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Volume 14 Issue 5
June 2015
David B. Linn
District Superintendent
JESUS STRONG
The NED Connection
THE NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT OF THE C&MA
Upstate NY
Recently the city of Boston held the first marathon after the murderous
work of the Tsarnaev brothers last year which killed some, maimed many, and
scarred the souls of uncountable numbers of people. How should we respond to
such acts of heartless terror? One way that the people of Boston responded was by
refusing to change their behavior out of fear. Their rallying cry: Boston Strong. Tens
of thousands participated in this year’s marathon.
The same rallying cry arose in New Jersey after a massively destructive hurricane wiped out homes, business, schools, boardwalks, amusement parks, bridges,
and roads on the coast: Jersey Strong. It drew people together and helped them
face their immense rebuilding project.
The Apostle Paul’s prayers for his fellow-believers reflect a similar concern.
He asked God: “…That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man [or self]
…” (Ephesians 3:16). Of all the things for which Paul might have prayed, he asked
God that believers as individuals and also as churches would be Jesus Strong.
What would that look like? Fortunately, Paul was careful to tell us:
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of
the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). Jesus Strong is strength
in the inner self, as energized by the filling of the Holy Spirit. It also has some very
concrete manifestations which display the mind of Christ within us.
Humility is the quality of seeing ourselves rightly by gazing upon the majesty
of God. God’s greatness helps us know our true significance, both more and less
than we are tempted to think. Gentleness is that Christ-like temperament which
reflects him of whom it was said: “A bruised reed he would not break.” It is stronger
to treat others with gentleness than to push them around to make them do what we
want them to do.
Patience is that quality which, trusting in the total sufficiency of Christ, is
willing to work and to wait for God’s timing in all things. Someone has defined it as
“deferring a hasty action for the sake of a very good reason.” That reason is so the
purposes of God can be achieved. Tolerance is the willingness to work with difficulties in our interaction with others. What discomforts are we willing to withstand so
that others can learn to deploy their spiritual gifts as they stumble down the Jesus
road?
Love is the outward revelation of an inward attitude of selflessness and utmost concern for the good of others. The cross is the dramatic acme of this quality,
but opportunities to sacrifice ourselves for the
NED Notices
2
good of others come every day, often in very
mundane ways. Finally for this passage, there is
Education Connection
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zeal for the unity of the Spirit. What energy are
Evangelism Connection
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we willing to bring to the fight of faith in keeping Christ’s body together?
C&MA Men’s Ministry
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These kinds of things are the true
Delta News
measure of the inner strength of the believer,
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Missions Connection
and we can only get them as the fruit of the
DiscipleMaking Team
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work of God. May we, and all of our churches,
be Jesus Strong.
Resources Bulletin Board 8
NED
Notices
WELCOME!
Resonate 2015
August 10-13, 2015
Colorado Springs, CO
All new official workers are invited to
attend Resonate which also fulfills one
of the requirements toward ordination.
Resonate is a conference for those in
their first year of service with The
Alliance or for those who have not
attended a previous Resonate. This
year Resonate will be held at the
Colorado Springs Marriott. Hotel
accommodations and meals during the
conference will be paid by Church Ministries. By attending this event, a new
worker will:

Be inspired from God’s Word
through preaching and teaching

Be renewed by The Alliance vision

Network with Alliance pastors and
workers

Meet the National Office staff

Fulfill a requirement for ordination
or consecration

Hear firsthand what God is doing
throughout The Alliance from the
leaders of International Ministries,
Church Ministries, Development,
Operations/Finance, and the Executive Office

