Chester Thompson, left, pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church in Camden, Ark., and Lillian Hinds, pastor at Meadow Oaks Baptist Church in Temple, Texas, offered an invitation to partake in communion. J.V
HOUSTON – The 2009 CBF General Assembly concluded Friday with the announcement of a Fellowship-wide Bible listening initiative in 2010 and opportunities for worship, learning, networking and celebration. More than 1,600 Fellowship Baptists attended the two-day event.
At the concluding worship session Friday evening, the Assembly celebrated partnerships and ministries that embody the Biblical mandate of being a good neighbor.
One ministry highlighted in the service was Water for Hope, an effort to connect churches, individuals, organizations and resources in order to address the world’s water crisis. In Ethiopia, David Harding, one of CBF’s field personnel, and College Park Baptist Church, Orlando, Fla., work to provide access to clean water within one half mile of every home.
CBF field personnel Ralph and Tammy Stocks, who serve among the Romany people in Hungary, and CBF field personnel Greg and Sue Smith, who serve among the Latino community in Fredericksburg, Va., shared a story of partnership and friendship. Last summer, Latino youth from Virginia traveled to Hungary to lead activities and Bible study for Romany children.
“Part of the attraction of these two cultures to one another was the common experience of living as minorities,” said Tammy Stocks. “Through the language of music and a love for God that was extended and received, they shared for a week a neighborhood that welcomed and accepted them unconditionally.”
In a video presentation, college and graduate students who participated in the Student.Go semester missions experiences shared how their lives were changed by serving. Carson Foushee, one of the students who went on the Millennium Development Goals trip last year, shared about a return trip this summer to Uganda where he led a team in distributing mosquito nets and conducting soccer camps.
During the Assembly, $9,848 was collected for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Offering for Religious Liberty and Human Rights. At the Wednesday commissioning service, $8,806 was given in support of CBF Offering for Global Missions.
Vestal reflects on connecting points between Fellowship Baptists
In his executive coordinator’s report Friday morning, CBF’s Daniel Vestal reflected on what holds the Fellowship together – common values, love of freedom, community and participation in God’s mission. As the Fellowship approaches its 20th Assembly, Vestal encouraged Fellowship Baptists to embrace the grace and providence “working in and through us.”
“This Fellowship is a work of God’s grace,” Vestal said. “And as we approach a milestone, our very existence is a testimony to providence. Our birth was a miracle. Our survival amidst brutal and sustained attacks is amazing. Our growth and influence within the Baptist family and the broader Christian community is humbling. The resources that God’s people have entrusted to us is at times overwhelming”
Also, in Friday’s business session, the Assembly approved the 2009-2010 ministry and missions budget of $16.15 million. Actual expenditures are subjected to the financial contingency plan, which was implemented March 1 and cuts expenses by 20 percent.
CBF’s new officers were also elected during the session, including moderator-elect Christy McMillin-Goodwin, associate minister for education and missions at Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill, S.C., and recorder Joanne Carr, a member of First Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga.
Bo Prosser, CBF’s coordinator of congregational formation, presented Vestal with a Bible in MP3 disk format to introduce You’ve Got the Time, a Fellowship-wide Lenten Bible-listening initiative for 2010. Fellowship individuals and partner churches are invited to listen to the New Testament during Lent or another 40-day period next year. A grant from a CBF-supportive foundation has allowed the Fellowship to provide free audio Bibles to every member of the participating churches.
Pastoral counselors and chaplains lead worship, gather at luncheon
At the morning business session, three CBF endorsed chaplains led in worship, including Nancy Campbell of Coldwell Hospice and Palliative Care in Lenoir, N.C.; Peggy Johnson, of Cook Children’s Medical Center, Fort Worth, Texas; and Alan Rogers, U.S. Navy in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Following their testimonies, the audience responded with a spontaneous standing ovation in recognition of the vital ministries of CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors.
More than 130 CBF endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors and their spouses attended a luncheon featuring speaker Doug Dickens, professor of pastoral studies at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C. Dickens talked about his journey alongside his wife, Patsy, as she battled and died from ovarian cancer. “I want to tell you a little of what I’ve learned because maybe it will be helpful to you,” he said.
“As chaplains and pastoral counselors, their stories touch us,” Dickens said. “And as we walk from room to room, it is so easy to allow their sadness and hurt and our sadness and hurt to become toxic. It affects not just our ministry but our whole selves. And, we know that burnout is not limited to pastors.”
Attendees gather to reflect on history, future of Hispanic Baptist movement
At the Hispanic Dinner Friday, sponsored by CBF Texas and the Baptist University of the Americas, speakers reviewed the beginning of the Hispanic movement in Texas.
Houston pastor Johnnie Musquiz said he is proud to be a part of CBF. “Reaching people is what CBF is all about. It’s people saying, ‘Here I am Lord, use me.’ I don’t see other denominations going to the poorest people, going to the inner city like CBF. They go to the rich. But that’s what Jesus did. He went to where the people are at.”
Baptist University of the Americas, located in San Antonio, is a CBF-partner school with a mission to turn cultural barriers into Christian bridges and help prepare students for cross-cultural ministry. President Rene Maciel said the opportunities are closer than some people think.
“I tell people to go to your local Wal-Mart and see who’s around you and who you have an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with, he said. “That’s why the Hispanic movement is so important.”
CBF Foundation, Church Benefits Board report on financial results
At the CBF Foundation breakfast Friday, president Don Durham presented the annual financial report and honored the Fellowship Heritage Society. The CBF Foundation is an autonomous organization created to raise and manage endowment funds for CBF strategic initiatives and CBF partner churches and organizations. Although closely linked to the Fellowship, the Foundation is governed by a separate board of trustees to ensure integrity.
Durham reported the Foundation distributed nearly $780,000 last year to CBF, partner churches, partner organizations and state and regional organizations. The total distribution for CBF was $350,000.
At the Church Benefits Board luncheon, president Gary Skeen told members that while the stock market’s performance has been disappointing in the past year, CBB has established a new identity and is on solid footing. “We are poised to do what you asked us to do with a plan that is working the way it was designed,” he said.
Next year’s Assembly will be held June 24-25, 2010, in Charlotte, N.C. Information and registration will be posted on the CBF Web site at
www.thefellowship.info/assembly this fall.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.