New Baptist Covenant Southeast Regional Meeting

Information Pack Posted

2009-04-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

We have just posted the complete information pack for the New Baptist Covenant meeting coming up at the end of this week. Please pay special attention to the parking info contained in the packet. You can download the information pack from the information section on the right side of the website, or by clicking here.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Workshop Schedule

2009-04-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Detailed descriptions of the workshops being offered at the New Baptist Covenant Regional Meeting in Winston-Salem are now available. You can download a .pdf file in the information section on the right or by clicking here.

JIMMY CARTER, MAYA ANGELOU HEADLINE BAPTIST GATHERING AT WAKE FORES

2009-04-16T11:03:00.001-07:00

For Immediate Release
April 14, 2009

Contact: Audrey Fannin, fannin@wfu.edu or 336.758.5237.

JIMMY CARTER, MAYA ANGELOU HEADLINE BAPTIST GATHERING
AT WAKE FOREST

Winston-Salem, N.C. – President Jimmy Carter and writer Maya Angelou will speak at the Southeast regional gathering of the New Baptist Covenant April 24 and 25 at Wake Forest University’s Wait Chapel. Angelou, Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest, will deliver the opening address. Carter will give the closing address. The New Baptist Covenant gathering at Wake Forest is free and open to the public.

The regional gathering grew out of the initial Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, held in Atlanta in 2008, which brought together more than 15,000 Baptists representing more than 30 Baptist organizations. Afterward, the event organizers decided to hold multiple regional meetings in order to offer greater opportunities for cooperation among Baptist ministries. The regional meetings were held earlier this year in Birmingham, Ala., and Liberty, Mo. Other meetings this year are scheduled for Norman, Okla., and Chicago.

The meeting at Wake Forest will include worship services and workshops offering strategies for churches to respond to pressing social and spiritual needs in a time of economic crisis. The theme of the gathering is “This is God’s Year to Act: Responding to a Society in Crisis.” The event begins with a prayer and praise gathering at 12:30 p.m. April 24. Angelou will speak during the opening worship service beginning at 1 p.m., along with Matthew Johnson, a Wake Forest University School of Divinity student and winner of the Next Generation Voices competition, a national competition to identify excellence among young preachers. Carter will speak at 2:30 p.m. April 25 during the closing worship service.

Seven workshops during the two days will be presented in Benson University Center, led by individuals from the Southeast working in ministries related to education, homelessness, health care, the environment, immigration and strategies for ministry. Except as noted below, all workshops will be offered at 3 p.m. on April 24 and at 9 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. on April 25.

The workshops are:

“Addressing Healthcare Issues in Our Parish/Communities,” led by Dr. Thomas Ginn of Salisbury Internal Medicine Associates in Salisbury, N.C. Panelists include Janet Morton, parish nurse at Union Baptist Church of Durham, N.C.; Katherine Eagle, executive director of the Good Shepherd’s Clinic in Salisbury; the Rev. Herb Miller, pastor at First Baptist Church in Lexington, N.C.; and Dr. Fred Loper, executive director of the Baptist Medical/Dental Fellowship based in Oklahoma City. Location: Benson, Room 401D.

“Beyond the Vision Statement: Strategies for Faithful Ministry,” a discussion by panel members including the Rev. Michael Usey, pastor at College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C.; the Rev. Amy Jacks Dean, co-pastor at Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.; the Rev. James Cook of St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem; and the Rev. Prince R. Rivers of United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. Location: Benson, Room 401A.

“Creation Care: Rationale and Resources for Congregations,” a discussion by panel members including the Rev. Michael McClain, regional field coordinator for the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program in Washington, D.C. and Mark Jensen, Jesse Ball DuPont Associate Professor of Pastoral Care at the Wake Forest School of Divinity and chaplain supervisor at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Location: Benson, Room 410.

“Strangers in the Land: Ministry to Immigrants and Refugees,” led by the Rev. Gay Gulick, children and families minister at First Baptist Church in High Point, N.C.. Panelists include the Rev. Galo Maldonado, Hispanic mission pastor at Becks Baptist Church in Winston-Salem; Mark Kadel, affiliate director for North Carolina World Relief in High Point; and Nghinh Tan Nguyen and Hieu Thi Bui, members of the Vietnamese Baptist Mission at First Baptist Church in High Point. Location: Benson, 407.

“Baptist Identity Then and Now, Why and Why Not?” led by Bill J. Leonard, professor of church history and dean of the Wake Forest School of Divinity. Panelists include Richard Pierard, church history professor, retired, from Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.; the Rev. Sir Walter Mack, pastor at Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem; Lauren Waggoner, program director for the Baptist Theological Student Network in Atlanta; and Geneva Brown, member of First Baptist Church Highland Avenue in Winston-Salem. Location: Benson, Pugh Auditorium. Note: this workshop will only be offered at 9 a.m., April 25.

“Inviting in the Stranger: Ministry to the Homeless,” a discussion with panel members including the Rev. Darryl Aaron, pastor at First Baptist Church Highland Avenue in Winston-Salem and the Rev. David Hughes, pastor at First Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. Location: Benson, Room 409.

“Enabling the Church to Meet the Educational Needs of Youth,” a discussion with panel members including Marie Williamson and Willie Richardson, co-coordinators of the Youth Educational Enhancement Program (YEEP) at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Winston-Salem; Annie R. Hairston, who chairs the advisory boards of both YEEP and the Mount Zion Child Development Center; and Cleopatra Solomon, co-director of the Mount Zion Child Development Center and community resource officer for YEEP. Location: Benson, Pugh Auditorium. Note: this workshop will only be offered at 3 p.m. April 24 and 11:45 a.m. April 25.

