CRBA Update November 18, 2021

We are still collecting toys for this year’s Toy Store and we need your help. Please bring new toys costing $15-$20 to our CRBA office. For a sample list of toys, please go to https://www.crbanc.org/crba-needs/. Also, if you are willing to help us at the Toy Store this year (December 6-8), we are scheduling 4-hour shifts now. To volunteer, call our CRBA office at 828-437-0137.

Plan to use one or more of these ministry ideas during the upcoming Christmas Season.

Give Out Hot Chocolate -Get a group together and hand out cups of hot chocolate at a large local event. Maybe it’s a Christmas tree lighting ceremony or an annual parade. Or, set a stand inside or outside a local store with the manager’s permission. Needless to say (but I will), do not charge for the hot chocolate. Don’t even accept donations. This is a ministry and a great chance to meet people in your community. Lastly, take the opportunity to give out invitations/brochures to your church or annual Christmas production or Christmas Eve service.
Invite your community to an evening of Christmas movies for the family on a big screen, complete with homemade Christmas snacks. (CRBA has a projector, large outdoor screen and sound system for use by our CRBA churches.
Provide childcare at the church (free of charge) so parents can go Christmas shopping. Be sure to invite the community.
Send carolers into the community and be sure to hand out information about your church’s Christmas events.

We are excited to announce the start of the Catawba River Baptist Association Bible Institute.

Purpose:
To provide accessible, affordable basic biblical education and ministry training to Christian workers in Burke County, North Carolina, and the surrounding areas.

Structure:
Faculty: Local pastors and other Baptists who are exceptionally qualified to teach in their disciplines.

Organization: CRBA AMS/DOM provides general oversight. The Academic Dean directs faculty and oversees course development. The registrar is responsible for student enrollment information. Bursar collects payments, pays expenses, and remunerates faculty.

Format:
            Classes are 10 weeks long, including 10 hours of lectures, reading assignments, written assignments, and tests. Taught primarily face-to-face at Catawba River Baptist Association. Four 10-week cycles are offered per year. Two classes are offered per evening. One or two evenings per week, depending on demand and faculty availability.
            Additional options include intensive classes, Zoom classes, and alternative meeting times. The goal is to make basic biblical and ministerial education accessible, removing impediments to learning. Minimum standards are 10 hours of teaching, reasonable reading requirements, a written assignment, and a final examination. Options which meet these standards will be considered.

Doctrinal Position:
            CRBBI, as a ministry of CRBA, will adhere to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. Faculty will be required to agree to teach in accordance with and not contrary to the 2000 BF&M. Students will not be required to affirm their belief in the 2000 BF&M.

The cost will be $50 per person per course, which will be used to bless the instructors.

Our first course will be New Testament Survey 1: Harmony of the Gospels taught by Dr. Steve Mathews, pastor of United Baptist Church. The course will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11th, at our CRBA office in Morganton.

To register please call 828-437-0137 or email admin@crbanc.org.

EQUIP 2022/Spring Meeting is going to be a great event/conference where you can choose to be equipped for ministry. Please put March 15^th, 2022 on your calendar and make plans to be there.
Some of the classes we will be offering in the evening include (but are not limited to):

Saturate Burke (Evangelism)/Assimilating Guests
Helping your church with technology
Starting (and Re-starting) Small Groups
Nuts and Bolts of Deacon Ministry
Raising Funds for Missions and Ministry
Leading in Worship
Better Together (Mergers and Church Fostering)
Help, I am the Church Treasurer
Developing Disciple-Making Disciples
Leading your Church to become an Acts 1:8 Church
Mission opportunities in Cincinnati

Join us this Wednesday for our CRBA week prayer conference call. This time of prayer will be a blessing to you, your family, and your church. Please take note of the new phone #.

We are excited to announce that we will be doing ministry in Central Asia in April of 2022. With the help of one of our IMB Missionaries, we will be traveling to Central Asia. For more information on this special trip, please call our CRBA office. This trip is limited to 10 people, so if you plan to go, please contact our office, and send in a deposit of $100 to secure your place before December 1, 2021. We currently have 5 spaces open.

Church News

Amherst Baptist is seeking a Pastor.

Antioch Baptist is seeking a bi-vocational Pastor.

East Valdese has a part-time, 10 hour a week position as a Children’s Ministry Coordinator. For anyone interested, please contact Pastor Ken at 828-874-0511 (ext 113) for more information.

El Bethel Baptist Church in Morganton is searching for a part-time Youth Director. If interested, please send resumes and questions to ebbcyouthdirector2021@gmail.com.

Pleasant Hill Baptist is seeking a part-time Worship Pastor/Leader.

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

Southside is seeking a Church Secretary. All questions and resumes should be sent to rlawrencelaw52@gmail.com.

Wilkies Grove is seeking a full-time Associate Pastor. Please send resumes and questions to:

Mr. Chris Bortnick
(WGBC Pastor Church Committee, Chair)
5780 Wilkies Grove Church Rd.
Hickory, NC 28602
bortnick@charter.net
828.413.0060

Partner News

The Blue Ridge Christian News needs someone to help share the good news of Jesus by distributing their paper in Burke County. The position pays $400 per month. For more information, please contact Brian Barrier at 828-413-0506.

Stantonsburg FBC is seeking a pastor and is located 50 miles east of Raleigh. If interested, please send resumes to:
SFBC Pastor Search Team
PO Box 356
Stantonsburg, NC 27883

Friendship Baptist Church, Hudson NC is seeking an energetic Interim Children/Youth Leader with potential for a permanent position. (15-20 hours per week). Please email resumes on or before September 20th to friendshipresumes@gmail.com

FBC Hildebrand is seeking a Pianist, Organist & 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, dramas, 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 ministry@fbchildebran.com.
First Baptist Hildebran is also prayerfully seeking a full-time pastor. First Baptist Hildebran is in the Foothills of North Carolina in the town of Hildebran. Our church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Catawba Valley Baptist Association. We are seeking a Pastor that adheres to the Baptist faith and has a Master of Divinity degree (or equivalent) or in pursuit of a degree with a conservative evangelical faith. To learn more about our church and see a full list of qualifications, please visit our website www.fbchildebran.com.

Resumes may be sent to:
First Baptist Hildebran
Senior Pastor Search Committee
PO Box 220
Hildebran, NC 28637 or
ministry@fbchildebran.com

2021 Week of Prayer for International Missions & Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

November 28 – December 5, 2021