Events
Annual Gathering
The Annual Gathering will be taking place at the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon, NH on October 15th and 16th.
Take a look below at the workshops we'll be hosting this year! Here is a printable version of the Annual Gathering workshops.
We have a new ways to sign up this year! Here are a few notes to help your registration go as smoothly as possible:
You also have the option of bringing a check to the Annual Gathering and paying for your meals when you check in at our registration table. Here is a hard copy registration form which you may use instead.
We have found this site to be very user friendly as we’ve done the set up for our event and hope you will find it easy to use as well. Please remember this is new and we may have some bugs to work out – your patience is appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, we always welcome your calls or emails to the office. Please note that with summer vacations, it may take a bit before we get back to you. We will get back to you!
Sign up here: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/4075134
Friday AM Workshop
Imagine Church – Christians in New England are struggling. We can wonder what difference the gospel makes here — the least churched, most post-Christian region of the country. But we know nothing is impossible with God. In fact, Scripture tells us that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine!” (Eph. 3:20). So, what can you imagine? In this workshop, we will explore what it looks like for churches to equip believers to live missionally as wholelife followers of Christ in the places He sends us throughout the week, on our everyday “frontlines”— workplaces, schools, neighborhoods—wherever!
Presenter: Rev. Grant Winnes: Grant has served at the First Baptist Church of Hampton Falls, NH since 2010, first as the Pastor of Student Ministries and now as the Pastor of Adult Ministries for the past six years. Grant grew up the son of missionaries, but some years teaching in a Christian school along with a number of years working in Youth Ministry before he felt God calling him into full time ministry. Grant attended Bethlehem Seminary in Minnesota. Grant and his wife Jennifer met at Wheaton College and were married in 1996. They have three children: Sophie, Josh and Maile.
Friday PM Workshops
The Brackish Church – Brackish is a term used to define an area near the coast where saltwater and freshwater mix together to create a unique environment that is home to some pretty cool adaptable species. In my chat I am going to draw the comparison to the church and how we as Christians are made to live in brackish waters or mixed company. A healthy church is brackish. When our organizations begin to look, sound, smell and feel the same we are in trouble. So let’s chat about what a brackish church looks like and how we can adapt to live in the mixed and mixing waters.
Presenter: Pastor Marcus Corey: Marcus grew up in western Maine. He was born on Saturday and in church on Sunday. His dad was the pastor and his mother was the organist, choir director and Sunday School Superintendent. His parents taught him how to love God more than people and how to love people more than the church. He never wanted to be a pastor as he knew they just facilitated meetings where people argued over carpet color. When asked to be the chaplain of Loon Mountain Resort he knew that the congregation only prayed for white carpet so he was sold! Marcus loves his job as a Ski Resort minister and has had the great blessing of leading an organization that is brackish. From Churched to Unchurched, from Local to vacationer, every denomination under the sun comes to worship on their mountain top. Marcus loves their God given unique ministry with its many facets and wouldn't want it any other way. He looks forward to hanging with his ABC brothers and sisters in October.
The Opposite of Addiction is Community (A Church’s Response to Drugs, Disease and Death) -
Many of our communities have endured great pains and significant losses due to the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder. While individuals struggle to maintain recovery, their families are often caught up in cycles of fear, relief, anger and isolation. This seminar will profile Mercy Street, a ministry extension FBC Plaistow. We’ll be examining how our churches may serve our communities by reducing stigma, demonstrating loving boundaries and not being afraid to encounter the symptoms of addiction. A pre-seminar question for attendees: Did Jesus encounter narcotics?
Presenter: Pastor Aaron Goodro: Aaron is the Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Plaistow, NH and founder of Mercy Street. He has served in churches in Southern NH since 1998. Ministry to persons living with addiction is shared by his wife, Wendy, as well as their two children. Music is Aaron’s creative outlet, and he performs frequently in the greater Boston area.
Spiritual Formation and Discipleship - Being a disciple involves following Jesus and becoming more like Him in the way we perceive people and situations, how we feel about them, and what we do in response. His character is formed in us through the work of the Holy Spirit as we entrust ourselves, body and soul to our loving Savior. The Gospel of John describes Jesus as one who comes to us full of grace and truth, reflecting the heart of our Father God. Spiritual Formation is the process of intentionally welcoming that grace and truth into our lives by devoting time to receive and be transformed by it. In our time together, we will discuss how grace, truth, and time help us to become true disciples of Jesus. We’ll introduce and engage in some Spiritual Formation practices together that will give ideas for how you can create space and rhythms in your life that invite the Spirit to help you grow.
