IRVING—Instead of hitting the beach or other vacation spots during spring break, volunteers from First Baptist Church in Irving hit the streets of south Irving on a mission for Jesus.

Through a variety of service projects, sports camps and casual conversations, team members built relationships and found ways to share Christ’s love throughout their community.

The group worked at the Baptist Benevolent Ministries of Irving, cleaned at the Salvation Army, served widows, played games with residents at a retirement home and painted houses for single mothers.

By partnering with City of Irving Code Enforcement and the nonprofit organization Keep Irving Beautiful, volunteers from First Baptist Church spruced up the city by picking up trash in the Trinity River bottom and local parks, as well as trimming trees.

“What has driven the vision for Mission South Irving is a desire to see the people in our neighborhood the same way we see people when we travel on mission trips elsewhere, as Christ sees them, and to look for opportunities to share the gospel in our everyday surroundings,” said Jason Hatch, college and men’s minister at First Baptist Church and coordinator of the weeklong missions endeavor.

“We wanted to look at how missional living could become a lifestyle and not just a one-week trip. We began to look at what it would look like to really share the gospel with south Irving, loving them, serving them and making sure that the city would know that First Baptist Irving is here to help meet their needs.

“I hope the community sees that First Baptist Irving loves them and wants to serve them—whether it’s cleaning up the parks, painting houses or helping the homeless. Not just that we talk about love, but that we really do love them and the reason behind our love is Jesus.”

Fifth-grader Maison Stanphill enjoyed helping with Mission South Irving service projects during spring break. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of First Baptist Church in Irving)

Volunteers representing various ages participated in projects. Students on spring break insisted they didn’t regret trading sleep for service.

“I’ve been on mission trips a lot but have never done anything like this one before— where I can witness to the guy at McDonald’s and share Jesus with him,” said Jonathan Hoogendoorn, a student from Dallas Baptist University.

“I’ve already taken away so much from this week about how to live a missional lifestyle. I’m excited to look for opportunities to reach out and share Christ with those around me. I hope that people will see Jesus clearly as he is, in his pureness and holiness, as a result of us reaching out and serving others.”

“I have never done anything like this before, but I can’t wait to do it again,” fifth-grader Maison Stanphill said. “I loved being able to help people, and I hope that these projects will help the people we met to love Jesus as well.”

Chris Baik trims trees, while Brad Ledbetter mows a yard during Mission South Irving. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of First Baptist Church in Irving)

Janelle Hartsfield and women’s minister Michelle Stanphill were among the volunteers serving the community by picking up trash in the Trinity River bottom and local parks. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of First Baptist Church in Irving)

Throughout the week, volunteers communicated the gospel message, and many saw God touch hearts and begin to change lives.

“When it gets down to it, it’s all about Jesus,” Jeff Phillips said. “I’ve had the opportunity to share the gospel six or seven times just in the last day and half. We’re really trying to discern, inquire and find out where their relationship with Jesus is.”

One of the team members, Janelle Hartsfield, used involvement in Mission South Irving to teach her 5-year-old daughter about the importance of serving others and living for Christ.

“This was my daughter’s first experience to do anything mission-minded, so I’ve been trying to teach her this week why we’re doing things like picking up trash out of a park,” Hartsfield said.

“I told her that we’re called to serve people and to love them, and this is a way we can serve others by cleaning up a park for them. … It’s not always pretty or it’s not necessarily fun, but it’s about looking outside of yourself and not being selfish or self-centered. It’s about looking outside the box at how you can help people around you. That’s so important for her to learn at an early age.”

Ella Hartsfield, age 5, helps clean up area parks as part of Mission South Irving. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of First Baptist Church in Irving)

During basketball camps at the church campus during each afternoon, children were taught how to improve their skills and also presented with the gospel message.

“The sports camps gave the kids a unique way of looking at God’s word and applying it to their life,” Brad Ledbetter said. “We were able to use the game of basketball and little things about sports to point the kids to truths in Scripture and life.

