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American Baptist Foundation Job Opening

7/27/2015

American Baptist Foundation (ABF) is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of Development Advisor. The desired candidate for this position will be strategically located in the Midwest or Northeast Corridor; however, travel is not limited to a specific geographic region.

The Office of Human Resource Development will be accepting applications until August 15, 2015.

Job description and instructions are in the ABCCONN office.

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Camp Wightman Mission Project

7/27/2015

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Have you heard that Camp Wightman's summer mission project is a shoe drive? We're collecting gently worn shoes for people in countries affected by natural disasters who need shoes, and to help people in developing countries help themselves through a micro-enterprise program. This week we shipped over 1200 pairs! Can you help by collecting shoes in your church or neighborhood and sending them to camp? Want more information? Call us at 860-376-2179860-376-2179 or write to us atwightman@abcconn.org. Thanks!

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All Ate and Were Filled

7/27/2015

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Excerpt from sermon on 07/26/2015:

Our Christian faith tells us that we are in the world but not of the world. Yes, we live in the world. Yes, the world tells us that there is not enough. But we don’t have to believe what the world tells us, because we’re not of the world. We are of God, and God transcends the world, God is more than the world. Who are we going to believe: the finite, limited people of the world; or the infinite, all-encompassing God? Who are we going to believe: the disciples who told Jesus that they didn’t have enough bread and fish to feed the 5,000; or Jesus, who said, in true Nike fashion, “Just do it – just pass out the food. You’ll see that there is enough."

FULL SERMON HERE

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In the World But Not of the World

7/27/2015

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Excerpt from sermon on 07/12/2015:

This is a pretty bleak picture of what it means to be a Christian and to live out our faith by doing the work of the Kingdom that is required of us. After all, John the Baptist did lose his head. But Mark doesn’t leave us with such a bleak picture. There’s another piece to the story that must be pointed out and lifted up. Remember, the story about John the Baptist is a flashback. It’s something that has occurred in the past. We’re told the story because Herod has heard about Jesus and he thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead! Herod thought that he had the whole John thing under control – “Well, I got rid of that problem” – but here John is, back again, in another form, and an even more potent form. This man from God, this Jesus, really does rise from the dead! The work of God can’t be stopped. You may kill one worker, but another will rise up to take his or her place.

FULL SERMON HERE

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Outdoor Worship

7/12/2015

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We had a beautiful outdoor worship service. Here are a few photos taken while we were preparing.

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Statement From the Baptist Joint Committee For Religious Liberty

7/12/2015

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For your consideration, the following information comes from the Baptist Joint Committee on the Supreme Court decision for same sex marriage. The Rev. Judy Allbee

The Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling: What you need to know now

In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have the legal right to marry nationwide. Religious arguments are made on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate, and conversations are now turning to the decision’s effect on religious liberty. Here are important things to keep in mind about the landmark ruling and what it means for you and your church.

The word “marriage” can refer to two distinct concepts: civil marriage and religious

marriage.

Marriage is a religious act that occurs in the context of a religious community consistent with religious texts, traditions and understandings. Marriage is also a civil institution that affords certain legal privileges and protections. The law treats these concepts differently.

Obergefell v. Hodges is about civil marriage.

The ruling will have religious liberty implications, but it is not a First Amendment case and is not based on religious liberty. It is grounded in due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court held that civil marriage is a fundamental right demonstrated through principles about individual autonomy, the singular importance of the marriage union, protection of children and families, and the preservation of social order. The Court held that exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage could not be supported in light of these principles.

The way your church does marriage does not need to change.

The Court’s decision does not remove the separation of church and state. Churches will continue to make their own decisions about the marriage ceremonies they conduct. This was true before the decision and continues to be true. The Court’s ruling can be an occasion for houses of worship and ministers to reflect on and educate members about the relationship between the civil and religious aspects of marriage.

The ruling does not decide religious questions about marriage.

While religious liberty rights were not at issue in the case, the Court’s decision in Obergefell respectfully acknowledged that some deeply held and long-standing religious beliefs oppose same-sex marriage. This kind of respectful treatment of dissenting views is important in continuing to protect religious liberty without harming the rights the Court affirmed. The conversations will continue, and legal conflicts will not be worked out overnight. Harder questions, particularly about religiously affiliated institutions and religious objectors in the marketplace, will depend on the circumstances of each situation and the interplay of a variety of laws.

Threats of losing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status have been highly exaggerated.

