The Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc., will take place beginning Monday and will last for one week.

“There are classes for deacons, clerks, media ministry, children, adults and ministers,” secretary of the event’s committee Synethia Pettaway said. “There’s something for the entire church body; everyone can be trained.”

This event is held every year in Selma on the campus of Selma University and Selma CHAT Academy (where Christian education classes are held).  More than 3,000 people from across the state attend the event.

“They’ll be taking classes to become Christian education leaders, teachers, instructors and gain knowledge,” Pettaway said.

The Alabama Baptist State Congress of Christian Education is an accredited Christian education school and an auxiliary of the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc. Pettaway said the school, which is an affiliate of the Alabama Baptist Convention, is a training ground.

For the first time, Kelly Miller Smith Jr., the executive director of Sunday School publishing board for the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., will attend Alabama’s convention Monday as the presidential banquet speaker.

“He said he was looking forward to coming,” Pettaway said. “It’s a historic event to have the national director to come because he publishes books and commentaries for Sunday Schools all over the nation.”