The 2005 ABCUSA Biennial has ended, and we did a great job as the host Region. Louise Barger (immediate past executive minister) was instrumental in bringing this American Baptist family event to Denver. We express appreciation to Jan McCormack (our Region president) for her skills in leading us through this monumental task. The Local Arrangements Committee, chaired by Paul Martin (Macedonia/Denver), is to be commended for an outstanding job. Thank you to all who volunteered your time and talents to help make the Biennial a success. Your work did not go unnoticed. We received numerous expressions of thanks for a job well done.

Ministering together in Jesus’ name brings us closer to each other and to our Leader. May we continue to "lift up our eyes" and keep our focus on the Source of our help.

Desmond Hoffmeister
Transition Executive Minister

ABCUSA Officers for 2006-2007 Biennium Include Coloradan Mary Hulst to Serve as Vice-President of Our Denomination

Mary Hulst, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado was elected as vice-president elect of ABCUSA during the Biennial held July 1-3 in Denver. She is a member of the General Board, has served on the boards of trustees of Redlands University and Central Baptist Theological Seminary, and has been a member of the General Council of the Baptist World Alliance.

We extend our congratulations to Mary, and we offer continuing prayers as she serves in this capacity.

Other officers include president-elect Arlee Griffin Jr., pastor of Berean Missionary Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY. Griffin, currently vice-president of American Baptist Churches USA, has served as a member of the General Board and its Executive Committee, the Board of National Ministries, and the ABCUSA Nominating Committee, and has served as vice president of the Board of Managers of The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board.

Lloyd Hamblin, budget review officer-elect, is executive pastor of South Parkersburg Baptist Church in Parkersburg, WV. He is the former executive minister of the West Virginia Baptist Convention and has served previously in several pastorates in West Virginia.

The officers will serve from Jan. 1, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2007.

For additional information from the recent Biennial, go to http://www.abc-usa.org.

American Baptist News Service
Valley Forge, PA

Youth from around the country and around the world spent July 1-3 at Black Forest Camp and Conference Center for the ABCUSA Youth Event. While the delegates and denominational leaders were wrestling with difficult issues in Denver, 46 youth zipped down the zip line, climbed the climbing wall, and crossed the acid river.

The event began Friday morning with the youth piling their sleeping bags, suitcases, and pillows on the bus headed for Black Forest. The youth bonded quickly. Brian Hicks who served as a group leader observed, "It was like a week’s worth of team building crammed into three days." By Sunday afternoon, the youth were exchanging addresses and taking pictures of friends that they had just met and were now leaving. Several of the youth were talking about how to get together next summer for a reunion, but could not figure a way to get everyone to Bangkok, Thailand.

Volunteers from around the ABCRM made the event possible. Barbee Stanfield of Jackson, WY coordinated the youth event and Bill and Sylvia Hale coordinated the children’s event. The College Worship Team from Casper, WY led worship and campfire times for the youth. The Dance Team from Old Landmark in Denver, CO led in a special worship time Saturday evening.

Mike Oldham
Manager, Black Forest Camp and Conference Center

Summer is here again. Zip line, waterslide, pancakes cooked over an open fire at tent camp, too little sleep, and saying goodbye to new and old friends on Saturday morning. It is definitely camping season at Black Forest Camp and Conference Center.

The summer camping season at BFCCC is already almost half over, and it seems like it just began. God has been working to change lives of campers and staff alike. The theme for the summer is "Glow in the Dark." The campers are challenged to let the light of Christ shine through them to the world around them.

Thanks to pastors, youth leaders, nurses and too many others to count from across ABCRM, BFCCC camping 2005 has already been a great success.

Mike Oldham

Brenda Austin is the administrator of Camp WYOBA this year. We want to introduce her to you through this brief biographical sketch and photo. Better yet, drive up Casper Mountain and meet her for yourself. You’ll realize immediately that God has given her a heart for camping ministry.

Brenda moved to Casper, WY six years ago from Atlanta, GA. She came to Wyoming to work for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She had been a teacher and a coach for about five years when she realized God was calling her to ministry in Wyoming. While serving with FCA, she worked in about 20 different camps, and managed six of them. Camping ministry was her favorite aspect of FCA.

After leaving FCA two years ago in order to pursue a career change, she continued to attend FCA camps in order to enjoy the experience that only "camp" can bring. So when the opportunity to be the administrator at WYOBA became available, she knew it would be a good fit for her. She’s enjoying her work and expresses appreciation for the summer staff at WYOBA.

