New York focuses on relationships
By Karen L. Willoughby
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — The Baptist Convention of New York (BCNY) over the last six months developed five steps that prioritize the well-being of its pastors, their families and their communities.
Executive Director Frank Williams, elected in March, made the announcement during the 56th annual meeting Sept. 26-27 of what is known informally as the Northeast Network of Churches, which includes those in northern New Jersey, southern Connecticut, a couple churches in Massachusetts and all of New York state.
“I endeavor to provide collaborative leadership that is both strategic and revitalizing for the more than 500 churches of the Baptist Convention of New York,” Williams told Baptist Press when he was handed the reins of the multistate convention late last March.
It didn’t take him long.
“BCNY family, today we are hitting the reset button,” Williams told messengers last Saturday as he announced in his Executive Director’s Report the five strategic measures. “Our aim is to serve pastors and churches in ways that do not compete with their local association’s initiatives, but instead support and add, in relevant ways, to their capacity to bear fruit for God’s glory.”
The five steps: create a Prayer Strategy Coordinator position; establish a BCNY Counseling Network to be staffed by professionals; explore a BCNY group health insurance plan; launch a BCNY Pastors Encouragement Line and re-launch an improved BCNY app; and through Guidestone Financial Resources, provide a “thirteenth check” each year to Mission Dignity recipients in the multistate convention.
Williams also announced a new church-planting partnership agreement between BCNY and the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) Send Network New York, one that facilitates more collaborative working relationships with all parties: church planters, BCNY staff, association leaders and Send Network New York staff.
“It’s still church planting and conversations, but the level of partnership is different,” Williams told Baptist Press. “We are working together collaboratively, and we are moving at the pace of unity.”
With a theme of “Being Fruitful,” based on John 15, BCNY’s annual meeting at Northside Church in Liverpool, N.Y., drew 67 messengers from 37 churches, plus 75 guests.
Friday activities centered around a workshop on “Calling out the Called” by NAMB’s Next Gen National Director Shane Pruitt. He also preached during that night’s rally at Northside, which was attended by more than 200 youth and young adults.
“Several responded to a call to ministry, and 35 made commitments to Christ,” Williams said.
Christopher Cali, pastor of Northside Church in Liverpool, was elected to his first one-year term as president. JoAnn Mann, member of Graffiti 2 Ministries in the Bronx, was elected recording secretary. Daniel Lee, pastor of Compass Fellowship Church in Manhattan, was elected assistant recording secretary.
The office of vice president is to be filled by the next meeting of the executive board.
An increased budget of $815,034 was passed, including an anticipated $694,177 in Cooperative Program (CP) giving by churches. Of that amount, 30%, or $208,253, is allocated for national and international Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) missions and education. The 30% allocation is unchanged from last year.
“So far, I’ve received good feedback about this year’s annual meeting,” Williams said. “One pastor texted me — let me read it to you — ‘How inspired I was by the annual gathering. Top to bottom, start to finish, it was top notch. Can’t wait to see how the Lord uses the vision you have cast for our convention and the churches therein!’
“As for me, how I felt? I just felt exhausted,” said the executive director concluding his first annual meeting. “I was glad my family and my churches were there and I was able to just hang with them after.”
Williams pastors Bronx Baptist and Wake-Eden Community Baptist churches in addition to his service as BCNY’s executive director.
The next annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of New York is set for Sept. 25-26, 2026, at a place to be determined later.
Alaska Baptists celebrate 80 years
By Karen L. Willoughby
PALMER, Alaska — Leaders from nine states plus the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) converged in late September to honor Randy Covington on his retirement as the executive director of the Alaska Baptist Resource Network and Jimmy Stewart on his completion of 24 years of denominational service in Alaska.
The event at the state convention’s annual meeting also included the celebration of Alaska’s 80th annual meeting and the Cooperative Program’s 100th anniversary.
“Celebrate” was the theme and Psalm 145:7 the Scripture for Alaska’s annual meeting Sept. 23-24, which also included a missions rally — Impact Alaska — as well as Alaska Woman’s Missionary Union’s (WMU) annual meeting and the state pastors’ conference. First Baptist Church of Palmer, where Bruce Rowell is pastor, hosted the three gatherings.
“Dateline: March 27-28, 1946,” state convention President Rowell said in his report to the 133 messengers from 45 Alaska churches registered at the annual meeting. An additional 42 guests also were present.
“Meeting at First Baptist Church of Anchorage, the Alaska Baptist Convention was born,” Rowell continued. “The purpose: to furnish a medium of cooperation for the cooperating Baptist churches of Alaska in their divinely commissioned work of missions, education and benevolence. For 80 years Alaska Baptists have worked together with each other and the greater Southern Baptist family to take the gospel of Jesus to the Great Land and the world.”
Gordon Fort was one of the guest speakers. A highly respected special ambassador to the president of the International Mission Board, Fort also spoke at Impact Alaska and the WMU conference.
Tony Wolfe, executive director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, was another special guest. South and North Carolina Southern Baptists for at least five years have prepared meals and provided worship leadership during Alaska’s annual meeting. Wolfe also is national coordinator of the celebrations of the Cooperative Program’s 100 years of serving God through the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) more than 47,000 cooperating churches.
Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, was a third featured guest. He told messengers the five-year partnership between Alabama and Alaska is to continue indefinitely, because much good work has been accomplished, and much more needs to be done.
“Worship was excellent,” Covington said when asked about highlights of this year’s annual meeting. “It was a great time of worshipping the Lord, celebrating who He is and what He has done.
“Wilbert Mickens brought the annual sermon. He’s an African American pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Anchorage. He preached on Hebrews 13:8 that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. It was very encouraging and inspiring for everyone. It was a glorious service.”
A vote for a candidate for executive director took place; the candidate is “praying through his response,” Covington said.
Bruce Rowell, pastor of First Palmer, was reelected to his second one-year term as president. Kyle McGee, associate pastor at First Baptist Church of North Pole, was elected first vice president. Philip Coleman, pastor of True North Church in Anchorage, was elected second vice president. Lorie Pierce, a member of Montana Creek Baptist Church near Talkeetna, was reelected recording secretary.
With an anticipated $552,231 in Cooperative Program giving from Alaska churches and $86,445 from several trust funds, messengers passed a $638,676 balanced budget for 2026, down $194,033 from 2025. Twenty percent of CP giving — $110,446 — is to be forwarded for national disbursement through SBC entities as approved by messengers to the SBC’s 2025 annual meeting. That percentage is unchanged from last year.
“For me this year’s annual meeting was bittersweet in the sense that Robin and I are leaving the state I grew up in, leaving behind Alaska Baptists who I love very much and the state convention that has tremendous potential for impacting our great state,” Covington said. “My prayer is that Alaska Baptists will reach even greater heights in engaging communities without a gospel witness.”
The next annual meeting of the Alaska Baptist Resource Network is set for Sept. 29-30 at First Baptist Church in Anchorage.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for Baptist Press.)
