October Evergreen Notes. Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches. Keep the River Flowing

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1 October 2017 Evergreen Notes Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches 2017 Evergreen Annual Meeting & Executive Minister Patton s Retirement Volume 16, Issue 10 Inside this Issue Keep the River Flowing Unity in a Changing World 2 Marcia s Musings: Remembering Native Peoples 3 Haiti: Sight Restored, Life Changed! 4 Social Media Corner Sharing the Evergreen Way! 5 Annual Meeting Registration Form 6 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 Registration form in this newsletter on SBU Annual Meeting Save the Date & Location 7 New Beginnings Christian Fellowship 75th Remembrance Camp 8 Harmony Your Presence is Requested at the Evergreen Annual Meeting... FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 Have You Registered? If Not, Do It Panther Lake Community Church Right NOW! SE 204th St. Kent WA page 6 or online at th Avenue SE, Kent WA The Annual Meeting Convention Hotel is the Ramada Kent, th Avenue South, Kent WA Rooms are being held at the double occupancy rate of $84.15 plus tax = $94.58/night, and will be held as long as rooms are available. So even after the September 28, 2017 deadline you may still be able to get the discounted rate. Please call the hotel directly at ( ) and mention Evergreen Baptist Association to reserve rooms at the above rate. Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches 409 Third Avenue South Kent WA Phone: Web: clemeba@comcast.net Welcome the Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle 9 Around the Region 10 In Memoriam: Robert Bradford 11 Pray for Churches Seeking Pastors: Community Church of Issaquah, Grace Baptist Church Tacoma, Burien Community Church, Filipino-American Christian Fellowship, Japanese Baptist Church

2 Unity in a Changing World This message comes to you just a couple of weeks before Evergreen s 14 th Annual Meeting. I am strongly encouraging members and friends of Evergreen Association to attend this year s event. When one door closes another one opens. By this I mean that we will celebrate the illustrious career of Rev. Dr. Marcia J. Patton with a banquet to honor her years of service as Evergreen s first Executive Minister. Her place in our history is sealed her pioneering spirit proven. God chose Marcia to gather and lead us to a place where we might grow in His love and grace a place where ALL are welcome at God s Table. As I referenced earlier, when one door closes God provides another door another opportunity. The work of the Executive Minister Search Committee has been fruitful, and they are prepared to present to us our next growth opportunity through God s servant who will step into the leadership role to continue the ministries of the Association. Please join us as we look to meet, encourage and affirm God s next servant leader for the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches. Keep The River Flowing Philippians 1:3-6 Blessings, Priscilla Priscilla Lowe, Association Chair; Mbr. New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, Kent WA 2017 Annual Meeting Agenda I. Affirmation of New Executive Minister II. Affirmation of Officers A. Chair Sandy Stice (Asian Caucus) B. Vice Chair Liliana DaValle (Hispanic Caucus) C. Treasurer Christopher Boyer (Euro Caucus) III. Affirmation of Proposed 2018 Budget IV. Proposed By-Law Change V. Welcome Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle VI. Response to the Haiti Challenge This is the link to Annual Meeting Agenda and documents online: Evergreen Notes Page 2

3 Marcia s Musings Remembering Native Peoples Over ten years ago I got involved with some other folks to help mark the 20 th Anniversary of a letter of apology sent to Northwest Native People by a number of ecumenical leaders, including the American Baptists. I ve been similarly involved the last couple of years as we seek to appropriately note the 30 th Anniversary. Even though this apology originated in the Northwest the Native People took it around the world and all our churches have a relationship whether you are aware of it with Native people. Please go to the website below to read the original and 10 year anniversary of the apology. I also invite you to help celebrate the year 2017 by marking the 30 th Anniversary of the Letter of Apology to Northwest First Nations peoples by the ecumenical community. The Native Peoples received it and took it around the globe. As a small response, I am asking each congregation to visit the website for the Interfaith Network for Indigenous Communities and find something in the resources and/or events that you can do in your congregation as a way of honoring our Native American neighbors. Your response may be as simple as making a statement of thanks as you begin each gathering, honoring the native peoples who cared for the land on which you are meeting. It may be Rev. Dr. Marcia J. Patton Executive Minister sponsoring a repudiation of the doctrine of discovery workshop for your community. Consider offering a sermon or screening a documentary in your faith community. What I am asking is that you do something, remembering that we have an obligation, put in writing 30 years ago, that needs ongoing attention on a regular basis. Thank you for your commitment to this anniversary. Marcia Patton Book-Signing at Japanese Baptist Church, September 10, 2017 Available at Judson Press Page 3 Evergreen Notes

4 Sight Restored, Life Changed! Dear Loved Ones, Greetings. Let me invite you to rejoice with Ms. Willemine from North Eastern Haiti. Willemine is 22 years old and lost her left eye in car accident when she was a young girl. For the last five years, the cataract has blinded her right eye. She was unable to see the exact face of her child. She came to our eye clinic where she was operated on. Even though she only has partial sight in one eye, Ms. Willemine can see her child and the rest of her family members. Willemine will no longer stand at the beautiful gate of the temple as the crippled man did, but she is now jumping in joy, ready to join the crowd in the temple. All of this is possible because you care. Thank you for your support of the eye clinic ministries. Serving the Master in Haiti, Nzunga & Kihomi Update on Nzunga following surgery: September 18, 2017 Greetings everyone, This is Maggie (Nzunga) Mumbere. Just a quick update on this side... Dad is out of surgery and everything went well. He's now in a room, recovering! Your prayers are appreciated! Blessings, Magi Mumbere Kihomi Ngwemi & Nzunga Be a Part of the 2018 Haiti Mission Trip March 2-10, 2018 For information contact Keith Madsen at drkmad2006@yahoo.com or Clem at Pray Especially for these Sister Churches During the Month of October New Hope Baptist Church New Walk Christian Church, (New Location) st Ave. S, Suite D, Burien WA Oak Lake Baptist Church Paradise Baptist Church Comunidad Cristiana Nueva Vida Venezuela San Francisco Bay Area Chin Christian Fellowship Page 4 Evergreen Notes

5 Follow-up Letter from Evergreen Treasurer September, 2017 Dear Evergreen Family and Friends, I recently sent a letter asking you to give a special gift to Evergreen Baptist Association. Some of you responded already and for that I m very grateful. One generous donor offered an anonymous gift of up to $1,500 if there are another 15 donors who will give $100 each. What a creative idea! Therefore, I m sending this new letter to encourage those of you who are willing and able to give $100 to join this effort. I want to be the first one to do just that. In this way, we will duplicate the amount of giving and more of us can feel included. Giving money is just a representation of what Evergreen means to all of us. We have a unique region that is considered a model of change and inclusivity in our American Baptist family. Supporting our work together is a joy and a blessing. In Christ, The Rev. Dr. Liliana Da Valle Treasurer Social Media Corner Sharing the Evergreen Way! Please be sure to take photos and share your photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #ebaabc or #IamEvergreen! Mindi Welton-Mitchell Pastor, Queen Anne Baptist Church and Evergreen Social Media Specialist If you are unable to be at the Annual Meeting, during worship service times, go to the Evergreen Association Facebook Page at to watch the service on Facebook Live. Note that the technology isn t perfect with Facebook Live, but it is a free way to see the worship services in real time. Let s share the Evergreen Way on Social Media! Blessings, Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell revmwm@gmail.com Sharing the Evergreen Way! Facebook: Hashtags: #ebaabc #IamEBAABC Volume 16, Issue 10 Page 5

6 EVERGREEN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES 2017 ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION October 13 14, 2017 Panther Lake Community Church & New Beginnings Christian Fellowship SE 204th, Kent WA th Ave SE, Kent WA Theme: Keep the River Flowing Philippians 1:3-6 Join Us! Please complete a separate registration form for each person attending. Checks may be combined for more than one person s fees. Return completed form(s) with check or money order payable to Evergreen Association ABC, 409 Third Avenue S, Suite A, Kent WA NAME STREET ADDRESS CITY/STATE/ZIP TELEPHONE ADDRESS CHURCH MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION FEE [Required] $15.00 $15.00 Friday lunch $10.00 Friday Dinner $15.00 Saturday lunch $10.00 Saturday Retirement Banquet $50.00 TOTAL ENCLOSED (including Registration Fee) $ I need child care for children of these ages: I have special meal needs. (Please let us know if you need vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. Selections.) Limited Scholarships are available. Contact Marcia at Online Registrations available on our website: evergreen-abc.org Volume 16, Issue 10 Page 6

