APPALACHEE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
BE Conference 2021 Schedule
WHEN: Tuesday, September 28th | 6:30 p.m.
HOSTED BY: 1025 Church
1025 E. Spring Street
Monroe, GA 30655
Keynote Preacher
Evangelist Rick Gage
In 1986, Rick Gage walked away from a promising career coaching football and surrendered his life to full-time evangelistic ministry. A few years later, he became the founder of GO TELL Crusades, Inc. He has been conducting evangelistic events around the world and has seen tens of thousands make commitments to the Lord Jesus Christ. Rick is also the founder of GO TELL Ministries, Inc. His annual GO TELL Youth Camps, which began in 1989, have reached more than 100,000 students and their leaders from churches across the country. As a result, thousands of students have come to Christ or surrendered to full-time ministry.
BE BREAKOUT SESSIONS
1. Be ready to lead a healthy small group/Sunday School that is engaging and will develop a disciple making environment by learning these 5 essential elements.
Scott Sullivan is married to the love of his life, Elizabeth. They have four children: Erika, Austin, Caleb, and Noah. He serves as the Discipleship Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board representing 3400 churches and 1.4 million Georgia Baptists. Scott is an author, think leader, national discipleship consultant, personal disciple-maker, and speaker. He is passionate about Jesus, family, and the outdoors.
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2. Be ready to help the lost and hurting by presenting the good news of Jesus effectively.
As we fight through this pandemic, we as Southern Baptist have baptized the fewest people in over a century. Yet God is still on the throne and people are not only lost but hurting. We, as the church, have been called to reach those lost and hurting people. How can we structure as a church to more effectively reach those around us who need Jesus.
Steve Foster has been the featured speaker at hundreds of evangelistic services and rallies. God has used Steve as a catalyst for revival and spiritual awakening as he has served as a Senior Pastor, Director of Missions, and a vocational Evangelist. He currently serves as an Evangelism Consultant in the Northeast Region with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Steve is a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His wife Dee’drya is an elementary school teacher. They have one son (Bailey) and live in Lilburn, Georgia.
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3. Be ready to help your church be healthy for the long term by reaching young adults.
The hardest demographic to reach for a local church can also be the demographic that has the most impact on the future health of the local church. Join us as we discuss some proven principles for reaching college aged individuals and the important role they can play in the life of the local church. Whether you’re in a college town or not, this session will be beneficial for connecting with and reaching young adults.
Tommy Fountain Jr. is the Campus Minister at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at the University of Georgia. He previously served on staff as the Student, College, and Missions Pastor at Beech Haven in Athens, GA. Before that, he was a H.S. baseball coach and teacher for 11 ½ years, while serving bi-vocationally. Tommy’s wife, Mallory, is a nurse. They have four children, Madison (14), Brady (12), Cooper (8), and Reese (4).
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4. Be ready as a church to truly help the international missionaries on the field.
So many times we take our missionaries and have their names on a list and pray for one missionary a day or a week, and that is a blessing and a need. However, there are many other ways you can make an impact for the glory of God on the missionaries and on the field they are assigned to.
Zack and Jenn Dove have worked with the IMB in Norway for the past 8.5 years. They currently are the associate cluster leaders for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Netherlands, and Dutch speaking Belgium. They are both originally from the metro Atlanta area and have two boys, William, 19 and Daniel, 16.
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5. Be ready with 6 things every worship & music ministry needs no matter the size, structure or style of your church.
Rhon Carter grew up in southeast Georgia in a small town called Hoboken. He attended Hoboken Baptist Church, a very small church, and was active in the church’s music ministry. His grandmother was the church organist, and she began to teach him to play piano. At the age of three, he could play the melody of Amazing Grace. At 12 years old, Rhon realized that he was a sinner in need of a Savior and gave his life to Jesus Christ. It wasn’t until he had almost finished a degree in hospital administration that the Lord called him into full time music ministry. With multiple talents in music, he laid down his personal agenda and took up the Lord’s agenda for his life. Rhon went back to Brewton- Parker College and acquired a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and minor in piano. While attending Brewton-Parker College, Rhon met his wife Vickki. They have one son, Barhon. God has allowed Rhon to serve several great Baptist churches with tremendous pastors from 50 – 3000. Rhon is currently the Worship & Music Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. His desire is to help all Georgia Baptist churches take next steps to fulfill the great commission Ron has led music in churches that ran from 60-1500 people.
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6. Be ready to grow by overcoming unseen growth barriers in your church.
Facing growth barriers in the church means that you must honestly look at the church see where the struggles lie and be willing to pull the church together through them. This means that together you grow as individuals, and you are committing to a long-term work with lots of battles from the enemy.
