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

A Timely Word from John Calvin on the Occasion of his 500th Birthday

It is the common habit of mankind that the more closely men are bound together by the ties of kinship, of acquaintanceship, or of neighborhood, the more responsibilities for one another they share. This does not offend God; for his providence, as it were, leads us to it. But I say: we ought to embrace the whole human race without exception in a single feeling of love; here there is no distinction between barbarian and Greek, worthy and unworthy, friend and enemy, since all should be contemplated in God, not in themselves. When we turn aside from such contemplation, it is no wonder we become entangled in many errors. Therefore, if we rightly direct our love, we must first turn our eyes not to man, the sight of whom would more often engender hate than love, but to God, who bids us extend to all men the love we bear to him, that this may be an unchanging principle: Whatever the character of the man, we must yet love him because we love God. -- Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 8

"Sing, Sign, Step" is a talented performing group from First Baptist Church, South Haven. Pictured above are Marissa Branhan, Mikayla Branhan, Lauren Collins, Alyssa Newell, Julie Newell, Vaughn Tait, Genesis Tait, and Hailey Traywick. Read about them in the article below. Click on image above to view larger picture.

Comings, Goings, Celebrations, Concerns

§ The Rev. Dan Buttry is doing great recovering from surgery for prostate cancer. All indications are that he is cancer-free and has a great long-term prognosis. He expresses his deep appreciation for all the cards sent, the prayers offered up, and the words of encouragement. His next international trip as a Global Consultant for International Ministries is scheduled for Burma (Myanmar) in September.

§ Retired ABC-MI pastor Forrest Hampton was admitted to MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland last Monday for treatment of a serious infection and heart problems. Please keep Forrest and his wife Carol and their family in your prayers. Email: cfhamp@hughes.net.

Reports from the ABCUSA Biennial

Great gatherings like the Biennial in Pasadena are many things to many people. E-Link Online's coverage of the sessions reflects this by including both news of the main item of business (restructuring ABCUSA) and the personal experiences of some ABC-MI folks who made the trip west. First comes the business matter, including comment by Dr. Michael A. Williams, executive minister of ABC-MI, and then some impressions from Jon Good and David Van Brakle.

One can never be sure of what Baptists will do. Most people who had an opinion in the matter believed that the major overhaul proposed in the ABCUSA structure would easily win approval of the delegates who gathered in late June in Pasadena, CA for the Biennial. A majority did, in fact, vote for it, but not the 2/3 required to change the Bylaws. Dr. Michael A. Williams offers his take on the implIcations of the rejection of this proposal below.

According to Dr. J. Dwight Stinnett, executive minister of ABC of the Great Rivers, this was "the most significant action during the Biennial." Rejection of the proposed change leaves unresolved the two major issues which drove it: denominational financial crisis and proportionate representation. Stinnett comments, "We are left with a system that not only does not work (and has not for a long time), but also a system that we cannot afford. The financial stress that drove us to this point was not eliminated by the vote in Pasadena." Stinnett has given his sober(ing) perspective on the whole matter in a letter meant for general circulation. Read it here (pdf document).

See also ABCUSA General Secretary Roy Medley's Message Board Commentary and reports from American Baptist News Service and Associated Baptist Press

Click on image for full-size poster. Click here for sponsor form.

Dr. Williams Comments on 2009 Biennial Decisions

In the days following the General Board and ABCUSA Biennial meetings in Pasadena, CA June 24-28, ABC-MI Executive Minister, Dr. Michael Williams, has received a number of inquiries regarding the implications of the delegate’s action related to the denominational structure proposal. While the structure proposal yielded a majority vote, it failed to gain the necessary 2/3 vote of the Biennial Delegates. Therefore the proposed structure was defeated and the current structure will remain in place. This means, among other things, the ABCUSA General Board will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

“While I did not attend this year’s Biennial Meeting, I have de-briefed the action with colleagues who were in attendance and have been in dialogue with the Office of the General Secretary to clarify implications for our Region,” states Dr. Williams. Elsewhere in this issue of E-Link, is an article by the Rev. Dr. Dwight Stinnett, Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region. “Known over the years for his ability to bring clarity to issues and provide a fair, balanced report of denominational actions, his reports are often shared by my colleagues with their constituents,” noted Dr. Williams. “Our E-Link Editor has also sought reports from ABC-MI colleagues who attended and their insights can also be found in this E-Link issue.”

