“Churches have an obligation to share with one another. It is God’s will that churches work together.”
Neville Callam, Baptist World Alliance General Secretary, who preached at the Thursday night worship service of the sixth assembly and congress of the Union of Baptists in Latin America (UBLA) in Lima, Peru, urged Baptists to develop a spirit of community-mindedness and mission-mindedness.
In addressing the hundreds of worshippers gathered on the night of Thursday, April 23, Callam warned that “churches that do not share with others run the risk of being filled with false pride” and becoming self-centered.
“No church exists for itself,” the BWA leader said. “No congregation or convention is self-sufficient. All Baptists across the world need each other.”
During the morning session of the assembly and congress on Thursday, Callam presented a check for just under $4,900 to Pepe Luis Flores, president of the Baptist Convention of Peru. The funds, donated by Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the BWA, will be used to construct a small poultry farm at a rehabilitation clinic for recovering drug addicts in Arequipa, Peru.
The aim of the project is to enable the clinic to become economically self-supporting, and to assist residents of the clinic who do not have the economic resources for their treatment. About 30 persons are expected to benefit by working on the farm.
The UBLA congress and assembly is being held from April 22-25 in Lima. Those attending on the behalf of the BWA are President David Coffey, Callam, as well as Fausto Vasconcelos and Eron Henry.
