I’ll be on honest with you.

I’m kind of stingy.

I do spend money, but I really like to get my money’s worth.

Like, there are few things more disappointing to me than when I order a burger at a sit-down restaurant, and the plate arrives…and there next to that big, juicy burger is a pitiful scattering of fries.

You know what I mean? Potatoes are cheap. What gives?

I’m paying $15 for that burger. For cryin’ out loud…give me some FRIES with it, will ya!?

Am I the only one?

I don’t think so.

Anyhow, that’s actually Reason Number 4 why you should register for KINDLE THE FIRE 2019 right now.

Because if you show up at Centerpoint Church in Salem on October 26, you are going to get a plate full.

I mean the conference equivalent of a thick juicy quarter pound patty cooked to perfection, a mountain of fries, a hillock of creamy cole slaw, and free refills on your drink.

And you get all of that for basically the price of one hot dog with nothing on it.

That’s value. I like that. Don’t you?

If you don’t get that, go to the Eventbrite site for Kindle the Fire 2019, and take a look at what these guys are serving up. Seriously. It’s a generous helping of  great quality, super-tasty fare.

And, you can UPGRADE.

On Friday October 25, they are offering a special PRE-CONFERENCE focused on discipleship and revitalization. The Pre-conference is a round table discussion with three experienced speakers, digging into the nitty gritty of real discipleship in our ministry context.

So for a few more pennies, that’s like getting a conference TRIPLE burger with a half pound of beef, 4 thick slabs of smoked BACON, and your choice of condiments, plus dessert.

And, by the way, all this is not just for pastors, it’s for church leaders of all kinds.

You won’t find a better value in a ministry conference anywhere.

AND – it’s LOCAL.

Sure, some of you guys way up in Vermont might have to drive a little bit – but it ain’t in Boston.

And here is a (not really) secret – if you are a pastor driving more than an hour, you may be able to get a free hotel room Friday night if you act quickly.

So order already.

Click that button down there and register.

It is totally worth it, and you won’t come away hungry.
 

DETAILS
Sat, October 26, 2019 / 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM EDT
 CenterPoint Community Church / 101 School Street / Salem, NH 03079
$22.50 Registration fee / Includes lunch

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE SPECIAL PRE-CONFERENCE
FOR PASTORS AND CHURCH LEADERS ON  FRIDAY  OCTOBER 25

Register at Eventbrite. Click THAT BUTTON 

There is an old saying.

Certainly you have already heard it.

Probably many times.

“Time and tide wait for no man.”

And of course, it does not apply only to men, but to women and children too.

The point is that you can’t wait to do what needs to be done. If you do, another old saying comes into play.

“He who hesitates is lost.”

You may be asking yourself, “For someone who is in a big hurry, he sure is taking his own sweet time getting to the point."

OK. Fair enough. Here is the point.

Kindle the Fire 2019 is only a week away.

Kindle the Fire is a conference and seminar for pastors and church  leaders that seeks to spark a movement of renewal and revitalization among all kinds of churches all over New England.

Kindle the Fire offers encouragement, fresh vision, and concrete concepts that you can take home to share with your congregation.

Kindle the Fire will help you discern how God is at work in your church, in your community, and find opportunities to take him up on his invitation to mission right on your doorstep.

It is local.

It is cheap.

You can choose one day or two days.

Lunch is included.

And chances are you have not registered yet.

You should, but you probably have not.

So, now is the time to act.

Reserve your spot.

Click the button below.

DETAILS
Sat, October 26, 2019 / 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM EDT
 CenterPoint Community Church / 101 School Street / Salem, NH 03079
$22.50 Registration fee / Includes lunch

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE SPECIAL PRE-CONFERENCE
FOR PASTORS AND CHURCH LEADERS ON  FRIDAY  OCTOBER 25

Register at Eventbrite. Click ▲ THAT BUTTON ▲

We all live in New England, right?

So, you know how it is when your car gets more than a few years and more than a few miles on it. The paint gets chipped here. A scratch shows up there. Dents and scrapes and bumps accumulate. Eventually a little bit of rust shows up. The car is perfectly fine. Still has lots of miles yet to go, but that new car shine is long gone.

