USA > North Carolina > Cabarrus County > The First fifty years : a history of the Cabarrus Baptist Association of North Carolina > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
He suggested we plan our ministries for the next five years (1975-80) with strong emphasis on church outreach, Christian Social Ministries, and Evangelism.
In our 1975 Annual Meeting, our Association voted unanimously to
implement immediately four specific recommendations of the Self-Study Committee: an aggressive program of Evangelism, a Prison Ministry, a Summer Youth Corps Worker, £ and a Family Life Conference, and to pursue the recommended direction for Church Outreach, Christian Social Ministries, and Evangelism for our Association in the future.
-43-
The Director of Christian Social Ministries is to be an initiator, an equipper, an enabler, a motivator, a resource person, and a "Clearing House" person for our churches in helping them to be more effectively involved in ministry and witness to people who hurt and have special needs.
Grace Baptist Church requested to be received as a Mission Church and provided with our help and assistance. A motion was made they be accepted. The motion was seconded and carried.
May 29,1978. Executive Board Meeting with Lane Street Baptist Church.
Reverend Ralph Brunson stated that one-third of the cost of the property purchased from Reverend Ivey Sipes has already been paid. Legal matters have been completed. Insurance coverage is already on the property.
We need a committee called Camp Ministry
Committee. We have asked the Committee on Committees to appoint six members to serve on the Camp Ministry Committee. It will be a temporary committee to develop and maintain the Camp property and schedule all camp activity. Members appointed were: Lawrence Litaker, Edsel Plummer, chairman, Hayden Vanderburg, Mrs. Claude Connell, Mrs. Raiford Troutman, and Coy Coley. (see item 28 and page 55, Annual 1978) . He moved the adoption of this recommendation. It was seconded and carried.
The Missions Committee asks this body permission to request aid from the Baptist State Convention toward the purchase of the camp property -- the amount to be $2500. Mr. Brunson moved the recommendation be granted. The motion was seconded and carried. Grace Mission is now a mission under the leadership of a New Work Committee. This committee works with a parallel committee of the local assembly -- three out of the church and three out of the Association.
Mr. Shore announced that Grace Baptist Church will end on June 25,1978. During the month of September, there will be a week of visitatin in the homes of the community, there will be a soul-winning effort in this area, and then a revival is planned. On October 1st, we will organize a new church with a new name.
August 28,1978. Executive Board Meeting with Central Baptist Church. Reverend George Shore announced that our next payment on the Ivey Sipes property, our camp ground, will be $11,124.96.
October 23-24,1978. - Annual Meeting with Wil-Mar Park, Brookdale, and North Kannapolis Baptist Churches.
Christian Social Ministries. A motion was made by
-44-
Reverend Ralph Brunson, £ chairman of the Missions
Committee, that $350 be made available from the Reserve Fund on hand for a desk and chair for the Director of Social Ministries. The motion was seconded and carried.
James Robison conducted a one night Evangelistic Rally at A.L. Brown Auditorium, Kannapolis, on March 15, 1978, with 2,000 in attendance and approximately 160 decisions.
Oregon Preaching Mission: Fifteen teams composed
of pastors and laymen from our Association were involved in the Oregon Preaching Mission, from October 29-November 5, 1978. They reported 55 professions of faith, 34 joined the churches by letter during this week.
Clyde Dupin Crusade : Forty-seven churches
participated in the Clyde Dupin Crusade, October
15-22,1978. Eighteen of these were Cabarrus Baptist Associational churches.
Special Information :
Pitts Baptist Church and Church observed their
Wil-Mar Park Baptist
Thirty-fifth Anniversaries.
November 20, 1978. Executive Board Meeting: with
Franklin Heights Baptist Church. Reverend George Shore, Director of Missions for the past five years tendered his resignation effective January 31,1979.
Report from Misions Committee Chairman, Raiford Troutman: A Search Committee to seek a new Director of Missions has been appointed. They are: Raiford Troutman, Reverend Gary Byrd, pastor of Shadybrook, and Mrs. Archie Ritchie, Jr., McGill Avenue. Reverend George Shore, Director of Missions, announced the Director of Social Ministries which was scheduled to begin work in our Association in January will now be put on hold until we get another Director of Missions.
New Work Committee members are: Mike Minnix, chairman, Margaret Terrell, Raiford Troutman, and Mrs. Archie Ritchie, Jr., ex-officio.
