Mission in 5

Special Ice Cream Served by Special People--Donna Bieks

My guest today is Donna Biek. Donna deep family roots in Hastings, NE and is a member of the First Baptist Church. Donna’s ministry focuses on students and adults with special needs in her community. She is the point person for the area Special Olympics, where she helps coordinate the various sports the athletes participate in. She is also the owner operator of the non-profit Ice Cream parlor Special Scoops, that hires over 20 special needs persons. Please be sure to check out the show notes to learn more about how you can support Special Olympics in your area and how you can support Special Scoops with your non-profit donations.
Donate over the phone to Special Scoops: 402-461-5860
Mail donations to Special Scoops 237 North St. Joseph Ave. Hastings NE 68901
Special Scoops Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/specialscoopsicp68901/?ref=page_internal
Special Olympics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sone.org/
Special Olympics NE Website: https://www.sone.org/welcome.html
Learn more about Table Life visit https://table-life.org/
Churches Helping Churches ABC Nebraska visit http://abcnebraska.com/wp/
 

Adaptive Leadership with Tod Bolsinger

Rev. Dr. Tod Bolsinger joined Fuller Seminary in 2014 as vice president for vocation and formation and assistant professor of practical theology, and he now serves as vice president and chief of leadership formation. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1993, Dr. Bolsinger served in pastoral ministry for over 25 years before transitioning to Fuller. 
Tod the author of several books including three books, It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian: How the Community of God Transforms Lives (Brazos, 2004), Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory (IVP Books, 2015) and most recently Tempered Resilience: How Leaders are formed in the crucible of Change (IVP 2020).
On November 18, 2021 14 American Baptist regions will partner together to offer a free webinar titled “Adaptive Leadership” where Dr. Tod Bolsinger will share insights from his book Canoeing the Mountains and other morsels of wisdom on leadership formation and innovation to encourage and equip pastors and leaders for the ever changing missional landscape. The event is free to pastors in our regions. Be sure to contact your region office to learn more and how to receive the zoom link to log-in and learn with us live on November 18, 2021.
 
Links:https://www.aesloanleadership.com/
https://depree.org/church/
https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/tod-bolsinger/
www.abcnebraska.com
www.table-life.org
https://wordandway.org/2021/11/03/physical-media-streaming-and-ministry-as-metaphor/
https://www.amazon.com/Table-Life-Invitation-Everyday-Discipleship/dp/0817018158/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=table+life&qid=1591799409&sr=8-3
 

2021 Region Expo Guest Kelli Foreman

My Guest today is Kelli Foreman, the Assistant Executive Director of Kodiak Baptist Mission and American Baptist Home Missionary. She has a full and diverse set of responsibilities at Kodiak that include grant writing, directing the before and after school programming, overseeing the only grade-A goat dairy on the Island, and is a rather imaginative social media content creator. Her husband Stephen in addition to his work with Kodiak Baptist Mission is a counselor for the local school district. They are Nebraska natives with ties to Gibbon and Fremont, and met at the Moses Merrill Camp and Conference Center.
 
I really enjoyed my conversation with Kelli and look forward to hearing more from her and Stephen during our “Say Yes to the Call” Region Expo on October 1 and 2, 2021. Unfortunately, they cannot attend our event in person, but will be joining us through the magic of a live zoom call to learn more about their callings to serve at Kodiak Baptist Mission and in school counseling and how they invite others to “Say Yes to the Call” to follow Christ in their everyday lives and vocations. You can register for the Region Expo by visiting our website www.abcnebraska.com and click the Region Expo link at the top of the page.
 
Links:
Kodiak Baptist Mission: https://www.kodiakbaptistmission.org/heritage-farm-ranch/
Facebook, Instagram
Kelli Foreman Facebook
Stephen Foreman Facebook

2021 Region Expo Guests J.D. and Rhonda Reed

J.D. and Rhonda Reed are Global Servants for International Ministries to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
They work primarily with the House of Hope. Rhonda a nurse with multiple medical certifications, leads the House of Hope a ministry that provides a variety of health and development ministries in urban contexts. JD trains and equips missionaries, pastors, and leaders in his role as a regional consultant for theological education and partners with Palmer Seminary in the United States to provide masters degrees in Latin Studies in Spanish and Portuguese
We have invited JD and Rhonda to Mission in 5 because they are doing great ministry in Bolivia and because they will serve as special guests to our “Say Yes to the Call” Region Expo on October 1 and 2, 2021 at First Baptist Church in Fremont, NE. Sadly, they will not be able to join us in person, but we will host a live zoom call with them during the expo. So, whether you join us in person or online, you will get to see them and hear about why they “Say yes to the Call”.
 
