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Grassroots preachers to take pulpit during Pastors’ Conf.


NEW ORLEANS (BP)–The next generation of pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention will take to the pulpit June 10-11 in what Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference President Jerry Spencer said will be “an old-fashioned Holy Ghost meeting.”

“As you know, there are literally thousands of outstanding pulpiteers in the Southern Baptist Convention,” Spencer wrote in a letter to pastors. “Selecting this year’s preachers has been done prayerfully with a keen desire to have a cross-section representation of our grassroots constituency.

“These are all ‘hot-hearted’ preachers — guys who are going to preach out their heart,” said Spencer, a retired pastor and evangelist from Dothan, Ala., in an interview with SBC Life, the journal of the SBC Executive Committee. “We also want to reach out to our younger pastors this year. There is a great host of young men who are coming into the ministry. These men need to be challenged and encouraged in the great primary work of the ministry.”

The theme of the SBC Pastors’ Conference will reflect the theme of the June 13-14 Southern Baptist Convention, “Until He Comes … Go!”

“We’re going to emphasize evangelism — being personal soul-winners and evangelism in your church,” Spencer told SBC Life.

Each message will focus on a “Go!” theme, with the opening session Sunday evening, for example, including messages on “Go Quickly,” “Go Joyfully,” “Go Together” and “Go with Vision,” preached by Frank Cox, Bob Pitman, Rick Gage and Jerry Falwell, respectively.

Spencer reminded pastors to arrive at the conference early on June 10. Pre-session music will begin at 5:40 p.m. and will feature eight choirs from across the country. Jack Price of McKenzie, Texas, and Denny Dawson of Franklin, Tenn., are in charge of music for the conference.

Pastors and laypeople can find further information about the conference on the Internet at www.sbc.net.

Pastors’ Conference speakers, session by session, will be:

— Sunday, June 10, 6 p.m.: Frank Cox, pastor, North Metro First Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, Ga.; Bob Pitman, pastor, Kirby Woods Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn.; Rick Gage, evangelist, Atlanta; and Jerry Falwell, pastor, Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va.

— Monday, June 11, 8:35 a.m.: Randall Jones, pastor, Langston Baptist Church, Conway, S.C.; Bobby Moore, pastor, Broadway Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn.; Charles Roesel, pastor, First Baptist Church, Leesburg, Fla.; Dan Spencer, pastor, First Baptist Church, Thomasville, Ga.

— Monday, June 11, 1:25 p.m.: Philip Robertson, pastor, Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, La.; Ken Whitten, pastor, Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.; Ernest Easley, pastor, First Baptist Church, Odessa, Texas; Phil Hoskins, pastor, Higher Ground Baptist Church, Kingsport, Tenn.

— Monday, June 11, 6:15 p.m.: Sam Cathey, evangelist, Alexandria, La.; Bobby Welch, pastor, First Baptist Church, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Johnny Hunt, pastor, First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga.; Bailey Smith, evangelist, Atlanta.

Special musical guests include Eddie Middleton, soloist, Atlanta; Paul Jackson, soloist, Little Rock, Ark.; Jim Bob Griffin, music evangelist, Rusk, Texas; Bobby Martin, soloist, Spring, Texas; Danny Wolfe, concert artist, Huntsville, Ala.; Tim Willis, soloist, Dothan, Ala.; Susan Cherry, soloist, Memphis, Tenn.; Lee Snyder and Sons of The Father, music evangelists, West Frankfort, Ill.
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  • Todd Starnes