February 26,1979. Executive Board Meeting with West Point Baptist Church. Dr. Ken Altom, pastor of First Baptist Church, Kannapolis, asked for help in teaching and training for work with Green Acres Mission. We plan a survey of the community on April 5, 1979.
A clinic on "Evangelism in the Local Church" led by Bill Lamb, scheduled for March 6, 1979, was re-scheduled for October 18,1979.
Boat People. Mrs. Roe Brown, a member of First
Baptist Church, Concord, explained that the
Boat-People were refugees from Laos, Vietnam, and
Cambodia, who left their countries by boat. In 1979 there are 150,000 of these Boat-People without a home. Many are sick and need medical care. They need homes
-45-
and employment.
The Foreign Mission Board has authorized $50,000 to aid these refugees. The United States Government will pay their transportation to locations within the United States provided they have sponsors. This is where Baptists come in -- to help place these families in homes and secure employment. They cannot enter the country without sponsors.
A motion came from the Missions Committee recommending that Cabarrus Baptist Association join together and sponsor two families of these refugees. This is all to be a voluntary venture of the churches. The motion was seconded and the motion was adopted.
June 18,1979. New Director of Missions is Called.
In a special called session of the Executive Board, at Parkwood Baptist Church, Concord, Reverend Russell L. Willis, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Rock Hill, South Carolina, was called to begin work as Director of Missions, effective August 1, 1979.
August 27,1979. Executive Board Meeting at
Phaniels Baptist Church.
Raiford Troutman, chairman of the £ Missions Committee, suggested that we should now go ahead with securing a Christian Social Ministry Director and Chaplain for the Mt . Pleasant Prison Unit. ( The matter had been tabled until we had secured a new Director of Missions. Item 10 (e) Executive Board, November £ 20,1978, Franklin Heights). A motion was made that we give the Personnel Committee the go-ahead in seeking out a Director of Social Ministries. The motion was seconded. After some discussion, and clarification, the motion was adopted.
The Chaplaincy Ministry at the Mount Pleasant Prison Unit has been slowed due to resignation of Reverend Bill Greenwood, pastor of Providence Baptist Church.
Reverend David Grogan, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, has resigned. There is $15,000 in savings in the church's name, held in trust by the Association. The Missions Committee recommends that $5,000 be transferred to a checking account for them to use. This would leave a balance in savings of $10,000. A motion was made that the recommendation be adopted. Seconded and carried.
WMU Director, Mrs. Archie Ritchie, Jr., reported: We have settled our two refugee families with the help of all the committees who served so well. There were some items of furniture and household goods left over. They have been stored in the Associational office building until a place of storage can be found. These items will be used as needed.
Missions Committee chairman: Raiford Troutman,
reported : Jobs have been found for the two refugee families that have been settled in our area. Their
-46-
greatest need is transportation as they do not drive an automobile.
Proposed Chaplaincy at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital: Gerald Smith, pastor of Kerr Street Baptist Church, shared packets of materials containing information about the proposed chaplaincy at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital, with Executive Board Members at Phaniels Baptist Church, August 27, 1979.
October 29-30,1979. - Annual Meeting with Calvary, West Concord, and Rodgers Park Baptist Churches.
Ken Altom, pastor of Kannapolis First Baptist Church, made a motion that a committee of five be appointed by the Moderator before the next Executive Board Meeting, November 26, 1979, to study what efficient use could be made of the existing Missions office, and bring its findings to the 1980 Annual Meeting. His motion was duly seconded and carried.
The Moderator asked for a showing of hands of messengers who had attended the Annual Meeting for many years. He started with five years and ended with forty years. One man had attended for thirty-eight years.
Plaques of appreciation were presented to Mrs. Diane Cranford, Reverend Harry J. Moore, and Reverend Ralph Brunson for many years of faithful service to the Cabarrus Baptist Association.
Ken Altom, chairman of the Mutual Care Committee, made a motion that the Unity Baptist Church be accepted into full fellowship of the Association. The motion was seconded and carried.
Special Information: Mount Pleasant, First Baptist Church, commissioned a member of the church, Mrs. Mary Fink, to Foreign Mission Service.
November 26, 1979. Executive Board Meeting at Poplar Grove Baptist Church.
