Mt. Zion Baptist Association Newsletter
MARCH NEWSLETTER
In This Issue
Terry's wisdom
Literacy
Children
WMU
Women's Conference
Food Roundup
Easter Dramatization
Back to Basics Workshop and Women's Bible Study
Quick Links



Happy March and soon-to-be-Spring! Please enjoy the articles and event information in this e-newsletter. Due to some technical difficulties, the articles and newsletter can't be posted on the website at this time. To quickly go to specific items, you can click links to the left to navigate rather than having to scroll.
"Would Anyone Even Miss It?"
by Dr. Terry Prichard

As a church member, church leader, or pastor, ask yourself this question "If our church was to close its doors, would anyone in our community even miss it?  I do not mean church members. I mean those in the community, not in the church. Would your church closing its doors even cause a ripple in your surrounding community?

It is needful to remember that the church is the only organization on this earth that exists for those who are not even a part of it; those not on the inside yet. We, as church members, tend to develop a deadly church disease that Chuck Swindoll calls "ingrownius eyeballitus," or ingrown eyeballs. We turn our eyes inward on ourselves, while the people around our churches suffer. Our concerns focus more on what's' important to us, what we like the best, and so on.

Ed Stetzer, leader of the North American Mission Board's Research Team, notes some ways we can avoid this horrible and unbiblical disease. He gives us some considerations that may lead us to our local mission fields, rather than turning our eyes in on ourselves. Churches that succeed in making a deep impact in their community share these characteristics.

The first thing he notes are that these churches are incarnational, a 'high dollar' word which simply means that the church lives as the Presence of Christ in its community. This is not meant to be a theological abstraction, but is practical in nature. If Jesus lived in your community, what would He do? Would He confine Himself to Sunday School and worship on Sundays?  Would He confine His service to the inside of the church building? Would He concern Himself with this color carpet or this particular hymnbook? What would Jesus do if he lived in your community? Who would He reach out too; who would He bring healing too?

Another characteristic is found in the word indigenous. To be indigenous means to be rooted in the soil of their community and its culture, and to reflect that culture in what it does as a church. Stetzer notes that this is difficult in that churches do have an internal culture. This internal culture reflects the way the church has carried on its ministry through the years, and in truth, it becomes so ingrained that the church has a very difficult time adapting to new and different ways. Society changes all around them, but they cannot. Does this mean that the church has to buy in to all the culture is doing? No. But to simply discount these cultural shifts and dismiss them will lead a church to plateau and decline. When Jesus came to this earth did He come as a personage that 'floated' in the air and seemed mysterious or 'other worldly?' No, He came as fully man, yet fully God. He was tempted and tried in every way like we are. He walked among people, lived in their lives, made a difference in the lives of those around Him. He became indigenous.

Lastly, a characteristic that defines these churches is intentional. This simply means to be intentional about what and how we do things. It means to intentionally move past our preferences and to intentionally reach out to our communities. Loved ones, the day of simply expecting people to come to our church is over. That mindset was from another time and people in this day do not respond, in large part, to that. The 'build it and they will come' mentality may apply to a movie, but not the modern church.

Missionaries tend to be missional. When they go to a foreign field do they tell the surrounding culture to come, live, and breathe like Americans do? No. Rather they become a part of the culture in which God has placed them. They look like them, they eat like them. They talk, walk, and breathe like them. But with one fundamental difference: they ACT like Christ. Can we do less in our communities?

I'll ask the question one more time: "If your church was to close its doors, would anyone in our community even miss it?" So....would they? 

I love you all,

Terry
Literacy
  "A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

These familiar words are from Psalm 119:105.  Of course we are speaking about the Bible, God's word. What a privilege to be able to open it up at anytime  without fear of persecution and read God's truths.

Unfortunately there are those who cannot read so it does them little good to even open it up. It is not serving as a "lamp unto your feet" nor a "light unto your path" if  you cannot read it.

Teaching adults and children how to read is much more than academics. It can open up the spiritual realm as well.

Teaching adults and children how to read opens up countless possibilities.    This is  one of our outreach ministries at Mt. Zion.  

I would be happy to speak to you or your church about this ministry to give you more information.  

Call our office at 336.226.0249

Please see below for information regarding a valuable training opportunity through the literacy program, as well as a Bible study taking place at the associational offices.

