The
Cross ie
MAGA ZI N E
VOL 1 | ISSUE 3 | JUNE
O PPORT UN T I E S New York Mission Trip July 15-22
Tijuana Mission Trip July 15-22
Carol Garner cargar@comcast.net
Ashley Wood awood@nnzusa.com
Family Mission Trip to God’s Appalachian Partnership (GAP) June 11-16 Marti Newcomb-Thompson jsmlnt59@att.net
Appalachia Men’s GAP Trip August 27-September 1
Appalachia Ladies’ GAP Trip September 10-15
Bill Blanton wmblanton12@icloud.com
Jenny Brannan brannan.jenny@gmail.com
O NGOIN G LO CA L OP P O RT UN I TIES Edgewood Church Contact Colin Harris harris_jc@mercer.edu
NETWorks and Lilburn Co-ops Contact Mike and Martha Holt mhlt@bellsouth.net
Contact the Missions Office for More Information Glenn and Pat Herndon – glennpat@smokesrisebaptist.org JU N E 201 7
SMOK ER I S EB A P T I ST. OR G O UR M INIST E R S
CON T EN TS
T im Ad cox Minister of Missions tadcox@smokerisebaptist.org 678.533.0570
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From the Pastor
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Worshipping
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Growing
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Connecting
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Connecting
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Generosity
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Caring
B e c k y C a s w e l l - S p ei gh t Minister to Families with Children rspeight@smokerisebaptist.org 678.533.0546 Jeremy Colliver Minister to Families with Youth jcolliver@smokerisebaptist.org 678.533.0551 Kat hy D obbi n s Minister of Spiritual Formation kdobbins@smokerisebaptist.org 678.533.0548
Family Ministry
Danny Va n c i l Minister of Music & Worship dvancil@smokerisebaptist.org 678.533.0560
As we move towards summer, many of you will be taking vacation, visiting grandkids, or enjoying the local pool. Of course, the work of Smoke Rise continues through this time with mission trips...
CA RIN G 9
A few years ago I had an interesting conversation with a man who could not find a church to attend. He had two complaints...
1 2 Youth 1 3 Snapshot
Chris G e o r ge Pastor cgeorge@smokerisebaptist.org 770.469.5856 Bart McNiel Associate Pastor bmcniel@smokerisebaptist.org 678.533.0540
SRBC and the CBF share a deep dedication to supporting missions and missionaries. CBF-missions are focused on reaching out to the most neglected and overlooked people groups.
GEN ERO SITY 8
1 0 Serving on Mission 11
F RO M THE PASTOR 3
CON N EC T W IT H US
facebook.com/ smokerise
twitter.com/ smokerisebaptist.org SmokeRiseBC
Smoke Rise
A B OU T S M O K E RIS E 5901 Hugh Howell Rd. Stone Mountain, GA 30087 Tel: 770.469.5856 Fax: 770.498.3598 Office Hours M-F 8:30am - 4:30pm
Smoke Rise Baptist Church is a loving and caring faith community where people come to grow spiritually, worship communally, and serve faithfully. We are committed to fostering authentic relationships and engaging in meaningful ministry in our congregation, our community, and around the world. We partner with others in an effort to be about God’s work. We commit to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We proclaim the Good News of Christ in all that we say and do. 2 | SMOKE RISE BAPT IST.ORG
FRO M TH E PASTO R CH RIS G E ORGE - PASTOR Dear Smoke Rise Church Family, In June, Atlanta will host the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) General Assembly. At Smoke Rise, we have a unique opportunity to connect with Baptist brothers and sisters from across the country and Baptist missionaries serving around the world. SRBC will be playing an important part. Danny Vancil and the Sanctuary Choir, along with choristers from around the state, will lead in worship. SRBC ministers and members will lead sessions and seminars throughout the assembly. Some of you are asking, “What is the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship?” The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a collection of kindred-spirit congregations that partner together in ministry and missions. The CBF was formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1991. Smoke Rise’s own, Page Fulgham actually proposed the name of this new organization. From its inception, the CBF committed to embracing our Baptist heritage and seeking to protect Baptist principles like the autonomy of the local church and the freedom to interpret the scripture. SRBC and the CBF share a deep dedication to supporting missions and missionaries. CBF-missions are focused on reaching out to the most neglected and overlooked people groups. The organization does not seek to compete with others, but rather to find people who are forgotten and share with them God’s love and grace. Through the CBF, Smoke Rise