PANDORA—The South Central Texas community essentially has been waiting for water since the beginning of time. When it arrived, it flowed first to Pandora Community Church to fill its baptistery.

Pandora, a community of about 50 homes, once was a thriving railroad town. But when the railroad left, so did most of the people. Now there is a small post office, which soon may close, and the scattered homes, mostly trailers, that make up this community.

None had water connected to it until a few weeks ago.

"Everyone relied on wells, and not everyone has a well," said Silverio Ornelas, pastor of Pandora Community Church.

Some families also use their wells as a type of septic tank system, so the shallow water table often becomes contaminated. Even in the best of times, the water from the wells is so red with sand, families cannot use it even to wash clothes.

Water came to Pandora due at least in part to the efforts of First Baptist Church in Stockdale. Pastor Scott Jones said while Pandora is only about nine miles from Stockdale, it largely had gone unnoticed until a church member, Frances Hastings, delivered Angel Tree Christmas gifts to a two teenaged girls there in 2000.

What she found "crushed" her, Jones said.

"There were two teenage girls and their mother and father living in an overhead camper, sitting on the ground," Hastings related. "One electric cord running from a neighbor's house was the extent of their utilities—no water or bathroom facilities. The girls had dropped out of school because they had no way to clean up and get dressed."

Hastings, the missions council at First Baptist Church, and her Sunday school class discovered an effort had been made to get water to the community a few years before, but it had died out before any progress was made.

The church contacted the state official who had conducted the water study, obtained a copy and met with the water-supply company and county officials.

Told the first step in the process would be a survey of the community, in July 2001, church members undertook the task and found all but one of the 43 households wanted water service.

Money, however, continued to be an insurmountable problem.

While the Stockdale congregation was concerned about getting water to the Pandora families, it was just as concerned about the spiritual welfare of the community. So, the church sponsored a couple of gospel concerts and a backyard Bible club.

While reading her Bible in March 2001, Hastings said, God communicated the need for his word to be heard in Pandora.

"God spoke to my heart as clear as day," she said. "He said to me: 'Pandora needs something much more than water. They need the gospel. I want you to go tell them about Jesus.'

"Is this something I would have decided on my own? Apparently not. I had lived within five miles of this community for 50 years and had never done anything to share my Savior with them."

Hastings began leading Bible studies in the community, and in January 2002, the participants first met in 10-foot by 15-foot building that eventually became a mission of First Baptist Church in Stockdale, called a Baptist University of the Américas student as pastor and became Pandora Community Church.

The church has moved to a couple of donated trailers. The first building, where the congregation sat on seats taken from an old school bus, is scheduled for demolition.

Ornelas came as pastor about two and a half years ago. Lack of water has presented obstacles, he said. Baptisms were performed in a family's above-ground pool supplied with well water.

Also, almost everyone in church went home between Sunday school and the worship service to use the restroom. Since Ornelas lives about half an hour away, he most-often went without a morning cup of coffee, he quipped.

All the while, efforts to bring water to the community continued. Planning and informational meetings held at Pandora Community Church updated the local people about any prog-ress—or lack of it.

Finally, about two years ago, the Small Town Environmental Program agreed to supply a $350,000 grant if the community could provide in-kind investment in the form of labor and equipment that would amount to 40 percent of the grant dollars.

With donated equipment from a Stockdale member and the labor of most of the men in the community, the project finally started moving.

With the church becoming the community center, some of the men began attending the church on Sundays. Jimmy Luna not only began to emerge as the community leader for the water project, but he also began to attend church, as well. At first, his attendance was sporadic, but he has since made a profession of faith in Christ and now awaits baptism.

When the water finally made it to the outskirts of Pandora, the men of the community held a meeting and decided the first water meter to be set would be the church's, even though that meant bypassing several of their homes. They wanted to wait and give it to the church first as an expression of appreciation.

The first water drawn at the church filled the baptistery for the baptism of Eloisa Ramos, a 12-year-old girl.

In large part, the water and the baptism are a testament to the faithfulness of Hastings and those she has enlisted to help the people of Pandora, Jones said.

"We've been who we have been out there for a better part of a decade because of their heart for this community," he said. "This is the culmination of their service—not to just bring water but the Living Water."

CORPUS CHRISTI—Lori Conner sat in her mother's hospital room with her head in her hands. It was January 2008, and her mother had just had a massive stroke.

Clinging to her newfound sobriety and faith in God, Conner struggled to cope. As she stared at the floor, something suddenly caught her attention.

Lori Conner, a graduate of Christian Women's Job Corps, works as food manager at a church in Corpus Christi. One of her responsibilities is preparing a noon meal and delivering it to students at the CWJC site in Corpus Christi. (STCHM PHOTO)

"The classified section of the newspaper was lying right at my feet, and there it was—a South Texas Children's Home Ministries ad for the 12-week Christian Women's Job Corps program they offer," she said.

"I couldn't believe it. I knew that when God shows you something, it is important to act."

