Celebrating How God Moved Among Us
More than 500 Baptist leaders from 65 countries gathered for the 2026 BWA Annual Gathering to worship, pray, learn, and discern how God is calling us to impact the world for Christ. While the Gathering has concluded, the mission continues. We invite every Baptist – every church, convention, ministry, and individual believer – to take the next step together as one global Baptist family, living out our faith and embracing this year’s theme, “The Table of Christ: One Gospel, Many People.”
We are incredibly grateful for the team of volunteer writers and photographers who served throughout the week.
Check out the links below for daily recaps and photos from the event.
Day Three • Wednesday, July 8
Morning Session:
By Catherine Cole
Welcomed by Adebola Samson-Fatokun of Nigeria, participants began Wednesday morning in a quieter tone, with acoustic worship led by Chad Pillon, a music teacher in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and worship leader at Mount Hamilton Baptist Church.
Updates from the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship and the European Baptist Federation (EBF) offered a glimpse of Baptist witness in regions facing both opportunity and strain. Leaders from the Caribbean spoke of ministry across 28 member bodies and 17 island nations, including creative discipleship, disaster response, support for Haiti, and investment in emerging leaders. Alan Donaldson, speaking on behalf of the European Baptist Federation, reflected on what it means to be made in the image of God in a region marked by war, Christian nationalism, and division. As the EBF marked its 75th anniversary, he reminded participants that the fellowship was formed after the Second World War as a witness to reconciliation and peace. In Europe, the table of Christ is prepared, he said, but the question remains: who will be welcomed?
That question carried into the Scripture reading as John 3:16 was read in French and then spoken throughout the room in many languages. The familiar verse took on fresh perspective as voices overlapped, each person reciting it in their own language.
Vernette Myint Myint San of Myanmar and Singapore then reflected on that verse, drawing attention to its simple movement: God loved, God gave, and everyone is invited to receive life. Speaking as both a scientist and a Christian leader, San asked how the gospel is being shared, and whether those who carry it reflect the image of Christ as they go.
Her stories moved across Asia: a meeting in Cambodia that reopened the door for women’s ministry, a woman in Bhutan who walked village to village to share the gospel, and women across more than 13 countries being equipped to become Jesus-shaped leaders in their own languages and contexts.
The most challenging part of her message came as she turned to Jesus’ command to love our enemies. In Myanmar, where civil war has stretched on for years, that command is not theoretical. San spoke of hatred, division, and the need to pray not only for those who are kind to us, but also for those who have caused harm. Her message ended as a question for everyone in the room: as followers of Jesus move through the world, do others see the image of God in them?
Afternoon Session:
By Catherine Cole
Wednesday afternoon’s Global Council Engaging session asked participants to consider what becomes possible when people step out and join what God is already doing around the world. Framed by Melissa Lipsett, the session traced how God’s table is being set in many places: through women creating space for others, churches learning to welcome people with disabilities more fully, advocates confronting violence against women and girls, Ukrainian Baptists serving communities shattered by war, and leaders calling the Church to live the gospel in word and deed.
Merritt Johnston began with the question of what it means to love our neighbor, drawing from the widow who offered what little she had to Elijah in 1 Kings 17. Around the world, she said, women are doing the same: offering what they have so others may know hope. Stories from Latin America and Asia gave shape to that witness, from the “Hope and Life” initiative addressing teen suicide, to Senior Adult Bible Schools in rural communities where older adults are hearing the gospel, many for the first time.
Johnston also named the perseverance of women who have been told what they cannot do in the Kingdom of God: “When there is no seat at the table, we will keep standing. And when standing becomes too much, we will kneel, because Jesus has always made a place for us.”
Katie Frugé and Lee Spitzer then reflected on the proposed BWA resolution on empowering and caring for people with disabilities and special needs. Speaking from their personal family experiences as much as policy, they challenged churches to begin with a posture of “yes.” People with disabilities, they reminded the room, are not burdens to be accommodated, but gifts to the Church whose presence, leadership, and service help the Church more fully reflect Jesus.
Valérie Duval-Poujol brought the gathering into another painful reality, naming the global crisis of violence against women and girls. Her presentation made clear that the table is not always safe. For many women, including women within Christian homes and churches, places that should offer protection have become places of harm. Awareness, she reminded participants, is only the beginning. The Church must be willing to stand together against gender-based violence.