Take a tour of the National Office
Registration is open at
http://www.cmalliance.org/events
$99 Regular (through June 8)
$129 Late (June 9–July 8)
Rev. Gary C. and Joy C. Newton, Ph.D.
Pastor at
Community Alliance Church
257 Rowland Street
Ballston Spa, NY 12020
Looking for Pastors or
Interim Pastors in NY
Albany, Franklinville,
LaGrangeville, Ohio,
Port Crane, Schoharie,
and Whitesville, NY
Looking for Assistant or
Associate/Youth Pastors
Deepest Sympathy
Mrs. Barbara K. Mandigo
Wife of Rev. Brian L. Mandigo
Associate Pastor at LaFayette, NY
May 20, 2015
Corning, Oneida,
Oswego, Ticonderoga,
and Wellsville, NY
In Transition
Pastor Nathan E. Cooper to
Unassigned
District Directory
Updates
Pastor Carl D. Henderson
41 Fort Brown Dr Suite 103
Pleattsburgh, NY 12903
845-551-6590 (cell)
Campbell
[email protected]
Page 2
THE NED CONNECTION
Sally Fry
District Administrator
Education Connection
We have been invited to attend a Growing a
Healthy Church seminar which is being taught by
Rev. Jeff Miller and hosted by the Central District of
the C&MA in Wadsworth, Ohio. It will be held on
Saturday, September 26, 2015 from 8:30 am – 4:30
pm with a cost of $20 which includes the workbook.
This seminar is open to all pastors, lay leaders, elders and potential leaders. In addition, it fulfills one
of the requirements for Ordination and Consecration. The registration form can be found on our
Continuing Education page at www.nedcma.org. If
you are not able to attend, the Growing a Healthy
Church online course is available at
http://growingahealthychurch.com/ghc/.
Thank you to everyone who filled out the
Ministry Bank Questionnaire at the recent District
and Prayer Conference. In reviewing the questionnaires, it is amazing to see the resources that our
district has been blessed with and we will be looking
for ways to continue to connect everyone to share
these resources. If you haven’t had the opportunity
to fill out the questionnaire, please take time to do
so and send it to me. It can be found on the Continuing Education page on our website.
“If we believe what Ephesians 4:16 says about how
the church grows we will do three things: submit
ourselves totally to Christ our head, connect with
other people who have done so, and together invest
what God has given us in other people.” –Dave Linn
The Eternal CPR seminar was held in April and was an excellent time of learning, sharing
and fellowship. Thank you to Jon Schuerholz for teaching and leading the seminar and also thank
you to Auburn Alliance Church for all of the planning and hosting for the event. If you took this as
a Ministerial Study Program student to fulfill the 105 Disciplemaking course, please remember to
submit your assignment to the Church Leadership Academy.
THE NED CONNECTION
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EVANGELISM CONNECTION
By Tom Howell
As we left District Conference this year I am sure we
all felt stirred to impact in a greater way those around us
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having had the opportunity
to hand out tracks, engage in a prayer walk, have worship in
the Community Center, excellent devotions, challenging seminars, all stirred evangelistic excitement.
A passage of Scripture we are working through on
Sunday morning in my church is Philippians 3:12-14 where
Paul writes “Not that I have already attained, or am already
perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which
Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count
myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forward to those
things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
There is much in these three verses to unpack, but
for now notice the words “I press on, that I may lay hold of
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that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”
God lays hold of all believers for two key purposes:
Holiness and Usefulness. And neither can be accomplished
apart from a full surrender to Jesus Christ.
1 Thes. 4:7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in
holiness.
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your
fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My
name He may give you.
Not only should our prayer be, "Lord use me" but
also "Lord, make me usable." May the LORD make us useable
vessels, holy vessels, Spirit filled and empowered that we
may be effective in the continuing work of the Great Commission.
THE NED CONNECTION
C&MA MEN’S MINISTRY
Andy Bashwinger
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25
Joy . . .
One of my favorite passages regarding joy is Hebrews
12:2. It reads, “...fixing our eyes
on Jesus, the author and perfecter
of faith, who for the joy set before
Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of
God.”
injury” at the hands of a volunteer. This happened a couple
years ago also and we lost the
