NASHVILLE (BP)—Trustees of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission committed the entity to an assessment of sexual abuse in the convention during their annual meeting Sept. 14-15.

The board approved without opposition a response to a motion referred to it at the SBC’s 2021 June meeting by expressing its support of the request for the ERLC to engage an outside organization “to oversee and audit” such an appraisal.

In a later vote, the trustees passed, again without opposition, a motion to “set aside” $250,000 as an initial commitment for the assessment.

The ERLC is “deeply grieved” by the reported sexual abuse and also grieved by the abuse of the past that went unreported because of the mishandling of those cases, the trustees said in their response to the motion at this year’s SBC meeting requesting an assessment.

The response to the motion said the entity is committed to securing “the best oversight team and funding” needed for “a comprehensive and thorough” evaluation.

The motion offered by Indiana pastor Todd Benkert at the 2021 SBC annual meeting requested a three-year study, with preliminary reports by the ERLC at the next two annual convention meetings and a final report at the 2024 meeting.

The trustees said the ERLC will attempt to coordinate its assessment with a task force called for in a motion approved overwhelmingly by SBC messengers in June. SBC President Ed Litton has named the task force members, who announced Sept. 9 they had selected Guidepost Solutions to conduct a third-party review of the SBC Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse issues. Trustees committed the ERLC board and staff to “fully comply” with the investigation.

In other business, the ERLC trustees:

• Named Brent Leatherwood, the commission’s chief of staff and vice president of external affairs, as acting president. Leatherwood succeeds Daniel Patterson, who served in that role after Russell Moore stepped down June 1 following eight years as the commission’s president. Patterson, whose last day at the ERLC was Sept. 3, will be the new executive pastor at Central Baptist Church in College Station.
• Approved a candidate profile to guide the search for the entity’s next president and initiated the process of receiving applications and recommendations for the office. The trustees endorsed a candidate profile consisting of eight criteria. The profile calls for the candidate to be: (1) spiritually mature; (2) a faithful servant; (3) convictionally Southern Baptist; (4) appropriately educated; (5) an excellent communicator; (6) pastoral in heart; (7) an experienced leader; and (8) a proven unifier. The committee will accept applications and recommendations until Nov. 30.
• Elected Lori Bova of New Mexico as trustee chair, making her the second female to serve in that role. Bova, a member of Taylor Memorial Baptist Church in Hobbs, N.M., served as vice chair the last two years. Eunie Smith of Alabama is the only previous woman to serve as chair.
• Endorsed former ERLC President Russell Moore for the Distinguished Service Award. Moore was cited for “his faithful and consistent witness” as the ERLC’s president from 2013 to 2021. He “helped move the ball forward on what it means to stand for life in all its stages” and promoted religious freedom for all Americans. Moore is now public theologian for Christianity Today and leads the evangelical magazine’s new Public Theology Project.
• Named Southern Baptist pastors Griffin Gulledge and Mark Dever as recipients of the John Leland Religious Liberty Award.

Gulledge, pastor of Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Ga., was recognized for his social-media advocacy for the Uyghur people and his drafting of a resolution approved at this year’s SBC meeting that condemned the Chinese Community Party’s treatment of them as genocide.

Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., was recognized for his “model engagement with local authorities and his stand for religious liberty during the COVID-19 pandemic.” With Dever’s leadership, the church abided by the city’s restrictions on corporate worship by meeting outdoors outside the District of Columbia but filed suit when the government prohibited it from gathering outdoors in D.C. with safety measures while allowing gatherings of thousands for other events. A federal judge ruled in the church’s favor, and the government agreed in July to pay $220,000 in legal fees.

Trustees heard reports from Elizabeth Graham, vice president of operations and life initiatives, and Jason Thacker, chair of research in technology ethics, and approved motions affirming the staff’s work in both areas.

Graham described the ERLC’s pro-life work, including the Road to Roe50, which she described as a “short-term strategy to engage the church” in a collaborative effort with other organizations leading to the 50th anniversary in January 2023 of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. She described aged-based curriculum, a multi-stop tour in the fall of 2022 and a Washington, D.C., event in January 2023 as part of the Roe50 initiative.

