The Baptist Standard is participating in North Texas Giving Day. On Sept. 19, every donation will be multiplied when donors contribute to the Standard through www.NorthTexasGivingDay.org, a website powered by Communities Foundation of Texas.

Donors may visit www.NorthTexasGivingDay.org on Thursday, Sept. 19, between 6 a.m. and midnight Central Time, search for “Baptist Standard Publishing” and submit a donation to the ministry. Donors can schedule a gift online beginning Sept. 9 using the same process. Donations scheduled in advance will be saved and processed on Sept. 14 without the donor needing to return to the website.

Participating donors may live anywhere—not just North Texas.

Tax-deductible donations go a long way in helping Baptist Standard Publishing continue to fulfill its mission to inform, inspire and challenge people to live like Jesus, Editor Eric Black noted.

Contributions made through www.NorthTexasGivingDay.org on Sept. 19 will qualify the Standard to receive bonus funds and prizes—making all donations go further.

This year, an anonymous donor has pledged a $500 matching gift for North Texas Giving Day to be awarded to Baptist Standard Publishing after the first $500 in donations.

“Financial support from donors is vital to the mission of the Baptist Standard,” Black said. “Because of friends and supporters, Baptist Standard Publishing is able to produce award-winning content through the Baptist Standard and CommonCall.

“Donating to Baptist Standard Publishing on North Texas Giving Day makes your financial support go further. Thank you for participating with us in the Standard’s mission.”

Please visit www.NorthTexasGivingDay.org to schedule or make your donation today.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Kayla Peltoma at kayla.peltoma@baptiststandard.com or (214) 630-4571, ext. 1014.

Donations made through the North Texas Giving Day website are tax-deductible and will be processed through the Communities Foundation of Texas. Donors will receive an acknowledgement email, as well as an official gift substantiation/tax receipt.

Donations will appear on credit card statements as being payable to “CFTexas NTX Giving Day.” All donations will be paid to the chosen nonprofit minus a 4.99% fee. Donors will have the option to cover the fee during the donation process.

Participating organizations will be notified and receive the donor’s contact information, unless donors wish to remain anonymous.

Students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Hardin-Simmons University donated and customized more than 200 wheelchairs for disabled individuals in Thailand. Working in partnership with Joni and Friends Cause 4 Life and the Thailand-based RICD Wheelchair Project, students journeyed to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Students assessed the needs of individuals, prayed with them and fitted wheelchairs to their specific needs. Modifications included adding cushions, installing footrests and adjusting leg straps. In preparation, the HSU students attended seminars about the proper use of wheelchairs, volunteered as short-term missionaries at the Joni and Friends Family for people with disabilities and played wheelchair basketball with professionals.

Baylor University President Linda Livingstone officially announced the school’s plans to pursue Research 1/Tier 1 classification, setting a goal of joining the nation’s top research universities. “Baylor University’s vision affirms that the world needs a preeminent research university that is unambiguously Christian, and we are uniquely positioned to achieve this goal by building on Baylor’s historic strengths and strategically investing in new areas of research and service,” Livingstone said. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designates 130 colleges and universities in the United States as R1, which are doctoral-granting institutions with the “highest research activity.” Baylor is among the 131 schools currently classified as R2—doctoral institutions with “higher research activity.” Baylor’s Illuminate strategic plan provides the framework and commitment to investment over the next decade that will guide the institution towards becoming a top national research university, Livingstone said.

New and returning students at Howard Payne University participated in a variety of community-wide service projects as part of SWARM—Serving With A Right Motive. Students volunteered at Good Samaritan Ministries, the ARK Domestic Violence Shelter, the Brownwood Area Community Garden and Brownwood’s Lyric Theatre. SWARM was one of the Jacket Journey welcome events at HPU. Others included Chime In, a ceremony symbolizing the beginning of students’ time at the university; Campus Celebration, a worship service organized by the HPU Baptist Student Ministry; and a free lunch for students and their families at the home of HPU President Cory Hines.

Jennifer Manning, a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor trustee, was guest speaker at the university’s 174th Fall Convocation, marking the official opening of the new academic year. “I want to encourage you to strengthen yourself academically, spiritually, physically,” Manning told incoming students. She encouraged the students to seize every available opportunity to them to try something new. “Take charge and take a risk,” Manning said. “This is the perfect time in your life to step outside of your comfort zone.” Manning, who earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from UMHB in 1994, is a partner in the accounting and business consulting division of Pattillo, Brown & Hill in Waco.

Hardin-Simmons University is piloting a recommended scholars admissions program in Abilene-area high schools. The modified test-optional program allows principals, teachers and counselors to recommend their students for admissions to the university. “We believe the high school academic record and the endorsement of trusted high school faculty and staff who know the student’s potential and capabilities are better predictors of college success than an ACT or SAT score,” said Vicki House, vice president for enrollment management at HSU. The university will evaluate data based on the class that participates in the pilot program to determine the viability of expanding the program to include other high schools in the future.

Anniversary

50^th for the Neighbors International program at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. The program offers seven levels of English-as-a-Second-Language classes. It also offers free to all Waco-area foreign-born internationals courses in citizenship, driver’s manual, piano, computer, fabric arts, Spanish, painting, scrapbooking, choral music, crafts and crochet/knitting. Last year, more than 200 internationals from more than 30 countries enrolled in the program, and more than 50 people a week meet each Sunday morning for a Bible study geared toward internationals.

