AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
YOUR 411
News for Blue Ridge Baptists
THIS FALL THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! One Day Men's Retreat @ Skycroft with Jimmy Page Date: August 29, 2015, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm Cost: $50.00 per person Jimmy Page is an author and speaker and serves as a Vice President of Field Ministry for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Register online at http://bcmd.org/men
The Breathless Conference at Faith Baptist Church in Glen Burnie with Gayla Parker Date: October 3, 2015, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Cost: $35 per person Gayla Parker serves as the Arkansas Baptist State Convention coordinating Pregnancy Care Center Ministries on the Missions and Ministries Team.
The Blue Ridge Baptist Association Annual meeting & celebration will take place at Paramount Baptist Church in Hagerstown. Date: October 12, 2015, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Join us for fellowship, and a time of reflection on what God has done in the past year, and what He is going to do in the years to come! We always have a blessed time and would love to have you there. The Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network will host it’s Annual meeting & celebration at Clarion Hotel in Ocean City, Maryland Date: November 8 1 10, 2015, Each Year the MABN hosts a celebration of the ministry that is happening in our area. Please consider making the trip down to Ocean City. Find out more at http://bcmd.org.
Mae Argilan is Retiring! Long time administrative assistant to the Blue Ridge Baptist Association - Mae Argilan will be retiring in October after 14 years of faithful service to our churches. She began working with BRBA in October, 2001 and has been the voice and face of Associational missions through many changes and transitions. She and Fred plan on staying in the area for the immediate future, but doing more traveling together. Mae will be honored for her service at the BRBA Annual Fall meeting at Paramount Baptist Church on Monday evening, October 12th, 2015 as part of our annual celebration. Personal notes, cards, and small gifts of appreciation are welcome that evening as we honor her for her years of ministry and service. Mae and Fred are members of Tri-State Community Church in Hancock, one of our newer mission churches - where they seek to help Pastor Alan Myers and the church plant in it's beginning years to grow and flourish.
Congratulations to Dr. John Brittain, former Director of Missions in the Arundel Baptist Association who has been unanimously selected to serve as the new Director of Missions for the WEST CENTRAL BAPTIST ASSOCIATION in Warrensburg, Missouri. John and Kelly will now begin the process of pulling up stakes from the "Free State", and moving to Missouri to serve churches in the "Show Me" state. The WCBA serves 59 churches - many of them in rural settings. Please pray for the Brittains as they make the change in the weeks ahead. They are going to try to have the boys in school there by August 13th. You can send John your well wishes by emailing him at john.b.brittain@gmail.com
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Pastor Ed Jordan Retires On August 2, 2015, beloved Pastor Ed Jordan and his wife, Jo Anne, will retire after 30 years of faithful ministry at Faith Baptist Church in Knoxville, Maryland near Brunswick. Pastor Ed began his ministry over 40 years ago at his home church as a Minister Intern at First Baptist Church in Kenova, West Virginia while studying at Marshall University for a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He entered full time ministry on August 1, 1974 as Associate Pastor at West Lauderdale Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where he served until January 1981. He served as Pastor of LaVale Baptist Church in LaVale, Maryland until he moved to Brunswick to become Pastor of Faith Baptist Church on April 21, 1985. His wife, Jo Anne has been a devoted ministry partner and served in many areas of the church including teaching an adult Sunday School class, helping in the nursery, and singing in the choir to name a few. In the manner and spirit of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Pastor Ed is widely known as a humble servant leader and thoughtful man of prayer, giving of himself sacrificially in service to others. In his 30 years of ministry to the congregation of Faith and the Brunswick community, Pastor Ed has always demonstrated the love of Christ and been a steadfast and comforting presence through the trials and challenges of life. He has been there to walk beside and encourage people from birth until death, celebrating the good times and crying with them in hard times. He continually models what it means to show mercy and forgiveness. He deeply and genuinely cares about people and accepts them unconditionally. His kind and gentle spirit draws people to love and cherish him. No one leaves his presence without knowing they are fully loved by him. The congregation of Faith Baptist Church celebrate and wish the best for their beloved pastor and beautiful wife, two children, Mary Anne Edwards (Kenny) and David Jordan (Ann) and seven grandchildren as they enter this new chapter in their lives. A retirement dinner is being planned for Saturday evening, August 29th at 5 PM at the church, and reservations are needed. Costs for the event are $15. for adults, and $9. for children 4-12 years old. (under age 4 are free) If you are interested in attending contact the church office at (301) 834-7755. !3
