About 250 Baptist churches in Chile were destroyed in the powerful earthquake that shook the country Feb. 27, according to the Baptist World Alliance. The congregations are affiliated with the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Chile, one of two BWA member bodies in the nation. Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the BWA, is sending $25,000 in relief funds to Chile. The Southern Baptist Convention released $50,000 for immediate relief needs in Chile.
African-American Baptists pledge $50 million for Haiti. The five largest historically African-American Baptist organizations in the United States are cooperating to raise $50 million to help rebuild Haiti and provide aid to victims of an earthquake that devastated the area surrounding the capital of Port-au-Prince. The African-American Baptist Mission Collaboration marks the first time the groups representing 40,000 church congregations and 10 million Christians nationwide have worked together on such a large scale. Leaders of the Progressive National Baptist Convention; Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention; National Baptist Convention, USA; National Missionary Baptist Convention of America; and National Baptist Convention of America announced the collaboration. Funds raised will provide assistance for plans including five health care clinics to provide restorative health services and wellness, 50 schools with enhanced learning environments, 500 reconstructed churches to serve as center points for community empowerment and 5,000 homes to house victims left homeless following the earthquake. The coalition already is working on weekly deployment of medical professionals to provide critical medical services and care and daily feeding programs.
Glorieta seeks volunteers. LifeWay’s Glorieta Baptist Conference Center near Santa Fe, N.M., is seeking volunteers who serve a minimum of one month in maintenance, conference support, grounds or food service. Volunteers will work at least 30 hours a week. Glorieta provides a full hookup RV site or efficiency apartments and meals, when available. For application materials, contact the coordinator of volunteers at (505) 757-4298, mail an inquiry to P.O. Box 8, Glorieta, NM 87535 or download at www.glorieta.com.
Committee recommends reduced SBC budget again. The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is recommending $4.5 million in spending cuts next year in a Cooperative Program allocation budget to be voted on at the SBC's 2010 annual meeting June 15-16 in Orlando, Fla. The Executive Committee voted to present a unified denominational budget of $199,822,090 for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. That is 2 percent less than $204,385,592 in the current budget as reported in the 2009 SBC Annual. It will mark the second consecutive year that messengers to the SBC annual meeting will vote on a reduced budget. The 2009-2010 budget adopted last summer is $1.3 million smaller than the 2008-2009 spending plan of $205.7 million. If approved, as expected, next year's budget will be the first under $200 million adopted by the convention since 2006.
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