“We need to make abortion illegal, but we need to make it unnecessary and unthinkable,” she told the trustees.

Thacker introduced the board to the Digital Public Square, a newly launched project to help the church think wisely about the challenging issues raised by technology. The effort, he said, will consist of such major elements as a “state of digital governance” report, an evangelical statement on content moderation and digital governance, a church resource kit and the publication of two books before 2023.

“The ERLC wants to equip Christians and the wider culture to make sense of an ever-changing digital culture and to gain wisdom to navigate the most challenging aspects of technology and social media—including the nature of religious freedom and free expression in the public square,” Thacker said.

Dealt with motions referred from SBC annual meeting

In responses to motions referred to the ERLC from the SBC’s 2021 meeting, the trustees:

• Affirmed in reply to a motion to study strategies to abolish abortion the commission’s work “toward the goal of ending abortion, both through legislation, litigation and ultimately working towards a culture where abortion is both unthinkable and unnecessary in our society. We deeply lament and oppose every legal effort to further protect or establish abortion in the United States, and we grieve the loss of lives for millions of preborn babies due to abortion.” In affirming the work of pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life efforts, the trustees said, “We should appreciate every step that can be taken—whether accomplished through legislative channels, court decisions, or cultural developments—to save one additional preborn life.”
• Affirmed that offering puberty blockers and “transitioning hormones” to minors is “harmful and unethical” and said the ERLC has resources regarding the issue on its website and will continue to oppose federal efforts to approve sexual orientation and gender identity legislation.
• Postponed responses to motions referred to all SBC entities regarding audits and the use of non-disclosure agreements until more discussion occurs with the other entities.

Trustees approved a 2021-22 operating budget of $3.912 million, about $70,000 less than the previous budget. After 10 months of the current fiscal year, the ERLC had a net income of $243,635 and total available cash of more than $2.328 million. The trustees also approved a motion to affirm Bobby Reed for his 22 years of service as the commission’s chief financial officer.

DEL RIO—The ministry City Church in Del Rio provided last month to hundreds of migrants camped beneath a bridge prepared the congregation for a much more extensive response to a surge of Haitians at the border.

The first week in August, City Church prepared and provided more than 2,000 sandwiches in four days for migrants at the request of the U.S. Border Patrol. The migrants found shelter beneath a bridge while they waited to be processed.

At the end of that crisis, Pastor Matt Mayberry said: “Lord willing, we won’t have to do this again anytime soon. But when there is a need, we want to be obedient.”

After a reprieve of little more than a month, the church learned about an even greater need.

Shon Young, associate pastor at City Church and missionary with Texas Baptists’ River Ministry, received word from Border Patrol on Sept. 11 that 1,500 Haitians were camped beneath the bridge. Young also is president of the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, a broad-based group of citizens and organizations that provide assistance to refugees.

The numbers escalated each day, reaching 10,000 by Sept. 16. The Washington Post reported the Haitians are part of an even larger wave, including many who first arrived in Brazil and neighboring countries after the 2010 earthquake.

“It’s surreal,” Mayberry commented after seeing firsthand the thousands camped under the border bridge.

‘We immediately reached out to other churches’

In light of the overwhelming numbers, City Church is getting by with a little help from their friends.

“We learned from last time,” Mayberry said. “We immediately reached out to other churches.”

Churches in the area began providing sandwiches. Congregations in South Texas, West Texas and Central Texas provided financial support and pledged prayers. Within a week, about 20 congregations were working in partnership with City Church.

Alto Frio Baptist Camp in Leakey, about an hour and a half drive from Del Rio, also began preparing sandwiches in its cafeteria for distribution to migrants at the border bridge.

This time, City Church and its partners have no illusions of feeding all those camped beneath the bridge. U.S. Border Patrol is using federal funds to purchase meals from local restaurants, but the sandwiches help fill gaps and provide emergency help when demand exceeds supply.

The local Del Rio processing center is capable of serving about 1,100 new arrivals a day working at maximum capacity, Mayberry said. Some sources expect another 20,000 to arrive at Del Rio within the next couple of weeks.

While that could mean several weeks of continued service—perhaps more than a month—Mayberry remains hopeful.

