••••••• Northern Front Range Cluster •••••••

Northern Front Range Cluster Focuses on History and Mission

The Northern Front Range Cluster churches gathered at the American Baptist Church in Fort Collins on Sunday afternoon, September 23, to hear from two women at the center of American Baptist life and ministry. Special guests were Deborah Van Broekhoven, Executive Director of the American Baptist Historical Society, and Terry Myers, International Ministries missionary to Bulgaria.

Debra Van Broekhoven opened the afternoon’s activities by telling the group that history matters. During her workshop she noted that the American Baptist Historical Society has the finest collection of Baptist materials in the world. Currently, these materials are stored at Valley Forge, PA, and Rochester, NY. ABHS has accepted the invitation to move to Mercer University in Atlanta, GA, where ample space will be provided for the proper storage, display, and use of the growing historical collection. It will take an estimated 16 semi-trucks to transport all of the materials from their current locations to Atlanta.

Van Broekhoven (pictured at right with David Sullivan of FBC/Cheyenne) gave practical advice on archiving local church items of historical significance. A basic rule to remember in the archival process is to sort materials according to type. In other words, file “like with like” (minutes with other minutes, celebrations with other celebrations, etc.). Within each category, the filing should, of course, then be chronological. ABHS has a kit available for churches to use to determine what should be saved and what should be discarded.

Following the historical workshop, Terry Myers, who is in the United States as part of the World Mission Offering blitz, spoke about her ongoing ministry in Bulgaria. She expressed thanks for the financial support that is coming from many cluster churches and individuals.

Terry described an after-school program that she originally initiated to help students with their homework. She was inspired to do this by a young Roma girl who had been in the same grade in school for three years and was still failing. However, Terry soon found out that what the students really needed was a literacy program to help them work in their individual grade level. She has enlisted help from Bulgarian women in the church in Sofia which the Myers attend.

Terry has also been teaching English in an after-school program at another Baptist church. There she works with Bulgarian children using games as a effective teaching tool.

She is also involved in a feeding program which has been funded by an American Baptist church in Pennsylvania. Each week volunteers assemble packets of food to give to senior adults. This ministry is necessary because their retirement funds are inadequate. In addition, this program gives the volunteers the valuable opportunity to prepare food, feel useful, and have fellowship each other. others. First Baptist Church of Boulder, CO, gave money to put the lettering on the church where the feeding program is housed. The sign denotes the church as “A Christian Baptist Church.”

American Baptist women who donated teddy bears for the Myers’ ministry in 2006 were informed that all of the teddy bears now have new homes. They have brought untold joy to children in Bulgaria.

Terry’s dream as she returns is to organize an Xtreme Team consisting of four to eight young people from Bulgaria who will spend 18 to 21 days in the Rocky Mountain Region. Her intentions are to coordinate this Xtreme Team adventure with the National Youth Gathering at Estes Park in the summer of 2008. She will encourage churches and individuals to host the young people in their homes as well as help to fund the airfare to the United States which will amount to approximately $1200 per person.

At the close of the afternoon, everyone shared in a Bulgarian dinner. Conversation with old friends was enhanced by the experience of tasting new foods. (Some of them are pictured below, along with a familiar Bulgarian proverb.)