GOOD NEWS American Baptist Women’s Ministries of New Jersey Winter 2013 / 2014 Upcoming events Love Gift and Spring Rally March 29th Yardville Baptist Church Annual Conference & Women’s Retreat May 29th – 31st Harvey Cedars, LBI Intergenerational Retreat for women & Girls July 26th – 29th Green Lake WI From our President I have lived in New Jersey all my life. I moved to Piscataway in the early 1980's. When I joined the First Baptist Church of New Market in Piscataway. In the next few years I became active in the American Baptist Women of my church and have been active every since. I went to my first state conference around 1995 after which I went to my first national conference in Greenlake in 1996. Every since then I have been active locally, in the state and nationally. The American Baptist women have helped me develop both spiritually and personally. This year I will conclude my Presidency of the women of New Jersey. I would like to thank each and every American Baptist women who I have met. You have encouraged me and inspired me with your dedication to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is our inspiration as we continue our work. This is the "Time to Serve." Join me this year at our Love Gift/ Rally in March and the State Retreat the end of May to be inspired, grow in Christ, have fun, and most important to serve Christ. Adele H. Hueston From our TREASURER Thank you and please continue to support our mission /outreach ministries. We are grateful and I am sure that our missionaries in the field say thank you also. ABW does an important work for so many people through our National Office as well as locally. Your support is greatly appreciated because mission outreach is what ABW is all about. I appeal to you on behalf of ABWMNJ to support our global missions. Through our collective efforts, we can continue to make a difference here in the US and globally. I ask that you take a moment and send a check for your designated fund of your choice. I encourage each church to send your ABW Association dues as well. This is based on how many women are in your congregation. Normally $2 per woman or whatever you decide. Please call me at 973-6730385 or 973-820-8405 for further explanation of any of the funds or projects. Thank you for being a blessing to others through our various ministries. Listed are designated funds that you can make your check payable to ABWMNJ. My address is 125 Oak St., East Orange, N J 07018. I look forward to hearing from you as God speaks to you and your congregation. Gail Gillespie MONEY MATTERS Check our website for further details about the funds at www.abwminnj.org. Association Fees-Supports our Local Association SSF-State Support Fund-Supports our local mission work NSF-National Support Fund-Supports, salaries,officer travel expenses, etc. Love Gift-Supports American Baptist Mission and Ministry-Send directly to ABW Valley Forge Degenring Fund-Supports for Women who are preparing for Christian Service in church related mission field vocations State Project-Supports a local organization that is designated as our conference project. Themes vary. Refit-Supports ABC Missionaries as they return to the mission Field or transfer to another mission location The twenty twenty campaign. The Board of Managers realized that if each of us gave $20.20 Love Gift-Supports missions-Send it directly through your church treasurer to ABW, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482 ational News White Cross-Supports needed supplies for our Mission Workers Cedars of Lebanon 2020– Supports the Ministries for children at Camp Lebanon-Goal-To raise $7,000.00 by 2020 Women & Girls Fund-Supports our mission projects- Send directly to the National Office-ABW, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482 From WHITE CROSS Hopefully, everyone is well on their way to fulfilling their White Cross requests (not called "quotas" anymore!). For the 2013-2014 year, we received requests from the First Baptist Church of Trenton and Philadelphia Park Racetrack ministry. We received purchase plan requests from Bolivia, Myanmar, and India. Handiwork requested for the Congo includes roller bandages (3" x 10 yds), baby blankets (36" x 36"), infant baby gowns, and cotton squares. Donations for health and school kits for the Philippines are also requested. Church White Cross contacts, please complete your White Cross reports and send them to your Association Chairperson by the deadline on your report form. Association Chairwomen, please compile your church reports and send Tracy Willard your Association report by May 30, 2014. Everyone should have received the appropriate reporting forms when they received their request. These reports are VERY important and many overlook them. These reports are helpful for the distribution of requests in the following year, and are important for Overland and Overseas White Cross Coordinators to know what is happening in the state. They have no other way of knowing. We want to make sure that the national office in Valley Forge is aware of all that women in NJ are doing for White Cross! Stay tuned for changes in White Cross in the next year or two..... If you have any questions, concerns, or need to find your Association Chairperson, please contact me at (443) 553-3207 or [email protected]. Tracy Willard Tracy Willard has been serving as the NJ White Cross chairperson for five years. She attends the First Baptist Church of Woodstown, in Salem County (West Association) where she is a Deacon. Tracy has an interest in mission activities, such as support of students in Haiti, Family Promise (a program to assist homeless families), and Samaritans Purse, as well as church outreach activities. The best way to reach Tracy is via her cell phone (443) 553-3207. NATIONAL NEWS A Time to Serve: Deepening Relationships An intergenerational retreat for women and girls July 26 – 29, 2014 Green Lake Conference Center, Green Lake WI Retreat facilitator: Rev. Yana J.C. Pagan AB Minister, Chaplain and professor Information for program fee and housing is available at www,info@abwministries. org A time to serve: A time to prepare Cruise the Bahamas with ABW Ministries and AB Women in Ministry September 19-22 2014 Keynote speakers Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson and Dr. Lisa L Croft Special music with Joyce Sinclair Lake aboard the Royal Caribbean “Enchantment of the Seas” departing from Port Canaveral, FL. How do we attend to our spiritual and physical health to help us be effective disciples? What practices can we adopt to help us continue to grow as faithful women while we are called into an ever-deepening relationship with God? Spend a day in the beauty of Nassau and enjoy CocoCay, the exclusive, private island. Gathering Work Week in New Orleans August 3 – 9, 2014 Girls who have completed grade 6 thru grade 12 join with the Ecumenical work week in New Orleans. More information will be available soon. UP TO DATE INFORMATION Go to abwministries.org and click on the stay up-to-date with our newsletter box and provide your email address to receive the Leaders Reader, the monthly web publication from National ABW. Now available— two new two programmatic resources in a new series for women’s ministry, entitled In Their Shoes: Women Walking with Women Worldwide. The resources are In Their Shoes: Economic Empowerment and In Their Shoes: Immigrants and Refugees. Each In Their Shoes book includes fact sheets, Bible studies, program sessions, activities for children, Scriptures for reflection, resource listings, and suggestions for ways to engage in the issue locally. AB Women's Ministries has updated much of the 1991 version of The Guide for American Baptist Women's Ministries– with a brand new look! Currently, booklets for officers, Promoting Your Women's and Girls' Ministries, and Planning Events Effectively are available to purchase. CHURCH AND COMMUNITY / RESOURCES I hope this newsletter finds you warm and safe in this season of cold and snowy weather. I encourage you to remember those within our church family and in our communities who may not be warm and safe. How can we help? Our prayers certainly help but we also need to remember our local food pantries and other resources that help provide clothing and warmth to those in need. Our conference is coming up sooner than we think in sunny May. I ask all women to think about what they do throughout the year to help others. When I was asked to do this, I drew a blank. We are accustomed to the activities that we do each year but many not realize how much our women actually do help others. Each ABWM helps many different groups throughout the year. We are asking each Women’s’ group to prepare a poster of the work done throughout the year for display at our conference. There are many resources available for our use. Resources include Information about our missionaries, their current work, and their needs in the field. Much information is available on the ABC-USA website. I also have a supply of handouts. If you need help in obtaining resources, please contact me. Eileen Kreiling Eileen is a member of Memorial Baptist Church in Yardville and have been active with ABWM for 13 years. I enjoy Conference each year for the fellowship, worship, relaxation, and meeting our missionaries. For me it brings to life the work that we do all year to support them. I can be reached at [email protected] or 609-587-9247. AB WOMEN of nj GIVE BACK MANY WAYS… Through Degenring. Our 2013 scholarship recipient, Dr. Ruth Alerte is now “Mrs. Jones”. Congratulations to Chad and Ruth as they were joined in marriage on July 1 st. Ruth has served ABW on the NLT leading the Young Women of Purpose and as the Coordinator of AB GIRLS. She is currently in seminar and is an ophthalmologist. Over the years, ABW NJ has supported women who are seeking God’s will for their lives through serving in ministry. Some have gone on to be full time pastors, others missionaries. Your financial support makes it possible to give annual scholarships, but money is only a part. Please remember not only Ruth in prayer, but those scholarship women who haven’t come to us for aid. Please pray for women beginning their journey, those who are making strides, and those who have completed their studies and are awaiting God’s call. If you know of any AB women who is interested in applying for a scholarship, please contact Wendy Ventura, (973) 770 0154 or at [email protected]. Supporting Cedars of Lebanon 2020 Campaign At the Fall Board of Managers meeting it was decided that ABW Ministries of NJ would support the Camp Lebanon Campaign by raising $1,000 a year for the next 7 years. We would like you to consider the 20/20 approach to help us meet that goal. You can pledge to contribute $20.20 weekly, monthly, etc to help meet our goal. More details will be given at the Love Gift / Spring Rally. BABY SHOWER FOR FIRST CHOICE- Each year, AB Women of NJ support ministry through our Conference Project. At our gathering on Long Beach Island in June, we will be hearing from Odalys Banks, a representative from First Choice Women’s Resources Centers. To show our support for their ministry, we will have a list of gift items we can collect and bring to conference for a baby shower. They will use the following to make layette gift bags for their clients: Baby blankets, bath towels, wash cloths, teethers, pacifiers, bottles Diaper bags, diapers (all sizes, but especially size 1) Care items: baby shampoo, wash, lotion, ointment, powder, wipes Bibs, onesies, sleepers, outfits, gowns size 0 -3 months This way when we contribute we can allow this ministry a tangible gift for these women in crisis. Since 1985, First Choice Women’s Resource Centers (formerly Friendship Pregnancy Centers has counseled mover 18,000 women in unplanned pregnancies and has reached over 52,000 high school students through Straight Talk, their interactive abstinence presentation. Clients