Motion to rescind action on employing a Director of Christian Social Ministries. Robert W. Bailey, pastor of First Baptist Church, stated that he thought there were too many problems in Associations that had Social Ministry or other types of ministry in addition to the Director of Missions. Furthermore, I do not believe there is a need in our Association for this type ministry. Therefore, I make a motion that we rescind the action the Association took on employing a Director of Christian Social £ Ministries for the Cabarrus Baptist Association. (See item 8, Executive Board meeting at Phaniels on August 27,1979). The motion was seconded and discussed. The motion failed to carry.
A Team goes to Guatemala. A team of four people, two from our Association: Russell Willis, Director of Missions, and James Cook, Pitts Baptist Church, and two from outside the Association will go to Guatemala, November 27,1979, to assist in building a new addition
-47-
to the Missionary School in Quetzatenango.
Another team of Brotherhood and WMU workers will leave for Bermuda to assist in training workers for Brotherhood and WMU in January, 1980.
December 17,1979. A Special Called Session of the Executive Board at Brookdale Baptist Church. A special session was called to consider the Christian Social Ministries Program. Raiford Troutman, chairman of the Missions Committee, presented three persons to present three aspects of Christian Social Ministries, in an effort to show how we arrived at the place we are now in this program.
(1) Mrs. Archie Ritchie, Jr., stated she had interviewed Judge R.L. Warren concerning the juvenile offenders in our County. He named various ways in
which
lay persons
could become invaluable.
( 2)
Reverend James
Pope, Christian Social Ministries
Director, Central Baptist Association stated : " My definition of Christian Social Ministry is Christian love in action touching human need where it is .. it is evangelism in the midst of crisis". (3) Reverend Jesse Yarbrough, Personnel Committee Chairman of our Association, showed some filmstrips of different needs throughout Cabarrus Baptist Association area - namely: ministry to alcoholics, unwed mothers, children of single parent households, drug abuse, etc. (item 4, Executive Board) .
Mr. Troutman stated: "The Missions Committee is ready to move forward in the Christin Social Ministry if the churches of the Association want it. It is your program. Several others spoke.
Ken Altom, pastor of First Baptist Church, Kannapolis, made a motion that in light of the discussion here tonight that we reaffirm our action already taken to begin a Christian Social Ministry program in our Association. The motion was seconded. A vote for secret ballot was called and the result was 29 for the motion and 26 against.
At this point, Russell L. Willis, Director of Missions, stated that it had been stated in the letter announcing this meeting that "there is a strong feeling that unless a broad base of support for
Christian Social Ministries is indicated at this called meeting, the program will not be initiated at this time". As a result of the vote tonight I will recommend to the Missions Committee that we not initiate this program at this time.
February 25,1980. Executive Board Meeting at Southside Baptist Church.
A team goes to Bermuda. A team of workers from the Cabarrus Baptist Association went to Bermuda, January 5-14,1980, to assist in Brotherhood and WMU training clinics. £ The members of the team were: Mr. and Mrs. Archie Ritchie, Jr., Reverend and Mrs. J. Ed Hall,
-48-
Pitts Baptist Church, along with Mrs. Bill Brackett from Clover, South Carolina.
April 15, 1980. Forty-fifth Annual Session of WMU
was held at West Concord Baptist Church.
August 25, . 1980. Executive Board Meeting with Young Street Baptist Church.
Ken Altom, pastor of First Baptist Church,
Kannapolis, brought the following matter to our attention: Last year we ventured into a three year pilot Chaplaincy program for the Cabarrus Memorial Hospital . It began as an interdenominational agency. We have had excellent response to this program. About sixty applications were received for the position. Eighty percent were Southern Baptist men. The
selection was narrowed to four men, all Baptist. Reverend Tony Biles, a Southern Baptist was the final selection. £ He accepted the call. Twenty-six of our Baptist Churches participated in this pilot program and I consider this as Missions. I make a motion that the Finance Committee and Missions Committee consider including some amount in our Associational budget for this work. The motion was seconded and carried.
Finance Committee Chairman, Claude Connell, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, reported that the Camp Committee has been working on the camp. There is a need for a building.
I make a motion that we allocate $10,000 to
the Camp Committee to complete the building of a Service Building. The motion was seconded. Discussion followed and the motion carried.
October 27-28,1980 - Annual Meeting with McGill Avenue, Lakewood, and Mount Pleasant, First Baptist Churches.
Office Study Committee chairman, Reggie Rushing, asked that his committee remain intact for another year.
New Secretary: Russell Willis, Director of Missions, introduced the new secretary for the Associational Office, Mrs. Kenneth Dick, Bethlehem Baptist Church.