As a result of the Biennial action, our ABC-MI nominating committee will bring to delegates at our October Annual Meeting two nominees to serve as our General Board representatives. The Rev. Cheryl Hanna (MDA) and the Rev. Morris Anderson (West) have served as our regionally nominated General Board representatives for the past six years and both concluded their terms in December, 2008. To meet the General Board Caucus and Credential Committee requirements, at least one nominee should be a layperson, preferably under thirty-five years of age. In addition, one nominee should be from the Central Area and the other from either the Great North or Mid-Michigan Baptist Association (former North Area). The nominating committee will be working to secure these nominees in the coming weeks.

Another result of the Biennial action is the continuing of the General Executive Council (GEC) comprised of regional executive ministers and national executive directors. Dr. Williams will be attending the next GEC meeting in November. During this meeting, additional clarity will be given to the implications of the delegates' action. “One of the reasons for the re-structuring related to finances,” states Dr. Williams. “The GEC and General Board will necessarily need to make adjustments regarding the number of meetings in order to live within the financial resources available.”

“From all indications I have received following the Biennial, the 2009 Biennial evening worship experiences were among the best in many Biennials,” reported Dr. Williams. “While the defeat of the structure proposal is somewhat surprising to me and will challenge the GEC and General Board at multiple levels including financially, I rejoice in the very positive comments coming from those who attended regarding the overall Biennial experience.”

Now some reflections of Michigan attendees, Jon Good, pastor at Covenant, W. Bloomfield, and David Van Brakle, pastor at Michigan Ave., Saginaw.

An Enduring Image

by the Rev. Jon Good, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, W. Bloomfield

I was pleased to be able to attend the 2009 Biennial meeting of the American Baptist Churches in Pasadena, California. The fellowship, the worship and the sessions were some of the best we’ve had in years. I was particularly moved by Leonard Sweet, the keynote speaker for the Minister’s Council event. Sweet’s message was titled “Gutenberg People in a Google World.”

In this address, he explained that for the past several hundred years the church has been communicating in word-based cultures. Important truths have been passed on through the giving and receiving of words in books, in speeches, and in media. Today, however, words no longer carry the influence they once had. Sweet contends that images are now the most effective communication medium. People know and experience truth through interactive language and images.

Sweet encouraged us to think about the crucifixion as an image. The crucifixion is one of the earliest pictures of Christian community. In this image, it’s not just Jesus who hangs on a cross. There are three people and all three are viewed as criminals by the Roman government. Only one is good, and that’s Jesus. The other two are bad and one of them turns right. It is an image of the Christian community where no one is good except Jesus; and for the rest who are bad, only some turn right.

The implications of this are profound. This image encourages us to stretch our Christian outreach into a world of bad people and realize that not everybody will turn right. Our efforts to reach out to people who are just like us won’t cut it in the kingdom of God. God wants us to stretch farther and have a church where bad people can turn right, for now and for eternity.

This powerful image from the Pasadena Biennial will stick with me for some days to come.

Hope Renewed

by the Rev. David Van Brakle, pastor of Michigan Ave. Baptist Church, Saginaw

Napoleon said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” After attending my first Biennial in 2007 in Washington D.C., I felt anything but hope. One factor was most likely my perception of an apparent lack of dynamic interaction between attendees. Another factor was that many of my friends were unable to attend because they were still going through the search process for their first job out of seminary. Most likely, however, it was because I could not avoid comparing our Biennial meeting to the Society of Biblical Literature convention I attended a few months earlier in the same place with roughly 100 times more participants. In any case, the 2007 Biennial, which was reportedly exciting for many people, lacked the number of participants and level of energy I anticipated.

