Pastor and South Texas community leader Dorso Maciel and denominational leader Dick Maples were named recipients of Texas Baptists’ 2023 Legacy Awards.

The awards will be presented June 4 at the historic Independence Baptist Church near Brenham in recognition of Maciel’s and Maples’ lifelong commitment to Christian service.

Dorso Maciel felt God’s call to pastoral ministry when he was a teenager. He was a student at Baylor University when he took his first pastorate in 1959 at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Marlin, where he met his wife Stella. The couple will celebrate their 63rd anniversary on June 15.

Maciel has served more than three decades as pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Laredo.

He also was pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Goliad, Primera Iglesia Bautista in Mathis, Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in McAllen and New Life Baptist Church in Beeville.

Maciel has served on the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board and in various capacities with Blanco Baptist Association and Rio Grande Valley Baptist Associations, as well as South Texas Children’s Home Ministries.

He has held various civic leadership roles including school boards and other civic boards. He has served with the Salvation Army, the Laredo HIV/AIDS Services Consortia and the Webb County Emergency Food and Shelter board.

Maciel has been honored by the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, STCH Ministries and Baylor University.

James Richard (Dick) Maples was born in Goodnight and has served Christ faithfully in multiple roles, both in the local church and in denominational life.

He was pastor of First Baptist Church in Texas City, First Baptist Church in El Paso and First Baptist Church in Bryan, along with First Baptist Church of Waynesville, N.C. He was named pastor emeritus of First Baptist in El Paso.

Maples served in BGCT Executive Board staff roles including coordinator of minister/church relations and associate executive director.

After retirement from the state convention, Maples served was interim pastor for several churches and was special assistant to the president and adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University.

He served terms as president and first vice president of the BGCT, and he was a member of the BGCT Executive Board, the Administrative Committee and the Christian Life Commission.

Maples also was a trustee of Hardin-Simmons University, East Texas Baptist University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

He earned an undergraduate degree from Mississippi College, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He received honorary degrees from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dallas Baptist University and Baylor University.

Maples and his wife Mary Jo currently live in Guntersville, Ala., where they collaborate in teaching a Bible study class at First Baptist Church. They have two children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The Texas Baptists Legacy Awards will be presented during the Sunday morning worship service at Independence Baptist Church, with lunch to follow. To make a lunch reservation, contact Becky Brown at becky.brown@txb.org or (214) 828-5301.

The Texas House of Representatives unanimously voted May 9 to expel Rep. Bryan Slaton, a former Southern Baptist minister, for alleged inappropriate sexual conduct with a 19-year-old female aide.

Slaton, R-Royse City, is the first member of the House of Representatives to be removed from office by his colleagues since 1927.

On Saturday, the House General Investigative Committee released its report into allegations against Slaton and recommended his expulsion.

Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, chair of the investigative committee, said Slaton provided an under-age aide alcohol and engaged in inappropriate sexual contact. Subsequently, Slaton tried to influence the testimony of the aide and other witnesses, Murr said.

Prior to the House vote, Slaton had submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Greg Abbott and Steven Brown, chief clerk of the House, on May 8.

“It has been an honor to represent my friends, neighbors and the great people and communities of House District 2. They voted overwhelmingly to send me to the Capitol as their representative in two elections, and I worked daily to meet their expectations. My decision today is to ensure that their expectations will continue to be met by a new representative who will also work hard on their behalf,” Slaton wrote in the letter of resignation.

“I look forward to spending more time with my young family, and will continue to find ways to serve my community and all citizens across our great state.”

However, the House proceeded to expel Slaton, voting 147-0 in favor of HJR 1542.

“Though Representative Slaton has submitted his resignation from office, under Texas law he is considered to be an officer of this state until a successor is elected and takes the oath of office to represent Texas House District 2,” Murr said in a prepared statement released on social media.

Expelling Slaton was necessary to protect “the dignity and integrity” of the Texas Legislature, Murr said.

According to a complaint filed last month, Slaton and the 19-year-old aide were in his Austin apartment April 1 when he gave her alcohol and subsequently had sex with her after she was intoxicated.

No one answered the telephone in Slaton’s Austin office on May 9. The Baptist Standard left a message requesting comment but did not receive a response.

According to Slaton’s website, he served 13 years as a youth minister and family minister. He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in youth ministry and speech communication, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.

Slaton campaigned as a proponent of “family values” who pledged to “protect the institution of marriage.” On his website, he describes himself as “a bold and brave Christian-Conservative.”

In the Texas House, he supported efforts to make abortion a capital offense, called for a statewide ban on drag shows and opposed expanding the rights of LGBTQ citizens.

