Neville Callam Elected New BWA General Secretary
Today, Jamaica Baptist Pastor Neville Callam’s historic election as General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) makes him the first person outside of Europe and North America to hold this position.
The euphoric words out of Accra, Ghana from a source among the Jamaica Baptist delegation fueled my envy at missing such a momentous occasion. The proud declaration was – “What a joy and honour for the people of Jamaica, Caribbean and two-thirds world!!!” [Punctuation marks left intact]
Nonetheless, my envy [at missing the event] neither quelled my joy nor silenced my ‘un-pastorly’ scream ‘Mamaaaa – Rev. was elected, Rev. Callam is the new BWA General Secretary!’ [ Oh my mother is visiting from Jamaica, now that's another 'screaming' story].
Callam assumes his duties in September and will participate in the leadership of the BWA as its chief executive officer. That is one daunting task. However, our brother is no ‘weak-heart’ 
The BWA reports a “membership of over 36 million baptized believers representing a general community of over 110 million Baptists worldwide that are part of more than 200 conventions and unions.” We global Baptists are so many, so varied and yet as we say in the Caribbean – ‘Di whole a wi a one’ [We are all one].
According to a report in the Associated Baptist Press, Callam said at the BWA Annual Gathering, ‘[the] Baptist world family joyfully declares that the BWA has become a worldwide body with a truly global reach. In this alliance, every member is God’s gift to the membership as a whole. We all belong together.’ How true!
I pray that Panama Baptists will catch this vision of the power in our unity as Baptists. Soon I will say more on that issue. It was a real pleasure to read an earlier report coming out of Ghana, that the Baptist delegates re-affirmed their commitment to unity. Finally, we members of the BWA are taking Jesus’ prayer in John 17:1-ff seriously enough to place such unapologetic emphasis on it, while other Baptists are preoccupied with doctrinal wars.
My curiosity about the Memorial and Reconciliation service in my previous article has now been satisfied. I did wonder if there was going to be some kind of symbolic act of confession on the part of the descendants of both slave holders and Africans who sold their fellow Africans into enslavement. A potentially offensive bit of truth I know.
On Thursday July 5th the special service was held at the Cape Coast Slave Castle. I understand that the service included moments of remembrance, confession, and yes there was pardon too. This act was in honour of the Africans who were sold into enslavement during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. I don’t know if I could have gone through such a service without flooding the courtyard of that Castle with tears. Just the thought of it…
I congratulate Rev. Neville Callam and the alliance of worldwide Baptists! The Grace and Peace of Christ be with you and your wife Dulcie as you both migrate to the USA to start your ministry there.
From the shores of Jamaica, launch out a little deeper – God is with you Mr. General Secretary to keep and to guide.
Peace,
Marvia
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