BRBA Plans to Use More Private Contractors As Mae Argilan prepares to leave her position with the Blue Ridge Baptist Association, the question has been asked: "Who will we get to fill her vacant position?" That indeed is a good question. Our Director of Missions, Rev. Bruce Conley has proposed another trial period where we try to think "outside of the box" from traditional models of staffing. In recent years, Phil Graves was moved from holding a regular staff position with the Association to that of being a private contractor who does A/V & Tech consulting, as well as web site construction and management and a resource for help with computer applications and problems. That move has saved the Association thousands of dollars. In separate meetings this summer with both the Stewardship Committee and the Personnel Committee of the BRBA, a tentative approval was given for the DOM to institute a 1 year trial period where we would break Mae's duties and responsibilities into smaller categories, and hire private contractors to do each area of ministry. It is anticipated that this will not only save the Association from paying FICA for a secondary staff person, but that the move could potentially bring a higher level of expertise to various tasks handled previously by one person who had to be a "jack of many trades". Interested persons should contact the DOM, Bruce Conley at bruce@blueridgebaptist.org or by calling him directly at (301) 821-0370. Resumes can be sent to that same email address, or to the Association at 20810-A National Pike, Boonsboro, MD 21713. Deadline for applications will be September 15, 2015. Sub-contractors would be paid a flat hourly rate (negotiated for each position), and you would be responsible for filing your own quarterly estimated taxes with the IRS. BRBA therefore is officially announcing openings for these new contractor positions. Please see pages 5 and 6 of this newsletter for a complete list of positions.
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List of Contractor Positions FINANCIAL/BOOKKEEPER • Act as Clerk / Treasurer for the Association • Responsible for all bookkeeping • Generate financial reports • Pay bills & write checks (You will have no signature authority for security purposes) • Keep track of all purchases • Maintain a balanced budget … balance checkbook against bank statements • Report to DOM quarterly the financial status of accounts / budget / contributions • Maintain records of support /contributions • Work with on line banking information • Staff meetings with DOM 1-2 times monthly – Skype meetings as needed • Responsible for quarterly taxes & meetings with financial advisor (yearly) • Close books at the end of each year • Participate in regular financial reviews of procedures and / or audits when scheduled • Work with our bank and financial investment advisor DAILY ADMINISTRATIVE • Telephone & email contact with churches, the State Baptist Convention, etc. • Assist DOM as needed with scheduling • Oversee summer missionary schedules / assignments • Event planning (breakfasts, brunches, training, etc.) • Maintain the Association on line calendar & help plan for the next year’s calendar • Do mailings, correspondence, provide missions resources (Annie, Lottie, etc.) • Submit content for newsletter • Use social media to stay in touch with churches / members • Send and receive emails • Take / make phone calls • Keep on line calendar (our web site) updated • Attend staff meetings or Skype meetings as required • Arrange for service to Association owned equipment as needed (not vehicles) – such as copier, etc. • Maintain a comprehensive list of (and publish to churches) all equipment that is available to loan to congregations • Prepare printed materials • Schedule meetings • Responsible for ACP data collection yearly with a goal of 100% participation • Help to plan and execute the BRBA annual meeting yearly • Promote associational & state events and mission projects
