Month: February 2010

Rely on God, not strengths, women reminded

CONROE?”God showed up big time” as did 450 women from 79 churches across the state for a SBTC Regional Women’s Ministry Forum at Mims Baptist Church Jan. 29-30. That was the appraisal of Shirley Moses, event coordinator and SBTC Women’s Ministry consultant.

Despite ice storms that nearly prevented keynote speaker Cindi Wood, worship leader Matt Roberson, and LifeWay representative and workshop leader Chris Adams from getting to the conference, Moses said the conference was probably one of the best ever, and added, “It was a complete God-thing.” That all three were able to make it safely to Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston, was proof God wanted them there, Moses said.

At the outset of her address to the conference, Wood announced, “God has so much in store. I know because it was so hard to get here!”

The crowd at the annual gathering of women’s ministry leaders heard Wood address the need to not rely on personal strengths to the detriment of one’s self, ministry and relationships. Workshops addressed current issues in women’s ministries and a panel discussion allowed for a question-and-answer session to close the meeting.

Similar regional conferences will be held March 5-6 at Greenwood Baptist Church in Weatherford, and April 30-May 1 at Friendly Baptist Church in Tyler.

This year’s theme is “Seeing Clearly: 20/20 Vision,” which focuses on equipping existing and newly formed women’s ministries in churches of all sizes. Special attention was given to cross-generational relationships within a congregation. Moses said that theme will be carried over into next year’s statewide conference Feb. 23-26, 2011 at First Baptist Church of Porter.

Moses said it is essential for women of all ages in a church to establish relationships founded on a common vision for their ministries. The older generation needs to mentor the younger generation to prepare them to take over the ministries. In addition the older generation, she added, also needs to be open to new ideas and perspectives on what defines women’s ministry.

BEWARE OF STRENGTHS

Women in leadership positions need to be mindful of their own skills and strengths, cautioned keynote speaker Cindi Wood, author of “The Frazzled Female.” She said a woman’s strengths can quickly become her weaknesses when the process begins to override the purpose of a ministry.

“Your strengths overdone become a weakness,” she said.

Wood was made aware of her own shortcomings as she was preparing for a series of speaking appearances. Bibles of three different translations, notes, commentaries, and a concordance were strewn across her kitchen counter “just because I wanted to get it all planned out.”

She said some women have difficulty relinquishing control of plans because “if we don’t do it, it doesn’t get done right,” Wood said. “It’s OK to plan but you can’t own the plan.”

With other life distractions on top of the planning (Wood is expecting her first grandchild), Wood was not at peace with the process. It wasn’t until a friend was forthright with her about the situation that Wood realized she needed to step back, let God take the plan, and let him give her the peace she was missing.

It is abnormal to have a sense of peace in the middle of chaos, but Christians should be abnormal in that respect. Having peace in the process is a marker that the believer is in the right place with God and on the right path.

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In letter, Baptists ask Obama to aid 10 held by Haiti

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  An appeal to President Obama has been made by three Southern Baptist Convention leaders in behalf of the 10 Baptist volunteers currently being held in Haiti on kidnapping and criminal association charges.

The Feb. 5 letter asks the president “that you do everything within the authority of your office to secure a safe return home for these brothers and sisters in Christ as soon as possible.”

The Baptist leaders affirmed “the diplomatic negotiations currently under way between your Administration and the Haitian government to resolve this matter…to bring about a solution that respects the rule of law, honors international agreements, and ensures the best possible care and full legal representation for these Baptist mission volunteers.”

The letter was sent to President Obama by the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, Morris H. Chapman; the SBC’s president, Johnny Hunt; and the SBC’s immediate past president, Frank Page, who is a member of the president’s Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

“We have closely monitored news reports that these Baptist mission volunteers have been arrested, detained, and charged by the Haitian government on allegations of child kidnapping,” the Baptist leaders wrote to the president. “It is our understanding that these mission volunteers were attempting to transport 33 Haitian children into the Dominican Republic for humanitarian purposes. We do not know all of the facts of this case, but we are concerned that the continued detainment and possible conviction of these Baptist mission volunteers will distract the world’s attention and undermine the relief efforts so desperately needed by the Haitian people….

