Posted: 4/15/05

Ministry students gain extra tuition assistance

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–Ministry students at Baptist General Convention of Texas universities and seminaries will get more tuition help next year, thanks to action by the BGCT Christian Education Coordinating Board.

The board approved a 50 percent increase in assistance for college juniors and seniors pursuing a ministry degree, and 20 percent to 25 percent increases for “endorsed graduate programs.”

These increases will affect more than 2,000 students in nine undergraduate, five graduate and two seminary programs for an estimated additional cost of $550,000, according to the proposal, which came to the coordinating board from the Executive Board's Theological Education Committee.

While the increased assistance would take affect in the 2005-06 school year, it will not impact the BGCT budget until 2007, when the state convention reimburses the schools.

The total ministerial financial assistance budget for 2005 is $2.9 million.

The proposal includes a request to the BGCT Administrative Committee that increased funds be allocated to cover the additional cost, said Keith Bruce, coordinator of institutional ministries. If more funds are not approved, the change will impact other areas of convention funding for its educational institutions.

It has been at least 10 years since undergraduate aid has been increased and six years since the graduate aid level was set, he noted.

Currently, undergraduate ministry students receive $50 per semester hour of credit. Under the proposal, freshmen and sophomores still would receive $50, but juniors and seniors who major or minor in religion would get $75 per hour. These students also must participate in a Ministry Guidance Program on each campus.

Graduate assistance is broken into two categories. Students in one-year or two-year programs in ministry and theology would receive $100 per hour under the proposal instead of the $75 they now are receiving. Students in master of divinity and doctor of ministry programs would receive $150 per hour instead of $125 per hour.

Rising tuition costs provide part of the rationale, but a state government program also has an impact on undergraduate students. The state of Texas provides Tuition Equalization Grants to students at private schools who are not ministerial students. Ministry students do not get that help.

The average state grant per non-ministry student is $2,300, said Royce Rose, director of theological education for the BGCT. If the BGCT adopts the proposed increases, the average ministerial assistance will be about $2,150. This means the gap is smaller between help received by ministry and non-ministry students.

If ministry assistance falls too far behind Tuition Equalization Grant help, then some students may be pulled away from declaring as ministry students and receiving the benefit of participation in the Ministry Guidance Program because of higher costs, Bruce said.

At the graduate level, the financial aid makes BGCT schools more competitive with other graduate programs, Rose said.

Later in the meeting, the board approved a motion from Doug Riggs of Bedford calling for the BGCT to evaluate funding for ministerial financial assistance at least every-other year to offset rising tuition costs.

Riggs' motion dealt with the possibility that the Christian Education Coordinating Board may no longer exist after the Nov. 14-15 annual meeting of the BGCT. If messengers to that meeting give final approval to a new constitution, then the work of the coordinating board will be moved to an Executive Board committee.

Posted: 4/15/05

Armageddon now?

By Cecile Holmes

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Tim LaHaye believes it is yet to come. Hank Hanegraaff thinks some of it may have already happened during Christianity's first century.

Their ongoing debate over the proper understanding of the fearsome prophecies in the biblical Book of Revelation is fueling interest in the end times at a moment when wars and disasters already have many people terrified.

And while Armageddon may be bad for life itself, it's proven good for the publishing industry.

Hanegraaff's and LaHaye's takes on Revelation couldn't be more different, but that's not hurting sales for either book. LaHaye's blockbuster Left Behind 12-book fiction series has sold 42 million copies. Hanegraaff's newer novel The Last Disciple is the first of a proposed four-part series and is doing well.

It's about much more than selling books, however, scholars say. The high-stakes publishing battle between the two men comes on the heels of the millennial fervor surrounding the year 2000 and feeds a stream of fear rippling just below the surface of public consciousness. The war in Iraq, the South Asia tsunami and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are understood by some people to foreshadow the beginning of the end.

“The new millennium and 9/11 have undoubtedly helped to stoke today's wildly popular speculation about the end times,” said Michael Guillen, a scientist, former ABC-TV science editor and author of Can a Smart Person Believe in God? (Nelson Books). “But–irony of ironies–science, too, has played a crucial role,” providing a threatening array of possibilities from global warming to nuclear warfare.

Like impatient children who can't wait to open gifts, Guillen said, adults similarly can't wait to know the future.

“In this respect, Christians are only human. They're just as eager as the average pagan to know what's going to become of us and our oh-so-troubled world,” he said.

A 2003 Pew poll showed 44 percent of Americans believe Israel is literally the promised land given by God to the Jews, and 36 percent believe the modern state of Israel is a “fulfillment of the biblical prophecy about the second coming of Jesus,” he notes.

