TYLER—In the same worship service, one church celebrated seven decades of service while another marked the beginning of a new chapter.

Park Heights Baptist Church in Tyler celebrated its 70th anniversary. And in the same service, the Anglo church turned the deed to its property over to Higher Heights Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation.

Attendance at Park Heights dwindled as the surrounding community be-came almost exclusively Hispanic and African-Amer-ican. In his nine months as pastor, Joe Bob Hughes said, about 30 had been the largest attendance.

“I think it was Barry Switzer who said, ‘When you run out of football players, you have to quit playing.’ That’s where we were at,” Hughes said.

Higher Heights, a predominantly African-American congregation that intentionally is working at growing more diverse, had no room to expand after the local school district bought land surrounding its facility.

So, Pastor James Hawkins contacted Smith Baptist Association for help in finding a new location. Given the difficulties Park Heights was having, the suggestion was made to offer to buy the property that was about five miles from its existing facility. But at that point, the congregation wasn’t ready to sell.

“It was a shock to the congregation, and the people weren’t ready for it,” Hughes said.

About that time, Higher Heights brought a Hispanic pastor on staff in an effort to reach out to a greater segment of the population.

“We were determined to continue to do ministry and not be distracted,” said Hawkins, who founded Higher Heights 14 years ago.

“We continued to pray and seek God’s will for our church.

“We didn’t have a clue as to where we were going, but we knew we were going to be in the center of God’s will.”

In addition to its Spanish-speaking mission, the church also offers a ministry for people with drug and alcohol addictions, operates a food pantry and helps sponsor a medical clinic.

In time, the Park Heights congregation that initially would not sell its facilities took the initiative to give Higher Heights its assets completely without charge.

The first Sunday for Higher Heights in the building was one of victory for both congregations, Hughes and Hawkins said.

About 400 people attended worship on the day of transition. About 15 people became members of Higher Heights on the first day in its new facility.

“It was so overwhelming to see the diversity,” Smith Baptist Association Director of Missions Danny Pickens observed.

The members of Park Heights have been invited to join Higher Heights, and Hawkins feels some will choose to stay and be a part of the new beginning.

“The thing I appreciate about Park Heights is that they didn’t just slowly fade away and use up all their resources,” Pickens said. “Instead, they had the vision and foresight to find another congregation that could better use those resources.”

GLORIETA, N.M.—D.L. Lowrie, pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in Lubbock, challenged about 300 participants at the 12th annual Texas Baptist Retired Ministers/Missionaries Retreat at Glorieta to listen to God’s voice and see what he has in store for his people.

News reports of global turmoil underscore the imperative of finding the way back to God—individually, congregationally and nationally, Lowrie said.

“If we do not hear God’s still, small voice, the most common way of speaking to us, he can speak louder through prophets or adversity,” said Lowrie. “But God gets no delight in destroying nations. He gets delight in showing mercy.”

Lowrie cited Old Testament case studies of national leaders who led their people to humble themselves before God. In each case, he noted, God was merciful.

In place of the blood sacrifices offered in Old Testament times, God wants Christians today to offer a sacrifice of praise, Lowrie said.

D. L. Lowrie

“It is imperative that prayer and thanksgiving be part of our Christian walk day by day. Such prayer and praise promotes peace in the human heart,” he said.

Mack Roark, Oklahoma Baptist University professor emeritus of Greek and New Testament, said the purpose of Bible study is not to learn Bible trivia but to experience changed life.

“Salvation brings us into everlasting, life-changing relationship with God,” he said.

The next retreat is scheduled for Sept. 26-30, 2011. Early registration will be Oct. 15-Nov. 15. Call (800) 797-4222.

PLAINVIEW—Rick Shaw of Wayland Baptist University has spent many hours working in slums around the world, leading mission teams and sharing the gospel with people of different faiths. But this summer, Shaw led a small team to a mission field he never had experienced before and gave participants new insights into Hindus.

Shaw, director of the Wayland Mission Center, led a six-person team to Bangalore, India, to explore ways to aid indigenous missionaries in their work.

