NATIONAL OFFICE SBC Executive Cornminee 901 Commerce #750 BAPTIST PRESS Nashville, Tennessee 37203 - - (615) 244-2355 Wilrner C. Fields, Director Nem Smwlce of the Southom Baptist Convention Dan Martin, News Editor Craig Bird, Feature Editor BUREAUS ATLANTA.J~~Newton. Chrel. 1350 Spring St.. N.W. Atlanta. Ga. 30367, Telephone (404) 873-4041 DALLAS Thomas J. Brannon. Chief. 511 N Akard. Daflas. Texas 75201-3355. Telephone (214) 720-0550 NASHVILLE (Baptist Sunday School Board) Lloyd T: Householder. Chief, 127 Ninth Ave.. N., Nashville. Tenn. 37234. Telephone (615) 251-2300 RICHMOND (Foreign) Robert L. Stanley, Chrel. 3806 Monument Ave.. Richmond, Va. 23230, Telephone 1804) 353-0151 WASHINGTON Stan L. Hastey, Chief, 200 Maryland Ave.. N.E., Washington. D.C. 20002, Telephone (202) 544-4226 April 22, 1987 Cooprative P rogr am Levels Off Tn March NASHVILLE (Re)--After two months on a financial roller coaster, the Southern Baptist Convention1s Cooperative Program leveled off in March, announced Harold C. Bennett, pesident and treasurer of the SBC Executive Cmittee. March receipts for the SBCts mnvention-wide missions, evangelism and ministry budget were $11,523,003, or 14.84 percent over receipts for March of 1986, Bennett said. The March inme brought Cooperative Program receipts to $65.6 million for the first six months of the fiscal year, 4.52 percent ahead of receipts for the same period a year ago. March follawdi a record-high $13.1 million January total and Fekuary inme of only $10 million, almost $I million behind the Felxuary total for the pevious year. I I Those fluctuations were caused by modifications in the way several state Southern Baptist conventions write their Cooperative Program checks for mnvention-wide causes, explained Tim A. Hedquist, Ekecutive Ccmmittee vice president: for business and finance. fn January, sme state conventions started writing bi-monthly checks to the national Cooperative Program, rather than the mnthly checks that had been the norm. 1 Consequently, scme of the states1 sand checks in Fekuary did not reach the mecutive Cmittee before the end of the month, Hdquist said. This left the monthly Cooperative Program receipts short of the amount that eventually mld reach the mvention-wide level. I But the Cooprative Progr ;a reached "an even keel" in March, he added. The new check- writing pocedures had been in place long enough for the Executive Ccmittee, which distributes ~ the funds, to receive a full mnthls inme fran each state convention. Bennett and Hedquist applauded the efforts of state conventions to keep Cooperative Program receipts high at the mnvention-wide level. "States are working hard to adjust" to changinq and even faltering regional econanic conditions, primarily based on crises in the agriculture and petroleum industries, Hedquist said. Nevertheless, the Cmprative Program' s 4.52 percent rate of increase is outpacing inflation, which current1.y is less than 2 percent. Af rican Presidents Praise Raptist Press I Baptists, Missionaries 4/22/87 RI-, Va. (BP)--The fxesidents of Kenya and Tanzania have paised the work of ~aptists and missionar ies . Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, who was in Washington this swing to confer with President Ronald Reagan, said earlier in Kenya that missionaries are needed and welcxxne in his eastern A£ rican country. Moi played host to more than I., 000 Kenyan Baptists at his p ivate residence. Many Southern Baptist rnissionar ies also were present . "As long as I an pesident of the Repblic of Kenya, you will be welamed in Kenya to meach the gospel," Moi said in his address the crcwd. 'We need people who will help in training our people who will lead their awn churches." -more- 4/22/87 Page 2 Baptist Press A Kenyan newspaper quoted mi's explanation that, although Kenya is a sovereign state, it still welmes missionaries and Christian organizations £ran other countries to assist in the spread of the gospel. Noting most people only turn to Cod when they face problens, Moi adviserf people to appreciate all that God does for them. Kenyan Baptists pesented Moi with a check for 155,000 Kenya shillings, or about $10,000, to be used by the president in charitable pojects. Arthur Kinyanjui, chairman of the Baptist Convention of Kenya and a friend of Moi, arranged the meeting and delivered the sermon. He said the main objective of the convention is to spead the word of God in Kenya. In neighboring Tanzania, President Ali Hassan Mwinyi was on hand recently to lay the cornerstone for a new building at the Baptist-affiliated Ipinda High Schaol in the Kyela District. ". Hundreds of students and family members responded with cheers when Mwinyi pcmised he would personally see the school was given government permission to by as much roofing material as needed for mnststction. Metal. roofing is one of the scarcest items in the aountry. Mwinyi also thanked the Kyela Baptist Association for its part in establishing the school in 1984 and providing support and supervision. Later he personally thanked Southern Baptist missionaries Douglas and Evelyn Knam for their involvement with the school. The school makes it possible for 