"M" Night - On a cold, wet night, November 17, 1980, "M" Night was held at Coldwater Baptist Church, with Mike Moore, pastor, £ First Baptist Church, Mooresville, as speaker. The attendance was 125.
New Van Purchased. Raiford Troutman, chairman of the Missions Committee, made a motion that we purchase either a Dodge Badger or a Plymouth Voyger van at a cost up to $12,000, to be let out to the churches to be on a mileage basis. The motion was seconded. Discussion followed. The motion carried.
Love Offering for Duard Murphy. The Missions Committee led in a love offering for Duard Murphy, staff member of Blackwelder Park Baptist Church. The Murphy's lost their home and personal property by fire.
-49-
A Clinic on "How to Build an Evangelistic Church"
was held at Shadybrook Baptist Church, September 11, 1980 by Mark Corts, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Winston Salem. The night session was held at Wil-Mar Park Baptist Church and led by Alex Booth, Fruitland Bible Institute.
Special Information.
Centerview Baptist Church
celebrated their Fiftieth Anniversary on September 7-14, 1980. North Kannapolis Baptist Church celebrated their Fiftieth Anniversary on September 28, 1980.
April 26-29, 1981. World Mission Conference.
Thirty Baptist Churches in the Cabarrus Baptist
Association participated in a World Mission
Conference, held in the Concord area.
April 30-May 3, 1981 World Mission Conferences were held in the Kannapolis area.
May 18,1981.
Executive Board Meeting at
Kannapolis. Foreign Mission
First Board
Baptist Church,
Commends Russell
Willis. Raiford Troutman, chairman
of the Missions Committee, read a letter of
commendation of our Director of Missions, Russell L. Willis, written by Robert K. Bates of the Foreign Mission Board.
August 31, 1981. £ Executive Board Meeting at Roberta Baptist Church. Raiford Troutman, chairman of the Missions Committee, reported: Many requests have come to the Association for various family needs at times of special crisis within the county. Household furnishings have been offered to the Association, but we do not have storage. There is a building of approximately 1,000 square feet on Cabarrus Avenue, West, beside Dover's Super Market that is available. The Misions Committee recommends that the Cabarrus Baptist Association rent the building at 539 Cabarrus Avenue, West, on a month-to-month rental of $75.00 per month. £ He moved the recommendation be accepted. It was seconded and carried.
Camp Opens Summer of 1981. Russell L. Willis, Director of Missions, reported the camp was opened during this summer. There were Day Camps as well as other groups using the camp.
Finance Committee Chairman, Nick Judkins, stated that the Day Camp Committee needs $7,500 overwrite in order to get through the year. The money, we recommend to come from our checking account, or if needed, our pass-book savings account. He moved this recommendation be adopted. It was seconded, discussion followed. The motion carried.
Missions Committee Chairman, Raiford Troutman, stated: "A Beer and Wine Referendum is scheduled for November 31, 1981. It will be county-wide. The county vote is very important to assist in keeping the county dry. There is a need for an organized program
-50-
opposing the referendum.
The Missions Committee
recommends that the Cabarrus Baptist Association invite the help of the Christian Action League or
other appropriate organization to lead the citizens of Cabarrus County in opposing the legalization of the sale of beer and wine across the county. He moved the recommendation
be accepted. It received a second. There was
discussion. The motion carried.
Mr. Troutman reported the van had been purchased recently at an approximate cost of $11,000.
The Asociaitonal van is being used by the churches. At the present time it is used almost forty percent of the time.
October 26-27,1981 - Annual Meeting with North Kannapolis, Royal Oaks, and Pitts Baptist Churches.
Resolution Committee: Be it resolved, that we as messengers to the Forty-eighth Annual Session of the Cabarrus Baptist Association, meeting October 26,1981, at Pitts Baptist Church, go on record against the passage of the beer and wine proposal in the November third referendum and that we urge our people to vote against this proposal.
Executive Board Report: Our Associational camp is now ready for use by all of our churches. The grading has been completed, rest room facilities are available and a shelter has been erected.
Special Information: Judy Honbarrier, RN, a member of Jackson Park Baptist Church, was appointed a Foreign Missionary to Ghana, West Africa.
First Baptist Church, Midland, celebrated their 100th Anniversary. Young Street Baptist Church celebrated their 50th Anniversary on September 20, 1981.
