October Volume LIV—Issue 10

THE MESSENGER Ben Brags on the Savior

My soul is impressed that not only does God convict and call, He also INSPIRES...godly

wonderment, creative beauty, soaring worship, heavenly meditation, poetry in life,

abundant refreshing...to His-Infinity-of-Infinity Glory!

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker.

Under the INSPIRATION of THE Holy Spirit, Scriptures were penned, Divinely preserved, and made known to us, that the

Living God might be made known to us, and to all tribes and people groups, by His Spirit...indwelling, empowering, and

working...through His people.

Over the past year, my soul is impressed by the countless, unrelated times and ways that "the working of the Holy

Spirit" has become the topic of conversation, the main point of a sermon, the theme of a teaching time, the outcry and

hope during a season of prayer, etc. We live in a dry and thirsty culture, and but for the absolute dependence upon the

working of the Holy Spirit in us and through us, church culture is also dry and thirsty.

ALL GLORY TO GOD that His people are thirsting for First-Love relationship with God and craving the work of The Holy

Spirit to once again be proven as the Supernatural Source in every aspect of HIS CHURCH.

O TO SERVE GOD, GOD'S WAY...BY HIS SPIRIT! That is the motto for the upcoming year of ministry focus through HBA.

UNITED in The HOLY SPIRIT...is the theme for the upcoming Annual Gathering of the Holston Baptists.

My soul is impressed and INSPIRED to believe that such dogged emphasis on First-Love relationship, abiding in the Vine

in His Spirit, earnest Intercessory prayer, spiritual disciplines, making disciples in every tribe and people group in NE TN,

and every effort toward Revitalization of churches (cooperatively networking pastors, connecting sponsoring churches

and strengthening leadership in true Kingdom-spirit) have cumulatively moved us toward a collective position of delight

in the Lord, that He may be willing to give us the desires of our hearts -- spiritual awakening in us and through us,

flooding throughout Northeast Tennessee!!!

Come witness firsthand, the moving and working of God to shape us

UNITED IN HIS HOLY SPIRIT

at

The Annual Gathering of the Holston Baptists

Tuesday October 18

Mount Zion Baptist Church, Jonesborough

3:30 Afternoon Session

5:00 Supper & Breakouts

6:30 Evening Session

"And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the

Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31 NAS

*Pastor Appreciation Month*

The Annual Gathering of the Holston Baptists

Theme: UNITED in HIS HOLY SPIRIT, Acts 4:31

Tuesday, October 18

Mount Zion Baptist Church, Jonesborough

3:30 Afternoon Session, Ministry Reports & Worship

6:30 Evening Session, Celebration, Season of Intercession, & Worship

5:00 Breakouts with a Light Meal. (You will pick up your box lunch and take it with you to your Breakout. Choose one

Breakout from the following.)

* Meals from Chick-fil-a are $5 each (underwritten by HBA)

You must RSVP at 929-1196 by Oct. 14, pay at the door.

** Send two Messengers per church plus one more per 50 members (max 15)

1. Reaching Millennials: Why They Stay (not Stray)

Led by David Evans, Evangelism Specialist for TBC

Insights, Methods & Strategies that help parents and church leaders make investments that keep children and teens

connected to the Church for a lifetime.

2. How to Develop and Facilitate a New Members Class (in the context of a church's overall discipleship model and

process.)

Led by Brian Nulf & Bryan Smith, Disciple-Making Ministry Group for HBA

How to promote church growth and raise the bar of expectations by discerning measures of discipleship and

prescribing personalized pathways to spiritual growth so disciples become disciple-makers.

3. Equipping Our People to be on Mission

Led by Dennis Shumate, Partnership Missions Team for HBA

Planning & Preparing to be on Mission: Local or International, resources, planning timeline, needs for next summer,

strategy, how to plug in, getting involved. An additional room includes Displays and Information on a wide variety of

opportunities.

4. Discipling Children & Youth

Led by Panel Discussion:

Holley Zieglar, Children's Ministry Leader, Public School Teacher

Scott Ermine & son, Parent & rep for First Priority, school campus ministry

Jonathan Chapman & student, Baptist Collegiate Ministries, ETSU

5. How to Walk With Jesus Through His Spirit

Led by Tommy Clark, Prayer and Worship Ministry Group for HBA

Looking at the walk of what Jesus expects us to have with Him and how that will be done in His will and His Spirit.

All churches say they want to reach children, youth, and students. Some use a fun-and-games approach, but let's build

a holistic strategy to equip students of all ages to make disciples among their peers, who can also make disciples.

