Baptist Briefs_71403

Posted: 7/11/03

Baptist Briefs

Texans elected to Coordinating Council. Four Texans were elected to new terms on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's Coordinating Council. Elected to terms through 2006 as Texas representatives were Harriet Harral, a laywoman from Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth; Stacy Conner, pastor of First Baptist Church of Muleshoe; and Scott Collins, a member of The Crossings Baptist Church in Mesquite. Philip Wise, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock, was elected to a 2006 term as an at-large member. In a related action, Ella Prichard of First Baptist Church of Corpus Christi was elected to the board of the CBF Foundation.

Setzer named moderator-elect. Bob Setzer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Macon, Ga., has been named moderator-elect of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He will become moderator in 2004, after the service of Cynthia Holmes of Missouri. Phill Martin, a layman from Dallas, has completed his term as moderator and will serve as immediate past moderator for the next year.

Black seminarians plan reunion. The Fellowship of Black Seminarians plans a reunion of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students Aug. 28-30, at the seminary's Leadership Development Complex in Fort Worth. The event will focus on the theme "Celebrating Past Achievements, Embracing the Future." It will honor the life and legacy of Raymond Spencer, Southwestern's first black faculty member. The weekend will include a variety of seminars, luncheons and a conference banquet featuring Vernard Johnson, gospel saxophonist. To register, write to Box 22536, Fort Worth 76122-0536 or call (817) 923-1921.

FamilyNet ratings increase. The latest Beta Research survey of U.S. cable subscribers finds FamilyNet ranks first among women and second among adults 18-49 for high interest amid 36 emerging ad-supported cable networks. Both rankings marked improvement from FamilyNet's third-place standings in last year's study. FamilyNet is a subsidiary of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. The broadcast unit is based in Fort Worth.

Clark to Palm Beach Atlantic. David Clark, president of the North American Mission Board's FamilyNet broadcasting subsidiary since 1997, has been named president of Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Peach, Fla. He succeeds Paul Corts, who left the university after 11 years for an appointment as U.S. assistant attorney general for administration in Washington, D.C. Bob Sutton, a broadcast veteran and FamilyNet board member, will lead a transitional leadership task force to find Clark's replacement. Prior to joining NAMB, Clark was president of KMC Media, a media strategy, production and placement company that worked with many national ministries. He was dean of the college of communications at Regent University in Virginia from 1988-91 and vice president of marketing for the Christian Broadcasting Network from 1982-87.

SBC candidate announces. It's 11 months until the Southern Baptist Convention convenes again for its annual session, but a candidate for president already has been announced. Florida Baptist Convention Executive Director John Sullivan announced that Daytona Beach pastor Bobby Welch, author of the popular FAITH outreach program, will be nominated for president when the SBC meets in Indianapolis next June. Jack Graham of Plano last month was elected to his second and final term as SBC president.

CBF draws 4,357. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's general assembly in Charlotte, N.C., June 24-26 drew 4,357 registered participants. While not the largest crowd ever to attend a CBF general assembly, CBF officials considered it a strong showing. By comparison, the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting drew 7,077 messengers from among the SBC's 42,000 churches. The CBF draws support from about 1,700 churches.