7 **Seattle Area American Baptist Churches are Invited to the 2017 Seattle Baptist Union (SBU) Annual Meeting to be Held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Baptist Church 4519 NE 10th Street, Renton WA Saturday, November 18, 2017, 9 AM Look for or snail mail Registration Information soon. ** Seattle Area AB Churches are the American Baptist Churches located within these geographic boundaries: 128 th SW in Snohomish County in the north; east to the Redmond/Carnation ridge, including Maple Valley and Issaquah; south to the King County line; west to Puget Sound, to include Vashon Island Volume 16, Issue 10 Page 7

8 75th Remembrance of the Puyallup Assembly Center "Camp Harmony" JBC Bus Riders Herb Tsuchiya (center in red shirt) Grands and Clem take selfie b-4 program begins NEVER AGAIN IS NOW!! Thank You to the Evergreen Executive Minister Search Committee who have identified a candidate to present to the Association at the Annual Meeting: Walter Heyman, Co-Chair; Sandra Lee, Co-Chair Jon Peterson, Information Officer Jerome Polite Gail Aita Jim Hopkins Horacio DaValle Volume 16, Issue 10 Page 8

9 Welcome the Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle by Dr. Paul Aita The Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle will be officially welcomed into Evergreen at the Association s annual meeting this month. Though the congregation decided only this summer to affiliate formally with us, they have participated in Evergreen and other American Baptist events for the past few years. For example, their choir has often sung at Evergreen meetings, and their women s group sang at Women s Day in Portland this June in conjunction with the American Baptist Mission Summit. Soon after deciding to affiliate with us, the congregation made significant contributions for the school in Haiti which Evergreen is helping to build, as well as for relief work in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. They will further express their new American Baptist identity by providing music at the Friday evening worship service at the annual meeting. As a church composed of Karen refugees from Burma, the congregation has numerous young families and youth (many of whom were actually born in Thailand, as their families spent many years in refugee camps in that country). The church therefore puts a great deal of energy into ministry to and with young people. This summer, for example, they held a youth Bible camp from August 4 th through the 6 th, with a total of about 45 people participating. The theme for the camp was Love Serve Lead. Speakers were Kevin LaChapelle from San Diego CA, and Gail Aita from Kent WA. Music was provided by the church s praise team and by two visiting musicians from Chiang Mai, Thailand: Saw Eh Ler Tha and Saw Hsa Mu Lah. Paul Aita served as the camp pastor. Kevin LaChapelle heads an organization called PowerMentor, which focuses on empowering refugee and underserved communities. His messages on Lead and Serve were illustrated with material from the trips he organizes each December to take Karen refugee youth from the US to provide medical assistance and other services to their people along the Thai-Burma border. Gail Aita s message encouraged the youth to think about the true meaning of Love and to find practical ways to express it in serving others. Complementing Gail s message was a project to assemble hygiene kits with gifts and cards for homeless women being housed during August at the Panther Lake Community Church where Gail is a member. Participants also worked on rolling bandages for use by American Baptist medical missionaries. In addition to providing brief devotional messages at the beginning and end of each day, Paul Aita preached at the closing worship service on Sunday, which also included a meaningful time of individual prayer and the opportunity for anointing with oil. Like any good youth event, the retreat included lots of wonderful food and a variety of well-planned fun activities. Competition among the three groups into which participants had been divided included presentations of short dramas on the theme of the retreat. Maggie Po is pastor of the Karen Community Church. Ta Kwe Say helped to coordinate the event, along with six other young adults from the congregation, who served as counselors. Page 9 Evergreen Notes

