Fuller: Will help lead Gen Baptist - Wake Forest …...Fuller: Will help lead Gen eral Baptist State Conven tion of North Carolina. Baptist leaders elected A Fayetteville pastor is

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Fuller Will help lead Genshyeral Baptist State Convenshytion of North Carolina

Baptist leaders elected

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4 FayeUe~iUe pastor is made vice president at large By Earl Vaughan Jr Religion writer

Dr Clifford Jones a Charshylotte pastor was elected president of the General Bapshytist State Convention of North Carolina on Wednesday

Delegates at the convenshytions meeting in Fayetteville elected Dr John D Fuller of Fayetteville vice president at large Fuller istlastor of Lewis Chicl Issionar~ Baptist Ch on Raeforl Road ----ne convention comprises about 2000 predominantb- ----

Fuller Will help lead Genshyeral Baptist State Convenshytion of North Carolina

Baptist leaders elected A Fayetteville pastor is made vice president at large By Earl Vaughan Jr Religion writer

Dr Clifford Jones a Charshylotte pastor was elected president of the General Bapshytist State Convention of North Carolina on Wednesday

Delegates at the convenshytions meeting in Fayetteville elected Dr John D Fuller of Fayetteville vice president at large Fuller isdiastor of Lewis Cbapel issionar~ Baptist Church on Raefor Road ---rIle convention comprises about 2000 predominantly black churches across the state

Jones a Philadelphia nashytive who will serve a fourshyyear term was elected on the first ballot

Jones of Friendship Bapshytist Church received 1314 votes Dr JC Harris of First Baptist Church in Statesville got 320 votes while Dr Joshyseph C Windley of First Bapshytist Church in Wilmington reshyceived 90

Jones election was a deshyparture from tradition Most presidents of the convention were born in North Carolina

I think that shows our

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OlriS meV-In orward and not getting caught in that nalism of where you re ut providing tbose persons n offer tbe best leadership time be said er easily defeated Dr CR

of Nazareth Cburch in e 1385 votes to 313 ought I would win but not margin I did Fuller said

will serve as chairman of the tions General Board which between sessions of the state tion or when called by the nt ndidate from the Cape Fear lost his bid for third vice nt The Rev JL Gilchrist

Johns Baptist Church in Abshywas defeated by the Rev

H Grant of Mount Zion Bapshyurch in Asheville 903 votes

ers elected at the convention first vice president Dr

Bullard of Martin Street Church in Raleigh second

resident Dr AL Jinwright em Baptist Church in Charshyfourth vice president the

Howard Parker of Sycamore ptist Church in Greenville

mentarian Dr J Ray Butler nited Baptist Church in

Winston-Salem historian the Rev William Height of Greater St Pauls Baptist Church in Durbam recording secretary the Rev Marshytha McLaughlin of Shaw Divinity School in Raleigh assistant recordshying secretary the Rev John McCullough of Friendship Baptist Church in Charlotte and statistishycian the Rev Joseph Parks of Zion Hill Baptist Church in WinstonshySalem

Dr Henry Lyons president of the National Baptist Convention USA was scheduled to speak at Wednesdays evening session But convention officials said Lyons canshyceled his trip because of a court appearance in Washington concernshying a lawsuit contesting his election at last months national convention in New Orleans

Opponents of Lyons election filed the lawsuit charging that conshyfusion and a sh9rtage of ballots prevented them from voting

Dr Talbert O Shaw president of Shaw University replaced Lyons as speaker at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center on Wednesday

night The four-day convention ends toshy

day moving from the exposition center to Lewis Chapel Baptist Church bull

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Black Baptists to pick leader

Fayetteville pastor is only nominee for post

BYYONATSHIMRON STAFF WRITER

A Georgia native who came to North Carolina 30 years ago to serve at Fort Bragg and ended up leading Fayettevilles largest black Baptist church will be nominated next week as president of the General Baptist State Convention

The Rev John D FUller 52 is the only nominee for the four-year post and is virtually assured the election on Wednesday As pastor of the 3000-member Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville FUller oversees a conshy

~ gregation with an annual budget of $25 million

FUller has just completed a fourshyf

year term as vice president-at-large 1 of the convention the states largest

association of black Baptist churchshyes with about 2000 churches and 500000 members

If elected president FUller said he hopes to help pastors and churchgoers feel a part of the largshyer convention

The large majority of our churches are in rural areas he said Most of the pastors there are bi-vocational I want them to feel like theyre part of this thing and that were reachable Ive always felt that ifyou can get people togethshyer around common simple intershyests we can really get things accomshyplished

Archie Doyster Logan Jr execushytive director and treasurer of the convention called Fuller an outshystanding leader Hes come up

standing leader Hes come up through the ranks and hes led the convention in stewardship and giv ing he said Hes a great visionshyary and a great preacher

As head of the convention FUller said he would work to draw unaffilshyiated Missionary Baptist churches into the assembly and appoint a statewide coordinator for Hispanic ministries FUller said he also would create a housing ministry to help educate pastors and lay people on how to sponsor affordable housing projects for the elderly and the poor

The Rev Clifford Jones pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte will step down as president of the convention this year Among other things he helped push a plan to convert the J J J ohnson Baptist Assembly a 50shyacre wooded retreat in Laurel Hill into a state-of-the-art convention center FUller said that architectural plans already have been drawn and that he is committed to moving forshyward with the project

Internally FUller said he wanted to create a forum to help congreshygations learn to better negotiate non-theological conflicts He also said he would work to draft a sexushyal-harassment policy that can be used in all churches

As a boy FUller the son of shareshycroppers picked cotton and corn on a farm outside Augusta Ga He was baptized at age 9 and began preaching while still in high school In 1968 he came tb North Carolina and served 15 months at Fort Bragg While at the military base he earned a reputation as a powershyful preacher and was soon given a part-time preaching post at Baptist Union Church in nearby Hope Mills

