The Gathering CBFNC Newsletter - September–October 2013

The Gathering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina

September/October 2013 • Vol. 18 Issue 5 Bringing Baptists of North Carolina Together for Christ-Centered Ministry

In This Edition PAGE 2 In

Praise of Pastors

by Larry Hovis PAGE 3 Peer

Learning

by Christopher Ingram PAGE 4 Reflection

and Action

by Linda Jones PAGE 5 Impact

of New Offering

by Lisa Lee Rust PAGE 6

Your Church Can Live Forever

by Larry Hovis

PAGE 7 Collegiate

Ministry

by Wanda Kidd PAGE 8 Grace

Note 2013

by Rick Jordan PAGE 9 Coach

Network

by Eddie Hammett

Grace Note Recipient Baptist Fellowship of Angier

... see page 8

In praise of pastors In October I mark my ninth anniversary as Executive Coordinator of CBFNC. Prior to stepping into this role, I had spent seventeen years and four months as pastor of four congregations. It’s hard to believe that I’ve not been a congregational pastor more than half as long as I was one, because in those seventeen years, the pastoral identity was imprinted indelibly on my heart, mind and soul.

I had serious doubts about making the transition from congregational ministry to Fellowship ministry. I believed I was strongly following God’s call when I came to CBFNC, but I also believed that if, after a few years, it didn’t work out, I would just find another church to pastor.

Well, most folks in CBFNC life would agree with me that it’s worked out pretty well. CBFNC has flourished and so have I, thank God. In my not-so-new role, I have discovered gifts and abilities I never knew I had. I still get to do some things that pastors do, like preaching, planning and executing ministries, and caring for those in crisis (but now, I’m usually providing pastoral care to pastors). I find myself torn by two competing realities — I still have a strong sense of pastoral identity, but I’m not a pastor of a congregation.

Many of my closest friends are pastors. I have tremendous respect for anyone who can survive, much less thrive, in pastoral ministry today. Local church pastors are my heroes.

Early in my tenure with CBFNC, I wrote a letter to all the pastors in our Fellowship. Here is part of what I said: As I begin my ministry as Coordinator of CBF of North Carolina, I know what you’re going through, too. I know what it’s like to prepare a new word from the Lord for the same group of people every week (sometimes several times a week). I know what it’s like to be away from home five nights in a row for committee meetings and church obligations. I know what it’s like to go to the hospital before dawn to pray with someone awaiting surgery.

I know what it’s like to have your Christmas Eve interrupted by a death in the congregation. I know what it’s like to rejoice with a couple who have just given birth after years of trying to conceive. I know what it’s like to have the awesome privilege and responsibility of saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father…” and “Do this in remembrance of me.” I know what you’re going through.

Pastoring has never been easy. A number of years ago, my CBFNC colleague, Jack Causey, confessed that he was glad he was able to pastor in an earlier era when most churches were growing, resources were plentiful, conflict was less prevalent, the place of the church in the community was more central, and it was much easier for both ministers and laity to discern what was required in order for the church to thrive. Now, he said, it’s just so much harder

“

2 • The Gathering – September/October 2013

by Larry Hovis, CBFNC Executive Coordinator

to be a pastor. And I would add that today (this conversation was about five years ago), it’s even more challenging.

We can’t change the times in which we live, but congregational leaders have in their power some simple things to help make the lives of their pastors (and other congregational ministers, to be sure) better.

• Rather than just criticizing ministers for what they (or the church) is doing wrong, try to acknowledge them for what they are doing right.

• Don’t expect ministers to be all things to all people; encourage them to exercise their strengths and find other ways to compensate for their weaknesses.

• Free ministers to do less maintenance ministry inside the walls and programs of the church and more missional ministry outside the walls and programs of the church.

• Hold your minister accountable for taking all allotted time off (and when a vacation gets interrupted by a death or other crisis in the church, force him or her to make it up).

• When the budget is tight (and let’s face it, church budgets are almost always tight), don’t balance it by taking away professional development funds and time. If you do, you’re hurting both your minister and your church.

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• Develop a sabbatical leave policy for your minister.

Not only the minister, but your church, will be better off for it.