“When I was praying about it and really looking for direction, I was looking for a place that would be heavily Hindu,” Shaw said. “For almost three years now, we have engaged Muslims in Macedonia and Kosovo, but I wanted students to engage Hindu people.”

Shaw was put in contact with indigenous missionaries, Latha and Suresh, by a foreign missionary with Wayland connections who was working in South Asia at the time. While the missionary and his family had to return to the States for health reasons, Shaw remained in contact with the Indian missionaries who operate ministries and sewing centers for the children and women in Bangalore, Dhar-maprui and Chittoor.

“I knew (Bangalore) was about 98 percent Hindu,” Shaw said. “There are a few Muslims, but not many, and very few Christians.”

The Wayland team visited ministries and sewing centers for children and women in Bangalore, Dhar-maprui and Chittoor.

Joining Shaw in the six-person team was Elaine Heard from Dimmitt, Donna and Roland Hamilton of Quitaque, Wayland graduate student Kori Bowen and adjunct professor of history Nick Pruitt.

Their trip coincided with a major Hindu festival known as the Day of the Dead. The group witnessed many of the rituals incorporated in the festival, including animal sacrifice and a ceremony in which young boys and girls were pierced through their cheeks.

While the Hindus in India are tied to their religion, they still are open to hearing about Jesus, Shaw said. After all, there are more than 330,000 gods and goddesses associated with Hinduism, and their religion allows for the addition of more.

Eventually, however, they must learn Jesus is not just one of many gods, he added.

“For a Hindu that is really well versed, Christianity is a challenge to its core, because Christianity is exclusive in terms of the worship of one God,” Shaw said.

PLAINVIEW—Infielder Calvin Bass turned a memorable double play each of the past three summers—playing the game he loves and serving the God he loves through Athletes in Action.

Calvin Bass of Plainview, a student at Wayland Baptist University, prepares to swing at the next pitch in a match-up between his Athletes in Action team, the Alfred Thunder, and a rival team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

During the school year, Bass plays second base at Wayland Baptist University, where his father, Brad, is head coach of the Pioneers baseball team.

The Wayland senior returned to Plainview this semester after his third summer on the Alfred Thunder, a New York Collegiate Baseball League team based in upstate New York. Bass was a utility infielder for the Thunder, playing mostly first or second base and designated hitter.

His team played the other six teams in their division six times each. Most of their league rivals were within a few hours’ drive from Alfred, south of Buffalo near the Pennsylvania line. The team’s routine was not unlike a minor league ball club—frequent travel and a busy game schedule. But the team’s off-the-field activities set it apart.

“We’d start out every morning with a Bible study for an hour or so, then we’d head to the field for pregame stuff and practice,” he said. “Some mornings or on our days off, we’d do a service project in the community or at the church.”

At Alfred Almond Bible Church, team members helped lead Vacation Bible School and other ministries.

Athletes in Action—a ministry of Campus Crusade—provides a team of Christian players from around the country to play in collegiate leagues. Athletes in Action sponsors teams in New York, Alaska and the Great Lakes area.

Besides playing ball against other league teams, members of the Athletes in Action team share Christian testimonies before or after their games with opponents.

Since many of the players on the other league teams were not committed Christians, Bass said, that time gave him and his teammates a chance to share the gospel and their personal faith. It also opened up conversations one-on-one with those who had more questions, he added.

Members of the Athletes in Action team grew in their walk with God by sharing their faith and through daily Bible studies, Bass said.

“The best thing for me was the Bible study every day that helped me stay where I needed to be. Plus, our team shared the same basic beliefs, and they were there for the same purpose—they wanted to learn and grow while playing baseball,” Bass said. “For me, that was exciting to see that there are other people who want to grow in their Christian faith.”

Bass enjoyed making friends on the team to whom he could be accountable in his Christian walk.

“We all have our own lives at school and in the summer on the team,” he said. “I still keep in touch with a couple of the guys, and we make sure that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.

“The experience has reminded me to think about what I’m doing and try to be a better example of Christ on my campus.”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—A majority of Americans—including those who do not practice any particular faith—think students should be able to express their religion in public schools, according to a new poll by the First Amendment Center.

Three-quarters of Americans support student religious speech at public school events.

