November 10, 1999
BGCT names first writers for new Texas lessons, which begin in March
___By Dan Martin
___Texas Baptist Communications
___Paul Powell, Leroy Fenton and Leroy Kemp have been named writers for the first issue of Bible Study for Texas, the new adult Bible study materials produced by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___Powell, of Tyler, is retired president of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and former president of the BGCT. He is a former pastor and has written numerous books of sermons and other helps for preachers.
___Fenton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Waxahachie, has been chairman of the BGCT Executive Board and has served on many other state convention committees.
___Kemp, professor of religion at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, is former pastor of First Baptist Church of Belton.
___The materials will feature a 144-page pupil's guide and a 72-page teaching guide. They will be printed in four-color and in a paperback book format.
___The first issue of the BGCT Bible study material will be titled "The Gospel of Luke: Meeting Jesus Again, Anew." It is dated for March 2000 but may be used at any time.
___"The adult Bible study materials are planned, written and published to meet the specific needs of Texas Baptists, and they are written by Texas Baptists," said Bernie Spooner, director of the Sunday School/ discipleship division of the BGCT.
___"They are designed primarily for use in adult Sunday School classes of BGCT churches, but the material may be used at other times according to a church's needs and wants," he added.
___The materials are designed to be quality resources that focus on meeting the needs of adults and that include an emphasis on the priorities and values of the state convention, he said.
___In addition to lesson material written by Powell, Fenton and Kemp, teaching guides also are available. They are written by Robby Barrett, minister of education at First Baptist Church of Amarillo; Janet Burton, a Christian educator who lives in Austin; and Dennis Parrott, minister of administration and education at Green Acres Baptist Church of Tyler.
___Future issues of Bible Study for Texas will feature materials on Acts in the second quarter of 2000, Romans in the third quarter and a survey of the Old Testament in the fourth quarter. The study for the first quarter of 2001 will feature the Gospel of Matthew. Second quarter of 2001 is projected to focus on Galatians and Ephesians.
___Future writers include Jim Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas; Joshua Grijalva, retired president of Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary in San Antonio; Wilma Reed, conference leader and writer from Cleburne; Harry Lucenay, pastor of First Baptist Church of Longview; Robert Campbell, pastor of Westbury Baptist Church in Houston; Robert Sloan, president of Baylor University in Waco; Ellis Orozco, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen; Amelia Bishop, a layperson from Austin; and Hollie Atkinson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Marshall.
___Future teaching guide writers include Deborah McCollister of Dallas Baptist University; Don Cannata, retired minister of education from Waco; Zack Pannell, retired minister of education from Denton; Ken Coates, minister of education at First Baptist Church of Plainview; Carolyn Ulmer of Conroe; Clois Smith, retired minister of education from Houston; Larry Shotwell of First Baptist Church of San Angelo; Dorothy Wilkerson of Dallas; and David Wright of Houston.
___The materials will be on display in the Sunday School/discipleship booth at the annual session of the BGCT Nov. 8-9 in El Paso Civic Center.
___For more information on ordering Bible study materials, contact the BGCT at 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246-1798.
___In addition to the student and teacher materials published by the BGCT, the Baptist Standard will support the new Texas initiative by providing its subscribers with an option of receiving a weekly commentary on lessons through the newspaper. These commentaries will be prepared by different writers than those used in the BGCT products.
___Beginning in March, Standard subscribers will be given new options for what Sunday School lesson commentaries they want to receive, said Editor Marv Knox. The Standard will not reduce its provision of commentaries on the LifeWay Sunday School lessons and, in fact, will expand that coverage next fall, he said.
___The change will involve offering subscribers a choice of which lesson commentaries they want to receive in their papers, Knox explained.
___Only one page of each issue will be earmarked for Sunday School lessons, as is the current practice, but what is printed on that page will vary depending on which option subscribers choose.
___The Standard is seriously considering offering a third option of Spanish-language commentaries as well, Knox said.
___The BGCT's new Bible study materials will be sold in six languages: Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Vietnamese, Spanish and basic English.
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