• I could suggest a lot more, but I’ll conclude with this one: Give your minister the benefit of the doubt. Treat him or her the way you would want to be treated if you were in his or her place.

In that letter to pastors from Fall 2004, after soliciting invitations to visit in CBFNC churches, I said these words, “Whenever I come, I promise to do my best to make your life and ministry easier, not harder.”

I may not be a pastor anymore, but that’s still my goal. Praise God for the pastors in our Fellowship. They aren’t the rulers of our churches, but they are servant-leaders upon whom we place tremendous expectations. None of them are perfect, but without them it would be impossible to survive the present, much less envision the future.

Peer learning

by Christopher Ingram, First, Elizabeth City

The raft of recent research in clergy health and wholeness paints a discouraging picture. We’re learning that a great many pastors are prone to leave health concerns untreated, experience compassion fatigue, burnout, and a creeping sense of isolation from church, family, self and faith. I often wonder if there isn’t a leadership corollary to the Biblical maxim of “reaping what we sow.” Ask yourself what such a pastor can sow in ministry. As importantly, what is reaped congregationally?

When I relocated to a far-flung corner of the state, isolation weighed heavily on me. Our excited “Yes!” to a remarkable congregation also obligated me and my family to plant ourselves in unfamiliar soil. I was grateful to receive personal contact, even before arriving, from the convener of a CBFNC peer-learning group in that region. He invited me to visit and see if participation would help me in my transition and ministry there. My yes to that call was equally enthusiastic!

No one in the group is nearby. I’m an hour or more from any of them, but that community is an important supporting and sustaining presence for me. I find that I am a more competent – and complete – husband, father and pastor because of this circle of colleagues. We meet monthly, sharing a meal together and focusing on pressing leadership questions. We read good books and discuss our insights. We embark on annual retreats to focus on spiritual formation. Our families gather for a semiannual cookout or holiday feast. Through it all, we don’t seek to fix, save, or even advise one another. Instead, we share a goal to seek and sustain excellence in ministry to our congregations and with them.

Consider the gift given a pastor who can participate in a collegial community that fosters personal spiritual formation, ongoing professional development, and confidential care for church or domestic conundrums.

Now apply the maxim again. What might he or she sow into the congregation? What might be cultivated in the congregation ... or out in the world?

Thanks to CBF of NC for sowing leadership resources in this special way.

I can only imagine a greater harvest.

Christopher Ingram is married to Jeanell Cox, a CBF-endorsed healthcare chaplain, and father to three young sons. A graduate of Duke Divinity School, he served in ministries in the Virginia prison system, two congregations in Germany, and as an educator and pastor to congregations in Raleigh and Smithfield before his call to be the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Elizabeth City. He served on the Missions Council of CBF of NC for six years and is now a representative on the CBF national coordinating council.

For additional information on peer learning groups, please contact CBFNC Leadership Development Coordinator Ka’thy Gore Chappell at kchappell@cbfnc.org.

The Gathering – September/October 2013

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Reflection and action

by Linda Jones, CBFNC Missions Coordinator

CBFNC is partnering with Matt and Michelle Norman, who along with their children, Cayden and Aaron, are ministering in Barcelona, Spain. Commissioned by CBF in 2011, Matt and Michelle are partnering with the Union of Evangelical Baptists of Spain working with immigrants and refugees from North and West Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. Spain receives 600,000 arrivals each year, second only to the United States. Less than 2% of the immigrants and refugees are Christian and many come from countries where religious workers are forbidden.

We hope that this partnership will help us to: Engage in formative learning centered upon critical missiology and ways of engagement occurring in this era of globalization.

Form deeper relationships through interacting and participating using the internet, Skype, webinars and missional emersion experiences.

Matt and Michelle have agreed to provide a monthly missions moment for supporting churches and individuals and to visit supporting churches when on “athome assignment.”

When a team is ministering in Barcelona with the Normans, a Missional Learning Lab will help the team to discover and engage with the most neglected in their own community while actively participating on the field. This Missional Learning lab will combine reflection and action in a global environment to create space for formation and engagement.

There will be three stages of interaction in the Missional Learning Lab: reparation: Holistic foundation for missional living.

P When Helping Hurts training; CBF Global Missions missiology; Values and Methodology training; Foreign to Familiar training; Cultural Difference; and Contextualizing the Gospel training.

