Posted: 7/23/04

On the Move

Mike Acker has resigned as minister of youth at College Heights Church in Cleburne.

Mike Auten to First Church in Clyde as minister of education and administration.

David Brackett to First Church in Randolph as pastor from Parker Grove Church in Ravenna.

Buddy Burton to First Church in Briggs as pastor.

Ryan Connell to First Church in Clyde as minister of youth.

Jason Daniels to First Church in Seagraves as youth/music minister.

Michael Eaton to Holiday Hills Church in Abilene as pastor.

Rene Floyd to Baker Church in Weatherford as youth director.

Jimmy Hatcher to Tye Church in Tye as pastor from Arrowhead Church in Henrietta, Okla.

Shirley Jones to First Church in Denton as minister of preschool education from Lakeside Church in Dallas, where she was minister of childhood education.

Dave Lucas to Baker Church in Weatherford as pastor.

Jay Miller to First Church in Clyde as worship pastor.

Peter Murrell to First Church in Waxahachie as interim youth minister.

Luis Olan to Iglesia Trinity in El Paso as pastor.

Butch Perkins to First Church in Lometa as pastor.

Jack Ridlehoover has completed an interim pastorate at Tye Church in Tye and is available for supply this summer and interim in the fall.

Jane Roberts to South Side Church in Abilene as preschool ministry coordinator.

Morris Robbins to Trinity Church in Bonham as interim pastor.

Tom Satterwhite to Oplin Church in Clyde as interim pastor.

Posted: 7/23/04

Texas cowboy churches successfully rounding up lost strays

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Open Range Cowboy Church is one of the latest rapidly growing ventures in an expanding Baptist General Convention of Texas cowboy church starting effort, where the extraordinary is becoming commonplace.

Many of the 27 cowboy churches started since 2000 are experiencing growth like Open Range. One of the first, the Cowboy Church of Ellis County runs 1,100 in attendance. The Cowboy Church of Atascosa County averages 500 people weekly.

Hundreds of people have been baptized in cowboy churches, including many adults who have not gone to a church for years.

“Western heritage people represent a large pool in Texas that not many are seeking to evangelize. (As a result), they have written the church off,” said Ron Nolen, the BGCT Church Multiplication Center consultant who works with these congregations. “Now Baptist people are reconnecting them.”

The key to the congregations' successes has been a strong movement of God coupled with a lay-led model for the church, Nolen said.

Christians who are immersed in the cowboy culture come forward to lead these efforts, increasing their effectiveness, he explained.

“It is grassroots Christianity,” he said. “It is taking the church to the pagan world.”

The Church Multiplication Center plans to continue helping to plant cowboy churches across the state to reach the estimated 4 million Texans staff believe will best be served by cowboy churches.

Leaders hope to have 75 such congregations by 2008.

The BGCT recently purchased a trailer that will be used to haul several cowboys and their horses around the state probing areas for western heritage individuals.

At the request of an associational director of missions, the unit will travel the area and report whether there are enough western heritage people in an area to start a cowboy church, Nolen explained.

The director of missions and the BGCT Church Multiplication Center can then deem where it would be best to locate a cowboy church.

Nolen's efforts are reaching beyond Texas as well.

He has trained leaders in Florida, Wyoming, Montana and Washington to start these churches through the Ranchhouse School of Cowboy Church Planting.

In an upcoming session, Aug. 29 at the Cowboy Church in Ennis, Nolen expects to train some Guatemalan leaders.

“There is a tremendous interest growing,” he said.

Posted: 7/23/04

Worshippers saddle up for
new life at Open Range Church

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

WHITNEY–Cowboys and cowgirls are finding new lives on the open range.

Farmers, ranchers and horsemen–and those attracted to that lifestyle–are encountering Jesus at the eight-week-old country and western-driven Open Range Cowboy Church.

Nearly 180 people came to the opening service of the church. On July 18, attendance had grown to a building-packed 280. In the first month, 14 individuals were baptized in a horse trough that sits near the altar.

The church attracts worshippers because it connects with their lifestyle, said Rick Pinner, one of the church's first members.

A country-western praise band leads the service, and many church leaders set the example for the rest of the congregation with Stetsons, jeans and cowboy boots.

