The Reverends Steve and Mary Hammond, co-pastors of Peace Community Church, Oberlin, Ohio, will receive the Edwin T. Dahlberg Peace Award for significant efforts toward peace over a period of time. Their ministry has been instrumental in establishing Ecumenical Christians of Oberlin at Oberlin College. Through their ministry, faculty, students and community members were inspired to create a Peace and Conflict Studies concentration at the college, which earned them the Distinguished Service to the Community Award in 2009.

The Rev. James Hopkins, pastor of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, Calif., will receive the American Baptist Religious Freedom Award for leadership in defending God-given religious liberty for all. Throughout his ministry, Hopkins has been committed to the historic Baptist principles of “Bible Freedom, Soul Freedom, Church Freedom and Religious Freedom,” resulting in a “healing presence” and his embracing leaders from Jewish and Islamic faith groups.

The Rev. Debbie Bennett Reynolds, associate pastor of Lake Avenue Baptist Church, Rochester, N.Y., will receive the Richard Hoiland Local Christian Education Award for educational programs in local church or wider community. She leads an after-school group for neighborhood girls; oversees leadership training for youth and adults; offers education for mission and service; provides educational resources for a continuing education program that has grown to include 175 individuals under age 20; developed a program to help young people and parents navigate the local school systems; and started classes for immigrants from Burma.

The Rev. John Buscher, chaplain of William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo., will receive the Newton C. Fetter Higher Education and Campus Ministry Award for educational programs in local church or wider community. He is not only the college’s campus minister but also coordinator of community service. As the latter, he has demonstrated significant innovation with the Village Partners Project (VPP), which integrates community development and service learning into college mission work. Through VPP, Buscher leads semi-annual mission trips to Honduras. Such trips have drawn up to 220 students, along with several faculty members and alumnae, working to provide homes with sanitary latrines as well as ecological stoves and electricity; document health data; and set up a village store/micro-enterprise in the rural village of Embarcadero. On campus, he prepares students for mission by teaching a seven-week course, leading student ministry teams and conducting a campus-wide service day each semester.

Dr. Kevin Eichner, president of Ottawa (Kan.) University, will receive the Luther Wesley Smith Education Award for educational programs in college or seminary. He launched the Frederickson Center for Faith and Church Vitality; served as facilitator of a series of programs to enrich servant leadership in the local community; developed a pastoral training program, offered at no cost to American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) pastors throughout the Midwest; and formed a Cadre of Champions, a group of past, present and future educators who share best practices for education in the current challenging age.

The Rev. H. Mark Tuttle, pastor of the Burke-Lucas Baptist Parish in South Dakota,   will receive the Rosa O. Hall Rural and Small Town Award for a pastor in rural or small town ministry. Under Tuttle’s leadership, the multi-generational church has grown in stewardship, mission and ministry to young people as well as in community service.  The congregation has engaged in ministries on the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation and provided micro-loans to mission partners in India. Known as a pillar in the community, Tuttle is a founder of the Burke Community Foundation, which promotes the social and economic well-being of the Burke community.   

The Rev. Ashlee Wiest-Laird, pastor of First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain, Mass., will receive the Edward H. Rhoades Urban Ministry Award for a pastor in urban ministry. Helping to rebuild the church after a fire, she has transformed a 20-person Anglo congregation into a vibrant 80-person multicultural one whose mission statement is “Many Cultures, One Faith.” She works with the Jamaica Plain Business and Professionals Association, campus ministries at Andover-Newton Theological School as well as on ABCUSA’s associational, regional, national and international levels. She shepherds two student pastors yearly; leads candlelight vigils to protest violence; blesses bicycles for riders of Boston’s busy streets; and spearheaded creation of and funding for a position to minister to neighborhood youth.

Cathie Carpenter, lay co-pastor with her husband, Jim, of West Waynesburg Jesus Distributors (WWJD) in Pennsylvania, will receive the Jitsuo Morikawa Evangelism Award for a layperson for leadership in holistic evangelism. To be close to the community they serve, the couple sold their home and moved into a modest house across from the church in a neighborhood of beer distributors and bars. Cathie has been instrumental in a variety of programs that have made a difference, including summer breakfast programs; a food-distribution program that serves more than 200 individuals; tutoring; a women’s shelter; Habitat for Humanity; recovery ministries; a clothing drive that allowed children to start the school year with new clothes; and converting a bar for use with youth programs.

