gathering the
of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
July/August 2018
Vol. 23 Issue 4
do justice
the heartbeat of God by Larry Hovis, CBFNC Executive Coordinator
Due to the timing of the Annual Gathering, CBFNC’s fiscal and organizational year runs April 1 - March 31. The first major event of the year is our annual All Councils Retreat, an overnight experience in late April or early May for the Coordinating Council, Ministry Councils, staff, and sometimes other invited CBFNC leadership groups. It’s a time for team building, organizing for the new year, developing a shared focus, and spiritual formation. We met this year on May 3-4 at Caraway Conference Center. The first day featured presentations by two guest leaders. Dave Odom, of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, spoke on the topic, The Pivot: Necessary for Today’s Leadership. Utilizing the basketball image of the pivot, in this age of challenge and fast-paced change, he encouraged us to keep one foot planted in tradition while we experiment with new approaches. The second presentation, Mercy and Justice: The Heartbeat of God, featured Barry Jones, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Campbell University Divinity School. He reminded us that a normal heartbeat has two phases, systole and diastole. During the first phase, diastole, blood from the atria (upper chambers) fill the ventricles (lower chambers). During the second phase, systole, blood from the ventricles is pumped to the body or lungs. In a similar way, Barry noted, mercy and justice are two phases of God’s “heartbeat.” Beginning with Exodus and working his way through other biblical texts, he showed how mercy and justice aren’t extras or add-ons to biblical faith, but sit at the core of God’s character, and should be central for God’s people. The overarching direction of biblical faith, beginning with Israel and moving to the Church, reveals a God who is greatly concerned with extending mercy and justice, and forming a people who maintain that focus as well. A healthy faith will show mercy and seek justice. One without the other is a like a heart out of rhythm. Justice without mercy produces self-righteousness, Barry noted. Mercy without justice is arbitrary and short-sighted. I struggle more with justice than with mercy and I think that’s true of most folks in our Fellowship. We tend to lean more to the mercy side of the equation than to justice. Perhaps that’s because we think of justice primarily as punishment for wrongdoing. We hear about injustice in the criminal justice system. We have an image of God that is focused primarily
on love, grace, and forgiveness and we gravitate toward biblical texts that support that inclination. We have a too small and distorted view of justice. Too often, we only think of justice in terms of a corrupt system that unfairly punishes those who have the least access to power. True justice is about making things right. It’s about restoring order to chaos. It’s about treating everyone with dignity and fairness, regardless of external differences. The scales of true justice are blind. Justice involves police, courts of law, and prisons, to be sure. They serve an essential function in society. Biblical justice is about restoring a fallen creation to its proper state. It’s about reconciliation. It’s about loving God and neighbor as ourselves ... that is, not only having nice feelings for our neighbor but actually desiring and working for the same good for our neighbor that we desire and work for ourselves. It’s about “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). In some ways, mercy is individual and justice is structural. That is, we extend mercy by forgiving our neighbor who has wronged us and addressing the immediate concerns of our neighbor in need. We do justice by addressing the systems that keep our neighbor in need or encourage our neighbor to behave destructively. The struggle to understand mercy and justice reminds me of a story I heard about a group of friends who were having a picnic, lounging at a bend in a river near rapids. Someone noticed a swimmer in the water flailing his arms and shouting, “Help! Help!” The friends mobilized and managed to save the drowning person. Afterward, as they rested, they noticed someone else struggling against the current. They saved that one, too. Then more people appeared in the rough water and they mobilized a rescue effort, eventually saving dozens of people from drowning. Finally, one of the picnickers left the rescue operation and started walking upstream. A companion shouted out, “Why are you leaving us? There are so many more to save. We need you!” She replied, “I’m going upstream to figure out why all these people keep falling in the river. Someone needs to address the source of this problem.” Mercy and justice are complex concepts, but they are central to God’s character and to the work of God’s people. Either without the other is incomplete. Christians and churches who strive to be heart-healthy will focus on both.
True justice is about making things right. It’s about restoring order to chaos. It’s about treating everyone with dignity and fairness, regardless of external differences.