10 University Baptist Church Seattle Disbands On September 17, 2017, after much prayer and difficult conversation, the congregation of University Baptist Church decided to disband. While the Corporation will continue for some months, their last worship service was held on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. followed by an extended time of fellowship. The service commemorated the legacy of UBC's 116 year gospel-led history. First Baptist Church Chico has Called and will Install Gail Hill as Pastor on November 12, 2017 New Walk Christian Church & Praisealujah Discipleship invite you to the Grand Opening of The House of Refuge Friday, September 29, PM Silent Auction Fundraiser. 7 9 pm Worship First Avenue South, Suite D, Burien WA Greetings from ABSW President Brenneman Dear ABSW Community: Greetings to you all faculty, staff, trustees, alums, friends, and, above all, students. It seems fitting that I begin my first official day of work as president of ABSW on the fifty fourth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr s I Have a Dream speech. I am humbled and grateful for this opportunity to join you, along with so many who have gone before, in helping to fulfill Martin s dream of creating a truly world house of the Spirit, right here at ABSW. Today, as much as ever, the world needs leaders of the Spirit prepared to advance the moral and spiritual imagination of the universe and to help make come to pass, on earth as in heaven, the just and peaceful world lived and taught by Jesus Christ, our Lord. I especially want to thank Dr. Nick Carter, who served so superbly as interim president. I also acknowledge with grateful spirit, that other Martin now among the immortals surrounding us, Dr. Paul M. Martin, who served ABSW as president so faithfully for nine years right up to his unexpected death eighteen months ago. To the entire ABSW team, thank you for your generous servant leadership through tumultuous times, service which I will continue to cherish and rely on going forward. I am eager to begin this journey with you. Please keep me and all of us at ABSW in your prayers. Your questions, counsel, and financial support are always welcome! In Christ s just peace, President James E. Brenneman Rev. Dr. James Brenneman Volume 16, Issue 10 Page 10

11 In Memoriam: Robert Bradford Pastor Robert Bradford passed away peacefully September 8, 2017, in Everett WA. Robert served briefly in the Air Force pilot training program at the end of WW11, where he met Betty Toews, now deceased, at a USO function and they married soon after meeting. Following his discharge they worked for Betty's father, a fig rancher in Merced, CA where, while attending a Christian revival, Robert was called to the ministry. Seminary followed and after completion of his degree, Robert became a successful pastor at various churches for the next 35 years, including opening of a Baptist church in Hawaii. In later years he completed a Doctorate in Divinity and became the regional executive of the American Baptist churches of the Northwest. Upon retirement Robert and Betty served as Protestant pastors for Holland American Cruise Line. Together they held onboard services for over 60 cruises, sharing their faith and ministering to passengers. Robert's caring for others and generosity epitomized his love for God and mankind, and remains a hallmark of his ministry today. Robert is survived by three children, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren as well as all who loved him. A celebration of life will be held at Arlington Community Church, 713 N Talcott, Arlington, WA on Sunday, October 1, 2017, 2 o clock PM. A repast will follow the service. If you will attend please call Paul Bradford at Memorial gifts may be made payable to the Evergreen Baptist Association, (on memo line: Scholarship Fund), Regional Office, 409 Third Avenue South, Suite A, Kent, WA Love at the Crossroads: Climate and Social Justice Conference October 28, AM 5 PM Mount Zion Baptist Church, th Avenue, Seattle WA Tickets at brownpapertickets.com Sponsored by Faith Action Climate Team (FACT), an interfaith group with members from the Protestant, Catholic, Unitarian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions including two Evergreen churches Mount Zion and Seattle First Baptist Churches. Page 11 Evergreen Notes

12 Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches 409 Third Avenue S, Suite A Kent WA Phone: eba@ea-abc.org Like us on Facebook: Hashtag: #ebaabc #IamEBAABC Return Service Requested Non-Profit Organization US PAID Kent WA Permit No. 451 Evergreen Notes, the newsletter for member churches, ecumenical partners, national affiliates, and friends of the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches is published monthly. Please submit articles by the 20th of the month prior to expected publication. You are encouraged to copy and/or reprint information and articles. Building Bridges, Resourcing Churches &Translating Our Unity Calendar of Upcoming Events October 13-14, 2017 Evergreen Annual Meeting: 13th at Panther Lake Community Church; 14th at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship (NBCF) Patton Retirement Banquet, October 14 at NBCF, 6 PM. January 15, 2018, MLK Day Worship Service, New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, 6 PM January 22-26, 2018 Evergreen Way Training Event, Camp Burton January 26-27, 2018 Leaders Retreat at Camp Burton Executive Committee Meets Monthly Every Third Wednesday 6:30 PM, Seattle First Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Marcia J. Patton Executive Minister MISSION STATEMENT Being a culturally diverse people who are one in Christ and who value the liberties of our American Baptist Heritage, the Evergreen Baptist Association will Build bridges between communities; Provide resources to equip member churches to share Christ and teach God s word; and Translate our unity to the world.