Posted: 2/31/06

Texas IMB trustee decries
'crusading conservatives'

By Trennis Henderson

Kentucky Western Recorder

ARLINGTON—As debate escalates over the Southern Baptist International Mission Board’s effort to remove one of its trustees from office, a Texas Baptist pastor has warned that he might seek to have the entire board dismissed.

Benjamin Cole, pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Arlington, issued an open letter to IMB trustees in response to their proposal to remove trustee Wade Burleson from office.

Trustees voted Jan. 11 to seek Burleson’s removal due to “broken trust and resistance to accountability,” according to IMB trustee chairman Thomas Hatley.

Burleson, who has posted frequent Internet blogs expressing concern about recent IMB actions, countered that “the real issue is crusading conservatives vs. cooperative conservatives.”

Because denominational trustees are elected by Southern Baptist Convention messengers, they can be removed only by action of the SBC, which meets June 13-14 in Greensboro, N.C. If the IMB proposal is adopted, it reportedly would be the first time a trustee has been dismissed in the SBC’s 160-year history.

In his open letter to trustees, Cole said he has “scoured Rev. Burleson’s website for evidence of his wrongdoing, and my net has returned empty.”

“If there is information regarding acts of impropriety on his part that are not publicly available, then I will wait to hear the rationale for his removal when offered by the trustee chairman at this year’s annual convention in Greensboro, N.C.,” Cole wrote. “If no adequate rationale is provided, I will consider offering a substitute motion to vacate the board of trustees of the International Mission Board altogether.”

Warning that bringing the issue “to the floor of the convention … will divide us all,” Cole emphasized that each IMB trustee “is individually accountable to the convention.”

“While I choose to give the benefit of the doubt to both Rev. Burleson and the trustees who would move his ouster,” Cole wrote, “I am suspicious that your unprecedented decision to recommend the termination of his term, whether successful or not, has brought irreparable harm to the confidence Southern Baptists will have in your suitability for continued service.”

Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Okla., was elected last June by SBC messengers to a four-year term as an IMB trustee. He is immediate past president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/31/06

NAMB missionary died of apparent suicide

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

HELEN, Ga. (ABP)—The death of a 32-year-old North American Mission Board missionary is under investigation by officials in the north Georgia county where he lived.

The sheriff’s office in White County, Ga., is investigating the Jan. 27 death of William Flake, who directed Southern Baptist resort ministries in a tourist area about 50 miles north of Atlanta. Flake, who had a wife, Natalie, and an 8-year-old daughter, Jorjanne, was found at their home in Helen, Ga.

Colleagues said his death was suicide, but White County Coroner Ricky Barrett declined to divulge the cause of death.

“We don’t suspect any foul play or anything like that, but the sheriff’s department hasn’t released anything on it,” he explained, directing further inquiries to a detective in the sheriff’s office. The investigator did not return a reporter’s telephone message requesting more information.

Marty King, a spokesman for the missions agency, said Flake was first appointed a Southern Baptist missionary in 2001 and was a career resort missionary for NAMB.

“He worked with the tourists in the North Georgia mountains,” he said.

In a NAMB press release, the agency’s head of ministry and servant evangelism praised Flake’s career.

“Michael’s resort ministry mobilized thousands of mission groups,” Jeff Wagner said. “The Helen community came to expect the faithful witness of Michael and his team of resort missionaries, and his ministry was honored with the key to the City of Helen because of the service that the summer missionaries provide. Michael’s special smile and passion for God will be missed.”

Flake, who was a Georgia native, attended Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., near Helen. He went on to graduate from Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Flake also attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and extension programs of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/31/06

Beaumont church ejected from SBTC for
allowing gay-friendly ministry to use building

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

BAYTOWN (ABP)—A conservative church in Baytown has been kicked out of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention because it lets a ministry to homosexuals use church meeting space. Although the Eklektos ministry affirms homosexuality, the sponsoring church does not, its pastor says.

Faith Harbour, a 4-year-old emergent church in the Houston area, was voted out of the breakaway convention by the group’s executive committee, which said the church violated the convention’s policy against actions that “affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior.”

