FORT WORTH -- While Southern Baptists were voting on weighty social issues in New Orleans this week, another group of Baptists gathered in Fort Worth with a less-spirited agenda.
They were in Cowtown to network.More than 1,500 people traveled to the Fort Worth Convention Center for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's annual general assembly, which ended Friday. A moderate Baptist group formed in 1991, the Fellowship is separate from the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest protestant denomination. The Southern Baptists' annual meeting drew more than 7,800 messengers and made headlines for the historic election of the first African-American president and a resolution stating that gay marriage is not a civil rights issue.Based in Atlanta, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a network of partner churches and individual Christians. It is not a denomination, has no doctrine and does not make statements of beliefs and or take official stances on social issues, said spokesman Lance Wallace.So the annual meeting, which is free to folks who sign up, is focused on networking and providing a place for churches to share ideas, Wallace said.One of the most popular places at the convention was the Gathering Place, which featured booths from theological schools, areas for book signings, and artwork on display for a silent auction.Many of the paintings, pottery and other art were made by artists located in areas where the group's 137 missionaries are stationed."Through the course of the year, we'll pick up pieces as we meet artists and come across new things," said Jonathan Bailey, who was stationed in Bali, Indonesia. "We had to carry them. We brought a crate with our luggage."The event included numerous workshops, including seminars on social media use by ministers and disaster response ministries. Several participants also made the10-minute walk to Broadway Baptist Church for a workshop called Transforming Wednesday Nights for Adults.Officials there discussed the church's programming for adults, including a vespers chapel service launched in fall 2010 that features dimmed lights, silence and candles.Also during the annual meeting, participants honored the work of the organization's executive coordinator, Fort Worth native Rev. Daniel Vestal, commissioned eight new church starters and missionary field personnel, and approved a $12.4 million budget for 2012-13.They also voted on a task force's plan to downsize the large governing board to two councils and to create funding agreements between the national organization and each of the partners, Wallace said.Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326Twitter: @jessamybrownHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
