wfn.org | American Baptists Elect McCray, Hunt and Hines as New Officers

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AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE
Office of Communication
American Baptist Churches USA
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director
  E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

GENERAL BOARD/BIENNIAL MEETING UPDATE: June 25, 1999

NEWS FROM THE GENERAL BOARD/PROGRAM BOARDS
Des Moines, Ia. / June 18-21, 1999

MCCRAY, HUNT AND HINES ELECTED NEW AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES
USA OFFICERS
  DES MOINES, IA.--Delegates gathered here for the
Biennial Meeting of American Baptist Churches USA June 24
elected officers to serve their denomination for the
biennium 2000-2001.
  The Rev. Dr. Trinette V. McCray, of Milwaukee, Wis.,
current vice president of American Baptist Churches USA, was
elected president.  She will begin a two-year term of
service Jan. 1.
  McCray is a campus minister and director of
Multicultural Relations and a faculty member at Cardinal
Stritch College, Milwaukee.  A member of Calvary Baptist
Church, Milwaukee, she has served there as vice moderator.
Her denominational service has included responsibilities as
co-chair of the Alliance of African American Women in
Ministry, General Board representative, president of the
Board of Educational Ministries and member of the General
Board Executive Committee.  She also has been a member of
the Board of Managers of The Ministers and Missionaries
Benefit Board, the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin
Board of Managers and the American Baptist Churches
Nominating Committee.  In addition she has served on the
Midwest Commission on the Ministry (now the Midwest
Ministerial Leadership Commission), the Commission on
Denominational Unity and the Ministers Council Senate.
  Elected vice president was David Hunt, a layman from
Portland, Oreg.  A member of the General Board from 1990-
1997, he chaired the American Baptist Churches' Nominating
Committee and the Young Adult Caucus.  He has served on the
Commission on Denominational Unity and on the Board of
National Ministries' Executive Committee and its Division of
Congregational Ministries.  An active member of Grace
Baptist Church in Portland, he currently is region vice
president, chair of the Annual Gathering Planning Committee
and a member of the Board of Ministries for the American
Baptist Churches of Oregon.  By profession he serves as
district director for U.S. Congressman Brian Baird.
  Reelected budget review officer was Kenneth Hines, an
active member of First Baptist Church in Rochester, N.Y.,
and an investment advisor with Merrill Lynch.
  In response to her election, McCray noted, "To discern
God's call to us in this challenging and swiftly changing
age is our task.  To do so while remaining faithful to the
Lord with steadfast devotion is our aim."  She identified
several priority areas for the upcoming biennium:
  "...focus[ing] on ministerial leadership with steadfast
devotion to the placement of women within our churches;
improving pastor compensation (a focus initiated by
President Jim Johnson); and developing our young people for
receiving the call to the Christian ministry...;
  "strengthening our unity within our diversity, giving
steadfast devotion to continuing to be led to ways in which
we can reach full racial, gender and theological
reconciliation...;
  "growing healthy churches by increasing our support
and alliance with small churches, committing ourselves to
our evangelism goals, and continuing to resource our
churches with the tools and materials they need to provide
ministries that will reach and teach others about Christ...;
and
  "enhancing our own spiritual growth individually and
collectively through increased opportunities for prayer,
study, reflection and action."
  She added: "Let's pray together, worship together,
walk together, work together and serve Christ together.  And
most of all let us love one another as Christ has loved us."