December SR is on-line

The SDB Center on Ministry was established after the closing of the School of Theology in Alfred, N.Y. Our "COM" has been training and supporting pastors since 1963.

With much assistance from our Director of Pastoral Services, Gordon Lawton, you can learn all about this ministry in the latest Sabbath Recorder by clicking here.

You can also read some testimonies from current seminary students and two recent Doctor of Ministry grads.

Do you have any expectant ladies in your church? Learn about a new kind of "baby shower" on the Woman's Page on page 13, and please answer some important questions from the Ad Hoc Committee for Denominational Restructuring on page 23.

Thanks for reading the Recorder!

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Regardless of your political affiliations or leanings, here's a pretty good Proclamation from our President:


THANKSGIVING DAY, 2009
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's roots are intertwined with those of our Nation, and its history traces the American narrative.

Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our Nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.

As Americans, we hail from every part of the world. While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of us thankful for our common blessings.

As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand. This is a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our Nation throughout the year. In doing so, we pay tribute to our country's men and women in uniform who set an example of service that inspires us all. Let us be guided by the legacy of those who have fought for the freedoms for which we give thanks, and be worthy heirs to the noble tradition of goodwill shown on this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 2009, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to come together, whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place where family, friends and neighbors may gather, with gratitude for all we have received in the past year; to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Giving thanks in a troubled land

This opinion piece comes from the Associated Baptist Press.
David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University.


Thanksgiving week is upon us. The annual celebration centered on gratitude for God’s blessings -- for our nation, for family and all other good gifts -- comes to a troubled, hungry, divided nation this year.

Thanksgiving was originally a harvest festival. It still conjures up images of abundant material blessings in a fruitful land. Those with means still gather around tables groaning under the weight of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

But while our farms are still fruitful, our economic system today leaves out fully one-sixth of all Americans. A recent study placed the number of Americans facing “food insecurity” at 49 million. Another study suggests that the real unemployment and underemployment rate stands at 17.5 percent. Both measures point to a staggering fact: At least one-sixth of all Americans are in serious financial trouble. That’s five students in a classroom of thirty, 50 people in a congregation of 300.

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Gushee goes on to discuss health-care, employment, and family needs. He concludes:

Some kids start off life in our brutally constricted economy at a serious disadvantage due to the chaos in their family lives. We must do better than this. Legislation has little contribution to make here. It’s a battle, one marriage and one family at a time.

When my tribe gathers around the Thanksgiving table on Thursday it will be the first time we have all been together for a long time. I will be grateful to God for many, many blessings. But the gratitude will be shadowed by thoughts of neighbors who are not so fortunate this Thanksgiving Day.

To read the entire article, click here.

Exciting Times are Ahead!

Hello Fellow SDB’s!

The times are exciting with anticipation of what our newly formed Ad-Hoc Committee will recommend to all of us! Susie Fox, Don Graffius, Othneil Murphy, Ron Ochs and Jim Skaggs, make up the five person team and have been working hard since the General Conference sessions this past summer. They are planning to get together in mid-December again. Please keep them in your prayers.

I got my first year-end giving appeal a couple of weeks ago – you know, those hit-you-in-the-heart letters that tell us what a difference we can make for a charitable cause during this holiday season of giving, while also making a small dent in our tax burdens if we donate before Dec. 31. If you're like me, you get quite a few of these. So it started me thinking seriously about year-end giving.

Let me share with you some thoughts. Instead of choosing one or two to respond to, just because you always give to those causes, why not keep them all. Then:

• Set them aside time to look over and pray about where God wants you give.
• Which charity most resonates with you today, not just from your past experience?
• Decide which charity has made the strongest case? Who has done more than just tug your heart-strings? Who is offering you real evidence that your donation will make a difference? If needed, check them out on the web.
• Discuss whether you want to give smaller amounts to several causes or a larger sum to one or two sources.
  
  

If you take time to read all of the pleas that come in your mailbox this time of year, you will see that the letter-writers are likely worthy of your gift. They will all appreciate your donation, especially during these hard times. However, thinking decisively about your charitable gifts makes writing the check more meaningful to you as well as to God. After all you are giving to a cause…not a letter writer.

Also, please keep the Seventh Day Baptist Conference Services and the Boards and Agencies in mind as well this time of year. We are seeing a down turn in giving this year and your support at this time would be well appreciated and put to good use. We are always striving to bring you the best product available. With this in mind we are working towards improvement in all areas even as you read this email. Please keep us in prayer as we also keep you in ours. We Seventh Day Baptists are looking forward to an exciting 2010. There are a lot of questions that should be answered in the new year. With your support we will be able to do so much more today, than we could ever do tomorrow!

God Bless you in your desire to do HIS will!

Rob Appel
Executive Director
Seventh Day Baptist General Conference
USA & Canada Ltd.

Will Your Congregation Still Exist in 10 Years?

George Bullard, is strategic coordinator for The Columbia Partnership, and has been a consultant and coach for congregations and denominations for 35 years. He was elected this summer as general secretary for the North American Baptist Fellowship of the Baptist World Alliance.

He shares this opinion page with the Associated Baptist Press:


North America has at least 350,000 religious congregations. Every year about one percent of them die. That means that 10 years from now, 35,000 congregations will no longer exist. Will your church be one of them?

What is the “survivability quotient” of your congregation?

Congregations die for various reasons--not just from old age and the lack of attendance and resources, although these may be the biggest contributors. Out of new congregations or church plants, a significant number always fail. Some die within the first two years, while others survive 6 to 10 years before they are declared unsuccessful. In some cases merger is an option. When two or three congregations merge, the result is one or two fewer congregations.