2 • The Gathering – July/August 2018
that church by Marc Wyatt, CBF Advocate for Internationals
You may recall that our friend, Jay (featured in CBF Global’s Offering for Global Missions video, www.vimeo. com/222863247), is a Special Immigrant Visa arrival in North Carolina. For their service to the U.S. government in Iraq and Afghanistan, certain Iraqis and Afghans are granted Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status overseas by the U.S. Department of State and are admitted to the U.S. by the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of State, in conjunction with the Voluntary agencies and Office for Refugee Resettlement (ORR), assist with the resettlement and integration of SIVs into the U.S. An SIV is eligible for the same ORR benefits and services for the same time period as a refugee, from the first day the SIV arrives in the U.S. While storm clouds swirled outside, 19 friends assembled from Snyder Memorial, Fayetteville; First, Fayetteville; Mount Pisgah, Fayetteville; First, Red Springs; and Godwin Heights, Lumberton. We met around the table to talk about folks like Jay who were now our neighbors. We hoped to encourage each other in our ministries of welcome and hospitality, learn from one another, and seek ways to collaborate when and where it was possible. Our conversation started with an excerpt from Embracing Our Neighbor, a 30-day prayer guide produced by my colleagues on the Internationals North America Team. Dr. Greg Smith states, As CBF Global Missions field personnel serving in cities and towns across our great country, we have heard and responded to the call to welcome with open arms the immigrants, refugees, international students and others whom God brings to our shores. Ours is not the job of timidly peeking through the blinds at new faces moving into our neighborhoods, but of joyously flinging open the front door and shouting “Welcome, friend, we’re glad you’re here!” Yet Christ’s call to “welcome the stranger” (Matthew 25:35) leads us as his followers to embrace and receive the stranger as a true neighbor, even as a fellow traveler (Luke 10:25-37) who, like we ourselves, is in need of acceptance, friendship, healing, and opportunity. Embracing our neighbors takes on different forms and meanings. It means taking the initiative to reach out to our immigrant friends, even when we face rejection or misunderstanding. It means loving our new friends enough to share our lives with them and receive their lives in return. It means listening to their stories, without prejudice and without judgment, walking alongside them when the road is smooth, and, especially, when it is rough and the destination is unsure. Ultimately, though, embracing our immigrant neighbors and friends means receiving and caring for each of them as God in Christ receives and cares for us (John 13:34-35). CBF’s Global Missions Distinctives provide guidance as we model what it means to embrace our neighbors in Jesus’ name. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and through ministries of incarnational presence, we gladly embrace our international neighbors:
By bearing witness to Jesus Christ as we invite these friends to trust their lives to him. The greatest gift we share with refugees, immigrants, international students, and others is our faith in Jesus to recreate, renew, and transform all of life. Our witness through the actions we embody as well as the words we speak gives validity to the ministry we share with our international neighbors. n
By cultivating beloved community in a way that seeks genuine relationships with all internationals with whom we come into contact. We cherish the bonds of love and trust forged between our international friends and ourselves. We believe each person, no matter who they are or how they arrived in our communities, is made in God’s image, full of worth and demanding our respect. n
By seeking transformational development in all aspects of life. Daily God is working to renew not only personal and community life but also the social and cultural structures which govern and control life. Our calling is to “co-labor” or collaborate with God (1 Corinthians 3:9) to transform the many systems that impact the lives of our neighbors, in full anticipation of God’s kingdom coming “on earth as it is in heaven.” n
We led the group in a brainstorming session and read Leviticus 19:33-34 and Deuteronomy 10:18-19. We stated, “Let’s imagine a church that hears God’s words and says, ‘We want to be that church!’ When that church embraces its international neighbors, what does it look like?” Our friends responded with these words: No Fear. Open. Hospitality. Diversity. Empathy. God not Government. Giving. Warm. Friendly. Incarnation. Investing in cultures. Community. Listens. Out in the community. The community is in the church. Learns. Partners with others. Outward-focused. Relational. Fun. Good food. Shared ministry (all kinds). Diversity in worship. Availability. Trusts. Willing to change. Willing to down-size. Willing to share with others. Intentional. Cares about others more than selves. Art reflects people in church. Multilingual. Multicultural. Flags of countries. Interpreters. All have access to resources. Staff reflects diversity in congregation. Allows children to be around foreigners. Hospitable toward other faiths. Then we asked, “What does that church have to do differently to become a church that embraces its international neighbors?” They responded: Something must die. Willing to be rejected by others. Change long-range plan. Education. Discover Biblical hospitality. Embrace differences. Friends, let’s be that church that believes what the Bible says, asks good hard questions of itself, makes changes, and embraces with open arms their international neighbors. That church is doing just that over in Cumberland and Robeson Counties. What about in your neck of the woods? Want to be that church too? The Gathering – July/August 2018 • 3
Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC), a ministry of WMU, Chowan University. When she saw the campus and met staff and is a strengths-based ministry that provides job skills and life students, Akevia told her mentor that she couldn’t even hope skills to men and women living in poverty. Each participant has to attend Chowan. Her mentor reminded her that CWJC was in a Christian mentor to journey with him or her as they transition the “hope business” and pledged to walk through the process to self-sufficiency in Christ. There are currently 14 sites in NC, if Akevia wanted to go to Chowan. With financial assistance others in southern Africa, and more in development stages. (both need and academic) and Akevia’s dedication to work Doing Justice is during semesters in the DNA of and over breaks, CWJC. At its very Akevia graduated core is a Biblical from Chowan understanding University in May by Cara Lynn Vogel, Coordinator, Women’s/Men’s Job Corps of NC of poverty as the with a manageable result of broken amount of debt. relationships— Akevia said, relationships “I am now eight with self, others, days away from resources, and reaching my goal God. We are and becoming who able to approach and what I was others with a destined to be—a desire to see teacher. God has God’s handiwork used my journey in them. Our to strengthen my participants faith. Because of marvel that this organization instead of and the Christian questions about people who 2018 National Certification Training what they cannot have loved and do or don’t have, encouraged me, my we ask about their son and I will have strengths and how they’d like to change their life. a better life. He will not have to worry about where his next meal There are countless stories to tell you about our participants. will come from or if the light bill was paid on time. Generational Here are a few I’d like to share with you: poverty ends with me, because of you!”
