September 2022
Newsletter
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From the Desk of the Superintendent |
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Dear Church Family,
It was a busy and full summer which provided several travel opportunities for me. At the end of the summer, my family and I were able to spend a weeks vacation together. I then spent a week working on my doctoral degree. I had a chance to have a disciple lunch with a few young adults; teaching (which I love) them and growing together. I traveled to Charlotte for the Executive Council meetings, and have worked with the Board to plan the Regional Convention(more information below).
We have many pastors who are ill or have lost loved ones. "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up." James 5:15c Gary & Pat Havener's son-in-law passed away unexpectedly, Merle Beal's mom passed away, Steve Brown is having back surgery, Dwight Dean will be having right knee replacement, George Middleton has Parkinson's Disease, Floyd McIntyre's son is in rehab after a stroke, Laura Karl is caring for her mom down south. The prayer meeting is very important right now. We are meeting every Tuesday from 9-10 am.
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Preparing for Trouble
Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.”
This passage recommends that we follow the path of the ant who “stores its provisions in the summer and gathers its food at harvest.
I am not someone who spends a lot of time worrying, or living in fear, but as a father with dependents, and a shepherd in a church with a lot of older people, I think that it is important to be prepared. I believe we should be stocking up on and putting goods away for our own families, for our church families, and the community. I have read that if there is ever an emergency, we should be prepared for the first 72 hours, then for three months after that. Items to consider are water, canned goods, toilet paper, washing products, and hygiene supplies. There are also emergency rations you could purchase, and it may be good to have some cash or precious metals on hand.
I am working with a few churches to purchase heating oil together in an effort to get the best possible price.
Thinking through all of his can provide for our personal needs as well as giving us the opportunity to be a light in a dark place, providing help to those around us who need it most. May God use us in great ways in the days to come!
In Him,
Greg. <><
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After a few years hiatus, the William Miller Chapel Heritage Sunday service returned on September 11, 2022. Gene and Sandy Peters led the worship and "Coach" gave the message. |
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What's happening at your church? Send info and pictures to secretary@aceasternregion.org. |
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Scholarship Opportunities
Dubois Scholarship - Sponsored by the Maine State Conference, amount awarded depends on number of applicants and funds available; This scholarship is given in loving memory of Rev. Wendell DuBois, Tammy DuBois and Virgene Hughes. It is designed to assist those seeking a call to vocational ministry in achieving their academic goals. The application needs to be postmarked by August 31 to be considered. The scholarship monies will be disbursed during the 2nd semester of the academic year.
Berkshire Christian College Scholarship Fund - Scholarship amount varies depending on the program of study. The purpose and description of the scholarship is:
- Seminary education in partnership with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary at four campuses - two in Mass., one in Fla., one in NC. (www.gordonconwell.edu) Advent Christian students receive up to a 50% tuition reduction. (Additional scholarship assistance may also be available.)
- Theological formation through the Ministry Training Institute (MTI). Students enrolled in MTI are eligible for scholarships through Berkshire Christian.
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Advent Christian ministry partnerships now exist in more than 20 countries. Indian pastors, Filipino missionaries, African pastors, children’s homes, a Bible college, discipleship groups, feeding ministries, training events and new church plants are all strengthened by money raised through Penny Crusade. |
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Can you guess which church this is? The first person to email the office (secretary@aceasternregion.org) with the correct answer will receive a small prize. If this is your home church, we ask that you refrain from answering.
The August Church was Friendship AC Church in Friendship, ME, Bill Monroe had the first correct guess.
Send an outside picture of your church, without the sign/name, to secretary@aceasternregion.org
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THE STATE OF THE BIBLE 2021 #6
BY BARNA & THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY
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Some English Bible Translations Read by US Christians
King James - 1611
Douay-Rheims Bible - 1582
American Standard - 1901
Revised Standard - 1952
New American - 1970
NASB - 1971
The Living Bible - 1971
Good News Bible - 1976
NIV - 1978
NKJV - 1982
New Jerusalem Bible - 1985
New Revised Standard - 1989
Contemporary English - 1995
New Living - 1996
The Message - 2002
ESV - 2001
Holman Christian Standard - 2004
Today's NIV - 2005
Common English Bible - 2011
New American Revised - 2011
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How the Bible Formed the American Church
According to the yearly State of the Bible research by Barna Group and the American Bible Society, in 2021
- 50% of Americans are "Bible users," who "read, listen to, or pray with the Bible on their own at least three or four times a year outside of a church service or church event."
