ABC USA

C NNECTIONS
ABC
USA
“
ABCUSA CONNECTIONS is a ministry of ABCUSA. Email the editor at: [email protected]
Fall 2015
Listen Well,
Pray Hard,
Trust in God
The Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley will
retire as ABC general secretary this
December after 14 years of service.
In the United States and in numerous
countries across six continents he
has worshipped, fellowshipped and
connected with countless believers
committed to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and the fulfillment of His Great
Commission. As he leaves this role of
leadership—and after more than 40
years of involvement in local, regional
and national ministry—he reflects on
the denomination he loves and the
opportunities that await it.
”
You will be retiring at a time when the Transformed by the Spirit denominational
emphasis increasingly moves into the ministry and mission of our local churches. As a
process to identify and respond to “adaptive challenges” that will enable churches to
listen to, assess and respond to changing societal dynamics, what do you expect the
impact will be when churches
incorporate the learnings gained
from it into their outreach?
Q
The most surprising response
has been the emergence of the
importance of the conversation
tables about adaptive challenges
we face. We initiated these
table conversations at the 2013
Biennial Mission Summit and
they have taken off, sprouting
up in many areas and online. The exciting thing is that these conversations are
linking congregations into becoming learning and experimental communities. We
have added to that resources to help churches move back into their neighborhoods
as servant communities of the gospel of Jesus and to stretch beyond their own racial/
ethnic makeup.
The other learning has been around the importance of strengthening the spiritual
lives of Christians. To that end we have introduced spiritual life retreats under the
rubric, “Rhythms of the Spirit.” As congregations engage in these processes, the
goal is to see them become faith communities that are fully engaged with their
communities as a people of prayer, purpose and passion so that witness to Christ
is organic, intrinsic to the life of the congregation in the world.
continued on page 2
A
Q A recent Pew Research Center survey documents a significant
rise among Americans who don’t believe in God or who said
religion isn’t important to them. This includes “nones,” those who
have had no experience in religious communities, and “dones,”
those who have left them. The rise is especially strong among
“millennials” and other younger persons. Transformed by the
Spirit seeks to listen to, and then respond to, those apart from
church life. How difficult will it be to establish that connection?
A Reaching the “nones” and “dones” is clearly one of the adaptive
challenges the church faces in North America and Western Europe.
Our basic message needs to be that which it has always been:
“God loves you.” But we need to add to that “and God loves all of
creation and is passionate about bringing about peace and justice
to the world through Christ’s love at work through you and others.
We invite you to join us in concrete actions of compassion, and
peacemaking.” Younger people need to know that the church can
connect them to God with rich spiritual resources and connect
them to the world in ways that make a difference.
Many young adults I speak with ask why the church has to be so
judgmental and condemning. We need to quit emphasizing what
we are “anti” and instead promote what we are “for.” They wish to
meet a people who mirror the compassion of Jesus. Re-establishing
the church as a center for personal and world healing is a major
task for us. I think the ABC focus statement has it right: “American
Baptist Churches are missional congregations that nurture devoted
disciples of Jesus who live their lives in mission and ministry for the
healing of the world through the love of God.”
Q Over the 14 years of your service as general secretary you
have met with, prayed with and fellowshipped with countless
Christians around the world. How encouraged are you by the
current strength of the witness of American Baptists and partner
Christians in an increasingly secular and problem-ridden world?
A There is incredible vitality in the church that I have had the joy to
witness. What is striking to me is that I have often found the greatest
joy and strength in Christians that live on the margin. The growth
of the church in China is astounding. The faith and perseverance
of Baptists in Burma in spite of persecution is inspiring. And the
witness of churches in the Middle East who even in the face of
“
Many young adults...wish to meet a
people who mirror the compassion of
Jesus. Reestablishing the church as a
center for personal and world healing
is a major task for us.
”
martyrdom refuse to hate their Muslim neighbors moves me in the
depths of my soul.
Throughout the world the church is under great stress, but in the
midst of these challenges the Spirit of our Risen Lord refreshes and
gives courage to those who love and serve Jesus. Our witness to God’s
love and presence in these difficulties is drawing others to Christ.
