August 9, 2011 
In This Issue
Web Design
Missionary Moments
Fast Facts...SBC Disaster Relief
Leadership
Men of Simplicity
Church News
Leadership Development
Courageous The Movie
VBS 2012 - Preview
Mission Opportunities
Baptist Global Response - Japan 2011
Ministry Review
A Place for Pastoral Renewal
Disaster Relief "Autumn Training"

WEB DESIGN

 

Does your churches website need to be freshened up, or does your church need a web presence?  Please fill out the questionnaire and submit it to [email protected] and let us help you find the best solution and pricing.

 

Web Design

MI SSIONARY MOMENTS 

  

 

August 8- 14, 2011

 

A WORKER  with North African and Middle Eastern peoples shares the story of "Adel." Adel is a Saudi Arab believer who visited us recently. Culturally, he is of marrying age and is being pressured by his family to marry. Adel wants to marry a girl who follows Jesus like he does. I'm beginning to coach Adel on what it means to be a Christ-follower and a husband." Your love for people and commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission through the Cooperative Program open the door for the Gospel to be shared near and far, in large gatherings as well as one-on-one. Take a moment to pray for a Christian wife for Adel and that he will understand what it means to have a Christ-centered family.

___________________________

 

Roughly fifteen percent of North America's population has emigrated from other countries, resulting in astounding growth among language groups. These new residents bring with them a culture and a worldview that challenge the church in fulfilling the Great Commission. A former microbiologist from Seoul,  Korea,  SANG YUN SHIN, is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the many different language groups living in Virginia, Sang Yun is starting and growing healthy, reproducing congregations among different language groups all over Virginia, thanks in part to our support of missions through CP. Set aside some time this week to pray for North American church planting missionary Sang Yun Shin and the various people groups he is engaging through this church planting strategy.

FAST FACTS:

 

SBC DISASTER RELIEF 

 

Since January, Southern Baptist Volunteers have played a part in:

  • 277 Mud-Out Jobs
  • 2,982 Chainsaw Jobs
  • 374,948 meals served
  • 588 Gospel presentations
  • 92 Salvation decisions recorded

Source: North American Mission Baord

Follow-up Links

LEADERSHIP

 

MAKING ACCOUNTABILITY REAL

 

Accountability is the new watchword in just about every business or corporation. But what does it really mean?

 

Accountability means having to answer for one's actions. The idea is compelling: If an employee or volunteer knows they will have to explain their actions to another person and that their actions will be rewarded or punished accordingly, typically the person will make an effort to act "better." When leaders chant the slogan "accountability," they are spreading the message: behave knowing in advance that you will have to explain yourself and that your actions will have consequences.

 

Accountability...

  1. Works only as a tool if the employee or volunteer knows in advance that they will have to answer for their actions. If you tell the person that they are accountable for their actions after they have taken action, it won't affect that person's behavior.
  2. Your employees and volunteers must trust and believe that there is a fair and accurate process for keeping track of their actions and tying their behavior to real consequences.

Fact is...you need a fair and accurate process for tying real consequences to each person's real concrete actions. What does that process look like?

  • Spell out expectations in advance in vivid terms.
  • Track their performance every step of the way.
  • Follow through with real consequences, based on whether their actual performance meets expectations or not.

The process of creating accountability has to be done up close and often. In the real world, however, you will encounter many complications that make it nearly impossible to maintain an airtight process linking individual actions to consequences. Don't let those complications become excuses for not practicing real accountability!

 

Next week we will begin looking at the seven most common complications that interfere with accountability.

 

 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

MINISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY

 

Why Does Your Church Need A Website, Anyway?

 

Your website is an outlet to tell your church's story and invite someone to connect with it. Hey, I know that's a straightforward and vanilla answer; I didn't promise rocket science here. But I can tell you that a lot of church websites don't do a good job of embodying this concept. Think of it this way-your church's website is a collection of windows into your church, allowing any interested party to peer in to see what is going on.

 

Here's a less creepy way to think of it: If you are in leadership at your church, and you were meeting someone over coffee to tell them about your church community, what would you say? That conversation is what you need to capture on your website.

