The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Ede, the Netherlands, July 27- August 1, 2009;
Gives thanks to God for the impact of the ‘Living Water’ conferences on evangelism and leadership development in regional and national Baptist bodies;
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Ede, the Netherlands, July 27- August 1, 2009;
Offers sincere thanks to the Union of Baptist Churches in the Netherlands for the invitation to hold this Annual Gathering in Ede on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the first Baptist congregation, formed in Amsterdam in 1609;
Welcomes the opportunities opened up by the friendly and constructive spirit in which A Common Word, signed by 138 Muslim scholars and leaders, has been written;
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Ede, the Netherlands, July 27-August 1, 2009;
Affirms the biblical teaching of respect for the Earth and everything in it, and the moral imperative to love one’s neighbors as oneself including those of future generations;
Recollects, celebrating 400 years of Baptist life, that from the beginning our founders stood for freedom of conscience and freedom of religion for all people regardless of their beliefs or non-belief;
Notes that the joint EBF/BWA Religious Freedom Monitoring Group during a visit in January 2009 to Azerbaijan observed violations of freedom of religion towards the local Baptists;