“It is possible that the Baptist mission volunteers currently detained in Haiti have acted with the noblest of intentions in a desperate situation to meet an immediate need. We pray that is the case.”

Sharing the love of Jesus “is never more apparent than during times of crisis, and that is why Southern Baptists have committed to work alongside other humanitarian organizations to meet the needs of millions of people living in Haiti,” the Baptist leaders noted.

“We cannot speak authoritatively about the motives and actions of this particular group of mission volunteers,” the leaders wrote to the president. “What we can assure you of, however, is that many Southern Baptists are currently in Haiti — and elsewhere around the world — for the sole purpose of doing whatever is necessary to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed.”

Setting forth specific requests to President Obama concerning the 10 Baptist volunteers being detained in Haiti, the three SBC leaders wrote: “The trauma of this entire ordeal is surely affecting the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of the detained mission volunteers. We ask, therefore, that you use all means necessary to secure for these mission volunteers the medical treatment and spiritual counsel that they need while imprisoned, and that you arrange for a representative from their churches or from the Southern Baptist Convention, or both, to visit them in Haiti as soon as possible. Upon their release, we also ask that those representatives be allowed to accompany them home to provide pastoral care and spiritual encouragement.”

The Baptist leaders expressed to the president “our sincere appreciation and prayerful support of your efforts to direct the compassionate resources of the American people to help Haiti recover from the recent earthquake. Our hearts are deeply burdened for the people of Haiti, and our hands are ready to work with you to begin the healing process for our neighbors, who are among the poorest of the Western Hemisphere.” They committed to pray for the president “as you seek to lead an international effort in this hour of tragic loss and cataclysmic destruction.”
–30–
Art Toalston is editor of Baptist Press.

The full text of the letter to President Obama from the Southern Baptist leaders follows:

Barack Obama
The President
The White House

Dear Mr. President:

As you know, the consuming passion of Southern Baptists is to reach the world with the message of hope that comes from Jesus Christ, our Lord. Faithful obedience to Jesus Christ is what compels Southern Baptists to give sacrificially and go courageously into the whole world proclaiming the good news of the Lord’s death and resurrection. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast region, Southern Baptists were there distributing food and water, rebuilding homes and providing shelter. When a tsunami wiped out whole Asian cities and villages, killing tens of thousands of people in 2004, Southern Baptists raised more than $2.7 million within the first two weeks to help with relief efforts.

Southern Baptists love Jesus. And because we love Jesus, we love every person He has created. That love is never more apparent than during times of crisis, and that is why Southern Baptists have committed to work alongside other humanitarian organizations to meet the needs of millions of people living in Haiti.

We write to you, Mr. President, to express our sincere appreciation and prayerful support of your efforts to direct the compassionate resources of the American people to help Haiti recover from the recent earthquake. Our hearts are deeply burdened for the people of Haiti, and our hands are ready to work with you to begin the healing process for our neighbors, who are among the poorest of the Western Hemisphere. This work, however, has suffered a setback due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the efforts of ten Baptist mission volunteers — the majority of whom apparently attend cooperating Southern Baptist churches — to help Haitian children.

We have closely monitored news reports that these Baptist mission volunteers have been arrested, detained, and charged by the Haitian government on allegations of child kidnapping. It is our understanding that these mission volunteers were attempting to transport 33 Haitian children into the Dominican Republic for humanitarian purposes. We do not know all of the facts of this case, but we are concerned that the continued detainment and possible conviction of these Baptist mission volunteers will distract the world’s attention and undermine the relief efforts so desperately needed by the Haitian people.

