April 3, 2000
TOGETHER:
Thank God, he keeps calling people for his purposes
___Everyone was singing enthusiastically at Webb Baptist Church in Arlington the other Sunday. But no one was enjoying the worship of God more than the man standing to my left. I was standing at the front and singing along with the congregation when I noticed Jessica Goodyear signing for the deaf. She stood facing the congregation, and gracefully she poured her heart into the language of the hands. With rapt attention, he returned thesigns, and with his whole being praised God as he sang with his hands and arms and every part of his body.
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___Jessica is a graduate of Baylor University, married to Jack, the youth minister at Webb and seminary student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Together, they are pouring their lives into the young people and church at Webb. They are special to me for many reasons. Jack Goodyear grew up in First Baptist Church in Arlington, part of two of our most faithful families. Jessica committed her life to Christ in high school and became a faithful member of our church. I had the privilege of counseling with them before their wedding and officiated at the celebration of their vows to one another. It was my privilege to recommend them to Pastor Wayne Ogle and the Webb church and suggest that God would bless their church through their lives.
___Every pastor who has had the privilege to send out young people whom God has called and gifted for ministry knows exactly how I felt that Sunday morning. I was smiling with real delight as I shared in worship with a man who, though he could not hear nor sing, could pour himself into worship and know the joy he so obviously felt was matched by the joy he was bringing to the heart of the Father. And I bowed my head and gave thanks for this dear man and for the young woman who so beautifully gave her gift of language to him and to God.
___Across Texas there are hundreds of young men and women whom God has called to serve him. They are in our Baptist universities, they are studying in state schools and are active in the Baptist Student Ministries, and they are in our seminaries. Some are serving while still in high school and others serve in bivocational ministries as they work at other jobs in order to do ministry in a local church. There are 3,400 students preparing for ministry in our eight Baptist universities. Additionally, some 400 students are preparing for ministry at state-supported schools, and our Baptist Student Ministry has involved them in a "Barnabas" program of support, training and encouragement. There are 230 students in master of divinity programs at Truett Seminary and Logsdon School of Theology. There are 275 students related to the Hispanic Baptist Theological School. Altogether, 1,500 ministerial students receive some direct support through our Ministerial Tuition Grant program supported by the monies the churches of Texas give through the Cooperative Program.
___Please pray for these young people. Thank God that he keeps calling out men and women in Texas to serve him in the local church. Encourage the ministers in your church, younger and older. They are a gift from God to us. If you are tempted to take them for granted, think for a moment what it would be like to be in a church where no young ministers could be found to take up the responsibilities of church life for our time. And thank God, too, for the wonderful ministry Texas Baptists are involved in through our deaf ministry led by Bob Parrish. There are 18 deaf churches and 146 interpretive ministries.
___We need each other. Together, with God, we are ready to minister to our world, because ...
___We are loved.
Send this story to a friend
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!
