Posted: 5/25/07

Board elects BGCT executive
director search committee

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board elected a 15-member executive director search committee chaired by Ken Hugghins, pastor of Elkins Lake Baptist Church in Huntsville and chairman of the Christian Life Commission.

BGCT President Steve Vernon, First Vice President Joy Fenner, Second Vice President Roberto Rodriguez, Executive Board Chairman Bob Fowler and Vice Chair John Petty recommended a slate of nominees for the committee. Fowler sent an e-mail May 16 to Executive Board directors to notify them of the nominees, and the board elected the committee at its May 21-22 meeting.

The committee, composed of seven Executive Board directors and eight members from the convention at-large, will nominate a successor for Executive Director Charles Wade, who has announced plans to retire Jan. 31, 2008.

The board elected the slate of committee nominees with a smattering of votes in opposition. Several board members voiced concern that the 15-member committee includes only one Hispanic and one African-American.

“That’s the dilemma we faced—how to make sure the committee fairly represents Texas Baptists,” Vernon told the board

The officers strived to create a committee reflective of the BGCT in terms of ethnicity, geography, gender and size of church, as well as providing a balance between laity and clergy, he explained.

They determined to use the membership of Texas Baptist churches as the basis for determining balance, he said. Non-Anglos make up about 20 percent of the members of BGCT-affiliated churches, and the committee is 20 percent non-Anglo, Vernon noted.

In addition to Hugghins, who is an Executive Board member, others on the search committee are:

• Michael Bell, pastor of Greater St. Stephen First Baptist Church in Fort Worth and immediate past president of the BGCT.

• Linda Brian, Executive Board director and layperson from First Baptist Church in Amarillo, a former member of the Christian Education Coordinating Board and the Theological Education Council.

• Jerry Carlisle, Executive Board director and pastor of First Baptist Church in Plano, and chair of the education subcommittee of the Executive Board’s Institutional Relations Committee.

• Stacy Conner, pastor of First Baptist Church in Muleshoe and former second vice president of the BGCT.

• Teo Cisneros, pastor of Templo Jerusalem Baptist Church in Victoria, a Baptist University of the Americas trustee and recent chair of BUA presidential search committee.

• Gloria DuBose, Executive Board director and lay person from First Baptist Church in Midland, and a member of the WorldconneX board.

• Gary Elliston, layperson from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, a Baylor University regent and former chair of Howard Payne University’s board of trustees.

• Elizabeth Hanna, Executive Board director and layperson from Calder Baptist Church in Beaumont, chair of the finance subcommittee of the Executive Board Administration Support Committee.

• Mary Humphries, layperson from First Baptist Church in Tyler and a past president of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas.

• Dan Malone, layperson from First Baptist Church in El Paso, member of the Baptist Standard board of directors, and former member of the BGCT Administrative Committee.

• John Nguyen, Executive Board director and pastor of Vietnamese Baptist Church in Garland, and president of the Vietnamese Baptist Fellowship of Texas.

• Jim Nelson, Executive Board director and layperson from Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, and former Executive Board vice chair.

• Steve Wells, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston and member of the Truett Theological Seminary Advisory Board.

• Dan Wooldridge, pastor of Crestview Baptist Church in Georgetown and immediate past second vice president of the BGCT.

The board also elected two institutional representatives and two staff representatives who will serve as nonvoting advisers to the search committee. Gary Cook, president of Dallas Baptist University, and Jerry Bradley, president of Children at Heart Ministries, will serve as institutional representatives. Jane Wilson, youth ministry and youth Bible study specialist, and Keith Crouch, church architecture director and resource services team leader, will serve as BGCT Executive Board staff representatives.

In other business, the Executive Board:

• Received a report from the Hispanic Education Task Force and referred the group’s recommendations to the board’s Missions & Ministries Committee.

• Approved $350,000 from a fund established by the Sam Combs estate to be used toward debt retirement of Breckenridge Village in Tyler, a residential facility for mentally challenged adults operated by Baptist Child & Family Services.

• Authorized a change in the Dallas Baptist University articles of incorporation that will allow the school to increase its board of trustees from 36 to 40 members.

• Accepted and approved the 2006 financial audit report from the Grant Thornton accounting firm. The audit provided an “unqualified”—that is, clean—opinion from the accountants that the financial records materially and fairly present the BGCT’s financial position.

• Went on record affirming Wade’s response to concerns expressed by Basin Baptist Network and Golden Triangle Association. The associations asked the executive director and the board to clarify the BGCT position regarding the nature of God in light of comments by a speaker at Christian Life Commission conference who said Christians and Muslims talk about “the same God.” The board reaffirmed Texas Baptists’ belief in Jesus Christ as “the unique Son of God and the only way of salvation.”

Posted: 5/25/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for June 3

When bad things happen to a good person

• Job 1:1; 1:6—2:10

By Ronnie Prevost

Logsdon Seminary, Abilene

They had it all figured out. Actually, they thought they had God all figured out. Before the time of Job, the Hebrews believed all punishment or reward happened in this lifetime.

Life was simple: If one did good, God would bless. If one sinned, God would curse. The signs of God’s blessing? Again, very simple: God blessed through granting health, wealth and long life. Nice and tidy. However, in Job’s instance, that conventional wisdom everybody knew (including Job) just did not work.

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The opening verses of Job describe Job the man as “blameless and upright.” It does not mean Job was without sin. Instead, it has to do with completeness. Many Bible passages tell us one’s relationship with God shapes one’s relationship with other people. Regarding God, Job was reverent. As a result, regarding others, he was just. Simply stated, Job was a man of integrity. As we put it in Texas, “Job talked the talk and walked the walk.”

Readers of Job’s day expected, then, that Job was rich in every sense of the term. However, they would have been taken aback by what was about to happen.

The scene shifts from Job to heaven. There, in 1:6, “sons of God” are appearing before God and reporting their activities. This confuses many contemporary readers. However, these were not sons of God in the unique sense of Jesus as the “only begotten Son of God.” Some translations render that term “heavenly beings.” Some scholars have suggested these were angels.

The name “Satan” comes from the Hebrew word for an accuser or adversary. Satan is mentioned as among the “sons of God” or “heavenly beings.” God points out Job as an example of a person who truly loves their Creator. Ever the adversary, Satan asks, “Does Job fear God for nothing?”

