The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-06/02/2020 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC trustee system stable in spite of Annual Meeting cancellation by David Roach/TEXAN Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- If history is any indication, the Southern Baptist Convention's trustee system will continue without a snag despite the cancellation of the 2020 annual meeting due to COVID-19. The last annual meeting cancellations, during World War II, were followed by a boom of evangelism and discipleship resourced by the convention's entities. Still, the unique circumstances this year create some potential challenges for a convention reliant on annual trustee elections. Across the 12 SBC entities (including the Executive Committee), the terms of 129 trustees are scheduled to expire in 2020, according to last year's SBC Annual. Typically, the convention would elect Southern Baptists to fill those slots based on nominations from the SBC Committee on Nominations. This year, that isn't possible. Until the convention can convene, how to handle the open trustee slots is defined by a combination of SBC governing documents, entity charters and state laws where each entity is headquartered. "We have a rotating system" of entity trustees, SBC Recording Secretary John Yeats said. "As a result, missing a year of being able to elect brand new trustees as a convention shouldn't hinder us." The TEXAN queried the trustee chairs of all SBC entities to see how each board is handling its vacancies created by members rotating off this year. Based on applicable state laws and entity charter provisions, current trustees of 10 entities remain in office until their successors are elected -- even if their terms have expired. Some of those trustees are extending their first terms and likely will be elected to second terms at the 2021 SBC annual meeting in Nashville. Others already have completed two terms and will be replaced next year. The other two entities -- GuideStone Financial Resources and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary -- have charters that require trustees to rotate off the board when their terms end, even if no successor has been elected. Both entities' board chairs said trustees plan to make interim appointments to fill vacant slots until the 2021 SBC annual meeting. The charters of all but three entities -- the Executive Committee, the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board -- permit interim trustee appointments by the board when a position is vacant. Those interim appointees serve until the next SBC annual meeting. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is the only entity to exercise that option so far, appointing Phil Hanberry of Mississippi in April to fill the unexpired term of a trustee who resigned. One intriguing possibility for a missed annual meeting involves the Executive Committee. SBC policy analysts debate whether the convention's bylaws permit the EC to elect entity trustees on the convention's behalf. SBC attorney Jim Guenther said "it is clear the Executive Committee could not elect trustees of some of the entities of the convention because of the wording of their charters." But even for entities where it might be permissible, EC chairman Mike Stone gave no indication the committee will seek to elect trustees. In general, the anticipated result of this year's trustee board actions, Stone said, is that "current trustees remain in place until June 2021." Despite well-defined policies for missed annual meetings, some challenges remain. Smaller states and defined territories will lose representation on some boards temporarily if their lone representative is forced to rotate off without an immediate replacement. At GuideStone, for instance, the sole representatives from California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana and Maryland/Delaware/the District of Columbia all are slated to rotate off the board this month. Southern Seminary's lone trustee from Ohio likewise rotates off the board this month. Another potential concern is that SBC messengers won't have an opportunity this year to amend the list of nominees to trustee boards. Messengers exercised that prerogative in 2018, when they granted Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission trustee Dan Anderson a second term despite the Committee on Nominations' recommendation to fill his slot with someone else. In the absence of an annual meeting, it is especially important that trustees recall their accountability to the convention and that the convention recalls its dependence on the trustee system, said Jimmy Draper, president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources and a former SBC president. Southern Baptists must not "become distanced from the trustees," Draper said. Trustees must not "become isolated on their own, working with the entities, and lose their sense of responsibility to the convention." Yet Southern Baptists need not worry about a year of missed trustee elections, Draper said, "because we are proceeding based on what we are allowed to do." History suggests Southern Baptists are up to the challenge. Since the SBC began meeting annually in 1866, it had previously only missed two scheduled meetings (due to World War II reductions of available food and lodging, among other factors). In each instance, the SBC Annual records that trustees extended their service for an additional year, with vacancies filled temporarily by the various boards. Yeats said those missed annual meetings were followed by a boom of "new post-war, born-again disciples for Christ and a passion for the church to permeate culture with a biblical worldview." Between 1945 and 1962, membership in Southern