Disaster response top N.C. story in 2005

From staff reports

The Baptist State Convention (BSC) celebrated its 175th year in 2005 with a special session in May and commemorative moments during the annual session, but current events such as the N.C. Baptist response to disasters captured more interest from readers.

The response to disasters in the southern United States and South Asia was the top story of the year, according to a survey of the Biblical Recorder's editorial staff.

Other stories of note during the year included questions raised about actions by the BSC nominating committee; the unexpected retirement of the BSC's executive director-treasurer; and discussion about the relationship between the BSC and its various entities.

Hundreds of N.C. Baptist responded to help victims of four hurricanes in the Southern United States and a tsunami in South Asia. North Carolina Baptist Men oversees disaster relief for the BSC.

The largest response was to Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in late August. N.C. Baptists were on the way to the area before the storm even hit.

During 2005, Baptists volunteers from North Carolina served more than 513,000 meals, completed more than 3,700 recovery jobs, provided more than 30,000 showers, washed more than 4,500 loads of laundry and served 560 children in emergency childcare.

N.C. Baptists have worked or are working in four towns in Mississippi, two towns in Alabama and one town in Louisiana.

In addition, N.C. Baptists sent more than 40 tractor trailer loads of bottled water and other supplies and more than 15 tractor trailers full of food boxes to the area.

Workers continue going to the Gulfport, Miss. area to help hurricane victims. N.C. Baptist Men has set a goal of rebuilding 500 homes in the area over the next two years.

N.C. Baptists also responded to Hurricane Rita in Louisiana, Hurricane Wilma in Florida and Hurricane Ophelia in North Carolina. In all, they served about 284,000 meals to victims of those storms.

More than 200 N.C. Baptists have traveled to Sri Lanka and countries in the region to help victims of the tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in South Asia in December 2004. They cleaned more than 700 wells and built almost 100 houses.

N.C. Baptist Men officials say teams will likely continue going to Sri Lanka at least through the summer of 2006.

The second most important story of 2005 was concern about the BSC's Committee on Nominations. The committee voted in April to disallow potential nominees from churches that are affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, which has taken an openly accepting stance toward persons who are homosexual.

A committee member doing research on a prospective nominee came across the Alliance web site through a link from a church web site, and alerted the committee's chairman, Jeff Long, who shared the information with other committee members. Committee members present in April voted unanimously to reject candidates from churches affiliated with the Alliance.

N.C. Baptist college presidents and the heads of the other convention institutions and agencies met with Long, expressing concern that they were not aware of the criterion before presenting their recommendations to the committee. In May, the committee considered a motion to rescind the decision, but defeated it.

Later, it was discovered that the committee voted to nominate two persons to the Board of Trustees at Mars Hill College who are members of churches listed as affiliates of the Alliance of Baptists.

Coming in third among the year's top stories was the surprise announcement by BSC Executive Director-treasurer Jim Royston in July that he was retiring from denominational service to return to the pastorate.

Royston was called to become senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Mooresville on July 17. He assumed the role in September after an eight-week study leave.

George Bullard, the BSC's associate executive director, was initially named acting executive director-treasurer, but rumors were circulating by early October that plans were in motion to replace him. Board of Directors president John Butler called a meeting Oct. 11 so convention and board officers could meet with Bullard to discuss an appropriate process for determining who will be acting executive director following the BSC's annual meeting in November.

The BSC's Executive Committee and Board of Directors voted Nov. 14 to hire Mike Cummings, director of missions for the Burnt Swamp Association and a former president of the BSC. The Executive Committee voted 10-9 to recommend Cummings to the Board of Directors, which approved the recommendation by a 45-26 margin.

A search committee has begun work to find a permanent executive director-treasurer. A prominent N.C. pastor has said he expects a conservative to be elected to the post.

The fourth most important story of 2005 was discussion regarding the relationship between the BSC and its colleges and two entities.

The five colleges and universities actively related to the BSC asked the convention's Executive Committee in September to direct the Council on Christian Higher Education to study the relationship between the BSC and the schools, and to present a report no later than the committee's August 2006 meeting. The committee has begun its work.

