28/04/2010
More than 1,500 British Baptists are descending upon Plymouth this weekend for their annual Baptist Assembly, hosted jointly by BMS World Mission and the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
Themed ‘One World, One Mission’, the event aims to encourage participants to rethink their understanding of modern mission.
Reuben Martin (left), a Baptist minister in France with BMS, is giving the keynote address at Saturday’s evening celebration.
He will focus on how and his family has met the challenge of church ministry in Western Europe (and coped with being ‘reality TV’ stars!)
The same session will see newly-trained BMS mission personnel commissioned for service, and other workers recognised for their contribution overseas.
A BMS focus on Sunday morning will showcase new resources, including the 2010 Harvest Appeal entitled
Redemption, the
Onside football video series and
This dark world, a documentary about the sex industry in Bangkok.
Information about these and other products will be available from BMS’ exhibition stand throughout the weekend, where there will also be an opportunity for people to offset their carbon emissions from travelling to and from Plymouth.
At last year’s event, three-quarters of delegates offset a total of 40,000kg of carbon, raising more than £500 for tree-planting and renewable energy overseas projects, organised by our partner Climate Stewards.
Debates and questions
Other Baptist Assembly speakers include Amy Orr-Ewing, Training Director at the Zacharias Trust, and BMS Global Ambassador David Coffey in one of his final engagements before stepping down as President of the Baptist World Alliance.
Two public resolutions will be debated: one on violence and human trafficking, and one on nuclear weapons which is being seconded by former Iraq hostage Norman Kember.
BMS general director David Kerrigan (right) is co-hosting the event and recently wrote on his Thinking Mission blog, “In this new world of missionary encounters with our own communities, we need to ask afresh what the nature of church is. What model of Baptist ministry do we need for the generations to come?”
The Baptist Assembly is at the Plymouth Pavilions from Friday 30 April – Monday 3 May.
Click here for the Assembly website, where photos and information will be posted both during and after the event.
Facebook users can find the Baptist Assembly by searching there and for those of you on Twitter you can follow the Assembly at: http://twitter.com/baptistassembly