Eklektos, established late last year, meets in a storefront leased by Faith Harbour and has a link on Faith Harbour’s blog. But Randy Haney, Faith Harbour’s pastor, said those actions do not constitute an affirmation of homosexuality.

“Number one, I do not affirm the homosexual lifestyle,” Haney told the convention’s newspaper. “Homosexuality is part of the sinful nature. It is listed, as are many other sins that are acts of the sinful nature. However, I do not hate people who are in that lifestyle. I have friends who are in that lifestyle and they know my stance.”

Haney met with SBTC officials—whom he said were convinced Faith Harbour “was starting a gay church and setting up a woman as pastor”—but was unable to change their minds.

“The sticking point was that he was allowing a homosexual-affirming fellowship to meet in his building,” said Rix Tillman, a Southern Baptists of Texas leader.

Wendy Bailey, an ordained Presbyterian minister and leader of Eklektos, told the Baytown Sun Eklektos does not try to resolve the “tension” over the morality of homosexuality. “Our perspective is we want to create a place where people can come to Scripture and can discover truth for themselves without any prejudged sense of what that is,” she said.

Haney said he and Bailey “differ on that.”

Both Bailey and Haney insist Eklektos, which meets weekly in small groups, is not a church.

According to the group’s website: “Eklektos is a community of Christians who are primarily concerned with helping all people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. This community of Christians is especially called to welcome and affirm people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered. We are a diverse group of disciples—diverse in age, race, gender, ideology and sexual orientation. We are united in Christ and in the affirmation that all people are loved and called by Christ to be his disciples and to be a part of his healing/reconciling work in the world.”

Joe Stewart, chairman of the SBTC board, defended the expulsion.

“One cannot be presenting the life-changing gospel to homosexuals and at the same time affirm the lifestyle,” he said. “When we sign an agreement to be a part of the SBTC, we have those theological parameters that we live and abide through, and that is part of what makes us unique and distinct.”

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which broke away from the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1998, is unique among Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated conventions. Churches are required to affirm a doctrinal statement as a condition of membership, whereas other conventions base membership primarily on financial support.

Baker Road Baptist Church in Baytown, the sponsoring congregation of Faith Harbour, also voted Jan. 8 to cut ties with the congregation. Two Baptist associations are following suit.

South Texas Baptist Association already has disaffiliated the church. San Jacinto Baptist Association, which included Faith Harbour because of its relationship with member Baker Road Baptist, was scheduled to take similar action Jan. 23.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 1/30/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Groundhog Day, Holy Day

By Brett Younger

The true measure of a family isn’t how they celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. Everyone knows how to eat turkey and decorate a tree. The real test is Groundhog Day.

Every year for the last 12, our family has gathered on Feb. 2 to watch the romantic comedy Groundhog Day. Bill Murray plays a self-centered Pittsburgh weatherman covering the Groundhog Day Festival in Punxsutawney. To his astonishment, Phil finds himself trapped living his least-favorite day of the year over and over. This combination of It’s a Wonderful Life and The Twilight Zone may not seem like the most heartwarming tradition, but after 12 viewings, our family will be quoting lines in unison.

“This is one time when television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.”

“There’s a major network interested in me.”

“That would be the Home Shopping Network.”

“Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?”

“I don’t think so, but I could check with the kitchen.”

“I’ll give you a weather prediction. It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s gonna last the rest of your life.”

“Have you ever had déjà vu?”

“Didn’t you just ask me that?”

“What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same and nothing you did ever mattered?”

“That about sums it up for me.”

As is often the case, the silly and the sacred aren’t far apart. Phil finally figures out that the only thing he can change is himself. If he’s to win the heart of a kind woman, he will have to become kind. The questions posed by Phil’s predicament are spiritual. What would it take to make an ordinary day into the best day of your life? If you were trying to convey your love to a genuinely caring person, what might you change about yourself? How do we break out of living the same day over and over?

