2016 SBC Annual Meeting

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- George Hsu borrowed from the adage "a penny saved is a penny earned," in telling Chinese Southern Baptists of his ministry at Chinese Baptist Church in the St. Louis suburb of St. Peters, Mo., which has dwindled from 100 to 30 members. "I need some help ... to help save this church," Hsu said. "A church saved is a church planted."

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Building relationships with pastors was the emphasis of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists as it gathered in St. Louis June 12 for a worship service and business meeting preceding the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting there. "I really felt led of the Lord this year to make this the year we mix and mingle with pastors at the convention," COSBE President Phil Glisson, who has been a vocational evangelist 45 years, said during the business session. "... Pastors do not know us, especially these younger guys. They don't even understand what we're all about."

ST. LOUIS (BP) -– A woman in Kingfisher in western Oklahoma started crying when she encountered a prayerwalking team of Native Americans from eastern Oklahoma last year. "She asked what we were doing, and when we said we were praying about starting a church for Native Americans, she started crying," said Emerson Falls, chairman of the Fellowship of Native American Churches. "She said she'd been praying for a church to be started there." Falls spoke during FoNAC's annual meeting, June 13, prior to the Southern Baptist Convention's 2016 annual meeting in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Ministers' wives awarded Kathy Ferguson Litton the 2016 Willie Turner Dawson Award during the annual Ministers' Wives Luncheon in St. Louis on June 14 during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting. Each year, the Dawson Award recognizes a minister's wife for making a distinct denominational contribution beyond the local church and for her Christian character and service to others. Jeana Floyd, who ministers alongside her husband Ronnie Floyd at Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, nominated Litton, who is a native of St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Christian humorist Anita Renfroe brought laughter and encouragement to a sold-out crowd of 1,200 ministers' wives at the 2016 Ministers' Wives Luncheon held June 14 during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Known for her "estrogen-flavored" musical comedy, Renfroe began with a performance of her popular song, "Momisms," set to the music of the William Tell Overture, which sums up all the things that a mother says to her children. She followed with adapted songs for dads and grandparents.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Representatives from eight Asian nationalities have formed a national fellowship to expand their involvement in the Southern Baptist Convention. The fellowship -- to be known as A2CP2 for Asian-American Church Planting/Cooperative Program -- met June 12 meeting in conjunction with the SBC's annual meeting in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- A North American Mission Board trustee recommendation and a messenger motion at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting were among the actions Southern Baptists took in St. Louis last week related to NAMB's dealings with the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. NAMB trustees adopted a recommendation June 13 stating they have conducted a "thorough examination and review" of the entity's relationship with the BCMD and regard as "concluded" an investigation of complaints the convention, which is also known as the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network, was mistreated.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptists' impassioned pleas for revival, the church and racial reconciliation at the St. Louis Call to Prayer were rebroadcast on Salem Radio stations nationally June 18-19. For the second consecutive year, Salem Radio rebroadcast at no cost to the SBC the Call to Prayer hosted by then-SBC President Ronnie Floyd at the annual meeting. The prayer service was carried on 41 radio stations in 32 markets, the largest ...

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Alumni awards, reflections on missions and reports of progress in seminary education were highlighted June 15 during luncheons for alumni and friends of Southern Baptist seminaries during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Questions were posed to four Southern Baptist Convention entity presidents during time allotted for messengers' questions during the leaders' respective reports at the June 14-15 SBC annual meeting in St. Louis. Following are accounts of the four entity presidents' responses. Not all entity presidents were asked questions.