AUSTIN—Combine a city with a Hispanic population of nearly 500,000, a church with a vision to reach its community and a few committed Christians who endured hardship hoping to see the fruition of that vision.

Add them all together, and that’s the story of Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia, where prayer is changing the hearts of people in the heart of north central Austin.

Less than five years ago, fewer than 10 people came together to form a church. A shared commitment to pray and to reach the Hispanic community united them, but they lacked a meeting place and a pastor.

“More than a couple of times, we felt like we had to go in a different direction,” church member Gustavo Salas said. “But … we had the team … and a reason for us to keep pressing on. We saw a lot of prayers answered. That’s one of the reasons we (stayed) together.”

Salas recalled asking God for a meeting place that would cost no more than $500. Shortly thereafter, a man at Salas’ workplace mentioned he needed someone to share $500 of the rent on a 1000-square-foot office space.

True to the church’s vision, the meeting place was a small office building in a predominantly Hispanic community. Salas didn’t know it was being used as a place of worship for a French language church, where his Haitian coworker served as pastor.

“You can turn your back on God, or you can let him do his answering,” Salas said.

Following God’s provision of a meeting place, the handful of believers again returned to their knees in prayer, this time, for a pastor.

In August 2006, they found Mario Alaniz, an architect who had answered God’s call to ministry less than five years earlier.

Members of Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia in Austin prepare for a fiesta-themed Vacation Bible School. The event will focus on making connections with children and families in the community.

“We always had the vision, to grow up (the church), to be part of the community and to help the family, but our vision did not expand until Pastor Alaniz came,” church member Juan Garay said. “He gave us the encouragement to continue what we had started already.”

Alaniz accepted the call to become pastor of Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia on Jan. 1, 2007. Since then, the church has grown from five to a regular attendance of up to 70 members. Numbers have forced the congregation to expand, knocking down two walls in the small office building they use for worship.

Members of Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia in Austin celebrate a child’s birthday.

Soon, they hope to move to a separate suite that can house up to 350 people.

“Prayer is key. It’s essential in what we’re doing,” Alaniz said. “We don’t have a lot of funds to put into the projects that we do, but we’ve seen a lot of results. And that can only be attributed to prayer.”

Through prayer, Alaniz has seen God work in the lives of church members. They’ve become more faithful and sure of where their dependence lies. Because of that, their character is changing, and the result is they’re sharing that with others, he observed.

“The vision that God has on his heart is already producing fruits. We can see that already. We have new people going to church now, who are part of the community. They come to this place, and they see the love” God has for them, Garay said.

Salas gives the glory to God, but also gives thanks to the faithful few who held onto a vision against the odds.

“Without the help of the Lord…and that small group of four or five names, none of this would be possible,” he said. “Thanks to them and thanks to the Lord for keeping us together and for pressing on the vision, but also for taking us to a bigger step.”

MARSHALL—Students from East Texas Baptist University crossed cultural and language barriers—not to mention the Texas/Mexico border daily—while serving in recent missions projects along the Rio Grande.

Eighteen ETBU students worked from Primera Iglesia Bautista in Eagle Pass, crossing the border each day to lead Vacation Bible School at Bethesda Iglesia Bautista in Piedras Negras and to minister in two children’s homes.

“Our plans were to work only with the special-needs children’s home that the pastor of Bethesda, Paulino Esquivel, runs,” said ETBU Baptist Student Ministry Director Mark Yates, who accompanied the students with Debra Wainscott, assistant director of international education. “Casa Hogar Bethesda is the only special-needs home in Northern Mexico ministering to residents who have nowhere else to go.”

But God arranged a divine appointment that allowed the students to expand their ministry to a second children’s home, he explained. The student group discovered Casa Hogar Piedras Negras while they were trying to locate Bethesda.

“We were lost and saw their sign, so we stopped for directions. In the process we discovered they did not have anyone working with them for the week, so we did,” Yates explained. “This was a blessing on both ends, since we really had too many to take to Bethesda every afternoon.”

