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| May 2007 |
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It is always a blessing to support missionaries and efforts around the world, and many of our churches do just that. Money, special gifts, and even volunteers make their way to some of the most distant reaches of our planet, and this is good! But how much thought are you giving to the mission field where you actually live? An association of churches has a unique opportunity to share resources and personnel to reach the many people on their own local mission field. Some 31 churches a very long time ago agreed to band together in order to support ministries that are too large for any one church to undertake. Missionaries have been called to this field, sizable investments made in equipment and material, and the Strawberry Baptist Association relies on the regular commitment and strong participation of all her members. May 20-27 is the week we call one another to a special challenge as we promote our Week of Associational Missions. We ask you to please prayerfully consider this mission field of Bedford County and surrounding communities as you observe Missions Week. Supporting work thousands of miles from home is important and noteworthy, but don't ignore the needs right outside your front door. If all of our churches will share in this task we will be able to faithfully minister in ways that reach deep into the lives of our neighbors.
Several years ago we adopted a simple promotional theme to help us understand the value of a dollar. It is "One Dollar per Day per Member for Seven Days." Just seven hundred pennies set aside by each one of our members, applied to the ministry of Strawberry Baptist Association, and prayerfully managed in the Spirit of Christ will do more than we can imagine.
As a part of this year's Missions Connection Celebration, Virginia Baptists will partner with Greater Lynchburg Habitat for Humanity to build a house in less than one week. Virginia Baptist Blitz Build 2007 is open to anyone age 18 or older. Skilled labor crews are required for framing, roofing, siding, plumbing, and electrical work. Adults of all ages and skill levels are also needed for general labor and worksite assistance. For more information on MC2 and how you can participate, visit www.mc2-va.com or contact Carol Seeley at 800.255.2428 or email carol.seeley@vbmb.org.
How do you reach into the lives of the friends and neighbors who live all around you? It's not as difficult as you might imagine, and it is as creative and fun as you are. These eight points will help keep you focused. Click here to read the entire article.
Here are nineteen ideas with brief descriptions that a local body of believers may easily use to reach into and touch the lives of people living in our communities. Some are more suited to a particular church than others, but all should serve as a springboard to further creative thinking as we attempt to share Christ's love on our mission field. Click here to read the entire article. Please feel free to download, copy, and distribute these ministry idea articles as you wish. For your convenience, they are combined into one single PDF document. Please click here to download Parts 1 and 2 in PDF format. 26K
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May 20-27, 2007 "One Dollar Per Day Per Member for Seven Days"
North Bedford's Annie Armstrong Easter Offering was $15,810.05. Also, the AWANA children raised $1,000 to send to Daren and Shawna Davis in Zambia. The children had to recite verses in order to receive a donation from an adult. The boys and girls competed against each other and the girls won! It was a lot of fun and very well received by our church family. North Bedford has called Jason Belk as part time youth pastor, effective April 22. Both Jason and his wife, P.J., are students at Liberty University. They have two children, Elijah and Aiden.
Pecks will have revival services May 20-23 with guest preacher Rev. Jim Moon. The Sunday morning service is at 11:00, and evening services are at 7:00.
Thaxton Baptist Church
Spring Forward Workshops for Women Workshops Include:
(Includes box lunch) For more info or to pre-register, go to www.thaxtonbaptist.org or call 540.586.8348.
Administrative assistant position open at a growing Baptist Church in Bedford County. Thirty hours per week. Computer skills a must. Please forward resume to Personnel Committee, P.O. Box 32, Thaxton, VA 24174 or call 540.586.8178 or 540.586.2649.
July 23-27, 2007 "Nic at Night"
Classes: Bells - Choir - Crafts - Orff Instruments - Puppets -Interpretive Movement
Registration fee: $25 per child As you plan your summer activities, please keep this week in mind. (We ask that at least one adult [not necessarily the same one each day] from each participating church plan to accompany the children as they rotate through the various music opportunities that week.) More details will follow at our Website and in upcoming issues of The Spirit newsletter.
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Mrs. Lois Stevens, WMU Director 1118 Roundtree Dr., Bedford 24523 Phone: 540-586-7409 email: LStevens44@netzero.com Women on Mission: Sedalia will lead devotionals at Oakwood Manor in May. Palestine will lead them in June. Flint Hill will host the May birthday party for residents of Bedford County Nursing Home; Beaverdam will host it in June.
Your "cross stitch" gifts have arrived in Athens. Thank you on behalf of all the Albanians who will receive these gifts on their first visit to Porta (Albania House in Athens). Your generous gifts will encourage these immigrant people and remind them of God's love for them. We appreciate your efforts on behalf of Porta and the people that it will serve. We thank God for you and for your partnership in this challenging ministry in Athens. God has called you to work alongside us in this effort to extend the love of Christ to Albanian immigrants. In May, eight volunteers from Texas, Virginia, and Mississippi will come to Athens to frame the cross-stitch pieces and get them ready for Porta's opening in June. From that time these hand-made gifts will be proudly displayed in Albanian homes all over Athens.
Godspeed!
The following was submitted by Christie DeLong of Mount Olivet Church.
GA "Red Letter" Day February 24, 2007, was a very special day, no doubt, blessed by God. It started with a soft whisper of work that needed to be done and an invitation to be a part.
It was during a regular GA meeting, near the end of 2006. We were studying about ministering to college students, and the thought just came to mind of how neat it would be to collect supplies, take our girls, and travel to Virginia Tech to share God's love with the students there. With four kids of my own and an extremely busy schedule, a few months went by. Then, in January, God again softly whispered, "There's work to be done." This time, with so much to accomplish in such a short time, I chose to step out in faith, and, oh—the blessing's began! In just a few short weeks things just fell into place. Everything was set with the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at Tech to reserve for us an approved spot with a representative; other GA groups in Strawberry were contacted and invited to participate with us; t-shirts were designed and ordered; snacks, Bibles, CDs and other supplies were collected; and crafts and activities were planned and organized for the day. In short—God is amazing!
Click here for our 1st Qtr. Financial Summary. (PDF 14K)
June 6 06/06 Tim Dooley (Bethlehem)
June 2 Mike & Debbie Jones (Sedalia) June 13 Woody & Phyllis Elliott (Bethel) June 17 Philip & Lois Ayers (Glade Creek) June 20 Harry & Nilah Leland (Shady Grove) June 23 Daren & Shawna Davis (IMB Missionaries) June 27 Charles & Irene Stinson (Retired) June 28 Mark & Julia Flores (10 yrs.) (Mount Hermon)
June 1 Bryan Sheehan (Pastor/Pecks/1 yr.) June 22 Ken Butterworth (Pastor/Diamond Hill/10 yrs.) |
We extend sympathy to family and friends of Vickie Hume, wife of J.R. Hume, former pastor at Timber Ridge. Vickie delivered a healthy baby boy on April 16, but suffered a fatal aneurysm the next morning.
Copyright© Strawberry Baptist Association
Updated 4/26/2007
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