The Fourth Annual - Church Officers and Leaders Training Events - March 24, 2012 and March 31, 2012

We are pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for the Fourth Annual COAL Training Events will be The Rev. Dr. Ron Sider.  We are so thrilled that he is willing to come and participate in the day long events and to help address this year's theme of EXCELLENCE IN MINISTRY.

We also want to share that Rev. Sider will lead our new addition to the COAL Training Event - a day long track specifically for our ABCNJ pastors. Dr. Pete Ely said,  "Here is truly an opportunity our clergy will not want to pass up. Those in the ABCNJ Academy will receive credits toward their certificate program."  Truly, everyone who attends will be blessed.  These events promise to be bigger than ever.

The COAL Training Events will be held at two locations familiar to those who have participated in the past.  On Saturday, March 24, 2012, the First Baptist Church of Westfield will be the host congregation and site for our training.  We're delighted to return to this fine facility for an opportunity to grow in excellence in ministry.  On Saturday, March 31, 2012, we will hold the second event at the Columbus Baptist Church in Columbus, NJ, where last year's southern event was so graciously hosted.  Rev. Mayra Castaneda, senior pastor at the First Baptist Church of Westfield and Rev. John Grove, senior pastor at the Columbus Baptist Church of Columbus both extend a cordial invitation to our American Baptist family to come and experience a wonderful day of learning and training together. They will open their churches for registration at 8:30 am and have coffee ready for a time of early fellowship.   The morning Bible Study will begin at 9:00 am, so be certain to arrive early.

The Planning Committee is hard at work to finalize the specific workshop offerings and registration details.  We wanted to get this preliminary information out so that you would hold the dates; plan now to bring a host of your church leaders to the event and begin 2012 with a spirit of renewal and excitement.

The cost for this year's Church Officers and Leaders Training Event, including the luncheon, will be $25.00 for those who register seven days prior to the particular event you are planning to attend.  After the registration deadline, the cost will be $30.00 per person and may not include a luncheon ticket due to meal number limitations.

For those who have not had the  privilege of meeting Rev. Dr. Ron Sider before, read the biographical summary below.

Ronald J. Sider (Ph.D., Yale) is Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy and Director of the Sider Center on Ministry and Public Policy at Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Ron Sider is known worldwide for providing leadership to the movement of evangelicals who recognize not just the spiritual, but also the social and political implications of a high view of Scripture. Sider has spoken on six continents, published over thirty-one books, including Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger which was recognized by Christianity Today as one of the one hundred most influential religious books of the twentieth century and named the seventh most influential book in the evangelical world in the last fifty years.

In the 1970s, Dr. Sider played a key role in the drafting of the historic Chicago Declaration, which helped set the direction for evangelicals concerned about the Bible's social implications. He is the founder and president of Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA), which for more than three decades has provided an organizational outlet for Christians committed to holistic ministry. ESA is now a part of the Sider Center on Ministry and Public Policy at Palmer Seminary.

An ordained minister in the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches, Ron has lectured at numerous educational institutions, including Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Oxford.

Registration Form to be available February 1, 2012.  www.abcnj.net