Four months later, Conner graduated—with perfect attendance—from a program that has been changing the lives of women for four years.

Lil Abshier, site coordinator for Christian Women's Job Corps of Corpus Christi, remembers Conner's first few weeks of class.

"It was clear that life had left deep wounds in Lori," Abshier said. "She was frightened and fragile and had very little confidence. But she was also amazingly courageous and hopeful.

"There were days when I met her headed to the front door saying, 'I don't think I can stay.' But she did stay—every single day. She was determined to face her fears and began to apply all that she was learning to her daily life," Abshier recalled.

Conner recalls feeling "miserable and in a lot of emotional pain" before she entered Christian Women's Job Corps, a ministry of Woman's Missionary Union supported in part through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

"I was miserable and in a lot of emotional pain," Conner said. "I had made some really bad life decisions. I started drinking at the age of 12, and as an adult, I had not been able to hold a job for the past 15 years.

"There were literally years when I never left my house. When I came to CWJC, I had a lot of growing up to do," she confessed.

Although the computer and job-skills classes were important, what affected Conner the most was the Bible study and learning how to communicate with people.

"I was so withdrawn, and just being in a community every day was so good for me. It took a lot of commitment," she said.

As graduation neared, Conner received a call from Anita Woolsey at First United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi about a part-time job opportunity. She interviewed for the position and was hired on the spot.

"Lori has been a real asset," Woolsey said. "And she has really blossomed since she came. She is dependable, a hard worker and is willing to take direction, as well as step out on her own."

As the church's food manager, Conner plans menus, shops and prepares meals for church and community events throughout the week. She even gets to prepare and deliver a noon meal from the church each week to the women currently attending CWJC classes.

Conner has faced new trials over the past couple of years as she cared for her mother and father to the end of their lives.

She also watched her only child, Nathan, deploy to Afghanistan. But her faith continues to grow, and people who know her say she is a light wherever she goes.

"God has given Lori a very compassionate heart, and I know he will continue to use the witness of her life to strengthen others," Abshier said. "She gives back to CWJC regularly and also spends time helping others who battle addictions. As she faithfully pursues her love for God, he will take her where he wants her to go. And I believe she will follow."

BROWNWOOD—Kelsey Duvall learned important lessons during a recent mission trip to Africa. She discovered life does not go as expected, in spite of planning and preparation. She also learned God answers prayers and cares for his children.

Duvall, a senior at Howard Payne University, became so ill during her summer stay in Mozambique, she had to be hospitalized.

Duvall served with Samaria Mission , a team involved in church planting through evangelism, discipleship, church development and social improvement.

"The purpose of the mission trip was to get tents, bedding and food and go in ahead of other teams from the U.S.," she said. "We were there to serve the missionaries."

Duvall started feeling sick soon after she began working with the group.

"I was sick for 10 days in Mozambique," Duvall said. "My throat had an abscess on the right side, and it was swollen so you could not see the right side of my cheekbone. I could not open my mouth more than about an inch."

Two African translators who were making an eight-hour trip back to the largest city in the area offered her a ride so she could see a doctor.

"I was able to see the doctor that day," she said. "I got prescribed really strong antibiotics, and the doctor said if they didn't start working to come back in three days."

After three days, Duvall still wasn't any better. When she went back to the hospital, doctors gave her an IV antibiotic that helped significantly.

She was released from the hospital, but in less than 24 hours, she had relapsed and was sent back to the hospital for an entire week.

"I was thinking I would get to fly home and have surgery in America and be with my family, but I was stuck in Africa because I could not be off of the IV, or my abscess would possibly grow and block off my airway," Duvall said.

Meanwhile, back in America, friends prayed for Duvall and her family.

"Many people from Howard Payne shared with me that they were praying for Kelsey's situation," said Keith Platte, director of the Baptist Student Ministry at HPU. "I received an e-mail from Jose Lopez, a friend of Kelsey's, asking if I could pass the information along to all of HPU. I told Jose that I was sure people at Howard Payne would want to know and would want to lift Kelsey up in prayer."

Duvall's parents could not join their daughter in Africa because they didn't have passports.

"It was harder for my family at times than for me," Duvall said. "They couldn't just come help me. Having to trust God without having anyone else to lean on was spiritually challenging for all of us."

After spending several long days in the hospital, the doctors finally discovered Duvall had tonsillitis and needed immediate surgery.

"While I was in the hospital, before I had my surgery, the doctor called my parents specifically to tell them he was a Christian and it was going to be OK," Duvall said.

After the surgery, Duvall recovered quickly. She was required to spend 14 more days in Africa while she recovered, but she was able to help with Vacation Bible School at a church during that time.

"One of my favorite parts of the mission trip was after I got out of the hospital," Duvall said. "I was able to go to the waterfalls with the youth group in a beautiful area. We hiked up the side of the mountain, and I got to reflect over the trip while looking at the water. It felt almost like God was saying he will take care of me."

