E-Link Online
biweekly electronic news of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan

4578 S. Hagadorn Rd.
East Lansing, MI 48823
800.632.2953



Dr. Michael A. Williams
Executive Minister

Joseph I. Mortensen
E-Link Online Editor
989.835.6923

Issue 2008.26
December 15, 2008

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Arrivals, Departures, Celebrations, Concerns

§  Baptisms at New Hope -- The Lord has been blessing New Hope Baptist Church in Bay City. On Sunday, November 30, six happy candidates joined the church by baptism, one of them, Charlie, was the pastor's husband! Another candidate, Dee Grant, was immersed on the same day his father, James joined the church by statement of faith. Two of the candidates, Chris and Jessie Perry, were married in September by Pastor Lee and wanted to be baptized together. Joshua, age 9 was our youngest candidate that day and Betty, our final candidate, had just recovered from double cataract surgery! [Click on picture for larger image.] Since Pastor Lee came in August the church membership has increased by 12. We continue to pray that God will increase our numbers as he increases our faith. We ask God,to please continue to pour his blessings upon us as we seek to serve Him and follow His will for our lives and our church. -- submitted by Prudy Bannick

§  The Rev. John Mazarella, the new pastor of First Baptist Church, Sault Ste Marie, was installed on Sunday, Nov. 30. The Rev. Tucker Gunneman, the regional consltant for "Transitional Ministries" brought the message and charge to the pastor and congregation. The congregation in Sault Ste Marie has committed to "The New Birth / Living Hope Initiative," a 5 year turn around plan Gunneman introduced to the congregation to over the last year, that included calling a pastor committed to making new mission and vision a reality. Mazarella is a graduate of Denver Seminary and was ordained in the Central Region, ABC/USA in 1990. He and his wife Rebekah, and children Jonathon, Bethany, and Keirra moved to "the Soo" in August from Mechanicsburg, PA after a year at Global Awakening's School of Ministry.

§  First Baptist Church of Saginaw has called the Rev. Tucker J. Gunneman to be their interim, starting November 2. In addition, they have called a member of their church, Dan Miller, to become the Associate Pastor in order for Pastor Miller to obtain training and seek God's guidance for full time pastoral ministry. Pastor Miller completed the Certificate in Christian Ministry offered by the Region last year, and has been licensed by the church. Pastor Miller will be attending Liberty University online studies beginning in January 2009 to earn a bachelors degree in Biblical and Theological studies. The Saginaw congregaton has also purchased a church building previously occupied by an Assembly of God Church. They moved into the building in November, which is in a residential neighborhood on the West side of the city, while they complete a revisioning and restructuring process to determine where God is leading them for the future.

§  The Rev. Michael Sanders has been called to be the interim minister for First Baptist Church in Mount Morris, beginning December 7. Sanders has served Baptist and Methodist churches before coming to the ABC-MI as a part of the team of interim ministers. He has earned a Master of Divinity, Southern Seminary, Louisville, KY 1993, Doctor of Philosophy, Oxford Graduate School, Dayton, TN 1990, Master of Letters, Oxford Graduate School, Dayton, TN 1986, and a Bachelor of Science, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 1972, with a major in History and Education. He has also taught several years in the Illinois Public School System and coached basketball in middle and high school, Illinois and Michigan. Sanders recently served as the pastor of Toppinabee Community church from 2001-2007, where he led the church to over 50% Growth. He has completed the training for IM earlier this year and this is his first ABC church. He and his wife Carol reside in Ann Arbor where she teaches in the public school system. We welcome the Rev. Sanders to the ABC family and look forward to his being a part of our team of interims.

§  The Rev. Bryan Manary has resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church of Adrian, effective December 31, 2008. He will be returning to his home town in Ohio as he continues to seek placement within ABC. Please keep Pastor Manary in your prayers.

§  The Rev. David Hardin resigned from Bankers Baptist Church in Hillsdale on November 23, effective immediately. He and his wife Jenny are staying in the Hillsdale area while he seeks placement within ABC. They are expecting their first child in March, so please keep them in your prayers.

§  The most recent prayer letter from Diamond Christian Education Center in Poland may be viewed-downloaded-printed: http://abc-mi.org/elink/Diamond%20PrayerLetter2008.pdf.

