CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS)—After federal authorities accidentally triggered a 1993 fire that killed 75 members of an obscure Christian sect near Waco, one of the lessons law enforcement learned was to call religion experts in a crisis where faith is a factor.

Nearly 25 years after the inferno at the Branch Davidian compound, FBI officials and scholars from the American Academy of Religion gathered at Harvard Divinity School to reflect on how the crisis in Central Texas led to a new relationship between them—and on the challenges ahead.

The situation outside Waco began when willing followers of self-proclaimed prophet David Koresh and his Branch Davidian sect barricaded themselves in a heavily armed compound. After 51 days, law enforcement moved to end the standoff by force but had “no qualified knowledge of how highly religious people would respond to the storming of (their) building,” retired Harvard law professor Philip Heymann said.

As deputy attorney general at the time, he wrote a report in the aftermath of the Branch Davidian crisis that emphasized the need for seeking out religious expertise in dealing with confrontations.

Religion 101

Since then, American Academy of Religion scholars have advised the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group when dissident religious groups that are not generally well-understood come into conflict with law enforcement. Scholars also work with the FBI’s National Academy to equip new agents with a wider range of religious understanding.

“We don’t have an excuse not to ask for advice,” said David T. Resch, who was part of the FBI team at Waco and now is special agent in charge of the FBI National Academy.

With the American Academy of Religion, the FBI has “a mechanism to reach out of our comfort zone” in recognizing where offenders’ and victims’ actions are shaped by religious beliefs that “as a Methodist, I may not know,” Resch said.

However, he noted, creating a “Religion 101” road map for current and future law enforcement officers is not so simple. Not everyone agrees on what the curriculum should be in this religiously diverse society—one where conflicts also arise shaped by racial division, varying political worldviews and disparities in power.

Meanwhile, other pressing factors figure into law enforcement’s decision-making.

“Loud bells are ringing,” said Resch, citing terrorism, hate crimes, concerns about police misuse of power, public corruption, organized crime and more. “The time from flash to bang and the trajectory toward violence has been sharply condensed. We need to move more quickly and choose the least bad answers.”

Troubled history

And they must do this while suspicion of the FBI still threads through its history with religious groups and religious social justice activists, said University of Pennsylvania professor Steven Weitzman. He is co-editor of a new book, The FBI and Religion: Faith and National Security Before and After 9/11.

Weitzman looked back decades, when Quakers, Black Muslims and Catholic anti-war activists were seen as suspicious, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover positioned the agency as upholding Judeo-Christian values in opposition to “godless communism.” Hoover’s effort to degrade the reputation of Martin Luther King Jr. and to undermine the civil rights movement still is top-of-mind for many African-Americans, Weitzman said.

“FBI has been a major player, and sometimes a major disruptor in American religious life,” he said. Now, he sees the American Academy of Religion trying to change the culture “for the good of all and the future of religiously motivated dissent” at a time when both scholars and the FBI are confronted by radical, violent groups that may root their actions in religious claims.

This is not a unique dilemma to the United States, said Eileen Barker, emeritus professor of sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom, where 1,000 religious groups have emerged just since World War II.

Barker founded and leads a nonprofit called Inform that responds to requests from public officials about these little-known groups. The nonprofit doesn’t offer advice but it aims to give “accurate and unbiased information and put it in a cultural framework,” she said.

Boston University sociology professor Nancy Ammerman said the need for nuanced understanding that religion scholars can offer does not apply only to situations that can turn violent.

“What do any people who want to engage in public policy need to know about religion, and how can we help them get to know this?” she asked. “The answer is just like what’s happening in the FBI—the need for ‘Religious Literacy 101.’”

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court announced Nov. 27 it would not hear a case challenging a Tarrant County school district’s practice that allows students to lead public prayers at school board meetings.

For 20 years, the Birdville Independent School District has allowed two students to speak at the beginning of its school board meetings. One student leads the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. and Texas flags, and the other offers a brief statement—sometimes a poem or inspirational quote but often a prayer.

Until February 2015, the board called the student-led presentations “invocations,” and the district selected students on merit. In March 2015, the district began referring to them as “student expressions” and began randomly selecting students from a list of volunteers.

