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Weekly E-News
April 26, 2017
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| The ACGC website has been experiencing some issues over the last few days due to a problem with our service provider. We hope to have these issues resolved soon. In the meantime, if you need any assistance, please contact us at (800) 676-0694 or acpub@acgc.us. If you are interested in registering for the Triennial Convention, please click HERE. Thanks for your patience in this matter and let us know if there is any way we can be of help. |
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Steve Lawson |
This past week I visited the wonderful state of Maine and experienced all four seasons in four days. As I traveled up to Dunntown AC Church in Washburn, Maine on Saturday, my wife shared that it was going to hit 90 in Charlotte and I was driving in snow on I-95 (got to love New England weather). All through my college experience I had heard about "the county" from fellow classmates and how the churches were close geographically, socially and spiritually; I found this to be very true. I hated I missed the opportunity to see the Northern Lights Youth Choir perform Sunday evening on their last concert but I had already made plans to meet with a few pastors back in Bangor and Portland. It was a great trip to connect with leadership and pastors at the Maine State Conference.
Greg Twitchell and I met with the Conference Board on Thursday and discussed our working together and how we can support one another to assist local churches and pastors. Rev. Clayton Blackstone led a discussion about his role as the Conference pastor to the pastors and how ACGC and Eastern Region work on pastoral health on a state and local level. I was excited to share with the board and the conference about ACGC's and the Region's work with Natural Church Development (NCD) and how this works to help both our pastors and churches to become healthier as they strive to minister for the kingdom. Both Greg and I shared during the conference session on Saturday morning, reporting on the ministry of ACGC and the region. During this time we talked about the upcoming Triennial Conference and the need for a strong representation from all our churches and conferences to be present to engage in the discussion and share in the business sessions.
Another great highlight of the conference was to hear from Dr. Glenn Rice, new president of Berkshire Christian. President Rice shared about the many opportunities for current pastors and rising leaders to participate in course and training through Berkshire and the connection with Gordon-Conwell Seminary. He also shared the need for Advent Christians and alumni to support the work of the college. I will be joining the Berkshire Board of Trustees this week in Charlotte, N.C. in our first meeting since President Rice has taken this position. Please be in prayer as we share together and work on the future plans of Berkshire ministry in training and supporting our leadership.
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Clockwise from top left: David Davis, Joshua Blackstone, Mike Alix, Clayton Blackstone, Russell Giasson, Kent Davis |
BANGOR, MAINE
The 168th Annual Maine State Advent Christian Conference began at the Bangor Advent Christian Church on Friday, April 21, 2017, at 3 p.m. with a roundtable discussion on the top three issues facing the denomination. The questions they addressed were:
- How do you perceive the conference supports the local church?
- How would you like the conference to support the local church?
- How has the electronic explosion impacted relationships in your church?
- If there is desire for relationship with other Advent Christian churches or agencies, what would that look like, ideally?
- Is there one fundamental theological belief, philosophy of ministry, mission or person that unites us as Advent Christians?
- If you were in a position of responsibility in our denomination and could address the most important issue facing us, what would that issue be?
Executive Director Steve Lawson joined in that discussion. As the people gathered for worship after Friday night's banquet, Maine State Conference Pres. Rev. David Davis began with a call to worship from John 17:20-23 that the attendees read in unison. Rev. Joshua Blackstone led us to the throne in worship. Rev. Mike Alix challenged us to remain in Christ to seek unity, the theme for this year's conference. On Saturday, April 22, the business sessions occupied the morning after Rev. Joshua Blackstone led in morning worship and Maine State Conference Vice President Rev. Kent Davis shared devotions. Photos included show Maine State Conference Treasurer Rev. Russell Giasson and Rev. Clayton Blackstone. The members present at this meeting voted to adopt the current National Association of Evangelical's Statement of Faith as recommended by the Advent Christian General Conference Executive Council.
MALAWI
Easter Service
Conference President Samuel Sosono shares:
"We are here to give thanks to our dear Lord God for allowing us to hold wonderful Easter prayers from April 14 to 16, 2017. This year's Easter prayers were held at Chipakuza Church in Nsanje District. Hundreds of people from Chikwawa and Nsanje District came to attend this special annual event.
