About ten miles north of Durango, the Animas River winds through Hermosa Valley and can’t make up its mind about being “whitewater” or “lazy water.” No one rafts it--there are only a few real rapids; few people try to canoe it--because there are, in fact, a few serious rapids.
One morning my two nephews and I made like Lewis and Clark and headed downstream in our fifteen-foot canoe. That first run was great--no problem with the rapids. Well, no problem because we beached the canoe and walked around the big scary one that made a sharp turn.
The SBC Convention is June 11-12, 2013 in Houston Texas. Churches may obtain messenger cards by contacting Ginger Leblanc by email at gleblanc@cbgc.org . Please provide the name and address of the church and number of messengers in the e-mail.
Posted Thu, 2013-04-04 14:16 by Church Planting...
By Steve Hoekstra
One of the many wonderful things I enjoy about the ministry God has given me is getting to spend time with pastors. This past week I was driving through the beautiful San Luis Valley with a pastor friend. We began by sharing some great stories about God working in churches throughout Western Colorado. Then, without even realizing it, we fell into “commiserating” about churches that seemed to have difficulties and why. As I realized it I said “I think I have gotten a little jaded over the years.” My pastor friend agreed that he probably had also.
Posted Mon, 2013-03-25 15:05 by Church Planting...
By Doug Lohrey
There have been all kinds of new issues arising in the last few months. I am going to try and touch on one of these items during this issue of Financial Facts. It is not a financial issue, but an information issue that needs your attention.
The use of our buildings for same sex marriages: With the Supreme Court and the Colorado house and senate set to take up gay marriages and potentially legalize it this summer, churches are being encouraged to take another look at their by-laws and rethink what those by-laws have to say regarding this issue. Here are a couple of questions that have been given for the thought process:
Posted Wed, 2013-03-13 15:19 by Church Planting...
By Dr. Matthew Perry
When I took my first pastorate at a rural church in Lexington, KY, I was 31 years old. The church, I might add, was 225 years old. During my first couple of years there, I heard a number of different comments about my age. One came from a woman who stayed for a year and then left the church. I saw her at a hospital visit when her father was having surgery—and she confessed, “I left because I couldn’t handle being preached to by a child.” O-K. Ouch!
Posted Wed, 2013-03-13 09:33 by Church Planting...
By Dr. Mark Edlund
And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in … Judea and Samaria… Acts 1:8
A guiding verse in my life is Acts 1:8. My wife jokes … kind of … that I can do a service that can marry a couple, bury a believer, dedicate a building, ordain a new minister, or install a new pastor using this passage. The truth is that our Lord gave us two very clear imperatives after His resurrection and before His ascension. The first we call the Great Commission (found in Matthew 28:18 – 20). There we are commanded to make disciples of all people groups by going, teaching and baptizing. The second imperative is Acts 1:8. In this scripture, which has indeed been a life verse and a spiritual focus in my life, we are told to be His witnesses in four concentric circles. And our Lord states that all four concentric circles are our responsibility as believers and as His church.
Posted Tue, 2013-01-15 13:33 by Church Planting...
By Jim Walters
One of the most exciting rides of my life was not at Elitch Gardens, but rather in a taxicab through the streets of Rome, Italy. Unlike Colorado’s “T-Rex” or “mousetrap,” Rome’s streets are a rat’s nest of traffic circles and blind corners. On that fateful day, my cab driver sped blissfully through Rome’s maze, as if he had a strong death wish.
Posted Mon, 2012-08-13 11:12 by Church Planting...
The Annual Church Profile (ACP) forms have been mailed to every Colorado Baptist church. If you have not received yours, please contact your association office or contact Ginger LeBlanc at gleblanc@cbgc.org.
Posted Mon, 2012-05-21 07:43 by Church Planting...
New Orleans, LA – Mary Kassian, married to Brent Kassian (Chaplain for a professional football team), the mother of three sons, as well as the Distinguished Professor of Women’s Studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is this year’s featured speaker for the 2012 Southern Baptist Convention Ministers’ Wives Luncheon in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday, June 19 at Noon at the Morial Convention Center in Hall B-1.
Posted Wed, 2012-03-21 09:14 by Church Planting...
By Duffy Deardorff, BFC Operations Director
It is not often that pastors purpose to take time to write a letter of testimony about what the Baptist Foundation of Colorado has meant to them. After all, they are very busy serving their church’s immediate needs… not to mention their long-term needs! So, it is all the more gratifying to receive letters like the ones reproduced in part below.
Posted Tue, 2012-02-07 17:42 by Church Planting...
By Doug Lohrey
Associate Executive Director/ CFO with the Colorado Baptist General Convention
Can I deduct the value of volunteer work I do for the church?
No, the value of volunteer work you do for the church can never be a contribution.
If I do some work around the church and get reimbursed for my labor and the items I purchased to complete the job, can I just ask them to add this amount to my contribution statement?
No, the church is not allowed to add this amount to your contribution statement, but they can cut you a check and then you give that money back to the church. It would be best to cash the church check and then write a personal check to the church, but you can just endorse the church check back over to the church.
Posted Thu, 2011-02-10 16:48 by Church Planting...
In the last few days and weeks I have been privileged to work with a number of churches who have found out some very disturbing news. Listed here are a few of the scenarios.
The first church found out that they were no longer considered an incorporated church by the state and had not been incorporated since the late 1980’s. Another church found out that they owed property taxes dating back a number of years. Still another church had almost lost their non-profit status. I would like to encourage you to remember that there are a few items we need to take care of each year.
Colorado Southern Baptist Churches are asked to complete the Annual Church Profile (ACP) to report your church's legal, historical and leadership information. This information is useful to communicate leadership changes with other SBC entities and allows our national agencies to understand national ministry trends.
By Steve Hoekstra
By Dr. Matthew Perry
By Jim Walters
New Orleans, LA – Mary Kassian, married to Brent Kassian (Chaplain for a professional football team), the mother of three sons, as well as the Distinguished Professor of Women’s Studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is this year’s featured speaker for the 2012 Southern Baptist Convention Ministers’ Wives Luncheon in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday, June 19 at Noon at the Morial Convention Center in Hall B-1.
By Duffy Deardorff, BFC Operations Director
By Doug Lohrey
In the last few days and weeks I have been privileged to work with a number of churches who have found out some very disturbing news. Listed here are a few of the scenarios. 
