VISIONS. Frank Broome, Executive Coordinator of CBF/GA, who has served for nearly twenty. Broome Announces Retirement SECOND QUARTER

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1 SECOND QUARTER Cooperative Baptist Fellowship VISIONS Broome Announces Retirement Frank Broome, Executive Coordinator of CBF/GA, who has served for nearly twenty years, announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2017, at the Spring General Assembly in Macon. Here is the text of the letter he shared at Spring General Assembly: March 24, 2017 On September 1, 2017, I will complete my twentieth year as your Coordinator. You have blessed me beyond measure by allowing me the honor of serving you, the church, and our Lord in this way for two decades. Over the past several months I have given some thought to what the future holds, not only for me but also for CBF/GA. This time of reflection has surfaced a deep appreciation for the journey we have been on together and for the congregations and individuals who have made it possible. It has also surfaced an appreciation for the words of wisdom found in Ecclesiastes. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. It is time for the season of my role as the CBF/GA Executive Coordinator to come to a close and a new season to begin. Thus, it is my plan to retire at the end of CBF/GA has a remarkable Council with outstanding leadership. The organization is in good hands, and for that I am very grateful. Susan and I will continue to live in Macon where we will enjoy our children and grandchildren and whatever God has in store for us. In His Name, Frank Broome Executive Coordinator Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia READ MORE INSIDE Frank Broome s retirement announced at SGA, and The Frank & Susan Broome Endowment on pages 4-5. The beginnings of the search process for his successor on page 7. Plus, Frank s confession of Knowns and Unknowns on page 14. INSIDE... 2 Events & Updates 4 Spring General Assembly 6 Senior Retreat General Assembly 13 From Our Leadership 15 Financials

2 Events & Updates march mission madnes March Mission Madness continues to be a popular and effective youth event for CBF/GA 452 participants from 31 churches took part in the two March weekends of service, worship, and fellowship in Roswell and Macon. Jennifer McClung Rygg, pastor of First Baptist Church, Pendleton, SC, was the preacher for both weekends, and John Callaway, former Associate Pastor of Students at First Baptist, Carrollton, served as worship leader. CBF/GA is indebted to First Baptist, Roswell, and First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon, for their gracious hosting of the two weekends. As a special feature of this year s March Mission Madness, John Callaway was commissioned to write a special song entitled Bring it Back Home. You can both hear John s song and view pictures of the March Mission Madness weekends through videos which can be found on our website at s... MMM at FBC Roswell March Participants from: Central Baptist Church, Newnan FBC Carrollton FBC Claxton FBC Commerce FBC Decatur FBC Forsyth FBC Jefferson FBC Pendleton, SC FBC Rome FBC Roswell FBC Warm Springs Garden Lakes Baptist Church, Rome Haven Fellowship, Conyers Madison Baptist Church Towne View Baptist Church, Kennesaw MMM at FBCX Macon March Participants from: Carlton Baptist Church Community Baptist Church, Milledgeville FBC Augusta FBC Jasper FBC Morrow FBC Savannah FBCX Macon Heritage Fellowship, Canton Highland Hills Baptist Church, Macon Horizon Baptist Fellowship, Summerville New Life Christian Ministries, Marietta Northeast Baptist Church, Atlanta Royston Baptist Church The Oaks Baptist Church, Lyons Trinity Baptist Church, Moultrie Vineville Baptist Church, Macon 2 Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS

3 New Event for your calendar I am pleased to announce that in 2018, CBF/GA youth are invited to participate in the Youth Winter Summit at First Baptist, Huntsville, Alabama, January 12-14, 2018! In 2015, a few Georgia churches attended this event, and after hearing a bit more about their experiences I thought it was worth considering a partnership for this event. I ve now attended several planning meetings and I can say that I truly believe this is going to be a first-class event for students. MARTHA KATE HALL Associate Coordinator for Congregational Life, CBF/GA, mkhall@cbfga.org There will be times for worship, fellowship, small groups and, of course, fun. Josh Griffin and Sharon Irving will provide excellent worship leadership, and First Baptist Church of Huntsville is a wonderful location for such an event. The event cost is $69 per person, but please note that this does not include your overnight accommodations. There is a group block of rooms at the nearby Embassy Suites with a discounted rate of $119 per night and you will need to make your own hotel reservations. Registration is now open and will be handled through Alabama CBF. You are certainly welcome to call or me if you have questions about this event. We hope you will consider adding this to your student ministry calendar for We have seen several changes in our CBF/GA events over the past couple of years. One of those changes came as we decided to end our fall student retreat known as ReCharge. This particular event offered a time of retreat and spiritual development for middle and high school students. The congregational life committee and I have been in constant conversation about how we can continue to help our CBF/GA churches without simply adding another event to our calendar. I have found over the last year that there is great value in partnering with other CBF state and regional organizations in both large and small ways. After all, we each have similar goals, and oftentimes the people and churches we are working with are the same. events & updates Now Serving: Atlanta, a collegiate service and mission event, was held on February 3 and 4, 2017, on the Atlanta campus of Mercer University. We were happy to host our friends the Cooperative Student Fellowship and First Baptist Church, Clemson, South Carolina, at this year s event. This group did wonderful work cleaning both inside and outside as well as spending time with residents at the Jerusalem House in Atlanta. Thank you to Kelsey Stillwell of First Baptist, Commerce, for being our preacher, and to Kaitlin Curtice of First Baptist, Decatur, for leading our music for the weekend. As always, we are grateful for the partnership with McAfee School of Theology. Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 3

4 events & updates A REPORT FROM OUR 2017 CBF/GA Spring General Assembly CBF/GA s 25th anniversary was celebrated in multiple ways through the theme of Imagine during the Spring General Assembly, held at Vineville Baptist Church in Macon March After a busy afternoon of network meetings and breakouts sessions, Friday evening was devoted to celebrating the anniversary, beginning with a dinner and program which included a video recounting the history of CBF/GA, recognition of people present who have played significant roles in CBF/GA leadership over the 25 years, and the kick-off of a campaign to add to the Frank and Susan Broome Endowment over the next three years, with a goal of reaching the $1 million mark by the spring of In the business session conducted after dinner, Frank Broome, Executive Coordinator, announced his intention to retire at the end of 2017 after twenty years at the helm of CBF/GA. Friday evening s worship continued the theme of celebrating, as several voices of CBF/GA spoke to the richness of our history while looking ahead to the challenges of the present and future. Matt Marston, Devita Parnell, and Tom Hill provided perspective on the development of CBF/GA and its influence in their lives. A highlight of worship and of the entire weekend was the presence of musical storyteller Ken Medema, who wove those stories into a cohesive whole through his music. Medema also led the Pastors Network gathering on Friday and a breakout session on Saturday morning. Participants enjoyed a dessert reception prepared and served by members of the Vineville Baptist congregation. Saturday morning brought a buffet breakfast, followed by the third round of breakout sessions and closing worship presented by BWIM (Baptist Women in Ministry) of Georgia. Priscilla Tunnell preached for the closing worship, which concluded with communion and was followed by the BWIM of Georgia awards luncheon. The hammer stands for construction. It is a transformational tool... not one that oppresses people, but one that frees people. The hammer is the institutional embodiment of what we truly believe faithfulness, commitment, passion, and above all, sacrifice. It will make you sweat we need to have a hammer! Frank Broome 4 Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS

5 events & updates... An endowment is a tool used by God and God s people to support the mission and ministry of the church in perpetuity. Wouldn t it be wonderful to grow the Frank and Susan Broome Endowment to the $1 million mark in the next few years so that the interest can fund much-needed mission and ministry of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia? The Endowment Board and Coordinating Council of CBF of Georgia have dared to imagine a campaign that would over a three year period grow our endowment from $750,000 to $1 million. Will you join us in helping fund in perpetuity our much-needed mission and ministry of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia? H. Darrell Watson, Endowment Board Chair In 2016, nearly $9,000 of the interest produced by the Frank and Susan Broome Endowment was allocated to subsidize summer internships in five CBF/GA churches through the Student.Church program of CBF Global. This was made possible in part because we dared to imagine the perpetual benefits provided to the mission and ministry of the CBF/GA as the result of establishing an endowment. Copies of these endowment materials for use in your church may be ordered in digital or print form by ing Melissa Kremer at mkrremer@cbfga.org. Please join us in this endeavor by completing this card and mailing to: Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia P.O. Box 4343 Macon, GA the frank & susan broome endowment fund I/we commit to give $ to the Frank and Susan Broome Endowment of CBA/GA by Spring General Assembly This gift is in honor/memory of. Name Address City State Zip Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 5

6 events & updates... This was a wonderful time in every way! 2017 Senior Celebrations: Tuesday, October 24 First Baptist, Griffin Edward Bollen of Milledge Avenue Baptist in Athens preaching Thursday, November 9 First Baptist, Commerce Bill Ross of First Baptist, Marietta preaching 2018 Senior Adult Retreat: Sunday, April 29 Tuesday, May 1, First Baptist, St. Simons Island 6 Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS

7 Transition Time Is Here SARAH MURRAY Nominating Committee Chair and Past Moderator, CBF/GA, events & updates Times of transition bring a range of emotions anxiety about the unknown, excitement for the possibilities, and hope for the future. Many of us are better able to cope and live into our excitement and hope if we have and understand all the available information. With that in mind, please allow me to share the details of the search process for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia s next Executive Coordinator. First, know that we prepared well for this season with the passage of the revision of our Constitution and Bylaws at the state assembly at Smoke Rise Baptist in April In addition to the Executive Coordinator s job description, the Constitution and Bylaws now also outlines the process by which a search committee forms, seeks candidates, and recommends a final candidate to the Coordinating Council. Frank Broome shared his intentions with our Executive/ Personnel Committee in January. Between that time and his public announcement at our state assembly at Vineville Baptist in March, the committee worked diligently to make a timeline that complies with our Constitution and Bylaws and is efficient as is reasonable and humanly possible, allowing for the Holy Spirit to work. Beginning in early April and continuing through May 1, the nominating committee received nominations from around our state for members of the search committee. Between May 1 and May 23, the nominating committee reviewed and considered all nominations before selecting four people to recommend for the Coordinating SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chair: HENRY TYSON, Past Moderator, First Baptist, Carrollton, hdbgt@att.net DON BREWER, First Baptist, Gainesville dlbrewer2@charter.net LEANN GUNTER JOHNS, First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon leanngunter@gmail.com JOHN PAUL HARRIS, Horizon Baptist Fellowship, Summerville jp@jpharris.net JOYCE MCCARTNEY, First Baptist, Griffin mccartneyj76@gmail.com JULIE LONG, Moderator, First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon juliewlong@gmail.com KEITHEN TUCKER, Moderator-Elect, First Baptist Church, Eatonton, kmtucker51@gmail.com May this information about the search process ease your anxieties about change and transition, allowing you to imagine the possibilities the future holds. Pray with hope and excitement for our search committee, our Coordinating Council, and our next Executive Coordinator! Council s approval on May 23. The Council chose the committee chair, and our search committee. While the Constitution and Bylaws provide the Executive Coordinator job description, the Executive/Personnel Committee identified from the beginning the value of listening to our whole CBF/GA family when creating a candidate profile. With that in mind, the first two listening sessions were held at our Senior Adult Retreat on May 1 and at the Coordinating Council May 23, in addition to separate listening sessions with CBF/GA staff. Please make plans to participate in the third listening session during our state gathering at the General Assembly on Thursday, June 29, 4:30-5:30 pm, in the International Ballroom South in the International Tower, Lower Level 1, of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. If you are unable to attend, please visit --News-and-Search-Information to offer your input. You may also share your answers to the following questions with the search committee via What skills, qualities, or characteristics are most needed in our next executive coordinator? Are there particular qualifications or experiences that are important for the person in this position to have had? What do you think should be priorities for the leadership of CBF/GA as we enter the next phase of our life together? (continues on page 15) Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 7

