Posted: 10/29/04

Big family finds bigger family at South Texas Children's Home

By George Henson

Staff Writer

BEEVILLE–When Meaghen Chandler is asked to share her Christian testimony, she tells people she owes her faith to a place where she never lived–South Texas Children's Home in Beeville.

Its ministry changed her mother's life, and its impact continues to be felt on a third generation.

Chandler's mother, Ann, was the 11th of 14 children born into the Dworaczyk family. The matriarch of the Polish Roman Catholic family died of toxemia during a 15th pregnancy, when the youngest child, Lil, was only about 18 months old.

Their father “was overwhelmed by the whole thing,” said Lil Abshier, whose husband, Clif Abshier, is pastor of First Baptist Church in Bishop. “He spent a lot more time in the fields than he ever did at home.”

The oldest child was a son who had already left home to work in the oil fields. Raising the large family fell on the shoulders of the two oldest sisters.

They decided Lorine, age 17, was close enough to completing school that she should continue her education. That left much of the day-to-day management of the household to 15-year-old Georgia.

While they were doing their best to make a home, it was difficult, and Child Protective Services began to make regular visits to the home.

“It was rocking along, but not very smoothly,” Lil Abshier said.

While Georgia had to shoulder much of the everyday duties of running the household, Lorine was actively trying to find a solution to a situation that was “obviously not working.” Compounding the dilemma was a promise made to their mother on her deathbed that the children would not be split up.

“We had family around that would say, 'I'll take two girls,' or, 'Give me three of the boys' and things like that, but none could take all of them,” Abshier said.

It was the same for children's homes in the area. They would take the children, but only with the idea that they then would seek homes to adopt the children in any combination.

Lorine kept searching until a friend mentioned a new children's home that was just beginning in Beeville, the South Texas Children's Home.

The four youngest Dworaczyk girls moved into the first cottage built on the property in 1952. Lorine and Georgia, at 19 and 17, along with another brother, were too old. The six boys still young enough to come were put up in a hotel room with a chaperone until a cottage could be built to house them.

The 10 Dworaczyk children were among first 14 to be taken in by the children's home.

“When our world was falling apart, God was building another one for us in the brush country,” Abshier said with tears in her eyes, thinking of the blessing that began more than 50 years ago.

But all she relates about life before going to South Texas Children's Home is second- hand.

Her first memory was of the day she received the first new clothes of her lifetime. The 3-year-old was asked to model a dress, but rather than being excited, she stood atop the department store countertop as a frightened little girl.

“I knew I was going somewhere, and it wasn't home and that I probably wasn't ever going to go back home again.

“That was the last time I was ever scared, because that was the day I went to South Texas Children's Home, and it opened up a whole new world to me,” she recalled while wiping away tears.

The children's home was in its own infancy. There was much work to do, in which the children participated. The first day the Dworaczyk boys were there, they were sent up into oak trees to remove moss from them.

“They used to grouse about the work, but now I think they realize that the people there knew we needed something to do to keep busy, especially during the transition,” Abshier said.

Life at the children's home was rich and full, she recalled. “We were given everything a child could want–a loving family life, clothing, meals, beds and a college education.”

While the children were sometimes in different cottages, they never lost their family bond, she added. “We all knew we were family, but we were now part of a bigger family.” Georgia and Lorine also visited from time to time, and even took some of the children home with them for short periods.

Rescuing the children from a life of turmoil and giving stability to their lives was not the children's home's greatest gift to the family, Chandler said. The greatest gift was a spiritual foundation. Her mother made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ at the South Texas Children's Home and later led her husband to follow Christ as well.

“That allowed me to grow up in a Christian home, attend a Christian school at Hardin-Simmons University and marry a pastor. None of that would have happened if she hadn't been given the opportunity to go the South Texas Children's Home,” she said.

Chandler now also has a daughter, Hannah, born Sept. 7, to pass that spiritual heritage on to. Her husband, Ross, is pastor of First Baptist Church in Hondo.

“For generations and generations to come, the children's home will impact our family. Not a day goes by that I don't realize how my relationship with Christ has been impacted by the children's home,” she added.

Her cousin, Lisette Brochon–Lorine's daughter–also is now a Baptist, although her mother has stayed true to her Catholic roots. Bronchon said the reason she is a Baptist is because of the strong influence of the 10 children who attended South Texas Children's Home and their children.

“Everybody who went to the children's home was spiritually fortified in a way that has led to my generation accepting Christ,” she said. “They seem to know that there is something to stand for–and more than any other family I know of.”

“My mother is still very much a Catholic, and I don't think I would be saved to this day if they hadn't been such a large, strongly believing family. I just wouldn't have been exposed to it,” Brochon said.

Abshier said the reason for their strong belief is obvious to her.

“Everybody who went to South Texas Children's Home knew that God had given them a new life, and they needed to give it back to him,” she said. She has given hers back to the children's home itself. She has been employed there the past 25 years, now as campus coordinator of the children's home's Corpus Christi branch.

“The question we all have asked ourselves many times is what would have happened to us if there hadn't been a South Texas Children's Home. What if those people hadn't been faithful to the vision God had given them?

“What we realize now is the question really is, 'What if I'm not faithful?' We all need to be faithful to what we are to do. We need to see the vision continue,” Abshier said.

"Many other children are now in situations where their lives will either grow to be testimonies to God's grace, or their lives will deteriorate to just shambles. We have to carry on the vision."

Posted: 10/29/04

Ministers need to take God–not
themselves–seriously, pastor says

By Marv Knox

Editor

FORT WORTH–“The worst thing in the world is a preacher trying to be funny,” Brett Younger insists. “It's an affront to the seriousness of God.”

Strange advice from a pastor known for making his congregation chuckle almost every week. Not to mention from the author of a new book whose subtitle promises, “A hilarious look at ministerial life.”

But for Younger, preaching is about God and truth and joy and wonder. Humor just happens.

In ministry, humor is only a means to a greater end and the reflection of something far more valuable, says Younger, pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. He's also author of “Who Moved My Pulpit?” a book based on his take on ministry.

