Posted: 3/19/04

Most preachers' kids reject
church, informal survey reveals

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–The image of the pastor's kid turning wild may not be that far off base.

Although little research has been done about the spirituality of pastors' children, a recent informal survey of a small group of Texas Baptist pastors by Dennis Parrott, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Bible Study/Discipleship Center, found 80 percent of pastors' kids no longer are connected to the church.

Many pastors' children are turned off by the way church members treat their parents, Parrott said.

Young people see the anger and conflict that can arise in congregations, he noted. They view the hypocrisy.

“They saw the whole experience as bad,” Parrott said. “They don't see the lifestyle as for them.”

Pastors' children often are under a lot of pressure, said Margaret Myers, a consultant in the BGCT minister/church relations office who works with ministers' children.

They feel they are disgracing the family and church if they are not perfect, she said.

“Trying to live up to everyone's expectations is difficult,” she said.

“Especially in smaller churches, the pastor's family is put on a pedestal, and everyone watches.”

Ministers' children also believe the church is stealing time with their father, said Myers, a pastor's child.

Pastors typically work 50-hour weeks, leaving a child fighting for attention, she noted. Family vacations can be cut short because of events at the church.

Watching a parent being fired can be especially painful for children, Myers indicated.

It is not unusual for children to move as many as five times. They understand finances become tighter. They know stress is heightened. They also face moving and having to make new friends.

“The children are smart enough to know that mom's under stress and dad's under stress, so they don't want to add stress,” she said.

But children have no one to turn to, Myers found. They are afraid to talk to people in the congregation. They do not think their friends understand their situation.

These issues are part of Satan's strategy against the church, according to Myers.

This type of setting and pressure plays to the natural rebelliousness of teenagers, she added.

Ministers and their families are prime targets to attack, she said. If the family is lacking, some may think the faith is as well.

When ministers' children leave the faith, the church loses future leaders, Myers said. They naturally absorb leadership skills from their parents as they mature.

To counter this situation, she encourages pastors to schedule time for their families and children that congregations cannot interrupt.

Even one night a week means a great deal to youth, Myers oberved.

“Kids just want time,” she said. “They want time with dad, especially. They want to hear the words 'I love you' and 'I'm proud of you.' They want to see dad at events that are important to them. This shows that dad sees them as a priority.

“It's also important for the church to give ministers permission to put family first. The church must realize the important role they play in the success of the ministers' family.”

Parrott urges pastors to cushion tough times for their children.

Parents must protect their kids, he said. Give them honest information, but be conscious of the image of the faith that is painted.

“Churches aren't always going to be nice to us,” he said.

“Don't tell your kids about it. Don't vent on them.”

Myers hopes to develop a mentoring system where younger pastors' children share issues with grown pastors' children.

The mentors would work closely with parents as well, encouraging them along the way.

Above all, parents cannot give up on their children, Myers said. Some come back to the faith as they grow older, she added.

Keep being a faithful example, and continue sharing the faith, she urged.

But in the end, adults must let their children choose their path, she acknowledged.

“I really believe the parents are good parents who are doing their best to raise children who love God, love the church and love who they are,” she said.

Posted: 3/19/04

Ethnic minorities to chair all
seven appointed 2004 BGCT committees

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–The Baptist General Convention of Texas officers named ethnic minorities to chair all seven of the convention's appointed committees for the first time in the organization's history.

Convention officers made a concerted effort to put minorities in leadership roles so they can be more integrally involved in the convention's work, said BGCT President Ken Hall.

The variety of perspectives will strengthen the convention's work, he added.

“Until we create leadership opportunities for our broadest element–our diversity–we are not addressing it,” Hall said.

Chairpersons are: Resolutions Committee, Dan Trevino of Harlandale Baptist Church in San Antonio; Committee on Nominations for Coordinating Boards , Javier Elizondo of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio; Credentials Committee, Johnson Omoni of African Evangelical Baptist Church in Grand Prairie; Committee on Order of Business, Felipe Garza of Iglesia Christian Fellowship in Farmers Branch; Memorials Committee, Marvin Delaney of South Park Baptist Church in Houston; Committee on Committees, Carrie Tunson of Bethel Baptist Church in Mansfield; and Convention Arrangements Committee, Isaac Chu of First Chinese Baptist Church in Dallas.

The Committee on Committees names the members of the Committee to Nominate Executive Board Members and Committee on Nominations for Institutional Boards. Those groups suggest executive board and institutional board members.

The Committee on Nominations for Coordinating Boards appoints members of the Human Welfare Coordinating Board and Christian Education Coordinating Board.

Ethnic minorities comprise more than one-third of the seven officer-appointed committee members.

