More than 500 attendees from Baptist churches across North Carolina gathered at First Baptist Church of Charlotte Nov. 10 for the 190th annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s meeting was abbreviated.
Messengers approved a recommendation from the board of directors to adopt a $27 million Cooperative Program budget for 2021, representing an 11.5 percent, or $3.5 million, decrease from the 2020 CP budget. The approved budget also left the percentage of undesignated CP receipts that will be forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention at 42 percent, marking the first time in 14 years that the SBC percentage was not increased.
Messengers also celebrated the ministry of BSCNC Executive Director-Treasurer Milton Hollifield Jr., who will retire on Feb. 28, 2021. The special recognition service included highlights of Hollifield’s life and ministry that included in-person and video testimonials from family, friends, colleagues and leaders from across North Carolina and Southern Baptist life.
Hollifield has served the BSCNC for 27 years, including the last 14 as the convention’s 14th executive director-treasurer.