November 30,1981. Executive Board Meeting at
Parkwood Baptist Church. New Secretary. Russell L. Willis, Director of Missions, announced a new secretary had been hired for the Associational Office. Mrs. Nelda Donahue, a member at Royal Oaks Baptist Church.
May 24, 1982. Executive Board Meeting at Calvary Baptist Church. Our Association engaged in a Simultaneous Revival April 4-11, 1982, called "Here's Hope". Forty-two of our churches were involved.
Annual Meeting with Centerview, Miami, and Skyland Baptist Churches.
October 25-26,1982. -
Missions Committee: A Facility Study Committee appointed through the Missions Committee, at the present time reports to the Missions Committee. We recommend that this committee be authorized to report directly to the Executive Board instead. A motion was made that this be adopted. It was seconded and the motion carried.
-51-
Facilities Study
Committee, Chairman, Eugene
Hunsinger, pastor of First Baptist Church, Concord gave a report for affirmation only. The committee has
met on several occasions, and after some long and serious study of the options, it was unanimous
consensus of the group that the feasibility of
relocating the Associational Office be studied in detail. The following guidelines were set for the study: (1) Future location would not be more than six to eight blocks from the hospital. (2) Ample ground for parking and future expansion must be provided. (3) Easy access to the site from both the Kannapolis and Concord areas, plus easy access from and return to Interstate 85.
(4) The price of the land must be
within reasonable limits. With these guidelines firmly in place, the committee began to survey
building and vacant property. Most available property failed to meet at least one of the guidelines.
The most encountered problem was the price of the land.
Two locations are presently under study that would meet the guidelines. However, it should be said emphatically that no decision on location has been made by the committee. Your committee plans to visit other Associations that have recently relocated in order £
to view their buildings and review their evaluation of their new facilities. Be assured that the committee will
keep the churches of the Association fully informed of its work. No firm action will be taken without a called Session of the Association.
Special Information. Southside Baptist Church observed their Fiftieth Anniversary in November, 1982. December 6, 1982. Executive Board Meeting at First Baptist Church, Concord.
Ken Altom, pastor of First Baptist Church, Kannapolis, and Chairman of the Missions Committee, made this timely statement: "We need to take a look at where we are right now within our county. With so many new people living here now, we need to get behind the Brotherhood and WMU and "Look on the Fields". We need to have some bold vision of a BOLD MISSION. If we do we will see some church extensions in our Association.
February 21, 1983. Executive Board Meeting with First Baptist Church, Concord. Russell L. Willis, Director of Missions, reported: Social Ministries in our Association is flourishing. Robert H. Honeycutt, pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, is supervising the work and it requires much of his time.
Ken Altom, co-chairman of the Missions Committee, made a motion jointly by the Missions Committee, Finance Committee, and Facilities Study Committee: "I move that $95,000 of the present reserve be designated "Building Fund" and the Facilities Study that
-52-
Committee seek a building site and have access to the "Building Fund" monies in an amount not to exceed $3,000 for engineering studies to determine the suitability of the proposed site. This is a unanimous recommendation by these committees. The motion was seconded. He then spoke to the motion. The motion carried.
May 23,1983. Executive Board Meeting with Memorial Baptist Church.
Ralph Hartsell, chairman of the Special Studies
Facilities Committee, brought the following recommendation : I move that the Executive Board of the Cabarrus Baptist Association recommend to the Association in a special called meeting the following action: (1) That the property consisting of lots 21-22 in the LePhillip Office Park (in Concord) be purchased at the combined price of $78,000. (2) That the time and place of the called meeting shall be determined by the Moderator and the required notice be given to the churches by special meeting. (3) That the Trustees of the Cabarrus Baptist Association be instructed to pursue the closing of this transaction as early as feasible following
a satisfactory soil engineering
report. (4) That a Building Committee, composed of nine (9) persons be appointed by the Moderator in consultation with the Facilities Study Committee. The motion was seconded. The recommendation was adopted. Robert Leonard, pastor at Southside Baptist
Church, and chairman of the Christian Social
Ministries Committee, brought the
following: (1) I move that the name for the Christian Social Ministries building be changed from
"Helping Hands" to the "Baptist Sharing House". The motion was seconded and
adopted. (2) I move that the Social Ministries
Committee have permission to list among "needs" for the Baptist Sharing House monies that can be used to buy food and for items of special need.
The motion was seconded and carried.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.