2019 state annual meetings

FAIRFIELD, Ohio (BP) -- Initiatives in visioning, prayer and fasting were set forth to Ohio Baptists during their Nov. 4-5 sessions under the theme "Equip. Engage. Encourage. Enhance." The Cincinnati-area Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fairfield hosted the 66th annual celebration of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, with 220 messengers representing 104 churches.

JACKSON, Miss. (BP) -- Messengers to the 184th annual meeting of the Mississippi Baptist Convention (MBC) Oct. 29-30 at First Baptist Church in Jackson elected officers for the coming year, approved the 2020 Cooperative Program budget and bade farewell to Jim Futral, who is retiring from the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) after 21 years as executive director-treasurer. Futral, the son, brother, and father of ministers, is a graduate of Baptist-affiliated Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He was recognized for his 21 years of service to the convention board and his decades of pastoring in Mississippi and Texas prior to that.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (BP) -- Unity was the order of the day for the 1,128 messengers at the Georgia Baptist Convention (GBC) annual meeting Nov. 11-12 at New Hope Baptist Church. The only battle mentioned was the one against lostness in the state through evangelism and a missions strategy pinpointing significant societal issues.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (BP) -- Messengers to the 2019 Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC) annual meeting welcomed into their fellowship five congregations from Oahu, Hawaii Island, Guam and Japan. Gathering around the theme "The Power of the Call: We're Better Together," 168 messengers representing 50 churches and 93 guests met Nov. 8-9 at Olivet Baptist Church in Honolulu.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Messengers to the 2019 annual meeting of the Baptist Resource Network (BRN) of Pennsylvania/South Jersey heard a challenge for 2020, celebrated 2019 accomplishments, increased their Cooperative Program giving to SBC causes, and elected a new slate of officers, among other business. This year's meeting, attended by 189 messengers and 87 guests representing 107 of 311 active BRN churches (plus a combined reach of nearly 1,000 through its livestream), was held Nov. 7-8 at the Radisson Harrisburg Hotel in Camp Hill, Pa.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Messengers at the 49th annual meeting of the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists (WVCSB) elected 26-year-old Mason Ballard, pastor/planter of Resurrection Church in Charleston as 30th convention president. "Your Cooperative Program investment in Mason Ballard is something you all should be proud of because he is reaping great fruit through the power of the Lord," Ed Goodman, director of missions for the Upper Ohio Valley Baptist Association, told messengers during his nomination speech.

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (BP) -- "When you respond to God's call and trust Him by faith, you are going to feel overwhelmed and the task may even seem impossible to achieve," said Hal Haller, pastor of Living Hope Church in Stamford, Conn., in his message at the Baptist Convention of New York's annual meeting. The meeting, held at Northside Church Sept. 22-23, focused on living out the truth of the gospel.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (BP) -- The Colorado Baptist General Convention held its annual meeting with the theme "Forward Together" Oct. 14-15. The meeting focused on churches uniting as a network in an increasingly divided world. Messengers and guests totaled 236, all gathered to review and approve business details for the upcoming year.

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (BP) -- Under the slogan "Until all Puerto Rico hears from Him!" a renewed and restructured Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico (CIBSPR) met Friday and Saturday (Nov. 15-16). The event, whose name changed from "Assembly" to "Annual Meeting" began Friday evening, when more than 265 Puerto Rican Baptists gathered for a celebration service in honor of what God has done during the year. After a time of praise, Johnny Hunt, senior vice president of evangelism and leadership at the North American Mission Board, shared a message about the effect of "Jesus being in the house" and the implications of making Him known in Puerto Rico and to the ends of the earth. The service was followed by a time of fellowship.

DAPHNE, Ala. (BP) -- Every four years messengers to the Alabama Baptist State Convention have traveled to the milder climate of south Alabama to worship, fellowship and conduct business. Temperatures, however, dropped to record lows during the Nov. 12-13 sessions at Eastern Shore Baptist Church in Daphne on Mobile Bay. The meeting nevertheless remained "Fruitful," in a theme centered on John 15:5.