October 2, 2013 • ISSUE 17
WHEN THE MISSION
COMES TO YOU As demographics shift in Texas toward a Latino majority, longtime Anglo churches face a challenge that some are creatively meeting.
Will others pay heed?
SBTC ANNUAL MEETING GOES WEST OCT. 28-29 TO AMARILLO
CRISWELL’S JOHNSON TO LEAD NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
sbtexas.com/am13 CHILDCARE AND CHILDREN’S WORSHIP EXPERIENCE
Must pre-register by Oct 23 at Ages: birth through 9 years old Location: Amarillo Civic Center
Contents
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Gosnell claims ‘spiritually innocent’ label
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Criswell’s Johnson leaving for NRB post
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Abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, convicted in May of first-degree murder in the killing of babies born alive, says he is “spiritually innocent” and remains “comfortable with the things” he did.
Criswell College President Jerry Johnson is leaving the Dallas school to become CEO and president of the National Religious Broadcasters. Johnson told the TEXAN he would promote the threefold mission of the NRB to advance biblical truth, promote media excellence and defend free speech.
SBTC annual meeting: Amarillo, Oct. 28-29 Messengers and guests attending the 16th annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention will be treated to a free steak dinner and entertainment during a “Bless the West” dinner at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 as ministry across the West Texas region will be highlighted.
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Abortion champion Wendy Davis expected to run for governor State. Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) was expected to join the race for Texas governor on Thursday. Davis, whose 11-hour filibuster to stall a late-term abortion bill drew her international attention, has been rumored to be gearing up to run for weeks.
9 COVER STORY: Reaching Hispanics: Confronting shifting demographics ‘unavoidable,’ ministers say As Texas continues to draw new Latino residents, Anglo churches must be mindful of their community’s shifting demographics and develop strategies to reach their new neighbors with the gospel of Christ, says an SBTC evangelist.
TEXAN Digital is e-published twice monthly by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, 4500 State Highway 360, Grapevine, TX 76099-1988. Jim Richards, Executive Director
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Houston pastors watching on San Antonio-like ordinance If a controversial nondiscrimination ordinance similar to one recently passed in San Antonio is introduced in Houston, its prospects would be largely determined by how many Christians show up to vote, a group of local pastors contend.
Gary Ledbetter, Editor Jerry Pierce, Managing Editor Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer Russell Lightner, Design & Layout Stephanie Barksdale, Subscriptions Contributing Writers Bonnie Pritchett, Stephanie Heading, Tammi Reed Ledbetter, Jane Rodgers, Mike Gonzales To contact the TEXAN office, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC)
Gary Ledbetter
Before it’s too late
H
ow’s your church doing? Maybe that question is a little like “How are you?”—one that we answer with levels of candor. Some folks get the whole story; others we don’t know as well get, “Great! We had a new family join last week.” The answer that haunts our private thoughts is more complex. Good ministry is going on in churches that aren’t growing—even in some that won’t survive the next decade. I’ve always been uncomfortable with business models that evaluate churches as though they are merely another corporate structure. There’s a human aspect in any business you could name, a crucial one, but the human and divine exchange that takes place in a church is the only important thing. There is no essential inventory or asset or metric that compares to people living the two great commandments. A church that is visiting the sick, feeding the poor and preaching the gospel to those around it is doing right things even if the church does not survive the next decade. And yet, many churches die too young. Compare it with our aging and often-neglected bodies. My last checkup revealed that my heart was good and I had some small kidney stones. The doctor suggested I work my heart harder, drink more water and lessen my intake of caffeine. I’ve taken most of his counsel to heart, so to speak. Although I have no personal experience with heart disease or kidney stones, I’ve seen others who have. It’s pretty frightening and motivates me to avoid those challenges as long as possible. I could wait until I have an excruciating kidney stone to drink more water. I could wait until my heart is damaged to care about its health. The lay term for that action is “too late.” Many churches could use an occasional checkup. Even then, the tough challenge is to motivate an organization that is doing some good things to take inconvenient action before the metaphorical chest pains begin. I think of that when I look at the recent his2 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
tory of my church. We are a plateaued church, one that has grown very little over the past several years. We are also currently without a pastor though we have a great interim. What should our next pastor do? We may hope that he will be an enthusiastic guy with a belt full of magic bullets—one for evangelism, one for student ministry, one for discipleship, one for stewardship and so on. That’s a pretty unrealistic hope in nearly every case. What if he’s a guy who comes into our plateaued church and calls it what it is? Sure, he’ll see that we’re meeting payroll and paying the light bill but in spite of that, he might see the problem as crucial and begin to desperately seek help. Our church might find his alarmism more challenging emotionally than a pastor who acts as though we just need to do the same things more loudly. We might not recognize the problem yet, but that is not the same as having plenty of time. My church is not yet feeling chest pains, but that is a good time to listen to the doctor. Our church revitalization guru, Kenneth Priest, has referred to churches “not being desperate enough” to go into a revitalization process. Often churches aren’t motivated until it’s too late; they’ve lost too many members, too much credibility and too much time to be able to restore their ministries. It’s also clear that churches of all sizes in Texas could see warning signs of future decline if they would. Don’t dismiss the measurable things about your ministry; they often indicate the spiritual state of your body of believers. Stewardship is an example of how numbers can indicate the spiritual temperature of your fellowship. Giving is not a matter of supporting the church’s ministry or even reaching the world for Christ, it is a matter of gratitude and faith and obedience to God. Giving everything is what a disciple does. Giving almost nothing is what a disobedient disciple does. You could develop the same description for other spiritual disciplines—some of them will be reflected in the observable data of your church. There may be a natural life and death cycle for many congregations, like you see in the lives of towns and cities. More often, I believe churches are surprised to the see the changes responsible for their initial growth continue beyond their vision or even their preferences. A growing young neighborhood becomes a stable senior adult neighborhood eventually, even if many people don’t move away. The people who replace the seniors are no longer moving into the hottest addition in town. Our ministry has changed even if our location and vision have not. One thing at least I believe we can learn from business leadership experts: An honest look at your church, your ministry, your community and your trends can move you to look for help while there is time to reconsider your focus. It’s not all about numbers and vision statements, but those things can turn into practical answers for your church.
Briefly //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// THOUSANDS WILL LINE ROADS WITH PRO-LIFE MESSAGE
For the 26th year, Christians will band together Oct. 6 (Sunday) to build Life Chains along high-traffic roadways in America and Canada to make a visual statement of their commitment to the sanctity of human life. A large number of Life Chain groups in Texas have announced plans to participate, and Life Chain says time still remains for more groups to join. Life Chain—sponsored by pro-life group Please Let Me Live—describes itself as “church oriented and pastor focused,” and seeks to unite Christians to engage in the spiritual and physical battle of ending abortion. “Life Chain is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life individuals standing for 90 minutes praying for our nation and for an end to abortion,” Lifechain.net explains. “It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death.” Life Chain suggests that participants stand on their route, 25-30 feet apart, holding signs with approved messages. A list of acceptable sign verbiage is listed at lifechain.net along with other information for those interested in participating in established groups or creating new groups. Videos about Life Chain can also be viewed here and here.
GA. CHURCH SELLS BUILDING TO PLANT CHURCHES What Crossroads Church in Hinesville, Ga., is doing to obey God and evangelize in Toronto and closer to home seems crazy. They are, you might say, at a bit of a crossroads and have decided to take the path less traveled. Crossroads Church, a re-plant of the former Faith Baptist Church, is selling their church building and its 16 acres, setting aside more than $1 million and—with no solid prospects of where they’ll meet—continuing to call themselves a church and make plans for future ministry. They have hopes a local school will let them use their space. The church has designated the funds from the building and property sale for church planting work locally, throughout North America and globally—and has no plans yet to start building anything new. To top it all off they’re sending their pastor, Danny Eason, to another country to start a church just as things were getting good. Eason and his family are leaving where they’ve been their whole lives and moving to Toronto, a place they’ve been twice. He admits this is a miracle in itself. “Sometimes I think I am nuts for leaving,” Eason said. “The church is a great church. They’re willing, with reckless abandon, to charge the gates of hell.”
3-YEAR-OLD SHOOTING VICTIM SINGS CHRISTIAN SONG AFTER HOSPITAL RELEASE The youngest victim of a recent mass shooting in Chicago has been released from the hospital after being struck in the ear by bullets while playing on a basketball court. Three-year-old Deonta Howard, who will need surgery for the next 15 to 20 years, the child’s mother told reporters, sang a Christian song at New Beginnings Church with reporters present. “May the good Lord bless you. May the good Lord bless you,” the child sang, according to The Chicago Tribune (video and story here). Deonta’s mother, Shamarah Leggett, told reporters she was so thankful her son survived the shooting and did not incur brain damage. She attributed his recovery to the prayers of the many who prayed for Deonta. “I told God I could deal with anything, as long as my baby comes home,” Leggett told reporters. “And he answered the whole world’s prayers, not just mine, because we all were praying.” Police have charged four people with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in connection with the shooting, according to the Tribune. Police have also said the shooting appears to be an act of revenge between gangs.
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TUESDAY NIGHT REVIVAL SET FOR BALTIMORE SBC MEETING The Southern Baptist Convention will continue at its 2014 Baltimore convention the Tuesday night revival instituted at this past year’s annual meeting, the Committee on Order of Business has announced. “It obviously had such a great response last year that we decided we Fred Luter wanted to do it again,” committee chairman David Smith said. “Every Order of Business Committee has the opportunity to change and adjust the schedule.” SBC President Fred Luter, a member of the committee, requested at the September committee meeting that the evening revival continue, said Smith, executive director of the Austin Baptist Association. “[President Luter] said, ‘I’d really like to recommend that we do the Tuesday night event again.’ And of course our committee wholeheartedly supported that,” Smith told Baptist Press. “On Tuesday night of the convention he’ll be sharing his president’s address and Roger [McGee, pastor of music and worship at First Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va.] will be leading in the worship time. “And we just think it’s going to bring back something that folks go to convention for, to hear the Word, to be inspired and to worship. And we’re looking forward to it.” The Tuesday night session of the SBC annual meeting was reinstituted in 2013, but last year marked the first time the evening meeting included the president’s address. The Tuesday evening session, formerly a business session, was discontinued in 2010 and 2011, at the request of former SBC President Bryant Wright. The 2014 annual meeting will be June 10-11 in Baltimore. 4 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
GOSNELL CLAIMS ‘SPIRITUALLY INNOCENT’ LABEL Abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, convicted in May of first-degree murder in the killing of babies born alive, says he is “spiritually innocent” and remains “comfortable with the things” he did. He defended his actions in a series of phone Kermit Gosnell calls, emails and letters to Steve Volk, who wrote an article to be published in the October issue of Philadelphia magazine. A Sept. 23 blog post at the magazine’s website reported some of Gosnell’s comments to Volk. Bringing a child into an impoverished situation “is a greater sin,” Gosnell told Volk. “I considered myself to be in a war against poverty, and I feel comfortable with the things I did and the decisions I made.” The convictions concerned only three of hundreds of babies at least six months into gestation, who were killed outside the womb after induced delivery at a Philadelphia clinic. Gosnell, who destroyed the records in most of those deaths, or a co-worker typically killed the living children by a technique he called “snipping”—jabbing scissors into the back of a baby’s neck and cutting the spinal cord. Gosnell received three consecutive life sentences for the crimes at the clinic criticized for its unsanitary and unsafe conditions. Dave Andrusko, editor of National Right to Life News Today, wrote Gosnell wants the reader “to judge him not on his actions but what he says are his misunderstood intentions. That is, don’t look at what the Philadelphia Grand Jury believed were the hundreds of late abortions in which the child was aborted/delivered alive and then murdered when he severed their spinal cords. Or the women he maimed. Or the filthy pit in which women were treated like cattle. And, perhaps most of all, not the millions of dollars the prosecution said he made off these women and the illegal pill prescriptions he wrote to addicts.”
ABORTION CHAMPION WENDY DAVIS EXPECTED TO RUN FOR TEXAS GOVERNOR State. Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) is expected to join the race for Texas governor on Thursday. Davis, whose 11-hour filibuster to stall a lateterm abortion bill in the second special legislative session last summer made international headlines and turned her into a darling of abortion-rights advocates, has been rumored to be gearing up to run for weeks. According to Wayne Slater, political reporter for the Dallas Morning News, Davis is already drawing fire as a potential candidate. Davis, whose fame was helped along by the pink jogging shoes she donned during her filibuster, was quickly billed the “Abortion Barbie” for her blonde hair and fashionable looks. Davis reportedly told the Texas Tribune Festival, which hosted talks from several Texas politicians last weekend, “I’m capable of withstanding all kinds of heat, all kinds of nastiness in order to try and deliver an important message for people who feel like they haven’t been heard.” Back in August, Davis said if she ran she would “seek common ground—we all must—but sometimes you have to take a stand on sacred ground,” she said in alluding to abortion. —Briefly section was compiled from staff reports and Baptist Press
U.S. PASTOR MARKS 1 YEAR IN IRANIAN PRISON Graham, who enjoyed a 50-year ministry as a spiritual As Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini marks adviser to American presidents, told Rouhani that one year in Tehran’s brutal Evin Prison, his wife Abedini’s case has received a substantial amount encountered Iran’s new president, Hassan of attention in the United States, reflecting Rouhani, in a New York hotel lobby and passed negatively on Iran. along a letter from the prisoner to the president. Graham wrote that he fears “that the current Naghmeh Abedini, who lives in Idaho with the publicity surrounding the continued imprisonment couple’s two children, was in New York to film of Pastor Abedini, an American citizen, may further interviews with Fox News, CNN and other outlets Saeed Abedini harm the already fragile relationship that presently calling for her husband’s release. She happened to be exists between our two nations.” staying in the same hotel as the Iranian delegation, If Rouhani would release Abedini, Graham wrote, such in town for the United Nations General Assembly. an action “might well be perceived by our leadership as a As Rouhani approached the elevators Monday (Sept. 23), Naghmeh Abedini gave the letter to one of his delegates, who significant step in reducing tensions.” While President Obama has yet to speak publicly about promised to deliver the letter to the president, the American Abedini, Secretary of State John Kerry has twice released Center for Law and Justice, which is representing her, statements calling for his release. reported. In the letter, Saeed Abedini recounts his plight and asks the Iranian president to initiate a review of his case, stating that according to Iran’s constitution “choosing the religion and participating in religious meetings and activities are totally legitimate in Iran, but staying in prison for me and other people like me is for sure illegal.” Ahead of his first visit to the United States as Iran’s president, Rouhani wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post Sept. 19 reminding Americans that he ran on a moderate platform of “prudence and hope” and gained a “broad, popular mandate.” “I’m committed to fulfilling my promises to my people, including my pledge to engage in constructive interaction with the world,” Rouhani wrote, adding, “Gone is the age of blood feuds. World leaders are expected to lead in turning threats into opportunities.” Also in his column, Rouhani wrote of the Middle East, “We must create an atmosphere where peoples of the region can decide their own fates.” Abedini’s letter to Rouhani joins more than 80,000 such letters written on his behalf by concerned citizens around the world through Be Heard, a project launched in September by ACLJ for Abedini and other persecuted believers. “Pastor Saeed is not the only Christian in chains for the gospel,” David French of ACLJ wrote Sept. 16. “He’s not the only Christian who faces mortal peril simply because of his faith.... Go to Be Heard, write a letter for Pastor Saeed, then stay and learn about the plight of Christians in Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, and beyond.” Evangelist Billy Graham is among those who have written a letter to Iran’s president calling for Abedini’s release.
“... the current publicity surrounding the continued imprisonment of Pastor Abedini, an American citizen, may further harm the already fragile relationship that presently exists between our two nations.” —BILLY GRAHAM IN A LETTER TO IRAN’S NEW PRESIDENT, HASSAN ROUHANI
PASTORS AT PRAYER: Southern Baptist pastors from around nation were invited to a Southlake hotel for a two-day prayer gathering for revival and spiritual awakening on Sept. 30-Oct. 1. The meeting was called by Ronnie Floyd, a Texas native and pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. Leading in prayer is Malachi O’Brien, pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church of Harrisonville, Mo. PHOTO PROVIDED
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Criswell’s Johnson to lead National Religious Broadcasters By Tammi Reed Ledbetter
he added, having received a B.A. in biblical studies from the school. DALLAS He said he recognizes the imCriswell College President Jerry portance of Christians using the Johnson is leaving the Dallas school media “in a winsome, excellent to become CEO and president of the way,” having hosted a program National Religious Broadcasters. on KCBI-FM in Dallas Set to begin Nov. 1, Johnson addressing current told the TEXAN he would issues from a Chrispromote the threefold tian perspective. mission of the NRB to “I’m very concerned advance biblical truth, for Christians who promote media excellence are preaching and and defend free speech. broadcasting today Jerry Johnson The Washington, D.C.as we are entering a based NRB is an internahostile environment,” he added, tional association of Christian praising NRB’s commitment to communicators whose member keeping the airwaves and Internet organizations represent millions open for Christians who have bibliof viewers, listeners and readers cal convictions on issues such as worldwide via radio, television and the sanctity of life and marriage. the Internet. Johnson’s election to After earning a master of arts the post came on Tuesday (Oct. 1) from Denver Seminary, Johnson during an NRB board meeting. He received a Ph.D. from Southern succeeds Frank Wright, a Presbyterian who will step down Oct. 4 after Baptist Theological Seminary where he majored in ethics. “I’ve a decade of leading the NRB. given a good bit of study to reliSouthern Evangelical Seminary President Richard Land, who serves gious liberty and as a Baptist I have a particular commitment to the on the boards of both the NRB and Criswell College, described Johnson principles of religious liberty and free speech.” as having “the leadership skills, Johnson first served as president strength of character, range of of Criswell College from 2004 to experience, and vision” for the job. 2008, resigning over philosophi“America has never needed the cal differences with the board and NRB as much as it does right now chancellor related to the school’s to defend freedom of religion and governance. After the school negotifreedom of speech, which are unated a separation from its founding der unprecedented assault.” body, First Baptist Church of Dallas, Johnson said he has devoted his Johnson returned in 2010 with the life to advancing the gospel, afunanimous support of the board. firming NRB’s desire “to make sure Since that time, Criswell Colpeople who are broadcasting in the lege has added a concentration in name of Christ do it in a way that is church planting and revitalization faithful to the authority and infaland a fully online master of arts libility of Scripture. That’s what in Christian studies. The school Criswell College trained me to do,” 6 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
also embraced an unengaged, unreached people group in partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board. A three-year affiliation agreement with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was signed in 2011 that provided 3.25 percent funding from the entity’s Cooperative Program budget. SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards told the TEXAN, “Dr. Johnson was the right man for the right time at Criswell College. He was the catalyst for positive change and will do the same at NRB.” A year ago, trustees adopted a vision Johnson outlined to expand beyond the school’s core Bible curriculum to “train biblical leaders in strategic disciplines” of business, law, communication and education. The board also approved a long-range planning committee’s recommendation to work toward developing a residential campus at a new location to accommodate expected growth and to better meet the needs of the 323-member student body. “I’ve struggled a little with why God would allow me to see that vision and yet not be there to realize it,” Johnson told the TEXAN. “In God’s timing he has someone else for the next level. I want to be a part of that as an alumnus, donor and friend of the college.” Richards stated, “As Criswell College continues forward with the expansion of curriculum and relocation to a residential campus, God will bring the leader who can move the school forward.”
