Posted: 8/24/06

Bible Studies for Life Series for September 3

Good leadership comes down to following Jesus

• Joshua 1:1-15

By Kenneth Lyle Jr.

Logsdon School of Theology, Abilene

This past summer, my family enjoyed a marvelous New Mexico vacation. For 10 days, two vanloads of siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents caravanned around the “Land of Enchantment” and had by all accounts a wonderful time.

There were times, however, when I as the driver of the lead vehicle felt less than secure in my role as “leader of the pack.” It was not so much that I did not know the directions to the next destination, but rather there was an uncertainty about whether or not I was the one to make the important decisions: “Where do we eat lunch?” “Who has to go to the restroom?” “What should we listen to on the radio?”

Sensing my unease with the situation, my compassionate wife finally just said, “Forget it, Ken, someone has to make the really tough decisions, and you’re the one!” My most recent “Who me? A leader?” moment was staring me in the face.

The truth of the matter is that not everyone wants to be a leader all the time. Most adults, however, provide leadership in some area of life and work on a regular basis. Christians, especially, should want to understand biblical principles of leadership.

Over the next four Sundays, the Bible Studies for Life curriculum takes up the theme, “Joshua on Leadership.” The use of Joshua as a guide to understanding principles of leadership is appropriate but not entirely novel. The unit begins this week with the introduction of Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites. Subsequent studies focus on Joshua’s spiritual victories (Sept. 10), Joshua’s spiritual failures (Sept. 17) and finally, Joshua’s preparation for new leaders (Sept. 24).

Study of the book of Joshua provides opportunity for interesting discussion and no small amount of “rabbit chasing” if we are not careful. Scholarly debate surrounding the historicity of the conquest accounts and the difficulty of matching archeological finds with the historical narrative is important and helpful, but for our purposes not entirely necessary. Teachers may wish to consult the suggested commentaries for a balanced treatment of these issues.

Two primary factors should influence our reading of Joshua. First, it is important to understand the importance of Joshua to subsequent generations of Israelites. The conquest and distribution of the land experienced and recounted by Joshua’s generation provided continual hope and expectation to later generations of God’s people. Jews in Babylonian exile could reflect on the story of Joshua and look forward to the time when God would again act decisively to fulfill the promise of land for God’s people. First century Jews living in Palestine under Roman rule could likewise recall the stories of conquest and anticipate the day when God would act to set thing straight.

Second, the broader pattern of thinking established in Deuteronomy and continued in the historical narratives of the Old Testament—namely, that obedience to God and God’s law brings blessing while disobedience brings curse—finds full expression in the book of Joshua. Moses’ call for the Israelites “to choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) finds full exploration in the story of Joshua.

The focal passage for this lesson illustrates both of these concepts. Joshua 1 presents themes that drive the remainder of the book. God commands the Israelites to conquer and distribute the land. Most importantly, for our study of leadership, God installs Joshua as a replacement for Moses.

Here in stark relief we see the twin emphases of conquest and possession of the land connected to the vivid reminder that even God’s greatest servant Moses is not exempt from consequences of disobedience.

This understanding informs our reading of the very first verses of the book: “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (vv. 1-5).

The reference to the death of Moses before entry into the land recalls the disobedience of Moses without bringing up the embarrassing details (Deuteronomy 32:48-52; 34:1-8). The truth, however, is quite clear for those who know the story.

The real emphasis, however, is on Joshua’s call to step up and take the reigns of leadership. Joshua has been a major character in the story to this point, and we should take note of his role as Moses “aide.” Joshua has been around the leader, but now it is his time to be leader.

Joshua’s daunting task comes with powerful words of encouragement: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (v. 5). God’s repeated call for Joshua to “be strong and courageous,” (vv. 6, 7 and 9), and the people’s choral acclamation of the same (v. 18) echoes the words of Moses to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:6 and suggests to the careful reader the reality of the dangers facing Joshua as leader.

Joshua’s careful preparations for entry into the land (vv. 10-11) and his securing the services of the eastern tribes as allies in the fight (vv. 12-18) confirm the task ahead will not be an easy one for this new leader of God’s people.

The first chapter of Joshua creates a marvelous tension between Gods promise and our responsibility. Leaders understand that God’s promises come to those who are willing to do what God wants done, to go where God leads, and to be what God requires.

It was true for Moses—“Go to Egypt!” True for Joshua—“Take possession of the land!” True for David—“Fight that giant!” True for Peter—“Follow me and I will make you a fisher of people!” True for Paul—“Come over to Macedonia!” True for all Christians—“Deny yourself, take up a cross, and follow me!”

It is interesting that in the end, leadership comes down to following Jesus and helping others to follow Jesus. The way is not always pleasant or easy, but the rewards are eternal.

Suggested further reading:

• Butler, Trent C. 1983. Joshua. Word Biblical Commentary, ed. John D. W. Watts, vol. 7. Waco: Word Books.

• Nelson, Richard D. 1997. Joshua: A Commentary. The Old Testament Library. Louisville: John Knox Press.

• Woudstra, Marten H. 1981. The Book of Joshua. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing.

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: 8/18/06

Texas Baptist Forum

Untrue statement

I enjoy reading the Standard and keeping up with the news about God’s work in Texas and around the world.

Jump to online-only letters.

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

“Nobody is going to tell God what to do and what not to do, but we are in a serious drought in West Texas, and since he is the man who controls the rain clouds, we’re asking him for his mercy and his help.” David Miller Mayor of Lubbock, speaking about efforts to encourage residents to pray for rain (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal/RNS) “I’m not against the death penalty; I’m against the wrong guy being executed. And I ask the question, ‘When was the last time a rich man was executed in Texas?’ Since the answer is never, I don’t see how we’ve improved the system in the 2,000 years since Jesus Christ was executed.” Kinky Friedman Independent candidate for Texas governor (Dallas Morning News) “Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won’t. … I don’t want to speculate about all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his Son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody, regardless of what label they have.” Billy Graham The evangelist, asked if he thinks heaven is “closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or secular people” (Newsweek/RNS)

For the most part, I enjoy and appreciate your editorials. However, in the one on the “End Times” (Aug. 7), I was disappointed in a theological doctrine you stated as being a true fact. Your statement: “From a New Testament perspective, the church—not the Jewish people—is the New Israel.”