in the hope business
Goals within reach: In May, Akevia Wilson, a participant at the Roanoke-Chowan CWJC in Ahoskie, was recognized by National CWJC with the Sybil Bentley Dove Award. This grant is given to one participant/recent graduate who best exemplifies the purpose and transformation of CWJC. Akevia shared in her testimony that she knew that she was supposed to be a teacher from a very young age. After graduating from high school, she entered college and worked two jobs, but by 19 she was a college dropout. She worked in multiple dead-end jobs for the next few years until she experienced a traumatic death in her life. She was homeless, Akevia Wilson pregnant, and hopeless when she came across Britton Ministries, a Family Care Unit of NC Baptist Children’s Homes. Akevia then discovered Roanoke-Chowan CWJC and realized that her goal of teaching was not impossible. Her son was born and she returned to community college. She began to search for a college or university to complete her Bachelor’s degree. After visiting a couple of state universities in the area, she visited 4 • The Gathering – July/August 2018
Pass it on: The original graduating class of LifeWorks with CWJC in Waynesville included four women. Each of those women has completed the training to become a site coordinator. The three who still live in the Waynesville area are working at the site to provide opportunities for other women to discover their potential. The fourth graduate currently lives in South Carolina and is working to begin a site in her new community. A lighter load: Pivot CWJC in Forsyth County began classes in February. On the first day, Site Coordinator Carol Polk asked the women to close their eyes and see the burdens that they were carrying as a backpack. She asked the students to walk outside the door and put their virtual backpacks down so that they could concentrate on what God had for them. In a class in April, one participant said, “You remember that backpack you told us about on the first day? Mine’s not as heavy because I have all of you. God didn’t want me carrying all that stuff.” As State Coordinator for CWJC of NC, I am privileged to hear these stories of God’s work. I strive to provide resources to enable communities to transform from a hand-out to a hand-up ministry to reach those in poverty. For more information, visit www.cwjcnc.org or e-mail me at cwjcnc@gmail.com.
In Waking Up White: and Finding Myself in the Story of Race, Debby Irving shares a personal journey uncovering distorted ideas of race and racism against the backdrop of her own identity as a white woman raised in Winchester, Massachusetts. Attending a college course on Racial and Cultural Identity, Irving awakens to the realization that her identity interferes with her attempts to understand racism. As a result, she shifts her focus to learn about her own socializations of growing up white in America. The author discusses how, when, and why cultural experiences are unique, nurtured, and embedded in each of us. At the end of each chapter, Irving provides questions and additional insight to introduce the reader to their own stories of race and racism. The author is transparent and clear, helping the reader understand personal cultural socializations and honestly face the reality of racism and race as a social construct. This book is highly recommended for leaders, laity, and groups intentionally seeking to cross cultural boundaries and willing to learn and engage with the prompts and exercises in the book. Rev. Daynette Snead is President of DIASPRA, Associate Pastor of First Chin, New Bern, Chairs the Racial Justice Ministry Team of CBFNC, and a Doctor of Ministry Cohort at Gardner-Webb University.
Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly; this is what the Lord requires of each of us as Micah 6:8 so eloquently instructs. We are challenged and encouraged through CBFNC’s year of Mercy and Justice to strive to live in ways that reflect the love of God and the ways of Jesus Christ. We don’t have to look far past the front page of the newspaper to see the systemic and long-term effects of racism and poverty in our own backyard. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer whose work focuses on Death Row inmates, shares some of his experiences in his memoir, Just Mercy. This book forces readers to become acquainted with the United States Justice System through Stevenson’s narrative which describes serving alongside marginalized clients in the throes of the cycle of poverty. Just Mercy introduces readers to the relationship between poverty, race, and the justice system through the story of the legal case of Walter McMillian, a black man sentenced to Death Row in the 1980s. Through
Stevenson’s advocacy and persistence, he was proven innocent and won his release. As we continue to live life through the lens of Justice and Mercy, we must carefully remove the scales from our eyes that keep us from seeing every person as a beloved child of God. The shackles of racism, hatred, and discrimination can only be released through the redeeming and reconciling power of inclusion, love, and advocacy.
Jaime Fitzgerald is a recent Gardner-Webb University MDiv. grad, Youth Minister at First, Tryon, and CBSF intern in western North Carolina.
