ABC/RGR March 2020 News & Events
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From Executive Minister
Rev. Dr. Sandy Hasenauer:
I know many churches of ABCRGR are asking one another for input around whether or not to be cancelling worship. As we have churches in 10 states, obviously everyone needs to be paying attention to recommendations for their particular communities. I (Sandy) am not a doctor nor a member of the CDC so I won’t give any particular recommendations myself.
For congregations, I pray for you as your leadership engages in important decision-making about your gatherings for worship, prayer, and mission. It is indeed a difficult time.
Meanwhile, to get the facts, go to CDC’s website:
(Despite the title in the link, this is an article about general healthy practices.)

May God continue to guide your thoughts and actions as you balance the need for human interrelationship with the need for health-oriented practices and decisions.
In Christ's peace,
Sandy
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Recently some email servers have changed their protocols for identifying what’s junk mail. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve periodically checked my junk mail folder before cleaning it out and have found multiple emails that should’ve landed in my inbox. They were mostly group emails but there were one or two that were just to me from a single person, so I have no idea what the rhyme or reason is. Our region board president wasn’t getting a lot of the emails I was sending to her for the same reason.
I strongly advise you all check your spam/junk mail folders
and
make sure important emails aren’t disappearing on you
. You should be able to send them back to your inbox or somehow otherwise mark them as from “safe senders” or whatever your email server allows you to do. I would recommend doing this once or twice a week for a handful of weeks until you feel pretty confident you’ve captured everything.
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Remember, church annual reports are due!
Please complete your annual report by the end of March
.
Your church and/or pastor should have received an email with details on how to complete your "Cooperating Church Annual Report". That same email was sent hard copy to your church as well. You also can find instructions on how to complete the report, on our website at:
abcrgr.org.
Scroll to the bottom and look under the ABCUSA documents heading.
We are striving to reach 100% of our region churches completing their annual report. When that happens there will be a party with Exec. Minister Sandy at the region office! Woohoo!
This is an important task in the life of our region and denomination with benefits to your congregation like: keeping your tax exempt designation current and allowing people to locate your congregation through the
ABCUSA website
when they're looking for a new church in the area.
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Registration still open! Don't miss this webinar!
"Clergy Mental Health: From Self-Care to Well-being"
How do we reconcile practicing self-care and the time and energy it takes to shepherd our congregations? How can we make sure we have vitality in our life and ministry? What do teaching and pastoral ministry have in common? Join us as we look at the most recent research gathered by the Flourishing in Ministry project and attempt to answer these questions for your own life.
A Free Webinar hosted by ABC Rochester/Genesee Region
Thursday, March 26, 2020
7:00 -8:00 p.m. Eastern
Presentation and Q&A
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Guest Presenter: Kristina Gutierrez, Midwest Ministry Development Center
Kris is an ordained ABC pastor, pastoral counselor, and chaplain. Before coming to Midwest Ministry Development in 2007, she was an International Ministries missionary for Theological Education and Lay Leadership Development in Bolivia, Chile and Nicaragua, a teacher/professor and pastor’s wife in Puerto Rico, and a pastor in Ohio. When she is not providing support to others or taking care of her daughter’s dog (who is often in residence at her house), Kris enjoys working in her yard and exercising her creativity. She has two children: Gabe is coaching fútbol and working in Ohio and Angélica and her husband (Toby) are teachers in Houston. She hopes to be able to afford to retire someday but until then will fill her time with traveling to Houston to see her grandson (Hugo) and teaching him about Ohio State football.
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If you or someone you know would like to receive a green tip of the week every week to put in their church bulletin, contact Greece Baptist Church
Assoc. Pastor, Rev. Cheryl Frank at:
cherylmfrank@yahoo.com
, 225-6160 x3. Cheryl sends out a green tip every week to several churches, synagogues and schools.
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International Ministries Fixing Pumps to fight Coronavirus
A journal entry from
journal from Nzunga:
Dear Loved Ones,
Greeting. We are doing fine. The situation is back to normal in the entire country, but the insecurity persists still.This past week we have been busy surveying all the water pumps around here and getting them fixed. Why? Many people have been complaining of the drought since we have not had rain for a long time now. So, we surveyed all of them. To this complaint, we added the fear of Coronavirus with its WASH HANDS THEORY. So, we needed to fix all of them to protect everybody. We do not want all of us to be victims of not washing hands because of lack of water. In one place after we finished fixing their pump, a man asked me if there is a new soap to wash hands. He was really disappointed when I told him to use his regular soap. Was he expecting me to provide him with new soap? I do not know.
Thank you for standing by our sides in the ministry of providing clean water that has saved and will continue to save lives in our Haiti.
..
