SAN ANTONIO—Baptist University of the Americas broke ground Aug. 29 on a new 78-acre campus in southwest San Antonio that school President Albert Reyes called the institution’s “field of dreams.”

The new Baugh Family Campus will include a $4 million student housing complex, the 60,000-square-feet Piper Student Village, opening for the fall 2007 semester.

BUA purchased the 78-acre tract in early 2006 with the assistance of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The new campus is directly across the Pan American Expressway from the current campus and is accessible by a walkover bridge.

Infrastructure development and the housing complex are Phase 1 of the project and represent a $6 million investment, according to university sources. The university hopes to begin Phase 2 within the next three years, and it will include an additional $5 million to $10 million investment for a student services building that will include a learning resource center, dining facilities, a student center and student development offices.

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

The 2007 Baptist General Convention of Texas budget proposal the Executive Board will consider Sept. 25-26 not only reflects a comprehensive staff reorganization that occurred this year, but also includes incremental steps toward bringing into the budget items previously covered by discretionary funds and designated gifts.

The $50.6 million recommended budget represents about a 2 percent increase over the $49,437,000 budget for 2006. Of the total proposed budget, $42,441,000 would come from Texas Cooperative Program receipts.

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

Editor’s Note: Jess Lunsford, the founding administrator of South Texas Children’s Home, died Aug. 28 at age 96. STCH is one of four childcare agencies affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Jess Lunsford was a giant. If you only knew Jess by his physical stature, you would wonder why anyone would characterize him as a giant. But if you knew Jess by his character, wisdom, relationship with Christ, heart or dreams, “giant” does not do him justice. Giant is too small for Jess Lunsford.

I have enjoyed reading his journals and want to share some of them with you. Some of the early struggles Jess faced occurred because people did not know the function of a children’s home. During Christmas of 1955, Jess wrote about the strange request he received one night at South Texas Children’s Home. He wrote: “Three oilfield workers at the door last night wanting to meet some of our girls—imagine; we never saw this before. They were shown the shortest route out of the grounds.”

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

VILLA MELLA, Dominican Republic—Eleven volunteers and staff from South Texas Children’s Home helped lead Vacation Bible School for children in the Dominican Republic.

The Texans worked in Villa Mella, a rapidly growing community north of the capital city of Santo Domingo.

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

Polehinke is the only survivor of Comair Flight 5191, which crashed in a private farm just past the end of Blue Grass Airport’s Runway 26 at 6:07 a.m., Aug. 27. Forty-nine other people died.

Polehinke, the co-pilot of Flight 5191, remained in serious condition in the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in Lexington. The Louisville Courier-Journal, which reported Polehinke’s question, said he did not specifically mention the crash. Still, contemplating his pain and loss, he asked the question that has sprung from the lips of suffering souls for millennia: “Why did God do this to me?”

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

Kendrick, associate pastor of media ministries at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., has co-produced Facing the Giants with the help of hundreds of volunteers—on screen and behind the scenes—from his Southern Baptist congregation and local community.

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

Convinced that the key to reducing drug/ alcohol use, teen suicide, juvenile delinquency, gang involvement, child abuse and domestic violence is strengthening families, Baptist Child & Family Services launched the pilot program last March in five counties surrounding Del Rio.

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge

I am responding to the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board action to cut three positions from the missions, evangelism and ministry area (Sept. 4). It seems these positions would be the last to be cut, since they have an intentional focus on the community outside the church.

Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; or by mail to P.O. Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267; 250 words maximum.

“One of our biggest challenges as Christians living in the 21st century is to learn how to talk about the things that are important to us, like prayer and hearing from God, without scaring our neighbors. Not that we have to backpedal what we believe; we just have to learn how to communicate better.” Berry Simpson Baptist Standard cybercolumnist “What struck me most is when one of them said to me: ‘You know we’re really no different than your society. We’re just honest about our affairs, and we take care of our babies and our girlfriends.’” Loraine Sundquist Recalling a conversation with a wife of polygamist Warren Jeffs, the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ (Washington Post / RNS) “If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin.” Katherine Harris Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Florida, describing separation of church and state as “so wrong, because God is the one who chooses our rulers” (Florida Baptist Witness)

It does not seem OK just to reassign their duties to other people, such as the congregational strategists, because their focus is not the community outside the established church. With only a small percentage of people in Texas attending church on any given Sunday, we ought to double the positions that focus outside the church. We as Texas Baptists have been very critical of others who have tended to run the same course.

I hope the BGCT in its new reorganization is not losing its focus on the people outside the church who need love and mercy from those who will intentionally seek them out.

09/15/2006 - By John Rutledge