The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-02/04/2020 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Confused by the Super Bowl halftime show by Jeff Iorg Date: February 04, 2020 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Jeff Iorg is president of Gateway Seminary. ONATARIO, Calif. (BP) -- The Super Bowl halftime show featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez left me confused. Some secular reviewers felt the same dilemma. One asked whether the show empowered or objectified women. Good question. Those who saw it as empowering point to the sensuality of Latina culture. For them, the suggestive lyrics, pole dancing, crotch shots and simulated sex acts were liberating expressions of Latina femininity. They are proud these two women fully expressed their artistic interpretations of their culture. Those who saw it as objectifying point to the same behaviors but draw a different conclusion. For them, the performance communicated a one-dimensional message about how women should be viewed, what makes them popular and what gets a person on stage in front of 100 million people. In short, to quote an old ad bromide -- sex sells. This is particularly confusing in a culture with an increasing sensitivity to how women are viewed, treated and often stereotyped. We are being told repeatedly and often not to objectify women. That's a needed and important message. Then, in the most watched entertainment event of the year, we celebrated doing just that. But was the performance really a commentary on popular culture? After all, wasn't it just a show? Does a performance like this really influence how people think? One way to answer this is imagining how the show might be seen through the eyes of young girls -- like my granddaughters. It would be easy for them to draw these conclusions about what they saw the world celebrating that's the kind of women men will watch, that's the kind of woman I need to be if men are going to notice me, and that's the kind of behavior that will make me popular -- particularly with men. When viewed through the eyes of young girls, unfortunately, the message communicated wasn't so confusing after all. Surely, there are better ways to empower young women in all cultures than what we saw on Sunday. -------------------------------------------------------------------- New Jersey Hispanic church tries to fill the void by Keila Diaz Date: February 04, 2020 - Tuesday PASSAIC, N.J. (BP) -- Just over 70 percent of the 70,000 residents of Passaic, N.J., are Hispanic or Latino. That's almost 50,000 people in this community just north of Newark. A quick Google search, however, confirms what many in the area already know -- there are not many Hispanic Baptist churches in Passaic. But there are many Hispanics open to the Gospel. Federico Fernandez pastors Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Passaic (First Hispanic Baptist Church of Passaic), and in his 28 years of ministry in the area, he has seen how the community around the church has transformed, and the church along with it. For years, Passaic was the first stop for many Hispanic families entering the U.S. But most of them did not settle there. This made ministry difficult as the church's membership was always turning over. At that time the church focused on sending them out prepared to share the Gospel and make disciples wherever they landed. "Fifteen years ago, I was very thankful because a group of people in the church bought homes," Fernandez recalled. "This meant that they were going to be around for the long run, and they are the ones that through their giving help sustain the work of this church." "The main challenge today in reaching people in Passaic is that they have a strong Catholic background," Fernandez said, "so we have to reach them where they are." Most of the Hispanics in Passaic, according to Census data, are Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Fernandez adds that many are undocumented immigrants that have a lot of needs -- like learning to speak and write in English and finding safe and affordable childcare. To engage them with the Gospel, Primera Iglesia has leveraged free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and free childcare through Vacation Bible School (VBS) and Faro de Luz -- a program similar to Awana. "We have about 100 adult students per week on campus who come to the ESL classes," Fernandez said. In the church's 24-computer lab, the students work in pairs under the tutelage of an English teacher who is also a member of the church. Fernandez said hundreds of children attend the church's VBS each year. On the Sunday that VBS culminates, the church often has more than 700 in attendance as the children's families visit to celebrate alongside them. "We have several families that always stay after VBS is done," Fernandez said. Faro de Luz is hosted on Fridays instead of the typical Wednesday evening slot most churches are accustomed to. Fernandez explained that Friday is payday for many families, and parents often go shopping on Friday nights. He said, "Instead of dragging their children along, I ask them to drop them off here at the church and we feed them, watch them and disciple them." Fernandez is aware of how blessed his church is, and he hopes to continue to use those blessings to reach the community and bless others. The church owns a 23.5-acre property in New York used for retreats and youth camps to which they will soon be adding a gym. Additionally, the pastor's first home is used by the church to offer free lodging to missionaries. "God has blessed us and we want to continue to bless others," Fernandez said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Yanes: Coronavirus opportunity for love, understanding by Diana Chandler Date: February 04, 2020 - Tuesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The international coronavirus outbreak should not spread panic in the U.S., but should encourage Gospel love and understanding among the diverse body of Southern Baptists, Asian American relations leader Peter Yanes told Baptist Press. Misinformation has spread across social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, NBC news has reported, spreading fear, racial stereotyping and xenophobia. "We need to be gracious in our convention dealing with many of our Asian American brethren," said Yanes, executive director of Asian American Relations & Mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. "This shouldn't create animosity. This shouldn't create fear," he said of the virus that had killed 427 and sickened at least 20,000 as of Tuesday (Feb. 4), predominantly in mainland China. "But instead, we would rather take an opportunity to let them know we're praying for them and their families back home. I think that's the best way to respond." Amos Lee, executive director of the Chinese Baptist Fellowship of the U.S. and Canada, told BP that Chinese international students on at least one college campus have been "subjected to hostilities" because of fear related to the outbreak. "Pray for these students, many from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, that they will receive love, support, acceptance and help from Christians in the community," Lee said. "Many of these students are not yet believers and this is a prime opportunity to share our witness and the Gospel with them." Asian American Southern Baptist congregations number about 2,000, according to SBC EC statistics. About 22 million Asian Americans, 5 million of them of Chinese descent, live in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census. About 95 percent of them, the SBC EC estimates, do not have a personal relationship with Christ. "We have read reports and seen images played out for us as a major media event from China," Lee said. "But among those affected by the coronavirus are believers, our brothers and sisters. Let us pray for them that God will give them the grace in the midst of despair, helplessness and hopelessness, especially when whole cities with multiple millions of people are in lockdown (in China)." Like Yanes, Lee said the virus has created an opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel. "They have nowhere to turn but to God for intervention, healing and help," Lee said. "May they experience the peace that only Christ could give. Through it all, [I pray] they will experience God in a way that would not only strengthen their faith but [embolden them] to bear witness to His name. The Lord is sovereign." The U.S. is well in control of the spread of the virus, Yanes said. U.S. cases totaled 11 as of Monday, the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) reported, with results pending for 82 others tested. A total of 162 people have tested negative for the virus in the U.S., the CDC said. There is more cause for concern in China, Hong Kong and the Philippines, he said. Hong Kong is only a 45-minute drive from China, and one coronavirus death has been confirmed there, where Yanes has family. One death has also been confirmed in the Philippines, Yanes' home country. All other deaths have occurred in mainland China. "I have two sisters in Hong Kong and a lot of cousins and relatives that have been there for many, many years, and it's scared them to death," Yanes told BP. "They have to wear masks every single day. You can't blame them for wanting to close the border, until the Chinese government is in control. But here [in the U.S.], it's over-the-top reacting to what's going on in China, as if we're in China. "Everything happens for a reason, and it's always Gospel related, an opportunity for us to respond lovingly, graciously and prayerfully," Yanes said. "We have gone through a lot, but we have conquered it. In just a matter of time it will be totally controlled, and somebody will find out a better solution to treat the outbreak. We will learn from this." Chinese Southern Baptists in the U.S. are taking various precautions, Lee said, with those who have travelled to China or Hong Kong staying away from church gatherings for at least two weeks after returning home. Coronavirus symptoms have included fever, cough and shortness of breath, the CDC reported, with symptoms appearing two to 14 days after exposure. In addition to China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the U.S., coronavirus has been detected in 23 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. The virus is spreading in countries including Singapore, Thailand and Japan, but WHO said the virus has not reached pandemic or worldwide levels. -------------------------------------------------------------------- LifeWay VBS preview events build foundation for 2020 by Joy Allmond Date: February 04, 2020 - Tuesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- When Zoraida Godoy attended a Vacation Bible School (VBS) at a Southern Baptist church in her community of Sabana Basora, Aruba, in 2013, she got emotional. "Some of our children went to another local church for VBS and we saw the concept for the first time," she said. "Watching the children dance, sing and express the biblical truths they learned just moved me. And I thought: Why couldn't we do this at our church?" The next year she attended a VBS preview event so she could launch the first-ever VBS week at her church. Since 2014 Iglesia Bon Nobo -- the 50-member church where she serves as VBS director -- has hosted VBS every other year. "It takes a lot of volunteers and not everyone is available every year," she said. But this year, eight people from Iglesia Bon Nobo, including Godoy, traveled to the final stop of the 2020 VBS preview tour at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Tenn., on Jan. 30-31. More than 4,000 VBS directors, volunteers and church leaders from nearly every state have attended a VBS preview event so far this year. A few even traveled from outside the continental U.S., including places like Nicaragua, Guam, Cuba and Puerto Rico. LifeWay Mexico will host their preview event Feb. 8 in Mexico City. Around 1,000 pastors and church leaders are expected to attend. Building a foundation for churches and communities Throughout January, participants gathered for the two-day conferences in Ridgecrest, N.C., Houston and Fort Worth to interact with "Concrete & Cranes" resources and decorations, get stage set-up ideas, network with other church leaders to exchange ideas and attend equipping breakout sessions. Breakout session topics included: curriculum overviews for each age group's Bible studies and rotation, music and motions tutorials for the "Concrete & Cranes" music, sharing the Gospel with kids, making VBS a safe place for children, enlisting volunteers, VBS participants with special needs and an interactive crafts overview. Preview participants also got a sneak peek at "Concrete & Cranes"-themed games, crafts and decorations in an interactive creative zone. Additionally, they had access to an onsite LifeWay store that carried all 2020 VBS resources. In addition to the thousands who attended the preview events, 564 Southern Baptist state association leaders attended VBS Institutes at Ridgecrest Conference Center in N.C. and Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugarland, Texas. LifeWay VBS Ministry Specialist Melita Thomas says those trained at the institutes will multiply to around 40,000 reached once those associational leaders train people in their regions. During the first main session of the Hendersonville VBS preview event, Thomas walked through the daily foundations for the "Concrete & Cranes" theme for the year: love, forgiveness, worth, promise and life. "There will be kids who come to VBS who will need to hear that Jesus thinks they're worth dying for," she said. "They're growing up in a world that says their value is determined by what they can do or what they can offer to people. Our aim is to teach kids where their true value lies -- in Christ." 