Pastor picked to head group

A home grown minister has been chosen to head the Midlands' more than 170 member churches in a major re-organisation of the Heart of England Baptist Association.

Former senior pastor of Bewdley Baptist Church the Rev Keith Judson has taken up his new role as team leader of the association which also has churches in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Shropshire.

Mr Judson led the more than 300-member Bewdley church based in High Street until earlier this month after beating applicants drawn from all over the country for the top job.

He has now taken charge of HEBA which is set to launch a £1.9 million mission development programme set to benefit community projects across the region.

In addition to Mr Judson three other regional ministers are being appointed to help run the association's affairs following a leadership team restructure.

There had previously been three full-time and one part-time senior leaders based at HEBA headquarters in Newhall Street, Birmingham.

But the administration was re-organised following the departure of previous team leader the Rev Brian Nicholls who left to shepherd a Bradford church.

The £1.9m is to be spent on a range of initiatives set up by Baptist congregations across the region to improve the quality of life for the communities they serve. Under the new system HEBA will be divided into four geographical districts each with a regional minister responsible for them.

Area One will be made up of 52 churches in the Black Country, Shropshire and Herefordshire.

Area Two will have 46 churches in Staffordshire and North Birmingham, and Area Three will be Coventry, Warwickshire and South Birmingham with 48 churches.

While Mr Judson will look after Worcestershire's 28 churches in Area Four.

He will also be in charge of recruiting new church ministers for the association when vacancies arise.

HEBA was host for the centenary Baptist World Congress held at the ICC complex when former US president Jimmy Carter joined 13,000 Baptists at the international event two years ago.

The next world congress is due to be held in Hawaii in 2010.

Meanwhile hundreds of Baptists are due to attend the annual HEBA Family Day event on June 9 at a Midlands venue to be confirmed. Organisers last year scored an own goal when the conference, then held in Streetly, clashed with an England World Cup match, reducing numbers.

The association is part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain whose current president the Rev Dr Kate Coleman, of Birmingham, the first black woman to be appointed leader of the union.