took a job as an investment advisor. He spends his days researching new and growing companies to advise clients on which companies to invest their money in for potential earnings. If acquiring wealth by playing the stock market is your thing, his job is a fascinating one. Admittedly, I have no experience with the stock market, and consequently no wealth, but in September I found my job and that of my investment-savvy friend to have something in common. We both spent our days researching potential investments: his for financial portfolios, and mine for ministry opportunities in South Sudan.

What I found in my research of the world’s youngest country was staggering: a promising strategic investment in a land of tremendous opportunity. It’s called The Mission Gardens of Christ. Allow me to share my observations and why I think this ministry is a fantastic investment opportunity.

Of all the places I’ve been to around the world, South Sudan is an anomaly. It provides us with a unique opportunity to bless. Unlike many other nations, South Sudan is a

Protestant Christian nation; they have Jesus. In fact, for many, Jesus has been their sustenance through years of war.

In that regard, the people are already blessed. But in nearly every other aspect of life, the people of South Sudan have enormous need. Food, water, education, medical care, dental care, employment, safety and security are void. To illustrate just how desolate of a land this is, I’ll share a brief experience I had while there last month.

On the five-hour flight from Dubai to Juba, South Sudan, I began to notice swelling in my left eyelid. Apparently I was having an allergic reaction to something. I went to the rear of the plane to see a flight attendant for some water. When they saw my eye, they responded with noticeable panic.

At first I was puzzled at the level of concern for this minor problem, but then I realized it wasn’t that my condition was extreme, but that our destination was extremely lacking in medical help. They were keenly aware that if I needed medical care once off the plane, there would be nothing available for me. They were so concerned for me that a flight attendant even spoke to the pilot about the potential of making an emergency landing prior to reaching South Sudan. I assured everyone that I would be fine and returned to my seat with a cold compress and a sobering awareness of the conditions I was about to encounter.

There is no masking the extreme poverty of this land. White planes, helicopters and 4x4 vehicles with the trademark UN letters and various other humanitarian organizations cover the landscape like gauze on a triage patient. Looking past that you see the people, tall, slender, and worn from years of survival. Females often dress in vibrant colors made even brighter by the dark pigment of their skin, and men, noticeably less interested in fashion, wear clothing that reveals days of laborious tasks. In the sea of people, I found our friend, Pastor Stephen Mathiang.

A word on Pastor Stephen: He is a leader. Not just in the sense that he is the one making decisions for his organization, but in the way that you know God has gifted him and called him to lead. His demeanor is gentle and quiet, never raising his voice, appearing flustered, or moving faster than his normal unhurried stride. His glass couldn’t be more half-full, and his humility is to be admired. I met Pastor Stephen many years ago, and seeing him again in his homeland was an encouraging reminder of his vision for the Kingdom of God in South Sudan, his determination to glorify God, and his wisdom to know how to get it all done.

Pastor Stephen took me and our team members from Bay Area Community Church to his home and ministry, When you arrive in South a fertile plot of land he named The Sudan, you can see the Mission Gardens of Christ (The MGC). need immediately.

This is the epicenter of our investment opportunity in South Sudan, and a ministry established to bless the entire region. Previously constructed with funds provided by Bay Area, once fully equipped, The MGC will be able to meet the

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many needs of the people of Bor, South faith is strong and unwavering, and Sudan. Here are a few ways in which it despite their personal struggles, they will do so: desire to be a light to the world. The Mission Gardens of Christ and Pastor Education: Stephen are equipping pastors in the One of the most critical needs the people region to lead their churches to do of this infant nation have is education. just that. Stephen’s vision is to see the Bay Area has built four medium-sized Church in South Sudan actually be the classrooms at The MGC that are waiting “salt and light” of the world. The facility to be filled. By hiring teachers and Bay Area has provided at The MGC is a purchasing supplies, The MGC can open training facility for pastors where they a primary school for over 50 children. can study, pray and become unified as Furthermore, they can begin adult the body of Christ. During my brief stay education classes in the evenings to at The MGC, I witnessed pastors and lay teach basic reading and writing skills as leaders from various denominations join together to worship and pray for well as domestic trade skills. their people.

Orphans:

After decades of war – the most recent of which took place over the past 20 months and claimed the lives of more than 20,000 people – South Sudan has no shortage of orphaned children.

Two buildings have already been purchased on The MGC compound to be utilized as orphanages for boys and girls. With Bay Area’s continued support, the buildings can be outfitted with the necessary furnishings to house the children, and a host family can be finically supported to care for them.

The People:

When you look a South Sudanese person in the eyes you see a lot of hurt and a lot of struggle, but you also see a fierce desire for something better. They are willing to work, to endure and to make the most of any opportunity given. That is where the agricultural emphasis of The MGC comes in. Pastor Stephen has a vision to see the people of his region become self-sufficient, not depending on NGOs to provide nourishment. He strategically farms his land near the road to teach and inspire those nearby to provide for their The Church: families. With Bay Area’s help, Stephen has supplied agricultural education to Over the vast landscape peppered with a man named Peter, whose primary mud huts, the occasional modest church responsibility is cultivating crops. stands out as the hope of the people.

Followers of Jesus in South Sudan are The Risk and R.O.I.: passionate and desire to mature. Their My investment friend tells me “the bigger the risk,

the bigger the potential gain.” That makes sense to me in the story of The MGC. There is a risk: A substantial of amount of Bay Area’s investment was lost in the latest war. Who’s to say if it will happen again? However, in lieu of future wars, and with Pastor Stephen’s leadership, The MGC has the potential to shape a region and an entire country with the hope and promise of Jesus.

