Posted: 7/08/05

Texas WMU seeks to mark gravesites of leaders

By George Henson

Staff Writer

Woman's Missionary Union of Texas leaders are seeking descendants of Mary Hill Davis so she can be honored as a part of a triumvirate of the mission organization's leadership.

This year marks Texas WMU's 125th anniversary, and as a part of the ceremonies recalling the organization's storied past, the group hopes to place special markers at the gravesites of Fannie Breedlove Davis, Eula Mae Henderson and Mary Hill Davis.

The three women were all prominent in Texas WMU history. Fannie Breedlove Davis was the state's WMU first president. Eula Mae Henderson was the organization's longest-tenured executive director, serving from 1947 until 1980. Mary Hill Davis was the state president with the longest term of service, from 1906 until 1931.

The first step in the process was to find the gravesites. The harder part has been to locate family members of the women to give permission for the new markers. That has been accomplished–with the exception of Mary Hill Davis.

“It's kind of an exciting search,” Texas WMU Executive Director-Treasurer Carolyn Porterfield said. “I've never done anything like this.”

While she found the process exciting, Porterfield also will be relieved when a family member of Mary Hill Davis is located. Part of the problem is no one is sure any descendants remain. Davis had a son who married, but both he and his wife have died, and WMU leaders do not know if they had any children.

If family members are not found to grant permission, a special marker at her gravesite probably will not be possible, Porterfield said.

Because of the uncertainty involved, a date has not been set for the ceremonies.

“We have talked about the fall, possibly October. Summer is just too hot,” Porterfield said.

Anyone with knowledge of Mary Hill Davis' family should contact the Texas WMU office at (214) 828-5155.

Storylist for week of 6/27/05

• See below for latest SBC annual meeting news

• Ken Taylor, publisher of Living Bible, dies

Articles from our 6/27/05 issue:



• Special needs, Special ministry

• SBC urges investigation of schools, drops Disney boycott

• NCAA places Baylor on probation

• ETBU students bring hope to rough neighborhood

• Dream comes true

• BUA graduate marks milestone, but wife's visa denied

• Children of HIV-positive mothers need adoptive homes

• Beauty of second chances modeled

• Northeast Texas church's field of flags honors fallen veterans

• Church fire damages facility at Hallsville church

• Relationships make or break careers, Maxwell tells church leaders

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits

Previously Posted
• Casa Bautista finds market for Spanish materials in U.S.

• Synagogue blesses Baptists

• WMU wants to mark historic gravesites

• Nuevo Laredo violence makes mission groups cautious

• Dotson sentenced in slaying of Baylor teammate

• Teen discovers meaning of family living in Glass household

• CBF considers criteria for partner schools
(Updated 6/25)

• Baptist Briefs

SBC Annual Meeting Coverage
Updated 6/26
• Crossover events provide 'snapshot of heaven'

• Land says ERLC will keep helping Americans 'vote values'

• Draper reflects on tenure, says progress made in input from young pastors

• Hawkins credits health awarenes for premium drop

• Thousands witness eight local church baptisms during SBC annual meeting

• IMB reports God moving in Asia, Africa

• NAMB said taking 'battle' to enemy by impacting culture through evangelism, meeting needs

• SBC challenged by 'Everyone Can' theme


Posted 6/24
• SBC urges investigation of schools, drops Disney boycott

• Bush praises Baptists as 'soldiers in the army of compassion'

• Move to shift missions money to political action fails

• Southern Baptists approve tribute to Billy Graham

• Motion to bring WMU under SBC authority introduced
(Updated 6/25)

• SBC secures its legal ties to New Orleans seminary
(Updated 6/25)

• SBC evangelism lags due to lack of effort, Welch insists

• Pastors' conference explores what makes a 'man of God'

• God wants 'deep-water disciples,' Welch tells convention

• WMU focuses attention on passion for God's mission
(Updated 6/25)

