DeLoach, Jackson to be nominated for BGCT 2nd vice president

Texas Baptists will choose between a veteran missions educator and a retired layman who has been active in denominational life when they elect the next second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Sylvia DeLoach

While Sylvia Jones DeLoach of Richardson and Ed Jackson of Garland each have served as denominational workers, neither currently works on a church staff, and both say they would be able to bring a layperson’s perspective to the second vice president’s position. Officers will be elected at the BGCT annual meeting Nov. 8-10 in McAllen.

Levi Price, former pastor of First Baptist Church in El Paso and retired professor at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, will nominate DeLoach, a longtime children’s minister who served on the national Woman’s Missionary Union staff.

Greg Ammons, pastor of First Baptist Church in Garland, will nominate Jackson, the incumbent first vice president, to serve a term as second vice president.

Price characterized DeLoach as a “winsome person,” as well as a visionary missions leader, skilled communicator and effective administrator who has served God by serving Baptists nearly her entire life.

“She dedicated her life to serve the Lord in and through the ministry of the churches of Texas. In all her work, both in Texas and with the national WMU, she has stayed with this basic commitment.  She is wonderfully prepared for an opportunity for service such as this is,” he said.

Pointing to her work as a WMU Missions Innovator, Price said DeLoach understands the importance of being at the cutting edge of missions innovation, and he noted she particularly will support Texas Baptists’ Acts 1:8 emphasis on sharing the gospel locally, regionally and around the world.

“I personally believe she will be a good voice on the council of Texas Baptist officers,” he said.

Ed Jackson

DeLoach noted “the thread of Texas Baptist influence” has been woven through her life. Her father, Vidal Jones, served as a minister of music and education at churches in Dallas, Palestine, Nacogdoches, Vernon, Waco and El Paso during her childhood.

“My two sisters and two brothers and I became the Singing Jones Children and continued to sing together for many years in my dad’s work,” she recalled, chuckling as she recalled how even as an adult, she has been identified as “one of the Singing Jones Children.”

As a fifth grader at church camp, she recalled making a public commitment and telling the camp pastor, “I want to do something special for God with my life.”

That led her to pursue a degree from what was then called East Texas Baptist College in Marshall and later from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

After five years as a public schoolteacher and more than 10 years as a stay-at-home mother, she joined the staff of First Baptist Church in Richardson, where she and her family were—and still are—members. She served from 1979 to 1992 as children’s minister at the church.

From 1993 to 2005, she served as a consultant with national WMU—initially as a children’s consultant and later in the Missions Innovator program.

“God has opened a lot of doors for me throughout my adult life, enabling me to honor that simple commitment I made as a fifth grader,” DeLoach said.
Having benefited from Texas Baptist influence throughout her life, she expressed the desire to give back to the BGCT if elected to office—particularly in helping Texas Baptists focus on missions.

“I would pour my heart and mind into being an encourager, supporter and motivator,” she said.

While she served previously on a church staff and with a denominational agency, DeLoach said: “I am a church member now, and as a layperson, I would hope that I could rally other lay people. I also would hope to let the people in the pew know the important part they play in influencing lives, often without even knowing it.”

DeLoach and her husband, Elliott, have two children and four grandchildren.

Ammons pointed to Jackson’s service as first vice president throughout the past year, along with his ongoing involvement as a layman at First Baptist Church in Garland, as reason for giving him a continuing role in Texas Baptist leadership.

“Ed Jackson has served us well as first vice president, bringing to the position the perspective of a layman and successful businessman,” he said. “He knows Baptist life very well, and he knows our institutions.”

While serving on committees at the Baptist Building, Ammons said he observed firsthand Jackson’s active role as an officer and Texas Baptist leader.
“I have seen his influence,” he said. “I’d like to see him continue to make his influence felt.”

Jackson said he agreed to be allow his nomination for second vice president after Jerry Carlisle, pastor of First Baptist Church in Plano, whom he identified as “a good friend,” was announced as a candidate for first vice president.

“At this time in Texas Baptist life, I think there is a need for continuity,” Jackson said, noting both the president and first vice president will be new to the office.

David Lowrie, pastor of First Baptist Church in El Paso, completes his second one-year term as president in November. Victor Rodriguez, pastor of South San Filadelfia Baptist Church in San Antonio, is the only announced candidate for president.

Given the financial challenges Texas Baptists face, Jackson emphasized the benefit of having someone with a background in business and financial matters on the officers’ council.

“I also would really love to be able to help Texas Baptists focus on celebrating the centennial of Convencion, joining the Hispanic Baptist Convention in this year of celebration,” he said. “It’s a time to look back on what we have done and what we have yet to do. The future of Texas Baptists is Hispanic.”
Jackson grew up in Cisco and was baptized at First Baptist Church there. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He attended Texas Tech University and graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

During his career in electronics industry, Jackson took a leave of absence to serve the BGCT as volunteer assistant director of the Mission Service Corps program. After he retired in 1997, he served as special assistant to the BGCT executive director, working as a consultant in the Continuous Quality Improvement program.

Jackson was the founding chairman of Hope Clinic, a Christian health care provider that serves the uninsured and underserved working poor in Garland.  Other community involvement includes current service with the Garland Housing Finance Corporation, the Garland Chamber of Commerce and the Salvation Army advisory board.

He and his wife, Re, have three children and five grandchildren.