Some Texas Baptists have asked why an organization birthed in denominational controversy continues to exist when any battles for control of the state convention ended years ago. Michael Bell, chairman of Texas Baptists Committed, raises a different question.

“If we are walking along the same path, why are there two state conventions in Texas relating to the Southern Baptist Convention?” he asked.

Michael Bell

The reason, he insisted, is that while the two paths represented by the state conventions run parallel at some points, they diverge widely at others.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas remains committed to the historic Baptist principles of local church autonomy and the priesthood of believers, said Bell, pastor of Greater Saint Stephen First Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

The vast majority of BGCT-affiliated churches choose to relate to the SBC. Others affiliate with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship or relate to other national or international groups. “That’s their choice. That’s their business,” Bell said.

The competing Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, on the other hand, cites two criteria as the basis for fellowship—doctrinal adherence to the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message confessional statement and missiological commitment to working with the national Southern Baptist Convention by giving through the Cooperative Program unified budget.

From Bell’s perspective, it means a requirement “that churches should walk in lockstep.”

As long as a second state convention in Texas competes with the BGCT for the allegiance of churches, Texas Baptist Committed has an important role to fulfill, he said.

“We want to be promoters and supporters of the BGCT rather than detractors and disparagers,” Bell said. “We know the convention faces challenges, but we don’t see the glass as half empty. We see it as half full. In fact, we are looking for a bigger glass.”

Ken Coffee

Ken Coffee, who retired from the BGCT Executive Board staff as associate executive director of the State Missions Commission and served previously as an associational director of missions, likewise sees both challenges and opportunities for the BGCT. He writes about both in his blog, “Strong Coffee.” But he sees Texas Baptists Committed as a major part of the problem in Texas Baptist life, not its solution.

“It seems to me that if there was a collective mistake by the convention as a whole, it was standing by to allow members of Texas Baptists Committed to get such a stranglehold on the affairs of the body,” he wrote in his blog.

“The convention should have stood up and screamed, ‘Enough!' years ago, when it became obvious that this body-within-the-body had garnered for itself too much power over the processes of the convention. We must never again allow such a thing to happen.” In an interview, Coffee explained he never felt the BGCT needed Texas Baptists Committed. While he counts many of the people involved in Texas Baptists Committed as friends, he said, he never agreed with having political organizations within state convention life.

“We are better off pulling together than pulling apart,” he said, emphasizing his belief Texas Baptists Committed played a role in “driving a wedge between people in the convention.” “

As long as Texas Baptists Committed exists, there also exists enmity between brothers. To my way of thinking, such is not needed in the BGCT. It’s not healthy,” he said.

Furthermore, Coffee added, Texas Baptists Committed effectively did at the state level “what fundamentalists in the Southern Baptist Convention did” nationally—rallied messengers to vote at the convention’s annual meeting, successfully got their candidates elected and influenced the process for nominating committee members, trustees and directors of boards.

“TBC became what they hated,” he asserted. “I don’t believe fundamentalism is limited to the right wing.”

Bell disputed that characterization. Texas Baptists Committed has no desire to be “a meddling influence” in the state convention, he insisted.

“We want to walk with the convention, not—as some have said—arrogantly imposing our will on the convention. That is the stuff of fantasy,” he said.

The organization ceased endorsing candidates for BGCT office several years ago, and even when it did, Texas Baptists Committed did not control decisions made by convention officers, Bell maintained.

“No one from TBM picked up the phone and told those intelligent and qualified people, ‘This is what you need to do,’” he said.

Twenty year ago, Texas Baptists Committed focused on encouraging like-minded Baptists around the state to attend BGCT annual meetings and vote on critical issues. But today, key decisions affecting the BGCT typically are made in local churches—most often when pastors move from one congregation to another. Changes in denominational alignment often follow changes in pastoral leadership.

“We want to provide information to pastorless churches so they can make better-informed choices as far as leadership is concerned,” Bell said. “We come only if we are invited. We just want to be a resource.”

Since Texas Baptists Committed began distributing a weekly electronic newsletter in May, the group has received requests for information from churches without pastors, said Bill Jones, associate executive director for the organization.

