FORT WORTH (BP)—Attorneys for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and past board chair Danny Roberts have filed for dismissal in a case brought by former president Adam Greenway.

Both say Greenway’s lawsuit violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which precludes courts from deciding matters related to church governance and other ecclesiastical matters.

The former president filed his lawsuit in March, claiming he was defamed by seminary leaders in such a way that resulted in “severe damage to his reputation and rendering him unemployable in the professional capacity for which he is qualified.”

Those claims stem from placing the seminary’s dire financial situation in the fall of 2022 at Greenway’s feet as well as disagreements Greenway had with key seminary leaders and alumni.

“Accordingly … [defendants] move to dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint on the basis that the First Amendment, ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, and ministerial exception prohibit this Court from exercising subject-matter jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s claims,” reads the filing on behalf of the seminary and Roberts.

Greenway’s lawsuit discloses he resigned Sept. 23, 2022, accepting stipulations including “the promise of mutual non-disparagement as terms of separation.” An eventual settlement agreement in February 2023 included a provision that both parties would issue a joint statement.

The first point of the settlement agreement states Southwestern agreed to pay Greenway “a one-time lump sum payment in the amount of $229,500.00 on or before February 28, 2023.”

The second point addresses the joint statement, stipulating, “Southwestern will take responsibility for issuing the joint statement on or before February 28, 2023.”

No specifics are given as to the manner in which the joint statement will be delivered, nor other parties to be involved.

Southwestern Seminary asserts it fulfilled its responsibility by issuing a statement to Baptist Press on Feb. 28, 2023, that was ultimately not published because both sides declined to offer further “context and comment,” said Brandon Porter, associate vice president for convention news at the SBC Executive Committee.

Greenway’s position is Southwestern Seminary and not a third party was responsible for the public display of the statement.

“Apparently, compliance with the Settlement Agreement was not enough,” the filing stated. “Instead, Plaintiff wants to re-write the Settlement Agreement to include an obligation for the Seminary to have posted the joint statement on the Seminary’s website. The Court, however, should not re-write the Settlement Agreement or include terms that were not agreed to.

“… [T]he allegations and evidence show that the Seminary issued the joint statement. Nothing more is required.”

In regard to disparaging comments, the motion for dismissal says those provisions “do not prohibit the Seminary from disparaging Plaintiff (in any event, it did not). Instead, that provision only prohibited certain individuals from disparaging Plaintiff. Those individuals signed the Settlement Agreement in their individual capacities to evidence their agreement to that provision. Plaintiff, therefore, has failed to state a claim for breach of contract against the Seminary.”

The motion also disputes claims of defamation attributed to Roberts.

“[T]o be actionable, the complained-of statement must be one that can be objectively verified as false; statements of opinion are not actionable,” it said.

PLAINVIEW—Karen Bullock explored Baptist beginnings, heritage and challenges, calling for renewed housekeeping, as the Baptist historian addressed the William Pinson Lecture Series audience April 10 at Wayland Baptist University.

Using Psalm 48:13-14 as her backdrop, Bullock presented This Old House at 415: Letters from the Family—approaching 415 years of Baptist history through the context of a house.

“Baptists were not always a sprawling, flourishing family. In our early days, we were immigrants,” she said as she spoke of the “time of great upheaval” and “much suffering” that led to the beginning of the Baptist faith.

“They were bound by law to accept their monarch’s changing doctrines about God, salvation, baptism and ultimate authority,” Bullock said. “They had no choices. They were arrested, fined and even put to death for questioning. 

“Religious freedom? There was none. Baptists emerged in this volatile, chaotic time, knowing both the hope and the cost of following Christ. … They founded the first Baptist church, based upon believer’s baptism, in 1609 and wrote letters—our family letters—to explain their actions.”

“Baptists could not worship together except in attic-garret-rooms,” she continued. “The family left records, letters, to tell us what happened. … These relatives in our family story knew that in order to find life they had to lose it; that the call of Christ to follow him meant obedience, even though faithfulness guaranteed neither safety nor mortal life itself.”

