Posted: 3/28/08

Houston students minister to needy in Bay area

By Tamara Brooks

University of Houston

SAN FRANCISCO—Students from the University of Houston Baptist Student Ministries used their Spring Break to assist Bay-area ministries that serve people in need.

The students helped Page Street Mission Center in San Francisco and the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond, which provide care for homeless people and others through clothes closets, food pantries, “breakfast in the park” and after-school tutoring.

Lauren Mock from the University of Houston assembles food bags for the pantry at the Page Street Mission Center.

BSM students also spent a day maintaining the facilities of Rock Harbor Christian Fellowship in Richmond, Calif.

Eric Burquist, director Page Street Mission Center described the philosophy behind the Page Street Mission Center: “We try to share life with each other. Sure it’s messy, most of the time people are dirty and smelly, but isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do?” 

The Bay Area Rescue Mission serves children and teens in an area where the crime rate is among the highest in the nation, according to Marshell Wilburn, director of the Kids’ Club.

“These kids see death on a regular basis,” Wilburn said. “A few weeks ago, I was talking with a student who casually mentioned to me that his mother had been shot the day before and in the next breath moved on to a totally different topic. They have to become callous to death, because they see it every day. They hear gun shots every day, and they know someone who is killed on a regular basis.”

Houston students said the trip changed their outlook on people in need.

“This trip has allowed me to put a face and a story with the ‘homeless’ rather than thinking of them generically,” Brian Kruse said.

Tara Roach from the University of Houston tutors a child at the Bay Area Rescue Mission.

Jacob Watkins said the experience in the San Francisco area inspired him to return to Houston and volunteer to work with a church that meets each Sunday afternoon under a bridge.

Nathan Sutton said the trip pushed him to think about the purpose of his life.

“My week in San Francisco has challenged me to redefine my life goals and reevaluate my calling to Christian service,” he said. “I enjoyed visiting Golden Gate Seminary while we were there. It seems like a great place to study theology while having such a diverse place to put into practice what you learn in the classroom.”

Posted: 3/28/08

UMHB students fan out
to serve over spring break

By Laura Frase

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

When University of Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore Carly Meraviglia looks at her spring break photographs, she doesn’t see beach parties, ski bunnies or even lazy days at the pool. She sees the people of Juarez, Mexico, listening and learning the gospel of God.

UMHB students spanned the globe this spring break on a mission to help others and spread God’s word. From building houses to reenacting dramas from the gospel, students sacrificed rest and relaxation for one week.

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor students Hayley Friedmann and Jessica Gallagher work over spring break adding finishing touches to a house for a family in Plaquemine's Parish in southern Louisiana.

“I love vacations,” Meraviglia said. “That’s definitely an option for spring break. But what this does—it’s not just a mission trip where you’re giving out the whole time. You’re also learning about God and having time away from America and media and cell phones.

“You spend prolonged periods of time with God. That for me makes it definitely worth it.”

Each night, Meraviglia’s group would partner with a Hispanic church and sing songs, dance and perform dramas from the Bible.

“It’s amazing to see how just speaking about Jesus, people every night would come to know him,” she said.

One day Meraviglia met a young woman on the street after a worship service. Meraviglia was surprised to find out the woman knew English, which led the two into conversation.

The student learned that the young woman was a Christian, despite a whirlwind year when she became an unwed mother.

“It was memorable for me because she loved Jesus,” Meraviglia said. “It was just an encouragement. I just encouraged her to share her faith with her neighbors and share about the Father-heart of God.”

Later that week, the young woman volunteered as a translator for one of Meraviglia’s teammates as they spoke to children about Jesus.

“All of those kids became Christians that day,” she said. “It’s exciting to see people come to know him for the first time. Or maybe the second or third time, but finally get it this time.”

Other students went the distance to serve at an orphanage in Haiti with Hope for the Hungry and to work with children in inner-city Atlanta with First Baptist Church of Salado.

Another group of students helped with the ongoing task to revive the city of New Orleans, still devastated from hurricane damage.

UMHB junior Natalie Gafford answered the call for volunteers along with several fellow students. Together, the crew built houses for low-income families, but Gafford specialized in painting houses as others laid foundations.

“It was something small, but I know I helped in a way that others can’t,” Gafford said. “Missions is just something that I love doing.”

As students head back to school with ideas already churning in their heads for next spring break, Meraviglia offers a word of advice.