Special Needs Ministry
• Special needs, Special ministry

• Church receives special blessing

• Senior cut-ups maintain grounds at Breckenridge Village

• Special-needs brothers spark special friends ministry

• A family-friendly R-rated movie? Companies scrub flicks

• Petra calls it quits

• Reviewed in this issue:
The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg
Shaped by God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches by Milfred Minatrea
The Hornet's Nest by Jimmy Carter
A User's Guide to Bible Translations: Making the Most of the Different Versions by David Dewey
Gentle Mercies by Hal Haralson
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Around the State

• On the Move

• Classified Ads

• Cartoon

• EDITORIAL: Fear leads people to scary conclusions

• DOWN HOME: My lunch with Lyle; an evaporating act

• TOGETHER: Summertime means missions, ministry

• 2nd Opinion: Several things Charlie didn't know

• Commentary: O'Connor Got it Right on Religion

• Cyber Column by John Duncan: The presence of Christ

• BaptistWay Bible Series for June 26: God ultimately will judge and punish evil

• LifeWay Family Bible Series for June 26: Christ promises hope beyond this life

• LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for June 26: A relationship with God isn t inherited

• BaptistWay Bible Series for July 3: Beware the damage complacency can do

• LifeWay Family Bible Series for July 3: Help others to know the truth of the gospel

• LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 3: Things are not always as they appear


See articles from previous issue 6/13/05 here.

Posted: 7/08/05

Super Summer impacts adult volunteers

By Mike Midkiff

East Texas Baptist University

MARSHALL–For more than 30 years, Texas Baptist churches have sent their young people to weeklong Super Summer camps for leadership training and times of inspiration. But adult volunteers who give up vacation time to work in Super Summer insist they experience the same kind of spiritual renewal.

Amy Broom, a first grade teacher in Hardin and the volunteer youth director at First Baptist Church in Daisetta, served at two sessions held at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall. The Baptist General Convention of Texas Center for Strategic Evangelism sponsored four one-week sessions of Super Summer–two at ETBU and two at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

Dusty Kinslow (left) is expecting her first child, but wanted to work at the camp. Amy Broom (right), volunteer youth director at First Baptist Church in Daisetta, served as a Super Summer team leader. It was her fifth consecutive year volunteering.

“I came with my kids to be a team leader,” Broom said on her last day at Super Summer. “On Tuesday of the first week, I was asked to stay over for the next session because there was a need for another team leader.”

Students are grouped into small family units, and team leaders facilitate family group time.

“When I was approached about staying another week, I felt like God was working on me. He was not through with me, and I wanted to stay to hear more of what the Lord was speaking to me personally,” said Broom, who has volunteered five consecutive years. “God can use a Super Summer camp to speak to adults, also.”

Another two-week volunteer, Kelsa Blair, an elementary school teacher in Joshua, and his wife, Brandy, worked in the office during the two sessions held at ETBU.

“I just want to be a part of Super Summer in any way. Whether it was as a team leader, part of the marketing team or as the comptroller counting, I just want to serve,” said Blair, a Howard Payne University graduate who has volunteered three years.

Blair told his wife during one of the Rainbow Celebration worship services: “I think this must be what heaven is like. The kids are unhindered, totally worshipping God. … The very structured schedule and curriculum takes them to a very deep level. Seeing that in person is just great.”

Kelsa Blair, a sixth grade teacher in Joshua, volunteered two weeks at Super Summer. He has been a volunteer three years.

ETBU sophomore Sydni Thomas has been a student at Super Summer the past five years. This year, she was a team leader.

“I had never been through anything like it,” she said. “I was challenged not only to be a spiritual leader in my church but in everything I do. I believe that if I had not been given the opportunity to go to Super Summer and learned the things that I had, I would not have had the leadership opportunities that have been given to me today.”

Thomas, who grew up in First Baptist Church of Grandview, has served as a Girls in Action leader, a member of her church's youth committee and a pastor-search committee. She is an instrumentalist in the praise band at First Baptist Church in Marshall and is editor of the ETBU yearbook.