Chaplain Paul N. Rumery will receive the Merit Award for Military Chaplaincy. A member of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps, an ABC-endorsed military chaplain and an ABCUSA-endorsed institutional chaplain, Rumery is a combat veteran, having completed deployment as chaplain for the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He has also served as chaplain for the 2nd Marine Regiment. At Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, Rumery’s assignments include primary duties for the Multi-Service Ward and intensive care unit, as well as back-up responsibilities for inpatient psychiatric groups. He serves as deputy to the command chaplain and assists in the daily operation of the department, the supervision of two pastoral counselors and two enlisted personnel. He authored “The High Cost of Caring Too Much,” a research paper on compassion fatigue and burnout.

The Rev. Dr. Harry E. Simmons, institutional chaplain at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Richmond, Va., will receive the Merit Award for Institutional Chaplaincy. Known for  interfaith leadership, Simmons not only was instrumental in recruiting and hiring the first full-time Roman Catholic chaplain at the polytrauma center since 1996 but also co-celebrated mass at the medical center with a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond—a first for the VA. In addition to providing pastoral care and counseling at the medical center, Simmons is a professor at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. He has served on numerous local, regional and national commissions, boards and committees. He twice held a three-year term as chair of the Racial, Ethnic and Multicultural Network, where he worked with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education for the inclusion of people of color on national leadership commissions and committees.

The Rev. Dr. Ruth Rosell, associate pastor of Care and Counseling at Prairie Baptist Church and an assistant professor of Pastoral Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary, will receive the Merit Award for Pastoral Counseling. As associate pastor, Rosell provides pastoral care and counseling at no cost to church members and the community at large, and led the church to join the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides housing, meals and transportation to county homeless. She was recently awarded the rank of Fellow by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, a Masters of Divinity and a doctorate in Religion and Personality. A task force member for “Sabbaths of Hope”—a depression-education effort of mental health associations and the Center for Practical Bioethics—Rosell has been invited by dozens of organizations to conduct depression-related workshops. She has served ABCUSA as chaplain for Orientation to American Baptist Life and as a board member of ABC of the Central Region.

ABHMS extends warm congratulations to these award recipients, along with prayer that God will continue to bless their ministries.

The window for 2015 award nominations will open in late summer 2014. Many women and men are worthy of consideration for these honors, and American Baptists are strongly encouraged to identify and promote nominees.

For more information about the awards, contact Susan Bogle at sbogle@abhms.org or 1-800-222-3872, x2028.

ABHMS—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community and justice.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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The NCC will remain in New York through “satellite offices” for three senior program staff: Dr. Joseph Crockett, associate general secretary, Education and Leadership Ministries; Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, associate general secretary, Faith & Order and Interfaith Relations; and the Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, program director, NCC Women’s Ministries.

NCC Transitional General Secretary Peg Birk will join Cassandra Carmichael, head of the NCC’s Washington Office, and Shantha Ready Alonso, director of the NCC’s poverty initiative, in the Council’s offices at 110 Maryland Avenue, an ecumenical center owned by the United Methodist Church.

Rev. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA), was elected president elect of the National Council of Churches in 2011, and remains active with the organization. He will succeed to the presidency on January 1, 2014, and will serve as president through December 31, 2015.

The decision to consolidate operations in Washington followed a feasibility study by staff to determine “where the NCC can best achieve its work, providing the flexibility required by the new structure” Birk said.

The study followed a report last year by an NCC Governing Board Task Force on Revisioning and Restructuring the NCC. “The decision to consolidate operations in Washington provides flexibility for future possibilities concerning the location – or locations – of the Council,” said NCC President Kathryn Lohre.

“The critical NCC policy work can be coordinated from any location but to be the prophetic ‘voice of the faithful’ on the ground in the places of power, it is best served by establishing our operations in Washington,” Birk said. The long-run savings of the consolidation in Washington are projected at between $400,000 and $500,000, according to Birk.

In the 1960s, the National Council of Churches occupied three floors of The Interchurch Center in New York, in addition to its offices at 110 Maryland Avenue in Washington.

