DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Churches maintain Ministry on the Mall. Baptists in the District of Columbia are continuing their Ministry on the Mall this summer, as churches offer hospitality to the tourists that flock to Washington's National Mall. Area churches offer water, tracts and scriptures to visitors. Occasionally, they also provide concerts or puppet shows. The District of Columbia Baptist Convention is providing tents and equipment, and also securing legal permits for activities on the Mall. (Capital Baptist)
MARYLAND
Baltimore is NAMB's Strategic Focus City. Though the signing and celebrating of the covenant still needs to take place, it's official: Baltimore will become the newest Strategic Focus City for the Southern Baptist Convention's North America Mission Board. Baltimore Baptist Association pastors officially agreed to the NAMB's November 2005 invitation to form a partnership to focus national resources in local community service, church evangelism and church planting efforts in the Baltimore area. While the remainder of 2006 into 2007 will focus on continued preparation and coordination, the actual implementation is scheduled to launch in 2008 or 2009. Ritche Carney, NAMB's SFC coordinator, who has worked closely with Baltimore Baptists, hopes Baltimore's original Baptist heritage will come into national focus. In the late 1800s, Southern Baptist missions leader Annie Armstrong started ministries for widows, orphans, the poor, and the new immigrant populations of Baltimore. Ultimately, Carney said he'd like to see local churches all over Baltimore that are strong with self-sustaining ministries. (Maryland/Delware Baptist Life)
NORTH CAROLINA
Baptists rigged for tall ships outreach. Pepsi Americas' Sail 2006, an international event held in Beaufort and Morehead City, N.C., June 30-July 5, provided a unique opportunity for North Carolina Baptists and others to come together, reach out to others and share the gospel message. First Baptist Church of Beaufort's pastor, Jack Lee, and members agreed to open the fellowship hall to provide law enforcement officers a place for food, drinks and rest. With temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, the fellowship hall quickly filled up with about 100 officers seeking refuge from the sun and heat. “It was a God-send,” one law enforcement officer told Lee. As the number mushroomed, church volunteers went to area businesses and solicited donations. People in the community heard about the need and brought food to the church, said Lee. (Biblical Recorder)
MARYLAND
Graham revisits Baltimore for festival. Though frail and ailing, 87-year-old Billy Graham delivered a strong message of hope to more than 33,000 people gathered in Baltimore's Camden Yards during the last night of a July 7-9 Metro Maryland Festival. In a historic moment for Marylanders, the evangelist shared the stage with longtime crusade associates Cliff Barrows, now 83, and George Beverly Shea, now 97. The trio has ministered twice before in Baltimore, most recently in 1981 and in 1949, the year that Graham's signature crusade ministry first garnered national attention. Over three years in the making, the Metro Maryland Festival, held in the Camden Yards home to baseball's Baltimore Orioles, represents the combined efforts of 655 area churches — 125 of which are churches associated with the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware — working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. All together, more than 80,000 people attended the three-day festival, which also featured Christian rock band the Newsboys, gospel legend Andrae Crouch, former American Idol contestant George Huff, country western superstar Randy Travis and a 1,500-voice choir from area churches. Franklin Graham preached on Friday and Saturday nights, before yielding the pulpit to his father on Sunday. (Baptist Press)
NORTH CAROLINA
Schools give Hispanics theological training. Some North Carolina Baptists take teaching to the masses literally — and in Spanish. Both Campbell University in Buies Creek and Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville have certificate programs in theology or Christian service for Spanish-speaking students. In the 2004 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, the total Hispanic/Latino population in North Carolina was 506,206. While Fruitland just graduated its first class of 13 students, Campbell has completed three graduations since its program began in 2002. More than 40 students were enrolled for the first semester of classes in 2002, said Patricia Wright, director of the Hispanic Theological Program at Campbell Divinity School. Glenn Jonas, chairman of the department of religion and philosophy at Campbell, said he hopes the university will soon be able to offer an associate degree in divinity. North Carolina has about 140 Baptist Spanish-speaking congregations. Other opportunities for Hispanic education exist in the state include North Carolina Baptist Hospital, which trains Hispanics to get a clinical pastoral education certificate, and the Eastern Baptist Association, which has a certificate program for Hispanics through Christian Theological Institute. (Biblical Recorder)