Blog
Blog  A Summer Communities of Service Reflection
Paula Clayton Dempsey, Minister for Partnership Relations, Mars Hill, N.C.
Psalm 82
O Compassionate Teacher,
You are our merciful Counselor;
in the Silence You make yourself known to all who take time to listen.
Would that those in power would heed your Voice:
“How long will you misuse power that oppresses the poor? When will you learn to act justly and with integrity will bring mutual blessing to all? Do you not know that to give succour to the poor and to free people to succeed will bring you more joy than all your bank accounts?”
Ned Allyn Parker, Associate Director of Student Services, Admissions and Retention Andover Newton Theological School
I believe that both as a nation and a global society we galloped into the 21st century unprepared for what might unfold. Certainly, as a nation, we now talk about ourselves in terms of a post-9/11 society and we all have been affected by Katrina’s destruction, still visible in the South and now accompanied by the effects of the Deep Water Horizon catastrophe. As clergy and lay-leaders of faith, we find ourselves a decade into the 21st century unprepared for the way social networking and media are changing the way our congregations expect us to interact with them.
Sheila Nelson Ross, Alliance friend, Executive Director of Communities in Schools of Orange County, Inc. and member of Union Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, N.C.
Do you like being affirmed? Do you like being celebrated? Come on; admit it. Who doesn’t? During my daily devotional period I ask God to affirm me and celebrate me so as not to go seeking for such through inappropriate measures. How wonderful it is to be a part of the Alliance organization, an organization I view as being an extension of God’s affirmation and celebration of me as a minister, and foremost, as a woman minister.
Carol Blythe Goodman and Mandy England Cole, President and Vice President, Alliance of Baptists
Hello to the Alliance of Baptist Family from the new leaders of your board of directors for 2010 to 2011! We appreciate the confidence, prayers of support and blessings that have been expressed to us at Convocation and in many notes since then. We are excited about our work on the Board over the next two years as we carry forward the good work of God began by many others through our beloved Alliance of Baptists.
Brooks Wicker, Board Member
A consistent and welcomed question over the years from members old and new has been, “How can I get directly involved with the good work of the Alliance?” The answer to that question is to join or form an Alliance community.
What a Brunch Bunch in Baltimore!
Paula Clayton Dempsey, Minister for Partnership Relations and Mary Andreolli, Minister for Outreach & Communications
Paula Clayton Dempsey, Minister for Partnership Relations
The day before Pentecost I watched a 60-foot white oak tree being taken down from in front of our house. It was the second white oak we have lost in our yard. After the chain saws had stopped and a load of wood split and hauled away, I counted between 130 and 150 rings.
Ana Karim, Project Manager, Summer Communities of Service
Summer Communities of Service 2010 is a reality! No longer a list of tasks to be accomplished, recruitment flyers to be sent far and wide, a stack of applications to review, or a file in my or Paula’s computer, it is now a project being lived out by real flesh and blood. As 14 young adults and members of their host churches and agencies start the summer brimming with hopes, dreams, expectations and anxieties, it is a project burgeoning with endless opportunities for growth, service, and life-changing experiences.
Mike Castle, Vice President, Alliance Board; Chair, Board Restructure Task Group
In the May issue of connections, Mike Castle, Vice President and Chair of the Board Restructure Task Group outlined Board affirmed revisions to the Alliance’s bylaws. One significant impact of the changes to the bylaws is opportunity for constituents to create communities. This community creating opportunity begins at Asilomar during the annual Convocation. In this article, Mike shares more about what it means for the Alliance of Baptists to be a community-driven movement.
A Litany of Lament Over a Despoiled Ocean
Ken Sehested, pastor, Alliance-affiliated Circle of Mercy Church, Asheville, N.C.
In the beginning, darkness covered the face of the deep.
Then the Breath of Heaven swept across the waters, blessing the sea with all manner of creatures.
The sea knows its Maker and roars its applause; the fish therein leap at the sound of God’s voice.
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