That is, what is in it for Job? Was Job motivated by profit and hope for gain or truly by love for God? Satan was questioning if anyone would love and serve God simply out of love for God. He certainly was claiming God was only fooling himself.

In verse 11, Satan more or less says, “Let me at him (Job), and we will see if Job really loves you simply for the sake of loving you.” God approves but makes Job himself off limits. True to his word, Satan heaps wave upon wave of woe and calamity upon Job. In 1:13-19, Job’s oxen and donkeys were stolen and plowmen killed. His sheep and shepherds were destroyed in a fire. His camels were stolen, and the herdsmen killed. Finally, a wind destroyed Job’s house, killing all his children.

Job 1:20-22 shows how, despite Satan’s thoroughness, Job did not turn from God. Job grieved at and over the reality and enormity of his loss. Job even saw disasters as signs of God’s disfavor and, so, took on symbols marking his fall. Still, Job was unyielding in his love for and trust in God. So, God’s trust in God was vindicated.

However, Satan was not done yet. In 2:3, God notes Job had remained a person of integrity and that Job’s love for God was steadfast. Satan’s response sounds a little like, “Well, if you have your health, you have everything” and “Let me touch him!” God remained confident in Job and responded with permission for Satan to touch, but not kill, Job.

The result of Satan’s work is pretty gory. Job 2:7-8 describes how, suddenly, ulcers or boils covered Job’s body. (The disease is further described more graphically in later passages in the book.) Job’s scraping the sores probably was another act of mourning, but also served to alleviate their itching and irritation.

So, here we have him. The pillar of the community is now an outcast and sitting on a garbage heap. To make matters even worse—yes, that was possible—in 2:9, we read that Job’s wife joined with Satan. “Curse God so that he will put you out of my misery” or “just get it over with!” she was saying.

Job was not in on the questions, challenges, dares, discussion, etc. about him. His theology—the “old time religion” for Job—still assumed all things, whether good or bad, were caused by God. He did not understand why these bad things were happening. Job did, however, see a certain balance: we accept the good things from God, why not accept the bad that happens?

Like Job, we have free will in choosing how we react to tragedies in our lives. Being Christians does not render us immune to tragedy. Actually, by allowing evil to touch us shows God’s confidence in us. That assurance is not based on our power and strength. Rather, it grows out of God’s promises of Ephesians 2:10 and Philippians 1:6.

When we and others are confronted by life’s difficulties and bewildered as to why they are happening, let us not respond with pat answers that simply do not work. Instead, let us rely on God’s work in and through us. Only then will we respond as people of integrity and in ways that honor our Lord.

Discussion question

• Does righteous living provide insurance against bad things happening to us?

• What confidence might God have in you and your responses when bad things unexpectedly happen to you?

Posted: 5/25/07

Explore the Bible Series for June 3

Finding God’s mercy through repentance

• Joel 1:15-16; 2:12-13, 18, 25-32

By Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church, Duncanville

This week, we begin a new study as we turn to the minor prophets. It may be a different part of the Bible, but the message hasn’t changed. Just as Peter encouraged an eternal mindset, Joel cries out for the realization that God will bring judgment on sin. We must turn to God in repentance and faith if we are going to appropriate his mercy.

There are two issues here. The first is the reality of God’s judgment. The second is the necessity of true repentance. In our study of 2 Peter, we talked about the inevitability of God’s judgment. Let’s talk this week about repentance.

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What is repentance?

Most of us have only a fuzzy understanding of repentance. It’s one of the words we often hear in religious circles, and it pops up with alarming regularity in the teachings of Jesus and Paul. But if we were pressed to define it, we might find ourselves at a loss for words.

We tend to associate repentance with tearful confessions and heartfelt apologies. The idea being we can say we’re sorry, and the matter will be over. The Bible teaches forgiveness is a cornerstone of God’s nature, so in our minds, all we have to do is apologize, and God must forgive.

The trouble is we begin to take God’s mercy for granted. In spite of our remorse, we’ll often sin again in the same way before the hour is up. And since God’s mercy is free, we’ll give another quick apology and be on our merry way.

Easy mercy isn’t a biblical concept, though. It’s man’s way of watering down our responsibility in the God-man relationship. And we presume too much when we expect God’s blessings while refusing to give up our disobedience.

God has called us into relationship with him, and we maintain relationship by obeying him. His rules are simple. We must love him and love others. When we fail in this mandate, we fall out of relationship with God, and only through repentance can we be restored.

In the Old Testament, repentance is communicated by two verbs meaning “to return” and “to feel sorrow.” In the New Testament, the word used to express repentance means “to think differently after.” In both instances, it is a change of mind and heart. Feelings of sorrow may be part of the process, but they are not, in and of themselves, repentance. If we want to restore relationship, we must have a change of heart.

Joel tells us, “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (2:13). God wants more than tears and empty words. He wants true repentance, which is a determined effort to turn away from our sin and change.

Balancing a sinful nature with the need to change

All of this sounds well and good, but the reality is not so pretty. All of us have felt remorse over sin and honestly desired to change, only to find change impossible. If it helps, even Paul suffered such defeat. He tells us: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing (Romans 7:18-19).

Part of the process of repentance is working out a changed heart, and the evidence is changed thoughts and behavior. But achieving this change is not an easy process. We will come up against and have to overcome some deeply engrained habits. Only through real effort will we win the goal.

Remember, all behavior grows out of our thoughts. Thoughts grow out of our attitudes. And attitudes grow out of our belief system. They are like the layers of an onion. We can peel back one layer, but we will only expose another. For real change to occur, we must be willing to peel away each layer, exposing wrong thinking and a weak belief system. It is an unpleasant experience and often brings tears, but if we want to change, we must be willing to go through the process.

So how do we begin? We begin by accepting the truth about ourselves. We are steeped in sin and must throw ourselves on the mercy of God. “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We must remain fully aware of our tendency to do wrong. Once we forget this, we begin sliding down the slippery slope of justifying our behavior and adjusting God’s word to suit our sins.

We must also accept the truth about God. He is merciful and loves us deeply, and he desires to be close to us. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3). He desires to extend mercy. “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). But he also is perfect, and sin cannot enter his presence. “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (Psalm 24:3-4).

