Posted: 9/16/05

Around the State

Coastal Plains Area, Gulf Coast Association and the International Mission Board will sponsor a Frontliners Conference Oct. 7-8 at Texas Baptist Encampment in Palicios. Cost is $40 per person. The training seeks to encourage, educate and equip leaders for effective global missions work. For more information, call (979) 532-0233 or (979) 849-2477.

The coaching and administrative staff of Howard Payne University athletics has a number of new faces on board. New coaches include Chris-tina Brown, volleyball; Steph-en Lynn, baseball; Jerry Don Gleaton, baseball assistant; and Bobby Anderson, track and field. Abram Choate has been named sports information director.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor awarded 71 baccalaureate degrees and 11 master's degrees at its summer commencement ceremony. Nathan Guthrie of Burnet received an award for the highest grade-point average.

The East Texas Baptist University office of alumni relations is seeking yearbooks from the College of Marshall, East Texas Baptist College or ETBU covering the years 1917 to 1990. Yearbooks prior to 1950 especially are needed. To make a donation, call (903) 923-2041.

Several changes have been made in the faculty at Wayland Baptist University. Cindy McClenagan, associate professor of English, has taken the reins as chair of the division of languages and literature. New faculty members include Lane Mayon, assistant professor of Spanish; Cecil Golden, visiting instructor of Spanish; Deborah Fox, assistant professor of English; Debbie Stennett, assistant professor of education; Jo Beth DeSoto, associate professor of education; Jeff Kensmoe, assistant professor of vocal studies and director of vocal studies and opera/musical theater, Bob Howard, volleyball coach and assistant professor of exercise and sport science; and Jason Pirkey, head athletic trainer and instructor of exercise and sport science.

Diana Severance, curator for the Dunham Family Bible in America Museum at Houston Baptist University, has been named secretary to the executive committee for the International Society of Bible Collectors.

Calder Church in Beaumont recently celebrated 20 years of service by Richard Mayfield, the church's custodian. The church surprised Mayfield with a meal, a plaque, a cash gift and stories of his service to the church. Jim Fuller is pastor.

Four generations of the Shelton family were honored by the Baylor Alumni Association with the First Families of Baylor Award. The award recognizes a multigenerational alumni family that has shown continuing interest in and support for Baylor University. Perry and Mary Shelton began the family's story with the university, enrolling as newlyweds in 1919.

The 784-volume personal library of Jeff Pritchard has been donated to Dallas Baptist University. A long-time Dallas pastor, Pritchard served on the board of trustees of Decatur Baptist College. He was instrumental in the school's relocation and renaming as Dallas Baptist College. He continued as a trustee until 1970. He was pastor of Clarendon Drive Church (later Sunny Glen Church) 33 years and later served Arcadia Park Church 13 years.

Anniversaries

Sherrie Carter, 20th, as director of preschool and children's ministries at First Church in Wichita Falls, Aug. 28.

Bob Ray, 40th, as pastor of Fairy Church in Hico, Aug. 28. He was honored with a new John Deere tractor.

New Beginnings Church in Cedar Creek, fifth, Aug. 28.

Jo Ann Daugherty, 10th, as director of education at First Church in Richmond.

Jerry Hall, 20th, as pastor of Oak Crest Church in Midlothian, Sept. 1.

Howard Batson, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Amarillo, Sept. 11.

First Church in La Vernia, 150th, Oct. 1-2. A 4 p.m. reception will kick off festivities on Saturday. Services will be held at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday with Tommy Wilson, director of missions of the South Central Area, speaking in the early service and Charles Price, San Antonio Association director of missions, speaking in the other. A noon meal will be served. For more information, call (830) 253-1239. David Gale is pastor.

First Church in Whitney, 125th, Oct. 1. Former staff members are expected to participate in the activities, beginning at 9:30 a.m. For more information, call (254) 694-

Olden Church in Olden, 100th, Oct. 16.

Oak Grove Church in Dallas, 60th, Oct. 16. A covered dish luncheon will follow the morning service. Rudy Owen is pastor.

First Church in Colum-bus, 150th, Oct. 30. A catered lunch and celebration service will follow the Sunday morning service. For more information, call (979) 732-6261. Sammy Carr is pastor.

Deaths

Henry Kinkeade, 87, Sept. 2 in Irving. He was pastor of Cedar Springs Church near Marlin, Liberty Hill near Moody, Abbott Church in Abbott, Fair Park Church in Dallas, First Church in Wellington, First Church in Carrollton, Grace Temple in Denton and First Church in Irving, where he served 32 years until his retirement in 1984. He served as one of the founders of Dallas Baptist University and taught Old and New Testament there. He also was one of the founding committee members of Baptist General Convention of Texas' River Ministry. An optimist, he was fond of saying, “I'm so optimistic, I'd go after Moby Dick in a rowboat and take the tartar sauce with me.” He was preceded in death by two grandsons. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ruth; sisters, Nina, Mary Jeannette and Alberta; brother, Walter; daughter, Susie Reynolds; sons, Hal and Ed; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

John Claypool, 74, Sept. 3 in Decatur, Ga. A renowned confessional preacher, he was pastor or associate pastor of Baptist churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Miss-issippi, including Broadway Church in Fort Worth and Second Church in Lubbock. He was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1986. Since his retirement in 2000, he has been professor of preaching at Mercer Univer-sity's McAfee School of Theology. He is survived by his wife, Ann; son, Rowan; grandson, John VI; stepdaughter, Laura Williams; and stepson, Charles Williams.

