Virginia Baptists are making travel plans for the 20th Baptist World Congress, the great gathering of the Baptist World Alliance.
Every five years the Congress is held in a different location around the world. In July, the Congress is in Honolulu, Hawaii. Many Virginia ministers and laypersons are planning to attend.
The Congress holds very special interest this year for Virginians since two of our own likely will become new officers of t
Fred Anderson
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he worldwide organization. John Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, is president-elect of the BWA and Daniel Carro, Latino ministries ambassador for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, is one of the first-vice-presidents-elect, representing Latin American Baptists.
Virginia Baptists have other reasons to celebrate the work of the BWA. It is headquartered in Falls Church. It is a part of the world mission causes supported in the budget of the BGAV. Indeed, Virginia Baptists are among the top contributors to the world organization.
Virginia Baptists have a long participation in the life and work of the BWA. They were interested in its purpose before it was even created. In 1895 Robert Healy Pitt, editor of the Religious Herald, published an editorial which called for the establishment of “a Pan-Baptist council, a representative gathering of Baptists from all parts of the globe for mutual acquaintance and the discussion of matters of common interest.” Pitt once gave credit for “the germ of the idea” to a fellow Virginia Baptist minister, W.W. Landrum, then pastor of the influential Second Baptist Church of Richmond. One day at the Herald office, Pitt received a visit from Landrum, who wanted to talk about his idea for a worldwide organization.
Meanwhile, across the pond, English Baptists were thinking in the same direction. Finally, in 1905, the first Congress was held in London. At least 23 Virginia Baptists, including a few African-Americans, attended the first Congress.
Robert Healy Pitt was among those in London. Later, he agreed to serve as the North American representative of the BWA so that in a sense the Herald for many years was an office of the BWA.
In 1911 the Congress was held in Philadelphia. William E. Hatcher of Virginia responded to the roll call of conventions when the name of the Southern Baptist Convention was called. In part, the prominent Virginia minister urged, “I feel that we have a noble opportunity to say we are not South or North, we are not American or European; we are members of the world’s Baptist Alliance and we are all together.” (Hatcher, at the time head of his Fork Union Academy, was even touted behind-the-scenes as a possible president of the BWA, but old age was taking its toll. He died the next year.)
Following his election as BWA president in 1955, Ted Adams was featured on the cover of Time magazine.
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Across the years, Virginia Baptists made travel plans, packed suitcases and attended Congress after Congress. Often a church would make a “love gift” of a BWA trip to their pastor and the pastor’s spouse. The pastor repaid the “gift” a hundred-fold by sharing upon return the experiences and relaying messages from Baptists around the world. The trips and the participation in the Congress offered rich memories which lasted a lifetime. Certainly, many Virginia Baptists attended the Congresses held in the United States: Philadelphia (1911), Atlanta (1939), Cleveland (1950), Miami Beach (1965) and Los Angeles (1985). And the nearby venue of Toronto in 1928 and 1980 attracted Virginians.
The overseas trips always held special appeal. At least nine Virginians made the trip to Stockholm in ’23, including J.F. Love, head of the SBC’s Foreign Mission Board, and John and Mable Vines of Roanoke. He was pastor of First Baptist Church, Roanoke, and she was a former president of Virginia Woman’s Missionary Union. Several Virginians attended the Congress in Berlin in ’34, including Theodore Adams, pastor of First Baptist Church, Richmond; George Braxton Taylor, pastor at Enon Baptist Church, Hollins; Edward and Mae Pruden; and Charles and Emma Maddry of the Foreign Mission Board. Henry Tiffany of Norfolk and Theodore and Esther Adams of Richmond were at the Copenhagen Congress of ’47.
The meeting which attracted so many Virginians was the Congress of ’55 in London. “Dr. Bob” Caverlee of Fredericksburg Baptist Church claimed that it looked like a meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia! There were 26 members of First Church, Richmond; and they were keen to witness the election of their pastor, Theodore Adams, as president of the BWA. And on July 19, 1955, at age 57, Adams received the highest elected position for Baptists in the world.
There had been hallway talk that Louie D. Newton of Georgia, editor of the Georgia Baptist newspaper, The Christian Index, was in line for the office. When it was announced that Adams was the unanimous choice of the BWA’s nominating committee, Newton “jumped to his feet to second the nomination” and the Virginian was elected without opposition.
A period newspaper account captured the moment: “A roar of acclamation went up as Dr. Adams walked slowly to the platform to be greeted by his predecessor, Dr. F. Townley Lord, of Britain. Dr. Adams appeared overwhelmed by emotion and made no speech. Slowly and with tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, Dr. Adams walked to the rostrum. For a moment or two, he appeared about to speak, then he turned slowly, waved to the assembly and walked back to his seat.” The new president tried to share the joy of the moment in an overseas telephone conversation with his son, Ted Jr., who had remained at home in Richmond.
One fellow delegate, the prominent Kyle Yates, could not wait to express his joy. From his hotel room in London, he wrote a note for personal delivery across the city to Adams. Yates wrote: “Just 22 seconds ago you and your sweet little bride stood by Dr. Lord’s side as we gave you an ovation. For years I have loved you and admired you as a true friend and honored colleague. Now I can look up to you as our great world president and leader.”
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies. He may be contacted at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.