Baptist churches increased 74 percent to 10.2 million and annual gifts through the Cooperative Program increased 411 percent to $53.5 million, according to Albert McClellan's history of the Executive Committee. Such historical realities remind Southern Baptists, Yeats said, that the trustee system can be a powerful tool for facilitating Gospel witness, even when annual elections prove impossible. "In some ways," Yeats said, "the [coronavirus] pandemic has set Southern Baptists free to make the Gospel above all in every context." -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC DIGEST: Pastor shares Christ with demonstrators; Worship leaders discuss pandemic's effects on ministry by Staff Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday Pastor shares Christ with demonstrators By KNCSB Staff NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (BP) -- Downtown North Platte, Neb., was the scene of a Black Lives Matter demonstration Sunday afternoon, May 31. The demonstration occurred in the area where Two Rivers Fellowship meets in a historic building. Pastor Doug Lee received a call about a family needing food, so he went downtown to the church building around 2 p.m. to get food from the food pantry. Lee described what happened: "On my way to our building I saw a growing crowd of Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathering in the parking lot and along the sidewalk behind our building. "Coming out of the building I encountered young adult protesters. I asked if they were protesting the incident in Minnesota. They said yes. "I asked if they were from North Platte and they were. I then asked where they went to church, and they said they don't go to church." "I said, 'I read from different sources that George Floyd was a follower of Christ. Did you know that?' They said they didn't know that. "Then I pointed to our building with the big sign 'Two Rivers Fellowship' and said, 'I am their pastor.' This gave me opportunities to share with groups of two to four at a time the Gospel of Jesus Christ! "Throughout my time among the demonstrators I visited with the chief of police and the sheriff, encouraging them for their good job in handling the demonstrators." Some of those Lee talked with expressed an interest in meeting for further conversation. Please pray for seeds of the Gospel that were shared to develop into professions of faith. ********** Worship leaders discuss ministry during pandemic, strategies for reopening By Katie Coleman FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's School of Church Music and Worship brought together more than 400 worship leaders from across the nation in a May 29 webinar to hear faculty and state worship leaders discuss strategies for reopening in-person worship and related concerns. As churches begin to consider when and how they will welcome people back to their church facilities in the coming weeks, music ministers face a lot of questions and concerns regarding how they lead their people in worship. The "Worship Ministry in a Pandemic" webinar featured four Southwestern Seminary faculty and 10 state convention worship leaders and consultants offering leadership perspectives. Joseph R. Crider, dean of the School of Church Music and Worship, acknowledged that the sudden disruption to normal rhythms and the need to quickly adapt has challenged music ministers. But, Crider added, they must remember the One who will carry them through this season. "Brothers and sisters, I just want to say for those of you who are tired, weary, and worn out and ready for this to be over, you are in good company," Crider said. "We have a loving, triune God who gets it, who gets our weariness. We have One in heaven who is not only an almighty Savior, but a most understanding and a feeling friend. We can trust Him with every aspect of our lives with an unhesitating confidence." Discussing how health and safety restrictions and guidelines will continue to alter how churches worship together, David Manner, associate executive director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists, said the need to worship from home has impacted his view of corporate worship, reminding him of essentials: the value of intergenerational worship, simplified but meaningful worship, and less contrived music. "We were forced to worship intergenerationally at home," Manner said. "We did it because we cared more about taking care of our families than we did about guarding preferences. So every generation was willing to sacrifice something during this season for the good of all." In addition to the webinar, the School of Church Music and Worship has gathered various resources on its Artistic Theologian website. To view the entire webinar, see here. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: We must not be silent on racism by Ronnie Floyd Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. These comments preceded the SBC Advance livestream June 2. NASHVILLE (BP) -- These recent days in American life have truly been difficult. We have witnessed with our own eyes, in the streets of one of our major cities, a black man being murdered slowly and cruelly. Over the course of a long eight minutes, George Floyd cried out for help and mercy while a white police officer continued to place his knee over this black man's neck as his face was forced onto the pavement. The end result: George Floyd died in a cruel, demeaning, and needless way. This has poured fuel upon a nation that is already angry about many things. On top of the COVID-19 global pandemic -- which has claimed more than 106,000 American lives since January -- we have now witnessed another horrendous act of racial injustice. The racism that plagues our culture today is inextricably