From Ukraine, Igor Bandura spoke of what the table means in a country marked by war, loss, and displacement. As the invasion began, Ukrainian Baptists built networks of care for people in urgent need. Churches became places of warmth, spiritual care, and steady presence in communities where many had lost almost everything. In that context, the table was not an idea. It was bread, shelter, prayer, heat, presence, and the slow beginning of healing for broken lives.
After these stories were shared, Jerry Carlisle led the room in prayer. The session closed with Botros Mansour reflecting on holistic witness among neighbours, reminding participants that the gospel cannot only be spoken. It must also be shown in love, care, and relationship.
Commission Highlights
UBLA Regional Gathering
By Cathy Millar
Some meetings remind you that the global Baptist family is not just an idea. It is a living network of people who show up for one another in moments of crisis, prayer, mission, and shared responsibility.
The Latin American Regional Fellowship meeting was one of those spaces.
Much of the conversation centred on Venezuela and the urgent need for coordinated disaster response. We heard about the work already underway through the Venezuelan Baptist Convention, UBLA, Hungarian Baptist Aid, and other partners who are helping shape a shared response strategy. Bella had recently returned from Venezuela and will be offering further updates at a briefing on July 9.
The scale of need is heartbreaking. The Brazilian Baptist Missionary Union shared that more than 100 Venezuelan missionaries were quickly checked on after the earthquake. Brazil has already raised significant funds, and medical teams are now serving in-country, providing food, medicine, blankets, medical care, and psychosocial support. Their hope is to send at least one team each week in the months ahead, knowing that the work of recovery and reconstruction will likely take years.
There was also a strong reminder that support must be practical and coordinated. Because of banking challenges in some countries, UBLA is helping serve as a channel for offerings, alongside the Venezuelan Convention. The invitation was clear: pray, give, collaborate, and do so in ways that strengthen the work already happening on the ground.
The meeting also looked beyond immediate response to the longer-term health of the region. There was encouragement for greater participation in BFAD, renewed attention to project development, and a desire to see more Latin American initiatives submitted for support and collaboration. Claudia Escobar’s role in helping coordinate project development was noted, along with plans for training before the Congress.
I was especially struck by the conversation about building a Latin American social support network. The hope is to learn which conventions already have social aid ministries and then connect them more intentionally with one another, BIFAD, and the wider BWA family. It felt like a simple but important vision: not every country has to begin alone.
There were also several governance updates from the Baptist World Alliance, including the new Leadership Council model and the recognition of Latin American leaders serving in key roles. The group was encouraged to nominate Latin American leaders and ministries for awards, especially since this region has often been underrepresented in those spaces.
Another hopeful thread was the continued development of the Up2U movement. With pillars focused on Scripture and prayer, neighbour-focused initiatives, mission, care for vulnerable people, peace, and religious freedom, the movement is seeking to connect prayer with action across the continent. The Continental Day of Prayer will also include offerings to support the printing and distribution of New Testaments in places such as Uruguay, Mexico, Spain, Equatorial Guinea, and Portuguese-speaking communities.
There was also honest conversation about UBLA’s own future. After 50 years, there is a growing recognition that the work can no longer be carried only by volunteers. A basic staffed structure is being explored, with support from partners and churches. This felt like an important moment of maturity, not because the volunteer spirit is lacking, but because the mission has grown.
We also heard about mental health and care initiatives, including a free Zoom course called “Accompanying with Hope: Mental Health and Suicide Prevention,” as well as Spanish-language support through Touch Peace. These resources are being shared widely across the region, offering care to individuals and families in moments of deep need.
The meeting ended with many practical next steps: attending the Venezuela briefing, sharing membership and project information, submitting nominations, supporting the Continental Day of Prayer, preparing for the Mexico Congress, and helping connect churches with UBLA’s strengthening work.
But more than a list of actions, this meeting carried a spirit of solidarity.
There was grief for Venezuela. There was gratitude for those already serving. There was a desire to strengthen structures so mission can continue. And there was prayer, not as a closing formality, but as the foundation for all of it.
It was a reminder that in the global Baptist family, we belong to one another.