“The primary reason ministers need to recognize humor in ministry is it helps them take themselves less seriously and, in the process, enables them to take God more seriously,” he explains.

“Within the church, ministers have a tendency to act as if it's all on us: If we work harder or smarter, we'll make the church bigger, make it more effective, make it grow. But not taking ourselves seriously helps us see the church is not what we can do; it's what God does.”

A “crucial omission” of his seminary experience was any discussion of how to enjoy ministry, Younger remembers.

“If you can't find joy in ministry, not only are you not going to last, but you're not going to be any good at it. For example, if there's no joy in worship, you have to wonder if anybody realizes God is there.”

That's why joy is more important than mere jokes, he notes. “A biblical truth is that one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy–not that we bring joy to church, but that we recognize God's already brought joy to us.”

So, joy crops up in places where people of faith might never expect to find it, Younger stresses.

“It's in hospital rooms, if the minister will just give the patient permission to find it. It's at funerals, when we talk about the joy in the life of the person we're remembering. And it's in worship, if we worship the One who takes great delight in us.”

“Bad humor” masquerades as joy, like when a preacher feels compelled to tell a joke to start every sermon.

“But real joy happens in the way Christ did it,” he stresses. “Christ lived with this amazing joy that's deeper than the greatest sorrow. If we take seriously the depth of God's sorrow at the suffering in the world, then we'll take even more seriously God's joy.

“Laughter and tears aren't very far apart. They come from our own mortality, shortcomings and need for God's grace.”

To illustrate, he points to a significant biblical connection between suffering and joy.

“If you picked the New Testament book most grounded in suffering, it is Philippians,” he notes.

“And if you picked the New Testament book most grounded in joy, it is Philippians. It speaks to a joy beyond suffering.”

That kind of joy ushers fun into the life of the congregation, Younger says.

“We ultimately get to the point where we need Christ to show up,” he concedes. “If we're always missing the fun (of church), then we're missing Christ.”

That's why Younger's primary advice to churches and to young ministers is the same: “Church is to be fun, joyful. That doesn't mean we won't have our sober moments. But it means that beneath it all there's a hope and a joy that you can't get away from.

“Joy is the promise that at the end of it all, no matter what happens, God is waiting to take you into God's arms. To dismiss joy is to dismiss hope.”

Joy figured prominently at the recent funeral of a 48-year-old man. The ministers talked about the way the man made a list of things he wanted to do before he died–how he not only put his affairs in order, but attended his 30th high school reunion, went sailing and dancing, and enjoyed his life.

“We laughed at his funeral,” Younger reports, citing 20th century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: “Humor is a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer.”

“It would have been dishonest to have left out the joy that was central to this man's life,” Younger admonishes.

And that points to another source of humor in ministry–truth.

“Humor makes it possible to be true as ministers,” he claims. “It means people will listen to you and, ironically, take you seriously. … And humor, especially self-deprecating humor, helps break down barriers. If you can laugh at your self, people will know you'll tell them the truth.”

Humor also serves as a buffer–for ministers and church members alike–against "what's most mundane about the church," he acknowledges. Younger cites singer and theologian-of-the-masses Jimmy Buffett: "With all of our running and all of our cunning, if we couldn't laugh, we'd all go insane."

In preaching, humor sometimes crops up while Younger attempts to express the wonder of the story told in Scripture.

“I don't look at a sermon and feel the need to be funny,” he explains. “I just try to be interesting and honest. If I try to be interesting and honest, I will see the humor in the Scripture, or in the human situation, or in myself.”

But natural humor also serves to complement the worshippers' anticipation, he says. “Humor creates a sense of expectancy. Saying only what is expected makes us dull.

“It's like trying to tell a story to a friend: You try to be interesting. Truth should be interesting. … When we carefully look at a (Bible) text, something interesting just might happen.”

Posted: 10/29/04

Abortion rate rises during Bush administration, study reveals

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–A new statistical analysis by an evangelical seminary professor suggests the abortion rate has risen under abortion opponent President Bush, after falling for years under his pro-choice predecessor, Bill Clinton.

Glen Stassen, a trained statistician and ethics professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., wrote an article for the Sojourners magazine website and other media outlets detailing his research.

Stassen used statistics from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life and the Guttmacher Institute, as well as a statistical analysis of state figures.

“When President Bush took office, the nation's abortion rates were at a 24-year low, after a 17.4 percent decline during the 1990s,” he wrote. “This was an average decrease of 1.7 percent per year, mostly during the latter part of the decade.

“Enter George W. Bush in 2001. One would expect the abortion rate to continue its consistent course downward, if not plunge. Instead, the opposite happened.”

Although federal statistics on abortion rates only go up to the year 2000, Stassen extrapolated a national rate by analyzing 16 states that reported annual abortion figures for multiple years from 2001 to 2003. In those 16 states, there was a net gain in abortions between 2000 and 2003.

In the three states with statistics that ran through 2003–Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania–all three showed an increase over the period.

Of the 13 states whose statistics ran through 2002, most showed a net increase in the abortion rate (a 14.6 percent average increase) and some showed a small decline (a 4.3 percent average decrease).

Extrapolating figures to the national level, Stassen said, “52,000 more abortions occurred in the United States in 2002 than would have been expected” had the abortion-rate decrease of the 1990s continued.

Stassen attributed much of the increase to economic hardships.

For instance, according to the Minnesota group's figures, two-thirds of women who abort say they cannot afford a child, and half of all women who choose to abort a pregnancy say they do not have a reliable mate.

Repeated calls to Bush campaign officials for comment on this story were not returned.

Stassen, noting he and his wife have a severely handicapped son whom they intentionally chose not to abort, said: “It's very clear from my own personal experience … raising our pretty severely handicapped child, that the key in not having an abortion is the support that you can anticipate in raising the child. And so, the key to decreasing abortions is getting support for prospective mothers and their babies–health insurance, child care, jobs, a husband to marry.”

In his column, Stassen said voters truly concerned about being “consistently pro-life” should look at more issues in the election than which politician opposes legal abortion.

