The Gathering CBFNC Newsletter - January–February 2020

Gathering

The

of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina January/February 2020

Vol. 25 Issue 1

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, to let

the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. — ­ Luke 4:18-19

CBF Annual NC Gathering

Embracing Kingdom Community Learn More! (pages 6–7)

The Stewardship of the Laity

by Larry Hovis | CBFNC Executive Coordinator

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e Cooperative Baptists, like most Baptists before us, believe strongly in the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. In fact, the founders of CBFNC named this doctrine as one of the four principles that undergird our fellowship (along with centrality and authority of scripture, autonomy of the local church, and freedom of religion).

Out of our unique understanding of this doctrine has emerged our emphasis on believers’ baptism (no one can profess faith for another) and the equality of all members of the church (all members get one vote).

Our practice, however, has not always matched our profession. In a 1985 Convention Press study book entitled The Doctrine of the Laity, Findley B. Edge states: The call to salvation and the call to ministry are two practical and very important points to be derived from this meaning of the priesthood of all believers. The first is, the call to salvation and the call to ministry are one and the same call. Let me hasten to add, so that I will not be misunderstood, there is another call from God for those who are called to the responsibility of specific church leadership.

The second practical point that is derived from the priesthood of all believers is equally, if not more, important. This doctrine means that the primary responsibility for God’s ministry in the world rests upon the shoulders of the layperson and not upon the shoulders of the clergy!

I believe the time has come, not to abandon our traditional church programs, services and structures, but to re-engineer them so that they equip and empower laypeople to be, as Edge says, “the basic minister of God” in the world.

In this book from almost 35 years ago, Edge argues that Baptists had largely forgotten, or at least failed to implement, our theology of the ministry of the laity. He attempted, in a very readable way, to rekindle a stronger theology and practice of lay ministry.

If that was true then, it may be even more accurate now. In 1985, at least in the south, churches were located more at the center of culture than they are today. The church had a privileged place in most communities. A greater percentage of the population 2 | The Gathering

January/February 2020

attended church programs and services. God’s mission could reach many (of course, not all) people through the programs and structures of the local church.

Today, as fewer people attend church services and programs, we recognize that God’s mission is not as effectively being served on the church campus, but only by the laos, the people of God, go about their everyday lives in the world. Though he wrote these words in 1985, they are even more relevant today: Thus, the concept that the layperson is the basic minister of God is a necessity from both a biblical and a practical perspective…From a practical perspective it is a physical impossibility for the pastor and other staff to be in all the places of brokenness where God wants to minister. There simply are not enough of them. They cannot be in all the executive offices where difficult but important decisions are made that affect multitudes of people. They cannot be in all the shops and stores. They cannot be in all the factories. They cannot be in all the hospitals. They cannot be in all the homes where there is hurt. They cannot be in all the places in the ghetto where brokenness runs rife.

But God’s people are in these places.

I started my pastoral ministry two years after the publication of this book and served as a local church pastor for 17 years. For the last 15 years, as CBFNC’s executive coordinator, I have had the privilege of relating to and serving hundreds of churches in our fellowship, while also being a member of two local congregations.

Consistently, I have noticed that the lay people of our churches are amazing. They are busy raising families, working often more than 40 hours a week, and serving actively in their church. The most engaged lay people fill multiple leadership roles and sometimes spend many hours every month planning and implementing church programs and structures.

I believe the time has come, not to abandon our traditional church programs, services and structures, but to re-engineer them so that they equip and empower laypeople to be, as Edge says, “the basic minister of God” in the world. In fact, I would go one step beyond Edge and say the time has come for us to commission the laity of our churches to be missionaries in their communities —and the world.

Too often, the Church has been poor stewards of the laity.

Other than the Gospel itself, God’s people are the Church’s most precious resource. God’s mission in our time needs us to unleash God’s people in ministry. Some of this ministry may take place within the church; but increasingly, we must learn to set people free to exercise their ministry in their communities and beyond. It would be poor stewardship to do less.

