CRBA Update July 15, 2025

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August 2026

September 2026 Events

First Baptist Drexel is in need of 4 drawer filing cabinets. If you have one you would like to donate please let Gene Kirby know 704-962-8913

August 2026

Region 8 Mission Rally- August 18

In August 2026, Baptists on Mission will host a series of Regional Mission Rallies across the state. These rallies (10 of them) will highlight the variety of opportunities NC Baptists have to be involved in missions across our state, nation and world. Featured will be worship, testimonies, mission videos, and a prayer time for missions. These rallies are for anyone in your church who is interested in missions. A main focus of these rallies will be state, national, international partnerships and projects (including Disaster Relief) and the NC Missions Offering.Region 8 Rally will be held in Lincolton: 618 S Grove St, Lincolnton, NC 28092

Please register for the rally by August 11th so they can prepare the correct amount of food for the evening meal.

Missionary Care Training
Calvary West, 136 Medical Dr, Advance, NC 27006
Thursday, August 27, 2026 Cost: $10/person


Brown Mountain Baptist Church – 07.12.2026From Michael…What a great day at Brown Mountain Baptist Church on 07.12.26 with Luke Gwynn and family! The Brown Mountain family welcomed us and Luke preached from the Book of Acts. Most of the Gwynn family helps lead the worship service – incredible! Pleasant Ridge – 07.08.26 Amanda and I had the privilege of meeting many of the members of Pleasant Ridge on Wed. 07/08. While several of the staff enjoyed a much deserved vacation, I was able to preach from Psalm 121 – The Uphill Journey. VBS Continues Your VBS events continue! We had the chance to visit Mt Calvary as they kicked off their VBS with a meal and opening rally. Then, we visited Hopewell where their gym was filled with an inflatable obstacle course. The kids were having a great time as a promo kickoff for the week’s activities.	From the Desk of your AMS (Associational Mission Strategist) July 15 – Reaching Your Community for Christ One of the greatest privileges of associational ministry is seeing the many ways God is using our CRBA churches to reach their communities for Christ. Across our association, our churches differ in size, worship style, resources, and ministry methods. Yet we are united by one shared purpose: to show and share the love of Jesus. No two communities are exactly alike, so reaching them will not always look the same. That is part of the beauty of the local church. God has uniquely positioned each congregation to serve the people directly around them. The goal is not for every church to become the church for the entire county. A better question is:How might God use our church to reach this community for Christ? The answer often begins closer than we think. God has placed neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members within our daily circles. Each week, we encounter people who need the hope of the Gospel. Reaching them may begin with a conversation, an act of kindness, a shared testimony, or a simple invitation to church. Those relationships are not accidental.God has placed us where we are, among the people we know, so that we might point them toward the only true hope of redemption—Jesus Christ. What a joy it is to see God working through our CRBA churches in so many different ways. May we continue learning from one another, encouraging one another, and growing together in our shared calling of connecting communities to Christ. Seeking to serve, Michael R. Hodge ams@crbanc.org Preparing for Guests – Online Resources At this point in mid-July, it’s a great time to start preparing for a new school year of ministry and church activities. One way you can do that is by visiting your online media like a visitor. Having a friend or family member visit your online media and allowing them to provide feedback is helpful. Here’s a starting checklist: ____ Are your service times clearly listed on all sites? ____ Where are guests to enter (on Sundays or Wednesdays)? ____ What should they expect (attire, style, Bible version)? ____ Is there a greeter ministry to receive guests? ____ What activities are NOT happening during the summer? Invite someone to look at your website/social media with fresh eyes and invite their feedback. If you would like us to provide feedback, we are glad to offer an outsiders view on your resources. Let’s do all that we can to facilitate our guests’ next visit!


This is the NEW logo that we will use with all of our LoveBurke promo materials. ServeNC We will register ALL our churches who are participating in our LoveBurke initiative as your ServeNC project. If you are also doing another project – be sure to register that with NC Baptists. Register your church’s ServeNC project. Click this link to reserve your spot in this serve project. Will your church participate in this August 2026 ServeNC project?	Schools still needing to be sponsored (as of 07.15.26): East Burke High School Hallyburton Academy Hildebran Elementary North Liberty LoveBurke Our LoveBurke Back-to-School initiative is a simple way to show and share the love of Christ by supporting our local schools through a generous lunchtime meal. The LoveBurke initiative occurs Aug. 17-21 (the exact day is requested by the school) The simple strategy: Provide a Chick-Fil-A meal for our local school faculty and staff providing a bridge to build connection between your church and the school faculty.


	Join us for our Thursday Pastors Luncheon Doug Goforth will be sharing at the luncheon. We hope you can join us!

“Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.” Peterson, Eugene H. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (The IVP Signature Collection) (p. 10). Kindle Edition.

Vacation Bible School
VBS at CRBA Churches
VBS Praise Reports
Vacation Bible School Praise Report from Burkemont (Click for slideshow) We are thankful for all that God did through this year’s Vacation Bible School! A total of 316 students and adults registered to attend or serve at VBS! Most importantly, we celebrate the spiritual impact of VBS as 5 youth, 5 children, and 3 adults made decisions to follow Christ! We give God all the glory for these life-changing commitments. The blessings didn’t end when VBS was over! The decorations and supplies are already being shared with two other churches, who will in turn pass them along to additional churches, allowing these resources to continue serving God’s Kingdom for many more Vacation Bible Schools. – – Burkemont BC

Hopewell– July 12-16	Zion– July 12-15
Mount Olive- July 13-17	Abee’s Grove- July 16-18
Mull’s Grove- July 19-22 5:30-8:00PM Nightly meal provided
Brown Mountain- July 20-22	Cross Memorial- July 20-22 from 5:30-7:30 Ages 3- 8th grade
Amherst- July 26-30	Missionary Ridge– July 26-30
Bridge 42– July 26- Block Party from 5-8pm. Food, Games and Prize Giveaways VBS- July 27-31	North Laurel –August 8th from 10am-3pm North Laurel invites you to attend their 1 day VBS from 10:00am – 3:00pm. Location: 1942 Laurel St NE, Valdese, NC 28690Phone: For more info: (828) 874-4080
East Valdese- August 2-5	Enon- August 2-5 from 6:00-8:30pm Ages 3 and up
Summit Community- August 3-6	Icard’s Grove- August 15from 9am-3pm
Lakeview- August 10-13

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