I believe, given a careful reading of Romans 10 and 11, one would be hard-pressed to conclude Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, believed the church was the New Israel.

This is a very important doctrine, for it will basically determine how our nation relates to the nation of Israel.

Because of all the people, including many of our laymen, who read the Standard, they will take your word, believing this to be a true statement.

Wayne L. Allen

Carrollton

Multiple interpretations

You probably won’t be deluged with congratulatory letters regarding your editorial about the “End Times,” but I would like to offer congratulations.

Our day reeks with theological mania that allows only one position as to end times. There are other positions! And those who differ are not heretics or liberals or Bible skeptics. Each position is based upon Scripture, but interpreted differently. You did an excellent job of spelling this out.

I, for one, would like to declare my undying faith in the return of our Lord in “clouds of glory”—someday, but probably not today.

Jesus said, “Only the Father knows the time.” I’m willing to let it go with that.

E.J. Kearney

Texarkana

Noxious sewage

Regarding the editorial on the “End Times”: Please do not nurture this kind of noxious sewage under the Baptist name—or Christian name.

This guy (Editor Marv Knox) thinks he knows more than God and is better able to put God’s message into the right words and interpret it for God.

Get rid of him, please.

Joyce Slaydon

Kempner

Other immaturity

How can Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page honestly say his doctoral dissertation on women in ministry is a result of his immaturity as a theologian when he had it correct the first time (Aug. 7)?

Women can serve the Lord in ways in which men are limited. Watch our women chaplains at work at Baptist hospitals, as well as churches that utilize women deacons and pastors, and see how effective and spiritual they are.

Page’s immaturity is limiting the power of God to chose who he wants to serve and equipping them. 

David Mills 

Dallas

Hymn-singing church

Thank you for publishing an article concerning hymns making a comeback in the churches.

I am a member of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, where we sing hymns and all the verses of the hymns.

Our hymnbook is called The Worshiping Church. Our worship times are 10:50 a.m. on Sundays and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Our address is 305 W. Broadway Street; phone (817) 336-5761; website www.broadwaybc.org

Shirley Eubanks

Fort Worth

Amazed at what 'Baptists' believe

I am still being amazed at what some “Baptists” believe.

Letter-writer John V. Rutledge calls himself a Baptist and yet says that we must quit believing everything in the Bible because it is filled with “myths” (July 10).

If he believes the Old Testament is filled with “myths” and cannot be believed, does he also believe that the New Testament is also filled with “myths”?  In other words, is it a “myth” that Jesus was crucified?  That Jesus rose again after three days?  That Jesus is living still and forever will?  And, oh yeah, what about Mary becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit?  Are these all “myths” too?

It’s still very simple:  If science contridicts God’s word,  then science is wrong.

Mick Tahaney

Port Arthur

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: 8/22/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Thinking of Christ

By John Duncan

I’m sitting here under the old oak tree, thinking of the world at large. In more recent days, the concepts of Gatorade-like substances and digital cameras and iPods have taken on new meaning.

Christ is meaning.

I am sitting here thinking of the hot Texas summer, when 100-degree temperatures fry eggs on the sidewalks, and the air is thick, and drought hurts the farmers’ cattle and ruins crops, and rain falls not on the earth, and the thrill and maybe the chill of winter seem a desperate wish.

John Duncan

Christ is more than a wish.

I’m sitting here, thinking of Christians and the question thrown at me hundreds of times, “Does the stuff that is going on in the Middle East mean the world will soon end?” And I think of Jill Carroll, the journalist who escaped her captors in the Middle East and miraculously lived to tell about jihad and holy warriors and the whole gamut of trouble in the Middle East, trouble that she witnessed up close and face to face in the fury of fear. I long—like anyone, say, a politician in Washington, or the husband whose wife is a soldier in Iraq, or a mother whose son lay in a hospital bed in surgery after a wound—I long for peace.

The peace is Christ.

I’m sitting here, thinking about school starting again and, as I said to my baby daughter who is now a senior in high school this year, “It’s your last first day of high school!” And how firsts—first words, first steps, first time to drive, first car, first house, first checkbook, and first digital camera which I recently purchased—how firsts diminish as time ticks by.

Christ is first of all firsts.

And I’m sitting here, thinking about the weariness world—serial killers in Phoenix and airport screening and murder trials and drug rehab for Hollywood stars and warnings on that swirl anywhere from airports to trains to medicine bottles to warnings posted on signs while you drive down the interstate.

Christ gives rest in the weariness and warnings.

And I’m thinking about Christians and the church—the opportunity to make a difference. It seems the church spends time on mission and leadership and buildings and squabbles and activities and meeting and eating, which Baptist are good at, and fellowship and, honestly, petty stuff along the way, like cooling the building just right for 1,200 people whose body temperatures are all different, that we miss so much of the opportunity to make a difference by living in the blaze of the glory of Christ.

Christ is the difference.

And I think of how important it is in our small corners to make a difference in the world—as the fragrance of Christ, as the salt preserving and adding spice to the world, as the light, illuminating and penetrating the heart of darkness and pitch black evil in the dark crevices in the four corners of the earth.

Christ is the light.

I think, too, of church members and pastors and church staff people who want their churches to make a difference and how they themselves desire to make a difference.

I venture to say there is some West Texas pastor sitting in his office in the heat of summer and fear of terror for his small children who have to grow up, and he looks out of the office window at a dormant oil well in an open filed as he anticipates the next Sunday and longs in the life of church and pastor to at least feel like he is making a difference and maybe he is thinking something like this:

Lord, I want to make a difference today,

In ancient hopes, a blazing steeple,

The light of Christ to every people.