“We’ve also been encouraged by the number of responses we’ve had from people who said: ‘We’re glad you’re back. We were afraid you wouldn’t be around any more. You’re still needed,’” he said.

Still, he acknowledged the organization no longer has the high-profile presence it once enjoyed in Texas Baptist life. At the high point of its influence, Texas Baptists Committed mobilized thousands of messengers from churches around the state to attend BGCT annual meetings and elect a series of officers endorsed by the group—including the state convention’s first Hispanic, African-American and female presidents.

The organization’s database includes the names of more than 20,000 people who at one time were involved with the group. Distribution of the e-mail newsletter is limited to about 1,500, Jones said.

The organization lacks an executive director. Its office in San Angelo closed. And financially, Bell said, “We are like
most nonprofit organizations, and we all face the same struggles in this economy.”

However, after a hiatus, Texas Baptists Committed plans to resume holding a breakfast event in conjunction with the BGCT annual meeting in Amarillo and staff a booth in the convention exhibit hall, he said. Details for the breakfast event still are pending.

Phil Lineberger

The BGCT needs advocates—particularly among the young generation of church leaders—and Texas Baptists Committed can help fulfill that role, said Phil Lineberger, vice chairman of the organization.

Some churches view denominational organizations as irrelevant entities “relegated to the past,” but Texas Baptists Committed can help young leaders understand the good work done through the BGCT and its related institutions, said Lineberger, pastor of Sugar Land Baptist Church, near Houston.

Many young pastors have a passionate desire to make an impact on their communities and the world, he noted. Veteran pastors can help them recognize the value in working cooperatively through the BGCT, rather than working in isolation.

“We want to be a support to the BGCT and encourage people to stay involved,” he said. “We want to be a resource to Texas Baptist churches.”

Texas Baptist Men volunteers returned from a recent mission trip to Haiti offering testimonials to the power of prayer, the reality of divine intervention and the superiority of God's ways over human plans.

Roy Heifrin (left), a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from Lancaster, works on preliminary forms to expedite the work of future mission teams who will help construct a facility for Croix Hillaire Baptist Church and School near Petit Goave, Haiti.

As they clear rubble from the building site for Croix Hillaire Baptist Church and School near Petit Goave, Haiti, women balanced cinderblocks, rocks and chunks of concrete on their heads, the way they normally carry bundles or buckets. (PHOTO/Texas Baptist Men)

The 10-member team helped clear away rubble where an earthquake destroyed the facilities of Croix Hillaire Baptist Church and School near Petit Goave. Working alongside members of the church, the TBM volunteers prepared the site so future teams can help the Haitians rebuild.

When the volunteers arrived in Haiti, they encountered delays and challenges at every turn—particularly regarding anything mechanical or electrical.

"It seemed nothing worked right the first time," noted Ray Skrobarcek, a volunteer from River Oaks Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, near LaVernia. As a construction project manager, Skrobarcek acknowledged he arrived with his own preconceived ideas about how the job should be accomplished—ideas that had to be adjusted daily.

The team faced a major obstacle when the small front-end loader they had rented to clear rubble refused to work. But a 23-year-old Haitian, Charlie, who had "just showed up to help," offered wise works of counsel.

"On the second day, he said: 'You have many people here. God wants us to work together. Much can be accomplished if we work together,'" Skrobarcek recalled.

Ray Skrobarcek, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from River Oaks Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, near LaVernia, works alongside Haitians to clear rubble to prepare a building site for Croix Hillaire Baptist Church and School near Petit Goave, Haiti. (PHOTO/Texas Baptist Men)

Heeding his advice, the TBM volunteers and local workers began clearing rubble by "antpiling—working like an army of ants moving little pieces one at a time," said Ernie Rice, mission team leader and a member of First Baptist Church in Stockdale.

"Our goal from the beginning was to build relationships with the church there and encourage the church as it reaches out to its community. The challenge was making those relationships click," said Rice said.

"When we starting working together, then it started to gel. That Bobcat we rented never functioned, but that made us all pitch in and work together. It got the whole church involved in antpiling."