As part of its mission as a Christ-centered institution, East Texas Baptist University prioritizes community engagement in the education and development of students.

Whether through serving at a food pantry, cleaning up after tornadoes or partnering with local elementary schools, ETBU provides their students real-life service experience and integration into the local community.

ETBU partners with the Marshall Independent School District in several ways, including through the university’s learning and leading classes, honors courses and athletic teams.

Every student takes a learning and leading class their first semester. This class involves learning how to be a Christ-centered leader in one’s community.

As coordinator of these classes, Vanessa Johnston works in the office of academic success and explains she helps “plan out the curriculum, provide training for the instructors, and coordinate all of the correspondence with Marshall ISD.”

ETBU learning and leading students perform weekly service within the elementary schools. Service is “one hour a week, doing anything that the schools need them to do” Johnston said.

Tasks could include “helping the teachers with small groups, helping in PE, making copies, or anything that would be beneficial for that school at the time of the service,” she added.

Every fall, ETBU learning and leading classes and honors students staff a fall festival for several local elementary schools. This provides children with a day of festive fun to celebrate and enjoy time with one another and the college students.

Principal Tamieka Johnson at William B. Travis Elementary in Marshall described ETBU’s involvement in the local school system as “instrumental” and the college students as “unsung heroes.”

Johnson, who has spent 18 years working in education—first as a classroom teacher in Marshall and the last six as principal—said the college students are vital to the functioning of the local schools.

With more than 50 regular volunteers who do anything from “opening doors for the students” to “helping with dismissal processes,” Travis Elementary relies on their partnership with ETBU, she said.

Sara Braun, vice president for communication and strategic initiatives at ETBU, noted the benefits involvement in community service through the elementary schools provides college students.

“It’s awesome to see how working with these [elementary] kids impacts our students,” both throughout their weekly service as well as during the fall festivals, she said.

Whether ETBU students are reading to the schoolchildren, leading them in groups, helping the teacher, or participating in the festivals, they are served in return, she asserted.

ETBU students see they can ‘make a difference’

Johnston explained the college students “are able to see that they can make a difference in their community.” She added ETBU hopes after students graduate, “they can remember what an impact they had and want to continue serving.”

After all, the kind of service students learn at ETBU is “what we’re called to do as Christians,” Johnston said.

In addition to the learning and leading classes, ETBU sports teams also invest their time and efforts into serving the elementary schools. Ryan Erwin, director of athletics and vice president of student engagement, explained the athletic teams have been active in serving their local school district.

Reflecting on the fall 2022 semester, he said “the hockey team went to Sam Houston, to their Boys and Girls after school program, and taught hockey to the students.”

Additionally, both the men’s and women’s soccer teams and the volleyball team participated in Read Across America.

 “They got to read books during Read Across America week. It was really good,” Erwin said. “We hit every classroom, so it was really cool.”

Addison Funk, junior captain of the soccer team, said the experience was “great for the team” and helped her envision her future as a teacher.

Volunteering in any capacity, but especially in the elementary schools, is a great opportunity for college students who “have a desire to get into education” Johnson noted.

“It is so fulfilling for them” she said. And it ultimately serves ETBU’s higher goal of integrating education and Christian service.

Rose Comstive, a student at East Texas Baptist University, served this semester as an intern with the Baptist Standard.

For decades, the Emmanuels—a four-part vocal ensemble whose members share roots in Primera Iglesia Bautista de Corpus Christi—have led in worship and shared the gospel.

Its members have changed through the years, but Aaron Diaz has been with the group in one role or another through most of its history.

He recalled hearing the original quartet—Sammy Fuentes, Juan Reyes, Angel Garza and Luiz Zamora, accompanied by music director and pianist Orfalinda Castro—when he was 12 years old.

As a young teenager, Diaz played bass guitar for the Emmanuels until he left Corpus Christi to serve in the U.S. Army in 1969.

Fuentes was a schoolteacher who later became a vocational music evangelist. Reyes worked as a mail carrier. Garza was a welder, and Zamora drove a truck for a regional grocery store chain.

“Luis was the mechanic. He taught us how to change the tires on the bus and recharge the battery,” Diaz recalled.

When he completed his military service and returned to Corpus Christi, Diaz began singing with the group.

“Early on, we traveled through Mexico and South Texas,” Diaz said. “We had some great evangelistic services in Mexico, singing in bull rings and in open plazas. We’d park the bus, and the people would start coming out to hear us.”

During the bicentennial celebration in 1976, the Emmanuels sang at several locations on the East Coast, including Washington, D.C.

“I remember, because we blew a head gasket  in Washington, and I had become one of the drivers by that time,” Diaz recalled.

