Baptist Centenary Congress Ready to Receive Former US President Jimmy Carter

Entering the fourth day of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) Centenary Congress, the programmes thus far have been exciting and appealing for the 13,000 Baptists who have already been filled up with overflowing grace and joy.

As with other days, Saturday morning will start with worship and bible study. Instead of going to bible studies with different speakers and languages at different venues, all Baptists will gather at the National Indoor Arena (NIA) in the early morning where all the Bible study delegates at the Congress will come together. The Bible study will be given by Pastor Neville Callam of Jamaic while Brad Berglund from the USA will lead the worship and prayer.

Denton Lotz, the General Secretary of the BWA will give an address on "The State of the Alliance".

Following the Bible study, Baptists will witness the recognition of the incoming BWA President- Revd David Coffey, who is the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Moderator of the Free Churches in the UK. He would hold the post until the next Baptist World Congress in 2010.

The long awaited high-profile guest the former US president Jimmy Carter is expected to arrive at the Congress for the Friends of BWA Lunch as a guest speaker. On Sunday 31st July, Carter will lead a bible study in the NIA as well.

"I have a weekly commitment to my own home church to teach the Bible and the Baptist World Congress will give me a very good expanded forum to pursue that same goal," said Carter, in an interview with The Baptist Times. "I hope that I will be able to deal succinctly with the teachings of the Christian faith with the current considerations of the general populous in the secular world."

Saturday afternoon will feature two major programmes- Women’s Celebration and Men’s Rally. Under the theme Seeing with New Eyes - Trafficking of Children and Women, the Women’s Celebration is a special invitation to all women at the Congress. Lauran Bethell, an international specialist on the issue, will introduce her work in Thailand, where she founded the New Life Christian Centre for young women who had been forced into prostitution.

The Men’s Rally will be hosted by the Baptist Men’s Movement, providing an informal fellowship time. Features include news presentation of men’s work around the world and an address by Theo Angelov of Bulgaria, recently retired General Secretary of the European Baptist Federation.

The evening celebration will be led by the worship leader Malanie Burns of USA. Former US president Jimmy Carter will present a BWA Human Rights Award and Rick Warren will be speaking.