The Baptist World Centenary Congress Announced

The Baptist World Centenary Congress will take place in Birmingham and will take place between 27th until 31st July 2005.

The Baptist World Congress is convened every five years by the Baptist World Alliance, moving around the continents each time. In 1990 it was in Seoul, Korea; in 1995 it was Buenos Aires, Argentina and for the millennium year of 2000 it was Melbourne, Australia.

As the BWA was founded in 1905 in London - the 2005 Congress will be the Centenary Congress and the Baptist Union of Great Britain has been asked to serve as host to 10,000 to 15,000 guests from around the world at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Birmingham with evening celebrations taking place next door at the National Indoor Arena (NIA).

There are 43 million Baptist Christians in 200 countries of the world and this five yearly Congress is an opportunity for as many of those as possible to join together for a life changing experience. The Congress is a very colourful experience where you will be mixing with and surrounded by fellow Baptists of all experiences and cultures, many often in their magnificent National costumes.

The programme will include:
• inspirational evening celebrations, moving testimonies and musical contributions from the world wide Baptist family,
• morning Bible studies featuring top Bible teachers from around the world and various styles of worship to choose from,
• afternoon workshops, seminars and fringe festivals,
• an exhibition hall, and
• dynamic concerts revealing the rich, varied musical talent of the world family.

Speakers
At the recent meetings of the Baptist World Alliance Executive, an outstanding global list of Congress speakers was announced. Those announced are as follows:

Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback Baptist Church in Lake Forest, California, and best selling author of “The Purpose-Driven Life” , which has sold over 14 million copies since October 2002, “making it the best selling hardback non-fiction book in history (aside from the Bible),” has confirmed that he and his wife Kay and a number of his staff will participate in the Congress. Warren told the BWA, “my Saddleback pastors will be happy to serve in any capacity and especially in the areas of worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and evangelism mission.”

The global aspect of the meeting is the key for Warren who says the 40 days of purpose programme has been used in over 20,000 churches in North America and is exploding in many other countries such as the Philippines where 1,500 churches are studying the concepts, and literally thousands in Spanish in South America. Especially significant is the fact that 600 churches in the United Kingdom are already involved in this programme, and thousands of Baptists in England are expected to attend to hear Warren.

Former US President Jimmy Carter will teach an international Sunday school class on Sunday morning at the Congress. Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the first recipient of the BWA Human Rights Award is expected to challenge Christians everywhere in the work for the poor and for justice.

BWA President Billy Kim who is known around the world as an evangelist, will speak as he concludes his five-year term as president of the BWA.

Solomon Ishola, head of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, the largest Baptist group in Africa and one of the newest leaders in Baptist life in Africa, will also give a presentation.

Also attending will be Myra Blyth, former Deputy General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Blyth, a minister, who has worked in youth work and in ecumenical work and is known for her worship with arts and music. A singer and a song writer, she has used her music extensively in leading worship throughout her ministry, Blyth is also an author, who now lectures in worship and ecumenical studies at Regents Park College in Oxford.

Fausto Vasconcelos, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and president of the Union of Baptists in Latin America, will represent Latin America .

All of the preachers will address different aspects of the theme “Jesus Christ Living Water”. The Congress will feature a pastors’ stream and Bible studies that will deal with themes of salvation, baptism, the Holy Spirit, compassion, service and cleansing. There will be focus groups on challenges and changes in today’s world that also speak to the theme. All of this will be connected by worship that will feature gathering and praising, discovering and exploring, responding and committing, sending and acting.

For Youth
For those aged 11-18, there are youth sessions presented by Baptist Youth Specialists and Viz-A-Viz. This could be the most multicultural, multimedia, dynamic, and entertaining encounters you have ever had with God (and young people from around the world). Using a mixture of world music, dramatic theatre, small groups, rousing celebrations and much more that's too innovative to describe, you will discover new things about yourself, your world and your relationship with God.

These sessions will run every morning and evening during the Congress.

The Congress programme begins on the evening of Wednesday 27 July 2005 and officially concludes late afternoon on Sunday 31 July 2005.