Baptist Convention of New England Newsletter  May 2, 2018
 
 
I grew up in a church that did not believe in denominations. We were our own independent church separate from any other group. Though I appreciate the great spiritual training I got in that church, I regret the fact that we did not fellowship with a network of other churches in our area. I believe my spiritual growth was stunted because we were all alone as a church  ( read more ).
 
Your Missionary to New England,
Dr. Terry W. Dorsett
Executive Director 
It Takes a Village to Plant a Church
by Chris Autry, Senior Pastor of Faith Community Church in Barre, VT

Plainfield, VT, sits along a stretch of road called Route 2. While small and typical for a Vermont village, it boasts of great influence for this specific area... In 2017 Macedonia Baptist Church located on the eastern edge of Plainfield closed. When the doors were locked for the final time, it meant that for the first time on a 35-minute drive along Route 2 there is absolutely no presence of Christ. None. There are a couple of occult groups but no collective Gospel witness.
High School Students "Accomplish More" as a Mission Team
by Sam Morzella, 11th Grade, Friendship Baptist Church in Litchfield, CT

This past year I had the opportunity to be a part of the Quest program.  Quest is a leadership development program for high school juniors that provides opportunities to grow in faith, leadership skills, service and team building in order to better equip us as godly leaders in our churches and communities. The culmination of this advantageous program is an overseas mission trip.  Students were sent to four different locations: South Africa, Hawaii, Scotland and the Dominican Republic. I was chosen along with eleven other students to go to the Dominican Republic. When I was told who would be on my team I have to say I was slightly confused.  Everyone on my team seemingly had extremely different personalities and interests, and I was under the impression that none of us had anything in common.
Matching Grant for Church Planting

An anonymous couple in New England has issued a $5,000 matching grant challenge to Church Planting Fund of the Baptist Foundation of New England. Your gift will not only be matched immediately, but as an endowment, it will help provide grants to New England church plants for decades to come.

Give Today!
The Value of a Dollar in Cooperation
by Curtis Cook, Senior Pastor of Hope Fellowship Church in Cambridge, MA
 
I didn't grow up attending a Southern Baptist Church, and my first real exposure to the SBC was through Collegiate Ministries as an undergrad. As I was seeking to mature in faith at that time, I had to wrestle with which group of churches or denominations I might want to be a part of going forward. I admit I didn't do an exhaustive search, but after considering some different denominations I decided to move forward with the Southern Baptists. There were several items that influenced that decision, but at the top of the list was their theology and deep commitment to spreading the Gospel through global missions and North American missions. This was a group that seemed to have a missionary impulse and appeared to "put their money where their mouth was."
The Local Impact of the Cooperative Program

Alex grew up in Rhode Island in a family that went to church occasionally. In his early teens, he heard the Gospel and saw it demonstrated in the lives of some family members who recently had come to faith in Christ. He accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior and became active in a local church and youth group.  When he graduated and went off to college, Alex experienced a world that was in stark contrast to his faith. 
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Southern Baptists' "Web of Partnership"
by Dr. Jeff Black, Senior Pastor of New Life Community Fellowship in Pittsfield, MA

Even though New Life Community Fellowship in Pittsfield has recently affiliated with the BCNE, we have always been affiliated with Southern Baptists. We started as a church plant sponsored by Trinity Baptist Church in Niskayuna, NY. Our affiliations were with the BCNY through that church and with the Hudson Baptist Association in Schenectady, NY. Even after constituting in 2000, we found it easier to retain those affiliations, though we were located in New England. Being in western Massachusetts, one hour from Albany, NY, even our "local" television news is from the capital region of New York. So why change and why now?
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