Posted: 11/02/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for November 11

Live in response to God’s mercy

• Romans 12:1-8

By Andrew Daugherty

Christ Church, Rockwall

Jesus tended carefully to the bodies of others in physical acts of healing and through the ways he showed compassion to unlovable, untouchable people. He taught us to honor him by honoring other people’s bodies: “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

The impact of these words is not because they are nice ideas. They are meaningful, because they are matters of life and death for the body.

For a printer-friendly version, click on the printer icon at bottom of page.

Our bodies are the ways God gets to us. We don’t know what it’s like to be a person apart from what it is to be a person in our bodies. That’s why it is so difficult to imagine who we are apart from our bodies, because it is the only kind of existence we know: The way her eyes squint when she smiles; the way her nose crinkles when she laughs; the way he uses his hands when he talks; the way his voice cracks when he’s mad. We only know each other as embodied human beings. Yet one of the great questions Christians across time have struggled with is: Is a body something we have? Or is a body someone we are?

The Apostle Paul must have lived with this question. Of course, Paul was a man of his time. He was influenced, just as we are, by cultural preferences, practices and tastes. Greek philosophy pitted the body over against the soul. It set up a warring between good and evil— good being the soul and evil being the flesh.

He knew all too well his spirit was willing but his flesh was weak. So he says, “The things I want to do, I do not do. The things I don’t want to do, I do. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” And yet in the same breath he could ask, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? Present your bodies as a living sacrifice … .”

Seems Paul has a love/hate relationship with the body. Many of us have a love/hate relationship with our bodies, too. We know them as enemies more than friends. No matter what size or shape we are, there are things about our bodies we’d like to change: flatter stomachs, longer legs, chiseled abs, a smaller nose, bigger biceps.

We are constantly confronted in our culture by body images. The gospel of GQ and Glamour and Cosmo publish the glossy, sculpted splendor of cover page queens and kings. And with only a little extra time in the gym and a little help from an airbrush, you too can attain celebrity levels of physical flawlessness. This fixation on outward appearances only breeds inward anxiety and sometimes shame because we are respecting an image of the body created by Cosmo and not Christ.

Scripture offers an alternative witness to the magazine madness. Genesis says we are “made in the image of God.” The Psalms are even more emphatic: “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Honoring the body is a Christian practice built upon the foundation of creation. Genesis affirms that God judged creation good. God made every body in the divine image. God shaped human bodies out of the dust of the earth. And God so loved the human body, God decided to become one. In this way, Jesus leaves with us a different kind of body image altogether; one that endured the shaming of the cross—naked and vulnerable, pierced by pain and suffering.

Maybe this is why the earliest Christians began to think of themselves as the body of Christ; a group of broken bodied people seeking to be the fresh flesh of the gospel to each other and the world after Jesus was gone.

Our concern over body image translates to our spiritual body image as a church, too. The church must answer important questions: Will we be shaped by the latest fads, trends and styles that reflect the dominant culture of our time, or will we seek to be an alternative culture that makes room for the kingdom of God to break in to our lives? The alternative culture of the church is a place where we can be at home inside our own skin; not ashamed of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We can offer these as gifts to other fellow strugglers along the way.

Notice that Paul uses the plural word “bodies” when he says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God.” This means each one of us has the opportunity to make ourselves available to God as the church’s one living sacrifice.

The shape the body of the church takes is the well-sculpted shape of compassion and generosity and openness to receive the shame and pain and joys of others. This means that when we gather week after week, we are gathering with others who are trying to take the shape of their lives from the cross. What is shaping to church bodies are the practices of prayer and singing and silence and Communion and welcoming new little babies into this world with gentleness and care.

And as we take care of each other in our joy and in our pain and through our struggles, we are modeling to the world a different kind of body image. It is one that takes in people like you and me with all of our warts and wounds, so that we might be transformed into the image of God’s only begotten Son. And thanks be to God, that is the only kind of body image that could possibly be good and acceptable and perfect.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 11/02/07

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 11/02/07

RIGHT or WRONG?
Counseling liabilities

Our church recognizes the need for a counseling ministry in our community. What kinds of legal liabilities should we be concerned about?