Ushers do not pass a plate for an offering; they let worshippers drop off an envelope at the back of the church.

The invitation at the end of the service is a preacher leading a prayer of confession of sins, asking for forgiveness and inviting Jesus into a person's life.

The church may look different, but “we're basing this on something that is very powerful and that is God's word,” Pinner said.

The congregation is a new ministry facilitated by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Church Multiplication Center and First Baptist Church in Whitney and is partially supported by funds from the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

Organizers said they watch people slowly become more involved in the congregation despite some initial skepticism. Visitors start out standing by the door.

After a few weeks they are sitting in the back of the church. Eventually, they are getting baptized and sitting in the middle of the congregation.

All ages are responding to the church's efforts. Babies through later generations attend the services. Many of those who were baptized are adults.

The church holds trail rides where members can get to know each other better and is looking to relocate to seven acres with a roping arena, where they can hold events. Mike and Gail Warren donated the land before the church started.

“It's getting to a particular group of people that other churches are not ministering to,” said Edwin Snelgrove, the band's drummer. “It's like it says–this is a cowboy church. We just want to get you in. We'll let the Lord clean you up.”

Posted: 7/23/04

Looking for a morality play? Pull out the popcorn

By Kristen Campbell

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Stories of epic struggles between right and wrong are coming–and not just to a pulpit near you.

From “Spider-Man 2” and “King Arthur” to “Troy” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” themes of good and evil abound at the multiplex this summer.

“Movies are modern parables,” said David DiCerto, media reviewer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' office of film and broadcasting. “Christ used the mass medium of his time. I think storytelling has always been the most effective way of getting the message across.”

DiCerto's office issues movie reviews each week, not just when there's an explicitly religious film like “The Passion of the Christ” breaking box office records. Other faith-minded organizations critique popular movies as well, with some even offering questions for consideration by discussion groups.

Such action may seem surprising, given that religious communities may be better known for protesting pop culture than analyzing it. But some Christians believe there's something to be gained by taking a deeper look at Hollywood's offerings.

Theology is now “being done” outside churches in popular culture, DiCerto said, adding, “I don't think the church can stand on the sidelines.”

Robert Jewett made a similar case more than 10 years ago in his book, “Saint Paul at the Movies: The Apostle's Dialogue with American Culture.”

“Many contemporary Americans are shaped much more decisively by popular culture than by their formal education or their religious training,” Jewett wrote.

“Paul's method was to place himself where other people were, to communicate the gospel on their turf. In our day, that clearly should involve the movies, which are a primary arena for discovering and debating important moral, cultural, and religious issues.”

At Christ United Methodist Church in Mobile, Ala., Rob Couch said he uses movies to teach biblical truths during Sunday morning summer services.

“We use movie clips as illustrations in the messages that I preach,” said Couch, who said he used a segment from “Finding Nemo” recently and plans to discuss “Chariots of Fire” in an upcoming sermon.

“I believe that movies more and more are dealing with spiritual themes,” Couch said.

So far this summer, DiCerto said, much of the cinematic fare taps into a sense of national anxiety. Some films offer moviegoers a release, an opportunity to laugh in the midst of worries about war and fear of terrorism, while others serve up heroes.

Spring and summer releases such as “Troy,” “Spider-Man 2” and “King Arthur” show viewers a society in ruins and someone who's going to come and restore order, DiCerto said.

“I think most fear is a response to the unknown,” he added. “It's a response to the order as we know it crumbling and losing your sort of moral bearings. You don't know which direction the world's going.”

In the midst of such uncertainty, figures like Peter Parker's Spider-Man swing into action, setting things right.

Some have speculated that Spider-Man has been an especially meaningful hero to Americans after the terrorist attacks in 2001.

While Superman is the indestructible Boy Scout, DiCerto said, Spider-Man is everyman, a working-class hero.

“He's wrestling and struggling with the same doubts and fears and insecurities as everyone who's shelling out the money to buy the tickets,” he explained. “Spider-Man doesn't have all the answers. And I think that that's attractive to moviegoers in post-9/11 America. …

“We want heroes who … tap into that same sense of uncertainty. But he's still a hero. He still offers viewers that cathartic sense of hope.”