We must then take our focus off our selfish desires and plans and focus on God, his loving mercy and his plans. We must get to know him personally through prayer and Bible reading. We must begin to correct our wrong thinking, aligning our thoughts with God’s words. And we must strengthen ourselves against the tendency to sin. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

Realizing the greatness of our God, we must commit not to take advantage of his mercy. What he asks is difficult because we are sinful, but it isn’t impossible. Will we fail now and then? Yes. But we must never give up striving to become the people God made us to be. Like athletes, we must train in righteousness and study our defeats. We must ask God to strengthen us against sin and then work toward righteousness.

We must realize we can’t change ourselves by ourselves. Sure, we can change our behavior for a time, but unless our hearts change, we won’t be able to sustain our efforts. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can true change be wrought. But knowing this, we cannot stop trying. Change occurs when we combine our effort with God’s power. Through close communion with God and a sincere desire to please him, we open the door for God’s changing power to affect our lives.

Repentance is a decision, and godliness is a choice we make every minute of every day. As Joel says: “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (v. 14). We want God’s mercy. The question is whether we want it enough to turn away from our sin.

Discussion questions

• What sinful behavior or attitude is your greatest weakness?

• What are you doing to overcome it?

• What benefits do you get from it that might make it difficult to give up?

• Do you love God enough to give it up for good?

Posted: 5/25/07

Bible Studies for Life Series for June 3

Practicing obedience diligently

• Deuteronomy 1:6-8, 26-33, 42-46

By David Harp

First Baptist Church, Stanton

We begin a new series of studies for the summer. We will enter the book of Deuteronomy and find one of God’s greatest and most obedient servants, Moses, leading the people of God out of the land that held bad memories and represented their sinful way of living. God was calling Moses to lead his people into a new relationship and into a new land, a land promised to them. This land represented trust, fulfillment, and all the blessings and promises of God.

One of my favorite people in history is Winston Churchill, who led the British in the darkest days during World War II. One day, while London was being bombed by Nazi planes, Churchill rose to the occasion of leadership. He said: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Later, Churchill offered one of the best definitions of success I’ve ever read, “Success is moving from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

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Moses was called to lead the people of God after years of sinful, disobedient living. God called them to a new relationship. God called them to be obedient. God called them to listen, and he would lead. God was saying through Moses to his people—this isn’t the end for you. This isn’t even the beginning of the end. This is an altogether new beginning for God and for the people to walk together in a relationship.

If you feel distant from God, perhaps your devotion has suffered, but God has not turned his back on you. This lesson can help you fan to flame your passion for God and his ways. This can happen when you admit to God any struggles you have with sin and ask for God’s forgiveness and help in resisting temptation and sin.

Are you going where God leads? (Deuteronomy 1:6-8)

Moses reminded the Israelites that the Lord commanded them to leave Horeb and go to the land of promise. It always is a sad thing when God’s people settle for less rather than choosing life with God.

As I write this lesson, our youngest daughter is preparing for graduation week. Brennan Harp is my daughter, and she has excelled in high school in many ways. Brennan has received many awards while in high school, and she has had a “successful” high school career. Next week, Brennan will be ready to move on to a new level in her life. She plans to move forward in following God’s plan for her life.

No one wants to stay in high school forever. There comes a time in life when God taps us on the shoulder to say, “Let’s move forward, together.” We have no evidence the Israelites resisted the Lord’s leadership to leave Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 1:6). In fact, they obeyed his command (v. 19).

The emphasis of this section is that we must follow where God leads, even if we don’t fully understand it.

In recent years, we have heard a lot about the words “comfort zone.” Most often, when we speak of God moving us beyond our comfort zone, we think of people leaving our churches to go off to the mission field or “surrendering” to preach God’s word. God wants to widen our comfort zone to include him in every area of life.

Are you controlled by discouragement? (Deuteronomy 1:26-28)

What keeps us from going forward with God? So often, it is our own sinful condition. At other times, we are guilty of poor attitudes and responses to God when he tells us to go.

The Israelites complained about God’s plan. They focused on the obstacles and never looked for an opportunity for God to deliver them. Verse 27 says they “murmured” or “grumbled” against the Lord. This illustrates how deliberate, defiant sin corrupts one’s view of God. The people claimed, “the Lord hates us,” and said that he delivered them from Egypt only to destroy them by the hands of the Amorites.

Are you distrustful of God’s help? (Deuteronomy 1:29-33)

As believers, we must not allow fears and disobedience to set our focus on the obstacles we face. As believers, we must remember the root of sin is a lack of trust in God. Many times, we have short memories of God’s help in our past. No wonder God often would speak to his people then (and now) and remind them to retrace their steps spiritually and remember who was leading them and God’s mighty acts of deliverance in the past.

When we disobey, we miss opportunities. Our sin can rob us of God’s blessing in our lives. We must always seek to trust God to help us answer his call.

Moses recalled that at Kadesh he had urged the Israelites to combat their fears and lack of trust by remembering the Lord’s powerful actions in Egypt and his covenant presence throughout their wilderness experience. Moses reminded them, “You saw how the Lord your God carried you …” (v. 31).

Are you defying God’s commands? (Deuteronomy 1:42-46)

There is no more miserable place on the planet than the place of consequences. We all have faced our own “bowl of consequences” after sin. Sin separates us from God. As we say in West Texas, “It will leave a mark on you!” The consequence for these people of God is that they would stay in Kadesh far too long. They would not enter the land of promise as easily as they had hoped.

The teaching of Scripture is clear—all have sinned, and whenever we sin, we do wake up to a bowl of consequences. We have to face the fact that our sin is a rebellion against a God who loves us and has a better plan and a better life for us. The good news is that as we read these Scriptures we can learn from the mistakes of others (and our own). We do not have to choose to be defiant. We can choose to do the right thing. We can trust and look to God and lean upon him and not on our own understanding.

Discussion questions

• Retracing your own spiritual steps with God, can you recall a time when God brought you through a time of testing?

• What are some ways believers can overcome discouragement?

• What is controlling you today—a vibrant relationship with Jesus or grumbling against God?

Posted: 5/25/07

Around the State

• The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will offer an English-as-a-second-language class for adults who want to improve their English skills in preparation for entering university-level classes in the fall. Registration is June 4, and classes begin June 6. For more information, call (254) 295-4556.

• East Texas Baptist University awarded 102 degrees during its spring commencement ceremony.

