The Mainstream

News of Ministry and Mission

American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region

February 2008 No. 2 Email: grrabc@abc-grr.org web: www.abc-grr.org

GRR Calendar Area Meetings

February 23 -Area IV Annual Meeting, Centralia, IL FBC CANCELLED BY WEATHER

Feb. 29 - March 1-Area I Annual Meeting, FBC Elgin, IL

March 8 -Area III Annual Meeting FBC Peoria, IL

March 8 -Creative Worship Seminar

Len Wilson & Jason Moore Midnight Oil Productions at FBC Peoria, IL

March 8 -Area V Annual Meeting FBC Kansas City, MO

March 9 -Area II Annual Meeting FBC Greenfield, IL

April 12 -Clean Up Day Lake Springfield Baptist Camp

April 25-26 -GRR Missions Conference hosted by Cherry Hills Baptist

May 10 -Clean Up Day Lake Springfield Baptist Camp

May 17 -Boundaries Professional Ethics Course

May 24 -Open House Lake Springfield Baptist Camp

May 31 -Blackhawk Clean Up Day

Area IV: Missions: Here, There, and Everywhere

February 23, 2008 at

Centralia First Baptist Church

CANCELLED BY WEATHER

Area I LEAP Into Ministry

Friday, February 29 -Judson University Fine Arts Auditorium Saturday, March 1 -Elgin First Baptist Church

Area I Youth Winter Retreat, Friday, February 29 through Sunday, March 2, Judson University, Elgin, IL

Missions Conference (continued)

Mylinda and Gary Baits

are pastors and professors but mainly friends and connectors who walk alongside their sisters and brothers in Christ. They enjoy connecting students with leadership training, connecting scriptures to everyday life, and connecting people’s gifts with life changing ministries. The Baits work with the Costa Rican Baptist Federation in pastoral and lay leadership development and theological education.

Conference Breakout Groups:

Bluefields, Nicaragua-Carol & Dave Matheson

Christian Center of Anadarko-

Ben Sullivan

Costa Rica Partnership-

Gary Baits Democratic Republic of Congo-Wendy Barnhardt

Discovery Groups/Volunteers

Jonathan Hilsher Kids Hope United Pat Griffin Murrow Indian Children’s Home Joan Brown New Neighbors Ruth Peterson

Peoria Friendship House, Peoria

Barbara Hartnett

Women at Risk

Elizabeth Landau

Mission Projects: Used Book Depository, Campbell Soup Labels

April Conferences

DAUGHTERS OF THE FLAME AMERICAN BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY 2008 CONFERENCE

APRIL 16-19, 2008 St. LOUIS, MISSOURI Contact: Rev. Muriel Johnson

Fanning the Flame A National Pastor's Renewal Conference

April 22-25, 2008 American Baptist Assembly Green Lake, WI

GRR Clergy Spouses

April 18-19, 2008 Lake Springfield Baptist Camp “The Song In Your Heart” Ardys Carpenter - Retreat Leader

Mainstream Contact Information

Send your stories of mission and ministry. Please also send the names of new members (the fruit of this mission and ministry) to:

Linda Ricks 232 Devron Circle East Peoria, IL 61611

E-Mail: Ricks4LR@insightbb.com

The Mainstream is a twice-monthly publication of the American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region, 3940 Pintail Drive, Springfield IL 62711 Telephone: (217) 726-7366 Fax: (217) 726-7566 Email: grrabc@abc-grr.org Web: www.abc-grr.org

and seniors attending. The children’s sermon time has grown to ten to fifteen children. More than 50 percent of those attending Sunday worship now also meet in small groups and more than two thirds of those attending worship stay for Sunday school.

Submitted by: Dr. Richard Ricks and Claudia McCain, Director of Small Group Ministries, FBC Macomb

New Director of Campus Ministry at SIU

American Baptist Campus Ministries at Southern Illinois University welcomes Lois Bartley as the new Director of Campus Ministries. Lois who served as Interim Director for the Campus Student Ministry of SIU was asked to take a full time call as Director in January. Lois moved to Southern Illinois three years ago with her husband Francis Bartley who is pastor of First Baptist Church Of Ava, Illinois. As Director, Lois says that she is excited by what the Lord is doing through the Campus Ministry at SIU and sees this ministry as having a great future potential in reaching college students through Intentional Christian Living. Learn more about this vibrant and growing American Baptist Campus Ministry. Contact Lois at:

Lois Bartley 516 S Hays Carbondale Illinois 62901 Ph. 1-618-318-1701

Email: baptisthouse@yahoo.com Website: http://intranet.siu.edu/~ambs/index.htm

Great Rivers Region Missions Conference

Cherry Hills Baptist Church April 25-26, 2008.

Friday:

3:00
p.m. Registration
3:00
– 5:00: Visit Mission Displays; talk with Duane Binkley or Dwight Stinnett.

5:00 – 6:00 Dinner

6:30 - Evening Session Mission Speaker, Duane Binkley Preacher, Max Klinkenborg

Saturday:

8:30 a.m. Worship Speaker, Gary Baits Commissioning Service for Gulf Coast Volunteers

Missionary Speakers:

Duane and Marcia Binkley serve Burmese ethnic Karen and Chin refugees both in the United States and Thailand. The Binkleys work with the tens of thousands of refugees coming to the U.S. while continuing to work with those still remaining in refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar (Burma) border. The Binkleys are jointly appointed by International Ministries and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Within the U.S. the Binkleys will work with national and regional mission entities of American Baptist Churches USA and ABC and CBF local churches. (More on Missions Conference on page 4)

Area III Your Legacy of Faith

March 8, 2008: Peoria First Baptist Speaker: Reid Trulson, Executive Director, Board of International

Ministries

The Creative Worship Seminar

(same date & place ) by Len Wilson and Jason Moore will address what our churches can do to transform worship through culture of worship, artful expression of the worship theme, development of the team that plans and supports worship, and use of technologies (from banners to projection).

Area V Imitating Christ In Service

March 8 -Kansas City MO First Baptist Church Guest Preacher: Rev. Lisa Harris, Executive Director of Bethel Neighborhood Center Youth: Triple M: Mission, Meal, and

MegaFun Day

Area II Children In Poverty

Sunday, March 9 - Greenfield IL First Baptist Church Speaker: Rev. Marilyn Turner Associate Executive Director, Program Ministries of National Ministries – ABC/USA Concert by 4 His Glory

For more information and to download registration forms for these meetings: www.abc-grr.org/areas/annualmeetings.htm

Churches In Ministry

In the coming months, The Mainstream will be featuring churches of the Great Rivers Region who are doing some exciting things in ministry. First Baptist Church, Macomb, IL is the church featured in this issue.

“Several Area III churches have shown significant growth over the past few years. However, I can think of no other church that has turned around so intentionally and deliberately in the last three years,” says Dr. Richard Ricks, Associate Minister for Area III of the Great Rivers Region, of First Baptist Church, Macomb, Illinois. The Rev. Wally Holt, pastor, has led the church in increasing and developing its leadership group through intentional discipleship. Worship attendance has more than doubled in the few years of his pastorate. The members are also intentional in their support of mission at all levels.

This most recent chapter of the life of First Baptist Church Macomb, began with the church naming a search committee which then met in consultation with Dr. Richard Ricks. Through many hours of prayerful discernment God blessed this collaborative work between the church and the GRR with the name of The Rev. Walter Holt. That he has been God’s person for this pastorate has been affirmed by many in the church and community.

When Rev. Holt began his pastorate, the church had about five children and perhaps four couples under the age of fifty. Now there is a healthy cross section of young, middle-aged