DALLAS (BP) — Members of various African diaspora groups as well as leaders of various SBC ethnic fellowships have plans to meet for encouragement and strategic planning in Dallas.
Black Emerging Leaders
Black Multicultural Emerging Leaders are to meet at noon Tuesday, June 10, in Room D220 of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas for the group’s fourth annual no-cost buffet lunch. Registration is required. See sbcannualmeeting.net/events page to register.
The luncheon is to include emerging leaders age 40 and under and pastors who are mentoring emerging leadersfrom the entire African diaspora.
The theme – “Serving for Progress” – is based on Philippians 1:25. Adron Robinson, pastor since 2011 of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills, Ill., is to give a testimony called “A Journey of Service through the SBC.”
“Adron is going to talk about how God has used him in his association, state convention and on an SBC national entity board to give encouragement about the benefit of getting involved in SBC leadership,” Charles Grant told Baptist Press. Grant serves as the SBC EC’s associate vice president for Convention Partnerships. “Robinson recently completed his second term as a member of the SBC Executive Committee.”
Quintell Hill, the International Mission Board’s African American mobilizer, is to highlight results from a recent IMB vision tour for pastors. Other SBC entity partners also are to speak, representatives from Lifeway Christian Resources, the North American Mission Board and GuideStone Financial Services.
“We get together at each SBC annual meeting to encourage more of our leaders – say those 40 and under – to work together in the life of the convention for God’s glory,” Grant said. “We come from different cultures, those born in the United States, those born in Africa, those born in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We are inclusive of the entire African diaspora.”
To register, go to sbcannualmeeting.net/events. A link will be provided in the next couple of weeks, Grant said.
Ghana fellowship
The North American Ghana Baptist Association (NABA) is a fellowship of 22 churches that worship in the culture of the Republic of Ghana, West Africa. The churches are spread out over 11 states and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
NABA plans to participate in National African American Fellowship (NAAF) activities in Dallas concurrent with the SBC annual meeting, Executive Director Charles Owusu told Baptist Press. Owusu also is senior pastor of Word of Life Baptist Church in Lithia Springs, Ga.
“We shall be participating in NAAF activities in addition to the main sessions of the SBC annual meeting,” Owusu said. “The NAAF service Sunday, NAAF banquet Monday, Ethnic Leaders Fellowship breakfast Tuesday morning, and the Black Multicultural Emerging Leaders luncheon Tuesday noon.”
The Ghana fellowship’s annual meeting is set for July 25-28 at the Doubletree hotel in Leominster, Mass., 41 miles west of Boston. The program, speakers and worship leaders are to be finalized at a meeting of Republic of Ghana Southern Baptist leaders in late May, Owusu said.
Haitian fellowship
The second annual meeting of the National Haitian Fellowship is set for 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, in Ballroom D1 of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. It’s theme is “Hold Fast” and its scripture Hebrews 10:23.
Speakers are to include Keny Felix, inaugural president of the National Haitian Fellowship and pastor of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami; Jackson Voltaire, president of the National Haitian Fellowship and pastor of Grace Connection Baptist Church in Sunrise, Kendall and Naranja, Fla.; Dawest Louis, pastor of International Connect Church in New Orleans; Chilere, pastor of French-Speaking in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Dieudonné Raymond, pastor of Eglise Baptiste De La Bible in Somerville, Mass.
The worship team and friends of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami are to lead worship.
“Attending the annual meeting is an opportunity to not only be seen, heard and represented, but to connect and collaborate with fellow Haitian brothers and sisters and the diverse SBC family,” Felix said. “Attendees will be encouraged and equipped to further the work we have been entrusted, in addition to experiencing the unity that we are striving to have in Christ.”
Among items to be discussed are strengthening the connection across state fellowships and regions within the SBC Haitian National Fellowship to further collaborate with the SBC in fulfilling the Great Commission, church planting efforts and opportunities in collaboration with Send Network; mission endeavors to minister to Haitian migrants in Mexico, and caring for church members and the community through the present immigration challenges, Felix told Baptist Press.
“The upheaval in Haiti continues,” Felix said. “Yet ministry continues as Haitian churches across the U.S. continue to propagate the Gospel in their local community and support outreach in Haiti and beyond through their prayers, mission support and encouragement.”
Brazilian fellowship
The Brazilian Baptist Fellowship plans to meet for a dessert fellowship from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, June 9, at the Fair Park meeting room in the Omni Hotel.
Brazilians, missionary kids and mission team participants who have served in Brazil are invited to the dessert fellowship.
“It will be kind of an update,” President/Executive Director Ebenezer Santos told Baptist Press. “Pastors will give reports from where they are, and I will give information about our nearly 80 churches. Our goal right now is 100 Brazilian Baptist churches.”
Brazilian churches are being planted this spring and summer in Detroit, St. Louis, Gainesville, Fla., Kissimmee, Fla., Metro Chicago, and Atlanta.
“This has been very encouraging for us,” Santos said. “We are working together with the Southern Baptist Convention, and we share the same goal: planting churches.” Santos commended NAMB and Ramon Osorio, director for ethnic work at NAMB.” We never had so much support, so much attention, from NAMB like we have enjoyed for the last three years.”
Santos will bring a devotional message from Acts 1:8 early during the dessert fellowship, so attendees will have as much time as possible to visit with each other.
Regional meetings have been taking place this spring, in Texas, North Carolina, Florida and on May 24 in Metro Chicago. The annual meeting of the Brazilian Baptist Fellowship is set for July 29-Aug. 2 at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., 30 miles west of Chicago. A Pastors’ Conference the first 2.5 days will open “Brazilian Baptist Week.” The fellowship’s annual meeting will close the week.
“We want for people at the dessert fellowship and at our pastors’ conference and annual meeting to get to know the work of the SBC, the goals, and see how we are working side by side with the SBC,” Santos said. “This is very important for us.”
Ethnic fellowship leaders
An invitation-only breakfast for SBC ethnic leaders is set for 7 a.m. Tuesday in Room D220 of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas for the group’s fourth annual gathering.
“Ethnic leaders are specific groups with a shared cultural expression and identification,” Charles Grant told Baptist Press.
“Many of our fellowships have their own leadership team,” Grant said. Currently registered are representatives from Slavic, Filipino, Myanmar, Thai, Vietnamese, Messianic, Hmong, Korean, Haitian, Chinese, Hispanic and Asian NextGen fellowships who have indicated they plan to attend this breakfast.”
Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association, formed in 1928, is the oldest of the ethnic fellowships. The National Haitian Fellowship is to celebrate its second annual meeting this June.
The theme – “Hold Fast in Collaboration” – is taken from the SBC annual meeting’s “Hold Fast” theme. The scripture for both is Hebrews 10:23-24.
Grant is to facilitate a discussion on ways ethnic leaders can join forces and collaborate on common endeavors to strengthen their work as a collective. Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, is to bring a short message.
“This is an opportunity for the leaders of our ethnic fellowships to get together, encourage each other, and explore ideas on further collaboration,” Grant said. “This breakfast is often the only chance they get to see each other each year.”
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