They also make up one-third of the four committees named by the nominating committees.

These numbers are the result of an intentional effort for the convention to reflect the many people in the state, said Dennis Young, BGCT second vice president and pastor of Missouri City Baptist Church.

“We want the committees to be more diversified,” he said.

The move is the latest step in the convention becoming more ethnically diverse, said Lorenzo Peña, coordinator of the BGCT Associational Missions and Administration Section.

This year is the first time the convention has elected two racial minorities as officers.

In addition to Young, an African American, Albert Reyes of San Antonio is first vice president.

It also is the first year for an African American to chair the executive board–John Ogletree, pastor of the predominantly African American First Metropolitan Baptist Church of Houston.

Part of the BGCT vision is to have minority leadership in at least 30 percent of convention positions as well as meeting the needs of all the ethnicities of Texas, Peña noted.

Ethnic leaders must be included in convention processes for the notion of reaching all people for Christ to be taken seriously, Peña said.

The world needs to see the convention being inclusive to believe the BGCT wants to work with everyone, he said.

“It is very difficult to validate that when people don't see we're doing our part to show that,” he said.

“Our words need to reflect our actions. We can't just talk it. We need to walk it.”

The variety of perspectives provided by ethnic minorities in leadership posts will strengthen the state convention's work, BGCT President Ken Hall said.

Posted: 3/19/04

Judge rules Missouri Convention
lacks standing for suit; leaders pledge fight

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)–Despite a legal setback, Missouri Baptist Convention leaders will continue their lawsuit against five institutions that have removed themselves from the convention's control.

Cole County Circuit Judge Thomas Brown ruled the suit's plaintiffs–primarily the convention Executive Board–lack proper legal standing to assert their claim against the institutions.

“We're going to tell the judge that we'll go through whatever procedural steps we have to go through” to continue the case, including naming convention messengers as plaintiffs in the suit, said Michael Whitehead, the convention's lead attorney in the case.

The chairman of a convention-appointed task force overseeing the suit and the convention's executive director also have issued statements indicating they will continue to pursue legal means to regain control of the five Baptist institutions–the Word & Way newspaper, Missouri Baptist University near St. Louis, Windermere Baptist Conference Center, the Missouri Baptist Foundation and the Baptist Home retirement home system.

“The judge did not rule on the key issue in the case”–whether the agencies may unilaterally alter their charters to remove the power to appoint their trustees from the convention, said task force chairman Gary Taylor.

“The convention has directed that we get a final judicial ruling on that legal issue, and we are continued to honor the convention's mandate, even if it goes to the [Kansas City] Court of Appeals,” Taylor said in a prepared statement.

In 2002, the convention sued the five institutions. In 2000 and 2001, trustees of all five agencies changed their institutions' charters to make the boards self-perpetuating.

The agencies' leaders cited concerns over political infighting between moderates and fundamentalists in the convention as well as legal liability should the convention itself or one of its other agencies be sued for negligence or malpractice.

The MBC lawsuit demanded the agencies' trustee boards be returned to convention control. Because the MBC itself is an unincorporated association, convention leaders decided to name the convention's Executive Board and six sympathetic MBC-affiliated churches as the plaintiffs.

But Judge Brown said the convention's constitution and bylaws made it clear that only individual messengers–and not churches or the Executive Board –counted as “members” of the convention. Thus, the churches and the board lacked the standing to assert a legal claim on behalf of the convention. Brown's decision dismissed the suit against the agencies.

Taylor, a former convention president and pastor of First Baptist Church of O'Fallon, said the legal setback was only “a procedural 'bump in the road,' not a roadblock.”

Posted: 3/19/04

On the Move

Corey and Kelli Agricola to First Church of Spring Branch in Houston as co-pastors.

Dean Banks to Belle Plain Church in Brownwood as pastor.

Greg Bowman to First Church in Duncanville as minister to students from First Church in Lancaster.

Jimmy Breazeale to Fairview Church in Sherman as youth minister.

Brian Brewer to First Church in Maypearl as youth minister.

Steve Carter to Calvary Church in Brownfield as pastor, where he was youth minister.

Larry Caudle has resigned as minister of music at First Church of Urbandale in Dallas.

Mitchell Chandler has resigned as pastor of Water Street Church in Waxahachie.

Colin Colburn to First Church in Joshua as minister of music and adult education.

Emmett Corker to Northridge Church in San Angelo as pastor.

Steve Couch to Lake Fork Church in Alba as minister of education/administration.

Brad Cox to Calvary Chapel in Cleburne as pastor.

Mike Fiddler to First Church in Gainesville as minister of worship.

John Franklin to Lackland Church in San Antonio as pastor.

