"Whom Shall I Send?"

THE

CENTRAL CONNECTION

March 2018

"We are an organization of churches that is committed

to the mission of Christ to multiply disciple-making churches

through evangelism, leadership training, and connection with

other like-minded churches."

Visit Our Website

FROM THE DIRECTOR

"Courage To Share"

" From 1947 to 2005, more than 2 billion people in over 185 countries and territories on six continents have either attended or watched the Crusades on television, video, webcast, or listened to his “Hour of Decision” radio show. When Graham issued the invitation to come forward, more than 3 million people walked to the Cross to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. That’s amazing. One of my many thoughts when this hero died was, “Who will take his place to influence so many for Christ?” Read more

Pat Phinney

CB North Central Regional Director

Read some evangelistic tips by Ed Stetzer:

"I do not have the gift of evangelism, but I do hold evangelistic interest as a high value. I am glad those who first shared the gospel with me did as well." Read more

-by Ed Stetzer, EdStetzer.com

Hi friends,

February 28 was a big day for us, as Karen started her second round of chemo therapy for her Ovarian cancer. She had a treatment of Doxol, which is designed to kill cancer cells and then 15 days later she will have Avastin, which is designed to keep the cancer cells from reproducing. Hopefully it will be a one two knockout punch. After three cycles or months of 28 days each, Karen will get a CT scan to see if the treatments are working (probably May). If all is well, she'll have three more 28 day treatments and we're done mid July 18. Please continue to pray with us that these new treatments will work and yes, we're still trusting God for a miracle.

Pat

Moody Pastor's Conference 2018

May 21-24, 2018

Chicago, IL

Don't Delay, Reserve Your Spot TODAY!

Take a look at the pricing on the Moody website, but

50% OFF Registration

Moody Early Bird Registration is $199

(Meals & Lodging are Additional)

Because we register as a group, Moody is giving us an incredible savings.

Right now through Friday, March 30th your full package

Conference Registration/Shared Lodging/10 Meals

$349.50

Please see the Moody website for additional options,

i.e. single room/meal plan, day passes, etc.

What are others saying about the conference?

"I have found the Moody Pastor’s Conference to be a blessing in a host of areas: Great Biblical expository preaching; worshipful music from a variety of genre’s; good food; and cross pollination of ministry ideas with a great bunch of guys. It is well worth the time and money."

-Eldon Carlson, Bloomer, WI

“The Moody Pastors Conference is my annual “go to event for go to guys” .. it is full of top shelf preaching, worship, workshops and fellowship. This is an awesome event to be deeply refreshed and to recharge for ministry.”

- Grant Willett, Oak Grove Church

Golden Valley, MN

"The Moody Pastors Conference offered me an opportunity to break away from the rigors and demands of ministry to receive encouragement from other pastors, inspiration from the general session speakers, challenge from the Word of God, and helpful information from the workshops I attended. It’s also fun to explore the downtown area of Chicago. There were several years in the past where I could not find a conference that seemed well-suited to me, but the Moody Pastors Conference gives me a boost for continued pastoral ministry."

-David Johnson, Storden Baptist

Storden, MN

“A conference not on techniques or programs, but one which focuses on God and the power of his Word. Highly challenging.”

– Dave Breederland, Faith Community

West Concord, MN

For more information about the schedule of events and speakers visit the Moody Bible Institute website for the Pastor's Conference.

Call or email the CBNC office to register.

763-205-9330 or [email protected]

2 Options to Pay for Your Conference Fees

Mail a check

to CB North Central, PO Box 490441, Blaine, MN 55449

or pay online.

PAY FEES ONLINE

Contact the CBNC office for information about scholarships.

Henry C. Spicer Scholarship

The HENRY C. SPICER SCHOLARSHIP is awarded each year to high school seniors planning to attend college in the Fall. To qualify, an applicant must be a committed Christian and a regular attender of a CBNC affiliated church.

For more information and an application, visit our website. More questions?

Contact the CB North Central office by phone 763-205-9330 or email [email protected].

Applications must be postmarked no later than April 1st.

PASTOR'S WIVES. . . JUST FOR YOU

"The Father's Sacrifice

vs The Pastor's Wife's Sacrifice"

Do you, as a Pastor's wife, ever struggle with the sacrifice it requires? I do, especially lately. A gentleman in our church recently mentioned not being able to see his kids for 8 days because he'd had the flu. I thought to myself, "8 days? Are you kidding me?!"