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List of Contractor Positions continued LOGISTICAL (FLEET MANAGER) •Maintains all vehicles in safe condition •Checks returned vehicles at beginning of week to make sure they are returned clean and ready for next use •Maintains insurance and registration records on board for each vehicle •Is responsible for maintenance on the vehicles •Suggests equipment additions / repairs / replacements as needed •Keeps schedule for all vehicles and maintains contact with users / borrowers •Maintains the vehicle use calendar NEWSLETTER / PUBLISHING / INFORMATION GATHERING & DISEMINATION •Act as a reporter for the 411 (6 editions per year) •Collect information, photos, create articles, update events & calendar for each new edition •Always look for ways to increase the flow of information to churches (monthly web news update, social media, etc.) •Print and mail a small quantity of copies of the 411 to go out with each new edition to churches (or individuals who request hard copies) •Develop contacts within every church to insure exchange of information and local church needs •Maintain the e-mail list for the 411 and insure it is up to date and copies go out with release
Pastor Gary Buchman (Emmitsburg Community Bible Church) and CHURCH CARES MINISTRIES is planning an evening to appreciate pastors and their wives on Thursday, October 22nd at Middle Creek Bible Conference Center (between Emmitsburg, Md. and Fairfield, Pa.) from 6-8 PM. The evening will be absolutely of no costs to you. The purpose of this event is simply to honor and give pastors a refreshing evening of worship, laughter, and encouragement. This is being announced well in advance so that you can make room in your busy calendars now for this evening of fellowship and encouragement. Being that it is on a Thursday evening, there should be a lesser chance for conflicts with other meetings at your home church. And invite a Pastor Friend and his wife to come with you! There are no hidden agendas or pitches to be made ... we just want to reward you for your service to our Savior and the local church field he has called you to! a For more information you can contact Pastor Gary Buchman at: pastorgarybuchman@gmail.com
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Two Local Pastors Move On‌ Pastor Tim Girdler and his wife Bonnie were given a send off by Cumberland valley Baptist Church in July. The family will be moving to West Palm Beach, FL where they have been hired as teachers at a Christian school there. Bonnie will be teaching English, and Tim Bible and music. Pastor Girdler said;"While we are very excited to embark on this new adventure, we will greatly miss the church that has been our family for the last six-and-a-half years. This is a bittersweet time for us, as you might imagine." For the immediate future Tim's father, Jeff Girdler (a native of Farmingdale NY) will be preaching and helping the elders of the church move forward. Jeff is a graduate of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville Kentucky with a Masters degree in theology and pastoral ministry. He is also retired from the Navy after 30 years on active duty with the Navy Band. He and his wife Barbara live in Columbia, MD. Pastor Gordon Fox has announced that he will be leaving bi-vocational ministry at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Knoxville, MD. He has been called as the full time pastor at Grace Baptist Church of Sunset Beach in Pasadena, MD in the Arundel Association. Rev. Fox is a graduate of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY with a Masters degree. He also retired 18 months ago from the U.S. Department of Energy. He was also a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves until 2009 when he retired with 22 years of service. Gordon and his wife will eventually move from Monrovia, MD to the Pasadena area of Anne Arundel County to better serve his new church and community. His position there begins September 1, 2015.
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Paramount Baptist Welcomes New Pastor Welcome to Frank Duncan, the new senior pastor at Paramount Baptist Church. He is in his 16th year of ministry: 12+ years in pastoral ministry, 10 years as a senior pastor, and 3+ as a mission pastor.
currently considering joining the US Air Force. Jared Thomas, 15, is a sophomore at Greencastle-Antrim High School, and Maddi Grace, 6, about to begin 1st grade and excels at stealing Daddy’s heart and just being adorable
Frank’s first interim pastor position began December 2000, and he was ordained July 2001. His Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies was earned at Southeastern College at Wake Forest. And his Master of Divinity with Advanced Standing is from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Coming from a small town called Nashville in NC Pastor Duncan served on staff at Englewood Baptist Church as Pastor of Reaching with responsibilities for missions, evangelism, and preaching and teaching. He considers it a great privilege to have the opportunity to preach and share the gospel from within the local church. His plan is to continue building upon the strong foundation at Paramount Baptist Church so that they may fully accomplish the purpose of God in this generation for the glory of His name.
