The first two teams of Texas Baptist Men volunteers in Israel are returning home after providing more than 30,000 meals since the Israel-Hamas war began.

However, it isn’t the war that dominates their conversation. They talk about the faith that motivated them and the people they encountered.

“Being a witness was the main focus for us going there,” said Genia Macon of First Baptist Church in Lewisville. “Christians coming from halfway around the world is a huge witness for Jesus Christ. … It’s not our words. It’s our actions. We feel like we’re the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.”

Suzanne Shumock, a TBM volunteer from Mississippi, said people in Israel were “encouraged because we were there … that we were willing to come and help.”

Twenty-nine TBM volunteers have worked in Israel thus far. Most are from Texas, plus two from Mississippi, two Church Forward volunteers from Missouri and one Baptists on Mission volunteer from North Carolina.

‘Flexibility is key’

The situation unfolded differently than expected, because the war did not progress as expected, said Gary Finley, who is TBM’s volunteer coordinator in Israel and spent much of October there.

Still, TBM has been feeding at least 2,000 people each day, topping 3,000 Thursday.

“We may not have gone over to do exactly what we planned to do. But … the mission of TBM is to share the love of Christ, and feeding is just an avenue for that,” Finley said.

A third TBM volunteer team will go to Israel, but first TBM’s in-country partner—Emergency Volunteers Project—will focus on capacity building and making it possible for a field kitchen to increase the number of meals provided each day, TBM Executive Director Mickey Lenamon noted.

“In disaster situations, TBM has learned flexibility is key in ministering well. It’s even more important when serving in the middle of a war,” Lenamon wrote in a Nov. 1 email to TBM disaster relief volunteers.

“With that in mind, we have decided to postpone what would be our third team in Israel for a short time. Local Israeli volunteers will continue to serve as they expand the capacity to deliver meals. It’s going to take a little time and investment before sending in the next Texas team.”

‘Showing the love of Christ through our actions’

In October, TBM volunteers generally prepared the meals, working with Israeli relief workers and volunteers, who delivered most of the food, Finley said.

“We’re building relationships … showing the love of Christ through our actions,” he said. “And they are receiving it very well … and inviting us into their homes.”

People in Israel do not have much contact with Christians, and “most Israelis don’t have the best opinion of Christians,” Finley said. The volunteers’ presence in Israel is “breaking through the stereotypes.”

TBM has trained more than 100 volunteers specifically for Israel, Finley said. “We are trying to get them there first” and then “fill gaps with some that have not been trained” in Israel, he explained.

The 29 volunteers who have served thus far were busy preparing food for the people in Israel. That’s the work, but the witness is the purpose.

‘We are here because Jesus Christ has sent us’

Jackie Grey, of 121 Church in Grapevine, said the Israel experience “made me realize that people from other cultures and religions don’t understand that Christians want to share Christ’s love by serving them.

“The people we served alongside and who dealt with us … could not comprehend that we were there to help without being Jewish or Israeli,” Grey said.

Macon found it interesting speaking with Israelis. She said someone told her: “I thought Christians were bad. You’re not bad. You’re here.”

“We want people to know we are Christians, and we are there because our Lord Jesus Christ has sent us,” Macon said.

Jodie Liford, of First Baptist Church in Forney, said, “All those little conversations we have with people, they matter.”

Andy Stern of First Methodist Church in Richardson said, “We were able to make a lot of food, and we know it got distributed to people in need.” But having the “chance to grow relationships with our Israel friends and volunteers” is what impacted Stern most.

Even as they began the journey home, Stern said, he had a “phenomenal discussion” with several Jordanians.

“It was a special experience of people getting to know each other,” he said. “We’re children of a God who loves us.”

‘God’s hand was over us’

Stern went to Israel “because God called me to go.” Proverbs 3:5-6 became important to him as he prepared and began the trip. The verses speak of trusting the Lord and leaning not on your own understanding.

The effects of war brought the TBM volunteers to Israel, but the volunteers saw little of it directly.

“One time we saw contrails of missiles,” Shumock said. “I was never afraid. … That goes back to that prayer thing. God’s hand was over us.”

Macon noted it was a “little scary” considering going to Israel. “I had to think about it and pray about going. … Once there, I felt safe and secure.”

Some TBM Israel training has been canceled, and other week-long offerings are now filling up, Finley said. Visit the Volunteer in Israel web page at tbmtx.org/israel to apply for training. There is a separate Israel Volunteer Sign Up web page at tbmtx.org/israel-volunteer-sign-up for those who are not yet trained in Israel but would like to serve if possible.

Some observers criticized the recent Roman Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality for failing to take bold positions on controversial issues. But a Baptist participant at the Synod believes other Christians could learn from the process Catholics followed.

 “Synodality is an unfamiliar word, not only amongst Protestants, but also—I quickly discovered—amongst many Catholics, as well. It means ‘walking together’ or also ‘accompaniment.’ There was a strong focus on listening to one another and seeking to discern together—in contrast to only debating,” Baptist theologian Elizabeth Newman said.

Newman from the United States and Valérie Duval-Poujol from France served as Baptist World Alliance fraternal delegates to the Synod on Synodality.