The American Humanist Association filed suit two years ago against the district on behalf of 2014 Birdville High School graduate Isaiah Smith. He insisted the school board’s practice of beginning its meetings with student-led prayers made him feel uncomfortable because he believed the district was “favoring religion over nonreligion.”

Circuit court decision stands

In March, the New Orleans-based 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Smith’s assertion the district’s policy violated the First Amendment, ruling the student-led prayers fit within an exception to the Establishment Clause that allows legislative and deliberative bodies to conduct prayers in government buildings.

The circuit court noted the school board is a deliberative body, and most individuals who attend its meetings are adults, although some students attend to receive awards for academic or extracurricular achievement or for musical performances.

“Although it is possible to imagine a school-board student-expression practice that offends the Establishment Clause, this one, under its specific facts, does not,” the circuit court ruled.

The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty had joined with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Anti-Defamation League, the Central Conference for American Rabbis and others in filing a friend-of-the-court brief with the circuit court asserting the Birdville school district practice constituted school-sponsored religious exercises.

“Public schools have a responsibility to protect the religious liberty rights of all students at all school-sponsored events, including school board meetings,” said Holly Hollman, general counsel with the Baptist Joint Committee.

“The Birdville ISD school board and the 5th Circuit are failing to respect the importance of voluntary prayer and the separation of church and state. Government entities have no business acting as worship leaders for public school children.”

By denying a review of the case, the Supreme Court allows the 5^th Circuit Court’s ruling to stand.

District feels ‘vindicated’

Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, insisted the Supreme Court, by denying the petition for a hearing, was allowing an “unfair and inappropriate practice to continue.”

Speckhardt insisted the court disregarded “the serious coercion students face when a prayer is recited in a school-controlled environment with teachers and administrators watching and participating.”

Hours after the Supreme Court announced it declined to hear the case, Superintendent Darrell Brown of the Birdville schools issued a statement saying his district was “vindicated” by the judicial system.

“The speeches given by students at the board meetings are their own—not something they are told to say,” Brown said. “Occasionally, students will open the meeting with a prayer. We believe the students have the right to express themselves in this manner if they choose.”

Jesus Every Day—Prayers to Awaken Your Soul

By Mary DeMuth (Harvest House)

Mary DeMuth, a Texas-based author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books, has produced something different this time around. A book of prayers may seem odd in our modern day, especially in the evangelical world. But Jesus Every Day—Prayers to Awaken Your Soul is the outgrowth of DeMuth’s monthly newsletter, which ends with a prayer for her readers. They requested more. The 366-day devotional includes a daily Scripture passage.

Before reading the one-month sampler copy I received from a Christian bookstore, I wondered if praying along with someone else’s words might seem awkward or a bad fit for me. However, the selected Bible verses—from Genesis through Revelation—stir the desire to partake in DeMuth’s response of praise, thanks, confession and supplication. Readers can join an unseen fellowship of those who pray along each day, adding fresh words to the chorus.

Patti Richter

Heath

COMERÍO, Puerto Rico (BP)—Even in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Southern Baptist missionary Jorge Santiago has experienced the truth of Romans 8:28—that God can work all things together for good.

‘We just focused on helping people’

In July, Jorge and Rebeca Santiago moved to Puerto Rico with their two children, Sebastian and Sophia, to serve as North American Mission Board church planting missionaries in Comerío, a municipality of 20,000 about 30 miles south of San Juan.

“Right after the storm, we just focused on helping people,” Santiago said. “We started looking for resources, food and water so that we could take it to Comerío.”

Baptist pastors on the island rallied together, along with some from other denominations, to help one another in their mission to serve those in need. As Santiago prayed and ventured to find food and other resources, he noticed, both from personal experience and from others’ stories, just how difficult it was to wash clothes by hand.

Laundry as ministry

Santiago saw groups distributing food and water, but no one was helping people clean their clothes.

“My wife’s dad is a pastor whose church sent us some money,” Santiago noted, most of which he and his family used to buy three washing machines “by faith.”

They eventually were able to acquire three more washing machines they have used to start a community outreach called Proyecto Mi Ropa Limpia—My Clean Clothes Project.

“God hasn’t stopped giving to us,” Santiago said. “And we haven’t stopped giving to the people everything that comes our way.”

