Things to Know (November)
We had our Annual Meeting last week and it was a great time of worship, fellowship, planning, and prayer (if you haven’t yet, you can still read the Annual Report here). During our time together I made a biblical case for local, autonomous churches being deeply connected with other local, autonomous churches. I’ve found at least 8 forms this took in the NT:
Having concern for one another (e.g., Rom. 16:16)
Praying for one another (e.g., 2Cor. 1:11)
Sharing information with one another (e.g., Col. 4:16)
Sharing people with one another (e.g., 2Cor. 8:18-19)
Sharing finances with one another (e.g., 1Cor. 16:1-3)
Working with one another on mission (e.g., 3Jn. 5-8)
Conferring with one another on difficult dilemmas (e.g., Acts 15:3-6)
Expressing unity in Christ with one another (e.g., Rom. 15:26-27)
How is your church doing at these things? I pray that being part of a local association like Chicagoland Baptists and receiving these newsletters helps you live out this aspect of the Bible’s vision.
Here is someone to know about – Pastor John Liu.
In 2019 Pastor John Liu planted Chicago Golden Light Chinese Baptist Church in Wheeling. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, they have continued to witness to the gospel among Mandarin-speaking people in the northwest suburbs. In September they cohosted an online missionary conference for the global Chinese community that commemorated the 110th anniversary of Lottie Moon’s death. Pastor Liu is assisted by his son Evan, who also teaches in the Asian Studies department at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They ask for your prayers for their ministry to have fruitful and abundant results during the Thanksgiving and Christmas outreaches they have planned this year.
Here are some events to know about –
Weekly Prayer Call every Wednesday from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Just click here to join anytime.
Monthly Discussion on the first Wednesday of every month from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. Join here. On 12/7 we’ll be discussing “How to Build a Healthy Church” with special guest Paul Alexander.
Upcoming Pastors’ Lunches for fellowship:
NORTH (1/19) – Noon at the Korean Baptist Church of Schaumburg | RSVP HERE
WEST (2/23) – Noon at Endiro Coffee in Aurora | RSVP HERE
SOUTH (3/30) – Noon at TBD
CITY (4/27) – Noon at TBD
The SEND Chicago Church Planters’ Christmas Party is on 12/12 at the Morton Arboretum!
I have 4 free tickets to the Illinois Leadership Summit for any pastor OR developing leader in your church. Come to Springfield 1/17-18 to focus on growing in Character, Comradery, Courage, and Communication. Free registration and lodging are for the first 4 to contact me.
Save the date of 2/25 for our Annual Prayer Bus Tour visiting four different Chicagoland Baptists churches and praying all along the way.
Our Annual Women’s Conference is coming up on 3/4 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Household of Faith in Markham. The theme this year is “His Rest, His Strength” from Isaiah 30:15. Speakers include Felecia Clark and Veronica Robinson. Email mindycobb@chicagolandbaptists.org for more information and for registration.
It’s not too early to start planning for the SEND Relief Serve Tour 8/4-5! We’re expecting over 1,000 people to serve our city in the name of Jesus over those two days! Sign up to be part of it here.
Here are a few more things to know about –
The Baptist Foundation of Illinois awards Educational Scholarships for members of our churches pursuing seminary and undergraduate degrees. The window to apply is 1/1-31. Spread the word to your students! They could get up to $2,625 per year in help.
If you would like to participate in SEND Relief’s “A Refugee Christmas” by donating hats, gloves, and coats for refugees in Chicagoland, we need those donations by 12/10. You can drop them off at the Chicagoland Baptists Building or contact Zoe at zsmith@sendrelief.org for other options.
Finally, if you find the work of Chicagoland Baptists valuable, please consider adding us into your church’s 2023 budget!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nathan Carter
Chicagoland Baptists
Executive Director/AMS
1356 N. Rockwell Street, Chicago, IL 60622
nathancarter@chicagolandbaptists.org
312.493.3726
@chicagolandbaptists
You can donate to Chicagoland Baptists here.
You can see past editions of ‘Things to Know’ here.
The mission of Chicagoland Baptists is to facilitate relationships among the Baptist churches of this Great City so that they can more effectively fulfill the Great Commission and live out the Great Commandment.
Here are our state and national partners for resourcing the church and reaching the lost:
Dr. Bryan R. Price
Illinois Baptist State Association
Zone 1 Church Consultant
bryanprice@ibsa.org
630.908.0853
Dr. Scott Nichols
North American Mission Board – SEND
City Missionary
snichols@namb.net
630.668.5900
Jorge Rodríguez
North American Mission Board – SEND Español
Midwest Champion
jorge@gracefamilychicago.org
312.934.4040