The potential to see generations of people no longer identified as Lost Boys, refugees or war-torn, and instead seen as educated, healthy lights in the wilderness. To be a stakeholder in that story – that’s worth the risk.

Finally, when I was at The MGC, touring the compound and listening to Pastor Stephen’s dreams, the answer to a question I asked dramatically shaped the way I see the ministry. “Pastor Stephen, who has contributed to The MGC other than Bay Area?” I asked. “No one. Everything you see is from Bay Area Community Church,” he replied.

I realized that The MGC and Bay Area are one. The Missions Garden of Christ is Bay Area Community Church in South Sudan, and in that way, not really an investment opportunity at all, but something much more personal: a family. I feel privileged to be Bay Area, to be The MGC, to be the Church. Our God is good, opening opportunities for us to be the salt and light of the world, and to be a blessing, in Annapolis and in South Sudan.

Arianne Teeple: “I was so impressed by the resilience of the South Sudanese people… particularly one woman named Elizabeth, who lost her husband and three children in the war, but still came to The Mission Gardens of Christ to pray.”

Russell Thomas: “The MGC is a light on a hill. They are providing hope, education and resources, and are the only place within hundreds of miles that is doing so. I have great confidence in Pastor Stephen’s leadership.”

Patricia Talmadge: “I think Jesus sees that the people at The MGC and surrounding areas are people who have served Him; even in the face of horrendous circumstances, they’ve remained faithful.”

Kurt Parsons: “Pastor Stephen is one of the most dynamic leaders and positive motivators I think I’ve ever met.”

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SUPPORTING THE MISSION GARDENS OF CHRIST IN SOUTH SUDAN

a home, called Livingstone, to house several lost boys in Annapolis. Jim and Loraine moved into Livingstone as house parents, and the young men quickly began studying at the community college. In just a short while, David, Amal, Deng, Pandak, Jacob and many others were living in community, being discipled and receiving an education.

A turning point in our involvement with Sudan came through a retired man from Grand Rapids, Dave Bowman. When Dave

By Greg St. Cyr heard that a group of refugees from Sudan needed help, he decided to sponsor five of them. Learning they had never been to a doctor or dentist, he sensed God telling him to do he tamarind tree is one of my favorites. They are native something. Despite his age and health problems, he traveled to South Sudan, where you see them everywhere. They into war-torn Sudan to explore the need. What he saw was love full sun, grow in a variety of soils, and have a long life. shocking: utter poverty, a lack of any health care, and very Their leaves are a bright, beautiful green. But the best thing limited education. He left with a God-sized vision to build is their dense foliage – and that means shade. Their canopy a hospital that would meet physical and spiritual needs in can exceed 40 feet, so it’s not uncommon to see an entire Sudan. It wasn’t long before Dave challenged us to help show community gathered under a single tree! the love of Jesus in Sudan.

T

The tamarind tree is a picture of the Mission Gardens of Christ In 2005, Dave, Jim and Peter Hiskey, Dave Hartcorn, and (MGC). Though only six years in the making, MGC is preparing to Casely Essamuah took a trip to Sudan that would forever spread its branches out to provide the change us as a church. They met shade of Jesus throughout South Sudan. an amazing spiritual leader named Pastor Stephen Mathiang. Stephen’s In July of 2011, South Sudan became story is remarkable. In a time of the world’s newest nation. Plagued by war, God supernaturally provided war and poverty, God prepared a great him with the opportunity to receive work for Bay Area Community Church his education at Daystar University in this country. Our journey into in Nairobi. He received a degree Sudan began in 1994. While on a trip in business, a Master of Divinity to Egypt, Bay Area’s Jim and Loraine and a doctorate in leadership.

Hiskey met Emmanuel Gabrielle, a Returning to his country ravaged by “lost boy” from Sudan. Four years war, he founded a nonprofit called later, they helped Emmanuel resettle Church and Development. Stephen 2007 in the U.S. as a refugee. began drilling wells to provide safe drinking water, building schools and In 2001, our country opened the door training church leaders. He would to 3,500 “lost boys,” many of whom settled in the Washington, become the leader with whom Dave Bowman and BACC D.C., area. I remember a particular Sunday in 2003 when would work to build the hospital. people from Bay Area brought dozens of young Sudanese men from D.C. to worship with us. From there, the Lord provided In 2007, Jim, myself, and four others went to Sudan to do

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construction and train pastors. In 2009, we returned to help dedicate Memorial Christian Hospital (www.pccsudan.org)!

Since then, hundreds of sick and injured people have been cared for in the name of Jesus. It was during this season that God began to give Pastor Stephen a new vision for a training center that would equip pastors and church planters, educate children and youth, and provide vocational skills, a children’s home for the abandoned and a health clinic. With the support and encouragement of Bay Area, Stephen set out on his next faith venture: starting the Mission Gardens of Christ. MGC represents the hope and power of Jesus to resurrect life and restore hearts.

It is a light shining in the darkness of undeveloped South Sudan.

• agricultural needs including beehives, a chicken coup, irrigation equipment and tools • a cooking and baking facility, sewing and embroidering machines, sewing material, instructor’s salary for one year and building expansion • children’s home construction, furnishing, education expenses and house parents’ salary • a four-wheel-drive vehicle • ongoing financial support for the Leadership Institute and pastors workshops

• and many other needs!

