September - East Central Baptist Association

Volume 25, Issue 9
This month’s events:
September 1, 11:30 a.m.—Pastor & Staff Luncheon, North Delaware Baptist Church, Muncie

September 16, 6:00 pm—ECBA Ministry Team Meetings, Calvary BC, Alexandria

September 16, 6:30 pm—ECBA Executive Council Meeting, Calvary BC, Alexandria

September 16, 7:00 pm—ECBA Annual Meeting, Calvary BC, Alexandria

September 24. 11:00—4:00 pm — Association Day Picnic, Highland Lakes Baptist Camp
The Communicator

September 2011
Migrant Ministry Shares God’s Love and Sees Lives Changed
Contributed by DeAnna Downey
Again this year the ECBA Migrant Ministry
partnered with the Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida (New
Life Baptist Church) from Texas to minister at the
migrant camps in our area. The group was able to
serve at the Red Gold Plant in Orestes and the Harvest
Camp, just north of Orestes. Because of the weather
earlier in the season, Red Gold was late getting
started; in fact, it was the latest that they have started
in 25 years. They also had new personnel in charge of
the camp and it took a while to get things straightened
out. The Migrant Ministry
Team was able to be there on
Monday and Friday. On Friday,
they passed out backpacks for
secondary and primary school
levels children.
The group was at the Harvest
Camp every night and was
able to spend more quality
time with them this year. They
held Vacation Bible School
with classes for ladies and for
each age level, the young
people played soccer with the kids, and they saw
several salvations during the week. They were
especially blessed to have the manager’s wife, Silvia,
and her daughter, Jennifer, accept Christ as their Lord
and Savior. This had been a prayer request for many
years now. God certainly does hear and answer
prayers.
They passed out 120 backpacks in all. They also
were able to give the ladies of Harvest Camp a special
Bible with pictures so they could look at the pictures
and the children could read the English and translate
God's Word for them. They do not read English,
Spanish, or their own Indian dialect, so this has been a
challenge in sharing Christ with them over the years.
The team is looking forward to next year when
they, again, will be able to reach out to this special
people group who work in our state each year. Keep
this ministry in your prayers as we go and share God's
love with them. Also pray about volunteering to serve
in this vital ministry next year.
We want to express our appreciation to the
following people and groups:

Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida (New Life Baptist
Church) for sending their mission team to our
area again,

Kerry and Charlotte Jones for supplying the
backpacks this year,

Redeemer Baptist Church for providing a
place to stay for the mission team of 45
people from Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida (New
Life Baptist Church),

El Divino Redentor church for sharing their
worship services with us,

the BCM at Ball State for going weekly to
share with the Red Gold Camp while the
migrants are here in our area, and

