THE MESSENGER. Ben Brags on the Savior. April. April Freedom Hall. For detailed information, go to tcr.billygraham.org. What to Expect?

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1 April Volume LVI Issue 4 THE MESSENGER What to Expect? April Freedom Hall Since 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has held Crusades all across the globe for one purpose: to proclaim God s love to people who need Jesus Christ. Today, Will Graham Celebrations continue this life-changing mission. A Celebration is not just an evangelistic event; it is a process of prayer, training, outreach, and follow-up that takes place over a 12-month period and it begins and ends with you, the local church. It usually consists of four services: Friday Night for Adults/Families Saturday Morning KidzFest for Elementary Aged Children Saturday Night for Youth Sunday Afternoon for Adults/Families For detailed information, go to tcr.billygraham.org Ben Brags on the Savior STRONG PROSPECTS FOR YOUR CHURCH!!! CHURCH, do you want a dozen or more strong prospects from all age groups to be assigned for your church outreach, assimilation, and discipleship ministries? Are you ready for them? If not, let s move fast and get ready! I have good news, bad news, more good news, and finally, even more good news for you. GOOD NEWS! April is The Celebration with Will Graham. Likely outcome: 1,000 salvations and triple that in other decisions. Ben praying in the Garden of Gethsemane BGEA trains counselors to be thorough, and then every person with no church relationship, who makes a decision is connected to a church near them. Potentially, local churches could discover several thousand good prospects. BAD NEWS! Only churches that participated in that thorough counselor training I mentioned and the additional training in how to do follow-up and discipleship...only those churches will be assigned persons who make decisions during the Celebration. MORE GOOD NEWS! But even if your church did not participate in training to this point and will not be serving in the counseling process, you still have a wonderful opportunity to be sure that some of those making decisions are assigned to your church. ~Continued on page 2

2 (Continued from Front Page) Every decision card includes a question about one s affiliation with a church, so if they write down your church s name, you get the prospect. So how do you make sure they write down your church s name? You invite them. You bring them. You treat them in a way that they think they are affiliated with your church, so when the time comes, that s what they write down. Statistics from other Celebration events find in 70% of salvation decisions, they came with a friend or relative. Make friends, and bring them. EVEN MORE GOOD NEWS! Any church...emphasize ANY church, regardless of age, size, condition, etc. CAN do this. Yes, your church can discover a dozen or more prospects, who are children, young adults, and every group you seek. PRAY for your own eyes to be open and for your own heart to be tender for souls. Church, commit significant time and energy to pray just for the lost, by name, which God will keep showing your people when you have opened eyes and hearts. Plead earnestly for God s help in how to meet people, be friendly, and build strong enough relationships that they will be willing to come with you to hear the Gospel. Statistically, 90-95% of Southern Baptists NEVER share their faith. For now, just make friends, and bring them with you. When you have a hand in somebody coming to know Jesus personally, it will change your life...and obviously, it will also change your friend s life forever. Bryan Smith Church Development Specialist With church renewal becoming a very important topic amongst evangelical churches in Tennessee, there is no shortage of data to prove that we are not reaching the number of souls we once did. As population continues to climb, numbers of baptisms decrease. As you may already have heard, over 600 Tennessee Baptist churches shut their doors - went out of the soul-winning business, in church year At The Holston Baptist Association, we are doing more than wringing our hands and talking about it - We are doing something very deliberate and intentional to reclaim the territory our churches are losing! Every second Monday of each month, pastors interested in this effort of restoring life to their ministries are invited to attend what we affectionately call The REV Group. Each month will be designed around a topic that pastors can develop further to meet the uniqueness of their ministry. They will also work on projects with others who are participating in the training. Each month they will receive valuable free resources and personal coaching to support their efforts as well. Our first meeting will be held at Clark Street Baptist Church from 6:00-8:00PM, Monday April 9th. The church address is 200 Clark St Johnson City, TN. How do you know if your ministry is a candidate? Please take the brief assessment to learn more and since there is a meal involved, please contact our office no later than Friday April 6th to confirm your attendance. You may also me at bryan@holstonbaptist.org. At least attend the first gathering to learn the overview of our program. I hope to see you there!

