Short Notices

Editor's Trips

Issue 2009.18, August 24, 2009

West Area Picnic 2009

by Pat Hernandez

On Sunday, August 16, pastors and congregational members from across the West Area gathered at Fort Custer for their annual picnic. Fun, food, and great fellowship marked this event which featured spirited singing led by the Worship Team from Union Church in Quincy as well as traditional song and dance by Burmese youth from the First Baptist Church of Battle Creek.

Edward Thawnghmung offered his gift of music with guitar and harmonica while Pastor Dan of Lakeview Baptist led the group in singing. Dale Boyer spoke about the variety of compassionate services for children, teenagers and families in greater Calhoun County provided through City LinC, the organization which he directs. City LinC stands for “Living in Christ.”

Preaching from Acts 2, the Rev. David Laisum of the First Baptist Church of Battle Creek encouraged people to live out their faith, not distracted by materialism and frivolous events but living first by the Word and coming together to respond to the needs of the wider community. Laisum reinforced a challenge issued by visiting pastor, the Rev. Lal Dinga of the Chin Baptist Association in Burma, to put missions first and plan the budget accordingly rather than determining the budget first and missions second. He said that when the Chin Baptist Association set their missions giving based on their budget, they never had enough money to meet the needs, but when they put missions first, they were able to raise the needed funds and more.

The time of worship culminated with the baptism of Bethany Perry, "and the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." To view a brief slideshow of the picnic click on right pointing arrow in the picture above.

Refugee Teens Need Homes

Submitted by Diane Baird, Member of First Baptist Church of Stockbridge and Program Manager of Refugee Foster Care at Lutheran Social Services of Michigan

Are you able to help? These kids are in desperate need of foster families, people with homes and hearts who are willing to make space for a child in need.

Have you ever tried to imagine what it would be like to be separated from your parents at age 6 or even age 15? What if you also had to leave your home, your town and your country because your life was threatened? I can only imagine that it would be terrifying, but I know so many kids who have faced this reality… it isn’t just a “what if” for them, it is real life and they need your help.

Right now children and teens are fleeing Burma (also known as Myanmar), sometimes with their parents, sometimes on their own, because the government is persecuting them based on their ethnicity, their political belief in democracy and because of their Christian faith. One example, Dave (not his real name), watched his older brother get beaten and imprisoned, just because of his religious and political beliefs. When he turned 15 the government identified him as a threat, not because of anything he has done, but simply because he is Chin (a minority group) and Christian. So, Dave’s parents sent him on a dangerous journey, fleeing Burma for nearby Malaysia. Dave walked though the jungle, rode in the trunk of a car and hid from the military government to escape Burma’s repressive government. In Malaysia he worked doing construction and lived with 12 others in a one bedroom apartment while asking the United Nations for assistance. Eventually the United Nations decided it wasn’t safe for Dave to return home, and since he had no family in Malaysia, he was referred for resettlement and foster care services in the United States as a refugee. >>> Read the rest of this story.

Volunteers Needed at Friendship House

Friendship House in Hamtramck needs a volunteer consultant in accounting to work with our bookkeeper about once or twice a month. We need help developing a solid undergirding of our ministries to “the least of these” in the Detroit area. Perhaps there is a retired person in your congregation who could offer their skills in this area to work with us as needed. Contact FH Director Linnea Berg for more information (313-871-7443 or linneab1415@yahoo.com).

Friendship House is also looking for a new board member with expertise in accounting. Contact Linnea as above.

The 80th Anniversary Celebration at Friendship House will be held on Friday, October 16, 2009, at Covenant Baptist Church, W. Bloomfield. Click here for the announcement and dinner reservation form.

Fall Retreat at Lake Louise

Join us September 18-20 at Camp Lake Louise for the annual Fall Retreat. Open to all 6th - 9th graders, it will be an action packed weekend featuring Zach Bartels and the MAB band! Click here for flyer. Contact Ryan Madis at 800-440-1238 or ryan.madis@lakelouiserocks.com for more information. Stay tuned to www.camplakelouise.com and www.lakelouiserocks.com for updates as we spend another weekend getting Back to Basics. See you at Lake Louise this fall!