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Global Experience: Holistic practice and reflection in a global environment. Prayer journaling, community observing and cultural reflection.

Bring it Home: Holistic reflection and practice in our everyday communities for ongoing missional living. Spiritual formation for everyday life, seeing your community with new eyes, giftedness, and taking a life picture.

We are excited for all the new experiences and spiritual awakenings that God will bring about in our individual lives and in our churches as we partner with Matt and Michelle Norman as they minister in Barcelona. If you are interested in this partnership, contact Linda Jones at ljones@cbfnc.org.

Impact of new offering When it comes to creative giving and education, pilot churches for the new CBFNC Mission & Ministry Offering are discovering new opportunities.

First, Goldsboro, is one example. According to Glenn Phillips, Jr., Senior Pastor, the congregation has transformed from “institutional” to missional in the past few years. That transition extends to how they view giving.

“We have tried different things to make giving creative and fun,” says Phillips. “We’ve found that it is important to paint a missional picture for our congregation — provide a face and ministry story to our giving opportunities.

Churches often are burdened down when it comes to giving, but if you can catch a glimpse of what God is doing and see that your participation makes a difference, you get excited again,” he explains.

“When people learn more about the specific ministries of CBFNC, they discover giving options based on their interests and it encourages creativity. You might be surprised where you can find revenue when you make giving fun,” Phillips adds.

“It is amazing what God does through us. The fun and creativity celebrates that.”

This year, an 1 cor. 16:14 unexpected gift from a church member has opened new pathways for the Goldsboro congregation’s initial CBFNC Mission & Ministry Offering emphasis.

“On the very day we agreed to be a pilot church for the offering, a church member came to see me and wanted to make a special gift. We agreed that part of the gift would be seed money for a Mission & Ministry Offering challenge gift, and we would encourage our church members to match the gift,” explains Phillips. “People enjoy a challenge, and it is really about participation rather than an amount. The main thing is that the CBFNC Mission & Ministry Offering will enable our congregation to do more than we have done before in terms of CBFNC missions giving.”

Phillips thinks the offering theme, “Done in Love,” fits perfectly with his congregation’s plans for offering promotion. “Everyone who knows the wonderful couple

mission and ministry offering done in love

by Lisa Lee Rust

who gave the initial offering would agree that they offered the gift and the challenge in love. Absolutely everything they do is done in love.”

Phillips anticipates a loving response from his congregation, as well. He says that, with the church’s new missional mindset, “Instead of saying ‘Here is what we’re going to do, now bless it, Lord,’ we are saying, ‘God, what do you want us to do? Now let us get behind your work and bless it.’”

Phillips also sees the new Mission & Ministry Offering as a tool for education. “This gives us the opportunity to identify with CBFNC and say that this is who we are, who we relate to, and why that relationship is important.”

David Elks, Pastor of First Church, Lumberton, another pilot church, couldn’t agree more. “While I am thrilled at the thought of how the Mission & Ministry Offering will enable CBFNC to share the love of Christ and to grow the kingdom of God throughout North Carolina and beyond, I am most excited about the Offering’s potential impact on my congregation,” he says.

“It will raise my congregation’s awareness of and engagement in our larger Baptist family’s life and work.

It has become quite easy in recent years for churches to lose sight of our connection to other congregations and to devalue the impact we can have when we give in cooperation with other missional Christians,” says Elks.

“I am looking forward to seeing my congregation grow a greater appreciation for the fact that we are not the body of Christ just in our community, but that we are a part of what God is doing throughout our state, nation, and world.”

Elks also believes knowing that 100 percent of their gifts will go directly to ministry and mission needs will appeal to his congregation. “We live in a day when people expect their charitable donations to have a maximum impact. Churches and individuals are inundated with requests from a wide variety of causes and are tasked with the burden of discerning which will be the best steward of their gifts,” he explains. “This is where CBFNC’s Mission and Ministry Offering will be a great help to Fellowship Baptists. We will be able to give to this offering with the confidence that our monies will be used to embody Christ in a variety of ways in many different places.”

You will find a giving envelope included in this newsletter.

