The Yates Baptist
Association is a partnership
of diverse congregations
working together to
encourage and enable
congregations to be
effective and innovative in
their mission for Christ.
MAR/APR 2015
Volume 57, Issue 2
To the Good People of Yates Baptist Association:
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Dr. Thane Barnes
Associational Missions
Consultant
1
“Collaboration”
Rev. Jeff McCarthy
Moderator
2
Changes Coming to YBA
3
Missions and Ministry
Opportunities
4
Church Events
4
Yates Baptist Association
4800 Garrett Road
P.O. Box 52381
Durham, NC 27717-2381
919-489-3396
[email protected]
www.yatesba.com
ASSOCIATION STAFF
Dr. Thane Barnes
YBA Missions Consultant
[email protected]
Rev. Michael Bond
Partnership Missionary
[email protected]
Ms. Teresa Dotson
Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
I am honored to be approved as Yates
Associational Interim Missionary Consultant. I will
begin my ministry among you on March 1,
2015. I will work with your leadership, pastors
and churches to help evaluate the current status
of YBA. I am excited about seeing what God
wants to do through a network of churches in
2015.
Our first task is to get to know one another. It’s a time to come together and
hear one another with no agenda other than to listen. I want to get to know
you and have all of us become better acquainted with each other. The
secondary purpose will be to find the common ground that we share and
where we are like-minded. We need to honestly evaluate where we are, not
where we want to be or think we should be.
You may have been involved in Yates Baptist Association for years, you may
be totally unaware of what an association of churches is or perhaps you have
walked away. Together we will look for God’s preferred future for YBA. Your
current leadership team has been praying and seeking direction for a new
vision for the Association and is excited about the possibilities. I am excited
about seeing what God has in mind. It may look very different from the
past. We will embark on the process of moving toward that future. It will
take time, passion and involvement from many.
I have pastored four Southern Baptist churches in four states. I have served
as a state convention’s Executive Director and I currently serve with a ministry
to pastors, missionaries and leadership couples/singles to help them find the
joy of serving God through the local church again. The ministry is called
SonScape Retreats.
I look forward to our ministry together, as we begin this Christ centric journey
toward health and wholeness. You will be invited to a meeting this spring to
begin this journey.
In His grip,
Dr. Thane Barnes
Yates Baptist Association
Missionary Consultant
“We then, as workers together with Him…”
2 Corinthians 6:1a
The above verse uses the Greek word synergeo to describe
the process that takes place when believers work together
with other believers and with Christ to accomplish the work
God has called us to, namely evangelizing and disciple
making in our community. The definition for the word in its
Biblical usage is: “to work together, help in work, be a
partner in labor or “to put forth power together with and
thereby to assist.” In other words, something dynamic takes
place between believers and through the assistance of the
Holy Spirit as they work together in Kingdom work.
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, synergeo is defined as follows; “to help in work, to co-operate,
be a co-worker.” Again, we are not alone in our work. We have the Holy Spirit and the help and cooperation of other co-workers. Webster defines synergy as “combined or cooperative action or force”. As
believers, when we combine and co-operate our actions in the power of the Holy Spirit, we become a
force for Kingdom work.
The NLT translates this part of the verse “as God’s partners” and the NIV “as God’s co-workers.” As
believers, we only have true synergy when we partner with God and each other. As many of us learned
from Henry Blackaby, God is always at work and we need to join Him in His work. As an association of
churches, that is what God is calling us to do.
During the past few months, our association has been living out this verse. In the midst of challenges,
changes, and transitions, the association is enjoying a time of cooperation that is only attributed to the
fact that we believe God is leading us to a more defined vision and mission as an association. In spite of
all the diversity and theological differences, a core group of leaders and churches are coming together to
do the hard work of renewing and re-visioning our future as an association.
Three indicators show us that we are moving in the right path in this spirit of cooperation. First, we voted
unanimously at our annual meeting to accept the Lakewood Baptist Church property. Second, at a special
called meeting a month later, we voted unanimously to place the Garrett Road property on the market
and to relocate our associational offices to the Lakewood campus. And finally, we voted unanimously at
our January quarterly board meeting to call Dr. Thane Barnes to lead us as our ministry consultant to
intentionally lead us through this transition process. Three major votes that set the direction of the future
of our association, and all three unanimous!
Currently, our Executive Team and Leadership Team are in the process of working with Dr. Barnes as we
work through the process of re-visioning and forming a Transition Team. We are also setting up teams for
certain tasks relating to the sale of the Garrett Road property, the renovation of the association office
wing at the Lakewood campus, and relocation of our offices. I want to publically thank Teresa and
Michael for their patience and hard work as we move through this process.
Thom Rainer, CEO of Lifeway, recently gave 15 trends for churches in 2015. I believe four of these trends
will directly affect our synergy. These four are:
In denominational churches, more grassroots partnerships among congregations
People continue to flow from smaller to larger churches
Congregations and communities will get along better as churches serve and communities come to
appreciate what churches offer
Individual congregations will seek more separation from denominational structure. Rainer says,
“Denominational structures will continue to get smaller and more streamlined, and churches
will not be able to expect the same type of resources they have received from the past.”
Page 2
At YBA, we see these trends. Now we need to act. Cooperation has gotten us thus far, now we need to
work together even more. This next phase of associational work will not be driven by cooperation. It will
be driven by another term that better describes our challenges. That word is collaboration. To
collaborate is “to work with another person or group in order to achieve or do something.” Synonyms for
collaboration are association, participation, partnership, teamwork, alliance, joint effort, and working
together. Interestingly enough, the antonyms for collaboration are disunion, division, separation, and
noncooperation.