Retiring

Gordon Smith, as director of pastoral care at Riverbend Church in Austin, where he served 21 years. His ministry also included serving as pastor of First churches in Seagraves, Shallowater and Windemere, Fla.

Joe Rubac, as pastor of Morales Church in Edna, where he served 15 years. He was in the ministry since 1971.

Dearing Garner, as pastor of First Church in Kingwood, where he has served 27 years and as the church's only pastor. He has been in ministry 37 years. A reception will be held Oct. 8 from 4 pm. to 6 p.m. The morning service Oct. 9 will mark his last Sunday as pastor. For more information, call (281) 358-4266.

Events

South Hills Church in Fort Worth will have a groundbreaking service Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. on its 11-acre tract on Old Granbury Road between Alta Mesa and Columbus Trail. The 12,688-square-foot building will be multipurpose, with education and office space. Bob Nickell is pastor.

First Church in Midland will be a site for the Living Proof Women's Conference Oct. 7-8. Friday's meeting will run from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday's from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The gathering will feature a live simulcast of author and speaker Beth Moore. Travis Cottrell will lead worship. Tickets are $25. For more information or to register, call (432) 683-0600.

Calder Church in Beaumont will celebrate 58 years of service to the community Oct. 9 with homecoming services. A catered lunch will follow the morning service. Jim Fuller is pastor.

First Church in Denton will present House of Judgment '05 as an alternative to Halloween haunted houses Oct. 19-31. It will be presented nightly from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call for specific times and dates, and groups of 10 or more require reservations. Admission is $5 per person. For more information, call (940) 382-2577, ext. 194. Jeff Williams is pastor.

Revival

Belvue Church, Kermit; Sept. 25-28; evangelist, Gary Newman; pastor, Danny Fitzpatrick.

Posted: 9/16/05

Book Reviews

The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book: Everything You Need to Know to Put Your EQ to Work by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves (Simon & Schuster)

The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book is just that–a quick overview of the basic concepts of what has become known recently as emotional intelligence. The authors state that “emotional intelligence requires effective communication between the rational and emotional centers of the brain” and show how emotional intelligence is the outgrowth of two main skills–personal competence, which they divide into self-awareness and self-management; and social competence, subdivided into social awareness and relationship management.

One of the book's troubling omissions is that the authors referred to emotional intelligence as EQ (rather than EI, as others in this field do), without ever telling the reader why they are using “Q” for “intelligence.” In this and some other areas of the book, the writers give inadequate explanation for their ideas.

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

This book is an “easy read” with some good ideas for readers to increase their emotional intelligence, often some of the same ideas we saw under the themes of communication and people skills in the past two decades. The authors point out how emotional intelligence skills apply in various life settings, such as work and family.

A unique identification code comes with each book, which allows the reader to take an online emotional intelligence appraisal. This appraisal helps apply the authors' practical suggestions for increasing emotional intelligence.

Margaret Hunt Rice, executive director, student services and regional outreach, University of Houston Victoria

Baptist Temple Church Victoria

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat offers significant help for un-derstanding how our world is changing. The metaphor of a flat world symbolizes that the world's economic (and other) mountain peaks are being flattened so that people in many other nations–especially India, China, Russia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Central Asia–now are competing on a level field with what we once called the “advanced” nations–the United States, for example.

What is making the world flat? Technology, mainly. These ideas about the next step in globalization call to mind the recent BWA Centenary Congress, where Baptists from 200 nations found the world of Christian commitment and ministry is flat and that we're all in this together.

Ross West

Positive Difference Communications,

Publishing consultant, BaptistWay Press

Rome, Ga.

Whose Bible Is It? A History of the Scriptures through the Ages by Jaroslav Pelikan (Viking)

Here is an engaging and erudite book about the Bible's unique place in history. As the title suggests, the complicated position the Bible occupies between its Jewish and Christian communities especially interests the author.

Jaroslav Pelikan is the most distinguished historian of Christian thought and tradition writing today. In this book, he offers a comprehensive account of the Bible's story that reads like a biography of the living word. He has a keen eye for the ironies in the story–Jews and Christians have been (sometimes violently) divided by Scriptures they have in common, and the era that saw much scholarship undermine the authority of the Bible also witnessed unprecedented growth in the translation and distribution of the Bible for missions.

Readers who want a literate introduction to the Bible that maintains a warm devotional appreciation will savor this book. Leaders and scholars across the Judeo-Christian tradition also will recognize the author's hopeful nudge to study the Bible together more.

Rick Willis, pastor

First Baptist Church

Lampasas

Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (HarperCollins)

Sometimes, the old trees bear the most fruit! For Dietrich Bonhoeffer, faith is a matter of life and death. (He was martyred at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945.) This book focuses on life in the Christian community in the setting of underground fellowship. Aside from the writings of the Apostle Paul, I cannot think of a book that better inspires us to live in community with fellow believers. Among his jewels of wisdom, we read: “I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner.”

Pick up this classic and hear Bonhoeffer's call to community.

Howard Batson, pastor

First Baptist Church

Amarillo

Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line: The Marketing of Higher Education by David L. Kirp (Harvard University Press)

Economic forces seem to be transforming institutions of higher learning in the 21st century. Kirp shares some examples of universities that have developed effective marketing strategies while still holding on to traditional educational values and practices.

Paul Armes, president

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview

Posted: 9/16/05

Posted: 9/16/05

CLC seeks to influence next generation

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

AUSTIN–If Texas Baptists had done 30 years ago what they did this summer, the results would now be seen in state government, a Christian Life Commission member said.

