Posted: 3/03/06

Logsdon Seminary receives full ATS accreditation

By David Coffield

Hardin-Simmons University

ABILENE—Logsdon Seminary has been accredited by the primary accrediting agency for theological schools in North America.

The seminary, part of Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology, received full accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools.

“ATS is the premier accrediting agency for graduate professional theological education. This accreditation confirms that Logsdon’s programs and degrees conform to the high standards mandated by the association,” said Tommy Brisco, the seminary’s dean.

Degrees offered at the seminary’s extension campuses at Wayland Baptist University in Lubbock and South Texas School of Christian Studies in Corpus Christi share in that accreditation, as do its distance-learning programs, he noted.

A school must meet curricular, management and academic-freedom requirements to achieve accreditation, and ATS officials conduct extensive on-campus investigations before granting initial accreditation. They also periodically review accredited institutions. ATS includes 252 graduate institutions in the United States and Canada.

“ATS accreditation is the recognized standard in the field of theological education in North America. For example, endorsement for chaplaincy often requires a master of divinity (degree) from a seminary with ATS accreditation, and many denominations require theological education at a school with ATS accreditation in order to receive ordination,” Associate Dean Robert Ellis said.

Hardin-Simmons University, founded in 1891, is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The Logsdon School of Theology came into existence in 1983, and the seminary was established in 2004.

The other BGCT-related seminary, Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, also is accredited by ATS.

Royce Rose, director of the theological education for the BGCT, said accreditation further strengthens Texas Baptists’ educational opportunities.

“Though all of our liberal arts universities have regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, it is critical for a theological school to gain accreditation for graduate programs from the Association of Theological Schools,” Rose said.

“ATS is the most recognized accrediting association of theological schools. This accreditation gives students the assurance that the curriculum, faculty and services of the school have measured up to the critical standards of their peers in theological education.

“ATS is considered the benchmark for accrediting schools offering professional theological education in the theological community, and it provides accreditation to a specific North American standard, enhancing the seminary’s regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.”

Posted: 3/03/06

BGCT names ministry, resource leaders

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas has named two leaders of its ministry, evangelism and missions team and filled two positions on its congregational leadership team.

Phil Miller, former associate director of the BGCT Bible Study/Discipleship Center, will now lead the convention’s ministry staff within the ministry, evangelism and missions team.

Miller’s group will help strengthen Texas Baptist ministry to church members. This will include Bible study, church music, discipleship, preschool ministry, women’s ministry and youth ministry.

Miller served in three full-time church staff positions in Texas Baptist churches before coming to the BGCT. He was minister of music and youth at Trinity Baptist Church in Corsicana; minister of music, education and college at Second Baptist Church in Huntsville; and minister of education and music at First Baptist Church in Denison.

He is a graduate of Texas Eastern University, now called the University of Texas at Tyler, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a master of arts degree in religious education.

Keith Crouch, former director of the BGCT Church Facilities Center, will lead the resources staff within the ministry, evangelism and missions team.

Crouch’s group will help provide materials and services to churches. This includes architectural services, personal and congregational stewardship assistance and soon will include the resources of BaptistWay Press.

“Throughout Keith’s 18 years of service with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, he has proven to be committed to the local church and has a vision for each congregation to succeed in their vision,” said Wayne Shuffield, director of the BGCT ministry, evangelism and missions team.

Crouch earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture and environmental design from the University of Texas at Arlington.

He is a state-licensed and state-registered architect, a registered interior designer, a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Texas Society of Architects. He is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Julie O’Teter started work Feb. 13 as the discovery team leader, and Emily Row will direct the leadership development team, effective March 20.

O’Teter will guide convention staff who help church leaders or potential leaders determine their gifts and God’s calling upon their lives, said Jan Daehnert, interim director of the BGCT congregational leadership team.

O’Teter has worked as a consultant in the BGCT Missions Equipping Center.

Previously, she served on staff at Park Meadows Baptist Church and First Baptist Church, both in Waxahachie. She has an undergraduate degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Row will guide staff work with emerging leaders, deacons, church administrators and intentional interim ministers, and she will work in the area of spiritual formation, Daehnert explained.

“Emily is one of those people who practices spiritual disciplines. We want our leaders to do the same thing,” he said.

