The Mobile Baptist

September - November 2020
Volume 23 Issue 3


MBA Office Closing
:

September 7 - Labor Day
October 5 - Day after Annual Missions Celebration
November 11 - Veterans Day
November 26 - Thanksgiving Day


Stay informed of news and events within the MBA by clicking here and signing up for the weekly email News Alerts. 

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Executive Committee Meeting


Monday, September 14, 2020



10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.


New Life International Baptist Church

(512 Farnell Lane, Mobile 36606)

 

Every MBA church member is welcome. Every senior pastor is a member of the Executive Committee. Join us to help communicate why churches support Associational Missions.

• Budget and Finance Committee report and presentation of the 2021 Proposed Budgets for study and questions

• Enlistment Committee report of proposed 2021-2023 committee members

• Future Focus Committee update

• Reports from the ministry areas

* Vote on new job description for the Church Development Director position
* Vote on allowing remote voting at the Annual Missions Celebration

* To Be Voted On

***Our Executive Committee has overall responsibility for the directions, strategy, and processes of the MBA. It is composed of the general officers of the Association, the Executive Officer of each of the several Associational programs, the Chair of each standing committee, the pastors of the churches, and one lay member of each church in the Association having a membership of up to and including 1,000, and one additional member for each additional 1,000 members or fraction thereof, providing that no church shall have more than a total of four members.

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Sunday, October 4, 2020

3Circle Church Midtown

(150 South Sage Avenue, Mobile)

and online via Zoom

 

5:00 p.m. - Registration begins

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Celebration

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Please be in prayer for the Seafarers Ministry. International Ministries distributes hundreds of international/language Bibles each year. Chaplains are now able to reengage ship visitation. God has blessed the ministry with four Port Chaplains.  There is still a need for three more. Although the need is for at least one per day for each day of the week, it would be great for each Chaplain to have a backup and/or assistant. If God is leading you, please contact Gerald Burch at the MBA Office 251-661-7111.

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Join the MBA International Ministries and others in an associational missions project. This project provides needed funds for ministry to Internationals in our area. The funds help provide Bibles for the International Language School, International Churches, and Seafarer Ministries.

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This ministry to internationals in Mobile is financially supported by gifts from MBA churches. We are deeply grateful for all financial contributions to International Ministries and for volunteers who teach and show hospitality in the Language School. Businesses, churches, and individuals are encouraged to sponsor students by giving money for language Bibles, books, and supplies. You are welcome to donate any amount, as the Lord leads. Please contact Gerald Burch or Kim Wilson if you would like to help.    

How You Can Help:
1) donate hospitality items - bottled water, tea bags, fresh bread or pastries, and K-cups
2) donating your time - We need individuals to help serve refreshments during tea time, help with office work, and teach.
3) praying - We need prayer partners to pray for the students and teachers. Pray that God's Glory will be made known in and through this ministry. 

Please bring the above mentioned items to the Associational office (616 Azalea Road) or contact Kim Wilson at 251.533.2911 or via email.

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Baptist Women's World Day of Prayer


Thursday, November 5, 2020
10:00 a.m.


More details to come soon.

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Girls Winter Weekend


November 6-7, 2020
Camp Whispering Pines


For ALL Girls in grades 1-6

More details to come soon.

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Due to the ongoing pandemic, there are currently no events planned during this quarter. Please pray for the Personnel Committee as they search for the next Church Development Director.

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This is just a mid-hurricane season update to remind you to be on alert and ready. The National Hurricane Center has updated their forecast to an even busier season, so we want to stay alert. Thank you for your willingness to serve and take Jesus to the hurting!

Please consider an offering towards MBA Disaster Relief. Your giving provides the funds for supplies and preparation to respond to disasters in our area; giving volunteers opportunities to share the love of Jesus!

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” 1 John 3:18

Carolyn Battle
Disaster Relief Coordinator
Mobile Baptist Association
disasterrelief@mobilebaptists.org
251-643-3053
dr.mobilebaptists.org

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Church Collegiate Workers-

This Fall will certainly be different on our college campuses in Mobile County. Campus guidelines on gathering, distancing and masking will make personal student to student ministry more important than ever before. BCM will begin the fall virtually in our programming and individualized in our ministry and outreach. As always, BCM will invest in connecting students to our local Baptist Churches through all the contacts we make on our campuses.

Please take a few moments to let Baptist Campus Ministries know how your congregation would like to connect and partner to reach collegians in Mobile County this fall. Students will return soon and BCM has a multi-faceted plan to reach, grow and send collegians. We exist to help our Mobile Baptist Association churches reach collegians in their sphere of influence. We welcome each of our churches to partner with us in connecting with college students this fall.

This short survey and information form will help us serve you better, communicate with you more clearly, and connect you directly to the college campus. Please help us by completing this form.

https://forms.gle/6cxXofKGf2kpyyww8

In the form, you will discover some ways you all can connect to new college students in partnership with BCM.

