Jun 22, 2017
by Nicholas J. Kersten
Director of Education and History
Scripture Memory Program Reporting and Recognition!
The coming of the summer means, in many places, our local churches have completed their participation in our Scripture Memory Program! The program traditionally runs from September through May — though this year, we gave local churches the opportunity to start later and run the program from October through June. Participants have been busily memorizing Scriptures selected by our Conference President, Patti Wethington. Upon completion of the program, participants whose names are reported to the Christian Education Council receive a certification of completion. Additional individual recognition is reserved for those who complete the program for a decade.
In addition to personal recognition, participants from local churches who complete the program help their church in an effort to secure church recognition for the program in the form of two separate awards. The first is the “Mary Clare Scripture Memory Bowl,” given to the church with the most participants in the program. The second is the “Andrew J. Camenga Award,” given to the church with the highest percentage of church participants who complete the program.
Some local churches have already submitted the names of those who have completed the program by email. For those church representatives looking for the official form, it can be downloaded from the General Conference website (http://seventhdaybaptist.org/scripture-memory-program-2016-17-reporting/). To return the form, we ask church representatives to either fill out the form and send it through postal mail, or to fill it out and return it by email. The due date for the forms for recognition at General Conference and to insure eligibility for the awards is July 10, 2017. To be eligible for the Camenga award, churches must also have submitted information for the General Conference yearbook.
Final Notice! Role Call Vote-by-Church
on Proposed Change to the Statement of Belief
In accordance with action taken at General Conference last year, local churches should now be completing their process in preparation for casting their votes on the changes to the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference’s Statement of Belief. At this point, we have advertised the vote for several months (including in the Sabbath Recorder), and have confirmation that every one of our member churches has received information on this upcoming vote through a certified mailing from the United States Postal Service. If your local congregation hasn’t voted, the informational mailing sent from the General Conference office in January is available on the General Conference’s webpage (http://seventhdaybaptist.org/reminder-vote-by-church-on-proposed-changes-to-statement-of-belief/), and you are encouraged to ask your local leadership about how you will cast your votes as a congregation. If your church has already voted, please send the results to the Center in advance or prepare your delegate chair to cast the votes for your congregation at General Conference.
Churches who cannot send delegates to General Conference this year are invited to mail or email their results and responses to the General Conference. Emails can be directed to Executive Director Rob Appel (robappel@seventhdaybaptist.org). Mail must be postmarked by July 5, 2017, to insure arrival at the Center before the General Conference sessions begin. Questions may also be directed to the Executive Director John Pethtel (jpethtel@seventhdaybaptist.org), or Nick Kersten (nkersten@seventhdaybaptist.org).