APRIL 2024
Greetings Members & Friends of the High Desert Baptist Association,
Hoping and praying that this past Easter was a glorious and blessed time in each of our churches and homes. Undoubtedly many new faces were in the churches of the HDBA. The Holy Spirit moved many people to our churches to worship our Lord and Savior, while also celebrating the victory over death that Jesus gives those that know Him. Truly, He Is Risen!
Recently, I began reading a chapter in a book entitled, “Calling Out the Called.” Chapter 5 has as a subject matter, ‘Being Soul Winners.’ I can’t help to almost shout out, that because ‘He Is Risen,’ we must be about ‘Being Soul Winners!’ The following quoted paragraph might well represent many who love the Lord, but never verbalize or act upon their love for the Lord in a Soul Winning way.
There was about a year time gap between the moment I (Shane) started praying about going to Bible college and the actual time I moved to Dallas, Texas, to start the first semester. I was working in a warehouse and made quick friends with a guy named Brandon. Our workstations were right next to each other, and for the entire year we’d eat lunch and take breaks together. I was a brand-new Christian at the time, and in my own estimation was “on fire for Jesus.” My wardrobe on most days would consist of jeans, sneakers, and some sort of Christian T-shirt. Also, most of the time I had worship music playing in my work area, or DC Talk’s Jesus Freak. So, in my mind, I thought I was living on mission and being a soul winner because I had Christian swag on and was listening to Jesus music. However, the problem was that I never opened my mouth to tell Brandon about Jesus.
Several of the actions and words of Jesus, and His followers, share with us the absolute need to be people who are sharing the Good News. This verse shared later in Chapter 5 of “Calling Out the Called,” certainly speaks to all who are serious about following Christ:
“But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5)
Self-control in everything, enduring the hardships that come in life, yes. But, we must be about being soul-winning evangelists. Thankfully, the history of the High Desert Baptist Association has always sought to be about reaching and teaching people about the Good News. We as a local association since 2010 to present day helped to fund a variety of soul-winning activities, and in some instances individual ministers of the faith who were involved in church planting.
Since 2010 your HDBA has granted out a total of over $200,000.00. Altogether, 23 different times the HDBA has voted to involve themselves in soul-winning activities. We have gone on three associational-wide mission trips, supported multi-cultural mission work, supported some para-church works, helped individual churches during difficult times, funded churches so that they might help other churches in the Northwest, provided VBS funds and support, sent support to an International Missionary so that he could start a business platform, and purchased 500 water bottles with John 3:16 inscribed upon them for our church in Madras during the Total Eclipse (many worshipped with us on the Sunday before the Eclipse).
As we look at refining the ways in which the HDBA uses the funds available to itself, through the giving of local churches, memorial funds, and a land sale, let it always be about the whole of ‘Being Soul Winners,’ throughout the HDBA.
Blessings,
Steve
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EXPERIENCING GOD DAY BY DAY
Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby
YOUR LORD PRECEDES YOU
“But after I have been resurrected,
I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
MARK 14:28
God never sends you into a situation alone. He always goes before His children, as He did with the children of Israel when He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You do not serve as His advance troops in a foreign and hostile situation. He always precedes you in any situation you encounter. God is never caught by surprise by your experience; He has already been there. He is prepared to meet every need because He has gone before you and knows exactly what you will need for your pilgrimage (Deut. 31:8).
Not only does God go before you, but He also stands beside you and behind you, to provide protection and comfort (Ps. 139:7-12). Jesus knew His disciples would be totally bewildered by His crucifixion, so He assured them in advance that no matter what happened, no matter where they went, they could go in confidence that He had already gone before them. Paul, too, experienced this assurance (Acts 18:9; 23:11). In the most bewildering circumstances, his Lord was there!
There is nowhere you can go that you will not find Christ waiting for you to join Him. Even when you face death, you can be assured that He has gone before you in triumph. As a child of God, rest in the knowledge that your Savior preceded you, and He will walk with you through each experience of your life.
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Getting the LEAD Out of Leadership:
Paul W. Powell
Excerpts and Thoughts
Getting The LEAD Out of Leadership
Principles of Leadership for the Church Today
Thoughts & Excerpts from Chapter 3:
‘Goals: You Work on Them and They Work on You’
So, if you are going to be a leader, set some goals and get started accomplishing them. You may not immediately get where you want to be or need to be, but you can begin immediately. And the sooner you begin, the sooner you will get there.
