Newsletter

          BIRTHDAYS

          1-31     Cooperative Program Emphasis

          04        Pastors’ Social/Fellowship Meeting, 10:30 a.m., Countryside BBQ

          07        Personal Evangelism Commitment Day

          08        Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m.

          14        Global Hunger Sunday

          29        Annual Session, 3:00 and 7:00, at Vein Mountain Baptist Church

Training Opportunities for Churches and Associations – All classes are free. To register for a class, contact Judy Autry at jautry@ncbaptist.org.   For Office and Google apps go to https://ncbaptist.wufoo.com/forms/ms-office-training/

Four Days of Thanks / Celebrators Conference – October 22-25, 2018 at the Leconte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN. Presented by Phil Waldrep Ministries. Go to Celebrators.org for more information.

Renewing Worship Expo – September 14-15, 2018 at Calvary Baptist Church (West Campus), 136 Medical Drive Advance, NC 27006. This is a one-stop shop of training for worship leaders, bands, vocal teams, choirs, orchestras, technicians and others.  Register at RenewingWorshipExpo.com Cost: $40 after September 1. 

Thank you to Sugar Hill for hosting the August Senior Adult Rally!

Thank you to Garden Creek Baptist Church for the gracious use of the parsonage for BRBA office space for several years.  We are so thankful for your kindness and hospitality!

GOOD NEWS CLUB!

We Have good news about the Good News Club!  We now have our own chapter of Good News Club, which includes McDowell, Yancey, Avery and Mitchell County.   We have Good News Club in all the elementary schools in McDowell County and in two of our middle schools.  We have five clubs in Yancey County and are also working to establish Good News Clubs in Mitchell and Avery County. 

The Good News Club is a 1 hour, after school program each week beginning the week after Labor Day and ending Easter vacation week. The Gospel is shared at each of these programs.  This past year there were 357 kids enrolled for Good News Clubs in McDowell County. There were 18 decisions made for Christ! The cost for each school’s materials is $1,100.   However, it requires more money than this to successfully operate this Chapter. Please consider giving to this endeavor of sharing the Gospel with children.  Your financial gift will have eternal impact. Send any financial support to CEFNC Mountain Chapter at  PO Box 1504, Marion, NC 28752.

If you are interested in being a volunteer, please contact the BRBA office. 

APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS OUTREACH – 2018

For those churches that prepare backpacks for the Appalachian Christmas Outreach, please be aware that there are changes this year in preparing those backpacks. This includes changes in the age groups, labeling and a few other changes.  The link to review the changes is: http://baptistsonmission.org/Missions/United-States/Appalachian-Coalfields/Appalachian-Christmas-Outreach.

A special called Executive Committee Meeting was held July 31, 2018 for the purpose of discussing a new office building for the Blue Ridge Baptist Association. The vote was unanimous to proceed with building a new office on the Fleming Street property that is currently owned by the Association. Permits are being secured and hopefully, construction will begin very soon!  In the meantime, the mailing address is BRBA, PO Box 932, Marion, NC 28752.   Email is: mbrba@yahoo.com or sblantonbrba@yahoo.com. DOM Jim Brewer can be reached at 828.442.7708. 

59^th Annual

Western Area Conference

September 6, 2018 – 4:00 p.m.

Broyhill Home, Clyde, NC

Baptist Children’s Homes of NC, Inc. is hosting our 59^th Annual Western Area Conference on Thursday, September 6, 2018 on the Broyhill Campus in Clyde, NC. Staff and residents are preparing to honor YOU with a free BBQ feast in celebration of Baptist ministry to children and families. The support of the many Baptists throughout North Carolina has been instrumental in providing this Ministry. We cordially invite you to be a part of this celebration.

We will begin at 4:00 p.m. with cottage tours, followed by a free barbecue supper from 4:45-5:45. After supper our program will feature children in care, the status of services in the Western Area, special music, “Friend of Children” award, and an inspiration message from our President, Dr. Michael C. Blackwell.

Please celebrate with us what God is doing through YOU and Baptist Children’s Homes in the ministry of “Sharing Hope…Changing Lives.”

90^th Annual Session of the Blue Ridge Baptist Association

October 29, 2018

Vein Mountain Baptist Church

Afternoon Session 3:00 p.m., followed by Dinner

                  Evening Session 7:00 p.m.   