Written by Psychologist Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? invites the reader to engage in conversations about race. She writes, “Talking about racism is an essential part of facing racism and changing it. But it is not the only part.” In her introduction, Dr. Tatum communicates her intent to write a non-academic book that provides a definition of terms, acknowledges the complexity of identity, offers an understanding of the Black/White context, and challenges the reader to work toward breaking the cycle of racism. Breaking the cycle also includes moving beyond Black/White issues to invite conversations with people who are Latino, AmericanIndian (or Native-American), and Asian-Pacific. While acknowledging that racism is not a thing of the past, Dr. Tatum devotes a chapter to defining terms like prejudice, White privilege, and racial identity. Specific examples illustrate that information which is assumed, omitted, or distorted contributes to misinformation that feeds racism. Dr. Tatum challenges people of all color to move from active or passive racism to active anti-racism. Of course, special attention is given to the illustration that is the title of the book. Specifically, Dr. Tatum describes entering a middle-school or high-school cafeterias and noting the segregation of races at the tables in the room. Additional facts provide an understanding of when “segregation in the cafeteria” occurs (as young people enter puberty and during struggles with personal identity). It is also important to note that “segregation in the cafeteria” is not only a symptom of young people and in schools. This type of racism occurs in the teacher’s lounge, at church, in civic clubs, and in corporate dining rooms. While published in 1997, the book is relevant today and definitely challenging for twenty-first-century living.
mercy & justice
bookshelf
Ka’thy Gore Chappell, former CBFNC Leadership Development Coordinator, is Executive Director of BWIM NC.
The Gathering – July/August 2018 • 5
partner churches Churches making contributions October 2016 - March 2018
Giving Trends:
2014 through 2018
Designated Undesignated
In the 2017-2018 budget year, undesignated gifts totaled $1.26 million, breakeven with the previous year. Designated gifts exceeded $2.3 million, resulting in total gifts of $3.59 million. CBFNC is grateful for the trust congregations and individuals place in us. As you form your church budget for next year, we prayerfully and humbly ask that you consider increasing your gifts to CBFNC. We are taking great care to be good stewards of these resources through the ministries we coordinate and the cultivation of positive relationships with our cherished ministry partners. To view CBFNC’s 2018-2019 budget, visit www.cbfnc.org/budget.
Churches contributing to CBFNC are listed in bold type. Churches that contribute to CBF Global only are listed in regular type. Designated in blue are churches that participate in the CBFNC Mission Resource Plan, providing financial support for other Baptist ministries through CBFNC. For additional information about the Mission Resource Plan or for more information on partnering with CBFNC, visit www.cbfnc.org. This list does not include churches who partner with CBFNC or CBF Global in other, non-financial ways. Earlys............................................. Ahoskie
First................................................... Biscoe
First................................... Carolina Beach
First................................................ Ahoskie
First.................................. Black Mountain
Westwood............................................ Cary
First............................................Albemarle
First..........................................Bladenboro
Chadbourn............................... Chadbourn
Mount Zion....................................... Alexis
Lennons Cross Roads.............Bladenboro
Piney Forest............................. Chadbourn
Angier............................................... Angier
First...................................... Blowing Rock
Ephesus................................... Chapel Hill
Baptist Fellowship........................... Angier
Boiling Springs................ Boiling Springs
HillSong.................................... Chapel Hill
Neill’s Creek.................................... Angier
Little Rock...................................... Boomer
Iglesia Bautista Amor de Dias
Iglesia Bautista Torre Fuerte.......... Apex
First................................................... Boone
.................................................. Chapel Hill
Olive Chapel .................................... Apex
Boonville......................................Boonville
Lystra....................................... Chapel Hill
Woodhaven......................................... Apex
First......................................... Bryson City
Mount Carmel......................... Chapel Hill
Oakwood Park............................ Asheboro
First......................................... Buies Creek
University...............................Chapel Hill
West Asheboro.............................. Asheboro
Memorial................................. Buies Creek
Grace Crossing........................... Charlotte
Calvary......................................... Asheville
Bullock............................................Bullock
Iglesia Bautista Hispana ................ Charlotte
First.............................................. Asheville
First..............................................Burlington
Iglesia Communidad Evangelica
Morningside................................. Asheville
First.......................................... Burnsville
Internacional La Red ................ Charlotte
Mount Carmel............................... Asheville
First............................................... Butner
Park Road....................................... Charlotte
Connaritsa...................................Aulander
Calypso........................................... Calypso
Pritchard Memorial................... Charlotte
First............................................Belhaven
Hominy...........................................Candler
Providence.................................. Charlotte
Benson........................................... Benson
First................................................. Canton
St. John’s..................................... Charlotte
6 • The Gathering – July/August 2018
partner churches
Churches making contributions October 2016 - March 2018
Sardis........................................... Charlotte
Unity Christian Church International
Union Cross............................Kernersville
Together in Christ Intl. Ministries
.................................................. Fayetteville
