All three current officers of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) will be nominated to serve second terms at the 2015 annual meeting in Greensboro.
Mark Harris, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte announced he will nominate Timmy Blair again for the office of president when North Carolina Baptists gather at the Koury Convention Center, Nov. 2-3. Blair is the pastor of Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church in Angier.
“Timmy is a husband, father, pastor and convention leader who has effectively led us,” Harris said. “He has served as president during the first years of implementation of the new [BSC] structure, and has been available to speak to questions, concerns, and other items which you would expect to come up in any major transition.”
BSC file photo by K Brown From left: Joel Stephens, Cameron McGill, Timmy Blair and Milton Hollifield. Stephens, McGill and Blair will all be renominated for their respective offices at the Baptist State Convention annual meeting in November. |
Blair has encouraged churches to increase Cooperative Program (CP) support, said Harris, helping provide “huge strides” in CP giving this year. “But more than what Timmy has done, I appreciate his phenomenal spirit, his balanced approach, and his ability to listen and weigh-out decisions. He has served us well, and I am excited to nominate him!”
Cameron McGill, pastor of Dublin First Baptist Church will be nominated for the office of first vice-president. In a statement to the Biblical Recorder, he said, “I am excited about the direction of the BSC and believe, as always, that the best days are still ahead.”
Jonathan Taylor, associate pastor at Westwood Baptist Church in Roxboro said, “I am honored to be nominating Cameron McGill for a second term as first vice-president of our convention.” The two met when McGill was the pastor of Taylor’s home church 15 years ago. “We have become brothers in the ministry, and I am thankful for the way God is using this dear servant to grow His church in Dublin,” said Taylor. “Cameron loves Jesus, is a committed husband and father, a dedicated pastor and a faithful preacher of God’s Word.”
Joel Stephens, the current second vice-president and pastor of Westfield Baptist Church, will be nominated for another term by Shannon Scott, pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Raleigh.
Scott mentored Stephens while a student at Southeastern Seminary and continue the discipling relationship after Stephens graduated. “He was an exceptional student and eager to learn beyond the degree work,” Scott said. “I have witnessed his work as a pastor in the foothills town of Westfield. He has given faithful, steadfast leadership in a time when most strive to move to larger and more prominent church fields.
“He is one of our best preachers, with a heart and life given to missions and yet faces the trials of pastoring with great grace. He understands what many of us face, and is with us in the race for souls,” Scott added.
In another announcement, Scott Faw, pastor of Moon’s Chapel Baptist Church in Siler City, said he will nominate Timmy Blair to be the president of the N.C. Pastors’ Conference for 2017.
“Timmy is a friend to pastors all over this state and he will serve us well,” Faw said.
The president of the Pastor’s Conference is elected two years in advance, allowing the president ample time to schedule speakers for the program. Cameron McGill is the president elect for 2016. The conference is the Sunday evening, Monday morning and Monday afternoon prior to the first session of the BSC annual meeting that begins on Monday evening, Nov. 2.