“By far, I think the coolest thing about the focus of this week is just trying to be purposeful with everything that we do. Whether it’s painting a house, leading a basketball camp for kids, or going out and sharing the gospel. We’re trying to be purposeful in what our goal is, and that’s hopefully going to translate over into the way we live our life—not only through our actions, but through our words as well and trying to be more purposeful with our words.

“That’s an area that a lot of Christians will shy away from. They’ll serve others, but they never want to open their mouth to share about Christ. We need to be intentional about sharing Christ with others and looking for opportunities to open our mouths about who we worship and who we follow. We need to give people a name, not just an action to follow.

“Our goal is that this won’t just be a week of focusing on missions and serving others, but that this will become a lifestyle for us. For me, it’s a challenge because I’m very protective of my schedule. I have my personal time and time for work, and I kind of break my life up into smaller parts. But if I can be willing to be obedient, allow the Lord to interrupt my schedule, take the time to love people and not always be in a rush to get where I’m going, I think the journey in life is what makes it all worth it anyway. I think this whole week is kind of pointing to that and the experiences that we so often take for granted that are opportunities to share the gospel every day.”

During sports camps offered as part of Mission South Irving, Brad Ledbetter used basketball to point children to truths in Scripture and life. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of First Baptist Church in Irving)

Several team members also had opportunities to minister to the homeless throughout the week.

The experience not only provided beneficial services and met needs throughout the community, but it also reminded the team about the importance of looking for opportunities to share their faith on a regular basis.

“I hope that the team realizes that it’s easy to share the gospel,” Missions Director Allison James said. “It’s made for sharing, and we should be doing it all the time. I hope that we all begin to do it more often as a result of this experience. I also hope that they realize that there are so many different ways to help in our city.”

As a result of this experience, team members were reminded of the tremendous need to view their schools, workplace and community as their mission field.

“Often, churches pay a lot of attention to going overseas or outside of the U.S. to do mission trips,” Tim Stamps said. “We know that this is our mission field every day, but to focus an entire week effort and hitting our Jerusalem is a neat experience. We’re excited to be able to do this and to remind ourselves that Irving is our mission field, not just Honduras or Mongolia.”

His wife, Elisa, added: “When we were walking around, we also used that time to pray for the neighborhood—that God would open up hearts and use this time to be a time of harvest, that people would be willing to listen, and if they didn’t receive Christ this week at least the door would be opened. That’s why it’s important to get out there and reach the community.”

While serving as a bilingual translator, college ministry associate Jonathan Galvan was presented with many opportunities to minister throughout the week.

“The whole point of the experience is for people to realize the importance of taking on a missional lifestyle and to realize that missions isn’t something you need to travel far away to do. It begins at home. Every day there are opportunities to share Christ with our neighbors, but most people live their lives completely oblivious to those around them.

“To truly make a difference and impact people for Christ, we need to be intentional and try to learn the waitress’ name at the restaurant, the bank teller that we always go to, and try to build relationships with our neighbors. If we do that, think of the difference they would see and how many people would be reached for Christ.”

Bill Pinson, executive director emeritus of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and a student and colleague of pioneering Baptist ethicist T.B. Maston, will speak at the lecture series named in Maston’s honor at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary in Abilene.

“T.B. Maston: An ethical life, an ethical teacher” is the theme of the April 11-12 event on the Hardin-Simmons campus.

Pinson will deliver the first lecture at 7 p.m., April 11, in the Logsdon Chapel and the second at 9:30 a.m., April 12, in Hardin-Simmons University’s Behrens Auditorium during the weekly university chapel service. Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Pinson served from 1983 to 2000 as executive director of the BGCT Executive Board, the longest tenure of anyone in that position.

