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Metrolines
An e-publication of the Philadelphia Baptist Association
April 2015
Vol. 39, No. 1
Metrolines is published 4 times yearly - December/January, March/April, June and
September/October. Send articles and/or pictures to Janet Reedy
(jhreedy@philadelphiabaptist.org) Inclusion of materials is at the discretion of PBA
staff.
308th Annual Gathering
Saturday, May 2, 2015
St. Paul's Baptist Church in West Chester, PA
Moments with Our Pastors
Meet one more pastor of the PBA. As the people of God and a family knitted
together by the blood of Christ and the fellowship of believers; we invite all to
pray for and encourage these pastors of the PBA household.
Rev. Harold R. Jolley
Second Macedonia Baptist Church
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I pray that
is that this letter of introduction reaches all of you in
great health both physically and spiritually. My
name is Harold R. Jolley, Pastor of Second
Macedonia Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA,
since July 2012. I am entering into my 14th year of
ministry and am an advocate of Christian Education
for applied living.
My path towards ministry began at the Bethel
Baptist Church in my hometown in White Plains,
NY. On November 25, 2001 I was licensed by the
Bethel Baptist Church to preach the gospel and was ordained on October 14,
2007. My pastoral tenure began in September of 2007, when I was called to
serve at the Riverview Missionary Baptist Church in Kingston, New York. After
faithfully serving at Riverview for four and a half years, I was called to the Second
Macedonia Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA. Coming to Second Macedonia I
saw great possibilities of enhancing the foundation that had been laid by my
predecessor who served faithfully for 50 years.
My missional emphasis is rooted in Ephesians 4:12; "equipping of the saints for
the work of ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ." As Pastor of Second
Macedonia Baptist Church, I continually emphasize the importance of learning,
living and spreading God's Word. I take witness daily to God using me to equip,
nurture and encourage fellow believers to live a life that will be pleasing in the
sight of God. As a part of my daily spiritual practice, I meditate during the early
hours of the morning. I read my daily devotion and pray after I put my daughters
on the bus for school. This allows me to hear from God and fuels my spirit for the
work of day to day ministry.
On a more personal note. I am happily married to my true love, Heather. We
have been married for 14 years and she has partaken in this journey of ministry
with me since day 1. We have two wonderful daughters, Madison and Gabrielle,
who add joy to our excitement of life. I enjoy listening to music, watching martial
arts and action movies, traveling abroad, and spending time with my family.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and I look forward to connecting
and building a relationship with those of you who decided to learn more about
me. Be blessed always.
First Baptist Church
of Philadelphia
Celebrates 316th Anniversary
316TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION IS CULMINATION
OF
TRANSITIONAL YEAR FOR FIRST BAPTIST OF PHILADELPHIA
(Article submitted by Dr. Peter Wool, Pastor)
On Sunday, December 14,
2014, First Baptist Church of
Philadelphia celebrated its 316th
anniversary with a special
service and a reception. The
guest speaker was Rev. James
McJunkin, Executive Minister of
the
Philadelphia
Baptist
Association.
(l to r) Dr. James E. McJunkin, Mary Lynn
Williams, Dr. Peter Wool
The church had its beginning in
old Philadelphia, near the banks of the Delaware River in what is now Old
City, in 1698. The congregation shared space with a small Presbyterian
church in a warehouse owned by the Barbadoes Trading Company on the
northwest corner of 2nd and Chestnut Streets. In the years since then,
the church has met in many different buildings in Philadelphia, up to its
current building at 17th and Sansom.
Since the numerical decline in recent years, First Baptist Church has been
unable to maintain this beautiful historical building. The church has rented
space to a theater group, space for concerts and to another church in
need of worship space. That church: Liberti Center City, a congregation
affiliated with the Reformed Church of America. Liberti Center City has
now purchased the building and First Baptist is currently renting space
from them and will continue as the renovation plans begin.
The anniversary celebration in December marked the end of an era for the
church and the beginning of a new era of exploration, change, and vision
for the future.
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PBA Ministers' Council
Happenings
(Article submitted by Min. Robert L. Solomon, Jr., President, Ministers' Council)
The 2014-2015 calendar year has been a uniquely edifying time in the life of the PBA
Ministers' Council. Our general theme is
Spiritual and Personal Wholeness. Consequently, the goal of each of our gatherings
has been for God to speak to the public, personal, private and secret lives of our
members. The following is a sample of our offerings thus far:
•
•
•
Opening Our Hearts to God's Eternal Invitation (Rev. 3:20) - Rev. Julia BrutonSheppard, Mt. Carmel Baptist Church & Rev. Eloise R. Scott, Second
Baptist Church of Germantown
The Body/Soul Connection - Dr. Rhonda Hazel, MD - Assistant Professor of
Biological Sciences and Coordinator of Anatomy & Physiology at LaSalle
University (Phila, PA)
Our Words and Our Meditations (Psalm
19:14; John 12:20-33) - Rev. Steven
Lawrence, White Rock Baptist Church
Perhaps the zenith of our corporate experience of
our shared life in Christ was our annual Ministers'
Council Prayer Breakfast held on January 14, 2015.
The theme for this occasion was "Praying the Great I
AM: An Invitation to Prayer (Luke 18:1)." Many of us
experienced the renewing power of the Holy Spirit as
we contemplated, meditated, prayed, reflected, sang
and testified about the person and work of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ!
