Posted: 9/30/05

Around the State

Internationally acclaimed Bible scholar Ben Withering-ton is the featured speaker at the George Knight Bible Conference to be held Oct. 6 at Hardin-Simmons Univer-sity's Logsdon School of Theology. The theme for the conference is “Dispensational-ism and the Rapture Theology: Where Did They Come From?” The 9:30 a.m. presentation, “The Rise and Spread of Dispensational Hermeneu-tics,” the 11:55 a.m. chapel service and the 7 p.m. lecture, “Enraptured but not Uplifted,” are free and open to the public. For more information, call (325) 670-1287.

Dennis Prager, a national syndicated radio talk show host, will be the speaker for the inaugural Florence Quinn Distinguished Lecture Series at East Texas Baptist University. Prager, an Orthodox Jew, will speak on “The Finest Value System Ever Devised: The Case for Judeo-Christian Values.” The lecture will be held Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. in Baker Auditorium of the Rogers Spiritual Life Center on campus. Tickets are $15 for advance individual tickets, $12 for advance tickets in blocks of 10 or more, or $20 at the door. For more information, call (903) 923-2070.

A four-night crusade at Dalhart Memorial Football Stadium saw 552 spiritual decisions, including 285 first-time professions of faith. Twenty churches joined together for the endeavor. Rick Gage was the evangelist.

Earl Hendrick of The Heights Church in Richardson prepares a hospital bed for shipping to Bulgaria. Cookie Slate, a member of the church who also is a board member of Bulgarian Child, Inc., spearheaded the drive to gather donations that filled a 40-foot container with humanitarian aid for Bulgarian orphans. Major donations came from Richardson Medical Center, which donated used medical equipment, and Buckner Orphan Care International's Shoes for Orphan Souls office, which donated thousands of pairs of shoes. Other contributions included computers, play equipment and new clothes. One anonymous couple donated more than 900 pairs of new blue jeans. Over the past eight years, the church has sent 11 similar containers. A group from the church will travel to Bulgaria this month to fit orphans with new shoes, socks and clothes. Gary Singleton is pastor.

Drew McMaster of Bellaire and Abby Wilks of Hereford were named the recipients of the Nat Tracy Servant Leadership Award at Howard Payne University.

Nineteen new faculty members began their service at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor this semester. They include Janet Adamski, visiting associate professor, history and political science; Victor Agosto, visiting instructor, modern foreign languages; Heidi Clark, assistant professor, nursing; Jenny Davis, visiting professor, accounting, economics and finance; Christi Emerson, assistant professor, nursing; Gregory Frederick, assistant professor, biology; Isaac Gusukuma, associate professor, social work; Barbara Lambrecht, visiting instructor, music; Jonathan Leach, assistant professor, modern foreign languages; Chrisann Merriman, assistant professor, management and marketing; Tiffany Mitchell, visiting professor, accounting, economics and finance; Tatiana Moment, visiting professor, management and marketing; Christine Nix, instructor, social work; Katherine Owens, visiting instructor, communication and dramatic arts; Rebecca Peterson, associate professor, history and political science; Debra Powell, visiting instructor, management and marketing; Margaret Prydun, associate professor, nursing; Avery Reese, instructor, communications; and Joseph Vasek, assistant professor, education.

Myles and Gayle Smith of Edmund, Okla., have been selected as Baylor University's Parents of the Year for 2005. The Smiths are members of the Baylor Parents League, the Development Council and the Baylor Bear Foundation. They were selected as Baylor Alumni By Choice in 2004. Their daughter Tifani is a 2001 Baylor graduate, while their son, Adam, is a junior majoring in accounting. They were nominated for the award by their son.

Gene Owen, longtime trustee and supporter of Wayland Baptist University, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Legacy Leadership Award.

Appointments

Joe and Becca Dowdy have been appointed by the Inter-national Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as apprentice missionaries to Central and Eastern Europe. He will work as a strategy coordinator, while she makes outreach endeavors. They have two children, Joseph, 6, and Elizabeth, 4. She is a Texas native and a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He attended Dallas Baptist University and is a Baylor University graduate. He was pastor of Frost Church in Frost at the time of their appointment.

Anniversaries

Gary Koerner, fifth, as music minister at First Church in Shallowater, Sept. 1.

Emmanuel Church in Waco, 75th, Sept. 18. Randy Hughes is pastor.

Rob Phillips, fifth, as pastor of Royal Haven Church in Dallas, Sept. 24.

Larry NeGron, 20th, as minister of education at Lakeside Church in Dallas, Oct. 9. The church will hold a reception in his honor.

Conway Avenue Church in Mission, 50th, Nov. 4-6. Activities will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday with an ice cream fellowship and mixer for members past and present. A carnival will be held Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be food, music, speakers and games. A catered lunch will follow Sunday's morning service. Reservations are required for lunch. For more information or to make a lunch reservation, call (956) 585-2413 weekdays before noon. Raymond Woodruff is the interim pastor.

