VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 11/20/09)—The General Board of American Baptist Churches USA met on November 20 at the Dolce Valley Forge Hotel and Resorts in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The first plenary session was opened by President Mary Armacost Hulst, who was presiding over her last General Board meeting.
Among those giving reports was General Secretary A. Roy Medley, who took a brief respite from his sabbatical to attend the board meeting. In his report he discussed his travels in Ireland, South Africa and Namibia, recounting experiences meeting Baptists along the way.
Medley reflected on the 400th anniversary and history of Baptists. He considered the relationship of servants of Christ, working both as the church and as the body of Christ. “The church is not the building, but it is the people who join there Sunday after Sunday after Sunday.” Medley explained. “For 400 years, Baptists have been a witnessing part of the body of Jesus Christ.”
The report of President Mary Hulst followed. Hulst explained, “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve as your President….In each and every place that I’ve been [while serving], I have been newly impressed and inspired by the faithfulness, dedication, commitment, and creativity of those serving.”
Hulst gave a summary of the tasks and findings of the Presidential Task Force on Bylaws, which met on October 21-22 in Denver, Colorado. With the consent of the General Board Executive Committee, Hulst had convened this task force to address the primary concerns thought to be stumbling blocks to the passage of the bylaw proposal at the Pasadena Biennial.
The task force dealt with five areas of concern, determined by feedback from the Biennial. These areas were: communication to delegates; unfinished bylaws of program boards; language for all national boards that guarantees future connection to the ABC family; local church representation; and public witness statements.
A main point that the task force touched on was a need for stronger connectional language, aimed at keeping members of American Baptist Churches connected as ABC family. Additionally, the importance of American Baptist identity of leaders was stressed, as well as more connectivity between the national boards.
Hulst closed her report saying, “I am deeply grateful to all of you for the way you have enriched my life in the last few years. I am especially grateful to all of those people who respond so quickly, and even at a distance….it is much more difficult with the distances that we have to develop relationships, but it’s worth the effort because we are all a part of the body of Christ.”
Hulst’s words reinforce the message of American Baptist Churches USA, serving as the hands and feet of Christ.
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.