JACKSON, Miss (BP) — Mississippi Baptist Convention (MBC) messengers elected by acclamation Mark Vincent, senior pastor of Clarke-Venable Baptist Church in Decatur, to a second term as president during the MBC 2018 annual meeting.
Messengers also approved without dissent a 2019 Mississippi Cooperative Program budget of $31,051,526, down 1.1 percent from the 2018 CP budget.
Despite the slight decline, Mississippi Baptists will forward 37.9 percent of CP gifts, $11,799,579, to the Southern Baptist Convention for national and international causes, compared to 37.7 percent of receipts forwarded in 2018.
SBC causes and the amounts to be disbursed in 2019 are:
— International Mission Board, $5,948,168;
— North American Mission Board, $2,689,124;
— Theological education, $2,614,787;
— SBC operating, $352,807, and
— Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, $194,693.
Other officers elected during the Oct. 30-31 meeting at First Baptist Church of Jackson are first vice president Scott Thomas II, senior pastor of North Oxford Church, Oxford; second vice president Tommy Snyder, pastor of First Baptist Church, Batesville; recording secretary Michael Weeks, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Olive Branch; and assistant recording secretary Jerry Bingham, missions director of the Benton-Tippah Baptist Association in Ripley.
Messengers approved one resolution, which expressed appreciation to the host church, Vincent, annual meeting speakers, singers, and instrumentalists, and those who have “served this Convention faithfully” as officers, board members, trustees, committee members and volunteers.
A motion was presented that would allow the Mississippi Baptist Foundation to accept and manage accounts from entities outside the MBC that are not in conflict with the foundation, MBC, or the SBC. The motion will be voted on by messengers to the MBC annual meeting in 2019.
Messengers also approved without dissent the Report of the Committee on Nominations, which contained nominees to serve on the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) and other MBC entities.
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, presented the Bible Treasures series of devotions.
Other speakers included Vincent; Ronnie Falvey, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Madison; Jim Futral, MBCB executive director-treasurer, and Jeff Iorg, president of Gateway Seminary in suburban Los Angeles.
Worship through music was led by Billy Williams, Clarke-Venable Baptist worship pastor; Slater Murphy, MBCB director of church music; Ross Johnson, music and worship pastor at First Baptist Madison; and the Worship Pastors Team.
Worship choirs from Clarke-Venable Baptist and William Carey University in Hattiesburg performed in worship, as did the Mississippi Singing Churchmen. Other musical guests comprised a combined choir consisting of members of Main Street Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Grove, First Baptist Church of Purvis, Providence Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, Macedonia Baptist Church of Petal, the Lamar Christian School choir and the William Carey University Chorale and Orchestra of Hattiesburg.
First Baptist Church of Jackson will again host the MBC annual meeting in 2019, set for Oct. 29-30.