Lord, I want to make a difference some way

The weary path I often tread, can steal the joy,

The plan, the mission, help me Lord regain the vision.

Lord, I want to make a difference, oh say,

To feel your touch afresh, anew

I yearn for freshness like morning dew.

Lord, I want to make a difference any way

To waft the sweet, sweet love of Christ

To some dear soul, not once but twice.

Lord, I want to make a difference, please pray

That I will sing the song of peace

Amid a world of sad decrease.

Lord, I want to make a difference, oh may

You shine your light

To make me a beam, a fragrant flower, the Savior’s delight.

I’m sitting here, reading the morning news. Does any soul read the newspaper? The headlines read—baseball brawls, homeruns balls; murder solved, war unresolved; bird flu x-ray, school starts today; airport security, travel insecurity; tears in death, rejoice baby’s breath and wars and rumors of wars. Amid all the news comes the story of fishermen, not Peter, James and John, the sons of thunder in the Bible, but fishermen from Mexico adrift for nine months in the Pacific Ocean. Family members believed the men gone, swallowed up by the monster ocean. “They went fishing, and they never came back. We thought they were dead,” said a cousin of the men who prayed and wondered. “We gave them up for lost,” said another.

The men survived on water and lemons and the sea itself, but when found were hungry. The tuna fishermen were rescued in their 30-foot fishing boat. When rescued, one of the fishermen declared, “We were born again. This has been a miracle from God because we never lost hope.”

And that’s the good news. Hope lives! Miracles still happen. Christ is meaning. He is more than a wish. Christ is peace. Christ is first. Christ gives rest. Christ is the difference. Christ is light. Christ is the hope. And his people make a difference when they recapture the glory, live ablaze in the wonder, sing in the joy of the hope, and seek to help those adrift in the world find the soulful words, “We were born again” and believe them in their hearts and never lose hope. Christ is that hope—to live, to make a difference and to let Christ make a difference in you. And so my prayer for you is this: May Christ shine his light, to make you a beam, a fragrant flower, the Savior’s delight.

John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines. You can respond to his column by e-mailing him at jduncan@lakesidebc.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: 8/22/06

Bush's reference to "Islamic
fascism" prompts debate

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—President Bush’s use of the term “Islamic fascism” to describe the conspirators in a foiled London airline bombing plot echoes many conservatives who have employed versions of the term in recent years to discuss Islamic-based terrorism.

But Bush’s use of the phrase—in a sound byte repeated on scores of international news broadcasts—raises it to a new prominence, prompting experts in Islam and international relations to question its accuracy, descriptiveness and usefulness.

Some say Bush’s use of the term accurately describes neither Islam nor fascism.

Bush used the term in remarks to reporters shortly after British officials exposed an alleged plot by British citizens of Pakistani descent. The conspirators were accused of planning the simultaneous bombing of several airliners en route from London to the United States.

“The recent arrests that our fellow citizens are now learning about are a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation,” Bush said.

It was not the first time Bush has used the term “Islamic fascists”—or related terms such as “Islamic fascism” or “Islamofascism”—but is likely his most prominent use of the terminology to date.

Conservative commentators have used the terms regularly in the context of discussing the “war on terrorism” that Bush and other world leaders have declared since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

Several Republican members of Congress have used the term regularly to refer to everything from the Sept. 11 attackers to the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein. Conservative media personalities, such as radio host Michael Savage, also regularly employ the term.

But both Islamic groups and some experts in religion and international affairs have criticized the term, saying it is neither accurate nor helpful.

Immediately after Bush’s Aug. 10 remarks, the leader of a prominent U.S. Islamic civil-rights group sent Bush a letter complaining about his use of the term. Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the president’s “use of ill-defined hot-button terms,” which Ahmed said “feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam.”

None of the groups seeking to take over governments and impose Shari’a, or Islamic law, on entire populations, describe themselves as “fascist.” The term fascism originally referred to the nationalist, authoritarian political movements that rose to prominence in Germany and Italy during the 1930s, ultimately prompting World War II. Fascist governments sought to subsume all institutions—educational, religious, social—in a devotion to the government of a nation and its supposed national ideals.

Thus, in Nazi Germany, government leaders ultimately began to control the Protestant churches, blunting their ability to challenge the state.

The threat from militant Islamic movements and states, such as Iran, is different, according to critics of the “Islamofascist” terminology.

“There is no sense in which jihadists embrace fascist ideology as it was developed by (1930s Italian dictator Benito) Mussolini or anyone else who was associated with the term,” said Daniel Benjamin, a national security expert for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in a BBC article on Bush’s use of the phrase.

“This is an epithet, a way of arousing strong emotion and tarnishing one’s opponent, but it doesn’t tell us anything about the content of their beliefs. The people who are trying to kill us, Sunni jihadist terrorists, are a very, very different breed.”

Since World War II ended, the term “fascism” increasingly has been used to describe any government, movement or action deemed too authoritarian or heavy-handed.

But that doesn’t mean that would-be totalitarian Islamist movements are the same as classical fascism, according to one political science professor at Wellesley College.

“Fascism is nationalistic and Islamicism is hostile to nationalism,” said Roxanne Euben. “Fundamentalism is a transnational movement that is appealing to believers of all nations and races across national boundaries. There is no idea of racial purity as in Nazism.”

“Islamicists have very little idea of the state. It is a religious movement, while fascism in Europe was a secular movement,” she wrote in a 2003 New York Times article. “So if it’s not what we really think of as nationalism, and if it’s not really like what we think of as fascist, why use these terms?”

But Bush, in a 2005 speech to the National Endowment for Democracy, said terms aren’t as important as combating the philosophy behind radical Islam and attendant terrorism.

