Baptist Briefs: Mayberry Bible Conference

Mayberry Bible conference set at Ridgecrest. “Life Lessons from Mayberry: It’s All There in Black and White” will be the theme of a Bible study built around the class Andy Griffith Show, offered Sept. 24-26 at Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. Breakout sessions will feature episodes of the 1960s TV show and the scriptural lessons they teach, authentic bluegrass music, worship, country-style meals and two nights lodging in the conference center hotel for an inclusive price of $219 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, click here or contact Debbie Whisenant at (615) 251-2487. To register, contact Ridgecrest Conference Center at (800) 588-7222.

George PickleCBF chaplain endorser announces retirement. George Pickle, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship chaplaincy and pastoral counseling specialist, will retire June 30 after 12 years in the role. Pickle, a native Texan, joined the CBF staff in 2001 as chaplaincy and pastoral counseling endorser after serving in a similar role with the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. Prior to becoming an endorser, Pickle spent seven years as a chaplain at the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, Calif. Under his leadership, CBF doubled the number of endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors, created a structure for the council on endorsement and secured a seat for the chair of the council on the CBF Coordinating Council.

Ministers’ tax guide available from GuideStone. The 2013 edition of GuideStone’s annual Tax Return Preparation and Federal Reporting Guide is available. The guide provides current and retired ministers step-by-step help in understanding the latest tax laws, along with sample tax forms to assist in preparing 2012 federal tax returns. Richard Hammar, a noted CPA, attorney and widely published author who specializes in legal and tax issues for ministers, wrote the guide. GuideStone’s compliance staff edited the material to ensure it addresses tax issues directly affecting Baptist pastors. The tax guide, which also includes a special section detailing federal reporting requirements for churches, can be obtained in PDF format here.  GuideStone participants can order a free printed copy by calling (888) 984-8433 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST Monday through Friday.

CBF office relocation considered. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinating Council authorized staff leadership to renegotiate terms of the CBF Resource Center’s lease with Mercer University as part of implementing a new structure approved last summer following a two-year revisioning by a blue-ribbon task force. Pat Anderson, who served as interim executive coordinator of the Atlanta-based CBF, noted the staff is smaller than five years ago, when it moved into 19,000 square feet on the first floor of a building on Mercer’s Atlanta campus, formerly housing offices of the Georgia Baptist Convention. CBF officers authorized staff leaders to explore other options, including relocation to new space in the Atlanta area that would provide greater visibility to the 22-year-old organization.

OKC medical ministry to grow with grant. Good Shepherd Ministries, an extension of First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, recently landed a $7.7 million grant from the Butterfield Memorial Foundation that will transform its medical and dental services for the uninsured from part time to full time. The clinic provided 1,117 medical appointments in 2012 and expects to double that number this year. The ministry anticipates providing 5,300 appointments by the time the grant expires in 2015. The grant will enable Good Shepherd to offer enhanced medical and dental care, X-rays, lab work, pharmacy and physical therapy. Overall, Good Shepherd expects the number of dental patients it sees to increase from 223 last year to 2,500 in 2014.