American Baptist Annual Gathering (September 25, 2010)
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Host Pastor
Rev. Dr. Ken Williams, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Rochester
Executive Minister
Rev. Alan Newton, head of ABC/RGR.
Executive Minister
Rev. Alan Newton presented his
"State of the Region" address.
Region President
Rev. William Taber,
outgoing president of ABC/RGR,
was presented with a pen set.
Karen Choir
Karen refugees from Burma sang during the morning worship service.
They now live in Rochester and attend Lake Avenue Baptist Church.
Al Staggs
Portrayed Walter Rauschenbusch and presented a composite of sermons and speeches by Rauschenbusch
Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918)
Baptist Social Reformer
originally from Rochester
In his book entitled, Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907), Rauschenbusch says, "...no man shares his life with God whose religion does not flow out, naturally and without effort, into all relations of his life and reconstructs everything that it touches. Whoever uncouples the religious and the social life has not understood Jesus. Whoever sets any bounds for the reconstructive power of the religious life over the social relations and institutions of men, to that extent denies the faith of the Master."
Rev. Michael Ware and
Rev. Dr. Peter Grinion
Rev. Ware is pastor of Webster Baptist Church; Dr. Grinion is pastor of Parsells.
The American Baptist Churches of the Rochester-Genesee Region
held its Annual Gathering at First Baptist Church of Rochester.
The theme was: "Lessons from the Past... Hope for the Future."
