
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/17/2006

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On Easter, large & small churches alike emphasize the Gospel through baptisms
by Erin Roach
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Individuals stirred the waters in believer’s baptism on Easter Sunday in churches of all sizes across the Southern Baptist Convention April 16 as part of a convention-wide goal to reach more people than ever for Christ during this church year.

At Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, church members took the challenge from SBC President Bobby Welch to have an Easter emphasis on baptism as 15 were baptized into their congregation.

Welch’s call for Easter baptisms was part of his “‘Everyone Can!’ Kingdom Challenge” for evangelism, which urges Southern Baptists to witness to, win and baptize 1 million people in a year. In addition to Easter Sunday and Nov. 27 of last year, Welch has asked that churches highlight baptism on Sept. 30, the final day of the SBC's church year and the closing date of the Everyone Can initiative.

“When Dr. Welch encouraged us to do that, we marked that on our calendar,” Michael Lewis, pastor of Great Hills, told Baptist Press. “For the last several weeks in our Sunday School classes we’ve been sharing baptism testimonies about how important it is to be baptized and people’s personal testimony to the blessing of their obedience to God in baptism.”

Several of the people who followed God by being baptized on Easter Sunday mentioned to Lewis how fitting it was that they would testify to their new life on a day marking Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

Lewis said the baptisms came at “a very prominent spot” during the morning’s services. Great Hills typically has one service averaging more than 2,100, but on Easter they had two services with about 3,500 in attendance.

“It was a really moving service. I preached and gave an invitation, and we had 25 decisions yesterday -- 15 of those coming by profession of faith and desiring to follow the Lord in baptism,” he said of the additions beyond those already baptized that day.

When he announced early in the first service that 15 believers would be baptized that day, Lewis said the auditorium erupted in applause. The grandparents of one boy being baptized drove all the way from Ohio to watch him take this major step in his Christian walk. 

“It was such a celebration for that family to see that take place in their grandson’s life,” Lewis said.

Another poignant story involved a Spanish-speaking woman who was befriended by a church member during a neighborhood fellowship, the pastor said. Her decision to follow Christ prompted her cousin to call Lewis’ Spanish-speaking wife and ask how she likewise could be saved, which also resulted in her two children coming to the Lord.

“So there was a real transformation and spiritual chain of events as one family member came to know the Lord and then the other and then two children,” Lewis said.

About 1,000 Great Hills members are trained in the FAITH Sunday School evangelism strategy, and Lewis said the church averages around 350 active participants each week. The Everyone Can initiative has been an important part of their church’s commitment to the Great Commission.

“I believe that Dr. Welch has set a real pace for Southern Baptists and the emphasis of evangelism and baptisms -- an emphasis that is visionary, that is challenging, that is beyond the status quo,” Lewis said. “It helps pastors like myself and other churches across our denomination to rise to heights that we never dreamed possible, not only for our convention but for individual churches. I greatly appreciate Dr. Welch and his visionary leadership for our convention for such a time as this.”

At Fairfield Baptist Church in Moselle, Miss., a rural town just north of Hattiesburg, 16 believers were baptized on Easter Sunday after the church took Welch’s challenge and made it their own.

Fairfield averages about 150 in worship each week; Pastor Kevin Ivy noted that the number baptized on Easter surpasses any number the church has baptized at once in at least the last eight years, if ever.

“We had some congregational singing and then we had a short Easter cantata by the choir,” Ivy told Baptist Press. “Then I preached a short message on Jesus being more than a man, and my last point was one of the evidences we have that He truly is alive is the number of transformed lives we see today because of Him.

“And then all those who had made decisions over the last two or three months came forward and they were all presented for baptism, were able to profess their faith in Christ and then we baptized all 16 of them,” he said.

The congregation reached a milestone during the service, Ivy said, as it baptized two African Americans into its fellowship, marking the first African Americans ever to be baptized at the church.

“One of them was saved before he came here to be baptized and the other was saved here in the church,” he said.

Ivy commended Welch for taking the lead on increasing baptisms through the Everyone Can initiative.

“I like the way that it’s turning our attention toward what we’re to be about: reaching other people,” the pastor said. “I like the way it stresses ‘everyone,’ so it’s not just the pastor’s job or the minister’s job or the staff’s job to reach out but it takes everybody to reach out and bring people to Jesus.”

For the past three or four months, members at Fairfield wrote down names of people they believed God was burdening their hearts to reach for Christ. 

“Then we worked as individuals to try to bring those people to Christ through tracts, through witnessing, through Bible studies, through evangelistic services at the church,” Ivy said. “Everybody has worked together to reach our goal of seeing these people come to know Jesus.”
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For more information on the “‘Everyone Can!’ Kingdom Challenge” for evangelism, visit www.everyonecan.net.


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1,200 to 1,500 Brazilians accept Christ during mission trip
by Shannon Baker
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

MARIETTA, Ga. (BP)--They exalted the Savior, equipped the saints and evangelized the sinner. Then they watched as 1,200 to 1,500 Brazilians prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.

Sixteen volunteers from Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., traveled to the Vitória da Conquista community in Bahia, Brazil, to evangelize and to teach believers witnessing methods during a March 2-14 mission trip.