Pinson, who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of North Texas and did graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, earned his doctorate in Christian ethics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary under Maston’s direction. He served as a professor of ethics at the seminary from 1963 to 1975. He later was pastor of First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls and president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

In conjunction with the Maston Lectures, an auxiliary workshop on “Ministerial Ethics: Formation and Application” will be offered at 1 p.m., April 11, in the Logsdon Chapel. Suzii Paynter, director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, and Phil Christopher, pastor of First Baptist Church in Abilene, will lead the workshop, sponsored by the Texas Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

When First Baptist Church of Waxahachie recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, former pastor Bill Austin, who served the church as pastor from 1961 to 1965, not only preached the anniversary sermon, but also made a special presentation at the end of the service.

During his first year in Waxahachie, the church celebrated its 100th anniversary, and Austin painted a picture of the church building, which he and his family kept in their home for five decades.

When he was asked to preach for the church’s 150th anniversary, Austin decided it was time to return the painting to its origins as a permanent home. So, the painting created for the centennial celebration was returned during the sesquicentennial festivities.

Austin has painted throughout his life, using the avocation to help pay his way through college and provide family and friends with personal paintings through the years. This past Christmas, he painted a picture for each of his children, grandchildren and 3-year-old great grandson.

A busy life of ministry, teaching and writing has limited his time at the easel, but now in retirement, he has become more seriously involved in turning out original canvases, some as gifts and some as commissioned pieces.

Before retirement, Austin served as the chaplain of Baylor University, taught at Hardin-Simmons University, and served as pastor of First Baptist churches in Waxahachie, Ver-non, Nacogdoches and Ponca City, Okla., as well as Univer-sity Baptist Church in Abilene and Calvary Baptist and Park Lake Drive Baptist churches in Waco.

He continues to preach as pulpit supply and interim pastor.

AUSTIN—Gathered on the steps of the capitol, representatives of Texas’ faith communities stood against what they called the “immoral” and “predatory” practices of payday lenders who enslave the state’s poor in a crippling cycle of debt.

Baptists, mainline Protestants and Catholics called on legislators to close a loophole allowing payday and auto-title lenders to operate as credit services organizations that charge up to 500 percent yearly interest, plus fees.

Leaders voiced support for legislation proposed by Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, that would allow payday and auto-title lenders to continue operating but under guidelines similar to other lenders.

Faith leaders reported a significant portion of the people churches seek to help in times of financial need often are struggling to pay off payday loans. A recent survey indicated about 20 percent of the people helped by Catholic Charities financial assistance also have payday loans.

“While we are providing $300 cash assistance to a family for food and utilities, that same family has payday loan debt of an average of $455,” said Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Catholic Diocese of Austin. “In effect, our assistance was helping a client pay for a need such as electricity or water, so that our client could continue to pay off a payday lender. Our charitable dollars are, in fact, funding the profits of payday lenders rather than helping the poor achieve self-sufficiency.”

Jeff Johnson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Del Rio, said many of the people his church helps through benevolence and micro-enterprise ministries also are dealing with the effects of payday loans.

A 23-year-old who supported the rest of her family on her own turned to First Baptist Church for financial help, he said. She took out a $500 payday loan, had paid $500, but still owed $500, plus fees. The church connected her with a financial mentor who helped her break out of “debtor’s prison.”

When mentally challenged people receive their Social Security checks near a Del Rio institution that helps them, some payday lenders are there attempting to persuade them to seek payday loans, Johnson said.

“As a pastor, I cannot understand how this is in the moral law of this state,” he said.

Charlie Singleton, director of Texas Baptists’ African American Ministries, said the way payday lenders prey on the vulnerable in society, including the poor, minorities, the elderly and the military, “is analogous and tantamount to financial slavery.” The loans these lenders offer take advantage of people in their time of need, trapping them in financial constraints many of them cannot escape, he asserted.

According to representatives at the gathering, a person can receive a $300 payday loan. Four weeks later, that person would need to pay $480 to pay off the loan. By 16 weeks, a person would need to pay $840 to retire the loan.