- 71% consider the Bible the Word of God
- 34% read the Bible once a week or more
- 59% prefer a paper version, though the number of people who can access the Bible electronically is growing
- Congregants who attend churches with both online and in person options, and who use both, strongly agree (44%) that their church experience increases their desire to read the Bible and strongly agree (50%) that their church experience helps them understand the Bible better
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Bible Reading Difficulty
According to Christian Book Distributors
Translation - Grade Level
KJV - 12
RSV - 12
NRSV - 11
NASB - 11
ESV - 10
HCSB - 7-8
NIV - 7-8
CEB - 7
CSB - 7
NKJV - 7
NLT - 6
GW - 5
Message - 4-5
NCV - 3
NIRV - 3
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From Isaac Watts Psalms of David Psalm 23:
The Lord my shepherd is,
I shall be well supplied;
Since he is mine and I am his,
What can I want beside?
He leads me to the place
Where heavenly pasture grows,
Where living waters gently pass,
And full salvation flows.
If e'er I go astray,
He doth my soul reclaim:
And guides me in his own right way,
For his most holy name.
While he affords his aid
I cannot yield to fear;
Though I should walk through deaths dark shade,
My shepherd's with me there.
In sight of all my foes,
Thou dost my table spread;
My cup with blessing overflows,
and joy exalts my head.
The bounties of thy love
Shall crown my following days;
Nor from thy house will I remove,
nor cease to speak thy praise.
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Some 20th Century songs drawn directly from Scripture
As the deer panteth for the water Psalm 42:1-2
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God Matthew 6:33
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever Psalm 89:1
The Lord bless you and keep you Numbers 6:24-26
Our God Reigns Isaiah 52:7
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Monthly Devotional Thought |
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Transformed into The Glory of the Triune God
"...we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" Romans 5:2
Our topic this month is the glory of God. I am foolish to tackle this subject because it is so vast in its scope. In fact, it is infinite and boundless. How can we describe or even attempt to talk about God's glory in such a short article?
Yet, John's gospel says that the Glory of God is found in the person of Jesus Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:1, 14)
It is the glory of the Father incarnate in the person of Jesus. John says we have seen the glory of Christ, the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth. Hebrews 1:3 says, "He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..."
1 Peter 4:14 ESV says, "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." God the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of glory and He rests upon us. therefore, when speaking about the glory of God we need to declare the triune nature of God. The three persons of the Trinity are full of Glory. So, God the Father is fully revealed and magnified in glory. God the Son is full of glory, and God the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Glory - three persons in one God.
Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed…22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one…24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory …” Jesus prays for our glorification.
God’s glory in Christ is seen clearly and visibly at the mount of Transfiguration (Read Matthew 17).
2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The glory of Christ in the glorious gospel changes us and transforms us so we become new creatures in Christ by the Spirit of God. His glory changes us now. Yet His glory will transform us later. This is our resurrection hope – consumed by the glory of God to live in the glory of God for eternity in the presence of God in the glorified world made new (See Philippians 3:19-20). Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! No wonder Paul says, “…we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” Romans 5:2. We rejoice in that hope! Christ is our hope!
Rev. Dr. Jim Caron ~ Faith Bible Church, Plainville, CT
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ADVENT CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE HISTORY
THE ITINERANT SERVICE
Excerpts from Advent Christian History
By Albert C. Johnson
Mr. Miller's work naturally developed through series after series of lecture tours and travels, and his co-laborers and their successors followed much the same line. For some years it was the custom of the majority of Advent Christian preachers to arrange a circuit of appointments and thus pass from church to church especially throughout the New England field. In many places at first they worshipped in halls, schoolhouses, sometimes in large private houses, and in but few cases were really able to support pastors. Hence for some years there were but few settled pastors, the general practise of the societies and churches being to seek the visits of various traveling elders, they having become attached especially to the leading pioneer preachers, and thus a habit of itinerating was formed by many of the preachers, and also a desire for a variety of gifts, rather than a settled pastor, was encouraged among the churches.
