Around the State

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor College of Humanities will host former Baptist Standard cartoonist Doug Dillard as he presents a lecture on “The World of Cartoon Publishing” Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. in the Brindley Auditorium of the York Science Center.

First Church in Burleson has receieved a Texas State Historical Marker in honor of its 125 years of service to its community. State Rep. Rob Orr read a resolution from the Texas Legislature recognizing the church for its service to Johnson and Tarrant counties. Pictured are Pastor Mike Milburn; Wes Sheffield, chairman of the church’s anniversary committee; Wilma Reed, Johnson County Historical Commission; and Orr.

Three people with Texas ties were among those recently commissioned by the North American Mission Board. Chuy and Maria Avila serve in Laredo, where he is a church starter. Prior to his appointment, he had served in Hispanic church starting for the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as Hispanic coordinator for Midland Assoc-iation. Mandy Meeker has been tasked as an evangelism specialist for children and youth in Dallas. A Hardin-Simmons Uni-versity graduate, she has served as youth evangelism conference coordinator for iWitness in Lavon and the Baptist General Conven-tion of Texas.

The Baylor Alumni Association presented its Herbert H. Reynolds Outstanding Young Alumni Awards to Sarah Brosnan, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgia State University who has done social behavior studies with capuchin monkeys; Michael Lindsay, an assistant professor of sociology at Rice University who is the author of the Pulitzer-nominated book Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite; Rick Tullis, president and co-founder of Capstone Mechanical; and Kenyon Wilson, assistant professor of music at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, who after graduation was a lecturing Fulbright Scholar in Baku Music Academy in Azerbaijan.

The Howard Payne University debate team won second place overall in a recent tournament held in Kingwood. In addition, sophomore Adam Hardy of Corpus Christi was named third place top speaker.

Seth Walker of Tyler and Kelli Peppers of Vidor were named king and queen of the homecoming festivities at East Texas Baptist University.

Janelle O’Connell of Hardin-Simmons University has been named the most outstanding physical therapy educator in the state of Texas by the Texas Physical Therapy Association.

Anniversaries

Mike Lawson, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Sherman, Nov. 8.

Anderson Church in Anderson, 165th, Nov. 15. Kyle Childress is pastor.

Larry Stewart, 15th, as minister of music at Coastal Oaks Church in Rockport.

Charles Conklin, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Buckholts.

Les Griffin, 25th, as pastor of First Church in Crosbyton.

David Howard, 15th, as associate pastor of Baylor Church in Ennis.

Deaths

Criminal justice majors Andrew Lopez, Mark Nickols, Demetrius Cobb and Eric Bunch were among the students who viewed the “Empty Shoes” display at Howard Payne University’s Girling Center for Social Justice. Next to each pair of shoes, ranging in size from child to adult, was the name and information of someone in the region who was a victim of domestic violence.

Kenneth Coates, 72, Oct. 4 in Lubbock. Coates, who had two degrees from Baylor, had been minister of music and education at Eastview Church in Kilgore, First Church in Gilmer, First Church in Andrews, First Church in Levelland and Tarrytown Church in Austin. He also was minister of education and administration at Pioneer Drive Church in Abilene twice, Willow Meadows Church in Houston and First Church in Plainview and was associate pastor and minister to senior adults at the Plainview church at the time of his death. In 2004 and 2005, he was minister of education of a church in Hong Kong. He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo; daughters, Dianna Freeman, Marsha Coates and Cyndy Mauldin; brother, Dale; and 10 grandchildren.

Sherry Gonzalez, 39, Oct. 24 in San Antonio. Her father is a Texas Baptist pastor whose pastorates included First Church in Irving and First Church in Nederland. She is survived by her husband, Rick; parents, Randy and Mary Rudisell; and children, Taylor, Paul and Chloe.

Clarence Kelly, 59, Oct. 29 in Bryan. He was pastor of churches in Texas and Louisiana, and was serving Harmony Church in Caldwell at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Judy; son, Luke; daughters, Shanna Kerby, Heather Lambert and Tara Griffis; brothers, Bob and Harold Howard, and Danny and Eddie Kelly; sister, Barbara Marlow; and seven grandchildren.