 

Am I saying, then, that the ultimate point of a church website is to share information with potential visitors? Not entirely, though it's true that potential visitors are more likely to scrutinize most of your website before they ever make direct contact (especially if they are Christians). But the same narrative about the who's and why's of your church need to be seen by regular attendees as well. It's a story you want to keep retelling to curious passers-by and to anyone connected with your community. Your most important content should be easily found by visitors, but also framed in such a way that those who are part of your community won't overlook it.

 

if you already have a website, it is important to track what pages are being visited the most, and what search terms visitors are using within your site. This data should be reviewed every few months, and your current content and navigation should be evaluated in light of it. If content you think is important isn't getting enough traffic, ask yourself how can you bring more attention to it. If people are searching for information you hadn't thought of, ask yourself where can you add that information to your site.

You would assume the home page is the most trafficked page, and in the case of the sites I surveyed, it was-every time. (But don't make the mistake of assuming that will be the first page a new visitor to your site will see. They might arrive deep in your site's structure through an RSS feed or from a search engine.) Beyond the home page, these were the most popular pages:

  1. Leadership/Staff: A page listing the leadership, usually the staff, of the church. This was in the top 10 pages on every site, and was the most visited page on several. People want to be able to put names and faces with your church, and they assume this is where they can start.
  2. Worship Services: A description of the service along with time and location. On a related note, I'm often surprised how many churches don't at least say what city or metro area they are located in on the homepage. Don't overlook this!
  3. Weekly Schedule: A page describing the weekly schedule or rhythm of the church beyond Sundays. Not every site had a page like this, but it was popular for those that did.
  4. About: Some kind of general description of the culture and characteristics. This one is difficult to categorize because different churches frame this information in different ways, but it is often the story of what the church is about.
  5. New Here: Less than half the churches I surveyed had this page, but it ranked high for those that did.
  6. Podcast: For every church that had a podcast available, this one was in the top 10.
  7. Mission/Vision/Values and Beliefs: Usually, these are separate pages, and they aren't ranked as high as you'd expect, often barely skimming into the top 10.

My favorite part of making a website is starting the design. I love opening a blank canvas in Photoshop and seeing a new site take shape. But as you may have noticed, most of this article isn't about design-it's about what your website has to say. Good design and a good website is about featuring the content that matters to you and your site's visitors. If all that goes well, then we can hope and pray together that it will lead to relationships growing toward maturity in Christ.

 

John Chandler is the pastor of a church start-up called
Austin Mustard Seed and a freelance web designer/developer.
 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 SM Circle Logo

 

MEN OF SIMPLICITY (MOS):  

A ministry of Simplicity Ministries�

 

Pastor, would you like to see the men of your church living their lives simply and purely devoted to Christ? Would you like to see men becoming the divinely appointed leaders they are called to be? Do you need a plan and a partner to equip men to this end? Mike Thibodeaux, Simplicity Ministries�, has for the past two years been leading men (Men of Simplicity) in the East Portland/Gresham area on Monday nights doing just this, and are beginning their third year.  Through a 12 month format of large group teaching sessions and small group discussion times, men are connecting to God and each other with transformational results. If you would like to involve a group of men from your church in this Monday night meeting or have Mike speak at a men's event call: 971.219.6964 or e-mail: [email protected].  

  

 

http://www.simplicityministries.org/MOSTeachingSummary.pdf 

 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 
CHURCH AND MINISTRY REPORTS 

 

  

ChurchesGREATER GRESHAM - Gresham, OR

Would like to share with what God is doing through their church to view please click here .

 

TRINITY - Damascus, OR

 May and June were some really good months at Trinity Church.  We had two baptism services and have more to come!  We had one of our highest (non-event) attendance days of the year at 88, which during the summer is great for us.  And a really cool worship service in the park on July 3rd with over 80 in attendance.  Keep praying for us because I really feel like some momentum is building toward breaking the big 100 barrier soon. 

 

Please prayer for our Survivor Day Camps that begin July 25 and go through the 29th.  Survivor Day Camp is our biggest outreach of the summer and we hope to see lots of new families reached.  We will be hosting the camp outdoors on a local farm and the theme revolves around the TV show Survivor full of challenges and outdoor adventures.  We want to show kids that through Jesus we are not only survivors but victors!  Be in prayer for leadership, safety, and changed lives.