The NCC was the impetus in the planning of The Interchurch Center, which opened in 1960. The Interchurch Center was conceived as the “Protestant Vatican on the Hudson” when President Dwight D. Eisenhower laid the cornerstone in 1958.

Over the years, however, many church denominations moved their headquarters outside New York, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Church of Christ.

“It is important that we honor this moment with reverence and respect for the Council’s history as an iconic presence in the beloved ‘God Box,’” said Lohre.

“It is equally important that we look with hope upon this new chapter in the Council’s life,” Lohre said.

“This consolidation will free us from the infrastructure of a bygone era, enabling us to witness more boldly to our visible unity in Christ, and work for justice and peace in today’s rapidly changing ecclesial, ecumenical and inter-religious world.”

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC’s 37 member communions — from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches — include 40 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

The Reverends Steve and Mary Hammond, co-pastors of Peace Community Church, Oberlin, Ohio, will receive the Edwin T. Dahlberg Peace Award for significant efforts toward peace over a period of time. Their ministry has been instrumental in establishing Ecumenical Christians of Oberlin at Oberlin College. Through their ministry, faculty, students and community members were inspired to create a Peace and Conflict Studies concentration at the college, which earned them the Distinguished Service to the Community Award in 2009.

The Rev. James Hopkins, pastor of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, Calif., will receive the American Baptist Religious Freedom Award for leadership in defending God-given religious liberty for all. Throughout his ministry, Hopkins has been committed to the historic Baptist principles of “Bible Freedom, Soul Freedom, Church Freedom and Religious Freedom,” resulting in a “healing presence” and his embracing leaders from Jewish and Islamic faith groups.

The Rev. Debbie Bennett Reynolds, associate pastor of Lake Avenue Baptist Church, Rochester, N.Y., will receive the Richard Hoiland Local Christian Education Award for educational programs in local church or wider community. She leads an after-school group for neighborhood girls; oversees leadership training for youth and adults; offers education for mission and service; provides educational resources for a continuing education program that has grown to include 175 individuals under age 20; developed a program to help young people and parents navigate the local school systems; and started classes for immigrants from Burma.

Dr. Kevin Eichner, president of Ottawa (Kan.) University, will receive the Luther Wesley Smith Education Award for educational programs in college or seminary. He launched the Frederickson Center for Faith and Church Vitality; served as facilitator of a series of programs to enrich servant leadership in the local community; developed a pastoral training program, offered at no cost to American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) pastors throughout the Midwest; and formed a Cadre of Champions, a group of past, present and future educators who share best practices for education in the current challenging age.

The Rev. H. Mark Tuttle, pastor of the Burke-Lucas Baptist Parish in South Dakota,   will receive the Rosa O. Hall Rural and Small Town Award for a pastor in rural or small town ministry. Under Tuttle’s leadership, the multi-generational church has grown in stewardship, mission and ministry to young people as well as in community service.  The congregation has engaged in ministries on the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation and provided micro-loans to mission partners in India. Known as a pillar in the community, Tuttle is a founder of the Burke Community Foundation, which promotes the social and economic well-being of the Burke community.   

The Rev. Ashlee Wiest-Laird, pastor of First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain, Mass., will receive the Edward H. Rhoades Urban Ministry Award for a pastor in urban ministry. Helping to rebuild the church after a fire, she has transformed a 20-person Anglo congregation into a vibrant 80-person multicultural one whose mission statement is “Many Cultures, One Faith.” She works with the Jamaica Plain Business and Professionals Association, campus ministries at Andover-Newton Theological School as well as on ABCUSA’s associational, regional, national and international levels. She shepherds two student pastors yearly; leads candlelight vigils to protest violence; blesses bicycles for riders of Boston’s busy streets; and spearheaded creation of and funding for a position to minister to neighborhood youth.

Cathie Carpenter, lay co-pastor with her husband, Jim, of West Waynesburg Jesus Distributors (WWJD) in Pennsylvania, will receive the Jitsuo Morikawa Evangelism Award for a layperson for leadership in holistic evangelism. To be close to the community they serve, the couple sold their home and moved into a modest house across from the church in a neighborhood of beer distributors and bars. Cathie has been instrumental in a variety of programs that have made a difference, including summer breakfast programs; a food-distribution program that serves more than 200 individuals; tutoring; a women’s shelter; Habitat for Humanity; recovery ministries; a clothing drive that allowed children to start the school year with new clothes; and converting a bar for use with youth programs.

