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Diverse Baptists pledge to become watchdogs for social justice
Posted: 10/14/05
Diverse Baptists pledge to
become watchdogs for social justiceBATON ROUGE, La. (ABP)–Leaders of four Baptist groups representing almost 5 million Baptists in the United States met with Louisiana elected officials in Baton Rouge to find ways to fight the poverty brought to light by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The Baptist leaders said they will serve as watchdogs for justice and try to prevent further exploitation of the poor as relief efforts turn into recovery in the storm-ravaged Gulf area.
Representatives of four Baptist groups met with elected officials in Baton Rouge, La., to explore ways to combat poverty brought to light by recent hurricanes. (Photo by Associated Baptist Press) “Katrina un-earthed a very ugly secret in our country,” said Roy Medley, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA, with 5,800 churches and a membership of 1.5 million. “How can we work toward an America that is more just and more fair?”
10/14/2005 - By John Rutledge
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Around the State
Posted: 10/14/05
Dallas Baptist University students Leigha Caron and Amanda Solis were part of a group of 450 students who kicked off the semester with acts of service around the area of the university. While Caron and Solis planted flowers at Grace Temple Church in Dallas, other students worked at the North Texas Food Bank, Camp El Har, a recreation center in Garland, Beautiful Feet Ministries, the Dallas Life Foundation and Cliff Temple Church in Dallas. Around the State
Eugene Peterson, theologian and author of The Message, his paraphrase of the Bible in modern language, will present the annual Parchman Endowed Lectures Oct. 18-20 at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary. The lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, call (254) 710-7347. Howard Payne University will hold homecoming festivities Oct. 20-23. Thirty-seven events are planned for the weekend. For more information, visit the school's website at www.hputx.com. Master's Singers, a music and missions group of high school students, will hold auditions in January and February. Each youth who auditions must be certified by their pastor or music director as being a committed Christian who is active in the music ministry in their church. Hardin-Simmons University faculty oversee the group. For more information, call (325) 670-1504 or (325) 670-1415. 10/14/2005 - By John Rutledge
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Book Reviews
Posted: 10/14/05
Book Reviews
a.k.a. "Lost": Discovering Ways to Connect with the People Jesus Misses Most by Jim Henderson (WaterBrook Press)
If you like hard-nosed, in-your-face evangelism that assaults people with the good news, then this book is not for you.
Henderson writes about evangelism that takes conversation and listening seriously under such chapter titles as “Boldness is Overrated,” “Count Conversations, Not Conversions,” “Evangelize with Your Ears,” and “Out of Religion and Into Reality.”
10/14/2005 - By John Rutledge
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Baptist Briefs
Posted: 10/14/05
Baptist Briefs
CBF gifts no longer Cooperative Program in N.C. Leaders of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention have approved a budget that no longer counts gifts to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as Cooperative Program funds. The convention's board of directors voted to approve a budget that changes the definition of gifts through the convention's Plan C giving option that allows churches to fund both the state convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship instead of the Southern Baptist Convention. The convention currently refers to such gifts as Cooperative Program gifts, but many SBC supporters in North Carolina have been rankled by that designation, contending that the moderate CBF is a breakaway group and the state convention has no right to define the meaning of Cooperative Program for itself. Plans A and D send 32 percent of a church's state convention contributions to the SBC, and Plan B sends 10 percent to the denomination. Plan C sends 10 percent to the CBF. In both 2006 and 2007, the amount forwarded to both national bodies is slated to increase by half a percent. An amendment that would have retained the Cooperative Program designation for CBF gifts failed on a 40-35 vote. Then the board approved the budget proposal on a nonrecorded vote.
GuideStone offers online retirement planning. GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention now offers free online retirement planning advice and guidance services to its retirement participants. The Morningstar Retirement Manager SM tool offers personalized retirement strategies and resources to help participants consider their retirement plan investment options. Access the tool through GuideStone's website, www.GuideStone.org, on the online services page.
Allen elected board chair for Baptists Today. Directors of the Baptists Today news magazine chose Jimmy Allen as their chair during their recent meeting in Macon, Ga. Allen, of Big Canoe, Ga., is the former pastor of First Baptist Church of San Antonio. He served as Southern Baptist Convention president and president of the SBC Radio and Television Commission.
10/14/2005 - By John Rutledge
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Buckner Crisis Relief Center meets ongoing family needs
Posted: 10/14/05
Jackie Belt, manager of the Buckner Crisis Relief Center in East Dallas, places a load of groceries in the backseat of one family's car. The Crisis Relief Center serves 75 to 100 people each day. (Photos by Russ Dilday) Buckner Crisis Relief Center
meets ongoing family needsBy Jenny Pope
Buckner Benevolences
DALLAS–Jackie Belt's name is so well known in East Dallas, it's said to be etched into seatbacks of city buses. It's passed around neighborhoods, shared between friends and even inspired one family to name their son in his honor.
10/14/2005 - By John Rutledge
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Eugene Peterson, theologian and author of The Message, his paraphrase of the Bible in modern language, will present the annual Parchman Endowed Lectures Oct. 18-20 at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary. The lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, call (254) 710-7347. 
Howard Payne University will hold homecoming festivities Oct. 20-23. Thirty-seven events are planned for the weekend. For more information, visit the school's website at www.hputx.com. 