Using material from Darrell Robinson’s book, “People Sharing Jesus,” the team taught more than 600 people in seven Brazilian Baptist churches how to share their faith.

The evangelism method, based on Robinson’s “Total Church Life” strategy, adapted for use by Brazilian Baptists across the country, presents a natural, sensitive approach to helping others know Christ.

The Roswell Street volunteers -- led by the church’s pastor to Brazilians, Odilon Pereira, and lay leader Don Beasley -– joined with the Brazilian churches to practice sharing their faith and then went to the streets in a Wednesday-Thursday evangelistic effort.

The teams shared Christ in public schools, chicken factories, prisons and anyplace where crowds gathered. They also went door to door in neighborhood homes to share the Good News of Christ.

They ended the week with a citywide crusade held at the city’s Sport Gymnasium. More than 2,000 people attended the Saturday night event, and 125 people accepted Christ.

All together, in the community of about 300,000, from 1,200 to 1,500 people prayed to receive Christ.

“I have never been in one environment when I saw so many people respond to Christ at one time,” said Ernest Easley, Roswell Street’s senior pastor, who has used the People Sharing Jesus strategy for more than 15 years.

“Not only that, but we left an army of 600 people who were just trained in sharing their faith,” Easley noted, rejoicing in the fact that the newly equipped churches would follow up with the new believers.

“The whole thing was a reminder that God still honors one-to-one witnessing. Soul-winning is still on God’s agenda,” the pastor said.

Peter Cunningham, Roswell Street’s minister of missions, also noted the uniqueness of the trip, saying, “This time, instead of leaving medical supplies or a newly constructed building, we left people trained to evangelize!”

“It was wonderful,” agreed Pereira, who marveled at the openness among the people of his native country.

He said he is equally excited about what is happening in his own backyard in Georgia.

Pereira pastors the Brazilian Fellowship at Roswell Street Baptist Church, which has expanded its outreach to the growing Brazilian population in surrounding Cobb County, with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Brazilians now living in the Atlanta-area church’s community.

In addition to the Sunday School and a worship service in Portuguese, Brazilians also can attend Roswell Street’s American services with simultaneous translation to Portuguese.

In the past eight months, more than 100 Brazilians have become Christians and currently there are 57 home Bible studies, Pereira reported. 

“More and more are coming,” he said joyfully.

Roswell Street, which plans another trip to Brazil in July 2007, also hosts an African Fellowship in Swahili and a Hispanic Fellowship in Spanish in addition to its traditional and contemporary services.
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LIFE DIGEST: Univ. Prof leads students to destroy pro-life display; governors veto pro- and con- abortion-related bills
by Tom Strode
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

WASHINGTON (BP)--Freedom of speech to at least one college professor means the ability to destroy someone else’s right of expression, especially if it communicates a pro-life message.

Sally Jacobsen, an English professor at Northern Kentucky University, reportedly led her students April 12 in removing and throwing in the trash 400 crosses that made up a pro-life display titled the “Cemetery of the Innocents.” A sign for the display also has not been found, The Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer reported.

Jacobson acknowledged she invited students during a break in a British literature class to destroy the display, according to The Enquirer. She asked “if any students wanted to participate in practicing their freedom of speech in destroying the very offensive right-to-life, anti-abortion display in the central plaza” of the university, the newspaper reported. About 10 students participated in the vandalism, witnesses told The Enquirer.

Jacobsen declined to say if she took part, but a photo in the Internet edition of the school’s newspaper April 13 appeared to show her destroying the display’s sign, while small, white crosses lay on the ground around her, according to The Enquirer.

Each of the 400 crosses represented 10 abortions that take place each day in the United States. A newly instituted pro-life organization on campus had set up the display for a week with the school’s permission, the newspaper reported. The 15-member organization reconstructed the display shortly after the crosses were recovered.

“It really shocked me, because of course we’re pro-life, but we try to respect other people’s opinions and people who are pro-choice,” said Lauren Macke, a member of the organization that set up the pro-life display.

Campus police are still continuing their investigation, The Enquirer reported April 15, but the NKU administration was not impressed by Jacobsen’s assertion of her so-called rights.

NKU President Jim Votruba said Jacobsen’s contention that the destructive behavior constituted freedom of speech was a “ludicrous comment.”

“In my mind, this is a serious violation of a faculty member’s responsibilities and undermines what a university is established to do,” Votruba said, according to The Enquirer. “If people are occasionally offended by points of view on a campus, that’s what a university is all about. We’re a place where ideas get vetted.”

Discipline for Jacobsen may be limited, since she is scheduled to retire in a matter of weeks, the newspaper reported.

NKU, which has about 14,000 students, is located in Highland Heights, Ky., seven miles south of Cincinnati.

VETO POWER –- Governors of two Western states recently vetoed abortion-related bills, one supported by pro-life advocates and the other opposed by them.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed April 11 legislation that would require an abortion provider to inform a woman who is at least 20 weeks pregnant of the scientific evidence of the pain an unborn child experiences during the procedure. If the woman still decides to have an abortion, the doctor would have to offer anesthesia for the unborn baby in an attempt to reduce the baby's pain.

