Focus on the Family VP to address MBC
H.B. London to speak at annual meeting
By Staff
March 10, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY – A key vice president with Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family will address the Missouri Baptist Convention at its annual meeting Oct. 24-26 at Second Baptist Church, Springfield.
H.B. London, Jr., a first cousin to Focus on the Family Founding President James Dobson serving as the organization’s vice president of Ministry Outreach/Pastoral Ministries, will speak at the closing session as the convention turns its attention toward America’s families.
“I’m excited to have someone from Focus on the Family coming to our convention and I know through our correspondence that H.B. London is excited about coming,” said Mitch Jackson, president, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) and pastor, Miner Baptist Church, Sikeston. “I think it will be a great ending to our convention as we focus on the family.”
Dobson has “always felt that the church represents the first line of defense for the family,” according to a press release on the Focus on the Family Web site. “He believes that the pastor and his family must remain strong if we are to successfully resist the downward moral trends which threaten the very foundation of our nation. Dr. Dobson has asked H.B. to represent Focus on the Family in standing behind the pastors of America.”
The author or co-author of 10 books, London communicates with thousands of pastors and church leaders each week through “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing” (a fax network) and produces a bimonthly Pastor to Pastor cassette and newsletter. His latest book, co-authored with Neil Wiseman, For Kid’s Sake: Winning the Tug-of-War for Future Generations, was released in January 2004 by Regal Books.
London says his ministry continues to be people-centered.
“When you find a need, you fill it,” adding that he operates by the slogan, “God loves you as though you were the only one in all the world to love – and that makes you a very important person.”
Born in Little Rock, Ark., London is a graduate of Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) and was ordained in 1962. Point Loma Nazarene University conferred on London the doctor of divinity degree in 1990. He and his wife, Beverley, have two married sons and four grandchildren.
Before coming to Focus on the Family London pastored for 31 years, hosted a daily radio program for 14 years in Salem, Ore., and for six years in the Los Angeles area. He also had a weekly television program, “A New Way to Live,” in Portland, Ore.
London’s address will close the fifth and final session when the annual meeting turns its attention to America’s families.
The theme of this year’s convention is “So send I you,” taken from John 20:21. The theme will be divided into five sub-themes with each one being the focus for each of the five sessions. The first sub-theme, “Sent to Our Culture,” will emphasize the need for the church to be salt and light. The second, “Sent to Our Neighborhoods,” will challenge local churches to impact lives in their immediate vicinity. The third, “Sent to Our State,” will highlight the need for church planting and evangelism within Missouri. The fourth, “Sent to Our World,” will cast the spotlight on missions. The fifth, “Sent to Our Families,” will serve as a reminder to our churches that their ministry to families must be a priority.
Other keynote speakers and special musical guests will be announced soon.