33 Ways to Bless Your Pastor

1. Express love and encouragement in writing and/or in person. 2. Set out a gift basket in the church lobby for notes and gifts. 3. Mow the pastor’s lawn when his family is on vacation or ministry leave. 4. Give a gift card to the ministry couple’s favorite restaurant and provide creative childcare

options. 5. Ask your pastor how you can specifically pray for his family. 6. Deliver a favorite dessert/meal to his home or office. 7. Arrange and purchase a couple’s retreat. 8. Give a brief word of encouragement and prayer on a Sunday morning. 9. Include his family’s photo in print and social media outlets. 10. Provide appropriate time off for vacations. 11. Take your pastor for a meal and talk about his life, not ministry. 12. Loan out your favorite vacation spot (cabin, camper, time-share). 13. Initiate caring involvement when your ministry family faces life-challenges, like sickness

or death. 14. Celebrate with them in the joys of life, such as a new baby, graduations, weddings, etc. 15. Support your pastor as he ministers outside your church. 16. Form a covenant group who is committed to praying for your pastors each day of the

week. 17. Encourage at least one day of Sabbath rest each week. 18. Support an annual spiritual renewal retreat to refresh your pastor’s intimacy with the

Lord. 19. Talk to them directly if you have any concerns, but not on a Sunday or in writing. 20. Care for your pastor’s health by sponsoring a health club membership 21. Take your pastor somewhere fun: game, concert, hunting, etc. 22. Specifically share how God has used him to challenge, enrich, and encourage your walk

with Jesus. 23. Provide a generous salary, insurance, and retirement. 24. Allow your pastor’s wife to “be herself” and find her own ministry niche. 25. Financially support your pastor and wife as they attend marriage-strengthening events

and getaways. 26. Support and encourage your pastor’s involvement in missions. 27. Remember birthdays with a personal card or social media blessing. 28. Celebrate Pastor Appreciation Day/Month each year with notes, cards, and gifts for the

pastor and his wife. 29. Encourage and support an appropriate sabbatical from ministry after 5, 10, and 15+

years of ministry. 30. Allow your pastor’s children to just be kids. 31. Give unused sports or concert tickets to your pastor’s family. 32. Encourage your ministry family to have friends in the church. 33.Bless your ministry family with a special anniversary gift.

By Mark Dance

Among the Churches

Cherry Grove Baptist Church would like to invite you to a 6 week study starting October

4th at 6:30 p.m. Spirit Rising, Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit. Books are $10

Thank you Living Water for installing new regress windows at the Retreat Center! It is bright and sunny now!

Tuesday, Oct. 11th is the last day to register to vote in the General Election of Nov. 8th.

Registration forms must be in the Jonesborough office of the Election Commission by that date and

may be obtained at the Commission office or through HBA. This is a most pivotal election for the

Christian Community and each vote will matter. Please publicize this information widely &

encourage registration by everyone.

The next Tri-Cities Prayer Gathering will be October 3rd at Grace Baptist Church– 612 Collins Drive,

Johnson City, TN at 11:30 a.m.

James Herington and Walter M. Larsen were recently ordained as Deacons at Trinity Baptist

Church. Dr. Mark Harrod is Pastor.

ACP’s ARE DUE

OCTOBER 3, 2016

If you need any

assistance, please call

the HBA at 929-1196.

TO YOUR HEALTH

One of the great risks of maintaining good health comes when we see good health choices as short-term solutions to achieve temporary goals so we can get back to doing what we really want to do. This comes to us in our eating and exercising habits. When we start jogging and cutting out sweets just for our summer beach vacation we are not getting it. Good health choices are good for a lifetime. The greater risks come to people dealing

with diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, etc. We should all learn the secrets to good health and follow them. Those choices we love so much probably put us in the shape we got into. Walk away.

Sometimes our plans do not always succeed. We should not allow one day’s failure to derail

our overall plan. If you did not hike or jog for two days, just get back on track. If a diabetic

stopped at Dairy Queen, make sure it was a rare treat (and go for a long walk when you get

home!). Good health is a joy, but a drudgery. God gave us this body so His Holy Spirit can

dwell in us. Let’s make sure we take care of this gift.

Calendar

October 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

Right to Life,

Heritage, UPBC

3 Minister’s Fellow-

ship, 10:00

ACP’s DUE

4

5

6

7 Homeless Veteran

Backpacks

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 The Gathering /

230th Annual Meet-

ing @ Mt. Zion, 3:30

19

20 Youth Minister’s

Fellowship, 11:30

WPRO, HBA, 12:00

21

22

23

24

25

Constitution Semi-

nar Workshop, HBA,

6:30

26

27

28

29

30

31

Notes:

November 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3

4

5

6

Daylight Saving

Time Ends

7 Minister’s Fellow-

ship, 10:00

8

Election Day

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17 Youth Minister’s

Fellowship, 11:30

WPRO, HBA, 12:00

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

THANKSGIVING! OFFICE CLOSED

25

OFFICE CLOSED

26

27

28

29

30

Notes:

Tennessee Baptist Convention