Like Thanksgiving and Christmas, too many people don’t appreciate the sacred beginnings of Groundhog Day. This holy day began—and I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know—with Candlemas. This festival, which Christians started celebrating in the fourth century, commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the temple 40 days after his birth (Feb. 2). When the prophet Simeon saw the baby, he said, “Mine eyes have seen your salvation … a light for revelation.” For more than 1,500 years, the followers of Jesus have been lighting candles on Feb. 2 to symbolize Jesus coming as the light of the world.

The groundhog portion of the tradition (if he sees his shadow, winter is six weeks from ending) is founded on an old Scottish couplet:

“If Candlesmas Day is bright and clear,

There’ll be two winters in the year.”

So next Thursday, wish everyone “Happy Candlemas,” write a Groundhog Day carol (my son Graham did this once, but asked me not to mention it), pretend your sausage biscuit is groundhog, quote some Scottish poetry, bring a candle by your church to have your pastor bless it (like they do in Germany), eat crepes (like the French do, but only after 8 p.m.), cancel your boat trip (like superstitious sailors do), watch a movie (like the Youngers), or just thank God for the light that helps us see the silly and sacred gifts that are new each day.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hilarious Look at Ministerial Life, available from Smyth & Helwys (800) 747-3016. You can e-mail him at byounger@broadwaybc.org.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 1/31/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for Feb. 12

Don’t put anything else on God’s throne

• Luke 18:18-30

By Ben Johnson

Logsdon Seminary, Abilene

During the Christmas holiday, our small group from church was exploring ways we can stay focused on Jesus during the Christmas season. This shouldn’t be such a task, but it becomes easy to get distracted with how much money we spend and so on. We often are so dependent on money to live and in the holidays that we lose the spirit of giving.

Our group understood that we, like others, easily hold onto material things like priceless treasures. We realized that each of us must work on not letting even the best of intentions distract us from the kingdom of God in our lives—no matter what day of the year it is. For the kingdom of God cannot be obtained through gifts, acts of kindness or even the best of intentions.

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The rich ruler in Luke 18:18-30 was having trouble seeing past his distractions, too. He was looking for a way to have the kingdom of God along with the assurance of his worldly treasures. He wanted to somehow know for sure that he had security in eternal life.

But Jesus gave the rich ruler the one task that required him to do something he could not do. Jesus required him to get rid of all his wealth. “Who then can be saved,” the bystanders asked. “No one can, by his or her own achievements,” Jesus answered.

Salvation cannot be earned but only given as a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Jesus doesn’t ask all his followers to sell everything they have, although that may be his will for some. Jesus called the man to give up the very thing that gave him power and security in life. What God promised the rich ruler was power, comfort and security, unlike he ever had. If he would give up his own worldly treasure, he would find the “true treasure” in Jesus Christ.

Money is not the only possession it is easy to replace God with, but it seems to be the most common. According to Jesus’ example of a camel passing through the eye of a needle, it seems to be the hardest thing to give up for God because it represents power, authority and success in each of our lives. We need money. Our lives depend on it, don’t they?

It often is difficult for any person with money, especially people who have lots of it, to see their need for God, for they are powerless to save themselves from eternal separation from him. People who are rich in money, success, talent and wisdom, sometimes see no need for him because they are rich in everything the world says is needed. So why do we need God?

Peter spoke up, on behalf of the other disciples, to give examples of how they had left their homes, their jobs and all they knew to be “life,” for the sake of following Jesus. Jesus responded by assuring them again that the point of following him was the ability to know more about and experience more of God.

Any Christian who gives up something to follow Jesus will find better reward in both this life and the eternal life to come. In other words, any Christian who chooses to follow God will find no greater reward in the world than he/she will find in the kingdom of God. Jesus never promised that investing your life in following him would be easy or even bring material reward, which is why following him—for the rich ruler and wealthy people today—is so hard.

God did promise, though, an abundance of rewards for following him that would far outweigh any material award we can imagine.

The truth is, until you experience what it is like to give up those things you put in place of God, you will never experience what is like to be satisfied in the kingdom of God. We must ask God what he wants us to give up and then do it when he shows us.