The degree of Haitian involvement surprised the team members to some degree. Voluntarism is somewhat uncommon in the country—not because the people are unwilling to work, but because they spend their time working at a variety of jobs just to survive, Rice said.

Even so, more than 75 volunteers—men, women and children—became involved in clearing 100 yards of rubble from the site with three wheelbarrows. Women balanced cinderblocks, rocks and chunks of concrete on their heads, the way they normally carry bundles or buckets.

Mission team leader Ernie Rice, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from First Baptist Church in Stockdale, tells an official how to maintain the newly installed water purification system at the national police headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. People who lost their homes to an earthquake live in a huge tent city immediately adjacent to the police compound. (PHOTO/Texas Baptist Men)

In all, a job that would have taken two days with one piece of heavy machinery was accomplished manually in one day, Rice noted.

That experience taught the team "God's ways are higher than our ways," Skrobarcek said. "We went in with the idea of coming to the rescue of the church with a Bobcat. Instead, they came to our rescue."

The team learned another lesson as Tropical Storm Emily headed toward Haiti. Harold Patterson, a volunteer from Clearwater Baptist Church in Scroggins, recalled receiving regular reports from his wife, who was serving with a TBM mud-out team in Minot, N.D., and tracking the storm on her computer. She was not alone.

"We had all been tracking it. For two days, it was dead on target, headed right toward us," Rice recalled.

The anticipated wind and rain not only threatened progress on the mission project, but also posed risks to the team's safety and almost certainly meant their departure would be delayed.

Texas Baptist Men volunteers prepare the forms so that future mission teams can begin framing a new facility for Croix Hillaire Baptist Church and School near Petit Goave, Haiti. (PHOTO/Texas Baptist Men)

But Patterson noted people at his church in Northeast Texas prayed, asking God to intervene and protect the team from harm. Other TBM prayer partners around the state joined in interceding for the team's safety.

The storm uncharacteristically stalled and veered south until after the mission team made the 35-mile journey—a two- to three-hour trek on Haitian roads—to the airport in Port au-Prince.

"We learned that for a few men doing his work, God would hold back a storm," Rice said.

Texas Baptist Men seeks additional volunteers for upcoming trips to Haiti through early October. Individuals with construction expertise particularly are needed. All volunteers need to be physically able and willing to work 8-hour days in outdoor heat. For more information or to register as a volunteer, contact Ernie Rice at ernierice@yahoo.com or call (830) 534-1211. Financial contributions for the project should be sent to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron Dr., Dallas, TX 75227and labeled "Project Haiti."

JOPLIN, Mo.—Standing tall in a wasteland of rubble, shards and debris, an outline of hope cuts clear across the Missouri sky. The cross is all that remains of a church now faded into memory.

Two months after tornadoes with winds of more than 200 mph ripped through the heart of Joplin, destroying businesses, homes and lives, it still bears the scars of damage and devastation.

But the cross marks one of many signs reminding residents faith will stand beyond the storm, a hope that Texas Baptists were able to experience personally as they served in relief efforts during a weeklong mission trip to Joplin.

More than 160 volunteers represented 18 Texas Baptist churches and three from Missouri in the trip headed up by Baptist General Convention of Texas Disaster Response.

"The devastation is pretty sobering, but the camaraderie is beautiful," noted Brian Anderson, pastor of Crossroads Fellowship in Jackson, Mo. Anderson worked with other volunteers in triple-digit heat clearing and sorting layers of debris at a low-income apartment complex.

Items uncovered in the rubble included family pictures and children's toys. Vehicle parts and dumpsters were found slammed into walls or wedged in roofs—the ones that still existed. Volunteers' work alleviated an estimated $500,000 of the cost to clear the land and rebuild, according to a member of apartment complex's board of directors.

"It looks like you took a house and put it in a blender and shot it out of a blow gun," said Drew Hargrove from Hutto Baptist Church in Hutto. "It's so hard to actually see and think and comprehend—people lived here. A couple months ago, people lived in these apartments."  

But volunteers were not discouraged. They were united with a common vision for restoration.

