Advance Notice, November 2006

If you have difficulty reading this e-mail, you may read the web version .

John V. Upton, Executive Director

Welcome to the latest edition of Advance Notice. We hope that this monthly eNewsletter provides you with relevant, useful information and resources.

All of the contents 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 your church leaders and members so they can be connected to resources and information that enable the Baptist General Association of Virginia churches to advance the Redeemer’s Kingdom.

“Transitional Times for Churches and Denominations”

As I have opportunity to meet with pastors and church leaders, it is amazing to hear the intensity of the anxiety and frustration of many with whom I speak. They are feeling the stress of knowing how to help their church more effectively reach the community around them and at the same time maintain the heritage of the congregational community itself. That is no easy task, and frequently their efforts result in more decline and more anxiety.

More...

It’s not too late to join the “Voyage To Discovery” at Connect:2006, the BGAV annual meeting! We’ll be charting a course for developing emerging leaders of every age within your church. We meet this year in the beautiful brand new Virginia Beach Convention Center.

Although pre-registration is over, you may still register onsite. See your church clerk for the necessary forms.

Kay Warren and Rich Muchow from Saddleback Church will headline this annual visioning event. Visit the website to learn more about P.E.A.C.E.

Don't miss the 3rd annual All-State Choirs for children and middle schoolers. Rehearsals begin in January and the choirs will perform on February 24, 2007.

Want to double your Sunday School in two years or less? Don't miss this conference with Josh Hunt on January 16.

This month Virginia Baptists from churches affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia will gather in Virginia Beach for the annual meeting. For many years, the annual meeting was held in the warm month of June and hence the popular designation of “the June meetings”. The last “June meeting” was held at Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk in 1884. Before the meeting closed, the “committee on time change” recommended that future meetings be held in November.

Two interesting features of the last June meeting included the giveaway of an organ “to the most needy Baptist church in Virginia” which soon was identified as the Brambleton Mission and a train excursion to Virginia Beach. The beachfront was described to the messengers as “a new seaside resort which promises soon to become one of the most popular resorts on the Atlantic coast.” It is doubtful that any of the BGAV messengers even got their feet wet; and if some did, it can be stated that they would have been fully clothed from neck to toe in the style of the Victorian era. More...

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.

In this space we have been featuring many of our ministry partners that are a part of the BGAV. The desire is for more people to know and understand what makes up this entity called the Baptist General Association of Virginia.

The John Leland Center

The purpose of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies is to provide theological education that is faithful, flexible, and affordable. To that end, it offers evening and weekend intensive courses designed to be accessible to working men and women who are called to serve the Lord but are unable to pursue full-time studies because of their employment. Now beginning its eighth year with an enrollment of 140 students and full accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), Leland offers graduate and diploma courses through its facilities at the First Baptist Churches of Clarendon and Newport News. And in partnership with the BGAV, the Leland Center makes theological education accessible to churches through local ministry cooperatives and continues to place students in ministry positions throughout Virginia.

Learn more about the John Leland Center...

That decisions made at Connect: 2006, the BGAV Annual Meeting, determine how the money you send to Cooperative Missions is spent?
That a proposed bylaw change will be discussed (and voted upon in 2007) that will determine how membership in the BGAV will be defined in the future?
That not only will business be discussed, but attendees will also experience amazing times of worship, inspiration, and learning?

Don’t miss Connect:2006! It’s not too late to attend. You may register onsite as a messenger or visitor. Your church received a packet in August that contains the necessary forms, or you may download them here. For more information, go to www.bgavconnect.net.

The Christian Life Committee of the BGAV has launched a new website dealing with the changing times today’s churches are facing. Articles, links, reading recommendations, and blogs will help your church make the transition to the modern world. Check out The Transition Zone.

When we merge the gifts of 1,400-plus member churches, Virginia Baptists have the capability to move forward together to advance the Redeemer’s Kingdom. Together, we will grow our current churches. Together, we will plant new ones. Together, we will nurture and encourage our leaders. Together, we will develop new ones. All of this is possible through ministries that are supported by the combined giving power of over 1,400 Baptist General Association of Virginia churches to Cooperative Missions.

For free downloadable ads for use in your church bulletin, eNewsletter and/or website, click here.

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