Posted: 8/18/06

EDITORIAL:
Just the antidote for social isolation

America is an increasingly lonely place.

The average American’s circle of close friends has closed significantly, signaled by a one-third drop in the number of people with whom we can discuss important matters.

These findings surfaced in research conducted by sociologists at Duke University and the University of Arizona. They compared national polls from 1985 and 2004. American Sociological Review published their study this summer. Time magazine and newswatch.com reported the findings.

The surveys revealed the average number of people with whom Americans can discuss important matters declined by almost one-third, from 2.94 people to 2.08. And nearly 25 percent of Americans said they have absolutely no one with whom they can discuss such matters. That figure has more than doubled.

“Americans have fewer confidants, and those ties are also more family-based than they used to be,” Lynn Smith-Lovin, a sociology professor at Duke and one of the study’s authors, told newswatch.com. “This change indicates something that’s not good for our society. Ties with a close network of people create a safety net … of people who will help and support us, both in terms of routine tasks and also of extreme emergency.”

The shrinking number of close contacts reflects increasing dependence upon spouses and parents but less interaction with friends.

When viewed as mere statistics—each person has 2.08 really close friends as opposed to 2.94 (as if you could have 0.04 or 0.94 of a friend)—the change may seem insignificant. But that’s not true, Robert Putnam, a professor at Harvard University, wrote in a Time essay: “As a friend said, ‘So what if the average American now has two close friends, not three? Two is plenty.’ But that’s like saying, ‘If global temperatures rise from 65ºF to 70ºF, I wouldn’t even notice.’ That’s fine, as long as you ignore the indirect effects, like mega-hurricanes in the Gulf.”

This “indirect effects” of social isolation are numerous and troubling, added Putnam, who wrote Bowling Alone, a book on the problem. “Kids fail to thrive. Crime rises. Politics coarsens. Generosity shrivels. Death comes sooner.”

Researchers point to several possibilities for America’s increasing isolation. They admit people may have answered the question differently in 1985 than they did in 2004, defining “discuss” or “important” differently. But they also cite other changes that may contribute to the tightening circle of friends: More people move because of their jobs, scattering family and friends. People spend more time at work and less time in social activities outside their homes. Technology both absorbs larger blocks of time and makes face-to-face contact less frequent. Putnam also fingers suburban sprawl and longer commutes, two-career families, ethnic diversity and—his “favorite culprit”—TV.

Social isolation presents the U.S. church with a challenge and an opportunity.

First, the challenge: The trend toward scaling back on friendships and staying home impacts all kinds of social institutions. Putnam’s Bowling Alone documents this phenomenon and gets its name from Americans’ declining involvement in all kinds of groups, including bowling leagues. So, if people are less inclined to be “joiners,” they’ll be less inclined to get involved in a church. No matter the reason, whether they’re far from the place where they grew up, overworked, addicted to video games or moon-eyed in front of the tube, they’re standing off from signing up. If the statistics are anywhere near correct, this cuts into church attendance, not to mention membership.

Now, the opportunity: This country is full of lonely people who need a friend. They may not yet know they need a relationship with Jesus, but deep down, they realize they need friends. A few years ago in The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren identified fellowship, the task of encouraging and sustaining people, as one of the five purposes of the church. Too often, church people tend to denigrate fellowship as merely “social.” But people are social beings, who need interaction with each other or else they will die. So, we’re talking about a life-sustaining ministry.

How do we do this? Look inward and outward. We need to examine church rolls for members who have dropped out but who need to be contacted, encouraged and loved. And we need to study our communities, looking for interesting, winsome ways to bring folks together. If you don’t know how to do that, start with a door-to-door survey, asking people how your church can help them feel part of a community. If the research is correct, they’re already home. Alone.

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

TBM helps flood victims in El Paso

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

EL PASO—As floodwaters began to recede in much of El Paso, Texas Baptist Men volunteers rushed in to help victims of recent storms begin to put their homes back in order.

Working where as much as several feet of water entered homes, trained TBM workers from across the state started removing damaged furniture, belongings and drywall from flooded homes in the southern and western portions of the city.

Mary Bess Jackson removes damaged drywall in an El Paso home.

After removing the wet and damaged items, teams clean the remaining portions of the homes with soap and a disinfectant to help prevent further mold growth. From there, families can begin to rebuild.

