Springfield | Illinois’ upcoming bicentennial will inspire the 2017 IBSA Annual Meeting, celebrating the pioneer spirit so needed in a state where the vast majority of people do not know Christ.
“Illinois is not just our home, it is a mission field, and its bicentennial is an important opportunity to emphasize how many people here still need to hear the gospel, and how many communities here still need a Baptist church,” said IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams.
“There are actually four IBSA churches still active today that were already in existence when Illinois became a state in 1818. We believe that pushing back the vast lostness in Illinois today will require the same kind of courageous, creative, entrepreneurial spirit that it took to establish those first Baptist churches on the prairie 200 years ago.”
The meeting, scheduled for Nov. 8-9 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur, will feature Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines and music from worship artists This Hope. Sammy Simmons, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Benton, will bring the convention sermon.
The meeting will be structured to focus largely on the mission field in Illinois, Adams said. “We will be inviting churches to accept certain missional challenges during the upcoming bicentennial year of 2018, and celebrating those commitments and their progress at the 2018 annual meeting.”
Prior to the Annual Meeting, Gaines also will speak at the IBSA Pastors’ Conference, Nov. 7-8 at Tabernacle. Joining Gaines are Ed Stetzer, executive director of Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center for Evangelism; Curtis Gilbert, pastor of The Journey Metro East in Belleville; and Joe Valenti, associate pastor of youth and missions at Cuyahoga Valley Church near Cleveland, Ohio. Joe Miller, worship leader at Grace Baptist Church in Granite City, will lead worship during the conference.
Ministers’ wives will meet for their annual luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Tabernacle. The theme, “The Gift of Togetherness,” is based on Hebrews 10:24: “Let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works.” Tickets are $20; checks made out to IBSA Ministers’ Wives may be sent to Terry Kenney, 212 W. 10th St., Beardstown, IL 62618.
More information about the IBSA Annual Meeting and other meetings scheduled in Decatur will be posted soon at IBSA.org. Look for a special section in the October 16 issue of the Illinois Baptist.