“Vacations are great, but when you get a chance to go on a mission’s trip, you’re investing in an internal thing,” Meraviglia said. “You’re getting to know God, and you’re making him known.

“When you stay around your comfort zone, you’re not seeing all the needs of the world.”

Posted: 3/28/08

Posted: 3/28/08

Wayland students on mission
in Plainview over spring break

By Teresa Young

Wayland Baptist University

PLAINVIEW— After five days, 18 students and staff from Wayland Baptist University were covered in red-orange paint, sore and tired from painting and hosting a sports camp in a Plainview apartment complex over spring break.

Instead of packing up for home, Wayland students representing three Plainview churches —College Heights Baptist Church, First Baptist Church and Stonebridge Fellowship— joined forces and stayed in town to minister at an apartment complex run by the Plainview Housing Authority.

Wayland sophomore Rosemary Ribera of Canyon and Melissa Knight of Prosper apply red paint to the trim of the apartment units at the Date Street housing complex in Plainview.

“Our mission trips for the last two years were partnerships with churches, but each church has taken leadership on a different project,” explained Donnie Brown, Baptist Student Ministries director at Wayland. “This year, we just focused them all together. It was very effective work.”

Tommy Young, university director at College Heights Baptist Church, saw the project as a great way to serve the community and provide an affordable opportunity for students to be on mission.

“We started talking about this in the summer while we were planning our fall kickoff event, and it just seemed to make sense,” Young said. “There is a great need right here in our own town.”

So on Friday afternoon, as their fellow students were heading out of town, mission project participants headed to the apartment complex to begin scraping the blue cinder-block walls for peeling paint in preparation for painting. They also hung flyers promoting the morning sports camp held Monday through Wednesday.

On Saturday, bright and early, the paint buckets, rollers and brushes came out and the harder work began. Sunday featured much of the same, with a brief break for a morning worship time. By the end of Wednesday, nine of the 26 units were completed. Plans are being made to hold a weekend workday to finish the complex by the summer.

Wayland students Tim Barnes of Tulia and Chris Igo of Whiteface use rollers to coat the metal trim of the units at the Plainview Housing Authority complexes on Date Street.

The sports camp averaged 15 children over three days, and for two days it was moved inside to the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church because of the chilly, windy spring mornings.

But by the afternoons, warmer temperatures meant the entire crew was back at the apartments with brushes in hand. Working alongside them for much of the week were Brown, Young and his wife, Teresa, and other university ministers Leanna Davenport from First Baptist and Curtis Beeman from Stonebridge.

The mission project was capped off Wednesday with a block party held at the apartment complex, featuring face painting, inflatable jumpers, hot dogs and snacks and other games. The group had a chance to visit with more children and their parents and build relationships they hope will blossom into ministry opportunities in the future. The students also had time to go home for the remainder of Spring Break and the Easter holiday.

The response from students was positive, even though the work was hard.

“Painting isn’t always fun, but at the same time, it is, because you’re doing it for someone else and you know they appreciate it,” said Rosemary Ribera, a sophomore from Canyon. “It’s been fun to see the kids react to us and be so open to what we’re doing, too.”

“I really enjoyed being here. There’s such a need in the local community, and these kids just need someone to be around them and love them,” said Tamara Haney, a senior education major from Shallowater. “Since we can be that light here, I was excited to be able to stay here for missions.”

A group of WBU students from Stonebridge have been hosting a Kids’ Club after-school event on Tuesdays at the complex since the fall semester. They hope the sports camp and the block party will increase their numbers and their opportunities to share the gospel.

“We say it over and over: you don’t have to go overseas to share the love of Christ; you can go across town,” Brown said of the week’s effort. “Hopefully, that’ll translate to the campus as well, that you don’t have to go on a mission trip to show God’s love; you can do it right here with your classmates.”

–30–

Posted: 3/28/08

The Baptist Student Ministry of Texas A&M University led a tour of Texas for international students during spring break. Students from China, Iran, Taiwan and South Korea were escorted by several American students as they traveled to parts of Texas they previously had not experienced. While they enjoyed the Stockyards of Fort Worth, The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas and other sights, for many the Palace of Wax Musuem in Grand Prairie and its display of the ministry of Christ from birth through resurrection had great appeal, leaders said.

Around the State

• The International Mission Board will hold a missionary appointment service at First Church in Sunnyvale April 9 at 7 p.m. More than 90 missionaries will be commissioned.