SAN ANTONIO—A graduate degree in leadership, focused on the Hispanic Christian community, will launch in January through the cooperative efforts of Dallas Baptist University and Baptist University of the Américas.

The two schools formally agreed Oct. 13 for DBU to offer a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, with a leadership concentration, with all courses offered on the BUA campus or provided through online access from DBU.

DBU President Gary Cook and BUA President René Maciel signed the agreement as part of BUA Founders' Day celebrations, celebrating 64 years since the San Antonio school's creation.

"I'm tempted to say that the founders of the Mexican Baptist Bible Institute never would have dreamed of a day when a Latino-centric master's degree program would be housed at the school they founded," Maciel said.

"But that would be underestimating their vision and their proven record of outpraying any obstacles they faced. They didn't just dream for what they needed to become better ministers of the gospel—they dreamed of all that their ethnic and spiritual descendants would ever need. And in today's Texas, there is no greater need than Hispanic Christian leaders."

Cook, who noted he "fell in love" with BUA when he spoke in chapel in the late 1990s, said his interest in the cooperative effort was a natural outgrowth of what attracted him to BUA's unique educational focus.

"I know your leaders, I know your students and this is something DBU feels strongly is an idea from God whose time has come. We have many years of cooperative endeavors creating the good will and trust necessary to pursue this partnership," Cook said.

MARSHALL—On the weekend of Marshall's annual Fire Ant Festival, students at East Texas Baptist University hoped the ants were too busy with the festivities to go after the free food or attack participants at a block party.

East Texas Baptist University held a block party to reach out to the community at a local park near the school. Above, activities ranging from bounce houses to free horse rides drew in the neighborhood children during a block party sponsored by East Texas Baptist University and local churches.

The ETBU Great Commission Center and Baptist Student Ministry sponsored the event at a park near Second Baptist Church and the university campus, in conjunction with Marshall-area churches. The Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions provided funds for the evangelistic event.

Family-oriented activities included free hot dogs and hamburgers, bounce houses, a clown and horseback rides.

The evangelistic outreach event was the FOCUS Hope 1:8 project for the year by the ETBU Baptist Student Ministry. The activities allowed ETBU students and staff to build and strengthen relationships by serving others.

"One key part of the day was the community free exchange. The way the community ex-change works is people bring what they don't want and take what they do want with no money exchanged or accepted," said Allan Thompson, director of the ETBU Great Commission Center.

The ministry event was designed to show the community "ETBU Cares" and demonstrate God's love in a practical way, he added. ETBU Cares is a school initiative to reach neighborhoods in its surrounding community.

"There is great joy in being able to spend time listening, laughing, playing, visiting and eating together," said Elijah Brown, assistant professor of missions.

One grandmother expressed her thanks for the community free exchange.

"One elderly lady shared with me how her pregnant granddaughter had lost everything in the recent wildfires," said Luke Phillips, a junior on the BSM Community Ministries team.

"Do-Don the Clown"—Don Gallatin, pastor of Second Baptist Church of Marshall—shakes the hand of a child during an evangelistic block party outreach event.

"We had many baby clothes donated, and she was able to meet a need in her granddaughter's life tremendously."

ETBU student Stuart Suddeth, a junior from Hallsville who plans to spend Christmas break on a mission trip to Ethiopia, volunteered for the block party to show Christ's love by playing football or tossing a Frisbee with the neighborhood children who attended.

"Children have beautiful hearts, and they yearn for the attention from people they can look up to," Suddeth said. "Christ came to show love to this world and to be a servant. Therefore, it is our duty as disciples of Christ to share the love he has for us with others—the same love he was nailed to the cross for."

"Several times, as I looked around, it struck me that exactly what we intended was being accomplished," said ETBU BSM Director Mark Yates. "Everywhere I looked, the ETBU family was engaged with the neighborhood community in conversations with adults, teens, and playing with the children."

Students who joined in the effort described the joy of seeing God's love in action.

"We were able to provide an example to what the grace of God is like—no catch, just free grace, love, and mercy," Phillips said.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic—A shared love of baseball provided a platform for Dallas Baptist University baseball players to tell young people in the Dominican Republic about the love of Christ.

Forty-seven members of the DBU baseball program left the comforts and familiarity of home to spend fall break sharing their faith with children and teenagers in Santo Domingo, Boca Chica and other areas of the Dominican Republic.

The student-athletes conducted three baseball clinics and played four games against professional and local baseball teams. The trip was part of DBU's Global Sports Mission Initiative, established in 2007 to allow DBU student-athletes opportunities to travel internationally for missions and athletic competitions.

Head Coach Dan Heefner and the DBU baseball coaching staff, members of the DBU athletic department, Baptist Student Ministries Director Chris Holloway and Bob Garrett, DBU Piper Chair of Missions, accompanied the players.

"The trip to the Dominican was eye-opening for our players and for our staff," Heefner said. "We were able to connect with people who love baseball and use that common language to share about a relationship with Christ. Our players did a fantastic job of opening their hands and their hearts to serve and communicate the love of Christ."