Introduction to Interim Ministry Training Planned

ABC-MI's next “Introduction to Interim Ministry” training will take place on Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at the Region office in East Lansgin from 9am-3pm. Coffee and rolls will be available at 8:30 to give us a chance to get acquainted. The training will officially begin at 9am.

The morning and afternoon sessions will focus on understanding the Intentional approach to Interim Ministry, the role of the interim in ABC/MI churches, the qualifications, skills, and responsibilities of an Interim, a brief look at leading by coaching, and understanding a church in transition.

If you would like more information or wish to register for this training, please contact Rev. Tucker J. Gunneman at tgunneman@abc-mi.org, cell phone 586.219.3392.

Camp Lael Run'

Camp Lael Run/Walk

Have you ever wanted to visit Camp Lael and help its ministry at the same time? On Saturday, September 19th Camp Lael is holding a fundraising Run/Walk to raise money for the "Save Camp Lael" fundraising campaign. The event starts at 10am with a registration, the Run/Walk, and then a picnic lunch afterward.

For more information about the Run/Walk or the fundraising campaign, please check out www.camplael.com.

Auditing Opportunity Offered for Upcoming Ministry Leadership Certificate Class

Then auditing a class might be the answer to your prayers! Starting with the upcoming classes on Church Governance and Structure and Baptist History/Polity, an auditing option will be offered. The fee will be $25 for the Friday evening class, $35 for the Saturday all day class, or $50 for both Friday and Saturday.

The next Ministry Leadership Certificate classes are Church Governance and Structure and Baptist History and Polity. The Church Governance class will be offered on Friday, September 25, from 6 – 9pm. This class will be co-taught by the Rev. Robin Crouch (First Baptist Church, Charlotte) and the Rev. Ed Owens (Olivet Baptist Church, Lansing). The Baptist History/Polity class will be offered on Saturday, September 26, 8:30 – 3:30 and will be taught by Rev. Dr. Joe Mortensen, retired pastor and adjunct professor at Ecumenical Theological Seminary. Both classes will meet at First Baptist Church of Charlotte. Please note that there will be no class in Detroit. For more information and to register, go to the Region website (www.abc-mi.org) and click on Ministry Leadership Certification or e-mail Pat Hernandez (phernandez@abc-mi.org).

Webinars for ABC-MI Pastors

Our Region, in cooperation with The Columbia Partnership, offers pastors and interested lay leaders the opportunity to engage in two one-hour web seminars (webinars) on congregational transformation/revitalization. Each webinar included a downloadable PowerPoint live presentation by Bill McConnell, author of Renew Your Church: Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead, and pastor of the Legacy Christian Church in Harrison, OH. Opportunity for a few interactive questions is provided at the end of the presentation.

DATEWEBINAREMPHASISDESCRIPTION
Wednesday, September 16

Noon -1:00pm		First Steps in Church TransformationCongregational TransformationalBeginning is the difficult part of church transformation. Some of the foundational systemic issues that must be addressed before the process of church transformation can begin will be addressed.
Wednesday, October 28

Noon-1:00pm		Pastoral Leadership For TransformationLeadership Development Leading a church in transformation is different from pastoring a church. New skills, concepts and approaches must be learned and applied to lead the church into new life. This will be an excellent opportunity to engage in continuing education without leaving the comfort of your office or home. All it requires is internet access and a telephone conference call. Set-up details will be provided once you register with the region office.

Register today by accessing the registration form at http://www.abc-mi.org/pdfs/Webinar%20Registration%20Form.pdf in PDF format or http://www.abc-mi.org/docs/Webinar%20Registration%20Form.docx as a Word document. Fill it out and email it to dreetz@abc-mi.org OR fax it to 517.332.3186 OR mail it to American Baptist Churches of Michigan to the address on the registration form. Registration deadline for the first webinar is Monday, September 14. For more information contact Debbie Reetz in the Region office (dreetz@abc-mi.org) or Ron Cary (rcary@abc-mi.org).

Short Notices

Editor's Trips

Every edition of E-Link Online features links to articles the Editor has tripped over while wasting time surfing the Web. Posting of these links does not necessarily mean that either he or the American Baptist Churches of Michigan agrees with, endorses, or otherwise promotes the views expressed in them. Their value, if any, consists of whatever further thought, discussion, inquiry, discernment, fury, or occasional laugh they may provoke. Readers are welcome to send their own suggestions to the Editor.

The Editor