1 minute read
From the executive director
January 2020 launched joyously, as ABHMS hosted American Baptist national partners at the Leadership and Mission Building in King of Prussia, Pa.
We spent time together in fellowship, worship and study about Christian mission. We discussed our partnerships and initiatives to empower leaders and to transform congregations and communities, as we sought to increase mutual understanding and strategize about future mission.
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We pledged to meet again in person during the 2020 Space for Grace National Conference. However, we all met sooner than expected at the National Emergency Roundtable—a virtual gathering of American Baptist executives and ABHMS staff assembled to urgently assess the impact of a global coronavirus pandemic on communities and congregations, and to collaborate on collective mission response.
We were bound together by common causes in 2020. The perils caused by the pandemic, racial unrest and racial reckoning, the hostility and vitriol of a polarizing national election, repeated natural disasters and wildfires, and untold economic devastation prompted all American Baptists to reflect critically on our call to be the presence of Christ amidst a hurting nation.
Despite 2020’s challenges, ABHMS engaged in meaningful ministry, such as the You Are Not Alone Clergy Conference, which provided online pastoral care to wounded healers, and the Justice Dialogues, which convened faith leaders and community organizers for mutual encouragement and support.
We raised and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars through the One Great Hour of Sharing COVID-19 Response appeal to support local needs, and we provided emergency funds to areas devastated by wildfires and other natural disasters.
We lost loved ones and so much more, but by God’s grace, we are still here. We know our ministries mattered. We are thankful that we were blessed to bless others. Our faith in God increased, and we look forward to continued partnership with loyal friends across the years as well as those we have met recently.
As always, we are indebted to board President Jamie Washam and our dedicated ABHMS board of directors for their faithful leadership and to our staff for their loyal service.
