In recent decades, Baptist Churches of New England (BCNE) “has been transformed largely because old, historic churches have joined us and are helping us rethink what it really means to reach New Englanders with the gospel,” said BCNE Executive Director Terry Dorsett.  

Most visitors arrive in Vermont as tourists to experience the mountain vistas and quaint villages that dot America’s most bucolic state, but Shara Cowen, Laura Meloti, and Bucky Elliott came to the Green Mountains with a higher calling: to pave the way for a statewide evangelism thrust in October.   

A small network of New England Baptist pastors opened church-based immigration clinics to minister to their undocumented neighbors if they face deportation from the United States. 

Five Northeastern Baptist College (NEBC) students will depart their southwestern Vermont campus on May 17 with a “biblical foundation and a distinctive blend of academic excellence and practical mentoring”—and with clearcut marching orders “to impact the Northeast, the United States, and the world” with the gospel.

Central Vermont is known for its panoramic mountain views and quaint villages, but in recent years the region has become the center of a growing population of homeless individuals and families. The 100 members of Faith Community Church have taken notice and taken action to alleviate some of the practical difficulties that unsheltered people face each day.

When Central Church decided to minister to youth in Augusta, the capital of Maine, during the winter school break, they chose what some would consider an unconventional approach. They chose to teach Isshin-ryū, a martial arts practice that is not inherently Buddhist, but some of its traditions are influenced by Japanese Buddhism. 

When Terry W. Dorsett was elected Executive Director-Treasurer a decade ago, he outlined a vision for the Baptist Convention of New England that included “engaging ethnic pastors in key leadership roles, increasing our leadership development ministries, [and] building a sense of team ministry.”

By any measurable standard, he has fulfilled and even exceeded those objectives during his first decade leading the church network that now incudes 380+ churches from Caribou, Maine, to Greenwich, Connecticut. 

A small and dedicated Disaster Relief New England (DR) team stands ready to “equip individuals and churches to make a difference in the wake of tragedies by meeting needs and sharing the love of Christ.”

“When you have music and you have ultimate power—the gospel with music—it doesn’t only change people’s day, but it can change their lives for eternity,” said Armstrong, who visited Europe for the first time with her close friend, Arianna Diecidue [who was profiled in the first article in this reverse-missions series.]