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Slain missionary & widow honored by Iowa Baptists


AMES, Iowa (BP)–The Baptist Convention of Iowa has renamed its state missions offering in honor of William and Garlinda Hyde.

Messengers to the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 BCI annual meeting voted to rename the offering for the Hydes, Iowa natives who served as International Mission Board missionaries in the Philippines as church starters until William Hyde was killed in a terrorist bombing at the Davao City Airport on the island of Mindanao last March. Lyn Hyde is continuing to serve as a missionary, and the IMB has extended her a year to decide if she will continue in that capacity.

The William and Garlinda Hyde Offering for State Missions is collected in September by local churches for use by the Baptist Convention of Iowa in church starting and evangelistic efforts across the state.

Messengers approved the convention’s annual ministry plan, which includes a budget of $1,717,316 and a calendar of events to support Iowa Baptist goals and strategies. The budget reflects a 1.5 percent increase over the 2003 budget. The convention will continue to allocate 20 percent of its Cooperative Program receipts for SBC missions and ministries and 80 percent for BCI ministries.

The Tennessee-Iowa mission partnership was approved for three more years, extending it to the year 2007.

President David Miller was re-elected without opposition. Miller is pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids. Also elected without opposition were Dan Doolin, pastor of Solid Rock Baptist Church in Wapello, as first vice president and Larry Carter, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clinton, as second vice president. Terry Wilkinson, co-pastor of CrossPointe Church in West Des Moines, was re-elected as recording secretary.

Miller based his presidential address, titled “Walking By Faith and Not By Sight,” on 2 Corinthinans 5:7 and Hebrews 11. Referring to the science fiction idea of “time travel” and the modern-day military technology of “night vision,” he asked the convention to “look back at the lives of the great Bible heroes of the faith and how they obeyed God and persevered in obedience even at great personal risk.”

The convention heard reports from BCI Executive Director Jimmy Barrentine, who highlighted the work of the BCI staff and churches and issued a call for Iowa Baptists “to fully claim their role as God’s children on mission in Iowa.”

Messengers also received reports from several SBC entities and the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Several entities, Baptist colleges and seminaries sent representatives and staffed booths in the exhibit hall — including a LifeWay bookstore. Bob Little, formerly pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Keokuk, gave the report for the International Mission Board. Little and his wife, Amy, serve as representatives of the IMB in western Africa, working with the Fulbe people group.

Chuck Spindler, pastor of the Crest Baptist Church, Creston, preached the annual convention sermon, basing his message on “Paul’s Prescription for Church Health” on 1 Corinthians 16:13-14. Spindler noted five commands from the Apostle Paul to the church as Paul summed up his ministry toward the end of his life: be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong and let all you do be done in love. Spindler concluded by quoting Bill Hull, author of the book “The Disciple-Making Church,” who noted, “One of the ironies of the church is that a healthy one becomes one of the most powerful and dynamic forces for good on the earth. On the other hand, a sick church is one of the ugliest sights known to man.”

The theme of the Iowa convention’s eighth annual meeting, held at the jointly owned Friendship and University Baptist churches in Ames, was “Celebrate Healthy Churches.” A total of 98 messengers from 33 churches registered for the convention, Cheryl Church, chairperson of the credentials committee, reported. The convention encompasses 96 churches and missions.

Next year’s annual meeting will be Nov. 5-6 at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City.
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: BILL HYDE.

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  • Richard Nations