He is married to Julia (Julie) Calhoun Duncan and they have 4 children: Jordan Calhoun, 20, is currently serving God and country in the USMC. Benjamin Harrison, 19, just completed his 1st year at NC State, and is
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BRBA YOUTH MINISTRY As summer comes to an end and families try to squeeze in just one more trip in before the students go back to school, let’s pause and thank God for all that He has provided for us. We should also pray for our students and teachers safety as the new school year begins. The Blue Ridge Baptist Association will be working this Fall to help YOUR youth ministry to succeed and to better connect youth groups between our churches with fellowship events and mission opportunities. Please check your BRBA calendars for upcoming events in the months to come, but make note that the August 15th BACK TO SCHOOL BASH has been canceled. There were simply too many things going on in our local churches and with family vacations to do this event well. We plan to regroup and coordinate a Association wide LOCK-IN in late November or early December, so watch for details on that. Don’t forget the annual “See You at the Pole” event that will happen nation wide on September 23rd. Check with the students at your local school to find out where and when they will meet at your school. October 10th there will be another “Youth Ministry Leadership Round Table Breakfast” at the Golden Corral in Frederick Maryland 8:00 am to 10:00 am. We're hoping for a record attendance at this fellowship of leaders so that we can get YOUR input on the LOCK-IN that we're planning in late Fall. Our goal is to get every church in our association to be involved in some way with the planning of this event and others that will boost local youth ministry. God wants us to gather the resources and talent that He has blessed each church with so that we can help each other! YOUTH LEADERS: Please don’t forget that the National Youth Workers Convention is being held this Fall too - November 19th-22nd at Kentucky International Convention Center, in Louisville, KY. We'd love to get a group of local youth leaders to go out this Fall so we can all learn and be better equipped to make a impact for Christ in the lives of young people. Until the Nets ><> are full, Pastor Matt Gregory
Our mission church in Hancock, MD - TRI-STATE COMMUNITY CHURCH reports a great summer outreach for children and families recently with about 42 local children in attendance. Between 70 100 people attended in all, including adults. Members from West End Baptist Church (the sponsoring congregation) came and helped with face painting. The church followed up the Saturday fun day with a "5 Day Club" and response has been encouraging.
Special Thanks to Skycroft! Budget was a li-le .ght this year for the Blue Ridge Bap.st Associa.on to supply summer missionaries to help churches with summer outreach programs as we have done in past years. We would like to thank Doug Dubois and the summer staff at SKYCROFT for pitching in and sending some of their summer staff to serve as missionaries in the following BRBA churches this year: • First Bap.st Brunswick • Lakeview Church • Adamstown Community Church • Greenbrier Bap.st Church • Summit Trace Church • West End Bap.st Church
Did You Know? The INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD has a new tool on their website where churches can go and request missionaries or IMB staff to speak at local missions events? All you have to do is go to http://speaker.imb.org/ and complete the information form. The IMB will receive the form and will enlist field personnel and/or IMB staff for your event. IMB does all the work for you in finding the speaker for your event!
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Please contact Bruce Conley at bruce@blueridgebaptist.org or the Mid Atlantic Baptist Network (bcmd.org) for more information or registration.
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Event Calendar August 9 - Student Evangelism Sunday. (SBC) August 19 - Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s One Day Retreat at Skycroft - See Page 1 for details. August 23 - 29 - Worship Ministry Week. (SBC) September 2 - Pastor/Staff Fellowship breakfast at the Bob Evans on Route 40 in Frederick. Mark Dooley will be our special guest from the MABN Executive Committee to talk about recent changes in leadership with our convention. September 6 - Single Adult Sunday (SBC). September 17 - Fall Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministries Seminar at the Baptist Mission Resource Center. See bcmd.org/fallkids-ministries for details. September 17 - A Day with Southeastern Baptist Seminary. See page 11 for details. September 23 - See You at the Pole. October 3 - The Breathless Conference for Women. See page1 for details.
Birthdays August 1 Richard Krauss 3 Ed Jordan 11 Susan Smith 11 Debbie Cherry 12 Tiffany Giles 12 Alan Myers 16 Michael Knight 18 Christine McClellan 25 Becky Krauss 28 Greg Wills 30 Larry Eubanks September 1 Kimberly Pope 5 Steve Rose 6 John Sumpter 11 Jamie Beall 11 Drew Dukes 23 Phil Graves Anniversary August 6 August 8 August 19 Sept. 18
Housam Rose Knight McHenry
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In the Churches Summit Trace Church - Frederick VBS was a huge success at Summit Trace's church property in Jefferson, Maryland, July 6-10, 2015! Over 35 children and their families were served during the week. This was the second year the church had the privilege of ministering to this community. The theme was "Jesus, You're My Superhero". Students learned that "Jesus is the Superhero of Creation," "Jesus Wants Me To Apply The Armor of God," "Superheroes in the Bible -- The Story of David and Goliath," "Jesus: Born a Superhero," and "Jesus is Alive! A Superhero to Set me Free!" As an ongoing outreach, the church was able to purchase two soccer goal nets and balls so the families could use the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land throughout the year for their recreational games.