Cecil Golden, 81, Oct. 29 in Plainview. He received degrees from Samford University, the University of Alabama and Southern Baptist Seminary and was a Southern Baptist missionary to Honduras from 1957 to 1965. He taught Spanish at Jacksonville State and the University of Alabama and then at Wayland Baptist University from 1971-1996. He served as interim pastor of 30 different churches. He is survived by his wife, Claire; son, Phillip; daughters, Linda Rasor, Debbie Fort and Lisa Cox; and 12 grandchildren.

Event

The Singing Men of Texas will perform at First Church in College Station Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. Rodney McGlothlin is pastor.

 




Russian Baptists alarmed by proposed changes to religion law

MOSCOW (ABP) — Russian Baptist leaders have raised concerns about proposed revisions to the nation's religion law — changes they contend would greatly curtail religious freedom in Russia.

Yuri Sipko, president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists wrote Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Oct. 20 expressing "alarm and puzzlement" at the new and unexpected development in church-state relations.

Yuri Sipko

Sipko said that restrictive changes to Russia's 1997 law "On the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations," were not revealed in a roundtable of religious leaders he attended in September, while the legislation is reportedly supported by Russia's four designated "traditional" religions — Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism.

Vitaly Vlasenko, director of external church relations for the Baptist union, said he believed the proposed changes were directed toward Roman Catholics and Protestants, which do not have their own geographical territories in Russia.

The document, which first appeared in mid-October, for the first time defines "evangelical activities." It stipulates that only religious groups registered in Russia for at least 15 years can engage in missionary activity. Only leaders of evangelical organizations would have the right to preach. All others, including foreign visitors, would need written permission.

It would exclude from missionary work anyone ever convicted of inciting religious or ethnic hatred and other crimes of an extreme nature. Religious leaders said that would unduly burden pastors, who often do not know who has been convicted of what. It would also require religious bodies to close their doors to some members, effectively giving the government veto power over who may or may not join.

Other problematic changes include a requirement that minors not be present for religious activities without the express permission of their parents or guardians. Baptist leaders said requiring pastors to turn away young people would force them to violate Jesus' commandment to "let the little children come to me and do not hinder them" recorded in the Gospels.

They also called it absurd that young people would be barred from attending church but not movie theaters, stadiums or discos. "Is a place of worship more dangerous than a secular location?" Sipko's letter asked. "This legislation wants to define religious organizations as harmful, and that is clear discrimination."

Sipko said the legislation would lead to "further moral decline" in Russian society and lead to "greater alienation between the privileged and non-privileged faiths."

He said Russian Baptist leaders were also concerned about ambiguity in the law. For example, it prohibits religious organizations from "offering material or social benefits" to potential new recruits and bans the use of "psychological pressure or manipulation of consciences."

Sipko said promising an alcoholic sobriety through treatment and church attendance might be interpreted as a "social benefit" and that a sermon on the last judgment and the need to repent could be deemed "psychological pressure."

Vlasenko said the Russian Baptist group "is not against regulation of missionary activities per se, but we are certainly against their prohibition." He said the union was asking its 1,750 congregations and groups to "unite for prayer and fasting" about the proposal and invited foreign churches to participate as well.

Vlasenko said he is also interested in hearing foreign legal expertise and from other churches that have had similar experiences in their relations with their governments.

 

–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.




British missions society writes prime minister about global warming

DIDCOT, England (ABP) — The urgent need for action on global climate change is the subject on which a 217-year-old British Baptist missionary-sending organization has chosen to write what its leaders believe to be the group's first-ever open letter to a prime minister.

BMS World Mission, formed in 1792 and known for much of its history as the Baptist Missionary Society, pledged to pray for Prime Minister Gordon Brown leading up to a crucial climate conference that starts Dec. 7 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The letter, written along with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization, says BMS World Mission has throughout its history centereed on "deep concern for the poorest peoples of the world." The groups said a strong Copenhagen deal is crucial to averting or minimizing the effects of greenhouse-gas emissions, which charities including Christian Aid and Tearfund say are already negatively affecting the world's poorest countries. 
 
