CRBA Update April 1, 2021

Family Skate Night collage


Thank you to all who joined us this past Sunday for our Family Skate outing. Our next one is scheduled for October 3rd from 2-4 p.m. Thank you Greg Klapp for clearly sharing the Gospel. 


National Day of Prayer


This year’s National Day of Prayer event will be held at United Baptist in Valdese. Please join us at 6:30 p.m. as we lift our hearts and voices in prayer.


burkechangers header new 2021


Ways that you can be involved:

– PRAY for planning and preparation.
– PROMOTE: www.BurkeChangers.org to other churches.
– BECOME a Partner Church: $50 registration.
– ENLIST Crew Leaders, Skilled Supervisors, Students & Chaperones.
– BE willing to assist provide lunches for a work crew. 
– HELP us with Block Party Outreach Events
– DONATE to BurkeChangers Mission Week through CRBA.

There are so many ways that your church can get involved and we would love to have your partnership! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please reach out to us at info@BurkeChangers.org or contact: Greg Klapp – CRBA Youth Team Leader or Eddy Bunton – BurkeChangers Team Coordinator. God bless!
 


Filing Cabinet Ad Update 2021

* These filing cabinets (complete with keys) are in excellent condition and are first come, first serve. 


Food Roundup thin

The Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina is in need of grocery store gift cards. We encourage each of our CRBA churches to donate at least $100 in gift cards to help these children in need. Drop off for the gift cards will be at the CRBA office (1812 US HWY 70 E, Morganton, NC 28655) now through April 29th, 2021. Please contact our office at (828) 437-0137 for more information.


The new 13-week cycle will begin April 6th at 5:30 p.m. at our CRBA office. If you or someone you know would benefit from being with a loving, kind, small group of people to help through a period of grief, GreifShare could be the answer as it points participants to Jesus. For more information, please call our CRBA office at 828-437-0137. 



DIY No Sew Baby Prayer Blankets

On Saturday, April 24th at 10:00 am at the CRBA building, our Women’s Ministry Team will host a Prayer Baby Blanket DIY Workshop. All the materials will be provided. We will be making no-sew Baby blankets. There will be plenty of room to spread out while we are working and praying for these dear babies. The blankets will be distributed thru the Pregnancy Care Center of Burke where they will present a blanket to the new Mom’s after they leave the hospital. 



PARTNER WITH YOUR SISTER CHURCHES THIS MONTH

Collect the Special
Annie Armstrong Easter Offering
for North American Missions

Annie Armstrong

ANNIE ARMSTRONG (1850-1938)
 

Annie Armstrong was born in Baltimore at a time when women were not expected to lead. She served, challenged churches to action and rallied support for missionaries. Ultimately, Annie was recognized as a national Southern Baptist trailblazer renowned for visionary missions leadership.

Contributions:

  • Helped plant Eutaw Place Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland in 1871
  • Started Bay View Mission to provide for Baltimore’s poor and addicted
  • Led the formation of missions’ organizations for children to educate them to hear
    God’s call into mission service
  • Gained support for the appointment of missionaries to German, Jewish and Italian immigrants
  • Handwrote more than 18,000 letters in one year to pastors and SBC leaders advocating for missions
  • Paid her own expenses and refused a salary expressing she would, “never give to the Lord that which costs me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
  • Initiated fund-raising “brick cards” to build needed church buildings in Cuba
  • Encouraged outreach to black Americans and gained support for the first black, female missionaries
  • Secured funds in 1888 to relieve China missionary, Lottie Moon, who had worked for 13 years without a furlough
  • Advocated for Native Americans and impoverished mountain people bringing their needs to the Home Mission Board
  • Started the Church Building Loan Fund and Annuities with the Home and Foreign Mission Boards, which still exists today
  • Honored in 1934 when The Home Missions Offering was re-named for her to encourage more to follow her sacrificial example

Today, over $1 billion has been given through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®. All gifts—100%—support thousands of missionaries in church planting and compassion ministries across the U.S. and Canada. Visit https://www.anniearmstrong.com/ resources such as:

  • Free, printable bulletin inserts
  • Posters
  • Prayer Guides (English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean)
  • Offering Envelopes (Bilingual English/Spanish)
  • Planning Guide (English, Spanish)
  • DVDs and more 
Annie Armstrong 1

praytogethergotogether

We are looking for folks to help us prayer walk in our communities on Saturday, April 17th. You can prayer “drive or walk” your community any time of the day as we pray for the salvation of our community.

To sign up and to receive more information please go to https://ncbaptist.org/event-pray-and-go-prayerwalking

Simply click on the register link, fill out the info and:
under the “area” drop-down menu, click Unifour,
under the “location” menu, click Valdese & Morganton/Scattered/April 17th.

Instructions and training material will be sent to everyone who signs up.



