Posted: 7/26/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for August 6

Leaving—and learning from—a legacy

• 2 Timothy 4:1-8

By Joseph Matos

Dallas Baptist University, Dallas

Some of the most poignant words in the Bible are spoken at a time of departure. Think of the farewell speeches of Jacob (Genesis 48-49), Moses (Deuteronomy 31-34), Joshua (Joshua 23-24), David (1 Chronicles 28-29) and Jesus (Luke 22; John 13-17).

Before Paul returned to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he spoke words of farewell to the leaders of Ephesus (Acts 20:17-38). Their words reflected on the past but prepared the hearers for the future, as well.

As Paul brings his second letter to Timothy to conclusion, he sees the end of his life closing in on him. The entire letter is a farewell of sorts. It is replete with instructions for Timothy in his ministry task.

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But Paul’s words in chapter 4 reveal much of his motive. He will not live much longer. So, he offers parting words to Timothy. In many ways, they repeat those earlier instructions, but an added element in these verses of chapter 4 is open reference to Paul’s departure.

2 Timothy 1-2

Paul gives his “charge” to Timothy with two factors in mind. The first is being “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus.” Jesus, Paul states further, is judge (see 4:8), especially one who would “judge the living and the dead.” The second is “in view of his appearing and his kingdom.” Christ’s appearing and the consummation of the kingdom may still lie in the future, but Paul’s mention of them brings before Timothy the gravity of his instructions. These are matters of kingdom import.

With the solemnity of the occasion established, Paul specifies five actions which must encompass Timothy’s ministry. In some ways, these words serve as important summary of Paul’s injunctions to Timothy throughout the letter.

First, Timothy was to “preach the Word.” His task in leadership included proclaiming the word of God.

The second command may be as much a means by which Timothy was to carry out the first as it was a separate command itself. Paul told Timothy to “be prepared in season and out of season.” This was a call to readiness, always being on duty, never growing weary. This would be particularly important when negative circumstances arose. “Preach” and “be prepared” have a more positive, proactive meaning behind them.

But the next three commands are actions Timothy was to take in response to approaching circumstances. Paul told Timothy to “correct, rebuke and encourage.” Whether it was someone who held to a wrong belief, engaged in a wrong action or became discouraged, Timothy was to step up and respond appropriately.

The last command, “encourage,” in the original, shares the same root as the word John 14-16 used to characterize the Holy Spirit. There it can be variously translated “comforter,” “counselor,” “encourager.”

Paul then described for Timothy the means by which he was to carry out these activities. He was to do it with “great patience” (literally, “all patience”) and “careful instruction” (literally, “teaching”). Timothy was to exhibit patience and to seek most of all to teach his people.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

In verses 3-4, Paul warned Timothy that in time people would reject sound teaching and instead would seek teaching that satisfied them. They would determine what they wanted to hear and avoid what they needed to hear. They would turn away from truth and turn toward myths. They would be in control of what they heard and listened to as opposed to listening to what God wanted them to hear. How important, then, would patience and instruction be!

2 Timothy 4:5

When this occurred, Timothy was not to give up or become discouraged. He was to keep control of himself (“keep your head”), regardless of the situation. Also, he was to “endure hardship,” a phrase recalling Paul’s earlier exhortations to Timothy about persevering through suffering. The times would be difficult for Timothy, but he was to endure.

Additionally, Timothy was to do the work of an evangelist. Though Paul had elsewhere described this as a specific gift granted to some in the church (Ephesians 5:11), being an evangelist appeared not always to be so limited in scope. So Timothy should bear the “good news” even as he should “preach the word.” In a summary command, Paul charged Timothy to fulfill his service (“discharge all the duties of your ministry”).

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Unfortunately, for Timothy, he would face these problems in the absence of his “father in the faith.” Paul spoke of his own “departure” in sacrificial terms (as a drink offering). Paul soon would die, leaving Timothy alone. But with his death on the horizon, Paul left Timothy with more than just his words. He stood as one who had lived out what he had taught.

Three images describe Paul’s accomplishment in ministry. He “fought the good fight” (something he twice commanded Timothy to do, 1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12). He “finished the race” (or completed the course). He “kept the faith.” Paul had warned Timothy of those who had and/or would abandon the faith (1 Timothy 1:19; 4:1; 6:10, 21), but Paul, for all his faults, remained faithful.

So, while these words speak about the end of his life, they sound the words of triumph, not defeat. Paul had reached his goal. Paul left Timothy the legacy of a life lived for Christ.

Thus, Paul, and all who look forward to Christ’s appearing, was promised a crown of righteousness, the reward for perseverance.

As Timothy moved forward, he could draw on the words and works of his mentor.

Discussion questions

• What do you suppose Timothy thought as he read these words about Paul’s impending death?

• Given the opportunity to receive parting words, how would you remember them?

• Given the task of imparting words to family and friends, what would you say?

• What is the impact on others of our words if no actions support them?

• What is/would be your legacy right if you faced separation from those important to you? How would your words and life complement one another?