The group had to bring in a mechanic to help them get back on the road, and members scattered all over the city to locate the necessary parts to repair the bus.

“We had to be back home within two weeks, because we were all on vacation and had to get back to work,” said Diaz, a clinical social worker who now works for Nueces County as deputy director for mental health services.

When Rudy Sanchez was pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista, Diaz recalled the group approaching him to ask if his teenaged daughter Rhoda could become their accompanist after they lost their pianist.

“He agreed if we would promise to sing at the church whenever he requested,” he said.

‘We all enjoy ministering in song’

Rhoda Sanchez Gonzales still serves as pianist for the Emmanuels. Her husband Vince, pastor of North Dallas Family Church in Carrollton, plays bass guitar for the group.

Other current members of the Emmanuels are Gus Reyes, director of Hispanic partnerships at Dallas Baptist University and nephew of an original member of the group; Norman Vella, an educator in Corpus Christi; and Luis Zamora Jr. of Round Rock, the son of an original member of the group.

Reyes first joined the group for a couple of years when he was a college student.

“My Spanish wasn’t very good, but I knew enough Spanish to be able to sing, even when I couldn’t preach in Spanish,” he recalled.

When the Emmanuels traveled to Dallas to sing at First Mexican Baptist Church, Reyes met his future wife Leticia, then a student at Dallas Baptist University, at a Saturday night revival meeting.

“So, having the ability to sing with the Emmanuels has blessed my life in many ways,” Reyes said.

The Emmanuels sang recently at a Hispanic men’s retreat in Floydada, sponsored by Caprock Plains Baptist Association. Memorial Day weekend, they will sing in San Antonio. They also already are booked at McAllen in July and Austin in August.

In addition to singing and preaching, members of the group also lead workshops on a variety of topics when requested.

“Most of us have some flexibility in our work schedules,” Diaz said. “We’re open to what the Lord has for us.

“At every service where we sing, God is in control. We all enjoy ministering in song.”

After 28 years at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Senior Pastor John Mark Caton confessed he longed for some word or phrase to “fix it”—to make right what had gone so terribly wrong in his city.

More than 2,000 community residents and guests gathered at Cottonwood Creek Church—about 25 miles north of Dallas—on Sunday to mourn, pray and comfort one another.

They grieved together in the wake of a mass shooting at a nearby mall the day before—the second most-deadly shooting in the country this year.

Saturday afternoon, a gunman opened fire outside the Allen Premium Outlets with an assault rifle, killing eight people and wounding seven others before he was shot fatally by police.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the slain shooter as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. Motive remained unknown, but some media outlets reported law enforcement was investigating suspected sympathies toward white supremacists and far-right-wing extremists.

‘We are here for you’

Reading from Isaiah 61, Caton spoke of the need to “bind up the brokenhearted,” to “comfort those who mourn” and bring “good news” when the news is unbearably tragic.

“We are here for you,” he said, noting ministers and licensed professional counselors were available at the community prayer gathering for any who needed them.

Without seeking to prescribe specific answers, Caton recognized educators, first responders, public officials, faith leaders and mental health professionals in attendance.

“You are part of the solution,” he said.

Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen Angela Paxton, attended the prayer service, along with other state and local officials.

‘Jesus, take the wheel’

Only two of about 30 public officials—Mayor Ken Fulk and Mayor-elect Baine Brooks—spoke publicly from the platform at the service.

Fulk told those in attendance the city is making available free counseling—24 hours a day, seven days a week—to any who desire it.

An emotional Brooks put aside his prepared remarks, saying he wanted to speak from the heart.

“We’re going to need prayer. … Jesus, take the wheel,” he said.

Speakers at the service focused on prayer for specific groups—shooting victims and their families, first responders, and the community and its leaders—and offering comfort to those who were grieving, rather than talking about public policy.

“It’s OK to cry out to God,” said Kelly Kitsch, children’s minister at Cottonwood Creek Church. “I don’t try to prescribe solutions to our Almighty God, because his ways are so much higher than our own.”

Executive Pastor Scott Sanford prayed for “a peace that transcends all understanding.”

“We ask to be comforted by your arms of love,” Sanford said. “And we ask for healing for the brokenhearted.”

Some propose solutions

Away from the church service, some elected officials and faith leaders were less muted in their thoughts about the mass shooting.

Interviewed on Fox News Sunday, Abbott mentioned efforts to increase penalties for criminals who possess guns, but he emphasized the need to focus on mental health rather than gun control.

“People want a quick solution. The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue,” Abbott said.

Dwight McKissic, senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, about 50 miles southwest of Cottonwood Creek Church, tweeted: “There should be laws against permitting a gun able to do this kind of damage to be purchased by citizens. … To watch this kind of carnage now on a regular basis, year after year, I’ve reached the conclusion it’s immoral to permit citizens to own & possess such weapons.”

