Weathering stormy times in Oklahoma
Baptist ConventionRevenue declines, but churches’ contributions still high
BY CARLA HINTON
Comments 
12
Published: November 7, 2009
The president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma said unity has helped Oklahoma’s Southern Baptists weather the economic storms of the past year and will provide a strong foundation as the denomination faces future challenges.
Multimedia
More Info
Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
→What: Annual meeting.
→When: 6:30 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m., 1:45 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
→Where: First Baptist Church of Moore, 301 NE 27, Moore.
→Information: www.bgco.org
Highlights of the year and looking ahead
Falls, 61, is pastor of Glorieta Baptist Church, a predominantly American Indian church in south Oklahoma City. He said he has been grateful that his congregation has been patient and willing to allow him to attend all of the meetings and gatherings that his presidency requires.
He said one of the highlights of his presidency was the inauguration of a president at Oklahoma Baptist University, David Whitlock. Falls said next year’s annual meeting is scheduled to be held at the university in Shawnee as part of the school’s centennial plans.
He said he was proud that Falls Creek youth camp near Davis continued to thrive and drew a maximum number of young people each summer session. Falls said he was also proud of the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief Team, which continued to support and aid in times of crisis at home and abroad. He said the team recently traveled to the Philippines to provide aid in the aftermath of the flooding and mudslides that devastated the country.
"Our convention is healthy and strong to be able to go around the world to help others. We do that with the support of our churches,” he said.
At the upcoming annual meeting to be held at First Baptist Church of Moore, Falls is scheduled to give his first president’s address. His presentation is set for the meeting’s first session Monday.
The convention will elect officers Tuesday. It is customary for the convention president to serve two one-year terms; thus, Falls is expected to be elected to serve a second term as president.
Meanwhile, a highlight of the meeting is the resolutions, which are expressions of concern or opinion approved by meeting delegates. When asked whether there would be a resolution concerning the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed into law last week, Falls said he did not know for sure, but thought it might be a possibility. Among other things, the law classified crimes motivated by someone’s sexual orientation as hate crimes.
Some conservative clergy across the country have expressed concerns that the law threatens their freedom of speech as they preach against homosexuality. In 2007, delegates gathered for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in San Antonio urged Congress and President Bush to reject the proposed hate crimes legislation, saying it would stifle First Amendment rights and potentially "criminalize” biblical preaching against homosexuality.
"We don’t want laws passed that will limit our religious freedoms,” Falls said.
president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
Related Topics:
Culture and Lifestyle, Crime, Social Issues, Religion, Christianity, Baptist Church, Protestantism, Southern Baptist Church, Hate Crimes
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
You know, as long as executives and the other henchmen at 3800 make their bloated salaries they will continue to do business as usual into the next 100 years. But if the smaller churches stopped sending money to 3800 then maybe they would get the message.
As for "G" comment below, there as a time when the BGCO actively campaigned against the homosexual community. After all it is located at their door step as the nearest gay bar is just 1 block away and the whole capitol of Oklahoma's homosexual community is 1 mile to the East. But you noticed that around 1999 the BGCO stood down their battle with the homosexual community. Do you know why. Because at the time the Certified Public Accountant for the BGCO who officed in the building at 3800 N. May lost his own son to AIDS. It became a hypocrisy for them to be against gay people when one of their own sons died of being one. Marlin was a dear friend and I worked with him on may occasions and I cannot think of a man with more integrity than him. But they threw Marlin in the junk pile after Jordan declared himself as ultimate and wholly world dictator of the Baptist faith.
So, I look forward for the BGCO to have budget problems as God is not done with corrections to that tainted, faulty, and saducitical organization.
Give 'em "double-death" penalty.
That should work.
A pastor in Sweden was arrested for preaching against homosexuality. There have been cases in Ireland and England as well. You can't have the right of freedom of speech guaranteed by the 1st Amendment, and at the same time try to restrict opinions of those who disagree with you.
The concerns that many conservative Christians have about having their voice muffled by law is valid to them. Oh, by the way, in the 31 times that same-sex marriage has been put to a popular vote in states across the country, it has failed.