Ruth Clark, president of American Baptist Churches USA for the biennium running from January 1, 2012-December 31, 2013, reflects on the Christmas season and beginning of the New Year.

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What should be done with a dozen nativity sets that can no longer be used?  That was the dilemma faced this fall by a neighbor of Moses Merrill C...

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We are issuing a call to prayer and action on behalf of the peoples of Burma.

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Jornada/Descubrimiento/Renovación  (PDF) INICIATIVA DE TRANSFORMACIÓN PRESENTADA A LA BIENAL EN PUERTO RICO Los bautistas americanos que partic...

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I sat quietly as the holiness of my surroundings settled upon and within me.  Next to me was my friend and former colleague in ABCUSA life, Al Br...

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Report about Malaysia and Thailand trip written by Rev. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA

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Report on visit to Thailand written by Rev. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA.
 

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A look at General Secretary Roy Medley's Report from Malaysia

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REPORT FROM MALAYSIA From July 10-12, I was joined in Malaysia for a visit to the Chin refugee community by ABCUSA missionaries Duane and Marcia Bink...

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ABCUSA General Secretary A. Roy Medley attended the Baptist World Alliance annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 4-9, 2011. From there, he traveled to Burma, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The following excerpt is the first of three pieces written by Medley about his experiences. Updates will be made in the following weeks. PART 1

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American Baptists attending the 2011 Biennial in Puerto Rico got an early preview of a groundbreaking venture in “discernment and discovery” for the denomination over the next two years. Click to read more.

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A reflection on the essential skills of stewardship, written by Jim Widmer, Pastor of Kenmore Baptist Church, Kenmore, NY.

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Kent Ulery, president of the Bangor Theological Seminary (BTS), presented Patti Stratton, vice president of American Baptist Churches USA, with the 2011 Haney Award for Social Justice during the BTS graduation ceremony on May 20, 2011.  He told me the award given by unanimous vote by the seminary faculty. The award was accompanied by a $750 scholarship.

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Rev. Leo Thorne and I had the rare honor yesterday of being invited to Washington, D.C. for the swearing in of the new US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. What made the event so special is that the new ambassador is an American Baptist pastor, Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson-Cook, better known to most of us as "Sujay."

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G. Daniel Jones, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia, PA, recently was honored by the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia with a Doctor of Divinity Degree, “Honoris Causa.”  This occurred at the 147th Commencement May 20, 2011.  Dr. Jones is a 46 year career African American Baptist Churches U.S.A., pastor.  He has served “Grace Church” for the past 29 years. 

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Hay cuatro ofrendas anuales a través de las cuales expresamos nuestra conexión a una más amplia familia de bautistas cristianos. La ofrenda América pa...

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Dr. Paul M. Martin, President, Professor of Pastoral Theology at American Baptist Seminary of the West, remarks on giving and generosity.

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There are four annual offerings through which we express our connection to a broader family of Baptist Christians.

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This week’s Old Testament lectionary reading comes from the book of Exodus 17:1-7; it gives us perspective on human doubt in the midst of suffering.

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A Stewarship note by Dr. Paul M. Martin, President, Professor of Pastoral Theology, American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley CA.

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What journey beckons us? As we enter the second week of our Lenten journey we are reminded of two very different travelers.  Abram is called to new land (Genesis 12) and Nicodemus is called to new birth (John 3).  Both are invited to journey.

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The Old Testament lectionary reading for the First Sunday of Lent 2011 is Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7.  Generations have read this story as humanity’s early fall from perfection to sinfulness.  But every time I just try to read the naked text – for what it says and doesn’t say – it sounds more to me like a story of humanity's premature growth from naïveté to awareness.

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Ash Wednesday (March 9) officially marks the beginning of Lent. It is the beginning of what is commonly known as a time to “give up” something.

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General Secretary A. Roy Medley and 11 other American Baptists are currently overseas, participating in a Middle East Study Tour from November 28 through December 13. 

 

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There is an immediate and urgent need for nurses to serve in North Haiti with medical missionaries Steve and Nancy James as they treat patients with cholera.  The Ebenezer Health Center continues to admit severely ill cholera patients, all needing IV's and care.  More staff is needed and nurses in particular have been requested.

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Piece written by Pastor Shawn Geer, First Baptist Church, Plainfield, IA

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Forest Heights Baptist Church in Oxon Hill, Maryland is not afraid to take chances in the name of Christ.  Starting in February, 2010, the church and its pastor, Waymond Duke, began planning for the 90/10 Challenge to be observed on August 22, 2010.  This emphasis asked each church member to reverse their tithe for one week, keeping 10% and giving 90% to God through their church. 

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"The Way I See It," and article about Evangelism written by Dr. Jeffrey A. Johnson, National Coordinator for Evangelism and New Church Planting with American Baptist Home Mission Societies, written for the American Baptist Churches USA website.

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On Tuesday, September 7, general secretary Roy Medley attended an interfaith summit hosted by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., which addressed the recent surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamaphobia in the United States.

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First Baptist Church Belvidere, IL went on a weeklong mission trip to Huacapa, Oaxaca, Mexico with ABC-USA missionary to Mexico, Chuck Shawver.