Presenter: Rev. Rebecca Sommons: Rebecca studied Spiritual Formation as part of her education at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine and Palmer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. She has been serving as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Manchester Center, Vermont for the past four years. Rebecca enjoys engaging with people of all ages and seeing people grow in their life of faith. Some of her favorite things are singing, spending time in nature, creating meals, and experiencing new things with her husband and two college-age daughters.
Saturday AM Workshops
Cultural Intelligence: The Answer to Understanding and Loving Your Neighbor- Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is the ability to interact and work effectively in intercultural settings or contexts. These may include family structures, organizations, congregations, regions of the country, ethnicities, etc. Many times, church leaders do not understand the culture(s) within their own church, much less the surrounding community. This workshop will help your church gain knowledge of 1) what Cultural Intelligence is, 2) the 10 unique Cultural Values seen everywhere, and 3) a dose of unconscious bias in an effort to get you excited about understanding and loving your neighbor at a greater level, and to make you feel compelled to want more. (CEUs for Pastors who attend)
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Dee Stokes: Dr. Dee Stokes is a spiritual advisor, speaker, coach, author, and educator who is known as a program builder. Dr. Stokes utilizes her apostolic gift to repurpose organizations and build influential people who change the world and live out the Gospel practically. Dr. Stokes ministers in a variety of settings, but her passion is preaching, teaching, and empowering others to WIN. Dr. Dee serves on the teaching/preaching team at Christ Wesleyan Church, Greensboro, NC. Dr. Stokes is also on the Fresh Expressions US staff as the Director of Cultural Intelligence & Trainer.
Making Disciples in the 21st Century– Church leaders often see the great significance of creating a culture of discipleship in their churches, but struggle to know how to get started. We get the why, but struggle with the how, who, when and where of it. This session will provide ridiculously practical next steps for your church context and offer hopefilled stories and examples of how to engage with people who have little to no context or connection to church and see them grow to follow Jesus. (CEUs for Pastors who attend)
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Michael Beck: Michael Adam Beck is the Director of Remissioning for Fresh Expressions US, Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary, and Cultivator of Fresh Expressions Florida UMC. Michael and wife Jill are co-pastors of two revitalization congregations Wildwood and St Marks UMC in Ocala FL, and a network of thirteen fresh expressions. They direct an inpatient rehab, homeless shelter, and an interracial unity movement. Michael earned a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary with his mentor Dr. Leonard Sweet.
Sustain It! How leaders can use digital discipleship as an integral pillar to help build and sustain faith communities. - During the worldwide pandemic of Covid-19, many faith communities turned to digital platforms outreach and “in-reach” as a stop-gap until things “returned to normal”. However, the pandemic exposed the need for a “new normal” of multi-modal discipleship and churches that do not pivot to that reality may miss new opportunities for discipleship and outreach. This workshop is an interactive session that explores how leaders can embrace digital discipleship as an integral part of a sustainable, multi-modal discipleship initiative that engages disciples and “seekers” during the “in-between time” from Monday through Saturday. Using a live example (and work-in progress) of The Blueprint Ministries, participants will discuss approaches that allow for the judicious use of digital engagement to disciple and mentor Christ-followers, while providing accessible “on-ramps” for seekers to become servant-leaders for the Kingdom.
Presenters: Rev. Dr. Keith Bagley and Minister Bobbie D. Bagley:
Rev. Dr. Keith Bagley is a missions-minded servant of the Lord. He has extensive experience in leadership, visioning and education, and he believes “missions is everywhere”. Keith has applied this passion to the mission field in Africa, the French West Indies, various campus efforts and other ministry settings. His giftedness is in teaching, preaching and edification, and he is driven to help others unleash their gifts for the Glory of God. Keith has earned two doctorates: a Doctor of Ministry (D. Min.) from Rockbridge Seminary and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. In addition to pastoring and teaching, Keith is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science college at Northeastern University. Rev. Dr. Keith was ordained by Rev. Dr. Bertha Perkins of New Fellowship Baptist Church, where he serves as associate minister. He is also co-pastor and one of the founding directors of The Blueprint Ministries: a “fresh expression” ministry that provides outreach to non-believers who are seeking, and to believers who feel their lives are stagnant and lacking vibrancy.