EDITOR’S NOTE—UPDATED INFORMATION: Before noon on Sept. 4, Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief Director Dwain Carter sent an email to all TBM disaster relief volunteers to  “stand down.”

“Hurricane Dorian has done just what we prayed for, turned away from the east coast and is staying out to sea,” Carter wrote.

Consequently, Florida Emergency Management, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army requested that all Baptist feeding units “stand down,” saying local volunteers and agencies should be able to handle any needs in coastal areas. North and South Carolina offered essentially the same instructions, Carter noted.

So, the TBM disaster relief team already on the road was redirected back to Dallas. Carter thanked volunteers for their flexibility and for the hours of work and preparation many already had invested.

“Please pray with me and for me, as I will be continuing to work on a plan of how we can assist in the Bahamas (people) that have lost everything because of this hurricane,” Carter wrote.

The original article as posted Sept. 3 follows:

The first wave of Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers left North Texas on Sept. 3, bound for a Deep South site where they will be closer to areas of greatest need after Hurricane Dorian reaches the U.S. coast.

About 45 TBM volunteers will assemble at a staging area in Hattiesburg, Miss., to wait for further instructions. The initial team of volunteers expects to staff a 15,000-meal-a-day kitchen, a shower and laundry unit, and a generator, as well as operate chainsaws to remove fallen limbs.

“Hurricane Dorian remains a sizable storm with the potential to inflict significant damage,” said Dwain Carter, TBM disaster relief director. “We have positioned our volunteers where they can move more quickly.”

On Sept. 2, Carter sent an email to all of TBM’s trained disaster relief volunteers with an appeal: “Respond and serve.”

In addition to the first wave of volunteers, who likely will serve in Florida, TBM planned to send a second group somewhere in the Carolinas later in the week, which would include an incident management team, the email stated.

That crew expects to staff a 21,000-meal-per-day field kitchen, a shower and laundry unit, a generator and heavy equipment, in addition to operating chainsaws and installing tarps as temporary roofs.

“After all this settles down, we will be looking for flood recovery teams” to remove water-damaged drywall and soaked flooring, as well as disinfect surfaces to mitigate mold, Carter wrote.

Hurricane batters Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamas with 180-mph winds over the Labor Day weekend. Elijah Brown, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, posted on Facebook a Sept. 2 report from Everton Jackson, general secretary of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship.

“Preliminary reports suggest that low-lying areas of Green Turtle Cay, home to approximately 500 people, have been flooded. It is confirmed that an 8-year-old male child has become the first casualty in relation to the storm in Abaco,” Jackson wrote.

“It is still too early to know the full extent of the damage occasioned by the hurricane, but what is sure is that prayers are needed for those affected and those in the path of this dreadful hurricane. In addition, support will be needed to aid the restoration of the affected countries.”

Carter likewise requested prayer.

“Please continue to pray for people along the Atlantic Coast, as well as TBM volunteers as they seek to provide hope and healing to hurting people,” he said.

To contribute financially, send a check designated “disaster relief” to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron, Dallas, TX 75227, call (214) 275-1116 or click here.

John Hall of TBM communications contributed to this article.

For Millennial parents who want to serve their children fresh VeggieTales prepared according to the original recipe, to quote Bob the Tomato, “Have we got a show for you.”

The classic Christian children’s program—which debuted in 1993 as a series of direct-to-videotape shows featuring Bible stories, silly songs and off-beat humor—will return with new episodes on Trinity Broadcasting Network developed by the original creative team.

“We’re putting the old band back together,” said Phil Vischer, who co-created the series with partner Mike Nawrocki and provided the voice of Bob the Tomato. Nawrocki reprises his role as Larry the Cucumber, and Vischer’s wife Lisa returns as Junior Asparagus.

Back to basics

The company Vischer and Nawrocki formed—Big Idea Productions—went bankrupt in 2003. VeggieTales changed hands three times before ending up as an NBCUniversal property. Along the way, new episodes produced without the guiding hand of the original creators lost the series’ distinctively Christian identity.

Vischer moved on to other projects, such as the “What’s in the Bible” 13-volume DVD series. Then he received a call from TBN, which already had talked with NBCUniversal about licensing the VeggieTales show with new episodes.

TBN wanted Bob the Tomato to return, but Vischer told the network he was interested in the role only if he and Nawrocki had creative input and if the program remained “true to the brand.”

“I received no pushback at all,” Vischer said. “TBN wanted to take VeggieTales back to its earlier, simpler feel.”

The network assured him it wanted a program that captured the distinctive nature of the original series, including its creators’ commitment to teaching biblical values, he said. So, Vischer and his creative team from the 1990s agreed to introduce Bob, Larry and their friends to a new generation.

‘Everybody learns something’

“VeggieTales meant so much to so many families,” Vischer said. “Now the first round of viewers are having kids of their own.”

The new show follows a variety show format, inspired by Jim Henson’s “The Muppet Show” of the late 1970s. Each episode begins with a question raised by a kid, and the VeggieTales characters then “put on a show” to answer that question.

“One character’s answer will be hilariously off-base. Then a Bible story provides the real answer. In the process, everybody learns something, including Bob,” Vischer said.

A VeggieTales Christmas special, “The Best Christmas Gift,” will appear on TBN in late fall, and it also will be distributed on DVD.