Bullock described the “Baptist house” as a hexagon, identifying six clusters of beliefs—authority of Scripture alone, believer’s baptism, the priesthood of all believers, the separation of church and state, local church autonomy, and support for missions, evangelism and social Christianity.

Six clusters of belief

“The authority of Scripture identifier stands in contradistinction to creeds, dogmas, culture, reason, traditions or science,” she said. “This tenet includes the trinitarian Godhead, the person and work of Christ—virgin-born, sinless life, death, burial and resurrection, and bodily second coming—and salvation by grace through faith alone.”

Bullock said the second cluster, believer’s baptism, derives from the authority of Scripture and has two aspects—meaning and mode.

“Baptism takes place following repentance and confession of faith in Jesus Christ. It is a sign of obedience to Christ. It symbolizes Christ’s Lordship over our lives. It is a true identifier, as opposed to infant baptism,” she said. “Baptism is a picture of salvation—death, burial and resurrection.”

Addressing the third cluster, the priesthood of all believers, Bullock said this doctrine “does not support human self-sufficiency, independence from Scripture or moral ability apart from Christ.” She added that it does mean “no human priest is needed to intercede for us in matters of personal faith or for forgiveness of sin.”

Bullock focused on the “God-given right of all creatures to respond to their Creator without coercion” as she turned to the fourth identifier—separation of church and state.

“To persecute another for religious belief cuts across the biblical teaching that true faith is personal and voluntary,” she said.

Speaking to local church autonomy, the fifth cluster, Bullock said, “This belief derives from the Scriptural teaching that the Holy Spirit resides in each believer’s life, giving spiritual gifts for the church, empowering, transforming, revealing truth to believers—individually and corporately—and desiring the unity of the church.”

Bullock said “salvation has both individual and corporate dimensions” as she addressed the sixth identifier of missions, evangelism and social Christianity.

“We cannot support evangelism while ignoring hurting people. Neither can physical, emotional, educational, medical or human needs be addressed holistically without the gospel message,” she said. “Three essential elements are at work in this cluster: evangelism, church planting and discipleship, and social justice ministries.”

The bones are still solid

Bullock addressed concerns, noting, “Standing on the curb across from the Baptist home, one can mark the changes the years have brought—not all of them positive.”

 She said as time has evolved “specialized groups of Baptists have emphasized one or more of our clusters of beliefs. They have added rooms, erected sheds, cleared tent spaces in the back lawns, added upper stories, pushed walls out to the sides, and from some perspectives, caused this old house to be all but unrecognizable.”

She also said not all spaces in the Baptist house are characterized as wholesome.

“Some have been, and still are shady, unethical, even immoral, and can hardly be said to align with Christian biblical values today or the six clusters for which Baptists have historically stood,” she said. “Ugly graffiti has been sprayed on our house’s walls—letters we wish were not there.”

Addressing challenges, Bullock said, “During the demolition phase, walls come down and foundations are laid bare. The negligence of the occupants, over time, is exposed. The stability of the foundation is assessed. The debris may then be cleared away, and the renovation may take place.”

This demolition has taken place and is continuing, she said.

“What the process has revealed is that … the six cluster-sided-foundation and bones of this old house at 415 Baptist Way are still solid,” she said. 

“This large, worldwide family that lives here still agrees on and adheres to the six clusters upon which it has stood for more than four centuries….  Diversity? Yes, indeed. Historically focused on the gospel? Yes. Growing and taking steps forward? Yes. Perfect? No. We still fall short of God’s glory and purposes.”

“Could we allow God to do some serious and thorough spring cleaning? Could we, as a family, bow in humility, and be willing for his reconstruction, renovation, and reformation?” she asked. “It would not require burning down, giving up, or abandoning the Baptist house, or what we believe historically to be right—this six-sided foundation.”

Concluding, Bullock said: “May we determine afresh to demolish self-centeredness, pride and power schemes. … May we expose once again the beautiful beams of this old house to support, in even greater measure, true discipleship, missions, justice and untainted gospel witness. May we dust the chandeliers so that the light from within our house may shine to the world.

“Letters from this old house beckon us from its very foundations,” Bullock said as she quoted Psalm 127:1—“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

The annual William Pinson Lecture Series rotates among nine educational institutions affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and is designed to bring awareness of Baptist heritage and distinctiveness. 

Bullock served as distinguished professor of Christian heritage and director of the Ph.D. program at B.H. Carrol Theological Seminary from 2007 until her retirement in 2023.

ONTARIO, Calif.—In a unanimous vote April 15, Gateway Seminary trustees elected Adam Groza as the seminary’s eighth president during their spring 2024 meeting. His term begins May 13.

“I came back to California in 2010 to be part of Gateway Seminary because I believe raising ministry leaders in the western United States is a necessity for Southern Baptists,” Groza said.

“I still believe in this mission, and I am humbled to be entrusted with this responsibility.”

Groza, 48, was born in Pasadena, Calif., about 30 miles west of the seminary’s campus in Ontario. He grew up in Arizona and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s in political science. Then he earned a master of divinity from The Master’s Seminary in northern Los Angeles.

Product of SBC investment in the western U.S.

“Dr. Groza is a product of Southern Baptists’ investment in the western United States, and we are extraordinarily blessed to have a new leader who will continue Gateway’s mission of developing leaders in the West for the world,” said Phil Kell, Gateway trustee and retired president of the Baptist Foundation of California.

“With nearly two decades of leadership in academia and a deep commitment to serve Southern Baptist churches, Dr. Groza is poised to further shape the seminary into a leading training center for the next generation of pastors and ministers.”

Groza earned a Ph.D. and a Master of Theology degree in philosophy of religion at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While in seminary, he was ordained for ministry at Fairview Baptist Church in Rhome.

Before joining Gateway in 2010 as vice president for enrollment and student services, Groza served Southwestern Seminary and Scarborough College as director of admissions.

Groza was announced as the official nominee April 2 by the chair of the search committee, J. Robert White, who served 26 years as executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

“It was clear from our first interview with Dr. Groza that he possesses the integrity, godly character and academic experience to lead Gateway Seminary into the future,” White said.

In addition to serving as vice president at Gateway, Groza is also an associate professor of philosophy of religion. He also serves as a research fellow at the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, a teaching fellow at the Agricola Theological Institute in Finland and teaches regularly at California Baptist University.

Groza and his wife of 23 years, Holly, who is also a southern California native, have four children, Cosette, 19; Charlie, 17; Christian, 15; and Cate, 13.

Trustees also approved Groza’s nomination of Kristen Ferguson as vice president of enrollment and student services.

Ferguson joined Gateway in 2016 as director of online education and associate professor of educational leadership. In 2022, she was appointed associate dean of educational effectiveness.

Ferguson serves as chair of the SBC’s Committee on Resolutions and is a research fellow for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Trustees also approved the 2024-2025 academic budget of $12.9 million, an increase of 3 percent over the previous year.

CHICAGO (RNS)—Frederick D. Haynes III, who succeeded Jesse Jackson as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, has resigned suddenly from leading the Chicago-based civil rights organization.

“After continual prayer and deliberation, I have decided to step down from the position of Chief Executive Officer and President of Rainbow Push Coalition (RPC), effective immediately,” Haynes said in a statement issued April 16 on Rainbow PUSH letterhead.

Haynes, the pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas for four decades, could not be reached immediately for additional comment.

In a video statement, he called his work succeeding Jackson a “signal honor” but said it was time for him to continue his work in a different way.

“I felt it necessary, in light of the huge challenges faced by our community, in light of the challenges faced by this nation and world during this consequential year, to move in a different direction,” he said in the video statement posted on Instagram.

“I will continue the fight for justice. I will continue to be a prophetic witness. I will just do it in another lane while continuing to honor the work of Rainbow PUSH and Rev. Jackson.”

The Associated Press reported Jackson said Rainbow PUSH had accepted the resignation of Haynes and said they would continue as “partners in the fight for peace, civil rights and economic justice.”

He said his son, Yusef Jackson, would continue in his role as the chief operating officer of Rainbow PUSH.

In July, when the transfer of leadership was announced, the elder Jackson said he would continue to be part of its work.

“I am looking forward to this next chapter where I will continue to focus on economic justice, mentorship, and teaching ministers how to fight for social justice,” he said in a statement at the time. “I will still be very involved in the organization and am proud that we have chosen Rev. Dr. Haynes as my successor.”

Haynes, who is triply aligned with the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc., Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc. and American Baptist Churches USA, told Religion News Service in a July interview he was comfortable adding the additional role.

“I don’t know that it will be that much of a new juggle, because I’ve been blessed to pastor Friendship-West for 40 years, and we have built a solid infrastructure,” he said at the time. “I have a great staff, a wonderful church, quite supportive. And the work I’ll be doing at Rainbow Push is, in reality, a larger platform of work I’ve always been doing.”

‘Helped stabilize Rainbow PUSH’

Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, lauded Haynes’ work in a statement posted on social media and said he appreciated his colleague’s contributions to Rainbow PUSH.

“As someone who has been a student and mentee of Rev. Jesse Jackson since I was 12 years old, words cannot express my gratitude to Rev. Haynes for sharing his time away from his mammoth ministry and youth church responsibilities,” Sharpton said.

“He has helped stabilize Rainbow PUSH as Rev. Jackson’s health became more challenging. As Rev. Haynes returns to his full-time work in his unparalleled … social justice ministry, which is needed more than ever in a crucial election year, I look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with him to preserve the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson.”

The coalition’s history dates to 1966, when Martin Luther King Jr. appointed Jackson to direct the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, boycotting white businesses that did not employ Black Americans.

In 1971, Jackson founded PUSH (which first stood for People United to Save Humanity and later, People United to Serve Humanity), according to the coalition’s website.

In 1996, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition formed from the merger of PUSH with the National Rainbow Coalition, creating a civil rights organization with an aim for economic and educational equality.

SEYMOUR, Tenn. (BP)—Dan Spencer, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tenn., has become the sixth nominee for president of the Southern Baptist Convention at the 2024 SBC annual meeting June 11-12 in Indianapolis.

Chris Kendall, senior pastor of Oak City Baptist Church in Seymour, Tenn., informed the Baptist and Reflector April 11 of his intention to nominate Spencer, who has been the pastor at First Baptist in Sevierville since 2011.

Kendall said he is a Southern Baptist by choice, and he loves the SBC for two primary reasons—the autonomy of the local church and the spirit of cooperation.

“Over the past several years, our Southern Baptist network has been marked by controversy and contention. I believe that Dan Spencer is the unifier that would benefit our collective to refocus on what matters most. It’s the people that God has put before us to reach with the gospel and make disciples,” he said.

“His love for God and people has positioned him to make the necessary biblical decisions (as a leader) when it comes to faith and practice. … Dan is competent to lead at the denominational level. He also has what’s most essential—the character to back it up.”

Spencer has a long Southern Baptist heritage. He is the great-great nephew of M.E. Dodd, “the father of the Cooperative Program” and the great-great grandson of George Martin Savage, who was president of Union University and Dodd’s father-in-law.

His father, Jerry Spencer, has been a Southern Baptist evangelist and pastor since 1957.

Spencer was called to ministry in 1986 while on a youth choir tour/mission trip to Toronto, Canada, from his home church of Brownsville Baptist Church in Brownsville, Tenn.

Spencer has been involved in Southern Baptist life more than two decades. He preached at the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2001 and was a member of the SBC Committee on Committees in 2005. Spencer served as president of the Georgia Baptist Convention from 2009 to 2011 and served as a director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board from 2015 to 2019.

During his tenure at First Baptist in Sevierville, the church has been one of Tennessee’s leaders in baptisms and in giving through the Cooperative Program.

