US Baptists gather to forge new covenant

 — Jan. 30, 200830 janv. 2008

More than 20,000 Baptists from across North America will gather in Atlanta January 30-February 1, 2008, in an unprecedented demonstration of Baptist unity. The history-making event will culminate months of planning by leaders of more than 30 Baptist organizations who laid the groundwork for a new era of cooperation during a series of meetings at The Carter Center in 2006 and early 2007.

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.

Under the theme “Unity in Christ,” the three-day Atlanta Celebration will feature speakers and presenters who will address historic Baptist commitments and explore other opportunities to work together as Christian partners. The Biblical text for the Celebration is Luke 4:18-19. Themes for the five plenary sessions are:

• Unity in Seeking Peace with Justice
• Unity in Bringing Good News to the Poor
• Unity in Respecting Diversity
• Unity in Welcoming the Stranger
• Unity in Setting the Captive Free

In addition to the plenary sessions, the Celebration will feature 16 special-interest sessions dealing with topics such as racism, religious liberty, poverty, the AIDS pandemic, faith in public policy, stewardship of the earth, evangelism, financial stewardship, and prophetic preaching.

Joint Midwinter Board Meeting

Prior to the New Baptist Covenant Celebration, the Joint Midwinter Board Meeting of the National Baptist Conventions in America, represented by the four Black Baptist Conventions — National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBCUSA, Inc.), National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. (NBCA, Inc.), Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. (PNBC, Inc.), and National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (NMBCA) — will be held January 28 – 30 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The mission of this second historic meeting is to continue strengthening the bonds between the four Conventions.

The Joint Midwinter Board Meeting is expected to draw 10,000 attendees from across the nation, and the world, who will meet over a three-day period to review the business and governance of their respective Conventions, engage in biblically based educational and informational forums highlighting community, domestic, and world issues, and join in Christian fellowship. The four Conventions will come together daily for joint sessions and activities, in addition to holding separate meetings. This is the second gathering of the four Conventions, and as agreed upon by each Convention president during the groundbreaking 2005 gathering in Nashville, TN, it will continue to be a regularly scheduled meeting held every three to four years.

Posted: Jan. 30, 2008 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=417
Categories: Conferences, NewsIn this article: Baptist, Christian unity, church, events
Transmis : 30 janv. 2008 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=417
Catégorie : Conferences, NewsDans cet article : Baptist, Christian unity, church, events


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