“Islamic terrorist attacks serve a clear and focused ideology, a set of beliefs and goals that are evil, but not insane,” he said. “Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever it’s called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision—the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom.”

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.

Storylist for week of 8/07/06

TAKE ME TO: Top Story |  Texas |  Opinion |  Baptists |  Faith in Action |  Faith & Culture |  Book Reviews |  Classifieds  |  Departments  |  Bible Study




• Judge orders Missouri Baptist Convention, university to try mediation again

• Farmersville church vandalized; members respond by 'tagging' for God

• Lebanese Baptist schools sheltering refugees wonder about academic year

• BGCT aids El Paso flood victims

• Sloan elected as Houston Baptist University president

• Sri Lankan violence forces change of venue for volunteers

• Faith sustains family through dark days of son's illness

• VBS children fill God's Penny Pail

• South Texas heat? No sweat for KidsHeart volunteers

• KidsHeart project makes missions a family affair

• VBS shines light in the darkness this summer

• Lebanon Baptists say goodbye to refugees, but ministry continues

• Wayland student, family fear persecution if they return to Comoros Islands

• Poll: Americans not quite ready for Mormon President



• Paynter named Texas CLC director


• Paynter named Texas CLC director

• Texas WMU moves toward ‘frontline' missions involvement

• TBM, Mexico prepare for disaster

• Mexico vision trips slated

• Criswell era ends at Dallas First Baptist

• Love for God, love of the game motivate Texas author

• On the Move

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits


• Baptist Women in Ministry track growth

• Churches of Christ, Baptists branch off same family tree

• Baptist Briefs


• Operation Knit Together warms orphans' feet & hearts


• Faith goes to work as business accommodates belief

• All God's children have a place in corporate America

• Churches' failure to target men causes gender gap

• Computers may draw some men to Christianity

• Christian graphic novels illustrate timeless truth

• Online music store specializes in family-friendly tunes

• One American in five attends a house church, research shows

• IRS cracks down on church campaigning

• Federal funds flow to religious activities

• Anti-poverty advocates call for change


• Book Reviews


• Cartoon

• Around the State

• On the Move

• Classified Ads

• Texas Baptist Forum


• EDITORIAL: Sooner or later, one day will be final

• DOWN HOME: And for an encore, clean the garage

• TOGETHER: Texas Baptists not slowed by summer heat

• 2nd Opinion: ‘Hard to tell Christians from lions'

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Cybercolumn by Jeanie Miley: Baptist definitions

• Cybercolumn by Berry Simpson: Looking back


• BaptistWay Bible Series for August 6: Leaving—and learning from—a legacy

• Family Bible Series for August 6: Set apart by God for service, righteousness

• Explore the Bible Series for August 6: Fear God, but beware legalism

• BaptistWay Bible Series for August 6: Leaving—and learning from—a legacy

• Family Bible Series for August 13: Maintaining A Heavenly Focus

• Explore the Bible Series for August 13: The Teacher focuses on integrity


Previously Posted
• Arizona foundation executive convicted

• Church's foster care focus enriches Chester family

• Mission East Dallas: A gift of healing

• Mission Lubbock worker seeks to transform lives

• Forney volunteers successfully evacuated from Lebanon

• Sloan recommended as Houston Baptist University president

• American, European Baptists call for cease-fire

• Bivocational ministers gather to sharpen skills, and worship and fellowship

• 'Permanent fixture' at Grace Temple retiring after 52 years

• Missionaries reported safe in Lebanon, as national Baptists take in refugees

• House passes bill to protect San Diego cross monument

• Ban on same-sex marriage fails in House

• 'Pledge Protection Bill' passes House

• Bush vetoes bill to expand embryonic stem-cell research


• See complete list of articles from our 7/24/ 2006 issue here.

Posted: 8/18/06

Sloan elected as Houston
Baptist University president

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

HOUSTON—After 10 years as Baylor University’s president—the last few marked by deep division among the Waco school’s varied constituencies—Robert Sloan never thought he would want to lead another university.

But at an Aug. 8 called meeting, Houston Baptist Univer-sity’s trustees overwhelmingly elected Sloan, 57, as president of their 2,300-student school, effective Sept. 1.

Robert Sloan becomes president of Houston Baptist University Sept. 1. Trustees elected him at a called meeting Aug. 8. Sloan served 10 years as Baylor University’s president.

And Sloan, who has been Baylor’s chancellor since stepping down from the president’s post at the country’s largest Baptist university last year, expressed excitement about the future—both for HBU and personally.

Sloan served as Baylor University’s president from 1995 to 2005—a period marked both by significant expansion on campus and bitter polarization within “the Baylor family.” The Baylor Faculty Senate twice gave him “no confidence” votes, and the regents voted three times on Sloan’s continued employment—once coming within one vote of removing him from office.

Most of the criticism centered on Baylor 2012—the university’s long-range plan to become a top-tier national school—and Sloan’s implementation of it. Supporters praised his ambitious vision that blended a commitment to strong Christian faith and high academic standards. Critics accused Sloan of alienating longtime faculty, incurring significant debt, sacrificing classroom teaching in favor of research and raising tuition beyond the reach of typical Texas Baptist families.

“For the longest time, I didn’t think I ever would want to be a college president again,” he acknowledged.

After he resigned the president’s post at Baylor under pressure, Sloan said he and his wife, Sue, “did a lot of talking and praying” about what he should do next.

“For a while, I really thought I might return to the pastorate,” he said, noting he also considered politics and explored business possibilities. “But I realized the deepest passion of my life is still Christian higher education.”

Once Sloan began conversations with the HBU search committee, he grew increasingly impressed by what the Houston school had accomplished in less than 50 years of its existence and intrigued by what it could become in the future.

Sloan said he was “deeply impressed by the vision of the trustees, the dedication of the faculty and staff, the energy of the students and the remarkable level of commitment on the part of Houston Baptist University alumni.”

