Blue Ridge Baptist Association

The great Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16; “For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  Over the past 6-7 weeks, I have discovered once again that life can be very complicated.  Let me explain!  My wife and I decided that we needed to list our house and relocate.  A smaller house became available to us here in the county, and we felt the time was right for us to downsize.  A realtor came out and went over a long list of things within the house and outside the house that needed to be addressed before it hit the market for showings.  So, for three weeks, I stayed very busy around the house.  I changed out light fixtures.  We moved various things out of the house into storage to make the house more open and inviting.  I had repair work done on the back deck.  We had new flooring put down in a bathroom.  I did a lot of painting inside the house.  We cleaned everything within the house, and I even cleaned the gutters around the house.  The list goes on, but you get the point.  All of this was done before the house even hit the market.  Finally, the day came and the house hit the market.  We had four showings that same day with two offers.  We were thrilled and thought this is a piece of cake.  I went to the realtor’s office to sign off on one of the offers, and before I could get home with the contract for my wife to sign, my realtor called and told me to turn around and come back, because the buyers had just backed out.  I returned to the realtor’s office and signed the papers on the second offer, and for the first week everything went well.  Then, for some unknown reason these buyers terminated the contract after giving us due diligence money.  We now thought the house would be put back on the market, and we would start the process over again when suddenly the first buyers made us another offer, and the house once again was under contract.  Does it sound complicated yet?  Just keep reading.  The buyers ordered inspections which is normal.  We had a termite inspection.  We had a water inspection.  We had a radon inspection.  We had a very thorough home inspection.  While the home inspector was testing our ground fault receptacles, he blew out a receptacle which in turn blew out the ground fault breaker in the electrical panel box.  So, more money spent for a breaker and a receptacle and time spent replacing them.  As of this writing, we are waiting on an appraisal of the house before we will know if we will be moving or not.  What I’m saying is this.  It’s not easy to get a house ready to sell and then actually sell it.  A lot of things must be done, and a lot of inspections must take place, and a ton of papers must be signed, and a lot of running here and there and everywhere must be done.  What should be a relatively easy process is very drawn out and complicated.  It’s truly amazing at the tons of hoops you must maneuver through and the hurdles you must jump when selling a home, buying a car, or just trying to go through life.  We live in an age where life is becoming more and more complicated.  Can you remember when life was simpler?  When things were not so complicated?  When things were much slower and people actually knew their neighbors?  I believe this is what people mean when they say; “I wish we could go back to the good old days.” 

Thank God that the GOSPEL is still very simple.  It is not complicated.  Gospel means “Good News.”  The good news is simply the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  

God is Good

Dennis

sAssociation Calendar

(To announce your church events, call 559-0224 or email mbrba@yahoo.com with the information. The deadline is the 3^rd Monday of February, April,  June, August, October and December.)

Monday, July 25^th at 6:30 p.m.

Under the Jubilee Arbor at the Carson House

It’s time for our churches to come together and associate!  FREE Hot Dogs, Drinks, Chips and Desserts.  Everyone is invited and encouraged to come out to this special Rally. 

We will begin serving food at 6:30.  We will follow the meal with a very brief time of business.  We will end our time together with Dennis sharing how our churches can reach every home in your community with the Good News of the Gospel.  McDowell County needs Jesus, and they need a church to call home.  Be sure to come find out how easy it’s going to be without expense to your church.

It’s time for us to associate and it’s time for our churches to be an Acts 1:8 church.  Jesus said; “You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

It all begins in our Jerusalem which is our church community and our county!   COME FIND OUT HOW EASY IT WILL BE FOR US TO SATURATE MCDOWELL COUNTY WITH THE GOSPEL.   

ATTENTION PASTOR’S AND CHURCH LEADERS

Being a pastor for 31 years, I know that you have people of all ages in your church who are struggling with life issues.  Life is hard, and we strive to help people get through those hard places in life.  I also know that a lot of our people struggle with issues that go way beyond our qualifications to meet them where they are, and to help them cope with the everyday problems of life.  I’m thankful that we have a qualified counselor in place for our people who can.  Her name is Leah Kelley.  She is qualified to work with Children from ages 5-12.  With Adolescents and Teens ages 13-18.  And with Adults ages 18 and over.  Her hope is to offer clients a comfortable, confidential space to be heard.  She provides her clients with tools to help them take steps towards change.  Depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders often stem from the the stresses of life, past trauma, and a lack of balance in life.  Leah is passionate about working with individuals to find hope and healing for the wounds of the heart.  Leah is now a counselor for Hope In Christ Counseling Center.  Her office is at 130 Logan Street, Marion.  Her phone number is 828 559-7710.  She is a rock solid Christian first and foremost. Therefore, the people you refer to her will be counseled from the Scriptures.  We are blessed to have her working with Hope In Christ Counseling, and I would highly recommend that you refer people in your church who are struggling with life issues to pick up their phone and give Leah a call.  Help and hope for the hurting is just a phone call away.  

