Arundel Association
Tim Levert resigned as pastor of Crossroads Church, Severn. Levert accepted a position as a youth pastor at a church in Columbus, Ohio.
The church gave Levert, and his wife, Tasha, a love offering and a scrapbook of pictures and mementos commemorating their time in Maryland.
Part-time associate pastors, Rick Kellner, Melba Miller and Chris Wirt, have accepted increased pastoral roles. Kellner is serving as the interim.
Lake Shore Church, Pasadena, has called a new pastor, Blaine Welker, who will begin ministering March 21.
Baltimore Association
Grace Place, Baltimore, a multi-site campus of North Arundel Church, celebrated its one-year anniversary on Jan. 17 with a special worship service and fellowship dinner.
The church is starting a coffeehouse ministry. The Christian rock band Holy Smoke played at the coffeehouse on Feb. 6.
Youth at First Church, Dundalk, prepared and served spaghetti dinners for Valentine’s Day.
The women’s ministry of Woodbrook Church will have an afternoon tea on March 27. Ladies are encouraged to break out their fancy dresses, hats and pearls, bring their tea sets and join in the affair.
“We fancy up the hall as much as possible. We put white tablecloths on all the tables and decorate with flowers. Members of the church and community lend us tea sets,” Karen Rodriguez, coordinator said.
The tea party begins with prayer. This year, Rodriguez said, they’re going to have a “Clue” type game. Everyone will be given a clue as they enter the hall and they’ll have to socialize with other guests to solve the puzzle and win prizes.
Rodriguez said church members and friends donate food and prizes. Along with the tea, ladies delicately munch on quiches, sandwiches, appetizers, fruit and sweet treats.
Blue Ridge Association
First Church, Frederick, has a worship service designed for young adults called “Refuge.” Worship is informal and features acoustic music.
The church’s youth had a winter “wonderfest” in January with an afternoon of ice skating, hot chocolate, food and a movie.
The men of First Church, Thurmont, meet monthly for breakfast at Mountain Gate Restaurant.
Delaware Association
Ogletown Church, Newark, will host the women’s conference, “Fresh Grounded Faith” on Mar.19-20, featuring national speaker and author, Jennifer Rothschild. Rothschild lost her sight at the age of 15 and now travels, teaching women to “walk by faith and not by sight.” She has shared her message at the Women of Faith conferences, on Dr. Phil and Good Morning America. Her books include “Lessons I learned in the dark;” “Fingerprints of God;” and her newest, “Fresh Grounded Faith.” For more information about Rothschild, see: www.jenniferrothschild.com. Singer Kathy Troccoli will join Rothschild. Troccoli has had 17 number-one radio hits, 19 Dove Award nominations, two Dove Awards and three Grammy nominations.
General seating is sold out, however, the church has opened up overflow seating where visitors can watch the conference via a live simulcast. Rothschild will make a live appearance in the simulcast area. The cost is $39. For more information, see Ogletown’s website, www.ogletown.org
Eastern Association
Michael Wilt, April Alvino and Martin Chavez, from Grace Church, Seaford, led a multi-church mission team of 17 people, including two teens and two translators, to Nicaragua from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6. Other churches participating included Faith Community Church, Gambrills, First Church, Seaford, and Bayview Church, Seaford.
While on route, the team discovered that a laptop computer, cash and other items had been stolen. They also endured some transportation challenges when the departing plane from Managua, Nicaragua had a flat tire on Dec. 5, and the departure had to be delayed a day. But the team arrived home safely and gave all the praise to God.
Mission team members worked with the association of Baptist Ministers International helping churches and schools. They repaired and painted a baptismal pool, did some structural and landscaping work and provided four new teachers’ desk and chair sets, a new four-drawer file cabinet, a new captain’s chair for the principal and 50 renewed students desks. With remaining funds they bought 20 gallons of paint for the classrooms. In addition, the team participated in a sixth grade graduation ceremony, and an Anniversary celebration service, socializing with the children and people of Nicaragua and sharing Christ as they went.
The team also spent time working to educate new Christians, teaching them how to minister, read and present the Bible.
The brotherhood men’s ministry at Immanuel Church, Salisbury, has a monthly men’s breakfast. Men enjoy a time of fellowship, a devotional, and sometimes a mission activity. In February, the men invited the women. They cooked and served pancakes, sausages, scrapple, eggs, potatoes, sweet rolls and other breakfast foods for the women and they cleaned up afterwards It was a special Valentine’s treat to show the women they’re appreciated.
Mid-Maryland Association
Northwest Church, Reisterstown, will present the Eater Pageant, “The Promise” March 26, 27, and 28 and on April 2, 3 and Easter Sunday. Friday and Sunday shows, including Easter Sunday, are at 7 p.m. Saturday’s matinee’s are at 2 p.m.
