Short Notices

Editor's Trips

Issue 2010.09, May 3, 2010

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Comings, Goings, Celebrations, Concerns

Ed Willingham

§  Congratulations to the Rev. Edward Willingham, who was inducted on April 7 as an Honorary Life Member of the World Association for Christian Communication. He was the 18th person so honored since the beginning of the program in 1995. Ed retired in 1998, having served 36 years on the staff of the Council of Churches in Detroit. Since retirement he has served as interim minister for five churches in the Detroit area. See WACC installs three new Honorary Life Members.

§  Condolences to the family of the Rev. Inga Freyer-Nicholas, former co-pastor of Michigan Ave. Baptist Church, Saginaw. She died in Florida on April 20 after a lengthy illness. Her funeral service was held on Sunday, April 25, at Pilgrims’ United Church of Christ, Fruitland Park, FL. Notes of sympathy may be sent to her husband, the Rev. Ronal Freyer-Nicholas, at ron.freyer.nicholas@gmail.com. The ABC-MI family extends deepest sympathy to Ron, the family, and members of the congregation. Click here for her obituary.

§  The First Baptist Church of Saginaw will hold a service of installation for their new pastor, the Rev. Tucker Gunneman, on Sunday, May 16, at 3:00 pm.

Double Dollars for Region Offering through Matching Gift

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Royal Oak

The First Baptist Church of Royal Oak Mission Fund is taking this passage literally in announcing a $15,000 matching gift for the American Baptist Churches of Michigan 2010 Region Offering. All new or increased gifts to ABC-MI received by September 1, 2010 will be eligible to be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

As First Baptist merged with Genesis, a non-denominational church in Royal Oak, it realized some decisions needed to be made about its accumulated assets. Genesis committed to maintain the church facility and invest in its renovation. This allowed First Baptist to make the unanimous decision to contribute approximately $700,000 to American Baptist mission and ministry over the next few years.

The church’s pastor, Dr. David L. Nichols, said in explanation:

Everything we have has been given by God to be managed wisely for the sake of God’s kingdom. Investing in stocks or bonds offers little hope for the immediate future; the stock market is volatile, and bonds are paying historically low rates. We believe it is far better to invest these funds in God’s mission.

By offering these funds as matching gifts for mission and ministry, it is hoped that other churches will join the First Baptist Church of Royal Oak Mission Fund in putting the words of Jesus into practice through the ministries of ABC-MI. Click here for Region Offering bulletin inserts.

Pastors: Please Participate in the FACT 2010 Online Survey

By Dr. Michael A. Williams, Executive Minister

Strengthening congregations is a goal shared by the American Baptist Churches of Michigan (ABC-MI); the American Baptist Churches USA; as well as many denominations in the United States. One of the ways of strengthening congregations is to understand them better. That is why I have decided to participate in the FACT 2010 survey. FACT – Faith Communities Today - is a national project aimed at better understanding congregations in the U.S. in order to enhance their mission and ministries. In the year 2000, FACT guided the largest study of congregations ever conducted. This year, a follow-up study is taking place and our Region has been invited to participate. The results will provide a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of congregational life in our Region, in other American Baptist congregations across the United States, and Protestant America.

Please complete the online survey by May 20, 2010.

Your response is essential to ensure that congregations such as yours are appropriately represented in this national portrait. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey, or have it completed by another leader in your congregation. Only one person from each of our ABC-MI congregations needs to fill out the survey. In most cases this person will be the senior, solo, or interim pastor, but if you have received this invitation and feel that someone else may be better qualified to respond, you are welcome to forward the information to that person.

If at all possible, please submit the completed survey online by May 20, 2010.

You can participate by simply clicking on the link below and completing the online survey. The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. You do not need to complete the survey in one sitting, but can save your work and return later to finish if necessary. If over 50% of our regional congregations respond, we will receive regional data that we may use to compare our congregations with other ABC and national congregations as a way of better understanding and better serving you.

http://faithcommunitiestoday.org/abcsurvey

Your individual responses are confidential. Only a statistical summary of the results will be made publicly available, so be candid in your responses.

On behalf of the FACT research team and our Region staff, thank you for contributing to our understanding of the vitality of American congregations. Statistical results from the study and a new round of resources based on the information will be available of the FACT website (fact.hartsem.edu) in 2011.

Sowing Seeds

Region Offering in May

It’s amazing what can happen when we partner with friends to join in God’s mission. May is the time of year when we accept the “Sowing Seeds of Ministry” as our annual Region Offering. This offering promotes our life together as American Baptists in our ABC-MI Region. Together with all of our God-given gifts we are growing healthy churches, cultivating health in our pastors and sowing seeds of the Gospel all over Michigan. What a blessing it is to work together toward a shared goal and to make a difference in the lives of those around us! Your support will assist us as we continue to work together building the kingdom and blooming where we are planted. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Debbie Hart, Mission Assistant at 800.632.2953 ext. 221 or dhart@abc-mi.org.

Your generous support of the Region Offering will enable ABC-MI to serve churches  by

New this year is a matching grant (see related story in this issue of E-Link) that will double your dollars. There is no better time to give if you want to make an impact on ministry in ABC-MI! Click here for Region Offering bulletin inserts.

New Stewardship Program Available

More Than Enough

The Ecumenical Stewardship Center’s 2010 stewardship program is now available.

“More Than Enough” invites people to be blessed as they bless others. As God’s people invest their gifts and talents on behalf of God’s kingdom, they experience God providing more than enough – more than enough to their needs, needs in the local community, and the needs of congregational ministry.

Congregants are also given an opportunity to bless their brothers and sisters in Christ by Sharing their giving stories with them.