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On Sunday, July 18, General Secretary Roy Medley preached a sermon on Baptism the day his son, Ethan, and Daughter-in-Law, Urbi, were baptized. The fo...

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God finds a way to help and serve us through others when we need Him most. American Baptist missionaries in different countries across the globe work in varying capacities such as healthcare, development, church planting, humanitarian aid. Ray and Adalia Schellinger have served as missionaries with International Ministries  in Tijuana, Mexico, for 8 years, running a ministry called Deborah’s House.  Deborah’s House supports victims of domestic violence in Tijuana, aiding and housing women and families until a time when they can live by themselves and start over with renewed hope and faith. 

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You are invited to an event for American Baptists attending the BWA Congress in Hawaii!

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The flooding from Hurricane Ike in Galveston, TX was devastating to the Primera Iglesia Bautista.  The eight feet of water in the sanctuary left mud, destroyed the piano, and deposited a large stump in the middle of the room. Many advised that the church was too damaged, and could not be saved.  Still, 16 women of the church refused to give up. 

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While the ongoing student strike at the University of Puerto Rico has largely escaped the attention of the US mainland, it has become a major focus for residents of the island including the Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico, one of the constituent regions of the American Baptist Churches USA with over 122 churches and 14,000 members.

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ABC staff gathered in the V. Carney Hargroves Prayer & Meditation Center on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 for a service of dedication of a plaque honoring the late Rev. Dr. David M. Scholer (July 1, 1938-August 22, 2008) and the late Rev. Dr. Ella P. Mitchell (October 18, 1917-November 20, 2008), American Baptist "giants in the faith."  The plaque will be hung in their honor in the prayer and meditation center. 

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Karen Carter, AB GIRLS leader for First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, UT, attended the 2007 Biennial in Washington, DC and left with a renewed passion for children in poverty.  When she later found information about The Penny Project on the National Ministries website, she and co-leader Stephanie Gosdis knew that they had found a way for the girls at their church to become involved first-hand.

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It began innocently enough.  Six years ago one of our members came to me asking what I thought about our church helping with a local elementary school’s Fall Carnival.  Her son was a member of the PTA and her grandchildren were students at the school.  After some prayer and conversation we agreed and co-sponsored the school’s Fall Carnival with the PTA.  We provided games, game stations, prizes, candy and people to work the carnival.  This allowed parents, who normally would have to work such a carnival, the freedom to be with their children and families and enjoy the carnival.  That was the beginning of our relationship.

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The earthquake in Chile over the weekend has affected many. American Baptist missionaries Barbara and Dwight Bollock were not in Chile at the time of the earthquake. See International Ministries update here.

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A roundtable discussion was held at the American Baptist Mission Center on January 28-29, 2010, to discuss the future of the Women in Ministry program, overseen by the Office of the General Secretary. 

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American Baptist International Ministries President Ruth Clark responds to the arrests of Baptists in Haiti

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Laura Lemons of First Baptist Church, Plainfield, Indiana has learned to listen to God. Beginning with Margaret O’Kon, chair of the Connectedness Board at First Baptist, Laura shared her calling with a number of church leaders.  All felt the same urge to meet this need, and knew that God was leading them.

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Within the United States, American Baptist Haitian Churches have been reaching out to their communities. In Jersey City, the Haitian Evangelical Church has been working around the clock to receive gifts and donations for relief in Haiti.

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Westboro Baptist Church, of Topeka, Kansas, is in the news again, gaining publicity through the Supreme Court Case Snyder v. Phelps.  Fred Phelps, pastor of Westboro, is not and never has been an American Baptist. Phelps’ ordination is not in an American Baptist church, and his credentials have never been recognized by any region of ABCUSA.Additionally, Westboro is in no way affiliated with American Baptist Churches, USA.

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It's just a small room -- the size of perhaps an infant's nursery - but healing prayers are sent out for dozens of people from the Prayer Tower at First Baptist Church in North Platte every week.

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The members of First Baptist Church, Columbus, Indiana have taken Jesus’ words very seriously. They were inspired to create a single day of ministry, with a variety of projects available. Read more about their event and successful day of mission.

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Second Baptist Church in South Hadley, MA, is used to serving as the hands and feet of Christ on mission trips both nationally and internationally, in places such as New Orleans, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. However, many members of the church were unable to participate in these trips due to the challenges of finding a week to be away from work and family responsibilities. Additionally, the church wanted to be a blessing right in its own neighborhood.

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First Baptist Church in North Platte, Nebraska, prepared a “Blessing of the Backpacks” to send its students and teachers off to school on a prayerful note.

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While October 25, “Campus Ministry Sunday,” is probably not as widely observed as Christmas, or even All Saints Day, it is a good day to remember that American Baptists have a long and rich history of enduring conversations and transforming associations with students at American colleges and universities. 

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October 14 – 21, 2009 has been designated the Interfaith Week of Action to Fight Poverty.  During this week, I hope your congregation will accept the invitation to join faith-based organizations around the nation to raise awareness of this important issue. 

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In late July 2009, the Baptist World Alliance assembled in the Netherlands to remember our roots.  The Baptist movement started in Amsterdam in 1609, when a pastor named John Smyth and his congregation began practicing baptism by immersion and articulating beliefs we now identify as the first “Baptist” congregation.

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