GREENSBORO, N.C — A motion calling for the relocation of the 2008 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to hurricane-stricken New Orleans will be addressed by the SBC Executive Committee. The motion, proposed by David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church, New Orleans, called for the relocation because New Orleans is a city “ripe for the gospel,” one where Southern Baptists could “dramatically change” the future.
Jack Wilkerson, vice president for business and finance for the Executive Committee, said the motion carried with it some concerns, namely the financial and ethical obligations of the Executive Committee to fulfill its previous commitment to the city of Indianapolis for 2008. Noting that the Executive Committee usually settles on annual meeting sites three to four years in advance, Wilkerson said breaking the hotel contracts would cost the convention “somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000.”
In addition, Wilkerson said he fears the city would not be in adequate condition in 2008 to host SBC messengers and that the convention could not guarantee messengers’ safety in New Orleans.
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