In contrast, the Biennial meeting in Pasadena seemed to beam with excitement. Engaging speakers included Leonard Sweet, who in each of his workshops stressed the importance of moving beyond our Guttenberg training and demonstrated how to minister to the media driven Google laity we worship with today. Worship was exciting with a diverse worship team that led everything from praise music to gospel to the Hallelujah Chorus. Preachers like Dr. Kirk Byron Jones called us to stretch beyond our current experience. My wife Erica kept telling me to get away from the peephole in our hotel room after I discovered that Jones was staying in the hotel room across from ours! The experience was invigorating and rewarding.

David Wood, coordinator of Transition into Ministry, led a discussion at a dinner for young adult clergy about the importance of creating networks for community within our denomination. Paul Rauschenbusch, chaplain at Princeton and great-grandson of Walter Rauschenbusch, preached about the importance of the legacies which shape us and our ministries at a worship service that was intentionally designed to be inter-generational. Rick Warren even made an appearance to welcome the group to California.

The proposed bylaw changes failed to pass: 337 yes, 217 no and 20 abstentions - just 12 votes short of the required 2/3 majority. Our national staff as well as many regional leaders spent a great deal of time before the conference to communicate with church leaders about the proposals. Nevertheless, when the proposal was brought forward at the business meeting many questions were raised which reflected a lack of overwhelming consensus. Dwight Stinnett’s blog post about the Biennial, which is included in this issue of E-Link, wonderfully sums up the business meeting. One young adult pastor explains on her blog why she changed her vote after the experience she had during the business meeting. Click here to read why she voted against the Bylaw changes.

This year’s Biennial did not have large attendance yet was filled with excitement, energy and active discussion. I returned to Michigan with no question that great energy and life exists within our denomination. It confirmed ongoing significant pride within our Baptist heritage and re-taught me how to be a dealer of hope.

Sing, Sign, Step

Members of "Sing, Sign, Step" are Marissa Branhan, Mikayla Branhan, Lauren Collins, Alyssa Newell, Julie Newell, Vaughn Tait, Genesis Tait, and Hailey Traywick. Click on image for larger view.

by Patricia Hernandez

“Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise You. I just wanna praise You.
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I’m gonna praise You
I’m gonna praise You….”

So begins one of the many inspiring songs performed by “Sing, Sign, Step” a group prominently featured at South Haven’s annual Harborfest. Started five years ago as an off-shoot of the children’s ministry of the First Baptist Church of South Haven, this group of talented young women creatively blends break-dance and ballet, contemporary and classic styles of dance choreographed to Christian music with a unique and clever use of sticks as props enhanced by traditional and original signing, all of which comes together to form a treasure of sound and sight.

Says Pastor Jerry Koller, “As our young people were moving out of the children’s ministry program, we wanted to find a way to keep them engaged and develop them as leaders now, not later.” Engaged? Just listen to Vaughn Tait, one of the core of 8 girls who make up the current team: “This is a completely new way of worshipping. When we dance, we worship, It’s completely changed how I feel about church; It’s really fun!” As for leadership, Andrea Tait, Director of the Children’s Ministry and brainchild of the group says ‘When we first began, I did all the choreographing. Now the girls themselves do it!!”

The group recently returned from a trip to Alma to perform at the American Baptist Women’s Conference, an exhilarating and energetic performance which wowed all the women as well as the AB girls in attendance.

“This is a great group of kids,” says Pastor Jerry Koller, “Our church has been so blessed by them!” If you would like to know more about ‘Sing, Sign, and Step,’ would like to invite them to perform at your church or would like to learn how to start your own group, contact Andrea Tait or Pastor Jerry Koller (269 637-1291 or revkoller@yahoo.com ).

Says Vaughn “Most of us didn’t know how to dance before we began. We’d love to teach others. If we can do it, anyone can!”

“You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I’m gonna praise You….I’m gonna praise You….”

Webinars for Pastors

The American Baptist Churches of Michigan, in cooperation with The Columbia Partnership, will offer our Region pastors (and interested lay leaders) the opportunity to engage in three one-hour web seminars (webinars) on the subject of congregational transformation/revitalization. Each webinar will include a downloadable PowerPoint presentation by a noted expert in the field, and an opportunity for a few interactive questions at the end of the presentation.

