Annual Meeting to focus on next steps, impacting lostness

With a theme of “Arise,” messengers to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) Annual Meeting will be challenged to step up and take action to help penetrate spiritual darkness. About 5.8 million people in North Carolina do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Spiritual darkness is everywhere – in our neighborhoods, across the state and throughout the world. We must “Arise” and obey the Lord’s command to share the gospel and make disciples.

North Carolina Baptists will be challenged through testimonies from individuals and families about next steps, or practical ways to engage neighbors, co-workers, family members and friends with the gospel.

The following are highlights of this year’s meeting. More information is available at ncannualmeeting.org.

Pastors’ Conference

The Pastors’ Conference theme is “A Lasting Legacy.” We are all called to leave a legacy that outlasts our lives; we are called to make a difference for eternity.

Featured speakers include Lee Pigg, pastor, Hopewell Baptist Church, Monroe; Junior Hill, Southern Baptist evangelist; Ken Trivette, president and director, Native American Baptist Missions; David Gallamore, pastor, Rock Springs Baptist Church, Easley, S.C.; Herb Reavis, pastor, North Jacksonville Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.; Mike Whitson, pastor, First Baptist Church Indian Trail; and Jeff LaBorg, east campus pastor, First Baptist Church Indian Trail.

The conference will be held at Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro and begins Sunday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. and ends Monday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. The conference is free and registration is not required. Visit ncannualmeeting.org/legacy for more information.

Convention sermon

Fred Luter Jr. will deliver the Convention sermon during the Tuesday evening session. Luter is president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La. When he was elected pastor in 1986, Franklin Avenue had 65 members. Under his leadership, by 2005 the church had grown to more than 7,000 members.

Luter was the first African-American to preach the Convention sermon at the SBC, and in 2012, was the first African-American elected SBC president.

Arise worship service

Mark Harris, BSC president and pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte, will preach Monday night during a special worship service. Harris has pastored First Baptist for about six years. He has also served as BSCNC first and second vice president.

Breakout sessions

Breakout sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 3:15 and 4:15 p.m.

Session topics include: mentoring, church renewal journey, transformational discipleship and teenagers, prayer, mission projects, stewardship, children’s discipleship, North American partnerships, reaching people in their cultural/ethnic context, rural strategy development and church strengthening.

Exhibit hall

The exhibit hall includes about 100 exhibits. Convention staff will have booths set up and will be able to answer questions about Convention ministries serving local churches.

Convention institutions and agencies will be represented, as will exhibitors offering various resources to churches such as directory services, insurance, website development and construction/architecture.

This year the exhibit hall will be organized according to the new BSC staff structure. Several new groups and teams are now part of the new structure, and will be available in the exhibit hall for you to meet and ask questions. For example, the new Strategic Focus Team that is leading the work in eight population centers across the state will have a booth area. The new Collegiate Partnerships Team, as well as the new Evangelism and Discipleship Group, which includes the Church Strengthening Team and Disciple-making Team, will be in the exhibit hall.

Visit ncannualmeeting.org.