Call for Peace in Iran
A Letter from Iran from
Active Hope Partner—
Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia
Jan. 8, 2020
Dear members of the Alliance family,
Greetings from Iran. One might ask, “What on earth is he doing here and now?!” I have been spending some time here since the beginning of the New Year. I came here for the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia’s peacemaking and relief work. I have been traveling these days to various provinces of the country meeting our partners in peace work and forging new friendships with Shia clergy and laity.
I have been humbled with this opportunity to be with the Iranian people at this time of crisis and uncertainty. The situation has been changing here on an hourly basis. For instance, this morning there was overwhelming despair; there was an anticipation of an American attack at any time. We were warned not to go near cultural and military sites since it was believed that they would be targeted. By the afternoon, the situation changed and people became more optimistic.
More than ever, Iranians and other nations in the Middle East need your prayers and actions for peace. I appreciate your prayers for our partners and friends in this region.
For the time being, I am not certain that I will be able to fly back to Georgia soon. Flights are being cancelled. I need to be back home by next week to resume teaching at my University.
Yours,
+Malkhaz
The Most Revd Prof. Dr. Malkhaz Songulashvili
Metropolitan
Bishop of Tbilisi
Peace Cathedral
6 Kedia Street
0159 Tbilisi
Georgia
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Active Liberation
Urgent Appeal to Support Alliance Partners in Zimbabwe
By: Staff
The African Baptist Churches of Zimbabwe, one of the Alliance's principal international partners, is suffering. And the suffering is only predicted to worsen as climate change accelerates, further disrupting weather patterns in the southern African nation. Political and economic instability prevails, thereby complicating any systemic response to climate change and the resulting threat of widespread famine.
The Alliance is deeply concerned about the members of the 23 Baptist churches that make up the African Baptist Churches of Zimbabwe. ABCZ formed five years ago, seeking freedom from the theologically coercive and controlling Zimbabwe Baptist Convention. Our long-standing relationship with these brave churches, some served by women pastors, as well as the Zimbabwe Theological Seminary, leads us to appeal to the Alliance’s individual and congregational partners to view their crisis as an opportunity to
give, learn and pray.
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Around the Alliance
It’s Not Enough to Say, ‘I’m Not That Kind of Baptist'
By: Jeanette Holt
Many years ago at the annual gathering of the Alliance of Baptists, a young pastor told me that his small congregation was merging with a UCC church in his community and they were going to drop the name “Baptist.” He said that folks don’t hang around long enough for us to explain, “We’re not that kind of Baptist.”
I do not second-guess the decisions of this particular congregation and the facts on the ground for their community, but over the years his comment has reverberated in my mind, especially when prominent Baptist leaders make headlines for saying things which embarrass and appall me. The most recent example of that is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, who asserts that Jews are going to hell.
Given the alarming rise in antisemitic acts of intimidation and violence, I want to proclaim that it is not enough to comfort ourselves with the thought or even verbal assertion that “We’re not that kind of Baptist.”
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REGISTER NOW!
2020 ANNUAL GATHERING
April 24- April 26
Taking On the Cross:
[Re] Learning the Love of God
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Make plans to join us at Broadway Baptist Church
in Fort Worth, Texas!
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Last week, the Trump administration assassinated Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the military commander of Iran’s Quds Force. This is a dangerous escalation of the confrontation with Iran, one that will lead to more bloodshed, and expand conflict and instability throughout the Middle East.
While the situation continues to develop and change everyday, it is our Christian call to continue the work for peace and urge our lawmakers to find a peaceful way forward.
Join our ecumenical partners at the Friends Committee on National Legislation and urge Congress to act.
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Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
Raleigh, N.C.
February 20-22, 2020
Our Whole Lives
sexual education is designed to develop a sexual ethic as a part of spiritual formation. This training is designed for church leaders hoping to integrate healthy conversations around sexuality into faith formation for teenagers.
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Join the Racial Justice and Multicultural Community of the Alliance of Baptists for a discussion of
White Fragility
by Robin DiAngelo. Virtual meetings are taking place monthly. To learn more, contact
Tammerie Day
.
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Baptist Joint Committee Opportunities!
The Fellows Program provides young professionals the opportunity to deepen their historical, theological and legal understanding of religious liberty. BJC is accepting applications through Feb 21.
The Essay Scholarship Contest engages high school students in church-state issues open to all high school juniors and seniors. The grand prize is a $2000 scholarship and trip to Washington, D.C. Entries will be accepted through Mar 6.
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Sounding a Call for Statements
Since our inception, the Alliance has adopted statements at the annual meeting addressing social justice and moral issues about which Alliance supporters have calling and energy. The
adopted statements express the Alliance’s commitments, as well as empower the staff to join with ecumenical partners in prophetically speaking out for justice.
Climate justice, federal spending, human sexuality, #BlackLivesMatter and the Global Refugee Crisis are among the topics addressed by the statements that have clearly articulated to those beyond the Alliance our belief in the intrinsic value of all God’s children, creation and our call to pursue God’s justice and love for all.
There are also areas of concern on which we may be missing statements. Do you feel called to bring a statement to the annual meeting? Is there anyone among our membership who senses a call to bring a statement addressing women’s reproductive health? Or any other issue?
If so, please submit your statement to
[email protected] by March 9 in order for it to be presented to the membership at the annual meeting. These statements equip the Alliance to add our voice and witness to public discourse as people of faith who seek to make a difference.
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Calendar
January 16-18
MALT Gathering
New Orleans, La.
January 19
Paula Clayton Dempsey will visit
Northside Baptist Church,
Clinton, Miss.
January 26
Paula Clayton Dempsey
will be preaching at
College Park Baptist Church,
Greensboro, N.C.
February 20-22
Raleigh, N.C.
April 24-26
Ft. Worth, Tex.
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The Alliance of Baptists is a vibrant movement of people, faith communities and ministry partners who are deeply passionate about ecumenism, partnership in mission, relentless hospitality and racial and social justice.
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