• Theologian James Leo Garrett will speak at Howard Payne University April 17 at 7 p.m. He will give an overview of the work of 10 Baptist theologians since World War II.

• The Baptist General Convention of Texas will hold its Single Adult Leadership Conference at First Church in Sunnyvale April 18-19. For registration or information, go to www.bgct.org/singleadult.

• Wilshire Church in Dallas has been chosen by the North Texas Food Bank as one of 10 local congregations to participate in Oprah’s Big Give, a national community service project to be broadcast nationwide on ABC television. Wilshire members, and anyone else who wants to participate are asked to donate 18-ounce plastic containers of peanut butter with $1 bills attached by April 16. The peanut butter will be used for distribution through Food 4 Kids, and the cash will help North Texas Food Bank purchase additional food for the program. The goal is 10,000 jars of peanut butter and $10,000. The event will culminate on the afternoon of April 20, the date of the national broadcast.

• Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, will be the featured speaker at Houston Baptist University’s Brown Lecture at 6:30 p.m. April 24. He will speak on how working together can lead companies through troubled times.

• The Addiction Ministry Education Network is sponsoring a free substance abuse ministry training seminar for churches May 2 at Lake Highlands Church in Dallas. The event is cohosted by Dallas Association and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. It will begin at 10 a.m. and feature several approaches to ministry. To register or for more information, call (214) 319-1166.

• Baylor University has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 “Best Values in Private Colleges,” according to findings published in the April edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Using a ranking system that measured academic quality and affordability, Kiplinger’s rated Baylor as the 38th “best value” among the nation’s top private colleges. In the area of “total cost” for an academic year—including tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and estimated expenses for books—Baylor graded out as the second most affordable school among the top 50 rated by Kiplinger’s. The full rankings can be found at www.kiplinger.com.

• Dallas Baptist University has added five faculty members. They include Norman Blackaby, assistant professor of biblical studies; Rebecca Dark, assistant professor of English; Ray Gal-loway, associate professor of kinesiology; Andrew LaFavers, assistant professor of geosciences; and Martha Oldenburg, assistant professor of education.

• Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas has been designated a Stroke Center of Excellence, according to a survey sponsored by NeuStrategy.

• Carl Matthews is seeking historical information about Mary Cree Cosby, who painted many baptistry scenes for Texas churches in the 1940s and 1950s. He also wants to compile a photographic record of her baptistry paintings. Anyone with information about Cosby or any of her work can contact Matthews at 1130 Madlynne Drive, Cedar Hill 75104; phone (972) 293-9309; or e-mail matthewscarl@hotmail.com.

Anniversary

• Wayne Spanhanks, 20th, as pastor of Spring Hill First Church in Longview, March 30.

Retiring

• George Mosier, as pastor of Pleasant Terrace Church in Dallas, where he had served five years, Dec. 16. He had been in ministry 45 years. Mosier also had served as associate pastor at First Church of Oak Cliff and Cliff Temple churches in Dallas, as well as in Baptist Student Ministry at Pan American University and Stephen F. Austin University. He is available for supply and interims at (972) 291-3441.

Deaths

• Gilbert Thornton, 84, March 19 in Longview. A pastor and chaplain, among the churches he served were Unity Church in Houston, First Church in China, Saunders Road Church in Houston. While in Rosharon, he served as a chaplain at several prisons, including the Walls Unit in Huntsville. He later moved to Longview and served as chaplain at the R.G. Letourneau Company, where he remained until his retirement in 1988. After retirement, he served as a Mission Service Corps pastor in Belize. Later, he returned to Longview and worked in the Vietnamese ministry of Mobberly Church and most recently with Church in the Wind. In addition, he helped the Baptist General Convention of Texas train almost 1,000 volunteer chaplains. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth, in 1998. He is survived by his wife, Priscilla; daughters, Ruth Thornton and Kathy Thornton; sons, Gary and Danny; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

• Daisy Judd, 92, March 21 in Waxahachie. She was a long-time member of First Church in Lancaster and the mother-in-law of Bill Pinson, retired Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention. She is survived by her daughters, Bobbie Pinson and Doris Linch; sons, James and Joe; 11 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. She willed her body to science for medical research. A memorial service will be held April 19.

Events

• A fashion show to benefit Mission Waco recovery programs will be held April 17 at Barron’s on 5th in Waco at 11:30 a.m. The fashions will be from Mission Waco’s resale store, The Clothes-line. Tickets are $25 each, and 10-seat tables are available. For more information, call (254) 753-4900, ext. 230.

