Eastern Regional Association July 2023 Newsletter

President's Column

The Advent Christian Church is Not in Decline

Let’s first get the obvious out of the way. As a denomination we have less churches and members in our North American churches than at any point in many years. Much has been made of this fact and it can be a source of discouragement for us. But if you were at the recent Advent Christian Triennial and heard the reports that I heard you would have come away with the same optimism that I have, and recognize that we are anything but in decline as we look at what the Advent Christian denomination is doing around the world. In a personal conversation with World Mission’s Director, Jeff Walsh, I asked him how many people were involved in our Advent Christian churches around the world. He didn’t have a number off the top of his head but felt that the number easily exceeded 3 times the amount that are attendees of Advent Christian Churches in North America! He did specially say that there are more attendees in AC Churches in India alone! Here are some of the highlights from the various area missions directors reports. In India, the Bihar Mission has grown to include 15 churches and a large school. Bali Nayak is a pastor/missionary whose outreach includes 26 tribes in the hill villages of India. The ministry includes feeding the poor, distribution of clothes and groceries, free medical camps, and Bible distribution. The Fellowship of Blessed Hope churches hosted a one day gathering of almost 150 young people being challenged toward spiritual growth and ministry calling. In Myanmar there are 30 churches (1655 members), three church plants, two Bible schools, and 258 orphans under their leadership. In Africa, as we know, many of the Hadzabe people, including witch doctors, have come to faith in Christ. This was previously an unreached people. In Tanzania there were 14 churches in 2013, there are now 20 churches. There are 38 churches in Mozambique, 51 churches in the Congo, 61 churches in Burundi, 11 churches in Liberia, 20 churches in Malawi, and 20 churches in Kenya. A recent pastors conference with pastors from Mozambique and Malawi had over 50 attendees. The orphanage in Kenya cares for approximately 70 children. In Mexico there are 16 churches with 10 of those in Ensenada. There are plans being made for a medical outreach with the Ensenada churches. 

Here in North America there are some exciting things taking place. Church planting is no longer a pipe dream. Under the leadership of Adrian Dixon there is a solid pathway for church planting to take place. As we know, here in the Eastern Region it is already a reality with the church plant under the leadership of Erik Reynolds in Oxford, MA. It is also anticipated that there will be a church plant in Eastern North Carolina this spring. It is anticipated that there will be a couple of graduates from the MTI training program who may be heading towards pastoral ministry. Here in the Eastern Region several of our camps, including SPAM Camp and Big Lake have reported increased attendance including conversions and baptisms at Big Lake. Some of our churches have seen conversions and baptisms including the Friendship Church that recently conducted 17 baptisms! 

Here is where we, in North America, come in on what is happening among Advent Christian Churches in the world. They need us. They need our prayers. They need our money. These blessings from the Lord are only possible with our prayer and financial support. We are not in decline! God is moving in great ways through the Advent Christian Denomination. Will you continue to be a part of what God is doing through your prayers and financial support?

In His Service,

George

Prayer and Praise List

• For the 2024 BICS class as they being their school year on August 27.
• For the Lakeside Men’s Retreat being held on September 15-16.
• For the ERA Convention to be held on October 27-28
• For the ERA Executive Committee as they plan the convention
• For our primary speaker, Ryan Goding of Anchor New England
• For God to be glorified and for His blessings as we meet together 

for worship, fellowship, instruction, and business

• For God to work in the lives of those who came to Christ at our regional camps this past summer
• For Clayton Blackstone as he serves our region in the vital ministry of Interim Regional Superintendent 
• For the ERA Board as they establish a job description for the Regional Superintendent, and as they later in the year, begin the search for a new superintendent
• For the sale of the regional residence/office

ACGC Triennial Convention

August 7-11, 2023

Ridgecrest Conference Center, NC

The theme of the convention was Entrusted with the Gospel and was held in Black Mountain, NC in the beautiful hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The conference center in this setting gave us a sense of peace to enjoy God’s beautiful creation.  We enjoyed cafeteria style meals each day together, even though we walked many steps to get there.  

There were a total of 228 attendees, 136 of those were delegates; 56 out of 244 churches sent delegates (23%); 15 out of 23 conferences sent delegates (65%); and New York Conf and Nova Scotia Conf had no representation either among church or conference delegates.  