The time spent in Mexico presented challenges to overcome, said Beth Briner, a music education major from Spring.

“The pastor mentioned that many people come and help them build buildings and do outside work,” Briner said. “Very few groups come to interact with the special needs children.

“I had the opportunity for two days to play with a little girl who was in a wheelchair and could not communicate very well. I fed her lunch and picked her up and put her on a swing. She and I sat outside for hours. The smile on her face meant everything to me.”

Sam Buzzard, a religion major from Lake Charles, La., found ministry at the special-needs home particularly challenging.

East Texas Baptist University students, twins Amanda and Ashley Bean of Nederland, pose with two girls who attended Vacation Bible School at Bethesda Iglesia Bautista in Piedras Negras.

“It was real sad seeing those children impaired like they were, but it was very encouraging to see the joy they had by just having us visit and interact with them,” Buzzard said. “I personally learned from this experience the importance of just showing people that you care about them. We tried to show the children of the special-needs home that people do love them.”

Working around the language barrier presented significant challenges, sophomore Amanda Bean of Nederland noted.

“Not knowing how to speak Spanish and trying to communicate with the kids was difficult,” Bean said. “We did have someone with us who knew a little Spanish, and they were a big help to my sister and me.”

Actions spoke louder than words, Briner observed.

“Before VBS would start, we would be outside playing football or jump rope,” said Briner. “I would turn the jump rope and count in Spanish while the kids jumped, and they would laugh and have a great time. We conveyed a bigger message by just hugging and loving on them and smiling. I was conveying a message to them and likewise them to me, which was more powerful than words.”

Doing activities that did not require words helped the group form relationships that had everlasting impact, the students noted. Despite the obstacles the mission group experienced, the students agreed—they saw God at work.

Sophomore psychology major Sara Jeter of Troup was moved by her experience working with the special needs children.

“The children at the special needs home probably won’t remember us, and some of them probably did not recognize us from day to day,” said Jeter. “God used the time I had with those special children to teach me that his love is always going to be present. I really saw God on the faces of the children and adults at the special-needs home. God is always going to love us, even if we forget about him from day to day.”

“I know that God worked in the lives of the children we ministered to, because at the end of VBS, the ladies of the church told us there were six professions of faith made,” said Bean.

“I have never been on a trip with a group that meshed as well as we did,” Buzzard added. “God showed us that he can overcome any barrier. Even though we could not speak the language, people still responded.”

MARSHALL, Texas–A Memorial Day service, “A Time of Remembrance,” was held by East Texas Baptist University on Monday at noon in the Quadrangle on campus. Quinton Rogers of Marshall, a World War II veteran, was the guest speaker for the service that paid honor to those who have died in military service to our country.

Rogers, an alumnus of ETBU, spoke on his experiences serving in the Regular Army and the history of the war. He served as a mail clerk during World War II stationed in such places as England and North Africa.

“One of the saddest parts of my duties was bundling the mail of a soldier who had died.” said Rogers. “We would have to mark it ‘return to family, killed in action’.”

Rogers reminded those gathered that the United States had a total 16 million men in arms with over 400,000 killed during World War II. “We are free people today because of the sacrifice by those who have given their all, their life,” said Rogers.

ETBU President Bob E. Riley, who served during the Vietnam War, told the audience gathered, “Today is a day of memory and a day of sadness. Freedom is not free; it has to be paid for with a price, sometimes a very high price.”

During the service, Dr. Riley placed a memorial wreath at the monument located in the Quad dedicated to ETBU students and faculty who lost their lives in World War II. As the wreath was placed, Associate Professor of Music Dr. Doug Lockard played “Taps.” Dr. Virginia Boaz, Associate Professor of Music, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Marshall Resident Albert Abraham was also recognized for his service during World War II. Abraham is an alumnus of the College of Marshall, the foundational school which later became East Texas Baptist University.

DIBOLL—On Oct. 9, 2007, Pastor Gary Fannon was in one of his favorite places doing one of his favorite things—in a deer blind with bow in hand.

