Iowa Baptist Conference
eNewsletter |
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Dear Friends,
This eNewsletter comes to you from the
district office of the Iowa Baptist
Conference... keeping pastors and
leaders informed of activities across
the state... and opportunities and
resources available through the IBC &
the BGC.
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UNANIMOUS!
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"a
NEW thing?"
... by Skip Hansen
On Thursday and Friday, May 1 & 2, Union
Park Baptist Church hosted over 170
individuals at this historic 2009 IBC
Annual Meeting! When it came time to
vote on whether to move forward toward a
merger with Minnesota Baptist
Conference... the voice vote, of
126 registered delegates, pastors,
and overseers, was a unanimous... YES!
Did you catch that? Aren't we all
Baptists... "true blue" Baptists? Yet,
after spending this past year hearing
all the points of view, and listening to
all the voices... the vote was
unanimous! How did that happen?
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 During
the plenary session on Friday evening,
MBC Executive Minister, Dan Carlson,
revealed his heart. He shared "the story" of
his personal spiritual journey as God called...
even compelled... him into district leadership.
In my view, I believe Dan's humility and humor,
enriched by personal goodness and grace, drew
the hearts of Iowa's delegates toward him... and
established a fundamental spiritual credibility
among the delegates.
Afterwards, during dessert, Dan fielded
unscripted questions. Once again, Dan's
knowledge and wisdom, coupled with humor and
candor, reinforced that spirit of confidence
among the delegates.
 The
"seal on the deal" came Saturday morning.
Attorney Paul Floyd outlined
the legal steps required in both
states--Minnesota and Iowa--in order to pursue a
merger of the ministries. Paul's clear
communicative skill, supported by his legal
competence and expertise, established a sense
among the delegates that IBC has an opportunity
to join a people worthy of our trust.
When time for the vote arrived, you could sense
The Spirit. (The "goose bumps" return just
writing about it!) The strength of the voice
vote resonated across the hall!
Could it be that God is revealing His
"aNEWthing!"... God's roadway through the
wilderness... and His stream through the
desert? I believe the answer is a resounding,
"Yes!"
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SAYING GOOD
BYE! |
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from
Skip Hansen
 "Good
Bye!" And the blessings of the Lord upon you!
With integrity I can say, that during the past
eight years, I have poured my heart into the
ministries of the Iowa Baptist Conference. God
has blessed... and enriched us all. By many
measures these have been productive years... as
the district has grown by four church plants
(another pending) and five adopted churches...
and our camp facility is greatly improved!
During these years my heart has grown to love
and care deeply about all our pastors and
churches.
And so, with equal integrity, I can say it
thrills me to believe that during the next eight
years, the pastors and churches across Iowa have
an opportunity to be led into even greater
productivity together!
On a personal note, I am deeply thankful that
God is allowing me to "pass" a people I love
passionately... to a group of leaders I trust
deeply. I believe they are worthy of your full
commitment and trust.
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FAREWELL TO SKIP HANSEN |
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by IBC
Board Chair, Pastor Steve Clinkscales
Saying goodbye to an effective, Godly leader is
always difficult, but the tribute arranged by
Rev. Frank Cook provided the right mix of levity
and lament. With video and personal stories,
Brian Spitzer, Gary Clark, and Frank each spoke
of the powerful influence that Skip has had in
the Iowa Baptist Conference churches and Pine
Lake Christian Camp.
What God has accomplished through Skip and his
leadership could fill this newsletter, but the
biggest impact in my life (and most Pastors) has
been his unending, tireless efforts to develop
and continue the ministry of the Pastor's
L.E.A.D. Teams. Iowa has become a national
leader by example in this area. Thank you,
Skip, for your devotion to encouraging healthy,
maturing, dynamic relationships between pastors
AND the churches they serve. Well done!
For those unable to personally say, "Well
done!" at the meeting, it is not too late.