The summit of 464 Catholic bishops, priest and laity—including women—gathered to discuss a range of issues, based on two years of conversations in Catholic parishes around the world.

As chair of the BWA Commission on Baptist Doctrine and Christian Unity, Newman is a veteran of Baptist-Catholic dialogues. She participated in conversations between the BWA and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, a long-term initiative.

“I believe this kind of ecumenical initiative is important because, as the Baptist World Alliance acknowledges, while for Baptists the local church is wholly church, it is not the whole church,” she said.

“God gathers us in local congregations of discipleship, gatherings that are at the same time part of a larger reality—the church universal. Ecumenism is the active reminder of this truth.

“There is, of course, division and even discord. God calls Baptists and all Christians, however, to seek unity,” she continued, citing John 17:20. “Unity is a way of sharing in God’s mission.”

Religion News Service reported 364 voting participants in the monthlong summit produced a 42-page document, Synthesis Document for a Synodal Church in Mission. RNS noted most of the 20 points in the document passed with overwhelming majorities, but no single paragraph received full consensus.

At the Synod, participants were divided into groups of 12 and “invited to address specific questions that arose out of earlier synodal discussions from the seven continents,” Newman explained.

“Each group considered shared convergences, divergences amongst themselves and ongoing questions that the group had,” she said. “The groups had facilitators, and all members were allowed equal time to speak.”

Prayer and contemplation practiced

Newman praised the Synod’s emphasis on prayer and sensitivity to the Spirit’s leadership.

“In addition to prayer at the opening and closing of each session, there were periods of silence, two to four minutes, usually following about 30 minutes of listening,” she said.

“As I experienced it, the Synod is seeking to form its participants to see synodality as a contemplative way of being. I think Baptists and all Christians could learn from this way of being with one another in contrast to the temptation to be reactive.

“At the same time, synodality is not only listening. The focus is discerning together in light of Scripture and tradition.”

She expressed hope the “contemplative process of synodality” and emphasis on prayer not only will shape congregational discussions, but also future ecumenical dialogue.

Synodality also includes “a strong emphasis on the poor, the migrants, those on the periphery or those who feel excluded from the church,” she added.

“How might fuller attention to those on the margins shape and build up our understanding of being church together?” she asked.

Role of women explored

As expected, the role of women in the church figured prominently in Synod discussions. The Women’s Ordination Conference officially said it was “dismayed by the failure of the Synod to take seriously the overwhelming calls to open all ordained ministries to women.” Even so, it applauded the Vatican for allowing 54 women to vote alongside male bishops for the first time at the summit.

The Synod gave serious attention to asking how to acknowledge fully women’s gifts and roles in the church, Newman said.

“It was quite moving to hear women from different parts of the world speak to the need for their presence and gifts to be more fully received in the life of the Catholic church,” she said. “For me, this discussion related to discussion about authority, which some emphasized, was not simply power as in the secular sphere. Authority is service to assist growth, promoting others and not oneself, and is rooted in the grace of God.”

Newman noted the Synod opened the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate, if not the priesthood. She pointed out Lottie Moon—the revered 18th century Baptist missionary to China—supported a revival of the order of deaconesses, whom she called “holy handmaids of the Lord.”

“While Baptists and Catholics have differences in understanding the role of ‘deacon,’ it would be fruitful ground to explore as a shared possibility for women,” she said.

Challenge of secularization examined

The Synod devoted particular attention to Christian witness in the midst of secularization, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, Newman noted.

“This secularization included the loss or weakening of faith across the generations,” she said. “This would be a shared concern for Baptists and other Protestants, as well.”

Discussion focused on how to include young people in various church roles, listen to their concerns and strengthen their spiritual formation, with special attention to communicating in a digital context, she observed.

“I talked with one sister who has a huge following on TikTok, where she responds to questions that young folks send in,” she said.

Signs of common ground?

Despite distinct theological differences between Catholics and Baptists, Newman saw evidence of common ground in the discussions at the Synod.

“I think many Baptists would have been surprised to hear Catholics emphasizing a personal relationship or encounter with Jesus. This emphasis was in response to reflecting on co-responsibility and a shared understanding of all participating in the mission of the church,” she said.

“Baptists have long emphasized lay involvement in mission. At the same time, Baptists and Catholics can continue to learn from one another how our mission to the faith is to be lived out.”

In small-group discussions at the Synod, Newman noted “a strong emphasis on the witness of holiness or the idea that you’re sharing your own person as well as the good news. Holiness and transformation are part of the gospel.”

Baptists and other Protestants—who accept the priesthood of believers as a central doctrine—could learn from continued ecumenical dialogue with Catholics, she noted.

“The priesthood of all believers is no solo flight, but a communion that radiates,” she said.

NEW ORLEANS (BP)—Calling the August court decision to dismiss his case against the North American Mission Board “wrong in almost every material aspect,” Will McRaney filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Oct. 31.

NAMB’s motion for dismissal was granted based on Judge Glen Davidson’s interpretation of the First Amendment and ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which states that courts cannot get involved in ecclesiastical matters.