mower for the entire season as
we only have one decent small
engine repairman in our area. The
repairman is not the un-Jesus
part; he's a great guy and does
the best he can in the time that
Matthew Henry wrote he has. The un-Jesus part was
regarding this passage, “What it mine to own.
was that supported the human
My thoughts ranged from,
soul of Christ under these unpar- “Why would you make a misalleled sufferings; and that was take?” to “I'm done with this.”
the joy that was set before him.
You see, we have seven
He had something in view under acres of beautiful rolling hills for
all his sufferings, which was pleas- our church of about thirty congreant to him...”
gants. Last time this happened I
“Set before Him.”
greater than my vision. I let that
happen.
Pastors and ministry leaders, are we keeping something
better ahead of us to keep pushing ourselves through the
“momentary light afflictions” –
learning every day in many new
ways to depend and trust in God's
grace more? Are we allowing the
Holy Spirit to cultivate within us a
deeper, quieter and more abiding
joy?
I go back to the Hebrews
passage and remind myself that
the cross and the shame were not
the joy set before Christ. It was to
be seated at the right hand of the
throne of His Father as the Savior
and Lord of mankind. He had a
better purpose than what was
presently happening in His life. So
do you and I. Find that thing that
brings joy in your life and continually set it before you. Help others
do the same.
spent more time that summer
I have often counseled push mowing than in sermon prep
people that happiness is not the and my day job. It was physically
goal emotion in life because (as it and emotionally exhausting.
is based on what is happening) it
The thought of doing this
is shallow and fleeing. Joy on the again just broke me for a moother hand, is a deeper and more ment. My eyesight had become
abiding emotion based on our greater than my vision. I had lost
perception of what is ahead of us sight of what was before me. First
I hope and pray that you
rather than what is around us. If I was seven beautiful acres of land. experience more joy. Be strong
perceive that better things are Second was a longer season of tall and of good courage...
coming, I'm more likely to endure. grass that would allow the ground
Andy
Let me give you a recent to be better prepared for the dry
Rev. Andrew M. Bashwinger
un-Jesus moment from my own summer days. And there is also
the
possibility
that
next
year
we
District C&MA Men’s Ministry
life that may help to illustrate this.
Coordinator
may
get
a
new
riding
mower!
Our riding mower at church recently suffered a “season ending
THE NED CONNECTION
I let my eyesight become
Pastor, Compelled Christian
Church, Troy, NY.
Page 5
I am excited to introduce
you to our Elementary Camp speaker, Melissa MacDonald. Melissa is
the CMA National Children’s Disciplemaking Specialist. She travels
around the country working with
churches and districts to coach and
consult with children’s ministry
workers.
Melissa is also a national
conference speaker and author.
Her book Missing: An Urgent Call
For the Church to Rescue Kids, is a
challenge to children and family
ministry leaders. Melissa challenges
readers to embrace the task of
reaching children between 4 and 14
years of age with the gospel before
it’s too late.
Melissa is a frequent camp
and retreat speaker. In talking with
Melissa about her upcoming time at
our Elementary Camp she said, “I do
camps because I love kids and if I’m
going to talk about kids I believe I
need to work with them.”
Melissa is a real believer in
the power of the summer youth
camp experience in the life of a
young person.
“Camp ministry
changes lives. The average church
will get maybe 24 hours a year with
kids. At camp we get kids for multiple days. It’s a great opportunity to
point kids to Jesus.”
The dates for our Elementary Camp this summer are Sunday,
July 26 – Saturday, August 1. This
will be an exciting week of fun and
fellowship. Please share this wonderful opportunity with your congregation, family and friends.
We have a great video from
Melissa where she talks about the
benefits of a summer camp experience for kids. Check it out on our
Elementary
Camp
page
at
www.deltalake.org/youth-events/
elementary
Next month I will highlight
more events taking place this summer.
Steve Clark
Executive Director
Delta Lake BCC
6420 Pillmore Dr.
Rome, NY 13440
www.deltalake.org
MISSIONS CONNECTION
BY MADELINE KILMORE
April was a very active month for the District Missions Committee. We have been busy working on various
projects ranging from a Missions Seminar presented at District Conference to scheduling missions tours in our three
areas (Western, Central and Eastern) to receiving, reviewing and awarding Short-Term Missions Trips Scholarships.
Six scholarships were awarded to teens going this summer to Ecuador from the LaFayette Church. As these
