Full Gospel Baptists Mark Rapid Growth

By Greg Garrison

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Religion News Service) The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International marked nearly 15 years of rapid growth on Tuesday (June 24) by consecrating nine new bishops and celebrating its blend of black Baptist and Pentecostal theology.

"They have called us `Bapticostals,'" said Bishop Andy Lewter of Amityville, N.Y., the keynote preacher for the consecration service that drew more than 1,000 people. "Those who joked and pointed fingers 15 years ago, they ain't laughing no more."

The Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship has been growing fast since its founding in New Orleans in 1994 by Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr., who relocated to Atlanta after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"It was founded to bridge the gap between the Baptists and Pentecostals," said Doris Stokes, a member of Morton's church, Changing a Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga.

Governors of all 50 States and the Virgin Islands Issue Proclamations for the National Day of Prayer

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- The proclamations are just one part of the event, which will include tens of thousands of prayer events are planned across the country this Thursday, the 57th annual recognition of the National Day of Prayer.

NDP Vice Chairman Brian Toon said the signing of the proclamations shows just how respected National Day of Prayer Task Force events are. That particularly important to note at a time when the organization has been criticized by some special-interest groups for being too evangelical and non-inclusive of all religions, while others argue the NDP events are not "Christian enough".

"Our focus remains," Toon explained, "on mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leaders in the seven centers of power: Church, Education, Family, Government, Military, Media and Business."