VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 7/9/09)—At the ABCUSA 2009 Biennial, June 26-28, American Baptists celebrated the resettlement of more than 100,000 refugees through National Ministries’ Direct Human Services office since the cooperative effort with Church World Service began after World War II.
The celebration, during National Ministries’ Biennial luncheon on Sunday, included testimony from Htoo May, a Karen refugee resettled in Omaha, NE, who gave thanks for help she received after years in a refugee camp following displacement from her home.
A litany led by Pastor Ronald Charles of Chin Baptist Church, West Allis, WI, reminded participants: “In providing for the poor, the hungry, the sick and the homeless, God’s people have ministered to them as unto Jesus. In caring for these refugees, we have entertained angels.”
Also at Sunday’s luncheon, Baptist pastor Rev. Dr. Al Staggs received a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 200 for his dramatic portrayals of Dietrich Bonheoffer and Clarence Jordan. Through the words of Bonhoeffer, Staggs reminded those gathered that, “The church is only the church as she lives for others.”
Saturday’s luncheon, “Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism,” also attended by more than 200, focused on the DVD of the same name produced by the Baptist Center for Ethics, which received support from National Ministries for the piece.
In the panel discussion that followed, Rev. Katie Choy-Wong, pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship, Castro Valley, CA, pointed out that racism is not dead, just less overt. “Internalized racism affects you on the inside, makes you feel ashamed, hating your own race,” she said. “The Bible teaches that we need to not only love God and neighbor, but ourselves.”
Dr. Juan Martinez, associate professor and assistant dean, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, asked, “What is our aim, what would the Kingdom look like in practice without racism? We can’t create what we can’t imagine. What is our image of the future, our vision of the Kingdom, our dream?”
Fifty volunteers coordinated by National Ministries’ Volunteer Ministries office—more than three dozen of them American Baptists attending the Biennial—built five playhouses in 20 hours for children in poverty in the exhibit hall. The playhouses have been donated to:
- Faith in Christ Ministries, Los Angeles
- Iglesia Bautista Emmaunuel, Los Angeles
- Door of Hope, Pasadena
- Deborah’s House, Tijuana, Mexico
- Mount Horeb Baptist Church, Tijuana, Mexico
More than a dozen Judson Press authors were on hand to autograph books Friday night at a celebration and reception honoring Judson’s 185th year of Christian publishing. At the event, the third Judson Press Ministry Award was presented to Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney in recognition of his 20-year association with the publisher as a supporter of encourager of fellow authors.
Also at the Biennial, National Ministries’ staff led more than a half dozen workshops, ranging from “Children in Poverty” and “Small Churches Can Do Great Things” to “Publishing for Pastors 101” and “Building Bridges: Reaching Out to a Diverse and Changing World.”
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.
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