The court “finds that it cannot adjudicate the Plaintiff’s claims in this case without impermissibly delving into church matters in violation of the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine,” Davidson said in his Aug. 15 memorandum.

That viewpoint, said McRaney in the Oct. 31 filing, “misapprehends the facts and the law, while itself threatening religious liberty and raising Establishment Clause concerns.”

The district court’s conclusion contained “significant” errors, the filing continued, namely by “purporting to grant” summary judgment after it had determined that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction. This requires the case to be remanded to state court, the document said, something the district court did not do.

“This appeal presents important procedural and substantive issues, and Dr. McRaney respectfully submits that oral argument will significantly aid the Court’s adjudication of this case,” it said.

In its response to the filing, NAMB also argued its case on religious liberty grounds.

“The District Court’s latest dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims rightly protects religious liberty for all churches and religious ministries as secured by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—freedoms that would be narrowed if he prevails in this new appeal,” a NAMB spokesperson said.

“The latest dismissal in no way threatens Southern Baptist polity, voluntary cooperation, or autonomy, each of which NAMB has consistently and correctly reflected in its court filings. To the contrary, the decision dismissing the plaintiff’s case protects autonomy and religious liberty. We look forward to filing our response to the plaintiff’s appeal as we continue to defend our ministry against his unfounded claims and to defend every church and ministry’s religious liberty.”

McRaney and his wife Sandy addressed the case in a video posted Oct. 24 where he also talked about financial support for the case collected through a GoFundMe account. An unnamed state Baptist convention and not just its leader, he specified, is among those who have contributed.

Other state conventions, he added, have placed funds to try and “speak the truth to the courts.”

McRaney originally filed his case in April 2017, claiming NAMB and President Kevin Ezell influenced the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware to fire him as executive director. Davidson originally dismissed the case in April 2019.

McRaney appealed that decision the following year with the Fifth Circuit, which overturned the dismissal and brought a petition by NAMB to the Supreme Court in February 2021 claiming First Amendment protections. That petition was denied, with the case remanded back to the district court before it summarily was dismissed.

Steve Brazzel to Leon Baptist Association as part-time director of missions. He also is the part-time director of missions for Unity Baptist Association.

Jeff Griebling to First Baptist Church in Gilmer as minister to children and families, starting Nov. 6.

Baylor University announced a $2 million gift from Scott and Susan Orr of The Woodlands establishing the Orr Family Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities and Christian Faith. The gift supports teaching, mentorship and research in the medical humanities program within the College of Arts and Sciences. The Medical Humanities Program is intended to pair foundational science curriculum with courses in history, literature, Christian philosophy and other disciplines to inspire discussion and critical thinking. “We are truly grateful for Scott and Susan Orr and for their family’s generous support of the faculty of Baylor University,” said Baylor President Linda Livingstone. “The Orr Chair provides significant resources with which to support our faculty within the department of medical humanities and to foster strategic growth within the department. We are truly grateful for this family’s commitment to Baylor’s Christian mission and vision, and we are grateful for the support this provides to our faculty, who invest of their time and talents in our students through transformational teaching and mentoring.”

East Texas Baptist University welcomed donors and friends of the institution to celebrate the opening of the newly constructed Billy and Winky Foote Hall at Tiger Yard and ETBU Tiger Ballpark on Oct. 13. Foote Hall at Tiger Yard is a multi-purpose facility that houses loft-style student residences, the ETBU baseball clubhouse and the Blue Bengal Grocery Company, ETBU’s branded micro-market grocery store. The newly renovated ETBU Tiger Ballpark features 535 permanent seatbacks and holds up to 1,500 fans with standing-room areas. A new press box, two radio booths and two suites were added to the stadium. “Billy and Winky Foote met each other on this Hill, and it’s amazing what God sewed together and continues to bless,” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn said. “The Footes have committed their lives to Jesus Christ, their ministry, their family and their alma mater. … We are so grateful for their ministry, their love for the institution, their love for the Lord Jesus and the contributions to the kingdom they have made through their Christian spiritual leadership.”

The Center for the Foundation of Ethics at Houston Christian University is sponsoring a yearlong interdisciplinary “Foundations of Morality” faculty lecture series. Randy Hatchett, professor of theology in HCU’s School of Christian Thought, will present a lecture about “Theological Foundations for Morality: Reflections Concerning the Need for Revelation” at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Hinton 125 on the HCU campus. Presentations already have been offered on “The Nature of Literature and Ethics” with Matthew Boyleston, “How the New Testament Redirected the Foundations of Morality” with Robert Gagnon and “The Ethical Conflict Between Worldview Communities within the Field of Psychotherapy/Counseling” with Eric Johnson. Nine additional lectures, spanning the full range of academic disciplines taught at HCU, are planned, and the collected lectures are slated for publication.