Row returns to the BGCT Dallas offices after a stint as program coordinator for Texas Baptists Committed.

Prior to that, she served as a youth consultant for Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University and a master of arts degree from Logsdon Seminary, and she is working on a doctorate in leadership through Dallas Baptist University.

Posted: 3/03/06

Follow Jesus; preach justice, author urges

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO—God calls Christian ministers to follow Jesus’ example and preach social justice, author Tony Campolo said.

“Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God—transformed people living in a transformed social order,” Campolo told a ministerial ethics conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, sponsored by the Christians Ethics Today Founda-tion.

“When you look at the Bible, there’s as much Scripture dealing with justice as there is love. Justice is love translated into social policy. We are called upon to preach justice.”

Before preachers can preach on ethics, they must live ethically, Campolo insisted.

“The integrity of the minister gives legitimacy to the message. You must incarnate the message,” said Campolo, professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa.

Integrity involves everything from sexual purity and personal holiness to a rejection of consumerism, he insisted.

“Jesus calls us to live simply that others may simply live,” he said. “What is a reasonable lifestyle in today’s society for those who would be followers of Jesus Christ?”

Concern for social justice starts with charitable acts such as sponsoring a child in a Third World country.

“The problem comes when you begin questioning structures” of governments and economies, he insisted.

A preacher may be safe in promoting grassroots economic development in the Third World, but the sermon gets risky when it includes criticism of United States trade policies, he noted as an example.

Prophetic preaching represents “a struggle against principalities and powers,” which he defined as potentially demonic social institutions including governments, industries and mass media.

“But if you’re going to speak prophetically, first realize you’re not a prophet,” Campolo said, drawing a distinction between biblical prophets who spoke divine revelation and modern preachers who seek to explain and apply that revelation.

“You don’t have a direct word from the Lord. There’s room for dialogue. Entertain the possibility that you could be wrong. You can’t afford to abuse people from the pulpit.”

Ministers struggle with two conflicting roles—the pastor who seeks to unify the congregation and the prophet who speaks troubling words, Campolo acknowledged.

Guest speakers and “unpaid clergy” enjoy a freedom denied to pastors who depend on the support of their congregations, he noted, but someone needs to take up the prophetic mantle.

“We live in perilous times. We need prophets who will speak to principalities and powers,” he concluded.

Speaking at a student chapel service held in conjunction with the ethics conference, Campolo challenged ministerial students to “make a counter-cultural stand against the pressures of society.”

Prophetic preachers who surrender totally to God’s direction cannot fit in—either to a materialistic society or a denominational career ladder, he insisted.

“Be counter-cultural agents for Jesus Christ,” he urged. “You are not called to be custodians of institutions but agents of change.”

Posted: 3/03/06

Ethical preaching begins with clear calling

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO—Ethical preaching begins with a minister’s clear sense of vocational calling, preaching professor Joel Gregory told a ministerial ethics conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary.

“The call is both vertical and horizontal. It comes from God, but it needs to be validated by other people,” Gregory said.

Reflecting on his own experiences, he recalled leaving a troubled, high-profile pastorate at First Baptist Church in Dallas and working as a door-to-door funeral salesman and later a magazine publisher. He finally returned to a preaching ministry when renowned African-American pastor E.K. Bailey and a few other ministers insisted he not deny his calling.

When asked by a female student what to do when doors close because some churches refuse to consider the possibility that a person might be called to preach, he replied: “Realize not everyone will validate your call. Not everybody validates mine.”

Ethics in the pulpit requires the preacher to recognize he or she totally depends on God—not the other way around, Gregory told the conference, sponsored by the Christian Ethics Today Foundation.

“Understand that preaching is a partnership with God; it is not a solo performance,” he said.

“Preaching is a partnership with God, but it is not an equal partnership.”

Ethical preaching demands respect for the scriptural text, the congregation and the “other voices” that have shaped the congregation’s faith—including former pastors, Gregory said.

“Yours is not the only voice they will hear,” he said. “You are not a solo performer. You are part of an ensemble of voices that resonates in many of the hearers.”

The best sermons “are for specific people in a specific venue,” and that means the preacher must know his congregation, he insisted.

