Short Notices

Editor's Trips

Issue 2009.21, October 5, 2009

Renew

Friendship House 80th Anniversary Celebration - Friday, October 16

Trinette McCray

Don't miss the 80th Birthday Party for Friendship House, Friday evening, October 16, at Covenant Baptist Church, West Bloomfield. The celebration features the renowned Courville Concert Choir performing gospel music, a unique video panorama of Friendship House’s ministry, and a challenge from the Rev. Dr. Trinette McCray, ABC-USA past President. In a neighborly gesture and true to its mission of “neighbors helping neighbors,” Friendship House and ABC-MI invite everyone to attend a great evening of inspiration. You need not register for the Annual Event to attend. The program begins at 6:45pm and is free of charge. So, come one, come all, and bring a neighbor with you!

To register for the dinner buffet banquet at 5:30pm as well as to register for any sessions of the Annual Equipping Event, click here.

Renewable Energy: 2009 Annual Equipping Event -- Last Call

So what’s everyone talking about?

Hope for the church is dependent upon the quality of our conversations. Conversations build relationships and relationships build hope. Jesus said, 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.' The key to our future is as simple as welcoming Jesus in our midst; it is as complicated as tending to our conversations.-- Rev. Dr. John Hopkins, UMC Bishop

At this year’s Annual Equipping Event, you will have the opportunity to learn about as well as experience the Conversation Café. Conversation Café is a process which has been widely used in the business community as well as in educational institutions and non-profit organizations. Faith-based organizations are beginning to become more aware of this unique process and it has been used by other American Baptist regions.

Conversation Café has a profound yet simple methodology which engages people in exploring questions that matter to the community. The conversations that emerge awaken new insights, prompt new discoveries and provoke new solutions.

As a tool Conversation Café provides a unique way of engaging congregants and community members in matters of discipleship and evangelism. Pastors and Professional Church Leaders will have the opportunity on Friday, October 16, to learn this process and to explore how it can be applied in their own churches and community context to enhance discipleship and evangelism, deepening their own walk of faith and reaching their community with the Good News. Everyone will have the opportunity to engage in and experience the process on Saturday. The questions which will frame our dialogue are :

So, come! Meet new people; make new friends; engage in conversations that matter, reaching the world for Christ! If you have not yet registered for the 2009 Annual Equipping Event, do so TODAY! Click here for registration form. If you want to register for meals, call the Region office TODAY! (800 632-2953).

Comings, Goings, Celebrations, Concerns

§  The Rev. Chris Radcliffe, Pastor of Contemporary and Relational Ministries at the First Baptist Church of Davison, was granted Recognition of Ordination by the Region Commission on Ordination and Standing at its meeting on September 10. Radcliffe comes to the ABC as a minister in good standing with the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. A 1996 M.Div. graduate (with honors) of Ashland Theological Seminary, he is currently enrolled in that seminary's Pastors of Excellence Program which he will complete in November. Chris came to the Davison church in 2008 after serving several churches as youth minister. He and his wife Julie have two daughters. We welcome Chris into the family of American Baptist clergy in Michigan.

§  The Rev. Dr. Timothy D. Gates, age 58, former pastor of First Baptist Church, Coldwater, died August 13, 2009, in Cedar Rapids, IA. His funeral was held on August 15, 2009. The Rev. William Wyne wrote the following to his family, "I got to know Tim after I brought our Church (Second Baptist in Battle Creek) into the ABC family. Tim was really a wonderful brother to know and always had an uplifting and encouraging word to me. My prayers are with his family as you adjust to the absence of one so dear to you." (Thanks to Keli Burfield of Belding for providing information.)

Talent Show at Annual Event

Talent Show

It’s not too late to show off your talent at the ABC-MI Annual Event on Friday, October 16, at the Covenant Baptist Church in West Bloomfield. The evening will begin at 6:45 p.m. with a presentation in celebration of Friendship House’s 80 years of ministry. Rev. Dr. Trinette McCray will be with us along with the Courville Concert Choir.

Following the celebration service, there will be a cake reception for Friendship House and an ABC-MI Family Talent Show. This is an opportunity for you to energize and sustain your ABC-MI family with your singing— instrumental—artistic—comedic—dramatic gift and you might win a prize. Bring your talent, bring your family and friends and get ready to have a fun evening of wholesome entertainment and fellowship.

Click on image above for more information.

Brad Berglund to Lead Worship-Music Fest at First Dearborn

First Baptist Church of Dearborn will host a day-long Worship and Music Fest on Saturday, October 24. The morning session (9am to noon) will feature morning prayer, contemplative meditation and prayer workshop.

