Converge Worldwide introduced
See the current (August/September) issue of BGC World for an eight-page description of the Converge Worldwide (BGC) vision. Based on president Jerry Sheveland’s biennial meeting message, it describes some of God’s movement in our midst in recent years.

World relief disburses $30K for Philippines, China, Myanmar and India
The World Relief Committee made numerous disbursements in the past seven weeks. These include $5,000 to Ikthus Iloilo (Philippines) Church for flood relief. An additional $10,000 went to Christian Vision for China for earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan Province, as well as an additional $10,000 to Baptist World Aid for the same purpose. A total of $5,000 was sent to Calvary Baptist Church, Boalsburg, Pa., for Myanmar cyclone relief led by a church member. And $15,000 went to northeast India for Arunachal Pradesh flood relief.

Iowa continues exploring ­district’s organization
In mid-June a team of Iowa Baptist Conference lay­persons, pastors and staff members completed an extensive IBC profile, which transition director Skip Hansen delivered to the neighboring executive ­ministers of Heartland, Minnesota, Great Lakes and MidAmerica districts June 23. These districts will examine the IBC profile and decide whether to con­sider some form of combined ministry. Interested ­districts will then submit a detailed proposal to IBC.

Meantime, two Iowa work groups will explore restarting the district and developing full support for Pine Lake Christian Camp.

National School of Leadership introduced in Midwest
Converge MidAmerica (formerly Midwest Baptist Conference) will pioneer the National School of Leadership in two Chicagoland locations this fall. Developed by Converge Worldwide (BGC) Leadership Development staff, the one-year NSL involves learners in classroom work, practical homework assignments, small group participation with other leaders and interaction with a personal leadership coach.

The curriculum focuses on Leadership Character (who a leader is) and Leadership Competence (what a leader does). Each student may choose from three levels of engagement: the auditing tract, core leadership track or honors leadership track. Registration is $15. Tuition is $70 per session for six sessions. Additional costs include books, personal inventories and expenses involved in a team-building/leadership-discovery ­project. Locations:

• Northern Chicagoland—Faith Baptist Church, Grayslake (beginning September 13)
• Southern Chicagoland—Homewood (Ill.) Church and Lorimer Baptist Church, Dolton (beginning October 11)

For more information contact MidAmerica NSL ­director Bob Long at realbobbob@gmail.com.

Laurel Bunker named new BU dean of Campus Ministries
Laurel Bunker has been named dean of campus ­ministries for Bethel University’s College of Arts & ­Sciences. Bunker, currently the director of program operations for the Jeremiah Program in the Twin Cities, has been involved with Bethel for more than 10 years, helping form relationships in the Frogtown-Summit/University neighborhood, speaking in classrooms about the importance of serving in urban areas, speaking in chapel and mentoring students.

“Her love for the Lord, her deep respect for Scripture, her passion for ministry in the name of Jesus, and her engaging leadership are reflected in how she lives and serves the Lord and others,” said president Jay Barnes.

Bunker grew up in the Twin Cities, earning an undergraduate degree from Hamline University and an M.A. in Cross-cultural Ministries from Luther Seminary. She has held positions at Macalester College, the YMCA, Young Life and Living Word Church.

With her husband and their two children she attends a Covenant church plant. Bunker begins her responsi­bilities at Bethel University early this month.

Responding to Midwest floods
Elk Grove Baptist Church, Elk Grove Village, Ill., collected approximately 150 bags of groceries and kitchen utensils for a new food pantry in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls started the pantry to help many families affected by last month’s flooding. EGBC moved its July 27 service to Saturday night to make the church available Sunday morning to collect the donations from church members, their friends and co-workers, neighborhood residents and Converge Worldwide (BGC) staff.

The project was part of the church’s completion of its three-year Xtreme Steps campaign, which reduced building debt by $400,000 and provided substantial gifts to Converge MidAmerica and Converge Worldwide(BGC).

If your church or individuals in your congregation wish to make financial gifts to assist victims of the ­historic flooding in the Midwest, direct them to the Iowa and Great Lakes district offices, marked for flood relief.

Use your interest income for kingdom growth
Through your investment with the BGC Cornerstone Fund, you now have a new way to support a Converge/BGC missionary or ministry. The Shared Interest Program provides the opportunity to donate the interest earned on your term certificate to support a missionary or ministry of your choice. Imagine supporting a missionary or ministry without having to worry about where the money will come from each month. This new program is open to all new or existing term certificates with a principal balance of at least $1000.

Contact Bill Castic at (800) 323-4215, ext. 3258, to receive an application packet and enrollment form. All the information needed to get started can also be obtained by visiting www.bgccornerstonefund.org.

