NORTH POLE, Alaska (BP) — Messengers to the 66th annual meeting of the Alaska Baptist Convention reduced their 2012 budget by 14.6 percent.
The convention approved a $1.8 million budget for next year with an anticipated $720,322 in Cooperative Program receipts from the 100 churches in the state.
Thirty-nine percent of the budget will come from Cooperative Program receipts, 56 percent from the North American Mission Board, 3 percent from LifeWay Christian Resources and 2 percent from other sources. The budget reflects a 19.2 percent decrease from NAMB.
Messengers celebrated the theme “Jesus Christ … the Same … Forever,” based on Hebrews 13:8, at First Baptist Church in North Pole. An attendance total of 160 included 116 messengers from 37 Alaska Baptist congregations.
A missions rally and a pastors’ conference preceded the Sept. 27-28 annual meeting. The pastor’s conference theme was “Hearing and Heeding the Call of God” based on Exodus 3. Brent Williams, pastor of True North Church in Anchorage, was elected president of next year’s pastors’ conference.
The annual meeting of Alaska’s Woman’s Missionary Union was Sept. 27 at First Baptist Church in North Pole with the theme “Unhindered!” based on Hebrews 12:1-2.
Guest speakers at the WMU meeting were Kevin Ezell, president of NAMB; Debby Akerman, president of national WMU; and Terry Sharp, director and lead strategist for state conventions and association relations with the International Mission Board.
Ezell and Sharp also spoke at the convention’s annual meeting, along with Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee.
Charles Worthy, pastor of First Baptist Church in Willow, was elected president of the convention along with Tom Hoffman, pastor of Fairview Loop Baptist Church in Wasilla, first vice president; Gary Loeffler, pastor of Hillside Baptist Church in Anchorage, second vice president; and Courtney Lyle, a member of First Baptist Church in Palmer, recording secretary.
Next year’s annual meeting of the Alaska convention will be Sept. 25-26 at Rabbit Creek Community Church in Anchorage.
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Compiled by Alaska Baptist Convention staff.
