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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 iba@interstatebaptist.org and let us help you find the best solution and pricing.
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MISSIONARY MOMENTS
November 7-13, 2011
Paul reminded the Roman church that not all things are good, but that all things work for the good (Rom 8:28). Faced with a serious medical condition with their newborn son, North American missionaries BEN and KELLY HAYES sought treatment in the medical metropolis that is the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. During their time there, God led the Hayes to reach out to the medical community, and they planted a church right in the center of this medical community. Cooperative program gifts from churches like yours are being used by God in ways that cannot be scripted. Pray for the Hayes; their son; and ask God, the Great Physician, to move mghtily in this medical mission field.
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"PAULO and HEATHER REHN" work among the "S" people of Western Africa. Following a training event, Paulo shares, "As part of the training we were supposed to share the Gospel. We prayed that God would allow us to find 'S' people so we could share with them. The Lord answered our prayers, and we went to a compound where several young 'S' men lived; however, these guys were different from the typical 'S' men. Thse guys were artists/ musicians. They did not look like the kind of guys who would be open to the Gospel, but as we shared, they became very interested. We returned to their house every week to share more stories. The day before returning home, we had the joy of taking five of them to the beach for baptism." Praise God for these decisions and for your commitment to reaching peole through CP. Pray for them today. |
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Diversity Increase
According to results of the U.S. census, the Hispanic population in the U.S. is now the second largest group in the country. Fifty million people living in the U.S. (roughly 16% of the population) are Hispanic. This group has now surpassed other growing ethnic populations in the country, with African Americans accounting for 13% of the total population and Asian Americans making up 5%. With the cultural and linguistic landscape of the country changing, consider how your church can become involved in reaching a people group.
Source: CNN.com March 24, 2011 |
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MENTORING IN LEADERSHIP
Part Five
Making Disciples: Jesus' Patience
Jesus' mentees were sometimes quite a challenge. The Gospel of Mark gives us some excellent examples:
- Sometimes the disciples struggled to realize who their mentor was. For instance, when He calmed the sea, they asked, "Who then is this?" (4:35-41).
- They didn't always understand what Jesus could do. They were "utterly astounded" when He not only healed but brought back to life the synagogue leader's 12-year-old daughter (5:30-43).
- They failed to learn from previous miracles. In the Mark 8 account of the feeding of the 4,000, the disciples seemed to have no frame of reference for how Jesus might feed the crowds, though they had already experienced the feeding of the 5,000 recorded in Mark 6 (6:41; 8:1-10).
- These mentees had God's power at their disposal, but they still failed in at least one exorcism-primarily because they lacked faith and prayer (9:14-29).
- These same disciples criticized others who did defeat demons and even argued about which disciple was the greatest in the kingdom (9:33-41).
- They rebuked people for bringing children to their mentor (10:13-16).
- Two of the men dared to ask for the best seats in Jesus' kingdom (10:35-41).
- One of them betrayed Jesus to death (14:43-46).
- All of the disciples deserted Jesus when He was arrested (14:50).
- One of them denied being a mentee at all (14:66-72).
Is this the bunch that you would pick as mentees? Jesus did. Jesus chose these men because He knew what the Father could do through them. He saw in them their potential for leadership in God's kingdom. To put it simply, Jesus called these men to Himself and patiently taught them, believing in faith that the Father was going to mold them to be what He wanted them to be. He chose men who were unknown and untrained. It's obvious that it was only in God's power that these men would make a difference, that's part of the fun of mentoring-watching God take people who are powerless and give them power to do mighty things in His name.
Jesus' work with His disciples reminds us that everybody can benefit from mentoring. If you get prideful sometimes, you're like James and John. If you have a tendency to speak too quickly, you're similar to Peter. If you forget God's miracles and take His presence for granted, you could've joined Jesus' disciples. If your faith wavers occasionally, you're one of the crowd. But, there's good news: It's possible that God has planned a divine intersection for you to grow in His grace. God might be sending you the gift of a person in whose shadow you'll stand.
If you desire to be a mentor, don't miss Jesus' example of patience and persistence. Mentoring can be messy, time-consuming, and frustrating, especially if God directs you to mentor someone who has much room for growth. Giving up may seem a lot easier than pressing on. But don't give up. It's God's responsibility to empower and grow those you mentor, at the end of the day; it's your responsibility to simply remain faithful to your task and to do what Jesus did.
