wfn.org | ABCUSA: Massachusetts Baptists Celebrate 200 Years

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

American Baptist News Service (5/23/02)--More than 1,000 American Baptists
gathered in Sturbridge, Mass., last week to celebrate 200 years of ministry
and mission in the state.

"The Holy Spirit was present in very powerful ways and a spirit of joy and
revival launched us into our next century of ministry in the name of Jesus
Christ," said the Rev. Dr. Linda C. Spoolstra, executive minister of The
American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.  "Reports are coming in from all
over the state about the powerful impact the event had on people's lives,"
she noted.

The May 16-18 celebration, the result of nearly three years of planning,
culminated in worship services in the 265 American Baptist churches across
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on Sunday, May 19.

The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts is the third largest
Protestant denomination in Massachusetts.  With over 40,000 members, it is
the most culturally diverse among Protestant bodies in the state.

Spoolstra noted that Baptists in Massachusetts led the struggle for
religious liberty in the 17th century.  The first Baptist church in the
state was organized in 1663 in Swansea, and Massachusetts Baptists formed
the first Baptist missionary society in North America in 1802 for the
purpose of sending missionaries to new settlements first in the United
States and later in Haiti and Burma.

The Rev. Robert G. Middleton Jr., general chair of the event, welcomed
nationally known speakers, including the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, senior
minister of the Riverside Church in New York City, who challenged those
present to continue to preach and teach about Jesus Christ in an age of
globalization.

The Rev. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches
USA, brought greetings and lifted up the role of mission within the life of
the denomination.  The Rev. Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins, executive director
of American Baptist National Ministries, emphasized the importance of
planting new churches and embracing an evangelistic strategy to reach new
and emerging groups for Jesus Christ.  He also presented a plaque in
recognition of the historic role Massachusetts Baptists played in the
formation of the American Baptist Home Mission Society.

Other nationally known speakers included: the Rev. Dr. James M. Dunn,
Baptist historian and author; the Rev. Dr. Bernadette Glover-Williams,
associate pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Perth Amboy, N.J.; Bart
Campolo, president of Missionary Year; and the Rev. Diane Kessler, executive
director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches.

The worship services were translated into French, Portuguese and Spanish,
and American Sign Language was used to interpret for the deaf community from
Immanuel Deaf Church, one of the new churches in the region.

Spoolstra reported that the number of baptisms and worship attendance in the
region were up in 2001 as compared with 2000; American Baptist mission
support was up 14% over the previous year; six new churches were planted in
2001; and there was an increase in the number of American Baptist campers at
the two region camps.  "The Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Society," she
concluded, "is alive and well."

02ABN74

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (610)768-2077; fax:
(610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org; richard.schramm@abc-usa.org