On Saturday night, April 15, we showed the Jesus film which also attracted so many people including the village chiefs. It's unusual for the village chiefs to come and attend prayers. Praise God! We were so blessed to see two village chiefs attending our 2017 Easter festivals!
We also had baptism on Sunday morning where 59 people wer
e baptized. These people are our new converts from some of our churches."
MOZAMBIQUE
Mission Trip
Conference President Augusto Oche Simbe reports about his recent trip to Beira:
"I am happy to share with you some pictures which I took during my visit to Beira. I had a successful mission trip. I visited three branches: Nhamatanda, Thika and Manyava.
Photo 1: Manyava Branch.
Photo 2: Drought in some gardens of our members in Nhamatanda.
This year we, too, face hunger in our areas. Rain started well, but later on it stopped. Wishing you all the best, Servant of God"
CLIFTON FORGE, VIRGINIA
Easter at Central ACC, The Big Rock Church
Rev. Gene Ayers Reports:
We hosted the sunrise service in Central Cemetery with a large crowd comprised of four churches. I preached the sunrise service. The churches represented were Central ACC, Lone Star ACC, Oak Grove ACC, and Victory Chapel ACC. Central ACC hosted Easter breakfast following the sunrise service which was served by the men of the church. We were so blessed to have a large crowd for morning worship and Jr. Kidz Church. The Jr. Kidz Church held a scavenger hunt for the children and they had a blast. Ms. Julie Layton is the Jr. Kidz Church leader.
Virginia Conference WHFMS Spring Rally
Susie Ayers Reports:
The Ida Morgan Circle of Central ACC in Clifton Forge, Va., hosted the Virginia Conference WHFMS Spring Rally on Saturday, April 22. Mrs. Bonnie Nicely, Lone Star ACC president, presided over the rally. Mrs. Ruth Nicely, Oak Grove ACC, did the devotional. Rev. Gene Ayers, Central ACC, provided special music. Mrs. Josie Denius, Lone Star ACC, gave an update on Camp ACCOVAC and was guest pianist. Mrs. Shelia Berry, Community ACC, was guest speaker for the Rally. A continental breakfast and a luncheon were provided by the women of Central ACC. Women from Central ACC, Lone Star ACC, Oak Grove ACC, Waynesboro ACC and Community ACC attended the rally.
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Announcements & Upcoming Events
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Berkshire Christian College Sunday
May 7, 2017
When it comes to education, you have many choices. We hope you will consider what Berkshire Christian has to offer!
- Undergraduate study at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA. Eastern has been ranked in the Top Tier of North Regional Universities in U.S. News & World Report magazine. Advent Christian students are eligible for between $8,000-$12,000 in scholarship aid over four years.
- Graduate study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, one of the top ten evangelical seminaries in the U.S. Advent Christian students can benefit from up to 50% scholarship assistance and can study at one of four campuses: Boston and South Hamilton, MA; Charlotte, NC; and Jacksonville, FL.
- eBerkshire enables students to take courses via the internet from wherever they live in the United States and overseas. Courses can be taken for personal enrichment or Certificates in Leadership or Pastoral Studies can be earned. Scholarship assistance is available for interested students.
- Churches can become Local Learning Centers providing in-person discussion and interaction for groups of ten or more students from one or from several local churches. Berkshire provides a qualified instructor to guide the learning sessions, resulting in spiritual growth for individuals and churches alike.
Founded in 1897, the mission of Berkshire Christian College is unchanged over twelve decades of ministry! We are committed to "preparing people for gospel work" in the twenty-first century.
For a PDF of the Berkshire Christian College Sunday bulletin to use at your church, CLICK HERE.
2017 WHFMS Celebration & Triennial Business Meeting
Dressing Up & Stepping Out - That The World May Know
Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel, Charlotte, North Carolina
Guest Speaker: Rev. Robin Copeland
Cost: $35, which includes the reception time and programming
We hope you are planning to join us or send delegates from your group to be in attendance. You can find the registration form & delegate credential form at:
www.acgctriennial.com.