Spilman Memorial........................ Kinston
................................................... Charlotte
First...........................................Forest City
Oak Ridge....................................... Kittrell
First............................................ Clarkton
Florence.................................. Forest City
Knightdale.............................. Knightdale
First.............................................. Clayton
Mount Vernon..........................Forest City
First....................................... Laurinburg
White Oak...................................... Clayton
First............................................Four Oaks
Goshen..............................................Leland
Mosaic............................................ Clayton
Pauline..................................... Four Oaks
North Brunswick Fellowship.............Leland
Clemmons First............................Clemmons
Burningtown.................................Franklin
College Avenue.................................. Lenoir
First...............................................Clinton
Franklinton............................. Franklinton
First.................................................. Lenoir
Grove Park..................................... Clinton
Fremont Missionary ..................Fremont
Churchland.................................Lexington
McGill............................................ Concord
Covenant.......................................Gastonia
First.............................................Lexington
First...........................................Cramerton
First...............................................Gastonia
Jersey...........................................Lexington
Open Arms............................... Creedmoor
Loray.............................................Gastonia
First ..............................................Liberty
Cullowhee..................................Cullowhee
New Hope......................................Gastonia
First ........................................Lincolnton
The Summit...............................Cullowhee
Reynoldson........................................ Gates
Bear Swamp................................. Littleton
First................................................. Dobson
First............................................Goldsboro
Littleton......................................... Littleton
First...................................................Drexel
Rosewood First..........................Goldsboro
Hickory Rock...........................Louisburg
First.................................................... Dunn
First .............................................. Graham
Louisburg................................... Louisburg
Westfield............................................. Dunn
College Park............................Greensboro
First.......................................... Lumberton
Calvary.......................................... Durham
First..........................................Greensboro
First............................................... Madison
Durham Memorial....................... Durham
Lindley Park............................... Greensboro
Antioch...........................................Mamers
Iglesia Bautista Valle De Esperanza
Southeast..................................Greensboro
First................................................. Marion
....................................................... Durham
Immanuel.................................Greenville
Calvary........................................ Mars Hill
Hope Valley................................... Durham
The Memorial............................ Greenville
Mars Hill..................................... Mars Hill
Lowes Grove................................. Durham
Oakmont.................................... Greenville
First........................................... Marshville
Mount Hermon............................. Durham
Pleasant Hill.......................................Grover
First .............................................Mayodan
Temple........................................... Durham
Hallsboro..................................... Hallsboro
New Bessemer....................... McLeansville
Watts Street.................................. Durham
Flat Rock...............................Hamptonville
First................................................ Mebane
Yates.............................................. Durham
First........................................... Henderson
Mount Adar................................... Mebane
First.................................................. Eden
Providence......................... Hendersonville
Eatons........................................ Mocksville
Edenton......................................... Edenton
First................................................Hickory
First........................................... Mocksville
Blackwell Memorial........... Elizabeth City
Mountain Grove ...........................Hickory
First................................................ Monroe
First..................................... Elizabeth City
Hiddenite..................................... Hiddenite
First............................................Mooresville
First.....................................................Elkin
Emerywood............................... High Point
First..................................Morehead City
First......................................................Elon
First........................................... High Point
First...........................................Morganton
Emerald Isle........................... Emerald Isle
Iglesia Bautista Esperanza Viva
Calvary.....................................Mount Airy
Enfield..............................................Enfield
................................................... High Point
First..........................................Mount Airy
Fair Bluff.....................................Fair Bluff
Parkwood.................................. High Point
Piney Grove.............................Mount Airy
First..............................................Fairmont
First....................................... Hillsborough
First...................................... Mount Gilead
First............................................. Farmville
First.........................................Huntersville
First......................................Mount Holly
Cedar Falls................................. Fayetteville
First.......................................... Jamestown
First...................................... Mount Olive
First.......................................... Fayetteville
First............................................. Jonesville
Murfreesboro....................... Murfreesboro
Lafayette.................................. Fayetteville
