World Alliance President David Coffey and General Secretary Neville Callam.
A lively debate surrounded an amendment to the UBLA constitution bylaws having to do with membership within
UBLA. Should membership be extended to church bodies that are outside of the region? Should language and culture help
to determine membership, or should membership be determined only by geography, as has been the case all along? In the
end, delegates voted to allow membership based on language and affinity, thus making it possible for Baptist groups in other
countries such as the United States and Canada to become members of UBLA.
Three Baptist groups were voted into membership during the meetings – the Association of Baptists of Argentina, the
Eastern Baptist Convention of Cuba, and the Baptists United in Christ in Paraguay.
Another important exercise was the election of the new executive to lead UBLA, one of six regional bodies of the BWA,
over the next three years. Ivan Martinez of Venezuela was elected president, succeeding Raquel Contreras of Chile, who was
elected in 2007 after the resignation of Otto Arango. Contreras, who is a BWA vice president and president for the Union of
Evangelical Baptist Churches of Chile, had declined several requests for her to continue to lead the BWA regional body.
Other persons elected to serve with Martinez on UBLA’s executive are Jacome Parrish from Ecuador, vice president;
Andres Gonzalez from Argentina, recording secretary; and Pepe Flores from Peru, member at large. Division leaders are
Osvaldo Simari of Paraguay for evangelism; mission director Elvio Marquez, also from Paraguay; and Fanny Merchan of
Ecuador for communications. Alberto Prokopchuk of Argentina will continue as UBLA General Secretary and BWA Regional
Secretary for Latin America.
Several reports highlighted some of the work being undertaken in Latin America that may give hint to the
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PHOTOS: Members of Volunteers Without Borders, or Radical Latin America, lead worship during the 6th UBLA Assembly and Congress in Peru;
Two women share in prayer during the 6th UBLA Assembly and Congress
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