Confidential pastor counseling
Converge Worldwide (BGC) districts and national ministries are partnering with Denver-based Quiet Waters Ministries to provide free, anonymous phone counseling to pastors for personal, family or ministry issues. Highly qualified counselors are available for up to a three-hour session. Call toll-free at 866-526-2222. Contact your district office for more information.

First Futura church start in ­Mexico
Link Communidad Church, introduced in the June Newsline, recently held its preview service in Saltillo, Mexico. Sixty attended: 50 adults and youth, plus 10 children. Attendance has grown from 30 adults just two months ago. This is the first church plant resulting from work being done through Futura, the Converge Worldwide effort to assist in planting next-generation churches in Mexico. The Futura team is led by Tom Nebel, director of Leadership Development and Church Multiplication Worldwide for ­Converge Worldwide (BGC).

Pastors Sergio Simone and Ted Russell lead the Link Communidad church plant. They are ­currently working with Converge Worldwide (BGC) church planting pastors Kendall Anderson and Brian Williamson to progress through the steps of successfully starting a church. Russell has been sharing his experience with friends in different parts of Mexico, and they too are interested in planting churches in their areas. Converge Worldwide (BGC) is excited to watch God work through Futura in Mexico.

Petries to Prague for BWA
Mission Advance vice president Lou Petrie and his wife Linda traveled to Prague, Czech Republic, to represent Converge Worldwide (BGC) at Baptist World Alliance and Baptist World Aid meetings July 20-25.

Nebel and Rohrmayer train church planters in Switzerland
Church Multiplication director Tom Nebel and TeAMerica director Gary Rohrmayer traveled to Interlaken, Switzerland, July 4-13 to train and consult with pastors in the International Baptist Convention, continuing to forge a partnership to plant English-language churches worldwide. While there, Nebel and Rohrmayer also spent time with Mike Evans, pastor of Faith Commu­nity Church, New Richmond, Wis., who is using his three-month sabbatical to consult with IBC churches in Europe on successful church planting. Among Nebel’s current projects is starting a new church in Helsingborg, Sweden (see www.back2sweden.com).

ICM team holds first retreat
Intercultural Missionaries held their first annual retreat June 29-July 2 at the Wisconsin Dells. All seven ICM missionary couples attended, along with ICM field director Cirilo Doguiles and his wife Dory, as well as guest speaker Rob Boyd of the Minnesota Baptist ­Conference and his wife Janet. The missionaries spent time in worship, sharing and praying for each other and enjoying time together in a relaxed setting. They discussed issues related to the new ICM field, and greater effectiveness in reaching the millions of people God is bringing to the United States every year.

Converge Worldwide (BGC) Intercultural Missionaries are Eric and Janet Johnson (Latinos), Ken and Debby Milhous Jr. (Japanese), Withny and Mimose Pierre (Haitians), Chuck and Betty Selander (Latinos) and Joel and ­Barbara Wright (Portuguese speakers).

Duerksens play in table tennis tournament
Jarol and Leah Duerksen, retired pastor and wife at Bethany Baptist Church, Iowa City, Iowa, joined 108 entrants in the Iowa Games table tennis competition July 19 at Iowa State University, Ames. Leah won the silver medal in the women’s division. They advanced in the doubles ladders before being eliminated.

When the Duerksens built their new house, they requested a 20- by 30-foot basement to accommodate their sport, which they began as a fun and effective way to stay in shape. They have won consecutive mixed doubles titles at the Iowa Senior Olympics and befriended three-time Iranian national champion and U.S. World Team coach Houshang Bozorgzadeh.

With reporting from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Velascos to Estonia
Levi Velasco, director of International Ministries Recruitment, Assessment and Deployment (RAD), and his wife Diane (RAD team member) joined the Estonia short-term missions team of Faith Mountain, Lakewood, Colo., July 1-15. Team members to Estonia provided programming for two youth camps, where they saw five young Estonians come to faith in Jesus. Faith Mountain, a two-year-old church plant, is the sending church of missionary appointees to Argentina Dave and Beth Roberts.

PASTORS/STAFF MOVING

Jim Achilles from Grace Bible, Hollister, Calif., July 13 
Mark von Erinkrook from interim to pastor, Jovita, Edgewood, Wash., August 3 
Jim Heritage from Sand Lake, Anchorage, Alaska, July 27 
Tim Jamison from BGC Cornerstone Fund (relationship director), August 1 
Russell Lesiw from Seymour (Conn.) Evangelical Baptist, to retirement, July 26 
David McClain from Bethel, Grover Beach, Calif., May 31 
Eric Schumacher to Fair Oaks, Concord, Calif. (worship/small groups), in July 
Jon Taylor to Calvary, Roseville, Minn. (worship/technical arts), June 19 
Cheryl Voss from executive assistant, Minnesota Baptist Conference, June 30 
Walter Watts to Calvary, Arcadia, Neb. (interim), June 1 
Dave Wolfe from Immanuel, Kingsford, Mich. (youth), July 31.

