As I felt God leading me toward the presidency of our ABMOPAD Brotherhood, I was concerned that we were becoming a group that did nothing but hold an Annual Retreat. Don’t misunderstand me. The Annual Retreat gives us a golden opportunity to enjoy the mission of American Baptist Men. We can participate in Inspiration, Education, and Fellowship; the purpose of which is to lead men to Christ. This effort, however, should not be pursued for only one weekend per year. I trust that the theme that I have chosen for my term, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”, is one that each one of us can make a goal in all that we do. I have previously stated that one of our greatest weaknesses has been communication. God has blessed us during this past year in calling several men to assume the responsibilities of Area Vice Presidents. These men are our local “communicators”. At this time we still have three Area Vice President vacancies: Southeast Area, Northwest Area, and Pittsburgh Area.

One of the primary tasks of the Area Vice Presidents is to ensure that your address is correct. In future issues of the Penn-Del Tips, I would like to see articles describing successful activities of the men in your church. By sharing the wealth, we may be able to inspire other men in the region to undertake similar activities.

I hope to see all of you at our 54 th Annual Retreat, 1 – 3 August, 2008, at Shippensburg University.

We are implementing a plan to communicate by e-mail. If you wish to receive information electronically, send your e-mail address to:

webmaster@abmopad.org

Our website has various information and forms to submit Layman of the Year Nominations, ABMOPAD Officer Nominations, Scholarship Applications, Retreat Registrations, and Parental Permission Authorizations.