An estimated 12,000 Baptist Christians from around the world celebrated a century of togetherness July 27, opening their five-day meeting in Birmingham, England, with vibrant music, vivid pageantry and stirring stories of faith.
The Baptist World Centenary Congress returned to England, where in 1905 the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), now an international fellowship of believers from 200-plus countries, was formed.
The July 27–31 Baptist World Congress in Birmingham is one of the largest gatherings ever of worldwide Baptists.
The opening gathering of Christians from many languages and nations was a re-enactment of Pentecost, said incoming BWA President David Coffey, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, which is hosting the congress.
“Jesus Christ is head of this global family,” he said.
A procession of banners from BWA member nations, interspersed with colorful 20-foot streamers and delegates in native dress, weaved their way around the arena floor as delegates sang.
They also experienced traditional music and dance from various countries, including India and Korea.
They sang hymns, praise choruses and in other musical styles representative of their diversity.
Delegates were welcomed to England with letters from Prime Minister Tony Blair, who called the world’s 35 million Baptists a “powerful force for good,” a diverse community “ready to challenge the powers that be.”
Other messages came from the mayor of Birmingham and the private secretary of the queen of England.
The opening session of the congress, which is held once every five years, introduced the meeting’s theme, “Jesus Christ, Living Water,” which also denotes a five-year BWA emphasis on evangelism.
With a drama presentation, as well as video and preaching, the delegates considered the centrality and life-giving nature of Jesus.
“As water is essential to life, so is salvation,” said South Korean pastor Billy Kim, outgoing BWA president, who delivered the sermon for the session.
In stories from Korean history and his own life, Kim told of the power of the gospel to transform lives.
He noted that 30 percent of South Koreans are Christians today, in part because of the courageous commitment of an American determined to take the gospel to the island nation.
Kim, who recently retired as pastor of Suwon Central Baptist Church, near Seoul, South Korea, one of the largest Baptist churches in the world, was followed on the program by the Korean Children’s Choir and orchestra, in traditional costume, who performed a medley of familiar Western hymns in Korean and English.
Other musical groups from around the world sang in their native tongues as well as English, the predominant language for the congress.
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