The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/24/2009 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 generation of the next CP generation by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When it was explained, it made sense. This was the sentiment from Southern Baptist seminary students across the nation who recently chimed in with their observations about the Cooperative Program. "I have increased my personal giving to missions since I was introduced to the Cooperative Program," said Issa Haddad, a Jordanian student at Southern California Seminary, which is affiliated with Shadow Mountain Community Church, a San Diego-area Southern Baptist congregation. "I had no background on the Cooperative Program whatsoever, but when it was explained to me, it made sense. "At first I thought the SBC received all of this money from churches [and] probably the money is being used in administrative costs," Haddad said. "But learning that only a small amount goes to administrative work, and the rest goes to the different ministries that the SBC supports -- missionaries, seminaries, planting churches.... -- I see the impact of the CP. And the extent of the CP reach is far more than we can imagine, or than one or a group of churches can do or can imagine to do." The rolling conversation started with a group of students from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Southern California Seminary who, during spring break, toured the offices of the SBC Executive Committee, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville and the North American Mission Board in metro Atlanta. The 10 students who joined Haddad gave similar comments about what some of them had known since childhood -– and what was brand-new to others. The Cooperative Program's reach was spread out before them in the faces of the people they talked with, including Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, and in the examples of CP gifts at work. Haddad and the other students are part of the Unlimited Partnerships program, ministering in a support role at a church in the New Orleans or San Diego area through a stipend paid by an out-of-area church. Bobby Wood, a New Orleans Theological Seminary student who started out in life as an independent Baptist, joined the Southern Baptist-related Baptist Collegiate Ministries group at his secular college, serving one summer as a BCM missionary in Burley, Idaho in youth and children's ministries. "I didn't pay one cent for that trip, all thanks to the Cooperative Program," said Wood, another Unlimited Partnerships participant. "It was really during that summer that I saw firsthand what the SBC was unified by, and that was taking the truth of God's Word and proclaiming it to all peoples and all nations. Because of that summer and the following summers working for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, I learned that the Cooperative Program took care of IMB, NAMB, seminaries. "My respect [for the Southern Baptist Convention] grew even more after going to a convention [annual meeting] myself and realizing that everyone has a voice, no matter how big or how small their church is," Wood continued. "I was amazed at how many churches were connected, and also that the one thing that connected each church to the others was the Cooperative Program." Beyond the Unlimited Partnerships participants, Garrett Wishall, a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, joined the conversation via e-mail. "I first heard about the Cooperative Program during my first semester" in the fall of 2005, Wishall wrote. "Southern requires first semester students to take a course on the Cooperative Program. As I learned about the history of the Southern Baptist Convention's missions funding efforts, I began to see the value of the Cooperative Program. Instead of having various entities coming into local churches and competing for local church funds, the Cooperative Program enables a unity of purpose and effort that releases competitive tension. "With the Cooperative Program, my seminary education is substantially more affordable," Wishall continued. "Most importantly, with the Cooperative Program, thousands of missionaries can be funded in both North America and across the world, freeing them to focus on the task of making disciples of all nations. One [non-SBC] missionary family who is a friend of my family is in the midst of an extended hiatus from their missions work in Mexico because they have not been able to retain the financial support they need to serve as missionaries. With the Cooperative Program, this problem is solved. "As someone who did not grow up in the Southern Baptist Convention, I was not aware that this type of extensive cooperation among autonomous local churches existed," Wishall wrote. "The Cooperative Program is one excellent way for such local churches to work together for the purpose of training faithful Gospel ministers and making disciples of all nations." The first time Kenneth Seal heard about the Cooperative Program, he was in Royal Ambassadors, a missions education program in many Southern Baptist churches. Today as an Unlimited Partnerships student at New Orleans Seminary, Seal said he is a strong advocate of the Cooperative Program. "The CP is a wonderful way for churches to unite in the cause for Christ," Seal said. "It helps smaller churches take part in worldwide missions. It also helps churches avoid being isolated or insulated by self-interest. "The CP not only unites churches in reaching millions for Christ around the world, but it takes the concept of tithing to the corporate level," Seal continued. "When a church faithfully gives to CP, it relinquishes control of that money and faithfully asks God to do with it what He will. It keeps the focus of the church from solely being about the church or its limited viewpoint." Aylwin Woleng, a student from India who attends Southern California Seminary, was much like several others Baptist Press talked with: He had no knowledge of the Cooperative Program until he participated in the Unlimited Partnerships tour. "It is amazing to me how CP functions," Woleng said. "The magnitude of its operation and the various ministries and projects CP is sponsoring was very encouraging. I learned [on the tour] that while CP [includes an] emphasis on building future leadership through sponsoring seminaries and [an] education system, CP also strongly supports the existing churches and community for development and in ministry activities. I also learned that CP does not have boundaries. It reaches out to places and people who need help. It is truly a wonderful program. "All this operation needs a lot of dollars and that's another thing that amazes me," Woleng continued. "If I understand well, CP is not the centralized body of the denomination. Instead, it is kind of a representative of the denomination. The church functions at its autonomy, but the local church contributes what they can [to CP]. To me it just shows the faith and support of the local church to CP and its ministries and that is one uniqueness of Southern Baptists. "The magnitude of ministry CP is able to accomplish cannot be accomplished by local churches," Woleng said. "A small church is also given a privilege to be a part of big programs through CP. I believe CP also brings about oneness within the Southern Baptist Convention even though each local church functions autonomously as they contribute to the programs of CP. CP focuses on helping fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ and that is the main reason why CP is successful and should be supported. "Thank you," Woleng said, "for giving me the privilege to take a tour at SBC, LifeWay, and to all the leadership who gave their precious time and talked to us, for the warm, family-like hospitality, for the passion each has shown for the Great Commission." Tony Rancatore Jr., a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, recounted in an e-mail, "The Cooperative Program was first explained to me in Baptist History class in college. I think that the Cooperative Program is an effective and, more importantly, a biblical method for SBC churches to partner together to financially support ministry done by SBC churches. "The primary reason I support the Cooperative Program," Rancatore wrote, "is because it enables members of SBC churches who go to the mission field, foreign or domestic, to financially remain in the field. Also, as a current seminary student I am grateful to the CP and its support to help provide top-notch theological education at a relatively low cost. Without the CP it would be significantly more difficult to attend seminary. Finally, the CP allows the members of SBC churches to participate in supporting other churches in the work of the ministry." But for all the good that was said about the Cooperative Program, the seminary students had some concerns. Emily Harper, a student at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, said that while she appreciated all Southern Baptists had done for her in providing tuition support and more, she would not limit God's call to work only within an SBC framework. "My generation seems to be drawn to alternative modes and methods of missional living and church participation," Harper reflected. "I would hope the CP could be flexible and support this cultural shift, and be more open to supporting those who are untraditional ministers." Paul Rochford, an Unlimited Partnerships student at Southern California Seminary, said pastoral support is needed in order for the Cooperative Program "to flourish in the coming generations.... Pastors need to be behind the program and continue to support it from the pulpit. If the pastors are not behind it, then the people certainly will not be." Rochford added that this generation "needs to be broken for the lost. The greater one's heart for those perishing, the greater one's support for reaching them." Jacob Glasz, serving as an Unlimited Partnership youth/discipleship pastor at First Baptist Church in Norco, La., heard about the Cooperative Program since listening to missionary speakers at his childhood church. Affirming the Cooperative Program as an effective means for Southern Baptists to engage in global evangelization, Glasz said, "My first thought about the Cooperative Program was that it is a great way for the average church member to participate in missions. The CP has proven itself to be an effective program through the decades." --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message, official newsjournal for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CP resonates for Jordanian seminarian by Erin Roach Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: The Southern Baptist Convention has designated April 26 as Cooperative Program Sunday. EL CAJON, Calif. (BP)--At 29, Ibrahim Halabi* is an enthusiastic Southern Baptist who supports the Cooperative Program and hopes to become a missionary after finishing his seminary education. Halabi was born in New York but raised in Jordan, where his parents were Christians in an Arab nation. In college, he attended a Christian camp for students and sensed the Holy Spirit working in his life. "When I went back home, I was singing the songs that they were singing, and I found myself kneeling beside my bed and praying," Halabi said, recounting his testimony to Baptist Press. As he graduated from college in Jordan, Halabi wanted to study theology. Because of his U.S. citizenship, he decided to move to the United States to attend seminary. He ended up at Southern California Seminary, which is affiliated with Shadow Mountain Community Church, a San Diego-area Southern Baptist congregation. It was there that he noticed an advertisement for Unlimited Partnerships, a ministry that trains future church leaders through mentoring and networking. Halabi was accepted into the program and was matched with Rolland Slade, pastor of Meridian Baptist Church, a multiethnic congregation in El Cajon, Calif. "I've never really asked him how he felt that first day," Slade said, "but I'm African American and I don't know if he thought, 'Where am I going?' in terms of where this church was going to be." Halabi serves as Meridian Baptist's minister of education, with his salary paid by a sponsoring congregation, Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark. In addition to his studies, he meets regularly with Slade to strategize for the church. Since Halabi's arrival through the Unlimited Partnerships program, Meridian has seen a steady growth in overall attendance and Sunday School as well as Cooperative Program giving. "Currently we are running 85-90 in Sunday School. When he started we were running 65-70," Slade said. "As you can see just from the numbers, our Sunday School is growing. What you cannot see is the enthusiasm that has developed." To supplement his training, Halabi was one of about 10 Unlimited Partnerships students to make a trip to Nashville, Tenn., and metro Atlanta in March to learn more about the Southern Baptist Convention. They toured offices and met with leaders from the Executive Committee, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, LifeWay Christian Resources and the North American Mission Board. "Overall I really was impressed with the information," Halabi said. "My appreciation for Southern Baptists grew from that trip." Because he hopes to be a missionary someday, Halabi said he especially was touched by what he heard at NAMB about church planting. But what stood out most from the trip, he said, was what he learned about the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists' unified giving plan for national and international missions and ministries. Before the trip, Halabi knew little about CP -- only that his church gave money to it. He thought the money probably was being used mostly for SBC administrative costs. He learned, though, that only a small amount of CP gifts are used for administration and most of it supports missions and seminaries. "Also, financially it's supported by many churches. It's not one church or a small group of churches," he said. "It's many churches that give, so it's reliable." Halabi was impressed with the fact that smaller Southern Baptist churches can partner to support thousands of missionaries when otherwise they couldn't afford to send even one. "With the Cooperative Program they are able to send as many as they want," he said. Slade said Halabi came back from the trip "completely sold on the idea of being a Southern Baptist." "You can explain it to a degree to people, and I think I did a good job of explaining it and showing him where he could find more information to read, but when he actually went there and sat down with Dr. [Johnny] Hunt and Dr. [Morris H.] Chapman, he came back saying, 'Wow, this is so much bigger than I ever thought it was.' I told him, 'I could explain it to you, but you really had to see it.'" Halabi plans to graduate from Southern California Seminary in May with a master of divinity degree, and then he hopes to pursue a doctorate in education before venturing back to the Middle East to share his faith. "Our missionaries are being supported without worrying about how they are going to make it out on the field and if their sponsors will continue to support them or not," Halabi said. "This is being taken care of by the Cooperative Program." Since learning more about the Cooperative Program, Halabi said he has increased his personal giving to missions. "I just needed to be reminded of the importance and the impact that CP is having in North America and also in the world," he said. --30-- *Name changed. Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC Cooperative Program: A sacred effort by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is adapted in part from the introduction of "One Sacred Effort, The Cooperative Program of Southern Baptists" by Chad Owen Brand and David E. Hankins. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--There was a crisis brewing in the 1920s. Resources were needed to get the work done. An inadequate collection and distribution system was impeding progress. Projects that had great potential were started, only to fail because supply could not keep pace with demand. People began to look for a solution. A visionary plan was suggested. Some said it was impossible -- too much red tape, too many obstacles to overcome and too much political resistance. For sure, the plan was complicated and risky. It would involve setting aside regional differences. It would require a willingness to work together. Intensive strategic planning, financial sacrifice and years of hard work would be necessary. But the struggle was worth it. It was a resounding success. So it was that President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at the celebration of this great success -- "the completion of the greatest dam in the world, rising 726 feet above the bed-rock of the [Colorado] river, and altering the geography of a whole region." Through cooperation and sacrifice and labor, the vast unmanageable resources [of the Colorado River] were harnessed for strategic and significant achievement. The construction of the Hoover Dam was a great solution to a great problem! There was another crisis brewing in the 1920s. It, too, was a problem of inadequate support for critical endeavors. A people called Southern Baptists were seeking to fulfill the dream they had articulated 80 years before at the founding of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1845, they had created their convention for the purpose of "organizing a plan for eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the whole denomination in one sacred effort, for the propagation of the Gospel." Yet their effort was being hampered by lack of resources. The number of denominational enterprises and institutions was growing. Each needed support. Each went about seeking the contributions of the congregations. Sunday by Sunday, fundraisers from seminaries and colleges, orphanages and hospitals, mission boards and benevolent organizations fanned out among the churches asking the faithful for help. Some fared better than others. Some years were better than others. The gifts were distributed unevenly. The more popular, or perhaps the swifter, received a disproportionate share of the offerings. Other important ministries went begging. Furthermore, the costs of raising the money sometimes approached 50 percent of the proceeds. The churches were beleaguered by an endless stream of denominational representatives needing "pulpit time" to make their appeals. On the whole, the results were discouraging. No one was being adequately supported. The convention had a dream of "eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the whole denomination," but they had no mechanism to make the dream come true. Until 1925. Then the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Memphis, Tenn., adopted a recommendation from its Future Program Commission chaired by Louisiana pastor M.E. Dodd creating the "Co-Operative Program of Southern Baptists." What the Hoover Dam became to agriculture and industry in the southwestern United States, the Cooperative Program would become to Southern Baptists. A CONTINUING HERITAGE There were ambitious expectations when the Cooperative Program was first envisioned, and today it has grown into one of the largest and most effective voluntary funding programs for advancing the work of the Great Commission. As hoped, Southern Baptists’ unified plan has overcome the unreliability of societal giving. Last year, Southern Baptists contributed more than $530 million through the Cooperative Program, with more than $200 million forwarded to SBC national entities, the third year in a row gifts through this primary funding channel have exceeded this threshold. Moreover, the dependability of the Cooperative Program has proven its value, especially now. Although other sources of funding have been severely stricken during the current economic crisis (endowments have dropped in value and interest earned on investments has fallen), faithful giving has kept SBC entities within one percent of expected distributions of Cooperative Program gifts. This consistency ensures the fulltime deployment of about 5,500 missionaries overseas and the support in whole or in partnership with states of another 5,600 missionaries in the U.S. and its territories, Puerto Rico as well as Canada. It is the primary funding source for cooperative ministries among Southern Baptists at the national level and is supplemented by special offerings such as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering to expand ministry efforts at home and abroad. Last year the Cooperative Program helped underwrite the education of more than 16,500 men and women enrolled in the SBC’s six seminaries -- the largest evangelical seminary system in the world. Likewise, the Cooperative Program makes possible nationally coordinated ministries like World Changers (since 1990, Southern Baptists have rehabilitated more than 19,000 homes, mostly in inner cities, at no cost to the owners) and it is the reason Southern Baptists can react immediately in the midst of crises to offer relief to the hurting as well as sustain operations to the end of the recovery period and beyond: The Cooperative Program provides permanent organizations which coordinate disaster relief (Southern Baptists support the third largest disaster relief organization behind the Red Cross and Salvation Army) and distribute aid for hunger relief (since 1974, through the World Hunger Fund Southern Baptists have contributed nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to alleviate world hunger). The very name helps define Southern Baptists as a people, and as a funding channel for Kingdom enterprise the Cooperative Program ensures we can minister to those in need and carry the good news of the Gospel to the lost, at home and around the globe. But the Cooperative Program is the more than just the lifeblood of New Testament cooperation among Southern Baptists. The Cooperative Program is the heart of Southern Baptist missions and ministries to the world. --30-- Compiled by John Kyle, director of Cooperative Program development with the SBC Executive Committee, and Will Hall, executive editor of Baptist Press. For more information, visit www.sbc.net/cp. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Voices of cooperation, coast to coast by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: The following compilation of quotes from pastors and other Baptist leaders across the country describe the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists' method of supporting missions and ministries of state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. CP Sunday is April 26 in churches across the SBC. The quotes are from a monthly series dating back to 2001 on churches that provide significant CP missions support. Some pastors may have moved on to new places of service. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—In Southern Baptist churches across the country, the Cooperative Program is known -- and utilized in reaching the ends of the earth with the Gospel. April 26 is Cooperative Program Sunday in churches across the Southern Baptist Convention. In short, the Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists' method of supporting missions and ministries of state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. But here's the larger story, from the heart of pastors and other leaders: ALABAMA "I think the Cooperative Program is one of the most ingenious funding mechanisms ever created and I support it. The Cooperative Program allows me to participate with other Southern Baptists in Kingdom work." –- Ed Litton, pastor, First Baptist Church of North Mobile, Saraland "The Cooperative Program makes it easier for our missionaries to know their needs are met. While they're out serving, we're holding the rope for them, providing resources so they can be busy about what they're called to do: Share the Gospel and continue the work." –- Travis Coleman, pastor, First Baptist Church, Prattville ALASKA "There's strength in numbers. That's what makes the Cooperative Program work.... With the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ working through us, and with us working together, we can make a difference in God's Kingdom. The Cooperative Program allows us to be involved in missions with other churches in a way we could never do alone.... There's just a synergy that happens when people work together." –- Randy Graham, pastor, Grandview Baptist Church, Anchorage ARIZONA "I just think it's a principle. If I am going to ask my church members to give 10 percent, it would be sort of blasphemous if the church didn't. And besides ... why not give to thousands of missionaries, rather than just one or two? It's just such a great tool for global evangelization. I believe a church that is not globally minded will never be locally effective." –- Billy Van Camp, pastor, San Tan Heights Baptist Church, Queen Creek "Real Kingdom work is cooperative work because we're not going to reach the masses without cooperating. It's just an impossibility. The more strands in the rope, the stronger the rope; the greater the work, the more you can lift. The Cooperative Program works. It gets more missionaries to the field effectively doing Kingdom work than any other method." -- Steve Ballew, pastor, Trinity Southern Baptist Church, Casa Grande ARKANSAS "Involvement in missions –- giving, going and praying –- has motivated our church family to give more sacrificially to our church's budget and to be more excited about reaching the lost people of our area.... Every Christian needs to be part of something bigger than himself, bigger than his own little part of the world. Then he gets a sense of what Christianity is all about –- the love, the unselfishness, the burden for people. People who are involved in the action are more fulfilled Christians. Our commitment is to missions at home and abroad and we need to be as faithful as a church body as we ask our church members to be. We wanted to set the example for them in catching a vision for the world mission effort of our Southern Baptist Convention." –- Stephen P. Davis, pastor, First Baptist Church, Russellville CALIFORNIA "The Cooperative Program is a way in which we can fulfill the biblical mandate. It's a way in which our resources -- regardless of the sizes of our churches -- can accomplish a common goal -- of going into all the world and preaching the Good News that God loves all people. The Cooperative Program is the very essence of the reason for the existence of the church. We stand with the SBC's strong commitment to reach all people and fulfill the Great Commission. Our philosophy is that if we teach our members to tithe, we as a church should tithe. We see the SBC as the church's church, and that's where our tithe goes." –- Horatio Jones, pastor, Fremont Bible Fellowship, Fremont "The Cooperative Program is a way God gave Southern Baptists to respond to the world's needs like Jesus. When we give we can be sure that our dollar will do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. –- E.W. McCall Sr., pastor, St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, La Puente "More gets done when we work together and put aside our individual goals to seek a corporate goal of reaching the world for Christ. Giving to the Cooperative Program is also a step of faith as a church, that we trust God by giving sacrificially to his cause outside our own sphere of ministry. It's kind of like tithing. We do what God leads us to do, and part of that leading is to give to the Cooperative Program to help in the doing of what we aren't able physically be a part of." –- Tomas Angulo, pastor, First Bilingual Baptist Church, Pico Rivera COLORADO "A pastor has to ask, what could we do in impacting the lostness in our world if every person would get involved in the Cooperative Program? How many more people could be reached? What could we do if every church cooperated the way they want their members to cooperate? If we're not as a church giving at least 10 percent to the