tied to the past, and continues to disproportionately impact the African American community. Across many of our cities this past weekend, there were peaceful protests of citizens expressing their freedom of speech. Unfortunately, those peaceful protests have been drowned out by the actions of a few wanting to incite destruction. Consequently, violence has erupted, resulting primarily in the loss of more human lives but also secondarily damage to properties at an already very difficult economic moment in America. I call upon Southern Baptists to join me in praying for an end to this violence. We are extremely grateful for our law enforcement officers who risk their lives daily to protect us in every way; but we are also saddened when any misuse of authority causes harm to the very people they are to protect. I want to remind us today that the Southern Baptist Convention believes and stands upon the infallibility, inerrancy, and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, and we believe those Scriptures are very clear regarding how we are to treat others. The Baptist Faith and Message states in Article XV, "In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism," and "We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death." Southern Baptists must not only be known to stand for the sanctity of human life, but we must also be known to stand for the dignity of all human life regardless of the color of skin. To our African American pastors and churches across America: We stand with you, and we mourn with you. We will commit to the truth found in Micah 6:8: We are called to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. We commit ourselves to be doers of the Word by pursuing racial reconciliation in all our relationships. Racism is sin. It is blasphemy against the God who created each of us in His divine image. We cannot justify or rationalize racism, bigotry, or prejudice in any way. Each is ungodly, inhumane, and stands arrogantly against the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no way the government can fix this problem. Nor can one's politics provide healing. It never has and never will. This is a problem of the human heart. It is a spiritual problem. Acts of criticism and cynicism that result in calling each other names and classifying one another will just divide further and intensify the moment even more negatively. We may make statements, but change will only come through the choices we make each day. We may say things through tweets or posts, but real change will only be seen through our conduct toward one another. None of this will go away with violence, but only by developing relationships with each other, working together, and resolving to press forward together in the spirit of Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. This is a moment when church after church and pastor after pastor must stand for righteousness and holiness. One church at a time, one town at a time, one city at a time, we must look into the mirror and see in complete reality where we are individually and collectively. We, the churches in America, are the ones that must be faithful to call upon God to come and to give us His guidance and provide His pathway to healing in our nation. We are the ones that must answer this moment. Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem, and we must start with ourselves. We need to return to Jesus Christ in deep repentance of sin. Until we repent and change the way we are looking at one another, talking to one another, and treating one another, spiritual revival and awakening will not come. Without relationships and conversations, we will never understand one another. Silence is not the answer and passivity is not our prescription for healing. Pastor after pastor, preacher after preacher, evangelist after evangelist, teacher after teacher, must boldly and forthrightly call upon each Christian to love God with all of our heart and to love our neighbor even as we love ourselves. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Our Southern Baptist Convention must not be silent. We must stand in solidarity with one another. We must continue to work with compassion until justice is served. And we must commit to eradicate racism in all its forms. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Cities erupt in more violence as Trump decries 'lowlifes' by Zeke Miller and Matt Sedensky Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday turned up the pressure on governors to quell the violence set off by the death of George Floyd, demanding New York call up the National Guard to stop the "lowlifes and losers." As cities around the U.S. witnessed a seventh consecutive night of both peaceful demonstrations and bursts of looting, vandalism and attacks on police – the attacks included multiple officers shot in several cities – the president amplified his calls of a day earlier, in which he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn't do it. "NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD," Trump tweeted. "The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast! Don't make the same horrible and deadly mistake you made with the Nursing Homes!!!" The tweet Tuesday morning came after significant unrest Monday night in New York, when people smashed shop windows near Rockefeller Center and breached the doors of Macy's flagship store on 34th Street despite the first curfew in the city in decades. Police said nearly 700 people were arrested and several officers injured in the overnight violence. New York and other cities braced for more trouble after nightfall Tuesday, with Mayor Bill de Blasio extending an 8 p.m. curfew all week. "We're going to have a tough few days," de Blasio warned, but