In 2023, the church gave $542,915 through the Cooperative Program, or 9.09 percent of $5,972,068 in undesignated gifts. Also last year, the church reported 64 baptisms and $659,425 in gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Kendall believes Spencer has the ability to “rally the diverse collective of churches and pastors together to master and major on the main thing—the Great Commission.”

Kendall added he believes Spencer would complement the work of Jeff Iorg, the new president / CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.

“He would be the right fit for Dr. Iorg in this inaugural annual meeting for our new EC president,” he said.

Spencer joins fellow Tennessee pastor Jared Moore of Cumberland Homesteads Baptist Church in Crossville as a nominee, as well as Bruce Frank, pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C.; Clint Pressley, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C.; Mike Keahbone, First Baptist Church, Lawton, Okla.; and David Allen, professor and dean at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Cordova, Tenn.

Kelly Knott resigned as pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in Fort Worth effective April 12.

More than a dozen Christian leaders—including the executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention—sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson April 17 urging Congress to protect religious liberty in Eastern Europe by supporting Ukraine.

“We remind Congress that religious freedom is a basic human right that must be protected everywhere. We pray Congress has the courage to stand in solidarity with people of faith. Ukrainian Christians deserve the freedom to worship in peace and embrace their faith without fear,” the letter states.

“We call on Congress to provide Ukraine with the financial and military support required to defend herself, stop the bloodshed, and secure freedom of religion within her borders.”

Previously, the Ukraine Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches made a similar appeal to Johnson in a March 26 letter, and a group of Southern Baptists and Ukrainian Baptists sent an April 8 letter to Johnson urging support for Ukraine.

‘Widespread, vicious persecution’

The April 17 letter from a coalition led by Gary Marx, president of the Defenders of Faith and Religious Freedom in Ukraine, states Evangelical and Protestant Christians in Russian-controlled areas “are being persecuted, harassed, intimidated, imprisoned, tortured, mutilated and killed—simply for worshipping God as they see fit.”

“We are pained and shocked by the widespread, vicious persecution of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine by Russian forces. Russia is waging a war against Evangelical and Protestant Christians at a scale likened to ‘cultural genocide,’” the letter states.

The letter accuses Russian forces of damaging and looting churches and of killing pastors and priests “in cold blood.”

“We cannot stay silent in the face of this evil. … We must rise together to protect and defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted and killed for their faith,” the letter states.

“We have a duty to stop Russia from expanding its religiously oppressive legacy to Ukraine. We implore Congress to fight back against the horrors being committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.”

Arkansas Baptist leader Rex Horne signed the letter to Johnson, joining Shonda Werry, president of the Ukraine Orphans Project; Tim Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition; and popular author Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan.

Other signers included Mike Hamlet, senior pastor of First Baptist North Spartanburg in South Carolina; Ty Childers, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C.; Steve Durham, senior pastor of Sunset Hills Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tenn.; Dale Armstrong, director of the American Pastors Network International; and Chad Connelly, president of Faith Wins.

Hkalam Samson, former president and general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Myanmar, has been released from Myitkyina Prison in Burma’s Kachin State.

Sources related to the Baptist World Alliance and 21Wilberforce confirmed Samson’s release, one year after receiving a six-year prison sentence.

Ah Le Lakang, general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Churches USA, said Samson was released at 1 p.m. on April 17 as part of an amnesty in celebration of Myanmar’s New Year.

Samson was “warmly welcomed” by convention staff and church members “in the hall of the Kachin Baptist Convention,” he added.

He quoted Samson’s attorney, Dau Nan: “He was freed from Myitkyina Prison today to mark Myanmar’s New Year. He is at home now.”

Ah Le Lakang thanked Samson’s attorney, religious leaders and the international community “for their tireless support and effort” in securing Samson’s release.

Samson, chairman of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly and critic of human rights abuses by the ruling Burmese military, was sentenced last year on charges of unlawful association, defaming the state and terrorism.

At the time, BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown called Samson’s sentence “a grave injustice” and called on churches to pray for an end to his “unjust imprisonment.”

