Baptist Briefs_12604

Posted: 1/23/04

Baptist Briefs

BWA comes to Texas. Baptist World Alliance President Billy Kim and BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz will address a rally at Plano's First Baptist Church, 1300 E. 15th St., at 7 p.m. Jan. 27. The event also will feature performances by the 60-member children's choir from Central Baptist Church of Suwon, Korea. Earlier that day, the choir will present a chapel concert at Dallas Baptist University, and Kim will speak during a luncheon at the university.

FBC Dallas sets Lottie record. First Baptist Church of Dallas gave more than $1 million through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions in 2003, more than four times its gift the previous year. It was twice as large as the biggest sum ever sent through the Lottie Moon Offering to fund Southern Baptists' mission work beyond North America. As of Dec. 28, the church's offering stood at $1.16 million.

Patterson appoints first faculty. Steven Smith has joined the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty as professor of preaching, and Octavio Esqueda has been named professor of Christian education and administration. They mark the first presidential faculty appointments by Paige Patterson at Southwestern. Smith, the son of evangelist Bailey Smith, has been pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., for eight years. He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds a doctor's degree from Regent University. He has served on the Southern Baptist Convention's Committee on Committees and Committee on Resolutions, and he has been president of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia pastors' conference. Esqueda, a graduate of the University of Guadalajara in Mexico, received a master of arts in Christian education degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of North Texas.

New Orleans approves new housing. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary trustees have approved a new suite-style apartment for single students. The complex will house 120 students and is expected to be open for occupancy in January 2005.

CBF sponsors retreat. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will sponsor its annual "current" retreat for young leaders Feb. 18-21 at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. Worship leaders include Wilshire Pastor George Mason, Diana Garland of Baylor University and David Burroughs of Passport. For more information about the retreat schedule and registration, see www.currentonline.org.

Endowed chair established. New Orleans Seminary received a gift from William and Carolyn Heard to establish the Greer-Heard Chair of Philosophy and Culture and to fund the Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum. The Heards endowed the chair to establish a permanent professorship in philosophy. The forum will be a lecture and dialogue series held annually on the New Orleans campus. Speakers will discuss critical issues in philosophy, science, religion and culture from evangelical and secular perspectives.

CBF receives $2 million gift. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has received a $2 million anonymous contribution from a member of First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Ga. The gift will be distributed among CBF Global Missions and CBF of Georgia in keeping with the donor's wishes.

Akin elected seminary president. Trustees of Southeastern Baptist Theological seminary unanimously elected Daniel Akin as the school's sixth president. Akin, who previously served at Southeastern as assistant professor of theology and dean of students from 1992 to 1996, was vice president for academic administration and dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of Criswell College, Southwestern Seminary and the University of Texas at Arlington.