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| October 28, 2026 | |
 Click any title to jump to that section. | Upcoming Opportunities: Pastor and Wives Christmas Dinner Men’s Rally Ministry Wives Fellowship Pray for our CRBA Pastors of the Week More CRBA Calendar Events Resource of the Week Church & Ministry Partner News |
| Click here to see an online version of our Annual Report Magazine | |
 | Leveraging the Calendar for Gospel Opportunities Throughout this week, many of you are participating in Fall Festivals and Trunk or Treat type events. October sets in motion three consecutive months with lots of outreach opportunities. You’re doing a great job maximizing these efforts for Christ!With November quickly approaching, Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity for our churches to move beyond simply celebrating our blessings to sharing those blessings with others. Whether inviting a neighbor to Thanksgiving dinner, providing a meal for a struggling family, reaching out to someone who may be lonely, or simply starting a conversation about gratitude, small acts of kindness can open doors for meaningful Gospel conversations. Our churches don’t need elaborate programs or large budgets to make an eternal difference. We simply need to be intentional about seeing the people God has placed around us. As we move into November, let’s ask: Who can we intentionally engage with the love and hope of Jesus Christ?Click Here for a great article on leveraging Thanksgiving for outreach. ________________________________________The Way Back: Returning to the Heart of God (images on the left) In this busy season of fall festivals and trunk or treat events, we also enjoy opportunities for revival gatherings. Across our churches, many of you have prayed for and prepared for those opportunities to encounter the Lord in a fresh way. I had the privilege of leading the revival services at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church on Enola Road. The services began Sunday morning and concluded Tuesday night. Worship was led by Daniel Hodges (son of Jack and Shawn) along with one of his fellow worship leaders from One Life Concord. The Praise Band from Pleasant Hill played in each service. They all did a tremendous job! The messages were based on various texts from the book of Jeremiah and it was an amazing time of seeking the Lord together. We are grateful for the way Pleasant Hill partners with our CRBA in so many projects and opportunities. Michael H. |
  ____________– ALSO – Supporting our Bivocational Pastors We are meeting with several of bivocational pastors to begin the conversation on how we can best support YOU in your calling and ministry. | What are we working on at the CRBA?On the left you see an image capturing the “Seven Markers of Meaningful Progress” that were shared at the Annual Meeting. While the image is small and difficult to see – here’s the FIRST of the markers: More Churches Pursuing Renewal. What does that mean? One of the most significant moments in the revitalization journey occurs when pastors and churches humbly and honestly acknowledge their present reality. Recognizing that a church has plateaued or is experiencing decline is not an admission of failure—it is a courageous step toward renewal. **Before a church can move toward a new day of ministry, it must be willing to honestly assess where it stands today.** This humility and honesty create an opportunity to seek God’s direction for the future. To help churches take this important first step, we are developing two practical revitalization resources: 1. Eight-Month Church Revitalization Plan: A guided, month-by-month journey designed to help pastors and congregations honestly assess their current reality, seek God’s direction, and take intentional, achievable steps toward a renewed season of ministry. 2. 90-Day Church Revitalization Triage Plan: A more focused, urgent approach for churches experiencing significant conflict, declining trust, leadership instability, or other immediate challenges. This resource will help pastors and churches address pressing concerns, establish greater stability, and begin moving toward a healthier future. Both resources are currently in development and will be available to support churches as they pursue meaningful progress in the coming year. Our goal is not simply to help churches survive, but to help them rediscover hope, renew their sense of mission, and take faithful steps toward a new day of ministry. |
 Take a Thursday Break Be equipped and encouraged. |  JOIN the CONVERSATION Thursday, October. 29 – 12noon “10 Ways to Reach your Rural Community” Let’s come to the table and discuss these ideas around lunch! No doubt, we won’t make it through all 10 – – but let’s start the conversation and encourage one another! |
 We will provide the biscuits and coffee. You mark your calendars and join us! Thursday, November 12 – 8am [This replaces our Luncheon for Nov. 12] Dr. Francois Carr has been a friend of Michael Hodge for over 6 years. His ministry is based out of South Africa. In the U.S., he operates Connected Life Ministries. He will share how God has used his preaching/discipleship ministry around the world. |
