By Victoria Mejicanos
AFRO Staff Writer
vmejicanos@afro.com
The United Baptist Missionary Convention (UBMC) of the State of Maryland celebrated its 100th anniversary May 22, at the Sheraton, Baltimore North in Towson.
The convention was established on Dec. 10, 1926, by Rev. Daniel Glasco Mack, of Macedonia Baptist Church, to support and meet the needs of Black Baptists seeking greater venues for Christian education, fellowship and collaboration among churches.
Today, the convention includes 130 member churches and several auxiliaries serving women, men, youth, educators and young adults.
The convention also owns and operates The Maryland Baptist Aged Home. The home is the oldest African-American owned and operated nursing home in the state of Maryland, according to information provided by the convention’s website. Governed by the UBMC board of trustees, the 29-bed facility provides short- and long-term nursing care to all residents regardless of race, sex, religion or country of origin.
While the ministries within the convention have expanded over time, mentorship and community remain central. For current president of the convention Greggory R. Maddox, much of the mission remains the same, but has been “upgraded.”
“We’re putting some new paradigms in place that cause our people to be more aware of different things,” said Maddox. He said those include continuing to support young adults in the convention and educate senior members about health and technology issues.
Throughout its 100-year history, one of the convention’s central focuses has been mentoring the next generation of Baptist leaders.
Maddox said he is encouraged by the “plethora of young gifted African American preachers” entering ministry today. He said that they are more formally seminary-trained than previous generations and praised the sincerity of the convention’s young leaders.
“I’m hopeful that the young preachers of today and in the future will be dedicated and be critically acknowledging their calling,” said Maddox. they prepare themselves to do the very best they can and serve their congregation with sincerness and not necessarily wonder about the financial and other trappings.”
Eloise Jackson, who has been a member of the convention since 1979 and currently serves in the women’s auxiliary, said the convention’s impact goes beyond church walls. Through the women’s auxiliary, she has fed people, provided Christmas for those who may not have had one otherwise, donated to homeless shelters and provided scholarships for youth, Jackson said.
Credit: Courtesy Photo
Outside of service to those throughout the state, Jackson shared that the community uplifts each other through difficult times. When she lost her mother and husband in the same year, the women’s auxiliary was her support system. She says that when she thinks about the convention and its impact through the years, she thinks of “the love that just showers out from the convention itself.”
Maddox said that the success of the convention for the past 100 years is because of its members.
“I want people to understand that our convention has lasted 100 years because of the faithfulness of the constituency both spiritually and financially,” he said. “It’s a viable entity in the community. It supplies not only its constituency but those who are around with different resources that anybody can use.”