♦O 10, 2019

Montgomery Bap st Priori es:

The Gospel Above All / The Plan ng and Replan ng of Churches for All People / The Sending of Missionaries to the Ends of the Earth

To Everything There Is A Season

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the
heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1
The Lord has blessed the Montgomery Baptist Association in many ways
during her 138 years of serving as a mission collective of Southern Baptist
churches offering Christ. As God’s people, we will stand before the Lord
and hear others say, “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I was a life that was
changed.”
Neal Hughes
Director of Missions As with most associations in America, the MBA has not been able to escape
the financial reality of smaller budgets and limited resources. Ever since the
Great Recession of 2009, we have been living at a revenue stream half the amount it was before
those days. My very wise predecessor, Ken May, led admirably through those tumultuous
waters, and I have attempted to follow his example. The MBA has had extremely dedicated
budget and finance leaders who have tried every effort known to man to regain the financial
traction once held by Montgomery Baptists in the twentieth and early part of the 21st centuries.
Yet after ten years, we steadily maintain an average of $430,000 annual revenue from our
churches (compared to the $630,000 average income before the Great Recession).
Though many of our churches are giving faithfully, we have also had another factor play into the
decade disparity: the decline and death of legacy MBA churches. This has created an annual
revenue loss of approximately $75,000 in the last ten years. Even though God has blessed us
with new churches, it takes approximately ten of our new churches to equal the legacy mission
giving of one of the congregations who no longer exists. Your MBA leadership has managed the
loss for a decade, but the day has now come that we must create a budget that is in alignment
with our present church receipts. To accomplish the task, we had to go where we prayed we
would never have to: personnel.
Effective January 1, 2020, the budget will no longer contain the second largest full-time ministry
staff position at the MBA. This is the seat Lisa Rose has so faithfully filled. Also, there has been
the removal of some other items that have lowered the budget from a vision-filled $491,000 to a
sobering $427,000 annual guide. In our attempt to do “more with less,” Lisa’s management
assignments have been spread over the organization to other team members as well as to some of
our churches and partners. We are convinced that this is the only “reset” necessary to get us in
alignment with church revenue. We pledge to stay close to the revenue tree in the future.
Obviously, the loss of our dear friend to the daily missionary journey of the MBA is a personal
and grievous decision by all. Lisa has been a spiritual giant through this entire transition, seeking
the Lord, daily encouraging our staff and others, and resting in God’s sovereignty. Thank you
for joining us in prayer that Lisa will have a job that complements her calling and meets her
family’s needs. The Rose family intends to stay in Montgomery and continue to be an active part
of the Mixtec church plant and MBA life. We will have an opportunity to say our “best wishes”
to Lisa, Russ, Jason, and Steven at a special reception in their honor Sunday, October 20,
2:00-3:30 pm at the MBA, as well as at the Executive Board the following day. Until then,
encourage our sister with your prayers, calls, and
cards.
We thank you in advance for praying for our
association, that this transition will enable us to
continue to be strong, healthy, and productive to our
mission established 138 years ago. Of the close to
500,000 people who live in the River Region, over half
do not acknowledge any church home or Christian
faith. For the sake of the lost, may we rise to be the
“oaks of righteousness” as mentioned by the prophet:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LABC is on me, because
the LABC has anointed me to proclaim good news to
the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of
the LABC’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who
grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, Ministry Position Available
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Catoma Baptist Church in Montgomery seeks a part-time
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of
the LABC for the display of his splendor.” worship leader. Responsibilities include leading music for
Isaiah 61:1-3 Sunday morning service and weekly choir practice (time
negotiable). Call Betty Brown at 334-264-3875 for more
Together We Can! information.
Neal
Montgomery Baptist Association • 20 Interstate Park Dr. • Montgomery, Alabama 36109 • 334-271-6227 • www.mgmbaptists.org
This publication is made possible by your churches’ contributions to Associational Missions.
 ♦O 10, 2019
Montgomery Bap st Priori es:
The Gospel Above All / The Plan ng and Replan ng of Churches for All People / The Sending of Missionaries to the Ends of the Earth

Fall Festivals and Trunk-or-Treat Events

Church Event Date Time
Thorington Road Fall Festival 10/20 3:30-5:30 pm
Snowdoun Fall Festival at 10/26 4:00-6:00 pm
Snowdoun Vol-
unteer Fire Dept
Ridgecrest Fall Festival 10/26 10:00 am - noon
Dalraida Fall Festival 10/27 4:00-6:30 pm
Open Acres Trunk-or-Treat 10/27 4:00-6:00 pm
Eastmont Trunk-or-Treat 10/27 4:00-6:00 pm
First Baptist Fall Festival 10/27 4:00-6:00 pm
Taylor Road Treats Bible Story Land 10/27 5:00-7:00 pm
the Town
Gateway Fall Festival 10/30 5:30-7:30 pm
Church at Trunk-or-Treat 10/30 6:00-8:00 pm
Eastern Oaks and Chili Cook-
Off
Capitol Heights Fall Festival 10/31 6:00-7:30 pm
Yarbrough Street Trunk-or-Treat 10/31 6:00 pm
Will your church be hosting a Fall Festival or Trunk-or-Treat this month?
Please send event details to ewilkinson@mgmbaptists.org

Social Worker Job Opening with

Alabama Baptist Children’s Home
Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes has
an excellent full-time opportunity for a
social worker in the Montgomery area.
This position will be responsible for the
delivery of case management services to
children and families in our Foster Care
program.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s or
master’s degree in Social Work from an
accredited college or university. Appli-
cants must hold a current license from
the Alabama State Board of Social Work
Examiners or are license eligible. Appli-
cants must be willing to work a flexible
schedule, including some evening hours.
Please send your resume
to humanresources@alabamachild.org.

Montgomery Baptist Association • 20 Interstate Park Dr. • Montgomery, Alabama 36109 • 334-271-6227 • www.mgmbaptists.org
This publication is made possible by your churches’ contributions to Associational Missions.