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Dominican Republic Missions By the

Numbers* 8.5 Million people in

the Dominican Republic* 280,000 Operation

Christmas Child Boxes to be distributed

* 3 months to distribute all the OCC boxes

* BRBA’s team distributed 1,200 boxes in 4 days

* Children ages 2-14 can receive a box

* 5 minute Gospel presentation of “The Greatest Gift”

* 16 team members: 6 returning, 10 new

* Making an eternal difference in a child’s life--priceless

YOUR 411BRBA on Mission: Dominican Republic

The Blue Ridge Baptist Association’s 2016 Mission Team has just returned from a week long trip to the Dominican Republic (DR) to distribute Operation Christmas Child (OCC) boxes. I had the opportunity to speak with the team leader, Pastor Peter Guadalupe about the team’s experiences.

C: Can you give me an overview of what the team’s mission was?

P: Our purpose was to help Pastor Fidel Lorenzo, who is in charge of OCC in the Caribbean. He has 280,000 boxes to distribute within three months. He strategically chooses an area that has never received a box, and then utilizes

churches, community centers, and this year even a YMCA.

C: I didn’t even know there were YMCA’s in the Dominican Republic.

P: Yes, there are, and we used one for Jesus. We do a 5 minute presentation of “The Greatest Gift” explaining to the kids that even if they lose some of this gift, there is a gift they will never lose,

Jesus.C: Te# me aboutany cha#enges orobstacles that theteam faced.P: Spiritual warfare.(cont. p 9)

By: Carissa Beard

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From your Director of Missions…..

If your church is really interested in putting mechanisms in place to reach the next generations for Jesus Christ, and pass on the rich heritage of your church’s past – I whole heartedly recommend that you read the book: For a New Generation: A Practical Guide for Saving Your Church from Extinction, written by Lee Kricher, a professional organizational change consultant and church planter in the Pittsburg area.

Kricher is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, and in this easy to read book (only 79 pages) he talks about a formula that has worked in AMPLIFY CHURCH – a mission plant that he founded in 1978. His thesis revolves around doing what it takes to create a new generation church - "a church with attendees whose average age is at least as young as the average age of the community in which the church exists". In one segment, "Don't Be Like Joshua," Kricher sites the loss of Israel's second generation when the first generation failed to communicate who God was during their lifetimes (Judges 2:10-13).

We’ve all heard church leaders who say, "Our church is one generation away from extinction", and Kricher addresses that concern by saying, "At my church, we have instituted three practices or systems that are designed to keep us a new generation church."

Here they are:

1. Three - deep mentoring: Every leader in the church is responsible to mentor at least two people (usually younger) who can affectively carry out each of their key goals. If a person is ever told, "I am so glad you are back %om vacation. Things went badly without you here," it is not seen as a compliment. It is an indictment of their poor leadership skills.

2. The 75% Rule: Three-quarters of all the people in visible leadership during any given weekend service must be the average age of -- or younger than -- the community in which we serve or those who we want to target. For the author’s church, that meant that 75% of those in visible leadership during any given weekend service needed to be 35 years old or younger. (That requires that they identify a lot of young people who can speak effectively, lead worship, play instruments and do the announcements!)

3. Succession planning: At the author’s church, they revised the by-laws to make it the responsibility of the senior leaders to appoint new leaders – then gain approval of the church body for each appointment. It then becomes the responsibility of the senior pastor and key leaders (ministerial and lay) to mentor that person to be ready to step in.

Each chapter ends with a series of questions for discussion with your church leadership. 

Consider what Kricher says about the inevitable change that must happen in any church for this process to actually happen:

Even if you belong to a church with a healthy percentage of young adults and c h i l d r e n , yo u c a n n o t a f f o rd t o underestimate the tendency of churches to get "older" over time and become less effective at connecting with the next generation.

It does not dishonor your church’s past to consider changing the way that things will be done in the future. You honor the past by remembering and celebrating the many ways that God has used your church. But you also honor the past by planning for the future so that your church continues to positively impact future generations.

Given the urgency of our mission, I am not a fan of slow, incremental change. It puts the mission of the church on hold. It is my conviction that with appropriate planning and courage, most of the changes that your church needs to make in order to better connect with the next generation can be made within a two-year time frame.

