March 2019

 
ABCUSA NEWS UPDATE
A monthly newsletter to keep you informed about ABCUSA

Follow Along with Our Lenten Devotional Series
 
Throughout the 2019 Lenten Season, the Office of the General Secretary is sharing a periodic online devotional for prayer and contemplation on the American Baptist Churches USA website.

As Christians during Lent we journey alongside Jesus throughout his time in the wilderness. This devotional series seeks to recognize the desert that Jesus journeyed through as well as the deserts that we journey through in our own lives.

We invite you to join us on this Lenten journey as we share our stories together recognizing, honoring, and lifting up the ways that God meets us in the wilderness.
 
Join Us for the Biennial Mission Summit - the Summit by the Sea!

Join us as the American Baptist Churches Biennial Mission Summit returns to the East Coast June 21-23, 2019, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Beach is easily accessible to many different American Baptist regions, and is a family-friendly destination with much to do in the area both before and after the Biennial Mission Summit! Sessions for all ages are available June 21-23, making it an easy family vacation option. Learn more here.

Newly Announced:
Dr. Clifford A. Jones Sr. to Bring Sunday Evening Message at Biennial Mission Summit in Virginia Beach!

Learn about offerings from American Baptist Home Mission Societies and International Ministries.

View our registration brochure here, or learn more and register online at www.americanbaptists2019.com.
Call for One Great Hour of Sharing Gifts; OGHS Grants Distributed in Response to Midwest Floods

In response to floods in the Plains and Midwest caused by rapid snowmelt and heavy rains, One Great Hour of Sharing campaign has been launched to raise much-needed funds for victims by American Baptist Home Mission Societies, on behalf of American Baptist Churches USA. Learn more about the Call for Contributions here.

To help American Baptist regions and churches in efforts to assist survivors of recent floods in the Plains and Midwest, $25,000 was released this week in One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) disaster-relief grants. Learn more here.
A Special Pastoral Letter from General Secretary Lee B. Spitzer to the ABC Family


American Baptist Churches USA General Secretary Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer published a special pastoral letter on Thursday, March 14, 2019. In the letter, Spitzer announced his retirement plans. Read the full letter here. Read a news release from the American Baptist News Service here.

"Devoted to Generosity" Complimentary Stewardship Subscription Available
 
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) Office of the General Secretary is pleased to offer the 2019 Year-Round Stewardship Resource theme Devoted to Generosity, published by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center.

ABCUSA has purchased a quantity of licenses for American Baptist churches who would like to use this online subscription. Interested churches should send an email request to [email protected] to receive a subscription code for your church.

ABCUSA General Secretary Affirms American Baptist Solidarity with the Muslim Victims of the Mosque Attack in New Zealand
 
In response to the attack against the Muslim community in New Zealand on March 15, ABCUSA General Secretary Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer has shared the following message.

"Once again, the world is confronted with the tragic results of a terror attack directed against the Muslim community, this time in New Zealand. Baptists throughout the centuries have stood in solidarity with and extended the hand of friendship to all peoples, believing that we should love, respect and live in peace with one another. There is no legitimate room for white nationalism, Islamophobia, or anti-Semitism (the similar attack against the Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh comes to memory, being not so long ago), either within the Baptist community or in any civil and just society.

I would encourage American Baptists across our country to express their sympathy for and solidarity with those families who have suffered such indescribable loss of life in New Zealand by joining with other members of the Baptist World Alliance to, in the words of BWA General Secretary Dr. Elijah Brown, 'support religious freedom for all, reject discriminatory marginalization, and build communities who pray for one another, support one another, and value the image of God found in each and every person.'"

Recent Highlights from the ABCUSA Website

American Baptist Home Mission Societies Awards Grants in 2019's First Quarter

American Baptist Churches Welcomes the Alliance of Asian American Baptist Churches

ABCUSA General Secretary Lee B. Spitzer Announces Retirement Plans

ABHMS Names Individuals to Participate in "Co-Creators Incubator"

Christian Educator in Okinawa, Japan, Appointed for Global Mission Service by IM

American Baptist Home Mission Societies Calls for 2019 Biennial Award Nominations

ABHMS Celebrates Ministries of Two Retiring Long-Term Personnel

ABC General Secretary Lee B. Spitzer Returns to Office

Judson Press Releases New Book by Critically Acclaimed Biblical Scholar, Author

Rev. Andy Quient Called as Executive Minister of ABCOFLASH

Rev. Dr. Michael A. Williams, Executive Minister of the ABC of Michigan, Announces Retirement

American Baptist Women's Ministries Announces New Associate Executive Director


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