SBTC annual meeting goes west Oct. 28-29 to Amarillo Civic Center Free ‘Bless the West’ dinner highlighting West Texas ministry planned for Tuesday night
By Stephanie Heading AMARILLO
Messengers and guests attending the 16th annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention will be treated to a free steak dinner and entertainment during a “Bless the West” dinner at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 as ministry across the West Texas region will be highlighted. “So Others May Live” is the theme of this year’s meeting at the Amarillo Civic Center, which begins Monday evening, Oct. 28. Terry Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, will deliver the President’s Message as he completes his second term leading the convention. In addition to business planned for that evening, the choir from Mesquite Friendship will lead in music. On Tuesday morning, the Celebration Choir and Orchestra from Southcrest Baptist in Lubbock will sing and play followed by the Convention Sermon by Southcrest Pastor David Wilson. In addition to music led by Calvin Winters and the praise team from First Southern Baptist Church of Fritch, resolutions and reports will also be considered Tuesday afternoon. The deadline to submit resolutions to the SBTC Resolutions Committee is close of busi-
ness Thursday, Oct. 17. Members of SBTC-affiliated churches may submit resolutions by email to Stephanie Barksdale or by mail to Stephanie Barksdale, SBTC communications, PO Box 1988, Grapevine, TX 76099. Resolutions must be accompanied by the author’s contact information and church membership. The election of convention officers is also scheduled for Tuesday (see related story). The annual meeting will conclude Tuesday evening featuring an area-wide choir and orchestra led be Garrett Wooten of Paramount Baptist Church with testimonies about church planting and missions from Sookwan Lee, pastor of Seoul Baptist Church in Houston; Joseph Ruberintwari, pastor of International Evangelical Church in Abilene and Byron McWilliams, pastor of First Baptist Church Odessa. SPANISH-LANGUAGE SESSION A Spanish-language pre-convention session will be held on Sunday, Oct. 27, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in the Grand Plaza, featuring mission testimonies and preaching. MEAL EVENTS Other gatherings on Monday include a free dinner at 4:30 p.m. focusing on church revitalization.
Also, Criswell College will host a dessert reception from 9-10 p.m. with a discussion of future plans for a residential campus at a new location, expanded curriculum and online classes. Other Tuesday events include the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Alumni and Friends Breakfast at 7 a.m., and the President’s Luncheon at noon featuring a testimony from evangelist Tim Lee, a Vietnam veteran who received the Purple Heart. Reservations for all meals, including the free “Bless the West” dinner on Tuesday may be made online at sbtexas.com/am13. “The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is comprised of churches,” SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards reminded in his appeal for participation in the annual meeting in Amarillo. “You will be amazed to hear what the 2,415 churches are doing together. Working together and giving together make it possible to reach Texas and touch the world.” DAY OF PRAYER/FASTING The Day of Fasting & Prayer for the SBTC annual meeting will be Sunday, Oct. 13 with an emphasis on spiritual awakening. Resources are available on the SBTC website at sbtexas.com/prayer. The SBTC OCTOBER 2, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 7
officers and staff are inviting churches to pray that the meeting and related events will be God-honoring. Also during the annual meeting, an SBTC prayer room will be open and will focus on specific ministries of the SBC and SBTC, including disaster relief, church planting, international missions, language ministry and more. CHILDCARE Childcare will be available during the Bible Conference and the annual meeting. Pre-registration is required. Children from birth through 9 years old may be registered for the Sunday through Tuesday sessions. Check-in begins one hour prior to the session and checkout is always 30 minutes after the close of the final session. Registration is available at sbtexas. com/am13. REGISTRATION & LODGING SBTC churches should have received a letter in early September explaining the process of online preregistration for messengers. Lodging choices are listed in this issue’s annual meeting advertisement. Also, The Church at Quail Creek in Amarillo has offered host homes for messengers who wish to attend but who are unable due to financial limitations. For more questions regarding electronic messenger registration or host home housing, contact Fallon Lee or calling 1-877-953-SBTC (7282).
Forney pastor to be nominated for SBTC president Pastors from Fort Worth, Pflugerville to be nominated for other posts. By Sharayah Colter AMARILLO
An Odessa pastor has announced plans to nominate Jimmy Pritchard, pastor of First Baptist Church of Forney, for Southern Baptists of Texas Convention president during the annual meeting Oct. 28-29 in Amarillo. Byron McWilliams of First Baptist Church of Odessa pointed to Pritchard’s character and commitment in recommending him as a man well suited for the presidency. “I am excited to nominate my friend, Dr. Jimmy Pritchard, to be president of the SBTC,” McWilliams said. “Jimmy is a great pastor and a man of vision. He is a huge proponent of the Cooperative Program and a strong leader in SBC affairs. I am privileged to serve alongside of Jimmy as an IMB trustee. I have personally witnessed this man under fire, and he stands firm, unmoved by the pressure of popular opinion. For these reasons and many others I believe Jimmy will serve most effectively as president of our great state convention.” Pritchard, who became pastor of First Baptist Church of Forney in 1994, earned master’s and doctorate degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. A husband, father and grandfather, Pritchard has pastored churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. Also, Jimmy Draper, retired Texas pastor and president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources, said he plans to nominate Michael Dean, pastor of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, as Bible Conference president. Dean, who became pastor of Travis Avenue in 1991, has served churches in Texas and New Mexico as well as in convention positions, including as
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chairman of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees. He is father to two children and has two grandchildren. “Michael Dean is an established and greatly respected pastor in our state. He has proven his commitment to the ideals that are exemplified in the SBTC and has a heart for missions and evangelism that is a prototype for us all,” Draper said. “His faithfulness to his ministry to and through Travis Avenue Baptist Church is a model for all of us to follow. He will lead creatively, biblically and effectively. I have known him for three decades and am pleased and grateful to have the privilege of nominating him for our next president of the Bible Conference.” Steve Washburn, pastor of First Baptist Church of Pflugerville, said he would nominate Dante Wright, pastor of Sweet Home Baptist Church in Round Rock, as recording secretary. Wright, who became pastor of Sweet Home in 2005, served as football coach at several universities before accepting the call to ministry. A father of five, Wright holds master’s degrees from Criswell College and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is pursuing a doctorate. “Pastor Dante Wright is one of the best-kept secrets in central Texas Baptist life,” Washburn said. “Since 2005, he has led a small congregation of 60, once struggling to keep their doors open, to become a thriving church of over 1,800 members worshiping weekly in a brand new facility. He’s a great Christian leader, family man and friend. Highly respected in the Austin area, it is time all of the SBTC be blessed by this gifted young pastor.”
Reaching Hispanics: Confronting shifting demographics ‘unavoidable,’ ministers say
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By Bonnie Pritchett
HOUSTON
s Texas continues to draw new residents from Latin American countries, Anglo churches must be mindful of their community’s shifting demographics and develop strategies to reach their new neighbors with the gospel of Christ, says an evangelist with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. But much like the culturally diverse early Christian church, such cultural challenges to Christian unity require grace, understanding and an outward focus. “Demographically, it’s reached such a tipping point that it’s unavoidable,” said Bruno Molina, SBTC language evangelism associate, speaking of the influx of Spanish-speaking peoples around formerly all-white churches.
“Demographically, it’s reached such a tipping point that it’s unavoidable.” —BRUNO MOLINA, SBTC LANGUAGE EVANGELISM ASSOCIATE, SPEAKING OF THE INFLUX OF SPANISH-SPEAKING PEOPLES AROUND FORMERLY ALL-WHITE CHURCHES.
In 2012, according to research gathered by the SBTC missions department, 37 percent of the Texas population was Hispanic. They come from all over Latin America but chiefly from Mexico with Salvadorans gaining in representation, Molina said. In just over 10 years, Hispanics may be the majority population in Texas. Reaching Hispanics—especially newer immigrants—with the gospel can be complicated. Molina OCTOBER 2, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 9
In the left photo, Sagemont Church Pastor John Morgan prays during the dedication service of Sagemont’s Hispanic congregation. In the middle photo, Roy Guel, the Hispanic congregation’s pastor and longtime missions pastor at Sagemont, is shown in a YouTube video in which he shared his testimony. At right is a photo of the congregation at worship. PHOTOS PROVIDED
class of 30 people. But creating a worship service in and Mike Gonzales, SBTC director of language mintheir native language took months of prayer and planistries, said there is no one-size-fits-all template for ning. Hispanic ministries save for one non-negotiable: Churches must set aside their own cultural biases and REBORN INSIDE THE BELTWAY ask questions. Lots of questions. Eleven miles north, inside the beltway, Broadway “Here’s where churches blow it, frankly,” Molina Baptist Church took a different tack. In its heyday 50 said. “They do an outreach but they have not counted years ago the church boasted a membership of nearly the cost. They didn’t like the cultural differences.” 1,500 and operated a school with 950 students. Today Gonzales agreed. the school is closed and attendance at “Be sensitive. Be open,” he said. “Those are two things churches must “Be sensitive. Be open. Sunday services ranges from 90-150. Randy Fowler came as interim pastor have in their DNA if they are going to Those are two things in 1997 as the church continued in dereach out.” churches must have in cline. He said the predominantly white Two Houston churches represent the struggles and successes of congregatheir DNA if they are neighborhood changed in the 1970s and the church made an effort to reach tions actively reaching out to their going to reach out.” out to their new neighbors, establishing new neighbors. a Spanish-language mission church. Initially, Sagemont Church in south —MIKE GONZALES, SBTC DIRECTOR OF Houston took the church-plant apLANGUAGE MINISTRIES But the separate congregations lacked unity, Fowler said. Some of the memproach to Hispanic ministry. In its bers, he said, failed to realize that many early years the now 18,000-member English-speaking Hispanics preferred an English-lanchurch did not have the space to accommodate an adguage service. ditional congregation of Spanish-speaking members. He recounted that the old guard held out hope of So they took the ministry to the neighborhoods, estabreturning the church to a time when it was large and lishing 13 “ministry points” throughout the city. Many were hosted in declining churches—congrega- influential in what was an Anglo culture, even though the culture around the church property had changed. tions in formerly white neighborhoods that failed to All of those members have died or moved on and draw the new Hispanic residents into the life of their churches. The revived congregations are Spanish- and the Spanish-language congregation constituted as a church and left. English-speaking and bi-lingual. But Fowler was undeterred. Today the campus at But the completion of Sagemont’s new auditorium 7300 Lawndale St. is home to two congregations reprelast year gave the church extra room for the long senting the paradigm of Hispanic outreach. Maranatha sought after Spanish-language congregation. The church already had a Spanish-language Sunday School is the Spanish-language congregation meeting in one 10 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
of the buildings left unused with the closure of the school. But Broadway Baptist is an English-language congregation with a membership that is 90-95 percent Hispanic. “I’m the old Anglo,” Fowler quipped. Although his heritage is different and he speaks no Spanish, Fowler is confident of his call to this congregation. During his interim years (1997-2001), Englishspeaking and bilingual Hispanics began joining Broadway Baptist. After a failed first attempt to reestablish a Spanish-language congregation in 2010, Broadway partnered with Maranatha, bringing the established congregation onto their campus with the hope of working in unity to reach the diverse community. The “two languages, two churches” approach has long been a staple of SBC outreach to communities whose first language is not English. But methods are changing with the growth in immigration. Sagemont takes the “one church, two languages” approach. The Spanish-speaking and English-speaking congregations are integrated with the exception of the worship services. Roy Guel, long-time associate pastor of missions at Sagemont, led the effort to establish the new worship congregation but had to be convinced he should also be the pastor. Church leadership spent months searching through pastor candidate applications. Their efforts illustrate the nuanced approach to Hispanic outreach. The pastor they sought had to be able to relate to Sagemont’s Spanish-speaking and bilingual Hispanics from 14 countries. Guel said they narrowed the search to three pastors but they were either not proficiently bilingual; in varying stages of cultural assimilation; or could not relate well to fellow Hispanics from different countries. Other potential candidates were eliminated due to their immigration status. It was suggested by David Fleming, pastor of Houston’s Champion Forest Baptist Church, that Guel pastor the new flock. Initially, Guel balked. His passion and work had always been in missions. As a child he watched and learned as his father planted Spanishlanguage churches as part of the North American Mission Board’s Rio Grande River Ministry. But it became clear that Sagemont’s Spanish congregation needed a unifying voice—one who could easily switch from Spanish to English and appreciate the broad expressions of Hispanic culture. Guel accepted the role as pastor and was installed Aug. 11.