Texas Baptist volunteers (left to right) Austin Webb and Will Van Der Hoeven, both from Hutto Baptist Church in Hutto, help with recovery efforts in Joplin, Mo. (PHOTO/Grace Gaddy)

Chris Liebrum, coordinator of disaster response for Texas Baptists, encouraged volunteers during a communitywide prayer service, citing the biblical story of Nehemiah rebuilding the Jerusalem wall.

"He knew God had called him to rebuild that wall, and nothing was going to stop him," Liebrum said. "I hope that that's what you're about this week. There has been some sense of call that you're here."

Jack Elliot, 75, of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Paris, testified to that call. He had wanted to go on a mission trip like this since 1969, when he served with disaster relief efforts for a flood in North Dakota, he said.

"Wherever there is a need, like the disasters that happen around the country, if we can do anything in the name of Christ, we need to do it," he said. "I jumped at this chance."

Elliot worked in a distribution center sorting boxes of school supplies. After three schools were completely demolished and others damaged, a church in South Texas donated three 18-wheelers full of materials, making it possible to provide each Joplin student a backpack of supplies for the first day of school Aug. 17.

That covered 7,700 students, said Mark Gooch, owner of the warehouse. Gooch expressed thanks for the willingness of the volunteers. "They've been a huge blessing to our warehouse," he said.

Trip participants reached out each day through a number of relief efforts across the city. Volunteers helped prepare meals for workers, salvaged wood to be built into storage sheds for Joplin residents, organized clothing for a free rummage sale and distributed goods to needy families—all in the name of Christ. 

"It's just people-loving, God-loving people," said Jerica Lawyer, from Hutto Baptist Church, pointing out how her faith grew as she watched God work over the course of the week. She told a story of one woman who lived across the street from their worksite. The woman approached the team, asking how she could get on the list for assistance. 

Two minutes later, 20 volunteers surrounded her home, cleaning up, clearing the debris and sharing Christ's love. "That was not us. That was God," Lawyer said.

The trip prepared the group for continuing outreach in the future, Lawyer said. The night before returning to Texas, they learned of a fire that caused destruction back home.

"Now we're ready to go back and start rebuilding our area," she said, noting Joplin gave her something she will never forget. "It was a totally different experience. I loved it—every minute."

CUERO—As 48 children filed into First Baptist Church, many knew they were in for something different from their daily routines. For starters, they had dinner.

The youngsters—many of whom live in poverty—came to the church for a sports camp that would help them develop their basketball and cheerleading skills.

They smiled as they realized they also would receive a meal each night, something many of them don't experience—especially during the summers when school nutrition programs no longer operate.

Toby the Turkey, the Cuero High School Gobblers' mascot, visits the sports camp at First Baptist Church in Cuero. (Photo by John Hall)

The Mega Sports Camp at First Baptist Church is the congregation's latest attempt to share the hope of Christ with some of the community's most vulnerable residents—impoverished children.

During the school year, the church offers Wednesday programs that include meals for children, as well as biblically based teaching and activities. Earlier this summer, the church held Vacation Bible School and intentionally reached out to these young people.

"We're trying to do an intentional outreach and ministry to the poor economic kids in the community," Pastor Glenn Robertson said. "We feel it's God-given. We believe it's God calling."

The church sought to connect with impoverished children through their interest in basketball and cheerleading. One young boy was so excited about the sports camp, he became a missionary, taking church volunteers to all his friends' apartments and getting them involved as well, said Debbie Granberry, who organized the camp.

"He knew where everyone lived," Granberry said. "He took me to their apartments. We got a whole lot of them signed up."

The weeklong event was a mixture of athletic drills, games and Bible teaching. With 48 volunteers—including many men who were eager to help children learn about sports—to work with the 48 campers, young people received individual attention and were able to get to know each other through small groups called "huddles."

People throughout the community supported the camp. Ashlie Pritchett, a member of the church as well as a Cuero High School cheerleader, recruited the rest of the cheerleading squad to help facilitate the cheerleading portion of the event. Toby the turkey, the high mascot, made an appearance. People volunteered their time and energy.

"They all go to church. I knew they would be a good idea," Pritchett said, adding that recruiting her fellow cheerleaders was as simple as sending a text message to each of them.