Kathy Boyd
Literacy Director

 

Children
  "More Better"

If I ask you, "Are children important to your congregation?" Most assuredly you would respond with an enthusiastic "YES!" Let's go deeper than that. How about a game of "show and tell." What's your response if I ask you to show and tell me how your congregation demonstrates how important children are...? Each church is different, and the answers to the question will vary. To help us get to the reality, let's ask ourselves some questions:
  • Do you have a budget for your Children's Ministry?
  • How does it compare to other line items?
  • Does your church budget show that children are important to you?
We invest money into what we value. Evaluate the literature and materials used in your children's ministry. Supplies should be available to use in teaching activities so teachers have the tools needed to teach children the way they learn. The furniture should be the right size for the ages using it. Resources should be available for children, teachers and parents.
  • Who has the biggest Sunday school classroom?
Example: If a small adult class is held in a large room, while young children are crowded into a small space, that is backward.

Space should be appropriate for those in the class. Young children might be small, but they need plenty of space for active learning. School-age children need space for group and individual activities as well.
  • Are children of all ages regularly involved in corporate Worship?
Children need to see and experience inter-generational corporate Worship to learn of its importance and purpose. They need to feel welcome and a sense of belonging in church. They need to see adults living it. This is one important way for children to build their faith foundation.
  • Are the facilities and people safe for the children?
These are a few simple points to consider. There are many more. Each church also has to do the best with what they have.

Please let me know if I can help. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes and ears can be an asset to help spot the things we get used to that can be tweaked to help our children's ministry be "more better."

Blessings,

Kelly Stutts
Children's Ministry Consultant
mtzionkelly@gmail.com
WMU
  YOU'RE INVITED!!!

MT. ZION WMU ANNUAL MISSIONS CELEBRATION

    Tuesday, March 18, 2014

 Ministry Center, First Baptist Church
224 North Main Street, Graham, N. C.

Registration & Refreshments at 6:30 PM
 Program begins at 7:00 PM

  Stephen & Anita Collins, Special IMB Missionaries
Women's Conference
  2014 Women's Conference

Connected: Building Out of the Box Relationships

Sat., March 22  |  10 AM until 3 PM
Guest Speaker: Amy Carroll of Proverbs 31 Ministries

Edgewood Baptist Church
476 Edgewood Church Rd., Mebane, NC

Tickets (pre-sale only by March 16): $20
Purchase online at: www.edgewoodbaptist.com

Limited Seating, Childcare will not be provided. Lunch is included.
For additional information email ebcwomensministry@aol.com
or call: 919-599-2211
Food Roundup
 

Please be collecting food for the Annual Food Roundup to help support Baptist Children's Homes with supplies and resources. Nonperishable items and gift cards for places like Wal-Mart are great. April is the big collection month. The deadline to have your churches' collections to the Associational office is Wednesday, April 30.
Resurrection Dramatization
A Drive Through Resurrection Dramatization 
Presented by 
Fariview Baptist Church
600 Cornelius St. 
Hillsborough, NC 

April 18 & 19 
7:30-9:00 pm 
 

       6 Week Women's Bible Study

 

Topic: "Important Women of the Bible."

 

  Each week (Monday) we will study about a

         woman who obeyed God and made

         a impact in her own life and others

                  along the way.

 

Location: Mt. Zion Baptist Association  

Dates: Monday, April 7 - Monday, May 19th.  

Time:10:00 am - 11:30 am.

 

 BYOB - Bring Your Own Bible

 

Facilitators: Eva Nicks and Kathy Boyd

 

Space is Limited - Call Kathy Boyd: 226-0249 to register.

 

Registration Deadline: April 1

 

 ........................................

        

Back to Basics Workshop

Reading, Writing and (Ugh) Math

                 

Location: Mt. Zion Baptist Association

 

Date:Thursday, April 10, 2014

Time:10:00 - 12:00 noon

Facilitator: Kathy Boyd

 

This 2 hour workshop is a helpful "snapshot" covering the 3 R's.

 

Reading: Why is reading so hard for some children?

  

Writing: What is sentence/text structure in writing?

 

Math:     You've got to be kidding...we didn't learn math that way!
 

Call Kathy Boyd (226-0249) to register.

 

Registration is required. Deadline: April 3rd

As you can tell by activity, Spring has sprung...just not quite there on the calendar yet. Enjoy!
 
Blessings,
 

Terry, Kathy and Kelly
Mt. Zion Baptist Association