For the last six years, Pastor Stephen has been faithfully constructing the Mission Gardens of Christ with the monies we have provided. Though the challenges and setbacks have been Throughout the month of October and into early November, many, today stand classrooms, a dining hall, dorms, a library we have the opportunity to impact an entire nation for Christ. and an office building.

Our generosity will enable MGC to start the elementary school in January and begin the other ministries in the months ahead.

In addition to the ongoing pastors’ training, with our help MGC will open the doors of an elementary school (kindergarten For the last six months I’ve been watching my very own through third grade) this January! Shortly thereafter, training tamarind tree grow. I grow it as a reminder to pray and make in agriculture and sewing will provide not only food and personal sacrifices to see the Gospel spread in Sudan. Of clothes for the school children and pastors in training, but also interest to me is that the tamarind tree doesn’t have significant teach job skills. Because of the war and civil fighting, more shade or start bearing its fruit until about the sixth year. From and more children are displaced, burdening Pastor Stephen to that point on, the canopy of shade envelopes more and more start a children’s home in the near future. people, and fruit is born for the next 60-plus years.

After years of praying and preparing, everything is now coming together to see the fruit of this vision. Now is the time for us as a church family to be an even greater blessing to the people of South Sudan.

As the Mission Gardens of Christ begins her sixth year, the shade and fruit of this ministry is ready to spread the love of Jesus throughout all of South Sudan – and we, the people of Bay Area Community Church, have the privilege of being God’s instruments in standing with Pastor Stephen and the people of This month, as part of our vision of seeing the nations South Sudan. reached through Beyond884, we are asking God to provide God blesses us that all the ends of the earth may $125,000 for: fear Him. Psalm 67:7 • school supplies and books • teachers’ salaries for one year (school to be selffunding in the future) • scholarships for needy children

Donations can be made throughout the month of October at BACC or online at Beyond884.com.

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Bay Area: South Sudan In Photos

By Arianne Teeple

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By Jennifer Ginn

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W

hether you have attended Bay Area for many years or even just a few weeks, it’s hard to miss that our mission is to make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from here to the nations.

We believe that every one of us is a missionary, whether overseas or in our own communities. Two of our smallersized missionaries recently illustrated this by committing a sunny, end-ofsummer afternoon to raising money for the Children’s Center that Bay Area supports in El Salvador.

Casey Gish, almost 9, and her 5-year-old brother Drew said they were looking for something to do as their Saturday stretched out, so they opted to set up a lemonade stand. “We were thinking about ideas to get more people to stop so we decided to donate 50 percent of our sales to El Salvador,” said Casey.

“Our parents went to El Salvador last year and the year before that. They brought back some pictures, and we saw how bad it looked, so we thought we would raise money to help them,” explained the fourth-grader, who attends Broadneck Elementary School.

Drew expanded their offerings, selling sketches for 50 cents each. His renderings included a race car, a flag and a picture of the ocean.

In total, the two took in $42 and brought half of their earnings to the church to support the ministry in El Salvador. “Maybe they could build a garden or get more ground with the money,” Casey offered. Her father, Andy, suggested that soccer balls would be a big hit as well.

“The people who stopped by thought it was pretty cool that we were doing this,” said Casey. “One lady gave us $3. And one of them was going to El Salvador, so I think that helped a lot.”

Call it divine intervention, but Casey and Drew’s first customer was fellow Bay Area attendee Denise Drake.

She and her husband Glenn are embarking on their very first short term mission trip in November, and are headed to El Salvador.

“I have a heart for lemonade stands and always stop for them,” Denise shared. “It brings

back memories of my own kids doing that.” From the road, Denise couldn’t read the sign advertising the El Salvador donation, but as she approached, she immediately told the little girl that she was going to the country in November. Andy quickly chimed in and asked Denise if she was going with an organization.

When Denise shared that she was going with Bay Area, Andy responded, “I just got back!”

“This was a message from God,” Denise affirmed. “I had a few moments to ask Andy what they did while he and his wife were there. He shared some of his experiences and he gave me confidence that I was doing the right thing. To hear him say that was just one more comfort and assurance.”

Before Denise departed, Casey gave her a bracelet, explaining it was the same as the many she had made for her parents to take to El Salvador and share with the children.

While Casey said she hopes to go on a mission trip one day too, for now, Denise, Glenn and Casey’s parents are presently answering that calling. Andy and Michele have made two trips to El Salvador in the past two years. On their most recent mission trip, the couple served as team leaders. “Both times we spent half of our time at the children’s center in Guayabo, a rural area on the side of a mountain,” Andy said. “The center serves about 150 kids every day, and there is a lot of poverty in the area.”

“Schools are generally half day there so some kids come to the center before school and some come after,” he explained. Both groups convene at the school for lunch. They get help with school work, and medical and dental care, and are exposed to Biblical teachings with the hope that they will come to know Jesus. Andy explained each child has an anonymous sponsor

and there are many more children who would attend if more sponsors stepped in.

On his July trip, Andy said their biggest undertaking was in the garden.

Previous Bay Area teams cleared the land and planted the area. Andy and Michele’s team weeded and worked on a drainage system designed to collect water so the crops would thrive.

“Hopefully it’s producing,” Andy said, noting that the plantings included green peppers, cucumbers, squash and carrots.