Humans are drawn to hope, he said. “That's part of who we are. We're wired for optimism.”

One summer blockbuster that has provoked debate is Michael Moore's record-breaking “Fahrenheit 9/11.” The documentary explores issues of morality within the Bush administration and early on raked in $60 million.

After topping the box office on its opening weekend, it fell to No. 2 July 2-5 behind “Spider-Man 2”

“If the popularity of 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is any indication, people are serious about what's going on right now and want to engage issues in a fairly unrestrained way,” said Randall Balmer, chairman of the religion department at Columbia University's Barnard College.

“Perhaps some of the escapism is not greatly characteristic of moviegoers this summer. We live in perilous times, I think.”

Posted: 7/23/04

BGCT president urges Baptists
to learn from failed businesses

By Marv Knox

Editor

HOUSTON–Lessons learned from failed businesses can spur the Baptist General Convention of Texas to success, BGCT President Ken Hall insisted.

“We must change the way we carry out our stewardship of ministry for the Lord,” he warned at the Texas Baptists Committed annual convocation in Houston.

Hall, president of Buck-ner Baptist Benevolences in Dallas, based his challenge on research presented in “Why Smart Executives Fail,” a book by Dartmouth College professor Sidney Finkelstein.

Hall pointed to seven “spectacularly unsuccessful” habits of these business leaders, as well as implications for Texas Baptists:

The illusion of personal pre-eminence.

In failed businesses, the executives often think they're “more important than the product,” Hall said. Such thinking is absurd, since consumers buy the product, regardless of who heads the company.

The seduction of personal pre-eminence can cause Texas Baptists, and particularly their leaders, to forget God calls them to lead by serving others, not by dominating the spotlight of fame and recognition, he said.

“What we do is not about us,” Hall added, acknowledging: “As Baptists and as Texans, that goes against our pathology. … But we're to be servants of the Lord and of others.”

The company is mine.

Some CEOs begin to view their companies as extensions of themselves and lose their sense of accountability to others, he pointed out.

Similarly, Texas Baptists can be tempted to see their cause as their own, and even if their cause is worthy, their perspective is skewed, he said.

“Texas Baptists are workers in the field of the Lord,” he explained. “The work of Texas Baptists doesn't belong to the churches, the denomination, the Baptist Building or to Texas Baptists Committed. It belongs to the Lord.”

We have all the answers.

“No one has all the answers,” Hall said of business leaders as well as Texas Baptists.

“We believe in the principles of our movement, such as religious liberty, soul competency, the authority of the Bible and the separation of church and state,” he reported. “But that didn't prevent Baptists from supporting slavery, segregation, male supremacy and other such sins. …

“Baptists thought they had all the answers. That's how fundamentalism gained root in our lives. Christian humility demands we seek the Lord for our strategy and our methods.”

My way or the highway.

Execs who take this approach to business not only eliminate dissent, but they also “cut off their best chance for survival,” Hall said.

“My greatest fear for Texas Baptists has its roots in this habit,” Hall admitted. “It is a kind of reverse fundamentalism that says every church must take the same action, every institution must follow the same course.

“We must allow dissent … on practical issues. Our tent must be larger if we're going to win this world to Christ.”

Obsessed with image.

Company heads who obsess about their image try to “spin” every issue to make them look good but fail to deal with substantive challenges to real success, Hall explained.

This is a condition that afflicts Texas Baptists and is illustrated by how they report their size, he claimed. “We say we have 2 million constituents. But we can't find half of them.”

He affirmed the ministry of the Baptist Standard. “We need the Baptist Standard. We need somebody to tell us the truth–that we have warts as well as roses.”

While Texas Baptists love to trumpet their successes, “the truth is every day we're losing this state to the devil,” he said.

Underestimating major obstacles.

Too many business leaders overlook challenges and refuse to admit failure, while they need to recognize reality, he said.

“Texas Baptists need to admit some obstacles are bigger than our intellects and our ability to overcome,” he urged. “But the difference between us and the business world is that Jesus is our advocate.