In encouraging parents to enroll their children in camp, Brenda says, "The camp environment provides an experience that your kids will not be able to duplicate anywhere else. So many times, a young person’s life is changed because of the God-encounters they have at camp. Who could put a price tag on that?"

She continues, "It is an honor to serve as the camp administrator this year. Please keep the Camp WYOBA staff and campers in your prayers this summer. I know that God has great things in store. God bless you."

Editor’s Note: Be watching for news stories from WYOBA as well as Grand Mesa and Black Forest Camp and Conference Center in future summer issues of this newsletter.

The National Singles Fellowship in ABC-USA will hold its yearly conference for all Christian adult singles on Labor Weekend, September 2-5, 2005. It will be held at the conference center of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Marshall, IN.

For more information, contact Shirley Albert, 7911 N. 28th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68112. Telephone: 402-344-2408.

On June 6th, ten members from First Baptist Church of Colorado Springs, CO, left on a mission trip to Nicaragua. They were Marveen Thomas, Barbara Graham, Don Phillips, Bill Tygret, Richard and Roger Dockum, Donald and Phyllis Davidson and Jack and Lorraine Stephenson.
Lorraine Stephenson reports: We left the Springs, flying to Houston and then on to Managua. Here we spent the night at Provadenic (a community-based rural health program of the Baptist Convention of Nicaragua). The next morning we flew over to Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast where our missionaries Ketly and Vital Pierre serve.

Six of us had been on the team that went three years ago. At that time, our group helped prepare the foundation for their church/multipurpose building. It was quite a thrill to see the completed new building, landscaping, and preparations underway for two new buildings. These new buildings will house the pastor of the church, visiting teams, and serve as a boarding school for children whose parents leave them behind while they work on the cruise ships.

At present, the visiting teams live in two rooms in the church building. This is quite an active place as Monday through Thursday there is a before- and after-school program where children are individually tutored by members of Bethel Church. Computer classes are also offered. Sunday School is held Sunday morning and worship is on Sunday evening. There are also Bible study classes in members’ homes during the week.

We were able to bring six ceiling fans over on the plane from Managua, which our group assembled and installed in the church to help with ventilation. Then during the week, we assisted local workers with construction of one of the new buildings. Work was beginning on the second floor, so we carried cement blocks up a ramp, helped lay the blocks, cut and tied re-bar, prepared electric outlets, and did many other jobs around the compound. Some of the construction workers are members of Bethel and two women of the church prepared our meals. Someone even did our laundry!

The night before we left, the church had a party to celebrate our time with them, Vital’s birthday, and the arrival of a Volunteer In Mission from California. We spent the evening playing games, singing and even had a pi_ata (did the children ever enjoy the candy we had brought!) and, of course, birthday cake. It was such a joy to really get to know these wonderful people in our sister church. They are so filled with the love of the Lord.

We left Bluefields a day early so we could tour our Baptist Hospital in Managua and hear firsthand what our missionaries there are doing. Laura Parajón and Kristina Gutierrez took time to speak to our group. We also visited the First Baptist Church of Managua and spoke with their pastor, Gustavo Parajón.

As we left the country of Nicaragua behind us, we knew we would long remember our time with these wonderful Christian people. With the help of our praying church at home we were able to endure the heat, humidity, sagging beds, cold showers, and bugs. We are happy to be home, but our hearts remain with Ketly and Vital and their flock.

To really understand and appreciate the work of our missionaries, you need to get involved, as we were able to do. We came away with a real appreciation of their sacrifice, hard work, and love for the people of Nicaragua.

Lorraine Stephenson

We look forward to meeting many of you at the various conferences that we will be attending this summer. Our speaking schedule appears below. You may notice that there are a few weekends that remain unscheduled here and there. Not many, but a few. We’re often asked if we ever take time off from traveling and speaking. Rest assured that after nearly five years in the Caribbean, we definitely plan to spend some time camping in the Colorado mountains this summer.

Summer Speaking Schedule

July 23-24 - First Baptist Church, Flagler, Colorado and Church of the Brethren, Arriba, CO.

July 31 - American Baptist Church, Fort Collins, CO.

August 1-5 Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America Summer Conference, Linfield College, McMinnville, OR.

August 6-11 - American Baptist World Mission Conference, Greenlake, WI.

August 12-17 - Conference for Overseas Missionaries, Greenlake, WI.

August 28 - First Baptist Church, Ontario, OR

August 30-31 - Mountain Vista Retirement Community, Wheatridge, CO.

Thank You!

As always, we greatly appreciate your continued prayers and financial support, both of which make our ministry possible.