The team also visited a high school in San Salvador. “We share the gospel and visit with the kids, but the biggest thing we bring to them is hope,” Andy said. “We show them that while we have material things in America, we all have the same problems in God’s eyes, and this is a good message for them to hear.”

He added, “It’s been a great experience sharing the gospel and my experiences with others. It’s eye-opening and rewarding to know that we are participating in such a meaningful mission there.”

And back home, Andy and Michele’s lemonade-stand-operating youngsters are fulfilling their own mission right from their front yard.

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ALLELON >> >> CAMPING goes

by meredith thompson

“T

he theme of the camping trip was from Psalm 121 – ‘I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord.’ On Friday evening, as we’re gathered around the community site where we do all the cooking, I’m setting the tone for the weekend, and I begin talking about Psalm 121.

“One of the ladies – this is her first time going [on the camping trip] – looks up, because there’s a hill, a mountain, behind us, and there’s a 250-pound black bear at Kathy and I’s campsite. The bear came up to our cooler and knocked it over like it was a tin can, then pulled out a bag of fruit.

“But that wasn’t to his liking, so he came back and got a bag of tortillas. He shot off, up the hill like he had struck gold, like he had found exactly what he was looking for, and sat there and stared down at us and ate the tortillas.

“Being the pastor who was just encouraging people to place their faith in the Lord – whatever you’re going through, to realize where your help comes from – I couldn’t be the one to sleep in my car! It was a very restless Friday evening.”

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Fortunately for Allelon Community Church, the bear left Pastor Tom Hooe and his wife, Kathy, alone for the remainder of the group’s seventh-annual camping trip at Deep Creek Lake this summer.

Launched in June 2013, Allelon – named for the Greek word meaning “one another,” which is found in the New Testament 90 times – was planted out of Downtown Hope through the SENT Network. Their church family gathers in a brick and blue-shingled house in the heart of Downtown Annapolis, at 77 Franklin Street, for community gatherings on Fridays and worship services on Sundays. They consist primarily of folks from the city’s Clay Street neighborhood, the epicenter of Allelon’s ministry.

Though the church itself is only two years old, outreach to this community in Annapolis’ second ward began years ago, with Bay Area and Downtown Hope.

During their time attending Downtown Hope, Tom and Kathy led a Missional Community focused in this neighborhood that is all too familiar with addiction, crime and poverty. Informal services were held in the Stanton Center parking lot, meals were shared, and ultimately, Allelon was born.

The three-day camping trip, likewise, is not a new initiative. This year, 32 people – including 12 kids – travelled to Western Maryland for a time of spiritual renewal.

For many who went, Tom explained, it was their first time leaving Annapolis.

“Many have never seen the mountains, have never seen a waterfall or a beautiful, pristine lake like Deep Creek, where they think sharks are living,” he said.

Following a campfire service, Tom and the campers gathered around the lake Sunday morning to celebrate what God had been doing in each individual’s life.

Four of them were baptized, including a man named Lucky.

“Seven years ago, I would run into him on the street corner. He was an addict in really bad shape,” Tom shared. “We’d have encounters – 10 minutes here and there. Four years ago, he felt like he was at his bottom, and we helped him get into a treatment facility called Teen Challenge. But he left early, and continued in his ways.”

It was through one of the women in Allelon’s core group of leaders, a former member of Bay Area, that Lucky came to know Jesus this summer. Tom explained she owns a bed and breakfast, and began employing Lucky once a week, sharing the gospel with him. He gave his life to

“

The biggest lesson for all of us in this is ... to never lose hope. As discouraged as we may get because things don’t happen in our time, it’s always in God’s time.

- Pastor Tom Hooe

Christ at her home in July. With his son and stepson, Lucky went on the camping trip, and Tom baptized him there. Since then, Tom has begun to disciple his new brother in Christ.

In August, he hired Lucky to stain his deck. “He’s getting pay for what he’s doing, plus it’s eight hours I’m spending with him to disciple him. We get creative with what discipleship looks like,” Tom highlighted. “The biggest lesson for all of us in this is – it’s been seven years that we’ve been praying for him! – to never lose hope. As discouraged as we may get because things don’t happen in our time, it’s always in God’s time.”

Because of his own experiences, Tom is uniquely equipped to speak into other people’s lives: Just 10 years ago, he struggled with addiction, too. A former counselor with masters training from Loyola College, Tom worked in sales at the time that he went through severe alcohol addiction. He ended up in a coma for 10 days, was told he would need a liver transplant, and was given a year to live. He came to faith in the ICU during a visit with a pastor from Bay Area.

“Kathy and I had started going to church ‘for the kids’; little did we know it was really for us,” Tom confessed. “I had a

radical conversion, almost complete healing, and was delivered from the addiction. So immediately, I was called to serve the Lord. … It’s been a journey where there’s been no turning back.”

“I can see how God had been preparing me beforehand [for] all of the things I’m doing now – the counseling experience, growing up as a white boy in a largely AfricanAmerican community [in Baltimore], the struggles I went through personally with addiction,” he added. “We’re just sold out for seeing other people have their lives transformed. We’re seeing it happen, and we’re just so grateful that God has given us this opportunity.”

The Allelon church family is devoted to being a light to the city of Annapolis in numerous ways, including hosting Supper and a Story, during which 80-120 people gather monthly to share a meal and their personal stories; ministering to the residents of the Timothy House, a public-housing facility for the elderly and disabled; and planting freedom gardens, small produce gardens in people’s yards, throughout the Clay Street community.