Be sure to pay attention to our weekly ENews for additional resources for this exciting new offering.

More information can be found at www.cbfnc.org.

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Your church can live forever All of us have passed by church buildings that are either empty or are being used for another purpose. In either case, there is no longer a congregation that meets there for worship and fellowship. Usually, that image evokes sadness.

But are congregations meant to live forever? People certainly don’t – at least not in the physical sense. And even though you can travel to Europe and find church buildings that are hundreds of years old, I can’t think of a single church in the New Testament that is still in existence today. Like people, churches seem to have a life cycle. Birth – Life – Death. That cycle may last centuries. Or maybe only decades. Or years. Or just months.

Even so, there is a way for a church to live forever. A few years ago, the Weddington Church in Charlotte ceased to meet as a gathered, worshipping congregation. When the congregation disbanded, they sold their assets (including valuable land) and shared the proceeds with other ministries, including CBFNC. We placed their gift in an endowment fund, the proceeds of which will potentially fund new church starts forever.

More recently, First Fellowship Baptist Church in Wallburg decided they no longer needed to function as an active congregation. On Easter Sunday 1995, the church was constituted as the first new church start in North Carolina that was exclusively aligned with CBF. Hence the name, First Fellowship.

From the beginning, First Fellowship put a great deal of emphasis on missions. Eighteen and one-half percent of their offerings went to missions and local mission action was part of the congregation’s founding principles.

First Fellowship purchased land on Highway 109 south of Wallburg with the intention of erecting a meeting house there.

That never happened and, as like the Israelites of old, they chose to remain tent-dwellers rather than tabernacle-builders.

In 2005, while a student at Wake Forest University Divinity School, Jim Hylton (now CBFNC Business Administration Coordinator) became pastor of First Fellowship. Though never large in numbers, the congregation had a rich fellowship and maintained its focus on serving others in the name of Christ.

By late 2011, a variety of factors led the congregation to decide to disband. I met with church leaders to discuss how best to continue the church’s legacy. That meeting resulted in two important decisions. First, the congregation’s primary asset, the land on Highway 109, was deeded to CBFNC to be sold so that the proceeds can fund missions in the future. Second, we would hold a “Celebration of Life” service to commemorate the congregation and its impact on its members and the community.

On Sunday, June 2, 2013, we held the final service of First Fellowship Baptist Church in the clubhouse of Wallburg 6 • The Gathering – September/October 2013

by Larry Hovis, CBFNC Executive Coordinator

Community Pool, the last regular meeting place of the congregation. About thirty people were in attendance, including Jim, Ka’thy Gore Chappell and myself. The service involved singing, reading Scripture, prayers of thanksgiving, and sharing of stories about the life of First Fellowship. After the service, in good Baptist fashion, we shared a meal!

Emily James, a lay leader in First Fellowship, commented on how much the service meant to her and the congregation, and also expressed how grateful she was that the church would “live forever” through the mission and ministries of CBFNC. When a loved one dies, we are sad, to be sure. But when it is a person of faith who has lived a meaningful and productive life, death loses its sting and we are able to celebrate and give thanks, because we believe that person will live forever in the presence of Christ.

Churches, too, can live forever. They become part of that great “cloud of witnesses.” And if they plan well by disposing of their earthly assets responsibly, they can continue to engage in God’s mission long after they cease to meet for worship and fellowship.

Collegiate ministry Engaging the future There is much interest in young adults and the church.

What do they want? Why did they leave the church? Why are they drawn to a certain type of worship or ministry style? Unfortunately, most of the conversations about these topics are held within the church walls or in print. It seems to me that the conversations would be more beneficial if we engaged the ones who have left or never been there or who are drawn to a certain type of church. Wouldn’t they be the ones to ask?

We who are involved in CBFNC collegiate ministry want to have as many of those conversations as possible. We want to know what young adults are thinking. We talk with them over meals and through social media. We listen and we respectfully exchange ideas.

However, CBFNC wants to move beyond conversations to action.

We still want the opportunity to disciple, engage and encourage young adults to grow in their Christian faith. Within the Fellowship, we also want to foster relationships and empower new leaders for both now and the future.

CBFNC loves collegiate ministry.