Before considering legal liabilities, your church should address ethical and practical questions. Does your church view providing professional mental health services as a means to increase membership and converts? Offering counseling services as a means of evangelism may be false advertising and a conflict of interest. Will the counseling offered be traditional marriage or premarital counseling conducted by pastors or psychological counseling and treatment? Who will be the counselors?

Your church would not consider starting a health ministry in which unlicensed, untrained lay people perform surgery. Allowing psychological treatment by untrained people is as serious a mistake. Diagnosing mental illness may be more difficult than diagnosing appendicitis.

Would your church resources be better spent on other ministries? The cost of hiring a properly trained M.D. psychiatrist or Ph.D. psychologist and providing professional liability insurance could equal several staff salaries.

That brings us to the kinds of legal liabilities you should recognize. The counselor needs appropriate training, compliance with state-required education and licensing, and a thorough background check. Church ministries might be exempted from state regulations, but using separation of church and state to justify foisting improperly trained counselors on the public creates ethical and legal problems.

Your church can be sued for negligence in hiring or training those who perform counseling. Potential sexual abuse or harassment claims create another concern. An actual or imagined affair between the professional counselor and client could damage all church ministries.

The dilemma is that while the church is legally responsible for the activities of a counselor it employs, the counselor cannot divulge his or her confidential communications with patients. While legally responsible for any negligence or intentional misconduct of staff or contract counselors, the church cannot monitor or control their conduct.

Your church should consider what you are trying to accomplish. It cannot be all things to all people. A church can provide comfort and support for those with psychological problems. Many operate successful support groups for people with problems stemming from illness, addiction or divorce. All church members can be the presence of Christ to others. That is a far different concept than offering mental health treatment that should only be undertaken after weighing all spiritual, legal and ethical issues.

Cynthia Holmes, attorney

Former moderator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Clayton, Mo.

Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/26/07

Baylor alumni overwhelmingly
proud of alma mater, survey says

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

For observers who always suspected that if cut, Baylor University alumni would bleed green and gold, now there’s empirical data to prove it’s figuratively true.

A new national survey by the Center for Survey Research & Analysis at the University of Connecticut reveals 80 percent of Baylor alumni are “very proud” to be graduates of their alma mater, and 79 percent report a special bond to Baylor.

“I’d say we were pleasantly surprised to have scientific validation for what many of us at the institution already knew anecdotally,” said John Barry, vice president for marketing and communication at Baylor.

More that 600 alumni responded to the survey Barry commissioned, conducted from May 31 through July 14. The overall sample accuracy for the survey is plus or minus 4 percent.

Research showed:

• 82 percent said they would recommend Baylor as a “top choice” to a son or daughter applying for college.

• 70 percent gave Baylor an overall “excellent” rating, and 27 percent rated it “good.”

• 87 percent said the education a student receives at Baylor is “among the best” (41 percent) or “better than most” (46 percent), compared to colleges and universities in general. Compared to other private schools, 35 percent ranked Baylor “among the best” and 48 percent characterized it as “better than most.”

• 86 percent said the word “Christian” either fully (58 percent) or somewhat (27 percent) describes Baylor. 81 percent said the term “Baptist” either fully (57 percent) or somewhat (24 percent) describes the school. Other terms receiving high marks included “caring,” “safe,” “conservative” and “traditional.”

• 81 percent consider Baylor one of the best Baptist universities in the United States, 68 percent consider it one of the best Christian universities in the country and 44 percent would rank it as one of the top private universities in the nation.

One negative perception the survey revealed centers on the price tag for a Baylor education. More than half (52 percent) said current students pay too much to attend Baylor University, and nearly three-fourths said the term “expensive” either fully (37 percent) or somewhat (36 percent) describes Baylor.

“The good news is we’re not looking at having to convince a group of people about something they don’t already believe. Our alumni want to be positive ambassadors for Baylor,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to keep them up-to-date and informed.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/29/07

Early messenger count tops 1,500 in Amarillo

More than 1,500 messengers were registered at the Baptist General Convention annual meeting by 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, two hours before the opening session.

