[1]SWANSEA, Wales (BP)–Southern Baptist missionary Bill Curl has been elected president of the English-speaking wing of the Baptist Union of Wales.
It is thought to be the first time such an outsider has been elected to the post. Curl and his wife, Lucy Pat, have served as International Mission Board missionaries in Wales since 1991.
The election honors Curl’ s work in church planting and ministry. The Curls ministered to Europe’ s largest housing estate in southern Wales for their first six years. Two and a half years ago they started a new Baptist church which was the first new church start by Welsh Baptists since 1934. Since then that church has started another congregation and the Curls have helped two other churches get started as well.
The new church the Curls started in the Brackla area is one of the few Welsh Baptist churches which has a Sunday school program for all ages; most Welsh Baptists have the Sunday program only for children.
Curl was nominated unanimously for the Baptist union’ s presidency by an association with 16 churches represented.
Recently the International Mission Board named Curl “ cluster coordinator,” directing the work of Southern Baptist missionary personnel serving in the United Kingdom, which includes Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Curl served on the staff of First Baptist Church, Orlando, Fla., for 17 years before appointment as missionaries.
Wales is considered one of the most needy mission fields in Europe; fewer than 10 percent of the population is thought to have any significant church ties and few have a personal relationship with Christ.