This will be an excellent opportunity to engage in continuing education without leaving the comfort of your home or office. All it requires is internet access and a telephone conference call. The dates of the upcoming webinars are 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm, September 16, October 28 and January 20. The cost for each webinar is $10.00 for members of Ministry Leadership Groups (MLG’s) and $20.00 for non-members.

Detailed information about each webinar, including registration, will be available in upcoming editions of Elink. For more information, contact Ron Cary at 1-800-636-2671 / rcary@abc-mi.org.

Central Area Senior Event

This year’s Central Area Senior event will again be at Olivet Baptist Church on Thursday, September 17. Registration will begin at 10:45 AM, with the program to begin at 11:00 and lunch to follow. The cost is only $5 for lunch.

Our program this year will be presented by Dr. Patrick Fields. Dr. Fields teaches biology at Olivet College, but he is better known as "Doc Choc" for his presentations on Chocolate. He has been a guest on the "Food Network" and done presentations on chocolate to audiences across the country. Join "Doc Choc" as he takes us on a journey through the world of chocolate, and see why it has been called "the Food of the Gods!" He will share a world of knowledge and much personal experience from his years of research and teachings on the subject. The program will include: what chocolate is, where it comes from, our fascination with it throughout the last 4000 years, the chemical make-up, discovery, history, preparation; health benefits, and some of the myths, fads, and quirky tales associated with one of the world’s most popular substances. The second part will consist of CHOCOLATE TASTING! Doc Choc will bring several different kinds chocolates for you to taste and decide which is your favorite.

RSVP to Olivet Baptist Church (517-887-0988) so they will know how many people to expect for lunch.

Church Health Resource Review

By Ron Cary

Renew Your Congregation: Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead
William T. McConnell, Chalice Press, publisher 2007

At the beginning of a book, when the author writes, “I don’t think I have had an original thought in my life,” you assume either he doesn’t expect to sell many books, or this is going to be a different kind of book than most people would write. For Bill McConnell, the answer seems to be the latter. He is unflinchingly honest about the subject of congregational transformation/revitalization. When asked, “What is the key to church revitalization?” he answers, “No one has the key.” Then he goes on to provide a “recipe” that can assist the reader in thinking about and planning for transformation that fits the readers unique situation.

Oh, there are plenty of good thoughts and great ideas that will stir the reader's thinking and provide new insights. Pastors in particular will identify with many of the humorous stories McConnell tells out of decades of pastoral experience in a mainline Protestant congregation (Disciples of Christ). McConnell is still the pastor of a local church, and what drew me to the book is that he writes about real people, in real situations, doing real ministry. For McConnell, church revitalization is difficult but doable. In fact, today it is an absolute necessity!

This is not a “how to do church transformation in 10 easy steps” kind of book. It is neither simplistic nor overly complex. McConnell invites the reader to simply think about what various thoughts and ideas concerning transformation might mean in the reader's context. Each chapter ends with “lessons learned,” a recap of a few of the themes addressed in the chapter. My suggestion is to begin with the “lessons learned” and then decide whether reading that particular chapter would be helpful. The nuggets in “lessons learned” would also provide for good discussion in either a clergy or church leaders study group.

Along this line, the American Baptist Churches of Michigan is offering pastors and interested lay leaders an opportunity this fall and winter (2009-10), to learn more about congregational transformation directly from Bill McConnell as he leads us in a series of three “webinars.” Elink and the Region website (www.abc-mi.org) will provide more details, or you can contact me, Ron Cary, at rcary@abc-mi.org. It is our hope that the webinars and the book will become a source of study and conversation in small groups such as our Region Ministry Leadership Groups (MLG’s).

I want to conclude this review by listing a few of McConnell’s thoughts and ideas from “lessons learned.” If any of them intrigue or interest you, get the book and learn more!