DBU players Michael Miller, Jordan Staples and RJ Talamantes play with children.

The team spent several days working with children. They organized baseball clinics for them at an orphanage in Boca Chica, a rural sugar cane village and a city-owned baseball field near their hotel.

Dividing into groups, the DBU athletes ran the children through drills, practiced techniques and shared their testimonies through translations provided by Holloway and Garrett.

To practice before one of their games, the players and coaches found a city baseball park across the street from their hotel where children already were playing baseball in the outfield. The DBU athletes picked up their own bats, and by the end of their makeshift batting practice, a crowd of local youth had gathered to play catch, shag ground balls and start up a sandlot game of baseball.

What began as a team practice ended with the DBU players seeing how effective a ball, a bat and a little affection can be in sharing the love of Christ, the student-athletes noted.

The DBU Patriots faced off against the Dominican's professional teams Los Estrellas Orien-tales and the Licey Tigers. Many of the players on these teams have minor league experience. Al-though the Patriots lost both games against the professional teams, they were able to defeat two local teams, one sponsored by the Dominican police and another team of young athletes who soon will study at La Academia.

Dallas Baptist University baseball player Chase Durham prays during fall break mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

After the experience, student-athletes fondly recalled vendors hawking popcorn out of trash cans, fans blowing horns, neighborhood kids chasing foul balls, and—most importantly—the children from one of the orphanages arriving to watch one of their games.

The team's guide—a local pastor named Willie—invited the student-athletes to attend his church. The small building reached its capacity with the baseball team in attendance, forcing members to sit out in the alley and listen through open windows as their pastor spoke of the team from America, whose purpose was more than baseball. He concluded telling the team "… pero espero verlos algún día en el cielo," that he may never see them again on earth, but he "will see them one day in heaven."

"I really feel like the biggest take-away for all the trip participants was to see that God is not just a God of the U.S. He is truly the God of the entire world," Holloway said.

Everywhere the DBU players went, they received a warm welcome, they said. Any cultural or language barriers between Dominican children or players were bridged by the common love for baseball.

"I was reminded that baseball is important, especially for the people of the Dominican," junior Logan Brumley said. "But as important as it is to us and to them, I was also reminded that our only hope is in Christ for joy. In Christ, we have a peace we will never get from baseball."

Heefner often tells his players that discipline is delayed gratification. If they give up something simple now, they will enjoy a greater reward later.

"It is an easy parallel to draw between baseball and faith," said Nate Frieling, assistant director of athletics. "Our prayer is that the discipline these guys showed on this mission trip and the discipline they show in baseball will carry over into every aspect of their life—especially their relationship with God the Father through faith in his Son, Jesus."

BROWNSVILLE—As violence rages along parts of the Texas-Mexico border, bands of Baptists are taking a stand.

While drug cartels brandish guns and other weapons, Baptists are seeking to end the violence through prayer and the spirit of God, said Daniel Rangel, director of Texas Baptists' River Ministry.

Texas Baptists are encouraging Christians to pray for the border and are training residents to have a positive impact on others in their communities.

"It takes a brave person to do what is right," Rangel said. "It takes a brave person to stand up for someone else. It takes a brave person to be kind, to be helpful, to seek out what is right. They are challenged to be an agent of peace, a person of peace."

Texas Baptists are working in partnership with No Mas Violencia—No More Violence.

The joint effort, made possible by gifts to Texas worldwide missions initiatives and partnerships through the Cooperative Program and to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, customizes the No Mas Violencia curriculum first used in Argentina to quell violence before, during and after soccer games.

Since then, it has been used throughout South America to end violence in various situations.

"We're showing them how to love themselves, how to have a good self-esteem," said Samuel Soto, a student at the University of Texas in Brownsville. "By that, they can teach the children."

Individuals and teams are trained to make wise decisions and positively influence others around them. Each lesson is undergirded by biblical principles and paves the way to present the gospel, organizers noted.

"The first principle they teach is you're important and I'm important because we're both made in the image of God," Rangel said.

The No Mas Violencia initiative is in direct response to a Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting motion to take action regarding violence along the border. Training sessions have taken place in Brownsville and El Paso in Texas and Matamoros, Juarez, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.

Osvaldo Lerma, pastor Iglesia Bautista Filadelfia in Brownsville, believes God is calling his followers to make a difference along the border.

"We can make a change," Lerma said. "God wants to use us to change the face of our communities."

Maston Foundation honors Ware. Weston Ware, longtime opponent of legalized gambling in Texas and veteran lobbyist with the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, will receive the 2011 T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Award at a 7 p.m. dinner Nov. 4 at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. Featured speaker at the event is Javier Elizondo, executive vice president and provost at the Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio. The awards dinner is sponsored every-other year by the T.B. Maston Foundation, named for a pioneering Baptist ethicist who taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth much of the 20th century. Cost is $30 per individual or $200 for a table of eight. To register, visit http://www.tbmaston.org/2011MastonBanquet.html.

