We have some firsts... like being the first major, predominantly white denomination to elect a Black president.  We were also the first major church body to choose a woman as our presiding officer.

Such actions say a lot about our spirit and our convictions.  We're The American Baptist Churches USA, the 4th largest Baptist group with 1,600,000 members.  Our churches are open to all minorities.  Try us.

We've often been ahead of the times.  As an early religious minority, subject to discrimination ourselves, we played a key role in establishing the first freedom in the Bill of Rights -- religious liberty.  That freedom is basic to all our other civil liberties and the civil rights of minorities today.

We used to be called the Northern Baptists since our denomination split over the issue of slavery.  We supported abolition, the underground railroad, and national reconciliation once the issue was decided.

Since then we've been on the side of equal rights and opportunities for all minority groups in church membership, employment, housing, education, voting rights, and public accommodations.  We believe the Gospel requires it of us as a church.  

There's one often forgotten minority group -- the 10,000,000 who, according to the polls, say they don't believe in God.  We just want you to know that we haven't forgotten.  You, too are welcome.  Come, bring your questions.  You may be surprised at what we have to share.