FUller said he never intended to stay in North Carolina and had ajob lined up as a pos tal clerk in Augusta but the congregation asked him to become its full-time pastor and he accepted

Four years later he became passhytor of Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church a post he has held for 25 years The church is the top contributor to the convention and last year gave nearly $120000

FUller has a yenlasters degree in divinity from the Interdenomishynational Theological Seminary in Atlanta

The 131st annual General Baptist State Convention will be held at the Durham Marriott fuesday through Thursday The election of officers will take place Wednesday

Yonal Shlmron can be reached 01829-4891 or yshlmrollnandocom

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National Baptist president coming to state co ventiol1 Dr Henry J Lyons will speak at the General Bapshytist State Convention at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center Wednesday By Earl Vaughan Jr Religion writer

DJ ~en~JJlwtpresident of ttl 1lona ~ap1StConvention will visit Fayetteville Wednesday

He will speak at the 127th annushyal session of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolishyna The convention is scheduled Monday through Thursday at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center

Lyons heads the nations largestorganization of predominantly black Baptist churches which bas a reported membership of 8 million Lyons was elected president at the denominations recent national conshyvention in New Orleans

Lewis Cbapel Missionary Bapshytist Church is serving as host for the convention The churchs passhytor Dr John D Fuller said work begin a year ago to get ready

The staff bas done a lot nailing down local facilities hotels and the convention center Fuller said We expect 2000 delegates and about 3000 persons otherwise

Fuller said the convention is acshytually two meetings in one In addishytion to the General Baptist State Convention the State Laymens League will be holding its 44th anshynual session

The laymens organization will be in session Monday morning through noon Tuesday

Two local pastors are scheduled to speak during the laymens meetshying The Rev TW Campbell of Falling RlID Baptist Church will -

Dr Henry J Lyons National president speak during Tuesday evenings service which begins at 8 pm

Dr NP Brodie of Greater First Baptist Church in Cedar Creek will speak Tuesday at 1115 am

Fuller said the highlight of the week will be the election of new officers and the address by Lyons Both are scheduled Wednesday

Fuller predicts the election of officers will be spirited

There are three candidates for the office of president who is elected to a four-year term

They inclu~e the Rev Cliff Jones of the 4000-member Friendshyship Baptist Church in Charlotte the Rev JC Harris pastor of First Baptist Church in Statesville for the past 32 years and the Rev JC Windley pastor of First Bapshytist Church in Wilmington

Fuller is also a candidate for office running for vice-president at large against Dr CR Mosley of

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Dr John D Fuller Lewis Chashypel Baptist Church Nazareth Church in Asheville

The election begins at 1 pm Fuller expects a runoff will be needed for the presidential elecshytion

Lyons will speak at 8 pm Wednesday

Fuller said Lyons is already facshying a challenge within the denomishynation Agroup opposed to his elecshytion recently filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn it

Fuller said this is probably Lyshyons first appearance at a state convention since his election

I understand he carried half of North Carolina in his election Fuller said I would think that Dr Lyons early on wants to solidify his hold on North Carolina Baptists who are loyal to whoever getselected president

We tend to fall in because we realize the only way to get anyshything accomplished is by trying to

work together Fuller said not all the churc

at the convention are members the denomination Lyons leads have three highly visible natio Baptist conventions Fuller We all have the same doctr Some time back down the r they split

Fuller said Lyons National B tist Convention USA Inc is largest of the three The Natio Baptist Convention of America about 3 million

The Progressive National Bi tists which include Fullers Le Chapel congregation have aboul million

Despite the various national _ filiations Fuller doesnt expl

much controversy at the conve tion

I was at a general board me ing this past Tuesday in Raleiglbe said I didnt hear a whole of dissension about anything I) trinally I dont see anything co ing out unless of course somethi happens Im not aware of

Fuller thinks delegates and vi tors to the convention are goingbe pleasantly surprised by wi they find in FayetteVille

They tend to think theres I much here that they are going I

in the boondocks he said The be surprised when they disc01 how strong churches in the F etteville area are and how work together

Fuller noted the 18 churd that have pulled together to pIvide special music for a pre-c(vention service and the special pm evangelistic services that VI be held Monday through Wednl day at Lewis Chapels sanctuary

I think its going to excite t local Baptists he said

president convention

Lyons is already facshywithin the denomishyopposed to his elecshyfiled a lawsuit

overturn it said this is probably Lyshyappearance at a state since his election

he carried half of in his election

I would think that Dr on wants to solidify his

Carolina Baptists to whoever gets

work together Fuller said not all the churches

at the convention are members of the denomination Lyons leads We have three highly visible national Baptist conventions Fuller said We all have the same doctrine Some time back down the road they split

Fuller said Lyons National Bapshytist Convention USA Inc is the largest of the three The National Baptist Convention of America has about 3 million

The Progressive National Bapshytists which include Fullers Lewis Chapel congregation have about 2 million

Despite the various national afshyfiliations Fuller doesnt expect much controversy at the convenshytion

I was at a general board meetshying this past Tuesday in Raleigh l he said I didnt hear a whole lot of dissension about anything Doc- ~ trinally I dont see anything com- 1J ing out unless of course somethirt c happens Im not aware of

Fuller thinks delegates and visishytors to the convention are going to be pleasantly surprised by what they find in FayetteVille

They tend to think theres not much here that they are going out in the boondocks he said Theyll be surprised when they discover how strong churches in the Fayshyetteville area are and how we work together

Fuller noted the 18 Churches that have pulled together to proshyvide special music for a pre-conshyvention service and the special 10 pm evangelistic services that will be held Monday through Wednesshyday at Lewis Chapels sanctuary