are served at four strategic locations in Morristown, Montclair, Newark and Jersey City. There they receive accurate information, select medical services, and support to help them make healthy decisions. First Choice provides all services for free and relies on volunteers, financial contributions, and dedicated prayer of men and women just like you. They are members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, Care New, and IMPACT Association. STATE PROJECT 2013-2014 SUPPORTS FAMILIES To continue our support of women in crisis, we will be collecting until June 2014 items which will be distributed through Gloucester County Violence Safe House for Family Services. The residential coordinator, Mary Love has given us a list of new items that are always in need: Journals; children’s socks, underwear, pajamas in all sizes; women’s sweatpants, sports bras, t-shirts in all sizes; canned or dry goods; giftcards for walmart, target; kitchen utensils (preferably stainless steel) dish towels and pot holders, silverware and gadgets. To make your donation, please contact Mary Love at 856-728-0622 or [email protected] to arrange delivery. SEARCHING FOR “HER-STORIES” AND “SHE-ROES” Many of our churches have wonderful gifted women who make a difference in the lives of others through their commitment to ministry. Some of these “She-roes” can be found teaching Sunday School, taking care of children, feeding the hungry, running Thrift shops, mentoring women, using their professional talents in a volunteer setting, or advocating for social change. These women who work tirelessly serving their communities, often receive little acclaim. We would like you to tell Her-stories so we can acknowledge these she-roes and we need your help. Our President, Adele Hueston will be accepting examples of the impact of these women for acknowledgement at a future event. Get writing so we can publicly say thank you to these sheroes. Stay tuned… Christian Women’s Conference Sponsored by the American Baptist Women’s Ministries of NJ May 29th, May 30th May 31st, 2014 Harvey Cedars Bible Conference 12 Cedar Ave., Harvey Cedars, NJ (on Long Beach Island) Our own Reverend April Van Ness will be the Bible Study Leader this year. Pastor April always blesses us with her creative ways she brings forth the Word of God. Begins 5 PM Thursday- Concludes 7 PM Saturday SPECIAL ABGIRLS PROGRAM ON SATURDAY Bring your girls grades 7 -12 (contact Joan for details) See registration form for rates and information. Make checks payable to American Baptist Women’s Conference Fund. Send registration with payment to: Joan Moyer 243 Forrest St. Turnersville, NJ 08012. Phone 609-706-9074 email: [email protected] Eget habitasse elementum est, ipsum REGISTRATION FORM- ABW MINISTRIES OF NJ ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2014 Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 29, May 30th, May 31st, 2014 DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS MAY 1st, 2014- NO REFUNDS AFTER MAY 1st, No Phone registrations or walk-ins. Payment must be received to reserve a room. Please print clearly!!! One registration form per person. Name___________________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________________________ Phone (_______)_______________________EMAIL ADDRESS___________________________________ Association_______________________________Church_______________________________________ Who are you rooming with?___________________________FirstTimer?_________Clergy?___________ Emergency Contact (Name and Number)___________________________________________________ Please check all that apply: ____I require handicapped accessible bathroom ______I require ground level accommodation ACCOMMODATION RATES OVERNIGHT STAY _____ Thursday Night only ______Friday Night Only Bayview 2-4 per room Lodge Two nights $223 per person ______Thursday and Friday Both One Night $177 per person 1) From the table above calculate your fee. 2) If you put an advance hold on your room deduct the $20 you sent in. 3) If you are planning to come for a day, please indicate the day- Friday or Saturday (circle 1) fee of $60 per day (include all meals) Girls- $40.00 per day (program for girls held on Saturday only) 4) Thursday Night Dinner (5:30 PM) is available for an additional $12.00. Yes or No (Circle) Total_____________________ Make checks payable to American Baptist Women’s Conference Fund Send registration with payment to: Joan Moyer, 243 Forrest Dr. Turnersville, NJ 08012 609-706-9074 [email protected] American Baptist Women’s Ministries of NJ Spring Rally & Love Gift Luncheon Saturday, March 29, 2014 Memorial Baptist Church 17 Highland Avenue Yardville, NJ 08620-2906 609-585-5296 AM Session – Services Empowering Rape Victims “SERV” Tamika Solomon, Gloucester County Center for Family Service “Lunch” PM Session – Love Gift Speaker Rev. Carla Romarate-Knipel Pastor of Central Baptist Church-Woodbury Registration and coffee hour beginning at 8:30 am Program starts at 9:00 am Everyone loves a 2 for 1 bargain - this is yours! Come, learn and be inspired!!! Reserve Early – Deadline March 17, 2014 For information and to register contact: Pat Foltz 609-586-5756 or e-mail: [email protected] Or Eileen Kreiling – Church & Community Coordinator 609-587-9247 or e-mail: [email protected] You can bring your donations for Gloucester County Violence Safe House List of items on last page of State Directory Please confirm your attendance by March 17, 2014 - call or e-mail one of the contact persons listed above. THEN, send in registration form with your registration fee One form for each participant – thank you Registration fee is $7.00. Send the Registration Fee directly to Memorial Baptist Church. Check payable to: Memorial Baptist Church, 17 Highland Avenue, Yardville, NJ 08620. Attn. Pat Foltz Name __________________________ Church ____________________________________ Contact Info: Phone: ___________________ e-mail _______________________________