BCM/D Annual Meeting

This morning is the final session of the BCM/D’s annual meeting here in Dover, Delaware.  There are 324 reported messengers, along with 71 visitors at the convention this year.  The worship team from the Harmony Hills congregation of Global Mission Church of Washington, DC, is leading in worship this morning.

Frank Page, the most recent former President of the Southern Baptist Convention and self-described as a “Baptist Forrest Gump,” is up to speak this morning.  “Reveal the Hope” is the title of his message.  “Spiritually to our nation we have said ‘find your own way;’ but we’ve said to our world ‘we’re too busy doing our church work and fighting amongst ourselves as Baptists.’”  He notes that less than 227 years in the last 3500 years of recorded history has there been no war on the planet.  But there is always available peace with Christ.  We also have wealth of position “grace in which we stand.”  We can also hope to share in the glory of God.

The passage for his message is John 4:7-30.  This woman’s experience began with a revealing of self, to see herself as she really was.  Often we don’t want to deal with the “revealing of self,…”we’ve become experts at running from the truth and hiding from the Holy Spirit.  We rely on a substitute righteousness instead.  We fall back on cultural Christianity.  It tells me I’m okay.  Second thing we do is substitute and compare…to other people and feel like we’re better than them.

The woman also had revaled an emptiness, the depths of her heart.  But He revealed Himself as the Messiah, the answer to her emptiness. In that moment her life was tranformed, hope came into her life.

The woman also received hope, and then revealed hope.  She shared her story back in the village as she returned to tell them about Jesus.  She had been the talk of the town; now she took to the town the talk of Christ.  The call of God for all of us is to find Jesus Christ, then to share Jesus Christ.

Hope remembered…hope rejoiced…hope revealed.

After Frank Page spoke, our President Rick Hancock called for other nominations for office.  For the office of 1st Vice-President the only nomination was Bob Lilly from Cantonsville Baptist Church in Maryland, who was elected by acclamation.  For the office of 2nd Vice-President, Harold Phillips from Pleasant Valley Church in Port Deposit, Maryland was nominated and then elected by acclamation.

Rev. Ron Stanley, president of the General Mission Board of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, came to bring their Board’s annual report.  The budget discussion began.  Dr. Lee, our Executive-Director, talked about how productive we’ve been this year.  He noted our efforts in church multiplication, our Youth Evangelism Conference, the international ministry in Ocean City, the new Deep Creek resort ministry, our new Women’s Conference, the Girls Camps with record numbers and e-quip.net training…we may be doing some of our best work.  But at the same time, it has been tough fiscally.  BCM/D had to adjust the budget as the year progressed.  So the GMB is presenting a 2009 budget of 4.6 million ($735,000 less than last year’s budget).  “At the end of the day we are dealing with a stewardship issue.”  Lee noted that our vision, mission, objectives and commitments to constituents have not changed at all.

Budget has been recommended and approved without discussion.

There was no miscellaneous business brought before the Convention