Day 16 - Ministry Monday...

In the spotlight today for the Ministry Monday post of The First 25 Days of 2012 is Commonground Baptist Ministries...which is a ministry of Southeast Bible Baptist Church in Penfield, N.Y. [You can also check them out on Facebook.]

I'm mainly going to cover the Summer Junior and Teen Camps that our church kids excitedly look forward to every year. However, they do also have a Bible Institute that has an emphasizes in distance learning, as well as an online store.

But back to camp...Commonground Baptist Camp is a great camp! Here is an excerpt from their website on what the camp is all about...

What is Commonground Baptist Camp?

Commonground Baptist is a local church camp ministry under the direction of Southeast Bible Baptist Church, and it is designed to serve local churches of like faith and practice. The ministry started when it held its first ever Winter Retreat for teenagers in 1995. Winter camps have been held every year since and Genesee Valley expanded to include summer camp in 2000. God has abundantly blessed and I will gladly put you in touch with pastors who will testify of God working in their youth departments because of the ministry of Commonground.

  Camp Philosophy

Christ Honoring: Our goal is to honor Christ in all things. We are not  building a kingdom and we are not entertaining. This is a camp run by a youth pastor who sends his kids too!

Affordable: When registered early, a week of camp is only $88!

Modest Attire: Our camp strives for an atmosphere that does not hinder the working of the Holy Spirit.

Preaching Centered: Plenty of fun times, but there will be lots of Biblical, Balanced, and Boiling Hot Preaching!!!

  What makes it different?

Commonground is a distinctly Baptist camp that has attempted to lift up a standard in the midst of this Laodecian age. Christ honoring preaching is in the center of this ministry. The messages at camp often stress a total surrender to God in every area of your life. Love God supremely, forsake the sins of this world, and serve Him with all your might. A goal for every camp week is to have an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit has free reign to work. To that end we have a code of conduct for our camp that emphasizes modesty.
The spirit of the camp also sets it apart. As the teens respond to the preaching, the games, and the counselors, the camp has a spirit where the teens just don’t want to go home! Camp is a place where you can not only do business with God, but you can really enjoy being a Christian.

  Why is it a ministry?

I have seen camp have such an incredible impact on the lives of teens and adults that I do not want to see it denied to anybody. Many people over the years have argued to me that I should not be concerned about camp costs because teens can get money for the things that they really want. As a youth director, however, I know how the cost of camp can really have an impact on teens signing up for camp. Our enemy will use anything to hinder a teen from going to something that will bless them, including the cost! I want to keep camp affordable so that every teen can go and be blessed. Money that comes in for support goes for expenses and the expansion of the camp ministry. None of it goes to our local church.

  What is the vision?

From a small winter retreat, Commonground Baptist Camp has grown to include multiple teen summer weeks, multiple junior weeks, men’s retreats and sporting tournaments. For futher expansion, it is important for the camp to acquire it’s own property. Will you pray with us to that end?

Pastor Jim Krohn, Camp Director

and his family

I have gone the past three years, twice to teen camp and once to junior camp...they were all wonderful experiences in there different ways! Pastor Krohn has done a great job at making the camp fun, exciting, comfortable, affordable...and SPIRITUAL! Why go to a Christian camp and come away the same as when you went?

This camp is not like that! Pastor Krohn schedules great preachers that share their hearts and challenge the kids (as well as adults) to follow God with everything!!!

I can't wait for camp :)

Let no man despise thy youth;

but be thou an example of the believers,

in word, in conversation, in charity,

in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

Amanda

Day 9 - Ministry Monday...

Last week I shared a little bit about my church...well, today on Ministry Monday of The First 25 Days of 2012 I'm going to spotlight a missionary ministry based from our church...

C.A.R.E. - Christ's Ambassador's Reaching the Elderly is the mission of Norman and Priscilla Aabye. (Pronounce like Abby.)

This is their prayer card with a brief description of what the mission is about. Then below is an overview of what they do from their blogspot...