He referred to a one-week summer program launched this year by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Christian Life Com-mission to familiarize high school students with state government, public policy issues and the role of faith.

The Public Policy Institute is one of the ways the commission staff is working with young people to introduce them to the public policy arena. Another is an ongoing intern program for college and law school students.

The opening of the commission's Austin office in 2001 gave the public policy agency an opportunity to create a ministry to young adults, said Suzii Pay-nter, director of public policy for the CLC.

Whitney de Foore of Western Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth visits with her state representative, Anna Mowery, during the Public Policy Institute of the Christian Life Commission. High school and college students learned more about state government, key issues and faith during the one-week institute.

Austin has several colleges and universities–including the University of Texas, Concordia University and St. Edwards University–and that makes internship programs possible.

Every semester, students are involved on a mostly volunteer basis, and many of them receive school credit for the internship, as well, Paynter said.

The assignments vary for the interns. At the beginning of each internship, Paynter learns about an intern's policy passions, then tries to match the work to the passion.

Leigh Jackson had an interest in immigration issues. Stephen Reeves was a law student who wanted to research church-state issues. Rob Owen researched the lottery industry and discovered a discrepancy between advertised odds and actual ones. Josh Houston looked into criminal justice issues and ended up testifying at a hearing in the capitol and being present with Gov. Rick Perry for the bill signing.

That's four of the nine who have been interns since 2001.

“There are so many young adults who are looking to make a real difference,” Paynter said. The internship provides a “real-world experience. This is not a simulation; this is not a case study.” The interns are “impacting actual policy.”

Jackson, who now is in her clinical pastoral education residency at Seton Healthcare Network, said: “My experience at the CLC and working with Suzii was life-changing. I did everything from develop, implement and research a curriculum for congregational education to research and discuss what it meant to advocate for the common good regarding public school finance reform.”

Reeves, now a staff attorney for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., said: “The value of this experience for me cannot be overstated. … My time at the CLC showed me that I could use my skills and energy on issues that I truly cared about.

“The practical experience of working at the capitol and in the political process was also invaluable. In many cases, I learned just how accessible politicians and other decision makers can be. It demystified the process and made it less intimidating.

“It was amazing to me that someone as young as myself could be so active and make a difference. Unfortunately, at times, it was also a little scary to learn just how decisions are made and the underlying motivations for public policy.”

The commission's internship program also affords an opportunity for spiritual growth, Paynter said. Students learn how faith and work in the public sector intersect.

“In all of my work, I was constantly thinking about what it means to be a Christ-follower and the unique voice the church brings to the public policy arena,” Jackson said.

“It's a voice that is not always popular. Power, success and looking out for yourself are the accepted and commended values of our culture, our politics and, all too often, our churches. The call of Jesus to take care of 'the least of these' and practice reconciliatory love doesn't always mesh well with just looking out for ourselves or our family. We are called to be different, and different is sometimes pretty uncomfortable.”

Reeves experienced that care for people, as well.

“Suzii and the rest of the CLC care first about the people of Texas,” he said.

“They demonstrate how a Christian voice can be used to make Texas a better place for all individuals, regardless of their political affiliation, religious beliefs or personal worldview.

“In the bitterly divided world of politics, it is hard to find many organizations or individuals who are willing to do and say what is right, regardless of criticism from either political party or either end of the political spectrum.”

Jackson also experienced the value of building relationships across political and other lines.

“In our current political climate, we are very comfortable with labeling people red and blue or conservative and liberal before we ever have a single conversation with them,” she said. “The truth is, however, that polarizing labels never capture an entire person and their views.

“If Jesus simply accepted the religious and societal labels given to the people around him, I'm not sure we would have had half of the encounters and stories in the gospels. Instead, he took time to touch, talk and heal the people that society placed on the outside.”

Jackson called Paynter a mentor and dear friend. “She is one of the most talented and thoughtful people I know. I am thankful to have her fingerprints on parts of my life journey.”

Paynter said she's “grateful to be a pebble in their pond” as the impact of the internships ripple outward from the students' lives. The work with young people comes out of her sense of calling. She was a schoolteacher 30 years before joining the CLC.

“I have the teaching gene. I love these young Christians who want to make a difference in the world. For some of us, this area of life is a call.”

Paynter's role as a mentor found a new avenue for expression this summer with the first Public Policy Institute. Nine high school students attended, and six “20-somethings” and several adults helped guide them, she noted.

The students came with varied political perspectives. They met with past and current elected officials from both political parties, explored some key issues, made contact with their representatives in the Legislature and had some fun.

The CLC's goal for the week was to “create an opportunity for the young people to explore what it means to be a leader when you take your faith with you into a secular policy kind of world–a leader with a salt and light kind of idea,” Paynter said.

This event was part of the CLC's mission to speak to and with Texas Baptists, she said. “You plant something in deep soil. It's God's to nurture.”

Posted: 9/16/05

Real-life CSI officer learned
craft at Hardin-Simmons

By Toby Druin

Editor Emeritus

Crime Scene Investigation teams use DNA, fiber analysis and a myriad other exotic means to solve crimes almost nightly on television. Glen McLaughlin began putting crooks behind bars for real decades ago using the chemistry and other science he learned at Hardin-Simmons University.

McLaughlin, 91, spent 38 years with the Texas Department of Public Safety, many of them as director of the state law enforcement agency's crime lab identification system and later as chief of the division of personnel, training and staff services. He retired in 1977, but he served as executive director of the Texas Police Association for 12 years before retiring from that post in 1989.

