Upcoming Events & News

Book Talk with Rev. Christine
& Special Guest Rev. Maggie Lewis

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Wed Nov 16 at 7pm | Wed Nov 30 at 7pm | Wed Dec 7 at 7pm

All are welcome!

JOIN US for three Wednesday evenings via ZOOM to discuss “The Power of Ritual“ by Casper Ter Kule.

“Casper ter Kuile, a Harvard Divinity School fellow explores how we can nourish our souls by transforming common, everyday practices—yoga, reading, walking the dog—into sacred rituals that can heal our crisis of social isolation and struggle to find purpose—a message we need more than ever for our spiritual and emotional well-being in the age of COVID-19.” (Amazon.com)

ZOOM INFO BELOW!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ministrelife.zoom.us/j/4307410515
Meeting ID: 430 741 0515

In the busyness of the season, we invite you to come away to Rolling Ridge and gather with other CBMM colleagues as we make time to embrace the waiting and settling in and breathe in the hope, joy, peace and love that the season of Advent offers.

In the quiet and silence of this retreat, we invite you to sit, linger, ponder, behold, wander, wonder...wait. We will offer some reflections and spiritual exercises to prepare you for the holy days of Advent using nativity scenes from around the world. During the times of silence, there will be items to create, coloring pages and mandalas to capture your feelings and reflections of the day, and expansive space for your soul to be still. We will also have both indoor and outdoor labyrinths and outdoor lakeside trails for you to walk and pray through the day.

We invite you to sit by the fire, enjoy the beauty of the Ridge, and live into the season of Advent as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. Join us on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 from 9:30am –3:30pm. Space is limited to 20 participants. 

Register with Deb Lee at office@conferenceofbaptistministers.com.

November 17, 2022

9:30 am EST

NOTE DAY AND TIME CHANGE FOR THIS MONTH ONLY

No registration required

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As we continue to find our way during difficult times, it's important to explore our feelings. Of one thing we can be sure, many of us are grieving. We are grieving the deaths of beloved family, church members, friends and strangers. We are grieving losses of safety, personal freedoms, economic stability, trust, and so much more. Yet, even when struggling, we show up, preaching a Word of hope and life. There are conversations we need to have.

To help you take care of yourselves, CBMM has scheduled monthly conversations for clergy and chaplains on Zoom to share your stories, lament, rejoice, grieve and talk about COVID-19, systemic racism and whatever else is on your minds and hearts.

Rev. Maggie Lewis will facilitate monthly dialogues to give you an opportunity to take a breath and acquire additional tools for coping over the long haul.

Join us on Thursday, November 17th at 9:30 a.m. No need to register, whosoever will, please come.
 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86374572942?pwd=LzdoQ1lvU2RFYnNrV0g2UVJXYTdpQT09  

Meeting ID: 863 7457 2942 

Passcode: CBMM

CBMM Operations Manager: Rev. Debra Lee

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Rev. Lee is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Swansea, MA. She is a tri-vocational pastor, directing the New Bedford Council on Aging during the day, pastoring the church, and working as a Chaplain for Community Nurse and Hospice in her spare hours. Rev. Lee is a 2010 MDIV Graduate of Andover Newton and a 2004 MPA Graduate of Bridgewater State University. Rev. Lee is married and lives with her husband, youngest daughter, and three golden doodles in New Bedford.  

Here are up-coming virtual journeys sponsored by the Short-Term Mission team:

Mission Express

• Ministry in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region with SAT-7 (https://www.sat7usa.org/) is scheduled for February 1, 2 & 3, 2022. Have you ever wondered how God’s good news is shared in the MENA region?Come on this 3-Day virtual Mission Express with the Short-Term Mission desk and the Europe & Middle East & Liberia desk and be enlightened by how the use of satellites has met many needs. These three days hosted by SAT-7 will open hearts and eyes. We will travel to several countries in the MENA region without packing any bags. Come and meet God in new ways. Last day to register is January 20, 2022. https://portal.internationalministries.org/global-service-opportunities/record/a073m00000p9ZA2AAM
• Ministry in Israel/Palestine hosted by the Association of Baptist Churches will shed light on Arab Christians spreading God’s good news in Cana, Galilee and other communities. Join us virtually on this unique 3-Day virtual Mission Express scheduled for February 17, 18 & 19, 2022 with an open heart, and learn how to be better peacemakers from siblings in Christ who are themselves considered to be the marginalized of the marginalized in their own country. Follow this link to sign-up for this virtual short-term mission experience to Israel/Palestine https://portal.internationalministries.org/global-service-opportunities/record/a073m00000lbtMUAAY Last day to register is February 11, 2022 at Noon(EST)

For more information about any of these up-coming journeys, please contact the Short-Term Mission team at volunteers@internationalministries.org

For more information about virtual short-term missions, see this article by our colleague Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil. https://missionexus.org/the-virtual-journeys/ 

Two half days,

Wednesday, January 19th & Wednesday, January 26th

via Zoom 

1:00pm - 3:30pm EST both days

Presented by The Center for Career Development & Ministry 

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Are you feeling unprepared for the beginning of 2022? Are you even more exhausted than you were a few months ago? Are you facing the push-pull of people within your congregation who want different things?  

This two-part mini-retreat will give you time to reflect on what’s going on around you and inside you, and what you want for the next 90 days. And you’ll have the chance to think about what you want to do as you begin 2022, with all you know and don’t know about what you will face.

It’s an opportunity for you to think through how you want to start this year--not simply what others want you to do. And it’s a chance to take the time to plan your work for the next 90 days. Why 90 days? Focusing on just three months really helps. It’s a way to think about “what’s next.” There’s hard work ahead, but thinking about the whole year in a block can make you freeze up. You’ll be set up to work with more thoughtfulness and intention and less overwhelm through these next few months.

• Get positive input from others. 
• Clarify where you are and what you need to do next (and what you need NOT do). 
• Discern what you want most now (including rest) and how to get it --then make a plan that works for you. 
• Feel more spacious each and every day.

Will you do everything you plan for the next 90 days? Of course not. But when these next three months are behind you, you are more likely to be satisfied with how you’ve spent them, not only professionally but also personally.

Here’s what one past participant said: 

“Thank you for the wonderful two-part group session you recently led. It was grounding for me, in a ‘Just do the next thing’ sense. My anxious wiring overloads and gets lost gazing over the whole map rather than watching for the next mile marker. You helped me with that. Thank you for your good leadership and coaching work with the group. The time with you and the others empowered me by redirecting my attention from the cosmic level to the ground level. Thank you, thank you.”  

-- Rev. Zachary Bay, First Baptist Church, Middlesboro, Kentucky  

Margaret Marcuson, Facilitator

Margaret offers a way pastors can bring their best to their ministry without giving it all away, so they can have a greater impact and find more satisfaction. She works with church leaders nationally across denominations as a teacher and coach. Margaret is the author of Leaders who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry and Money and Your Ministry: Balance the Books While Keeping Your Balance. An ABC minister, Margaret was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Gardner, Massachusetts, for 13 years.  

Cost: There is no cost to participate but spaces are limited.

To register, please email CCDM at info@ccdmin.org or call 603.943.7611