Maryland/Delaware Roundup, Sept. 23, 2021

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

On the Waterfront
On the East Coast at Ocean City Baptist Church, Pastor Sean Davis reported 15 baptisms over the summer. Baptismal candidates included families attending for a few years, several children, and a Romanian international student.

Davis laughed as he shared about a fourth-grader who was extremely excited about his baptism. After talking with the boy and his parents, Davis said it was clear the youth understood salvation and baptism. “He could explain it all, and he had given his heart to Jesus. So, we set the date.” Davis said the boys’ parents said the young man was so excited that as soon as he sat down to breakfast, he announced, “Today’s the day I get baptized!”

WBA Fair Ministry
Over the summer months, the Western Baptist Association (WBA) continued its long-running annual ministry at the Allegany County and Garrett County fairs.
Associational Missionary Kenny Heath volunteered as a chaplain at both fairs. He made “rounds” each day, visiting, praying, and sharing the gospel with fair leadership, concessionaires, exhibitors, farm families, carnival ride employees, and fairgoers. WBA churches provided a worship service and meal for the employees at each of the fairs. “A special blessing this year was meeting a new Reithoffer worker from Mongolia who had become a follower of Jesus in his home country. He heard the praise music and joined us for his first worship service experience in over a year,” Heath shared.

John Wyrick, the pastor of Rush Baptist Church and founder and leader of the John Wyrick Band, led the vesper service at the Allegany County Fair. Youth from Deep Creek Baptist Church and Pleasant View Baptist Church, both in Oakland, presented the Senior Citizens’ Day “Mountaintop Kids’ Concert” at the Garrett County Fair.

The WBA had a new “Perspectives Survey” for the Garrett County Fair led by Daniel Sisler, the college pastor at Mountain City Church in Frostburg. Members of WBA churches and CRU ministries at Frostburg State University and Garrett College joined Sisler in engaging fairgoers in spiritual conversations — sharing the gospel as “the perspective on the world held by followers of Jesus Christ.”

“Going Beyond” Simulcast
Mt Airy Baptist Church, SonRise Church in Berlin, and Faith Family Baptist Church in Finksburg are among the hundreds of churches throughout the nation that will host “Going Beyond,” Priscilla Shirer’s simulcast. Dates vary at each location. Visit the churches’ websites for dates, costs, and other details.

Corn and Gospel Singing
On September 18, members of LaVale Baptist Church, according to a Facebook post, “will be firing up the big kettle and cooking corn on the cob. Also, we’ll have a big ol’ gospel hymn sing outdoors. Bring your lawn chairs and your appetites, and you can butter up some corn on the cob and enjoy a great evening of music and fun.”

Men’s Conference
LifeHouse Church in Townsend, Delaware, invites churches to bring their men to the church’s “IronMen” Weekend 2021 on October 22-23. The event will include time to worship, grow in God’s word, fellowship, engage in sports tournaments, and share great food.

The keynote speaker will be Virgil Walker, the executive director of operations for G3 Ministries and cohost of the “Just Thinking” Podcast. Additionally, guests from local churches will share at workshops during the conference.

Registration will open at 5:30 on Friday and the evening’s activities will end at 10:30 p.m. The conference will resume at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday with coffee and light snacks and run through 5:30 p.m. Food trucks will be available for the evening meal.

Joel Miller, LifeHoue Church’s missions and outreach pastor, said the church’s new facility allows the church to happily open their doors to other churches to join with them in this event. The cost is $40. Visit the church’s event page for more information and details.

Elvaton Baptist Church Sees God’s Hand
Pastor Chris Rice serves at Elvaton Baptist Church in Millersville. He provided this update in the Arundel Baptist Association’s newsletter on September 1, 2021: “God has been a blessing at Elvaton Baptist Church. Though we have continued live streaming, we have seen a recovery in attendance as more people gain confidence after the lockdowns and return to normal. Sunday school and small groups have also begun meeting again as well. During the last month, we have started one new class for young adults on Tuesdays and seen a good response as eight young men have begun attending. And just this month, God gave us the great joy and blessing to have one couple join the church and see another young man rededicate his life to Christ and come forward seeking baptism. In addition, our school, Elvaton Christian Academy, is looking forward to a great year with over 70 students currently enrolled, the largest we have seen in many years.”

Rice said that although there have been struggles due to COVID-19’s impact, “God is faithful and good. He provides and brings us through to the other side. ‘Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation, and my God… By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life (Psalm 42:5a, 8; ESV).”

Fall Back in Love
White Marsh Baptist Church in Perry Hall will have their annual “Fall Back in Love” concert at 5 p.m. on September 25. The church’s praise team will sing a variety of popular love songs through the decades. Pastor Dave Tierney will share with attendees about the love of Jesus and the team will transition to praise music. The church hosts the event each year as an outreach to the community.

Quotable Quotes 

“The unity of God’s people in the Scripture is essential for the anointing and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.” Dr. Kevin Smith

“The future lies all before us … shall it only be a slight advance upon what we usually do? Ought it not to be a bound, a leap forward, to altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before?” Annie Armstrong

History Highlights 

In 1963, South Burlington Church in Vermont organized and the Baptist Convention of Maryland — now the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D) — giving the convention churches in 11 states. The SBC had churches in 50 states.

In 1994, the BCM/D established a missions partnership with the Pittsburgh Baptist Association and Moldova in Eastern Europe

 

Sharon Mager is a Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware communications specialist and BaptistLIFE church correspondent.

Cover photo: Ocean City Baptist Church baptizes a man who professed faith in Christ (photo submitted).