Kirkwood Camp & Adventure Park Summer 2023 FREE CAMPS!

KIRKWOOD CAMPS ARE BACK AND FREE!

On behalf of the ABC of Ohio, as well as Matthew 25: Ministries, this summer camp is 100% free to all that would like to participate! 

Kirkwood is a beautiful 214-acre multi-purpose facility located near Wilmington, Ohio in Clinton County. The facilities include a lodge and conference center, a detached mini-lodge, cabins and a family campground as well as a small lake, all surrounded by open fields and gently rolling hills.  Find out more at gokirkwood.com.
 
This year all camps will arrive on Sunday and wrap up on Wednesday evening after dinner between 5:00 – 6:00.  
 
Kirkwood has a variety of new activities that each student will have the opportunity to enjoy including Eaglewood Mini Golf, Alien Invasion Gel Soft, Dutch Valley Tubing, and of course the amazing inflatables on our Splash Blast Lake Obstacle Course! We especially look forward to the blessings of being together and exploring our relationship with Christ together. Please be sure to encourage your student to invite a friend (also for free) and we will see them this summer at Kirkwood!
 
Our schedule for 2023:
· Sr. High Camp - June 11 - 14 
· Jr. High Camp - June 11 - 14 
· Junior Camp - June 25 - 28 
· New Adventure Camp - June 25 - 28 
 
To register for any of the above FREE American Baptist camps please fill out the registration form at our website. A packing list will be provided in May along with more information from your camp director.
 
If you have any questions about each camp, registration or Kirkwood Camp & Adventure Park please email Pam Noah Leonard at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

NOW  -  ALL FREE!

Read more: Kirkwood Camp & Adventure Park Summer 2023 FREE CAMPS!

Koinonia Summer 2023

Coming  to Koinonia Summer 2023:

June 
9th-11th Special Person’s Horse Camp 
18th-23rd Advanced Horsemanship Camp Junior High Camp
18th-22nd Primary Camp Elementary Camp
25th-30th Paintball Camp Junior & Senior High Horse Camp

July
2nd-7th Elementary Horse Camp 
9th-14th Senior High Camp 
21st-22nd First Timers Camp 
23rd-26th Youth Special Person’s Horse Camp 
26th-29th Adult Special Person’s Horse Camp 

Cost & registration information available through The Koinonia Camp office at 440-466-1278 and more information is available online at http://www.christiancampohio.org and on Facebook at facebook.com/koinoniacamp1.

Pastor Jeff “Hutch” Hubschman Goes to be with his Lord and Savior

Pastor Jeff “Hutch” Hubschman, age 63, of Mount Gilead, went on to be with his Lord and Savior on May 4, 2023. Jeff pastored Bryn Zion Baptist Church in Mount Gilead. He passed away at his home surrounded by his loving family, following a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. 

In 2011 Jeff was asked to fill in for a few weeks at Bryn Zion Baptist and it wasn’t long after that he became the church’s full-time minister. There was something about Jeff that made you want to listen when he spoke. He believed in people and educating them to be and do their best. In addition to speaking from the pulpit, Jeff utilized his gift as a speaker for Gideons International, where he was a former President of the Morrow County camp. He was a speaker for Heartbeat of Morrow County, and later began serving on their board. He also served on the board of West Central Community Correctional Facility in Marysville, as a representative of Morrow County.

Read more: Pastor Jeff “Hutch” Hubschman Goes to be with his Lord and Savior

View the Multi-Region Webinar with Tod Bolsinger

We are inviting pastors and church leaders to view the Multi-Region Webinar with author Tod Bolsinger from  Thursday, November 18, 2021. Tod unpacks his book “Canoeing the Mountains” to give vision to how we can be adaptive leaders in times of change. This was a FREE webinar sponsored by ABC Ohio and ABC partner regions. The recording of the webinar can be found by CLICKING THIS LINK.

Drawing from his extensive experience as a pastor and consultant, Tod Bolsinger brings decades of expertise in guiding churches and organizations through uncharted territory. He offers a combination of illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world.

