2010 - A New Year For TRBA

It is still early in the New Year - a new decade. As we enter 2010, TRBA also begins full implementation of its policies and procedures under the "new" ByLaws that were approved by the association. I am grateful for all the hard work that has been done to prepare for the implementation. I am excited as I see how God will use these efforts to help us go forward in the new decade.

By now, you should have experienced our enhanced efforts to communicate the life and work of the Association. We have established both a FaceBook Group and Fan Page. We will use these pages (and the services offered through FaceBook) to communicate to the many members of Tar River that daily use FaceBook. We will advertise TRBA events (inviting you to RSVP to the various events) and also invite you to participate in discussion topics as well.

One very important feature on the FaceBook is that YOU - any member of the group - can send out messages to all other members. This way, you can get the news out to all our member churches regarding activities in your church and community.

We will expand our use of e-zines. Pastors should be receiving a weekly e-zine entitled THE NAVIGATOR. Everyone on our "Constant Contact" list should receive THE MID-STREAM around the 15th of each month. These detail important information to our members and we would appreciate your sharing them with your church family. If you are not receiving these, please email us at tarriverbaptist@hotmail.com and ask to be added to the e-zine lists.

Third, we are also expanding the use of TellBlast. You should have received the first mass effort to get the word out about the Sunday School training on January 30th. We will utilize this a great deal more during 2010 to get information to you in a timely manner.

Fourth, we will utilize both TRBA blogs (one for general membership and the second for pastors) to communicate ideas and discussions about major changes taking place in the life and work of the association. Please participate.

Finally (in the arena of communication) we will also be altering our monthly newsletter, THE CURRENTS OF THE TAR, pretty soon. It is our hope that any changes we make will enhance our communication efforts to our member churches.

There are a LOT of quality events coming forward in the next few weeks:

January 19 - 7 PM: Treasures IRS Update (TRBA Center)
January 23 - 9 AM: Pastors' Families Fellowship Breakfast (Ephesus Church)
January 25 - 6 PM: Associational Council Meeting (TRBA Large Conference Room)
Janaury 25 - 7 PM: Quarterly Executive Board Meeting (TRBA Large Conference Room)
January 30 - 8 AM: Sunday School Training (Pearce Church)
Feb 16 -10 AM: Monthly Ministers' Fellowship (TRBA Large Conference Room)
March 6/7 (TBA): "Life Is A Mission Trip" Training (Duke Memorial)

One final announcement for this post: EVERY MONDAY at 9 AM your TRBA Associational Staff gathers for prayer. All persons in the building will be invited to join us in the small conference room for a season of prayer. During 2010 there will be invitations for all to join in prayer for the ministry that is before us.

Next week's post will be a brief update of efforts regarding the CURRENTS OF THE TAR and some of the particular training events for 2010. We will begin to share our goals as an association in our weekly (hopefully) blog posts. Please join me in praying for the life and work of our member churches as we work together to accomplish the work God has called us to do together.

The Choices Before God's Church

It has been a LONG time since I posted anything. Truth is, it is difficult to find enough time to deal with all the tools we have to better communicate AND still do all the work that is required. I HOPE to become more regular in posting, but can make no real promises.

I am in the process of adding 2 Corinthinas 11:28 as a life-verse as it relates to my calling to serve as Associational Missionary. It reads, “Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” When I read through that earlier this year it truly spoke to me. I am concerned gretayly about "the church." I am burdened about the stats I see related to the church of North America in particular. I see the baptism rates in TRBA churches and my heart aches as well.

I have to admit to you, the ideas expressed in this post come from reading an article in the newsletter of a friend of mine - Bud Parish, Associational Missionary for the Robeson Association. His original remarks sparked ideas for me and I have chosen to modify them to share a piece of my heart and calling for Associational Missions.

Some have stated that the church of North America has been in a "spiritual drift" for the past 150 years and there is a need for a spiritual awakening in our country. I think we will agree that many of our churches throughout America have been "sliding backwards" for at least the past 30 - 50 years when it comes to reaching the people that are not in relationship with Christ. Sometimes we have looked to the convention (state and national) to provide a new program or a "quick fix" for us. All the while, God is calling us - the local church - to simply be His church and be faithful where He has placed us.

What are our options/choices?

I believe there are three basic choices we have as churches:

1. Separation - we can escape into ourselves and "hide" from that which God has placed in our path.

I think you can tell from the "tone" in my writing that I am NOT for such a choice by the local church. We are IN the world and not OF the world, but we certainly can not hide from the realities before us.

2. Assimilation - we can assume our culture and look "just like the world."

Again, there may be a little in my "tone" here as well. Yes, we must be relevant to ouyr culture, but I think there is inherent danger when we look JUST like the culture. There is a natural, marked CONTRAST to the ways of the world when God transforms our lives.