Why We Invest in College Students

by Wanda Kidd | CBFNC Collegiate Engagement Coordinator

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here is a pretty simple reason CBFNC has invested so significantly in the young adults in our ecosystem: we care about their current spiritual state as well as the trajectory of their spiritual lives into the future. We also care deeply about the churches in which they will lead as laity and ministers after graduating.

Noticing some trends in our churches and in culture, this makes our investment extremely timely and important. Some of those trends include:

Stress and mental health issues are common in the world of college students, whether this be their own story or the story of someone they care about.

While not mental health professionals, CBFNC’s campus ministers have developed relationships with these professionals which makes finding needed help a much easier task for students. Campus ministers not only refer, but also journey with those who seek help.

Fewer churches have youth ministers who have been trained to minister to the difficult issues facing youth today. Therefore, students often arrive on campus with a number of theological questions.

Decisions made during college years will impact young people the rest of their lives. CBFNC’s campus ministers are vigilant in staying equipped and connected to the issues confronting young adults, helping students to process these issues theologically.

College is the time when young adults seek community and relationships.

Various organizations and outlets offer such possibilities.

However, it is imperative that faith communities be available to meet this need. This is why we offer Cooperative Baptist Student Fellowships (CBSF) groups on ten state campuses, and partner with seven historically Baptist campuses.

CBFNC’s theological precepts offer students living in a world of chaos and uncertainty a sound way of processing their questions.

Our campus ministers seek to meet students where they are with empathy in order to help them wrestle with the complex and challenging issues of the Christian faith.

College students want to make a difference in the world.

CBFNC offers a myriad of ways for students to connect with mission opportunities while on holiday and summer breaks. A relationship with a campus minister helps them to process these mission experiences in light of their Christian faith—not just as a service trip.

CBFNC desires to help young adults fall in love with Jesus and His church. This requires intentionality, opportunity and invitation.

There often exists a chasm of understanding between the traditional church and young adults. CBFNC takes building bridges between these generations seriously.

Oftentimes, our CBSF groups serve as a bridge of understanding between the Church and young adults.

College students are not simply our future. Rather, they are our present church. CBFNC has made a commitment and continues to pursue a calling to serve these young adults that are all around us. They are today and tomorrow’s laity. While their passions may be unfocused and their questions may differ from those of previous generations, the basic need to know that their lives can impact the world has not changed. They are people of worth who have questions worthy of exploration. Those of us at CBFNC want to be present and engaged in this process as students grow in their love of Jesus and His Church and as they develop gifts and passions for serving their local congregations.

Thanks be to God. January/February 2020

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Entrepreneurial Students Cater to All

by Wanda Kidd | CBFNC Collegiate Engagement Coordinator

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estled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Mars Hill Baptist Church is adjacent to Mars Hill University’s campus.

Within the church, there is a long history of ministering to the needs and concerns of the Madison County community, as well as beyond. Partnering with several local community agencies, the church provides food resources to area schools, manages the county-wide Christmas project, and provides space for the senior adult feeding site. Reaching further, they also maintain working relationships with sister churches in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Brazil and Cuba. Each summer, church members and youth travel to the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas in order to experience different types of ministries and camps. Interestingly, these ministry trips are funded through a youth and young adult catering service.

Pastoring the church for the last 24 years, Tommy Justus says the whole idea for the catering service came about when Dennis Hyatt, a church member with a background in food services, was forced to retire for health reasons. While Mr. Hyatt could not continue in full-time work, he had a wealth of food industry knowledge and wanted to use it in a way that would be helpful to his community. Together, Mr. Hyatt and Rev. Justus began to brainstorm. Rather than outsourcing food services in order

to raise funds for their annual mission trips, they came up with the idea of catering functions within the church. Furthermore, what if church youth serve carry-outs? This would mean students could serve throughout the year and earn money to cover their summer trip expenses at the same time.