Pastor Bob Allen of Montpelier for getting
involved in and supporting this ministry.
May God especially bless each of you for your
part in this ministry.
Inside This Issue
ClearN the Err
2
MTI
2
Birthdays and Anniversaries
2
BCM
2
Old Town Hill Youth Ministry
3
Montpelier Mission Trip
4
Evangelism
4
State Missions Offering
4
July Profit & Loss Statement
5
V O L U M E 2 5 , IS S U E 9
Page 2
"ClearN the Err"
Pastors & Staff
Luncheon
(A feature dealing with passages or teachings that have been greatly misunderstood)
By Dr. Ron Ross
Differences of opinion have been the hallmark of humanity, and the
church is no exception. Some Christians and some churches stand on the
truth of the Bible, while others complicate the Word of God with the inclusion
of other concepts. Such an experience was true in Ephesus, as gleaned from
Paul's remarks to Timothy - "They will turn away from hearing the truth and
will turn aside to myths" 1 Timothy 4.4, HCSB). The picture is clear - people
will not listen to the teaching of God's Word; instead, they will pursue false
doctrine...that was yesteryears and is certainly today.
The important truth contained in this verse is technical, but describes the
process involved in such a practice. The words "turn away" describe an action
of volition (active voice -one makes a conscious decision) to disregard the
teaching of Scripture, while the words "turn aside" describes the passive voice
whereby the individual falls into situations without the need for a conscious
decision to be made in the matter. Such a practice is dangerous, and such
practices are being made by church members, which may account for the
many problems in most Baptist churches.
It is time for pastors to be concerned for the well being of their flock
instead of the business affairs of a denomination. It is time for church
members to demand that their pastor spend time with the Lord in prayer and
study as well as time with them to grasp where they really are in the growth
process, so that his messages, studies, and counsel will enable them to grow
in a mature relationship with Jesus Christ.
Something to consider as we engage in ClearN the Err.
This article was written and submitted by Dr. Ron Ross
in hopes of generating critical thought and intelligent practice.
Please pray for our pastors and their wives on these
special occasions.
Birthdays
September 12 - Nancy Williams
September 16 - Joe Dodridge
September 21 - Melissa Reynolds
September 23 - Eric Reynolds
Anniversaries
September 30 - Chris & Paula
Kellermeyer
Pastor-Church Anniversary
September - Eric Lambert, Eastside
Baptist Church,
Muncie, 6 years
Dr. Ron Ross is available for pulpit
supply and special study emphasis such as
the Winter Bible Study, Baptist Doctrine
Study, and Christian Home Week Study. He
is also available to lead biblical studies on
spiritual giftedness, finances, as well as
studies on the Church. He encourages
those who know him to pray with him
regarding a return to the pastorate or an
associate pastorate and he expresses his
appreciation to those who join him in that
support. He can be reached at 286-8146 or
by email at [email protected].
Thursday, September 1
11:30 am
North Delaware Baptist Church
809 E Royerton Road #500 N,
Muncie IN 47303
(765) 289-4644
Sally Harker , Director of the Victim
Advocate Program in Muncie will be
sharing some information that pastors and
church leadership need to be familiar with
regarding the legality of certain matters
that they may experience in the future in
dealing with the general public .
M.T.I. Fall
Semester Begins
M.T.I.'s Fall semester began last
week in the facilities of the Old Town
Hill Baptist Church. Five students from
three ECBA churches are taking OLD
TESTAMENT
HISTORY
&
LITERATURE, and excitement has
mounted in the process. This class was
selected in order to adequately prepare
the student for the Spring semester
when NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY &
LITERATURE will be offered.
As a prayer request, we have been
notified that tuition costs will be
increasing in the future; such an
increase could greatly affect MTI here in
our association. Your prayer support is
greatly appreciated as we endeavor to
increase M.T.I.'s student body.
Great Start to a New School Year
By Joe Dodridge, BCE
Students are back to Ball State for the fall and BCM is off to an awesome
start.
We had our first weekly worship meeting on Tuesday, August 23 and saw
49 students attend! We were excited that had 32 returning students and 17