Because of his background, Guel exhibited a trait essential for the role: an understanding of cultural assimilation. THREE STAGES OF ASSIMILATION Fowler, the pastor at Broadway Baptist, noted three stages of assimilation from his experiences—survival, struggle, and separation. Creating a ministry that transcends the transitions is challenging, especially when all three stages are manifested in one family. The most recent immigrants represent the survivors, Fowler explained. They speak little to no English and are just trying to survive day to day. Those who are struggling have been in the country longer, have jobs and are trying to learn English. But those who separate themselves from the latter two make a deliberate decision to assimilate fully into the larger culture. Guel acknowledges some bilingual Hispanics will not join a Spanish-language worship service. “There’s a fear of being seen as second-class citizens,” Guel said. That is why it is essential the pastor and church leaders offer a bridge between the two cultures in the same church. The pastor need not know all of the cultural nuances to effectively minister to a Spanish-language congregation in an English-speaking church. Molina said, “Latinos are pretty good about all of the differences.” And despite differences and the struggles that ensue, Fowler is determined to make the relationship work between Broadway Baptist and Maranatha. But he does not foresee the two churches becoming one. Molina said with more resources and training the “two languages, two churches” template can be phased out. The rise in the immigrant population will force the issue. Molina pointed to Acts 6 as an example. A dispute arose between Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews. A perceived bias within the new church became a point of contention. Molina said the response was not to establish “a new and improved Greek church.” The needs were met through a cooperative relationship of leadership representing both cultures. Acts 6:7 notes the results: “So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.” “That,” Molina said, “is a great example of what we need to do.” OCTOBER 2, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 11
Fort Worth church learns to engage Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus in three-week series By Sharayah Colter
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FORT WORTH
ewind 20 years. It’s Sunday evening, and instead of the pastor’s message following the usual four hymns, one chorus and an offering, a missionary takes the carpeted stage. Behind the missionary, a slide projector casts pictures onto the wall of some faraway place with some far-from-American people hugging a bedraggled—yet smiling— missionary. That missionary’s presentation is the closest most of those attending church that night have ever been, or may ever be, to the foreign mission field. Well, perhaps it would have been, except that time went on from that point, meandering through the 90s, Y2K and on into the 21st century’s second decade. And with that relentless rolling of time, people began to move outside former boundaries, and cultures began to sift together. Whereas at one time, a career missionary’s Sunday night talk may have been the closest an American Christian came to the “mission field,” that mission field has now moved in next door. Literally. When Carroll Marr, pastor of Southcliff Baptist Church in Fort 12 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
Worth, realized that, he knew his church had to be ready and equipped to engage the mission field that had come to them. “In the world that we grew up in when I was a kid, there were no Muslims, no Hindus, no Buddhists [near us],” Marr said. “We had heard about those people, because we had missionaries who came to our church. But today, the world has come to our doorstep. Today these people are our next door neighbors. So we are the missionaries. We live in a world where world religions are on our street, and if we are going to reach them with the gospel, we have to learn something about them.” So Marr decided to set apart three Sundays for a special series called “Breaking Down the Walls: Seeing People Beyond our Boundaries.” The first two Sundays he would dialogue with a Christian man* who has studied and lived among Middle Eastern and Eastern religious cultures and who would speak as if he were a Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu, helping the congregation to see how an actual conversation might go and how they in turn might engage those they meet. For the third Sunday, Marr would encourage the congregation to invite all of their Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu friends to the service. “We promise you this will be a safe place,” Marr recalls telling his congregation. “We will be generous hosts, we will welcome them here, and we will have an honest dialogue.” Even before the three-week series, Southcliff had begun welcoming Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus into their church through Vacation Bible
“There was a time when the only people who would ever encounter Muslims were missionaries. We encounter them every day. We would never send a missionary to a [Muslim] country without understanding Muslims, but yet we have Christians who live next door to them who don’t have a clue.” —CARROLL MARR, PASTOR OF SOUTHCLIFF BAPTIST CHURCH IN FORT WORTH School and through English as a second language (ESL) classes on Tuesday nights. Marr said the ESL classes usually draw about 100 people—most of them Arabic speaking. “In our ESL, we use the Bible when we teach them how to read,” Marr said. “So, they’re memorizing and learning Scripture, and we’re just confident that God’s Word does not come back void but
accomplishes its purpose.” It is with that conviction that Marr enthusiastically anticipates what might happen if Southcliff as a whole confidently engages the lost with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Marr said he hopes the series has equipped them to do just that. “We talked about the fact that Muslim people want to talk about religion,” Marr said. “They wear their religion in their clothing and in every part of their lives and often think Christians are not committed because they don’t talk about it. They desire conversations on spiritual things. It was eyeopening to recognize that sometimes our hesitance to talk about Christ is interpreted by them as meaning he’s not important to us.” In fact, during the portion of the Sunday series that dealt with Islam, several dozen Muslims attended the service. Knowing that Christ is vitally important, however, and that knowing him is the most pressing and critical need of the entire world, Marr hopes the training Southcliff offered in the world religions series will prepare his church members to serve as missionaries in their own church, their neighborhoods and their community. “There was a time when the only people who would ever encounter Muslims were missionaries,” Marr said. “We encounter them every day. We would never send a missionary to a [Muslim] country without understanding Muslims, but yet we have Christians who live next door to them who don’t have a clue. We must learn about world religions, because they live next door … [We must] build within our people an urgency of a need to share the gospel.” *Name omitted for security reasons
OCTOBER 2, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 13
Houston pastors watching on San Antonio-like ordinance By Bonnie Pritchett
A 2010-11 HAPC study revealed only one in three Harris County church members voted. That is an If a controversial nondiscrimiunacceptable number, HAPC pastors nation ordinance similar to one say, and the reason for their “Every recently passed in San Antonio is introduced in Houston, its prospects Christian Votes” project. “We need to improve voter turnwould be largely determined by how out of biblical thinkers—to get many Christians show up to vote, a Christians to do what they are group of local pastors contend. supposed to do,” said James Clark, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, pastor of First Baptist Church of who is running for her third and Tomball and a member of HAPC’s final term, has publicly supported executive council. the San Antonio ordinance and has During an HAPC luncheon and said Houston should expand its nondiscrimination policy to include candidate forum Sept. 25, about 200 pastors representing 150 Houstonconsiderations for sexual orientation and gender identity—an action area churches were challenged to plead with church members to vote. some contend will stymie religious Citing the Faith Votes action plan, liberties. Welch said Christians vote by their Despite public opposition led by absence, out of ignorance, or by pastors, the success of the San Anmaking informed decisions in the tonio ordinance was sealed in May voting booth. By giving their congrewith dismally low voter turnout. gations the information they need The lack of civic participation was to cast votes based on sound biblical appalling, said Dave Welch, execudoctrine, pastors equip members to tive director of the Houston Area influence their communities. Pastor Council (HAPC). And he puts Pastors heard firsthand from 31 of the onus squarely on San Antonio Christians who did not vote. In a city the candidates running for Houston mayor and city council seats. Asked of 1.4 million people, it only took specific questions about issues that 29,454 votes to reelect Julian Casimpact the faith community and the tro, a champion of the measure, as culture at large, candidates providmayor. ed information pastors could then “The church in San Antonio had take back to their communities. no political capital,” Welch said. With more than 500 Southern Christians are being irrational Baptist Churches in the Union when they neglect their civic and God-given duty to vote and then de- Baptist Association combined with mand City Hall act according to bib- the HAPC’s inter-denominational coalition, Clark argued Christians lical values, he said. Public officials tend to act according to the voices of should be engaging their communities in the greater Houston area at those who elected them. the polls and in their daily lives. But “When we fail to participate we political decisions being made at the yield our right to demand (politilocal level indicate a woeful lack of cians) act according to our values,” Christian influence. he said. HOUSTON
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Welch said, “The greatest amount of decay and corruption of our nation is coming from our major cities.” San Antonio is a case in point, he said. The original wording of the ordinance—supported by Mayor Castro—would have essentially “gagged the pulpit,” Clark said. Wording that was struck from the ordinance before its passage would have barred anyone from holding office or serving in an official capacity for the city if they had publicly spoken or written an opinion that could be interpreted as discriminatory against homosexuals or transgendered people. Because of their public statements, Houston voters know where the mayoral candidates stand on the issues of same-sex marriage, benefits for same-sex partners and implementation of the San Antonio non-discrimination ordinance. Parker did not attend the HAPC candidate forum but her closest competitor, Ben Hall, did. He said he opposed the San Antonio policy and same-sex marriage. Parker won her first mayoral election in 2009 with a voter turnout of only 16.5 percent. That number dwindled in 2011 when she ran again, avoiding a run-off election by less than one percentage point (Parker garnered 59,156 total votes out of 920,172 registered voters.). With so few people taking part in the civic process, Welch said city representatives reflect the values of those who showed up to vote. Welch said, “We all do what we care about. Why don’t we Christians care?”
Teams assessed mud-out needs in this home near Estes Park, Colo. Crossing the river is the only way to access this home. The Big Thompson River on Highway 36 outside Estes Park is normally three feet wide and six inches deep.
DR volunteers aid flood victims in Colorado El Paso ministry to flood victims continues also By Jane Rodgers
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GLEN HAVEN, Colo.
looding from a week of torrential rain in the eastern Rocky Mountains devastated a 17-county region in Colorado, damaging or destroying nearly 2,000 homes and more than 200 miles of state highways, according to the Associated Press. The death toll had risen to eight people as of Sept. 26.
The small mountain community of Glen Haven, Colo., about eight miles north of Estes Park, Colo., in the Larimar Mountains, had no deaths, but the town itself is essentially gone. A notice on the website of the Glen Haven General Store sums up the state of the community after floodwaters hit on Sept. 12: “CLOSED due to extensive damage from the recent flood. Our hope is to clean up, rebuild and open again next spring.” The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s disaster relief efforts in Colorado during the first few days were focused on
the Glen Haven area. “Most all the shops in this little town were destroyed,” said Jim Howard, pastor of West Side Baptist Church of Atlanta, Texas, who was serving as the SBTC DR incident manager there. Howard’s team included eight SBTC volunteers. The road into town was destroyed as were roads leading to homes clustered alongside the North Fork of the Big Thompson River and nestled in the Larimar Mountains. SBTC relief efforts included chaplaincy with a focus on area senior citizens.
OCTOBER 2, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 15
This 80-foot Ponderosa pine smashed an 80-year-old log home owned by Doug and Sandra Grice that has been in their family for several generations. DR volunteers were able to remove it before rushing floodwaters from the Big Thompson River unhinged it and caused more damage to the home.
“Many older people here need someone to talk to,” Howard said. “Many don’t know what to do. We’ve been sending in our chaplains to talk to them and assure them that we’ll have teams in here over the next few weeks to help them move their furniture out, remove the mud and help them to make a decision.” The DR volunteers were going over the river on makeshift bridges and through the woods to assist residents in remote mountain homes around Glen Haven. With roads washed away, Howard and team hiked over mountainous terrain to assess damaged property and offer help. “We walked two miles in and two miles out through the mountains,” Howard said. “Nobody had been back there to look. We assessed the whole area.” Homeowners Doug and Sandra Grice were grateful they came. The Grices’ 80-year-old rustic mountain log home located by the North Fork of the Big Thompson had been in the family for generations. Floodwaters uprooted an 80-foot Ponderosa pine across the river, causing it to fall onto the Grice home. “The tree hit the roof, causing mi16 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
DR volunteer Jim Howard, pastor of West Side Baptist in Atlanta, Texas, cuts a limb from a tree that was felled by floodwaters over the Big Thompson River.
nor damage,” Howard said. The real threat to the home was that the rest of the tree remained at the edge of the river. “The river was running really fast. If any debris had come down the river, it could have hit the tree and wiped out that end of the home,” Howard said. On Sept. 26, SBTC chainsaw operators loaded equipment in backpacks and hiked the quarter of a mile through the mountains to the Grice home where they carefully removed and cut up the tree. It was a delicate operation. “I did have to crawl out on the tree over the river to do some of the cutting,” Howard said. “The family was elated that we could help them and that we’d come that far to do it.” The Grice family had worshiped in a church that met in the Glen Haven Town Hall. Videos posted online show that the structure was knocked from its footings by the flood. Many of the Grices’ neighbors have been evacuated from their remote homes, but the Grices stayed, using a generator for power. Their children were staying elsewhere, Howard said. The Estes Park Baptist Church was hosting the SBTC volunteers.
SBTC DR volunteers were able to help “Miss Ellie,” a former resident of the Texas Gulf Coast.