As part of 2023 homecoming at East Texas Baptist University, the university recognized alumni for their contributions. Frances Aguilar Salazar, a 1951 graduate of what was then East Texas Baptist College, received the Golden Lightkeeper Award, a recognition reserved for alumni who graduated over half a century ago and have continued to excel in their vocations, contributions to their church and outstanding service to their communities. In addition to her career as an educator, she supported her late husband Epifanio in his pastoral ministry, and she served as a leader in Woman’s Missionary Union. Orlando Salazar accepted the Golden Lightkeeper Award on behalf of his mother, who is 96. Recipients of the 2023 Alumni Awards included Larry Hemenes, the J. Wesley Smith Achievement Award; Bill and Anita Runnels, the W.T. Tardy Service Award; Alton Holt, the Alumni Achievement Award; Sadé Stewart, the Unsung Hero Award; and Katie Balfe; the Young Alumna Award. Since inception of the Golden Blazer program in 2010, ETBU has honored more than 100 alumni for their financial support and countless volunteer hours to ETBU. The 2023 Golden Blazers are Laura Coursey, Glenn Hambrick, Robin Rudd and Michael Tandy.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—James Walvin, a former Church of England choirboy and professor of history at the University of York, doesn’t remember encountering “Amazing Grace,” in song or in his hymnal.

It wasn’t until he traveled to the United States to research the history of slavery that he came upon the hymn introduced by John Newton, a former slave trader, in 1773.

Since then, Walvin, the author of the new book Amazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn, has submerged himself in the hymn, which turns 250 this year and has become a staple of Sunday services that has been adapted and adopted by preachers, performers and presidents.

“I wasn’t too keen on Elvis’ version,” Walvin said after a recent visit to the Library of Congress’ “Amazing Grace” collection, which includes more than 3,000 recordings of the song—the only one of Newton’s hundreds of hymns that gained such international stature.

“I certainly was not keen on (1960s orchestra leader) Mantovani’s version,” he added. “I was amazed to listen to Janis Joplin’s version. I mean, who’d think of Janis Joplin and ‘Amazing Grace?’”

Among the thousands of versions, Walvin is especially fond of bass-baritone Paul Robeson’s but gives a nod to “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin as well as “a choir from Soweto, an extraordinarily haunting version of it,” saying they are all “effective in their own different, very distinctive ways.”

Walvin, 81, a longtime non-Christian, spoke to Religion News Service about the hymn, its composer and the “electrifying event” when President Barack Obama drew on its power.

The interview was edited for length and clarity.

Why has “Amazing Grace” endured for 250 years?

“Amazing Grace” survived, particularly in the United States and especially in African American communities, because its words speak to a human condition of suffering, and people coming out of suffering, and its music has a kind of haunting refrain that soothes. It has a unique combination of important phraseology—words, verses—and the beguiling music.

How do you explain the fact that John Newton, a former slave trader, wrote a hymn that’s treasured by enslaved people and their descendants?

I think young people find it very hard to get their heads around the fact that here is a hymn of great Christian significance written by a man who’s stained by the brutality and violence of slavery. It’s a historical paradox, really.

But it extends beyond that hymn. There are millions of people at the time, on both sides of the Atlantic, ensnared in slavery, one way or another, who are deep Christians, God-fearing men and women who see no contradiction in their faith and their behavior toward Africans. And that’s one of the extraordinary, difficult things to understand.

You write that Newton spent years trying to become a Church of England priest before he was able to lead a parish and share his hymns. So, this song might never have reached the international stage?

Yes, it speaks to John Newton’s perseverance. To become a minister, you had to have gone to one of the two main universities, Oxford or Cambridge, and he hadn’t been close to either of them. He was not formally educated. Yet he was a deeply learned man, and a deeply religious man. He had to fight against the institutions and against the church to let him in.

Though most of the words are 250 years old, the tune we know best today is newer. How did that come about?

The music that we associate with “Amazing Grace” today is not what people sang for 60 years after Newton wrote it in (December) 1772. We know from the Lomax family—a father and son who recorded folk songs in the United States in the backwoods—that people sang the words through an extraordinary variety of songs. But it’s the music that we now know came together with the words in the 1830s that actually creates that combination that is so potent and so durable.

You trace the hymn’s growing stature as the radio and recording industries grew. Is there an apex? Maybe President Obama’s singing it in 2015, in his eulogy for Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Rev. Clementa Pinckney?

I think what Obama did was to tap into the familiarity and popularity of the hymn in the United States. Obama knew if he sang it on that particularly very emotive moment that he would secure the backing of this largely African American audience in Charleston.

When he begins to sing, it looks as if it’s spontaneous, and no one would claim that President Obama has a good singing voice. But it is an astonishing moment. And if you look at the way the clerics behind him rise to the occasion, and the background musicians—they’re scrambling to get their instruments lined up and working with the president.

He knew the congregation would follow him, and he knew that, by 2015, “Amazing Grace” had become effectively a second national anthem. Very few people don’t know it, don’t know of it or don’t recognize it.

You note that advertisers have used “Amazing Grace.” Can you name some examples?

People sell candies. They sell doughnuts. They sell funeral plans with “Amazing Grace” in the background. Sometimes people don’t notice but it’s that subconscious music that somehow or other lulls people into a sense of appreciation for what’s being promoted.

“Amazing Grace” was part of the soundtrack of the civil rights movement. What role did it play in the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in particular?

