Posted: 7/19/06

Family Bible Series for July 30

Pleasing God begins with desiring to obey him

• Exodus 19:4-6; 20:3-17

By Greg Ammons

First Baptist Church, Garland

A recent cartoon depicted a disgruntled school teacher holding up an unacceptable paper while showing it to an elementary student. The child responded, “I’m not an underachiever. You’re an overexpecter!”

Does this describe God? Whose fault is it that we fail God so frequently? Are we underachievers, or does God simply expect too much of us?

Perhaps the Israelites wondered these questions as they wandered in the wilderness. Three months after they left Egypt, God gave them instructions for pleasing him (Exodus 19:1). He stated clearly what he expected of his people. It was their choice whether to obey the commands.

Called to a special relationship (Exodus 19:4-6)

Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive instruction from the Lord concerning the Israelites (v. 4). While on the mountain, God described a very special relationship he enjoyed with his people. “This is what you are to say …,” Moses was instructed. “You yourselves have seen … how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you will obey me fully and keep my covenant … then you will be my treasured possession” (vv. 4-5). God wanted them to know that of all the nations of the earth, they were a special people (v. 6).

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My wife and I were married 18 years with no children. We did not think we could have children, but three years ago God blessed us with a son. We enjoy a special relationship with him and love him dearly. He is our treasure.

God wants his children today to know how special they are to him. As we trust Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, we begin a relationship with God that is highly treasured.

John tells us, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). If you have trusted Jesus by faith, realize how special is your relationship with God.

Devoted to God alone (Exodus 20:3-11)

God spoke words of instruction for the Israelites to Moses on Mount Sinai. These are known to us today as the Ten Commandments. The first four commands concern people’s relationship with God, and the final six commands dealt with relationships with each other.

In verses 3 through 11, Moses detailed these first four commandments and told the people the importance of their relationship with God.

The very first command God gave his people was exclusive: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” (vv. 2-3). The Lord also told the Israelites they were not to fashion idols and worship them (v. 4). They were to live devoted to God alone.

Adoniram Judson served God almost 40 years as a missionary in Burma. He established many churches and translated the entire Bible into Burmese during his ministry. His life was one of unswerving devotion to God. When he accepted the calling to vocational ministry and went to Burma, he penned these words as a constant reminder to himself: “Devoted for life.”

Each of us are to please God by being devoted fully to him.

Commanded to live God’s way (Exodus 20:12-17)

Another expectation God placed upon his people was to live the way he commanded them. Verses 12 through 17 state the final six commandments, which concerned the Israelites’ relationship with one another. Their relationships with each other were to be honorable and godly. They were to honor father and mother (v. 12), while not murdering (v. 13), committing adultery (v. 14), stealing (v. 15), bearing false testimony (v. 16) or coveting a neighbor’s possessions (v. 17). It was a lofty standard, but God expected them to live his way.

A friend mentioned to another, “Wouldn’t it be nice to travel to the Middle East, climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments?” The friend replied, “It would be better to stay home and obey them.” God still expects his children to obey these ancient commands and live the way he desires.

We are blessed to have, in writing, what God says we must do to please him and what he expects of us. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great British preacher, once said, “The easiest way to tell the crookedness of a stick is to place a perfectly straight stick beside it.” The Ten Commandments are our “straight stick” by which we must gauge our actions. They are what God expects of us.

Discussion questions

• Do you truly have a special relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ?

•Would you describe yourself as totally devoted to God alone?

•Which commandment do you feel is the most difficult for Christians today to keep?

Posted: 7/19/06

Explore the Bible Series for July 30

The meaning of life cannot be found in pursuits

• Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12

By James Adair

Baptist University of the Americas, San Antonio

What is the meaning of life? Does life, in fact, have any meaning at all?

These philosophical questions have been posed by thinkers for thousands of years, and they still continue to evoke discussion. The modern world is characterized by rapid change, technological advancement and scientific discovery, yet people remain more or less the same as their ancestors in previous generations.

In the midst of a rapidly evolving world, it may be harder today than at any time in the past for people to find any real meaning in their own lives. Our personal accomplishments seem to dwindle into insignificance in the face of world events, which are hurtling forward with breakneck speed. In such a world, can an individual human being find meaning?