Mission Trip to Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati pic

We are excited to announce we will be partnering with Amer Safadi (church planter in Cincinnati) this summer. Our mission trip to Ohio will be July 10-18, 2021 and we will be helping a new church reach its community for Christ. We will be helping with Block Parties, Vacation Bible School and feeding families at a local school. We hope you and your church will join us on this exciting adventure. The cost of the trip is $210 which includes transportation, lodging, and food while in Cincinnati.

  • Information Meeting – April 26, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. at the CRBA office
  • Training Meeting – May 24, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. also at the CRBA office
  • Deadline for returning the deposit and notarized forms – May 31, 2021
  • Trip Dates – July 10-17, 2021 leaving early on Saturday the 10th

For more information and to register please go to www.crbanc.org.


Kenya with qr

We are excited to announce we will be going to Kenya for a mission trip from October 26 thru November 5.  The cost is estimated from $2,200 to $2,500 depending on travel. This year we will be hosting a pastors training event in villages and will also construct 4 houses for widows. This is going to be an awesome trip but is limited to 14 people.

Reserve your spot today by going to https://baptistsonmission.org/bom/kenya/kenya-ky21-002/4981  (You may have to place your cursor over the link, and hold down your Control button while left-clicking to get it to open). You can also find your project by going to Mission Projects/Outside US/Kenya from any page on the website or by scanning the QR code above. Scroll to the bottom of the Kenya Partnership Page and then find and click on your project (the Details/Register button). Note that the site only displays ten projects at a time, so you may need to hit the “next” button at the bottom of the page to scroll over and find your project. Once on your project page, it should ask you to sign in or create an account.

STEP #1

IF YOU ARE A NEW USER simply create a new account. The e-mail/username has to be unique (i.e. – husband and wife cannot share the same e-mail). If you have been sharing an e-mail with your spouse, you will need to create a unique one for one or the other of you. Once you have created your new account, go back to the homepage and find your project by clicking (Mission Projects/Outside US/Kenya). Projects are listed at the bottom of the Kenya Partnership page. 

-OR-
 

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT go ahead and sign in. Remember that….Usernames are based on e-mails. If you have forgotten your username, we can look that up for you if you contact our office. If you cannot remember your password you can reset it. After doing so, you should receive an e-mail with a new password to put in. Once logged in you can change it to whatever you would like your password to be. Once you sign in, it should keep you on your project page and you can continue with registration as a team member. But if not, go back to the homepage and find your project by clicking (Mission Projects/Outside US/Kenya). Projects are listed at the bottom of the Kenya Partnership page. 

STEP #2

ONCE YOU HAVE EITHER SIGNED IN OR CREATED A NEW ACCOUNT:

1.      Click “1” at the bottom of your project page where it asks you to “Choose Quantity”. Then click the “Continue” button. It should take you to a second page.

2.      The second page should ask you to put in your “team name”, which is: CRBA (case sensitive). Click “Continue”. 

3.      The third page should present your account information (general, passport, etc.) for verification. If anything on your account is unfinished, it may require you to complete it. Once you have, click the “Register” button.

4.      You will be taken to a “Thank You” page. On this page is a link to our background check requirement. You can go ahead and click this button and submit the needed information for your background check at this time if you wish.  (You will also receive an e-mail with the same information you see on the “Thank You” page.)

If you are unable to travel to Kenya but wish to participate,
consider helping us with one of two projects:

  • We will be building four houses/house churches, and each will cost $1,600. You can donate enough for the house ($400) or you can buy a wall ($100). These houses are for widows in villages that will also be used as houses of hope/church plants).
  • Pastor’s Conference –We will be hosting (and leading) pastor training in Kisumu, Kenya which will cost up to $2,000 for supplies and food for the Kenyan pastors who will be trained.


Rose Hill pic

Mission Trip to Rose Hill, NC

April 27-30, 2021

We are planning a trip to Rose Hill for a Tuesday-Friday and will distribute quilts to families who have had Baptists on Mission repair their houses after hurricanes hit our east coast.  Each family will receive a handmade quilt as a gift as they move back into their homes.
 
Even if you are not able to go on the trip, we need your help. Beginning March 8th, we will be offering quilting classes on Monday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm through the month of April. We will use that time to make squares for the quilts so the team will be prepared before making the trip. You are needed whether you are inexperienced or experienced in quilting. All classes will take place at the CRBA office (1812 US HWY 70 E, Morganton). To sign up for the class and for more information please contact our office at 828-437-0137 or admin@crbanc.org.
 

For those able to travel to Rose Hill, the cost of the mission trip is $40 per person which includes lodging and food. For more information, please contact Dawn Mathews at 828-962-5255 or our Associational office at 828-437-0137. There will also be opportunities to do light projects for those who want to do construction and/or painting.


Josh Hunt

Almost all groups struggle with evangelism. Most Christians struggle with evangelism. Rarely do I find a group that says that they are doing well in evangelism. But, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Steve Gladen says:
Our enemy the devil wants us to think that evangelism is difficult and that we will offend people by telling them about Christ. But the bottom line is this: if your small group is helping the lost become found by praying, sharing their testimonies, and inviting unbelievers to a meal or a social activity, then they are fulfilling the purpose of evangelism. It’s really that simple.[1]

Here are four ideas to help your group do better in evangelism.