One of the biggest factors in his decision, he noted, was the city of Houston itself. “When you look across the country, there are very few Protestant evangelical universities in major urban centers. … The prospect of serving this remarkable, dynamic, young university in the nation’s fourth-largest city is exciting,” he said.

HBU Trustee Chair Ray Cox said it was “amazing to witness God’s hand guiding” the presidential selection process. He characterized Sloan as “a renowned Christian educator, scholar and author” who “possesses the leadership skills and vision for Christian higher education that make him the perfect choice to lead HBU into the future.”

Trustees were “not looking for a cookie-cutter plan that looked a lot like 2012. This is a different type of university in a different type of city,” Cox said. But, he added, they felt HBU was “well-poised for that type of vision.”

HBU has a $76 million endowment, a $35 million annual budget and 2,300 students. In contrast, Baylor has a $700 million endowment, a $350 million budget and 14,000 students.

Mark Denison, a search committee member and pastor of First Baptist Church in Gainesville, noted: “The issues at Baylor are not the issues we’re dealing with at HBU. We’re at different places. The issues that became burdensome in Waco are not issues here.”

But the committee became convinced that through the turmoil at Baylor, Sloan demonstrated he was “a man of high integrity and character” and would be “a better leader because of it,” he noted.

Denison cited five factors that convinced the committee Sloan was the right choice to “lead HBU to the next level”—his academic accomplishments, proven fund-raising ability, track record of leadership, commitment to Baptist heritage and exemplary family.

“We have the right man for the right place at the right time,” Denison said.

Search committee Chair Diane Williams called it “a coup for our university to bring a man with such great credentials” as Sloan’s.

“He and his wife, Sue, will be an asset not only to HBU but to the larger Houston community,” she said. “The search committee has been overwhelmed by the positive response we have received from the HBU administration, faculty, staff, alumni and students, as well as university friends who met with the Sloans. … We look forward with expectancy to the future and to the leadership of Robert Sloan.”

Sloan succeeds Doug Hodo, who served as HBU president from 1987 until his retirement in July 2006. Jack Carlson, former SYSCO executive and member of the HBU board of trustees, began service as interim president Aug. 1 and will continue in the role until Sloan assumes the presidency.

Hodo praised the trustees’ decision.

“Robert Sloan is a man known for his integrity. His experience in Christian higher education will be a tremendous asset for HBU, its students, alumni, faculty and staff. I consider him a colleague and friend,” Hodo said. “Each chapter in the life of a university has special significance, and with Robert’s leadership, the opportunities are unlimited.”

During Hodo’s tenure, HBU loosened its historic ties to the Baptist General Convention of Texas and established a fraternal relationship with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, a fundamentalist group that broke away from the mainstream state convention.

The BGCT continues to elect one-fourth of HBU’s trustees and provides about $550,000 annually to the school. While some SBTC-affiliated churches support HBU financially, the breakaway convention does not.

Sloan expressed hope that he can strengthen ties to the BGCT, but he does not anticipate any change in HBU’s relationship with the SBTC.

“I love the BGCT,” he said. “I love the Baptist family. I am Baptist from the heart and by conviction.”

Asked if his election sent any signal regarding the relationship between HBU and Texas Baptists, he replied: “I hope it affirms that (relationship) and that it deepens and extends it. I long for the day when we can work together with all Texas Baptists. I am committed to cooperating with all those of like faith and commitment.”

Underscoring his desire to reach out to varying constituencies in Baptist life, Sloan said he hopes HBU can focus on its mission and “go beyond labeling and the things that divide us and to be as inclusive as possible.”

During his time at Baylor, one evidence of division was the strained relationship that developed between Sloan and many longtime faculty. But faculty leaders at HBU voiced nothing but optimism about their new president.

Brenda Whaley, associate professor of biology and former president of the HBU faculty assembly, served on the presidential search advisory committee. Faculty members who met with Sloan were encouraged by his openness, she noted.

“We were every impressed with his honesty in talking about some of the things that went on at Baylor,” she said. “We saw a lot of integrity and character. And he was very affirming of the role of faculty. He exhibited so much respect for what the faculty do.”

David Capes, chair of HBU’s Christianity and philosophy department, praised Sloan as “one of the best teachers I ever had.”

Sloan “knows how to learn, how to teach and how to love students,” Capes said. “We need a strong academic as president of HBU to meet the challenges ahead. Dr. Sloan is that kind of leader. He is a man of vision, and he knows how to articulate that vision in such a way that people want to come along. Our best days are ahead.”

Regarding his vision for HBU, Sloan offered few specifics. Instead, he said he wants to spend the next couple of years listening to faculty, staff, students and alumni to learn more about the school.

Before becoming Baylor’s president, Sloan was dean of the university’s Truett Theological Seminary. He served on the Baylor religion faculty from 1983 to 1995, and he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1980 to 1983.

Sloan—who was born in Coleman and grew up in Abilene—holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor, a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate in theology from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Sloan has served as pastor or interim pastor at more than 20 churches throughout Texas and Oklahoma—including nearly two years as interim at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston.

Duane Brooks, pastor of Tallowood Baptist Church, voiced “the highest regard” for Sloan as his former teacher and friend.

“His love for the Scriptures still resonates in the hearts of the people at Tallowood,” Brooks said.

“This is good news for Houston Baptist University and good news for the city of Houston. Dr. Sloan will make a difference in the community. … This is a great day for all who love HBU.”

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: 8/18/06

A possible ear infection gets medical attention for the CERI foster child in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Texas Baptists, through CERI, are providing on-going care for tsunami orphans.

Sri Lankan violence forces
change of venue for volunteers

By Craig Bird

Baptist Child & Family Services

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—As Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels traded mortar fire and accusations of mass slaughter, a team of volunteers from Baptist Child & Family Services treated the sick, comforted the traumatized and dug septic tanks in the tropical heat.