It has been said that we are either living out the birth of a new vision or the death of an old one. The members of every church must decide which it will be.

Hard hitting convictions – but they are from a leader who believes and practices what he preaches with excellent results. I believe that this book could be an excellent study for your leaders, elders, deacons, or staff if you truly want to reach new generations for vibrant participation / growth / and leadership in the church for tomorrow and beyond.

Psalm 78: 4 says: “We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and mighty wonders.”

Bruce Conley, Director of Missions

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IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP FOR T4T TRAININGAPRIL 7,14,21, AND 28

This is not your run of the mill evangelism training. Since 2001 churches in Asia have been experiencing rapid multiplication. Blue Ridge is excited to have Pastor Everett Powell, a certified trainer and experienced church planter, to be offering us a contextualized experience in how the T4T principles in evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and leadership development can revolutionize your ministry. This is a don’t-want-to-miss event! The cost is free, but please help us have an accurate count for our materials by registering at http://blueridgebaptist.org/t4t/

T4T will be hosted by Greenbriar Baptist Church, 20810 National

Pike Boonsboro, MD 21713.7 p.m - 9 p.m.

This is a date change from the BRBA calendar.

Ministry wives gather together to enjoy a time of fellowship, worship, Bible teaching,and prayer. Our keynote speaker this year is Rita Sweatt. This year the retreat will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis. There is still some time left to register, although you may have missed the early bird deadline.

To register and for more information, go to http://bcmd.org/mwretreat

HEALTH KITSEvery year the Women's Missionary Union & the Baptist Convention of MD/DE distributes HEALTH KITS as needed to international students and migrant workers in the eastern part of our convention, including Ocean City during the summer. In a 2-gallon zip lock bag - place a large towel, wash cloth, large size shampoo, bar of soap, tooth-paste, deodorant, adult toothbrush, and comb in the bag. Kits must be returned to MABN May 11-26. http://bcmd.org/health-kits3

MINISTER’S WIVE’S RETREAT APRIL 8-9

What would it look like

for us to follow Jesus in

our daily lives? Who do

we tell?  

VBS EXPO Locations in 2016

April 9, 2016 9 am to 2 pmOak Grove Baptist Church2106 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD

April 23, 2016 9 am to 2 pmFirst Baptist Church, Upper Marlboro7415 SW Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro, MDGo to www.bcmd/org/vbs to register or for more information.

Don’t forget to order your VBS materials directly from the BRBA! liz@blueridgebaptist.org

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DISASTER RELIEF TRAINING- APRIL 16

When disasters strike, in their wake we find hurting people. Come get the training you need to be able to make a tangible difference in a hurting person’s life.

The day will include the following training modules:Introduction to Disaster Relief: This is the prerequisite course to all unit training and specialized classes. New Volunteers must take the Intro class and at least one "unit class" to receive their certification.Feeding Unit:This class covers the equipment and operation of a mass-care feeding program. Emphasis is given to sanitation and health issues dealing with food preparation. NOTE - Feeding unit class is made up of 2 parts. Part One (classroom) and Part Two (hands on). In order to receive credit, volunteers must complete BOTH parts.

Recovery Unit:This class will overview the three types of recovery work done by our Maryland/Delaware Units, chainsaw, mud out, and temporary emergency repairs.  

Cost: $30 for new volunteers; free with current DR ID badge.Cost includes - lunch, materials, background security check and Photo ID

Where: FBC Frederick, 7040 Bowers Road, Frederick, MD 21702

Time: 8:30 am -4:30 pmPlease visit http://yourbcmd.publishpath.com/

drtraining-frederick to register.There are forms to download prior to class that will

save you time!

Blue Ridge Baptist Association is excited to bring you a Chaplain Training Class for Disaster Relief May 13- May 14, 2016. Training will be hosted by Fellowship Baptist Church, 116 North Church Street, Middletown, MD, 21769. Training will run from 6 to 10 pm on Friday and from 8 to 5 on Saturday. Training will be taught by Al Caho, who has been with Baptist Disaster Relief since 2000, and who has recently been named as the new State Chaplains’ Coordinator for the Maryland/Delaware Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry.

