September Volume LIV—Issue 9

THE MESSENGER

Ben Brags on the Savior

Check Out Our NEW WEBSITE!!!

www.holstonbaptists.org

The youngest of the 20 members of Former Glory Baptist Church is now 75 years old.

So the consultant asked for a show of hands: Who leads or works with Preschoolers?

No hands were raised. Who works with Children? Who works with VBS? Nobody.

Who focuses on Youth? Young Families? Zero again. So he asks, when did you vote in

business meeting to stop loving children? When did you vote to stop reaching young

families? When did you vote to change the mission of the church from making

disciples to making old members comfortable?

Noting their obvious offense at his line of questioning, he explained, you may not have officially voted in a

business meeting, but if your church has nobody leading focused outreach and ministry for any age-group or

people group, by default, you have voted to stop caring, to stop loving, to stop rescuing from hell, and to stop

fulfilling the reason the church exists.

And in unison, they object strenuously, But we have no children, so we don't need a children's leader or

workers. It would just be a waste of time, plus we would miss our own SS class to just sit in an empty room. So

the consultant reflected, what I hear you saying is that your perception of children's ministry is to sit in an

empty room and PASSIVELY WAIT for children to just happen to walk in...without earnest prayers, without

intentional outreach, without deliberate preparation and planning, without committed leadership and

workers. Did I get that right?

So which church needs a Champion for Preschool more, the one with 30 preschoolers in Sunday School every

week, or the one with zero? While the answer is BOTH, the one who DESPERATELY NEEDS a champion for

preschoolers is the one with zero.

Every ministry and every ministry role in the life of the church needs a champion, a leader who is called to

pursue God in earnest and fulfill that calling to his/her utmost, especially when zero is happening there now. If

your church doesn't pray, start by praying for a prayer champion, one who will stake his/her life on the power

of prayer, who prays at the same rate that he/she breathes, and who inspires others, not to ritual prayer, ra-

ther to love Jesus and value relationship with Him so dearly that all who witness such praying can't wait to

grow in their own prayer disciplines.

Restorative Justice Workshop

On Thursday, September 22nd, you will have the opportunity to learn about how you can become the “hands

and feet of Jesus” by volunteering with several ministries that serve this population in very unique and effective

ways. Some of the organizations that will be highlighted include the following:

1. The East Tennessee Faith Alliance– a new faith organization that is working in East Tennessee to provide

opportunities for churches to come together to learn how they can organize a small team of members to

mentor an inmate and his family for approximately one year to help him (or her) increase their chances of

making a successful transition back to our communities and churches.

2. FOCUS Ministries– Since the 1990’s, this Knoxville based 501C3 has provided a “holistic” (Spirit, Mind, and

Body) approach to ministering to these families: offering FOCUS Christian Academy classes inside prisons

and jails to prepare inmates to become the moms and dads God has created them to be and then providing

Tennessee Department of Corrections approved transition services through New Start Apartments for men

and Grace Place for women.

3. Kairos Prison Ministries– An International (with local chapters) Christian, faith-based ministry that

addresses the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women, youth, and their families. By sharing the love

and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, Kairos is changing hearts, transforming lives and impacting the world.

Please RSVP to Joe Sorah at jsorah@tnbaptist.org if you would like to come. There will be light snacks provided.

If discipleship is lacking, pray for a champion, who won't stop beating the drum till the whole church is

engaged in discipleship and disciple making. And pray for a disciple-making apprentice champion for every

people group represented in your harvest field. If missions giving, going, and doing has flagged, pray

corporately till God calls one willing soul, and send them on a life-changing mission project with a group who

will demonstrate tenderness for God and missionary zeal for souls in nitty gritty soul and society

transformation. Pray they will return with such Holy Spirit fire that no cold-water committee on earth could

dampen the blaze.

This is not an exhortation to expand church staff; This is a call for the most ordinary church member to step

out in faith and become a champion for a specific Kingdom cause through his/her local church...one for every

ministry role, one for every people group, etc. This is not rocket science; This is Biblical Worldview 101.

Did you know your Association has 40-something champions? ... perhaps one for every ministry role in your

church? If your church measures zero in any people group, it is satanic deception that would keep you

thinking you have to struggle alone or exist in the status quo.

Why are so many churches turning into senior adult retirement centers? They voted. Would somebody please

stand up to volunteer or make a motion to nominate and develop some champions for the cause of Christ!!!

Ben

Ben Brags on the Savior Continues

Train up a child in the way

he should go; and when

he is old, he will not

depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Bible Drills

Children

Youth

High School

Look for our display at the

HBA Annual Gathering,

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

at Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Holston

Baptist

Association

Bible Drill

Leadership Team Anna Huggins

Susan Schiwitz

Laura Bennett

Angela Greenwell

Jessica Schiwitz

For information, contact

Anna @ (423) 743-4741

Susan @ (423) 794-8182

The Holston Baptist Association 230th

Annual Meeting / The Gathering will be at

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

October 18th

Theme: United in His Spirit Acts 4:31

Among the Churches

Homecoming at Cherokee Baptist Church on

September 11th.

143 Mayberry Road, Jonesborough, TN 37659

Guest speaker William Lunsford, special music James

Buchanan, coach at West Greene High School. This is

their 233rd Anniversary. All pastors and other

members welcome. Dinner to follow on the grounds.

First Baptist Church, Jonesborough is looking for a

part time custodian to work 8-12 hours per week.

Please call the church at 753-3441.

