Arundel Association
First Church, Edgewater, has a group that meets after the morning worship on Sundays to memorize scripture.
Glen Burnie Church had a parents’ night out for Valentine’s weekend. The young married Sunday school class sponsored a child-free night for moms and dads.
Church members minister to the homeless in the community. They meet at the church, cook food and deliver it to local shelters.
Grace Church of Sunset Beach has monthly pancake supper and movie nights.
Baltimore Association
Colonial Church, Randallstown, will kick off a missions conference with an old fashioned gospel sing-along from 4-6 p.m. on Mar. 12. The conference begins at 11 a.m. on Mar. 13 with a combined worship service. Aaron Pankey, pastor of Infinity Church, will be the guest speaker. At 4 p.m., there will be special music and workshops facilitated by the visiting missionaries.
Immanuel Church, Baltimore, serves food every month at the Eastern Family Resource Center, a shelter located next to Franklin Square Hospital.
Stauros Ministries now meets at North Point Church, Baltimore. Stauros is a ministry that helps those addicted to alcohol and other drugs and ministers to their families. Stauros volunteers and participants led worship at North Point Church on Feb. 27. The guest speaker was Arthur Williams, founder of Stauros.
Parkville Church will have a series featuring Dave Ramsey’s Financial presentations. Financial Peace University classes will begin on Monday, March 28 and will run for 13 consecutive Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. There is a fee.
First Church, Dundalk, has a Reformers Unanimous (RU) Group that meets at 7 p.m. every Friday at the church. RU Director Larry Smith, a deacon and Sunday School teacher at First Church, said the group is Christ Centered and Bible based. “Real freedom isn’t something we can achieve by our own power,” Smith said. “When you turn your life over to Christ, you find the real freedom through Him.”
Smith said there are three main parts to the meetings: a testimony and prayer time; a support group session when women and men meet separately, and a teaching lesson, hearing from God’s word. Participants earn rewards through Bible reading and memorization. “Through the meditation of God’s word, hearts are changed,” he explained. “We believe that temptations lose their power the closer you are to the Lord.”
RU is open to anyone struggling with any addictions including alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, overeating and other strongholds. “It’s anything that doesn’t please God and you keep on doing it,” he said. For more information, call (410) 282.4256.
Blue Ridge Association
The Blue Ridge Association is planning an associational musical presentation of “316-The Number of Hope”, on May 15 at Faith Church, Knoxville, under the direction of Faith Church Knoxville Associate Pastor Duane Musgrove. Choirs from associational churches will practice together, along with an associational orchestra.
Fellowship Church of Middletown is in the midst of a “Truth Project” program, a 13-week Focus on the Family video production that covers a multitude of world views as reflected through many disciplines such as philosophy, science, history, anthropology and sociology. It explores the question, “What is truth?”
For more information about the Truth Project, see http://www.thetruthproject.org.
Alan Myers, Jr., resigned as youth pastor of First Church of Hagerstown. Myers has accepted a full-time youth pastor position at a church in Pennsylvania.
First Hagerstown had special evangelistic services with guest speaker, Frank Shelton. The church had a month-long series of prayer meetings preparing for the event and First Church Hagerstown Pastor Thom Smith said he could already sense the Spirit moving. Smith said that in spite of inclement weather, response was much better than expected.
“The Lord used Frank in a mighty way to awaken some sleeping saints, and encourage others to step out in faith and put their faith to practice,” pastor Thom Smith said.
Delaware Association
Community Mission, Henderson, began a new children’s ministry on Sunday evenings. They have Bile study classes for adults and children on Sunday mornings. Currently they’re using Chafer’s major Bible themes.
Pastor Walt Smith said Community Mission meets in an old church listed in the historical registry. Smith said the church is in the country “at the intersection of four corn fields.” The facilities are kept as is, to maintain the historical integrity. The church has a port-a-potty and uses kerosene heaters. A local fire company fills a small children’s pool several days before a baptism so the water will have time to warm.
The church is small, but dedicated, Smith said. The ladies’ Women on Mission group is especially active, taking clothing and baked goods to Shepherd’s House, a home for abused women and at an inner faith mission for homeless men. They also donated enough Bibles to the men’s mission to provide one for every room. In addition, one of the women crochets hats for cancer patients and other ladies donate the supplies. The ladies also encourage six missionaries throughout the world through online correspondence.
“They’re a very active group of women—a great bunch,” Smith said. “They put their faith into action.”