• Dallas Baptist University granted 337 undergraduate degrees and 201 graduate degrees at its spring commencement ceremony. Dallas entrepreneur David Moon also received a doctor of humanities degree. Moon is the founder of Sam Moon Trading Company. He has served as a deacon at Korean First Church in Dallas since 1984, now called NewSong Church. He also serves on the DBU board of trustees and has established a scholarship fund for Koreans and Korean-American students attending seminary and Christian universities.

• San Marcos Academy’s freshman sprinter Theresa Nealon won first place in the 400-meter race at the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state track meet held at Baylor University. She ran a 60.91-second race, winning by .03 of a second.

• Wayland Baptist University has honored several employees in recognition of their commitmennt and years of service. Faculty and staff receiving awards for service and scholarship were Estelle Owens, Mark Hilliard, Tim Kelley, Joel Byrd, June Hogue, Adam Reinhart, Freda Provence, Hope English, Marilyn Koelder, Lisa Kerbo, Tommy Thompson, Sherrie King and Claude Lusk. Professors receiving emeritus status were Harold Temple, Fred Meeks, and Georgia Flanagan. Gerald Thompson was noted for his 40 years of service, and Candace Keller reached the 30-year mark. Twenty-five-year service awards were presented to Bobby Hall, Jennie Lynn Hodges, Gary Manning and Freda Provence. Geoff Wells has marked 20 years.

• Howard Payne University awarded an honorary doctor of humanies degree to Gary Elliston during the university’s commencement ceremony. He is a member of Park Cities Church in Dallas. A trial lawyer, he served on HPU’s board of trustees from 1993 to 2002 and was chairman two years. He also served on the board of the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom from 1996 to 2002. During the 2006-2007 year at the university, he endowed the moot court program and also made possible the renovation of the campus wellness center in 2001.

• Faculty promotions at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor include Christina Ballard, associate professor of psychology; Betty Clark, professor of psychology; Barbara Dalby, associate professor of management/marketing; Ann Eubanks, associate professor of management/marketing; Karen Grant, associate professor of biology; John Hancock, professor of art; Kathy Harden, associate professor of library reference; David Holcomb, associate professor of history; Elizabeth Mallory, associate professor of library reference; Sue Pardue, associate professor of modern foreign languages; Brady Peterson, associate professor of English; Ann Price, assistant professor of library services; David Sloan, professor of education; Shirley Walker, professor of social work; and Jessye Whitis, associate professor of music.

Kris and Misty Ellis		Ron and Kari Harmon
Joe and Megan Brewster		Severa Treviño

• Seven people with Texas ties have been appointed missionaries by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Joe and Megan Brewster will serve in South America, wher he will be a strategy coordinator. She is a native Texan, born in Lubbock. They have one child, Susanna, 23 months, and are expecting another in July. Kris and Misty Ellis will serve along the Pacific Rim, where he will be a church starter. He is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and serves as a student assistant there. First Church in Dallas is their home church. They have one daughter, Moriah, 11 months. Ron and Kari Harmon will work in central, eastern and southern Africa in field support. Both are native Texans, and consider Wedgwood Church in Fort Worth their home church. She previously was a missions intern with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and worked as an event scheduler at Prestonwood Church in Plano. Severa Treviño will work in central and eastern Europe as a church starter. She is a Texas native. Silent Friends Chapel in Dallas is her church.

Anniversaries

• Corey Hines, 10th, as pastor of administration and education at Ferris Avenue Church in Waxahachie, May 3.

• Springlake Church in Paris, 50th, June 2-3. A reception will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. The celebration service on Sunday will begin at 1:30 p.m. Michael Redus is pastor.

• Leopoldo Mata, 20th, as pastor of Comunidad Casa del Alfarero in Houston, July 3.

Retiring

• Robert Horton, as pastor of First Church in Kyle, May 5. He served the church more than 31 years.

• Jim O’Dell, as pastor of Frio Canyon Church in Leakey, July 1. He has served the church nine years and 29 years in ministry. He also was pastor of First Church in Cross Plains and Northview Church in Humble, associate pastor and minister of education at First Church in Houston, dean of the School of Business at Howard Payne University and academic vice president at Dallas Baptist University. He will be available for supply and interims. He can be reached at (830) 232-5219.

Deaths

• Chuck Stevenson, 80, March 4 in Irving. He was minister of education at First Church in Irving 18 years. He also served at First Church in Mansfield, First Church in Alvin and Clarendon Drive Church in Dallas. After his long tenure in Irving, he became director of church services for Tryon-Evergreen Association. He later came back to work at Sunnyglen Church in Dallas, which had been Clarendon Drive. After retirement, he returned to First Church in Irving as a member but soon was asked to serve as minister of missions, where he helped start six churches and other community programs. He is survived by his wife, Raleigh Mae; daughters, Amy Stevenson and Susan House; son, Gary; and one grandson.

• Guy Greenfield, 75, in Amarillo, May 13. A pastor in Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and New Mexico for 25 years, he also taught at a number of universities, including Hardin-Simmons University and Wayland Baptist University. He also spent 11 years as a professor and department chair at Southwestern Seminary. He was the author of seven books.

• Kenneth Andress, 74, in San Angelo, May 16. He was pastor of Buford Church in Buford, First Church in Westbrook, Westside Church in Big Spring, Hillcrest Church in Carlsbad, N.M., First Church in Monahans, First Church in Snyder, First Church in Killeen and Southside Church in Palestine, where he retired after after 48 years of ministry. In retirement, he moved to Abilene, where he served several churches as interim pastor and also was chaplain for Hospice of the Big Country for eight years until last December. He was preceded in death by his brother, Oscar. He is survived by his wife, Betty; sons, Mike and Vance; daughter, Paula Bowden; sisters, Melva Everett and Olien Elmore; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Events

• Blake Bolerjack will sing at Pioneer Church in Valley View at 10:45 a.m. June 3.

• Elliott Church in Hearne will hold homecoming services June 10 to commemorate 118 years of service to the community. A lunch and special music will follow the morning service. Dale Wells is pastor.

Ordained

• Christy Craddock and JonMark Shillington to the ministry at Calvary Church in Waco.