added: "We're going to beat it back." He said he would do that with the help of community leaders, urging them to step forward: "Create peace. ... Stand up." More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence. New York is not among them. De Blasio has said he does not want the Guard, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will not send it into the city against the mayor's wishes. During the violence that gripped communities from coast to coast again on Monday night, police officers were shot, run over and showered with rocks and bottles. In Philadelphia, where hundreds of protesters spilled onto a highway in the heart of the city, Mayor Jim Kenney described a chaotic night in which one person was killed attempting to use explosives to open an ATM, a gun shop owner fatally shot a would-be thief, and a 19-year-old died of injuries during looting. About a dozen other deaths have been reported around the country over the past week. In Atlanta, police fired tear gas at demonstrators. In Nashville, more than 60 National Guard members put down their riot shields at the request of peaceful protesters. And at a demonstration in Buffalo, N.Y., an SUV plowed into a group of officers, injuring three. An officer was shot and gravely wounded as police tried to disperse a crowd outside a Las Vegas hotel and casino. Four officers were shot in St. Louis; they were expected to recover. "We have been sitting on a powder keg for some time and it has burst," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. Some protesters framed the burgeoning movement as a necessity after a string of killings by police. "I fear for my safety every time I get in the car to go for a drive. I fear of getting pulled over. I fear for all 10 of my brothers' and sisters' lives, for my parents' lives!" 19-year-old Amari Burroughs of Parkland, Fla., said Tuesday as she prepared for another protest. "My goal is to use my voice and my leadership to make this world safer so that one day I can bring children here and won't have to fear for their safety." More than 5,600 people nationwide have been arrested over the past week for such offenses as stealing, blocking highways and breaking curfew, according to a count by The Associated Press. Democratic governors and mayors rejected Trump's threat to send in the military, questioning whether the federal government has such authority and warning that such a step would be incendiary. De Blasio said military troops would create "a dangerous scenario," while Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock likewise warned such a move would just lead to more violence and destruction. "Denver is not Little Rock in 1957, and Donald Trump is not President Eisenhower. This is a time for healing, for bringing people together, and the best way to protect civil rights is to move away from escalating violence," they said in a statement. A senior White House official said Tuesday that despite Trump's threats, the goal was to pressure governors to deploy more National Guard members. The president is not rushing to use the Insurrection Act to send in the military, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The unrest in Minneapolis, meanwhile, appeared to stabilize on the same day Floyd's brother made an impassioned plea for peace at the spot where a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, put his knee on the handcuffed black man's neck for several minutes, even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. Chauvin has been charged with murder. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Tuesday that prosecutors are working as fast as they can to determine if the three other officers at the scene should be charged too. All four have been fired. Floyd's family was expected to join a march in Houston on Tuesday. Cities struggled to keep police in line and avoid instances of excessive force. The police chief in Louisville, Ky., was fired after a restaurant owner was killed by police and National Guard members enforcing a curfew; the city’s mayor made the decision after learning police officers had not recorded body-camera footage of the shooting. In Richmond, Va., the police chief said officers who used tear gas on a group of peaceful protesters would be disciplined. In Atlanta, six officers were charged Tuesday after a video showed authorities dragging two young people from a car during protests. Sending the military into the states would mark a stunning federal intervention rarely seen in modern American history. It drew comparisons to 1968, when Richard Nixon ran as the law-and-order candidate in the aftermath of riots following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Federal law allows presidents to dispatch the military into states to suppress an insurrection or if a state is defying federal law, legal experts said. But some state officials asserted that the president does not have a unilateral right to send in troops against the will of local governments. -------------------------------------------------------------------- IMB Student Team introduces Stateside Summer initiative by Caroline Anderson Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- The IMB Student Team's Stateside Summer initiative empowers students to reach the nations this summer without leaving the U.S. Students will participate in missions activities, learn about unreached and unengaged people groups, connect with missionaries and share the Gospel with their family, friends and in their communities. While students won't be traveling overseas, Stateside Summer will allow students to connect digitally with missionaries they would have served alongside in person. This program provides an alternative to nearly 2,500 students who planned