Colorado Baptist Association: The Reporter Logistics Center : 1515 Briar Lane in Wharton, Tx.

DOM: Barry Barnet, bdbarnet2017@gmail.com Cell: 903-227-9019

January 2019 Volume 13, Issue 1

Website: www.coloradoba.org

Facebook: Colorado Baptist Association Texas Coastal Plains

¨ Together in Christ Jesus We Can Do More ! ¨

Table of Contents for January 2019 Newsletter :

Upcoming Events …………………... Page 1

Barry’s Devotional Thoughts ………... Page 2

Men’s Ministry News ………………. Page 3

Block-Party Trailer Ministry …………... Page 4

Prayer Requests ………………………… Page 5

CBA Church Celebrations …………..…. Page 6

Biblical Roots of Christian Associations.. Page 7

* For CBA Church Directory and Contact Info.

Go online to coloradoba.org and go to the

Resource tab click and scroll down to the CBA

Church Directory, click and there it is. You will also

find many other resources for our Churches, such

as the Pulpit Supply list, past newsletters, and many

resources for churches going through a pastoral

leadership transition. All the important CBA events

are on the Website calendar as well.

Checkout all your resources available on the CBA

website.

Happy New Year 2019 ! Barry

UPCOMING EVENTS: 2019

* Visit coloradoba.org go to Calendar

Jan. 13, 2019 Hispanic Companerismo 3 pm.

Jan. 15, 2019 WMU Planning Mtg.

Jan. 22, 2019 Admin Tm. Mtg.

@ College Heights, Wharton at 10 am.

Jan. 29 CBA Exec. Bd. Mtg. @

- FBC Ganado. 10:30 am. Min. Tm. Mtgs.

- Fellowship Lunch.

- 12:30 pm. Exec. Bd. Mtg.

* Feb. 15-16, 2019 : Ministerial Staff & Wives’

Retreat at Hilton Garden Inn—Sugarland

March 7, 2019 Missions Banquet 6:30 pm.

At College Heights, Wharton

April 5-6th, 2019 Men’s Retreat. Details TBA

April 28th, 2019 CBA Youth Rally TBA

May 11, 2019 Equipping Workshop TBA

From Barry’s desktop … to you.

Happy New Year ! We have had a very eventful and meaningful 2018 in Colorado Baptist Associa-

tion and its member churches and congregations. We began several new ministries and outreaches to

our churches for the purpose of strengthening and building up our local churches, we have built upon

the foundation of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and we are excited to see what blessings God bestows

upon us in 2019. Speaking of 2019, your CBA ministry team leaders and facilitators are in the process of

planning new discipleship and church edification events in 2019, building upon the foundation of 2018

and going forward growing in Christ Jesus. Please check out the CBA Calendar on our website and

keep abreast of all the events for training, discipleship, and fellowship that are coming your way

through your local Baptist association. All churches are welcome to attend, and participate as God

would lead you. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come and be blessed as we grow together in

serving Jesus Christ, and thus build up each and every church in our Association and outside. We are

building on the work of 2018 and extending it outward in 2019.

I am reminded of the scripture from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which reminds us that time is fleeting and

there are seasons of life to which we must seek God’s purpose and direction. Some of those seasons of

life are fun and exciting, and we look forward to going through them. However, there are seasons of life

and ministry which are not so warmly welcomed like when we loose a ministry partner and supporter to

death, or our family goes through relational crisis, or we face health and financial crisis on the horizon.

It is a comfort to me to know that God is the timeless and eternal God over all time and seasons He

proves his faithfulness and unconditional love. God is not locked in time, we are, and as a finite human

being, I want to make the most of the time that God has given me to serve and worship Him for as long

as He gives me breath and strength in this frail body. We too should be comforted by the thought that

this world of time is not our eternal home, that we too will live outside the sphere of time with God

enjoying His presence and peace forever, without end, through our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and

Savior.

Reflecting back over our lifetimes we need to remember and share with others the many times that

God answered our prayers when we had our backs against the wall, and He delivered us miraculously

by His hand. We need to ask ourselves in the present 2019, “ Am I serving my Lord Jesus Christ the

best that I can with the resources and life that God has so richly blessed me ? Am I doing His will or

just coasting down the hill ? Am I serving in my church with joy and without reservation to make His

church, this local body of believers the best that God wants it to be ? Am I reaching out with intention-

ality to the lost around me ? When was the last time that you spent any time sharing or just hanging out

with your lost family members and friends, or neighbors listening to their stories ? We need to be con-

stantly living on the edge between life so finite and fragile and eternity. We as God’s people and children

must learn to walk the fine line of balancing our lives while holding on to our lost friends, family, and

neighbors and at the same time looking forward to stepping into eternity, keeping our eyes focused on

the prize before us. The great trapeze artist never looks back, at what is behind him, or below him, but

he focuses on where he is going, forward to the prize.