Terry Gleaton to Highland Church in Denton as youth minister.

David Hardage to Waco Association as executive director from First Church in Sulphur Springs, where he was pastor.

Bret Hoyle to First Church in Claude as minister to youth.

Aaron Kahler to View Church in Abilene as minster of youth

Charles Kemble to Leesville Church in Leesville as pastor.

Tonya Lawson has resigned as preschool and children's minister at First Church in Highland Village.

Gary Lumpkin to Temple Church in New Boston as pastor.

Bradley Maybin to First Church in Amarillo as minister to youth.

Mario Moreno to Primera Iglesia in Odessa as pastor from Primera Iglesia in Rockdale.

Marci Parrott has resigned as preschool minister at First Church in Denton.

David Peacock has resigned as youth minister at First Church in Maypearl.

Fred Pearrow to Memorial Church in Shenandoah, Iowa, as pastor from Reece Prairie Church in Burleson, where he was minister of children.

Mell Plunk has completed an interim pastorate at First Church in Kingsville and is available for supply and interim at (254) 933-1608.

Burton Purvis to First Church in Friendswood as intentional interim pastor.

Lupe Rando to Primera Iglesia in Cameron as pastor.

Herschel Richard to Old Boston Church in New Boston as pastor.

Juan Ruiz to Iglesia Memorial in Waelder as pastor.

Bill Sanders to First Church in Converse as pastor.

Rudy Seals to First Church in Buffalo Gap as youth minister.

Buddy Starnes to Bethel Cass Church in Linden as pastor.

Kyle Steinhauser to Little River Church in Cameron as pastor.

John Sursa to Forreston Church in Forreston as pastor.

Gene Suttle to South Leon Church in Comanche as pastor.

Tim Taylor has resigned as pastor of First Church in Trophy Club.

Posted: 3/19/04

Parents want sex education courses
to emphasize abstinence, survey shows

WASHINGTON (RNS)– Most parents want high school sex education classes to emphasize abstinence, a Zogby International poll commissioned by Focus on the Family has found.

Ninety-six percent of parents of children younger than 18 said they agreed strongly or somewhat that such classes should teach that “abstinence from sexual activity is best for teens.”

A slightly smaller percentage–91 percent–agreed that high schoolers should be taught that it is best for sexual intercourse to be linked to love, commitment and intimacy, qualities that “are most likely to occur in a faithful marriage.”

Forty-seven percent of parents said the best message for sex education programs to send is that young people should not be involved in sexual intercourse until marriage.

Thirty-two percent said they should be taught not have sex until, at least, they have completed high school and are in a relationship with someone they want to marry.

“The poll found more divided opinions over how abstinence and contraception should be taught. About 40 percent said teens should be encouraged to be abstinent and to use contraceptives in the same class while about 35 percent said the topics should be taught in separate classes. A smaller percentage–21.7 percent–said sex education classes should not teach about how to obtain and use condoms.

The poll of 1,004 parents, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, was taken in December 2003, the month before President Bush announced in his State of the Union address that he would like to see a doubling of funding of sexual abstinence programs.

While abstinence proponents hailed Bush's proposal, his plan was criticized by Planned Parenthood, which believes increased funding of comprehensive sex education programs will reduce sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies and abortion.

“The only thing that will decrease with more abstinence-only education is the safety of teens,” said Susanne Martinez, vice president for public policy for Planned Parenthood, in a statement released after Bush's address.

Posted: 3/19/04

Church member's prayers for ethnic
inclusiveness answered after 50 years

By George Henson

Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO–Her new pastor calls her Sister Angel. One thing is for sure: Lois Angel has God's ear.

In 1952, Angel was a Vacation Bible School teacher at South San Antonio Baptist Church. More than 700 children attended that year, and Angel and her teaching partner averaged 140 students in their class for every day of the three-week Bible school. She particularly was glad to see about half were Hispanic children from the neighborhood.

Midway through the Bible school, the regularly scheduled church business meeting was held, and Angel raised a question: “If I can have these Hispanic children in my Vacation Bible School class, why can't I have them in my Sunday school class?”

She recalled being told: “South San Antonio Baptist Church is an Anglo church and it is going to stay that way all of its days.”

But a few weeks after Vacation Bible School ended at South San Antonio, a call went out for volunteers to do a Spanish-language Vacation Bible School at the church's Hispanic mission. Angel was one of five women who volunteered.

None of the teachers spoke Spanish, so each had to have an interpreter. Angel's was an 8-year-old boy.

That summer changed Angel's prayer life forever.

“I've been praying for South San Antonio Baptist Church to go Hispanic since 1952,” she said.

Fifty-two years later, Angel's prayers have been answered.

