river_border_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Tighter border control
impacting mission teams' mobility

By Kambry Bickings

Texas Baptist Communications

Tightened border controls have impacted more than just homeland security this summer. Texas Baptist missionaries now face boundaries beyond the borderline.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

road_map_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

'Road Map' hits bump with evangelicals

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–While the rest of the world looks on in hope at President Bush's proposed “Road Map for Peace” in the Middle East, some American Christian groups are expressing reservations because of their unequivocal support for Israel.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

robertson_justices_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Robertson wants to pray justices into retirement

By Hannah Lodwick

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Religious Right leader Pat Robertson has launched a 21-day “prayer offensive” to persuade the Supreme Court's oldest or most infirm justices to retire so a more conservative court can emerge.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

sbc_funding_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

SBC funding still holding steady

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Despite the nation's lagging economy, gifts to the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program held steady through the first three quarters of the fiscal year.

As of June 30, the SBC reported $139 million in undesignated Cooperative Program gifts forwarded through state Baptist conventions and sent directly from churches. That's a 0.41 percent increase over the same period one year before, when $138.5 million was received.

Designated gifts to the SBC, however, are down 5.19 percent for the three-quarter period, from $157.6 million to $149.4 million.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

sbc_seminaries_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

SBC studies seminaries
but doesn't intend to close any

ARLINGTON–Rumors that the Southern Baptist Convention will close, merge or move its two smallest seminaries are false, according to the SBC leader who set up a task force to study seminary effectiveness.

But the convention is considering how to improve ministerial training in the areas served by Golden Gate and Midwestern Baptist theological seminaries, reported Gary Smith, chairman of the SBC Executive Committee.

Questions about the fate of Midwestern and Golden Gate seminaries resurfaced in mid-July, resurrecting a rumor that they would be shut down.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

tent_revival_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Tent revival draws a crowd in Montague County

By Jo Gray

Special to the Standard

SAINT JO–A wooden sign posted near Hwy. 82 on the outskirts of this small town carried the words “Coming Soon.”

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

tidbits_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Texas Tidbits

UMHB raises the bar. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has raised the admissions requirements for first-time freshmen, effective fall 2004. Entering freshmen must rank in the top 50 percent of an accredited high school graduating class and score a minimum of 950 on the Scholastic Achievement Test. University officials said the change will help ensure that students who enroll at UMHB will have successful tenures there and will help control enrollment. The Belton school already has enrolled 469 freshmen for this fall, compared to 400 freshmen enrolled at the same time last year. Students who do not meet the new requirements may still be accepted on a provisional status.

Davis named special assistant to Sloan. Tommye Lou Davis, associate professor of classics and a master teacher at Baylor University, has been named special assistant to President Robert Sloan. She will assist the president with strategic, communication and organizational issues, project management and constituency relations. She has taught at Baylor since her graduation from the university in 1966. She has been a member of the Faculty Senate and has served on the board of the Baylor Alumni Association. She also chairs the committee seeking to lure the George W. Bush Presidential Library to Waco. She and her husband, Donald, are members of First Baptist Church of Waco.

San Antonio agency gets grant. The Meadows Foundation has awarded a $250,000 challenge grant to Baptist Child & Family Services of San Antonio. The grant relates to a $10 million capital campaign to develop a 110-acre campus for non-profit organizations. The Baptist General Convention of Texas agency also is working to meet a $1.2 million challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation by Dec. 31.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

together_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

TOGETHER:
Partnership can change both groups

The National Baptist Convention of Mexico celebrated its 100th anniversary last week in Mexico City. I was invited to speak to them, sharing three essential elements to biblical revival–prayer, vision and cooperation.

Until Jesus comes again, Mexico and Texas are “joined at the hip.” We have signed a covenant agreement pledging that the Baptist General Convention of Texas will cooperate with the National Baptist Convention of Mexico to achieve our common objectives in prayer, evangelism, church planting, missions, benevolent ministries and leadership training. Staff representatives from both conventions are exploring ways that our churches, institutions and convention ministries can work together in achieving these objectives.

We already have seen significant cooperative efforts under way in meeting human needs through River Ministry, our Texas Baptist hospitals and Texas Partnerships working with the Baptist Hospital in Guadalajara, and countless ministries of individual churches. In the area of leadership training, exciting conversations are going on between our Texas Baptist institutions and the two Mexican Baptist seminaries.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

wayland_virtual_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Wayland's virtual campus growing

By Jonathan Petty

Wayland Baptist University

PLAINVIEW–Four years ago, Wayland Baptist University had about 150 students studying online. Today, the West Texas-based university reaches out to 850 cyber students.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

william_jewell_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

William Jewell faces defunding in '04

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)–Leaders of the Missouri Baptist Convention voted July 15 to eliminate funding for William Jewell College because of the school's handling of homosexuality and other moral issues.

The convention's Executive Board deleted the school from next year's recommended budget after investigating the college's practices and policies. If approved by messengers to the fall Missouri Baptist Convention annual meeting, the move would effectively end the convention's 154-year relationship with the Baptist school.

David Sallee, William Jewell's president, said the board's decision reflected a desire to control the college. But Charles Burnett, chair of a committee investigating the school, said funding should be denied because the college failed to “fall in line with what we believe are God's teachings.”

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

wmu_promises_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Enjoying the birthday party are Mary Humphries of Lindale, former president of Woman's Missionary Union of Texas, and Joy Fenner, former executive director-treasurer of Texas WMU.	Rebekah Naylor, surgeon and former administrator at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital, tells the Texas Leadership Conference about her experiences as a medical missionary in India.

Texas WMU Leadership Conference

participants told they have 'promises to keep'

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

WACO–More than 1,000 women gathered at Baylor University for a birthday party–the 50th for Texas Leadership Conference, formerly known as Woman's Missionary Union House Party, and the 90th for the Girls in Action missions program.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge

zoning_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

Church zoning law faces challenge

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

LOS ANGELES (RNS)–A California district judge has declared a portion of the law aimed at helping houses of worship overcome land-use disputes unconstitutional.

07/26/2003 - By John Rutledge