Why collaboration? Because collaboration is working together to achieve shared goals. Collaboration
means I may or may not agree with you on every single thing, however, I am willing to work with you to
achieve a shared goal. If evangelism and discipleship of our area is our goal, then we as an association
need to collaborate with one another, with other ministries and entities, and with God to accomplish this
task.
If you look around our greater Durham region, you see the results of collaboration among the
government, businesses, and education. It is the RTP. Our region has been transformed by this
collaboration. Another example is downtown Durham. Once the home of closed down mills, factories, and
dilapidated tobacco warehouses, we are now the envy of many cites in our nation. Even competitors
have come together to collaborate to form new businesses, ideas, and products.
What is the future of Yates? If we can collaborate, it will be bright.
Thanks for the privilege of serving you as moderator.
Jeff McCarthy
Everything @ Yates Baptist Association is about to change.
New location
New leadership
New mission and ministry opportunities
New directions
Do you have thoughts, ideas, convictions about the future of YBA?
If so, the April Associational Board Meeting will be an essential gathering.
Come for a meet-and-greet time with our Associational Missions Consultant, Thane Barnes.
Come for a time interactive sharing on the present and future direction of our ministry.
Come because everything is going to change and you will want to be a part of the new movement.
YBA Associational Board Meeting
DATE: Tuesday, April 14, 2015
TIME: 6:30 pm - To meet and greet Dr. Thane Barnes
and for interactive work on the present and future
7:00 pm - For news on transition and other
ministry reports
Location: Durham Memorial Baptist Church
133 Robbins Road, Durham, NC 27703
Everything @ Yates Baptist Association is about to change!
Page 3
THE YATES BAPTIST ASSOCIATION NEWS
March-April Edition 2015
Volume 57: Issue 2
(USPS 695-500) is published Bi-monthly by
Yates Baptist Association
4800 Garrett Road, Durham, NC 27707
919-489-3396
Periodicals
Postage Paid
Durham, NC 27705
USPS 695-500
Periodical Postage Paid at Durham, NC
Postmaster: Send address changes to
The Yates Baptist Association News
PO Box 52381, Durham, NC 27717-2381
CHURCH MINISTRY OPENINGS
Cedar Fork - PT Director of Music/Church Musician
Contact Pat O’Brien at 919-616-1513 or send resume to
Cedar Fork Bapt Church, 5117 S. Miami Blvd, Durham, 27703
Guess Road - PT Youth Minister Needed
For more information, contact Rev. Dan Tilley.
Call 919-477-4893 or email [email protected]
Plainview - PT Youth Minister needed.
Contact Linda Redford at [email protected].
Rose of Sharon - PT Children’s Minister Needed
For more information, call 919-477-3993.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
Nominations Committee ................................... March 5, 10am
Associational Leadership Team .................... March 9, 12noon
Annual Meeting Planning Committee ........... March 10, 10am
Personnel Committee ...................................... March 11, 10am
Children’s Bible Drill at Yates Church ..... March 15, 2:30pm
OCC Prison Ministry (Red Mountain) ...... March 15, 7:00pm
Deep Well Giving Team ............................ March 18, 11:45am
Public Relations Committee ........................... March 19, 10am
Sr. Health Support of the Triangle .......... March 19, 11:30am
Finance Committee ...................................... March 25, 12noon
Nominations Committee .................................... April 2, 10am
Good Friday (YBA Resource Center Closed) .............. April 3
NC Baptist Missions Conference ........................... April 10-11
(Calvary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC)
Associational Leadership Team ...................... Apr 13, 12noon
Annual Meeting Planning Committee ............. April 14, 10am
Associational Board Meeting ........................ April 14, 6:30pm
and “Meet and Greet” with Dr. Barnes
(Durham Memorial, 133 Robbins Road, Durham, NC 27703)
UPCOMING EVENTS/MISSION OPPORTUNITIES cont.
Public Relations Committee ............................. April 16, 10am
OCC Prison Ministry (1st Hillsborough) ..... April 19, 7:00pm
Finance Committee ........................................ April 22, 12noon
Baptist Children’s Home Food Roundup .............. April 27-30
NC Baptist Men-Men’s Outdoor Weekend.............May 15-16
Hawaii Mission Trip ................................................ June 12-22
Pennsylvania Mission Trip ....................................... July 25-31
CHURCH EVENTS
Berea - Welcomes new pastor, Rev. Michael Jessee
Sunday, March 8, 11am. Covered dish lunch following service.
Easter Egg Hunt - March 28, 1:00-2:30pm
Master’s Men Concert (free) - March 20, 6:00pm
Gorman & NCBAM - “Smoke Alarm Installation Training
and Fire Safety at Home” Friday, March 27; 10am-12noon
3315 E. Geer Street, Durham, NC 27704
Grey Stone - Sr. Health Support of the Triangle
“Protect Yourself from SCAMS” March 19, 11:30 am
2601 Hillsborough Road, Durham, NC 27705
Guess Road - Bethesda Bluegrass Band in concert
Sunday, March 29, 6:00pm; 3102 Guess Road, Durham, 27705
Everyone is invited. No cost but a love offering will be received.
For more information, call 919-477-4893
Hope Valley - Mwangaza Children’s Choir Concert
Sunday, March 29 at 11:00am and 6:00 pm
6900 Garrett Road, Durham, NC 27707
University - Celebration for the 25th Year Ministry
Of Dr. H. Mitchell Simpson
March 8 - Dr. Robert Moses in the pulpit
100 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514