Cooperative Program, how can we ask our members to tithe? I know there are other ways of doing missions, but there is no better way than the Cooperative Program. I'm talking to you as a former missionary. The Cooperative Program is the most effective way to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why we're involved with it." –- Calvin Wittman, pastor, Applewood Baptist Church, Wheat Ridge "One thing I know: God blesses the churches that support missions and missions giving through the Cooperative Program. We've always given through the Cooperative Program –- it's the best program out there –- but we haven't always given 10 percent. When I went on [Colorado Baptists'] executive board and saw all that we were doing with that money just in our state alone, I thought we needed to be giving 10 percent. In the past, we had problems paying our bills, but since we started giving 10 percent to the Cooperative Program, we've not had that problem.... The work of a missionary is more than just preaching the Word. It's life to live, people to help and difficulties to go through. With the Cooperative Program, you've got some support there; otherwise, you'd have to do that –- raise your own support –- on top of everything else." -- Larry Mallett, pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Grand Junction FLORIDA "When you follow His leadership in giving, He provides.... It's important to us to be a good neighbor in our community. But with the Cooperative Program we go global." –- Mike Orr, pastor, First Baptist Church, Chipley "We have a missionary heart, and the Cooperative Program is a help to us in this. Our membership is very efficient in the offerings so all of us support the missionary work because we feel that is the most important part of our church. To win souls for Jesus Christ is the most important part of our church and should be every Christian's priority." –- Herberto Becerra, pastor, Primera Iglesia Bautista, Plantation GEORGIA "To me, the Cooperative Program is a no-brainer. It's just such a well-rounded ministry. Through the Cooperative Program, we support more than 10,000 missionaries around the world, plus schools, medical programs and so much more. We focus strongly on taking the Gospel to the world, beginning here at home, and through the Cooperative Program, throughout the entire world." –- Larry Wynn, pastor, Hebron Baptist Church, Dacula "The Cooperative Program provides a structure for missions that I find maturing believers are attracted to. What the Cooperative Program tells these people is that we have a safe way -- a tried and tested, most effective way -- of partnering in missions in North America and around the world that they can be a part of." –- Charlie Bridges, pastor, Grove Level Baptist Church, Dalton "We're committed to it. It works. It brings unity and keeps us focused on what we're called to do. Two can do more than one is the basic fundamental, and when you talk about millions pointed in the same direction, think of what God can do." -- Jim Bledsoe, associate pastor for missions, evangelism and administration at Grove Level Baptist Church "The church made a commitment more than 30 years ago to steadily increase giving to the Cooperative Program. But it's not enough to give money.... When our church goes somewhere and does something for another church, God will bless us for that effort.... [T]he genius of the Cooperative Program is not how much a church gives, but the percentage. Think what we could do if every Southern Baptist church made a goal of at least 10 percent to the Cooperative Program.... I graduated from Southern Seminary and New Orleans Seminary, and I never could have afforded that if it had not been for the Cooperative Program. That's a personal issue for me." –- Fred Evers, pastor, Northside Baptist Church, Tifton HAWAII "No one church, no matter how big, could begin to even think of doing together what we [as Southern Baptists] can do through the Cooperative Program. We have people here [at Olivet] with ties to Korea, South Pacific islands –- at least seven ethnicities –- and because of the Cooperative Program, no one has to feel Southern Baptists don't care about their homeland. Like a blanket of God's love, the Cooperative Program spreads across the entire world." –- David Hockney, pastor, Olivet Baptist Church, Honolulu IDAHO "When we're involved in missions, the Cooperative Program is always there to help. When we partner up to do missions work, it's a joint partnership with all Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program. We believe it's important to reach our community for Christ and to have an influence in our world. The Cooperative Program helps us do both. It's the best missions giving and missions opportunity out there. It's the best budgeting tool that exists." –- Kirk Casey, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Idaho Falls "There is no other way you could spend your money and have it do more than with the Cooperative Program. I think the Cooperative Program is one of the greatest tools God has ever put together to reach the world. CP money is where most all of us start, here in Idaho. It was CP money that began [Southern Baptist work in] Elk City, and [Southern Baptist work] in Kamiah before that. Kamiah started the work in Elk City, and Elk City's where I became a Christian. The Cooperative Program has been the backbone of the mission work for the Southern Baptist Convention. It's been a blessing to the association, to the churches, in our church and throughout the world. There's just no other way you could spend your money and have it do more than with the Cooperative Program." –- Bill Horn, pastor, First Baptist Church, Clearwater "The needs in Maryville are tremendous, but who's to say there aren't greater needs elsewhere? We believe the Cooperative Program is the best way to meet mission needs around the world. It doesn't matter if there's a direct benefit to us, because it benefits others.... God affirmed the principle that it is better to give than to receive. We discovered the blessing of not thinking of our own needs, but to think of the needs of others. We give to the Cooperative Program because it's right, and it benefits others. As we learn the discipline of giving, we step into the abundance of God." –- Fred Winters, pastor, First Baptist Church, Maryville INDIANA "For our church, the Cooperative Program isn't just a good team process; it's also good business. Where else can a church's financial investment reap such eternal rewards? Through the Cooperative Program we get to have a hand in all six SBC seminaries, affect policy in our nation's capital, and have a hand in missionary efforts all around the world. It's a unique team process. There's nothing like it and I believe it is just one reason Southern Baptists remain so effective." –- David Pope, pastor, Western Avenue Baptist Church, Connersville IOWA "This [2008 flood] definitely was an object lesson for the Cooperative Program. We were greatly blessed, our community was greatly blessed and church members could see in a fresh way the cooperative efforts of Southern Baptists and the blessings that flowed from that. I think the Southern Baptist style of cooperating for missions is a distinctive that is worth trumpeting because of the coordinated fashion for extending the Kingdom -- both in North America and around the world. It's a strategic effort worthy of support." –- Dan Wiersema, pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids KANSAS "It's the unity of all the churches working together for a common purpose that makes the Cooperative Program possible. It's having a plan and working that plan –- that's what we have with the Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program gives me the opportunity to share in a global mission effort while my heart cry is to this continent. We give to missions because there's a world that's lost and if we don't give to missions they won't be reached." –- Ray Kempel, pastor, First Southern Baptist Church, Hutchinson KENTUCKY "We ought to be connecting around the world, and the Cooperative Program lets us do just that. I frequently remind our folks that when they return their tithes and give their offerings, their money literally goes all over the world. This is something to be proud of, including helping ministers through seminary and being a part of [post-hurricane] ministry efforts in New Orleans. The Cooperative Program is a reminder to us that every member really is a minister. It's more than what happens at 307 Center St. [the church's address]. Some growth isn't always reflected on reports we look at here. It's growth we might not see or know about until we get to heaven." –- Todd Linn, pastor, First Baptist Church, Henderson LOUISIANA "I have friends in ministry all over the globe because of the Cooperative Program. I can't improve on how the Cooperative Program allows me as an individual and us as a church to be involved in global, Kingdom-seeking ministry. We can do more together for Kingdom purposes than any of us could on our own. Each of our pastoral staff has personally benefited from SBC seminary education. When we take in all the ministries funded by the CP, it solidifies our commitment and conviction in doing cooperative ministry." –- James Law, pastor, First Baptist Church, Gonzales "Our leadership on down understands well about the Cooperative Program; that's why we support it so many years. The Cooperative Program means to work together for the Great Commission. One person cannot do by himself. That's scriptural. That's why Jesus built His church and not just one temple." –- Vinh Nguyen, associate pastor, Vietnamese Hope Baptist Church, Baton Rouge "We experienced the reality of the Cooperative Program [after Hurricane Katrina]. We give 10 percent –- we consider it a tithe. We know the good the Cooperative Program does here in Louisiana and around the world. But there's a difference between knowing something and experiencing it. We've had hundreds of people working on our church. I'd say maybe even close to a thousand. Churches large and small, working together to do something that without the joint effort would have been overwhelming. That's what the Cooperative Program does. I've made a commitment that every church I pastor is going to give 10 percent or more to the Cooperative Program. One, I just feel comfortable doing it. That money goes to support missionaries. To me, it's like the tithe of the church. I have pastor buddies who disagree with me, but I can tell you –- we, as a church, we give to the overall work of the Kingdom. It's a great way to be involved in missions.... Because of the Cooperative Program we have a part in the salvation of souls, and that's what it's all about –- God's redemptive work all over the world." –- John Galey, pastor, Poydras Baptist Church, Poydras MARYLAND "To me the Cooperative Program is a dynamic way of supporting Kingdom work at many levels in the church. It allows us to support future church leaders through the seminaries, current international and national missionaries through IMB and NAMB, works of ethics and justice through the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and educating our local membership through denominational publications." –- Eric Redmond, pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Temple Hills "I'm a product of a Southern Baptist seminary and the Cooperative Program made it possible for me to go. I'll always remember that. You see why it's so important to give to the Cooperative Program? When you don't give here, you break faith with our missionaries halfway around the world. Our people see that when they give that dollar, it goes everywhere, because millions of other Southern Baptists also are giving. –- Lyn O'Berry, pastor, Linthicum Baptist Church, Linthicum MASSACHUSETTS "People around the world are drawn to God's love by people who already have that love, and the more of that love you share, the more you have to share –- and to keep." The Cooperative Program works the same way. Without the broad vision of the Cooperative Program, you have tunnel vision that limits you. With it, you can see that the more you're able to give, the more you will be blessed. –- Bob Remic, pastor, Victory Baptist Church, Brant Rock MICHIGAN "Our first priority of the church's giving is the Cooperative Program." The Cooperative Program is the greatest blessing God has given to Southern Baptists. Here's how it works: When I first came here and we were a small church, we needed help from others. Between our national convention, state convention and association, we were on the receiving end of the Cooperative Program. They helped us get through difficult times. … God used other people to help us. But now we are a church that's on the giving end. In fact, two years ago we reached a wonderful milestone: We gave more to missions than the budget was for the entire first year I came here to the church. So now by our giving we can help other churches like we were [helped]." –- Herb Harbaugh, pastor, Memorial Baptist Church, Sterling Heights MINNESOTA "This is the beginning place, the launching place, but through the Cooperative Program we also have a joy in being involved in the work that goes so far beyond us. It is quite simply the best plan. I think the Lord gave it to us to do missions in a way that would be supportive and strengthening to the mission work we do both locally and globally. It's a joy to the congregation to realize that when we give on Sunday here in Rochester, we're supporting not only the local work, but we're also reaching around the world, supporting a worldwide ministry through our cooperation. We're helping to fund thousands of missionaries around the world. This emphasis on multiplication through cooperation is very exciting to our congregation." –- George Ray, pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Rochester MISSISSIPPI "We're committed to maintaining our level of commitment to the Cooperative Program because, number one, we know what it means to have nothing. We understand the value of a cooperative partnership because we have benefited from the cooperative efforts of Southern Baptists around the nation. But even before [Hurricane] Katrina, we knew the value of the Cooperative Program. It gives the church an organized and efficient channel ... [to] engage in significant Gospel ministry that impacts people in time and for eternity." –- LaRue Stephens, pastor, First Baptist Church, Long Beach "When we give to the Cooperative Program we are investing in the Kingdom of God and in eternity, because God uses our resources to see people saved. What better investment is there than that...? I've been Southern Baptist all my life. I've seen the way we send our missionaries and train people to be missionaries. The Cooperative Program is a vital way for churches to cooperate and get more done than one church could ever do by itself.... I try to stress to our church that we're not a lone ranger church. We're part of a whole uniting together to see the Kingdom expand to God's honor and glory.... We place a maximum amount of importance on the Lordship of Christ. He's the head of the church. He gave us the Great Commission and we feel like we need to take that commandment seriously. He limits us to 'the ends of the earth,' and to fulfill that mandate, we need the Cooperative Program." –- Wade Humphries, pastor, Longview Point Baptist Church, Hernando MISSOURI "Giving to the Cooperative Program teaches our people that we don't live in a box here. The Bible tells us that we have a responsibility to be disciples and to make disciples of all nations. We can't all physically go, but we can all give. I don't think giving money excuses you from going, but I do think giving helps our congregation realize we are helping fulfill the discipleship mandate of the Great Commission. The Cooperative Program is the greatest, the wisest, the most resourceful way of supporting missionaries around the globe. It enables local churches that would not have the ability to support a missionary on their own to be part of a global missions strategy. I think the Cooperative Program is essential because it's the best way of getting resources spread out across the world." –- Phil Bray, pastor, First Baptist Church, Puxico "One of the greatest tools we have is working together. The way we cooperate and work together has allowed us to do far more than we ever could on our own. I believe one reason our church is financially blessed is because we give freely -– from the heart. You can't out-give God. The Cooperative Program helps people unite in ministry –- to have a common goal, a common task. It keeps us from playing tug-o-war; we're all pulling in the same direction." –- John Rhodes, pastor, New Bethel Baptist Church, Jackson "I could add 10 more staff locally and not have the impact that we can by giving faithfully to the Cooperative Program. It is, I think, the most ingenious strategy we have as Southern Baptists; it's the most effective. It works! It allows us in Centralia to have that worldwide impact. The genius of the Cooperative Program is that it harnesses energy built up by a local church's members. People get involved, learn and do missions and ministry at the local church level. That gives them a vision, outlet and method for Kingdom-expanding global evangelization. … For someone who struggles with a commitment to tithe, it's a good way to show the benefit of doing so. And it's a good way for a church to be giving a large percentage of their monies to missions around the world and never missing it." –- Jim Tolliver, pastor, First Baptist Church, Centralia MONTANA "For me, the Cooperative Program helps provide the financial security our missionaries need and deserve after having already given up so much else in their lives." –- Darwin Scofield, pastor, Libby Baptist Church, Libby "While Fellowship Baptist may be a relatively small church, we know that we participate in missions across our country and around the world and are a part of reaching the lost with the Gospel message by our support of the Cooperative Program. It helps [our church members] have a sense of ownership in mission endeavors. Every week we share stories from the International Mission Board or North American Mission Board as part of our worship service to keep people up to date about the mission endeavors we help support through the Cooperative Program." –- Ken Kirby, pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church, Billings "I am a Southern Baptist because of the Cooperative Program. I served overseas with an independent mission agency in my younger days and saw how much difficulty the missionaries had staying on the field because of a lack of funds. Not so with Southern Baptists. Because we cooperate we see more go [to the mission field] and more stay [on the mission field.] We also accomplish so much more by cooperating together in our giving. Hospitals, health care, schools, universities, orphanages, political action and more are all a part of what we can do when we work together. I believe this is biblical, worthwhile and very productive. Consequently I am and will be a Southern Baptist so as to help see our world touched more effectively for my Lord Jesus. -– B.G. Stumberg, pastor, Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church, Helena NEVADA "By giving to the Cooperative Program, we don't have to be concerned about 'How do we help?' We're already helping. We're supporting missions, we're supporting families, we're supporting disaster relief through the Cooperative Program.... The Cooperative Program is an instrument that is used to break down the strongholds and the barriers of sin and an instrument of delivering people through the teaching and application of the biblical doctrine of Jesus Christ. Yes, we use the Cooperative Program locally and, yes, we use it globally." –- William Upchurch Jr., pastor, Desert Harvest Baptist Church, Las Vegas NEW JERSEY "We believe in the Cooperative Program. We believe that together everybody accomplishes more.... As a first-time pastor, the more I went to [association and state convention] meetings and really understood what we do and how we help churches, missionaries and pastors, the more I knew we wanted to invest in the Cooperative Program. I grew up in a very small church that unfortunately did not have access to the kind of helps the Cooperative Program provides –- summer missions workers who will come to your church to conduct Vacation Bible School or do training for your teachers; access to seminary education and continuing education for bivocational pastors who may not be able to go to seminary; even reasonably priced retreats for pastors who otherwise may not be able to afford them.... These are the kind of things that inspire me about the Cooperative Program." –- James Betner, pastor, Delaware Valley Baptist Church, Willingboro NEW MEXICO "We do some pretty spectacular things through the Cooperative Program. It's pretty amazing to think you can actually get some 44,000 churches to cooperate on anything, yet we do it regularly. The Cooperative Program is just the life-flow of Southern Baptist churches and the Southern Baptist Convention. It's a beautiful way for our missionaries to have stability so they can focus on their ministry." –- Kirby Kennedy, pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Farmington "God has blessed us so much, we just feel like we could do more than just give a tithe. Because we support the Cooperative Program, our church supports more than 10,000 missionaries. And not just missionaries, but our six seminaries and the Ethics & Liberty Commission too." –- Tim Marrow, pastor, First Baptist Church of West Albuquerque "The Cooperative Program helps us to be the kind of Christians Christ challenged us to be. We're a benefit to other people as we meet their needs and we benefit ourselves as we grow as Christians and become more Christlike." –- Bob Bacon, pastor, First Baptist Church, Carlsbad NEW YORK "When you think about the Cooperative Program, you think about global missions. That's New York. We minister here in 28 languages so we see CP Missions right here, globally, in New York.... The Cooperative Program isn't just about funding. Cooperation is a Southern Baptist imperative. We couldn't do what we do without volunteers." –- Terry Echols, church growth director, Baptist Convention of New York, East Syracuse. "We are grateful to God's people giving through the Cooperative Program to support innovative ministries such as North Country Ministries. CP gifts allow us to reach outside the walls of the church and share the Gospel with people from all over the world as they visit our small village in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This village of 3,000 people welcomes 3 million tourists each year. CP gifts allow us to witness to the world without ever leaving Lake Placid." –- Derek Spain, resort missionary, Lake Placid "The theological education I received I did not pay for. It was the [Cooperative Program that] gave me my education. I feel greatly indebted because of that." –- Arnaldo Campbell, pastor, Evergreen Baptist Church, Brooklyn NORTH CAROLINA "I can call the North Carolina Baptist state convention office, Nashville, or any SBC [entity], and get my ministry needs met. That expertise would not be there without the Cooperative Program.... We're pulling our resources together because we can do more together than we can independently for the Kingdom of God. This is something that has to be constantly taught to the younger generation. We cannot take the Cooperative Program for granted. The vision has got to be maintained. I know for myself, there was just no way I could have gone to Southern Seminary without the Cooperative Program. –- R. Shawn Edwards, pastor, Cowee Baptist Church, Franklin "It's not enough just to support the Cooperative Program and mission projects like a Habitat house financially and prayerfully. Once you incarnate missions and the Gospel, it keeps the fires of missions glowing; it puts flesh and blood to your missions giving.... You can't spend all the money on yourself. We have to be Kingdom-minded; Scripture teaches it and the Cooperative Program makes it possible." –- Pat Cronin, pastor, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church, Greensboro NORTH DAKOTA "God is not going to bless us to stockpile His resources. With that motivation, we want to give as much as we can to help Southern Baptists in ministry around the world. A church that is not willing to give is not really in line for the blessings of God. The Cooperative Program is an important part of who we are. We've been a recipient of CP dollars, and we want to give back." -- Bob Pittman, pastor, Hazen Christian Fellowship, Hazen "When I was a new believer, looking for fellowship on my college campus, I walked into the BSU [Baptist Student Union] center, which the Cooperative Program helped fund, as it did my seminary education. When we were planting a church in Redfield, S.D., the downtown portion of that town was destroyed by fire. I was able to pick up the phone to our state convention director and immediately –- immediately! –- had $5,000 to help people with. That was Cooperative Program money. Southern Baptists also helped us get this building [in West Fargo]. When I deployed for Hurricane Katrina [as a chaplain with the North Dakota Air National Guard] the first people on the scene were Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams. That's the Cooperative Program right there. Wait. I'm not done. Here in the Dakotas, Cooperative Program money provides for leadership training, and some of our state staff are able to help churches in crisis situations and by serving in interims. If a church gives a percentage through the Cooperative Program, every believer who puts a dollar in the offering plate is participating financially to the spread of Christ's Kingdom. Individual believers need to be tithing or moving toward tithing, and I think the church models that concept if it gives away part of its income to the larger cause of Christ in the world." –- John Flowers, pastor, Living Hope Baptist Church, West Fargo OHIO "We've just got to have our eyes open and look for opportunities to join God where He's working. Sometimes we try to create opportunities and miss what He's already doing. For one thing, He's been using the Cooperative Program all these years. It's our goal to be a partner, to cooperate with other likeminded churches to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mission trips are wonderful and great, but there is no way we would be able to reach everyone and do everything. We can accomplish more together than we can alone. We're not here to build our kingdom; we're here to build the Lord's Kingdom. I think that's the attitude of the whole congregation. We want to touch the uttermost parts of the world, and we can do that with the Cooperative Program. It's the most effective tool there is for reaching our world for Jesus Christ." –- Travis Smalley, pastor, Lakota Hills Baptist Church, West Chester "The Cooperative Program does what the local church cannot. It's all about the Great Commission. We go on mission trips … but the only way to fulfill the Great Commission –- to go into all the world –- is through the Cooperative Program. We're partnering together with other Southern Baptists and extending our mission throughout the world with CP Missions, and we can do that without taking special offerings. When we bring our tithes and offerings every Sunday, that makes us part of a worldwide missions thrust." -- Ron Mitchell, pastor, First Baptist Church, Huber Heights OKLAHOMA "Our missions partnerships are with Southern Baptists. That way, when our people think of the Cooperative Program, they have a connection with real live missionaries. When we as pastors talk to our people about sacrificial giving for Kingdom causes, and then reduce our giving because of other pressing needs, that sends a mixed message. We as church leaders must practice what we preach." –- Hance Dilbeck, pastor, Quail Springs Baptist Church, Oklahoma City "We believe our primary purpose is to reach