Pray for Churches Seeking Pastors:

First Baptist

Church—Mountlake

Terrace, Community

Church of Issaquah,

Washington Kachin

Baptist Church,

Fremont Baptist

Church, Filipino-

American Christian

Fellowship, Burien

Community Church,

and Mount Zion

Baptist Church

Events & News for the Region

2-3

What is the Good News for the Poor?

4

Treasurer’s Letter to the Region

5

Yes We Will Support Chico FBC to Support Paradise Fire Survivors

6

Getting to Know One Another

6

Social Media Corner: New Online Scam Targeting Churches

7

Ministers’ Council Ever-green Chapter Relaunch

7

“Peace Camp” Goes to South America

7

Inside this Issue

April 2019

Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches

Volume 18, Issue 4

Evergreen Notes

Easter Early Morning Community Service

Worship with Us

April 21, 2019, 8:30 AM

St. Ignatius Chapel, Seattle University Campus

See you there!

For

Evergreen Night at the Baseball Game

Tuesday, June 4, 2019 7:10 PM

T-Mobile Field—Home of the Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros

Ticket Cost: $14 each

Contact Clem: clem@ea-abc.org or 253-859-2226

Order tickets by May 21, 2019

Limited number of tickets on hand

Pastor, Moderator, Church Secretary or other Leader:

Expect Your 2018 Annual Report Form in the next few days.

Please complete and return the form by April 15, 2019 or as soon thereafter as you are able.

Page 2 Volume 18, Issue 4

EVENTS & NEWS FOR THE REGION

Click on the following link to discover how some Evergreen congregations responded to the

terror attacks in New Zealand: http://www.ea-abc.org/evergreen-notes-blog/our-evergreen-

family-responds-to-the-terror-attacks-in-new-zealand

Evergreen Family Responds to Terror Attacks in New Zealand

Thanks for the Prayers

Gail and Paul Aita and

members of the Washington

Kachin Baptist Church wish

to thank the many people

who showed their love for

them all during Paul’s seven-

week hospitalization because

of acute kidney failure. The

prayers of friends locally and

around the world were of

great encouragement, and

they are surely being

answered, as Paul’s kidney

function continues to

improve and his strength

increases. Special thanks go

to Rev. John Armagost,

pastor of Panther Lake

Community Church, who

preached for the Kachin

church during Paul’s

absence.

Discharged from the

hospital on March 1st, Paul

was delighted to be able to

attend the joint Communion

service and fellowship time

that the Panther Lake and

Kachin churches held on

March 3rd. On the 10th, he

returned to the pulpit of the

Kachin church, which he

serves as interim pastor,

easing gradually back into

pastoral duties.

At its annual business

meeting in January, the

membership of Panther

Lake Community

Church voted to grant a

License to Preach to

Kyle Williams. A licens-

ing ceremony was held

at the church during

morning worship on Sun-

day, March 10th. Moderator

Sheri Whitehouse gave a

Charge to the Congregation, and

Pastor John Armagost gave a

Charge to the Candidate. Rev.

Dr. David Simpkins, a member

of the church who will serve as

Kyle’s sponsor, offered prayer.

Kyle and his wife Katri-

na are missionaries serving

with American Baptist Interna-

tional Ministries. They com-

pleted a tour of service in Dem-

ocratic Republic of Congo and

are now engaged in a year of

home assignment, based in

Olympia WA. Kyle and Katrina

have recently been re-

assigned to Thailand,

where they will serve

in Chiang Rai, in the

northern part of the

country, near the Bur-

ma border. The

Willliamses have four

children. Kyle looks

forward to meeting

with the Ministerial Standards

and Concerns Committee of the

Evergreen Association, in antici-

pation of his ordination, which he

hopes will take place before the

family leaves for Thailand later

this year.

Panther Lake will be the ordain-

ing church.

Licensing of Kyle Williams

L-R: Sheri Whitehouse, John Armagost, Kyle Williams & David Simpkins

Your gifts to the America for Christ

(AFC) Offering impact thousands—

through ministries with marginalized

children, mission trips that transform

lives torn asunder by hurricanes,

resources that cultivate Christian

leaders, chaplains who bring comfort to

hospital and nursing home patients, and

much more.

Let’s not become weary in doing good!

Thank you for your gifts to the America

for Christ Offering.

No Worries: It will never happen here, right?

How are we conveniently killing ourselves? Lit-

tle by little, drop by drop, we are poisoning the

very air that we breathe!