McLaughlin was born during the time his father, John Henry, was at Hardin-Simmons University preparing for the Baptist ministry. His three brothers–Howard, Charles and John–also went to Hardin-Simmons. Howard had a long public school career before his death; Charles, who died in l998, was the longtime director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas State Missions Commission; and John was an ethnic work consultant with the BGCT before his retirement.

Glen McLaughlin graduated from HSU in 1935, but the year before, while his father was pastor of a church in Edmond, Okla., he attended Central Oklahoma State College, where he met his wife, Mary Helen Ivy. She died 16 years ago. McLaughlin now lives with his daughter, Suzanne, in Austin. He has a granddaughter and two great grandsons.

Majoring in science at HSU, where he was lab instructor as a senior, prepared him for his career, he said.

“I majored in chemistry and physics and taught school for a couple of years at Lewisville and Gatesville before going to work in the lab of the state health department. When they created a lab at the Department of Public Safety and needed a second chemist, I went there. It has been my life.”

True to the McLaughlin tradition, he never neglected his church, however.

“I've always been involved in church work,” he said. While teaching in Gatesville, he also directed his church choir. And after moving to Austin, he sang in the choir and began teaching Sunday school at First Baptist Church. He taught a senior adult class 39 years. He served two terms as chairman of deacons and was chairman during the church's move to its new location at 9th and Trinity.

He still has a keen interest in forensics and watches the CSI programs on television. Some of his memories could serve as plots for the shows, “although some are more interesting than others,” he said.

One involved two cowboys at the King Ranch in South Texas. The pair had a long-running argument that boiled over one night. One of the cowboys, a fence-rider, had one arm and brought a lever-action rifle to a house on the ranch to settle the dispute with the other cowboy, who was stationed at the house as a gatekeeper.

McLaughlin and other investigators used photos, bullet angles and analysis of the nitrate residue on window glass to determine that the one-armed cowboy came to the front door of the house, fired his first shot at the other, but missed and the bullet lodged in the door frame. He proceeded to the side of the house, where he could see the other cowboy through a window illuminated by the flare on a gas well. He fired again, striking the man in the side, which caused the wounded man to discharge a shotgun he was holding.

“He came outside, where the other cowboy was trying to work the lever to get another bullet into his gun,” McLaughlin said. “He did it, but the cowboy with the shotgun managed to shoot him in the arm and got in a car and left. The one-armed cowboy went into the house and died.”

The surviving cowboy was tried for murder. “The defense put up a completely different story,” McLaughlin said, “but the jury convicted him and gave him 99 years. We figured they gave him two years for the killing and 97 for lying about it.”

In another case, he was involved in trying to identify the victims of a bus wreck near Waco, where most of those killed were badly burned. The woman had been thrown clear, however. Although they were not on her feet, McLaughlin was able to match her with a pair of shoes. In one of them was a piece of manila folder with the address of a child in a school in Hidalgo, Mexico. McLaughlin got a wire-service reporter to write a story about the accident that was circulated in Mexico, and the victim was identified as the grandmother of the child.

As director of the DPS lab, McLaughlin directed the identification of many of the victims of the Texas City explosion in 1947.

He introduced the use of the polygraph–lie detector–and trained others to use it in DPS work in 1945. In the mid-1950s, he used it in questioning a murder suspect from Amarillo and determined the man had used a pipe to beat his wife to death and learned where he had disposed of the weapon.

“My work was very satisfying,” he said. “It was as varied a career as a person could have.”

Posted: 9/16/05

DOWN HOME:
11th Commandment ruins a good dinner

My friend Nolan passed along a truism he received from another friend: “Dinner is the hardest time for empty-nesters.”

Do I ever know it.

Joanna and I have been living in an “empty nest” for a little over a month. Our youngest daughter, Molly, left for Baylor University late this summer. Her older sister, Lindsay, has been gone to Hardin-Simmons University for three years now.

And I miss them most at dinner.

For almost 22 years, Jo and I never lacked for dinnertime entertainment. Even before Lindsay could speak, we'd wedge her in her high chair and laugh as she got more food on her face and hair than in her mouth. And then, when she learned to talk, we always enjoyed a constant narrative discussion over our evening meal. Lindsay backed off some when Molly started talking, because she had to share the stage that was our kitchen table. And then, when Lindsay went off to school, Molly revved up her mouth, and our nightly discussions ensued without a hitch.

Until mid-August, when dinnertime decibels fell off, way off.

Not long afterward, I remembered something I forgot more than two decades ago: My wife doesn't talk much during dinner.

To be honest, I've got to acknowledge the truth: It's my mother-in-law's fault.

When Jo was a little girl, she took to heart the manners Mama Margie taught her. So, she still takes seriously the 11th Command-ment: “Thou shalt not talk with food in thy mouth.” (KIng James Version, of course.)

Much to Jo's disgust and utter repulsion, that's never been a problem for me.

Oh, I can behave in public. But dinner at home provides a great excuse to talk.

Our dinnertable is where we became friends with our daughters. It's where we learned so much about them–how they think, what they did with their days (despite the fact “Nuthin'” is the one-and-only answer to “What happened at school today?”), why they do what they do, what's going on with them and their friends. All the usual tidbits of information a parent craves.

So, “Why should table manners get in the way of a good talk?” I always say. Except when I'm eating macaroni and meatloaf. Then, it comes out, “Fry wood tobble munnurs git innawae uff goot dak?” Or something like that.

