Almost 500 participants are gathering for the 125th Annual Session of the Lott Carey Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 15-18.
Aspects of the meeting will be streamed live with the involvement of approximately 200 virtual registrants.
The Annual Session incorporates Bible Study, worship, mission education classes, mission service opportunities, and presentations on issues of concern such as human trafficking, voting rights and social justice. There will be special events for children and youth, among other activities and programs.
“We are delighted to have our largest face to face gathering of Lott Carey partners from around the world since the global Covid-19 pandemic,” declared Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rev. Emmett Dunn.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect old ties and establish new ones. We look forward to discerning as we worship, pray, discuss, and debate among ourselves, the mind and will of God for these times.”
The Annual Session theme is “Embrace,” and is drawn from Matthew 28:19-20.
Preachers include Rev. Dr. J. Michael Sanders, Rev. Vernon Gordon, Rev. Brenda K. Harewood, Rev. Traci Blackmon, Rev. Dr. Jesse T. Williams, Jr., and Lott Carey President Rev. Dr. Gina M. Stewart.
Among others, guest presenters are Rev. Willie D. Francois, III, Rev. Dr. Brianna K. Parker, Rev. Dr. Robert C. Scott, Minister Brenda Troy, Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, Bishop Leah Daughtry, and several Lott Carey mission partners.
A mobile app allows persons to connect, access the schedule, and get updates.
“We welcome the Lott Carey family to join us, from wherever you are, as we celebrate what God has done in and through us and continue to offer ourselves to the realization of God’s kingdom,” Rev. Dunn said.
Rev. Dr. Amanda Haines is Lott Carey’s new director of mission partnerships and special projects.
She will oversee planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of a broad range of activities relating to Lott Carey’s foreign and domestic mission partnerships.
Dr. Haines works out of the Office of the Executive Secretary-Treasurer/CEO.
She brings extensive experience in church administration, youth leadership, and global engagement. She was president of the Baptist World Alliance Youth Department from 2013-2021 and youth pastor and church administrator for Shiloh Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia, between 2014 and 2022.
Dr. Haines has had longstanding association with Lott Carey, serving on its Leadership Team from 2010 to 2017 and as Youth Team Leader from 2007 to 2010.
“Dr. Haines is no stranger to the Lott Carey family,” said Rev. Emmett Dunn, Lott Carey’s executive secretary-treasurer. “Her appointment is a demonstration of Lott Carey’s commitment to ensure that our younger leaders are afforded the opportunity to share in shaping the direction of our missional thrust as we seek to embrace the present and future.”
She has had mission and ministry engagements in several countries, including Bahamas, Brazil, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turkey.
Dr. Haines holds a doctoral degree in Global Leadership from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Theological Seminary of Virginia Union University, a master’s degree from the Divinity School of Duke University, and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The Thriving Congregations Initiative will help pastors, lay leaders and the congregations they serve to recognize and respond to changing social and cultural contexts, clarify values, and cultivate Christian practices that strengthen their vitality, faithfulness, and effectiveness.
The program will facilitate four cohorts consisting of 8 to 12 congregational teams comprising pastors and three lay leaders. We envision supporting 50-60 congregations on a journey toward thriving.
Click on the link below to read, download and share the Thriving in Congregations letter from Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rev. Emmett Dunn.
The Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention is deeply concerned by the levels of gun violence and the tragic loss of innocent lives in the United States.
We express condolences and offer our prayerful support to families and associates who mourn the painful and irreplaceable loss of their loved ones.
The Gun Violence Archive reports that the shooting at the Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers, is the 213th mass shooting this year. Education Week reports that the shooting at Robb Elementary is the 27th school shooting this year. Everytown For Gun Safety reports that more than 1,530 people have been killed in mass shootings since 2009.
These figures do not speak of the mental, psychological, and emotional trauma that victims and their families experience. They do not tell the stories of social dislocation and horror. The spiritual harm done to the young and old alike cannot be measured.
As the Robb school shooting happened, the nation was still grappling with the racist attack that killed 10 innocent Americans while they did their supermarket shopping in Buffalo, New York, on May 14.
We at Lott Carey call on federal, state, and local authorities to take the necessary steps to stem the level of violence to save the lives of Americans, including innocent, defenseless children.
We implore political leaders to pass the requisite legislations to ensure that lethal weapons do not end up in the hands of the criminally minded.
We call on churches to take actions to prevent gun violence, to provide pastoral care to those who suffer violence, and to engage in initiatives that will bring about peace and reconciliation.
Such actions may include public awareness campaigns on gun violence, sponsoring regular educational conferences on gun violence and its prevention, and liturgies and sermons reflecting the love of the One who rejected violence and vengeance.
We propose that church sanctuaries and other resources be made available as places of refuge and hope for those who suffer violence, and that pastors and congregations offer the Prince of Peace as the Christian alternative to violence and power.
As one nation, under God, the United States is obliged to protect the lives of its citizens and residents, and to value human lives over guns.
Rev. Emmett Dunn Executive Secretary-Treasurer Lott Carey
Women disciples of Jesus and leaders in the church continue to declare that Christ is Risen! We invite you to hear voices of faithful and fruitful women pastoral leaders talk about flourishing in ministry through Lott Carey’s Pilgrimages of Striving and Thriving Podcast. These 30-minute conversations will inform and inspire you in your walk with the risen Christ.
Lott Carey has committed to support communities affected by severe flooding in South Africa.
Hundreds of lives were lost, tens of thousands of persons have been displaced, and entire communities were devastated by the floods that affected the country April 11 and 12.
Devastated areas include parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Baptist Convention of South Africa General Secretary Dr. Thembelani Jentile told Lott Carey it was “with heavy heart that we inform you of the dark cloud that has befallen our country.”
At the time of writing, he said “443 are confirmed deceased and 48 people are missing or unaccounted for, especially in informal settlements.”
In addition, he said “4,000 homes have been completely destroyed; over 8,300 homes have been partially damaged; 40,000 people have been displaced; more than 600 schools and sixty-six (66) public health care facilities have been damaged.”
Dr. Jentile “pleads for your prayers for the safety of the people of South Africa, particularly the most vulnerable in KwaZulu-Natal. Kindly pray for the families of the deceased, displaced and the missing.”
“I am saddened by the news of yet another natural disaster that has taken the lives of so many,” said Lott Carey Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rev. Emmett Dunn. “Having visited these communities a few years ago, I am acutely aware of the economic challenges brought on by many years of Apartheid rule. No doubt, they will need our assistance.”
He said, “The Baptist Convention of South Africa, a longstanding Lott Carey partner, is sounding the Macedonian Call…Let us respond as we have always done, with prayers and financial assistance.”
Rev. Dunn appeals “to churches, institutions, organizations and persons of goodwill to join Lott Carey in bringing relief, comfort, and hope to those in need.”
Donations may be made at https://lottcarey.org/donate.
For additional information, email lottcarey@lottcarey.org.
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