When it comes to the Bible, whether people interpret it literally or figuratively often depends on the specific prophecy, he said. Either way, prophecy sells in the world of Christian publishing.

Tyndale House released both books. Ron Beers, the company's senior vice president and publisher, stressed that Tyndale encourages “spirited debate” over the opposing viewpoints.

Each book “presents a very different interpretation,” Beers said. “Both of these viewpoints are strongly supported by a large number of evangelical scholars.”

In the Left Behind series, by LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the end of the world is yet to come. The books follow a generally apocalyptic interpretation of Revelation beginning with the rapture, in which millions of believers are snatched up to heaven, and continuing through the seven-year tribulation marked by the rule of the Antichrist. Jesus Christ returns at the end of that period and triumphs in the battle of Armageddon.

Hanegraaff's book–co-authored with writer Sigmund Brouwer–unfolds in first-century Jerusalem. The city begins to confront chaos prophesied by Christ as the beginning of the last days. Uncertainty grows as an evil adversary tries to find the disciple John's letter (the book of Revelation) and destroy it and those with a copy.

The book contends Revelation may actually describe how early Christians were persecuted under the brutal Nero in the first century. To Hanegraaff, Revelation was written before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple to encourage persecuted Christians. He says the “end-time model presented in Left Behind is hermeneutically false in that it attributes powers to the beast that belong only to God, but it is historically false because it places the beast in the 21st century.”

To LaHaye, The Last Disciple promotes a “flawed theory,” one which he has criticized in media interviews. A pastor and author, he perhaps was best known for his conservative politics before fiction brought him fame. He believes deeply in his view of the Bible.

“Everyone wants to know about the future, and there's a lot of discussion, but only the Bible gives concrete answers,” LaHaye said. “What people don't realize is that 28 percent of the Bible was prophetic at the time it was written. There are over 1,000 prophecies in the Bible, half of which have already been fulfilled.”

Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of CRI's popular daily radio show “Bible Answer Man,” minces no words describing how his views differ.

“Fiction is a great truth-convening medium,” he says. “As Left Behind has become the vehicle for indoctrinating millions of believers into an end-time theology invented in the 19th century, so we intend The Last Disciple series to bring a biblical balance to the debate over which end-times perspective corresponds to reality.”

Christian prophecy historically emphasized natural disasters and wars as “signs of the times,” or indicators of God's attitude on the road to the millennium, says Michael Barkum, a Syracuse University political science professor who has written extensively about apocalyptic, millennial and end-times fears.

By the late 19th century, the “signs of the times” view weakened as science rendered natural phenomena understandable and sometimes predictable, he says. But the more traditional outlook never totally disappeared.

Millennialists are adaptable and capable of incorporating contemporary events into their religious understanding, Barkum said.

Though LaHaye and Hanegraaff pen fiction, readers understand these particular books to be scripturally based, he says. As a result, such books are seen, in part, as expositions of an inerrant Bible.

Posted: 4/15/05

Around the State

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor performance studies and computer graphics design faculty have produced two original short films with UMHB students and Austin independent film professionals. The films, Once Upon a Fairytail and Map Thieves, will premiere at 2 p.m. April 23 at the Cove Theatre in Copperas Cove.

The John Powell Clayton Collection of religious studies and philosophy books will be dedicated at Hardin-Simmons University April 30 at 2 p.m. Clayton willed nearly 3,000 publications to his alma mater, and the material is a centerpiece of the new Duffy Theological Center in the Richardson Library.

Baylor University alumnus Steven Stucky has won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for music. Stucky, who is a professor of music at Cornell University, is believed to be the first Baylor alumnus awarded a Pulitzer. He won the prize for his Second Concerto for Orchestra, which was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Becky Casey has joined the Hardin-Simmons Univer-sity Academic Advising Center as coordinator for students with disabilities and assistant director of career services.

Howard Payne University has began construction on an eight-unit apartment complex that will accommodate 32 residents. Each unit will be equipped with a full kitchen, washer and dryer. The complex is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in August.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor yearbook staff has been recognized with an award of excellence for design and content of the Bluebonnet.

Patricia and Jerrell Isbell will be recognized for their work as volunteers at Baptist Memorials Center and Sagecrest Alzheimer's Care Center in San Angelo. The Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging will honor them May 23 in Austin at the associaton's annual meeting.

The Tarrant County Bivo-cational/Smaller Church Ministers and Wives Assoc-iation has elected Willard Cook of Park Temple Church in Fort Worth as president. Vice presidents are Kevin Weathers of Grace Bible Fellowship, Charles Levine of Terrace Acres Church and Tom Fatka of Samuels Avenue Church.