As of right now, this is an interactive column. You are hereby invited to help me out. I'm looking for dinnertime dialogue suggestions in two categories:

(A) “Discussion topics so fascinating they'll make Joanna talk with her mouth full.”

Or (b) “Soliloquy subjects so scintillating Marv can amuse himself without driving his longsuffering wife completely nuts.”

Send them to (boy, am I gonna regret this) me: marvknox@baptiststandard.com. Put “dinner discussion” in the subject line so I'll be able to keep all suggestions together.

I'll let you know how it turns out. Or, as I say at dinner, “Squile lechu no owdurns ot.”

Posted: 9/16/05

Hollywood faithful want
to impact entertainment industry

By Sarah Price Brown

Religion News Service

LOS ANGELES (RNS)–It's hip to be spiritual in Hollywood these days, as long as you're not religious. The way the fashionable set see it, Scientology and Kabbalah are in; Christi-anity is out.

But a new program to train Christians to be film and television executives is trying to reverse the trend.

“We're not here to fix Hollywood as much as we're here to fix the church,” said Barbara Nicolosi, executive director of Act One, which runs a three-month program that places Christians in entertainment internships and sponsors lectures by industry professionals.

Barbara Nicolosi is executive director of Act One, which sponsors an internship in Hollywood for aspiring Christian filmmakers and directors.

Some of the first films ever made played in churches in the early 20th century. But over time, religious leaders began to associate movies with immorality, sex and violence. Holly-wood became a place where people of faith would not go, Nicolosi said.

Today, not only do many Christians shun Tinseltown, but “there's absolute bigotry in Hollywood toward Christianity,” Nicolosi said.

“'Christianity' is a political moniker in Hollywood,” she said. “It means you voted for George Bush, you hate gays and you're a fanatic about fetuses. … It doesn't mean that in 95 percent of the rest of the world, but (it does) in this town.”

In 1999, Nicolosi, a nun-turned-movie-executive, helped found Act One to cultivate aspiring Christian screenwriters. Over six years, she has recruited 300 Christians to Hollywood, teaching them how to write movies based on Christian moral values, such as the “sacredness of human life,” the idea that “good and evil are not equal” and the notion that “you're never forced to choose something evil,” she said.

Realizing it would not be enough for Christians to write screenplays if no one made them into movies, Nicolosi launched the executive program to train would-be Hollywood decision-makers.

Out of about 60 applicants, Act One chose 15 students to participate in its first executive seminar in Los Angeles. By day, participants go to work at internships at movie studios, production companies and talent agencies.

By night, students learn about story development, finance and budgeting, leadership and ethics from visiting speakers who work in the entertainment industry.

“I feel much stronger being here,” said Jonathan Strong, 29, an executive program student who interned at a talent agency. “I don't feel alone.”

One evening, a room full of young businesspeople, lawyers and even a pilot, gathered from as far as Madrid, listened to a lecture on marketing movies presented by Jonathan Bock, founder and president of Grace Hill Media, a public relations company that helps studios promote films to religious audiences.

“What we (Christians) have failed to remember is that if you build it, they won't necessarily come,” Bock said, adding it's not enough for Christians to make movies they want to make. They need to make movies people want to watch. “We have to understand that this is show business.”

The importance of understanding the business of film and television is a central theme of the Act One program, and the idea has taken hold in at least one student.

“I was unwilling to compromise when I came in here, because I'd been so intent on being a martyr,” noted Todd Burns, 25, who said he had been called by God to make movies in Hollywood.

Before Act One, Burns had been producing movies for evangelist Billy Graham. Now, Burns is an intern at a production company that makes horror movies. Previously, he had imagined he would end up “at some point where I would have to say, 'No,' walk away and give up all of this stuff.” But “now, it's more like, 'I'm here, I've got to operate in this.'”

So Burns makes horror movies. But, he said, he makes them “less bad” than they would be if he were not involved.

The box office success of The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson's 2004 epic about Jesus' trial and crucifixion that became one of the highest-grossing films ever made, showed industry executives the up side of appealing to a religious audience. Now, it is not uncommon for producers around town to talk about bringing in the "passion dollars" by drawing an audience of religious viewers who typically do not go to the movies but who went to see The Passion, Nicolosi said.

“Now is a good moment for the church to be waking up,” Nicolosi said.

On the down side, she said, The Passion instilled in many Christians false hopes of becoming the next Mel Gibson. Instead of learning the nuts and bolts of the filmmaking business, amateurs are trying to make their own movies, said Nicolosi, who herself is collaborating on a Christian-themed screenplay with Passion screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald.

Having raised about $600,000 this year from a coalition of foundations, including the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Communication Campaign, Nicolosi said, she is making plans for the future. On the horizon are training programs for producers, directors and actors. A program for pastors would teach them aesthetic principles, so that religious officials could commission quality artwork.

The church needs to get involved in Hollywood, Nicolosi said, because movies and television influence the way people think.

“The biggest conversation now about meaning, what makes human life distinct and valuable, is being had in the culture,” Nicolosi said. “And we've been missing from that debate.”

Posted: 9/16/05

How to help survivors of Hurricane Katrina

Financial contributions to the Baptist General Convention of Texas designated "Katrina relief" benefit the disaster relief ministries of Texas Baptist Men and other Texas Baptist ministries to victims of the hurricane. Mail to: BGCT Controller's Office, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246 or give online by credit card at www.bgct.org. The Texas Baptist Missions Foundation also can accept disaster relief contributions by credit card. Call toll-free (800) 558-8263.

To give specifically to Texas Baptist Men ministries, send checks designated “Katrina relief” to Texas Baptist Men, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246.