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In Samuel Becket’s play “Waiting for Godot,” two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, struggle with the question of life’s meaning. The two are unsure if life really has meaning, but they are determined to act as though it did. Vladimir says to his companion: “Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! Let us do something, while we have the chance! It is not every day that we are needed. Not indeed that we personally are needed. Others would meet the case equally well, if not better. To all mankind they were addressed, those cries for help still ringing in our ears! But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late! Let us represent worthily for once the foul brood to which a cruel fate consigned us!”

In a world full of uncertainty, the preacher likewise seeks meaning in life. He has already discussed and dismissed the possibilities that meaning can be found in pleasure, wisdom and work, so now he looks elsewhere.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-8

Perhaps, the preacher says, striving for justice is an activity that will bring meaning to life. In this respect, he treads close to the topic of the book of Job, which examines the nature of God’s justice. Like the author of Job, the preacher is not encouraged by his observations of the world around him. Contrary to his expectations that oppressors should be punished and the oppressed relieved, he sees just the opposite. Those who have power are the oppressors rather than the oppressed, so justice is rarely achieved. In any case, the search for justice cannot provide ultimate meaning in life.

Ecclesiastes 5:13-6:9

Since the search for justice focuses on the needs of others, and the preacher has concluded that path leads nowhere, maybe, he says, a person should focus on his own needs and forget others since he can have no ultimate control over how other people act.

With this idea in mind, he turns to the pursuit of riches. Since the pursuit of riches largely is an individual pursuit, maybe he will have better luck finding meaning there.

Many people today believe the pursuit of riches is a meaningful activity, and many churches also promote its value, teaching that wealth is a sign of God’s blessing and offering courses on attaining and managing wealth.

However, what the preacher discovered is not only do riches not provide meaning in life, they can be positively harmful to the person who has riches. The pursuit of wealth can rob people of the joy of life, for they are never satisfied with what they have. Like the other pursuits he has examined, the pursuit of riches proves to be ultimately meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 4:3; 6:3

According to the Talmud, the rabbinical schools of Hillel and Shammai debated the question of whether it would have been better for humanity not to have been created. After a debate that lasted two and a half years, the rabbis decided that it would indeed have been better for humanity not to have been created.

Their decision accords with the conclusion of the preacher, who says not to have been born is preferable to actually being born, because of the vanity of the world we live in. The idea that those who never existed are better off than all those who have existed smacks of pessimism, and it tends toward nihilism, the idea that no values are absolute and therefore life is meaningless. However, it must be understood that this is only the preacher’s provisional conclusion, not his final answer.

When life is spent in pursuit of ephemeral things like pleasure, riches and even justice, it is easy to come to the conclusion that life is a waste of time, without ultimate meaning. The solution to this perplexing situation is not to find another temporal pursuit in life (remember that the preacher assumes God’s work in the world is ultimately unknowable, so it cannot be a valid pursuit) but rather to revisualize life itself. That is the task the preacher will undertake in the remainder of the book.

Discussion questions

• Do you think life is more confusing now than in the past?

• Do rapid changes in technology inevitably improve life?

• Do you consider yourself a typical representative of the human race? Do your actions affect people outside your immediate sphere of influence?

• In what ways can wealth improve one’s life? In what ways can it make one’s life worse? Is the attainment of wealth a purely personal endeavor, or are other people inevitably affected, either for better or worse?

• What do you make of the Talmudic discussion about the question of the existence of human beings? Why might the rabbis have decided the world would have been better if humans had never existed? Do you agree with their conclusion?

Posted: 7/18/06

Southland's Friendship Class gives
retired veterans a sense of family

By Angela Best & Laura Frase

Communication Interns

SAN ANGELO—Sunday school is a veterans’ affair for 144 members of Southland Baptist Church.

Majors, corporals, privates, lieutenants, petty officers, sergeants, specialists, warrant officers, seamen, pharmacist’s mates and colonels all hold the same rank in the San Angelo church—members of Dan Keeney’s Friendship Class.

About 80 members attend the Sunday school class each week.