In an instant, though, everything changed. The blind collapsed, and Fannon plunged to the ground. The impact broke four vertebrae and five ribs. A compression fracture of the T-12 vertebrae left him unable to move his legs.

Fannon had expected to spend a couple of relaxing hours in the deer blind and then go home, so he had not told anyone he where he was going. He also was without his cell phone.

His wife thought he probably was working all night at First Baptist Church of Diboll, preparing financial records for an upcoming church business meeting. She expected him to arrive home after she left for work the next morning and sleep most of the day.

But when she returned home from work and found his bed undisturbed, she began calling around. She found out he had not been at church and had not been seen. Looking around the house, she then noticed his bow was missing and realized he must have gone hunting.

She also knew something must be wrong, since he had been out of communication for so long. Friends soon found him lying on the ground at the base of a tree, covered in fire ant bites. He was rushed to a Lufkin hospital and then was flown to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler.

Returned Easter Sunday

Fannon, 44, was able to return to the pulpit of First Baptist Church Easter Sunday.

“It was a good day for me, a great day to come back as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection. The sermon that morning took the resurrection and applied it to my situation—that the resurrection was the symbol of a new beginning,” Fannon said.

Since Easter, he has preached a series titled “The Potter’s Clay,” which can be read at www.fbcdiboll.com.

While he preaches from a wheelchair now instead of standing behind a pulpit, he said the preaching is no different. “It was like riding a bike, once you do it, you can do it,” Fannon said.

He admits, however, that there was a time during his rehabilitation when he wasn’t as sure.

“During my rehab, I was trying to figure out if God had redirected my calling—if he was moving into a different path of ministry,” he said. “I think it’s probably typical when you lose your mobility to question if you can go on and do the things we need to do. But today, compared to six months ago, it’s like night and day. Six months ago, I couldn’t roll over. I couldn’t move.”

Affirmation of ministry

A conversation with Roger Parker of Second Baptist Church in Houston was a turning point for him, he noted.

“I shared with him that I was thinking it might not be fair to the church to stay on as pastor. He pulled his chair up close to me and looked me right in the eye and asked: ‘What can you not do from that chair that you could do standing up? You’ve been called of God to be an example before God’s people and deliver the message he’s given you to deliver. Can you still do that?’ That was a big affirmation to my ministry,” Fannon said.

In some ways, his trial may have made him a better pastor, he said.

“Pastors, we preach about faith all the time, but often our lives are so insulated we don’t really have to live it, but now I have to live it every day. When I talk about enduring and persevering, I’m talking to me, too,” he explained.

A government agency is securing a van for Fannon to drive, but so far it has not been delivered. In the meantime, he rolls the 1.2 miles each way from his home to the church office in his wheelchair. The local newspaper alluded to that fact, and a local family took notice.

“They are usually here Christmas and Easter, and they were here on Easter when I came back. But they were here the next Sunday and the Sunday after that, too. Usually when people have a change in their attendance patterns, God is doing something special in their lives. So I asked the husband, ‘What is God doing in your life that is bringing you to his house more often?’

“He told me, ‘If you can roll that far each day to work, there’s no reason why my family can’t get up and come to church on Sunday morning,’” Fannon related.

"I'm going to find a way…"

For his part, he’s grown used to not having the use of his legs, he said.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Fannon said. “I laid the bricks for my house, and I laid the concrete for my house. I can’t do that now, but I’m going to get back at it. I’m going to find a way, and I’m going to do it.

“While I’ve had to give a lot of stuff up, it’s not that big a deal because of all I can gain. For the years we live here, so many of us get caught in our own comfort. If this is what God has for me, I think I’ll be richly rewarded if I embrace it,” he said.

“I love climbing mountains, and this is another mountain I can climb. God may heal me in six months, but I have the guarantee that I’ll walk again, and when I do, I’ll walk forever.”

NEW ORLEANS (BP)—When ABC network television’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition producers brainstormed about the 2008 season finale, their thoughts turned to New Orleans.

On Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a family—in this case, the Noah’s Ark Missionary Baptist Church family—receives a new or renovated home at no cost.

The family—in this case, Pastor Willie Walker, his wife, Veronica, and their three children—is sent on vacation for a week.

Volunteers—working 24 hours a day for about 130 hours—build and furnish the new home with donated services and material, from architectural drawings and drywall to nails and even pictures on the walls.

This is the first church building to receive Extreme Makeover’s attention.

More than 100 homes to date have received an Extreme Makeover from the program, which started airing in 2003. While all of them have been for “deserving” people or situations, the idea for the New Orleans finale was to bring the nation together to honor its heroes, said Diane Korman, senior producer of the show.

Extreme Makeover projects depend on local builders who volunteer their time, but “all the builders in town were already busy,” Korman said. “We called builder friends from previous shows to help out. It took an entire nation to pull this off.”

Noah’s Ark Missionary Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist congregation that lies in a low-rent counterpoint to the nearby high-dollar Garden District of New Orleans, not far from the French Quarter. The three-pronged Extreme Makeover effort in New Orleans also included a home for a Westwego family of volunteer firefighters and a Ninth Ward community center.

The show receives about 3,000 letters a week from people identifying themselves or others whose home would be worthy of an Extreme Makeover, but Korman said they received hundreds of letters about Willie Walker. The barrage of letters for one person got the producers’ attention, she said. So did the pastor’s story, she added.

“He’s more than a hero; he’s heroic,” Korman said.

The sole remaining deacon at Noah’s Ark Missionary Baptist Church calls Willie Walker a “24-hour (a day) pastor.”

Always helping people

“Even before Katrina, he was always helping people,” said Giovanni Morris. “People would donate food and pastor would take it right to the people he knew were needing it. Pastor did a lot of that.”

Walker had been trying to get a free medical clinic started since 2001 and regularly provided pastoral counseling “straight out of the Bible” for engaged couples, marriages in difficulty and people struggling with addictions, Morris said. Walker was leading two mid-week Bible studies in addition to Sunday morning worship for perhaps 60 people on any given week, though the total membership was closer to 150.

Then came Katrina.

On Aug. 28, 2005, Walker preached Sunday morning and then weathered the storm with his family in their Kenner home. The Category 4 hurricane keelhauled the city about breakfast time Monday. Walker’s wife and family left Tuesday to stay with relatives in Zachary, near Baton Rouge. Early Wednesday morning, after buying supplies at a Wal-Mart, Walker became an informal first responder. He’d find someone with a boat and lead them to people he knew as a local pastor needed help.

“After about six days of nonstop rescues, Rev. Willie Walker finally made his way to Noah’s Ark Church,” Douglas Brinkley wrote in The Great Deluge, a book about Hurricane Katrina. “Water had virtually washed away his files and library. Nothing much was left of the interior. … His church was nonexistent, except in his heart.”

Two-and-a-half years later

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Katrina. Little had been done on the building after it was gutted by Southern Baptist volunteers because meeting peoples’ needs trumped construction work. The congregation, which grew to about 20 in recent months—a third of its pre-Katrina attendance—met for services at a Methodist church, and Walker continued his ministry to those who had stayed through—and those who returned after—the storm.

“When we heard the story of Rev. Walker and all he had gone through and done for the city of New Orleans, we wanted to come down here and give him something back,” said David Hall, president of DelTec Homes of North Carolina, the lead builder for the project, which involved 18 builders and their crews, plus about 500 volunteers from across the nation.

“This man is a hero and his family are heroes…. To do this for him is a blessing for us. What he did during the storm was unbelievable.”

What the builders did during the week was unbelievable as well, observers said.

First task: demolish the original structure, which was nothing more than a “shotgun double” house converted in the 1970s by founding pastor Miller Norman into a worship center.

The biggest challenges included setting pilings into concrete 35 feet deep and constructing a 72-foot-long handicap access ramp. The extreme ramp length was necessitated by the height of the building and federal slope regulations: The base flood elevation in that part of New Orleans is 18 inches above sea level. Noah’s Ark was built three feet above sea level, and the flooring was set at five feet above sea level, said Ben Poss, DelTec’s director of engineering.