people for Jesus. We want to do that on a local level, individual level, national level and international level, and the best tool to do that is the Cooperative Program. In order to broaden our horizons and to have as great an outreach as we possibly can, Southern Baptist churches need each other. With the Cooperative Program we can reach way beyond our borders. We might be able to support four or five missionaries with the resources in this church, but together with all other Southern Baptist churches we can support 5,000-plus in international outreach and that principle would apply here in the United States as well.... With cooperative effort, by uniting with other churches, we can do a great deal more. And there's no way we could provide seminaries and Baptist colleges on our own, even though we're committed to education." –- Ray Sikes, pastor, First Baptist Church, Choctaw OREGON "We believe we have the responsibility and privilege to be involved in world missions. Through the Cooperative Program we can be a part of touching the world for Christ in thousands of culturally relevant ways. As a young church we directly benefited from CP giving. We now have the opportunity to give back. Through the Cooperative Program and people available to the Lord, we believe God can use us to make a significant impact for Christ in our community and around the world." –- Keith Evans, pastor, Greater Gresham Baptist Church, Gresham "The Cooperative Program ministers around the world in totally different ways from what we can do locally. We are not an end unto ourselves. We're only an integral part of the Kingdom. We have to give beyond ourselves or we become ingrown. Once you turn inward, you lose all sense of godliness. The Cooperative Program helps us get beyond ourselves without the concern for getting back. When we give to the Lord, He will use it in the world and it will account for eternity." –- Ted Haws, pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Lebanon PENNSYLVANIA "The Cooperative Program is an efficient way to do missions. The key to our percentage giving is that we give in real dollars that are used by real missionaries as they do God's Kingdom work around the world. Our world missions ministry budget is well over $100,000 to needs beyond ourselves. CP missions is the bulk of it –- almost $84,000 –- because of its global scope. What you see today is not the culmination, but a further milestone in the journey of faith we have traveled together. The Cooperative Program is more the global ministry that also helps support our state convention, but these things all support one another, and that's the essence of cooperation." –- Chuck Teague, pastor, Country & Town Baptist Church, Mechanicsburg "For each of the last 18 years, the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey has increased its giving through the Cooperative Program. At 25.1 percent this year, 2009, it's more than halfway to its goal of a 50/50 partnership between the regional convention and SBC global missions. Part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to give yourself away. We give to the Cooperative Program because it is the right thing to do. It's our channel for giving beyond ourselves, giving that honors God. This year because of the economic crisis, we had to cut our budget by 5.1 percent, but we still increased our CP giving from 25 percent to 25.1 percent. We believe in the Cooperative Program!" -– David Waltz, executive director, Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey, Harrisburg, Pa. SOUTH CAROLINA "The Cooperative Program is what being a New Testament church is all about. Acts 2 talks about helping those in need. The better you work together, the more people you can help.... We want to do our part, but the Cooperative Program doesn't start with us and it doesn't end with us. We're just a part of it, a part of the way God is using Southern Baptists to reach out and touch people around the world." –- David Shirley, pastor, Mountain Creek Baptist Church, Greenville "We believe in the Cooperative Program. We maintain a three-fold emphasis in mission ministry and send several groups each year all over the world, but we cannot go into all the places our [Southern Baptist] missionaries can go. When we give to the Cooperative Program, it makes us part of a greater work. Supporting the Cooperative Program is a serious intent to fund God's command to go into all the world. We have to do this because God's command is clear. It's a matter of obedience. Obedience is a mark of maturity in a believer's life. A church must exemplify obedience in order for church members to follow the example. We want to be a part of God's global plan. The only way we can truly touch the world is by joining together with likeminded believers who can do a work we can never do alone. That's the Cooperative Program." –- Frank Page, pastor, First Baptist Church, Taylors SOUTH DAKOTA "To me, the Cooperative Program is more than money; it's cooperating with other Southern Baptist churches. Our people work together –- it's the shoulder-to-shoulder, heart-to-heart work the Cooperative Program was designed to foster. If it weren't for the Cooperative Program, this church wouldn't exist. Participating in the Cooperative Program is a debt we owe to those who sacrificed before us. Not giving to the Cooperative Program would be irresponsible. I think a lot of churches that started after the Cooperative Program was started have forgotten they owe that debt." –- Vince Smith, pastor, CrossPointe Baptist Church, Sioux Falls "Thank God for the Cooperative Program. After being in [a Southern Baptist] church most of my life and seeing how this thing works, I still think it is incredible. When churches large and small give together, it's amazing what God can do through this effort. Fairview Baptist Church is a living testimony to this effort called the Cooperative Program." –- Buck Hill, pastor, Fairview Baptist Church, Aberdeen TENNESSEE "The Cooperative Program allows us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and to do missions the New Testament way ... together. I just believe that the Cooperative Program reflects back to the New Testament concept of working together. [The Apostle] Paul called on [the early church] to give and cooperate together. When we cooperate together we can do much more and on a much larger scale than we could begin to do by ourselves. And the Great Commission itself, when you read it, it's a cooperative thing: We cooperate with God." –- Mickey Basham, recently retired pastor of Eastanalle Baptist Church, Riceville "The Cooperative Program is our handle on the world. It's the way the Lord allows us to touch the world at all levels of the Acts 1:8 commission. Giving to the Cooperative Program and missions comes first, but when we do that, God always provides for us to minister to the needs of the people here as well. It all comes down to being Kingdom-minded. I look at the Cooperative Program for a church as obeying Matthew 6:33: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." –- Roger Freeman, pastor, First Baptist Church, Clarksville "I just think the church ought to tithe to something we can't do ourselves. Two can do what one cannot. Two hundred can do a whole lot more than one can do, and on it goes. I don't know of any other program besides the Cooperative Program that can support nearly 10,000 missionaries with a living wage, and support six seminaries besides. There's no way one church or a small group of churches could do that.... There's strength in numbers. One church can't ride herd on every missionary and make sure they're trained, educated, equipped and supplied, but our Cooperative Program takes care of that through its mission boards." –- Tom Mooty, pastor, First Baptist Church, Wartburg TEXAS "We support the Cooperative Program because we believe in the ministries it supports. It remains the best way to get the Gospel out and to do the ministries we need to do together." –- Daniel E. Crosby, pastor, First Baptist Church, Cleburne "The Cooperative Program is the best way for churches to prove that you can't outgive God. Although our gifts to the Cooperative Program have been more than $1 million each of the last three years, God has blessed us with an amazing budget surplus every year. I believe if churches would give away more, they would see their total offerings increase." –- David Dykes, pastor, Green Acres Baptist Church, Tyler "The Cooperative Program is absolutely indispensable to what we're doing.... That's what the Cooperative Program is for –- to help break down barriers here in the United States as well as around the world. Some think America is gospel-hardened, but the fact is, they're gospel-ignorant. God is using the Cooperative Program and cowboy churches to change that." –- Ron Nolen, church starter/pastor, Cowboy Church of Ellis County, Waxahachie UTAH "People get saved because of [how God uses] the Cooperative Program, and they want [to find] a church because of it. And people work together to make that happen because with the Cooperative Program we're all together in this. God just brought all this together. Without Cooperative Program support, churches in a lot of these towns like Blanding would close down. In most of these little towns, the only evangelical witness is a Baptist church. Where would the people go if the church closed down? That's why the Cooperative Program is so important. It's just as important in Utah as it is anywhere in the world." –- Don Giddens, missionary to Native Americans and pastor, First Baptist Church, Blanding "I was saved in a little mission church in Yankton, S.D., when I was 37, and it really made an impact on me that Southern Baptists would care enough to go into small areas like that and establish churches. I think without mission money Yankton Baptist would have ceased to exist. Getting saved when I did showed me the importance of mission work. I realize what the Cooperative Program really does for areas that aren't self-sufficient. Really, the Cooperative Program is churches working together not only financially but spiritually, with helping hands in the areas of prayer and hands-on assistance." –- Ron Sathe, pastor, First Baptist Church, Vernal VERMONT "Actually I grew up as an independent Baptist and attended an independent Baptist seminary, but had one Southern Baptist professor who talked about the Cooperative Program one day in class and I thought, 'Wow, that's a better way than the system I was used to where every missionary had to raise his own money.' The Cooperative Program sounded like a great idea to me. It was one of the main reasons I decided to leave the independent Baptist system and become a Southern Baptist." –- Terry Dorsett, director of missions, Green Mountain Baptist Association VIRGINIA "The Cooperative Program is a way for me as a pastor to get my church, my local church, involved in God's global purpose. What's so exciting to me about the Cooperative Program is that it enables our local efforts to be connected to a worldwide purpose. I tell them, 'As you give every week you are touching every week North America and the world for Christ.' We have a passion to reach our community for Christ, but a Great Commission church has a heart for the world too. Our giving to the Cooperative Program comes from our belief that we want to be part of something larger than what we can do on a local level." –- Thurman Hayes, pastor, Bethel Baptist Church, Yorktown WASHINGTON "The Cooperative Program means something to me personally because it's directly related to the salvation of not only me, but my mother and my father and my brother and my sister. I'm 43 and the Cooperative Program is doing the same thing today as it did when I was a kid –- it's reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ who wouldn't be reached otherwise. I believe if more leaders -- pastors –- within our convention had been reached through Cooperative Program missionary efforts as my family was, they would see the value of CP and strive to lead their church to participate wholeheartedly. The value of the Cooperative Program is that it keeps us from thinking just about ourselves and our little projects. I've never been to China, but I'm helping someone in China." –- Kevin White, pastor, First Baptist Church, Longview "We have a responsibility to the entire world, not just the city of Bremerton. I want our church to grow larger because for me bigger simply means resources to bring the whole ministry of Jesus Christ to our community. Through the Cooperative Program, we're all bigger." –- Conrad Dodd, pastor, Kitsap Lake Baptist Church, Bremerton "We have a heartfelt conviction that our convention stands for an array of missions projects that a church our size could never participate in apart from the Cooperative Program. We are created to enjoy God, to know Him and enjoy Him forever –- and that is together, not individually. The Cooperative Program gives us an opportunity to put that into practice in the here and now." –- Frank Johnson, pastor, Chestnut Street Baptist Church, Ellensburg "We have been part of the Cooperative Program so we have to support it. The Southern Baptist Convention has been doing [global outreach] more effectively than a single church could." –- Chang S. Moon, pastor, Tacoma [Korean] First Baptist Church WEST VIRGINIA "The Cooperative Program is not the only way to do missions, but I believe it's the best way. Southern Baptist churches can accomplish more together as the body of Christ than we can alone. The Cooperative Program is a proven way for churches of like faith to cooperate together to accomplish God's agenda. Where our reach ends, the Cooperative Program carries on." –- Seth Polk, pastor, Cross Lanes Baptist Church, Cross Lanes "We are very grateful to Southern Baptists for the Cooperative Program. Without the Cooperative Program, this work would be very limited and the things that have happened might not have happened.... The greatest thing that happened through [a CP-funded outreach to sportsmen] is that an entire family got saved." –- Bobby Thomas, pastor, Indian Creek Baptist Church, Blue WYOMING "If we're going to be Southern Baptist, we need to participate fully. I'm just thrilled with what's going on in our nation –- with the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board –- and I just want, figuratively speaking, to put in my two cents worth. It's my duty but it's also my privilege.... Our little 10 percent to the Cooperative Program isn't going to make a dent anywhere, but most churches across the SBC are about our size. Every church our size –- or smaller, even –- can have just as significant a role in helping to fulfill the Great Commission around the world as our brothers in the mega-churches.... Sometimes giving is simply a matter of obedience, and when you start giving out of obedience, that heats up your spiritual temperature. When God has dealt with us about some issue, we basically don't go any further in our spiritual maturity until we do something with that issue. If the issue is about giving, that's where we bottleneck spiritually –- we don't grow any farther until we deal with it." –- Ray Grindstaff, pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Laramie "We're all a part of the Cooperative Program. We receive some CP money for the resort ministries, and we give some as a congregation. We serve here and we reach out around the world. It's exciting to be a part of what God is doing through Southern Baptists and the Cooperative Program." –- John Scudder, pastor, Wilson Community Fellowship. --30-- Compiled by Karen L. Willoughby, managing editor of the Baptist Message, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the writer of each month's Cooperative Program feature in Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Biblical finance study has many benefits by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Completing an in-depth study of biblical financial management not only dramatically improves a person's financial position, but it also benefits their walk with Christ, family relationships and contribution to church life, according to research recently conducted by Crown Financial Ministries. A survey of 1,429 people who had completed Crown's Biblical Financial Study indicated, on average, the following results within three years: -- Personal debt, down 38 percent -- Savings and investment, up 58 percent -- Closer relationship to Christ, 35 percent -- Prayer frequency, up 46 percent -- Bible reading frequency, up 64 percent -- Stronger marital relationships, 78 percent -- Giving to church, up 70 percent -- Service to church, up 47 percent Of the 1,429 graduates surveyed, 11 were unbelievers but came to Christ either during the class or afterward and reported a close walk with Christ. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Mark Kelly. Crown Financial Ministries is on the Internet at crown.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: The Cooperative Program: dependent on stewardship by Ashley Clayton Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: The Southern Baptist Convention has designated April 26 as Cooperative Program Sunday. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The Cooperative Program and stewardship are two sides of the same coin in reaching our world for Christ. Southern Baptists are clear about the first component, the Cooperative Program, but we are fuzzy on the second component, stewardship. The Cooperative Program is dependent on vibrant stewardship. Every Christian understands the call of God to reach our world for Christ. For Southern Baptists, being "on mission" is a hallmark of our denomination. Whether you talk about North America's urban centers, the unreached people groups in south Florida, Texas, California and New England or the remote areas of the Northwest, you'll find Southern Baptists in rock-solid conviction that God has called us to preach the Gospel, start churches and change lives. And when it comes to international missions, Southern Baptists are unparalleled and galvanized in their commitment to go everywhere in the world to preach the Gospel. Clearly, Southern Baptists are all about missions, and for the most part we are in agreement that the Cooperative Program is the best strategy out there. Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, has said on numerous occasions, "... if there was no CP strategy in place for our denomination, we would start one!" But here's the thing. The Cooperative Program will only take us as far as Southern Baptists are willing or able to fund it. Here is where the stewardship component comes into play. What I have learned in the past three years since the assignment for stewardship was placed with the Executive Committee, is Southern Baptists are struggling with money just like everyone else is struggling with money. I have seen conditions inside the church mirror conditions outside the church. When I speak to pastors -- and ask them, "Would you agree with me, the people in your church, sitting in your pews every week, are worried about money, struggling to pay their bills, struggling to pay their taxes, struggling to invest in their future and struggling to give?" -- without fail, every pastor in the room nods his head yes! And, by the way, don't think our pastors and church leaders are immune from money problems. I know for a fact many of our pastors are struggling with the same issues in their own families. I also believe this explains why most pastors don't talk about money in their church. At a time when finances are first and foremost on the minds of every American, many churches are eerily silent on the issue. But has there ever been a better time to have a conversation in our churches about money? I am convinced of this: If Southern Baptists were to become free from the bondage of debt and became good stewards, we would see our missions efforts explode. While we have a world-class missions strategy, funds given through the Cooperative Program must be in the hands of people who can keep their heads above water and invest in a strategy to reach our world for Christ. As I said, the Cooperative Program and stewardship are inseparable and interdependent. Actually, we will never fully achieve the Cooperative Program component until we get the stewardship component right. In the past three years the Executive Committee provided leadership to the stewardship and money side of this equation. We call this new stewardship initiative It's A New Day For Financial Freedom (IAND). We partner with Crown Financial Ministries to bring quality financial and stewardship resources to churches at affordable prices. Crown is a great friend and partner for Southern Baptists. Several of Crown's key resources, the 10-week Life Group Study, the Life Group Leader Certification course and Money Map Coaching Certification, are now available to Southern Baptist churches at considerably lower prices. The Executive Committee along with state conventions and Crown Financial Ministries also are conducting one-day IAND pastor and church leader conferences across the convention. These conferences feature a national presenter from Crown Financial Ministries leading a practical and biblically based session on developing a spending plan; how to live on that spending plan; how to make spending decisions when things aren't going well; getting out of debt; and discovering what God has to say about money. In 2008, the Executive Committee conducted 40 one-day It's A New Day conferences with more than 1,100 participants and we are scheduled to conduct an equal number of conferences in 2009. Given the current national economic climate, it is no surprise we are seeing far greater participation at the '09 IAND events. Already in the first quarter we have had 600 participants in eight events. In addition to engaging in a personal journey of financial freedom, the "take away" for IAND conference participants is learning learn how to be a catalyst for change in their church and community. The hardest steps to take on any journey are the first steps, and these events are designed to provide "first step" opportunities for churches to be relevant and authentic in a personal and tangible way in today's financial environment. --30-- Ashley Clayton is associate vice president for stewardship with the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'LoveLoud' -- match words with deeds, SBC theme urges by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Actions do speak louder than words -- and Johnny Hunt believes it's time a lost world sees Southern Baptists match their words with love in action. That's the conviction behind the theme of the 152nd session of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Ky., June 23-24 -- "LoveLoud: Actions Speak Louder Than Words." "Across America, people are thinking less and less of Christian groups," said Hunt, pastor of the Atlanta-area First Baptist Church in Woodstock and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. "I think it's because we always talk about what we believe and don't spend near as much time demonstrating it. If it's really all about the glory of God, we ought to be doing things that cause people to see our good works and glorify our God in heaven." With that in mind, Hunt said, the watchword for the annual meeting is Matthew 5:16 -- "In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (HCSB). The "Conservative Resurgence" in Southern Baptist life made it clear that Southern Baptists are "a people of the Book," Hunt said. "But ever since, it seems like we have done less with what we believe than we were doing before. The numbers all substantiate that. "We can stand, week to week and in our annual meeting, and talk about what we believe or we can begin to love loud and let people see a demonstration of our declaration," Hunt added. "We have declared that we are a people of the Book, but it's time to demonstrate what that means. The world is still waiting and watching." 