On April 13, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens vetoed a bill that would have permitted non-prescription sales of the “morning-after pill,” which has abortion-causing properties. The legislation also would have allowed underage girls to purchase the drug without parental notification.

In her veto message, Napolitano, a Democrat, said the fetal pain measure is “an unwarranted intrusion by politicians into the doctor-patient relationship.”

Tom McClusky of the Family Research Council said in a letter to Napolitano, “It is unconscionable to allow women to undergo an abortion without making them aware of the latest scientific evidence regarding fetal pain. It is disappointing your administration would hide the facts of abortion and keep women uninformed prior to making such a life-changing decision.”

It appears unlikely the Arizona legislature would be able to override the veto with a two-thirds majority. The House of Representatives approved the bill in a 36-21 vote, but the Senate passed it by only a 17-13 margin.

Similar measures are being promoted in Congress. The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, S. 51 and H.R. 356, has 34 cosponsors in the Senate and 140 in the House.

In vetoing the “emergency contraceptive” bill, Owens, a Republican, said the proposal “strays radically from the accepted norms of medicine and is not in the best interests of Coloradans.”

Two “morning-after” pills, Plan B and Preven, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for prescription sale. The FDA is considering whether to permit over-the-counter sale of Plan B without a prescription to women 16 years of age and older.

Plan B, as well as Preven, is basically a heavier dose of birth control pills. Under the regimen, a woman takes two pills within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and another dose 12 hours later. The “morning-after” pill not only works to restrict ovulation in a woman, but it can act after conception, thereby causing an abortion, pro-lifers point out. The method can block implantation of a tiny embryo in the uterine wall.

RU 486 CLEARED IN DEATH –- RU 486 was not to blame for the recent death of an American woman who had used the abortion drug, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

The unidentified woman, one of two whose deaths were reported in March after use of the pill, did not die from RU 486 or the abortion, the FDA said April 10, according to AP. The other woman, however, had signs of an infection.

At least six women’s deaths in the United States appear to have been related to use of the two-step drug regimen since RU 486 went on the market in September 2000. The FDA announced in July 2005 four California women who underwent chemical abortions had died from an uncommon and lethal bacterial infection known as Clostridium sordellii. The FDA is helping convene a workshop May 11 in Atlanta for the purpose of drafting an agenda for research on the infection.

Congressional critics of RU 486 continue to call for strong action on sale of the drug. On April 10, 47 members of the House of Representatives wrote Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio to ask him to schedule action on the chamber’s floor regarding the RU 486 Suspension and Review Act, H.R. 1079.

The representatives said, “An immediate vote on &#91;the bill&#93; would put the House of Representatives firmly on record as dedicated to preserving the lives and well-being of all women and to holding the FDA accountable for the manner in which it approves pharmaceutical products.”

The legislation would suspend the drug’s sale while a review of the FDA’s approval of the pill is conducted. A companion bill in the Senate is S. 511. The proposal has 81 cosponsors in the House but only 11 in the Senate.

RU 486, also known as mifepristone, is used as the first part of a process normally occurring in the first seven weeks of pregnancy. Mifepristone causes the lining of the uterus to release the embryonic child. A second drug, misoprostol, is taken two days after mifepristone and causes the uterus to contract, expelling the baby.

The FDA’s approved regimen calls for taking both doses orally, but at least some abortion doctors have used misoprostol vaginally. All four women who tested positive for Clostridium sordellii after their deaths had been given stronger doses of misoprostol vaginally.
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NAMB president Bob Reccord resigns; cites ‘philosophical and methodological differences’ as reasons for parting ways
by Martin King
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Robert E. Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board, announced his resignation April 17 from the Southern Baptist entity he has led since its creation nine years ago.

Speaking to nearly 200 NAMB staff members at NAMB’s Atlanta-area offices, Reccord said he made the decision, which was effective immediately, with “mixed emotions.”

“I am thankful for the countless numbers of people we have seen come to Christ and the thousands of churches we have seen planted and nurtured,” he said. “On the other hand, I regret we were not able to complete a number of things we have started or dreamed about. I regret that events of recent weeks have created an environment which makes it difficult to lead the organization and to stay on mission.”

The events Reccord referred to resulted from a lengthy article two months ago in The Christian Index, newsjournal of the Georgia Baptist Convention. The article, which was critical of the entity’s accomplishments and Reccord’s leadership, led to an investigation by NAMB’s board of trustees which also was critical of some of NAMB’s more innovative initiatives and decisions under Reccord’s leadership.

During his announcement, Reccord told employees he has found it increasingly difficult to be an entrepreneurial leader within a denominational structure.

“I believe that honest philosophical and methodological differences have brought us to this point of separate directions,” Reccord said.

He added he hopes he has “demonstrated my love for and commitment to Southern Baptists and all for which we stand.”

“I also hope I have demonstrated a Kingdom heart and mindset,” Reccord continued. “It is this mindset and my entrepreneurial bent that have led us to explore more effective applications of technology and media; strategies for reaching a wider range of demographic groups; and creative evangelism initiatives.”

Barry Holcomb, chairman of NAMB’s board of trustees, read a statement to the mission board’s employees, acknowledging Reccord’s accomplishments, integrity and visionary leadership style.

