E-Link Online -- News of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan

Arrivals, Departures, Celebrations, Concerns

§ On August 10, the Rev. Dr. Larry Donald was installed as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Walled Lake. Dr. Donald has a long history of ministry in the Detroit area and comes to Walled Lake with a great deal of excitement and commitment. Several local pastors participated in the service. The Rev. Tom Roberts, pastor of the West Highland Baptist Church in Milford, delivered the installation sermon. He challenged Dr. Donald to "hold forth the word of life" based on II Timothy 4:2. A reception in fellowship hall followed the service. Dr. Donald and his wife Connie will soon make their home in Walled Lake. We welcome Dr. and Mrs. Donald to our American Baptist family. [Click on Dr. Donald's picture to view brief slideshow.]

Camp Lake Louise Senior Adult Jamboree Honors Kents and Dave Johnson

by Michael A. Williams

Lake Louise--Senior Adults gathered at Camp Lake Louise for the annual Senior Adult Jamboree August 18-22. Tuesday afternoon, August 19, they honored the Rev. Dr. Jim Kent and his wife Kathy for their twenty-five years as directors/coordinators of the Senior Adult Jamboree camp. They also surprised Camp Lake Louise Resident Director Dave Johnson by honoring him for his more than ten years as resident director (eleven camping seasons), acknowledging his recent retirement announcement (see retirement article elsewhere in E-Link).

In honoring Jim and Kathy Kent, numerous campers reminisced about Senior Adult Jamboree events over the years, noting in particular how much they derived from Dr. Kent's Bible studies. And of course, all acknowledged the humor that is part and parcel of the Kents.

Connie Donald sang a beautiful solo "Faithful Friend" in honor of the Jim and Kathy. Sue Rogers compiled and showed a PowerPoint presentation of pictures from over the twenty-five years the Kents have served. Dr. Michael Williams, ABC-MI executive minister, served as emcee of the event. He did a roll call of those in attendance to see how many had attended all twenty-five years, with Wilma Ackerson acknowledging having attended all twenty-five years. Dr. Kent's parents have participated in at least twenty-two of the Senior Jamborees. Others in attendance indicated having attended at least ten Senior Adult Jamborees.

The afternoon also was given to honoring Mr. Dave Johnson. Many campers gave thanks for a host of things Mr. Johnson has done over the years to enhance their camping experience. Connie Donald led the campers in honoring Johnson by singing a slightly altered rendition of "Thank You For Giving To The Lord." Campers gathered around him as they sang--it was a touching moment!

A special word of appreciation goes to Sue Rogers for her work in putting together these two events to honor Dr. and Mrs. Kent and Mr. Dave Johnson. Mrs. Rogers, in addition to her work as communications director with Senior Adult Jamboree, serves on the Camp Lake Louise Board of Directors.

Camp Lake Louise Director Dave Johnson Announces Retirement

by Michael A. Williams

Lake Louise -- Mr. Dave Johnson submitted his letter of retirement to the Camp Lake Louise Board of Directors during their August 2 meeting to become effective by year's end. The actual final date will be worked out in consultation with Mr. Mark Stephenson, Board Chair, but no later than December 31, 2008. Johnson has served as resident director since February 1998 covering eleven camping seasons.

"We deeply appreciate Dave Johnson and his significant contributions to Camp Lake Louise over these many years," states Dr. Michael Williams, ABC-MI Executive Minister. "His love of Camp Lake Louise has been evident throughout the nine years I have been privileged to know and work with Dave. I am not sure Camp Lake Louise would be here today if not for his tireless efforts over these nearly eleven years."

Many improvements have been made under Johnson's watch, including:

† The addition of several new programs
† The development of training for staff and volunteers
† Renovation of both bathhouses
† Renovation of administration building
† Renovation of kitchen and walk-in freezer
† Renovation of existing cabins including fireplaces & roofs
† Improvements to waterfront
† Renovation of director's house
† Enhancement of maintenance building and equipment
† Timbering project
† Upgrading of water and electrical lines throughout the camp
† Certification through Christian Camp and Conference Association
† Aiding in the transition to our new Camping Ministry structure
† Building of new cabin with restroom and shower facilities

The Camp Lake Louise Board of Directors accepted Johnson's retirement notice with profound appreciation for his years of outstanding service as resident director. The Board of Directors will provide additional information regarding Johnson's final date as resident director and plans moving forward in the coming days.

