Alabama appeals for racial harmony

Posted: 12/02/05

Alabama appeals for racial harmony

By Jennifer Davis Rash

Alabama Baptist

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (BP)–Alabama Baptists at their annual meeting endorsed a call to use the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, beginning this month, as a way to foster racial harmony.

Messengers at the Alabama Baptist State Convention sessions at Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville also approved a record budget for 2006.

In presenting the resolutions to messengers, Jay Wolf, pastor of First Baptist Church in Montgomery and chairman of the resolutions committee, emphasized the importance of the resolution on racial reconciliation.

The world's attention will be focused on Alabama with the anniversary of the bus boycott, providing a stage for promoting unity and the progress made in race relations in Alabama, Wolf noted.

In the past, he acknowledged, Alabama Baptists sometimes have taken the wrong side of race, following the culture instead of taking a stand for what is right.

“God calls us to be reconcilers,” he said. “If we can get black and white churches working together, that will be massive.”

The resolution, which passed without debate, endorses “a call to use the season of the 381 days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Commemoration to foster unity among the African-American and white churches.”

Messengers also adopted a record Cooperative Program base budget of $42,645,000, up slightly from the current year's $41,500,000; a 2006 CP state causes budget of $500,000; and a CP challenge budget of $43,650,000.

Messengers also approved resolutions affirming Alabama Baptists' historic opposition to gambling in any form and supporting the sanctity of marriage.

Henry Cox, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bay Minette, was re-elected to a second one-year term as president. Roger Willmore, pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church in Trussville, was re-elected to a second one-year term as first vice president. Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, was elected as second vice president. Mary Sue Bennett of Montgomery was re-elected re-cording secretary. All were elected without opposition.