E-Link Online -- News of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan

Voices

We can never penetrate fully into the mystery of the reconciliation between God and man. But we can at least see that the very heart of all things is a God of suffering love. We can have the overpowering realization that God has paid us the almost intolerable compliment of loving us that much. He has offered us himself. -- Robert McAfee Brown

Youth Convention November 9-11 in Lansing

The American Baptist Youth of Michigan Annual Senior High Convention will be held November 9-11, 2007 at the Holiday Inn-South, Lansing. Registration packets and convention posters were sent to all abc of michigan churches about three weeks ago. If you have not received a packet and wish to have one please contact Jim Davis at jimdavis@camplael.com or call 1.800.636.8452.

Jason Raitz, youth minister at Willow Creek is the guest speaker. Music is by "God Made the Stars." Theme is "Make Your Mark" and theme scripture is Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do"

Registration deadline is October 27.

Arrivals, Departures, Celebrations, Concerns

§ The First Baptist Church of Detroit, pastored by the Rev. Bill Walker, is celebrating its 180th year of ministry in the metro Detroit area through the month of October and into the next year. The church began October 22, 1827, when a group of Baptists in the frontier town of Detroit sought help in organizing a Baptist Society. Since that time the church has been blessed in ministry in mission and worship. First Baptist Church of Detroit is the "mother church" to many Baptist congregations in the Detroit area, including the historic African American Second Baptist Church. The church's long and rich history has included a vital ministry to Japanese Americans, NISEI, during World War II. Currently the multi-racial, multi-cultural congregation mirrors the demographics of the Southfield community. October events have included a Russian choral group Archiglas from St. Petersburg, as well as a formal Women's Tea and historic vignettes during morning worship.

§ The Rev. James Bowden, former pastor at Valley Farms Baptist Church, Lansing, is seriously ill, having been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. His wife Ann has extremely high blood pressure and is being treated as well for possible "mini" strokes. Your prayers are encouraged. The Bowdens' address is 4878 Brookdale, Muskegon, Michigan 49441. -- submitted by the Rev. Dave Leisman

§ The Rev. Dr. William F. Keucher, former pastor at Covenant Baptist Church, W. Bloomfield, and former president of American Baptist Churches, died in Springfield, IL on October 15 at the age of 89. He was a lifelong advocate for underserved, economically challenged, international and minority populations, for the principles of social justice and religious freedom, and for the separation of church and state. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Edith W. Keucher; his two daughters, Margaret Valerie Savage and her husband, Donald Savage, and Louise Sherilyn Cormier and her husband, Jay Fast; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dr. Keucher's memory may be made to Central Baptist Seminary, 6601 Monticello Road, Shawnee, KS 66103; or the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., Seventh floor, New York City, NY 10001 or online. More detail at http://abc-usa.org/news/2007/20071018a.htm.

International Ministries Joins You Tube

International Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA announced that a new series of videos on mission around the world is now available! GOD @ WORK -- a series of short videos on a single missionary or missionary couple is now available through the website of International Ministries. [Play sample at left]

"We are pleased to be able to make these wonderful video presentations available for viewing and download by request to the public and especially to the many supporters of these servants around the world," said Dr. Reid Trulson, executive director of International Ministries.

Each GOD @ WORK video is a standalone piece, lasting less than three minutes. The short videos profile the work of a missionary and include ministry presentations and up-close and personal interviews. Presently 28 videos are available on the International Ministries website, with a several more to be posted in the near future. Some of the videos had been available in limited release as part of the DVD package with the World Mission Offering materials, available to churches now through Judson Press. (call 1-800-458-3766) "Churches can now enjoy these videos on demand all year round and not just with a special DVD," said Trulson. The public may watch the videos online, (go to http://www.internationalministries.org/videos/GodAtWork/), or may email GodatWork@internationalministries.org to get a download of a video.

Feedback Requested

Your feedback is essential to providing our churches with meaningful and useful training and gathering events. To help us in planning future Annual Equipping Events/Annual Meetings we provided all who attended this year's event with an evaluation form to complete. If you attended and were unable to turn in your evaluation, you have a second chance! If you did not attend but have some constructive suggestions to offer, we'd love to hear from you, too. You can download and fill out the evaluation form (http://abc-mi.org/elink/2007 Annual Gathering Evaluation) and then send it in to the Region office. We appreciate your input.