Baptist Health Foundation president to retire. Frank Elston, president and chief executive officer of Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio, will retire at the end of the year. He has headed the foundation since it opened in August 2005. Elston spent 35 years as a fund-raising professional and served as vice president of university relations at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio from 1989 to 1997. A trustee search committee has been interviewing candidates for Elston's successor at Baptist Health Foundation, and a new president/CEO is expected to begin in January.

Congressional coalition honors Buckner families. Four Buckner Children and Family Services families were recognized as 2011 Angels in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. In making nominations for the award, Rep. Mac Thornberry selected Amarillo residents Tim and December Barcroft, who have fostered three sisters and plan to adopt the girls (see related story on page 15); Rep. Pete Sessions selected Dallas residents Karen and Bryan Perry, who have made more than 30 trips to Guatemala to care for orphans; Rep. Louie Gohmert selected Longview residents Kara and Locke Curfman, who have fostered several children, including some with significant special needs, and have adopted two children; and Rep. Mike Conaway selected Midland resident Robert Ewing, a single father to six adopted children and foster parent to one. The Angels in Adoption program provides an opportunity for members of the U.S. Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad.

Elshtain joins Baylor institute. Jean Bethke Elshtain, recent recipient of the Democracy Service Medal from the National Endowment for Democracy, has joined the Baylor University faculty as visiting distinguished professor of religion and public life at Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. Elshtain—a prolific author—also serves as the Laura Spelman Rockefeller professor of social and political ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Elstain is a past recipient of the Goodnow Award, the highest award bestowed by the American Political Science Association for distinguished service to the profession. She has served on the board of the National Humanities Center and on the President's Council of Bioethics. Currently she is a member of the Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Scholars Council of the Library of Congress. At Baylor, Elshtain will conduct and produce new scholarship about the intersection of religion and public life, working alongside faculty as well as undergraduate and graduate students from political science, philosophy and the Honors College.

PORT ARTHUR—Killeen pastor Randy Wallace has joined the race for president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Wallace will face a previously announced candidate, Plano pastor Jerry Carlisle. The presidential election will be held during the BGCT annual meeting in Amarillo, Oct. 24-26.

Randy Wallace

A field of at least two candidates is good for Texas Baptists, said Kyle Morton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Port Arthur, who announced he will nominate Wallace.

"Randy and I have been talking and praying about this for about a month,"   Morton said, adding Texas Baptists historically have chosen from two or more presidential candidates.

"Jerry Carlisle is a great guy, a wonderful pastor, and he loves the Lord," he noted. "But we feel it would be good for Texas Baptists to have two good candidates that we could pray about and elect as God leads us."

Wallace has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Killeen for 11 years, Morton said. During that time, Wallace has baptized 517 new Christians, and more than 1,000 other people have joined the congregation.

During Wallace's tenure, the church has relocated its campus, Morton noted, adding the church also regularly opens its doors to feed 300 high school students as an outreach ministry.

"As a young pastor, I'm concerned about the future," said Morton, 31. "Texas Baptists do so many wonderful things, and we're kind of at a pivotal point right now. We need leaders who will speak the truth in love and ask the right questions so we can shift and prepare for the future."

Wallace can provide that kind of leadership, he added. "Randy has a real heart for evangelism and wants to see our convention move back to that. Texas Baptists have always had a legacy … for evangelism, and that's where his heart is."

Wallace also would bring a "fresh perspective" to the presidency, Morton said. "Randy wants to build bridges between the churches and the convention—to see us come back to what we once were, not for our glory, but for building the kingdom of God," he explained. "We need stronger churches, and they're hurting. We want to see the BGCT be what it's been, and even more.

"We have a heart to see the convention get back to the main things, what Baptists can agree on. Evangelism, discipleship and missions are where we need to be."

Wallace expressed respect and admiration for Carlisle, but he said Texas Baptists' democratic process functions best with multiple candidates.

"I think our meetings are better served if we have choices to make. And I believe that so strongly, I'm willing to be a candidate," he said, noting a single-candidate election "diminishes the role of the messenger."

He reported his presidential priorities would be "a BGCT that's passionately connected to the churches" and an emphasis on evangelism. He also would commit time to help a new convention executive director, who should be selected in the next year, "connect with Texas Baptist churches," he said.

Wallace would emphasize evangelism, because leading people to faith in Christ needs to be a priority for Texas Baptists, he said.

"There was a day and time when churches that were robust in baptisms were held up as models," he noted, lamenting what he sees as a declining emphasis on evangelism that dates to the late 1990s, when the convention split.

"Evangelism needs to be a priority," he insisted. "We need plans and models for evangelism that works."

Likewise, the convention needs to highlight its connection to churches, he added. That includes partnering to complete church initiatives, "whether that's church starts, food kitchens or whatever."

