ABCCONN House has moved
as of June 30, 2009!
New Address:
90A North Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06107-1924
860-521-5421
Campership Funds: Requests for Campership scholarship money have more than doubled since last year asking for nearly double the amount from last year. At the same time, individual donations to the fund have decreased to less than half of last year’s amount and the amount available from the endowment fund for Camperships is also down nearly half. If your church is able to help young people attend camp - both from ABCCONN Churches and non-ABCCONN Churches - please send donations to David and Karen Warfield at Camp Wightman. Checks should be made payable to Camp Wightman and designated to the Campership Fund.
Call for Camp Coordinators and Counselors: The Camping season begins on Sunday June 28th with the first of an expected 600 campers arriving for their summer programs. Camp is still in need of a few good Weekly Coordinators, Counselors and Junior Counselors - males and females. Particular weeks include Aquatics (7/5), Music and Jr. Hi (7/12), Drama and Middlers (8/2) and Junior Explorers (8/9). If you or someone in your church is feeling called to be a leader in this ministry, please call Kathy Jesmonth (860-537-4030).
A new site has been formed as a place where we can, together, shape our ministries in better ways in response to the serious harm being inflicted by the current crisis. It's important to read and share. We are just getting started so check back often. Check it out here.
Ten Karen-language Bibles have been secured through ABCUSA from Thailand that will be very useful to the leadership of the Karen community worshipping at Central Baptist Church in Hartford. (They're hard to come by!) If you or your congregation would like to purchase one or more of these Bibles-- that could be a great gift. They cost $13.00 each-- and checks can be sent to Linda Lea Snyder at 49 Dyer St., New Haven, CT. And thanks-- on behalf of our new Karen friends.
The International Ministries (IM) website has journals written by missionaries describing their ministries and their daily lives reaching out in the name of Christ. Now IM is providing a way of including those missionary journals on your church's website. To find out how, go to the IM website to view the tutorial and copy the code here.
New Love New Mercy (Lamentations 3:21-24) is the 2009 Stewardship Resource Material from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. You preview this material at www.stewardshipresources.org or I can email a PDF file to you. It may be ordered directly from Judson Customer Service 1-800-458-3766 (online ordering is not available).
An interview with ABCCONN's Vice-President Jim Meek, about the H1N1 virus and what churches should know.
To see recommendations regarding H1N1 at Camp Wightman, click here.
Governor Rell has enacted a new healthcare program into law called Charter Oak Health Plan. People pay very affordable premiums on a sliding scale. It is rather comprehensive, even covering mental health. Co-pays are as low as $25 a visit. A number of community health clinics around the state are taking this. Comprehensive plan information and applications are from Charter Oak Medical. The cost varies by family size and income - it's as little as $75 a month - up to $259 / mo with annual deductibles ranging from $150 to $1750 depending on income and family size: check out prices. They have 12 clinics all over the state. Local social workers should be able to help people connect with clinics and doctors who are taking this plan. Find clinics here.
The Alban Institute has published a useful article about the being prepared for disasters. Read the article here.
The first gathering of YEL! -- Young Emerging Leaders took place on March 21, 2009 at the First Baptist Church of Branford. The program, involving youth, ages 13-18, from both RI and CT, is a 13-month leadership and faith building program. There will be several retreats and the participants will work with a mentor as they develop their leadership skills and deepen their faith. To find out more about the program, contact Amy Hollis (amysrainbow@comcast.net) with any questions.
Check out the following documents:
The ABCCONN Annual Gathering took place at the Grace Baptist Church in Waterbury on Saturday, April 25, 2009. As they say: "The best laid plans . . ." The Keynote speaker was supposed to be Dr. Reid Trulson, Executive Director of the Board of International Ministries for the American Baptist Churches. Unfortunately he became ill on his way to the meeting and was unable to attend. However, God provides! Mercy Gonzalez-Barnes, a former ABCCONN staff member who is now an ABC missionary to Mexico, was present and provided an inspiring keynote address.
A highlight of the day was the opportunity for participants to be involved in mission. Some participants left the meeting site to go out into the Waterbury community to be involved in mission while others stayed at the church doing mission-related activities. Among the missions that people participated in:
Hanna Massad, the pastor of the Gaza Evangelical Church, preached during the World Mission Conference at Second Baptist Church of Suffield, September 19-21, 2008. Hanna preached on "Being Surprised by God and by God's People."
A new brochure is available which explains what United Mission is, how it is used, and how important it is for accomplishing American Baptist mission at home and around the world. Your church is encouraged to review the information and to make a commitment for 2009 to support United Mission and the work of American Baptists in every place.
United Mission and Giving Category Definitions
Wm. Paul Young, author of the best selling book "The Shack" will be speaking at the Quaker Hill Baptist Church Saturday, June 27 @ 5:00PM and Sunday June 28 @ 9:45AM. For more information go to www.thehillchurch.net or call (860) 442-8856.
The hurricanes of this season have wiped out reserves of emergency relief kits that Church World Service provides. There is an urgent need for School Kits, Hygiene Kits, Baby Kits, and Emergency Kits. These kits are needed to provide help for those displaced by recent storms.
Please publish this bulletin insert and encourage your church members to participate in putting kits together and so, provide much needed help to brothers and sisters in need.
The weekly "Pastoral Epistle" from Cal Lord, pastor of First Baptist, Norwich