Fellowship News

Fellowship responds with medical care, supplies in quake-damaged Haiti

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s response to the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is underway through CBF field personnel Nancy and Steve James and in coordination with CBF partner organizations.

The Jameses, CBF field personnel co-appointed with International Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA, have served in Haiti for years as health care professionals. From Jan. 16-23, Steve, a physician, treated survivors at Haiti Health Ministries’ Christianville Clinic, less than four miles from the quake’s epicenter.

"So many have lost so much," Steve wrote in an e-mail update. "Yet only in the wisdom of God and the love of Jesus can glimpses of meaning be found in the midst of all this suffering."

As of Jan. 21, more than $49,600 has been contributed to the Fellowship’s Haiti response effort. These funds will be used for the Fellowship’s developing response, which could include responding to long-term needs ranging from sanitation and clean water to medical care and rebuilding homes. Scott Hunter, who formerly served as one of CBF’s field personnel in Asia, has arrived in Haiti for a three-month assignment to help the Jameses develop and coordinate CBF’s response. Previously, Hunter coordinated the Sri Lankan portion of the Fellowship’s response to the 2003 Asian tsunami.

In Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas medical supplies are still needed, and the Jameses have provided a list of the most needed items. Individuals and churches are encouraged to download this list from the Fellowship’s web site at www.thefellowship.info/haiti and ship donated supplies to North Stuart Baptist Church, a CBF partner congregation in Stuart, Fla. Supplies are being sorted, re-packaged and transported to nearby Fort Pierce, where they will be flown into Haiti by Missionary Flights International.

CBF partners such as Conscience International have also been responding in Haiti. In addition to sending medical supplies, Conscience International sent a three-person medical team to treat earthquake survivors Jan. 16-21 in Port-au-Prince. Also, Fellowship-partner the Baptist World Alliance through its relief arm, Baptist World Aid, sent its Rescue 24 team to provide emergency medical services.

To give to the relief effort, visit the Fellowship’s donate page, https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015 or send your check to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17015 "Haiti Response." Under newly-passed legislation, donations to Haiti response made between Jan. 12 and Feb. 28 will be eligible for deduction on 2009 taxes.

Updates about the Fellowship’s response and recovery efforts will be posted at its blog, www.thefellowship.info/blog.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

CBF signs official partnership with Smokey Mountain Christian Village

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – Leaders from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Smokey Mountain Christian Village, representing an official partnership between the organizations.

Located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Smokey Mountain Christian Village (SMCV) provides retreat and meeting space for churches, groups and individuals.

"We see Smoky Mountain Christian Village as being a valuable partner in our mission by providing sacred space for churches, ministry partners and staff to gather in pursuit of our desire to be the presence of Christ in our world as we train, worship and fellowship," said Daniel Vestal, CBF’s executive coordinator.

As part of the partnership, the Fellowship will promote SMCV’s facilities at regional and national gatherings. The Fellowship will receive 5 percent of the gross revenue from any bookings by a CBF-related entity or individuals.

"Smoky Mountain Christian Village was created to allow the frequent Christian visitors to the area to have a safe, Christian and cost-effective environment for their gatherings," said Randy Tullos, board chairman of SMCV. "There are very few venues in the area where as many as 480 Christians can gather, fellowship and retreat with guests who are of the same mind."

SMCV was founded in 2009 after five years of operation as a secular facility. It’s mission is "to provide Christian groups, ministries and families with a comfortable Christian environment in which to retreat, train or simply get away from the secular world."

To learn more about Smokey Mountain Christian Village go to www.tsmcv.org.

Fellowship to channel Haiti quake response through field personnel, partners

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – In the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has launched its response, which will be largely coordinated through CBF field personnel Nancy and Steve James, who serve in the country.

The Jameses, CBF field personnel co-appointed with American Baptist Churches USA, are safe. They were in the U.S. attending a conference and have returned to Haiti, where they will be gathering a team and traveling to Port-au-Prince to assess how to respond. Both medical professionals, the Jameses are bringing emergency medical supplies with them and plan to establish a staging area from which the Fellowship’s response supplies and efforts will be channeled.

“We need your prayers for all the suffering ones and for us to know how God might want to use us,” Steve wrote in an e-mail update.

While not a first responder in such disasters, the Fellowship will focus its efforts on making a long-term impact in the affected region, working significantly with ministry partners.

“It’s going to take coordination [with partners]. No one can do this alone,” said David Harding, the Fellowship’s coordinator for international disaster response.

The Fellowship has already connected with partners such as Conscience International, which is sending a medical team to Haiti by early next week; Crosslink International, which has already received donations of medical equipment to accompany the first teams to go in to the affected region; and Virginia Baptist Mission Board, which will help connect Fellowship Baptists with volunteer opportunities in the coming weeks and months. The Fellowship is continuing to connect with other partners.

“As CBF field personnel and partners are listening on the field for needs and resources, CBF churches and individuals will be called on to share their resources, skills sets, and specialized training,” said Chris Boltin, short term assignments and partnerships manager. “We need to hear from you so that when specific projects are identified, we will be able to quickly match the need with the resource.”

Those interested in and available to travel to Haiti should visit www.thefellowship.info/Disaster-Response-Application to list their skills and experience. The first teams will be deploying as early as next week.