Please send your farewell/thank you cards to the
conference office. If you would like to
contribute to the farewell love offering, please
send a check before May 20th. Checks should be
made out to the IBC and mark the memo "farewell
offering". Mail to: IBC, 32203 230th St,
Eldora, IA 50627. Please take the time to
encourage and celebrate the "good gift" that
Skip and Linda have been for so many of us in
Iowa.
Pastor Steve Clinkscales, IBC Board Chair
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THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS... |
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2009 Ministry at Pine Lake...
by Camp Director, Roger Sutton
 In
SIXTEEN days... the
Memorial Day Family Retreat weekend will be
underway! There's still a couple empty
cabins... and room for RVs and tents.
Please pass the word. If Memorial Day
doesn't work, please consider the July 4th
weekend or Pine Lake Homecoming in August.
In TWENTY-FIVE days... the
"Awaken the Dawn" summer staff will be
arriving for two intense weeks of training.
I call it "boot camp". Please pray for all
that they have to accomplish as the school
year ends and for their protection
spiritually and physically. There's a
target on their back!
In THIRTY-NINE days... the
first week of camp will be
starting. Summer registrations are
coming in fast & furious... and are well
ahead of last year. We currently have
321 camper registrations!
Please pass the word. Pray that all who
need to experience the ministry of Pine
Lake this summer will make it a priority
and the resources will be available for
them to attend.
WORK PROJECTS... The
days to accomplish several critical
projects are clicking down and on top of
that, the grass needs mowing. If you or
anyone you know has time and talents to
share, please give me a call. One of
the greatest needs is for a team who is
experienced at finishing drywall and
trimming a cabin out. Other work will
involve upgrade and repair of the pool
floor. Many other jobs will fall in
line after those. My number is
641-849-5553
HOUSING NEEDS... It
would be a blessing if we could locate
two RV's in good condition that we could
use for about ten weeks this summer.
They would be used to house several of
our senior staff who really need a place
"of their own." We promise to take great
care of them. If you know someone who
has a unit that might be available,
please send them our way.
Your prayers and your support through
gifts and services are greatly
appreciated and always needed. Hope we
can see many of you this summer at one
of our camps or retreats.
Let's "Awaken the Dawn" together,
Roger
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IBC 2008 CHURCH PLANTING REPORT...
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by Pastor Carlton Anderson, IBC Director of Church
Planting
To see a summary of the 2008 Church Plant Health
Scorecard...
click here
In comparison to 2007, Carlton Anderson reports
that:
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The overall average attendance increased by
almost 20
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There was an average of 4 more baptisms per
church
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There was an $815.00 average increase in
offerings
Keep on serving as the Lord is
leading!
Carlton
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
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 Looking
Ahead...
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May 22-25 - Memorial Day Family
Retreat Weekend
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June 14-19 - Juniors Camp
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June 21-26 - Sixers Camp
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June 21-26 - Centershot Archery Camp
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June 28-July1 - Base Camp
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July 3-5 - 4th of July Family
Retreat Weekend
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July 5-10 - Jr High Camp
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July 11 - IBC Board of Overseers
Meeting - Eldora
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July 12-17 - Sr High Camp
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August 4 - IBC Board of Overseers
Phone Conference
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August 7-9 - PLCC Homecoming Weekend
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September 1 - IBC Board of Overseers
Phone Conference
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September 18-20 - IBC Men's Retreat
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September 25-27 - IBC Women's
Retreat
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October 6 - IBC Board of Overseers
Phone Converence
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October 9-11 - IBC Scrapbooking
Weekend - PLCC
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October 17 - IBC Prayer Summit
- PLCC
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November 3 - IBC Board of Overseers
Phone Converence
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November 7 - IBC 2009 Annual Meeting,
Resumed - Pine Lake (10:00 am)
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December 1 - IBC Board of Overseers
Phone Converence
2010
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January 5 - IBC Board of Overseers
Phone Converence
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January 15-17 - Sr High Winter
Retreat (9th-12th)
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January 22-24 - Juniors Winter
Retreat (2nd-5th)
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February (date, ???) - IBC 2009 Annual
Meeting, Resumed - (location, ???)