Posted: 7/26/06

Family Bible Series for August 6

Set apart by God for service, righteousness

• John 17:9-23

By Greg Ammons

First Baptist Church, Garland

I recently visited Meteora in northeastern Greece. It is an impressive formation of natural rock pillars in the Pindus Mountains, ascending hundreds of feet into the air. In the 15th century, hermits would ascend these rock formations in baskets while being hoisted with ropes. Once on top the pillars, the hermits would live out the remainder of their days, either in fissures of the rocks or in a monastic order. They felt it was the best way to draw closer to God while not being influenced by the world.

Is this lifestyle what Jesus had in mind for believers? Before his death, our Savior prayed to the Father on behalf of his disciples. In this prayer, Jesus gave us insight into how he expects us to live as his followers. He shows us how God sets us apart for his service.

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In the world (John 17:9-13)

In this beautiful prayer, Jesus poured out his heart to his father. As a part of this prayer, he realized his children would be living in a hostile world. Jesus prayed specifically for his followers and not for the world in general (v. 9). “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world. … Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name … so that they may be one as we are one” (v. 11). Jesus stated that he protected his disciples and kept them safe while he was with them (v, 12). But after his death, Jesus would be taken out of this world, and his followers would remain in it.

Today, believers must live out their faith in the world. They are not to retreat to a high mountain in order to escape from civilization. Believers are to make a difference in the world in which God has placed them. Jesus stated we are to be in the world but not of the world.

It has been my privilege to grow up in church. From my earliest childhood days in Honey Grove to my current ministry in Garland, God has allowed me the privilege of being in his church. It is our responsibility as churches to make an impact for Christ upon the world around us. It is our reason for being in the world. We are God’s representatives to a world that desperately needs him. He has blessed us with the privilege of being in his church to carry out this mission.

Different from the world (John 17:14-19)

Jesus continued his prayer to God for his followers, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world” (v. 14). He reminded us we are to be different from the world. Interestingly, Jesus prayed not that God would take his followers out of the world but that they would be protected from the evil one (v. 15). He also prayed for his followers to be sanctified by the word of truth (vv. 18-19).

Several members of my congregation are scuba-diving enthusiasts. Scuba is an acronym for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.” This acronym was coined in 1939 by the U.S. Navy. Scuba divers submerge themselves into a body of water, yet they breathe their own air while in the depths. They take their own environment with them as they dive. Their life source comes from their own environment while they are immersed into that of another.

In similar fashion, Christians are different from the world in which they live. Believers are living in an environment much different than their new nature in Christ. They are submerged in the world and making a difference in it for Christ, yet their vital life source comes from elsewhere.

United in divine purpose (John 17:20-23)

Jesus did not simply pray for his immediate followers. He prayed also for all believers in the ages to come who would believe in him (v. 20). He prayed they would be unified in their purpose. Our Lord prayed: “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me …” (v. 23).

It is God’s will that all believers be united in their purpose of affecting this world for Christ. It is a difficult task because the world often makes sin look normal and righteousness look strange. As believers bind together in purpose, they are more powerful in their witness.

This task is made more difficult when believers desire to become like the world. Many Christians allow the trappings of this world to blind them to their greater task. The fiery evangelist of the mid-19th century, D.L. Moody, said some believers have one eye on the Lord and one eye on the world. As a result, their vision becomes blurred.

May you have a clear vision of your divine purpose to impact your world for Jesus Christ.

Discussion questions

• What are some practical ways Christians can affect their world?

• How are Christians different from the world?

• In what ways can believers work together to impact their world?

Posted: 7/26/06

Explore the Bible Series for August 6

Fear God, but beware legalism

• Ecclesiastes 7:1-8:17

By James Adair

Baptist University of the Americas, San Antonio

In his Nicomachean Ethics, the great philosopher Aristotle discusses the “doctrine of the mean.” He says the excellence of a thing, be it a human or a horse, may be defined as its ability to perform its function well. Further, he says, “well” may be defined as that point midway between excess and deficiency, that is, the mean.

Aristotle’s discussion is sometimes summarized by the saying, “all things in moderation.” Many other philosophers, from Thales, the founder of Greek philosophy, to the Stoics accepted the same principle, which is sometimes expressed as “nothing to excess.”

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How universally applicable is this principle? In Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Anne asks her guardian Matthew a telling question: “Which would you rather be if you had the choice—divinely beautiful or dazzlingly clever or angelically good?” Clearly Anne was not one who was inclined toward moderation!

It must be acknowledged that many notable people seem to ignore the doctrine of the mean, committing themselves to extremes of one sort or another. What great accomplishments would never have been reached without commitment to extreme? What great tragedies could have been avoided?

Perhaps a more relevant question for modern Christians is whether the Christian life should be characterized by the pursuit of extremes or by moderation. The monks who forsook their normal lives and went to live in the deserts of Syria and Egypt beginning in the third century certainly were extreme in their practice, and few today, even if they acknowledge their virtuous lives, would want to follow their example.

Some extreme elements of the Radical Reformation in the 16th century took over the city of Münster, Germany, because they were convinced their radical acts would hasten the Second Coming of Christ.

Such extreme acts in the name of religion are rightly condemned today, even by people who share a common faith tradition. These and numerous other examples from church history would seem to support the principle of moderation.

Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

The condemnation of the lukewarm in Revelation 3:16 is probably a reference to the tepid water of the city of Laodicea rather than a rebuke of moderation between extreme goodness and extreme wickedness, so what other biblical texts might address the question of “living in the mean”?

Perhaps the most obvious is this somewhat enigmatic passage in Ecclesiastes. The teacher advocates his followers not be too righteous or too wise, but at the same time, they should not be too wicked or too foolish. Does he want people to strike a balance between righteousness and wickedness, between wisdom and foolishness? Is he advocating a life characterized by a few good deeds, and a few bad deeds, and so forth? No! That interpretation is inconsistent with both the immediate context and the overall thrust of the book.

What the teacher is saying is sometimes there is room for debate over what is good and what is bad, what is wise and what is foolish. The attitude to be avoided is the commitment to an extreme position without any flexibility. The idea that the only correct view of the world is the way your church views it is a dangerous point of view, according to the teacher.

It is one thing to be committed to your beliefs, but it is another to condemn all those with whom you disagree. The middle ground between these groups should center on “fearing God” (7:18) rather than legalism.

Ecclesiastes 8:14-17

One of the primary conclusions the teacher draws as a result of his investigation of life is that life isn’t always fair. Sometimes the righteous are treated as though they are wicked, and sometimes the wicked are treated as though they are righteous. That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t pursue righteousness, but it does caution against the assumption that the righteous will receive tangible rewards from God. The teacher would agree with the statement that righteousness is its own reward.

How should people live their lives? Eat, drink and be merry! The teacher is not advocating a lifestyle of wanton excess (remember his advocacy of moderation), but neither does he think a life of misery and gloom is spiritually beneficial. Bad things will come to everyone in life, he says, so there is no reason to go out looking for them. Life is a gift from God, and it should be enjoyed.

The idea that the spirit is good and the flesh is bad, so prevalent in the first several Christian centuries, is based on certain strains of Greek philosophy, not on either the Old Testament or the teachings of Jesus. In fact, Jesus’ own disciples were criticized for being too free in their interpretation of the law (that is, they were too moderate). Life was made for enjoyment, and God’s people should live life to the fullest.

That will mean different things to different people, but if we will remember that a life lived in the mean precludes us from judging the reasonable choices of other people, our own enjoyment of life will increase, and so will that of people with whom we interact.

Discussion questions

• How does the principle of moderation apply to living a life of virtue? To pursuing wisdom? To getting along with other believers?

• How does the principle of moderation apply to living the Christian life in a secular world? Are there exceptions to the idea of “living in the mean”?

Posted: 7/21/06

VBS ‘makeover’ puts children to work

By George Henson

Staff Writer

BEAUMONT—Children attending Vacation Bible School at North End Baptist Church in Beaumont learned you don’t have to be on television to make a difference in someone’s life.

The VBS team at North End chose to write their own curriculum this year and settled on “Extreme Church: Service Edition,” a take-off on the television series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

The Scripture verse for the week was Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Bible stories for the week reinforced the thoughts in that verse.

Monday and Tuesday, children heard the stories of the Good Samaritan and Nehemiah and learned the importance of recognizing a need and then responding to it under God’s leadership.

Wednesday, Pastor Robert Miller led the children in “Demolition Day,” when he counseled them on the importance of getting rid of the old sin nature and putting on the armor of God.

Thursday and Friday, a ventriloquist and his “friends” talked about the importance of building on a good foundation and using spiritual gifts to serve God.

The children did far more than just hear about the importance of serving and working to help others. The traditional crafts and missions sessions became opportunities for service.

Children chose from sewing, baking, puppetry, drama/choreography, design and construction.

“The children were given the chance to attend six special classes tailored around using their own special talents and abilities to serve God in some tangible way,” Minister of Children Josh Baker said. “There were no cheap little cut-and-paste, put-on-your-refrigerator-or-just-throw-away crafts.

“Instead of taking those things home, they made some tangible things for the benefit of the community.”

Kids take a break in the remodeled rooms of the youth and children’s wing of the church’s gymnasium.

One of the recipients of the children’s handiwork was Golden Triangle Baptist Association’s homeless shelter, Calvary House. The shelter received child-sewn pillows and child-assembled furniture to makeover its rooms. Youth who participated in the church’s design team delivered and placed the furniture and other household items for maximum effect.

“They remodeled two of the three apartments we have there,” reported Dion Ainsworth, the association’s director of ministry evangelism. They placed beds they assembled and installed sofas and fans the church purchased. “They just made it look much more pleasant and cheery than it did before.”

Ainsworth said the unique Bible school took care of some needs that could not be met through the association’s budget.

Children visited North End’s homebound ministry, a local retirement home and Buckner Children and Family Services’ Children’s Village with baked goods from the VBS baking class.

The church puppeteers performed for the retirement home, and the drama class depicted a Bible story for children the following Sunday morning.

A stuffed-animal drive brought in 165 furry friends for the local hospital’s pediatric ward and for the police department.

Some of the 150 children also helped more than 125 youth and adults do a makeover of the youth and children’s wing of the church’s gymnasium, giving all the rooms new thematically fun designs and constructing a performance stage for the children’s Sunday morning program.

