DOVER, Del. (BP) — Messengers to the Nov. 10-11 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware approved an overall budget of $6.2 million for the coming year, down from $7.1 million in 2008.
Anticipated Cooperative Program giving from churches in the two-state convention is $4.6 million, down from $5.3 million. Maryland/Delaware Baptists will continue to forward 41 percent of CP receipts to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries.
To deal with the financial hardships, executive director David Lee said the convention is freezing accounts, eliminating some staff and halting salary increases in the coming year.
The 325 messengers unanimously elected Byron Day, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Laurel, Md., president.
Lee cited the year's successes including 28 new church starts, large attendance and responses at the youth evangelism conference, growth at the Ocean City resort ministry and the launching of a new resort ministry in the western association, phenomenal growth in women's ministries and ministers' wives events, the growing use of an online training program, and Skycroft Conference Center's growth.
A video presentation featured Embrace Wilmington, a Delaware Baptist Association strategic initiative to embrace the city with the love of Christ from Delaware churches.