Ben Carter, a ninth-grade Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Henderson, attended his first Super Summer. Carter took off a week from his job to be a security volunteer and play bass in the worship band.

“The week was an experience I will cherish,” he said. “God requires our availability and honesty. God takes our five loaves and two fishes and uses them for his glory. What I witnessed is that he is raising a generation of young people who are truly amazing. They want to serve him with all their heart.”

Sydni Thomas, a sophomore at ETBU, has been to five Super Summers as a student. This was her first year as a team leader.

Dusty Kinslow, who is expecting her first child in December, wanted to be a team leader and experience the week with 21 students from her church. Kinslow, the interim youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Willowbrook, learned she could not be a team leader because she is pregnant. She e-mailed the Super Summer office to ask if she could participate anyway.

“I was so happy when I learned that I could attend by volunteering as an on-site office staff member and be here with my youth,” she said. Serving in the office kept her out of the East Texas heat.

“Just being involved in Super Summer has been a blessing,” she said. “The Lord has shown me that my passion should not be students; my passion should be him and him alone. Sometimes I think, 'Oh, my students are my passion.' That is not the answer. Christ should be my passion.”

Posted: 7/08/05

TOP LEFT: Parents pray with a Texas Baptist teenager at Youth Evangelism Conference. She will travel to Germany this summer as part of a Super Summer student group who will learn how to plant churches in foreign lands. TOP RIGHT: Jeff Johnson and Band lead worship during the Youth Evangelism Conference in Dallas. The band is from 121 Community Church in Grapevine, a BGCT-affiliated congregation. LEFT: Teenagers April Hibbs (left) and Autumn Hibbs worship during Youth Evangelism Conference. They are members of Shiner Baptist Church. (Photos by Landon Foster, Rex Campbell and Ferrell Foster)

Texas Super Summer goes to Germany

By Meghan Merchant

Communications Intern

DALLAS–Texas Super Summer–a leadership training experience for students–will expand its ministry overseas for the first time.

One hundred students will travel to Cologne, Germany, July 20-30 with Super Summer Global, a partnership between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and iWitness Ministries.

Expanding on last year's Super Summer theme, “Around the World,” staff members decided to take up their own challenge “to understand God as a global God” by providing students with a mission trip abroad, said Leighton Flowers, BGCT youth evangelism consultant.

Students will take church-planting classes led by missionaries in Germany and participate in relationship evangelism, connecting new believers with local churches and ministries. Flowers called Cologne the “perfect training ground for global training” because of its multicultural setting.

“The most successful ministries have a global mindset,” he said. “When we focus on making God famous in other parts of the world, we benefit locally.”

Whether teens are called to local or global missions, Flowers challenged all Super Summer participants to go on one short-term overseas mission trip, either with their own church or another ministry.

By experiencing another culture, Flowers hopes students will become more aware of the world, the needs around them and ways they can make a difference in the world.

“The passion is born when the need is known,” he said. “People will respond. We make the students aware of needs so they don't get caught up in fruitless desires.”

Posted: 7/08/05

Recreation leaders see sports as ministry

By Meghan Merchant

Communications Intern

Members of the Texas Baptist Recreation Association view sports and recreation as more than a pastime. They see it as a ministry opportunity.

“According to a recent study, 90 percent of Americans have some connection to sports and recreation,” said B.J. Brewer of Waco, secretary of the association. “We look at it as a great opportunity to share God's love outside the walls of the church.”

The Texas Baptist Recreation Association is a professional organization designed to educate churches and staff workers about advantages and benefits of a recreational ministry.

Through programs such as Upward Unlimited, a children's evangelical sports ministry, recreation becomes a contact point through which churches can build relationships with the community, said Bill Chamblee, treasurer of the association and minister of recreation at First Baptist Church in Denton.

Inviting a friend to a recreation event is sometimes easier than inviting them to a church service, said Chamblee, who has been involved in the association almost 30 years and currently is treasurer.

