I was so pleased that the Rev. George Mason (Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas) joined us for assembly this year. His words of encouragement, appreciation, and ultimately of desire for mutual work together set our assembly off on a wonderful note. Many have asked for the text of his talk. I am grateful for his willingness to make that available to us to share.

Too often I have heard around NT-NL a caricature of “Baptists,” while certainly this is likely to happen as they tend to be the dominant cultural denomination in our territory. That said, it is wise for us always to remember that being Baptist is not a monolithic distinction. Just as there are many types of Lutheran, so are there of Baptist. George Mason represents a wonderful part of the Baptist tradition that has, and continues to, encourage ecumenism and freedom of expression in religious life. I am so grateful for his presence among us and commend to you his words.