I’m happy to report that Rev. Dean Nelson (a fellow co-founder of the National Black Pro-Life Coalition – NBPLC) and I were successful in presenting Dr. Fred Luter (1st Black President of the Southern Baptist Convention – SBC) with the National Black Pro-Life Coalition’s 1st “Mildred Jefferson Leader for Life” Award at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual National African American Fellowship’s (NAAF) banquet for his consistent public stand for life. We strive to identify and even raise-up more African American Leaders for Life! The banquet was the largest formal gathering of African American attendees at the Conference!
A few key attendees were:
Dr. Fred Luter, Jr., President, SBC (who after two, 1-year terms is handing the baton to a new SBC President tonight at the conclusion of the convention).
Dr. A.B. Vines, President, NAAF (who handed the baton to Dr. K. Marshall Williams during yesterday’s NAAF annual meeting, just prior to the banquet).
Dr. K. Marshall Williams, “Newly Elected” President, NAAF
Dr. Ken Weathersby, V.P. for Convention Advancement, SBC Executive Committee
Kim A. Robinson, Senior Assist. to the President, SBC North American Mission Board
Gary Frost, NAMB V.P., Midwest Region and Prayer (oversees 8 states, including Ohio)
Pastor & Mrs. David E. Gaines, Sr., the pastor of Manna Bible Baptist Church in Baltimore, MD (who purchased my $55 banquet ticket and would not allow me to reimburse him, and whose church I preached a pro-life message at on Sun., June 8, 2014)
And a host of others…
A few key components contained in our brief presentation:
What is Protecting Black Life and what do we do?
https://protectingblacklife.org/
What is the National Black Pro-Life Coalition and what do we do?
Abortion and its disproportionate impact on African Americans, directing them to the “What is Protecting Black Life?” brochure (http://bit.ly/1mCA6uh) and our new “God’s Church —
A Mighty Voice For Life” brochure (http://bit.ly/1jxCq82), which they each received during dinner.
- Why we were giving this award to Dr. Fred Luter. We gave the award to Dr. Luter for:
- His public stand in working to stop the Planned Parenthood mega-abortuary from being built in New Orleans, where he serves as Senior Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, as well as his stand for life in many other ways. Not only did he do this boldly and courageously, but also publicly and unashamedly, all while wearing both his Senior Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church hat AND his President of the SBC hat;
- We don’t have many high-profile Black leaders willing to publicly stand-up for life in the womb;
- Seize the opportunity to get our urgent message in front of African American members of the Southern Baptist Convention;
To set the stage for the exhibit booth and two workshops the NBPLC will be hosting at the SBC/NAAF “Black Church Leadership & Family Conference” in Ridgecrest, NC in July 2014…the largest annual African American event within the SBC [“Black Church Leadership & Family Conference” Projected Attendance: 750-1,000 / Attendees are 40% men, 40% women, and 20% youth and children; Attendee average age is 35-50 (ranging from 6 mo.-85 years) / Attendees come from all across the U.S. / Attendees represent churches ranging in size from average attendance of 150 in worship to 5,000 in worship with the average size being 500-600 in attendance.]
Who is Dr. Mildred Jefferson, after whom this award is named? Click on the following link to learn more about this incredible woman, whom I had the privilege of meeting, although she recently went home to be with The Lord. LINK: http://nyti.ms/1hL1GK1
Invited banquet attendees to visit the National Black Pro-Life Coalition’s exhibit booth and attend our two workshops at the “Black Church Leadership & Family Conference” in Ridgecrest, NC next month.
This was incredibly HUGE, and it was your prayers and financial support which helped us to accomplish this critical mission!