“On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” Mark 4:35-41
Missions and fun at Skycroft
Students from Tri-County Baptist Church (TCBC) in Damascus, Maryland, led by Kris Buckman, TCBC director of children’s ministry, along with Tom Mullings, a volunteer youth leader, headed to Skycroft Conference Center in early August for a day of missions and fun. Buckman also serves as the children’s ministry consultant and VBS consultant with the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D). TCBC students recently had a fundraiser for a missions trip that had to be canceled due to COVID-19, so the church diverted the funds for their stay at Skycroft.
Lauren Dickey very carefully paints “cubbies,” small storage areas, at Skycroft Conference Center (photo by Sharon Mager).
The teens met with Jim McBride, Jr., Skycroft’s facilities manager, to get their mission work orders before picking up paint brushes and heading out to spruce up areas by the pool. They worked for several hours while they talked and laughed. Several were very particular as they slowly painted cubbyholes for personal belongings and went over spots several times. There were no complaints.
“I really enjoyed helping. It was a lot of fun,” said Jessie Clemmens. This was Jessie’s first trip to Skycroft. “The drive up here was amazing. It’s so open and gorgeous.”
This was also 13-year-old Lauren Dickey’s first time at Skycroft. “It’s really fun. The food is really good,” she said.
Painting complete, they headed to the dining hall, masks intact, where staff served fried chicken with sides in individual Styrofoam containers, followed by cheesecake.
Happy and full, the kids and leaders played in the pool before heading off to play a life-size version of the classic game, “Battleship,” where they sat in custom made small wooden boats and tossed water balloons across the handmade Battleship “board.” Kids and adults were laughing and enjoying the game. “This is fun,” said Lauren, throwing a balloon that landed out of bounds, splashing water on other players who were laughing and enjoying getting wet on a hot day.
Tri-County Baptist students have fun playing life-size Battleship (photo by Sharon Mager).
They also enjoyed the “Gaga Pit,” similar to dodgeball but in an octagonal shape, and Bazooka Ball, similar to paintball but with squishy balls, so no welts.
Following a dinner of cheese-stuffed tortellini with meat sauce, garlic bread, salad, vegetables, and cupcakes for dessert, they relaxed around a campfire with wood provided by Skycroft staff.
“We brought our own s’mores supplies and sticks and they set it all up for us and got it lit. It was a nice way to end the day,” said Buckman.
Drive-thru service
Colesville Baptist Church (CBC) in Silver Spring, Maryland, will have their first drive-in church service at 7 p.m. on August 16. The praise and worship team will lead music and Dr. Britt Groom, CBC’s new pastor, will share a message. Attendees are encouraged to roll down their windows or bring chairs and sit outside. If the service is rained out, the church will upload a service to the CBC website and YouTube.
The church called Groom as pastor earlier this year but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his coming to serve sooner. Groom and his family began their ministry in August. BaptistLIFE will share more about Pastor Groom in a future blog post.
Request for handbells or handchimes
The Blue Ridge Baptist Association (BRBA) is seeking handbells or hand chimes. BBA Bruce Conley asked for a donation or loan in a recent BRBA newsletter. Conley hopes to form an association-wide bell choir that can practice and play at various churches. Most churches use bells once a year at Christmas, he said. He’s hoping to use them year-round. Email Bruce Conley for more information.
Concession Trailer
BRBA’s concession trailer was recently renovated, thanks to volunteers from Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Rohresville, Maryland; Faith Baptist Church in Knoxville, Maryland; and other community volunteers. The BRBA is in the final stages of receiving licensure and approval from the local health department.
The trailer will offer BRBA churches new opportunities for outreach at block parties, fairs, and other events, such as “Brunswick Railroad Days.” Churches can serve popcorn, snow cones, and other snacks.
Bruce Conley said the trailer was originally as a mobile billboard, with a laptop inside and a rear projector screen, but the association felt it would get more use as a fair trailer, though it can still be used as a mobile billboard.
Conley said the association has built up a nice “fleet” of equipment for BRBA churches to use for community outreach.
Quotable Quotes
“Those who went before us have bequeathed to us a heritage. We have an obligation to ourselves, to our contemporaries, and to those who will come after us.” Roy Gresham
“We overcome, not because we’re a moral majority or a righteous remnant, but because we’re blood-covered sinners who know that if the Gospel can change us, it can change anyone.” Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel
History Highlights
1895 — Annie Armstrong proposed the first Women’s Missionary Union self-denial offering for Home Missions, renamed in 1933 to honor Miss Armstrong. Maryland Baptists gave 76 cents per member to Foreign Missions; the south-wide average was 8 cents.
1896 — Marie Buhlmaier, a young German woman, worked with the immigrants at the Baltimore Port. During the time of World War I, people thought her to be a German spy. In 1903, the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention began to support her with $1000 each year.
1903 — E.B. Hatcher became executive director. His tenure as leader of the Maryland Baptist Union Association, the precursor of the BCM/D, was during the Progressive Era in America. Associational structures for delivering ministry and cooperating with existing ministries began in earnest — an active, hopeful, reform spirit. Hatcher initiated a training school for female church workers. Sunday School, evangelism, and youth work surfaced.
(History Highlights are adapted from “Gofwd, a Southern Baptist Retrospective,” a special feature publication of BaptistLIFE.)
Cover photo by Sharon Mager