Saturday, August 28, 2010
McClatchy Newspapers
The country’s largest African-American denomination, the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc., will hold its 130th annual meeting Sept. 6-10 at the downtown Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo.
About 30,000 delegates and visitors are expected to attend. The theme is “Solidarity With the Savior.”
A highlight will be the address of the convention president, the Rev. Julius R. Scruggs, at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9. The address is free and open to the public.
Other highlights include a musical featuring a 400-voice choir of area singers at 7 p.m. Sept. 6 and an educational banquet at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Downtown Marriott, with speaker Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Tickets for the musical are $10, for the banquet, $50.
An exhibit hall, with hundreds of vendors, will be open to the public throughout the week.
As part of the gathering, delegates will go throughout the community sharing the gospel, climaxing with a baptism service at 7 p.m. Sept. 10, the final night.
Day sessions, including talks, services, women’s sessions, youth sessions and workshops, will deal with challenges facing black churches and topics of the day.
About 200 persons have been working on the local planning committee, headed by the Rev. John Modest Miles, pastor of Morning Star Baptist Church.
For information, go to www.nationalbaptist.com.