“Restoration and revival through prayer,” is the theme of the Southern Baptist Convention 2014 annual meeting

BALTIMORE (BP) — “Restoration and revival through prayer,” is the theme of the Southern Baptist Convention 2014 annual meeting June 10 – 11 in Baltimore, SBC President Fred Luter has announced.

“We have not had a theme that focused on prayer and revival for many years,” said Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. “I pray that God will send revival across America and particularly among Southern Baptists.”

Psalm 80:18–19 is Luter’s selection as the biblical text to support the theme: “Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name. Restore us, Yahweh, the God of Hosts; look on us with favor, and we will be saved” (HCSB).

Luter will preach during the June 10 evening session, marking his last presidential address.

No other business will be presented or discussed in the evening session, adhering to last year’s annual meeting format, said David Smith, chairman of the SBC Committee on Order of Business and executive director of the Austin Baptist Association in Texas.

“It obviously had such a great response last year that we decided we wanted to do it again,” Smith said of the evening session. “We just think it’s going to bring back something that folks go to Convention for — to hear the Word, to be inspired, and to worship. And we’re looking forward to it.”

Luter, a member of the committee, requested at the September 2013 Executive Committee meeting that the evening worship format continues, Smith said.

“[President Luter] said, ‘I’d really like to recommend that we do the Tuesday night event again.’ And of course our committee wholeheartedly supported that,” Smith said. “On Tuesday night of the convention he’ll be sharing his president’s address and Roger [McGee, pastor of music and worship at First Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia] will be leading in the worship time.”