"We could have added our voice to the many who are shouting, demanding and pleading for action from the world’s leaders," said Mark Craig, director of communications for BMS. "We decided instead to write our first-ever open letter, to Prime Minister Gordon Brown."

The letter, signed by BMS World Mission General Director David Kerrigan and A Rocha UK CEO Steve Hughes, asked Brown to ensure that the United Kingdom speaks for the interests of the poor of the world and provides clear leadership to other nations in that regard.

Beyond that, it pledged prayerful support for the climate summit.

"Please be assured that you have the prayers, not only of the BMS family globally, but also of the Christian leaders whose organizations and communities worldwide have given their support to this letter."

Supporting organizations included 25 different Baptist groups from various parts of the world. Leaders endorsing the letter included Paul Montacute, director of Baptist World Aid, the relief-and-development arm of the Baptist World Alliance.

 

–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.




First Baptist Church Dallas launches $130 million building project

DALLAS (ABP) — First Baptist Church in Dallas has launched a $130 million building project that includes the congregation's first entirely new sanctuary since the 1890s.

Once considered the largest church in the Southern Baptist Convention, First Baptist Church has declined from 25,000 members under its legendary pastor of 50 years, W.A. Criswell, to about 11,000 today.

First Baptist Church is hoping to raise $130 million over three years to pay for its new building.

Under leadership of Robert Jeffress, who took over as pastor in 2007, leaders said the church is growing again, but present facilities are inadequate for innovative ministries needed to reach today's generation.

The plans for the church campus include a high-tech, 3,000-seat worship center, which will double the church's current worship capacity. There will also be an education center and 500-space parking garage.

Several of seven major buildings currently in the church's sprawling complex on six city blocks will be demolished to make way for construction. The current historic sanctuary will remain, with a steeple restored to its original height. It will continue to be used for weddings, funerals and special events.

Robert Jeffress became pastor of the Dallas church in 2007.

New landmark features include a towering stone waterfall topped with a luminescent cross. A shallow pool surrounded by green space will provide both a common area for downtown residents and guests and a place for open-air baptism services.

"We're creating what I like to call a spiritual oasis in the middle of downtown Dallas," Jeffress said Oct. 3 on Dallas radio station KBCI. "It is going to be the most beautiful facility in downtown Dallas."

With construction scheduled to begin July 2010 and expected take about two-and-a-half years to complete, the church is one of several major construction projects ongoing in downtown Dallas. In October, the $350 million AT&T Performing Arts Center opened. In September, ground was broken for a $500 million Convention Center Hotel.

In the Dallas suburb of Arlington, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys recently christened a new state-of-the-art football stadium

"I think if Jerry Jones can build a $1.3 billion temple to the god of sports out there in Arlington, we can spend a 10th of that, which is what we're doing, $130 million, to build a facility for the glory of the one and only God," Jeffress quipped on KBCI.

 

–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.

 




Trustees & directors nominated for BGCT consideration

Nominations to be considered by messengers to the BGCT annual meeting, Nov. 16-17 in Houston have been presented by the Committee on Committees, Committee to Nominate Executive Board Directors and the Committee for Nominations for Boards of Affiliated Ministries.

The information is provided in compliance with the bylaws of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

 

View a full-size list of the nominees as a pdf file here.




Messengers approve CP funds to lawsuits, two allocation options offered

RAYTOWN — Missouri Baptist congregations will have to formally vote during a church business meeting if they wish to protect their Cooperative Program gifts from being used to fund ongoing legal action.

Messengers to the 175th Missouri Baptist Convention annual meeting adopted an Executive Board recommendation that establishes two Cooperative Program allocation plans. Plan A designates 3 percent of CP allocations to be used to pay costs incurred in the continuing legal battle against five formerly affiliated institutions.