As we approach the end of this year, we are looking forward with anticipation to our
future.
The Ministers' Council meets every other month, September to May on the second
Wednesday, 9:30am - 12:00pm at the PBA office.
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American Baptist Men's Ministry
of The Philadelphia Baptist Association
We celebrate the Men's Ministry workshop that was
held on March 21, 2015. Forty-six men met at
Salem Baptist Church in Jenkintown, PA. This is the
first event held by the new Steering Committee.
In the winter of 2013, the Steering Committee was
developed with 14 men from 12 PBA congregations
providing leadership. Their mission was determined
to be the building of a network of men's ministry
leaders from PBA churches and providing resources and forums to build relationships
which encourage thriving men's ministry fellowships in our congregations. The
Steering Committee then developed a network of 52 men's fellowship leaders from 32
PBA congregations. They conducted a survey process to determine the kinds of
support the fellowship leaders desired, and then developed the workshops and
training materials. The evaluation indicated the desire of those in attendance to keep
this ministry moving forward as currently defined, and they have asked us to find
ways to keep them connected with one another.
Steering Committee: Members & Congregations
1. Rev. Kevin Bennett, Canaan Baptist Church
2. Min. Craig S. Campbell, Zion Baptist Church, Ambler
3. Mr. Howard E. Dade, Sr., McKinley Memorial Baptist Church
4. Rev. John E. Gray, Goodwill Tabernacle Baptist Church
5. Mr. James Henderson, First Baptist Church of Philadelphia
6. Rev. Reginald W. Johnson, II, Holy Nation Baptist Church
7. Mr. Kenn Moore, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
8. Rev. Blane J. Newberry, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
9. Rev. Dr. Leon E. Runner, North Wales Baptist Church
10. Rev. Jeffrey Snyder, Lansdowne Baptist Church
11. Mr. Clifford Stanley, Grace Baptist Church of Germantown
12. Rev. Preston Thompson, Jr., Baptist Worship Center
13. Mr. Thomas Williams, Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown
14. Lic. Rudy Yuilee, Baptist Worship Center
The Workshops were as follows:
A. Real Men Talk: Setting Up Forums For Healthy Conversations
The goal of this workshop was to assist the participants in establishing biblically
based processes to discuss Men's issues in an open environment to promote
fellowship and camaradarie.
B. Setting Up Cross-Generational Conversations In Your Church
Panel Discussion: This workshop discussed the unique qualities and differences in
each generation. They discussed the working style and way of communicating,
seeking to enhance the quality of cross-generational conversation in our men's
groups (boys).
C. How To Start or Enhance A Men's Ministry
Looking to start or strengthen your Men's Ministry? This workshop provided tools to
help to start and sustain an effective, enriching ministry that addresses the specific
needs of Christian men.
• D. Mentoring Programs
This workshop highlighted the need for effective mentoring programs in PBA
congregations and focused on the following areas: (1) Beginning and implementing
mentoring programs; (2) Attracting potential mentees for the program; (3) Choosing
and training effective mentors; (4) Assessing the effectiveness of the program.
We are delighted to see this historic ministry of ABCUSA/PBA revitalized in our
region.
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News and Notes
Around the Region
Pastoral Transitions
Rev. Alex Aimette concluded his ministry at the Abington Baptist Church at
the end of December 2014 to prepare for his new ministry as a military
chaplain. Associate Minister, Minister Mark McDowell has assumed the role
of Senior Pastor.
After serving for three years, Rev. Dr. Brady McDaniels concluded his
ministry at the Point Pleasant Baptist Church in October 2014. Rev.
Brenda Egolf-Fox is serving as the Interim Minister.
Ordinations
The Central Baptist Church of Wayne hosted an ordination service for
Laurie Sweigard on February 22nd. Laurie began her pastorate in 2006 and
currently serves on the pastoral team with Rev. Tom Beers.
In Memoriam
Mrs. Ruth Arlyne Price Campbell died on March 10, 2015, the wife of Rev.
Albert Campbell, Pastor Emeritus of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. There
was a memorial service for her on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at Mt. Carmel
Baptist Church.
Reverend Arthur Lee Johnson, Pastor Emertius of St. Paul's baptist
Church, Philadelphia died March 28, 2015. A service was held on April 4th
at St. Pau's Baptist Church.
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Upcoming Events
May
2
13
PBA Annual Gathering & Meeting @ St. Paul's Baptist Church, West Chester, PA
PBA Ministers' Council @ PBA office building
June
12-14 American Baptist Women's Ministries Conference @ Shippensburg University
26-28 American Bapitst Churches Biennial Mission Summit @ Overland Park, KS
www.americanbaptists2015.com
July
24-26 American Baptist Men of PA & DE 61st Annual Retreat @ Shippensburg University
www.abmopad.org
August
3-7
Rhythms of the Spirit Conference @ Camp Canonicus, Exeter, Rhode Island
October
17
PBA Mission Banquet @ Drexelbrook Banquet Facility, Drexel Hill, PA
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Contact Information
Philadelphia Baptist Association
8711 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128-2023
Telephone: 215-482-8222
Fax: 215-482-8232
Email: contact@philadelphiabaptist.org
Website: www.philadelphiabaptist.org