The musical is about the life of Jesus as told through the eyes of a grandfather to his grandchildren while they are looking for dinosaur tracks. When they begin discussing an upcoming birth in the family, the grandfather tells the children how all life is precious and about God’s promise and how He gave His own son. The play takes the audience back to the time of the prophets and continues through the birth of Christ, His life, death and resurrection. The program features the works of many musical artists including Claire Cloninger, David T. Clydesdale, Gloria Gaither, Mark Hayes and Sandi Patti.
Tickets are free, however, the church is asking for non-perishable donations for the food pantry or for baby supplies for Alpha Pregnancy Center in Reisterstown. For more information, or for tickets, call 410-833-7220 or visit the website, www.northwestbaptistmd.org.
Kenny Heath, Western Association director of missions, hosted a “Memories of the Big Band Era” for a seniors’ luncheon at South Columbia Church.
Montgomery Association
Kensington Church recycled their Christmas tree. They decorated it with socks throughout January and February and donated them to a local shelter.
Redland Church, Rockville, has a scholarship fund, provided by church members, to fund mission trips, retreats and other special events for youth who need the extra helping hand.
Ruth Sentelle, a Redland Church member, is a watercolor artist. She recently had several of her paintings displayed at the Yellow Bran Studio in Glen Echo Park.
Potomac Association
Lexington Park Church’s youth ministry had a sweetheart banquet with Lebanese cuisine. The evening included a coffee bar, door prizes, entertainment and childcare.
The youth of First Church, Waldorf, celebrated the blizzards of 2010 with a “whiteout party” with an “official” snowball battle, open gym time and pizza.
Prince George’s Association
The “Repairers of the Breach” men’s ministry conference kicked off its inaugural meeting Jan. 15, 2010, at Sharon Bible Fellowship Church, Lanham, at 7 PM. The special guest was “Amazing Gospel Sounds” a group of men who received Christ while incarcerated. They now sing and share testimonies. Upcoming conference dates are: April 16, July 16, and Oct. 16.
Harold Dugger, pastor of First Church of Capitol Heights, is Prince George’s Association’s men’s ministry leader. Dugger works with the PGBA’s church development team to prepare for the conferences.
“Objectively, our mission is to help men to develop and execute comprehensive understanding of their roles and responsibilities: God, family, church and community,” Dugger said, explaining that he hopes to accomplish that goal through the light of Biblical principals, profession, practice and great fellowship.
Dugger explained that men from several churches had been meeting together under different leadership. As they fellowshipped together, they began inviting other churches. The leader of that ministry felt God was leading him in a different direction. As the leader of the PGBA’s men’s ministry, Dugger took over that responsibility.
The new ministry builds on the original and is called, “Repairers of the breach” based on Isaiah 58:12, “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in,” (KJV).
The men now meet quarterly for two hours. Each session is different. Sometimes they’ll have special guests, including health professionals to address men’s needs, question and answer times, break-out sessions, open forums, panel discussions and open dialogue.
“We’ll keep the subject as relevant as possible,” Dugger said. At the end of the meeting, someone will give a special presentation of the word of God. Afterwards, the men share a meal.
“Some men come to church and don’t understand their role and responsibility. We wan to make sure we have healthy men in our congregations and community
In addition to the quarterly conferences, Dugger said the men meet monthly to do evangelism walks. They’ll pick a community, prayer walk, hand out tracks and minister to people.
They’ll also meet once a year for a conference retreat at Skycroft Conference Center. This year the conference is scheduled for Aug. 26- 28.
Men are responding. One hundred eighty men came to the January conference. About 50 show up regularly for the evangelism walks.”
Susquehanna Association
In the midst of a snowy February, Towne Church, Joppa, had a kids’ swim party at a local swim club.
Calvary Church, Rising Sun, hosted the Susquehanna Association’s annual WMU salad banquet. Women brought their favorite salads and recipes to share.
Pleasant View Church, Port Deposit, is hosting a “girl’s night out” at Sandy Cove on March 11. It’s a chance for ladies to get away, relax, eat and enjoy each other’s company.
On Jan. 31, the church celebrated pastor David Hall’s 20th year as senior pastor of Oak Grove Church, Bel Air. Also on Jan. 31, Hall and Brian Watts, minister to young adults and interim minister to adults, announced that Oak Grove is planting a new church in Aberdeen. Oak Grove will be the parent church. Watts will be the planter. The new church is expected to launch in March 2011.
Western Association
Second Church, Cumberland, sent a missions team to New Orleans late last month to help with the ongoing rebuilding from the damages from Hurricane Katrina. The team sold soup and sandwich lunches after church during January to help raise funds for the trip.