Two staff members from the Texas Baptist family services agency, four members of Cibolo Creek Community Church in San Antonio, two doctors and a nurse from Tyler and two counselors from Wisconsin worked with Children’s Emergency Relief International, the overseas arm of BCFS.

The only concession the group made to the fighting, which reportedly has left more than 800 people dead this year, was to shift the project from Batticaloa, on Sri Lanka’s eastern shore, to a site on the west coast. In Batticaloa, which straddles the disintegrated cease-fire boundary, BCFS and CERI operate a foster care program for tsunami orphans that now numbers 150 children.

A Sri Lankan doctor questions a CERI foster parent about the medical condition of the children she cares for in a recent clinic in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

“The team was disappointed when we decided we shouldn’t work in Batticaloa like we originally planned,” said Marla Rushing, CERI director for Southeast Asia and Latin America. “We all were looking forward to working directly with the CERI children and their foster families. But returning to the southwest coast (where a CERI team worked last summer) still puts us in the middle of great needs, as well as letting us develop deeper relationships in that part of the country.”

Less than eight hours after the team arrived in Sri Lanka on a typhoon-delayed flight, they staffed a medical clinic and trauma-counseling center in a Colombo relief camp.

“We were immediately mobbed by a crowd of kids who wanted to play ball,” Rushing said. “We set up the medical clinic that treated 100 people, but counseling just meant letting 50 kids draw pictures on the floor together.”

In the days that followed, the team split up. One group participated in a housing construction project in Welligama, started work on a septic tank and organized English classes. Team members with medical or counseling expertise worked in Hikkaduwa. Both towns were devastated by the tsunami.

Rushing, who was in Hikkaduwa, reported lines of people awaited them—including children dressed in white who greeted them with flowers.

“It is pretty much organized chaos,” she admitted. “There were 40 to 50 kids at any time wanting to color or just play, and those of us working with adults were overwhelmed. As soon as one person would get up from talking with us, another one would immediately sit down. I began to feel like Lucy in Peanuts with her ‘Psychiatrist: 5 cents’ sign.

“There was no privacy, so there were at least five people listening in on every conversation. Some wanted money, but others truly wanted to talk about panic attacks and tsunami experiences. What amazing survivors!”

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: 8/18/06

Emily and Scott Hall say their faith sustained them through the ordeal.

Faith sustains family through
dark days of son’s illness

By David Alvey

Special to the Baptist Standard

GARLAND—Scott and Emily Hall had big plans this summer. He intended to teach their 15-year-old son, Ryan, to drive. The whole family had volunteered to work in Vacation Bible School at their church. And they wanted to take a road trip to the Grand Canyon.

Instead, the Halls found themselves weathering the most difficult storm of their lives when a mysterious lung disease claimed Ryan’s life.

Ryan Hall, age 15, died June 20 after the sudden onset of a mysterious illness one month earlier.

“Sometimes God calms the storm. But sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms his child,” Hall said. “It’s a quote I heard about 20 years ago, and it keeps coming back to me.”

Last spring, Ryan was a healthy young man with a zest for life. Ranked in the top 5 percent of his freshman class in the International Baccalaureate Program at Garland High School, he had only missed one day of school all year, and that was to attend a funeral.

On May 17, he arrived home from swim team practice with an odd rash. The itchy pink spots progressed as he developed a high fever, shortness of breath, and quickly deteriorated into a critical condition.

Ryan arrived at Children’s Medical Center’s emergency room May 25 by ambulance and immediately was admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors initially thought they were dealing with a bad case of viral pneumonia.

For nearly a month, Ryan was kept heavily sedated while doctors tried to treat the aggressive and rapidly progressive lung disease. Some of the best doctors in the country were called in, but they were unable to identify what had attacked Ryan’s lungs.

After weeks on a heart-lung machine and respirator, the stress ultimately proved too much for his body. He died June 20.

“We’ve been Christians for 30 years,” said his father, a deacon at The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson, where he and his wife are involved in children’s ministries and missions programs. “If we can’t put our faith to use now, then what good is it?”

“When we first lost Ryan, I just wanted to go to heaven and be with him as soon as I could,” Mrs. Hall added. “But I realized God still has a purpose for my life. There’s a reason why I am still here. So, I have to go on trying to fulfill God’s purpose for my life.”

Ryan’s 13-year-old sister, Mallory, “has a great attitude,” her father noted. “She says God had a reason for taking Ryan, and he’s enjoying God’s presence in heaven. Ryan wouldn’t want us to mope around.”

The Hall family fulfilled their commitment to help with The Heights’ Vacation Bible School at Hawaiian Falls water park in Garland.

“It was hard,” Mrs. Hall acknowledged. “We had season passes the first several years the park was open. We spent a lot of time together at Hawaiian Falls, so it brought back a lot of memories. But it also was good to take our minds off our own sorrow and serve others.”

Hall still carries a prayer pager that buzzed around the clock while Ryan was in the hospital.

“The church paid for it through September,” he explained. “It doesn’t vibrate as often now, but I know people are still praying for us. We’ve heard from people we didn’t even know—people from all over the world—who are praying over us. Ryan’s story has impacted many lives.”

Until Ryan’s death, his family had lived a “fairytale” life, relatively untouched by sorrow, Hall noted. Now, they know what it means to go through the lowest times imaginable, but they also experienced a depth of love they had never known before.

“God has taught us so much through this ordeal,” Hall said. “We never knew how many good people are around. We’ve been amazed by how much people can love, care and share. Our lives are forever changed.”

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: 8/18/06

VBS children fill God’s Penny Pail

By Elizabeth Staples

Communications Intern

BLANKET—Children learned to be cheerful givers through Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church in Blanket.

On the first day, the 127 pre-kindergarten through 5th graders from the small community northeast of Brown-wood were challenged to donate loose change and fill up God’s Penny Pail.

“We had the bucket at the front of the sanctuary, and the children would bring pennies in their pockets, hats or plastic bags and pour them in each morning,” said Jim Looby, pastor of First Baptist Church in Blanket.