You probably do too if you ... n

Went on a college mission trip

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Served on a leadership team

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Met your spouse through collegiate ministry

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Experienced a call to ministry while part of a college ministry

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Participated in summer missions

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Made life-long friends through college ministry

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Lived in a student ministry center

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Were a college ministry intern

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Went on a spiritual retreat with collegiate ministry

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Served on a state college ministry leadership team

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Still quote your campus minister

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Ate at the student center when you ran out of meal ticket funds

n Hope or wish your child or grandchild gets the opportunity

to be involved in collegiate ministry If you remember any of these experiences, you understand the impact that the college ministry of the past has had on our present CBFNC ministry.

Please help CBFNC provide a missional approach to collegiate ministry that is balanced and transformative. Continue to encourage, pray, engage and help us support collegiate ministry through CBFNC. It is a lifelong investment in the future with countless possibilities.

Visit www.cbfnc.org to find more information about this ministry.

by Wanda Kidd, CBFNC College Ministry Coordinator

Get to know us Lawrence Powers

CBFNC Collegiate Minister at East Carolina University lpowers@cbfnc.org

Ashley Mangrum

CBFNC Collegiate Minister at UNC-Chapel Hill amangrum@cbfnc.org

Danny Steis

CBFNC Collegiate Minister at Duke University dannysteis@gmail.com

Kelly Brown

CBFNC Collegiate Ministry Intern at Western Carolina University wcucoopstudentfellowship@gmail.com

Partnering with Chaplains at Baptist Colleges Faithe Beam

Chaplain to Campbell University beam@campbell.edu

Mari Wiles

Chaplain to Chowan University wilesm@chowan.edu

Stacy Pardue

Chaplain to Meredith College pardues@meredith.edu

Dane Jordan

Chaplain to Wingate University djordan@wingate.edu

Stephany McLeskey

Chaplain to Mars Hill University smcleskey@mhu.edu

Chris Towles

CBFNC Associate at Wake Forest University BSU towlescj@wfu.edu

Rebekah Stanford

CBFNC intern at Gardner-Webb University rstanfor@gardner-webb.edu

Amy Brock

CBFNC intern at Meredith College brockamy@email.meredith.edu

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Grace note 2013

by Rick Jordan, CBFNC Church Resources Coordinator

Each year at the CBFNC General Assembly, the CBFNC Wealth and Poverty Committee will recognize a church or organization, an individual (adult, youth or child) and a CBFNC Hunger Fund Recipient with a Grace Note. While a Grace Note is not an award, it is an opportunity to highlight both the ordinary and extraordinary work happening in our communities in such a way that we can all learn and grow. We hope that these Grace Notes will inspire and encourage us to serve others in empowering and dignifying ways. Here are the 2013 recipients: As a new church start,

Baptist Fellowship of Angier settled intentionally

in an economically struggling community, wanting to begin a cross-cultural church among neglected peoples. The strong after-school program has three goals: increase education, reduce teen pregnancy and reduce gangs. Campbell University students serve as tutors and others lead ESL with adults.

They invite the community in for regular family game nights and have monthly community meals. “We’ve decided to think long term: you do not change a community or worldview overnight,” says Irma Duke. Olivia Wakefield adds, “Be open to change. This is not what I thought it would be seven years ago. Prayer may take you in a completely different direction.”

8 • The Gathering – September/October 2013

Pat Byrd became a counselor with Christian Women’s Job Corps of NC in 2011 after her retirement. “A long time ago, my life was upside down. My husband died. I lost everything I had.

I looked out the window and there is First Baptist Church of Ahoskie. I started going there. A lot of women encouraged me and helped me. I think that’s why God called me to this ministry.”

CWJC shows women how to get out of poverty and to regain selfesteem through Bible study and weekly meetings with a Christian mentor. Some come back to become mentors themselves. Back on her feet, Pat was overwhelmed by the needs she saw around her. “It felt too big. I can’t ... how can I get something started in our town?

But, I’ve learned to take that step of faith. I love these women. I worry about them. They are my friends.”