“Some problems are out there … that only God can overcome. It's time to fall on our knees and ask God to rain down his power.”

Stubbornly relying on what worked in the past.

This habit is so seductive, because it tempts CEOs to trust in the methods, products and programs that gave them success before, Hall reported.

And it's seductive for Texas Baptists, because the temptation to look back on their era of booming growth and productivity is strong, he said, insisting such an approach would be disastrous.

“We're at the defining moment of this generation,” he said. “We can't keep score the way we did in the 1950s and '60s. The world is changing. It is beyond time for us to change.”

Issues of aging leadership, changing ethnic demographics, gender inclusiveness, missions support and methods of theological education “are just some of the questions we have to ask ourselves,” Hall urged. “Right now, we are not fulfilling Jesus' commission to reach the world.”

Consequently, a process designed to reorganize the Baptist General Convention of Texas and focus the convention's strategy for doing its work is vitally important, he added.

The process began early this year, led by BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade and the convention's officers. Four teams worked throughout the spring to provide ideas for how the convention should arrange its priorities and shape its strategy.

Now, a special committee is working on specific suggestions for reorganizing so that the convention's structure will match its priorities and strategy. The committee will present its report to the BGCT Administrative Committee Sept. 2-3 and the BGCT Executive Board Sept. 28.

The committee's proposals will “radically, dramatically change the way we do business as Texas Baptists,” Hall predicted.

They will start with how the BGCT is governed and emphasize accountability and efficiency. They also will help the convention emphasize missions, church starting, Christian education and welfare, he added.

Hall told the group he has a prayer for his convention presidency: “I want to have set a stage for change, but my selfish prayer is I want our Texas Baptist family to be ahead of addressing these vital issues.”

Posted: 7/23/04

Texas Tidbits

Christianity Today lauds Garland. A new commentary on 1 Corinthians by David Garland, associate dean and professor of Christian Scriptures at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, received an award of merit in the Christianity Today Book Awards 2004. The awards honor 22 books that "bring understanding to people, events and ideas that shape evangelical life, thought and mission." This year, the contest selected from 349 entries.

U.S. News picks Baylor, Baptist St. Anthony's. Two hospitals with ties to the Baptist General Convention of Texas have been ranked in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" guide for 2004. Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas made the guide for the 12th consecutive year. Baylor Dallas is ranked among the nation's top 50 hospitals in 10 specialties: cancer, 48; digestive disorders, 18; ear, nose and throat, 41; gynecology, 35; heart and heart surgery, 30; hormonal disorders, 46; kidney disease, 44; neurology and neurosurgery, 30; orthopedics, 26; and urology, 47. Baylor's Institute for Rehabilitation ranked among the nations top 26 rehabilitation facilities. Baptist St. Anthony's Health System in Amarillo made the list for cancer, 43; geriatrics, 50; neurology and neurosurgery, 27; and respiratory disorders, 44.

Missions awards nominations needed. Nominations for the Texas Baptist Missions Foundations's mission service awards are due Aug. 9. The Pioneer Award goes to a longtime leader in missions or someone who played a key role in beginning mission work that impacted Texas Baptist life. The Innovator Award is bestowed upon a church or individual who provided a model for missions others can adopt. The Adventurer Award honors an individual who advanced missions through direction of significant mission activities, outstanding financial support or leadership in ministry opportunities. Nominations may be submitted in writing to Bill Arnold at Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246.

Bible museum opens Saturdays. The Bible in America Museum on the campus of Houston Baptist University is expanding its hours. In addition to its regular openings on Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., it will be open the first Saturday of every month, beginning in August. The museum houses one of the largest collections of rare American Bibles on public display, including first editions of the earliest Bibles printed in America. For more information, call (281) 649-3287 or e-mail deverance@hbu.edu.

Valley Baptist buys Brownsville hospital. Harlingen-based Valley Baptist Health System has purchased Brownsville Medical Center in Brownsville from Tenet Healthcare Corporation. "This acquisition will greatly enhance our ability to serve the residents of Brownsville and will be crucial to the future of healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley," said Jim Springfield, president of Valley Baptist.