McKissic asserted a consistent pro-life position cuts across political party lines, opposing easy access to abortion and to assault weapons. He called on politicians “from both sides of the aisle” to enact laws and adopt policies that protect life.

“These senseless, tragic murders in the womb & in the malls, schools, churches, [and] public places must cease,” he tweeted.

In a challenge to Christians, he tweeted: “The gun lobby can’t have a stronger voice on these issues than the church.”

IRVING—Members of Oak View Baptist Church in Irving have stepped up to the plate with opportunities to meet needs in their community and connect students to the life-changing love of Christ.

By developing a sports outreach program designed to encourage student athletes to press on towards the goal, the church began sponsoring the varsity football team from Nimitz High School.

However, it wasn’t long before the church was given another opportunity—to sponsor the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

As word has continued to spread about the positive impact this program is making on the teams, Oak View now is sponsoring the softball and baseball teams. Oak View’s student minister Jack Teel sees this as only the beginning.

Professing faith and assuming leadership

Over the past year, several of the student athletes have started attending Oak View and have made professions of faith.

“Five students were baptized last year as a result of this outreach,” Teel said. “It’s been exciting to see these students grow and become leaders in the student ministry.

“It’s a big deal for our church to be a part of an outreach like this. I think this outreach has made our church more diverse, and that’s encouraging to show that church isn’t just for a certain type of kid, it’s for all kinds of kids.”

Teel has seen some of the older athletes become role models and encouragers to younger student athletes.

“Some of the benefits you get from sports teams is that the students are used to being in team type situations. So, they bring that element to the ministry where teamwork really is evident. It’s been great to watch the athletes jumping in and encouraging younger kids and getting to know them,” he said.

Change lives through small acts

The sports outreach program provides opportunities for church members of all ages to be actively involved in various ways, including putting together weekly care packages for the team, writing encouraging notes and attending home games.

“So many students are headed down the wrong path, and something as small as a gift bag with a small note saying we are praying for you can change their whole life,” said Wes Cravey, who coordinates the baseball and softball outreaches.

“A lot of sponsors now go to the games so they can see their player out on the field. This part means a lot to the players because many of them do not ever have a parent show up to their games. I want to be able to show these students that they are not alone in this crazy world.

“We are showing them that even though we have never met them, that we love them. By doing this, students can start talking to each other about the love of Christ, and it can spread like wildfire. Some of these players now attend Oak View, and our sponsors are able to talk to them on a weekly basis.”

With doors opening to reach students and their families, church leaders recognize the opportunity the sports outreach provides to influence the city for Christ.

 In addition to the sports outreach, the church has been given the opportunity to host Nimitz’s choir concerts for the past three years, and Teel is looking into additional ways to partner with other groups.

“I think the ultimate goal of this outreach is to reach the whole school,” Teel said. “There are kids who are overlooked, and it’s easy to reach out to the athletes, because they kind of put themselves out there, but I’d like to find a way to reach the kids who aren’t as easy to see. We are looking into ways to do that and connect with them.

 “Jesus died for all of them. So, I think we really are putting our focus on finding ways to connect with each student. We’ve partnered with First Irving, Christ Church and some other churches. Now that other churches know it’s possible to get into the schools, it makes it easier to go citywide.”

EL PASO—Given El Paso’s status as a vital intersection, Bobby Contreras encouraged attendees at the Future Church 2030 Conference to recognize not just the importance of the cultural moment, but the region’s important place in that moment.

Because El Paso is a crossroads—where cultures meet and mingle, even if they’re just passing through—area pastors and ministry leaders must consider their position in a rapidly changing context, Contreras said.

“Friends, El Paso is significant to the future of the church,” said Contreras, an El Paso native who now is pastor of Alamo Heights Baptist Church in San Antonio. “What God is doing here will go east and west, north and south. It’s significant for the future.”

The conference, held April 28-29 at Del Sol Church, was designed to help ministry leaders see what is coming next and learn how they can prepare and position their ministries to share the gospel and make disciples.

Whether the future of the church is “tomorrow, next week, a year from now, seven years from now, or 10 years,” the critical need is paramount, Contreras said.

“If we don’t get [the lost] in front of Jesus, it’s not even worth talking about,” he said.

Consider ‘feedback from the future’

Ariel Martinez, pastor of the host Del Sol Church, noted 96 percent of El Pasoans don’t come from a biblically based church background. He encouraged ministry leaders to embrace change without compromising biblical standards.

In “feedback from the future,” he reported input from some committed Christ followers who are members of Generation Z, those who are currently teenagers through their mid-20s.

