Pray. Preach. Praise.
National Baptist Convention USA continues week of activities
The nation's largest black denomination has made its presence known in Oklahoma City, converging on the downtown area with cars, church vans and charter buses full of members eager for a week of educational classes, worship services and other activities.
The National Baptist Convention USA kicked off its 113th annual Congress of Christian Education on Sunday with an opening worship service at the Cox Convention center and the faith organization's leaders held a news conference on Monday.
A 500-voice mass choir, made up of the convention’s Oklahoma members, welcomed their counterparts from around the country in grand style with a musical Monday evening that filled the convention center arena with praise.
The Rev. Jerry Young, a Mississippi minister who serves as the convention’s president, said between 15,000 and 16,000 delegates are visiting Oklahoma City for the educational gathering. Young said the convention is made up of roughly 33,000 member churches, representing 7.5 million people.
The Rev. James Cokley, of South Carolina, said the Congress of Christian Education is the convention’s education arm. Cokley, who is president of the congress, said classes on different aspects of church life are being offered to delegates at the convention center, Renaissance Hotel, Skirvin Hotel, Sheraton Hotel, Douglass High School, Springlake Metro Tech and other sites.
“We come in to train all our workers and delegates in order for them to fulfill the Great Commission,” Cokley said. “They can go back home and train their individual churches so these churches can be up to date on the best methods to fulfill the Great Commission in their local areas.”
“Cokley said a series of classes generally would be offered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at various sites, while plenary sessions would be held in the convention center arena. He said an executive board meeting and a banquet were set for Wednesday. A youth rally and a commencement for delegates is planned for Friday. On several evenings, late night worship services were to be offered at the convention center until 1 a.m.”
‘A very different city’
The Rev. John A. Reed, senior pastor of Fairview Baptist Church and chairman of the Oklahoma City host committee, said Oklahoma City has changed in the 27 years since the convention last held a similar conference in the metro area. It had only two hotels downtown and overall seemed less hospitable to the visitors who made the trek from other parts of the country, he said.
At Monday’s news conference, Reed said all of that has changed. He thanked Oklahoma City leaders and his local host committee of pastors and church members for working to ensure that everything was ready in time for delegates’ arrival. He said a host city for the education gathering typically has about two years to plan but he and the Oklahoma City committee had only about eight months and did so with city leaders’ help.
Reed predicted that the faith gathering would have a “tremendous” economic impact on the city and Mike Carrier, president of the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, agreed.
Carrier praised the convention for hosting a food and supply giveaway on June 15 that offered food to an estimated 500 families, along with the distribution of diapers and backpacks, plus disaster relief kits for a local social service outreach.
He thanked Reed for his leadership and said, aside from the economic boost the preacher predicted, the week-long event served as an “opportunity to showcase Oklahoma City” and would help spread the word that it is a “premiere city.”
“This city is a very different city and this is an opportunity to showcase that to all the delegates that are here but also to people around the world that are watching, that are listening, that are looking to see what the reception is this week, how people react to being in Oklahoma City,” Carrier said.
“We’re excited to have the convention here this week and for the learning and the great messages that will be done here this week.”
The Rev. Lee Cooper, newly appointed Oklahoma City’s Ward 7 Councilman and senior pastor of Prospect Baptist Church, said city leaders have tried to do their part to ensure the success of the convention gathering.
“We have tried to roll out the red carpet for the congress and we’re excited about the impact it will have on Oklahoma City,” he said.
‘Prepare the heart’
Monday’s musical featured choir members of varying ages, from preschoolers to older adults. The event, entitled “Heaven Must Be Like This,” culminated with the choir joined by praise dancers and mime performers and local preachers portraying the biblical prophecy of Christ’s return to reign on Earth.
Anttwain Cox, the Congress of Christian Education’s music director, said rehearsals were held in Oklahoma City, McAlester, Ardmore, Guthrie and Lawton to prepare the mass choir for what they hoped would be a soul-stirring beginning to the education gathering.
“Music is always something we can all relate to,” he said. “Sometimes you may have a hard time understanding a message, but music speaks to everyone on every level.
“I believe music and any form of worship is going to prepare the heart and the worshiper for the spoken word, so that’s why it’s very critical.”