August 5, 2002
___ Director nominated for Emmy. Bernie Hargis, a producer with the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board's broadcast unit based in Fort Worth, has been nominated for an Emmy Award for directing the documentary "We Shall Not be Moved." The film, which aired on ABC and FamilyNet earlier this year, highlights the role African-American churches played in the Civil Rights movement.
___ Neely to lead new Mo. convention. H.K. Neely, a former dean at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, has been named the first executive director of the new Baptist General Convention of Missouri. He began work July 1 leading the convention that was formed earlier this year as an alternative to the historic Missouri Baptist Convention. Most recently, Neely had been a vice president and dean at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo.
___ 568 Texans attended SBC. This year's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in St. Louis drew 568 Texans as registered messengers from 237 churches, according to Registration Secretary Lee Porter. Only one church sent the maximum number of 10 messengers, First Baptist Church of McAllen. Two others sent nine messengers, First Baptist Church of Dallas and Prestonwood Baptist Church of Plano. The most common pattern for Texas churches was to send one or two messengers.
___ More churches give directly to SBC. The number of Texas Baptist churches sending some contributions directly to the Southern Baptist Convention and not passing them through a state Baptist convention more than doubled last year. According to data reported by the SBC Executive Committee, 267 Texas churches sent money directly to the SBC in the 2000-2001 fiscal year, up from 102 the previous fiscal year. These direct contributions ranged from $36 to $409,000. They included both designated and undesignated gifts. Many of the churches sending direct contributions to the SBC also support one of the two state Baptist conventions in Texas but choose to send contributions directly to the SBC for a variety of reasons.
___ Investment funds beat goals. The majority of investment funds of the Southern Baptist Convention's Annuity Board "met or beat their respective investment standards during the first half of this year," President O.S. Hawkins told trustees during their July 29-30 meeting in Washington, D.C. "While the investment markets have suffered through the worst first-half year since the 1973-74 bear market, our investment approach and disciplines have remained true to form, and we continue to provide our customers with the highest standards of investment practices in the industry today," Hawkins said. "In the midst of significant difficulties in the financial markets, the majority of AB Funds Trust investment funds met or beat their respective investment standards during the first half of this year," Hawkins said. Board treasurer Jeffrey Billinger reported total assets of $6.5 billion at June 30, compared to $7.4 billion at June 30 2001.
___ Denver pastor killed. Rick Ferguson, pastor of Riverside Baptist Church in Denver, was killed July 25 in an auto accident near Hays, Kan., en route to a family reunion in Missouri. Ferguson, 47, had become the most nationally prominent Southern Baptist pastor in Colorado while growing his church from 400 to 4,000 members and launching an array of local ministries. The fatal one-car accident occurred as Ferguson's son, Justin, 17, was driving. The front left tire of the family's 1999 Ford blew out. The vehicle, which was pulling a boat, went out of control, slid broadside and rolled two and a half times. Ferguson's son and wife, Kathy, were treated for minor injuries. Another son and a daughter were following in a separate vehicle. Ferguson was elected first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC's 1998 annual meeting in Salt Lake City, for which he served as chairman of the committee on order of business.
___ Medical insurance increasing. Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's Annuity Board approved a Jan. 1, 2003, rate increase for participants in the Personal Security Program and Employer Security Program medical plans. Participants in the Personal Security Program will receive a 35.1 percent increase, while smaller groups in the Employer Security Program will receive a 12-month rate increase of 31.4 percent. The increases were attributed to rising health-care costs nationwide.
___ Pool commended. The advisory board for the House of Baptist Studies at Texas Christian University's Brite Divinity School has issued a statement expressing gratitude to Jeff Pool for his three years of service as interim director of the program. Pool also has served as director of the annual fund lecturer in theology. "Brite's decision to expand its fund-raising efforts and to hire a full-time director for development has made it untenable to continue Dr. Pool's multiple responsibilities," the statement said. "The board wishes to acknowledge Dr. Pool's fine contributions to Baptist students during his tenure. He generously and effectively shared his time and wisdom as a teacher, mentor and counselor."
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