Chaplain Paul N. Rumery will receive the Merit Award for Military Chaplaincy. A member of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps, an ABC-endorsed military chaplain and an ABCUSA-endorsed institutional chaplain, Rumery is a combat veteran, having completed deployment as chaplain for the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He has also served as chaplain for the 2nd Marine Regiment. At Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, Rumery’s assignments include primary duties for the Multi-Service Ward and intensive care unit, as well as back-up responsibilities for inpatient psychiatric groups. He serves as deputy to the command chaplain and assists in the daily operation of the department, the supervision of two pastoral counselors and two enlisted personnel. He authored “The High Cost of Caring Too Much,” a research paper on compassion fatigue and burnout.

The Rev. Dr. E. Harry Simmons, institutional chaplain at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Richmond, Va., will receive the Merit Award for Institutional Chaplaincy. Known for  interfaith leadership, Simmons not only was instrumental in recruiting and hiring the first full-time Roman Catholic chaplain at the polytrauma center since 1996 but also co-celebrated mass at the medical center with a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond—a first for the VA. In addition to providing pastoral care and counseling at the medical center, Simmons is a professor at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. He has served on numerous local, regional and national commissions, boards and committees. He twice held a three-year term as chair of the Racial, Ethnic and Multicultural Network, where he worked with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education for the inclusion of people of color on national leadership commissions and committees.

The Rev. Dr. Ruth Rosell, associate pastor of Care and Counseling at Prairie Baptist Church and an assistant professor of Pastoral Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary, will receive the Merit Award for Pastoral Counseling. As associate pastor, Rosell provides pastoral care and counseling at no cost to church members and the community at large, and led the church to join the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides housing, meals and transportation to county homeless. She was recently awarded the rank of Fellow by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, a Masters of Divinity and a doctorate in Religion and Personality. A task force member for “Sabbaths of Hope”—a depression-education effort of mental health associations and the Center for Practical Bioethics—Rosell has been invited by dozens of organizations to conduct depression-related workshops. She has served ABCUSA as chaplain for Orientation to American Baptist Life and as a board member of ABC of the Central Region.

ABHMS extends warm congratulations to these award recipients, along with prayer that God will continue to bless their ministries.

The window for 2015 award nominations will open in late summer 2014. Many women and men are worthy of consideration for these honors, and American Baptists are strongly encouraged to identify and promote nominees.

For more information about the awards, contact Susan Bogle at sbogle@abhms.org or 1-800-222-3872, x2028.

ABHMS—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community and justice.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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“The Widow’s Mite award goes to a congregation that reflects the spirit of thankfulness and generosity Jesus talks about in Luke 21.1-4,” explained Rev. Hopper.  “Gardena Valley Baptist Church embodies this spirit.  Your church’s consistent commitment to ministers and missionaries who selflessly dedicated themselves to Christ’s work is inspiring.”

“Gardena Valley is a historically Japanese multigenerational church,” explained Pastor Steven Langely. “We deeply value the bonds and ministry of all of our past and present clergy and congregation members. Gardena Valley is a place where one remains part of our family, even well past parting.”

GVBC accepts the offering every February and adopts a Valentine’s Day theme of “We Love You…”  To promote the RMMO, Pastor Langely sends out a letter and offering envelope.  He writes, “So if the Lord lays it on your heart to give—then give as the Lord leads you. We cannot designate to just those who retired from GVBC. It all goes for the common good.”

Though Pastor Langely encourages his congregation to contribute to this worthy cause, the members of his generous congregation need little convincing, as the offering is personal to each member.

“Gardena Valley’s congregation has always been supportive, especially when it comes to giving to someone in need,” said Pastor Langely. “Our members open their hearts honestly and willingly and are always ready to lend a hand or dollar.”

