New Baptist Covenant in Birmingham, AL

Here is an excerpt of some of the events that occurred at the New Baptist Covenant meeting in Birmingham, AL from January 31st:

On January 31, 2009 more than a thousand people crowded the sanctuary of the historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham for a New Baptist Covenant regional meeting.

Highlights of the event included work sessions on the Luke 4 mandate, as well as messages from President Jimmy Carter, Marian Wright Edelman, and Wayne Snodgrass.

The meeting was co-chaired by Gary Furr, pastor of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church and Arthur Price, pastor at 16th Street Baptist Church. Brent McDougal of the Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship served as the event's coordinator.

These meetings were held at the 16th Street Baptist Church which is right across the street from the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham. I got an opportunity to look around both and their legacies in helping to promote the cause of racial justice in the South.

As for the meetings, they were focused primarily on social justice issues: poverty, universal health care, racism, etc. There was very little theological interaction. There was also very little conservative participation (which has been one of the criticisms from the beginning).

Some logistical issues that ensued were getting people in and out of the 16th Street Baptist church to listen to President Carter and the other guests. The seating was limited as was the parking. I think they may have misunderstood the number of people who wanted to participate in these events.