Mr Edwards will officially leave the post he has served for seven years in July. His address concluded Saturday morning's AGM, a meeting at which his successor Lynn Green was elected.
 

New President the Revd Ernie Whalley thanked Mr Edwards for all he had given to the role and prayed for him, after which Assembly stood in unison to applaud before singing a rousing version of the hymn Lord of the Church We Pray for our Renewing.

Moments earlier Mr Edwards had encouraged Baptists to focus on prayer, mission and working in 'gracious partnership'.

These themes of his final Assembly address as general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain were the same as when he was called to the role in 2006.

Although the 'scenery has changed a good deal' since then, said Mr Edwards, 'I believe they continue to be crucial for us all'.
His number one theme is that our Union 'needs to move forward in prayer'. 'Prayer describes the oxygen of the Christian and describes how we open our lives to God, and work in partnership with him.'

He said the greatest encouragements of his years as General Secretary has been when he has seen churches 'devoted to a life of prayer... and I have seen it often'.

However, he still believes that this needs to be kept as the number one issue.

He encouraged delegates to take personal responsibility to pray for Lynn Green, who had just been appointed his successor.
'You call your General Secretaries into a very vulnerable and exposed place. The pressures are not ones that you would be able to easily imagine.
'I confess to you I had very little grasp on the pressures that awaited me. But throughout my seven years I have always known that I have been prayed 

for. I have had an army of people who have taken my prayer diary, and I have been moved time and again by their faithful interest and regular prayerful support.'

To move forward in mission, Mr Edwards said, 'in one way sounds like stating the obvious.'

He commended the work of BMS World Mission, and said that when Baptists chose the One World, One Mission for our Assembly in 2010, 'we weren't just looking for a catchy title but to express our heart'.

He added that the 'greatest delight' of his ministry has been to see how Home Mission money is used.

Mr Edwards said the financial pressures easily tempt us to keep a higher proportion of our money for ourselves. 'We we need to be vigilant and to remind one another constantly that we are called to God's mission to the world. ' This may involve new buildings - but if it ends there 'then we've missed the point'. Mission must 'shape the agendas' of the Baptist Steering Group, new Council and our Union.

Finally, Mr Edwards said, we must move forward in 'gracious partnership'. He said this message is counter cultural, as we live in a society where there is 'a horrible lack of grace'.

One of the things to have struck him in his role is the massive variety among us, and that our life 'totally depends on grace', particularly in a time of change.

He said grace is 'never more needed than when we face the major issues of the day', such as recent conversation about homosexuality. He also referred to relationships beyond ourselves, such as ecumenical partnerships and inter-faith relationships, and commended the work of the Joint Public Issues team.

Summing up, he said the past seven years have been 'demanding and deeply challenging in 1001 ways', but the privilege of serving you 'has been beyond description'.

'I thank you for all that is past, and with faith and conviction I look forward with you to seeing where God will lead us in the coming days.'

Elsewhere in the AGM constitutional changes to our Union were voted through.The changes have come about as a result of the Futures process, and include asmaller Baptist Union Council, and a new leadership team.

A number of people who have either joined or change positions within the life of our Union were welcomed. These included Jenni Entrican, BUGB vice president, who said she wants to 'enable people to recognize and release their pioneering spirit'.

Similarly those leaving their roles, including Amanda Allchorn, head of the former Communications Department; the Nigel Wright, Principal of Spurgeon's College; Richard Kidd and Anne Phillips (Co-Principals Northern Baptist Learning Community), and Keith Jones, Rector of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague.

The accounts were presented. There had been a deficit of £638,156 in 2012, said Malcolm Broad, and the highest ever Home Mission Appeal. Giving to Home Mission in 2013 was just three per cent behind the target. Mr Broad was reappointed BUGB treasurer.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 09:28