Church conference set in Valley. The Valley Church Health & Growth Conference is set for Aug. 7 at Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen. Registration is $10 for pastors and $15 for other participants. Seminars designed to meet the needs of area churches will be held in Spanish and English. For more information, contact Frank Palos atpalos@bgct.org or (877) 217-7649.

HPU launches $4.5 million program. Howard Payne University recently launched its most ambitious student housing program in more than 40 years. HPU will renovate two residence facilities, Taylor Hall and Veda Hodge Hall, and build two apartment buildings with a laundry facility. Jennings Hall, the school's newest residence hall, will undergo minor changes. University President Lanny Hall said, "The student housing initiatives are a part of a larger program of campus improvements totaling $4.5 million in construction, renovation, furnishings and equipment costs." The program is funded by a tax-exempt bond issue, which was approved earlier this year by the HPU board of trustees.

McClinton assists Wade. Myla McClinton has been named executive assistant to Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Charles Wade. For the past four years, McClinton has been ministry assistant to Janice Coley, Wade's executive assistant until her June 30 retirement. "Janice served our Baptist cause 12 years in various assignments, the most recent being the last four years as my executive assistant," Wade said. "She has done so with distinction and great care and sensitivity. One of the best things Janice did was to ask Myla McClinton to work with her. Now Myla is ready to assume the responsibility." McClinton is a member of The Oaks Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, where her husband, Dan, is associate pastor/minister of music. They have two sons and three grandchildren.

Glass Scholarship established at DBU. An endowed scholarship has been established at Dallas Baptist University from the estate of Pat and Charlie Vera Glass, longtime supporters of the university and members of Highland Baptist Church in Dallas. "The Glasses were strong supporters of DBU's mission to provide Christian education, and through this gift they will be able to continue their support by helping many needy students in the years to come," said John Clem, DBU development director.

Epicenter replaces Evangelism Conference. Author Dallas Willard will be a featured speaker and conference leader at Epicenter, a Baptist General Convention of Texas-sponsored evangelism, discipleship and missions event designed to meet the needs of 21st century church leaders. The event, which replaces the longstanding Texas Evangelism Conference, will be held Jan. 28-29 at the Sheraton Grande Hotel near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Willard, professor in the school of philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote "Divine Conspiracy" and "Renovation of the Heart," each chosen as a Christianity Today book of the year. Also on the schedule is Darrell Guder, professor at Princeton Theological Seminary; Carol Davis, who served 25 years on the staff of the church now known as Mosaic in Los Angeles; and Jeff Harris, pastor of Grace Point Church in San Antonio. Each featured speaker will lead a lecture-style session and a conversational seminar. Seating will be limited to 800 participants. For more information, call (214) 828-5118 or visit www.bgct.org/evangelism.

ETBU partners with Wiley College to promote health. East Texas Baptist University and Wiley College recently received a $90,000 three-year grant to promote healthy lifestyle choices in the Marshall area. The grant was awarded by the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service under its Learn and Serve America Higher Education Program. The grant will support the involvement of teams of student nurses from ETBU with Wiley College students to conduct health fairs at churches and other locations; provide free blood-pressure, blood-sugar, cholesterol, and mammogram screenings; conduct a campus-based Seniors Wellness Connection program in which senior citizens will be taught how to use the Internet to locate the best health information; fight obesity through a "Hip Hop, Rock Your Heart" walking campaign; and launch a new "Be Fit" weekly health focus radio talk show that will draw on the expertise of doctors and other health professionals throughout the community.

Corpus Christi school changes its name. Baptist Learning Center of South Texas trustees have voted to change the institution's name to South Texas School of Christian Studies. President Linn Self said the trustees were concerned the term "learning center" led people to believe the school was a kindergarten or day care facility. Trustees also wanted to make it clear the university and seminary programs at the school are open to students from all denominations. South Texas School of Christian Studies serves as a satellite campus for Howard Payne University and Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. .

Posted: 7/23/04

TOGETHER:
Reaching youth reaps lasting rewards

Beautiful things keep happening this summer across Texas. Our churches have some of their best times of the year with children, young people and families during this blessed time.

Years ago, churches held revival services in “protracted meetings” for two or three weeks during the summer. It was the main–sometimes the only–evangelistic effort for the year. My father was a teenager when he was saved in a meeting like that.