Appointments

Jeff and Lori Loomis		Randy and Angela Stoda

Two couples with Texas ties were appointed by the Internation-al Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jeff and Lori Loomis will plant churches in the Pacific Rim. Both are graduates of Houston Baptist University, where he also worked as an admissions counselor. He also was youth minister at Hull Church in Hull and Bellaire Central Church in Bellaire. He was minister of students and family at First Church in Liberty. She was an administrative assistant at Bayshore Church in La Porte. The Loomises have served in the Pacific Rim since 2002 as International Service Corps volunteers. They have one son, Cade, born in January. Randy and Angela Stoda will start churches in central and eastern Europe. Both worked with Mission Arlington in Arlington, he as a pastor and transportation coordinator and she as Spanish coordinator.

Anniversaries

Jeff Waldo, 15th, as associate pastor for discipleship and family ministries at University Church in Houston, March 1.

Roy Martin, 10th, as minister of music/youth at Broadview Church in Lubbock, March 5.

Cecil Harper, 15th, as pastor of First Church in Breckenridge, April 1.

L.V. Harvey, 20th, as pastor of Ebenezer Church in Bay City, April 4.

Gary Wood, 20th, as pastor of music of North Side Church in Weatherford, April 10.

Steve Wilson, fifth, as minister of youth and activities at First Church in Center, April 15.

Cranes Mill Church on Canyon Lake recently celebrated the completed payment of a $180,000 Baptist Church Loan Corporation loan for remodeling and construction of an addition to the church facility. The church repaid the loan in less than half the 15-year term. Participants in the ceremony included Les Hughes, chairman of the “Possible with God” committee that led the early repayment, and Charlene Perdue, widow of the church's former pastor. Jerry Becknal is pastor.

Luis Estrada, fifth, as pastor of Iglesia Estrella de Belen in Corpus Christi, April 16.

Larry Grayson, 10th, as associate pastor/music and worship at First Church in Lewisville, April 16.

Central Church in Pam-pa, 75th, April 16-17. C.W. Parker Jr. is pastor.

First Church in Clifton, 125th, April 17. Jerry Smith is pastor.

First Church in Kopperl, 130th, May 1. Former pastors and staff will be present. Lunch will follow the morning service. For more information, call (254) 889-3579.

Events

Forestburg Church in Forestburg will hold a seminar titled "Understanding Islam" April 22 at 7 p.m. The free two-hour seminar will cover topics such as the importance of understanding Islam, Islam's work in the United States, differences and similarities between Islam and Christian-ity and how to reach Muslims for Christ. The seminar will be led by Samuel Shahid, president and executive director of Good News for the Crescent World in Arlington and professor of missions at Southwest-ern Theological Seminary. For more information, call (940) 964-2470. Stewart Holloway is pastor.

First Church in Devers will hold a gumbo cookoff and gospel singing event April 23. The gumbo judging will be conducted at 5 p.m., with the meal to begin at 5:30. The concert will begin at 6:30. Musicians to perform are the New Psalms Quartet, Won Way, That Other Trio and Sam Craig. For more information, call (936) 549-7653. Harry McDaniel is pastor.

First Church in Paris will dedicate a state historical marker April 24 at 4:30 p.m. The ceremony also will include the placement of a time capsule behind the church cornerstone. Randall Perry is pastor.

Deaths

Charles Thrasher, 74, March 9 in Carrollton. Ordained to the ministry at Melwood Church in Brownwood in 1956, he was pastor of Pleasant Valley Church in Jonesboro, Em-manuel Church in Comanche, Calvary Church in Hamilton, Calvary Church in Seagoville, Kessler Park Church in Dallas, Hillcrest Park Church in Arlington, First Church in Borger, First Church in Levelland and First Church in O'Donnell, where he retired in 1995. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Martha Joe; daughters, Judy Thrasher and Ruth Sifford; son, Charles; sister Lela Troy; and four granddaughters.

Reginald Bridges, 79, March 28 in Lubbock. Bridges was the first chaplain at the Lubbock State School and served there 22 years. He also was a pastor 20 years and was associate director of Lubbock Association. He was a consultant for the Mission Service Corps for West Texas. At the time of his death, he was pastor of Parkway Drive Church in Lubbock. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Verlyne; son, Lowell; daughters, Renee Fikes, Christy Taylor and Cheryl Shaw; brother, Doye; sister, Neldene Matusevich; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Ned King, 85, April 1 in Dallas. An insurance executive, King was a deacon at First church in Dallas for many years and taught the King's Men Sunday school class for more than 50 years. He also served on the Southern Baptist Annuity Board, the Baptist Standard board of directors and the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Edith; son, David; and sister, Carmen Cook.

