December 2, 2002
___ Durso named to history society staff. Pamela Durso has been named associate director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society. The native Texan has been assistant professor of church history and Baptist heritage at the Campbell University Divinity School since 1999. She holds a bachelor's degree and doctor of philosophy degree from Baylor University, as well as a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
___ Church ousted from association. First Baptist Church of Greenville, S.C., has been declared out of fellowship with its local association over the congregation's membership policy. First Baptist accepts members by transfer from other churches who have not been baptized by immersion, contrary to Greenville Baptist Association's historic stand that church membership "is for believers in Jesus Christ who have been baptized by immersion." Founded in 1856, First Baptist Church is four years older than the association. The church previously broke ties with the Southern Baptist Convention but remains a member of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Pastor Jeff Rogers said the association handled the matter in "a Christian and charitable way." He added: "We have accepted the association's decision while at the same time standing by the decision that our congregation has made." The church's policy is to require immersion only for members making a first-time profession of faith.
___ ABP reduces staff. Associated Baptist Press, one of the primary national news services used by the Baptist Standard, has eliminated one of its six staff positions for financial reasons. The move has left News Editor Bob Allen, a nine-year ABP employee, without a job. Faced with a projected $40,000 deficit for 2002 and a reduced budget for 2003, ABP's board of directors voted unanimously to eliminate the news editor position. Executive Editor Greg Warner will assume responsibility for the daily news operation. Warner said the current economic slump has affected almost every source of ABP revenue. The future of ABP's bimonthly magazine, FaithWorks, also hangs in the balance. The 4-year-old magazine is funded by subscriptions, advertising and designated gifts but has likewise suffered from the sluggish economy.
___ SBC honors Georgia executive. Georgia Baptist Convention Executive Director Robert White has received the M.E. Dodd Cooperative Program Award from the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. The award recognizes White's "continuous, long-term excellence in supporting the principles, practice and spirit of the Cooperative Program" unified budget. The award's namesake was pastor of First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., and chaired the committee that recommended creation of the Cooperative Program in 1925.
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