Director of MIssions

The work of the association is and has always been a shared work.  We are made up of one hundred churches and missions that voluntarily join together to accomplish Kingdom Missions here in Hamilton County.  This is accomplished specifically by volunteers from many of our churches joining the various teams, councils and workforce of the different facets of associational ministries.  I can not say enough about the contribution volunteers make to every area of work.  Frankly, the work could not be accomplished to the degree of efficiency and effectiveness that it is without hundreds of volunteers involved one way or another  in our joint work during the month. Volunteers in English as a Second Language, volunteers in HaCoBACare Ministries, volunteers in World Changers and Disaster Relief, volunteers at Riverbend, volunteers on leadership teams, volunteers leading conferences and workshops -- volunteers, volunteers, volunteers!  These dedicated persons are the strength, energy, inspiration and faces of our work.  Thank you, volunteers, for your devotion to the Lord that shows itself in your involvement in local missions through Hamilton County Baptist Association.

I am also grateful for the association staff that serve with me in the Baptist Building.  Becky Witt, Administrator of Finance and Language Ministries, celebrates her twentieth year on our staff in February. While her job description and title has changed through the years, her dedication to the ministry is obvious through the incalculable contribution she makes to the work of the association.   Linda Mauritzen and Glenna Smith, both part-time on alternating days, share responsibilities at the front desk along with their specific individual office responsibilities.  Natasha Betancourt, UTC sophomore,  continues to serve part-time in our office. David Martin is our part-time webmaster.   Our association is fortunate to have these people serving with dedication and faithfulness.

Looking back over the year some highlights quickly come to mind.  I have been very happy with the rejuvenated Senior Adult Council, upon whom I have leaned for suggestions and leadership with the senior adult activities and programs.  This group of  about fifty-nine senior adult leaders from our churches are invited to meet quarterly throughout the year.  This has enhanced communication between groups, the sharing of ideas for programs and events and greater support from all the groups for joint efforts and events planned for senior adults including:  the Spring Fling, Share-A-Tune, Riverboat Brunch and Holiday Meal.

One of the new events  planned and carried out this year by the Minister of Music Fellowship led by Tony Carroll was the weekend workshop and concert, SING, in September. One hundred youth  gathered for a day of workshop and rehearsals followed by a Sunday evening concert under the direction of guest clinician, Jeff  Redding from Orlando, Florida.

Ridgedale Baptist Church hosted our association “VBS Experience” this April.  MaryBeth Hammett gave direction to this evening of exposure to the 2007 VBS material, refreshment ideas, decoration ideas and other training to prepare church leaders for VBS. A strong corps of volunteers from other churches led the conferences for all age groups. More than one hundred sixty persons were a part of that training event.             

Again this year we had a good Children’s Bible Drill. Martha McCarley gave supervision to this event and thirty-six participants progressed to the state drills.

The Reggie McNeal “Practicing Greatness” conference cosponsored by our association provided excellent insight and encouragement to more than thirty of our pastors. 

Disaster Relief training and Resort Ministries training provided additional training opportunities to the laity in our churches to prepare for ministry.  Disaster Relief in our association,   under the leadership of Doyle Pittman, will be expanding this year to include the Rebuild Ministry in Baptist Builders with the North American Missions Board.  Bob Neely, a laymen for Oak Street in Soddy, will be providing leadership in this developing program in our association.

Stan Braley led the Resort Ministries training which equipped participants to serve in their individual mission projects with the use of the salvation bracelet, balloon sculpture and tattoos. It also provided training for the corps of volunteers who served at Riverbend in June. Eight churches provided volunteers to work at the Scenic City Ministries tent of our association.

We officially welcome three churches into our association as they move from mission status.  The One Accord church has merged with Crosspoint to become the One Accord Community Church pastored by Ray Williams.  They are located at 343 Sweetland Drive in Red Bank.  Love Fellowship, a mission of Morris Hill, has constituted.  Gerald O’Guinn is the pastor.  They are located at 1811 Roanoke Avenue in East Chattanooga.  Faith United has constituted under Pastor Larry Jones.  They are located at 3027 Dodson Avenue in East Chattanooga.

We also welcome Solid Anchor Baptist Mission, pastored by Johnny Horne, located at 1040 Pineville Road in Red Bank. This is a mission of One Accord.

Missions have always been one of the main stack poles of our churches working together.  This was evidenced through cooperative giving to our Baptist work at large, but more specifically through giving to support missions in foreign lands and missions here at home in America.  While substantive support continues for both the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board, a growing change in mission emphasis is apparent as we see more individual churches becoming involved in the mission sending effort as well.  Hundreds of volunteers from Hamilton County Baptist churches go around our country and around the world in mission projects short term.  Career missionaries are still being called out from among our people. There is not a single or double emphasis alone any longer.  There are multiple approaches and emphases from church to church.

Another stack pole often overlooked, but possibly rivaling missions,  is our literature.  Some of us remember when the uniform lesson was about the only option open to the tens of thousands of Baptist churches around the nation.  Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Vacation Bible School and Winter Bible Studies were very uniform if not identical because they used the same literature from the Sunday School Board.  That is not the case any longer.  Our churches shop the market to find the literature they think is best for their church.  They draw from any number of publishing houses, not just our Lifeway Resources.

The impact of this change alone makes the nature of association training events and large group meetings a challenge. What literature will be the basis of the training?  That has prompted our association to spend much more time in individualized responses to churches.  We are working with more churches than ever, but are much more singular in our approach -- church by church, situation by situation.  Individual staff and church consultation and assistance are key components of association  ministry by your staff.  We count it a privilege to work with our churches in areas of personnel, budget, organization, education, administration, search committee orientation and other specific needs one church at a time.  I hope you will continue to call on us for assistance.

We would also like to participate in mission fairs and other opportunities to communicate with your church regarding association missions.  Displays, PowerPoint presentations, speaking, literature and other ways can be called on to help share the good news about the mission and ministry of this association.  We would count it privilege to be given an opportunity to share with your people.  I believe they will be happy to hear about the work and be more enthusiastic about supporting our work together when they know more about the ministry.

Thank you for the privilege of serving the Lord in this place.  We are laborers together with each other and laborers together with God in work that is of eternal significance.  Let’s continue to be faithful to His calling on our lives.