2008 Archives
-
Veteran pastor sees last five years in for-profit hospital as expansion of ministry
Posted: 4/11/08
George Gaston, vice president of ministry at Baptist Health System of San Antonio, poses with a family who moved into a Habitat for Humanity House built by volunteers from the hospital system. Veteran pastor sees last five years in
for-profit hospital as expansion of ministryBy Karen May
Baptist Health Systems
SAN ANTONIO—George Gaston served 25 years as pastor of Texas Baptist churches. For the last five, he has been vice president of a for-profit hospital system. And Gaston has found the latter role fulfilling—and the fulfillment of God’s calling for this season of his life.
Gaston serves as regional vice president of ministry for Baptist Health System in San Antonio. In that role, he has led efforts to strengthen the Christian mission and pastoral presence in the health system’s five hospitals and various other health-related businesses, as well as its presence in the community.
Gaston offers a prayer, asking God’s blessing on a Habitat for Humanity House built by volunteers from the hospital system. 04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
-
IN FOCUS: Focus on & share the hope of Christ
Posted: 4/11/08
IN FOCUS:
Focus on & share the hope of Christ“Four hundred sixteen children are taken from a West Texas polygamist compound.” “A 48-year-old grandmother and her 5-year-old granddaughter were killed by a gunman when a child’s birthday party turned violent.” “Home sales decline last month, the steepest so far, putting the entire first quarter into a double-digit downturn.”
We are reminded of the sorrow and fear in our world each morning when we read the paper. Our own lives also are interrupted by challenges and heartache at unexpected times. Yet we still are called on to proclaim a message of hope. How can we do this with integrity?
In Colossians 1:27 we read, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Hope is not what we wish to experience or imagine. Hope doesn’t come from pretending that bad things are not happening. The hope we proclaim is the transformational hope we know in Christ. As Texas Baptists, we must focus continually on the hope of Christ that God makes available to the world through us.
As I begin this journey with you as your executive director, I am filled with hope. I am certainly not looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses, yet I am reminded constantly of the power of Christ.
04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
Childrenâs home offers belated Christmas celebration for single mother and daughter
Posted: 4/11/08
Children’s home offers belated Christmas
celebration for single mother and daughterBy Jessica Schmale
Children At Heart Ministries
ROUND ROCK—Robyn James and her daughter, Bailee, missed celebrating last Christmas. But Texas Baptist Children’s Home recently gave them reason to be festive.
Bailee, who turned 4 in December, and her mother were living in an old Buick after they lost their apartment last October. The little girl was hospitalized several times for pneumonia, and that made it difficult for her mother to work as often as needed.
Robyn James and her daughter, Bailee, missed celebrating last Christmas. But Texas Baptist Children’s Home recently gave them reason to be festive. 04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
Texas Baptist Forum
Posted: 4/11/08
Texas Baptist Forum
Creationism
We were stunned to see a prominent photo of our president, Ken Ham, standing next to the dinosaur exhibit inside our new Creation Museum accompanying your story on religious fundamentalists and their alleged anti-modernism (March 31).
• Jump to online-only letters below Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; 250 words maximum.
“As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, ‘That’s a terrible statement,’ I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think you have to cut some slack. And I’m going to be probably the only conservative in America who’s going to say something like this, but I’m just telling you, we’ve got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told: ‘You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can’t sit out there with everyone else. There’s a separate waiting room in the doctor’s office. Here’s where you sit on the bus.’ And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say: ‘I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had … more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.’”
Mike Huckabee
Former presidential candidate, governor and Baptist pastor, on the preaching of Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s former pastor (MSNBC)Neither Ham nor the museum was actually mentioned in the article, which suggests that one of your editors made an ill-informed decision in the photo selection. It shows an ignorance of our ministry and its methods.
First, Answers in Genesis does believe in scientific inquiry. That is why we employ staff with doctorate degrees in astronomy, geology, medicine and biology. Also, contrary to what was implied, our identity is not defined by what we oppose; it’s defined by our adherence to proclaiming the positive message that the Bible is true.
04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
Pastor describes McCainâs devoutâbut low-keyâfaith
Posted: 4/11/08
Dan Yeary, pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, speaks to graduates of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in this BP file photo. (Brenda Peacock/BP Photo) Pastor describes McCain’s
devout—but low-key—faithBy Greg Warner
Associated Baptist Press
PHOENIX (ABP)—John McCain has a deep and personal Christian commitment despite his reluctance to speak publicly about it, according to the man McCain calls his pastor.
Dan Yeary, pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, described the Arizona senator and his wife, Cindy, as “very unobtrusive” people who don’t seek special attention when they are able to come to worship. “They come in the side door. They’re very pleasant. They talk to people. They’re very approachable.”
04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
-
-
Foster families eager to share lives with children
Posted: 4/11/08
Buckner Peru and Buckner International staff pose with the first foster children to be placed into homes in Peru. Foster families eager to share lives with children
By Jenny Pope
Buckner International
Percy Huaroc and his wife, Nancy, don’t have any children of their own. They’ve spent most of their married lives focused on their careers.
But when they heard about Peru’s pilot foster care program, they jumped at the chance to impact a child’s life and show God’s love to others.
The Huaroc family is one of the first foster families in Buckner's program in Peru. (Buckner Photo) See Related Articles:
• Buckner programs make history in Peru
• Foster families eager to share lives with children
04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
For pope & president, a chasm over Iraq
Posted: 4/11/08
For pope & president, a chasm over Iraq
By Tom Feeney
Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS)— On social issues like abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the conservative President Bush find much common ground.
But when Benedict makes his first visit to the United States, his meeting with Bush is likely to underscore an issue where a deep divide remains between the Vatican and the White House—the war in Iraq.
Pope Benedict XVI George Bush 04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
-
Texas Tidbits
Posted: 4/11/08
Texas Tidbits
Foundation seeks mini-grant requests. Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio is accepting mini-grant applications from nonprofit organizations in South Central Texas—including churches and church-based ministries—helping meet community health needs. The application deadline is noon on June 2. This year, the maximum grant is $7,500 for programs that serve residents in the foundation’s eight-county geographic area—Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties. For more information, visit www.bhfsa.org or call Eusebio Diaz at (210) 735-9009.
Valley Baptist earns national recognition. The emergency department at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and outpatient radiology team at Valley Baptist-Harlingen each received a five-star customer-service award from Professional Research Consultants. The award is given annually by the national healthcare research firm to facilities that score in the top 10 percent nationally, based on patient ratings. The Brownsville inpatient nursing unit and Harlingen emergency department each earned a four-star award for overall quality of care.
04/11/2008 - By John Rutledge
