Black Baptist group hosts food giveaway as convention nears
In an effort to make an indelible impact beyond the economic and spiritual boost they bring to a city, members of the nation’s largest black Baptist denomination distributed food and other supplies Friday in northeast Oklahoma City.
The giveaway event was expected to help 500 families. It was designed to serve as a communityminded prelude to National Baptist Convention USA’s educational gathering set for Sunday through Friday at the Cox Convention Center and other sites in the metro area.
Friday, members of Fairview Baptist Church helped prepare food bags with chickens, potatoes, green beans and collard greens to be distributed at the church, 1700 NE 7. Volunteers also stacked tables with items like diapers, backpacks, children’s toys and ice coolers to await distribution.
The Rev. J.A. Reed, Fairview’s senior pastor, said between 20,000 and 25,000 people are expected to attend the 113th annual session of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education event. He said the denomination represents 7.5 million people in 33,000 churches across the country, the Bahamas and Germany.
The longtime Oklahoma City minister serves as chairman of the Oklahoma host committee for the coming gathering. He said it is an annual series of classes, worship services and other events held by the denomination’s educational auxiliary.
The Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City will be the conference headquarters while offices for the convention’s executive officers will be housed for the week at the SandRidge Center, 123 Robert S. Kerr. The Rev. Jerry Young of Jackson, Mississippi, is convention president, the Rev. James H. Cokley is the Congress of Christian Education president and Elliott Cuff is Congress dean.
Reed said about 200 classes on various aspects of church life will be held at several locations throughout the metro area for children, youths, young adults and adults age 36 and older. These classes and activities will be held at Douglass High School, Classen School of Advanced Studies and Metro Tech Springlake Conference Center.
Friday, the fellowship hall of Reed’s church was bustling with activity as volunteers prepared to give food away at the church as well as distribute it in several neighborhoods.
“Our mission is to make sure that families are connected with resources. When we come into the town, we want to be a blessing to the town,” said the Rev. John Harrell of Illinois, who worked to stack backpacks and coolers together.
The Rev. Calvin Cage of Washington, D.C., the denomination’s director of concessions and exhibits, and the Rev. John Johnson of Greenville, Mississippi, helped coordinate the giveaway effort.
Johnson, the convention’s assistant director of concessions and exhibits, said the late Dick Gregory once said that the convention swooped into cities and boosted the economy but did little for the black community.
“He said, in essence, we always come into big cities and we make the community rich and then we leave and we don’t do anything for our people,” Johnson said.
He said the convention’s “Food for a Day” giveaway would touch hundreds of families in the black community by giving them tangible aid.
“We understand that ministry is helping real people with real problems.
“If they don’t come and get it, we will take it to a community that is less fortunate.”
Reed said an opening worship service is set for Sunday at the Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens. Also, a musical concert entitled “Heaven Must Be Like This,” will be performed at 7 p.m. at the convention center.