AVERY IN ACTION Newsletter of the Avery Baptist Association

Transcription

1 AVERY IN ACTION Newsletter of the Avery Baptist Association November 2015 Annual Meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Monday and Tuesday, November 2-3 Koury Convention Center Greensboro, NC Registration and Exhibits open at 2 p.m. on Monday. The convention will call to order at 6 p.m. on Monday The convention begins Monday evening with worship and the annual president s address. Tuesday, messengers will hear ministry reports from the convention, as well as several items of business. The annual convention sermon will be preached that evening by Lee Pig. Live streaming will be available at

2 stronger together! Baptist churches have always believed, we are stronger together. This is the reasoning for the Avery Association, the Baptist State Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Cooperative Program we are Make no mistake, no single church can fulfill the Great Commission all by itself. No single church (no, not even your church!) can support enough missionaries, plant enough churches, conduct enough Vacation Bible Schools, launch enough small groups, hold enough revival services and fufill the Great Commission. We are stronger together! I am grateful that 23 Baptist churches in Avery County recognize this important truth. We are stronger together! By uniting and supporting the Avery Pregnancy and Resource Center, the Pregnancy and Resource Center of Jamaica, our prison chaplaincy ministries, Baptist Campus Ministry of the High Country, and our strategy for equipping churches to make disciples in their communities, we are having a Kingdom impact upon our region. November 2 and 3, Baptist churches across North Carolina will gather together in Greensboro to celebrate what God is doing through our State Convention. We will hear firsthand how Baptist Children s Homes of NC is ministering to the least of these and sharing Chrost s love with broken families. We will hear how Fruitland Baptist Bible College is training the next generation of church leaders. We will hear how our convention is impacting lostness in the most populous cities in our state (Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh) and winning people to faith in Christ. North Carolina Baptists are stronger together! This month, as we give thanks for all that God has done and all that God is doing, may we never forget that we are stronger together! Thank God for the partnership we share with you and your church, in impacting our world with the gospel of Christ! Garland

3 Highlights from the Annual Association Meeting The Avery Baptist Association met on Monday, October 5 at Powder Mill Baptist Church, with Ron Greene presiding as moderator. Bob Brown gave a report for the Avery Pregnancy and Resource Center. He thanked the churches for their support of this critical ministry. She also spoke about the newly established crisis pregnancy center in Jamaica. Terry Brewer gave a report for the association s Women s Ministry United (WMU). She shared with churches all of the opportunities for spiritual formation and fellowship in the past year. Brent Price gave a report for Hospice and Palliative Care of the Blue Ridge, encouraging churches to partner with their organization to minister to families in need. Mike Puckett gave a report for Baptist Campus Ministry of the High Country. He shared information about the ministries being done at Appalachian State and Lees McRae. Lewis Smith, director of development for Baptist Children s Homes, reminded messengers about the November emphasis and the Thanksgiving Offering. He asked churches to support the offering, which supports the children s homes ministry. Deborah Kuykendall of the North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry, gave a report telling Avery Baptists about the ministry to senior adults and provided resources to churches to reach out to senior citizens in their communities. Garland Honeycutt gave the director of mission report, highlighting the accomplishments of the association this past year in assisting churches to fulfill the Great Commission. Powder Mill s choir led in worship before Rev. Timmy Blair, pastor of Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church and president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina gave the annual message.

4 A Psalm of Thanksgiving Psalm 111 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work; And His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. Praise him forever! Happy Thanksgiving from the Avery Baptist Association! Christmas Time Is Coming! It s hard to believe, but the Christmas season is just around the corner! The Avery Baptist Association would like for our churches to let each other know about what special ministries and events are happening in your church! Let us know the date and time for your Christmas program or cantata; tell us what outreach projects your church uses during the holiday season; share with us any Advent or Christmas traditions that help you remember the real reason for this special season. We want to know so we can share them in the December issue of Avery In Action! Send them in today!

5 Church News From Avery Baptist Churches Chestnut Dale Chestnut Dale held their Heritage Day Celebration on October 10. It was a day of food, fun, fellowship, and celebration of our mountain heritage. FBC Crossnore FBC Crossnore will be having its annual Thanksgiving meal this year. Call the church to make a reservation. Minneapolis Minneapolis and Candlestick Retreat Center recently partnered with other churches and hosted a fall festival in their community on October 24. Sugar Mountain Sugar Mountain hosted a fall festival in their community on October 31. The associational office will closed on Thursday and Friday, November for the Thanksgiving holiday.

6 U.S. Motto Action Committee In God We Trust Displays in Avery County The U.S. Motto Action Committee actively encourages local elected officials across North Carolina to display the National Motto, In God We Trust, on local government buildings. The committee s purpose is to promote America s Christian heritage with the hope that hearts would turn back to Him. In Avery County, In God We Trust will be displayed on the Avery County Courthouse in Newland, as well as the town hall buildings in Newland, Crossnore, and Elk Park. The committee incurs ALL costs to display the U.S. Motto on government buildings. They depend on churches and individuals to meet these needs. The committee is in the process of securing funds for the displays at the town hall buildings of Elk Park and Crossnore. Donations to help with this great cause may be made to the Avery Baptist Association, designating In God We Trust in the memo line of the check. For more information on this project, call Garland at the associational office.

7 Baptist Children s Homes of NC 2015 Annual Thanksgiving Offering There is a mission field all around us! 70% of Baptist Children s Homes residents come to us unchurched and unreached for Christ YOUR CHURCH MAKES HOPE POSSIBLE! When your church participates in the Annual Thanksgiving Offering, hope is shared and miracles happen! You help provide North Carolina children a home that is as caring as any family s. Children, who often come to us abused and neglected, are given regular meals, clean clothes, and loving houseparents to care for their needs. More importantly, you make it possible for Baptist Children s Homes Christian staff to share with them the hope of Jesus!

8 Associational Calendar November Thanksgiving Offering for Baptist Children s Homes of North Carolina November 1 Daylight Savings Time ends (Set your clocks back 1 hour!) November 2-3 North Carolina Baptist Pastors Conference in Greensboro November 2-3 Annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in Greensboro November 26 Thanksgiving Day November Office closed for Thanksgiving holiday Do you have any church news, exciting announcements, or events that you would like to see in the next issue of Avery In Action? Be sure to get that information to the associational office no later than Wednesday, November 18! Avery Baptist Association Garland H. Honeycutt, Director of Missions PO Box 216 Newland, North Carolina averybaptist@att.net