Arundel Association
Twenty-seven volunteers from New Hope Community Church, Weems Creek Church, First Church Kent Island, The Bridge and Faith Church, Glen Burnie, will travel to New Orleans April 25 – May 2. Team members will do construction work, helping to rebuild homes from hurricane damage. They’ll also do street level work such as surveys, inner city ministry, an after school ministry and an “annual” birthday barbecue for the homeless, celebrating everyone’s birthday at once.
They’ll work with churches in and near the Ninth Ward, the area that is the poorest and was the hardest hit from Hurricane Katrina.
The team will work with Edgewater Church; Sojourn Lakeview Church; Grace Church and Crossroads and they’ll partner with Habitat for Humanity and Operation Noah Rebuild, a partnership project between New Orleans churches, associations, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board to help rebuild New Orleans, to start and strengthen churches and reach people for Christ.
This is the third associational mission trip to New Orleans. John Brittain, Arundel Association’s director of missions, said the association has planned for a total of ten trips.
New Hope Church, Curtis Bay, will send a mission team to Matamoros, Mexico, July 18-25. The team will minister to children in an orphanage and others in the surrounding communities through hosting Vacation Bible School. New Hope has had an ongoing relationship with the people of Matamoros and has been sending teams there for over six years.
Church member Kailyn Jensen will participate in a Global Expeditions trip to Uganda on June 14-July 10 to minister to children living in displacement camps and to ex-child soldiers in Uganda.
North Arundel Church, Glen Burnie, will begin having services at 5 p.m. on Saturdays beginning April 4, in addition to the two they have on Sundays in Glen Burnie and one at NAC’s new campus, Grace Place, in Dundalk.
Baltimore Association
First Church, Dundalk, had a children’s movie night last month with pizza, sweets, drinks and an animated movie about missionary Jim Elliott.
Blue Ridge Association
Destiny Church, Martinsburg, W.V., will have revival services April 7-9 at 7 p.m. The guest speaker will be Stephen J. Russell.
North Star Church, Ijamsville, had a free video training seminar taught by a former NBC video producer.
The church is planning a mission trip to Guatemala in July.
Pleasant Valley Church, Rohrersville, has a card ministry. Members gather together for fellowship and to write cards to those who are sick, shut-ins and others who need encouragement.
Delaware Association
Bethany Church, Wilmington, will have a ladies tea in April.
Grace Church, Seaford, Del., has an English as a Second Language (ESL) class every Tuesday night led by Bertine Alfreide. The class size ranges from 8-12 people. A free ESL class is a great way to reach out to those who are new in the area and are struggling with English.
Ogletown Church’s middle school youth had a lock-in last month. The church’s Joy Group had a talent show/pizza night fellowship.
Eastern Association
First Church, Easton, will host games, Bible stories and a cookout at a local apartment complex on May 30.
The church is ministering internationally with two mission trips planned for Turkey and one to Mexico.
Lynnhaven Church, Pocomoke City, is fostering some parent-child bonding time. The church recently had a daddy/daughter dinner followed by a mother/son indoor campout.
The church will have their annual Easter egg hunt on April 4 for children in grades 2 and under. In the evening, the older kids will meet for a “glow in the dark” egg hunt.
Mid-Maryland Association
Bethany Lane Church, Ellicott City, will host an original Easter production entitled “The Payment” which portrays the events of the first Easter. Sherrie McKay, Bethany Lane’s minister of music, wrote the music for the program and Jason Brown, music director of First Church, Upper Marlboro, arranged it. The show will feature Elizabeth Miller, an internationally recognized dancer along with a cast of 100 singers, dancers and actors. Admission is free but seating is limited. The performances are at 7 p.m. on April 8-10, and at 3 and 6 p.m. on April 11.
Other Easter events at the church include a pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt on April 4. About 80 children came to the hunt last year, plus their parents. Children’s minister, Rachel Williams, expects more this year.
Christian magician, John Carrington, will be the special guest at the egg hunt. Carrington will present the gospel message through his magic act. Afterwards, the kids will be set free to hunt for more than 3,000 eggs.
For more information or to reserve tickets for the Easter Production call (410) 465-0150 or see www.bethanylanebaptist.org.
Adam Feldman, pastor of Metanoia Church, Ellicott City, baptized nine people on Feb. 15. After an abbreviated service, church members had a big potluck dinner then headed to Bethel Church for the baptism celebration.
Metanoia Church meets at a recreation center on Sunday mornings, so they use the baptistery of one of its partner churches – either Bethany Lane, Cornerstone Community or Bethel. In warm weather, the church gathers at a local swimming pool, or even at the Potomac River for baptism celebrations.
South Columbia Church has many activities this month for Easter. The youth will give a banner presentation on April 5. A Good Friday service will have the theme “Through the Seven Last Words of Christ.” On Easter Sunday, there will be special music by the sanctuary choir and a brass ensemble. The youth will also present a dramatic interpretation.
The church’s women’s ministry will host a spring craft extravaganza from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 30.
Ongoing women’s ministries include a ladies’ Sunday school class, a Tuesday morning and a Tuesday evening Bible study; LIFT (Ladies in fellowship together ) every Monday evening and WOW (Women on Wednesdays), a mid-week casual small group.