Thus began the journey of building a catering business. Not only did the church kitchen need to be renovated to a commercial level; workers, including mostly youth, needed to be trained following health department guidelines. Taking these initial steps opened the door for even wider opportunities.

Using his previous industry connections, Mr. Hyatt bartered and negotiated for the upgraded kitchen equipment. With the vision of this new ministry catching on, people in the church also started making contributions to cover the cost of the upgrade.

Next, the task of training youth for the rigorous protocol of the food service industry was accomplished. Learning the process so well, some parents were actually complaining about being ridiculed by their children regarding inadequate food preparation at home!

Finally, the new catering ministry began providing the church meals. Later, they began to sponsor an annual Bar-B-Q fundraiser for the town. With their reputation spreading, they were soon doing special meals for the school system, dinners for county organizations, and even some weddings.

Even after 15 years, this innovative ministry is still thriving.

Some of the original youth are now leaders of projects. There have even been some unexpected benefits of this whole concept. One such benefit: students learned to lead and serve at the same time.

They are now able to help build community and offer hospitality.

The church is a place they will most likely continue to use these learned skills as engaged laity. When arriving on site for mission experiences, they already know how to work together —and how to be the presence of Christ. It is exciting when a plan comes together!

Mid-Winter Collegiate Retreat Mid-Winter Retreat is a gathering of young adults from across a large region including campuses and congregations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is planned by young adults, for young adults.

It's a chance to gather, mid-year, to grow in faith and relationships with other young adults.

This year’s retreat theme is “Life in Transition” and will be centered around faith and the crazy transitions of life that come during our young adult years!

Mid-Winter features large group worship, small group discussions, relevant break-out sessions, and a chance to meet representatives from CBF partner schools from across the region—all with other college-aged students.

For more information, visit www.cbfncyoungadults.org/mid-winter-retreat.

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hen a month has a fifth Sunday, Ardmore Baptist identify ways for people to serve both at Ardmore Baptist in Church has been trying a little experiment called our life together and be involved with Gospel work in our “Fun on the Fifth.” During that Sunday, we hold a neighborhood. large intergenerational Sunday school class in the fellowship Third, we want Ardmore to be a people unafraid to tackle hall, encourage people to dress more casually, and do something relevant and missional issues. As we begin to enter into another more creative in worship (in September our worship was led by a likely contentious election season, we want to equip the people bluegrass band). We also all gather together for one service rather of Ardmore Baptist to dialogue than holding our usual two. in healthy ways with those with About a week before the service, the pastoral staff received whom they may disagree. We an angry email from an elderly church member. She was also want to provide space for adamantly opposed to us doing Fun on the Fifth. She thought us to learn about justice issues it was disrespectful to our traditional form of worship, that it in our community surrounding would fail, and that it did not fit who we are as a congregation. race, immigration, and other An email response was sent thanking her for sharing her topics that tend to be avoided perspective and encouraging her to come and see what happens in churches. Our goal is not at Fun on the Fifth. to be a partisan platform for a perspective but to Fun on the Fifth is just one of the ways help our people have a kingdom-of-GodArdmore Baptist Church is experimenting mind-set in how they view the world. with “growing young.” We’ve had a Growing Young Team who surveyed the We are so grateful to have been on congregation to determine our areas of this Growing Young journey. At this stage strength and our areas of potential growth. in the process, we are not seeking to start Based on those surveys and on our new programs; that is the old model of reading of the book Growing Young, thinking. Instead, we seek to grow young it has been made clear to us that we by growing together as a community and struggle with truly knowing one to instill cultural shifts in who we are. another, with providing varied ways The day arrived for Fun on the to serve in our community, and with Fifth. Coffee, donuts, and pastries directly addressing issues of injustice were served in the lobby and picnic in our community. tables were set up. Varied generations

by Gina Brock, Amy Gallaher, Dane Martin For next few months, Ardmore is ate breakfast together and the church & Tyler Tankersley | Ministry Staff taking specific steps to address those was alive with the sounds of laughter, at Ardmore Baptist Church, Winston-Salem areas where we need to “grow together” conversation, and excitement. We as a church body. then moved into the fellowship hall where over 400 people First, we want Ardmore to develop more of a storytelling participated in an intergenerational Bible study around the culture. We are providing opportunities for people to share idea of sharing our stories with one another. In worship, some their stories with one another, hosting a CBF Reimagining of our church members led us in beautiful bluegrass music, and Evangelism workshop, and starting a podcast of stories from we enjoyed our comfortable attire! various people at Ardmore.

