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Grace is that extra bit of help when you think you are really doomed; also, not coincidentally, when you have finally run out of good ideas on how to proceed, and on how better to control the people or circumstances that are frustrating or defeating you. I experience grace as a cool ribbon of fresh air when I feel spiritually claustrophobic. Sometimes I experience it as water-wings, something holding me up when I am afraid that I'm going down, or the tide is carrying me away. I know that grace meets us wherever we are, but does not leave us where it found us. Sometimes it is so small--a couple of seconds relief here, several extra inches there. I wish it were big and obvious, like sky-writing. Oh, well. Grace is not something I do, or can chase down, but it is something I can receive when I stop trying to be in charge. We communicate grace to one another by holding space for people when they are hurt or terrified, instead of trying to fix them, or manage their emotions for them. We offer ourselves as silent companionship, or gentle listening when someone feels very alone. We get people glasses of water when they are thirsty. -- Anne Lamott, interview with Victoria Lautman, Chicago Magazine (chicagomag.com), March 2007, quoted in Context, May 2007, Part B
Luke 10:25-37
We know people all over the world are hungry.
We know about AIDS, street children and epidemics.
About tsunamis, earthquakes, wars and famines.
We despise suffering - and desperately want to alleviate it.
Together we are!
Many have been wonderfully generous in responding to the crying needs splashed on our television sets after disasters like the tsunami in Asia, the earthquake in Pakistan/Kashmir, and the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast. American Baptists have given more than $6.4 million to these disaster appeals. We gave eagerly and sacrificially to those urgent needs.
This year we are appealing to you for a 15% increase in our 2007 One Great Hour of Sharing offering (OGHS). Last year was the smallest offering received since 1991 ~ 15 years. But the needs of our neighbors have not decreased, nor the cost of meeting those needs. Let's rally to turn the tide of this decrease in giving, so our neighbors all around the world will know the love of God through our response to the chronic and emergent needs of the world.
Right now we are seeing quieter, more hidden disasters, such as extreme poverty, chronic hunger, unclean water, no sanitation from terrorizing war and devastating loss. Jesus talked to us about the command to "love your neighbor as yourself" when he told us the story of the Good Samaritan ~ A man who freely gave time, energy and money to help a stranger whom he didn't know and might never see again. According to Jesus, we are all neighbors to one another.
Since 1949, churches across North America have been giving to the annual OGHS offering, expressing God's love to our neighbors far and wide not just after the major disasters that saturate the media, but also to people affected by chronic disasters that repeat themselves each and every day. Gifts may go to:
Rebuild communities ravaged by natural disasters
Create sustainable sources of food and water for rural villages
Provide micro-credit so women can start their own small businesses and support their families
Provide job skills training
Provide the medical care necessary for children to have a chance to survive past the age of 5 and attend school
And so much more.
Jesus' response to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" set a standard that isn't easy to meet. By participating in OGHS we join together and give wholeheartedly to make a world of difference in the lives of our neighbors. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Debbie Hart, mission assistant at the Region Office at 800.632.2953 or dhart@abc-mi.org.
"Love your neighbor as yourself." -- Matthew 22:39
Arrivals, Departures, Celebrations, Concerns
§ The North Area of ABC-MI held its annual meeting on May 6 and elected the following officers: Chairperson: the Rev. Todd Regester; Vice Chairperson: the Rev. Gary Freel; Secretary: the Rev. Don Verner; and Treasurer: the Rev. Ray Strawser.
§ First Baptist Church, Battle Creek, has called the Rev. Allan Rogers as their new pastor. He will begin his ministry on June 3. Rogers served First Baptist Church, Walled Lake, from 1988-1997, Jamestown, NY from 1997-2001, as an Interim in Worchester, MA, and then pastor at Logansport, IN. We welcome Allan back to Michigan and look forward to ministering together.
§ The Rev. Cheryle Hanna is serving as interim pastor at Gracious Saviour ELC in Detroit.
Katrina Recovery Mission Trip
During the week of March 23-31 sixteen people from Federated Church, Grass Lake, First Baptist Church, Ypsilanti, Immanuel Baptist Church, Ypsilanti, and First Baptist Church, Adrian, pooled our talents and resources to serve the Lord on our second annual Katrina Recovery Mission Trip. Connecting through our denomination, we worked directly with Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. We stayed at Yankee Stadium in Biloxi, Mississippi, and began work on a replacement home near Gautier.