Well, here is the car I drive around Vermont and New Hampshire as I talk to churches and pastors in my role as Regional Minister. It’s a 2008 Chevy Impala with126,000 miles on it. When I got it 4 years ago, it had 60,000 miles. So that works out to about 16,000 miles a year. That isn’t too bad, but of course you need to factor in that those miles are year-round, winter and summer. What’s more, while those are technically mostly highway miles, you know as well as I do that for a lot of the roads I’m riding, “Highway” is a fairly generous label.

It’s a basic transportation workhorse. It gets decent mileage and handles well enough in most weather. But you know how it is. Eventually salt gets up under the rocker panels and the fenders. If left untended, those little spots turn into patches. And those patches turn into holes. Pretty soon your mechanic won’t let you pass inspection until you do something about those holes. It doesn’t matter that they don’t affect the way the car runs or drives – they won’t give you that sticker until those holes are all patched up.

At this point, I have a choice to make. An auto body shop will charge a whole bunch of money for a trained auto body technician to do some kind of magic that makes holes disappear without a trace. There’s nothing wrong with that, if that’s where my priority is.

Or…we can do it the Old Yankee way. Go down to the parts store. Pick up a can of Bondo and some other supplies. Do some grinding. Do some filling. Wait ‘til it cures. Smooth it over and throw on some spray paint. No, it won’t look quite as good as the professional job. But it will look better than the hole that was there before, and most important, it will get that sticker for the windshield.

But why go through all that trouble when you could just let the pros do it?

The answer is pretty simple -- the budget is tight. We need to make every dollar stretch. Money doesn’t grow on trees after all. And in my case, every dollar not needlessly spent is a dollar that can go to ministry. And that is where our priority is.

Where does the money come from?
When we say that money doesn’t grow on trees, it is not just an old saying. It’s a reminder that every dollar in the Region budget is a sacrifice for someone in the pews, someone like you. Yet, you decided to send that money to the Region to support gospel ministry among our neighbors in Vermont and New Hampshire.

You took it from your bank account and put it into the offering plate. Then because of a decision you made at a church business meeting, it came out of the church’s funds. We never forget that. This is not our money. It is God’s money, that he gave to you, so that you might entrust it to us. We give it back to him as the living sacrifice of proclaiming God’s Good News in Jesus, and loving our neighbors for his sake.

We know that these dollars and cents do not come to you easily. You sweat for them, paying for each decimal in effort and time. Therefore, when you write that check, or click that online donation button, those simple gestures contain hours and days of labor, and careful management. We do not take your gift lightly. The trust you show when you give to the Region Offering is always at the front of our minds.

We know that you give because you want to see the ministry of the Gospel move forward in New England – and that is what we want too. That’s why we work so hard to stretch every dollar and apply these funds where they are most needed and will be most effective.

So Where does the Money Go?
To help you understand this, let me explain how this money is used.

First of all, organizationally, the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire functions as a mission infrastructure of our approximately 150 churches. Our system does not direct our churches or define their local ministry. We instead offer our care and support to local churches and pastors.

ABCVNH has only one full time employee; the Region Executive Minister. My role is multifaceted; working with search committees, pastors, church boards, region boards, and working with new ministries and initiatives. My role can be one of mentor, counselor, consultant, administrator, preacher and pastor – all in a given week! Your giving supports my work as the Region Executive Minister where my role is often that of “Jack of All Trades” home missionary.

In addition, your gifts provide for a dedicated part time staff; an Administrative Assistant to answer calls and research questions for pastors and churches and connect them with resources, and a Financial Manager to find cost savings, manage our accounting and provide a system of trusted financial management. There are others, Stipend Staff, that help with communications, pastoral placement and longevity.

Considering that we serve 150 churches, ABCVNH is a cost-effective mission.

The good news is that last year 2018, our Region had approximately a $7000 budget deficit in comparison to a $120,000 deficit in 2012. This year it is possible to attain a balanced budget. Last year, our Region offering was $52,000. This year, ABCVNH will need the same amount to support our mission together. This amount, in conjunction with 65% of the United Mission giving we received, and 29% of the America for Christ offering, plus our own modest endowment income is what supports our wider mission.