'CALL TO ACTION' The annual meeting program has been designed as a call to action for a "Great Commission Resurgence," Hunt noted. Just as the Conservative Resurgence was driven by a plan to elect presidents who would make conservative appointments, a Great Commission resurgence also requires a specific plan of action. "My presidential message will be a 'State of the Convention' address," Hunt said. "I will focus on what, from where I sit, we must change if we are to see a Great Commission resurgence among Southern Baptists." Hunt's address will be reinforced by a message from Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., who recently laid out what he sees as "12 axioms" of a Great Commission resurgence. Akin's call to action will be followed by messages on three critical issues: -- Vance Pitman, senior pastor of Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas, will speak on the vision of the Kingdom of God. -- David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., will talk about connecting with the culture. -- Jeff W. Crook, pastor of Blackshear Place Baptist Church in Flowery Branch, Ga., will address the issue of evangelism. Pitman, Platt and Crook not only speak as pastors whose ministries God is blessing, they also represent a younger generation whose voice needs to be heard, Hunt said. "We come across to the younger generation that we know they are there and we're glad to hear what they are doing, but I'm not sure we have allowed them to speak into our life as a convention," Hunt said. "We need to hear what they can bring to the table, what we can learn from them. Some may say, 'This younger generation is so different. They are our problem.' But if they are our problem, Southern Baptists have no future. We better come to the table of reasoning." As he has traveled to speaking engagements across the country, Hunt said he has seen that the need for dramatic change in the Southern Baptist Convention is widely recognized. "What we are presenting is not just what we want to see done but what I am hearing as I crisscross the convention. Grassroots Southern Baptists know there needs to be a change," Hunt said. "We are a declining denomination. Sometimes it comes across that we are maintaining an institution instead of instituting a movement. "We've got to turn this thing around. The bow of our ship -- the old Gospel, Southern Baptist Convention ship -- is floating low in the water," Hunt said. "There evidently are some things we need to remove so we can get higher and there are some things we need to add so we can move toward our destination. "This year's program leads us to embrace what we believe would be a Great Commission resurgence. It calls us to action," Hunt concluded. "If we buy into what we are going to present, I believe it has a chance to start a major turn in our denomination." CONVENTION ARRANGEMENTS Messengers to the annual meeting will find some changes that should improve the experience of attending the convention, said R. Clark Logan Jr., the SBC Executive Committee's vice president for business and finance. "One thing we have done is reorient the stage and seating so the hall isn't so wide. We have moved the choir orchestra from the sides down to the front," Logan said. "We suspended the TV cameras from the ceiling and on booms so messengers have a better line of sight to the platform. We're going to have closed captioning of the proceedings rather than make deaf and hard-of-hearing participants dependent on a translator." The changes required the concerted efforts of a wide range of people to be sure the venue worked well for both inspirational times and business sessions, Logan added. "We worked very closely with everyone involved -- from Johnny Hunt and his staff to the music leader, Scott Allred, to the technical director, Jeff Davidson. They all have been great to work with. Our common cause was to try to create a more intimate setting so people feel they are more a part of what's going on rather than watching a video production," Logan said. "We worked together through at least 10 different stage designs before we decided which one would best merge the worship and business events without either suffering." Another major difference from previous annual meetings will be in the areas of parking and food service, Logan said. "There are no restaurants within walking distance of the convention center and very few restaurants within a short drive," Logan said. "Therefore, we have made arrangements to have a variety of on-site food services and ample seating available each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner." Food services will be available adjacent to the exhibit area, with full meals on one side and fast food options on the other, Logan said. Ample seating will be set up there, and additional food and seating options also can be found in the convention center lobby, so messengers can eat and fellowship comfortably with friends. Parking spaces also will be in adequate supply, with passes available for sale in the convention center lobby that provide in/out privileges, Logan said. Plans for shuttle service and parking are being finalized and that information will be released through Baptist Press as soon as it is available. Up-to-the-minute information on convention logistics is available at sbcannualmeeting.net. CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS Among the highlights of the annual meeting: -- The North American Mission Board will cast special attention on God's Plan for Sharing (GPS), the denomination-wide evangelism emphasis that launches nationally in 2010. Pastors and church representatives can visit NAMB's exhibit to pick up an "Across North America" church implementation guide. The guide will help local churches blanket their community with the Gospel leading up to Easter 2010. In addition, a newly designed and revitalized version of the website, GPS2020.net, will be launched at the convention. NAMB staff will demonstrate the updated site and show pastors how to find the resources they need to successfully implement GPS in their church. In the convention hall, messengers will see video clips highlighting recent GPS pilots, and NAMB's Wednesday night presentation will prominently feature GPS. -- Crossover '09 will mobilize as many as 1,000 volunteers throughout Louisville and its surrounding communities June 19-20. Teams will survey and witness door-to-door through assigned neighborhoods, with priority given to areas where new church starts are planned. Some 40 SBC churches in the Long Run Baptist Association will participate in 32 block parties in Louisville neighborhoods. Prayer journeys and Compassion in Action projects also are planned. About 1,000 Southern Baptist volunteers from around the nation are expected to come to Louisville to support Crossover events, with the goal of generating 2,000 salvation decisions. For details, visit crossoverlouisville.com. Although Crossover Louisville will not utilize GPS-specific resources, the weeklong evangelistic effort leading up to the beginning of convention week will envelope the four "mileposts" associated with GPS -- praying, engaging, sowing and harvesting. "Crossover will be utilizing the elements of GPS throughout the week," said Victor Benavides, NAMB's urban center evangelism coordinator. "It will be a model for how churches and associations can implement GPS in their communities." -- In addition to the speakers mentioned above, John Marshall, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., will deliver the convention sermon on Wednesday morning. -- The International Mission Board report and presentation is scheduled for Tuesday evening, June 23. The North American Mission Board report and presentation is set for Wednesday evening, June 24. -- Congregational praise and worship will be led by Scott Allred, minister of music at Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover, Ala.; Scott C. White, senior minister of music and worship at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.; Dan Odle, associate pastor for music and worship at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville; and songwriter, worship leader and producer Paul Baloche of Lindale, Texas. -- The SBC Pastors' Conference will convene at the Kentucky Exposition Center at 5:30 p.m. June 21. Featured speakers include J.D. Greear of Summit Church in Durham, N.C.; Mike Landry of Sarasota (Fla.) Baptist Church; Francis Chan of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, Calif.; and David Platt of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. The program also includes former Southern Baptist pastor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. More information about the program, including a complete list of featured speakers, is available at sbcpc.net. -- The SBC Ministers' Wives activities will begin at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 23 with a Women's Expo, followed by a luncheon focused on the theme, " Quiet Influence: The Romans 12:1 Woman." More information about that program is available at dianestrack.com. -- Woman's Missionary Union will hold its Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting June 21-22 at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville. The program includes a missions fair, disaster relief feeding and communications units, author signings and breakout sessions. Missions celebrations will be held both evenings. More information about the WMU program is available at wmu.com/events/annual. -- Online registration is available at www.sbcannualmeeting.net so messengers can avoid lines upon arriving at the convention. The website gives a church a messenger reference number form to be printed out and presented by each messenger at the registration booth in exchange for a nametag and a set of ballots. The appropriate church-authorized representative must complete all online registrations. The traditional registration method continues to be available. Registration cards are available from state convention offices. -- Messengers wishing to propose resolutions must submit them at least 15 days prior to the annual meeting, giving the Resolutions Committee a two-week period in which to consider them. Detailed guidelines on submitting resolutions are available at www.sbcannualmeeting.net (by clicking on "Resolutions"). Resolutions may be submitted online but must be followed up by a letter of credentials from the submitter's church. -- Childcare (birth-3 years) and a children's conference (ages 4-12) have been planned for the meeting. Preschool registration is $10 per child. The children's program theme -- "Pirates of the Cranium!" -- will use stage presentations, Scripture memory, crafts, games and original music to emphasize "the importance of taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ." Children's registration is $45 per child. Registration information for both programs is available at www.sbcannualmeeting.net. -- Students in grade seven and above will be able to participate in Bible study, worship and fellowship during the annual Centrifuge program. A link to registration through LifeWay Christian Resources is available at www.sbcannualmeeting.net, -- Tourist attractions in the Louisville area are highlighted on the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau website, gotolouisville.com. --30-- Compiled by Mark Kelly, an assistant editor with Baptist Press. A complete schedule for the SBC annual meeting is available at sbclife.net. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastors conf. to focus on Great Commission by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The 2009 SBC Pastors' Conference will focus on a passionate revival to the Great Commission, under the theme, "What If? One Mind. One Love. One Spirit. One Purpose." The conference will convene at 5:30 p.m. June 21 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. Featured speakers include J.D. Greear of Summit Church in Durham, N.C.; Mike Landry of Sarasota (Fla.) Baptist Church; Francis Chan of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, Calif.; and David Platt of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. The program also includes former Southern Baptist pastor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. The theme of the June 21-22 Pastors' Conference is a counterfactual question, "What if?" said Ed Litton, president of the Pastors' Conference and pastor of First Baptist North Mobile in Saraland, Ala. "A counterfactual is a mental tool historians sometimes use to clarify actual events in history when applied to subsequent events. "The Southern Baptist Convention stands at a seminal moment in our history," Litton said. "The idea of using a counterfactual in reverse, to help us think more clearly and see more plainly our place in history and God's divine intervention, captured my imagination." The biblical foundation for theme is drawn from Philippians 2:2: "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." As he consulted with SBC President Johnny Hunt about the need for a "Great Commission resurgence" among Southern Baptists, Litton found himself wondering how things would be different if all Southern Baptists truly had the mind, love, spirit and purpose of Christ. "We came up with the idea of asking the simple question, 'What if?'" Litton said. "If we answer that question correctly as God's people, I am convinced we will experience a resurgence of the Great Commission in Southern Baptist life. It will help us focus in very difficult times in this country and throughout the world. "We're in a time of seismic change in our culture. There are huge shifts taking place and people are feeling a lot of economic pressure today," Litton said. "There's a palpable fear and, I sense, a withdrawing. That's dangerous. The danger is that we're going to kind of lock up and ride this thing out when we have a great opportunity to trust God, to believe God, and to reach out more during this crisis than ever before." The other featured speakers for the conference will be Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.; Mac Brunson of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla.; Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship; Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research; Tom Elliff, former SBC president and International Mission Board staff member; Michael Catt of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.; and Fred Luter Jr. of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. More information about the 2009 SBC Pastors' Conference program is available at www.sbcpc.net. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Mark Kelly. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC Pastors' Conference schedule by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference June 21-22, 2009 Kentucky Exposition Center www.sbcpc.net What If? One Mind, One Love, One Spirit, One Purpose (Philippians 2:2) SUNDAY EVENING, JUNE 21 What If? One Mind 5:30 Pre-session concert 6:00 Worship through Music 6:15 Welcome, Theme Explanation, Introductions 6:30 Worship through Music 6:35 Message -- J.D. Greear, Summit Church, Durham, N.C. 7:10 Prayer Emphasis for Pastors 7:20 Worship through Music 7:30 Message -- Mac Brunson, First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla. 8:05 Worship through Music 8:15 Prayer and Offering 8:20 Worship through Music 8:25 Message -- Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship, Lansdowne, Va. MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 22 What If? One Love 8:30-11:30 Pastors' Wives Session (B101-105) 8:30 Worship through Music 8:40 Welcome, Theme Explanation, Introductions 8:50 Worship through Music 8:55 Message -- Mike Landry, Sarasota Baptist, Sarasota, Fla. 9:25 Congregational Worship through Music 9:35 Message -- Ed Stetzer, president, LifeWay Research, Nashville, Tenn. 10:05 Prayer Emphasis for Pastors 10:10 Worship through Music 10:20 Message -- Francis Chan, Cornerstone Church, Simi Valley, Calif. 10:50 Worship through Music 10:55 Prayer and Offering 11:00 Message -- Tom Elliff, pastor and author, Oklahoma City, Okla. MONDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 22 What If? One Spirit 1:30 Worship through Music 1:40 Welcome, Theme Explanation, Introductions 1:50 Worship through Music 1:55 Message -- Michael Catt, Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Ga. 2:25 Prayer Emphasis for Pastors 2:30 Time of Encouragement -- Dennis Swanberg 2:45 Worship through Music 2:55 Message -- Fred Luter Jr., Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, La. 3:25 Election of Officers 3:35 Worship through Music 3:40 Prayer and Offering 3:45 Message -- Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and host of "Huckabee" on the Fox News Channel MONDAY EVENING, JUNE 22 What If? One Purpose 6:30 Worship through Music 6:40 Welcome, Introduction of New Officers, Theme Explanation, Additional Introductions 6:55 Worship through Music 7:00 Message -- Alvin Reid, Professor of Evangelism, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. 7:30 Prayer Emphasis for Pastors 7:35 Worship through Music 7:45 Message -- Johnny Hunt, First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga. 8:15 Worship through Music 8:20 Prayer and Offering 8:25 Message -- David Platt, The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Ala. 8:55 Worship through Music -------------------------------------------------------------------- COSBE head: Young evangelists needed by Michael Foust Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists will hold its annual retreat June 19-21 with an eye toward involving more young evangelists in not only the organization but in SBC life. The average age of COSBE members has grown over the years, partly because churches are not using evangelists as much, and thus young men may not see the work of an evangelist as a possible calling, COSBE president and evangelist Ron Herrod told Baptist Press. This year's COSBE meeting will be held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky., featuring such speakers as Joyce Rogers, Ergun Caner, Ed Stezer, Sammy Tippit and Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt. Hunt will speak at COSBE’s annual Sunday morning worship service, which is open to the public in the Kentucky Exposition Center, site of the SBC’s June 23-24 annual meeting. COSBE is in its 51st year. "Our future in vocational evangelism depends on the involvement of younger men," Herrod said. "We know there are young men who have been called to evangelism but are not aware of how to get started and where to be trained. This is why we are encouraging them to join COSBE and to attend this year's retreat." With the theme "Mounting Up As Eagles," the COSBE meeting will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, June 19, with an address by Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. Breakout sessions for evangelists and their wives will begin at 3 p.m., focusing on the themes "Getting Started," "International Evangelism," "Revival Preparation," "Engaging the Culture" and "Defending the Faith." Rogers, widow of longtime Bellevue Baptist Church pastor Arian Rogers, will be the speaker for a Friday banquet at 6 p.m. The evangelists will begin Saturday with a breakfast session featuring Ken Weathersby, the North American Mission Board's senior strategist for evangelization, and will take part in Crossover Louisville during the day. Caner, president of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va., will be the featured speaker for the Saturday night banquet at 6. The Sunday morning worship, from 9 a.m. to noon in Room South C201-203 at the exposition center, will feature Hunt, Tippit, Herrod and Caner. Chagy the Clown will provide entertainment during the COSBE meeting. Herrod said too many churches "have for the most part neglected" the "gift of the evangelist as set forth in Ephesians 4:11." "As a result we are suffering and continue to decline in baptisms," he said. "When the church begins to use the evangelist appropriately again, we will see more men responding to the call of God to full time evangelism." The organization, he said, will provide young evangelists with a mentor if they wish to have one. --30-- Michael Foust is assistant editor of Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WMU at SBC: Change a Life & the World by Stephanie J. Blackmon Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Reflecting the new tagline of Woman's Missionary Union -- "Change a Life. Change the World." -- this year's WMU Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration will seek to show how people can play a part in changing the world through missions. The June 21-22 gathering will be at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., prior to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Wanda S. Lee, executive director of national WMU, said the celebration will provide "an exciting atmosphere for growing missionally, networking opportunities, gaining resources for all aspects of life and ministry, and developing a stronger understanding of how lives are changed through missions that will, in turn, help to change the world." The celebration will include worship times; interactive breakout sessions; dialogue with international and North American field personnel; a missions fair; and an opportunity to change lives locally through the Baptist Fellowship Center in Louisville by bringing school supplies and backpacks for underprivileged children served by the center. In addition, the Kentucky Baptist Convention's disaster relief feeding and communications units will be onsite Sunday and, for a $5 donation, will provide a meal similar to what is served when they respond to disasters. "We hope that people will come, enjoy themselves and learn more about the many opportunities available to change lives and the world for Christ," Lee said. "We want everyone in our churches to realize the importance of their involvement in missions and recognize that the Great Commission is a command for us all." The WMU Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration is free, with no preregistration required. However, those who wish to reserve a boxed lunch for Monday, June 22, can download a reservation form at www.wmu.com/events/annual to mail with payment or call Kentucky WMU at 502-489-3534 to pay by credit card. The deadline for lunch reservations is June 10. Registration and interactive activities begin on Sunday, June 21, at 4 p.m.; the closing session will begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday. No child care services are available. For more information, including a complete schedule of events, descriptions of breakout sessions and other information, visit www.wmu.com/events/annual. --30-- Stephanie J. Blackmon is a writer for Woman's Missionary Union. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WMU Annual Meeting schedule by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday Woman's Missionary Union Celebration and Annual Meeting June 21–22, 2009 St. Matthews Baptist Church 3515 Grandview Avenue Louisville, Ky. Emphasis: Change a Life. Change the World.TM "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37–39 NIV). SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009, 4:00 P.M. The 2009 WMU Missions Celebration will begin with a large variety of options, including a unique Kentucky Missions Fair, an exciting Passport to Missions interactive area, the Kentucky Disaster Relief Feeding Unit and Communications Unit on site, and much more. On Sunday, the Kentucky Disaster Feeding Unit will serve a convenient dinner while supplies last, 4:30–6:00 p.m., in the St. Matthews parking lot. A donation of $5, which will help support this ministry, is requested per meal. There is no charge to attend any of the general sessions or conferences, and no preregistration is required. SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009, 6:30 P.M . Changing Lives in Kentucky Pre-session music begins at 6:00 p.m. Call to Worship -- Tim Galyon, directing Welcome to Louisville -- Kaye Miller Bill Mackey, executive director, Kentucky Baptist Convention Joy Bolton, executive director, Kentucky WMU Pat Reaves, president, Kentucky WMU Music for Worship -- Tim Galyon, directing Change a Life. Change the World. Changing Lives in Kentucky -- Larry Martin, missions consultant, Kentucky Baptist Convention Special Music Changing Appalachia ... One Life at a Time -- Bill Barker, director, Appalachian Regional Ministries, NAMB Changing Lives Through Love -- Kaye Miller MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2009, 9:00 A.M. Changing Lives Across America Pre-session music begins at 8:45 a.m. Call to Worship -- Tim Galyon, directing Welcome and Introductions -- Wanda Lee Mary Lou Crutcher, local arrangements chair Change a Life. Change the World. Changing Lives Through Acteens® -- National Acteens Panelists Music for Worship -- Tim Galyon, directing Changing Lives Across Alaska -- Brenda Crim, Alaska, NAMB Music for Worship Vision Fund Offering -- Sylvia DeLoach Honoring Our Former Leaders: -- Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler Tribute to Alma Hunt and Dellanna O'Brien Special Music President's Address: Called to Love -- Kaye Miller Recognition of Kathy Hillman, national WMU recording secretary Election of Officers Music Changing Lives Through Equestrian Ministries -- Chris Clarke, NAMB Changing Lives Through Love -- Kaye Miller MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2009, 11:15 A.M.–12:30 P.M. Change a Life. Change the World. Awards Luncheon* St. Matthews Baptist Church Fellowship Hall *Advance reservations must be made by June 10 to attend the awards luncheon on Monday, June 22; tickets are $8 each and space is limited. To reserve a ticket, call Kentucky WMU at 502-489-3534 or visit www.wmu.com/events/annual. Special Music Recognition of Prior Recipients of the Dellanna West O'Brien Award for Women's Leadership Development -- Wanda Lee 2009 Dellanna West O'Brien Award for Women's Leadership Development -- David George, president, WMU Foundation 2009 National Acteens Panelists -- Loftis Scholarship Award Change a Life. Change the World. Dr. Martha Myers GA Alumna of Distinction Award -- Kaye Miller MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2009, 4:30 P.M. Changing Lives Around the World Pre-session music begins at 4:15 p.m. Call to Worship -- Tim Galyon, directing Welcome and Announcements -- Kaye Miller Greetings from Long Run Baptist Association -- Wesley Pitts, director of missions Changing Lives Around the World -- Gerald and June McNeely and family One Family's Journey in Missions Music for Worship Change a Life. Change the World. Changing Lives Through WMU -- Wanda Lee Special Music Changing Lives in Russia -- Steve and Svetlana Parish, IMB Changing Lives in Middle America & Caribbean -- Gary and Sis Tufts, IMB Music for Worship Changing Lives in South Asia -- John and Sarah Changing Lives Through Love -- Kaye Miller Go to www.wmu.com/events/annual or see the WMU Annual Missions Celebration program for more than 30 different engaging topics offered during breakout sessions on Monday, June 22, 12:45–1:45 p.m., 2:00–3:00 p.m., and 3:15–4:15 p.m. The WMU Bookstore will be open on Sunday, June 21, 4:00–6:30 p.m. and on Monday, June 22, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Selected items from WMU, New Hope® and WorldCraftsSM will be available for purchase. Various authors are also scheduled for book signings on Sunday afternoon. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Servant leadership' theme of DOM meeting by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Directors of Missions will discuss servant leadership during their June 21-22 meeting in Louisville, Ky. Speakers will include Ken Hemphill, Thom Rainer and O.S. Hawkins. The meeting, the organization's 49th, will begin with a worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 21, at the Fern Valley Hotel and Conference Center, with Hemphill, national strategist for Empowering Kingdom Growth, preaching. "Anyone who is coming to the convention and is looking for a place to worship on Sunday morning is welcome to join us," Wesley Pitts, president of SBCADOM, said. The service will be followed by a lunch at noon sponsored by GuideStone Financial Resources. A meal ticket is required. At 1:30 p.m., the first of three sessions of the SBCADOM meeting will begin. Also at 1:30 p.m., the SBCADOM wives meeting will take place with Kay Dekalb Smith, who is described as the "Carol Burnett of Christian Entertainment." The SBCADOM's first session will focus on the theme "Servant Leaders Forgive" and will include a message from Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. At 3 p.m. Sunday, session two, titled "Servant Leaders Build Relationships," will include a message from Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources. A business session will follow. On Sunday evening, the SBCADOM banquet will begin at 7 p.m. with entertainment provided by Smith, a comedienne from Nashville, Tenn. Pitts, director of missions for the Long Run Baptist Association in Louisville, said Sunday will be a day of inspiration, and Monday will be a day of information. This is the first year that a variety of breakout sessions will be offered on Monday. "In evaluating previous meetings, we got comments from the DOMs saying they would like breakout sessions," Pitts said. "Also, we had some people from NAMB and other places who said they would like to have more one-on-one time with the DOMs. We felt like we could do this most effectively with breakout sessions." Session three will start at 8:30 a.m. Monday and will include an installation of officers. Breakout sessions will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon. Options include "Servant Leaders Are Equipped (For New DOMs)" led by Ted Knapp; "Servant Leaders Pray" by Greg Frizzel; "Servant Leaders Continue to Grow" by Hugh Townsend; "Servant Leaders Visualize the Future" by Mike Day; and "Servant Leaders Stay Informed" by David Meacham. "We need to understand that we are servant leaders and that this is the leadership style that Jesus practiced and passed on to us," Pitts said. "We probably could never get enough said to us about leadership." Pitts told Baptist Press all directors of missions are encouraged to attend the meeting. "It's a great time to fellowship with other DOMs and to network and talk to them about what's working at their associations," Pitts said. "We'll have a couple of testimonies concerning that from a couple of our DOMs. I think the fellowship and the information they'll gain and the inspiration they'll receive will altogether be well worth coming a day early." To become a member of the SBCADOM, register for the Louisville meeting or reserve a room at the Fern Valley Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn Airport South) for a room rate of $89 per night, complete an online form at www.sbcadom.net. Questions should be addressed to Jim Leak, SBCADOM administrator treasurer, at jgleak@gmail.com or 830-895-0400. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff writer Erin Roach. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Exhibit hall to showcase SBC entities by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The Southern Baptist Convention's exhibit hall seeks "to promote and celebrate SBC work on the national and international level." The words of R. Clark Logan Jr., SBC convention manager and Executive Committee vice president for business and finance, reflect how the exhibit hall complements the SBC annual meeting. The exhibits' focus is on the work of the SBC's entities and seminaries, not as a profit-making venture for scores of vendors. The exhibit hall will open Monday morning, June 22, in advance of the SBC's June 23-24 annual meeting in the Kentucky Exposition Center. The hours will be 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday. Plans for the various SBC entities' booths follow: INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD -- The 2009 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering emphasis, "Who's Missing? Whose Mission?" will be unveiled at the International Mission Board's booth, focusing on the part that the Great Commission calls every believer to play in reaching people groups overseas despite geographical, cultural, political and governmental barriers prohibiting access to the Gospel. Missionaries who are seeking to overcome such barriers and pastors and church members who have adopted various people groups will be available to talk with messengers and convention attendees. Interactive software also will be featured that connects churches to unengaged people groups, those without church-planting methodologies in place, and a Google Earth-based program that provides people group data. A kit of customized guides to help churches promote the 2009 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will be available, including four DVD-ROMs tailored for pastors, missions leaders, children's leaders and student leaders. A free Christmas ornament will be given to those who visit the booth to learn more about adopting people groups and how the IMB can assist their churches. NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD -- In addition to a 45-by-60-foot display area, this year's NAMB exhibit will include a stage featuring NAMB missionaries from across North America who will be on hand to speak about their ministries, including Gary Smith, a church planting missionary in Canada; Brenda Crim, a collegiate evangelism missionary in Alaska; and Willie Jacobs, a church planting missionary in Memphis, Tenn. NAMB will also provide and staff the evangelistic tract booth for the SBC annual meeting. LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN RESOURCES -- LifeWay's exhibits will feature the popular 10,000-square-foot LifeWay Christian Store, along with interactive displays highlighting LifeWay Research, LifeWay Church Resources, B&H Publishing Group, LifeWay Conference Centers and direct sales. Of special interest: -- Church Resources will offer ministry experts for one-on-one discussions. -- LifeWay Worship will demonstrate the latest features of LifeWayWorship.com, including SongMap technology and WorshipMap Pro, the new advanced worship planning application. -- B&H Publishing Group will focus on the HCSB translation and the popular "Love Dare" products, in addition to introducing CrossBooks, a new print-on-demand service. -- Author signings will be scheduled by B&H and LifeWay Christian Stores, including Thom and Sam Rainer ("Essential Church"); Brad Waggoner ("The Shape of Faith to Come"); Ed Stetzer ("Lost and Found"); Johnny Hunt ("Building Your Leadership Resume"); and Stephen and Alex Kendrick ("The Love Dare"). -- LifeWay Conference Centers will hold drawings for gift certificates for overnight stays at Ridgecrest and Glorieta. ETHICS & RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION -- Through the "If My People ... " initiative featured in the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission booth, the ERLC will call Southern Baptists to humble themselves before God and cry out in prayer, as described in 2 Chronicles 7:14, in order to be changed and poised to have an impact on their communities and the nation's culture. "Repenting, praying and seeking God must begin with people being converted," ERLC president Richard Land said. "But the converted then have an obligation to minister in all spheres of life, because we have a Gospel that penetrates and changes all spheres of life." A highlight of the booth will be daily interactive trivia games on a variety of issues assigned to the ERLC, such as the sanctity of human life, gambling and hunger. Staffers from both the Nashville and Washington, D.C., offices will be available throughout the convention, along with complimentary copies of ERLC publications. GUIDESTONE FINANCIAL RESOURCES -- GuideStone's wellness center once again will provide a free health screening valued at $150. Messengers and family members can have their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checked, along with bone density and body mass index. At GuideStone's main booth, participants can stop by for a personal review of their investment account and learn more about GuideStone's life and health products. A one-hour class on retirement benefit options provided by GuideStone will be available to participants. Times and locations for the seminar will be posted in the GuideStone booth. Resources for Mission:Dignity Sunday also will be on hand at the booth. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE -- Messengers can sign up at the Executive Committee's booth to receive Volume 3 of the popular "Every Number Has a Story" series produced by the EC's Cooperative Program and stewardship division. The features focus on the fruit of Southern Baptists' cooperative efforts. Various Cooperative Program, stewardship and SBC resources also will be available. Messengers can update their church information on SBC.net; order a bulk subscription to SBC LIFE for their churches; and learn more about It's A New Day for Financial Freedom, which was launched at the 2006 SBC annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. Messengers can register for a Wii entertainment system, including the Wii Fit pack. One system will be given away each day; you must be a registered messenger to enter. Other groups that have an alliance with the Executive Committee will have exhibits adjacent to the EC booth, including Crown Financial Ministries, Unlimited Partnerships, Holman Bible Outreach International, the Southern Baptist Foundation and PhilanthroCorp. The goal of the Executive Committee is to "inspire confidence in cooperation." WOMAN'S MISSIONARY UNION -- Building on the tag line WMU launched last year, "Change a Life. Change the World," the missions education organization will showcase missions involvement initiatives for preschoolers, children, youth and adults. In addition to church-based approaches, the WMU booth will feature a new Bible study series from New Hope Publishers, along with WorldCrafts products handcrafted by artisans from around the world. Visitors also can enter a drawing for a Nintendo Wii Fit. SEMINARY EXTENSION -- Seminary Extension's booth will focus on the Southern Baptist Contention's commitment to make theological education and ministry training available to everyone in the churches. The booth will display examples of individual courses in addition to highlighting diploma and certificate programs. Copies of the Seminary Extension catalog will be available. Seminary Extension staff also will look forward to visiting with former and current students as well as the many volunteer instructors who have served faithfully through the years. SOUTHERN BAPTIST HISTORICAL LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES -- Copies of images and documents illustrating the rise and growth of Baptists in Europe and early America will be on display in conjunction with various Baptist traditions' celebration of the 400th anniversary of Baptists, dating back to John Smyth and Thomas Helwys fleeing religious persecution in England to establish a church in Amsterdam embracing believer's baptism. Informational brochures on the library and archives, microfilming church records, publications related to church archives and church history, and information on the Baptist History and Heritage Society will be available. Also planned for the dining area in the exhibit hall will be Baptist classic films, where attendees can view selected early Baptist-produced motion picture films such as the "Jot" cartoon episodes and the dramatic series, "This is the Answer and Human Dimension." GOLDEN GATE SEMINARY -- Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary is celebrating its 65th year in 2009 -- and its 50th year on Strawberry Point at the Northern California Campus by honoring alumni from the graduating classes of 1949-59. Tickets for the Alumni and Friends Luncheon may be purchased at the booth. Representatives will be available to discuss the benefits of a Golden Gate education, including master's and doctoral degrees offered at the five Golden Gate campuses in the West: Northern California (San Francisco area), Southern California, Rocky Mountain (Denver), Phoenix and the Pacific Northwest. MIDWESTERN SEMINARY -- "Thy Word is Truth" will be the theme of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary & College's exhibit featuring items from The Rawlings Foundation, including historically significant Bibles and a letter from the Inquisition. The foundation's holdings, based in Florence, Ky., illustrate the development of the English Bible. Free booklets titled "Answering the Call" will be provided to those considering a seminary education. Faculty and student representatives from the Kansas City, Mo., campus will be on hand to answer questions from alumni and prospective students about MBTS' various degree programs. NEW ORLEANS SEMINARY -- Faculty members from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary will be on hand in the NOBTS booth to answer questions from alumni and potential students about the current degree programs as well as new initiatives at the main campus or the seminary's extension centers. In keeping with tradition, NOBTS also will give away small bottles of Louisiana hot sauce to those who visit the booth. SOUTHEASTERN SEMINARY -- Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's booth will focus on what the seminary is doing to equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The seminary also plans to use its exhibit space to thank Southern Baptists for their support of the Cooperative Program and to give alumni and friends of Southeastern as well as potential students a place to relax for a few moments during the convention and Pastors' Conference. SOUTHERN SEMINARY – With Southern Baptist Theological Seminary marking its 150th anniversary this year, its exhibit will reflect the sesquicentennial celebration. Several events related to the anniversary will be held during the convention featuring seminary faculty. At the booth, faculty members also will be on hand to discuss the anniversary and SBTS academic programs. The "Albert Mohler Program," a daily broadcast featuring SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr., will broadcast live from Southern's booth at 5 p.m. on June 22 and 23. SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's booth will reflect the seminary's ongoing passion for taking the Gospel to the world's unreached peoples. The booth will feature several seminary-produced videos conveying stories of students, highlighting Southwestern's heritage and a campus tour. Additionally, seminary representatives and faculty will be available to discuss Southwestern's programs and to answer questions. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Events aplenty slated in Louisville by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Far from the main hall of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, an array of events are held each year in the SBC's host city. Among the diverse gatherings in conjunction with this year's SBC sessions in Louisville: -- The North American Mission Board will host an Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Appreciation Luncheon on Tuesday, June 23, to honor the top SBC churches in giving to the annual North American missions offering in 2008, both in overall dollar amount and per capita giving. The luncheon, at 11:40 a.m., will be held in the Room South B104-105 of the Kentucky Exposition Center. -- Celebrating the role of chaplaincy within the Southern Baptist Convention, the annual NAMB Chaplains Luncheon is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Monday, June 22, in Room South C205 at the exposition center. The luncheon is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and typically is attended by some 150 SBC chaplains. This year's featured speaker will be Gary Chapman, noted author ("The Five Love Languages") and family life minister at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Army's Chief of Chaplains, Maj. Gen. Douglas Carver, also is slated to attend, along with SBC President Johnny Hunt and former presidents Bobby Welch and Frank Page. NAMB president Geoff Hammond also will speak. -- Founders Ministries will hold its annual fellowship breakfast in at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 23 at the Crowne Plaza, Coronet Ballroom A/B, level one. Tickets are $10 before June 1 and $15 after that date. Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, will be the featured speaker. Akin will address "Creeds, Deeds and the Great Commission." To register, or for more information, go to www.founders.org/conferences/ffb. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Seminaries set aside time for lunch at SBC by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Alumni and friends of the Southern Baptist Convention's six seminaries will receive updates about the schools and renew acquaintances with faculty members and classmates during luncheons on Wednesday, June 24, in conjunction with the SBC's annual meeting at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. GOLDEN GATE -- Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary's president, Jeff Iorg, will be the featured speaker at the seminary's annual Alumni and Friends Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Room South C202 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The president's report will include an overview of plans for the seminary through 2010. In addition, the Golden Gate's Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented. Tickets, at $10 per person, are available by calling 1-888-442-8709 or can be purchased at the seminary's Exhibit Hall booth. MIDWESTERN -- Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will host its annual Alumni & Friends Luncheon at noon Wednesday at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Room South C203. MBTS alumnus Michael Catt, pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., will be the featured speaker. The films "Fireproof" and "Facing the Giants" were produced through the church. MBTS President R. Philip Roberts will also provide an update on the seminary's ministry. To add your name to the seating list, contact Midwestern's institutional advancement at 816-414-3720 or Iaoffice@mbts.edu. Including complete names of all attendees and your contact information. Reservations are required by Friday, June 19. Reserved tickets can be picked up at Midwestern's Exhibit Hall booth on Tuesday, June 23. NEW ORLEANS -- A reunion luncheon for alumni and friends of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary follow the Wednesday morning session of the SBC in Rooms South B102-103 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Reservations are $17.50 per person ($35 per couple) if made by June 15, $20 per person thereafter. The menu includes "A Taste of Kentucky" buffet of barbeque pulled pork, fried chicken, ham, salad, sweet corn, beans, fruit cobbler, coffee and iced tea. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley will report on seminary activities over the past year and on new initiatives for the coming year. The seminary's distinguished alumni for 2009 will be recognized. To purchase a ticket before the SBC, make a check payable to NOBTS and mail to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Attention Alumni Relations, 3939 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70126. Tickets may be picked up at the seminary's Exhibit Hall booth and can be purchased there. SOUTHEASTERN SEMINARY -- Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt, a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary alumnus, will headline the seminary's 2009 National Alumni and Friends Luncheon, along with SEBTS President Daniel Akin. Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board, also is scheduled to speak. All of them will speak about Southeastern's commitment to a Great Commission Resurgence in partnering with other Southern Baptists to take the Gospel of Christ around the world. "It is an honor to have Drs. Hunt and Rankin speaking alongside Dr. Akin at this year's luncheon," said Albie Brice, director of alumni development at SEBTS. "We know that all of our alumni will be challenged as they listen to these leaders describe what God is doing and how we can all work together to further the Great Commission." The luncheon will begin at noon Wednesday in Rooms South C204-205 of the Kentucky Exposition Center. The cost per guest is $20; reservations can be made by visiting sebts.edu or calling 919-761-2203. Southern Seminary to host Alumni & Friends Luncheon on campus during SBC annual meeting. SOUTHERN SEMINARY -- Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will host its Alumni & Friends Luncheon on its campus to be followed by an open house and campus tours. The luncheon will be at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday in Southern's Heritage Hall and main gymnasium. SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr. will be the featured keynote speaker at 2 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Chapel immediately following the luncheon. From 3-5 p.m., guests may tour Southern's campus. Tours will begin in the new Sesquicentennial Pavilion, a welcome pavilion that features a seminary video and houses the institution's admissions offices. Luncheon tickets are $18 and may be purchased by calling 502-714-6500 or e-mailing eventproductions@sbts.edu. Shuttle service will be provided from the convention center to Southern's campus. SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's National Alumni Luncheon will begin at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Rooms South B104-105 of the Kentucky Exposition Center. Southwestern President Paige Patterson will present the seminary's annual report and the 2009 distinguished alumnus award. Tickets, at $10 per person before June 1, may be purchased online at www.swbts.edu/sbclunch or by calling toll-free 1-877-GO SWBTS (467-9287). Tickets after June 1 will be $15 per person and will be available online or at Southwestern's Exhibit Hall booth. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern Seminary to welcome SBC by Jeff Robinson Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--One hundred and fifty three years ago, a young scholar named James Petigru Boyce cast a vision for theological education for his colleagues at Furman University, a vision that echoes down the halls of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary today. Boyce proposed "three changes in theological education," arguing that such an education should be available to all men who are called to the ministry without educational prerequisites; it should be of the highest quality; and it should be tied to a robust confession of faith to safeguard theological orthodoxy. In 1859 Boyce and three other men, John Broadus, Basil Manly Jr. and William Williams, established Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Greensville, S.C., upon Boyce's vision. Boyce became the first president and, to answer the crucial third part of his vision, Manly penned the school's confession of faith, the Abstract of Principles. This year, Southern Seminary, which moved to Louisville, Ky., in 1877, is celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary firmly upon the confessional cornerstone laid by its founding faculty 150 years ago. This summer Southern will play host to the Southern Baptist Convention as the denomination holds its June 23-24 annual meeting in Louisville to commemorate its flagship seminary's anniversary. The seminary will hold several events to mark its 150th anniversary, including an alumni and friends luncheon on campus at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, in Heritage Hall and the main gym. At 2 p.m., the seminary will hold a dedication ceremony for its new Sesquicentennial Pavilion. A campus-wide open house will follow from 3-5 p.m., with a book signing at the LifeWay Christian Store on campus. SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr. will host his "Albert Mohler Program" live radio broadcast from the Kentucky Exposition Center, site of the SBC annual meeting, on June 22 and 23. The radio show will originate from campus on June 24. Mohler, at an April 21 ribbon-cutting for the sesquicentennial pavilion, helped place a time capsule in a vault that is to be opened in 50 years. Among the items in it is a letter from Mohler to be opened at seminary's 200th anniversary that speaks of where the school stands today and its vision for the future. "What I basically did was write [the letter] in such a way that if this institution isn't theologically where it needs to be ... they're going to know it," Mohler said. "It's going to be the most embarrassing letter ever read if indeed this institution is not preserved in that way. That is our prayer -- that it will be." For much of the 20th century Southern Seminary was a different school than it is today. Early in the century, Southern began to drift toward liberalism. This departure from Boyce's vision remained until 1993 when conservatives regained a majority on the board of trustees and elected Mohler as president, sparking a profound reformation at the seminary. Southern Baptists will see much evidence that their first seminary is standing upon the confessional vision of its founders. Southern is one of the largest seminaries in the world with more than 4,500 students who study under one of the evangelical world's leading faculties. Russell D. Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration, said Southern's graduates, students and faculty members reflect the seminary's commitment to Boyce's original vision. "Southern Seminary graduates have a sense of weightiness in ministry," Moore said. "Our students are joyful and our students also understand the gravity of the calling of preaching and teaching the Word of God. What distinguishes Southern Seminary students is a passionate, joyful seriousness, understanding what is at stake in the proclamation of the Gospel." --30-- Jeff Robinson is director of news and information at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. -------------------------------------------------------------------- NAMB to sponsor Hispanic events by Mickey Noah Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Hispanic Southern Baptist pastors and state leaders from across the United States will join in Hispanic-focused events prior to this June's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Louisville. The theme will be "Live with Urgency: Sowing Together for the Harvest" for the North American Mission Board-sponsored events. "While 1,000 attended the events in San Antonio two years ago, we expect a good turnout in Louisville because there are 10 Hispanic Southern Baptist churches in the city and even more in the surrounding Louisville area," said Jorge Sedaca, NAMB church planting coordinator. "It's always a big event," Sedaca said. "We do it year after year because of the fellowship, the inspiration, the worship and the training."It takes Sedaca and several other NAMB Hispanic team members to develop and carry out the annual event. The Hispanic emphasis actually begins prior to the SBC annual meeting. This year, coinciding with Crossover '09 in Louisville, Hispanic Baptists will conduct their own Crossover -- sharing Christ in Hispanic neighborhoods and in the Churchill Downs area and holding simultaneous revivals in Louisville's Hispanic churches during the week of June 15. Hispanic Crossover will culminate on Saturday, June 20, with a Hispanic block party. Some 500 attendees are expected for the annual National Hispanic Celebration sponsored by NAMB June 21-22. A dinner and worship celebration is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at Parkland Baptist Church, with Rudy Gonzalez, dean of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary-San Antonio Center, as the featured speaker. New Mexico-based Christian family group Caballero will provide the music. The Hispanic Pastor's Conference/Breakfast will follow on Monday from 8 a.m.–noon in Room South C201 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Featured speakers will be Sedaca; Joshua Del Risco of NAMB's evangelism group; and Jess Fairbanks from NAMB's church planting group. Simultaneously at a Hispanic ladies conference, 9 a.m.-noon, Alicia Zorzoli, an IMB missionary based in El Paso, Texas, will speak on "Issues Hispanic Women Face in Ministry" in Room South C202 in the Exposition Center. The day will culminate with a noon Hispanic luncheon sponsored by the International Mission Board in Room South C203 in the exposition center. Also in conjunction with the SBC, the Fellowship of Hispanic Churches of the SBC will be meeting June 21-22 for various activities (see related BP story from April 24.) --30-- Mickey Noah is a writer for the North American Mission Board. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Hispanic Baptists prepare for Louisville by David Raul Lema Jr. Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--"Rekindling the Fire of God" is the theme for the Fellowship of Hispanic Churches of the SBC prior to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. Fellowship leaders noted that the group will support Crossover and other pre-SBC evangelistic and church planting activities in addition to their scheduled activities. The fellowship and local Baptist associations and churches, the North American Mission Board and Kentucky Baptist Convention are working together to make an impact in local communities with the Gospel. Hispanics number up to 60,000 in the metro Louisville area, up to 4 percent of the population. All Hispanic churches, SBC messengers and visitors have been challenged to actively participate in the various Crossover activities beginning on June 15 and culminating on June 20. Hispanic Baptists in Kentucky have their own website in Spanish for those who would like more information on the Crossover events: www.cbkentucky.org. Guillermo Mangieri, president of the Hispanic fellowship and pastor of Iglesia Bautista de Washington in Rockville, Md., said the fellowship is "working together with NAMB to promote the simultaneous revivals which have been scheduled to take place as part of the Crossover events the week before the SBC. We are providing pastors and leaders experienced in evangelism and crusades that have participated in our 'Life in Jesus' campaigns at other times." Crossover activities on Saturday, June 20, will include a Hispanic family festival at the Iroquois Amphitheater from 1-5 p.m. Hispanic volunteers also will participate in an international festival to be held at the same time at the Value Market at the Iroquois Plaza. For more information, go to www.crossoverlouisville.com. Julio Fuentes, the Hispanic fellowship's information director, is hopeful that "participants will be a part of Crossover and join the Hispanic celebrations in the community. We would like to see a greater involvement and participation of Hispanic messengers in the SBC." The fellowship's annual business meeting will be Sunday, June 21, from 2:30-4 p.m. at the same church where the NAMB will be hosting its annual Hispanic church planting celebration, Parkland Baptist Church in Louisville. For more information regarding this event see www.confraternidad.net. The Hispanic fellowship will meet for its third annual Hispanic Prayer Encounter for Awakening and Revival on Monday, June 22, at 7 p.m. in the SBC Prayer Room in the Kentucky Exposition Center’s Room South C105. The session will be devoted to prayer for the SBC, all participants, missionaries and pastors. Augusto Valverde, the fellowship's executive director and pastor of Iglesia Bautista Resurreccion in Miami, said the annual prayer emphasis "will mark one of the greater contributions of Hispanics to the SBC-related events. Each year, Hispanic messengers and guests gather at the SBC prayer room for at least a couple of hours of prayer for the SBC, the nation, the leaders and for revival in the nation and within the Hispanic population of this country." Valverde noted that the group prayed particularly for the health and healing of a pastor's wife in California last year. The group prayed for a successful heart transplant for her and for someone to donate a heart within the time frame in which it was needed. When the pastor and his wife returned home, she received the needed heart transplant and survived the surgery. "It is with great expectations that we go to Louisville," Valverde said, "as we challenge Hispanic Baptists to come and see, and help, and pray, and change the city of Louisville for Christ." --30-- David Raul Lema Jr. is director of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's Center for the Americas in Miami and a correspondent for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Local church hosts African American event by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--In a break from earlier years, the National African American Fellowship's annual meeting will take place at a local church rather than the convention center where the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting will be held. The NAAF sessions, held each year prior to the SBC annual meeting, will begin with worship at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 21, at First Gethsemane Baptist Church in Louisville, where T. Vaughn Walker is pastor. The evening's guest speaker will be Lincoln Bingham, pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Louisville and recipient in 2008 of the Kennedy-Boyce Award winner for his work in racial reconciliation over a span of 50 years. The St. Paul Missionary Baptist Sanctuary Choir will lead in praise and worship. NAAF's business session will be at 4 p.m. Monday, followed by the annual banquet at 6 p.m., both at First Gethsemane Center for Family Development, which is directly behind the church. Meeting in a local church "puts our convention in touch with the church and exposes our fellowship to persons who would not normally notice a meeting going on," said Michael Pigg, NAAF president and pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. "I'm encouraging all African American pastors to come enter into a discussion of fresh leadership that will impact our churches during this new time," Pigg continued. "This is an exciting time and we want you to be a part of what God is doing." This year's NAAF meeting will include a time for remembering several key NAAF participants who have died in recent months: -- Willie Jordon, who died in mid-December at age 66, was the founding pastor of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, Ill., a suburb on Chicago's troubled South Side. What started with fewer than 50 members grew to more than 8,000 over 40 years in part because of the church's many social ministries. -- Sid Smith, who died April 8 at age 65, was executive director of the Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network, which he founded in 1997. He was director of the Florida Baptist Convention's African American ministries division from 1994 until his retirement in 2005. "Most of us literally are standing on the shoulder of pioneers like Rev. Willie Jordan and Dr. Sid Smith," Pigg said. "The passing of these pioneers has given all of us a wakeup call, reminding us to be ready to answer to our call." -- Karen Croston, who died Nov. 18 from cancer, was the wife of Mark Croston Sr., NAAF past president and pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk, Va. -- Fannie Kelly, 77, who died March 13. She and her husband Tom Kelly received the Black Southern Baptist Heritage Award in 2003 for their work in California, where he was responsible for the start of at least 270 African American churches and was a driving force in Christian education among African American churches. During the business session, fellowship members will discuss ways to better serve and strengthen African American churches. "The National African American Fellowship seeks to encourage African American churches to participate in Kingdom building through the Southern Baptist Convention," Pigg wrote in an invitation to pastors and members of Baptist churches that worship in an African American context. "In order to accomplish this goal, we need your attendance and support. "We need you to come, to hear and be a part of the great things God is doing," Pigg wrote. Tickets for the Monday evening banquet are $25 each. Call or e-mail reservations by June 15 to 757-539-3324 or t.mcbride@naafsbc.org. Only a few tickets will be available at the door. --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Baptist Message, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Black Servants Network to honor Sid Smith by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network will honor the late Sid Smith during its 13th annual meeting Sunday, June 21, at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. Smith, executive director of the Black Servants Network, died April 8 in his sleep at his home in Jacksonville, Fla. "Dr. Smith was a powerful and strong mentor of many in African American life who are serving in denominational ministries for the Southern Baptist Convention," said Ken Ellis, president of the network and leader of the North American Mission Board's people group/interfaith team. "He was a courageous leader.... Dr. Smith taught us a strong sense of identity and to believe God called us to serve for such a time as this," Ellis said. A luncheon hosted by St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church will precede the 2 p.m. meeting. "I'm extremely excited about the Black Servants Network coming to St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church June 21 for several reasons," said Lincoln Bingham, pastor of the church and recipient in 2008 of the network's Kennedy-Boyce Award winner for his work over a span of 50 years in racial reconciliation. "I was in the origin of the Black Servant's Network," Bingham said. "I'm happy we're a part of the Southern Baptist Convention and are able to make a servant leader's contribution to the convention. Our church will be a very welcoming host.... We hope to lay out the red carpet." The 2009 edition of The Journal of African American Southern Baptist History is expected to be available, focusing this year on church planting and missions. The Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network is a fellowship for individuals who work in associational, state convention and denominational entities, numbering about 250 in 2008, up from about 90 in 1996, the year the group was formed. --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message, online at www.baptistmessage.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Korean Baptists to meet in Louisville by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--For the first time in four years, the Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches in America will meet in the same city and same week as the Southern Baptist Convention. About 500 pastors and lay leaders from Korean Southern Baptist churches across the United States and others from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America are expected to participate in the Korean fellowship's annual gathering, Monday through Wednesday, June 22-24, at the Louisville Marriott East. The council encompasses 830 Korean Southern Baptist churches. With many of the attendees first-generation Korean, it is necessary to provide Korean meals for them, which is only possible in a city with a large-enough Korean church membership to cook kim-chi (cooked cabbage with a variety of spices), bolgogi (barbecued beef), makguksu (noodle soup) and more. So, during the last three years when the SBC annual meeting has been in cities without a sizable contingent of Korean Southern Baptists, the fellowship has met at another time and place, so that Koreans could have the opportunity to participate in both annual meetings. In another change from previous years, rather than having a guest speaker from Korea, the program will consist of pastors serving in America. Others will bring shorter testimonies of God's work in their midst. Louisville-area Korean Southern Baptists will lead in praise and worship. Also, usually a half-dozen men from the Korean Baptist Convention, Korean Baptist Seminary and prominent Baptist pastors in Korea attend the annual gathering of Korean Baptists in America. This year, however, because of continuing global economic concerns, no visitors from Korea are expected. The theme of this year's Korean Council sessions speaks to its leaders' reaction to the likelihood of no international guest speakers or visitors: "We and the Lord and the Word," which might be translated "The Lord and the Word is all we need." "We celebrate ourselves and our testimonies," said Byung Jik Kim, Korean Council recording secretary and pastor of the Dover (Del.) First Korean Baptist Church. The Korean Council sessions will begin at 6 p.m. Monday with a meal prepared by Louisville-area Korean Southern Baptists followed by an evening of praise and preaching. Early morning prayer will begin at 6 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a Korean breakfast and, at 8:30 a.m., morning worship. Tuesday afternoon is free so Koreans can participate in the June 23-24 SBC annual meeting at the Kentucky Exposition Center. "In the evening, special meetings for foreign missions, home missions and WMU [are scheduled]," Kim said. "Home and foreign missionaries will be speaking." A full children's program and youth program also are scheduled during the council sessions. Han Chung Ho, pastor of Immanuel Korean Baptist Church in Anaheim, Calif., is president of the Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches in America. Sin K. Baik, pastor of New Way Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., is first vice president; Jong Keol Yoo, pastor of True Light Korean Baptist Church in Louisville, second vice president. Chongoh Aum is the council's executive director. --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Baptist Message, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Messianics to celebrate Jewish heritage by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Members of the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship will gather to celebrate their Jewish heritage and to welcome guests at their meeting ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. Worship services are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, June 19, and 9 a.m. June 20, with registration immediately preceding both services. Following a lunch break, a Saturday afternoon service will begin at 1, with an evening service at 7 followed by an annual business meeting. Davidic worship dance instruction will be Sunday between 2 and 4 p.m. All meetings will be in Room C205 in the south wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center. The fellowship will hear from Jorge Sedaca, a coordinator for resource development and delivery in the North American Mission Board's church planting group, who will speak about the fellowship's partnership with NAMB for Jewish evangelism. Also, James M. Hamilton, associate professor of biblical theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, will be featured. Hamilton is the author of "God's Indwelling Presence: The Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments" as well as various scholarly articles. Phil Adams, a multiethnic church support manager at LifeWay Christian Resources, will discuss the need for help in translating several publications into the Hebrew language. Alicia Smith, a Messianic psalmist from Humble Hearts Ministries in Belvidere, Ill., will lead in worship. Smith's music is heard on radio stations in Israel, and her testimony is conveyed in the songs she writes and sings. Ric Worshill, the fellowship's president, said the theme during his four years of leadership has been "Building Up the Saints." "The vision: We must lead others to the Eternal Kingdom of Mashiach Yeshua [Jesus the Messiah]," Worshill wrote in a statement to Baptist Press. "One vision and one purpose -- to bring new life into the Body and His Kingdom. We must be exercised and trained up to do the Good Work of Mashiach. "My heart has not changed these past four years. Friday evening I will be preaching on a subject that has been a burden on my heart," Worshill said. "I have many relatives and friends who don't know the True Savior of all mankind, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. My message this year will be about the main sub-theme for this year's meetings: 'For Zion's Sake We Will Not Keep Silent.'" Worshill said the fellowship is working on ways to build productive partnerships with SBC churches, and each year they include in their program speakers who have a reputation for building up the saints. "I pray that the flame of a missionary heart will be fanned up in all of those who attend our meetings," Worshill said. "I also pray that those who come broken from the battle go home refreshed and take something with them to build up the saints around them. Our purpose is to build each other up closer and closer in Christ, so we are all prepared to be sent out in service to the Kingdom of Christ." Anyone who plans to attend this year's fellowship meeting should contact Worshill at sbmf2009@sbmessianic.net for planning purposes. "'Messianic' comes from the Hebrew word 'mashiach,' which means 'the anointed one,'" according to an explanation on the fellowship's website, www.sbmessianic.net. "It was used of priests and kings of Israel but took on a specialized meaning in reference to the coming Messiah, the supernatural Deliverer of Israel. "In the first century, when Greek was the lingua franca, 'mashiach' was translated into Greek as 'christos' from which we have developed the English words, Christ and Christian. So Messianic and Christian mean the same thing -- they refer to a disciple of Yeshua, though they are derived from Hebrew and Greek respectively," the website says. Placing faith in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel and the one of whom the prophets spoke is the most Jewish response a person can make, the website says. "A Messianic congregation is a fellowship of Jews and Gentiles who believe that Yeshua is the true Jewish Messiah promised by God through the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures, and who worship within the framework of traditional Jewish patterns," the website says. "Many of these groups exist in the United States, Israel and other countries." The Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship seeks to share the Gospel with the world's Jewish population, encourage Messianic believers to celebrate their Jewish heritage, and work toward the planting of Messianic congregations. The group also embraces the Baptist Faith & Message. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff writer Erin Roach. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastors' wives focus: 'Women of Truth' by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--"Women of Truth" will be the theme of the annual Pastors' Wives Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention's Pastors' Conference, with keynote speakers Elizabeth Luter and Mary Kassian. The conference, from 8:30-11:20 a.m. Monday, June 22, will be in Rooms South B101-105 of the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. It is free of charge, with no registration needed. Doors open at 8 a.m. Luter serves as women's ministry leader at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans where her husband Fred is pastor. Kassian is distinguished professor of women's studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. "The purpose of this session from the beginning has been for ministers' wives to minister to other ministers' wives," said Donna Gaines of Cordova, Tenn., who has led in the planning of this year's session. "As both speakers address the theme, ministers' wives will be reminded of choosing to live life according to God's Word." The conference will provide an opportunity for friendships to develop through small group prayer and fellowship at the close of the morning, with Gaines noting, "We want to give the women an opportunity to connect with other ministers' wives. No one understands our role like another minister's' wife." --30-- Compiled by Tammi Reed Ledbetter, news editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ministers' wives focus on 'quiet influence' by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The 2009 SBC Ministers' Wives Luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 23, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. The program will focus on the theme, "Quiet Influence: The Romans 12:1 Woman." Based on a passage of Scripture that urges believers "to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship," the luncheon is designed to encourage and inspire women by showing how great women of the Bible and church history have made an impact on people's lives by exerting quiet influence, said Diane Strack, president of the group. The luncheon, in Rooms South B101-105 of the exposition center, will give ministers' wives an opportunity to hear real experiences and stories about how other ministers' wives have faced struggles and found God carried them through, Strack said. "You can gain so much from hearing somebody say, 'I went through breast cancer and God's brought me through it' or 'My son walked away from the Lord and as a pastor's wife that was the hardest thing I ever went through,'" Strack said. "That's powerful for a woman who's out there struggling. We want to give ministers' wives a sense of understanding that, no matter what their situation, God can use you in people's lives, year after year and generation after generation, when you present yourself to Him in holy surrender." Every attendee will receive the gift of a study guide for the "Quiet Influence" Bible study, which includes chapters by Debbie Brunson, Jeana Floyd, Donna Gaines, Susie Hawkins and Lisa Young, as well as Strack. In addition to the authors giving a preview of the Bible study, the program also will feature a segment called "The View from the Pew" in which the panelists will relive some of their most embarrassing ministry moments. "We think that will be fun," Strack said, "helping other ministers wives understand that you can make mistakes and still live on." A new feature for this year's luncheon will be the Women's Expo both before and after the luncheon, Strack said. The doors to that event will open at 11 a.m. and will feature resources for women's ministry and personal growth. More than 1,000 gifts ranging in value from $40 to $350 will be given away to Expo participants, including weekend retreats for couples, DVD group study kits and study Bibles. In addition, every luncheon participant will receive a Romans 12:1 gift bag. For more information about the program or to purchase a ticket, go to www.dianestrack.com. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Mark Kelly. -------------------------------------------------------------------- A case for Christian elementary and secondary schools by Morris H. Chapman Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--I am truly amazed at the excellence of many of our Christian colleges and universities. I serve as a trustee of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and we have remarkable students from around the world and a first-class faculty to train them. Several times throughout the year we send out graduates who will elevate the professionalism in their respective fields but also who will transform the world with the message of the Gospel. But in celebrating accomplishments like these, I now wonder if our focus in the evangelical community should shift at least in part from training our children during the transition to adulthood to placing greater emphasis on training up a child in the way he should go. I'm not advocating the neglect of what we have already established in higher education, but simply a course correction in an area that seems to have suffered neglect -- the protection and nurturing of the spiritual health and growth of children and adolescents. In far too many public schools throughout the country our children are being bombarded with secular reasoning, situational ethics and moral erosion. To be sure, our Christian colleges and universities enroll young people who might not know Jesus Christ, and we have created an environment that supports their coming to know Him. However, our Christian colleges and universities are more like havens that offer refuge and refinement to young Christian men and women and less like magnets that attract the unchurched. There are a number of biblical precedents for moving to bolster our investment in Christian elementary and secondary schools. Prime among them is Proverbs 22:6. But even in the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8) there is a biblical principle about preparing the soil for receipt of the seed. And of course Christ is referred to as the "tender shoot" and what we know about Jesus' upbringing, we're left with the impression of God nurturing Him in preparation for what was to come. Do not misunderstand; I believe the primary responsibility for raising children is charged to parents. However, it is undeniable that the church is charged with training parents and working with them to ensure tender shoots survive when moved from the greenhouse to the harshness of the natural environment. To be sure, there are a number of areas where Kingdom education at this level would be a welcome alternative to public schools. Many of our inner cities are suffering from failed families and failing students. In Baltimore, Md., for example, schools are experiencing dropout rates up to 60 percent; 70 percent of teens are sexually active; and, the city has alarming rates for crimes, sexually transmitted diseases and out-of-wedlock births. In such areas, Kingdom schools would serve as a central ministry among a myriad of ministries that would help families recover from the chaos that now exists and help them establish Christ in the home. However, Kingdom education should not be a reaction to public education. In the Nashville area for instance, we are blessed with a number of school systems staffed with faithful Christian educators and administrators. Homeschooling is vibrant here, too. Instead, Kingdom schools, K-12, should be built as an intentional ministry of churches and local associations to aid families with their Kingdom responsibilities for raising children in the admonition of the Lord. Why shouldn't we have at least one Christian school in every association that merges dynamic biblical principles with academic excellence? At minimum, a number of Southern Baptist churches in the same association could band together to create an outstanding Christian school for the area. In our voluntary fellowships with each other, Southern Baptists still have shown themselves uniquely structured and resourced to take on such a challenge. Elementary and secondary education is an area we can add to how we cooperate in missions and ministries. The focus should not be to abandon public schools, but to be certain not to abandon our biblical responsibility to come alongside parents in training up a child in the way he should go. Can we ignore the enormity of this need any longer when our children so desperately need to be fortified with strong biblical precepts as well as history, grammar, literature, civics, math and science? In recent days, two questions have weighed heavily on my soul. If Southern Baptists don't do it, who will? If we don't do it now, do we risk forever losing the opportunity to build schools for God's glory and the future of our children, grandchildren and the land we love? --30-- Morris H. Chapman is president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The TEA protesters were racist? by Kelly Boggs Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--When protests occur in support of homosexual activists, liberals laud the gatherings as inspirational. Let anti-war demonstrators slander U.S. soldiers and burn American flags and some on the left applaud the action. However, let conservatives gather to protest the expansion of government, and some liberals are quick to castigate them as, of all things, racists. Actress, comedienne and liberal activist Janeane Garofalo appeared April 16 on MSNBC's "Countdown," hosted by Keith Olbermann, to dismiss the TEA Party protests that had taken place all over the United States the previous day. Olbermann introduced the segment with Garofalo by offering a couple of crude and sexually suggestive comments concerning the chosen title for the conservative protests. It seems tea-bagging is a reference to a perverse sexual practice of homosexual men. The day before, CNN's Anderson Cooper made a similar reference. I am proud to say that Olbermann and Cooper's efforts at inane and immature innuendo sailed right over my head. When Garofalo joined Olbermann on camera, she wasted no time in trashing the TEA Party protestors. "Let's be very honest about what this is about. It's not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea Party was about," Garofalo opined, "They don't know their history at all. This is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up." While there was not a single shred of evidence to support Ms. Garofalo's accusations of racism, it doesn't matter. In her twisted mind the situation is not up for debate. President Obama is black; therefore anyone who takes issue with his policies must be an ignorant racist. Of course, Ms. Garofalo shows her complete ignorance of the current TEA Party protest when she tosses in a reference to the Boston Tea Party, which took place in 1773. When the colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor it was about taxation without representation. She dismisses the recent teabag protestors of being ignorant of history because, of course, U.S. citizens are not being taxed without representation. If she would have bothered to take off her liberal blinders for one moment, Garofalo would have learned the letters T-E-A were an acronym for Taxed Enough Already. I know Ms. Garofalo might find it hard to believe but we ignorant conservatives actually know what an acronym is. No one is suggesting that we do not have representation when it comes to matters of taxation. However, some might want to debate the competence and responsiveness of some of that representation. The objection of the TEA Party protestors is to the expansion of government and the increased taxation that is bound to come in the not-too-distant future. Tax freedom day -- a symbolic day representing how many days into the year the average person must work in order to fulfill his or her federal, state and local tax obligations -- is now April 13. I agree with the protestors, I think we are Taxed Enough Already. The most narrow-minded charge Garofalo leveled at the TEA Party Protests was that of racism. Throughout her appearance on Olbermann's program, she peppered the discussion with charges that the protests were only about one thing -- racism and hatred that a black man is in the White House. She even charged that conservatives' brains were wired differently. "These guys hate that a black guy is in the White House," she charged. Olbermann's contribution to the so-called discussion was to sit with his heading nodding up and down like a bobble head doll repeatedly uttering, "Yes, that's right." At one point Garofalo said, "I didn't know there were so many racists left. I didn't know that. As I said, the Republican-conservative movement has now crystallized into the white power movement." So, where's her evidence? There is none. The protests took issue with the president because it is he that is leading the way of the expansion of government. Racism had nothing to do with it. The TEA Party Protests were peaceful. Everyone kept their clothes on, there were no drugs and there was no property damage. Perhaps if there were more of the aforementioned, liberals like Garofalo would have been OK with the tea party protestors. --30-- Kelly Boggs is a weekly columnist for Baptist Press and editor of the Baptist Message (www.baptistmessage.com), newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Korean-Americans answer missions call by Tammi Reed Ledbetter Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday CARROLLTON, Texas (BP)--Hundreds of Korean-American Baptists are committing their lives to overseas missions service through a partnership with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. About 1,200 people attended the first Korean Baptist Missions Conference at New Song Church in Carrollton, Texas, April 21-23. David Gill, pastor of Concord Korean Baptist Church in Martinez, Calif., directed the event along with Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board. The goal was to organize annual consultations between the two groups, followed by mobilization rallies hosted at Korean-American Baptist churches around the United States and a summit of Korean leadership from the United States and South Korea. "They caught the vision for people group strategy by giving priority to the unevangelized rather than just starting Korean churches," Rankin said. Except for Caucasians, Koreans are the largest single ethnic group sent out by the IMB, with more than 300 appointed since the partnership began and another 800 in contact with the personnel office regarding future service. Fifty IMB personnel were invited to share mission reports, describing the greater access Asians experience in regions of the world where Anglos are less welcome. Participants will use the exchange of information to evaluate partnership efforts and recruit more Korean-American Baptists to serve through the IMB. More than 130 people responded during opportunities at the conference to express a desire to pursue missionary service through the IMB, according to Hyoung Min Kim, a Korean and Asian church planting consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Rankin has been encouraged by the desire of Korean-American Baptists to develop a sound missiology that moves beyond merely working with expatriate Koreans. "We continue to put before them the lostness of the world and the responsibility of the local church to take ownership for calling out missionaries," he said, stressing the effectiveness of a cooperative strategy among Southern Baptists. Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, challenged the conference audience to depend wholly upon the Holy Spirit's empowering to grow biblical churches. "We are often more willing to trust in strategies and programs, money and power than the Spirit's power," Iorg said. "Trusting in resources is false power." The best evidence of the Holy Spirit at work is found in lives that are transformed, Iorg said, pointing to examples of Spirit-empowered churches in Acts 11 and 13. "Healthy churches innovate to advance the Gospel," Iorg said. "We must be willing to change to advance the Gospel, to reach more people for Jesus Christ, to grow larger churches and to start church planting movements." Also speaking at the conference were Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission; Daniel Dong-Won Lee, pastor of Jiguchon Church in Bundang, a suburb of Seoul, Korea; David Tae-Woong Lee, director of the Korea Mission Training Center; Myung Jin Ko, pastor of Suwon Central Baptist Church; and Bob Roberts, pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, Texas. As part of the conference, participants traveled to nearby Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, where they toured the church and spoke with Jack Graham, Prestonwood's pastor and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Representatives from the IMB and North American Mission Board provided displays in the exhibit area. GuideStone Financial Resources, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Dallas Baptist Association also were represented at the meeting. --30-- Tammi Reed Ledbetter is news editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dove Awards highlight cultural diversity by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The 40th annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards highlighted musical and cultural diversity as 38 of the evening's 43 awards went to different recipients April 23 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. "Many different artists have obviously connected with people in powerful ways this year as evidenced by last night's impressive number of singular honorees," GMA president John W. Styll said. "The list of Dove Award recipients is very culturally and musically diverse, yet together they reveal the unique ability for gospel and Christian music to reach across cultural, religious and generational divides to encourage and inspire with the good news of the Gospel," Styll added. Brandon Heath and Casting Crowns won the most awards. Heath received the Male Vocalist of the Year honor, and his song "Give Me Your Eyes" won Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, as well as the Song of the Year award. "I feel very much like I am still finding my voice to be standing in front of you tonight," Heath said, according to GospelMusicChannel.com. "I'm humbled, but I'm so proud to be part of this group of people, the things we accomplish and the lives that we change for the glory of God." Casting Crowns won the band's fifth consecutive Group of the Year award as well as Christmas Album of the Year for "Peace on Earth" and an award for Short Form Music Video for "Slow Fade." Steven Curtis Chapman, who has received more Dove Awards than any artist in history, won his seventh Artist of the Year award and his 10th Songwriter of the Year title. Chapman was joined onstage by his sons Caleb and Will Franklin for a performance of "Cinderella," a song inspired in part by his 5-year-old daughter Maria, who died in an accident last year. "Everything we're singing about tonight is true in the darkest, ugliest, most hopeless places," Chapman told reporters. "We're more certain of this hope that we have, and we're more desperate for God." Natalie Grant won her fourth consecutive trophy for Female Vocalist of the Year. Only Sandi Patty has won the award more times. Tenth Avenue North received the Dove Award for New Artist of the Year, which for the first time included votes cast by 250,000 fans in a contest coordinated by the Gospel Music Channel, which also broadcast the Dove Awards live. Votes were cast via the Web and text messaging, including through the first part of the broadcast. The Dove Awards pre-telecast featured the presentation of the majority of the 43 awards. In addition to embracing the future by using new technologies for voting, the Dove Awards showed appreciation for the past by honoring southern gospel music icon Bill Gaither with an award, 40 years after he won his first Dove Award in 1969. Tributes to musical legends were interspersed with performances by New Artist of the Year nominees, including a multi-artist segment honoring Dottie Rambo, a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame who died in a bus accident last year. Carrie Prejean, Miss California USA, appeared at the awards show to introduce the group MercyMe before they performed "I Can Only Imagine," marking one decade since the chart-topping song was written. For a complete list of award winners, visit www.gospelmusic.org. The Gospel Music Channel will rebroadcast the Dove Awards multiple times. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff writer Erin Roach. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Miss. Calif. gets standing ovation at show by Michael Foust Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Miss California USA Carrie Prejean may have her critics in Hollywood and the pageant industry, but she found a friendly crowd Thursday night when the audience at the 40th annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards gave her a standing ovation. Prejean was runner-up in Miss USA Sunday, and some observers believe she lost the crown when she told the 12 judges -- and a nationwide TV audience -- that she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. She has received plenty of criticism but also lots of praise, and that continued at the Dove Awards. Dove Awards officials didn't announce Prejean, 21, would be part of the program at the Grand Ole Opry House until the day before the event, and many in attendance apparently were caught off-guard when she was introduced. The applause that is normally given a presenter grew into a standing ovation for what the audience and other conservative Christians consider her courageous act. Prejean introduced the band MercyMe. A student at San Diego Christian College who attends The Rock Church in San Diego, Prejean was asked during the pageant if "every state should follow" Vermont in legalizing "gay marriage." She stumbled in her answer at first -- she later said she was debating at that moment whether to give a middle-of-the-road answer -- before saying, "I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman -- no offense to anybody out there -- but that's how I was raised and ... I think that it should be between a man and a woman." Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, the judge who asked the question, later called Prejean a "dumb [expletive]" with "half a brain." He also said she "lost because of that question." Hilton is homosexual. Another judge, Las Vegas entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs, wrote a blistering anti-Prejean blog entry that received so much negative attention that it was later deleted. In the entry -- dubbed "Pretty is as pretty does" and still available via a Google cache -- said Prejean's answer "GREATLY affected me & the final score I gave [her]." Prejean, Jacobs said, "made the mistake of not knowing when to shut her mouth." Jacobs further said that, including Hilton, at least two of the judges were homosexual and that a third has a sister in a "gay marriage." Jacobs said she was "personally insulted & hurt." "As she continued to speak, I saw the crown move further & further away from her," Jacobs wrote. She revealed how she voted on the final tally, which took place after the questioning round: "This was the moment where we had to assign that all-important final ranking ... 1 thru 5. Yes, I struggled, prior to her final question, Miss California was not my pick for Miss USA, but I would have chosen her as 1st runner-up. My final ranking for Miss California was 4th runner-up ... & if I could have made her 51st runner-up, I would have." Bumping her from first runner-up to fourth runner-up impacted the 12 judges' average score, which determines the winner. Not to be outdone, Giuliana Rancic, a news anchor on E! Television, wrote on her Twitter account regarding Prejean, "i know i'm a journalist, and i should be objective...but she is an ignorant discrace [sic] and she makes me sick to my stomach." Of course, Prejean's views also were the views last fall of a majority of Californians who passed Proposition 8 and banned "gay marriage" in the state. The latest CBS News poll showed that given three options, only 33 percent of American adults support legalizing "gay marriage." Prejean hasn't backed away from her views. She told NBC's "Today" show, "It's not about being politically correct. For me, it was being biblically correct." She added, regarding her missed opportunity to win the crown, "It wasn't what God wanted for my life that night." Prejean repeatedly has said that if given another chance, she still would have stated that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. She said she believes it cost her the crown. She also has said she is praying for Hilton. "By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith," she told Fox News. "I'm glad I stayed true to myself." Conservatives have defended her. Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, wrote in a post on The New York Times' website, "Carrie Prejean is a heroine to many because in that split second she had to decide, she chose truth over the tiara." Gary Schneeberger, vice president of Focus on the Family, said the incident exposes a double standard when it comes to the practice of tolerance. "Those who lean to the left ideologically like to paint those of us on the other side as the 'intolerant' ones," he wrote. "But some of them are going to have a hard time whitewashing the intolerance they've shown to Carrie Prejean since she said during the weekend pageant that she believes marriage should be defined as solely the union of one man and one woman." He further wrote, "What has happened to Miss Prejean over the past few days is nothing short of religious persecution. No, it is not violent persecution -- but that does not minimize its existence or its danger. She is being pilloried in the public square for deigning to answer a question guided" by her biblical beliefs. Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, said the Prejean controversy shows that "gay marriage as a movement is not about quietly letting two men live as they choose." Instead, Brown wrote in an e-mail to subscribers, "it's about changing how the rest of us live, what we can say, what we believe, what our children are taught." --30-- To read how "gay marriage" impacts parental rights and religious freedom click here Michael Foust is an assistant editor of Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gay rights movement advances as House committee OKs 'special protections' by Tom Strode Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP)--A congressional committee voted Thursday to extend hate crimes protections to homosexuals and transgendered individuals in the first step of what supporters hope will be a major victory for the gay rights movement. The Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives forwarded the legislation to the full chamber in a 15-12 vote. The measure adds "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the current classes -- including race, religion and national origin -- protected from hate crimes. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1913, appears to have an enhanced chance of enactment in this Congress after having been turned back in previous sessions. The House and Senate both passed similar legislation in 2007. Under threat of a veto from President Bush, the two chambers failed to agree on a final version. If the bill gains approval in this Congress, President Obama is expected to sign it. Homosexual activist advocates and their allies -- including the ACLU, NAACP and Anti-defamation League -- back the measure, but some religious and pro-family organizations oppose it, saying it is unnecessary, would grant protection based on behavior and would threaten religious and free-speech rights. They also warn it would move federal law toward punishing thoughts and beliefs, since the motivation of a person charged with a hate crime would have to be evaluated. On the day before the committee action, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's ethics entity urged some members of the Judiciary Committee to oppose it. The bill infringes on the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause "by creating special protections for homosexual and certain other sexual orientations not afforded other groups of people, making everyone else second-class citizens when it comes to protecting against violent acts," said Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in his April 22 letter. It also would have a "chilling effect" on speech based on religious belief, Land said. "Because the Bible teaches that homosexual conduct is sin, Christians could be prosecuted for speaking out against such a lifestyle. It is dangerous to connect innocent expression of religious beliefs to violent behavior against someone from a protected class." Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, decried the committee's vote, saying, "All violent crimes are hate crimes, and every victim is equally important. All of our citizens deserve equal justice under the law. Do we somehow care less about victims violently assaulted because of robberies or personal disputes than we do about those assaulted because they belong in a federally designated category?" Joe Solmonese, the head of the country's leading homosexual activist organization, said after the panel's vote, "After 10 years, and tens of thousands more victims, this critical legislation combating hate violence is long overdue. We must not miss this opportunity to provide local police and sheriffs' departments with the tools and resources they need to ensure that entire communities are not terrorized by hate violence." Solmonese is president of the Human Rights Campaign, which describes itself as "America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality." The legislation would authorize the U.S. attorney general to provide assistance to state and local officials in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. The bill says a hate crime is one "motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the State, local, or Tribal hate crime laws." "Sexual orientation" includes homosexuality. "Gender identity" is a "person's innate sense of gender," which may be different than his sex, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Transgender is an umbrella term for "people who live all or substantial portions of their lives expressing an innate sense of gender other than their birth sex," according to HRC. The transgender category includes transsexuals and cross-dressers. During the committee's consideration of the bill, more than a dozen amendments from Republican members were defeated, according to Congressional Quarterly. The penalty for a hate crime could be as much as 10 years in prison or, in some cases, up to a life sentence. --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Clinton: U.S. backs export of abortion by Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP)--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged at a congressional hearing the Obama administration regards abortion as "reproductive health" care and believes women throughout the world have a right to the procedure. Clinton also defended her admiration for the late eugenicist Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood. Appearing before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Clinton told Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), "We happen to think that family planning is an important part of women's health and reproductive health includes access to abortion -- that I believe should be safe, legal and rare. "[W]e are now an administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive health care," Clinton said, according to a transcript. The Secretary of State responded to two questions from Smith, probably the leading pro-life advocate in Congress: (1) Is the administration trying to undermine pro-life policies in Africa and Latin America directly through multinational organizations, such as the United Nations, or by supporting non-governmental organizations, such as Planned Parenthood? (2) Does the administration define "reproductive health" to include abortion? Another pro-lifer, Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, also questioned Clinton about the administration's funding of abortion. Fortenberry told her he has five daughters, adding, "[P]art of trying to raise them well and empower them to be successful, I believe, is enculturating them with the noble ideal that all persons have inherent dignity and, therefore, rights." In her response, Clinton advocated for the ability of women overseas to choose abortion. "I admire you for raising five strong daughters who will be able to make their own choice and, most likely, given your guidance, will be very staunchly pro-life," she told Fortenberry. "But that is a choice that they will be able to exercise as free, independent, American women. That's what I want for all women." After the April 22 hearing, Smith said, "It is evident that Mrs. Clinton and President Obama want to force the tragedy of abortion upon women around the world, especially and including in countries where democratically elected leaders want to continue to protect their unborn children. "There are other ways in which both mother and baby are protected, cared for and helped -- with food, nutrition, clean water and life-affirming healthcare," Smith said in a written statement. "Secretary Clinton's inability to see this will mean more babies will die and more women will suffer the consequence of abortion as a result of U.S. foreign policy overseas." Fortenberry told Clinton he did not "believe we should use American foreign policy to export abortion. This will undermine, in my view, our foreign relations in many areas throughout the world, including Latin America and Africa and among Muslim peoples. "Promoting the international abortion industry is an imposition of our own woundedness upon others," Fortenberry added. "Abortion has caused tremendous grief in this society, and its export, I believe, will be seen as a form of neocolonialism that is paternalistic and elitist and an insult on the dignity of especially the poor and vulnerable. I believe women deserve better, women throughout the world deserve better." During his first 100 days, Obama has initiated the repeal of some of the pro-life policies in effect during the Bush administration. Among these was his reversal of the Mexico City Policy, which barred federal funds from organizations that promote or perform abortions overseas. He also has restored money through the State Department to the United Nations Population Fund, which had its congressional funding withdrawn by the Bush administration for seven years over its support of China's coercive population control program. Smith and Fortenberry also questioned how Clinton could express admiration for Sanger March 27 when the Planned Parenthood Federation of America gave Clinton an award named after a leader in the eugenics movement of the early 20th century. Eugenics is the belief the human race can be improved by discouraging or coercively preventing the reproduction of people regarded as "unfit," -- normally the disabled and poor -- or promoting the reproduction of the "fit," those with genetic characteristics considered desirable. During the Planned Parenthood's awards dinner, Clinton described receiving the Margaret Sanger Award as a "great privilege." Clinton said: "I admire Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision.... I am really in awe of her." Clinton also said the "20th-century reproductive rights movement, really embodied in the life and leadership of Margaret Sanger, was one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race." Smith told Clinton at the hearing, "With all due respect, Madam Secretary, Sanger's legacy was indeed transformational, but not for the better, if one happens to be poor, disenfranchised, weak, disabled, a person of color, an unborn child or among the many so-called 'undesirables' Sanger would exclude and exterminate from the human race." Clinton replied to Fortenberry by comparing her admiration for Sanger with her admiration for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. "I admire his words and his leadership, and I deplore his unrepentant slave-holding," she said. "I admire Margaret Sanger being a pioneer in trying to empower women to have some control over their bodies. And I deplore statements that you have referenced. "That is the way we often are when we looked at flawed human beings," Clinton said. "There are things that we admire and things we deplore." Earlier, Clinton acknowledged to Smith, "We, obviously, have a profound disagreement. When I think about the suffering that I have seen of women around the world -- I've been in hospitals in Brazil where half the women were enthusiastically and joyfully greeting new babies and the other half were fighting for their lives against botched abortions. "I've been in African countries where 12- and 13-year-old girls are bearing children. I have been in Asian countries where the denial of family planning consigns women to lives of oppression and hardship." Upon receiving the Sanger award in March, Clinton assured abortion-rights advocates that "reproductive rights and the umbrella issue of women's rights and empowerment will be a key to the foreign policy of this administration." Planned Parenthood is the United States' leading abortion provider and lobbied for the new administration's changes in abortion policy. Planned Parenthood affiliates performed more than 305,000 abortions in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press Washington bureau chief Tom Strode. -------------------------------------------------------------------- El PC impacta a un seminarista jordano by Por Erin Roach Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La Convención Bautista del Sur ha designado el 26 de abril como el domingo dedicado al Programa Cooperativo. EL CAJÓN, Calif. (BP)--A los 29 años, Issa Haddad es un entusiasta bautista del sur que apoya al Programa Cooperativo y espera convertirse en misionero una vez que termine su educación en el seminario. Haddad nació en Nueva York pero creció en Jordania con sus padres, quienes eran cristianos en una nación árabe. En la universidad, asistió a un campamento cristiano para estudiantes y sintió que el Espíritu Santo trabajaba en su vida. "Cuando regresé a casa, estaba cantando las canciones que ellos estaban cantando, y me arrodillé junto a mi cama y oré," dijo Haddad, mientras contaba su testimonio ante Baptist Press. Una vez que se graduó de la universidad en Jordania, Haddad quería estudiar teología. Por su ciudadanía estadounidense, decidió mudarse a los EE UU para ir al seminario. Terminó en Southern California Seminary, el cual está afiliado con la Iglesia Comunitaria Shadow Mountain, una congregación bautista del sur en el área metropolitana de San Diego. Ahí fue que notó un anuncio de Unlimited Partnerships, un ministerio que entrena a los futuros líderes de la iglesia a través de un mentolado y la creación de redes de contactos. Haddad fue aceptado en el programa y fue asignado a Roland Slade, el pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Meridian, una congregación multiétnica en El Cajón, California. "Realmente nunca le he preguntado cómo se sintió ese primer día," dijo Slade, "pero yo soy afroamericano y no sé si pensó, '¿A dónde voy?' en términos de la iglesia a la que fue asignado." Haddad sirve como el ministro de educación el la Iglesia Meridian, y su salario lo paga una congregación patrocinadora, la Iglesia Bautista Immanuel en Little Rock, Ark. Además de sus estudios, se reúne regularmente con Slade para diseñar la estrategia de la iglesia. Desde la llegada de Haddad a través del programa Unlimited Partnerships, Meridian ha experimentado un crecimiento continuo en su asistencia general y en la Escuela Dominical así como en las donaciones al Programa Cooperativo. "Actualmente tenemos entre 85 y 90 en la Escuela Dominical. Cuando él comenzó éramos entre 65 y 70," dijo Slade. "Como puedes ver tan sólo a través de los números, nuestra Escuela Dominical está creciendo. Lo que no puedes ver en el entusiasmo que se ha desarrollado." Para complementar su entrenamiento, Haddad fue uno de los diez estudiantes de Unlimied Partnerships que hizo un viaje a Nashville, Tenn., y al área metropolitana de Atlanta en marzo para aprender más sobre la Convención Bautista del Sur. Hicieron un tour por las oficinas y se reunieron con los líderes del Comité Ejecutivo, la Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa, Recursos Cristianos LifeWay y la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas. "En general, me impresionó la información," dijo Haddad. "Mi aprecio por los bautistas del sur creció a través de ese viaje." Ya que espera ser un misionero algún día, Haddad dijo que en especial lo conmovió lo que escuchó en la JMN acerca de la plantación de iglesias. Pero lo que sobresalió más en el viaje, dijo, fue lo que aprendió sobre el Programa Cooperativo, el plan unificado de donaciones de los bautistas del sur para los ministerios y misiones nacionales e internacionales. Antes del viaje, Haddad sabía muy poco acerca del PC—sólo que su iglesia le enviaba dinero. Él pensaba que el dinero probablemente se usaba mayormente para solventar