Therefore in 2019, my challenge is to give ourselves fully to the Lord Jesus Christ, worshipping Him

with all our heart, soul, and mind, and seeking to joyfully serve Him in and through our local churches

to the best of His Spirit working in and through us to fulfill His great commission. Make sure that you

reserve quality time for your quiet time with your Lord and Savior in prayer and in His Word in 2019.

We make time for those who are important in our lives and we make time for what is important to us.

Is God included in your schedule ?

Make the most of the opportunities God presents you in 2019,

Your local DOM., positively serving you and your church,

Barry Barnet

Colorado Baptist Association is partnering with you and your church

to impact lostness in our local 5 county-area. Help us to help you !

“ Together in Christ Jesus we can do more than apart ! ”

Brotherhood Ministry Opportunities :

April 5-6 , 2019 > CBA Men’s Retreat . Details TBA.

August 31, 2019 > Brotherhood Rally : FBC Sargent :

Fishing Tournament & Fish Fry

Breakfast 8 am. Devotion and Depart to fish.

2 pm. Weigh in at FBC Sargent

Fish Fry Fellowship

* All churches and men are welcome to come and participate. Bring your pole !

The Brotherhood and Men’s prayer groups continue to meet throughout the Fall of

2018 and continue seeking out ways through which they can minister and serve in their

churches and local communities. They continue serving with a united heart and willing hands.

FBC Bay City : Men’s Prayer Breakfast—Every 1st Saturday of the month in Gym.

FBC Sargent : Men’s Prayer Group and Brotherhood : Every 2nd Saturday monthly.

FBC El Campo: Men’s Prayer Breakfast & Ministry : Every 3rd Saturday monthly.

FBC Columbus : Men’s Prayer Breakfast 7 am. Every Tuesday AM. in the Main Bldg.

God is on the move in Colorado Baptist Association !

BLOCK-PARTY TRAILER MINISTRY : VOLUNTEER TEAMS NEEDED

Honestly, we as an association must act and start training and empowering our own church

members and leaders to reach the unreached. The field is ripe unto the harvest, lost souls

abound all around us, but where are the workers? Sadly, the majority of God´s

workers are not working in the fields, but resting at the table with a full plate of food in front

of them. We sit around debating, arguing, and dissecting theological details, while we miss the

desperate cries of the lost and dying all around us. My challenge is for each church, big or

small, to recognize a man, woman, or a couple, and a youth, for the purpose of forming a

Volunteer Ministry Team from each church.

We have a new Block Party trailer ministry and we will be providing training on how to use

it soon. There is some paperwork and guidelines which churches planning on using it must

complete and fill out. The tráiler is being parked at FBC Ganado, and you can call their

church office to reserve it, fill out the necessary paperwork, and arrange training on how to

use it. There will be a required security deposit, ( Which is refundable upon completing paper-

work its successful return. ) and a usage fee to cover supplies and maintanance. We are

blessed to have ithis resource and tool in association, and we want to see it used by every

church accordingly to reach the lost and to build bridges into our local communities.

We must begin focusing upon reaching our associational area for Christ Jesus and planting

new Bible study groups and church plants in our local towns and areas. We have identified at

least 3 areas for starting new work among the Hispanic populations in our association: Lane

City, Blessing, and Garwood. Plus starting student work at Wharton Jr. College. Please call

me or text me with your church´s questions and input. I will follow up on them.

Call or text me at 903-227-9019. Barry

Your association needs YOU ! God has a job for YOU ! God has a ministry for you !

God is moving in our 5 county CBA. Area ! Are you up to the challenge ?

Prayer Requests and Praises:

Pray for College Heights, Wharton as they begin the process of forming a Pastoral Search Team

and prayerfully enter into the process of seeking God’s will and guidance during this transitional

time of pastoral leadership in their church.

Pray for the new pastors and their families which have joined our Association as they begin their

pastoral ministries in their local areas of Magnet, Van Vleck, and Louise.

- Continue to pray for Shirley Hurley and family as they pass through the valley of loss and grief. Pray

for College Heights Baptist church as well since they have only known Don as their pastor over the past

25 years. Pray for Shirley and family as they pass through this time of grieving and transition in their

lives. Pray for College Heights as they too grieve and are transitioning through a time of leadership

change.

- Pray for our Mission point pastor Danny Henderson as his mother passed away this past month, lift

him and his family up in your prayers as they have suffered this great loss. Pray for him and his wife as

they seek to faithfully carrying out their ministries at their mission point New Beginnings at Weimar.

Pray for him and his wife, Jaquline to set priorities in their ministries and balance job demands with

family and ministry.

- Bro. Danny Henderson also reported that they have received a building structure donated to them,

which will need to be moved on to the church’s property there at Weimar. They are praising God for

this answer to their prayers.