It is not our intent to interfere in the diplomatic negotiations currently under way between your Administration and the Haitian government to resolve this matter. We have full confidence that you and your diplomatic negotiators are working diligently to bring about a solution that respects the rule of law, honors international agreements, and ensures the best possible care and full legal representation for these Baptist mission volunteers. We cannot speak authoritatively about the motives and actions of this particular group of mission volunteers. What we can assure you of, however, is that many Southern Baptists are currently in Haiti ? and elsewhere around the world ? for the sole purpose of doing whatever is necessary to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed. It is possible that the Baptist mission volunteers currently detained in Haiti have acted with the noblest of intentions in a desperate situation to meet an immediate need. We pray that is the case.

Knowing as you do that Southern Baptists are fully committed to this relief effort ? both directly through personal assistance and indirectly through financial contributions ? we trust that you understand our concerns. We ask, therefore, that you do everything within the authority of your office to secure a safe return home for these brothers and sisters in Ch

Land: Haiti govt’s behavior ‘outrageous’

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land added his voice Friday to those calling for the release of 10 Baptist volunteers in Haiti, and in a letter to President Obama called the Haitian government’s behavior “outrageous” and asked that the president “do everything in your considerable power to secure the release of these United States citizens.”

“The Haitian government is receiving massive assistance from the United States, from both public and private sources,” Land the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, wrote to Obama. “Our nation’s churches are giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts for the people of Haiti. These fine Christian men and women sought to do even more to help alleviate the suffering of some Haitian children. For the Haitian government to respond in this way to the obvious good intentions of these honorable Christians is outrageous.

“We ask that you do everything in your considerable power to secure the release of these United States citizens. Please know that we are available in any way you might deem appropriate to assist in the immediate release of these men and women and their safe return to the United States.”

The full text of the letter follows:

“Dear Mr. President:

“Yesterday, the Haitian government decided to charge 10 United States citizens with kidnapping and criminal association for attempting to take 33 Haitian children out of that devastated country to a place of safety and care. We are deeply dismayed and offended by this decision.

“We are proud to be citizens of one of the most generous nations on the face of the earth. It is this very generous spirit that landed these loving Christians in their situation. These men and women may have been operating from a lack of knowledge about the appropriate process for their humanitarian efforts, but we are confident that their intentions were not nefarious.

“The Haitian government is receiving massive assistance from the United States, from both public and private sources. Our nation’s churches are giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts for the people of Haiti. These fine Christian men and women sought to do even more to help alleviate the suffering of some Haitian children. For the Haitian government to respond in this way to the obvious good intentions of these honorable Christians is outrageous.

“We ask that you do everything in your considerable power to secure the release of these United States citizens. Please know that we are available in any way you might deem appropriate to assist in the immediate release of these men and women and their safe return to the United States.

“Thank you for your efforts on behalf of our fellow citizens.

“Sincerely,

“Richard D. Land

“cc: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”

Amarillo church member among 10 detained

AMARILLO–With a church member sitting in a Haitian prison accused of kidnapping and child trafficking, Paramount Baptist Church Pastor Gil Lain turned to prayer as he sought to minister in a desperate situation. Lain said in a Feb. 5 interview with the Southern Baptist TEXAN he has confidence that the resources God offers are the only answer to the difficulties Jim Allen faces after he joined with a team of Idaho Baptists to aid children affected by the Haiti earthquake.

Allen was part of a group of 10 Baptists from the United States who independently traveled to Haiti following the earthquake to assist with what was dubbed “Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission.” The effort was organized by Laura Silsby with support of two Idaho churches.

Initially, they were trying to move children away from a damaged orphanage in Haiti to a makeshift facility in the Dominican Republic. Along the way they also encountered children whose parents asked them to take them to safety temporarily. By the time they reached the border, the group was caring for 33 children and was detained due to the lack of an additional required document.

According to a statement posted on the church website at paramount.org/news-events, Lain disputed what he described as inaccurate media reports questioning the motives of these Baptists. “Be assured that their motive was to take care of ‘the least of these’ just as Jesus said,” he said, citing Matthew 25:40.