We don't know when or where the next crisis will strike. If a mass shooting, flood, or tornado strikes, the local Church must be ready to immediately offer care to their community, and our Chaplains must be able to respond quickly to assist those local Churches. The responsibility of serving their community in crisis rests with the local Church. Disaster Chaplains are not responding to take over, but to come along side the local Church with additional resources to assist them serve their community in crisis. Regionalizing the teams will

allow the local Pastors to have a relationship with the Chaplains prior to boots going on the ground.

To register, please email liz@blueridgebaptist.org.

DISASTER RELIEF CHAPLAINCY TRAINING, MAY 13-14

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WANTED: SUMMER MISSIONARIESThe Blue Ridge Baptist Association is looking for a few High School or College aged students who have a heart for missions work to serve as summer missionaries to our churches during the summer of 2016. These are part time paid positions that are based on actual need within our churches. Schedules can be somewhat flexible if we have more than one person serving.If you have what it takes, or you know of someone who might be interested - please contact the Director of Missions, Bruce Conley at (301) 821-0370, or by emailing bruce@blueridgebaptist.org

be willing to work in a variety of churches and settings

be open to working with children, neighborhood outreach projects, canvassing, etc.

have transportation over the summer (a reliable vehicle)

be active in their home churches

be born again followers of the Lord Jesus Christ

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

SAFETY TRAINING FOR FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONSPlaces of worship are where we feel most safe, but in fact can be extremely vulnerable. The Virginia Fusion Center is providing a presentation on how religious organizations can be welcoming and also safe at the same time. Topics will include violence in places of worship, addressing potential threats, policy and planning for violence, safety in outreach, firearms in places of worship and civilian response to active shooter events.

LOCATION: Albemarle County Police Department 1600 5th Street Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 TUITION: FREE AUDIENCE: Law enforcement officers, church security team members, pastors and concerned members of the faith-based community DATE: May 11, 2016 TIME: 0800-1630 hrs. DEADLINE: April 26, 2016 - Acceptance notification and reporting Meals are NOT provided, but time will be made available for lunch.

TO REGISTER: https://www.research.net/r/DZR7CQ3 (This link is to the Survey Monkey website) QUESTIONS: Special Agent Austin White, Virginia State Police Desk Number: 804-674-2237 Email: Austin.White@vsp.virginia.gov Virginia Fusion Center Phone: 804-674-2196 Fax: 804-674-2983 Email: VFC@vsp.virginia.gov

If you are interested in attending and want to carpool, please email liz@blueridgebaptist.org by April 24. Carpooling will only be available if there is enough interest.

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The Blue Ridge Baptist Association together with Guidestone Financial Resources is looking for retired Southern Baptist ministers, workers and their widows whose income is insufficient to meet their daily needs to see if they might be eligible for financial assistance through Mission:Dignity. Do you know of someone who is retired and might benefit from some extra financial help?  If so - we're asking that you check with them about their financial situation, and then contact the Director of Missions, Bruce Conley so they can be considered for assistance. Recipients of Mission:Dignity funds should meet these eligibility guidelines:

• 65 or older and retired• Minimum of 10 years of full-time, salaried

Southern Baptist service• Minimum of 10 years of marriage (during

the time of service) to someone who would have met the first two qualifications

• Income cannot exceed $1,980 a month for a single person or $2,670 a month for a couple

• Less than $30,000 in assets (excluding their home)

• Participants will need to re-qualify every two years

 Please contact Bruce Conley - DOM at (301) 821-0370 if you think of anyone who needs this kind of financial assistance.

WAVA 105.1 FM would like to invite you to our upcoming Pastor Appreciation Lunch with Ravi Zacharias on April 14th, 2016 at 4th Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD. We are only opening this event to PASTORS, and we want you to attend this very special event. Ravi will be delivering a message prepared just for pastors, plus there will be a delicious catered lunch, ministry expo, continental breakfast and breakout sessions to encourage and equip you. Every thing is free, but you must register to attend! Please register ASAP as we are expecting this event to fill up fast. To register, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wavas-pastor-appreciation-lunch-with-ravi-zacharias-tickets-21218445943

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BALTIMORE, Md.—Freedom Church will host the fifth annual Unplugged Conference from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on April 23. This year’s speakers include Joel Kurz, pastor of The Garden Church; writer, poet and hip-hop-artist Jackie Hill-Perry; and Drew Shofner, pastor of The Church at Severn Run.