In addition, all who attended this past weekend had the opportunity to fill out a survey regarding potential upcoming Risk Management training events. In order to get as much input on this important area of education for churches, we'd like to hear from as many folks as possible. This survey (http://abc-mi.org/elink/Risk Management Survey) is also available for you to download, fill out and mail in to the Region office. If you have questions on either of these forms, please contact Trina Knox (tknox@abc-mi.org, 800.632.2953, ext. 222) or Sheila Kaminski (skaminski@abc-mi.org, 800.632.2953, ext. 231). Thank you!

Free Advent Calendars Offered

The Region's Family Ministry Team and Commission on Christian Education are once again offering Advent calendars free of charge to local churches. These 8 1/2 X 11" calendars are brightly designed for families with children and are filled with daily Scripture verses, activities and "thought starters", helping families focus on the true meanings of the up-coming Christmas season. A limited number of advent calendars for teens will also be available. Calendars can be viewed on the Creative Communications for the Parish website (http://tinyurl.com/22ox2j and http://tinyurl.com/22wluq).

Each local church may request up to 30 of each kind of calendar. Simply send a request to Sue Ellen Glover (sueellen@fbca2.org; phone 734-663-9376; fax 734-821-0361) stating the church name and address, person to whom the envelope should be addressed, and the number of calendars requested. Please specifiy how many teen or children calendars you wish. Order early! Advent begins on December 2 so requests need to be received by November 20.

It is our hope that through these calendars our churches can support families by helping them to set aside a brief time each day during Advent to participate together in activities that focus on the Good News that Jesus brings and on serving others.

Report On Growing Healthy Churches In Transitional Ministries

by Tucker Gunneman

Changes made to our Region structure and the ways of serving our churches and clergy prompted a question: "how will we know that these changes help to grow healthy churches?" To answer the question, to define a "win" for our churches and our Region, churches who have been through a transition period have been asked to tell their story with the wider ABC-MI family.

This following story comes from Michigan Avenue Baptist Church in Saginaw. They chose to tell their story by answering the narrative questions from the evaluation so it is presented as an interview.

How Is Your Church Different As A Result Of The Ministry Of The Region During Your Time Of Transition?

We are a happier and healthier church. Past hurts are forgiven. We have more people involved in programs. We are becoming more of a missional church and trying to become more involved in the local community

How Did This Process Differ From Previous Times When You Were Searching For A Minister?

This time we had much more help. We had a Consultant for Transitional Ministries who was with us all the way and took the time to explain things to us. He was available to the chair of the Search Committee whenever she had questions. We weren't just given a book, told to give our top 8 requirements for the profile and here are your profiles. We also took our time. We didn't rush into the process. We were all in agreement before we moved on. As a result of the Congregational Assessment we realized that we were not handling conflict well so we invited Dan Buttry to lead us in two sessions for conflict resolution training. We also attended the Pastoral Relations Committee training in Lansing that gave a place to start. We met monthly until we went to Face to Face and only had 2 people that missed 3 meetings. There were congregational meetings, led by our Interim Ministers Rev. Joe Mortensen and Rev. Mary Ann Short, which helped us know the direction the congregation wanted to go and what they wanted. We did the Congregational Assessment with Tucker in the beginning that informed the committee in having a better understanding of what everyone wanted and gave us a place to start.

In What Ways Do You Believe You Are A Healthier Congregation Than When You Began The Time Of Transition?

The conflict resolution training has helped in how we handle conflict and react to each other. We are communicating better now and not butting heads so much. We have more people involved in more areas. We have more activities happening; we do more together, i.e. going to the ballgame as a group, concerts, Relay For Life.

What Are Some Specific Areas Of Church Health That Have Improved As A Result Of The Ministry Of The Ctm?

Communication has improved. Doing the surveys, having the meeting, has made us talk more to each other. We talk openly about our problems.

What Are Some Specific Areas Of Church Health That Have Improved As A Result Of The Ministry Of The Interim Minister?

Calling on members. Communion to shut-ins. Listening to members and trying to heal old hurts. Thinking about how we can impact our community instead of just caring about ourselves.

Describe Your Church Before And After The Period Of Transition.

We are in a happier place now. We have used the book in order to share some of our stories and to learn more about Pastor David [Van Brakle]. We are looking forward to growing with Pastor David and becoming a more missional church and doing more in the community.

From the Consultant for Transitional Ministries: In the past there have been some strained relationships between members of the church and their pastor. This church has learned the importance of supporting and communicating with their pastor as a result of the excellent ministry of the two Interim Ministers who served them over the past two years. At one time they had been told that they did not have a good reputation within the Region and this caused them great concern. They have embraced the opportunities offered by the ministry of the Region through the CTM and the Interim Ministers to become a healthier church both for themselves and for their pastor. We look forward to some great things to happen in the ministries of this congregation.