At the end of the worship service, the woman who had sent Second, we plan to provide the congregation with clearer the email to the staff approached our pastor with big tears in her communication about their own giftedness and ways to use eyes. She embraced him and said, “This was the best worship those gifts in the community. We are working with a local service I think I’ve been to in ages. I needed this morning. Thank nonprofit to develop a gifts assessment tool to help us you so much.”

Growing YOUNG by

Growing TOGETHER

CBF Growing Young Cohort 2020

Through the Regional Growing Young Cohort, we want to help you sort through the numerous strategies you could try and focus instead on what’s most essential in helping young people discover and love your church. Join us for this cohort and be among the first church leaders within CBF to implement new strategies to grow young.

It’s not too late to join this year’s cohort!

Visit cbfnc.org to learn more!

January/February 2020

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Embracing Kingdom Community Join Us in March for Our

CBFNC Annual Gathering Trinity Baptist Church | Raleigh Thursday, March 19–Saturday, March 21, 2020

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. ­— Luke 4:18-19

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Embracing Kingdom Community LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE Scot McKnight is the Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament at Northern Seminary.

McKnight is a world-renowned speaker, writer, professor and equipper of the Church. He is a recognized authority on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and the New Testament. His blog, Jesus Creed, is a leading Christian blog.

ENJOYING KINGDOM COMMUNITY: Thursday Evening The Black Water Band is in their tenth year and is based out of Clarkton, NC. They play top 40s, blues, funk, and country.

The band is dedicated to the art of live performance and to making every event a party experience.

With the band members’ diverse backgrounds, they guarantee quality entertainment for patrons up and down the east coast.

WORSHIP LEADER Professor Jerusha Matsen Neal is the Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. Her scholarly work examines the action of the Spirit on the performative borders of body and culture. Her research interests focus on postcolonial preaching, preaching and gender, and the implications of Mariology for a Spirit-dependent homiletic.

MARCH 19, 2020 Leadership Institute with Scot McKnight

Enjoying Kingdom Community

Featuring Black Water Rhythm & Blues Band at The Garden on Millbrook w/ heavy hors d’oeuvres

MARCH 20, 2020 Registration

Exhibit Hall Open Workshop Session #1 Opening Worship with Paul Anderson & Randy McKinney

Workshop Session #2 Workshop Session #3 Business Session Closing Worship

with Jerusha Matsen Neal

MARCH 21, 2020 Racial Equity Workshop Groundwater Presentation

January/February 2020

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FOOTSTEPS WITH GOD ON THE WILDERNESS TRAIL Isaac Willis is a 7th grader and a member of First, Shelby. His experience on the Wilderness Trail has shaped his view of God and his faith community.

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y experience at Wilderness Trail helped me bond with God more than any other youth trip of the past. I gained a new level of appreciation for nature and all of God's creation as a whole. When I first decided to go on the Wilderness Trail, my reason for doing so wasn't really to have an experience with God; but it was more so to step out of my comfort zone and get away from those bland and repetitive summer days of watching television for hours on end. However, at the end of the week I found that I gained so much more than just a hiking experience—I gained a deeper relationship with friends and with God, creator of heaven and earth.

As we started out on the trail, I began to feel gradually disconnected from everyday reality and more connected to nature. I was truly able to connect with God, with no distractions from the modern world. The hike was not easy, but I think that's part of what helped me appreciate God’s creation more. One of the times I really felt God is when I reached the top of Whitetop, a 5,518-foot mountain. I was overlooking everything. I just sat in awe trying to understand how God created all this wonder. Hiking up Whitetop came with its struggles, but in the end it was worth it for sure.