• The choirs and orchestras of The Heights Church in Richardson and Hillcrest Church in Cedar Hill will present “Saviour” at 7 p.m. April 19 and 20. The Saturday presentation will be at the Richardson location and in Cedar Hill on Sunday. Soloist Scot Cameron and vocal ensemble One Voice will be featured. Both performances are free.

• Hymnologist Harry Eskew will present a program on Early American hymns at Columbus Avenue Church in Waco April 20 at 6:3o p.m. Many hymns will be sung after brief background information is given. The event is free.

• Gospel singer Blake Bolerjack will be in concert at Booker Friends Church in Booker at 6 p.m. April 27 and at Emmanuel Church in Wichita Falls at 10:45 a.m. May 11. Both concerts are free.

• “Saviour,” a modern oratorio will be presented by the choir and orchestra of First Church in Plano May 4 at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Guest soloists are Barry Craft, Ben Owens, Scott Quinn, Jeffrey Snider and Dena Tartaglino. There is no charge for either performance.

Revival

• Brashear Church, Brashear; April 13-18; evangelist, Dean McMann; music, Psalm 100; pastor, David Burns.

Posted: 3/28/08

Baptist Briefs

Students to learn firsthand about global development. Three students with Texas ties—Samford University’s Mary Beth Gilbert of Dallas, Trinity University’s Emily Morrow of Aledo and Gordon College’s Meredith Wilkinson of Waco—will participate this summer in a seven-week Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missions immersion experience focused on the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. They are among 12 college students and recent graduates who will have the opportunity see firsthand how missions personnel are working to reach the goals. Sponsored by the CBF Student.Go program, participants will travel to Romania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Haiti, New York City and Washington, D.C. Students will have the opportunity to witness ministries that relate to all eight of the goals focused on hunger, education, child mortality, gender equality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS and other diseases, environmental sustainability and economic development. Students also will visit the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City, the ONE Campaign headquarters and Bread for the World in Washington, D.C., to learn how they can be advocates for hungry and hurting people around the world, and they will attend the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

Baptist pastor released from prison. Zaur Balaev, the Baptist pastor from Azerbaijan who was sentenced to two years in prison Aug. 8, 2007, was freed from prison March 19. “Baptists from all over the world rejoice in God’s answer to our prayers for the release of our brother, Zaur Balaev,” said Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Neville Callam. “His patience in suffering and courage in the midst of trial has provided for us a splendid example of discipleship in the modern world. We look forward to giving him a platform to talk to Baptists about his faith and his experience.”

Bangladesh leader named human rights award recipient. The Baptist World Alliance will present its 2008 Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award to Dennis Dilip Datta, a Baptist leader in Bangladesh recognized for his advocacy for restoration of democracy and establishment of religious freedom in his country. Datta is founding general secretary and current president of the National Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh, which takes special interest in human rights causes. Datta, former president and general secretary of the Bangladesh Baptist Fellowship, has served on the BWA General Council and as a member of the BWA Commission on Freedom & Justice and the communications committee. The human rights award will be presented to Datta during the General Council meeting in July in Prague, the Czech Republic.

CBF receives $1 million gift. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has received an anonymous $1 million gift to fund micro-finance loans in poor countries and other CBF ministries. Half of the $1 million gift will be used for a new finance initiative coordinated through the CBF Foundation. The group currently is conducting due-diligence research on creating a fund designed to give the organization and its partner churches and ministries a way to invest funds in micro-finance banks around the globe. Micro-finance banks lend small amounts of money to people in developing countries as start-up funds for small businesses. The donor designated the other $500,000 of the gift for a number of Fellowship-supported ministries, including equipping CBF field personnel with computers, supporting missions opportunities for undergraduate students, and care and wellness programs for missionaries.

Baptist women’s leader dies. Judith Chambers of Canada, president of the North American Baptist Women’s Union from 2002 to 2007, died March 14. During her tenure as president, the organization upgraded its communications, sought a deeper understanding of relationships across cultures, enlisted young women on the union’s Young Adult Committee, and focused on leadership training. She was a public educator more than 30 years and a longtime missions volunteer.

Schools’ group picks leader. The International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities has elected Michael Arrington, provost of Carson-Newman College, as executive director. Arrington, 62, succeeds Thomas Corts, who in September was named by President Bush to coordinate education initiatives for the United States Agency for International Development. Arrington will retire as provost at Carson-Newman effective at the close of the academic year.