In addition to Upward Unlimited, the association promotes mobile recreation labs, sports leagues and clinics, clowning and puppets ministry, arts and crafts programs, skate parks, family life centers and family camping.

“One of our goals is to provide resources and insight on how churches can use these programs to promote fellowship, discipleship, outreach and evangelism,” Brewer said.

The association serves as a networking tool for resources and ideas, as well as an information outlet for churches with sports and recreation ministries and for those interested in beginning one.

Each year, the association holds a conference for sports and recreation ministers and those interested in learning more about the sports ministry. Participants have an opportunity to share ideas and discuss programs launched at their own churches.

This year's conference will be Sept. 12-14 at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. Special guests include Grant Teaff, former Baylor University head football coach and American Football Coaches Association executive director, and Emily Neimann, a member of the Baylor Lady Bears national champtionship basketball team.

The conference fee is $150, and the Texas Baptist Recreation Association membership fee is $50. For more information about the conference, contact Jeff Cockerham at (254) 754-7971.

Posted: 7/08/05

Disaster relief ministry changes
lives in Sri Lanka and Texas

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka–Texas Baptist Men's disaster relief ministry in Sri Lanka not only is changing lives in South Asia; it's changing lives in Texas.

Many of the 200 volunteers who built homes and cleaned wells in the South Asia island nation said they returned to their congregations with new insight and perspectives.

Micah Hoke, an 18-year-old member of First Baptist Church in Midland, went to Sri Lanka in March expecting a special word from God. He went through the week praying and listening, but did not hear anything until the first youth group gathering after the trip. The word was simple–missions.

That night, he felt God call him to mission work. He does not know exactly what that entails, but he continues to listen.

Hoke again listened in Sri Lanka when he helped put a roof on a trade school during his second trip. The trips took him out of his comfort zone and strengthened his faith, he insisted.

Micah Hoke talks with Sri Lankan Christians after a church service.

“It brings me closer to God,” he said. “It makes me trust him more. Like here, you have to trust him.”

Frank Nastase, a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Odessa, said his interaction with Sri Lankan children has most affected him. Simple gestures from Texas Baptist volunteers seem to make their day. Children gather around the Texans regularly as the volunteers move through the city.

“When you walk down the street and they smile and wave, you can tell that makes an impression,” he said. “I hope that impression sticks.”

Ministry in Sri Lanka also is bringing Immanuel Baptist Church closer together, said Leo Vega, one of eight church members to go on a recent Texas Baptist Men trip to the island nation.

Vega got to know other men in his church and bonded with them while they built a roof on a trade school.

“It brings us closer together as a church and a group,” Vega said.

Posted: 7/08/05

Jeanette Nichols (left) with the Texas Baptist Men staff visits a Sri Lankan family at a refugee camp. Troy Stevenson (right) of Immanuel Baptist Church in Odessa puts together the roof of what will be a Sri Lankan trade school. Texas Baptist Men has been involved since January in helping Sri Lankans recover from a tsunami. (Photos by John Hall)

Starting over in Sri Lanka

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka–When the day starts winding down, action on a northern sandlot along the coast begins to heat up. Young men from around the neighborhood gather for a game of cricket nearly every evening. The teams always are the same, the competition fierce and the laughter loud.

The young men pitch and hit a worn-out tennis ball for hours, catching it with bare hands, only pausing for a “brobo”–a do-over–when the ball hits a tree or crosses a nearby street.

It's only appropriate they allow a “brobo.” The entire area is starting over, and the sandlot is no exception.

For 30 years, it was a groomed cricket field with a building that housed a large collection of sports equipment. Each player had a glove. He chose from a selection of bats. The team was the best in the region.

Mac McCann, from Immanuel Baptist Church in Odessa, serves on a construction project in Sri Lanka with Texas Baptist Men.

All of it was washed away by the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed more than 30,000 people in Sri Lanka. The game stopped for more than a month. When players returned, the game's starting time changed to accommodate the fishermen's new work schedules.