While no one can predict the future of particular congregations, the
future of the church itself is assured through Christ.
Q Have there been particular worship or fellowship experiences
that you will always remember?
A How shall I ever forget the reception I received in the Chin and
Kachin States when I visited them as the first American Baptist leader
since ABC missionaries were forced out. Weeping older men and
women who had personally known our missionaries were reaching
out to touch my face, my arm, my jacket. Thousands welcomed us
at the airport and lines of people stood for miles on the side of the
road at village after village. The outpouring of love for American
Baptists was overwhelming.
In Zambia, I gathered on Sunday morning in a tabernacle
constructed of wooden poles covered with recycled sacks that had
held concrete. The church was alive! It had a policy of growing
no larger than 150 members. Each time the church reached that
number, 50 would be commissioned to start a new church.
In South Africa, I asked to worship in a church in a poor
community. We found our way to a tiny Baptist church in the
midst of some of the worst poverty I have seen. A congregation of
75 gathered to worship. In the midst of their own poverty, these
members had set a goal of buying as many school uniforms as they
could for the children of the community, because without uniforms
they could not attend school.
I have also loved the wonderful worship experiences in ABC
churches across America where God is praised in many ways.
Is there any advice, experiential or otherwise, that you would
pass along to your successor?
A In the midst of some of our darkest hours ten years ago, a wise
friend said to me, “Roy, God has called you to this role because of
who you are, not who you aren’t, so trust in God at work through
you.” Those words will be true of my successor as well. In a
denomination as diverse as ours, no leader will be able to please
everyone. It is important to surround oneself with a multitude of
counselors, and having listened well and prayed hard, to then act
and decide out of the core of one’s integrity, trusting in God for
what shall come. Keeping good spiritual practices is essential to
one’s service. Having a spiritual friend, one can go to whose faith is
mature and gracious, will make the journey easier. I have been so
gifted in my term of service with such a friend.
Q What is your hope for your denomination as it moves into a
future of challenges and opportunities? Is there a verse or two of
Scripture that would be part of that message?
A Paul writes to the church at Phillipi, “I want to know Christ and
the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by
becoming like him in his death.” In this challenging era in the life
of the church, to know Christ and his expansive love for all; to share
in the power of his life that is coming into our lives through his
presence as the Risen Lord; and to enter as did he into the suffering
of the world that it might be redeemed and restored—this remains
two thousand years later what it means to live as the body of Christ.
Our concern for salvation has both personal and global
dimensions. In Christ, God has begun the great work of reclaiming
and restoring all creation to God’s glory. We must never be so
narrow in our understanding of Christ’s redemptive work that it
becomes only personal and neglects justice, peace and creation
care, and never so broad in our embrace of its breadth that it ceases
to be personal with no claim upon our hearts and lives. “For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed,
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but
in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
Q
Q
“
It is important to surround oneself with
a multitude of counselors, and having
listened well and prayed hard, to then
act and decide out of the core of one’s
integrity, trusting in God for what shall
come.
”
More recently, the worship experiences in our Rhythms of the
Spirit conferences has drawn me deeply into a quieter and more
meditative form of worship.
Q Are there distinctive changes that have marked American
Baptist life since the beginning of this millennium?
A I have seen a resurgence in joy at who we are as American
Baptists. The stories of God at work through us in the past and
today are reawakening a sense of purpose and mission for us as a
family. Nationally, we have been able to coordinate an incredible
response to the refugees from Burma and their emerging churches.
We have initiated Transformed by the Spirit and with it Rhythms of
the Spirit that are helping us stop the whining about decline and
move outward in ministry. The numbers of folk offering themselves
for volunteer or fulltime mission service has increased. American
Baptists are serving as the hands and feet of Christ in community
after community in ways that are breathtaking. And now we
are seeing a generational shift in church and denominational
leadership that will bring even more significant progress in our life
and witness.
Q What will you miss the most as you retire as general secretary?
