Baptist Briefs

Posted: 5/12/06

Baptist Briefs

Alliance pledges to confront racism. At its annual convocation in Birmingham, Ala., the Alliance of Baptists pledged to remake itself into “an anti-racist organization.” While the three-day meeting focused primarily on confronting racism and working toward reconciliation, the estimated 500 participants also agreed to consider a boycott of oil giant Exxon-Mobil, saying the high price of oil and gas deepens worldwide poverty, and dependence on fossil fuels threatens creation. A resolution called on the company to invest significantly in cheaper and less hazardous energy sources. During the annual business session, members were told the Alliance surpassed its goal for the annual missions offering last year. But for the second year in a row, it finished the year with a deficit, which was paid out of reserves. The organization already has a $16,000 deficit for 2006, against an annual operating budget of $374,000. Members elected Jim Hopkins, pastor of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif., as Alliance president for the coming year. Kristy Arnesen Pullen, a laywoman from Reston, Va., was elected vice president. Amy Jacks Dean, co-pastor of Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., was elected secretary.

CBF plans conference for chaplains & counselors. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will sponsor a conference for chaplains and pastoral counselors June 21 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta. The event, featuring Central Baptist Theological Seminary President Molly Marshall, is scheduled prior to the CBF General Assembly June 22-23 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. A luncheon for chaplains and pastoral counselors on June 23 at the Omni Hotel will feature a presentation on contemplative prayer by Loyd Allen, professor of church history and spiritual formation at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology. Both events require advance registration. To register, contact Jen Van Camp at (770) 220-1645, jvancamp@thefellowship.info or George Pickle at (770) 220-1617, gpickle@thefellowship.info.

Mercer strengthens Baptist ties. Mercer University trustees voted to amend the school’s charter to require that Baptists comprise no less than half the governing board and adopted a bylaw provision stipulating university presidents be Baptist. The trustee actions followed a formal separation initiated by the Georgia Baptist Convention last November and several public pronouncements by university leaders—including President-elect Bill Underwood—calling for a clear Baptist identity.

NAMB chair appoints two committees. Barry Holcomb, chairman of the North American Mission Board’s trustees, has announced appointment of two committees—a presidential search committee and an executive-level policy committee. The search committee, made necessary by the resignation of NAMB President Bob Reccord, will be chaired by Terry Fox, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Wichita, Kan., and co-chaired by David Crump of Broken Arrow, Okla. Other NAMB trustees serving on the search committee are Bill Curtis of Florence, S.C.; Ellie Ficken of Montgomery, Ala.; Greg Faulls of Owensboro, Ky.; Barbara McCormick of Tigerville, S.C.; Michael Palmer of Salmon, Idaho; Ryan Palmer of Baltimore, Md.; and Jeff Shirley of Rockwall. Larry Thomas, director of missions for the Little Red River Baptist Association in Heber Springs, Ark., will chair the executive-level policy committee, and the vice chairman will be Ron Wilson of Thousand Oaks, Calif. Additional members of the executive-level policy committee are Reva Daniel of Clinton, Miss.; Mack McCarthick of Lovington, N.M.; Tim Patterson of Jacksonville, Fla.; Paul Pope of Bonne Terre, Mo.; David Thompson of Old Hickory, Tenn.; and Rob Rogers of Rincon, Ga. The committee will recommend accountability-focused policies for NAMB’s next executive leader, in keeping with the trustee task force report that led to Reccord’s resignation.

SBC president announces appointments. Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch appointed Byron McWilliams of First Baptist Church in Odessa and Diana Martinez of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Irving to the SBC Committee on Committees. The committee will meet in Greensboro, N.C., just prior to the SBC annual meeting June 13-14 to nominate members of the Committee on Nominations. Welch also named Nathan Lino, pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble; William Moody, pastor of First Baptist Church in Silsbee; and Ryan Rush, pastor of Bannockburn Baptist Church in Austin, to the Tellers Committee.