Baptist Church can celebrate the fact that we literally have field personnel on mission all around the world. Last year, we welcomed Carson and Laura Foshee who are serving as CBF Field Personnel in Japan. This summer, we will be sending Kristen Pope to serve with CBF Field Personnel Missy Ward Angalla in Uganda. Smoke Rise Baptist Church is a proud Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation. Rev. Becky Caswell-Speight and Rev. Jeremy Colliver help to write curriculum for children and youth in CBF life. We are thankful to have many national CBF staffers as part of our church family. SRBC members serve in key leadership positions throughout CBF life. CBF has helped our congregation in so many different ways, but I wanted to share one recent example. Last June, moved by compassion, Smoke Rise members chose to love our neighbor Malik by supporting his BP station after he was the victim of a robbery. Much to our surprise, this simple act led to stories about SRBC carried in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Christianity Today, and the New York Times. How did it happen? The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship helped us to share this story with our community, our country, and the world. CBF General Assembly will be at the Hyatt Regency on June 29-30. I want Smoke Rise to be well-represented as we celebrate our partnership and ministry together. Please take time to read Rev. Bart McNiel’s Connection column this month to learn all of the details about this wonderful event. I look forward to seeing you at General Assembly! God’s Peace, Pastor Chris 3 | SMOKE RISE BAPT IST.ORG
WORS H IP P I N G AT SM OK E R I SE
The National General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is coming to Atlanta this month and Smoke Rise Baptist Church will be playing a significant role. On Friday evening, June 30, the culmination of the 25th Anniversary will take place with the singing of the newly commissioned anthem, Christ’s Love Compels Us. This powerful new choral work was written by notable Baptist musicians, David Schwoebel and Terry York. The music will be performed by a mass choir made up of folks from CBF churches across Georgia including our very own SRBC members. When tears become the lens through which we see the enemy, our arms outstretched receive the stranger and the refugee. Christ’s love compels us. Christ’s love sustains us. Christ’s love unleashes heaven’s kingdom here on earth! When fear is not allowed to tie the hands of ministry, our arms, outstretched, embrace the person whom the world won’t see. Christ’s love compels us. Christ’s love sustains us, Christ’s love unleashes heaven’s kingdom here on earth!
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1-2
PE N T E COST SU N DAY Join us for a wonderful time of worship! June 4, 2017 9:00am: Worship in the Chapel 9:45am: Sunday School 11:00am: Worship in the Sanctuary Everyone is encouraged to wear red!
When any place on earth describes where we will follow Him, our arms, outstretched, confess our constant need of strength from Him. Christ’s love compels us. Christ’s love sustains us. Christ’s love unleashes heaven’s kingdom here on earth! Christ’s love compels us. Christ’s love sustains us. Christ’s love, Christ’s love unleashes heaven’s kingdom here on earth. Come and join us for this wonderful time of worship and celebration! Danny
DA N N Y VANCIL MINISTER OF MUSIC & WORSHIP
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GROW IN G AT S M O KE R I SE Wh y Yo u Sh ou l d Re a d M or e B ook s We’re only a couple of weeks away from summer and vacation time. This always encourages me to start collecting books to read during this time away from work and normal routines. Like many of you, reading is one of my favorite past times. I guess there are many reasons why we should read more books so I went looking for some of the benefits of reading and found 10 reasons from WhytoRead.com: Here are 10 Reasons Why You Should Read More Books: 1. To Develop Your Verbal Abilities 2. Improves Your Focus and Concentration 3. Readers Enjoy the Arts and Improve the World 4. It Improves Your Imagination 5. Reading Makes You Smarter 6. It Makes You Interesting and Attractive (Ok, I hear you laughing at this one! The author makes the point you will be able to engage a wider variety of people, improve your knowledge and conversational skills, etc) 7. It Reduces Stress 8. It Improves Your Memory 9. To Discover and Create Yourself 10. For Entertainment You may have many other reasons for reading more books – whatever your reasons, if you have a summer reading list, please send me your recommendations in all categories at kdobbins@smokerisebaptist.org. Happy reading!