Such is life in Sri Lanka nearly six months after the tsunami. Many have had to adjust and adapt their lifestyles to correspond with their new surroundings. Many fishermen have relocated to temporary housing away from the ocean. Some families are rebuilding their homes along the coast. People are looking to learn new skills for new careers.

After months of despair and hopelessness, Emmanuel Arulaj, a pastor ministering in the region, said people are starting their lives again. Bright, broad smiles reappear on faces. Neighbors come together to help with the recovery process. They are starting to enjoy life again.

“You can see they know we can get out of this situation,” he said. “There is a future for them.”

Sri Lankans are not alone in the recovery process. They have friends from around the globe. Many NGOs–nongovernmental organizations–continue working along the eastern coast, trying to assist with water, agricultural, economic, psychological and housing needs.

Among the NGOs are Texas Baptist Men, as well as Children's Emergency Relief International, a branch of Baptist Child & Family Services. Each is supported by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Children's Emer-gency Relief Interna-tional is developing a foster care program for the nation. Texas Bap-tist Men volunteers meet a wide range of physical needs in eastern Sri Lanka.

Sujatha Rajadurai, a Sri Lankan working with the foster care program, praised Texas Bap-tists for working collaboratively with Sri Lankans, regardless of their religion.

“They ask about culture and customs. They obey our culture and customs. They were really friendly,” he said.

Living conditions improve in-crementally. Some areas, like the one around the sandlot, have mostly rebuilt their infrastructures and homes.

Other community members still are looking for drinkable water, as wells need to be cleaned. Miles of rubble remain in some parts of the coast.

Work continues in all regions. In one area where a row of houses once stood, rubble from homes is used to reconstruct a road. NGO volunteers regularly drive sport utility vehicles full of food they deliver to homes. Texas Baptist Men is building a trade school to help former fishermen learn new skills.

The infrastructure reconstruction is not finished, but Rajadurai said the tsunami and subsequent relief work already have transformed Sri Lanka. People are thinking and acting differently on the local level, even as leaders wage political battles.

“Before tsunami, (Sri Lankans) have some conflicts with Tamil, Sinhalese, Mus-lims,” Rajadurai said. But after the tsunami, “they don't bother about that. Everyone helps everyone. They give everything to everyone.

“It's totally changed in their community life. They started to be friendly with each other. God gave a great opportunity to do lots of things for the people.”

Posted: 7/08/05

Around the State

Author, speaker and minister Don Piper will sign copies of his book 90 Minutes in Heaven July 14 at 6 p.m. at the Sam's Club at 8282 Park Lane in Dallas. The book recounts Piper's experience after he died in a car accident. He was medically documented as dead for more than 90 minutes. He revived after a passing minister stopped and prayed for him as he lay lifeless in his car, covered with a tarp. The book chronicles the accident, his vision of heaven, his recovery from his injuries and how his life has changed since.

Medal and scholarship recipients for Hardin-Simmons University's Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics have been announced. Earning medals by being the school's top graduate in their field of study were Elizabeth Baker, biology; David Nannemann, chemistry/physics; Larry Smedley, mathematics; and Heather Price, speech-language pathology. Scholarship winners in biology were Roy Lehman, Christine Roop, Meghan Rorick, Melissa Tadsen and Lauren Williams. Ryan Flan-igan recieved a scholarship for his work in chemistry/physics, while Amber Shelfer was rewarded for her work in environmental science. Mica Hen-son and Jessica Rieger earned mathematics scholarships. Meredith Morton and Cathy Stearns earned speech-language pathology awards.

New Hope Church in Aubrey honored Magnolia Miller for her 52 consecutive years of service to the church as a preschool and children's Sunday school teacher. Pastor Elmer Cummings presented Miller a plaque acknowledging her contributions on behalf of the church.