The convention needs to work alongside churches on the cutting edge of ministry, such as helping churches from various regions and backgrounds work together in ministry and evangelism, he said.

"That doesn't have to cost any money," he observed. "That's a matter of strategy and information."

Wallace, 48, has been pastor of First Baptist in Killeen since 2000. The church is located near Fort Hood, the U.S. Army's largest base, and it has maintained a thriving ministry to military families—including many of its own members—during ongoing deployment to combat zones.

He has raised $250,000 to launch the Killeen Church Starting Center on the south side of the city. His goal is to start 10 congregations in as many years.

First Baptist in Killeen contributes 11 percent of its budget to Texas Baptists' Cooperative Program unified budget.

His previous pastorates include First Baptist Church in Frankston, which he also helped relocate, and Crossroads Baptist Church in Marshall. He also has served as youth minister at churches in Arlington, Brownwood and Tyler.

He is a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Baylor's Truett Seminary.

Wallace noted the arc of his life and ministry has been shaped by Texas Baptists. It includes participation in the Super Summer youth-training camps, where he committed his life to ministry, and to Baylor, where he first trained for ministry, and Truett Seminary, where he earned his doctorate. It also includes assistance from the BGCT in such varied aspects of church life as youth ministry, evangelism training, children's ministry, organizing choirs, discipleship resources, outreach ideas, fund-raising and architecture.

"Daddy used to say, 'When you see a turtle sitting on a fence post, you know he didn't get there by himself,'" he recalled. "I am forever indebted to God for calling and equipping me for a life of ministry. I am indebted to the BGCT for being there when I needed them."

He is a member of the BGCT Executive Board and led an associational task force for revitalizing declining churches. He served as a summer church planter with the Baptist Home Mission Board and has led mission trips to Alaska, Poland, Belize, Honduras and Mexico.

Wallace and his wife, Patty, are the parents of four children, John Harold, Tyler Randall, Nathan Samuel and James Britton.

Jerry Carlisle, the other presidential candidate, is pastor of First Baptist Church in Plano. Victor Rodriguez, the convention's current president, announced he will nominate Carlisle, its first vice president.

"I believe Jerry is going to be the person God will use for the future of our convention," Rodriguez said.

A profile of Carlisle's candidacy appeared in the Aug. 1 edition of the Baptist Standard.

• Theresa Becker has resigned as children's minister at First Church in Granbury.

• Travis Bryant has resigned as minister of music and singles at First Church in New Boston.

• Daniel Camp to Shiloh Church in Crawford as youth minister.

• Jeremy Durig to First Church in Yantis as youth pastor.

• Neil Floyd to First Church in Midway as pastor.

• Sky Howard to Jersey Village Church in Houston as worship leader.

• Ed Jump has resigned as executive director of Corpus Christi Association.

• Josh Lewis has resigned as student minister at First Church in Justin.

• Shaun Lynch to Grace Point Church in Lewisville as church planter from Northview Church in Lewisville, where he was minister to students.

• Tim Marrow to First Church in Plainview as pastor from First Church in West Albuquerque, N.M.

• Mary Lin McNeill to Highland Church in Denton as children's minister.

• Jay Miller to Caps Church in Abilene as interim pastor.

• Anson Nash to Corpus Christi Association as interim executive director.

• James Ratliff to Old Union Church in Simms as pastor.

• Leon Stone to First Church in Cumby as interim pastor.

• Andrew Werley to Jersey Village Church in Houston as pastor from First Church in Anna.

• East Texas Baptist University will hold a preview day for high school seniors and college transfer students Nov. 5. Tiger Day participants will tour the campus, meet faculty and students, receive admissions and financial aid, and visit academic departments. Lunch is provided. Participants also will receive tickets to the ETBU football game at 2 p.m. For more information or to register for this free event, call (800) 804-3828.

• Hardin-Simmons University will present "The Christmas Rose" Nov. 11-12 as part of the school's opera workshop. The opera, which tells the Christmas story, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, senior adults and children under 12.

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

• Trey and Lee Ann Turner have been commissioned by the North American Mission Board as Mission Service Corps missionaries to serve as church starters in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc. He previously served as pastor of Canyon Creek Church in Temple, Northside Church in Kermit and Duffau Church in Hico.

• Baylor University and McLennan Community College will begin a three-year pilot concurrent enrollment program in 2012. The program is for students who first qualify for regular admission to Baylor but cannot be accepted due to space constraints. Participants in the Baylor@MCC program will have access to the Baylor Student Life Center, health center, libraries, sports tickets, intramural sports and other student organizations. Students will choose either a one-year or two-year option, and after satisfactorily completing the program requirements, will become full Baylor students.

• Dallas Baptist University has announced the addition of three faculty members. Dana Wicker is an associate professor of psychology and counseling, and Kaylyn Hopper is an assistant professor of professional studies. Neil Dugger is an assistant professor of education and director of the K-12 doctorate in educational leadership program.

