Vol. 14 April No. 4. Family News

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1 Vol. 14 April No. 4 Family News FROM YOUR DIRECTOR Finding the right person for a ministry position is a real challenge. I am currently working with the personnel committee of Latham Springs to find an Executive Director for our camp. I am meeting with several pastor search committees to help them in their task. I just finished the process of looking for an Associate Director for the WRBA, and now I m trying to help one of our new church starts, La Vega Community Church, find a pastor. At first blush, it seems like it shouldn t be so much work with so many people in the region who are preparing for or seeking ministry opportunities. But the challenge is finding the right fit for each circumstance. These times have certainly boosted my prayer life. This past week we learned that Barry Camp (Western Heights), David Tate (Westwood Baptist), and Victor Lyons (La Vega Community) all announced their resignations. I am experienced enough to know that I am not an expert in recruiting Christian leaders. I m aware of, and a user of, various personality and leadership inventories. I believe in thorough background checks. I try my best during interviews to try to match skills, experience, culture, theology and leadership style. I realize the many points that need to be negotiated clearly such as budget, staff and expectations. But at the end of the day, with all of our best efforts and intentions, we must seek and trust the Lord. And meanwhile, we have to keep on doing the ministry the Lord has called each of us to do. The church must continue to be the church! Somehow, as each member exerts his or her spiritual gift, the body continues to do the work of Jesus through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. As we gather for worship next Sunday for the celebration of Easter, may we all be joyfully reminded that the Lord lives! He lives in His church, and He continues to overcome the darkness through its witness. Thank you, Lord! In His Service, Tim

2 Meet Evelyn, Associate Director A native of Texas, Evelyn Webster Ofong is a senior level management professional who has worked overseas and in the United States in consulting, training, grants development and implementation, and administration. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, and has a BA from Midwestern State University and a MA from the Paul H. Nitz School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University. Upon obtaining her first degree, she served in Ethiopia, East Africa, as a Peace Corps Volunteer and later in Liberia, West Africa, coordinating UNICEF s activities in agriculture, education and health. Her introduction to management consulting was as a Washington, D.C.-based desk officer for projects in Africa, Asia and Central America. For the last 10 years, she has worked in building and managing teams and has recently completed a stint with Aon Hewitt, a prominent human resources consulting company in the Woodlands. Evelyn s passion is Christian leadership, and she has used this gift both in the workplace and the church. Having accepted Christ as her personal Savior at an early age, she knows the church world. She is currently an active member of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Houston where she has served in several ministries, including music, group life, prayer, Awana Youth, missions and recently as Interim Chairperson of the trustees. Evelyn appreciates diversity, fostering fellowship and unity among the saints, and working with congregational leaders to build and edify the church. She has a 28-year-old son, Ezuma Webster Ofong, who lives in Houston. Ezuma means good behavior. She said, He has lived up to his name, praise God! Jail Ministry Spotlight Brother Paul Smith said, This is not just anyone s cup of tea. It s been a blessing to serve the Lord and see how the Lord has used each of us to touch the inmates hearts. We are volunteers, assigned to different cells, and we meet so many inmates. One had been sent to a prison for three years, where her sister and both of her brothers were already serving time. The inmate hadn t known the Lord until she was in jail and visited Sunday services. She never missed one. She held the Bible close, prayed and came to the Lord. When she read where the Lord said, Ask and you will receive she asked if I could help her family of 18 children have Christmas at her mother s house. My church, Cottonwood Baptist Church, took on the project of providing gifts for the children. We drove the van to a roomy, older home. An older lady opened the door and all the children came out to help unload the gifts. They had a leaning Charlie Brown Tree, small and thin with a large red ball hanging from a branch. After placing the gifts under the tree, the children said, It s pretty now. It s the best Christmas we ve ever had. We thanked the Lord, for giving us this day we will never forget. -Rev. Jim Brown & Chap. Rosa

3 Upcoming Events May Pastors Conference 12:00noon on Wednesday, May 1 Truett Seminary Speaker: Dr. Ken Hall, Senior VP for University Development and Strategic Initiatives Please make a reservation by Thursday, April 25 at or at admin@wacoregionalbaptistassociation.org. SAVE THE DATE GA/RA Softball Rally for all youth grades 1-12 Baylor Bears vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders 12:00noon on May 4, 2013 Flyers with details are being mailed to WRBA churches and can be found on the WRBA website. For more information, contact Edna at or finance@wacoregionalbaptistassociation.org for information. Hunger Ministry Spotlight As a child, I remember Friday afternoons fondly. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the weekend time to play outside, sleep in, watch cartoons and not have to worry about a thing. Unfortunately, that s not quite the reality for more than 100 children in Marlin and thousands upon thousands across the country. Many children leave school on Friday and don t eat again until school breakfast or lunch on Monday. Their weekends are filled with growling tummies and restless nights. Mondays are focused solely on food, and they aren t able to learn anything until they re fed. Think about it, how useful are you when you re really hungry? The community of Marlin is rising up around this issue. Through the Marlin Food Planning Association, convened by the WRBA Hunger Ministry, churches, nonprofits, the schools and the city, are coming together to create Food on the Run. Food on the Run will send needy students home with a bag of nutritious, kid-friendly food each weekend. This backpack program model has been extremely effective in feeding kids and improving performance and participation in schools. The community is moving with the call of the Spirit to make sure no child is hungry. Please surround this new ministry with prayer. If you would like to make a donation to purchase food for the weekends for these children, mail a check to the WRBA with Food on the Run in the memo line. Contact hunger@wacoregionalbaptistassociation.org for information. -Hannah Community News Continue to pray for WRBA churches seeking a Pastor: Columbus Avenue, Highland, Macedonia-Hubbard, La Vega Community, Mart FBC, Old Time, Western Heights, Westwood, Woodway FBC Welcome to Lou Ann Unger, Administrative Assistant at Grace Temple!