Nicaragua Reflections

by David Brown, Associate Pastor, First Baptst Church, Midland

A 14-member team from First Baptist Church, Midland, returned recently from a mission trip to Nicaragua. The July 24-August 3 journey was part of the Discovery Team project with ABC International Ministries short-term mission program. [Click on right-arrow at bottom left of image at right to play slideshow.]

The team had the opportunity and privilege to work with the AMOS organization (A Ministry of Sharing Health and Hope), begun by Gustavo and Joan Parajon, who are now "retired" ABC missionaries. The AMOS organization is being carried forward by the Parajons' son David and and his wife Laura, who are both doctors. They are training people in remote villages to be "health promoters".

The Midland volunteers spent their first few days in the capital city of Managua, learning about the work of AMOS, and meeting our "translator/guide" and others who would accompany us. Then we spent the next six days in a remote village called Nacascolo, helping to build a health clinic so that people in the area could have access to health care without traveling several days to get to a larger city.

We went with the idea of serving others, and realized at the end our time, that we were the ones who were "served" by our hosts. They graciously accepted our construction efforts, fed us and did our laundry, and allowed us to interact with their children in VBS activities and games. Most of all, they shared the love of Christ so openly through their hugs, smiles, and prayers.

We all agree that a short-term mission trip is life-changing, and encourage others to give it a try.

Dan Buttry to Give Middleton Lectures on "Interfaith Courage" at Birmingham Church

The Rev. Dan Buttry, ABC International Ministries Global Consultant for Peace and Justice, will give three lectures on "Interfaith Courage: It's Our Time Now" at First Baptist Church of Birmingham, September 25, 26, and 28. The lectures will examine contemporary global issues about interfaith relationships with a challenge to action.

The lecture topics are:

‡ Thursday, September 25, 7 pm: "Freedom of Religion: Religious Hate Vs. Religious Respect"
‡ Friday, September 26, 7 pm: "Interfaith Community-Building: Healing Our Communities Together"
‡ Sunday, September 28, 10:30 am: Dan will preach on the theme: "Interfaith Courage: It's Our Time Now"

A self-described "traveler for peace," Buttry has lectured and preached in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. He has mediated in peace processes in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and in Nagaland in Northeast India and has done conflict transformation training in 18 countries, including the United States, India, Indonesia, Liberia, Congo, Russia, Italy, Nepal, and Nicaragua. Dan is the author of four books, and has written numerous articles for magazines and journals worldwide.

Participants will be invited to share their thoughts and response to the lectures, and are asked to come in that spirit. Also, guests will be given the opportunity for conversation after the program.

The lecture series is sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Birmingham, Michigan's Middleton Scholar Lecture Endowment Fund. This endowment helps fund a church scholar from the theological community to offer insight and understanding from the Bible to our congregation and the public. The fund was established in 1998 in memory of Rev. Dr. Robert G, Middleton, who served as pastor of our church from 1971 to 1983.

The Church is located at the corner of Willits and Bates Streets. Handicap accessible. Parking adjacent to the church, north side of building. Tel: 644.0550. email: firstbaptistbirm@sbcglobal.net

Middle East Pilgrimage, April, 2009

There is a difference between a tourist and a pilgrim. Tourists travel to see interesting sights. Pilgrims travel to grow and develop their relationship with God. This coming April you have an opportunity to be on a pilgrimage to the Middle East. You will see many ancient monuments. You will encounter numerous strange customs. You will be awed by the majesty of the ancient civilizations. But, more importantly, you will have an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Biblical people.

We begin in Egypt where Joseph, Moses, and Jesus walked. We will climb up the traditional site of Mount Sinai where Moses received the 10 Commandments. At the Monastery of St. Catherine's we will have the opportunity to learn how faithful Christian monks maintained manuscripts of ancient Biblical documents.

Our pilgrimage will take us up to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter with our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters. They will share with us in that Holy City the pain and privilege of being Christian in the land of Israel.

Next, we will travel to Galilee and walk in the ancient footsteps of Jesus while being blessed to come to know modern followers of Jesus. Finally, we travel to the land of Jordan to experience the Biblical life of the eastern side of the Jordan River.

Our last day, we will change from pilgrim to tourist as we see the magnificent red rock city of Petra.

