The CBNortheast@msn.com E-Letter

www.missionnortheast.org

 

Editor:  Dr. R. Peter Mason, Executive Director

Volume 1, Number 3

May, 2001

 

 

To the CBMissionNortheast Family:  April showers bring May flowers! What a beautiful time of year in the Northeast. I am excited about the ministry vision and enthusiasm of our new National Director. He will be our guest in the Northeast during this month. Details of his visit are included in this newsletter.  CBNortheast is seeking a vital partnership in ministry with CBAmerica.

 

 

 

An Invitation!

 

Pastors and wives, please plan to join me in meeting with our new CBAmerica National Director, Dr. Dennis Gorton.

He is planning on being with us in the Northeast for three fellowship and equipping events.

 

Dinner on May 19th, 2001 in the Hudson Valley at First Baptist Church in Peekskill, NY from 6-8 P.M.

Lunch on May 21st at Lakeside Christian Conference Center in Pittsfield, MA from 12 to 2 P.M.

Lunch on May 22nd at South Shore Baptist Church in Hingham, MA from 9:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M.

 

He will be sharing his heart for the healthy ministry of the local church.

Please call the CBNortheast office to confirm your attendance.

 

 

In this E-Letter:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling Trapped in Ministry?

Help may be on the way!

As a pastor for more than 16 years, Ron Cousineau is familiar with those feelings, too.  So familiar, he is determined to do something about it.

Is it possible for a pastor to exercise his unique, God-given giftedness, training, and experience in a satisfying way outside the confines of the local church?  Not only possible, but biblical.

In this groundbreaking stage of his D.Min. thesis, Retooling Pastors for the Marketplace, Ron wants to help pastors who are feeling trapped in ministry to take the first step toward finding satisfaction in their work by interacting with like-minded colleagues in a transferable process that explores practical options in which to express their giftedness. 

The ultimate goal is to make this tool available to help pastors.  Now, however, Ron needs your help.

Ron is looking for three or four pastors who would be willing to meet (at a time and location agreeable to the group) for no more than five sessions, each lasting no longer than ninety minutes.  The five sessions would be completed no later than June 30th.

The names of the participants will remain confidential.

If interested, you may contact Ron by e-mail at thecous@javanet.com or by telephone at (413) 599-1291.

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A Free Marriage Conference for our CBNortheast Pastors 

Rhonda and I recently enjoyed a wonderful marriage conference in Newport, Rhode Island sponsored by FamilyLife. We were encouraged by the insights into marriage. We were pleased that the teaching was consistent with the biblical understanding of male and female roles in the family and church. We concluded that this conference would be a great gift for our children when they get married. It would also be a great resource for pastors who are seeking to provide premarital counseling for engaged couples and marriage enrichment for couples in their churches.
 
FamilyLife sponsors weekend marriage conferences in over 100 cities nationwide including a number here in the Northeast.   As a ministry to pastors and their wives, FamilyLife is offering a free registration to all full-time pastoral staff couples as well as to bi-vocational senior pastors and their wives for any FamilyLife conference or event.   (Meals and lodging are not included.)
 
For more information, you may call FamilyLife at 1-800 FL TODAY or  visit FamilyLife's web site at www.familylife.com.   If you prefer, you may contact FamilyLife's Northeast representative, Kim Nelson, toll-free at 1-866-466-0066.  Kim is based in Albany, NY.
 
FamilyLife is a division of Campus Crusade for Christ and has been seeking to present God's truth and hope to couples for the last twenty-five years.

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Supporting CBMen’s Ministry

Jeff Thompson, CBNortheast Men’s Ministry Coordinator

The goal of CBNortheast Men's ministry is to equip churches for effective ministry to men and through men. Men need to be trained to be the spiritual leaders in their homes and Christ's representatives in their cities.

To accomplish this goal we need the financial support of our churches. We thought Father's Day would be a great time to focus on the needs of men and ministry to them.

Would you be willing to have a designated offering on Father's Day for CBNortheast Men's Ministry?

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A Church in Need

 

 Dear Peter,

I am writing to inform you of some things that are happening in
our church (Cornerstone Baptist, Beaver Falls, NY). The former school
building in which we have been holding services for 6 years has gone through
foreclosure. After some prayer and discussion, we have decided that our congregation would not be well served
by owning such a large structure. Also, we do not wish to be involved in the
possible liability issues of owning a building which contains a lot of
crumbling asbestos.
We have informed the bank that we do not wish to make a purchase offer on
it. We feel that the Lord wants us to have our own facility in the near
future, but a building which is more cost, maintenence, and energy
efficient. The bank has asked us to leave the building so that it will not
have to be heated...and to escape potential liability issues.

So, for the time being, we have rented a large vacant farmhouse nearby. We
will be holding our first services there on Sunday, April 1.

After saying all this, we ask that you hold us up to the Lord in your
personal prayer time. We need His direction and guidance going forward. We
also ask that you pass our prayer request on to other CB churches as you
minister to the association at large. We know that the Lord has good things
in store for us! On a personal note, He has given me a heart for the Roman
Catholic community that is so numerous around us. It is a wonderful
opportunity in our own back yard! Please pray about that as well.

