wfn.org | ABCUSA: Biennial Meeting Update: June 28 #2

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Richard.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

JOHNSON, GRIFFIN AND GRAY ELECTED OFFICERS FOR NEXT BIENNIUM
	(Richmond, Va. 6/28/03)--New officers who will serve American
Baptist Churches USA for the 2004-2005 biennium were elected here today by
delegates to the denomination's Biennial Meeting.  The president-elect is
Peggy Johnson, a laywoman from North Kingston, R.I., and the vice
president-elect is the Rev. Arlee Griffin of Brooklyn, N.Y.  Melva Gray, a
laywoman from Indianapolis, Ind., was re-elected budget review officer. 
	David G. Hunt, a layman from Milwaukie, Oreg., and Yosh Nakagawa, a
layman from Mercer Island, Wash., will complete their terms respectively as
president and vice president on Dec. 31.  
	Johnson currently is a nationally nominated representative on the
General Board and a member of the Board of National Ministries.  She also
has been eastern coordinator for American Baptist Women's Ministries.  A
member of First Baptist Church, North Kingstown, R.I., she has served there
on the pastoral relations and by-laws committees, as chair of the Diaconate
and as president of the congregation.  
	She also has served as president of American Baptist Churches of
Rhode Island and on that region's executive, nominating and finance
committees.  
	A small business owner, Johnson has been on the Board of Directors
of the Rhode Island Florist Association.   
	The Rev. Arlee Griffin, pastor of Berean Missionary Baptist Church,
Brooklyn, N.Y., is a former nationally nominated General Board
representative.  Currently he is vice president of the Board of Managers of
the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board and associate professor of
church administration at New York Theological Seminary.
	Griffin has been association moderator and president of American
Baptist Churches of Metro New York.  As a General Board representative he
served on the Nominating Committee and the Executive Committee. He also
served on the Executive Committee of the Board of National Ministries.
	Griffin also has been vice president of the Black American Baptist
Caucus and historian of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
      Gray, the current budget review officer, is a member of First Baptist
Church of Indianapolis, where she has been assistant treasurer, a member of
the Finance and Property Commission, chairperson of social concerns and
American Baptist Youth advisor.
	She also has served on the Finance Ministry Team of American Baptist
Churches of Greater Indianapolis and as region president and treasurer.  A
regionally nominated General Board representative, she is a member of the
General Board Budget Review Committee and the Board of Directors of the
American Baptist Historical Society.  She also has been a member of the
Board of Educational Ministries.
	Gray's community involvements include service on the Board of
Directors of the CROP Walk.
	Johnson and Hunt will address Biennial Meeting delegates and
visitors during the closing worship gathering on Monday evening, June 30.

BIENNIAL MEETING DELEGATES ADOPT STATEMENT ON TERRORISM
	(Richmond, Va. 6/28/03)-Delegates to the American Baptist Churches
USA Biennial Meeting here today adopted a statement on terrorism that calls
for "avenues for interfaith dialogue and fellowship" and encourages all
American Baptists "to offer themselves as ambassadors of peace whenever and
wherever possible."
	The "Statement of Concern: How Shall American Baptists Respond to
Terrorism?" notes in part: 
	 "The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon-and the failed attempt on other Washington, DC targets-remind us of
things we have taken for granted. It reminds us that religious faith can
inspire the best and can be distorted to justify the worst in human action. 
      "...As American Baptists, how do we make sense of this changed world?
	"First, we must not give in to hopelessness.  Ephesians 3:20 reminds
us that God is able to accomplish, through us, abundantly more than we could
ask or think.  In spite of new anxieties and new threats, we are called to
live courageously and generously.  As Christians, we cannot allow the gift
of God's love on the cross for all peoples to cease to be acted out.  As
Jesus said, "What good is it to love only those who love you? ... Be
therefore perfect as your father in heaven is perfect"	(Matt 5:46-48 NRSV).
We must continue to love and pray for those who hate us and want to do
violence to us.  We must not withdraw into isolation. The work of God's
kingdom continues: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and bringing
justice to the oppressed and proclaim the Good News of Christ's redemption.
	"Second, we must look clearly at our own history and society.
Matthew 5:38 calls us to examine the plank in our own eye before we look at
the eye of our adversary.  Many reviews of American foreign policy show both
achievements and shortcomings, laudable efforts towards encouraging
democracy and a history of interfering with the rights of other countries to
self-determination.  We must understand that some nations despise us because
of our decisions.
	"As Christians we must acknowledge that hatred often uses religion
as justification for violence, for example, the Crusades of a thousand years
ago, the Hindu-Muslim conflict in Kashmir, the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict, and the Protestant-Catholic fighting in Ireland.
Within our own nation, crimes of hatred have been committed against those
some have perceived as 'outside the fold.'  We as Christians are called to
be a people of reconciliation instead of division (II Cor. 5:19b).
	"Finally, our American Baptist racial, ethnic, and theological
diversity calls us to be a model for a peaceful pluralistic society.  Our
Baptist principle of soul liberty supports ecumenical and interfaith
dialogue. Our understanding of the role of government gives us perspective
on the importance of civil liberties. American Baptists can be a light to
the world in showing how different faiths can live together in peace even
while acknowledging our differences.  Our faith in the saving and energizing
power of God in Jesus Christ enables us to reach out to others without fear,
for perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18).	
	"Therefore we call on American Baptists to:
	"Pray constantly for justice and peace; pray for world leaders that
they will be guided by wisdom and peace.
	"Commit ourselves to be witnesses to the personal and social
transformation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
	"Develop avenues for interfaith dialogue and fellowship,
particularly with Muslim communities, in order to bring about mutual respect
and understanding.
	"Recognize values of diverse faiths that call for peace.
	"Denounce bigotry and discrimination, and examine ourselves for
cultural and religious sensitivity.  
	"Be vigilant about the mixing of religion and politics in order to
guard against engendering hate.
	"Support governmental security while advocating for civil liberties.
	"Call upon our government and other leaders to seek a more secure
world through actions, procedures, and organizations of mutual security that
bring terrorists to justice and hold errant nations accountable.
	"Encourage all American Baptists to offer themselves as ambassadors
of peace whenever and wherever possible."