8 events & updates Being the Hands and Feet of Christ Milledge Avenue Baptist Church, Athens ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY HAS THE FOURTH HIGH- EST poverty level in the state of Georgia, and with a population exceeding 120,000, we are the poorest metropolitan area in the state. Food scarcity is a dramatic issue in our community, especially among senior adults and children. (There has been a food pantry on the campus of UGA for five years!) In 2015, Milledge Avenue Baptist partnered with three congregations and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to establish a mobile food distribution ministry. Every other month, we gather to distribute 10,000 pounds of supplemental food, serving about 175 families. The vast majority of neighbors we serve are older adults. Food items include eggs, frozen chickens, fresh vegetables and fruit, baked items and canned goods. On average, each family receives about 50 pounds of food at each distribution. In the fall of 2016, Milledge Avenue Baptist began a strategic partnership with the Clarke County School District to create and stock a permanent food pantry at Clarke Central High School. Members received a 19-gallon blue IKEA bag, along with a list of food items that was developed by the school nutrition department, and began filling them during the Advent season. By Christmas Day, 5000 pounds of food and hygiene products were collected and the food pantry opened to students on Valentine's Day. Edward Bolen, Senior Pastor Heritage Baptist Church, Cartersville HERITAGE BEGAN OPERATION INASMUCH (OPIN) sometime around 2000 as a way to provide hands-on missions opportunities for church members in our community. The number of projects has grown and so has the involvement, so four years ago we began inviting sister congregations to share in the day of service. Participation now includes three Methodist churches, a Presbyterian church and an Episcopal church all of which look forward to this annual day of service. We reach out to community organizations to identify needs in the community. Projects have included: handicapped ramps and other light construction; painting for individuals and helping agencies; and landscaping for individuals and helping agencies. Volunteers have also put together no-sew blankets that are used for local chemo and dialysis patients; prepared casseroles for homeless shelters as well as transitional housing residents; baked and delivered cookies to local 1st Responders; assembled hygiene care kits (a local girl scout troop has mastered this process; they put together close to 200 of them this past March!); and prepared and delivered small flower arrangements that are given to homebound members of each of the churches. Heritage members see OPIN as a key community ministry we do each year. The variety of projects keeps the day from becoming stale, and the options for serving keep people engaged. The impact on the community is huge. For our local ministry partners, knowing they will have a host of volunteers who can address some of the needs annually allows them to address maintenance needs and groundskeeping issues while saving resources, since they won t have to pay for labor (and sometimes the supplies). For the churches, it s created another bond among us. We purposefully moved OPIN to the spring so that it would coincide with our joint Lenten study. We study and pray and serve together during the season, which provides some wonderful moments to do and reflect on faith. Each OPIN day is a living illustration of the body of Christ imagery from scripture. We see how the projects, the team members, the gifts and abilities each complement and work together to accomplish so much more than we could as individuals or as single churches. Michael Tutterow, Pastor 8 Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS

9 events & updates First Baptist Church, St. Simons Island OUR CHURCH IS A VERY GENEROUS CON- GREGATION. But while many in our church are active in a variety of local non-profits and ministries, on a congregational level our missional engagement had waned. We began talking about what it might look like for our church to set aside a day and dedicate it to local missions. Thus, through the work of our missions committee, our annual Neighbor Day was born. A few months before Neighbor Day, we visit the Sunday school classes in our church and ask them to sponsor a project. We compile the list and invite the church members to pick whatever they are most interested in. A few examples of what we ve done over the past couple of years include: playing bingo with residents at a local assisted living facility, power washing houses, doing yard work, spending time with the homeless, and partnering with local non-profits to pack nearly 200 bags of food for kids on free/ reduced lunch to take home on the weekends. We ve seen where the community has been impacted, whether through a smile on the face of residents in assisted living because someone volunteered time to play bingo and show them love, maybe through a yard that is now spotless, or through a hungry child who went home with a bag full of food to eat. We meet Jesus when we engage with these people. I think what I love the most is how a simple day of missions in the community can help give people a push into the larger realm of what God is doing in the world. That s what we believe God wanted when we started this: people s hearts set ablaze with a passion for their neighbor, whether down the street or across the sea. Justin Moser, Minister to Youth & Missions/Outreach Vineville Baptist Church, Macon BEING THE HANDS AND FEET OF CHRIST in the community can take on many forms. Our church, Vineville Baptist, chose to become involved in creating a basketball league for middle school and high school youth after realizing that there were few recreational opportunities for young people in Macon. There is no YMCA in town, and unless young people of this age are on a school team, they have few outlets for organized play. We solicited input from groups with whom we had worked in the past Campus Clubs, Mentor's Project, The Georgia Industrial Children's Home, and Hephzibah Youth Home. We wrote letters to households in the communities surrounding our church and let them know of this league and eventually developed twelve teams four middle school and eight high school teams. Games were set for Saturdays through January and February. We made extensive use of church volunteers. The teams were responsible for providing their own coaches, though we helped in a couple of cases in putting teams and coaches into contact, but we used church volunteers to serve as referees, clock operators, score keepers and concession workers. Those involved in this mission project found it to be a powerfully positive effort. Games began with prayer, and sportsmanship was encouraged at every opportunity. The church was able to connect with many of the young people and their families. We invited them to worship for a recognition service players participated in worship by reading Scripture and assisting with music and we concluded with a banquet for all involved. Several of the parents and grandparents have commented on what an impact this league has had upon their young people, and they have indicated a desire to be involved again next year. We feel as if we made a very positive impact upon our community, especially among young people whose opportunities for recreation are severely limited. Richard Kremer, Pastor Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 9

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11 events & updates CBF/GA STATE MEETING at the National Assembly will be held Thursday, June 29, 4:30-5:30 pm, International Ballroom South in the International Tower of the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 11

12 events & updates First Baptist Augusta Celebrates Its 200th Birthday! First Baptist Church of Augusta, a long-time participant in our fellowship, is 200 years old! First Baptist Church of Augusta has been active in CBF/GA from the start of our fellowship, producing CBF/GA moderators, coordinating council members, and event speakers and has graciously hosted events such as March Mission Madness and our annual General Assembly. First Baptist Church of Augusta has been instrumental at many levels of Baptist life. The church was founded in 1817, when eighteen men and women met and formed the Baptist Praying Society of Augusta. The church s first pastor, Dr. William T. Brantly, led this small flock of Baptists to organize formally as a church on January 20, First Baptist, Augusta, was also instrumental in the larger Baptist community, becoming in 1845 the birthplace of the Southern Baptist Convention. The first sanctuary was dedicated May 6, 1821, on the corner of Eighth and Greene Streets in downtown Augusta. In May of 1968, First Baptist voted to move to a new location at Wheeler Road and Walton Way, and the church moved to the new campus in the summer of The first services in the new sanctuary were held on March 20, To commemorate these 200 years of ministry, the church commissioned Dr. Bruce Gourley of the Baptist History & Heritage Society to write a new history book, A Journey of Faith and Community, The Story of the First Baptist Church Augusta, Georgia First Baptist, Augusta, is engaging in a year-long series of targeted celebrations, which began in January with a kickoff luncheon and continues through a Grand Finale concert on Sunday, December 3. The largest event is the Homecoming Celebration on August 20, featuring former ministers and staff and an old-fashioned dinner on the grounds. A special luncheon celebrating the contributions and leadership of women in the church s history will be held in September. Another event of special significance is the Baptist History & Heritage Society s annual conference, Biographies and Narratives: Baptist Experiences and Convictions, which was held at First Baptist, Augusta, June 1-3, in partnership with CBF/GA. As part of the year-long celebration, Frank Broome and Martha Kate Hall will make a presentation in the morning worship service on July 16 in honor of our ongoing 25 years of partnership between CBF/GA and First Baptist, Augusta. We at CBF/GA join in celebrating with First Baptist, Augusta! 12 Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS

13 ...from our leadership A Hopeful Horizon JULIE WHIDDEN LONG, Moderator, CBF/GA, juliewlong@gmail.com Netflix has recently introduced me to Bob Ross, the host of the 1980s television show The Joy of Painting. In each 30-minute episode, Ross walks the viewer through the process of painting a picture, giving instruction with his gentle voice and inviting his audience to follow his movements with the brush. Watching Bob paint can be quite relaxing or entertaining, depending on your sense of humor and frame of mind. A few evenings ago, I flipped on a Bob Ross episode to unwind from the day. Bob was painting a sunrise over a seascape. I watched as he started with the sky, mixing colors and varying brush strokes and adding just the right amount of accent and blending. Then, when he was ready to paint the horizon, he said, Now, let s just draw a straight line right across the page. Little artistry was needed. Just a simple, stark, straight line. When we look at a horizon, at first that s all we see a straight line. From a distance, a horizon is a transition point that separates the two realities on either side. Sunset above, waves below. Blue sky above, outstretched road below. Starry night above, soft grass below. I feel as if our Spring General Assembly in Macon in March 2017 was a horizon for CBF of Georgia. It was a moment between two beautiful realities: our first 25 years as an organization and our future. When we met in Macon, we celebrated well! We enjoyed a banquet in which we named some of the people who have shaped our identity, founding members and former moderators, staff and council members. We told stories of gratitude. We heard about what was imagined for this movement when it began and celebrated all the ways we have grown together in our first 25 years. We also imagined our future together. The planning committee shaped our meeting around the theme of Imagine, hoping that this gathering would make space for dreaming as well as remembering. In a very tangible way, this event put that hope into practice as we heard and affirmed the retirement plans of our 20-year Executive Coordinator, Frank Broome. Even as we reflected on our history, we found ourselves imagining in a real way what will come next for this organization. In that moment in Macon in March, it felt as if we as an organization stood at the horizon, the meeting place of what has been and what is to come. But the truth is that when you walk toward a horizon, you discover that it is not really a fixed point. The horizon is an optical illusion. It moves and changes. It is anything but the straight line that Bob Ross made it out to be. And neither is this horizon a fixed moment in time or a straight-forward progression. As we enter this season of transition, pray for a smooth process and for clarity and wisdom for our CBF/GA leadership, including our search committee and coordinating council. Let me assure you that we will not attempt this work with the straight line method of Bob Ross, the painter. Already we are having meaningful conversations with the constituencies of CBF/GA about their dreams, and we invite you to join us for intentional conversations with the search committee during our state meeting time at CBF General Assembly in Atlanta on June 29. Opportunities for written feedback are available on the CBF/GA website, or we invite you to reach out to a search committee member to offer input. We will open ourselves to reimagining. We will take seriously our responsibility and will deliberate with care and thoughtfulness. We will welcome interruptions and nuances, because the Spirit often moves in unpredictable ways. Know that we approach this work with a spirit of deep gratitude for what has been and abundant hope for what is to come as we find ourselves at this horizon of the already and the not-yet. Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 13

