CRBA Update – July 22, 2026

CRBlogoColor - In This Issue - Updated Tab

Michael Preaching at Icards Grove - Small Image

VBS at Mulls Grove - July 2026 - Small File

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 18In 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 Lincolnton: 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.

Click image for more info.Missionary Care Training
Calvary West, 136 Medical Dr, Advance, NC 27006
Thursday, August 27, 2026 Cost: $10/person

Catawba River Baptist Association
1812 US HWY 70 East
Morganton, NC 28655

Office Hours:
Monday – Thursday
8:30am – 4:30pm
Closed from 12:00-1:00pm


Michael preaching at Icards Grove Baptist Church 07.19.2026From Michael…Pastor Lee Joyner came by the office in my first week at CRBA. He invited me to put 07.19 on the calendar for preaching and it was a great Sunday with the Icards Grove family. We enjoyed a great Sunday School hour and grateful for the privilege of preaching the message. VBS Kickoff Mulls Grove – 07.19.26 Mulls Grove kicked offer their Illumination Station VBS with a meal for the entire group – including Michael & Amanda. What a great team of volunteers!Join us for our Thursday Pastors LuncheonMicheal Pardue will be speaking at the luncheon. We hope you can join us! Thursday, July 23 12noon.	From the Desk of your AMS (Associational Mission Strategist) July 22 – Leaning Forward One of the fun, ongoing conversations I share with my adult daughter involves sending one another ideas for song lyrics. She is an amazing vocalist and enjoys the creative process of writing music. Recently, I sent her an idea built around the imagery of a roller coaster. Here are a few lines from the idea… How can we be riding the same track, One leans forward, one leans back? One counts down every click While you smile with nothing to miss. And then the gravity takes over… You have probably experienced both of those postures in ministry. At times, you lean forward with excitement, energized by what God is doing and eager for what comes next. At other times, you lean back, gripping the handle and anxiously anticipating what may be waiting around the next turn. While others are enthusiastically looking toward the next event, opportunity, or ministry initiative, you may feel overwhelmed by it all. Yet whether you are leaning forward with anticipation or leaning back with apprehension, the ride continues. Gravity takes over, and here you go! Has this summer been a season of exciting anticipation? Has it felt a little overwhelming? Perhaps it has been a mixture of both. Whatever this season has brought, we can praise God that He continues working in us and through us. Our confidence is not found in knowing every turn ahead, but in trusting the One who has called us and remains faithful throughout the journey. How can we, as your association, support you in this season? Please share any needs, challenges, or opportunities you are facing by emailing me at ams@crbanc.org. This is your association, and it is our joy to encourage and equip you in the calling God has given you. Thank you for allowing me to join you on this ride of ministry throughout the Catawba River Baptist Association. Michael R. Hodge Associational Mission Strategist/Director of Missions Using Free Online Resources While we acknowledge the discernment needed with social media, Facebook can be an effective and free tool for your church. Using social media for your church allows guests to begin to get to know your church before they even step onto the property. Many of you also livestream your services to Facebook – allowing future guests to attend online before coming to the service. While I was serving as a Pastor in SC, one of the last families who visited our church prior to our move to NC let us know that they had been “attending” online for several weeks before attending in person. That is a common experience. Even if you are not streaming your services, consider posting pictures from recent services, church events, and other current activities that helps guests get to know you! Look at your Facebook page – if the last post is from months or years ago, now is the time to update. While there are lots of free stock photography options available, remember that your future guests want to get to know you and your church, not a stock photo. Share who you are and your guests will be much more comfortable as they visit soon.




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. Click this link to reserve your spot in this serve 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.

CRBA Ministry Wives Mark your Calendars for this event in September. This will be an interactive art event led by Amanda Hodge. This is for all our CRBA ministry wives. Bring finger food to share. No Cost. Casual Attire Bible Study, Art Opportunity, & Encouragement!

Vacation Bible School
VBS at CRBA Churches
VBS Praise Reports

Churches with VBS Events Ending Today (07.22) Mull’s Grove Brown Mountain Cross Memorial
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

Attention Pastors Please RSVP to admin@crbanc.org or 828-437-0137
LifeWay Event @ CRBAUPCOMING EVENTfor all pastors. A representative from LifeWay will be with us to introduce DisciplesPath (a free resource).Pastors Lunch & Learn August 6 – 11:30am Lunch will be provided. Registration will take place during July.	Most churches want to make disciples, but many don’t have a clear plan. Why do so many churches struggle with discipleship? 50% of churches are trying to make disciples without a clear plan. And half of those with a plan say it still isn’t reaching the whole congregation. It’s not about effort or commitment. It’s a clarity problem: unclear stages, languages, and next steps. DisciplesPath gives your church a shared, measurable pathway for spiritual growth — from first-time guests to fully formed disciple-makers.

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