First.......................................... Kannapolis
Nashville..................................... Nashville
Mount Pisgah........................... Fayetteville
New Life Chinese..................... Kannapolis
First.............................................New Bern
Snyder Memorial.................... Fayetteville
First.........................................Kernersville
Kendalls................................. New London The Gathering – July/August 2018 • 7
partner churches
Churches making contributions October 2016 - March 2018
Trinity........................................... Newton
First..............................................Roseboro
First.............................................. Wallace
First..................................... N. Wilkesboro
First...............................................Rowland
Warrenton................................. Warrenton
First..................................................Oriental
Lamberth Memorial.................... Roxboro
First......................................... Washington
Enon................................................ Oxford
Roxboro......................................... Roxboro
First....................................... Waynesville
Hester.............................................. Oxford
First.....................................Rutherfordton
First....................................... Weaverville
Oxford............................................. Oxford
First..............................................Salisbury
Crossroads Fellowship......................Weldon
Roberts Chapel...........................Pendleton
Ephesus............................................ Sanford
Baptist Tabernacle........................Wendell
Iglesia Cristiana Nuevo Amanecer
First................................................ Sanford
First.................................. West Jefferson
..................................................... Pfafftown
Flat Springs................................... Sanford
Fishing Creek............................Whitakers
Pfafftown..................................... Pfafftown
Primera Iglesia Bautista .............Sanford
First.......................................... Whiteville
Iglesia Bautista Misionera Roca Fuerte
Double Shoals.................................. Shelby
Mount Zion................................ Whiteville
...................................................... Pittsboro
Dover................................................. Shelby
First......................................... Wilmington
Mount Gilead............................... Pittsboro
Broad River Community ............... Shelby
Masonboro.............................. Wilmington
Crabtree Valley............................ Raleigh
First................................................Shelby
Temple..................................... Wilmington
First.................................................Raleigh
Poplar Springs...............................Shelby
Winter Park............................ Wilmington
Forest Hills......................................Raleigh
Ross Grove....................................... Shelby
First..................................................Wilson
Greystone........................................Raleigh
Zion.................................................. Shelby
Wingate......................................... Wingate
Hayes Barton..................................Raleigh
Rocky River.................................Siler City
Ardmore.............................Winston-Salem
Heritage ........................................... Raleigh
Nobles Chapel......................................Sims
College Park......................Winston-Salem
Iglesia Bautista La Roca................Raleigh
First.......................................... Smithfield
Fellowship..........................Winston-Salem
Longview.........................................Raleigh
Sharon........................................ Smithfield
First....................................Winston-Salem
Macedonia.......................................Raleigh
First.................................... Southern Pines
Iglesia Cristiana Sin Fronteras
Millbrook........................................Raleigh
Spencer.......................................... Spindale
............................................Winston-Salem
New Hope........................................Raleigh
First........................................ Spring Hope
Knollwood..........................Winston-Salem
North Raleigh Community........... Raleigh
Central........................................Spruce Pine
Northwest...........................Winston-Salem
Ridge Road.....................................Raleigh
First............................................ Stanfield
Peace Haven.......................Winston-Salem
Samaria ..........................................Raleigh
First.................................... Stantonsburg
United.................................Winston-Salem
Shiloh Restoration .........................Raleigh
First.............................................Statesville
West Side .........................Winston-Salem
St. John’s ........................................Raleigh
First............................................. Stoneville
Winterville.............................. Winterville
Swift Creek................................... Raleigh
Brunswick Islands...........................Supply
Wise..................................................... Wise
Tabernacle.......................................Raleigh
East Sylva.............................................Sylva
Bethlehem................................ Youngsville
Temple.............................................Raleigh
First.....................................................Sylva
Youngsville............................... Youngsville
Triangle...........................................Raleigh
Olyphic.................................... Tabor City
Zebulon..........................................Zebulon
Trinity........................................... Raleigh
First................................................Tarboro
First.........................................Red Springs
Antioch...................................Taylorsville
Calvary........................................ Reidsville
First................................................. Tryon
First...........................................Reidsville
Round Hill...............................Union Mills
Richfield........................................Richfield
Cornerstone....................................Valdese
First.............................................Richlands
First.............................................. Valdese
Rosemary.........................Roanoke Rapids
First............................................. Wadesboro
