september focus newsletter 2020 - abccr.org
TRANSCRIPT
5833 SW 29th St.Topeka, KS 66614
(785) 272-7622Fax: (785) 272-5860
https://abccr.org/
September 2020 Kansas Baptist Convention, Inc. Vol. 38 No. 9
FOCUSGrowing Healthy Churches to Fulfi ll Christ’s Mission
Included in this Issue:
Annual Gathering...pg 1-3
How Do You View the Difficulties
2020? ...pg 4
Mission Giving &
ABWCR 2019-2020 Project...pg 5
ABCCR Open Forums ...pg 6
Calendar Updates...pg 7
ABHMS Seeks Applicants
...pg 8
Tech Policies for Virtual Teams Webinar
...pg 9
Region’s COVID-19 Pastoral Relief Fund ...pg 10
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2020 Annual Gathering
September 29• 7:00 PM Annual Gathering Business Mee ng for Delegates only. Del-
egates will be no fi ed in September of the Zoom instruc ons and willbe provided the documents which will be presented for vote. DelegatesNames and Emails need to be submi ed by September 15: Email [email protected]
October 1• 3:00 PM Minister's Council Zoom Mee ng: Short business mee ng and
presenta on of the Legacy Award. This is for all clergy in the Region.Following the mee ng Pastor Ma Sturtevant will lead us in a virtualretreat: Click here for the zoom link.
October 2• 12:00 PM American Bap st Men Zoom Mee ng. Click here for the
zoom lInk.• 3:00 PM -- Minister's Council Zoom Mee ng - this is for all clergy
in the Region. Click here for the zoom link.• 7:00 PM-- Annual Gathering Bible Study Zoom for anyone who
wants to a end, Dr. Reggies Wenyika, O awa University Presdent.Click here for the zoom link.
October 3• 9:00 AM Annual Gathering Bible Study Zoom for anyone who wants
to a end, Dr. Wallace Hartsfi eld, Central Bap st Theological Seminary.Click here for the zoom link.
2020 Annual Gathering
Recommended Rules for Budget & Nomina ons – Virtual Zoom Mee ngZoom instruc ons will be provided to delegates prior to the Business Mee ng, along with the Proposed 2021 Budget and Ballot of Nomina ons
BudgetBudget will be available on the Region website (abccr.org) mid-September under the Annual Gathering tab and will be provided to delegates prior to the mee ng, in accordance with the ABCCR Bylaws and Rules of Procedure. Any proposed amendment to the budget must be given in wri ng to the Program Chair, Lois Chiles, at [email protected] by 4:30 pm on Friday, September 25, 2020. An amendment must include necessary pluses and minuses so that the budget will remain balanced.A simple majority vote is required for passage.
Ballot of Nomina onsThe ballot of nominees will be available on the Region website (abccr.org) mid-September un-der the Annual Gathering tab and will be provided to delegates prior to the mee ng, in accor-dance with the ABCCR Bylaws and Rules of Procedure. Nomina ons to the Program Chair must be for an offi ce recognized by the Region Nomina ng Commi ee. A delegate making a nomina on to the Program Chair must have secured the con-sent of the nominee prior to the nomina on.Nomina ons should be given in wri ng to the Program Chair, Lois Chiles, at [email protected] by 4:30 pm on Friday, September 25, 2020, so the person making the nomina on may be rec-ognized. A simple plurality vote cast for a nominee is required for elec on.
Defi ni on of plurality - "the largest number of votes to be given any candidate when three or more choices are possible; the candidate receiving the largest number of votes has a plurali-ty" (RONR, 11th ed., p. 404-405).
Addi onal Note: Area Elected Posi onsA list of area-elected posi ons will be available on the Region website under the Annual Gath-ering tab once all the area informa on is received by the Region offi ce.