People still are being saved in the churches during the summer. But now evangelism goes on throughout the year as our pastors and people pray for the lost and involve themselves in visitation, service and personal sharing of faith throughout the week. The editorial in last week's Baptist Standard called Texas Baptists to an evangelism that embraces both proclamation and incarnation. I have felt for many years that kind of evangelism was at the heart of our Texas Baptist way of being the church.

The spirit of evangelism and the desire to live pure and holy lives is alive and well among thousands of Texas Baptist youth. This summer's Youth Evangelism Conference in Dallas hosted 12,000 young people from across Texas. Youth camps and Super Summer conferences will result in thousands of young people coming to know Christ and thousands of others continuing to grow in Christ.

These young people live in a world where moral values are hard to nail down. Popular culture is no friend to the gospel of Christ or to living holy lives. Of course, it never has been. But the pervasiveness of immoral values being pushed to the fore in our media-saturated society causes all of us who care to pray with extra intensity.

Baptist ethicist Foy Valentine critiques our condition this way: “Our world seems determined to try to live life without discipline, enjoy plenty without work, experience pleasure without pay, wallow in adultery without love, commit crime without punishment, revel in sin without judgment, break out all the windows in order to breathe, and play tennis with the net down. Our world does not believe you have to reap what you sow.”

God bless ministers and lay leaders who challenge the world's claim on our children and seek to speak the truth and live lives that draw them to Christ. God bless those who work with young people in the churches of our state. And God bless young people who not only are leaders for the future, but also are giving dedicated leadership in many churches right now.

Another expression of ministry to and with young people by our convention could be seen at the Hispanic Convencion and at the African American Fellowship gathering this summer. These meetings offer specific activities for youth and to encourage them in their Christian walk, help them develop new friendships, and teach them life skills that open the doors to the future God wants them to have.

Your support of the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions helps with these events and provides scholarship money to encourage our ethnic young people to get into college.

Tighe Marie Watkins was 19 when she came to Christ out of a life marked by abuse and failure. Now she is 21, plans to graduate from Hardin-Simmons University next spring and wants to work with underprivileged youth in the inner city. A scholarship made possible by your Mary Hill Davis Offering gifts helped her to find God's future for her.

God is at work in lives all across Texas. You and your church are making a difference in the lives of young and old. One of the ways you do that is in cooperation with all the churches and ministries who work together to do what we could not do alone in the BGCT.

We are loved.

Posted: 7/23/04

15-passenger church van from Mineola overturns

MINEOLA–A church van from Harvest Acres Baptist Church in Mineola overturned while taking a group of young people to Six Flags Over Texas July 16.

One adult woman remained hospitalized in Tyler due to back pain. Her husband was released after two days of observation for a head injury, said Pastor Butch Gott.

One girl suffered a broken ankle; another received 15 stitches. There were “a lot of cuts and bruises and scrapes,” the pastor said.

A tire on the 1985 Ford 15-passenger van blew out a few miles outside of Mineola on U.S. Hwy. 80, and the driver lost control, Gott said. The van, carrying 15-16 people, ended up on its roof in the median.

The van had been checked and serviced before the trip, he said.

“The Lord had to be riding with us on that van,” Gott said.

He praised the work of firefighters and Department of Public Safety troopers. Gott also noted that a passerby from Arlington gathered all of the unhurt youth around her car to keep them safe and calm them down.

Posted: 7/23/04

Larry the Cucumber and rest of
VeggieTales crew transplanted to Nashville

By Erin Curry

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Big Idea Productions, creator of VeggieTales, has moved its headquarters from Chicago to suburban Nashville, and observers predict more family oriented entertainment companies will follow.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen participated in a welcoming ceremony and carnival for kids this summer at Big Idea's new home in Franklin, just south of Nashville.

Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, stars of the VeggieTales films, also were on hand, and Bredesen named them official citizens of Tennessee.

“Today's announcement is a testament to what can happen when we all work together–state and local governments, as well as private interests–to make something positive and exciting happen in our state,” Bredesen said.