South San Antonio Baptist Church and Iglesia Bautista Filadelfia have merged to become South San Filadelfia Baptist Church. They began meeting together March 7, but the official recognition will come March 28. The two congregations will walk from opposite sides of the street, meeting in the middle, “symbolizing the coming together of an Anglo and Hispanic church into one,” said Victor Rodriguez, pastor of the united congregation.

The official merger will be a day of celebration, but it will be one born out of struggle by both congregations. The South San Antonio congregation had dwindled to about 25 people each week with a facility built to hold many more.

“We had 30 rooms we weren't using for anything,” Angel said.

After the church's pastor resigned, members asked San Antonio Baptist Association Director of Missions Charles Price for guidance. The pastor of Iglesia Bautista Filadelfia came to visit Price about that same time.

“Victor Rodriguez came by because of the challenges he was facing. In essence, his little church wasn't little anymore. They were running more than 250 each week in a tiny little building, but the even larger problem was that they were overflowing their parking lot,” Price said.

“They were having to park all down the streets in the surrounding neighborhood, which drew complaints. The city was telling them they were going to start writing parking tickets.”

Price knew South San Antonio had facilities it wasn't using and received permission for Filadelfia to use its education building. Rodriguez was excited, but upon seeing the facilities realized they were not configured for worship services.

Price met with the transition team at South San Antonio. He mentioned that they might consider merging with the Hispanic congregation, which “drew a mixed response.”

Price left town for a two-week training event, not knowing what either congregation was going to do.

“When I got back, I was surprised to find they had gotten together on their own and had already agreed to a merger,” he said.

The first Sunday meeting in the new facilities drew 500 people to worship.

“I'm really excited about what God might do there,” Price said. “This is a real opportunity for us to show the culture here what a vibrant Hispanic church can be. … I really think we could see them begin to run 700-1,000 in the not too distant future.”

Rodriguez knows there may be some bumps along the way. Not only are there ethnic and cultural differences, but also differences in worship styles–South San Antonio was very traditional in its worship music, while the Hispanic church is very contemporary.

“The congregation that was already there are staying and worshipping with us,” he said. “They are a part of the church. They are a part of our family, and we're a part of their family–we're becoming one family.

“This is really a marriage, and there's going to be adjustments made on both our parts, but I think it's going to work.”

Angel is sure of it. She had gradually seen the church become more welcoming to Hispanics even before the merger. The 8-year-old Hispanic boy who served as her interpreter in 1952 re-entered her life in 1968 as her son-in-law, and he is a deacon at the church.

Seeing the church filled that first Sunday thrilled her soul, she said.

“I've been burdened for this church all these years; now I can relax. God has answered my prayers,” she said.

“Our candle had almost been snuffed out, but God came and took the basket off.

“Now our bell tower needs a bright light in it to tell all the world that this is a place where God is at work.”

Posted: 3/19/04

Resort missionary takes gospel message to Tahoe ski slopes

By Lee Weeks

North American Mission Board

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (BP)–After more than two decades as a resort missionary in Lake Tahoe, Debbie Wohler remains as passionate as ever about the mission to which she believes God has called her.

“Often in Scripture, it looks like it's the small things–you know, the salt, the light, the yeast, the seed in the soil–that add up to big things,” said Wohler, who serves in the scenic resort area that draws 12 million visitors each year.

Missionary Debbie Wohler talks with a boy participating in the children's ministry at First Baptist Church of Tahoe City, Calif. (Gibbs Frazeur Photo)

“I think a lot of times we want to see the big things without having done the small things.”

Wohler is among nearly 5,200 missionaries in the United States and Canada supported by the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. She is featured during this year's Week of Prayer for North American Missions, which focuses on “The World at Our Doorstep.”

Among those at Wohler's “doorstep” in Lake Tahoe are children. Through First Baptist Church of Tahoe City, she helps with a before- and after-school program and other child-care services.

She also leads a children's day camp during the summer, and from Christmas through Easter, she serves as chaplain for six ski resorts.

“I wonder what God is going to do in these kids' lives, and they're still babies,” she reflected. “They're barely walking, but I begin to dream and hope and pray for these children.

“Jesus said if you want to come into the Kingdom, that you need to come like a child,” she said. “I actually think the best years are ahead because there has been a ton of seed planting.”

Her face lights up as she talks about the children who grew up under her ministry and now are taking the gospel to places such as China, Yemen, Amsterdam, Africa, Mexico, Spain and Moldova.

“I want to raise a generation of people who love God and who serve God,” Wohler said. “I want to teach them how to pray, minister and not be afraid to talk to people about Jesus and what's happened in their heart.”