Minister Bobbie D. Bagley is co-pastor of The Blueprint Ministries and is also an associate minister at New Fellowship Baptist Church. Minister Bobbie’s early calling was to street ministry, college campus ministry, Indian Reservation ministry and international ministry. Bobbie is an adept missions’ worker, leading teams in missions to Africa, the French West Indies, Dominica, urban outreach, and campus ministries. Minister Bobbie is a nurse and public health administrator by profession. She is currently the director of a local health department in the second-largest city of the State of NH. She is a servant leader that is passionate about public service, education and community. She has earned degrees in Biology, Nursing, Public Health and Nursing Education. She is a life-long learner and is in the process of earning her Doctor of Public Health in Leadership. In all things Min. Bobbie is always in pursuit of obtaining excellency in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and she loves the Lord!
Human Trafficking in New England - Every year, millions are trafficked around the globe … and right here in New England. It’s happening here, in rural and urban communities, among all types of family structures, ethnicities, ages and income levels. Traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion to lure victims into cycles of exploitation and abuse. This workshop will expose you to the truth of trafficking here in New England and empower you to join in the antitrafficking movement here.
Presenter: Stephanie Clark: Stephanie Clark is an author, speaker, activist, advocate, and CEO of Amirah. Knowing of the evil of sex trafficking since she was a child, Stephanie has pursued a calling of compassion and liberation for survivors of sexual exploitation. She is a vocal advocate for practical solutions for victims of sexual exploitation. Amirah, Inc. has made its mark in the anti-trafficking movement as a leader in aftercare. The whole-person care approach is taught to organizations throughout the region. Her first book, Letters to an Activist: Discovering Hope in the Pursuit of Social Change, is now available. Stephanie lives near the White Mountains in New Hampshire with her husband, Dave, and two daughters.
Take a look below at the workshops we'll be hosting this year! Here is a printable version of the Annual Gathering workshops.
We have a new ways to sign up this year! Here are a few notes to help your registration go as smoothly as possible:
- As you work through the online registration, you will come to a prompt to enter a country code – please type in: “US” to continue.
- At the bottom, where you select meals, you will see that this new site does not allow for multiple payment options. When you finish your registration and pay, you will ONLY be charged for your registration fee. You will NOT be charged for your meals – you will be invoiced at a later date (could take a few weeks) to pay for meals.
You also have the option of bringing a check to the Annual Gathering and paying for your meals when you check in at our registration table. Here is a hard copy registration form which you may use instead.
We have found this site to be very user friendly as we’ve done the set up for our event and hope you will find it easy to use as well. Please remember this is new and we may have some bugs to work out – your patience is appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, we always welcome your calls or emails to the office. Please note that with summer vacations, it may take a bit before we get back to you. We will get back to you!
Sign up here: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/4075134
Friday AM Workshop
Imagine Church – Christians in New England are struggling. We can wonder what difference the gospel makes here — the least churched, most post-Christian region of the country. But we know nothing is impossible with God. In fact, Scripture tells us that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine!” (Eph. 3:20). So, what can you imagine? In this workshop, we will explore what it looks like for churches to equip believers to live missionally as wholelife followers of Christ in the places He sends us throughout the week, on our everyday “frontlines”— workplaces, schools, neighborhoods—wherever!
Presenter: Rev. Grant Winnes: Grant has served at the First Baptist Church of Hampton Falls, NH since 2010, first as the Pastor of Student Ministries and now as the Pastor of Adult Ministries for the past six years. Grant grew up the son of missionaries, but some years teaching in a Christian school along with a number of years working in Youth Ministry before he felt God calling him into full time ministry. Grant attended Bethlehem Seminary in Minnesota. Grant and his wife Jennifer met at Wheaton College and were married in 1996. They have three children: Sophie, Josh and Maile.
Friday PM Workshops
The Brackish Church – Brackish is a term used to define an area near the coast where saltwater and freshwater mix together to create a unique environment that is home to some pretty cool adaptable species. In my chat I am going to draw the comparison to the church and how we as Christians are made to live in brackish waters or mixed company. A healthy church is brackish. When our organizations begin to look, sound, smell and feel the same we are in trouble. So let’s chat about what a brackish church looks like and how we can adapt to live in the mixed and mixing waters.