Through the activities and the teaching times, volunteers were able to start and build relationships with the children. Adults had opportunities to know more about the youth and what they liked. The volunteers also had a chance to share the gospel with them.  Sixteen children professed Christ as their Savior, and three teenagers asked to be baptized.

"We know the main reason we're here is to share Jesus," Robertson said.

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras—The Dallas Baptist University Patriot athletic department worked in partnership with Buckner International to serve in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Dallas Baptist University student-athletes (left to right) Tyler Bradsher, Kaylyn Frink, Claire Stephens and Coach Jennifer Curran lead Bible songs at the Las Brisas Community Transformation Center in San Pedro de Sula, Honduras. (PHOTO/Ryan Erwin)

This trip was part of DBU's Global Sports Mission Initiative which was created to allow student-athletes to experience other cultures by serving Christ overseas. It marked the sixth international mission trip for the athletic department and included a team of staff and student-athletes from the volleyball, soccer, tennis, basketball and cheerleading teams.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the trip to Honduras," DBU Tennis Coach Jennifer Curran said. "The student-athletes who gave their time, talents and money were truly the hands and feet of Christ during the week, even though many times they could not speak the language. They gave everything they could that week without grumbling or complaining, just hearts filled with love and compassion for these children."

Dallas Baptist University Senior Taylor Brown from DeSoto offers loves and hope to children in San Pedro de Sula. (PHOTO/ Jennifer Curran)

Senior Lady Patriot Soccer player Stephanie Emmert from Keller interacts with children at the community center. (PHOTO/ Jennifer Curran)

The group spent the first two days in Honduras serving mornings at Casitas, a juvenile home for girls. Each afternoon, they worked at Las Brisas, a community elementary school. While at Casitas, the DBU student-athletes spent time with more 90 girls, ages 12-18, from widely varied backgrounds.

The DBU team shared Scriptures, testimonies and life lessons with the girls, offering advice and love. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances for these girls, many still were receptive to the Bible stories and message from the student-athletes.

Dallas Baptist University Sophomore Tyler Bradsher from Allen ministers through hugs and compassion to a young girl in Honduras. (PHOTO/Ryan Erwin)

During the first two days, the group also spent time at a community elementary school. Buckner International helped build Las Brisas to educate many of the children from the underdeveloped and poverty-stricken areas of San Pedro Sula. While at the school, the DBU student-athletes entertained and interacted with more than 150 children, ages 6-12, helping organize recreational activities and crafts, as well as performing Bible skits.

The next two days were spent at Nueva Esperanza, an orphanage that housed about 200 children, newborn to age 12. The mornings were spent holding and caring for 28 babies, all under the age of two, while the school-aged children were in classes. During the afternoon, the team was able to interact with the children, playing soccer and on the playground, teaching VBS songs, constructing crafts and taking an opportunity to communicate the love of Christ to the children.

"Not only were we able to impact the children at Nueva Esperanza, but they also impacted us," said senior volleyball player Kaylyn Frink. "It was humbling to see a different perspective on how much we have to be thankful for in our lives. God's love was seen through these children."

The group spent two days at a transitional home for teenage girls—an extension of Buckner—housing seven girls who lived and worked as a family unit. The home teaches the girls family skills and responsibilities and helps prepare them for life as an adult.

The team attended church with the girls and spent time with them, tie-dying T-shirts, teaching American music and playing a competitive game of soccer in the street. The activities allowed the student-athletes opportunities to share their faith and have intimate conversations about Jesus.

"For me, it was very humbling to grasp that the same God we worship is the same God these orphans worship despite their circumstances," said senior Kristen Secord. "Even though there was a language barrier, we were able to minister and love on all those we came into contact with. The trip helped me to change my view on putting hope in God, because for these kids, this was all they had."

HOUSTON—A Houston Baptist church will serve as host site to an ecumenical event formed in response to “The Response”—the prayer rally Gov. Rick Perry initiated at Reliant Stadium.

Americans United for Separation of Church & State and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas are sponsoring the “Family, Faith and Freedom” celebration from 7 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Mount Ararat Baptist Church , 5801 W. Montgomery Rd. in Houston.

