This year’s annual session will be held entirely online from September 28 through October 3. ABCNJ is hosting webinars with local and national presenters addressing challenges facing our congregations and communities. Webinars will be held daily for the week leading up to our region-wide worship service on Saturday, October 3, at 10:00 am. There is no registration fee for our webinars or Annual Session. However, there are still expenses. Please contribute and give generously as you are led by clicking on the Donate button above. If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to ABCNJ and mail it to 3752 Nottingham Way, Trenton, NJ 08690. Space, however, is limited, so participants need to register for each event.

This year marks our 50th annual session, and while it is unlike any we have held before, we remember that learning and worshipping together have kept our ministries deeply rooted in Christ, mission, and love for 190 years. 

Webinar Details

Monday, September 28, 2020 - 7:00 p.m.

Finding Your Way in the Work of Racial Justice

The concern for many is that the wide-spread awakening of our nation to the call to further reveal and dismantle racial injustices is a passing fad, especially for those who are just recently feeling the urge to do something. This webinar will assume interest by participants to be an enduring part of solution-finding and will explore approaches to discovering and clarifying how each can contribute constructively and authentically to the work of racial justice. The webinar will incorporate presentation of content, interactive small group discussion, and Q&A.

About Presenter…

The Rev. Dr. Marie Onwubuariri’s commitment to intercultural community building and racial justice work is shaped by her life-long experiences and learning at the intersections of human differences and her spiritual journey of “self-work.” Like for many, the past few months of racial injustice awareness and action have been a clarifying time as she has discerned God’s guidance in ongoing and new efforts in the Church, community, and family. Marie earned her MDiv and DMin at the Berkeley School of Theology and is co-editor and chapter contributor of Trouble the Water: A Christian Resource for the Work of Racial Justice (Nurturing Faith, 2017). Marie has been serving as Regional Executive Minister of ABC Wisconsin since 2014.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - 7:00 p.m. (webinar will be bilingual)

Caring for the Stranger, Poor and Vulnerable

Since the beginning of this pandemic it was clear that, although the world was facing the same storm, we are not all in the same boat.  Our undocumented sisters and brothers, although tax-paying immigrants, were excluded from the CARES Act. Through the creativity and generosity of the ABCNJ’s Latino Minister’s Council, along with a grant from ABHMS, they were able to provide economic relief for many families. In this webinar you will hear how pastors and congregations came together to be the hands and feet of Jesus for such a time as this. Participants will learn how to identify the need, what action to take and discover ways to invite others to action in their own communities to respond to the call of caring for the stranger, poor and most vulnerable in our society.

About Presenters…

Moderator: The Rev. Dr. Luciano Márquez Jr., senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, New Brunswick, and ABCNJ Associate Regional Pastor for Latino Ministries; 

Panelists: The Rev. Alejandra Caballero, assistant pastor of the First Baptist Church, New Brunswick, and Director of Deportation & Immigration Response Equipo (D.I.R.E.); The Rev. Handel Roberts, pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Newark, and President of the ABCNJ’s Latino Ministers Council (CML); The Rev. Raul Ruiz, pastor of Spanish-American Baptist Church, Union City, and President of the New Jersey Latino Pastors and Ministers Coalition (NJLPMC).

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 7:00 p.m.

COVID19: Stewarding Generosity Through a Pandemic

These past few months, we have been living in a time unlike any other we have experienced. As pastors and congregations, we have been forced to navigate a land we have never been to without a map, without a guide, and for most of us, without a plan.  We are learning as we go.  In this webinar, we explore the dynamics of mission and ministry, and the stewardship that undergirds it, in uncharted territory. 

About Presenter…

The Rev. Stacy Emerson is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in West Hartford, CT and the Stewardship Consultant for ABCUSA.  She is also the Coordinator for The Generosity Project which is about helping congregations deepen their understanding of stewardship as a call to generosity as disciples of Jesus; re-framing the stewardship conversation; and cultivating generosity in pastors, lay people, and congregations.  

