OVERLAND PARK, KS (ABNS 6/20/13)—American Baptists are gathering for Mission Summit 2013: An American Baptist Biennial Gathering in Overland Park/Kansas City, from June 21-23, 2013. The event features a new Mission Summit Conversations component, during which attendees will engage in dialogue about mission challenges faced by churches across the denomination.
“What an amazing array of events we will celebrate as we meet in Overland Park!” said Ruth Clark, president of American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA). “We will mark the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 200th anniversary of Adoniram and Ann Judson’s arrival in Burma, and the 375th anniversary of the First Baptist Church in America while holding a summit of minds and hearts as we discuss and share our concerns about our churches – local, national, and international.”
General Secretary Roy Medley said, “So often we talk about doing something new, only to have it look just like the old. There really will be something new about this year’s biennial. We intend to engage every person attending in significant conversation and reflection about the mission challenges the church faces in North America. We want to cast aside the ‘church as victim’ language and recapture the boldness and innovation of earlier Baptists as they faced the challenges of their particular eras. It is an exciting turning point for us.”
The Mission Summit Conversations are a featured part of the Mission Summit/Biennial event. The Mission Summit Conversations will be an open opportunity for anyone attending to engage in meaningful dialogue about a topic of interest by self-selecting into a small group. Topics can be viewed by clicking here.
“We now live in a networked world and, if we are not providing opportunities for people with similar ministry passions, interests, and ideas to meet one another, then we are simply not ministering to our fullest capacity as the ABC. With the help of trained facilitators, the Mission Summit Conversations will provide a place for people to reach beyond their frustrations and hear what is working in other places. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to share what God is up to related to these issues,” said Jeff Woods, associate general secretary for Regional Ministries of ABCUSA and facilitator for the Mission Summit Conversations event.
Follow the events at Mission Summit 2013 on the ABCUSA website, Facebook page (American Baptist Churches USA), Twitter account (AmericanBaptist, #missionsummit2013), and view a photo album of events at www.abc-usa.org. Photos and updates will be added throughout the weekend.
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.