Wayne Marcus grew up in Dalton Ga. He has been married to His high School Sweetheart Tammy for 36 years. He Started Pastoring when He was 25 years old and is now in his 29th year of ministry. He has now been at Toms Creek for 23 years and has seen many ups and downs. They have been through building projects, had to make many structural changes and now like all people are battling their way back from a pandemic.
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7. Be ready to help in restoring families and homes.
The family is one of the most important institutions to God. It is the building block for all of society, as well as for the church. There is no question that it is under serious attack, and as God’s children we should be first into the battle to defend families. No matter how big or small your church is, you can make a difference in helping broken and hurting families to be restored. Lee will be discussing a variety of ways your church, small group, or Sunday School class can be involved practically and spiritually in making a difference in the lives of families that will have an impact for generations.
Lee Wood is an ordained minister who also holds a master’s degree in psychology. For the last 20 years Lee has worked with families’ broken and hurting due to divorce, addiction, and all forms of abuse. He is certified in Domestic Violence and Anger Management Instruction, a Certified Life Coach, trained in child development, and trained in family functioning evaluation. His heart is to see families restored and equipped to reach their highest level of God given dignity. Lee presently is the Director of Family Restoration for Four Winds Counseling Center in Loganville, Georgia.
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8. Be ready to become a strong children’s leader so as to reach more kids for Christ.
In this session we’ll discuss some key factors children’s leaders must continually develop to maintain a strong children’s ministry. You’ll gain some great ideas you can use this week with the kids at your church.
Jenni Carter joined the state missionary staff of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board August 2013 and serves in the Next Gen Department as the State-wide Children’s Consultant. Prior to this position, she served as a Children’s Minister at Tabernacle Baptist in Macon for 24 years. She is a gifted conference leader and enjoys equipping kids ministry leaders.
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9. The “Be-With” Factor of Youth Ministry: Be ready to build relationships for a fruit-bearing youth ministry.
Are strong youth ministries a thing of the past? In this session we will discuss how to build a youth ministry that will make a difference in your church, your community and the Kingdom of God for years to come.
Jeff Glen is the Student Pastor at Shirley Hills Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Ga. He graduated from U.G.A where he received a degree in Speech Communications and Group Dynamics. After college, he and his wife Malea moved to Los Angeles where they served as Youth Evangelism Consultants for the California Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board. Jeff earned a Master of Divinity degree at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and has served as student pastor in Texas and Georgia. Jeff is married to his beautiful wife Malea and they have two sons, Caleb and Josiah. Jeff is passionate about the Georgia Bulldogs, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hiking, and missions.
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10. Be ready by caring for your pastor so he can care for you.
1700 + pastors are leaving every month. 75% of pastors surveyed report being extremely stressed. Michigan State Professor of Organizational Psychology, Rick DeShon, studies the impact of different jobs in every field of work in every environment, in our society. Professor DeShon, after studying pastor’s roles stated: “the breadth of tasks performed by local church pastors, coupled with the rapid switching between task clusters and roles that appear prevalent in this position is unique. I have never encountered such a fast-paced job with such varied and impactful responsibilities.” So, how can you care for your pastor so he can care for you for the long term?
Andy Childs serves pastors and churches in Northern Georgia as Pastor Wellness Catalyst. Prior to joining the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, he pastored Ebenezer Baptist in Toccoa, Georgia for seventeen years. He also served as Youth Pastor and Associate Pastor at Snellville FBC for several years. Andy and Melissa have been married for thirty years. They have two children – a son Micah who is married to Jordan and a daughter Emilee who is a student at Toccoa Falls College. Andy and Melissa reside in Toccoa, Georgia.
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11. Be ready to go on mission for our Lord.
Whether your church is large or small, you, your small group/Sunday School class can be actively involved in missions. Did you know Georgia Baptists, along with Appalachee Baptist Association, can partner with you to help you get involved in the place that the Lord has laid on your heart to serve? Maybe you or your church or Sunday School class have thought, we just don’t have the resources. Come find out how we can help you partner with others.
Keith Ivey has been actively involved in Missions of all types both foreign and domestic. Keith was the former director of Ga. Mountain Resort Ministries for 12 yrs. He also served as an Area Associational Missionary for several years. He now serves Ga. Baptist as the Mission Consultant for the Northeast Region for the Ga. Baptist Mission Board. Keith is married to Amy and they have four kids.
The Worship service will follow immediately the “BE” breakout sessions. The “Be Conference” is part of the 186th Annual Fall Meeting of the Appalachee Baptist Association. The Executive Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m., prior to the “Be Conference.” The Executive Committee consists of two people appointed or elected by each church of the Appalachee Baptist Association, of which one member is normally the pastor, unless there is a vacancy at the pastor position. The Appalachee Baptist Association: A Family of Churches that loves Jesus and loves people.