K AT HY D O B B IN S MINISTER OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION
Mark Twain at SR BC! We were excited to see this iconic, historical figure come to life on April 26 on the Fellowship Hall stage. David Bailey, from Richmond, VA brilliantly portrayed the character of Mark Twain, sharing some of his soliloquys peppered with his famous humor! Many thanks go to Doug and Janice Hawks for making this unique opportunity possible.
F ro m Small To wn Girl t o In t erviewin g the Sta rs Fellowship Hall was a burst of Spring at the Ladies Annual Spring Dinner on April 25. Julie Moran, entertained us with stories about her life growing up in Thomasville, Georgia to her career in television, including being the first female host for ABC’s Wide World of Sports and anchor and co-host for Entertainment Tonight from 1994-2001. Her Christian faith has kept her grounded in the midst of so much glitz and glam. Julie’s message to women is one of balance and making priorities for what is important. She and her husband and film maker Bob Moran and their two daughters are glad to be in the Atlanta area now that Georgia is one of the top film making states in the U.S. 5 | SMOKE RIS E BAPT IST.ORG
CON N EC T I N G AT SMOK E R I SE
RE GI ST R AT I ON AN D DATES TO ATTEND Registration for the CBF General Assembly is free and can be completed online at www.cbf.net/assembly. Events of general interest get under way on Thursday and Friday, including multiple workshop opportunities that are open to all and special worship services each night. If you plan to attend one or more days or nights, you will want to attend on Thursday, June 29 and/or Friday, June 30. The Assembly also includes “The Gathering Place” featuring a variety of partners, vendors, book sales, and other opportunities to learn and connect with others. SC H ED UL E O F K EY EVEN TS Wednesday, June 28 25th Anniversary Dinner (reservations required, space may be limited) Thursday, June 29 1:30-4:00pm Workshops 7:00pm Worship (featuring keynote speaker and noted author, Brian McLaren) Friday, June 30 1:30-4:00pm Workshops 7:00pm Worship (including SRBC Sanctuary Choir members)
Brian McLaren, noted author and theologian, will be the keynote guest speaker at Thursday evening worship.
WHAT CBF G E N E RAL ASSE MBLY ME AN S TO M E • “Worship is always a highlight for Stacey and me each year. The music, speakers, prayers, and shared communion is special. It reminds us that we are part of a larger family of faith and gives real life to what it means to say we are ‘cooperative’ Baptists.” -Rev. Bart McNiel • “I am pleased that I can be a part of my Baptist global family when they come to Atlanta. After many years (lots, I can assure you) involved in Baptist missions and academic/spiritual pursuits, I love that my local church body encourages me to continue to meet with other ecumenically-minded Baptists seeking to discover what’s next for us.” -Mike Jones, SRBC Deacon
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CON N EC T I N G AT SMOK E R I SE SM OK E R I SE L E A D ERS H IP FEATU RED AT GE NE RAL ASSE MBLY Smoke Rise Baptist leadership and staff are serving in special roles this year. Our Minister of Music, Danny Vancil, is assisting with worship planning and leadership for this year’s Assembly. As part of the Assembly planning and preparation, our Minister to Youth and Families, Jeremy Colliver, has served as Chairperson of the Workshop Planning Committee. “What I appreciate about the workshops at CBF General Assembly is their connection to the local church. The workshops are led by local church laity and staff members for local churches. The information presented comes from the local church so you don’t have to wonder how it will play out in your context,” said Colliver. SRBC is blessed to have many other church members who work for the CBF global office in Atlanta. There are up to sixty different workshop sessions to choose from on a range of relevant topics including: community engagement, poverty, immigration, spiritual renewal, human trafficking, navigating contentious questions, forgiveness, creative worship, ministry to all ages, and more. VO LUN T E E R S NE EDED We would like to see strong Smoke Rise support for the 25th Anniversary Assembly. There is still time to volunteer. To volunteer, please go to www.cbf.net and click on the Assembly tab at the top. Then look for the “volunteer with us” link on the right side of the page, which will take you to a volunteer form where you can choose a volunteer opportunity. For questions about volunteering, please contact Rev. Kathy Dobbins at kdobbins@smokerisebaptist.org. FR I DAY NI G H T B U S FROM S RB C TO GE NE RAL ASSE MBLY On Friday night, June 30, SRBC will take a bus to the evening Worship, which will include members of the SRBC Sanctuary Choir. The bus will leave the church promptly at 5:30pm. Space on the bus is limited to 14 people on a first request basis. Please contact Merrilee Brock in the church office to confirm a reservation.
