WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
June 4, 2026
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Camping on the Rock,
Build Your Life on Him!
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock; in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
That is the theme and verse of this year's Ute Lake Camp Meeting. It will be held June 4-6 at Ute Lake. Make plans to attend!
Patrick Pachta will be the Camp Pastor and James Golden will lead music. Discipleship will be under the leadership of Joe Garrett. CJ Garrett will lead the youth group and Kay Erwin will lead the children.
Nathan Windsor is the Camp Director and Bevin Avent is the Assistant Camp Director. Contact Joe Garrett at 575-309-9065 for reservations.
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Disaster Relief Sunday
June 7
Disaster Relief Sunday is June 7 across the SBC.
Volunteers are encouraged to wear their gold shirts to church services that day. Churches are encouraged to recognize their volunteers and their commitment to kingdom service in the worship services that day.
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Notes From Our
Director of Missions
Dear Friends,
Summer is off and running in the Tri-Area Baptist Association. Three of our congregations had their Vacation Bible School this week, and churches are reporting record attendance and wonderful opportunities to share the Gospel with children. It has been a blessing for me to stop by several of our churches for their VBS and to see workers serving so faithfully and to see children having so much fun in the Lord. Pray for each of our congregations as they plan their VBS weeks. A list of dates and themes is available in the newsletter.
Summer is one of the most challenging times of the year for ministry, and also one of the most rewarding. Every week this Summer we will have an association church working on VBS, attending a children's or youth camp, hosting or going on a mission trip. There is something going at a Great Commission church every day this Summer.
And while I am grateful for all these ministry opportunities, I know they are challenging for our church staff members and volunteers. Summer ministry is exhausting. Here are a few things that might help each of us keep up our momentum for ministry during the Summer months:
- In the busy Summer months do not forget to EXPRESS Appreciation. Never underestimate the power of a positive comment or word of affirmation. Take the time to write notes to Summer volunteers and workers. Give your team members a gift to express your appreciation for their work. Remember to tell your family how much you appreciate their support and encouragement during the Summer months.
- In the midst of ministry this Summer remember to EXPAND your Relaxation. Too many pastors and staff members neglect their personal Sabbath and vacation times during the Summer. Believe me, you NEED time away during the business of Summer Ministry. It usually will not happen unless you SCHEDULE some time away and PROTECT it on your calendar. Remember your family needs rest and time together also. Do not neglect this critical need.
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Summer ministry is also enhanced when leaders EXHUDE celebration. It is inevitable that there will be challenges and disappointments during busy ministry seasons, but a heart of gratitude and appreciation will help keep those times in their proper perspective. Remind yourself and those around you of God's faithfulness and provision. Choose the JOY of celebration over the GRIEF of doubt and disappointment. In particular remember to celebrate the small victories. Gratitude is contagious.
Remember that I am praying for you and your congregation as you serve during these busy Summer months. Think about these words from Colossians 3:22-23: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." We may not see until eternity the results of these days of ministry, but we wait in confidence knowing there will be fruit from our labor. Keep up the good work, and let me know if the Association can help in any way!
Damon
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Damon filled the pulpit this past Sunday at Calvary, Portales. He is shown below with Calvary's pastor, Brad Morgan. He visited Highland's End of School Year event and Sandia's Wednesday evening worship on May 27. Damon has also been visiting with several ministerial staff this week.
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Damon's Supply Schedule
Damon is scheduled to be at the following churches on these dates:
- June 7: First Baptist Melrose.
- June 14 and 21: Parkland Baptist Clovis
- June 28: Central Baptist Clovis
- July 5: Open
- July 12: Calvary Baptist Clovis
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Here are the remaining dates and themes for VBS that we have learned about. If you don't see your church's information, please share that with Damon or Elaine.
June 8-11 Calvary Portales Joy in the Lord (adults VBS)
June 8-12 Central Rainforest Falls
June 11 Elida Magnify
June 14-17 Pleasant Hill Illumination Station
June 15-18 Emmanuel Illumination Station
June 15-19 Melrose Emerald Crossing
June 22-25 Ft Sumner Illumination Station
June 22-26 Calvary Portales Snowball Mountain Challenge
July 12-15 San Jon Illumination Station
July 13-16 Dora Breaker Rock Beach
July 13-17 Parkland Rome
July 19-23 University Illumination Station
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Safeguard Your Ministry
Lifeway customers can receive discounts on background screenings for your Vacation Bible School volunteers, bus drivers, and more. Verified screenings starting at only $9. There are no registration fees or minimum orders. And free Sexual Abuse Awareness Training is available with every background check purchased.