Through each initiative, Tom noted, the people of Allelon have stepped up to share their gifts and take ownership.

Supper and a Story is now entirely run by members of the community, from cooking to organization. The gardens are providing opportunities for discipleship as residents sow, reap and harvest; some have even tithed by bringing their produce to the church. Others use their gifts and take on roles of responsibility in the Friday and Sunday gatherings.

Through each initiative, God is using the people of Allelon to reach one another and change lives in the heart of Downtown Annapolis. To learn more about Allelon, go to www.alleloncc.org.

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In August, a team of four from Bay Area traveled to Southeast Asia to encourage local believers and experience what it is like to work in a closed country.

Throughout their time there, Team Leader Chris Prado provided her prayer team back home with regular updates that provide a firsthand look into life in a Muslim culture in Southeast Asia and chronicle how God worked in and through their group. For security reasons, local believers’ names are withheld.

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southeast asia

august 9, 2015 Dear Praying Friends, As it gets closer to the time we leave for Indonesia, I have to focus harder on what it really means to step out in faith. Oswald Chambers says, “Satan does not tempt us just to make us do wrong things. He tempts us to make us lose what God has put into us through regeneration, namely the possibility of being of value to God.” It is in faith that we step out of our comfort zone, asking the Spirit to help us empty ourselves of self so He has freedom to work through us.

august 13, 2015 We arrived safely at the farm after 33 hours of travel! Our guides have been very attentive to our need to recoup from the time change. We have started each day with a time of worship and prayer. “A” has provided an orientation to the history of the farm, the people group with whom they work and the principles of our trip out to seek people of peace. We are diligently seeking the work of the Spirit through us!

much of the conversation was about their shared experiences in the military. Our guide said he had never met anyone in this people group like this man – God matched him perfectly with us. He was very open to tell us of his life, the mistakes he had made, and his hopes for the future.

The paramilitary group he is with is a cult in that they draw on demonic powers for their physical power and success. Our guide shared with him several stories from the Word relating to soldiers and he listened with interest. His wife served us a full meal, which we shared sitting on the floor and eating with our hands. Our guide prayed before the meal, speaking blessings over them.

They expressed their gratitude, quietly saying "amen" after each blessing.

We have no idea where we will stay for the next two nights, so a great adventure begins!

Did I mention that this is the dry season and that this village had limited water? Usually locals take two mandis, or showers, a day. Bathrooms have a concrete catch basin built in a corner. With a big scoop, one pours cold water over themselves, soaps up if soap is available, and rinses with more cold water. The first night, we were not able to take a mandi because the water had dried up and the catch basin could not be filled. In the morning, Britt said he felt like he was smeared with hot motor oil with peanut butter on top.

august 19, 2015

DAY 2 OF THE FISHING TRIP

DAY 1 OF THE FISHING TRIP

We were up at 5 a.m., with devotions on the front porch, after which we looked forward to the flat hike we were promised. Before leaving, we gathered in their living room and prayed for this couple, after which the host asked to pray for us and the safety of our journey.

Our guide said if people were compared to the animal kingdom, this people group would be Labrador retrievers. Can you picture it? The majority of these people have never seen a "bule" (white person) before. Houses line the dusty "street," and many people hang out at the front of their houses, especially during the heat of the day. As we enter a village, we become the center of attention. Adults and children alike stare at us.

Middle school students swarmed us, especially Britt, Charity and Beth. I have no doubt they have not seen anyone as big as Britt before!

The daylight hours are from about 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When we entered the village after 3 p.m., people would ask where we were staying that night. The all-too-true response was, "We don't know."

The first night, we all stayed in the home of one childless couple. The husband was unusually large and muscular compared to other men in this people group. As it turns out, he had been in the marines and was now in a paramilitary group. He had a lot in common with Britt and Charity, and

We traveled down, out of the village only to be faced with a huge upward climb. Already hot and dirty, all we could do was laugh and razz our guide about this relatively “flat climb.” There is no earthly reason for Beth and me to have had the stamina to complete the mountain climb we did the second day. The temp was in the mid-90s, some of the slopes looked nearly vertical from the bottom, and the terrain was rocky. We are experiencing the power of your prayers and are getting a firsthand experience of how important it is to have a faithful prayer team on the home front in order to be fruitful in the field.

We passed numerous women climbing down the mountain on their way to the stream at the base in order to get their morning mandi. From there, they go back up the mountain to the rice fields to work.

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august 21, 2015

he said the best thing they could do is pray for each other. Well that blew me away! He was indeed a person of peace whom God had put in our path.

It is 4 a.m. and the call to prayer can be heard from several directions as each kampung has their own Imam calling them to pray. I actually woke up at 3:30 a.m., when the first rooster began crowing. It seems this particular rooster feels it is his job to call the Imams to their morning duties.

We packed our gear and were saying goodbyes when the wife came out holding the Bible. She said, “What about this?” The guide replied, “Keep it until I come back again.” She clutched the Bible to her chest and with a big smile thanked him sincerely. God is so good! (In this culture, one expects to be persecuted for having a Bible in their home.)

RETURNING TO DAY 2 OF OUR FISHING TRIP It was a long, hot climb up the mountain. We came across a large field with shade along one edge, so we stopped for a rest while our “guide” was called to speak with the village leader. Before we moved on, we prayed that our guide would not go home with his Bible – that we would meet someone who would want to keep it.