“Economic policy and abortion are not separate issues; they form one moral imperative,” he wrote. “Rhetoric is hollow, mere tinkling brass, without health care, health insurance, jobs, child care and a living wage.”

In an interview, he reiterated that view, saying: “What I'm interested in is decreasing the number of abortions. I'm not interested in blame. But really, let's not have all of these babies aborted.”

Posted: 10/29/04

Wilbur Newton and his wife, Edith, (left) and Kevin Lyles, (right) wrestled with questions of conscience and faith before going to China to seek an experimental treatment for ALS using tissue from aborted fetuses. Both families are Baptists from Grove Hill, Ala. (Dan Anderson Photos)

ALS treatment creates crisis of faith for two Baptist families

By Karen Tolkkinen

Religion News Service

GROVE HILL, Ala. (RNS)–Wilbur Newton has traveled to a fearsome destination.

The once-healthy hunter, family man, provider, prankster and Baptist layman no longer can move, talk or feed himself. He is like a foreigner trying haltingly to communicate in a strange country.

At his early 56th birthday party, Newton couldn't even blow out his candles or unwrap his gifts or say thank you. He could only smile when his family and friends told stories, and look at them with love and some other strong emotion trembling at his mouth and spilling into his eyes.

Five years ago, his leg dragged unexpectedly as he tried to run across a road. It took months and several doctors to find out why: His motor neurons, cells that transmit signals from his central nervous system to his muscles, were dying. He had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS. Incurable, its cause unknown, it generally kills within two to five years.

At his party, the former welder sat propped up in an easy chair, talking with his eyes. They were so bright and happy, visitors commented on it. The reason seemed obvious. He was about to strike out on a journey full of hope–a 20-hour flight to China to seek a controversial ALS treatment.

Kevin Lyles, 44, knows that unless there is a miracle, he too will live like Newton, his former co-worker.

At 6-foot-1, Lyles looks healthy. He ambles over to greet a visitor with a friendly grin. Until August, he still was working as an electrician for Weyerhaeuser Company at a paper mill.

But Lyles, a father of four, can no longer speak or chew. He had to stop running because his breathing capacity has fallen. Lyles has a particularly lethal form of the disease that first attacked muscles needed to breathe and eat. He scribbles thoughts on a small pad of paper. ALS, he writes, is like being in prison.

In 2001, he was directing the music at church when he noticed he couldn't catch his breath, says his wife, Nikol Lyles. That fall he was diagnosed with ALS.

Lyles writes his responses during an interview with a reporter. The disease has left him unable to speak.

As the couple visited doctor's offices in search of treatment, they encountered those whose bodies were wasted by the disease.

“The first clinic we went to, I was shocked,” Kevin Lyles writes. “I wanted to cry. I was looking at my future, and I didn't like it.”

He and his wife say they now accept that he has the disease. But they haven't accepted that he will die. That's why he, too, decided to journey to China.

This year, Lyles and Newton learned about a new treatment for ALS patients in Beijing, one so abhorrent to Lyles that he kept it from his wife for months. A neurosurgeon, Hongyun Huang, had implanted tissue from aborted fetuses into the brains and spinal cords of paralyzed patients with reports of some success, and he had started to work on ALS patients.

According to Internet chat and a TV news report, it has reversed or slowed the progression of the disease in some cases.

It was a discovery that plunged Lyles, Newton and their families, all Southern Baptists, deeply into prayer. All are steadfastly against abortion. And in China, they knew, abortions sometimes are coerced. The nation strongly encourages a one-child-per-family policy as a way to control population growth.

The Southern Baptist Convention has opposed use of fetal tissue and stem cells in research or treatment. Using such tissue would allow “electively aborted babies to be exploited for scientific and commercial purposes,” a 1992 resolution stated. A 2000 resolution opposed the sale of fetal tissue, arguing, “Sale of their tissues is an assault on the biblical truth that all human beings are created in the image of God.”

Lyles, Newton and their families faced a crisis of conscience.

Lyles' father-in-law, Pastor Benny Harrison of Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in Thomasville, Ala., was lying awake in bed one night, seeking an answer from God as he was torn between his son-in-law's terrible future and the dilemma over the aborted babies in China.

An Old Testament passage came to him–the story about how Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. The story begins with a terrible act–the sale of their brother. But it ends with redemption, when Joseph, who has risen to a position of power in Pharaoh's palace, saves his family from famine.

“They meant for bad,” Harrison said. “God meant for good.”

It's like that with the babies, he said. Abortions are wrong. But maybe the babies can help his son-in-law and others.

Nikol Lyles also found comfort in those words.

“Something good can come out of something bad,” she said. “They will continue the abortions anyway. They're throwing these cells away every day.”

Edith Newton, Wilbur's wife, said they, too, prayed about it.

“God just gave me that peace that it was OK,” she said. “Those babies were going to be aborted regardless of what my beliefs are.”

It would be no different if a murder victim's family donated his organs, she said.

“Are you going to say, 'No, I don't need his heart because somebody killed him?'” she asked. “I don't think so.”

Many in this conservative, church-going county have agreed, judging from the amount of money each family has raised–$20,000 by the Newtons and $35,000 by the Lyleses. Each treatment costs $25,000, including travel expenses for two.

Not much is known in the United States about Huang's treatment, researchers and ALS advocates say.

Huang has treated hundreds of spinal cord injuries and about 60 ALS patients, said his go-between in the United States, Stephen Byer of Wisconsin. Byer insisted his ALS-stricken son has improved after undergoing the therapy.

According to an article in The Scientist, an international news magazine that covers developments in the life sciences, Huang takes cells from the olfactory bulb–the place where humans recognize smells–of aborted fetuses and injects them into the brain and spinal cord of patients.

Doctors in the United States don't know how safe the procedure is. Huang trained in the United States and worked with laboratory animals, but it is unclear whether the procedure was first tested on animals.

Huang presented the therapy to scientists gathered recently at Harvard University's teaching hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. But plenty of questions remain, said Diane McKenna-Yasek, a research nurse who attended the presentation.

“There was very little scientific data presented,” she said. “It involved mostly a couple overview slides, and then there were videotapes of patients before and after injection.”

