YOUR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 BLUE RIDGE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
Third Day Community Church in Jefferson, MD has started a partnership with the BRBA in January 2018! With 78 members already and exciting things happening like baptisms, we are thrilled to work together to further God’s kingdom here on earth.
Pastor Joe Lindstrom Third Day Community Church For several years, God has put on my heart to plant a church for His Glory. I have prayed over this for while a while and I am very thankful that I was able to be a part of a church plant/build for the past several years at Connection Church at Middletown. The time has now come to continue the journey and follow my calling. I have joined with many fantastic people who also have callings to serve Jesus and will be bringing our community a truly amazing program, service ministry and always grace-filled services. Our Praise and Worship music will be lead by Curtis M. Knight, an amazing musician and Spirited vocal talent as a lead member of the Praise and Worship team. As a new congregation, we are diligently working and polishing to ensure that we deliver to our congregation an engaging/fulfilling and spirit-filled worship service, complete with a powerful children and youth program. Such a venture could not be successful without a solid operational support team. Mike and Susan Treadwell make sure you feel welcomed and a part of our family. Kendra Knight and Marisol Lindstrom are working to ensure that we are a fine-tuned engine behind the scenes in areas such as communications and fiduciary responsibilities. We are so excited about this amazing endeavor for Jesus and we hope that if you are in the area, you will stop by and see what we are all about. 3884 Roundtree, Unit 2 Jefferson, MD 21755 twitter@ThirdDaycc Third Day Community Church on Facebook God Bless You! Pastor Joe
LAKEVIEW CHURCH ORDINATION
TRAININGS
What is ReFRESH®? Lakeview Community Church ordained Michael Rich to the ministry on January 21. Mike is the third generation in his family to serve as a church planter/pastor for churches in our region.
HOME CHURCH GOES PUBLIC
ReFRESH® is a time for you to come apart from the distractions and chaos of life and seek the face of God. It’s not about church growth or the latest worship fads. ReFRESH® Northeast is designed to ReFOCUS, ReENERGIZE and ReFRESH pastors, key church leaders and those who have a thirst for a fresh move of God in the Northeastern region of the United States. more information at http://newengland.refreshconference.org/
BRBA, BCM/D’s June Holland & team will present training for our churches!
Home Church of Urbana held their first public worship services December 17, 2017! They are meeting in at the old sheriff’s youth ranch in Urbana.
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Lifeway will be available during part of the training to allow you to see the products and place an order at a discounted price for your church.
February 7 at 8:00am Bonnie’s at Red Byrd speaker, Teri Kwiatek, Frederick Rescue Mission
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EXPANSION HOPES FOR WEST END BAPTIST West End Baptist Chapel's congregation has grown and the Hagerstown church wants to expand its offerings and partnerships in the community. To make room, it wants to buy the former Winter Street Elementary School. Partnering with athletic groups such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to provide opportunities at the school and offering shelter on frigid nights are among the possibilities with the property. Church leaders recently submitted a letter of intent to the Washington County Board of Commissioners about their desire to purchase the former school and addressed the commissioners on Tuesday about the matter. “I believe that we serve God best by serving other people, and that’s been our hearts’ desire at West End Baptist Chapel," Pastor Shane Wilt told the commissioners during the citizens' participation portion of the meeting. Wilt was joined by deacons Rick Boswell and Ajay King, and parishioner Brandy Pentz, who also is direct-care supervisor for Lasting Change, formerly known as The W House. Wilt said church leaders believe they can continue and expand service to the community by purchasing the former school. The church, at the corner of Buena Vista Avenue and Concord Street, is about seven blocks from the school that closed in June 2016. The church already works with Lasting Change, Wells House and Celebrate Recovery, which works to help those with drug and alcohol addictions, Wilt said. A handout church officials shared with the county notes that Celebrate Recovery has already committed to moving to the school building if the church acquires it. The handout also notes that the church does not expect to immediately need the entire building and there's a possibility several rooms could be used by another organization to serve the community. The school gym could be used to provide open-gym times for the community, basketball clinics and possibly an educational youth league through Upward Basketball. Indoor and outdoor soccer, volleyball, T-ball and other sports activities are possible. With the storage space the church would gain with the school, it could expand its food bank and offerings to include clothing, furniture and household goods. Wilt told the commissioners that church officials have considered that expenditures such as heating Pastor Shane Wilt bills would go up and they are working on a budget West End Baptist Chapel to meet the building's needs. Almost a year ago, the commissioners rejected a bid from Hagerstown Children's School for the Winter Street site. The site was appraised at $2.3 million. Please keep this project in your prayers so West End Baptist Chapel can continue to grow and touch more people in their community. Have you heard about West End Baptist Chapel’s race ministry? This ministry is going places…. Exciting things coming in 2018!
