March 2015
ABCUSA NEWS UPDATE
A monthly newsletter to keep you informed about ABCUSA
Why Conversations Matter 
Something significant happens at the table.
For the past several years, American Baptists have been involved in conversations about how we can discern what God is up to in order to further advance God's ministry among us. In 2013, these conversations were held on a formal basis at the 2013 Biennial Mission Summit in Overland Park, Kansas. For the last several Biennials, about 300 persons had chosen to participate in workshops and Bible studies during the morning and afternoon time slots at the Biennial. In 2013, over 1,000 people chose to participate in the formal Mission Summit Conversations that were held in this same time slot.
 
God is up to something among American Baptists and one of the many ways that we are discovering what God is up to, is through conversation. This document seeks to highlight some of the responses from the recent conversations that have been held among American Baptists. Read the full story.
Ministry Story Opportunity - Don't Miss the Chance to Tell YOUR Story!

Earn grant funding towards a ministry that your church is doing in your local community through the Ministry Story Opportunity. This opportunity, which is a part of the Transformed by the Spirit initiative, allows churches to share about the mission and ministry that they are doing in their local communities. View current submissions for the Ministry Story Opportunity here.

 

The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2015, so there is still time - consider submitting your video or written story (with photos) soon! Your church can make a submission and have a chance to earn grant funding towards a ministry the church is doing in your local community. Grants totaling $5,000 will be given to the top stories, and the funding received will go right back to the church ministry. Learn more here.

 

Questions? Don't hesitate to email [email protected] for more information or to see if your ministry story qualifies.

ABC Delegation Embarks on a "Peace and Justice" Advocacy & Mission Trip to Malaysia/Thailand/Myanmar (Burma)

A delegation of eight American Baptists, led by General Secretary Roy Medley and joined by Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, embarked on a "Peace and Justice" advocacy and mission trip to Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) from January 27 to February 21, 2015.  The delegation also met up with Rev. Joan Friesen and Jay Nordgaard, and a Kachin leader, Maw San Awng (Jum) at Myitkyina, the capital city of the Kachin State, Myanmar.  The Kachin State has had a lapse of at least fifty years since American Baptists have visited, due to restrictions imposed by the Burmese government.  Today, nearly 98% of the Kachin people are Baptist and trace their Christian heritage to mission work started in the 1850s.  

Read the Full Story

 

View photos from the trip here.

Biennial Mission Summit Individual Registration Open

Individual Registration is available for the Biennial Mission Summit in Overland Park, Kansas, June 26-28, 2015. Individuals may visit the event website for additional details, to register online or to download a PDF registration form.

 

Learn more about the Biennial Mission Summit and view the Schedule at a Glance under "Schedule," here. We are excited to hold our second round of Mission Summit Conversations among American Baptist leaders and lay people from across the United States and Puerto Rico this June.

 

Visit the event website at: www.americanbaptists2015.com.  

Prayer Time: Board of General Ministries Executive Committee

Please pray this month for the Executive Committee of the Board of General Ministries, who is meeting this week in San Diego, California. The group went on Wednesday, March 11, to Tijuana, Mexico, to visit Deborah's House. Deborah's House is a home for abused women and children that works to change lives there by God's grace, mercy and a sense of healing. The photo below shows the Executive Committee of the Board of General Ministries praying at the wall that stands on the border between Mexico and the United States. Please also pray for the ministry of Deborah's House, and for the many people who have stood at this wall, on one side or the other.

FOCUS Churches of Albany: Serving People in a Broken and Hurting World 

The FOCUS Churches of Albany is a recent recipient of the Matthew 25 Grant, sponsored by ABCUSA. 

 

Emmanuel Baptist Church of Albany, NY, and six other congregations in the area have combined their energies to provide services to their needy neighbors through FOCUS Churches of Albany.  FOCUS celebrates the common calling of the churches involved to be God's servant people in a broken and hurting world.

 

Read the full story, or learn more about the Matthew 25 grant.   

Reflection: Generosity is Connecting

There is an African proverb that says, "Because we are, I am."  It is a profound confession of the need for community, for others, in order for us to know who we are, in order for us to live out our life's purposes.  Because we are, I am.  This is the heart of Paul's words found in Romans 12:1-18.


Click here to read the full "Generosity is Connecting" reflection, written by Rev. Stacy Emerson, Stewardship Facilitator for Mission Resource Development, ABCUSA.

Change in United Mission Designations: Change in 2015

In December 2014, churches were sent a letter about a change in United Mission Designations (UMD) as found on the current mission support receipt. The United Mission Designations category is being eliminated, effective with the January 2015 receipts.

 

Learn more about this change.

Where in the World is General Secretary Medley?
General Secretary A. Roy Medley travels and represents American Baptist Churches USA wherever he goes. In late February, General Secretary Medley returned from a trip with an ABC   delegation to Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma,) visiting refugee camps and building connections. Upon his return, Medley visited with U.S. State Department officials in Washington, D.C., sharing the experiences of the delegation with government officials.

 

Medley is now in meetings with the Board of General Ministries Executive Committee in San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico.

 

Please continue to hold Dr. Medley in your prayers as he travels nationally and internationally, representing American Baptists wherever he goes.  

More Recent Highlights from the ABCUSA Website

Younger Award Nomination Deadline Near

 

ABHMS Seeks to Lift Up Today's "Swamp Angels" During Women's History Month

 

ABC Delegation Embarks on a "Peace and Justice" Advocacy & Mission Trip to Malaysia/Thailand/Myanmar (Burma)

 

John L. "Bud" Carroll Dies; was Leader in American Baptist Education, Youth Ministries

 

ABHMS Board Studies Connection Between Spiritual Practice, Effective Leadership

 

FOCUS Churches of Albany: Serving People in a Broken and Hurting World 

 

Rauschenbusch Conference Announced