Church transformation is not about finding the right program … that will fix the problem and make everything right. Church transformation is discovering God’s vision for the church and pursuing it.
Revitalization of a church is difficult, dirty work. If transformation were easy, everyone would be doing it.
One of the major blockages to church transformation is fearful leadership.
Churches don’t change because of committees or resources or consultants. It is because God brings a leader into the situation and equips the leader to do the job.
Become a permission-giving church instead of a church that limits what lay people are allowed to do in ministry.
To do a church transformation, the pastor and lay leaders must be committed to hang in there for the long haul. Many times we pastors leave too soon.
If love is left out of the equation, church transformation will never happen.
Transformation is not to be done alone.

On-Line Youth Ministry Training

Are you interested in starting a youth ministry program at your church?
Are you interested in enhancing youth ministry in your church?
Do you want to raise up youth leaders from within your congregation?
Are you currently serving in youth ministry but want to learn more?

Then check out the new On-Line Youth Ministry Training program offered in partnership with ABCOPAD, ABC of New Jersey, ABC of Ohio, the West Virginia Convention and Eastern University, a leader in youth ministry. Begun by ABCOPAD (The American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware) and in its third cycle, the program has had wide acclaim and great success. To be part of the class ready to begin this September, registrations must be received by August 15. Click here for brochure with course listings and registration form. You may also contact Pat Hernandez (phernandez@abc-mi.org).

Joyful Noise Encounter Supports Camp Lael

Help Camp Lael make needed repairs and upgrades, build a reserve fund, and strengthen the camp into the future. Attend the Joyful Noise Encounter on August 1 at Chilson HIlls Church, Brighton. Ongoing, throughout the event, Praise Bands, Vocal groups, Christian Rock/Alternative/Jazz/HipHop bands, Christian Soloists, Bell choirs, comedians, etc. will be sharing their talents at two venues: Chilson Hills Church's Outdoor Memorial Gardens Worship space and Indoor Community Worship Center. Randy Pouliot, with years of youth leadership experience, will offer a Youth Leaders' TuneUp workshop. This is a great opportunity to get re-energized for your fall programs. Click on image above to see full size flyer and complete information.

Friendship House Golf Outing

The Fourth Annual Friendship House Golf Outing will tee off Saturday, September 26, 2009, at Fox Creek Golf Club, Seven Mile and Newburgh Road, Livonia, MI. Cost: $85 per golfer ($340 per foursome), includes continental breakfast, greens fees, lunch at the turn and dinner. Click on image at right to view-download-print flyer.

Sponsorship Opportunities:

The Great Sendoff for $2,000: Underwrites dinner (chicken and Swedish meatballs, pasta, vegetable, potato, salad and bread); free foursome plus name in program and on a hole sponsor sign
Recharger for $550: Underwrites lunch at the turn (hot dog, chips and beverage); name in program and on a hole sponsor sign
Day Launcher for $450: Underwrites continental breakfast (coffee, juices, bagels and pastries); name in program and on a hole sponsor sign
Beverage Buddy for $275: 100 beverage cart tickets @ 2.75; name on a sign on the beverage cart and in program
Hole Sponsorships for $100 each: Sign at a tee box and in program
Sleeves of Golf Balls for each Golfer: Donations of sleeves or donations to purchase sleeves @ $20; name in program

Call 313-871-7443 for details.

Short Notices

New Hope Baptist Church, Bay City, will present Lonesome Mountain Boys, a bluegrass, old time, and Gospel group, on Saturday, July 18, 3 to 5 p.m. Church is located at 3360 E. Midland Rd., Rain or shine, music, food -- all welcome. Free, donations welcome.
Interested in a personal spiritual retreat? Columnist, author and speaker, Norbert Bufka, will provide persons of any religious affiliation with a spiritual retreat, September 9-11 in Big Rapids, MI. For more information, go to http://www.thisonly.org/retreat.htm.
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 July 27, 2009. Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by July 23.

Editor's Trips

Every edition of E-Link Online features links to items of interest the Editor has tripped over while wasting time surfing the Web. Posting of these links does not imply his endorsement or that of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan of views advocated in them. Their value, if any, consists of whatever further thought, discussion, inquiry, discernment, fury, and occasional laugh they may provoke. Readers are welcome to send their own suggestions to the Editor.

The Editor

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