BWA ANNUAL GATHERING:
BWA CHOOSES PRESIDENT-ELECT; MAKES OTHER SIGNIFICANT DECISIONS
By Eron Henry

The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) took steps to solidify its leadership for the next quinquennium, 2010-2015,
when the General Council, meeting in Ede in the Netherlands, nominated John Upton as its president-elect, and
reaffirmed Neville Callam as general secretary.
Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board
in the United States, has had a long association with the BWA, and has served on its two governing bodies, the
General Council and the Executive Committee. He is currently chair of the Congress Program Committee, which
assists in planning the 20th Baptist World Congress to be held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Honolulu from
July 28 to August 1, 2010.
In addition, Upton has served on the Baptist World Aid Committee, the Commission on Christian Ethics, and the
Executive Committee of the North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF), one of six regional fellowships of the BWA.
Twelve persons were also chosen by the General Council as nominees for vice presidents, two selected from
each of the six regions of the BWA.
The nominees for vice presidents are Daniel Carro of Argentina and Joel Sierra from Mexico; Harry Gardner of
Canada and William Epps from the United States; Olu Menjay of Liberia and Paul Msiza from South Africa; Victor
Samuel Gonzalez from Cuba and Burchell Taylor from Jamaica; Regina Claas of Germany and Nabil Costa of
Lebanon; and John Kok of Malaysia and Ross Clifford of Australia.
Carro, an Argentinean living in the USA, was nominated to be BWA first vice president.
The election for president will take place during the Baptist World Congress in Hawai‘i next year, while the vice
presidents will be presented.
Both the Executive Committee and the General Council accepted the recommendation of the Personnel
Committee that Callam be reelected general secretary for 2010-2015. Callam, a Jamaican, was first elected to the
position in July 2007 in Accra, Ghana, upon the retirement of Denton Lotz, who held the position for 19 years. The
BWA general secretary is normally elected to serve a full quinquennium, the next of which begins in 2010 and ends
in 2015.
NEW INITIATIVES
Callam proposed several new initiatives during the meetings in Ede, including the launch of the BWA 400
Legacy Fund, which is aimed at creating a reserve that will provide stability for the financial future of the BWA.
Callam stated that the establishment of the fund is an expression of “gratitude to God for the many years during
which Baptist Christians have enjoyed the blessings of salvation and the enabling of the Spirit for the work of
ministry.”
The fundraising effort, which commenced on August 1, 2009, and continues until July 31, 2015, has the goal of
“strengthening the foundations for an economically viable BWA ministry in the future,” Callam stated.
A “thank offering,” given by Baptist individuals, churches, conventions, unions, and institutions, will form the base
of the fund. Each person or organization is asked to donate funds “in multiples of 4, 40, 400, or 4,000 units in the
currency of their home nation,” Callam announced.
Those who donate to the fund will be specially recognized for their gift. “As a way of recognizing their
participation in our future financial help, those who give the thank offering become members of the BWA 400 Legacy
Society,” Callam told the General Council.
In addition, those who make the BWA a beneficiary in estate planning – wills, bequests, annuities, properties,
charity funds – will also become members of the BWA 400 Legacy Society.
Several other initiatives were also announced by the BWA leader. The Baptist World Emeritus Club, comprising
past officers of the BWA and its member bodies, will “play a vital role in the success of the BWA 400 Legacy Fund”
by helping to raise awareness about the ministry of the BWA and garnering financial support for the organization.
These are persons “who are keen to continue to support the organization and whose helpfulness over the years is
salutary,” Callam explained.
The BWA Ambassadors program, originally conceived in 2003, is being launched. It recognizes “persons who
are chosen for their commitment to the BWA mission and message, for their giftedness and willingness to
(continued on next page)
PHOTOS: John Upton of the United States addresses the General Council after his election as BWA
president-elect;
BWA President David Coffey congratulates Neville Callam after Callam was confirmed by the General Council
as BWA General Secretary for 2010-2015
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