St. John’s Baptist Church in Charlotte has a long

history of outreach to the community, so when someone brought a Parade Magazine article to the Hunger Committee about a way to help hungry children, there was no hesitation. They began purchasing food from the Second Harvest food bank to fill weekend backpacks for Highland Renaissance Academy, a K-5 school with 89% free or reduced price lunch population. St. John’s received a CBFNC Hunger Fund grant to purchase food that is not supplied by 12 Sunday School classes and other church members. Four church members do the shopping every other week. Pastor Dennis Faust notes, “I believe it is important to make sure the ministries emerge because the people want them; it has to be in the peoples’ hearts. Pastors are equippers, which is a lot easier when the people are already compassionate and sensitive to the needs around them!”

Faith

Coach network

and

Immigration statewide summit

October 12, 2013 Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Baptist Church) Sanford Register at www.cbfnc.org.

Through the leadership of Eddie Hammett, CBFNC Church & Clergy Coach, we have been training Christian coaches for the last several years.

Eddie is a professional coach and licensed coach trainer. Classroom training, mentor coaching, supervised coaching and feedback sessions have brought 15 certified coaches to a place of launching this network to serve CBFNC pastors, staff, and a variety of leadership teams.

Coaches are confidential thought partners for challenging situations, companions in facing steep learning curves, support and encouragers for tough leadership decisions. We desire to walk with all new pastors/staff entering CBFNC churches for a period of time to help their entrance into their new setting and ensure a healthy and fruitful fresh start. Research tells us that this contributes to longer and healthier relationships and tenures. While our focus is on young ministers and those in a new place of service, coaching services are available for anyone (clergy or laity) in our Fellowship.

Youth Ski Retreat

How to Engage in a Coaching Relationship: Contact Eddie Hammett to explore your desired outcomes, estimated time for coaching services, explanation of costs and a coaching covenant.

EHammett@cbfnc.org or call (828) 272-0903.

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January 24-26, 2014 Winterplace West Virginia Visit our website, www.cbfnc.org, for more information.

Eddie will then suggest two or three persons in our CBFNC network he believes can be best in helping you move forward in your desired outcomes.

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You will then contact potential coaches to set up a free time to interview by phone and check their compatibility. Most coaching sessions are by phone. n

2013 CBFNC Children’s Mission Days

The coaches will explain their coaching and covenanting process, costs involved and payment process. (Coaches in the network have a variety of experience and training levels that Eddie will explain. This variety impacts fee structures)

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Fees for CBFNC church leaders are at a 50% discount from the retail market value of coaching. Coaches are providing this as a service to CBFNC leaders. Part of their benefit is the coach accrues more coaching hours to move them toward their International Coach Federation credential requirements.

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Eddie will be serving as mentor coach to provide support in skill development and improve their coaching effectiveness.

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Saturday, November 2, 2013 Clemmons and Greenville Saturday, November 16, 2013 Raleigh

Fees are structured to ensure professional coaching is rendered and that all persons involved “show up fully” ready to work. Fees can be shared by church and the person or team being coached. A deep commitment to moving forward in a timely manner is critical.

Additional information about Eddie Hammett’s and coaching can be found at www.transformingsolutions.org.You can also visit coaching pages on www. cbfnc.org to find information about the Coach network.

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CBFNC Honorary and Memorial Gifts June 2013 - July 2013

In honor of Jack Causey

by Neil Westbrook

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.

Contact Jim Hylton at jhylton@cbfnc.org or (336) 759-3456 for more information.

Ministers on the Move

In honor of Trent Sessoms

by Weathers/Knight WMU Circle, Knightdale Baptist

CBF Global Missions Field Personnel Off-Field Assignments in Our Area Don and Janet Pittman serving in Middle East July 1 - January 11, 2014 don.janet.pittman@ worldpersonnel.org off field in NC

Kim and Marc Wyatt November 21-23, 2013 Caraway Conference Center A free retreat for church leaders (clergy and laity) to focus on three main things for their church: visioning, forming, and engaging.

More information at www.cbfnc.org.

serving in Canada July 2013 - June 2014 wyatt@thefellowship.info off field in Wilmington

Todd and Karen Helm serving in Africa July 2013 - June 2014 adi.nashville@gmail.com off field in NC

Compiled by Jack Causey, Ministerial Resources Coordinator Our encouragement and support go to the following ministers who have recently moved:

David Cole is now serving as Minister of Music for Tabernacle Baptist Church in Raleigh.