Ordained

Taylor Sandlin to the ministry at First Church in Marlin.

Chris Wigley to the ministry at First Church in Littlefield.

Steven Gaither to the ministry at First Church in George West.

Troy Carter to the ministry at Rockett Church in Red Oak.

Jason Diggs to the ministry at Elmwood Church in Abilene.

Matt Parker to the ministry at Sagemont Church in Houston.

Jerry McPeek as a deacon at Meadowbrook Church in Rockdale.

Randall Aaron, Roger Bradshaw, Mike Coursey and Wade Stanford as deacons at First Church in Millsap.

Kirby Warnock, George Karlen, Patricia Flournoy, Pat Harding, Linda Wilkerson, Rob Collins, Linda Bell, Ervin Gunter, Jim Barber, Charles Anderson, Dan Roseveare and Kathy Anderson as deacons at Cliff Temple Church in Dallas.

Revivals

Correction: Lamar Church, Wichita Falls; April 10-13; evangelist, Don Cass; pastor, Terry Bowman.

Union Grove Church, Gladewater; April 24-27; evangelists, the Calvary Singers; pastor, Ken Moore.

First Church, Taft; April 24-27; evangelist, Buckner Fanning; music, Tommy Lyons; pastor, David Vernon.

Calvary Church, Cuero; April 24-27; evangelist, Jon Gillis; music, Marcos and Sue Gohlke; pastor, Bill Gleason.

First Church, Poolville; April 28-May 1; evangelist, Mike Martin; pastor, Chris-topher Keefer.

Posted: 4/15/05

'Blue Like Jazz' author emphasizes
relationships, not packaged programs

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

If Christians are going to reach nonbelievers with the gospel, they are going to have to get involved in non-Christians' “messy lives,” author Donald Miller insists. And believers are going to have to let nonbelievers in their lives, which may not be so tidy either.

Miller, a Texas native and author of Blue Like Jazz–a popular book among innovative ministry leaders–and Searching for God Knows What, said the church will not reach many non-Christians with a simple “five-step” method or program.

The gospel, God and life are not that easy to figure out, he maintains.

“Christian spirituality,” a phrase he prefers to Christianity, is more mysterious than that, he said. Theological tenets such as the Trinity–the belief that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are three persons that comprise one God–cannot be understood with formulas. They are mystical and create awe. Not everything can be explained easily.

Jesus did not lay out short processes to solve all of life's troubles, Miller pointed out. Life is too complex to resolve issues so simply. This is one of the reasons people are buying Blue Like Jazz, Miller said. He did not find faith in churches but through the relationships he built outside them.

Each person takes a unique journey to faith where discoveries are made as a result of interaction with God, the world and other people, the writer continued. Epiphanies occur in bursts, sometimes with spiritual droughts between them.

“I think people come to faith relationally,” said Miller, a speaker at a recent Emerging Church Network event. The group is supported by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. “Our job as believers is to be as good a people as we can be.”

The author, a member of Imago Dei Community Church in Portland, Ore., encourages churches to build relationships within their respective communities.

Each culture has characteristics in common with the Christian faith.

If congregation leaders identify those qualities, they can use them as avenues to share their faith.

Social justice, beauty and grace are among the most common characteristics Miller sees Christians and non-Christians sharing.

Taking notice of those topics can create a relationship between churches and neighborhoods.

“I think the church should embrace the culture of the community,” he said.

Relationships do not mean immediate conversions, Miller noted. They mean give-and-take between two people, where each party learns from the other.

This is far different from contemporary Christianity, which he claims has been “hijacked” by self-help books.

“Whoever is buying the book (Blue Like Jazz) does not want to buy a packaged five-step process,” he said, adding the approach he presents is “more like reality.”

Posted: 4/15/05

Book Reviews

The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church by Reggie McNeal (Jossey-Bass)

This former Texas pastor and now director of leadership development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention writes straightforwardly and with great insight about changes the church is facing in these days.

Rarely do you find in one volume such interesting and sometimes-scary assessments about the way our culture is changing and the church's response or lack of it.

McNeil deals with (1) the collapse of the church culture, (2) the shift from church growth to kingdom growth, (3) the new reformation of releasing God's people, (4) the return to spiritual formation, (5) the shift from planning to preparation and (6) the rise of apostolic leadership.

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

This is a valuable book. On virtually every page, there is something to mark and ponder.

Bill Blackburn, president

Partners in Ministry

Kerrville

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris (Modern Library/Random House)

“No man can take part in the torture of a human being without having his own moral nature permanently lowered.” No, the quote didn't come from congressional hearings or military trials regarding abuses at Abu Ghraib. Teddy Roosevelt said it in a 1906 presidential message, and he was talking about the lynching of African-Americans.