Rules for Budget & Nominations
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Kevin Hazelton, David & Pamela Lee, Melissa Newberry,
Clarence Newton, Jr., Wallace Smith
Speakers
2020 Annual GatheringBible Study Leaders
Dr. Harts eld II from Central SeminaryRev. Hartsfi eld, II accepted God’s call into the preach-
ing ministry in 1982. On January 16, 1983, Rev. Hartsfi eld, II preached his ini al sermon at Metropolitan Missionary Bap- st Church of Kansas City, Missouri and quickly emerged as a
sought-a er preacher locally and across the country. During this tenure, he also has served in a variety of ministry roles within the ins tu onalized church. He is the CEO of Field of Hearts Produc ons, a musical produc on company that began as a joint venture between he and his wife.
In 2009, Rev. Hartsfi eld, II became the fi rst professor to be installed to the Fred E. Young Chair of Hebrew Bible at Central Bap st Theological Seminary. During its spring convoca on, Rev. Hartsfi eld, II delivered the E.A. lecture The Bible Addresses Challenges of Urbaniza on: Hebrew Bible Foray into Selected Theological Issues, prior to the offi cial installa on ceremony. Fred E. Young served as Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament at Central for 33 years. Dr. E.A. Freeman, who earned every degree off ered by Central, was the fi rst African-American to earn the Th.D., and fi rst to serve on Central’s Board. Both Freeman and Young were fi rmly commi ed to theological educa on and racial inclusion. Rev. Hartsfi eld, II shares and builds on their commitment, especially to social jus ce issues related to urban congrega ons and their communi es.
Dr. Wenyika from Ottawa UniversityDr. Reggies Wenyika was named president of the O awa Uni-
versity Midwest region (OUMW) in May 2019. He came to OU from Southwestern Chris an University (SCU) in Bethany, OK, where he has served as University president since 2014. Before that, he was provost and vice-president of academic aff airs at SCU from 2008 to 2014. A na ve of Zimbabwe, he moved to the United States with his wife Dr. Bongi Wenyika and their two children Thembi and Kudzai in 2000 and has worked in higher educa on since arriving in the US.
He a ended St. Igna us College in Zimbabwe where he earned his Ordinary Level Gener-al Cer fi cate of Educa on and Advanced Level Cer fi cate of Educa on through the University of Cambridge. He received a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology from the College of Health and Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe and also received a Diploma in Ministerial Studies and a Bachelor of Religious Arts in Biblical Studies. Wenyika has a Master of Ministry from SCU, Master of Arts in Educa on Administra on and a Doctor of Educa on in Educa onal Leadership from Oral Roberts University. He is currently working on his second doctorate de-gree, majoring in Theology.
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FOCUS is a newsletter publishedfor professional church leadersin the Central Region, and it isdistributed monthly. It is on theRegion website,
https://abccr.org/. The deadline for FOCUS is the
fi rst of the month of publication. A variation in content and format
is required for copy to be printedin two or more successive issues.
American Baptist Churches of the Central Region 5833 S.W. 29th St., Ste. A Topeka, KS [email protected]
785/272-7622https://abccr.org/
Follow your Region staff on the ABC Central Region Facebook page as they provide information on resourc-es and services, as well as events and happenings across our Region — https://www.facebook.com/ABC-CRegion/
Check our ABC Central Region Twitter link — https://twitter.com/ABCCRegion
Please like and share the posts made on these Central Region social media accounts to help us spread the news!
How Do You View the Diffi cul es of 2020?
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Every diffi culty and every tempta on that comes our way, if we receive it correctly is an opportunity from the Lord! So, what are our opportuni es this year?
All of us, rich or poor, feel the urge to help one another in this me of sickness and unemployment. Yet the percentage of Americans dona ng to charity has hit a new low, according to a recent Gallop poll
The obvious reason is the uncertainty facing most house-holds. Some are struggling to pay for rent and food due to un-employment and no savings. An AARP poll showed that 58% of Americans over 50 had to contact a creditor to seek relief from a bill they couldn’t pay. Others are afraid stock market losses will deplete too much of their savings. Unfortunately, for some fear has replaced faith that the Lord can provide if we are an open conduit of God’s blessings to us.
In our own churches we have families in need (although they might not want to admit it). We can do what we can to help out without embarrassing them.
I do want to cau on though to be careful of scammers. A friend’s e-mail was hacked and a scammer sent out requests for gi cards for her nephew who was ill, since she was on a trip. This person did travel a lot but she had no nephew (and she was home). I no fi ed her but apparently other friends actually bought gi cards not realizing it was a scam un l they were asked for more. So, do be careful in your giving as you want it to go to those really in need.