| Upcoming Opportunities | |||
Today is the last day to RSVP!!  All Ministry Wives are invited to attend this fellowship event at Amanda’s home. RSVP to admin@crbanc.org or 828-437-0137 to recieve theaddress. .jpg) It’s time to RSVP now for this event! | Christmas Together: A Night for Pastors & Wives%20.jpg) Pastors and Wives, you are invited to enjoy a special evening of Christmas fellowship, encouragement, and celebration! We are grateful for the faithful ways you serve the Lord and care for His people, and we look forward to a wonderful time together. Thanks to the generosity of Baptists on Mission, dinner is complimentary for all CRBA pastors and their wives. We hope you’ll join us!Please RSVP by November 16th. Date: Nov. 30th 6pm Location: Morganton Community House Please Note: We have adjusted the evening of this event due to the Morganton Christmas Parade that’s happening on Dec. 1. We are doing all that we can to make this a special evening for all of you. Sign up today! | ||
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| Praying for our CRBA Pastors | |
 Churches Without Senior Pastors Bethlehem Catawba Valley Community Missionary FBC Connelly Springs FBC Morganton Mountain View #2 Silver Creek | Each week, we feature several of our Pastors who faithfully serve in our CRBA churches. We are providing a contact email for encouragement purposes. Action Step: Pray for these churches and pastors – then send an email of encouragement and support! Featured Pastors for this WeekOak Grove Baptist Church (Pastor Kenneth Mashburn- kenemashburn@gmail.com) Oak Ridge Baptist Church (Pastor Nicholas Wilson- pastornick@oakridgebaptistchurch.net) Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (Pastor Jack Hodges- jackhodges@pleasanthillbc.church ) Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church (Pastor Bradley Johnson- bradleyjohnson2002@gmail.com) Pleasant View Baptist Church (Pastor Rex Shaver- shaverrex@gmail.com) River Of Life Baptist Church (Espanol) (Pastor Wilson Chun Ramos- wilsonchun5@gmail.com) Riverside Baptist Church (Pastor Steven Boyles-wsboyles315@gmail.com) CRBA Churches Seeking Staff Please be in prayer for our churches seeking to fill staff positions. When we have a new position posted it will appear in this newsletter for a few weeks, but all our positions are always available to view on our website. |
| More CRBA Calendar Events | ||
  | October 28 – RSVP due for Ministry Wives Fellowship November 2 – RSVP due for Men’s Rally 3 – Ministry Wives Event 7 – Holy Sexuality – Christoper Yuan (New Day Christian) 8 – Timothy Project 9 – Men’s Rally @ Hopewell 12 – Pastors Breakfast with Dr. Francois Carr. 15-17 – Pastors Conference and Annual Meeting 16 – RSVP due for Pastors and Wives Christmas Dinner 21- NC Baptist Marriage Conference with Gary Chapman @ Burkemont 22 – Together in Thanksgiving Community Service @ PRBC 30 – Pastors and Wives Christmas Dinner – RSVP Required December 3-6 – Coats for City Trip to NYC 6 – Toy Store Prayer Walk 7-10 – Toy Store 2027 January 14 – Ministry Wives Event 16 – No Sew Blankets Event for Women 9-11am February 8 – Men’s Rally March 21 – Associational Bible Drill 28 – Easter April Food Round Up Gift Card Collection for Baptist Children’s Homes 10 – Regional Bible Drill 29 – Ministry Assistant Appreciation | |
| CRBA Resource of the Week | |
 | Your CRBA has a Gaga Pit available for you to check out for your ministry events. Checking out any resource is free of charge to all our CRBA churches. If you would like to reserve any CRBA resource, just call (828) 437-0137 or email admin@crbanc.org |
 | We have ALREADY created several simple web pages that are a subpage of our CRBA website. It’s a simple way for us to provide you with a link for guests. Here is are some examples: Brown Mountian Baptist Set Free Christian Fellowship Remember – most potential visitors are going to search for clear service times, address, and staff information prior to visiting. We can provide you an easy to share link. This is not intended as a constantly changing page (we cannot maintain that). Instead, it’s a static page with service times and other consistent information. We’ll be happy to help. Give us a call in the office during office hours. |
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 Saturday, Nov. 7 9:00am-2:30pm @ New Day Christian Church Sunday, Nov. 8 10:00am @ New Life Church of God | |
 ArdenBiltmore Church – Arden Campus, 35 Clayton Rd, Arden, NC 28704Thursday, February 25th, 2027The Disciple-Making Conference exists to equip every church to engage every generation with the gospel. With hundreds of leaders gathering from every size, every context and every area of ministry leadership, this is an opportunity to call church leaders to pursue God-sized vision for their church. This year, our focus in the main sessions is on calling and equipping churches to engage in disciple-making that has an impact beyond their walls. |  |