“They’re going to be the ones in leadership roles in the church by 2030,” he said. “They’re the future, and they’re here right now.”

Martinez asked about their peers’ perceptions of God, the Bible and church, and what the church should start and stop doing.

They told him Gen Z wants pastors “to leave politics out of the church.”

“We have to lead people to Jesus, not to partisan politics or any political preference,” he said.

Several said the church needs to focus on “real-life topics.”

Martinez encouraged ministry leaders to invest personally in younger Christians, and to “focus on what doesn’t change. That provides a stable foundation for the church in the future. And it’s what so many of our young people crave.”

‘Jesus is not surprised’

Robert White, lead pastor of Freedom Church in Bedford, took attendees “back to the first Future Church conference,” the account from Matthew 16 when Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus responded, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Despite gloomy prognostications of the decline of the church in the West, “Jesus is not surprised by all the things that are happening in this world,” White said.

He also pointed to the dramatic increase in the church in other parts of the world, saying, “We have evidence that Jesus is still building his church.”

The future church must be willing to have conversations, to make and emphasize connection, to have a commitment to discipleship, and to be ready to “pass the baton” to younger leadership, he said.

Reach a post-Christian generation

Eric Hernandez, apologetics leader and millennial specialist for Texas Baptists, challenged ministry leaders to equip Christians to “give a defense for what we believe and why we believe it.”

Hernandez said 64 percent of young people are leaving the church upon reaching adulthood, and only 4 percent of Gen Z hold biblical worldviews.

“It’s the first truly post-Christian generation,” Hernandez said. “They were not born into a Christian culture, and it shows.”

Katie McCoy, director of women’s ministry for Texas Baptists, spoke of the similarities of the culture in which the early church thrived and the culture in which the 21st century church is battling headwinds.

Because first century culture “gave little value to human life,” she said, Christians stood out because of their commitment “to protect and care for society’s most vulnerable.”

It’s an important lesson— and opportunity—for the church now to demonstrate an attractive contrast with culture, McCoy said. But she also cautioned that the church’s motives must be righteous.

“We are [Christ’s] ambassadors, and when we are righting earthly wrongs, it shouldn’t be for political power,” she said. “It should be to be the salt of the world.”

‘Discipled’ by social media platforms

Katie Frugé, director of the Center for Cultural Engagement, described the “rise of the unknown” through “pseudonymity,” in which a person can create “a consistent identity without any identifying markers,” allowing them to “create their own narrative.”

This phenomenon, she said, is creating “a fundamental trust issue.” She described a culture in which people are “discipled” by social media platforms like YouTube, which boasted 1 billion hours of usage during 2021.

“That’s the equivalent of 114,000 years (of video viewing),” she said. “That’s a lot of discipleship.”

The answer for the church, she said, is to “meet people like Paul did in the Areopagus—or in the metaverse,” and point them to the Savior.

“Christ is the firm foundation in the shifting sand of this world,” she said.

Don’t linger on what will not matter

Jordan Easley, a native of Odessa who is now pastor of First Baptist Church of Cleveland, Tenn., asked, “What are we doing today for seven years from now?”

Pastors and ministry leaders must seek to understand God’s specific vision for their individual churches, then think strategically to achieve it, he asserted.

“Do not allow your church to linger on things that won’t matter in 10 years,” he said.

Jonathan Smith, director of church health strategy for Texas Baptists, challenged pastors, especially if their church has plateaued or is declining, to evaluate every ministry of the church by asking, “Is this ministry making disciples?”

Priority must go to ministries which are making disciples, because “the days of unbelievers showing up at church are over—go and make disciples,” Smith said. “When a church says, ‘We’ve never done it that way before,’ evidently they’re ignoring the entire biblical record, because the Bible is filled with ‘new.’”

He also challenged pastors to the correct mindset: “Your church is not in competition against other churches in your community. It is in competition against the darkness.”

In Texas, self-described “nones”—people who do not identify with any religion—grew from 17 percent to 30 percent from 2008 to 2018, Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, reported. Reaching a post-Christian culture requires patience and persistence, he said.

But McConnell noted surveys indicate Christians rarely speak of their faith, even as some of those same surveys show most Americans are open to and even curious about matters of faith, and express a “desire to meet deep needs.” He encouraged leaders, from Ephesians 4, to work to equip Christians “for the work of ministry.”

Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office regarding advertising linking the purchase of lottery tickets to a chance at a “grocery giveaway.”

On social media, the Jackpocket.com lottery app encouraged consumers to buy lottery tickets in exchange for being entered into a drawing for $300 grocery gift cards.

