Baptist Briefs: Alliance applauds Cuba policy change

Alliance urges end to Cuba travel ban. The Alliance of Baptists applauded President Obama for loosening restrictions on American’s travel to Cuba and called for more reform during the group’s recent convocation in Charlotte, N.C. The Alliance welcomed the president’s April 13 order relaxing restrictions on the ability of Cuban Americans with family members in Cuba to travel to the communist nation and send money to relatives. The group urged Obama to ease travel restrictions further and continue a thorough review of U.S. policy toward Cuba, including a nearly half-century-old trade embargo. Since 1991, the Alliance has had a formal relationship with the Fraternidad de Iglesias Bautistas de Cuba. Some Alliance churches have partnerships with congregations in Cuba, and members of those churches have traveled there in mission teams. The government fined the Alliance of Baptists $34,000 in 2006, alleging five church mission teams traveling to Cuba under the Alliance’s travel license violated the trade embargo by engaging in tourist activities. Later officials dropped the fine, saying none of the five churches did anything wrong, but warned of “criminal and/or civil penalties” for any future violation of the Cuba embargo.

State CBF groups invest in microfinance initiative. A friendly challenge initiated by one state Cooperative Baptist Fellowship organization to another may end up putting millions to work in developing nations, giving them a chance to earn more than a subsistence wage. It began when CBF of Texas decided to invest $10,000—10 percent of its reserve—in the CBF Foundation’s new microfinance initiative. Texas challenged CBF of Florida to add 10 percent of its reserve or endowment funds into the project, which provides small short-term loans to entrepreneurs in Third World countries. Then the challenge spread to all of CBF’s states and regions, who enthusiastically endorsed the idea. Now, more than $1 million is committed to microfinance, CBF Foundation President Don Durham said.

Gregory inducted into MLK College of Preachers. Morehouse College President Robert Franklin recently inducted Joel Gregory, professor at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, into the Martin Luther King Jr. International College of Preachers. The College of Preachers recognizes pulpiteers who embody the principles of peace, justice and reconciliation proclaimed by Martin Luther King Jr. Recently, Gregory was the first Anglo preacher to address the Prairie View A&M Pastor’s Conference in the 59-year history of the conference at the historic African-American university.

Utah Missions founder dead at 89. Baptist minister John L. Smith, who founded Utah Missions in 1953, died April 5 in Marlow, Okla. He was 89. While he served as a pastor in Utah, he began an intensive study of Mormonism, and he wrote several books about how Latter-day Saints doctrine deviates from orthodox Christianity. At age 80, after he lost control of Utah Missions, he founded a namesake organization—the Ministry of John L. Smith —to carry on his work refuting Mormonism. He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Winona Izez Muncrief, in 1991. Survivors include his second wife, Pearl Myree Gayle and son John L. Smith Jr., both of Marlow; daughters Winona Junelle Smith of East Asia and Bonita Barfield of Tucson, Ariz.; stepdaughter, Gail Myree Norman of Walters, Okla.; nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.