.READ MORE
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American Baptist Home Mission Societies offers guidance, litany, prayer for congregational response to COVID-19
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 3/12/20)—The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus a pandemic, defined as the “worldwide spread of a new disease.” Given the unfolding of COVID-19 in the United States, American Baptist Home Mission Societies is striving to inform American Baptists and American Baptist congregations about best practices to help reduce the spread of the virus in general as well as in congregational settings.
Read more...
“Charity amidst the chaos—when coronavirus comes to your neighborhood,
” by Rev. Bryan Jackson, an American Baptist pastor and writer in Kingman, Washington. The first fatality from COVID-19 in the United States occurred at his neighborhood hospital. In response, Rev. Jackson encourages “checking in with our neighbors, doing what we can not to spread the virus to others—living out an ethic of care.” The article also includes links to CDC, WHO, and HHS coronavirus updates and guidelines at the close.
From
Curtis Ramsey-Lucas, Editor, The Christian Citizen
American Baptist Home Mission Societies
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ABW From Interfaith Power and LIght:
As people of faith, cultivating compassion is part of the daily practice of all of our religious traditions. Renowned Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh says compassion is a verb. Once we feel compassion we are compelled to act. And when we act, we are making our love visible for one another and the world. A very special film,
The Human Element
, was chosen to support this year’s Faith Climate Action Week theme for its capacity to inspire compassion for those who are suffering the impacts of climate change. Consider screening it for your congregation or community.
Click here to view a preview, order the film and for more info...
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Celebrating Ministering Women
— We are celebrating women leaders, past and present, their myriad journeys into ministry, and their many ways of ministering. We are also celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the birth of the Women in Ministry Project.
Radical –
ABCUSA has carried out a radical witness and radical witness is still needed.
Redeemed
– When all God’s gifts in all God’s people are fully accessed, embraced and utilized, churches flourish and our world is transformed. We are all redeemed.
READY!
We are READY. Are you?
All are Welcome: Women and men, young and seasoned, clergy and lay leaders.
Early bird registration ($149) ends March 15
Regular Registration (After March 15): $199
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Register now for
"A national call for moral revival"
Poor People's Assembly & Moral March on Washington,
Sat. June 20 in Washinton D.C.
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A CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR
REV. SHIRLEY O. PABO and
Recognition of Walt (Waldemar) Pab
o
Save the Date: Sat. May 2, 1:00 p.m
Hilton Baptist Church, 50 Lake Ave., Hilton, NY
Shirley was ordained an American Baptist Minister, receiving her degree in 1983 from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. She served as interim minister for many years, was a member of Hilton Baptist Church. She chaired various regional committees & was passionate about social justice issues. With husband, Walt, they raised four children. Walt died in 2007. Shirley lived her remaining years with daughter, Marcia, in New Hampshire, then near son, Eric, in Colorado, in an assisted living facility. Shirley died on June 16, 2019, leaving a legacy of love for her God and consideration of others.
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You are cordially invited to attend the inauguration of Dr. Angela D. Sims as the 13th president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
The Inauguration Ceremony procession is an Academia procession.
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Executive Minister
Rev. Dr. Sandra Hasenauer
IS ON THE MOVE!
and she's scheduling
travel and commitments for 2020!
Do you have a special church anniversary or other event that you would like her to attend? Please email the region office at:
office@abcrgr.org
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Upcoming Items for Your Calendar
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March:
March 8:
Daylight Savings Time BEGINS, American Baptist Seminary Sunday, Second Sunday of Lent
March 15
: Third Sunday of Lent, M
arch 22:
Fourth Sunday of Lent,
March 29:
Fifth Sunday of Lent
April:
- ABCRGR Friends of the Region appeal distributed. Please help promote region support in your congregations!
ABC/RGR Creation Care event
*Has been cancelled
April 5: Palm Sunday
April 7: World Health Day
April 9: Maundy Thursday
April 10: Good Friday
April 11: Holy Saturday
April 12: Easter
- Tuesday, April 14, 4:00p Inauguration of Dr. Angela Sims, president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (CRCDS)
- April 13-16, CRCDS lecture series: www.crcds.edu
April 19: American Baptist Volunteer Sunday 19-25: Nat'l Volunteer Appreciate Week
April 22: Earth Day
(This includes women from all ABCRGR churches, not just those in NYS.)
May:
- Send your church delegates' names and email addresses to the region office at office@abcrgr.org by May 1!
- Tuesday, May 26, 7:00p, "We Tried It!" Webinar with Rev. Brent Bowden, FBC Rochester, about missional church experiments
(First in a series of "We Tried It!" webinars featuring
you, pastors and leaders of region churches, to generate discussion and sharing of ideas)
- Sunday, May 31st, 2:45p to 5p, Spring Delegates Conference and Business Meeting, FBC Brockport and Zoom.
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