First Baptist Church, Jonesborough is looking for a

part time worship leader. They will be responsible

for music for Sunday morning and Sunday evening

as well as Wednesday evening worship services.

Both congregational and choir music. Please call the

church at 753-3441.

Ninth Street Baptist Church in Erwin, TN. is actively

looking for a part-time Youth Minister or Leader.

This is a paid position and would be a great

opportunity to work with a pastor that has a vision

for the church and desires to see this position grow

into a full-time ministry position. We will be

receiving resumes until Nov. 1, 2016. If you are

interested and would like to know more about this

opportunity, please send your resume

to babinrl@bellsouth.net.

During the raceway weekend at

the Sprint Cup Race at the Bristol

Motor Speedway, eight people

were saved! Praise the Lord!

We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Morris

Burkett, who passed away on August 14, 2016. He was the youth

pastor at Bowmantown and North Johnson City.

Fred Witty, Jr., who passed away August 12, 2016. He was the BSU

Director at ETSU for 41 years.

Tri-Cities Prayer Gathering Every month, Christians of every stripe gather to pray together in earnest, in a different area of NETN. This

month we will gather at September 12th– First Broad Street United Methodist Church. Church Circle,

Kingsport, TN at 11:30 A.M.

Fordtown is having Homecoming on September

11th. Frank McCarter is the special speaker.

Everyone welcome.

Calvary (Greeneville) has called Rev. Chuck Morgan as Youth Pastor effective 10-1.

Guest speaker Rev. Charles Morgan of Pleasant Grove

Baptist Church will lead ordination ceremonies on

9/18 at 7 p.m.

Congratulations to parents Paul and

Areta Thompson and grandparents Tal

and Liz Thompson on the arrival of their

new baby, Samuel Davis Thompson. Paul

Thompson is the youth minister at

Tennessee Avenue Baptist Church.

HBA Disaster Relief Clean Machine is Helping the Homeless Veterans at the

Veteran’s Stand Down

October 7

We are collecting the following items:

Please place items in a ziplock bag along with your favorite Bible Verse and bring

them to Holston by September 28, 2016

We are preparing backpacks for 250 – 300 Homeless Veterans. Backpacks cost

$4.00 each if you want to purchase them, please write your church check to First

Baptist Fall Branch.

Don’t forget to pray over each bag that you prepare and the blessing will be

yours along with our veterans. They gave so much for us – now is our time to give

back to them.

Everett & Joyce Willis

HBA Disaster Relief

Hats

Pen & paper pads

Scarves

First Aid Kits

Dried Fruit Snacks

Snacks

Bibles

Socks

Water

Face Wipes

Jell-O Packs

Gloves

Lip Balm

Bandana

Toothbrushes/ Paste

Beef Jerky

Instant Coffee

Trail Mix

The Stand for Truth Seminar is

going to be led by David Fowler at

the Summit Leadership Foundation on September 10th.

It will be from 8:45am-12:00pm. For more information,

please go to http://summitlife.org/events/.

The Constitution Seminar Workshop

The Holston Baptist Association is having a

Constitution Seminar Workshop on October 25th

from 7:00pm-10:00pm. Rev. C.C. Mills from

Friendship Baptist Church in Greeneville will be

teaching on the Constitution and will be handing

out booklets.

You are invited to

Clark Street Baptist Church 200 Clark Street, Johnson City, TN 37604

Health Fair Open to all who wish to come.

September 8th and 9th, 2016 Thursday from 12:00 Noon till 8:00 pm

Friday from 9:00am to 8:00pm Bring your friends, bring your neighbors, bring your entire family.

There will be educational booths for children to seniors. Agencies to help you choose health insurance. What safety items do you need in your home. Health Checks for Blood Pressure and A1C Test

Nutritional Information for both children and adults Everything for healthy living.

Clark Street Baptist Church Outreach Ministries, Reaching out to our community with the

message of Jesus Christ. 1st. Corinthians 6: 19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost

which is in you, which ye have of God.

Would you help? Volunteers are needed to help get

the new Holston Habitat for Humanity Johnson City

Restore ready to open. Work includes sorting,

cleaning, organizing and unloading donations and

would be Monday-Friday 8am-12pm. The Restore

sells donated homebuilding supplies, appliances,

and furniture. The proceeds help fund our

homebuilding and home repair projects. For more

information or to volunteer contact Barry Osborne

at (423) 335-5573 or shilohridge@embarqmail.com

Holston Habitat for Humanity

Saturday, October 1st 9:00 AM-4:00 PM*

Tennessee Avenue Baptist Church Sanctuary

Tickets: $10.00 prior to event; $15.00 at the door

(Tickets available beginning Sunday, September 4th)

* We will break 11:30AM-1:00PM for lunch (on your own off campus).

September

Calendar

5 Labor Day, OFFICE CLOSED

8 Ministry Groups Meeting, HBA, 8:30

10 David Fowler, The Summit

12 Minister’s Fellowship, HBA, 10:00, John Franklin Guest Speaker

13 Executive Board Meeting, HBA, 9:30, John Franklin Guest Speaker

14 John Franklin speaking to all church leaders, University Parkway,

10:00

15 Youth Minister’s Fellowship, 11:30

WPRO, 12:00

19 REV Group Meeting, Antioch, 6:00

22 Hospital Banquet, HBA, 12:00

October—Pastor Appreciation Month

3 Minister’s Fellowship, 10:00

ACP’s DUE!

18 Annual Meeting / The Gathering, Mtn. Zion

20 Youth Minister’s Fellowship, 11:30

WPRO, 12:00