Cancellation of a major missions trip, election of a new campus minister and acquisition of new equipment for disaster relief were among the items discussed during recent meetings of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) and its executive committee.
Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist Convention, offered the report about the cancellation of a major missions trip to Venezuela which had been planned for August. Approximately 150 people had been scheduled to fly to the country for evangelism and discipleship projects in two different areas of the South American country.
Lance indicated that the cancellation was due to recent troubles in Venezuela including a governmental coup and related unrest. “The size of the group would represent some unique security challenges. We would have been in two locations, approximately 400 miles apart,” Lance said. “This is the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my four years as a state missionary.”
However, a variety of smaller mission trips will proceed, Lance noted, describing the continuing partnership between Baptists in Alabama and Venezuela as very vital and promising.
“More than 20,000 decisions have been recorded as a result of partnership efforts,” Lance said. “Alabama Baptist leadership has continued to meet and network with Venezuelan Baptist leaders.”
Campus minister named
In other business, Daniel J. Berry, who is currently the Baptist Student Union intern at the University of Georgia, was elected by the executive committee to serve as Baptist campus minister at Auburn University effective June 1.
“I’m excited about this opportunity,” Berry told the committee. “I have a great passion for college students and love getting them excited about evangelism and missions and worship.”
Berry is a graduate of Southwestern Seminary and Howard Payne University. He is married to the former Emily Carole Lutz and has served in a variety of college, recreation and youth ministry positions at churches and organizations in Texas and Oklahoma.
“We welcome Daniel to our state missionary staff as one who is a very balanced evangelical Baptist,” said Lance. “Auburn University is our state’s most populous student body, and Daniel’s spiritual DNA is rooted in a strong missiological family with a father who is a minister of music and a brother who serves as a missionary with the International Mission Board.”
The SBOM also acted on two proposals to acquire new equipment for disaster relief ministries among Alabama Baptists. An expenditure of approximately $13,000 was approved to purchase a portable shower trailer to be used by volunteers who minister in the wake of disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes and floods.
The trailer is similar to ones owned by few other state Baptist conventions and would provide two sets of showers as well as laundry facilities for on-site disaster relief efforts.
The SBOM also approved $3,200to be spend for purchase of a Kodak identification card system to be used by Alabama Baptist disaster relief workers.
Andy Hepburn, pastor of Tillman’s Corner First Baptist Church, Mobile, and chairman of the disaster relief ministries subcommittee, said the need for the card system was made necessary by people who “will come along and try to scam” disaster relief volunteers.
They system may also have some application for security within the Baptist Building of the State Board of Missions, Lance said.
Other business included:
—Changing the title of Mary Sue Bennett to special assistant to the executive director.
Bennett has serves as Lance’s assistant for the past 19 years, first during his pastorate at First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa. Formerly, Bennett’s title was administrative assistant to the executive director. The change will not affect her compensation or job duties but will better portray her status as a state missionary, Lance suggested.
“This new title more accurately reflects her pivotal and vital role,” Lance said.
“I appreciate her ministry as a state missionary, and she will continue to be a key person in the ministry of state missions.”
Other business:
—Hearing about the “Opening New Doors” emphasis that will be presented for consideration by the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention in Birmingham next November.
Four key parts of the emphasis would include: reaching Hispanics, reaching multihousing residents, starting new churches and strengthening Alabama schools. Alabama has almost 4.5 million residents with 2 million unchurched or unsaved and 1.5 million of those living in multihousing communities, reported Ron Madison, director of associational/cooperative missions, who would oversee the emphasis.
Commenting on parts of the plan, Lance noted, “Whether the children go to public schools, private schools or home schools, we want to encourage people to help children. Also, last year we had a goal of starting 42 new churches and actually started 41 so we’re on the way to meeting those goals.”
—Received and approved the annual audit of the SBOM.
Pattie Perdue, an auditor from Jackson Thornton & Co., told the board, “It’s a clean audit. You have a good bill of health.” (SBOM)
Share with others: