October 8, 2014 • Texan Digital • Issue #38

October 8, 2014 • ISSUE 38

MARKETPLACE CHAPLAINS SEE RIPENING FIELDS IN JOB SITES AROUND THE WORLD

MUSLIM TEENAGER FINDS NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

LIFEWAY AND FOCUS ON THE FAMILY RELEASE RESEARCH ON MENTAL ILLNESS

Keith Collier

What do you do?

W

hat we do defines who we are.

In America, your vocation is one of your identifying traits.

For example, when introduced to someone new, one of the first questions asked is “What do you do?”

This question generally stirs up pride or embarassment, depending on how excited you are about your job.

The Puritans, our Christian brethren from four centuries ago, viewed vocation as a divine calling and an avenue for worship. “The main end of our lives is to serve God in the serving of men in the works of our callings,” wrote Puritan pastor William Perkins.

Likewise, the Apostle Paul instructed first-century Christians in Colossae, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24) There is a sense of value or purpose infused in our work. Today many Christians have lost that sense of sovereign purpose in their jobs. Shuffling papers and never-ending deadlines may blur the fact that what we do for a living matters much to God and fits into the big picture of his divine plans.

Christians must awaken again to the value of vocation not only as a form of worship but also as an avenue for fulfilling the Great Commission. For most, our greatest mission fields await us in the 9 to 5.

In this issue of the TEXAN Digital Magazine, we have stories on marketplace chaplains as well as ministries devoted to equipping businessmen and businesswomen to leverage their jobs for global missions. I pray that these stories will encourage and challenge you to view your vocation as a means for worship and witness.

Hopefully God will use them to spark ideas in your mind and in your church. Here are a few possibilities to get you started: Witness in the Workplace How do you view the relationships you have in your job? Do you look for opportunities to share a verbal witness with your coworkers? Certainly, a Christlike attitude and personal integrity bring honor to Christ,

but don’t forget to speak the gospel as well. Remember, “… faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

Often, an easy way to open gospel conversations is simply to ask, “How can I pray for you?” You’ll be amazed at how coworkers will open up to you about brokenness in their lives, giving you an opportunity to speak of the one who can heal their brokenness. The 3 Circles Life Conversation Guide created by NAMB can aid you in connecting the gospel to their brokenness.

Business as Missions Global commerce and travel have flattened the world these days, as corporations fly employees to countries far and wide. Christians often lament countries that are “closed” to the gospel; however, companies like Coca-Cola have proved that few countries are completely closed.

Genuine business efforts provide missionary platforms in some of the most difficult-to-reach locations in the world.

How might you leverage your platform and the platforms of the people in your church for short-term or long-term missionary advance?

Chaplaincy As seen in our cover story on Marketplace Ministries, businesses represent an untapped mission field. Why not consider approaching local businesses or emergency response stations or sports teams and volunteering to serve as their chaplain?

Gil Stricklin, president of Marketplace Ministries, also advises pastors to show a genuine interest in church members’ jobs. Outside of sermon preparation, he says he would spend a great deal of his time “going out to guys’ (worksites) and kneeling down beside their desks. ... I’d pray for them and encourage them. I think that would be some of the most significant ministry any pastor could have.”

Kingdom-Minded Parenting Parents, have you considered what your life and words teach your children about their future careers? Sure, we want our children to grow up and get good jobs, but why?

Do we simply want them to make good money so they can live comfortably? What if Christian parents instilled in their children a desire to use their talents and careers to bring glory to Christ? It would certainly have implications on their decisions related to which college to attend, what major to pursue and what career path to take.The first step in teaching them this value is to model it in your own job.

What we do defines who we are. As Christians, we must our vocations as opportunities for worship and witness in the world? We must “work heartily, as for the Lord.”

So, what about you? What do you do?

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CONTENTS ISSUE #38 /////////////////////////////////////////////

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COVER STORY:

GET TO WORK

Court of Appeals upholds HB 2, enforces abortion clinic regulations All but seven or eight abortion clinics throughout Texas were forced to close Friday due to noncompliance with a controversial 2013 Texas law regulating the abortion industry. The U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit ruled Thursday House Bill 2 (HB 2) can be fully implemented while a lawsuit against two of its provisions is pending in appeals court.

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As the first and only Marketplace Ministries chaplain in 1984, Gil Stricklin started the fledgling ministry with $25 and a 1974 Datsun as his office. Thirty years later, Marketplace Ministries staffs nearly 3,000 chaplains around the world who care for 145,000 employees in 600 companies ranging from banks to manufacturing companies to food industries to law firms. They are thought to be the largest and oldest workplace chaplain organization in the world outside of the U.S. military.

Churches must break mental illness stigma, survey suggests

Almost one-quarter of the U.S. population will be diagnosed with mental illness at some point in their lives, and many will turn to religious leaders for help. But ill-prepared pastors and the stigma associated with mental disorders combine to frustrate a person’s efforts to find healing within the Christian community.

‘Third way’ church disfellowshipped from SBC

Acting on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention, its Executive Committee has withdrawn fellowship from a California church where some members, including the pastor, believe that “same-sex marriage can be blessed by God.”

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Frances Richardson, wife of SBTC DR director, dies

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North Texas teen leaves Islam to follow Christ

Frances Elizabeth Lamb Richardson, 62, of Paradise, Texas, wife of Jim Richardson, Director of Disaster Relief for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, died Oct. 5, after a battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.

For all her life, Sakina Uddin— the daughter of a Pakistani man and a Californian woman—had been convinced that Islam was “the way to go.” Though her father did not follow the Quran closely or teach their family to do so, Sakina and her siblings considered themselves Muslims.

So, when Sakina accepted Christ at church camp this summer, her family assumed it was a passing phase. She has assured them it is not.

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 Gary Ledbetter, Editor Keith Collier, Managing Editor Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer Russell Lightner, Design & Layout Stephanie Barksdale, Subscriptions Contributing Writers Bonnie Pritchett, Jill Wagoner, Ronnie Floyd, Joni B. Hannigan To contact the TEXAN, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC).

Briefly /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// EVANGELICALS & ENVIRONMENTALISTS COOPERATE?

‘KEPT HERE FOR HIS GLORY,’ ABEDINI WRITES

NASHVILLE—Amid polarized debate on climate change, Southern Baptists’ lead ethicist has called conservative evangelicals and secular environmentalists to cooperate on issues of creation care.

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

AIRSTRIKES MAY WORSEN REFUGEE CRISIS

LONDON—Airstrikes now underway in northern Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will worsen an already heart-breaking refugee crisis, a Christian worker in the Middle East says.

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

‘THIRD WAY’ CHURCH DISFELLOWSHIPPED FROM SBC NASHVILLE—Acting on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention, its Executive Committee has withdrawn fellowship from a California church where some members, including the pastor, believe that “same-sex marriage can be blessed by God.” Without opposition, the EC voted Tuesday (Sept.

23) to declare that New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, Calif., “does not presently meet the definition of a cooperating church under Article III [of the SBC Constitution], and that messengers from the church should not be seated until such time as the Convention determines that the church has unambiguously demonstrated its friendly cooperation with the Convention as defined in the Convention’s constitution.”

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

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NASHVILLE—As Christians in the United States and 32 foreign countries hold vigils to pray for pastor Saeed Abedini and other persecuted believers, Abedini’s wife Naghmeh has released a letter he wrote just two weeks ago from prison in Iran.

“Jesus allows me to be kept here for His glory,” he wrote to 8-year-old daughter Rebekka Grace on her birthday two weeks ago. “I know that you question why you have prayed so many times for my return and yet I am not home yet. Now there is a big WHY in your mind you are asking: WHY Jesus isn’t answering your prayers and the prayers of all of the people around the world praying for my release and for me to be home with you and our family.

“The answer to the WHY is WHO. WHO is control?

LORD JESUS CHRIST is in control.”

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

SECOND ANNUAL EX-GAY AWARENESS MONTH TO FEATURE FMR. AMBASSADOR ALAN KEYES For the second consecutive year, conservative groups will be observing a month dedicated to spreading awareness of and support for those who formerly identified as homosexual. Known as exgay awareness month, the observance will feature events in Washington, D.C Organized by Voice of the Voiceless, an organization that advocates for the rights of former homosexuals, events will include honoring those who are supportive of the ex-gay community, as well as lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill.

Read the story from Christian Post here.

—Briefly section compiled from Baptist Press, other news sources and staff reports

ERLC: TOWN’S SIGN CODE VIOLATES CHURCH FREEDOM WASHINGTON—The Southern Baptist Convention’s religious freedom entity has called for the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a municipal sign ordinance it says violates a church’s free speech and assembly rights.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) joined in a friend-ofthe-court brief filed Sept. 22 that contends the sign code of Gilbert, Ariz., discriminates against churches while favoring political and ideological messages. The brief, filed by the Christian Legal Society (CLS), asserts the code is based on a sign’s content and therefore abridges the First Amendment’s free speech clause.

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

TENNESSEE CHEERLEADERS SIDESTEP PRAYER BAN BY BREAKING OUT THE LORD’S PRAYER

ONEIDA, Tenn.—A group of Tennessee cheerleaders decided to bring prayer back to the football field.

Oneida High School administrators instituted a moment of silence after receiving complaints from secular groups about school-led prayers at the district’s Friday night football games.

But members of the cheer squad, upset about breaking the more than 80 year old tradition, recently started reciting the prayers on their own.

Read the story from Huffington Post here.

POPE FRANCIS WANTED OPEN DEBATE. WITH CLASHING CARDINALS, HE’S GOT IT Leading up to a Vatican summit on family life that Pope Francis opened on Oct. 5, high-ranking churchmen fiercely debated church teaching—and criticized each other—in sharp exchanges that offered a ringside seat to the kind of battles that Rome used to keep under wraps.

But amid all this verbal sparring, the opposing camps found one point of consensus: Airing their differences is good for the Roman Catholic Church.

PRO-LIFE AMENDMENTS CONSIDERED IN TN, ND The war to protect unborn life in America has shifted in significant measure to the state level, with Tennessee and North Dakota emerging as key battlegrounds this fall.

Voters in both states will consider amendments to their state constitutions Nov. 4 which would provide legal backing for restrictions on abortion. Neither amendment would outlaw abortion altogether since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the federal constitution implies a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy at virtually any point.

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

FAMILY OF DALLAS EBOLA PATIENT QUARANTINED Texas health officials have placed the Dallas family of a Liberian national infected with Ebola under quarantine and banned them from any contact with outsiders for 21 days without approval of the local or state health department.

The “control order” also requires the family of Thomas Eric Duncan to be available to provide blood samples and agree to any testing required by public health officials. Officials said that the four or five family members could face criminal charges for violating the order, which was delivered to them in writing on Oct. 1.

Read the story from USA Today here.

Read the story from Religion News Service here.

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 3

SURVEY: PRAYER OFTEN ‘RED PHONE FOR HELP’ Many Americans pray for divine help, their friends, families, and sometimes their enemies. But few of them offer praises to God or pray for politicians and nonbelievers, according to a new LifeWay Research survey.

“Most people pray when they need the red phone for help,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, adding that many of them may not have a prayer life “rooted in a relationship with God.” The online survey, conducted Aug.7, 2014, asked 1,137 Americans about the frequency and content of their prayers.

Read the story from Baptist Press here.

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Court of Appeals upholds HB 2, enforces abortion clinic regulations

By Bonnie Pritchett All but seven or eight abortion clinics throughout Texas were forced to close Oct. 3 due to non-compliance with a controversial 2013 Texas law regulating the abortion industry. The U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit ruled Thursday House Bill 2 (HB 2) can be fully implemented while a lawsuit against two of its provisions is pending in appeals court.

Pro-life advocates praised the ruling saying HB 2 raises the standard of operations for abortion providers and will be upheld upon appeal. But abortion proponents claim the law creates an untenable concoction of required standards most abortion providers cannot meet, creating an “undue burden” for women seeking abortions.

“This decision is a vindication of the careful deliberation by the Texas Legislature to craft a law to protect the health and safety of Texas women,” said Lauren Bean, Texas Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman, in a press release.

But in a written response to the decision, lead plaintiff Whole Women’s Health called HB 2 politically motivated and “one of the most restrictive and harmful laws against women in the country.”

Abortion advocates called for a rally at the Texas State capitol Friday, encouraging Texas women to “fight back” and defeat pro-life candidates in the Nov. 4 general election.

Wendy Davis, the democratic gubernatorial candidate who rose to fame following her 11-hour filibuster of the senate version of HB 2, Tweeted a response to the ruling: “Women should be able to make personal decisions without intrusion of pols like Greg Abbott, who’d ban abortion even for rape and incest.”

The 5th Circuit three-judge panel ruled the State had “made a strong showing of likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal,” indicating the law will be upheld when the full case goes before the same court later this

year. The decision overturns Federal Judge Lee Yeakel’s injunction of two provisions of the law.

Although the 5th Circuit Court has a conservative reputation, Kyleen Wright, executive director of Texans for Life, was cautiously optimistic of a ruling upholding all provisions of HB 2. She told the TEXAN the current decision bodes well for the State on appeals, but there are other factors to consider.

“Who we draw for the panel to hear the appeal could be an issue, though. In this case, [Judge Stephan] Higginson, the Obama appointee, did write a dissenting opinion. There are four Obama appointees on the 5th Circuit so a lot rides on which three we draw,” Wright said.

This is not the first time the 5th Circuit Court has overturned Yeakel’s ruling on HB 2. In January an allfemale, three-judge panel overturned his injunction against the HB 2 mandates establishing admitting privileges and standards for performing medically induced abortions.

But a second lawsuit filed by abortion clinic operators and doctors in April again challenged the constitutionality of the law. On Aug. 29, just two days before the mandate requiring all abortion clinics upgrade their operating standards to that of an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) went into effect, Yeakel ruled the measure unconstitutional and halted its enforcement.

Yeakel concluded the ASC regulations were not necessary when performing non-surgical, or medically induced, abortions and were therefore arbitrary. And had the ASC standards gone into effect as scheduled on Sept. 1, all but seven or eight clinics would have closed for non-compliance. That, Yeakel stated, created an “undue burden.”

A term cited in the 1992 lawsuit Planned Parent vs.

Casey, “undue burden” is the as-yet qualified standard by which judges nationwide determine whether or not a woman’s access to an abortion has been infringed.

The term, though defined in some rulings, remains OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 5

subjective and open to broad interpretation according to pro-life advocates.

But plaintiffs contend the combination of ACS requirements and admitting privileges played a key role in the potential closure of abortion clinics in two remote locations—El Paso and McAllen.

The McAllen clinic closed in March when its attending physician could not acquire admitting privileges to a nearby hospital. The El Paso provider met that standard but would be forced to shutter if the ASC requirement is enforced. Yeakel ruled the combination of the two mandates—specifically in the two cities—significantly diminished women’s access to abortion in West Texas and the Rio Grande Valley and prohibited enforcement of the admitting privileges mandate in only those cities.

But the appeals court disagreed, reiterating its January decision overturning Yeakel’s previous injunction of the admitting privileges provision.

The court also overruled Yeakel’s state-wide ACS injunction with the exception of one element. While the case is appealed, the El Paso clinic will be held to the ACS operational standards but not be required to comply with the physical operating standards. Despite the small reprieve, abortion proponents said the El Paso clinic, the lone abortion facility west of San Antonio,

will have to close.

Abortion advocates said the distance women will have to drive for an abortion in Texas essentially restricts access to the procedure. But Whole Women’s Health operates a clinic just across the Texas border in Los Cruses, N.M.—a fact the court would not take into consideration as it was not applicable to the Texas law.

Pro-life advocates disagree. Although the closure of far-flung clinics may make access to an abortion clinic more difficult, it does not make it impossible. And the court agreed. In its 38-page ruling, the appeals court stated there is a distinction to be made between what constitutes a restriction and an “undue burden.”

Although protesting the closing of non-compliant clinics in El Paso and McAllen, Planned Parenthood has applied to operate two new clinics in San Antonio and Dallas—locations where independent abortion clinics currently operate.

Asked what she thought of the decision to locate in high-volume metropolitan areas instead of West Texas and the Rio Grande, Valley Wright said, “Vintage Planned Parenthood. Like the bad boyfriend who promises one thing but does another, Planned Parenthood constantly professes its devotion to caring for women, especially low-income women, while actually always putting profits first.”

Frances Richardson, wife of SBTC DR director, dies

By TEXAN Staff PARADISE

Frances Elizabeth Lamb Richardson, 62, of Paradise, Texas, wife of Jim Richardson, Director of Disaster Relief for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, died Oct. 5, after a battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.

Frances, a native of Norton, Va., graduated from Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg, W.Va. She earned an undergraduate degree at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tenn., and a Master of Arts in education from Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga. Jim and Frances were married at Beallwood Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga., on Feb. 22, 1975.

Frances taught elementary and special education students in Tennessee, Georgia and Texas and also owned and operated Ray of Sunshine Sitting Service of Wise and Northwest Tarrant Counties, LLC, an inhome care provider. She was a member of Faith Community Church of Paradise.

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Frances is survived by her husband, three children and their spouses and six grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert E. and Frances B. Lamb, and by a son, James Robert Richardson, stillborn on Mother’s Day, 1982.

Memorial services for Frances will be held at the following locations and times: Faith Community Church 2228 B West Hwy. 114 Paradise, TX 76073 Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014 1:00 p.m.

Beallwood Baptist Church 4519 Hamilton Road Columbus, GA 31904 Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 1:00 p.m.

North Texas teen leaves Islam to follow Christ

By Sharayah Colter WEATHERFORD

For all her life, Sakina Uddin— the daughter of a Pakistani man and a Californian woman—had been convinced that Islam was “the way to go.” Though her father did not follow the Quran closely or teach their family to do so, Sakina and her siblings considered themselves Muslims.

When neighborhood kids would stop them in the street and say, “Hey! Are you from that Muslim house down there?” a frustrated Sakina would answer, “Well, we do live in that house, and we are Muslim, but the house is not.”

Adhering to Islam did not win her friends at her North Texas high school, either. Students jokingly referred to her and her siblings as terrorists and often, pointing to her darker complexion, asked her where she

Sakina Uddin and Holly Meints stand outside Friendship Baptist Church in Weatherford, Texas, waiting to meet up with the rest of the youth group for a community-wide Saw Ya at the Pole rally. Sakina accepted Christ at church camp this summer after Holly continued to invite her, despite her friend’s lack of interest.

Sakina says Holly was always kind to her, even when she wasn’t a Christian and said that really impacted her decision to accept the church invitation which led to her salvation.

“SHE NEVER SAID, ‘OH, YOU’RE MUSLIM.’ SHE WAS A FRIEND. SHE LOVED ME NO MATTER WHAT.” was “from,” to which she simply said, “Springtown.”

“They treated me differently because I was Muslim,” said 15-year-old Sakina, who lives in Springtown just north of Weatherford.

That “meanness,” especially from people she perceived were Christians, had turned her, her five brothers and her sister away from Christianity. In their eyes, Sakina said, all Christians were hypocrites.

However, one friend and fellow Springtown High School student, Holly Meints, defied those stereotypes. Sakina says she and Holly have been friends “forever.”

“She never said, ‘Oh, you’re Muslim.’ She was a friend. She

loved me no matter what,” Sakina said of her Christian friend.

So, when Holly kept inviting her to church over and over and over again, eventually Sakina decided she would go just to get the invitations to stop.

“She asked me like 20 times before I said, ‘Yes,’” Sakina recalled.

Once there, the message Sakina heard from youth pastor Bradley Johnson at Friendship Baptist Church piqued her interest, so she started asking questions. One night after youth group, she stayed and talked with Johnson for three hours. Still, when an invitation came to go with the youth group to church camp, Sakina was decidedly opposed to going.

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 7

“I’VE BEEN TO PAKISTAN AND NOT ONE PERSON I SAW WAS [FOLLOWING ISLAM] BECAUSE THEY HAD FAITH BUT BECAUSE THE QURAN SAID YOU HAVE TO.” “Oh no, I am not going,” Sakina told them. “Don’t invite me because what will my family say?”

Yet another invitation came close to the time for camp and along with it, a scholarship. Sakina agreed to go, but her nerves were on edge.

“I was scared out of my mind,” Sakina said. “I didn’t know what it was going to be like.”

She soon found out.

Finding faith “It was intense. It was awesome,” she said. “At camp, I just saw a different kind of group. I saw people who were modest and who tried to be honest; people who prayed in the streets. Basically, the opposite of Springtown schools.”

The passion with which the preacher spoke about God and the Bible and salvation struck Sakina as well.

“If this guy is going crazy for God, then whatever he’s believing must be real,” Sakina remembered thinking.

“I’ve been to Pakistan,” she said, “and not one person I saw was [following Islam] because they had faith but because the Quran said you have to.”

During a camp worship service on July 8, the preacher called for those who wanted to follow Jesus to come forward. Sakina left her seat and began walking. Holly followed her, crying all the way to the altar.

From that moment, everything changed, Sakina said.

The students, who had welcomed her before but held her a bit at arm’s length, changed the way they interacted with her. She says she realizes that before, they had wanted to be kind but that they also did not want to be negatively influenced by her. She had been a friend, but now she was a sister.

In place of the anger and unkindness that had been a part of her life, Sakina sensed peace and a desire to live for God by following the Bible.

The next night at camp, the preacher asked people to come forward to pray about the “giants” in their lives. Sakina went up to the altar and prayed for her family. She knew they would not understand her decision and might even be angry with her. Just days ago, she would have been angry with someone for the very same decision.

Faith at home The day Sakina returned home from camp, she greeted the giant at the door when she told her mother and siblings of her salvation.

“You don’t know enough to be saved,” Sakina’s mother told her.

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“You don’t have to know anything other than Jesus is God’s son, and he died for our sins,” Sakina responded.

At first, Sakina’s brothers thought the change in her was a phase, so they did not worry about it. As the weeks went on, though, it became clear that Sakina had indeed changed, and the phase was not passing as they expected.

She really was set on following Christ. One brother began texting her questions about the Bible, intent on shaking her newfound faith. Another brother said she had not taken inventory of enough religions yet to decide which one to follow.

Since her father and mother are divorced and live in different towns, Sakina has not yet told her father of her conversion. She says she’s not afraid of him finding out but that thoughts of how he might respond are a little disconcerting.

A few weeks after Sakina came home from camp, her mother began to soften—albeit slowly—toward her daughter’s

“YOU DON’T KNOW ENOUGH TO BE SAVED,” SAKINA’S MOTHER TOLD HER.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNOW ANYTHING OTHER THAN JESUS IS GOD’S SON, AND HE DIED FOR OUR SINS,” SAKINA RESPONDED.

faith in Christ. When Sakina decided she wanted to be baptized, her mother said, ‘No.’ Sakina’s aunt, however, encouraged her mom that Sakina was old enough to make her own decision.

So, in August, Sakina was baptized at Friendship Baptist Church in Weatherford. Her mom came to watch.

Since accepting Christ’s salvation, Sakina’s heart has been lit for the Lord. She craves spending time reading the Bible, going to Bible studies and being at church. Being at church is a respite of sorts for Sakina, since home and school do not offer much support for her new faith.

Friendship’s pastor Zach Crook says Sakina’s salvation and excitement for Christ has been an encouragement to the church. From her involvement in a mission trip to Colorado just weeks after her return from camp to her hunger for learning more from God’s Word by attending any Bible study she can, her passion has been evident, he said.

Johnson said Sakina’s passion has impacted the youth group and stirred a contagious excitement for the Lord.

“One of the biggest things about Sakina coming to Christ is the influence on the other students,” Johnson said. “Sakina has wanted to know more and has been

the most involved since coming to Christ. She just has that joy in Christ. People see that in her and want the same thing.”

Because she accepted Christ over the summer, Sakina is pretty sure that many of the students at school have not realized yet that she is a Christian now and not Muslim. She chuckled when it occurred to her how she might have puzzled many of them by showing up at See You at the Pole in September.

Just before heading to the 15-passenger van to meet up with Holly and the rest of the youth group for the community-wide Saw You at the Pole rally, Sakina talked about how she would treat someone who wants nothing to do with God—having been that person just a few months earlier.

“Someone who just completely rejects it—I would just try not to pressure them but try to show them the grace God has given me and how God has changed me,” she said.

Sakina takes this approach with her family, treating them like Holly treated her. She continues to invite her 12-year-old sister to come to church with her.

Sometimes her sister comes, sometimes she doesn’t, and that’s okay, Sakina said. She prays God will open her family members’ eyes to see that God is real just like he did for her.

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 9

MARKETPLACE MINISTRIES SEES WORKPLACE AS MISSION FIELD Story by Keith Collier

A DALLAS

s the first and only Marketplace Ministries chaplain in 1984, Gil Stricklin started the fledgling ministry with $25 and a 1974 Datsun as his office.

Thirty years later, Marketplace Ministries staffs nearly 3,000 chaplains around the world who care for 145,000 employees in 600 companies ranging from banks to manufacturing companies to food industries to law firms.

They are thought to be the largest and oldest workplace chaplain organization in the world outside of the U.S. military.

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“YOU’RE DESIGNATED TO BE THE GUY THAT, IF THEY’VE GOT A PROBLEM OR NEED SOME HELP, THEY COME TO YOU. WE MAKE OVER 13,000 WORKSITE VISITS PER MONTH, WHICH IS OVER 150,000 FOR THE YEAR, WHERE WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO A WORKSITE.”

“It’s amazing that just building relationships with people—a trust level and a confidence level—they know why you’re there. You’re there to help them,” Stricklin says of his ministry as a corporate chaplain.

“You’re designated to be the guy that, if they’ve got a problem or need some help, they come to you. We make over 13,000 worksite visits per month, which is over 150,000 for the year, where we’re actually going to a worksite.”

The idea for the ministry was birthed out of Stricklin’s passion for evangelism and more than 20 years as an Army chaplain, including two tours at Arlington cemetery and a deployment during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

As Stricklin worked among military medical staff during his deployment, he thought, “If these people need a chaplain, what about everybody else out there that aren’t connected with the Army?’”

So Stricklin and his wife, Ann, stepped out in faith and launched Marketplace Ministries. The first company Gil served had 150 employees, and

by the end of the first year, three more companies hired him, which required him to bring on additional chaplains.

During that year, they saw more than a dozen employees come to faith in Christ. This trend has continued over the past three decades, as Marketplace chaplains have witnessed nearly 100,000 professions of faith.

In addition to those who become Christians, chaplains see many employees recommit to being active members in a local church.

“For every one person we lead to Christ, there will be twice that many who will rejoin a church,” Stricklin says.

Often, the difficulties of life such as health, marriage and family problems pave the way for gospel conversations with employees who would never go to a church for help.

Stricklin recalls getting a foot in the door with employees during at the first business he served. He was given an office, but no one ever stopped by so he simply made himself available during break times. After a few months he asked the owner

MARKETPLACE CHAPLAINS HAVE WITNESSED NEARLY

100,000 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH.

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to give him a task so he could be among the workers. As a result Stricklin found himself packing sunglasses in the company’s warehouse, which opened up opportunities for ministry.

“Finally,” Stricklin says, “one day a lady came to me and said, ‘Are you that preacher man? My mother had a stroke last night. She’s down at Baylor hospital. Would you have time to go and check on her and come back and tell me since I can’t get there until tonight?’

I said, ‘I’ll go right now.’”

Stricklin, who always kept a suit and tie in his car, changed clothes and went immediately to the hospital. He returned to the hospital every day to minister to the family and performed the funeral a short time later.

Several months later, Stricklin led a salesman named David to the Lord. David’s daughter had stomach cancer, and as Stricklin made regular visits to her in the hospital, he asked David about his faith.

David responded that he did not really have faith so Stricklin shared the gospel with him and he trusted Christ.

This kind of passion for Christ and compassion for people sum up the characteristics Marketplace Ministries looks for in its chaplains.

“We want guys that are dedicated, committed, strong in their faith, brilliant, and theologians to be in this ministry,” Stricklin says, adding that chaplains must demonstrate personal holiness and evangelistic fervor.

“We can’t teach you pastoral skills. If you don’t have those by experience then we don’t hire you. On the average our staff has 20 years of pastoral experience, and they have at least 30 years of walking with Christ—they have a track record.”

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“NINETY PERCENT OF OUR CHAPLAINS ARE PART TIME. WE HAVE OVER 1,500 PASTORS WHO ARE SERVING A CONGREGATION AND WORKING WITH US ANYWHERE AS FEW AS FIVE HOURS PER WEEK.”

Ongoing training for chaplains is key to maintaining the level of quality they seek.

“We teach them how to take their religious skills and move it to a nonreligious environment,” Stricklin says.

“Ninety percent of our chaplains are part time. We have over 1,500 pastors who are serving a congregation and working with us anywhere as few as five hours per week.”

Marketplace Ministries also staffs 800 women chaplains to minister to women in the workplace.

“There are some things that men shouldn’t be talking with ladies about, and there are some things ladies don’t want to talk with men about,” Stricklin says.

All chaplains are required to sign a statement of faith and agree to standards of conduct, which include abstention from alcohol and no divorce.

“I’d rather stand before Jesus one day and for him to say, ‘Gil, your standards were too high,’ instead of saying, ‘You lowered your standards to meet the standards of the world.’”

With three decades under their belt and ongoing expansion to businesses around the world, including new ventures in China, Stricklin desires for the ministry to maintain its foundational values as it breaks new ground.

“I don’t ever want this just to be a business,” Stricklin says, adding, “I want us to stay on track in that we’re a soulwinning agency and we’re a churchsupporting agency.

“People don’t have to go to church, but they’ve got to go to work, whether they like it or hate it. And if we can be there on Monday morning at 6:00 when that ol’ boy gets out of his pickup truck, and he’s had an argument with this wife, and we can show God’s love through acts of kindness—we’re sowing seeds, and some of it is going to fall on fertile ground, and he’s going to come to know Christ and his life is going to be changed.”

“PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TO GO TO CHURCH, BUT THEY’VE GOT TO GO TO WORK, WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR HATE IT. AND IF WE CAN BE THERE ON MONDAY MORNING AT 6:00 WHEN THAT OL’ BOY GETS OUT OF HIS PICKUP TRUCK, AND HE’S HAD AN ARGUMENT WITH THIS WIFE, AND WE CAN SHOW GOD’S LOVE THROUGH ACTS OF KINDNESS—WE’RE SOWING SEEDS, AND SOME OF IT IS GOING TO FALL ON FERTILE GROUND, AND HE’S GOING TO COME TO KNOW CHRIST AND HIS LIFE IS GOING TO BE CHANGED.”

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 13

‘Skybridge’ creating missional awareness & connections

By Joni B. Hannigan Poised for the next generation of globalized, mission-minded enthusiasts with Star Trek-like mobility, Skybridge is an organization that has emerged with virtual and onsite modules focused on marketplace missions and evangelism.

Kevin Prewett, North American director for the Skybridge Community, said in the past church leaders have asked business professionals in their midst to “pray, pay and stay,” but now they are being asked to “get in the game” and integrate their faith and work in the neighborhoods and the nations.

Skybridge workshops offer individuals resources to develop a personalized action plan to connect and engage with the lost in order to make disciples. Its interactive website is a place for people to gather—a virtual sky bridge—with event listings, personal stories, “Sky Cafes,” and entry points to join various communities.

The organization’s Sky Cafes are online communities operated in a secure environment designated by geographical location, profession and general interest. This virtual environment offers “passive training” with resources like white papers, videos and case studies. The community also has a presence on social media via a Twitter account and a Facebook page.

Skybridge’s workshops and training modules grew out of Marketplace Advance, a mandate by the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board to create a hub for corporate leaders, marketplace professionals and students entering the international marketplace to focus on the fulfillment of the Great Commission, according to Prewett, who is employed by the IMB. Skybridge does not stop with Southern Baptists, however, Prewett said. The organization is an independent network that works in partnership with the IMB and serves evangelicals who share similar goals.

“The whole idea behind the missional marketplace movement is to awaken people to the possibility of allowing God to use their experience, skills, education and passion for his purpose,” Prewett said.

For the non-virtual environment, Skybridge offers breakfast or lunch workshops for small gatherings of 100 or less at 14 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 8, 2014

churches and associations, for instance.

A typical schedule includes a 75-minute time slot that moves participants from awakening to the possibility that God can and will use them in their lives and careers, to personalization and contextualization, to developing an action plan.

Skybridge was used primarily in Europe since its creation five years ago, Prewett said, but in the last few years has expanded globally. It is a community dedicated to providing meaningful connections for those who choose to be intentional about reaching the nations but may not choose to go the route of traditional missions.

The time from when an individual and perhaps his family have been awakened and then equipped to begin engaging may be a two-year process, Prewett said.

One individual currently part of the Skybridge community “providentially” contacted leaders and told them he was interested in going to a closed country in Southeast Asia.

“Within three months they had a family of five go over there,” Prewett said, noting that a company based in Southeast Asia was able to use this individual’s experience and specific training in IT. “We put him in contact with an opportunity overseas, and he is over there engaging beautifully.”

The man is also using resources provided on the Skybridge website and has connected with some of the IMB field teams.

Another in the Skybridge community connected to a paper company, moved to India, and “is very actively engaged (in missions) on nights and weekends as well,” Prewett said.

For more about Skybridge, go online to skybridgecommunity.com. You can also follow Skybridge on Twitter.

MORE ABOUT SKYBRIDGE Equipping Programs

Integrate Workshops These highly interactive workshops are designed to awaken marketplace professionals to the needs and possibilities for utilizing workplace skills to reach the nations with the gospel. You will explore how the marketplace is providing unprecedented pathways for global engagement. Most importantly, the workshop provides the opportunity to develop a personalized action plan. Through presentations, small group discussions and case studies, you will identify how your opportunities, skills, experiences and passions are part of God’s plan to fulfill the Great Commission.

On-Site and On-line Training Modules

The Era of the Marketplace Professional Explore the global strategic realities that are driving the urgency to engage marketplace professionals in fulfilling the Great Commission and identify the critical role you play in global missions strategy.

Missiology of the Marketplace in the 1st and the 21st Century Churches Examine the practices of the early church in advancing the gospel and planting churches in order to better understand the realities of sharing the gospel and planting churches in a non-U.S. environment.

Cross-Cultural Evangelism Identify opportunities and develop effective approaches to build relationships and move from general conversations to spiritual conversations to gospel presentations.

Cross-Cultural Competence Identify the cross-cultural skills needed to work and minister outside your home culture and introduce helpful tools for acquiring cross-cultural skills.

Language Learning Identify the drivers and barriers to effective language learning, overview common language learning approaches and develop realistic expectations.

Dealing with Culture Stress and Shock Create awareness for the signs and symptoms of culture shock and culture stress and present strategies for minimizing the negative impact.

Spiritual Disciplines Examine the power and benefits from a well-ordered spiritual life and how to establish the spiritual disciplines that will be needed in new work and living environments.

Disciple Making Highlight effective approaches to move from evangelism to discipleship and provide practical disciple-making tools and approaches.

Spiritual Warfare Create awareness of the reality of spiritual warfare in overseas environments and present practical advice and encouragement for spiritual battles.

Security Provide a realistic understanding of personal security needs and proven approaches to enhance personal security as well as examine the security needs related to working with other ex-pats who are engaged in local ministry and with national believers.

Strategic Missional Relationships Explore how to contribute to and receive support from home churches, missionaries and other marketplace professionals who share the same passion for advancing the gospel.

Building Effective Missional Teams Enhance the awareness of the challenges of working together with other ex-pats and national believers in a ministry effort and identify key elements for effective team building and team leadership.

Family Life and Third-Culture Kid Educational Needs Identify the challenges for all family members in adjusting to a new culture and how to maintain positive relationships within the family. Help parents understand the educational needs of their children and how best to meet those needs in an international setting.

Transitioning and Growing in an Overseas Job Identify key transition issues and best practices for marketplace professionals moving into new work assignments outside their home countries.

Conference Breakout Sessions

4Intentional Living in the Global Marketplace 4Global Traveler 4Intentional Leadership in the Global Marketplace 4Era of the Marketplace Professional 4Living Locally, Engaging Globally 4Tradecraft: For Reaching the Nations through the Marketplace 4Entrepreneurship and the Great Commission OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 15

Churches must break mental illness stigma, survey suggests

By Bonnie Pritchett Almost one-quarter of the U.S. population will be diagnosed with mental illness at some point in their lives, and many will turn to religious leaders for help.

But ill-prepared pastors and the stigma associated with mental disorders combine to frustrate a person’s efforts to find healing within the Christian community.

In a study jointly sponsored by LifeWay Research and Focus on the Family researchers discovered despite the high incidences of mental illness in the general population, pastors rarely preach on the issue and church support for those suffering is limited at best.

The resulting lack of communication keeps sufferers silent in the pews and congregations unaware of the wounded among them and their desperate need for help from their fellow believers.

Breaking the silence means breaking the stigma.

“The most powerful thing we can do is remove the stigma. It is not a sin to be sick,” said Kay Warren, wife of Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, who together suffered a very public loss in April 2013 when their adult son Matthew took his own life following a lifelong struggle with mental illness.

“THE MOST POWERFUL THING WE CAN DO IS REMOVE THE STIGMA. IT IS NOT A SIN TO BE SICK.” —KAY WARREN, WIFE OF RICK WARREN, PASTOR OF SADDLEBACK CHURCH, WHO TOGETHER SUFFERED A VERY PUBLIC LOSS IN APRIL 2013 WHEN THEIR ADULT SON MATTHEW TOOK HIS OWN LIFE FOLLOWING A LIFELONG STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS In a Sept. 22 nation-wide press conference to introduce the mental health research findings, Warren was joined by Ed Stetzer, LifeWay Research executive director, and Jared Pingleton, a clinical psychologist and director of the counseling department for Focus on the Family.

News of the study elicited cheers from Christians working to break the stereotypes associated with mental illness within the church.

“Finally! Finally the church is going to see this as a real issue and stop blaming the victims,” Tammy Zwarst, a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist for the Galveston Baptist Association, told the TEXAN. Zwarst, whose training includes board certification as a professional Christian counselor, has practiced for over 20 years and is still frustrated by the lack of understanding—and, sometimes, compassion—among Christians.

She and Warren hold the pastorate accountable for the ethos in the church.

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“PATIENTS HEAR PASTORS SAY, ‘YOU NEED TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD. YOU DON’T NEED MEDICINES.’” All too often, Zwarst said, pastors speak from a platform of ignorance regarding mental illness, equating mental health disorders with spiritual struggles.

And she cringes.

“Patients hear pastors say, ‘You need to get right with God. You don’t need medicines,’” Zwarst said.

Such rhetoric dissuades parishioners already racked with self-doubt and feelings of insufficient faith from sharing their struggles with their pastors or fellow church members.

“People with mental illness just want to be normal,” said Warren.

Who are the mentally ill, and how is the church recognizing and meeting their needs?

The LifeWay study involved three separate surveys: 1,000 pastors; 355 Americans diagnosed with an acute mental illness, which included 200 church-goers; and 207 family members of those diagnoses. All surveyed were affiliated with Protestant churches. Researchers conducted extensive interviews with 15 experts in the fields of spirituality and mental illness.

The study revealed although the church has made some strides in constructively addressing mental illness, there is still a long way to go.

“PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS JUST WANT TO BE NORMAL.”

423 percent of pastors report experiencing some kind of mental illness.

412 percent of pastors have received a diagnosis of a “mental health condition.”

466 percent of pastors rarely speak from the pulpit about mental illness.

416 percent of pastors reported they speak about it at least once a year.

427 percent of pastors have a plan to assist families affected by mental illness.

421 percent of respondents reported knowing about church assistance plans.

468 percent of churches reported having a list of local mental health resources.

459 percent of those diagnosed with mental illness want the church to talk about the issue.

465 percent of family members of those diagnosed also want to discuss the subject openly in church.

The finely intertwined co-mingling of Christian faith and mental health confuses the relationship—and the distinction—between the two.

“They do get interwoven,” Zwarst said. “Sometimes there are people who are depressed who ought to be depressed. In that case conviction looks a lot like [clinical] depression.”

Suffering emotionally as a result of poor choices or circumstances beyond a person’s control is what Zwarst called Adjustment Disorder, but she would not define it as a mental illness.

With counseling or even simply the support of faithful Christian family and friends, a person moves through and out of that “funk.”

But diagnosable depression lingers, and its debilitating influences vary, affecting a person’s ability to function on a daily basis. An individual may deal with a single bout of depression his entire life while others experience its ebb and flow for a lifetime.

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 17

Whereas depression often has environmental triggers that give life to the illness, bi-polar disorder is a bio-chemical disorder. It is not curable, but it is manageable. With medication and counseling, people diagnosed with the disorder can live well with the illness, Zwarst said.

And it is an illness.

“It’s the ‘No Casserole Illness,’” said Warren, borrowing the term from author Amy Simpson, who wrote in Troubled Minds about her experiences growing up with a mentally ill mother. Church members are quick to deliver meals to those struck by cancer but fail to recognize the same need in those

dealing with a different disease.

Steven Smith, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary vice president for student services and communications, said pastors can—and should—do a better job when counseling church members and encouraging an environment of compassion in their churches.

SWBTS does not require counseling courses for a Master of Divinity, the degree sought by most wouldbe preachers, but biblical counseling courses are available for elective credit.

Warren said the most effective ministry pastors could provide the mentally ill in their congregations

is a word of encouragement from the pulpit. Just a sermon or a prayer informs those suffering in silence someone cares, giving them the courage to speak up. And it can convict their fellow church members of the need for compassion.

The church historically has been a place where the broken—in mind, body, and spirit—could find healing or strength to live with what cannot be healed in this life.

“Every single church can have an attitude of caring,” Warren said.

“We can champion a holistic approach to health … so that we’re not just dealing with our souls but our bodies and our minds.”

City of Houston ordered to submit response to petition rejection

By Bonnie Pritchett The Texas Supreme Court has ordered the City of Houston to justify its rejection of thousands of signatures on a referendum calling for the repeal of the controversial Equal Rights Ordinance (ERO). The court on Friday, acting in response to an appeal by a diverse coalition of local pastors, gave the city until Oct. 20 to submit a written response.

The decision came as Andy Taylor, lead counsel for the No UNequal Rights Coalition, continued to depose witnesses for the January 2015 trial against Mayor Annise Parker and the City of Houston for their role in the petition certification process. The coalition charges the mayor and city attorney Dave Feldman acted in violation of the city charter by summarily dismissing thousands of petition signatures certified by city secretary Anna Russell.

The ERO—now temporarily suspended—gives protected status to individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Mayor 18 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 8, 2014

Parker, a lesbian, said the debate over its passage was personal. Those opposed to the measure on religious liberty and moral grounds contend the mayor and city attorney colluded to thwart the referendum.

Under questioning Monday, Russell, who has served as city secretary for 42 of her 62 years as a City of Houston employee, said no city attorney, until Feldman, had ever inserted himself into the referendum certification process. She restated that her office reviewed just under 20,000 of the 50,000 signatures, certifying the requisite number to call a referendum.

“The city secretary made it very clear she finished her job on July 27,” said Jared Woodfill, an attorney and plaintiff in the suit.

On Aug. 1 Russell drafted a memo to Parker and the city council, noting the certification. However, before she could send it, Russell testified she was called to the mayor’s office Aug. 4 and told by Parker, Feldman, and Janice Evans, the mayor’s public information officer, to include in her

certification letter Feldman’s addendum disqualifying scores of petition pages. She complied.

The coalition filed a lawsuit demanding the city act in accordance with its charter. Following an Aug. 15 hearing, a Harris County judge called a January trial. But still hoping to get the referendum on the November ballot, the coalition also filed a writ of mandamus with the Texas Supreme Court. Dave Welch, executive director for the Houston Area Pastor Council, said the coalition had been cautiously optimistic about whether the high court would consider their brief.

“Their order for the City of Houston to file a response brief by October 20 is a very positive sign that they also recognize the urgency of resolving this even though too late for this year’s ballot,” Welch said.

5 Reasons Your Church Should Care about Hunger

By Jill Waggoner For many Christians, the concept of hunger ministry brings to mind a governmental agency or a local food pantry. Yet the hunger need around the world is diverse and the ministries required to meet these needs will be also. Many churches across the country will recognize World Hunger Sunday, Oct. 12, and attempt to bring attention and solutions to this critical need.

So, why should you care about hunger?

1. Hunger is in your church. For many, the question of where their next meal will come from is a daily, if not hourly, concern. In the United States alone, 89 percent of households with children are considered “food insecure,” meaning they do not know how they will provide their next meal, according to the 2014 “Hunger in America” study by Feeding America.

2. Hunger is in your community. Today, 46.5 million people, or one in seven Americans, receive support through a feeding program. Hunger happens everywhere. It is not restricted to urban contexts or rural settings. Those affected include the employed and unemployed, educated and uneducated, military, elderly, children and students—everyone.

3. Hunger is a global crisis. Last month, three U.N. food and agriculture agencies reported that although improvements have been made over the last decade, 805 million, or one in nine of the global population, still do not have enough to eat. With every international emergency we see on the news, hunger is a reality for those who are persecuted, displaced or in war.

4. Scripture compels us. Scripture is not silent about how God’s people are to minister to those in hardship. Even a quick look at the life of Christ illustrates that, while Jesus met spiritual needs, he also cared for physical needs. He often used the physical realities to point to spiritual truths. In Matthew 25:35-36, he says, “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was

in prison and you visited Me.” For an extensive list of biblical texts on hunger, visit here.

5. Meeting hunger needs is a critical part of our gospel message to a watching world. The church must concern itself with this topic because hungry people are not just social issues; they are people who bear the image of Christ. “The message of the gospel explains why we care for those in need: precisely because we believe Jesus’ teaching that ‘the last shall be first’ (Matthew 20:16) and that the kind of other-directed servant leadership our Lord demonstrated is the same kind we ourselves are to model,” says Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

My church uses the phrase “as you go” when talking about sharing the gospel. We share Christ with others as we live our lives in our communities, in our families and in our jobs. It’s incorporated into everything we do.

Global Hunger Relief operates from a similar mindset. The work of Christians around the world is vast, varied and gospel-focused. Yet, “as we go,” we encounter physical needs that must be met in order to effectively minister. GHR, formerly known as World Hunger Fund, is a cooperative initiative that comes alongside existing partners and provides the funding to meet those needs.

The church must have her eyes open to the hunger needs around us—within our bodies, communities and nation—“as we go.” Join forces with those who do effective, Christ-centered ministry and seek out those who still might be overlooked.

No matter how and where you serve, make hunger needs a priority in your church Oct. 12, World Hunger Sunday, and change forever lives and communities in the name of Christ.

This article originally appeared at Pastors Today.

—Jill Waggoner is deputy press secretary for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and lead brand strategist for Global Hunger Relief.

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 19

Ronnie Floyd

What Every Church Needs to Know About the Cooperative Program

I

magine with me what would happen if each of the 46,125 local churches that comprise the Southern Baptist Convention would give financial support to one cause wrapped around one purpose: presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ globally and making disciples of all the nations. I really want you to think with me for a moment about this. I want you to further imagine what happens when we give financially each month through our world missionary enterprise called the Cooperative Program.

When our 46,000+ churches cooperate to take the gospel to the world, let me tell you a few things we do together. We are: 4Mobilizing 4,810 missionaries internationally that are fully supported by these churches financially; in fact, through the ministries of these missionaries last year, thousands of churches were planted, 114,471 new believers in Christ were baptized, and we are continuing with the strong commitment to finish the task of engaging the final 3,052 people groups who are both unengaged and unreached.

4Planting gospel churches in 32 of the major cities in North America as well as in many underserved regions of North America; in fact, our churches together are committed to plant an average of 1,500 churches annually, believing God that over the next 10 years we will see 15,000 new gospel churches planted in North America.

4Mobilizing thousands of volunteers to minister when national disasters come in America; in fact, we comprise the 3rd largest national disaster relief organization in the United States. Additionally, we respond around the world when various crises and disasters occur.

20 TEXANONLINE.NET OCTOBER 8, 2014

4Equipping 16,000 seminary students through our six seminaries who will serve as local church pastors and staff members, missionaries around the world and leaders in some realm of Christianity.

4Engaging the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ and speaking to issues in the public square for the protection of religious liberty and human flourishing; in fact, we even have qualified leadership in Washington D.C. speaking for our churches about these issues.

4Ministering through our own states and even close to our own churches through the 42 state conventions of churches and 1,100 regional associations of churches.

4Partnering to make a major difference regionally, across each state, nationally, and internationally; believing that God has called us together to reach the world for Christ.

When our churches give through our Cooperative Program, these are just some of the things we do together.

Churches determine what they give through the Cooperative Program Each of our churches should pray, seek the Lord and determine voluntarily on our own how much we should give toward our grand gospel work together. No one forces us or tells us what to give; each church decides on our own. We should reassess what we are doing annually. We should always lead our church to be generous in regards to advancing the gospel globally.

What happens to the money we give through the Cooperative Program?

Each church gives to the Cooperative Program through their respective state conventions. Some of the monies stay in the state for ministries and partnerships they are committed to doing together, and they send the remaining monies to the Southern Baptist Convention’s work nationally and internationally. Each state convention determines the amount of monies it keeps inside the state and the monies it gives to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Then, at the national level, a formula is used that distributes the monies for the work of Southern Baptists both nationally and internationally. Everything that I shared with you that these churches accomplish together is funded through our world missionary enterprise called the Cooperative Program.

You see, what began in 1925, God is still using today.

These 46,000+ churches are working together by giving monies through the Cooperative Program, all given for the purpose of presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ globally and making disciples of all the nations.

Let me tell you our Cross Church story Let me share a personal story. Through the course of my ministry life and leadership, I have been very committed to leading my church to reach the world for Christ. However, within the last several years as the Southern Baptist Convention and state conventions really began to increase their commitment toward reaching the world for Christ, my church has increased our financial support through the Cooperative Program. Over the past several years, we have increased our commitment substantially each year. Why? You see, I determined that it was and is incumbent on me, as a stewardship of the gospel, to lead my church to do all we can to rally together with 46,000+ other churches to finish the task of presenting the gospel globally and making disciples of all the nations.

After several years, I became absolutely convinced that we can do more together than we could ever do on our own. So our church’s giving through the Cooperative Program has increased greatly and will continue to do so. In fact, when our church adopts our 2014-2015 Ministry Budget in the next few days, we are making a strong commitment to increasing our gifts significantly again this next year.

Lead your church to give more Listen friend, from the most rural church to the most influential metropolitan church, from the smallest membership church to the largest membership church, Jesus calls us to do everything we can with all we have to reach the world for Christ.

The lostness of our own nation and the entire world continues to increase. People are dying without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Personally and as a local church pastor, we must do all we can with all God has entrusted to us to penetrate the lostness of the world.

This is why we must connect together and partner cooperatively. We can reach more people, send more missionaries, plant more churches, demonstrate more compassion to more people through hunger and relief ministries, and equip more ministers and missionaries when we give more together through the Cooperative Program.

There are churches, conventions, networks and denominations all over the world that stand in amazement at how the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention fund our Great Commission work nationally and globally. They are amazed at what we

accomplish together in partnership for the gospel.

Challenge your church Let me challenge you to lead your church toward a greater commitment to reaching the world for Christ by giving through the Cooperative Program.

Additionally, extend another challenge to personally increase their financial support to your church so that your church can do more toward fulfilling the Great Commission by giving more dollars through the Cooperative Program.

Vision for all generations I have been thinking about the vision God is now creating through the Southern Baptist Convention. I believe this vision is strong and becoming more clear all the time, that it appeals to all generations—from the youngest to the oldest. In other words, it is a crossgenerational vision that is emerging through what we are doing. What is it?

We are: 4Theologically conservative, committed to biblical fidelity.

4Reaching the unreached peoples internationally.

4Strategically planting gospel churches nationally.

4Extending compassion through hunger and disaster relief ministries dynamically.

4Engaging the culture, always lifting high the cause of religious liberty globally.

4Cooperatively working to reach the nations regionally, nationally and internationally.

Pastor, church leaders and laypeople: if you present these things to any age leader or church, telling them about what God is doing, I believe they will see this vision as being compelling, concise and clear.

Never forget, this vision is only possible to continue to live and enlarge as the churches of our Southern Baptist Convention give monies generously through the Cooperative Program, all for one main purpose and vision: Reaching the World for Christ. Thank you for what your church is doing right now to God’s glory.

OCTOBER 8, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 21

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