BELTON—Although the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, predators still buy and sell other human beings across America, a social work professor and a police detective told a gathering of Texas Baptists.

Kim Kotrla, assistant professor in Baylor University's School of Social Work

Kim Kotrla, assistant professor in Baylor University's School of Social Work, and Billy Sifuentes, liaison for the Austin Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit, described the status of modern slavery during a conference sponsored by the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.

Up to 27 million people languish as slaves around the globe, and 800,000 of them are trafficked internationally, Kotrla reported. Eighty percent of the world's slaves are female, and 50 percent are children.

Human trafficking covers at least five issues, from labor and sex, to selling organs, babies and brides, she added.

Estimated annual human trafficking profits range from $32 billion to $91 billion, she said.

Both "push" and "pull" factors snare people in human trafficking, Kotrla noted. Push factors exist in a person's home country—poverty, corruption, limited opportunities, war and cultural practices. Pull factors relate to the person's destination—promise of a better life, hope for education, job possibilities and opportunity to send money to family back home.

"The United States always is in the top two destination countries" for human trafficking each year, she said. At least 15,000 trafficked individuals arrive in America annually, and sex slaves sell for up to $20,000.

Human trafficking is not the same as smuggling, Sifuentes stressed. People who are smuggled from one country to another pay for the transfer. People who are trafficked are forced, coerced or fraudulently lured into the process.

In addition to international trade, traffickers also peddle girls and women within the United States, Kotrla said.

The average age at which a girl enters the sex trade is 13, she reported, noting pimps often recruit minors on playgrounds, in malls and at bus terminals. Girls most at risk are runaways, throwaways, the homeless, and girls with a history of abuse, foster care, low self-esteem or family histories that include prostitution, she added.

Most prostituted children have a pimp, and minors may sell for $400 per hour, she said. A prostitute's body is sold an average of 10 to 15 times a day, six days a week.

"Eighty-nine percent of prostitutes say they would like to escape but do not have the means," Kotrla said. "Sixty-eight percent suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the same rate as combat veterans. The average age of death of a prostitute is 34 years."

"Prostitutes are victims, not defendants," Sifuentes added. "I ask victims: 'Did you ever consider suicide?' They all have.

"You meet a girl who's a prostitute, and you'll find a victim who's had no life—no softball and dance classes, no Girl Scouts. Only rape, rape, rape."

Kotrla and Sifuentes suggested several steps churches can take to reduce sexual trafficking and alleviate suffering.

"Jump on already-proven projects in your community, then develop them," Sifuentes said. "Don't reinvent the wheel."

Helpful actions include:

• Provide volunteers for victims' relief services sponsored by police departments. One group "adopted" a sex-trafficking victim and tangibly expressed their care by giving her a baby shower.

• Conduct neighborhood watch programs and report suspicious activity.

• Provide help for runaway shelters.

• Urge local law enforcement to operate "john schools"—mandatory awareness programs for men who buy sex.

• Demand restitution for victims.

• Support after-school programs to keep children safe while parents work.

CORPUS CHRISTI—Cecile Dagohoy grew up in the Philippines, dreaming of a career in the medical field.

She envisioned herself wearing a white doctor's coat with a stethoscope draped around her neck. She worked tirelessly and eventually received her doctorate in medicine, also meeting her husband in the process.

Cecile Dagohoy from First Philippine Baptist Church in Houston leads worship at the last general session of the Woman\'s Missionary Union of Texas annual meeting. Leaders from various ethnic groups represented in Texas WMU led worship times at each session during the annual meeting.

She loved serving the sick in her home country. But while she was caring for people in the Philippines, God called her husband, Ernest, to become pastor of a church halfway around the world in Houston.

Dagohoy asked if she were willing to give up her dream to pursue the life God has for her and her family.

"In my pursuits of a career, I had pushed God back," she said.

Through prayer, Dagohoy came to a point of willing service, surrendering to be a living letter of good news sent to minister to Filipinos in Texas.

"I became the wife of a pastor," she said. "Of course I didn't know what it meant, what it entailed. I wasn't trained for it. I didn't know what it would ask of me. But you know what? My God is faithful. He walked with me and held me through it, and I never felt the need to look back, never regretting the decision."

