Grateful to serve, ready to gather

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention the past two years. What a joy to have a seat at the table to see the inner workings of our denomination. God has been so kind and blessed us with faithful and godly leaders. The men and women who serve the SBTC do an excellent job giving their all for Christ and His churches.

I am especially grateful for our executive director, Nathan Lorick. Nathan leads us so very well from a place of humility and strength granted to him by the Holy Spirit. I feel very confident in saying that with him as our leader, we are in for more great years of service to our Lord through the SBTC.

We are anticipating a powerful annual meeting Oct. 27-28 at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock. Pastor David Wilson and his staff have worked diligently in preparation for our arrival. Some of the key leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention will be with us at the annual meeting. Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board, and Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, will join us. Many are looking forward to Monday evening, when Chitwood will lead us in the commissioning of many men and women to serve as full-time IMB missionaries overseas. It will be a special night.

I am proud of the SBC and the SBTC. God continues to pour out His favor upon us in many ways, but these four come to mind: church planting, pastoral health and care, leadership development, and disaster relief. Of course, there are many other important ministries in our convention, but these stand out. For example, did you know the SBC Disaster Relief ministry is the third largest disaster relief organization in the U.S. behind only the Red Cross and the Salvation Army? I learned this at our last SBTC Executive Board meeting. I thought this was neat—in some instances, our disaster relief prepares the meals the Red Cross hands out! Thank you, Lord, for blessing and using us to reach many people with the gospel of Jesus and to meet physical and emotional needs as well.

Please pray for our annual meeting gathering in October. Ask the Lord to protect us in every way. Pray that God would grant us an unprecedented spirit of unity and a laser focus on reaching the state of Texas, North America, and the world with the gospel. Pray for the messengers, that they would come to the annual meeting with a readiness and eagerness to do all we can to the get the message of Jesus to as many as we can.  

Thanks for allowing me to serve you these past two years. See you in Lubbock!