AUGUSTA, Ga. – Ministries from across the state and nation are coming to Augusta to be with Georgia Baptists during their annual meeting that runs from Sunday through Tuesday.
Nearly 50 organizations have reserved space in the exhibit hall at Warren Baptist Church where Georgia Baptists will gather for the event that dates back 200 years.
The exhibitors include the Billy Graham Archive and Research Center, each of the Southern Baptist Convention’s seminaries, Georgia’s three Baptist colleges, the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board and Samaritan’s Purse.
“The Georgia Baptist Convention has one of the largest state-level annual meetings in all of the Southern Baptist Convention, so it’s a place where these organizations are able to interact with lots of people,” said Ricky Thrasher, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board staffer who leads the team that plans the event.
More than 1,200 messengers have already pre-registered for the annual meeting.
The milestone gathering commemorating two centuries of cooperative ministry among Georgia Baptist churches will begin Sunday evening with a send-off for the latest crop of International Mission Board missionaries being deployed overseas, some to places so dangerous they’ll be silhouetted behind screens to hide their identities.
On Tuesday, messengers will also elect a new president to replace Kevin Williams who is finishing up his second term, which is the maximum allowed in Georgia.
Fayetteville pastor Josh Saefkow, a champion of the Cooperative Program and current chairman of the Georgia Baptist Executive Committee, is expected to be nominated to replace Williams.
Buford First Baptist Church Lead Pastor Stephen Fountain said he intends to nominate Saefkow, who has been pastor of Flat Creek Baptist Church since 2016.
Five others have been announced as potential nominees for vice president. That includes Thomson First Baptist Church Pastor David Lambert, McConnell Memorial Church of Hiawasee Lead Pastor Steve Taylor, Church 180 of Hampton Pastor Anthony Wilson, Macon Korean Baptist Church Pastor Daniel Chon, and Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo of Jonesboro Pastor Rubén Torres.
The vendors, in alphabetical order, are: Affinity Recruiting and Consulting, Ascend Stewardship and Consulting, Atlanta Morning Center Baptist Retirement Communities of Georgia, Baptist Village Retirement Communities, Bitner Henry Insurance Group, Brewton-Parker College, CAA Software Inc., CDF Capital, Creation Ministries International, Dwight Whitworth and Company, E3 Volunteers Inc., Families 4 Families, Frontline Policy Council, Gateway Seminary, Georgia Baptist Children's Home, Georgia Baptist Evangelists Inc., Georgia Baptist Foundation, Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation Inc.. Georgia Life Alliance, Inc., GuideStone, Her PLAN, iCare, Impact Discipleship Ministries, International Mission Board, Jubal Ministries, Look To The Nations, Luther Rice College and Seminary, MissionLab, Montana Church Planting, National Alliance of Christian Schools, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, North American Mission Board, NTRF Atlanta, Penfield Addiction Ministries, Protect Student Health Georgia, Samaritan's Purse, SecureGive, Send Relief, Shorter University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary,The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Think LifeChange, Timber Christian Reserve, Torn Pages, and Truett McConnell University.