Updates about the Fellowship’s response and recovery efforts will be posted at its blog, www.thefellowship.info/blog. Those with a desire for a deeper level involvement are invited to join the Haiti Network at http://fellowshipportal.ning.com/group/haitipartnersforchrist.

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Fellowship extends disaster response efforts to three additional countries

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – As earthquake recovery efforts continue in Indonesia, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has widened the reach of its disaster response ministries to include Bosnia, El Salvador and Mexico.

The Fellowship provided $3,000 for food and firewood in Bosnia, where the funds will help the poorest people survive the harsh winter. The combination of rising utility costs and unemployment over the past year has created need in this area, where CBF has supported ministry previously.

In Mexico, the Fellowship provided $2,500 to victims of flooding in the Tabasco region, where some areas were underwater for more than 10 days. According to Associated Press reports, floodwaters forced more than 40,000 people from their homes. The funds are being utilized by local ministry groups such as the Mexico Baptist Convention.

In El Salvador, where Hurricane Ida made landfall in early November and killed more than 190 people, the Fellowship has contributed $5,000 to aid victims. The funds were provided to two Baptist conventions in the country: Asociacion Bautista de El Salvador and Federacion Bautista de El Salvador.

Recovery efforts continue in Indonesia, following major earthquakes in late September and early October. CBF field personnel are exploring ways to help local residents rebuild houses that have a better chance of surviving future earthquakes.

Financial contributions to relief and recovery efforts for the earthquake can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17016. Because disasters can happen anywhere and at anytime, the Fellowship also has a general disaster response fund that provides immediate emergency relief. Contributions can be made at https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=DR. Gifts by mail can be sent to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17016 "Earthquake Response” or No. 17000 “Disaster Response.”

CBF Coordinating Council addresses priorities, applauds fiscal management

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinating Council implemented a structure designed to address new strategic priorities that emerged from the Fellowship-wide 2008-2009 discernment process.

Breaking into collaborative groups around the priorities of Engaging Missionally; Honoring Race, Gender and Generations; and Interacting with the World Community, the Council members were challenged to address the priorities in their local churches while they helped CBF address them globally.

“I thought it was a good meeting,” said Hal Bass, CBF Moderator, “as we tried to build the agenda around our new structure, and I thought it went well. I detected a strong sense of engagement with the broad initiatives and priorities as well as the specific ministries of the Fellowship.”

After a year of closely monitoring its finances, the Fellowship reported finishing the fiscal year Sept. 30 with revenues of $12.9 million, 78 percent of projections, the national Coordinating Council learned at its meeting Oct. 22-23 at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga.

Larry Hurst, the Fellowship’s controller, reported that expenses as of the end of August were $12.3 million, or 81 percent of the projections. Final expenditure numbers for the fiscal year including September were not yet available.

“This time last year, the economy was in a free fall and none of us knew when the bottom would eventually hit,” said Colleen Burroughs, Finance Committee chair. “By March, the Resource Center implemented a financial contingency plan and has managed to work within an 80 percent budget. They have done an amazing job.”

She then challenged the churches of the Fellowship to honor the commitments they made 20 years ago when they came together to launch CBF.

“I am concerned and discouraged at what I am seeing related to local church budgets,” Burroughs said. “Many churches are choosing to borrow from what has traditionally been money designated for cooperative work of the CBF.

“Yes, budgets are tight, but, lead courageously. Challenge your congregations to live uncomfortably. Remind them that they walk alongside a group of people who committed to do something cooperatively 20 years ago. Do not borrow from that commitment.

“If you do, you borrow from an investment in young ministers. You borrow from injustice in North Africa. You borrow from poverty in Texas and the investments in cooperative work to bring long-term solutions to global poverty. Do not borrow from the commitment we have made together as Fellowship Baptists to offer a thoughtful, global gospel.”

In his executive coordinator’s report, Daniel Vestal identified the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world today and the need for a re-awakening to authentic Christian discipleship.

“As I stand before you this morning I want to give witness to a spirit-driven awakening that is happening,” Vestal said. “There is a discontent in churches of the old way of missions. There is a visceral desire for hands-on missions.

“My deep conviction is that the wind of God’s spirit is blowing within this movement that is the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I see the General Assembly in Charlotte and in Tampa as significant opportunities for us to reflect on our past and project our future.”

The Council heard reports on the following:

Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational formation, introduced the Council to the You’ve Got The Time, an initiative to enlist all partnering congregations in a Bible listening program next year. The Fellowship is offering a free MP3 New Testament to every person in a partner church and others who support the work of the Fellowship who agrees to engage in listening to God’s word. The Fellowship is asking churches to designate a 40-day period during 2010 to participate in this transformational ministry.

An update on the 2010 General Assembly, to be held June 24-25 in Charlotte, N.C., was given by Connie McNeill, the Fellowship’s coordinator of administration. The theme for this year’s event is “And so we are,” based on 1 John 3:1. This will be the 20^th General Assembly for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest School of Divinity, and Lauren Winner, professor of Christian spirituality at Duke Divinity School.

An update on the recent global missions strategic visioning process included an overview of the four priorities that have emerged ‒ innovative models for missional engagement in the 21^st century; focus on ministries affecting justice reconciliation; ministries affecting the most neglected; and empowerment, involvement and encouragement of local leadership through ministry training.