Wohler, who grew up in Fairfield, Ill., first came to Lake Tahoe in 1975 as a summer missionary while she was in college. After graduating from seminary, she served as a chaplain for two years at the Olympic Training Center in Squaw Valley, Calif., before returning to Lake Tahoe as a career resort missionary.

Tourists visit the area each year to play in the region's 600 inches of snow, to camp, boat or hike and bike around the lake's 72 miles of shoreline, or to gamble in casinos.

Each year, about 700 families participate in at least one of the children's ministries offered through First Baptist, which averages 125 in attendance each Sunday.

“Every church could be doing what we're doing,” Wohler said. “We've taken care of their kids and loved their families. And as a result, we've seen moms and dads and boys and girls come to know Jesus.

“My goal is to strengthen the family so that the family can come to know Christ.”

And God is using children to introduce their families to Christ, Wohler said.

“We're starting to get adults in our class for children about how to become a Christian,” she said.

Despite the allure of this scenic resort town of 2,000 year-around residents, life for many in Tahoe City is far from idyllic, and much of Wohler's ministry is to local residents.

“It's very difficult to survive here financially as a working person,” Wohler said. “Sometimes you have to work two and three jobs.”

Many are transient, staying only two or three years because they can't afford to live in a place where the least-expensive house sells for $300,000 and a gallon of milk costs about $4, Wohler said.

Plenty of opportunities also exist to minister to tourists.

“What I've found is that when we genuinely love people and meet their needs, whether it's child care or skiing, or whatever their need is, they're very open to a relationship with us and then a relationship with Jesus Christ,” Wohler said.

International tourists also give her and her team of volunteers–along with summer and semester missionaries–an opportunity to make a worldwide impact.

“The world comes to Lake Tahoe, and that's why I'm here as a missionary,” she said.

The fruit of her ministry comes through dozens of professions of faith in Christ each year–as well as the lives of volunteers and other ministry workers.

“We've been able to have a lot of influence on people who then leave and go to other places, so we kind of see ourselves as a training station,” she said.

Wohler has learned to be resourceful in sharing the gospel in a place where there is always something entertaining to do indoors or outdoors.

“We try to do fun things with the kids because I really believe that Jesus used attraction rather than promotion,” she said.

“I believe a lot of times the church gets stuck doing really boring things.”

In the summer, Wohler leads the children in her child-care programs on hikes to see God's handiwork in waterfalls or beaches while basking in a beautiful climate that boasts 80-degree days with low humidity.

And in the winter, she takes the gospel to the ski slopes.

“Some of the best opportunities come after our outdoor worship service, when riding chair-lifts and while skiing around before and after the service, helping people who are having a hard time skiing,” she said.

“Once people are exposed to Christians who are vibrant and passionate and loving and kind, they are open to hearing about the gospel.”

Wohler's earlier experience at the Olympic Training Center also led to another continuing ministry–sharing the love of Christ at seven different Olympic Games.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, she sported a snowman costume as an opening to hand out Christian materials and share her faith.

She plans to attend the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, in August. There, she hopes to strike up evangelistic conversations with people by displaying an Olympic torch like the one she carried through Tahoe City as part of the festive cross-country torch relay prior to the 2000 Winter Olympics.

“It requires a lot of energy to put yourself out there, to give yourself away to the high glory of God,” Wohler said.

“The hardest part is that the fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few.”

Still, Wohler said, she draws strength and inspiration for her work from the people God has called her to serve and from Southern Baptists who support her by praying and giving sacrificially.

“I have felt supported, and cared for, and encouraged beyond belief,” Wohler said. “And that makes all the difference.”

Posted: 3/19/04

Teens listen to parents' advice about sex, survey indicates

WASHINGTON (BP)–Teens today may be more cautious toward sex than generally believed and may be paying more attention to their parents' warnings, according to survey results released recently by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The study found that 67 percent of sexually experienced teens say they wish they had waited longer before having sexual intercourse. The breakdown by gender indicates 77 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys regret becoming sexually active too early.

Eighty-five percent of teens agreed sex should occur only in a long-term, committed relationship, and only 26 percent said it is embarrassing for teens to admit they are virgins. Teens credit their own morals, values, religious beliefs and concerns about the future for influencing their attitudes about sex more than concerns about pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

The opportunity to test those attitudes is significant, considering 42 percent of teens in high school said they had been at a party in the past six months with boys and girls where no adults were present.

Regarding teen pregnancy, 84 percent of teens surveyed said they believe teen pregnancy prevention programs should teach young people to be married before they have a child.

Parental influence is more important in a teen's life than generally believed.