C.A.R.E. Ministries

2 1/2 million elderly live in 25,000 nursing homes across the USA. 40% of these elderly are considered "castaways" or an "inconvenience" by their families. Some never receive a visitor. Most feel abandoned and suffer from some degree of depression. Others, having lost mobility, feel trapped with no hope.

 

In 2006, the Lord led us to establish C.A.R.E. (Christ's Ambassadors Reaching the Elderly) Ministries as an independent Baptist, local church based mission work dedicated to reaching what we believe are "America's fastest growing, yet most neglected people group: the elderly in nursing homes"!

 

Do you know someone in a nursing home? Probably. How important is it that this segment of society, that gave us so much, should have one more opportunity to hear the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? We are doing just that 6 days a week, in 13 facilities throughout northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio, seeing many come to faith in Christ as their Saviour. In addition, we are now recruiting couples who share our burden to reach the elderly, who will come and work with us, and be trained to begin similar ministries in key locations throughout America.

 

As you follow along on this blogspot, our prayer is that you will develop the same burden we have to reach these dear ones while there is still time.

Norm & Priscilla Aabye

 

Missionaries Norm and Priscilla are originally from Connecticut, where he started and pastored River Valley Baptist Church for 18 years. As stated above, they moved out here to begin their ministry...and to be near their only child, our Pastor, Jason Aabye, and his family.

 

We are so grateful they did, because not only are they doing a GREAT work as missionaries to the 13 nursing homes, they are also a major help to the church! Most days of the week you will find them at school (Open Door Baptist Academy) helping the kids with their school work. They are loved by the children and are affectionately referred to as Grandpa and Grandma Aabye {especially by me [even though they are only old enough to be my parents and not my grandparents ;) ] and my girls :)}

 

Why not check out this greatly needed ministry by clicking over to their blog, reading about what is happening, and find out what you can do to help this lost and neglected segment of society.

 

 

Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not;

until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation,

and thy power to every one that is to come.

Psalm 71:18

 

Amanda

 

{Another prescheduled post, done the night before...YEAH! This is so exciting :) }

However...if it wasn't for these being daily post that go with The First 25 Days of 2012,

I probably wouldn't even be preschelduing anyway!

Day 2 - Monday Ministry...

Welcome to the second day of The First 25 Days of 2012.  It's Monday, so I'm going to share a minisrty with you...my church - Open Door Baptist Church. The website has all the essential details, like the times we meet, where we are located, our doctrinal statement, sermons to listen to, and other things like that. So, since that it is already covered, I'm going to share some of the things that make a church more personal.

I started attending this small country church in 2002...Chad started attending with me in 2003 and we were married here on a beautiful July afternoon in 2004. We love our church! It is a big part of our lives and we try to do whatever we can to help out to further the ministries of the church.

The church has many yearly functions that are looked forward to and are enjoyed by our great church family. A Valentine's banquet, summer picnics, VBS, junior and teen camp with Commonground Baptist Ministries (which will be covered later this month), a harvest party, our church Christmas party, and the New Year's Eve game night are just some of the awesome things we do at church.

The church is also home to Open Door Baptist Academy, a K - 12, ACE school. There are 13 students enrolled this year. I am able to volunteer my time once a week to help the kids with the questions they have on their work and to enrich their lives. As Amber gets a little older..and less distracting :) I hope to resume helping two days a week. Lizzy will be attending school here for Kindergarden this fall, I can't beleive she's getting so big!

I love that my girls can grow-up with freinds that they can attend church and school with. The people at our church are wonderful!

Come see for yourself :) The church also has a Facebook page. Stop by sometime, either in person or virtually, and see what's happening...we'd love to have you!

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:

I would thou wert cold or hot.

Revelation 3:15

As we serve in our church we need to remember that is a service to the LORD. We need to remain on fire for God...or do nothing at all. To quote from a 'classic' movie...Marila tells Anne "God does not want a fair weather friend." He wants our total affection, all the time... which He deserves for giving us the greatest gift...salvation.

Serve fervently...
Amanda