new students. Now the task we have is to connect with those new students
and get them involved so that they will keep coming back.
We also sent out our first team to work at the migrant camps at Red Gold
and had 11 students participate in that!
You can pray for us as we build relationships with new students and look
for opportunities to share the Gospel with them. We are also kicking off five
Bible studies the second week of classes, so please pray that those will go well.
V O L U M E 2 5 , IS S U E 9
Page 3
Old Town Hill Youth Become J-Walkers
By Jason Adams
In continuing to build the youth
ministry at Old Town Hill Southern Baptist
Church, we decided up front that our
focus would be two-fold. First, we’re going
to focus on Jesus – knowing Him, loving
Him,
and
serving
Him.
The
second
focus is on the
students.
The
students’ input
is valued, and
even required.
In
that
mindset,
the
―board‖
was
opened for 3 weeks for students to write
down names and associated Scripture
references for a name for the ministry (the
one guideline was that the ministry name
MUST be Scriptural in some way), and
the final vote was taken after the OTH Ice
Cream Social. The winning name was ―JWalker Student Ministries.‖ It is based
on John 8:12 (“Then Jesus spoke to them
again: ‘I am the light of the world. Anyone
who follows Me will never walk in the
darkness but will have the light of life.’"
HCS) – it’s about us no longer walking in
darkness, but walking with Jesus as the
light of our lives. Congrats to Mr. Dustin
Reynolds for the submission!! Once the
name was selected, it was then charged
to a few of our artists in the ministry to
come up with some designs that could be
submitted and ―tweaked‖ by a graphic
designer (www.uthstuph.com) before
being printed on t-shirts, hoodies, and
bandanas – I must say the design is
VERY cool – and I believe the students
are really liking it. A BIG ―THANK YOU‖ to
Kelsey Mahoney, Tabs Conner, and Nici
Adams for their help in designing the
logo!!!
We just completed our
big ―kick-off‖ event, in
which we had jousting and
bungee-run
inflatables,
ultimate games, car races,
pizza, live music, door
prizes (including iTunes
gift cards and the big prize
being two 4th-row seats to
the Skillet concert in
October). But most of all,
we had a time to talk about
what being a ―J-Walker‖
was really all about – it
was a challenge from John
8:12 that finally asked the
students if they were ―ALL
IN.‖ There was a great
time of fun, fellowship, and communitybuilding that the Lord blessed.
The structure of the student ministry
will be like this – Sunday mornings will be
focused on education (thus, the term
―Sunday SCHOOL‖). We’re currently
working through a series on the BIBLICAL
account of Creation and the Flood. We
need to base our knowledge and worldviews on the WORD OF GOD, and
education is one way to have a sound
doctrine when faced with all the ―other
views‖ the world will throw at us. Sunday
evenings will be centered around the
Gospel – the main question we will most
always get back to is ―what are you doing
with Jesus?‖ We are currently preaching
through the Gospel of John so we can see
time after time who Jesus is and what He
did, and IS DOING, for us. Wednesday
nights are a time of ―deep dives.‖ We’re
exploring how to make this faith our own,
and how to apply it directly to our own
lives from our thoughts, to our emotions,
and to our actions. Right now, we just
began a study of the book ―Forgotten
God: Reversing the Tragic Neglect of the
Holy Spirit‖ by Francis Chan. It’s an
amazing read, and I highly recommend it
to one and ALL.
As we move forward in the work God
has called us all to do, I ask that you keep
these students in your prayers – include
their families and friends as well. You
have NO IDEA of the situations they’re
faced with on a daily basis that provides
every opportunity for them to turn aside
from the faith. Pray that they STAND
STRONG in the face of adversity – as
they continue to be a ―J-Walker‖ in their
communities. Pray also for staff and
families that our own walks stay close to
Jesus – for, we can’t lead students to
what we’re not doing ourselves. Pray that
our marriages stay strong and get even
stronger to provide examples of a solid
Christian man and woman to our own
children and also to the students in the
ministry… and pray for our community –
pray that God will work on and soften the
hearts of those in our community so that
they are primed and ready to hear the