A slight majority of those who don’t practice religion (52 percent) think such expression is appropriate.

In addition, 80 percent of Americans said students should be permitted to pray at events at public schools.

“Clearly, most Americans want to keep government out of religion, but they don’t see an expression of faith by a student at a public school event as a violation of the separation of church and state,” said Ken Paulson, president of the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center in an announcement of the findings.

The telephone survey of 1,003 adults also found a majority (53 percent) of Americans continue to think the U.S. Constitution establishes a “Christian nation,” compared to 55 percent in 2008.

Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, said he found that belief “discouraging” even as he welcomed agreement by two of three Americans that the First Amendment requires clear church-state separation.

The poll, conducted between July 28 and Aug. 6, also found:

• 76 percent of Americans support the proclamation of the National Day of Prayer by the president or Congress; atheists groups have filed suit to stop the practice.

• 61 percent said freedom to worship applies to all religious groups, no matter how extreme their views may be.

• 48 percent said the religious affiliation of a candidate for office is important in their voting decisions.

Atheists, agnostics, Mormons and Jews appear to have a better understanding of world religions than Christians, according to a recent nationwide Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey.

If that’s the case, Texas Baptist leaders believe a lack of knowledge could impede efforts to share the gospel.

In a poll that questioned people about their knowledge of various religions, religious figures and religious history, atheists and agnostics scored highest, correctly answering an average of 20.9 out of 32 questions. Jews and Mormons followed closely behind, correctly answering 20.3 and 20.5 questions respectively.

Protestants averaged 16 correct answers per quiz, and Catholics fared even worse, netting an average of 14.9 correct responses.

Agnostics and atheists scored higher on questions about religions other than Christianity, while Mormons and Christians correctly answered a higher percentage of questions about Christianity. The more people were involved in religious activities, the better they did on the survey.

Baptist leaders across Texas found Christians’ apparent lack of knowledge about other faiths particularly troubling, noting that knowledge of other people’s beliefs helps create and facilitate relationships, which are the key to evangelism ef-forts.

“A Christian should absolutely know about other beliefs,” said Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director-treasurer of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas.

“We are called to take the gospel to the nations. To be an effective witness, we must engage peoples of other faiths. How can we hope to do that without a basic understanding of other beliefs? Having an informed discussion with a Muslim regarding the five pillars of Islam would enable an honest dialogue that communicates respect and will open doors for future discussions.”

Jim Denison, Baptist General Convention of Texas theologian-in-residence and president of the Center for Informed Faith, agreed. Denison noted even the earliest Christians used their knowledge of other faiths as a path to sharing the hope of Christ.

“Paul studied the religions he found in Athens, then used what he discovered as a bridge to the gospel,” he said.

“Early Christian leaders explained Greek philosophy in equipping believers to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus called us the ‘light of the world’ and the ‘salt of the earth,’ change agents who are called to take our faith into public life. The more we know about the be-liefs of others, the more effective we will be in showing them why Christianity is relevant to their lives.”

Phil Miller, director of the BGCT Bible Study/discipleship team, said one of the reasons for Christians’ seeming lack of knowledge about world religions has been their reluctance to engage those around them in recent years.

By talking with people of other faiths, Miller said, Christians have the opportunity to learn about other religions. And by listening, Christians gain their respect and earn the right to share the gospel.

“We need to know what we believe well enough that we can share it with someone else,” Miller said. “We have come to a day in society where even if we are diametrically opposed to what they believe, we have to be able to sit down with someone and ask them what they believe. Then be quiet long enough to listen. Afterward, we will have the opportunity to tell our story.”

Discussions about faith not only help Christians understand the beliefs of others and open avenues through which the gospel can be shared, they also aid believers in better understanding their own faith, said Keith Lowry, BGCT single adult/family ministry/ senior adult specialist.

“The best way to get to know the faith of your neighbor is get to know your neighbor,” Lowry said. “Best way to learn about your faith is to share it with your neighbor. If more Baptists are willing to do that, I think we could change the world.”

The board of directors of the Texas/American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches voted unanimously in mid-September to terminate Executive Director Ron Nolen, who had led the organization since September 2006.