Of course, we know this already. We need solu-

tions to better get us from one point to the next

in a timely manner.

Please indicate via this email address

(CDOSM2@gmail.com) that you would like your

opinions considered as we fight for the next

generations.

Join us for a public meeting hosted at 5261

Rainier Ave S. Seattle, (Damascus Missionary

Baptist Church) on April 27, 2019 1 PM to 3 PM.

SPEAK NOW!!

Deborah C. Robinson,

To God Be the Glory House of Worship

Volume 18, Issue 4 Page 3

NRSV “The Spirit of the Lord is upon

me, because he has anointed me to bring

good news to the poor.”

Luke 4:18

Who are the poor and why

should we help them?

We, as a society, have always

been very good at justifying

our oppression of the other.

Most often we do that by mak-

ing those others inferior to us

and our puritan work ethics

and the fantasy that we live in

a meritocracy. This is why our

war on poverty has become

our war on the poor.

‘I work hard. I’ve always

worked hard and spent my

money well. If they would

just work as hard as I do, they

wouldn’t be where they are.

AND, I wouldn’t have to pay

for them to keep being lazy.’

It sounds so comforting that

many Christians support this

type of thinking wholeheart-

edly. “God helps those who

help themselves.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is

upon me.”

The best place we can see

what that means is to read

Acts. 2. What was the biggest

What is the Good News to the Poor? Doug Avilesbernal

thing the Spirit did? It had

the “good” people speak in the

language of the other. Speak-

ing someone else’s language

takes hard work, dedication

and time together. The Spirit

says, live with them!

This was such a radical thing

that those around them

thought they were drunk in

the morning! Not just drunk

but drunk at a time when only

broken people are drunk.

“He has anointed me to…”

There is no instance in Scrip-

ture where someone is anoint-

ed without a profound calling

from God for serving others.

To be anointed is to be sealed

for a specific purpose and to

be expected to carry that out.

There are no conditions and

the expectation is that the one

anointed is the one responsi-

ble to carry it out. There is

nothing about only helping

those who help themselves.

What is the purpose of this

anointing from the Spirit?

“...to bring good news to

the poor.”

What is good news for the

poor? The reason many poor

people spend too much money

on the lottery in our society is

that we have all

convinced our-

selves that the

solution to most

problems is

more money.

Yet, to say that

bringing good

news must be

to write

checks is too simplistic. This is

like saying that the Gospel is

just social justice.

The good news of the Gospel is

much more than social justice.

But social justice is an inevita-

ble result of living out the Gos-

pel.

In the same way, bringing good

news to the poor is much more

than handing them resources

for which they haven’t worked.

But, freely giving resources is

an inevitable part of bringing

good news to the poor.

So, what is the good news?

Herein lies your homework;

look in Scripture at all the in-

stances where the Spirit of the

Lord is upon anyone. What is

the result? To what does the

Spirit call them?

Go and do likewise.

Doug

Volume 18, Issue 3 Page 4

Please give online. Visit www.ea-abc.org and click on “Give”.

Thank you for your continued support!

Rev. Douglas Avilesbernal Executive Minister

Evergreen Notes

March 27, 2019

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

At the most recent meeting of the Evergreen Association Executive Committee, Rev. Doug Avilesbernal, our execu-

tive minister, briefed us on three churches of differing ethnic makeups and located in widely disparate communi-

ties that are likely to pursue membership in our Association or have already applied. If all are accepted (and I feel

sure that they will be), that will bring our church membership total to 57, quite an increase over the 27 Seattle

churches that formed Evergreen.

Although these three new churches, the churches that we’ve added since 2004, and the churches with which we

began have all had different reasons for seeking membership in Evergreen, there has been one constant: they

recognize in Evergreen the opportunity to uphold the traditional Baptist distinctives of Congregational Autonomy

and Freedom of Association.

I learned these core values of the Baptist movement as a boy, growing up in Baptist churches in two countries and

four states. I was taught that you could not be a Baptist without upholding these and other distinctives, such as

Soul Liberty. But I watched in horror as a young man when Baptist bodies all over our country began to find

excuses to “disfellowship” churches who were simply exercising their right to be a little different, as the Spirit of

God had led them.

It has been a great joy to me to be a member (and pastor) of an Evergreen church for the past fourteen years. Part

of the experience that I cherish is our identity as an ABC region which continues to teach and live Congregational

Autonomy and Freedom of Association. We know that not all of us will “do church” in the same way and we know

that’s not just OK, it’s terrific! Through our diverse ministries and church families, we are able to bless many

more people than if we insisted on a certain cultural profile and lockstep theology for membership in our Associa-

tion. We celebrate our diversity and uphold each other in it. We know that this is God’s great gift of love to us.

