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Moderator’s Corner Dr. K. D. Weldon, Sr. Pastor, Harmony Baptist Church

Clergy Appreciation Month Since 1992; October has been designated as Clergy Appreciation Month. As we consider those who serve us in Christian Leadership, I believe it is important for us to take this opportunity to thank those Ministers and Pastors who render service through their sacrifice of love.

Although many Pastors may have an annual appreciation service during the year; I believe it is imperative to give them an additional "thank you" this month. We frequently see those in leadership all dressed up and performing their various tasks. However; what we don't see are the unseen struggles, shattered dreams, unfulfilled aspirations, and daily frustrations they face. To narrow the gap between church compensation and family need; many fulltime pastors are also bi-vocational and maintain fulltime (or part-time) jobs in the workforce. They often neglect themselves in their quest to balance the ongoing demands of the church, their families, and their jobs. As I was preparing this, I searched the Internet to see if I could find a list of ways members could encourage their Ministers and Pastor; below is what I found: How to Encourage Your Pastor (David McLemore June 21, 2017) Pastoring a church is not an easy job. Here are 10 ways you can encourage your pastor (or pastors). 1. Thank him (or them). It's not easy to preach every week. It's not easy to carry the burden of ministry every day. A pastor rarely hears "thank you." A good pastor isn't in the ministry for a thank you from the congregation. They are not after man's approval but work for God's approval (Galatians 1:10). They shepherd as one who will give account to God (Hebrews 13:17). But a thank you can go a long way. Pastors, like nearly everyone, are severely under-encouraged. My guess is you appreciate the work he does. Tell him so. One practical way to do this: write him a letter. Emails usually include a criticism. Hand-written letters nearly always include encouragement. It shows you thought more than the 30 seconds it takes to send an email. Letters also have a way of sticking around for a while. Emails get buried quickly. Letters are sweet reminders on the desktop after a long, hard day of ministry.

Northern District Baptist Association

Connection

Fourth Quarterly Newsletter

October 2017

In This Issue • Moderator’s Corner • Pastors Korner “What is a Christian” • NDBA Youth & Young Adults • NDBA Announcements • NDBA Prayer List • NDBA Men’s Leadership Dinner • NDBA Prayer Retreats • Birthday Recognition • Announcements • About the NDBA • Submitting Articles

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How to Encourage Your Pastor Con’t

2. Be specific in your thanks. A general "thank you" is more than what many pastors hear week after week, but a specific thank you is life-giving. Find one phrase or thought or action and thank him. Specificity implies gratefulness. If a phrase from his sermon last week stuck with you, let him know. Lots of pastors hear very little specific feedback on their sermon. Imagine spending hours each week to prepare something and never know how it lands on the people you're speaking to.

One practical way to do this: immediately after the service, walk up with a smile and repeat to him one phrase from the sermon that you found life-giving. Every pastor wants to help people see God. Tell him specifically how God used him that day. 3. Submit to their leadership. If God has placed you in a church he requires for you to submit to her leaders (Hebrew 13:17). Most of the time, that's an easy call. If you stick around long enough and invest deep enough, something will arise that requires submission. Do it joyfully, understanding that God is leading this church. If the gospel isn't being thrown out and sin isn't being glorified, submit. One practical way to do this: when he says something that you aren't fully on board with initially, pray in the moment for a spirit of submission. Unless it is a gospel issue, sinful, or illegal, submit to the leadership. I guarantee your pastor has thought more and prayed harder about the vision they are presenting than your 30 seconds of evaluation. 4. Make their job easy. That is not to say don't have problems, but don't create problems. Be a life giver and not a life sucker. It's no surprise to anyone who's lived with other humans that we tend to make life harder to live. Pastors often see the worst parts. They are called when the crisis has reached breaking-point. They sit with grieving parents and children during deaths of loved ones. They have difficult conversations for the glory of God and the good of the church. Do all you can to make their job easy. Make it so your pastor is happy to see you. One practical way to do this: when you send an email with a question or a desire to get together, be specific. It's really difficult to receive an email from someone in the congregation requesting to "talk about something," or "run something by you," or "some feedback on your sermon." Include specifics as to exactly what you want to talk about, even if it is negative. Like anyone else, pastors appreciate the time to prepare for a conversation. Make their job easier, not harder. 5. Honor him (or them). Pay them well, if you are in a position to make such a call. Speak well of them to outsiders and insiders. Tell them how you see God at work in their life. Use your words to build up, not tear down. One practical way to do this: speak well of him in public and private. Your pastor may annoy you He might not be the best preacher. He may have a quirk or two. Don't talk to others about that--those are personal preferences. If he's preaching the gospel and walking in the light, don't beat him up for being who God made him. Instead, speak well of him at all times, just as you hope others would do for you.

