2023-24 BCA History

Meetings

• Virtual Board Meetings:
  • Summer: August 8, 2023
  • Fall: November 8, 2023
  • Spring: March 15, 2024
• 10th Annual Fall Forum: October 12, 2023, Online
• 69th Annual Workshop: April 22-25, 2024, International Mission Board, Richmond, VA
• 60th Annual Awards Ceremony: April 24, 2024, The Hippodrome, Richmond, VA

Officers

• President: Marilyn Stewart, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
• President-Elect: Bobby Puffenburger, Innovative Faith Resources/Bay Leaf Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC
• Past President: Joshua Minatrea, Texas Baptists
• Program Vice President: Ann Lovell, International Mission Board
• Program Vice President-Elect: Heather Penna, Texas Baptists
• Membership Vice President: Meredith Flynn, Freelance Writer
• Professional Development Coordinator: Brandon Elrod, North American Mission Board
• Treasurer: Judy Bates, JSB Business Services
• Communications Vice President: Amanda Smith, First Baptist Church, Montgomery, Ala.
• Awards Chairman: Ishmael LaBiosa, Innovative Faith Resources
• Awards Chairman-Elect: Kathleen Sparks, International Mission Board
• Historian: Cam Tracy, Union University
• Executive Director: Margaret Colson

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Workshop Recap

Baptist communicators trek to mission board headquarters

By Art Toalston

RICHMOND, Va. – Imagine, this is a story about a fairly nondescript building.

Even so: "This is a holy place where missionaries around the world are supported and encouraged," Sharon Mager said after being at the International Mission Board’s headquarters in Richmond for the Baptist Communicators Association annual workshop.

It’s where:

• Prospective missionaries undergo in-depth interviews and screening in order to join Southern Baptists’ 3,502 missions personnel worldwide.
• Writers, videographers, social media specialists, photographers and graphic designers use their skills to tell people in the pews the missions story.
• Southern Baptists’ financial support is transmitted to missionaries in an array of currencies, such as Japan’s yen, Kenya’s shilling, Mexico’s peso and the European euro.
• Cutting-edge technology pinpoints flashpoints around the world to alert any nearby missionaries to steer clear of danger.

Read Full Story

Awards

• Arthur S. Davenport Award for Exceptional Achievement in Public Relations:
  Office for Marketing & Public Relations of University of Mobile for "Experience the Difference Campaign/Exceptional Hospitality Initiative"
• Diane Reasoner Award for Exceptional Achievement in Interactive Communications:
  GuideStone Staff of GuideStone Financial Resources for "Ministerial Resources Center"
• M.E. Dodd Award for Exceptional Achievement in Audio-Visual Communications:
  Chrystelle Thames of The Baptist Children's Village for "BCV Big Ideas Video"
• Fon H. Scofield Award for Exceptional Achievement in Publication Photography:
  Max Power of the International Mission Board for "Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response"
• Frank Burkhalter Award for Exceptional Achievement in News Writing:
  Eric Reed, Lisa Misner, IBSA Communications Team of Illinois Baptist for "Ballot Boxing, Convention Coverage"
• Leonard Holloway Award for Exceptional Achievement in Feature Writing:
  Ben Jones of Illinois Baptist for "Behind the Curtain"
• Albert McClellan Award for Exceptional Achievement in Print Media and Design:
  Caleb Arndt of Texas Baptists for "Texas Baptists Family Gathering Promo Mailer"