We look forward to working together to reach collegians in the future!

In Him,

Jerrod Brown
Lead Campus Minister

Beth Gardner
Campus Minister

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Camp Whispering Pines News and Events

Come home to YOUR
Camp Whispering Pines!
(251)866-7868
campwhisperingpines.com 

 


Serving Christ by Serving Others,
Serving Others by Sharing Christ

Dear Camp Friends and Supporters,

Times are hard and we need your help. Our income and ministry support relies on groups booking conferences, camps and events at our facilities. Because of the current pandemic, that has come to a screeching halt. Camp Whispering Pines (CWP) belongs to the churches of the Mobile Baptist Association and now is the time to support CWP in a big way. Begin to pray about how you, your family, your church and beyond can give to CWP in the upcoming weeks. CWP has changed so many lives over the years, and our desire is to continue for many more years.

In partnership with the Mobile Baptist Association and The Baptist Foundation of Alabama, we have established a Camp Relief Fund. Click HERE to donate. We also want to ask each church or ministry who have a connection to CWP to mark their calendars for September 13 as Camp Relief Sunday. We will roll out a short video and graphics for you to use during your service, in your bulletins, and to post on your website or other media outlets.Visit campwhisperingpines.com.

​We appreciate the love and support so many of you have shown us over the years. We pray that we can, TOGETHER, keep Camp Whispering Pines a strong and productive ministry and that lives will continue to be changed here through your sacrificial giving.

​Serving Together,
Jimmy Tucker, CWP Director

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Unfortunately, CWP lost over $102,000 due to Covid-19 related cancellations. That amount is added to another $150,000 loss from campers who chose not to register or attend. The majority of CWP’s income comes in the summer and helps it remain solvent the rest of the year.

The shortfall is dire and the need to help is urgent. The Camp and Finance Committees approved a Camp Relief Sunday to communicate to churches the emergency need for intervention to keep CWP open. CWP already would have closed without a PPP loan and MBA underwriting from savings. Those accounts are nearly depleted.

We have had to reduce CWP staff to two people to keep the facilities open. This change means we desperately need volunteers and teams to do yard work, daily maintenance and repairs.

Camp Whispering Pines is open for retreats, class meetings and worship options. New Director Jimmy Tucker and the staff have done a heroic job including new sanitizing precautions, but CWP has to recover the lost income to survive.

In the Lamb,
Thomas Wright, Associational Missions (Director of Missions)

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>> MEN’S WEEKEND - October 2-3

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We are so excited to bring you TRANSFORMED Women’s Weekend October 16-17, 2020. Check-in will be at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 16. We will end at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17. Registration is available at campwhisperingpines.com with an early bird rate of $59 through September 1. The rate is $69 after September 1. Registration includes lodging, food, & activities/supplies. Limited to 60 participants only (for health and safety). Lori Metzger is the speaker and Jennifer Robinson will lead in worship. Grab your gal pals and join us overnight for this fun and transforming getaway!

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Fathers and sons...grab your tents and join us for a camp-out just for you! This is event is for fathers and sons ages 6 and up. Early Bird registration is available now at campwhisperingpines.com.

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> > BOYS CAMP-OUT - November 6-7

 

> >LADIES CHRISTMAS BRUNCH - December 5

 

Contact CWP for more information and to register: 251-866-7868, or campwhisperingpines.com.

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Long Term Lessons
Many people are praying for the pandemic to end. The more appropriate prayer request may be to learn spiritual lessons and cry out for our nation to turn to Jesus. It is declared in Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast , Because he trusts and takes refuge in You ” (AMP).

The Amplified translation brings helpful understanding of that verse. The Creator God is the only source of peace and eternal safety. The requirement for His peace is a mind committed and focused on Him through His Son Jesus. He alone is the trustworthy refuge. There is much in our cultures that distracts us from focusing on Jesus. There are many rickety places to seek refuge. Now is an excellent time to focus and take refuge in unprecedented commitment to Jesus.

Our pastors gave very encouraging testimonies during the July Executive Committee.  Some smaller churches never stopped meeting and their precautions prevented a virus hotspot. Others have seen increased online and drive-in attendance. Creating online giving options has helped maintain financial support for the churches. The use of online registering, online meetings and online training options are here to stay.

The MBA continues to provide resources via the weekly news alerts and on mobilebaptists.org to help churches respond. We are grateful the restrictions are loosening, but the virus will continue to influence attendance and activities for months to come. Each of us can remain faithful. We can stay sanitized and sanctified.

EMERGENCY Camp (Camp Whispering Pines) Relief Sunday to Offset Crippling Pandemic Losses
Unfortunately, CWP lost over $102,000 due to Covid-19 related cancellations. That amount is added to another $150,000 loss from campers who chose not to register or attend. The majority of CWP’s income comes in the summer and helps it remain solvent the rest of the year.

Read more

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