MARBC News & Notes – October 2007

EAST CHINA, Fellowship Baptist Church (Pastor Bill Blount) – Praise the Lord, Fellowship has seen Him work through many ministries in the past several months. In July the teen group saw God work mightily through their missions trip to Washington, D.C. Each day the teens worked at Daybreak Ministries, an inner-city organization that works with children and families. Each morning, the teens went throughout the neighborhood to paint doors and stairwells and pick up garbage. This enabled the teens to interact with neighbors and to invite children to the Vacation Bible School that was held every afternoon. When children arrived for DVBS they were given a sack lunch. The FBC teens ate their lunches with the children in order to interact with them. Five children were saved during the week of DVBS ministry. The week in D.C. was followed by a week at Lake Ann Camp. Both the missions trip and camp week were life changing for many of the teens.

​In early August, many people helped with the Yard Sale Trail and the Marine City Block Party, which are annual events in the community. Two young people from FBC had a lemonade stand at the yard sale and donated their earnings to the church's food truck ministry. At the Daily Vacation Bible School over 200 children saw a living demonstration of the life of Christ. Twenty children accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
​
HOWARD CITY, First Baptist Church (Pastor Brian Humphreys) – First Baptist Church held an Installation Service on Sunday, September 16, to celebrate the new ministry of Pastor Brian Humphreys with the church. Deacon Chairman Lanny Curtis and Pulpit Committee Chairman Jason Miller opened the special service acknowledging the special guests and gave a summary of the search process. Pastor Lloyd Markley, from Christian Bible Fellowship in Columbus, Ohio, shared a testimony regarding Brian and Sharon's background. Brother Markley was Brian's first pastor and key discipler. Rev. Ken Floyd (MARBC) gave a charge to the church. Mr. Lee Southwick, deacon at Dryden Baptist Church, Dryden, New York, gave the charge to the pastor. Brother Southwick served with Pastor Humphreys in his previous pastorate. The service included special music from members of the First Baptist congregation. A special reception was held in the Humphreys honor following the service. Pastor Brian and Sharon are originally from Ohio. They met while attending Cedarville University. Brian also attended the former Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary prior to entering pastoral ministry. The Humphreys have two children, Brittany and Nicholas. We welcome the Humphreys to the MARBC!

MILAN, York Baptist Church (Pastor David Grinnell) – York Baptist Church celebrated 175 years of God's faithfulness the weekend of August 11-12. The weekend focused upon celebrating the church's heritage of faithful preaching and teaching the Word of God – past, present, and future. Several pastors from past days at York were involved in the weekend services, including Pastor George Ward, Pastor Ray Herriman, Pastor Charles Lunsford, and Pastor Richard Briningstool. Associate Pastor Joe Bird, who has been a member of YBC since he was a child, led the worship services. Several musical numbers were shared by individuals, teen and adult groups from the church in each of the services.

A Saturday night concert featured “The Anchormen Quartet” followed by cookies and ice cream. Sunday's services included a combined Sunday School hour, special morning service featuring a message by Rev. Ken Floyd of the MARBC. A noon meal featured roast pig, chicken, and many delicious dishes, in a gathering held outside in the beautiful weather under tents. An afternoon service featured a special power point presentation of the history of the church. Member Thelma Kelesy read a humorous poem chronicling the introduction of a new musical instrument in the church auditorium entitled “The Church Organ.” The poem was penned by her grandmother over a hundred years ago.

Each guest was given a commemorative book that gives a detailed history of the 175 years of YBC's ministry. It was noted that the York ministry began when a pastor who was actually traveling to a more northerly location to start a church had to stay in the York area several days after his wagon got stuck in the mud! This pastor, Bradbury Clay, decided that God must have planned for him to be stuck in this location in order to start a new church. 175 years of faithful ministry have proven that this founding pastor's assumption was correct! The church has had 41 pastors in its 175 year history. Several tables contained memorabilia items from the church's history, including old church records, pictures, newspapers from different eras, and a journal that highlighted current events during each decade of the church's ministry.

The church also took the opportunity during the afternoon service to honor current pastor David Grinnell and his wife, Faith, for their 25 years of ministry at York. The Grinnells have had a very effective ministry at York. Their testimony in recent years when both David and Faith have experienced extreme health issues has been God honoring and an encouragement to all. We praise God for His faithfulness through this church's ministry, one of the oldest churches in the MARBC fellowship!

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

“The Living Word” Bible Conference
West Cannon Baptist Church, Belmont, will host its 2nd Annual Bible Conference and Pastors' Seminar February 25-27, 2008. The conference theme is “The Living Word” and the focus will be on the power and sufficiency of the Bible for preaching and teaching. The three expositors coming to minister in the Word are: Dr. Stephen Lawson (Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama) Dr. Walter Kaiser (Professor of Old Testament and President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) and Dr. James Grier (Distinguished Professor of Philosophical Theology, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary). In addition, Jason Nightingale (Wordsower Evangel Arts) will minister through Scripture recitation.

The conference will begin on Monday afternoon, February 25, and run through noon on Wednesday, February 27. The format will be similar to last year's conference, with seminars for pastors and church leaders during the day, and worship services open to all in the evening. Workshops for women are added to this year's conference and will include hands-on activities, fun, and opportunities for encouragement.

A mailing is currently being prepared to publicize the conference. Those who attended or received mailings to last year's conference should receive a brochure in the next few weeks. Contact the church for additional information through their website, westcannon.org, or phone 616.874.6740.

MARBC Messenger – The Messenger is a regular email communication from the MARBC office to our pastors and churches. Several MARBC Messengers are sent out each month from the MARBC office. If you have not received MARBC emails recently, be sure to email Ken or email Sharon to be placed on the email list. Thank you!