to serve overseas with the IMB this summer. As a result of travel restrictions due to COVID-19, continued lockdowns and closed borders, IMB summer student mission trips for summer 2020 have been canceled. Instead, IMB missionaries will offer ways for students to be a part of their mobilization and discipleship strategies online. Missionaries will also provide information on their people groups, as well as training material the students would have received in person. George Siler, student leaders manager at the IMB, emphasized the crucial role student volunteers play in the ministry strategies of IMB missionaries. Every year, students help advance the Gospel and enable missionaries to expand their Gospel reach. This summer will be no different. "God is not surprised by COVID-19, nor is He stopped by it," Siler said. "Don't let COVID-19 stop you from serving God and others right where you are. God has given us this summer in the U.S. For such a time as this, God brought you all to serve this summer to reach our country for His name's sake." Chris Mills, a state missionary with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, expressed appreciation for the IMB's opportunities for students to serve despite the pandemic. "Students made plans to give their summer to serve all across the globe. The challenges from COVID-19 have prevented that ... or so they may have thought," Mills said. "I'm grateful for IMB reminding students of this calling and commitment, providing Stateside Summer as an encouragement to be engaged with the nations here, while praying and being equipped to serve the nations there [internationally]. I'm excited to see how God will use this reassignment to make tremendous Kingdom impact across the globe!" Summer Stateside provides the following opportunities for students: Missions Education, Digital Teams, Missions Mobilization, Evangelism, Ministry among internationals and virtual events. Students who have already committed to summer trips, as well as students who have not signed up but are interested in being a part of Stateside Summer, can sign up for more information here. Student mission trips during 2020 fall and winter breaks as well as mission trips scheduled for spring break of 2021 remain on schedule Students interested in Summer 2021 mission trips can apply now. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Racial healing, Great Commission, Cooperative Program headline SBC Advance by Diana Chandler Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Amid unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as racial unrest and tumult after the recent death of an African American man in police custody, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee offered a healing balm Tuesday (June 2) with SBC Advance. The two-hour online event was not intended to replace the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting (originally scheduled June 9-10 in Orlando, but canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic), but instead to provide Southern Baptists the opportunity to hear how God has continued to work through the SBC. SBC Advance highlighted Southern Baptist achievements in the Great Commission, the Cooperative Program, religious liberty, seminary education, diversity, disaster relief and missions at home and abroad. Entity leaders, pastors, state convention and Woman's Missionary Union executives joined to spotlight Southern Baptist work. "Our goal with SBC Advance is to inform you of all that is happening in the SBC, and inspire you to continue to join us in this work," said Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. "When COVID-19 began to impact large gatherings across our country, the Executive Committee began the constitutional process to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting with the SBC officers and with the executive heads of the convention boards and institutions." In introductory remarks, Floyd addressed racism and the current unrest roiling the nation since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He called it "another horrendous act of racial injustice." "To our African American pastors and churches across America: We stand with you, and we mourn with you," Floyd said. "This is a moment when church after church and pastor after pastor must stand for righteousness and holiness. One church at a time, one town at a time, one city at a time, must look into the mirror and see in complete reality where we are individually and collectively. "We, the churches in America, are the ones that must be faithful to call upon God to come and to give us His guidance and provide His pathway to healing in our nation," Floyd said. "We are the ones that must answer this moment." SBC President Greear SBC President J.D. Greear encouraged Southern Baptists to persevere during the national turbulence. He referenced God's growth of the early Christian church, as recorded in the book of Acts, as evidence of God's faithfulness. "What our enemy means for evil, God turns to good," Greear said. "God is sovereignly using this moment for the advance of the mission." Greear said distress has historically provided fertile ground for the Gospel, as great uncertainty has led to unbelievable expansion in the life of the church. "Anybody can be merciful and anybody can be generous when times are abundant, but it's when mercy costs you something that we're able to best put the Gospel on display," Greear said, "and that's what kind of moment we are in." Greear plans to deliver a full presidential address on Facebook Live June 9 at 10 a.m. CDT. State Conventions The South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC) showcased local and national missions fueled by the Cooperative Program as an