4 | December 2025
2025 Annual Celebration
The newly elected 2026 SCBO officers are Recording Secretary Charity Betts, President Dave Welsch, First Vice President Karlie Hale, Second Vice President Austin Mathis, and Dr. Jeremy Westbrook. Assistant Recording Secretary Kay Arnold was re-elected but unable to attend.
By Stephanie Heading, managing editor Ohio Baptists Celebrate God’s Work at 72nd Annual Meeting
An unseasonable snowstorm and bitter cold did not deter Ohio Baptists from celebrating the work of God across the state as they gathered at Life Point Church, Mount Vernon, for the 72nd Annual Celebration of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO), Novem- ber 10-11. The Pastor’s Conference kicked off the Annual Celebra - tion as pastors gathered to hear a message from Pastor Brian White, Harvest Church, Carmel, Indiana, and par- ticipate in worship led by the Life Point, Mount Vernon praise team, who led worship throughout the two-day celebration. God’s Blessings “What a wonderfully blessed year we have enjoyed from the Lord in the Buckeye State,” said SCBO Executive Director Dr. Jeremy Westbrook. Cooperative Program giving is up over the same time period last year, and has risen year by year since 2022, increasing $350,000.00. Baptisms increased 121 per- cent in four years, from 1,735 baptisms in 2021 to 3,855 baptisms in 2024. Church planting and revitalization continue strong with 23 new church plants, two church revitalizations, and four new affiliations this year. SCBO also joined the year-long celebration of the Co- operative Program’s 100th anniversary through its CP100 video series. Buzz Kocher, director of strategic initiatives, visited each of Ohio’s six regions, interview-
ing pastors, church planters, and missionaries to ask them why they support the Cooperative Program. “It is CP that helps us in accomplishing the Great Com- mission,” Kocher said. “We are proud to be Southern Baptist, and we are not alone.” The 244 messengers and guests also honored the his- toric cooperation between the IMB and Ohio African American pastors in 2025 – the first Ohio African Amer - ican mission team to travel to Uganda. Members of the team took the stage to share what God had done during their time abroad. Quintell Hill, IMB African American church mobilization strategist, thanked SCBO for its “clarity of course” in supporting this groundbreaking mission team. “It started because Ohio Baptists said ‘yes,’” Hill said. “I am overjoyed by what God is doing in this state. Be- cause of their obedience, other pastors have commit- ted to go.” Powerful Messages Dr. Westbrook exhorted listeners during his Annual Re- port, “The Convention That God Blesses.” “Nine out of every ten people in Ohio do not know Christ as Savior,” he said. “God is working in the state, but there is so much to do.” From Mark 2:1-12, Westbrook shared the six charac- teristics of a convention that the Lord blesses: Jesus is
Made with FlippingBook Converter PDF to HTML5