That will lead into 18 new VeggieTales episodes on the network, including nine focused on the fruit of the Spirit, as presented in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Simple, not simplistic

In addition to bringing back VeggieTales, Vischer also has produced a Bible storybook for children, The Laugh ’N’ Learn Bible for Kids.

“I think somebody in marketing came up with the title,” he said. “It’s not about making the Bible funny. It’s about making the Bible accessible and enjoyable.”

Rather than just presenting random Bible “snapshots,” the book presents 52 stories that present the “big picture” of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, he explained.

“It includes talking about the sad parts, the gloomy parts” in age-appropriate ways, he added.

Vischer hopes it will provide the “connective tissue” to help children understand how the Bible stories fit together into an overall story of redemption.

“It’s not simplistic, but it’s presented in a simple way. … It’s taking rich teaching and theology, and then putting it on a lower shelf where kids can reach it,” Vischer said.

“I want to help kids find their place in God’s story.”

COLLEGE STATION—When classes began for the fall semester at Texas A&M University, the Aggie Baptist Student Ministry launched a new ministry,

Viva: Faith-Based Hispanic Community began this semester as a student group under the BSM umbrella after Tiffany Aquino, Arely Mendiola, Rogelio Cobián and Caleb Jackson saw a need they wanted to address.

The conversation about starting a ministry focused on inviting and connecting Hispanic students to the BSM started last May. The students shared their ideas with Joel Bratcher, BSM director at Texas A&M, and Associate Director Rebecca Hernandez.

“We noticed we were Hispanic, and there were a couple of other Hispanic students at the BSM,” Mendiola said. “We each knew other Hispanic students, but there weren’t that many of us at the BSM.”

Even after the academic year ended for the students, BSM leaders continued to make plans and prepare to offer their support once students returned for the fall semester, Hernandez said.

Extended welcome

Aquino described the challenges Hispanic Americans who may come from more diverse communities or from Hispanic majority towns face when they move to College Station, with its majority Anglo population. For students coming from Latin America, that culture shock may be amplified, she said.

Last semester, Aquino sensed a calling to reach her own people, a calling that became clearer when she served through Go Now Missions in Mexico City during the summer.

The BSM represents a home for Mendiola. It is where she also found many of her college friends including Aquino, who is also is her roommate. However, she perceives a need for the BSM to become a home for more Hispanic students.

“Any time you go to the BSM, you’ll find very welcoming people. I think we just want to extend that but maybe be a little more specific towards the Hispanic community,” Mendiola said.

As students shared their ideas, Bratcher realized God seemed to be providing the beginning for a ministry that grows more important every year. Last semester, Hispanic students at Texas A&M comprised about 20 percent of the student body.

Empower and encourage student leaders

Empowering them to pursue their calling not only gives students the trust they need when they respond to a call God gives them, but it also teaches leaders at the BSM where and how they must minister, he added.

“I’m not Hispanic, so I get to learn from them,” Bratcher said.

BSM students’ desire to reach more Hispanic students certainly needed the support and trust of the BSM leadership, he noted.

“Our students have amazing ideas, and so I am kind of like a player-coach when I see their hearts wanting to reach more people,” Bratcher said. “We just try to encourage them, and in some cases that means just encouraging their leadership by saying, ‘You guys can do this!’”

As more universities experience an increase in the Hispanic student population, Bratcher recommended providing strong discipleship for Hispanic students.

“Giving them a place to begin to read the Bible with other believers and discover how great that is, that’s one great thing we can give them,” he said.

“The other thing we can give them is leadership opportunities where they’re integrated into everything we are doing—where their ideas and their leadership are highly valued.”

The Baptist World Alliance and others voiced concern about the safety of a Kachin Baptist leader who has been ordered to appear in court for comments he made at a White House meeting in July.

An officer in the Tatmadaw—the Myanmar military—accused Hkalam Samson, president and former general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention, of defamation for his remarks about human rights violations soldiers committed against ethnic and religious minorities.

Samson participated in an Oval Office meeting with President Trump during the Ministerial to Advance International Religious Freedom. He thanked the United States for imposing a travel ban on Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and three other senior officers. The Trump administration imposed the sanctions for what it called “atrocities” the military committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Samson also urged the United States to support Myanmar’s transition to “genuine democracy” and federalism. His comments were included in a live news broadcast subsequently posted on social media.

Lt. Col. Than Htike from the Northern Command brought the defamation charges against Samson in Myanmar’s Myitkyina Township Court on Aug. 26. Samson has been ordered to appear in court Sept. 9.

Human Rights Watch reported a significant increase in prosecutions for criminal defamation in Myanmar last year, primarily focused on individuals who criticized military, state or political party officials.

BWA urges authorities to uphold Samson’s rights

Elijah Brown, general secretary of the BWA, sent a letter Aug. 29 to officials at the United Nations and the United States government expressing concern about Samson’s safety, saying his “human rights are being subjugated.”

“We are asking you to follow up with the appropriate authorities in Myanmar about a just and speedy resolution that upholds the rights of Rev. Dr. Samson,” he wrote.

Brown noted Samson “has long been a proponent of religious tolerance and justice for all the peoples of Myanmar.”

“For many years he has worked for a just and fully integrated Myanmar, including a peaceful resolution for the 100,000 Kachin who remain as Internally Displaced Persons, and the restoration of over 200 churches destroyed in Kachin State,” Brown wrote.

