1 Oak Ridge Road, Bldg. 3, #4A, West Lebanon, NH 03784
*603-643-4201 888-262-3223
Rev. Dale Edwards
Region Minister
THE AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES OF VERMONT AND NEW HAMPSHIRE
“Mission at our Doorstep:
Renewal, Restoration, and New Beginnings”
March 2015 Newsletter
Table of Contents
Page 2 Annual Gathering Call to Prayer and Information
Pages 3-4 From Our Region Minister, New Writers join staff, Condolences, Changes in Pastorates
Pages 4-11 News from AB Women’s Ministries, Ministers Council, 25 to Life, Camp Sentinel, Institute for Learning; ABCUSA, and the Mission Summit
Page 11 American Baptist Mission Support Report for January 2015
Join your fellow American Baptists from Vermont and New Hampshire for our Annual Gathering on May 1 and 2 at the Holiday Inn in Rutland, VT. Registration material will be sent to churches the first part of March and will be available on the Region website under “Events/Events Registration.” Register by March 30 and save $5 off the registration fee. Rooms may be reserved at the Holiday Inn by calling 802-775-1911. Mention you are registering for the American Baptist Churches of VT & NH Annual Gathering to receive a special rate of $91 per night.
A Call to 60 Days of Prayer Leading Up to the Annual Gathering
As we prepare to “go up” to Rutland, VT, for our Annual Gathering, Rev. Dale Edwards, our Region Minister, is calling on us to enter into 60 days of prayer for the Region, beginning March 2. During this time we encourage you to read and reflect on the Psalms of Ascent, Psalms 120-134. A devotion booklet has been prepared to help you with that. Each day will focus on one of the Psalms. Accom-panying each Psalm is a reflection (written by a pastor or layperson from our Region), a link to a YouTube video that is based on the day’s Psalm, a related photo on which to meditate, and selected churches and pastors, Region staff or officials, committees, affiliated organizations and situations for which you are asked to pray for that day.
The booklet is available on the Region website. Go to abcvnh.org and on the sidebar on the homepage is a link to the booklet. You can click on the link and either scroll down to read the day’s reflection or download the entire booklet. Each day’s reflection will also be posted on the Region’s Facebook page. You can like us by going to Facebook, typing in ABC Vermont & New Hampshire and clicking “Like.” If you would like a physical copy of the devotion booklet, please contact the Region office for a copy. 603-643-4201 or . A suggested donation of $3.00 is requested to cover the cost of mailing.
Pictures needed for the Annual Gathering
As we prepare for the Annual Gathering celebration, the Annual Gathering Committee needs your help.They are looking for pictures of life around the Region this past year. Specifically, they are looking for your church in “missional” action in and around your local community. Please email pictures to Kevin Van Brunt at by April 1st.
Speakers and Workshops
Our main speaker this year is Jim Murphy. Jim was with us last year and we have invited him back to speak with us about evangelism. He will also be leading a workshop on MyCircle Evangelism on Saturday. Jim is an elder at Missio Church in Syracuse, NY. Our Friday night preacher will be Rev. Dr. Stephanie Allen, pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in Middlebury, VT. Stephanie is an excellent communicator and teacher.
We will be offering two other workshops on Saturday. In the morning Rev. John Babson will lead a workshop titled “Nursing Homes: Ministering to the Unseen and Neglected.” In the afternoon Revs. Chris and Kathleen Blackey will lead a workshop titled “Going Intergenerational in Christian Education.”
Prayer Room and Night Watch
We will again be having a prayer room at the Annual Meeting with opportunity for people to pray throughout the night. The Night Watch will be from 9 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday. The prayer theme is “Sow seeds, trust the promise.” Sign up to share a night watch slot with others or for exclusive use of the prayer room at: www.24-7prayer.com/signup/e0123b. Pray for opportunities to confidently and joyfully sow the seeds of the Gospel where you have been planted. Trust the promise.