At the end of those long, grueling days, when he’s exhausted, threatened by all kinds of horrible violence, as he was trying to unwind and relax in the evening, Mahalia Jackson would sing “Amazing Grace” to him on the telephone. If that isn’t an extraordinary insight into both those people, Jackson and King, I don’t know what is. Here is one of America’s great gospel singers and one of America’s great leaders, united in “Amazing Grace.”

While there are many performances of “Amazing Grace” that you praise, you call the use of a few of its lines by Jan. 6 insurrectionists “a shameless hijacking of a much-loved American song.”

It is interesting that a small section of the crowd tried to use the hymn, but they ran out of steam. No one knew the words after the first verse.

How have you celebrated the 250th anniversary?

The anniversary was launched in Olney in Buckinghamshire, which is where it was written and first performed on New Year’s Day in 1773. I was there. I talked about the hymn in this little village where this lovely church still exists—where Newton was the rector.

I’m going to speak at the end of this year’s celebrations. (Earlier this month) I spoke at a care home in York to only 12 people—old people mostly not really very alert for all the obvious reasons, but they wanted to hear me talk about “Amazing Grace.”

KYIV, Ukraine (BP)—A bill allowing Ukraine’s courts to outlaw Orthodox churches that maintain ties with Russia does not threaten religious freedom in Ukraine, a key Ukrainian Baptist leader asserted.

Rather, the law would provide a system for Ukraine’s government, as well as lay members of Orthodox churches, to learn whether any church leaders covertly are supporting Russia’s war efforts, said Igor Bandura, vice president of the All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christian-Baptist.

“It’s not a question of religious freedom, but it is a question of national security, and here (on matters of national security) the state can react,” Bandura told Baptist Press. “We are not talking about the danger of religious persecution in Ukraine, because for us, religious freedom is very important.

“As Baptists, we still witness that Ukraine has religious freedom. We carefully are following (the proposed law’s) development.”

At issue is a bill that would allow Ukraine to forbid any religious organization that maintains its spiritual or administrative center in a country of aggression, in this case Russia. The bill passed Oct. 19 is the first of two required procedural votes in Ukraine’s lower house of parliament, and it is subject to a second draft, which must also pass Parliament and be signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before becoming law.

At that point, the state would have the authority to investigate churches, monasteries or seminaries on suspicion of supporting Russia’s war effort. Bandura said any action against a church or other religious organization would be subject to the courts and the appeal process culminating in Ukraine’s Supreme Court.

Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, lays the blame on Russia for any attack on religious liberty in Ukraine the war has wrought.

“Under the Ukrainian constitution, citizens are guaranteed a right to freedom of religion. That should always be the standard, regardless of circumstances. Individuals have a right to order their lives according to their religious convictions,” Leatherwood said.

“Russia ending its attempt at conquest and respecting the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine would be a good way to ensure all Ukrainians have that freedom.”

Two Orthodox churches in Ukraine

The bill under consideration exists because Ukraine has two Orthodox churches—the Orthodox Church of Ukraine-Moscow Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The latter, historically affiliated with Constantinople, is autonomous.

Both are called the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, but importantly have different affiliations. Some Moscow Patriarchate churches do not include that designation in their names, Bandura said, making it difficult to distinguish them from autonomous Orthodox Church of Ukraine congregations.

“In their documents, and this is what they (Moscow Patriarchate churches) insist, they cut any relationship with Russia, and they are self-governing—which most Ukrainians don’t believe,” Bandura said.

Bandura cautioned Southern Baptists and other Americans not to believe “Russian propaganda” painting Ukraine as a persecutor of religious groups.

“We should be aware that Russia tries to use this to speak against Ukraine and to paint Ukraine and the Ukrainian president specifically to the United States as the enemies of religious freedom and initiators for religious persecution,” Bandura told Baptist Press.

“From our perspective, we say, ‘No, we have religious freedom for all churches and religious organizations, except this one, because they are playing this big game and still stay connected to Moscow, which is unacceptable to most Ukrainians, because Russia started the war against us, and their basic idea is to (commit) genocide (against) us as a nation.”

Some priests from the Moscow Patriarchate openly supported Russia in the war, and some were arrested before fleeing to Russia.

“Since the beginning of the war, a group of priests from Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate was arrested for spreading their Russian propaganda,” Bandura said. “And later on, many of them were recognized as those who have Russian citizenship also.”

Leatherwood points specifically to Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church based in Moscow.

“Since this illegal and ghastly campaign of terror by Russia began, thousands of innocent lives have been lost and hundreds of religious sites have been destroyed by the Russian military,” Leatherwood lamented.

“As we have seen in the Ukrainian regions currently under Russian control, religious freedom has been largely extinguished, particularly for evangelicals in those areas. And these actions have been supported by Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is nothing short of morally reprehensible.”

Not all Moscow Patriarchate churches are believed to support Russia’s war efforts. There are more than 10,000 Moscow Patriarchate churches in Ukraine, and some of their members are Ukrainian soldiers, Bandura said.

Moscow Patriarchate churches are included in the 25-year-old All Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, as are the autonomous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Baptist union, and Jewish, Muslim and other religious groups.