The situation was revealed in the reports gained by Eld. D. T. Taylor in his effort to take a census of the four branches of Adventists about 1860:
"Of the nearly six hundred (actual figures, 584) ministers reporting, only eighty-six are represented as performing the work of pastor in care of a local church." He said, "There are scores of our churches dying out, or barely existing without expansion, for the want of efficient, faithful pastoral labor by some good resident shepherd." But Eld. Taylor thought they were "no worse off than the Baptists, whom Dr. Baird represented as having 'nearly twice as many churches as they have preachers.'"
In course of time it began to be realized that the churches needed more watchcare, not only good preaching on Sundays, but also leadership through the week, and something like an intelligent plan of work adapted to the needs of the community and to be steadily developed, so there should be more unity of spirit and larger growth. Thus in the later sixties and in the seventies while there were many engaged in evangelistic labors, an
INCREASING NUMBER SETTLED AS PASTORS
The growing sense of this need was voiced in a strong resolution which was adopted by the Massachusetts Annual conference in 1871. The same need was recognized in the Western field for in the Advent Christian Times, of Jan. 30, 1872, it was remarked: "We have very few pastors among us, most of our preachers being evangelists and missionaries. We are suffering from the lack of pastors, who can build up and enlarge the churches." Following this period there was a decided increase in pastoral service.
Nevertheless the time referred to was a period of considerable growth, and many were earnestly seeking to extend the work. According to one of our leading writers, The New York Times of Dec. 17, 1873, contained an article on "Religious Progress" as indicated in the U. S. Census of 1870.
Under the head, "Members, or church sittings," opposite "Second Advent," these figures were given: number in 1850, 5,250; in 1860, 17,120. In 1870 the census gave the number as 34,555. Again the Times article under the head, "Percentage of all membership or sittings," after noting that four of the leading Protestant bodies, "have fallen off, particularly since 1860," goes on to say, "The Second Adventists went up on the figures handsomely, more than trebling from 1850 to 1860, and doubling in the following decade." Under table four (IV) relating to "Churches and Church Organizations," after the tabulation, it is remarked: "The largest increase for the last decade were the Second Adventists, who have doubled."
As these statements are considered it will be well to remember, as already observed, that at the first our people gave very little attention to church organization, and practically none to church building; hence when these lines of work were taken up there was a rapid increase. Also it should be noted that many of our people were not at that time affiliated with any organization, and not a few objected to the name, though earnestly holding the faith. Thus any such tabulation as above would come far short of the full number of those really looking for the Lord's near coming.
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Meetinghouse Village reminds active and retired AC pastors that they may stay free of charge on Sunday and Monday overnights at our Tower Memorial Suite. Other nights are available at the reduced rate of $25 per night. Availability is dependent on prior bookings and certain Covid-19 protocols. To inquire about a reservation, email info@meetinghousevillage.org.
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No matter how much you already know or don’t know about the Bible, if you’re a woman who wants to know your Bible better, this workshop is for you!
Date: October 15, 2022 10AM-4PM
Place: Genesis Church, Woburn, MA
Cost: $20
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The Annual Convention is October 21-22 and will be held at Gordon Conwell Seminary. Registration fee is $35. |
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Deadline for Registering is October 1st! |
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Workshop Speaker
Dr. Gordon Isaac is the Berkshire Professor of Church History and Advent Christian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. He is an ordained pastor in the Advent Christian denomination who has served a number of Advent Christian Churches across the country. In addition, he has lectured internationally and has authored and or edited a number of volumes. His most recent is entitled, Prayer, Meditation, Spiritual Trial: Luther's Account of Life in the Spirit. His hobbies include traveling, gardening, and international cooking. He and his wife, Beth, have two grown children and live in Wenham, MA.