As Dagohoy told her story to more than 540 women attending the Woman's Missionary Union of Texas annual meeting, she broke into song: "I gladly obey … Teach me the mission appointed for me. What is my labor and where it shall be? Master thou callest and this I reply, ready and willing, Lord here am I."

Throughout the annual meeting at First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, speakers challenged women to "Live Sent," intentionally living where they are, taking the hope of Christ out into their communities and into the world each day.

To live sent, a Christian must be based in prayer, said Raquel Contreras, president of the Women's Department of the Baptist World Alliance.

"We have one thing in common" with Christian women around the world, she said. "We worship God and want God to be known everywhere in the world.  One of the ways we do that is through prayer."

Living sent also begins through recognizing that the presence of God is with the women everywhere they are, in everything they do, Contreras added.

"When we are walking in the streets of Texas, we are always in the presence of God. We are tempted to think that God's presence is just when we are at church. But actually we need to really realize that God is just there always," she said.

WMU women must walk in joy as they serve God and share his story, not becoming stressed about how to make a difference in the world, but leaving the guidance and direction to the Lord, Contreras said.

Participants at the Woman\'s Missionary Union of Texas annual meeting worship during the general session.Â

"We are supposed to enjoy life," she said. "We are supposed to go wherever we are supposed to go, and we are supposed to leave the evangelism to the Lord. Live with joy and let the Lord use you."

Megan Chadwick, who served as a journeyman in South Asia, shared that Christ's followers must live sent by wearing the aroma of the Lord, a good fragrance that shares his goodness everywhere they go.

"As we are living testimonies, our letter should not only read well, but smell good, too.  We can be manifested with the aroma and knowledge of God in any place," Chadwick said.

Bertha Vaughns, Baptist Student Ministry director at Prairie View A&M University, said God has given each woman experiences and opportunities to live sent, to make a difference in the world around her.

"I live sent. I believe I have a voice. I believe I have something to say. I don't believe that the Lord has allowed me to go through what I have gone through in my 67 years to keep it to myself," she said. "Live sent, live according to God's intended purpose and part of the peace he has for you to share."

And in order to live sent, Christ's followers must renew their minds, said Pam Lilly, a representative from Faith Comes by Hearing. They must have a "God-can-use-me" mindset and an "all-humanity" mindset.

"We enjoy pretty wonderful lives here in America. If you are ever in doubt, consider this. With all the modern conveniences we have here in the U.S., it is the equivalent to having 17 maids in other countries. When the father of all lies convinces you that you don't have time, remember the women around he world spending their days gathering firewood and water," Lilly said.

"My prayer is that we no longer look at our time and resources and think we cannot make a difference in the world. My prayer is that we become concerned about the things that concern God."

Throughout the conference, the WMU women had opportunities to attend breakout conferences, helping them become equipped to live sent in their communities or wherever God leads. The sessions presented opportunities to be involved with Books for the Border, gospel art through henna, practical ways to stop human trafficking, working with refugees in your community, Christian Women's and Men's Job Corps, mentoring, making disciples, mission trip planning, social media with a missions focus and more. 

Many of the women also helped assemble and paint 20 bookshelves for Literacy ConneXus. These bookshelves will be given to families in need in the border area through reading fairs this summer.

In business, Texas WMU elected a new slate of officers: President Gloria Mills from First Baptist Church in Henderson; Vice President Merle Cross from First Baptist Church in Gilmer; Second Vice President Irma Alvarado from First Baptist Church in Donna; Third Vice President Lynette McBride from Central Baptist Church in Hillsboro; and Recording Secretary Barbara Helms from First Baptist Church in Clarendon.

Sandra Wisdom-Martin,  executive director-treasurer of Texas WMU, challenged the women at the meeting to dream big about how God could use them to influence their communities and the world during this next year or ministry.

"What if in 2012 we all opened our hearts and hands and asked God to do something utterly amazing?" Wisdom-Martin asked. "What would happen in your life if you pleaded for God to do something amazing, in your church, in your family? In 2012, do we really want what we can accomplish or what God can accomplish?"

She closed the meeting in a prayer and asked each woman to hold up her palms to the sky in surrender to the Lord working in their lives this year.

"Lord, we offer our hearts and our hands," she prayed. "Please do something utterly amazing so that people will be drawn to you."