example of Gospel outreaches conducted by 41 Southern Baptist state conventions. The SCBC helped various churches survive the economic downturn of COVID-19 and worked to rebuild communities damaged by tornadoes. Through financial gifts, the SCBS helped state conventions in New York and New England reach communities impacted by the coronavirus. "Our ability to respond is proof that our way of doing ministry through the Cooperative Program really works," said Gary Hollingsworth, the SCBC's executive director-treasurer. "There are [40] other state conventions working together to reach their state, our nation and the world with the Gospel. "Our cooperation is driven by the 7 billion lost people around the world, with 2 billion of those having never heard the name of Jesus one time. More than 300 million Americans and 3.6 million South Carolinians are spiritually lost." Entities, WMU The SBC Advance included reports from International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood, North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell, GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins, LifeWay Christian Resources President Ben Mandrell and Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell D. Moore. Woman's Missionary Union Executive Director/Treasurer Sandy Wisdom-Martin and President Linda Cooper also gave a report. Presidents of the six Southern Baptist seminaries updated Southern Baptists on their work as well. Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced alterations, the consensus was that the ongoing work of theological education has not been disrupted. "Even in this moment of unprecedented challenges, God is still doing an extraordinary work at your Cooperative Program-funded seminary in Fort Worth, Texas," said Adam W. Greenway, president of The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, expressing a sentiment that was echoed by his five peers. SBC EC Diversity In his first year as president of the SBC EC, Floyd tapped as leaders Willie McLaurin, SBC EC vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization; Julio Arriola, SBC EC executive director of Hispanic relations and mobilization; and Peter Yanes, SBC EC executive director for Asian American relations and mobilization. The three spoke of their passion to mobilize a diversity of Southern Baptists in fulfilling the Great Commission. "The Southern Baptist Convention is the most racially and ethnically diverse convention of Great Commission people who have gathered together," McLaurin said. Of about 47,500 Southern Baptist churches, he noted, "about 23 percent are racially and ethnically diverse." Serving a growing Hispanic population in the U.S., about 3,500 Southern Baptists churches have majority Hispanic congregations. Arriola encouraged Hispanic Southern Baptists in missions, church planting and Gospel preaching. "Our focus is to do this from the Hispanic community where we have the opportunity to present the need," Arriola said, "and present the different options for them to get ready to reach every single person in America." Yanes has the opportunity to mobilize an Asian American population comprising 20 languages and currently served by eight Southern Baptist fellowships. Southern Baptist Asian American congregations number about 2,000 and comprise about 170,000 members. "We may be sharing similar cultures with diverse backgrounds, but it's very challenging because coming together ... we need to speak in a common language, if you may, and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Yanes said. "We share the same purpose, we share our common goals and we share what we intend to do together and collectively, and that is being faithful to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ." Frank Williams interview Floyd interviewed New York pastor Frank Williams, who shared the heartbreak of his wife, children and many congregational members contracting COVID-19. Williams pastors Bronx Baptist Church and Wake Eden Community Baptist Church in the Bronx, which has suffered as a COVID-19 hotspot. Williams recounted the experience of pastoring his flocks as longtime deacon Jeremiah Simpson died from the illness. "It has been very challenging, especially for Deacon Simpson's home going service," Williams said. "The emotions that I experienced were unlike any that I've experienced before. The same day that I conducted Deacon Simpson's funeral was the same afternoon I had to take my wife to the emergency room. She was in so much pain, my wife, she was literally sitting in the car during the service in pain, because I had to get her to the emergency room right after the funeral service was done." Williams also told of a church member who lost her husband and a brother, and of another who lost 11 relatives. Floyd led Southern Baptists in praying for Williams and many other pastors across the nation impacted by the pandemic. SBC Advance is available at SBCAdvance.net.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: No debemos guardar silencio sobre el racismo by Por Ronnie Floyd Date: June 02, 2020 - Tuesday NOTA DEL EDITOR: Ronnie Floyd es el presidente y director ejecutivo del Comité Ejecutivo de la Convención Bautista del Sur y expastor de Cross Church en el noroeste de Arkansas. NASHVILLE (BP) -- Estos días recientes en la vida estadounidense han sido verdaderamente difíciles. Hemos sido testigos con nuestros propios ojos, en las calles de una de nuestras principales ciudades, de un hombre negro siendo asesinado lenta y cruelmente. Durante el transcurso de largos ocho minutos, George Floyd suplicó ayuda y misericordia al tiempo que un policía blanco presionaba su rodilla sobre el cuello del hombre negro mientras su cara era mantenida a la fuerza en el pavimento. El resultado final: George Floyd murió en una forma cruel, degradante e innecesaria.  