Throughout Edmund Morris' insightful biography of Roosevelt, readers can see parallels between the ethical issues dominating the national conversation 100 years ago and recurring themes today. Roosevelt assumed the presidency following an act of terrorism–the assassination of William McKinley. Critics blasted him and supporters praised him for viewing the United States' intervention in international disputes as a moral imperative. Economic justice, environmental protection, race relations, and the use and abuse of power numbered among the moral and ethical causes Roosevelt and his detractors debated.

Morris' captivating look at Roosevelt's two terms as president reminds readers sinful human nature remains the same, whether at the dawn of the 20th century or the 21st.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

Dallas

The Myth of the Perfect Mother by Carla Barnhill (Baker Books)

This is a great book for churches to read, especially male leadership. This book helps us as a community to realize that we put women into a box in regards to how they are to function within the community of faith. We do not take seriously mothers and other women who have great talents to use for the Lord outside of our traditional roles we place on them.

Barnhill gives us a glimpse into the lives of women who offer much in building up the community of faith but are not taken seriously because they are expected to stay home with their children. She shows us that God calls each person to their place in the church and that we should not place restrictions on who can do what.

This book helps me as a man to be more sensitive to the needs of all people who have talents to utilize for the kingdom of God. Women in nontraditional roles can be just as important in the kingdom as those living out traditional roles. Remember, Jesus moved outside the norm in his recognition of women.

Walter Norris

First Baptist Church

Plano

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald (Touchstone/Simon and Schuster)

What does it take to be a great leader? David Herbert Donald's biography of Abraham Lincoln reminds us the price of leadership is absolute self-sacrifice for the greater good. Lincoln is one of the most-celebrated yet most-misunderstood American leaders. His story reminds us of the terrible price that must be paid in the life of a significant leader if the leader is to be successful.

He certainly had setbacks in his career and grief in his personal life, but his problems were compounded by finding himself in the midst of a struggle that would set the course of human history. He was hated in his day; perhaps more than any other president has been hated. He was hated not only by the Confederates of the South, but his political opposition in the North was strong and forceful. Although he had a wonderful wit, he was tormented by depression. He stood on the brink of disaster but was unwavering in his vision for a unified nation.

Lincoln's story is a great reminder that the perceived glory of leadership often comes at great cost. He died thinking himself a failure. Yet history has shown Lincoln's vision set us on the course of liberty for all.

Wesley Shotwell, pastor

Ash Creek Baptist Church

Azle

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard A. Swenson (Navpress)

Ogden Nash once quipped, “Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long.” If that saying triggers your smile and a faint ring of truth, this book might be for you.

It's a revised edition of Swenson's prescription for coping with the downside of progress–painfully stressed and overextended lives. The medical doctor touched a nerve, and his book has been a best seller.

By “margin” Swenson means elbow room between your load and your limits. He pulls out charts to show how the sharp curve of progress gives us “more and more of everything faster and faster.”

The problem comes when we get suckered into thinking we can keep up.

He reminds us that human beings are made with relatively fixed limits. Forgetting that fact hurts our health, relationships, finances and discipleship.

Much biblical, sane, wise and practical advice pours from these pages. Read it twice.

Rick Willis, pastor

First Baptist Church

Lampasas

Posted: 4/15/05

CBF receives $5 million gift. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions received a $5 million gift from a donor who chose to remain anonymous. The majority of the funds will go to field personnel salaries, benefits, equipment and training, with additional designated funds for expanding HIV/AIDS initiatives and Partners in Hope, the CBF rural poverty initiative. The remaining $300,000 will go to the Asian response fund for tsunami relief.

Wellness Walk/Run set for SBC. GuideStone Financial Resources–formerly the Southern Baptist Annuity Board–will sponsor the third annual Living at Your Best Wellness Walk/Run June 21 during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Warm-up will begin at 6:15 a.m. for the one-mile and 5K courses for both runners and walkers. Start times will begin at 6:30 a.m. and will be staggered for runners and walkers. Interested individuals can register online at www.GuideStone.org or by calling (800) 262-0511.

Judge in Schiavo case leaves his church. George Greer, the Florida judge who ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed, resigned his membership from Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Fla., after receiving a letter from the church's pastor, Willy Rice. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Rice wrote that, although he was "not asking (Greer) to do this," that resigning his membership nonetheless "would seem the logical and, I would say, biblical course" given Greer's inactive status in the congregation and his publicly stated disagreements with church decisions. The pastor's letter to Greer came after a profile of the judge appeared in the paper. In it, Greer noted that, although he had been very active in the congregation in the past, tensions over the Schiavo issue and others had caused him to stop attending services and contributing financially to the church in the fall of 2003.