“I stand here today with Dr. Reccord to say thank you for nine years of tireless service to the North American Mission Board,” Holcomb said. “As an agency, we’ve seen growth in many areas, including increases in our church planting efforts, a significant increase in mission personnel and the dramatic increase and impact of our disaster relief work.”

Holcomb said Reccord had “sought to provide leadership that was both consistent and visionary,” and he emphasized that neither a special focused financial audit nor an investigation by the trustees themselves revealed “evidence that Dr. Reccord had done anything unethical in his role as president.”

“I believe that important fact has been lost in all the conversation and articles written about the report. Dr. Reccord’s integrity is strong and solid today, and I want to emphasize it clearly.”

Holcomb said, “Contrary to some opinions, Dr. Reccord is in no way being asked to resign, let alone forced to resign. He is taking this step for what he feels is best for Christ’s Kingdom.... I believe that this is one of the strongest evidences of his personal character and integrity.”

Holcomb, who is pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Andalusia, Ala., acknowledged “there are times in the life of every agency when changes are made, not on the basis of crises, but in large part on the basis of vision.”

“Dr. Reccord has aptly noted that in &#91;Southern Baptist&#93; Convention life, entrepreneurial leadership and denominational requirements may be at odds with one another. This is no one’s fault -– it is simply a reality. There is no question God has some special things in store for the next chapter of this ‘out of the box’ thinker,” Holcomb said.

Reccord told employees he doesn’t know what he is going to do but has already received several calls asking him to consider various ministry opportunities.

“We will follow God’s leadership to do what is best for the Kingdom,” he said.

“Stepping away will allow me to leave behind a never-ending stream of administrative responsibilities and focus on unleashing men, women and young people to fulfill their God-given calling and change the world.”

To that end, Holcomb announced that Reccord will serve as a liaison between NAMB and Promise Keepers as he speaks at 19 PK events across the country from June through October.

“NAMB and Promise Keepers entered into an agreement earlier this year to work together to mobilize workers for the rebuild that continues along the Gulf Coast following last year’s hurricanes,” Holcomb said. “I’m thankful that Dr. Reccord has the opportunity and the desire to challenge Christian men across America to invest their time and talents alongside Southern Baptists.”

Holcomb announced NAMB’s trustees will consider naming an interim president at its upcoming May 2 meeting as well as begin the search process for a new president.

In the meantime, Carlos Ferrer, NAMB’s chief financial officer, who was named the previous week as the interim chief operating officer, would assume all executive leadership responsibilities, Holcomb said.

“Carlos is a man of great giftedness and integrity, and he will provide outstanding leadership during this time.” Ferrer, a native of Cuba, joined the former Home Mission Board in 1992 as controller.

Reccord closed his remarks to the employees affirming his own confidence in the SBC’s domestic mission board.

“Southern Baptists everywhere can be proud of their North American Mission Board’s effectiveness and efficiencies. They can be proud of their missionaries,” Reccord said. “They can give with confidence that tremendous financial efficiencies have been achieved as a result of the denomination’s restructuring and a conscientious staff’s diligent efforts.”
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Help for Uganda’s orphans is new organization’s first aim
by Taryn Hutchison
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP)--About 15 people affiliated with Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary have launched an organization to care for Uganda’s orphans.

The group, called Fount, is seeking to connect resources with direct needs and to nurture community care for a generation of more than 2 million orphans from Uganda’s HIV/AIDS epidemic and its 19-year civil war in which more than 30,000 child soldiers fought.

Bee Holland and Michelle Averna, neighbors in the married student apartments at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary near San Francisco, took different paths to their concern for the needs of children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Averna researched the Ugandan crisis for her global studies program, in which students simultaneously earn dual masters’ degrees, in theology and intercultural studies to give them a solid biblical foundation for ministering in difficult global contexts.

One evening, Averna discussed her findings with her downstairs neighbor, Holland, explaining the urgency of getting aid into Africa from the West. Holland, assistant controller in Golden Gate’s business office and wife of a master of divinity student, described her heart’s dream to build wells in Africa, offering hope to those who had only known despair in their young lives.

“It just clicked,” Holland said. “I’ve always been drawn to Africa because it’s the continent with the largest amount of social injustice. Michelle and I saw this huge need there,” and the two felt they could help meet it in a culturally appropriate way.

The two women joined their skills. Averna did the research and wrote a detailed proposal. Holland, a graduate of East Texas Baptist University, used her business savvy to come up with bylaws and a projected budget. In November 2005, they started the process to become incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Just six weeks later, Fount was legally incorporated.

Averna and Holland were amazed when other students, student spouses, graduates and staff caught the vision and joined forces with them.

Something resonated deep inside when Jodi Dowell, for example, first heard Averna present her proposal in a global studies class. “The faith aspect combined with humanitarian aid is a very powerful combination,” said Dowell, Jodi Dowell, who has had a strong interest in missions in general and Africa in particular, having traveled to seven countries for missions work, including Mali where she served over a year with the International Mission Board.

Dowell and a dozen other students, all in their 20s, chipped in for the $500 fee to become incorporated, giving more affirmation to Holland and Averna’s sense of God’s leadership. Another green light came when the three people they had prayerfully selected to serve on the board all agreed.

