CASPER, Wyo. (BP)–Wyoming Baptists elected a layman as president for the first time in their convention’s 14-year history and recorded the largest-yet number of messengers, 132, during Nov. 12-13 annual meeting sessions at College Heights Baptist Church, Casper.
The new president, Jim Starr, is a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Rock Springs.
He was elected by acclamation, as were the first and second vice presidents, David Schroeder, pastor of North Cheyenne Baptist Church, Cheyenne, and Mickey Wells, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church, Kaycee, respectively.
An executive board recommendation to remove the resolutions committee from the convention’s bylaws failed by six votes of the needed two-thirds majority.
The resolutions committee had submitted only the traditional resolution of appreciation to the host church and one lighthearted resolution resolving not to submit other resolutions. Both passed.
An overall 1998 budget of $1,007,000 was approved, roughly the same as ’97. Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries will continue to receive 29 percent of Cooperative Program giving, anticipated at $341,000 in 1998 from the state’s 78 churches and 15 missions, encompassing 16,000 members.
Messengers approved a proposed budget amendment from the floor to provide $6,000 in funding for the Baptist Student Union director at the University of Wyoming at Laramie, the only four-year school in the state.
Rhett Ivey and his wife, Denice, have been working at the university under the North American Mission Board’s Missions Service Corps about four years.
Missions speakers this year were Chan Garrett, one of NAMB’s four national strategic coordinators, and Randy Sprinkle, director of prayer strategy for the International Mission Board. Bill Tolar of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary led five Bible studies on the convention theme, “The Power of One.”
Next year’s annual meeting will be Nov. 11-12 at Stampede Avenue Baptist Church, Cody.