Presenter: Pastor Marcus Corey: Marcus grew up in western Maine. He was born on Saturday and in church on Sunday. His dad was the pastor and his mother was the organist, choir director and Sunday School Superintendent. His parents taught him how to love God more than people and how to love people more than the church. He never wanted to be a pastor as he knew they just facilitated meetings where people argued over carpet color. When asked to be the chaplain of Loon Mountain Resort he knew that the congregation only prayed for white carpet so he was sold! Marcus loves his job as a Ski Resort minister and has had the great blessing of leading an organization that is brackish. From Churched to Unchurched, from Local to vacationer, every denomination under the sun comes to worship on their mountain top. Marcus loves their God given unique ministry with its many facets and wouldn't want it any other way. He looks forward to hanging with his ABC brothers and sisters in October.
The Opposite of Addiction is Community (A Church’s Response to Drugs, Disease and Death) -
Many of our communities have endured great pains and significant losses due to the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder. While individuals struggle to maintain recovery, their families are often caught up in cycles of fear, relief, anger and isolation. This seminar will profile Mercy Street, a ministry extension FBC Plaistow. We’ll be examining how our churches may serve our communities by reducing stigma, demonstrating loving boundaries and not being afraid to encounter the symptoms of addiction. A pre-seminar question for attendees: Did Jesus encounter narcotics?
Presenter: Pastor Aaron Goodro: Aaron is the Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Plaistow, NH and founder of Mercy Street. He has served in churches in Southern NH since 1998. Ministry to persons living with addiction is shared by his wife, Wendy, as well as their two children. Music is Aaron’s creative outlet, and he performs frequently in the greater Boston area.
Spiritual Formation and Discipleship - Being a disciple involves following Jesus and becoming more like Him in the way we perceive people and situations, how we feel about them, and what we do in response. His character is formed in us through the work of the Holy Spirit as we entrust ourselves, body and soul to our loving Savior. The Gospel of John describes Jesus as one who comes to us full of grace and truth, reflecting the heart of our Father God. Spiritual Formation is the process of intentionally welcoming that grace and truth into our lives by devoting time to receive and be transformed by it. In our time together, we will discuss how grace, truth, and time help us to become true disciples of Jesus. We’ll introduce and engage in some Spiritual Formation practices together that will give ideas for how you can create space and rhythms in your life that invite the Spirit to help you grow.
Presenter: Rev. Rebecca Sommons: Rebecca studied Spiritual Formation as part of her education at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine and Palmer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. She has been serving as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Manchester Center, Vermont for the past four years. Rebecca enjoys engaging with people of all ages and seeing people grow in their life of faith. Some of her favorite things are singing, spending time in nature, creating meals, and experiencing new things with her husband and two college-age daughters.
Saturday AM Workshops
Cultural Intelligence: The Answer to Understanding and Loving Your Neighbor- Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is the ability to interact and work effectively in intercultural settings or contexts. These may include family structures, organizations, congregations, regions of the country, ethnicities, etc. Many times, church leaders do not understand the culture(s) within their own church, much less the surrounding community. This workshop will help your church gain knowledge of 1) what Cultural Intelligence is, 2) the 10 unique Cultural Values seen everywhere, and 3) a dose of unconscious bias in an effort to get you excited about understanding and loving your neighbor at a greater level, and to make you feel compelled to want more. (CEUs for Pastors who attend)
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Dee Stokes: Dr. Dee Stokes is a spiritual advisor, speaker, coach, author, and educator who is known as a program builder. Dr. Stokes utilizes her apostolic gift to repurpose organizations and build influential people who change the world and live out the Gospel practically. Dr. Stokes ministers in a variety of settings, but her passion is preaching, teaching, and empowering others to WIN. Dr. Dee serves on the teaching/preaching team at Christ Wesleyan Church, Greensboro, NC. Dr. Stokes is also on the Fresh Expressions US staff as the Director of Cultural Intelligence & Trainer.
