Leaders at Mississippi College Attend Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore

Karis Nelson, 18, of Knoxville, Tennessee visited the Mississippi College booth at the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston last year. It opened doors for her to meet with MC admissions leaders and enroll at MC this fall.

President Lee Royce and other Mississippi College leaders will welcome university alumni at the annual Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore.

Dr. Royce, his wife, Rhoda, Vice President for Christian Development Eric Pratt, and MC admissions officials will attend a June 10 reception at the Baltimore Convention Center. The two-hour event begins at 5 p.m. at Level 300, Room 341.

It’s a good way for the MC family to reconnect in Maryland’s largest city, feast on crab cakes and enjoy fellowship time. “Restoration & Revival Through Prayer” is the theme of this year’s conference.

“I’m looking forward to hearing stories about lives being changed, individuals being helped and connecting with friends across the country,” Pratt said.

At the meetings, messengers from Southern Baptist churches nationwide and around the globe “come together to celebrate what the Lord is doing and to make official decisions about future directions and leadership,” Pratt said.

“This year is going to be difficult,” he noted. The late Doc Quick, a beloved Mississippi College administrator for decades, was a goodwill ambassador for the Baptist-affiliated school at SBC meetings for years. “He was the primary reason many MC alums stopped by our booth.”

Quick was a longtime mentor to thousands of students, colleagues, and alumni. His daughter, Karon McMillan, the university’s financial aid director, plans to attend the convention in Baltimore.

Admissions director Kyle Brantley, assistant director Michael Wright, dean of admissions Mark Hughes, and office manager Angie Hardin will be part of the Mississippi College delegation at the SBC meetings.

Karis Nelson, 18, of Knoxville, Tennessee attended last June’s SBC gathering in Houston, Texas. She went because her father, Phil Nelson, works for the International Mission Board.

Interested in finding out more about Christian colleges, Karis stopped by the Mississippi College booth. She was encouraged to make a visit and that trip led her to enroll at the Clinton campus. She will be a freshman at MC this fall.

“When I visited, I was pretty much sold,” Karis said. “Everyone I met, students and professors, seemed bright and nice and Christ centered. It looked like a place I could fit in.”

This summer, the incoming MC freshman is headed to Africa to work in an orphanage. “I want to find a way to help developing nations and spread the name of Jesus.”

Speakers at the conference will include SBC President Fred Luter, Jr. of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. Speakers at a June 8-9 SBC Pastors Conference in Baltimore include Rick Warren and Tony Evans.

For more information, go to www.sbcannualmeeting.net.