None of this would be possible without the support of all those who have prayed for us, worked with us, and donat-

ed of their time, talents, and treasures to our work. We have grown and stayed strong because so many have dis-

cerned the blessing of God upon this group of congregations and have helped us to afford staff, equipment, train-

ing, and so much more. All of us who love Evergreen owe our thanks to those who’ve contributed in these ways.

All of the churches who’ve joined us have brought their special distinctives to add to the beautiful kaleidoscope of

our work together. But not all of them have been able to contribute in a substantive way to our budget. We are

called to serve them just as we serve the churches that undergird our financial profile. Our geographic spread

means greater travel costs for our staff. The increasing complexity of our ministries requires an increasing budget.

Have you donated financially to Evergreen yet in 2019? If so, my deepest thanks. If not, please prayerfully

consider how you can help fund our growing work. Perhaps you’ve given since the beginning – has your gift grown

with Evergreen, now serving more than double the original number of churches?

We are not, thanks be to God, the only Baptists still teaching the historical Baptist distinctives. But, for many

churches in the Western U.S., we may be their last chance to align with other Baptist churches who do not disdain

the calling they’ve received from God but rather rejoice in the diversity among us.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Rev. M. Christopher Boyer,

Budget Officer, Evergreen Association

Pastor, Good Shepherd Baptist Church

EVERGREEN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES

409 THIRD AVENUE SOUTH SUITE A, KENT WA 98032-5843

REV. DOUGLAS AVILESBERNAL., EXECUTIVE MINISTER

Page 5

Page 6 Evergreen Notes

Thank you to member

churches who have responded

in the positive to the call to

join the multi-year support

effort for survivors of the

Paradise Fire.

Chico First Baptist Church led

by the Rev. Gail Hill is very

much in the thick of the

recovery process following the

devastating fires that

destroyed their neighboring

town, Paradise, and so much

more. While several of our

churches have sent gifts and

support to our family in Chico

there is still much work to be

done there.

Well, the first wave of gifts

that come with the limelight of

media coverage has faded.

And, we are now moving into

the less glamorous, yet, just as

essential part of supporting

Yes We Will! Support Chico FBC as it Supports Paradise Fire Survivors

our family. So herein, we

continue to ask that you find

ways to support our Chico

family as your congregation is

able.

Here is where we are:

Currently there is an

ecumenical group that is

gathering to plan long term

spiritual and emotional support

for those who have to live with

the trauma of having survived

such an event. This group will

pool resources in order to

provide multi-year support to

the people in the area. We can

join this effort by helping our

sister church raise $25,000 in

the next two years.

Below is a proposal that we

encourage you and your

congregation to support:

There are 54 churches in the

Evergreen Association.

If each of our 54 member

churches covenants to give at

least one gift of $470.00 in the

next two years, we will have

supported Chico First Baptist to

raise the $25,000 requested.

Could we all commit to finding at

least one giving unit ($470.00) in

the next 2 years? It doesn't have

to be from the church's budget. It

can be several people pooling

their resources together, etc.

Please send any funds you are

able to contribute directly to the

church: Chico First Baptist

Church, 850 Palmetto Ave., Chico

CA 95926

Let your imaginations soar as to

how to fulfill your giving unit.

Can we? I believe we can. Will

we? Let’s all respond, “Yes we

will!”

Getting to Know One Another

By Douglas Avilesbernal

The Washington Kachin Bap-

tist Church will celebrate the

sixth anniversary of its found-

ing on Easter Sunday. For the

first few years, it worshiped in

the meeting room of the Kent

foodbank. More recently, how-

ever, it has met at the Panther

Lake Community Church. Es-

pecially since both congrega-

tions are members of the Ever-

green Baptist Association,

Panther Lake’s leaders have

been eager to consider the

Kachin church as more than

simply a group using Panther

Lake’s facilities. The churches

have been intentional about

doing things together as they

are able.

On a number

of occasions,

joint com-

munion

services have

been held by

Panther Lake

and the Ka-

chin church.

The most

recent of

these was on Sunday, March

3rd. Deacons of the Kachin

church served the elements

along with members of Panther

Lake’s Church Council. After

worship, there was a fellowship

time at which members of the

two churches were intentionally

mixed together at tables to get

to know each other. The group

engaged in several enjoyable

“icebreakers” and then shared in

a potluck meal. After dessert,

children from the Kachin church

presented a musical number. The

event definitely helped members

of the two congregations interact

with one another.

