MARBC News & Notes, July and August 2010

You can also download a PDF of the Volume 56 Number 4 July/August 2010 (3.5mb PDF; PC: Right click / MAC: Control click on the link and choose “Save As”)

​From The Baptist Testimony – Volume 56 Number 4 July/August 2010

CEDAR SPRINGS, First Baptist Church (Jim Howard, Pastor) – On Sunday, May 16, the First Baptist Church of Cedar Springs, MI licensed to the Gospel ministry their Youth Pastor, Chris Howard. Pastor Chris has been with FBC for just under two years and has been doing an incredible job in reaching the teens of the community for Jesus Christ! Chris has worked for many years at youth camps in Michigan, most recently with Lake Ann Camp. He became burdened to be involved in a youth ministry in which he could be investing long term in the lives of young people. Chris looks forward to graduation from Baptist Bible College next year as he completes the last few classes necessary for a degree in the camping/youth ministries program. Senior Pastor Jim Howard (Chris’s father) presented the charge to the ministry from Psalm 37 – a proud moment as the baton was being passed to the next generation. Rev. Bob Teis, Rev. Tom Dolph, Rev. Stan Mohr, and Rev. Cliff Owen shared in the service as well. The service ended with the presentation of the license by the Deacon Board, a prayer of dedication by Mr. Dale DeWeese (Deacon Chairman) and the church family coming forward following the service to offer their congratulations! The FBC church family is looking forward to many more years partnering together with Pastor Chris in the ministry to the teens of our community.

FLINT, Emmanuel Baptist Church (Harold Constant, Pastor) – Emmanuel Baptist Church helped Jack and Nancy Dowden celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary on July 4th, with a cake and gift card at their all-church picnic. The actual date of their anniversary is July 15. We congratulate the Dowdens and give thanks for their faithfulness to their Lord and to one another. We also appreciate Pastor Jack’s involvement as an MARBC Council of 15 member. 
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OWOSSO, Calvary Baptist Church (Don Fields, Pastor) – Associate Pastor Randy Peterson was ordained by Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday, June 13, during a special time of celebration. This followed an ordination council that was held on Thursday, May 20, and included many pastors and representatives from sister churches. The ordination council unanimously recommended to Calvary Baptist Church that the ordination proceed and commended Randy for his grasp of the Scriptures and his gracious demeanor in defending the faith. Randy and his wife, Angela, have served at Calvary since 2002. Randy is a graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa.

ROCKFORD, Oakfield Baptist Church (Daryl Crawford, Pastor) – On May 21, Oakfield Baptist Church called an ordination council to consider Daryl Crawford’s qualifications for ordination. Rev. Maynard Belt, Daryl’s boyhood pastor, served as the council moderator. The council unanimously and enthusiastically recommended that the church proceed with ordination with commendation for his handling of the Word of God and his gracious spirit. The ordination service was held on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Pastor Daryl and his wife, Beth, have served at Oakfield for two years. Daryl came to Oakfield after serving in youth and associate pastor ministries at First Baptist Church in Cedar Springs and Belmont Baptist Church in Belmont.

TAYLOR, Evangel Baptist Church (Ken Pierpont, Jr., Pastor) – Nick Arent, a senior student from Evangel Baptist, received the top award for Male Preaching at the GARBC National Talents for Christ competition. Nick receives a $5,000 college scholarship for his first place finish. We congratulate Nick and all MARBC students who participated in Talents for Christ this year.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

“HIS”-SPANICS
Did you know that the Hispanic population of Grand Rapids, MI is 13% of the total? Neighboring Wyoming, MI has the same percentage. And the tendency is to grow some, if not significantly.

The fruits and vegetable industries, along with other employment attractions, bring them to our streets.

Since early 2008 Rev. Tim Hoganson, and his wife and family, have been doing church planting outreach amongst Hispanics in the greater Grand Rapids, MI area. Currently they are planting two Hispanic Baptist churches: one in Comstock Park, MI (a suburban community bordering Grand Rapids) and one in Grand Rapids itself. Before this ministry Tim and Joann successfully planted three churches; one in Danbury, CT and two in Brazil, South America. Their time as missionaries to Brazil was 18 years. Just before leaving Brazil in September of 2007 the Hogansons spent a year on the Brazil side of the Uruguayan border, where they initiated a church and then turned the prospective church plant over to capable colleagues.

The Hogansons served with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism in those Brazil years, and maintain a good relationship with that mission agency.

Pastor Hoganson and his wife are long- time members of Alpine Baptist Church, in Comstock Park, MI, a Baptist church in affiliation with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (G.A.R.B.C.) and particularly the Michigan Association of Regular Baptist Churches (M.A.R.B.C.).

The Hogansons praise God for the recent breakthroughs they’ve had in both of their current church planting sites. God is bringing in some of His lost ones through these outreaches.

The most recent development in this exciting cross-cultural ministry is a “baptistic” Bible institute for Spanish speakers. Baptistic means an institute, institution, person, organization or church that holds to Baptist doctrine. Even if a given church is not Baptist in name, if it holds to Baptist doctrine we say it is “baptistic”. Students of this persuasion, or who are not yet schooled in any doctrine, are welcome to apply to be a student. Pastor Hoganson will be initiating the institute this fall, or in the early winter of 2011.