Missing were objective data that measured results, she said.

Huang, based in Beijing, has been unable to follow patients over time. He also didn't provide specific information about complications from the surgery other than to say one ALS patient had died two months after surgery from a heart attack.

“He indicated there were no immediate complications from the procedures,” she said. “We asked if there had been deaths more immediately as a result of the procedure, and he said, 'no.'”

ALS research involving stem cells and fetal tissue is going on in the United States and other countries, but in controlled, clinical studies.

“My advice would be no, not to go, because there's no evidence that this therapy is credible,” said Marinos Dalakas, chief of the Neuromuscular Diseases Section at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “It hasn't been validated. It hasn't been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and nobody has seen the results.”

He said he doesn't want to reject what could be a promising therapy. It just needs to be tested scientifically.

ALS patients are desperate. They don't have time for research papers to get published or the government to approve. In the 1970s, they flocked to Florida for injections of snake venom, treatments that seemed to spark some improvements but which were later debunked in two federal studies.

Newton and Lyles are willing to become guinea pigs. At the very least, they will have done what they could to find help.

At best, they can hope for the dream Lyles scratches in ink: “Cure or a little time, good time with family. Maybe it will open doors for a cure.”

Newton raises his eyebrows high to indicate his excitement. He shakes his head to indicate he is not afraid. He can't explain just what he expects or hopes will happen. But his wife can.

“If that only means lifting his arm to put a spoon in his mouth, that would be wonderful,” Edith Newton says. “If he could speak, it'd be wonderful.”

She allows herself to dream out loud.

“If he could walk, that would be wonderful.”

She adds, as if pinching her hopes back into a tiny ball: “Any improvement would be enough.”

Karen Tolkkinen is a staff writer for the Mobile (Ala.) Register.

Posted: 10/29/04

Around the State

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has announced several additions to its faculty, including Edwin Armstrong, associate professor of computer science; Courtney Burken, program director for the athletic training education program in the exercise and sport science department; Tawny Lamb, assistant professor of computer science; Mary Last, associate professor of computer information systems; Anne Price, head of public services at the Townsend Memorial Library; and Leigh Shaver, assistant professor in nursing.

Two East Texas Baptist University faculty members have earned doctoral degrees. Sherlynn Byrd received a doctorate in mass communication media arts from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She is chair of the department of communication, teaching at ETBU since 2002. Donna Lubcker earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on reading from Louisana Tech University. Lubcker, an assistant professor of teacher education, joined the faculty in 1998.

Hundreds of men and women helped Union Association's Woman's Missionary Union celebrate its 100th anniversary recently. An afternoon of remembrance of the organization's ministry was held at Sagemont Church in Houston. One of the featured speakers of the day was longtime WMU leader Virginia Marshall at age 97. Pictured with some of the refreshments is associational WMU Executive Director Chris Measures.

Hardin-Simmons University has announced its adjunct faculty. In the school of nursing are Patti Esposito, John Little, Sharon Woodrum, Sharon Willerton, Jo Rake, Tamara Luedtke, Stephanie Jones, Rebecca Leggett and Lisa Van Cleve. Teaching in the liberal arts area are Tony Berry, Danny Flanagan, Sherry Griffith, Tim Sutherland, Alicia Grimes, Nancy Patrick, Becky Harrison, Nancy Lewis-Means, John Neese and Jennifer Smotherman. In the school of sciences and mathematics are Teril Bundrant, Samuel Brinkman, Vickie Cardot, Brian Brewer, Rosemaria Levinsky, Glen Funkey, J. Patrick Miller, Wendi Moran and Connie Stephens. Teaching in the school of education are Jim Boggs, Melody Bynum, Judy Credicott, Tracey Garcia, D.J. Gilliland, Steve Gray, Todd Hamilton, Lauren Harris, Brenda LaFollette, Ty Lang, Cindy Mundschenk, Martha Murphy, Linda Neal, Hubert Pickett, Brittoni Reynolds, Melissa San Angelo, Dustin Sanderson, Maurice Simmons, Jack Stuard and Penny Vieau. In the theology school are Ken Bradshaw, Vernon Davis, Jay Farrar, Wilma Heflin, Ron Lyles, Kelly Piggott, Mike Patrick and Jerry Self. Douglas McIntyre, Philip Morehead and Darrell Wood are teaching in the school of business. In the school of music are Shirley Anderson, Jeff Cottrell, Cathy Fowlkes, Barbara Josenhans, Dan Mitchell, Natalie Steele, Marcia Straughn, Allen Teel and Mona Wilson. Teresa Ellis will serve in the Richardson Library.

Patty Villarreal, denominational consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Texas since 1999, has been tapped to lead a new social ministry initiative by the Baptist University of the Americas and Buckner Benevolences. She will work as director of community ministries for Buckner Children and Family Services beginning Nov. 1 and will have an office on the BUA campus.

Dallas Baptist University paid tribute to entrepreneur and philanthropist Noble Hurley at its annual Russell H. Perry Free Enterprise Award dinner. A longtime member of Gaston Oaks Church in Dallas, Hurley died earlier this year. Among other business ventures, he was chairman of Swiss Avenue Bank for more than 20 years. When the bank was sold, he donated his assets to the Baptist Foundation of Texas, establishing several endowment funds benefitting community projects as well as many Baptist institutions, including Dallas Baptist University.

Baylor University has designated five faculty members as master teachers–the highest honor granted the Baylor faculty. Granted the designation were Rachel Moore, senior lecturer of English; J. William Petty, holder of the W.W. Caruth Chair of Entrepreneurship and professor of finance; Alden Smith, chair of the classics department and director of the honors program; William Thomas, the J.E. Bush Professor in accounting; and William Underwood, the Leon Jaworski Professor of Practice and Procedure at Baylor Law School.

Anniversaries

Golden Church in Golden, 100th, Oct. 30-31. Harold Hammond is pastor.

Wayne Ford, 25th, as pastor of Allison Church in Lipan, Nov. 4.