The minister earns the right to speak God’s message to the congregation by day-in and day-out ministry to them, diligent study and thorough preparation, Gregory said.

“Select a text and take it seriously in its context. That means a willingness to do first-person exegetical work,” he said. “It means I must live with the text until I understand what it said so I can, in turn, declare what it says.”

Pulpit plagiarism presents a real temptation when “sermons are just a click away” on the Internet, Gregory acknowledged.

Preachers don’t need to footnote every reference book they use in sermon preparation, but they should give due credit when they quote anyone else or use their sermon illustrations, he added.

Gregory called for authenticity in the pulpit regarding delivery, dress and manner of speech. But that doesn’t mean using the sermon as a group therapy time, he added.

“Put away your anger before you enter into the pulpit,” he advised. “The sermon is not the time and the pulpit is not the place to exorcise your demons of anger.”

Preachers must recognize the fine line between manipulation and persuasion, particularly when it comes to offering a public invitation to make a faith commitment, Gregory said.

“Trust the word and the Spirit in the church to do the work,” he urged. And after the sermon, continue to pray for those who have heard it.

“I was late in learning this, but remember the importance of post-sermon intercession. God gives the increase,” he said.

Posted: 3/03/06

Victims urge BGCT to release list

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—A support group for abuse victims has asked the Baptist General Convention of Texas to publish its list of ministers involved in clergy sexual misconduct.

Miguel Prats, Texas coordinator for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and Other Clergy, said the convention is allowing ministers who have committed child abuse in one congregation to serve in other churches by not publishing its list of clergy members involved in sexual misconduct.

The BGCT keeps a confidential list of individuals who are reported by a church for sexual misconduct, including child molestation and extramarital affairs. Designated individuals from churches can write and find out if specific people are on the list, but they cannot find out why a person was reported.

BGCT staff members have publicized how the list works at numerous conferences and meetings across the state and on the Internet. The overwhelming majority of people on the list are there because of sexual misconduct between two adults, not for inappropriate action with minors, said Jan Daehnert, BGCT congregational leadership team interim director.

Prats cited the plight of one current Austin resident who was molested in 1969 by a youth minister serving in the Dallas area. The minister left the congregation shortly after the incident was discovered and went on to serve at several other Baptist churches.

The BGCT has produced several materials that detail the ills of clergy sexual misconduct, Daehnert said. The convention advises every church to report incidents of child abuse to the local authorities and urges congregations to ask whether someone is in the file before hiring him or her. It is doing as much or more than any other Baptist body to prevent child abuse, he asserted.

“The Baptist General Conven-tion of Texas takes issues of clergy sexual misconduct very seriously,” Daehnert said. “We grieve when any minister takes inappropriate actions, especially toward a minor. It is an abuse of authority and power, but it is also shameful to the body of Christ.

“We are doing all we can to prevent sexual misconduct from occurring in our churches. The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the first state convention to my knowledge that has taken a strong stance to help churches report predators and help victims. We are encouraging churches to report issues of misconduct and urging search committees to check with us before hiring anyone.”

But Prats said his organization wants more. It wants the convention to share openly the list with other Baptist conventions and with the public. Doing otherwise, he said, is “hiding” the problem. “We find the BGCT has an obligation to protect other people.”

Daehnert agreed that protecting children is of highest importance, but unlike other denominational bodies, the convention has no authority over local congregations. It cannot investigate activities or remove pastors because every local congregation is autonomous.

At this point, the most the convention can do is keep the list it will share with churches that inquire, Daehnert said.

“We’re not hiding. We’re glad to help. We’re just sticking to our process,” he said.

Churches provide information about clergy sexual misconduct in confidence, Daehnert said. Removing that confidence would make churches less likely to report abuse because many times congregations try to protect the identity of victims as much as possible.

“We don’t publish the list because the list is given to us in confidence by congregations that have had ministers confess or where substantial evidence has been uncovered,” Daehnert said. “Those congregations have reported something that is very troubling. They share with us in confidence their experience.”

Posted: 3/03/06

Abuse means betrayal, panelists say

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO—Sexual misconduct occurs among ministers at a rate higher than among other trusted professions such as doctors and lawyers, a retired seminary ethics professor said.