“Big Idea's decision to relocate its corporate headquarters to Tennessee, where it began, is reflective of a growing interest in developing family entertainment in the … area. Big Idea's move here is sure to spark additional entertainment investment in this community and its workforce.”

Over the past few years, Franklin has developed into one of the nation's major hubs for a half-dozen recording, publishing, management and distribution companies involved in family-oriented entertainment enterprises, according to the governor's office. Entertainment corporations in the area generate nearly $1 billion in revenue each year, and the growth is expected to continue.

For its new headquarters in Franklin, Big Idea has redesigned 12,000 square feet of space at The Factory, a former stove production facility listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The location will house Big Idea's executive, creative and production teams near major distribution partners Word and EMI in Nashville.

“Big Idea is thrilled to call Tennessee home,” said Terry Pefanis, chief operating officer at Big Idea.

“This vibrant area of the country is not only rich in culture and hospitality, it is also the center of the Christian entertainment and country music industries. It is the ideal place for Big Idea and VeggieTales to grow and prosper.”

Compared to the Chicago suburb of Lombard, Big Idea's previous home, Pefanis told The Tennessean newspaper that operating costs are less expensive, cost of living for employees is lower, the tax environment for both individuals and corporations is more favorable, traffic isn't as bad and the airport isn't as crowded in Nashville.

About 20 employees will relocate to Franklin, and Big Idea plans to hire eight to 10 more.

A year ago, Big Idea lost a breach of contract lawsuit and declared bankruptcy. The company's former distributor, Lyrick Studios, sued the VeggieTales creator for allegedly breaking a verbal contract when Big Idea moved its mainstream market distribution to Warner Home Video in 2001. A federal judge in Texas upheld a jury's $11 million award.

The lawsuit, along with a premature expansion of Big Idea, caused the company to be sold for $19.3 million to New York-based Classic Media, known for characters such as Rocky & Bullwinkle, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie and The Lone Ranger.

With new owners and a new location, Big Idea is set to move ahead, the company claimed. It now sells about 5 million home video products a year and a million albums, generating an estimated $40 million to $50 million.

Big Idea's first feature film, “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie,” was in the top 10 at the box office for three weeks in 2002 and grossed more than $25 million.

“VeggieTales: Sumo of the Opera” is set to be released on DVD and video in late August. The wrestling-themed movie features Larry the Cucumber as The Italian Scallion, taking on Apollo Gourd for the World Veggie-Weight title, teaching a lesson in perseverance based on Hebrews 10:36.

Also on the horizon–a live VeggieTales show in Franklin and possibly a theme park.

For more information about Big Idea Productions, visit www.bigidea.com.

Posted: 7/23/04

Wayland president refutes charges made on radio network

By Marv Knox

Editor

PLAINVIEW–A charge that Wayland Baptist University trains homosexual ministers is false, damaging and possibly slanderous, the school's president said.

A listener to “Today's Issues,” a program broadcast on the American Family Radio Network, accused the university of “educating and ordaining ministers who were homosexuals and lesbians,” Wayland President Paul Armes reported.

The listener, who said she lives in Plainview, where the Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated school is located, made the call during the July 21 program, Armes said.

Later that day, Armes sent a letter refuting the accusation to Marvin Sanders, head of American Family Radio.

“Permit me to say passionately and unequivocally that such a statement is not only inaccurate and uninformed, it borders on being slanderous,” Armes wrote in his letter.

He cited two specific reasons why the charge is false.

“First of all, our perspective of homosexuality is shaped by the clear teachings of the Scriptures,” he wrote.

“We believe that homosexuality is a sin, and that to live as a homosexual cannot be construed in any way to be a biblically legitimate lifestyle.

“Obviously, then, we do not and will not endorse gay marriages and would not under any circumstances advocate that church leadership positions be filled by practicing homosexuals.”

Second, a university cannot ordain ministers, he added.

“Wayland Baptist University has never and will never ordain anyone,” he insisted.

“Such a practice is uniquely and biblically the prerogative of local New Testament congregations.

“For someone to suggest that Wayland performs ordination in any shape, form or fashion simply reveals a tragic lack of knowledge of university policy, Baptist polity and New Testament congregational practice.”