To assist Baptist Child & Family Services ministries to people displaced by the hurricane–including people with special needs–send a check designated "hurricane relief" to Baptist Child & Family Services, 909 N.E. Loop 410, Suite 800, San Antonio 78209; donate by credit card at (210) 832-5000 or online at www.bcfs.net. The agency needs medical volunteers for its special-needs shelters. For more information, call (210) 283-5113 or (888) 545-4222, toll-free.

To give to Buckner Baptist Benevolences' ministries to hurricane evacuees, send a check designated "Account 22040" to Buckner Benevolences, Attn.: Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 600 N. Pearl, Suite 2000, Dallas 75201 or online at www.buckner.org. Buckner needs volunteers in Longview and Lufkin to work with evacuated families and in Dallas to sort in-kind humanitarian aid contributions. Contact Greg Eubanks in Longview at (903) 757-9383, Judy Morgan in Lufkin at (936) 637-3300 or Jackie Belt in Dallas at (214) 275-9002.

Posted: 9/16/05

Texas Baptist Forum

Thankful & proud

My family and I have watched the Hurricane Katrina events unfold from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.

We want to let you know we are so thankful and proud of all the fellow Texans who have reached out in Christ's love to those who have been so hurt by this natural disaster.

Our prayers and thoughts are with you all. Thank you for your faithful service.

Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; 250 words maximum.

"The disaster of Hurricane Katrina may be the worst tragedy America has known since the Civil War. … It may be the greatest opportunity to demonstrate God's love in this generation." Billy Graham Evangelist (RNS) "Certainly, in my history of 41 years as a Salvation Army officer, this is the greatest mobilization of churches in general, but definitely the Christian churches, who in my mind have come to truly realize what Jesus said in Matthew in the 25th chapter: 'Inasmuch as you do unto the least of these, you do unto me.'" Todd Bassett Salvation Army national commander, who has been heavily involved with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (New York Times/RNS) "I'm greatly concerned that young people will be too afraid of their shadows to actually do anything, including travel, (getting an) education or speaking their opinions. Hopefully, I can teach my child to participate in all of these freely." Rob Halgren Father of a 2-year-old daughter, speaking of children's fears in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (RNS)

Capt. Eric Whitmore

Texas Baptist-endorsed Air Force chaplain

Okinawa

God & the poor

Television showed America and the world the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on the poor.

Katrina brought to light the wide economic gulf that separates America's haves and have-nots. The Good Book says, “Be generous to the poor–you'll never go hungry; shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.”

No matter how many times we glibly say, “God bless America,” will God really bless a nation that abandons God's chosen people–the poor?

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

Revelation for today

I blew the dust off of an old book, The Idea of Revelation in Recent Thought by John Baillie.

He says man understands Scripture only by revelation from God. When God reveals himself through Scripture, man is then capable of following God's revealed purpose for his life. If man misses this revelation, he has missed true life. If man has received God's revelation, he is to follow it, and nothing can defeat him! He may not understand, but he must follow.

It was by revelation that I stepped off a Model L Case tractor and stepped down from a saddle for a pulpit. It was by revelation that I accepted each pastorate without sending a resume or asking for a recommendation from anyone.

My pastor today is of the same philosophy, but he is as rare as false teeth in a hen house. I believe this is a plague among us today! Is God trying to get our attention? Is he trying to give us a revelation? I believe so!

Consider the tsumani. A story is told of some 800 Christians asking permission of their government to worship on a special day. They were refused. They retreated to the mountains for worship, and the tsumani struck down the town. God's revelation saved the Christians!

Now take a look at Katrina. Have you heard anything about God's will, his revelation in Katrina? To me, God is speaking loud and clear.

And we had better get the message!

M.G. Upton

Orangevale, Calif.

Pulling away

Christopher Breedlove raises an excellent point in his letter when he poses the question, “Will the SBC pull away from the BGCT as well?” (Sept. 5)

I would hope the answer is yes, and soon is not soon enough.

When I see the Baptist General Convention of Texas supportive of the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty, I wonder why the Southern Baptist Convention has not already disassociated with them. The BJC has aligned on some issues with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, People for the American Way and the Interfaith Alliance. These groups oppose Judge Roy Moore and join hands with NARAL and Planned Parenthood. They are not even ashamed to link these wicked organizations on their website. They justify this by claiming to not be in agreement on all issues with these groups. That is as ludicrous as saying I work with and like the devil but do not agree with his hatred of God!!! There are also some prominent BGCT personalities sitting on the board of the Baptist Joint Committee.

The BGCT also has individuals sitting on the liberal Texas Baptists Committed, whose sole purpose seems to be opposing the SBC.

I see no good reason for the SBC to have anything to do with the BGCT and surely pray that money would not be a deciding factor.

Jeff L. Paul

Magnolia

Consumerism Christianity

In “Out Loud,” Tom Fortson Jr. states: “The church is not the four walls. The church is like Home Depot. You go there to get what you need to return home and fix what's in disrepair” (Sept. 5).

I believe Fortson is more right than he knows. It is because the church is viewed like Home Depot that we have “consumerism Christianity.” We have churches that invite people into their services and literally beg for them to rate the level of service, the friendly atmosphere, the knowledge of the workers, the cleanliness of the aisles, amount of goods, diversity of choices, etc.

If this consumer does not like what is offered, they can easily drive down the street to another store offering similar goods at a cheaper price (their souls).

Robert Conn

Sanger

Running with skunks

“Come ye out from among them and be ye separate … and touch not the unclean thing … .”