The Santiagos have been hard at work ministering in Comerío, leaving for the town around 4:30 each morning and not returning to their base in San Lorenzo, 30 miles to the east, until 8:30 or 9:00 at night. Rebeca manages the washing machines, while Jorge travels around searching for food and water, distributing what he is able to find.

Resources received at the right time

Santiago received one of the pastor packs that NAMB’s Send Relief ministry sent to Puerto Rico. The package arrived at a time when he was having difficulty finding resources, he noted.

Whenever he went to search, Santiago would pray and ask God to lead him to where the resources could be found. After three days of not finding anything, he received a phone call telling him to go to the Send Relief warehouse.

“Then, when I saw the pastor package, I started crying, because I saw all the things they brought to us,” Santiago recounted.

The generator included in the package is being used to power some of the washing machines for My Clean Clothes Project, and the other food and resources have been a boost for Santiago’s ministry to the community.

‘Live the gospel by serving the people’

“God gave us the privilege to show the people how committed we are to them and to God,” Santiago said. “We get to live the gospel by serving the people.”

Initially, Santiago and his family planned to start church services in January. Hurricane Maria changed those plans, however, and Sunday, Nov. 12, Santiago preached the gospel and prayed with a group of people as they gathered to share a hot meal.

“It is good, all that we are doing right now to help serve people,” he said. “It’s important to the people, but more important than that is the need to share the gospel.”

Open to hearing the message of salvation

Santiago recognized it was time to start preaching. The community was open.

“People every day started asking me what my church is, but I don’t even have a church yet,” he said. “They kept asking me the time of the service, and they wanted to hear the word of God.”

The Santiagos plan to continue gathering with people every Sunday and preaching the gospel. The way his family served the community opened the door for the gospel and has made Santiago eager to preach the Good News.

‘Prove to them that you love them’

“We are not here to play or waste our time or God’s time.” Santiago said. “We are here with a mission, and we are here to accomplish our mission.”

Santiago continues to move toward an official launch for the church, but in the meantime, he and other ministers will make use of resources that arrive.

“As a pastor, I still need resources to help the people,” Santiago said. “People won’t believe in what you’re going to say to them unless you prove to them that you love them. The way that they experience your love for them is by giving to them.”

ROUND ROCK—“The darkest memories produce rays of light,” Sofi Hersher, a staff member of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, told an interfaith gathering sponsored by a Texas Baptist church in Round Rock.

Synagogue arson

In her darkest memory, Hersher is 9 years old, watching her synagogue engulfed in flames. Now, from the perspective of 18 years, she realizes her hometown, Sacramento, Calif., “became a better place to live than it was before” two brothers torched Congregation B’nai Israel and two other synagogues.

Hersher and panelists from five other faiths conducted “a conversation on religious liberty,” sponsored by Peace of Christ Church, a congregation affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Round Rock.

The event was the latest installment in a series of interfaith discussions—two each in the fall and spring—the church convenes in the booming, increasingly diverse community north of Austin, Pastor Kyle Tubbs noted.

“I remember people hated me. … Why? Because we’re Jewish,” Hersher recalled. “I felt the rise of fear because of religious bigotry.”

Jews are the target of 56 percent of hate crimes in the United States, although they comprise just 2 percent of the population, noted Hersher, the first non-Baptist fellow of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

‘People fear what they don’t understand’

Ignorance, in the form of religious illiteracy, fans the flames of religious violence, she insisted, adding, “People fear what they don’t understand and hate what they can’t conquer.”

Although Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment and multiple subsequent laws protect religious liberty, many Americans still seek to limit the freedom of others, she said.

“At its most basic, religious liberty is the freedom to believe anything you want,” Hersher explained. And the best, most practical way to protect religious liberty is “to get to know each other and protect each other’s rights,” she added.

That happened in Sacramento after the synagogue arsons, she reported, describing beautiful childhood memories, when her community rallied to support Jews devastated by the synagogue fires. Those expressions of interfaith unity taught her an important life lesson: “We, too, can build a better world.”

Panelists offer varied perspectives

After Hersher’s keynote address, she and other panelists discussed how religious liberty is a theme imbedded in various faith traditions.