Page 7 Evergreen Notes

Social Media Corner: New Online Scam Targeting Churches

Our Evergreen congregations

need to be aware there is a

scam targeting churches

across the country. People

are impersonating the pastor

of a church and sending

emails to request money. An

email is sent presumably from

the pastor asking for support

for an immediate emergency

need. The “pastor” requests

that donations be made in the

form of gift cards. The email

address may appear as the

pastor’s correct email, masked

by the scammer. Often, you

can click on the sender’s name

in the email to see the full

email address. However, some

scammers are able to mask

the entire email address, or

the address will be off by one

letter or number, easily

missed by someone not

carefully reading.

The best way to make sure a

request is real is to contact

the pastor by phone or to

send a new email (do not

reply, as that will go back to

the scammer). Also,

churches should have

policies in place about

collecting money online; how

they collect donations; and

whether they would ever

accept gift cards. See my

previous

article on

Online

Giving for

safe ways

for

churches

to collect

funds.

Blessings,

Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell

media@ea-abc.org

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram:

EvergreenABCUSA

Hashtags: #ebaabc

#IamEBAABC

Mindi Welton-Mitchell

Pastor, Queen Anne Baptist

Church and Evergreen

Social Media Specialist

We are excited to announce

the re-launch of Evergreen’s

chapter of The Ministers’

Council! All clergy can join via

our website, http://www.ea-

abc.org/ministers-

council.html. Dues at the

national level are on a sliding

scale; Evergreen dues are $25.

If you have difficulty paying

your dues or your church can-

not pay them for you, speak to

me about it. If you are a mem-

Ministers’ Council Evergreen Chapter Re-Launch

“Peace Camp” Goes to South America

The popular camp experience of the North American Baptist Peace Fellowship this summer

will be “global” in scope, being held in Cali, Columbia on July 15-20.

To register: https://www.globalbaptistpeace2019.org/

ber of another chapter of

the Ministers’ Council, we

welcome you as an honorary

member.

As we re-launch our chapter,

we will be forming our lead-

ership and determining

what we’d like to do as a

Ministers’ Council chapter. I

will keep the Association in-

formed as we move forward.

Blessings,

Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell

media@ea-abc.org

Executive Committee meets monthly on the second Thurs-

day each month at 6:30 PM, Japanese Baptist Church.

April 21, 2019—Easter Early Morning Community

Worship, St. Ignatius Chapel, Seattle University

Campus, 8:30 AM

May 11, 2019 —Association Board Meeting, Seattle First

Baptist Church, 9 AM

June 4, 2019—Take Your Pastor/Church Leader /Family

to the Ball Game! Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros,

Tickets are $14 each. Order Tickets by May 21, 2019.

June 21-23, 2019—Biennial Mission Summit, Virginia

Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, VA

July 20, 2019—Black Caucus Sponsored BBQ, Bake Sale

& Auction. Cedar River Park, Renton, 12 noon

August 10, 2019—Association Board Meeting, Seattle

First Baptist Church, 9 AM

August _, 2019—SBU Clergy/Spouse Dinner Cruise (by

invitation )

October 11—12, 2019: Annual Meeting, hosted by Mount

Zion Baptist Church, Seattle

MISSION STATEMENT

Being a culturally diverse peo-

ple who are one in Christ and

who value the liberties of our

American Baptist Heritage, the

Evergreen Baptist Association

will

Build bridges between

communities;

Provide resources to equip

member churches to share

Christ and teach God’s word;

and

Translate our unity to the

world.

Building Bridges, Resourcing Churches & Translating Our Unity

Calendar of Upcoming Events

409 Third Avenue S, Suite A Kent WA 98032-5843

Phone:253-859-2226 E-mail: eba@ea-abc.org

Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches

Evergreen Notes, the newsletter for mem-

ber churches, ecumenical partners, national

affiliates, and friends of the Evergreen Asso-

ciation of American Baptist Churches is

published monthly.

Please submit articles by the 20th of the

month prior to expected publication.

You are encouraged to copy and/or reprint

information and articles.

Non-Profit

Organization

US

PAID

Kent WA

Permit No. 451 Return Service Requested

“Like” us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/evergreenabcusa

Twitter: @EvergreenABCUSA

Hashtags: #ebaabc #IamEBAABC

Rev. Douglas Avilesbernal

Executive Minister