Howard Payne University's moot court team ended the school year with a strong showing at the Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association competition. Year-end awards were recieved at the competition with Natalia Lopez and Emily Stull being ranked as the third place team in the state. Stull also placed as the fourth ranked oralist. At the year-end competition, the teams of Cassie Hoyer and Jeremy Masten as well as Lopez and Stull advanced to the quarterfinals. Stull also recieved a Top 10 Speaker's Award. Other team members were Chelsea Lowance and Andrea Montgomery.

Thirteen students in the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor social work department earned pins denoting their graduation, and three special awards were presented. The Academic Achievement Award was given to Laura Kuban; the Spirit of Social Work Award was presented to Tracy Benson-Daniel; and the Outstanding Field Student Award went to Carey Glenney and Bonnie Curington. Other graduates were Stephanie Bryant, Erin Ferrell, Kyrbie Green, Suzanne Harper, Greg Harrison, Holly Marks, Sherry Patrick, Carly Skaggs and Lisa Washington.

Three longtime professors at East Texas Baptist University have announced their retirements. Carolyn Snow, professor of behavioral sciences, and Bruce Tankers-ley, professor of religion, both retire after 28 years of service to the school. Jim Webb, professor of kinesiology, retires after 27 years at ETBU.

Dianne Rincon and Joshua Flores have joined Houston Baptist University as admission representatives.

Anniversaries

Asian American Church in Missouri City, 10th, May 7. Coleman Chong is pastor.

First Church in Bay City, 110th, May 15. Mike Zim-merman is pastor.

Gerald Ford, 40th in ministry and 10th as pastor of First Church in Beasley.

Curtis Barrett, fifth, as children's minister at First Church in Lewisville.

Cleve Kerby, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Slaton, June 1.

Brenda Loftus, fifth, as minister of children at Indiana Avenue Church in Lubbock, June 1.

Bill Jernigan, fifth, as pastor of Southland Church in Slaton, June 1.

Dean Roy, 10th, as minister of music at Calvary Church in Lubbock, June 4.

Donnie Melton, 15th, as pastor of First Church in Rosenberg, June 5.

Billy Joe Tate, 55 years in ministry, June 30. He has served eight churches as pastor and associate pastor and currently is a member at Memorial Church in Baytown.

First Church in Palacios, 100th, July 16-17. A reception will be held Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Former pastors Ronnie Floyd, Jay Gross, Hollis Hoffman, Leon Maxwell and Wade Daniel are expected. A meal and concert by former Minister of Music Wade Daniel will follow the Sunday morning service. Bob Hairston is interim pastor.

First Church in Linden, 150th, July 24. Former pastors expected include Alton Patton, Troy Culpepper, D.C. Mangum and Charles Russell. Former music directors returning for the celebration are Tim Timmons, Doyle Little and James Crosswaite. A lunch and afternoon service will follow the 10:30 a.m. service.

Dejuana Neal, 35th, as minister of music and senior adults at First Church in Whitesboro.

Frio Church in Hereford, 75th, Aug. 7 and 8. Call (806) 276-5380 for more information. James Peach is pastor.

Bethesda Church in Burleson, 150th, Aug. 14. Charles Wade, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, will preach in the morning service. Special music and a history exhibit will also be presented. A meal will follow the morning service. Craig Vire is pastor.

Ordained

Joel Tobey to the ministry at Elmwood Church in Abilene.

Tommy Shaphard to the ministry at First Church in Gainesville, Ga. He is pastor of music and worship at Second Church in Lubbock.

Dean Conley and Harvey Jackson as deacons at First Church in Buffalo Gap.

Events

The Bivocational/Smaller Church Ministers and Wives Conference will be July 15-17 at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. For more information, call (888) 444-0116.

St. John Church in Corpus Christi will present the “Living a Victorious Life in Christ Conference” July 23 for young adults and college-age students. A variety of break-out sessions will be presented. The conference is free. Breakfast and lunch are provided. Registration begins at 8 a.m. For more information, call (361) 855-9351. Derrick Reaves is pastor.