This afternoon, messengers will vote on the 2008 Cooperative Program budget and elect a new president. Announced nominees are Joy Fenner—a former missionary to Japan, executive director emeritus of Woman's Missionary Union of Texas and the endorsed candidate of Texas Baptists Committed—or David Lowrie—a West Texas pastor whose backers have called for an "open election" and who have expressed discontent with recent actions by BGCT leaders.

Fenner would be the first woman BGCT president. Lowrie would be the first second-generation BGCT president and the first nominee in the last two decades not endorsed by the moderate Texas Baptists Committed political organization. Lowrie was endorsed by several Baptist bloggers.

Check back throughout the day for updated news from Amarillo.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/29/07

First woman BGCT president elected

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

AMARILLO—Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting narrowly elected the first woman president of the state convention—and continued a two-decade string of officers endorsed by the moderate Texas Baptists Committed organization.

Fenner, a former missionary to Japan, executive director emeritus of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas and incumbent BGCT first vice president, was elected over Panhandle pastor David Lowrie. Fenner received 900 votes (52 percent), compared to 840 (48 percent) for Lowrie.

Fenner’s election marked another in a series of presidential elections demonstrating BGCT diversity. In recent years, the state convention has elected its first Hispanic president and its first African-American president.

Many convention messengers attributed the close margin of Fenner’s election less to her gender and more to dissatisfaction with current BGCT leadership, as well as the other nominee’s West Texas ties.

Lowrie—who would have been the first second-generation BGCT president—had been endorsed by several Baptist bloggers who called for an end to what they saw as the Texas Baptists Committed organization’s control over the BGCT.

They also called for change in BGCT leadership in light of a church-starting fund scandal in the Rio Grande Valley, a recent round of layoffs at the Baptist Building in Dallas and a ruling by the presiding officer at the 2006 BGCT annual meeting that essentially allowed the Executive Board to trump the decision-making authority of convention messengers.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/29/07

‘No confidence’ in Executive Board motion introduced

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

AMARILLO—A motion expressing “no confidence” in the directors of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, as well as a competing motion objecting to it, were introduced during the Monday afternoon session at the BGCT annual meeting.

Michael Chancellor, pastor of Crescent Heights Baptist Church in Abilene, introduced the no-confidence motion, and Dan Malone from First Baptist Church in El Paso introduced the motion of objection.

Other motions included calls for:

• Naming a committee to cast its vision through the year 2020.

• The BGCT Executive Board’s administrative subcommittee to examine the chief operating officer’s position in light of staff reorganization to determine if it is necessary.

• The Executive Board to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of the Baptist Building’s service center.

In other business, messengers approved a $50.1 million Cooperative Program budget by about a two-to-one margin. Several messengers went to the microphones to raise questions about specific aspects of the budget proposal—particularly the decreased funding for the missions, evangelism and ministry section.

Gary Morgan from the Cowboy Church of Ellis County called the reduced funding for that area “almost unconscionable.”

Messengers also approved a special agreement with Baptist Child & Family Services to allow the agency to elect two-thirds of its trustee board and for the BGCT to elect one-third of the board.

In other business, messengers gave initial approval to a constitutional amendment that will clarify the decision-making authority of the convention in annual session.

The amendment to Article VII, Section 1 of the BGCT constitution says, “The Executive Board shall have charge and control, except when otherwise directed by the convention, of all the work of the convention, including missions, education and beneficence, in the interim between its sessions.”

The motion of clarification was prompted by outcry following a ruling by the presiding officer at the 2006 BGCT annual meeting, who said a decision by the Executive Board in a called meeting immediately prior to the annual meeting “pre-empted” action by messengers to the state convention.

Constitutional amendments require two-thirds approval at two consecutive annual meetings.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/29/07

Tyler pastor elected first vice president

By Blake Killingsworth

Dallas Baptist University

AMARILLO—Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas elected Mike Massar, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tyler, as first vice president.

Massar received 967 votes, compared to 257 for Lee Saunders, minister of church development at Garden Oaks Baptist Church in Houston.

Massar has been pastor in Tyler since 1997, previously serving for nine years as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Clemson, S.C.

A West Texas native, Massar grew up in Midland and received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. completed graduate training at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Oxford University and the Graduate Theological Foundation at Notre Dame.