Frederick Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, said the current arrangement not only allows payday lenders to profit off creating a cycle of debt, but also digs families further and further into debt.

“We throw them a shovel when they already are stuck in a ditch,” he said.

The ethnically and geographically diverse gathering is the latest effort by Texas Christians through a coalition of Texas Impact, the Texas Catholic Conference and the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission to influence legislators on the payday lending issue.

Like many legislative issues the CLC deals with, payday lending emerged on the CLC’s radar when ministers began seeing how the lending practices were affecting their members and their communities.

Chad Chaddick, pastor of Northeast Baptist Church in San Antonio, said that’s how he came to understand the harm caused by current payday lending actions. A woman who took out a $700 payday loan came to the church seeking help. She already had paid $1,800 but still owed $700 and was struggling to get by.

“In many ways, I’m an accidental advocate,” he said. “A family came to us knocking on our door looking for us to bail them out.”

DALLAS—Missouri Baptists soon will help Texas Baptists feed the hungry across the state and around the world by supporting the same hunger projects.

Churchnet, a ministry of the Baptist General Convention of Missouri, will encourage affiliated congregations to support the same hunger projects Texas Baptists do through the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.

Engaging in the offering is part of Churchnet’s five-year emphasis called Share Hope, which encourages churches and their members to share their faith, minister in their communities and advocate on behalf of the poor, said Churchnet Executive Director Jim Hill.

“We want to help our churches make their members aware of hunger needs in their communities, our state and nation and around the world,” Hill said.

“We also want to help them understand the opportunities we have to address these needs as we partner with our Texas friends and Baptists from around the world through Baptist World Aid. We want to encourage Baptists to respond generously to the world hunger needs.”

The Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, which facilitates and promotes the offering, recently voted to allow the Missouri convention to participate in the hunger offering. Although individuals outside Texas have given to the hunger offering, Churchnet is the first group outside Texas to participate in it.

“Missouri Baptists have decided to support the projects of the hunger offering, and the Christian Life Commission is excited to have this new partner in combating hunger,” said Ferrell Foster, associate director of Texas Baptists’ Advocacy/Care Center and coordinator of the offering. “Texas Baptists already were supporting some Missouri projects. Now Missourians will be supporting Texas projects.”

Hill prays that by partnering with Texas Baptists, hungry people will be fed, individuals who have yet to embrace the gospel will begin a relationship with Christ, and God’s kingdom will expand.

“Our partnership with Texas Baptists has been a great encouragement to Missouri Baptists,” Hill said. “Because Churchnet is a small, new network of Baptists, it is sometimes difficult for us to provide quality resources for our churches. Our partnership with Texas Baptists in the promotion of our world hunger offering has allowed us to provide our churches more resources as they promote the need in their congregations. The partnership has allowed us to be a part of a significant effort to make a real difference as we minister to the hungry in our world.

“We are grateful for our Texas Baptist brothers and sisters as we serve Christ together.”

In its last meeting, the CLC also made one other change to the offering. Historically, offering funds have been divided 25 percent to Texas projects, 15 percent to projects elsewhere in the United States and 60 percent to international projects. In February, the CLC changed those percentages to 25 percent Texas projects and 75 percent projects outside the state, without distinction between national and international recipients.

“As churches look to their own Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the far reaches of the globe, they are making more and more direct international connections,” Foster said. “As a result, we are having more requests to fund international anti-poverty efforts of our churches. The CLC wants to honor those requests by supporting them as much as possible through the offering.”

For more information about the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger, visit www.texasbaptists.org/ worldhunger.

CALVERT—Bobby Samford believes the fire that destroyed his house resulted in his receiving a new home—now and for eternity.

Charles Cole, director of missions for FIRM Baptist Area, and Pastor John Sell of Trinity Baptist Church in Calvert install the steps to a new home volunteers built.

“Really and truly, I’d have to say the house burning was the best thing that ever happened to us,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense, but God moves in strange ways.”