PRIDDY—The heat and hills faded from the cyclists' minds when they rolled into Priddy, a Mills County community southeast of Brownwood. What they saw made their six-day, 430-mile trek from San Antonio to Dallas through the heart of the state's Hill Country worthwhile.

Charity Stephens of Waco visits with a student in the Priddy Independent School District. Students greeted Bike Out Hunger riders who rode through their community, southeast of Brownwood. (PHOTO/Kaitlin Warrington/BGCT)

All the Priddy ISD students—elementary school through high school—lined the side of the school parking lot, many holding signs thanking the cyclists for riding to raise money to help hungry people through the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger. Of the 107 students in the school, 62 are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program.

The young people high-fived cyclists as they rode through the parking lot and surrounded them when they stopped.

"It felt like we're in the Tour de France or something," said Don Vanderslice, a member of First Baptist Church in Austin. "Kids are cheering for us and screaming. They've got their signs held up that they made in art class. Out of the miles and miles and miles I've ridden in my life, these last 10 or 15 minutes have been some of the most awesome of my entire life."

For many participants, the stop in Priddy was the highlight of Bike Out Hunger, a cycling trip sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baptist Child and Family Services, Baylor Health Care System and Plano Cycling and Fitness to raise awareness about hunger needs across the state and raise funds to help hungry people regionally and globally.

"This year's ride, the third Bike Out Hunger, seemed to impact the riders more than the previous two," said Rand Jenkins, director of the BGCT communications office, who organized the ride.

"Stretch points and suppers hosted by local churches coupled with an emotional stop in Priddy allowed the riders to not only be encouraged but to also be an encouragement showing that people care about solving the hunger issue for families they've never met."

More than 25 cyclists from across the state tackled a route that began at the BCFS office in San Antonio, took them through Dripping Springs, Marble Falls, Lampasas, Comanche and Forth Worth and ended at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Along the way, cyclists visited with media outlets, as well as people they encountered along the route, talking about hunger issues.

"Whether we make it 450 miles or four miles, this is about raising awareness of the hunger issues that are facing Texas, facing the children, the families, the adults across our state and across the world," said Ryan Musser of Crawford.

Rick Gurney, a member of First Baptist Church in Plano who also owns Plano Cycling and Fitness, said many people assume people who live near them have the necessities of life. But that's simply not the case for far too many Texans. More than 1.7 million Texas children are food insecure.

Don Vanderslice examines a young artist's handiwork, as students in the Priddy Independent School District greeted Bike Out Hunger riders who rode through their community, southeast of Brownwood. (PHOTO/Kaitlin Warrington/BGCT)

"Hunger can bring tears to your eyes," Gurney said. "We take for granted all the things that are around us."

Compelled by their faith, the cyclists sought donations from their congregations, friends and families to help end hunger. All money given through Bike Out Hunger goes to the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger, which seeks to feed the hungry and help people out of poverty.

"I care because God commanded us to care about those who are less fortunate than we are," said Amy Sides of Lorena, who participated in the ride with her daughter, Samantha Collins of Austin.

The time has come to end hunger, said Scott Shelton, youth minister at First Baptist Church in Athens. By raising funds for the cause and awareness of the issue, Shelton hoped to be part of solving a widespread issue.

"I don't think there's really any good excuse why people die of lack of food when we have so much," he said.

For more information, visit www.bikeouthunger.com.

—Based on reports by Texas Baptist Communications staff.

LANCASTER—First Baptist Church in Lancaster served as the staging site for three ministries to help families in the area recover from tornadoes that ripped through homes and lives there.

Tornadoes ripped through Lancaster and other areas near Dallas April 3.

The Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief Child Care unit, as well as volunteers from Samaritan's Purse and Operation Blessing, all used First Baptist Church as their headquarters during relief efforts.

The groups worked together to meet the needs of more than 105 families.

"You always hate for a disaster to happen," Pastor Charles Dixon said. "But since it did, we were glad to play a small part in being a blessing to those who lives were affected by the tornado."

A couple of images from the relief efforts left lasting impressions, Dixon said.

In one, a group of volunteers from Samaritan's Purse joined hands in a circle of prayer with a woman whose house had been lost, but her son was saved from injury.

A rainbow appears overhead as volunteers from First Baptist Church in Lancaster work to cover a storm-damaged roof with a tarp.