Esto le ha puesto combustible a una nación que ya estaba enojada por muchas cosas. Además de la pandemia global COVID-19 -- la cual ha cobrado más de 106,000 vidas estadounidenses desde enero -- ahora hemos presenciado otro horrendo acto de injusticia racial. El racismo que plaga nuestra cultura hoy está inseparablemente ligado al pasado, y continúa desproporcionadamente impactando a la comunidad afroamericana.  A lo largo y ancho de nuestras ciudades este pasado fin de semana, hubo protestas pacíficas de ciudadanos que expresaban su libertad de expresión. Desafortunadamente, esas protestas pacíficas han sido ahogadas por las acciones de unos cuantos que quieren incitar a la destrucción. Por lo consiguiente, la violencia ha brotado resultando principalmente en la pérdida de más vidas humanas, pero en segundo término en el daño a las propiedades en un momento económico ya muy difícil en Estados Unidos. Yo hago un llamado a los bautistas del sur para que se me unan en oración por el fin de esta violencia.  Estamos extremadamente agradecidos por nuestros agentes del orden público que arriesgan sus vidas diariamente para protegernos de todas las maneras; pero también estamos entristecidos cuando cualquier uso indebido de la autoridad causa daño a la gente a la que tienen que proteger.  Quiero que recordemos hoy que la Convención Bautista del Sur cree y apoya la infalibilidad, inerrancia y suficiencia de las Sagradas Escrituras, y creemos que esas Escrituras son muy claras en relación con cómo tenemos que tratar a otros. Fe y Mensaje Bautistas afirma en el artículo XV, "En el espíritu de Cristo, los cristianos deben oponerse al racismo," y "Debemos hablar en nombre del nonato y contender por la santidad de toda vida humana desde la concepción hasta la muerte natural."  Los bautistas del sur no solo debemos ser conocidos por defender la santidad de la vida humana, sino que también debemos ser conocidos por defender la dignidad de toda vida humana sin importar el color de la piel.  A nuestras iglesias y pastores afroamericanos en todo Estados Unidos: Estamos con ustedes, y guardamos luto con ustedes. Nos comprometeremos con la verdad encontrada en Miqueas 6:8: Somos llamados a actuar justamente y a amar misericordia y a caminar humildemente con Dios. Nos comprometemos a ser hacedores de la Palabra buscando la reconciliación racial en todas nuestras relaciones.  El racismo es pecado. Es blasfemia en contra de Dios que nos creó a cada uno de nosotros en su divina imagen. No podemos justificar o racionalizar el racismo, la intolerancia, o el prejuicio en ninguna manera. Cada uno es impío, inhumano y se opone arrogantemente a la vida y enseñanzas de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. No hay manera de que el gobierno pueda arreglar este problema. Ni que un político pueda proveer sanidad. Nunca se ha hecho y nunca se hará. Este es un problema del corazón humano. Es un problema espiritual.  Actos of crítica y cinismo que resultan en llamarse nombres insultantes y derogatorios los unos a los otros, solamente dividirán más e inclusive intensificarán el momento más negativamente. Podemos hacer declaraciones, pero el cambio solo llega a través de las elecciones que hacemos cada día. Podemos decir cosas a través de tuits o publicaciones, pero el cambio verdadero solo será visto a través de nuestra conducta el uno hacia el otro. Nada de esto se irá con violencia, sino solamente desarrollando relaciones los unos con los otros, trabajando juntos, y resolviendo seguir adelante juntos en el espíritu de Cristo, quien es el Príncipe de Paz.  Este es un momento cuando iglesia tras iglesia y pastor tras pastor deben defender la justicia y la santidad. Una iglesia a la vez, un pueblo a la vez, una ciudad a la vez, debemos ver en el espejo y ver en total realidad dónde estamos individual y colectivamente. Nosotros, las iglesias en Estados Unidos, somos los que debemos ser fieles en recurrir a Dios para que venga y nos dé su guía y nos provea su senda a la sanidad en nuestra nación. Somos los llamados a responder en este momento.  Jesucristo es la única respuesta a este problema, y debemos comenzar con nosotros mismos. Necesitamos regresar a Jesucristo en profundo arrepentimiento de pecado. Hasta que nos arrepintamos y cambiemos la manera de mirarnos unos a otros, de hablarnos unos a otros, y de tratarnos unos a otros, el reavivamiento espiritual y el despertar no llegarán. Sin relaciones y conversaciones, nunca nos entenderemos unos a otros. El silencio no es la respuesta y la pasividad nos es nuestra prescripción para la sanidad. Pastor tras pastor, predicador tras predicador, evangelista tras evangelista, maestro tras maestro, arrojada y directamente deben llamar a cada cristiano a amar a Dios con todo nuestro corazón y a amar a nuestro prójimo inclusive como nos amamos a nosotros mismos.  Como el doctor Martin Luther King Jr. dijo: "Nuestras vidas empiezan a terminar el día que guardamos silencio sobre las cosas que importan."  Nuestra Convención Bautista del Sur no debe guardar silencio.  Debemos ser solidarios el uno con el otro.  Debemos continuar trabajando con compasión hasta que se haga justicia.  Y debemos comprometernos a erradicar el racismo en todas sus formas. ¿Podrían orar conmigo? Padre, te pedimos en el poderoso nombre de Jesús que las paredes que se levantan entre los hombres y mujeres de este país, se vengan abajo. Y oramos que, Señor, la justicia se levante en cada forma. Ponle fin a los desafíos que enfrentamos en Estados Unidos. Y, Dios, oro para que vivamos lo que Jesús dice, que nos amemos los unos a los otros. Y oramos esto en el nombre de Jesús. Amén. --30--