“Religious freedom and free speech remain cornerstone rights to a healthy and flourishing society. Even as Rev. Dr. Samson has spoken to challenging contexts, he has sought to maintain a position of a just and integrated Myanmar. We ask that his rights and those of all citizens in Myanmar continue to be upheld and respected.”

Continued concern about retribution

Brown sent the letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Yanghee Lee, special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar in the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He also sent it to Nicholas J.C. Snyder, special adviser for Asia in the office of the U.S. vice president; Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom; Kelley Curie, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues; and to Sen. James E. Risch, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Rep. Eliot L. Engel, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Two weeks earlier, the BWA sent a letter to the same officials to voice concern about the safety of Samson and Pastor Langjaw Gam Seng of Myanmar. Both participated in the White House meeting with Trump to talk about persecution in Myanmar. At the time, sources inside Myanmar had indicated the two Baptist ministers could be arrested upon their arrival at Yangon International Airport.

American Baptists call for charges to be dropped

The American Baptist Churches, USA, and its Burma Refugee Commission, sent a “Declaration of Concern” regarding Samson to U.S. and international officials on Aug. 30.

The declaration notes Samson consistently has urged that “elements of the military responsible for the destruction of over 200 churches in Kachin State alone and who have used rape as a weapon of war be brought to justice.”

“The American Baptist Churches USA urges that the charges be dropped against Dr. Samson and asks the civilian government leaders of Myanmar and the military to support the democratic rights of Dr. Samson and all citizens of Myanmar to the fundamental right of peaceful free speech even when it is critical of the conditions within Myanmar,” the declaration states.

Lee Spitzer, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches, USA, said: “The American Baptist family continues to support and advocate for the safety and freedom of activity for all of our Baptist partners in Myanmar. We hope that the government and military in that country will respect the rights of our brothers and sisters. Our Burmese Refugee Commission continues to monitor and respond to the challenges Baptist leaders are facing on a daily basis.”

International Christian Concern, an organization focused on persecuted Christians, called for the court in Myanmar to dismiss the charges against Samson.

Gina Goh, the group’s regional manager for Southeast Asia, said the case against Samson “goes to show that any Christian in Myanmar can be singled out by the Tatmadaw and slapped with absurd charges.”

“Myanmar needs to show that it is truly a democracy by respecting freedom of speech and admitting its shortcomings in regard to religious liberty,” Goh said.

Paul Kim and his congregation prayed for a place to meet. Romney Santos asked why God called him to start a church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Joel Santiago came to Plano in faith, “like Abram leaving Haran and going to Canaan.” Jalil Dawood fled his birthplace years ago to be free of persecution. Over the span of a few years, their separate paths converged at First Baptist Church in Plano.

Kim is the pastor of Forest Community Church, Santos is the pastor of Brazilian American Baptist Church, Santiago is the pastor of Casa de Restauración and Dawood is the pastor of Arabic Baptist Church of Dallas.

All four congregations meet in the facility at First Baptist in Plano.

In the past, First Baptist started churches, such as Hunters Glen Baptist Church and Prairie Creek Baptist Church, both in Plano. Then, the direction reversed, and rather than starting churches elsewhere, new churches came to First Baptist seeking a place to meet.

With plenty of building space, First Baptist welcomed Forest Community Church, Brazilian American Baptist Church, Casa de Restauración and Arabic Baptist Church of Dallas with open arms.

Since some of the space must be shared, the five churches usually meet at different times. About once a year, they join together for worship in what they call the 1300 Service, the name coming from First Baptist’s street address. During the 1300 Service, each congregation participates and leads in some aspect of worship. Following the service, the five churches eat lunch together.

In addition to sharing space and meals, the five churches are seeking to learn from each other.

During a recent panel discussion at First Baptist, Dawood, Kim, Santiago and Santos shared their testimonies and suggestions for how Christians can build relationships with people from around the world.

Food is a universal connector

When asked to relate experiences of feeling welcomed, the four pastors gave a common response—food. For Pastor Dawood, a missionary in Italy shared a meal with him and welcomed him into his home like family.

Dawood explained how inviting someone from another country, culture or ethnicity to one’s home for a meal demonstrates compassion. Entertaining strangers is a biblical mandate, he said, referencing Hebrews 13:2 and the story of Abram’s visitors in Genesis 18. He also encouraged attendees to invite international college students, neighbors and co-workers to their home, letting their guests cook a meal to learn from them.

It’s not about the meal, though, Dawood said. It’s about breaking the ice and getting to know one another. After Jesus’ resurrection, one of the first things he did was to cook a meal for his disciples, he said.

Pastor Kim told about a college church in California that embraced him. The upperclassmen reached out to him, taking him out to eat and paying for his meal. Sharing a meal is so important that his congregation eats lunch together every Sunday.

The importance of family and time

The four pastors acknowledged how important family is in each of their cultures. They agreed with Dawood, who said time and the individual are primary in the West—especially the United States—while people from elsewhere place more value on family groups and being together.

It is not uncommon in some Hispanic cultures for multiple generations to live together in one home, Pastor Santiago said.

Hispanics—and other cultures—have a high regard for the elderly, Santiago noted. “It would never cross my mind to put my parents in a home,” he said. Instead, the family comes together to provide care for elderly family members.

In Korean culture, children do not call adults by their first name—not even their uncles or aunts, Kim said. Use of first names is reserved for those who are equal in status or who are older than those they are addressing, he said.