Another occurred after a woman asked the church for assistance in covering her storm-damaged roof with a tarp because she feared more rain was coming. As volunteers worked quickly, a brilliant rainbow appeared overhead.

One woman Dixon met described surviving her second tornado in a year, having previously been in Joplin, Mo., when a tornado struck there.

"We inquired if she was currently attending any church," Dixon said. "She replied, 'No, but having survived two tornados in one year, I believe God may be saying something to me.'"

First Baptist in Lancaster, established in 1867, is seeking to map out its future, and the recent opportunity to be used for ministry was instructional in that effort, Dixon said.

Volunteers from the Texas Baptist Men Childcare Unit—along with workers from Samaritans Purse and Operation Blessing—all used First Baptist Church in Lancaster as their base of operations for disaster relief after tornadoes hit several North Texas communities.

"We're a stage in the church's history where we're looking to see what the future holds for use. This is a time of prayerful consideration to see what steps God would have us take to prepare for the years before us," he said.

"With this development, it was a very timely reminder that God is still working through First Baptist Church to meet the needs of the people of Lancaster and even the region.

"What a blessing to work with Christians who have come from all across America in the name of Jesus to serve the needs of people in Lancaster, Arlington, Dallas and throughout North Texas."

WACO—Christians and Muslims believe in the same God as Creator, but the God and Father of Jesus Christ is not the God of the prophet Mohammad, a Methodist theologian told a gathering at Baylor University.

"Christians and Muslims believe in the same God. They do not worship the same God," William Abraham said.

The Kaaba during Hajj in Mecca.

Even so, common belief in the Creator shared by Christianity and Islam may provide the basis for Muslims' full engagement in American political and civil life, he asserted.

Baylor's Center for Ministry Effectiveness & Educational Leadership and Truett Theological Seminary's Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching sponsored the symposium that asked, "Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?"

Abraham, an Irish-born scholar in philosophical theology who serves as Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology, insisted the question is not just an abstract ivory-tower debate.

"The identity of God in Christianity and Islam is not just a hot ecclesiastical and political issue. It is also a critical theological and missiological issue," Abraham said.

"Can we assume that we are speaking of the same God when we speak to Muslims of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? In sharing the gospel with Muslims, should we assume that we believe in the same God, or should we tacitly seek to wean them away from belief in Allah?"

Abraham believes Christians and Muslims find common ground in that both identify God as "the one and only Creator of the world who is all good, all powerful and worthy of worship and obedience."

William Abraham (left) from Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology responds to comments from panelists (left to right) Abdulhakim Ali Mohamed, executive director of the Texas Islamic Council, USA; Abjar Bahkou, lecturer of language and culture at Baylor University; and Chris van Gorder, associate professor of religion at Baylor. (PHOTO/Julie Covington/Baylor Center for Ministry Effectiveness)

But Christians worship God as Trinity and view Jesus as God incarnate, while Muslims worship God as One and reject as heresy the idea God would become a flesh-and-blood man, he said.

"Coming to terms with the Christian identity of God is not philosophical nitpicking," he said. "Expounding the identity of the Triune God calls for joyous sharing and celebration of the gospel with the Muslim world."

Both the common understanding of God as Creator and the dramatically different views about the divinity of Christ should be considered as Christians seek to evangelize Muslims, Abraham said. He pointed to his experience speaking to Muslims in Kazakhstan.

"I sought to build on our shared, initial conception of God and to persuade them that the full truth about God and his great salvation had come in Christ," he said.

Turning from theology to politics, Abraham asserted the common Creator acknowledged by Muslims and Christians essentially equates with the generic God of American civil religion.

"Broadly, the God of American public theology is identified as the one and only Creator of the universe who acts providentially in history. This is not the same God that either Christians or Muslims worship, but it is the same God that Muslims and Christians believe exists," he said.

Christians who "get hot and bothered" about the minimalist identity of God in civil religion "should relax and smell the coffee," he insisted.

"The minimalist conception of God is precisely the strength of American public theology," Abraham asserted. "What began as a theology that grew out of Protestantism extended to include Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox immigrants and extended further to include Jews. This was possible because they could all acknowledge God under the deflationary description of the one and only Creator of the universe in the public square."

That belief means "at least we have a toehold for inclusion of Muslims in the full political life of North America," he said.

DALLAS—Haley Blanton's childhood was what many people long for—loving parents, supportive environment and a comfortable life.

