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Kingdom Vision
A New Year Calling
Remember Helen Keller, who suffered both deafness and blindness? Remember Anne Sullivan, who determined to break through to the mind of this girl? Without hearing or sight, Helen had no sense of what a word was, and a human being without any sense of a word is cut off. She was locked into the silent, pitch-dark vault of her own mind. In this isolation Helen was furious and frightened. She was a flailing life. Perhaps you've seen the play called The Miracle Worker, which tells the story of how Anne Sullivan came to live with Helen and how her method was flesh-to-flesh to sign out the names of things. Hand pressed into hand, life pressed into life. They nearly killed each other in the process, but with persistence and great stubborn love and with Ms. Sullivan signing with the flesh in her hand into the flesh of Helen's hand, the breakthrough comes at last - water poured into the hand, and "W-A-T-E-R. Yes!"
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Featured Partner
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of more than 200 Baptist conventions and unions comprising a membership of more than 36 million baptized believers and a community of 105 million Baptists worldwide. The BWA began in London, England, in 1905 at the first Baptist World Congress. The goals of the BWA are to unite Baptists worldwide, to respond to people in need, to defend human rights, and to promote mission and evangelism.
The BWA's mission statement is: "Networking the Baptist family to impact the world for Christ." Their vision statement is: "The Baptist World Alliance is a global movement of Baptists sharing a common confession of faith in Jesus Christ, bonded together by God's love to support, encourage and strengthen one another, while proclaiming and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to a lost world.
Visit the BWA website.
Did You Know?
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That Rev. Neville Callam, a native of Jamaica, was elected General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance by the BWA General Council during its meeting in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, on July 6, 2007?
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That the BWA is now accepting nominations for the Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award that is given annually for significant and effective activities to secure, protect, restore, or preserve human rights? Award information and nomination forms are available on the BWA website. Nominations must be received by January 31, 2008.
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That the BWA is sponsoring the 15th Baptist Youth World Conference to be held in Leipzig, Germany, July 30 - August 3, 2008? More information is available here. |
Feedback
As always, we want to hear from you with your feedback. How can we better communicate with you? How can we better serve you? Let us know your thoughts by sending an e-mail to Paige Peak at paige.peak@vbmb.org. |
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| Dear Lynn,
Welcome to the latest edition of Advance Notice. We hope that this monthly eNewsletter continues to provide you with relevant, useful information and resources, which are now easier to view.
All of the contents in this eNewsletter are for your use. Please feel free to use the information and illustrations in sermons, in newsletters, church bulletins, and on your website. Additionally, you can easily forward it on to by clicking the "Forward this E-mail to a Friend" link at the bottom.
This is a "self-maintenance" newsletter: you can change your e-mail address address/update your profile or remove yourself from the mailing listing by clicking the appropriate link at the bottom of each issue. |
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21-C Causing Heaven to Celebrate
Feb. 15-16, 2008
FBC Woodbridge, Virginia
This year's innovative 21-C Conference will launch a movement that has the potential for radically reducing lostness in Virginia by 14% as Virginia Baptists are mobilized to bring an estimated 623,000 souls back to the body of Christ. This is a God-sized vision, rooted in the belief that God is about to do something miraculous in Virginia. The theme this year - "Causing Heaven to Celebrate" - reflects Jesus' statement that "...there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7). Facilitators include Alan Hirsch, Doug Murren, Dennis Pethers, Nelson Searcy, and Curt Watke.
Important 21-C Registration Information
As part of the registration process, each 21-C attendee must register separately and complete their own APEPT survey. The APEPT survey is designed to provide a personalized ministry profile based upon five ministry roles: Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelist, Pastoral, and Teacher. This survey will take about 10 minutes and the results will be distributed to participants at check-in at 21-C. During 21-C, like-minded, ministry-focused individuals will move through the various tracks together. For your participation in this survey, you will receive a "free-gift" coupon that can be redeemed when you arrive at 21-C in February.
Note: The APEPT survey asks participants to affirm that they are "Evangelical Christians" and have read the Lausanne Covenant, the statement of faith of the Intercultural Institute for Contextual Ministry, Inc. These affirmations are not required either to complete the survey or to register for 21-C.
Visit the 21-C website for more information or to register.
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"Money Map" Seminar - Live Via Satellite!
First Baptist Church, Charlottesville
January 26, 2008
The First Baptist Church of Charlottesville and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, in association with Crown Financial Ministries, are presenting a "Money Map" live simulcast featuring Howard Dayton, Les & Leslie Parrott, Ron Blue, and more! Crown Financial Ministries proven, balanced teaching of practical money management skills and biblical principles will equip your church members with the skills to get out of debt, save for the future, make ends meet, invest wisely, give generously, budget effectively, and more! For more information or to register online, click here. |
Youth Ministry Coordination Booklet
Available online!
Does your Youth Ministry need a GPS system? Do you know where your youth ministry is heading? Need direction for your Sunday School, Discipleship, Missions, Worship, Collegiate ministry transition? The VBMB's Youth Ministry Coordination Team is your personal youth ministry GPS system, helping you understand where you are and how to set a course that has definite goals and directions for your individual youth ministry needs. To view and download the 2008 Youth Ministry Coordination Booklet, click here. |
Senior High Weekend
March 7-9, 2008
Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center
Featuring guest speaker Laurie Polich and worship leader Dana Jorgensen, Senior High Weekend will include celebrative worship, morning devotions, special interest conferences, recreation, and fellowship, as well as special tracks for identified youth emerging leaders and youth ministry leadership training. Join us as we explore the many ways students can shine for Jesus in their world.
For more program and registration information, click here.
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2008 Southern Baptist Convention Compensation Survey
All ministers and employees of BGAV churches are encouraged to complete the 2008 SBC Compensation Survey, provided through the joint efforts of Baptist state conventions, LifeWay Christian Resources, and GuideStone Financial Resources. Answers to this online survey are kept confidential and are not reported individually. In addition to salary and benefit information, participants in the survey will need to have available their church's average weekly worship or Bible study attendance, resident membership, and annual budget. Results of this biennial survey will provide church administrators, personnel and finance committees, and minister-search teams an accurate baseline by which they can compare their own church's salary and benefits with similar churches across the country.
Click here to complete the compensation survey. Or for a paper copy, contact Raymond Cady, Administrative Assistant to BGAV GuideStone Representative Jeff Cranford, at 800.ALL.BGAV (255.2428), ext. 5293, or raymond.cady@vbmb.org. |
This Month in Our History...with Fred Anderson
New Year's Day should be a national holiday for Baptists. It's made for them. With all its traditional and natural emphasis on new beginnings and resolutions, why, it's designed for Baptists.
One of the chief Baptist distinctives is the doctrine of regeneration. In theory, at least, it means that each believer is a changed, born-again, regenerated creature. Baptists have held that a collection of those changed folks, gathered together, constitute a church. It is a powerful thought.
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Keep Your Eyes on the Road
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
As we enter a new year, Virginia Baptists are resolute in the mission and ministries
that advance the Redeemer's Kingdom wherever the road leads.
We stand ready to hit the road to a hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast or to an earthquake-stricken Peru. We move forward together down roads that take us to people who are in need of Christ within our own Commonwealth or on roads that are half a world away. Whether paved or dirt, gravel or uncharted, the roads that Virginia Baptists travel can win the world for Christ.
And it all gets accomplished through the combined giving power of 1,400 BGAV churches to Cooperative Missions. Join us this year as we hit the road together!
For free downloadable ads for use in your church bulletin, eNewsletter and/or website, click here. | |
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Read the Bible Through in 2008 