Please feel free to give me a call if you would like more information on Leah.  I would also love to talk to you, or your church, on how you can come alongside of us to impact the lives of people here in our county through Hope In Christ Counseling.

Contact information is as follows:        

130 Logan Street

Marion, NC 28752

828-559-7710

Email:

spiritoftruthcounseling@yahoo.com

Website:

https://leah-kelley.clientsecure.me

May Birthdays

Mrs. Brianna Watson (Chapel Hill)              3rd

Rev. Danny White (Hankins)                         28^th

(Macedonia)

June Birthdays

June Anniversaries

It was great worshipping recently with the good people at North Cove Baptist Church. 

Pray for Brother Richard Merritt as he continues to love and preach to his people. Pray that God will grow His church and do mighty things within the North Cove community and beyond!

A special thanks to Brother James Walker for inviting me to preach at Catawba Heights Baptist Church on Easter Sunday.

The people at Catawba Heights are very inviting and the music was very uplifting and inspiring.  I was blessed to be able to preach at this good church! 

Pray for Brother James as he continues to lead them to do great things in and around the Catawba Heights community and beyond!

                                           BAPTISTS ON MISSION

Poland

From 1989-1993, NC Baptists had a partnership in Poland. NC Baptists built the seminary located just outside of Warsaw which is now being used to house Ukraine refugees and we are sending teams every week for the next 8 weeks. Those teams are also staying and working at the seminary. We also have teams working at other locations.

Moldova

Starting May 1, 2022 we will begin sending a weekly team of volunteers to work at the refugee center just outside of Chisinau – helping in the kitchen, helping with laundry, providing children’s ministries, and general cleaning. NC Baptists have had a partnership with Moldova Baptists for the past 10+ years. Because of these relationships Moldova Baptists have asked us to help them with their refugee center which is housing about 300 refugees. These refugees – mostly women and children – can come at short notice. Some stay for a few days and then move further into Europe. Others are beginning to stay for longer periods, hoping to return home when it is safe to do so.

Hungary

Since 2008 we’ve been working in Hungary, Romania and Ukraine with a partner organization, Hungarian Baptist Aid (HBAid) and we are now assisting their relief work brought about by the war. Volunteers are working near the border assisting refugees who are crossing into Hungary. They provide hot meals and daily supplies as well as prepare sleeping arrangements for up to 60 people.

We are also working at a warehouse owned by Hungarian Baptist Aid as well as schools they operate which are providing housing for refugees. Working with HBAid, NC volunteers are also helping with temporary housing for displaced families and providing food and essential supplies to families escaping Ukraine and going into Hungary.|

Ukraine

From 1994-2000, NC Baptists had a full partnership with Ukraine Baptists. Now we are working with the Ukraine Baptist Union as well as the Lviv Seminary (UBTS). We are working to send funds to purchase food that is being taken into central and eastern Ukraine to feed people who are being housed in Baptist churches in the war zones. Baptists on Mission has sent funds to help purchase food, medical and baby supplies as well as hygiene items. Our partners, House of Hope, gather items and then provides them to Baptists churches who take them into the actual war zone to offer relief to people who have nowhere else to turn. Our hope is to have a long term partnership in Ukraine once the war has ended.

Working with HBAid, BOM volunteers are also working at a warehouse distributing supplies and ministering to 100,000 internally displaced people in a region of Ukraine that is near the border with Hungary. We are also setting up a mobile kitchen to provide hot meals as well as sending medical teams to help in that region of Ukraine.

There will be many additional opportunities to be on mission in Ukraine as soon as the war ends. Please pray for the war to end and pray for God to be glorified among the people of Ukraine. For more information go to https://baptistsonmission.org/ukraine-crisis

MISSION DIGNITY SUNDAY

June 26

Mission:Dignity^® serves SBC retirement-aged ministers, workers and widows as they face advancing age, illness, infirmity, the death of a spouse and even natural disasters. Through it all, we provide constant care, prayer and financial assistance directly at the point of need. See MissionDignity.org for more information.

WEST MARION BAPTIST CHURCH

Jonathan Tipper is preaching through Acts at Greenlee.  On Sunday, April 24th, he preached from Acts 7:2-8:1 a message titled:  “Lessons from the Sermon of Stephen.”  He did a great job with the text.  Jonathan has also completed his studies and work on his doctorate degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Congratulations Dr. Tipper.