Please note that there is no WHFMS banquet this year. But, there is a Welcome Banquet on Saturday evening that is the kick-off event for the ACGC Triennial Convention. We are opening that up to the ladies attending the WHFMS meetings, but are not attending the ACGC Triennial Convention. If you would like to attend this banquet, please contact Beth Larkin at
blarkin@acgc.us or 1-800-676-0694 x222 for information on the cost and to RSVP. The deadline to RSVP for this banquet is May 22, 2017.
THE EVANGELICAL COUNCIL FOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is making a couple of free tax resources available to Advent Christian pastors and churches. These booklets are based on the two full-size books published by Zondervan which have just been released: The 2017 Zondervan Minister's Tax & Financial Guide and the 2017 Zondervan Church and Nonprofit Tax & Financial Guide. You may click the links below to download a free copy of the eBooks.
eBook: Ministers' Taxes Made Easy-2017 Edition
Includes two completed minister's federal income tax returns-over 70 pages.
Click Here to Download
eBook: Church Reporting Made Easy-2017 Edition
Complete with forms which must be filed by congregations in the coming weeks - nearly 60 pages.
Click Here to Download
GO RADIO CRISTO SALVA
The Ministry of Cristo Salva in Honduras has recently entered into a great new mission venture - Internet radio. The new radio station is named Go Radio Cristo Salva and features music and teaching 24 hours a day and is available anywhere in the world! You can listen to it on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Go to
http://tunein.com/radio/GoRadioCristoSalva-s267954/ to learn more and to enjoy this great ministry.
"LIVING WISDOM" by Rev. Chad C. Fernald
Pastor Chad recently completed his first full length book, "Living Wisdom" (Richter Publishing 2016), a study on developing patterns for living well based on the principles found in the biblical books of Wisdom. "Living Wisdom" is available in paperback for $19.99 and in e-reader forms for $9.99 through major book distributors.
Chad has also authored a devotional e-book, "Reflections on the Cross" (Kindle Direct 2013).
Both of these resources can be obtained by following the links on Chad's blogsite:
comfaithnet.blogspot.com. For a signed copy of "Living Wisdom" send $23.00* directly to Pastor Chad at 1427 Kinsmere Dr. Trinity, FL 34655.
Chad currently serves as the founding minister/lead elder of Community Faith Network - a house-church ministry.
*Price reflects discounted book price and covers the return shipping cost.
DAVID ALVES COLLECTION (3 vols.) for Logos Bible Software
Advent Christian Pastor Dr. David Alves has published a bundled collection of his books now gathering interest at Logos Bible Software. All three books are included in the collection for the pre-publication price of $19.99. Regular price will be $24.00 once published (you are not charged until the collection is published).
Titles Included in the collection are:
* "A Sabbatical Primer for Pastors: How to Initiate and Navigate a Spiritual Renewal Leave"
* "A Sabbatical Primer for Churches: How to Love and Honor the Pastor God Has Given You"
* "We're the 'sons of God' . . . So What?: Believe God About Who You Really Are!"
To learn more, please visit the product page:
To learn more about Dr. Alves and his books, you can visit:
BEACH HOUSE
Just three blocks from the Gulf, a two bedroom, two-bath house is available to our full-time pastors, Christian workers and missionaries. There is no cost involved other than your transportation and what you choose to do here in Panama City Beach. The house is fully furnished and ready for you to use. Come for a weekend, a week or more. Call David Van Huisen at 616.318.2307 or email him at
dvanhuisen@gmail.com. Looking forward to your visit.
CAMP CARETAKER NEEDED
Camp ACCOVAC (AC Camp of Virginia Conference) is looking for a full-time caretaker couple to work and live on the grounds. For further information, please call Program Coordinator Josie Denius at 540-862-4904.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTER/DIRECTOR NEEDED
The Boone Advent Christian Church in Boone, N.C., is currently seeking candidates for a Christian Education Minister/ Director. The Boone Advent Christian Church is located in the heart of downtown Boone, basically across the street from Appalachian State University. We are the small, gray rock church on highway 421 North toward Tennessee. The church was built in 1926 and has a membership of approximately 110 active members. Our church is a Bible-based group of believers and is locally known as a very loving and welcoming congregation. To view the job description, click
here.