March 4-10 When I think of missions, my first thought is a big trip taken overseas. I think of going to Africa or Asia, eating strange new foods, forging new relationships and working hard, and meeting the needs of people who have never heard of Jesus. Then I look around me and realize there are people right outside my front door who have never heard of Jesus. I realize that anywhere I am is a missions field if I’ll just let God use me as a missionary. We don’t have to pack a giant backpack and head to Africa in order to be missionaries. In fact, there are over 269 million lost people in North America, so we need to consider taking off our giant backpacks and reaching out to our many neighbors who are lost. If you’re wondering how you can help all of those lost people, start with prayer. Prayer is powerful and intentional and miraculous. You are doing amazing things when you pray.
WHAT IS YOUR CHURCH GOAL?
The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® changes lives forever by empowering North American missionaries to bring the gospel to the lost. With over 269 million lost people, North America and its major cities are some of the most spiritually dark places in the world. Join us on the mission to equip every missionary and reach every lost person in the United States and Canada. 3
REGIONAL NETWORK OF BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
PRAYERS
Bucks Valley Christian Church, Warfordsburg, PA. They are in discussion about joining the BRBA. Rev. Aaron Miller. Suffered a double stroke (left and right sides of the brain). Looks like a long recovery ahead. He has served as a pastor at a couple of couple of churches in the BRBA in the past, as a Lifeway store manager and the Director of Hospitality and Food Services at Skycroft however, was currently looking for work and DOES NOT have health insurance. Dominican Republic Mission Trips scheduled for the weeks of March 6-13 and March 13-20. Pray for safety, needed resources, the workers and the people who will be touched by them. Pastors and Wives Appreciation Brunch has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 5th to accommodate more pastors and wives. We hope you will be there! Invitations Coming
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Something unexpected happened in 2010, when the SBC passed the new GREAT COMMISSION RESURGENCE ... local associations, the life blood of local support, networking, resourcing, training, and denominational support to local pastors and churches - became fractured. In some cases, de-funding by NAMB of local Associational missions and ministry caused local associations to fold completely. In other cases, limited funding and resources made many associations down size to the point where only a percentage of what used to be provided to the local churches was available. Part-time staff replaced those who were full time, and many were left wondering "what happened to our Association?" Directors of Missions in Maryland / Delaware and Pennsylvania decided 2 years ago that they could not sit idly by and just watch the deterioration of local Associations, so they decided to form the REGIONAL NETWORK OF BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS. The mission is simple: to meet regularly for prayer, networking, encouragement, and professional development - and to reach out and help any and all Associations in need to assist them in becoming more healthy, vibrant, and well-resourced entities to support local churches, staff, lay leaders with their missions and ministry. Attorney Jeff Agnor (whose father, Walter Agnor was himself a Director of Missions in MD/DE) assisted the RNBA in legally forming, and said that he was honored to be a part. "I saw first hand while growing up how my Dad's efforts helped churches that may not have not been able otherwise to get the local help they desperately needed. I believe in the local association, because I see the value of it." Our own DOM, Bruce Conley led the group in 2016 & 2017 to get to this point. Now that the RNBA is an officially and legally formed corporation, Dr. Ben Scott - DOM in the South Central Baptist Association of PA will lead the group in 2018. The hope is to enlarge the network of cooperating associations to include some in WV, VA, PA and other regions as we explore better ways to help those that have need. We're looking for great things from this group of ministry professionals with a large vision for what God might accomplish!
