American Baptist Churches in the USA's governing board has approved the creation of a regional association designed for gay-friendly churches

Christian Century, August 9, 2003

* American Baptist Churches in the USA's governing board has approved the creation of a regional association designed for gay-friendly churches. The new Evergreen Baptist Association was formed by progressive churches that felt ostracized by the more conservative--and much larger--American Baptist Churches of the Northwest.

Meeting June 27-30 in Richmond, Virginia, ABC delegates also approved "statements of concern"--nonbinding resolutions expressing the sense of the gathered--calling on American Baptists to combat the worldwide AIDS crisis and to confront religion-related terrorism with efforts to promote religious freedom in societies around the world. The executive board also unanimously elected Hector Cortez to replace the retiring John Sundquist as executive director of the denomination's International Ministries division. Cortez had been executive director for community transformation and justice with American Baptist National Ministries, the group's domestic missions board.