The Executive Board included Plan A in its budget recommendations at its April meeting. When opposition to the plan surfaced, the board added an alternate allocation option – Plan B, which does not include a percentage for agency restoration. Instead, it increased allocations to the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home by 1 percent and to Christian higher education operations by 2 percent.

CP money given through Plan A will help pay for legal action against The Baptist Home, Windermere Baptist Conference Center, Word&Way, the Missouri Baptist Foundation and Missouri Baptist University the MBC filed in 2002 after the five refused to rescind charter changes that allow each entity to elect its own trustees.

At the annual meeting, the Agency Recovery Group (formerly the legal task force) reported that the convention has spent $5 million in legal costs since 2001. Church Mutual, the MBC’s insurance carrier at the time litigation was filed, covered $1.5 million. The ARG called use of CP funds to recover the five entities “reasonable.”

Mel Lance, a messenger from First Baptist Church of North Kansas City, argued against budgeting CP funds for legal action for three reasons. Churches can give to the agency restoration fund already in place, he said. Messengers to the 2003 annual meeting established the ARF to encourage churches and individuals to give to help defray rising legal costs.

“It’s not right or fair” for the churches to have to vote not to participate, he argued. And, he added, he is “distressed” by the idea of using CP dollars for the lawsuits. “It’s an insult to the purpose of the Cooperative Program,” he said.

An amendment that attempted to make Plan B the default allocation option failed. Executive Board member James Freeman told messengers that the MBC essentially has used Plan A as the default “for decades” because it has spent money on attorney fees in the past to pay for a variety of legal matters.




Crash victim remembered with random acts of kindness

SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) — On Oct. 29 lawyers took cases pro bono, a man installed a water heater for a disabled man who previously showered on his back porch and a man stopping to give a stranded motorist a jump wound up replacing her battery. All were acts of kindness to mark what would have been the 13th birthday of a girl killed this summer by injuries received in a church-bus accident.

Maggie Lee for Good Day started early for Jinny Henson, with a TV interview about the event. It grew out of an Internet community that formed to pray for Hinson's daughter during her three-week struggle for life, mostly in an induced coma, that ended when doctors declared Maggie Lee Henson brain dead Aug. 2.

The day ended with a Maggie Lee for Good party at the family's church, First Baptist Church of Shreveport, La., which had to be moved to a basement due to tornado warnings. Local flooding stranded people at the church until a break in the weather after 10 p.m.

Maggie Lee Henson blushed on her 12th birthday last Oct. 29, when a cute waiter sang to her at an Olive Garden restaurant.

In between, Jinny Henson visited one school that held a food-and-clothing drive benefitting a downtown homeless ministry, another collecting used tennis shoes to recycle into a playground and a childhood-education center where Maggie Lee's seventh-grade classmates at First Baptist Church School made and donated crafts.

She passed through a drive-through snack stand benefitting brain-injury patients in northwest Louisiana, and watched her son Jack, who just turned 11, as his class acted out his older sister's favorite books for younger students as their Maggie Lee for Good project.

Those good deeds were multiplied in communities across the United States and around the world, with nearly 18,000 people pledging to participate through a Facebook group and website.

After Maggie Lee's death, an Arkansas woman who had started a Facebook group to pray for the Hensons after the July 12 crash suggested keeping the youngster's memory alive by soliciting 1,300 people to perform an act of kindness on her birthday. That goal was reached quickly, and Maggie Lee's mother decided to shoot for 13,000. That goal was surpassed by mid-October, and by the time Oct. 29 rolled around the number had grown to some 17,800 individuals.

Many participants reported their acts of kindness on the Maggie Lee for Good Facebook page.

One man got off work at 2 a.m. and a co-worker's car battery was dead. As he helped someone else, he said, he thought of Maggie Lee.

A woman who packs boxes each year with her daughter to send to Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child this year packed an extra one in honor of Maggie Lee. They plan to continue the practice every year.

One person bought lunch for someone who recently finished college but hasn't found a job.

A busy mom said she had been wanting for a long time to volunteer at a local food pantry, but because of her hectic schedule she never tried it. She decided to do it Oct. 29.