Pray for the lost by name -This does two things. In addition to the awesome power of prayer to move the lost, it also has the effect of reminding us of the priority of evangelism. You might do this every week in your group. When you close in prayer, you might say something like… “This week we want to remember our lost friends as we pray. What else can we pray about?”
 

Share witnessing encounters –Another way to keep evangelism front-and-center is to allow a moment to share opportunities that your group has had to share their faith. Ask you group on a regular basis, “Who has had an opportunity to have a spiritual conversation this week?” Share you own encounters. Lead by example. 
 

The research indicates that we are having fewer and fewer of these conversations:
To put it simply, Americans today are less involved in spiritual conversations than we were twenty-five years ago. A “spiritual conversation” is defined as any conversation about spiritual or faith matters (including doubts) with anyone. This would include talking about Jesus with a non-Christian friend but would also include talking about the sermon you just heard with your spouse.

These spiritual conversations could have been in person but also could have occurred on the phone, via text, or even on social media. In this way the researchers used a fairly broad definition for spiritual conversations.

Yet even with a broad definition for spiritual conversations, most of us (74% of us) are having fewer than ten spiritual conversations a year. We are what the researchers characterize as “reluctant conversationalists.”[2]
 

Do a study on evangelism –I recommend you do this once a year. Here are a few suggestions:

One teacher used to say, “We can teach our way out of any problem.” By doing a study once a year you will teach your people necessary skills in evangelism.
 

Invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month –This is the core strategy in my book, You Can Double Your Group in Two Years or Less. People who are opposed to the gospel are not opposed to ice cream. If you can get them to the party, they are far more likely to attend group and come to faith in Christ. For a biblical example, look at Matthew in Matthew 9.9 – 13 or Google, “Matthew Party.” I recently listened to Sam Chan’s book on evangelism. He explains why this is so effective:
 

Hospitality is another means of evangelism, and if we carefully read the New Testament letters, we find that hospitality is quite prominent among the topics discussed and practiced by the early church. While the gifts of teaching and preaching proclaim the words of the gospel, hospitality demonstrates that the gospel is real, authentic, believable, attractive, and livable. Another way to say this is that hospitality breaks down plausibility structures. The gospel might be true, but to most non-Christians it sounds unbelievable. And the gospel will remain unbelievable as long as our non-Christian friends don’t have many Christian friends, because we tend to adopt the plausibility structures of those we know and trust. By sharing our homes with both our non-Christian and Christian friends, our non-Christian friends will get to eat with (and know) more and more Christian friends, and maybe even adopt their Christian friends’ plausibility structures.

Summary
There you have it, four habits of highly evangelistic groups:

  1. Pray
  2. Share
  3. Study
  4. Party

To learn more from Josh Hunt go to www.joshhunt.com.



Church News
 

Amherst Baptist is seeking a Pastor.

Antioch Baptist is seeking a bi-vocational Pastor.

Burkemont Baptist has 150 wooden childrens chairs they are willing to donate to a church in need. For more information please contact Giovonnia Hennessee at 828-437-2357.

Catawba Valley is seeking a Pastor.

Community Missionary is seeking a Pastor.


El Bethel Baptist Church in Morganton is seeking a full-time Associate Pastor of Worship and Youth to join their ministerial staff. Please send resumes and questions to worshipleadersearchebbc@gmail.com.

Missionary Ridge is looking for a full time Youth Minister. Please send resumes or direct questions to dbrowning@missionaryridgebaptist.org

Mull’s Grove Baptist is seeking a bi-vocational Minister of Music and a bi-vocational Youth Minister. Please send resumes and questions to brodruemgbc@att.net.        

Pleasant Hill Baptist is seeking a full-time Children’s and Youth Ministry Pastor as well as a part-time Worship Pastor/Leader.

Rutherford College First Baptist is seeking a bi-vocational Pastor.  


 
Partner News
 

CCRP is hosting:

CCRP Golf Tournament 2021 2


FBC Hildebran:

We are seeking a Pianist for our church. This is a paid position. This will require you to be here for Sunday & Wednesday services and any special services, Revival, Cantata’s, Drama’s etc. Please submit your resume to the church office by mail at PO Box 220, Hildebran NC 28637 or you can email your resume to Kendra Arrowood at ministry@fbchildebran.com.
 
We are seeking a part-time Music Director for our church. This is a paid position. This will require you to be here for Sunday & Wednesday services and any special services, Revival, Cantata’s, Drama’s and working with a choir, etc. Please submit your resume to the church office by mail at PO Box 220, Hildebran NC 28637 or you can email your resume to Kendra Arrowood at ministry@fbchildebran.com.


 

South Mountain Bible Camp is hosting:
 South Mountain 5k 2021 3

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