“We’re not alone. Others are serving alongside us,” Mayberry said. “It’s a real picture of the body of Christ working together.”

KADUNA, Nigeria (BP)—Militant groups have killed at least 14 Christians, including an evangelical pastor, in southern Kaduna since Sept. 11 and have kidnapped a Catholic priest, the Premium Times of Nigeria reported.

The macheted and gunshot body of Silas Yakubu Ali, senior pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All in the Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, was found Sept. 12 after he failed to attend worship. He had been ambushed after his motorcycle ran out of fuel near Asha-Awuce about a third of a mile from his home.

The killings also include two youths who were attacked while working on a farm in Zangon Kataf, and at least 11 people, including two pregnant women, killed in an attack on Apyizhime Jim Village, the Daily Post reported. Ten of those killed in Apyizhime Village were members of a church Ali oversaw, and one was Catholic, Christian Solidary Worldwide said.

Benson Yakusak, a priest at St. Matthews Catholic Church Achuna-Sarki, also in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, was kidnapped by armed militants, CSW reported.

CSW Founder and President Mervyn Thomas lamented the local and national governments’ inability to deter crimes, often against Christians, that are increasing in Kaduna.

“Officials have done woefully little thus far, and this has allowed impunity to thrive and enabled this violence to metastasize,” Thomas said.

“Nigeria is currently failing due to the seeming unwillingness of federal and state authorities to respond swiftly and decisively to the existential threat posed by militia violence, while peaceful political dissent or expressions of concern about democratic backsliding and insecurity meet with an unnecessary show of force.”

Religious leaders point to national emergency

Religious leaders and others have lamented ongoing violence in Nigeria, describing the country as under a national emergency. The majority Christian area of southern Kaduna is considered an epicenter of kidnappings and attacks, despite a high security presence.

Professor Chidi Odinkalu, former chair of the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, tweeted that despite the military and security presence, “entire communities are being liquidated, displaced, (and) destroyed.”

CSW referenced an analysis by Murtala A. Rufa’l, a lecturer at Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, indicating that 120 armed gangs as large as 2,000 members each operate in Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger states, empowered by at least 500 AK-47 rifles.

Since 2011, militants have killed more than 12,000 people, destroyed 120 villages, displaced at least 50,000 villagers and stolen more than 250,000 heads of livestock in Zamfara state alone, Rufa’l said.

The International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law, an independent nonprofit that advocates for societal freedom regardless of religion, said in July that 3,462 Christians had been hacked to death by Nigerian Jihadists in a 200-day span. In addition, 3,000 Christians had been abducted and 300 churches attacked.

Boko Haram, terrorists aligned with the Islamic State, are suspected of making plans to join other terrorists already fighting in southern Kaduna, the Nigeria Security and Civilian Defense Corps said Sept. 8.

In its 2021 World Watch List, Open Doors USA ranked Nigeria as 10th among the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous for Christians. More Christians are killed there for their faith than in any other country, Open Doors has said.

Edward A. Lopez of San Angelo, a pastor and chaplain, died Aug. 21. He was 63. Lopez served in the ministry 34 years. He preached his final sermon July 25 at River City Baptist Church in San Angelo, where he was pastor. For several years, he also was the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of San Angelo. In addition, he served 10 years as chaplain for San Angelo Police Department and was a chaplain for San Gabriel’s Hospice. He was preceded in death by his father, Domingo C. Lopez, and his stepfather, Arturo G. Benitez. He is survived by his wife, Maria; daughter Alexi Martinez; mother Belia Benitez; brother Robert and wife Tiffanie of Austin; sister Sylvia Bauchman and husband Gary of New York; sister Nelda Garcia and husband David of Austin; and sister Brenda Izaguirre and husband Edgar of Austin.

WACO—Research confirms what many have suspected—the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on Americans’ mental and emotional health.

Findings from the latest national Baylor Religion Survey found the pandemic has made Americans significantly angrier, sadder, lonelier and more worried.

Wave 6 of the religion survey provided Baylor University researchers with an opportunity to examine the mental health of the American public by asking individuals to reflect on their emotional state during the pandemic compared to their life before.

