PIONEER VALLEY Is Having an All-Church Picnic, too!
Where and when you ask? Sunday, August 17, starting at 2:00 p.m., at Second Baptist Church in South Hadley (589 Granby Road (Route 202),

The PVA will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, condiments, paper goods and plastic ware, lemonade, and iced tea. Please bring a side dish, salad or dessert for the sharing table. Also, please remember to bring your own lawn chairs! Musicians are invited to bring their instruments and join others for good old fashioned playing and singing! Bring he whole family and your friends for the best fellowship ever!

CENTRAL Association Fall Gathering
Central will gather in fellowship on Sunday, October 19 at 3:00 p.m. at the First Federated Church, in Hudson (200 Central Street).

BOSTON SOUTHWEST Fall Gathering
The BSW will celebration One in the Spirit will be held on Saturday, September 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Norwood (71 Bond Street).

All choir members, “wanna be” singers, and instrumentalists, choir directors and ministers of music are invited to join together to learn new music, make new friends and serve as the choir for the Fall Gathering.

There will be Music Choir Workshops rehearsals on Sept. 24-26, 7-9 p.m. at various locations. The workshops are being led by Gregory Henry Hopkins, an opera singer and Minister of Music at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in New York City for 17 years. For more information, call Paula J. Waters at (617) 442-1641. Brochure & Registration.

TABCOM's purchase of photocopy rights for The Parish Paper INCLUDES
1) Permission to provide copies to our staff and the congregations within our constituency in any of the following ways: E-mail, U.S. Mail, newspaper, newsletter, meetings, training events, and our Website. 

2) Permission for each congregation within our constituency to (a) photocopy or electronically distribute for local use as many copies as it needs, (b) post them on its Website, and (c) quote sentences and paragraphs.

Your congregation does NOT have permission (a) to delete the copyright notice on page 2; (b) to re-write, paraphrase, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs; or (c) to give ANY THIRD PARTY—other than your staff and constituents—permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale).

If your congregation uses a U.S. Post Office Nonprofit Mailing Permit to distribute photocopies with its newsletter or other mailings, most local Post Offices require that every item carry your congregation’s name and address. Above The Parish Paper masthead, type your congregation’s name, address, and “Photocopied by Permission.”

Joyce noted at the business meeting that MA ABWM are blessed to have many new women coming on board to share their spiritual gifts in 2009. Kathleen Bond assumes the helm of treasurer from Barbara Perkins, Ruth Cloues as Assistant Treasurer, Ben Imsong as Secretary, Penny Mulloy for AB Girls, and Linda Blades overseeing White Cross.

ABWM Dates To Put on the Calendar
2008
  August 9-15: ABWM National Women's Conference, Green Lakes, WI
  October 4: Fall Women's Day, 9 am to 3 pm, First Calvary Baptist Church in North Andover
2009
  January 30-31: Spiritual Renewal Retreat, Seacrest Conference Center, North Falmouth
  May 29-30: Spring Conference, Wonderland Conference Center in Sharon

Applicants must be regularly employed in a recognized religious leadership position. Applicants may be ordained or lay, and may or may not have a formal theological degree. Eligible positions include pastors and other parish ministers, chaplains, faith-based community agency leaders, and church judicatory officials.

Awardees will ordinarily have been in their current place of ministry at least five years, and will plan on staying in their current place for at least a year beyond their sabbatical. They will be at least five years away from retirement. Exceptions are possible, especially in church polities built on an interancy model.

Awards are made for either eight- or twelve-week sabbaticals. Sabbaticals are taken in a continuous single period. Applicants choose whether to apply for an eight-week sabbatical, with a $10,000 award, or for a twelve-week sabbatical, which bears a $15,000 award. The size of award request has no bearing on the chances of receiving an award.

Applications are due no later than September 15, 2008. Award announcements will be made by December 15, and sabbaticals must be taken between March 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010. Details of the grant application process and eligibility requirements are available at www.louisville-institute.org.

The doors open at 3 p.m. and the event starts at 4 p.m. Floor tickets are $25 advance/$30 door. Mezzanine Seating (table with wine and cheese) are $100. For tickets, call 617-864-9275 or visit www.oldcambridgebaptist.org.

This Coordinator position provides leadership to help strengthen the ministries of various Hispanic and Portuguese-speaking AB constituencies. This position strives to encourage a denominational awareness of and sensitivity to cultural diversity while strengthening ministries in multicultural and intercultural contexts.   This position is open immediately and is based at the Mission Center, Valley Forge. For a full description of the job and its requirements, visit www.nationalministries.org/employment.cfm. Deadline for applying is August 31. Contact is Laura Miraz at LMiraz@abc-usa.org.

A one-year subscription is $15.00. Past issues of the magazine are available in PDF at www.nylandmarks.org/. Click on the Publications/Common Bond link. There is also an archived of articles to view instead of the entire PDF.

Resources are also available from Partners for Sacred Places, the only national, non-sectarian, non-profit organization dedicated to the sound stewardship and active community use of America's older religious properties.

Sacred Places magazine provides practical, informative information on repair, maintenance and fundraising for congregations in historic sacred buildings.Also, the Information Center is Partners' principal resource for congregations, containing 10,000 books, articles, reports, brochures, and audio-visual materials. Its most useful materials are available online at no charge at www.sacredplaces.org/information_center.htm.

...The Community Baptist Church in Medford celebrated the ministry of retiring Rev. Doreen Parker Freeman on June 22 at its morning service of worship and with a celebratory party in the afternoon.

... Rev. Bruce Greer was recently called to be the new MissionDirector of the Boston/Chelsea port of the Seafarer’s Friend ministry. Don’t let the fact that he is coming from the great “port” of Denver, CO fool you. Much of his ministry has been in New England communities of Sandwich, MA and Warwick, RI. In addition, he has done a year of Clinical Pastoral Education and is a trainer for pastors in Critical Incident Stress Management. As a fire chaplain he was one who worked at “Ground Zero.” Bruce will be arriving in early July and Seafarers anticipates an installation sometime in the fall.

...Congratulations to the Central Baptist Church of Westfield
that celebrated its 175th anniversary on May 25.

... Rev. Robert Wallace,
who served most recently as our region's interim executive minister, has a new address. Bob can be reached at 510 W. Sixth Street, Claremont, CA 91711.

... Miguel DaSilva
graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary on May 9 with an MDiv degree. Miguel is the pastor of the Praying Strong All Tribes House in Mashpee.

...Don't forgot the party celebrating the 90th birthday of The Rev. Veronica "Ronny" Lanier
 on Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m.at the First Baptist Church in Melrose (561 Main Street).

Guests with names ending in A-F bring chips/raw veggies and dip; G-N bring sandwiches and O-Z brings dessert. Cards may be sent for placement in a keepsake book to: Lanier Mission House, 102 Tremont Street, Melrose, MA 02176. No gifts please. Donations to the Lanier Mission House may be sent to: Lanier Mission House and payable to Veronica H. Lanier.

...The General Board of American Baptist Churches USA had an opportunity during its three-day meeting in King of Prussia, Pa. to speak about positive features of the proposed new governance structure, as well as to raise concerns. Basing it on a federation model, the Executive Committee made the proposal after a two-year development process. Read all about it.