Fellowship development coordinator to retire. Tom Newsom of Waco, development coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, will retire effective July 31. Before coming to the Fellowship four years ago, Newsom worked for Baylor University, Phoenix Baptist Hospital, Grand Canyon University, Arizona Baptist Children's Services and Texas Baptist Children's Home. Newsom and his wife, Jane, are members of Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco. They have two grown children and one grandchild.

Gilbert named to CBF staff. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions has named Karen Gilbert as the associate coordinator for volunteers and partnerships, a Dallas-based position left vacant by Tom Ogburn since Dec. 31. She begins May 1. Gilbert served as minister of missions at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas since May 1996. Her previous experience includes community minister at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and case manager for Family Services Inc. She has been on the Fellowship's national Coordinating Council and the CBF Texas Council since 2003. She also has been on the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board since 2001. Gilbert has a master of religious education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and a bachelor's degree in social work from Longwood College in Farmville, Va. Gilbert and her husband, Timothy, have two daughters, Katie and Mary Beth.

WMU leader pressured to decline Missouri invitation. National Woman's Missionary Union executive director Wanda Lee will honor a commitment to speak at the annual meeting of the moderate Baptist General Convention of Missouri–despite an attempt to convince her to decline. David Clippard, executive director of the conservative Missouri Baptist Convention, sent a letter to Missouri Baptist pastors and WMU leaders complaining about Lee's planned speech. Missouri, Texas and Virginia each have two competing Baptist conventions as a result of the controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention. The national Woman's Missionary Union, which raises money for Southern Baptist missions, attempts to relate to women in churches affiliated with all those conventions.

Posted: 4/15/05

Waco pastor leads church
to embrace ethnic diversity

By George Henson

Staff Writer

WACO–Brookview Baptist Church in Waco is finding the key to its growth lies in reaching out to everyone in the community, regardless of race.

The church called Kevin Avery, a student at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, as pastor last Easter, even though a pastorate wasn't what he had been wanting or expecting.

Avery, 30, and his wife, Dayna, had spent two years in China as missionaries, and he was looking forward to life as a seminary student.

“Most of the students at Truett give the administration a resume to keep on file for churches that inquire about staff, but I didn't do that,” Avery said. “I told God I was taking a break, and when he was ready for me to go back into full-time ministry to let me know. I don't know if that was the best attitude, but that's what I did.”

God came knocking in the form of a neighbor who arrived at his door and asked if he would temporarily fill the pulpit for a congregation of four people.

That was in March 2004. A few weeks later, the church called him as pastor.

He quickly set about making changes.

“They were on the verge of shutting the doors,” he acknowledged. “The financial situation was heading toward bankruptcy, and some drastic things needed to happen.”

The line item Avery cut from the budget was a salary–his own. He also told the church someone inside the congregation needed to start cutting the grass, because they would no longer pay anyone to do that job either.

The church now receives financial and volunteer support from the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Waco Baptist Association and congregations including Emmanuel, Western Heights and Calvary Baptist churches in Waco, First Baptist Church of Woodway and West University Baptist Church in Houston.

As Avery looked at his congregation, he realized how little they reflected the community. He estimates the racially diverse neighborhood surrounding the church is 40 percent Hispanic, 35 percent African-American and 25 percent Anglo.

The church's few members, however, all were Anglos.

Avery was equipped to reach out to that community, however. He speaks Spanish well after growing up in Southern California. His parents were Home Mission Board missionaries who worked with an itinerant chapel-on-wheels ministry to migrant workers.

That experience exposed him to poverty and the strains it can put on families.

Many families in the church's immediate vicinity seem to be moving up economically, Avery said. While the population appears transient, with many families coming and going, he has seen an improvement in the way families are caring for their property.

The church began a movement away from being “a white church” last summer when Avery's friends from Truett came to the church to help with a Vacation Bible School for local children. Sixteen children of varying hues came, and Brookview began to change its appearance, as well.

The number of adults didn't begin to increase until the end of 2004, but Avery now expects it to continue to grow.

“Some of the adults that are coming now have begun to catch the vision of a church that reflects the ethnic diversity of the community,” he said.

That particularly was evident on the church's high attendance day in late February. Thirty-one people came to Brookview–16 Anglos, 12 African-Americans and three Hispanics.

Avery is sure that sort of ethnic diversity is the church's future.

“We are actively pursuing having three co-pastors–one Caucasian, one African-American and one Hispanic. It is our vision to intentionally reflect and empower our diverse community through Christ's message of reconciliation,” he said.

He acknowledges, however, that dream has been elusive. “It is especially hard to find ethnic leadership. Most of the people who have the skills we are looking for already are serving somewhere else,” Avery said.