Basic knowledge and kindness go a long way

When the pastors were asked to describe how they were made to feel unwelcome, another common response emerged—a lack of knowledge that communicated uncaring or devaluation.

“Hispanic” is not all one thing, Santiago said, and Kim echoed by saying Asians also are diverse. Twelve countries from throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean are represented in Santiago’s church. While they all speak Spanish, they have different customs.

With respect to language, Santiago explained that a Spanish word means different things to different Spanish speakers. An innocent word in one country can be a vulgar word in another. Be careful with language, he cautioned.

Kim recounted two particular stories of unwelcome. When people learn he is from Korea, some ask if he is from North Korea. He reminds them that the North Korean government does not allow its citizens to travel; so, he could not be from the North. Sometimes he tells questioners he is from West Korea. Kim encouraged attendees to learn simple geography if they want to connect with people from around the world.

Where an Asian is from is just as important as where an American is from, Kim said. He learned in California and Texas that people from one state or city don’t want to be confused with people from another. The same is true for people from Asia, he said.

While a doctoral student at Baylor, well-meaning students asked if Kim planned to return to Korea when he finished. At that point, Kim had been a naturalized citizen of the United States for 25 years. Realizing the students meant well, he told them he planned to stay in the United States to welcome others from Korea.

Dawood said people assume he is Muslim simply because he is from the Middle East. He encouraged attendees not to assume a Middle Eastern person’s religious affiliation.

In addition, just because a person does not speak English well does not mean that person is unintelligent, Dawood counseled. Not only are many immigrants highly educated professionals, they also frequently speak multiple languages, he said.

Pastor Santos explained how people new to the United States do not always know who they can trust. He encouraged attendees to build relationships of trust with those from other countries. Eating and laughing together is better with people you trust, he said.

Santiago concluded by reminding attendees that every person carries the image of God. “We have the Creator in common,” he said.

About the pastors

Pastor Paul Kim & Forest Community Church

Kim was born in South Korea but grew up in South America as a committed Buddhist. While in South America, he met a Korean Baptist missionary and became a Christian and later moved to California. Kim and his family moved to Texas in 2002 so he could finish his theological studies, which included a Ph.D. from Baylor University. From Waco, they moved to the Dallas area so he could teach at Dallas Baptist University.

Forest Community Church started in the Kim’s home in 2015 before relocating to First Baptist Church in Plano. The church is made up of about 70 percent Korean Americans, 20 percent Chinese Americans and “some Cajuns.”

Pastor Romney Santos & Brazilian American Baptist Church

Santos gave up a profitable business in Brazil when he sensed God calling him to the United States in 2017. He came to Dallas Baptist University to pursue a master’s degree in global leadership, bringing his family with him.

Once in Dallas, Santos sensed God calling him to start a church. He was in disbelief until he learned that about 6,000 Brazilians lived in the area. Seeing the need, he started the Brazilian American Baptist Church.

Not long after, Santos learned of another Brazilian church that closed after three years. He became discouraged because the pastor of that church was a good speaker and leader. Then, God started sending people to the Brazilian American Baptist Church after they found the new church on Facebook.

Pastor Joel Santiago & Casa de Restauración

Santiago is a third-generation pastor from Long Island, N.Y. In 2008, God spoke to him in a dream, telling him to plant a Spanish-speaking church in Plano. He resisted God’s call until finally embracing it in 2014.

When he and his wife looked for a house in the Plano area, their realtor encouraged God’s call on him by saying the Hispanic community in Plano needs restoration. From that conversation, they named their new church Casa de Restauración.

Besides being the one Spanish-speaking church among the five churches meeting in the same building, Casa de Restauración also is the only non-Baptist church among them. “We believe we have much more in common than what makes us different, even if the other ministries are Baptist,” Santiago joked.

Pastor Jalil Dawood & Arabic Baptist Church of Dallas

Dawood fled Baghdad, Iraq, in 1982, spending a few months in Italy on his way to the United States. While a refugee in Rome, he encountered a Christian missionary to Jews and became a Christian himself.

After finishing a degree at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2007, Dawood became the pastor of Arabic Baptist Church of Dallas. He shares his story in The Refugee: A Story of God’s Grace and Hope on One Man’s Road to Refuge.

NASHVILLE—For most pastors, the so-called “worship wars” over the style of the music used in their church have subsided—if they ever even felt that pressure.

A recent LifeWay Research study found only 15 percent of Protestant pastors in the United States say the biggest challenge they face in the area of music is navigating the varying music preferences of members.

A similar number of pastors say their most significant challenge is leading people to truly worship God (16 percent). More pastors say they struggle with finding musicians and vocalists (21 percent).

Fewer say their biggest challenge is finding a music leader (8 percent), lacking the finances to do what they want to do (4 percent), or defining a musical style for their church (3 percent). A third (33 percent) say none of those are their primary obstacle.

A previous study from LifeWay Research found 5 percent of Protestant churchgoers say they would find a new church if the music style changed at their current congregation, far behind issues like the church making a doctrinal shift (54 percent) or the preaching style changing (19 percent).

Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship, believes this is evidence of a worship war peace treaty.

“The distance between what used to be traditional and contemporary are much closer than what they were 20 years ago,” he said. “Disagreement has begun to wain in most churches, and what a wonderful thing that is.”

How great is the challenge?

Pastors of churches with the fewest attendees (less than 50) are the least likely to say their biggest challenge is navigating music preferences (7 percent).