The North Carolina Baptist Foundation (NCBF) also asked the Executive Committee to appoint a study committee to evaluate its relationship with the BSC within the same time frame. The committee is expected to be announced in January.

In August, news surfaced that the Baptist Retirement Home (BRH) directors were seeking to "adjust certain aspects of their relationship" with the BSC "while reaffirming other traditional ties."

BRH officials later asked that the request be tabled after the BSC lawyer said that he thought the move would effectively end ties between the two groups.

Other top stories of 2005 were:

5. Messengers to the 2005 BSC meeting approve a proposed budget for 2006-07 that disallows "Cooperative Program" credit for contributions to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship contributions in Plan C. The two-year financial plan, which calls for a goal of $36.4 million for 2006 and $37.8 million in 2007, was approved Nov. 16 after several attempts to amend it failed.

6. A challenge to the BSC four giving plans failed despite support from conservative leaders. Ted Stone, an anti-drug activist and a messenger from Grace Baptist Church in Durham, made a motion at the BSC meeting Nov. 15 that would have directed the BSC Board of Directors to present a budget for 2008 that would have only one giving option. He further moved that the plan send at least 35 percent to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and provide at least as much money for Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute as the smallest BSC college.

The motion failed on a ballot vote, 1,424-1,114, or about 56 percent to 44 percent. Stone made a similar motion in 2004 that failed on a show of ballots by an estimated two-to-one margin. He has indicated that he might try again.

7. Messengers at the BSC meeting take action that means any affiliated church that "knowingly affirms, approves, or endorses homosexual behavior" will no longer be considered to be "in friendly cooperation with the Convention and sympathetic with its purposes."

Bill Sanderson, pastor of Hephzibah Baptist Church in Wendell, made a motion on Nov. 15 that the BSC Board of Directors "be directed to develop and implement a policy" to that effect, in support of the BSC Articles of Incorporation relating to membership. The motion passed by an estimated four to one margin.

8. BSC officers are elected after messengers are given a choice for two of the officers.

Three candidates endorsed by Conservative Carolina Baptists faced no announced challengers a few weeks before the BSC meeting. Then Leland Kerr, pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Shelby, announced that he would challenge Barry Nealy, director of missions for Three Forks Association, in the race for second vice president. Kerr won by a margin of about 56 percent to 44 percent.

Stan Welch, pastor of Blackwelder Baptist Church in Kannapolis, was elected president in a race that was expected to be uncontested until Blythe Taylor, associate minister at St. Johns Baptist Church in Charlotte was nominated. Welch won by a margin of about 70 percent to 30 percent.

Ricky Speas, pastor of Old Town Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, was elected first vice president, with no opposition.

9. N.C. pastors gain national attention for political views.

In May, Chan Chandler, pastor of East Waynesville Baptist Church resigned after he and the church became the focus of national interest. At a heated deacons' meeting-turned church conference on May 2, nine longstanding members said they were voted out by a group of newcomers because they refused to endorse the pastor's political views. Members said Chandler had called on members to repent or resign from their church positions if they voted for Democrat John Kerry during the 2004 presidential campaign.

Later that month, the pastor of Danieltown Baptist Church in Forest City decided to apologize and take down a sign outside his church that suggested that the Muslim holy book should be put in a toilet.

Pastor Creighton Lovelace initially stood his ground in the face of overwhelmingly negative reaction, but later said he did not intend to insult any people of faith. The church later withdrew from the BSC, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Sandy Run Baptist Association.

10. A homosexual support group is denied recognition at Mars Hill College.

A group called Open Doors that supports greater acceptance of homosexuals lost its bid for recognition as an official campus organization at the school on April 7.

The school's Student Government Association (SGA) voted down the proposal from the group by about five votes. If the SGA had recommended approval, the measure would have gone to the Student Affairs Council, which makes policy for the student life at the school, but college presidents generally have final say in all administrative matters including student life.