FELLOW S H IP A N D CONNE C T ION AT T HE ASSE MBLY • The Gathering Place features a variety of exhibitors and is set up as a place to fellowship, network, learn, and relax. Partners, friends, staff, and food are included in this area with tables and chairs to facilitate interaction and conversation. Evening receptions are also featured in this area. • The Missions Market and Silent Auction can also be discovered in The Gathering Place where you can browse, buy, and support missionaries, partners, and friends who are sharing God’s love throughout the world. • Communion will be served during Friday worship as we gather around the Lord’s Table with CBF friends across the globe. The communion service is equally meaningful on a night when we will also pray for and commission field personnel, chaplains, and pastoral counselors. 7 | SMOKE RIS E BAPT IST.ORG
GEN ER OS I T Y Dear Smoke Rise Church Family, The Stewardship Committee would like express our gratitude and thanks for your pledges towards our SRBC ministry budget. It is a blessing to be a part of a congregation that cultivates a culture of generosity as we seek to be faithful to God’s calling. This spring, we asked you to join us by being All In and supporting our church financially and with your time and talents. So far, 248 families have pledged $1,438,570.00 of our ministry plan of $2,300,000.00. We are so grateful for these faithful commitments. As we move towards summer, many of you will be taking a vacation, visiting grandkids, or enjoying the local pool. Of course, the work of Smoke Rise continues through this time with mission trips planned for family, children, youth, and adults. We will continue to reach into our community to meet needs and to share God’s love with others. Your financial support is important for the very active and visible ministries at SRBC, but it also allows us to fund the less visible but essential expenses like crayons for our kid’s classroom and air conditioning which we can all agree is a must in the South. Please continue to pray for our church and the mission God has set before us to connect and minister to those in our church and our community. In Christ, Your Stewardship Committee
M O N T H OF A P RIL Amount Given $ 207,468.89
Amount Spent $ 178,487.49
Positive Balance $28,981.40
F I SCA L Y E A R TO DAT E (APR I L 1, 20 1 7 – A P RIL 3 0, 2017 )
Amount Given $ 207,468.89
Amount Spent $ 178,487.49
Positive Balance $28,981.40
AP RIL RE FRE S H RE PORT Pledged $1,346,104.00 Pledges Not Yet Received $573,648.59
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Received $772,455.41
Current Balance $289,352.56
UPCOMING PROJECTS Sanctuary Ceiling Tech Update Steeple Renovation
CAR IN G AT S M O KE R I SE TH E M Y T H O F A RM CH A IR CH U RCH A few years ago I had an interesting conversation with a man who could not find a church to attend. He had two complaints: he didn’t feel like people “cared” for him at church, and he didn’t always agree with the choice of music on Sunday morning. “And so,” he said, “I just get my church on TV. Right here from my armchair.” After hearing his story, I wondered if he thought the people on TV cared for him or if the music on TV was always agreeable. It was some time later that I learned about a deacon in our church who tried to reach out to the man who was “getting” his church on TV. After meeting with the man, the deacon visited with me and recounted an entirely different list of complaints and concerns. That’s when I realized that a deeper misunderstanding might be at work. Church isn’t something you get, and even when it’s a place you are able to go, it’s still not church unless you get it or go to it in response to God’s calling on your life. The myth of the armchair church had clouded the man’s vision and sapped his ability to experience the fullness of God’s invitation to be the church in the world. The deacon did get what church was really about, because he remained burdened and concerned for the man. Some might have given up on the man, but the deacon planned to continue to pray for him and to visit him again in the future. Every time the deacon prayed for the man or visited the man, church was happening, even if the man didn’t recognize it. The deacon cared for the man, not because he agreed with him or found his complaints to all be valid. He cared for him because he was following God’s calling on his life to be the presence of Christ in the world. It’s easy to pick on the man in his armchair without realizing that it’s possible to lose sight of God’s calling to be the church even when we attend services every week. We are blessed at Smoke Rise with so many followers of Jesus who are working to be the church for each other and for our world. If you’ve been tempted to take up an armchair, don’t do it. Even if you are truly limited to just an armchair, your prayers for the church are still invaluable. God has a place for each of us as we strive to be the church God has called us to be.