An African-American pastor is praying about joining the church, he noted.

Friends from Truett have helped as Bible study leaders, worship leaders and outreach leaders and taken on other responsibilities, but Avery sees that as a temporary measure.

“Long term, we know the leadership needs to come from the community. That's something that's easier to say than do, but we're working to train up leaders,” he said.

“Hopefully, we'll kind of work ourselves out of a job. Kind of like when we were ministering overseas. That's the way I look at it–that the people here would rise up to take over the leadership.”

After a slow start, he sees signs the church may be that multicultural congregation he envisions.

“We've been very encouraged the last few months,” Avery said. “Especially the first six months, we were finding it hard to be seen as anything but a white church, but now we're getting past that.”

Posted: 4/15/05

Homes needed for Angels from Abroad

“Angels” are looking to land in two Texas homes, according to Buckner International Adoption.

The adoption service is looking for Christian families to host two remaining sibling sets from Russia for its second installment of Angels from Abroad.

Introduced last year, the program allows adoption-minded couples and singles to host orphaned children ages 7 to 14 during their two-week vacation in Dallas June 4-20.

TOP: Dima, 11, and sister Kristina, 10; BELOW: Kostya, 12, and sister Elonara, 8, are Angels from Abroad who need host families.

The children will live in host family homes during their visit and participate in several events organized by Buckner, including a family picnic, Vacation Bible School, a swim party and other group outings.

Several families have agreed to participate, but hosts still are needed. The application deadline is April 29.

Kostya, 12, is described by caretakers as friendly, talkative and active, with an affinity for games. His sister, Elonara, 8, is easy-going, interactive, respectful and loving. Her interests include music, drawing and crafts. She develops strong attachments to people she knows and trusts.

Dima, 11, is quiet and patient and will do well in a family with similar traits. His sister, Kristina, 10, is happy, talkative, caring and hard-working.

Caretakers say both siblings are on par developmentally.

Hosts for Buckner Angels from Abroad must be Chris-tian and active members of a church. Couples and single women at least 25 years old are eligible. All participants must pass a criminal background check and home study.

Although most Buckner-sponsored activities for the angels will be held in Dallas, out-of-town hosts are welcomed.

“They may set up a temporary residency in the Dallas area for the first week and then have the angel visit their hometown during the second week,” said Mary Ann Hamby, community relations coordinator for Buckner International Adoption.

For more information on Buckner Angels from Abroad, or to apply to host, visit www.bucknerinternationaladoption.org.

Posted: 4/15/05

Buckner needs adoptive parents for brothers

Two young brothers now in foster care need adoptive families, according to workers with Buckner Children and Family Services of Northeast Texas.

“Brandon and Justin have been in care for a long while,” reported Callie Reneau, Buckner foster care supervisor. “They each need an adoptive family soon.”

Brandon, 9, is energetic and, according to his foster mom, loves books.

Brandon	Justin

“He asks a lot of questions and doesn't mind seeking out his own answers,” Reneau said. “He's interested in so many subjects.”

Justin, 10, is a sports enthusiast who loves being outdoors.

“Justin is an exceptional child with unique needs,” Reneau added. “I have seen him be very nurturing at times, and his kind heart is evident on these occasions. The family who adopts Justin will encounter a charming young man with great potential.”

Brandon and Justin currently reside in the same foster home. Each has a childhood marked by early trauma, resulting in placement with Child Protective Services, and each is learning to heal through the love and support of their foster parents, Reneau said.

“The boys are very affectionate. They are generous. They show a great enthusiasm for even the smallest experiences in life,” their foster mother said, recalling a trip to the movie theater–a first for the boys.

Neither Brandon nor Justin wants to miss anything, she added. “They don't want to miss school, even when they are sick. They want to go! That's their ap-proach to life.”

Brandon and Justin will need families willing and able to provide the unconditional love and consistent structure they need to thrive, Reneau said.

The boys are well aware of the importance of permanency, and they have made their wishes plain, she added. “It is a real heartfelt desire for both of the boys to have a forever family. That is probably their main wish in this world.”

Buckner Foster Care and Adoption provides training and support for foster and adoptive families. For more information, or to discuss adopting Brandon or Justin, call Buckner Children and Family Services of Northeast Texas at (903) 757-9383.

Posted: 4/15/05

Posted: 4/15/05

2nd Opinion:
Texas Baptists urged to pray May 5

By Albert Reyes

I recently had the privilege of speaking to the fifth annual Ethnic Worker's Summit, hosted by the Ethnic America Network in Irving. This network is comprised of ministers from more than 60 denominations across the United States. I was asked to speak on the subject of collaboration.