“Throughout the week, I pulled it around in a little red wagon for the kids to see the progress they were making. The children looked at that pail and didn’t think they could fill it, but they did.”

At the end of the week, the bucket was filled with 68 pounds of mostly coins and some currency, totaling $267.17. The donations benefit the city of Blanket mission fund, helping people in need to pay their bills or buy food, Looby explained.

“It’s not for any specific church, just people in the community. We are very close-knit and enjoy doing things together,” Looby said. “God’s Penny Pail is an encouraging way to teach children an important lesson about giving offerings to the Lord.”

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: 8/18/06

Girls from Crossing Baptist Church in Mesquite take time out from construction to play a pick-up game of foosball in Progreso. (Photos by Scott Collins)

South Texas heat? No sweat
for KidsHeart volunteers

By Russ Dilday

Buckner Benevolences

RIO GRANDE VALLEY—Richard Buerkle wiped a sweaty forehead with an equally sweaty forearm as he paused from his carpentry work in 100-degree heat and oppressively high humidity.

Buerkle and his team of volunteers from First Baptist Church in Gatesville, were repairing a home in Monte Alto, near the Mexican border, in preparation for repainting the home.

See Related Articles: • Hundreds of volunteers sweat, serve at KidsHeart project in Rio Grande Valley • Families served together at KidsHeart

Others from the church, where Buerkle serves as minister of music, led a Vacation Bible School in a nearby church. Still other volunteers held a medical clinic at a neighborhood community center.

It’s the third time in as many years that the Gatesville church came to Monte Alto to minister as part of KidsHeart, a collaborative missions effort between the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Buckner Benevolences that matches churches with needs in the Rio Grande Valley.

Despite 103-degree temperatures, participants often found themselves working into the evening roofing homes as part of KidsHeart construction projects.

Each summer for the past three years, hundreds of volunteers have performed light construction on homes, conducted Vacation Bibles Schools, medical and dental clinics and sports camps, and shared the message of Christ.

Most of their work has been in the colonias—unincorporated neighborhoods on both sides of the Mexico-United States border, where the poor seek to live the dream of home ownership.

“We’ve developed a real desire to partner with this church and this community,” Buerkle said. “We’re meeting the needs of a lot of the same people and developing relationships with them. We want them to see we’re interested in more than patching a roof.”

Members of First Baptist Church of Gatesville prepare to do light construction and painting of a house in Monte Alto.

Tommy Speed, executive director for Buckner in the Rio Grande Valley, said a record 480 volunteers participated, making it the best-attended of the KidsHeart summer events. “It is amazing to see what 480 committed Christians can do in the colonias. They are lifting families with no hope and almost nothing in this world, and giving them hope in Christ.”

Rick McClatchy, event organizer and coordinator for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Texas, said 23 churches answered this year’s call to service.

“This is a great response to CBF’s Rural Poverty Initiative to help the poorest counties in the United States,” he said. “They are churches who want a missions connection.”

While the majority of volunteers represented churches affiliated with CBF Texas, four cooperating churches from CBF Oklahoma made a first-ever trip to the Valley.

Kerry Leeper Brock of Northwest Baptist Church of Ardmore, Okla., worked on a roofing crew in Progreso, sorted clothes “and created our own snow-cone ministry,” she said. Workers had earlier that day taken a snow-cone break that quickly turned into a neighborhood run on the slushy treats, with 100 local children lining up for one.

At the same site, Travis Keath, a member of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, pounded nails alongside his wife, Pattie, to secure tar paper onto a family’s roof. His son, Matt, 14, was working on a nearby project. Smiling in the rooftop heat of about 120 degrees, he remarked that the trip was his family’s vacation.

“The last five years, Matt and I have done Scout camps. We felt moved to do this to give Matthew a taste for missions,” Keath said. “I’m sunburned and a few pounds lighter, but my family and I will have this shared experience. This will be something we talk about for a long time.”

Homeowner Elida Ramirez, her husband, Jorge, and seven children were grateful for their new roof and brought breakfast to the roofers each morning.

“When we bought this house, it was deteriorated,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “Lately, we have had a lot of rain, and my kitchen and bed have all gotten wet. They fixed my roof and (insulated) my walls. Now we can have heating and air conditioning. They built my house brand new.

“This is wonderful for my children. I thank Christ, because the mission group has blessed us, and we hope to bless others.”

Ruben Benitez Jr. never will forget his new relationship with members of First Baptist Church of College Station. About a dozen of the congregation’s team members participated in a first for the KidsHeart event: They built a home from scratch in just six days for Benitez, his wife and three small children.

Benitez said when the College Station team completed the flooring on the 12-by-36-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath frame home, “my children and my nephews were dancing on the floor. This is a blessing from Jesus.”

“They’re excited,” said project co-leader Mark Meyer, a software engineer, who supervised the 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. workdays with co-leader Bud Williams, a home contractor. “When the windows went in, the kids ran around the house excitedly.”

Meyer and Williams noted church members paid for the entire project, with an estimated $6,000 cost that included wiring, plumbing and a septic system.

But the site was not just reserved for construction. Under an oak tree in the Benitez yard, church member Roxanne Collins also led two families through a workshop on diabetes prevention.

The construction, children’s programs and other efforts the groups made were part of an attempt to win others to Christ through personal contact, said Stacy Conner, pastor of First Baptist Church of Muleshoe.

“Even in painting houses, we’re building a shared experience with people we would never come in contact with.”

That personal contact resulted in 47 professions of faith in Christ, made not in mass events but one person at a time.

Kristin Scott, 17, a member of The Crossing Baptist Church in Mesquite, came to the Valley to lead Vacation Bible School activities.

“When you teach little kids about Christ, it will spread,” she said.

To her surprise, when she and others from her church were promoting the Bible school in Progreso, she helped lead an adult to Christ.

