Baptist Briefs_40504

Posted: 4/02/04

Baptist Briefs

Iorg nominated as Golden Gate president. Jeff Iorg, executive director-treasurer of the Northwest Baptist Convention since 1995, has been recommended as the seventh president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary's trustees will meet April 26-27 to vote on the search committee's recommendation. Iorg was the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Ore., and has served in pastorates in Missouri and Texas. He is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Author Hefley dies. Jim Hefley, author of "The Truth in Crisis," a five-volume series that chronicled the "conservative resurgence" of the Southern Baptist Convention, died recently in Hannibal, Mo., after a long illness. He was 73. Hefley was the founder of Hannibal Books, an evangelical publishing company, and a former writer-in-residence at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Hannibal. He was pastor of churches in Louisiana, Tennessee and Missouri.

Hays nominated for SBC 2nd VP. John Hays, former president of the Ohio Baptist convention, will be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention second vice president during the June 15-16 convention in Indianapolis. Hays, pastor of the Columbus-area Jersey Baptist Church since 1981, will be nominated by Guy Morton, pastor of Lakeview Baptist Church in Vermilion, Ohio. Hays is a former trustee of the SBC International Mission Board and currently a trustee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

LifeWay adds VBS option in 2005. LifeWay Christian Resources has announced it will add a second line of Vacation Bible School resources beginning in 2005 to meet the demand of churches for wider selection in their summer evangelism and outreach ministries. LifeWay has provided churches with VBS literature for more than 80 years, including curriculum in English and Spanish for preschool, children, youth, adult and special education needs. This year's "Rickshaw Rally" curriculum theme has been widely criticized in some quarters as being racially insensitive.

Former congressman joins Union faculty. Former United States Congressman Ed Bryant has been appointed special assistant to the president and lecturer in history and political science at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., beginning with the fall 2004 term. Bryant was a Tennessee representative in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2003. Previously, he taught military and constitutional law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, served as a U.S. district attorney and was in private legal practice.

Lutherans and Baptists partner. Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C. will create a Baptist studies program with Baptist leaders in South Carolina, including the state's Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Virginia Barfield, a former professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has been named director of the program, scheduled to begin this fall.

Midwestern to open undergraduate college. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will establish a college of ministry, Midwestern Baptist College SBC, that will award associate and bachelor's degrees. Trustees unanimously approved the proposal to establish the college and selected James Anderson as the school's first dean. The Missouri Baptist Convention has pledged $100,000 to help set up the school.

Union names Abernathy staff photographer. Union University has named Morris Abernathy staff photographer effective July 30. He replaces photojournalist Jim Veneman, who will teach photography full time and oversee visual content for the university's publications. Abernathy worked as corporate visual coordinator for LifeWay Christian Resources and as director of photography for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.