“This event unites us in our conviction that government should have no favorite theology and that it must always strive to ensure that all citizens—Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and others—are full and equal partners in the public square,” said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United and a featured speaker at the gathering.

William Lawson, founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston , also will speak at the event.

“Family, Faith and Freedom” is scheduled on the eve of the high-profile prayer rally at Reliant Stadium to provide an alternative expression of faith, to call citizens to action for the common good and to reaffirm the importance of church-state separation, organizers insisted.

According to its website, theresponseusa.com , the Aug. 6 Reliant Stadium event is “a nondenominational, apolitical Christian prayer meeting” that adopted the statement of faith of the American Family Association, a sponsoring organization.

“As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy,” Perry states on the website in an invitation to the rally.

While organizers of the stadium rally insist their event is nonpolitical, Perry—who has not announced his candidacy but has been exploring the possibility of running for president—initiated it and invited other governors to join in the distinctively Christian prayer meeting.

“Americans of many faiths, and of no faith, love their country and want to see it prosper. Government promotion of an exclusive Christian event implies that certain types of people care more about the well-being of our country than others, and also implies that Christianity is the only way to approach the challenges that our society faces,” said Terri Burke, executive director of the Texas ACLU. “We don’t see it that way and thought somebody ought to host an event that welcomes all faiths and traditions.”

ROUND ROCK—The "dog days of summer" has taken on a new meaning for children at Texas Baptist Children's Home, thanks to a new partnership with the Austin Dog Alliance.

Once a week, the children gather to read to some new four-legged friends, each of whom provides a pair of attentive but nonjudgmental ears—and maybe a little tail-wagging encouragement.

Joe, a resident at Texas Baptist Children's Home, reads under the watchful eyes of Troy and his owner, volunteer Marlene Coffman. (PHOTO/Children at Heart Ministries)

Joyce Fiaccone, a TBCH campus life house mother, stumbled across the Austin Dog Alliance website while searching for field trip options for the kids in her cottage.

Previously involved with equine therapy, she has witnessed firsthand the positive effect animals can have on children.

"I wasn't at all surprised that a program like this existed," she said. "I know the value of kids working with pets, so I was very enthusiastic. Animals are so intuitive to children. They seem to key into what the kids are feeling."

Many of the children who live on the children's home campus have known what it means to be displaced and alone, often coming from chaotic backgrounds. Sometimes they had to leave cherished pets behind, because animals are not allowed in the cottages.

"It's one of the things kids here miss the most," Fiaccone said. "So, any time we can get them involved with animals, it's a good thing. And when a puppy is involved, even reading becomes fun for them."

Dogs involved in the Bow Wow Reading Group are thoroughly screened and tested before interacting with children. Their handlers receive training through the Intermountain Therapy Reading Education Assistance Dogs program.

"Studies have shown that children participating in these programs show an improvement in their behavior, a marked increased interest in reading and improved academics," said Nicole Brake, pet therapy volunteer coordinator. "It's pretty impressive."

The purpose behind the Austin Dog Alliance Bow Wow Reading Dogs program is to encourage an interest in reading. With TBCH children, however, the goal varies slightly.

"We could tell the children at TBCH were already strong readers and very well taken care of," Brake said. "The main purpose for our dogs to visit was to allow them the opportunity to interact with animals while still providing an opportunity to improve academically."

The first 15 minutes of the Bow Wow Reading group visit is spent playing. Children are encouraged to pet and visit with their new furry friends. Then, it's time to get to work. For the remainder of the visit, pups sit, heads cocked and ears perked, as children read their favorite stories.

But, why does this type of therapy work? According to Brake, it comes down to a simple connection.

"Dogs are nonjudgmental," she said. "Because they are relaxed, it encourages the child to relax, and they can feel more confident."

Bow Wow Reading Dogs are handpicked according to their personality, Brake said.

They must be at least one year old, calm, tolerant of tugging and handling, and have solid obedience skills.

So far, eight TBCH children are participating in the Bow Wow Reading group, with expectation of an increased enrollment. Austin Dog Alliance has already spoken with TBCH about continuing the program on campus during the school year.