Bill J. Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest School of Divinity and co-chair of the upcoming regional gathering, says Baptists are called to live out the mandates of Christ to care for persons in need. “The regional meeting seeks to deepen those connections by linking grassroots Baptists in learning about and extending common ministries together,” says Leonard. “It is an effort to bring Baptists together around common service in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and the imprisoned.”

Joining Leonard as co-chair of the regional gathering are two Winston-Salem pastors. They are the Rev. Serenus Churn of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and the Rev. Reuban Gilliam of North Winston Baptist Church. The steering committee for the event includes a diverse group of individuals representing more than 40 churches and organizations from three states.

Additional keynote speakers include two pastors from Charlotte. The Rev. Clifford A. Jones of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church will speak at 7:30 p.m. April 24 and the Rev. Amy Jacks Dean of Park Road Baptist Church will speak at 10:30 a.m. April 25. Both will speak in Wait Chapel.

A dinner sponsored by Baptists Today magazine will honor James Dunn, resident professor of Christianity and public policy at the School of Divinity, with the annual Judson-Rice Award for his lifetime of achievement. The dinner will be held at 5 p.m. April 24 at the Bridger Field House at Wake Forest’s BB&T Field. The event is open to the public, but reservations are required. Call Baptists Today at 877-752-5658 or visit www.baptiststoday.org for more information.

A full schedule for the New Baptist Covenant regional gathering at Wake Forest University is online at www.newbaptistcovenantse.org. For more information about the event, call 336-758-5121.

Editor’s note: Credentialing will be required for all working media. Please call Audrey Fannin at 336-758-4393 or emailfannin@wfu.edu for more information.

Exhibitor Space Available

2009-04-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

There are a limited number of exhibit spaces available. For information please contact Wade Stokes, stokeslw@wfu.edu for information on requirements.

Slight Schedule Changes

2009-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Some slight schedule changes have been made for the second day of the New Baptist Covenant Southeast Regional meeting. We have updated all of the promotional material available on this site to reflect the change.

We would also like to encourage you to register for the New Baptist Covenant if you are going to come. This will be extremely helpful to us in our planning and if you register, you will receive our information pack ahead of time. This packet will give you important information about designated parking, the workshops and other useful info.

Advertise for The New Baptist Covenant in your church!

2009-02-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

Did you know we have advertising resources available for your church? Tabloid, letter size, and bulletin inserts are available in .pdf format for download through the column on the right side of the website.

If you haven't registered yet, take the time to do that. There is no charge, and a link is available on the right or by clicking here.

Judson-Rice Award Dinner Information

2009-02-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

Baptists Today will present the annual Judson-Rice Award to Dr. James M. Dunn during a 5 PM dinner event on Friday, April 24. This event will be held during the meeting of The New Baptist Covenant at Wake Forest University. Reservations for the dinner are required and can be made online by clicking here. A registration link is also available on the New Baptist Covenant website at newbaptistcovenantse.org.

You've Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

2009-02-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

There is now a link on the right hand side of the website that will allow you to send questions to the event organizers via e-mail. We are not posting the e-mail address directly to try to avoid being overrun by spam.

Online Registration is now available!

2009-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

Online registration is now available on the website. You can find a link in the registration section on the right, or you can register now by clicking here.

This conference is free and open to the public. Registration, although not required is very much appreciated.

NOTE: You will receive a confirmation email within 10 minutes of registering. If you do not receive this email, your registration was not successful -- usually due to a break in your internet connection. Please try again!

The New Baptist Covenant Southeast Regional Meeting appreciates the partnership with CBF of North Carolina and their assistance with registration.

Major Website Update

2009-01-29T11:13:00.001-08:00

We have just completed a major update to the website for the New Baptist Covenant Southeastern region meeting in Winston-Salem, NC.

Included in the update are a schedule of events, hotel information, map of the Wake Forest Campus, and advertising resources for churches. Much of this information is provided in .pdf format, so that it can be downloaded and printed easily.

Please continue to watch the website as we hope to have an online registration system up and running soon.

Wake Forest to Host Regional Conference of the New Baptist Covenant

2008-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release
Nov. 18, 2008

WAKE FOREST TO HOST REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE NEW BAPTIST COVENANT

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Wake Forest University School of Divinity will host the Southeast regional gathering of the New Baptist Covenant, April 24-25, 2009. Maya Angelou, Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest, will deliver the opening address and President Jimmy Carter will present the closing address. The theme of the conference is “This is God’s Year to Act: Responding to a Society in Crisis.” The conference is free and open to the public.

The regional gathering grew out of the initial Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, held in Atlanta in 2008. The event brought together more than 15,000 Baptists representing more than 30 Baptist organizations. Bill J. Leonard, dean of the School of Divinity, noted that the gathering was the most racially, theologically and regionally diverse gathering of Baptists ever held in the United States. Afterward, the event organizers decided to hold multiple regional meetings in order to offer greater opportunities for cooperation among Baptist ministries. Additional regional events are scheduled for Birmingham, Ala., and Norman, Okla.

The meeting at Wake Forest University will include worship services and workshops offering strategies for churches to respond to pressing social and spiritual needs in a time of economic crisis.

Leonard is co-chair of the regional event, along with Serenus Churn, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and Reuban Gilliam, pastor of North Winston Baptist Church. “We are delighted to host this interracial gathering of Baptists at Wake Forest University,” Leonard said, “and hope it will be an occasion for extending networks of service in a time when so many churches, families and individuals are in dire need.”

A Friday evening dinner sponsored by Baptists Today magazine will honor James Dunn, Resident Professor of Christianity and Public Policy at the School of Divinity, with a lifetime achievement award.