First Baptist Church- Thurmont First Baptist Church of Thurmont has called David Burt (former BRBA DOM) and Jay Beard (Summit Trace) to serve as pastors of the church. David has been serving as the Interim of the church since Clint Guthrie retired as pastor in mid-December. Both David and Jay are bi-vocational. David has a long history with the church and Jay is relatively new. Jay has supplied a few times at the church recently. Jay has a strong vision to connect with the community. In a recent demographic study they have found that there are 200,000 people in a 15 mile radius of the church. David and Jay's vision for the church are the same. They both see tremendous potential as well as a few organizational and building challenges to what God has in store. The church is in the process of updating it's constitution and by-laws, website, and logo. It is improving it's children and preschool space. The church will be built on Pastor Jay's vision of impacting the community, region and world for Christ. He has an extensive background in church ministry. Having served with both Daybreak Community Church and Summit Trace Church in Frederick. They will be sharing preaching responsibilities. FBC, David, and Jay are all looking forward to what the future holds for the church.
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NorthStar Community Church- Thurmont The church will host a picnic and baptism day on September 13 at 11 am called Aloha Day. It will take place at 12406 Old National Pike in Mt Airy.
First Baptist Church - Hagerstown With challenges to overcome the week before we persevered and gave God the glory. The church had 4 years old to Kindergarten and first grade to tenth grade. VBS Journey off the Map was about choices and being ready for what life will bring and making the right choices.
Greenbrier Baptist Church - Boonsboro Rev. Dean Pryor has been extended a unanimous call to serve as bi-vocational pastor of GREENBRIER BAPTIST CHURCH, and he will began as their new pastor on July 5th. His wife's name is Kristin. He is the full time Chaplain Director of Washington County Hospice, and works with two of our other pastors - Duane Musgrove and John Sumpter, who also now serve with that organization.
Faith Baptist Church - Knoxville On Saturday, June 13, Faith Baptist Youth presented a Backyard style VBS program to a small number of local children in a public park in Brunswick. Proving that Churches can use public space for outreach and evangelism. The program included crafts, games, music, and four lessons the youth wrote explaining that God Created you, Loves you, and provided a Savior for you.
The Blue Ridge Baptist Association is assembling a mass choir and orchestra for the annual meeting in October at Paramount Baptist Church in Hagerstown. Possible rehearsal dates for these 2 groups are Sept. 19 and October 3. Anyone interested in singing or playing should contact the Director of Missions at bruce@blueridgebaptist.org
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PRAYER REQUESTS: Leaders in our State Baptist Convention who are dealing with some very tough issues right now. Covenant Church in Shepherdstown, WV, as they are all searching for a new pastor / leader to take their church forward boldly for Christ and Kingdom causes. Our Director of Missions, Bruce Conley who is going through a very difficult time with a family matter at this time. Our nation's leaders and the decisions being made - that God would be honored and asked for guidance as crucial matters are decided in our country. Pastor Thom Smith and his family as they mourn the loss of his son Thom on July 9. Thom is survived by his daughters Veronica Love Smith, Charity Ann Smith, and Ava Grace Smith; his finance Grace McCallum; his older sister Tara Smith Fritz; younger sister Tama Smith Cress; and younger brother Todd Smith; as well as many nieces and nephews. Pray for Mt. Moriah Baptist Church and Faith Baptist Church as they will now both be seeking new pastors to lead their congregations. PRAISE GOD for Smithsburg Valley Church's recent ordination of Justin Culbertson to the gospel ministry! Justin will be serving the church as a bivocational assistant pastor specializing in small groups, outreach, and assimilation. Please pray that Pastor Frank Duncan sells his home in NC, as they begin to serve in Hagerstown with Paramount Baptist. Pray for the many mission trips that will be wrapping up at the end of this summer season for our churches. Please pray for Rev. Bob Mackey - Director of Missions with the Baltimore Association who is going through some tests and treatments for a illness. PRAISE GOD for the appointment of Pastor Rick Hancock to serve as Director of Missions with the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association - our neighbors to the east of BRBA. Rick is a former President of the Baptist Convention of MD/DE and has served churches in Maryland for many years. !15
THE NEWS JOURNAL OF THE BLUE RIDGE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
You can subscribe to the online version of our newsletter at www.blueridgebaptist.org
20810A National Pike Boonsboro, MD 21713