Despite popular opinion to the contrary, Islam supports religious liberty, stressed Mohamed-Umer Esmail, imam of the Nueces Mosque in Austin, who also ministers to students at the University of Texas at Austin.

“There is room for religious liberty in Islam. Everyone can practice their own faith,” Esmail said. To illustrate, he described how the Prophet Muhammad allowed not only his followers, but also Jews and pagans to operate their own legal systems and courts in territory he controlled.

Also, Esmail discussed Sharia law, which some Americans fear could supplant U.S. laws.

“Sharia applies differently, depending upon where people live,” he explained, comparing it to the U.S. Constitution. For example, the Constitution does not apply to citizens of other countries living in their countries. Similarly, Sharia does not apply to non-Muslims living in the United States or other non-Muslim nations.

“Religious liberty is founded on the inviolability of each human conscience,” said Uche Ande, a native of Nigeria and pastor of St. Margaret Catholic Church in Giddings, citing “On Human Dignity,” a document produced by the Second Vatican Council more than 50 years ago. “Inviolable dignity is given by God to each person,” he said.

Conversely, the concept of religious toleration “has caused more harm than good,” Ande added. Toleration implies religious practice is a privilege, which can be revoked or taken away, he explained, while religious liberty is a divine right.

Need to respect others

Religious liberty is vital because of its link to respect, said David Zuniga, a Zen Buddhist priest and psychologist in Austin.

“Religion can both alleviate and cause suffering,” Zuniga acknowledged. He described his own pain when a U.S. president said atheists are not “true Americans,” and yet his uncle, a Navy SEAL, sacrificed his life for his country.

“It’s important to respect others” of all faiths and no faith, he said.

Similarly, government decisions to favor one religion over others are unwise, added Jagannath Vedula, a founding trustee of Austin Hindu Temple and Community Center.

“This is an era when we are trying to value all religions equally,” Vedula said. “The ideal is government without any favoritism of religion.”

“This topic is one that makes me proud to be a Baptist,” said Aurelia Davila Pratt, pastor of spiritual formation at Peace of Christ Church. “The Baptist tradition was founded on religious freedom.”

Pratt described how Thomas Helwys, one of the two founders of the first Baptist church in the 17^th century, staked a claim for religious liberty. He confronted King James 1 of England, championing absolute religious freedom, as did his New World counterpart, Roger Williams, who founded the first Baptist church in America.

“Baptists historically have advocated religious liberty for all people,” she said. Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., she added: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ … People of faith must stand together.”

• The Explore the Bible lesson for Dec. 17 focuses on Acts 15:6-11, 24-31.

Disagreements within the church often are broadly reported. It’s as if they are plastered on billboards to air the dirty laundry of ordinary people. We must remember that’s exactly what the church is—ordinary people trying desperately to follow our unordinary God.

People on both sides of the disagreement described in Acts 15:1-5 had good motives. They simply disagreed. In response, the church did the right thing by calling a gathering to discuss and decide the matter prayerfully. Ask your group: How might we learn from this example?

What matters most is that God’s rescue—salvation—is made available to all who will believe and follow. Adding anything to grace causes it to cease being grace, and we are left with law alone that will not rescue us. Today, we also should strive with the reality of grace and how it shapes us, not our laws or regulations.

No Distinction (Acts 15:6-11)

After reading this portion of Peter’s speech, have your group read Romans 3:21-31. Discuss the truth of God being the God of all—Jews and Gentiles—and how faith is more important than religious expectation.

Even though there is “no distinction” between the Jewish and Gentile converts, there is a clear distinction between those who believe and those who do not—the gift of the Holy Spirit. Verse 8 was the key ingredient Peter focused on to prove the Gentiles needed nothing else than the Spirit of God inside them.

The great concern is in verses 10-11. The “yoke” here reminds one of the burden of slavery. A yoke binds the ox to the wagon it is pulling, and the ox cannot get away from it. The last thing we want to do is add a burden to those who are being freed from sin! How do we keep from adding unnecessary burdens to new believers?

Peter’s response is that we must declare grace as our means to salvation. Nothing we do can rescue us from our sinful slavery, and so, grace has to be what moves us from slave to free.