Across four emotions—worried, sad, lonely and angry—more than one-third of Americans reported feeling these emotions more strongly compared to before the pandemic. This pattern particularly was apparent for feeling worried, especially for parents with children living at home.

Americans in poor physical health were more likely to experience all four negative emotions compared to those in better health.

“It is not surprising that parents with children also felt more worry. With abrupt school closures and the complete shut-down of social and recreational activities for children, parents had additional reasons to worry about the state of their children’s future and how to manage their care and education on a daily basis while in many cases shifting to remote work,” said researcher Laura Upenieks, assistant professor of sociology at Baylor.

Young and single adults, Democrats and urban Americans were the groups more likely to experience an increase in negative emotions due to the pandemic. While less likely to be in poor health, young adults—Americans age 18 to 34—in particular experienced increased feelings of loneliness and worry due to the pandemic.

“This group might have borne the brunt of heightened uncertainty as they found themselves trying to attain education or work credentials or trying to establish a career or family life. Such potent disruptions during these formative years, as well as a complete upheaval to their social lives, might have created greater emotional responses,” Upenieks said.

Republicans and Americans in rural areas felt the negative emotional impact of COVID somewhat less. Living in a less population-dense area may have influenced different emotional responses for rural residents, said researcher Rebecca Bonhag, a Baylor sociology doctoral candidate.

“Rural residents may have felt less at risk for infection or could have a stronger social support network living close by,” Bonhag said. “They are also more likely to be conservative, which ties in with the party affiliation trend we observe from the survey results. Polarized media consumption likely has something to do with the partisan trend.”

Baylor Religion Survey researchers now are delving deeper into the causes and effects of these emotional shifts and patterns. With the pandemic continuing to influence day-to-day life, there are concerns that negative emotional responses could continue to impact the lives of Americans.

“If research from the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 has taught us anything, the emotional inequalities produced and further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to reverberate for years to come. Every effort should be made to identify vulnerable groups and provide them adequate resources, like counseling, to manage these negative emotions before they potentially spiral into clinical diagnoses,” Upenieks said.

EL PASO (BP) – Los inmigrantes detenidos en la frontera México-Estados Unidos enfrentan muchas necesidades, la mayor de las cuales es quizá la esperanza. Lifeway Christian Resources recientemente pudo asociarse con una planta de iglesia de la Junta de Misiones Norteamericana (NAMB, por sus siglas en inglés) para enviar 1,000 Biblias en español a los niños desplazados en la frontera.

“Estoy muy agradecido de que Lifeway haya tenido la oportunidad de asociarse con nuestros amigos de NAMB para suministrar Biblias en español a los niños y familias en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México”, dijo Ben Mandrell, presidente y director ejecutivo de Lifeway. “El Evangelio de Jesucristo es el mensaje de esperanza más poderoso que existe en el mundo, y sabemos que Su Palabra nunca vuelve vacía”.

Lifeway fue consciente de la necesidad de Biblias por Félix Cabrera, director principal de Send Network Español de la NAMB, que había estado en contacto con Brandon Hembree, pastor principal de Impact Church en Virginia. Impact Church tiene una iglesia hermana cerca de la frontera en El Paso, Texas, que regularmente ministra a inmigrantes en centros de detención.

“Tan pronto como supimos de la necesidad en la frontera, inmediatamente pensé en mis hermanos y hermanas de Lifeway para que juntos pudiéramos aprovechar esta oportunidad y regalar Biblias a estos niños”, dijo Cabrera. “Este es un trabajo colaborativo del reino que se alinea perfectamente con lo que estamos tratando de lograr en NAMB”.

Hembree señaló la forma en que Dios se mueve como el viento (Juan 3:8) al describir el camino inesperado que lo llevó a plantar una iglesia en el área de D.C. para llegar a las naciones, un paso que, a su vez, enviaría a uno de los miembros de la iglesia a la frontera sur para facilitar el alcance del Evangelio.

“Desde el fondo de mi corazón, gracias, Lifeway, por tu generosidad centrada en el Evangelio. Debido a su misión y amor por Cristo, pudimos proveer la Palabra de Dios a miles de personas desplazadas en nuestro propio vecindario”, dijo. “Nunca olvidaré la primera llamada telefónica que recibí de nuestro miembro que trabajaba en la frontera – la urgencia y la compasión en su voz – transmitiendo que todo lo que los niños seguían pidiendo eran Biblias.”