Calvary Church of Oak Cliff in Dallas, 90th, Nov. 14. Former pastors Dan Kent and David Kuykendall are expected to attend. A lunch will follow the morning service. Ted Kiser is pastor.

Retiring

R.V. Rhodes, as pastor of Andice Church in Andice, Oct. 31. He served the church more than 18 years and has been in the ministry 50 years.

James Cheatham, as pastor of First Church in Troup, Dec. 31. A reception will be held in his honor from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14. He has been in the ministry 49 years, beginning at age 16. He also served East Delta Church in Delta County, Pleasant Hill Church in Cass County, Memorial Church in Waldo, Ark., First Church in Maud, Freeman Heights Church in Garland, First Church in Malakoff and Westwood Church in Tyler.

Deaths

Leroy Patterson, July 16 in Keller. A pastor 48 years, he led First Church in Keller beginning in 1991 and retired this past April. He served six other churches including Memorial Church in Houston from 1975 to 1991. He was a member of the board of trustees of Houston Baptist University nine years, the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas three terms and served as the board's vice chairman. He is survived by his wife, Martha; and daughter, Connie Olsen; and six grandchildren.

George Wilson, 75, Oct. 4. He was pastor of churches in Chico, Krum and Lakeview, as well as Ohio and Illinois. He also was a director of missions for an Illinois association 15 years. He was secretary of the Illinois Baptist State Association two years. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Joy; sons, George Jr., Woody and Gregory; brother, Lefty; sisters, Edith Groat, Helen Behrens, Thelma Colter and Lena McKinnon; and seven grandchildren.

Hazel Bland, 77, Oct. 13 in Arlington. She was a journalist with the Grand Prairie Texan, Baptist Standard, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Grand Prairie Daily News. She was a member of First Church in Grand Prairie. She was preceded in death by her sister, Frances Hicks. She is survived by her husband, Bruce; son, Ron; and two grandchildren.

John Drakeford, 90, Oct. 16 in Fort Worth. Drakeford, distinguished professor emeritus of psychology and counseling and writer-in-residence at Southwestern Seminary, authored or co-authored 41 books. In recent years, his ministry included performing dramatic monologues of historic Christian figures. A native Australian, he came to Fort Worth in 1955 to accept a teaching position at the seminary, where he remained 31 years. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Robina; sons, Warwick and Brenton; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Paul Talley, 44, Oct. 19 in Kirksville, Mo. Talley was one of 13 people who died in a commuter plane crash. Talley was a member of First Church in Sunnyvale and used his vocation as a photographer to take photos of staff and facilities. He also did volunteer graphic art work for the church and had just delivered a new logo days before his death. He is survived by his wife, Alicia; and daughter, Juliette.

Glenda Drinnon, 64, Oct. 24 in Haskell. She had been the coordinator for students with disabilities at Hardin-Simmons University's academic advising center since 2003. She was a former member of First Church in Haskell and a founding member of Cornerstone Fellowship in Haskell. She is survived by her husband, Cleatus; sons, Stephen and David; daughters, Sharla Carver and Leesa Toliver; brother, James Davis; and nine grandchildren.

Carroll Ray, 96, Oct. 28 in

Burleson. He was pastor of First churches in Palacios, Laredo, Clarksville, Perryton and Cisco, Central Church in Italy, Iola Church in Iola, Emmanuel Church in Houston and Calvary Church in Burleson. He served on the Executive Board of the BGCT and was second vice president from 1954 to 1955. He also was on the board of trustees at Wayland Baptist University and Mexican Baptist Children's Home. He was director of missions for Top O' Texas Area from 1962 to 1973. He served 10 churches in the Burleson area as interim pastor. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Maxine; daughter, Ann Spivey; sons, Carroll Jr. and Robert; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

Ordained

Kyle Steinhauser to the ministry at Little River Church in Cameron Oct. 17.

John Mark Mason to the ministry at Wilshire Park Church in Midland Oct. 24

Joe Luna, Danny McBride, J.C. Bacon, David Meek, Kenneth Early, Shelton Grona, Kenneth Koop and Bill Mercer as deacons at First Church in Edna Oct. 10.

Posted: 10/29/04

BaptistWay Bible Series for Nov. 7

Cheerful givers too often are in short supply

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

By Todd Still

Truett Seminary, Waco

Some modern-day Christians may be likened unto the Dead Sea to the extent that they receive but they do not give. Some believers give financially to their local churches and to other worthwhile causes, but do so out of guilt (“I do not want to give, but I feel obligated”) or out of greed (“I am giving to obligate God to give to me”).

I must confess, there have been periods in my own Christian pilgrimage when I have not given, and there have been other occasions when I have given with inappropriate motivations. This week's lesson from 2 Corinthians informs us, among other things, that God loves a cheerful giver (v. 7).

Incidentally, the Greek term translated “cheerful” is “hilaros.” It is related to the English “hilarious,” a word that connotes joy and merriment. God, the giver of good gifts (1 Corinthians 4:7), prizes a “giddy” giver. When we give cheerfully, we reflect God's character.

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul continues to instruct regarding “the ministry to the saints” (v. 1), that is, a collection the apostle was gathering from primarily gentile churches in Greece for needy Jewish believers living in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; Romans 15:25-28).

Although Paul considers it superfluous to write further to the Corinthians regarding this offering because of their zealous commitment to it (vv. 1-2), he does so anyway, since he is sending coworkers to Corinth in advance of his own arrival. The apostle wants to ensure the fellowship keeps its pledge to give to the collection (vv. 3-5). Should they honor their word, Paul will be able to celebrate and not be forced to “pass the plate” when he arrives in Corinth.

The apostle does not want to coerce the Corinthians into giving–he wants them to give voluntarily (vv. 5, 7). Additionally, Paul calls the congregation to give generously by appealing to a proverbial saying they would have been familiar with–“the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, but the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (v. 6). Instead of belittling or berating the church until it gives, the apostle enables and empowers them to make up their own minds (v. 7).