1-1 students to receive education beyorad grade seven. It has 360 students and 12 teachers and staff mmhzrs. -30- Baptist Press 4/22/87 SOWHEIW RFSTIST FORUM June 14-15, 1987 Kiel Auditorium Opera House St. Jmis, Missouri TTDE: Uniting All Things In Christ Ephesians 1: 10 Sunday Evening, June 14, 1987 Gene Garrison, pastor, ~irst~aptist Church, Oklahma City, ~esiding 6: 45--Prelude -- Organist, Ron mud, professor of church muslc, ,Southern Raptist Theoloqical Seminary, Ixxlisville, Ky. 7:OO-<ongregational singing - Jim Davis, minister of music, First Baptist Church, Tul.sa, Okla. --Roy L. Honeycutt Jr ., pesident , Southern Seminary --Don Aderbld, pastor, Columbia Drive Raptist Church, Decatur , Ga. --Announcements and Offering - Charles Wade, pastor, First Baptist Chwch, Arlington, Texas -Special music - Jim Davis --Ad& ess - Rosalyn Smith Carter , wife of former U.S. President Jhnny Carter , Plains, Ga. --Benediction Monday Morning, June 15 Gene Garrison, presiding 8:45-Prelude -- Ron Bound 9:OO-Congr egational singing - Jim Davis --Janes Slatton, pastor, River Road Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. --Business Session and Offering - Charles Wade ' -Nancy Hastings Sehested, associate pastor, Oakhur st Eaptist Church, Decatux , Ga. --Special music -4swald Hoffman, pr eacher , The Luther an Hour , St. Louis ll:30--Benediction Monday Afternoon, June 15 Gene Garrison, ~esxdlng l:15-Prelude - Ron mud Page 3 Baptist Press . .; .. 4/22/87 . I . ,,.. l:30--Congregational singing - Jim Davis --Fisher H- ies , professor of theology, New Orleans Baptist Theolcgical Seminary --John Hewitt, pastor, First ~apkistChurch, Asheville, N.C. > --Amoncements and offering --Lavonn Brawn, pastor, First ~aptistChurch, Norman, Okla. --Special music - Cynthia Clawson, Nashville -Winfred Moore, pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas 4:OO-Bendiction Southern Baptist Forum Baptist Press To Expand To 3 Sessions 4/22/87 ST. LO[TTS (BP)--An expanded format and new speakers will greet participants in the Southern Baptist Forum, to b held June 14-15 in Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. The Forum traditionally is held immediately pior to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, which this year is June 16-18 in St. Louis. Previously the Forum has had just one Monday afternoon meeting, but this year's event will be canpised of sessions Sunday evening, June 14, and Monday morning and afternoon, June 15, said Charles Wade, Forum chairman and pastor of First Baptist Church of Arlington, Texas. The anvention's hreadth and depth of speakers made the expanded format: necessary, Wade said. "Those of us who have been working on the Fourm felt the availability of many Southern Baptist pastors, professors and lay persons wtKxn Southern Baptists need and want to hear required an expanded p cgam, " he explained. Forum planners follwd though on that idea by =eating a mnp1.etely new line-up of Forum preachers, added Kenneth Chafin, a Form organizer and ~ofessorof peaching at Southern Baptist Theological Sgninary in Louisville, Ky.: "We have all new speakers. This is a great big denanination with a lot of talent. We think this denmination is t.xK, big and rich in talent to go dcwn there and hear the sane people. We can use different people every year for the next 20 years and not exhaust the pssibilities." Speakers are Roy L. Honeycutt, president of Southern seminary; Don Aderhold, pastor of Columbia Drive Baptist Church, Decatlo:, Ga.; Rosalyn Smith Carter, wife of former U.S. President JhyCarter of Plains, Ga. ; James Slatton, pastor of River Rcad Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. ; Nancy Hastings Sehester7, asmiate pastor of Oakhurst Baptist Church, Decatur , Ga. ; Also Oswald Ho£f?man, peacher for "The Lutheran Hourn fran St. Louis; ish her Hwnphreys, professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; John Hewett, pastor of First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C.; Lamnn Brown, pastor of First Baptist Church, Norman, Okla.; and Winfred Mwre, pastor of First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas. Musicians are Jim Davis, minister of music at First Baptist Church of Tulsa; Ron Boud, professor of church music at Southern seminary; and Cynthia Clawson, concert artist from Louisville. "Uniting All ~hingsin Christ" will be the theme for the event. "We hope to shthat Southern Baptists have an enormous mount of variety in thann in terms of such factors as gcmgraphy, size of churches, approaches to mrship and gender of leaders, Chafin said. "We are hoping there will be a wholesome awareness that we me all different yet united. "We want to povide fellmship for people in support of tbeo1qic.l education and heand foreign missions, " he added. "We want to be an island of affirmation and enaouragement to people who have not found that in recent years." -30- 4/22/87 Page 4 Baptist Press W, N Share Awards In BPFA Campetition By Joe Westbury ATLANFA (BP)--The Southern Baptist Hane ~issionmard and ~oreignMission Board tmk top honors in the 1987 awards competition sponsored by the Baptist Public Relations Assmiation.