Miami Baptist Association News
Keep up with the latest Miami Valley Association news including upcoming events and reports.
ABC/OHIO continues the mission of “Building Healthy Churches that will Impact the world for Christ.” One significant part of our strategy is the partnership of the Associate Regional Ministers (ARMs) for Pastoral Care. The ministry of ABC/OHIO Pastoral Care ARMs is one of providing pastoral care and support to local pastors through regular monthly contacts, prayer, and encouragement. Effective January 2016 ABC/OHIO has added two ARMs to assist our Miami Baptist Association.
The Rev. Charles Russell will become the ABC/OHIO Pastoral Care ARM for the Miami Baptist Association effective January 2016. Rev. Russell and his wife Kathie have been serving the Immanuel at Lakewood Baptist Church of Cincinnati for over ten years. Prior to serving as pastor of Immanuel at Lakewood, he has served as youth pastor, pastor and as a Christian school supervisor. He has faithfully served in ministry for 44 years. He attended the Cumberland & Bryan Colleges and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a pastor, husband, father, grandfather, friend and partner in ministry.

Please join our Miami Baptist Association Churches in welcoming Rev. Russell and Rev. Osterbrock to our ministry team.

"Come to the Mountain" was the theme of the weekend as multiple pastors engaged these teens with gospel driven messages urging transformation through grace. It was such a joy to have our association work together to produce an event like this.
Kirkwood's fall retreat was a witness to the blessing of our unity, with around fifty students representing Kenwood Baptist, St. Clair Avenue Baptist, First Baptist Hamilton, First Baptist Greenfield, Columbia Baptist, and Mt. Washington Baptist.
Working with teens for three days straight might be exhausting, but looking back on that weekend is a highlight of this year and the youth would all agree.
The games were exciting, the food was delicious, and the leaders cannot be thanked enough. Students especially enjoy getting to be in community with friends they have made at Kirkwood’s summer camps. Ministry is that much more impactful when our body comes together, so it is my prayer that all our association churches can be a part of another retreat like this. I know I am not alone in the fact that I cannot wait to do it again in 2015!
I will begin planning at the beginning of the year and would love to partner with your church so feel free to contact me at Pastor Chris Osterbrock at Mt. Washington Baptist Church.
The Miami Baptist Association welcomes new pastors to our churches:
Pictured above left to right: Rev. Michael D. Reeves, Jr, Pilgrim Baptist Church; Rev. Phil Posthuma, Montgomery Community Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. David Palmer, Kenwood Church.
Our thanks and prayers go with:
Rev. Dr. Dennis Metzger, First Baptist Hamilton; Rev. Dianne W. Steelman, Linwood and Columbia Baptist Churches.

While we were together we celebrated the ministry of Dianne Steelman who is retiring after more than 25 years of service in our Association. The Pastor of Linwood and Columbia Baptist Churches, Rev. Steelman along with her husband Jim received many warm tributes from their ministry colleagues at the lunch.
The twenty ministers council participants who gathered for fellowship that day were blessed by a surprise visit from missionary, Rev. Kit Ripley!