CONNECTION WEBSITE
Our veterans and their families have sacrificed much for their country, and many continue to pay a great price even when they return from deployment. Many veteran families go through a number of difficulties when they return home. It takes a special church and family to minister to these brave warriors and to walk with them as they seek to heal and readjust to life at home.
We have recently become aware of a website that can help address some these needs. This website shows many of the issues that veterans have. This website is for the veterans, but it could be used by pastors to see what veterans are going through. Pastors can learn so much of life within the military through these videos.
It can also be helpful for pastors to steer veterans to such a website because it shows that they are not alone in their struggle. To find more, please visit
http://maketheconnection.net/
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SAVING WHILE SURFING
Back in September of 2007, we introduced GoodSearch.com as a proven search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. ACGC has benefited from this service with an average of about $25 being generated per month. When using the Goodsearch tool, be sure to log in before searching or ACGC will not earning anything.
We want to encourage more to use this search engine, as the benefits could only increase for our denomination. It costs you nothing and it costs us nothing. But it pays all of us to use this service. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. Just go to
www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Advent Christian General Conference as the charity you want to support; then login. You can add GoodSearch.com as a toolbar on your computer or you can attach it as a foot note on your e-mails. Please help us share with others the benefits of this resource.
PASTOR NEEDED
The Advent Christian Church in DeKalb Illinois (Home Campus of Northern Illinois University) is seeking a part-time, devoted and enthusiastic pastor. We are a small congregation looking for a compassionate leader who is excited to work with the members of our church, and our community to help grow our historic place of worship that is more than 150 years old.
DeKalb County offers all the convenient amenities of a city, but is surrounded by beautiful scenic countryside. Our warmhearted and dedicated congregation is extremely excited to work with a pastor to reestablish our church in our community, and to reach out to spread the word of God! We have faith that the pastor we seek is ready for us. Please contact us as soon as possible. George Griswold
George.S.Griswold@monsato.com - The Advent Christian Church, 803 State Street, DeKalb, Illinois 60115
ACGC MAILING ADDRESS
Please note the mailing address for ACGC is: PO Box 690848, Charlotte, NC 28227. We are still receiving mail at the old PO Box and zip code. At some point the Postal Service will stop passing on mail to us without the correct address. Thank you.
KARMON NORRIS PRAYER CHAIN
If anyone receiving the Karmon Norris prayer requests by email has changed his email address in the last few months, please notify Nancy Brooks at
nancybrooks@acgc.us with your new address. Thank you.
ASLEEP IN CHRIST
Now located on our website is an "Asleep in Christ" page. As we are made aware of your Advent Christian loved ones who have fallen asleep in the Lord, they will be added to this list. Click HERE to go to this web page. If you wish to have details of your loved one on the website, please send the information via email to
cbrock@acgc.us.
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 News from Hope Community AC Church Chicago, Ill.
Laughing Our Way to Christ
Inita Barnard, Communication Director, writes:
Taking a very worldly idea and using it to draw people to Christ is an example of one of the ways Christ wants us to fish for men. You have to think of innovative ideas to reach people. Reaching people where they are shows them that you actually care, versus trying to push your beliefs on them. Jesus went amongst the sinners and shared the kingdom.
Each year, Hope Community Church has a mission drive to raise the necessary funds to do all of our outreach. Our mission drive theme this year is: "More Than A Member - Reaching the World." What better way to draw more people then to make them laugh and lift their spirits through comedy. Laughter is universal. Laughter is medicine. Laughter puts you in a great mood and releases endorphins. Laughter even burns a few calories. Laughter brings people together that may have otherwise not been together. There are some outstanding benefits to giggling. With these logical explanations, we thought that bringing it to church would be worth the effort.
Last year, Hope hosted a comedy & concert night that featured three comedians and our very own Voices of Hope Choir. The turnout was remarkable and the church was filled to capacity. Three people rededicated their lives to Christ at the show and some were amazed at how you could have this much fun and incorporate God.