Leesville Church in Leesville, 130th, Nov. 5-6. A celebration including the community and area churches will be held on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Music, refreshments and a recounting of the church's history will mark the time. Charles Wade, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, also will speak. Sunday will include remarks by Tommy Wilson, director of missions for South Central Baptist Area. A barbecue lunch will follow the morning service. To make reservations, call (210) 827-7739. Charles Kemble is pastor.

Retiring

Bob Tremaine, director of missions for Parker-Palo Pinto Baptist Area, Sept. 30. He is recovering from triple bypass heart surgery. He has been a pastor and was a home missionary 24 years. During that time he started 38 churches, while always pastoring at least one or more of the missions he started. He has been director of missions for the area since 1992. He was a standout basketball player at Hardin-Simmons University prior to his graduation in 1957. Correspondence to him can be sent to 6005 Pinwood Circle, Arlington 76001.

Deaths

Andy Patterson, 76, Sept. 21 in Abilene. He was a member of the faculty at Hardin-Simmons University 40 years. He served as a professor of music theory and composition, was head of that department and was professor of woodwinds. Patterson was commissioned to write a piece for the university's centennial in 1991. He composed his first melody at age 5 and began teaching private lessons at 13. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Beverly; and sons, Andy Jr., Michael and Philip.

Gene Macey, 77, Sept. 23 in Wilmer. Macey was among the evacuees trapped in a burning bus on Interstate 35 as they fled Hurricane Rita. A longtime member of South Main Church in Houston, he was a deacon and taught children's Sunday school many years. He taught second grade in the Alief school district more than 20 years, and after his retirement, he spent his time as a substitute school teacher and as a volunteer at Texas Children's Hospital. He volunteered at the hospital 26 years, contributing more than 31,000 hours. He was a member of the hospital's auxiliary and served as the organization's president. He was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel. He is survived by his daughter, Cissy Smith; brothers, K.E. and Wallace; three grandsons; and two great-grandchildren.

Events

Oakwood Church in Lubbock dedicated its facilities Oct. 2. Kevin Hall is pastor.

Artist Shirley Cunning-ham will premeire a 21-work collection, “Wonderful Words of Life: Visions from the Broadman Hymnal,” in the James Gallery at Wilshire Church in Dallas. The exhibit continues through Oct. 9. Cunningham, known foremost as a fabric artist and specialty sewing instructor, has created 21 pieces in various media, including fabric, collage, wood, stone and paper. Each piece interprets a hymn found in the 1940 Broadman Hymnal. Included are "Amazing Grace," "Rock of Ages," Blest Be the Tie," "Redeemed" and "Shall We Gather at the River.” The exhibit will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, except Thurs-day, when hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. George Mason is pastor.

Rose of Sharon Church in Tyler will hold homecoming services Oct. 9. Harvey Starling is pastor.

A one-day seminar will be held Oct. 15 at Wedgwood Church in Fort Worth to offer insights into the child adoption process and to answer questions for families contemplating adoption. Eight adoption agencies will participate in the seminar including Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services. The conference, sponsored by the Southwest Adoption Network, is designed to open dialogue for those beginning the adoption process. Topics will include financing an adoption, understanding the differences between international and domestic adoption, and parenting adopted children. The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $15 per person or $25 per couple, which includes lunch. For more information, call (817) 292-1400.

Swenson Church in Swenson will dedicate its facilities Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. The building was aided in construction by the Volunteer Christian Builders and Campers on Mission. The church celebrated its third anniversary last month. Frank Slayton is pastor.

Franklin Avenue Church of New Orleans has begun having weekly services at First Church in Houston each Sunday at 1 p.m.

Licensed

Obadiah Rouse to the ministry at First Church in Carrizo Springs.

Ordained

Cody Shouse to the ministry at First Church in Duncanville.

Bryan Maine to the ministry at First Church of Lakeside in Morgan.

Dana Ellis to the ministry at The Heights Church in Richardson.

Nathan Rice to the ministry at The Heights Church in Richardson.

John Jones to the ministry at Frelsburg Church in New Ulm.

Brent Calhoun to the ministry at First Church in Markham.

Robert Vaught as a deacon at First Church of Lake Brownwood.

Adam Gonzales as a deacon at First Church in Carrizo Springs.

Broadview Church, Abilene; Oct. 2-5; evangelist, Cecil Peasley; pastor, David Cason.

Revivals

North Park Church, Abilene; Oct. 2-5; evangelist, Mike Anderson; pastor, Louis Johnson.

Potosi Church, Abilene; Oct. 9-12; evangelist, Allen Hatch; pastor, Jim McCurley.

Rose of Sharon Church, Tyler; Oct. 10-14; evangelist, Charles Faulks; pastor, Harvey Starling.

Belmont Church, Deni-son; Oct. 16-19; evangelist, Gerald Dudley; music, Shawn Davis; pastor, Grady Newsom.

Posted: 9/30/05

American Baptists withdraw over gay issue

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–A Cali-fornia-based group of churches has announced plans to begin the process of withdrawing from the American Baptist Churches USA, bringing the denomination closer to a possible split over an ongoing debate about homosexuality.