NUMBERS MATTER: ANNUAL CHURCH PROFILES HELP CLARIFY FURTURE GOALS “We are a family of Southern Baptists in Maryland/Delaware. Collectively, we have a voice, but how strong is that voice?” That’s a question posed by Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D) Executive Director Kevin Smith to the BCM/D General Mission Board. “When we say Maryland/Delaware Baptists, how many people are we really talking about?” Smith asked. “Every soul matters, but when we’re talking to people in Annapolis and Dover, they want to know how many souls we’re talking about. We need an idea of who we are.” One way of finding out is by reviewing Annual Church Profile (ACP) reports. The ACP is an annual statistical report churches voluntarily submit to the Southern Baptist Convention. The ACP is like a family portrait, or a report card, said Smith. “Are we being fruitful? Jesus looked upon the multitudes and was moved with compassion and said, ‘Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers to the vineyards.’ How do we know if we’re reaping from the harvest? We need some type of measurement.” The BCM/D uses the numbers to determine future mission strategy, update the database, and support church ministries and ministers more effectively and financially. The number also is used to determine the number of messengers churches receive for the Annual Meeting in November. Individual congregations report statistics for the national ACP to their local associations and/or state conventions. National totals are compiled and released after all cooperating state conventions have reported. Compared to 2015, when just 31 percent or 191 of BCM/D 623 churches completed the ACP, more churches participated in 2016—54.18 percent or 350 of 646 churches responded. Of those churches, there were 2,104 baptisms! We are now collecting that information. Your local association, BRBA, is available to help with the submission of the ACP’s. A short form has been created and is posted on the BRBA website homepage, www.blueridgebaptist.org. or on the BRBA Facebook page. You may also call Joi Hilton, Administrative Assistant, with your church information and she will submit the form on behalf of your church. __________________________________________________ _
Seminar Location: Myersville Baptist Church Learn About: This one-day seminar will show you how to recognize threats, build safety and security teams, deal with difficult people and situations and protect your people from harm from an active shooter.
CHURCH NEEDS/ INFORMATION Faith Baptist Church is in need of the Leader Kit for the Beth Moore Bible Study “Entrusted”. If your church has this kit and would be willing to allow Faith to borrow it, please contact Diane at Faith at office@faithsbc.org South End Baptist Church in Frederick, MD is in need of a Christian person to do their bookkeeping. This is a part time paid position. You will be subject to an extensive background check and references would be preferred. If you have background in accounting or a related field, call the church at 301-662-4780 Smithsburg Valley has needed to reschedule their Active Shooter Response Training to February 12. For more information, please contact the church.
Let Us Know! BRBA will add your events to our newsletter and calendar 5
Are you looking for something for your youth during these winter months? Here are two considerations:
First, the 2018 Cedar Ridge GREAT Cardboard Sled Derby. This is sponsored by Cedar Ridge, and being held at White Tail, it is central to all of us here in the BRBA. This annual event helps raise money for the Cedar Ridge Home. This is a great time, and I can tell you that every interaction I have ever had with Cedar Ridge has been positive. They have an extremely helpful staff, wanting to spread the gospel. This is on Sunday, February 25th. There are 6 different award categories. This is definitely worthy of your consideration!
Secondly: Breakaway HS Conference in Ocean City on the weekend of March 9-11. This annual event (previously sponsored by Central MD Youth for Christ, now sponsored by Mason Dixon Youth for Christ) is replacing the previous Impact Conference. This one is for High School only. While still being held at the OC Convention Center, it is now taking place in their Performing Arts Center rather than their previous convention hall. This is theater seating, and is limited to 1,200, so seats are limited. I will probably have some room in the house that I rent, so contact me if interested. Check out their site at: http://breakawayoc.org/ For More Information on these events, Call or email: Joe Daly BRBA Youth Coordinator HP: (301) 694-8340, CP: (301) 639-3047 joe@blueridgebaptist.org
THE NEWS JOURNAL OF THE BLUE RIDGE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
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