Both activities, investing gifts and telling stories, nurture people’s hearts in the truth that God provides more than enough to meet their needs. Releasing and recalling God’s blessings also encourages people to respond by giving to support their congregation and investing themselves in its ministry.

“More Than Enough” focuses on worship that celebrates God’s gifts and blessings. During the final service, people make commitments to support their congregation’s ministry.

Stewardship programs from other publishers are available as well. If you would like assistance in selecting an appropriate stewardship program or adapting one for use in your context, please call (1-800-440-3579) or email (dnichols@abc-mi.org) Rev. Dr. David L. Nichols, ABC-MI Church Consultant for Personal Discipleship, Corporate Stewardship and Congregational Health.

Anchor Ministries Announces Legacy 2010

Legacy 2010

Dear Friends,

My name is Scott Cherry with Anchor Minisitries in Dearborn, MI. I hope I have had the pleasure of meeting you at one of the Annual Gatherings such as the last one at Covenant Baptist.

 I want to tell you about the exciting conference we're planning for June 17-20, Legacy 2010: Missions, Muslims and the heart of God. Our theme is the holiness of God and His purposes in the world. Visit our website here: http://dearbornlegacyconference.org/. This is the fourth time we've hosted this conference in Dearborn, of which I am the chairman. We need your prayer for this, and we really want you to join us for the event. Please help us to spread the word far and wide.

Let me tell you why I think this conference is important for you. First, this conference is for "regular people", not just missionaries or other professionals on the missions field. It is therefore meant to inform, inspire and challenge you in your faith, especially in relation to Islam and Muslims in America. We want to teach you some skills and priniciples on wisely and lovingly relating the gospel to Muslim people around you. But Legacy is also about thinking. Thinking biblically. Thinking intelligently. Thinking lovingly.

Therefore Legacy is about the heart and the mind of the believer. We want to stimulate and celebrate sound thinking, first about God and His "glory in the face of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6); about His passion to fill the earth with his glory (Hab. 2:14); and to gather the nations to Himself, bringing all things under Christ (Eph 1:7-10). Therefore Legacy is about sound theology in missions--especially missions to Muslims; about redemption, evangelism, and the Great Commission to "make disciples of all nations" and "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded" (Jesus, Matthew 28:18,20). Legacy is also about understanding Islam and Muslims, and learning to interact with them the way Jesus interacted with Samaritans. Whether you feel you know very little or already well-educated, these are essential principals for cross-cultural evangelism. All these things are part of the writings of Dr. Samuel Zwemer whose legacy we honor.

What you will not find at this conference is a spirit of fear or alarmism or hostility. Yes, Islam is making steady inroads into American culture, and we should be aware of this. But there are many other destructive forces already far more entrenched in America. And God is sovereign over the nations (Acts 17:26-27). It is our prayer that this conference will fuel passionate and loving evangelism to Muslim people whom He loves and whom we are also commanded to love, here and abroad. Therefore, it is also a call to prayer.

In His Group,
Scott Cherry
313.485.7153

For complete information see http://dearbornlegacyconference.org/.

Friendship House Walkathon on May 22

Walkathon

The Friendship House annual Walkathon will be held Saturday, May 22, from 9am to noon. Pledges to walkers help support Hamtramck's only food pantry. This year all funds raised will be matched dollar for dollar by the Royal Oak Mission Fund. Help support the food pantry by joining the Walkathon. It's "Friend-raising" and "fund-raising" at its best.

Click on links below for forms and posters:

Worship Extravaganza at 2010 Annual Equipping Event

The 2010 Annual Equipping Event (Friday Oct. 22 – Saturday, October ,23 at First Baptist Church of Charlotte will feature a Friday evening worship extravaganza. If you or members of your congregation would like to share your gifts, please contact Pat Hernandez (phernandez@abc-mi.org).

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.

Ministry Leadership Certification: Conflict Transformation

The next MLC class is on conflict transformation, Saturday, May 22, from 9am to 3pm at the First Baptist Church of Battle Creek. The cost for credit is $100; the fee to audit the class is $25. If at least two people from the same church are registered for audit and/or credit, each additional person is only $10 (for audit). This class is designed specifically for pastors and church leaders who want to gain skills and tools to move beyond merely managing conflict to developing a process which transforms communication and strengthens community. While conflict is often viewed as a negative, this class will lead students to a new understanding of conflict as an opportunity for growth.

Dr. Ross Lucas, Consulting Pastor at First Baptist Church of Battle Creek and instructor for the class, says, “In many church settings conflict is a dirty word. When I was a full-time pastor I wanted to believe that there would be no conflict in my church. That was a matter of my pride, not reality. I have come to realize that conflict is going to be present wherever there are a group of people. That does not mean conflict will necessarily be destructive. It is possible for conflict to increase the health and effectiveness of the group.”

The Rev. Dr. Lucas was licensed to preach by the First Baptist Church of Brazil, IN, in 1963 during his senior year of high school. He finished his undergraduate work at Indiana State University and then completed a Master of Divinity degree at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Over the next 20 years, he served as pastor of churches in Indiana and Oklahoma. While serving the McDoel Baptist Church in Bloomington, he completed a Doctorate in Educational Psychology. This led him to become a pastoral counselor and psychologist for the Samaritan Counseling Center of Central Michigan where he eventually became the Director.

In 2005 he began doing consulting with churches and not-for-profit organizations. The primary focus of the consulting has been conflict transformation and governance models. As a part of the consulting, he served as Interim Pastor for the New Hope Baptist Church of Bay City, MI. At the present time he is the consulting pastor of the First Baptist Church of Battle Creek, MI.

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.