Report from ABCUSA Biennial Mission Summit 

I was grateful for the opportunity to attend our American Baptist Churches USA Biennial Mission Summit , June 23-25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The theme of the Mission Summit was “For Such A Time As This” based on the Old Testament story of Esther. The Summit was a time of rest, renewal, worship, and learning. Below I share a few of my learnings and highlights in the order I experienced them. 

Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America Pre-Biennial Breakfast and Meeting honored Rev. Michael Nabors, pastor, Second Baptist Church, Evanston, IL, and the Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf, pastor, Lake Street Church, Evanston, IL, who were awarded the Edwin T. Dahlberg Peace and Justice Award for outstanding work for peace and justice. Second Baptist Church was founded in 1882 when 10 Black members of Lake Street Church (then First Baptist) re-signed due to discrimination. Together the pastors and their congregations are pursuing reparations and restoration of their two congregations, including Second Baptist’s rightful ownership of Lake Street Church’s historic and valuable property. 

Having just preached on the story of Zacchaeus, I appreciated learning about the local reparations movement in Ev-anston, IL, around red lining, but most appreciated how the two congregations were building partnership as they ad-dress a historic inequity they inherited. I was left pondering questions, but also inspired as I heard Rev. Nabors rap and heard this poem from Dr. Benjamin E. Mays. 

I have only just a minute, I must suffer if I lose it. 

Only sixty seconds in it. Give account if I abuse it. 

Forced upon me, can’t refuse it. Just a tiny little minute, 

Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it. But eternity is in it. 

But it’s up to me 

to use it. 

At the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board Luncheon, I listened to Dr. Thad Austin share his research work fo-cused on those who care for clergy. Dr. Austin highlighted three issues: Forgetting who we are (Faith), Losing the Ability to Dream (Hope), and Not Caring for One Another (Love). I was inspired by the following prayer he shared which is attributed to Sir Francis Drake, 1577. 

Disturb us, Lord, when Having fallen in love with life, We are too well pleased with ourselves, We have ceased to dream of eternity When our dreams have come true And in our efforts to build a new earth, Because we have dreamed too little, We have allowed our vision When we arrived safely Of the new Heaven to dim. Because we sailed too close to the shore. 

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, 

Disturb us, Lord, when To venture on wider seas With the abundance of things we possess Where storms will show your mastery; We have lost our thirst Where losing sight of land, 

For the waters of life; We shall find the stars. 

I attended three workshops. The first was focused on “Intergenerational Connection.” 

Highlights included: 

? What is important are the relationships in church. 

? There are different ways to be church. It’s important to be able to articulate and embody united vision and call. 

? Do we believe the fire alarm we are hearing is a real emergency or fake? Get out and do the work. 

The second focused on “anti-racism” work of three individuals at the personal, relational, and institutional lev-el since May of 2020. I learned about the work of American Baptist Women’s Ministry whose 2022 theme was Real Acceptance. Their 2023 ministry theme is Racial Justice. I learned about many different resources for local ABWM chapters and opportunities to journey cross-culturally through beloved community initiative. I heard one local pastor share how when he is angry, he needs to understand and walk towards the hurt that is behind the anger. Lastly, I learned about an anti-racism curriculum at Calvary Baptist Church in Newark, Delaware.

Cindy Wedgewood, presenter and Calvary member, said, “After George Floyd, many churches and institutions craft-ed statements, but what has your church or institution done since then? Were there any teeth to the statement? Any actions taken after the statement?” 

The third workshop focused on “Table Life: An Invitation to Everyday Discipleship.” This workshop framed our context as “There’s more Christian content available than at any other time in history, some of it better than what we can provide locally. What can the local church offer besides Christian content?” The presenter suggested we of-fer relationships, and “Table Life” facilitates such relationships. Meals become a catalyst to bring 6-8 people togeth-er. Those gathered take time to dwell in the narrative of scripture, sharing what they are hearing from a scripture. Participants also share and listen to each other’s stories. As I heard about this ministry, I thought it had the potential to be a model for us at Grace Baptist to renew and build new relationships. 

Throughout the weekend, I was inspired by the worship leaders and preachers as well. I greatly valued reconnecting with colleagues after Covid and making new connections. It was a great Mission Summit. We belong to the most diverse Protestant denomination, and it’s always a blessing to dwell with the larger ABC-USA Family. As I meet with various lay leaders and boards, in these summer months, I will be sharing additional reflections and potential connections to Grace’s Ministry. 

Pastor David