14 from our leadership FRANKLY SPEAKING: Knowns and Unknowns FRANK BROOME, Executive Coordinator, What has kept me up at night for twenty years was not what I did not know. It was what I did know. In 2002 the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, gave the following response to a question posed by a reporter regarding the situation in Iraq: There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things [we know] we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns the ones we don t know we don't know. One of the questions I get these days, especially since I have announced my intention to retire at the end of the year, has to do with the future of CBF/GA. So I would like to use the framework in the above quote to offer a modest response. There are known knowns: We know that we have about 95 churches in Georgia that supported our work last fiscal year. Those churches gave about $496, toward the budget. About 67 individuals gave an additional $31, The total amount of budget income received for the year is $528, This was $72, less than our anticipated budget amount of $600, During the same time period we spent $523, from our budget. This shows that budget income received was higher than the amount of budget expenses paid by $5, We must acknowledge that we have declined in revenue since 2008 at an average of $15,000 a year. During that same period our endowment has grown and now stands at $836, The revenue from this endowment currently is used for young leadership development, a bright spot on the financial side. The attendance at most of our events and programs has remained steady over the last five years. This is true of our annual meeting, March Mission Madness, and Senior Celebration. We are rethinking the Georgia Youth Choir Festival and ReCharge due to falling attendance. Work is underway to develop youth-related events that will replace what has been dropped. We continue to invest in young leadership development through our support of Student.Church internships and seminary scholarships. Our Senior Adult Retreat at St. Simons continues to grow, for which we are very grateful. More churches than ever rely on guidance regarding finding pastors and staff. We have a strong Coordinating Council with excellent leadership. We have a good number of increasingly engaged pastors coming into our state, as well as a good number of experienced and committed pastors who remain engaged in our work. There are known unknowns: We know that several churches are continuing to localize their ministry and thus are shifting resources from state and national organizations to local agencies. We do not know how far this trend will go or the impact it will have on state and national staffing. We know that churches are looking for short-term, handson ministry that requires minimal administration. We do not know if they will seek assistance from state and national organizations or move toward a partnership with other mission organizations. The early leaders of CBF/GA wanted a lay-led organization. While we do our best to involve the laity, we are becoming more of a pastor/staff fellowship. What impact this will have on our statewide connections is not known. Unknown unknowns: It is one thing to know what you know and to know what you do not know, but it is quite another not to have a clue what it is that you do not know. It reminds me of experiencing a tire blow out in a brand new rental car going 70 miles an hour down I-16. I had no clue that this particular tire was made with a defect. It came as quite a surprise. I had to make a quick adjustment, not to mention figure out how to change a tire in the dark with only the light of a cell phone. To be honest, what keeps me up at night, or should I say used to keep me up at night, was not the last two categories. It was not the known unknowns or the unknown unknowns. It was actually the known knowns. What has kept me up at night for twenty years was not what I did not know. It was what I did know. It was the post-institutional mindset that has hovered over American culture for forty years. It is the devaluing of a Baptist ecosystem that has nurtured our churches for generations without a clear idea of what it is that needs to be put in its place. It is the post-modern tendency to seek to get more out of a system than is put into it. The worse response we can make to the changes underway in American church life is to circle the wagons and just invest locally. The church has adjusted over the centuries though, and I take great comfort in that. It will make the needed adjustments again. It just may take a while. 14 Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS

15 Transition Plan Is in Place (continued from page 7) Do you have any additional advice or counsel to offer the search committee in reference to hiring the next coordinator? After the listening sessions and compiling our responses to form a candidate profile, the search committee will share that profile at the August 22 Coordinating Council meeting and with the CBF/GA family. Late summer is also when we can anticipate a formal call for résumés from the search committee. The search committee will spend the remainder of 2017 reviewing résumés and interviewing candidates. When appropriate, there will be a called Coordinating Council meeting for the purpose of presenting a candidate for the Council s approval, providing all information about the candidate and allowing the Council to meet with the candidate. The Constitution and Bylaws tasks the Coordinating Council with voting to hire the candidate, requiring a two-thirds majority. The newly named Executive Coordinator then works with the Executive/Personnel Committee to determine an appropriate start date. When announcing his retirement, Frank stated that he will work through the end of In conversations with the Executive/Personnel Committee, he also expressed his willingness to be at our service on a more contractual basis until such time as the next Executive Coordinator is hired, should the Executive/ Personnel Committee see fit. It is the committee s hope that our search committee will have a candidate to recommend by the end of this year. Should more time be necessary, the goal is certainly to have someone in place by the time of our next state assembly, scheduled for April 6-7, 2018, at First Baptist, Griffin. With our twenty-fifth anniversary, we celebrate our beginnings and our fruitful work with Frank and Susan Broome to grow into a strong and healthy state organization. May this information about the search process ease your anxieties about change and transition, allowing you to imagine the possibilities the future holds. Pray with hope and excitement for our search committee, our Coordinating Council, and our next Executive Coordinator! VAN REQUEST: Eddie Hixon, pastor of Abundant Harvest Church on Bloomfield Road in Macon, is seeking a used church van for use by this congregation. Please contact Frank Broome at fbroome@cbfga.org if you have or know of a suitable van. FINANCIAL UPDATE BUDGET RECEIPTS AS OF 4/30/2017 (fiscal year begins in July) Year to Date 2016 Budget Requirement: $477, Year to Date 2016 Budget Receipts: $411, Year to Date 2016 Expenses: $422, April 2017 Budget Requirement: $47, April 2017 Budget Receipts: $31, April 2017 Expenses: $43, Under $15, Under $11, K 40K 60K 80K 100K 200K 300K 400K 500K... Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia P.O. Box 4343, Macon, GA phone fax CBF/GA Staff executive coordinator E. Frank Broome fbroome@cbfga.org associate coordinator for congregational life Martha Kate Hall mkhall@cbfga.org assistant to the coordinator for networking Renée Bennett rbennett@cbfga.org assistant to the coordinator for finance Dawn Williams dwilliams@cbfga.org assistant to the coordinator for communications and resources Melissa Kremer mkremer@cbfga.org administrative assistant Rachel Greco rgreco@cbfga.org CBF/GA Coordinating Council moderator Julie Long, Macon moderator-elect Keithen Tucker, Eatonton past-moderator Henry Tyson, Carrollton clerk Glenda Kessler, St. Simons Island finance chair Ron McClung, Haddock treasurer Neil Heath, Macon Steve Ayers, Lyons Louis Barton, Rome Don Brewer, Gainesville Geraldine Bridges, Commerce Charles Brown, Snellville Nancy Bryson, St. Simons Island Jeremy Colliver, Stone Mountain Gwen Cottrell, Decatur Scott Dickison, Macon Babbs Douglas, Columbus Kay Green, Moultrie Jake Hall, Macon Gail Hammock, Griffin Amanda Wilson Harper, Milledgeville David Keel, Augusta Wendy Peacock, Americus Ken Russell, Dalton Matt Sapp, Canton Eric Spivey, Cornelia David Tew, Morrow Michael Tutterow, Cartersville Ryan Wilson, Atlanta Student Representatives Heather Franklin, McAfee School of Theology Kristen Pope, McAfee School of Theology VISIONS is published four times a year by CBF/GA. All questions and comments may be directed to Melissa Kremer at the CBF/GA office at , ext. 4. Second Quarter 2017 VISIONS 15

16 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship P.O. Box 4343 Macon GA On the Calendar t June 26-30, 2017 CBF National General Assembly Atlanta, GA June 29, 2017 Georgia State Meeting at the CBF Global General Assembly Hyatt Regency, 265 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA October 1-3, 2017 Preaching Consultation Chattanoogan Hotel, Chattanooga, TN October 24, 2017 Senior Celebration First Baptist Church, Griffin November 9, 2017 Senior Celebration First Baptist Church, Commerce t January 12-14, 2018 Winter Youth Summit First Baptist Church, Huntsville, AL April 6-7, 2018 Spring General Assembly First Baptist Church, Griffin April 29 - May 2, 2018 Senior Adult Retreat First Baptist Church, St. Simons Island Keep up to date with events... ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Join us for the Georgia State Meeting at CBF General Assembly Atlanta Hyatt Regency 4:30-5:30 pm, Thursday, June 29 International Ballroom South in the International Tower, Lower Level 1 NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID ATHENS GA PERMIT #