Beyond our operating budget, ABCVNH manages restricted grants, gifts and endowments for the support and care of local pastors and churches. Last year we returned to local churches and pastors more than $127,700. This figure includes $37,760 via ABCVNH’s operating budget. In a given year, greater than 50% of our pastors and churches will receive support and encouragement via the ABCVNH mission infrastructure.

This support is varied from distributing gifts from the Minister’s Council, purchasing books for pastors, helping new ministries, buying materials for VBS, purchasing new Bibles for pews, or helping repair and update church buildings. While your gift maintains a modest office and enables your Region Executive Minister to be on the road in a rusty old car, we are committed to lowering our operations costs to better serve 150 churches, regardless of size.

Your gifts are invested in the Mission at our Doorstep, simply Vermont and New Hampshire. Every dollar is a gift, and ABCVNH receives your gift as entrusted to us by Christ.

How can you contribute?
Please consider how God has blessed you and how He can use you to bless others.
If you feel called to give, you have several options:

• You can write a check and mail it in the envelope included with this letter.

 

• Click on the button below that says, "GIVE NOW" and it will take you to a page where you can make a direct donation online. It is quick and easy.

We all know Christ’s lesson of the Widow’s mite (Mark 12:43-44). While the rich were giving gifts that jangled in the receptacles at the temple, a widow took her last tow coins and shared a quiet gift with God – all she had. God asks us to give in faith. God asks us to give from our hearts. I ask that you would consider supporting the ministry of the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire. We will be blessed by your gift and we will honor your gift by using it wisely and in the spirit you gave it – to spread the love of Christ to those in need.

In Jesus’ Name
Dale Edwards
 
Maybe by now, you’re wondering how the cost savings worked out with regard to my car as mentioned in the beginning of this letter. Check in again later and we will have a photo of the finished work. I think it looks pretty good!

​Central Association Annual Meeting - October 12th at 1:00pm -  First Baptist Church in Newport, NH

Lakes Association - October 10th at 8:30am - The Soda Shoppe in Laconia, NH

Northwest Association - October 8th at 9:30am - First Baptist Church, Burlington, VT

Southeast Association - October 8th at 8:00am - First Baptist Church, Exeter, NH

Southern Association - Meeting weekly on Thursday mornings at 8:30am - Blake's restaurant on S. Main St. on the West Side of Manchester

Southwest Association -  October 17th at 9:30am - First Baptist Church of South Londonderry, VT

Women Ministrial Leaders - October 15th at 10:00am - United Baptist Church, Concord, NH

Ask the average person how they are and you’re likely to hear, “busy!” It seems almost cliché to say that life is too busy. But, unless you are living in a remote village somewhere, it’s probably true.  Maybe you have had occasion to reflect on what you were doing a year ago at this time; perhaps thanks to a social media notification. We realized (for that reason), that it has been one year since we had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Kodiak Alaska. (Yes, life is slower there!)

We also realized that we had neglected to write a promised piece for the region newsletter. So, with our apologies for the lateness, we’d like to offer our thanks to the ABC VT/NH , North Springfield Baptist Church, and all whose generous donations made the trip possible.

Kodiak Baptist Mission began as an orphanage in 1893 and continues to serve children and families on Kodiak Island by providing Christ centered outdoor preschool, after school program, summer camp, and daycare alternatives, along with a community food shelf.
Maintaining their 30 acre property requires a large contingent of volunteers with a variety of skills. We had the opportunity to help repair horse fencing, make modifications to the goat dairy, clean up downed trees left after severe weather earlier in the year, erect outdoor classrooms (aka, large canvas tents), and replace tile work in one of the residences.

The atmosphere of hospitality, joy, grace and encouragement was inspiring and made it easy to put in a hard day’s work. What a privilege to be a part of a team living out their faith in Acts 2 style, a fellowship of believers…and doing it without any grumbling or complaining (Philippians 2:14). We encourage you to check out the KBM website to learn more about their ministry. 

It was an amazing adventure for us, a chance to use our gifts, but also be stretched. Something happens when we step out of our comfort zone. We experience God in new ways, and see things we didn’t see before. But you don’t have to go to Alaska to do that. Be prayerful. Ask God to show you where he wants to use you, and step out in faith.
In His Service,
​
Sean and Ben Millard
North Springfield Baptist Church