Massar has been active in Texas Baptist life, having served on several committees and boards, including as a member of the BGCT nominating committee, member of the East Texas Baptist University board of trustees and chair of the Christian Life Commission.

Massar was nominated for the position by Roger Paynter, pastor of First Baptist Church of Austin. Saunders was nominated by David Montoya, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Mineral Wells.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/26/07

RIGHT or WRONG?
Need for forgiveness

We recently discussed forgiveness in Sunday school. When we talked about seeking God’s forgiveness, a longtime member said he never sinned, so there was little application to him. How can we helpfully address this matter?

I imagine your class is a lively bunch! If you would allow me to broaden the task, I think you might be able to help every person in the class. This may be a learning experience for everyone if the discussion is allowed to grow beyond the obvious offender of grace.

Perhaps your classmate is operating with a rather shallow or narrow understanding of the nature of sin. He is suggesting he does not sin, and in his understanding, he does not. Sin probably means violating the most obvious Ten Commandments. He can rightly proclaim he does not steal, does not kill, does not lie or does not commit adultery. Yes, many people could boast of being sinless if sin were held only as these strongly stated sins. And it is quite possible your friend is able to ignore the challenge of worshipping only one God. Or he is capable of constricting coveting to matters related only to his next-door neighbor who drives an old pickup truck. If sin means publicly violating these commandments, then most of us could declare ourselves sinless.

But the nature of sin involves more than just a few public sins. Sin is that push within us to rebel against the work of God in our lives. Jesus declared in the Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder.’ … But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment. …” Sin is more than just a few strong outward public actions. Sin is the motivation and the rebellion within us to resist God. Jesus reveals the true nature of our hearts and the need for God’s grace and forgiveness.

I have a hunch that your friend, while stating what appears to be a rather bold position, is not alone in your class. Most of us carve out niches or realms of influence in life where we are comfortable with the sin around us and present within us. We are comfortable with certain attitudes. We grow accustomed to profanity on the television. We are calloused to the hatred spewed forth on talk radio. We are accommodating of sinful attitudes within us. We walk through the routines of our lives, and we develop callousness for sin within us and surrounding us. 

Perhaps the best way of helping your classmate would be to take inventory of your own life and confess the areas where sin is quietly hidden away. Your honesty might be the start of growth for everyone in your Sunday school class.

Stacy Conner, pastor

First Baptist Church

Muleshoe

Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/26/07

All-State Choir & Band trip to Germany still on

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

In spite of budget reductions and cutbacks in the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff, the scheduled Texas Baptist All-State Choir and Band’s Mission: Germany trip next summer will proceed as planned, organizers have announced.

The Texas Baptist All-State musicians had been invited to participate in the Baptist World Youth Congress in Leipzig, Germany, and perform at several venues in Berlin and Wittenberg.

“One of the concerts will be in the International Baptist Church in Berlin, where the minister of music is one of our own alumni, Paul Rogers, who graduated in 1992,” said Tim Studstill, BGCT director of music and worship.

Students will spend July 22-27 on the Dallas Baptist University campus, learning music and preparing for the mission trip. They will leave for Germany July 28 and return to Dallas Aug. 5.

The future of Texas Baptist All-State came into doubt when Debbie Smith, music and worship projects coordinator, was named among the 29 full-time BGCT Executive Board staff included in a recent round of layoffs.

When members of the Texas Baptist All-State advisory council learned her position had been eliminated, they called an emergency meeting, and the group agreed to press on with the trip to Germany.

“We felt like we heard God say, ‘Go,’” said Stephen Holcomb of DBU, choral conductor for Texas Baptist All-State.

Now, he said, music leaders are trusting God will provide the finances to allow Texas Baptist All-State to continue.

“The council felt strongly that we need to continue with Mission: Germany,” Studstill said. “The 32-year history of Baptist All-State needs to continue because of the value it adds to the lives of our students and to Texas Baptist congregations.”

Holcomb agreed, characterizing Texas Baptist All-State as an investment in the future of church music in the state.

Although all the details have not been finalized, Studstill has made arrangements to engage Smith on a contract basis as Baptist All-State coordinator.