A People. I have had the incredible opportunity to preach and
minister all across this country and the world. I will miss seeing
good friends, inspiring servants of Christ, with whom I have worked
and walked. I plan to remain active in service but in new and more
focused ways. I shall continue as an officer of the National Council
of Churches for two more years. The Baptist World Alliance has
asked me to chair a new commission on interfaith relations, and
I shall continue to work on issues related to Burma, interfaith
understanding and religious liberty while devoting more time to
family and friends. But I shall miss many, including my staff. I look
forward to Biennials as an opportunity to reconnect.
n by Rich Schramm, Consulting Editor
Dr. Medley celebrating the communion at the 2011 Biennial in Puerto Rico.
Journey/Discovery/Renewal
Transformed by the Spirit
Groups related to Transformed by the Spirit are meeting
across the country and are working on a number of challenges
related to mission and ministry in today’s world. Through
meeting together in teams, pastors, staff members and lay
people are having tough conversations about important
issues.
Transformed by the Spirit is an initiative that engages
local congregations across the denomination in a journey of
identifying the significant challenges that face our churches,
our regions, and our national bodies in today’s culture,
and wrestling with the changes that will be required of all
American Baptists if we are to seize opportunities to serve as
the hands and feet of Christ.
Workbooks and Tools for Local Conversations
Visit us online:
www.abc-usa.org/transformed-by-the-spirit/resources/
At this website you will find resources for local churches to help
you get involved. Examples include:
n
How to start an Adaptive Challenge Team in your Church or
Region using the “Adaptive Challenge Team Workbook.”
n
How to start a “Joining God in the Neighborhood” group
in your Church or Region using the “Joining God in the
Neighborhood” Resource.
n
How to engage “Experiments in Difference” in your Church or
Region.
Or, you can also join in the online conversation forum, at
www.missionsummitconversations.com. With this forum, we
invite you to join in virtual conversations through an online bulletin
board created to help share learnings and insights from conversation
groups from ABC churches, regions and national organizations.
The goal is to share the learnings from existing groups and new
groups with others who may
be struggling with or perhaps
making progress with the
same issues. n
Don Ng:
“
Tell the story
of your
Christian faith
”
The Rev. Dr. Don Ng completes a two-year term as ABC
president this December, having drawn upon extensive service
in local church and denominational leadership to inspire and
connect with American Baptists across the country. Recently
retired after a 20-year pastorate at First Chinese Baptist Church
in San Francisco, Ng looks forward to the next chapters of his
life as an active American Baptist as his denomination prepares
to meet the challenges of change and relevance.
How have you been encouraged by what you have
experienced as president?
A The strength we have as American Baptists is that while we all
perceive life and ministry from our particular and sometimes very
parochial contexts, we are still willing to be open to God’s spirit
and support the whole. Our ability to see the particular as well as
the common allows us to be effective in reaching out to specific
cultural groups for ministry and mission while at the same time
always reminding ourselves and others that we are part of a larger
ABC family. As long as we are committed to such an identity we
may very much more closely resemble who God wants us to be.
And if being the first Asian American Baptist president can open
our eyes to who God is calling us to become, I am grateful to have
been part of God’s plan.
Q How important is it for churches to embrace the adaptive
changes called for in the Transformed by the Spirit denominational emphasis?
A It’s natural that churches get into patterns and routines because
things have worked in the past, but in doing so we also become
increasingly unaware of the rapid changes happening outside
our churches. Transformed by the Spirit helps us look at what
adaptive change means as we dig deeply into the causes of church
decline. It’s necessary for renewal and to being faithful to God’s
commission. I pray that all of our ABC churches engage in such
serious and focused self-study, in order to discern God’s call for us
today as Christ’s disciples.
Q Do you have a challenge for American Baptists as they move
forward in faith and service?
A Tell the story of your Christian faith to others. Begin with your
children and grandchildren. How else will they know that you
follow Jesus? When new members join your church invite them
to give a public testimony. While we may be very diverse, the one
thing that weaves us together is that we all believe in Jesus Christ
as Lord. We all have been baptized: “one body, and one Spirit, just
as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and
through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6). n by Rich Schramm, Consulting Editor
Q
Introducing our ABC Officers for the 2016-2017 Biennium,
taking office on January 1, 2016:
ABCUSA President
Rev. Judy Fackenthal comes from
the American Baptist Churches of
Greater Indianapolis, and has served
as solo pastor of Garfield Park Baptist
Church since 1999.
