BGAV executive board approves executive director nominee
By BGAV Staff
HENRICO, Va. (BP) – The executive board of the Baptist General Association of Virginia voted Wednesday (Aug. 31) to accept the recommendation to nominate Wayne D. Faison as the next BGAV executive director. The recommendation, brought by the Executive Director Search Committee, will be presented for election at the 199th BGAV Annual Meeting in Hampton, Va., Nov. 15-16 and will become effective at that meeting’s conclusion.
“From the selection of the search committee to the vote today, I’ve found it humbling and affirming to see God’s hand at work,” said executive board chair Becky McKinney. “We are indeed excited that Wayne has accepted the call God has placed on his life to serve as our next executive director. God has been – and continues to be – at work!”
Search committee chair Adam Tyler said, “We were honored and excited to present Wayne to the executive board as our recommended candidate. He is innovative and forward-thinking and will bring a wealth of relationships and experience to the role.”
Faison, who currently serves as national coordinating officer for BGAV’s Ascent Team, has served in several leadership positions on BGAV’s staff for the past 21 years. He has 13 years of pastoral experience, including his current role as senior pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk, Va. Prior to his call to ministry, Faison spent 15 years as a leader in the banking industry. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Black Church Leadership from the School of Theology and a Master of Divinity degree in Missions, Evangelism, and Church Growth from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also holds a mini-MBA from the University of Richmond and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Florida. He is married to Carmen Clark Faison, and they have two adult children, Andrea and Chasity.
“I’m so excited to be given this opportunity to serve. It is certainly a calling from God to advance His Kingdom,” Faison said. “I’m very grateful for the executive search committee and the executive board being obedient to God in this critical moment for BGAV/Ascent.”
Miss. Baptists plan response to Jackson water crisis
By Hubert Yates/Mississippi Baptists
JACKSON, Miss. (BP) – Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief (MBDR) is coordinating with Metro Baptist Association and churches across the Jackson metropolitan area in responding to the Jackson water crisis.
Following on the heels of a flash flood event that affected the area on August 24-25 and a threat of flooding from the Pearl River on August 28-29, the City of Jackson now finds itself faced with a major pressure loss within the entire municipal water system.
In a statement issued Monday, Aug. 29, the Mississippi Governor’s Office joined the Mississippi State Department of Health in declaring a State of Emergency in the City of Jackson because of the failed water system. With the declaration, state resources are being brought in to assist in ensuring that the 155,000-plus residents of Jackson have access to potable and non-potable water.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is serving as the coordinating response agency for state and local governments and non-governmental organizations that are responding. MEMA is focused on a two-fold plan to provide for residents during the outage.
The first phase is to ensure access to both drinking and sanitary water through supplementing existing Jackson efforts at bottled water distribution and supplying tankers to assist with non-potable supplies at fire stations and other locations across the city.
The second phase is to identify needs, repairs and manpower that will enable the restarting of the city’s water treatment facilities. There is presently no timetable for the resolution of this situation.
A Zoom teleconference with Metro Association leadership, Mississippi Baptist Convention Board staff, MBDR leadership, and pastors from Metro Association was held on the afternoon of Aug. 30. An operational plan was shaped to support ministry to the most vulnerable residents of the city.
Leveraging existing relationships with community ministries, the participating Metro Association congregations will be focusing their attention on the elderly, infirm, homebound, and their own members who live in the city who may not have access to the distribution sites across the city due to age, transportation, or physical limitations.