If you would like to know more about the ministry with churches in transition and the assessments that are offered, please contact the Consultant for Transitional Ministries Rev. Tucker J. Gunneman at 586.219.3392, or tgunneman@abc-mi.org.

The Parish Paper Now Available Free

Herb Miller, editor of the The Parish Paper - Ideas and Insights for Active Congregations, recently advised Dr. Michael Williams that ABC Regions, including ABC-MI, now have copyright permission to distribute the newsletter electronically to clergy and congregations. The May Issue, which focuses on stewardship, may be viewed, downloaded, and saved: http://abc-mi.org/elink/parishpaper507.pdf.

Annual World Mission Offering

"Like living stones, let yourself be built into a spiritual house..." I Peter 2:5

The World Mission Offering gives your church an opportunity to partner with International Ministries to deeply touch the lives of thousands of people all over the world. Every gift given by your church to WMO goes 100% to help people come to Christ, grow in Christ and change their world with Christ. Those blessed by your generosity include Rosa: a 36-year-old widow and mother of six who lives in Pueblo Nuevo Sitala in Chiapas, Mexico. Sacrificially share your resources to be a blessing. Support the vital work of over 1800 missionaries and international partners of International Ministries around the world.

Live Generously!

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view..." -- 2 Corinthians 5:16

World Mission Offering Speakers Available

Time is of the essence! October is here and we still have several openings during the week of Oct. 21-28, 2007, to hear Wendy Bernhard speak about her teaching experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. If you would like an opportunity to learn about how your mission support dollars are being used on the mission field, please contact Debbie Hart at 800.632.2953 or dhart@abc-mi.org. Thank you.

National Youth Gathering in July

More Than A Week, the National Gathering of American Baptist Youth, will take place July 5-11, 2008, at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. A website called www.morethanaweek.com lists the speakers, bands, registration information and much else.

Short Notices

First Baptist/The Church on Main Street in Royal Oak Proudly Presents Saving Marion Saturday, October 27, 8- 10 p.m. Tickets: $10.00; advanced sales of 4 or more: $5.00 each. Special Guests: Kevin Hollavar, guitar and Garth Moser, drums. For more information or to order tickets, call (248) 543-7454. From Country Music Television, The Gibson Showcase in Nashville, and Good Morning American, Joel Moore made his way to Michigan where he met Katelyn Davidson, a 2007 graduate of The Arts Academy in the Woods in Fraser. Together they became Saving Marion in the belief that God had called them to use their talents for Him. Their heartfelt commitment is to offer their music to a generation struggling to believe. Their 2-hour concert in Royal Oak on Saturday, October 27, is geared for youth and young adults. It features amazing vocals, killer guitar work, and some intimate piano. Come expecting to hear great music and be ready to worship and to rock!

The Fifth Annual Metro Detroit Fall Dinner for ABC Men and Women of Southeastern Michigan will be held Saturday, November 3, 2007. Details are in this flyer: http://abc-mi.org/elink/http://abc-mi.org/elink/mdafalldinner.pdf. For the latest Metro Update check here: http://abc-mi.org/elink/mdaseptupdate.pdf

The Ministers Council -- ABCUSA now has a monthly newsletter. Read it at http://abc-usa.org/documents/MC_newsltr.pdf.

Read the latest issue of International Ministries Prayer Call: http://abc-mi.org/elink/prayer-call.pdf.

The Friendship House Newsletter is now provided in both PDF and DOC formats. The DOC format is a much smaller file and will take much less time to acquire on slow dialup connections. Read it in PDF at http://abc-mi.org/elink/fh.pdf or in DOC format at http:abc-mi.org/fh.doc.

The latest Friendship House Virtual Family Shop newsletter is here: http://abc-mi.org/elink/vfs.pdf.

The next issue of E-Link Online will be published on November 5. Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by November 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. They are provided here for further thought, discussion, and inquiry. Caveat lector.

The Editor

§  Thou Shalt Not Kill -- Except at Church -- http://tinyurl.com/ytn2fb
§  Rich Richer, Poor Poorer -- http://tinyurl.com/2jaaw8
§  Is God All in Your Head? -- http://tinyurl.com/ypytav
§  Comics for Christ -- http://tinyurl.com/yudpqz
§  Who Needs Staff Meetings? -- http://tinyurl.com/32t69x
§  What the Constitution Says About Religion -- http://tinyurl.com/youpv2
§  A Nation of Christians is not a Christian Nation -- http://tinyurl.com/2x323n

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