Business meetings began each morning at 9:00am with a superintendent from each region sharing a devotional.  The Eastern Region interim Clayton Blackstone shared on Friday morning.  President John Gallagher opened each business meeting and each staff member provided updates from their departments; and we heard reports from the associate members.  We were blessed to have present at this convention and hear from Dr. Ezhil Christadoss from India and Irwin and Rowena Cabrizos from the Philippians. Highlights during the business meeting:

•       The 2024 budget was passed;

•       The election of John Gallagher as president and Tom Loghry as recording secretary was passed; 

•        The change in delegate representation was passed;

•       and the Sexual Abuse Statement was passed

After lunch there were breakout sessions on many topics such as Finding Leaders, Church Planting, and The Soul of a Pastor.  WHFMS held their triennial meeting during this week.  

Each evening we were led in worship by Roger Brown, from the Eastern Region, before the evening speaker.  The message each evening was from 2 Timothy 2-4, with each speaker taking part in sharing these chapters, bringing us a message on; our legacy and our gospel character; reminding us of our gospel duty; the gospel power we each possess; and the gospel work within each of us.  Three of the evening speakers were from the Eastern Region.  

On Friday when business was completed and the meeting adjourned, President Gallagher asked that we break into small groups and pray about what was discussed during this past week.  At the end, a representative from each region prayed.  

Debbie Reed

Eastern Region Representative  

Join the 2024 BICS Israel Trip!

The Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies invites you to join them for the trip of a lifetime to Israel from March 6-20, 2024. 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, please go to https://www.signaturetours.com/upcoming 

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!

Camp & Church Spotlights

Big Lake

The close of Big Lake Campmeeting 2023 was triumphant in its completion and culmination of a year of prayer, planning and hard work. Jesus’ name was praised and hearts were changed. 4 Baptisms happened in Big Lake Friday afternoon of camp, with 3 more Baptisms planned later and 3 of the younger children prayed a prayer of salvation. Our camper numbers were well over 55 with overnight campers, day campers, and morning and afternoon VBS combined. They filled our campground with so much laughter, joy, and love. Many thanks go out to our volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly (many behind the scenes), to make everything flow smoothly this summer!

Please pray for the 4 that were baptized by Josh Cheney, our evangelist.

Kaylee Denney, Bryce Kenny, Jarrod Leeman and Cash Berry.

Baptism Candidates

Jacoby Achorn

Kaden Genthner

Ava Alison Lash

Mallory Jane Lash

Noah Benjamin Lash

Quinn Lawrence

Paige Ella Marie Mosher

Adelaide Joy Oliver

Aurora Barbara Perkins

Noah Joseph Taylor

Leandra Grace Winchenbach

Oliver Wotton

Grace Havener

Ashanti Barter

Caylie Davis

Meghan Amanda Briggs

Kameron Thompson

Shelby Nichole Thompson

Our Friday night banquet speaker will be Rev. John Tate, Senior Pastor at Emmanuel Church, Rochester, NH. 

A full schedule and registration information will be available on our website on September 1st.

We will also be sending out a registration link for exhibitors and delegates. Please send us an email if you are interested in being an exhibitor.

We have secured an agreement with the Fireside Inn in Waterville for lodging at $115 per night plus tax. You may reserve your room by going to the link below. Be sure to select the number of nights and the total will adjust automatically.

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.

Castle Hill Scholarship Fund - The Castle Hill Advent Christian Church closed its doors in December of 2019 due to declining numbers and the difficulty of finding pastoral leadership. Through a generous donation, a Ministry Scholarship will be established in their name. It is their desire that this ministry scholarship be established to help fund individuals who are seeking vocational ministry training either from a ministry training program within the Advent Christian constituency, or if a person chooses to seek to prepare for vocational ministry outside of the Advent Christian constituency, the Christian institution must be accredited.

Applicants are required to fill out the application and have all of the required information turned in to the Superintendent’s Office by September 15th in order to be considered by the Eastern Regional Board of Directors. The Board will present scholarships to qualified applicants by dividing $2000 dollars among them per year. If only one applicant applies, the cap for an individual scholarship is $1000 dollars made out to the school of their choosing.

Eastern Regional Association

P.O. Box 214 Winchester, NH 03470

Phone: 603-332-1412