BERKSHIRE CHRISTIAN ANNOUNCES NEW MISSION STATEMENT
Berkshire Christian is excited to share its new mission statement with you. After much discussion and prayer, the board of trustees enthusiastically adopted the following mission statement at its spring meeting at Alton Bay, N.H. in mid-April:
“Engaging minds to inspire hearts through biblical instruction and practical mentoring.”
Berkshire Board of Trustees
Recently I was able to spend time with the Berkshire Christian board of trustees in New England. We began with meetings at the office in Haverhill, Mass., which President Glenn Rice and a number of volunteers had worked to update and organize. On Thursday evening, however, we relocated to Alton Bay Christian Conference Center to begin our board meetings. A special thank you to the staff of Alton Bay for hosting us; they did a great job!
Steve Lawson
This week we will look at the final part of the strategic plan for ACGC: the Department of Home Missions. ACGC has had a Department of Home Missions in the past, but now the focus is truly on missions in North America and Canada. The fact that churches are closing at an alarming rate across denominational lines should concern all believers, especially if we are not reacting by launching missional efforts to reach the unsaved of our communities.
The number of churches that are closing is more than those that are being planted. The mission of ACGC in Home Missions is to resource and enable planting of evangelical churches across the United States and Canada. Our vision is to see gospel-centered churches that are focused on disciple-making with a mindset of multiplication of churches and outreach.
This week, I will return to talking about the next department in our new strategic plan: the Department of International Missions. We have changed the name from World Outreach to specifically focus on the world beyond the United States and Canada, distinguishing from the Department of Home Missions, which I will write about in a future article.
Missions has always been an important part of the Advent Christian denomination, and to realize how far-reaching our denomination has become shows how God has blessed us in our ministry. Over the last few decades, missions has become much more focused on supporting the indigenous pastors and conference leaders whom we work with around the world. As we thought about ACGC’s focus touching areas that would be labeled “unreached people groups,” we thought about how to reach the hearts of the unsaved who have never heard about Jesus and have no real opportunity to hear. Only 27 percent of our missions’ funds go to support ministry in these areas and in areas that we already have mission contacts. Our percentage as Advent Christians compared to many other groups is much higher, but not nearly as focused as we need to be in reaching these specific areas of the world.
During your celebration of Holy Week, I hope you have definite plans to reflect on what happened in preparation for Easter Sunday. As we contemplate the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross and the powerful fact of his resurrection, I want to share with you an opportunity to experience the Holy Land in a special way. Franklin Graham and his family made a trip to Israel and have put together a week of devotions about the Holy Land and specific places in the Bible. These devotions will help us consider what Jesus went through while he was fulfilling the prophecies of Scripture, and as he laid down his life for us. These videos are a great way to connect with the Holy Land and experience the life of Christ. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has two links where you can see the full TV special and view the seven-part devotional series online. This would be a great experience for you and your family during this special week!
“Join Franklin Graham and his family as they dig deeper into the Gospels to study Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death, and miraculous resurrection in the land where it all happened” (From the website).