Revival

• First Church, Rule; June 4-8; evangelist and pastor, Russell Stanley; music, John Pike

Posted: 5/25/07

Book Reviews

Rescued: A Novel, by John Bevere and Mark Andrew Olsen (Bethany House)

A $12 million vessel on its way to Barbados becomes a 57,000-pound guided torpedo after its captain and sole crew member dies from cardiac arrest. A tourist submarine excursion in the path of the deadly vessel promises more than a leisurely end to a weeklong church-couples’ cruise. In the aftermath of a terrible underwater accident, the adventure is just beginning.

Life and death, grace and obedience, eternity and the here-and-now all come into focus in John Bevere’s novel. Rescued tells the story of a preacher, his family and his congregation as they learn God’s truths can’t be manipulated to make them feel better about life decisions. It is an extended parable reminding us that all are called, but few chosen. It is an eloquent plea for all Christians to return to the basics of salvation.

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

From the first pages, it becomes obvious Bevere has written an extended sermon. Before long, though, the story takes over, and we become enmeshed in the drama unfolding before us. Though the lesson takes precedence over plot, a danger in the Christian fiction genre, it’s a lesson we all need to learn.

Yes, it is an extended sermon, but at least it’s a good one.

Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church, Duncanville

Peter, Paul & Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend, by Bart D. Ehrman (Oxford University Press)

This book is exciting and fun reading for anyone interested in early Christianity. The content will open new insights and questions for ministers and laity.

Ehrman examines the lives of three eyewitnesses to the early development of the Christian religion. The author rightly notes that “Christianity” and “Christian religion” were anachronistic in the time in which these three lived. They were followers of Jesus who, especially Paul, were used by God to establish the church.

As the title implies, Ehrman draws on biblical and extra-biblical sources to help readers understand how legends developed that have provoked debate among scholars and believers. His clear and forceful style makes lucid material that often is obscured in academic language.

These figures, so important for our understanding of the early Christian movement, come alive in Ehrman’s narrative. His riveting rhetoric will stimulate and provoke the thoughtful reader. I suspect the preaching of many pastors will reflect the influence of this book in more lively preaching on the personalities of these early Christians and relevant biblical texts interpreted in new light by the author.

Raymond Bailey, pastor

Seventh & James Baptist Church, Waco

The Book of Worship, compiled by John Randall Dennis (Bethany House)

In The Book of Worship, Dove Award-winner John Randall Dennis weaves together hymns, songs, prayers, quotes and poems to create, according to the subtitle, “365 Inspiring Readings Based on Worship Songs and Classic Hymns.”

With selections ranging from the 15th Century O Sacred Head Now Wounded to the contemporary More Precious than Silver, Dennis offers music for everyone, running the gamut from Bach and Beethoven to Fanny Crosby and Darlene Zschech. The materials chosen to compliment the hymns and songs offer the best from Martin Luther, St. Francis of Assisi, C.S. Lewis, Max Lucado and at least 100 others. Individual entries follow the church calendar cycle, starting with the first Sunday of Advent, but the reader can choose to begin any time of the year.

With melodies included for many of the selections, the musically inclined will enjoy singing as part of their quiet times. And leaders of choirs, ensembles, Sunday school classes, and other groups will discover a wealth of devotional material in The Book of Worship covering every season of the year.

Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president

Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, Waco

Posted: 5/25/07

Baptist Briefs

Latin American Baptists elect president. The Union of Baptists in Latin America’s Executive Committee unanimously elected Raquel Contreras as UBLA president during a recent meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She will serve as president until April 2009. Contreras recently was re-elected president of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Chile, composed of 27,781 members and 326 churches. Under her leadership, the union reconciled with the Convention of Baptist Churches of the Chilean Mission after 30 years of division and conflict between the two groups. UBLA is one of six regional bodies of the Baptist World Alliance and represents conventions and unions throughout South America, Central America and Mexico. Contreras is a BWA vice president and a member of the BWA Executive Committee and General Council, as well as several committees.

Heritage & History Society to present awards. The Baptist Heritage & History Society will honor a church historian, a student, a denominational entity, a state convention executive and three ministers at an awards luncheon scheduled in conjunction with its annual meeting, June 7-9 in Campbellsville, Ky. Bill Leonard, founding dean of the Wake Forest University Divinity School, will receive the W.O. Carver Distinguished Service Award, the society’s highest honor, for his career contributions to Baptist history. Bonnie Oliver, a religion student at Memphis Theological will receive the Norman W. Cox Award for the best article published by the society in 2006—“The Life and Times of Barbara Jordan: A Twentieth-Century Baptist and Political Pioneer.” The North American Baptist Heritage Commission in Sioux Falls, S.D., will receive the Davis C. Woolley Award for outstanding achievement in assessing and preserving Baptist history. James Porch, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, will receive the Carolyn Blevins Meritorious Service Award in recognition of his leading the Tennessee Baptist Convention to provide complimentary office space for the society. In cooperation with the H. Franklin Paschall Chair of biblical studies and preaching at Belmont University in Nashville, the society also will present the 2007 winners of the Baptist Heritage Preaching Contest. The first-place winner is Brent Jones, a Baptist minister and doctoral student in American history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; the second-place winner is Steve Hollaway, pastor of Latonia Baptist Church in Covington, Ky.; and the third-place winner is J. Adam Tyler, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Buckingham, Va.

Wellness walk planned for San Antonio. GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention will sponsor its annual wellness walk/run during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio June 12. Walkers will gather at 6:15 a.m. at the Alamo Street entrance to HemisFair Park, adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and within walking distance from most hotels in the Riverwalk area. The first 500 registered walkers to stop by the Wellness Walk booth at the convention center will receive a free T-shirt. There will be a one-mile and 5K course for both runners and walkers. Start times will begin at 6:30 a.m. and will be staggered for runners and walkers. Healthful refreshments will be served to all participants at the end of the walk. Interested individuals can register online at www.GuideStone.org or by calling (888) 984-8433. Registered walkers can pick up their numbers at the Wellness Walk booth at the convention center. The booth will be located near the convention registration area June 10, and at the GuideStone Wellness Center on the exhibit floor on June 11.

Posted: 5/25/07

Posted: 5/25/07

Chaplain ministers at world’s
busiest U.S. military trauma center

By Patricia Heys

Associated Baptist Press

U.S. AIR FORCE THEATER HOSPITAL, Iraq (ABP)—At the U.S. Air Force Theater Hospital in Iraq, the sounds of Army Blackhawk and Marine Sea Knight helicopters are a call to duty for Air Force Chaplain Shane Gaster.