What if we were to expand the definition of “exist”? What if it included not only churches that are no longer alive, but also those that have lost their vitality?...
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Bullard goes on to talk about the “vitality quotient” and the “vibrancy quotient” of congregations.

For the full commentary, click here.

Too early for Christmas music?

The December Sabbath Recorder will reveal that our Conference President, Rev. Paul Andries, loves Christmas! He sings Christmas carols throughout the year and even greets others with “Merry Christmas”—in July. What a guy.

So, when is “too early” to play or sing Christmas music? Thanks to a local radio station, a nearby Facebook friend has been listening to Christmas ditties for about two weeks now.

Yesterday, two XM satellite radio channels started playing the holiday fare. I’ve been part of the “XM Nation” since its earliest days and really enjoy the commercial-free music choices. And I must admit that I look forward to their all-Christmas channels.

Right now, “Holly” (contemporary tunes and traditional favorites) and “Holiday Traditions” (oldies from the '40s to the '60s) are streaming along. But my very favorite Christmas channel, “Holiday Pops,” won’t start playing until December 7. That one carries sacred carols from some of the greatest classical musicians of all time.

The music of the season carries some powerful memories of a beautiful time gone by. May we create strong traditions for our children so they can look forward to this time of year, and more importantly, the coming of our Savior.

SCSC goes YouTube!

This from our intrepid webmaster (who is also our mail clerk and SCSC Committee chairperson) Linda Lawton.

A DVD about Summer Christian Service Corps (SCSC) has been posted on YouTube.

Click here to see the first of five sections, where young adults in the program tell what SCSC means to them. Other sections include two SDB pastors reflecting on how SCSC impacted their congregations, and a challenge to join.
You can access the other sections under “more from sdbwebmaster” or by searching “SDB SCSC.”

Applications for both churches and students have been posted at www.sdbwomen.org. Deadline for student applications is January 11, 2010, and for church applications is February 1, 2010.

Your survey input will help

Last week an important survey went out to pastors and churches via the SDB E-mail Network. While not identified in the body of the e-mail, the attached survey comes from the newly appointed Ad hoc Committee for Denominational Restructuring.

As stated in the survey, the focus of this Committee is to “demonstrate good stewardship, clear accountability, and productive unity among many different parts. Your feedback will help us better target improvements in these areas.”

If you did not receive a survey (or trashed it by mistake) and still want to participate, please e-mail the Center. The Committee would like your responses by December 1. Thank you for your help!

SDBs Chuck Pumpkins—again

Seventh Day Baptist youth (and not-so-youth) from the Shiloh and Marlboro, New Jersey, churches competed once again in the nearby Punkin Chunkin event.

This year they devised more of a “cannon” than a catapult (or trebuchet). It certainly helped hurl the poor gourds much farther. The SDB team took honors in the distance category, easily besting their own first-place finish from last year.

The fun day of activities included hay rides, pumpkin seed spitting, skillet throwing, and scarecrow making—AND a time of praise and worship to share the Gospel. You’ll hear more about the Great Punkin Chunkin 2009 event in a future Sabbath Recorder.

You can check out a video of the Shiloh-Marlboro pumpkin-cannon story on YouTube. (Search “Shiloh Marlboro SDB Pumpkin Chuckin 2009” or click here.)

Last chance for lost Conference item

Some of the items lost/found after our General Conference are on their way to the local Goodwill store.

But we want to put the word out on one special item: a "Book of Birthday Messages" given to an Eric Gregory. It is a small black journal that contains photos and messages for his birthday. We're not sure if this is from an SDB family or someone connected with Lancaster Bible College.

If you think you know where this journal belongs, please contact Charlotte Chroniger at 856-455-0488. Thanks!

Election Day = Turkey Supper in Milton

For the last 60+ years in Milton, Wisconsin, the SDB Church has served family-style turkey suppers on the night of the November elections.

Tonight the tradition continues. The many volunteer workers are expecting to serve over 700 meals (both sit-down and takeout) of fresh turkey with all the fixins! It really is like a preview of Thanksgiving.

This year the proceeds will go toward a long-awaited Teen Center in Milton. Details of the center are still in the works, but we hope the financial boost can push this outreach dream toward reality.

Another dose of reality: I'll get my wife "back" after many hours/days of lists and shopping and baking and phone calls and organizing-- just in time for me to go on a church trip this weekend. Maybe we'll eat together at the real Thanksgiving dinner later this month. :)

Worship Resources a hot item

A recent addition to our website has proven to be a valuable ministry tool.

Thanks to Gordon Lawton and the Coordinating Leadership Team, our list of “Worship Resources” contains ideas for printed Bible studies (including The Helping Hand), along with a link to an on-line Bible study with Seventh Day Baptists (started by members at our Boulder, Colo., church).

The resources continue with links to help you find worship and praise music.

Then we again get SDB-specific. Our “Worship Resources” include links to Seventh Day Baptist churches that provide files of their Sabbath morning messages in audio or video (or printed) format. Remote Sabbathkeepers, or those who are simply curious about what our churches are like, can click on these links and “worship” with us.

[To go to the Worship Resources, see the link at the bottom/right on our website front page, or find "Worship Resources" under the "Community" tab at the top.]

Here’s where you can help. Go to our Worship Resources list and check it over. If your church has a resource on your website that we could link to, please let us know. Also if your site has not been updated in a long time, we should probably remove your link from our list so we’re not sharing outdated material. Thank you for letting us know and helping with our worship resources.