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Workshop Speaker
Paul is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. He is the founder and director of Declare God’s Wonders, Inc., an evangelistic ministry. He has personally conducted over 1,300 Creation vs. Evolution Events.
When not on the road, he enjoys paleontological excavations. He teaches regularly at The Dinosaur Encounter, a Creation Learning Center, which he is developing in Bridgton, ME.
Paul is a graduate of Nyack College and has M. Div. from Denver Seminary with a major in Christian Education. Paul and his wife, Judy, have four children.
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Hotels
Unfortunately, hotel prices in the area are higher than we anticipated. I found some on booking.com that are more reasonably priced, but require a bit of a drive and I do not know their availability:
Sonesta Select (15 min. drive) https://www.sonesta.com/sonesta-select/ma/danvers/sonesta-select-boston-danvers
Knights Inn Danvers (20 min. drive) https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/ma/danvers/knights-inn-danvers
Red Roof Inn ( 25 min. drive) https://www.redroof.com/experience/ma/boston-woburn
Holiday Inn Express Andover North-Lawrence (40 min. drive) https://www.reservationdesk.com/hotel/5fe6b27/holiday-inn-express-andover-north-lawrence-lawrence-massachusetts
Fairfield Inn by Marriot Boston Tewksbury (40 min. drive) https://www.guestreservations.com/fairfield-inn-by-marriott-boston-tewksburyandover/booking?msclkid=3b9a6c8f8454154b88430f9731273215
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The Second Coming...is coming, Hallelujah!
A sermon by Todd Peterman
Hope Community Church
Dover, NH
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Click on Willie's picture to visit his website for upcoming events. |
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Join the 2023 BICS Israel Trip! |
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The Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies invites you to join them for the trip of a lifetime to Israel from March 15-29, 2023. Come walk where Jesus, King David, Paul and the other great men and women of Scripture lived out the stories of the faith. See firsthand the Temple Mount, the fields of Bethlehem, the beautiful Sea of Galilee, and much, much more.
Space is limited, so for more information or to register, click the link below, or for questions, contact Mike Tuttle at mtuttle@berkshireinstitute.org.
We hope that you can join us - we promise you will never read the Bible the same again!
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ACGC Triennial Convention 2023 |
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Previous copies of the monthly newsletter are on our website. |
Have a mobile phone? You can now give to the Region through Venmo!
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Online Prayer Meeting Tuesdays from 9-10 AM |
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ERA Board of Directors
Rev. George Karl, President - sumkarl@yahoo.com
Rev. Dwight Dean, Vice President - fsufandsd@gmail.com
Rev. Allen Latimore, Clerk - aclatimore@netzero.net
Mr. John Jones, Treasurer - pastorjoj@gmail.com
Rev. Doug Tourgee, Heritage Conf. President - dougin401@aol.com
Rev. Alan Chamberlin, Maine Conf. Vice President - polarpastor@roadrunner.com
Rev. Josh Rice, Maranatha Conf. President - jrice@emmanuelacc.net
Rev. Derek Irvine, New Life Conf. President - drick1221@gmail.com
Mr. Adam Facteau, New York Conf. President - afacteau@twcny.rr.com
Rev. Ken Perkins, Nova Scotia Conf. President - Ken.perkins@EastLink.ca
Mrs. Deb Reed, ERA Representative to ACGC - deborahjoreed@yahoo.com
Rev. Steve Lawson, ACGC Executive Director - slawson@acgc.us
The Eastern Regional Association Newsletter is published as a ministry of the Eastern Regional Association of the Advent Christian General Conference.
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Don McDaniels Prayer Ministry |
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Russell Giasson Property & Deeds |
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Ethan Twitchell
Summer Ministry
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Randy Mills Regional Missions |
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Lisa Godard Regional Bookkeeper |
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Eastern Regional Association
32 Four Rod Road, Rochester, NH 03867
Phone: 603-332-1412 / Fax: 603-332-1648
www.aceasternregion.org
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