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 &
Converge Worldwide (BGC).
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IT'S UNANIMOUS !
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Both Districts voted YES !
 THE
RESULTS: Yes!
Last Saturday, February 6th,
delegates, pastors, and guests came
together for the final
gathering of the 2009 IBC Annual
Meeting... and voted unanimously
to merge the IBC with the MBC to
form a new district... the
Minnesota-Iowa Baptist Conference!
At the same time that we were
meeting in Iowa, Minnesota delegates
and pastors were meeting in
Minneapolis... and they also voted
overwhelmingly in favor of merging
the two districts!
And so... after nearly three years
of surveys, proposals, committee
meetings, town hall meetings, annual
meetings, board meetings, LEAD team
meetings, transition team meetings,
and more... plus much,
much concerted prayer... we've
finally arrived at "aNEWthing!"
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THE DAY:
Despite a
Friday-Saturday winter
storm forecast, the
weather
actually cooperated,
(for the most part!),
and we enjoyed a turnout
of well over 100
individuals! It was a
great day!
 Olivet's
worship team led us in
inspiring
worship... commenting on
the fact that they could
barely hear their
monitors over the
congregational singing!
And following the
meeting... the ladies
served us (literally) a
fabulous meal...
bringing closure to
a great time of
fellowship and
celebration!
Guests from the past
included Joyce Baltz and
Skip and Linda Hansen...
sharing memories from
their years in Iowa.
A booklet, "Snapshots
From The Past", provided
a brief history of
Swedish Baptist
influence in Iowa,
beginning at Village
Creek in 1853... and
continuing for the next
157
years! Additionally, we
viewed a video
presentation of the
early and present day
facilities of our
current churches.
(Feel free to contact
the office for copies of
either the booklet or
the video.)
THE TRANSITION:
Over the next few weeks IBC and
MBC staff will work together to
facilitate the transition of the
two districts into one... and
will keep churches and pastors
advised of any administrative
changes. The transition will
officially take place following
the conclusion of IBC's fiscal
year on March 31, and we are
working to make it as smooth a
transition as possible!
As we bring closure to this
current chapter in the history
of the IBC... we also look
forward to the next chapter as
we begin a partnership
with Minnesota!
(Incidentally... as an aside...
my recent research revealed that
it was the original church in
Burlington that closed and left
Iowa in 1855... moved to MN...
and planted the church at
Scandia... where a few years
later they also initiated the
organization of the Minnesota
Baptist Conference! Who would
have guessed that over 150 years
later, Iowans would again be
instrumental in initiating the
organization of a new
"MN" district ?!)
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COMING TO THE END !
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Thanks for a "Fun Run" ! ...by
Sue Shaw, IBC Administrator
 Eight
and a half years ago, Skip Hansen invited me
to serve as the Administrator of the Iowa
Baptist Conference. Skip needed someone to
"man" the office... in order to allow him to
more effectively connect with and serve the
IBC churches, pastors and LEAD teams. And
so... in September, 2001, Rick & I resigned
our jobs and moved to Eldora with, I might
add, very little idea of what I would
"actually" be doing!
Over the following months and years,
however, the job description evolved... and
later evolved again... and then yet again...
and so it went... depending on what was
needed at the time! For me, this was
actually what made the job so much "fun"...
the wide variety of experiences and the
abundant opportunities for learning and
refining new skills! (I quickly get
bored with same old, same old!)
Yes... the past eight years have been a
"fun run"... and I am grateful to Skip
for empowering me in this role... and
for the IBC Board of Overseers, pastors
and constituents for encouraging
me! You have been a great bunch of
people to work with! Thank you all!
As to the future... I'm first of all
looking forward to some "time off"...
and then... I will be looking forward to
discovering what yet unknown new
challenges lie ahead!
Lastly... as I approach the end of this run... I
will be leaving you in the very capable hands of
my counterpart in the MIBC... Mandy Johnson.
Feel free to contact Mandy (after April
1st), with your questions. She will help
you find answers or direct you to the
appropriate resource. (MIBC Phone:
651.633.0560; Mandy's Email:
mjohnson@mbcworld.org)
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PINE LAKE UPDATE |
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Putting the Pieces Together... by
Roger Sutton, PLC Director
 Like
the pieces of this new bell that need to be
reassembled and hung in our bell tower, the " transition
pieces" of our merger with Trout Lake
Camps are now ready for our full attention.
Last Saturday, Trout Lake Executive Director,
Jon "Wick" Wicklund, delivered a new bell from
one of the Minnesota Churches. At the same
meeting, on behalf of the Minnesota Baptist
Conference and Trout Lake Camps, he greeted us
and challenged us for the new relationship and
the new journey we are forging together. Great
days are ahead!
Calvary Baptist Church, Montevideo, MN had a
bell. It needed a home. It needed to be hung
where it could be rung... where it could be used
to call campers to meals, chapel, fun and
safety. Pine Lake needed a new bell with a new
sound. Now we have that bell!
Trout Lake Camps also had something they were
willing to share... leadership... vision...
successful ministry history... and more! They
are already sharing those things on our behalf
in many ways. Have you viewed our new website?
If not, check it out at
www.pinelakecamps.org. Our 2010 summer
brochure is also completed and in the mail...
with a new look and new opportunities. Look for
them!
As the days quickly ramp up to April 1st and the
official integration of our camping ministries,
there will be new faces and more news. The
pieces will quickly come together... keep a look
out! Listen for a new sound from Pine Lake in
many ways... and... please pass the word!
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ROUTE 66 |
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A "2nd
Half for Him" District Ministry . . .
Route 66 provides ministry
opportunities for active retirees in the
areas of... service, education and
recreation!
A Route 66 "ServTeam" ministry
opportunity will be coming to Pine Lake this
spring... May 2-7... to work on
spring clean-up and other projects in
preparation for the summer camping ministry.
For more information, contact Fred Tuma,
Coordinator of Retired Adult Ministries for the
Minnesota-Iowa Baptist Conference... Phone:
651.633.0560 or Email:
ftuma@mbcworld.org
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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 Looking
Ahead...
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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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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
provides 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
New Journey Community 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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