The divide between American Baptists and local-church bodies appears to be growing wider with the action taken by the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest, which national church leaders said makes them “profoundly saddened.”

About the same time, executives of the West Virginia Baptist Con-vention appointed a special team to consider “facts and options” concerning its relationship with the Valley Forge, Pa.-based denomination.

More actions related to the denomination's stance on homosexuality are expected at meetings at various levels throughout the fall.

During its biennial meeting this summer, General Secretary Roy Medley said the divisions over homosexuality could lead to either separation or “shared ministry and mission” in a denomination that includes both conservatives opposed to inclusion of practicing homosexuals and more liberal congregations that officially welcome gays and lesbians.

“The issue of homosexuality has brought us as a denomination to a crossroad in our life together,” Medley told the assembly.

The resolution approved by the Pacific Southwest regional board states that “a process to withdraw” should begin because the “deep differences” are considered by the board to be “irreconcilable.”

The regional group's board believes the denomination has not enforced a resolution that states “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

In a letter to pastors and congregations in the Pacific Southwest region, board President Brian Scrivens said the decision to pursue withdrawal came after meetings with top leaders of the denomination.

The regional group includes 300 churches in Southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.

The denomination's General Board Executive Committee responded to the action during its recent meeting in Atlanta.

“We grieve and are profoundly saddened by the decision of the board of directors of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest 'to initiate the process to withdraw from the Covenant of Relationships,'” a statement ap-proved by the executive committee said.

“This decision will separate the region from the American Baptist family and our mission if the region completes its action.” The executive committee noted that while the denomination has issued statements and resolutions affirming heterosexual marriage and the “importance of biblical authority,” it cannot determine the actions of local congregations.

“The General Board … does not set policy for local congregations on theological or other issues,” it said. “We are not hierarchical or episcopal because we are a denominational family related by a series of voluntary covenantal relationships among autonomous congregations to partner together in mission.”

The committee said individual churches within the western region would remain affiliated with the denomination unless each congregation held a separate vote to leave.

At the same time the Pacific Southwest leaders took a definitive step toward separation, church leaders in West Virginia began a more exploratory process.

Leaders of the West Virginia Baptist Convention appointed a working group to consider such issues as necessary legal procedures to change the convention's status with the denomination and “possible arrangements for continuing relationships with like-minded regions of the ABC/USA and with missionaries.”

John Simmons, minister of mission support for the 467 churches in the West Virginia group, said some churches have signed resolutions saying “they want something to change” or they will consider dropping financial support or affiliation with the denomination.

Posted: 9/30/05

Baylor chaplain offers pastoral
care to campus community

By Terri Jo Ryan

Special to the Standard

WACO–The toot-toot of a motor-scooter horn raised a chorus of murmers and chuckles from the thousands of Baylor University students who attended chapel the first day of classes this fall.

“I couldn't find any parking!” interim university Chaplain Byron Weathersbee announced.

Weathersbee saw his unconventional arrival in chapel as a visually arresting way to introduce himself to the students for whose spiritual welfare he has charge–at least until the next semester.

“Hang on for the ride of your life,” he told the predominantly freshman class. Weathersbee, 42-year-old co-founder and president of Legacy Family Ministries, could be speaking to himself as well.

The 1985 Baylor graduate, who will provide pastoral care to the university community at-large, comes into his new position at a time of great transitions on campus.

Interim university President Bill Underwood named him to lead university ministries, which has the mission of spiritual development of students through resident chaplains, discipline-specific mission opportunities and the sports chaplain program.

Interim student life Vice President Dub Oliver described Weathersbee as a committed Christian known for excellent ministry.

Randall O'Brien, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, lauded him as “a gifted leader, a caring person and a passionate visionary of the place of Jesus Christ in the lives of young people, and all people, in our world today.”

Weathersbee just hopes he touches students where they are on their faith journeys. Since chapel attendance is required, he acknowledges it can be a tough audience.

So, he told his charges in the introductory chapel service that with the stresses inherent in their first year, the class-load and the roommate relations, he hoped chapel will become “a refuge in the hectic craziness, a place to get recentered, to gain perspective on who you are and who the Lord is.”

Even at an “unapologetically Christian university” such as Baylor, students can pursue power, prestige and possessions, he said. But as the writer of Ecclesiastes observed, these are “meaningless, meaningless” without a relationship with the divine, he added.

Weathersbee calls chapel–the twice-weekly 45-minute devotionals with contemporary Christian music and guest speakers from a variety of Christian traditions–a “Sabbath moment” students should seize to power down and reboot.

“We all need these 'pull away times' to re-assess who we are and where we are going. This is a time of inquiry in their lives, and we want to help them navigate that tricky terrain,” he said.

He considers it a privilege and a sacred duty to step into the role of interim chaplain.

“One of Baylor's greatest assets is its commitment to the spiritual development of students, and I look forward to the challenges ahead. I am honored to work with one of Baylor's oldest traditions,” he said.

“We want chapel to be so good that you are there every time. We know we've hit a home run if people come to chapel and they are not even enrolled in chapel.”

To build suspense and increase anticipation, Weathersbee said he will only release one month of the chapel schedule at a time.