Explaining the name of their organization, Holland said, “Founts spring up and make streams. You know, streams of mercy,” and they are a source that dispenses water in many places.

Although all of sub-Saharan Africa is part of their long-term vision, they decided to start in Uganda after learning about the child soldiers there. Southern Uganda appeared to be a stable, safe environment from which northern Uganda could also be helped.

Fount is aiming high. They hope to become the largest channel of aid into Africa and to build confidence in community-based organizations.

In the coming months, a Golden Gate contingent of about 10 people will make their first assessment visit to Uganda, networking with non-government and community-based organizations to identify potential partnerships. “We have to go in-country to see how to make Fount be Ugandan, not just another Western organization,” Holland said.

Jonathan and Becca Cipolla, newly married and both recent graduates of Golden Gate, will lead the charge in mid-May to do some preliminary work. Holland, Averna and her husband, Jesse, and Lori Acton will travel to Uganda mid-June and stay for almost two months. Dowell will use her international expertise to keep them on track culturally. Others will join them in Uganda for the month of July, each adding unique gifts to the team effort.

Jesse Averna, a filmmaker, plans to use his skills while in Uganda to make a documentary about Fount. The hope is that the film will inspire others in the MTV generation to catch the popular wave of social action by helping Fount fulfill its lofty dreams.

People interested in volunteering with Fount should visit the organization’s website, www.fountofmercy.com.

Golden Gate Seminary is a Cooperative Program ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention and operates five fully accredited campuses in Northern California, Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Arizona and Colorado.
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NOBTS website lists options for seminarians with children
by Gary D. Myers
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

NEW ORLEANS (BP)--Parents at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary will encounter a new educational landscape when they try to enroll their children in school this fall. In response, NOBTS has created a resource center to help parents make informed choices about the educational options they will have.

Sheryl Ray, NOBTS’ new educational consultant, has spent hours meeting with and communicating with school officials in the New Orleans metro area in developing a Web-based resources center to assist parents. The resource center can be accessed at www.nobts.edu/Students and then clicking on the “Children’s Education” link.

“We are delighted to welcome Sheryl Ray as our education consultant,” said Craig Price, NOBTS dean of students. “Mrs. Ray comes to us from a vast background in the public schools.”

Price believes Ray’s experience in education is vital to developing the resources seminary parents need regarding New Orleans-area schools.

The site, which launched on April 3, highlights the options that parents may consider for their children. The options include public, charter and private schools as well as homeschooling. Rather than recommending any one option, Ray sees providing parents with information as her most important role.

“I’m not going to try to sway anybody one way or another,” she said. “We will let &#91;parents&#93; have the information and make up their minds as they know their child.

“I believe there will be more options than they have ever had,” Ray noted.

The most significant changes will occur in the city’s public schools. For years, the New Orleans schools have lagged behind the rest of the state. Following Hurricane Katrina, many of the public schools will reopen as charter schools. Others will be reopened under state control.

Ray sees these developments as a chance for improvement in the city’s schools. Each charter school must submit a detailed plan to the Louisiana Department of Education. The state reviews the education philosophy and the curriculum of each charter applicant. Those that meet the state’s standards will be granted a charter.

Public schools that do not reopen as charter schools will open under state control. The goal for the new charter schools and the state-control public schools will be on improving the quality of New Orleans’ educational system.

The private school landscape also will change significantly, Ray reported, noting that some private schools in the area received too much damage to reopen. 

Because the educational landscape is still developing, Ray encourages parents to check the site often for updates. Charter applications were taken until late March. Additional public, charter and private schools could still announce plans to open before the start of the school year.

The website includes information parents need to begin the process of enrolling their children in the various schools. Addresses, contact numbers and registration information are included on the website.

Ray also provides a list of documentation each child will need to enroll. Parents must have a copy of the child’s birth certificate and immunization records. Ray encourages all families who lost these documents in the flood to obtain copies from the proper authorities.

In some cases, schools are asking for report cards or other documentation to show that children have been in school since the hurricane. This information is required by some schools even for children who are moving to New Orleans for the first time.

Another popular option for seminary families has been homeschooling. Ray said that NOBTS had a strong homeschool organization before the storm. She is currently working to identify parents to lead out in redeveloping that organization.

Ray encourages seminary families to contact her if they have any questions, by phone at (504) 473-5644 or by e-mail at NOBTSchildren@nobts.edu.
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Trustees approve study centers for law & the arts at SBTS
by Jeff Robinson
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary unanimously approved the creation of two new theological study centers -- the Center for Theology and the Arts and the Center for Theology and Law -- during the board’s annual spring meeting April 11.

Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said the new study centers aim to equip pastors and church leaders to think biblically about pivotal issues which dominate contemporary culture.

“One of the ways we want to lead Southern Baptists is through helping evangelicals and Southern Baptists in particular to engage some of the most critical issues of our day,” Mohler said.

“This is not a time for Christians to be out-thought by the world, but in general that is what happens. We find the church behind the times in thinking about some of the most crucial issues of our day.”

Mohler also announced the appointment of two new faculty members to lead the centers.

