Baptists descend on Durban

THE 21st Baptist World Congress is scheduled to be held in Durban, from 22 to 26 July at the Durban ICC.

This is the first time in 110 years since the founding of the Baptist World Alliance that the Congress will be held on the continent of Africa.

Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is a global movement of Baptists sharing a common confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Founded in 1905, BWA membership now stands at 231 conventions and unions in 121 countries and territories comprising 42 million members in 177,000 churches.

Main focus areas of the BWA are nurturing the passion for mission and evangelism; promoting worship, fellowship and unity; responding to people in need; defending human rights and justice; and advancing relevant theological reflection.

BWA sponsors the Baptist World Congress, the largest international gathering of Baptist Christians. The congress is held every five years and fosters fellowship, inspiration, enrichment, and encouragement for the global Baptist family.

Congress activities include music and worship, Bible study, group discussions on theological and global concerns, and engagement in mission projects.

The event is expected to attract at least 4000 Baptist Christians from around the world.

The keynote speakers for the Congress are Anthony Carroll from the Bahamas, Peter Chin from South Korea, Jol Gregory from the US, Donald Ndichafah from Cameroon, Dimitrana Oprenova from Bulgaria and Luiz Soares Silvado from Brazil.