His marriage was in danger of failing, and he was abusing alcohol prior to the fire that claimed his house a little more than three years ago, Samford said.

Samford and his wife, Nellie, were on a list of 10 people for whom Sybil Smitherman—an “evangelism warrior” as her pastor Ralph Powers described her—regularly prayed would come to faith in Christ.

Smitherman invited the Samfords for dinner one night after the fire, and she invited her pastor to the same meal. Tony Moye, then pastor of First Baptist in Calvert, presented the plan of salvation, and the Samfords accepted readily.

Volunteers William Luster (left) and Cory Chopp from Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Franklin move lumber at a building site.

“Since my house has burned, my life has done a 180-degree turn,” Samford acknowledged. “I can’t put it into words, but what the Lord has done for me is just wonderful.”

After the Samfords made professions of faith in Christ, they became involved at First Baptist Church in Calvert, where Powers now is pastor.

“He’s a tough guy, but he and his wife have such a sweet spirit. All they want to do is talk about Jesus. And guess who’s bringing the most people to church?” Powers said.

Smitherman provided the Samfords a $10,000 loan to help rebuild their home—a loan she forgave before her death. However, that amount was not enough to begin the project. So, the family has been living in a small trailer since the fire.

Reagan Reeves, associate director of missions for FIRM Baptist Area, holds decking in place while Pastor John Sell of Trinity Baptist Church in Calvert nails it to the frame of a new home built by volunteers.

Members at First Baptist Church discussed the possibility of trying to help the family, but at an estimated cost of $80,000 to repair the house, the project never got off the ground.

When the Samfords joined the FIRM Baptist Area’s mission trip last year to minister to Mescalero Indians in New Mexico, people in other local churches learned their story.

Bob Meeker from First Baptist Church in Thorndale got the ball rolling when the group returned to Texas, Powers recalled.

“Bob Meeker started spreading the need all over the association, and we had a project, but we still didn’t have any money,” Powers reported.

Building a new house proved to be considerably less expensive that repairing the 120-year-old home that burned, and materials for a new home were estimated to cost $30,000. An anonymous donor offered $20,000 at simple interest so the Samfords could repay the loan in about four years.

The project has blessed far more people than the Samfords, however, Powers said.

Members of First Baptist Church in Calvert provide a meal for volunteer builders from throughout the area.

“The beautiful thing is how it has impacted our community. We’ve had lots of people come by this project. We’ve had people hand us money. We’ve had people come by to be a part of the building,” he said.

FIRM Area Director of Missions Charles Cole noted one man stopped to ask about the type of siding used. When told, he responded that another type of siding was better quality and more attractive. Cole agreed, but the budget wouldn’t handle the expense of the better siding.

“He said, ‘If you’ll use it, I’ll pay for half,’” Cole related. “He’s not a member of any of our churches, but it gave him a chance to be part of something in his community.”

The project also has benefited churches in the four associations that comprise FIRM Baptist Area, Cole said.

“So many of our churches talk about missions, give to missions, but they don’t do missions, or if they do, they go far off. Here, we see what the local church can do in its own community,” he said.

Powers agreed.

“The short and sweet of this is that Bobby and Nellie could never have done this on their own, and not one church could do it. But all the churches in combination with each other—the 84 churches of FIRM Baptist Area—were able to do this,” Powers said.

“They were able to provide the labor and skills … to do this at no charge, but just out of love and fellowship. It’s a blessing for that to happen.”

Haag new Baylor development VP. Baylor University President Ken Starr has appointed Jerry Haag vice president for university development, effective April 18. Haag has served since 2007 as president of Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, where he helped lead efforts that expanded the number of ministry sites from nine to 17 locations, launched an international child-care ministry and established numerous partnerships with churches and nonprofit organizations. From 2000 to 2007, Haag served as president of South Texas Children’s Home in Beeville. He also has taught at the university level and served on a church staff. Haag earned both an undergraduate degree and a master of business administration degree from Baylor, and he earned a doctorate in finance and real estate from the University of Texas at Arlington. He and his wife, Christi, have two sons, Ben and Brady. They are members of First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Fla.

