Young Adults serve in south-West virginiAPg. 2

What’s your story? Pg. 3

Green Lights, Yellow Lights...But No Red Lights!Pg. 4

From Apprehension...to Adventure!Pg. 6

I BelievePg. 7

Kakki Aydlotte, A Woman after God’s Own HeartPg. 8

Cover photo © 2012 Dennis Waterman

SPIRITTHEMarch/april/May 2013BOn Air BAPTisT CHurCH

...increasing numbers of transformed lives

Sponsored by BABC Young Adults

Donations & volunteers welcome!For info contact:

jake.maxwell@bonairbaptist.org

Young Adults serve in southWest virginiA

bY vAlerie CArter

“Looking into the eyes of the ones we built the ramps for made this mission trip amazing,” said 23-year-old Tommy Cunningham. Whitt Whittaker, 25 years old, is motivated to serve the Lord on mission because it is his calling to use his skills to help others! On this trip, ramps were built for two senior men. They

were very grateful and amazed that these young adults, together with rob rahmlow, traveled “all the way from richmond just to do this for them!”

We have been in a partnership with s.W. Virginia for two years. We have sent over 40 people on 5 mission trips. This was our first inter-generational experience, and Jake Maxwell, our Young Adult Pastor, led well alongside steve Marshall, BABC southwest Virginia Partnership Coordinator. Their service is a testimony to what it means to join God on mission. “i want to keep myself in a position to be able to hear the needs of others and become the person who answers prayers by sharing my time and talents to help them achieve what they have been praying for,” says Whitt.

Are you ready to give your dodgeball wings?

Saturday, March 16, 2013 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

$10 per player per bracket

Space is limited so register now! www.bonairbaptist.org For info contact:

henry.smith@bonairbaptist.org

D DGEBALLStudent Ministry

TournamenT

2013 BABC

June 1Yard Sale

June 1Yard Sale

June 1Yard Sale

8 a.m. BABC Parking lot

all funds support student missions!

Good Friday Service March 29 • 7:30 p.m.

All campuses join for worship in the Buford road Campus sanctuary

eaSter Sunday WorShip ServiceS

March 31

BuFord roAd CAmpuS8 & 11 a.m.

Traditional • sanctuary

9:30 & 11 a.m.The Gathering • Commons

JAmeS river CAmpuS11 a.m. James river High school

Auditorium

roBiouS HAll CAmpuS10:30 a.m. spanish-speaking

service6 p.m. English-speaking

service

2

What’s your story? by Beth McKenney

We all have them—those habits of thinking; a little voice in your head telling you what to expect from the

world and what your place is in it. Most of the time we aren’t even conscious of how these stories shape our lives. But when our narratives are wrong, we are led into trouble. in The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan smith helps us identify the false narratives we have about God and to replace them

with truth. The book is excellent on its own, but you’ll benefit more by getting together with others to study and discuss the book’s lessons. That’s what i did during The Good and Beautiful God sermon series, and i learned a number of things during that time.

i learned that i’m not the only one who struggles sometimes to be-lieve that “God is Good.” When we wrestle with tough questions in the company of fellow Christians, it may or may not bring us closer to answers, but it can bring us closer to each other.

i learned i had my own false narrative about God. Growing up as the fifth of five children, i observed that even when grownups love you, they are sometimes busy with “Grownup stuff” that keeps them from really listening. As i got older i projected this onto God. i believed that he loved me and heard my prayers, but i still felt a bit lost in the vast-ness of his creation. My narrative said i had to be patient and wait for him to get back to me when he had a chance. in the meantimei would just muddle through as best i could. My narrative had no concept of a God who is generous with his time and attention, who is always present and engaged with me even when he is silent.

The week we studied “God is self-sacrificing,” we saw a video that used the tomato as an illustration of how the death of something, in this case a vegetable, provides nourishment and life. This speaks to how Jesus’ death can bring us life. But it also got me thinking that in real life not all tomatoes end up as nourishment; some simply rot away without providing any benefit to anyone. With all the effort we put into protecting ourselves, preserving our health and prolonging our lives, we might be forgetting something more important. Perhaps it is less about how long we live, or how well we prosper, and more about how our lives can be spent to nourish others.

ALL-CAMPus MissiOn PrOJECT…

40 MEn WiLL CALL Our CHurCH HOME! Want to help?

APriL 13–19 at the Buford road Campus serve Meals: suebmomrn@aol.comCoordinator: ngbarnes@aol.com

Worship Reconciliation

Conference

Hosted by David Bailey

& his ministry Making a Melody | A.C.T. Int’l

SATuRDAy MAy 4, 20139 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Registration: $50* [ * Free for Bon Air Members ]

For more info:www.worshipandreconciliation.com

Designed for leaders, musicians, and lay people.Learn tools to use music, worship, & commu-nity in the reconcilia-tion pro-cess.