“The Friendship Class breaks all the rules when it comes to recommended class enrollments, but it works great for them,” admitted Jill Fulghum, Southland’s minister of education. “And I’d be crazy to ask them to go by the book!

“They are by far the largest class we have in both enrollment and attendance. I believe that if we had a bigger room—they are now meeting in our fellowship hall—they’d outgrow it also!”

The veterans, who in their youth wore the uniforms of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Seabees, served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The class includes a large proportion of veterans because these men are members of the generation that came of age when World War II came along, Keeney said. Patriotism propelled them to enlist in the war.

Fulghum agreed, noting class members grew up when God, country and patriotism peaked. As a result, they developed strong commitment to both their country and their church.

“They have stayed true to their priorities and their convictions,” Fulghum reported. “Today, our church reaps the benefit of their loyalty to churchmanship.”

The veterans reached retirement age and have settled down in San Angelo.

“San Angelo has become an excellent retirement community, because everything is geared toward the elderly,” Keeney said.

For example, after spending more than 26 years as a military chaplain, retirement and family brought Lewis Burnett to San Angelo.

When they arrived in San Angelo, the Burnetts visited several churches. But “something about the spirit of the church, about the people reaching out and the families made Southland Baptist stand out,” he said.

Burnett has been a member of Southland 10 years and is a member of the Friendship Class.

“This is one of the most unique classes I’ve seen,” he said. “The members reach out to the community and help each other. We really pray for each other and lift each other up.”

A lot of fellowship goes on in the class, and Keeney has found this class different than others because “they want to talk more and voice their opinions.”

The class is divided into ministry teams responsible for fellowships and quarterly Sunday lunches. When someone is ill, having surgery, misses Sunday school or has a need, they are there for each other.

“I think their impact is far-reaching—both within the walls of our church and in our community,” Fulghum observed.

While some of the veterans teach in other areas of the church, serve on committees and ministry divisions, and participate in the senior-adult choir—Southland Singers—they also minister throughout the city at retirement centers, where they assist other senior adults who struggle with health problems or physical disabilities.

And the influence the Friendship Class has on the church and its members is notable.

“The number of veterans impacts the church tremendously,” Burnett said. “Veterans bring not only personal experiences as Christians, but experiences from the military to a church family which is made up of people of all different ages and backgrounds.”

“I believe the Friendship Class models for us what it is to be family,” Fulghum noted. “They take care of each other, love each other and minister to each other in so many ways. I think the rest of our church recognizes that and has great respect for them.”

Keeney recalled the class started small and just grew.

“There is a lot of love in the class,” he said. “It draws people.”

“We are a family,” Burnett agreed.

“They do a tremendous ministry within their class,” Fulghum said. “They pray for each other. They minister to each other. They fellowship together.

“Their name fits them perfectly—they find friendship there.”

Posted: 4/16/04

Levine content with dual roles

By George Henson

George Henson

FORT WORTH—Bivocational minister Charles Levine believes “vocational bi-ministry” might better describe his life, because he considers both his jobs to be ministry points.

In addition to being pastor of Terrace Acres Baptist Church in Fort Worth for the last 12 years, he is a counselor at Liberty Elementary School in White Settlement. “Working here in the school, often I feel like a chaplain to the children and their families. We want to be ready to help our families and not just academically. If a child is not well-fed and well-rested, it all makes a difference,” he said.

He thinks his work in the school complements his ministry at church.

“I really like bivocational ministry. It gives me contact with people outside the church. Because of that, I think I have a better idea of what they are going through each day because I deal with the same things,” Levine said.

“I think it also gives me a better understanding of what can be expected of volunteer leaders in the church and the time constraints they are under.”

Since he is not completely dependent on the church financially, Levine believes he has “a bit more prophetic freedom” than some preachers.

“I don't know, but that may make me a little freer to say some things than if I was more worried about being fired,” he said.

Even so, he sees at least one drawback to the bivocational life.

“The drawback is the double schedule. I not only have committee meetings at church, but I have meetings and other events at school as well,” he pointed out. “The only way to get a day off is to get out of town. Also, I don't carry a cell phone or a pager and don't want one.”

Levine realized while he was attending East Texas Baptist University that he wanted to be involved in a ministry to Hispanics. Working for a while with illegal aliens during his college career confirmed that sense of calling.

