The 192nd Spring Meeting of the Tar River Baptist Association was held on Monday, April 24th, 2023, at Red Bud Baptist Church in Castalia, North Carolina. The meeting was a celebration of where the association has been, and a preview of where the association is going, as longtime Associational Missions Strategist Dougald McLaurin announced his retirement effective June 30th, 2023. For more on that announcement, click here.
Moderator William “Bill” Haley, pastor of Harris Chapel Baptist Church, and Vice-Moderator Nathaniel Williams, pastor of Cedar Rock First Baptist Church, shared an update on the associational restructuring effort. The restructured association will be built on the three pillars of church health, community outreach, and pastoral investment. The exact language of the restructure, and more details, will be shared by the Associational Leadership Team over the next several months.
Finance Chairperson Cody Evans, pastor of Covenant Hope Church, and Treasurer Irma Boulden, member of Castalia Baptist Church, presented a modified budget for 2023. Spending is projected to be well under the approved budget.
Dr. Keelan Cook, the George Liele Director of the Center for Great Commission Studies at Southeastern Theological Seminary, delivered the annual message. Dr. Cook, a member and messenger of Faith Baptist Church, exposited the text of Ephesians 3, declaring the purpose of God in and for the local church.
The meeting concluded, as all annual meetings of the Tar River Baptist Association do, with the congregation of pastors, messengers, and guests singing “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”
Moderator William “Bill” Haley, pastor of Harris Chapel Baptist Church, and Vice-Moderator Nathaniel Williams, pastor of Cedar Rock First Baptist Church, shared an update on the associational restructuring effort. The restructured association will be built on the three pillars of church health, community outreach, and pastoral investment. The exact language of the restructure, and more details, will be shared by the Associational Leadership Team over the next several months.
Finance Chairperson Cody Evans, pastor of Covenant Hope Church, and Treasurer Irma Boulden, member of Castalia Baptist Church, presented a modified budget for 2023. Spending is projected to be well under the approved budget.
Dr. Keelan Cook, the George Liele Director of the Center for Great Commission Studies at Southeastern Theological Seminary, delivered the annual message. Dr. Cook, a member and messenger of Faith Baptist Church, exposited the text of Ephesians 3, declaring the purpose of God in and for the local church.
The meeting concluded, as all annual meetings of the Tar River Baptist Association do, with the congregation of pastors, messengers, and guests singing “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”