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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.
If you are NOT viewing this
in HTML format... you
are missing a LOT!
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aNEWthing! UPDATE |
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--- Here's
What's Happening...
BOO RETREAT: On
June 6-7, the IBC Board of Overseers
completed a SWOT analysis, led by
Ray Swatkowski, BGC
Vice President, Director of
Mobilization, and assisted by
Gary Harrison,
Pinnacle Ministries -- identifying
IBC's Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats.
VOLUNTEER RESEARCHERS:
Two long-time IBCers have
volunteered to assist with
researching future district ministry
options. They are:
- Janet Taylor,
Olivet Baptist Church,
Urbandale, and IBC Treasurer,
Board of Overseer member, and
long-time camp board member...
will take the lead in
researching future options for
Pine Lake Camp.
- Pastor Frank Cook,
Union Park Baptist Church, Des
Moines, and former Board of
Overseer member... will take the
lead in researching
"Restart" options
for the IBC.
IBC PROFILE:
Based on information gathered from
the SWOT analysis and the state-wide
LEAD team meeting, and after the
council of a number of pastors, lay
leaders, and our Board of Overseers,
Skip Hansen developed an IBC
profile. The profile, along with
other IBC documents, was given
to our four neighboring districts
to assist them in determining any
potential merger options. (You
can view the
IBC Profile on line.)
MID-YEAR DISTRICT
MEETING: One last IMPORTANT
piece of information... The Board of
Overseers believes it would be
valuable to have a mid-year
district-wide meeting to give our
IBC constituents an opportunity to
review the research and
conclusions... and hopefully assist
in narrowing the list of four
options identified at the IBC annual
meeting. That meeting is scheduled
for:
Saturday, November 15
at Pine Lake Camp
Please mark this date on
your calendars! |
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STANDING AT A TURNING
POINT |
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---Devoting Ourselves to Prayer...
by Pastor Paul Smalley,
Community Fellowship, Ida Grove
"Then you will call upon me and come and
pray to me, and I will hear you. You will
seek me and find me. When you seek me with
all your heart, I will be found by you,
declares the Lord."
(Jer. 29:12-14a)
On May 2nd, Paul Johnson, BGC Senior
Vice-President, challenged us to weary
ourselves in prayer for the IBC. We do
indeed stand at a turning point in the
history of our conference. We should always
devote ourselves to prayer--how much more so
in a time of great decisions? We need the
Lord!
If there is anything to be learned from the
tornadoes and floods, it is that we need to
humble ourselves under the mighty hand of
God, for he gives grace to the humble, but
opposes the proud.
It's our desire for the churches to
participate in a special prayer event each
quarter of this year. This summer some
churches have banded together for regional
prayer gatherings. The Ida Grove and Kiron
churches held a joint prayer service on June
14th. If your church will not be a part
of such a gathering, how about setting a
special time of prayer in your church's
schedule this summer to pray for the IBC?
Stay tuned for upcoming prayer events this
fall, winter, and spring! For more
information, contact Paul Smalley, the
pastor of Faith Community Church, Ida Grove
(smalley@netllc.net
or Ph: 712-364-3630).
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PINE LAKE
HAPPENINGS |
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 ---Closure
to the First Week of Camp...
by Roger Sutton, Camp Director
THURSDAY EVENING
- I arrived at the final campfire for
Juniors Camp and was moved by the
testimonies in response to the message
and the love they had received this
week. I don't believe it's a common
event for Junior age kids to stand
before their peers and talk about life
and important stuff. They were doing
it.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON - I
sat with the summer staff as they
processed the events of the week...
highs, lows, unexpected moments. Again,
I was impressed with the maturity,
spiritually and emotionally, as they
told stories of what had happened in a
few days of caring for the lives and the
souls of 151 Junior campers. God had
done a work "in" and "through" them.
Many were able to pray with campers as
they made first time decisions.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON - I
was busy helping a group of guys start
some work projects, and I noticed a
PT Cruiser pull in that I didn't
recognize. Pulling up to the parking
lot, a gentleman got out and we started
to visit. He said, "I'm looking for a
camp in this area that I attended fifty
years ago and I think this is the
place." He shared that he had made his
salvation decision here, fifty years ago
today! He had been part of a rental
group that used Pine Lake Baptist Bible
Camp. This man has been in the ministry
all of his life and he was looking for
his birthplace.
The buildings may be old, but God still
uses this place to touch lives for today
and eternity, and God still uses this
ministry to train servant hearted
leaders!
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WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE...
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---And Not a Drop to Drink!
Between tornados and flood waters...
Iowa made national news headlines in
ways we would rather not have! It's
been a devastating few weeks for a major
portion of the state... and quite
possibly, the worst is yet to come! As
the media attention dies down... and
reality sets in... those whose lives
have been turned upside down will have
the enormous task of putting them back
together!
FYI: The IBC office
has received a number of
calls from groups outside of
Iowa wishing to help!
Please let us know your
specific needs and a contact
person, so we can direct
these individuals your way.
Here's what we've heard from our IBC
churches:
Algona
- Youth leaders took 9 students to
Parkersburg to help with clean-up...
had opportunities to share Christ...
and are ready and willing to do
more!
