30,000 expected at National Baptist June convention in Ft. Lauderdale

The theme of the meeting, slated for the Broward County Convention Center, is “Coming Together to Share in God's Plan of Salvation.”  The Rev. Anthony
Burrell, spiritual leader of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Pompano Beach, will serve as host pastor.

The Rev. Richard Henry Boyd, a former slave, founded the Congress in 1906 as an educational arm of the National Baptist Publishing Board for training church workers and leaders.

At the top of the convention agenda will be the health of African Americans, said the Rev. Dr. T. B. Boyd III, president and CEO of the religious organization.

“There are a lot of issues we plan to address at the Congress,” Boyd said, adding that blacks must first learn how to eat “… so we will stop dying at age 40.”

Delegates will also discuss the family. Boyd said blacks don't do enough evaluation of the incorrect things “we do as African Americans. We need to learn how to get our children off the basketball court and inside to do their homework before they go outside to enjoy any recreation activities."

Also high on the agenda will be how to reach the un-churched youth of today. Boyd said since the beginning of the Congress, reaching young people has been a priority.  The Congress has developed Sunday school materials that relate specifically to African-American youth, he said. “Our books and materials have images that African American youth can relate to and we employ the youth of your churches to come to the Congress,” Boyd said at the press conference attended by more then 10 local ministers.

“While our youth are 25 percent of the total population, they are 100 percent of our future. We can't tell our children they ought to attend Sunday school when we don't attend ourselves,” he said.

Boyd’s daughter La Donna, leader of all youth activities for the Congress, said one way the organization plans to reach young people is through its Spoken Word Cafe, Red Carpet Movie night, a choir comprising youth attending the convention, liturgical dance classes, a National Church Drill Team that has more than 4,000 children in one performance, and other activities geared specifically to youth.

“We want to bring in the youth from the community and meet the youth on their level,” LaDonna Boyd said. “So, we are asking people attending to bring their young people with them to the convention.”

The agenda will also include a workshop geared to foster children and the lack of care that many black children receive, Boyd said. The Congress trains church leaders to do the work that is needed in their communities.

“No one church can handle all the problems in the community,” Boyd said. “So we bring in experts who are trained in specific areas to lead seminars and workshops. We even have a class for training families on family issues… the Congress is a training institution.”

All events at the Congress will be free and open to the public, except classes and seminars, which will each cost $89, and the opening session, which will cost $10 per person.

To register or for more information, prospective attendees are asked to contact their local pastors or call the National Baptist Congress’ office at 1-800-382-6772.