CLICK HERE for more information.
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Highland Has Been Hopping!
Highland has had several "different" activities within the last week or so. On Wednesday, May 27 they hosted an "end of school year" party in their sanctuary. All the chairs had been moved to hallways and the sanctuary was filled with lots of activities, including the bounce elements from the association's Evangelistic Trailer.
Then on Sunday (with the sanctuary's chairs still out of the area), the church had their first annual "Camping Chair Sunday". Attendees were encouraged to bring their camp or lawn chairs (and extras to share) for their seating that Sunday. It was a fun and casual way to worship!
Vacation Bible School then took place throughout the church beginning June 1. Lots of activities and ways to fellowship and encourage each other to grow in Christ!
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Dress A Girl is a great ministry to help missionaries present the gospel to girls and boys. Our constant prayer for every girl and boy who gets an articleof clothing is for them to also receive Christ.
Please contact Marsha Showe to let her know how many dresses or shorts your church would like to be sent to a missionary or fill Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Also if you would be interested in making dresses or shorts or donating supplies or financial support to help pay for supplies, suitcases, or baggage fees, contact Marsha Stowe at 575-760-5603.
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1613 Men’s Conference
Highland Baptist will be a host site for this men's conference taking place July 17-18. Sign up HERE. Cost is $5/person (paid at the door). Contact Tyler at 575-763-7942 or tyler@highlandclovis.com for more information.
What Makes 1613 Men’s Conference Different?
Most conferences give you hype.
1613 gives you hard-earned truth, delivered by men who’ve led in combat zones, business boardrooms, and the battlefields of life. They’ll share truth sharpened by experience and grounded in Scripture.
You’ll walk away with:
- Hard-won clarity
- A battle plan for leading with strength and conviction
- Brotherhood committed to truth over comfort
To learn more general information about this conference, click HERE.
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This retreat is for bi-vocational pastors and pastors of smaller membership or rural churches and their families. It will provide encouragement with worship, rest, fellowship, and time to recharge together.
July 31 – August 2, 2026
Sivells Baptist Retreat and Conference Center
Check-in begins Friday the 31st at 4 pm. Closing prayer will be Sunday the 2nd at 11 am.
Registration cost:
Individual: $65
Couple: $105
Family: $140
Price includes 2 nights in hotel style lodging, 5 meals, family worship times and breakout sessions for adults and kids.
For more information contact Cheryl Vaughn at cvaughn@bcnm.com or 505-924-2314.
This ministry is made possible through your gifts to the Cooperative Program.
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JOIN OUR PRAYER TEAM
If you would like to join our Tri-Area Prayer Team, text your first and last name to Elaine at 575-714-7788. She will pass along prayer needs via a text message that are submitted by our churches.
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PRAY FOR MISSIONARIES WITH
NEW MEXICO TIES
Would you like to receive monthly updates from IMB missionaries with NM ties? Emily Taigaafi prepares the WMU prayer update newsletter. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by clicking on this LINK.
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Click HERE to check out the Good Books section of our website. We also have a Spanish version called Buenos Libros which you can check out by clicking HERE.
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The Book of the Week is Criswell: His Life and Times by O.S. Hawkins. It is listed with the Church History and Historical Theological - Biography portion of the Encourage tab: Good Books section on our website.
When the name W. A. Criswell is read or heard, certain thoughts come to mind. Many likely remember him as a president of the Southern Baptist Convention, or the founder of the Criswell College in Dallas, Texas, or the senior pastor for five decades of one of the largest Baptist churches in America, or even one of the key figures during the Conservative Resurgence. All of these are acknowledgments of the importance of the life of Criswell, but these do not necessarily capture who he was as a man, as a husband, as a father, as a friend and mentor.