From Our Region Minister: “Complexity vs. Simplicity”
Lately I have read a couple of books on “Adaptive Challenge” by Ronald Heifetz. Heifetz’s premise is the world for leaders and organizations is a complex, rapidly changing place and one must always be engaged in adaptive work. Assume nothing is stagnant or static.
In some ways, Heifetz says nothing new in regards to complexity. I hear the same themes I once read in Peter Senge’s book, The Fifth Discipline, and in much of the work done by the late great Alban Institute. The insights of Lyle Schaller, Loren Mead, Peter Steinke, and Alice Mann are still applicable. So from the standpoint of church systems, and organizations in general, there remains an agreed on “complexity” to the human endeavor.
Now, as I hold Heifetz’s books in one hand, with the other I have been reading the works of a contemporary theologian, Scott McKnight. McKnight writes that based in God’s grace there is a foundational timeless sim-plicity to being the church; complexity in a changing world, yes, but a foundational simplicity that transcends the complexity. McKnight’s simple premise is that the simple speaking of the Gospel and Christians simply living out their faith transcend change and complexity, and people are attracted to Jesus Christ. The Body of Christ is, as always, built upon the Gospel’s proclamation and Christians living their faith. So nothing for the prospering of God’s Kingdom has changed for centuries.
My thoughts, not McKnight’s and certainly not Heifetz, are that when all is grappled with, there must always remain the simple Gospel and the simple Christian life, individually and in community. When I was a pastor leading church membership classes I always asked people to share their stories of coming to know Jesus. There was the older gentleman who reached back into the 1950’s and said, “I went forward at the Billy Graham crusade at the Boston Garden.” There was the Dartmouth medical student who prayed with a Chris-tian professor in an office at the med school. There was the guy trying to get sober who, praying in his car, broke down in sobs and pulled to the side of the road. And then there was the woman who said she thought she had been a Christian all her life, but then one day during communion, holding the cup, Jesus was there.
I think of Paul on the Damascus Road, Augustine’s confessions, Martin Luther’s agonizing journey, John Wesley “strangely warmed at Aldersgate”, and Bonhoeffer’s rejection of “cheap grace”. I begin to wonder a little bit if our world is really any more complex than theirs was? Maybe it is okay to attempt to understand the change and complexity, to parse and dissect, and navigate them as best we can. But to paraphrase Leo-nard Sweet, Jesus is still the North Star. I wonder if we have over-focused on the complexity at the expense of the timeless simplicity of knowing Jesus and just living out of this new relationship. The kingdom of God is still at hand.
In Jesus’ name, Dale
New Writers Join Communications Team
The Communications Team of ABC/VNH is excited to announce that two new writers will be assisting the Region with its monthly e-newsletter and blog. Linda Matchett will be writing a monthly column in the ABC/ VNH e-newsletter (subscribe easily by following this link: http://bit.ly/1DxBJTI) and David Doyle will be writing a guest blog post each month on the Region’s blog. These posts/columns will all be cross-promoted on the Region’s Facebook page (just search for “ABC Vermont & New Hampshire” on Facebook), so if you haven’t yet “liked” the page, please do and help us welcome these new writers!
AMERICA FOR CHRIST gifts support Christ-centered ministries that touch lives and transform people across the United States and Puerto Rico – through evangelism training, church renewal and discipleship resources, volunteer disaster response plus initiatives that fight poverty and so much more.
As we read the gospels, we are presented with a loving Lord as someone who does things, not someone who did things. One of the greatest dangers of Christianity is to think of Jesus as someone to be remembered, instead of someone to be met and experienced.As the church in the 21st century, our calling is to help people see the power of the risen Christ in action today.
Give through your local church or online by clicking here.
Condolences
Condolences to Rev. Dr. Margaret “Maggie” Lewis (First Baptist Church, Nashua) on the passing of her mother, Virginia Lewis, on January 22. A funeral service was held on January 26. Cards may be sent to Maggie at 4 Rosemary Court, Nashua, NH 03062.
Condolences to Pastor Dan and Wendy Ward (Holderness Community Church) on the passing of Dan’s mother, Elaine Ward, on January 30. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on February 28 at the Holderness Community Church. Cards may be sent to the Wards at 32 Brookstone Terrace, Bristol, NH 03222.