Miracle Farm names new executive director. Alex Hamilton has been named executive director of Miracle Farm, a residential boys’ ranch ministry near Brenham. He succeeds Jack Meeker, who retired Jan. 1 after more than 13 years as Miracle Farm’s executive director. Hamilton previously served as campus- life supervisor at Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock. Both the children’s home and Miracle Farm are part of Children At Heart Ministries. Hamilton has 14 years experience working with at-risk youth and their families and has supervised the residential campus-life program at the Round Rock children’s home since 2009. He is a licensed child care administrator, a licensed child placing agency administrator and a licensed professional counselor. A Dallas native who grew up in Round Rock, he graduated from Howard Payne University and earned a master of arts in family psychology degree from Hardin-Simmons University. He and his wife, Cyndi, have two children—Lexie, 9, and Eli, 8.

Baylor offers Bible exhibit & conference. Baylor University will mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible with an exhibit of rare Bibles and manuscripts, as well as a conference featuring internationally recognized scholars. More than 100 items—including a Dead Sea Scroll and an illustrated Gutenberg Bible—will be exhibited in the Hankamer Treasure Room at Baylor’s Armstrong Browning Library. Hours for the free exhibit are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 7-8, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9. Baylor’s Institute for the Studies of Religion will sponsor the conference, “The King James Bible and the World It Made, 1611-2011,” April 7-9 at Truett Theological Seminary. Speakers include Mark Noll from the University of Notre Dame, David Bebbington from the University of Stirling in Scotland and Robert Alter from the University of California at Berkeley. Cost is $175 for general registration and $75 for students. Deadline for registration is March 31. For more information on the conference, call (254) 710-7555, e-mail KJV400@baylor.edu or visit www.isreligion.org/events/400-years-of-the-king-james-bible/.

• Robbie Boyd has resigned as minister of education and spiritual formation at First Church in Snyder. He is available as interim pastor or education minister at (325) 574-0286.

• Kelsey Coleman has resigned as pastor of First Church in Midway.

• Amy Cornish to Cross Pointe Church in Texarkana as children’s minister.

• Jack Faulkner to Greenvine Church in Burton as pastor.

• Robb Havens to Church at Sheppard in Wichita Falls as campus pastor.

• Ben Prater to Church at Sheppard in Wichita Falls as praise & worship leader.

• Jennifer Stuhan to Church at Sheppard in Wichita Falls as director of preschool and children’s ministry.

• Danny Quintanilla has resigned a strategist working in the Houston area with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He is available for supply or interim work and can be reached at broq51@gmail.com.

• Men from churches in the Abilene area will share their faith in prisons in Abilene, Colorado City, Haskell and Snyder April 14-16 as part of a Weekend of Champions event. David Cason, pastor of Broadview Church in Abilene, is chairman of the effort.

• Steve Wyrick, professor of Christian studies, will discuss “The Archaeology of Egypt” at an April 14 noon ministers’ forum at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

• Deborah McCollister, professor of English at Dallas Baptist University, is teaching world literature and writing classes at LCC International University in Lithuania this school year as a Fulbright scholar. She has taught at DBU 10 years.

• Krista Piferrer has been promoted to executive vice president of external affairs of Baptist Child & Family Services. She will oversee government relations, media communications, public relations and donor development. She has been vice president of communications since 2008.

Anniversaries

• Liberty Church in Bridge City, 20th, April 9-10. Saturday will be a family fun day with games, hot dogs and special music at 4 p.m. Rusty Walton will preach Sunday morning, and a meal will follow the service. William Collier is pastor.

Retiring

• Don Howren as minister of music at First Church in Texarkana after 30 years of ministry there.

