OKC to host black Baptist denomination conference
There weren’t enough hotel rooms in Oklahoma City to house the hundreds of people in town for a large gathering of black Baptists back in 1991.
The Rev. John A. Reed, longtime senior pastor of Fairview Baptist Church, remembers that time and the dilemmas it caused when his denomination, the National Baptist Convention USA, held an event in downtown Oklahoma City. “We only had the Sheraton Hotel and Holiday Inn back then, and they were good, but we had people staying everywhere — all the way in Tulsa and they would commute daily,” he said.
Thankfully, things are different now, Reed said recently.
“Our city has changed so much until we now have plenty of rooms in the downtown area, including Bricktown, plus there’s the surrounding area.”
Reed said those accommodations will be needed when the National Baptist Convention USA’s
educational auxiliary converges on Oklahoma City in June.
He said between 20,000 and 25,000 people are expected to attend the 113th annual session of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education set for June 18-22.
“It’s going to make quite an impact on our city,” Reed said.
The National Baptist Convention USA is the largest black denomination in America. Reed said the denomination represents 7.5 million people in 33,000 churches across the country, the Bahamas and Germany.
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, chairman of the Oklahoma host committee, said other Oklahoma City sites will be used for a slew of church-related classes.
Classes will be held at Douglass High School, Classen School of Advanced Studies and Metro Tech Springlake Conference Center.
“It’s really a full week of school, and we will have about 200 courses that will be offered during that week,” Reed said. “Practically everything pertaining to the Church, we’ll have a class about it.”
Students participating in the educational gathering will attend classes divided by age, including children (6-12), youth (13-18), young adults (18-35) and adults (36 and older).
Reed said leaders in Oklahoma City have been helpful to his host committee as they make preparations for the large conference.
“I’m grateful for the Oklahoma City community. The business community has been really supportive, from the mayor and city council to the chamber of commerce. I’m really proud of our city,” he said.
Another member of the host committee, the Rev. Michael McDaniel, said he was in high school back in 1991 when there weren’t enough rooms to accommodate visitors attending the denomination’s event.
Like Reed, he’s grateful that accommodations won’t be an issue this time.
“Let me give some kudos to Mick Cornett and others for bringing the infrastructure that is needed for us to have something like this here,” McDaniel said. “I think it’s a sign of progress in our city that we could host something of this magnitude. Our city has changed over the years, and they are great changes.”
Opportunities to participate
Reed said members of Oklahoma congregations affiliated with the National Baptist Convention USA are preparing for the large gathering in several ways.
One of them is by participating in the 500-voice choir that will perform a musical concert at the Cox Convention Center. The event, with the theme “Heaven Must Be Like This,” will be on June 18.
Reed said he has served as pastor of his Fairview, 1700 NE 7, for the last 55 years, and his church has sent a delegation to the educational conference each year.
However, he said some Oklahoma churches have not been able to send delegates each year.
Having the conference in their hometown will allow Oklahoma City churches and others across the state to send more delegates, or perhaps the entire church will be involved.
“I think there’s quite a bit of excitement about it because most of our churches have never had a chance to attend a convention of this magnitude,” Reed said.
McDaniel said Oklahoma congregations affiliated with the National Baptist Convention will get an opportunity to see what an infusion of thousands of their fellow church members will be like in their hometown.
“Now that it’s in our own backyard so to speak, many of our local people can have a change to if not attend then watch the news and see what is happening,” he said. “Some people don’t always know the value of something when it’s always far away, but if they can see it in town, they may say let me go see what the are doing.”
Reed said people from across the region in states like Colorado, Arkansas and Kansas probably will drive to centrally located Oklahoma City and people from farther away are expected, as well.
“You’re going to see all kinds of church buses and vans. They will be coming from across the nation,” Reed said.
“It’s not only going to make an economic impact, but also it’s going to make a spiritual impact because these are followers of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
The Rev. Ray Douglas, senior pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, said echoed similar sentiments concerning the conference’s affect on the local economy.
“It’s a huge event not only for us but for Oklahoma City,” he said.
He and McDaniels said courtesy car drivers and other volunteers are needed to help make the conference a success. Douglas said volunteers do not have to be part of a National Baptist Convention USA congregation but simply be willing to greet and serve visitors to the city.