Mary Bess Jackson, a member of First Baptist Church in Midlothian, said some families are at a loss for what to do after losing most of their belongings. TBM volunteers are able to listen to their needs, comfort them and share God’s word while cleaning a home.

“Those people need a hope and a future, and God can give it to them through Christ,” she said, as a tear slid down her cheek.

John Nickell, a member of First Baptist Church of Woodway in Waco, said he hopes to help people see a bright future by assisting them in the clean-up. El Paso residents learn firsthand about God’s love through the ministry of Texas Baptist Men, he noted.

“People are hurting everywhere,” he said. “I’ve hurt, and people have helped me. I think God has called us to help our neighbor. There’s no thinking about it—he has called us to help our neighbor. I believe that’s what we should do. If we’re given the talents, the ability and the time to help, we should help.”

TBM’s work has changed lives, said Rey Villanueva, a member of Choate Baptist Church near Kenedy.

One man who lost nearly everything could barely stop crying when the TBM team arrived.

All he could think about was the destruction. TBM volunteers helped the man decide what to keep and what to discard, one object at a time. As they did, they listened to him and ministered to him.

Before the TBM team left after finishing his home, the man prayed with the volunteers. He began to see a future for him and his family, Villanueva said.

“It was just a complete transformation by the time we left,” he said.

To support Texas Baptist Men’s ministry, send checks marked “TBM disaster relief” to 5351 Catron, Dallas 75227. Donations also can be made by calling (214) 381-2800.

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

ETBU World Cup Team
shares gospel with soccer fans

By Mike Midkiff

East Texas Baptist University

East Texas Baptist University’s Tiger World Cup Team journeyed to Germany this summer—not to play soccer but to share Christ with fans from around the world.

Allan Thompson, director of ETBU’s Great Commission Center, led the nine-member student team, which served in Hamburg and Berlin with International Baptist Church and the Kickoff 2006 organization.

In Berlin, the team worked at a hospitality booth on the “fan mile”—a one-mile stretch of a road leading through the center of the city and into the Brandenburg Gate that was designated exclusively for World Cup pedestrians and vendors.

East Texas Baptist University student Christine Southard hands out gospel tracts to sports fans attending the World Cup in Germany.

Volunteers distributed hundreds of gospel tracts that included the Christian testimonies of famous soccer players.

The student group also worked with another volunteer team from Australia to sponsor a block party.

Amber Ethridge, who attends Crossroads Baptist Church in Marshall, saw the trip to Germany as an answered prayer.

“I have been praying since I was in the 10th grade for an opportunity to go to Germany. I have known that I am called to be a foreign missionary. This trip was the perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of what the country is like, how the people are and what techniques might be most effective there for ministry,” she said.

“The time in Germany really renewed my faith. It was like living a dream. God just kept providing these awesome ways for me to talk to people about Christ.”

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

New faith-based initiatives chief named

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Jay Hein, president of an Indianapolis-based international think tank, has been chosen as the new director of the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives.

Hein, president of the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, will succeed Jim Towey, who left the White House post to become the president of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., July 1.

“Jay has long been a leading voice for compassionate conservatism and a champion of faith and community-based organizations,” President Bush said. “By joining my administration, he will help ensure that these organizations receive a warm welcome as government’s partner in serving our American neighbors in need.”

Hein also is vice president and chief executive officer of the Foundation for American Renewal, a charity that provides grants and other support to community-based organizations.

Prior to his leadership of the Sagamore Institute, Hein was executive director of civil society programs at the Hudson Institute, now based in Washington.

He previously worked as a welfare reform policy assistant to former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson.

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

Former inmate leads popular
Bible study at state jail

By Elizabeth Staples

Communications Intern

DALLAS—Seven women at the Dawson State Jail attended the first Bible study Erlinda Silva, a former inmate at the facility, taught there. Nearly nine years later, 200 women regularly attend the Thursday night Bible study.

Silva first learned about Jesus from her bunkmate during her first night in jail. After she was released, she convinced her husband they should go to church, but the Spanish service was hard for her to understand.

However, she said God blessed her by allowing her to sit next to a woman who had an English Bible. She was then able to read the Scripture text for the pastor’s sermon.