Samson had been arrested on Dec. 5, 2022, at the Mandalay International Airport. At the time he was attempting to travel to Bangkok, reportedly for a medical procedure.

Samson was president of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Myanmar from 2018 to 2022, and he previously served two terms as the convention’s general secretary, from 2010 to 2018.

In April 2021, two months after the military coup in Myanmar, Samson joined in issuing a call for global prayer and advocacy on behalf of the nation.

Roy Medley, general secretary emeritus of the American Baptist Church USA and executive director of the Burma Advocacy Group, expressed thanksgiving for Samson’s release.

“The hearts of all who are part of the Burma Advocacy Group rejoiced at the news of Dr. Samson’s release from prison. Collectively, we have prayed and worked for this day. To God be the glory,” Medley said.

“This fiercely courageous spokesperson for religious liberty and freedom chose to suffer with and for the people of Burma when he turned down the offers of asylum that were presented to him when he was last in the U.S. to testify about religious persecution in Burma by the junta.

“Even while he was in prison, he continued to minister to others and through his example and preaching many embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, the Burma Advocacy Group pledges to continue our prayers and work until all of Burma is released from the shackles of tyranny.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated about an hour after it initially was posted to include the statement from Roy Medley and the Burma Advocacy Group. On April 18, The Irrawaddy online news outlet, founded by Myanmar exiles in Thailand, reported Samson was taken back into custody, along with his wife, in the predawn hours after his release. The Baptist Standard will continue to monitor the situation and report new developments when they are confirmed.

Roger A. Paynter, former Texas Baptist pastor, died March 6 after complications from a stroke. He was 74. He was born in Ardmore, Okla., to Roger Allen Paynter and Juanita Goss Paynter. He attended Oklahoma State University to play football as a redshirt freshman but transferred to Baylor University. While he was at Baylor, he served as youth minister at Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco. After graduating from Baylor in 1972, he pursued a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and served as a pastoral intern at Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville. He later completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School. He was ordained in 1975 and served as associate pastor at The Church at Highland Park in Austin. He went on to be senior pastor at Austin Heights Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., and First Baptist Church in Austin, retiring in 2014. He most recently led the congregation at First Christian Church in Smithville. Paynter served 12 years as adjunct professor of homiletics at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest and adjunct professor of spirituality for two years. He was also a visiting lecturer in homiletics at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and at International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic. He was president and founding board member of the first Texas location of the Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center, providing free and low-cost counseling services—first in Nacogdoches, then in Waco and Austin. He was appointed co-chair of the Racial Reconciliation Task Force by the mayors of Jackson, Miss., and Austin. He created a chapter of Interfaith Hospitality Network in Austin, recruiting and organizing places of worship around the city to provide shelter for the unhoused. He also served on the boards of Baptist Women in Ministry, Seton Cove, Habitat for Humanity, the Baptist House of Studies at Duke, the Baptist Board at TCU, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists. He is survived by son Grayson Paynter and his wife Kelly, daughter Mary Kathryn Paynter, two grandchildren, sisters Maita Smith and Laura Lee Graham Flynn, and his former wife of 44 years, Suzii Youngblood Paynter March.

Lott Carey, a historically Black Baptist missional organization, expressed “unwavering solidarity with the people of Haiti during this time of unprecedented crisis.”

In an April 16 public statement, Lott Carey pledged continued support for missions partners in Haiti and called on the international community to “join in prayer and support for Haiti.”

Turmoil in Haiti—still reeling from a devastating hurricane in 2010 that displaced hundreds of thousands of people—grew worse after the July 2, 2021, assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Violent criminal gangs have seized control over large areas of the country. The United Nations Human Rights Office reported 4,451 people killed and 1,668 injured due to gang violence last year. Already in the first quarter of this year, at least 1,554 have been killed and 826 injured.

“The current situation in Haiti is dire. Gang violence has escalated, leading to a humanitarian disaster that has left millions in need of urgent assistance,” Lott Carey stated. “The recent gang war has resulted in thousands of deaths and has displaced more than 362,000 people, creating a state of fear and uncertainty.”