“Debido a nuestra asociación, los niños han sido consolados, los padres se han sentido amados y familias enteras han recibido la eterna e inmensa esperanza del evangelio de Jesucristo”.

Lifeway Global se encargó de organizar y facilitar la donación que consistió en 1.000 copias de Biblias RSV cubiertas de tela de B&H Publishing.

“Oportunidades como estas son raras y providenciales”, dijo Giancarlo Montemayor, director de publicación global. “Cuando recibí la llamada de NAMB preguntando si podíamos ayudar, mi corazón se llenó de alegría. Estas Biblias donadas no podrían haber terminado en mejores manos. Nuestra oración es que estos niños lleguen a conocer a Jesús a través de Su Palabra”.

César Custodio es director de ventas y marketing en español de Lifeway.  “Dios ha bendecido nuestra línea editorial y gracias a nuestras diferentes asociaciones pudimos donar estas Biblias y satisfacer una necesidad”, dijo Custodio. “Sabemos que serán de gran bendición para aquellos que necesitan paz y guía a través de la Palabra”.

Como parte del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, que se celebra del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, la IMB ha designado el domingo 26 de septiembre como Domingo de las misiones hispanas.

La IMB anima a las iglesias a reconocer los logros y las contribuciones de las iglesias hispanas y los misioneros hispanos de la IMB en llevar el evangelio a las naciones.

“La IMB tiene misioneros hispanos que sirven entre las etnias no alcanzadas de todo el mundo”, dice Oscar Tortolero, el movilizador estratégico hispano de la IMB.

Más de 60 millones de hispanos viven actualmente en los EE. UU. y Oscar informa que los Bautistas del Sur tienen más de 3,000 iglesias hispanas.

“Tenemos una gran oportunidad de movilizar a las iglesias hispanas para que oren, ofrenden, vayan y envíen”, dice Tortolero, refiriéndose al objetivo de la IMB de ver una relación más estrecha con las iglesias hispanas y los aliados misioneros globales de los países hispanos.

GONZALES, La.—Hours before the sun peeks over the horizon, the sound of footsteps on pavement echo through the air at Ascension Baptist Church.

It’s soon joined by the clunking of plastic containers and the clanking of large metallic skillets. By 5 a.m., the parking lot is filled with a symphony of activity.

In this hurricane-battered area of Southern Louisiana, it’s music to residents’ ears. It means Texas Baptist Men volunteers are cooking meals for them—nutrition that will give residents the strength they need to push forward.

“Every morning, TBM volunteers wake up at 4:30 to prepare lunch,” TBM Disaster Relief Director David Wells said. “Quickly after finishing that, they’re back at it cooking dinner. These are long, tiring days.

“That’s what it takes to serve 7,000 to 10,000 meals a day. But people need to eat and have no other way of getting food. That’s what drives us to serve as Christ did.”

TBM feeding volunteers from across the state have provided more than 70,000 meals since Hurricane Ida made landfall Aug. 30 with 150-mph winds that tore through much of Louisiana. They continued serving even as Hurricane Nicholas moved across the state with heavy rain.

TBM teams spread across the region

While the food-service volunteers are based in Gonzales, TBM’s work is spread across South Louisiana. More than two dozen TBM volunteer teams have been serving, including chainsaw teams, shower/laundry teams, an incident management team, chaplains and more.

“Needs are all across Louisiana,” Wells said. “Our chainsaw teams alone are spread across communities along a 30-mile stretch. Electricity is starting to come on, and cities are getting up and running again, but the recovery process will be long. We will continue working for weeks.”

Churches across Texas donated cleaning supplies and bottled water to TBM to help Louisiana churches meet immediate needs. TBM already has sent two tractor-trailer loads, as well as another trailer filled with supplies.

“Texas has wrapped its arms around Louisiana,” Wells said. “It is remarkable how often we hear about a need, and then I turn around and a church is donating items that meet that specific need. In the aftermath of the hurricane, God continues to work wonderfully.”