Empty shoes' signify lives lost to domestic violence Howard Payne University students (from left) Ricardo Martinez, Alejandra Jaramillo and Natalie Cardenas observe the Empty Shoes exhibit displayed at the university's Bettie and Robert Girling Center for Social Justice. Each of the 10 pairs of shoes represents a Central Texas woman or child who has died as a result of domestic violence in the past 12 years. The display was provided by the ARK Domestic Violence Shelter in Brownwood to commemorate National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A candlelight vigil for the victims will be held at the Girling Center in Brownwood Oct. 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The vigil is organized by staff from the ARK and co-hosted by the criminal justice and social work departments at HPU.

• Howard Payne University honored nine people during homecoming festivities Oct. 14-16. Ferris Akins was named a distinguished alumnus. A 1952 graduate, he has been pastor of several churches and currently serves Hopewell Church in Ballinger. Kyle Cavin was named outstanding young graduate. A former children's minister and camp administrator, the 2001 graduate is assistant director of ambulatory care at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. Ann Sheffield Knobel, a 1970 graduate, was presented the medal of service for her work with young children. Barbara Smith Grooms, a 1959 graduate, was named Coming Home Queen. Carl and Mildred White were the parade grand marshals. Inducted into the HPU sports hall of fame were Stuart Burleson, Melinda Venable Kirst and Jerry Miller.

• Wayland Baptist University has received the Shirley Davis Award for Excellence in Synchronous Distance Learning from the National University Technology Network. The award specifically recognizes the WBU-Hawaii campus for its work with the Coast Guard.

• Steve Rowan has been named vice president for institutional advancement and chief development officer at San Marcos Baptist Academy.

Anniversaries

• Valley View Church in Longview, 70th, Oct. 23. Tim Lindsay is pastor.

• Corpus Christi Association, 100th, Nov. 5-6. The celebration will be held at River Hills Church in Corpus Christi. Music will be presented by Shane and Shane and the Champion Forest Hispanic Praise Team. Preaching will be Danny Forshee and Roland Lopez. Admission is free. Saturday's festivities will begin at 5 p.m. A meal of hotdogs for children and sandwiches for adults on Saturday is provided at no cost. Children's activities will include a music rehearsal on Saturday and performance on Sunday, as well as other fun actitivies. A Sunday barbecue from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. will cost $12 per person or $25 per family, if ordered in advance. A business meeting will be held at 5:45 p.m., with worship and presentations beginning at 6 p.m. For more information or to register, call (361) 853-2555.

Deaths

• Margaret Gibbs, 97, Oct. 4 in Onalaska. She was appointed head librarian of Decatur Baptist College in 1958, and she retained the post when the school moved to Dallas and became Dallas Baptist College. She retired in 1979. She was a member of First Church in Arlington. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, and grandson, Trent Boydstun. She is survived by her daughters, Helen Marie and Sandra Kaye; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

• Charles Wright, 85, Oct. 8 in El Paso. He was pastor of Baptist churches from 1954 to 1958, then became a social worker for the Texas Department of Public Welfare from 1959 to 1963. He was administrator of Texas Baptist Children's Home from 1964 until his retirement in 1990. His tenure, the longest of any administrator in the school's history, was marked by several

new programs, including the emergency shelter; the family care program for single mothers and their children; and Miracle Farm, a boys ranch near Brenham. He was the recipient of an honorary doctorate of humanities from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He also received the distinguished alumni award from the University of Texas School of Social Work, which later was named in his honor. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary; son, Charles; and three grandchildren.

Event

• Hampton Road Church in DeSoto has completed the promotion phase of a one-year capital stewardship campaign to make the church debt-free. The congregation pledged $414,000, which exceeded the goal of $350,000. An offering of $135,000 was received Oct. 2, with the remainder to be given over the course of the next year. Jerry Raines is pastor.

DALLAS—Residents of the Mary E. Trew Home at Buckner Retirement Village in East Dallas and their families learned in mid-October the facility will close Dec. 1 because the facility fails to meet state regulations.

The closure (see original story here) will affect 51 residents living in the assisted-living, memory-care and congregate-living apartments, as well as 48 employees. Congregate-living represents an intermediate step between assisted-living and independent-living facilities. Independent-living residences will remain open and available for occupancy.

Rosa Bailey, age 85, was among the first residents when the Trew Home at Buckner Retirement Village opened its doors 57 years ago. The facility will close Dec. 1. (BUCKNER FILE PHOTO)

"We care very deeply about our residents and employees," said Charlie Wilson, senior vice president for Buckner Retirement Services. "This was a very hard decision to make but one that was unavoidable. We will do everything we can to provide assistance for our families to find a new home in the coming weeks."

Buckner initially announced the closing date as Nov. 9, but later extended it until Dec. 1. The move needed to happen quickly because of state requirements for the memory-care building, which would require costly measures and rapid implementation to continue operations fully through the end of the year, Wilson said.