More important than the actual tasks for the week was a change in mindset, Baker said, noting it is not enough to teach young people they should serve others, but to give them opportunity to do so.

The goal for the week was “that servants’ hearts would be born and that the world’s future church ministers and community servants be taught valuable spiritual truths,” he said.

Posted: 7/23/06

Volunteers fleeing Beirut reach Cyprus
on U.S. Navy ship, heading home soon

By Erich Bridges

LARNACA, Cyprus (BP)—After being trapped for more than a week in Beirut as Israeli-Hezbollah fighting raged, 19 tired and relieved Southern Baptist volunteers arrived in Cyprus from Lebanon early July 21 aboard the Navy transport USS Nashville.

The volunteers from two churches in Georgia and Texas were transported by bus with hundreds of other U.S. evacuees from the Cypriot port of Larnaca to Nicosia, where U.S. embassy officials have set up a receiving area equipped with cots, food and beverages in a city convention center. From there, the volunteers were expected to board one of the charter flights U.S. officials have arranged to take Americans exiting Lebanon home to the United States.

The two volunteer groups include 10 members from First Baptist Church of Forney, Texas, and nine from Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in Henry County, Ga. They had been participating in various summer ministries with Lebanese Baptists through churches in Beirut when cross-border bombing and rocket attacks broke out between Hezbollah guerrillas based in southern Lebanon and Israeli forces.

Southern Baptist International Mission Board workers are providing assistance to the volunteers in Cyprus. They are scheduled to leave Cyprus for Baltimore and several other U.S. cities. Once back in the United States, the Forney group will fly on to Dallas/Fort Worth. The Eagle’s Landing volunteers will fly to Atlanta.

John Brady, IMB regional leader for Northern Africa and the Middle East, met with the volunteers after they arrived in Nicosia, Cyprus.

“They were elated to be out of Lebanon and praising the Lord for His protection,” Brady said. “They also had some very kind words about how the Lebanese Baptist brothers and sisters helped them every step of the way, as well as the way the U.S. government responded to rescue Americans.

“They’re heartbroken for the people in the Middle East, and they’re praying God will resolve this tragic situation soon.”

Todd Bradley, one of the Forney volunteers and an associate professor at Criswell College in Dallas, spoke to the Dallas Morning News July 19 before leaving Beirut. He told of moving several times to different locations to avoid the bombing.

“The Lebanese Baptists here are putting food containers together for the people who have been displaced in south Beirut, which is an amazing thing, and we’ve been a part of that,” Bradley said.

Tim Dowdy, pastor at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist, told WXIA-TV in Atlanta that volunteers from his church also got involved in Baptist ministry to refugees before leaving Beirut.

“They just kind of jump(ed) in and said, ‘Hey, we can help unload a truck, we can help feed people, we can help pass out food and water and blankets or pillows, whatever is needed,’” Dowdy reported.

Bradley, in an interview with Christian radio station KCBI in Dallas, called the situation in the region “very sad.” He added, “It’s not a matter of whose side you’re on. You love these people here, and they’re watching their country be systematically destroyed, and it’s hard to watch.”

As Israelis and Lebanese civilians continue to get caught in the cross-fire and the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict threatens to escalate into a ground war, Southern Baptist workers in the Middle East are appealing for continuing prayer.

“Please lift up the precious people who are not boarding ships out this week,” said one worker in the region. “Pray for those whose lives have been turned upside down so much that it seems the norm. They have no peace.

“(But) expect to hear in the coming weeks how God is going to be doing great works among the people here. Just from this past week, we have seen Him working in the midst of this turmoil, bringing people together and His Word being shared with many who are in such need of His peace and hope.”

Storylist for week of 7/10/06

• Forney group trapped in Lebanon

• Watch a slideshow from the African American Fellowship Conference in Lubbock
(Photos by David Clanton. Quicktime Player required)

• Ethicists weigh in on court’s decision to protect Guantanamo detainees

• Bo Pilgrim provides record gift to DBU

• New York’s highest court punts gay-marriage dispute to legislators

• Summer Camp High: Follow-up important

• Summer Camp High: Follow-up important

• Preparation eases jitters for first-time church campers

• Single ministers face multiple hurdles

• Longview church in home of its own

• DBU students serve Peruvian orphans through Buckner

• Handle theology with care, chaplain says

• ‘Passionate people change the world,’ pastor believes

• Baylor Choir sings in Australia

• On the Move

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits

• Charges dismissed against Missouri institutions

• Baptist Briefs

• DBU students serve Peruvian orphans through Buckner

• Lawyers see future in stem-cell research

• New York’s highest court punts gay-marriage dispute to legislators

• Gibson’s Passion sparked new relationship between faith & film

• Superheroes draw on universal themes

• Books reviewed in this issue: Books reviewed in this issue: Hell’s Broke Loose in Georgia. Survival in a Civil War Regiment by Scott Walker, 102 Fascinating Bible Topics for Group Discussion by Preston Taylor and Leaves of Hope by Catherine Palmer.

• Around the State

• On the Move

• Cartoon

• Classified Ads

• Texas Baptist Forum

• EDITORIAL: What difference does it really make?

