Eastern Regional Association

October 2026 Newsletter

Eastern Regional Association

PO Box 411

Rollinsford, NH 03869

ERA Office Cell Phone: 603-441-8191

Don't forget October is Pastor Appreciation Month

Pastor Spotlight and Devotional

Rev. Joshua Brown

Rev. Joshua Brown has served at Calvary Bible Church in Meredith, NH for 22 years as a youth leader, worship leader, associate pastor, and teaching and preaching pastor. He brings training from the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, Lancaster Bible College, and the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Development. Josh has been married to his wife, Kristin, for 28 years. They have 5 children (Jessalyn, Ethan, Lucas, Owen, Truett), 1 son-in-law (David), and 3 grandchildren (Canaan, Quincy, Valerie). 

 There is a Christian musician that has burst onto the scene over the last few years named Josiah Queen. On his recent album, he wrote a song called “Dusty Bibles.” The chorus goes like this…

“We got dust on our Bibles, brand-new iPhones

No wonder why we feel this way

We walk with our eyes closed, blind leading blind folks

And I'm done with those idols and dusty Bibles.”

Here in the United States, we have unlimited access to God’s Word. Many of us have multiple Bibles in our homes. Different translations, different sizes, different shapes, different covers. Study Bibles, commentary Bibles, children’s Bibles. Many of you have all the versions of the Bible on an app in your phone. I share this to remind all of us of the wealth of access that we have to God's Word. But our access to God's Word is only as good as our response to God's Word; that these words don't just stay sitting on a shelf collecting dust, but they are opened. They are read. They are understood. They are believed. The question is, “How do you respond to God's Word?” Are you walking with your eyes closed, blind leading blind folks? Is the Bible to you like a museum artifact that's an interesting, strange collection of stories about people in the ancient Near East that doesn't really matter for us today. Has the Bible become more about the information that you get from it and less about the God that you get to know through it?

In the Book of Nehemiah, we read about a group of people that didn’t have Bibles to dust off. They didn’t have access to God's Word for many years due to their exile. But as they were rebuilding their city and their temple, they said to Ezra, “bring us the Book of the Law of Moses.” The story that centers on God rescuing His people out of slavery in Egypt, sustaining them throughout their time in the Sinai wilderness, and eventually leading them into the promised land. Nehemiah 8:3 says that as Ezra was reading, “the ears of all the people were attentive.” Then, they stood and they lifted up their hands and bowed their heads in worship and said, “Amen!”. They heard God’s Word and they responded to God's Word. Now, you may think this is a strange way to respond to hearing a book being read. To stand when it's opened, to say amen after some things are said, to bow down and to worship. But we as God's people know that His Word is living and it is active, as Hebrews tells us. God's people do not worship a book. We worship the God of the book. And the God of the book, the God of the Bible, is a God who speaks to His people through His Word to give us clarity about His nature, character, and promises. And, in Nehemiah, we read that the people started to weep in response to God's Word. They were cut to the heart because they knew they had strayed from God and His commandments. But then, Nehemiah and Ezra said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”

This was not the time to grieve. It was time for them to celebrate and to rejoice because they had rediscovered God through His Word. If you're reminded today of your own “dusty Bible,” I would encourage you to dust it off, open it up, and rediscover the great God to which it points.

2026 Eastern Regional Convention

Walk In A Manner Worthy Of Your Calling

October 30 & 31

at

The Emmanuel Advent Christian Church

Rochester, NH 03869

Where in the World is

Superintendent Tim Soucy...

Please click below to complete the Ministerial Report for Pastors and also the Annual Church Report. Conferences also need to submit a yearly report as well.

The Sunshine Advent Christian Church surpasses their Penny Crusade Goal !!!!

Great JOB Everyone!!!

United Ministries Totals for September

Penny Crusade 2026

Agape House Ministries

Penny Crusade is the largest fundraising mechanism for Advent Christian missions. Last year, North American Advent Christians raised more than $540,000 to sustain ministry works in more than 20 countries.

We invite you to use these promotional materials not only to fundraise, but to help cultivate a mission-minded culture within your church. 

2026

Penny Crusade Totals

Annual giving as of

October 13:

$394,190.11

$401,988.32- 2025

$432,802.79 - 2024

Goal is $570,000.00

Up Coming...

Concerts in New England

Please send us pictures if you attend one of these concerts

Educational Opportunities

Ministry Training Institute

For those who feel called to church leadership but find the traditional seminary path challenging, MTI offers a compelling alternative. Our 2-3 year online training program provides college-level education with a flexible schedule and affordable tuition. Participants develop essential skills for church leadership and receive comprehensive training in all aspects of Christian growth and development.

ANTIOCH BASED LEADERSHIP TRAINING FUNDS AVAILABLE

The ERA has available funds to aid our churches in their Antioch Based Leadership Training. These funds are available for attending the BILD International in Ames, Iowa, purchase BILD curriculum, and First Principles. If these funds can be of help to your church please send a request for funds to the ERA Treasurer, John Jones. His email address is: pastorjoj@gmail.com.

Eastern Regional Association

P.O. Box 411 Rollinsford, NH 03869

Office Cell Phone: 603-441-8191