Look Who's Coming to the Convocation

"The future's so bright we have to wear shades." -- Timbuk3

As of March 9th, 261 individuals have registered for the 2009 Alliance of Baptists Convocation!

This includes 31 Students and 52 First Timers. Several new exhibitors will also  be present this year such as  Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, American Baptist Seminary of the West, Smith & Helwys, and Xerox Corp. Why Xerox? If you would like a FREE (it's true) high end laser printer to use at your church or small business look for the Xerox representative at the convocation. 

Register today and pay only $95.00. After March 15th the convocation registration fee is $110.00.

College and Theology Students pay no registration fee. Spread the word to family, friends and neighbors. The 2009 Alliance of Baptists Convocation will mark a transformative moment in Baptist history, congregational life  and in the personal stories of all who are able to attend. Don't be left behind.

Start Spreading the News...

Madison Avenue Baptist Church in NYC Joins the Alliance of Baptists

Did you know Jesus Christ Superstar debuted in 1971 in  the sanctuary of Madison Avenue Baptist Church? Or that Madison Avenue Baptist offers a "one of a kind religious education program composed of 'sunday school uncut' and a once a month bible study called 'beer and bible'?"

Founded in 1948, Madison Avenue Baptist  Church serves midtown NYC with ministries for the homeless and the elderly and partnerships with NY Cares (keeping NY green and clean), AA, and the Poverty Initiative (reigniting Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign). Led by Rev. Susan Sparks, Madison Avenue Baptists "believe in an inclusive spirit where all are welcome." Rev. Sparks is also a standup comedian who offers a ministry of humor as part of worship, sermons and pastoral care. She believes, "If you can laugh at yourself, you can forgive yourself. And if you can forgive yourself, you can forgive others - that's what grace is all about."

"A landmark in midtown for over 160 years, Madison continues to offer a fresh, relevant take on the world.

You see it through the diversity of our community: Hispanic, Asian, African American, Russian, LGBT, Mormons, Menonites and ages ranging from ninety seven years old to one week. You also see it in our growth. In the past two years, we have quadrupled in size with the average age of our new members around twenty-five. This is a vibrant, growing community doing its best to bring the gospel to life in our 21st century world." -- Rev. Susan Sparks

Her next comedy show is at Miami University of Ohio with a standup Rabbi and a standup Islamic comedian. Or you can catch Rev. Sparks in the pulpit every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a community of women, men and children committed to being Baptists in a rapidly changing world. Let's welcome the creative, progressive, and inclusive spirit of Madison Avenue Baptist Church to the Alliance of Baptists family.

Metro Baptist Church in NYC

Metro Baptist Church an affiliate congregation in Hell's Kitchen, NYC and home to Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries, has called Rev. Alan Sherouse to serve as Senior Pastor. In 2008, the Alliance of Baptists supported Rauschenbusch Ministries with a $2,000.00 grant for the Page Turner's After-School Program thanks to your giving to the Bridges of Hope Mission Offering.

"We are drawn to the city for its life and energy, its opportunity and its challenges. We feel called to the church for many reasons - its progressive witness among Baptists, its visible commitment to justice, its creative worship tradition, its model of urban ministry, its sense of community and welcome - and we're excited to partner with the dynamic and diverse community of ministers and parishioners that call Metro home." -- Alan Sherouse

Rev. Sherouse, a Wake Forest University Divinity School alumni, is currently finishing his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and preparing to move with his wife Jenny to New York. Let's keep Alan and Jenny Sherouse in our prayers as they make this exciting change.

Mission Highlight

Bright Stars of Bethlehem

Founded in 2003 by Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, the Bright Stars of Bethlehem mission creates safe space each day where approximately 300 children, 6-16 years old, can discover themselves and the world beyond the wall that surrounds them in Palestine.  Bright Stars of Bethlehem also provides funding and support to local initiatives serving the educational, medical, professional and spiritual development needs of people living in Christ's birthplace.

To meet severe educational shortages in Palestine, Bright Stars of Bethlehem embarked on a project in 2008 to construct Dar Al-Kalima College. Their goal is to open Dar Al-Kalima College in September 2009. To learn more about Bright Stars of Bethlehem's vital work in Palestine visit brightstarsbethlehem.org or read about the Bright Stars program in the Alliance's Bridges of Hope Mission Brochure. In 2008, the Alliance of Baptists demonstrated our support by giving $5,200.00 to the Bright Stars Program. Your gifts to the Bridges of Hope Mission Offering ensure continued support of the Bright Stars of Bethlehem's prophetic work in 2009.