“We were handing out flyers in the neighborhoods, and we asked a lady, Carmen, if she knew Jesus,” Scott recalled. “She said no, so we asked her if she would like to know him. She said, ‘Yes, if you have the time.’”

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: 8/18/06

Tonya Mathews is among several members of First Baptist Church of Gatesville who is leading 46 children in Vacation Bible School in Monte Alto as part of the KidsHeart missions event in July in the Rio Grande Valley. Among the children are her own, including Jordan, 7 (wearing No. 7).

KidsHeart project makes missions a family affair

By Russ Dilday

Buckner Benevolences

RIO GRANDE VALLEY—During the first full workday of KidsHeart, it became clear families had become a powerful force in the weeklong event—a joint missions effort of the Cooperative Baptist Fellow-ship and Buckner Benevolences that matches churches with needs in the Rio Grande Valley.

See Related Articles: • Hundreds of volunteers sweat, serve at KidsHeart project in Rio Grande Valley • Families served together at KidsHeart

At Monte Alto Baptist Church, Tonya Mathews was one of several members of First Baptist Church of Gatesville who led the first day of Vacation Bible School. Among the children participating were her own—ages 7, 5 and 2.

“We come each year because we can bring the whole family, bring our kids to share Jesus with others,” she said while collecting an art project from her Bible school group.

Trey Vigil, 17 (right) came with his parents Julian and Jill (left), brother and grandmother to find a missions connection as he nailed tar paper on a hot roof in a Progreso colonia. “I came because my Dad loves it and I’m getting quality time with my parents,” said Vigil, a member of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas.

“The great thing about KidsHeart is that we are serving families, and KidsHeart has given us the opportunity to come back to the same kids each year. We started with five kids the whole week that first year. Look how many come now.”

Mathews’ husband, Sean, said that while the family comes to serve, he also hopes his children learn a valuable lesson on service. “I want to instill service and responsibility within my family. Jesus stopped to serve 5,000 in an act of humble service, and I want my children to know service,” he said. It appeared they learned the desired lesson, he added.

“Last night my son, Jordan, told me ‘Yeah, I met all kinds of new friends, and I can tell them about Jesus tomorrow,’” he said.

The Mathewses were just one of many families choosing to brave the 100-degree days and stifling humidity to ensure others have a better—and eternal—life.

Dentist Andy Williams brought his teen children Steven and Shanna to help him at the dental clinic he held in Lasara.

“Bringing my children is special to me, because it’s a chance to get closer to them and show them what I love,” said Williams, a member of First Baptist Church in College Station.

“It’s neat to share this experience with my family,” echoed Shanna, 17. “It’s made me humble, and made me see the need to give more.”

Trey Vigil, also 17, came with his parents, Julian and Jill, brother and grandmother to find a missions connection as he nailed tar paper on a hot roof in Progreso.

“I came because my dad loves it, and I’m getting quality time with my parents,” said Vigil, a member of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. “It tells these people that other people care about them—and that might show them a doorway to something new.”

Nikki Wright, 12, of First Baptist Church of Covington, noted families—like her mom, Jane, dad, Keith, and older sister Danielle—were going to take back some longstanding visions to their homes after the week was over.

“One family we were helping has five children and one bedroom with no electricity. That’s a different life than I live. I have some kids in my class (in Covington) who have less, and I can be nicer to them.”

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: 8/18/06

Grace Temple Baptist Church in Waco is one of a growing number of churches holding Vacation Bible School in the evening. (Photos by Diane Lane/BGCT)

VBS shines light in the darkness this summer

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Many Vacation Bible Schools in Texas this summer decided to shine light into the darkness.

The majority of Texas churches who reported 2005 Vacation Bible School statistics to Lifeway Christian Resources held their Bible schools at night—a change from the typical weeklong events held in the morning.

Nearly 54 percent of more than 800 churches that reported to the publisher held Vacation Bible School in the evening. Slightly more than 41 percent of congregations held it during the day. About 3 percent split their Vacation Bible School between the morning and the evening. The remaining churches did not indicate when they held the events.

Many churches describe Vacation Bible School as one of their best outreach activities for children.

Diane Lane, Baptist General Convention of Texas preschool /children’s ministry specialist, said many churches are moving Vacation Bible School to the evenings when more members can help with the outreach.

“Children are going to be there,” she said. “So, you need to look at when you’re going to have the most teachers available. If most of your church works during the day, it would be ridiculous to have it during the day. You won’t have the leaders.”

Grace Temple Baptist Church in Waco had more than 60 children at its Vacation Bible School held during the evening. Merle Neuman, who directs the effort, said the event is one of the church’s most effective outreach activities.

At least half of the youth who participate in the church’s Bible school do not regularly attend the congregation’s services, Neuman said. Each year, several young people begin attending Sunday school after Vacation Bible School, and the church has seen one profession of faith each of the past two years.

“We do VBS to reach unchurched children so they will have an opportunity to know who God is,” she said.

Results like these are common in Baptist life. Texas churches reported nearly 6,000 professions of faith as a result of Vacation Bible School. About 120 more people said they felt a call to vocational ministry.

Chad Chaddick, pastor of Fairlanes Baptist Church in Borger, said Vacation Bible School remains effective because it is a designated time where church members concentrate on children. Christians share biblical lessons with children in a way they understand.

“I think it’s just a concentrated effort on loving on the children,” said Chaddick, whose church also held its Vacation Bible School in the evening. “We’re trying to love on them in practical ways. We’re telling them the truths that really matter. Doing that in a concentrated time, it captures the hearts, the imaginations.”

Lane agreed with Chaddick, adding that an effective VBS brings together an entire church. Every staff member helps, and a large number of church members are involved.

“Vacation Bible School can be used really to firm up and really seal that spiritual foundation for children and for them to not only know the Bible studies, but they have interacted so much with the Bible verses that it becomes part of them,” she said.

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.