The Finance Committee approved a 5 percent administrative fee that will be applied to designated gifts, with the exceptions of gifts for field personnel funding, the CBF Offering for Global Missions and CBF state and regional organizations.

Don Durham, president of the CBF Foundation, reported that the Fellowship’s investments had rebounded and now totaled approximately $16 million under management with the Foundation. Overall, the Foundation’s investments had recovered and now are at a more than $30 million.

Keith Herron, chair of the personnel committee, presented a statement of affirmation related to one of the priorities: “The personnel committee affirms CBF’s efforts to honor, race, gender and generations and encourages the continuation of this focus in all operational areas for the on-going health of the organization.”

The next meeting of the CBF Coordinating Council will be February 18-19, 2010, at First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga.

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Fellowship adds storm-battered Philippines to ongoing disaster response in Asia

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – As Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel continue earthquake relief efforts in Indonesia, the Fellowship has extended its response in Southeast Asia to include the Philippines, a country preparing for landfall of Typhoon Lupit, the third major storm to hit the nation in the past month.

Following Typhoon Parma, which made landfall Oct. 3, the Fellowship sent $5,000 to the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. This seminary is one of nine schools in the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary consortium, a CBF Global Missions partner.

The Philippine seminary is located in Baguio, a mountain city where heavy rain – some of the worst in decades – caused fatal landslides. The landslides blocked or destroyed many roads, making relief supplies difficult to provide to the thousands who have been displaced from their homes. According to Associated Press reports, more than 850 deaths have been caused by Parma and Tropical Storm Ketsana, which hit Sept. 26.

In Indonesia, CBF field personnel continue their response to two major earthquakes that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. CBF field personnel have treated hundreds of survivors for related injuries and diseases. Now, they seek to help families rebuild in a region where more than 140,000 homes were destroyed by the most recent quakes.

Rebuilding in Indonesia is challenging as the country sits along a major fault line, making it susceptible to many earthquakes, including the 2004 tsunami that led to more than 230,000 deaths across Southeast Asia.

Local residents, including many who live on less than $2 a day, need homes that can withstand future earthquakes.

"That could make the difference between a house collapsing on a family and the family being able to get out to safety," said one of CBF’s field personnel serving in the area. "There are so many ways that we can be the hands of Christ to people that have nothing left but their lives and rubble."

One way is by providing a construction booklet to families, teaching them how to build a more earthquake resistant home.

Florida church starts reaches out to the 'broken'

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA - Canvas Church in Deland, Fla., is less than a year old but already has dealt first-hand with the challenges of working among the "broken," said pastor Ben Collins. "These are the people we feel called to reach — those who disrupt our impulses toward comfort and therefore shape the very culture of the Canvas community," he said. "Our hope is to meet these people on their terms, in their doubts, disinterest and overt hostility, and to live in such a way that they might come to allow for the possibility that God might exist, and that maybe there is a way that leads to wholeness for them."

Scott is one of those broken. He was an out-of-work mechanic and former drug addict with no other place to turn when he showed up at one of Canvas’s monthly community lunches. Church members John and Anabel — taking seriously the Canvas challenge of being an inclusive and redemptive community — took Scott in.

"Their offer was a gesture that spoke volumes to Scott about a God that joins us in the chaos of our struggle, surrounds us and begins to journey with us toward redemption," Collins said. "With a place to stay and a supportive community, Scott quickly found work, began to get his finances in order and joined us for worship."

Canvas was organized in October 2008. The church doesn’t track membership but has 20-50 people meeting together on Sunday nights. They met first in homes, then a bar, and now, are moving from place to place until they can find more permanent space.

Collins described CBF as "relentlessly supportive."

"They helped us to ask important questions, and challenged us to think through the implications of realizing our dream," he said. "They took us seriously and opened their hearts to the possibility that God was moving in an unlikely group of misfits in DeLand. They’ve since covenanted with us as supporters of the church and provided financial assistance, resources and education."

And what about Scott? "Several weeks into his restoration, Scott relapsed and began using drugs again," Ben said. "This greatly complicated John and Anabel’s agreement with him and took the wind out of our sails.

"It was at this point, however, that we really were challenged with how the future of the church was going to look," Ben said. "How do we continue to love those so difficult to love, who throw our graciousness in our face, who lie, manipulate, take advantage and abuse our goodwill?

"We’re a young congregation, and the learning curve of practical faithfulness to the person and way of Jesus is proving to be steep," he said. "But, we continue to spend countless hours praying, discerning and pouring our lives into wrestling with how we can incarnate Jesus for those who are disinterested, disenchanted, disenfranchised, distrustful and self-destructive... we can’t think of a better way to be church."

Hispanic congregation in Alabama growing quickly

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA - The Hispanic congregation Iglesia Bautista Jesús el Buen Pastor in Hoover, Ala., has many of the same challenges of any new church start. "But no matter how hard it is, we stay together to work it out," said the church’s pastor, Jorge Camacho.

In December 2006, Alabama CBF named Camacho pastor of the new church start, which would serve the growing number of Hispanics in the Birmingham area. The first services were held in June 2007 in the living room of the apartment where Jorge and his wife, Maria Pueblo, lived.