Each year, MMBB gives the Widow’s Mite Award to commemorate the 1981 gift of a Vietnamese refugee woman who, not knowing the full intent of the offering, but understanding the words “thank you” printed on the RMMO offering envelope, slipped off her only possession of value—her wristwatch—and placed it in the envelope.  The Widow’s Mite Award, like the act of the poor widow at the temple treasury whom Jesus commended, reflects the spirit of thankfulness and generosity.

MMBB Financial Services (The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board) offers flexible and affordable benefits packages to faith-based employers and their staff throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. MMBB carries forward the 100-year tradition of The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board—pioneers in providing employee benefits. With $2.5 billion in assets, MMBB offers clients the consultative services they need to succeed. Real planning, real solutions. That’s our calling.

Initially focused on institutions associated with the Northern Baptist Convention (later renamed the American Baptist Convention and then American Baptist Churches USA), MMBB now offers benefits to any church or faith-based organization with similar faith and practice of ABCUSA.

A non-profit Christian organization, The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board (MMBB) has served churches and faith-based organizations since 1911. With a strong expertise of the ministry and its complex tax laws and other financial issues, MMBB serves more than 17,000 members across a wide range of denominations, offering “one-stop shopping” for employees including retirement, life, disability, medical and dental plans—to ensure that employers and their employees have sound peace of mind and financial security.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

Since an influx began in 2006, ABHMS has been working vigorously with the thousands of refugees of Karen, Chin, Kachin, Karenni, Mon, Shan, Lisu and other ethnicities settled in 30 American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) regions.

Since 2007, ABHMS has taken a leading role in shaping and guiding the Burma Refugees Task Force, working alongside the Office of the General Secretary, ABCUSA; American Baptist Women’s Ministries; International Ministries; ABCUSA regions; and Burma pastoral leaders from around the nation. Recognizing the need to undergird the vision of the task force, ABHMS has assumed the costs for staff to serve as liaisons and to facilitate leadership development efforts, local church and regional ministries with refugees, and advocacy efforts around the nation. 

Today, ABHMS once again affirms the ministry’s importance with the appointment of two home missionaries to serve refugee immigrants from Burma—the Rev. Saw Ler Htoo of Laurel, Md., and Pastor Ronald Charles Nunuk of West Allis, Wis. These appointments mark the first time that Burma pastoral leaders will serve as staff at the national level.

“These historic appointments confirm the Home Mission Societies’ longstanding commitment to refugee resettlement and advocacy on behalf of immigrant peoples in general and to the peoples of Myanmar in particular,” says ABHMS Executive Director Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III. “We look forward to formally commissioning both the Rev. Saw Ler Htoo and Pastor Ronald Charles Nunuk as American Baptist Home Missionaries during the upcoming Mission Summit this summer.” 

Widely respected, Htoo has an extensive resume that includes roles as pastor of Calvary Burmese Church, Washington, D.C., since 2001 and as executive secretary of Karen Baptist Churches USA since 2009. He also serves on the Burma Refugees Task Force.

Nunuk is also a well-known, gifted leader with a broad background, including roles as founding senior pastor at Carson Chin Baptist Church, West Allis, and trustee and youth coordinator of Chin Baptist Churches of USA. He has served as a board member of American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin.

For more information, visit www.abhms.org > Ministries & Programs > Justice Ministries > Immigration and Refugee Services > Burma Refugee Ministry.

ABHMS—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community and justice.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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Starting this year, Engel becomes one of IM’s regional missionaries. This means that she will serve all of Iberoamerica and the Caribbean (Haiti, Cuba, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica). In this new role, Kristy, a fluent Spanish-speaker, will put her medical experience and training to work for medical relief associated with crises, education, medical resources, encouragement, and continuing education.

“I can’t express to you how excited I am about my new role,” wrote Kristy in a recent journal about her transition. There are exciting new places that need health care teams and ongoing projects that are expanding or changing to meet the needs of their community,” she explains. “And my role in all of this is to connect needs with resources while also being able to serve in some of the most desperate areas throughout the region.”

Engel will start by assisting three IM ministries: the House of Hope in Cochabamba, Bolivia; Deborah’s House in Tijuana, Mexico; and the Cap Haitien Eye Clinic in Haiti.