South Louisiana church seeks mission volunteers. First Baptist Church of Houma, La., will begin construction on a Christian school May 1 and needs mission volunteers to help with the project in order to have the building ready for students Aug. 1. Adequate housing and shower facilities are available at no charge to volunteers. Contact Dean Legg or Steve Folmar for more information at (985) 851-2520.

Mohler recuperating from surgery. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has undergone successful surgery to remove a tumor from his colon. The surgery was performed in Louisville, Ky., March 20. Results of pathological testing revealed the tumor was not cancerous. Doctors expect Mohler, 48, to have a full recovery.

Ouachita dean nominated for CBF post. Hal Bass, a dean at Ouachita Baptist University, has been nominated to be moderator-elect of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Bass is a native of Corpus Christi who graduated from Baylor University and Vanderbilt University. He teaches political science and is dean of the School of Social Sciences at Ouachita. North Carolina pastor Jack Glasglow is the current moderator-elect. He will assume the office of moderator June 20 at the conclusion of the CBF General Assembly in Memphis, Tenn. Harriet Harral of Fort Worth is the fellowship’s current moderator, and she will become chair of the nominating committee after the general assembly.

SBC preschool/children’s registration opens. Registration is open for families planning to enroll their children in June 8-11 preschool childcare or the children’s conference in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind. For all information regarding registration, visit www.sbc.net and click on “2008 SBC Annual Meeting” then “Children/Students.”

Posted: 3/28/08

Book Reviews

The Great Awakening by Jim Wallis (HarperOne)

Spiritual awakening doesn’t become genuine revival until it moves beyond the salvation of individuals and begins to transform society in general, Christian social activist Jim Wallis maintains. Just as surely as an earlier Great Awakening led to the abolition of slavery, Wallis believes a new spiritual awakening is stirring. And it seems to be leading 21st century Christians to address social challenges that cut across categories of liberal and conservative politics.

In this engaging book, Wallis points to evidence of the Holy Spirit’s movement. He sees it in the insistence of some evangelicals that a consistent pro-life ethic not only includes opposition to abortion, but also demonstrates concern for the poverty that drives some women to make desperate choices about terminating a pregnancy.

What are you reading that other Texas Baptists would find helpful? Send suggestions and reviews to books@baptiststandard.com.

And with the passing of the old generation of the Religious Right, he sees the potential for a new politically engaged group of “values voters” to emerge—voters who believe it takes both a village and a family to raise a child, who care about stewardship of creation and who recognize the radical demands of claiming Jesus Christ as Lord.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

Dallas

The Betrayed by Lisa T. Bergren (Berkley Publishing Group)

Lisa T. Bergren outdoes herself. The second novel in the Gifted Trilogy, The Betrayed delivers nonstop action and suspense.

Set in 1340, the story begins where it left off in The Begotten. Continuing their quest to discover God’s purpose for their spiritual gifts, the Gifted find themselves in a spiritual war against Venezia’s most powerful agent of evil. One by one, members of God’s select group lose ground, both physically and spiritually, until it appears all may be lost. But as in life, when the Gifted remain true to their calling, God’s strength is revealed in their weakness.

The Betrayed is not for the faint of heart. It’s nearly 400 pages of disaster in the face of tragedy. But for those with the courage to endure, Bergren offers not only a great story, but encouragement we can carry with us into our own trials. Read The Begotten for the beginning of the story. But then, by all means, put The Betrayed on your reading list.

Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church

Duncanville

May I Walk You Home? Sharing Christ’s Love with the Dying by Melody Rossi (Bethany House)

Melody Rossi has penned a book that is desperately needed in our Christian society. She aims specifically at people who know someone who is dying without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Her criteria for needing the book are straightforward: You know the person is not spiritually ready to die. And you don’t know what to do about it.

The book is easy to read, practical and sincere. It does not try to use guilt as a motivator, but rather focuses on the genuine desire not to see a loved one die without Christ. Rossi provides wonderful spiritual and moral support, as well as simple, clear suggestions that are helpful both in the spiritual and practical process of death and dying.

Every Christian ought to read this insightful little book. It is a valuable addition to anyone’s library.

