Short Notices

Editor's Trips

Issue 2009.24, November 16, 2009

The Lord's Everlasting Love

Ps 136

Thanksgiving

Ps 136

Psalm 136

Celebrations, Concerns, Comings, Goings

§  Members and friends of the Candlelight Baptist Church in Saginaw gathered on Sunday, November 8, to celebrate and praise God for 30 years of ministry. Established in 1979 under the ministry of the Rev. Jimmie Simington, the church has grown under his leadership as a vital mission to the neighborhood and the entire city of Saginaw. The Rev. Ron Cary of the ABC-MI staff presented the pastor and congregation with a plaque honoring their years of ministry, and Pastor Simington expressed his appreciation for the church’s relationship with the American Baptist Churches of Michigan.

§  The Rev. Larry Donald resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church, Walled Lake effective August 30 after serving there for 14 months. Donald was admired for his expository preaching and excellent Bible teaching skills. The Rev. Tucker Gunneman began as short term interim for the church on November 8. The congregation is already active in the search process and hope to call a pastor early in the new year.

§  On October 23 the Rev. Tucker Gunneman completed his ministry as interim pastor of First Baptist Church, Saginaw. While the church is actively seeking a new pastor, Associate Pastor Dan Miller is providing leadership. The Saginaw congregation has embraced great change, including moving into a new building in November 2008, and adopting a new mission statement, governance structure, and staffing model, among other new approaches to ministry in preparation for calling their next pastor.

§  The Rev. Ken Ridge has retired as pastor of Towar Hart Baptist Church, Lansing, effective September 15 after serving this church as a bivocational pastor for 14 years. He will be missed as he developed many great relationships and had a wonderful ministry with the members during this time. We wish Ken and his wife well in what will be Ken’s second retirement.

§  The Rev. Peter Conlin has retired as pastor of First Baptist Church, Eastpointe, effective October 25. He and his wife Marlea will make their their new home in the Tucson area. Conlin served the church for 7 years and established connections with the community and other churches for servant evangelism events in the Eastpointe area. He plans to pursue interim ministry through ABC-USA and ABC-MI. We wish Peter and his wife well in their retirement to a warmer climate.

§  Mr. Dan Davis, Certified Lay Pastor from First Baptist Church, Marshall, began as the interim at Bankers Baptist, HIllsdale, in October. Mr. Davis completed his studies through the ABC-MI Lay ministry school offered 2003-2004 and has been serving as an Associate at Marshall. He has also recently completed the training for Interim Ministry and brings many years of secular work experience in managing people and systems to ministry.

§  Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, Flint, is excited to announce the calling of the Rev. Dr. Major Stewart as their new senior pastor. Dr. Stewart is a native of Muskegon, MI where he grew up and co-founded the Urban League Junior of Greater Muskegon. He was called into the gospel ministry in 1986, was licensed at what is now Promise Tabernacle Baptist Church in Flint, and ordained in 1995. He has served churches in Flint, Oxnard CA, Jacksonville FL, Worcester MA, Philadelphia PA, Saginaw MI, and most recently served the Gethsemane Baptist Church in Flint.

Dr. Stewart holds a BA in Administration from Eastern Michigan University, MBA from California Lutheran University, MA. in C.E. from Michigan Theological Seminary in Plymouth, MI, and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton OH. He and his lovely wife Carla have three daughters, Alexandria, Mikaela, and Karissa. Dr. Stewart will begin his ministry December 1. We welcome the Stewarts to the ABC-MI family and look forward to ministering together for the gospel.

Final Webinar Offered to ABC-MI Clergy and Lay Leaders

Due to technical difficulties that caused the cancellation of the webinar originally schedule for October 28, the same webinar has been rescheduled for Tuesday, November 24 at noon.

Webinar

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/ykv9kx3. Fill it out and fax it to 517-332-3186. Registration deadline is Monday, November 23. Once you register with the region office you will be given an access link to register with Columbia Partnership which you must do prior to the webinar. For more information contact Ron Cary at 800-636-2671 or rcary@abc-mi.org.

WMO

World Mission Offering

The World Mission Offering (WMO) is used to support 2,500 short and long term missionaries annually, bringing U.S. and Puerto Rico churches together with partners in over 70 countries in cutting-edge ministries that tell the good news of Jesus Christ and demonstrate it in meeting human needs. This offering is normally promoted and received in October, but you may also donate to the WMO anytime during the year. Click on graphic at left for more information about WMO.

Sabbaticals Benefit Pastors - If They're Long Enough

A program evaluation study done by the Louisville Institute included 225 congregations where the pastor of the congregation had received a sabbatical grant in the last five years. Overwhelmingly, the pastors reported that the greatest gift of the sabbatical was the “gift of time.” Pastors who reported the greatest levels of satisfaction from the sabbatical reported appropriate mixes of rest and task engagement. By far, the most common regret was trying to do too much on the sabbatical. Pastors who took 3 month sabbaticals gained the most from the sabbatical. In fact, pastors who took only 1-2 month sabbaticals reported such dramatically lower satisfaction levels from shorter sabbaticals that the Louisville Institute now rarely funds sabbaticals of less than 3 months.

For more about the study read on.

Ministry Leadership Certification

Then consider taking the Leadership Development class of the Ministry Leadership Certification program. This class will meet Friday, November 20, 6:30 – 9pm at First Baptist Church of Charlotte and Saturday, November 21, 9am – 3pm at the Region office. The Rev. Pat Hernandez will be teaching the Friday evening class and the Rev. Brian Johnson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Stockbridge will be teaching the Saturday class. Both are passionate about helping people identify and develop their God-given gifts, claiming the Good News and witnessing to God’s presence in our midst. For more information and to register for this class, contact Sheila Kaminski at the Region office. Auditing rates are available in addition to the regular for credit fee.

New Resource for Leaders of Large Churches

Susan Beaumont of Alban Institute has something new to offer leaders of larger churches. Here's her letter:

Dear Colleague:

My work as a Senior Consultant with the Alban Institute brings me into regular contact with clergy and lay leaders in large congregational settings. These leaders often report feeling under-served and isolated. Denominational leaders rarely understand the inner workings of the large congregation, and leadership resources seldom address the unique dynamics of congregations with more than 400 in average weekly attendance (or more than 1,000 membership families in the synagogue).

In response to this expressed need I have launched a blog for leaders interested in the organizational and leadership dynamics of the large congregation. In many ways this blog is an invitation into my ministry! As a follower of this blog you will share in my work, hear what I'm encountering, and partner with me in meaning making. I hope you'll check it out, and post responses as you feel led. (Many of the topics are relevant to smaller church settings as well). Please consider sharing the URL address with others that you think may be interested.

www.insidethelargecongregation.com

Susan Beaumont

Bay City Church Hosts "Master's Touch" Quartet

New Hope Baptist Church, Bay City, will host "The Master's Touch" Quartet in concert on Sunday, November 22, at 6:30pm. The program is open to the public.

Members of the quartet are bass Jim Glasco (formerly of the Calvarymen), baritone Cass Ferris, lead singer Tim Kitchen, and tenor Mel Stokes (also former Calvarymen member).

The quartet will present a wide range of music from traditional southern gospel to contemporary Christian, something for everyone to enjoy.

There is no admission charge, but a free will offering will be taken.

New Hope Baptist Church is located at 3360 E. Midland Rd., Bay City. For further information call 684-6830.

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