Blessed with scholarship-level athletic ability, intelligence, good looks and popularity, her future could not have looked brighter—until her world was shattered as a high school junior.

She was raped, and her world turned upside down.

Haley Blanton is one of many women helped through Exodus Ministries in Dallas.

Blanton kept that knowledge to herself for a while. When she finally told her friends, they did not believe her version of the event.

The experience crippled her emotionally to the point she simply stopped caring, she said.

One bad choice led to another, and she found herself in a series of increasingly dangerous situations.

She ended up on the streets of Fort Worth, deeply involved in a gang, dealing drugs. By age 30, Blanton was in and out of incarceration.

"The amount of shame you have after something traumatizing like that is enough to just shut you down as a person," she said.

Watching it happen, Blanton's mother felt helpless. She often didn't know where her daughter was living, going as far as posting fliers on telephone poles.

When Paula Blanton saw Haley, it was for short periods when she would get clean and vanish again.

"It was sad," Paula Blanton said. "I would go into her room sometimes and just sit on her bed and look around and think about the fun times that we had."

When Haley Blanton decided to turn her life around, her mother went with her to Exodus Ministries, a non-denominational program for women supported in part by the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering.

The ministry offers a rigorous yearlong program that provides a furnished apartment, life-skills classes, parenting classes and support designed to help women with difficult pasts emerge from poverty.

The classes and schedule—which for Blanton includes two jobs and early morning bus trips to take her young daughter to school—have been challenging and rewarding, she said.

As she nears the end of her time at Exodus, she feels like she's gained a lot.

Blanton has dealt with her past, even reaching out to a young woman who was in much the same situation she found herself in during high school.

She has spoken at churches, using her experiences as a tool to help others.

Blanton isn't sure exactly what her future holds, but she looks forward to it.

She hopes to go back to college, possibly pursue a career in criminal justice—an area in which she has a passion, given her involvement in the system.

She wants to help others who are facing the same struggles she has endured.

"It's just an awesome feeling. I'm doing it," she said.

For more information about Exodus Ministries, visit www.exodusministriesdallas.org.

For more information about the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, visit www.texasbaptists.org/worldhunger.

To give to the offering, visit www.texasbaptists.org/give.

FRISCO—For 19 years, youth soccer teams from all over the world have been drawn to the Dallas Cup soccer tournament, now held in Frisco. Throughout that time, North Texas churches have sought to make the most of an opportunity when the world comes to them.

Dallas Cup participants enjoy the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the hospitality center staffed by North Texas churches. (PHOTOS/George Henson)

First Baptist Church in Frisco houses the hospitality center, where teams and their coaches relax and refuel between matches. They play ping pong, pool, foosball and video games, as well as eat and just sit and talk.

In addition to First Baptist in Frisco, other churches helping this year included Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church, Kessler Park Baptist Church and New Creation Bible Church in Dallas, North Irving Baptist Church in Irving, Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Garland and Prestonwood Baptist Church in Prosper. The staff of Mount Lebanon Baptist Encampment also helped. The churches rotate staffing the center half a day for each of the five days it is open, and they provide a meal for the teams who visit the center.

This year 1,413 players and coaches visited the center, and 560 attended a chapel service. Ninety-six people prayed to receive Christ as Savior. Eighty-three others asked for individual prayer. About 500 New Testaments and Bibles were given away.

Jana Jackson, family and community director of Dallas Baptist Association, hopes at least 10 churches will assist in running the hospitality center next year.

"The challenge is that the ministry has grown so much," she said. "Years ago, if we had 75 people come through, it was a good day."

Churches usually bring a team of seven to 10 people, and their investment in food generally is about $500, Jackson said.

Dallas Cup participants play pool in between games.

David Balyeat, associate pastor of missions and ministries at Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church, said churches should remember they are getting a chance to experience foreign missions for less than the price of a single plane ticket.

"The international flavor is especially attractive to Shiloh Terrace. The ability for a church to minister to a community of people from all over the world for at least one day a year is something that is difficult to put a price on," he said, noting many of the nationalities represented in the tournament also are represented in the Dallas area.

"It's an opening for us when we seek to minister to the people from those countries who are now living here to say, 'We met a team from your part of the world earlier at the Dallas Cup.' It's a connection point for us," Balyeat said.