Donna Jentink

Wife of Pastor Jay Jentink

Calvary Baptist, Cedar Rapids, IA

CLUSTER GROUP DIRECTOR

"Jesus Sent Disciples 2 By 2"

"As a teen, we sang a song at church: “When you know the Lord you need nobody else, to see you through the darkest night.…” Praise God we don’t sing that song anymore, at least in the circles I worship! I see it as a flat out lie, but it does appeal to our American culture of the lone-strong-need-no-body-else philosophy." Read more

Pastor Eldon Carlson

CB North Central, Regional Cluster Group Director

Teach the Everlasting Gossip Stopper

Everywhere I go I teach church attendees a method for dramatically decreasing the amount of gossip that goes on in a congregation. You can teach this to your church in a few minutes, though you will likely need to do it repeatedly, and here’s why. Read more , see the Video

Redevelopment Transitional Pastor, Brian A Thorstad

Presently at Oak Park Community Church, Blaine, MN

WORDS OF WISDOM - Advice Through The Ages

As you read this month's advice to pastor's from Pastor Michael Frey, remember to pray for our pastors, new and not so new.

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service” (1 Timothy 1:12 NIV). Paul went on in the next few verses to express his awareness of how undeserving he was of that role and how much grace and mercy and patience the Lord had extended to him (read 1 Timothy 1:12–17).

We need to remind ourselves on a regular basis that it is an undeserved privilege to serve in pastoral ministry. Like Paul, we too are sinners who need grace, mercy, and patience extended to us—by the Lord and also by those to whom and with whom we minister. That awareness is helpful for maintaining a spirit of humility and love as we relate to others, especially those who create the greatest challenges for us. Let’s set an example of being patient and forgiving, knowing that we will need others to be patient with our weaknesses and forgiving of our failures. Remember, we are feeble and flawed servants. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV). It’s not about the servants; it’s about the Master! Be grateful, as Paul was, for the opportunity to serve the Lord as a leader in his church, but only the Lord has the power to produce lasting, life-changing results, so all of the honor and glory belongs to him. May we be humble and faithful stewards, making the most of whatever opportunities he graciously gives us to serve him and his church.

Pastor Michael Frey

Calvary Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, IA

CBAmerica Chaplaincy

"Between a Rock and a Hard Place"

"For a moment I froze – what was I going to do? There were about 200 soldiers waiting to hear the brief, the unit had rescheduled the day on my account, I had a wedding to perform … but I had to minister to the soldier." Read more

-by Chaplain John Hatfield, Rhode Island Army National Guard

[Caption]

Rev. Andy Meverden

Director of Chaplaincy

CBAmerica.org

3686 Stagecoach Rd, Unit F

Longmont, CO 80504

[email protected]

Thank You, Billy Graham

"We can learn to love our family and others with a greater love. We can learn to have a greater humility, understanding that we are nothing without Christ. We can learn that the simple things in life are those that really matter. And we can learn that this life is not about us."

"It’s all about Jesus." Read more -by Thom S. Rainer, ThomRainer.com

9 Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe

"Often, we’ll hear someone quote a statement that sounds nice to us, and we’ll begin repeating it as though it’s biblical truth without ever researching it in the Scriptures. Several of these unbiblical statements have gained enough traction that many people believe they’re actually Bible verses. Not only are the statements unbiblical; most of them teach the opposite of what the Bible teaches."

Read more - by Shane Pruitt, ChurchLeaders.com

10 Things No One Ever Told You About Being A Pastor

"Those of us who have been in the field throughout all our adult years wish someone had told us a few things about this work. So, assuming we are speaking to beginnin g pastors , here are a few things we’d love to share…"

Read more - by Joe McKeever, ChurchLeaders.com

This article was first brought to our attention by Pastor Steve DeKok of First Baptist Church, Jackson, MN. Thank you Steve.

4 Reasons You Shouldn't Be Colorblind

"When I speak with people about ethnic and racial diversity, it’s not long before I hear, “I don’t see color. I’m colorblind! My parents taught me not to see color.”'

"I’d like to suggest that we aren’t colorblind, we don’t need to be colorblind, and we actually should strive to not be colorblind. Colorblindness leads us in the wrong direction. Instead, I want to encourage us to be colorsmart. Here are four reasons why." Read more -by Trillia Newbell, The Gospel Coalition