If you touch the lives of students in your church, whether all year-round or just for the summer months, make plans now to attend the Youth Ministry Forum (formerly Summer Youth Ministry Conference). This two-day conference is packed with rich ideas, plenty of dialogue and engagement with conference leaders, and lots of time to network/fellowship with other youth leaders from across the state. Conference leaders are Mark DeVries, president of Youth Ministry Architects, and Ted Stump, founder and director of High Impact Ministries.

Senior Adult Retreat
“People of God: Past, Present, and Future”
May 17–19, 2010
Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center, Lynchburg, VA

Join senior adults from across the state as they gather for worship, Bible study, an old-fashioned ice cream social and hymn sing, and a banquet on Tuesday featuring Laugh It Up Comedy. Visit Eagle Eyrie online to register.

Impact Virginia!
June-July 2010 (4 week-long events)

Sign up now to be a part of a one week construction mission team in one of four locations around the state: Scott County, Bluefield, Louisa, and Saluda. Each day begins and ends with a worship celebration to help campers adopt the right spirit and attitude each day.

 

Retirement
Planning Seminars
May 17-21, 2010

Conference
of the Deaf
June 11-13, 2010

Summer Music and Worship Arts Camp
July 12-16, 2010

MC2: Missions Connection Celebration
July 19-24, 2010

Impact Metro!
July 25-31, 2010

Have you been to Eagle Eyrie lately? In addition to hosting many Virginia Baptist statewide events, Eagle Eyrie is also available for your church’s conference, meeting, seminar, or retreat. Located just outside Lynchburg near the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, Eagle Eyrie’s peaceful wooded setting is ideal for spending time with our glorious creator.

The Virginia Baptist Mission Board is proud to provide access to The Parish Paper, an online newsletter co-edited by knowledge experts Herb Miller, Lyle Schaller, and Cynthia Woolever. Each monthly issue provides ideas, insights, research-findings, and practical methods that strengthen the effectiveness of congregations in accomplishing God’s purposes. You can access The Parish Paper from the VBMB website under Newsletters or Resources.

National Day of Prayer

Thursday May 6, 2010 is the 59th annual observance of the National Day of Prayer. “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).

For information, visit the National Day of Prayer website.

Haitian Crisis Update
The earthquake that struck Haiti nearly 4 months ago continues to take its toll on the citizens of that country. While food and water now appear to be in regular supply one of the greatest needs is shelter. Virginia Baptists are seeking ways to provide the best shelter possible while also looking at the long term sustainable response. This plan will be presented in the coming weeks as details are finalized with our partners in the field. Virginia Baptists have responded by contributing over $450,000 toward the relief efforts and funds continue to be offered. As with any disaster, these designated funds will be used to provide direct services to those affected by this tragedy. For more information, click on Haitian Earthquake.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We desire to send teams to Haiti through our partners and are actively searching for volunteers who are ready to respond. Disaster Relief training is no longer a requirement and there are needs currently being unmet. If you can volunteer a week or more of your time to respond then please contact Jeannette Hildebrand or go to the website for more information. There is currently a great deal of flexibility with teams and plans are being made to potentially send teams during almost any week for the remainder of this year.

New England Flood Response
Volunteers are also still needed to respond to the flooding that took place in the New England states last month. Teams are needed to provide ‘mud-out’ of homes and some minor rebuilding.

In just about 12 weeks, Baptists from all over the world will gather for the 20th Baptist World Congress in Hawaii. Because of the special setting of the Hawaiian Islands, participants will experience the sights and sounds of Polynesian worship through dance and song. Worship will also include choirs, vocal ensembles and soloists, instrumentalists, artists, dancers, and drama teams from around the world, each adding their own cultural expressions of worship. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to gather with believers from around the globe!

Register now for the Baptist World Congress, July 28-August 1 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Travel assistance is available from Crossroads Travel Advisors. 

For more information, visit the BWA webpage.

 

Estelle Outten Chandler was sitting in her car waiting for her church, Cape Charles Baptist Church, to open for the evening service. It was a hot summer night on the Eastern Shore. She could not help but notice all of the dark-skinned Mexican migrant workers walking along the street. They had nowhere to go. In the racially segregated Virginia of the Fifties, the Mexicans were not welcomed at the picture show in Cape Charles or in the churches. They were not allowed to use the beaches. They were strangers in a foreign land. They worked and whiled away the off hours.

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