Mike Harden of Scripps Howard News Service spent 14 days in a little rental car, twining down the country roads of Georgia, looking for the home and burial place of the beautiful Hollywood actress, Susan Hayward.
Ms. Hayward, a star of 57 major films, was Brooklyn born and Hollywood-jaded. But in 1958 she married car dealer Eaton Chalkley, and settled down on a farm in western Georgia.
Mr. Harden’s search eventually led to the front porch of Susan Hayward’s country neighbor, Park Sims. Looking over the hills and bottom lands traversed by the Little Tallatoosa River, Sims spoke not only his heart, but Ms. Hayward’s, when he said, “I wanted a place on a road that didn’t start anywhere and didn’t go anywhere.”
Without goals you’ll be on that same road – a road that starts nowhere and goes nowhere. So, get the lead out! Get off the road that leads to nowhere and get on the street paved with goals.
Our daughter, when she was quite young would wonder where she was in the family pictures of my wife and I, and our two boys? Kristi, came along 5 years later than our second child. We would say to her, “Kristi, you were nowhere in those pictures.” She replied, “well, I was nowhere with Kyle.” Kyle was her closest sibling. Let’s all avoid the nowhere in our walk with the Lord.
I would encourage all of our church leaders and members to set the bar high when we intentionally set goals for ‘Walking with and for the Lord.’
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NOTE:
NO PASTOR PRAYER TIME THIS MONTH!
We will meet as an Executive Board on April 20 @ 1PM
Highland Baptist Church
Youth Room
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Shepherd to Shepherd gathering for April will be this Thursday the 11th at Highland Baptist Church. We start at 9:30 AM and finish up after lunch (Olive Garden is on the menu this week). Study books pertaining to raising up and growing leaders in the local church are provided. Additionally, we will be praying, fellowshipping, and having lunch together. this is our fourth meeting of this 5-month yearly gathering. Pastors and leaders of our local churches are invited. |
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Church and Association Highlights: |
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EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 1:00 PM
Highland Baptist Church - Youth Room
Our Agenda will be as follows:
1. Discuss nominations for HDBA President, Vice President and the three at-large members to serve on the Administration Team after the Annual Meeting.
2. Begin the process of reconsidering the current Grant Policy guidelines. (We will have the first of several discussions to revise the current grant policy guidelines that will be developed over the Summer by any Executive Board members who wish to participate. Written input can also be received from church members not on the Executive Board to assist the Board members in developing a proposal to be submitted for approval by the Executive Committee in the Fall.)
3. Set a date for another Executive Committee meeting in September to vote on the proposed revisions to the Grant Policy, and to discuss those nominated to fill leadership positions.
4. Set a date for the Annual Meeting in early November. The Executive Board will vote on nominees to fill leadership positions for the next year. (You will notice that all the leadership positions will be open this year and Todd Brooks is the only member who will be re-nominated.)
Please prayerfully consider who you might nominate to serve next year.
We look forward to seeing you at the Executive Board Meeting on April 20 at 1:00 PM. We will meet at Highland Baptist Church, 3100 SW Highland Avenue, Redmond, OR 97756.
Please phone for more info: 541-991-7225 (Steve Heinze). Or email below to RSVP.
Sincerely,
Your HDBA Administration Team—
Dennis Hatchett, Stephen Williams, Steve Heinze, Keith Belz, Todd Brooks, Michael Kuhlman
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Church Activities:
· Smith Rock Community Church in Terrebonne, co-hosted an Easter Egg Hunt, games, and Easter Story presentation with Dayspring Christian Church. (See pictures below).
· Highland Baptist Church in Redmond hosted two Community Outreach Easter Egg Hunts on Easter Sunday.
· All reporting churches shared that they had very ‘High Attendance’ for Easter Sunday.
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NOTE: Please send me your church updates or highlights so that they can be passed on to all those receiving this e-newsletter.
In His Service,
Steve Heinze
1-541-991-7225
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See below for more information on our HDBA Churches |
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Please see link below for IMB Mission updates: |
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High Desert Baptist Association
Mission Statement
High Desert Baptist Association desires to impact 20,000 (10%) Central Oregonians with the Gospel by the year 2030.
Vision Statement
High Desert Baptist Association exists to support and encourage
HDBA Pastors and churches.
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High Desert Baptist Association
PO Box 337
3100 SW Highland Avenue
Redmond, OR 97756
Phone: 541-316-0729 or 541-788-9523
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