“In case of an actual flood, they should be OK,” Poss said.

Coordinating a television shooting schedule with the round-the-clock work of 18 builders and their crews, plus volunteers, presented another challenge.

Challenges met

But 106 hours later, an enormous bus stood in front of the church, and a long black limousine rolled to a stop on the other side. Walker bounded out of the car, followed by his wife and children.

Walker and Extreme Makeover star Ty Pennington talked briefly but little could be heard of the conversation, except one sentence from Walker that was picked up by the boom mikes overhead: “Whatever God wants to do, we’re happy.”

The restless crowd, knowing how the show works, began chanting: “Move that bus. Move that bus.” They did, and at his first sight of the new Noah’s Ark, Walker doubled over, completely overcome. Speechless, he struggled just to catch his breath.

It was left to Veronica Walker, her hand rubbing Willie’s back in support, to speak to the cameras: “We’re so grateful, from the bottom of our hearts.”

“You’ve seen the outside,” Pennington said. “Would you like to see the inside?”

He led the Walker family up the stairs—then back down again to make sure the stairstepping had been properly filmed by the ABC film crew. Once they stepped through the hammered metal and wrought iron double doors into the worship center, the Walkers had 20 minutes alone with the film crew before church members and volunteers joined them for a worship service headlined by Irma Thomas, known locally as a “queen of soul.”

The public got to see the new building for the first time when Extreme Makeover Home Edition aired its season finale May 18.

Baylor regents approve budget. Baylor University’s regents at their spring meeting approved a $366 million operating budget for 2008-2009. The budget, which takes effect June 1, reflects an increase of $21.1 million or 6.1 percent over the budget adopted by Baylor regents last year. In other board action, regents elected Howie Batson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, to a one-year term as chair. He will succeed Harold Cunningham of Crawford, effective June 1. Donell Teaff of Waco was elected vice chair. Five regents were re-elected to three-year terms: Stan Allcorn of Abilene, Cunningham, Stephen Carmack of Hinton, Okla., Ramiro Peña Jr. of Waco and Dary Stone of Dallas.

Baylor alumni honor Pinson, Vestal. The Baylor Alumni Association presented the George W. Truett Distinguished Church Service Award to Bill Pinson, executive director emeritus of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and Daniel Vestal, coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, during spring commencement exercises at Baylor University. More than 1,900 graduates received diplomas at Baylor’s commencement exercises—a record number for the university.

Baylor Health Care receives national awards. Baylor Health Care System was named winner of the 2008 National Quality Forum Healthcare Award. The award recognizes exemplary healthcare organizations that are role models for achieving meaningful, sustainable quality improvement in healthcare delivery. Five hospitals in the Baylor Health Care System also received leadership awards for clinical excellence and superior safety from VHA, a national healthcare alliance. The hospitals were honored for meeting or exceeding national performance standards in specific areas from the third quarter of 2006 to the second quarter of 2007. Clinical excellence honorees were Baylor’s Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital for the treatment of congestive heart failure and prevention of surgical complications and Baylor Medical Center at Garland and Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie for the prevention of surgical complications. Superior safety awards went to Baylor Specialty Hospital and Our Children’s House at Baylor for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Hardin-Simmons selects consultants for search. Hardin-Simmons University has engaged an executive search firm from Atlanta to help find a successor for Craig Turner, who steps down as HSU president May 31. Jon McRae and Associates will serve as consultants to Hardin-Simmons’ presidential search committee and search advisory committee. Nominations can be sent to Jon McRae & Associates, Inc., 3333 Riverwood Parkway, Suite 310, Atlanta, Ga. 30339; jma@jonmcrae.com; (770) 272-9040.