Forty-five percent of teens said their parents most influence their decisions about sex compared to 31 percent who said their friends are most influential. Religious leaders were the most influential among 7 percent, while teachers and sex educators stood at 6 percent and the media at 4 percent.

Eighty-eight percent of teens said it would be easier to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about such topics with their parents, and 59 percent said when it comes to healthy, responsible relationships, their parents are their role models.

Meanwhile, only 32 percent of adults surveyed believe parents are most influential in their teens' decisions about sex.

The National Campaign survey questioned 1,000 young people ages 12-19 and 1,008 adults age 20 and older.

Posted: 3/19/04

Texas Tidbits

Baylor names faith and learning director. Baylor University has named Douglas Henry, assistant professor of philosophy in the university's honors college, as director of Baylor's Institute for Faith and Learning. Henry has been acting director of the institute, whose stated goal is to integrate academic excellence and Christian commitment. He holds a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, and he earned master's and doctorate degrees from Vanderbilt University.

ETBU dean honored. Carolyn Harvey, dean of the Frank S. Groner Endowed Memorial School of Professional Studies department of nursing at East Texas Baptist University, received a Friends of Public Health Award from the Texas Department of Health. The award recognizes groups or individuals committed to improving public health. In October, Harvey led senior ETBU nursing students in a project that included conducting a health assessment of the area surrounding Caddo Lake, along with providing area residents with flu shots, cholesterol and diabetes tests, and information on breast and prostate cancer.

DBU receives gift. Dallas Baptist University received a $100,000 gift from real-estate executive Ebby Halliday that will be used in conjunction with the university's Ruth Ray Hunt Challenge grant. Halliday has been a DBU supporter and benefactor for more than 30 years and has contributed to numerous scholarship funds and building campaigns.

HBU holds lecture series. Houston Baptist University and its department of Christianity and philosophy will sponsor the A.O. Collins Lecture Series April 1-2. Paul Gutjahr from Indiana University is the featured speaker. The lecture series, named in honor of the longtime chairman of the department of Christianity and philosophy, began in 1993 to give recognized scholars an opportunity to address theology, religious studies or philosophy.

UMHB Easter pageant set. The 65th annual University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Easter pageant will be presented three times April 7 on the university campus in Belton. The outdoor reproduction of the passion of Christ–from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and resurrection–is free and open to the public. The production is produced, directed, costumed and performed entirely by university students. More than 90 students will participate.

HSU hosts historical association. The 81st annual meeting of the West Texas Historical Association will be held in conjunction with a meeting of the Texas Map Society April 2-3 on the Hardin-Simmons University campus in Abilene. Hardin-Simmons was the birthplace of the regional historical association, and the group was headquartered there 75 years before relocating to Texas Tech University.

Allen to direct Baylor Dallas program. Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business has named Jana Allen director of the executive MBA program, offered at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Allen, who holds undergraduate and master's degrees from Dallas Baptist University, has served as assistant director of the graduate program for the last three years and has more than 20 years of experience in program administration, development, recruiting, marketing, communications and education.

HBU names spiritual life director. Houston Baptist University has named Colette Cross director of spiritual life and campus chaplain. Cross has been director of student ministries at the university since August 2000. Before coming to the university, she was a metro campus minister for the Missouri Baptist Convention in Kansas City. Other recent staff additions at HBU include Shirley Crews Taylor as director of human resources, Dennis Huff as director of information systems and Martha Morrow as director of marketing and communications.

Gordon featured Maston lecturer at HSU. Carolyn Gordon, associate professor of church and community at Central Baptist Seminary will be the guest speaker for the annual T.B. Maston Lectures at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology, April 5-6.

UMHB offers workshop. "Understanding Personality: The Ethical Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in the Social Work Practice" is the focus of an April 22 workshop at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The workshop will be offered at no cost to social work professionals and will include continuing education credit to meet ethics requirements of licensure. To register, call (254) 295-4555.

ETBU named blood donor of year. Stewart Regional Blood Center recently awarded East Texas Baptist University its college of the year donor award. ETBU collected 204 units during blood drives in 2003, said Charlotte Jordan, recruitment consultant with the blood center. ETBU holds four blood drives a year for the center, which serves the blood needs of patients in more than 41 institutions in a 28-county region. Debra Shelton, nurse recruiter for the ETBU department of nursing, is the local on-campus blood drive coordinator. The next blood drive is April 7-8.

Baylor to offer graduate engineering programs. Baylor University regents recently approved two new master's programs in the school of engineering and computer science, giving the university its first graduate-level programs in engineering. The programs will be offered beginning next fall.