At its heart, clergy sexual abuse represents betrayal by a minister who abuses the trust of a vulnerable and wounded person, Joe Trull told a ministerial ethics conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary.

Trull participated in a panel discussion on clergy sexual abuse during the conference, sponsored by the Christian Ethics Today Foundation.

“Clergy sexual exploitation is not primarily about sex. It is an abuse of power expressed in a highly destructive sexual manner,” Trull said.

While pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church have captured much of the media attention, clergy sexual abuse is “not just a Roman Catholic problem,” he said.

Several studies during the last 25 years across denominational lines have demonstrated consistent results—about 10 percent to 12 percent of ministers acknowledged they engaged in sexual intercourse with church members, and roughly one-fourth to one-third admitted to sexually inappropriate behavior, he noted. In more than 90 percent of the cases of sexual abuse in Protestant churches, the misconduct occurs between a male minister and female church member.

Quoting Marie Fortune, a recognized authority on clergy sexual abuse, Trull said abusive ministers usually fall into two categories:

• Predators. Typically, they are manipulative and controlling, but they also can be charismatic and charming. They seek out powerless and vulnerable women—generally—whom they can use. They are sociopaths who will continue to abuse their position if given the opportunity, leaving behind a trail of victims, Trull asserted.

• Wanderers. Generally, they are less successful professionally and personally than predators. Because they feel inadequate, they may give in to temptation and violate a boundary with another needy person. Typically, wanderers feel shame and guilt for their one-time failure. Given time and professional help, they often can “find their way back to wholeness and restoration,” Trull said.

When a minister abuses an individual, the church also feels victimized, and it may react in inappropriate ways, said panelist Philip Wise, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock.

“Churches often do what families do—keep it quiet and try to heal the hurt,” he said. “But often, people who cross a barrier once will cross it again unless there are appropriate consequences that occur and appropriate protections put into place.”

James Carter, retired director of church-minister relations for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, agreed. “What often happens in a church (when abuse occurs) is that they circle the wagons and try to keep it quiet. Often, they pass along the problem to somebody else.”

Ministers can avoid many problems by making it a policy never to be alone with a person of the opposite sex other than a spouse, Carter said. In private counseling sessions, he suggested always making sure someone is in a nearby room.

Wise told the conference he will counsel “anybody, anytime” about spiritual matters, but he refers all other counseling needs to qualified professionals. Knowledge of church members’ intimate secrets can render a minister ineffective in his role as pastor to those members, he noted.

“As a pastor, there are some things I don’t need to know,” he said.

Churches benefit from having gender balance in their ministerial staff when it comes to offering pastoral counsel, said Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco. Depending on the nature of the counseling, some topics are best dealt with by a counselor of the same sex, she noted.

“My policy is that I don’t counsel people more than three times. After that, then I refer them,” she said, pointing out the danger of boundary violations in extended counseling relationships.

Posted: 3/03/06

Imperatives sum up pastoral ethics

WACO—A Lubbock minister summed up pastoral ethics in three simple imperatives: “Follow Christ. Keep your integrity. And be nice.”

Pastoral ethics represents a “widely ignored but badly needed emphasis” in Christian life, Philip Wise, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock, told an ethics in ministry conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary.

Wise suggested pastors establish parameters for ethical behavior by following three principles:

• Follow Christ. Don’t focus on problems or follow unworthy examples, Wise urged. Instead, follow Jesus’ example. “It’s difficult to be unkind and un-Christian when your eyes are on Jesus Christ,” he said.

• Keep integrity intact. Too many pastors surrender to pressures to “avoid controversy, fit in and not rock the boat,” Wise said. Sometimes integrity demands a minister take unpopular stands, he insisted. “When it comes to your personal integrity, no one can take it away from you. You have to give it away.”

• Be nice. Pastors should practice humility, realize they don’t have all the answers and recognize other people’s ideas matter, he said.

“Apply the Golden Rule in relationships with others,” Wise said.

Posted: 3/03/06

Be colleagues, not competitors

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO—Pastors need to realize that other ministers—whether lay or ordained, inside their congregations or in sister churches—are colleagues, not competitors, said Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco.

