Short Notices

Editor's Trips

Issue 2010.07, April 5, 2010

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed

Resurrection

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:19-26)

The art work, Easter Morning, is by Dr. He Qi, professor at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in China. From Vanderbilt University Collection: Art in the Christian Tradition. Used under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.

Comings, Goings, Celebrations, Concerns

§  Dr. Richard Schultheis, retired ABC-MI pastor, will serve as Chaplain at Baptist House at the Chautauqua Conference, NY, July 17-24. Theme of the conference is "Nuclear Power and Nuclear Weapons: the Right to Have and to Hold". He is a member of Christ Community Church, Lansing, where he serves as chair of Congregation Care.

§  The Rev. Inga Freyer-Nicholas, former co-pastor of Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, Saginaw, is in declining health and now in hospice care in Florida. According to the latest report from her husband, the Rev. Ron Freyer-Nicholas, she suffered a stroke or seizure on March 21 and has had severe complications and pain since then. He wrote, "At this point all the hospice staff can do is try to keep her comfortable and relatively pain free." Keep Ron and Inga in your prayers. Messages may be sent to ashes2fire@cfl.rr.com.

§  The current issue of Legacy, the newsletter of the American Baptist Foundation, features some Michigan Baptists: Bruce and Carole Carr and Carole Flaton. Click here to view the newsletter.

§  An American Baptist International Ministries delegation discussed a plan of recovery, rebuilding and strengthening the 87-year partnership with the Convention Baptiste d’Haiti (CBH) on March 17-19, 2010. For more on this click here.

Sowing Seeds

Sowing Seeds of Ministry

Our ministries at the American Baptist Churches of Michigan are like garden plots, carefully planned and planted in order to reap a bountiful harvest. As plants need light, water, and soil to grow, so our ministries need a variety of things to thrive: dedicated people, prayer, and funding. Because we all want to see a yield of changed lives, we need to be careful stewards of our resources.

One of the ways ABC-MI is doing just that is through our annual Region Offering: Sowing Seeds of Ministry. Through this special offering, our churches have the opportunity to contribute directly to our Region to support the worthy ministries that ABC-MI provides. Money given to this offering helps support efforts to grow healthy churches, cultivate health in our pastors, and sow seeds of the Gospel in Michigan.

The Region suggests promoting the Sowing Seeds of Ministry offering in May, but your church may take the offering at any time. Advertising and support materials will begin to arrive at your church in early April. New this year is a matching gift fund offered through the First Baptist Church of Royal Oak Mission Fund. All new or increased gifts to the Region Offering received by September 1, 2010 will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis! Prayerfully consider giving for the first time or increasing last year’s giving in order that your gift may have maximum impact.

ABC-MI is proud to stand in partnership with your church, providing the ministries you need when you need them. We hope you will take advantage of the chance you have to directly impact those ministries through your generous giving. You have the opportunity to sow seeds of ministry in our state where many people are hurting and in need of support.

Remember: as in bringing forth fruit from the earth, bringing in the harvest of the Kingdom takes time, dedication, prayer, and patience. It also takes financial support. Thank you in advance for yours.

Nichols Named American Baptist Foundation Representative

Valley Forge, PA March 22, 2010: The Reverend Dr. David Nichols has been named the American Baptist Foundation’s planned giving representative at the American Baptist Churches of Michigan (ABC-MI). This appointment, effective March 1, 2010, was announced by Lawrence Edw. Wilson, III, President of the Foundation. In his position Nichols will work with regional staff and the pastors and lay leaders of the more than 150 American Baptist churches statewide to encourage charitable giving from their estates and assets among people in their congregations.

Dr. Nichols’ position with the Foundation combines with his responsibilities as ABC-MI’s Consultant for Stewardship, Discipleship and Congregational Health to take full advantage of his vast knowledge of Development and its critical relationship to ministry. He will have a unique opportunity to serve ABC-MI’s constituency in a holistic way—combining his effective service in estate planning and charitable giving with other critical aspects of financial stewardship. Congregants can grow in their personal discipleship, while strengthening the health of their local churches, as well as the wider ministries of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan and the nation, and around the world. >> more.

Michigan Baptist Scholarship Society (MBSS) Applications

Members of American Baptist Churches in Michigan who are preparing for careers as professional church leaders and are in need of financial assistance for their studies are invited to apply to MBSS for help. The application form can be downloaded and needs to be returned to Bruce Carr, MBSS President, no later than June 30 for the fall semester.

Note that applicants from churches which currently support MBSS, have it in their budgets for next year, or which have supported MBSS in recent years will have priority over applicants from churches that do not or have not done so.

