LEE’S SUMMIT — The Baptist General Convention of Missouri held its annual meeting in a single afternoon session on April 2 at First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit.

Annual meeting participants elected officers (see photo at left), approved a budget, did the rest of its business, heard re­ports from the institutions it supports and listened to a challenging message from president Randall Bunch of Eldon.

The meeting was abbreviated so it could dovetail into the Baptist Border Crossing April 2-4, a regional gathering of Baptists from various denominations and groups in the Midwest. (See pages 10-11.)

Messengers approved a 2009-2010 cooperative giving budget of $488,000, with $319,640 going to BGCM minstries, including  Great Com­mission initiatives, re­source initiatives, administrativee ex­penses, operational expenses and reserves/con­tin­gency.

Ten institutions will together receive $168,360 in support. They include The Baptist Home, Missouri Baptist Child­ren’s Home, Missouri Baptist Foundation, Windermere Bap­tist Conference Center, Word&

Way, Hannibal-LaGrange Col­lege, Missouri Baptist Univer­sity, Southwest Baptist Univer­sity, William Jewell College and Central Baptist Theological Seminary.

Messengers also approved a state missions offering goal of $18,000, benefitting church planting, mission partnerships, The Baptist Home, children’s home and the FreeWay Founda­tion.

The organization budgeted $528,000 in total income, including cooperative giving, designated gifts, state missions offering, interest income and miscellaneous income.

Messengers approved the nominating committee report with the following elected or re-elected:

Board of Directors — New directors: Wendell Page, Lee’s Summit; Brian Anderson, Jack­son; Ron Mackey, Im­perial; Jim Stuck, St. Joseph; and Richard Carter, Lee’s Summit. Re-elected: Rudy Puli­do, St. Louis; Bill Miller, Farm­ington; Rocky Good, Farm­ington; Carol Pittman, St. Joseph.

Committee on Convention Committees — New members: Ron Crain, Columbia; Betty Hearnes, Charles­ton.

Messengers also approved the Committee on Convention Committees report, including:

Nominating — New members: Don Allee, Independ­ence; Richard Carter, Lee’s Summit.

Corporate Documents — New members: Paul Voris, Lee’s Summit; Jim Stuck, St. Joseph.

Credentials — New members: Jim Guffee, Montgomery City; Danny Chisholm, Springfield.

Order of Business — New members: Glen Haddock, Rolla; Mark Conyers, Kansas City.

Bill Webb is editor of Word&Way.