*Insights from "Mentor - How Along-The-Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life!" Chuck Lawless - ISBN 9781415870013 LifeWay |
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"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!" |
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ANNUAL CHURCH PROFILE
Has your church completed your Annual Church Profile? All information required to complete the profiles was mailed to each church in Interstate Baptist Association. (Look for the ORANGE envelope!) This year there are only fourteen questions, and should not require a lot of time to complete. Please contact Lila if you need assistance, or would like a copy of last year's profile to use as a guideline. give her a call at 503-452-2930, ext. 21 or e-mail: lila@interstatebaptist.org. |
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"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!" |
The world of criminal records is confusing and fogged by misconceptions regarding access to and storage of criminal records. Let's continue clearing up those misconceptions.
- According to the Office of the Attorney General, "No single source exists that provides complete and up-to-date information about a person's criminal history." Check it out for yourself!
- Public records are filed by First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth at the courthouses.
- The only way to get 100% confirmation is through a fingerprint match.
So what are you to do?The Office of the Attorney General is of the opinion that "commercial databases offer the advantage to users who cannot access FBI data of broadening the scope of records searched beyond the jurisdictions of past residence."
So try a commercial database! backgroundchecks.com offers many affordable database options including US OneSEARCH or US OneVERIFY to help expand your scope beyond the county courthouse. To view our product descriptions and the reduced LifeWay pricing go to: www.lifeway.com/backgroundchecks.
Start running checks now!
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"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!" |
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SIMPLE CHURCH TRAINING
 NWBC would like you to consider and plan on attending the following collaborative event with your network of friends, pastors, planters and churches.
We are grateful to be partnering with FBC Midland and Rivers Church in Colorado to bring you this event in late November. This event is both for church plants and existing churches desiring to increase their presence, practice, and proclamation in their neighborhood and community.
Date, location, topics, etc. are in the attached promo piece and web link. Please go to the link below to register for the PORTLAND event (the event is FREE due to a generous gift from FBC Midland).
Thanks for your interest in growing as a network of churches, desiring to impact Portland with the gospel through healthy churches and healthy, multiplying, new churches.
For date and time and a promo flyer click/view here
Here's the web link: www.seattlechurchplanting.com/simple
The design piece is attached.
Wes Hughes, D.Min., Urban Church Planting Strategist - Portland OR
Go to www.portlandchurchplanting.org to learn more on planting new, multiplying churches in the Portland Metro area. |
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"Churches Coming Together To Help One Another!" |
CHURCH MINISTRY REVIEW
 Many have asked how as an individual or a church can be involved in our new churches and ministries of IBA. Below you will find opportunities of involvement, celebration, or prayer.
TRINITY CHURCH - Gresham, OR
Trinity is hosting a Christmas outreach effort event for the teachers of their local schools giving them gifts of appreciation and inviting them to the church. This event will be coupled with a mass mailer (10,000 homes) to the community. This effort will cost $500 for gift bags and $3000 for the mailer.
They will also be hosting a Back pack buddies program. Each Friday during the school year they will be sending food home in a backpack for the weekend with over 30 children living close to the poverty line. The cost is approximately $3.00 per child per week. Total amount to raise is $400.
If you would like to be a part of any or both outreach efforts please contact Pastor Clay at clay@trinitychurchlive.com.
TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH - Vancouver, WA
Deacon ordination service on Saturday, November 5 at 5 p.m. Pastor Olin Brock invites all ordained pastors and deacons to participate in the service. The church is located at 6700 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver WA. For more information, call the church 360-693-4271.
IGLESIA VIDA NUEVA - Gresham, OR
Reported two professions of faith, and continued growth in the church.
THE COMMUNITY - Vancouver, WA
This a ministry of CrossPointe Baptist in Vancouver, WA that was developed to reach the collegiate age young adults in the Vancouver area. They have established discipleship and mentorship relationships with two of the young adult members of the group. They have begun the process of reaching out to local area churches to develop partnerships to reach the community around them.
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"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 iba@interstatebaptist.org attention IBA Encourager. We would love to hear and share how God is working in your churches and communities. 
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