Dear Folks,
Many people in Western Canada and around the world have been blessed by the work of the Baptist World Alliance in areas of evangelism, social justice, alleviation of poverty, fellowship, human rights and profound theological reflection.
The last few decades have seen the leadership and vice-presidencies of the BWA nurtured by Bruce Milne, Shirley Bentall, Gary Nelson and Roy Bell. Many other Canadians have also led but these folk are Westerners. Several folk from the CBWC were in Hawaii for the 20th BWA World Congress; Joan and John Wilton, Kerry and Jeremy Bell, Tom and Grace Mei, Jan and Rein Paasuke, Edna (Grenz) and Harry Hiller and Brian and Caryn Stelck to name a few. Our friend Kutch Imayoshi was planning to come but was not well.
The eight main talks will be our resource centre on MP3. Below you will see information about the two Canadian speakers, Janet Clark and Alan Demond (now living in Australia under an assumed nationality, kidding!), Terry Smith, who led a Bible Study in French and Gary Nelson and I who led worships. I have also included Lance Watson’s bio and recommend his talk. I also believe that there are 17 Canadians on the BWA’s committees or work in some collaborative form. Some Westerners are Ryan Sato, Brian Stelck, Jonathan Wilson and myself.
I commend, support and celebrate God’s work through these brothers and sisters in this World Movement of Christian Witness and Advocacy: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy
jbell@cbwc.ca
To order tapes from BWA World Congress in July, 2010 http://www.bwanet.org/contentimg/file/20th%20Baptist%20World%20Congress%20-%20CD-DVD-MP3%20Order%20Form.pdf
Janet Clark, (morning plenary study leader – outstanding!) is academic dean and associate professor of counselling at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto, Canada. She previously served as vice dean at McMaster Divinity College, where she taught counselling, pastoral care and field education. She also worked in Indonesia as a missionary for eight years. She has lectured widely in a number of countries and contexts and is a frequent conference and retreat speaker. Her teaching, publications and continuing research interests are in the areas of multicultural competence, spiritual care and counselling and professional education.
Allan Demond, (morning plenary study leader) is senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Melbourne, Australia, and a former president of the Baptist Union of Victoria. Demond moved to Australia from Canada in 1995 to become senior pastor for New Hope. Under his leadership the church has moved through a time of significant transformation and growth.
Lance Watson, (evening speaker) is senior pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States, and is host of the telecast “Positive Power”, seen on TV ONE Network. His writings have been featured in the African American Pulpit, the Baptist Herald and several other publications. He is the author of Being Healthy From Now On, Maximize Your Edge: Navigating Life’s Challenges, and Meet Me in the Morning. Watson is recognized for outstanding leadership in church and education. He holds degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
Terry Smith, (Bible Study Leader) has been director of Partnerships and Initiatives for Canadian Baptist Ministries since 2003, and is an adjunct professor at Tyndale University College and Seminary and Acadia Divinity College. He is a member of the BWA Mission and Evangelism Workgroup. Smith served 20 years as a missionary in France, working in ministries ranging from inner-city youth work, church planting, outreach programs for Muslims in the francophone world, theological education and leadership development. Prior to returning to Canada, he was principal of the European Bible Institute in Lamoriaye, France, an interdenominational center for the study of Theology, Mission and the Arts. He is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, the FaculteLibre de Theologie Reformee (Aix en Provence, France), and the Faculte de Theologie (Vaux sur Seine, France). He is completing his doctoral studies in missiology at the Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is married to Heather and they have three children, Meghan, Caitlyn, and Nathaniel.
Workshop: Theme: Embracing and Releasing, Moderator: Gary Nelson. Do Christians ever need to abandon their cultures? Jesus calls his followers to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength. How do disciples of Jesus Christ live in the tension of competing claims of their cultural customs and traditions and the Gospel? This session examines how, in their contexts, Christians may live with integrity in the Spirit.
Workshop: Theme: Costly Christian Witness, Moderator: Jeremy Bell. The persecution of Christians in the twenty-first century. Through the years, many followers of Christ have suffered persecution because of their commitment to Jesus Christ. Do Christians suffer persecution today? This session describes contemporary experiences of the persecution of Christians and calls people to pray for, and to work on behalf of, those who suffer for the Gospel.