 

IGLESIA VIDA NEUVA - Gresham, OR

They have been meeting in the park every Sunday after services for outreach and fellowship.  They have continued their leader training that takes place every Thursday as they prepare for the growth that God has blessed them with.  they have been average 230 per week and for the month of July have reported 2 profession.

 

THE COMMUNITY - Vancouver, WA

A fundraiser was held to send students on mission.  They are sending 8 students overseas on two different mission trips and 6 studetns will be stay in the US to be on mission in various places.
 

 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 

KINGDOM MINDSET

Developing Leaders Today For Tomorrow! 

 

Tim Brown

Dr. Tim Brown is the Senior Pastor of FBC of Clovis and the Director of Leadership Networks with Growing Healthy Churches, overseeing the training of hundreds of churches. Tim provides leadership, teambuilding, church health consulting and conference speaking for various churches and denominations throughout the United States, Australia, India and Africa.

  

Tim arrived at FBCC after a split occurred in 1995. Since Tim's arrival in 1997, FBCC has grown in average weekend attendance from 70 to over 900 with over 850 baptisms. FBCC invests over $150,000 each year in local and international missions and church planting, and planted Flipside Christian Church in Madera, CA.

 

Oregon City Baptist Church, 16363 S Swan Ave in Oregon City will host the meeting, which is sponsored by the IBA and NWBC.

 

The training will begin on Friday, September 30 with dinner at 5:30 p.m. Introductions will be at 6:15 p.m. Tim will share The FBCC Story from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

 

The training on Saturday, October 1 will begin with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. The training session, The Kingdom Mindset, will be from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

 

Though there is no charge for the training, a love offering will be taken to cover the cost of meals and Dr. Brown's expenses.

 

For more information or to register contact:

Pastor Mark Evans, 503-349-6411.

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"


HONOR BEGINS AT HOME   

banner

For more information and a sneak preview please visit our website at http://www.interstatebaptist.org/content/honor-begins-home or www.Courageousthemovie.com.

Don't miss out on this great leadership development initiative September 30th, 2011 in a theater near you!

 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 
VBS 2012VBS 2012 - PREVIEW!

 

God is awesome and has amazing power!

 

"Amazing Wonders Aviation: Encountering God's Awesome Power," is the theme for Lifeway 2012 VBS.

 

Think vintage aviation from the 1930s and 40s biplanes and bomber jackets.  Children, student and adult VBS participants will fly to some of the world's greatest natural wonders as they encounter our awesome God and His amazing power

 

They will take off each day from the Amazing Wonder Airstrip and visit some of God's marvelous God-made creations: Victoria Falls, the Northern Lights, Paricutin Volcano, the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Matterhorn.

 

VBS is one of the greatest evangelistic activities for the SBC.  In 2009 alone reports indicated that more than 25,000 churches hosting VBS.  More than 2.8 million children, students and adults were enrolled and more than 88,000 people made a profession of faith in Christ.

 

To find out how your churches can be involved in this great evangelistic activity please contact IBA's Soul Shaper Director Bev Jackson at [email protected], or NWBC/Lifeway VBS Consultant Leigh Ann Stark at [email protected], or visit www.lifeway.com/vbs.

 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 

MISSION OPPORTUNITIES 


NW BAPTIST CONVENTION VOLUNTEER NEEDED!

The Northwest Baptist Convention needs a volunteer groundskeeper as soon as possible. The person currently volunteering will be leaving in August and would like to spend some time in training. The job requires approximately 20 hours a week from March through October (the busiest season), with hours negotiable October through February. There are RV hook-ups available. Laundry facilities are also available.

  

For more information, contact Sherry Hodgson, MSC Mobilization Coordinator, [email protected].

   

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 
VOLUNTEER REQUEST - Japan 2011
 

General Description of Need and Project

 

This team will be working with SBC and other GCC (Great Commission Church) partners in various construction projects. They will go into various devastated towns, villages, and/or cities in the affected areas along the Miyagi Coast to help with various carpentry jobs and needed repairs. Specifically, they will do light framing, hang sheet rock, put in sub-flooring, OBS weather proofing, and oriented strand board. In the process they will be encouraged to meet and assist people, befriend them, make contact to encourage them, and the need for skilled carpenters. These teams will remain flexible and ready to fill specific DR needs as determined by Tohoku Care (Japan Baptist Disaster Relief) as time and the situation require.