“You may have read the statement from the Associated Press that these missionaries knew what they were doing was wrong,” Lain added, citing their defense that they were moving children from one damaged orphanage to another safe place in the nearby Dominican Republic. “They spent three days getting the proper paperwork in order. The problems arose when they got to the border and still lacked something due to a change in the laws.”

The group met with an investigating Haitian judge on Feb. 2 and 3, then were charged on Feb. 4 with child kidnapping and criminal association for allegedly trying to take children illegally out of the earthquake-ravaged country. The Amarillo church posted a link to an MSNBC report that Lain described as fairly accurate. The report, which was shared by many media outlets, quoted Haitian Deputy Prosecutor Jean Ferge Joseph as telling the five men and five women during the hearing that the investigative judge “can free you but he can also continue to hold you for further proceedings.”

Lain told the TEXAN that all cell phones were taken away from the group, making it impossible for them to contact their families or seek U.S. legal assistance. Like everyone else, the church and family members are dependent upon media reports for updates. However, Lain said the Amarillo congregation is checking into the possibility of obtaining U.S. legal counsel to assist with Allen’s release.

“We’re saddened and disappointed in the charge. Of course it is a charge, not a conviction. It’s not a sentence,” Lain reminded, “but they’re talking three months before a trial and a potential sentence of 15 years in prison.”

“I cannot imagine them not eventually releasing him,” Lain said, making clear that he was sharing his own personal opinion. Referring to the Haitian prime minister’s remark aired live on Larry King’s broadcast, Lain noted, “He said he will be cooperative with governments who try people in their own country, but apparently no one has even asked for that.”

Lain said “it is impossible to know the inner workings” of U.S. officials seeking to resolve the situation. Praising the local media coverage as representative of the interest the Amarillo community has shown in Allen’s release, Lain said one member of his church had contacted U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry and U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn.

Interviewed while in detention, the group’s leader told the AP that they were “just trying to do the right thing” amid the chaos.

Two others in the group, Paul Thompson and his son, Silas, are related to Allen and also former Amarillo residents, according to the Amarillo Globe. Thompson was the youth minister at Second Baptist Church in the early 199s and now pastors East Side Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho. Eight of the members of the group were from either the Twin Falls congregation or Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, both of which are SBC churches, with another coming from a Baptist church in Topeka, Kan., that is not affiliated with Southern Baptists.

Conditions in the Haitian prison were considered dismal with allegations that the group had been treated poorly, lacking medical care and food. The accusations of human trafficking caused the story to gain widespread international media attention, including a Larry King interview with family members of the detainees aired on CNN that included Allen’s wife, Lisa. She told King that she had not spoken with her husband since he was arrested.

“I think it’s a big misunderstanding that’s kind of been blown out of proportion,” she said. “Their intentions were to go there and help the kids that were in need.”

Paramount Baptist posted a statement from family members on their website late on Feb. 4.

“We are anxious, fearful and concerned about our family members, especially the young people who are jailed in a foreign country. Obviously, we do not know details about what happened and didn’t happen on this mission. However, we are absolutely convinced that those who were recruited to join this mission traveled to Haiti to help, not hurt, these children. We are pleading to the Haitian Prime Minister to focus his energies on the critical tasks ahead for the country and to forgive mistakes that were made by a group of Americans trying to assist Haiti’s children.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Silsby and a friend incorporated a non-profit group, New Life Children’s Refuge, last November, stating it was “dedicated to rescuing, loving and caring for orphaned, abandoned and impoverished Haitian and Dominican children, demonstrating God’s love and helping each child find healing, hope, joy and new life in Christ.”

The Meridian church embraced the vision as part of their own international mission program, according to the Journal in an interview with one of the church leaders.

P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, was quoted in a CNN.com report as saying American and Haitian officials are “working to try to ascertain what happened [and] the motive behind these people.”