“From then on, all I wanted to do was know (Jesus) more,” Silva explained. “I just loved him for what he had done for me. He put my heart on fire.”

After being incarcerated 11 months at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Silva—now a member of Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Garland—dedicated her life to God and committed to follow Christ wherever he led.

She knew someone needed to return to the jail and tell the women there about Jesus Christ, just as someone had told her. She volunteered to help with a Bible study at Dawson State Jail, and eventually, she became the teacher.

“When I first began teaching, my head was spinning. I was incarcerated back in 1995, and God just did a miracle,” Silva said. “Now I know how God allows things to happen in our lives because otherwise, how would I know what these women are going through?”

When Silva first began teaching, her class was one of many offered for the women seven days a week, and expectations were low. Silva decided to shake up the class by rearranging seats, quizzing the women about what they had been studying and asking probing questions.

The women began to read their Bibles on their own and ask more in-depth questions, Silva said. Their interest in the Bible grew into a love for God, and eventually, they outgrew their room and moved into the gymnasium.

Now, each week women pack a gym at the state jail for a time of worship led by a band, followed by a devotional taught by Silva and closing with an invitation and prayer time.

Recently, Eastern Hills Baptist Church donated a sound system for the gymnasium. “We have way over the 200-person capacity of the gym. There aren’t enough chairs, but at least they can hear me now and I don’t have to stand on a chair and yell,” Silva said.

As Silva teaches the lesson each week, she makes copies of handouts to distribute to the women. But since she lacks the capability to make 200 copies, only a few of the women receive copies of the notes.

“We are in desperate need of a copier. We are just waiting for the Lord to provide, and I know he will. I would love to be able to make handouts for all of them every week. I know it would be so helpful for them to be able to have something to memorize and read during the week,” Silva said.

She hopes to expand her ministry at the Dawson State Jail, perhaps by offering Bible study classes twice a week.

“My prayer is that (the women) will come to know him and that this ministry will go even farther beyond where it is today,” 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.

Posted: 8/18/06

Student missionaries discover
love transcends cultural barriers

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Christ’s love translates into any language, according to student missionaries who served internationally this summer through Go Now Missions, the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ student missions program.

People around the world are craving and seeking God’s love—asking questions and coming to profess faith in Christ as Lord, students repeatedly reported during a debriefing session.

Brandi McTee shared her faith by helping coordinate children’s camps in Ukraine. By caring for the youth, she helped them understand how God cares about them. Emotional and spiritual walls came down, and she was able to connect with the children.

“I really learned how to love people,” she said. “I know that’s something as Christians we should do, but I’ve found my love has been conditional. I simply have to love the people.”

Jeremy Spray found taking a more direct route was helpful in ministering to Muslims in London. He simply asked people “if they had any spiritual beliefs” and let conversations unfold.

Through his efforts, he engaged in discussions about faith and the differences between Christianity and Islam. He distributed New Testaments and Bibles to people from 19 countries.

The experience encouraged Spray to be bolder in sharing his faith.

“It absolutely changed me in every way possible,” he said.

Seth Summers was reminded that God works through people. Each day he played basketball in East Asia with a group of young men. One day, one of them asked Summers questions about faith. Summers handed him a Bible. The next day, the young man professed Christ as Lord.

“God doesn’t need me,” Summers said. “He uses me, but he doesn’t need me. He speaks through his word.”

Curtis Broome, who served in South Asia, summed up foreign mission work as doing what God called Christians to do, but in a location other than their homes. Believers are to exemplify the love of Christ wherever they go, and that will have an impact on people around them, he said.

“I want to influence other people, no matter what I do,” he 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.

Posted: 8/18/06

Students start spreading
the (good) news in New York

By Laura Frase

Communications Intern

NEW YORK—Students hit the streets and subways of New York this summer on a mission to help meet the needs of the Big Apple.

First Baptist Church in Arlington Sunday school teacher Regina Fancher led a team of students to New York through Go Now Missions, the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ student missions program.

The team worked in a variety of ministries, from street witnessing to teaching English to moving furniture to filing papers.

“We were trying to see all the aspects of what the city has to offer,” Fancher said.

A favorite among the students was teaching English to West Africans.

“The students loved teaching English,” Fancher said. “We see how much West Africans struggle to learn the language, and they are so proud when they do. That’s humbling and gratifying to be able to share your language so they can find a better life and a better job.”