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How to Encourage Your Pastor Con’t 6. Squash gossip. Leaders take a lot of heat. Let only their actual words and actions be discussed, not feelings about such words or actions, especially if you disagree. Be slow to speak. Remember, don't cause problems. Don't let your prayer requests for others be a shrouded attempt to spread the news that isn't yours to spread. Don't be the wind on the flame of gossip. Be the water. One practical way to do this: when someone shares something you know is gossip, end the conversation immediately. You may be able to do this subtly. You may have to confront publicly. Be wise in how you do it, but do not let a gossip speak long Nothing can ruin a church as quickly as a bit of juicy information. The tongue is like fire (James 3:5-6). 7. Come to church. Pastors love the people of their church and not members who don't attend is troublesome. It causes much worry. Come and be present. When you are absent, you pastor(s) notice. They have committed to God to care for your soul. When you aren't there, and they don't know why, they wonder how you are. Be tied into the church. Pretend like it's a family because it is. One practical way to do this: decide right now you'll go to church every week. Don't allow any room for excuses. Even if you're sick, come and sit in the back. Let people know you're not feeling well so you won't shake their hand and spread the illness. I make it a rule that unless I'm too sick to get out of bed I'm at church. It's not only encouraging to the pastor, it's good for your soul (Hebrews 10:25). 8. Engage in the life of the church in the way God has gifted you. Don't wait for him to ask for your help. Offer it, and be satisfied with the answer of yes or no to follow. What do you have that you didn't receive? Worship God through the use of your gifts. Even if you don't love the job, do it joyfully. Most likely, you won't do it forever. If you can help, help! One practical way to do this: learn your gifting. There are all kinds of spiritual gift tests you can take. Some of those are fine. But you know what you can and can't do. If you don't, others around you can see your strengths and weaknesses. Ask them. The point is, be ready to serve where and when you can. Open yourself up. Take a risk. Be dependable. After all, you're not serving your pastor You're serving the Lord. You can never serve God too much. 9. Trust him (or them). He's leading you the best he can as he follows Jesus. Trust his instincts. Give the benefit of the doubt. One practical way to do this: tell him you trust his leadership and are thankful for him. Be explicit in this, especially if you have a disagreeable personality. It's hard enough to preach each week. It's even harder when you wonder if certain people out there trust what you're saying. Following the Lord is a crazy journey. He asks us to do risky things from time to time. Trust that your pastor is following Jesus closely enough that you can trust him. Trust him until he proves he's untrustworthy. 10. Pray for him (or them). Nothing means more than this. Every day is a spiritual battle. Satan hates what pastors do. He wishes for nothing more than a great fall into sin. Every moment, the battle is waged. How often do you include your pastors into your prayers? What if, instead of complaining that the sermon was too long, or that he forgot your birthday, you instead bowed your head in thanksgiving?

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How to Encourage Your Pastor Con’t

One practical way to do this: every Sunday morning on the way to church, pray for your pastor. He's about to preach. That's a hard job! He's about to lead the church in beholding the glory of Christ. He needs your prayers. Oh, and when you get there, tell him you prayed for him on the way. Let him know he's not the only one trusting God to provide today.

Because of Christ, I remain:

.

~~ 2017 Remaining Prayer Retreats ~~

Prayer Retreats for Remainder of 2017

9:45 a.m. – 12 Noon Saturday, October 7, 2017 - The Light Christian Church, 7257 East Southgate Drive, Sacramento, CA 95823, Pastor O.J. Swanigan Saturday, November 4, 2017 – Mt. Calvary MBC, 3407 Altos Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95838, 916-922-8112, Pastor Bryant Wyatt Saturday, December 2, 2017 – Paradise MBC, 3651 27th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95820, 916-452-1974, Pastor Alonzo Morris.

~~ Daily Prayer ~~

Let us pray daily for our Pastor and Family; our Church Family; our Church Staff; Divorce within the Congregation; Domestic Violence within Homes; Exercising of Spiritual Gifts; Freedom to Worship; Bereaved Families; Evangelism; Discipleship;

Sick/Shut-In; Confined; Church Growth; Church Finances; Additional Teachers; Youth and Young Adult Ministries; Men’s Fellowship; Members losing their homes; Removal of hindrances to those desiring to accept Christ.

Special Prayers for our District Members Pastor Jimmie Cox; Pastor Wince Batton; Pastor MacArthur Weatherspoon and Pastor Abrams.