Weathersbee was ordained to the ministry in 1985 at First Baptist Church of Gatesville. Following his Baylor graduation, he earned a master's degree in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctorate of education degree in leadership from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

His took his first church staff position in 1983 as a youth intern at First Baptist Church in Bartlesville, Okla. He also served as minister of youth and recreation at First Baptist Church in Gatesville and Immanuel Baptist Church in Temple; minister of students and family life center director at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Tulsa, Okla.; and minister of youth at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco.

In 1995, Weathersbee became associate pastor at Waco's University Baptist Church about six months after its founding by Chris Seay and David Crowder. At the innovative church that targeted a younger generation and grew to nearly 1,000 worship participants in its first year, he organized and implemented spiritual-growth groups and trained small-group leaders.

That same year, Weathersbee and his wife, Carla, founded Legacy Family Ministries, a nonprofit organization that does relationship development with students, marriage preparation courses for engaged couples and family camp weekends.

He also has taught recreation/wellness and graduate sports ethics courses the past five years as a part-time lecturer in Baylor's department of health, human performance and recreation.

He was recruited by his predecessor, Todd Lake, as a part-time sports chaplain at Baylor in June 2003 and still is responsible for recruiting, training and coordinating volunteer sports chaplains for each of university's athletic teams. For the past decade, he has been the volunteer chaplain for the Baylor baseball team.

The Weathersbees have three children: Bo, 18; Brittney, 16; and Casey, 12. They are members of Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, where Weathersbee currently serves on the church's pastor-search committee.

Posted: 9/30/05

Beaumont Buckner foster
family flees Hurricane Rita

By Russ Dilday

Buckner Benevolences

DALLAS–When the mandatory order to evacuate Beaumont arrived as Hurricane Rita approached, foster parent Ellinor Nixon's motherly instincts kicked in. She prepared the 11 children she and her daughter, Gayle, parent through Buckner Foster Care to leave the next morning for Lufkin.

“My only thoughts were getting them to safety and keeping us together, especially my two special-needs children,” she said.

“I told them, 'We might have to tie a rope to each of us, but we're going to stay together.'”

Nixon, a nine-year Buck-ner foster parent, and her daughter packed their two cars and recruited Nixon's brother, James, to drive a third to Dallas. By the time the caravan pulled out of her driveway the next morning, four adults were driving the 11 foster children and four additional family children.

Buckner foster parent Ellinor Nixon of Beaumont helps one of her foster children try on a new outfit provided by the Buckner Crisis Relief Center.

Blocked routes and gridlocked highways brought on by the rush of evacuees from Southeast Texas tested Nixon and her children in what turned out to be a 35-hour travel ordeal.

First, there was the traffic. When the group reached the crowded intersection of Highways I-10 and I-45, they realized they could not make it. Turning around, they tried to head toward Louisiana but were diverted north on State Highway 62 toward Jasper, well east of their intended route.

Foster daughter Sandy, 18, said that every time the group “got to the place we needed to be, they would turn us around. We got into a lot of traffic, then we would turn off the air conditioner and the engine.”

The trip began to wear on the family, she said. When a 14-year-old foster son began “helping me with driving directions, I had to remind him that I am in charge. That's my job.”

With the extended travel, the group ran low on gas. By the time they reached Lufkin that night, they were dangerously low on fuel and needed bathrooms.

They pulled into the parking lot of a local fast-food restaurant to keep the group intact while Nixon's daughter went in search of available gas.

While they waited at the crowded restaurant, Nixon said a caravan of Beaumont school buses pulled into the parking lot and unloaded “what seemed like 500 people” she said. “They were hungry, so we gave them some food and some water. But they started talking about breaking into (the restaurant), and we called 911.”

The group shared food with the school bus riders, part of a group of 2,000 people who had been evacuated from Beaumont. She and the children witnessed a large fight break out among the bus riders and saw one of the riders, a woman, hit and killed by a vehicle as she crossed the street in front of the restaurant.

Despite the dangerous situation, Nixon said her foster children needed to see bravery. “We're a therapeutic foster family, which means we foster children with more extensive emotional or physical needs. We had to show no fear, but I prayed a lot.”

Foster daughter Ashley, 18, said that's typical of Nixon, who has cared for her six years. “She's always been there for me and protected me.”

With Lufkin hotels full and the situation unstable, they decided to press on to Dallas, where her son, Chris, is an attorney.

Unknown to Nixon and her group, First Baptist Church in Lufkin was housing almost 300 residents, foster care families, staff and staff families from Beaumont-area Buckner ministries, including Buckner Children's Village and Calder Woods, a Buckner retirement community.

Early Friday morning, Nixon's daughter returned to the group and said she had found gas at a small station on the edge of town.

“At 9 a.m. Friday, we got the last gas at that pump,” said Nixon. “They locked it up after that.”

Still plodding through heavy traffic, they reached Jackson-ville by noon, when Chris Nixon contacted Buckner officials to seek housing for the family.