A New Beginning at Clarklake

by Tucker J. Gunneman, Consultant for Transitional Ministries for ABC-MI

Clarklake Community Church held an installation service for their new pastor, the Rev. Frank Feltis, on Sunday November 16. Those participating in the service were the Rev. Pat Hernandez, the Rev. Tucker J Gunneman, and Chaplain David Lisch from the Christian motorcycle group where Frank is a member. Additional participants included members of his Ministry Leadership Group: Pastors Zach Bartels, Jerry Kohler, and Bruce Burfield. A member of the church, Laurel Reed, sang a song that she wrote earlier this year, calling on the congregation to minister to those in need. One of the highlights of the service was a report from the chair of the Search Committee who shared this story:

When the search committee had narrowed their search to two individuals, Rev. Feltis and another candidate, we were stuck because the committee was split almost evenly between the two candidates. After sharing this with the Consultant for Transitional Ministries, we decided to have the Consultant attend a meeting of the Search Committee to help us find unity around one candidate. The Committee indicated that they could each call either candidate and feel that God's will was accomplished, but we could not decide which one to call. Because it is the Region's policy not to recommend one candidate over another, the Consultant led the Search Committee through a process of discerning the strengths of each candidate and how those strengths fit with the Mission and needs of the church. Following this exercise, the committee was still at a standstill. So the final decision was made by having the Search Committee members go into the sanctuary and spend 10-15 minutes in prayer seeking God and being open to hearing Him speak clearly about which candidate He was calling to the church. After this exercise, the Committee members gathered and discovered that God had spoken clearly to each one of us that Rev. Feltis was the person God was calling to the church to be our next pastor. The evidence of the new people attending and people coming to Christ in the few short months Pastor Frank has been here, verifies that we heard from God correctly. We are so excited that he is here and for how the Region has helped us to be prepared for what God was preparing to do here in Clarklake.

Since Pastor Feltis began in September, the church has grown by over 20 people, moving them to start a second service beginning in 2009. Previous to Frank's arrival, the church had gone through some challenging years where a pastor was asked to leave, followed by calling the Rev. Richard Wilford who did a great job of helping the church heal from that experience and to make some difficult decisions for ministry that paved the way for their new growth. After Wilford resigned to move to Arizona, the Rev. Dr. Mark Sistek became the interim minister with the charge from the leadership to help them continue and clarify what it means to be a Missional church. During Dr. Sistek's time, some members who historically stood in the way of change and did so in inappropriate ways were able to find their way to another church, opening the door for the new pastor's ministry to be much more effective. Sistek prepared the leadership and the congregation to call a pastor who would be a strong leader and connect with people in the community. This story is just one example of how our focus on churches in transition is making a difference in the health of the local church.

Position Available in Wyandotte

First Baptist Church of Wyandotte is currently seeking applications for the position of part-time (20 hr/week) Ministerial Assistant. Responsibilities include administration of our small-group ministry, visitation and occasional teaching. Qualifications include: minimum of Associates Degree, computer literacy, experience in teaching and leading Bible studies. Salary: approx. $15k per year. For more information or to send a resume, contact:

Mr. Gary Daviskiba, Chair of Search Committee
First Baptist Church
1925 Ford Ave.
Wyandotte, MI 48192
(734) 282-1424

Please send inquiries by January 9, 2009.

Judson Memorial Seeks Administrative Assistant

Judson Memorial Baptist Church of Lansing needs an administrative assistant. Go to http://www.judsonmemorial.org/secretary.html to see the job description and other details.

Attention All Professional Church Leaders!

The 2009 professional registry questionnaire has been mailed to you. If you wish to be listed in the 2009 registry, you must return the completed form to the Region office by January 15, 2009. If you did not receive the 2009 questionnaire or you have misplaced it, you can download a copy by going to the Region website, www.abc-mi.org. In the left hand margin click on Document Library. In the library scroll down to "Licensing and Ordination Information" and then click on "2009 Professional Registry Questionnaire." All professional church leaders, ordained or non-ordained, are welcome to be listed in the registry provided they 1) hold membership in a Michigan American Baptist related congregation, 2) are employed for at least 20 hours each week in a professional capacity, and 3) receive some remuneration for their work. If you have any questions about the registry, contact Ron Cary at 1-800-636-2671 or rcary@abc-mi.org.

Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering

Each fall over 3000 checks are mailed to retired American Baptist ministers and missionaries with at least 15 years of dedicated ABC service, or their widowed spouses, who have shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with countless thousands over their years in ministry. You can help say Thank You to these men and women of faith by contributing to the annual Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering (RMMO). The RMMO is a tangible way American Baptist congregations can honor retired ministers and missionaries or their widowed spouses. This offering provides emergency and other financial assistance, based on financial need.

This is our way of being a vehicle of God's love and care

In thanking the church at Philippi for their love gift, Paul, who was in prison at the time, wrote: "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"; (Phil 4:12-13 NRSV).

People see the checks not only as expressions of love and concern from the American Baptist family, but also as evidence of God's continuing sustenance and care into their retirement years. Recipients who are widowed spouses often express surprise and amazement that they continue to receive a Thank You check as continued recognition of their late spouses' ABC service.

Your gift truly makes a difference

We are encouraging you to remember those who dedicated their lives to Christian ministry by making a generous donation on the suggested date of December 7, 2008 ~ but anytime that works best for your church is fine. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact Debbie Hart at 800.632.2953 ext. 221 or dhart@abc-mi.org. Thank you!

A Different Kind of Holiday Gift

Since death, loss and grief do not take a holiday during the holidays, a series of bulletin inserts might be of interest for use during Advent. The series, entitled A Different Kind of Holiday Gift, addresses the difficult but important topics of advance directives, palliative care, hospice, and bereavement. The inserts are a product of St. John Health of Greater Detroit and the Duke Divinity School. You are welcome to copy and distribute any or all parts of the series free of charge. To review and download the inserts click on these links:

Advance Directives
Bereavement
Hospice
Palliative Care

Ministry Leadership Certificate

The first class of the Ministry Leadership Certificate program is now accepting registrations. A survey of the Old Testament including historical context and theological concepts will be taught in the Detroit location by the Rev. Bill Walker (Jan. 30 and 31) and in the Charlotte location by the Rev. Richard Wilford (Jan. 23 and 24). Walker is the pastor of FBC Detroit where he has served for ten years. He received his undergraduate education at Florida State University with concentrations in history and religion, and his Masters of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wilford currently serves as Pastor of Adult Ministries at FBC Charlotte. His extensive educational background includes a Bachelors of Religious Education from Briarcrest Bible College and Vancouver Bible College as well as Masters degrees from Western Conservative Theological Seminary and Canadian Theological Seminary. Pastors Walker and Wilford both bring to their expertise in teaching a love for the Old Testament and a desire to raise up leaders in the church.

The Ministry Leadership Certificate program seeks to grow healthy churches through cultivating healthy leaders and is designed for:

• Existing and Emerging Pastors
• Associate Ministers
• Lay Leaders
• Teachers
• Deacons
• Counselors
• Youth Leaders
• People seeking to serve the church through advanced training
• People wanting to develop an understanding of their call to ministry
• People who are interested in working toward local church ordination and recognition by the American Baptist Churches of Michigan

This is a serious program with challenging and engaging study. If you want to take ministry seriously, then we are preparing to assist you. For further information and a brochure, click on the graphic above. You may also contact the Region office at 800 632-2953 or e-mail growingleaders@abc-mi.org.

Short Notices

Central Area Churches of Michigan are invited to send delegates to our Annual Meeting. The meeting theme is taken from Isaiah 43:19 "Behold, I do a new thing!" The Rev. Gretchen Sanewsky will bring the morning message. Also, a number of churches will share their musical talents and short presentations on "new thing ministries" that their churches have engaged in during 2008. A brunch will be provided during the 9 a.m. registration time. The gathering will be held at the Bethel Baptist Church, 810 Edgemont Blvd., Lansing.

The American Baptist Foundation has information on charitable gift annuities. Read "Like a Grape Vine."

The Global Gift and Crafts Shop Is now open at First Baptist Church of Birmingham. See the brochure at this link.

Palmer Theological Seminary (formerly Eastern Baptist) will holds it 24th Annual Weekend Conference on Vocations in Ministry next March. Click here to view the brochure.

This week's Prayer Call for ABC International Ministries calls attention to the needs of the our missionaries. > > > Go to Prayer Call. To subscribe to the Prayer Call Mailing List register at http://tinyurl.com/6sbgs8.

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 next issue of E-Link Online will be published on Janaury 2, 2009. Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by December 30.

Editor's Trips

The Editor

Copyright © 2009 American Baptist Churches of Michigan
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, August 30, 2009

  




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