By Tanner Cade
Correspondent
The Executive Committee of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) on June 22 approved Chad McCord as the new MBCB Missions Mobilization Director and filled the director slots at two Baptist Student Unions (BSU).
McCord, missions & discipleship pastor at Connections Church, Belle Fourche (South Dakota), replaces Mike Ray who is set to retire at the end of August.
Tamara Walbert has been called as the BSU director at Holmes Community College (HCC) in Goodman. She has served in that position for the past 20 years, employed by the local BSU advisory board.
Matt Stark will take the helm of BSU at Itawamba Community College in Fulton (ICC).
McCord joins the MBCB staff after working many years in ministry. Most recently he served at Connections Church, Belle Fourche, S.D. During his time in South Dakota he also served as church relations missionary/state evangelism director for the Dakota Baptist Convention in Rapid City.
Before ministry opportunities in the Dakotas, the McCord family spent over 15 years serving in Southeast Asia as full-time missionaries. Chad was tabbed as a team leader from 2005-2021 for Southern Baptists’ International Mission Board.
“I’m really glad to have Chad McCord join us as our next Missions Mobilization Director. He brings an understanding of Mississippi and strong mission field experience to the table,” said Dr. Shawn Parker, MBCB Executive Director-Treasurer.
“I am super encouraged that he will be able to work with Mike Ray for a few weeks before Mike’s retirement becomes effective. Mike has done an outstanding job connecting churches to missions opportunities, and I’m confident Chad is going to take the baton firmly in hand and keep us moving forward.”
Since July 2003, Walbert has served as the BSU director at HCC through local BSU advisory board.
The local board was supportive of MBCB calling Walbert so funds can be freed and reinvested into the programming of ministry. Before coming to the BSU ministry, Tamara served as a student minister at First Church, Lexington.
Stark will make the transition to BSU Director at ICC after most recently serving as associate pastor of discipleship & missions at First Church, Amory. Stark has twenty plus years of ministry experience including his family serving as missionaries in Bristol, England, from 2016-2019.
“Our campuses have been and will continue to be reached for the Gospel with these recent additions at Itawamba Community College BSU and Holmes Community College BSU,” said Sam Ivy, MBCB collegiate ministries director.
“Tamara has two decades of BSU experience at HCC and is getting ready to welcome back her BSU summer missionaries in late July. Matt is an ICC BSU alum with a host of missions experience as well as a heart to see the lost reached on the campus at ICC.
“The college campuses are the frontlines of ministry, and I am thankful for Mississippi Baptists’ support of our BSU ministry as we seek To ‘Know Christ and To Make Him Known!’” Ivy said.
The BSU ministry is supported by gifts to the Mississippi Cooperative Program, contributions from local churches and Baptist associations in the schools’ service areas, and individual donations.
For more information on BSU in Mississippi. Ivy may be contacted at sivy@mbcb.org, and by clicking here on the MBCB website.
Cade is the MBCB director of communications. He may be contacted at tcade@mbcb.org.