Steve Halla will head the seminary’s Center for Theology and the Arts and serve as assistant professor of philosophy. He currently serves on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary and will earn a doctor of philosophy degree in philosophy from the University of Texas at Dallas this spring. He received a master of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Moody Bible Institute. Halla and his wife Kathy have two daughters.

The Center for Theology and the Arts will focus on the interaction between Christian theology and the various arts. Its goal is to help Christians develop a biblical understanding of such issues as aesthetics, artistic expression and appreciation, Mohler said. 

Peter J. Richards has been appointed as director of the Center for Theology and Law. Richards presently serves as a research fellow in law and history and is administrator of the World Law Institute at the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. He earned a doctor of a master of laws and a doctor of the science of law from Yale University, a doctor of jurisprudence from the University of North Carolina, and a bachelor’s degree in medieval and renaissance studies from the University of Michigan. Richards and his wife Johanna have four children.

The Center for Theology and Law will focus on the interaction between Christian theology and the world of law and will offer a master of arts degree in theological studies with an emphasis on theology and law. The one-year program is intended for those who are bound for law school, those who have just graduated from law school and those whose professional service in ministry includes interest in both theology and law. Both study centers will be operated from Southern’s school of theology. 

Russell D. Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration, hailed the new study centers as “an historic moment” in the lives of both Southern Seminary and the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Issues of the arts and media and understanding the law are issues that are confronting not only individuals and the culture but Southern Baptist churches,” Moore said.

“Pastors need to know how to engage these issues as &#91;does&#93; a theologically informed Southern Baptist layperson. Southern Seminary has taken the initiative to take on the culture with a biblically informed worldview in an unprecedented way and we are very excited about that.”

Mohler also named Kurt Wise as the new director for Southern’s Center for Theology and Science and professor of theology and science. Wise currently serves on the faculty of Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn., where he is also is director of the Center for Origins Research. 

Wise earned both a doctor of philosophy and master of arts in paleontology from Harvard University. He and his wife Marie have two daughters. Wise replaces William Dembski, who is leaving Southern Seminary to join the faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, so he can be closer to his family.

“With the addition of Kurt Wise, we are recognizing that creation is a ground zero theological crisis point right now in American culture and even in our churches,” Moore said.

“We need to train Southern Baptist pastors to equip young people to engage Darwinism from elementary school on. We also need to train Southern Baptists to recognize Darwinist thinking in ways that are subtle that they don’t even recognize.”

Mohler pointed to one major moral issue, abortion, as an example of how Christians often come late to the task of engaging profound cultural issues.

When the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand in 1973, it took Southern Baptists nearly a generation to respond to the issue, Mohler pointed out.

“&#91;Southern Baptists&#93; at the grassroots level just weren’t engaged in the issue at all,” he said. “It took a generation for Southern Baptists to get highly engaged on that one issue. And right now it’s not just one issue, it’s an entire host of issues, and they are not just moral issues or political issues or legal issues, they are cultural issues.”

In other business, trustees:

-- approved the appointment of Kevin L. Smith as assistant professor of church history. Smith is a doctor of philosophy candidate at Southern Seminary. He also received a master of divinity from Church of God Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tenn. Smith has served as the Martin Luther King Jr, Fellow at Southern since 2002.

-- approved the appointment of Thom S. Rainer as distinguished professor of evangelism and church growth. Rainer served as founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, Missions and Church Growth at Southern Seminary from 1994 until 2005 when he resigned to become president of LifeWay Christian Resources.

-- approved a $33 million budget, a 9.9 percent increase over last year’s budget.

-- heard a report from Mohler that Southern’s enrollment has topped 4,000 students for the first time in the seminary’s history.
--30--


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FIRST-PERSON: Always preach for commitment -- and expect a response!
by Rick Warren
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--When we were getting ready for the first service of Saddleback Church 26 years ago, I planned to extend a traditional "come forward" altar call at the end of the service. It was the way I’d always done it. I’d been a Southern Baptist evangelist! But as I concluded my first message in the Laguna Hills High School theater, I suddenly realized I had two problems:

First, I noticed there was no aisle in the building. The chairs were welded together and the building was designed to empty to the outside. 

Second, I realized that even if they could get to the front, all that was there was an orchestra pit that dropped off right in front of the stage. I nearly cracked up thinking about saying, "I’m going to ask you to come down and jump in the pit for Jesus!"

I was 26 years old, and I honestly didn’t know what to do next. How could I get people to indicate their commitment to Christ if they couldn't come forward? 

Over the next few weeks, we experimented with several different ways of having people indicate their commitment to Christ. We tried setting up a counseling room, where people could go after the service. We found that once people walked out of the service they just kept walking to their car. By the way, if you decide to use a separate room, don't call it a "counseling" room. To the unchurched, that sounds like a psychiatric ward! Use a non-threatening title like "Visitor’s Center" or "Reception Area."

After a number of experiments, we decided to turn the back side of our welcome card into a decision card. We encourage everyone to fill out the front side at the beginning of the service. At the end of each service, I ask everyone to bow their heads and I lead in a closing prayer, during which I give an opportunity for unbelievers to make a commitment to Christ. Then, I'll pray a model prayer as an example and ask them to let me know about their decision on the commitment card. Then the last thing we do in our service is have a special music number and collect the cards and offering at the same time. The cards are immediately processed for personal follow up. 