• DOWN HOME: It’s summertime; put on your parka

• TOGETHER: BGCT: Working separately & together

• RIGHT OR WRONG? Ordaining divorced deacons

• 2nd Opinion: Of Jonathan Edwards & McDonald’s

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Cybercolumn by Berry Simpson: Workover

• Cybercolumn by Brett Younger: The whole story

• BaptistWay Bible Series for July 9: Investigate your heart’s desire

• Family Bible Series for July 9: God can be trusted to help in times of struggle

• Explore the Bible Series for July 9: Elihu seeks to set things straight concerning Job

• BaptistWay Bible Series for July 16: Invest yourself in the spiritual life of another

• Family Bible Series for July 16: God guides believers with strength

• Explore the Bible Series for July 16: Beware of speaking rashly for God

Previously Posted
• Survey finds 60 Baptist women ordained for ministry in 2005

• WMU may move annual meeting

• Houston Baptist University names interim president

• Layman’s passion for Brazil fuels missions partnership

• African-American cowboy church defies stereotypes

• View a video clip on the African-American cowboy church

• BGCT treasurer: No ‘financial crisis’

• VP Vernon to be nominated for BGCT president

• Hispanic convention elects new officers

• Partners sign church-starting agreement

• President challenges Hispanic Baptists

• Nathan Porter says NAMB denying wife hospice care

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly Coverage
• Baptist colleges face crisis, Godsey says

• Yee urges Fellowship to become fully intercultural

• Convocation urges immigration reform

• Quiet CBF general assembly focuses on the future

• AIDS summit challenges Baptists to ‘break the silence’

• Religious freedom threatened in U.S.

• CBF, emergent church good fit, Myers says

• Hudson: Step out of bubble and hear God

• CBF broke tradition in commissioning service

• Lotz: Be more like the early church

• ABP urged to pursue ‘information integrity’

• CBF names Rob Nash global missions coordinator

• See complete list of articles from our 6/26/ 2006 issue here.

Posted: 7/21/06

If they can quit fighting, anyone can

By Trennis Henderson

Kentucky Western Recorder

MEXICO CITY—Acknowled-ging Christians “will always have conflict,” Paul Msiza of South Africa advocated for conflict resolution during the Baptist World Alliance annual gathering in Mexico City.

Msiza, general secretary of the Baptist Convention of South Africa, recounted how his convention broke away from the Baptist Union of South Africa almost two decades ago.

Amid escalating tensions between the two Baptist organizations, “there was not sheep stealing but congregation stealing,” Msiza noted. “We ended up as Baptists hating each other’s guts.”

Repeated efforts to reconcile failed as Baptist leaders “kept on blaming one another,” he recalled.

But during a dialogue session in 2000, participants wrote down all the hurts they had experienced and affixed them to a wall.

“The wall was full of all these bad things Christians were doing to one another,” Msiza reported. The leaders then agreed to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together the next day, but “they began to realize they couldn’t have communion without confession.”

“It was kind of like a breakthrough,” he said. “We put this under the blood of Jesus. We started to be able to talk to one another.”

Lessons learned during the conflict resolution-process include:

• Leaders are a key to resolving conflict.

• Leaders must realize the need to resolve conflict.

• Leaders must be willing to extend a hand of reconciliation to one another.

• Leaders must be prepared to pay the price for reconciliation. “The big price you pay is to swallow your pride,” he pointed out.

• The church has the spiritual means available to bring about reconciliation.

• Avoid the temptation to celebrate reconciliation too early.

During reconciliation efforts in South Africa, “we could have made more progress,” Msiza said. “We embrace, but sometimes we don’t go to the root of what makes us fight.”

Anne Wilkinson-Hayes, a regional minister for the Baptist Union of Victoria in Australia, also spoke on conflict resolution.

Noting church conflict often begins with minor differences, she said one key to reducing conflict is to “help our churches strengthen their conflict-resolution skills in peacetime.”

Some of the primary causes of church conflict include individuals not feeling listened to, people harboring hidden agendas, poor skills in handling differences, gossip and unclear or unrealistic expectations of roles, she said.

“In any growing church, there will be change and disagreements,” Wilkinson-Hayes said. “The whole congregation needs to be listening to God together to discern his will.”

Urging Christians to seek to resolve differences based on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:15-18, she added, “Try and go directly to the person concerned.” Encouraging churches to adopt a covenant for church health, she said local congregations should strive to become “communities of Christians who are resolved to act differently—to act Christianly.”

Posted: 7/21/06

BWA shows Baptists’ ‘essential unity’

By Trennis Henderson

Kentucky Western Recorder

MEXICO CITY (ABP)—The Baptist World Alliance ushered in its second century by unveiling plans to expand participation in the international organization.

For starters, BWA’s annual General Council meeting was renamed the BWA annual gathering, signaling a desire to expand participation beyond BWA’s leadership circle.

About 420 people from 50 countries attended the early July gathering in Mexico City. By contrast, the group’s Baptist World Congress, held once every five years, attracts thousands of participants from around the globe.

BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz said the annual meeting is an opportunity “to show the essential unity of Baptists in Jesus Christ—that’s what Baptist World Alliance is all about.”

That unity was tested two years ago, when the Southern Baptist Convention, the BWA’s largest member body, withdrew. SBC leaders cited concerns about a drift toward theological liberalism—charges BWA leaders insisted were unfounded.