Baptists On Mission

Construction Skills Training

Men, Women, and Students Can Learn to:

·         Hang/Finish Drywall

·         Install Flooring

·         Lay out/Frame Walls

And more!

Takes Place at Mission Camps:

Shelby – October 6

Red Springs– October 27

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

COST:

·       Training Only: $10.00 

·       Training with Overnight Housing (Friday-Saturday): $21.00

This is designed for those who are not familiar with things like roofing, hanging and finishing drywall, framing walls, building ramps, and laying laminate or wood floors.  Participants will get hands on experience with instructors who are active in missions.  

Participants should be 10 years of age and above.  For those between 10 and 12 we ask that a parent or adult be with them so that they have direct supervision.  For students 12-18 we ask that there be a chaperone for each 4 students.

Register online at: http://baptistsonmission.org/skills-training       

Cuba Vision Trip for Pastors, Missions Leaders, Directors of Missions and others 

PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION

You are invited to travel to Santa Clara and Santiago, Cuba, February 1-5, 2019 on a vision trip sponsored by Baptists on Mission/NC Baptist Men. We have been in partnership with the Eastern Baptist Convention of Cuba for the past 14+ years, building a retirement home in Santiago, Cuba. Over the past 5 years we have expanded the partnership to include church ministry, VBS, prayer walk/evangelism, leadership training and youth/sports camps. For the past 1 ½ years we have been partnering to build a new seminary and work in and around the Santa Clara area of Cuba (central Cuba). We are asking that 1-2 people from your church or association (Pastor, Missions Leader, Director of Missions, others) to come see what Cuba can offer you and a team from your church or association and what you can offer Cuba. We will spend part of our time at the new seminary location and then travel to Santiago to see the retirement home and we will also have ample time to discuss other ways you and your team can be involved in our Cuba ministry partnership. Signing up for this vision trip means that you understand our expectation that you will do your best to recruit and lead, or be heavily involved in sending a team to Cuba during 2019/2020. We are excited to offer this vision trip to you and hope you will join us. Below is more information.

February 1-5, 2019

VISION TRIP LEADER – Tom Beam from NC Baptist Men/Baptists on Mission staff

Cost – approx. $1,350 per person (depends on plane tickets)

(Cost covers: round trip flights from Raleigh, Charlotte, or Greensboro to Miami/Cuba and back; Lodging, meals and transportation in Cuba; Supplemental medical insurance; travel visa; t-shirt) 

Please email Paul Langston (plangston@ncbaptist.org) or Tom Beam (tbeam@ncbaptist.org) to secure your spot. We are limited to 6 people for the team. Once you email, you will be given instructions on how to go online to register and pay for the vision trip. All information is needed, including online registration and passport copy no later than October 15, 2018.

Tentative schedule

Friday, February 1

Air travel to Santa Clara, Cuba

Late morning and early afternoon, relax and rest

Afternoon – Tour Camp/ Seminary campus

·        Lodging at My Camp will be at the Seminary/Camp (this is rustic but clean, comfortable, private baths and AC, there are no private rooms with 2 people usually sharing)

Saturday, February 2

Morning – Meet with Tom Beam to discuss seminary projects as well as existing Cuba projects that teams can be involved with.

Afternoon – Travel into Santa Clara to see churches and ways teams can be involved in the community

Sunday, February 3

Morning – All vision team members will be divided up and will worship in Santa Clara churches (all churches will want team members to speak/preach/give testimonies)

After lunch – begin traveling to Santiago, overnight on way to Santiago

Monday, February 4

Morning – Continue our trip to Santiago arriving around lunch time, lunch at the Retirement home

·        Lodging at the Retirement Home will be in rooms  with single beds and a shared bath with others from our team.

Mid-late afternoon – Tour retirement home and talk about construction project/see Santiago

Tuesday, February 5 

Travel to Holguin, Cuba to fly back to NC.

Cell phone and Wi-Fi – Verizon cell phones/text work in Cuba if you have an international plan on your phone. Cost is $3 per minute for calling, $.05 to receive a printed text and $.50 to send a text. We will have a Cuba cell phone with Cuba number that you are welcome to use. You will pay for what you use, but it is much less expensive than using your Verizon phone. The Cuba cell phone also has email capability. There is NO Wi-Fi at the Seminary/Camp/Retirement Home.