The church has an annual local outreach, distributing CD’s with the Gospel message. Youth from Harrington Church have helped. Smith said several people have visited the church as a result of the distribution, but that’s not why they do it. The distribution is to share the Gospel pure and simple, Smith said. If the church gets visitors and new members, that’s great, but they want to be obedient in getting God’s word out into the community.
Walt Smith is a retired Howard County correctional facility chaplain. “We live on social security. My wife plays the organ and directs the choir. We’re having a ball,” Smith said.
The Delaware Association is already making plans for its Autumn 2011 Moldova mission trip. Coordinator Mal Utleye requests prayer as the team plans for potential team members and airfare. He also asks for prayer for the leadership of the Moldovan/Ukrainian pastors and missionaries as they follow-up with contacts from last year’s medical clinics.
Eastern Association
Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Cambridge (Camino de Esperanza) now averages 45 people and attendance is increasing. The church started a second service at 9 am. on Sundays. The new service is completely in English to minister to second generation Hispanics.
The church has also launched a second plant in Easton last year. This year the church plans to start two new churches, one in Seaford, Del.,and a second in Denton, Md.
Mid-Maryland Association
Tyrannus Church, Clarksville, is planning for its summer mission trip to Japan. Each year, the church sends a team to the areas of Osaka and Kobe to work with an International Mission Board missionary. The volunteers assist the missionary with outreach ministry including street evangelism, tract distribution and ministering on Japanese college campuses. Tyrannus Church Pastor Young Jun Yoo said the goal is to build relationships, share Christ, and to eventually help the missionaries build a church. The church rallies around the team, providing funds and prayer support.
Montgomery Association
Colesville Church, Silver Spring, has a young adult night out twice a month. On the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, young adults get together for dinner and discussion. Last month’s topics were “Does God really exist?” and “The Big Bang.”
Germantown Church collects clothing, school supplies and dry foods for people living in rural/village areas of Zimbabwe.
Potomac Association
Women attending the ladies’ Bible study from Potters Place Christian Fellowship, St. Leonard, recently made and delivered 150 crafted Christmas gifts to residents of The Calvert County Nursing Home in Prince Frederick.
Work continues to progress on our new Worship Center. Thanks to those from other Potomac churches (Bayside, Hughesville and First Church, LaPlata) who have helped the church’s own volunteers in the work, the Potters Place congregation hopes to be in the new building before Easter.
Valerie Dowell is now the new worship leader at The Potters Place. She, her husband Keith, and children, Autumn and Joshua, are from Southern Calvert Church.
Prince George’s Association
Emmanuel Church, Laurel, had special fellowships throughout February in honor of Black History Month.
Emmanuel member and minister Paulette Holiday will be a guest speaker at the annual Uniting Sisters luncheon from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 9 at Martin’s Crosswinds, Greenbelt. The event draws over 1,400 women annually. This theme is “Yes Lord,” based on Mary’s response to the annunciation. The event includes lunch, speakers, liturgical dance and vocalists. Women come from across the country for the annual event. Dianne Wilson, a member of Redeemed Christian Worship Center, Waldorf, founded uniting sisters 14 years ago. Wilson said the event is emphasizes God’s encouragement to women through women.
Cornerstone Peaceful Bible Church, Upper Marlboro, had a “Preparing You for Your Dream Job” workshop last month providing help with resumes and basic interview skills for those entering or re-entering the job market.
Susquehanna Association
First Church, Perryville, reports that their pastor led a vision trip for BCM/D pastors for 12 days in February to Muslim West Africa. The pastors experienced ministry with a several people groups. They told Bible stories in villages to primary oral learners who know nothing but Islam. They also did a seminar for pastors of another people group where small churches exist. The pastors learned first-hand how to train and self-facilitate a short term missions team. The pastors also visited IMB facilities and also interviewed IMB missionaries to learn how they could partner with or work in coordination with them to reach an unreached people group for Christ.
John Gauger, pastor of Perryville Church, says that helping pastors to get a larger vision for God’s heart for the world and learning methods of training, partnership, coordination, and self-facilitation is part of their commitment to partnership ministries to train pastors for international ministry so they might lead their churches to greater involvement in international short term mission work. Perryville is particularly committed to helping SBC pastors learn how to connect with IMB missionaries.
Western Association
La Vale Church hosted boys from Juvenile Services’ Green Ridge Boys’ Camp at the church’s Super Bowl party last month. During the commercials, church members shared their favorite Bible stories. Several of the boys made confessions of faith.