Since that time, BWA has continued to attract new member bodies, including the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist General Association of Virginia, which were voted into membership last year, and the Baptist General Convention of Missouri, which was voted in this month.

Mexico City participants also approved membership for the Ethiopian Addis Kidan Baptist Church, a convention of 63 congregations, and the India Baptist Convention, which includes 65 congregations.

BWA now has 214 member bodies from about 120 nations.

Format changes at the annual gathering included reducing the number of business sessions from four to one and adding a dozen forums on such topics as AIDS, pastoral leadership and understanding youth culture.

Wanda Lee, executive director of Woman’s Missionary Union in the United States, is co-chairing an implementation task force seeking to flesh out BWA’s ministry strategy for the 21st century.

“There’s a new generation coming along in BWA,” she explained. “We want to help a younger generation learn what the BWA is all about. As Christians, we share a common desire to make a difference in the world.”

BWA will seek to focus on several major “clusters of commitment,” including worship and fellowship, missions and evangelism, human rights and religious freedom, and theological reflection and education.

During the business session, participants adopted resolutions addressing concerns about violence against women and children, the international HIV/AIDS crisis and human-rights abuses in Myanmar and Sudan.

BWA President David Coffey, who retires this month as general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, cited “big questions” and “big mysteries” faced by Baptists around the world.

Urging Baptists to have “big ears” in order to hear God’s “big answers,” Coffey added, “Dare to believe God has more light and truth to bring forth from his word. … There are so many big answers in Scripture.”

Coffey also challenged Baptists to “listen to the voice of God through the voices of each other,” noting, “We’re going to be pulled forward by the vision God gives us.”

Ministry reports addressed such issues as a BWA team’s recent visit to Vietnam to promote human rights and BWA’s first “Living Water” leadership and evangelism conference held last fall in St. Petersburg, Russia. Future conferences are planned for Kenya later this year and Thailand in 2007.

Victor Rembeth, former general secretary of the Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches, reported about Baptists’ widespread ministry efforts in the aftermath of the region’s devastating tsunami and other recent natural disasters.

Ongoing relief efforts mean “we can really show our love to the people, the majority of whom are Muslim,” Rembeth said. “Please pray for the churches in Indonesia that we will be able to love our enemies,” he added.

Sally Smith, partnerships adviser for the United Nations’ AIDS initiative, told meeting participants, “The death toll of AIDS is equal to a tsunami every six weeks.”

Urging Baptists to “provide a loving and warm welcome for people living with HIV,” Smith added: “Make every church a safe place. … A resolution isn’t enough. We need to have an action plan.”

Lotz has announced plans to retire next year as BWA general secretary. “At a time of great unity and great hopefulness, this is the right time to turn over leadership—hopefully next year—to a younger leader,” he said.

John Sundquist, chairman of BWA’s personnel committee, said nominations for Lotz’s successor will be received through Oct. 31. The search committee’s goal is to recommend a new BWA leader for consideration during next year’s annual gathering in Ghana, he said.

Posted: 7/21/06

Bell decides not to seek 2nd BGCT term

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

LUBBOCK—Michael Bell will not seek a second term as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The convention’s first African-American president told participants in the African American Fellowship of Texas annual meeting he would follow the example of Ken Hall and Albert Reyes in holding the presidency for only one year.

Traditionally, BGCT presidents have served two one-year terms. But beginning in 2004, Hall and Reyes chose to serve only one year. Both times, the incumbent first vice president—Reyes, then Bell—was elected president.

Stopping just shy of endorsing current First Vice President Steve Vernon for the convention presidency, Bell told the crowd it is “prudent” to follow the precedent for presidents to hold office only one year before stepping aside for the first vice president to become president.

This pattern enables the first vice president to serve as an “apprentice” for a year, learning the BGCT system, before becoming convention president, he said.

Bell’s tenure has been marked by a continued increase in ethnic-minority inclusion in the BGCT, an emphasis on the importance of support for the convention’s Cooperative Program unified budget, and cooperation between affinity groups affiliated with the convention, he said.

But more than his points of emphasis, Bell noted, he hopes he is remembered as a president who clung tightly to who he is and followed God’s guidance.

“I hope when they look back, they say that he did not compromise his calling, that he served the convention well,” said Bell, pastor of Greater St. Stephen First Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade praised Bell’s commitment to serving the convention.

Bell has been invaluable in communicating the ministry of Texas Baptists, Wade said.

“Michael Bell has served Texas Baptists with enormous energy and a dedication to what we are and what we can become,” he explained. “He has reached out to include in meaningful ways all of our ethnic congregations and leadership. He has urged support of the Cooperative Program and the Mary Hill Davis Offering (which supports BGCT missions efforts). He has a keen insight into the impact that Texas Baptists can have on our Texas culture.”

Bell has traveled continuously to tell Texas Baptists how the BGCT staff’s new structure will help accomplish the mission God has given them, Wade added. He has preached in many churches and shared in conferences for African-Americans, Hispanics, Vietnamese and Chinese. He also attended the annual meeting of bivocational and smaller-church ministers.