First Baptist Church of Winston-Salem has Kyle Caudle on their staff as Minister of Congregational Life.

Durham Memorial Baptist Church has Kyle Bauman on their staff as Minister of Discipleship.

Charles Bryan has been called to serve First Baptist Church of Butner as Pastor.

When you make a move or know of someone who has changed places of ministry, let us know at jcausey@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 336759-3456 or 888-822-1944.

10 • The Gathering – September/October 2013

Check out free resources on www.cbfnc.org! new resources added daily!

Coordinator Visits June - July 2013 Ardmore, Winston-Salem First, Drexel First, Elon

First Fellowship, Walburg First, Greensboro First, Lenoir

First, New Bern

First, Rutherfordton

First, West Jefferson Grove Park, Clinton

Lafayette, Fayetteville

Mt. Pisgah, Fayetteville CBFNC ministry coordinators are available to visit your church to speak, preach, teach, consult, lead and minister in ways appropriate to your context. Contact the CBFNC office for more information.

September/October 2013

The Gathering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina

phone: 336.759.3456 • phone: 888.822.1944 • fax: 336.759.3459 • cbfnc@cbfnc.org • www.cbfnc.org

Larry Hovis . ............ Executive Coordinator.................... LHovis@cbfnc.org

Wanda Kidd......... College Ministry Coordinator..... WKidd@cbfnc.org

Ka’thy Gore Chappell.... Leadership Development Coordinator.... KChappell@cbfnc.org

Eddie Hammett ....Church and Clergy Coach.......... EHammett@cbfnc.org

Rick Jordan ............. Church Resources Coordinator.......... RJordan@cbfnc.org

Javier Benitez ......Hispanic Network Leader Coach... Rocafuerte90@hotmail.com

Linda Jones . ........... Missions Coordinator...................... LJones@cbfnc.org

Rebekah Ayers .... Programs Manager................... RAyers@cbfnc.org

Jim Hylton .............. Business Administration Coordinator.... JHylton@cbfnc.org

Sarah Mitchell .... Communications Manager......... SMitchell@cbfnc.org

Jack Causey ............. Ministerial Resources Coordinator...... JCausey@cbfnc.org

Gail McAlister ..... Financial Manager................... GMcalister@cbfnc.org Derek Wilhelm ..... Administrative Assistant.......... DWilhelm@cbfnc.org

Regional Coordinators Region 1 – Western: Gail Coulter . .............

Region 2 – Foothills: David Smith .............

Region 3 – Triad: Bill Leathers .................

Region 4 – South Central: Drag Kimrey ......

coulterig@bellsouth.net davsmith@charter.net wleathers@triad.com dragkimrey@roadrunner.com

DATE

CBFNC College Ministers Ashley Mangrum ... UNC Chapel Hill . ....................... amangrum@cbfnc.org Lawrence Powers ... East Carolina................................ lpowers@cbfnc.org Coordinating Council Ray Ammons, Gastonia, Moderator Lisa Rust, Lumberton, Moderator-Elect Donna Bissette, Winston-Salem, Past Moderator Marion Horton, Knightdale, Recorder Mike Eddinger, Cary, Treasurer Kathy Driver, Raleigh Heather Folliard, Durham David Hailey, Raleigh Jeff Mathis, Sylva Rick Matthews, Winston-Salem Doug Murray, Wilson Mike Queen, Greensboro Susan Taylor, Chapel Hill

Endowment Management Board Ron Cava, Henderson Byrns Coleman, Wingate Scott Hudgins, Winston-Salem Anissa Nixon, Mocksville

Region Region Region Region

5 6 7 8

– – – –

North Central: Tom Jackson ......

Capital: Mack Thompson...........

Southeast: Mike Johnson .........