As their father in the faith, however, he does remind them that God is able to provide for them abundantly (v. 8). Based upon both Scripture and experience, Paul believes God will–in due time and by some means–fully satisfy the believer's every need (Philippians 4:13, 19). Applying Psalm 112:9 to God, the apostle declares God's beneficence and righteousness (v. 9). Moreover, Paul maintains that “he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (v. 10).

God's abundant provision, however, should not devolve into material excess or extravagance on our part. Nor should believers embrace the mistaken notion that they are entitled to “health and wealth.” Indeed, a comparatively wealthy Christian should vigilantly “be on guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Lest we become like the “rich fool” in Jesus' parable, we must recognize that even as we have freely received from God, we are to give freely to others (v. 8), especially to those who are members of the family of faith (Galatians 6:10).

In his farewell speech to the Ephesian elders, Paul reminded them of Jesus' words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Paul also realized, as Francis of Assisi once prayed, that “it is in giving that we receive.” The apostle assures the Corinthians that God will enrich them as a result of their generosity. Not only will their monetary ministry meet the needs of Jerusalem believers, it also will serve as a tangible symbol of thanksgiving to God. In the economy of God, people accrue spiritual capital through liberal giving (9:11-12).

Additionally, Paul contends in verse 13 that by contributing to the collection for Jerusalem Christians the Corinthians will glorify God and demonstrate their obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ. Even though their gift is specifically for believers in Jerusalem, the apostle indicates their ministry also will positively impact others.

What is more, their generosity will forge a spiritual bond that transcends the geographical gulf that lay between Corinth and Jerusalem. While the Jerusalem Christians will benefit fiscally, the Corinthians will receive gifts of affection and intercession. Reciprocity can assume many forms (v. 14).

As Paul concludes his instruction regarding the collection, he pauses to ponder the surpassing grace of God. This in turn seems to have prompted the apostle to contemplate the greatest grace of all–the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. So great is this gift, the apostle appears to fumble for words.

When contemplating that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Paul's expansive vocabulary is reduced to a single word–“charis,” that is, “thanks”–a term often rendered “grace.” Christ crucified served as the ground of his proclamation and shaped his instruction to the Corinthians regarding the collection.

While we are now far removed from this “ministry to the saints,” this one pivotal question remains: Will Christ's nail-scarred hands cause us to open our clenched fists?

Discussion question

What is the biggest obstacle to cheerful giving?

Posted: 10/29/04

Baylor regents take no action
on president; approve tuition increase

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO–Baylor University regents took no action at their Oct. 22 meeting on a motion introduced one month earlier calling for President Robert Sloan's resignation. Instead, they focused on raising tuition 6.4 percent for the 2005-2006 school year.

At their Sept. 24 meeting, regents voted to postpone indefinitely a call for Sloan's resignation, and they unanimously rejected a request by the university's Faculty Senate to hold a facultywide referendum on Sloan's administration.

Earlier this month, the Baylor Faculty Senate voted 26-5, with one abstention, to proceed with the referendum–even though the Baylor Student Congress had asked them to reconsider, saying the vote would “add to the polarization of Baylor University.”

Since then, another group of faculty members bought a series of ads in the Baylor Lariat student newspaper urging their co-workers to boycott the referendum.

One year ago, the Baylor regents voted 31-4 to affirm Sloan. But his support had eroded by the board's May meeting, when a motion to ask for his resignation failed by an 18-17 secret ballot.

Regents took no vote on Sloan's presidency at their July retreat, other than unanimously affirming the Baylor 2012 10-year plan.

Ironically, the Faculty Senate also voted unanimously this month to endorse Baylor 2012, even though the faculty organization twice passed “no confidence” votes in Sloan's leadership.

Baylor 2012–an ambitious plan to make Baylor a top-tier university–has become the often-controversial centerpiece of Sloan's administration.

Supporters of the plan–and the president–have applauded efforts to strengthen Baylor's Christian identity, expand facilities and raise academic standards.

Critics have faulted Sloan's administration for increasing debt due to capital expansion, failing to build relationships with faculty and alumni, imposing narrow religious restrictions on faculty–and raising tuition.

Sloan has pointed to the incoming freshman class as evidence that Baylor's 10-year plan is on the right track. While overall enrollment at Baylor is down slightly, the freshman class was the fourth-largest in the school's history, had higher SAT scores and showed greater diversity, with minority students making up 30.3 percent of the class.

Regents voted to raise tuition for undergraduate students–and most graduate students– entering Baylor in fall 2005 from $17,900 to $19,050 per year. Fees rise from $1,980 to $2,295. Total increase for tuition and fees is 6.8 percent.

Tuition for students at Baylor's Truett Seminary increases 6.7 percent. Continuing law school students will face a 9 percent increase, and new law students will be charged a 12.5 percent increase.

Two years ago, Baylor moved to a flat-rate tuition structure rather than charging students for each semester hour in which they enroll. Graduate and undergraduate students who enrolled prior to fall 2002 were “grandfathered” under the former per-semester-hour structure, said Baylor spokesman Larry Brumley.

Students who were enrolled prior to fall 2002 will see their tuition increase to $490 per hour–a 6.3 percent increase.

While 2005-2006 costs are not available for other schools, U.S. News & World Report's “America's Best Colleges 2005” provides information on tuition and fees for the 2004-2005 school year.

It reveals Baylor's cost of $19,880 is slightly higher than Houston's Rice University at $18,826, roughly comparable to Fort Worth's Texas Christian University at $19,740, and less than Mercer University, a Baptist school in Macon, Ga., which is listed at $22,050.

Even after the increase, Baylor's $21,345 total for 2005-2006 remains substantially below 2004-2005 tuition and fee rates for Southern Methodist University in Dallas at $25,358 or Duke University in Durham, N.C., at $30,720.

In comparison, the usnews.com website reveals Baylor's tuition and fees are more than twice those charged at the least-expensive liberal arts university affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The site reports 2004-2005 tuition and fees are $9,250 at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview.

Tuition and fees at other BGCT-related universities listed on the website were $11,610 for Dallas Baptist University, $12,000 for Howard Payne University in Brownwood and East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, $12,380 for the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at Belton, $12,915 for Houston Baptist University and $13,376 for Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

Regents voted to raise tuition for undergraduate students–and most graduate students– entering Baylor in fall 2005 from $17,900 to $19,050 per year. Fees rise from $1,980 to $2,295.

