___ SBTC editor claims high road. Gary Ledbetter, editor of the Southern Baptist Texan, monthly newsletter of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, wrote in his July editorial that the convention formed in opposition to the Baptist General Convention of Texas won't respond to "name calling and wild accusations" published in Texas newspapers. "It is the practice of our convention to talk about what we are rather than what we aren't, not to attack what others reveal themselves to be," he wrote. Ledbetter's wife, Tammi, has been the author of several inflammatory articles about the BGCT published by Baptist Press and denounced by BGCT leaders as malicious.
___ Texans elected to leadership. Four Texans were elected to leadership posts with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship June 30. Phill Martin, a member of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas and education
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TEXANS Phill Martin (left) and Paul Kenley (right) with CBF Past Moderator Donna Forrester and Moderator Jim Baucom.
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director for the National Association of Church Business Administration, was named moderator-elect. Paul Kenley, pastor of Baptist Temple in Houston, was re-elected recorder. Gordon Atkinson, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in San Antonio, was elected to the CBF Coordinating Council. Randy Fields, an attorney and member of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, was elected to the CBF Church Benefits Board.
___ CBF strategic plan sent back. The Coordinating Council of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has sent a proposed strategic plan back to the drawing board, citing resistance from state and regional groups. The plan, which follows a first phase approved last year, proposed to alter the makeup of the organization's governing board and change the way the national body relates to state and regional chapters. Areas of common concern included a proposed requirement that churches must "embrace" the CBF mission statement and organizational values to be counted as CBF members.___
___ Parker resigns CBF. Gary Parker has resigned his post as coordinator of Baptist life and leadership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to become pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. The former Missouri pastor served on the CBF staff five years.
___ Newsom to CBF. Tom Newsom, a senior development officer with Baylor University, has been named development coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the first person to fill such a role for the Atlanta-based missions organization. He recently has directed a $17 million building campaign for Truett Theological Seminary.
___ LifeWayonline surfs blip. LifeWayonline, the filtered Internet service offered by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, has changed technology providers, resulting in a large number of calls for customer service. The new toll-free number for LifeWayonline is (866) 896-5965. The number is answered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Central time, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
___ Texans among pamphlet writers. A new pamphlet series exploring "The Baptist Style for a New Century" features the writing of two Texas Baptists. William Brackney of Baylor University and Carol Crawford Holcomb of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor wrote for the new series published by the Baptist History and Heritage Society and the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society. Information about the series is available at www.baptisthistory.org or by calling (800) 966-2278.
___ Lewis gets Liberty award. The Religious Liberty Council, the individual membership arm of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, gave its Barbara Jordan-Mark Hatfield Courage Award June 29 to Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. The only previous recipient was Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas. Lewis was recognized for courage in opposing President Bush's initiative for federal funding of faith-based programs. Lewis called the president's plan "an assault on our Constitution and our Bill of Rights."
___ ABP Foundation names board. Seven members have been elected to serve on the inaugural board of directors for the new Associated Baptist Press Foundation. Two Texans are among the board members: Randall Fields, a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch Co. in San Antonio, and Roger Hall, chief financial officer for the Baptist General Convention of Texas in Dallas.
___ WMU approves reorganization. Woman's Missionary Union will reorganize its headquarters staff in Birmingham, Ala., this fall. The change was approved by WMU's executive board June 9. The new structure calls for a Missions Resource Center, including seven teams that relate to the age-level, churchwide, associational and ministry aspects of WMU; the Product Development Center, including three teams assigned to develop WMU, New Hope and WorldCrafts products; and the Operational Services Center, including six teams related to graphic design, marketing, customer service and distribution.
___ Annie upped. The executive board of Woman's Missionary Union voted June 9 to increase the goal for next year's Annie Armstrong Easter Offering from $50 million to $52 million. The change was recommended based on a record offering of $48.45 million last year.
___ Falwell named to advisory role. The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists has named Jerry Falwell pastor/adviser to the group. In this role, the Virginia televangelist will provide counsel and encouragement for the evangelists.
___ Yarnell to Midwestern. Malcolm Yarnell III has been named vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been assistant professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth the past year. Yarnell is a graduate of Louisiana State University, Southwestern Seminary, Duke Divinity School and Oxford University.
___ Vinson to Seminary Extension. Bill Vinson, a veteran Seminary Extension instructor and current faculty member at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has been named executive director of Seminary Extension. Seminary Extension is a program of the six Southern Baptist Convention seminaries to provide ministers and laity with classes through 500 extension centers.
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