3

New Covenant Baptist Church has approached

Bon Air and wishes to gift 100% of

their assets to our church. The green light was on for the Mul-tisite Team (MsT) as Travis first informed us about this incred-ible opportunity last summer. The new Covenant site was a perfect fit at a perfect time. But whoa! not so fast! Little did we know there would be so many yellow lights along the way. Let me backtrack to an experi-ence at a spiritual retreat that MsT members had several months prior to the new Cov-enant experience. As we set off for prayer, searching through scripture, and listening to God, we agreed we would focus on

what is God’s will for the Mul-tisite Movement. Later, as we shared our thoughts, it became clear Multisite implies a com-plex matrix of spiritual, econom-ic, social and physical compo-nents. no one was able to say they had a clear revelation of God’s will. But the collective wis-dom of all present was that the Multisite approach is validated by the Great Commission, and we should move forward. There was no red light, but God’s will was still unknown. seeking God’s will subse-quently became the cornerstone of our journey. Thoughtfully, the Future sites Team (a sub-team of the MsT) was map-ping out po-tential campus locations when new Covenant called. All of their resources,

lock, stock, and barrel, would come to Bon Air. Green light! sign the papers! Then we began the more in-depth process. How do we get enough Bon Air members to launch this new campus? What if this collapses financially? How much work needs to be done to their existing facilities? Yellow lights! Our congregation flashed even more yellow lights ask-ing, how do we fill the positions vacated at the other campuses,

Green Lights, Yellow Lights...But No Red Lights!By Jim DePasquale

National Day of PrayerWILL YOU COMMIT TO PRAY?

IT BEGINS WITH YOU!

Thursday, May 2[ Info available at each campus ]

Hot WeDnesDaysat the Buford Road

Campus6:15 p.m. Topics

May 15 - suicide: Presentation by Teresa McBean & northstar TeamMay 22 - Church DisciplineMay 29 - Human Trafficking - Guest: Corban addison, author of a Walk across the sunJune 5 - state of established Church in americaJune 12 - end Times

The initial green light led to many yellow

lights, yellow lights that demanded adherence

to His ways, but never a red light!

4 4

APriL 27, 2013at the Buford road Campus

For all campuses • For all women

Keynote speaker: rev. dr. mArY Young

Workshops • Fellowship • WMu • Fun • Lunch

registration/Coffee 8:30-9 a.m.sessions & Lunch 9-1:30 p.m.

Free preschool child care available 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

registration begins March 3.Contact kburnes@netzero.net

or DietMJ@aol.com

sponsored by the TLC Ladies’ Bible study

Annual Women’sRetreat

and are we stretching ourselves too thin? Then James river came along with its potential new site! Another yellow light?

in meetings and in our prayers we regularly acknowledged we were in over our heads! And yet, through sound counsel, research, analysis of facts and figures—and above all the belief this will be an extraordinary opportunity—we were able to see that God AL-

WAYs provides the answers, the direction, and the wisdom that are needed for the moment.

As i stand back and look at the new Covenant experience, i can honestly say we strived to stay within God’s will. The prayer-led meetings, the commitment to integrity and transparency, the comraderie in the Multisite Team, and the utmost concern for responsible, accountable actions were the real indications that we were discovering God’s will. The initial green light led to many yellow lights, yellow lights that demanded adherence to His ways, but never a red light! Perhaps that is what He had in mind for us all along.

WORsHIP& MUsICMInIsTRy

Information about our associate Pastor of Worship and Music

position with application and brochure of our Worship and Music Ministry, church, and

community, can be found at:

www.bonairbaptist.org/buford_road/news

send resumes to:worshipleader@bonairbaptist.org

May 15 - suicide: Presentation by Teresa McBean & northstar TeamMay 22 - Church DisciplineMay 29 - Human Trafficking - Guest: Corban addison, author of a Walk across the sunJune 5 - state of established Church in americaJune 12 - end Times

God ALWAYS provides the

answers...

5

BuFord roAd CAmpuS/roBiouS HAll CAmpuS June 24-28, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

at Buford road Campus

JAmeS river CAmpuSJune 24-28, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Location TBA

new CAmpuS on pAtterSon Avenue

TBA

regiStrAtion BeginS mAY 15! www.bonairbaptist.org

FIRE ON

THE MOUNT

Sermon SerieS By TraviS CollinS,

Senior PaSTor

FeBruary 17-marCh 24

VBS IS CoMIng!

by Julie Lane

our children attend school in the West End, so when Bon Air began talking about new Covenant i was on the alert. One day after school we were by the Village shopping Center, and i knew we

were close. But i was confused—how did we pass this church so often and not notice it? We drove around the block, and i pointed it out to the kids. immediately i was excited! What a great location! i spoke with Ed and asked him if knew of this church. He was vaguely aware, so he drove by, and he felt the same as me!