Jenison Bible Church, in the Jenison-Hudsonville area of MI, will be the campus. Jenison Bible Church is conveniently located on the corner of 44th St. The street address is 6360 14th Ave., Hudsonville, MI, 49426.

The Hogansons are tri-lingual. Beyond their native tongue, English, they ministered in Portuguese in Brazil and now in Spanish here in USA.

You can contact the Hogansons at Email or at (616) 516- 9642 and (616) 453-2426.

CALLING ALL CYCLISTS!
Continental Baptist Missions (Rockford, MI) is hosting its first annual CBM Bike-a-thon on Saturday, September 18, 2010. With distances for all riding abilities, the full 37-mile route also includes segments of 18, 12, and 7 miles—in addition to a special three-mile segment for families with young children. Riders will travel along the Kent Trails and White Pine Trail from Byron Center to Cedar Springs.

Our ride marshal is Rev. Ken Dockery, CBM Church Planter at CityView Bible Fellowships in Cleveland, OH. In 2007, Ken rode coast-to-coast on the “Inspire Hope Tour,” raising awareness for the Cleveland Heart Clinic and CBM. Pastor Dockery will share his experience at the bike-a-thon picnic at First Baptist Church in Cedar Springs following the ride.

Registration forms are available through the CBM Home Office — please contact Marilyn Van Liew, Brad Hoff, or John Den Boer at (616) 863-2226 for more information or to register. Participants must be registered by Friday, August 13th to take part in the ride. Encourage your friends and family to sponsor your effort and invite others to ride along, too —  youth groups, how about adding the CBM Bike-a-thon to your fall calendar!
(All proceeds from the 2010 CBM Bike-a-thon benefit the general fund of Continental Baptist Missions and are used to provide support services for missionary endeavors in North America.)

Mission Houses Available for Rent 
Berlin Baptist Church in Marne, MI has 2 houses available for rent to missionaries (the former parsonage plus a mission house) for $250 month plus utilities. Contact Candy Sherd at Berlin Baptist Church, (616) 430-1076.

Chippewa Hills Baptist Church in Remus, MI is offering their church parsonage this fall for missionaries or pastors that need housing. The home will be available starting in October and is rent free. The church does ask that those using it take care of their own utilities. Those interested should contact Pastor Chuck Richardson, Chippewa Hills Baptist Church, Remus, MI 49340; Email, phone — (989) 967-8205.

MARBC Website Updates: Those desiring to be notified when there are new updates placed on the MARBC website can now sign up for this feature in one of two ways. The first option is to visit https://www.marbc.net/subscribe and click the link, “Subscribe to Site Updates.” The second option is the ability to subscribe to the website’s RSS feed. More information about RSS feeds and how to use them can be found on the subscribe page of the website. We express our appreciation to Kevin Pierpont, the pastor of Higgins Lake Baptist Church in Roscommon, who designed the website and serves as webmaster. We are grateful to Kevin for his excellent work and his ministry to the MARBC. Thanks, Kevin!

SPECIAL EVENT AND GOLF CLASSIC SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER
Building relationships among alumni, future students, and friends of Baptist Bible College & Seminary is the focus of a special “West Michigan Blitz” this fall in the Grand Rapids area.

The two-day event combines the President’s Golf Classic on Friday, September 17, and a Saturday Regional Event on September 18.

Details on both days of the West Michigan Blitz are online at www.bbc.edu/michigan.

Michigan is home to more BBC students than all states except Pennsylvania and New York. President Jim Jeffery is among many faculty and staff with strong connections to the Great Lakes State.

The President’s Golf Classic will be held at Pilgrim’s Run Golf Course on Friday, September 17. Opened in 1998, Pilgrim’s Run is ranked as one of the top 50 public courses in the nation. Opportunities to connect with President Jeffery and other friends of BBC are set, with a full day of prizes and fun included. The entry fee includes the greens fee and cart, contests and prizes, Nike golf shirt, sleeve of Titleist golf balls, catered continental breakfast and lunch, on course refreshments, and prize drawings. All monies received from greens fees and events of the day go directly to BBC student scholarships. Over $600,000 has been raised over the past five years for student scholarships through these events.

The event begins at 9:00 a.m. and culminates with a dinner and awards program at 3:30 p.m. Receive additional information regarding this event and register online at www.bbc.edu/michigan.

On Saturday afternoon, September 18, families and friends will get together at Fifth-Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, the baseball stadium of the West Michigan Whitecaps. This event will be held in the spacious Pepsi Pavilion clubhouse which is located beyond the outfield fence at the ballpark. Scholarships and prize giveaways are part of the program, along with an endless supply of snacks, a barbecue buffet, and loads of college football games shown on the clubhouse’s many big screen televisions. BBC&S President Jim Jeffery will share during halftime of the game. There will also be opportunities for prospective students and their parents to meet with BBC representatives and President Jeffery.

The West Michigan Blitz is a great opportunity for Michigan friends to re- connect with BBC, or perhaps connect for the first time and find out what BBC is doing.

Details on both days are online at bbc.edu/michigan.

Baptist Bible College & Seminary offers an outstanding Christian education through on-campus, online, and other distance learning options. Students learn to serve and lead as they gain critical leadership and life skills.

To learn more, call 570.586.2400 or go to bbc.edu/michigan.