In Bolivia, she will work with IM missionary Mario Morales at the House of Hope, which provides medical services to children and their families. While she is there in February, Kristy will work with a church from Ohio, and local physicians who are volunteering their time at the House of Hope.

In Mexico, she will be partnering with IM missionaries Ray and Adalia Schellinger-Gutiérrez at Deborah’s House. This special ministry assists women and children who have experienced abuse and trafficking and is changing lives. Kristy is going to work with Ray and Adalia to find ways to replicate this program throughout Latin America.

And in Haiti, she will be working with IM missionary Nzunga Mabudiga as the Cap Haitien Eye Clinic expands its work to include an ear, nose and throat specialty. Kristy will be helping to find partners for construction, medical supplies, and sponsors so that they can continue to provide free medical care.

Engel’s reassignment does not change her status as an IM missionary or her fundraising needs. Her move entails a change of focus and location only. She will live in Atlanta, Georgia, where she can easily and quickly access transportation to the many ministries that are calling on her services.

To learn more about Kristy or to support her work, visit her profile for more information.

American Baptist International Ministries was organized in 1814 as the first Baptist international mission agency in America. It began its pioneer mission work in Burma and today works in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas serving more than 1,800 long-term and short-term missionaries. Its central mission is to help people come to faith in Jesus, grow in their relationship with God, and change their worlds through the power of the Spirit. It works with respected partners in over 70 countries in ministries that meet human need.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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Michaele Birdsall, president of the ABCC and CFO/Treasurer of ABHMS, said, “Sam has provided exemplary leadership for and stewardship of the Computer Center and he will be greatly missed. I pray God will grant him many more years of health, laughter, and fruitful ministry as he enters a well-deserved retirement.”

“It has been a pleasure to serve alongside Sam Duncan in this ministry” said Dr. Aidsand F Wright-Riggins III, executive director of ABHMS. “The same servant leader I saw in Sam when I first met him many years ago when he served as an overseas American Baptist missionary, I saw even more clearly in his founding role as the director of the American Baptist Computer Center. He did a fantastic job at cross cultural global ministry and in shepherding our cultural shift from a print to digital world.”

Wright-Riggins continued, “David Cushman is the right person for such a time as this in the evolution of the American Baptist Computer Center.  David possesses a unique blend of technology and theology, research and reflection, pastoral presence and prophetic skills and commitments that made him an obvious choice as ABCC explored options for transitional leadership. I am grateful that David will only be seventy-five feet further down the hall as he begins this new journey.”      

Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, said, “Under Sam’s leadership, the ABCC has continually evolved from the embryonic years of business use of computers to the current day where electronic communications are the norm. Sam has brought not only his technical expertise to bear upon our life, but also his passion for Christ and God’s reign in the world. His presence will be sorely missed.”

Duncan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Math from MIT in 1962, and a Master of Arts in Math from University of Southern California in 1969.

From 1962-68, Duncan served as a senior research engineer and programmer at General Dynamics in Pomona, California. There, he developed a prototype simulation model of air defense, and worked with varied systems and equipment, such as missiles, radar, real-time applications, and anti-submarine defense, and also taught programming to other engineers.

In 1968 Duncan left the defense industry to serve as a missionary with International Ministries (IM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire, teaching Math and Physics. His three children were born in Africa, before the family returned to the United States in 1980.

He wanted to return to mission, and did so in 1981 to serve once again as an IM missionary at Central Philippine University, Iloilo City, Philippines, starting a computer center at the university, selecting hardware and training programmers and teachers. He developed the curricula for several programming courses, and published two books on programming. He served in the Philippines from 1981-84.

In 1984, he moved to Pennsylvania and helped incorporate the American Baptist Computer Center at the American Baptist Churches Mission Center in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. For the next 28 years, Duncan served as the director of ABCC.

Duncan was an adjunct Professor at Eastern University from 1995 through 2008, teaching courses and developing curricula in the Graduate School of Management Studies.

“The staff members at the Mission Center are the nicest and most supportive people in the world, and I am blessed to have colleagues like them,” said Duncan. “Everyone makes my job so enjoyable that I have actually looked forward to coming in each day. The Computer Center staff has been wonderful, and I will greatly miss the fun of working here.”