Clear Expectations (Acts 15:24-29)

This letter was intended to be a blessing to all, and it is beautiful to read this in light of James’ statement: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). These believers could celebrate in the same freedom without added burdens.

Notice the structure here: the problem is stated, unity is pictured, the solution is presented, and Christians are urged to live in light of their mutual salvation. This is beautifully done to both welcome and offer their mutual expectation for living out their salvation.

Have your group bring up (or come up with) an example of what this would look like in your church body. How might churches do well to follow this example? The fact is that when we welcome, we also must follow God’s expectation of us as we follow him. Our living should change, and so our lifestyle should mimic God, not the world.

Secure Encouragement (Acts 15:30-31)

Henri Nouwen once said, “One of the main tasks of theology is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal.” These words here prove this to be true. The encouragement brought unity.

As the council at Jerusalem had gathered, these local gatherings of believers gathered, probably in angst to hear what their “fate” would be. Can you imagine the party that exploded as they heard these words? This unity brought gladness for the entire community.

In verse 32, we are told two prophets lingered to add strength by encouraging these churches. This should be our practical task—strengthen the church by speaking encouraging words of unity. How will we accomplish this practically in our church?

Conclusion

Highlight the significance of this story to your group, because we all must walk away from this lesson (1) affirming that salvation is available to all who will believe and follow, and (2) strengthening the church by encouraging words of unity.

Like us today, the church then was a unique blend of variety. Jews were converting, Gentiles were converting, and the church was growing into uncharted lands and people groups. At the same time, their variety of backgrounds and expectations had to be submitted to God’s expectations, which required them to lay down their own expectations.

Consider this quote from Felix Mendelssohn, the great classical composer: “The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety.” Ask your group to speak a word of encouragement, giving thanks for the variety we come from and the unity we share in God’s rescue.

Heath A. Kirkwood is lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Lorena.

WACO—Nonprofit specialists working to develop innovative solutions to hunger and poverty in communities focused on faith, politics and hope for America during the annual Drumwright Family Lecture at Baylor University.

Passion for fighting poverty

The panelists—Heather Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities Fort Worth; Jeremy Everett, founding executive director of the Texas Hunger Initiative at Baylor; and Robert Doar, resident fellow and Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies for the American Enterprise Institute—have in common a passion for fighting poverty on the local, state and national levels.

Reynolds didn’t grow up in poverty, but her parents made sure that she frequently came face to face with it through community service. Her call to social justice grew serious when she became a parent of an adopted daughter and learned poverty was the only thing that stood in the way of the biological mother’s ability to raise her child.

“While I am forever grateful for my daughter, I will never quit fighting to end poverty as long as I have breath in me, because I’m a firm believer that poverty should not stand between a mom’s dreams for her child and her ability to make those things happen,” Reynolds said.

The inequity of wealth in America has been on Everett’s mind since he entered college. He was inspired by the story of St. Francis, who gave away his possessions to live a life intertwined with people in poverty and to rebuild the church.

Doar, a member with Everett of the National Commission on Hunger, grew up watching his father, John Doar, serve as an assistant attorney general under Robert F. Kennedy and build a poverty-fighting program through his work with civil rights. Doar decided to get involved in politics and find ways to help people move up in opportunity and escape poverty through employment, stronger families and better schools.

“Texas is really lucky to have these two outstanding people doing work for people in need,” Doar said. “Government doesn’t solve every problem. We are so dependent on work and programs like theirs.”

Innovations in the fight against poverty

Reynolds, Everett and Doar are all engaged in thinking about innovations—both in programs and policies—that can reduce poverty and increase opportunities for low-income families and children.

Catholic Charities Fort Worth partners with academic institutions so they can study the efficacy of their work, Reynolds said.

“I’m not in the business of repeat customers,” she said. “I’m in the business of ending poverty. So, we as an organization want to know what works and what doesn’t work.”

Catholic Charities Fort Worth particularly is interested in addressing low graduation rates among community college students throughout the country. Community college is often the only option for low-income citizens, Reynolds said, and a degree may be the difference between a lifetime of minimum-wage employment and a lifetime of living-wage employment.

“Less than 20 percent of students who start community college ever graduate or transfer to a four-year university,” Reynolds said.