A woman in Cincinnati said she always passes the same homeless people on the same street corners as she drives downtown, so Oct. 29 she brought them sack lunches and told them "This is from me and Maggie Lee." She said she made six lunches but wishes she had brought more and will continue doing it.

Margie Williams Sanders posted a note saying she made a donation in Maggie Lee's honor to a non-profit organization that helps children with special needs. "Knowing all too well what it feels like to have a life so tragically taken, my prayers are with you," she consoled the family. "It will be a year on Dec 19 that my 14-year-old daughter tragically passed from a freak accident. In March she would have been 15, and it was one of the most difficult days. We don't understand why these things happen, but I always say God has a plan. Maggie Lee, along with my daughter, is living it up in heaven right now. Happy Birthday, Maggie Lee!"

Penny Jetton Golden was driving her son to school and talking about his plans to tell his class about the day and make sure everyone did something nice for someone else. As she pulled up to the drive-through at Starbucks, the cashier told her, "The car in front of you paid for yours. It's Maggie Lee's birthday." The cashier went on to explain that it had been a chain reaction all morning — with customers paying for the orders of the people behind them.

Trey Randal honored Maggie Lee by donating blood for his first time ever. "They even signed me up to be a regular donor every 60 days, which is something I never would have decided to do on my own," he said.

Lorri Hester Williams and Meredith Bleasdell helped a friend decorate a huge space for an expected 100 guests for her husband's 40th birthday party. "It doesn't sound like much, but our friend has the flu, bronchitis and a kidney infection and honestly didn't know how she and her Mom were going to get everything done," she said. "We had to skip our Bible study to do this, but we know that God was honored on this day as we remember Maggie Lee and all that she did good for others."

Jinny Henson said the stories amazed her family and made them grateful. "People have begun terming their good deeds, 'Maggie Lee,' as in, I did my 'Maggie Lee,' as a description of a good deed done in Christ's love," she said.

Maggie Lee's father, John Henson, an associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Shreveport, used part of the day to travel to Tyler, Texas, to take a bright pink flower arrangement to her grave, along with some flowers for his mother's grave as well.

"Today is a great day to let our good deeds show; to do things that make this world a better place; to help answer the prayer of Jesus for the Kingdom to come in this world as it is in Heaven," he wrote Oct. 29 on his blog. "This is our way of joining up with God to bring good out of a horrible situation."

"I cannot begin to imagine why the accident happened and why Maggie Lee died and I certainly don't believe God caused it," he wrote. "What I do know and can see is how God has been at work to bring good out of it. 17,800 people doing good things is great evidence of that."


–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.

Previous ABP stories:

'Maggie Lee for Good' day surpasses goal of 13,000 good deeds

'Maggie Lee for Good' project honors memory of girl killed in bus crash

Victim of church-bus crash takes center stage at memorial service

Shreveport girl dies from injuries in church-bus crash

Struggle continues for teenager injured in church-bus accident
 
Shreveport church focuses prayer on daughter of church staff member
 
Pastor says National Guard saved lives following wreck of church bus

 




Wayland Missions Center outlines five-year goals, develops strategies

PLAINVIEW—More than 30 community and church leaders—including representatives from the Baptist General Convention of Texas and associations of churches in West Texas—met recently to develop goals for Wayland Baptist University’s Missions Center.

“I formulated a plan to have key leaders as well as key missions students and pastors to come together and help us formulate a strategy for the missions center for the next five years,” Wayland Missions Center Director Rick Shaw said. The group identified five areas of focus:

• Facility. Provide a site to house the center. Wayland is addressing that need as it raises funds for a new Flores Bible Building as part of its ongoing capital campaign. Until construction begins, university officials are considering other means to house the missions center.

• Communication. Increase publicity and communication for the center, possibly through the development of its own website.

• Endowment. Create an endowment to aid the center’s objectives.

• Increased student involvement. About 18 percent of Wayland students on the Plainview campus are involved in missions projects, whether through the missions center’s mentoring program or through mission trips planned by both the missions center and the BGCT.

