2019 state annual meetings

MOORE, S.C. (BP) -- The 759 registered messengers to the South Carolina Baptist Convention's 199th Annual Meeting made history Nov. 12 by electing a Simpsonville pastor as the first African American to serve as president. Meeting at the Church at the Mill in Moore, under the theme "Engage," South Carolina Baptists were challenged by keynote speakers -- Brentwood, Tenn., pastor Mike Glenn; Chattanooga, Tenn., pastor Micah Fries; Jacksonville, Fla., pastor H.B. Charles Jr.; and Edgar Aponte of Lutz, Fla., -- to actively engage the culture, the lost, the nations and the future.

ROANOKE, Va. (BP) -- The SBC of Virginia made history when messengers elected by acclamation Allen McFarland to serve as their next president. McFarland, senior pastor of Calvary Evangelical Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Va., will be the convention's first African American president. "I was encouraged to see that God is calling us to be a good testimony through biblically addressing unrighteousness, abusiveness, racial, economic, and social unfairness," said McFarland.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP) -- North Carolina Baptists commissioned more than 100 church planters and were called to prioritize personal evangelism during their 189th annual meeting held Nov. 11-12 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C. The meeting drew 1,387 messengers and included two special worship services -- a church planting celebration and a service related to the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) "Who's Your One?" evangelism initiative that featured a message from Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.

OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) -- More than 1,000 Oklahoma Baptist messengers and guests from across the state gathered Nov. 11-12 at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City for the 113th Annual Meeting of Oklahoma Baptists. From approving an increased Cooperative Program (CP) spending plan for 2020 that allocates $1 million more to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), to hosting an International Mission Board (IMB) Sending Celebration that sent 29 missionaries to the field, the 2019 Annual Meeting was marked by major ministry milestones.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) -- More than 2,200 attendees joined together at the Florida Baptist State Convention in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 11-12 to proclaim they were united as "One Family Gathering." "We have played and danced with this issue rather than lamenting and mourning before the Lord," said Tommy Green, Florida Baptist Convention (FBC) executive director-treasurer, during the Nov. 11 opening session. "But tonight we are not divided, we are not segregated. We are a family and we come as one.

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (BP) -- A budget increase -- and added support for Southern Baptist missions and ministries -- were approved by the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana during their Oct. 28-29 annual meeting. Messengers also addressed the SBC-wide issue of sexual abuse through a motion and two resolutions.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) -- The Florida Baptist Convention (FBC) "is a model in forwarding as much as possible through the Cooperative Program (CP) to encourage the forwarding of the Gospel to places the Gospel has never been before," said Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The FBC sends 51 percent of annual financial receipts from its member churches through the SBC Cooperative Program (CP) as it retains 49 percent in the state. The decision to move to the 51/49 percent model was made by messengers at the 2015 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting in Panama City.

MARION, Ill. (BP) -- Across the country, the numbers are sobering. At least 80 percent of American churches are plateaued or declining, and many leaders are struggling to know what steps to take to revitalize flagging ministries. "We need a new wave of church revitalization to sweep across America," Rob Peters said at the Illinois Baptist State Association's Annual Meeting Nov. 7 in Marion. At the 113th annual gathering of Illinois Baptists, messengers adopted resolutions, elected new officers, and approved a 2020 budget.

ANKNEY, Iowa (BP) -- With the theme "Together for Iowa," the Baptist Convention of Iowa held its 2019 annual meeting at First Family Church in Ankeny on Nov. 2. Keynote speaker Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, exhorted Iowa churches to renew their urgency for evangelism. He pointed out the sharp drop in professions of faith among 12-17-year-olds and challenged Southern Baptist church leaders to embrace the call to reach these next-generation leaders for Christ.

BUFFALO, Wyo. (BP) -- "Completely unexpected and spontaneous," a Wyoming state Baptist leader said about the 28 people baptized at seven churches in the West region of the state on Aug. 25. "Plus several more in September and October!" Reports like this punctuated the 36th annual meeting of the Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network Nov. 7-8 at Big Horn Baptist Church, where Don Paulson is pastor.