University of Texas at El Paso student Zack Brower’s favorite ministry was bringing a kind voice to the subway.

“Most people we talked to in the subway were friendly,” Brower said. “I think it’s because we were praying while we were walking, so God set up some appointments with people who need some encouragement and prayer.”

While most people were friendly, Brower met his match while waiting in line at the subway.

A man standing in front of Brower was cursing and acting like he was going to punch the next person who looked at him, Brower said. The Texas student began praying for the man, and the man turned around. Brower asked the man how he was doing, and the man started talking to him.

“By the end, he was smiling,” Brower said. “I feel like God just put people in our paths while we were traveling.”

Hardin-Simmons University student LaShay McDanel didn’t have to look far for a blessing. She found it in her own room.

During part of the trip, students stayed in a boarding house. The girls stayed in a room with four bunk beds. Four of the beds were occupied by different girls each week.

“The last day we were there, I got to talk to the girls and share grace with them,” McDanel said. “I’d been praying for something like this.”

Fancher had women find her for ministry. She was walking down the street when two women stopped her because of her skirt, she said.

The skirt she was wearing came from Guinea, which is where the women have roots.

“They were so happy they saw me wearing a skirt from their country,” she said. “It meant a lot to them.”

The students constantly focused on helping others. Even when it came to filing paperwork for a divinity school, they devoted their time to God.

“Office work isn’t fun for anyone, but they poured themselves into it,” Fancher said.

Students learned to open their eyes to mission opportunities available in the United States, and where their gifts and talents fit into mission, Fancher said.

“This was like going on a foreign mission trip without leaving the States,” 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.

Posted: 8/18/06

Logsdon students experience Baptist life in Europe

By Laura Frase

Communications Intern

ABILENE—While students at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary were hunched over their desks rapidly scribbling notes, thousands of miles away, six students explored Holocaust museums, snapped pictures of castles and cathedrals, and met European Baptist leaders.

As part of the seminary’s missions immersion class and “Baptists in Eastern Europe” class, students learned by spending one month traveling across Europe, examining the culture and meeting prominent Baptist leaders.

Rob Sellers, missions professor at Logsdon, explained the trip’s purpose was to introduce students to important historical, political, cultural and religious sites in the cities they explored.

Local guides, political leaders, theology professors, denominational executives and veteran missionaries provided insights about each setting where mission work is ongoing.

Prior to the trip, students researched their destinations of Berlin; Wroclaw, Katowice, Auschwitz, and Krakow, Poland; Salzburg and Vienna, Austria; Ljublijana, Slovenia; and Skopje, Macedonia. They continued research throughout the trip. After they returned, they wrote essays and papers reflecting on their experiences. Students documented their trip in a daily journal and interviewed Europeans about their culture to learn what missionaries experience.

“They were able to get a sense of who the people are,” Sellers said.

Student Nathan Pruett participated in the missions immersion experience to learn firsthand about religious life in Europe. “Even though some churches are struggling, Baptist life is alive and well and growing in Europe,” he said. “And it’s really heartening to see that.”

Pruett found interest in missionary work, as well.

“It was good to talk to them about life as a missionary, because they talked about raising a family in the field,” he said. “It calmed my wife’s nerves and my own about raising children in a missionary setting.”

Amanda Cutbirth knew she wanted to be a missionary, and the trip reinforced her desire to serve in missions.

“I saw a little bit of an idea of a missionary’s life,” she said. “It gave me a sense of reality about it.”

By the end of the trip, Cutbirth realized “this is something I could do,” she said. “I saw firsthand what it was like to be a missionary. It was always distant in my head, but I know now it’s possible.”

The students also gained a greater understanding of what missionaries do.

In Macedonia—the students’ favorite destination—Cooperative Baptist Fellow-ship field personnel sponsor a ministry in ethnic reconciliation. Missionaries are trying to reconcile Albanians and Macedonians—two distinct, and often feuding, cultural groups, Pruett said.

“The missionaries don’t just tell people about Jesus; they minister to them in so many different ways,” he said.

Cutbirth and Pruett agreed they learned more through firsthand experience, rather than jotting down statistics and information in class.