“This will allow for a seamless, and virtually unnoticeable, shift in administration of this ministry,” he said. “The unfortunate aspect is that we will be working now not only to raise funds to help with mission scholarships for our students, but we will be raising funds to help fund Debbie’s contract salary.”

Texas Baptist All-State received two sizeable donations ($25,000 and $10,000) for Mission: Germany, as well as smaller contributions through the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, Studstill noted.

Even so, leaders recognize the current estimated cost for each participant—$3,400—limits participation, and they are continuing to seek donations to provide scholarships.

“We know it’s a huge hurdle,” said Derrel Thompson, an advisory council member and minister of music and education at Valley Grove Baptist Church in Stephenville. “Still, we felt like we need to press forward with it and trust God to provide.”

Contributions to help lower the cost per participant can be sent either to the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, designated “All-State Mission: Germany Fund,” at 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246-1798 or directly to the BGCT Music and Worship Team at the same address.

The deadline for auditioning for either All-State Choir or All-State Band is Nov. 15. Registration forms, audition information and general information about the mission trip are available at www.bgct.org/allstate. For more information, e-mail debbie.smith@bgct.org or call (214) 828-5237.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/26/07

Around the State

• East Texas Baptist University has received a gift from retired educator and businessman J. Lloyd Woods to provide lighting for the ETBU Tiger baseball stadium. Woods, of Tenaha, is an honorary lifetime member of the university’s board of trustees. The Tigers’ first night baseball game will be held Feb. 8.

• Baylor Research Institute in Dallas is collaborating with Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City to provide a shot of hope for lymphoma and myeloma patients. The medical organizations are attempting to develop vaccines for the cancers, which affect the immune system. They’re also studying better ways to diagnose other autoimmune disorders, such as arthritis and lupus.

• Don and Paula Cribbs, missionaries to Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, are on furlough at First Church in Cleburne. They can be reached at (817) 641-5264 or at don@ gmail.com.

First graders in the Music Makers Choir at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas receive their own copies of the Baptist Hymnal. Presenting the hymnals are Music Associate Sarah Stafford and Music Minister Doug Haney. Children shown are Tanner Cabaniss, Brooke Bateman, Tristan Vathis, Hannah Granberry, Jace Dooley, Remy Covert, Allison Dalton, Cullen Bryant, Anna Fogg, Isabella Fogg, Riley Covert, Austin Nadalini, Blake Brown and Daniel Mirochna. The choir is directed by Janice and Bill Jernberg.

• Nicole Bromley, founder of OneVOICE and author of Hush: Moving from Silence to Healing after Childhood Sexual Abuse, will speak Nov. 7 at First Baptist Church in Brownwood as part of Howard Payne University’s chapel program.

• Baylor Health Care System has been ranked 15th on the 2007 Information Week 500 list, which ranks information technology providers. No other health care system ranked higher. David Muntz, senior vice president and chief information officer, said Baylor’s referring physician portal, use of radio frequency identification devices and deployment of web technologies helped earn the rating.

• William Hopkins, an attorney from Austin, will speak on “Legal Aspects of Social Work Practice: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You” at the Baylor University School of Social Work’s Preston M. Dyer Workshop from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Mayborn Museum Theater. The workshop provides the opportunity to earn three continuing education hours in ethics for social work practitioners. Cost of the workshop is $40 for social work practitioners and $20 for Baylor field supervisors, both of which include CEU expense. There is no cost for students, but they must register. For more information: e-mail Krista_Barrett@baylor.edu or call (254) 710-6400.

• British television and film composer and Anglican curate Steven Faux will speak at Howard Payne University Oct. 31–Nov. 2 in the schools of Christian Studies and Music & Fine Arts. He also will perform and speak at 7:30 p.m Nov. 1 at First Church in Brownwood. Faux is an ordained Anglican curate at St. Michael’s Without in Bath, England.

• Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth will inaugurate the Bobby L. and Janis Eklund Chair of Stewardship during its chapel service Nov. 7. It is the first chair of stewardship established in a Southern Baptist seminary. Scott Preissler, professor of stewardship, will be installed into the new position. Bobby Eklund is president of Eklund Stewardship Ministries in Hurst.