Changes in Pastorates
· Rev. Charles Kuthe is finishing his ministry with Georgia Plain Baptist Church at the end of February. He will be pastoring a church in Texas nearer his family. We wish him well.
· We welcome Mr. Jeremy Pataro as the new pastor at South Hampton Baptist Church. Email: ; Phone: 845-235-6997.
· We welcome Mr. Jeff Robie as the interim pastor at Bow Lake Free Will Baptist Church, Strafford, NH. Phone: 603-642-7270.
· We welcome Rev. Linda Overall as the interim pastor at Melvin Village Community Church.
· We welcome Rev. Dr. Evelyn Lavelli as the new pastor at the United Church of Hardwick. Email: ; Phone: 802-472-6353.
American Baptist Women’s Ministries VNH
American Baptist Women’s Ministries is Christ-centered, committed to encourage
and empower Women and Girls to serve God. Our Mission Statement.
The Great Escape
February snow, snow, snow and then into the March winds. How do we escape this with us living up North? We tend to wish for sunny, warm temperatures and green grass. Maybe these are a few ways to escape. For one escape we keep that image of the green grass in our minds to keep us going through to the real green grass, plus the daffodils. Another escape is using this indoor time to catch up on “needs to do” left over from the fall. Another escape could be to get in contact with some people we have neglected. Oh! That’s a good idea. Life is a little slower, so another excellent escape is to LISTEN more for the Lord’s leading, and then acting on what we hear. “Be still and know that I am God.”
On February 7¸ we AB Women came together for our Mid-Winter Gathering with a program planned by Florine Hilson, our ABW Region Church and Community Coordinator. With such chaos in the world concerning religions and how they are carried out, we needed insight into some of these major religions. Rev. Dr. Arthur Hilson gave us insight into many religions of the world, as this is one of his areas of expertise. It was an excellent day. We learned much and had wonderful fellowship.
International Ministries brings such a need always. The world is getting more violent every day. You can keep abreast of worldly action and needs of our missionaries by contacting for a direct contact with a missionary. Human trafficking is still alive and well, but we have many missionaries working in that area. Annie Stanley Dieselberg, our Vermont lady, is working with her husband, Jeff, in Thailand. Look her up on line.
National ABWM News can be looked up on line at www.abwministries.org.
2015 Events
· April 12 – 15, Spring Association Meetings; Theme: Missions in our neighborhood;
Speaker: Sandra Hasenhaur, ABWM/USA will share “ABW: Where we’ve been and where we are going.”
April 12: Green & White Mountain Association – 3:00 p.m. at Passumpsic Community Baptist Church
April 13: Central Association – 9:30 a.m. at Grace River, Claremont
April 13: Southern/Monadnock Associations – 5:00 p.m. at Goffstown Christian Fellowship
April 14: Southwest Association – 9:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church, Bennington
April 14: Northwest Association – 5:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Burlington
April 15: Southeast Association – 9:30 a.m. A place is needed to host (contact Marsha Omand if you
are willing to host at your church and
April 15: Lakes Association – 3:00 p.m. at Community Church of Sandwich, Center Sandwich
· May 1 – 2, ABC/VNH Annual Gathering in Rutland, VT; ABWM meeting Friday afternoon
· June 25, Women’s Day at the ABCUSA Biennial Mission Summit, Overland Park, KS. For details see ABCUSA News elsewhere in this newsletter.
· June 30 – July 1, ABWM/VNH Annual Retreat at Hotel Coolidge, White River Junction
When we gather together in the Name of our Lord, we can’t go wrong. Invite your friends and pick them up.
Blessings, in Jesus’ Love and Service, Marsha Omand, President, ABWM/VNH
April 1st Deadline
ABWM Scholarships Available for High School Seniors, College Students, and Seminarians
Graduating high school, undergraduate and graduate students can now apply for a scholarship from the American Baptist Women’s Ministries of Vermont New Hampshire for the 2015-16 school year.