Deaths

• Emmett Johnson, 82, Jan. 31 in Birmingham, Ala. He was the first administrator of High Plains Baptist Hospital in Amarillo, where he served 12 years. He retired from Baptist Health System in Alabama in 1994 after 19 years as chief executive officer. He was preceded in death by his twin brother, Rufus. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Anna Belle; daughter, Gay Lynn Johnson; son, Galen; brother, Johnny; and one granddaughter.

• Dot Dietrich, 82, Feb. 28 in Tulsa, Okla. She and her husband, Vernon, served more than 30 years as missionaries to Thailand with the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. Prior to their move to Oklahoma six years ago, they lived in Spring. She is survived by her husband of 59 years; daughters, Pat King, Debbi Faith and Melinda King; son, David; brother, A.C. Rolen; sister, Betty Eli; and four grandchildren.

ARLINGTON—Family and friends of Pastor Clint Dobson choose not to dwell on the circumstances of his death. Instead, they celebrate a life well-lived and remember a man whose actions demonstrated an unswerving love for God and people.

Dobson, 29, was killed, and robbers at NorthPointe Baptist Church beat his 67-year-old ministry assistant, Judy Elliott, March 3. Her condition has not been released at her family’s request.

Robert Creech, Dobson’s pastor at University Baptist Church in Clear Lake from the time he was 4 years old until he left for Baylor University, remembered Dobson as a little red-haired boy “who looked like he stepped right out of a 1960’s sitcom. He was just a good young kid.”

“It was sad,” Creech said, “that his life only became newsworthy when he was murdered, because his whole life really was newsworthy.”

Jeff Waldo, minister of missions at University Baptist Church, recalled Dobson’s return to the Houston area to work as a missions intern for the church engaged in apartment ministry. He remembered how he saw Dobson mature spiritually.

“It was a time to see a little red-headed boy was growing into a handsome young man with ministry skills to relate to a variety of people—young, old, rich, poor, those who were well and those who were sick,” Waldo said.

A summer internship living among the poor produced a great burden for the poor in his heart, he said.

“He was embodying incarnational ministry and gaining his own voice, as well as insights that could not be gained from books or classes,” Waldo said.

“Clint Dobson’s life was lived well. Whatever he did, he gave his all and his best. He exemplified the best with his example. His brilliance was always cloaked in his friendliness, and what time he lived, he got it right. He loved people, he loved God and was able to communicate God’s love with clarity.

“Clint had a big heart, but the truth is, he had the ability to get into the hearts of others—getting into our hearts, into my heart.”

Daniel Goodman, a friend since they both were in elementary school, said Dobson was full of life and fun. The two talked almost daily on the telephone, he noted.

“To Clint’s friends, he was thoughtful, curious, caring and intelligent. Clint was without a doubt the most fun-loving person that I knew, and hanging out with him was even more fun than talking with him on the phone,” Goodman said.

“It didn’t matter what you were doing with Clint. He could get very into it, and it was fun, as a result.

Dobson’s roommate at Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, Brady Herbert, knew a man devoted to God and ministry.

“He had an unmatched heart and mind for God,” Herbert said. “He had that rare combination of a love for truth and a love for people.

“Clint had a sharp, sharp mind. He naturally had a mind for comprehension and could navigate serious and deep theological concepts seemingly with ease. When he came across the tough questions our world offers us, he had the courage and integrity to say, ‘I don’t know.’

“Quite simply, Clint was someone who loved God with all his mind. But he didn’t leave it there. He’d not allow his love for Scripture to stay in his mind—it sunk deep into his heart and out into his hands and into his feet. He had a heart that was even bigger than his impressive mind.

“He made thousands upon thousands of sacrifices for those around him because of the love that compelled him through Jesus Christ.”

At a memorial service for Dobson, Herbert and every other speaker spoke of Dobson’s love for people in general and of his devotion to wife, Laura, in particular.

“But Clint had one passion that stood above the rest of all those things he loved and that was Jesus Christ,” he said. “Clint’s live was lived to love Jesus and make him known to all he came into contact with.”