“Clearly, there are questions about procedure as to whether they had the appropriate paperwork to move the children,” Crowley said.

Silsby was seen in several video interviews Feb. 1 and Jan. 31, which were permitted by authorities, as stating that the group had thought their plans were in order for transporting the children into the Dominican Republic until they were stopped by Haitian guards as the border between the two countries.

Silsby, in a Feb. 1 interview with a CNN reporter, said, “We believe that we have been charged very falsely with trafficking, which of course that is the furthest possible extreme, because, I mean, our hearts here—we literally all gave up, you know everything we had, I mean, income, used of our own funds to come here and help these children and by no means are any part of that horrendous practice.”

SBC President Johnny Hunt and Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman urged Southern Baptists to pray for the jailed volunteers. Hunt said, “We are grateful for the efforts of the U.S. State Department to provide services for the brothers and sisters in Christ, praying that our government will be able to work with the Haitian government to effect an amicable resolution to this tense situation.”

Hunt applauded efforts of state convention disaster relief teams, the North American Mission Board and International Mission Board “in their immediate and timely responses to the ongoing humanitarian crises in Haiti. They are working closely with other disaster organizations and with governmental entities in Haiti to bring resources to those who are in need.”

Recognizing that the convention cannot require any church to coordinate its local church ministries with SBC ministries, Hunt cautioned, “We strongly encourage all cooperating Baptist churches planning ministry trips to Haiti to contact their respective state conventions and our two mission boards, which are working together to provide ministry to this devastated region.”

Separated by a distance of 2,400 miles from the group detained in Haiti, Lain appealed to Christians worldwide to pray for these volunteers.

“It’s just a total misunderstanding,” Lain said, expressing his own frustration and that of his church in West Texas, the families and a host of Christians worldwide. “The press here has been wonderful because people have said, ‘Let’s get our guy home.’”

Criswell College trustees ratify separation from church

DALLAS?The church that birthed W.A. Criswell’s vision of a school where ministers and lay leaders could study the Bible has relinquished control of the Dallas-based college, pending FCC and IRS approval of a new ownership agreement. The long and complex process of legally separating Criswell College from its founder, First Baptist Church of Dallas, was finalized Feb. 2 as the college’s trustees ratified legal documents endorsed by both entities.

Since its inception in 1970 as Criswell Bible Institute, transition to the Criswell Center for Biblical Studies and eventual identification as Criswell College, the school has been under the control of First Baptist through the election of trustees by members of the Dallas church. The bylaws stipulated at least 12 of the 21-member trustee board were to be drawn from among FBC members.

At various times the priorities of the school and the church led to differences, prompting changes in key leadership positions at the college. Criswell served as chancellor well beyond his tenure as pastor, remaining in the position until his death in 2002 at the age of 92. Subsequently, that title was bestowed on the pastor of the church.

Early in his administration, former college president Jerry Johnson discussed pursuit of the school’s independence, but failed to gain sufficient support from the church toward that end. Despite enrollment gains and a turnaround in the school’s financial condition, Johnson resigned in August 2008, citing philosophical differences with FBC pastor and school chancellor Robert Jeffress, and the trustee board.

College Interim President Lamar E. Cooper Sr. has guided the school for the past 17 months, navigating the difficult deliberations of the board and church leadership in seeking an amicable separation.

Cooper’s role was lauded last fall when he received the H. Paul Pressler Award for Distinguished Service at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting in Lubbock. Pressler said Cooper had led the school “to reach an agreement satisfactory to all ? bringing to fruition an amicable and complete separation of Criswell College from First Baptist Church and established it as an independent institution of the SBTC which will lead its students in being great leaders of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Following the Feb. 2 meeting, which he attended, SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards told the TEXAN, “While the SBTC does not wish to own or control the Criswell College, the convention is excited about the new governance that allows more opportunities for the school’s growth and impact for the Great Commission.”

