2014: State Annual Meeting Roundup

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (BP) -- Ohio Southern Baptists adopted a resolution reaffirming their support of the Cooperative Program and approved a budget forwarding more than 40 percent of CP receipts to Southern Baptist Convention causes during their annual meeting Nov. 5-6 at Liberty Heights Baptist Church in Liberty Township.

RENO, Nev. (BP) -- The Nevada Baptist Convention at its 2014 annual meeting elected its first African American president, Nellis Baptist Church pastor Greg Fields of Las Vegas.

THERMOPOLIS, Wyo. (BP) -- The Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention has restructured into three regions, ending its previous format of four geographic areas with eight associations, with the intent of increasing local ownership in reaching the state for Christ.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP) -- The month following a federal judge's ruling that North Carolina's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional, messengers to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina's annual meeting adopted a resolution expressing their support for traditional marriage.

MACON, Ga. (BP) -- Georgia Baptists launched a church planting partnership in Augusta and decreased their budget to its lowest level in 17 years during the 193rd annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) -- With "Together" as their theme, 674 messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma annual meeting met at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Nov. 10-11. Prayer was a key emphasis as messengers were provided opportunities in all four sessions to pray together for awakening in the church today. Surrounding these prayer times, Oklahoma Baptists joined together in reports, sermons and business matters in demonstrating the importance of sharing the Gospel to the world today.

CAMBRIDGE, Minn. (BP) -- At their annual meeting Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptists gave nearly $4,000 for Ebola relief in Liberia and increased the amount of Cooperative Program funding they forward to Southern Baptist Convention causes by 2 percent. With a theme of "O Lord, Revive Your Work," 78 messengers and 43 guests gathered at Cross Pointe Church in Cambridge, Minn., Oct. 31-Nov. 1 for the 31st annual meeting of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention.

DES MOINES, Iowa (BP) -- During their Baptist Convention of Iowa annual meeting in Des Moines, messengers voted to increase the percentage of Cooperative Program funds forwarded to national Southern Baptist Convention causes from 20 percent in 2014 to 50 percent of all CP receipts in 2015. This represents an increase from $99,000 given to the SBC CP in 2014 to $300,000 in 2015.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Budgetary adjustments, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and three contested state convention officer races captured headlines for the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention at Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 11–12.

LAFAYETTE, La. (BP) -- The challenges ahead are plentiful but early results are proving both encouraging and exciting, messengers to the 167th annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention were told in the first progress report on the President's 2020 Commission.