This year on April 30th at 6 p.m., the church will be filled with an atmosphere of giggling, chuckling, and laughter. Hope's very own comedian, Keith "BIG KEEF" Jackson, will host a jaw jacking, knee-slapping, shoulder grabbing show. There are three hilarious comedians on the lineup for this special night, a gospel singer and Hope's choir. We will laugh hysterically, praise God fervently and fellowship genuinely.
All the proceeds from this event will go toward our continued outreach within the
Austin
community in Chicago, the 2017 Penny Crusade (funds for AC outreach ministries) and our Africa clean water efforts. This year's vision is to be able to extend ourselves even more for missions.
This type of event is the perfect opportunity to share the gospel with people who may never have stepped foot in a church, if it were not for this type of opportunity. It is important that people feel loved when they walk in our doors, so they WANT to come back.
The secular idea of having a comedic show and ministry does not go over well with some people. Those things are taboo in the church. The people who we want to reach are not in church and hosting a show that could interest them would draw them to the church. If we are "Reaching the World," we need to extend ourselves to the unchurched to show them that God is real and he loves them. This year's show will be BIGGER, and our prayer is that more people will give their lives to God!
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Student & Family Ministries
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Matt Larkin |
Triennial Convention: Department Discussion
There are certainly a lot of exciting things coming in June as we meet together for our 2017 Triennial Convention. There are important items of business as well as some great opportunities for learning and discussion. Among those things is a new approach to discussing the activities and direction of the various departments represented here at the office.
In previous years, discussion about the activities of the various ACGC departments has been limited to reporting time during business sessions. While it is nice to hear about the various things that have gone on in each department during the prior three-year cycle, reporting done in this format limits the ability for real discussion to take place. So, this year, we are changing things up a bit. Each department will have an abbreviated report during the business sessions and some departments will have additional time for what we're calling "department discussions."
These discussions will take place during some of our workshops blocks, and will afford those in attendance with the opportunity to participate in focused discussions that could have a very direct effect on the various departments that make up the ACGC offices.
One of the departments that will be hosting a department discussion is the Department of Student and Family Ministries. In our department's discussion,
participants will hear about ACGC's services in camp ministry, college ministry, educational ministries, kids' ministry, youth ministry and, more broadly, services related to family discipleship. Additionally, we will be discussing ideas for the future and will provide participants the opportunity to give feedback regarding their ministry needs. We will also be soliciting feedback on commonly used Christian education material, and will be discussing how ACGC is working to assist churches in selecting the right material for their settings. Overall, participants in this session will gain a strong overview of the department and will have the opportunity to have an impact on its future direction.
Led by Meredith Broadway (our Coordinator of Educational Ministries) and me, this discussion will have a very real impact on our department's direction over the next few years, and will, hopefully, give those who attend an opportunity to gain real clarity on services that will have an impact on their ministries in positive ways.
I invite you to join us for this time of discussion in June, and invite you to consider joining us for the entirety of our convention, which will take place on June 24-28 here in Charlotte, North Carolina. If you want more information about the convention, you can call us here at ACGC at 1-800-676-0694, or check out our convention website:
www.acgctriennial.com
. As always, if you have any questions about services provided by the Department of Student and Family Ministries, feel free to contact us anytime. I can be reached at ext. 240 or at
mlarkin@acgc.us
. Meredith Broadway, our Coordinator of Educational Ministries, can be reached at ext. 242 or at
mbroadway@acgc.us
. Thank you for your interest. We hope to see you in June for our 2017 Triennial Convention.
In Christ,
Matt Larkin
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Prayer Scripture:
"giving thank to the Father, who has qualified you
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:12-14)
Prayer Focus:
This month we are going to focus on praying for our church families. As we do so, we will consider some of the great prayers we find in scripture. Specifically, this month, we will look at a prayer the apostle Paul prayed for the church in Colossae.
This week, let's thank God for the salvation and hope we have in Christ. Thank him for our fellow believers whom he has delivered from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his son. Let us also pray that he will use our church to help more people find redemption and forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.
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Now located on our website is an "Asleep in Christ" page. As we are made aware of your Advent Christian loved ones who have fallen asleep in the Lord, they will be added to this list. Click
HERE
to go to this web page. If you wish to have details of your loved one on the website, please send the information via email to
cbrock@acgc.us.
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