I started my presentation by reviewing three major reasons collaboration is needed at this time in our history. First, our context requires it. Given the multiple shifts taking place in our society, no one individual or organization is capable of seizing all the opportunities for the gospel in their context. Second, our constituencies expect it. The people we work with in our churches are business professionals, health-care professionals, educators, engineers and laborers who already practice collaboration in the workplace. Collaboration is not a new topic or practice for them. Third, our collective worldview predisposes us toward collaboration. Non-Western cultures tend to value cooperation more than competition.

So, why is collaboration absent from many places of ministry? What is required for collaboration to be operational in our midst?

Four major ingredients increase the possibility of collaboration–reconciliation, greater vision, confidence and humility. Reconciliation as opposed to alienation tends to increase the possibility of collaboration. Greater vision rather than a small vision leads us to the realization that we need other people, resources, creativity and energy to accomplish what we sense God leading us to do. Confidence in who God has made us to be and a clear understanding of how he has gifted us helps us learn how much we need other people to get kingdom things done. We need confidence rather than arrogance, a false sense of confidence that leads us to believe we do not need other members of the family. Finally, humility rather than pride teaches us we can get more done together when we don't care who gets the credit.

Texas Baptists have learned throughout history that we can do much more together than we can do alone. We have a long history of collaboration in missions and ministry through the Cooperative Program and the Mary Hill Davis Offering. And now we face greater challenges that will require greater collaboration to advance the cause of Christ in our changing world.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

One way we can collaborate is through prayer. I am inviting Texas Baptists to pray for missions, pray for our work together, pray that our feet will cross cultures with the gospel and pray that the financial support for our work together will increase. I am inviting Texas Baptists to join me at the south steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin May 5 at 11 a.m. to pray for 30 minutes during the National Day of Prayer. We will pray for Texas, for the Texas Baptist family and for our annual meeting that will be held in November.

If you can join me May 5 in Austin, please contact me by May 1 at (800) 721-1396 extension 207 or areyes@bua.edu in order to anticipate your participation. If you cannot come to Austin, would you be willing to gather Texas Baptists in your church or community to pray with us for 30 minutes that day?

Albert Reyes is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio.

Posted: 4/15/05

DOWN HOME:
Apartness is a part of raising children

One of the most difficult, yet fascinating, aspects of parenthood is dealing with the apartness of it all.

That's probably why I loved our daughters' infancy and preschool years so much.

Yes, parenting babies and young children is tedious and time-consuming. It's a 24/7 job. Most of it is manual labor.

But I always exulted in that feeling of being needed. Babies and preschoolers utterly depend upon their parents. Everything from feeding and burping and wiping bottoms to tying shoelaces and brushing hair and taking them everywhere they go. Not to mention reading bedtime stories and tucking them in and getting them up and and cuddling on the couch.

Even as I write this, my mind fills with splendid, vivid images of daddying our little girls. This was a deeply intimate, connected time. Lindsay and Molly weren't much “other” than Joanna and me. We were connected at the hip, sometimes literally.

Now, I know it's easier for a father than a mother to rhapsodize about the glories of those early years. I got up and went to work five days a week and spent nine or 10 hours a day with grownups. A stay-at-home mom like Jo had no such space. But she witnessed all the little occasions of life and learning. When we talked about them over the dinner table, I always felt a bit jealous.

I loved the tight closeness of babies and preschoolers.

Unfortunately, what they don't tell you in the delivery room is that from the time that baby leaves its mommy's tummy, it's all about separation, about moving on, about gaining independence.

This happens so slowly in the early years that you hardly notice. But when children start school, the pace accelerates and the degree of distance escalates.

We've experienced a double dose of this reality in the past week.

Molly's high school commencement invitations and cap and gown arrived. By the time you read this, she'll have less than 25 days of high school classes left. Our baby will walk the stage and keep walking toward college in the fall. For the first time, she'll make a home out from under our roof. Away. Apart.

A couple of days after Molly's stuff arrived, we saw Lindsay's engagement pictures. She and Aaron spent part of a day in a park with a photographer, getting “the” picture that symbolizes their love.

As I studied the pictures, I couldn't help but notice a couple of things.

First was how enormously happy they seemed. I saw that twinkle in Lindsay's eyes and spark in her smile that have thrilled me on all her happiest days.

Second was how they have become a couple. This isn't Lindsay and some boy she met. This is Lindsay and Aaron, young people in love, planning a wedding, dreaming of a lifetime together.

That means, of course, that she's taking more steps away from her mother and me. Not loving us less, but differently. Away. Apart.

I know this is what God intended, and it's why we raised them as we did. But I'm still getting used to it. Just give me time.