From the Desk of the President - August 2016

Humility. It is one thing to preach about it, but quite another to practice it. 1 Peter 5:6 reminds us, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” What many of us witnessed in St. Louis a few weeks ago at the Southern Baptist Convention whether in person or via watching online was both honoring to the Lord and historic. A situation that could have become divisive was diverted as Dr. JD Greear and Dr. Steve Gaines both clothed themselves in humility. What a model for us here in Ohio to follow as we lead and live out the gospel in our churches and as a convention. May we support and pray for Dr. Steve Gaines as he leads us as our new SBC President. 

Momentum continues to build as we march toward our Pastor’s Conference on Tuesday, November 1st and Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd. During the month of August, we will be unveiling the speakers and worship leaders for these events via our social media outlets. I am so excited and overwhelmed at the line-up that the Lord has aligned for us. Please be sure to stay connected with us to follow along with all of the breaking news, announcement and updates. If you are on Facebook, please join the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio group page and on Twitter, please follow “@SCBO2016.” 

Finally, I want to say thank you for both your prayers and your giving. The 50-50 task force committee has voted and recommended that we move to a 50-50 CP distribution beginning immediately with the 2016-2017 budget. Both the finance and executive committee have voted and fully support this recommendation. My prayer is that this historic moment in November will serve as a catalyst for a movement here in the Buckeye state! Once again, it is an honor to serve you and if I can ever help you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Moving Forward,
Dr. Jeremy Westbrook
SCBO President