The youngest pastors, those ages 18 to 44, are more likely than the oldest pastors, those 65 and older, to say finding musicians and vocalists is their biggest challenge (24 percent to 16 percent).

The piano remains the primary instrument used in churches. Around  four in five Protestant pastors (79 percent) say piano music is a regular part of their worship service music. Hymnals (69 percent) also remain popular.

More pastors say their services regularly feature songs led by an individual worship leader (60 percent) than songs led by a praise team (52 percent) or songs led by the choir (33 percent).

Around half of churches regularly feature organ music (47 percent) or a praise band (46 percent).

Fewer pastors say songs featuring only the choir (32 percent) or songs using accompaniment tracks (22 percent) are a regular part of their worship service music. About one in 10 (9 percent) say they regularly include orchestra music.

“With all the changes in church music over the past few decades, there are also many similarities between worship services today and those from past decades,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Like printed books, hymnals are far from obsolete. Individuals and groups are still leading congregations in singing together each week.”

Demography, church size and denomination matter

African-American pastors (48 percent) are more likely than white pastors (32 percent) to say their church regularly includes songs featuring only the choir in their worship services.

Pastors of the smallest churches (less than 50 in attendance) are the least likely to say they regularly have songs featuring only the choir or songs led by the choir (both 21 percent).

More than twice as many churches with less than 50 in attendance (85 percent) say they use hymnals in their worship service as churches with 250 or more (41 percent).

Churches with 250 or more in attendance, however, are the most likely to regularly feature a rhythm section or praise band music (75 percent) and songs led by a praise team (79 percent).

Pastors at Pentecostal churches are most likely to say their church worship services feature songs led by a praise team (82 percent) and praise band music (73 percent). Pentecostal church pastors are also the least likely to say they regularly sing songs from a hymnal (32 percent).

Lutheran pastors (88 percent) are the most likely to say their worship services regularly have organ music.

Pastors of churches in the Northeast (58 percent) and Midwest (54 percent) are also more likely to say they have organ music than those in the South (43 percent) and West (36 percent).

Do worship leaders and pastors get along?

Most Protestant pastors say they maintain a harmonious relationship with the church’s music leader.

More than nine in 10 pastors (92 percent) say they and their church music leader have high levels of mutual respect, while 71 percent say they collaborate a lot in planning worship services.

Almost three in five pastors (57 percent) say they spend time with the church music leader beyond where their church work overlaps.

Fewer pastors describe their relationship with the music leader as one where they tolerate each other (51 percent), work independently (40 percent), or often only see each other at worship services (27 percent).

A small number of pastors say the relationship is often tense (4 percent) or that they serve as the music leader along with being the pastor (3 percent).

“Because the worship service is a shared ministry with the pastors and worship leader, it’s vital they be on the same page,” Harland said.

“The dynamic of their relationship is vital to the worship leadership being done the right way. The church greatly benefits when this relationship is right, but it can be hindered when the relationship is less than it could be.”

Pastors of churches with 250 or more in attendance are the most likely to say they collaborate a lot with the music leader in planning the worship service (84 percent).

Smaller church pastors, those with worship service attendance of less than 50 (37 percent) and 50 to 99 (29 percent), are more likely to say they often only see the music leader at worship services than larger church pastors, those with attendance of 100 to 249 (22 percent) and 250 or more (16 percent).

Pay to play?

Within the past year, most churches (73 percent) have paid for at least some of the musical portions of their worship service.

Almost half of pastors (47 percent) say their church has paid the music leader or minister. Two in five (40 percent) say they’ve paid special musical guests.

Churches are almost twice as likely to say they’ve paid musicians and accompanists who are members of their church (33 percent) than musicians and accompanists who play regularly but are not members (18 percent).

Fewer say they paid for vocalists who are members of the church (15 percent) or vocalists who sing regularly but aren’t members (10 percent).

Around a quarter of Protestant pastors (27 percent) say they haven’t paid for any of those in the past year.

“Many churches are able to meet their typical musical needs without paying musicians and vocalists,” McConnell said. “But churches are not isolated. They tap into talent from other churches when needed, and many intentionally use musical guests to enhance worship experiences.”

Pastors of churches with attendance of 250 or more are the most likely to say they paid their music leader or minister (68 percent).

Presbyterian or Reformed pastors are the most likely to say they paid vocalists who sing regularly but are not members of their church (24 percent).

African-American pastors are the most likely to say they paid musicians and accompanists who are members of their church (53 percent).

“Singing corporately with the body of Christ is something every disciple should care about because it is something God commanded us to do,” Harland said. “Colossians 3:16 says, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.’”

For Harland, this gives churchgoers motivation to worship with their voices. “We sing because we have a song,” he said.

“We sing because we teach and admonish one another. We sing because it inspires us to be faithful in our following of Christ. We sing because he is worthy of the song.”

The phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors was conducted Aug. 29 to Sept. 11, 2018. The calling list was a stratified random sample, drawn from a list of all Protestant churches. Analysts used quotas for church size. Each interview was conducted with the senior pastor, minister or priest of the church called.

Researchers weighted responses by region to reflect the population more accurately. The completed sample is 1,000 surveys, providing 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 3.2 percent. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

About 650 new students at Dallas Baptist University and 200 student leaders, faculty and staff served in 19 locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area as part of SWAT—Student Welcome and Transition. Community service projects included clean-up, distribution of goods and apartment visitation at Mission Arlington; sorting donated items at the Salvation Army’s disaster relief resource center; painting and decorating a children’s educational outreach center for Voice of Hope; and cleaning facilities and organizing English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms for refugees at Gateway of Grace. 