When we entered the next village, there was a lot of excitement over a competition going on at the other end of town. The next day was the 70th Independence Day celebration, and as part of that celebration, musical, singing and dance groups were competing. As we walked through town to check out this event, we were approached several times by a man who offered his family's hospitality.

We were sent in pairs to one of three adjacent houses to mandi and return to the competition. Beth and I were in the house of the daughter's family. The daughter and eight of her friends were in the front room getting dressed to perform in the competition. It was quite entertaining to sit among them, to see them laugh and try to calm each other's nerves. These women were precious and my heart broke into yet another few pieces as I thought about the lies that fill their minds and hearts.

If there is any fruit gained from our trip, it is to encourage every Christfollower to identify at least one missionary for whom they would be willing to commit to pray consistently.

Freshened up but tired and hungry, we returned to the competition in time to hear our new friends perform. When we returned to our homes, the daughter who had recently performed had prepared a lovely dinner. We, along with family and friends, sat on the front porch floor enjoying the meal. We divided in pairs between the three houses for sleeping.

Our guide and his wife stayed with the host and his wife, who had been married for 40 years. Our guide was able to share with them and lent our host his Bible to read for himself. When our guide was getting ready for bed, on several occasions he saw our host and his wife nestled together on their sofa, him reading slowly to his wife.

The next morning our host joined us for part of our devotional time. When asked what advice he would give to our newlyweds, 38 GO&MAKE O C TO B ER

As our guide left to return to the farm, and us to a city, the wife told us the road would wind around for a short while and then be straight.

The "straight road" ended up being like the "flat path,” so you can imagine the ribbing our guides will get!

We are now visiting two other guide families who are helping us gather information on work here in Indonesia. The soil is being prepared. The harvest is ripening in some areas and much work is being done to prepare the harvesters.

I sincerely thank each of you for your prayers!

august 29, 2015 Reflecting on our trip, the most outstanding takeaway is the awareness of the power, provision and protection of the Holy Spirit during our trip. We praise God’s glorious grace, which was poured out to us, and we thank you for making the way for this grace to be released by waging war through your prayers in the spiritual realm. If you prayed daily, or if you prayed once, you had a significant impact in the intense spiritual realm of darkness on our behalf.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

I am at a loss for words to express how important the prayers of the senders (you) are to the battle fought by the goers (missionaries). The spiritual realm has no boundaries, and the prayers of those of us living here really do make a difference in the field! If there is any fruit gained from our trip, it is to encourage every Christ-follower to identify at least one missionary for whom they would be willing to commit to pray consistently. Thank you!

Our trip included visits to two other areas of the island where much work is being done to prepare the soil, the seed planters and the reapers for the harvest. Others were preparing disciplers and church planters. It was a privilege to represent you on the field, and it is with the most sincere gratitude that I thank you for your prayers!

In Him,

Chris

Okay! Enough Already!

By Ed Kelley

We live in an extremely sensual world. At times I get pretty irritated with it. Pretty much everywhere one looks, it seems like sex and/or sensuality is rampant and in our faces. From the Ashley Madison news to the VMAs with Miley “I-used-tobe-terrific-as-Hannah-Montana” Cyrus; from magazines at the grocery lines to walking around downtown Annapolis on a sunny day, one’s eyes and mind are constantly bombarded by images and issues surrounding our crazy sensually oriented world. (It’s so weird that they actually have a cable TV show called “Dating Naked”…ah, er… umm… I just don’t even know what to say about that one!)

Frankly, I’m tired of it. Movies with this penchant to show body parts (and the constant cussing!); music videos that are just plain risqué; reports on spring break and the constant sexuality there; even the hyper-conservative Fox News always seems to have some weird photo article at the bottom of their news feeds regarding the “hottest” NFL girlfriend or something of that ilk. Ugh. It’s never ending.

You know who I feel sorry for really? I feel sorry for our kids. For boys whose eyes have access to more sexuality than any generation in history and for girls who are being exploited and robbed of innocence earlier and earlier. Argh. You know what it’s leading to? Addiction.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dealt with this personally with someone coming to me for help. Multiple times, multiple people… constantly. Addiction to what? To pornography. I’m wondering if it’s rampant and I’m just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Society’s extreme fixation with sensuality is making the entire pornography issue seem “normal.”

Sitcoms are referring to it more and more, and mainly in a neutral or positive light. One wonders what the agenda is with this. Anywho…

As this is an editorial, here are my random, Romans 16-type thoughts on pornography – firehose style – so

hold tight, and remember, if you’re someone easily offended or bothered by processing out loud in print, you might want to skip this. Ok? Ready?

First, Jesus can deliver. Simple as that.

Never doubt His power to overcome!

Second, come under conviction. If this is an issue for you, then consider whether or not Jesus would be approving this behavior. The answer is no, He wouldn’t.

The Bible specifically says the battle for holiness is in the mind. The only way to get out of this issue (or any other issue) is to start with conviction.

You say, “But I’ve tried and nothing works.” Got that, most addictions are tough! But one has to come to a conviction of wrong versus right in order to start toward healing and different behavior.

Third, confess. They say confession is good for the soul, and according to 1 John 1:9 it is seemingly tied to forgiveness.

Therefore, find a friend. Find someone to share this addiction with – a friend who can listen and help you practically gain victory is very important! This should be a friend who isn’t impressed by you and doesn’t care if you get angry or bothered by probing questions on the topic.

