BWA: THE LAST 5 YEARS

n BWA: THE LAST 5 YEARS n BWA: THE LAST 5 YEARS n BWA: THE LAST 5 YEARS n BWA: THE LAST 5 YEAR B

Bringing Baptists CLOSER TOGETHER

The BWA had two major conferences since the 20th World Congress in Hawaii, in July 2010 – the 16th World Conference in Singapore, and the 8th

Baptist Baptist Youth Baptist International

Conference on Theological Education (BICTE) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, both in July 2013. During the Baptist Youth World Conference in Singapore,

more than 1,000 youth volunteered to prepare approximately 200,000 prepackaged meals, filling two 20-foot containers, as part of the Stop Hunger Now Feeding Program. The US$80,000 cost was donated by generous BWA friends and supporters in the United States and Singapore. A Baptist World Aid-sponsored Global Development Consultation was held in Izmir, Turkey, from July 5-6, 2014. More than 70 persons from 36 countries attended, more than 20 of whom made presentations or led workshops or discussions on case studies. Held in July of each year, the BWA Annual Gathering was held

in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2011; Santiago, Chile, 2012; Ocho Rios, Jamaica, 2013; and Izmir, Turkey, 2014. The BWA Women’s Department held seven continental

union meetings, and new continental officers were elected. The total number of women attending the seven meetings was 3,871, representing 105 countries.

Above: Participants at a past BWA gathering

Right: Meredith Stone of Texas, US, making a presentation at the 2013 Baptist International Conference on Theological Education

APRIL/JUNE 2015 5 SPECIAL DAYS AND OBSERVANCES Through special days and observances, the BWA brought

Baptists throughout the world together in worship and focus. BWA Day was re-launched in 2015 and is now observed on the second Sunday of February and the Saturday preceding it. World Days of Prayer were observed for men, youth and women in April, June and November of each year, respectively. October is Hunger Emphasis Month, where the Baptist community is sensitized to the issues of global poverty and hunger. World Human Rights Day is observed on the Sunday closest to December 10 to draw attention to human rights concerns, particularly those related to violations of religious liberty.

NEW MEMBERS

Since 2010, 15 full members were accepted as the BWA continues to deepen the level of fellowship and unity among Baptists by increasing

the number of BWA member

organizations. New member bodies received were the Baptist Convention of South Sudan, the Baptist Evangelical Convention of Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]), Community of Baptist (Continued on next page)

ringing Baptists together is important in enhancing visible and other forms of unity. BWA conferences and meetings revolve around worship and include a great deal of fellowship.