Gospel when we deliver the Good News
of Jesus to them!!!!
P AG E 4
V O L U M E 2 5 , IS S U E 9
Montpelier Baptist Church Take Mission Trip to Appalachia
Contributed by Pastor Bob Allen
Pastor Bob Allen, along with 12 youth
and leaders from First Baptist Church
Montpelier, traveled to a small community
in the foothills of the Appalachians in
northwestern West Virginia. This is a
mission trip that the church youth have
gone on for several years in a row. From
June 12-18, they ministered to the people
in this area. They cut 45 pickup loads of
firewood, split it, and hauled it to the
homes, as many in this poverty-stricken
area rely on the firewood to heat their
homes during the winter. They also worked
with local missionary, Clark Ramsey, to
build bridges with the community so he can
share the gospel.
Clark Ramsey (right), missionary from West Virginia, operating hydraulic splitter with
Alisha Sills, youth chaperone from Montpelier (left).
Youth group member from Montpelier, Andrew
Mc Namara, cutting firewood.
Youth leaders, Jerry Ickes (left) and Les Vance (right), working on chain saw.
September is State Missions Offering Month
Associational Goal
$3,088
Downloadable resources are available at:
http://www.scbi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=103
Evangelism Training Begins September 14
at Old Town Hill Southern Baptist Church
East Central Baptist Association Evangelism
Coordinator, Sharon Marshall, will be teaching
―Share Jesus Without Fear‖ at Old Town Hill
Southern Baptist Church beginning September
14. The class will begin at 6:00 p.m. each
Wednesday and is expected to run for five
weeks. The training does exactly as the title
states and will help participants learn how to
evangelistically share the plan of salvation
without fear. This class is open to all who would
like to attend.
163.55
$
Funds Temporarily Restricted
$ 10,913.31
101.68
$
Funds Temporarily Restricted
$ 15,371.38
Church Planting and Health Fund
Total
$ 20,371.38
$ 30,748.59
$ (536.10)
Net Income
$ 489.60
$ 140.80
$ 348.80
$ 850.00
$ 200.00
$ 2,077.44
$ 2,613.54
$ 140.80
$ 348.80
-
$ 1,073.94
$
$ 2,077.44
Total Expense
Total 75000 · Trustee
Total 75200 · Mission Building
75210 · Utilities
Total 75100 · BCM House
$ 550.00
$ 300.00
$ 200.00
$ 105.00
$ 561.43
$ 77.86
$ 23.44
July 2011 Profit & Loss Statement
IBF Total
$ 5,000.00
Church Planting and Health Principal
Old National Checking Total
-
$
$ 1,307.84
On Mission Celebration
Funds Permanently Restricted
$ 7,522.89
Church Planting and Health Fund
75130 · Utilities
500.00
$
Mission Building Capital Fund
230.16
Total 74000 · Baptist Collegiate Ministry
103.71
$
Disaster Relief
$
74200 · Program
441.55
$
Deacon Retreat
74100 · Personnel
576.25
$
BCM Capital Fund
Total 72000 · Church Planting
72100 · New Work
Total 70000 · Administrative Ministry
Expense
Total Income
Total 5000 · BCM Rental Income
Total 4000 · Church Receipts
4190 · First - Montpelier
BCM Rent Deposit
General Fund
$ 10,377.21
$ (536.10)
Net Income
Ending Balance
$ 31,284.69
$ 20,371.38
Total
$ (406.87)
$ 15,371.38
Church Planting and Health Fund
IBF Total
$ 5,000.00
Church Planting and Health Principal
Old National Checking Total
-
4180 · Redeemer - Anderson
$ 1,307.84
$
4170 · Old Town Hill - Muncie
On Mission Celebration
Funds Permanently Restricted
4120 · Halteman - Muncie
$ 7,522.89
Church Planting and Health Fund
230.16
4090 · First - Portland
500.00
$
Mission Building Capital Fund
$
$ 646.39
4070 · First - Eaton
103.71
$
Disaster Relief
Deacon Retreat
$ 264.15
4060 · Family Life - Pendleton
441.55
$
BCM Capital Fund
$ 268.41
$ 75.76
576.25
$
BCM Rent Deposit
$ 55.00
4025 · The Compass
67.36
Income
4010 · Calvary - Alexandria
$
General Fund
Beginning Balance
V O L U M E 2 5 , IS S U E 9
Page 5
E a s t C e n t r a l B a p t i s t As s o c i a t i o n
2004 W Euclid
Muncie, IN 47304
Phone: 765-289-6592
Email: [email protected]
www.theecba.org
Follow us
Don’t Miss It!!!
ECBA
Association Day
Saturday,
September 24, 2011
Schedule
11:00 AM
Registration
12:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM
Fellowship, Games, and Recreation
3:00 PM
Worship
4:00 PM
Families welcome to stay as long as
they wish
Pastors!
Don’t forget to register for the Indiana Shepherds’
Conference at Highland Lakes Baptist Camp on
October 21-22. Direct link to register online is:
http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1025185-TuGV2OCSy9
For more information visit www.scbi.org.
Learn more at
www.SCBI.org