JoAnn Cole, executive director for Buck-ner Children and Fa-mily Services of North Texas, quickly res-ponded by housing all 19 in Nixon's caravan at a temporarily open apartment at Buckner Family Pathways on the Buckner Children's Home Campus.

Nixon's immediate future is unknown. A phone call from a relative informed her a tree had fallen across the back of her two-story home in Beaumont, “knocking in my roof at the back.”

With power out for an indefinite time in Beaumont, Buckner is committed to providing shelter for Nixon and her family for the foreseeable future, said Felipe Garza, vice president and general manager for Buckner Children and Family Services.

The Buckner Crisis Relief Center has provided them with donated clothing to augment the few clothes each was able to pack.

“She is the model for a committed foster parent, and we are committed to support her,” he said. “If you look at how far she drove, the obstacles and the driving conditions she faced, you get a real sense of how our foster parents treat these kids like their own families. They love them, they take care of them and they make sure they're OK.”

Posted: 9/30/05

Book Reviews

Through Painted Deserts: Light, God and Beauty on the Open Road by Donald Miller (Nelson Books)

The first shall be fourth, and the fourth shall hopefully not be the last. In Donald Miller's third book, Searching for God Knows What, he mentions the lack of readership his first book generated. I was disappointed to learn this new fourth book is simply a re-edit of his first. Con-sequently, if you're a Miller fan based on his acclaimed Blue Like Jazz, as I am, you'll quickly sense that Through Painted Desert is really “early Miller” before he found his edgier, postmodern voice.

That being said, this road trip memoir, which journals his escape from hometown Houston to find himself, is like any road trip, spent mostly in some long stretches of predictable characters and well-traveled inspirational landscape. Occasionally though, Miller stops off at a scenic spiritual overlook that is quite memorable. The author shines when he is unpacking a metaphor for God, such as light, in some ways that use both poetry and physics to create a theological reflection that opens up some interesting new vistas on the mystery of God. Similarly, when I read aloud a particularly moving passage that explores the finitude of life, it brought tears to the eyes of some in my Bible study group.

What are you reading that other Texas Baptists would find helpful? Send suggestions and reviews to books@baptiststandard.com.

While his thoughts on prayer seem somewhat naïve to me (e.g. God gets credit for answering a prayer to fix the broken-down van with no seeming awareness of the theological problems such pedestrian interventions create for those with far greater suffering), his reflections on issues such as our universal search for meaning seem far more mature. If you're looking for a book that will take you to a more reflective place on your own quest for meaning and the freedom to be your best self, you'll find some inspiration here. But if you're hungering after Miller's next postmodern take on what it means to be an emergent Christian, you'll have to wait for his next book.

Brad Russell, pastor

The Springs Church

San Antonio

Finding God's Vision: Missions and the New Realities by Bill Tinsley (Veritas)

Global change is obvious–just talk to your Indian tech-support guy. Yet we cherish our sense of continuity and control. Bill Tinsley, head of World-conneX, argues change is real and unavoidable. But he adds that the “new realities” yield a new missions opportunity. We may resent change, but the kingdom payoff is great.

Tinsley talks about factors like the drive to connect and the marriage of business and missions. Business people witness where missionaries can't go. The desire for personal connection means churches in-creasingly prefer direct support of and trips to specific mission locales in the place of budgeted contributions to large, anonymous agencies. I would add that the new openness to spirituality, despite its risks, makes our message more hearable; and that the new awareness of world religions means they will listen to us if we will listen to them.

Like it or not, denominational life and ways of doing mission are changing. Tinsley makes a careful, restrained case for this in a book that is accessible to lay leaders as well as pastors and staff.

Mark Thames, pastor

Lower Greenville Community Church

Dallas

King Me: What Every Son Wants and Needs From His Father by Steve Farrar (Moody)

Steve Farrar, former pastor, popular speaker, and author of the widely read book, Point Man, presents in his newest work, King Me, a strong case for the intentional commitment of fathers to raise truly masculine, godly sons. Farrar's book does not merely challenge Christian fathers, but provides a “how to” manual for getting the job done.

King Me is unapologetically about fathers and sons. With a study of the ancient Old Testament kings as his background, Farrar underscores God's unchanging principles for preparing boys and young men to enter adulthood but adds modern application and anecdotes.

The reader may not fully agree with his theology or glittering generalities (“When a boy is mentored by women or raised primarily by women, then that boy will become almost certainly feminized”), but anyone who reads the book must acknowledge Farrar's deep passion for challenging today's fathers to rear godly sons in an environment that is increasingly hostile to basic Christian tenets.

The writer is honest about his own failures as a father (“And I'm the guy who's supposed to have the answers because I write books to men. I didn't know snot.”)

His candidness serves as an invitation for the reader to identify with his emotional struggles as a father and gives hope to ordinary men who may feel overwhelmed by the task of fatherhood.

Farrar, in this book, is at his best.

At times humorous, and occasionally “in your face” confrontational, he has written a book that America's fathers need to read. America's preachers need to read it, too.