Texas Baptist Men volunteers served a free lunch to 1,000 students at the University of Texas at Dallas early in the fall semester. While students waited in line for fajitas, rice, beans and side dishes, Baptist Student Ministry leaders introduced themselves and engaged the students in conversation. UTD is one of fastest-growing universities in Texas with more than 28,000 students, including 8,000 international students from around the globe. “This is a beautiful mission field,” said Mark Warrington, director of the campus BSM. “College students love free food. We’re building relationships and having conversations. We’re grateful for TBM. We couldn’t do this without them.”

Students at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor celebrated a Welcome Week tradition by participating in Love CTX, working on projects to benefit the Central Texas area. Students gathered in front of Luther Memorial at the center of the UMHB campus to work on one of three projects—make dog toys out of recycled t-shirts, write thank you notes to teachers, or pack meals for area schoolchildren. UMHB donated more than 500 dogs toys to animal shelters in Belton, Temple, Killeen and Harker Heights. Students wrote 100 letters to teachers and staff members, thanking them for their service. They also packed sack lunches and backpacks for the One More Child organization, providing more than 50,000 meals for students in the Belton Independent School District.

Howard Payne University recently named Donnie Auvenshine as vice president for academic affairs and Gary Gramling as dean of the School of Christian Studies. Auvenshine served as the school’s dean from 1994 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2019. He earned his undergraduate degree from HPU and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Gramling will continue to serve as director of Christian studies graduate programs and professor of Christian studies, in addition to his new responsibilities as dean. Gramling also earned his undergraduate degree from HPU, as well as his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctorate from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Center for Christianity in Business at Houston Baptist University will hold its fall 2019 Networking Luncheon and Seminar on Sept. 27. The event, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Morris Cultural Arts Center on the HBU campus, will feature guest speaker Kevin Garland, CEO of Mountaire Farms. Cost for the lunch is $10 for students and $25 for professionals. To register, click here.

Anniversary

125^th for First Baptist Church in Riesel. The anniversary celebration will begin with a worship and praise service at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15. Former pastor Kenny Burkhart, now pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Houston, will preach, and several other pastors and worship leaders will attend. Following the worship service, a barbecue lunch will be served in the church’s fellowship hall.

FORT WORTH (BP)—Theologian and educator David Dockery has joined the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty as professor of theology.

Dockery most recently was president and chancellor of Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Seminary, announced Dockery’s faculty appointment at the seminary’s fall convocation Aug. 27.

In addition to serving as a theology professor, Dockery also will serve as the inaugural theologian-in-residence for the B.H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission and as special consultant to the president.

Dockery’s “decades of service as professor, academic administrator, institutional president, writing theologian and Baptist statesman have given him a breadth and depth of experience few individuals can match,” Greenway said.

“The opportunity to have Dr. Dockery not only in the classroom but as theologian-in-residence at the B.H. Carroll Center solidifies our commitment to articulating and advocating a robust vision for Baptist identity in the 21st century.”

Distinguished alumnus of Southwestern

Dockery was named a distinguished alumnus of Southwestern Seminary in 2002.

“My years as a student at Southwestern Seminary were formative for me in so many ways,” Dockery said. “During that time, I came to admire and appreciate the best of the Southwestern tradition and to better understand our Baptist and evangelical heritage.”

Serving as theologian-in-residence for the new B.H. Carroll Center “will provide opportunities to help this generation of students learn to appreciate the best of the Southwestern tradition and to be prepared to serve more faithfully in our 21st-century context with a greater understanding of what it means to be a Baptist-evangelical and an evangelical-Baptist,” Dockery said.

Southwestern Provost Randy L. Stinson called Dockery “one of the premier Southern Baptist scholars of this century.”

“His comprehensive understanding of Baptist life, the academy and broader evangelicalism is unparalleled. In this new role, he will be a central part of our efforts to increase our academic excellence,” Stinson said.

Scholarly and administrative achievements

In the early 1990s, Dockery served as vice president for academic administration and dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. In 1995, he was elected president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

In 2014, he was installed as Trinity’s 15th president and served in that role five years, then transitioned to the role of chancellor.

Dockery has written, edited or contributed to nearly 100 books, including Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal and Theologians of the Baptist Tradition.

He was the New Testament editor for the 40-volume New American Commentary series and general editor of the 15-volume Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series. He is co-editor of the forthcoming multi-volume Theology for the People of God series.

A past president of the Evangelical Theological Society and a consulting editor for Christianity Today, he has served as chair of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Consortium for Global Education and the Christian College Consortium.

Dockery holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Arlington, Master of Divinity degrees both from Grace Theological Seminary and Southwestern Seminary, a Master of Arts degree from Texas Christian University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He and his wife Lanese have been married more than 40 years. They have three married sons and eight grandchildren.

WACO—Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary returned to its birthplace for the school’s 25^th annual convocation, as speakers reflected on the seminary’s past and considered its future.

Students, alumni, faculty and guests gathered for the convocation at First Baptist Church in Waco, home to Truett Seminary its first five years.

Linda Livingstone, president of Baylor University, noted this year’s convocation holds special significance for her family, since her daughter Shelby now is a first-year student at Truett Seminary.