3. Association - we must.............

....work together and pray together
....move from limitations to innovations
....step up to the challenge God has placed before us (no matter what that
is for our local church and not be concerned with the "measurement
stick" used by others)
....move from preservation to penetration of our culture ("go and see")
....become pro-active as opposed to re-active
....start NEW ministries - ministry is seeing a need and meeting it

Oh well, I think from the "tone" here you can see where I am as well. Think with me for a minute - why were Sunday Schools started? They were started to teach children how to read. That says something to us. What is the greatest need in your community? Don't you believe that's what God has placed you there to meet. I am sad to report to you that there are many church leaders I speak with that do not have a clue as to what the greatest need is in their community. Sure, I think we can all agree their real greatest need is Jesus, but there are temporal needs to be met to bring them in to listen to the Gospel (and if you think their greratest need is Jesus, are YOU busy sharing Jesus with your community?).

TRBA is made up of what would be classified as "smaller membership churches." That simply has to do with the numbers that gather weekly for praise and worship in their local assembly. It has NOTHING to do with the calling of God on our individual church. I believe strongly that God has equipped us to do ALL that He has called us to do. We are to be obedient to that call and step out in faith believing God is God and we are His church.

IN ASSOCIATION with one another, the churches of the Tar River Baptist Association have committed to minister to the needs of hurting people in our community. Each of us have a roll to fulfill. All are equally important to the total need of the community being fulfilled. All of us are to be faithful to the call of God. We are working in concert with one another - not in competition. That is a key concept for us to grasp as churches.

I ask that you join me in praying for the member churches of our association. Pray for your church, but also pray for the leadership of your neighboring churches. Pray that God will bless us all as we step out in faithful obedience to His calling for the local church we serve. Just BE READY to be the instrument that God has called YOU to be in His work.

My friend Bud closed his article by saying, "God is always ready for a New Thing, are we ready?" It is my prayer that we will be ready to respond to the Lordship of Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit to do that which God has called us to do as His church.

What "NEW THING" is God calling YOU to today? Will you be that faithful servant that yields to the Lordship of Christ and follow Him wherever He leads and whatever He demands?

Niger, West Africa

Yesterday I received an email from the Islamic Assistant Coach of the team we played while in Niger. On the last night of our trip, he and the head coach had come to tell us goodbye and thank us for our efforts in working with them over the past few days. The head coach is a believer. The assistant coach was, as stated, Muslim, and was participating in the fasting of Ramadan.

But please get the picture -- he had traveled to tell a group of 5 Baptist Men goodbye in a Christian setting. Throughout the week, he and I had developed a strong relationship. We discussed his beliefs. We discussed my beliefs. We shared a great deal. I was privileged to present the Gospel message to a group of young girls as he sat and listened - so, I KNOW he heard.

As we walked hand-in-hand through the compound that night so they could connect with a taxi, we continued to talk of our faith. The time of fasting had ended and we had shared a coke and a piece of Zuchinni bread (the night before, we had shared Niger ice cream before we caught our taxi). When we got to the main road and the taxi came, we stopped; he hugged and kissed me; I hugged and kissed him; and I said, "Listen to Coach S********." He said, "I will." I said back to him, "I'm not just talking about ******(the sport they coached), I'm talking about what he has to say about Jesus." He said, "I know and I will." I kissed him again, and he left.

Yes, you heard me right. A black man and a white man/a Christian and a Muslim/walked together down the streets of a city and in the compound, hand-in-hand and kissed one another good-bye. When I received his email, I REJOICED!!!! It meant that God was giving me more opportunity to share the Good News with him. I am convinced, the seeds planted will produce fruit/that there will be a harvest.

I have shared more about our trip in the newlsetter this month and will share more later as well. Suffice it to say, God is not through with TRBA in Niger. Every report from our local missionaries is reporting back results from the seeds planted. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

New Partnerships in Tar River Association

Long time - no post. Will not promise a lot of posts as life is BUSY and "blogging" is not my top priority.

There are 4 partnerships in Tar River I want to highlight and get before all the people.

First, I want to partner with YOU. Like Time Magazin'e person of the year, TRBA depends on YOU to coimmunicate the life and work of the association to our member churches. Therefore, we want to strengthen our partnership with YOU. To that end, we are developing an e-zine service to announce a lot of what is going on in Tar River Association. Click on to our web page and begin to get updates periodically about all that is happening in your association.

Second, our OPERATION LIFEBOX partnership is with YOU and LifeWay - as well as other associations around the nation. Check out the information about this on our web site as well. Lead your church to participate in this worthwhile ministry.

The third partnership is with LifeWay in Rocky Mount and YOU. If you are planning to use VBS curriculum from LifeWay, you can purchase from LifeWay in Rocky Mount and they will make a percentage contribution to our Partnership Missions.

That leads me to the final partnership I want to highlight - PARTNERSHIP MISSIONS. This summer, TRBA will lead 2 teams - one to Vermont and a second to East Asia. Details will be on the web site and shared with YOU in a meeting on 2/27 at TRBA Center.

I hope you see how important YOU are to the life and work of the Tar River Baptist Association. Thank YOU for your partnership with us.