On arrival at the job site we were greeted by our Habitat crew chief Megan, by the anticipated home owner Ms. Candy, and a cement slab. Our crew of misfits, most of us used to more comfortable and less physical jobs, began building what we were assured would eventually resemble a home.
After five days we were pleased to have erected all of the walls, the rafters, sheathed the outside, and installed all of the windows (ok, all but the one we accidentally broke). It is indeed amazing what God can do when his people yield and agree to be used of Him (Phil. 4:13). As a Habitat slogan states: "I didn't know blisters could feel so good."
In the end we were humbly reminded of these words from Jeremiah, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord . . ." (9:23-24 NASB). Before leaving we gathered together at the job site with Ms. Candy, her two young children and Megan and prayed together to seek the Lord's blessing on this home and family that would be living there.
The joy of serving, the relationships woven together by laboring side by side, the pleasure of seeing Ms. Candy and her children excited about their home, and the opportunities to share God's love and grace made the long journey well worthwhile. We are already making plans to return again next February.
Click on images to view larger pictures.
The Naga Mission Team is Home
What a great experience was shared with Tangkhul Baptist Pastors and Women Leaders.
Thank you to all of the AB Women's Ministries groups and AB congregations that collected gloves, wrote prayers, raised financial support and bathed this whole endeavor in prayer.
This conference was a first for the Nagas in ways we had not even anticipated:
¶ It was the first conference to include pastors, their wives and women leaders.
¶ It was the first conference (for most) to offer a workshop style rather than speakers addressing the whole body at one time.
¶ It was the first Conference (for most) to focus on participatory learning.
¶ It was the first time many of the delegates had experienced husbands and wives sharing the pulpit in joint sermons.
¶ It saw the birth of the TBPA Women's Fellowship and installation of officers by the Michigan AB Women's Ministries President.
The Rev. Remember Rimai, immediate past Secretary of Tangkhul Baptist Pastors Association summed it up this way....
I should say that this conference has awakened sleeping church leaders and released the women folk from the cage. The workshop topics and the Gospel messages were so relevant to the current situation of the Tangkhul Nagas. The discussion method was appreciated ... hopefully long bottled up issues have been let out. Gospel messages brought by joint participation of both husband and wife on the same topic at the same platform was a new scene for the Tangkhul community. This will help the people realize that mission is a team effort where men and women, husband and wife should equally participate.
As for the Michigan Team, we experienced incredible hospitality, openness and a willingness to stretch and try new things from the Naga women and pastors alike. We were energized even in our exhaustion and came away blessed beyond words.
AB Women of Michigan: The Naga team will be offering two workshops at the Women's Conference at Alma, June 1-3. If you would like to attend to hear more about the conference, contact Evelyn Griffin for registration information: All935@cs.com.
AB Churches of MI: We are also making plans to report to the churches 7:00, June 5th at the First Baptist Church of Birmingham. All are invited. Please call the Church office to confirm the time and date. 248-644-0550. We hope to see you there!
New Pastor Orientation Rescheduled
The ABC-MI will hold an Orientation for New Professional Church Leaders at the Region office in East Lansing, Thursday, May 31, 2007, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. According to the Rev. Tucker Gunneman, ABC-MI Transitional Ministry Consultant, "This event will provide new pastors and associate pastors an opportunity to meet the ABC-MI staff and also to learn about the exciting ministries the Region has to offer as we seek to fulfill our vision of Growing Healthy Churches. This will also be a great way to get acquainted with other professional church leaders who also are new, or relatively new, to their ministry settings. If you would like to attend, please notify Debbie Hart at the Region office by phone at (800) 632-2953 x 221, or email dhart@abc-mi.org.
Need Pulpit Supply for the Summer?
If your church or pastor is looking for quality, experienced pulpit supply we can help. Contact the Rev. Tucker J. Gunneman, Consultant for Transitional Ministries, or Debbie Hart at the Region office for recommendations of people available in your area to fill the pulpit while your pastor is on vacation. Some of these folks are retired pastors, some are preparing for ministry, others are interims who have served us well and are between assignments. In any case, the word of God will be proclaimed to your congregation from experienced and effective preachers.