While violence initially centered on the Port-au-Prince area, its impact has spread into rural areas, as supply lines have been disrupted and grocery prices have increased dramatically.

“This has exacerbated the hunger crisis, with 4.4 million people facing crisis levels of food insecurity,” Lott Carey stated, pointing out it likely will grow even worse during the rapidly approaching hurricane season.

Texans on Mission—historically known as Texas Baptist Men—announced earlier this month it sent funds to help its in-country missions partner, Good for Haiti, respond to immediate hunger needs in rural areas.

“In response to these challenges, Lott Carey pledges our support for the Strategic Union of Baptist Churches, the Haiti Baptist Convention, Mission of Grace and other partners in Haiti,” Lott Carey stated. “We have provided emergency aid, supported education and sent volunteers to assist in relief efforts. Our commitment to the Haitian people remains steadfast.”

Lott Carey has maintained a partnership with the Strategic Union of Baptist Churches of Haiti (L’Union Strategique des Eglises Baptistes d’Haiti) since 1916.

 “We call on the international community to join us in prayer and support for Haiti,” Lott Carey stated. “We urge an end to the conflict and for peace to be restored.

“It is our fervent hope that through collective efforts, we can help alleviate the suffering and bring about a brighter future for Haiti.”

Artwork created by seven Wayland Baptist University seniors will be on display April 19 to May 17 at Abraham Art Gallery. The exhibitions are part of a capstone class for art majors and required for graduation. “For most students it will be the first solo show in their professional exhibition record,” said Candace Keller, art professor and university curator and art director for the gallery. “The students are responsible for all aspects of development, design and installation of their professional visual art exhibition.” Students with artwork in the senior exhibition are Paten Denton, graphite, acrylic paint, oil pastels and charcoal; Alli Ferguson, digital and mixed media; Blanca Murillo, traditional and digital art; Daniel Hartman, primarily street photography with some acrylic paint and pencil; Selma Sutaj, painting and drawing; Ashlyn Holmes, drawing, painting and animation; and Zeah Clark, acrylic, block printing and ceramics. Some of the works on display will be on sale, either as originals or prints. Abraham Art Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday; and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday. For more information or to schedule a group tour, call the gallery at 806-291-3710.

For more than a decade, Wayland Baptist University has celebrated Creation Care Week. The emphasis acknowledges God as creator, sustainer and redeemer of all things, and it recognizes many still believe God’s creation is an exploitable commodity. Creation Care Week reminds the university family one cannot honestly declare love for God while destroying his creation. “Creation care is about caring for God’s creation in the same ways that he does,” said Matthew Allen, professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth L. Mattox School of Mathematics and Sciences. Allen will be the featured chapel speaker at 11 a.m. on April 17, as he presents “Tree Tales.” He will discuss tree species found on the Plainview campus, detailing both their ecology and the ways humans interact with them. As part of Creation Care Week, the university offers a special screening of Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story, a film narrated by Matthew McConaughey. The critically acclaimed documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. on April 17. On Thursday, Wayland will gather to put creation care into action at “Come Plant with Us,” where students, faculty and staff are scheduled to help beautify outdoor planter boxes.

Renovations recently were completed for a microbiology lab in Howard Payne University’s Winebrenner Memorial Hall of Science, thanks to funding from HPU supporters. “It is now a state-of-the-art space that will better support the student experience in our classes each day,” said Kristen Hutchins, dean of the School of Science and Mathematics. Winebrenner Hall was built in 1962 and named in memory of longtime faculty member O.E. Winebrenner. The updates to the microbiology lab are the most recent in a series of lab and classroom renovations made within the facility in the last several years. Dale Meinecke, HPU’s vice president for Advancement, expressed the university’s gratitude to supporters of the renovation project. “We extend our appreciation to Waldrop Construction, the Central Texas J.R. Beadel Foundation and several other alumni supporters and friends who gave generously to make this renovation possible,” Meinecke said. “In total, nearly $170,000 was given in support of this project.”