Please con nue to support your local church even if you are not able to a end in person. The expenses con nue.
If you would like to have a guaranteed income that won’t be aff ected by the stock market, I’d love to write a Charitable Gi Annuity for you. It gives a guaranteed annual income for the rest of your me here on earth and when you go to your heavenly home, the ministry you have designated will receive your gi .
I’d love to discuss possibili es with you, so please contact me.
Rev. Wilma E. Engle, Director of Planned Giving e-mail: [email protected]
6745 Interurban, Wichita, KS 67204-1323 cell: 316-644-2069
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ABCCR Open Forums Reoccuring Every Other Week
via ZOOM!
Links to join can be found in Execu ve Minister Gregg Hemmen’s weekly emails.
These open forum town-hall discussions give us the opportunity to share ideas, pray, and discuss how we can be the people of God in the midst of our current
challenges.
Rev. Lisa Harris-Lee from ABHMSwill be joining us on our
Open Forum on Wednesday, September 23, 12 pm.
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CALENDAR UPDATESSeptember 20th
The Eastern Area Annual Meeting will be at 3:00 pm (CST) via Zoom
September 29-October 3, 2020Annual Gathering 2020
June 25-27, 2021ABC USA 2021 Biennial Mission Summit
The Executive Committee of the American Baptist Churches USA Board of General Ministries, at its meeting on Thursday, Septem-ber 10, voted to hold and to seek to hold an in-person Biennial Mission Summit in Puerto Rico in 2023. If you’d like to read a letter from the Executive Committee, click here
ABHMS Seeks Applicants for 2021 in Support of Excellence’ Cohort
American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) is seeking American Baptist pastors to apply to its 2021 “In Support of Excellence” (ISOE) pastors fi nancial-
empowerment cohort to begin meeting in January 2021. The application deadline is Oct. 9, 2020.
ABHMS has chosen to partner with pastors of excellence in populations identifi ed in research as being structurally disadvantaged in fi nancial matters from compensation to saving for retirement or other life goals. Priority consideration will be given to these applicants: • women pastors,• pastors of diverse cultural and ethnic identities and• pastors whose roles have been decreased from full-time to less than full-time.
Each month, ISOE pastors will participate in virtual off erings: • a content-based session to inspire new thinking,• a refl ection session with an identity-based cohort to create new connections and• a tool or resource session to shape new fi nancial practices.
Ongoing communication and support will be hosted on ABHMS’ ministrElife social me-dia platform.
In addition, ISOE pastors may:• access fi nancial planning services from MMBB (for members) or another planning/
coaching entity (for MMBB nonmembers);• apply for a debt-relief grant to alleviate the burden of student loans, medical debt or
other forms of consumer debt; and• apply for a fi nancial-education grant to support the congregation’s continued learn-
ing about faith and fi nance.Key dates
• Application period opens: Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020.• Application deadline: Friday, Oct. 9, 2020; please note that executive minister and
lay leader letters of recommendation are expected by the same deadline.• Application review period: Oct. 9-Nov. 9, 2020.• Orientation and virtual retreat: Thursday, Jan. 7 and Friday, Jan. 8.•Sessions will be held at times suitable for all U.S. time zones, and with ample rest/re-fl ection time between Zoom sessions.
The program will conclude in November 2021 with an in-person gathering, if safe to do so, at the Leadership and Mission Building in King of Prussia, Pa.
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Tech Policies for Virtual Teams Webinar -A Leader’s Responsibility
This webinar, in partnership with Tech Impact, will explain the ins and outs of the main policies that govern technology use, data security, bring your own device, and remote work. The cost is $69.00.
What needs to be adjusted or formalized now that many organizations have all or most of their staff working remotely?
What is the leader's responsibility for establishing and enforcing these policies? Should the board approve them? How are they connected with risk management and compliance? How can you make them accessible and easy for staff to follow?
Click here to learn more and to register if you're interested.
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h ps://www.123formbuilder.com/form-5431299/covid-19-pastoral-relief-fund
Make A Dona on
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