After Obergefell, some have asserted that churches and other religious organizations will lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage. Churches have long followed their own rules for performing marriages without such threat. Obergefell does not change this. Any threat to the tax-exempt status of religious entities would require an expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bob Jones University v. United States (1983). That case — which upheld the revocation of tax-exempt status based on the university’s racially discriminatory admission policies — by its own terms does not apply to churches and has not been applied beyond racial discrimination in education. It is unlikely that the Court’s decision in favor of same-sex marriage will have any effect on the 501(c)(3) status of religious organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.

Obergefell does not create automatic access to facilities owned by religious entities.

Laws that prohibit discrimination in public accommodations, housing and employment vary widely. Where such laws exist and prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, many have exemptions for religious organizations. Whether buildings — including sanctuaries — owned by churches or other religious organizations are affected by the Court’s ruling in Obergefell depends on how such buildings are used and marketed as well as the specific nondiscrimination laws of the jurisdiction. Churches may limit the use of their sanctuaries to weddings consistent with their religious teachings.

Religious liberty is a foundational concept that requires more than sound bite attention.

America protects religious freedom in a distinct way — a way that allows people with vastly different beliefs to live peaceably with each other. We start with the first 16 words in the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” These words make clear that the role of government in religious matters is limited. Additional protections exist in various federal, state and local laws. While religious liberty is not absolute, robust religious liberty protects the freedom to believe and the right to exercise or act upon one’s religious convictions. People with very little in common often want the same things when it comes to religion, such as the ability to believe and act in accordance with their conscience, equal rights under the law, and a government that does not take sides in religious disputes. Courts, legislatures, churches and informed citizens all share the responsibility to uphold America’s legacy of religious freedom.

For more information from the Baptist Joint Committee on this topic, visitBJConline.org/marriage-articles

Facebook.com/ ReligiousLiberty

@BJContheHill

BJConline.org

BJConline.org/blog

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty • 200 Maryland Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 • 202-544-4226

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It Is Well

7/10/2015

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Last evening, I said to my husband, "I am in a kerfuffle (an agitated state)." Why am I in a kerfuffle? Oh, there are so many reasons to be in a kerfuffle!

Personal reasons:
(I know, these things are small potatoes, but they are small potatoes that agitate me!)
*Our house is in disarray because we are painting and rearranging rooms and it is taking FOREVER for us to do the work ourselves. Meanwhile, we limp along as if we had just moved into our house.
*My daughter is competing in a national dance competition next week and we are feeling the strain of preparing and anticipating. Although there will be fun things to do, it is, after all, a COMPETITION, at which all of her hard work and our investment (money and time) will be JUDGED, and neither she nor I are as laid-back as we appear!
*My husband is working a lot to pay for our daughter's dancing. He is tired and a bit worn out.
*Oh, and then there's the general house maintenance that we often do not have time or energy to do that confronts us whenever we are at home!

World reasons:
*It has become all too apparent that racism is alive and well in our country and that people's lives are at stake every day because of it.
*It has become all too apparent that other types of prejudices are alive and well in our country. While on vacation last week, my sister's friend was the victim of veiled threats to his physical well-being due to the fact that he is gay. The way he was treated was a reminder to me that minorities are at risk in so many ways, and that the majority has no real understanding of this most of the time.
*Russia: need I say more?
*China's economy
*Climate change
*I'm sure there are more things that I am not thinking of at the moment. Just listen to the radio or read the news and you will find plenty of reasons!

Yes, I have been in a kerfuffle. BUT, this morning, while I was out walking, I started to pray. I prayed for people, my dog (injured leg not healing), situations, places -- many things. Then I began to sing, in my head, the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul," the first stanza of which states, "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way/When sorrows like sea billows roll/Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say/It is well, it is well with my soul." TO HEAR THE HYMN AND LEARN THE MOVING STORY BEHIND IT, CLICK HERE.

SO MANY reasons to be agitated -- and, yet, my faith tells me to be assured that it is well with my soul. This, I think, is the peace that passes understanding that only God can give: The peace that is present even in the midst of troubles. It is the peace that is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It is present to us ANY TIME and ALL THE TIME. WE JUST HAVE TO CHOOSE IT!

So, today, this morning, I am choosing PEACE, because God has already chosen me and I have chosen God, and I TRUST God -- I trust that God can work in and through and with anyone and anything -- and I TRUST that those who love God will work to actively love the world and its people despite the sin and evil with which we are confronted -- and, truth be told, in which we are complicit by merely being alive -- every day. And I trust these things because the GOSPEL tells me that LOVE WINS -- and I believe it! Do you?

In Christ
Pastor Amy

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American Baptist Foundation Job Opening

Camp Wightman Mission Project

All Ate and Were Filled

In the World But Not of the World

Outdoor Worship

Statement From the Baptist Joint Committee For Religious Liberty

It Is Well

WELCOME!

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