Dan and Estela Schweissing

Around the Region

After consulting with the doctors, the Lindberg family made the decision to take Joe off life support on June 19. Joe fought long and hard, but the cancer was just too aggressive, and his body didn’t have the strength to accept the transplant. He fought for 16 months since his diagnosis with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in February, 2004. Memorial services were held in Nebraska. Jeff and Sandy are joined by other family members in thanking the ABCRM family for your support and prayers through this difficult time. It’s comforting to know that his suffering is over.

Murray and Mary Beth McCandless Preparing for God’s New Thing

Murray and Mary Beth McCandless have sensed God’s overwhelming leading to get ready for "a new thing." In response to that call, their last Sunday as Pastors of First Baptist Church of Brighton, CO is August 14.

While the congregation was surprised by their decision to move from this ministry without a clear picture of the "what’s next," the people realize from past experience that their pastors have always made choices with a view toward not only what was best for the McCandless family but also with a view toward what God is doing in the bigger picture. The time for transition for Murray, Mary Beth, Hannah (11) and Jesse (11) is right. The time for transition at FBC is right. The church has been in its new facility for about a year and a half and has experienced steady growth for the past seven and a half years. The people of FBC have stepped up to accept the challenge of a healthy transition.

As for Murray and Mary Beth, they will be re-tooling and seeking God’s direction for future ministry. Murray is developing a business, "Sterling Gavel Auctions" which combines his experience in the EBAY auction community with a newly-found gift for live auctioneering. His hope is that he can develop this to the place where it can either support the family in a tent-making venture or where it can be a supplemental resource for the family in a future ministry setting. Murray’s expertise on EBAY is in consigning automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles. He also deals in estate-type liquidations using both live and internet auctions to secure the greatest return for his clients. His goal is to break into auctioneering for benefits for churches and other non-profit organizations.

Mary Beth is going back to school as soon as resources are available. She anticipates doing coursework in the area of Spiritual Formation and/or Worship. In the meanwhile, she plans to learn to play the guitar and take a course in web design. Both are beginning to re-read the Gospels and the letters to the early Church with fresh eyes as well as digging in to the work of some of today’s forward thinkers.

Throughout nearly 17 years of ministry together, Murray and Mary Beth have seen the Church at her best and her worst. The call to step out in faith toward something that is as yet unrevealed has opened them up to new possibilities. They believe that one of the "new things" God wants to do in the Church may be to refocus on Kingdom building, embracing and enhancing the old models of church while expanding ministry and thinking to new things that will more effectively reach unchurched and dechurched peoples. Few churches are effective in reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is Murray and Mary Beth’s hope that their obedience to a God-imposed sabbatical will show them how they can join with God in this new thing.

Many friends and colleagues have expressed concern and offered prayers upon hearing what Murray and Mary Beth are doing. They prefer your sharing their joy and excitement in this time of transition and are thankful for your prayers.

For now, the McCandless family will continue to live in the Brighton area so that the children's lives will stay as stable as possible while Murray and Mary Beth seek to further discern where God is leading them as a ministry team. While in this time of discernment, Murray and/or Mary Beth are available to Region churches generally within two hours or so of Brighton for pulpit supply. They are available to share the experiences of their past seven plus years in a renewing church with church boards, leadership, or congregations; or to potentially facilitate a series of gatherings or a retreat with the goal of beginning congregational renewal. You may contact them at 303.710.5804 or via email until their website is functional. Use the same address to be added to their email list.

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Longmont Church Calls Tod Shook as Senior Pastor

After many months of hard work and praying for God's will, First Baptist Church of Longmont, Colorado announces the call and acceptance of Tod Shook as Senior Pastor. He will be beginning his pastorate on or before September 9th.

Yvonne Whisenhunt, chair of the Search Committee said, "We are very excited about this next chapter in the life of our church. Words cannot express our true feelings at this point. God is great! God is indeed good!"

Pastor Shook and Ninaellen have served at an American Baptist Church in Morrison, IL. Prior to his call to pastoral ministry, he worked with the United States Postal Service.

Tod’s philosophy of ministry is to meet every individual where they are and bring them closer to Christ. His passions are discipleship, assimilation, and drama.

Ninaellen is a civil engineer, having worked for Federal Highways in 46 of the 50 states. She has taken Clinical Pastoral Education courses at Denver Seminary and is qualified to administer marital and pre-marital tests.

We look forward to the arrival of the Shooks in the Region, and we rejoice with FBC of Longmont in the calling of their pastor.

We are happy to include any celebrations, prayer concerns, and opportunities that you wish to share with the ABCRM family. Send them to idvirnak@abcrm.org for publication in this newsletter.