BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
Walking with those who weep
In the age of social media, it is easy to believe that only what is clean cut and manicured is worth sharing. We like to celebrate in public and mourn in private. In a culture obsessed with perfection, grief and lament feel awkward and out of place. Grievers can feel isolated under their burdens when others do not know how to make space for their sorrows. Those who are supporting sufferers can feel overwhelmed and uncertain of how to best love and serve in the tension. Even within the church, grief can be lonely and strange.
Desperate measures
Our church has a long-standing partnership with several churches in Durban, South Africa, and we are deeply concerned about the current state of affairs there. In the last few weeks, hundreds of people have been killed and dozens of malls and businesses have been looted and burned by those protesting the imprisonment of former president, Jacob Zuma. The already struggling economy (over 40% unemployment), locked down due to another spike in COVID, has taken another blow. If they can restore order, it will take years to recover in any meaningful way. Even worse, this has further enflamed racial tensions that have put many of our dear friends of Indian heritage in great danger.
Domestic abuse: 4 things pastors and churches need to know
The statistics about domestic abuse are staggering. Each year twelve million people are victims of intimate partner violence. Thirty-five percent of women experience rape, violence, or stalking at the hands of a significant other at some time in their lives. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s what pastors and church leaders need to know about domestic abuse.
Believing our own spin
I recall a number of occasions when politicians were shocked to find that they lost their elections by huge margins. These politicians could not believe they lost because they were so confident of their position on the issues, and in their marketing efforts to communicate those positions. In short, they had begun to believe their own spin, and were shocked to find out that others did not believe it nearly as strongly as they did, and voted for the other candidate.
IMB Europe partnership: Take the first step
I am thankful for the opportunity to share how God called me to missions, specifically to Poland. I will focus on the general calling and how we ended up in Europe. My walk with the Lord began shortly after my eighteenth birthday. At the time I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, this was a dream of mine since I was six years old. As I started college that dream did not change in my mind, but God was already leading me down a different road. I had a job in an animal hospital, gaining vital experience for the future and everything seemed to be on track.
The honor of a good name
Proverbs 22:1 says: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” Every person, school, organization, and entity has a name. We try hard to live up to a name. In the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, the meaning of a name was intimately tied to the person’s identity.
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.
Through faith and patience
“...that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:12
On June 19th, 2021 our country declared Juneteenth a national holiday. The original date in 1866 marked the end of 250 years of enslavement for people of African descent with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. As I remember my slave ancestors, I am inspired by their resilience as they endured unimaginable suffering and unfair treatment; they held fast to a promise that one day their children and grandchildren would be free.
Follow up for church events
Summer is ticking away and many local churches are doing events like vacation Bible school, block parties, sports camps, and other creative ways to reach the community. After these events, it is so important to follow up. Many churches find that these valuable prospects slip through their fingers because of the lack of follow up.
IMB Europe partnership: Open doors and open hearts in Madrid
The Lord never ceases to amaze us. This past year in Madrid, Spain, started out as a series of “closed doors” for us. The spiritual climate in Madrid has always been a challenge. Only one in two hundred Spaniards is born-again, and it sometimes feels as though people are numb to the Gospel. This year was different, though. Although we intentionally labored in the missionary task through evangelism, discipleship, leadership training and healthy church formation, we were met with quarantines, lockdowns and restrictions due to the pandemic.
3 principles on Christian leadership
“Leadership is a thing,” someone recently said to me. And it’s true; leadership is a God-ordained phenomenon for relationships and accomplishing his mission. From the beginning of time, we have naturally looked to leaders - whether informal leaders like parents or teachers, to more formal leaders like Kings, generals, CEOs, or senators. We trust them to guide us, to teach us, and even to equip us for reaching a goal or accomplishing a vision. The Bible is full of leadership structures and examples. Moses was a reluctant leader, yet charged with the task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. David was a strong leader, but whose weaknesses caused great turmoil in his family and eventually the nation. Oftentimes we find ourselves in the role of leader whether we were looking for leadership responsibilities or not. As believers, how do we faithfully carry out a leadership role?