Two couples joined them for the first service, and after three months, the congregation had grown to 12. At that point, they rented a community clubhouse. By September 2008, the church had grown even more and another move was warranted to a larger rental space.

Today, the congregation of 65 holds Bible study and worship service on Sunday and has a Wednesday prayer service. Camacho hopes to start a Friday night service soon to accommodate those who cannot attend at other times. Members come from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico.

Over the past two years, the church has baptized 22 people and is sponsoring a new congregation in Clanton, Ala. -- Iglesia Bautista Neuvo Vida.

CBF and Alabama CBF have helped Jesús el Buen Pastor get started, and so have several local congregations including Riverchase, Vestavia Hills, and Shades Crest Baptist churches.

"The church has solid partnerships with Alabama CBF Anglo congregations," said David King, the Fellowships associate for CBF New Church Starts. "Jorge’s bi-vocational work and energy to plant the church is also amazing. The changing demographics of the Hispanic population in Hoover and surrounding areas in Alabama is interesting and Alabama CBF is responding."

"Even though many of our members are out of work right now, I think they are very happy," Camacho said. "Our people are very strong. We work together with the same faith and I think that is something that will make the church stronger as we move forward, no matter how hard it is."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Hospice chaplain hears God call to start a church

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Cheryl Adamson was in her 50s and happy with her life as a hospice chaplain in Conway, S.C. One day, while driving home from work, she saw a sign on a wooden post: "Future home of Jamestown Baptist Church."

If Jamestown Baptist Church – primarily a white congregation in a community that had become mostly populated with working class African Americans – was moving, what did God intend for the left-behind church building?

Adamson knew the answer. "God was calling me to the site," she said.

Deciding to go see the pastor, Adamson said, "I told him I was praying for his building fund. ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘Because you’re in my church,’ I said. He told me I must have been faithful in small things and that I was an answer to prayer. Within three weeks, he was giving me a key to the church for a Bible study."

Three years later, on October 1, 2006, Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church was formally established. Today, the core group of 35 people continue their mid-week meetings at Jamestown Baptist, but because the Jamestown congregation has not yet moved, Adamson’s church holds worship services in another local church, St. Paul’s Episcopal.

Adamson finds the situation freeing. "We’re virtually a church without walls. Because of [the other churches’] generosity, we can serve the community with our resources. Servant evangelism is our major focus."

Thanks to a $25,000 CBF "It’s Time" grant, volunteers from Palmetto Missionary Baptist now run an after-school music and arts academy for 134 children in the community at a local elementary school. The culturally-enriching program includes character education learning through African drumming and dancing. Volunteers hope to add a guitar lab this year.

During the summer, the church partnered with local organizations to offer character education through drumming, nutrition help and Bible study at a housing project. The church also holds quarterly free yard sales – where furniture, clothing, books and toys are given away. "We are learning to divest ourselves," said Adamson.

Recent seminary graduates start church in urban Atlanta neighborhood

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Their dream to start a church began to surface during Nathan and Carrie Dean’s second year of seminary when Devita Parnell of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship stopped them in the parking lot of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology and asked them if they had ever thought about starting a church. That day, their love for the church and their entrepreneurial zeal found each other.

In April 2008 they began seriously exploring some of the key questions of church starting: who, what, where, how, when and why. Between work and school they spent their off hours collecting demographic data, raising prayer support, going on prayer walks, asking theological questions, gathering expert advice and critiques, researching church starts, formulating plans and talking with local community members and leaders.

After graduating from McAfee in May 2009, the Deans decided to work in Edgewood, a growing and transitioning neighborhood east of downtown Atlanta that is home to nearly 17,000 economically, racially and educationally diverse people.

"Composed predominantly of single adult and single-parent households, this is a community that has great potential for Christian ministry," Nathan said. "An estimated 80 percent of the people within a one mile radius of the center of Edgewood are not actively involved in church (13,450 people)."

The Deans want to change that statistic with a new church and are "getting to know the people and the rhythm of the neighborhood," Carrie said. "We are not aiming to start by a specific date, but focusing on establishing a reputation of trust and hoping to gather a core group of 10-12 people from the neighborhood who want to be a part of a missional church.

"Our intention is to be a church that is connected and relevant to its community," Carrie said. "All our efforts in the Edgewood neighborhood share the goal of developing positive relationships as well as growing in our understanding of the people, culture and community rhythm of Edgewood," she said.

North Carolina couple engages young adults, starts church

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA - Lorraine Powell was the "prime mover" for starting Centerpoint Community Fellowship in Franklin, N.C., according to interim pastor Bernie Calaway. "We call her our ‘matriarch,’" he said.

With a strong desire for true cooperation and fellowship among believers, Powell ached over political discord in the church she had been a member of for 73 years. In response to seeing the young people in the church "losing their calling because they were abandoned and pushed out," in early 2009, she and her husband, Jack, began inviting youth to their home on Wednesday nights, providing supper and Bible study. At the same time, they began researching starting a new church – one that would focus on "true spiritual community," not only welcoming young people, but also encouraging them to find ways to serve.

Through a friend, the Powells learned of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and its focus on missions, emphasis on the autonomy of the local church and equality in leadership resonated strongly with their ideals. The Powells, along with a small band of other "disenfranchised" people, began to meet and discuss the formation of a new church. They wrote a covenant, statement of beliefs and mission statement.

