TOGETHER: Urge lawmakers to do what is good_110804

Posted: 11/05/04

TOGETHER:
Urge lawmakers to do what is good

Is it important that Texas Baptists work together? Well, judge for yourself.

Texas is growing rapidly. By 2010, 9 million Hispanics will live here. This is 23 percent more than now. The non-Hispanic population will increase by 5 percent, or 676,000, so that in six years, there will be approximately 24.5 million people in Texas.

That is why starting new churches, with an emphasis on starting Hispanic churches, must remain a high priority for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. In 1994, there were 801 Hispanic congregations; now there are 1,131, a 41 percent increase. That must continue. We have emphasized working with Hispanic congregations to start churches, and more than 100 Hispanic churches have or are sponsoring new congregations.

Churches also are being started in the Cowboy culture; in suburbs and inner cities; and among Anglos, African-Americans, Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese and many others. In the last five years, we have started more than 1,000 churches–with more than 600 of them Hispanic, and also among 18 language and ethnic groups.

Did you know poverty, lack of education and health care threaten the future of Texas?

Texas ranks 45th in child poverty. Twenty-two percent of our children, compared to 17 percent nationally, live in poverty. Texas ranks 48th in food insecurity. Fifteen percent of Texas households reported worrying about whether they had enough food, compared to 10.8 percent nationally.

In 2001, Texas ranked 50th in high school completion. Seventy-eight percent of our population age 25 and older had completed high school, compared to 84 percent nationally. Fifty-one percent of the Hispanic population in Texas had completed high school, compared to 57 percent nationally.

Texas ranked 50th in children with health insurance in 2001. In 2003, about 27 percent of children in Texas were in Medicaid, compared to Florida, 32 percent; California, 37 percent; and New York, 30 percent. Due to legislative changes, enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program in Texas dropped from 416,302 to 388,281.

Texas also has a prison population of 350,000, second-highest in the nation. Most inmates did not finish high school. Many were abused as children. What we “save” in under-serving our “at risk” populations comes back for another payday. In the words of Scripture: We “reap what we sow” (Galatians 6:7). Perhaps it is significant that the Apostle Paul goes on in this passage to admonish: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10).

Many of our churches are waking up to the challenge of “doing good to all people,” in their communities. First Baptist Church in Huntsville is leading the way in developing programs that will get churches across Texas involved in ministering to those released from prison. Churches are working at providing food and health care for families and children in need. Starting new churches means we are able to get the gospel to people so the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit begins to change everything about them and their families. You also can get informed enough to talk to our state lawmakers and leaders about doing what is good for the people of Texas. For we really do reap what we sow.

We are loved.

Charles Wade is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas