The 314th Annual Meeting of the Philadelphia Baptist Association
A Virtual Meeting
Saturday, May 1st
On Saturday, May 1st the 314th annual meeting of the Philadelphia Baptist Association was held virtually via Zoom. The theme this year was “Bring Peace During the Storm-Our Ministry Mid Pandemic.” Based on Mark 4:35-41.
Based on the theme the meeting was opened with the song “Peace Be Still” by Hope Darst, following which the Rev. Julia Bruton-Sheppard, PBA Consultant for Area Ministry, offered a devotional.
Our plenary time was hosted by the PBA moderator, Rev. Maria L.H. Lewis. During this time, she interviewed the Rev. Shelby Haggray, PBA Consultant for PBA’s Christ and Cultural Humility Initiative.
Rev. Haggray explained the concept of the initiative and briefly outlined the four primary tenets of Cultural Humility which serve as the focus of the initiative. They are:
- A lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique
- Dismantling power imbalances within social and professional settings
- Developing mutually beneficial and non-paternalistic partnerships with communities
- Advocating on behalf of individuals and defined populations
There are seven congregations participating in this first session. They are: Bethlehem Baptist Church, Second Baptist Church of Doylestown, Second Baptist Church of Germantown, Second Baptist Church of Media, First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell and St. Paul’s Baptist Church of West Chester.
During the business session Regional Pastoral Minister Dr. James McJunkin gave his annual Regional Pastors Report updating us on the state of the region. Click here to view the report.
Other highlights of the business session included welcoming new pastors as well as a new congregation, First Baptist Church of Pottstown, into the Region.
The report of the Nominating Committee was given, and the slate of officers and new board members was presented. The slate was unanimously approved, and Moderator Lewis welcomed the new members to the board of directors.
There were four workshops offered this year.
- The Global Impact of COVID-19 and Projections of Vaccine Distribution Kristy Engle, Global Consultant for Health for International Ministries Click here to view this workshop.
- The How To: For Churches Interested in Hosting Vaccine Inoculations Panelists – Rev. Douglas Hargis, Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell and Dr. Neil Pitts, Temple University
- Ministries of Caring During the Pandemic- an interactive workshop Rev. Dr. Patricia Murphy, American Baptist Home Missions Society
- Returning to our Buildings, Ministries, and Communities. Are we asking good questions and starting our planning now? A panel of church leaders from Bethlehem Baptist, Shiloh Baptist, Wilmington, DE and Central Baptist share their perspectives and engage in Click here to view this workshop.