Anniversaries

• 150th for First Church in Denton in May 2008. Former members and staff are asked to write Bob Billups at bobb@fbcd.net or call (940) 382-2577.

• 120th for First Church in Brady, Nov. 18. A fellowship meal in the family life center will follow the homecoming service, where former pastor Ray Ash will preach. More information is available by calling (325) 597-2956.

Retiring

• L. Lee Walker as director of missions for San Jacinto Association after 30 years on the staff and 57 years in the ministry, effective Jan. 31, 2008.

Death

• Wendell Lee King, Sept. 7 in Dickson, Tenn. He was pastor of five churches in Texas and one church in Tennessee during his years of ministry. King is survived by his wife, Thelma; sons Sterling and Kenneth; daughter Edna; and three grandchildren.

Event

First Church in Alvin is planning a “gathering of the generations” homecoming April 12. More Information is available by calling Delane Hargrove at (281) 331-4827 or contact Billie White at (281) 585-6095 or by e-mail at now2@sbcglobal. net.

Ordained

• Mark Terry for the ministry at First church in Huntsville. He is pastor of Walker County Cowboy Church, which is a mission of First Church in Huntsville.

• Wallace Corley and David Roberts as deacons at Mount Sylvan Church in Mount Sylvan.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 10/26/07

Seven young Baylor alumni
to be honored at homecoming

The president of a Texas Baptist facility for the aging is one of seven Baylor University graduates who will be honored as 2007 Outstanding Young Alumni during Baylor’s annual homecoming celebration.

The Baylor Alumni Association will present the awards Nov. 2 during the first performance at Pigskin Review. The awards recognize professional achievement and distinguished service by Baylor alumni 40 years old or younger.

Pat Crump	Marie Brown

Pat Crump, a 1991 Baylor graduate, has served as president of Baptist Memorials Ministries in San Angelo since 2004. After earning a master’s degree in gerontology from Baylor in 1993, he worked one year with a nursing center in Albuquerque, N.M., before moving to the newly opened Baptist Memorials Center in San Angelo.

He served for 10 years as president of healthcare services, overseeing the operation of a long-term care facility, an Alzheimer’s facility, a pharmacy and a home health agency.

Crump has served on several boards that provide services for the aging and currently serves on the executive committee of the Baylor Alumni Association.

He and his wife, Jeana Elliott Crump, have three children—Grayson, Greer and Caroline. They are members of First Baptist Church in San Angelo, where he teaches in the youth department and is a past deacon chairman.

Another Texan, Marie Brown of Denton, is a social worker with the Denton County Health Department. Brown, a 1992 graduate, has more than 15 years experience with children and families in counseling and direct case management and previously worked with the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

While she was a case manager in the private sector of the foster care system, the Texas State Foster Parents Association nominated her for Case Manager of the Year. She is a past director of the Baylor Alumni Association and past president of the Dallas Baylor Alumni Chapter, and she received the W.R. White Meritorious Service Award in 1999 and Bear Hunter of the Year in 2006.

Kirk and Suzanne Anderson Person of Bangkok, Thailand, are the first husband-and-wife team to be recognized as Outstanding Young Alumni.

They work with SIL International, a nonprofit, faith-based organization specializing in serving the lesser-known language communities of the world. She teaches at the Chitralada Palace School, and he directs external affairs for the Mainland Southeast Asia branch of SIL International.

As residents of Thailand since 1995, they have helped to develop an alphabet for the previously unwritten Bisu language and worked with several literacy and translation projects, including a Muang translation of the entire New Testament and key Old Testament passages.

Other recipients are:

• Saad Ehtisham of Wichita, Kan., senior vice president of clinical operations with Via Christi Wichita Health Network.

• Phil Lakin, executive director of the Tulsa Community Foundation in Tulsa, Okla., and former regional development director for Baylor. He is a deacon at Southern Hills Baptist Church.

• Michael McLendon of Franklin, Tenn., associate professor of public policy and higher education at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. He chairs the university’s graduate program in higher education leadership and policy and directs the graduate program in public policy and education.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.