On Easter Sunday of this year, Centerpoint Community Fellowship held its first service in borrowed space. Now offering Sunday School, worship, a mid-week Bible study for youth, women’s prayer group meetings and sometimes an outdoor service in a local park, the church has a core group of 25-30 people, including three youth who lead in contemporary praise and worship music with drums and guitars.

"CBF has supported us with encouragement and friendship, phone calls and financially by providing materials for a children’s day camp," said Calaway. "We believe that young people are not just the future, they are the present. Equipping all believers, and especially our youth, for a life of Christian service and ministry is what we are all about."

"The Lord is really, really blessing us every way we turn," said Powell. "We could not ask for any greater God."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Churches, CBF state organizations partner to start church

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A family of five and two of their neighbors who wanted to be a part of a local CBF church formed the nucleus of the congregation that is now Olive Branch Fellowship, a Baptist Faith Community in Olive Branch, Miss.

Amy and Andy Wilson and their three children had previously helped start Trinity Baptist Church in nearby Cordova, Tenn. "As school teachers in Olive Branch, they wanted to become part of a church within their own community that values CBF affiliation," said Martha Strong, whose husband, Chuck, is pastor of Olive Branch Fellowship.

The Wilsons talked with leaders from CBF of Mississippi and Tennessee CBF about their willingness to help with another church start. They found Maxine Moseley and Carolyn Wray, who also were seeking a CBF-friendly church in the Olive Branch area, and began working with the two state CBF organizations and Trinity to help sponsor the new church. Enlisting the help of the Strongs, who moved from Senatobia, Miss., to Olive Branch as church planters, the group soon gained additional support from First and Second Baptist Churches in Memphis.

Olive Branch Fellowship held its first worship service in March 2005. Today, the church has about 40 members with 25-35 in attendance on Sunday and 25-30 on Wednesday evenings.

"One aspect of our church that all our members seem to appreciate is our willingness to have open, thoughtful discussions of questions about the Bible, the church and God that allows us to agree to disagree when needed but always to approach our study with commitment to explore the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives," Martha said.

The congregation meets in a free-standing building that is part of the Pigeon Roost Place shopping center in Old Towne Olive Branch. They are looking for a larger facility to provide significantly more classroom, office and storage space. "Finding affordable property that is also suitably located is proving to be a significant challenge for our congregation," said Martha.

Former youth minister creates church 'without walls' in Montana

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In 2005, a young, Tennessee-born youth minister first felt God’s call to plant a church without walls, for people who don’t like church. Two years later, Ryan Tucker attended a week-long church start boot camp in Waco, Texas, on a scholarship from CBF, and began planning a dramatic move.

Believing that he needed to relocate to a part of the country where Christianity was not a deep-seated part of the culture, Ryan felt drawn to one of the least churched states in America – Montana.

"Traditional church models are an abject failure out here," Tucker said. "Only 11 percent of people in Montana associate themselves with a denomination or faith."

Fighting culture shock and the peculiar sense that in his new home, ministry was not as easily definable as it had been, Ryan and his wife, Courtney, pressed on with support from the Fellowship, focusing on investing themselves in people instead of programs. In the fall and winter of 2008, the Tuckers hosted a Bible study, attended by 12 people.

The following spring saw the group diminished to six people. It felt like a setback. But in May, despite the decrease in numbers, The Well at Billings was formally established. Now, 20 people comprise the core group, and 35-40 show up weekly to listen to Tucker preach.

Defining church as "not a place, but a body of people," The Well at Billings espouses non-traditional Christian tenets, avoiding the use of "churchy" words, forgoing the responsibility of owning or leasing a building so that more money can be invested in missions, and refusing to rule anything out because of "the way it might look."

As a case in point, The Well at Billings holds Sunday evening "gatherings" at a microbrewery warehouse downtown, bearing witness to the belief that though man may look at outward things, God looks at the heart.

Committed to helping and serving people, the church shares 50 percent of its resources with its missional partners and seeks to address the needs of the most neglected in the local community through service projects.

Fellowship responds to Indonesian earthquakes, Georgia floods

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has initiated a response to the major earthquakes in Indonesia and is continuing the response to severe flooding in areas of Georgia.

CBF field personnel are traveling to the disaster zone on the Indonesian island of Sumatra to deliver supplies and explore how the Fellowship and its partners can collaborate to provide relief assistance. Rescue personnel from BWAid, the disaster relief arm of CBF partner Baptist World Alliance, are also on their way to the region.

The Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 quakes – registering 7.6 and 6.6 magnitude, respectively – have left more than 1,100 dead, according to Associated Press reports, with that number expected to climb as rescuers continue their search for survivors amid the rubble.

In Georgia, many families continue recovering from late September flooding that damaged many houses in the Atlanta area. In Austell, Ga., the Fellowship has identified one neighborhood of significant damage where Fellowship Baptists could provide assistance insulating houses, hanging and finishing drywall, and painting.

"There are compelling reasons to step in and model the presence of Christ to people who have literally lost everything," said Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s national coordinator for disaster response.

Randy Shepley, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tucker, Ga., is serving as the local disaster response coordinator. To find out more about service opportunities, contact Shepley at rshepley@fbctucker.org, (770) 938-1688 or Chris Boltin, the Fellowship’s short-term assignments and partnerships manager, at cboltin@thefellowship.info, (800) 352-8741.