The ladies also participate with “blankets of love,” a quilt making ministry for needy recipients.
Montgomery Association
Kensington Church ordained Kim Hyekyung Ock to the gospel ministry on Feb. 8 and commissioned him and his wife, Ihn, as missionaries to the Korean community. The couple started the Rock of Salvation Church that is meeting in the Burtonsville area.
Lexington Park Church has a divorce care ministry to help people who are or have gone through divorce or separation. For more information see their website, www.divorcecare.org.
Redland Church, Rockville, sent a team of 29 members to Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic from Jan. 10-17. They partnered with Pastor Carlos Soegaard and his church Cristiano Shalom doing construction projects, leading vacation Bible school and hosting a medical clinic.
The construction team built two homes for needy families from Carlos’ congregation while the VBS team ministered to over 300 children in several local neighborhoods. A medical team was comprised of two family practice physicians, one dentist, one physician’s assistant, one pediatric nurse and seven fourth year medical students. They attended to, treated and prayed with over 500 patients during the week, and were blessed to see several of them make confessions of faith.
“God blessed our week with safety, team unity and the blessing of seeing His powerful hand at work all around us. Many of our team shared how this week in the Dominican Republic helped revive their faith in Christ and renewed their passion for sharing the gospel with their neighbors at home,” wrote Daniel Adams, a team member and son of Mark Adams, pastor of Redland Church.
The ladies of Redmond welcomed guest speaker Peggy Morse, a missionary to Romania as their special speaker at a ladies night out last month.
Seven Locks Church, Potomac, will join with other churches for a mission trip to Jefferson City, Tenn., this summer. They will help build and repair homes and work with Backyard Bible Clubs in conjunction with Appalachian Outreach Ministries.
Viers Mill, Silver Spring, will host the Easter cantata “Raise the Crown” on April 5. The women of Viers Mill led worship on Baptist Women’s Day on Mar. 22. There was also a special women’s choir.
Potomac Association
Lexington Park Church had a “How to fireproof your marriage” overnight retreat at Camp Wabanna in Edgewater.
Trinity Church, Waldorf, started a new worship service on the last Wednesday of every month. The subject matter and music is geared toward teens and young adults.
Prince George’s Association
Clinton Church recently hosted a “Practical guide to grant writing and fundraising” seminar.
Cornerstone Peaceful Bible Church moved to their new location at Frank Tippett Road in Upper Marlboro.
Faith Fellowship Church will have their annual men’s retreat June 19-21 at Refreshing Mountain Camp, Stevens, Pa.
The Prince George’s Association’s Women on Mission hosted a ladies spring tea last month. The theme was “For such a time as this…”, referencing Mordecai’s words to Queen Esther, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Members of West Hyattsville Church celebrated their 50th anniversary on Mar. 7 with a community health fair.
Susquehanna Association
First Church, Havre de Grace, will host “Run to the Pantry Motorcycle Rally” on April 11. The Rugged Cross Motorcycle Ministry will lead the worship service. Fresh Fire band will provide music. Rugged Cross will collect non-perishables as part of their ongoing ministry to the needy. A short run motorcycle ride, will follow the service, ending at a nearby diner for lunch.
Oak Grove Church, Bel Air, will host a National Bible Bee on Sept. 12. The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is sponsoring the contest. The competition begins with local contests in September. The top 100 finalists from each age group advance to the national level in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 5-6. The deadline to enter a local contest is April 30. For more information see http://www.biblebee.org.
Youth at Paramount Church had a missions study last month focusing on North American Missionaries Daniel and Kimberly Goombi and Brenda Crim.
The Goombis serve as missionaries on a Native American Indian reservation in Kansas, which is the home of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Indians. They use Vacation Bible School, carnivals, and other programs to reach the Native Americans with the love of Christ and His salvation message.
Brenda Crim coordinates Southern Baptist volunteers at the Alaskan Iditarod. The volunteers do the jobs that others do not want to do like take food to the dog teams. The volunteers also give each racing team a bucket with candy and a Bible. They give out free hot drinks outside and work the concessions stand at basketball games while giving out Bibles and sharing Christ with people.
After watching some video clips and hearing about the missionaries, the Paramount youth were given an opportunity to help. In response, the youth signed a basketball, which has been mailed to Brenda Crim to use at the basketball games in Alaska. Also, some verses were highlighted in a Bible that was signed by the youth. This Bible has been sent to the Goombis to be given to a Native American at the reservation.
The youth who participated included Christian and Joshua Colliflower from Williamsport, Abbie and Esther Hayes, Madison Lewis, Spencer Lunsford and Tony Owuor from Hagerstown.
Western Association
The ladies of Welsh Memorial ministered to their local police department as a special missions project for February. The women took two large trays of cookies, cupcakes, brownies, candies and fruit to the Frostburg Police Station. They left the “goodies” along with a card telling the police officers and staff how much they are appreciated and that the ladies of Welsh would be praying for them.
Western Association will have its annual youth camp July 12-17 at Camp Frame, Hedgesville, W.V.