A mother came home one day and found her young sons playing with a litter of baby skunks. Remembering a smelly experience she'd had with one when she was a child, she shouted out, “Run, children, run!” And each boy grabbed a skunk and ran.

When Jesus calls us out of the world, he doesn't invite us to bring our smelly way of life with us. But myriads of church members still come to church every Sunday smelling like a skunk.

The proof of Christianity is not a great church attendance record or a baptismal certificate, but a changed life. Following the Lord includes giving up unsavory friends and habits. And if we're really converted, that choice isn't that hard to make.

When Jesus calls us, we have to leave our sinful ways behind. We can't follow him if we're running with skunks.

Doug Fincher

San Augustine

Financial priorities

The true value of money can only be redeemed in First Purpose (Glorify God; witness of his Son; through the Spirit, yield the message of their love to everyone), not in banks or accumulated material wealth.

As church bank accounts and material wealth grow, so do the body bank accounts–in graves.

These accounts are both too high and may be closely in proportion with one another. If this sounds like an exaggeration, then billions of dollars annually must not have the capacity to feed starving people, provide medical care and abolish poverty–saving lives in this country and around the world.

I see beautiful church sanctuaries being built, old ones being renovated and enlarged. I hear about wonderful seminaries teaching Christians about the Bible and how to lead God's people. But for the life of me, I can't see how this is more important than saving lives.

I have heard pastors justify these things by referring to the Old Testament. Yes, a lot of money, material wealth and personal time were spent building and rebuilding a tabernacle for God and, without a doubt, this was God's will.

But I have been under the impression Christ has been building a modern temple for about 2,000 years. You know–a mobile temple, one that walks, talks and breathes. One which he uses to meet people's needs. A human temple filled with spiritual principles and values in the likeness of God.

Larry T. Judd

Galveston

Bible teaching

I hope Mark Chancey and Ryan Valentine have had a chance to read the revised edition of The Bible in History and Literature.

I have, and I believe the revisions that have been made answer many of the concerns that Chancey and Valentine express (Aug. 22).

I found the curriculum to be objective, nonsectarian and inclusive of various religious beliefs. I also found the curriculum to be noncoercive by neither encouraging nor influencing students to make faith decisions concerning God, the Bible or Jesus. The only bias the curriculum has is its presentation of the Bible as a major influence on Western Civilization history and culture.

Is this curriculum perfect? No. But then again, what curriculum in our public schools is perfect?

The fact of the matter is that The Bible in History and Literature meets all the federal and state guidelines to be taught as an elective course in Texas public schools.

Instead of encouraging Christians to “lead the charge against this (curriculum) in the schools,” we should be encouraging Christians to defend this curriculum and others like it for use in our public schools.

We should remember what Paul says in Philippians 1:18: “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

The bottom line is that the Bible is being taught at Brady High School. And because of this I praise God and rejoice!!!

Blake O'Dell, pastor

First Baptist Church

Member, Brady ISD board of trustees

Brady

Posted: 9/16/05

Lipan church opens its
facility to burned-out school

By George Henson

Staff Writer

LIPAN–At least for a little while, First Baptist Church in Lipan has more occupants Monday through Friday than it does on Sunday.

A fire destroyed the North Central Texas community's junior high and high school seven days before classes were to begin. It was only hours, however, before the decision was made that students and teachers would walk across the street to hold classes at the church.

Pastor David White saw it as an obvious fit.

“We have had a very good relationship with the school, as it usually is in a small town. Also, two of our deacons are school board members,” White said.

The space the church provided was not the only aid the school received.

“Teachers from a-round the area brought in car loads of supplies for our teachers,” said deacon and school board member Richard Ator. “We didn't have to tell them anything. They knew what we needed. It was real nice.”

About 140 students are in the junior and senior high grades of Lipan School, while the church runs about 100 in Sunday morning worship services.

The school eventually will move the students to portable buildings, maybe as early as the end of this month.

Meeting for classes at the church has helped the students maintain some degree of normalcy since they only had to walk across the street, Principal Charles Rowett said.

“There are always other options, but in this case, this was the best option,” he said.

The fire that started in the ceiling above the school's utility room did not damage the elementary wings of the school. The blaze accelerated when it spread to the storage room for the chemistry class.

The lunchroom, library and agricultural classroom were undamaged, so students walk back across the street to use those facilities.

The day after the fire, teachers walked through First Baptist trying to decide the best places for the various classrooms. While the church has its limitations as a school–no space for a chemistry lab, for example–the church offered all it could, White said.

“We've had a cooperating relationship with the schools for years,” he said. “When we've had large groups going to summer camp, we've been able to use the school bus. When they've needed to transport small groups of students to various things, the church van has always been available,” he offered as an example.

“It's a matter of our being faithful Christians and being helpful in a time of need. We've served this community for 128 years, and we're here to meet needs. This fits right into what we see as the mission of our church.”

Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, sewing clubs and piano lessons also meet at the church, he added. Students and teachers alike have adjusted to the situation very well, Rowett said.

“We knew we were going to be a little cramped, and since we anticipated that, it hasn't been bad at all,” he said.

Church members also have accepted the changes to their classrooms, White said. “They're going to absorb any inconvenience because they know it's a pressing situation. I've haven't heard one complaint–not one.”

Part of that may be because the end is in sight, Ator suggested.

“As long as you can see the end, it's easy to put up with it, rather than it being an open-ended kind of thing,” he said. As a deacon and school board member, Ator said, the acceptance and readiness to help has been present from the beginning.