HBU offers summer business academy. The College of Business and Economics at Houston Baptist University will offer its first summer business academy June 7 to 18. High school students entering the 11th or 12th grades can earn three hours of college credit, taking classes in web design or entrepreneurship taught by HBU faculty. To register for the academy, students must supply their SAT or PSAT scores, high school transcripts and a $150 deposit by April 1. Cost of the academy is $495, which includes tuition, books, lunches, transcript and a certificate. For more information, call (281) 649-3130 or e-mail aknapp@hbu.edu.

Posted: 3/19/04

TOGETHER;
Teams asked to provide bold vision

Revisioning and restructuring have captured a lot of attention lately in Baptist General Convention of Texas life. What God wants from churches and what role this convention should play in helping congregations become all God dreams them to be are the questions being considered.

Four teams are seeking God's direction regarding his vision for Texas Baptists. They are praying, sharing ideas and visualizing what our work would look like if we could be gripped by God's passion for us. Laity, ministers–older and younger–and BGCT staff comprise the teams. Additionally, I am working with associational directors of missions, CEOs of our institutions, seminary students and others to get their ideas and concerns on the table.

Undergirding this deliberation and dreaming is a prayer team, quietly working behind the scenes to lift these work groups to the Lord. I have asked them to pray specifically for three things–that we will know the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), that we will have wisdom beyond our own (James 1:5) and that we will have courage to move forward as God directs (Joshua 1:9). Please join them in praying.

I share with you the charge I gave to the Executive Board and to each of the four teams as they began their work:

“You and I seek from God a new and passionate vision for Texas Baptists, a vision born in prayer and compelling enough that we will give our lives to see it accomplished unto the glory of God.

“The vision will be bold enough that without God's blessing it cannot be done; but with God's help, every Texas Baptist can find a place to make a lasting difference in the world.

“The vision will be inspired by the mind of Christ as made known to us in Holy Scripture and in the working of the Holy Spirit illuminating our understanding and empowering our souls.

“We acknowledge that churches are the key component in helping any vision come to pass. We celebrate what God is doing in the churches and recognize the deep hunger of many congregations to become all that God dreams for them. We call on the convention, associations, institutions and related ministries to stand with the churches in fulfilling the vision God has given them.

“We want to be a convention fully committed to historic biblical truths and Baptist principles, positioning ourselves to be a convention for the future. We must embrace change both for the short term and long term in order to meet the great challenges and opportunities we have to do evangelism, start missional churches and develop faithful disciples who will change Texas and the world.

“To this end, with input from many of you, I am asking several groups of people to help Texas Baptists see the vision God has in his heart for us. We will bring these groups together and ask God to breathe into us a new vision full of hope that compels us forward.

“Then we will work together to organize our people, processes and resources to achieve the proposed vision. I will bring a progress report to you in our next Executive Board meeting.

“In the meanwhile, our BGCT Executive Board staff will work collaboratively and creatively to serve churches and to be a catalyst to help associations, institutions and related ministries work together to strengthen churches and encourage the achievement of our current vision.”

We are loved.

Posted: 3/19/04

WMU board affirms BWA,
sets $5 million goal for offering

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–The Woman's Missionary Union of Texas board of directors has affirmed its continuing support for the Baptist World Alliance, the BWA Women's Department and the North American Baptist Women's Union.

The motion, unanimously approved at the board's March meeting, followed a similar move by national WMU.

Both actions are a response to the Southern Baptist Convention's expected pullout from BWA this summer. WMU is an auxiliary to the SBC, while the Women's Department is in the same relationship with the BWA.

“We are saying: 'We will not forget you, … We will join with you,'” to Baptist women around the world, said Carolyn Porterfield, executive director/treasurer of Texas WMU.

Porterfield encouraged Texas WMU members to go to the SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis in June to vote against the proposed defunding, saying, “It's not enough to pass resolutions.”

Texas WMU President Kathy Hillman of Waco described the three entities affirmed in the motion. The BWA is a fellowship of 211 Baptist unions and conventions with 46.5 million believers.

The Women's Department includes seven continental unions representing 132 countries and 229 national Baptist women's organizations. The organization's mission statement says it encourages and celebrates unity in Christ among Baptist women of the world and works toward “peace and reconciliation, justice and development through prayer, witness and service.”

The North American Baptist Women's Union is one of the continental unions comprising the BWA Women's Department. It provides women with information about the BWA, promotes closer relationships between North American women and those in the rest of the world, and suggests opportunities for service, Hillman said.

Three actions in recent years indicate WMU is remaining true to its mission purpose, Porterfield said.

First, support of the BWA demonstrates it.

“We need to speak for the women of the world,” the executive director said.

Second,

since the SBC changed the Baptist Faith & Message in 2000 and subsequent action by the International Mission Board required missionaries to affirm it, WMU has supported both missionaries who have remained on the field and those who refused to sign the document, Porterfield said.