los gastos administrativos de la CBS. Pero aprendió que sólo una pequeña cantidad de las ofrendas al PC se utilizan para la administración y la mayoría de ellas apoya a las misiones y a los seminarios. "También, financieramente es apoyado por muchas iglesias. No se trata de una iglesia o un pequeño grupo de iglesias," dijo. "Son muchas iglesias las que hacen donaciones, así que es digno de su confianza." Haddad quedó impresionado por el hecho de que pequeñas iglesias bautistas del sur pueden asociarse para apoyar a miles de misioneros que se otra manera no pudieran solventar los gastos para enviar siquiera a uno solo. "Con el Programa Cooperativo pueden enviar a todos los que quieran," dijo. Slade dijo que Haddad regresó del viaje "completamente convencido de la idea de ser un bautista del sur." "Tú puedes explicárselo hasta cierto punto a la gente, y creo que yo hago un buen trabajo al explicarlo y mostrarle dónde encontrar más información para leer, pero cuando él fue ahí y se sentó con el Dr. [Johnny] Hunt y el Dr. [Morris H.] Chapman, regresó diciendo, '¡Caramba! Esto es más grande de lo que yo pensé que era.' Yo le dije, ¿Yo te lo podría explicar, pero en realidad tenías que verlo [con tus propios ojos].'" Haddad planea graduarse de Southern California Seminary en mayo con una maestría en divinidades, y luego espera completar un doctorado en educación antes de aventurarse a regresar al Medio Oriente para compartir su fe. "Nuestros misioneros están siendo apoyados sin que tengan que preocuparse por cómo van a poder vivir en el campo misionero o si sus patrocinadores continuarán apoyándolos o no," dijo Haddad. "El Programa Cooperativo se encarga de eso." Desde que aprendió más sobre el Programa Cooperativo, Haddad dijo que ha aumentado sus ofrendas personales a las misiones. "Sólo me tenían que recordar la importancia y el impacto que el PC está teniendo en América del Norte y en el mundo," dijo. --30-- Erin Roach es un escritor de Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- El Programa Cooperativo de la CBS: Un esfuerzo sagrado y un continuo legado by Por el Staff Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: Una parte de este artículo es una adaptación de la presentación de "One Sacred Effort, The Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist" escrito por Chad Owen Brand y David E. Hawkins. La Convención Bautista del Sur ha designado el 26 de abril como el domingo dedicando al Programa Cooperativo. NASHVILLE, Tenn(BP)--Se estaba cocinando una crisis en la década de los años veinte. Se necesitaban recursos para terminar la obra. Un sistema inadecuado de colección y distribución estaba impidiendo el progreso. Los proyectos que tenían un gran potencial se comenzaron, sólo para fracasar porque la oferta no podía llevarle el paso a la demanda. La gente comenzó a buscar una solución. Se sugirió un plan visionario. Algunos dijeron que era imposible: demasiado papeleo, demasiados obstáculos por vencer y demasiada oposición política. Seguro, el plan era complicado y arriesgado. Involucraría arreglar las diferencias regionales. Requeriría la voluntad para trabajar juntos. Planeación estratégica intensiva, sacrificios financieros y años de arduo trabajo serían necesarios. Pero valdría la pena el esfuerzo. Fue un éxito rotundo. Estas fueron las palabras del Presidente Franklin D. Roosevelt en la celebración de su gran éxito: "la conclusión de la presa más grande del mundo, que se levanta 726 pies sobre la base del río [Colorado], y altera la geografía de toda la región." A través de la cooperación y el sacrificio y el trabajo, los vastos recursos fuera de control [del Río Colorado] fueron aprovechados para conseguir un logro estratégico y significativo. ¡La construcción de la Presa Hoover fue una gran solución para un gran problema! Hubo otra crisis cocinándose en la misma década. También era un problema de apoyo inadecuado para lograr una tarea crítica. Un pueblo llamado los bautistas del sur estaba en busca del cumplimiento del sueño que habían articulado hace 80 años en la fundación de la Convención Bautista del Sur. En 1845, habían creado su convención con el propósito de "organizar un plan para obtener, combinar y dirigir las energías de toda una denominación hacia un esfuerzo sagrado, para la propagación del Evangelio." Pero aún así, su esfuerzo había sido dificultado por la falta de recursos. El número de iniciativas e instituciones denominacionales estaba creciendo. Cada una necesitaba apoyo. Cada una solicitó las contribuciones de las congregaciones. Domingo tras domingo, las campañas para levantar fondos para seminarios y universidades, orfanatos y hospitales, juntas misioneras y organizaciones de benevolencia se desplegaban por las iglesias pidiendo ayuda a los fieles. A algunos les fue mejor que a otros. Algunos años fueron mejores que otros. Las donaciones estaban distribuyéndose de manera inequitativa. El más popular, o quizás el más veloz, recibía una parte desproporcionada de las ofrendas. Otros ministerios importantes estaban mendigando. Además, el costo de colectar fondos a veces menguaba el 50 por ciento de las donaciones. Las iglesias estaban estresadas por la continua visita de representantes denominacionales que necesitaban "tiempo en el púlpito" para hacer sus peticiones. En general, los resultados eran desalentadores. Nadie estaba recibiendo el apoyo adecuado. La convención tenía el sueño de "obtener, combinar, y dirigir las energías de toda la denominación," pero no contaban con un mecanismo para hacer realidad el sueño. Hasta 1925. Entonces, la Convención Bautista del Sur, reuniéndose en Memphis, Tenn., adoptó una recomendación de su Programa Futuro de la Convención dirigido por el pastor de Louisiana M.E. Dodd creando así el "Programa Co-Operativo de los Bautistas del Sur." Lo que significó la Presa Hoover para la agricultura y la industria en el sureste de los Estados Unidos, significaría el Programa Cooperativo para los bautistas del sur. UN LEGADO CONTÍNUO Hubo ambiciosas expectativas cuando por primera vez se tuvo la visión del Programa Cooperativo, y hoy ha crecido hasta convertirse en el mayor y más efectivo de los programas de recaudación de fondos voluntarios para el avance de la obra de la Gran Comisión. Tal como se esperaba, el plan unificado de los bautistas del sur ha superado la desconfianza en las donaciones sociales. El año pasado, los bautistas del sur contribuyeron más de $530 millones a través del Programa Cooperativo, con más de $200 millones enviados a las entidades nacionales de la CBS, por tercer año consecutivo las donaciones a través de este canal primario han sobrepasado su meta. Aún más, la fiabilidad del Programa Cooperativo ha comprobado su valor, especialmente hoy en día. Aunque otras fuentes de financiamiento han sido duramente golpeadas durante la crisis económica actual (los fondos de beneficencia han disminuido en su valor y así como el interés que se puede ganar con ellas), las fieles donaciones han mantenido a las entidades de la CBS dentro del uno por ciento de las contribuciones esperadas en donaciones del Programa Cooperativo. Este hecho consistentemente asegura que se sostengan en el extranjero a unos 5,500 misioneros a tiempo completo y se apoye completamente o en asociación con los estados a otros 5,600 misioneros dentro de los Estados Unidos y sus territorios, Puerto Rico y Canadá. Es la fuente principal de financiamiento para los ministerios cooperativos entre los bautistas del sur a nivel nacional y es suplementada por ofrendas especiales tales como la Ofrenda de Navidad Lottie Moon y la Ofrenda de Resurrección Annie Armstrong para la expansión de los esfuerzos ministeriales en casa y en el extranjero. El año pasado el Programa Cooperativo ayudó a costear la educación de más de 16,500 hombres y mujeres inscritos en los seis seminarios de la CBS—el mayor sistema de seminarios evangélicos en el mundo. Asimismo, el Programa Cooperativo hace posible ministerios nacionales coordinados como World Changers (desde 1990, los bautistas del sur han rehabilitado gratuitamente más de 19,000 casas, la mayoría en centros urbanos empobrecidos) y es por eso que los bautistas del sur pueden reaccionar de inmediato en medio de las crisis para ofrecer alivio a los heridos así como sostener sus operaciones hasta el final del periodo de recuperación e incluso hasta después de éste. El Programa Cooperativo provee organizaciones permanentes que coordinan campañas de ayuda humanitaria en emergencias (los bautistas del sur apoyan a la tercera organización de ayuda humanitaria, detrás de la Cruz Roja y el Ejército de Salvación) y distribuye ayuda humanitaria en casos de falta de alimentos (desde 1974, a través del Fondo para el Hambre Mundial de los Bautistas del Sur se ha contribuido anualmente casi $250 mil millones para aliviar el hambre en el mundo). Tan sólo el nombre ayuda a definir a los bautistas del sur como un pueblo, y como un canal de financiamiento para la obra del Reino el Programa Cooperativo asegura que podamos ministrar a aquellos en necesidad y llevar las buenas nuevas del Evangelio a los perdidos, ya sea en casa o en el resto del mundo. Pero el Programa Cooperativo es más que las venas de la cooperación al estilo del Nuevo Testamento entre los bautistas del sur. El Programa Cooperativo es el corazón de las misiones y ministerios bautistas del sur en el mundo. --30-- Compilado por John Kyle, director de desarrollo del Programa Cooperativo con el Comité Ejecutivo de la CBS, y Will Hall, editor ejecutivo de Baptist Press. Para obtener más información, visite www.sbc.net/cp. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Estudio sobre finanzas bíblicas beneficia a la persona y a la iglesia by Por el Personal Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Completar un estudio profundo sobre el manejo financiero bíblico no solamente mejora dramáticamente la posición financiera de una persona, sino que también beneficia su caminar con Cristo, sus relaciones familiares y su contribución a la vida de la iglesia, de acuerdo a una investigación conducida recientemente por Conceptos Financieros Crown. Una encuesta a 1.429 personas que habían completado el Estudio Financiero Bíblico Crown indicó, en término medio, los siguiente resultados obtenidos en tres años: -- Deuda personal, disminución de 38 por ciento -- Ahorros e inversión, incremento de 58 por ciento -- Relación con Cristo más cercana, 35 por ciento -- Frecuencia en la oración, incremento de 46 por ciento -- Frecuencia en la lectura bíblica, incremento de 64 por ciento -- Relaciones matrimoniales más fuertes, 78 por ciento -- Dar a la iglesia, incremento de 70 por ciento -- Servicio a la iglesia, incremento de 47 por ciento De los 1.429 graduados que fueron encuestados, 11 no eran creyentes pero llegaron a Cristo ya fuera durante la clase o luego y reportaron un caminar más cercano con Cristo. --30-- Compilado por Mark Kelly, editor asistente de Baptist Press. Conceptos Financieros Crown está en Internet en crown.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: El Programa Cooperativo: dependiente de la mayordomía by Por Ashley Clayton Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La Convención Bautista del Sur ha designado el 26 de abril como el Domingo del Programa Cooperativo. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--El Programa Cooperativo y la mayordomía son dos lados de la misma moneda para alcanzar el mundo para Cristo. Los bautistas del sur tenemos claro el primer componente, el Programa Cooperativo. Pero el segundo componente, la mayordomía, nos queda impreciso. El Programa Cooperativo depende de una vibrante mayordomía. Cada cristiano entiende el llamado de Dios para alcanzar nuestro mundo para Cristo. Para los bautistas del sur, estar "en misión" es un sello distintivo de nuestra denominación. Sea que se hable de los centros urbanos de EE. UU., los grupos no alcanzados del sur de la Florida, Texas, California y New England o las remotas áreas del noroeste, usted encontrará que los bautistas del sur tienen una convicción sólida como roca que Dios nos ha llamado a predicar el evangelio, iniciar iglesias y cambiar vidas. Y cuando hablamos de misiones internacionales, los bautistas del sur son incomparables y están fundidos con su compromiso de ir a todo lugar del mundo para predicar el evangelio. Claramente, los bautistas del sur son todo misiones, y en la gran mayoría estamos de acuerdo en que el Programa Cooperativo es la mejor estrategia en el mundo que nos rodea. Morris H. Chapman, presidente del Comité Ejecutivo de la CBS, ha dicho en numerosas ocasiones: "…si no hubiera una estrategia del PC en un lugar de nuestra denominación, ¡comenzaríamos una!" Pero aquí está el asunto. El Programa Cooperativo solamente nos llevará hasta donde los bautistas del sur estén dispuestos o puedan suplir los fondos para él. Aquí es donde el componente de la mayordomía entra en juego. Lo que he aprendido en estos tres años pasados desde que la responsabilidad de la mayordomía le fue adjudicada al Comité Ejecutivo, es que los bautistas del sur tienen apuros de dinero de la misma manera que todos los demás los tienen. He visto condiciones dentro de la iglesia que reflejan las condiciones afuera de la iglesia. Cuando les hablo a los pastores -- y les pregunto: "¿Estarían de acuerdo conmigo en que la gente de su iglesia, la que se sienta en las bancas cada semana, está preocupada por el dinero, tiene dificultad para pagar sus cuentas, tiene dificultad para pagar los impuestos, tiene dificultad para invertir en su futuro y tiene dificultad para dar?" -- Sin fallar, ¡cada pastor en el recinto asienta con la cabeza! Y, a propósito, no crean que nuestros pastores y líderes de la iglesia son inmunes a los problemas de dinero. De hecho, sé que muchos de nuestros pastores tienen dificultades con los mismos asuntos en sus propias familias. También creo que esto explica el porqué la mayoría de los pastores no habla sobre dinero en la iglesia. A la vez, cuando las finanzas ocupan el primer lugar en la mente de cada estadounidense, muchas iglesias están misteriosamente en silencio sobre este asunto. Sin embargo, ¿ha habido antes un mejor momento para tener una conversación acerca de dinero en nuestras iglesias? Estoy convencido de esto: Si los bautistas del sur llegaran a estar libres de la esclavitud de la deuda y se volvieran buenos mayordomos, veríamos explotar nuestros esfuerzos misioneros. Aunque tenemos una estrategia de misiones de primera calidad, los fondos dados a través del Programa Cooperativo deben estar en las manos de gente que pueda mantener la cabeza afuera del agua e invertir en una estrategia para alcanzar nuestro mundo para Cristo. Como lo dije antes, el Programa Cooperativo y la mayordomía son inseparables e interdependientes. Realmente, nunca lograremos llevar a cabo plenamente el componente Programa Cooperativo hasta que logremos que el componente mayordomía trabaje correctamente. Durante los pasados tres años, el Comité Ejecutivo proveyó liderazgo a la mayordomía y al lado monetario de esta ecuación. Llamamos a esta nueva iniciativa de mayordomía: Es un Nuevo Día para la Libertad Financiera (IAND por sus siglas en inglés). Nos asociamos con Conceptos Financieros Crown para llevar recursos de calidad en finanzas y mayordomía a las iglesias a precios asequibles. Crown es un gran amigo y socio de los bautistas del sur. Varios recursos clave de Crown: El Estudio de Grupos Pequeños, un estudio profundo de 10 semanas; el Curso de Liderazgo Económico; además un Certificado de Líder en Mayordomía Bíblica, están ahora disponibles para las iglesias bautistas del sur a precios considerablemente bajos. El Comité Ejecutivo junto con las convenciones estatales y Conceptos Financieros Crown también están llevando a cabo conferencias de un día de IAND para pastores y líderes de iglesia a través de la convención. Estas conferencias presentan a un ponente nacional de Conceptos Financieros Crown que dirige una sesión que desarrolla con base bíblica un plan de gastos; cómo vivir de acuerdo a ese plan de gastos; cómo tomar decisiones sobre gastos cuando las cosas no salen bien; salir de deudas; y descubrir lo que Dios tiene que decir acerca del dinero. En el 2008, el Comité Ejecutivo condujo 40 conferencias de Es un Nuevo Día en las que se contó con más de 1.100 participantes y estamos programando conducir igual número de conferencias en el 2009. Debido al actual clima económico nacional, no es de sorprender que veamos una mayor participación en los eventos IAND del 2009. En el primer trimestre, ya hemos tenido 600 participantes en ocho eventos. Además de participar en un viaje personal a la libertad financiera, los participantes de la conferencia IAND aprenden cómo ser catalizadores de un cambio en su iglesia y su comunidad. Los pasos más difíciles de tomar en cualquier jornada son los primeros pasos, y estos eventos están diseñados para proveer oportunidades para el "primer paso" de forma que las iglesias sean relevantes y auténticas de una manera personal y tangible en el ambiente financiero de hoy en día. --30-- Ashley Clayton es vicepresidente de mayordomía del Comité Ejecutivo de la Convención Bautista del Sur. -------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPENDIO MATRIMONIO: Libertades religiosas en peligro en Iowa, advierten grupos;... by Por Michael Foust Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday DES MOINES, Iowa (BP)--Un prominente grupo legal cristiano está advirtiendo que las libertades religiosas serán amenazadas la próxima semana cuando la resolución de la corte suprema de Iowa del "matrimonio gay" entre en efecto, impactando directamente los requisitos de trabajo de oficiales de registro del condado a quienes se les requiere expedir licencias matrimoniales. La Alliance Defense Fund, una organización legal, y el Iowa Family Policy Center publicaron una carta el miércoles en la que urgían a cada uno de los 99 condados registrados del estado a adoptar una política que les permita a los empleados no tomar parte en la expedición de licencias de matrimonio si al hacer eso violan su religión o sus creencias morales. Tal política podría llevar a una acción legal del procurador general de Iowa Tom Miller, un demócrata que apoya la resolución de la suprema corte y quien ha dicho que los registradores municipales tienen la tarea de respetarla. La Alliance Defense Fund, sin embargo, ha prometido proveer representación legal gratis a cualquier registrador que sea demandado luego de que se adopte tal política. La ADF y el Iowa Family Policy Center publicaron un lenguaje político específico que esperan que los registradores municipales adopten. La resolución de la corte está programada para entrar en efecto el lunes. "Los empleados de gobierno que creen en el matrimonio como la unión de un hombre y una mujer no deben ser castigados por obedecer sus creencias," dijo en una declaración Doug Napier, el abogado de ADF. "Esta política permite a un empleado que no desee violar su conciencia al expedir una licencia de matrimonio a una pareja del mismo sexo abstenerse y permitir que la transacción sea llevada a cabo por alguien más que esté dispuesto a hacerlo. Forzarlos a participar en actos ofensivos contrarios a las creencias que tienen para poder permanecer empleados es inconstitucional." La resolución de la corte ya ha llevado a un oficial -- el magistrado del tercer distrito Francis Honrath -- a dejar de dirigir del todo ceremonias de matrimonio, reportó el Des Moines Register. Pero Honrath, quien es católico, no es empleado municipal, y como magistrado él tiene la opción. Los empleados de la oficina de registro del condado no. Miller publicó una declaración el martes que dice que "esperamos que los empleados del registro del condado debidamente elegidos cumplan con la constitución del estado como lo interpretó unánimemente la Corte Suprema de Iowa." "Si es necesario," dijo, "estudiaremos acciones legales que obliguen e implementen las resoluciones de la corte y que trabajen con el Departamento de Salud Pública de Iowa y los fiscales de distrito." La Alliance Defense Fund y el Iowa Family Policy Center dicen que el estado tiene una historia de proteger los derechos de conciencia individual, como lo evidencia el código 146.1 de Iowa, el cual protege "las creencias religiosas o las convicciones morales individuales" y prohíbe que los doctores sean forzados a realizar abortos. "Contrario a la amenazante declaración publicada por el procurador general Tom Miller el 21 de abril, los ciudadanos de Iowa disfrutan de protecciones a los derechos de conciencia garantizados por las constituciones de EE. UU. y del estado de Iowa -- las mismas constituciones que los empleados del registro del condado juraron respaldar cuando tomaron el puesto," dijo Napier. "El señor Miller convenientemente omitió cualquier discusión sobre los derechos de conciencia o las tareas de los registradores para proteger los derechos de sus empleados. Este derecho de conciencia protege a los individuos en contra de la coerción opresiva de parte del estado, incluyendo al procurador general, y sirve como la primera línea de defensa en contra del cáncer de la tiranía." ADF divulgó una política de 93 palabras que decía que la defendería en corte si un registrador del condado la adoptara. Dice en parte: "Un individuo que pueda legalmente realizar servicios o proveer servicios "a la oficina de registro del condado "no será requerido a expedir o procesar una licencia de matrimonio, o a realizar, ayudar o participar en tales procedimientos, en contra de las creencias religiosas o convicciones morales del individuo." La controversia no es solamente la más reciente salva en la que otra organización pro-familia, la Organización Nacional del Matrimonio, ha advertido lo que pasará cuando el "matrimonio gay" sea legalizado. La organización lanzó una campaña de anuncios de un millón y medio de dólares a principios de abril en la que advertía sobre las consecuencias en los derechos de los padres y en la libertad religiosa si el matrimonio es redefinido. Entre los ejemplos de anuncios estaba la historia verdadera de unos padres de Massachusetts a cuyo hijo que estaba en segundo grado se le leyó un libro en la escuela acerca de un príncipe que "se casó" con otro príncipe. Los padres se quejaron, pero la escuela le informó a la pareja que en el futuro no les darían ninguna noticia por adelantado sobre ningún libro así. Los padres demandaron a la escuela en la corte federal pero perdieron. VICTORIA PARA EL MATRIMONIO EN N.H. -- Los líderes pro-familia de New Hampshire recibieron un estímulo el martes cuando un oponente al proyecto de ley del "matrimonio gay" ganó una elección especial para un escaño en el senado estatal. El republicano Jeb Bradley, ex-miembro del congreso, venció al demócrata Bud Martin por el escaño del tercer distrito, 61 a 39 por ciento. Bradley se opone al "matrimonio gay" mientras que Martin lo apoya. Los demócratas todavía tienen la delantera 14 a 10 en el senado, pero el voto de Bradley todavía podría ser crítico, particularmente desde que un número desconocido de demócratas del senado no están entusiasmados con el proyecto de ley, el cual pasó en la Casa de Representantes 186 a 179. El gobernador demócrata de New Hampshire John Lynch dice que se opone al "matrimonio gay" pero que no ha tomado una posición en cuanto al proyecto de ley. El escaño quedó vacante cuando el anterior senador, un republicano, renunció en febrero. La Campaña de Derechos Humanos, el grupo activista homosexual más grande de la nación, trabajó a brazo partido para tratar de elegir a Martin. La Organización Nacional para el Matrimonio antagonizó ayudando a Cornerstone Action PAC, un grupo pro-familia de New Hampshire, a obtener el voto para Bradley. --30-- Michael Foust es editor asistente de Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Disponibles y obedientes by Por Óscar J. Fernández Date: April 24, 2009 - Friday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--El libro de Éxodo 31:1-2 nos presenta a un y poco conocido personaje llamado Bezaleel, que era hijo de Uri, nieto de Hur y pertenecía a la tribu de Judá. Él fue llamado de una manera especial por Dios para realizar una tarea única. Se le encargó construir un lugar en el cual Dios quería habitar en medio de Su pueblo: El Tabernáculo. Una de las fases más complicadas del proyecto era que Dios mismo escogió los materiales que se usarían e hizo el diseño de la obra que se habría de realizar. Hay varias cosas que me llaman la atención en Bezaleel. Al parecer, él era un trabajador común, un obrero. No era profeta, ni príncipe, ni sacerdote. No considero que tenía todos los conocimientos necesarios para realizar la tarea que Dios le estaba encomendando pues, Él se encargó de capacitarlo por medio de su Santo Espíritu. Esos eran días en los cuales el Espíritu Santo todavía no había venido a residir en los creyentes y según la Biblia, pocos habían sido tocados por Él, y siempre que eso sucedió fue para que pudieran hacer alguna obra extraordinaria. ¿Qué vería entonces Dios en Bezaleel para escogerlo, de entre todos los hombres del pueblo de Israel, para encomendarle aquella extraordinaria tarea? Según Éxodo 12:37 Bezaleel era "uno entre seis cientos mil". Por años he tratado de descifrar este "misterio" y he encontrado que la única explicación radica en el mismo Bezaleel. Él estaba DISPONIBLE para Dios y era OBEDIENTE. El nombre Bezaleel significa "a la sombra de Dios" y parece que este hombre supo honrar el significado de su nombre. Es indudable que él no andaba buscando su beneficio personal, ocupar una posición importante, o ser reconocido públicamente por su labor. Tampoco se enorgulleció por haber sido seleccionado por el mismo Dios para realizar la tarea. Bezaleel era feliz habitando a la sombra del Omnipotente. Para él, la mayor recompensa era poder trabajar para Dios. Ser parte del "equipo de Dios" era considerado como un gran privilegio por Bezaleel. Dios quiere y necesita obreros como Bezaleel que siempre estén disponibles, y que sean obedientes a Él, que sólo busquen servir a Dios por el placer de hacerlo y no buscando beneficios personales. Yo veo cuatro enseñanzas en la historia que se nos narra en la Biblia sobre Bezaleel que nos pueden ayudar a ser mejores cristianos y siervos obedientes de nuestro Gran Rey. En primer lugar, Bezaleel fue un obrero de Dios, y nosotros hemos sido llamados para ser eso mismo, 1 Corintios 3:9. Fíjese que ni usted ni yo somos profetas, ni reyes, ni líderes del Pueblo de Israel. Somos sólo obreros, como Bezaleel. En segundo lugar, la tarea que Dios le encomendó no estaba a su alcance, pero Dios lo capacitó por medio de su Espíritu Santo. Igualmente, cualquier tarea de Reino de Dios está fuera de las posibilidades y capacidades de cualquier ser humano, para que aprendamos a depender y confiar en Dios, Hechos 1:4, 8. En tercer lugar, Bezaleel le permitió a Dios tomar control de su vida y se rindió por entero a Él. Dios busca obreros que le permitan a Él hacer el trabajo, por medio de ellos, Efesios 4:7, 11-12. Y en cuarto lugar, Bezaleel sabía seguir las órdenes. Tal vez este sea uno de los problemas que enfrentan muchas de nuestras iglesias hoy día. La idea de someterse a la autoridad de otro es un problema para aquellos que siempre quieren tener el mando o ejercer el control, 2 Corintios 10:8. ¿Qué podemos aprender de todo esto? La vida y el ejemplo de este colega obrero llamado Bezaleel así como la excelencia del trabajo que realizó son fascinantes. Es indudable que él fue alguien muy especial. Pero usted también es alguien muy especial porque el Espíritu Santo mora en usted, Juan14:17. Si nos presentamos ante Dios con corazones dispuestos, estamos disponibles para lo que Él desee pedirnos que hagamos, y somos obedientes a su mandato, seremos capaces de cumplir el propósito de Dios en nuestras vidas. Si nos despojamos de todo afán o deseo de brillar para dejar que brille Cristo por medio de nosotros, entonces hasta los enemigos de nuestra fe tendrán que reconocer y decir, en verdad, grandes cosas ha hecho Jehová con estos… --30-- Óscar J. Fernández es el editor jefe de LifeWay Español para Adultos de Leadership & Adult Publishing, LifeWay Church Resources en Nashville, Tenn.