Scripture of the Quarter

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not”

Jeremiah 33: 3

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“What is a Christian?” Acts 11:19-26

Submitted by Pastor Arthur C. Jones

First Baptist Tabernacle Church

Ten years ago, Anderson Cooper was trying to find out what was a Christian. He talked to several people. There were quite a few opinions of what a Christian is. Have you ever seen the Jay Leno’s “man on the street" interviews? They stopped people on the streets and asked them their opinions. Some of the answers were very funny and some were very sad. And none of them agreed with the other. With these interviews, if you ask 30 people their opinion on a subject, you usually get 30 different answers. Everybody's got their own opinion and they all think they are right. But not all of them are always right. Sometimes none of them are right—at least that's my opinion!

What if you saw a "man on the street" interview asking this question, "What is a Christian?" I think you might get some good and wild answers. Here's a few I think you might hear. A Christian is someone who believes in God. A person who believes in a higher power. A Christian is someone who tries to live a good life and treats other people right. I'm a Christian because my family is Christian. A Christian is someone who gives money to a church. A Christian is someone who's been baptized: (dunked or sprinkled). A Christian is someone who goes to church. I've heard these answers before. There are other answers you can throw in there, too. What I want us to consider is whether these are good answers. Are these really the answers to "What is a Christian?" To find an answer to the question, "What is a Christian", we're going to see what the Bible says. The Bible is the book for Christians and those wanting to know more about Christianity. The Bible tells us about itself. The Bible says it is God-inspired. The Bible tells us that God speaks through its words. So, if there's a true, definitive answer to "What is a Christian?" it ought to be in the God-inspired, God-speaking Bible. So, let's go to the Bible and see if we can find an answer to the question: What is a Christian? Acts 11:19-26 tell us about Christians in the ancient town of Antioch. Verse 26 says that people were first called "Christians" in Antioch. So, if these people were Christians, maybe their story can answer our question. What made them Christians? Can what made them Christians be the same thing that can make us a Christian? I believe it is. What makes a Christian? They heard the good news about the Lord Jesus. Acts 11:20 What is the good news about Jesus Christ? Well, you must start with some bad news. The bad news is that all human beings are on God's bad side. God has let us know what the right way is, the holy way is and how to live. We are to live like God wants us to live because He is God. He knows what's best for us to live lives with meaning and purpose. But we have all failed to live like God wants us to. We have intentionally disobeyed God. This is called sin. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." The bad news is, we're sinners and under a death sentence. Now, for the good news. God holds us accountable for our sin. But He loves us so much that He has given us a way to come out from under the death sentence. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear the punishment for our sin. Jesus took our death sentence and gave Himself in our place. The Good News is that we can be forgiven of our sins in Jesus Christ. We can be made right with God through Jesus Christ. We can live not only now, but forever, with God because of Jesus Christ.

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What is a Christian Con’t They believed. Acts 11:21 What did they believe? They believed the Good News about the Lord Jesus Christ. They did more than give intellectual ascent to the Good News. They absorbed it, they trusted in Him. God's hand was with them. God was working in their hearts to see the truth, to accept the truth, to believe in the truth. When we hear the Good News, we have a choice. The Bible says that God draws us to Him. He works in our hearts and removes the blinders, the veil. As He works, we hear the Good News and we have a choice. We can choose to believe or we can choose to walk away. Do you believe? Is God opening your eyes to the truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ? Then believe! Then trust! They turned to the Lord. Acts 11:21 When you turn, you start heading in a different direction. The Biblical word "repent" means to turn from the direction you are going and turn to God. Repenting has to do with owning up to the truth of who we are and where we are headed. Repenting is admitting to God that we're going the wrong way. Repenting is turning our life in the direction God wants us to go. When we hear the Good News... When in our hearts we believe in Jesus Christ... When we come to that point, when we see the love of God for us, we will want to change the direction of our lives. We will turn from a self-centered life to a God-centered life. They experienced the grace of God. Acts 11:23 Grace is getting what you don't deserve. We've rightfully earned the death sentence because we lived without God and against God. But God offers us grace, not getting what we deserve. When we turn to Jesus, we will experience the grace of God. Not only His grace delivering us from eternal death, but His grace to live right now! They became disciples Acts 11:26 Disciples are followers: followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we believe, trust, and turn to Jesus, by His grace we're to follow Him. We're to develop a personal relationship with Him. So, we've answered the question "What is a Christian? The follow up question is this: Are you a Christian? Therefore, a Christian is a person who is hears, believe the Good News of the Bible – salvation through Jesus Christ; a person who turns to the Lord, repents of their sins and accepts the grace of God which transforms followers into disciples. Are you a Christian? “19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. 20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. 22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch. 23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. 25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” KJV