3 Assessment Questions If more than three of these are true, your church will benefit from The REV Group. Does your church seek to reach the local community via programs and/or events? Has your church grown frustrated with the lack of response from the community? Has your church experienced an attendance decline for more than three years? The way our church makes decisions - according to policies and procedures - is valued more highly than the end results of the decision. Our church makes taking care of the needs of those present in the congregation a high priority, perhaps more than focusing on the needs of those who might come from outside. Our church struggles to find and then develop leaders - especially those in younger generations. Do you feel like your church has become detached from your community? Do you fear that no one would "miss" your church if she were to close her doors? Many in our congregation live greater than a 5 minute drive from our physical location. Our church attendance may have declined but our activity level and ministries have not. We take a lot of pride in our facilities and put a lot of energy into caring for them. Is your church struggling to pay your bills in a timely manner? Has your church been unable to pay your pastor in an appropriate manner? Are you unable to attract young people and young families to become committed members in the life of your church? If the current trends continue in both attendance and giving do you fear that your church will have to close in the next five years? Make plans now to attend! All Things Deacons May 31 6:30 8:30 PM Southwestern Baptist Church 1112 Cherokee Road

4 TO YOUR HEALTH One of the great truths about healthy living is Greg Burton, Colonial Heights to keep moving. Most of the time we focus on eating healthy and maybe even staying hydrated, but healthy exercise is the other aspect of taking care of ones body. We do not need to join a gym or begin training for a marathon. We just need to move. If we do not PLAN to move more we will not DO much moving. What are the benefits? The heart is muscle and strengthens itself when it is exercised. Raising the heart rate for a sustained period is a fabulous way to keep it strong. Walking, biking, hiking or using stationary equipment are fun ways to stay active. Movement also burns calories, lowers blood sugar and promotes improved function of many critical parts of the body. BUT we must make choices to change for the good. Giving up elevators (except for extreme heights) is a simple way to pick up some extra movement. Park further from the door in a parking lot adds steps to your day. At work, get up from your desk a few times a day and walk for five minutes or so inside or outside. Instead of riding 18 holes of golf, walk 9 holes of golf. Whatever we do, just do something! Your heart will thank you. Congratulations to Rev. Mike Carrier, for being appointed Bristol Fire Chief! Mike is the interim pastor at Bluff City. Thank you HBA churches!! You gave $4,422. to Enon when you saw they good family are!!! Among The Churches Sunset Village will host revival services beginning April 9. Robert Carty is Pastor. COPIER FREE to a church. Please Call Holston at Rev. Keith Smith (left) is the new pastor at Fordtown. Keith served as pastor for nearly 16 years at Reservoir Road in the Sullivan Association. He and his wife, Kelly grew up in Fordtown and have returned to serve! were hurting! What a you Mountain View Baptist Church, JC is searching for a Bi-Vocational Youth/Student Pastor. Please send resumes to: Mountain View Baptist Church Attn: Student Pastor Search Committee Bristol Hwy Johnson City, TN Or them to sandy@mtnviewbaptist.com Pastor is Rich Murray. Oak Grove Music Minister Oak Grove Baptist, Gray, seeks a part time Minister of Music. Please forward resume to OGBC- MusicMin18@gmail.com All inquiries to only, please.

5 Fun-In-The-Son 2018 will once again be at the Carson Springs Conference Center just outside of Newport, Tennessee from Tuesday, June 19 through Friday, June 22. We are very glad to welcome Tim Thompson, the Children s Pastor at FBC Morristown, back to camp to lead our music and teach the main sessions. Fun in the Son is for those children who have completed grades 3 through 6 and the cost of the camp is $140 per person. In an effort to keep costs down, each church is encouraged to visit the HBA website - and download the registration packet. Make as many copies as you need. If you would rather have a packet mailed to you, please call Holston Baptist Association We will be glad to mail it to you! Registration forms and all fees must be at the HBA Office no later than Friday, May 11th. If you have any questions, please call a member of the children s ministry team below or call Megan at the HBA office. We look forward to seeing you at Fun in the Son 2018! Cowboy Up! Dianne Woody FBC Greeneville Terri Graham Calvary Erwin Craig & Tammy Ponder New Salem Adam Sells FBC Blountville Reuben Ferry Chinquapin Grove A The Appalachian Trail Ministry will be reaching out to the Through Hikers on Saturday, April 28 at the Annual AT Cookout in Erwin. If you are interested in helping, please call or Sam Dalton at / We need help with food prep, serving and a listening ear! Let s GO!!! 1130 students and adults from 60 churches will converge on the mountains of North Carolina this weekend! Please pray that God will open doors and change lives.