“We have a very open, sincere and trusted relationship. And all together, we have been dealing with this issue,” Bandura said of the diverse churches. Ukraine’s Parliament consulted the council about two years ago for the churches’ reaction to such a bill before it was submitted.

“Our position was very clear. We are standing against any religious persecution and any limitation in Ukraine,” Bandura said. “But in government, (it) would concern and include cases which are not religious freedom issues, but national security issues.”

The All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christian-Baptist represents about 2,200 churches and is a member of the Baptist World Alliance, and Bandura is a member of the BWA General Council.

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (BP)—Jason Holly, the youth minister at First Baptist Church in Elizabethton, Tenn., remembers when Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Evan Carter was a boy playing in the local Grasscutter football league for 6-8-year-olds.

Holly had a tiny Superman logo printed specifically for Carter.

“I stuck it on the back of his helmet, and only his,” Holly said. “And I said, ‘You’re Superman.’ He was just that good.”

Rangers fans are starting to agree with that assessment. Carter, who started the 2023 season in the minor leagues with Texas’ Double-A squad, is finishing it in the World Series. The 21-year-old became the youngest player since Mickey Mantle to bat third in a World Series lineup in Friday’s opening game.

He made an immediate impact for Texas, doubling off the wall in the first inning to drive in the game’s first run. Texas went on to win 6-5 on an 11th inning homer by Adolis Garcia. Through Game 3 of the World Series, Carter reached base safely in 15 consecutive games in this year’s postseason.

“It’s a dream come true,” Carter told Derek Jeter in a postgame interview about playing in the World Series. “You always want to be ready to go in the minor leagues. To think that I’d have been in the World Series this time, this is unreal.”

Holly coached Carter in youth football and baseball until Carter’s middle school years. He remembers joking with Carter’s dad that the kid would be going a long way in baseball.

“He was just that talented, at a very young age,” Holly recalled. “When he was in little league, I remember throwing the ball to him as hard as I could, and he was about 9, and he just would hit it right back at you. He was a phenomenal athlete.”

‘With his faith, he’s always stayed steady’

Carter’s family is part of Central Community Christian Church, a nondenominational congregation outside of Elizabethton. But he regularly attended programs and events at First Baptist Church during his childhood and teenage years.

“Evan and his family are very grounded people,” Holly said. “They’re very humble. They’re very gracious. Evan has always been this even-keeled kid. With his faith, he’s always stayed steady.”

That’s why Holly wasn’t surprised when, after Carter was called up to the Rangers in September, he took his first batting practice wearing a blue T-shirt with the message “Jesus Won” prominently displayed across his chest.

“I always felt like Evan was grounded on the Lord, and he had his eyes, his ears and his heart the right way,” Holly said.

In an interview in the dugout prior to his Major League debut, Carter wore that “Jesus Won” shirt while speaking to the media about being a part of the Rangers team.

“It’s unbelievable,” Carter said to start the interview. “I’m grateful, and I thank God for the opportunity.”

That shirt has become practically ubiquitous in Elizabethton, as Carter’s performance and profile have continued to skyrocket since his arrival with the Rangers. Fellowship of Christian Athletes sells a Carter edition of the shirt, with “EC” and Carter’s number 32 on the sleeve.

Give back to the community

Carter and his wife Kaylen shared on social media that they want to use their platform in baseball to give back to their community in Carter County, Tenn.

Proceeds from sales of the shirt benefit Central Cares, a program from their home church that helps provide for children in impoverished situations, and to help provide an environment for young baseball players in their community to succeed.

Holly said Carter and Kaylen have been together since sixth grade.

“You can just tell how they treat each other that the Lord is front and center for both of them,” he said.

Holly, who also teaches at Elizabethton High School, said the “Jesus Won” shirt has given him the opportunity to engage a lot of students who wear it with the message. That’s just one way he says Carter has made an impact on his community and how he is a role model to others.

“Evan’s a very humble, quiet person,” Holly said. “The thing he tells a lot of people is, ‘You can be great without being loud, and you can be great without causing problems, and you can be great without being flamboyant.’”

In that sense, Holly said, Carter is similar to Elizabethton’s other star athlete, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

“Both of those guys kind of have the same character,” Holly said. “They’re quiet, family people. They just show kids that you can be the right person and be awesome.”

Tim Ellsworth is associate vice president for university communications at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  The Texas Rangers won their first World Series on Nov. 1, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks. Evan Carter hit his 9th double of the postseason in the 7th inning of Game 5, setting a new Major League Baseball postseason record.

Texas Baptists recognized nine public school educators as BEST—Baptist Educators Serving Texas.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas office of Cooperative Program ministry announced the BEST award recipients Oct. 26.

Texas Baptists established the annual BEST awards to honor teachers or administrators who lives out their faith in the service of students. Each recipient must be an alumnus of a BGCT educational institution, a member of a Texas Baptist church and serve in a Texas public school.

One winner from each of the nine universities that relate to Texas Baptists was selected.

