BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
CrossWalk 2024 Recap: Running the Race Together
The verse above is one of the verses we looked at in our Bible study groups at Crosswalk this year. And to me, this verse really captures the heart of Crosswalk. For anyone wondering, Crosswalk is a weeklong Bible camp for middle school and high school students throughout New England, taking place at Nichols College. Youth pastors, leaders, and parents take a week off to chaperone these students - 30 congregations being represented! - and give them a chance to learn the Bible and worship the Lord with other believers.
Renée Ghobrial Challenges Today’s Teens To Experience Genuine Christian Life
A New England native with family roots in Egypt and an abiding love for mentoring teenagers and young adults, Renee Ghobrial has been serving BCNE churches since January 1 as the leader of Next Generation Youth Ministries.
Clark retiring from a lifetime of dynamic youth ministry
When Allyson C. Clark moved from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, to metro Boston in 1991, the Nashville, TN, native was often asked “How long are you staying?” New England Baptists were accustomed to enthusiastic Southern Baptists serving a church for a few years before retreating to warmer, friendlier climates. “This question had a great impact on me. I told them I was here to stay. It took five years and they finally stopped asking,” she said.
Reaching the next generation
Many churches are having a difficult time reaching the next generation with the message of Jesus Christ. Not only are churches struggling to connect with young people outside the congregation, but they are also having challenges keeping those who grew up within the church.
CrossWalk 2022: The Fab Four, God’s revival, and beginning again
A CrossWalk 2022 snapshot: 242 students (including 33 graduated seniors and 37 juniors) with 26 congregations participating, with 80 chaperones and 20 staff leaders. Attendance was about 350 total. This year there were revelations of firsts: about half of the attendees were first-time campers, CrossWalk took place on a different campus, and we welcomed a new camp pastor.
Establishing a multicultural church to reach the next generation
The FBC-Framingham Baptist Church is a multi-ethnic church merge with River of Life Worship Center & Igreja Batista Brasileira de Framingham located in the MetroWest region of Boston, Massachusetts. The church’s congregation is mainly composed of Brazilian immigrants. We started the planting process in 2014. The River Of Life Worship Center has gone through several transitions over the seven years since its inception, in terms of location and target groups. When the church reached 4 years of existence, we noted the need for a further transition from a predominantly Portuguese-speaking congregation to a truly multi-ethnic church that uses English as its primary language of worship - an ongoing process we are in to this day.