SIOUX CITY, Iowa (BP)–Iowa Baptists, in their second annual meeting, increased the percentage of the convention’s Cooperative Program receipts devoted to national and international missions by 1 percent.
The Oct. 31-Nov. 1 meeting, attended by 91 messengers from the state’s 102 churches and missions, was held at Sioux City’s Mount Olive Baptist Church, which meets in a former Jewish synagogue.
In their 1998 budget, Iowa Baptists will increase to 24 percent the CP allocation for Southern Baptist Convention causes, up from the current 23 percent. The convention anticipates $448,135 in CP giving next year from the state’s churches.
Messengers approved a 5.78 percent increase in the convention’s overall budget, set at $1,415,720 for ’98, counting CP giving and other SBC support of Baptist work in Iowa.
John Shaull, pastor of First Baptist Church, Winterset, was re- elected convention president.
In other elections, the new first vice president is Mike Carlson, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Indianola; second vice president, Leo Endel, pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church, Sioux City; and recording secretary, Ronny Carroll, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Ankeny.
Next year’s meeting, Oct. 30-31, will be held at All Nations Baptist Church, Iowa City, which began as a Korean work and has become an international congregation with at least eight nationalities meeting together.
In resolutions, Iowa messengers thanked Arkansas Baptists for their current partnership. Messengers encouraged Iowa Baptists to support a partnership with Southern Baptist work in Gaza in the Middle East “through our prayers, gifts and personal involvement.” Churches also were encouraged to support the work of Arkansas Baptists in partnership with Bulgarian Baptists in Eastern Europe.
Also in a resolution, messengers voiced thanks to “our pastors, their wives and families for hearing God’s call to Iowa.”