Jackie Hill-Perry is a nationally known writer/poet/rapper. She has been featured in the Washington Times, and has written for blogs such as “Desiring God,” and “The Gospel Coalition.” Perry committed her life to Christ and was saved from a life of homosexual sin. She now shares the Gospel through her artistic endeavors. Her debut album, “The Art of Joy,” was released in 2014.

Joel Kurz is lead pastor of The Garden Church in Central/West Baltimore, a racially mixed young congregation. Kurz and his family purposely moved to the neighborhood to plant the church in 2008 and reach the city with the Gospel of Christ.

The church is situated near “ground central” of last year’s riots following the death of Freddie Gray. Kurz led efforts to show love to the community, cleaning up trash from looting, providing food, and offering prayer and support.

Drew Shofner is the lead pastor of The Church at Severn Run, a large, a modern, diverse church reaching thousands of people each week, located in Anne Arundel County.

There will also be four breakout sessions during the conference: Christian Ethics, Challenging Facing Women in the Church, Church Planting, and Entrepreneurship.

The cost is $20 for adults. Students pay $10. The fee includes lunch. To register and for more information, http://unpluggedbaltimore.org/

Tri-state Community Church is one of our BRBA church plants in the Hancock area. They are in need of YOU! Tri-state will be using door hangers to promote their ministries which include Sunday Morning Good News Club for elementary age students and Good News Worship for everyone else, Soul'd Out for Jr. and Sr. High students, and their new family ministry we are planning to kick off in April.  

Canvassing will take place most Saturday afternoons so they would be extra thrilled to have a group help canvass then join them for Soul'd Out which takes place 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Teen groups would find this especially exciting as they have a Bible Study and worship music designed for that age group, video games, ping pong, foosball, air hockey, etc.  

Other times for canvassing can also be arranged if Saturdays do not work for you.  So schedule a time to help your church plant reach this community for Jesus. Contact almysr@hotmail.com .

PASTOR'S FELLOWSHIP BREAKFASTS: APRIL 6 - Bonnie's Red Byrd - 19409 Shepherdstown Pike - Keedysville, MD - 8 AM * Peter Guadalupe will be with us to share about the results of the BRBA Dominican Republic mission trip. * Phil Gifford -- the new music missionary with the BCMD (MABN) will be with us to share about his new role in helping churches with music and worship needs. MAY 4 - IHOP - 17820 Garden Groh Blvd. in Hagerstown - 9 AM We have asked the pastors from the Keystone Association of PA to join us again for a time of fellowship and sharing. Notice that we are meeting an hour later than usual because of some those pastors will be traveling a good distance to join us that morning.

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The Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network will be offering a total of 10 scholarships to cover the registration fees ($199) for the Amplify Conference at Wheaton College, June 28-30, 2016. You would be responsible for your own lodging and food. This is only a scholarship for the registration fees. These scholarships MUST be requested prior to April 15.

These will be on a first come, first served basis, so don’t delay. Please contact DOM Bruce Conley (Director of Missions, BRBA) bruce@blueridgebaptist.org or Doug Dubois dougdubois@bcmd.org(Director of Engagement/Evangelism, MABN).

For more information visit http://www.amplifyconference.tv/

ASSOCIATIONAL MISSIONS EMPHASIS WEEK MAY 15-22For a free promotional video that you can share with your church, go to http://

www.mylba.org/2016.AME.Start.Promo . Watch for more materials for you to use to come via email later this month.

AMPLIFY CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE JOB OPPORTUNITY

West End Baptist Chapel is looking for a administrative assistant who will work 15 hours each week. This person should be qualified in computer work, windows 8 or 10, email, filing, printing, answering phones, and graphics. Any questions can be answered at westend1232@yahoo.com....Please send resumes to:

   West End Baptist Chapel   101 Buena Vista Avenue

Hagerstown, Maryland 21740  

UPPER MARLBORO, Md.-First Baptist Church, Upper Marlboro, Md., will host “The Gospel and Same-Sex Attraction” evening seminar on Saturday, April 23 at 6 p.m. at the church, located at 7415 SW Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro.Learn more at http://www.firstbaptistum.com.