“Relationships are crucial. But if you feel like a failure in that area of your ministry, please know you’re not alone,” Pennington-Russell told a ministerial ethics conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary.

Many ministers have difficulty sharing their duties, recognizing church members as colleagues in ministry and moving from the role of ministry-doer to ministry-equipper, she noted.

“A whole lot of our identity is wrapped up in the notion of clergy, and it can be threatening to think of church members muscling in on our turf,” she said.

“But when we let God lead us away from being in competition with our lay colleagues, the opportunities become limitless.”

Pastors multiply their effectiveness and contribute to church health when they call out and equip gifted church members for service, she noted.

Pastors who serve on a church staff with other ministers can create a positive climate by making sure members of the ministry team invest time in getting to know each other, Pennington-Russell added.

“Senior pastors need to be careful about the language they use in talking about their colleagues,” she said. “When a pastor talks about ‘my staff,’ it reveals a level of insecurity—the need to put one’s brand on folks. I don’t own them.”

Pastors also benefit from collegial relationships with ministers in other churches—and not just like-minded ones, she noted.

“The Holy Spirit blows and does work in all kinds of congregations and through all kinds of ministers,” she observed. “We should honor our brothers and sisters who serve in other churches. And we should reach out, not just to the ones who are like us and who believe like us.”

Posted: 3/03/06

Faith, family & finances can test pastors’ integrity

WACO—Faith, family and finances are three points where many ministers find their integrity tested, a veteran pastor and denominational leader told a ministerial ethics conference.

Authentic spirituality, stability at home and a nonmaterialistic lifestyle demonstrate wholeness—“a person who has it all together,” said James Carter, former director of church-minister relations for the Louisiana Baptist Convention.

“An effective, ethical minister is a person of integrity,” said Carter, who served 30 years as a pastor. He spoke during a conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, sponsored by the Christian Ethics Today Foundation.

“The minister’s faith must be a growing faith,” Carter said.

Ministers need to read the Bible devotionally and with the goal of being shaped by it, not just routinely seeking sermons and teaching material, he insisted.

“There is danger in handling the holy. The minister can become too familiar with the holy and the sacred,” he warned. “Spiritual disciplines can become perfunctory.”

The minister’s home is the place where integrity and faith are demonstrated in intimate relationships, Carter noted. Quoting a Mormon ad campaign about family values from several years ago, he said, “No other success compensates for failure at home.”

Stress in ministry can create stress in marriage—particularly when the divine calling into ministry comes later in life.

“Many ministers’ spouses did not marry a minister. They’re not the one who received the call,” he said.

In practical terms, the minister can strengthen relationships at home best by giving priority to family time.

“Time together is a key ingredient for a happy home life,” he said, advising ministers to write appointments with spouses and children on the calendar, and then honor the commitment. “Schedule it, and then protect it. It’s more important than a lot of the appointments you keep.”

Money management presents another test of integrity for many ministers, Carter said.

“Church leaders do not appreciate being embarrassed by their minister’s financial irresponsibility,” he said. “Handling finances responsibly is a spiritual discipline.”

Carter warned against the misuse of credit, the burden of debt and the poor Christian witness that conspicuous consumption presents. He also urged every minister to “practice what you preach” concerning tithes and offerings.

“All that a minister is, as well as all that a minister owns, is a trust from God,” he said.

Posted: 3/03/06

Around the State

• Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One-Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus, will be the featured speaker for the Heavin Lecture in Christian Principles and Business Leadership to be held at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor March 20 at 11 a.m. Blanchard will speak on principles found in The Simple Truths of Leadership, his latest book. The event is free and open to the public.

• Houston Baptist University will hold its spring preview weekend for prospective students March 24-25. Students and parents will receive information on admissions, financial aid, housing and scholarships. Students also have the opportunity to sit in on a mock lecture in the area of their choice. There is no cost, but reservations need to be made by calling (281) 649-3211.

Dallas Baptist University recently was host to Joseph Kim, pastor of Wonchon Baptist Church in Suwon, South Korea, along with the Kidz Chorale from Central Christian Academy in Suwon. During a chapel service, the children sang praise and worship songs, performed a pantomine skit, exhibited tae kwon do abilities, and demonstrated a traditional fan dance.