There were definitely highs and lows on the trail. I think that's what helped me connect with the youth of my group. We all helped each other. I remember as soon as we started on the trail, I just collapsed under the weight of my backpack. I underestimated how heavy my pack would be. I was picked up, and that's when I realized that no matter how many times I fell on the trail, I would always be picked up by my loyal friends. Part of the experience was bonding with others. We connected with Jesus through each others’ struggles because we all had struggles, and He used them to highlight how we all go through hard times. It was representative of how Christians should treat each other. Christians should be supportive and kind to one another. The Wilderness Trail helped me realize how to bond with others and God, building community.

The Wilderness Trail provided me with an opportunity that I will never forget and will always appreciate. I gained life skills, learned to love nature more than I ever had, and most importantly to have a whole new kind of relationship with my fellow youth and God.

A note from Carol Ann Hoard, minister of students and activities at First, Shelby . . .

A Christian youth camp, WILDERNESS TRAIL, leads groups of youth on five-day backpacking journeys on the Appalachian Trail.

Servant leadership and being the body of Christ are themes lived out on the hike. Wilderness Trail is a place of love and fun and laughter and community. Marianne, leader of Wilderness Trail, says, “It is the place where I can find God even when I feel like I’ve lost him forever.” Our hikers grow and develop persevering strength, spiritual focus, and leadership skills from their trail 8 | The Gathering

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experiences. I observe our youth returning home changed and with more mature, eager attitudes.

While raising my own sons and leading our church’s youth group, I have accompanied our youth, step by step, along their adventuresome backpacking journey with Wilderness Trail in the past few years. The sense of Christian camaraderie blossomed among our youth group because of our experience on the trail.

A Life of Service “Freely, freely, you have received. Freely, freely, freely give.

Go in my name and because you believe, others will know that I live.”

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his hymn, written by Carol Owens, is how Becky Keesler describes her faith. From her days of growing up at Asbury United Methodist Church in Durham and being there any time the doors were open to her current role as the moderator for CBF of North Carolina, Becky’s commitment to her faith in God has defined her choices. It has led her to put others first and allowed her to meet godly people who have helped deepen her faith.

Growing up in Durham, Becky remembers her early life being centered around family and church. With her parents and two brothers, the family traveled throughout the U.S. in a pop-up tent camper to visit extended family. When they were home, they were active in the life of Asbury United Methodist Church which led to Becky to become a regional and state leader of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. After being active in chapel during her years at Duke University, Becky moved to Winston-Salem to begin her teaching. There, she joined Centenary United Methodist Church and served as a volunteer youth group leader for many years. Upon meeting her husband Larry, a Baptist minister of music, Becky made the move from the Methodist church to the Baptist fold.

She is now a member at First Baptist in Mt. Airy and has naturally found ways to serve both her church and her community.

During her service to the church, she also spent 40-plus years in education, serving as a teacher, an assistant principal, and supervising student teachers. Becky has also been involved with the North Carolina Associate of Educators and Delta Kappa Gamma, serving in leadership roles in her local chapter at the state level. She also volunteered in the classrooms of her former student teachers. She serves on the Mt. Airy Library Board of Trustees, helped establish the Blue Ridge CareNet Counseling Center and served on its board, and has been involved in the United Fund of Surry. In her church, Becky currently serves as the Sunday school director and is on the church council, the Growing Young Core Team, and the WMU Council, not to mention her many positions of leadership she’s held in her time at FBC Mt. Airy since joining in 1980.