CH U RCH IN CONF E RE NCE We will have a Church in Conference in the Fellowship Hall immediately following 11:00am Worship on June 11, 2017. At the Church in Conference, we will vote on and confirm the members of the Deacon Nominating Committee. Please contact the church office to make a lunch reservation if you plan to attend the Church in Conference.
B ART McN IE L
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
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SERVIN G ON M I S S I ON BEAN S R I C E WAT ER Poverty is a terrible thing. Urban poverty is even more devastating. Today there is a lot of talk about borders. Tijuana is the busiest border crossing in the world. The perspective changes when you put a face on it. Ramiena is a typical example. Her story is repeated countless times. Her family came to cross the border and eventually abandoned her. Most families come to the border looking for a better life, often risking all they have to make a dangerous crossing. Usually, the father makes it across with a promise to send money and later send for his family. In many cases, he is never heard from again. This leaves a mother struggling to feed her children in a strange environment with no source of income. There is no welfare system to help her. She feels abandoned and cannot afford to go back home. She lives in a shack put together with resources from the garbage dump. It is in this hurting environment that we send our mission teams to aid in the work of the Centro Shalom ministry. Bible school, worship, and food distribution are part of their work. They also sponsor children with school supplies and educational programs. This ministry is connected to one of the largest evangelical churches in the city that was founded by this ministry. If God is touching your heart to be part of this team this year, look for the information on this page with details for joining the team.
T IJUANA MISSIO N TR I P Let us tell you about Tijuana. Smoke Rise will send a team to Tijuana July 15 – 22, as they do every year, leading a VBS for the children, participating in worship, helping with light construction work, giving families bags of beans and rice, providing clean drinking water, and giving the children a field trip to the beach or a movie. Now is the time to join this team by registering on line at www. smokerisebaptist.org/missions and pay $100 deposit. Trip cost is $500 plus airfare. For more details contact Ashley Wood at 404-395-4747 or awood@ nnzusa.com. NE W YORK MISS I O N TR I P JULY 15 – 22 The New York Mission Team is complete. Please pray for the team members as they minister to inner city children in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen at Metro Baptist Church and in Brooklyn at Greater Restoration Baptist Church.
M IS S IO N F UN DS AT WOR K
Funds for after school program
Funds for flood relief in Baton Rouge, LA 10 | SMOKE RIS E BAPT IST.ORG
25th Anniversary Endowment Campaign
FAMILY M I N I ST RY AT SMOK E R I SE Summer has arrived, and Smoke Rise is ready for tons of fun under the sun with you! Join us for Wonderful Wednesdays, PassportKids!, Vacation Bible School, and more. Here is a list of all the fantastic events we have planned. Put them on your calendar, you don’t want to miss out! · June 7, 8pm: Wonderful Wednesdays Movie Night · June 11-16: Family Mission Trip · June 21, 6pm: Wonderful Wednesdays Water Works · July 5, 6pm: Wonderful Wednesdays Cook Out and Fireworks · July 9-12: PassportKids! · July 19, 6pm: Wonderful Wednesdays Chef Night · July 17-23 Vacation Bible School We can’t wait to see you and celebrate being out of school! If you have any questions, please email Becky Caswell-Speight at rspeight@smokerisebaptist.org.