There will be a retirement party for Sam Duncan in the ABCUSA Mission Center side dining room on March 22, 2013 at 2:00pm. All are welcome.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 2/8/13)—MMBB Financial Services (The Ministers and Missionairies Benefit Board) announced that Mr. Louis P. Barbarin will assume the role of executive director on March 1, 2013, following Rev. Dr. Sumner Grant’s retirement. The MMBB Board of Managers met in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to make its unanimous decision to appoint Mr. Barbarin, MMBB’s current deputy executive director, chief financial officer and treasurer, to this position.

“Louis has served MMBB with distinction for the past 14 years,” said Rev. Dr. George H. Tooze, Jr., president, MMBB Board of Managers. “He knows the organization and the people.  He is dedicated to our ministry. The decision to appoint Louis was not a hard one for the Board—we are confident that he will continue to lead MMBB forward as a financial services organization dedicated to real planning and real solutions.”

Mr. Barbarin initially joined MMBB as assistant treasurer; he was elected treasurer in 1998. In 2010, Louis assumed the role of deputy executive director, assisting The Rev. Dr. Grant with strategic and tactical initiatives that support MMBB’s mission.

Prior to joining MMBB, Mr. Barbarin served as the deputy executive director and treasurer of the American Baptist Board of Education and Publication.

Other experiences include serving as controller and acting vice president of finance at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and a professional career at the accounting firm of KPMG.

“It’s an honor to have been selected for this role,” said Mr. Barbarin. “I have worked closely with Sumner over the years and have appreciated his steadfast commitment to providing benefits and protections to clergy and lay church workers who are without. I am looking forward to working with MMBB’s dedicated staff to expand our ministry to new faith-based organizations and to serve our members with generosity and justice.”

Mr. Barbarin holds a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and a Masters in Finance from Pennsylvania State University and has completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in New York and Pennsylvania.

He currently serves on the Board of The Interchurch Center as treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee. Mr. Barbarin also serves on the Board and Finance Committees of the Kendal Corporation, a network of continuous care retirement communities that provide housing and other services to its residents. Prior volunteer experiences include Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, The American Baptist Foundation, ABCON Credit Union and Trinity Press International.

“MMBB Financial Services (The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board) offers flexible and affordable benefits packages to faith-based employers and their staff throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. MMBB carries forward the 100-year tradition of The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board—pioneers in providing employee benefits. With $2.5 billion in assets, MMBB offers clients the consultative services they need to succeed. Real planning, real solutions. That’s our calling.”

Initially focused on institutions associated with the Northern Baptist Convention (later renamed the American Baptist Convention and then American Baptist Churches USA), MMBB now offers benefits to any church or faith-based organization with similar faith and practice of ABCUSA.

A non-profit Christian organization, The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board (MMBB) has served churches and faith-based organizations since 1911. With a strong expertise of the ministry and its complex tax laws and other financial issues, MMBB serves more than 17,000 members across a wide range of denominations, offering “one-stop shopping” for employees including retirement, life, disability, medical and dental plans—to ensure that employers and their employees have sound peace of mind and financial security.

 American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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“CBF and ABC have great affinities,” said Pat Anderson, the Fellowship’s executive coordinator. “We share a Baptist history and heritage which blesses our work, and we share a Baptist view of congregational life, missions and social justice. Our paths intersect in so many ways that it is quite natural for us to want to work together intentionally in common tasks, as we do in significant ways, while also maintaining our unique identities. Roy Medley and I thought it would be useful for our leadership staffs to have a time of dialogue.”

Discussion among staff from the two organizations focused on challenges and successes in Baptist life, including partnerships, organizational structures and programs designed to serve Christians and churches. The collegial gathering gave staff members opportunities to learn about the workings of the two organizations and share ideas and resources for ministry.

“For me, on a larger scale, I want to know how we can strengthen the moderate voice in Baptist life,” said Roy Medley, ABCUSA general secretary and ecumenical officer. “Are there things we can do together that would strengthen each other … whether it’s the co-appointment of missionaries or doing a conference together. Are there points where we can intersect with each other and benefit each other? I hope these are some initial steps we have taken today as we have gotten to know each other.”