But what is it that he wants us to give up? It will probably be different for each of us. However, we do know that Jesus calls all of us to completely give up anything that has become more important to us than God. These are the “everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” we are called in Hebrews 12:1 to throw off.

We should not worry about what we have given up and sacrificed. Rather, we should reflect on what we have gained from the sacrifice and show gratitude to God for it. God offers us everything of eternal importance.

As my pastor has said a hundred times, “you can’t outgive God!” Jesus, in Matthew 6:33, calls us to look first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. May those be the most important things in our lives.

Discussion questions

• Is anything more valuable to you than money? What is it?

• What should you do with that in order to put God first in your life?

• How is putting God’s kingdom first shown in your life?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 1/31/06

Family Bible Series for Feb. 12

Serving God is not without its costs

• Jeremiah 26:1-16

By Donald Raney

Westlake Chapel, Graham

Serving God will be costly. There is simply no avoiding this fact. For some people, the cost will be financial. For others, service in God’s kingdom will cost personal dreams, goals, ambitions and plans. For still others, it may mean living a life without physical comforts or one of opposition from others.

Whatever the costs, the reality is that a life of service to God runs contrary to the values of this world and will require costs to be paid. The primary question that needs to be answered, then, is whether the individual is willing to pay the price for fulfilling God’s call to service.

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Few people in the Old Testament understood this as well as Jeremiah. God called Jeremiah to deliver a very unpopular message to the Israelites during a time of extreme national crisis. The Babylonian army threatened to overrun the small kingdom of Judah. Fear was a daily reality for the people, yet they held on to the belief that God would never allow his city, Jerusalem, to fall to a pagan nation.

Jeremiah was sent to tell the people Jerusalem would in fact be destroyed as God’s punishment on the sins of the people. Fulfilling this call placed enormous costs on Jeremiah. Through a study of his faithfulness and willingness to pay the price, we can gain encouragement and understanding of the benefits that accompany paying the price of serving God.

Jeremiah 26:1-7

Following the godly reign of King Josiah, Israel was led on a downward spiral by a succession of four ungodly kings. Each of these kings not only led the people into idolatry, but also sought to throw off Babylonian oppression through political rebellion only to meet with further oppression and eventually exile.

During the reign of one of these kings, God told Jeremiah to proclaim a message of God’s judgment on Israel in the temple courts. While chapter 26 provides only a brief statement of the central message of this proclamation, it seems likely that the content of this temple sermon is recorded in Jeremiah 7. If this is the case, it certainly would have been a difficult message to deliver, especially within the courts of the temple.

Yet in calling Jeremiah to this task, God warns him to speak all God commands him to speak. In this sermon, Jeremiah reminds the people of their long history of sin, beginning the day God led them out of Egyptian slavery. God was angry over the ways the people treated each other, especially the less-fortunate of society.

God also was angry over the people’s worship of idols. God and his temple were being taken for granted. In the minds of the people, their security came from the presence of the temple, yet they made sacrifices to Baal. God had forgiven this behavior for many years but now was preparing to punish the people.

God called Jeremiah to tell the people the day was coming when Jerusalem would be desolate and even the temple would be destroyed. Even though he surely knew the consequences would be difficult to face, Jeremiah answered the call and proclaimed this message.

Jeremiah 26:8-14

As expected, Jeremiah’s words were not well received by the priests and people. After Jeremiah finished speaking, the people crowded against Jeremiah and began condemning him for his words. They saw his words as heresy against God’s temple worthy of death.

Eventually news of this reached the royal palace, and the princes and leaders came to investigate. When they arrived at the temple, the priests and prophets immediately began to call on the leaders to kill Jeremiah for his words against the temple and Jerusalem.

Apparently before the officials could respond, Jeremiah spoke and reasserted that his message had come directly from God who had sent him as his messenger. Jeremiah added announced destruction could perhaps still be avoided, but only if the people repented of their sin and turned back to God. He then voluntarily submitted himself to the authority of the princes.