In response to this concern, her organization exercises intensive case management at community colleges to encourage students to continue in their education, regardless of financial or social barriers.

“Heather and her team of case managers are taking each individual and each family and helping them develop that blue line so they can be guided through the process of poverty to financial independence,” Everett said.

The Texas Hunger Initiative is focused on building a cross-sector collaborative approach across the state, bringing organizations together to identify needs, developing strategic plans around them and addressing those needs comprehensively, Everett explained.

“Poverty is too complex for any one organization, individual or agency to be able to address all the time,” he said. “The only way that we’re going to be able to effectively reduce hunger and poverty both domestically and globally is if we’re all working together.”

Everett points to the collaborative efforts in communities like San Angelo, where eight years ago, 10,000 children were on the free or reduced-price lunch program. In response, citizens organized a coalition of city, state and federal officials, churches, nonprofits and school districts to work together on summer hunger.

Churches offered their kitchens for use, businesses gathered volunteers to deliver meals, neighbors opened their homes, and after a few months of planning, San Angelo served 20,000 meals to children.

The Texas Hunger Initiative has replicated that model to provide more than 500 million meals to children across Texas simply by getting people to work together.

Government programs and private initiatives

An effective systemic approach to addressing poverty involves different organizations playing different roles, Everett said.

“Part of what we believe as Christians is that we’re created in the image of God,” Everett said. “We believe as Paul wrote, that everybody plays a role in the body (of Christ). We all don’t have to do the same thing.”

Reynolds believes nonprofit organizations foster relationships and care about people as a whole, while the state agency office has transactional relationships.

However, the nonprofit sector—some with a majority of funding from government agencies—can end up looking like an extension of the government, she said.

“The social service agencies where people should be forging relationships with clients that are long term and truly transformational often have gotten reduced to ‘Here’s some assistance’ and not offering people something transformational,” Reynolds said.

Nonprofits walk a fine line between healthy partnership with government and an unhealthy partnership, she stressed.

All the panelists agreed a healthy partnership with all sectors contributing through different roles will help the country move forward in assisting vulnerable populations.

BRENHAM—Pastor Ross Shelton sometimes describes the multiple generations who worship at First Baptist Church in Brenham in terms of “from babies to Bracy.”

So, when senior member Bracy Bledsoe—a retired Texas Baptist pastor with nearly five decades of experience in ministry—celebrated his 100^th birthday a few weeks ago, nobody was surprised a capacity crowd attended the reception a First Baptist.

“Bracy helps younger members grow in our trust of God,” Shelton said. “The reason being is that when Bracy speaks of God’s faithfulness, he can speak from decades of experiencing God at work. Knowing this helps us trust God through whatever we may be going through at the time.”

Born to be a preacher

Bledsoe spent 35 consecutive years as the pastor of churches throughout Central Texas and another 13 as a supply preacher or interim pastor.

“I think I came out of the womb knowing I would be a preacher,” he said, recalling times as a small child when he told adults he planned to be a preacher when he grew up.

His twin brother, Tracy, also eventually felt the same sense of God’s calling into ministry, and he spent about 40 years in ministry, including a long-term pastorate at Lamar Baptist Church in Beaumont.

Bracy Bledsoe attended Baylor University, where he met his wife of 55 years, Addie. During his senior year, he left Baylor to enter military service in World War II.

He served with the U.S. Army 11^th Airborne Division from 1943 to 1945, primarily in the Philippines. Near Luzon in February 1945, he was on a mission as a connecting scout, delivering messages between units, when he was wounded. Bledsoe receive a Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained in combat.

In the years immediately after World War II, Bledsoe served Friendship Baptist Church in Waco, First Baptist Church in Chilton and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Corsicana.

In 1955, Immanuel Baptist Church in Temple called him to become pastor. When he arrived, the church averaged 380 in Sunday school attendance. When he left eight years later, average attendance had increased to 546. During his time in Temple, he led the church through a building campaign to construct a new sanctuary the congregation continues to use.

Pastorates at First Baptist in Dripping Springs and Ridgetop Baptist in Austin followed. One of his favorite memories from his time as pastor occurred while he served the Austin congregation.

“I remember one Sunday giving the invitation, and we had 16 additions,” he said, noting it was not following a revival or any other out-of-the-ordinary evangelistic outreach event. “It just happened.”