• The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will hold Health Quest 2006 March 24 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Mayborn Campus Center. The health fair is free and open to the public. More than 50 exhibitors from a variety of health and wellness businesses will participate. Health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, visual acuity, lung function and body fat will be available. As a part of the event, a five kilometer family run will be held at 8 a.m. March 25. Late registration for the run will be held from 6:30 a.m. until 7:45 a.m. prior to the race. Register for the race at www.runtex.com. Saturday events will feature free immunizations, a bounce house, healthy snacks, games, prizes and nutrition booths. Member of the Centex Barracudas indoor football team also will be present.

• Troy Mays of Amarillo received the 2006 Founders Medal in appreciation of his support and commitment to Baylor University. Established in 1969, the Founders Medal is reserved for men and women whose service and contributions have been unusually significant to the life and future of the university. Mays is a member of Baylor’s Development Council, Old Main Society and Baylor Bear Foundation and is a lifetime member of the Baylor Alumni Association. He is a member of First Baptist Church in Amarillo.

• Don Guthrie, pastor of First Church in San Antonio, received an honorary doctorate degree from Wayland Baptist University’s San Anto-nio campus Feb. 19. He has been pastor of the church 10 years.

• Andrea Reyes of Dallas is serving as a spring intern with the Baptist Joint Committee. She is a 2004 graduate of Dallas Baptist University and anticipates a master’s degree in business administration from DBU with a concentration in conflict resolution. She is the daughter of Gus and Leticia Reyes. Her father is director of the call center at the Baptist General Convention of Texas and is on the pastoral team of Cockrell Hill Church in Dallas.

• The University of North Texas Baptist Student Ministry is looking for alumni who were involved in its ministry. The BSM would like to keep them informed of programs and activities, especially alumni functions. Contact the BSM at (940) 387-6331 or untbsm alumni@gmail.com. James Quesenberry is interim director.

• The Dallas Baptist University baseball team presented Harold Norris with its DBU Patriots Legends Award. Norris served the school more than a decade as chief financial officer, and while eliminating a $5.8 million debt found enough money to preserve the baseball team. He currently serves as a DBU trustees. He is a member of Prestonwood Church in Plano.

Anniversaries

• Myung Lee, 20th, as pastor of International Church in Abilene, Jan. 29.

• Terry Turpin, 10th, as preschool/children’s coordinator at First Church in Longview, Feb. 26.

• Domingo Duenez, 15th, as pastor of Primera Iglesia in Dalhart, March 5.

• Louis Johnson, 15th, as pastor of North Park Church in Abilene, March 5.

• Jerry Davis, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Collinsville, March 15.

• First Church in Hamlin, 100th, March 24-26. Activities will begin with registration at 6 p.m. Friday and a welcoming fellowship at 7 p.m. Saturday at 9 a.m. there will be coffee and doughnuts as the visiting continues. Various choirs and instrumentalists will practice throughout the day, and a banquet will be held at 6 p.m., followed by a time of testimony. A meal will follow the worship service on Sunday. Donny Harbers is pastor.

• Larry Griffin, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Thorndale.

Retiring

• Gary Fore, as associate pastor of First Church in Wimberley, Jan. 15. He served the church five years and had been in ministry more than 40 years. He served four churches in Illinois as pastor and was minister of music and youth at First Church in Vidor and Memorial Church in Beau-mont.

• Jerry Johnson, as pastor of First Church in Liberty, April 16. He has served the church more than 24 years and has been in ministry 44 years. Previous pastorates include First Church in Rosebud, First Church in Poteet and Connally Heights Church in Waco.

Deaths

• Marjorie Caldwell, 91, Feb. 6 in Houston. A speaker, author, radio personality and counselor, she also was a professional charm and modeling teacher. A longtime Bible study leader for women at First Church in Houston, she taught Sunday school for college students 30 years. A marriage counselor since 1975, she was a counseling staff member at First Church. A guest speaker on James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, she also hosted her own 30-minute radio show eight years. Twice, in 1970 and 1990, Houston Baptist University selected her as Woman of the Year. She also served the school as a trustee. She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Chuck Sr.; son, Chuck Jr.; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

• Harvey Hulse, 80, Feb. 17 in Leakey. A pastor of Texas churches 63 years, he served in Canadian, Lipscomb, Locust Grove, Truscott, Allendale, Miles, Alamo, Harlingen, Leakey and Bandera. He moved to Leakey in retirement and was interim pastor to churches in Leakey, Campwood, Sabinal and Utopia, and supply preacher to many others. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Ruby Jo, three brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his wife, Mildred; daughters, Kitty Ricci, Billie Schneider and Jo Dean Brice; sons, Harvey Jr. and Heath; step-children, Kevin Fortney and Kelly Donaldson; 12 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and six step-grandchildren.