In 2007, CBF and ABCUSA met together in Washington, D.C., for the Fellowship’s annual General Assembly and ABCUSA’s biennial meeting. At that gathering, the two organizations jointly commissioned four field personnel to missions service – Nancy and Steve James serving in Haiti and Duane and Marcia Binkley serving among Karen refugees.

In the past, CBF and ABCUSA have partnered together in disaster response efforts, including the earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Katrina and recently, Hurricane Sandy. The two organizations also have common partners in ministry, such as the Baptist World Alliance, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Baptist Center for Ethics and Baptists Today.

Staff from ABCUSA, which is based in Valley Forge, Pa., included Roy Medley, general secretary and ecumenical officer; Leo Thorne, associate general secretary for mission resource development; Jeff Woods, associate general secretary for regional ministries; Alan Musoke, treasurer and associate general secretary for finances; Pat Hernandez, national director of women in ministry and transition ministry; Annie Marcucci, director for travel and conference planning and Johnson Eapen, director of human resource development. Staff from the Fellowship included Pat Anderson, interim executive coordinator; Connie McNeill, coordinator of administration; Bo Prosser, coordinator of missional congregations and Jim Smith, interim coordinator of global missions.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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“Dr. Carter has helped Andover Newton develop one of the finest emphases on interfaith studies and relationships during his tenure,” said Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA. “As a result they have served as a co-sponsor of the US Baptist-Muslim dialogue. His leadership at the seminary has been farsighted and cutting edge. We give thanks for his leadership at an ABC-related seminary that has trained outstanding leaders for the church.”

Carter’s plans were announced in a letter to Andover Newton’s board chair, the Rev. Judy Swahnberg. In his letter, Carter described his tenure as president as “the greatest privilege of my professional life.” While highlighting and sharing credit with many for numerous groundbreaking accomplishments and much progress during his term at the helm, Carter noted that he has discovered enormous “joy in being able to share in preparation of a new generation of faith-filled leaders for the Church and the world.”

In a communication to the Andover Newton community mailed this week, Swahnberg thanked Carter for his decade of service, calling it “a time of rich blessing to this institution.” She hailed his ability “to imagine new possibilities for the school” and noted that, because of Carter’s leadership and tireless work on behalf of Andover Newton, the “school is in a stronger place.”

“Andover Newton may be the oldest graduate school in North America,” Swahnberg wrote in her letter, “yet Nick’s creative leadership abilities have helped us reach a new perspective on our mission and we believe we now ready to undergo this change in the presidency.” She reported that the board’s executive committee has worked with Carter over recent months to plan a smooth transition and is confident a national search, to be launched officially in coming weeks, will lead to a successor ready to take the helm by July 1, 2014.

A search committee is being formed and will be chaired by Andover Newton alumnus and trustee Rev. Jim Sherblom, who currently is vice chair of the board. The school has engaged AGB Search, a Washington, D.C.-based search firm with long experience in theological education, to provide guidance throughout the search process.

Under Carter’s leadership Andover Newton has undergone significant change. Six new faculty members have been brought on board, including four women and three persons of color; a new competency-based curriculum was launched; the school was officially established as “open and affirming” to the gay and lesbian communities; and the beautiful campus, with its new (2007) iconic Wilson Chapel, underwent many improvements and this past fall achieved the goal of a 20% reduction in its carbon emission footprint.

Carter’s signature contribution was his pioneering work in interfaith leadership education, which is evident today in Andover Newton’s close collaborative relationship with neighboring Hebrew College and their joint efforts to promote understanding and new initiatives through the Interreligious Center for Public Life, which Carter chairs. Carter and the president of Hebrew College, Rabbi Danny Lehmann, have engaged in a weekly sacred text study for many years. Recently, in recognition of Andover Newton’s path-breaking accomplishments in this realm, Carter was invited to participate in the founding ceremonies of the King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna, Austria.

Andover Newton has historical covenants with American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It is also a member of the Boston Theological Institute (BTI), an association of theological schools and seminaries in the Greater Boston area, and shares some facilities and programs with Harvard University.

Andover Newton Theological School, founded in 1807, is the first graduate school of any kind in America. Always an innovator in religious education, Andover Newton is internationally recognized as a leader in interfaith learning. Stay informed about the presidential search by visiting www.ants.edu/presidentsearch.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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