Program for MBC annual meeting set
H.B. London, The Hoppers headline
By Allen Palmeri
Staff Writer
June 14, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY – The lineup of keynote speakers for the 171st annual meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) is complete, with missionaries Terry Hopkins and Wade Akins joining H.B. London, Jr., vice president of Ministry Outreach/Pastoral Ministries for Focus on the Family.
The annual meeting will be Oct. 24-26 at Second Baptist Church, Springfield. The theme is “So Send I You,” with sub-themes for each of the five sessions. The sub-themes are “Sent to Our Culture,” “Sent to Our Neighborhoods,” “Sent to Our State,” “Sent to Our World,” and “Sent to Our Families.” The overall emphasis is derived from John 20:21.
“The theme is what God gave to me as I was praying about a direction,” MBC President Mitchell Jackson said. “God sends us, and He sends us to different areas. There’s going to be a drama every night to interpret that theme. Second Baptist’s drama team is putting that together for us.”
On the first night of the convention, Jackson, pastor, Miner Baptist Church, Sikeston, plans to deliver his president’s address on the sub-theme of Missouri Baptists being sent to our culture.
London will speak at the close of the convention Oct. 26. He is the author or co-author of 10 books. Before coming to Focus on the Family, he was a pastor for 31 years. He also hosted a daily radio program for 14 years in Salem, Ore., and for six years in the Los Angeles area. His weekly television program, “A New Way to Live,” was aired in Portland, Ore.
Hopkins is minister of missions at First Baptist Church, Snellville, Ga. Since beginning to serve there in 1996, he has been team leader of mission trips to Romania, Holland, Ukraine, India, Africa, Germany, Haiti, Jamaica and China. Hopkins is scheduled to speak at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 25.
Akins is the founder of the Pioneer Evangelism program for the International Mission Board. He and his wife, Barbara, teach evangelism all over the world, training leaders in church work. They train lay evangelists to go into areas where there are no churches for the purpose of winning souls to Christ and starting new works. Wade Akins is scheduled to speak to the convention around 8 p.m. Oct. 25.
There will be plenty of music as well. The first night of the convention will feature the music and worship ministry of Miner Baptist Church. The church’s choir, band and praise team will lead worship and provide special music under the direction of Minister of Music Darryl Griggs.
On Oct. 25, Joe Crider, who leads worship for Second Baptist Church, Springfield, will lead the host church’s choir and orchestra. There will also be special music by Second Baptist as well as by the praise team of Calvary Baptist Church, Republic.
The Hoppers, billed as “America’s Favorite Family of Gospel Music,” will be on hand to sing Oct. 25-26. The Hoppers, whose name has been synonymous with traditional Southern Gospel Music for more than three decades, won the Favorite Mixed Group Award in the Southern Gospel Music Association from 1997-2003 and have won numerous other national honors. Their first No. 1 release was in 1990 with Here I Am. That was followed by five other No. 1 singles, capped by their most recent release, Jerusalem. In 1981, the Hoppers represented Southern Gospel Music at the Religious Inaugural Celebration for President Ronald Reagan.
Wayne Isgriggs, pastor, First Baptist Church, Lincoln, will preach the convention sermon at 11:30 a.m. Oct 25. Isgriggs is a member of the MBC Executive Board.