DIDCOT, England (ABP) — “The congress proceeds as planned and our watchword is: 'In God we trust.'”
With those words, David Coffey, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and incoming president of the Baptist World Alliance, tried to reassure 12,000-plus Baptists worldwide expected to attend the Baptist World Congress next week in Birmingham, 105 miles northwest of London.
Four “attempted bombings” struck London July 21, two weeks to the day after four explosions killed 56 people and injured hundreds in the city's transit system, authorities said. While the latest attacks were not nearly as deadly, they were eerily similar to the July 7 bombings. Both targeted three underground subway locations and one bus.
“We express our continuing sympathy to those who have lost loved ones and to those who were injured on 7/7 and to those who may have been involved in the latest events in London today,” Coffey said in a statement. “Here in the UK, we have lived for many years with acts of terrorism and believe it is important for Christians to witness to their faith and hope in Jesus Christ.
I assure those about to travel that the police are doing everything possible to strengthen security in our major cities.”
Coffey and Denton Lotz, general secretary of the BWA, reiterated their earlier assessment that the global Baptist meeting, even in the wake of terror attacks, sends the right message.
“I encourage all those planning to attend the congress to come to Birmingham as a witness to our solidarity with a suffering world and a persecuted church,” Coffey said of the July 27-31 meeting. “Many believers face threats to life on a regular basis. The current climate in the UK provides a context for God to speak to us in a deep way as a gathering of global Baptists.”
Lotz added: “The BWA sends prayers and sympathies to those who may have been injured. We are in solidarity with our brothers and sisters worldwide. We are grateful to the outstanding security of the British government and look forward with joy, excitement and enthusiasm to our Baptist World Congress. We pray God's blessings upon the thousands already en route to the congress and anticipate an unusual congress of great spiritual depth and power.”
The Baptist World Congress, which meets once every five years, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of BWA, which was organized in London in 1905. Cancellations for the Birmingham meeting were minimal after the July 7 attacks, BWA officials reported.