'Special Friends' training returns After a several-years-long hiatus, "Special Friends" training made a comeback. "Special Friends" is an adaptation to VBS resourcing that empowers leaders to more effectively serve children, students and adults with special needs. Lisa Sessions, a 21-year special education veteran in a Dallas-area public school system, led the breakout sessions for "Special Friends." She's a pastor's wife and children's ministry leader at Shiloh Church in Garland, Texas. "I take the same resources and tools I use to train teachers and principals on the different things they need to know about serving special needs children and implement it on the church level," she said. Sessions said training VBS directors and volunteers to accommodate people with special needs has a far-reaching impact -- one that extends beyond VBS week and outside the church walls. "Once a family knows there's a safe place for their child to go and learn about Jesus, not only are they going to bring them back, but they'll also share with their special needs community that the local church is a place for their family," Sessions said. "Having those avenues for families with special needs children or adults is critical to reaching communities with the Gospel." Likewise, Godoy's team that came to Hendersonville from Aruba want to reach their community with the Gospel -- and grow as a church in the process. "The people at Iglesia Bon Nobo are enthusiastic," she said. "They give everything they can to help us. This is truly a church-wide effort, since there are only around 50 of us and it takes everyone. The people in the church grow closer to one another every time we host VBS." But just because Iglesia Bon Nobo is a small congregation doesn't mean they can't have a big impact on their community, added Godoy. "We're praying for 100 kids this summer. That's more than we've ever had. We're not a big church, but that's our aim." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Arkansas Baptist News dissolved, merged into state convention by Tess Schoonhoven Date: February 04, 2020 - Tuesday LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP) – Amid the headwinds that have beset print journalism outlets nationwide, Arkansas Baptist News (ABN) trustees have voted to dissolve the separate, corporate entity that operated ABN and to transfer coordination of the news service to the executive board of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC). The move, precipitated by a significant decline in subscriptions and revenue, leaves ABN’s future uncertain. But ABSC associate executive director Greg Addison said the decision revolves around structural changes, not ministry changes. "There is no desire to kill the newspaper at all," Addison said. "The ministry of information is vitally important." ABN trustees made the decision Jan. 16, and the transition was unanimously affirmed by the ABSC executive board of trustees Jan. 28. ABN, founded in 1901, was initially part of the ABSC executive board. It was not until 1983 that ABN was differentiated from ABSC as an individual agency operating with ABSC as the parent organization, ABSC reported in a release. However, subscriptions to ABN have declined significantly, starting in 1990 as technology increasingly changed the consumption of news, the release stated. Studies in 1990, 1999 and 2007 on the financial status of ABN showed a need for "continued vigilance," with the latest study in 2019 showing that ABN "was not viable financially as a separate agency," the release reported. ABSC reported a 2019 Cooperative Program allocation of $235,521 to ABN. However, with decreasing subscriptions and revenue, ABN was losing money and still incurring costs -- including facility, accounting and business needs, staffing and equipment -- that could not be offset. Addison said in written remarks that efforts are being made to listen to the needs of Arkansas Baptists to determine the best ways to move forward in this transition. "We intend to conduct listening sessions amongst various groups of Arkansas Baptists in order to learn their needs as it relates to communications," Addison said. "What information do they want and need? How do they want to receive this information? This will be an important part of the process." The news service will continue in an online format, and all publishing and printing will be directed by the communications team of the executive board of the ABSC. Addison said the decision revolves around structural changes, not ministry changes. The communications team of the executive board of ABSC, put together by Addison, has historically focused primarily on education and engaging Arkansas Baptists regarding the ministries funded by the Cooperative Program and by Arkansas state missions offerings. "The ABN had a much broader mission of telling the overall stories of Arkansas Baptist and SBC life," Addison said. "These are very distinct endeavors." "Now, moving forward, we will have to find a way for our executive board to provide the information service and continue to do the Cooperative Program and Cooperative Program missions education," Addison said. The details of this transition are still being developed, according to Addison. ABN is not the first state Baptist news service to undergo significant structural changes in recent years. Georgia's "The Christian Index" and Florida's "Florida Baptist Witness" underwent similar organizational transitions. Addison said ABSC is committed to making the transition of the news service smooth for all Arkansas Baptists. With monthly, quarterly and yearly subscriptions to manage as the transition takes place, Addison said ABSC is still determining what print publishing schedule will be most beneficial in the coming months. However, publication will continue as regularly scheduled for February, going to print Feb. 13 and 27.