NC Baptists celebrate sending, pray for Helene victims
By Chad Austin/Biblical Recorder
GREENSBORO, N.C. — During a moving annual meeting, N.C. Baptists opened with a special Sending Celebration for missionaries and concluded with an extended time of prayer for attendees from western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.
The event drew 1,905 attendees — 1,519 messengers and 386 guests — to the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center for the two-day meeting held Nov. 4-5. This year’s attendance marked the highest total in 14 years when 1,928 people attended the 2010 N.C. Baptist meeting.
This year’s meeting theme was “On Mission Together” based on Matthew 20:26-28.
Sending Celebration
In a service marked by testimonies and prayer, N.C. Baptists opened the meeting with a Sending Celebration that featured a total of 18 current and future missionaries from local churches throughout the state who are taking the Gospel to the nations through the International Mission Board. The event marked the second consecutive year that N.C. Baptists held a missions Sending Celebration to open the annual meeting.
Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., delivered the annual convention sermon prior to the Sending Celebration. Akin preached on “A Baptist Vision for the 21st Century” from Jude 1-4 and 20-23.
In his message, Akin emphasized two challenges from Jude in which believers are called to defend the faith and save the lost.
“Jude knew, I believe, that love for God and love for Christ is the key both to sound theology and love for the lost,” Akin said. “You see, if we don’t love the lost like we should, we don’t love Jesus like we should.”
Helene response & prayers
During their respective reports, N.C. Baptist Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Unzicker and Richard Brunson, executive director of N.C. Baptists on Mission, shared about the ongoing response to Hurricane Helene, which ravaged western North Carolina five weeks ago.
“Your N.C. Baptist staff has worked hours on end fielding thousands of calls, mobilizing thousands of volunteers, and coordinating in the collection of thousands of relief donations while working to house and financially support as many people out west as possible,” Unzicker said.
Meeting attendees gave Brunson a standing ovation when he joined Unzicker on stage.
Brunson said the work by Baptists on Mission’s disaster response ministry has included providing hot meals, removing trees and debris from homes and property, tarping roofs and mudding out homes damaged by flooding.
He also said the initial rebuild phase is underway that will provide essential rapid repairs to homeowners to help get families impacted by Helene back into a basic functioning home as quickly as possible before the worst of winter hits.
“The recovery efforts in western North Carolina are a marathon, not a sprint,” Brunson said. “We’re going to need lots of volunteers to help for the next four or five, maybe even six years.”
Brunson and Unzicker closed out the meeting by recognizing individuals impacted by Helene and inviting others to gather around them in small groups all across the main convention hall for prayer.
“We pray for all of our brothers and sisters who have experienced so much hurt, so much pain and so much loss,” Unzicker said. “As N.C. Baptists come around other N.C. Baptists right now in this room, we pray that You would use our movement of churches to be on mission together to rebuild North Carolina. … May this be the time when the light of the gospel shines the brightest.”
CP budget
Messengers approved a $31 million Cooperative Program (CP) budget for 2025, which is the same overall total as 2024. The budget also keeps the CP allocation at an equal 50/50 split between the state convention and global missions and ministry partners.
Messengers also approved a separate measure stipulating that undesignated CP receipts in excess of the $31 million budget in 2025 be allocated at 50 percent to global missions and ministry partners and 50 percent to the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina.
Officer elections
Allen Murray, pastor of Centerville Baptist Church in Kelly, N.C., was elected to a full-term as president of the state convention. Murray was elected second vice president last year, but he ascended to the office of president after other officers resigned over the course of 2024 to accept other ministry positions.
Steven Wade, lead pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, N.C., was elected first vice president, and Matt Capps, lead pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C., was elected second vice president.
Murray, Wade and Capps all ran unopposed.
President’s address
In his president’s address, Murray preached from Luke 24:44-49 on characteristics of “on mission together” people.
Murray said “on mission together” people must be “Jesus people, Bible people and sent people.”
David Melber, who was recently named CEO-elect of the North Carolina Baptist Children’s Homes, shared brief remarks to messengers. Melber will begin his new role with BCH on Jan. 2, 2025.
Next year’s annual meeting will be Nov. 10-11 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C. Shane Pruitt, next-gen director for the North American Mission Board, is scheduled to deliver the convention sermon.
Iowa Baptists celebrate unity in God’s Word
By Ben Bradley/Baptist Convention of Iowa
ANKENY, Iowa (BP) – Iowa Baptists celebrated being “Together for Iowa” at their annual meeting Nov. 1-2 at First Family Church in Ankeny. Reflecting on a key verse – Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you …” – 88 messengers met for business as well as a ministry conference and a pastors and wives banquet.
“Each year, we have a unique ministry context and corresponding opportunities to equip and encourage our pastors and church leaders,” said Baptist Convention of Iowa (BCI) Executive Director Tim Lubinus.
“This year, Dan and Londa Wiersema’s story of God’s sovereignty and the church’s support during their cancer journey, Brent Leatherwood’s insights on handling cultural anxiety amid this current election season, and Ed Gregory’s final address all resonated deeply with the challenges we face as a fellowship of local churches in Iowa.”
Leatherwood, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, joined Lubinus to discuss navigating cultural issues during a pre-election season.
The conference offered more than a dozen breakout sessions led by both local leaders and out-of-state guests, including Philip Nation from Thomas Nelson Bibles and NAMB Send Network Regional Director, Ryan Johnston.
Attendees also heard from Jonathan Howe, vice president for convention administration with the SBC Executive Committee.
Saturday’s Annual Meeting provided updates on initiatives in Iowa and beyond. Highlights included:
- Iowa Disaster Relief Relaunched – Gared Shaffer, Iowa DR Coordinator, shared the success of recent training and deployments in disaster-affected areas. Attendees saw a video recap highlighted the ministry’s impact this year.
- Iowa WMU Annual Gathering – The Iowa Woman’s Missionary Union held its annual gathering, inviting women to connect and support missions across the state.
- Honoring Ed Gregory for 58 Years of Ministry – In his final address, Ed Gregory, BCI’s Pastoral Ministry Team member, encouraged leaders with his motto, “Go as strong as you can for as long as you can by the grace of God for the glory of God, and then come home.”
Business
Messengers approved a $1.5 million budget for 2025, a 9 percent decrease from last year. The portion allocated to national Cooperative Program will be 60 percent with an additional, one-time $100,000 contribution in honor of the Cooperative Program’s 100th Anniversary next year. Last year’s CP allocation was 75 percent.
Newly elected officers included President Eric Trout of Restoration Church in Adel, First Vice President Grady Adkins of Coram Deo Church in Davenport, Second Vice President Todd Stiles of First Family Church in Ankeny, and Secretary Jerome Risting of Temple Baptist Church in Mason City.
“The Annual Meeting is always a special time to reconnect with old friends, form new relationships, and celebrate the impact of God’s work through our churches, the BCI, and the broader SBC,” Lubinus said. “This year, I was especially encouraged by the unity and commitment we share to carry forward the Gospel mission in Iowa and beyond.”
The 2025 BCI Annual Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 7-8 with special guest Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.