"These children don't get to be around dogs much," Brake said. "This program encourages compassion toward animals and we want to continue to foster that and also inspire them to read."

Fiaccone seconds that sentiment, noting that sometimes all you need is a listening ear undistracted by outside forces.

"Any program that encourages our children to love reading is very exciting to me as a house parent and avid reader," she said. "I know the worlds of opportunity and entertainment that come from being able to read well, and I want to cry every time I hear a child say that they hate to read.

"No child that reads well ever hates to read.  I also am mindful that one bonus of this type of program is that each child receives individual, nonjudgmental attention from a four-footed friend and their two-footed partner."

TBCH is a ministry of Children At Heart Ministries. For more about the Campus Life Program, visit www.tbch.org.

Two Texas Baptist universities are among the best college workplaces in the nation, according to a survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Hardin-Simmons University was named to the honor roll of top 10 four-year institutions in the small-school category for 3,000 or fewer students. Baylor University made the top 10 honor roll in the large-school category for 10,000 or more students.

The results, released in the Chronicle's fourth annual report on the academic workplace, are based on a survey of nearly 44,000 employees at 310 colleges and universities.

In all, only 111 of the 310 institutions achieved "Great College to Work For" recognition for specific best practices and policies.

SUGAR LAND—Just as the Apostle Paul perched atop Mars Hill in Athens to tell the people of Greece about the "Unknown God," so a team from Sugar Land Baptist Church in Sugar Land spoke through their actions of another unknown idea—volunteerism.

A portion of the team of 37 church members who traveled to Greece took an evening to clean up the marble hill.

"We were told this was the first time it had been cleaned up since 2004. That time, it was done in preparation for the Olympic Games that were held there, and that cleanup also was done by an Ameri-can church group," said Cynthia Watts, the church's missions coordinator.

"The people there didn't really know what to think of us. Some thought we might be city sanitation workers. The concept of volunteerism is totally foreign to them."

The group served in a number of different capacities during the 10-day trip. They conducted Vacation Bible Schools in three locations, worked with a group called Helping Hands to minister to the homeless, worked with another group to reach out to prostitutes and transvestites, ministered to a community of Albanian refugees and worked to clean up a neighborhood.

The group ranged in age from 16 to 70.

Members of Sugar Land Baptist Church cleaned the area around Mars Hill in Athens, Greece. They also worked in Vacation Bible Schools and served in community ministries.

"The pastor of the church in Athens is just an amazing man. His passion for the kids and the homeless is awe- inspiring," Watts said.

One of the places the team conducted a Vacation Bible School was about three hours north of Athens in the town where the Greek pastor grew up. The parents there would not allow the children to go the church, but they did allow them to attend the Bible school at the village youth center.

"They knew full well what we were doing at the youth center, but while they wouldn't allow their children to go to the church, the youth center was OK," Watts said.

It was the first time a Vacation Bible School had been held in that community.

"It was the most exciting thing to see the kids come to the Vacation Bible Schools, especially since so many had no other exposure to the gospel," Watts said.

DALLAS—Texas Baptist Men is recruiting teams for construction and water purification projects in Haiti.

Volunteers will build classrooms and put a new roof on the facilities of Croix Hillaire Baptist Church and School near Petit Goave, as well as provide water purification systems for orphanages and schools.

Teams will serve Aug. 9-18, Aug. 30- Sept. 8, Sept. 13-22 and Sept. 27-Oct. 6.

Estimated cost for airfare, lodging and meals is $1,600 per person. TBM and the Baptist General Convention of Texas each are offering $300 one-time grants per volunteer, leaving a $1,000 balance per worker.

For more information or to register as a volunteer, contact Ernie Rice at ernierice@yahoo.com or call (830) 534-1211.

To be placed on an e-mail distribution list for prayer concerns related to the projects, e-mail rae.jones@texasbaptistmen.org.

Financial contributions for the project should be sent to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron Dr., Dallas, TX 75227 and labeled "Project Haiti."

DALLAS—When Texas Baptists joined more than 30 other faith-based groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the fight against hunger, the results were "outstanding and inspirational," said Karla Dechavez, development coordinator at the North Texas Food Bank.

