Anglos no longer majority in Texas; BGCT responds to changing needs_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

Anglos no longer majority in Texas;

BGCT responds to changing needs

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Anglos no longer make up a majority of the Texas population, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas is racing to meet the needs of a demographically changing state.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

BGCT-endorsed chaplains top 200; most are first-time endorsements_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

BGCT-endorsed chaplains top 200;
most are first-time endorsements

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–The Baptist General Convention of Texas has endorsed more than 200 chaplains, and most are first-time endorsements.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

Chaplains offer tips for hospital visitation_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

Chaplains offer tips for hospital visitation

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

BELTON–Keeping people's needs at the forefront of ministry can make hospital visits more comfortable for patients and ministers, two veteran Texas Baptist chaplains insist.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

Wichita Falls church makes splash with water park baptism_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

Wichita Falls church makes splash with water park baptism

By George Henson

Staff Writer

WICHITA FALLS–Colonial Baptist Church in Wichita Falls made a splash this summer with a baptismal service at the city's new water park.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

ANOTHER VIEW: Church directories & U.S. politics_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

ANOTHER VIEW:
Church directories & U.S. politics

By Melissa Rogers

Little did we churchgoers know that high-powered political operatives would one day take a keen interest in those dog-eared church directories in our kitchen drawers.

As has been widely reported, the campaign to re-elect President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney has produced materials informing “coalition coordinators” that one of their “duties” is: “Send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney 04 Headquarters or give to a BC04 Field Rep.”

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

DOWN HOME: What big teeth you have, Satan_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

DOWN HOME:
What big teeth you have, Satan

Have you ever been pursued by Satan?

It happened to me the other night. I now can attest that–at least sometimes–Beelzebub wears black fur and flashes a menacing grin.

My encounter with the devil occurred about sunset, during what I generously refer to as my “evening run.”

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

EDITORIAL: Demographic data point to needs_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

EDITORIAL:
Demographic data point to needs

Texas' demographic trends have been both fascinating and disturbing lately.

Most fascinating: Our Lone Star State no longer claims a majority population. A U.S. Census Bureau survey revealed Anglos ceased being the majority ethnic group in Texas sometime last year–for the first time since at least 1845, when Texas became a state.

Texas is about 49.5 percent Anglo, 35.3 percent Hispanic, 10.8 percent African-American, 3 percent Asian-American and 1.4 percent others.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

EDITORIAL: Will the ‘crops’ be watered_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

EDITORIAL:
Will the 'crops' be watered?

During the bountiful years of my youth in Perryton, the “Wheatheart of the Nation,” harvest usually was about the best time of year. On those occasions when the rains arrived at just the right time and the hordes of bugs and pestilence of hail stayed away, we rejoiced at the abundance of grain God bestowed on all our farms. I remember one great year when the grain elevators filled up, and the farmers dumped the excess wheat down the middle of Amherst Street.

Of course, a successful harvest also represented months of hard work. Farmers tilled and planted and fertilized and weeded and irrigated and sometimes grazed cattle in their fields. Even when the ground was too wet to work, they repaired machinery, tended to their finances and prepared for the next day. Along the way, farmers and townsfolk alike prayed and prayed for heavenly harvests. Growing up in a small farming community is a spiritual experience; even the backsliders pray for good crops.

The Apostle Paul understood farm life. He used the plant … water … harvest cycle as a metaphor for ministry: Each Christian has a role to fill, and God gives the spiritual harvest. Paul's words, “Plant … Water … Harvest,” provide the theme for this year's Week of Prayer for Texas Missions, beginning next Sunday, and the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

Children find hope for a new school year at backpack bash_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

Children find hope for a new school year at backpack bash

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Children's Home & Family Services

ROUND ROCK–Like a child on Christmas morning opening a present, Jessica peeked into her brand-new backpack and pulled out all its contents.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

Texas offers theology students multiple-choice answers_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

Click for larger versions of these maps showing Texas Baptist education ministries.

Texas offers theology students
multiple-choice answers

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

Thirty years ago, when a Texas Baptist minister spoke of going to “the seminary,” nearly everyone assumed he would load a moving van and head for Fort Worth.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

B.H. Carroll Institute takes ‘back-to-the-future’ approach to theological education_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

B.H. Carroll Institute takes 'back-to-the-future'
approach to theological education

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

ARLINGTON–Leaders of the B.H. Carroll Institute see their institution as filling a distinctive niche in seminary education.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge

Two Hardin-Simmons staff go from marketplace to campus_90604

Posted: 9/03/04

Two Hardin-Simmons staff go from marketplace to campus

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

ABILENE–Thousands of students graduate each year from Texas Baptist universities. Years later, some of them come back.

09/03/2004 - By John Rutledge