TBM volunteers are meeting more than physical needs. They’re encouraging people. They’re praying with them. God is comforting people after Hurricane Ida, Wells noted.

“God is transforming lives,” Wells said. “Four people have come to know Christ as Savior. Others have grown closer to him.

“Please continue to pray for Louisiana. Pray for those who are responding to needs. Your prayers are truly making a difference after this storm”

To support TBM disaster relief financially, visit tbmtx.org/donate or send a designated check to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron Drive, Dallas, TX 75227.

Ashley Myers to South Garland Baptist Church in Garland as minister to children.

East Texas Baptist University collected donated items for Texas Baptist Men disaster relief ministries to help individuals affected by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. Items collected during the donation drive include bottled water and bottled Gatorade, infant and adult diapers, baby wipes, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies and paper goods. The donated items were transported to the TBM warehouse in Dallas. TBM will deliver the donated items to the impacted areas in Louisiana, where TBM volunteers are serving as they meet needs in the aftermath of the storm. “Service has always been at the heart of East Texas Baptist University and its student body,” TBM Executive Director and CEO Mickey Lenamon said. “This tremendous outpouring of donations reflects that spirit once again. These basic necessities will help families across Southern Louisiana take their first steps in recovering from Hurricane Ida. Thank you, ETBU, for partnering with TBM to deliver help, hope and healing to people in their most difficult days.” TBM has more than 120 volunteers deployed in St. Amant, Gonzales and LaPlace, La. Through Sept. 13, they had prepared more than 71,000 meals, purified about 17,500 gallons of water and completed more than 100 chainsaw jobs.

Baylor University has created the Vance Masteller Endowed Research Chair in Communication Sciences and Disorders within the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences’ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The endowed chair was funded through an anonymous $1.5 million gift from university alumni, which will be matched through the Baylor Academic Challenge initiative and provide research and teaching support in autistic spectrum disorders. The Vance Masteller Chair will provide leadership as Robbins College begins a $2.5 million expansion of the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic to create an autism clinic, with facilities and research space dedicated to the study of autism spectrum disorders. The expansion, announced in March, will create nearly 12,500 square feet of new and remodeled space, doubling the capacity for providing services to individuals with ASD. “Endowment support for Baylor’s faculty provides transformational, long-term impact within our academic programs and departments, and I am grateful for the generous gift these Baylor alumni have made to position the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders for future success and growth,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone. “At the heart of this gift is a genuine desire to advance Baylor’s mission and ensure that this nationally recognized program has the resources and endowment needed to conduct research and educate future practitioners at the highest levels of excellence.” The chair recognizes two individuals who were inspirational to the donors establishing the endowed position. Lawrence Vancewas an ordained Baptist minister, an insurance lawyer, and a charter member and deacon at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. Rod Masteller began his ministry as pastor of Westwood Baptist Church in Waco, and he went on to serve Baptist churches in Oklahoma, Louisiana and elsewhere for more than five decades.

Susan Sharp, teacher certification officer at Howard Payne University, was elected president of the Texas Association of Certification Officers for this academic year. In this role, Sharp will conduct monthly Zoom sessions with certification officers across the state and preside over sessions at the annual Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education Conference in San Marcos and at the association’s annual conference in Austin. Additionally, she will represent the association on the Educator Preparation Advisory Committee and the consortium board. Sharp served in Texas public schools for 35 years as an English teacher, coach and principal. She has been a staff member at HPU almost a decade.

Buckner Children and Family Services signed a joint agreement with Georgia-based Connections Homes to provide a more extensive support network to youth aging out of the Texas foster care system. Connections Homes matches young adults about to age out of foster care, or who already have aged out, with mentoring families. The signing of the memorandum of understanding marks Connections Homes’ first work outside of Georgia since announcing its planned expansion to Texas in June 2021. Each year, 1,200 young men and women age out of the Texas foster care system, joining tens of thousands of young homeless on the streets. Since 2014, Buckner has served more than 1,000 youth aging out of foster care with transitional programming throughout Texas. “We are so honored to join Buckner in this very important challenge to meet the needs of thousands of foster youth in Texas who have challenging futures ahead of them without a safe, stable adult in their life,” said Pam Parish, founder and CEO of Connections Homes. “Buckner knows the needs of children and youth in this area, and we believe they will guide us where to target the most vulnerable youth aging out of foster care who need support.”

