Baptist Briefs: Alliance affirms improved relations with Cuba

At its 28th annual gathering, the Alliance of Baptists applauded attempts by the U.S. government to normalize relations with Cuba. At its 28th annual gathering, the Alliance of Baptists applauded attempts by the U.S. government to normalize relations with Cuba.Cuban Baptists at worship. (BNG/Photo by Carlos Peralta/Encuentro Ministries) “We anticipate eagerly the day when negotiations well under way between the governments of the United States and Cuba will culminate in the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana and the Cuba embassy in Washington and the flying of our respective flags at these buildings for the first time in more than half a century,” said a policy statement adopted unanimously by nearly 400 Alliance members gathered at Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga. The Cuba statement supports legislation to end the trade embargo and relax restrictions on travel. It also commends President Obama and President Raul Castro for a joint announcement Dec. 17 of the restoration of diplomatic relations. The statement, submitted by the Alliance’s former executive director, Stan Hastey, is the 13th statement criticizing the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba imposed in 1960 to be adopted by the Alliance since 2001 stemming from the group’s ministry partnership with the Fraternity of Baptist Churches in Cuba. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first of 44 church-to-church partnerships linking Alliance congregations with international partners.

Bullard re-elected NABF staff leader. The North American Baptist Fellowship’s executive committee re-elected George Bullard to a five-year term as general secretary. Bullard, who serves the dual role of regional secretary for North America for the Baptist World Alliance, has been NABF general secretary since 2009. He is president of The Columbia Partnership, a Christian ministry organization headquartered in Columbia, S.C. 

Greear to nominate Floyd for SBC president. J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., announced his intention to nominate Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd for a second term as Southern Baptist Convention president. Floyd, pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in northwest Arkansas 28 years, served as chairman of the SBC Great Commission Task Force in 2009-2010 that set forth wide-ranging recommendations for expanding Southern Baptist missions outreach. He is a former president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference and former chairman of the SBC Executive Committee. He also was a member of the SBC Program and Structure Task Force during the mid-1990s that produced the Covenant for a New Century restructuring, streamlining the number of SBC entities to nine from the former 12 and developing updated ministry assignments for each SBC entity.