Foundation funds research on clergy sex abuse. The Ford Foundation gave a $200,000 grant to Baylor University and its School of Social Work to conduct the first national research on clergy sexual abuse of adults. Diana Garland, dean of the Baylor School of Social Work, previously had received $31,000 combined funding for this project from the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the JES Edwards Foundation of Fort Worth.

• James Burkhart to Clearfork Church in Hawley as associate pastor and music pastor.

• Pat Cole to First Church in Granger as pastor.

• Phill Colquitt to Latham Springs Camp in Aquilla as camp director from Aspendale Mountain Retreat Center in Cloudcroft, N.M., where he was administrator.

• Rick Ergle has resigned as pastor for First Church in Petrolia.

• Mike Hurt to Parkway Church in Victoria as pastor.

• Stephen Jones to First Church in La Grange as summer student ministries intern.

• Marcus McFaul to Highland Park Church in Austin as pastor from First Church in Lawrence, Kan.

• Randy Moore to Lake Victor Church in Lampasas as pastor.

• Robby Partain to Bluebonnet Association as associate director of missions.

• Jim Sherwin to First Church in Celeste as pastor from Everett Church in Hooks.

• James Shields to First Church in Baird as interim pastor.

• Ben Sigmundik to Flatonia Church in Flatonia as summer youth worker.

• Matt Ward has resigned as minister of music at First Church in Godley.

DALLAS—The newly relaunched Baptist Standard website represents more than just the same content in a more attractive format, according to Editor Marv Knox.

“Our redesigned website provides a platform for the Baptist Standard to fulfill our charter and mission in the 21st century,” Knox said.

The Standard’s charter mandates the organization “to aid and support the Baptist General Convention of Texas and interpret events and movements that affect the welfare of the people of God.” The newspaper’s mission is to “inform, inspire, equip and empower people to follow Christ and expand the kingdom of God.”

“To fulfill these lofty ideals, we must transcend the printed page and intensively expand the breadth and depth of products and services we offer on the Internet,” Knox explained.

The relaunched website at baptiststandard.com offers readers large-print “easy-on-the-eyes” viewing options, the chance to interact with writers, and expanded photo, video and audio features, as well as a blog by the editor.

The redesigned website also provides the Baptist Standard the capacity to offer readers additional downloadable resources beyond news and feature articles.

The Baptist Standard board of directors has created a strategic planning team composed of board members and newspaper staff to explore electronic delivery’s potential uses. The group will work with advisers to develop a plan for making the best use of the technology and for expanding the products and services the Standard offers.

Readers who have suggestions are invited to contact the editor at P.O. Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267 or marvknox@baptiststandard.com.

BROWNWOOD—The first graduates of Howard Payne University’s master of arts in youth ministry program say the practicality of their studies has given them a good foundation for a lifetime of ministry.

“It’s the most practical degree I can imagine being out there,” said James Cotton, youth minister at First Baptist Church in Stephenville. “I did some master’s-level work at another institution before starting the program, but I didn’t find it as practical.”

At 35, Cotton said, he was a little older than most students in the program. He believes it would be even more beneficial for students just starting out in ministry.

“For especially the younger students, there are so many things I would have loved to have had my hands on at their age,” Cotton said.

Unlike traditional ministry degrees, students don’t attend classes on a daily basis. The HPU master’s program is a 42-hour degree with classes offered in a modular format.

“Our real dream was to target youth ministers who are already out there serving but haven’t had the opportunity to earn that master’s degree,” said Gary Gramling, director of the program.

After students register for a course, they are e-mailed assignments to be completed before coming to class. They then come together for four days of classroom instruction and discussion. They also often have a follow-up assignment. Generally, students are on the Brownwood campus only four days every four to six weeks.

Dana Tye, director of children’s and youth ministry at Calvary Baptist Church in Brownwood, said that schedule worked well with her duties at church.

“I knew when the classes were, and I could plan accordingly,” she said. “I just made sure that big events did not coincide with my class schedule and was able to prepare the volunteer workers for those times I would be out.”

The program’s format also was helpful to a minister with a family like himself, Cotton said.