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MISSION TRIP (CONT.) When we were in a certain

part of town, we knew black magic was being practiced. But we stayed focused on the Lord. We prayed as a team every day. One of my prayers was, “Yes we’re ministering to children, but Lord please open our own eyes to see.”

One day when we arrived at the YMCA, there were electrical wires hanging down blocking the road for the bus. A boy, maybe 11 or 12 was standing there and his job was to lift the wires with a crutch so the bus could go through. It was his part to play. We did give him lots of candy and stuff when we left.

That same day, I had a bad headache that had turned into a migraine. I decided to go outside and sit on the bus, because inside the children were very noisy. A few minutes later, my wife came out looking for me, and asking me to come inside because the children wanted to pray for me! A six year old little girl named Sarah was chosen to come up to the front and pray over me. I knelt down so I could be on her level. She took her hand and placed it on my bald head and started rubbing my head and praying that my headache would be healed. While she prayed my headache lifted. God healed me!

C: Ha!elujah!P: I was just going to leave,

but I had to go back up front and give glory to God that he healed me.

Another thing that could be considered a difficulty was our sleeping accommodations. Only one room had air conditioning. But we made it! For our team, flexibility, working together, and growing in the Lord were keys to our week.

C: What were the highlights of the week?

P: One couple on the team helped a woman with a baby carriage carry home the boxes. He later remarked that his garage is three times the size of her home. God opened his eyes!

Another highlight for everyone would just be seeing the children’s expressions when they receive their box. It’s overwhelming. They have never received any gift. And the look on their faces. Wow. And even more so, knowing how many of those 1,200 children were praying for salvation.

C: What would you say to someone who is considering going on a mission trip?

P: First of all pray about it. It’s not like a vacation. We minister to others despite the fact that we may be uncomfortable.

But I believe every Christian should take a short term mission trip at least once in their life. It will completely change your point of view. And change your life, really. So I would say, take that step of faith! You leave not knowing what to expect, you come home with the treasure of these experiences. And really, show me one person in the Bible who took a risk for God that God didn’t show up and meet with them.

Peter is already praying about the upcoming BRBA mission trip in 2017. Mark your calendars for the first two weeks of March 2017. For more pictures, visit https://lightshinepics.smugmug.com/OCC-Dominican-Republic-2016

A! photos used in this piece are courtesy of Dan Bonesteel, Lightshine Pics.

In The ChurchesBerkley Baptist ChurchApril 26- Food DistributionMay 14- Bake Sale for Operation Christmas Child

Covenant Baptist ChurchApril 2- Car Care Ministry for Single Moms and Military wive

Harvest Pointe Community ChurchApril 9- Youth Yard SaleMay 8- Child Dedication Service

Hedgeville Baptist ChurchMay 7- Gospel Rally 2016

Lakeview ChurchMay 12- Night of Prayer

Northstar Community ChurchApril 9- Feed the HungryApril 19- Singing with the Seniors

Paramount Baptist ChurchApril 8- Family Movie Night, War Room

Pleasant Valley Baptist ChurchApril 16- Spring Music Fest

Rivers Edge MinistriesMay 4- Financial Peace University

Summit Trace ChurchMay 8- Frederick Running Festival Service and Serving

Packed with 10 hours of action-oriented learning followed by weekly online E-Lessons, Leadership Encounter is a highly interactive, participant-driven leadership development workshop that exposes common leadership misconceptions and offers a practical model based on the greatest leader role model of all time, Jesus.

April 8-9, 2016 @ YMCA; 601 Kelly Rd; Cumberland, MD; Sponsored by Grace Baptist Church;Friday 6:00-9:30pm, Saturday 8am to 4:30pm; $50 per person (includes lunch on Saturday) 

April 29-30, 2016  @ First Baptist Church, Rockville; 55 Adclare Road, Rockville, MD; Friday 6:00-9:30pm, Saturday 8am to 4:30pm; $50 per person (includes lunch on Saturday)

For more information and to register, visit http://bcmd.org/llj

PRAYER REQUESTS: Please be in prayer for our member churches that are searching for pastors: South End Baptist Church, Faith Baptist Church (Knoxville), Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, and Valley Baptist Church.

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T H E N E W S J O U R N A L O F T H E B L U E R I D G E B A P T I S T A S S O C I A T I O N

You can subscribe to the online version of our newsletter at www.blueridgebaptist.org

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