Financial contributions to relief and recovery efforts for the earthquake can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17016 and gifts for the flood response can be made at www.thefellowship.info/give/donate.aspx?fund=17006. Gifts can also be sent by mail to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating either fund No. 17006 "Atlanta Floods" or fund No. 17016 "Earthquake Response."

CBF field personnel resource new churches, pastors in India

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – As a child, Eddie Aldape always wondered what it would have been like to be a part of the early Christian church as new believers mushroomed and began meeting together.

Now as an adult, he and his wife Macarena are helping first-generation Christians in northern India set up churches, train pastors and address the needs of the Banjara people in the state of Maharashtra.

“When we tell them about God’s salvation, they just can’t believe it,” Eddie said. “They’ve never heard of this and they say, ‘I don’t know this God. How could he do all of this for me?”

“It’s rewarding to see new believers come to Christ who have just heard the Gospel for the first time,” he said.

The Aldapes, of San Antonio, Texas, serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in India. They said they have witnessed church leaders shed cultural expectations about leaders.

“It’s really nice to see when these new leaders are committed to their new ministries and to being a true servant to their people and not expecting to be served themselves,” Eddie Aldape said.

The Aldapes, who live about 180 km (111 miles) southeast of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), have been serving in India since 2002. Much of their work aims to equip the church to minister to future generations.

“What keeps us going is if this is what has been done with the first generation of Christians, I can’t wait to see what is going to happen with the future with these children that are now growing up in Christian homes and in the children’s homes that we have,” Eddie said. “Many of them are going to be the pastors of tomorrow.”

But the extreme poverty of the Banjara people, regarded as one of the lowest classes in Indian society, makes it nearly impossible for them to support pastors or to cover the cost of leasing building spaces to worship.”

Part of the Aldapes’ ministry involves partnering with churches to provide financial support of pastors for three years at a time. The Aldapes now support four ministers who pastor 10 churches with a total of 400 members.

Most of the pastors in the Aldapes’ area have little to no formal Biblical training, so the Aldapes started a monthly leadership training program that also gives ministry leaders time to fellowship, pray and fast together. That effort led to establishment of the Banjara Christian Council of Maharashera, which helps Christian ministry groups coordinate their efforts. The Council held its first meeting in July.

Although there are evangelism schools in southern India, there are none in the Aldapes’ state. The Aldapes are working with other members of the Maharashtra Council to establish an evangelism school in their area so that pastors can receive training closer to home.

One of those pastors in need of further training is a young man named Manohar, who moved to Maharashtra from southern India, giving up his scholarship and pursuit of a master’s of divinity degree. His wife gave up her pursuit of an engineering degree.

“He went from having a bright future to making less than $100 a month and struggling,” Aldape said.

The Banjaras in northern India also need a translation of the Bible that reflects the mixture of languages that they speak. While there is a Bible translated into the Banjara language, it is based on the mixture of languages that Banjaras speak in southern India. Some of the southern Banjara words are not understood by or are offensive to Banjaras in the north.

Eddie Aldape hopes to make an audio recording of the Bible in the language that the Banjaras speak in northern India.

Aldape said there is a great opportunity to spread the Gospel in India right now, but fears that the government may impose new restrictions on foreigners in wake of recent terrorist attacks on Mumbai.

“India is a wide open mission field to be in right now,” he said. “We don’t know how long it will last. We don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity.”

To learn about partnership opportunities in India, contact engage@thefellowship.info. To financially support the ministry of CBF field personnel, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

Arkansas pastor builds community among ministers through peer learning groups

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – Once a month, Chester Thompson drives 175 miles to meet with one of his peer learning groups, and every month he eagerly anticipates the meeting.

“When we all come and sit around the table, I don’t have everything and you don’t have everything, but sitting at the table together allows us to share our resources,” said Thompson.

The idea of sharing resources and providing support is the backbone of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s peer learning groups, part of CBF’s Initiative for Ministerial Excellence. Peer learning groups provide a community in which ministers can develop friendships with fellow ministers and offer support and encouragement.

“There’s a correlation between excellence in ministry and collegial relationships,” said Steve Graham, CBF’s director of ministerial excellence. “[Members] tell us that discovering each other has been the greatest discovery. Their primary goal is learning together, supporting each other and learning how to sustain both themselves and their ministry.”

Thompson, moderator-elect of CBF Arkansas and pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church in Camden, Ark., for 22 years, attended his first peer learning group in 2006. The group met in Little Rock, Ark., and the topic of the meeting focused on strategies for using small group models in ministry. Thompson was so impressed with the strategy that he returned to his church and reorganized both his men’s and women’s ministries into small groups.

After spending time as a member of that Little Rock group, Thompson felt called to lead a new group and help other pastors in his area. He is currently leading two peer learning groups, both of which began in January. One group meets in central Arkansas near his home, the other meets 175 miles away in Helena, Ark., one of the focal communities of the Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative, Together For Hope.

In May, members from both of Thompson’s groups met together for a worship service in Mississippi to provide encouragement and financial support to a member of the Helena group who is in the process of building a church.