Northeast: Jesse Croom ...........

pastortj@aol.com mackthompson1@att.net mikejohn303@earthlink.net jmacroom@hotmail.com

Danny Steis . ........ Duke University . .................... dannysteis@gmail.com Chris Towles ......... Wake Forest.................................. towlescj@wfu.edu Kelly Brown ........... Western Carolina ... wcucoopstudentfellowship@gmail.com

Faith Formation Ministry Council Stella Perrin, Taylorsville, Chair Katie Fam Roscoe, Southern Pines, Chair-Elect Giles Blankenship, Fayetteville Beth Cockman-Wood, Sanford Brian Harrington, Liberty Kerrie Clayton Jordan, Smithfield Barbara Glasgow, Zebulon Tyler Roach, Morganton Sophia Steibel, Boiling Springs Scott Thrailkill, Goldsboro

Missions Ministry Council Linda Winslow, Jamestown, Chair Blake Dempsey, Nashville, Chair-Elect Elba Benitez, Pittsboro Everette Clark, Enka Allison Gallimore, Oxford Brandon Hudson, Winston-Salem Michael Lea, West Jefferson Nate Leonard, Morehead City Paula McCosh, Fayetteville Mike Womble, Wilmington

Leadership Development Ministry Council Layne Rogerson, Greenville, Chair Shane Nixon, Mocksville, Chair-Elect Ed Beddingfield, Fayetteville Sarah Boberg, Red Springs Jerry Chiles, Raleigh John Daniels, Waynesville Kheresa Harmon, Shelby Matt Johnson, Belhaven Mark Reece, Mount Airy Nathan Rice, Southern Pines

Financial Report: May 2013 Contributions Undesignated - $111,972 Designated - $183,793 June 2013 Contributions Undesignated - $105,255 Designated - $172,488 April 2013 - March 2014 Monthly Undesignated Goal: $127,140

SENSE OF P LACE Elevating Preaching 2013

September 23, 2013 n Wake Forest University School of Divinity n Winston-Salem Visit our website at www.cbfnc.org for more information.

The Gathering – September/October 2013

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Bringing Baptists of North Carolina Together for Christ-Centered Ministry 8025 North Point Blvd., Suite 205 Winston-Salem, NC 27106

888-822-1944 www.cbfnc.org

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Upcoming Events ~ September/October Edition Youth Outdoor Adventure Retreat

Region 7 Gathering

College Mid-Winter Retreat

August 31 - September 2, 2013

October 20, 2013 First, Goldsboro

February 1-2, 2014 Mundo Vista

September 13-15, 2013

Region 3 Minister’s Retreat

2013 Elevating Preaching Conference

October 21-23, 2013 St. Francis Springs Prayer Center Stoneville

Building Blocks of Christian Coaching (501)

Youth Beach Retreat

September 23, 2013 Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem

Servant-Leadership in a Secular Age: Deacon Ministry that Models Missional Living September 28, 2013 Lowes Grove, Durham

Congregational Coach Certification Training - Cycle 2

Children’s Mission Day November 2, 2013 Clemmons and Greenville

Fashioning a Deacon Ministry that Works for Your Church November 9, 2013 Hominy, Chandler

Dawnings Retreat

September 30-October 1, 2013 Christmount Retreat Center, Black Mountain

November 21-23, 2013 Caraway Conference Center

CBF Virginia Youth Retreat

November 16, 2013 First, Raleigh

October 4-6, 2013 Eagle Eyrie in Lynchburg, VA

Hopeful Imagination: Long-Term Ministry in a Short-Term World October 10, 2013 First, Greensboro

2013 Faith and Immigration Statewide Summit October 12, 2013 Primera Iglesia Bautista, Sanford

Children’s Mission Day

Christian Leadership Coaching exploration conference call December 3, 2013

Christian Coach Training Quickstart January 3, 2014 CBFNC offices, Winston-Salem

Youth Ski Retreat January 24-26, 2014

February 3-4, 2014 CBFNC offices, Winston-Salem

Children’s Choir Festival February 8, 2014 First, High Point

Youth Choir Festival March 7-8, 2014 Knollwood, Winston-Salem

CBFNC General Assembly — 20th Anniversary!

March 28-29, 2014 First, Greensboro

Establishing a Dynamic Coaching Relationship (502) April 7-8, 2014 CBFNC offices, Winston-Salem

Adult Spirituality Retreat May 2-4, 2014 Caraway Retreat Center

The Gathering is published six times a year.

All questions and story submissions may be directed to Sarah Mitchell, (336) 759-3456 or smitchell@cbfnc.org.

Visit us at

www.cbfnc.org.