“It was a big calling card to have the modular format,” he said. “It fit me really well, because I have a family with three children. I needed to be able to schedule the work around my life.”

Jo Beth MacTavish, the third of the graduates, lives in Waco and is youth minister of Bosqueville Baptist Church there.

The modular format made it possible for her to be a part of the program, she explained.

“Living in Waco, I wouldn’t have made the commute every day for a traditional program,” she said.

The modular format also lends itself to an auxiliary, but perhaps more important, form of learning, Gramling said. Since many stay on campus, after class they spend meals and evenings discussing the various parts of ministry.

“There is a great camaraderie among those in the program, so the classes become so much fun,” he said. “And because of that, they feel a freedom to discuss the issues that come up in their various ministries.”

A major benefit of the program was learning from youth ministry practioners and then putting lessons into practice, Tye noted.

She also felt the program was directed more at preparing one’s self to be a good minister than to memorization of techniques.

“It wasn’t so geared toward methods of youth ministry and texts but more the personal side of ordering our own lives so that we can do a better job for those we are ministering to,” Dye said.

Since the in-class portions of each course are only four days, students also are exposed to a greater variety of instructors, Gramling pointed out. In addition to HPU instructors Gramling and Rusty Wheelington, students also have learned from Richard Ross, Jeter Basden, Chuck Gartman and other youth ministry “all-stars” who would not be available to teach an entire semester at Howard Payne.

Most courses are offered every two years, while a few foundational courses are offered yearly, Gramling said.

Upcoming courses include advanced youth ministry, counseling youth and their families, Baptist identity, researching youth culture and communicating with youth audiences.

For more information on the program, Gramling can be contacted at (325) 649-8404.

“We’re not where we want to be yet,” Gramling said, “but we’re excited about how it’s unfolding,”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee, who endorsed presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and drew sharp criticism for anti-Catholic comments, has written a letter expressing “deep regret” for causing any harm.

Hagee, who leads Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, was harshly criticized by Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and by Democratic National Committee officials.

“Out of a desire to advance greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful,” Hagee wrote to Donohue.

Hagee, who also is the founder of Christians United for Israel, said he gained an “improved understanding” of Catholics after recent “constructive dialogue” with Catholic leaders.

“In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews,” he wrote. “In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not.”

He said he does not consider the phrases “apostate church” and the “great whore” to be synonymous with the Catholic Church.

Donohue, in response, issued a statement saying “this case is closed,” and expressing hopes for stronger interfaith relations. McCain, campaigning in Washington state, told reporters Hagee’s apology was “very helpful” and “a laudable thing to do.”

DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board at its May 20 meeting unanimously elected Jill Larsen as treasurer/chief financial officer and voted to “wholeheartedly endorse” the Texas Hope 2010 evangelism emphasis.

Larsen, a certified public accountant, has served as controller/assistant treasurer for the BGCT since July 2004.

She assumes the treasurer’s post effective June 1. She has served in an interim leadership capacity since David Nabors resigned April 15.

Directors of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board sign a poster promoting Texas Hope 2010 as a token of their pledge to support the statewide evangelism emphasis. (Photo by John Hall/BGCT)

Harold Richardson of Tyler recommended Larsen to the board on behalf of a search committee that also included BGCT Executive Director Randel Everett, Executive Board Chair John Petty and Vice Chair Steve Dominy, BGCT President Joy Fenner and board members Elizabeth Hanna of Nederland and Fred Roach of Garland.

The committee seriously considered three candidates for the position but decided Larsen was most qualified for the treasurer’s post, Richardson said.

Prior to joining the BGCT Executive Board staff, Larsen worked in Oklahoma with Deloitte Consulting Outsourcing, VIP Sales Co. and PennWell. She worked with the Southern Baptist Annuity Board from 1994 to 2000, where in her final position she led the agency’s largest operational department.

Larsen is a summa cum laude graduate of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, and she teaches an adult Bible study class at The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson. She and her husband, Kent, have two children, Phillip, 25, and Mark, 18.