EL PASO RECOVERY The SBTC DR efforts in Colorado came as efforts continued for the victims of the El Paso area’s midSeptember flooding. Mud-out teams operating skidsteer equipment continued to work on the most damaged homes in the Soccoro community in late September, said Scottie Stice, an SBTC DR incident commander and a field ministry strategist for the convention. Stice, who went home to Uvalde on Sept. 21 after a week in El Paso, was planning to return to El Paso with a six-person DR team from the Del Rio-Uvalde Baptist Association. Teams were being housed at the Cielo Vista Church, which has provided meals and travel trailers for housing volunteers, Stice said. DR efforts in the area were expected to continue for several weeks. At least four professions of faith were recorded. The names of these new believers were given to area churches and to SBTC church planting missionary Chuy Avila for follow up, Stice said. The local television station KVIA had sent reporters and film crews to interview SBTC volunteers two or three times, Stice noted.
DR chaplains see God’s providence By Jane Rodgers
with him,” she explained. Before long, the man opened up. ESTES PARK, Colo. “Before we left, he had settled SBTC Disaster Relief chaplains down; we prayed with him. We told reported several instances where God’s favor and providence seemed him we were here because Jesus loved him and we were being Jesus’ to guide their encounters with locals during their ministry in Colo- hands and feet,” Fuller said. “We walked around the house and told rado. him how we could help. My husOne example occurred at the band gave him some suggestions Estes Park Museum, which is servabout things he could do in the ing as a command center for flood meantime,” Fuller noted. relief efforts. City officials were elated when “We returned to the center and the Fullers returned to the comsaw they had bought a small dry erase board just for the SBTC,” said mand center reporting that the resident ready to receive assistance. SBTC DR chaplain Brenda Fuller “You have taken care of a situaof Main Street Baptist Church in tion we could not handle,” officials Grand Saline. City officials are posting jobs especially appropriate told Fuller. Another encounter with an elfor SBTC volunteers on that smaller derly Estes Park resident seemed a board, she said. divine appointment. The chaplaincy work of Brenda “I want the Baptists to come to and John Fuller is among the reamy house,” exclaimed 80-year-old sons why. Miss Ellie, whose Estes Park home When the Fullers arrived at the had already been assessed by city volunteer center on Sept. 26, officials asked if they would visit a lo- officials. The “Baptists”—Brenda and John Fuller—agreed. cal couple who seemed “panicked” “Miss Ellie had to meet us at the and had resisted efforts of homebarricades of her neighborhood,” town volunteers to help. “Too many people know this fam- said Brenda Fuller, who noted that the woman’s neighborhood was ily,” said the director, according to closed to all but residents. Fuller. Volunteers had returned to It turned out that Miss Ellie, a the center insisting that the home widow, had lived Galveston during was not a safe environment. her husband’s residency. She was “We said, we can do it,” Fuller explained. “That’s what we’ve done involved in Kairos Prison Ministry International and was “on fire for in New York, Tuscaloosa, with all the Lord,” Fuller said. kinds of people.” Miss Ellie’s master bedroom, The Fullers went to the home. bathroom and closet area were all “The man was very cordial to us. flooded. She had waited out the His wife was upstairs. We talked raging flood in her home alone. to him, asked him how his family was doing, and just starting talking When Fuller asked why she had not
evacuated, Miss Ellie replied with a smile, “Well, they suggested I evacuate, but I wanted to stay.” Chaplains Larry and Kay Wilkins, on their first DR deployment for the SBTC, discovered that fulfilling a calling sometimes means journeying far from home, in this case from the site of one disaster to another. The El Paso residents were sent 750 miles north to serve as chaplains in Estes Park. Larry Wilkins, former missions pastor at Cielo Vista Church in El Paso, spent 26 years with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department. The retired policeman had prayed for the opportunity to minister to first responders in disasters and had conveyed that to SBTC DR director Jim Richardson. In Colorado, the first chaplaincy and assessment call the Wilkinses were sent to was the home of a retired police detective from Cook County, Ill. “His house had been flooded with a lot of mud on the outside and inside. It sat right on the river, and the river is flowing through his house now,” Wilkins said. “We got to talking and connecting, as cops can do, and discovered that he used to work closely [in Chicago] with the brother of the wife of the lead pastor of Cielo Vista Church,” said Wilkins, his tone suggesting amazement at God’s providence. “Here’s a retired cop who built his own home and is in great need, and this is the first call we got and had the privilege of responding to,” Wilkins added. OCTOBER 2, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 17
Mike Gonzales
Sirviendo Al Señor
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n la vida Cristiana el servicio que le damos a Dios es muy importante. Veamos lo que dice la Palabra de Dios: En lo que requiere diligencia, no perezosos; fervientes en espíritu, sirviendo al Señor. Romanos 12:11 (R.V. 1960) El servicio que le damos al Señor requiere esfuerzo y trabajo de nuestra parte y debemos servir al Señor con esmero. Lamentablemente, hoy en muchas de nuestras iglesias tenemos personas que no están sirviendo al Señor como deben, sólo están calentado un lugar. Alguien ha dicho: “Dios es la fuente del amor, Cristo es la prueba de ese amor y el servicio es la expresión de ese amor.” Muchos no están sirviendo al Señor porque no están escuchando la voz de Dios. Cuando una persona está escuchando la voz de Dios es porque reconoce Su voz. 4Uno reconoce la voz de Dios porque en ella no hay contradicción. La voz de Dios nunca va a ir en contra de la Palabra de Dios. Por ejemplo, Dios nunca le va a pedir que usted robe o que haga algo mal. La voz de Dios le va a pedir que haga la verdad siempre. 4* Uno reconoce la voz de Dios porque será en cada momento una voz clara y específica. Nunca habrá dudas en nuestras vidas que Dios es él que nos está hablando. 4Uno reconoce la voz de Dios porque Su voz es persistente. El Señor siempre nos habla y especialmente cuando estamos leyendo Su Palabra cada día. 4Uno reconoce la voz de Dios porque no trae confusión a la vida; al contrario la voz del Señor trae paz a nuestras vidas. 4Uno reconoce la voz de Dios porque siempre trae gloria a Dios. 18 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 2, 2013
Para servir a Dios con éxito tenemos que esforzarnos y obedecer Su voz. En la iglesia bautista Cielo Vista de El Paso, Texas tienen puesto su declaración de misión en todas las entradas para recordar a los hermanos cual es el propósito de Cielo Vista y dice, “En Cielo Vista estamos comprometidos a ayudar a la gente a Andar hacia Jesucristo, Andar con Jesucristo, Y andar como Jesucristo.” Hay que trabajar, servir y seguir a Cristo siempre con toda nuestra vida. —Mike Gonzales es director de los Ministerios Multiétnicos de la SBTC.