Thursday, October 1, 2020 - 7:00 p.m.

No Schism in the Body

The sin of racism is rooted in a failure to see the image of God in every human being regardless of their skin color or nation of origin. Antiracists fight against racism in all of its forms -- not just individual beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Those who see the image of God in everyone are aware that structural racism is an overarching, interconnected system of racialized bias across institutions and society that must be dismantled. This webinar will provide practical tools and concepts to help participants identify and work on their own biases to engage in the private and public work of eradicating racism.

About Presenter…

The Rev. Dr. Carol Lynn Patterson is passionate about partnering with pastors and people to equip faithful, healthy and loving congregations for the work of helping their communities reflect the kin-dom of God by respecting and advocating for their neighbors in need. In this unprecedented season of isolation,(due to COVID-19) and polarization (due to heightened awareness of injustices), Dr. Patterson is committed to uniting the family of God in the fight for justice for all human beings. She believes the Church is called and sent for such a time as this. Carol has been serving as one of three full time Associate Regional Pastors with ABCNJ since October, 2019.

Friday, October 2, 2020 - 7:00 p.m.

Lift Every Voice: Youth Leaders on Racism, Education and the Role of the Church in an Era of COVID-19

In the United States, over six million people have had the coronavirus. So far, we have lost over 185,000 loved ones to COVID-19. We have also witnessed the brutality and global protests over anti-black violence against George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others. For most of us, our work, school, and congregational life have transitioned from in person to fully remote contexts. How are our young people interpreting these contemporary realities and how has it shaped their educational, social, and spiritual lives? What lessons have they learned and how have these experiences prepared them for future engagement with the church? Join us for this lively conversation with young church leaders!

About Presenter…

Moderator: Dr. Karen Jackson-Weaver is a minister, historian, and religious scholar with a focus on religion, ethics and political affairs. She is currently the Associate Vice President of Gobal Faculty Engagement and Innovation Advancement at NYU, and Associate Minister at Shiloh Baptist Church, Trenton, NJ.  Prior to her role at NYU she was an Academic Dean at Princeton University and Harvard Kennedy School. Dr. Weaver recently transitioned from the UK, where she was a Visiting Scholar and Dean-in-Resident at Oxford University. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary where she serves as Chair of the Student Life Committee. She is the former National Series Editor for Teaching Religious Studies series published by Oxford University Press & the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Jackson-Weaver is a licensed minister at Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, NJ.

Saturday, October 3, 2020 - 10:00 a.m.

Worship

Join us for our virtual worship service at 10:00. Clips about our history, region, and denomination will begin at 9:45 as part of our pre-worship programming. It is a time when we are reminded that we are Deeply Rooted in Christ, Mission, and Love!

Musicians…

We are blessed to have Rev. LaThelma and Samuel Yenn-Batah with us again this year. They are the writers of last year’s Annual Session theme song - Deeply Rooted.

The Reverend LaThelma A. Yenn-Batah is an American Baptist minister of the Gospel and a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. She has participated in extensive cross-cultural and urban ministry with churches in Costa Rica, South Korea, Nicaragua, Philadelphia, PA, and Newark, NJ. These rich multi-cultural and ecumenical experiences have cemented her passion for building Christ-centered intergenerational and intercultural communities committed to social transformation. She currently serves as the associate executive director of American Baptist Women’s Ministries and is a gifted worship leader.

Samuel Yenn-Batah was born in Ghana and lived there for six years before immigrating to Atlanta. Sam currently serves as the Manager of Pastoral Care, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), and Supervisor of the CPE Residency at Penn Medicine Princeton Healthcare. Sam is also a professional saxophonist and soon to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). 

Samuel and LaThelma are also the proud parents of a daughter. In ministry, they are founders of the SoulJourn Movement—an ecumenical community of believers committed to discipleship, radical hospitality, social responsibility, and innovation.