teens and adults go, the Committee would like to ask the churches to pray for them as well as other groups from
District churches that will be going on STM trips that we don’t know about. Ask God to open hearts to the whitened
fields which need to be harvested.
There are many benefits of short term mission trips which will be addressed in another newsletter. Ask God
how your church can “partner” with the field through short term mission trips.
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THE NED CONNECTION
DiscipleMaking Team Connection
By Justin E. Fischer
Pastor of Student Ministries, Pine Knolls Alliance Church, South Glens Falls, NY
Life With God
Over the past month or so I have been reading
through the book With by Skye Jethani. Reading
the book is actually a bit of a review and further
reading project for me, as I had the privilege of
learning the material for the first time from Skye
himself, alongside several of my students at Life
2013. Skye is a gifted teacher and speaker, and
With is certainly worth the read.
In With, Skye describes a number of “postures” that people
typically take in their relationship with God. He describes
these postures as life under
God, life over God, life from
God, and life for God. The interesting thing about these postures is that both believers and
non-believers alike can easily
place themselves within them.
Skye points out the limited merit
and good intentions behind each
posture, but advocates for a
much different way of relating:
life with God. Life with God is
liberating, but at the same time
incredibly challenging. It is countercultural both to Christianity
and the world. Life with God is the way that we are
designed and created to live.
It has been very challenging, but also immensely
helpful, to consider the influence that the different
THE NED CONNECTION
postures have had on my own life. At the same
time, it has been invigorating to try to begin living
life with God, and within the understanding of
what that means. It has encouraged me in my journey. But life with God is not just about me. I have
begun to consider which posture others around me
have taken in their lives, and as they relate to God.
It has helped me understand
why a person is so turned off
by church and God and all of
His rules (life under God), or
why someone is so discouraged when it seems like God is
not answering her request (life
from God). Understanding life
with God has helped me point
both believers and nonbelievers toward right relationship with Him.
As we position ourselves to
lead others into life as disciples
of Christ, and as we seek to
pass on the faith from this generation to the next, it is important that we consider our
own positioning toward God.
Our postures have huge implications for how we live our lives and even for who
we understand God to be. We can only learn most
intently, follow most completely, and serve most
genuinely when we are living life with God.
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NED RESOURCES BULLETIN BOARD
NED Connection
Articles for the
July 2015 edition are
due by
June 22, 2015
[email protected]
THE NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT
OF THE C&MA
6275 Pillmore Drive
Rome, NY 13440
Phone: 315-336-4720
Fax: 315-336-0347
Calendar
JUNE
22
NED Connection Items Due
JULY
Membership Certificates
Please contact the
District Office at
315-336-4720 Ext. 201
or [email protected]
to request church
membership certificates.
Continuing Education Credit
All classes/books/seminars that
qualify for Continuing Education
should be reported for credit.
Reporting forms are available on
the NED website under
Resources & Continuing
Education. Forms may be
emailed to [email protected] or
paper copies mailed to:
The NED Web
nedcma.org
Contact via E-mail
[email protected]
District Superintendent
David B. Linn
[email protected]
District Administrator
Sally V. Fry
[email protected]
Executive Assistant
Tracy M. Murphy
[email protected]
District Bookkeeper
Edward W. Lyau
[email protected]
Northeastern District C&MA
Attention: Sally Fry
6275 Pillmore Drive
Rome, NY 13440
3-11
District Family Bible
Conference, DLBCC
4
NDEPENDENCE DAY
5
GCW Summer Renew
DLBCC, 3:00 PM
6-10
International Quiz Finals
at Crown College
7
LO&CC Meeting
District Office, 9:30 AM
12-18
Senior High Camp
(grades 9-12), DLBCC
16
19-25
23
Evangelism Committee
Teleconference, 4:00 PM
Junior High Camp
(grades 6-8), DLBCC
Missions Committee
Teleconference, 10:00 AM
26 - Elementary Camp
Aug 1 (grades 3-5), DLBCC
District Prayer Chain
Miss E. Lorraine Regnier
District Prayer Coordinator
Prayer requests will be
distributed throughout the
Northeastern District family
by contacting Lorraine
directly at
[email protected].
Page 8
NED Office Hours
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM –2:00 PM
THE NED CONNECTION