More ethnic minorities also were incorporated into the BGCT staff during Bell’s tenure. The number of Hispanic employees has increased, and African-American additions to the staff have been made recently.

He also initiated quarterly discussions between leaders of Texas Baptist affinity fellowships. Ministers come together to discuss issues they are facing and how they can help each other.

“This is a convention that reflects the face of Texas,” Bell said. “There is room under the BGCT tent for all people.”

Next month, Bell is set to kick off monthly meetings for Texas Baptist pastors to gather regionally to support and pray for each other.

“The spillover from that is going to be phenomenal,” he predicted. “We have to start talking to each other.”

Bell asked Reyes to expand what Reyes started with the President’s Council, pastors who commit to talking with other pastors about the importance of giving through the BGCT Cooperative Program, which funds Texas Baptist ministries in the state and around the world. Enlarging the group enabled more ethnic leaders to participate in the effort.

The convention has improved in all the areas he sought to help, Bell said, noting more work remains to be done. He would like to see staff members participate in mandatory diversity training. He would like convention leaders to continue focusing on making the convention what God has called it to be.

“We have a convention that is pregnant with promise,” he said. “I am so committed to helping our convention birth that promise.”

Posted: 7/21/06

African-American leader
Evans elevates focus on church

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

LUBBOCK—Michael Evans, the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ African-American ministries director, is resigning to focus on pastoring his Mansfield congregation and spend time with his sons.

Evans made the announcement after receiving the inaugural Dr. Michael Bell Living Legend Award at the start of the African American Fellowship of Texas in Lubbock. He will leave his post Oct. 1.

Michael Evans

His congregation, Bethlehem Baptist Church, has quadrupled in size in five years and serves more than 1,000 people. The congregation now needs more of Evans’ time, he said. He also wants to spend more time with his sons.

In a letter to convention leaders, Evans said his experience at the BGCT has been wonderful for him personally and professionally. Through his service, he learned many of the skills that helped Bethlehem Baptist Church grow, he noted.

“The level of exposure that I have received has allowed me to serve as the conduit for missions and evangelism throughout our state, nation and entire world,” Evans wrote. “Literally thousands of people have been affected in a positive way with the opportunity to experience God’s true meaning of missions and evangelism; the hand of our God and the BGCT are responsible.”

Although he no longer will be part of the BGCT staff, Evans said he will be involved in the convention and the African American Fellowship.

“There should be no doubt that I will forever sing the praises of our beloved convention and her mission to encourage, facilitate and connect churches in their mission of reconciling the world back to our God,” he said.

Evans’ tenure with the BGCT has been characterized by continuous growth in the number of BGCT-affiliated African-American churches and an increased prominence of the African American Fellowship. Last November, Michael Bell was the first African-American elected BGCT president.

Evans thanked the African-American pastors for teaching him and allowing him to serve them. He credited them with the growth of African-American churches throughout the state.

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade praised Evans’ work with the convention and looks forward to future ministry with him.

“Michael Evans is a remarkable pastor, preacher and denominational leader,” he said. “I am grateful that he could work with us these five years. He has been all that I believed he would be. He has filled this role with extraordinary ability and good sense. He has the respect of everybody he meets. I am grateful he served with us and will continue to be a leader in the life of the BGCT as a great pastor.”

BGCT Chief Operating Officer Ron Gunter believes Evans has a bright future in ministry.

“Michael has been a complete joy to work with,” Gunter said. “He has done a tremendous job of giving leadership to the office of African-American ministries. He has led our work to a level it has never been before. His great wisdom at a young age, his good judgment, his diplomacy skills are all to be commended. We will miss Michael as part of our staff, but we are excited that he will be one of the leading pastors in our state and that we will continue to work together to expand the kingdom for all peoples in the state of Texas.”

Posted: 7/21/06

Elena	Rita	Dima	Kristina

Russian siblings to be separated
if families don’t adopt

By Russ Dilday

Buckner News Service

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—Two sets of Russian siblings will be separated—perhaps forever—if they are not adopted soon, reported Debbie Wynne, director of Buckner International Adoption.

In order to speed their adoption, donors have enabled Buckner to waive several key costs normally paid by adoptive parents.

Kostya, 13, and his sister, Ella, 9, as well as Dima, 12, and his sister, Kristina, 11, need to be adopted immediately.

“As children age out of care from younger children’s orphanages, they are placed in orphanages more appropriate for teens,” Wynne explained. “Kostya and Dima are both approaching that age, and their orphanage director has said she will soon be forced to separate them from their sisters because of their ages.

“It’s a heartbreaking situation,” said Phil Brinkmeyer, Buckner International Adoption’s Russia program coordinator.

Both pairs of children have traveled to the United States through Buckner’s Angels from Abroad program.

Ella and Kostya

Angels from Abroad allows Russian children to visit U.S. families “while raising awareness about the large number of older children living in Russian orphanages and Buckner programs to improve their lives,” said Lyndee Kiesling, BIA special events coordinator.

According to their orphanage director, Kostya and Ella would do well “in a family with older children in the home or as only children in the home.” Both children are musically talented and perform in their orphanage’s special presentations.

Their Angels host family called them “a blessing to the family that adopts them.”