• Aranna Watson, 94, Feb. 24 in Baytown. She came to ÛÇBaytown in 1941 and was employed by First Church in Goose Creek (now Memorial Church in Baytown) as education director and church secretary. She remained there until 1948. From 1948 through 1976, she worked with South Texas Girl Scout Council and the San Jacinto Girl Scout Council as a field director, field adviser and director of field services. Camp Aranna, near Baytown, is named for her. From 1948 through 1955, she was choir director at Wooster Church in Baytown. In 1977, she joined the staff of San Jacinto Association to work with senior and single adults. She served as special ministries consultant until Dec. 31, 1997, when she began working as a Mission Service Corps volunteer until December 2003. She was preceded in death by her sister, Wilma Watson; and brother, Charles Watson. "

Events

• Southwest Chinese Church in Stafford will host Open Win-dows: Looking into Metaphors, a photography exhibit by Nan Dickson. A reception will be held March 19 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit will open March 19 and continue through April 2. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends. The event is free and open to the public. Dickson was a photographer for the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 1979 to 1988, and she worked as public relations director for the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor from 1988 to 1995. She is president of Lord Ministries, providing prayer retreats, personal discipleship, publishing and photography. For more information, call (281) 495-1511. "

• David's Song will perform a Southern gospel concert at First Church in Blanco March 19 at 6 p.m. Rusty Hicks is pastor. "

Revival

• Tolar Church, Tolar; March 5-8; evangelist, Richard Jackson; music, Mickey Daniel; pastor, Armo Bentley.

Posted: 3/03/06

Audio Adrenaline sees music
as avenue to challenge youth

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Baptist Standard

Audio Adrenaline has been a prominent force in Christian rock music nearly 15 years, selling more than 3 million records and racking up 18 No. 1 singles.

Lead vocalist Mark Stuart, bass guitarist Will McGinniss, guitarist/vocalist Tyler Burkum and drummer Ben Cissell formed the band on the campus of Kentucky Christian College, and in spite of their success, they remained focused on using their music as a platform to challenge students to make a global impact for Christ.

Stuart’s parents served as missionaries in Haiti, and Audio Adrenaline works closely with several missions organizations, including the Go Foundation, which helps plug youth directly into a missions organization that matches their strengths.

Audio Adrenaline lead vocalist Mark Stuart traveled 3,000 miles in 11 days on his Victory motorcycle on the “Hands and Feet Across America” benefit ride.

“Growing up in Haiti, I saw my parents go through a lot,” Stuart said. “They worked hard trying to make a difference in a Third World country. In the midst of that, my sister was diagnosed with leukemia. There are stories like that from missionaries and God’s servants all over the world. But I think God’s people are at their strongest when they’re broken, because God can use them to do incredible things when they say, ‘All I can do is rely on God.’”

Last year, Audio Adrenaline established the Hands and Feet Project—an orphanage in Haiti that the group is building from the ground up. The goal of this project is to create a children’s village that would provide a caring a environment for orphaned children with a home, food, education and the love of a Christian family.

The band’s “Hands & Feet Across America” benefit motorcycle ride—in which Stuart traveled 3,000 miles in 11 days on his motorcycle—and the band’s online charity auction raised more than $60,000 for the project. Auction items included the motorcycle Stuart used in the benefit ride, as well as a live Audio Adrenaline performance.

While performing at a variety of youth events, including the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Youth Evangelism Conference, Audio Adrenaline encourages youth to share Christ in their everyday surroundings.

“At our concerts, we want people to experience God and worship him,” Stuart said. “It’s more than having a great time at our shows. We want people to be challenged in their walk with the Lord. The worship movement is so strong now, and we want to challenge kids not to fall in love with feeling good about worship so much that they build a wall around themselves in their youth group. They need to take their worship to their schools and community.