Jeremiah had a clear understanding of his role in God’s plan. He knew God’s message would not be accepted by those to whom it was directed. He knew they might choose to arrest or even execute him for speaking against God’s people. Yet Jeremiah was more afraid of not fulfilling God’s call than he was of the crowd. Jeremiah knew the personal costs to himself could be great if he chose to deliver God’s message. Jeremiah did not allow his fear or the pressure of the situation to divert him from carrying out the mission God had given him.

Jeremiah 26:15-16

Just as Jeremiah had considered the cost of fulfilling God’s call to deliver the message, he wanted the leaders to consider carefully the costs if they chose to kill him. He wanted them to consider the possible consequences of punishing a servant of God for doing his divinely appointed duty. Such an act would bring the guilt of innocent blood on themselves and the entire city.

While the law did prescribe death for false prophets, killing a true prophet of God could bring severe punishment from God. Having said all of this, Jeremiah was silent and awaited their decision. He had been faithful in doing what God had called him to do. Now the results and the consequences were up to God.

While Jeremiah verbally submitted to the leaders, in his heart he surrendered to the will of God. God repeatedly had promised to protect those who carried out their calling, and Jeremiah placed his trust in that promise.

Often today, we are hesitant to answer God’s call to a certain task because we feel ill-equipped to produce the desired results. We need to remember and understand that God simply asks we do as he instructs. God is in charge of the results. Success for us is found in counting the cost of obedience, paying those costs through the completion of the task and leaving the rest to God.

Discussion questions

• What are some possible costs associated with obeying God?

• What might be some of the personal costs for failing to obey God’s call?

• What has God called you to do for which you are considering the costs? How are you planning to pay the price to serve God?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 1/31/06

Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 12

Is there room for Christian ambition?

• Romans 15:1-13

By Trey Turner

Canyon Creek Baptist Church, Temple

Are some Christians so afraid of being walked on they are reluctant to serve others? Or do they say, “If I am going to be noticed as a witness for Christ, I need to take the lead and not be a follower?” A person may ask still, “How much of an impact can I make being a servant when I could lead a group to greatness?”

The eternal challenge of Jesus is “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

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I do not wish this to be judgmental, but does anyone remember the series of newspaper and journal articles written as people speculated about Pope John Paul II’s health? The media began to talk about who might be the next pope. I remember these humble and yet influential men themselves struggling to make it known they would like the great position of head of the Catholic Church. Still, they did not want the position so badly it would disqualify them.

Is there such a thing as Christian ambition? Christians should be ambitious for glorifying God. Here the Apostle Paul tells what behaviors glorify God.

Serve others (Romans 15:1-4)

A key phrase in this passage is “please ourselves.” Paul notes Jesus did not come to serve his own interests. He served his Father at great cost. He served people to his Father’s glory, which also caused him personal grief and pain. So Paul says to follow Christ’s example and endure the pain caused by those weaker in their faith.

Chris Seay, in an online article for Leadership Journal, writes that while he was in Waco, after having attended Baylor, he started University Baptist Church. This church was a cultural anomaly. It grew to 600 in six weeks. When an obviously threatened minister in town wrote a terrible article in his newsletter, Seay called him, available to correct a misunderstanding.

As Seay describes it, “The same man who stood behind a pulpit to preach God’s word the day before now uttered vile and arrogant words through the phone line: ‘Son, we are in a different class. You don’t amount to ____ and you never will.’”

This encounter hardened the young pastor. When others try to harm us, guard yourself from being hardened, instead do the best you can to take the attitude of Christ, serving.

Get along with others (Romans 15:5-6)

Paul asks that God give the Romans a spirit of unity which comes from one goal—that of glorifying God while personally and individually following him.

It should not be easy for any Christian to shut out another believer while personally trying to follow Christ. Those believers have the same goal; they should be in harmony with one another. This will glorify God. The Christian is challenged by this verse to live in harmony with others who lift their lives to Christ as disciples, not only those who completely agree with them.