We hope you will choose to join us on this pilgrimage that will at times be a tourist trip. At all times we will be blessed by knowledgeable guides, fine food, and excellent accommodations. This will be a pilgrimage for a lifetime. Come and join us. Click here to view the pilgrimage brochure. -- Bruce Rigdon and David Swink

Important Notice Regarding World Mission Offering Materials

The following information has just been received from Catherine Nold, Communications Director for International Ministries, concerning the recent mailing of World Mission Offering materials to Region churches.

Important Information Regarding a Typographical Error

Dear Pastor or Mission Leader:

You recently received the World Mission Offering materials in your church.

We want to inform you that there has been an unfortunate typographical error in a telephone number in two places in the materials that you received. The incorrect phone number is one that neither International Ministries nor your church wants to be associated with.

We deeply apologize for this typographical error and for any inconvenience this may cause you. To help to correct the problem, we ask that you do the following:

1. Use a dark marker to scratch off the number on the inside left front pocket of the folder. The correct number is 1-800-222-3872, ext. 2208.

2. Use a dark marker to scratch off the phone number on the pew envelopes.

Or you may discard the pew envelopes you received and order new ones by calling 1-800-4JUDSON. They will be sent to you as quickly as possible at no charge.

The remaining phone numbers throughout the material appear to be correct. The phone number to order additional materials from Judson is also correct, 1-800-4JUDSON.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Interfaith Discussion on How Faiths Balance Present and Future

The Common Ground for Peace is Israel/Palestine Working Group is very excited to announce: "SCRIPTURAL REASONING II - "This World and the World to Come: How Our Faiths Balance the Present and the Future."

Thursday, August 28, 2008, St. Clare's Episcopal Church/Temple Beth Emeth (2309 Packard St., Ann Arbor) Light potluck dinner at 6:30pm;

At 7:00pm, our three speakers will present texts and brief interpretations. Small group discussion will follow until 8:30pm.

We are honored to present the following speakers for this event:

Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, Beth Israel Congregation of Ann Arbor
The Rev. Paul Simpson Duke, Co-Pastor of First Baptist Church in Ann Arbor and adjunct professor of New Testament at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit
Heather Laird, B.A. from Indiana University in Political Science and Arabic and Islamic Studies; Fellow for the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding; President of Muslim Social Services of Washtenaw County

Please save the date to join us!

Cherry Hill Church Sends Goodies to Soldiers in Afghanistan

Members of Cherry Hill Baptist Church of Dearborn Heights donated nearly 50 pounds of goodies from home to a member's son and his squad who are stationed in Afghanistan. They collected such items as beef jerky, salsa, chips, hard candy, body wash, etc. to send.

When the soldier heard that these goodies were being collected, he asked for an additional favor. The base interpreters (who are Afghanistanis) have very few belongings and do their job at great personal peril, including a bounty on their heads. The soldier asked for shirts and trousers for these men. The church's initial shipment included twenty new men's shirts with trousers to follow. The church also plans to send a Christmas shipment later in the year.

For more information, please contact Pastor Alan Bendart at (313) 565-1460, or email him at "CHBC" chbaptistchurch@sbcglobal.net.

New Pastor Orientation Scheduled

The ABC-MI will be sponsoring an Orientation for New Professional Church Leaders at the Region office in East Lansing on Tuesday, September 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. According to the Rev. Tucker Gunneman, ABC-MI Transitional Ministry Consultant, "This event will provide new pastors and associate pastors with an opportunity to meet the ABC-MI staff and also to learn about the exciting ministries the Region has to offer as we seek to fulfill our vision of Growing Healthy Churches. This will also be a great opportunity to become acquainted with other professional church leaders who also are new to their ministry settings." There is no cost for this event and lunch will be provided. If you would like to attend, please notify Debbie Hart at the Region office by phone at (800) 632-2953 x 221 or email dhart@abc-mi.org.

Global Gifts: A Fair Trade Resource at First Baptist Church of Birmingham

The Global Gift Shop is a resource for alternative shopping that promotes economic justice around the globe. The Shop, which will open November 1, offers foods such as rice, chocolates, coffee, and soup mixes. It also sells textiles, jewelry, and handmade artisan quality crafts from around the world.

The Global Gift Shop will have new merchandise just in time for the first B'Jazz concert of the season September 21, and for the Middleton Scholar weekend which takes place September 25, 26, and 28. We look forward to being available for you.