ORDINATION

Shernon West by Calvary, Schaumburg, Ill., July 20.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Grace, Cloquet, Minn., celebrated its 50th anniversary July 27; Douglas Green, pastor.
Northview Community, Mill Creek, Wash., dedicated its new building June 15; Steve Michiels, pastor.

CHURCH PLANTERS APPOINTED

Jeremy and Kimi Copeland, Raleigh, N.C., Converge MidAtlantic.

Jim and Marci Hays, Life Pointe Church, Lacey, Wash., Columbia Baptist Conference.
Michael and Joanne Johnson, Redeemer City Church, Charlotte, N.C., Converge MidAtlantic.
Dusty and Tammi Taylor, Connections Church, Boise, Idaho, Columbia Baptist Conference.

IN MEMORIAM

Lowell G. Bergeson, 79, died June 27. Born in Ogema, Wis., he earned degrees from Bethel College and Seminary and attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota. He married Mary Lou Rademacher in June 1951. He served as a BGC-endorsed U.S. Naval Reserve chaplain 1953-76. During that period he was commissioned for nearly 13 years on active duty. He is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter.

Doris C. Hoglund (nee Lemon), 76, died June 19. Born in Chicago, Ill., she married Gunnar Hoglund in 1951. He served as BGC national youth director 1953-70. From 1970-79 they pastored Emmanuel Baptist Church, Santa Clara, Calif., and then Bethel Baptist Church, Janesville, Wis. Gunnar died in June 1997. She is survived by her brothers, one daughter, one granddaughter and three grandsons.

Velma E. Miller (nee Lofgren), 95, died July 6. Born in Burlington, Iowa, she attended evening school at the Moody Bible Institute. She married Fred T. Miller in November 1938. Together they pastored BGC churches in Chisholm, Minn.; Warren, Pa.; Duluth, Minn. (Ebenezer); Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Lincoln, Neb.; and Avon Lake, Ohio. They also served in 12 interim pastorates after Fred’s retirement. She is survived by one son, three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and 17 step-great-grandchildren.

Roy K. Nelson, 80, died July 10. Born in Seattle, Wash., he graduated from Bethel Seminary and the University of Washington. He married Juanita Jean Hamlett in September 1949. They served with BGC missions in the Philippines 1954-92 planting churches. He served as president of Baptist Theological College in Cebu City and as field coordinator. Jean died in September 2000. He is survived by two daughters, three sons, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Arlan H. Stohre, 88, died July 18. Born in Duluth, Minn., he graduated from Bethel Seminary. He married Valma Neime in June 1945. Together they pastored BGC churches in Clearbrook and Jessie Lake, Minn.; Cedar Rapids (Edgewood) and Laurens, Iowa; Phoenix (Elim), Ariz.; and Preston, Wash. He also served as an Iowa state missionary. Valma died in 1989. He is survived by two sons, three daughters, 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

TO KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS

Craig Bex, pastor, Edgewood Family Fellowship, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recovering from liver transplant surgery July 14.

Nancy Cassell, International Ministries administrative assistant, on medical leave recovering from surgery July 16.

Cal Fernlund, retired BGC director of Conference Center services and military chaplain, recovering from gall ­bladder surgery July 31.

Pamela Heim, BGC women’s ministries director and leadership development co-director, recovering from lens implant surgeries July 14 and 28.

Art Helwig, missionary in Nigeria, grieving the sudden mid-July death of his sister Mary.

Charlie Locke, fiancé of Heartland Baptist District administrative assistant Kay Odle’s niece Annalissa, recovering from July 24 surgery for severe war injuries in Iraq.

Steve Moseman, husband of retired Bethel University ­student life vice president Judy Moseman, recovering from back surgery.

Caleb Perkins, son of Tyrone Perkins, director of Bethel Seminary Philadelphia, recovering from July 11 surgery to remove cysts and blood vessels from the spine.

Howard Williams, pastor, Jessie Lake Baptist Church, Bigfork, Minn., suffering from chronic kidney failure and dizziness from a brain injury sustained in a 2003 auto accident.

Harvest, Converge Worldwide (BGC) - owned and operated Christian education resource distributor, launched its new website, www.Harvestbooks.org, in early July.

Harvest is one the nation’s largest distributors of Sunday school and VBS curriculum, Christian books, group studies, Bibles and software. It has been serving churches for more than 40 years with the best in Christian education resources.

Pastors receive a 20-25% discount on most titles, and shipping is free on your first Web book order over $25 till August 31, 2008. (Enter the word “Free” in the coupon code box on the shopping cart page when placing your order.)