O.S. Hawkins was closely mentored by Criswell and was his pastoral successor. In Criswell: His Life and Times, Hawkins takes on the task of capturing the life of one of the most important figures in modern Baptist history. He discusses his humble upbringing, the dedication of his parents to ensure he received a proper education, his early years as a pastor, and how his love for the church influenced those around him over the course of his life. It is a biography that is both admiring and honest, and written with the knowledge of someone who could only know Criswell as a friend and a mentor.
CLICK if you want to purchase this resource from Amazon. It may be available through other sources as well.
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Ministerial Staff Searches
Submit a résumé and cover letter by sending it to the following address:
Iglesia Bautista Belen
Senior Pastor Position
820 N. Reid
PO Box 2046
Clovis, New Mexico 88102
First Baptist Church
Senior Pastor Position
226 Avenue A
PO Box 275
Dora, New Mexico 88115
First Baptist Church
Senior Pastor Position
100 S Avenue C
Portales, NM 88130
Central Baptist Church
Senior Pastor Position
Applicants can find additional information at searchteam@connect2central.com or by using the following QR code:
Central is also seeking their next Worship Pastor and Student Pastor. Learn more about applying for these positions HERE. You can mail application/résumé to:
Central Baptist Church
Worship Pastor Position
Youth Pastor Position
2501 N Norris
Clovis NM 88101
First Baptist Church Logan
Senior Pastor Search
Email your cover letter and résumé to
Nick Bradfield
Pulpit Committee Secretary
nbradfield@hc.edu
First Baptist Church - Santa Rosa
Senior Pastor Search
635 Lake Drive
Santa Rosa NM 88435
First Hispanic Baptist Church - Tucumcari
Senor Pastor Search - Bi-lingual and Bi-vocational
PO BX 972
Tucumcari, NM 88401
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| FBC Portales is looking to hire a part-time Financial Secretary. If you are interested, call the church office (575) 356-6761 and ask for Pastor David.
Parkland Baptist Church has an opening for the position of Part-time Secretary.
The position is 20 hours per week and work hours are 8am-1pm Monday through Thursday.
If interested please contact the church at 921 Parkland Drive or at 575-762-1779 for an application and background check permission form.
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April FINANCIAL REPORT
Beginning April 1 $71,808.46
Receipts 10,029.53
Disbursals 7,826.97
Balance April 30 $74,011.02
Please make any checks you send payable to the Tri-Area Baptist Association and mail them to 1100 W. Mañana Blvd, Clovis NM 88101
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IMPORTANT DATES
Have an event coming up at your church? Email us at tri.area.baptist.association@gmail.com or
send us a text message at 575-714-7788.
June 2026 -
4th - 6th - Ute Lake Camp Meeting
7th - Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Day
8th - Ft Sumner-Area Ministers Fellowship - noon
11th - Portales-Area Ministers Fellowship - Calvary 6:30
18th - Clovis-Area Ministers Fellowship - Juanito's 6:30 p.m.
June 22nd - Tucumcari-Area Ministers Fellowship - LaCita 6:30 p.m.
July 2026 -
17-18th - 1613 Men's Conference Simulcast, Highland
September 2026
26th - One Day Mission
Got a question about any of the above events? Call Elaine at 575-714-7788.
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PRAY FOR NEEDS
IN OUR ASSOCIATION
New or updated requests appear below in bold type.
Pray for all those involved with Vacation Bible School.
Pray for the potential mission work in Honduras.
Pray for the potential new ministry between Oklahoma Baptist University and the prison at Santa Rosa.
Pray for Foundations of Faith Dairy Ministry.
Pray for our pastorless churches: Iglesia Bautista Belen in Clovis, FBC Dora, FBC Portales, Central Clovis, FBC Santa Rosa, and First Hispanic Tucumcari.
Pray for the Christian Challenge ministry at Eastern.
Pray for all our pastors and other ministerial staff and leaders.
Pray for Joel Castro and his wife, Sara, from Honduras, that they might be able to secure the necessary visas to come to the U.S.
Pray for Carlos Cervantes and his wife, Adrianna, from Mexico, that they might be able to secure the necessary visas to come to the U.S.
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Helpful Links
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Click HERE to go to their website.
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Copyright © 2019 Tri-Area Baptist Association, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is: 1100 W. Mañana Clovis, NM 88101
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