Glen Jolley, the longtime chaplain for the Dallas Cup, said the tournament presents an opportunity to begin a work that God alone probably will see to completion.

"All we can do is sow seeds while we have them during that week," he said. "Our prayer is that they go back to their country, to their city, and find a church where they can continue to grow. We tell them it is like soccer where you have to continue to work to grow and become better. We tell them it is important to find a church, to read their Bible, to pray."

Because of his longevity in the ministry, he has seen youth who made a profession of faith at age 12 return years later.

"They come and give me a big hug, and I find they are still growing in their faith. That makes it all worth it. That's what's really exciting," Jolley said.

PALMER—Reggie Stewart is proud to be a fisherman. He's even prouder to be a fisher of men.

Stewart, pastor of J-Bar-C Cowboy Church in Palmer, also is president of the Cowboy Church Christian Bass Club.

The bass fishing ministry began at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County when Stewart was a member there.

For many years, bass fishing was much more important to Stewart than Jesus. He fished in tournaments across the state and noticed men who drank hard the night before tournaments and did other things that fractured their families.

He remembered those men when Jesus took first place in his life, and he wanted to find a way to reach out to them.

He took the idea of a Christian fishing club to leaders of Cowboy Church of Ellis County, who approved. The first tournament had 15 teams.

"I wanted to offer a ministry where it would be good honest guys doing something they really enjoyed, but also bring them closer to God," Stewart said.

The bass club holds one tournament a month from February through October. The entry fee for each team of two fishermen is $60.

Each tournament begins at 6 a.m. with prayer.

"We all come together and pray, which is really a sight to see when you've got about 80 guys out there in prayer," he said.

Each team returns in the afternoon with three fish to be weighed. Before any prizes are awarded, Stewart presents a devotional.

"They get to hear a little of God's word. We're feeding it to them in little spoonfuls," he said.

Most tournaments now have about 40 teams entered. More than 200 people are members of the club. Some men's wives are their teammates.

The club's rules not only detail the important things concerning fishing, but also conduct. No alcohol or profanity is al-lowed. Violators are disqualified.

Other rules are unwritten but just as important. If someone's boat motor quits running, someone helps him. If the fish aren't biting for someone, the unsuccessful fishermen sometimes call someone else for advice. In other tournaments where money is king, those things are not as common.

"We also pray that we'll always be a witness out on the water. No matter how anybody else acts, we have to be like Jesus," Stewart said.

Stewart especially hopes the non-Christian fishermen in the tournament will notice a difference.

"Our goal is that everybody has fun and catches fish—that way they'll continue to show up. If they continue to show up to the bass ministry's tournaments, maybe we'll have the opportunity to get them regularly involved in church. That's what it's all about—bringing people to Christ," he said.

"People are getting to hear about Christ on their own terms instead of dragging them into a building where they don't want to be or feel uncomfortable. The other side of that is the more they get to know God, the less problem they have going to church."

Several men have made professions of faith in Christ through the ministry, been baptized and now are regular church attenders.

"We've baptized several of them at the lake. We were on the lake, so we baptized them right there. It's been really rewarding," he said.

It's not unusual for a wife to learn of the bass fishing ministry and to ask Stewart to invite her husband to participate since he won't come to church.

"We've heard some thank you's from some wives, but we've also heard thank you from some guys who said, 'I really didn't realize how far out of line I was,'" Stewart said.

The group has become very close knit, he added.

"The fellowship is just overwhelming. God tells us to share our burdens with one another. It's remarkable, but these guys get comfortable in doing that. They'll say, 'This is what is going on in my life.' I get a lot of phone calls," Stewart said.

About half the participants are from cowboy churches, about 30 percent from traditional churches and about 20 percent are unchurched.

Some without a church affiliation find out about the tournaments through the Fishing Forum on the Internet, which Stewart described as like Facebook for fishermen.

While he's sure some click on by when they see "Christian" in the club's name, he thinks others may be intrigued by the words "Cowboy Church." Others seem to think Christians may be easy money.

"We get guys who look at it and see the payout and think, 'This is a bunch of old church people, and I might be able to go there and win some money.' But I tell you what, bring your best game, because we've got some fishermen.

"But sometimes they come and see there's some competition and they stay because everyone likes to compete," Stewart explained.