Houston Christian University held a groundbreaking ceremony for Founders Hall 2, the final building in the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty complex, on April 2. HCU President Robert Sloan joined the Morris family, past and former members of HCU’s board of trustees, members of the Executive Council, faculty and staff, and Brookstone Construction contractors to mark the beginning of construction on the final phase of the five-building complex. The $7 million 18,438-sq.-ft. building will mirror the size and dimensions of the adjacent Founders Hall 1 building. The new academic building will house nine classrooms, seven faculty offices and a conference room. Slated for completion in January 2025, the building will provide additional space to support HCU’s Institutional Strategic Plan, “Husky 2030,” and help the university continue its mission—instilling in students a passion for academic, spiritual and professional excellence as a result of their central confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Faculty in the College of Science & Engineering at Houston Christian University will be able to enhance student performance in traditionally challenging freshman-level math and science courses thanks to a $500,000 project grant funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.  Established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, the foundation’s top priorities are to promote discovery in science and engineering, accelerate technology and innovation and advance diversity in science and engineering.  Submission of the federally funded grant was spearheaded by faculty members Illya Medina Velo, assistant professor of chemistry and director of science sesearch, David Meng, associate professor of mathematics and engineering, and Kamela Gallardo, assistant professor of biology. Katie Evans, dean of HCU’s College of Science & Engineering expressed her appreciation for the team’s efforts.  “I am especially thankful for their leadership and effort in support of student learning, and I am eager to provide whatever administrative support is needed to ensure success of this important work,” Evans said.

Attachment 2 – Photo Caption: HCU student in a lab in the College of Science and Engineering | Photo credit: Carnegie | Houston Christian University

Hundreds of students gathered inside a large white tent in the middle of campus for the 25th annual spring revival at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor April 8-10. This year’s theme was “Called by Name.” Shane Pruitt, the National Next Gen director for the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, was the featured speaker. Jimmy McNeal and Austin Stone Worship led worship for the three-day event. “Revival 2024 has seen more than 100 students respond to calls to salvation, rededication and repentance. In addition, 29 students accepted a call to serve in ministry leadership roles,” said UMHB’s dean of spiritual life and university chaplain Jason Palmer. A thunderstorm on the second night of the revival required a move from the tent to Walton Chapel, where participants worshipped acapella and responded to a call to repentance delivered without a microphone. “The simplicity of the gospel was on display, and it was beautiful,” said a post on the UMHB Spiritual Life Instagram page.

Anniversary

30th for Allen Frans as youth and family pastor at Central Baptist Church in Round Rock. He also has served more than two decades as chaplain for the baseball and football teams at Round Rock High School and for the Round Rock Express minor league baseball team.

LENEXA, Kansas (BP)—David Crowther, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Wichita, Kan., will be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention first vice president.

Steve Dighton, pastor emeritus of Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, Kan., announced he will nominate Crowther at the 2024 SBC annual meeting June 11-12 in Indianapolis.

“David Crowther is a young dynamic leader and one who would thrive in this position of leadership,” Dighton said.

“He is humble, a servant leader, a gifted preacher and a loving shepherd. He is a consensus builder and desires to see us flourish in the years to come.”

Crowther became Immanuel’s senior pastor in November 2019. He previously served churches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky.

He currently is first vice president of the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists.

Dighton says Immanuel Church “has grown numerically, increasing baptisms, mission offerings and mission giving,” under Crowther’s leadership.

Crowther has also helped the church to increase Cooperative Program giving, Dighton added.

In 2023, the church reported 557 people in average worship attendance and 41 baptisms, according to the SBC Annual Church Profile. The church gave $72,636 (5 percent) of $1,455,921 in undesignated offerings to the Cooperative Program; $25,833 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and $992 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

Crowther holds a bachelor’s degree from Anderson University, a Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate in philosophy from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and his wife Laura have three children.

He joins Michael Clary as an announced candidate to be nominated for SBC first vice president.