The surprising power of encouragement
Encourage (verb): to help someone feel confident and able to do something; to inspire or motivate.
One of New England’s mission partners, Dean Anderson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Woodbury, Tennessee, wrote about the power of encouragement: “I recently heard about a man whose paperboy landed the newspaper on the driveway about 75% of the time, and in the wet grass the other 25%. The man wrote a note thanking him for being so accurate and so often hitting the driveway. And from that day forward he never found another newspaper in the grass!” Pastor Dean understands the surprising power of an encouraging word: Recognizing and affirming when people do something well, motivates them to do even better.
What do you believe about stewardship? Part 2
In Part One of “What Do You Believe About Stewardship” we considered stewardship in light of the ownership of God—I am the creation of God and I am made in the image of God. Now let’s look closer at what it means to be a steward or manager. As Genesis 1:26 makes clear those who are made “in the image of God” are to “subdue and rule” over the rest of creation of God. We are given the task of managing the creation of God. That management was done in the context of relationship with God—as created to Creator and as image of God to God.
Stewarding the senses: Redeeming sensuality
I’m making tacos tonight: pork shoulder slow cooked until it’s falling off the bone, fresh lime and cilantro, a bit of arugula, some fried plantains and homemade guacamole on the side. The many flavors give me a window into the vibrancy of God the Creator. Yes, tacos can be an entry way into worship. And they should be. The senses – hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch – are incredible gifts from God, given to His beloved creation as avenues by which to know Him better, by which we know His love, and through which we learn to long for Him more and more. They are designed to point us to a Creator who is even bigger than what we can know, taste, or touch.
Peace of God
I remember hearing the phrase “guard your heart” many times as a kid. As a young girl this was often said to me about dating, which I did not find too applicable for myself as a 13-year-old uninterested in dating (the only prospects for me at the time were smelly middle school boys). As I got older, I was told to “guard my heart” against false idols, temptations, and fears. I did find this applicable as a 20-something-year-old… until I realized how difficult it is to guard my own heart out of my own strength. The more people told me to “guard my heart” with no explanation, the more confused I was on what it even meant.
Virtual gatherings in the "new normal"
As COVID-19 concerns and precautions begin to fade, many of us are anxiously looking forward to getting back to the active life and ministry we once knew. A big temptation in this moment can be to jump right back into the routines and patterns we had pre-pandemic and try to pretend the last year and a half never happened. As difficult as the pandemic has been for all of us, we need to stop to consider the blessings that have come out of this season and the things that we can carry with us moving forward to strengthen our ministry. I believe one of the blessings the Church has been given during the pandemic is the widespread adoption of virtual meetings.
Are they with us?
Waging war against our cultural and theological enemies is not what Christ taught us. Jesus taught his disciples principles of Christian nonaggression.
Is your church really welcoming to visitors?
I know I have talked about this subject a couple years ago, but with so many churches seeing a lot of first-time visitors enter through their doors I felt it was important to revisit this subject. I have pastored and visited churches where the statement was made (usually by regular attenders) about how friendly their church was. But when one drills down below the spoken statements, you find your church may not be as friendly and welcoming as you might think. Most churches are friendly to people they see on a weekly basis. If you want to find out how friendly and welcoming you are, ask a couple of people to visit anonymously and then bring you a report on their experience. You may be surprised.
Praying for the most strategic mission field
This fall students will attend college on the campuses of New England: students from the region, the Northeast, every state in the country, nearly every protectorate of the country, and nations spanning the globe. As students live, study, recreate, and make friendships on a localized campus community, they crystalize the worldview, habits, and relationships that will propel them for life. On campuses all across our New England region, nearly one million students will be making decisions that will guide their lives — and eternities — in real time.
The power of persistence
I recently came across an interesting survey about prayer done during the pandemic. It was conducted by the Cultural Resource Center at Arizona Christian University on behalf of the Presidential Prayer Team. They discovered that 66% American adults pray at least once a week and another 10% reported they pray at least once a month. According to this survey, prayer is the most widely practiced religious activity today. Even with these impressive stats, people still report struggling with their prayer life. In this same survey, only 2% said they were satisfied with their prayer life.