COME, LET US SING

Led by Danny Vancil, Minister of Music and Worship, Smoke Rise Baptist Church

Add your voice to our closing worship! This rehearsal is open to anyone who enjoys singing and wants to help lead our community in worship. We’ll learn and rehearse the music together. Just bring your voice and a willingness to sing.

RESPONDING TO COMMUNITY AND CALL: LAUNCHING A FAITH & WELLNESS MINISTRY

Led by Cathy Martin and Tricia Etheridge, Lay Leaders, Haddock Baptist Church

Congregations are called to be in community with one another and with their neighbors. Discover how lay leaders in a rural congregation responded to that call by developing a Faith & Wellness Ministry shaped by the needs of their community. 

 Hear how they connected participants with resources for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, and consider what responding to the needs of your own community might look like.

PEOPLE, PLACES & POSSIBILITIES

Led by Rev. Ellen Sechrest, Director of Mission Engagement, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

What might missions look like when we begin with the people, places, and possibilities already around us?

Beginning with Scarlette Jasper’s ministry and community connections as a starting point, this workshop will explore creative approaches to missions, including opportunities you can replicate, join, or support. Come ready to expand your imagination and consider new ways your congregation can connect with missions in your own community and beyond.

THE BIBLE AND POP CULTURE

Led by Dr. Dave Garber, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University

Explore the fascinating places where Scripture and popular culture meet with Dr. Dave Garber of McAfee School of Theology.

BEDSIDE MANNER: BEST PRACTICES FOR HOSPITAL, ASSISTED LIVING & HOME CARE VISIT

Led by Rev. Patrick Baxter-Andrews, Staff Chaplain, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Rev. Mitzi Ethridge-Cantrell, Pastoral Care Associate, Smoke Rise Baptist Church

Whether pastoral care has been part of your ministry for decades or you’re just beginning to make those first visits, there is always more to learn about caring well. Two experienced ministers, a congregational minister and a hospital chaplain, will share best practices from their distinct perspectives, offering helpful approaches, lessons learned, and practical tools for meaningful pastoral care visits.

BIBLE STUDY: EQUIPPED FOR THIS MOMENT

Led by Dr. Ron McClung, Associate Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia

Through study, reflection, and conversation, this Bible study will explore our State Gathering theme, More Than Enough: Equipped for This Moment, and invite us to consider how God is at work in and through the gifts, resources, and people already among us.

SPACES OF PLENTY: THRIVING APPROACHES TO CHURCH BUILDINGS & PROPERTIES

Led by Matthew Loomis Rehnborg, Senior Planner, and Rev. Devita Parnell, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Morrow

Church buildings can present significant challenges, but they can also offer abundant possibilities for ministry, community connection, and new partnerships. Explore practical approaches for imagining new uses for church buildings and properties, and hear lessons from First Baptist Church of Morrow’s experience opening its campus to new people, partnerships, and unexpected opportunities.

BEYOND WELCOME: NEURODIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH

Led by Rev. Harrison Litzell, Program Coordinator, Baugh Center for Baptist Leadership

What does it look like for a congregation to truly welcome and support neurodivergent children and families? Explore practical ways churches can create spaces of belonging and participation, not only in worship but throughout the life of the congregation. Consider how greater awareness and intentional practices can help build a church community where people of all neurotypes can fully participate and thrive.

CALLED TO LEAD: WOMEN IN MINISTRY

Featuring Rev. Nikki Hardeman, Dr. Karen Massey, Rev. Ruth Perkins Lee and others

What shapes the way we understand who is called to ministry and leadership in the church?

Through a fishbowl conversation with women and men in ministry, we’ll explore the experiences, assumptions, and practices that influence how congregations recognize and welcome women’s leadership. Drawing on research, personal experiences, and the perspectives of both women and men, the conversation will consider how churches can broaden their imagination for who God may be calling to lead.