It starts with a conviction and then a confession to the Lord/with the Lord, but it seems to me that others helping us with accountability, mentoring and friendship is important. Don’t be prideful; admit and then commit.

Commit to breaking the chain of bondage that pornography traps one with.

Fourth, you may need to do something drastic! Drastic meaning removing your browser from your iPad or laptop.

Perhaps a key logger for accountability.

Perhaps a software cleaner like “Covenant Eyes” to help prevent you from accessing sensuality. Is it a pain?

Yes. Does it slow the connection?

Sometimes. Is it foolproof? No, but it slows it all down and causes you

heartburn so your mind has time to thwart your flesh from carrying out its desires. There are other software filters you can find. Bottom line: Find one and help you and your sons out!

Prevention is everything when it comes to pornography.

Fifth, come to grips. What might pornography be doing to your personality? Could it cause you to find less enjoyment in life due to that secret cloud? Less intimacy with the spouse perhaps. Less patience in bedroom due to the quickness and “ease” of the websites being frequented. More addictive sites – you know these things start small and tend to blossom and get more intense. Bottom line: Take a hard internal look.

Once you have done so, tackle it head on.

If you don’t know where to start, contact me. I’ll be your huckleberry on this issue.

Even Wyatt Earp needed a wingman.

I could go on and on, but I’ve just become more emotional over this issue.

Sad mainly, I think. Mad sometimes.

Especially at the world and what they’re shoving down our throats (especially the kids). I yearn for a day long ago of honor, chivalry, modesty and freedom.

Freedom from the traps of the world, including the trap of pornography. I resonate with the Psalmist in Psalm 31…

Deliver me! Deliver you?

“Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

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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 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.

CHILDREN AND STUDENT BAPTISM CELEBRATION If you have a child or student who is expressing interest and wants to be baptized we would love to celebrate this milestone with you. Visit the children’s or student ministry webpage at MARRIAGE MINISTRY TEAM Do you as a couple have a deep desire to see couples start www.bayareacc.org to read more on how your family can be and stay strong in their marriages? Have you been married a part of the November 7 Baptism Celebration.

10+ years? Come join our growing Marriage Ministry team. This team seeks to encourage existing marriages WAVE RIDERS through the development and scheduling of enrichment/ Wave Riders is a community of parents educational opportunities throughout the year. Some of and kids ages 5 and under that gather these opportunities are Learning Communities, Marriage together for playdates and to connect workshops, special events and small group Bible studies. and build relationships. If you’re a To learn more about the Marriage Ministry at BACC go to parent of a preschooler or a parentbayareacc.org/marriageministry or contact Leanne at leanne. to-be, please join us. We’re passionate about parents and kids, and especially about sharing experiences and encouraging one lane@bayareacc.org. another. Join us at our upcoming two gatherings on October 8 and 26. For more details visit our Facebook page, facebook.

PREMARITAL MENTORING Are you newly engaged? Or com/waveriderplaygroup, or contact Stacey Burkhardt at are you thinking about getting stacey.burkhardt@bayareacc.org. engaged? Premarital Mentoring is just what you need! Strong TRUNK OR TREAT CANDY DONATIONS marriages are the cornerstone With more than 2,000 people attending Trunk or Treat last fall, of a healthy, Jesus-centered candy was in high demand. If you are interested in donating family. BACC’s Premarital Ministry equips future and existing a bag or two of candy we’d greatly appreciate it. Look for the marriages with the tools they need to make it in marriage. barrels upstairs or right outside the main auditorium to drop The premarital mentor program pairs couples with marriage off your donations. mentors, couples who have been married for 10+ years, to help prepare them for marriage. It doesn’t matter whether a CONNECTING MINISTRY 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.

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.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY FALL PARENT DEDICATION Is it your desire to dedicate your child? Our Parent Dedication is more than an event; it’s a celebration of your decision as parents to raise your child to follow Jesus. Registration for our next event opens online Sunday, October 4. Parents must attend an orientation prior to the event. Register your family today and find more details at bayareacc.org/deepblueevents. For more information or if you have any questions contact Gail at gail.wiles@bayareacc.org.

DISCOVER BAY AREA New to Bay Area? We’re glad you are here, but you may have some questions about who we are or what we believe. Join us October 4 at 12:45 p.m. in the Bay Cafe for Discover Bay Area.

Grab some food 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!

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, Celebrate Recovery, Missional Communities, and various events throughout the year. If you or someone you know is interested in joining, contact Dax at dax.clinkscale@bayareacc.org or visit the Children’s Welcome Desk on Sundays for more info.

MEN’S BIBLE STUDIES 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.

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FAMILY MEETING

GLOBAL MISSIONS

Every fall, Bay Area hosts a Family Meeting to inform our church family about all that is happening at 884 Chesterfield Road. At this year’s meeting, to be held October 25 at 4 p.m. in the Chapel, you will learn about what’s new at Bay Area, what our current areas of emphasis are, and where we are headed in the future. Following the meeting, there will be time for refreshments, as well as interaction and fellowship with some of our elders and staff. For more information, email Deb at deb.shipley@bayareacc.org.

2015 SHORT TERM MISSIONS New trips are in the process of being planned, so continue to look for updates. Contact Global Missions Pastor Casely Essamuah at casely.essamuah@bayareacc.org for more information.

