Dr. Anna Robbins & Rev. Jeremiah Johnston

Acadia Divinity College (ADC) has recently announced two new appointments to the ADC family.

Dr. Anna Robbins has been appointed by the Board of Trustees as the Director of Doctoral Studies, overseeing the Acadia Doctor of Ministry program, and Academic Dean of Acadia Divinity College. Dr. Robbins will serve as Associate Professor of Theology, Culture and Ethics. For the past twelve years she has served at the London School of Theology in the United Kingdom as Lecturer in Theology and Contemporary Culture, Director of Training, Vice-Principal, Acting Principal, and Senior Lecturer.

This is Mental Health Week. For 61 years the Canadian Mental Health Association (http://www.cmha.ca) has been promoting awareness and open dialogue around mental health issues. The Rapha Network (formerly the Rapha Initiative) has been working in our Convention helping to shed light on the darkness that surrounds the stigma of mental illness that so many people in our churches and communities suffer from.

Current research is showing that 1 in 5 people are or will suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime. That means that most of us know someone who has from depression, anxiety, or another form of mental illness. The stigma that surrounds mental illness can often be as impacting as the illness itself.

Ministry in our camps is starting to ramp up for the summer. It's an exciting time as camp directors, staff and potential campers hope for lots of great weather, time with friends and opportunities to share God's love. Did you know - the churches and Associations of our Convention own and operate 15 camps, more than any other denomination in Canada! Pray for our camps this summer. Click here to view the list of camps: www.baptist-atlantic.ca/about/baptistlinks/camps

Are you carrying a heavy debt load from university? Are you struggling to meet monthly payments for housing, transportation and credit card debts? Do you have any month left at the end of the money? Where can you turn for the advice needed to restructure debt so you can not only bear it, but also can work to get out from under it?

As Christians we look forward to Christ’s return and entering into His Kingdom. We are sometimes less concerned about our time here on earth than we should be. “The Lord will take care of us” we say - and we don’t think about using our financial income to its best advantage – or we entrust the managing of our finances to someone else, who may or may not know what to do so that one has a reasonable income in future years.

When you and I read our Bibles it is easy to sit in judgment on the crowds that stood at the foot of the Cross. Some of the same people who hailed Jesus as a great King on Palm Sunday cried, “Crucify Him” later in the week. Because of pride I have not tended to include myself as one of the “jeering crowd,” but the truth is I would likely have been one of those people who consented to or, participated in the crucifixion of our Lord. That’s why the words of Jesus on the cross are so powerful, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The beautiful thing about this statement is that it is large enough to embrace me, you, and all other sinners. Author Brennan Manning writes, “At the foot of the cross we recognize ourselves as forgiven enemies of God.” It is humbling to see myself as a “forgiven enemy” of God yet, that is exactly what I am. It is exactly why Jesus died on the cross!”

Here's an update on our recent story about the flooding in Perth-Andover. In a conversation with the pastor, Rev. Michael Fredericks, he shared that the community is still in cleanup and recovery mode. With a third of the town flooded, people displaced from their homes, four churches significantly damaged, and local businesses and services not able to function, this is an emotionally difficult time for the community. But they are pulling together and helping wherever they are needed. There is a great deal of outside help coming in as well - fire departments and other volunteers are assisting with cleanup, providing meals and doing whatever they can in this difficult time.

As the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches we are always looking for opportunities and tools for supporting and encouraging churches in their God-given mission of faithfully living out the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We're happy to announce one such resource: in conjunction with Commitment Ministries, we are offering a no-cost-to-you webinar series intended exclusively for pastors and lay-leaders of our CABC churches. The only thing you need to have is a computer with high-speed internet access enabling you to participate from your own office (or even favourite coffee shop!).

Well, it seems spring has arrived! Not only does the calendar tell us, but so does the weather we've been having. It's a small reminder to us of God's involvement in every aspect of our lives.

I wanted to update you on some of what is happening in our Convention. Specifically, I want to let you know what is happening with our search for new staff.

The search for new staff to help with the renewed and revitalized vision for CABC is well underway. The positions have been advertized for several weeks and have been posted on the website. We are looking for people to fill the positions of; the three Associate Executive Ministers, Director of Ethnic Ministries and Director of Spiritual Formation and Clergy Care.

On Friday March 23rd Perth-Andover was declared a state of emergency as the Saint John River spilled its banks into our village in Northwestern New Brunswick. Around 500 people were directly affected when their homes or businesses were damaged by record-level floodwaters.

Our Church building was in the middle of the flood zone and was one of four churches seriously affected. At it's highest, the contaminated river water filled our basement to the top and overflowed into our sanctuary about 6-8 inches, doing some major damage to the main floor. The basement houses our kitchen, nursery, fellowship hall, storage, and the Perth-Andover Playschool.

Registration for Springforth 2012 is now open! This annual event, which attracts nearly 2000 youth and leaders, is one of the largest youth gatherings in Atlantic Canada and is partially sponsored by our Convention’s United in Mission Fund.

Dates: May 11-12, 2012

Challenging Speakers: We are excited to have Sid Koop as the High School Speaker, Mike Miller as the Middle School speaker and Carl Nash as our leader’s speaker.