We gathered in Boston—the air had that beginning-of-fall flavor that makes all things seem possible and good. As the Board trickled in from all of the country—and Canada too—the hugging began. You know the hugging. It’s one of the best things about the Alliance of Baptists. It’s that feeling of reconnection and picking up right where we had left off in Charlotte, N.C., last spring at the annual Convocation. Since our congregation served as host for the Charlotte gathering, most of the time we were last together was somewhat of a blur for me so I was especially glad to get back together with this small contingency of the Alliance.

With that wonderful crispness to the air in Boston, the Board found a way to spend almost every minute of 2½ days sitting in meetings! But the meetings were good—even energizing. We heard staff reports and you need to know that this shared model of leadership is working. Different styles. Different personalities. Different temperaments. Different methods. But they each share one common goal: the Alliance of Baptists. Paula, Chris, Mary and Carole are finding ways to stay in touch though they do not share an office. They are finding ways to dream together while working in their individual roles.

The Board received the resignation of Susan Parrish which leaves the leadership discerning how best to craft a plan to continue to move forward with the development process. But there is hope and joy and energy among the Alliance leadership, both the staff and the Board.

Two new projects were endorsed by the Board. The student project for next summer is summer missions plus! Not only will we have positions for young adults to serve for 10 weeks in settings connected with the Alliance, but they will also be guided in vocational discernment, theological reflection and spiritual formation as they live in intentional community by the gentle presence of a spiritual sojourner. Wow! And all this will happen in partnership with the United Church of Christ–a partnership that we have held with them in ministry and mission since the mid-1990s. 

MarketPlace, the second new initiative endorsed by the Board, is a mission of the Alliance of Baptists to encourage, support, and spread the good news of progressive Christianity. It is a virtual “farmers’ market” for people of faith who are seeking and who long to share resources to support and encourage a deepening faith, spiritual transformation, and the healing of the world. In offering this online MarketPlace to all people, the Alliance of Baptists is seeking to respond to the continuing call of God in a rapidly changing world. As with all ideas/initiatives/projects/ministries, we will need all Alliance members—individuals and churches—to give to support them. Give money. Give ideas. Give volunteers. Give. Period. To the important and life-giving work of the Alliance.

We also enjoyed some time of worship and Q&A with our northeastern Alliance family. Former Board Members, Ellen Tatreau and Tom McKibbens, put together a gathering and most of the Board was able to join in the worship and fellowship and dialogue. It was good to be together. The music was inspiring, the sermon was prophetic, and the hope was alive.

In the midst of all of energy, I did find myself torn between the “what was” and the “what is.” I found myself several times speaking as one of the “old-timers.” (How can this be?! I’m not old enough to be an “old-timer.”) But the Board is a good representation of the old and the new. New faces and young voices mixed with tradition and history. It is the way it should be. So we lived within that holy tension of remembering the rich heritage that forms the Alliance’s story and history alongside all the dreams and hopes for a bright future.

As we live more completely into the 21^st century as an organization and as a movement, I am grateful to the group that gathered in Boston last month. The Leadership team is leading the Alliance well. The Board, with the faithful and dedicated leadership of Brooks Wicker, is serving the Alliance well. So the question is: Will we, as members of the Alliance of Baptists, take hold of what is happening in our midst and claim it as Good? We should. For if the world needs anything these days, it’s some Good News. I found a piece of it in Boston last month. It felt like the first crisp coolness of fall’s air. It felt like hugs. All things seem possible for the Alliance these days. May it be so.