In another matter related to financial management, the board accepted and approved the 2007 financial audit report by Grant Thornton. The auditor provided an unqualified or “clean” opinion.

During his first report to the board as executive director, Everett presented a vision centered on three words:

• Share. Everett presented the Texas Hope 2010 challenge—share the gospel with every person in Texas by Easter 2010. (See related story.)

Jerry Carlisle, pastor of First Baptist Church in Plano, made a motion that the board “wholeheartedly endorse” Texas Hope 2010. At the end of the board meeting, directors signed a poster promoting the emphasis as a way to seal their pledged support.

Directors of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board sign a poster promoting Texas Hope 2010 as a token of their pledge to support the statewide evangelism emphasis. (Photo by John Hall/BGCT)

• Prayer. Every effort Texas Baptists undertake must be built on a “foundation of prayer,” Everett stressed.

• Care. Everett challenged Texas Baptists to commit themselves to eliminating hunger in their state and meeting human needs wherever they have the opportunity.

The Executive Board took two actions related to Baptist University of the Americas. The board approved a $166,280 gift to BUA—proceeds from the sale of about one-third of one acre to the Texas Department of Transportation to build a new pedestrian bridge over the freeway.

When the land was sold, a title search revealed the BGCT held the title to property believed to belong to BUA. When donors made contributions for the purchase of the land, they understood it would belong to the institution now known as BUA. Later, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary assumed responsibility for the school. But when the seminary relinquished its claim to the San Antonio school, the title was given to the BGCT rather than BUA.

At the recommendation of its Administration Support Committee, the Executive Board voted to authorize the title transfer to BUA.

In other business, the board:

• Approved a resolution of congratulations for Wayland Baptist University for its centennial year; resolutions of appreciation for Victor Schmidt, who retires July 1 as president of San Marcos Baptist Academy, and Jan Daehnert for service as interim executive director and interim associate executive director; and a resolution of commendation for the BGCT Executive Board staff for bringing the 2008 budget into “workable and attainable spending more consistent with income projections.”

• Authorized changes to the policy manual reflecting the composition of the audit committee, authorizing creation of the Hispanic Education Advisory Council and the Baptist Student Ministry Strategic Planning Team, updating guidelines for the doctoral loan program for Baptist university faculty and administrators, and revising language to reflect the closing of the counseling and psychological services office in Dallas.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Lawyers for a conservative advocacy group are worried the uproar over allegations of child abuse at a West Texas polygamous sect’s compound could entice the courts to overstep their bounds and limit the rights of parents in the general public.

Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel at the Liberty Legal Institute, is concerned that a court, focused on protecting children, could grant the state far-reaching powers to take children away from their parents. He asserts an anonymous phone call, like the one that sparked the raid in Eldorado, could allow anyone with a vendetta to remove children from a parent’s home.

The conservative Plano-based group, which specializes in religious freedom issues, filed a brief in the Texas Third Court of Appeals.

“One of the things that separates us from almost any other country in the world is that our children aren’t children of the state,” Shackelford said. “The most fundamental right is the right of any parent to direct the upbringing and education of their own children.”

Government officials can intervene and take a child from its parents “only if they have proof of a compelling safety issue—like sexual abuse,” he said.

Law enforcement officials raided the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado last month after receiving an anonymous call from a female claiming to be a victim of physical and sexual abuse at the ranch. In the days that followed, more than 400 children were removed by state officials for suspicion of possible abuse by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Shackelford and like-minded advocates believe the dramatic removal of children by law enforcement could influence the courts to create a legal precedent that could limit parents’ rights for generations.

And some parents who home-school their children fear they might be among those affected. Tim Lambert, president of the Texas Home School Coalition, said his members have been concerned and have contacted elected officials, fearing the case could weaken their rights to educate their children in their homes.

The Texas Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union also criticized the state’s handling of the incident, stating authorities have “not adequately protected the fundamental rights at stake.” The ACLU cited examples such as the separation of parents from children without adequate evidence, as well as court-ordered DNA testing for some children even when their parentage was not in dispute.