Buckner Retirement Services had received waivers from the state 10 years because even though the building lacked the required fire sprinklers, its concrete construction and fire-safety plan had been deemed adequate safeguards.

"We were able to extend the life of the Trew Home through waivers received from the state, ensuring a safe and secure environment for those who we served over the past 10 years," said Albert Reyes, president of Buckner International.

Buckner needs to serve as many senior adults as possible and to exercise responsible stewardship of its resources, he explained.

"A stewardship decision was made over a decade ago to continue providing ministry to our residents without investing additional resources, with the understanding that we would develop a renovation plan for the entire campus like we've done in other places," he said.

Buckner has worked closely with the state on the compliance issue for years, he added, and the agency fully expected to continue receiving waivers.

"The state of Texas recently decided that facilities like the Trew Home can no longer be operated without installing sprinkler systems. In other words, waivers would be denied in the future and compliance to state regulations was mandated. The sense of urgency is a response to state requirements," Reyes said.

"As soon as we were notified that negotiations for a waiver would not take place, we notified our residents and families of our decision to close the building. We also hosted two meetings for families and residents to give them first-hand information about our plans."

However, some residents' families questioned why Buckner continued to accept new residents without notifying them about the facility's failure to meet state regulations, and they criticized the agency's unwillingness to spend the required $500,000 to bring the building into compliance.

Brad Riza, associate director of chaplaincy relations with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, moved to Buckner Retirement Village about a year ago, soon after placing his 89-year-old parents in the Trew Home, about 50 yards from his front door.

"When I placed my parents at Buckner, I was promised, 'You have found a home for your parents, and we will care for them until their dying breath.' Now, a year later, they are kicking everybody to the curb," he said. "Ministry has been thrown under the bus by the bean-counters. … Buckner has lost sight of its mission. They have lost their way."

Barbara Potter moved her mother-in-law to the Buckner facility 11 months ago, and she was stunned by the Oct. 12 announcement about the Trew Home's closing.

"We felt betrayed," she said. Potter, a facilities manager with GuideStone Financial Resources, questioned whether Buckner had explored other options—such as appealing to Texas Baptists for financial assistance—before deciding to close the Trew Home.

Buckner has developed a 10-year strategic plan for its seven campuses around the state, Reyes explained.

"Fundraising to repair a declining campus is not part of the plan," he said. "We believe the seniors we serve deserve the highest quality service possible. Redeveloping the Dallas campus through enhancement, improvement and new facilities is the path we've chosen to provide high-quality service to seniors of all economic levels while also expanding our ability to serve many more seniors than we are currently serving."

Unexpected changes in terms of the state denying waivers forced Buckner to move more quickly than the agency wanted, Reyes explained.

"In places like Austin and Houston, we closed down outdated facilities, asked residents to live off-campus, rebuilt new facilities and then invited them back to a new and improved campus, while also expanding our capacity to serve many more residents," he said.

"The difficulty in the Dallas repositioning is that we are making these changes in response to external expectations placed on us by the state. In the best-case scenario, we would have delayed this inevitable transition and provided much more time for seniors to make transitions from the campus to enable razing and reconstruction to take place. We planned to build new facilities and move residents without displacing any."

Buckner officials announced Oct. 14 the agency would provide displaced residents up to $2,000 reimbursement for moving expenses, deposit for a new place to live and first month's rent.

Buckner also will waive rent for Trew Home residents for November, refund security deposits and prorate rent for October for days any resident no longer lives at the Trew Home.

The agency pledged flexibility to allow additional time for residents to move on a case-by-case basis and offered six months ElderCare Assistance for residents who are receiving assistance at Buckner.

Buckner is working with employees to find new opportunities, including reassignment within Buckner and outside employment, and it will offer a job fair in the near future.

In its announcement, Buckner also promised "assistance with locating a new community to best meet the needs of the resident."

Some residents' families noted comparable facilities are considerably more expensive than Buckner, and they expressed concern that the staff at other agencies would not provide the kind of compassionate Christian concern their family members had received at the Trew Home.

Riza described the staff as "angels," and Potter said she was "heartbroken" her mother-in-law no longer will receive the spiritually grounded care the staff offered at Buckner.

"I don't think we will find a place where the staff will pray for her and be concerned about her as a person," Potter said. "I'm afraid anywhere else, for the staff it will just be a job and not a ministry."

Reyes acknowledged the difficulty the closing of the Trew Home causes residents and their families, but he emphasized the necessity of the decision in light of Buckner's overall mission.

"For over 132 years, we've provided a Christ-centered ministry to vulnerable children, seniors and their families. We have been able to persevere through the years because we have not been afraid to change and lead the way toward the future through innovation. Our willingness to change is a hallmark of Buckner's heritage," he said.

"At the same time, we realize that change is not without grief, loss, pain and discomfort. We've taken great care in providing transition plans and support to each of our residents and staff. And we have made a commitment to continue to provide high-quality service to seniors so they can experience life with pride and dignity. This remains our passion, mission and vision."