June News
Dr. Joe Gardner and Family at the Retirement Celebration
Joe has retired, now WHAT?
Dear MPBA Churches,
As you may or may not know our Associational Missions Strategist Joe Gardner finished his final week as our AMS last week as he is now officially retired. We had a good attendance at the retirement on May 5th. Thanks goes out to First Baptist Morton for being such good hosts. We are grateful for Joe’s ministry to our churches and he will be greatly missed. We are confident that he and Becky will continue to serve the Lord with their gifts during their retirement. We we wish him the best and God’s richest blessing upon him and his family.
Many of you may be asking, "What now?" Over the past few months, the Administrative Team of the Association has been deliberating on this very question. After prayerful consultation with Joe Gardner and Scott Foshie from IBSA, we believe we have devised a plan that aligns with our association's Vision and Mission, as well as our current financial standing. Scott has also informed us that, in light of the declining number of churches, IBSA will be planning to adjust its budgets accordingly.
The intention is to establish three part-time roles that collectively fulfill the duties of a full-time AMS. These positions include Church Health Strategist, Missions Mobilization Strategist, and Associational Administrator. The Church Health Strategist will lead and oversee the development of thriving churches. The Missions Mobilization Strategist's role is to encourage member churches to engage in outreach across West Central Illinois and beyond. The Associational Administrator will manage and execute the administrative functions of the association. Candidates for the Health Strategist and Missions Mobilization positions are ideally those with pastoral experience, considering a bi-vocational arrangement with the Association as secondary employment. The Administrator position requires proficiency in office skills.
Details such as compensation and time commitments remain undecided. Initially, the funds the Association provided to Joe will be allocated among the three staff members according to their workloads. Please keep the administrative team in your prayers as they strive to develop a proposal for consideration.
We will keep you updated in the months ahead. If you or someone you know might be interested, please inform us. Additionally, if you have any questions, feel free to inquire, particularly about the job descriptions.
In Christ and for His Glory,
Bro. Will Ferguson
After learning about the passing of a long-standing member and treasurer of their church, I chose to visit Manito and meet with some leaders to check on them. They had several questions that required answers. My visit was enjoyable; they are enthusiastic about being a caring church family and engaging in outreach within their community. The young lady shown in the photograph had recently declared her faith in Christ and was scheduled to be baptized.
Pray for Manito Baptist Church that God will bless them and give them wise and loving leaders to reach people in the area of Manito.
Erik Johnson and Minonk,
During last year's annual meeting held by Roland Manor Baptist Church, I proposed a prayer initiative for the establishment of a new church within a small community on the east side of our Association, known as Minonk.
A few months before our meeting, Joe inquired whether I would consider Minonk as a possible location for establishing a church. I began to explore the idea, praying and pondering Joe's suggestion of this small town. It emerged that over a decade ago, a high school girl from Minonk had reached out to Joe, inquiring about the possibility of planting a church there. Joe had since held Minonk close to his heart, continually praying for it. Yet, the right opportunity had not presented itself until he mentioned it to me.
Interestingly, soon after I brought this up at the Annual meeting in October, we learned of a man eager to establish a church in Minonk, with around 30 interested individuals. Erik Johson and his wife Bree reached out to NAMB seeking additional partners for his new venture. Through collaboration with IBSA and NAMB, we had the opportunity to meet Erik and hear his story.
They initiated their efforts just before the COVID shutdown and witnessed God's faithfulness in fostering connections within the community. Their are a lot of testimonies that Erik and his church has as they have intentionally placed their dependence on the Lord.
I later found out that their launch was supported by Crosspoint Community Church in Eureka and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. This church and this network of churches meet together monthly to pray for starting new evangelistic churches in small rural towns. Needless to say, I am impressed. This sounds to me like a very healthy network of churches. I would like to see the same among our churches.
I had the privilege of attending the NAMB assessment on May 20th in Naperville. I met with Erik and his wife Bree and heard them share the story of their special call to plant in Minonk. Not only has God placed on Erik’s heart a plant in Minonk but other areas as well. Erik’s passion and heart line up with the Vision and Mission of our Association. Pray that God will continue to lead Erik and Bree as they work to reach the community of Minonk and the area surrounding it.