Ed went to an informational meet-ing and brought home the pam-phlet that explained more about this opportunity. Many questions were answered and ideas were brought up that i hadn’t even thought about. Ed and i believed this site would be a huge blessing to the community. There are so many young families and students in the area.

We prayed about the decision with our children. We explained that this is an opportunity to be on the mission field right here at home. They are nervous about leaving their friends at Buford road, but we’ve assured them they will make new friends, and some of their current friends will actually be coming, too! However, the most difficult part for Ed and me is leaving the sunday school class we have been a part of for 12 years.

But Philippians 4:6 comes to mind. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” There’s a bit of apprehension when you don’t know what to expect, but Ed and i have both felt the Lord’s peace with this adventure.

to Adventure!

From Apprehension...

...an opportunity to be on the

mission field right here

at home.

6

The Performance Learning Cen ter (PLC) is an alterna-tive learning environment

for students who are not progress-ing in a tra ditional high school. Many of the students have fallen behind academically due to ab-senteeism, academic challenges, and other life/societal issues. This program enables students to work towards earning a high school diploma, while also encouraging them to start actively planning their future and taking the steps neces-sary to make their plans a reality. Teaching is one of my passions and certainly something i feel called to do. As i work with my stu dents on a day-to-day basis at the PLC, i am reminded of biblical truths that serve as motivation for me to offer my students the best of my self as their teacher. My daily motivation can be encap sulated in basic beliefs that drive my faith as i attempt to make a positive impact in the lives of young people every day.

i believe that… • He who began the good work will continue and finish it. Philippians 1:6 Our life’s story is not over until God Himself completes it. The students

we serve are only in the first chap-ters of lives with great potential. it is an honor to have a role in helping them realize it. • God is a God of new beginnings. isaiah 43:19 We all have had mo-ments where we wish we could hit the rewind button and begin again. The awesome thing about God is that He does grant do-overs. in this program, students can “forget the former” and truly embrace the pos-sibility of a limitless future. • With God, all things are possible. Mark 10:27 sometimes the big gest challenge is believing that regard-less of what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or any other challeng-es you might face, with God pos-sibilities abound. Giv ing up then, should never be an option. i encourage you, whether you are a teacher, parent, or simply a Christ-follower, to take time everyday to pray for our kids…not just the young people i work with but youth every-where. The pressures and tempta-tions they face daily are real, but we serve a God who is more than able to make something beautiful out of their lives.

domeStiCmiSSionSempHASiS MArCH 2013

GOAL $85,000

HAndS on 2013!ConStruCtion, CleAn up

& mAintenAnCes.W. Virginia, nickelsville• April 13–20 • June 8–15

• september 14-21

CAmp AlkulAnA, Millboro springs, VA

May 31 – June 1

CeleBrAte domeStiC miSSionS

leArn: March 6, 6:15 p.m.Fellowship Hall at Buford road. Hear how former Muslim Faysal sharif became a Christian. Learn about Virginia Baptists befriending Muslims.

prAY: March 9, 8:45–11:45 a.m. Gather as a group at the Buford road Campus, then go to cam-puses and ministry sites to prayer-walk!

give: Anytime! Help meet our Domestic Missions Offering goal of $85,000!

go: now! serve in our city, state or nation. see 2013 Ministry & Evangelism Opportunities on the BABC website.

For mission opportunities/events go to www.bonairbaptist.org or call

Judy Whitehurst, 237.7894

I BelieveBy Maria Whitaker

Left to right: Maria Whitaker and principal Christie Forrest

7

>> QuArterlY BuSineSS meeting: April 17, 6:15 p.m. in the Buford road Commons

MEE

TING

S

DaviD Bailey & arraBon 2A night of worship Arrabon style!

Friday, march 8, 7:30 p.m.Buford road Commons,Free

Arrabon means “a foretaste of things to come.” Gathering Wor-ship Leader David Bailey and the band will lead in worship, sing songs old and new, and use their creativity to express what the diversity of worship in heaven will look like.

For more info: www.makingamelody.com

Kakki Aydlotte, A Woman after God’s Own HeartBy Eugenia Frieburger Kakki Aydlotte, Associate Pastor for Member Mobiliza-tion, retired from BABC at the end of 2012. Dr. Eugenia Freiburger, friend of BABC and fellow advocate for member mobilization, writes of Kakki’s deep faith and her ministry to people.

K akki is a woman with a heart for God and a heart for people. she and i became friends many years ago when our paths crossed in lay mobilization training sessions for Virginia churches. Through the

years, i have found her to be a deeply devoted Christ follower. Her prayers, cards, phone calls and spiritual conversations have blessed many folks, including me. While Kakki loves processes, methodologies, and teaching, she loves people more!

Kakki lives out her faith as a mother, wife, grandmother, friend, prayer warrior, mobilizer of people and servant of God and His Church. Well done, Kakki. You are a great

friend to all!

Buford Road Campus2531 Buford RoadRichmond, VA 23235bonairbaptist.org