First.......................................... Rockingham
Falls...................................... Wake Forest
Dortches............................... Rocky Mount
Grace Haven ........................ Wake Forest
Lakeside............................... Rocky Mount
Heritage.................................. Wake Forest
Rolesville..................................... Rolesville
Wake Forest........................... Wake Forest
Rose Hill....................................... Rose Hill
Woodland............................... Wake Forest
8 • The Gathering – July/August 2018
Special Causes: Highland UMC, Raleigh: Wyatt Ministry Monument Heights, Richmond, VA: Wyatt Ministry
passion for collegiate engagement by Wanda Kidd, CBFNC Collegiate Engagement Coordinator
Schools across the state and beyond are on a much-needed CBFNC, through Collegiate Engagement efforts, has given break. In no time at all, though, homework and backpacks full of young adults the freedom to ask questions that allow them to school supplies will be headed out the door and conversations face complex life issues with a faith perspective. We have done about cafeteria food and who is picking up whom after school that with a great deal of thought and investment. That is why will fill the air. For those who are sending their college-age we have made a significant commitment to ministry with this children off to campus this fall, other concerns dominate population, not just for CBFNC students, but for all students on parental thoughts. our NC campuses. These If it is their first students are the lifeblood year, the concerns look of the church that flows something like this: Will through them into today’s they make friends? Will they church and the church’s get up and go to class? Will hope for tomorrow. they miss us as much as we Collegiate engagement miss them? Oh, but I hope is different from they will not be homesick and congregational planning. miserable. Did we do enough Church ministry is slower to prepare them for this moving with time to ponder transition? I hope they will not and blend young adults do something really stupid. into the life of the church. Student concerns during the first two Ministry on campus, however, is like How to support CBFNC years of college focus mostly around a moving sidewalk full of upheavals, Collegiate Engagement relationships, selection of majors, unbounded joy, and heartbreaking grades, and places they want to go and sadness, most of which is done Tell others about CBFNC and things they want to do, usually with separate and isolated from a students’ collegiate engagement; friends and groups other than family. family and church system. That is The last years are full of angst about where we, as CBFNC, want to be Pray for the students and the what to do next, where to go from here, present not only with our students mission of collegiate engagement; and how to pay off school debt and but with all students. Give to support CBFNC collegiate fund graduate school. CBFNC has seminary trained These life passages are profound campus missionaries serving on engagement; and and, in many instances, overshadow the several of the state campuses along Share names of students in your education that we send young adults to with outreach to some of the family, church, and community college to acquire. What we often fail to community colleges in the area. We acknowledge or even realize is that all also partner with historically Baptist who are on NC campuses. of these concerns, questions, and hopes campuses to offer retreats and mission are theological in nature and require opportunities. We work with local space with the help of someone trained to assist them. congregations in two ways, assisting them in connecting In recent years, due to budget restraints, mainline churches with students on local campuses and offering ways to remain have too often underestimated and undervalued the importance connected to their homegrown students. of ministry and mission to young adults and collegiate Our prayer is that all CBFNC Baptists understand and value engagement. College is not only the transitional time our the role of campus missions as an integral part of our overall children and students can personally claim their faith, but it is mission and to understand that every church is a campus church. the perfect time to introduce the multitude of students who Collegiate ministry looks expensive on paper, but it pales in have never had a church family to a relationship with Christ. comparison to the cost we pay by not equipping, calling out, Contrary to conventional wisdom, young adults are open to and connecting with the unreached students on our campuses. God’s engagement in their lives. Increasingly, young adults do Collegiate ministry is a mission of grace and hope living into the not know of a place where it is safe to explore “purpose of life Christian Gospel by seeing the souls of our best and brightest, questions” with a Christian lens that gives both space and time and being willing to do what it takes to reach this people group. to do so. This reality is equally true for those raised in the local Thanks to CBFNC, we have the will and the passion to church and those brand new to exploring Christian faith. continue to offer this hope to our future generations. The Gathering – July/August 2018 • 9
CBFNC Honorary and Memorial Gifts
CBFNC Financial Report
Col legiate Ministry: Facebook fundraisers in honor of the birthdays of Lawrence Powers and Kevin Moore
April 2018 Contributions Undesignated: $97,752 Designated: $164,290 May 2018 Contributions Undesignated: $98,043 Designated: $168,011 April 2018 - March 2019 Monthly Undesignated Goal: $104,922
Check out our blog! cbfnc.wordpress.com
To contribute, e-mail smitchell@cbfnc.org.
Ministers on the Move Our encouragement and support go to the following ministers who have recently moved:
Donate to CBFNC today! www.cbfnc.org/give
Coordinators’ Visits April 2018 - May 2018
Sammy Ballard to First, Mebane, as Pastor
Ardmore, Winston-Salem
Brittany Darst to Macedonia, Raleigh, as Youth Minister
Bethlehem, Youngsville
Trevor McPherson to Tabernacle, Raleigh, as Associate Pastor of Families Andrew Rawls to Viewmont, Hickory, as Pastor Jonathon Shattuck to Lamberth Memorial, Roxboro, as Pastor Larry Trivette to Maplewood, Yadkinville, as Associate Pastor of Worship and Family Ministries Chris Wilson to Rolesville, Rolesville, as Minister of Children and Youth When you make a move or know of someone who has changed places of ministry, let us know by e-mailing us at cbfnc@cbfnc.org. For assistance to search committees and ministers seeking vocational discernment, visit our reference and referral page on our website at www.cbfnc.org or call (336) 759-3456 or (888) 822-1944.