ABCUSA Vice President
Dr. Josué D. Gómez, Esq., currently
serves as President of the ABC
Hispanic Caucus. He is a member
of the First Baptist Church of Rio
Piedras, Puerto Rico, and served as
President of the Iglesias Bautistas de
Puerto Rico, the ABC of Puerto Rico
regional organization.
ABCUSA Budget Review Officer
Mr. Paul Higgins currently serves as
Vice President of Finance for Rainbow Acres, a residential ranch-style
community for the developmentally
disabled in Camp Verde, Arizona.
Rainbow Acres became an Associated
Ministry Organization of ABCUSA in
November 2014.
American Baptists
attending the Biennial
Mission Summit in
June had a great time
in fellowship with one
another, learning from
each other through
conversations and
worshiping together,
experiencing our
rich diverse family.
This event is made
possible in part
by your gifts to
United Mission.
Did You
Know?
The Matthew 25 Grant sponsored by ABCUSA and
,
the Board of General Ministries, is funded by a generous donor whose goal is to help
meet the needs of “housing, feeding, education and health with regard to the less
fortunate.”
Awards for the Matthew 25 Grant are made twice a year, in April and October, with
application deadlines of March 1 and September 1. To view the guidelines and additional
information and to download the application form, visit:
http://www.abc-usa.org/matthew25/
Last spring, a total of 34 applicants received funding ranging from $500 to $4,250, with a
total of $78,318 awarded. Grant awards were given to ministries describing the following
needs:
n
Weekend food for students on free or reduced lunch at school
n
Scholarships to send children of incarcerated parents to camp
n
F
ood pantry needs, including fresh food items
n
ESL program funding in a local community
Truly, I say to you,
n
Emergency fund for students at a school of theology
as you did it to one
n
Backpacks and school clothes for children in need
of the least of these
n
Funds for the construction of a community center in Uganda
my brethren, you
n
Prison ministry funds for women at a state institution
did it to me.
n
After school program funding
n
And many more
In order to be eligible for funds, ministries must have a direct relationship with
American Baptist Churches USA. The application process is structured to help
small ministries with limited staff time.
At Christian Community Credit Union, your money helps provide affordable financing to
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Upcoming
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American Baptist Churches USA
P. O. Box 851
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October 25 Chaplains/Pastoral Counselors Sunday
Campus Ministry Sunday
National Pastoral Prayer Week begins
November 1 American Baptist College Sunday
November 2 Baptist Women’s Day of Prayer
November 8 Stewardship Sunday
November 11 Veteran’s Day
November 22 Asian American Baptist Sunday
November 26 Thanksgiving
November 29 First Sunday of Advent
December 1 World Aids Day
December 6 Retired Ministers and
Missionaries Offering
World Evangelism Day
Second Sunday of Advent
United Mission
American Baptists have always been
a people of Mission. Mission is in our
DNA. United Mission contributions give
concrete expression to this impulse and
help us to be the hands and feet of Christ
– from you, the congregation – to our
communities and to all parts of the world.
December 10 Human Rights Day
December 13 Third Sunday of Advent
December 20 Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 24 Christmas Eve
December 25 Christmas
December 27 Student Recognition Sunday
December 31 New Year’s Eve
Thank you
ABCUSA CONNECTIONS is made possible by your gifts
to United Mission. UM is essential to many of our ministries. Together your gifts can make a big difference for
the denomination. Please be sure that United Mission,
the ABCUSA family offering, is included in your church
budget. For details about how funds are used or information about how to contribute, please visit the website at
www.abc-usa.org or contact [email protected].
for your commitment to
United Mission and to the
four quarterly offerings
that help us serve as the
hands and feet of Christ.
www.abc-usa.org
United Mission is the way that
congregations can support American
Baptist work beyond the walls of their
church; the quarterly offerings are
designed to allow individual American
Baptists to personally support those
specific ministries that resonate with
them, including the following:
Regions
n
ABPS
n
ABCIS
n
International Ministries
n
American Baptist Home Mission Societies
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Biennial Mission Summit
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ABCUSA Office of the General Secretary
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