8-23-06  Church sues Fairfax County to keep religion classes.

The Churches statement

Fairfax County responds

8-23-06 Gideons, ACLU At Odds Over Scripture Distribution to Public School Students.   more . . .

First Baptist Church  of Sherman KS, new church plant/restart will be haveing a painting party on June 17th starting about 7 a.m. (they hope to avoid the heat).  Bring your paint brush and rollers and you willingness to get involved in mission.   For more information call Jim @ 620-762-0273  or Email thejimthomas@hotmail.com

6-05-06  The Rev. Dr. Arthur Jaggard has been called as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Anderson Indiana.   We in the Central Region, especially the Southeast Area, will miss Art and Debbie but God's call most be obeyed!  Art and Debbie;  Go with the blessings of the Beacon Churches Administrators and Moderators (all us faceless and nameless folks).  Oh Yeah;

GO TEAM! 

GO JESUS!

5-22-06 Hats off to the school who prayed anyway: more...

4-30-06  The above is the ABC/PSW Press release.

Here are some News Reports  ABC/USA's News Release

From the SanDiego Union Trib 

Now tell me; Who does not get it?

07/03/06

Thanks to Dwight Stinnet over at http://abcviewsfrommiddle.blogspot.com/  we have these stats from the ABC/USA poll.  (Thanks also to Durable Data for finding and reporting so I could find them).

27% believe that our national leaders are providing strong and effective leadership on the most important issues facing our denomination while 57% do not.

54% believe that our national leaders are failing to effectively address the needs and concerns of 21st century congregations 29% do not.

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT LEADERSHIP OF ABC/USA?

What should they do?

Last I checked in the church a pastor who has 50 to 60% of the congregation who feels/thinks the pastor is not doing the job (SEE STATS ABOVE) it is time to call the Area Minister and start your search process for the next place God is calling.  I also note that about 25% +/- had no opinion --- in my church life as a pastor that meant they were doing as their mothers had taught them; "If you can not say anything nice!  SAY NOTHING AT ALL!!" (Mom's everywhere!)  In other words the numbers of those with the thought/feeling that the job is not getting done well may be higher than reported; all the disgruntaled just are not talking.

These are just the thoughts of a couple of folks read Durable Data and you will see that I agree with him.  Valley Forge leaders (and I use that term only because you think you are leaders) it is time to give the board your letters of resignation and collect you departure package.  While we are at it; Who is it that the General Board resigns to?  If leadership is failing they are the next set that are to blame! 

Found this on His Barking Dog as I surfed.  It is the new name for our family in the PSW.

What is the New Name for the PSW? What Does That Mean?

 The following explanation just came out from the office in Covina. It not only announces the change in name but explains the reasons for it.

ABCPSW to Become Transformation Ministries

The American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest will become Transformation Ministries: “a movement of Baptist churches committed to change their worlds for Christ.” Following the decision of the ABCPSW Board of Directors to withdraw from the Covenant of Relationships of the American Baptist Churches USA, the Region’s Board of Directors announced the new name on May 11.

“The name Transformation Ministries focuses on what we are, rather than where we operate,” said Dr. Dale Salico, the ministry’s Executive Minister. “The congregations of Transformation Ministries are committed to bring hope to individuals, families, communities and the world. That hope is found through faith in Jesus Christ. Through the love and power of God, people of all ages, cultures and races can find God’s purpose and meaning for their lives.”

The name, Transformation Ministries, reveals the commitment of the leaders of this ministry to deep change. “As we turn to Christ in faith,” Dr. Salico explained, “we begin a journey toward becoming the men, women, young people, and churches God wants us to become. Many people think of the church as a static institution. Christ never intended His church to become fossilized. He commissioned His followers to proclaim His life-changing power and love in the world through our words and our actions. Christians do not think they are perfect or that they have all the answers. Christians are people who are finding answers together in the Bible, and learning together what it means to live in the strength of the Lord.”

Transformation Ministries is the rebirth of a movement of churches that traces its roots to 1869, when the Los Angeles Baptist Convention was formed. In 1895 it became the Southern California Baptist Convention, and in 1970, the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest. The convictions and core values of Transformation Ministries remain true to its heritage: historic Christianity grounded in the authority of the Bible as the Word of God. This mission movement that brought the Gospel to the West in the 1800’s, today proclaims Christ’s life-changing message to the rich smorgasbord of cultures of the Pacific southwest and world.

[His Barking Dog learned AGAIN today that some of you do not understand that my writings are totally, completely, positively, negatively, entirely, UNofficial and NOT speaking for ANY entity or authority ANYwhere. This dog howls at the moon solo and acapella. However, if my favorite rocker Bob Dylan (who turns 65 TODAY) wants to join me, he is more than welcome]

Memorial Day

from Jim in Lexington

5-29-06

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, the paradigm of many national cemeteries across the country, as well as U.S. cemeteries in nations throughout the world…for American GIs, men and women. These words are not profound and most likely would be considered as doggerel in universities today, but perhaps they capture some of the ambience associated with the dead and their survivors:

Arlington
[Bivouacked until…]

He looked up from his bedside…sad,
And asked again, “Mom, where is Dad?”
She looked away to hide her dread,
“In Arlington,” she softly said.

Her teacher saw the tears again
From dark, brown eyes…a girl of ten,
And looked away…and looked outside,
“Since Arlington,” she barely sighed.