Posted: 10/29/04

New horse race betting machines in Texas raise concerns

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

GRAND PRAIRIE–Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie has introduced new horse race betting machines, and gambling foes have voiced concern.

The machines let gamblers bet on races at other tracks around the nation. That practice already is allowed via simulcasts at Lone Star Park, but the new machines allow bettors to sit at a slot-machine like device and choose from a simplified list of betting options.

“It is a very simplified wagering terminal,” said Jean Cook, public information officer for the Texas Racing Commission. “It is designed to give a person a few choices … instead of an intimidating number of choices.”

A race is featured every five minutes from some track in the country, she said.

That simplicity and speed causes concern for gambling opponents.

“The only real reason to invest in these types of machines is to solicit new gamblers and to make it faster,” said Suzii Paynter, director of public policy for the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. “One of the things we know about gambling is that addiction rates go up the faster you're able to place bets.”

The Racing Commission gave Lone Star Park permission to use the machines for a two-week period beginning Oct. 21. The timing coincides with the track hosting the prestigious Breeders' Cup thoroughbred race.

Track officials indicated the trial period would provide “a chance for them to showcase these machines” for race fans from around the world, Cook said.

The machines, called Horse Wizards, currently are in use at only about five tracks in the world, she noted.

“They look like slot machines,” Paynter said. “They have the simulated sound of coins dropping and lights that flash at the top and the horses (on the display) spin around.”

But the distinction between simulation and the real thing matters, said Cook of the Texas Racing Commission.

“While it has some of the cosmetic features of a slot machine, these are not slot machines,” she said. “These are pari-mutuel wagering terminals. … A person is wagering on the outcome of a live horse race. Only the Legislature can authorize games of chance such as slot machines.”

Paynter fears such machines are close to becoming games of chance. “When you don't know what race is coming up next, then you can't be informed about who the horses are and who the jockeys are, so that moves it from being a game of skill where the information you have determines which horses you bet on.”

The terminals avoid the game-of-chance designation by providing three computerized “experts” to help bettors.

“Solid Sam is the most conservative of our handicappers,” a Horse Wizard brochure from Lone Star Park states. “The morning line odds are established by the track handicapper for all horses entered in each race based upon his review of the horses' past performances and the horses' ability to win the designated race.”

Paynter acknowledges that “right now they're operating within the law … because there is handicapping. … It's legal as far as we know.

“But they clearly are a step toward more of a game of chance and not a game of skill. … We don't have enough information about these machines, … but the trend is that they become more and more a game of chance.”

Another important distinction is whether terminal betting affects the odds on the different horses. Cook said the bets placed on Horse Wizards at Lone Star Park do affect the odds.

That is not the case with similar machines used in other states, the CLC's Paynter said.

Also, she said, it's important that live races are used. “What they're assuring us right now is that the race is happening at the same time you're watching it.”

Some states allow previously run races to be used with identifying marks obscured.

So, how does it work? Normally, racetrack patrons place their bets at a teller's window or via a self-service machine, Cook said. These provide a wide variety of options that can be intimidating to inexperienced bettors.

The Horse Wizards allow a person to either place a $2 bet for a horse to “show”–finish in the top three–or a $6, $15, $30 or $60 bet for a horse to “win, place or show”–win refers to first place, place to second and show to third.

Bettors purchase a Horse Wizard card in the Horse Wizard Lounge, a brochure from Lone Star Park states. The card is then inserted into a betting machine, which keeps a running total of the balance.

A race is featured every five minutes from some track in the country. All races are telecast live on the Horse Wizard machine, Cook said.

When the bettor is through, he or she takes the card to the Horse Wizard Lounge and receives the amount of money tallied from their bets, which may be more or less than their original purchase.

Posted: 10/29/04

BGCT president, executive director
will answer questions at workshops

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–The president and executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas will discuss elements of a proposed strategic plan in workshops at the beginning of the BGCT annual session Nov. 8 in San Antonio.

“Our desire is that every messenger feel confident that an effort has been made to answer questions and address issues,” President Ken Hall said. “Baptists make the best decisions when they are informed and prepared.”

The same workshop will be offered twice in the morning prior to an afternoon session in which messengers will consider adopting new strategic plan statements and a proposed amended constitution that would alter the governance structure of the BGCT.

Hall and Executive Director Charles Wade will lead the workshops titled “Shaping the Future of BGCT: Mission, Vision and Governance.” The one-hour sessions will begin at 9 and 10:30 a.m. in the Gallery at street level at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The room will seat 800 people for each session.

The workshops come prior to the opening general session of the convention at 12:45 p.m. Nov. 8. That afternoon, messengers will vote on strategic plan proposals.

The workshops will provide a more in-depth understanding of proposed BGCT changes and answers to messengers' questions, Wade said.

“I am looking forward to being there and being available for a thorough discussion in preparation for a vote later in the day,” he said.

The workshops led by Hall and Wade are among 60 English and six Spanish small-group sessions offered during the convention.

There will be multiple workshops to choose from during four periods–9-10 a.m. Monday; 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday; 4-5 p.m. Monday; and 9-10 a.m. Tuesday.

For more information on the annual session, visit www.bgct.org/convention2004.

Posted: 10/29/04

BGCT bookstore proceeds benefit missions

SAN ANTONIO–Everyone who buys a book at this year's Baptist General Convention of Texas meeting will be making a contribution to missions.

For the first time, the BGCT will operate its own bookstore during the annual meeting.

All funds raised above costs will be “reinvested in missions and ministry efforts,” said Becky Bridges, director of the BGCT Communications Center.

In recent years, LifeWay Christian Resources and Smyth & Helwys operated separate bookstores.

This year's bookstore will carry a broad selection of books and other products, Bridges said. More than 70 publishers will be represented, including BaptistWay Press, Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, LifeWay, Eerdmans, New Hope, Smyth & Helwys, Group, Baylor Press and Integrity.