“The Bible speaks clearly against the exploitation of the poor and the vulnerable,” said John Litzler, CLC director of public policy.

“Offering the potential to win ‘grocery money’ in exchange for a Texas Lottery ticket is unscrupulous. Clearly, it intends to exploit a specific economic class of individuals in need of money for food.”

The “$300 Grocery Giveaway” promotion ran from April 3 to April 30. Promotional advertising promised: “Three lucky Jackpocket winners will each bag $300 in groceries! That’s a whole bunch of bread, bacon, lettuce and cheeeeeese.”

The online promotion said: “Each $1 used on Jackpocket by 4/30 automatically enters you for another chance to win $300 in Groceries—up to 100 entries per day.”

Section 466.110 of the State Lottery Act says lottery advertisements should “not be of a nature that unduly influences any person to purchase a lottery ticket or number.”

The Texas Lottery’s guidelines state: “All Texas Lottery advertising is designed in a manner to not unduly influence any person to purchase a lottery ticket or number,” and ads should not “exploit a person, specific group or economic class.”

“The Texas Lottery Commission is failing to regulate the very work they are tasked to oversee: The ethical and lawful oversight of the state lottery,” a news release from the CLC states.

“By their own admission, they have a duty to require ethical behavior by employees, licensees and vendors. We ask the Office of the Attorney General to hold the Texas Lottery Commission accountable for this dereliction of duty and to immediately end any and all lottery promotions that exploit millions of Texans.”

The media relations director for the Texas Lottery Commission did not respond to request for comment prior to the news deadline.

Litzler sees a link between the lottery grocery giveaway advertisements and other efforts to promote and expand legalized gambling in Texas.

“The proposed sports wagering bills being considered by the Texas Legislature task the Texas Lottery Commission with the establishment of a sports wagering program and would give the Lottery Commission authority to adopt all necessary rules to administer and enforce such a program,” he said.

“The Lottery Commission is neglecting its duty to regulate the games it already offers. It should be scrutinized, not granted additional authority.”

Debbie Potter, minister of children at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, will be nominated for second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Her pastor Matt Homeyer will nominate Potter at Texas Baptists’ Family Gathering, July 16-18 in McAllen.

“I believe we should seek candidates both who are highly qualified to represent Texas Baptists in these positions and who, as a team, represent the perspective of as many Texas Baptists as possible. Debbie’s giftedness and experience as a leader in ministry speak for themselves,” Homeyer said.

He praised Potter as “a highly gifted, strongly called, deeply experienced minister of the gospel.” He characterized her as “an innovative thinker and practitioner in ministry to children and families” and as “a gifted preacher and a seasoned leader.”

“She knows and loves Texas Baptist churches and will serve them well in this role,” he said.

Homeyer noted the BGCT has elected only two women—Joy Fenner and Kathy Hillman—as president. Debbie Ferrier, director of women’s ministries at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston and later minister of missions at Trinity Baptist in San Antonio, was elected BGCT second vice president in 2002.

“In a time when women are being told by many that God’s calling on their life is not valid, I believe Texas Baptists should lift up one of our own and show that we honor the call of God for women and men alike,” Homeyer said, noting the perspective of church staff members also has “been neglected in our officers.”

“Debbie will both represent and serve us well,” he said.

Encourage women in ministry

Potter said she agreed to allow her nomination because she wants to encourage women who have answered God’s call to ministry and to bring to the forefront ministry to children and their families.

She has served as a minister to children since 1997, working six years at Parkhills Baptist Church in San Antonio before joining the staff at Trinity Baptist Church in 2003.

In addition to her role as minister of children, Potter also has served in other ministry roles at Trinity Baptist, and she was an adjunct professor at Baptist University of the Américas. She expressed gratitude to Trinity Baptist and its pastors over the past two decades who provided her opportunities to explore and exercise her gifts and calling fully.

Potter was licensed to the gospel ministry at Parkhills Baptist Church in 1998 and ordained by Trinity Baptist Church in 2005.

“It has been invigorating to have the freedom to be true to my calling,” she said. “I want other women to see what is possible in terms of accepting ministry leadership roles for which they are equipped and called to serve.”

Growing up as a “PK”—the daughter and granddaughter of preachers—in the Church of the Nazarene, Potter said she never saw examples of women serving in ministry beyond volunteer roles.

“So, I started out in public education, first as a teacher and then as an administrator,” she said.

‘Be a voice for children’

Potter said she wants to see Texas Baptist churches give greater attention to meeting the spiritual needs of children and their families.

“Too often, children have been placed on the back burner in the church. Children don’t have their own voice or give their own money. So, I want to be a voice for children and those who minister to them,” she said.