 

Specific Type of Work to be completed

Although the members of this team are being requested because of their carpentry skills to do light framing, hang sheet rock, put in sub-flooring, OBS weather proofing, and oriented strand board, these teams will remain flexible and ready to fill specific DR needs as determined by Tohoku Care (Japan Baptist Disaster Relief). As time and the situation require, they should be prepared to do whatever is necessary to meet people in the affected areas and assist by doing such activities as mud-outs, cleaning houses, streets, parks, public areas, delivering relief supplies, meeting particular needs, and encouraging disaster victims, etc. Team members should be alert to help identify needs for potential future volunteer ministries. The needs in the affected communities constantly change; therefore, the team must be very flexible, ready to do whatever is needed or whatever is requested. Tohoku Care is working to establish trust relationships with the various communities and with local leaders for long term relationships. We expect to work in conjunction with Sendai area churches for long term follow-up.

 

For more detailed information and estimated cost for team members please (click here )

 

You can also contact the IBA/NW Disaster Relief Coordinator Dave Hillison at [email protected], or call him at (503) 789-6952.

 

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 

MINISTRY REVIEW

  

The Griffins have answered the call of the Lord to the ministry of music, and are dedicated to proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in song.  We believe the world we live in today is in desperate need of the encouraging and saving message of Christ and His promise of eternal life through salvation.  We are blessed and honored to be given the opportunity to bring encouragement to those who know the Lord and more importantly, to use music to reach those who have not yet experienced the joy of those who are saved by grace.

The Griffins bring musical background of more than four decades to their ministry.  Together the trio's close harmonies and worshipful melodies combine to be musical salt and light to a world still searching for answers to the ultimate questions of life.  No venue is too large or small.

Genre: Contemporary Gospel / Pop

Booking Information:

Griffin Ministries

200 W Arlington St.

Gladstone, OR  97027

(503) 656-2784

 

Click here for an audio sample  

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

A PLACE FOR PASTOR RENEWAL

 

Genesee HomeGenesee Home Retreat Center, located in the northern Sierra Nevada of California, is the perfect place for a pastor and spouse to refocus.

 

For more information (click here )  

 

www.GeneseeHome.org  

"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!"

 

DISASTER RELIEF "AUTUMN TRAINING"

 

 

  • September 9th, 2011 
    •     SBC Chaplain Training
      • Some have asked, "What training and experience do I need to serve the Lord as a Chaplain in Disaster Relief?.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) Chaplaincy Training will prepare a team member to deploy anywhere in the Northwest. Volunteers who have completed the SBDR Chaplaincy Training and desire to be deployed nationally as well as around the Northwest will need the addition Critical Intervention Stress Management (CISM) Training offered in October.  Both courses call for 12 to 13 hours of classroom instruction.

    •     Incident Command System (ICS)
      • ICS is a disaster management team that effectively directs and coordinates a disaster response.  In the event of a disaster in the Northwest (requiring significant resources) the state director may call together the ICS team to coordinate the DR teams.  ICS requires 12 to 14 hours of classroom instruction.  Those volunteers trained and experienced in ICS may be called out to serve nationally.
         
  • October 28th - 29th, 2011
    • CISM Training - Chaplaincy training
    • Incident Command System (ICS)
    • ServSafe
      • This is an advanced course on food safety and is nationally recognized (valuable for deployment in all states).  ServSafe manuals need to be preordered so participants can begin studying prior to the first day of class.
         

         

 All training will take place at:

 

Camp Touchet

1130 N Touchet Road

Dayton WA 99328

(509) 387-4585

 

For a church recommendation form for the Chaplain's training click here.

 

For registration and pricing to attend any or all trainngs please click here.

 

 

"Pressing Toward The Mark..."  Philippians 3:12-14

Thank you for reading.  If there is something you would like to see and/or would like to add to the IBA Encourager Newsletter please send it to [email protected]  attention IBA Encourager.  We would love to hear and share how God is working in your churches and communities. 

  

[email protected]     

PO Box 19960

Portland, Oregon 97280

(503) 452-2930