4 Other April Events Wednesday, April 3, 12:00pm Pastors Conference. Truett. April 8-9 Empower for Ministry Coaching Clinic. WRBA. Tuesday, April 16, 4:00pm Administrative Team. HBMC. Thursday, April 18, 12:00pm Retired Ministers and Missionaries Fellowship. FBC Waco Fellowship Hall. April TX WMU Annual Meeting. FBC McKinney. Wednesday, April 24 Administrative Professionals Day. Thursday, April 25, 12:00pm Networking & Missions Team. FBC Waco. Thursday, April 25, 5:30pm Community Ministries Team. WRBA. April Missionary Parents Fellowship. Georgetown. A Cornerstone Story After a tragic family event, Michael s reaction cost him four years in prison. There he learned to control his anger and to think before acting. Every time someone does something against me, I leave it up to God to make justice for me, Michael said. The time in prison also taught him to trust God. Missing special events with family affected Michael s relationships and led to a divorce. In January, a partner church referred Michael to Cornerstone Assistance Network Central Texas. He is receiving mentoring from a church leader, and the congregation has been a source of strength. After the initial assessment, Michael presented emotional, spiritual and financial needs. His main goal was to rebuild his family relationships. Michael has been working hard and has made progress little by little. He even remarried his ex-wife. Reintegration can be challenging. Even with a Master s degree, Michael has had difficulties finding a job. This led him to learn new skills in construction. Whatever the job is, I need to do it in order to provide financial assistance for my family, Michael said. CANCT and his church are walking with him in his restoration process. There are many people like Michael in need of support and restoration. Jesus has challenged us to walk alongside those who are in need: I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Mathew 25:40). Are you interested in becoming a partner church or a mentor? For more details call (254) Carlos

5 The Body of Believers A glimpse of how God is at work in the Waco area. Ever not known what to say when somebody asked you for guidance? Maybe you didn't know anything about the subject. Maybe you didn't know what would be most helpful. A useful answering technique is coaching. "You don't have to be the wisest person in the world you, just have to care about people... Anybody can do this," said Maranatha Baptist Church Pastor Mario Sandoval. Coaching is one of the required programs needed for the church's cell group leaders. Sandoval realized the lay leaders weren't formally trained counselors. After watching the coaching process, he knew it would be a useful tool to implement. Now it's common to hear the phrase 'just coach them,' because they've found it easy and effective. Most people don't know they're being coached, and the leaders are not as stressed. Sandoval said, "(The church members) enjoy it because nobody's getting offended, nobody is telling them what to do. They're learning how to deal with their problems." He recommends coaching because it's like teaching a man to fish instead of just giving him a meal. "It empowers people, and it enriches them," Sandoval said. Western Heights Baptist Church Minister of Children and Education Marcy Smith found that to be true during her coaching sessions. She said, "It's helped me unpack some issues figure out some directions. It was really things I probably already knew but I needed somebody to help me talk it through." Smith is now practicing with a friend and using it with her volunteers. "Rather than offer advice, just guide them through their own thoughts," she said. "I think it's very empowering for people to realize they really do know, they just need a little help thinking it through." Smith recommends coaching because "it gives you another tool to help people." She also encourages others to be coached if they get the opportunity. She compared it to going to another specialist, like an auto mechanic. "It doesn't speak to any weakness in our lives if we seek coaching. It's just another person in our lives that can help." Meadowbrook Baptist Church Pastor Cary Killough uses coaching every day because it's a relational tool. He said, "It allows me not to be directive, but allows the person that I'm meeting with to come to a healthy conclusion." Killough compared it to guardrails, helping direct people without driving. "It helps you give good, healthy guidance," he said. WRBA Director of Missions Tim Randolph is presenting an overview of the coaching process to leaders of Christian Women s Job Corps and Christian Men s Job Corps in McKinney on April 19. He said, "This is a terrific tool to train those journey partners or sponsors or mentors in how to be effective and truly helpful with the people who need their support." WRBA is offering an Empower for Ministry Coaching Clinic on April 8 and 9. For more information or to register, call or admin@wacoregionalbaptistassociation.org.