Another time, a pastor attending one of Thompson’s groups appeared at their monthly meeting very upset because of serious conflicts in her church. Ready to quit her job and leave the church, she cried throughout the group’s meeting.

“Whenever she would start to cry, or address the conflict, we would just stop what we were doing and pray for her,” said Thompson.

The program, initially funded by a $1.99 million grant form the Lilly Endowment in 2003, now includes 95 active peer learning groups meeting across the country. Groups of 10-12 members meet monthly and topics vary by group. Initially, members commit to covenant together as a group for one year. Many groups gather around a common vocation or interest, including groups of music ministers, youth ministers and Hispanic pastors.

To learn more about peer learning groups, contact Steve Graham at sgraham@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. To learn more about the Fellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial Excellence go to www.thefellowship.info/About-Us/What-We-Do/IME.

Nash joins faith leaders to press for action during G-20 Summit

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – On the eve of the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pa., Rob Nash, coordinator of CBF Global Missions, joined more than 25 Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious leaders for a Faith Leaders Summit to press for actions—not just words—that will help hungry and poor people lift themselves out of poverty.

“It was a privilege for me to join with other religious leaders in representing the needs of the most neglected peoples of the world at the G-20 Summit,” Nash said. “My prayer is that global leaders will take seriously the realities of hunger and poverty as they fashion a response to the current economic crisis.”

Organized by CBF-partner Bread for the World, the Alliance to End Hunger and other organizations, the religious leaders convened to press world leaders to fulfill their promises to help people who have suffered from the global economic recession.

“The most important indicator of economic recovery should be what happens to hungry and poor people – the many families who are struggling in our own country and the tens of millions who have been driven into hunger around the world,” said David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging U.S. decision-makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

The worst global recession came on the heels of two years of soaring food prices. Together, these crises have led to dramatic increases in hunger and poverty around the world. For the first time in history, more than a billion people are suffering from hunger.

During the week of the G-20 Summit, Sept. 24-25, U.S. administration officials are expected to provide details on a new initiative to reduce hunger and poverty around the world. Faith leaders gathered for the summit voiced their support for the initiative in a press conference Sept. 23.

Immediately after the press conference, religious leaders met with representatives of the U.S. delegation to the G-20 at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh.

The Group of 20 (G-20), established in 1999, brings together major industrialized and developing economies to discuss global economic issues. Together, these countries account for 90 percent of global gross national product, 80 percent of world trade, and represent two-thirds of the world's population.

CBF, CBF of Georgia respond to Atlanta flooding

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s disaster response team is assessing the damage of this week’s deadly flooding in Atlanta where nine people were killed and an estimated $250 million in damage occurred.

President Barack Obama declared five Atlanta-area counties a federal disaster area with more counties to be included after Vice President Joe Biden completes his visit to the area on Friday.

“The folks in Atlanta who are hurting are hurting now, and they will be hurting for a long time,” said Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s national disaster response coordinator. “CBF’s strength is our commitment to come alongside those hurting folks long after the first responders have left. We will be right there with them for the long term.”

Ray and other CBF disaster response team members will be assessing damage on Sept. 29, evaluating which areas would be the best for a long-term response. So far, CBF has worked closely with CBF of Georgia in gathering information on potential areas in which to work and victims who have specific needs.

“So far, the system we set up has been working perfectly,” Ray said. “Frank Broome and his staff at CBF of Georgia have been a big help.”

To contribute to the relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17006 “Atlanta Floods.” You can also give online at www.thefellowship.info/give/donate.aspx?fund=17006.

The city is bracing for more rain over the weekend as the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch, although the intensity of the rain storms were not expected to be as severe.

Retired CBF missions worker passes away

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – Ana D’Amico, retired CBF field personnel and wife of David F. D’Amico, passed away August 25 at her home in Louisville, Ky., following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. She was 73.

“Ana D’Amico was a radiant Christian, an effective missionary and an authentic human being,” said Daniel Vestal, CBF executive coordinator. “All of us in Cooperative Baptist Fellowship who knew and loved her will miss her. It was a privilege to serve God with her.”

Commissioned in 1995, the D’Amicos lived in New York City from 1996-2004, serving as CBF representatives to the United Nations. The D’Amicos gained non-governmental organization status for the Fellowship at the U.N., which allowed them access to briefings at U.N. headquarters.

The U.N, which allows all countries to be heard equally, gave the D’Amicos and the Fellowship opportunities to connect with diplomats and their countries all over the world. The U.N. also provided a forum for the D’Amicos to communicate the Fellowship’s message of compassion.

“In the process, we had access to missions or embassies of the world community,” Ana once said. “Since we lived in the community of the U.N., many of our neighbors were representatives of the world community.”

The D’Amicos became involved in ecumenical groups, sponsored forums on issues relating to human rights and led weekly worship services at an interfaith chapel near the U.N. Their apartment became a center for informal meetings, fellowship and Bible studies with diplomats, and the D’Amicos estimate they hosted 800-1,000 people.

Rob Nash, CBF coordinator of Global Missions, recalled D’Amico’s compassion and hospitality.

“Ana was a model for all of us in Global Missions at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,” Nash said. “Her field personnel colleagues have shared with me their memories of her gracious spirit, unflagging hospitality and compassion for the most neglected. I'm grateful for her presence among us.”