He went on to serve nine years at First Baptist Church in Buda before he retired from the full-time pastorate in 1981. However, he continued preaching at pastorless churches throughout the Austin area until 1994, when he retired to care for his ailing wife, who died in 1998.

Still a prayer warrior

Two years later, when he moved to Brenham to be near his children, Martha Hayden and Tim Bledsoe, he joined First Baptist Church.

For several years, when he was in his 80s, Bledsoe volunteered with the Bread Partners ministry, delivering groceries to families and individuals in need.

Although his pulpit ministry ended 23 years ago and his volunteer service has slowed considerably in more recent years, he continues to minister to his congregation as a prayer warrior. Bledsoe’s daily devotional routine includes time spent looking through the church’s directory, praying for members by name.

Four years ago, First Baptist called Shelton as pastor, and he has no bigger fan than Bledsoe.

“I support my pastor 100 percent,” he said. “He is not only a good pastor, but also a good pulpiteer.”

Mentor and ‘man of vision’

Bledsoe’s son, Tim, noted his father long has served as a mentor to younger pastors, and Shelton sees him in that light.

“Bracy’s experience as a pastor is helpful, because there is nothing that I’ve faced or will face that he hasn’t experienced,” Shelton said. “Bracy has experienced the joys and disappointments of being a pastor and knows what it’s like to walk through these experiences. Therefore, when I seek his advice, I know his answers come from a deep reservoir of pastoral experience.”

Bledsoe not only draws wisdom from the past, but also casts vision for the future, Shelton added.

“What impresses me about Bracy is that he is still a man of vision, faith and hope, even at age 100,” he said.

“Here recently, we’ve gone through a capital campaign. Bracy spoke in one of our videos about the opportunity set before us in our relocation. His support was meaningful to me, but what was most meaningful was his willingness to help us cast a vision for our church during the next season and to challenge us to walk by faith.”

Holocaust survivor Jack Repp spoke at East Texas Baptist University at the invitation of the ETBU Political Awareness Society, in partnership with the Student Government Association. Repp, a representative from the Dallas Holocaust Museum and Center for Education and Tolerance, grew up in Poland, where he was part of the Nazi resistance force. He lived in various ghettos and concentration camps including Kielce, Auschwitz and Dachau, and he was part of a death march. He moved to the United States in 1949. Repp described his experiences during the Holocaust and gave his perspective on having faith in God through the most difficult times. “With faith, you can make it through anything,” Repp said. “There was a brief time in my life where I doubted if God was helping me, but ultimately I knew that he had not turned his back on me.”

Howard Payne University’s School of Music and Fine Arts will present its annual “A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” program at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at St. John’s Anglican Church, 700 Main St. in Brownwood. HPU faculty and staff members will read Scriptures about the prophecies and fulfillment of Christ’s coming, and the university’s Heritage Singers under the direction of Christopher B. Rosborough will perform the musical selections.

East Texas Baptist University’s Christmas Festival Concert is scheduled at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Ornelas Spiritual Life Center’s Baker Chapel. It will feature performances by university choirs, the symphonic band, a handbell choir and a guitar ensemble. Cost for nonstudents is $10. For more information, call (903) 923-2158 or email music@etbu.edu.

First Baptist Church in Henderson will celebrate the opening of its children’s building at 207 W. Main St. in Henderson Dec. 3. A dedication service is scheduled at 10:30 a.m., followed by a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be served at noon, and an open house of the children’s building continues through 3 p.m. David Higgs is pastor.

Retirement

David Johnson as associate pastor for pastoral care at First Baptist Church in Midland, effective Dec. 31.

Patrick Adair to The Crossing Baptist Church in Mesquite as pastor, from Central Baptist Church in Marshall, where he was pastor.

WACO—Preachers must connect with people before they can persuade them, Joel Gregory told participants at a workshop during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

Gregory, professor of preaching at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, distinguished persuasive preaching from coercion or manipulation.

Persuasion is communicating with others to bring them to an agreement, he explained. So, effective preaching gets people to “agree with something,” Gregory said.

Communicate, not impress

Some preachers seek to use extravagantly deep theological references in their sermons, but they often fail to communicate with most worshippers, he said.