“It’s good to have the experience in the culture,” Cutbirth said. “Until you immerse yourself in the culture, it’s hard to imagine. Not that this prepares me for any culture in the world, but it helps me understand.”

“Understanding—that’s a major goal for an immersion experience—understanding the place, the people, the challenges, the opportunities and God’s call,” Sellers added. “So, when even one student begins to understand, I feel that all the effort and time was worth 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: 8/18/06

MAKING REPAIRS:
Auto mission rebuilds engines, troubled lives

By Laura Frase

Communications Intern

HURST—Terry Legan believes no car should end up in a junkyard. Neither should a young life. Both are salvageable.

With this in mind, Legan began Auto Mission as an outlet for troubled boys because “all teenage guys are interested in cars and girls, … and I don’t know much about girls.”

Auto Mission helps young men learn to rebuild car engines—and troubled lives.

Like the cars brought to his shop, the boys need special attention.

More than 500 young men have completed community service hours at Auto Mission after they were sentenced by Texas Youth Services, Texas Youth Commission or the Community Learning Center for alcohol or drug abuse or various other charges.

The ministry “introduces the boys to the gospel and how to make right choices and decisions in life,” Legan said. “And they learn basic auto mechanics.”

He works with groups of young men to repair and rebuild cars. While they work on rusted and dirty parts, Legan talks with them about cars, racing, setting priorities and God.

“Even junk cars can be restored and brought back to life,” he said. “Through Christ, broken lives can be restored and made new again.”

Legan serves as a Baptist General Convention of Texas LifeCall Missionary. This program, which helps volunteers find a place to serve, is undergirded by the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

Auto Mission stays alive through donations from individuals who express a desire to help teens.

People in the community donate all the cars and snacks for the young men. When the boys finish a repair project, they return the favor to the community by giving the car to a local charitable organization.

“Some cars are donated to Open Arms Home and to Community Enrichment Cen-ter,” Legan said. “We also are working on a handicapped van that will go to a pastor.”

Along with teaching the boys about helping others, Legan teaches them the similarity between life and cars. He helps change their lives like he rebuilds cars—by cleaning and repairing one piece at a time.

Legan has watched young men give up drugs. They’ve stopped drinking alcohol. They’ve started making better life decisions. Most importantly to him, he’s seen young people give their lives to Christ.

“If you don’t take care of your car, it will break down,” he said.

“Cars take routine maintenance and care. Lives take routine maintenance and care. This is where God comes in.”

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

Nolen to coordinate Cowboy Fellowship

Ron Nolen will retire Aug. 31 from the Baptist General Convention of Texas to become full-time coordinator of the Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches.

Nolen, 61, has served 11 years with the BGCT, most recently as director of western heritage ministries.

Since 2000, beginning with Cowboy Church of Ellis County, he has helped start 73 cowboy churches across Texas and has a goal of 250 by the end of 2010.

Those churches formed the Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches, and he has served as the group’s volunteer coordinator since 2004.

By assuming the full-time role with the fellowship, Nolen said, he will “be able to be more proactive with developmental issues faced by the cowboy churches—more available to help in crisis intervention and in developing infrastructure to assist 250 churches have their most fruitful days.”

He will work to help train cowboy church pastors to work with church starters in the BGCT’s nine regions.

“The Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches is going to focus on helping the BGCT start cowboy churches and develop them to fulfill their potential,” he said.

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade praised Nolen’s visionary ministry with the convention and said he looks forward to working with Nolen in his new role. The convention will name a new director of western heritage ministries who will minister alongside Nolen.

“Ron Nolen has been one of the really star performers on our BGCT staff,” Wade said. “His vision for starting churches in the western heritage culture in Texas is breathtaking.”

Nolen said his shift from the BGCT to a full-time position with the fellowship is an effort to put “more boots on the ground” to further cowboy church development—not a move away from the BGCT.

“I think it is important to state up front that the (fellowship) exists to resource this western heritage church- planting movement and to help unify the BGCT cowboy churches and harness the resources for kingdom expansion. We exist to provide a forum where cowboy church pastors can support each other and maintain a vision for the whole state of Texas,” he said.

“We view ourselves as a service organization of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and will work exclusively with the BGCT in its vision for starting western heritage churches. We have the greatest respect and appreciation for all convention leaders. We see this as a great, great partnership and are tremendously thankful for the leadership that Charles Wade is giving to this movement.”