Charles Walton, pastor

First Baptist Church

Conroe

Fundamentalism Observed, the first of five volumes of the University of Chicago Fundamentalism Project, directed by Martin Marty and Scott Appleby (University of Chicago Press)

I have all five volumes–around 3,500 pages in total–and am sure that on my deathbed, I'll still be working my way through this report. I'm convinced fundamentalism–and I do not use the term pejoratively, only descriptively–is the under-reported story of my time. It is imperative that journalists–and particularly opinion writers–understand this sweeping and worldwide movement.

Paul K. Harral, editorial page editor

Star-Telegram

Member, Broadway Baptist Church

Fort Worth

Lost Women of the Bible by Carolyn Custis James (Zondervan)

I am reading this book because I heard the author at a women's meeting and was intrigued by her first book, When Faith and Life Collide, theology for women. This new book is one in which she asks the questions that women of today ask of themselves, and she tries to see if the women we know in Scripture have relevant answers for us. I thought it was an interesting approach. Her title refers to women searching for their identity and place, not the forgotten or ignored women of the Bible.

Patty Lane, director

Intercultural Initiatives

Baptist General Convention of Texas

Posted: 9/30/05

Baptist Briefs

IMB trustees approve Elliff as VP. International Mission Board trustees unanimously ratified the selection of Tom Elliff, longtime pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla., as IMB senior vice president for spiritual nurture and church relations, effective Nov. 1. Elliff, 61, served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He and his wife, Jeannie, were appointed as missionaries to Zimbabwe in 1981, but their missionary career was cut short by an automobile accident resulting in severe injuries to their daughter.

Rainer elected LifeWay president. LifeWay Christian Resources trustees unanimously elected Thom Rainer to become the ninth president of the Southern Baptist publishing house. As president-elect, Rainer will begin working alongside LifeWay President Jimmy Draper Oct. 17 until Draper's retirement Feb. 1, 2006. Rainer, 50, is dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he earned master of divinity and Ph.D. degrees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of churches in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Indiana prior to joining Southern in 1994 as founding dean of the Billy Graham School. He is the author of 16 books, including Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, The Unchurched Next Door and Breakout Churches. Rainer also is founder, president and CEO of The Rainer Group, a national church and denominational consultant organization. He and his wife, Nellie Jo, have three sons–Sam, Art and Jess.

NAMB offers $10 million in church loans. The Southern Baptist North American Mission Board has designated $10 million in disaster relief loans to churches affected by Hurricane Katrina. The mission agency will provide low-interest loans up to $100,000 to Southern Baptist churches for repair of church facilities, replacement of equipment or materials, or to cover expenses while a church is displaced, said Karl Dietz, director of the mission board's church finance ministry team.

Tennessee Baptists reject Belmont proposal. Tennessee Baptists' Executive Board voted 44-29 to reject a covenant agreement proposal from Belmont University that would have allowed up to 40 percent of the Nashville school's trustees to be non-Baptists. Currently, all trustees must be members of churches affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention and be approved by convention messengers. Belmont, which has 4,300 students, receives about $2.3 million a year from the convention, representing about 2.8 percent of its revenue. Under the rejected plan, Belmont would have spent all convention funds on aid for Tennessee Baptist students.

LifeWay authorizes $6 million for Katrina relief. Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources unanimously voted to authorize the company's executive leaders to use $6 million in reserve funds to help Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The funding will begin immediately and continue throughout the 2006 fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.

SBC Executive Committee elects Religious Right activist as VP. The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee unanimously elected a Tennessee pastor active in the "vote values" movement as vice president for convention relations. Kenyn Cureton, who has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tenn., nearly 20 years, succeeds Bill Merrell, effective Nov. 1. Cureton wrote the 2004 iVoteValues.com Voter Resource Guide with Richard Land, president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and he produced pamphlets, bulletin inserts and other resources for the national initiative. The materials were adapted by Focus for the Family for distribution through its 2004 voter campaign. He holds Ph.D. and master of divinity degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and an undergraduate degree from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. He is a former pastor of Sandy Baptist Church in Ravenna.

Posted: 9/30/05

Posted: 9/30/05

Chihuahuan Connection
founder driven to meet needs

By Terri Jo Ryan

Special to the Baptist Standard

WACO–Rick Caywood, director of the Chihuahuan Connection relief agency, doesn't believe it takes “a super-spiritual guy” to serve Christ. All it takes is someone who is driven to meet needs and bring people into a right relationship with God.

Caywood, who attends Highland Baptist Church of Waco when he's not making a grocery run to the border, feeds thousands of impoverished Mexicans each year with pinto beans, potatoes and powdered milk. He also collected water, baby formula and diapers for survivors of Hurricane Ka-trina.

Rick Caywood of Highland Baptist Church in Waco directs the Chihuahuan Connection. BELOW: The Chihuahuan Connection's 'tater-toter' hauls potatoes in bulk.

With a small cadre of paid and volunteer truckers crisscrossing the country each week, Caywood, 56, picks up loads of low-cost dry goods in American locations and brings them into Mexico to feed the needy or in the rural South to save lives.

The Chihuahuan Con-nection partners with about 100 other Christian ministries of various denominations to distribute food and meet other needs to the Mexican border towns from South Texas to Southern Cali-fornia.

