Dakota Baptists to Seek “The Heart of Christ” at Annual Meeting

The 2023 Dakota Baptist Gathering and Annual Meeting will be held October 5-6 at South Canyon Baptist Church in Rapid City, SD. This meeting will be the 40^th annual meeting of Dakota Baptists. The featured speaker on Thursday evening will be Dr. Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board. Joel Harris (Rapid City, SD: South Canyon Baptist) will be the worship leader for the annual meeting.

DBC president Josh Brown (Rapid City, SD: Redeeming Grace) chose, “The Heart of Christ,” as this year’s theme. It is based on Matthew 11:28-30. The event will open with a Heart of Christ Conference at 1:30 Thursday afternoon. Brown will bring his message on “The Heart of Christ for the Church” at that time. Afterwards, there will be breakouts for men and women.

The men’s breakouts explore the heart of Christ in our preaching, praying, shepherding, and equipping. Messages will be brought by Paul Young (Fort Totten, ND: Dakota Baptist), Gabriel McCormick (Minot, ND: Crossroads Baptist), James Proctor (Rapid City, SD: South Canyon Baptist), and Stephen Carson (Belle Fourche, SD: Connection Church).

The women’s breakout will be a time of fellowship and encouragement. Jodee Dorrough (Rapid City, SD: Mercy Gate Church), the women’s ministry director for Freeway Ministries in Rapid City and Connie Dixon, the SBC Woman’s Missionary Union president will be the featured speakers. The women’s session is being planned by Denise MacDonald (Rapid City: Hills of Grace Fellowship).

After the breakouts there will be a missions’ banquet. Representatives of various SBC agencies will bring words of greeting to those at the banquet.

The first business session will be called to order by Brown at 6:30. The evening session will include the Executive Board report, which includes approval of the 2024 budget and calendar. Chitwood will speak and then engage in a Q & A session led by Brown. Afterwards, DBC Executive Director Fred MacDonald will recognize new and retiring pastors.

The morning session will be called to order by DBC Vice President Ian Harp (Belfield, ND: Belfield Baptist) at 8:30 on Friday morning. Harp will bring a devotional to open the day. Other agenda items for this session will include a message from Dr. MacDonald, “The Heart of Christ for the Lost,” reports from various committees and staff members, and election of officers.

The meeting will wrap up with testimonies and stories of 40 years of ministry in the Dakotas from former executive directors Dewey Hickey and Garvon Golden, followed by a celebration luncheon.

The Black Hills Area Baptist Association is sponsoring a pre-Gathering event at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 5 focused on “The Heart of Christ for the Abused.” The meeting will feature a message from Isaiah 42:1-4 on the theme by Joel Harris (Rapid City, SD: South Canyon Baptist). A presentation, “Considerations for Being Safe Churches in the Dakotas,” will be made by Holli Strand, followed by a Q & A session. Strand works for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. She investigates internet crimes against children and has done forensic interviews with children. She has done a lot of training with churches in developing abuse policies and recognizing abuse. BHABA will provide lunch after the event. For more information, contact Josh Brown (Rapid City, SD: Redeeming Grace) at 605-593-7362 or [email protected]. You can register for the pre-event on the DBC website when you register for the annual meeting.

Messengers and guests can register online for the Gathering and the pre-event at the DBC website.