Potter also said she hopes to see greater racial, educational, socio-economic and gender diversity in Texas Baptists’ life together.

“We need to hear more voices and more perspectives,” she said.

Potter received her undergraduate degree from Southern Nazarene University and a Master of Arts degree from the School of Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Andrews University in 2015.

She has consulted and led training sessions for San Antonio Baptist Association and the BGCT, and she has mentored more than 50 young people, including international students from BUA.

Potter has written five children’s books, curriculum, multiple articles and more than 50 children’s sermons and other ministry resources she makes available on her website.

She has served on the BGCT committee to nominate boards of affiliated ministries, as a trustee of Buckner International and on the board of Alpha Home, a residential substance abuse treatment center launched by Trinity Baptist Church.

She and her husband Robert have two adult children, Chelsea and Chase.

The Baptist Standard won five awards in national competitions, including recognition by both Associated Church Press and the Evangelical Press Association for its website.

The Standard received an Award of Merit from Associated Church Press for website redesign and a second place Higher Goals award for website design from the Evangelical Press Association.

Judges in the Evangelical Press Association competition commented on the website’s “clean, simple, uncluttered” appearance, noting it “gives an impressive mix of content room to breathe” and offers readers the opportunity to engage.

The Standard earned an Award of Merit for overall excellence in the “denominational digital” category from the Evangelical Press Association.

Editor Eric Black received fourth place Higher Goals recognition in the Evangelical Press Association editorial category for “Accountability requires more than four pastors,” which examined the “restoration” of pastors accused of sexual abuse.

Judges praised the “morally clear voice” and the “clear, powerful writing—made more effective by the combination of concise reportage and sharp editorial comment.” The subject matter “couldn’t be more timely,” the judges noted.

Managing Editor Ken Camp received fourth place Higher Goals recognition in the Evangelical Press Association reporting category for “Kachin Baptist leader detained in Myanmar.”

“The level of insight is excellent,” judges stated. They considered the article “clearly written” and said it included “a great collection of sources.”

Hardin-Simmons University expects about 3,000 students from schools throughout the Big Country region for its annual Western Heritage Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 27. The educational event includes booths, exhibits and life demonstrations depicting life on the Texas frontier in the 1880s.

Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas elected Jackie Evans Faughn of First Baptist Church in McKinney to a one-year term as president during the annual meeting and missions celebration, April 21-22, at Hunters Glen Baptist Church in Plano. Other officers elected were Brenda Bourgeois of Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock as vice president and Lynn Montgomery of Mount Olivet Baptist Fellowship in Tyler as recording secretary. The weekend event included special-interest workshops, missions discipleship training and visits with missionaries. Project: Start, a ministry of the intercultural ministry of Texas Baptists, collected donations to support refugee families in the Dallas area, a Mary Hill Davis Offering-supported ministry. The Project: Start Refugee Resource Center focuses on helping refugees and seeks to connect them with life, career, personal and spiritual assistance.

Mollie Dittmar of Buffalo was honored April 21 during East Texas Baptist University’s 76th annual Senior Girl Call-Out. Selected by a faculty and staff vote, one senior female student is “called out” each year for her exemplary Christian character, social consciousness, personal poise, academic achievement and spiritual vision. Dittmar is a secondary math education major and a member of the ETBU women’s basketball team who recently was named the 2022-23 ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year. She has served on ETBU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes leadership team, as well as a Tiger Camp leader each fall. At the Marshall campus of Mobberly Baptist Church, she teaches a preschool Connect Group and serves on the college ministry leadership team. She also will serve as the church’s children’s ministry apprentice this summer.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and public life, beginning in the fall 2023 semester. The religion and public life major is designed for students who are passionate about justice and wish to serve beyond the local-church setting. This degree explores the complicated intersection between religion and American culture from historical, theological and sociological perspectives. The Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and public life is one of several new undergraduate degrees UMHB will offer in the fall. A Bachelor of Science degree in social data analytics piloted last fall officially will be added to the new programs offerings in the fall semester. The other new programs are Bachelor of Science degrees in bioinformatics, cybersecurity, neuroscience, educational advocacy and information systems.

Baylor University named Mikeal Parsons, who has taught in the religion department since 1986, as university distinguished professor. The title is bestowed on faculty for outstanding achievement in scholarship and creative activity, national and international recognition in their discipline and mentorship of colleagues and students. In nearly four decades on the Baylor faculty, Parsons has written or edited more than 30 books and 60 peer-reviewed articles and essays, and he has supervised about 30 doctoral dissertations.