Levine took all the Spanish courses he could in college. Since then, he has improved his proficiency primarily through conversation with Hispanic people.

“I was going to take a Berlitz course, but they said I knew too much. So I've had to study and learn on my own,” he said. “My Spanish isn't perfect, but it's good.”

His Spanish has been an asset in both his jobs—he started a Spanish-language mission five years ago, and serves as an interpreter for the school district.

The Hispanic congregation has now grown to have its own pastor, but Levine's dream is for the two cultures to meld into a single congregation.

“It's called Mision Hispana Terrace Acres, but I'm trying to get away from those divisions and begin thinking of ourselves as one in the Lord,” Levine said.

“I think it would be a real neat testimony to the community if we could work and worship together.”

Terrace Acres Baptist Church averages about 60 people in attendance each week, and about 40 people attend the mission's services.

The two congregations meet together already periodically, “but not as much as I would like,” he said. His plan is to integrate the two congregations first in prayer groups and then begin joint Sunday classes.

Theology is not a sticking point for combining the congregations, but cultural factors do weigh in, he said.

One of those things is that the Hispanic church tends to need a more personal touch. “If I want to have a meeting, in the Hispanic culture I really need to make a personal invitation to each person,” he noted, adding than in contacting Anglos, he could just send an e-mail or mail a card.

Scheduling in the Hispanic culture is more flexible than in Anglo culture, he added. “I'm not saying that either is better. That's just the way it is.” And of course, there are language barriers. A bilingual youth minister is helping to bridge that gap. “God has really blessed us in that,” he said.

Levine also has tried to enhance his ministry among Hispanics by taking guitar lessons.

“I knew the Hispanic culture liked guitar music and I like it, too. Also, it's just such a portable instrument; you can take it anywhere. It's a lot easier to carry on your back than a piano,” he joked.

While he feels a definite call to serve as a pastor, he feels fortunate he has never been forced to choose between his job at church and his job at school.

“It would be hard—really hard. I look at it as all one thing. It's all ministry. There are a lot of good Christian people in the public schools and especially this one. I know public schools get a bad rap, but the genuine caring for the students is really great,” he said. “I'm glad to be a part of that.”

He feels he has been blessed with not just one calling, but two.

“God has been very good to me. I'm very content,” he said.

Posted: 5/03/04

Baptist University of the Americas celebrates founder's day

SAN ANTONIO–Students marched with 66 flags in a “parade of nations” at the Baptist University of the Americas founder's day, representing countries the school's alumni have impacted.

“But … the past is not the focus. The current students and those coming after them are the real thrill,” said Bill Thornton, head of BUA's development council. “After their education, they will disperse like the Christians after Pentecost and literally impact countries around the world.”

Charles Johnson, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio and a member of the development council, said: “San Antonio was founded by Christian missionaries in the 1700s and named after a servant of Christ's church. Indeed, the city was claimed for Christ long ago, and now BUA is making good on that claim.”

University President Albert Reyes said the school is determined to “form men and women as transformational agents” to serve not only in communities throughout Texas, but also around the world.

“It seems like God is rearranging the peoples of the earth and bringing folks of unfamiliar cultures to our front door,” Reyes said. “Every day the Western Hemisphere is more like a neighborhood or an integrated system with parts depending on each other. We can fear the unknown cultures and worldviews, or we can become incarnational, walk down the street, knock on the door and announce that the kingdom of God is near.”

Hispanics are the most rapidly growing segment not only of the U.S. population but also of the membership of Baptist and other evangelical Christian churches, he noted.

“Today in the United States, 7.7 out of every 10 conversions to Christianity come from people with a Hispanic background,” Reyes said. “Today in Texas alone, more than 100 Hispanic Baptist churches are without pastors even as Texas Baptists aim to start 100 new Hispanic congregations each year.”

But the university's responsibility is larger than the state, he stressed.

“Mexico is more than our neighbor; she is our sister. And we will continue to build our partnerships there,” he said. The university will seek to have a worldwide impact by mobilizing a “global force of ministry leaders who will be ready to go wherever the Lord of the harvest sends them.”

To that end, Reyes predicted the school's on-campus enrollment will hit 1,000 in the next 10 years with another 1,000 studying at the university's Baptist Bible institutes across the United States and Latin America. In the last four years, the school's enrollment has jumped from 43 to 207, while extension center enrollment has swelled to 500.

“We believe our mission is essential to building a new multicultural society in a bicultural hemisphere,”Reyes said.

As a part of the founder's day celebration, the school presented awards to a Central Texas church, a former president of the institution and a San Antonio pastor.

First Baptist Church of Austin received an award for dedicated service by a church. Last fall, the church made a $40,000 donation to establish an endowed scholarship in the name of one of its members.

“I have come to the conclusion that BUA really has no future without intentional partnerships with local churches,” Reyes said.

H.B. Ramsour, former president of what was then called Mexican Baptist Bible Institute, was recognized for his “continued support and encouragement” to the school.

Brad Russell, pastor of The Springs Church in northwest San Antonio, received an award for for his work developing the new BUA logo.

Posted: 11/05/04

Not just Español in Hispanic churches

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Hispanic Texas Baptist congregations fill their pews with older generations of Hispanics who prefer Spanish-spoken services, but pastors maintain their churches continue to explore ways to serve the emerging generations of English-speaking adults.

Hispanic ministers across the state lament the current state of their congregations investing in the lives of children, only to see them grow up and become members of Anglo congregations.

Generations of Hispanics grow up speaking English and become more Americanized than their parents, ministers said. Children grow up wanting better facilities and specialized programs for them in English like they find at Anglo congregations.

Many want the contemporary worship services they see in Anglo churches, not the Hispanic-influenced traditional services common to congregations of immigrants. Often they leave for Anglo churches that offer programs they want.

This presents a serious issue for Hispanic congregations. Those children are more likely to be economically mobile and represent a potentially large source of income. When they leave, they also take their gifts and talents, leaving Hispanic congregations largely as they found them.

“Once you have second-generation, everyone is going to have to deal with this problem,” said Ernie Chapa, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in McAllen. “And we're not dealing with that problem very well.”

At first glance, outsiders see Hispanic churches trying to resolve this issue with bilingual ministries. But even those vary to large degree as services evolve to meet the needs of the community, said Robert Cepeda, second vice president in the Texas Baptist Bivocational/Smaller Membership Church Minister Association.

In some cases, churches have separate English and Spanish services. Other congregations have pastors who make points in Spanish, then make them in English. Many pastors alternate between Spanish and English without repeating points.

Each of the approaches comes with an inherent risk, Cepeda noted.

When pastors use two languages in one service, they are losing part of the congregation who does not feel comfortable in that language. If they do not translate themselves during a sermon, ministers are leading part of the congregation to miss pieces of the sermon.

Having separate services to accommodate two languages can divide a congregation, Cepeda continued. This approach also can separate families when adults go to the Spanish services while their children go to the English worship.

These potential problems do not mean bilingual services cannot be effective, Cepeda insisted. Congregations simply need to be aware of the risks involved and must intentionally set out to address those issues.

Johnny Musquiz, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Houston, has seen bilingual efforts work well in his 25 years of ministry. His church has separate English and Spanish services on Sunday mornings and bilingual services on Sunday evenings.

Although he said he understands the argument that separate language services can divide a congregation, Musquiz counters that youth typically sit with their friends, not their parents, during any service, language-oriented or otherwise. It is natural for people to come together because of common interests and cultures.

Musquiz believes more bilingual churches like his are needed. They are capable of serving the continuing influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants while also meeting the needs of later generations.

“We're trying to reach anybody and everybody,” he said. “I don't want anyone to come and say, 'You don't have it in my language.'”

Chapa said he feels combining Spanish and English in one service is a temporary solution, at best. The notion may be met with initial excitement but eventually will wear on the congregation as members are lost for parts of the service.

His church has separate English and Spanish services, and the English worshippers are to break away this fall to become Crossroads Baptist Church.

“In our culture, there is so much diversity, it is hard to bring everyone together happy,” he said.

In Victoria, Teo Cisneros, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Templo, said congregations need to be flexible to meet the needs of the diverse Hispanic population. Cisneros led his congregation from a Spanish service to bilingual worship, then to an English service. Now the church is back to bilingual worship.

With the willingness to switch back and forth to and from bilingual services must come flexibility on the part of the minister, Cisneros said. He transitioned the congregation during a 10-year period that allowed him to learn English.

Then a primarily Spanish-speaking couple began coming to the church. The pastor explained to the congregation he was reintroducing some Spanish to help this couple. The members accepted the change.

“If you have a bilingual ministry, not only do you need to consider making yourself bilingual; you need to bring the other ministries with you,” he said.

Proponents of bilingual ministries insist their methods keep the family together for worship, an important factor in Hispanic culture.

They also note that bilingual efforts make their ministries more accessible to other cultures, including Anglos.

Leaders are not looking to reach Hispanics only; they are wanting to spread the gospel to all who will listen.

“My church is open to everybody,” Musquiz said.

Posted: 4/15/05

Let the living water flow freely,
Congreso participants urged

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

ARLINGTON–Let the “agua fresca”–the refreshing, living water of Jesus–flow, a pastor encouraged Hispanic youth and singles.

Jesse Rincones, pastor of Alliance Baptist Church in Lubbock, told a crowd of several thousand Hispanic youth and singles that the flow of the Spirit can wane and even be “dammed up” in people's lives if they follow sinful desires or disobey God's calling upon their lives.

The pastor cited three areas where Christians can let the “agua fresca” flow–finances, forgiveness and faithfulness.

Moments after Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Charles Wade told the young people they would be the leaders of the many Hispanic churches the convention is starting, Rincones said Hispanic youth must give financially to make those congregations able to serve their communities.

“If we're going to start 400, 500, 600 churches, there's going to need to be resources there,” he said during the Texas Baptist His-panic Youth and Singles Congreso.

Hispanics also must remain faithful to God, trusting him to carry them, Rin-cones added, saying trust enables God to move more freely in the lives of people.

Hispanic Baptist youth should forgive and ask for forgiveness, he insisted. People act in ways that regularly need reconciliation with others. If believers ask for forgiveness, Jesus' “agua fresca” will flow stronger and affect other people, he said.

Posted: 4/29/05

Prayer, vision smooth church transition to multiculturalism

By George Henson

Staff Writer

Martin Luther King Jr. claimed Sunday from 11 a.m. until noon is the most segregated hour in America. Churches that feel a biblical mandate to change his adage encounter struggles, two Texas pastors whose congregations have made the transition reported.

“You have to have a real vision, because there is going to a price to pay,” said Mike Barrera, pastor of United Baptist Church in Laredo. “It really stretches a congregation, especially if they are Hispanics who have only worshipped with Hispanics, Anglos who have only worshipped with Anglos, African-Americans who have only worshipped with African-Americans or whatever.”

The transition is possible only through God's leadership, he said.

“The prayer em-phasis has to be focused on being sensitive to the needs of people, regardless of language, ethnicity and culture,” Barrera said.

Sometimes, survival motivates churches to become multicultural, said Rodney Woo, pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston.

Wilcrest was a much different congregation 13 years ago when Woo arrived as pastor. The church was declining, and only about 180 Anglo members remained in a multiracial neighborhood. Woo told the church he would only come if the church was open to becoming multi-ethnic. They agreed quickly, he said.

“The fear of the death of the church was pretty motivational,” he recalled.

Now, more than 500 people from 43 nations attend the church, with about 35 percent of the church remaining Anglo.

Representatives of nine nationalities make up United Baptist Church in Laredo, but the church has included as many as 17 nationalities. When Barrera came to the church eight years ago, more than 70 percent of the church was Anglo, with the rest Hispanic.

Even though some of the church's members have been transferred by their employers to different cities, those moves have been positive, Barrera said. When they move to a new city, they start looking for a multicultural congregation–oftentimes exposing the people there to the concept that people of different cultures can worship together, he explained.

United starts each Sunday at 9 a.m. with a worship service in Spanish. Sunday school follows with classes offered in Spanish, English and Mandarin Chinese. An English worship service follows Sunday school. Sunday nights are primarily in English, but sometimes a little Spanish in thrown in, Barrera said.

About 85 percent of the congregation is fluent in English. “It's our one common denominator,” he said.