Caywood stumbled into the hunger-busting business around Thanksgiving 1996, when he and some friends from the Wings For Christ aviation ministry stopped in Big Bend to sightsee but were delayed two days by bad weather.

Ann and Henry Hall of Big Bend Baptist Church “adopted” the broke travelers for dinner and introduced them to the idea of combatting poverty in the borderlands. “I was infected with missionary-itis,” Caywood confessed.

He phoned friends in the Waco area to raise money. Later, he returned to Terlingua with a pickup truck full of building supplies, clothes and food. Caywood soon began his own ministry to ship food and other goods to the border, using a light truck and trailer. He made contacts with missionaries and relief workers from the Rio Grande Valley to Arizona to California.

The Chihuahuan Con-nection started with a van and a 16-foot flatbed trailer and grew from there, supported mostly by charitable foundations, some businesses and scores of individual donors and volunteers.

In a 53-foot 18-wheeler bought by the Meyer Foundation, Caywood was sitting on a 45,000-pound load of pinto beans meant for the poor of Mexico. For a heavily discounted price, he was able to buy the load from Gooding, Idaho, farmer Louis Davenport, who had been growing pintos for the poor since 1971.

With a shoestring budget, a borrowed warehouse and donated trucks, Caywood has shipped tons of food to missions, schools, orphanages, drug rehab centers and soup kitchens. He partners with groups like Feed the Children in Oklahoma City and the Society of St. Andrew, a “gleaning” ministry that salvages foodstuffs from other sources.

“Matthew 6:11 tells us, 'Give us this day our daily bread,' and we operate on this premise,” Caywood said. “We work with no contingency, no reserves. It's literally 'No dough, no go' for us.”

But it always seems to come in as needed. One time they prayed for more foundation support, and two hours later, philanthropist Paul Meyer provided some monthly expenses and a big piece of equipment.

Another time, just as he was writing a plea in the ministry newsletter for tires to replace the worn ones on a donated vehicle, a stranger from Coolidge, Ariz., called saying that God had told him to bless someone that day. Turns out, he ran a tire store.

“I have a hard time sharing these testimonies sometimes without weeping,” Caywood said, “God's power and mercy and provision and love are overwheleming.”

Caywood occasionally uses his own credit cards to meet gaps.

“I guess God's a good credit risk,” he said.

One time, he confessed, he wrote a check for a shipment of food, knowing his bank balance couldn't cover it but trusting God to provide. The next day, a friend in McLennan County told him she had been moved to donate $1,300, which covered the outstanding check.

“People don't believe it, but that kind of stuff happens regularly,” he said.

“God moves in wonderful ways with Rick,” said Teresa Tindell, a customer-service representative at Central Freight. Her husband is one of Caywood's drivers. “Rick is a true, honest, hard-working man who only wants to provide for the hungry individuals in Mexico.”

It's difficult to catch up with Caywood most days. He drives hundreds of miles each week collecting donated food from the ends of the country and hauling it to the borderlands.

Through his contacts in the food industry, he purchases excess production at a discount and distributes it throughout his network. He recently distributed 45,000 pounds of rice and has shipped more than 12 tons of military MREs–meals ready to eat.

His nonprofit ministry has a mailing list of about 600 people and its own board of directors.

There's been a learning curve, of course.

After a disasterous trip to Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, in which almost all 40,000 pounds of a load of potatoes went bad before they could be distributed to the poor families who had waited many hours in line for them, Caywood got the gift of a $32,000 “tater-toter.”

The specialized produce hauler with a conveyor for shipping bulk potatoes ensures they will make it to their destination without spoiling.

Caywood's paycheck is about two-thirds of what he made as a counselor at Gatesville High School, the job he left five years ago, but he doesn't worry about retirement.

“I'll retire when I expire,” he said.

Posted: 9/30/05

DOWN HOME:
A birthday party is a lot like heaven

Not so long ago, or so it seems, our lives revolved around birthday parties.

When our daughters, Lindsay and Molly, were little kids, our family's social calendar burst at the boundaries with birthday parties–if not for our own girls, then for their friends. For awhile there, when I thought of our local McDonald's, I didn't think about burgers and fries, but birthday cake and wrapping paper.

The result of all those birthday parties, of course, is that our girls grew up. Now they're off at college, and they don't get all that excited about Barbie dolls, Happy Meals and playing “Duck, Duck, Goose.”

But now we've reached the phase of life where we go to more birthday parties again. This time, it's for our friends. They're passing a milestone, the Big 5-0, the Half-Century Mark. At the very least, it's a good excuse to gather friends together and reminisce about old times. Or stand in the corner and thank the Good Lord we're not aging as fast as So-and-So.

The other Saturday night, Joanna and I went to a 50th birthday party for our friend Donna. She and her husband, Dennis, and their kids, Amy and David, recently moved to Austin. But they came back to Lewisville for her shindig, since most of their friends still live up here.

The best part of the party came near the very end, when Donna opened her presents. Actually that was the occasion of the best part, which happened when she started reading all her birthday cards out loud.