Texas WMU board members demonstrate unity.

Third, Texas WMU's involvement in missions partnerships indicates it is still true to its purpose.

She noted the role of WMU in relating to missions needs in Minnesota-Wisconsin, Mexico, the northeastern portion of the United States and others.

Porterfield, in her report to the board, said Texas WMU ended 2003 $21,011 under budget. It expended $891,988 out of a $913,000 budget.

In other action, the board of directors approved allocations totaling $5 million for this year's Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

The budget includes 70 separate line items, with the largest being $1.25 million to assist in starting “missional churches” throughout the state. The goal is 250 such new churches.

The second-largest disbursement will be $983,000 for the Texas WMU operating budgeting.

Other large budget items include $300,000 to help “Key Churches” add church-starting specialists; $255,000 for the Rio Grande River Ministry; $200,000 to help the state's metropolitan associations “reach and disciple the unchurched.” That final allocation is part of $470,000 earmarked for Texas regional association ministries.

If the $5 million Mary Hill Davis Offering goal is not reached, the various ministries will not be fully funded.

Any funds received over the goal will be divided equally between a small-church matching grant fund and new-church support.

Last year, Texas Baptists gave $4.7 million through the offering.

The theme for this year's offering will be “Plant, Water, Harvest,” based on 1 Corinthians 3:6.

The Texas WMU board also heard various reports. Mary Humphries described the Texas Stars effort to raise endowment money for missions.

Money earned by the endowments will be used by Texas WMU to fund leadership development, Christian Women's Job Corps, ministries to missionaries and their families, and other efforts.

Carol Childress, information broker for WorldconneX, reported on the missions networking organization formed last year by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

WorldconneX now has a five-person staff and an office in Dallas.

“WorldconneX is a response to the kind of world we live in today,” Childress said. It will be an “informational and referral service,” a network that will seek to “connect all these things God is doing.”

Storylist for3/22 issue

Our Front Page Articles
• Missionary narrowly misses Madrid bombing

• Two Texans among Baptist missionaries killed, hurt in Iraq



• Two Texans among Baptist missionaries killed, hurt in Iraq

• Church member's prayers for ethnic inclusiveness answered after 50 years

• Ethnic minorities to chair all seven appointed 2004 BGCT committees

• WMU board affirms BWA, sets $5 million goal for offering

• Call to ministry may be in a variety of vocations, hospital CEO insists

• On the Move

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits

Deep in the Heart of Texans:
• Range Writer Western author Elmer Kelton

Posted previously on 3/12
• Hardin-Simmons University considers letting students hold dances in campus facilities

• Panhandle preaching conference focuses on reconciliation

• Some ministers' children drawn to life of ministry

• Most preachers' kids reject church, informal survey reveals

• Houston church believes ministry begins at home, particularly among the church staff

• Emergency food shipment arrives in war-torn Haiti

• Evangelicals make mark on society as they bring faith into marketplace, author says



• Missionary narrowly misses Madrid bombing

• Resort missionary takes gospel message to Tahoe ski slopes

• Judge rules Missouri Convention lacks standing for suit; leaders pledge fight

• BWA seeks to put conflict behind, issues statement affirming doctrine

• Baptist Briefs

Posted previously on 3/12
• CBF enters partnership with African Baptists

• NAMB chaplain numbers appear on the rise



• Parents want sex education courses to emphasize abstinence, survey shows

• Teens listen to parents' advice about sex, survey indicates

Posted previously on 3/12
• At 95, Bev Shea still awed by the wonder of it all

• Worship growing more diversified, survey of Protestant churches says

• More 'Buster' pastors, Barna research says

• Churches slow to acknowledge members have problem with pornography


• Gay marriage makes headlines, but it won't sway elections, poll reveals

Posted previously on 3/12
• Hearing held on same-sex marriage

• Park Service opposes funding to preserve Spanish missions

• California court denies Catholic charity religious exemption



• Around the State

• On the Move

• Classified Ads

• Texas Baptist Forum



• EDITORIAL: Christians must insist state support quality education

• Down Home: Coveting leaves sinner 'flushed'

• Together: Teams asked to provide bold vision

• ANOTHER VIEW by Brent Walker: 'Under God' invokes multiple issues

• Texas Baptist Forum



• LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for March 28: Respect for all people marks a healthy church

• LifeWay Family Bible Series for March 28: Act boldly when following God's direction

• LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for April 4: Money matters, but keep it in perspective

• LifeWay Family Bible Series for April 4: Christ's suffering was born out of his great love


See articles from previous issue 3/08/04 here.