Van Christian, pastor

First Baptist Church

Comanche

Posted: 3/28/08

Posted: 3/28/08

Capacity crowd at Congreso called to ‘higher life’

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Communications

BELTON—Nearly 3,000 teens and young adults gathered on the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor campus Easter weekend, setting record attendance for Congreso, a gathering of Hispanic Texas Baptists.

“This is the biggest Congreso we have ever had,” said Angie Tello, Baptist General Convention of Texas Hispanic evangelism events coordinator. “I’m a little surprised that so many teenagers spent their Easter vacation here, but it shows just how dedicated today’s youth are to the Lord.”

They came on charter buses, passenger vans, and caravans of trucks and cars, packing the university’s Mayborn Campus Center. During the three-day event, every breakout session was filled to capacity. At one point, 300 students from 22 congregations committed to an afternoon of missions projects in the area.

For BGCT Hispanic Evangelism Director Frank Palos, it was evident from the start this would be a Congreso for the record books.

“On the first night, we ran out of decision cards,” Palos said. “The hallways were filled, and I couldn’t even get into the building.” 

By the end of the weekend, more than 200 students made spiritual decisions, including at least 48 young people who made first-time professions of faith in Christ. Many of those who made spiritual decisions described a need for healing in their lives and families. They spoke of craving God.

“I think we are in the midst of a spiritual awakening among our youth,” Palos said. “In the schools—that is where God is moving.” 

Many students present had to raise funds to attend the event, Palos noted, pointing out the average Hispanic Texas Baptist church has 50 members with 15 to 20 young people in attendance.

“Those small churches don’t have the funds to send all their kids to Congreso. The best many of them can do is provide a van or some sort of transportation,” he said.

Even so, it didn’t hold the youth back from giving when the offering baskets were passed. During the event, nearly $6,000 was raised for scholarships.

“Students are very generous,” Palos said. “I’m not surprised that they gave so willingly. They look at other students at Congreso and in their community as family. And we help family when they need it.”

Bands, including Obtain Paradise, Blind 1:11, The Grace Project, The Cockrell Hill Band and Sand Stone, provided the event with a ready-made soundtrack, pumping up the crowd for the 45 seminars geared toward teens from seventh grade and beyond. All were combined to drive home the message of this year’s Congreso—to live an elevated existence.

“This year, we were challenged as a staff to move to the next level, and that is what we wanted to pass along to the students,” Palos said. “We want them to live a higher life for Christ.”        

Dallas evangelist Cesar Oviedo drove home that message. On the last day, he reminded the teens to walk differently than when they first arrived.

“You will always be surrounded by people, but we as Christians have to be different,” he said. “When you leave this place, you will be walking at a higher level than you have ever walked before. That’s powerful.” 

At one point, Wayne Shuffield, director of the BGCT Missions, Evangelism and Ministry Team, urged participants to walk with power in Jesus.

“Let’s go show people who Jesus is by the way we talk, live and act,” he said. “Every day is filled with choices. Make the choice to be one of God’s soldiers.” 

Posted: 3/28/08

New Baptist Covenant: Another meeting
approved, but no permanent structure

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

ATLANTA (ABP)—Organizers of the recent New Baptist Covenant celebration are recommending a repeat of the historic event in 2011 but not a new denomination or other permanent organization.

The event drew an estimated 15,000 Baptists from across denominational, ethnic and ideological lines to Atlanta Jan. 30-Feb. 1 for fellowship, worship and discussion about cooperation on evangelism and other areas about which they can agree.

The meeting was spearheaded by Jimmy Carter and endorsed by the other living Baptist ex-president, Bill Clinton. Critics alleged it was a thinly veiled attempt to stir up Baptist support for Democratic candidates in an election year, but the event largely avoided partisan overtones and included prominent Republican speakers.

Carter, Mercer University President Bill Underwood and other event planners released a statement from a follow-up meeting held at Atlanta’s Carter Center. The document said that about 70 Baptist leaders from the groups represented at the meeting decided to repeat the event in three years “in the historic Baptist pattern of triennial meetings.”

The leaders also vowed to “be as active as possible during the intervening years.” They said they would expand the covenant’s steering committee from its original five members to “about a dozen” in an effort to engage a more diverse set of Baptists, including more young people and women.

The statement mentioned the possibility of convening several regional New Baptist Covenant events next year, but did not say the decision was final.

The organizers and other invited leaders “reconfirmed” their earlier decision not to form a separate permanent organization or denominational group under the aegis of the New Baptist Covenant.