10 • The Gathering – July/August 2018
Chadbourn, Chadbourn Emerywood, High Point First, Fairmont First, Goldsboro First, Huntersville First, Kannapolis First, Lexington Forest Hills, Raleigh Providence, Hendersonville Snyder Memorial, Fayetteville CBFNC ministry coordinators are available to visit your church to speak, preach, teach, consult, lead, and minister. Contact the CBFNC office for more information.
because
mercy first loved us
by Will Watson, Pastor, United, Winston-Salem
I distinctly remember sitting with our church missions team last fall and sharing the story of Welcome House Winston (more specifically, the precious mothers and babies we were serving in Jesus’ name), and the question arose, “How did you come upon this ministry in the first place?” After a few moments trying to piece together how the request for assistance with asylum seekers was first shared with me, I stammered, “All I can say is that somehow, someway, God has us involved and is at work.” That’s truly what has happened with Welcome House Winston—his people have been called, God has involved His people in ministry, and His work is blessing the lives of four precious Congolese gifts sent to our city. It is fitting, I think, how the Spirit brought these precious folks to live in Winston-Salem; after all, the second word after the hyphen, Salem, means “shalom; peace and wholeness.” God is bringing himself to us at Welcome House Winston; God is bringing his “shalom” to our city, and his name is Mercy. Late last summer, CBFNC Missions Coordinator Linda Jones e-mailed a handful of ministers asking whether God was leading any of us to help out a couple families seeking asylum here in NC. Because God had nudged me over the last couple of years about the plight of refugees, it seemed natural to meet with my church’s lay leaders to determine how God would lead us. After all, hospitality is inherent in God’s personality, and the Bible is filled with stories of how to treat brothers/sisters from foreign lands: We welcome them graciously ... no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Our first meeting took place nearly six months ago (at the time of this writing), and several of us met to hear the story of our Congolese friends who, at the time, were receiving love and compassion from Winterpark, Wilmington. As Marc Wyatt shared the opportunity for our local churches to create a welcome house ministry for these families, God began opening doors in our conversations: “Yes, I believe our church can assist with that.” “It would be great to see how our meetings would strengthen the bond between our sister churches.” “What are the housing options for our new friends?” “Who will be in charge of leading this Welcome House Winston team going forward?” After this meeting and then another in October, Steve Loftis answered the call to lead us and has since proved to be a superb example of humility, open-mindedness, and leadership. As various team members assumed their roles and giftedness in the group, an apartment was finally secured and the joy of furnishing our new friends’ abode began. Everything our new residents would need was donated by our friends and/or fellow churches, and by the time Thanksgiving arrived our Congolese families were welcomed to Winston-Salem with open arms. We celebrated their arrival with a party at Peacehaven, Winston-Salem, and, with the help of a French interpreter, we were able to ask God’s blessing on their new lives here in our city (emphasis on “our!”). Today, the ladies and their babies are working to understand their new lives here in the Triad, and they are appreciative of our assistance and love. While we have served them in various ways, they are stepping out independently to become self-sufficient, which is a major goal of these Welcome House ministries. One of the most beautiful things to see and hear is their desire to worship with us in our congregations. They want to be with us! They see the genuine article of Jesus Christ displayed in our worship, our prayers, and our communities of faith.“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). God is doing this in our new friends’ lives, and He is doing that in all of us as we serve one another ... by loving mercy. “Loving Mercy” is the mandate issued by God through the prophet Micah, imploring his people to live out mercy, justice, and humility. The team members I serve alongside through Welcome House Winston were loving mercy way before we even knew about our Congolese friends. But you see, Mercy traveled from Wilmington to Winston-Salem and found us. Through our own experiences of Christ’s loving-kindness, we now have the opportunity to love these families with that same mercy. This is the biggest blessing: We love mercy because Mercy first loved us. Welcome House Winston, as well as all the CBFNC Welcome Houses across our beautiful state, are an act of mercy through our merciful God. By loving asylum seekers and refugees, God is demonstrating his mercy to us, teaching us compassion, and showing us how he truly loves us: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5, NIV)
Welcome House Winston is humbled to show mercy to our new neighbors only because Mercy first showed up on the doorsteps of our hearts, loved us ... and welcomed us home. Amen.
The Gathering – July/August 2018 • 11
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID WINSTON-SALEM PERMIT NO. 162
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina Bringing Baptists of North Carolina Together for Christ-Centered Ministry 2640 Reynolda Road Winston-Salem, NC 27106
888-822-1944 www.cbfnc.org
Return Service Requested
Upcoming Events CBFNC Webinar: God, Evolution, and The Big Bang. Why I Believe in All Three July 12, 2018, 11-11:45am
Growing Young Regional Workshop October 20, 2018 First, Lumberton
CBFNC Webinar: Making Church a Safe Place to Talk About Dangerous Things July 26, 2018, 11-11:45am
Children’s Mission Day October 27, 2018 Conetoe Family Life Training Center, Tarboro Mars Hill Baptist Church, Mars Hill
CBFNC Webinar: Conflict and Communication. Opportunities for Growth August 14, 2018, 11-11:45am Growing Young Regional Workshop August 18, 2018 First, Mocksville Youth Beach Retreat September 7-9, 2018 Fort Caswell Elevating Preaching September 17, 2018 Wake Forest School of Divinity, Winston-Salem
Growing Young Regional Workshop November 10, 2018 First, Black Mountain Children’s Mission Day November 17, 2018 Conetoe Family Life Training Center, Tarboro Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte Youth Ski Retreat January 25-27, 2019 Winterplace, WV