- Pray for our associational misión points in Rock Island and Weimar to experience many opportuni-

ties to grow and share their faith in these new work áreas. Pray for Alberto Cuellar and Danny Hen-

derson as they

lead out in these misión points. Pray for them to not become discouraged, but to be encouraged as they

see God at work in the midst of their congregations.

- Pray for the Rock Island congregation as they have had successful outreaches into the Glidden area

and have made positive impacts into this community’s Hispanic population. Pray for God to direct

them in the direction of finding a local place to meet and worship in Glidden and give them insight into

His future plans for them as they grow. The Rock Island Mission point has carried out several com-

munity visitations in the Glidden area and have received positive responses. They are picking up mo-

mentum for growth. The Hispanic work has the potential to explode in this area. Pastor Alberto and

Rosalinda Cuellar are doing a fantastic job leading this congregation.

- Pray for our local identified areas for beginning new work and Bible studies right here in our 5 coun-

ty area: Wharton Junior College ( Student work ), and ( Hispanic Ministry ) in Lane City, Blessing,

and Garwood areas.

Celebrating Life´s Big moments with you !

JANUARY 2019 :

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

3 Ernesto Vuiollette, pastor, Living Water Baptist Church, Ganado

19 James Collins, associate pastor/ministries, FBC, Palacios

30 Larna DuBroc, pastor's wife, FBC, El Campo

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

4 Barry & Linda Barnet, DOM

4 Robert & Mary Garcia, pastor, Primera, Louise

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY

1988 Joel Ramirez, Sr., pastor, Primera, Wharton

2001 Larry Swift, pastor, FBC Blessing

2006 Gary Henneke, pastor, Frelsburg Baptist, Frelsburg

2009 Lane Par-Due, pastor, Calvary Bay City

2015 Jim Bo Warren, pastor, Coastal Plains Cowboy Church, Boling

2017 Barry Barnet, DOM

2018 Richard Crain, pastor, Memorial El Campo

Where did “ associations ” come from ?

Where did the idea of associations come from ? Who invented them ? Are they biblical ? In

the Bible, we find the reality of the early church and Christians who actually formed the idea

of the association starting in the book of Acts and going through the New Testament books of

Paul, Peter, James, there is amble source material supporting and justifying the

association as a strategic tool and reality. As Paul wrote in his writings, he repeatedly referred

to a network of fellow servants, evangelists, pastors, apostles, and unnamed Christian

supporters and workers throughout the area of his missionary journeys throughout Europe, and

Asia. Without his network of fellow believers, servants, and ministers he would have been

severely handicapped and limited in his ministry. He would not have reached as far as he did

planting churches and discipling new believers without the assistance and support of his fellow

believers and ministers. He had his association / network of churches that he supported, and

who supported him in his ministry. The association started as a team effort existing and forged

between the Christian churches, and their leaders. Paul needed their prayer, emotional and

spiritual support as well as their financial support to allow him to continue serving the

churches, preaching, teaching, and discipling new believers, as well as developing new leader-

ship to carry the Christian faith forward into the future. Paul’s association was predominantly

established among the Gentile areas, the Greek and Roman people, even reaching into what is

considered Europe today. The churches needed the vision, drive, and strategy of the Apostles.

Peter and James in their writings also show the existence of their own associations. Their

ministries and associations tended to be more focused among reaching the Jewish people, and

revealing to them their Messiah from the Old Testament and how Jesus Christ is that Messiah

sent from God in fulfillment of their own prophecies. We find within the various writings of

Peter and James many references to the existing networks between believers, churches, and

their own missionary endeavors, which would form our modern day associations. The Apostles

had clearly developed their own ministry based networks and fellowships among themselves

and their new believers and the churches that they had planted.

So we can see from reading the book of Acts, and all through the New Testament that

associations were in existence and flourishing. They were vital for sharing the faith, for

supporting evangelists and missionaries as they went out to proclaim the Gospel and plant new

churches. They were vital for sharing the letters of the Apostles and Paul, they were like a

Christian postal service, carrying and sharing the letters of Peter, Paul, and the other apostles

between the newly planted church bodies. In this way they were instrumental in distributing

and promoting Christian discipleship and developing new leaders to serve in the churches

scattered across Asia Minor, Rome, Greece, Africa, and into the future European area. Without

the work and role of the association in the early church period, the spread of the Gospel and

the growth of Christianity would have been severely hampered and limited.

Does the association have any relevance in today’s world ? I would say definitely, “ Yes !”

Why ? Because our world is no different spiritually from the New Testament time. We as

believers still need fellowship, resources, encouragement, and we still have a lost world to

guide to a saving faith and knowledge in Jesus Christ. It is still true that we can accomplish

more together for the kingdom of God than we can apart. Barry Barnet,