“If you do not communicate, you are just throwing theological Frisbees over the congregation,” Gregory noted. “They will just say, ‘Our pastor sure knows a lot about theology.’”

People will not be persuaded by how much theology a preacher knows, but they will be persuaded by the connection a preacher establishes with them, Gregory asserted.

“A preacher has to engage at the beginning of the sermon,” he said. “If you do not, you are not going to connect with them later in the sermon.”

Plan carefully

Persuasion is an art, Gregory insisted. As such, it requires practice and strategic planning, he observed.

The preacher should structure the sermon to develop a clear message and think strategically about where to place persuasive points. It is not as important what structure a preacher chooses, but it matters if the structure is well planned, Gregory said.

Trust God

As important as it is to plan a sermon’s structure, connect with people and persuade the congregation, Gregory reminded the conference participants God alone brings about transformation.

“No amount of technique can substitute for what God can do in that moment of preaching,” he said.

Gregory recalled how his father started a barbecue. His dad would stack the charcoal, pour the lighter fluid and throw a match. Sometimes the fire would leap up, and sometimes it would fizzle out quickly.

Preaching is exactly the same, Gregory observed. Sometimes after a preacher follows the same steps in the same order, the outcome remains unexpected.

“Preaching is doing only what you can do,” Gregory said as he pointed to John 11, when Jesus called people to remove the stone that sealed Lazarus’ tomb. “You can do the stone moving, but God is the only one that can bring out Lazarus alive from the tomb.”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—The U.S. State Department failed to release a list of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom by a Nov. 13 deadline, even though Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said religious freedom is a “human rights priority” for the Trump administration.

In December, lawmakers passed a law mandating the State Department name those “Countries of Particular Concern” within 90 days of releasing its International Religious Freedom report. That report came out Aug. 15.

Delay signal U.S. is ‘looking away’

The State Department’s delay bothers some religious freedom watchdogs, including members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan body set up by Congress in 1998 to monitor the issue.

“Failing to designate CPCs tells the violators of religious freedom around the world that the United States is looking away,” said Daniel Mark, chair of the commission.

The Countries of Particular Concern are a list of nations that violate religious freedom in a “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” way, according to the commission.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom must provide its own list of recommended Countries of Particular Concern to the State Department by May 1, according to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The department does not always include all of the commission’s recommendations on its list—the one to which world leaders pay more careful attention.

In April, the commission recommended 16 countries as Countries of Particular Concern, including North Korea, China and, for the first time in the history of the list, Russia. The commission noted in its report that in 2016, Russia has passed a new law “effectively criminalizing all private religious speech not sanctioned by the state,” all but banned Jehovah’s Witnesses and tried Muslims “on fabricated charges of terrorism and extremism.”

Watchdogs had hoped the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act passed last year would prod the State Department to release its list sooner, “but they did miss the deadline,” Mark said.  

List could include terrorist entities

The act, named for the Republican former congressman who made international religious freedom one of his signature issues, also requires the White House, for the first time this year, to name “Entities of Particular Concern,” in addition to Countries of Particular Concern. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that list include the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Taliban and al-Shabab.

That new requirement may be what’s holding up the State Department’s list: The White House has not yet delegated authority to the State Department to name Entities of Particular Concern, as it has with the Countries of Particular Concern. That’s what Ambassador Michael Kozak, senior adviser to the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said during a briefing on religious freedom streamed on the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s Facebook page.

“People like to think this is due to some titanic bureaucratic battle going on, but it tends to be more mundane stuff,” Kozak said.

A State Department official said in a Nov. 17 email that those designations would be released soon and reiterated religious freedom is a priority to the Trump administration. The official did not comment on why the list was delayed.

There has not been much reaction to the missed deadline, Mark said, as few Americans, even those concerned about religious freedom, are aware of the new law aiming to get the Countries of Particular Concern list released faster.

“I suspect it’s also balanced by the fact that the administration has been doing good things (on the issue). There is some leeway and benefit of the doubt being given,” said Mark, who was appointed to the commission by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

But, the chairman added, “I think if we get to the end of 2017 and this hasn’t been done, I think people will be disappointed and frustrated and will begin to worry if there’s something problematic going on in the background.”