The Baptist Convention; An anticipated event in the state

There are Mississippi conventions for tourism, for trade shows and even a wildlife convention.

On July 21 – 25, one convention is returning to the Capitol City that many Mississippians of the Baptist denomination have been eagerly awaiting.

The General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi will convene at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Jackson.

The 119th Session of the GMBSC will consist of several workshops for participants of all ages. All of the adult sessions will be held at the downtown hotel, while all youth activities will take place at New Hope Baptist Church, 5202 Watkins Dr., Jackson, and Greater Fairview Baptist Church, 2545 Newport St., Jackson. A Young People’s Pageant will also be held at Greater Fairview.

Registration for the GMBSC will begin at 1 p.m., Monday. The opening session and musical will take place later that evening at 7 p.m. at the Marriott.

Other activities will include:

• Monday, 2 p.m. – Woman’s Department Fashion Show. The guest speaker will be Dr. Hugh Dell Gatewood, president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Woman’s Auxiliary.

• Tuesday, 5 p.m. – Woman’s Department International Tea. The guest speaker will be Dr. Carol Mitchell, parliamentarian, NBC, USA, Inc. Woman’s Auxiliary.

• Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. – The State Oratorical Contest, sponsored by the Young People’s Department.

• Tuesday, 7 p.m. – The Address of the Young People’s Executive Director, delivered by Rev. Arthur Sutton, pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, Jackson. Performances by State Youth Choirs will also take place.

• Wednesday, 7 p.m. – The J. H. Jackson Night, featuring Dr. J. Van Winsett, president of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention in Pittsburg, Penn.

• Thursday, 12 p.m. – The State Youth Department’s Annual Picnic at Lake Hico.

• Thursday, 7 p.m. – The President’s Annual Address, to be delivered by Rev. Jerry Young, GMBSC president, and pastor of New Hope Baptist Church.

The General Baptist Association and the General Convention merged to form the GMBSC in 1890. It was formed under the leadership of an ex-slave preacher, Rev. Randle Pollard. The convention originally consisted of 400 churches that represented over 70,000 black Baptists. Now the organization represents hundreds of thousands of black Baptists throughout the state of Mississippi.

Rev. Jerry Young was elected as the 14th president of the State Convention in 1998. He also serves as the second vice president of the National Convention, U.S.A., Inc. where he is regional vice president for the Southwest Region. He works with the evangelism board of the convention and previously served as a seminar leader in the Sunday School and NBC Administrators Division of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education.

For more information contact the GMBSC at 601-366-7002 or visit www.gmbsc.org.

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