Brad Berglund

After lunch (1pm to 4pm) the Rev. Brad Berglund will conduct a worship workshop based on his books Reinventing Worship and Reinventing Sunday (both from Judson Press). Berglund directs Illuminated Journeys, an ecumenical ministry devoted to deepening the spiritual life of individuals and churches. He is a spiritual director and consultant who leads worship renewal workshops and retreats focusing on transformative worship and congregational spiritual formation. He has been an American Baptist pastor, church musician, and worship leader for more than twenty years. He recently took on a part-time position as Biennial manager/consultant for the American Baptist Churches, USA, 2011 Biennial, to be held in Puerto Rico, June 24-26, 2011.

The Dearborn church invites all to join in a spirit-filled day to share their own thoughts and ideas and explore new ways of lifting praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. For more information and to register contact the church office at 313 277-7711 or email at fbc-dearborn.org.

How to Remit Love Gift Offerings

The American Baptist Churches of Michigan is grateful for the faithful dedicated giving of the American Baptist Women’s Ministries (ABWM) to Love Gift each year. For each dollar donated 15% is allocated for the operation of ABWM. Each year a special project is agreed upon at the annual women’s conference to be supported by donations from the ABWM groups around our Region.

Please become familiar with the remittance form (2 page pdf file, click to view and download it) and use it when you mail your donation to the Region Office. Enter the amount being sent on line 2 across from the Love Gift title. This will ensure your monies will be posted to the correct category.

Fill in the the information on the top left hand side of the form so that credit may be given to the donor(s) and the appropriate person may receive the receipt following the mission month end financial closing. Donations may be sent in by anyone ~ It does not need to be the church treasurer. Feel free to make copies of this form to use each time submitting money to the Region.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Debbie Hart at 800.632.2953 ext. 221 or dhart@abc-mi.org. Thank you!

Best Buy Accepts Electronic Stuff for Recycling

Obsolete and broken electronic gear piles up in houses and churches. What to do with it? Take it to any Best Buy store. Best Buy will accept:

More information at http://bit.ly/qLItZ.

Second Webinar for ABC-MI Pastors

Our Region, in cooperation with The Columbia Partnership, is offering pastors and interested lay leaders the opportunity to engage in the second of two one-hour web seminars (webinars) on congregational transformation/revitalization. This webinar includes 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, and provides opportunity for a few interactive questions during the presentation.

DATEWEBINAREMPHASISDESCRIPTION
Wednesday October 28
Noon-1:00pm		Pastoral Leadership For TransformationLeadership DevelopmentLeading 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 is an excellent opportunity to engage in continuing education without leaving the comfort of your office or home. The cost is $10.00 for Ministry Leadership Group (MLG) participants and $20.00 for all others. It requires internet access and possibly 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://tinyurl.com/o9yl7h in PDF format. 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 is Monday, October 26. If you previously registered for the October webinar, you do not need to register again. For more information contact Debbie Reetz in the Region office (dreetz@abc-mi.org) or Ron Cary (rcary@abc-mi.org).

Generous Study Opportunity for Pastors of Small Congregations -- All Expenses Paid

Applications are now available for the Summer Collegium, a project in support of small congregations at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. Clergy (and their spouses or partners) from 25 small churches of all Christian denominations are invited to spend nine days at Virginia Seminary for encouragement, education, rest and renewal. All expenses, including travel, books, meals, lodging, child care at home and pulpit supply, are paid by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.

The theme of the Summer Collegium this year is Leadership in the Small Congregation. Our keynote speaker will be Alice Mann, a prolific writer on congregational ministry, and John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland will join our worship team for the conference.

The Summer Collegium will be held June 23 - July 1, 2010. Application forms are on our website, www.vts.edu/education/collegium, or will be sent in the mail by emailing SummerCollegium@vts.edu or by calling 703-461-1760. Applications must be postmarked by December 15, 2009, to be considered.

  Power Connection

2009 ABCUSA Black Church Conference November 3-7

The 2009 Black Churches Conference will take place November 3-7, 2009 in the suburb of Matteson, Illinois which is just outside of Chicago. The theme for the conference is Power Connection: A Call to Greater Works (John 14:12).

The conference will offer opportunities for inspiring and uplifting worship, networking, and dialogue. The seminars and workshops will offer times to explore theology for a relevant ministry, while gathering tips and tools.

The ABC-MI is represented in leadership by the Rev. Ronald Burks, pastor of Palestine Missionary Baptist Church, Detroit. He will present a workshop entitled “Bigger is Not Always Better: Small Church Ministry.” In this workshop he will “offer ingredients for an effective ministry and guide participants through the process of revitalizing or building a mission outreach that makes a real difference in the lives of the people it touches.”

For more information or to register for the conference, go to: http://www.nationalministries.org/ABCPowerConnections/index.cfm.

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