What's Happening in Transitional Ministry
There are currently thirteen churches between pastors:
First Baptist Church, Alpena - bivocational
Clarklake Community Church
First Baptist Church, Corunna - bivocational
First Baptist Church, Dearborn - Rev. Deutsch will end his ministry on June 3 and is moving to Alexandria, IN
First Baptist Church, Ferndale
First Baptist Church, Grand Blanc
First Baptist Church, Ionia
First Baptist Church, Lincoln
Huntly Memorial Baptist Church, Niles
Norvell Community Baptist Church - bivocational
First Baptist Church, Sault Ste Marie - bivocational
Union Church, Quincy
First Baptist Church, Walled Lake
Many of these churches are actively searching for a pastor, expecting to invite a candidate in the next few months. Others are working on identifying their next steps while they engage in the healthy church journey. I invite you join me in prayer for these churches, their leaders and search committees as they seek new pastoral leadership for successful ministry.
New Developments
Calling an American Baptist Minister, the manual used by search committees has been redesigned for use in ABC-MI by the Consultant for Transitional Ministries, Rev. Tucker Gunneman. The new design adds categories for the Church Profile that provide a more personal perspective on the church from church members, a method for telling the church's story which includes God's redemptive work through the partnering of the interim minister, the church health assessment tool and church leadership, and an improved process for discerning the beliefs and mission of the church.
Other changes include suggested interview questions that seek out the candidate's knowledge and skill in leading a church to become more missional and an opportunity for the candidate to respond to the newly-developed mission statement of the church. Churches will also be encouraged to have candidates interview with the church board to whom they will be accountable.
An included leadership survey can help the search committee define its leadership style and that of the candidate so styles are understood ahead of time and a method for teamwork developed for effective ministry. Each new component in the revised manual is designed to improve the process of discerning God's call for a positive match between church and pastor.
These changes have emerged as a result of three years' experiences of search committees and pastor/leadership relationships in our churches. Some of these experiences came from good relationships and choices, and others from weak process and lack of information. More changes are in the works as we seek to encourage our churches in transition to explore how to become healthier and more missional.
We are also working on resources for discovering pastoral candidates who truly understand and have the gifts, skills, and passion for developing missional churches. To assist in this endeavor the Supplemental Form that pastoral candidates are asked to complete for the search committee has been expanded from two to four pages with questions designed to discover what the candidate has done in the past and their understanding of what it takes to lead a missional church.
It is our conviction and passion that our churches can no longer afford to have chaplain type pastors if they are going to be obedient and effective in fulfilling the Great Commission. It is time we take the next step in helping our churches understand the need to become missional and to provide them effective leadership to do this. By doing so both our missional pastors and our churches can experience successful ministry for kingdom growth.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about these issues, please contact me at either: tgunneman@abc-mi.org or 586.219.3392.
Short Notices
There's still time to register for Lake Louise Baptist Camp! Go to www.camplakelouise.com.
Read the Friendship House Virtual Family Shop Newsletter at http://abc-mi.org/elink/vfs-may.pdf.
See the flyer for the Lake Louise Children's Ministry Workshop at http://abc-mi.org/elink/llchildmin.pdf.
Read the latest issue of International Ministries Prayer Call: http://abc-mi.org/elink/prayer-call.pdf.
Read the latest Friendship House newsletter: http://abc-mi.org/elink/fh.pdf
The next issue of E-Link Online will be published on June 4. Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by June 1.
Editor's Trips
Disclaimer: listing of these references does not imply endorsement of positions or policies advocated in them by either the American Baptist Churches of Michigan or the editor of E-Link Online. Caveat lector.
The Editor
§ Evangelical Leader Returns to Rome -- http://tinyurl.com/2axu8a
§ Churches Want Pork, Too -- http://tinyurl.com/2yldf8
§ Shopping Malls as Sacred Places -- http://tinyurl.com/2ysn6x
§ Why Weddings Cost So Much -- http://tinyurl.com/2jyt9w
§ The Key to Prayer -- http://tinyurl.com/3d68hd
§ Questions for God -- http://tinyurl.com/2nqmkv
§ The Link Between Feeling and Thinking -- http://tinyurl.com/yqdml9
All Rights Reserved
Dr. Michael A. Williams, Executive Minister
Joseph I. Mortensen, E-Link Online Editor. 989.835.6923
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Last update -- Sunday, May 20, 2007
