We are excited to welcome Dr. Don Whitney, professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean of theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to speak at our Annual Meeting on “The Importance of Spiritual Disciplines in the Life of the Local Church.”

Location: First Baptist Church Mount Washington, 320 N Bardstown Rd, Mt Washington, KY 40047

Date: Sunday, September 20th, 2020

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

COVID-19 Update: Due to social distancing guidelines, we will have to limit the number of people in the building to 175. Therefore, we are strongly encouraging all of our churches to elect their messengers and to let us know exactly how many from each church will be attending.Remember, we will not be offering ministry booths, food, or child care this year. Finally, we are strongly suggesting people to wear masks as they enter the building and in areas where social distancing is not possible. Obviously, all of this is subject to change if circumstances demand it. We are thankful for your understanding and appreciate your prayers as we navigate this time as an association.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing guidelines, several changes have been made to the Annual Meteing’s format. First Baptist Church Mt. Washington will still be our host on Sunday, September 20th. However, the times have been changed. We will now gather at 3:00 p.m. and finish up around 5:00 p.m. Because of the virus, we’ve had to cut the following from our meeting:

1) Breakout Sessions

2) Ministry Boothes

3) Childcare

4) Food

5) Youth/Children Services

During our time together we will focus on our corporate worship gathering and the business session and reports will be included in that time. As of right now, we still have Dr. Don Whitney, professor of biblical spirituality at Southern Seminary, scheduled to be our main speaker. The entire event will be hosted in the sanctuary of FBC Mt. Washington. Due to social distancing guidelines, we will have to limit the number of people in the building to 175. Therefore, we are strongly encouraging all of our churches to elect their messengers and to let us know exactly how many from each church will be attending. Finally, we are strongly suggesting people to wear masks as they enter the building and in areas where social distancing is not possible. Obviously, all of this is subject to change if circumstances demand it. We are thankful for your understanding and appreciate your prayers as we navigate this time as an association. We look forward to worshiping together on the 20th of September.

Since 1845, almost 25,000 Southern Baptist missionaries have shared the gospel, made disciples, planted churches and planted their lives in 185 countries around the world. In the link below you will find an interactive timeline that celebrates 175 years of Southern Baptists on mission through the International Mission Board, which was originally called the Foreign Mission Board. Get to know missionaries whose names may have been forgotten but whose stories remind us of the power of God and the courage of His people. Learn about significant moments in Southern Baptist history, often shaped by events happening in the world at large. Celebrate God’s faithfulness through 175 years of remarkable missions history.

CELEBRATE 175 years of continuous ministry by joining us in 175 Days of Prayer. Each day will feature one request and can be sent to you as a push notification from the IMB Pray app, accessed at imb.org/pray or the Pray Daily newsletter, or seen through IMB social media.

While we still can’t gather in-person, we want to provide you with some resources to begin thinking through the reopening process of your church. Here are some of the links regarding reopening a church campus and regathering plans:

https://cdn2.creativecirclemedia.com/kbc/files/20200423-124057-Reopening_a_Church_Campus.pdf

http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/when-will-our-church-buildings-reopen,25371

https://kenbraddy.com/2020/04/18/20-questions-your-church-should-answer-before-people-return/

https://kenbraddy.com/2020/04/25/24-more-questions-the-church-should-ask-before-people-return/

An example for a guide to helping churches make their space safe:

https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Covid19%20Clean.pdf?token=AWxKFGiDhgrEQMcyukxhmln4uIkKHA7lRnwOLD4sccUvsmQA0SsENvoRGPueWCWPZhk4VxflcmkhtjKsYO-2Yt1BnRNE5ENrG-l5EI2WnOMBEIy9X4W15cmltnVsG3NvlBlmBpxghhMyF0R-O0SP9rWGSUZ5ZnoK9FzuM0iIZATrPFztkwhNOn4qfZLFXK466EibTQkTe2krYmZ0FmYGfVcY

And a webinar:https://kentuckybaptist-ccr.regfox.com/reopening-the-church

We pray that some of these resources will be beneficial to you.

Know that we are thinking about you and praying for you in these crazy times. While we keep our eyes on Jesus and trust Him for all steps and decisions, so many people are struggling and it seems it might get worse before it gets better. There is fear, uncertainty, and so much unknown. It is not just the sickness the Coronavirus can bring, it is now the impact of the economy, shutting down of businesses, travel, and in particular churches.  There are many things impacting us and those in our congregations.

Our mission as an association is to strengthen local churches so that they glorify Jesus Christ and demonstrate His love by fulfilling the Great Commission.  During this unprecedented time, we want to help, encourage, and strengthen you! Please tell us how we can pray for your congregations and your leaders.  Let us know what resources you may be in need of.  Tell us how we can help your church at this time.  Stan and I will be calling all of our pastors over the next few weeks to encourage and pray for them.  We as an association are here to serve the local church.

Please be aware that we also want to lead by example during this time and will, therefore, be adjusting our office hours.  I (Mike) will be in the office on Mondays and Stan will be in and out of the office the rest of the week.  However, this does not mean that we will be unavailable.  I will be working from my church office.  If one of us is not in the office then calls to the association will be directed to my email where I will then be able to return your call.  But we encourage you to contact us directly at our personal cell numbers or personal emails. I also will be checking the association’s email everyday.  Together, let us seek the Lord in unity about these matters:

1. Ask God, in His mercy, to stop this pandemic and save lives — not only in our communities but around the world, particularly in places that are unequipped medically to deal with the virus. (Isaiah 59:1-2)

2. Pray for President Donald Trump and other government leaders — international, federal, state, and local — to have the wisdom to direct us in the best courses of action for prevention and care. (Romans 13:1–4) 

3. Scripture says: Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom in this moment of fear as the foundations of what we know are shaken, that others would realize how fragile life is and how real eternity is, and they would see their need to turn to God. (Psalm 90:12)

4. Ask God to protect our missionaries and their families around the globe, using this global crisis to advance His Good News to the whole world. (Mark 16:15)

Once again, we are here to serve and strengthen you during this. Let us hold fast to this verse found in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”