Ron Nolen

In a letter to pastors, the officers of the fellowship—President Greg Spears, pastor of Milam County Cowboy Church in Rockdale; Vice President Mike Moss, pastor of Bull Creek Cowboy Church in Lone Oak; and Secretary Ray Lane, pastor of Triple Cross Cowboy Church in Granbury—gave several reasons for Nolen’s dismissal but declined to release them for publication.

“Every effort has been made to follow the biblical process laid out in the Scriptures for accountability with the hope of reconciliation and restoration,” the letter to pastors stated. “Unfortunately, those attempts have failed. The board had to act quickly, precisely, decisively and appropriately to protect the integrity of the organization.”

The letter stated the fellowship is healthy and committed to moving forward with God’s direction, “following the model and values that we teach in our schools and practice in our churches.”

“We are committed to transparency, accountability, teamwork and consensus building. Most importantly, we look forward to the great things God has in store for the Texas and American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches as we seek to share the good news of Christ with honesty, integrity and accountability before God and each other.”

The letter also stated: “The board has a great love and respect for Ron Nolen and his family, and we will continue to reach out to Ron and pray for him and his family. We are certain that you also have great respect and admiration for Ron and his work in this movement. It is for the sake of unity in our churches we must make you aware of this decision and ask you to join us in prayer for Ron, his family, the board and our organization as a whole.”

Nolen was placed on sabbatical by the board in August. Jeff Bishop was named interim executive director. He has served as director of summer camps for the TFCC/AFCC the last three years and recently resigned as pastor of Cross Trails Cowboy Church in Fairlie to start a new cowboy church in Bandera.

Efforts to reach Nolen for comment were unsuccessful.

Nolen retired from the Baptist General Convention of Texas staff to head the TFCC in 2006. He had been a church starter and then director of western heritage ministries before taking on the new responsibility.

He had led in founding Cowboy Church of Ellis County, the first cowboy church to be affiliated with the BGCT, in 2000 and assisted in establishing many others. When he took over the TFCC reins, it had 73 churches. More than 140 now are affiliated with the TFCC and another 36 with the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches, which was begun in November 2007.

Under Nolen’s leadership, the TFCC/AFCC has developed a system of coaching for new pastors, a summer program of camps for preteens and youth and has held 26 church planting schools in Texas and mini-schools in Alabama, Kansas and Louisiana to train people in starting and doing cowboy church.

Editor’s Note: Ron Nolen contacted the Baptist Standard Nov. 4, 2011, and indicated he did not respond prior to publication of this article because he did not receive a notice that Managing Editor Ken Camp was attempting to contact him.

Nolen said he resigned the day before the board of directors of the Texas/American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches voted to fire him.

Although leaders of the organizations did not state reasons for Nolen’s termination, he told the Baptist Standard it was due to a “personal issue.” He stated “certainly” he did nothing illegal.

Since his termination, Nolen has met regularly with a group of men who comprise an “accountability group,” he said, adding he and his wife have participated in marriage counseling.

Nolen is involved in starting a Western-heritage church in Santa Fe, N.M. The  Albuquerque Journal has published an article on the young congregation.

SAN ANTONIO—Baptist Health System and Baptist Child & Family Services have launched a mobile medical partnership organizers say is focused on “driving health forward” in the San Antonio area.

Conducted via a state-of-the-art mobile medical unit, the program will offer cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure and body mass index screenings, as well as provide risk assessments for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Screenings will be open to the public for free or at low cost.

“For decades, Baptist Health System has demonstrated its commitment to caring for our community by building hospitals around the city, near where people live and work,” Baptist Health System President Graham Reeve said.

“Now, by expanding our relationship with BCFS, we are able to improve access to health care by actually taking screenings and care into neighborhoods. We want to eliminate barriers to good health.”

According to the Texas Diabetes Institute, more than 73,000 people in San Antonio suffer from diabetes.

The disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in Texas and the fourth-leading cause of death in Bexar County. Chronic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and renal failure also are found in high numbers across the county.

“Early detection and education regarding how to control these common health issues are paramount. For any number of reasons, hundreds of thousands of people throughout our city are suffering from diseases both known and unknown,” said BCFS President Kevin Dinnin.

