COEBA

The Conference On Evangelizing Black America or COEBA movement is a strong Independent Baptist- and local church- based organization in the United States of America. It is separated only by its desire to accelerate the growth of Independent Fundamental Baptist churches pastored by “black” pastors.

COEBA is a church planting ministry of the Crossroads Baptist Church in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia.

History

The movement began in 1994 as a simple annual Conference interested in increasing awareness among Independent Baptists of the need to reach the 40 million plus Black Americans in the United States.

The first meeting was held on the campus of Atlantic Baptist Bible College in Chester, Virginia. Dr. U. G. Robertson[1] (http://www.coeba.org/mserver/BioUGR.aspx), then president of the college, suggested to Crossroads pastor Dr. Louis C. Baldwin that it was time to attempt a meeting of this sort. Crossroads Baptist Church brought its choir. The meeting was attended by a number of mostly Virginia based Independent Baptist pastors both white and black.

Previously one church was established in 1993. Berean Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. One Church was established in 1994. Jacksonville Baptist Temple in Jacksonville Arkansas.

The next three years of meetings were held in Crossroads Baptist Church facilities. Many within the Independent Baptist movement already knew something about the Crossroads Baptist Church and its support of world wide missions. The Conference afforded pastors the opportunity to become acquainted with the preachers being produced by or associated with COEBA and its ministry philosophy. By the end of this period the church and the meeting began to be viewed in a different light, the light of Church Planting.

Four Churches were established during the three years the meeting was held in Crossroads Baptist Church facilities. New Testament Baptist Church in Takoma Park, Maryland; Grace Independent Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Victory Independent Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia and Faithway Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Virginia.

The following five years of meetings were held at the Hylton Memorial Chapel (http://www.hyltonchapel.org) facility in Woodbridge, Virginia. Many prominent Baptist Bible Colleges and others began signing up as exhibitors at the conference for the purpose of showing support and attracting black students which until this time were very hard for these colleges to reach. This is attributed to the fact that previously very few blacks were associated with Independent Baptists. These colleges typically do not recruit outside of this group. By the end of this period COEBA was considered a growing movement among Independent Baptists. During this time the annual meeting began to be referred to as the COEBA National Gathering. Smaller meetings called COEBA Regional meetings also began to be held in various locations throughout the United States as they were invited by local Independent Baptist churches.

Approximately seven additional churches were established or began to be supported between 1998 and 2002 when the COEBA National Gathering was being held in the Hylton Chapel facility. These seven churches included Calvary Baptist Church reaching United States Army personnel stationed in Mons, Belgium; Crossroads Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee; Victory Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas; Hampton Roads Independent Baptist Church in Hampton, Virginia and Trinity Independent Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland.

COEBA Today

COEBA is responsible for establishing over 15 churches in its first 10 years of existence.

The established and mentored churches maintain a close relationship to the organization and its principles. Church planting and Missions are held in high regard. Through the first 10 years the new churches collectively gave over 4 million dollars in support of Independent Baptist mission work world wide. Also a number of the new churches began reproducing themselves during the first decade.

External links

• Official COEBA Web Site (http://www.coeba.org)