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February 19-21 - Jr High Winter
Retreat (6th-8th)
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MINISTRY
RESOURCES |
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Following are brief summaries of
some GREAT ministry tools.
You can check out additional
resources at the IBC website in
regard to:
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RETOOL KIT
is a BGC resource
designed to help churches become
all that God wants for them. It
is not a program... it is a
pathway... guided by a trained
Mobilization Coach who helps the
church discover and develop
healthy leaders, a biblical
community, and a clear vision
for the future.
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 One
of the the end results is a
clearer vision for ministry,
along with a three year future
plan. Additional outcomes are
the changing of the church's
DNA, spiritual growth, (both
personally and corporately),
stronger community, and more
effective Kingdom impact.
For more information, contact
Pastor Jeff Scherer,
IBC Director of Mobilization
at: 319-290-6874 or
jeffscherer6@msn.com
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SHALOM HOUSE is
a pastoral retreat center in New
London, WI
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facilitated by Pinnacle
Ministries and providing a
comfortable, safe place for rest,
refreshment and renewal for those in
ministry - based on the philosophy
that the health of our
churches, and ultimately our
communities, rests in the strength
and refreshment of our pastors.
Pinnacle Ministries
offers three levels of services...
from just "hanging out" to
professional counseling services.
Shalom House can
also be utilized for church
board and leadership retreats,
church staff training, missionaries
and their families, and pastoral
sabbaticals.
If your pastor doesn't know about
Shalom, please tell him or her about
it - better yet, send them
for a refreshing, relaxing break to
recharge their batteries for future
ministry!
For more information, go to:
www.theshalomhouse.org
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QUIET WATERS MINISTRIES -
offers a FREE,
24 hour a day, 7 days a week,
confidential phone consulting
resource for BGC pastors and home
assignment missionaries called
CARELINE -
funded jointly by IBC & BGC
 Call
866.526.2222 to be
put in touch with a licensed doctor
or master's level counselor from
Quiet Waters Ministries
to talk about EITHER
personal OR congregational
matters.
Services are available for up to 3 hrs
of assessment and consultation via
telephone per isolated incident per
year.
All communication with the
denomination, regarding these
services is consistent with
confidentiality laws and
requirements, and with BGC's
policies and guidelines.
For more information about
Quiet Waters, go to:
www.qwaters.org
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BGC CORNERSTONE FUND
is a ministry
of the Baptist General Conference
with a mission
 to
extend BGC ministries - by providing
loans for building/remodeling
projects within our conference
churches and ministry centers.
Our ministry is possible because of
the support of our investors, who
receive competitive rates compared
to like term investments and have
the satisfaction of knowing that
their investment is being used to
help expand ministries of the BGC.
For more information, go to:
www.bgccornerstonefund.org
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CHRISTIAN LIBRARY
INTERNATIONAL
is a Raleigh, NC, based ministry
that distributes
 used
Christian books (fiction and
non-fiction), Christian music tapes,
Sermon tapes, CDs, DVDs, video
tapes, bible study materials, and
tracts to prisons, shelters and
international missions free of
charge.
What a
great way to "recycle" those dust
collecting books! For more
information, to to:
www.cli-nc.org
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CHERISH CENTER
is a ministry of Shepherd's
Fold - providing housing,
counseling, nurturing, training, and
spiritual guidance to young ladies
experiencing the crisis of an
unplanned pregnancy. They have the
capacity to care for six girls at a
time for a period of 3-6 months.
And because they are supported by
individuals and churches, they have
the freedom to make Christ central
in the home and in the training.
The Executive Director, Jan
Turner, is a member of the
Milford Baptist Church
and is also their worship
director. She has seen this project
through the from the very beginnings
- property purchase, building
construction and equipping, and
staffing. In their first year of
operation they served eight girls.
Shepherd's Fold
Ministries, Inc., is a
local, interdenominational,
non-profit corporation working
to provide a home and a
hope for young mothers in
need, located in northwest
Iowa.
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 IOWA
BAPTIST CONFERENCE
Magnifying God by Mobilizing &
Multiplying a Growing Family of Healthy Churches! |
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