Dima and Kristina “are loving and kind toward each other and those around them,” their Angels host family reported. “They are great candidates for adoption.”

Their orphanage director hopes the pair will be matched with parents who do not have other children.

Because of the urgent situation, Buckner has solicited donations to help defray the costs of international adoption, Wynne said.

“For both pairs, Buckner has waived some key fees,” she said. “With the additional support of concerned donors, we were able to offer $6,500 in savings for these adoptions.”

Placement of older children and sibling groups often is difficult “because of perceptions that older children might provide more challenging parenting situations, but the truth is these are children who hurt and hunger for a home as much as their younger counterparts,” Brinkmeyer said.

He pointed to the urgent-need sibling pairs as an example, as well as siblings Elena, 12, and Rita, 7, also Angels from Abroad participants who are waiting for adoption.

“These sweet girls are talented artists who love to perform, and their host family reported that they’re laid-back, easy-going and very quick learners,” he said. “They would do well in a family who has an older sister to serve as a mentor.”

“But again, their orphanage director is concerned about having to move Elena to an orphanage for older children soon and having to separate them because they have not been in the orphanage very long and are very close to each other.”

For more information, call Buckner Orphan Care International’s toll-free number, (866) 236-7823, or e-mail Brinkmeyer at pbrinkmeyer@buckner.org.

Posted: 7/21/06

My Father's House offers
a safe home for a fresh start

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

LUBBOCK—Monica Limon had no job and faced a no-win choice—live on the streets or depend on her abusive boyfriend.

Child Protective Services temporarily took custody of her two daughters, and agency officials told her if she didn’t press charges against her boyfriend, she would lose the girls permanently.

“I was at the end of my rope,” she said.

When she went to the authorities, an official with the Terry County Crime Victims Unit saw her potential and referred her to My Father’s House, Lubbock.

Monica Limon and her two daughters, ages 20 months and 4 years old, have found a home—and a new lease on life—at My Father’s House, Lubbock.

“When Monica arrived, she gave me permission to be as tough as it takes to get her where God wanted her to go,” Director Shirley Madden recalled.

One year later, she has completed Christian Women’s Job Corps training at My Father’s House, regularly attends church and is enrolled at South Plains College. For now, she and her daughters have found a home at My Father’s House.

“My 4-year-old says: ‘Mommy, I like it here. God lives here,’” she said.

The Living and Learning Center of My Father’s House—built primarily by Texas Baptist Men volunteers—offers safe, clean, apartment-style housing for women in need while they attend Christian Women’s Job Corps, vocational training and college.

Christian Women’s Job Corps is a ministry of Woman’s Missionary Union that teaches job skills and life skills in a Christian context to unemployed or underemployed women. Texas Baptists help support Christian Women’s Job Corps through their gifts to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

Tanji Lamar entered My Father’s House “kicking and screaming,” she recalled. “I didn’t want to be here. … It was the only door I could go through. My husband had just left. I had no way to pay my bills.”

At her initial entry interview, her self-esteem was so low she couldn’t bear to make eye contact with the person who was asking her questions. By the time she completed Christian Women’s Job Corps, she spoke publicly at the graduation ceremony.

Houseparents Russ and Sharion Stephens talk with Director Shirley Madden about their shared dream of seeing at-risk young women from Girlstown USA enter a transitional program at My Father’s House, Lubbock.

“It blew my family away,” she said. “This place has radically changed my life.”

Since My Father’s House opened its Living and Learning Center—the first Christian Women’s Job Corps program with a residential component—Mad-den has seen many young women in desperate circumstances find new life there. “This is a second-chance place,” she said.

But while My Father’s House remains committed to helping troubled women find a fresh start, Madden hopes the ministry can expand to include intervention with at-risk young women before they make life-changing bad choices.

She believes Russ and Sharion Stephens, houseparents at the Living and Learning Center, can be the bridge to help My Father’s House connect with at-risk adolescent girls.

Before the couple came to My Father’s House, they served as houseparents at Girlstown USA, a division of Cal Farley’s Boy’s Ranch ministry near Whiteface, west of Lubbock.

“When the girls come out of that structured environment, they are looking for freedom,” Mrs. Stephens said.

Madden believes My Father’s House can provide a bridge between the highly structured life they have known at Girlstown and a society where they face challenges for which they may be unprepared—including sexual predators.

“The adult entertainment business is just waiting for those girls when they get out,” she said. “They promise the girls they can make $200 a night. They end up spending the money on drugs. Before long, they’re addicted or pregnant, and they are discarded.”

The Stephenses already have made efforts to strengthen ties between Girlstown and My Father’s House by initiating conversations between leaders of the two ministries and inviting young women from Girlstown to visit the Lubbock facility.

A donor gave My Father’s House 7.8 acres—valued at $413,000—adjacent to the Living and Learning Center. Now Madden hopes to raise the $6 million needed to develop a transitional housing facility for adolescent girls on that site.

“Through Girlstown, we have an opening to reach these girls before they are out there caught up in a vicious cycle,” Madden said.

“We’ve said we want to change the next generation one mother at a time. This is an opportunity to change them before they become mothers.”

For more information, visit www.myfathershouselubbock.org.