FINANCIALS

ENJOY LUNCH WITH OUR SOUTH SUDAN PARTNERS Join us to learn from and hear stories of ministry from Pastor Stephen and Elizabeth Mathiang. This will be a great time to engage them, welcome them to Bay Area, and celebrate all the Lord is doing through them in South Sudan. Contact Ashleigh at ashleigh.bicevskis@bayareacc.org for more information.

Operating Budget Financial Update August 31, 2015 New Fiscal Year Began September 1, 2014 Fiscal Year Giving Goal YTD Giving Goal YTD Received YTD Actual vs. Goal AUGUST Giving Goal AUGUST Received

$3,832,000 $3,832,000 $3,897,815 $65,815 1.7% Ahead $332,900 $412,255

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).

POLAND October 12-21 EL SALVADOR November 7-15

Two opportunities: October 4 after the third gathering in The Warehouse at BACC. October 11 after the third gathering in the Bay Cafe at BACC.

LEARNING COMMUNITIES 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.

LOCAL OUTREACH LOCAL OUTREACH SERVING OPPORTUNITIES Missional Communities often don’t know how to get involved with serving locally. We’re here to help. Email outreach@ bayareacc.org to start the conversation. There are many organizations in the Annapolis area that will be blessed by your involvement; we’d love to connect you with them.

GIFTS FOR CHILDREN Each Christmas season, Bay Area rallies together to bless children in Anne Arundel County through buying Christmas gifts for them. This year we will begin the program in midNovember. If you are interested in helping out, email Trevin at outreach@bayareacc.org.

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 the worship gatherings, the Bank Check: Process through your bank’s Bill Pay service pastors, our missional efforts and missionaries, the ministries of online for a bank check to be sent to BACC. Be sure to note the church, those who are sick or saddened by grief, and those “Beyond884” on the memo line. who are wrestling with life’s struggles. The Prayer Ministry provides an opportunity for us to gather together and share ISRAEL TRIP our hearts with our Father who loves us. Let’s pray together.

The prayer room is located on the second floor of BACC. Also, Have you ever been interested in taking a Biblical tour of the every Sunday immediately following the gatherings, members Holy Land? In March 2016, Pastor Ed Kelley will lead an 11-day of our prayer team are up front and to the right of the stage if trip to Israel that will trace the footsteps of Jesus. If you would you would like someone to pray with. For more information like to learn more or sign up, email Ed at about prayer or the teams, go to bayareacc.org/prayer or contact ed.kelley@bayareacc.org.

Pat at pat.linnell@bayareacc.org.

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OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

WOMEN’S MINISTRY

AMBASSADOR TEAM: Our church is growing and we have even more opportunities to welcome everyone into our church family. Join our ambassador team and play a crucial role in helping connect new visitors.

Contact: jocelyn.rimbey@bayareacc.org

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. Join us for the following studies this fall:

AUDIO/VIDEO TEAM: We’re looking for a few more passionate, committed people to partner with our Sunday production team. Contact: micah.pringle@bayareacc.org BAY CAFÉ & 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 CHAIR MINISTRY: Serve on the chair set-up/tear-down team. Contact: chairs@bayareacc.org CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: Do you have a heart to serve families with special-needs children? Want more info on how you can serve in this unique way?

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 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

MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES MISSIONAL COMMUNITY TASTER Get a taste of what a Missional Community is through our MC Taster event. Join us on Sunday, October 11 after the third gathering for a light lunch and some info from Missional Community Pastor Brian Hopper. We’ll spend about an hour in community with each other, in loving God, and thinking about how to engage those around us. RSVP online at bayareacc.org/ mctasterrsvp or email mc@bayareacc.org for questions.

“Discerning the Voice of God: How to recognize when God speaks” by Priscilla Shirer This study discusses how God communicates with those willing to obey what He says even in the chaos of our lives.

We hear Him by staying in tune with His voice through the Word of God. Join us Wednesdays through December 9 from 9:30–11:30 a.m.

“Bridges on the Journey” This study will cover the basics of the gospel, the Bible, prayer, and other essentials to growing in Christ. We recommend this group for those who are not yet believers or are new to Bible study and faith. Tuesday nights, through November 17 from 7-9 p.m. led by Janet Graves and Deb Shipley. Cost $15. Contact janet.graves@bayareacc.org for information.

“Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby This modern classic study is based on seven scriptural realities that teach us how to develop a true relationship with the Creator. By understanding how God is working through us even as we try to fathom His ways, we can begin to clearly know and do His will and discover our lives greatly and gracefully changed. Tuesdays, through December 8 from 7-9 p.m. Cost $20. Books are still available.

Contact darby@dougcate.com.

KidCare is available for ages birth - preschool with preregistration for The Well on Wednesday mornings only for the studies running through December 9 from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Cost is $55/one child and $75 for 2+ more children. Space is limited. Your registration is not final until enrollment has been confirmed by the KidCare Coordinator. Contact: Dax at dax. clinksdale@bayareacc.org.

WOMEN OF LEGACY (55+) Join us every second and fourth Monday from 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m as we meet together to encourage one another in Christ and share about ways to practically care for others. On October 12 Brenda Yarema will share about her missions trip to Poland and prepare us to participate in “Operation Christmas Child.”

On October 26, we will discuss the chapter “From the Ground Up” from our book, “Teach us to Number Our Days,” to see ways God can help us grow in wisdom during this season of aging. Contact Cedulie at luisandcedulie@gmail.com.

QUILTS FOR KIDS On Saturday, October 17, we will meet to sew quilts for kids from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at BACC in room 235. 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.

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