Health screenings will be part of the mission of the mobile unti.

“Our goal is to end this trend by offering easily accessible screenings and raising awareness of available resources for healthy living.”

Screenings will be offered at high-volume commercial locations such as shopping malls, community centers and housing projects, as well as at community health and wellness fairs, senior centers, corporate wellness events, churches and school events.

If a serious condition is detected during the screening, the individual will be referred to his or her physician for follow-up medical care. Educational materials will be provided so residents can reduce their risk of developing chronic disease.

“Taking affordable health care screenings … directly into neighborhoods can have quite an impact on the health and well-being of our community,” said Fernando Guerra, director of health for the Metropolitan Health District. “The greater understanding individuals have of their health status, the more willing they may be to change it.”

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS)—Say a group of immigrants wants to build a mosque in Mayberry, right next to All Saints Church. A Bible study guide asks, “WWAD: What Would Andy Do?”

The question of a mosque, of course, never surfaced in the beloved Andy Griffith Show that chronicled life in the bucolic town of Mayberry, untouched by the battles of civil rights and war that festered in the 1960s.

Tucked somewhere into the cool green hills of North Carolina, Sheriff Andy Taylor mediated minor feuds in the largely homogeneous hamlet, guided his son, reined in the excitable Deputy Barney Fife and set an example for common-sense leadership that still in-spires today.

Joey Fann, a software engineer from Huntsville, Ala., who has written The Way Back to Mayberry, a popular study guide for small groups in churches, wonders what the calm lawman of Mayberry would make of America’s current collective agitation.

“What impressed me first about the series is the friendships between the characters and the compassion Andy has for everyone,” Fann said. “There are a lot of values in that, even 50 years later.”

Fann’s book has been re-issued in time for the show’s 50th anniversary. At 44, Fann is too young to have seen the show until it went into re-runs. The show lived on long past its run from 1960 to 1968, and Fann thinks the gentle unfolding of those basic values— which Fann also finds in his Christian faith—are why.

“Andy Griffith insisted that each show have a moral,” Fann said. “And religion is portrayed the way it fits into the life of people of faith: Just as part of everyday affairs and conversation. It’s a secular show, but you know these are church-going, God-fearing people.”

Fann began to analyze Barney’s antics and Andy’s tender shepherding of Mayberry while he was a student at Churches of Christ-affiliated David Lipscomb University in Nashville. It’s also when he fell in love with Mayberry.

Those conversations grew into a mid-week small-group class he taught and still leads from time to time at Twickenham Church of Christ in Huntsville.

The class received national attention and spawned his website, BarneyFife.com, where he and others share lessons and conversations about the show.

In 1999, an editor from B&H Publishing in Nashville contacted Fann to see if he’d consider writing a book. “I’m a software engineer, not a writer,” Fann told the editor.

But he picked out 30 of the episodes that had stuck with him and wrote essays on each, much as he would start a discussion for one of his group meetings at church. Each short essay begins with a Bible verse he sees illustrated by the episode.

The show is reaching a new generation in his home. Fann’s 4-year-old daughter, Josey, loves to watch the episodes with her father. Fann encourages other families to discover—or rediscover—the show to learn from the time-tested example of a town where everything was, in a loving kind of way, black and white.

“Any time you are talking about The Andy Griffith Show, you are going to have a good time,” Fann said. “Being a friend, being compassionate to people not like you, taking responsibility, being a good dad—I think we all need a little Mayberry in our hearts.”

IRVING—Desiring to make a global impact for Christ, First Baptist Church in Irving recently sent mission teams to Bangladesh, India, North Korea, Uganda, Honduras, Nicaragua and China, as well as St. Louis and Houston. 

Janet James from First Baptist Church in Irving holds a baby in Bangladesh.

“It has been a strong year of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth,” said Pastor John Durham, who served on several of the mission trips.

While sharing the gospel in Mongolia, First Baptist partnered with LifeQwest Inter-national, an outreach of Change the World Ministries. Jerry and Susan Smith, members of Bear Creek Baptist Church in Katy, founded the ministry specifically to help abandoned street children by meeting both their physical and spiritual needs.

