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I was speaking to a large group of middle schoolers. Knowing that few of them came from what my generation would consider the "traditional" family, I was trying to get them to discuss what it was like when their parents got divorced and how they could move beyond the pain of that experience. Clearly, I was not connecting well to the group. One young man, Kyle*, was sitting on the front row. He spoke up, saying, "Terry, my parents are not divorced. They were never married. I've only met my father once when I was little, and I don't really remember him."
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Your Missionary to New England,
Dr. Terry W. Dorsett
Executive Director
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by Bridjo Cobbs, BCNE Executive Assistant and Bookkeeper
When we read the Bible we hear about Jesus loving the outcasts of society. When we think of outcasts today, we often think of those outside the church: the homeless, drug addicted or poor people. But I want to talk to you today about the outcasts inside the church - those in the Christian community that feel judged, unwelcomed and looked down upon. I have all too often felt this way as soon as I mention that I am divorced.
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Grandparents as Parents
by Gary Knighton, Pastor of Faith Fellowship Church in Hartford, CT
Now more than ever, grandparents are being called upon to rear their grandchildren. According to a recent nationwide study, there are 2.7 million grandparents raising their grandchildren here in the U.S. Although there are countless reasons and scenarios in which a grandchild may need to live with their grandparents, the most common situations (68%) are related to substance abuse, abandonment, abuse and neglect. The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren is steadily increasing, and I believe, both as a pastor and someone who lived with his grandparents, it is time that we, the Church, take notice of this growing population within our congregations, seek to understand their unique struggles and start considering how we work together to support and reach out to them.
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Let's celebrate what God is doing! The reports are in, and BCNE churches celebrated a record number of baptisms last year.
More evidence of God's quiet but clear movement in New England: when looking at statistics of baptisms to church members, BCNE churches had an average of one baptism for every 16 church members. The national average last year was 1:54.
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Don't Waste Your Singleness
by Chris James, Pastor of Mill City Church in Lowell, MA
We regularly hear opposing voices regarding singleness and marriage. Culture tends to dismiss marriage-usually to promote carefree living characterized by cohabitation, non-commitment and selfishness. Conversely, the Church tends to promote marriage over singleness to the point where anyone is inferior if he or she is not married by the end of college.
There are problems with both of these views. Singleness is neither a disease that needs to be cured, nor is it a carpe diem season of life. From the proper perspective, singleness is very strategic in God's economy-whether for a season or for a lifetime.
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Support for People Hurt by Divorce
by Joan Wordell, member of Grace Baptist Church in Hudson, MA
In many situations, a divorce or a separation causes people to feel unloved or even unworthy of love. That's why, chapter by chapter, the support group opens up the layers of people's lives to heal the core of their hearts. It is at this point that they understand who they are and begin to see what their lives should be. Their situation doesn't change drastically, but how they think about themselves and others often does. This new outlook helps them begin to explore how they can live in peace: peace within themselves, peace with others and peace with God.
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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!
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Highlights from SBC in Dallas
by Dr. Terry Dorsett
When I stepped off the plane, the wave of heat hit me! Wow, it is hot in Dallas. But the breeze of the Spirit was blowing across the city as over 9,000 Baptists from around the nation gathered for worship, preaching, reports of God's work and decision-making for America's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. That included at least 31 people from New England who traveled to Dallas to represent our churches and voice the New England perspective.
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