Making Disciples in the 21st Century– Church leaders often see the great significance of creating a culture of discipleship in their churches, but struggle to know how to get started. We get the why, but struggle with the how, who, when and where of it. This session will provide ridiculously practical next steps for your church context and offer hopefilled stories and examples of how to engage with people who have little to no context or connection to church and see them grow to follow Jesus. (CEUs for Pastors who attend)
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Michael Beck: Michael Adam Beck is the Director of Remissioning for Fresh Expressions US, Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary, and Cultivator of Fresh Expressions Florida UMC. Michael and wife Jill are co-pastors of two revitalization congregations Wildwood and St Marks UMC in Ocala FL, and a network of thirteen fresh expressions. They direct an inpatient rehab, homeless shelter, and an interracial unity movement. Michael earned a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary with his mentor Dr. Leonard Sweet.
Sustain It! How leaders can use digital discipleship as an integral pillar to help build and sustain faith communities. - During the worldwide pandemic of Covid-19, many faith communities turned to digital platforms outreach and “in-reach” as a stop-gap until things “returned to normal”. However, the pandemic exposed the need for a “new normal” of multi-modal discipleship and churches that do not pivot to that reality may miss new opportunities for discipleship and outreach. This workshop is an interactive session that explores how leaders can embrace digital discipleship as an integral part of a sustainable, multi-modal discipleship initiative that engages disciples and “seekers” during the “in-between time” from Monday through Saturday. Using a live example (and work-in progress) of The Blueprint Ministries, participants will discuss approaches that allow for the judicious use of digital engagement to disciple and mentor Christ-followers, while providing accessible “on-ramps” for seekers to become servant-leaders for the Kingdom.
Presenters: Rev. Dr. Keith Bagley and Minister Bobbie D. Bagley:
Rev. Dr. Keith Bagley is a missions-minded servant of the Lord. He has extensive experience in leadership, visioning and education, and he believes “missions is everywhere”. Keith has applied this passion to the mission field in Africa, the French West Indies, various campus efforts and other ministry settings. His giftedness is in teaching, preaching and edification, and he is driven to help others unleash their gifts for the Glory of God. Keith has earned two doctorates: a Doctor of Ministry (D. Min.) from Rockbridge Seminary and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. In addition to pastoring and teaching, Keith is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science college at Northeastern University. Rev. Dr. Keith was ordained by Rev. Dr. Bertha Perkins of New Fellowship Baptist Church, where he serves as associate minister. He is also co-pastor and one of the founding directors of The Blueprint Ministries: a “fresh expression” ministry that provides outreach to non-believers who are seeking, and to believers who feel their lives are stagnant and lacking vibrancy.
Minister Bobbie D. Bagley is co-pastor of The Blueprint Ministries and is also an associate minister at New Fellowship Baptist Church. Minister Bobbie’s early calling was to street ministry, college campus ministry, Indian Reservation ministry and international ministry. Bobbie is an adept missions’ worker, leading teams in missions to Africa, the French West Indies, Dominica, urban outreach, and campus ministries. Minister Bobbie is a nurse and public health administrator by profession. She is currently the director of a local health department in the second-largest city of the State of NH. She is a servant leader that is passionate about public service, education and community. She has earned degrees in Biology, Nursing, Public Health and Nursing Education. She is a life-long learner and is in the process of earning her Doctor of Public Health in Leadership. In all things Min. Bobbie is always in pursuit of obtaining excellency in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and she loves the Lord!
Human Trafficking in New England - Every year, millions are trafficked around the globe … and right here in New England. It’s happening here, in rural and urban communities, among all types of family structures, ethnicities, ages and income levels. Traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion to lure victims into cycles of exploitation and abuse. This workshop will expose you to the truth of trafficking here in New England and empower you to join in the antitrafficking movement here.
Presenter: Stephanie Clark: Stephanie Clark is an author, speaker, activist, advocate, and CEO of Amirah. Knowing of the evil of sex trafficking since she was a child, Stephanie has pursued a calling of compassion and liberation for survivors of sexual exploitation. She is a vocal advocate for practical solutions for victims of sexual exploitation. Amirah, Inc. has made its mark in the anti-trafficking movement as a leader in aftercare. The whole-person care approach is taught to organizations throughout the region. Her first book, Letters to an Activist: Discovering Hope in the Pursuit of Social Change, is now available. Stephanie lives near the White Mountains in New Hampshire with her husband, Dave, and two daughters.