The D’Amicos were serving in New York on September 11, 2001, when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center. In the days and months following 9/11, the couple partnered with local churches and organizations to help meet the vast needs of the city. They also administered the relief funds sent by Fellowship churches across the country.

Grace Powell Freeman, CBF director of Global Missions Operations, said she remembers calling the D’Amicos to check on their safety, and talking and crying with Ana.

“Her compassion for people was as strong as anybody I know,” Freeman said. “Her love for people, knowing where they were hurting, and her desire to help them in any way she could. No task was ever too small or insignificant for Ana.”

Born June 19, 1936, in Rosario, Argentina, Ana graduated from the University of Buenos Aries in 1956. That same year, Ana and David married on Sept. 20. As David served many roles in missions and seminary professor, Ana served as patient relations supervisor at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston; interpreter/translator for Superior Court in Morris County, N.J. and a translator/editor in Louisville. She also served as Home Mission Board missionary to New York from 1985-1989.

The D’Amicos last assignment with CBF Global Missions was working as advocates for Hispanics in North Carolina. They retired in December 2006.

Ana is also survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Dr. Nancy D. and Tom Nickles, Lewisburg, Pa., sons and daughters in law, Stephen D. and Ana Cora D’Amico, Mebane, N.C., Kenneth D. D’Amico of Durham, N.C., and David E. and Amee D’Amico of Louisville, Ky.; sister and brother-in-law, Alicia and Peter Hercz, Los Angeles; grandchildren, Stuart, David L. and Elizabeth D’Amico, and Eric Nickles.

Visitation will be Aug. 27 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Pearson’s Funeral Home, 149 Breckenridge Lane, Louisville, Ky. Funeral and internment will be a private family ceremony. Memorial contributions may be made to James Graham Brown Cancer Research Center.

Anderson helps homeless "get back on their feet" in North Carolina

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA – James walked in Union Mission’s building with purpose. He stood tall, proud but worried. His shift was eliminated and now he didn’t have a job or a place to live. He spent the previous night sleeping in an abandoned building in Roanoke Rapids, N.C. The next day he decided to come to nearby Union Mission – a place he said he’d never thought he’d need – for help and hope.

His restless legs shook with anxiety as he sat across the table from LaCount Anderson, the director of the men’s recovery program at Union Mission, the area’s largest homeless shelter. Anderson listened to James’ story and said, “The Lord has sent you here. Why don’t you sleep here tonight? We have a bed for you.”

That invitation spelled not only immediate relief but also a chance for a new beginning for James and the dozens of other men that Anderson has led through the recovery program. Anderson, who was appointed as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel at CBF’s General Assembly in July, has been working at Union Mission for two years – the best two years of his life. He is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C.

“All of the training and other ministry I’ve done in my life has led me to be here,” said Anderson, who has served previously as a pastor and in education ministry. “I see miracles every day. I see God impact lives.”

One is Jimmy, who used cocaine for 20 years before accepting Christ in Anderson’s office and stopping his drug use. Another is Phil, who spent 13 years in prison before going through the recovery program. Now, he’s the manager of a local thrift store. And there are dozens of other success stories – of men who came in homeless and left with a better vision and purpose for their life.

The recovery program has three stages, including an initial three months of basics – Bible study, discipleship, life skills and the development of a life plan. During the second stage the men pursue any necessary education or training, and in the third stage they prepare to find a job.

“We’re small. We can’t help everybody, but we want to make a difference in some people,” said Anderson of the program and its 55 percent success rate, which is high compared to similar ministries.

Most of all, the recovery program gives men hope.

“The hope we give them is Jesus,” said Ron Weeks, the mission’s director. “Jesus is the hope and light.”

In recent months Anderson has widened his focus to include additional local ministries, such as two community gardens that will help provide food to needy people in Halifax County. He’s also partnering with Faith House, a ministry in the small community of Enfield.

Faith House is led by Gloria Caudle, who started the homeless shelter for women and children in 2007. Affectionately called “Miss Gloria,” Caudle houses up to eight women as they recover from drugs, abusive relationships, depression and other life-altering situations. At Faith House they get their lives back on track, just like Caudle did many years ago. When she escaped a previously bad marriage – one where the poverty was so great that she was down to just a tray of ice in the refrigerator – she promised God she would give back to others.

“God can transform,” she said. “This is my assignment. I have been commissioned to do this.”

What Faith House needs is a little extra help – repairing the house, providing toiletries and other essential items. And that’s where Anderson began to think he could help. As a CBF affiliate, he aims to connect Fellowship partner churches with ministries among the homeless in eastern North Carolina, which has some of the state’s poorest areas.

“I want to help churches discover a way to reach out in their neighborhood,” said Anderson, a native of Savannah, Ga.

Reaching out to neighbors is something Anderson knows about. Two years ago he unexpectedly lost his job and, while looking for another job, he decided to visit Union Mission, which had mailed him a letter. He went in one day to volunteer and came home to tell his wife, Anna, that he thought God was calling him to work there. A few days later he was hired and hasn’t stopped enjoying what he calls his new dream job.

“I share God more now than I ever did before in my 30 years of ministry. I get no greater thrill than watching someone give their life to Christ,” he said.

To learn about missions opportunities in North Carolina and around the world, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.