CONOVER — The Executive
Committee (EC) of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) met
March 4 at Hollifield Leadership Center for a brief business meeting that
included hearing committee and budget reports.
The meeting was the first
regularly scheduled meeting for the newly elected 2011 EC. Serving on the EC
this year are: Bobby Blanton, president, Board of Directors; Phil Qualls, vice
president, Board of Directors; Ed Yount, president, BSC; Mark Harris, first vice
president, BSC; C.J. Bordeaux, second vice president, BSC; Harvey Brown, chairman,
Business Services Committee; Todd Marlow, chairman, Church Planting and
Missions Development Committee; Jon Hall, chairman, Communications Committee;
Scott Faw, chairman, Congregational Services Committee; Rit Varriale, chairman,
Christian Higher Education; Randy White, chairman, Evangelization Committee;
Jarrod Scott, chairman, Christian Life and Public Affairs Committee; Cameron
McGill, chairman, Christian Social Services Committee; Randy Godwin, president,
Associational Missions Conference; Dana Hall, president, N.C. Baptist Men
(NCBM); Shannon Scott, chairman, Articles and Bylaws Committee; Stan Welch, chairman,
Budget Committee; Michael Barrett, at-large; Mike Ivey, at-large; David Horner,
at-large; Lee Pigg, at-large.
Bobby Blanton announced that
he has appointed Shannon Scott (chairman), Kay Enloe, Dennis Harrell
and Patrick Fuller as new members of the Articles and Bylaws Committee. In
addition, Blanton has appointed Stan Welch (chairman) and Bill Grisham to
the Budget Committee.
Reporting for the Christian
Higher Education Committee, Rit Varriale said the Committee is exploring ways
to continue working with the educational institutions affiliated with the BSC.
During the Congregational
Services report Lynn Sasser, executive leader, reported that Find it Here 2011:
Embracing Christ is underway in churches across the state. He encouraged EC
members to participate and to make a commitment to disciple-making this year.
“Disciple-making is a serious issue that affects every area of ministry and
missions,” he said.
Chuck Register, executive
leader for Church Planting and Missions Development, reported that the BSC
partnership with Moldova officially kicks off in March. BSC staff, as well as
Allan Blume, pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Boone; Pam Blume, who has
served on the International Mission Board (IMB) Board of Trustees and various BSC committees; Bobby Welch, past president of the Southern Baptist
Convention and former pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla;
Bobbye Rankin, wife of former IMB president Jerry Rankin; and John Ewart,
associate vice president of project development and director of doctor of
ministry studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, will spend a
week in Moldova leading in a pastor’s, women’s and youth conference.
The BSC hopes to send at
least one team of North Carolina Baptists into each of the 33 districts in
Moldova in order to help strengthen churches, assist believers in
unreached areas of the country in planting multiplying churches, and share
the gospel with those who have never heard.
Hall reported that NCBM
volunteer teams have begun working in central Guatemala with the Quiche Baptist
Association and are helping build a health clinic and community center.
NCBM is also working in
Honduras. The fourth volunteer team is now in Honduras and 21 teams are
expected to go throughout the year.
Under new business, the EC
approved a church loan of $50,000 for River City Church in Hamptonville. River
City is a church plant that started about one year ago.
Milton A. Hollifield Jr.,
BSC executive director-treasurer, and John Butler, executive leader for
Business Services, brought the financial report. They shared that Cooperative
Program funds are $4,449,749.73, a total that is 5.77 percent ahead of last
year at this time.
Hollifield reported that the
BSC, like many other churches and organizations, has been under tremendous
financial pressure the past few years. However, faithful giving from North
Carolina Baptists has allowed the Convention to remain in the black.
Although the BSC has reduced
its budget by about eight percent over the past three years, its Cooperative
Program giving to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) increased 1.5 percent
during that same time.
Hollifield also shared that
the SBC operates on a different fiscal year than the BSC. The SBC begins
its fiscal year October 1, and the BSC begins its fiscal year January
1. When comparing receipts from October 1-February 28, 2009-2010 to that same
time frame in 2010 and 2011, the BSCC increased its giving to the SBC by
2.99 percent.
“That came at a time when we
were 13 percent under budget,” Hollifield said. “We have been increasing our
Cooperative Program contributions at the rate of half a percent each year. This
is helping get the gospel to the nations. If Cooperative Program receipts go
up, we can give even more to the Southern Baptist Convention.”
The next Executive Committee
meeting is April 14 in Cary.
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