Noting that Criswell College is an SBTC partner “joined at the heart for the furtherance of the gospel,” Richards added, “A great door has been opened wider for Criswell College and the SBTC to reach Texas and touch the world.”

Terms of separation were approved by members of the church and the school’s trustees last summer, paving the way for a transition team to draft a Separation and Contribution Agreement. Church representatives signed final documents Jan. 30 before the called trustee meeting on Feb. 2. That morning the transition team voted unanimously to approve the separation agreement and the full board ratified the action in a noon meeting.

“Although it took longer than we expected to finalize the definitive separation agreement, we have ended up with an excellent document that thoroughly and clearly sets forth the terms of the separation,” stated Michael Deahl, trustee board chairman.

The joint action calls for the college to become an independent institution with a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Following the separation, the college will continue to be affiliated with the SBTC and the W.A. Criswell Foundation, with these entities nominating a significant portion of the college’s trustees, Deahl explained.

Each of the two entities will recommend eight trustees, while five at-large members will be named by the college. The new board of trustees, which includes some current members whose terms have not expired from the old board, will be responsible for ratifying new members.

One of the key components of the separation arrangement is a change in the status of radio stations currently owned and operated by the college, including KCBI-FM in Dallas, KCRN-AM and KCRN-FM in San Angelo, and KSYE-FM in Frederick, Okla. When the separation is completed, the ownership and operation of the radio stations will be transferred from the college to First Media Inc., a newly-formed corporation having the College and First Baptist Church as its sole members. FBC will exercise control over First Media, Inc. through the election of its trustees.

The separation will become official following expected FCC approval of the transfer of the ownership of the radio stations to First Media Inc. and IRS approval of tax-exempt status for First Media Inc. Deahl estimated those decisions would be made within 90 to 120 days.

Under the new plan, the church will continue operating the radio ministry, utilizing income generated from program support and donors, Cooper explained in a letter to alumni. He anticipates continued promotion of t

Screwtape, a peek at the enemy’s playbook

The current stage production of C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters” offers a visually engaging way to consider the ways that we are tempted while maintaining the wit and essence of Lewis’ classic book. The 90-minute production is fast moving and will leave you with a lot to discuss on the way home.

Max McLean plays Screwtape, a chief tempter in Hell who corresponds throughout the play with his nephew/apprentice Wormwood. McLean’s character is reptilian from the start with a undisguised menace beneatha demeanorof sophistication. College grads should think of the meanest (not most difficult) and most petty professor they ever encountered. By the final curtain, Screwtape is a raging beast, fearful of his own sinister master and spewing threats at his doomed nephew. No creature is the master of his own sin.

The chief tempter is assisted by a raggedy but attentive cat (imagine that) portrayed by Karen Eleanor Wight. Miss Wight also provides some visual comic relief in her character’s role as personal assistant to Screwtape. Adding her to the stage makes the dialog between Screwtape and the unseen Wormwood work as she takes dictation and sends the correspondence. Wight contorts herself and lolls about on the furniture as you’d see a housecat do. It’s a great diversion that does not distract.

Tammi and I very much enjoyed the production and noted the way Lewis’ observations on sin and temptation from nearly 70 years ago (and the adapters’ selections from them) hold up so well in our present day. It’s a testimony to the unchanging nature of people as well as to the timeless perspective of a great writer.

McLean also served as one of the adapters of Lewis’ work. He is the president of the Fellowship of Performing Arts, an organization that seeks to engage a diverse audience with literature based on a biblical view of God, man, sin, and redemption. Screwtape’s clear description of sin and temptation cleverly gets under the defenses of those who might downplay the sinfulness of men. Mission accomplished, in this case.

Screwtape sold out in Houston before moving on to Austin. The only other date currently on their schedule is in New York. Here’s hoping they’ll have some other performances in Texas, maybe Dallas and San Antonio. Don’t miss it if you get a chance to attend.

You can keep track of future dates and learn more about the FPA and its production of The Screwtape Letters at ScrewtapeOnStage.com.