Eastern Regional Association

September 2023 Newsletter

Our Friday night banquet speaker will be Rev. John Tate, Senior Pastor at Emmanuel Church, Rochester, NH. 

Follow this link to register or you may also register by going to our website.

Please send us an email if you are interested in being an exhibitor.

We have secured an agreement with the Fireside Inn in Waterville for lodging at $115 per night plus tax. You may reserve your room by going to the link below. Be sure to select the number of nights and the total will adjust automatically.

Anchor New England

Prayer and Praise List

• For the ERA Convention to be held on October 27-28
• For our primary speaker, Ryan Goding of Anchor New England
• For God to be glorified and for His blessings as we meet together 

for worship, fellowship, instruction, and business

• For Clayton Blackstone as he serves our region in the vital ministry of Interim Regional Superintendent 
• For the ERA Board as they establish a job description for the Regional Superintendent, and as they later in the year, begin the search for a new superintendent
• For the sale of the regional residence/office

On August 27, we welcomed our new class of students to the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies! This is our 34th cohort of students consisting of eight women and three men – our largest first-year enrollment in the last 10 years. What a joy it is to get to know these students and embark with them on this formative journey of discipleship.

We are mindful that God had already started his work in the hearts of these 11 students long before we met them – and for that we give glory to him and our thanks to the families and church families whom he has used to that end. But we are grateful that God has given them to us for the next nine months for a season of serious spiritual and life development. 

Our explicit aim is that these students would be rooted in the Word of God, continually growing in the grace of God, and ultimately, that they would flourish for the kingdom of God. 

The theme we’ve chosen for the year is “Our Refuge and Strength,” based on Psalm 46:1. We’re striving to help our students comprehend more and more of the character and promises of God so that we see that he is worthy of our complete trust and confidence. We’re praying the Lord will use this year to that end and that it will be one of the most transformative years of their lives.

Our gratitude abounds when we consider God’s gracious provision of another cohort of students and your generous support. If you have any questions about the ministry of BICS, please don’t hesitate to check out our website or get in touch: www.berkshireinstitute.org | info@berkshireinstitute.org

Join the 2024 BICS Israel Trip!

The Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies invites you to join them for the trip of a lifetime to Israel from March 6-20, 2024. Come walk where Jesus, King David, Paul and the other great men and women of Scripture lived out the stories of the faith. See firsthand the Temple Mount, the fields of Bethlehem, the beautiful Sea of Galilee, and much, much more.  

Space is limited, so for more information or to register, please go to https://www.signaturetours.com/upcoming 

or for questions, contact Mike Tuttle at mtuttle@berkshireinstitute.org.

We hope that you can join us – we promise you will never read the Bible the same again!

Pastor Appreciation

We received this from the Appalachian Region and thought it might be helpful in the planning of our ERA churches for Pastor Appreciation in the month of October. 

Pastor Appreciation Notes

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, 

for they are keeping watch over your souls, 

as those who will have to give an account. 

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, 

for that would be of no advantage to you.” 

Hebrews 13:17

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. We’re encouraging every church member, denomination-wide, to reflect on how their pastor has ministered to them and write a note of encouragement. 

Celebration of Fellowship North Springfield AC Church

11 Church St, North Springfield, VT 05150

Scholarship Opportunities

Dubois Scholarship - Sponsored by the Maine State Conference, amount awarded depends on number of applicants and funds available; This scholarship is given in loving memory of Rev. Wendell DuBois, Tammy DuBois and Virgene Hughes. It is designed to assist those seeking a call to vocational ministry in achieving their academic goals. The application needs to be postmarked by August 31 to be considered. The scholarship monies will be disbursed during the 2nd semester of the academic year.

Berkshire Christian College Scholarship Fund - Scholarship amount varies depending on the program of study. The purpose and description of the scholarship is:

• Seminary education in partnership with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary at four campuses - two in Mass., one in Fla., one in NC. (www.gordonconwell.edu) Advent Christian students receive up to a 50% tuition reduction. (Additional scholarship assistance may also be available.)
• Theological formation through the Ministry Training Institute (MTI). Students enrolled in MTI are eligible for scholarships through Berkshire Christian.

Castle Hill Scholarship Fund - The Castle Hill Advent Christian Church closed its doors in December of 2019 due to declining numbers and the difficulty of finding pastoral leadership. Through a generous donation, a Ministry Scholarship will be established in their name. It is their desire that this ministry scholarship be established to help fund individuals who are seeking vocational ministry training either from a ministry training program within the Advent Christian constituency, or if a person chooses to seek to prepare for vocational ministry outside of the Advent Christian constituency, the Christian institution must be accredited.

Applicants are required to fill out the application and have all of the required information turned in to the Superintendent’s Office by September 15th in order to be considered by the Eastern Regional Board of Directors. The Board will present scholarships to qualified applicants by dividing $2000 dollars among them per year. If only one applicant applies, the cap for an individual scholarship is $1000 dollars made out to the school of their choosing.

Eastern Regional Association

P.O. Box 214 Winchester, NH 03470

Phone: 603-332-1412