The 2023 BEST award recipients are:

• Josias Hernandez, a graduate of the Baptist University of the Américas and high school Spanish teacher in La Grange Independent School District.
• Liz Hagins, a graduate of Baylor University and middle school instructional coach in Midway Independent School District.
• Lori Rapp, a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and superintendent in Lewisville Independent School District.
• Dori Ballard, a graduate of East Texas Baptist University and PK-2 tech educator and instructional technologist in New Boston Independent School District.
• Darby Isereau, a graduate of Houston Christian University and elementary school teacher in Cleveland Independent School District.
• Judith Ozuna, a graduate of Howard Payne University and high school principal in Early Independent School District.
• Jimmy Pogue, a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and high school English teacher and student council sponsor in Abilene Independent School District.
• Mark Fitzwater, a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and director of media services and Tiger media in Belton Independent School District.
• Sarah Silva Wallace, a graduate of Wayland Baptist University and elementary principal in Plainview Independent School District.

Bruce McCoy, director of the office of Cooperative Program ministry, praised the contributions of the educators chosen.

“Texas Baptists celebrate these graduates, who live out their Christian character daily in their classrooms and schools through the love and support they show to their students,” McCoy said.

As “salt and light” in the classroom, these educators are being the presence of Christ to many children who may never step foot inside a church, he added.

McCoy noted that of the more than 350,000 public school educators in Texas, approximately 6 percent to 8 percent are graduates from the nine universities that receive financial support through Texas Baptists’ Cooperative Program.

Since its inception in 1886, Christian higher education has remained a focus of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Today, about 800 new public educators are prepared for teaching and administration each year through Texas Baptists’ universities.

The BEST award, started in 2020, aims to recognize the substantial impact of Texas Baptists’ universities on the public school system, celebrate educators and administrators who live out their faith as they serve students, and remind churches their Cooperative Program giving prepares tomorrow’s educators.

As Israel expands its ground offensive in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the Baptist World Alliance issued a call to “fervent prayer for just peace.”

The call for prayer originated with the 17 churches in the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel and the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land, which represents a Baptist congregation in Gaza and a dozen other Baptist churches in Palestinian territories.

“Baptists across Israel and the Palestinian Territories request fervent prayer for just peace,” the prayer guide issued by the BWA states.

 “Together as a Baptist family that is one in Christ Jesus, let us mourn with all whose loved ones have been killed or held captive. Let us follow paths of peacemaking that unequivocally reject terrorism or any acts that target civilians, include dehumanizing language, or limit human rights on the basis of ethnicity or faith.

“Let us generously provide help and support with the compassion of Christ. Let us stand together with our Baptist family and all who are suffering, and in the midst of complexity and violence, hear again the words of the prophet Micah ‘to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly’ in pursuit of restorative justice and peace for all people.”

Prayer requests

Baptists in the region specifically listed 10 specific prayer requests. They asked global Baptists to pray:

• “For a quick end to the conflict and the prevention of escalation into a larger war in the region.”
• “For the God of all comfort to be with those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.” The Hamas attack on civilians in Israel on Oct. 7 and subsequent violence claimed 1,400 lives in Israel. As of Oct. 29, the Gaza Health Ministry claimed the Palestinian death toll topped 8,000.
• “For those who have been wounded during the conflict and for those providing medical assistance to them.” In mid-October, Texas Baptist Men provided funds to transport 50 doctors, nurses and paramedics from the United States to Israel to meet critical needs of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
• “For the safety and liberation of hostages, and pray for mediators to facilitate their release.”
• “For wisdom and discernment for the leaders, that they may make decisions that lead to lasting peace and alleviate suffering.”
• “That Christians from around the world will unit in prayer for peace, demonstrating the love of Christ to all peoples.”
• “For safety of local followers of Jesus and that they will be shielded from extremism and hatred, especially young people.”
• “For God to utilize our churches as effective witnesses during this challenging time, through the power of the Holy Spirit, including the Baptist church in Gaza and its ongoing ministry.”
• “That Christians around the world will give generously as our Baptist family across this area seeks to holistically minister in this critical time of suffering.” TBM volunteers, working in partnership with Israel’s Emergency Volunteers Project, have prepared about 30,000 meals in Israel for civilians displaced by bombing, as well as serving hospitals and first responders.
• “For peace, hope and security for the entire region, and that the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays so that Israelis and Palestinians will experience life lived in peace and freedom with one another.”

In an Oct. 22 email to the Baptist Standard, the president of the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land noted an elder at Gaza Baptist Church had sustained minor injuries, and the elder’s sister was killed two days earlier.

“They want the war to stop. They have nothing to do with all that is taking place,” said Munir Kakish, who is pastor of churches both in Ramallah in the West Bank and Ramla in Central Israel. “They are the innocent and are victims of hate, destruction and bombing.”

Expression of grief

On its website, the BWA also included an expression of grief over the bombing of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, an Anglican facility operated by Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Mission Board personnel for nearly three decades.

Hamas blamed Israel for the hospital explosion, while Israel asserted the rocket that caused the blast was launched by Palestinians. After investigating available evidence, U.S. intelligence officials expressed “high confidence” the explosion was caused by a Palestinian rocket that broke up in midflight.