PII C T UR U R E S F ROM CH ILDREN ’S SUNDAY P 11 | SMOKE RISE BAPT IST.ORG
YOU TH AT S M O KE R I SE CH O OSI N G PASS PORT I get a flyer for a different camp in my mailbox at least twice a week. The flyers are all slick with a diversity of students smiling on one side and on the other side show a group of students sitting in a circle with Bibles in hand and heads bowed. So why do these end up being thrown in recycle and we end up at Passport every year? Worship is thoughtful and engaging, led by college and seminary students who have also led their Bible studies and mission sites. Worship is an extension of the day instead of an add-on at the end. Small group studies are thought provoking and stretch our students to think in new ways about what they believe and why they believe it. What is taught in Bible study doesn’t have to be unlearned later. Students serve using their gifts, whether this be with long-standing partnerships in the community or as students discover their gifts in leadership and the arts. Students give to ministry that matters. Over the years, students have given over $1,000,000 to global mission causes. Students build on old relationships and create new ones. We spend a lot of time together at camp worshipping, serving, studying, and playing. All of this creates relationships where we can support each other. Worship. Learn. Care. Serve. Give. Sounds familiar, but there is something else that Passport does exceptionally well: Passport encourages women and men to serve in the local church. Becky Caswell-Speight, Josh Speight, Valerie Lott, Chris Cherry, and this summer, Laure Fitzsimons have all served on staff at Passport and then served in the local church. That’s why Smoke Rise chooses Passport.
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J EREMY COLLIVER MINISTER TO FAMILIES WITH YOUTH
MON TH LY S N A P S HOT SU NDAY S U MM E R S C H E DUL E S u n d ay 9:00am Worship in the Chapel 9:45am Sunday School 11:00am Worship in the Sanctuary 2:00pm Matupi Christian Baptist Church Worship Service
J UN E EV EN TS 7 7 11 11-16 14 15 1 8- 2 3 21
7:35pm - Braves Game with the Youth 8:00pm - Wonderful Wednesdays Movie Night 1:00pm - Deacon’s Meeting Family Mission Trip 12:00pm - Youth Bowling Trip 7:00pm - Finance Committee Meeting Youth to Passport Choices, Greensboro, NC 6:00pm - Wonderful Wednesdays Water Works
C OLUMB A R I UM U PDATE The proposed Smoke Rise Baptist Church Columbarium will be created as a service to those who desire to have their cremains interred at Smoke Rise. Along with 240 niches, we will also be creating a Memorial Wall for those who may be buried or interred elsewhere, but want to have their name on a plaque in this Columbarium Garden. This project will be fully funded by those who purchase niches and name plaques. Any additional proceeds will be used for the care and upkeep of the Columbarium. On May 7, the Church in Conference discussed the proposed Columbarium Project. The Columbarium Council listened to helpful and relevant comments and questions from the congregation. In response to this meeting, after careful consideration, the council has developed an updated proposal to present to the congregation at our next Church in Conference. Updates include: -Removing the proposed scatter garden. -Accepting installment payments for niches in the Columbarium. On Sunday, June 11 following worship, we invite church members to attend our regularly scheduled Church on Conference. (Please call the church office to make a reservation for lunch.) The Columbarium Council will share updates and answer any additional questions before we vote as a church to proceed with this project.
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Sponsored by SRBC Family Ministries. All Are Welcome.
2017 CBF General Assembly June 26-30 Hyatt Regency Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia
Register for free at www.cbf.net/assembly
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
Address Correction Requested
To volunteer, go to www.cbf.net and click on the Assembly tab at the top. Then look for the “volunteer with us� link on the right side of the page. This will take you to a volunteer form where you can choose what you would be interested in doing. For questions, contact Kathy Dobbins at kdobbins@smokerisebaptist.org.
Georgia 30086