“There is such a powerful ministry happening there, and we were honored to partner with them in that frontier nation,” Durham said. 

“We were able to help with some work projects, including pouring concrete for sidewalks for the orphans, filling potholes on their property, painting some of their buildings, gardening and organizing their medical supplies. 

Durham walked 30 minutes each way and crossed two rivers to purchase goats and sheep for the orphanage. He had been given money to purchase the livestock from GiveAnAnimal.com, an organization started by Cody Caudill, a member of First Baptist in Irving who currently serves as a naval officer. 

Pastor John Durham of First Baptist Church in Irving picks out some calves for the orphanage funded by GiveAnAnimal.com, an organization created by a member of the Irving congregation.

“Every time I go to Mongolia, I come home so humbled,” said Susan Etter, who returned to Mongolia after a trip two years ago. “Our team truly believes that when we travel halfway around the world to work with these missionaries, our job while there is to do whatever they need for us to do—no questions asked. We are there to serve.”

In February, First Baptist in Irving plans to host four young men from Mongolia who are a part of The Mustangs, a mentorship program with LifeQwest Ministries. The church hopes to collect donated American Airlines miles for their trip. Following their experience in Texas, all four men will return to Mongolia and continue ministering to others in their homeland.

First Baptist also sent a women’s team to Bangladesh. This was a dream fulfilled for Missions Coordinator Allison James, who joined the church staff in 2009 after serving in Bangladesh two years.

“I thoroughly enjoyed being able to interact with the girls at the Light of Hope Center and teaching them about Queen Esther. The girls at this center are some of the poorest children in the world,” James said.

John Durham, pastor of First Baptist Church in Irving, is joined by four young men who will be traveling to Texas in February from the Mustangs, a mentorship program with LifeQwest Ministries. First Baptist in Irving hopes to raise 280,000 donated American Airlines miles for their trip.

“Yet they have hope, because they have heard God’s word and realize it’s the truth.  Not every child can say this, and these girls are truly blessed through this center. It was encouraging and uplifting to spend time with them, loving on them and laughing with them.”

This summer, members of the middle school ministry served in Houston. Students participated in a variety of service projects, including serving at a food pantry, ministering to the homeless, reaching out to children at a low-income apartment complex and leading a Vacation Bible School.

“Our students provided this overwhelming wave of love, especially to the children,” Student Pastor Jay Miller said.

“Several students had the opportunity to share their faith and talk to the kids about why we were there. They told the kids that they were on a mission for Jesus Christ. The kids at this apartment complex really connected with our students. As we left, a lot of them were really tearful, wanting them to come back.

“I’m already thinking about next year, planning the trip and wanting to go back to that same apartment complex and continue building relationships there.”

Pastor John Durham from First Baptist Church in Irving makes a new friend in Honduras.

While volunteering at the Houston Food Bank, the middle school students worked in an assembly line and bagged enough rice to feed 40,000 people.

“It was really neat to see our students’ eyes light up, because they couldn’t believe how much they did in one morning,” Miller said. 

Soon after the middle school students returned home, the church’s high school ministry traveled to St. Louis, where they rounded up children for LifeWay’s Saddle Ridge Ranch Vacation Bible School.

As the group canvassed neighborhoods and distributed fliers, they were surprised to find that even older teen-agers asked about attending. 

“I’ve never seen a VBS where so many older teens were present,” sponsor Samantha Go-lightly said. 

“These teenagers in St. Louis came each day and wanted to hear. There were a lot of wonderful people that did great things for the Lord on this trip and utilized their gifts, talents and resources. … Having more than 100 kids come to VBS and the number of parents at family night was amazing. 

“These mission trips were amazing experiences, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I want to take every opportunity that I can to help this next generation, and it’s all worth it. There are so many hurting kids out there who need Jesus. I hope that others would catch the fire and just burn for Christ. 

“The passion and enthusiasm at First Irving is contagious. I’m so thankful that we’re part of a body that is missions-minded, because that speaks volumes.  It’s not a church willing to just sit there and soak it up.”