Explorers Lewis and Clark had to adapt. While they had prepared to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean, instead they found themselves in the Rocky Mountains. You too may feel that you are leading in a cultural context you were not expecting. You may even feel that your training holds you back more often than it carries you along. Drawing from his extensive experience as a pastor and consultant, Tod Bolsinger brings decades of expertise in guiding churches and organizations through uncharted territory. He offers a combination of illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world. If you’re going to scale the mountains of ministry, you need to leave behind canoes and find new navigational tools.

Akron Association Welcomes a Familiar Face as Associate Regional Minister

The Rev. Kevin E. Slyh has been called to serve as the new ARM for the Akron Association in Northeast Ohio beginning March 1, 2023.

Rev. Slyh began his pastoral ministry with ABC-Ohio in 1979 after graduating from Asbury Theological Seminary. He served as full-time pastor with three congregations; First Baptist Tiffin from 1979-1983, Park Avenue Baptist Church in Mansfield from 1983-1988, and First Baptist Church in Canton from 1988-2011. Following these full-time ministries, Kevin has served as either a part-time pastor or interim pastor at Community Baptist Church in Tallmadge, Springfield Baptist Church in Akron. Calvary Baptist Church in Elyria and First Baptist Church in Perry.

Rev. Slyh comes to us having served the region in various other ministries as well. He is a past-president of the ABC-Ohio Region Board and has held various other positions and served on committees at the region and association level.  He fondly remembers many years ago when he was a Camp director at Judson Hills Baptist Camp in Loudonville, Ohio. 

When asked what he looks forward to accomplishing in this new role, Kevin said, “I look forward to serving and being an encouragement to our association pastors and their families, as well as assisting Rev. Kevin Thomas, Northeast Ohio regional minister.”

Kevin resides in Hartville, Ohio with his wife Susan (47 years). They have always considered ministry something they embraced to do together. They have two married daughters and three grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys high school and college sports. He’s also never short on good clean jokes. ABC-Ohio welcomes Rev. Kevin E. Slyh.

ABC Ohio Regional Ministers

It is a joy to share our four Regional Ministers for ABC-Ohio. Each began their service on October 1, 2022. October through December 2022 served as a time of orientation and staff development for our new team. Rev. Jane Gibbons has retired and concluded her ministry, after serving 23 years with ABC Ohio on December 31, 2022.

The Region Board has asked that Rev. Mark Click focus his ministry on the role of the Executive Minister for ABC Ohio. He will no longer be serving in a dual capacity as Executive Minister for Administration & Denominational Relations and Regional Minister for southern Ohio.

Welcome our ABC Ohio Regional Ministers:

Rev. Dr. James Willis – Northwest Regional Minister. Dr. Willis serves as the Senior Pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church of Toledo and has served in the Toledo Area Baptist Association and for several years on the Region Board as Vice-President, President and Past-President.

Rev. Kevin Thomas – Northeast Regional Minister. Rev. Thomas serves as the Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Canton and has served in the Akron Baptist Association and Ohio Baptist Education Society.

Rev. Dr. Kevin Hairston – Southwest Regional Minister. Dr. Hairston serves as the Senior Pastor of the Living Word Bible Fellowship of Columbus and has served in the Columbus Baptist Association and as Dean of the Ohio Leadership Academy. 

Rev. Mark Eaton – Southeast Regional Minister. Rev. Eaton serves as the Senior Pastor of the Porterfield Baptist Church of Little Hocking and serves as the Associate Regional Minister (ARM) for the Marietta Baptist Association.

The Region was blessed to have sixteen excellent ministers apply for the position(s) of Regional Minister. Each candidate was uniquely gifted and qualified to serve, ranging in education and experience. After much thought, consultation and prayer our candidates were selected to serve as Regional Ministers. 

Please pray for Rev. Gibbons as she prepares for the next chapter of life and ministry, the new Regional Ministers, the continued ministry of the Associate Regional Ministers (ARMs), and Rev. Click as everyone transitions in our ministries – Equipping the People of God to Impact the World for Christ.

Thank you for your prayers, support and partnership in ministry, as we work together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, make disciples and impact our world for Christ.