Links:
International Ministries Bio Page: https://www.internationalministries.org/author/jr-reed/
Palmer Seminary MTS Latin Ministries: https://www.palmerseminary.edu/programs/mts-latinoa-ministries
House of Hope: https://www.hohbolivia.org/  (Page updates coming soon)
2021 CHC Region Expo info and registration: http://abcnebraska.com/wp/mission-expo/

Church, Camp, and Foster Closet with Nolan and Amanda Hayes

My guests today are Nolan and Amanda Hayes of First Baptist Church, Beatrice, NE. Nolan is the senior pastor and Amanda is the director of the Foster Care Closet. While each are called individually to serve in their unique ministry roles, they are also a married couple who have found fun ways to minister together in Beatrice since 2017. Nolan and Amanda are the parents of four children. In addition to his role as pastor at FBC, Nolan serves as Camp Pastor to Junior Camp at Moses Merrill Camp and Conference Center. 
 
FBC Beatrice https://www.facebook.com/First-Baptist-Church-Beatrice-155628924578092/
Foster Care Closet of Nebraska https://fostercarecloset.org
Camp Moses Merrill http://campmerrill.com/
 
 

The Nones, the Church, and Baseball with Ryan Burge

Rev. Dr. Ryan Burge is the Assistant Professor of Political Science as well as the Graduate Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. He is author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. In the book he details a comprehensive picture of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. I give readers a nuanced, accurate, and meaningful picture of the growing number of Americans who say that they have no religious affiliation. This book explains how this rise happened, who the nones are, and what they mean for the future of American religion.
Ryan is also the pastor of First Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, IL, and ABC Congregation.
Learn more about Ryan at http://ryanburge.net/
Follow Ryan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanburge
 

Wrestling with a call with Blake Wilkes

Rev. Blake Wilkes is the Pastor of the only congregation in Arthur County, NE, the Arthur Baptist Church. Blake is loves outdoor activities like skiing, riding trails, camping, and water sports. He is also a humble and compassionate pastor who gets excited about discipleship. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Blake Wilkes.
 
LinksArthur Baptist Church: https://www.facebook.com/arthurbaptistchurch
Blake Wilkes: https://www.facebook.com/blake.wilkes.12
American Baptist Churches of Nebraska: http://abcnebraska.com/wp/
Table Life: https://table-life.org/
 

Relationships, Identity, and Kingdom with Mark De Kluyver

Rev. Mark De Kluyver is the Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church in Kearney, NE. Mark is passionate about discipleship. This is a great conversation that is helpful for anyone curious about how to engage in discipleship in the local church as we continue to work our way out of COVID restrictions. 
Links:
FBC Kearney: https://kearneyfb.org/
Mark De Kluyver staff page: http://kearneyfb.org/about/#staff
 

Grilling out with Clint Walker

Rev. Clint Walker is the pastor of FBC North Platte, NE. He shares his love of people, grilling, and local church ministry. We compare cooking skills to ministry of the future. 
Links:
FBC North Platte: https://www.fbcnorthplatte.org/
FBC NP Social: https://www.facebook.com/FirstbaptistchurchNP
ABC Nebraska: http://abcnebraska.com/
https://table-life.org/
 
 
 

Journalism and Talkin Sox with Curtis Ramsey-Lucas

Curtis Ramsey-Lucas is the editor of The Christian Citizen and commissioned missionary for the American Baptist Home Mission Society. He and I discuss journalism, art, books, and more. The Red Sox even make an appearance. 
Links:
The Christian Citizen https://christiancitizen.us/
In this Together: Ministry in Times of Crisis book: https://smile.amazon.com/InThisTogether-Ministry-Times-Crisis/dp/0817018239/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=curtis+ramsey+lucas&qid=1615415030&sr=8-1
 
Socials
https://www.facebook.com/curtis.ramseylucas
https://www.facebook.com/thechristiancitizen/
https://www.facebook.com/ministryintimesofcrisis