Send your completed applications with the necessary references and other material to Bruce Carr; 23436 North Stockton Drive; Farmington Hills, MI 48336. Phone: 248-474-8916 (day or evening). E-mail: Hbrucecarr@aol.com Again, the deadline for receiving everything is June 30 for the fall semester.

For people wishing support to begin in January, 2011, applications are due on October 15.

Haiti Work Projects

Many of our American Baptist congregations have given generously to assist our Haitian sisters and brothers in this great time of need. [ABCUSA churches have given more than $1.2 million so far.] Some of our churches have asked about the opportunity to send mission work teams to assist in a “hands-on” way.

American Baptist International Ministries tells us that our Haitian friends will soon be ready to receive small work teams. The deployment of such teams will be coordinated by Angela Suderman, our American Baptist coordinator for Volunteers in Global Mission. Ron Cary of our Region staff also has some information that will be helpful in planning the deployment of volunteer work teams. Here are some details available at the moment:

Training materials are available to train your teams and prepare them for the experience. Costs for projects are still being determined. For more information, and to discover the best time to send a team from your church, contact:

Judson Students Serve Christ in Missions

Every year Judson University sends teams of students on mission trips to various countries across the globe during Spring Break. The purpose of mission trips is to allow students the experience of service to the less fortunate and the spread of the gospel. One recent mission trip was to Huánuco, Peru. The focus of this mission trip was to raise awareness about issues of abuse and neglect of children to the people in Peru. The team worked with a group called Paz Y Esperanza in Peru by helping construct a shelter for abused women and acting out skits in the market place. The team members stated that as a result of their mission experience they have a broader worldview of the injustices in the people’s lives around the globe. They now have a stronger desire to bring justice to all people and introduce them to Christ’s love. [Judson University News Release]

The Sons of Thunder Strength Team Rocks First Baptist Church of Tecumseh

by the Rev. Alan Maki

The First Baptist Church of Tecumseh, MI is a small church, averaging 110 people at our Sunday worship services. We decided to host The Sons of Thunder Strength Team, the #1 rated school assembly in America and headquartered in Monroe, MI, for a 4-day revival. The team, founded by Michigan parole officer Dan Foor, finds a host church, then sets up school assemblies in the church area where they perform great feats of strength during the day before holding a similar rally at the host church on each of the four evenings. In our case, the team appeared at seven local schools where they bent steel rods, ripped phone books in half, tore license plates with their teeth, broke baseball bats over their backs, and exploded pop cans with their bare hands, all the while challenging the revved-up students to chase their dreams and aim for excellence. At each conclusion, the students were invited to attend the evening program at the church with their parents and friends for greater feats of strength and personal testimonies.

The Sons of Thunder Team consists of Dan Foor, a former Mr. Michigan and National Bodybuilding Champion; Josh Whisneant, a former All-American football player who holds three college degrees and held the world squat record; Paul Rogers, a former American Gladiator and stunt double for Arnold Schwartzenegger; and Cory Schlesinger, a former NFL running back for the Detroit Lions and 3-time All-Pro. All are big and strong, and the good news is that each can really speak and preach the Good News! Their testimonies are riveting.

In our case, the team spoke to more than 2,500 elementary, middle and high school students, and almost 700 people attended our 4 evening services, at which more than 200 people answered altar calls. The experience was extremely positive, uplifting and life-changing, and the team came to our area for love offerings only, meals and a hotel room for two of the out-of-state men. We also supplied about a thousand dollars worth of steel, bricks, plywood, bats, etc., for the men to use at their appearances. Altogether, the event cost our church a rather paltry $1800, which was a small price to pay for tremendous exposure for our church and revival at which many souls were saved.

To discuss a possible event at your church, feel free to click on sonsofthunderteam.com and call Pam Foor at 734-732-6601. She even makes all the contacts and books the schools for you.

Church to Host Shower for Camp Lake Louise

Michigan Avenue Baptist Church in Saginaw will host a Camp Shower for Camp Lake Louise on Sunday, April 18. Lake Louise is registered at The Home Depot, and other gift ideas are included in this wish list. Contact Ryan Madis (ryan.madis@lakelouiserocks.com or 800-440-1238) or Erica Van Brakle (989-793-8555) for more information. We hope to see you on the 18 as we prepare for the 2010 camping season and beyond. RSVP by April 11 to Michigan Ave. Baptist Church (989.793.8555).

Metro Men's Events

Short Notices

Editor's Trips

The Editor

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 imply that either he or the American Baptist Churches of Michigan necessarily 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.