Treat others well (Romans 15:7-12)

Paul encourages unity among believers and between the Gentiles and Jews by pointing out Christ has received us. If this does not immediately give reason enough for real humility, Paul points to Scripture that shows Gentiles and Jewish believers bringing glory to God in worship. The basis of our fellowship together is connection to the same Lord: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body … and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:13). In both passages, Paul lays out the reasons why we should be accepting of one another—to glorify God.

Find hope by the Spirit (Romans 15:13)

Finally, Christians glorify God by expressing confidence in his instructions. God’s word grants peace and joy as it is obeyed, then new hope overflows. Doubtless, that was Paul’s personal experience; he wants the same experience as each believer walks with God.

Discussion questions

• On a scale from one to 10, how would you rate your acceptance of others? How does your acceptance score rate with other believers you know?

• How near or how far is that from the acceptance you have received from Jesus?

• What makes it hard to be gracious to others?

• If it glorifies God to humbly consider others before yourself, why does the church not do a better job doing it, preaching it and teaching it?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 1/27/06

Family Pathways provides circle of support

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner Benevolences

DALLAS—For more than a decade, Cawindy Spead’s downcast eyes revealed things she can talk about only now.

“I was the classic abused wife,” the 36-year-old mother of two explained. “My first marriage was to my son’s father. Day One was terrible. He hit me. I was more like a maid service than a wife. I ended up staying in the marriage about five years.

“My second husband, we married in 2003. He was a minister and an addict. He put us out—me and my children. He didn’t want his family any more. We are in the process of divorce.”

Cawindy Spead and her two children, ages 12 and 1, live in one of 14 Colonial style apartments designated for Family Pathways participants on the Buckner Children’s Home Campus in east Dallas. (Photo by Tasasha Kelly/Buckner Benevolences  )

After the couple separated, Spead—pregnant with her second child—moved in with a fellow church member. Soon thereafter, she ran into an old friend who told her about Buckner Family Pathways.

“She gave me hope, told me I could get my life together. This place, she said—I could stay there for two years, finish my education and get assistance with childcare, transportation and other necessities.”

“Too good to be true,” she wondered aloud.

“Too good to pass up,” the friend assured.

On faith, Spead completed her application and waited.

She recalls the same friend was praying with her when she received word her candidacy was being considered. “I wasn’t going to answer the phone, and she said, ‘No, answer it.’” On the other end, Family Pathways manager KaSandra Jones invited Spead for an interview.

“They did a criminal background check and about three-and-a-half, four months later, I was accepted,” she said. “I was in shock.”

Today, she and her two children, ages 12 and 1, live in one of 14 Colonial-style apartments designated for Family Pathways participants on the Buckner Children’s Home Campus in east Dallas. And with a B average in her nursing studies at North Texas Professional Career Institute in downtown Dallas, Spead’s financial future finally is coming into focus.

“I took (the college entrance exam) two times, and I kept failing,” she said. “The last time, I prayed about it, and I took it again, and I passed. Sometimes I still can’t believe my good fortune. God has given me a second chance. I have a sense of peace. I tell God I am willing to make whatever sacrifice it takes for me to get wherever I need to be.”

Founded in August 2004, Family Pathways is the latest version of the Family Place model implemented in 1997 in Lufkin and repeated in Amarillo and Midland to aid single mothers seeking self-sufficiency. What began in Dallas with eight families, today is at capacity with 14 families, including 28 children.

“Buckner Children’s Home is excited about the opportunity to serve families in need of a safe and healthy environment, giving single moms an opportunity to complete their education and transition into a better way of life,” said JoAnn Cole, administrator for Buckner Children and Family Services of North Texas.

“Program participants are provided a continuum of support through affordable housing, quality childcare, vocational training, parenting education, mentoring, budget training and life skills.”

Through a partnership with El Centro Community College, Buckner assists participants with college admissions, financial aid paperwork and scholarship resources. The college also gives Family Pathways participants a stipend to help defray childcare and transportation expenses. Mentoring is offered through Christian Women’s Job Corps onsite at Buckner.

“It’s all in an effort to eliminate barriers to advancement,” Cole says. “Families are strengthened and so are our communities as these women move from dependency to self-sufficiency.”

