The Ministers Council is the professional organization of the
American Baptist Ministers of the State. The officers meet several
times a year
to discuss issues facing the professional ministry. Some of these
officers attend a National Conference held in Green Lake. The State
organization is related to the National Organization. At such meetings
the local officers present the concerns of local pastors and seek some
resolution of those concerns. The Major event of the Minister's Council
is the Midwinter Retreat.
Sermon Contest
At the Annual meeting in Rochester Rev. Gary
McCaslin preached his winning sermon from last year. The contest
is conducted to recognize and celebrate the gifted preachers among
us. The
Sermon contest is offered again this year and the texts are
Isaiah 35:1-10 and ICorinthians 3:6-9. Eligibility:
The Annual Sermon Contest is open to any person in Ministry (including
lay ministry) in either of our upstate New York regions
. Evaluators and the registrar are the only people
excluded.
The deadline is Nov. 1, 2002. The manuscript should be typed
double spaced with 1" margins on 8.5 X 11" paper. They should be
the appropriate length for the average American Baptist Church.
There should be no personal identification on or within the
manuscript. sources used for illustrations and direct quotations
should be identified in footnotes or
end notes. Four copies should be submited to the Rev. Jeremy L.
Spencer
First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 423, Herkimer, NY
13350.
Three copies will be sent to the evaluators.
The following Criteria will be used to determine contest winners.
1. Biblical and Theological Content
20 points
2. Creativity and Originality
20 points
3. Organization and Development
20
points
4. Style and use of Language
20 points
5. Context and Application
20 points