Visit our website to learn more about our mission partners. Thank you for your gifts to the Bridges of Hope Mission Offering. They make all the difference in the world!

Partner Highlight

This year the Alliance of Baptists Convocation will be the greenest convocation yet with lots of opportunities to recycle, reuse, and reduce paper and other resources thanks to the work of one of our partners, the Carbon Fund. The Carbon Fund's goals are climate change, carbon offsets and reduction, and public outreach.

At carbonfund.org you will find a calculator that determines the carbon footprint of your home, automobile, and travel and provides information about how to offset or reduce  your footprint. You can even calculate the carbon footprint of weddings and events. Simply visit carbonfund.org to determine how you can offset or reduce your carbon footprint and for a very miniminal donation to the Carbon Fund you'll receive a carbon offset. We give thanks to the Carbon Fund for encouraging us all to be mindful of  God's creation.

From Supermarket To Farmers' Market

by Chris Copeland, Minister for Leadership & Congregational Life

When I was a child, my father decided to create a garden in our side yard. It was a massive endeavor in which he built a brick frame, filled it with rich soil and manure, and began to grow fruits and vegetables from seed. I remember the excitement of coming home after school every day to see if the cucumbers had come up, or the carrots were ready to pick, or the tomatoes were ripe enough to take into the house.

The harvest was so plentiful, I had to load all the extra vegetables – those my family of six was simply unable to eat – into my wagon and distribute them around the neighborhood. I would knock on my neighbors’ doors and offer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, corn, watermelon, lettuce, potatoes, and countless others. Needless to say, I became a popular sight walking through the Forest Lakes neighborhood pulling my wagon of freshly picked produce. After all, who doesn’t love home grown goodness?

By contrast, one of my memorable excursions as a child was to visit the Harris Teeter down the street from my house in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I loved the mélange of smells, textures, and sights that struck me as I crossed the threshold of this wonderful supermarket. I was amazed at the vast numbers and kinds of products I could find: lots of potato chips, dozens of cookies, and hundreds of cereals. It was its own kind of heavenly goodness.

It wasn’t until my thirties while living in Atlanta that I ever went to a farmers’ market. At that time I was becoming more conscious of my food choices and the environment, wanting to eat more organic and whole foods and fewer processed and artificially flavored products. I was amazed on my first visit to discover the beauty of the foods at the farmer’s market, and I was immediately taken back to my mystical childhood garden. And when I bit into a fresh tomato like one would crunch into a Macintosh apple, I instantly realized that I had forgotten what a real tomato tasted like. I simply had not been awake to the home grown goodness that I had been missing for so many years.

So what does all this have to do with Christian denominations and the Alliance of Baptists in particular? Think of it like one of Jesus’ parables...

Read more

Where Have All the Videos Gone?

by Mary Andreolli, Minister for Outreach & Communications

Did you send them and somehow I missed your posting to YouTube? Or perhaps I missed your email? Well as they say, "When the videos don't come to you, it's time to go to the videos!" From March 1-3, Zach Roberts (pictured below with his little Alliance children)  and I took the Alliance of Baptists Video Challenge on the road. We traveled through North Carolina to Asheville, Mars Hill, Winston-Salem and Raleigh to gather "I AM the Alliance" footage. We plowed through more snow, in an all wheel drive Forester, than my Floridian self has ever laid eyes on and talked to folks about their connection to the Alliance. 

March 13th we're off again to North Carolina and then March 28th - April 1st we're heading north to Portland, ME, Boston, MA, NYC, NY, and Philadelphia, PA. Look for us because we'll be looking for you! All of these rare video moments will be woven together in the 2009 Alliance of Baptists Convocation Video Premiere. The individual whose video is voted most creative on iamthealliance.org will receive a free 2010 Alliance of Baptists Membership! It's not too late. We've decided to extend the submission deadline to March 23th. You still have time to enter!

We want to hear and see you say in your most creative way:

Your Name:

Your Congregation or Seminary:

Your connection to the Alliance:

What the good news of the Alliance is to you:

Your dream for the future of the Alliance:

and finally: "I AM the Alliance!"

Individuals and congregations are encouraged to Take the Video Challenge! For information on how to upload your video to youtube.com contact Mary Andreolli, Minister for Outreach & Communications. And look for our latest adventures on Facebook and Twitter!

1328 16th NW St. Washington, DC 20036

866.745.7609, allianceofbaptists.org