 “As a global family, we mourn together the horrific bombing of the al-Ahli Hospital, often known as the Baptist Hospital. … The Baptist World Alliance mourns the tragic loss of life and the untold cost that will continue to unfold in the lives of those who depended on this hospital for care and shelter,” the BWA stated.

“We stand in prayer with the leadership and staff of the hospital, the Anglican Church, and all who are grieving. We continue to plead for the protection of all citizens and the establishment of genuine peace.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The next-to-last bullet point was edited after the article originally was posted to provide an updated count of meals prepared by TBM.

JERUSALEM (BP)—Al Nucciarone has observed numerous attacks on Israel during his 15 years as pastor at Jerusalem Baptist Church. He has experienced the missile strikes and gazed on the aftermath of bus bombings. He has lost friends in the violence.

Nucciarone wasn’t in Israel on Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israeli settlements and killed approximately 1,400 people while taking more than 200 hostages. He was in North Carolina on a trip taken every two years to the United States to visit congregations that support his church. But, he said, that day started with the Lord speaking to him.

“I was reading in Acts 20 about Paul’s determination to go to Jerusalem in spite of the promise of bondage and chains,” he told BP. “He regarded his life as nothing compared to finishing his course and preaching the gospel. After I read that, I got news about the attack.”

He was shocked, particularly with the intensity of the violence inflicted on unarmed people and families.

“There was supposed to be an attack from Hezbollah from the north at the same time,” said Nucciarone, who is also the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Middle East representative. “Hamas jumped ahead because of the music festival.”

Militants began their attack just after dawn, as participants of a music festival were just winding down following a night of dancing. Many Israelis in that area reside in a kibbutz, where people voluntarily live and work together. These communities became the next target.

Jerusalem is a city holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims, and so it lends itself to conflict as well as tourists, something that brings a focus to Jerusalem Baptist Church’s ministry, he noted.

“We are in Jerusalem not to enjoy the sites but to preach the gospel,” Nucciarone said.

Responding to people who are hurting

Staying in touch while working his way home, Nucciarone learned church members continued to meet for worship amid the upsetting news.

Travels took him through Vienna on the way back for a speaking engagement. While there, he learned his daughter’s employer had suggested she, her husband and their three boys leave Jerusalem for a few weeks. The decision was made for his wife, Billie, to return to Chicago and be with them for the next month or so.

“Hopefully, things will settle,” said Nucciarone, who arrived back in Israel on Oct. 25. “My son-in-law, who teaches at an Anglican school and helps in our church, will stay here with me.”

On the day of Nucciarone’s return, Send Relief announced gifts from Southern Baptists had provided bomb shelters, food, medical supplies and more to Israel and the surrounding region. Baptist Village, a Christian camp and conference center outside of Tel Aviv, has become a place of refuge in partnership with Send Relief to those displaced.

Jason Cox, vice president of International Ministry for Send Relief, announced partnerships with local Christian groups also made trauma counseling available.

“Driven by the love of Jesus, Christians are ready and responding to bring help and hope to hurting people,” he said.

Nucciarone urged others against thinking distance prevents one from being active in helping.

“Pray for our safety. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” he said. “Pray for the Baptist Convention of Israel as they help Israelis who have lost their home. Pray for open hearts for the gospel. Pray for the growth and unity of our church.”

Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber released a lengthy statement Oct. 30 explaining how he gave the final go-ahead for the SBC Executive Committee to sign on to a hotly contested amicus brief related to a sexual abuse case in Kentucky.

 “This is my doing. I approved it. I take full responsibility for the SBC’s having joined this brief,” Barber stated. Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, noted the brief was signed Aug. 9, 2022.

“I did not give this decision to file this brief the level of consideration that it deserved. Some of the most important information affecting my decision was information I failed to seek,” he explained.

“Knowing what I know now, I know that I should have asked more questions. I should have taken the opportunity to request a meeting between the Interim CEO, myself, and our legal counsel to gather more information.

“I did not have the power to decide then, but I did have the opportunity to advise. I failed to use that opportunity wisely, and I regret that. Our future decisions likewise lie with the SBC Executive Committee. I hope to do a better job of using my voice to influence those decisions going forward.”

Also joining the brief were Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and Lifeway Christian Resources. Questions remain about which entity brought the brief to the other two entities’ attention and the full reasoning behind the decision to move forward in this manner.

Lifeway has not yet released a statement.

Southern Seminary released the following statement attributed to President Al Mohler, two days after the Louisville Courier Journal reported on the legal brief: “As is often the case in questions of law, significant constitutional and legal questions arise and require arguments to be made before courts. In such cases we must refer all questions to legal counsel. We respect the rule of law and must work through the process with legal representation, who must speak for us in this case.”

In Barber’s statement, he explains what all was taking place the day he signed the brief, which was the day after he announced the members of the SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force.

“I spent that day trying to support everyone on the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force and to carry forward our work. August 9, 2022, was not a day I spent trying to hurt survivors,” he said.

“That’s what makes it hurt so much, and that’s what makes me so disappointed in myself: I did, in fact, wind up hurting survivors by what I did.”