The three languages for Bible study are important, as well, he pointed out.

“We feel like with those three languages we've covered 60 percent of the world's population, and that's pretty good for a mid-sized church in South Texas,” Barrera said. The church averages about 250 in worship each week.

At Wilcrest in Houston, the importance placed on being a multicultural congregation is reflected in the fact it is a key component of the church's vision statement: “Wilcrest Baptist Church is God's multi-ethnic bridge that draws all people to Jesus Christ, who transforms them from unbelievers to missionaries.”

Translating that vision into reality hasn't always been easy, Woo said.

“We started with about 50 of the 180 very committed to becoming a multi-ethnic congregation, but they didn't really know what that meant. They were committed to the biblical concept, but many were not prepared for it in a real sense,” he said.

Some of those people moved on to other congregations. People from other ethnic groups have worshipped in the multicultural setting for awhile and then returned to an ethnic church, he added.

Reaching new Christians is a good way to grow a multicultural congregation, Woo said.

“If we win them to Christ, they have no preset paradigm for what a church is supposed to look like. They don't know this isn't normal.”

Another key for his church is to involve as many members as possible in mission projects in other cultures.

“Missions is the fuel to multi-ethnic ministry,” Woo said. “Our Anglo members go on a mission trip and get a feel for what it means to be a minority.”

Both congregations look to the Bible for their vision to be a multicultural congregation. At United Baptist Church, Isaiah 56:7 is a part of the vision: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” At Wilcrest, Revelation 7:9 is a guiding Scripture: “I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.”

“It's been a challenge, but it's been effective,” Barrera said. “And if we can do it in a city like Laredo that is 93 percent Hispanic, it can happen anywhere.”

Posted: 5/13/05

TOGETHER:
God pours his Spirit on Texas churches

Four teen-aged boys gathered quietly around me before the morning service at the Baptist church in Anton, a small West Texas community. I was there for a revival meeting, and the boys wanted to pray for me. One by one, they prayed for the guest evangelist.

It was a special moment for me, because when I arrived on Saturday, Interim Pastor Cecil Golden had told me the church was already experiencing revival. Several teen-agers had been saved recently, and he would baptize two of them the next morning.

I was thrilled that in preparing for a revival meeting, God had already begun to give revival to the church. But it also made me anxious lest I not be spiritually ready to match up with the hearts of the people.

Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

I called the college student who for the past two months had been working with the young people to congratulate him on what the pastor had told me and to ask him to pray for me. He prayed, and I asked if I could drop by the youth Sunday school class the next morning.

“Sure,” he said.

As I walked into the church, I looked into the first classroom, which was filled with senior adults.

“I'm looking for the youth Sunday school,” I said.

“Come on in; you've found us,” they laughed.

After a brief visit, they said how glad they were for what God was doing through their interim pastor and the young youth minister, Wes Briscoe. Then they pointed me in the direction of the “other” youth department.

Wes was teaching a Bible study on baptism as I slipped into a seat. He was preparing the two girls for their baptism and teaching the 24 other young people as well. I congratulated them on what God was doing in their lives to help bring revival to the church. I asked them to pray for me.

And there they were gathered around me, shy but bold, praying earnestly for their friends to be saved and to give revival to their church and town.

I'm glad to report that God answered our prayers. More than 10 came to Christ during the revival.

As I looked across the congregation that Sunday morning, I saw five rows of young people sitting side by side. I saw young families scattered around the room. And there were those senior adults with big smiles on their faces. About 20 percent of the congregation was non-Anglo. God was pouring out his Spirit on the whole community.

I thought of the Apostle Paul's admonition to young Timothy. “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

I thanked God he is alive and well in Texas Baptist churches–small ones and large ones, small towns and bustling cities. Among every race and tongue, he is pouring out his Spirit.

All of us who work for and serve our Baptist General Convention of Texas congregations feel humbled and privileged that God and the churches have given us the opportunity to be with you in this good work.

We are loved.

P.S.: I am looking forward to the Hispanic Convencion meeting June 6-7 in Corpus Christi. I always look forward to this meeting, because not only do the adults show up, but the young people are present in great numbers, too. See you there!

Posted: 7/17/06

Forney group trapped in Lebanon

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

FORNEY—Ten people from First Baptist Church in Forney are trapped in Lebanon as the Hezbollah militia continues fighting with Israel.

The Beirut airport has been shut down after missiles repeatedly pounded it. The fighting started when Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a border raid. Hezbollah is a Shiite militant group with a strong presence in southern Lebanon.

Charles Treadway, First Baptist Church’s minister of education, who did not accompany the group to Lebanon, told the Dallas Morning News the church is working to get its members home.

“Prayer is our main focus at this point during these hours,” he said.

The church asked that the group’s exact location and names of group members not be released through the media, although one trip-taker has written about what is happening via a blog.

“We continue to be on a holding pattern,” reads a post from July 13, the last on the site. “Everyone is well, and our spirits are good. We are confident that God is in control and that he has great purposes in all things. We have no idea when travel will be available, so pray that soon we will begin our journey home.

“Jesus is everything.”

The U.S. government is working to evacuate as many as 25,000 U.S. citizens trapped in Lebanon.

Posted: 7/14/06

CYBER COLUMN:
The whole story

By Brett Younger

A month and a half ago, The New York Times Book Review ran a cover story asking, “What is the best work of American fiction in the last 25 years?” The editors surveyed 125 prominent writers, critics and literary sages to identify the best novel published since 1980, and 22 books received multiple votes.

I consider myself a reasonably well-read person. Most of the time, I’m working on a book. I carry books with me to the bank in case I get caught in a line. I keep a book in the car in case I have to wait at a drive-thru. I read a lot. So, I assumed—as anyone who knows me would assume—that I’ve read most of the 22 best American novels of the last two and a half decades.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had read—and this is hard to admit in public—none of them. That’s zero, zip, zilch, nil, nought, none. Apparently the fine novels I’ve read by Dave Barry, Jimmy Buffett and Garrison Keillor are not as respected by prominent writers, critics and literary sages as you would think.

The top five on The New York Times so-called “list,” and I’m telling you this in the hope that you haven’t read them either and will then understand my shock at learning that I’m not well-read after all, were Underworld, Blood Meridian, Beloved, Rabbit Angstrom and American Pastoral. If you are a smart person and haven’t read any of these either, I’m glad to know you’re out there.

So, I decided to stop in the middle of a Calvin and Hobbes and read one of the books in the top five. I went to Barnes and Noble to buy the shortest one, which turned out to be Philip Roth’s American Pastoral. I thought I would enjoy it because I’m an American and a pastor. But before you go to Amazon.com, you should know that, surprisingly, it doesn’t have anything to do with ministers.

It’s the story of Swede Levov, a tall, handsome athlete who marries a beautiful girl and looks like he will live happily ever after. I was immediately interested, because Swede’s story is so uncannily like my life story—except for the tall part and the handsome part and the athletic part. But then Swede’s life falls apart. He becomes a hapless soul overcome by irresistible forces. He watches in bewilderment as everything he treasures blows away. He loses the work he loves, the family he adores and the good health he enjoys.

In one especially painful scene at a 50th high school reunion, friends compare notes on who’s died, who’s remarried, who’s had prostate surgery and who’s lived the hardest life. The last paragraph of the novel is: “And what is wrong with their life? What on earth is less reprehensible than the life of the Levovs?” The point of the story is that the American dream doesn’t come true.

If you’re writing the great American novel, it’s supposed to end in tragedy. Ernest Hemingway said, “Every true story ends in death,” but he was wrong. If you’re writing the gospel of Jesus Christ, thank God there’s a different ending. Philip Roth’s American Pastoral made the top five because the author tries to be honest, but ultimately it’s not nearly so truthful as the Gospel of Matthew, “The righteous will go away into eternal life”; the Gospel of Mark, “Those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will save it”; the Gospel of Luke, “and in the age to come eternal life”; and the Gospel of John, “I am the way, and the truth and the life.”

Our lives don’t have to be about growing older and falling apart. We can grow wiser and live in God’s grace now and forevermore.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hilarious Look at Ministerial Life, available from Smyth & Helwys (800) 747-3016. You can e-mail him at byounger@broadwaybc.org.