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

On the Move

• J.C. Baker has resigned as pastor of First Church in Weinert.

• Harold Barnes to Hamby Church in Abilene as pastor.

• Eric Boykin to First Church in Campbell as pastor.

• Frank Brown to First Church in Bellmead as pastor.

• Jamie Brown has resigned as minister of education at First Church in Godley.

• Jared Brown has resigned as minister of music at First Church in Godley.

• Bill Buchanan to Hall Church in Jefferson as pastor.

• Jason Byrd has resigned as student minister at First Church in Haskell.

• Robert Chambers to Second Church in Abilene as interim pastor.

• Mark Dunn to Rosemont Church in Montrose, Colo., as pastor from Crestview Church in Dallas.

• Steve Edge to Ballew Springs Church in Weatherford as pastor.

• Guillermo Estrada to Primera Iglesia Mexicana in Killeen as pastor from Bautista Mission in Monahans.

• Charles Fake to First Church in Rockport as interim pastor.

• Jason Gadman to University Church in Houston as associate pastor for family ministries from First Church in Richardson, where he was minister of recreation and married young adults.

• Gains Gardner to First Church in Rockport as minister of education.

• Ronnie Guess to New Hope Church #3 in Ranger as pastor.

• David Hawkins has resigned as pastor of Reavilon Church in Greenville.

• Matt Higginbotham to First Church in Richmond as student minister.

• Ken James to Central Church in Blooming Grove as interim pastor.

• J.D. and Amy Jolly to Pinecrest Church in Linden as ministers to youth.

• Sam Knight to Central Church in Liberty as pastor.

• Jeff Lazarine to First Church in China Spring as minister of music.

• Carl McKenzie to First Church in Longview as interim student minister.

• Joel and Joy McMullan to First Church in Linden as youth ministers.

• Steve Sadler to Crossroads Church in Lorena as interim pastor.

• Taylor Sandlin to Southland Church in San Angelo as pastor from First Church in Marlin.

• Hollie Simmons has resigned as minister of children at First Church in Levelland.

• Jeff Steele to First Church in Refugio as youth leader.

• Kristin Wood to University Church in Houston at director of preschool ministries.

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

War on terror leaves refugees in limbo

By Peter Sachs

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Advocacy groups are pressuring Congress to take broader action to alleviate the plight of refugees who have been caught in a tangle of new regulations designed to keep terrorists from entering the United States.

Refugee Council USA, which includes numerous faith-based organizations, estimates as many as 20,000 refugees worldwide are being denied asylum in the United States because their activities fall within broad new U.S. definitions of helping terrorist organizations.

Many of the refugees, from countries like Myanmar, Colombia, Liberia and Cuba, live in refugee camps in other countries.

Aid groups say many refugees are innocent victims kept in limbo by provisions of the USA Patriot Act passed in 2001 and especially the Real ID Act of 2005.

Part of the Real ID Act was designed to keep people who had supported terrorist organizations from entering the United States. But the definition used was broad enough also to apply to people in war-torn countries who supplied trivial support to militias and other groups while under threat of injury or death.

In some cases, women have given livestock, water or food to gunmen who have raided their homes and threatened to rape or kill them, said Ralston Deffenbaugh, president of the Baltimore-based Lutheran Im-migration and Refugee Service. That kind of contribution—under duress—is all it takes under America’s new definitions of giving “material support” to a terrorist group.

“The impact of it has been that we are blocking the entry now of people who are themselves victims of persecution,” Deffenbaugh said.

The House has voted to extend for three years economic sanctions against Myanmar, a country ruled by a military dictatorship, and that has produced thousands of refugees.

Some refugees from Myanmar —formerly Burma—may never be able to gain asylum in the United States because they have fought against the dictatorship, Deffenbaugh said.

“Here are people who have risen up against that regime, who have not used terrorist tactics in the normal meaning of the word, but have taken up arms against oppression,” he said.

The supporters of the Real ID Act did not expect the current fallout for refugees, Deffenbaugh said.

“For those of us from the faith-based agencies, (the issue) raises a profoundly moral question,” Deffenbaugh said. “How many innocent victims are we willing to have in this war on terrorism?”

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.