What’s her motivation in being so active in her community and church? For Becky, this has always been and will continue to be part of the fabric of her life. Worship and ministry opportunities through her church and CBFNC are the avenues through which she lives out her faith, freely giving and making God’s name known through her actions. When asked about Becky and her leadership in CBFNC, Kevin McDaniel, an assistant pastor at Canton First Baptist and a member of the missions ministry council, said, “Becky Kessler has such a magnetic personality. People are

by Mary Kaylor CBFNC Programs Manager

drawn to her because of her genuineness and her obvious love for God and God’s children. It is these attributes that have made her a blessing to all that know her and a valuable asset to our Fellowship. Having people like Becky who are able to step up and lead with such grace and that people can look to with confidence gives me hope for the future of our Fellowship.” Coordinating Council member Gina Brock, an associate pastor at Ardmore Baptist, describes what it’s like to serve on a CBFNC leadership council with Becky: “Becky has been a joy to serve with on the Coordinating Council.

Her quick wit and caring nature make the culture of our meetings warm and cheerful.

Her dedication to serving God through CBFNC is a model to all of us, clergy and laity alike.”

GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR MODERATOR, BECKY KEESLER How would friends and acquaintances describe you?

Faithful, supportive, reliable, helpful, organized, good sense of humor and doesn’t know when to say “no.”

Who have been the strongest influences in your life?

My parents and Grandmother Aldridge as role models.

My husband as an encourager, and through partnering in his ministry. A great group of Duke dorm-mates who broadened my world view then and with whom I continue to gather annual for great fellowship and challenging conversation. A host of Godly women I have had the privilege to know through my church. Educator-mentors who have modeled for me and given me the opportunity to develop my leadership and mentoring skills.

Describe your role as CBFNC Moderator in three words.

Inspiring, challenging, humbling.

What are your hopes for CBFNC moving forward?

Through my work on the Coordinating Council, I have met impressive young leaders and ministers who give me great hope for the future of CBFNC. My hope is that we continue to nurture and fund educational opportunities for ministry leaders and to partner with groups that allow us to grow our fellowship and to respond to the needs of our community and world.

January/February 2020

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Our Education and Formation Never Ends: Helping Pastors Thrive Announces 2020 Workshop Retreats for Clergy

by Scott Hudgins

CBFNC Director of Helping Pastors Thrive

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s one who spent many years in higher education, particularly graduate and professional education, I am privileged to have experienced the excitement of students and graduates at the very beginning of their professional lives. Propelled by idealism, energy, and a desire to make a difference in the world, these young professionals transitioned from the classroom into the day-to-day practices of a wide variety of professions: nursing, business, public health, social work, teaching and non-profit work, to name a few. I always took comfort in knowing what a difference they would make in the world.

I also knew that the “work world” they were entering was undergoing massive change. Advances in technology, communication and medicine—combined with new scientific research, social change and intractable problems that would eventually temper their idealism—threaten their energy and professional commitment. If they were going to thrive in their work, then learning and professional development would need to be never-ending. As a nursing faculty member once told me, “The best students I have are those that know that learning never ends, and there are some things they cannot learn except in the emergency room, at the bedside, or in the rehab center.”

If they are to flourish in their ministries and lead their congregations, pastors, like all professionals, need opportunities to gather together, to share and to learn. Helping Pastors Thrive 10 | The Gathering

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is committed to creating those opportunities for learning in the context of practice. Beginning in February 2020, the Helping Pastors Thrive program will launch a five-year series of retreats.

Designed as “workshops,” these retreats will bring together between 15 and 20 ministers at each event to explore topics that broadly fall into four major rubrics: Ministerial Leadership; The Arts of Ministry; Spiritual and Identity Formation; and Emerging Issues that Inform the Practices of Ministry.

Three to four workshops will be offered each year, and the cost for participation will be underwritten in part by the Helping Pastors Thrive program.

Participation is open to all clergy who serve CBFNC-affiliated congregations.

Led by leaders from a wide range of sectors including business, health care, nonprofit, education, and ministry, the retreats will provide extended time for pastors to learn in dialogue with experts and peers. Central to each workshop is the assumption that in gathering together, participants will discover sources of wisdom, insight and learning.

