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| BOARD CHAIRMAN Leroy Fenton welcomes guests to the rededication and open house at the Baptist Standard's remodeled building west of downtown Dallas.. |
EDITOR Marv Knox addresses the gathering.
(Photos by Russ Dilday) |
Standard lets its light shine at rededication
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___DALLAS--About 100 guests joined the staff and board of directors of the Baptist Standard Sept. 18 to rededicate the paper's recently remodeled building west of downtown Dallas.
___The event also launched a campaign for financial support of the Standard around the theme "Let There Be Light."
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THE DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Chamber Singers perform "America the Beautiful."
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___Editor Marv Knox quoted his grandmother, whose sage advice has stuck with him since childhood: "The only things that grow in the dark are mold and evil."
___Noting the emotional darkness that has engulfed the nation in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York, Knox encouraged the crowd to remember the power of light.
___"If you need to think an optimistic thought, remember this: Light always defeats darkness," he said. "Flip a switch, and light chases darkness from a room. Touch match to candle, and light fills space and warms lives. Open a good book, and the light of knowledge dispels ignorance."
___This is the mission of the Standard, Knox concluded.
___"Every week, the Baptist Standard fills corners of darkness with the light of truth. Happily, the Standard sheds light on people and issues and events that shape our life together as people of faith. Joyfully, the Standard reflects the light of our Savior, Jesus Christ--the Light of the World--into the lives of readers far and wide."
___That theme was echoed by Leroy Fenton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Waxahachie and chairman of the Baptist Standard board.
___The Standard sheds light on Texas Baptist life because it is given the freedom to do so, he said. "The guarantee of truth is freedom of the press. As the soul must have freedom to respond to God, the press must have freedom to respond to fact."
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BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade and Editor Marv Knox admire the view of downtown Dallas from the editor's office.
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___Noting the occasion of the building rededication, Fenton continued: "The symbol of Baptist freedom of the press is this building and this paper. A controlled press denies biblical insight, soul competency, priesthood of the believer, personal respect for the individual, local church autonomy and democracy. Heresy and disrespect are the ultimate outcomes of control."
___Charles Wade, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, commended the Standard's board and staff and said he is glad the BGCT Executive Board does not control the Standard.
___"I get enough criticism as it is," he quipped.
___Wade, a former trustee of the Standard, asserted the paper plays a vital role in Texas Baptist life and its educational function is essential for Baptists to live out their doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.
___That notion was affirmed as well by Editor Emeritus Toby Druin. "The Baptist Standard is more than a newspaper or a publishing enterprise," he said. "The essence of who Baptists are is rooted in faith in Christ, freedom, soul competency and religious liberty."
___Editor Emeritus Presnall Wood recalled the Standard's move to its current location in
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| A REPLICA of a new flag to fly outside the building is presented by Presnall Wood, Toby Druin, Mark Wingfield, Michael Morgan and Leroy Fenton. The actual flag did not arrive because all flag makers have switched production to American flags. |
1975, when he served on the board of directors. The move was made possible by the sale of property on San Jacinto Street in downtown Dallas, part of the site where the Plaza of the Americas complex stands today.
___The new building, which includes a large amount of space leased by the paper's printer, Dallas Offset, was constructed debt-free, with enough money left over to establish an endowment fund. Because of this endowment, the Standard has maintained its status as the only state Baptist newspaper not receiving Cooperative Program funding from a state convention.
___Over the last two years, the Standard's board undertook a study of whether to sell the building and relocate, ultimately deciding to stay put and remodel to create more efficient work areas. Knox noted that the renovation allows space for additional personnel that may become necessary as the publishing company expands it services to Texas Baptists in the years ahead.
___As part of this long-range planning, the board also created a development office and hired the first development director ever employed by a state Baptist newspaper. The goal of the development effort will be to secure the paper's future, ensure its financial independence and allow expansion into new projects, Knox said.
___Throughout its 113-year history, the Standard has faced many ups and downs and has seen colorful figures come and go, Wood said. "The editors have been varied in personality but united in purpose of trusting the Lord and telling the people."
___In recording history, the Standard at times has made history, he added. "The paper has been Baptist in doctrine, forthright in news coverage and a conspicuous standard in speaking to social issues."
___But in so doing, the Standard "has paid the price of sometimes being misrepresented by its opponents and ignored by its friends," Wood said.
___"The Baptist Standard needs the support of Texas Baptists who believe that indeed Baptists work better in the light than in the dark."
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