People who want to fish with the club but did not fish in at least three tournaments last year either have to have a member recommend them, or pay for two tournaments in advance.

"We started that this year because we had people just show up for one tournament and try to take everybody's money, that didn't want to listen to the devotional and then would just walk off and we'd never see them again.

"We want people to get involved. This way, if they pay for two tournaments, we get two shots at them, and maybe that second one will get them over on our side," he said.

For Stewart, changed lives make all his efforts worthwhile.

"I've seen lives turned around through fishing, the rodeo arena—just every place. All you have to do is plant the seed and let God go to work."

The club has been successful in every way it has tried except one—replicating itself.

"Our goal is to get other churches to start a bass ministry out of their church. If it has to be small, it doesn't matter. And then at the end of the year, we'll all come together for one big tournament and celebration," he said.

Stewart noted he would be glad to help anyone get started, and the clubs rules are located on its website at www.cowboychurchbassclub.org.

He just wants to get as many hooks in the water as possible.

"Everybody uses that old saying, 'You get them here, and God will clean them.'"

Especially people who have seen it happen.

WACO—About 900 students stepped away from their chairs and walked down aisles to the front of Baylor University's Ferrell Center to make a commitment to Christ during Congreso, the Hispanic youth conference. The walk forward was more than a change of location; it was a change of life.

"We continue seeing kids moved by the Spirit," said Frank Palos, director of Hispanic evangelism efforts for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. "That's what it's all about."

Of the 900 decisions for Christ recorded at the event, about 300 were young people embracing the hope of Christ for the first time, and 90 people felt called to vocational ministry. More than 6,000 students attended the conference.

At the front of the arena, students prayed with youth group leaders. Tears flowed down the faces of some of those whose lives were changing, as well as those who had spiritually nurtured them. Youth circled their friends who made spiritual decisions, to pray over them.

This scene is why God brought students to Congreso, said Tiny Dominguez, pastor of Community Heights Baptist Church in Lubbock. God is calling people to have a relationship with him, he said.

"It was God's plan for you to be here because his desire is for you to know he loves you," Dominguez said during a worship session. "I don't care what you look like. I don't care how the world treats you. I don't care what sins you brought to this place. Jesus loves you. And his love will never fail."

Juan Contreras, youth director at Primera Iglesia Bautista in McAllen, said by turning to Jesus, teenagers can find the answer to three basic questions they are asking: Who am I? Where am I going? Where do I belong?

Seeking answers for those questions led Contreras initially down a life of alcohol abuse late in his teen years and into his 20s. He got into fights, and he indulged sexually. He committed never to let anyone hurt him.

"I served my flesh, my desires, my lust," he said.

Then he embraced Christ as Lord. "That decision ultimately changed my life—not only the outside, but the inside too," he said.

Contreras urged young people to commit their lives to God and follow him exclusively. He of-fered an invitation, and young people flooded forward, filling the stage and spilling onto the arena floor.

"Life in (Christ) is the best life," Contreras said.

The scene of multitudes of young people deciding to follow Christ thrilled Christina Gaona, Baylor event manager who previously had attended Congreso as a student.

"It's exciting," she said. "It's a good opportunity to have lots of students on our campus. It's a good ministry and partnership with the Baptist General Convention of Texas."

Hispanic young people join in prayer and worship at Congreso, held on the Baylor University campus. (PHOTOS/John Hall/BGCT)

Julio Guarneri, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, said his congregation brought a group of 30 students. During Congreso, one made a profession of faith, several volunteered for leadership positions within the youth group and several more asked to be baptized.

"I think Congreso has the potential of igniting a flame in a generation of young people who can really make a difference in our state and around the world," Guarneri said. "It can turn into a movement of students who are on mission."

Among the first places students took their faith was to 10 Waco mission projects, where they shared the hope of Christ.

Students also gave more than $10,000 through an offering taken during Congreso—about $7,000 for college scholarships and more than $3,800 for a Congreso summer missions team.

"Congreso is not an event," Palos said. "It's an experience. What happens at Congreso doesn't stay at Congreso. It's my heart prayer that Congreso impacts the local church—whether it's by encouraging a pastor who sees students serving the Lord, students who serve in their local church or a student who shares the gospel with their friends at school."

• Bill Black to First Church in Lone Grove, Okla., as pastor from McKinney Street Church in Denton.

