Now that the BGCT annual meeting is behind us, I urge you
to turn your attention to a historic meeting to be held in Atlanta
from January 30–February 1, 2008. The Celebration of a New
Baptist Covenant is being organized by 30 Baptist organizations
in North America.
The New Baptist Covenant Web site gives the following
description of this event:
The New Baptist Covenant is an informal alliance of
more than 30 racially, geographically, and theologically
diverse Baptist organizations from throughout North America
that claim more than 20 million members. Representatives
of these Baptist organizations have reaffirmed traditional
Baptist values, including sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ
and its implications for public and private morality, as well
as their obligations as Christians to fulfill the biblical
mandate to promote peace with justice, to feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and the marginalized, and promote religious liberty and respect for religious diversity.
To learn more about it, please take a look at the Web site
(www.newbaptistcelebration.org). There you can register for
the event and reserve a hotel room. We also have a block of
hotel rooms reserved for TBC supporters. For more information
on our room block, contact Carol Scott at
carolscott@txbc.org.
(continued)
When you get to the Web site, please take some time to
view the “special interest sessions.” These “break out” sessions
will deal with the following topics, all based on Luke 4: 19:
- Breaking Cycles of Poverty
- Can We All Get Along? Finding Common Ground with Other Faiths
- Engaging the Criminal Justice System
- Faith and Public Policy
- Peacemaking
- Proclaiming God’s Good News (Evangelism)
- Prophetic Preaching
- Race as a Continuing Challenge
- Reaching Out to the Sick
- Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State
- Responding to Natural Disasters
- Sexual Exploitation
- The HIV/AIDS Pandemic
- The Spirit of the Lord upon Me
- Welcoming a Stranger
- Youth at a Crossroads
Each session will be presented four times (except Prophetic
Preaching, which will be presented in two 3-hour sessions) on
January 31 and February 1.
Several Texas Baptists will take part in these “special interest
sessions,” including George Mason, Ellis Orozco, Diana
Garland, Mark White, Jimmy Dorrell, Suzii Paynter, and Mary
Darden. There will be many other speakers with whom you are
familiar.
(continued)
The Plenary Sessions will feature outstanding preaching and will include the following preachers:
- Dr. Charles G. Adams, pastor of Hartford Baptist Church in Detroit
- Dr. Tony Campolo, professor emeritus at Eastern University and founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education
- Dr. Joel Gregory, professor of preaching, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
- Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of First Baptist Church, Decatur, Georgia
- Dr. William J. Shaw, pastor of White Rock Baptist Church in Philadelphia and president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
We will also have the opportunity to hear former Presidents
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore,
and Senators Lindsey Graham and Charles Grassley. These
political leaders will focus on their own challenges in living
out the Gospel imperatives of Luke 4 and, along with the other outstanding speakers, help to show America that many Baptists – rather than being defined by what we are against – are
working for unity, ministry, and evangelism.
My friends, this is a historic event in which every one of us
should be involved, if at all possible. I can’t say for certain
what the future holds for traditional, mainstream Baptists, but I
do believe that this event can play a large part in determining a
new future. It is an investment that you can make in the lives of
future generations of Baptists and our Baptist witness in America
for many years to come. Please make every effort to be a part
of this wonderful time of worship, dialogue, and education.
Back to January 2008 Contents