He held the picture in his hand,
Then placed it gently on its stand
And murmured, “God, his day is done…
At Arlington…my son, my son.”

She baked the pie – his favorite,
And spooned the grains to flavor it,
“That’s how he liked it…sweet,” she said,
“Now Arlington…Would I were dead.”

“Let’s raise a glass!” – the piercing cry…
The old man rasped, “To those who die!
To all who keep our freedom won
And find their way…to Arlington.”

She read again the last words sent
From him in battle-battered tent –
“I love you so…wife, daughter, son.”
She wept the words, “From Arlington.”

4-15-06 from our friend Glenn Layne at http://www.durabledata.blogspot.com/

The Long Silence

4-9-06 From our friend Dennis McFadden at http://www.hisbarkingdog.blogspot.com/

Early Reports from the ABC General Executive Council Annual Meeting: "We Are Broken, But We Are Going to Fix It"

Early reports emanating from the annual meeting of the General Executive Council (GEC) of the ABCUSA tell of presentations by two high level consultants, David A. Roozen (a sociologist and Director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research) and Tricia S. Jones (a Ph.D. in Communication who specializes in conflict process negotiation, mediation theory, and organizational conflict and dispute system design). Tricia Jones seemed to sum up the drift of the event with her words: “We are broken, but we are going to fix it” and “We will stop self-sabotaging and project hope.”

GEC members heard from Dr. Jones, the communications specialist, in areas of denominational conflict and dispute resolution. Using her model of issues that are “urgent” vs. those that are “not urgent,” she cross-referenced these with a process that requires “together” vs. those which might better employ “separate” efforts. In other words, some problems are better talked out in a group while others are more appropriate for non-plenary work towards solution. Her aim was to facilitate the group as they attempt to move toward the goal of the description of American Baptist Churches as . . .
* Are Healthy Missional Churches
* That Nurture Devoted Disciples of Jesus Christ
* Who Live their Lives
* In Mission and Ministry
* for the Healing of the World
* through the Love of God She led the group in looking at those aspects of the ABCUSA that the group valued and identified as critical to retain and those elements which were viewed as obstructions to our common life.

GEC members tell of Roozen’s presentation as raising several red flags regarding ABC institutional life. When looking at key indicators among Protestants such as responses to questions regarding “changed worship,” “high expression of denominational heritage,” “had a serious conflict in the last five years,” and “no problem finding lay leaders,” ABC numbers fall quite close to the norm among all Protestants, except for the heritage item. Whereas 61% of American Protestants identify with a “high expression of denominational heritage,” that number falls to a perilously low 38% among American Baptists.

As a result of this, Roozen spoke of the level of stress and unsettledness varying considerably among Protestants. Those retaining stronger identities report “annoying but manageable” levels of discomfort. Those, however, suffering from weaker identities see the conflict as “perplexing and paralyzing.” In and of itself, this would be a worrisome sign. Coupled with his prediction that the future holds a continuing fault line for issues of gender and sexuality compounds the problem.

Roozen’s presentation was a masterpiece of modern sociological analysis. His “bottom line” involved several points for consideration by ABC leaders. While mission is important, planners need to build an explicit recognition of localistic and personal subjective predispositions into all major initiatives. Clergy are central to tying history, identity, and ministry together. Second only to the importance of pastors are the structures of the regional judicatory. National staff should see the regions as their primary “client.” Further, according to Roozen, the national staff need to enhance their personal relationships with regional and local people. In place of adversarial decision making, the denomination should adopt more “spiritual” and soft “discernment approaches.” Finally, Roozen recommended giving priority to clergy training, support and supervision and hiring “story-tellers” to help connect ABC history and identity with real live experiences of our constituency.

In other words this expert told our national leadership that people like what they like and smart leaders will give everyone a little "something;" pastors are the gate keepers for denominational identity and they should be given better training, support, and supervision by the denomination if the ABC wants their assistance in promoting the denomination; the regions are the 800 lb. gorillas in the room and must be treated like the primary client of the national staff; the Valley Forge folk should put on their best “Dale Carnegie” face and do more relating to regional and local “folks;” rather than voting on everything employing a win-lose political model, we should use more “fuzzy” spiritual discernment approaches. And, we need to find some Garrison Keillor types to hire who can make us laugh and make us cry, and make us yearn for our ABC family (e.g., Bob Roberts has often filled this role superbly).

So, what do we make of this high level utilization of expert presentation and facilitation? I, for one, thought that this is what we paid Valley Forge staff to be doing all along. But, as tensions rise within the organization in various regions, these are some of the seminal issues which must be addressed by any organization professing: “We are broken, but we are going to fix it” and “We will stop self-sabotaging and project hope.”

[His Barking Dog admits to a "wonkish" addiction to organizational behavior topics like this one. Just like the old Lay's potato chip ad, "bet you can't eat just one." However, my wonk taste does not imply that I know anything. It certainly is unnconnected to the PSW staff and policy makers.]

posted by Dennis E. McFadden @ 4:13

4-9-06

From our friend Tom Marker at http://www.tommarker.blogspot.com/

Anybody notice how much more sexual predators upon kids using the internet are in the News now? Where has been the coverage up til now? Dateline started it with all of their sting operations. Then the other day a 19 year old spoke before Congress in graphic detail how he made a ton of money in the child porn industry (started when he was 13) and later that night a big shot with Homeland Security was arrested for seducing what he thought was a young teen-age girl. I agree with the analyists.

posted by Tom at Thursday, April 06, 2006