Some might ask, "Where do people make their public profession of faith?" That’s what baptism is for! It is a public statement of faith in Christ. The altar call is actually a modern invention. Asahel Nettleton began using it in 1817, and Charles Finney popularized it. In the New Testament churches didn't have altar calls because there weren’t church buildings for about the first 300 years. There were no aisles to walk down!

Offering a time of commitment is an important element of an evangelistic service. Here are four suggestions for leading people to make a commitment:

-- Clearly explain exactly how to respond to Christ. Too many invitations to salvation are misunderstood. The unchurched often have no idea what's going on.

-- Plan out your time of commitment. Deliberately and carefully think through what you want to happen. Extending an opportunity to come to Christ is too important to just tack on to the end of a message without planning it. People’s eternal destiny is in the balance. Be creative. If you say the same thing every week the audience will disconnect out of boredom. The best way to avoid getting in a rut is to force yourself to write out your call for commitment with each message.

-- Lead unbelievers in a model prayer. The unchurched don’t know what to say to God. Give them an example: "You might pray something like this...." Ask them to repeat a simple prayer, in their hearts, after you. Help people verbalize their faith.

-- Never pressure unbelievers to decide. Trust the Holy Spirit to do His work. I tell my staff, "If the fruit is ripe, you don’t have to yank it!" I believe an overextended invitation is counterproductive. It hardens hearts rather than softening them. We tell people, "Take the time you need to think through your decision." I believe that if they’re honest with themselves, they will make the right decision.

Keep this in mind: You’re asking people to make the most important decision of their lives. Evangelism is usually a process of repeated exposures to the Good News. People usually aren't as closed as we think they are. They just need time to think about the decision we’re asking them to make.

Would you keep going to a grocery store if every time you went there to buy milk, the clerks pressured you to buy a steak? Imagine a clerk saying, "Today is the day of steak! Now is the time for steak! You must buy steak today because you might not have steak tomorrow!" At Saddleback, we believe that if unbelievers keep coming, the Holy Spirit eventually will create that hunger for "steak."

Unbelievers may choose not to respond –- and you must respect that without pressuring them –- but I feel the opportunity must always be offered. Too many pastors go fishing without ever reeling in the line.

One last thought: I don’t know exactly how my faith affects the spiritual battle that is waged for the souls of people, but I do know that when I expect unbelievers to respond to Christ, more do so than when I don’t expect people to be saved. I often pray "Father, you’ve said, ‘According to your faith it will be done unto you.’ I know it would be a waste of time to speak and not expect you to use it, so I thank you in advance that lives are going to be changed." Expect people to respond!
--30--
Rick Warren is pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of "The Purpose-Driven Life."


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FIRST-PERSON: Is God worthy of this?
by James M. Hamilton Jr.
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Upon watching ABC’s “The Ten Commandments,” I was grateful that the movie prompted me to think about some things the Bible says. For instance, there was a scene in which the faithful Israelites killed the idolatrous Israelites who refused to worship Yahweh (after the golden calf incident, see Exodus 32:25–29). As I watched these scenes, what came to my mind was the fact that not only do those who refuse to worship Yahweh meet with misery and death in this life, but they also face an eternal conscious torment.  

But why do people go to hell forever? 

Has this landed on you? Is it real to you that those who do not know God as He is will face His wrath forever? Have you thought about whether you think people deserve to suffer forever for not worshiping God? Can you think of any reason that would justify eternal conscious torment for a human being?

The only thing that makes this legitimate is that this God whom they had refused to honor and thank as God is of infinite worth. Do we know God in this way? 

If we don’t know God in this way, we probably won’t take worshiping Him very seriously, which probably explains why so many churches don’t seem very serious about knowing and worshiping God. 

When we think of God, do we think of Him as being this worthy? 

When we speak of God, do we speak of Him in a way that reflects that He is this serious about His rights as God?

When we sing to God, do we do so in a way that corresponds with the gravity with which He regards Himself? 

To know God as He is means that we hold Him so highly that we regard eternal conscious torment as what is justly due to those who neither honor Him as God nor give thanks to Him. 

Do you worship God in a way that reflects the awful weight of a mercy that freely pardons those who trust Jesus -- forgiving us of sins for which we rightly deserve to suffer forever? 

Is the God you worship so important that those who spurn Him deserve hell? If not, your concept of God is not biblical (Exodus 34:6–7; Isaiah 66:24; Matthew 26:24). 

If the god you worship is not so significant that those who deny Him the worship he is due will suffer forever for their wrongs, is the god you serve worthy of your worship? You are hereby invited to trust the God of the Bible and receive the mercy He has shown in Jesus. This is your only hope. Call on the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Romans 10:13).

Far more upsetting to us than the eternal punishment of the lost should be the fact that God is not glorified as God or thanked for His merciful kindness (Romans 1:21). We must pray that God will give us such an all-encompassing understanding of His infinite worth that we are more emotionally troubled when He is denied the glory and thanks He is due than we are when we contemplate hell. 