The bookstore will feature more than 600 products, Bridges noted.

Some institutional products will be featured, such as a Baylor University choir Christmas special aired last year on PBS–available in DVD and CD–and candles from Breckenridge Village of Tyler.

“The best thing about the BGCT bookstore this year is the opportunity to raise funds for missions,” Bridges said.

“It's a win-win situation where we can help provide great resources and support the important work of the churches and institutions of the BGCT.”

The bookstore will be in Exhibit Hall B of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

It will be open at the same times as all other exhibits–3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7; 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8; and 8 to 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9. For more convention information, visit www.bgct.org/2004convention.

Posted: 10/29/04

Baptist Briefs

New York Baptists choose executive director. The executive board of the Baptist Convention of New York elected long-time pastor Terry Robertson as the fifth executive director of the 35-year-old convention. He will succeed J.B. Graham on Graham's retirement Nov. 5. The convention includes 394 churches in New York, northern New Jersey and southwestern Connecticut, representing 25,000 church members. The 50-year-old Robertson, pastor of Madison (N.J.) Baptist Church, has been a pastor, church planter and associational missionary in New York. He has served as the New York representative on the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee since 1995 and was on the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Nominations in 2002. He served on the executive board of the Baptist Convention of New York from 1995 to 1998. A native of Alabama, Robertson is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Robertson and his wife, Elizabeth, have three sons.

Baldridge to leave shared CBF post. Gary Baldridge, who with his wife, Barbara, has led the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's global missions effort for five years, will leave CBF at the end of the year to return to a career in writing. CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal told the group's Coordinating Council Barbara Baldridge will become interim coordinator Jan. 1, assuming the duties she now shares with her husband. He expressed hope she would be elected sole missions coordinator. Gary Baldridge, 53, a newspaper reporter before becoming a missionary more than 25 years ago, plans to do freelance magazine journalism and will try to publish a novel and screenplay he has written. The Baldridges served as Southern Baptist missionaries 17 years in Zambia and several other countries, resigning in 1994 to go to work for the Fellowship.

Couple's gift establishes lecture. Walter and Kay Shurden of Macon, Ga., gave $100,000 to the Baptist Joint Committee to establish an annual lectureship on religious liberty and church-state separation. Designed to enhance the ministry and programs of the Baptist Joint Committee, the Shurden Lectures will be held at Mercer University every three years and at another seminary, college or university the other years. The first lecture is planned for either 2006 or 2007 at Mercer.

Plains pastor plans retirement. After 22 years as pastor of a small Baptist congregation that includes former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, Dan Ariail plans to retire next year. Ariail, 66, will retire Oct. 1, 2005, or earlier in the year if Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., calls a new pastor. The 135-member church is known for attracting thousands of visitors each year to hear Carter teach weekly Sunday school lessons. Ariail preaches weekly to more visitors than members, with many guests experiencing a Baptist church for the first time. He and his wife, Nell, plan to continue living in Plains and being a part of the Maranatha congregation.

Baptist ethics pioneer dies. Henlee Barnette, a former professor and author who pioneered the study of Christian ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, died Oct. 20 at age 93. Barnette, who taught at Southern from 1951 to 1977, and T.B. Maston, who taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, were considered co-pioneers as Southern Baptist ethicists, according to Bill Leonard, dean of Wake Forest University's divinity school. "Both addressed the racial issue very early and then helped Baptists think through the moral crusades of the last half of the 20th century," said Leonard, a friend and former colleague of Barnette's. Barnette once invited Martin Luther King Jr. to preach a chapel service at Southern when King was in Louisville to take part in a fair-housing campaign. King was not popular among many Southern Baptists or other white Southerners at the time, and as a result, more than 200 Alabama Baptist churches stopped sending money to Southern.

Posted: 10/29/04

Buckner provides shoes and socks for needy Iraqi children

By Russ Dilday

Buckner News Service

DALLAS–Buckner Orphan Care International recently presented the mayor-governor of Kirkuk, Iraq, with 7,000 pairs of new children's shoes and 10,000 pairs of socks.

The presentation came during Abdulrahman Mustafa Fatah's North Texas tour with Partners for Peace, an international goodwill agreement with Dallas.

The shoes were collected through Buckner's Shoes for Orphan Souls humanitarian aid drive, which has donated more than 1 million pairs of new shoes to orphans around the world.

“There are poor people in Iraq right now,” said Mustafa, a lawyer who was elected mayor-governor of Kirkuk in 2003.

He thanked Buckner for the gift, emphasizing the urgent needs in northern Iraq.

“In Kirkuk, under the Saddam regime, there was an effort to remove people from the area,” Mustafa said through a translator.

“These people were kicked out of their homes. They have been given back their homes, unfortunately many of these homes were destroyed … and they are living in tents in (a place like) soccer fields. They are in great need in every sector imaginable.”

Jeff Jones, Buckner Orphan Care International's director of operations, said the gift of the shoes “opens the door for us to minister to a lot of the children and orphans in Iraq. The sister city venue is a wonderful way for us to do that.”

The presentation summed Buckner's objective with the Shoes for Orphan Souls project–“for us to be a help to orphans and children allows us to see our ministry vision validated,” he said. “We have collected more than 140,000 pairs of shoes this year already, and we have several containers waiting for approval or funding.”

Jones noted that Buckner is waiting for shipping instructions and a shipping date from the U.S. State Department, adding, “They will get there as soon as possible.”

The Partners for Peace plan, announced by First Lady Laura Bush last summer, pairs United States cities with Iraqi provinces to promote communication, cooperation and understanding between nations.

Dallas is among six American participants in the federally funded program administered by Sister Cities International

“This is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and we want to do our part to render aid,” said Tiffany Taylor, marketing director for Buckner Orphan Care International and Shoes for Orphan Souls.

“Thousands of Iraqi children live like refugees in camps where food, water, clothing and proper sanitation are scarce. Buckner is humbled to be able to touch these children in a tangible way.”

Governor Mustafa also met with leaders of Buckner Children and Family Services to discuss children's issues in Iraq.