ABILENE—Hardin-Simmons University honored Texas Baptist River Ministry leader Elmin Howell and his wife, Betty, as missions pioneers and dedicated an on-campus River Ministry exhibit as a tool to educate the next generation of missions workers.

Howell, who led Baptist General Convention of Texas missions programs along both sides of the Texas/Mexico border for nearly three decades, received the Jesse C. Fletcher Award for distinguished missions service from the university.

Elmin Howell (2nd from right), who led Texas Baptist River Ministry nearly 30 years, visits with (left to right) Bruce Stovall, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Albany, Bernard Bolton of Shreveport, La., and John Garner of Franklin, Tenn., at the dedication of a River Ministry exhibit on the Hardin-Simmons University campus. (PHOTO/Paul S. Howell)

“River Ministry is one of the greatest state mission efforts ever attempted by Baptists,” HSU President Lanny Hall said. “It has been blessed by God’s hand.”

During Howell’s tenure, River Ministry started 63 health-care clinics that touched the lives of 500,000 people along the border, helped start more than 600 churches, drilled more than 100 water wells, launched multiple agricultural and community-development projects and involved more than 5,000 churches in hands-on missions, Hall noted.

Howell—a 1952 graduate of Hardin-Simmons—donated documents and memorabilia from his years of River Ministry service to his alma mater with the understanding the collection would be used in missions education.

The university produced a video and created an exhibit in its Connally Missions Center to display the collection. It includes maps, photos, paintings, handcrafts and other items displayed in the O’Brien Room, named in honor of the late Dellanna O’Brien, veteran missionary and Woman’s Mission Union leader. Her husband, Bill, was Howell’s roommate at Hardin-Simmons.

Wayne Shuffield, director of the BGCT evangelism and missions center, noted the area along the Texas/Mexico border is home to 6.5 million people, and the population has grown by about 1 million every 10 years since 1980.

“Visionaries like Elmin Howell could see that early on and see that Texas Baptists needed to reach out and take the gospel of Jesus Christ to them,” Shuffield said.

When Jeane Law, former president of Texas WMU, was growing up in Alabama, all she recalled knowing about the Rio Grande was what she learned from Gene Autry western movies.

Her awareness about the Rio Grande changed drastically in 1967 when Hurricane Beulah brought the needs of people along the Texas/Mexico border to the attention of Texas Baptists.

Concern for the plight of people affected by the hurricane, combined with an already-approved line item in the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions for a “Rio Grande Mission Thrust,” gave birth to River Ministry.

“Texas may have been freed from Mexico in 1836, but the two reconnected in 1967,” said Law, a member of First Baptist Church in Lubbock.

In the years that followed, she noted, River Ministry became an integral part of the Texas WMU Week of Prayer for State Missions and the Mary Hill Davis Offering.

John Wilson, a former school superintendent who now serves at Baylor University, remembered when he was a 13-year-old boy and Howell became activities director at First Baptist Church in Beaumont.

“No one other than my own mother and dad had a greater influence on my life than Elmin Howell. He has been a mentor, coach and friend to me,” Wilson said.

Similarly, Ivan Smith recalled his teenaged years in Shreveport, La., when Howell served on a church staff.

“Elmin had a way of getting the job done,” Smith said. “People could not tell Elmin Howell ‘no.’ He was so led by God, you were afraid not to do as he suggested.”

The National Association of Evangelicals has a seven-point statement of faith.
Members affirm they believe:

• The Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative word of God.
• There is one God, eternally existent in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• In the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood, in his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in his personal return in power and glory.
• For the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
• In the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
• In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost—they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
• In the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Source: www.nae.net

Christian researcher George Barna defines evangelicals according to nine questions.
By Barna’s criteria, an evangelical is someone who:

• Has made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in his or her life today.
• Believes he or she will go to heaven based on confession of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior.
• Believes faith is very important in his or her life today.
• Believes he or she has a personal responsibility to share religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians.
• Believes Satan exists.
• Believes eternal life is possible only through grace, not works.
• Believes Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.
• Asserts the Bible is accurate in all it teaches.
• Describes God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect Deity who created the universe and still rules it today.

Source: www.barna.org