Gaster, one of more than 90 military chaplains endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is stationed at the Air Force Theater Hospital—the busiest U.S. trauma center in the world. He works 12-hour shifts, six days a week, ministering to wounded men and women brought in by helicopters and humvee trucks.

“My chaplain assistant and I respond to the emergency department whenever we hear choppers incoming, or when ‘trauma code in the ED’ is sounded over the intercom,” Gaster said. “We are an extra set of hands for the doctors and nurses, and we do assist them. But our primary duty is, in Air Force terms, ‘a visible reminder of the holy.’ We are there to pray for the patients and the rest of the medical team.”

Gaster serves not only the emergency department but also four intensive-care units and four intermediate-care wards. From the Air Force hospital, patients either return to duty or are flown to medical centers in Germany and the United States. And while the survival rate at the hospital is 98 percent, one of Gaster’s primary responsibilities is to minister to the dying.

“Every time I am paged to a bedside where someone is dying, I think to myself, ‘I am able to be with this person as they leave this world, this temporary life,’” Gaster said. “I am able to pray for their families who may still be wondering what happened to them. Whether it is in the emergency room, the (operating room) or the ICU, there is a sense of being present with a human being when their life is ebbing away with their final breaths. Who is to say what these final prayers can do? Intercessory prayer is more real to me here than anywhere.”

Gaster, who began serving as an Air Force chaplain in 1989, also has worked in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. He made his first combat tour to Iraq in 2004 and was stationed in Baghdad.

George Pickle, CBF specialist for chaplaincy and pastoral counseling, praised Gaster’s sensitivity and dedication. “His ministry is a clear communication that these injured and dying people are not alone,” Pickle said.

In his current position, Gaster ministers to everyone in the hospital, including doctors, nurses, technicians and non-American patients. Besides treating American troops, the staff helps coalition forces, Iraqi police, civilians and enemy prisoners of war.

“In America, we take the enemy that we capture, and our sense of the sanctity of life gives us no alternative but to give them the best care and treatment we can,” Gaster said. “That is part of what Jesus meant when he said. ‘Love your enemies.’”

Posted: 5/25/07

As the war goes on,
so does the work of military

By Marcia Nelson

Religion News Service

CHICAGO (RNS)—Once you’ve seen the brutal face of evil, you start looking for the tender face of God, Chaplain Robert Barry said.

Barry is an Air National Guard chaplain who spends his summers working with injured soldiers at Landstuhl military hospital in southern Germany, where American military personnel are taken after they are wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It’s also where Barry gets frequent prayer requests from patients and staff. No one at Landstuhl ever has turned down a prayer, he noted.

“Nobody has said, ‘That’s not necessary,’” said Barry, a lieutenant colonel in the 183rd Fighter Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard.

Barry, a Dominican priest, will serve his third tour at Landstuhl this summer during a break from his duties as campus minister and religious studies professor at Chicago’s St. Xavier University.

Landstuhl, he said, is the most challenging ministry of his career.

“I’ve never prayed as hard as we do there,” said Barry, 59.

And it’s getting harder, as the military faces a shortage of chaplains. The Army National Guard, for example, is offering a $10,000 signing bonus for chaplains. Major Timothy L. Baer, the chaplain in charge of recruiting, said he has only 340 chaplains to fill 770 authorized positions.

Lt. Col. Ran Dolinger, spokesman for the Army Chief of Chaplains office, said there are about 452 vacancies among 3,000 chaplain slots in the National Guard, Army Reserve and active-duty positions. About 300 of those vacancies are in the National Guard branches, he said.

“They don’t have a lot of people who can and want to do this kind of work,” Barry said.

Chaplains are among the first to greet new patients at Landstuhl after the 2,500-mile journey from Iraq.

A team of nine offloads troops arriving on stretchers, which can weigh up to 600 pounds with all the critical- care equipment.

Some patients may not even know where they are; some arrive with desert sand still in their hair. “You’re in Germany,” Barry tells them. “We’re going to take good care of you.”

Barry can fulfill the simplest request, like getting a toothbrush for someone who hasn’t brushed his teeth in three days. But he is more likely to meet spiritual needs, administering the Catholic sacrament of the sick when requested. “I’ve never anointed so many people in my life,” he said.

Because combat armor protects the trunk of the body, the injuries Barry sees generally involve soldiers’ limbs. He knows what to look for as he enters a patient’s room.

“The first thing you look at are the bedcovers, and you look to see if there are lumps in the covers that should be there and aren’t,” he said.

Patients with missing limbs are just beginning to grasp the significance of what has happened to them, an experience of secondary trauma that can be difficult to witness and respond to.

Barry recalls one patient in the intensive care unit, propped up in bed, “looking down, mouth open, both feet below the ankle gone,” he said.

Barry said he was changed by what he called the “raw, bold courage” of wounded warriors. “Things that were important to me before are less important now,” he said. Climbing the academic ladder is one of them.

He also has greater appreciation for the need for spiritual comfort.

“The word really has power with these people,” he said. “Shrapnel hits the body, but it also hits the soul, and that’s where we come in.”

Posted: 5/25/07

DEPLOYED: Baptist pastor ministers in Iraq

By Jim White

Virginia Religious Herald

HARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Joel Jenkins, pastor of First Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Va., temporarily changed congregations last year—and the relocation was extreme. Jenkins, a longtime Army Reserve chaplain, was called to active duty in Iraq last June with barely a week’s notice.

For the past 11 months, Jenkins has called a forward operating base in Baghdad’s international zone home. He is assigned to the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, which employs military and civilian forces from several nations to train and equip Iraq’s army, navy, air force and police force.

Jenkins with Commander Lieut. Gen. Dempsey of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq. See Related Articles: • Frontline Ministry: Baptist chaplain meets spiritual needs in combat • Chaplain ministers at world's busiest U.S. military trauma center • As the war goes on, so does the work of military • DEPLOYED: Baptist pastor ministers in Iraq • Cadets learn Islam as part of winning the peace • Chaplain strives to be the presence of Christ in war zone • Southern Baptist tapped as Army chief of chaplains • Family collects tributes to fallen soldier as “sacred relics • Chaplains prep West Point cadets for spiritual warfare • San Antonio volunteers serve wounded warriors

“The ministry here is very diverse,” Jenkins said. Police units from the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain and Poland and soldiers from Great Britain, South Korea, Macedonia, Romania and the United States are a part of the command.

