No scripts, no rehearsal — just straight from the heart. That’s how Samford University President Andrew Westmoreland addressed Alabama Baptist convention messengers Nov. 11 when Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) Executive Director Rick Lance shared part of his report time with him.
“We come to this meeting every year and we celebrate the great work God is doing. We hear compelling stories about what’s happening in individual churches and what’s happening with the gifts that come through the Cooperative Program (CP). We celebrate all of that and we are all grateful for all of it,” Westmoreland said. “Then we come to the hard reality that our gifts are not keeping up. It’s hard to make the state convention budget every year.”
‘We all see the needs’
“I see this, you see it as well. … No one came to me and said, ‘You’ve got to do this’ … but as president of Samford I have to look at the same set of facts you look at as you examine the budget. I see the needs. We all see the needs,” he said.
“While all of our ministries across the board have equal value, I have to admit as president of Samford that all of our ministries do not have equal access to resources,” Westmoreland noted. “I can’t in good faith look at this picture and leave these meetings year after year and say we got ours so the world’s OK. I can’t do that.”
Westmoreland announced that over the next five to seven years, Samford is voluntarily asking for its CP allotment from Alabama Baptists to be reduced between $300,000 and $400,000 a year until it is cut in half — to roughly $2 million. Samford’s current CP designation is $4,351,231.
“We have more important things to do in Alabama Baptist life than to get to the point where we worry and fight over who gets the [dollars],” he said. “I’m saying … we want to be a part of being ahead of all of this and we want to help.
“That is not to say that we do not have our needs,” he added. “This is a step of faith that in some measure God will help us replenish that which we are relinquishing. … In no way am I saying, ‘just go on and don’t worry about Samford’ [saying] ‘Samford will be fine.’ We will be but it’s because I have faith in God that Samford will be fine.”
‘Committed to this work’
“Dr. Lance, you have friends at Samford University — people who are committed to this work, people who will be committed regardless of the money,” Westmoreland said.
“We love you and we love Alabama Baptists,” Westmoreland added.
Convention messengers responded with a standing ovation and lots of conversation, hugs and handshakes after the afternoon session wrapped.
Lance said, “This is statesman-like servanthood of what it really means to be a partner in ministry.”
He mentioned the last three years of reduced CP funding for Samford as an earlier gesture initiated by the school to help the convention with equitable distribution of CP dollars. That reduction — totaling $315,000 to date — and the current move will help with budget changes going forward, Lance said.
“As we look to the future, we are having to plan … with precision to get budget and receipts in alignment,” he said. “Samford’s offer helps with what we voted to do two years ago with equitable distribution with the Southern Baptist Convention but more has to be done.”
2015 CP budget approval
Messengers approved the 2015 CP budget of $40.5 million with 43.5 percent going to SBC, 46.5 percent going to Alabama Baptists and 10 percent in the shared ministry (between SBC and Alabama Baptists) category.
Any money coming in over the budget will be split 50–50 between SBC and Alabama Baptists.
Messengers also approved five special offering goals:
- Lottie Moon Christmas Offering — $11.6 million
- Annie Armstrong Easter Offering — $6.1 million
- Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries — $2,814,700
- World Hunger Offering — $800,000
- Disaster Relief Offering — $200,000
During the feature presentation of the SBOM report state missionaries gave examples of missions and ministries related to the convention theme SERVE.
S — Starting new churches.
E — Evangelizing the lost.
R — Revitalizing churches.
V — Volunteering to be on mission.
E — Engaging the culture with the gospel.
Alabama Baptists receiving special honors also were recognized.
- Beth Birchfield, a 16-year-old member of First Baptist Church, Montgomery, received the Outstanding Alabama Baptist Missions Volunteer of the Year award.
Reggie Quimby, director of the SBOM office of global missions, presented the award to Birchfield’s parents, Andy and Tanya, because she was on a missions trip to Haiti.
“It’s a tremendous privilege for [us] to be here and receive this for our sweet girl, Beth,” Andy Birchfield said. “She’s not here today because she is doing what she loves, being the hands and feet of Jesus to the people of Jacmel. Tanya and I rejoice in watching our daughter embrace God’s call on her life.”
A full story on Birchfield will be in an upcoming issue of The Alabama Baptist.
Three Alabama Baptist pastors also were honored with the Troy L. Morrison Leadership/Church Health awards.
Mike Jackson, director of the SBOM office of leadership and church health, presented the awards.
- Established work — Jonathan Reaves, pastor of Tannehill Valley Baptist Church, McCalla, in Bessemer Baptist Association.
- Bivocational work — Craig Gaven, pastor of Nanafalia Baptist Church in Bethel Baptist Association.
- New work — James L. Jones, pastor of Forest Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, in Mobile Baptist Association.
Messengers also approved the 2013 SBOM audit during the report of the SBOM.
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