One man in our congregation has offered to purchase the land for us to build
a new church building on. Another person has offered to give us the deed to
property that they already own! Praise God! He is so good!
We are awaiting His further direction as we proceed. We have nearly $12,000
in our building fund, so we will need to enter into a mortgage agreement for
the remaining funds. Of course, we are also open to the possibility that
others might be willing to help financially in this endeavor. I would ask
that you share this possibility with other churches who might be willing to help in any way.

In closing, do you have any advice to offer in regard to all this? We would
value your input. Do you know of any organizations or persons who might
possibly help with architectural drawings? Perhaps you know of a new church
which might be built somewhere else that would allow us to use the same
plans with our own alterations? Any help or suggestions would be
appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you...

It remains our purpose.......TO GIVE THEM CHRIST!

              Clint Meade, on behalf of Cornerstone Baptist Church Beaver Falls, NY

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A Merger of Ministries Celebrated on Easter Sunday

 

John Gueli, Senior Pastor of New Dorp Baptist Church on Staten Island

About 7 years ago a Filipino congregation that was meeting in New Jersey felt the call of God to relocate on Staten Island. They came  to us and we offered to give them a home base in which to operate. As time went on they were in need of a pastor and approached us and CB ministries for additional funds. At that time we felt that perhaps we were duplicating ministry, by having two separate churches meeting in the same building doing the same work for God. So the idea to merge came about. We discussed it and prayed about it.

At the same time our American church, which in the past had been blessed with a number of muscians suddenly found itself with only a pianist to play on Sundays. Our worship leader also moved away. The Filipino congregation had a song leader and a vibrant musical group, also the new pastor that we would call has a very musically talented family. Everyone felt that this was the Lord's leading to unite the two churches into one. Now our worship services have been dramatically changed. We have a church band and a very contemporary style of worship. We are filled each Sunday to capacity. Many new families have joined our church, and we are in the process of  looking into adding a balcony for the over flow crowd. Our budget has more than doubled.

Last week we saw over 25 come to faith in Christ. A revival is under way. We have been carefully praying for God's leading and for protection from Satan's attacks, which we expect to come our way. Please pray with us as we reach out into a vital area of Gods mission field.

A New Leadership Resource for Pastors

Aubrey Malphurs

Welcome to the first issue of The Leadership Connection, a quarterly newsletter whose purpose is to address one or more specific ministry topics that I have researched and/or experienced over the years in my training and consulting work with churches and denominations. These are provided through my ministry, Vision Ministries International (www.visionministry.com), and should benefit those of you who are leading ministries to advance the gospel and the cause of Christ...

This first issue, The Power of Trust, addresses what I believe is one of the core qualifications for leading a church in the twenty-first century-TRUST. This article presents eight ways that you can build trust as a leader.  I hope that you find it most helpful and inspiring.

To view the article, go to: http://www.visionministry.com/Newsletter/LeadershipConnection_pg1.html

To subscribe or unsubscribe go to: http://www.visionministry.com/Newsletter/Subscribe.html

To learn more about the purpose of this newsletter or see frequently asked questions, go to:
http://www.visionministry.com/Newsletter/About.html

To see past articles, go to: http://www.visionministry.com/Newsletter/Archives.html

Blessings,
Aubrey Malphurs

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Block Island Outreach

We continue to have a church facility on the resort island of Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island.  David Littlehale has proposed that we offer outreach services this summer.  How about taking a weekend to provide the services?

David may  be reached at 508.336.4354.

 

 

School Release Time

 Hello Peter, 

Do you know of any churches, or Christian schools, in New York State
involved in Christian education of school children who have an excused
"Absence from school for religious observance and education"?
 
This was done when I was a kid, but I don't know of any today in NYS.  I
 am acquainted with the CBM Ministries of the Great Southwest, where this
 is a growing ministry.
 
God Bless, Warren A. Bower

wbvower@juno.com

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Editorial Correction
 
Hi Peter!
 
Thanks again for the e-newsletter. I appreciate the effort, and I do believe this will help us all in the effort to stay connected as an association of churches.
I just wanted to point out, for future reference, that the URL for the Spurgeon Fellowship was incorrect. It should be: www.klink.net/~rcklueg/spurgeon. Thanks!
 
Rick Klueg
 

Remember to Mark Your Calendar for

"The George Barna Seminar" on May 10, 2001 in Syracuse, New York

We receive a discount on the registration when we register with Barna (www.barna.org) under "CBNortheast."

"CBNortheast Come Together" at Word of Life Inn, October 1-3, 2001

Check the calendar on our website www.missionnortheast.org for other coming events! 

God's Holy Word says:   

 "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."-- 1 Corinthians 15:58

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The CBNortheast@msn.com E-Letter is designed to update friends about the ministry of CBNortheast and about what the Lord is doing among our family of churches. Articles from our churches and ministry staff are welcomed. Mail submissions and comments to cbnortheast@msn.com. Feel free to forward the E-Letter to others who may be interested. Most of all, your prayers would be most appreciated. Thank you for your partnership in the ministry of CBNortheast, PO B ox 3701, Albany, NY 12203.

 

 

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