“We also have multi-components of Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines all in the same command over here, which is very interesting. We are all having to learn each others’ ranks, nomenclature and acronyms. If there is anybody who has more acronyms than Baptists, it’s the military.”

In addition to leading services at his home base in Baghdad on Saturday and Sunday, Jenkins and his assistant travel to all parts of the country ministering to the troops assigned to the multi-national command.

“We spend two or three days at a time with our folks. Many of the troops are embedded in Iraqi units, so they don’t have any kind of chaplain support. Many times they don’t have the amenities like a PX, and they certainly don’t have a chapel. So, we’ll go in and spend two or three days with them and encourage them,” he said.

During his absence from the Charlottesville church, lay leaders have worked with the staff to continue the congregation’s ministry, he noted. Lindsay Sadler, the senior associate pastor, filled the pulpit and provided leadership.

Jenkins plans to fill his pulpit at First Baptist in Charlottesville on Father’s Day and then take a month to spend with his wife and family before returning to pastoral duties full time in August.

During his time in Iraq, Jenkins has witnessed the toll that living with the constant threat of danger and death takes on the troops.

“We’ve seen it among those air crews that are up every single day and in the troops that provide PSD (personal security detail) for the admirals and generals,” he said. “We see it in the convoy escort teams called rough riders. I try to spend a good bit of time with those folks in particular.”

He recalled a visit with a young Marine in a personal security detail assigned to an admiral. The Marine described how in his daily travels, he encountered improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades.

“He said: ‘Chaplain, I need to talk to you, because every night I dream that I’m going to die. I die different ways, but by the time I get to the end of my dream, I die.’ So, we talked about it and found out that this young man had been brought up in a Christian home but had never declared a personal faith for himself,” Jenkins said.

Their conversation continued, and the Marine ended up praying to invite Christ to take control of his life. Jenkins subsequently baptized him.

“He came back in later and said: ‘You know, Chaplain, I’m not having that dream anymore. My job is just as dangerous, but I don’t go out anymore with the fear that I had. I may not come back, but if I don’t come back, I’m OK, and I’m at peace about that.’ I saw a dramatic difference in him,” Jenkins recalled.

But others react to the stress differently. Some have become emotionally broken and must receive treatment, he noted.

“I’m leaving tomorrow to accompany … one of our soldiers to Landstuhl” Regional Medical Center in Germany, he said. “I normally don’t do that, but this is a soldier that I’ve worked with, and he’s requested me to do this. … So, we see a lot of situations like that, and this young man is what I would call post-traumatic stress that he’s dealing with, and he’s going to need some long-term help. And then when he gets out, he’s going to be going back home to his home community and his home church.

“Sometimes against their fears, they continue to do their jobs. Interestingly enough, most of them believe in what they are doing. They realize it is a tough road, and things are not happening nearly as fast as they would like for the better, but most of them believe in the Iraqis they see and meet and work with; they believe they are decent people who basically just want to have security for their children and a decent future.”

But sometimes things get tough even for the chaplain. Recently, Jenkins performed a memorial service—his fifth—for an officer in his command.

“I’m grateful that it hasn’t been more than that. Some of our chaplains serving with line units have done 10 or 12,” he said. The officer was a Navy commander who was killed by a vehicle-borne IED. “He was one of four killed in a vehicle, an interpreter and two security officers. Only one was military. We did his service here at our base and had about 400 attending.”

Jenkins hopes churches will pay particular attention to returning veterans, many of whom will be feeling the effects of war for many months or years to come. In addition to whatever ministries may be started by churches close to military institutions designed to offer the love of Christ, he hopes church people will simply express appreciation.

“It touches them if somebody just says, ‘Thanks.’ To realize that somebody’s been over here, they don’t have to make a big speech, but if they’ll just put an arm on their shoulder and say, ‘Hey, I just want to thank you for going for us.’

“It’s amazing that it helps validate that they were trying to do the right thing. A lot of them are struggling with the attitude of people back home. They’re wondering, ‘Do they hate us? Do they think we’re bad guys?’ … Some of them are struggling. In a sense, they are looking for approval; not so much approval of the conflict, but just of them as persons.

“I think that would be wonderful if somebody knows they’ve got a vet coming back just to pat him on the back and say, ‘Hey, thank you!’ and also probably just to be a good listener if they need to talk.’”

Jenkins is careful, however, not to give the wrong impression of the troops serving in Iraq. “I want to applaud these young folks. … They are here because they love their country. They want to serve their country, and the thing about it is they are all volunteers. None of them was drafted. Every single one of them signed on the dotted line. You would be amazed at the number of them that re-enlist while they are here. They are saying, ‘If I have to come back, I will.’ I’m just encouraged about the future of our country when I see the kind of young people who are over here.”

The experience of living with constant danger creates for many a sense of larger purpose and the growth of faith, Jenkins said.

“I have only come across one person who told me that he is an atheist—only one,” he said. “Almost everyone I’ve talked to has told me that they have drawn from their faith and strengthened their faith. I’ve heard from people who have gone back home and they tell me: ‘I’m still practicing my faith. I’m still enjoying what it means to me in my life.’”

As Jenkins prepares to return to the States and his Virginia pulpit, he wonders what changes may be in store. He is certain the experience in Iraq has changed him deeply.

He vows not to worry about inconsequential things and love deeply and purely in the spirit of Christ. He is confident he will find ways to show those closest to him that his love is more than professed.

“Because you don’t know if you’re going to have another day to do that,” he said. “I’ve learned that here; and you don’t know that they’re going to have another day for you to bless them.”

Posted: 5/25/07

FRONTLINE MINISTRY:
Baptist chaplain meets spiritual needs in combat

By Barbara Bedrick

BGCT Communications

The closer people get to a foxhole, the more spiritual they generally become, a frontline military chaplain observed.

Tough circumstances—and the accompanying escalated interest in spiritual matters—provide countless opportunities for military chaplains like U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Perdue of the 1st Marine Division, who recently returned from a one-year tour of duty in Baghdad and Fallujah as a multi-national Marine Expeditionary Force chaplain.

“On three occasions, rocket and mortar fire landed within 50 yards of our chapel and killed a civilian contractor 30 feet away,” Perdue recalled.