The Shop will be open daily beginning November 1. Prior to that date, we invite your group to call for a private opening and tour by appointment. 248-644-0550. Or join us in the shop after worship on Sundays.

First Baptist Church of Birmingham is located located on the corner of Willits and Bates, one block North of Maple Road, one block West of Old Woodward Avenue, across from "The Willits".

New IRS Regulations Affect MMBB Retirement Plans -- Churches Must Comply

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued new regulations governing the retirement plan(s) that pastors and other church staff receive. This includes MMBB's Benefit for Life, TDA and TAS. Those regulations go into effect on January 1, 2009, and will have an impact on the church as an employer and the church staff participating in the plans. Over the next few months, MMBB will assist you to comply with the new regulations.

The new regulations, issued under Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Service Code, change the way retirement plans are managed. These new regulations require that employers ensure that the retirement plan complies with the new regulations. These new responsibilities include, but are not limited to, monitoring employer and employee contribution limits and certifying distribution and loan requests.

For more information go to the MMBB Notice online.

Short Notices

The Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Clergy Leadership Training Program will hold a one-day session on Facilitating Healthy Pastor-congregation Relations, led by Richard Blackburn, on September 18, 9:00am 5:00pm, at St. Francis Retreat Center In Dewitt. Cost: $60.00. Call Tim Tuthill At 517-449-4965. Registration available online at: www.spe-stfrancis.org.

Olivet Baptist Church invites local area churches to join their congregation on Tuesday, September 9, at 9:30 am for a presentation given by our ABC-MI missionaries, Wayne and Katherine Niles. The church is located at 5455 W. Willoughby Rd. Lansing, MI 48911. We encourage you to participate in this special opportunity to meet both, Wayne and Katherine, and to hear about the work they are doing in the Congo. They are looking forward to meeting you and to share with you how our mission dollars are being spent, as they are our hands and feet overseas. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Debbie Hart at 800.632.2953 ext. 221 or dhart@abc-mi.org or you may contact the church at 517.887.0988. Thank you and we hope you'll make this a priority to mark your calendars today to attend this event!

Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit will offer the course on Baptist History and Polity (4 credits) in winter term 2009. The class will meet 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on four Saturdays (1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7) and will also require some work via Internet. Dr. Joseph I. Mortensen, adjunct professor at ETS, is the instructor. This course meets a requirement for ordination in ABC-MI. For more information contact the Seminary or the instructor.

Friendship House Golf Outing: Attention all golfers. Please see this flyer for infomation about Friendship House's 3rd Annual Golf Outing on September 27. This is a fund raiser to support the ministry of Friendship and Harvest House. Put your foursomes together and call to reserve your spot! We are also looking for hole sponsors and raffle door prizes. -- Dennis Trezona.

This week's Prayer Call for ABC International Ministries calls attention to the needs of the our missionaries. > > > Go to Prayer Call.

The Friendship House Newsletter is now provided in both PDF and DOC formats. The DOC format is a much smaller file and will take much less time to acquire on slow dialup connections. Read it in PDF at http://abc-mi.org/elink/fh.pdf or in DOC format at http:abc-mi.org/fh.doc.

The next issue of E-Link Online will be published on September 8, 2008. Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by September 4.

Editor's Trips

Disclaimer: listing of these references does not imply endorsement of positions or policies advocated in them by either the American Baptist Churches of Michigan or the editor of E-Link Online. They are provided here for further thought, discussion, and inquiry. Caveat lector. Suggestions for "Trips" and readers' comments are welcome. Send to editor@abc-mi.org.

The Editor

»»  PBS Features ABC-related New Life Center in Thailand (video -- click on right-arrow at bottom-left of screen below (http://tinyurl.com/677xz8)

»»  Martin Marty on Using God Politically -- http://tinyurl.com/5gdo5n
»»  In Praise of Melancholy (American culture puts too much emphasis on happiness) -- http://tinyurl.com/62fr3y
»»  The (Other) Wright Brothers Point the Way to the Future for Theology -- http://tinyurl.com/5hg6ph
»»  How Video Helps Megachurches Franchise -- http://tinyurl.com/6xfa2d
»»  Church Rejects $600,000 Donation. Would Yours? -- http://tinyurl.com/5golko
»»  The 7-Foot Upside-Down Pre-Lit Christmas Tree -- http://tinyurl.com/ab5wf

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