Citing Romans 12:2 from the New Testament, Livingstone hailed the seminary as “a place where minds are renewed and lives are transformed.”

The seminary traces its beginnings to 1990 when Baylor University’s board of trustees reserved the name “George W. Truett Theological Seminary” with the Texas Secretary of State, to 1991 when the seminary was chartered and to 1994 when it began offering classes on the second floor of the B.H. Carroll Educational Building at First Baptist.

‘Rekindle the gift’

William D. Shiell, president and professor of pastoral theology and preaching at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lisle, Ill., was among the first 50 students in Truett Seminary’s inaugural class. Shiell delivered the convocation address on “what Truett means to Baylor, Baptists and beyond.”

Reflecting on the Apostle Paul’s admonition in 2 Timothy1:6-7, Shiell encouraged entering students at Truett Seminary to “rekindle the gift” someone recognized in them, perhaps before they even recognized their own calling to Christian ministry.

Just as Paul laid hands on his protégé Timothy, a variety of people—grandparents, parents, pastors, friends and mentors—touched the lives of every person called to ministry, Shiell asserted.

Prepare for ‘push-back and challenges’

Challenging each minister-in-training to look at his or her hands, he insisted they will be “filled with all kinds of responsibilities.”

Keeping that in mind, he asserted Truett in its next 25 years will need to continue to be a seminary—taken from the Latin word for “seedbed”—where ministers are rooted in “sound teaching.”

But he added it also will need to be a “spiritual gymnasium” and “boot camp” where ministers are prepared for the rigorous demands of serving God in positions of spiritual leadership.

“Expect push-back and challenges,” he said.

However, he reminded the seminarians of Paul’s words to Timothy: “God did not give us the spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”

At a luncheon following the convocation, Dean Todd Still unveiled portraits of three former Truett Seminary faculty—founding professors A.J. “Chip” Conyers, who died in 2004, and Ruth Ann Foster, who died in 2006; and William C. “Bill” Treadwell, an early associate professor of Christian education, leadership and administration, who died in 2002.

Brian Brewer, a student in Truett Seminary’s inaugural class and now professor of Christian theology, paid tribute to Conyers. Lai Ling Ngan, recently retired professor of Christian Scriptures, offered remembrances of her colleague, Foster. Steve Wells, a student in Truett’s inaugural class and pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston, presented memories of Treadwell.

Student athlete Tanner Wright—who was born with an underdeveloped left arm—not only represented Hardin-Simmons University, but also the United States in the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 24.

Wright placed second in the long jump competition, and he qualified in the preliminaries for the 100-meter race on Aug. 27.

The Parapan American Games is an international sporting event for athletes with physical disabilities. It takes place every four years immediately following the Pan American Games.

The first Paralympic Games were held in November 1999 in Mexico City with 1,000 athletes competing between four sports. The 2019 Parapan American Games includes 1,850 athletes competing in 17 sports.

Questioning God

Growing up, Wright struggled with his faith. He asked God why he was born with a disability—arthrogryposis, normally a congenital joint contracture in two or more areas of the body. Wright is the only recorded case in medical history of arthrogryposis in one arm.

As he continued to grow in his understanding both of his faith and his disability, his perspective changed.

“I realized after a while that it was just who I am, and it’s my opportunity to be someone others can look up to,” Wright said. “I want to show other kids with disabilities that they can go out and play sports, too.”

Wright’s interest in running began when he was a high school student playing football. When he noticed most of his teammates were involved in track to become faster on the football field, he joined the track team, too. As a kicker, he expected to increase his kicking distance.

About two years ago, he injured his hip. The recovery process took a year, and Wright struggled with depression as he learned to cope with a new routine that did not include as much physical activity as before. Due to his lack of exercise, he began losing muscle and gaining weight.

While recovering from his hip injury, Wright turned to God for help. After praying for motivation with his recovery, he realized God was telling him to take a step back and relax.

“I realized that it just wasn’t going to be my year, and I just needed to take some time for myself to relax and stay healthy,” Wright said.

Sharing his faith

Wright explained he had never expected to join Team USA in the Parapan American Games. He and his coach discussed the opportunity as a joke a few times during practice. However, they soon realized Wright’s running times at the Nationals in 2017 were fast enough for him to qualify.

Being able to compete in the Parapan American Games gave Wright a chance to go into the world and spread the gospel, he noted.

“I definitely see it as a chance to teach others about my faith,” he said. “My teammates believe the same thing I do—that it’s because of God that we’re so athletic in the first place. So, yeah, I do think it’s a great opportunity to share the word” of God.

After the Parapan American Games, Wright’s next goal is to compete in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.

His training now is more focused on track events rather than on lifting weights.

“I have to be careful these days,” he said. “It’s so easy to get injured that I’m just trying to maintain what I have by staying healthy.”

With a training schedule that keeps him in the gym five to six times per week, Wright does not have much free time. However, when possible, he enjoys playing video games with his brother, learning to cook, and showing his Abilene friends what his hometown of Fort Worth is like.

As a former patient at Scottish Rite Hospital, Wright volunteers as a counselor working with mentally and physically disabled children. In time, he would like to become an orthotist.

As far as everyday living goes, Wright’s condition does not hold him back.

“I love answering this question,” he explained.” I tend to forget I even have a disability. I do life the only way I know how. I just do it. I’ve never had to live life any differently.”