Perdue, a Baptist General Convention of Texas-endorsed chaplain, prays with military convoys before they go out, and he helps lead Bible studies, support groups and worship services.

Danger never is far away, but Perdue insists “duty, fear of letting other chaplains down and a deep desire for Marines and sailors to have a positive image and role model of faith in the midst of crisis” keep him motivated.

In addition to directing 48 chaplains and their religious program specialists—who serve as the chaplains’ bodyguards—in ministering to about 32,000 Marines on the battlefield, Perdue served as adviser to Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer on spiritual, ethical, moral and religious issues.

In the combat zone, each chaplain ministers to a group of 500 to 1,000 Marines, which is “something like being the pastor of a church, but it’s more like you are with them wherever they go,” Perdue added.

“You have the opportunity to invest yourself with them in a combat setting, to be in the foxhole with them, to go on patrols and convoys, to pray with them before they go out on patrols and to counsel with them when they have issues such as family problems, grief concerns or other stress and spiritual needs,” Perdue said.

One of 850 active-duty military chaplains, Perdue says about one in three are Baptists. Perdue, who calls Cranes Mill Baptist Church at Canyon Lake his home church, began his military career as a Navy F-4 jet fighter pilot, graduated from Baylor University, received his master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and was ordained by Baptist Temple Church in San Antonio.

Perdue was one of the first chaplains endorsed by the BGCT. They now number 410, noted Bobby Smith, BGCT chaplaincy relations director.

Ministering at the chapel or in foxholes, Perdue has witnessed hundreds of people come to faith in Christ.

Dozens of Marines have been baptized in the Euphrates River, water-filled buckets of bulldozers, holes dug in the ground and in water tanks, he noted.

At Fallujah, about 8,000 Marines attend as many as 15 services and Bible studies each week. Weekly worship services average about 800 people.

As Iraqi mortar fire rips through the air, military chaplains work to mold relationships in the trenches, at military bases and in chapels, he said. Enemy fire has no respect for human lives, but military chaplains are touching lives in extraordinary ways.

“Where faith has been jarred because of the horrors of war, chaplains have the opportunity to counsel,” Perdue said. “The more the chaplains are with the Marines … they build up their credibility with them. Later, they will come to the chaplains and unload. And it’s in that setting the chaplain has opportunity to touch them in their spiritual lives.”

U.S. Marine Chaplain Greg Cates conducts a hasty and humble Bible study.

But even the faithful start to question when mortar fire kills a colleague only yards away. “Being near death, being near explosions, seeing your Marines injured, and visiting Marines in medical facilities who have lost limbs or been victim of improvised explosive devices can cause your faith to weaken,” Perdue acknowledged.

Many people wonder how God can permit injury and death in the combat zone, Perdue said. But that is when chaplains encourage a closer walk with God through worship, study and prayer.

When he visited Marine and Army forces at Ramadi in July 2006, casualties were brought into the morgue, Perdue recalled. Improvised explosive devices killed three soldiers.

“Along with my Roman Catholic chaplain friend, we entered the morgue and gathered the staff around the body bags,” Perdue said. “In the midst of death and grief and stress, we offered Scripture readings and prayers.”

Afterward, they talked at length with the staff who knew the dead personally.

“Because we were there, we were able to offer the hope, love and grace that our Lord Jesus offers,” Perdue said.

Ministering in wartime can cause even chaplains to question their faith. Perdue recalled how one chaplain could not enter the morgue because he thought he had seen too many bodies in recent months.

Still, Perdue remembers praying for the 100th time for God to spare his life and the lives of others as sniper and rocket fire hit nearby.

“As a chaplain, you try to use every little thing you can to influence others. We often use the chapel as a testimony to God’s protection,” Perdue said.

Iraqi children play with toy guns outside the insurgent wing at a Baghdad hospital where U.S. Marine Chaplain Bill Perdue ministered to about a dozen injured soldiers.

Perdue relies on his faith to help him survive as a chaplain and to help others in combat, which he calls one of the most stressful situations facing a human.

“I have always believed that nothing can come into my life without God’s permission,” he said. He has found that belief a source of strength when his faith is tested.

For Perdue, the most meaningful part of his chaplaincy duties in Iraq is the opportunity to preach and lead worship in a combat zone.

“Life-and-death issues, normally suppressed by 20-somethings, are vivid and critical,” Perdue notes. “The Scripture always comes alive in preaching, but it seemed particularly relevant at Fallujah as we gathered weekly to worship and remember those who were killed or injured the week before.”

One of Perdue’s most meaningful memories that affected the entire Marine force was the role he played in shepherding the development of a “warrior transition” program, which deals with post-deployment operational stress. It educates all Marines on the signs and symptoms of operational stress that could lead to post traumatic stress syndrome.

Helping military personnel who have been injured in combat return to life back home resonates with retired military chaplain Brig. Gen. Jim Spivey, who lives in Fort. Worth. As president of the Military Chaplaincy Association, Spivey points out that an actual brain injury suffered in combat may not have initially been discernible. One of the most critical problems facing returning troops is post-traumatic stress disorder, he added.

“Where the rubber meets the road is when people return to their homes and to their churches,” Spivey said. “Most of our pastors and our church staff members have no military background or context to understand the problems, yet many have members who are returning from war.”

There is a growing need to help churches gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the problem so they can assist returning military church members, he said. The church has a “critical role in that,” he added.

Chaplains sometimes have opportunities to share with the most unlikely people. Perdue called his encounter with an imam at Haditha an “extraordinary event” that showed him people of different faiths, even amid strife and turmoil, can find common ground and engage in dialogue.

From counseling to pastoral care at surgical units, taking care of the wounded and stressed, and praying, chaplains like Perdue face their own struggles on the battlefield, but when they can make a difference in someone’s life, it somehow seems easier to bear.

“What impacts lives the most on the battlefield is the presence of a chaplain, to be with people wherever they are,” Perdue said. “Seeing a Marine who attended worship services two weeks ago now come to be baptized” makes it worthwhile.

Support from home makes a difference as well. Hundreds of churches and individuals are helping make combat life easier. They have sent thousands of boxes to Iraq directly to the chaplains to distribute. Perdue’s home church of about 100 members regularly sends boxes of anything from toothpaste to baby wipes to magazines to peanuts and popcorn.

Perdue will retire in September 2008 and plans to return to Texas.