For Spead, that means no more downcast eyes.

“Being here has really lifted my spirits. I wasn’t even aware of the blessing that I had, because I was so down in the dumps at the beginning. But then God just lifted my head and said: ‘Girl, look up. Look at what you have.’”

Much like Family Place in Lufkin, Amarillo and Midland, criteria for acceptance into the program include college readiness—successful completion of the Texas Higher Education Assessment exam. And Buckner keeps close tabs on participants’ academic progress, requiring a minimum 2.0 grade-point average—3.5 for health majors.

“The structure works perfect for me, especially since I have not been in school in 10 years,” noted Nia Willis, a 30-year-old mother of two.

Willis moved to Family Pathways in December 2004 after an unsuccessful bid for Family Place in Lufkin.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant with my daughter. I got accepted, but I couldn’t go,” she explains. “My sister said, ‘Let me try,’ and she went down to Lufkin and got accepted. There was nothing on the Internet that said Dallas had a program, but I called anyway. They called me and interviewed me, and I got accepted.

“You don’t get an opportunity once and mess up and then get it a second time. My confidence in being here is that I am clearly shown this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Like Spead, Willis is studying nursing at North Texas Professional Career Institute where she maintains a B average.

“I am considered a sophomore now in the LVN (licensed vocational nurse) program. There are four semesters, so I graduate Aug. 29,” she said, crediting the emotional and spiritual support Buckner provides with helping her stay the course.

“They have Bible study. (Manager KaSandra Jones) is very spiritual, and if I need to come to her and talk, she’s open to that,” she said. “They minister to us … a circle of support … women reaching out to other women.”

And the children are equally blessed by the experience, participants stressed.

“When I moved here around Christmas time (2004), I told my boys, don’t expect anything real big,” said nursing student Patrice Leonard, a 28-year-old mother of three. “I told them, ‘You probably won’t be getting any gifts.’ I wasn’t working, so my money went toward moving in here. (Buckner) helped a lot. They received bikes, clothes—an abundance of things.”

Patrice’s son Latra, 10, remembers the day well. “I didn’t think I was going to get anything. I was like, ‘My mama doesn’t have any money right now.’ And then me and my brothers woke up, and there was toys all over there in the living room by the tables and stuff. I told my brothers, ‘We have to go wake my mama up.’ It was great. I like it here.”

For more information about Buckner Family Pathways, contact KaSandra Jones at (214) 319-3462.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 1/27/06

BGCT, UT San Antonio planning
restorative justice consortium

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO—The Baptist General Convention of Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio’s community and restorative justice office may create a consortium of restorative justice leaders.

The group would fall under the university’s College of Public Policy and would be a place to bring together academics and practitioners in restorative justice for discussion and research, said Tomi Lee Grover, restorative justice specialist for the BGCT.

Restorative justice ministries commonly are thought of as prison ministries, but the term actually refers to a larger effort, Grover said.

Ministers serve at multiple levels to prevent people from turning to a life of crime—ministering to inmates or working with former inmates to build productive lives, she noted. They also serve as volunteer chaplains with law enforcement agencies and work as advocates for the rights of victims of violent crime.

A consortium of leaders could aid this process by providing statistical information about how methods are working and developing new ministry models, she continued.

A cooperative effort between academicians and ministers is needed to have significant impact on society, Grover said. “It’s going to take a multifaceted approach to address the issues that are so difficult.”

Professors bring information and research to the forum, Grover said. They often know about worldwide trends that can help inform people interested in restorative justice.

Ministers offer practical stories and a passion for the field, she said. They often practice restorative justice by mentoring young people, counseling families, leading Bible studies and serving families touched by the criminal justice system.

The consortium is one way Grover is trying to raise awareness of restorative justice issues. She teaches classes on the topic at Howard Payne University and is talking with Baylor University and Dallas Baptist University about adding a community and restorative justice component to each school’s curriculum.

“The church can intersect with the criminal justice system in many, many ways,” she said. “Our goal is not only to get people involved at the educational level, but at the grassroots level.”

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