Verona part of Worship Summit

The Verona, N.Y., SDB Church is serving as a host site for this weekend's nationally broadcast Worship Summit. The Summit will be held live at Moody Church in Chicago, and will be simulcast (or on a 2-hour delay feed) at churches throughout the country.

An ad for the Summit (and the Verona church) is on a Christian events website at www.itickets.com. Check it out!

Pastor Steve James offered the Integrity Music network the idea that the Verona church would need to have the 2-hour delay, since they will be worshipping during the beginning of that day's broadcast. He pitched the idea that attendees could come "early" for the 10:00 worship service and see the very things the Summit is all about: "small church, small budget," doing big things for God, blending traditional and contemporary elements in one service...

The Network said that they were "very impressed" and the Verona church was approved as one of 168 host sites in the U.S.

The display ad at itickets.com gives the church good exposure, along with:
-- an e-mail blast to 2,132 subscribers within 90 miles of the church
-- a snail-mailed flier and letter about the Summit sent to over 110 churches in four counties, with a follow-up postcard
-- a posting on K-LOVE Radio's bulletin board
-- the Verona worship team networking with other worship leaders
-- posters in local Christian bookstores
-- local newspaper articles and announcements

Pastor Steve says, "Who knows what could happen related to the Sabbath and Seventh Day Baptists as a result of our 'name' getting out there in this way. I'm excited about the possibilities and the ultimate potential within the Body of Christ by having this platform that our involvement in the Summit provides."

BJC announces Essay Contest

Deadline is March 3, 2008.

To engage high school students in church-state issues and to generate interest from a wide range of Baptists, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has launched the 2008 Religious Liberty Essay Contest.

Open to all Baptist high school students in the classes of 2008 and 2009, the contest offers a grand prize of $1,000 and airfare and lodging for two to Washington, D.C. Second prize is $500, and third prize is $100.

Winners will be announced in the summer of 2008 and will be featured in the BJC’s flagship publication, Report from the Capital. The grand prize winner will also be recognized at the BJC board meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6.

The topic for the 2008 contest is: In a 700-1000 word essay, discuss the relevance of religious faith to politics, including whether and to what extent faith should be an election issue in 2008. All entries must be postmarked by March 3, 2008.

Go to the BJC website-- www.bjconline.org -- for more details and to download the registration form.

CLT Has Successful Meetings

The Coordinating Leadership Team of the General Conference, comprised of the executives of the boards and agencies of the Conference, met at the SDB Center in Janesville October 9-11.

According to the Bylaws of the General Conference, the CLT meets to "coordinate the plans, programs, and activities of all denominational organizations." In general, the CLT is a think-tank for the Conference, comprised of the executives for the Boards and Agencies, as well as the Executive Director of the Conference, who is the chairperson of the group.

At this last meeting of the CLT, the group focused on making the Conference a more unified and communicative body. The meetings began with each executive discussing the work of their board or agency and answering questions and receiving feedback from the other participants. In addition, upcoming programs and ministries of the Conference were discussed, and the group spent time brainstorming new ways to assist the local churches of the General Conference as they fulfill the Great Commission. The CLT discussed ways of making the ministries of the Conference more available to churches. Furthermore, work designated to the CLT by official Conference action is also discussed and delegated. These meetings also included a time of thought and prayer on the future of the Conference, and where God is directing us as a group of believers.

The CLT meets four times a year, once each season. The next scheduled meeting of the group is February 7-8, 2008 in Daytona Beach, FL.

Please continue to pray for the work of the Conference, the executives of the Boards and Agencies, and the work of the local churches as we seek to fulfill the responsibilities God has placed before us.

Social Security benefits to increase

Today, Social Security announced that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will receive a 2.3 percent benefit increase for 2008. This Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) is based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index from the third quarter of 2006 through the third quarter of 2007.

Butler Honored at October BJC Meeting

Washington, DC – On October 2, 2007, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) honored Kevin Butler for his ten years of service on the BJC Board of Directors. J. Brent Walker, the BJC’s Executive Director, expressed the unanimous gratitude of the Board at the annual meeting.

Walker stated, “Kevin has been a constant source of encouragement to the staff and has brought a spirit of cooperation and Christian discipleship to the ministry of the BJC.” He further stressed, “We regret that Kevin’s tenure on the BJC board has come to an end but wish him well as he pursues future endeavors.”

Our Sabbath Recorder Editor, and Director of Communications of the American Sabbath Tract and Communication Council, represented the SDB Conference on the BJC Board from 1997-2007. Kevin received a token of appreciation from the BJC, a letter of Resolution in Honor of his service, and an aerial picture of the Washington area showing the U.S. Capital and BJC offices. Board members were sorry to see Butler leave his service and expressed this regret with handshakes, hugs, and well-wishes.

During the meeting, the Baptist General Convention of Missouri was added into the BJC membership, bringing to 15 the total number of supporting bodies. SDB Executive Director Rob Appel will assume the duties of the Seventh Day Baptist representative on the BJC Board going forward.

The Last Frontier, the Last State

The Last Frontier, the Last State
(or, “50 at 50”)

A bit exhausted and fighting coughs and sniffles, Janet and I returned last week from an awesome cruise to the Inside Passage of Alaska.

With all the years of family travels and Conference excursions, the “state countdown” was mounting. We’ve been known to make some side-trips to tack on another state to the list. As my 50th birthday came closer into view, I began to wonder if I could make all 50 states before hitting the half-century mark.

In early July, we drove a rental car to get to long-ignored North Dakota, checking off state number 49 for me. Fargo was “nice.” (Actually, I did like the Roger Maris museum.)

Come mid-September, Jan and I used some frequent-flier miles to get to Vancouver, British Columbia, and we climbed aboard our first-ever cruise ship. God blessed us as we sailed into Alaskan waters (my 50th state) on the night of my 50th birthday.

Even though it was cloudy, wet, and cold, we saw some fantastic scenery and lots of wildlife. Plus, the last cruise of the season caused most of the shops to offer their souvenirs at 75% off—a shopper’s dream!

Fifty at 50. (My sweetie still lacks Nevada and New Mexico—oh, so close!)

So what’s next? How about seven continents by 70? Only three more to go…