US Baptists Proclaim New Era of Cooperation after 100 Years

WASHINGTON - Some 2,500 Baptists celebrated the centennial anniversary of American Baptist Churches USA last Saturday.

On the Centennial Day, young speakers, introduced as "emerging voices", made it clear: "Boy, are we different!"

"We are unified because being different is what makes us what we are ... We scatter light over the world like salt from a shaker," said Lauren Ng, assistant pastor of San Francisco's First Chinese Baptist Church, according to ABCUSA News Service.

ABCUSA is unusual as a denomination in the US in that it is not dominated by a single ethnic group.

The emerging voices at the Washington Convention Centre offered a glimpse into the future, speaking of unity in diversity, evangelism, justice and mercy, and global mission.

The centennial celebration was part of a four-day biennial convention which kicked off on Friday with a historic joint worship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. About 5,000 people of the CBF and the ABCUSA joined together Friday night in a worship service amid a new effort of collaboration.

The two national Baptist groups have proclaimed "A New Era of Baptist Cooperation" amid recent efforts to bridge divides and focus on common ground.

"We're seeking genuine ways of collaboration and cooperation," said Dr Daniel Vestal, coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, at a press conference on Friday. "We'll let what we do be a voice for Christ, the gospel, and justice."

Both Baptist groups are holding their national meetings at the same time and place.

"We both have a commitment to soul liberty," said ABCUSA General Secretary Dr A Roy Medley of their collaboration. In spite of doctrinal differences, he affirmed, "We'll be able to work together."

The ABCUSA claims 1.5 million members in about 5,800 churches and is the second largest Baptist group in the nation.

CBF was formed in 1991 by pastors and congregations dissatisfied with the conservative policies of the Southern Baptist Convention and has about 1,900 congregations.

The two groups are cooperating in church plants, Hurricane Katrina aid, conferences and joint participation in the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board as they seek "a partnership across lines that have traditionally divided us", said Dr Robert Nash, coordinator of global missions for CBF.

Dr Reid S Trulson, director of the Board of International Ministries for ABCUSA, said such partnerships "are not terribly new".

"What we're seeing is a new permutation of a long-standing pattern," he said.

The collaboration comes months after former US President Jimmy Carter announced the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant - an even broader Baptist meeting in America scheduled for January 2008 and part of a new initiative to counter the "negative" Baptist image and demonstrate Baptist unity around social concerns.

The New Baptist Covenant Celebration is being organised under the umbrella of the North American Baptist Fellowship - a division of the Baptist World Alliance - and includes participants from the National Baptist Convention USA Inc and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, both of which are predominantly black.