 Through the center’s Apostolos program, 62 Wayland students mentor Plainview High School students.

On the academic front, Shaw is working to develop an intercultural missions specialization, as well as a full missions degree.

Wayland also has increased its reach globally, conducting three mission trips this year for students and area churches, and the university is planning up to seven trips in 2010.

• Connecting to churches. Enhance connections between the center and churches that can use it as a resource and as a guide for training and implementing mission work of their own. “A lot of churches feel very close to Wayland,” Shaw said. “We want to focus on increasing the relationship between those churches and Wayland, as well as developing relationships with other groups.”

 




Amarillo Baptists offer living water to fairgoers

AMARILLO—At a recent fair, Texas Baptists handed out cold water and shared living water.

Volunteers working with the Cup of Cold Water Ministry of the Amarillo Area Baptist Association served 7,300 cups of water and distributed 325 Texas Hope 2010 multimedia gospel compact discs, as well as other evangelistic materials, during the Tri-State Fair.

The CDs are one of the primary tools of Texas Hope 2010, a Texas Baptist initiative to share the gospel with every Texan by Easter 2010. The CDs contain audio and video testimonies, gospel presentations and links to download the New Testament in more than 300 languages. Texas Baptists are seeking to place Scripture in each of Texas’ 8.8 million homes.

Terri Powell, director of the ministry, said the CDs were distributed by members of First Baptist Church in Vega and seemed to be well-received. People appeared to be reading the CD covers and looked interested in finding out more.

“A lot of those went home with people who came to the fair and don’t go to church anywhere,” she said. “I thought it was a great opportunity.”

The distribution of water opens up avenues for people to share their faith, Powell said. It easily allows Christians to interact with people who have yet to accept Christ as Lord.

“Most of the work we do is sowing the seed and watering,” she said.

“We do have people who come by every year and say, ‘Thank you for being here.’”

For more information about Texas Hope 2010, visit www.texashope2010.com.

 




Plenty of food if everyone shares, university leaders learn

DALLAS—There is more than enough food for everyone—if people share.

That’s what Dallas Baptist University staff and faculty members learned during a Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission world hunger simulation.

Staff members were randomly assigned to tables and served different meals—from bowls of rice to unlimited chicken with vegetables and dessert—to represent how people eat around the globe. People were allowed to “beg” others for food and could share as they wished.

Faculty and staff members moved around the room, some asking for food and some giving it. They saw what could happen when resources are shared.

The simulation helps people understand there is plenty of food in the world, but it is not distributed equally, CLC Director Suzii Paynter said. More than 50 percent of the world struggles each day to attain necessities, often feeling the grip of hunger.

Although the event merely provided a glimpse into world hunger, it was a way DBU staff and faculty members could understand the issue better, DBU President Gary Cook said.

“It was a moving experience to host the world hunger luncheon for our faculty and staff at DBU,” he said.

The luncheon is part of Texas Hope 2010, an initiative that encourages Christians to pray for the people around them, care for those in need—especially hungry children—and share the gospel with every Texan by Easter 2010.

The DBU meal is the first time the CLC has undertaken this exercise with the staff of an institution. Paynter said she values the opportunity to influence people who are impacting the next generation.

“We are working with a campus to bring an experience to a group of leaders so they can have a vision for how to support world hunger and world hunger ministries,” she said. “This is really to spark the imagination of this group of leaders and in turn spark the next generation to action.”

Cook was so encouraged by the meal, he wants to hold a similar event for DBU students. It is one of several steps DBU is taking to tackle hunger.

“Soon we will be hosting similar meals with our student body,” he said. “The faculty and staff members at DBU will be able to encourage the students as we partner together with the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and Brother Bill’s Helping Hand to feed the hungry in the name of Jesus.”

Cook urged every Texas Baptist to fight hunger locally, across the state and around the world.

“I would encourage each and every Texas Baptist to take seriously the call to help the poor and feed the hungry by contributing to the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger ,” he said.