Houston Christian University—formerly Houston Baptist University—named Lynn H. Cohick as distinguished professor of New Testament and director of Houston Theological Seminary. Cohick, who begins work June 1, will direct the new Doctor of Ministry degree program. “We are thrilled to have Lynn Cohick join the theology faculty of Houston Christian University. Her presence as a scholar, leader, teacher and mentor in the School of Christian Thought will not only add to the visibility of the university and the seminary, but have a significant impact on churches near and far, beginning in Houston,“ President Robert Sloan said. Cohick previously was provost and dean of academic affairs at Northern Seminary, where she developed the school’s Doctor of Ministry program and led the Center for Women in Leadership. She also has served at Wheaton College and Denver Seminary. She earned her undergraduate degree from Messiah College and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Julio Guarneri, presidente en funciones de la Convención General Bautista de Texas y pastor principal de la Calvary Baptist Church de McAllen, será nominado para un segundo mandato de un año como Presidente de los Bautistas de Texas.

Michael Evans, pastor principal de la Bethlehem Baptist Church en Mansfield y ex Presidente de la BGCT, nominará a Guarneri en la Reunión Familiar de los Bautistas de Texas, del 16 al 18 de julio en McAllen.

“En tiempos de transición, necesitamos el tipo de liderazgo firme que proporciona Julio Guarneri”, dijo Evans. “Necesitamos un hombre de Dios que ore y dirija la convención en un momento como éste”. Un comité de búsqueda está aceptando candidaturas para el próximo Director Ejecutivo de la BGCT. David Hardage se jubiló a finales del año pasado tras más de una década en el cargo.

Evans elogió a Guarneri como un hombre “honesto e íntegro” que puede aportar coherencia y estabilidad durante un periodo de cambio, señaló.

“Julio Guarneri tiene un espíritu firme y apacible que hace que la gente a su alrededor se sienta cómoda”, dijo Evans.

“No duda en decir lo que piensa y lo que siente para que sepas cuál es su postura. Al mismo tiempo, es concienzudo y respetuoso con las opiniones de los demás. Escucha bien a los demás y se deja guiar por Dios”.

Guarneri -que ejerció dos años como Primer Vicepresidente antes de su elección como Presidente de la BGCT el pasado noviembre- reconoció que la búsqueda de un nuevo Director Ejecutivo fue un factor que influyó en su decisión de permitir su candidatura para un segundo mandato presidencial.

“La continuidad es buena durante un año de transición en nuestra cúpula ejecutiva”, afirmó.

Además, dado que la reunión anual de este año se celebra a mediados de verano para adaptarse al calendario del Encuentro Familiar que tiene lugar una vez cada cinco años, el primer mandato de Guarneri como presidente durará sólo ocho meses en lugar de un año completo.

“Hay cosas que creo que es importante continuar”, dijo, señalando en particular al reto de responder a los cambios demográficos en Texas.

Destacó específicamente el enfoque de la CG2 de los Bautistas de Texas en el cumplimiento de la Gran Comisión y el Gran Mandamiento que Cristo dio a sus seguidores.

Mientras que las iglesias generalmente entienden su papel en compartir el evangelio y mostrar amor en el nombre de Cristo, dijo, los Bautistas de Texas pueden continuar creciendo en su entendimiento de cómo la Convención y las instituciones que la apoyan trabajan cooperativamente para alcanzar esas metas. Guarneri ha pedido a los Bautistas de Texas que “practiquen Pentecostés” y se unan a las siete semanas de oración. Específicamente, desde Pascua hasta el Domingo de Pentecostés el 28 de mayo, instándoles a seguir el ejemplo que Jesús estableció en la Oración Modelo, cuando pidió que “venga tu reino”.

“Cooperamos juntos como convención porque nos ocupamos de los asuntos del Reino”, dijo.

Guarneri ha servido a la Calvary Baptist Church en McAllen -una congregación multicultural en el Valle del Río Grande- desde 2010. Anteriormente, fue pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Getsemaní en Fort Worth.

También formó parte del personal de la Segunda Iglesia Bautista en Corpus Christi, fue pastor fundador de la Shalom Baptist Mission en Corpus Christi, y pastor de la Primera Iglesia Bautista en Taft.

Nació en México, pero terminó el bachillerato en el sur de Texas y se licenció en la Texas A&I University de Kingsville. También tiene una maestría en educación religiosa del Seminario Teológico Bautista Southwestern y un doctorado en estudios de liderazgo de la Dallas Baptist University.

Guarneri preside el consejo de Buckner International. Él y su esposa Monica tienen cuatro hijos -Josh, Rachel, Mia y Stevan- y dos nietos -Daniel y Antares-.

Publicado el 23 de abril, 2023 en https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/espanol/julio-guarneri-candidato-a-la-reeleccion-como-presidente-de-la-bgct/