Texas Baptist Men keeps Smith as interim

November 18, 2002

Texas Baptist Men President Leo Smith presents the Parabaloni award to Mike Brittain for taking risks to expand God's kingdom in the past year. He distributed food in the war-torn Gaza strip. Smith presents the Parabaloni award to Bob Dixon for his continued effort to expand God's kingdom through men's ministries.

Texas Baptist Men keeps Smith as interim
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___WACO--Soon after Texas Baptist Men re-elected Leo Smith as its president, he temporarily stepped aside from that post to become the official interim executive director of the men's missions organization.
___Those actions highlighted the group's annual meeting at Latham Springs Baptist Encampment Nov. 12, during a break in the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session in nearby Waco.
___Smith stepped down from the presidency after members voted to give him the full salary and benefits of the organization's executive director retroactive to June 1. He has served as interim executive director at the request of the TBM personnel committee since Jim Ferguson retired in late spring.
___Andy Andreason, immediate past president, is serving as interim president on Smith's behalf until an executive director is elected.
___A report of Texas Baptist Men's array of ministries throughout the past year provided the emotional highlight of the annual meeting. The men watched a video panorama and heard testimonies of their activities, which ranged from Central Texas and West Texas flood relief, to response to terrorism in New York City, to relief work amidst forest fires in Arizona and more.
___Several members broke into tears as they described how the organization's work had touched their lives.
___"Men make a difference," Sid Woodruff, a staff member with LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn., said in the keynote address.
___Men are the key to reaching America's families, Woodruff insisted.
___For example, in more than 90 percent of the families in which the father is a Christian, the other family members are Christians, he reported. But that percentage drops dramatically if the father is not a Christian, he added.
___In addition to Smith of Alvin and Andreason of McGregor, other officers are vice presidents Kevin Walker of Fort Worth, Bryan Finley of Kerrville, George Crews of Colleyville, Leland Maples of Odessa, Garland Clark of Gary, Wayne Simpkins of Beeville, Dewayne Williams of Arlington, Ralph Ollman of Burleson, Tommy Malone of Dallas, Jerry Horn of Universal City, Glen Gaines of Brencha, Robert Mann of Arlington, John LaNoue of Tyler, Tom Shelby of Dallas, Jerry Bob Taylor of Brownwood, Don Roman of Orange, Mel Goodwin of Kilgore, Ed Alvarado of Donna, Yoo Yoon of Dallas, James Griffin of Wills Point, Joe Mosley of Dallas, Jack Tennison of McQueeney and Gus Green of Whitesboro.
___Executive Board members are Leo Smith, Andreason, Finley, Walker, Crews, Randy Newberry of Austin, Alvarado, Jerry Smith of Aquilla, Horn, Cotton Bridges of Plano, Gene Wofford of Santa Fe, Joe Lenamon of Fort Worth, Don Gibson of Dallas, Tony Hernandez of San Antonio, Roger Hall of Midlothian and Wilton Davis of Dallas.
___Hernandez also was elected recording secretary.
__

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