She practically had to shout, so her voice could be heard over all her friends' laughter and jokes–mostly lame jokes about aging.

Donna grew up in Pampa, in the Texas Panhandle, about 65 miles from my boyhood home of Perryton. Listening to her laugh and read her cards and cut up transported me to my childhood. I leaned over to my friend Peter and said, “If you listen carefully to Donna, you can hear every one of my aunts.”

It's true, Donna's Panhandle accent sounds just like Aunt Mary, Aunt Jane and Aunt “O,” who all grew up and/or lived in the Panhandle when I was coming along. I loved them and love her, and the sound of a woman's voice like that makes me feel deeply and peacefully at home.

As I looked around the crowd, however, I realized I only knew about half the people. A big birthday party–like a wedding or a funeral–is an event of amazing uniqueness. It's a gathering of people whose common denominator is friendship with the honoree, bride and groom, or deceased (depending, of course, on the occasion).

The biggest segment of Donna's birthday crowd was comprised of friends from church, which is where Jo and I came in. We all know each other. But neighbors, co-workers, family and childhood friends also showed up. An eclectic collection, all bound by their affection for Donna.

That kind of reminds me of what heaven must be like–a wild assortment of folks. All friendly with each other. All bound by our love for Jesus.

—Marv Knox

Posted: 9/30/05

EDITORIAL:
Compassion fatigue threatens response

When I was younger–much younger–track was my sport of choice. Oh, I loved football more. But a kid who's only 5'8″ and 129 lbs. has to be realistic.

For several years, I ran the 440–one lap, a quarter-mile. No matter how hard I ran in practice, the physiology of the race remained the same. When we finished running the second curve, with 330 yards behind us and 110 still to go, we “picked up the piano,” as Coach Byerly liked to say. Training, rest and preparation helped, of course, but at the 330-mark, fatigue began to clobber stamina. And running that last 110 yards always felt like carrying a piano down the track toward the finish line.

As I got older, true sprinters started running the quarter. I was not a true sprinter. So, my coaches suggested I switch to the half-mile. Speed isn't such a factor in the half, they told me. What they didn't tell me was that the piano still waited for me at the 330-mark. But in this race, I had to carry it another 550 yards. And in this race, fatigue sat at the keyboard, playing a beast of a tune.

Maybe this metaphor is a bit, um, pedestrian. But imagine that we're running a race to respond to all the human needs swirling around us. Instead of a half-mile race, call it an ultra-marathon. We've already “picked up the piano.” We've got a long, long way to go. And if we quit running, lives will be damaged beyond repair, communities will be ruined forever, and needs will persist into infinity.

Right now, we're susceptible to compassion fatigue. It's the sense of being overwhelmed by need on an epic scale. It begins with an impulse to reach out and help folks who suffered life's harshest blows. Unfortunately, when it sets in, it morphs into denial, blame, aversion and, ultimately, apathy. We weep and sympathize and give until we can weep and sympathize and give no more. And then we just want to get on with our lives, not looking to the right or left to see the pain and agony that persists among our neighbors.

First Katrina and now Rita have yanked our hearts out and drowned them in a sea of misery. We're more susceptible to compassion fatigue than we have been in quite awhile, probably since 9/11, which was a different kind of trauma on a completely different scale.

From the looks of things, compassion fatigue afflicted some Baptists in less than a week. I've been watching the offering totals at my own church and hearing reports from other congregations. The first Sunday after Katrina, these churches gathered great sums of cash to alleviate the suffering of evacuees from New Orleans. But by the second Sunday, those churches' budget receipts fell markedly. Apparently, people took the money they normally would give to their church, donated it to hurricane relief and considered they'd “sacrificed” enough. They shouldn't expect to see this replayed as one of their shining moments when they get to heaven. God is mysterious, but I'm pretty sure God isn't proud of us if we give our tithes to charity and pat ourselves on the back. Our congregations carry the burden of supporting ongoing ministries, no matter what other needs arise. Tithing is the cornerstone of faithfulness to God. Begin with your tithe, then follow your heart to other vital concerns:

The demand for disaster relief will extend far into the future. Many wonderful charities are at work. If you support Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief, you will help feed displaced evacuees, as well as rescue and relief workers, in the wakes of Katrina and Rita. Texas Baptist Men will help rebuild communities in the name of Jesus for months and months to come. You can mark your check for “disaster response” and send it to Texas Baptist Men, the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation or the BGCT Controller's Office, all at 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246-1798.

Don't forget the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions. This $5 million offering is Texas Baptists' primary means of supporting a vast range of ministries that won't be funded if the goal is not met. Unfortunately, the offering kicked off in-between Katrina and Rita. Please don't overlook the Mary Hill Davis Offering; it is our lifeline to Texans who desperately need Christ's presence in their lives.You can give through your church or send your check marked “Mary Hill Davis Offering” to Texas Woman's Missionary Union, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246-1798.

And save up for the Texas Baptist World Hunger Offering, which will be collected in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. People are starving. They need our help.

In these days, remember the Apostle Paul's exhortation: “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13).

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard.