December 1, 1999

Star-Telegram editorial praises Wade
___FORT WORTH--The Fort Worth Star-Telegram published an editorial Nov. 23 praising Charles Wade as a consensus builder and community builder.
___Wade, who recently became executive director-elect of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, was pastor of First Baptist Church of Arlington for 23 years. During that time, he was a highly visible and deeply involved leader in Arlington and Tarrant County issues.
___The editorial, headlined "Minister of Merit," said Wade is "prized as a builder of consensus."
___"At First Baptist, Wade demonstrated a belief that a church is responsible for the community in which it exists," the editorial noted. "With his guidance, the church has supported Mission Arlington, a nationally acclaimed community outreach ministry that provides clothing and food, pays bills and offers Bible study for those in need. It has also started Hispanic, Chinese and Korean missions, all of which have become independent churches with their own buildings. First Baptist has maintained a long, close relationship with Mount Olive Baptist, one of the largest African-American congregations in the region.
___"If we could do a search of Wade's utterances, both public and private, it would doubtless be dominated by words like 'community,' 'cooperate,' 'include,' 'consensus' and 'together.' In a world where differences often attract more attention than similarities--and thus are made to seem more important--he runs consistently to the contrary. We are all fortunate that he does."
___First Baptist Church of Arlington said goodbye to Wade as pastor during special services Nov. 21.
___Among those making special presentations was the mayor of Arlington, who announced the city plans to name a building in Wade's honor because of his many contributions to the community.

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