• Ryan Dunn to First Church in Sanger as associate pastor/youth minister.

• Anthony Holt to First Church in Jefferson as minister to students.

• Anson Nash to Corpus Christi Association as executive director, where he had been interim.

• Billie Stone to GracePointe Church in Denton as preschool minister from McKinney Street Church in Denton, where she was children's minister.

Loans available for church energy improvements. The Texas controller's office is offering a small window for congregations to take advantage of low-interest loans that help churches remodel and save money on energy usage. Churches have until May 18 to apply for loans up to $25,000 to help with energy-saving projects such replacing lights, installing insulation and upgrading air conditioning systems.

The loans are offered at a 5 percent interest rate and can be paid back with the savings from the remodeling efforts in 10 years. The application process requires congregations to present an energy efficiency retrofit plan from a licensed engineer to show calculated monetary savings for proposed projects. "In the past, there have been tax incentives for businesses to do this kind of work," said Suzii Paynter, director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission. "State-run schools and such also have had a program. But churches, because they do not pay taxes, have not had these kinds of vehicles. This program offers churches a way to make desired changes and pay the loan back with funds saved as a result of those efforts."

Texan nominated for VP at SBC. Nathan Lino, pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble, will be nominated for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the annual meeting in New Orleans this summer. Lino, 35, is a former first vice president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., announced his intention to nominate Lino.

• Dillon International will hold a free adoption information meeting May 14 at 6 p.m. at the Buckner Children's Home campus in Dallas. A representative will give an overview of adoption from China, Korea, Haiti, India, Hong Kong and Ghana. A domestic adoption program for Texas families and adoption programs in Russia, Ethiopia and Honduras, available through an affiliation with Buckner, also will be discussed. For more information or a reservation to attend the meeting, call (214) 319-3426.

• Hardin-Simmons University inducted five people into its Hall of Leaders. The 2012 honorees are Gene Adams, Dale Haralson, Clifton Caldwell, Charles Logs-don Jr. and Koreen Logsdon-Hemphill. Established in 2001, the HSU Hall of Leaders honors graduates, former students, former employees and other university leaders who have records of achievement and good character.

• Gary Manning is retiring after 30 years as a professor of religion at Wayland Baptist University.

• Five members of the East Texas Baptist University student publication staffs were recognized at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention. Ryan Ringo won second place in yearbook cover design and honorable mention in newspaper feature page design. Michelle Gallimore and Casey Morris received honorable mention for a newspaper picture story. Emily LeBeck took second place for yearbook opening spread. Kelsey Shaw re-ceived second place for yearbook photo story.

• Bob Colton, professor of psychology and counseling, has been named Dallas Baptist University's advisor of the year. He has been a member of the faculty since 1990 and was director of the school's counseling center 20 years. Prior to entering the teaching profession, he was a pastor for 20 years in Texas and Colorado. He and his wife, Mary Jane, are members of Heritage Church in Waxahachie.

• The Howard Payne University moot court team took top honors at a tournament held at Southern Methodist University. Jake Aschmutat and Charity Chambers were named tournament champions.

Anniversaries

• United Church in Laredo, 20th, May 6. A celebration service will be held at 5:30 p.m. and a banquet will follow at 7 p.m. For more information, call (956) 727-7729. Mike Barrera is pastor.

Event

• A concert to benefit missions will be held at First Church in Irving May 4 at 7:30 p.m. Jimmy Needham is the featured artist. No tickets are required. A love offering will be taken during the concert to raise financial support for a missionary family who will serve in East Asia. For more information, call (972) 253-1171.

Ordained

• Randy Walls as a deacon at First Church in Skidmore.

Death

• Donnal Timmons, 90, April 22 in Huntsville. A graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Theological Seminary and Sam Houston State University, he served in World War II in the Army infantry. He was captured at the Battle of the Bulge, where he became a prisoner of war. After his release, he was Baptist Student Union director at Texas A&M-Kingsville and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. He then became a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. He was a longtime member of First Church in Huntsville and later a member at Tallowood Church in Houston. He was preceded in death by his sister, Lila McGraw, and brother, Avery. He is survived by his daughters, Carol Gallagher, Donna Fitschen and Lana Fenske; son, Andy; his former wife, Jo Nell Hess; nine grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.