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9th Annual Children’s Outreach

Northern District Baptist Association Children’s Department

1 Corinthians 13:12-13: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Children’s Department is planning their Third Annual Children’s Outreach. Our Goal is to prepare gift bags to give to families residing at area shelters during the 2017 Christmas Season. We are humbly requesting your assistance in donating the following regular or trial size items: _____ hand sanitizers _____ shampoo _____ toothbrushes _____ hand wipes _____ conditioner _____ lotions _____ conditioner _____ bars of soap _____ shower gel _____ first aid kits _____ toothpaste _____ band-aids _____ deodorant (male & female) _____ crayons _____ pencils _____ paper _____ tissue packs _____ gallon size Ziploc bags _____ sanitary napkins/panty liners _____ coloring books The deadline for turning in these items is December 2, 2017. If you have any additional questions, please contact Sis. Angelique Anderson at (916) 952-4748.

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Pastor Appreciation Month I Timothy 5:17-18 “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Sunday, October 8, 2017 is Pastor Appreciation Day. Pray for your Pastor and show them some love. Churches should make sure that pastors who work hard in leading and feeding are highly respected and well-paid.

NDBA Annual Session Annual Session will be held October 4th-6th at 6:45 p.m. nightly. Paradise Missionary Baptist Church will host. Thursday has been designated as Women's night. Colors are white w/purple.

Ushers and Nurses The 2018 NDBA Usher and Nurses calendar is under way. Hope that you all have submitted your pictures to Sis. Renee Smith or Sis. Angie Smith (Kerr). Ushers and Nurses are needed to serve at Annual Session on October 4th thru 6th, 6:45pm nightly at Paradise MBC. Usher Monthly Meetings October 21st - 10am at St. John Missionary Baptist Church. November 18th - 10am location pending. December 16th - Annual Ushers and Nurses Christmas Fellowship 9:00 am at Golden Coral located off of Calvine Road, Elk Grove. There will be a gift exchange. No gifts over $10. Please come out and fellowship with us.

Old Time Church Musical

Plans for an Old Time Church Musical Friday, November 25, 2017 are underway. More information to follow.

California State Baptist Convention, Inc. The California State Baptist Convention, Inc. Annual Youth and Young Adult Annual Session will be held December 26-29, 2017at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto, California. Registration available online or through your Youth and Young Adult Department church leader.

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NORTHERN DISTRICT BAPTIST ASSOCIATION WOMEN AUXILIARY 2018 EVENTS

35th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Prayer Breakfast Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 8:00AM

St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Fellowship Hall Adult tickets $35.00; Children 12 and under $20.00

Dr. Ephraim Williams, Pastor

Annual Day of Learning Saturday, March 3, 2018 at St. John Missionary Baptist Church

Annual Crab Feed Fundraiser Friday, April 13, 2018 at La Sierra Community Center, Carmichael, CA. Ticket donation $40.00.

Annual Awareness Day Saturday, May 5, 2018 at St. Matthew Christian Church

Pastor Wayne Sheppard

Around the World Luncheon Saturday May 19, 2018 at The Light Christian Church

Pastors O.J. and DeLesa Swanigan

Northern District Annual Women’s Day Saturday, August 4, 2018 at New Home Missionary Baptist Church

Pastor Anthony Robertson

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Submitting Articles

In concert with our mission, of advancing the kingdom of God through worship, scholarship and fellowship; each issue will focus on five primary columns: Aspects of Christian leadership, Youth and Young Adults, Health and Wellness, “hot topics,” and the Moderator’s Corner. Each quarterly issue is designed to disseminate information of interest to the NDBA and the communities in which they serve. Feel free to share the newsletter with others. If you would like to contribute articles to the newsletter, please contact the editor at (916) 201-5292. We would like to hear from you! Your feedback and comments are appreciated.

About the NDBA

Organized in October (1961), the Association is comprised of approximately thirty (30) churches primarily from the Sacramento and Stockton Communities. It is headed by an appointed Moderator with numerous auxiliaries that support adults, young adults and children. The Association hosts revivals, workshops and strongly supports Christian Education through its Congress of Christian Education. The NDBA is affiliated with the California State Baptist Convention, INC. and the National Baptist Convention, USA. INC. Churches desiring to join the Association may contact Moderator K.D. Weldon, Sr. at kweldon747@aol.com