BIENNIAL MEETING DELEGATES AFFIRM STATEMENT ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUTH
	(Richmond, Va. 6/28/03)--Delegates to the Biennial Meeting of
American Baptist Churches USA today voted to affirm a "Statement of Concern:
Relationships with Youth" that urges American Baptists "to make youth a
priority in our churches" and "create a climate of meaningful relationships
between adults and young people within the community of our churches."
	The statement reads in part: 
	"Now, more than ever, young people have numerous outside influences
impacting their lives....  media influence encompasses music and music
videos with explicit lyrics, movies, television, video games with excessive
violence, and the Internet, which can expose youth to images and people that
can be to the detriment of young people's physical and emotional well being.
We live in a society in which the desire to hold on to youthful innocence is
not only lost, but often discouraged in the mainstream media and in society
as a whole.  
	"As times have changed, so has the make-up of the family.  It is
increasingly difficult for a family to afford the luxury of one parent
remaining at home with the children while the other provides the family's
income.  Most two-parent families require both parents to work outside the
home.  Furthermore, the church, along with the rest of the country, is
seeing a rapid decline in the traditional two-parent family.  This often
leaves the single parent with the responsibility of having to work many
hours away from the home, often leaving children with less than adequate
supervision.  This opens the door even wider to the unhealthy influences of
the media, peers, and adults who may not have the best interests of youth in
mind.
	"However, parents and other invested and caring adults still have
great influence on young people.   The words and admonitions of parents
continue to have significant impact on today's youth, even in the face of
media and peer pressure.  Young people desire to be engaged in meaningful
relationships with their parents and other influential adults. With this in
mind, parents have a wonderful opportunity to provide positive, godly
counsel to and to spend quality time with their children.  Likewise, the
church has a calling to provide an atmosphere for healthy, redemptive
relationships to develop between young people and parents and other adults.
	"American Baptists have a great obligation to help parents rear
their children with biblical principles.  Many teenagers attend a weekly
church-related event.  This affords the church a great opportunity to
provide relationships to help young people grow in Christ. Unfortunately,
many of our churches do not devote the resources necessary to provide
healthy, redemptive relationships between adults and youth. Whether those
resources include time, funding for youth programming, or
personnel/volunteers, greater efforts need to be made by the church to
create meaningful, Christ-like relationships between our adults and our
youth.
	"Therefore, we call on American Baptist Churches to:
	"Make youth a priority in our churches and denomination. Just as
Jesus encouraged young people to be in his presence, so must the church
encourage the presence, gifts, and participation of young people in the life
of the Body of Christ at all levels (Mark 10:13-16).
	"Support parents by providing opportunities for training,
fellowship, and nurture.  The Body of Christ is called to equip the parent
to parent the youth (Proverbs 22:6 NRSV). 
	"Provide mentoring for our young people.  All mature adult members
of the Body of Christ are obligated to share their wisdom, values, and life
experiences with a young person, whether that person is a family member,
neighbor, or fellow congregant. Current ministries such as AB GIRLS and AB
Boys and Young Men are a few of the many resources available to the local
church (I Timothy 5:1-2).
	"Model healthy adult relationships.  The Church must put into action
the word of God by living it out before our young people. Youth watch what
adults do more than they listen to what adults say (II Timothy 1:5-6).
	"Create a climate of meaningful relationships between adults and
young people within the community of our churches.  The Body of Christ must
intentionally create fellowship opportunities for and with young people, and
must allow young people the freedom to worship and fellowship in their own,
unique way.  Regularly scheduled gatherings, multi-generational fellowship
events, worship services organized by the youth, and youth-oriented Bible
studies are some of the ways in which churches can develop community for
young people. 

BIENNIAL DELEGATES VOTE TO DETERMINE NUMBER OF GENERAL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

	(Richmond, Va. 6/28/03)-Affirming a recommendation from the American
Baptist Churches USA General Board, Biennial Meeting delegates today voted
to set the number of General Board representatives for the 2004-2005
biennium.
	The action determined that the "number of Regionally Nominated
Representatives is fixed at a number no greater than 111 and no less than 90
in 2004 and no greater than 111 and no less than 86 in 2005; and, that the
number of Nationally Nominated Representatives be fixed at no greater than
37 and no less than 31 for both 2004 and 2005, producing a total General
Board of no more than 160 and no less than 133 in 2004 and no greater than
160 and no less than 129 in 2005.  (These totals include the standard 12 ex
officio or designated Representatives.)"