 




ETBU plunges into Texas Hope 2010

MARSHALL—Students, faculty and staff of East Texas Baptist University are involved in carrying out the vision of Texas Hope 2010 in presenting the gospel to every Texan by Easter Sunday 2010.

Texas Hope: 2010 materials are being used to prepare the ETBU campus for Spiritual Renewal Week, Nov. 9-13.

The ETBU office of spiritual development distributed to each faculty and staff member a copy of the “Hope 2010, Call to Prayer” guide.

During a chapel service, students were given a 30-day devotional book, “Pilgrimage: Preparing for the Journey,” written by ETBU faculty and staff.

Vice President of Spiritual Development Alan Huesing noted the devotionals and the Hope 2010 prayer guide are being used to prepare the campus for Spiritual Renewal Week, Nov. 9-13.

ETBU Baptist Student Ministries recently has been involved in reaching out to the community with the gospel.  Student students helped two churches in Gregg Baptist Association by conducting door-to-door surveys and distributing gospel materials.

The ETBU BSM Kid’s Club, a local ministry to four low-income housing developments, will use Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions funds to provide Thanksgiving baskets to families. The baskets will contain a dinner and the Texas Hope 2010 “What’s Missing” multimedia CD.

 

 




Dallas Baptist University dedicates Pilgrim Chapel

DALLAS—Dallas Baptist University officially dedicated the Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel Oct. 16.

Maintaining DBU’s colonial architectural style, and modeled after several classic colonial church buildings, the 80,000 square-foot facility seats more than 1,300 students in its sanctuary.

“It has been the dream of so many DBU faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, students, and donors that Dallas Baptist University would build a chapel building,” DBU President Gary Cook said. “I am thrilled that this building has finally been constructed and that we are able to dedicate this building to the Lord. We are grateful to Patty and Bo Pilgrim and to the hundreds of other individuals who have made contributions for this beautiful new building on the DBU campus.”

The Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel at Dallas Baptist University not only contains seating for more than 1,300 students in the main auditorium, but also will house offices, classrooms, a theater and a reception hall.

The service proved to be a special time as donors, trustees, faculty, staff and various other friends of the university came together to pray for God to use the building to further his kingdom. Beginning the service with the university hymn, “To God Be the Glory,” the sanctuary rang with the chorus, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Other members of the DBU family came and spoke, and many offered prayers of thanksgiving and dedication. A memorable moment came as Bo Pilgrim, whose generous gift allowed the school to move forward with the building project, offered his remarks on the meaning of the new chapel.

As the service closed, all those gathered sang a final chorus, declaring the chapel was “Holy Ground.”

For decades, prayers have been offered for the construction of a chapel building, and in 1998, the first gift was given for the chapel. Since that time, many supporters have come forward to help make the dream a reality.

“We are grateful beyond expression for the outpouring of gifts we have received from so many for the construction of this beautiful center for spiritual development,” explained Adam Wright, assistant to the president for advancement and coordinator of the chapel campaign. “In the history of DBU, there has never been a building project like Pilgrim Chapel that has received the level of support from so many individuals.”

In addition to hosting chapel services, Pilgrim Chapel is also the new home to the Orville and Esther Beth Rogers Prayer Ministry, the Rogers Baptist Student Ministry offices, as well as the offices of the Gary Cook Graduate School of Leadership, which provides many ministry-related graduate degrees. The facility also houses six classrooms, one seminar room, a 134-seat theater, and Jeannette and Cletys Sadler Hall that holds approximately 250 people for receptions and dinners.

“So much prayer, dedication, and hard work has gone into the planning and construction of this wonderful facility that is dedicated to worship, discipleship and evangelism,” explained Dr. J. Blair Blackburn, DBU executive vice president and project director of Pilgrim Chapel.

“Those who enter the doors of this beautiful facility, view the Christian symbols and verses throughout the building, and step foot in the sanctuary will hopefully be challenged and encouraged in their walk with the Lord. The stained glass windows and the verses that adorn the sanctuary remind us all of the central focus of the Pilgrim Chapel and the university as a whole—that this be a place of worship and that we live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to our Lord.”