6 Many may ask, "Is the work at the Johnson City Baptist Center still viable and worth continuing?". The answer is most definitely, "Yes!" With Bible studies each week, we continually have children asking questions about forgiveness and salvation. God is not finished with the folks at Tyler Apartments. Children, parents, and families, who live here need to know the peace that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Please, as you plan your summer, consider bringing some from your church to the Baptist Center for a week of VBS, or a day or two of activities. This is YOUR MINISTRY, Holston Baptists. We exist and continue work here because God called Holston Baptist churches to this field that needs to know Him. Matthew 9:37-38 Then saith he unto his disciples "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." Sign up NOW for openings this summer! Another great need we have is some much needed upkeep and maintenance on the house where our resident volunteers reside. We need to raise funds to get things to a more livable environment. To do that, we are asking that churches, or individuals, donate monies to help with this endeavor. Our total need is around $20,000 for the supplies, and some necessary professional work. Most work will be done by volunteer teams from Holston and summer mission teams. This is a large amount, but necessary for the upkeep of the property. The work has been long needed, prayed about, and researched. We have this need and ask that Holston churches help to support this work that is beyond our budget. Thank you for the progress and support of this ministry. Congratulations!! We are laborers together with God, Anna Huggins, Johnson City Baptist Center Director The HBA Clean Machine will be at Trail Days in Damascus. They will begin Wednesday, May 16 through Sunday the 20th. You meet folks from all walks of life, a lot of them need Jesus and others are looking for that peace and contentment that only our Lord Jesus can give. Others want to get closer and understand the fullness of His love and peace...while some just want to enjoy to talk about Jesus. nature. Many are willing Congratulations again to Mike and Anna Huggins. Their THIRD grandchild since October was born! Her name is Charlotte Taylor Clawson, daughter of Allison and Caleb, born March 13! She weighed 8 lbs., 5 oz. Papaw Mike is the Minister of Music at Unaka Avenue and Anna is the Director of Ministries at JCBC! That is the main reason we are there. Showers and clean clothes are just an added way to minister. We would love to have Bibles, notes of encouragement, trail snacks, etc. or come volunteer your time to tell them about Jesus. There are a lot of lost people out there that do not have what we have... WE KNOW THE KEEPER OF THE STARS.

7 If you are an ETSU Alum, have students at ETSU or just love the B we welcome you to the Annual Baptist Collegiate Ministries Banquet! Thursday, April 5 6:00 Trinity Baptist Church Dinner will be followed by a program including student testimonies, worship led by our own BCM band, a video update, and a giving challenge, ending promptly at 7:30pm. To make reservations, etsubcm@gmail.com or Disaster Relief Regional Training (includes Introduction to Disaster Relief) Knoxville April 6-7, 2018 Central Baptist Church, Bearden, 6300 Deane Hill Drive Knoxville, TN To preregister for this class, contact Elizabeth Holmes at eholmes@tnbaptist.org or (615) The credentialing fee is $36. This fee will cover not only the cost of the ID and background check but also the cost of any of the basic training courses a volunteer wants to take over the next 3 years. April Calendar 1 EASTER 5 BCM Banquet, Trinity 6-8 Student Conference Ridgecrest 10 Bible Drill Bowmantown Raceway Ministries 14 Jail Ministry 5 K Run 19 Youth Ministers Fellowship, 11: Tri Cities Regional Celebration 28 AT Ministry at Erwin Cookout Regional/State Bible Drill, Colonial Heights May 1 Ministry Team Meeting, 8:30 13 Mother s Day 15 EXECUTIVE BOARD, 10:00 17 Youth Minister s Fellowship, 11: HBA Clean Machine to Trail Days Ministry, Damascus - Volunteers needed - 19 Jail Ministry Golf Tournament 28 Memorial Day, Office Closed 31 All Things Deacons Associational Bible Drill Tuesday April 10 at Bowmantown Baptist Church Registration at 5:45 Drills begin at 6:00 Bring your Children s Department to watch a drill and support the children and youth who have worked so hard to hide His Word in their hearts! Holston Baptist Bible Institute Class: New Testament Survey Part 2 Postponed

8 ETSU Baptist Collegiate Ministry is hosting a High School Seniors Night on April 10th. Please send/bring your seniors (juniors can come too)..it is going to be an awesome night of worship and fellowship! Church Safety Seminar Chinquapin Grove Baptist Church is hosting a church safety seminar that will be presented by the Bristol TN Police Dept on Tuesday April 24 th at 6:30pm. Chinquapin Grove Baptist Church is located at 1727 Chinquapin Grove Road, Bluff City, TN Please the Associate Pastor Rusty at rusty@cgrovebc.com with the number of people you will be bringing with you.