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Dear Commission Members,
Greetings from Dallas, Texas! I was so glad to see each one of you who came to Birmingham, England last July for the Baptist World Alliance Centenary celebration. It was such a marvelous time of fellowship and spiritual renewal. I am always overwhelmed with gratitude to God when I see all of the brothers and sisters gathered in one place - worshiping, studying, singing - and I wonder again and again if Heaven may look much like what we experienced there together.
We had such a brief time as a Commission, yet we accomplished the basic tasks outlined by Tony Cupit for our session. Please see the Heritage and Identity Commission Minutes published here on the website. If there are errors or revisions to be made, please let me know.
Request: I would like to request that our Commission form three or four work teams in order to accomplish several tasks that will be the responsibility of our Committee in the next quinquennium. For example, we may need to give some thought as to how we would like to help commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Smith and Helwys Baptist beginnings in Amsterdam, along with our annual program preparations and other projects with which many members are working steadily.
Some members have already suggested that we could perhaps publish a photographic or illustrated volume of Baptist historical sites around the globe, or work toward erecting historical plaques of Baptist heritage interest in various countries. Others have mentioned the need for a multi-language series of Baptist Identity brochures, or a multi-language segment for our website.
The Commission officers invite members to submit ideas, questions, and items for discussion on this and all aspects of our work. Are there any volunteers for work teams? Could we think about the nature of our tasks and make recommendations to the body? Please direct any inquiries to Karen Bullock, Tom Corts, or Irina Bondareva.
We thank you for you input, for your kindness, and for your willingness to move ahead with the significant work of this committee. We pledge to you our best efforts in the years ahead. May our good God's richest blessings be yours.
Chair
Dr. Karen O'Dell Bullock,
Professor of Christian History
Director of the Ph.D. Program in Leadership Studies
Dallas Baptist University
3000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211
Phone: 214.333.5365
e-mail: karenb@dbu.edu
Vice-Chairs:
Dr. Thomas E. Corts,
Irina Bondareva
The Baptist World Alliance Centenary Congress celebration was held in Birmingham, England from 26-31 July 2005. Because of the scheduled events of the festivities, neither the Committees nor the Study and Research Commissions met in separate sessions this year. Instead, continuing and new members of these groups met in special-called sessions both to receive information and make introductions for their work during the upcoming quinquennium.
Members of the Study and Research Commissions met together from 2:00-3:00 on Wednesday, 27 July, in the International Conference Center, Hall 3, in the Birmingham convention center complex. This was the final session moderated by Tony Cupit, out-going Director of the Evangelism and Education Division, whose resignation after fifteen years of sterling service (1990-2005) became effective with the July 2005 Congress.
Tony Cupit thanked his assistant Lauren Weaver, introduced the new leadership teams for all Commissions, and suggested ways the Commissions could help ensure a smooth transition for incoming Director Fausto Aguiar de Vasconcelos, who will assume his responsibilities full-time in 2006. The members then divided into their various study groups for updates, contact information exchange, and future meetings preparation.
I. Welcome and thanks for
the work of the 2000-2005 leadership team:
Chairman Chuck Weber; Secretary Geoff Pound; Vice-Chairs Zeljko
Mraz, and Karen Bullock.
II. Due to the brevity of time allotted for the meeting, attention in this initial session was given to the following items:
(A) Roll Call: Those attending the meeting introduced themselves and identified their Baptist affiliation. A roll call sheet was circulated and those attending signed it giving their home and e-mail addresses.
(B) Format: Commission members considered for reconfirmation the Heritage and Identity Format for annual sessions that was employed from 2001-2004. Following explanations by Chuck Weber, outgoing Chair of the Heritage Identity Commission, the Commission voted by acclamation to continue to employ this flexible format for its four sessions each year:
(C) Future Topics: Commission
members offered the following suggestions for future
session topics:
(D) Commendations: Commission members applauded with gratitude the fine work rendered by several persons in the past year(s).
(1) The work of the writers and editors of the definitive history of the Baptist World Alliance, Baptists Together in Christ: 1905-2005, was begun in 1997 and published in 2005 in time for the Centenary Congress. Inexpressible thanks were tendered to General Editor Richard V. Pierard, Associate Editors Elna Jean (Eljee) Young Bently and Gerald Borchert, and the writers who authored the chapters: Horace O. Russell; John H. Y. Briggs; Robert S. Wilson; Erich Geldbach; W. Morgan Patterson and Richard Pierard; James Leo Garrett, Jr.; Faith Bowers; Ian M. Randall; Albert W. Wardin, Jr.; Ken R. Manley; and Denton Lotz. Special gratitude was also extended to Samford University President Thomas E. Corts for providing support for the book's printing.
The Commission members expressed their indebtedness to the Core Committee of the Heritage and Identity Commission for their valuable work of carrying out the project, scheduling timelines for production, and conceptualizing the nature of the work itself. These seven members were: General Secretary Denton Lotz; Study and Research Director Tony Cupit; Study and Research Co-Chairs James Leo Garrett and Gerald Borchert; Baptist Heritage Study Commission Chair Eljee Bentley; and Heritage Commission members John H. Y. Briggs and Horace O. Russell. BWA Executive Assistant Ruby J. Burke served as the project secretary.(2) The Commission also expressed thanks to The Baptist Historical Society of England for the exemplary special exhibition located in the Birmingham Central Library from 17 July to 5 August 2005 entitled "Birmingham Baptists: Their Mission in the City and in the World." Members were encouraged to make this wonderful display a part of their BWA experience.
(3) The Baptist Historical Society also published and distributed two leaflets for the July 2005 Centenary celebration. The first, written by Alan Betteridge, was the helpful, eight-page, walking tour guide, giving brief historical vignettes of many Birmingham sites. The second was the sixteen-page booklet called "Baptist Sites and Sights," written by Faith Bowers. This delightful guide highlighted briefly selected sites of Baptist heritage interest across England, Scotland, and Wales, arranged by geographic region. Copies of both leaflets were distributed to all Commission members and were gratefully received. Both authors were commended for their contribution to Baptist heritage.
(4) The Commission expressed continued indebtedness to David Parker for his excellent service as the Heritage and Identity's webmaster. All announcements, photos, items pertaining to the general interest, and changes of address or e-mails, should be sent to Karen Bullock at karenb@dbu.edu, who will submit these to David Parker for posting on the website.
III. Prayer and Adjournment: The session was concluded with a prayer, given by Dr. Russell Dilday, and thanks to those who gathered at this session and the other sessions in Birmingham. Next year, God willing, we will meet together in Mexico.
Submitted by Karen Bullock
20 October 2005
© Copyright BWA Heritage and Identity Commission Oct 2005