Anniversary

150th for Ash Creek Baptist Church in Azle. A reception is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 18, a time of fellowship is slated for 9:30 a.m., prior to the 10:45 a.m. worship service. After a lunch at the church, an anniversary celebration service is planned for 2 p.m. Wesley Shotwell is pastor.

Retirement

Phil Christopher after 26 years as pastor at First Baptist Church in Abilene, 40 years as a pastor of Baptist churches and 46 years in congregational ministry.

Food insecurity spiked during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting one in four Texas households, according to a recently released analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture data by Northwestern University.

However, the combined response of the federal government and private-sector charitable organizations—such as ministries supported by the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering—helped mitigate food insecurity later in 2020.

Overall, one in eight Texas households struggled to avoid hunger between 2018 and 2020, with an average 13 percent of Texas households experiencing food insecurity—a comparable percentage to several years before the pandemic.

“Food insecurity is about economic uncertainty, and these latest data reflect the roller-coaster of uncertainty launched by the pandemic. While many Texans experienced this uncertainty for the first time over the last 18 months, the reality is that millions of families faced hunger prior to the pandemic,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas.

“This uncertainty is likely to continue for some time, particularly given the resurgence of the virus. In the meantime, we need to sustain our efforts to keep our neighbors nourished and our communities resilient.”

Private charity, public investment ‘bridge the gap’

Cole emphasized Texas cannot “food bank” its way through the end of the crisis.

“But we have seen clearly that private charity partnered with public investment in nutrition programs, unemployment assistance and child tax credits can bridge the gap. COVID may be a tough battle to conquer, but hunger is easily treated,” she said.

The pandemic brought into focus the reality of how many Texas families are potentially vulnerable to food insecurity. But it also reinforced the importance of ministries supported by the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering that “deal with food insecurity in sustainable and holistic ways that minister to the body and soul,” said Katie Frugé, associate director of the Christian Life Commission.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reversed many of the “positive gains communities had made in the past few years combatting hunger,” Frugé said.

“Recovering will require us working together, combining the best of all available resources providing training, education and support. Hunger offering ministries provided emergency aid and training at the peak of food insecurity in 2020 and will continue to play a crucial role going forward,” she continued.

“Now more than ever, faithful and continuous support of the hunger offering is one of the most impactful ways to help support Texas Baptists as our hunger ministries work to serve the least of these.”

Othal “O.C.” Madden Jr., a Lubbock layman who served on numerous Texas Baptist boards and committees, died Aug. 29 in Tyler. He was 86. He was born Oct. 21, 1934, in Hamlin to Othal C. and Ann Robert Madden, but his family moved to Lubbock when he was a baby. He began his lifelong association with First Baptist Church in Lubbock when he was placed on the Cradle Roll as an infant. He graduated from Lubbock High School in 1953 and enrolled in Texas Tech to study accounting. During his third semester at Texas Tech, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was sent to Ft. Benning for basic training and then deployed with the 8th Infantry Division in Ft. Carson, Colo. When he later was transferred to a post in Jacksonville, Fla., he served as a clerk in an executive officer’s command station. Because of his professionalism and attention to detail and protocol, he was selected as the dedicated driver and attendant to President Dwight Eisenhower when he was on station. Upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Madden returned to Texas Tech to complete his studies, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He went on to become a certified public accountant and held membership in Texas and New Mexico professional organizations for more than 50 years. He married Shirley Bellar on May 22, 1959, at First Baptist Church in Lubbock, where he later served as a deacon and a fourth-grade Sunday school teacher, as well as working in many other areas of church life. Through the years, he served in many volunteer capacities with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, including its Executive Board and finance committee, as well as with Texas Baptist Men. He was preceded in death by a son, Charles. He is survived by his wife of more than 62 years, Shirley Bellar Madden; son O.C. III and his wife Lara; daughter K’Lin Noble and her husband Jeff; five grandchildren; and a brother, Robert Madden.