Cedar
Rapids, Edgewood - No
direct impact to the church
facility, but a number of church
families were affected and
evacuated... not to mention the
rippling effect of water
conservation, traffic
congestion, and food and gas
shortages.
Cedar
Rapids,
Valley View - No
direct impact to the church
facility, but opened their doors
to house and feed volunteers.
Iowa City - No direct
impact to the church facility, but some
families experienced major losses.
The River is
considering opening their facility to
house "clean-up" crews, (They are
finishing showers that were started 30
years ago!) They are also in the
talking stage of sharing their facility
with one of the churches still needing a
place to worship on Sunday mornings.
Three evangelical churches in the area
received 4-6 feet of water. One,
Parkview, a multi-million dollar
facility has only $500K flood
insurance. Despite the rising waters
and moving their church offices off
campus, they continued to hold their
VBS... with 4 kids coming to the Lord on
the first day. The evangelical pastors
in the area are working together to
coordinate relief work.
New Hampton
- Youth leaders took 12 youth to
help a family clean-up after the
tornado in Parkersburg.
North Liberty - Pastor Dave
Conrad's aunt was killed in the
Parkersburg tornado, 2 uncles were
injured and lost their homes as
did a couple of cousins. In
Coralville, a work crew that was
originally preparing to work on the
Genesis House committed
their time, instead, to sandbagging.
Jesup - No direct
impact to the church facility, but
several families in Dunkerton (tornado)
and Independence (flooding) were
impacted. The church held an outdoor
service (mostly music) and provided free
hamburgers, brats, etc. to encourage the
community. They also helped with
sandbagging efforts.
Waverly - No direct
impact to the church facility, although
13 families were significantly
affected. Grace
opened its doors to 2 of the 5 churches
in the area that were impacted, and had
a combined service and lunch with the
local Vineyard Church.
Grace also
became the temporary Waverly home for
the NE IA Food Bank... and provided
meals to people out of their homes and
delivered lunches to volunteers.
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"CONVERGE - IOWA CITY"
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---a
VERY Unique Ministry Partnership!
After significant
analysis, discussion, and prayerful
consideration...
The River Community
in Iowa City, and...
Genesis Church in
North Liberty/Coralville, arrived at a
very creative partnership called... 
"Converge - Iowa City"!
And... although The River
and Genesis
are the founding churches of this
partnership... the door is open for
others to join!
Here are a few details of this unique
partnership of churches:
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First, this is a partnership... not a
merger. Both churches will remain
independent, autonomous churches. Each
church will retain its own budget,
church structure, and decision making
process.
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Second, this partnership provides
opportunity for cooperation between the
two churches, i.e., shared
staff, facilities, talents, ministries,
and service projects. As an example,
Pastor Dave Conrads
will continue to serve as "Senior
Pastor" for Genesis,
but will also serve as "Teaching Pastor"
for The River.
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And third, The River
has adopted the Genesis vision...
to start additional neighborhood
churches in the Iowa City area over the
next few years, providing the intimacy
of a small church but having the
programs of a larger church--preparing
the way for additional
"Converge" member
churches.
If you want to know about
this unique partnership... I'm sure Pastor
Dave (dave@genesisjourney.org)
or Pastor Gail (pastorgail@rivercommunitychurch.org)
would be more than happy to fill you in! |
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TOOLS OF HOPE |
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--Sharing
Time, Talents, & Power Tools!
by Pastor Rod Ankrom, New
Hampton
Tools of Hope...
a ministry that loves people in
a practical way through home
repair and maintenance for those
who are seniors, disabled or
financially disadvantaged...
completed its second project on
June 21. They replaced the roof
and resided the porch of a house
in New Hampton. Eight people
used their time and gifts ( &
power tools) to make a real
difference in someone's life!
For more information about Tools
of Hope... and how
they identify and fund projects,
etc., check their website at:
www.firstbaptistNH.com.
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SONICFLOOd CONCERT |
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---Coming
to Jesup Bible Fellowship!
When: August 23 at 7:00
pm
Where: Jesup Bible
Fellowship, 152 South St, Jesup, IA
Cost: $15
Questions: Contact the
church at 319.827.6231 for more
information or to purchase tickets
For those of you NOT in the "know"...
SONICFLOOd is a popular
contemporary Christian band... having
released eight albums... sold over two
million records... and received numerous
Dove awards! Familiar hits include, "I
Could Sing of Your Love Forever", "Cry
Holy", and Resonate".
Youth Pastors/Leaders -- how about a
summer outing?!?!?
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
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 Looking
Ahead...
- June 24-27 - BGC Annual Meeting -
Bethel University, St Paul
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July 8 - IBC Board of Overseers
Meeting - Ph Conf
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August 12 - IBC Board of Overseers
Meeting - Ph Conf
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September 19-21 IBC Men's Retreat at
PLCC
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September 20 - IBC Board of
Overseers Meeting - Eldora
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Septermber 26-28 - IBC Women's
Retreat at PLCC
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October 21 - IBC Board of Overseers
- Ph Conf
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October 31-November 2 - Breakaway in
Des Moines
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November 15 - Mid-Year District
Meeting - Eldora
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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
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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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Iowa Baptist Conference | 32203 - 230th Street | Eldora
| IA | 50627
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