The great problem in the universe for us should not be why people go to hell; rather, we should be provoked when God is not given the thanks and praise He is due -- provoked like Paul and spurred to proclamation (see Acts 17:16-17). God must enable us to perceive His own incomprehensible wealth of magnificence and mercy so that we can see beyond the apparent decency of people and stare into the truth that they owe God heartfelt, constant thanks and praise. And the fact that they do not render to Him the worship that He deserves must become for us the greatest ugliness in all creation. 

If in our minds the worth of God is not this great, or if we are not confident that He will be justified in all He has done when all the evidence is brought forth, let us pray for grace to search the Scriptures and see there that the One from whom, through whom, and to whom all things are is indeed worthy of all the glory (Romans 11:36). 
--30--
James M. Hamilton Jr serves as assistant professor of biblical studies at the Houston Campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His first book, "God’s Indwelling Presence," is due out this August from Broadman & Holman.


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Welch, Chapman thank Reccord, voice optimism for future
by Staff
Date: April 17, 2006 - Monday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--The North American Mission Board may now be in transition, but Southern Baptists mustn’t waver in their commitment to reach the continent for Christ, SBC President Bobby Welch said April 17 after the resignation of NAMB President Bob Reccord.

“As NAMB’s first president, Dr. Reccord assumed a Herculean task in the launch of that new and expanded entity,” Welch said of NAMB’s 1997 launch as part of the SBC’s “Covenant for a New Century” restructuring.

“I and my wife will make our Annie Armstrong Offering this year the biggest and best ever,” Welch said of Southern Baptists’ yearly gifts to support NAMB’s work via 5,300 missionaries across the United States and Canada.

“I personally am urging all Southern Baptists and their churches to now demonstrate their best support ever for NAMB’s missionaries and ministries!” Welch continued in a statement released to Baptist Press. “That can best be done by our gifts to not only Annie Armstrong but, of course, the Cooperative Program as well,” he said, referencing the CP channel through which Southern Baptists, through their churches, also support SBC causes and the work of their state conventions.

“NAMB’s future is critical to world change for the cause of Christ and lost souls,” Welch noted in his statement. “The SBC has never needed NAMB to do its best like now. NAMB now demands seasoned, experienced, trusted, focused leadership like never before to double its primary focus upon evangelism and new church starts.”

Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC’s Executive Committee, said in a statement to Baptist Press:

“Bob Reccord is a friend, colleague and brother in Christ.  I will miss working with him as president of the North American Mission Board.  He is both a visionary leader and gifted communicator, and I’m convinced he will have a significant and fulfilling ministry in the Lord’s service for many years to come.

“Bob has been faithful to follow the Lord’s leadership through his life and, no doubt, will continue to do so.  I have every confidence that God will open doors of opportunity for Bob to maximize his tremendous talents for the sake of God’s Kingdom.  

“Fortunately, the work of the Southern Baptist Convention in general and the North American Mission Board in particular will go forward because it is greater than one man,” Chapman said. “That work of showing and sharing the love of Christ will advance through NAMB missionaries and faithful Southern Baptists. I never cease to be amazed how God continues to bless Southern Baptists in reaching people with His Gospel.

“In some respects, I have also been encouraged by the whole process,” Chapman said. “Questions were asked by Southern Baptists. Inquiries were made by the trustees of NAMB. Accountability was required of the leadership. Action was taken by the leadership that was ultimately in the best interests of NAMB and of the Southern Baptists Convention. This experience, as painful as it may have been, demonstrates once again that we can be confident in the ministries made possible through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ lifeline of support for cooperative missions. I commend Dr. Reccord and the trustees for honoring Christ in the way they worked through this process.”

Chapman concluded by stating, “... we pray for Bob and his wife, Cheryl, as they seek God’s guidance for the future. We also prayerfully anticipate that God will raise up His man for this particular time in the life of the North American Mission Board. I ask all Southern Baptists to begin praying that God’s choice will be so clear and definitive to the trustee search committee that His perfect will shall be unmistakable. The very soul of America is at stake.”

Welch, in his statement to Baptist Press, also said, “The trustees of NAMB and their chairman, pastor Barry Holcomb, have done and are doing an extraordinary job responding in a very timely and trustworthy manner to the challenges pressed upon them in the recent months. All of the ministries, personnel, trustees and the search committee deserve our prayers and very best support.”

Welch added his commendation to Reccord for his leadership as NAMB’s first president, noting, “One reflection of his innovative and creative guidance led to the coordination of the state conventions’ disaster relief ministries. That resulted in an unprecedented and nationally recognized help to our world and nation as well as the pastors and people of the Southern Baptist Convention. Such leadership also explored and test a number of contemporary opportunities for reaching out to the lost world with the Gospel.”

Now, Welch said, “Dr. Reccord’s resignation signals the next great step and stage for the relatively new NAMB.”

Reccord was senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Norfolk, Va., from 1992 until his selection as NAMB’s president. Earlier he had served as senior pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., and co-pastor of Carmel Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. He also is a former director of leadership training for Evangelism Explosion International.

NAMB primarily was formed in 1997 in the SBC restructuring’s merger of the former Home Mission Board, Radio and Television Commission and Brotherhood Commission.
--30--



