We are delighted to welcome to our pulpit
for this 144th Church Anniversary, Dr. W.
Franklyn Richardson, honored and esteemed Pastor
of the historic Grace Baptist Church in Mount
Vernon, New York and Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Dr. Richardson electrified us with his powerful
preaching during our Church Anniversary
observance last year. We thank God that he has
returned to us again this year to share God’s
Gospel truths.
Congratulations to the Church Anniversary
Committee for their hard work and faithful
efforts. From the Service of Remembrance,
through the banquet honoring 50-year members, to
today’’s worship services, the Committee’s
dedication to excellence has been evident. We
thank God for the Anniversary Committee under
the leadership of Co-Chairs Linda Winfrey and
Florinda Broadus.
We have been making efforts to demonstrate that
Shiloh’s Village is not narrow and parochial but
global. To that end, let me share some of the
news this week from the Baptist World Alliance
that indicates how Shiloh’s contributions to the
Alliance are being spent
Baptist World Aid (BWAid), the relief and
development arm of the Baptist World Alliance,
is assisting victims of earthquakes in the Asian
country of Indonesia and the South American
country of Peru.
The Peru quake, the first of the two, occurred
on August 15 hitting the central coast of the
country, killing more than 500 persons and
leaving tens of thousands homeless. The quake
measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale.
An initial sum of $20,000 was sent by BWAid to
the Baptist Evangelical Convention of Peru (CEBP),
which is coordinating relief efforts on the
behalf of Baptists.
Pepe Flores, President of CEBP, reported that
the funds were used to purchase food, water and
blankets, and to assist in temporary housing.
“We thank God for having brothers and sisters
around the world that will suffer with us. The
need is big and the pain is not only physical,
but psychological. We have a lot to do. With
love and patience we are helping them in their
basic needs,” Flores said.
The Indonesian earthquake, measuring 8.4, was
only the latest of a series of violent tremors
to hit the Southeast Asian country over the past
few years. It struck on September 12 off the
island of Sumatra, killing more than 20 persons,
and was the first of several strong tremors to
occur over the next few days after the initial
shock. The effects were also felt in the
Indonesian capital of Jakarta on the island of
Java, as well as in other areas of the
predominantly Muslim country.
Doni Wiajay, relief coordinator for the Union of
Indonesian Baptist Churches, reported that in
the four villages in Sumatra visited by the
Baptists, almost 400 houses were either badly
damaged or destroyed. The union, which is
working closely with local Baptist churches in
the city of Bengkulu, Lampung Baptist Hospital,
and the Baptist Agricultural Center in Bengkulu,
has plans of offering assistance to more than
2,000 families.
On behalf of the international Baptist charity,
BWAid Director Paul Montacute made a commitment
of $20,000 to the Indonesian relief efforts.
“The people in the capital (Bengkulu) are still
too traumatized to stay in their houses, so
there are many emergency tents and tarps
scattered in this city,” Wiajay said. Bengkulu
is the capital of Bengkulu Province on the west
coast of Sumatra.