A video of Dobson's "celebration of life" service can be viewed here.

DALLAS – In 2011, Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas hopes Texas Baptists will discover the 411 on missions.

The Texas WMU board of directors set a $4.11 million goal for the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions. The annual offering supports mission work throughout the state, including church-starting efforts, community projects, resources for ethnic churches, Texas WMU and mission efforts along the Texas-Mexico border.

The 2011 offering, which will be distributed in 2012, will support several new outreach efforts. The funds will help start congregations among day laborers that gather each morning looking for employment. The offering also will help the Baptist University of the Americas Christian Institute on Islamic Studies, a unique academic offering that trains students to share the gospel with Muslims.

Offering funds also will help students participate in mission projects during Texas Baptists’ Youth Evangelism Conference. Another new ministry is Texas Baptists’ No Mas Violencia conferences along the border, which empower churches with ways to respond to the drug cartel violence happening in Mexico border cities.

“Our ultimate goal is that people will come to Jesus Christ,” said Sandra Wisdom-Martin, executive director-treasurer of Texas WMU. “There are few avenues that cut as deep and wide as the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, which touches the lives of thousands of Texans each year from day laborers to ethnic congregations to hurting people along the border.”

While churches and individuals can give to the offering throughout the year, many churches give during the Week of Prayer for Texas Missions, scheduled for Sept. 11-18 this year. Many congregations use the offering to teach members more about mission work and opportunities throughout Texas, including how to pray for that mission work, how to support it financially and how to get involved.

Wisdom-Martin hopes churches use the 4.11 figure in setting their goals. It could be a way to involve the entire churches, with children bringing 411 pennies, nickels dimes, quarters or dollars. Congregations can try to raise figures based on 411, she suggested.

Wisdom-Martin understands these are tough economic times for many families and congregations, and it’s easy for people and churches to focus on their issues. The offering provides a chance for people and churches to take a financial step of faith that will affect Texans statewide spiritually.

“I am grateful for the faithfulness of Texas Baptists,” she said. “We know that individuals and church are struggling financially. We know it would be easier to keep money in your own houses and churches. But this is an opportunity to impact many lives beyond your home church.”

HOUSTON—Thirty-six students from Sugar Land’s Fort Bend Baptist Academy spent their annual March service week landscaping the grounds at Gracewood’s Wanda Lane campus.

Students had the option of serving in places such as New Orleans, Boston, Alaska, Belize and Costa Rica, where they could feed the homeless, evangelize, work with Alzheimer’s patients and engage in many other service projects.

But 87 students chose to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Houston, ministering to people in need right in their backyard. Nearly half of them worked at Gracewood, a residential facility for single-parent families. Gracewood is part of Children at Heart Ministries, affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

“There’s no need to pay two grand to go help people in another country when there are people right here in Houston that need our help,” said Fort Bend senior Zeus Deleon.

In their second year of service with Gracewood, the group replaced gravel on the driveway with 80 tons of crushed concrete, planted bamboo around cottages to create a privacy screen, dug a trench to contain the bamboo, shaved a hill on the property to make mowing easier, replaced timbers lining the walking paths, gave the flower beds a facelift and painted a shed.

“This group does not mess around,” said Chris Hudson, Gracewood’s operations manager. “They work rain or shine and get the job done.”

The Fort Bend Eagles know the week before Spring Break as “Eagle Week,” time away from the classroom solely dedicated to mission trips and service projects. Their entire 340-member student body sets out to help others both locally and internationally each year.

“These kids really do have a great heart for ministry,” said Roger Wright, freshman Bible teacher and administrator of Eagle Week. “They serve willingly and with a joyful heart, and the school encourages an attitude of giving back.”

While the academy requires a minimum service requirement of 20 hours a year for students, Eagle Week and the group’s project at Gracewood easily exceeded the required amount. In fact, students not only spent their time in physical labor at Gracewood, but also donated $500 to Gracewood.