Snyder Memorial Red Shirt Crew

Here is a Blog post from the Biblical Recorder on the CBFNC General Assembly:

Snyder Memorial Members = Servants
20. March 2009 by J. Shore Traveling alone isn't something I normally do. I panic when I can't find my way, feel like I'm lost or even just get turned around. But when I found out that Fred Craddock was going to be at the CBFNC General Assembly, I knew I'd have to brave my fears for the chance of a lifetime.

I'd not been to Fayetteville before and was surprised at the traffic I encountered. I missed my exit to my hotel and ended up driving too far. Flustered and scared, I finally made it, checked in and rushed to find the church. Luckily, that was easier and I made it without incident.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I had a "Dorothy entering the land of Oz" experience. A nice man flagged my car down with a smile and asked me how I was. He wanted to make sure I found not just a parking space, but a good one. He inquired if I needed to unload anything and then sent me to another smiling and waving man. That gentleman, too, asked me how I was and welcomed me to the church (that I hadn't even entered yet). I parked and started walking in to be greeted by two more men who showed me where registration was. I felt like royalty!

Registering for the conference was a breeze and as soon as I got my nametag, another person was there asking me where they could help me go. Literally, every corner of the church was covered by a volunteer. It was amazing and helped ease my stress from my travels right away.

My night continued on in similar fashion, every time I even thought about something I might need, someone from Snyder Memorial was right there. At dinner time, a sweet lady named Olivia insisted that she take my tray and put it away for me. I tried to explain to her that my mother would have me insist on putting my own dishes away and her response was, "but if you don't let me do it, I won't have anything to do!" I felt guilty for not letting her take it the first time she asked!

Worship was fulfilling. Hearing Fred Craddock was amazing. My brain is still trying to absorb all the information I received. But the members of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church - the "red shirt crew" - will forever be etched in my mind beside the word "servant".

CBFNC General Assembly Day 2

The theme of the 2009 General Assembly:

About 4 or more hours ago, I returned from 3 long Spirit-filled days at my first CBFNC General Assembly. Anyways, Day 2 was a day of fellowship around displays on CBF friendly missions and other projects that CBF takes part in. I will blog on all the displays in subsequent posts. Also going on around this time was a gathering of Baptist Women in Ministry of North Carolina in another church in Fayetteville, in which another FBC-Wilmington resident member, Mary Margaret Brooks was recognized for her years of service to the Baptist community. She is a dear friend of our family as she kept me in the nursery when her husband Lamar was the pastor of our church at FBC-Laurinburg in the early 80's. See also: Baptists Today Blogs: BWIM NC celebrates preaching without words. A deli lunch was provided for the exhibitors which my mom, my grandmother and I assisted with and Snyder Memorial Baptist Church of Fayetteville, NC for non-exhibitors. After lunch, people milled around and/or attended various breakout sessions. My grandmother and I attended these 2 breakout sessions:

Charles Barrett Howard: Preacher, Professor, and Philanthropist, Glenn Jonas ...............................................................B1052
(2:15 p.m. - Annual Meeting of the NC Baptist Historical Society - Room B1052) and New Church Start Track
Emerging Faith Communities in the 21st Century, Beverly Hatcher and Pete Zimmerman ............................................ A2002.

I'll blog more on them later. All through the day I ran into old friends, Campbell people, blogging buddies and new friend which is a testimony to the openness of CBF. At dinnertime, we ate in the Fellowship Hall with Jim Everette---we have to get ideas for the 2013 General Assembly as FBC-Wilmington is hosting that one. Following dinner was our evening worship service with Dr. Fred Craddock preaching on “Hearing What is Said.” The main theme of Craddock's sermon was truly listening to what people say. An audio and video of the service should be available soon on the CBFNC official website. Sitting beside us on the front left pew with us was a family friend, Steve DeVane, taking pictures for the Biblical Recorder. Tony Cartledge was taking pictures and blogging from the front right pew for Baptists Today.

CBFNC General Assembly Day 1

Today I helped my mom and our Assistant Pastor Brad Smith setup exhibits at Snyder Memorial. While I was there I checked out the Youth room and thought I saw a picture of a girl I went to FMA with. Anyways, I'll blog more thoroughly on the General Assembly when I get home as we are staying with my grandmother in Dunn and it's hard for me to use her computer.

In closing here is a snippet of a post by Tony Cartledge from another CBFNC event I went to:

In a closing message, Mike Queen, pastor of First Baptist Church in Wilmington, said Baptists are “tribal people.” Christians have divided themselves into many tribes, he said, and Baptists have developed tribes of their own, but “that’s how it’s always been in the Kingdom of God.

Queen noted how Moses instructed the Israelites to encamp by tribes surrounding the tabernacle, each flying its distinctive banner. Thus, “both unity and uniqueness were celebrated” in the peoples’ “corporate identity as children of Israel and particular identity as members of their tribes.”

As a former president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) General Board, Queen was a tireless advocate for unity within the BSCNC during the 1990s, an effort that ultimately ran aground in the rising conservative tide that now dominates the state convention. During the same period, CBFNC emerged as an alternative nexus of cooperation and fellowship for those who felt disenchanted with or disenfranchised by the BSCNC.

“I spent a long time chasing the wrong things in Baptist life the past 25 years,” Queen told the congregation. “CBF of North Carolina is my tribe in the Baptist nation,” he said, “but it is not a denomination to be won: it’s all about mission and freedom.”

“It’s exciting to be a part of something that is still new and filled with hope we can scarcely imagine,” Queen said. That hope can be found in Jesus alone and calls for vigilant focus, he said, for “When you fall in love with an institution, you may lose the ability to follow Jesus.”

“The easy part of our faith is to believe,” Queen concluded. “The following part gets hard: that’s where we need one another.”

In a key component of the convocation, representatives from 23 organizations recognized as CBFNC ministry partners joined CBFNC leaders and the congregation in a litany of common mission and mutual support.