“We encourage youth to get out there in the world and share Christ … even if it’s just at their next-door neighbor’s house or their school. I think we need to encourage youth to be the leaders of today and not wait until tomorrow to make a difference. They need to stand up and say: ‘I think this is the way that God wants us to work. I want to lead this group, and I want to be empowered by God to be a leader in my community and in my school.’ It’s all about putting worship into motion, putting faith into action worldwide.”

Posted: 3/03/06

Mother-daughter duo string together a ministry

By George Henson

Staff Writer

MARLIN—After more than 80 years, many people are ready to retire from ministry, but LaVonne Moore began hers just four months ago. It involves putting bracelets on wrists, smiles on faces and—most importantly to her—Jesus in hearts.

Moore shares a room at the Golden Years Rest Home in Marlin with her daughter, Vicki, and it is there that they have developed their own private assembly line for turning out tools for missionaries far and wide to share the gospel.

The mother and daughter make beaded bracelets that use five colors—each color symbolizing the transforming experience of knowing Christ. They attach a slip of paper to every bracelet that explains the significance of each color bead. Since the bracelets they make now grace the wrists of children in Mexico, the explanation has also been translated into Spanish.

The bracelets have been used by churches in Marlin, Waco and Houston to share the gospel with children, as well as North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

The two women also have been doing their own distribution among the residents, staff and visitors of Golden Years Home.

In a little more than four months, the Moores, members of Trinity Memorial Baptist Church in Marlin, have turned out more than 6,600 bracelets.

This ministry was born out of a craft project conceived by Janice VanCleave, a volunteer at the nursing home and a member of First Baptist Church in Marlin.

“It began with a box of beads that Janice gave me to play with,” LaVonne Moore said. “We started making necklaces for big girls and small girls; I don’t know how many, but it was multitudes.”

The necklaces were given to displaced hurricane victims. In addition, they also began to make small key chains, but when VanCleave presented the idea of making the gospel bracelets, the Moores really got excited.

“The necklaces were pretty, but the bracelets, they are worthwhile,” LaVonne Moore ex-plained. “It was something fun to do, but also something that made a difference.”

And making a difference is important to the Moores.

“When you get my age, you feel like you’re not worth much, but Janice has found a way to make my life meaningful,” she continued.

One of the things the Moores are excited about is the scope of the ministry. VanCleave’s daughter sent 250 of the bracelets to a missionary friend in Mexico to use in his ministry.

“When we gave them to him, you kind of got the idea that he didn’t really know what he was going to do with them. But within a week, he had given them all out with the free lunches he supplies to the children there. And then the children started taking them back to school to give to friends, and soon he was asking for more,” VanCleave explained.

He is not the only one asking for more bracelets. Other missionaries and missions groups have heard about the bracelets, and the demand is outstripping what the Moores can provide.

Also, a church has requested more necklaces for their church store, where underprivileged children can pick up presents for themselves and others.

That is fine with VanCleave, because she visualizes nursing home residents across the state making the bracelets, but she acknowledges that it probably will take the cooperation of Christians outside the nursing homes.

“It provides people a way they can witness for the Lord, but it will probably require some outside assistance,” she noted.

The Moores make their bracelets with no assistance—Vicki strings the beads while her mother ties the knots to keep them in place. VanCleave provides the materials.

Others may need someone to tie the knots, VanCleave acknowledges, but she said the end result is worth any effort.

“I would very much like to encourage others to get involved with nursing home residents. They are a real joy in my life. In fact, when I feel discouraged, I am cheered when I visit my friends at the nursing home,” she said.

LaVonne Moore said VanCleave has made a lasting impression on her life.

“Used to, I wondered why God let me live to be this old. Now I know it was to make these bracelets.

“I used to think there was nothing I could do. You have a lot of time to think here, and you think, ‘I had a lifetime to witness to others and to make someone’s life brighter, and I didn’t do it, and now it’s too late.’

“I kind of felt like an old dirty used-up dishrag, but now I know that’s not true. Now I know God can use me. He can use me to make bracelets, and he can use me to say to someone, ‘Smile, God loves you.’”