The first workshop retreat, taking place February 23–25, will focus on the topic of “Pastoral Leadership in an Age of Polarization.” How can pastors be effective in bridging the divisions—political, social, economic, and theological—that dominate our cultural climate both outside and inside the church?

This workshop retreat will be led by David Brubaker, professor of organizational management at Eastern Mennonite University and author of a recent book, When the Center Does Not Hold: Leading in an Age of Polarization (Fortress Press, 2019).

Additional workshops in 2020 will include “The Pastor as Spiritual Guide,” “Addiction and Pastoral Care,” and “Leading Congregations When You Don’t Know Where You Are Going.”

For more information on the Helping Pastors Thrive program, including these retreat workshops, please visit our website at helpingpastorsthrive.org.

YOUR GIFTS TO A CBFNC ENDOWMENT FUND CAN PLANT SEEDS OF BLESSING, OF HOPE, AND OF HELP.

Designate a gift for scholarships, new church starts, or where it is most needed.

MINISTERS ON THE MOVE Our encouragement and support go to the following ministers who have recently moved: Ryan Clore to First Baptist, Albemarle as Pastor Amy Gallaher to Ardmore Baptist, Winston-Salem as Minister of Missional Engagement Josh Lail to First Baptist, Valdese as Pastor

PLEASE REMEMBER CBFNC IN YOUR WILL OR ESTATE PLAN. Contact Jim Hylton at 336.759.3456 for more information.

Gifts from individual supporters established this endowment fund to supplement the CBFNC annual operating budget. Gifts to this fund assist all areas of CBFNC ministry as we strive to join the work of God in the world.

COORDINATORS’ VISITS October – November 2019

Ardmore, Winston-Salem Campbell University Divinity School Chowan University Duke Divinity School First, Lumberton First, Statesville First, Winston-Salem Jersey, Lexington Passport Camps

Ricky Lamm to Wise Baptist, Wise as Pastor Sam Roach to First, Sanford as Pastor When you make a move or know of someone who has changed places of ministry, please let us know (cbfnc@cbfnc.org).

For assistance to search committees and ministers seeking vocational discernment, visit the Equip Ministers and Churches page on our website at www.cbfnc.org or call 336.59.3456 or 888.822.1944.

CBFNC

HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS Given by . . . in Honor/Memory of Rev. Kelly Belcher in honor of Jack and Mary Lib Causey John Vestal in memory of Cindy Vestal Kaylee Godfrey in honor of Emily Hull McGee Lisa Rust in honor of Marc & Kim Wyatt Sandra Jarrell in honor of Sue Fitzgerald Dennis & Betsy Herman in memory of Cindy Vestal Carey Washburn in memory of Fern J. Washburn

Providence, Hendersonville Raleigh Baptist Association Ridge Road, Raleigh United, Winston-Salem Wake Forest School of Divinity

Donate to CBFNC today! www.cbfnc.org/give

Western North Carolina Baptist Fellowship January/February 2020

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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

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID WINSTON-SALEM PERMIT NO. 162

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Upcoming Events JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Growing Young Cohort

CBFNC Workshop Retreat for Clergy

Year-Long Rock Hill, SC

Mid-Winter Collegiate Retreat

January 24-26 Camp Thunderbird, Wylie, SC

February 23–25 St. Francis Springs Prayer Center Stoneville, NC

Where is Church Going from Here?

February 29 Providence, Charlotte

Youth Ski Retreat January 24-26 Winterplace, WV

MARCH CBFNC Annual Gathering March 19–21 Trinity, Raleigh

Jack and Mary Lib Causey

Fund for Congregational Leadership

The new fund reflects the Causeys' long commitment to mentoring church leaders for effective, faithful ministry and service.

It will support a wide range of educational and training opportunities including formal theological education scholarships as well as continuing education for clergy and laity. It will also support special programs to strengthen congregational leadership.

To give to the Fund, visit www.cbfnc.org and click “Give.”