In his letter, Armes expressed sadness over the episode.

“I am grieved by the fact that this erroneous information was broadcast nationwide over your network's program,” he told Sanders. “The potential for damage to our biblically based, faith-centered school is immeasurable.”

Upon receiving the letter, Sanders called Armes and apologized.

“Because the program is live, he said they were powerless to stop and/or edit the broadcast,” Armes learned.

Sanders invited Armes to be a guest on the radio program July 23 to talk about Wayland. He also pledged to remove the offensive comments regarding Wayland from the audio archive on the network website.

Storylist for 7/26/04 issue

Our Front Page Articles
• Churches minister to isolated Mexican Indians

• Worshippers saddle up for new life at Open Range Church



• Churches minister to isolated Mexican Indians

• Worshippers saddle up for new life at Open Range Church

• Baylor regents don't vote on Sloan, affirm 2012 plan

• Future of Baylor 2012–and possibly the school's president–in hands of regents

• Missions offering helps Buckner Border Ministries touch lives along Rio Grande

• Texas cowboy churches successfully rounding up lost strays

• Funny paper provides serious path to learning how to read, author says

• New Literacy ConneXus encourages ministry

• Innovative literacy program offers hope to Waco families

• ETBU greets VIPs

• STEVE MUNSON: Frontline ministry

• New churches most effective in reaching people for Christ, experts insist

• America's Junior Miss cites vital Christian faith as her source of strength

• Children's home cooks up a different kind of classroom to teach life skills

• Fire truck siren in border town means answered

• Churches must intentionally give priority to planning, ministers maintain

• 15-passenger church van from Mineola overturns

• Wayland president refutes charges made on radio network

• On the Move

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits

Posted previously:
• Buckner seeks adoptive parents for Myson, African-American newborn

• Hunger Hounds track down donations to alleviate suffering, fight hunger

African American Fellowship/Church Health and Growth Conference
• God's gift so great, Christians can't keep quiet, pastor says

• Churches that hit dead end need to turn around, consultant recommends

• African American Fellowship sets goals for missions growth

• Chicago pastor urges church leaders to leave markers for next generation to follow

• BGCT honors five African-American churches for

• Voices of Praise deliver musical gospel message to Spain

• Understanding differences in personality types can help church staff head off potential conflicts, consultant says

• Fitness means exercising good stewardship of 'temple,' speaker stresses

• Learning styles of Bible study pupils require varied teaching approaches

Baptist Child & Family Services Reunion
• Homecoming for children's home stirs memories, sparks gratitude

• Former children's home residents fondly recall tasty Mexican meals as one housemother's labor of love

Texas Baptists Committed Meeting
• Partnership, cooperation fuel churches' mission

• Churches challenged to move outside four walls, be on mission for Christ

• BGCT president urges Baptists to learn from failed businesses



• New Orleans Seminary trustees will weigh sole membership alternatives

• Malpractice crisis limits care for patients in free clinics

• Baptist Briefs

Posted previously:
• Louisiana College trustees elect new chair in closed session after former leader resigns



• JIMMY CARTER: Sunday school teacher

• Looking for a morality play Pull out the popcorn

• Larry the Cucumber and rest of VeggieTales crew transplanted to Nashville



• American confidence in First Amendment up

• Request for church directories may have violated IRS rules

• Falwell faces IRS scrutiny after urging support for Bush

• Assisted-suicide review requested

• Judiciary committee sends Marriage Protection Act of 2004 to House floor

Posted previously:
• Federal Marriage Amendment died in Senate

• Proponents of marriage amendment pledge to continue their campaign

• Barna: Few became Christians from 'Passion' film



• Classified Ads

• Cartoon

• Texas Baptist Forum

• On the Move



• EDITORIAL: Texas Baptists haven't had a (real) shootout in 100 years

• DOWN HOME: Dad has to scrub his fashion sense

• ANOTHER VIEW: A pastor dad's advice on ministering to military families

• TOGETHER: Reaching youth reaps lasting rewards

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Cybercolumn by John Duncan: The one that got away



• LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 1

• LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 1

• LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 8

• LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 8

See articles from previous issue 7/12/04 here.