Volunteers from First Baptist Church in Waxahachie, South Garland Baptist Church in Garland, Central Baptist Church in Italy and First Baptist Church in Dallas—as well as Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff members—sorted and boxed food at the food bank as part of Full on Faith, a weeklong campaign geared to focus local faith-based organizations on the critical issue of hunger and immediate needs across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The North Texas Food Bank holds the event annually.

"A lot of people are really not aware of how bad it is," Dechavez said. "When they come into the food bank to volunteer and they see the actual food and they actually handle the food, then they're able to see what kinds of meals we prepare for our member agencies, as well as the need—like how many different families these meals are going to."

Full on Faith volunteers worked in three-hour time slots unloading pallets of food, sorting and packing boxes for distribution throughout 13 counties served by the food bank. During the week, more than 800 volunteers boxed and sorted 182,713 meals for Texas children, families and seniors.

Linda Wear coordinates Daily Bread, a ministry of the BGCT Advocacy/ Care Center that seeks to connect churches with hunger-relief resources, and led efforts to promote and organize Full on Faith among Texas Baptists regionally. Churches can get involved in an ongoing way by partnering with one of the 307 agencies the food bank supplies, she noted.

"We do it as churches together. We do it through organizations together. We don't have to do this all independently of each other," she said.

Dee Boyd, general ledger manager at the Baptist Building, echoed Wear's sentiment about cooperation and teamwork. Boyd served one shift with Full on Faith, calling it a wonderful experience.

"Anytime you go out and serve together, … it helps you to realize we're all in this together. It helps us to see that what we do does matter," she said.

She particularly noted the benefits of working alongside people from other faith-basedgroups—including non-Christians. "It was a time when we could not only serve together, but we could speak with some other people about our faith," she said.

WACO—At their summer meeting, Baylor regents set tuition and required fees for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Regents voted to increase undergraduate tuition by 6.5 percent, or $1,866, for 12 hours or more during the fall 2012 and spring 2013 academic year. With its flat-rate tuition plan, Baylor's tuition will be $15,293 per semester for 2012-2013. The general student fee will increase 6.53 percent, or $192, to $3,130 for the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters.

Room and board rates for undergraduates will increase by 5.21 percent and 4.59 percent, respectively.

Financial aid packaging, however, will offset actual education costs for students, Baylor officials said. Tuition for graduate programs will increase similarly.

Baylor's total scholarships for 2012-2013 will increase 10.6 percent, or $15.9 million, to more than $165 million. This additional amount includes a 10.6 percent increase in need-based scholarships for freshmen who enter Baylor in fall 2012.

Nearly 39,000 students submitted applications for a place in Baylor's incoming freshman class. Baylor's newest class of students will enter the university with the highest academic credentials in Baylor's history. In all, about 3,050 students will enroll as freshmen in fall 2011.

"In setting tuition and fees, the board very thoughtfully reviewed the financial resources required to deliver the distinct Baylor educational experience expected by our incoming students and their families," Chairman Buddy Jones said.

"We also considered carefully the financial impact that increased tuition and fees will have on Baylor families. In consideration of those facts, we have set what we believe to be a fair tuition rate, sustained by a higher level of financial aid than at any time in our past. This aid not only helps families needing financial assistance but will produce a student body of the highest academic ability in Baylor's history."

The board also approved the design and construction of an indoor tennis practice facility and improvements to the outdoor tennis center, and regents authorized hiring an architectural firm to design the renovation of the Marrs McLean Science Building.

The Jim and Nell Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center will be located across from the Ferrell Center on La Salle Avenue. Construction of the facility is expected to begin this fall.

Regents also adopted a resolution expressing congratulations to former Baylor women's basketball player Melissa Jones, who was named one of two 2010-11 Big 12 Sportspersons of the Year. The award recognizes student-athletes who displayed an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship and/or community service during the academic year.

Jones is the third Baylor student-athlete to earn Sportsperson of the Year honors, joining fellow basketball players Jessika Strat-ton in 2004 and Mamadou Diene in 2008.