The statement said the organizers will seek expert advice on “how we can assist actively in such major social issues as global warming, health care, poverty, criminal justice, human rights, religious liberty, elimination of nuclear weapons, and peace in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

The document also included a list of suggestions for specific action items and projects compiled from feedback by participants in the celebration.

It encouraged local congregations to work with other Baptist churches and organizations involved in the celebration as they felt led.

The suggested projects included enhanced giving to the cooperating denominations’ mission agencies, finding ways to minister to prisoners, working for fair tax policies, having regular joint worship opportunities with local churches of differing ethnic groups, working toward reducing the abortion rate, and making churches more environmentally responsible.

Posted: 3/28/08

Supreme Court to revisit decency standards

By Greg Trotter

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will revisit limits on on-air vulgarity in the court’s first case on unsavory speech in almost 30 years.

After Cher and Nicole Richie used expletives during the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards on the Fox network, the Federal Communications Commission reprimanded Fox and changed its policy to penalize “isolated” and “fleeting” expletives that invoke “sexual or excretory organs or activities.” Previous FCC policy had penalized only repetitive and deliberate obscenity on the airwaves.

Last June, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Fox. The court found the FCC’s policy to be “arbitrary and capricious,” and it said the agency violated administrative law by changing policy without adequate explanation.

Now the FCC will have the opportunity to explain the policy change to the Supreme Court.

“While the FCC has a statutory duty to enforce the indecency laws,” FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps said, “I continue to believe that all of us—government, industry and parents—have a role to play in protecting our children from inappropriate material.”

The Parents Television Council, a strong supporter of the FCC’s efforts to clean up on-air language, also is urging legislators to take on the issue of on-air indecency.

Congress could clarify that “fleeting” profanity still is obscene, said Tim Winter, president of the Parents Television Council.

Others doubt that any Supreme Court ruling would have any real impact in protecting children from obscenities.

“The idea that they’re saving the sensitivities of a few people is ridiculous,” said Bruce Fein, constitutional lawyer and a former FCC general counsel.

Any ruling for on-air indecency standards would not change the fact that there is no such standard for cable or wireless television, Fein said.

The court will hear arguments in the fall.

Posted: 3/28/08

DOWN HOME:
From ‘Please, Jesus!’ to a new morning

Theological insights sometimes occur at the strangest moments.

I realized this truth as I shivered under the covers in our guest bedroom, debating whether I really wanted to see another sunrise.

Here’s what I learned: Any time you’re praying in the middle of the night and the operative phrase is “Take me, Jesus,” you know you’re in sad shape.

Technically, my “shape” was the fetal position. It provided an appropriate metaphor for the angst a person feels in the middle of the night when you wonder if your insides are about to explode spontaneously.

Practically, I scrunched up in that little ball trying to generate warmth from my own body parts. The knit cap, socks and piles of blankets weren’t doing the trick. And I just didn’t have the mental or emotional energy to walk down the hall and override the automatic-timing feature on our heater.

So, I did what any Christian does when freezing on the outside and boiling on the inside: I rolled up into a heat-seeking ball and prayed short, fervent prayers.

If I’d been in the frame of mind to recall Bible verses memorized in my youth, I might have remembered the last parts of Romans 8:26, “… for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (This verse proves the Apostle Paul also got bit by a stomach bug in the middle of the night.)

Mostly, I could relate to the “groanings too deep for words” part. That night, in the guest bedroom, in a fetal position, was about the closest I’ve ever come to speaking in tongues. Some of my groanings were “too deep for words.” But I think I kept saying, “Please, Jesus!”

Once, I said or at least thought, “Take me, Jesus.” But I quickly recanted. As bad as a stomach virus feels at 2:49 in the morning, it wasn’t quite enough to make me seek transport to that fair land where all the fajitas that go down stay down and Montezuma never seeks revenge.

Even during my “groanings too deep for words” phase, I had a sense things could be worse. Like the fourth grader who got sick on the bus to camp the year the air conditioning went out. Or, more specifically, like my friend Glen, who nearly died of liver failure last summer, and my sister, Martha, who needs a new kidney, and my friends David and Gary, who have battled cancer and say the middle of the night is the hardest time.

Now that I think about it, I believe the memories of Glen, Martha, David and Gary were the answers to my “Please, Jesus!” prayers. God didn’t spare me the pain of a violent stomach ache in the middle of the night. But he gave me some perspective. And seeing your life from a broader scale always is a great answer to prayer.