“I went around and queried several church members right after the fire, and everybody said, 'Bring 'em on.' Not one reservation or 'what about this?'” he said.

For some students, the fire has placed them in a church for the first time, Rowett said. And even though no religious instruction of any kind is taking place, that may be a positive thing, Ator said.

“I think that maybe this may help them realize that this is not a bad place,” he suggested. No parents have complained about the school meeting in the church, Rowett said. And no complaints are warranted, White believes.

“We manage cooperation, and yet separation, quite well here.”

Posted: 9/16/05

On the Move

Darren Harvey has re-signed as pastor of Trinity Southern Church in Kauf-man.

Conor Scholes to West-wood Church in Waco as minister of music.

Jay Swoveland has re-signed as pastor of Mea-dowbrook Church in Waco.

Josh Wright to Trinity Church in Sweetwater as music minister.

Posted: 9/16/05

Anglo, Hispanic Plano churches
see themselves as partners

By George Henson

Staff Writer

PLANO–If checkbooks reflect priorities, First Baptist Church in Plano is serious about reaching the growing Hispanic population in its area.

The church has done far more than expend cash, however. Time and energy indicates a heartfelt commitment.

“Our mindset has been that we're here to reach the people of this community for Christ and also meet their physical needs as well,” Pastor Jerry Carlisle said.

In recent years, the community immediately surrounding the church in downtown Plano has become increasingly Hispanic.

In 1997, First Baptist and Hunter's Glen Baptist Church, also in Plano, began Primera Iglesia Bautista as an east Plano storefront church.

Moises Rios was called as the church's first pastor, and he remains in that role today.

Rapid growth soon forced the congregation to move to yet another east Plano strip shopping center. Growth continued, and the church bought land adjacent to that location with the idea of building a permanent facility there.

Plans changed last year, when a two-story building owned by the Salvation Army became available. The building is directly across the street from the First Baptist Church campus.

The mortgage payments on the $600,000 loan are a little less than what the church had been paying to lease the property where it was meeting, but the facility is twice as large.

It was not a turnkey proposition, however, and about $475,000 was needed for remodeling costs.

First Baptist Church raised $400,000 of that amount during a drive last June.

“One of the things I really liked about raising the cash is that it was something that didn't benefit us directly at all,” Carlisle said.

Raising the money in that month was really the culmination of years of commitment, he said. “We were able to do that because we had partnered so many years, and we have kept Moises and their situation before our church.”

In addition to the money, they also helped supply the muscle.

“Some of the things needed to be done by contractors, but the things we could do with volunteers, we have done. We have worked side-by-side with the members of Primera Iglesia, and that has been nice,” Carlisle said.

First Baptist subsidizes the mission, which it now sponsors alone, with about $100,000 per year. It also pays for Rios' medical insurance.

Primera is aware of the generosity of First Baptist, Rios said. “We're honored,” he said. “Not many people will make such a heavy investment in lives of other people, and that's what we're talking about here, investing in people's lives.”

The two congregations see themselves as ministry partners, Carlisle added.

“We've worshipped together several times, and for several years we have gone to the Rio Grande Valley for a mission trip during the Fourth of July,” he said.

Members of Primera have helped their Anglo neighbors by teaching conversational Spanish to prepare them for missions. The staff of First Baptist also spent a week at Baptist University of the Americas in San An-tonio in a Spanish immersion course to develop their communication skills.

Larry McGuire, minister of education at First Baptist, said the bond between the churches has been such that members of First Baptist look at their neighbors and see opportunities for Primera Iglesia to develop relationships.

“Our people have become very sensitized to the people around them and the opportunities to connect people to Primera Iglesia Bautista, and that's pretty neat,” he said.

The symbiotic relationship may be one reason the church has elected not to move from the neighborhood as other churches have, Carlisle suggested.

“A number of other churches have vacated the downtown area, but we've elected not to do that. I don't know if it's a matter of demographics, which we have looked at, but more paying attention to what God is doing among our people,” he said.

“The question we put to our people is 'Why has God put us here at this time?' We've found their answers to that question are often better than what we as a staff had thought of.”

The church sees the partnership with Primera also as a means of meeting the needs of children, which is a primary focus of the church. One method has been through scholarships for children to play Upward Basketball, which in turn led to tutoring and after-school activities.

Ministries of Primera Iglesia Bautista include a clothing closet and food pantry, help for new arrivals to the United States, English as a second language classes, parenting guidance, help with translating documents, tax preparation, computer classes, cooking classes and counseling for battered women.

They also have partnered with Baptist University of the Americas to offer theological training.

Primera is able to offer those ministries only because of their ministry partners across the street, Rios insisted.

“The cost of operating in Plano is astronomical,” he said. “If it wasn't for churches like First Baptist, we wouldn't be operating here in Plano, and probably these people would not be reached.”

Nine nationalities make up the primarily blue-collar Hispanic congregation. Most of the people in the congregation make be-tween $6 and $8 an hour at their jobs.

The church is helping to change that slowly.

“Our vision when we started this was to not only to meet the spiritual needs of people, but also to work with people so they could improve all of their life,” Rios said. Some now own their own homes, and a couple own their own businesses, he noted. Five students in the church's youth ministry will graduate from high school next spring, and Rios expects all of them to pursue further education.

“This has been a very effective ministry,” Rios said. “I don't look at it as a risk at all, but as an investment.”

The church always is on the lookout for new ways to serve the community, he added.

“We've always believed in missions and believed that God has called us to missions even though we are a mission. I've found if you make yourself available, God will do the rest.”