The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-06/11/2015 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Funny thing about history by Bob Stith Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- “You’re on the wrong side of history.” I’ve heard this quote often in recent months particularly in regard to views on gay marriage. It is intended to leave the impression that the world has moved on and those who disagree with the popular sentiment have been left behind. It also removes any possibility for rational discussion because, “Surely you must understand that no intelligent person believes like you.” This type of reasoning has swayed many both inside and outside the church on the issue of homosexuality. Almost daily we hear of some politician and/or well-known Christian leader deciding that the church (including Judaism) has gotten the homosexual question wrong for more than 3,000 years. The “wrong side of history” argument has traction at least as it pertains to the rapidly changing views in our culture. "Culture is dramatically shifting on the issue," said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research. In 2011, 44 percent of Americans believed homosexual behavior to be sin, according to LifeWay Research; in 2014 only 30 percent believed this. So the question is “Has the church missed a turn somewhere in the last 50 years?” Funny thing about history. It is history -- not current events. History doesn’t tell its full story until it is observed from a safe distance of decades, even centuries. The old saying “Those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” still applies. Dr. Robert Baker taught church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for many years. He was fond of saying, “History turns no sharp corners.” He would point out that events that seemingly burst on the scene overnight had seeds from years, even decades before. In every generation, biblical Christianity has been on a collision course with cultural morality for decades. This era of human history is no different. In an attempt to rightfully show compassion for those who experienced divorce, we often neglected to help Christians learn from the mistakes of others and failed to prepare young people for the challenges of marriage. We made similar mistakes in dealing with abortion, adultery, living together outside of marriage, pornography and other moral issues. Our mistake was not that Christians didn’t oppose these. It was that we focused more on the prohibitions than setting forth the fact that living according to God’s standards brings true joy and peace that nothing this world offers can match. As often happens among Christians, experience trumps biblical truth. We listen to the stories of those who’ve been wounded by well-meaning Christians. "When it comes to support for gay marriage, a lot of it depends" on who one's friends are, Stetzer observed. "Those who have gay or lesbian friends are the most open to gay marriage." Once I was attempting to change the spark plugs on a car I had recently purchased, but my access was impeded by a heavy metal plate. Nothing else was connected to the plate, and I could see no purpose for it, so I put the plugs in and reassembled everything minus the plate. A few weeks later I wanted to impress a friend who was an actual mechanic so I told him the story. He was silent for a moment and then politely informed me that on my particular model, this plate was designed to help dissipate heat from the engine. Oh. I guess the designers knew what they were doing -- perhaps a little better than a seminary student who fancied himself a mechanic. G.K. Chesterton said, “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.” We no longer seem particularly interested in why the fences are there. We are more intent on cutting down every law that stands in the way of every man doing that which is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15; Deuteronomy 12:8.). We had best carefully consider the designers’ handbook before we too readily jettison His instructions. Our churches must do a better job of preparing people to stand in the winds that are reaching hurricane force. We must take seriously the responsibility to train believers to speak compassionately and redemptively about these issues while standing strong on the biblical foundation. Every great revival has been led by those who were willing to be on the wrong side of history In the eyes of the world, Christians have always been “on the wrong side of history.” It’s the nature of life modeled after a Savior whose countercultural teachings sent Him to death on a cross -- forever changing the course of human history. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1985 Dallas SBC: 'a watershed moment' by David Roach Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday DALLAS (BP) -- For pastor's wife Ritchie Hale, attending the 1985 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting meant sleeping in a 1960 popup camper with her husband and four children amid 100-degree temperatures and thunderstorms. For Conservative Resurgence leader Morris Chapman, that meeting occasioned one of the clearest personal directives God had ever given him. For moderate leader Cecil Sherman, it was the first time he contemplated losing the battle for the SBC. All three knew the Dallas annual meeting 30 years ago was of monumental importance in the SBC's Conservative Resurgence. By some estimates, the 45,519 registered messengers may have constituted the largest deliberative body ever assembled. "The 1985 annual meeting was a watershed moment in the conservative revolution in the convention," said Gregory Wills, professor of church history and dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s the school of theology. "Southern Baptist moderates mobilized all their resources to stop the conservative advance at the Dallas meeting. Their bid to regain the presidency failed. "Equally important was the convention's vote to appoint what became known as the Peace Committee, whose work affirmed that the controversy in the SBC derived largely from genuine theological differences," Wills told Baptist Press in written comments. A turning point in the resurgence Hale, whose husband Sheldon pastored Liberty Baptist Church in Auburn, Ky., at the time, was willing to endure the steamy popup camper parked some 30 miles from the convention center, and dressing four children in their Sunday clothes in campground bathhouses, because she believed reelecting the conservative Charles Stanley as SBC president could make an eternal difference. Hale's husband was a student at Southern Seminary, and she found it "disheartening" to hear his reports of professors' claiming there were errors in the Bible. By electing an unbroken succession of SBC presidents committed to biblical inerrancy, Hale believed messengers could set in motion a process that eventually would return SBC seminaries to their biblical roots. Chapman's role in reelecting Stanley, pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, began a few weeks earlier at a McDonald's in Wichita Falls, Texas, where Chapman was pastor of First Baptist Church. As he ate lunch, "it was as if the Lord said audibly, 'You are going to nominate Charles Stanley for his second term as SBC president,'" Chapman told BP. He resisted the idea initially because it seemed strange to call a preacher of Stanley's stature and announce such a clear sense of direction from God. But that afternoon, Stanley's associate Fred Powell called with a message: Stanley wanted Chapman to nominate him. "I [was] really spooked that God was so faithful to make His will for me known so dramatically and clearly," Chapman said. When Chapman made his nomination on the convention's opening day, Stanley was reelected over moderate challenger Winfred Moore by a 55.3-44.7 margin -- a victory some attributed to a telegraph from evangelist Billy Graham supporting Stanley that was publicized the morning of the election. That victory, combined with Jimmy Draper's election as SBC president in 1982 upon Chapman's nomination, led a friend to dub Chapman, who went on to become SBC president and president of the SBC Executive Committee, the "common nominator" of convention presidents. Sherman, then-pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, had campaigned against Stanley in the months leading up to the Dallas meeting. Sherman believed SBC conservatives' attempt to limit positions of denominational service to proponents of biblical inerrancy would damage the convention's historic cooperation for missions and evangelism. Along with fellow moderate Larry McSwain of Southern Seminary, Sherman believed 16,000 votes for Moore would defeat Stanley and stem the tide of the Conservative Resurgence. Counting on at least that many moderate votes, Sherman "went to Dallas with hope that we would elect a president," he wrote in his 2008 memoir "By My Own Reckoning." When Stanley was elected despite 19,795 votes for Moore, Sherman, who died in 2010, had a realization: "It was in Dallas that I first allowed myself to think of losing the SBC to political Fundamentalism," Sherman's label for the SBC's conservative movement. Escalating conflict The conflict that culminated in Dallas began to percolate decades earlier as conservatives grew increasingly concerned that SBC entities had drifted from their commitment to biblical inerrancy -- the doctrine that the Bible is completely free from error regarding theology, history, science and every other matter to which it speaks. By the mid-20th century, "the view that the Bible was not the Word of God had become common among professors at Southern Baptist seminaries," Wills wrote in "Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009." Other entities likewise held beliefs objectionable to the Southern Baptist rank-and-file. The Baptist Sunday School Board, for instance, published in 1969 a commentary that claimed Genesis 1-11 was not historical and that Abraham was mistaken in his belief that God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. By the late 1970s, Paul Pressler, a judge in Houston, and William Powell, editor of the Southern Baptist Journal, had deduced that the key to changing the convention was winning the presidency. The president appointed the Committee on Committees, which in turn nominated the Committee on Boards (now the Committee on Nominations). The Committee on Boards then nominated trustees of the SBC entities. Conservative trustees could change the entities. A president who appointed conservatives to the Committee on Committees would lead to conservative trustees in two years. A 10-year string of conservative presidents would lead to all the convention's trustee boards being controlled by proponents of inerrancy -- since only a percentage of trustee seats became vacant each year. Conservatives launched their effort to reclaim control of SBC entities in 1979 by electing Adrian Rogers as president. Over the next five years, there was a succession of conservative presidents, including Stanley, who was first elected in 1984. Through the controversy's early years, SBC entity presidents largely remained silent about the conflict, though they identified with the moderate point of view. Following Stanley's first election, however, entity heads began to speak publicly against the conservatives, with Southern Seminary President Roy Honeycutt calling in a convocation address for "holy war" against the inerrancy advance. The presidents of all six seminaries pledged their support for the moderate cause in Dallas, and Foreign Mission Board President Keith Parks wrote a letter to Southern Baptist international missionaries saying he could not support Stanley's reelection. Leading up to the annual meeting, 2,000 moderate pastors from Georgia endorsed an ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution urging messengers not to vote for Stanley. Conservative W.A. Criswell, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, sent letters to 36,000 Southern Baptist pastors asking them to come, bring messengers and vote for Stanley. In the final sermon at the SBC Pastors' Conference preceding the annual meeting, Criswell rallied conservatives in what he told historian Jerry Sutton was the most important message he ever preached. All eyes were on Dallas as the expected site of moderates' most formidable stand. "A lot of strollers" The 45,000 messengers, plus guests, denominational employees and members of the media, who descended on the Dallas Convention Center caused a host of logistical problems. Two overflow halls had to be opened because the main hall seated only 31,000 -- a capacity nearly four times greater than the 8,000 chairs set up for this year's SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Restroom lines were so long that "desperate women and children finally began commandeering the relatively less-used men's rooms," according to sociologist Nancy Ammerman in her book "Baptist Battles." Hale remembers "a lot of strollers" and "lots of moms walking the back with babies on hip." Young families -- "scads" of whom came on "shoestring" budgets -- "were there in mass because they really believed in being a part of the decision-making process." The Hales remained in their seats each day of the meeting, including lunchtime when they ate picnic meals. The children -- ages 13, 11, 11 and 6 -- were required to listen to one sermon per session and participate in the music. But during the consideration of business, they could entertain themselves with craft bags their mother had prepared. Among the more creative crafts they fashioned was a set of pipe cleaner glasses modelled after Stanley's. The three-day meeting afforded them ample time to hone their ability to mimic Stanley's method of adjusting his glasses. For Chapman, chair of the meeting’s Committee on Order of Business, meal breaks meant work -- especially related to a controversial motion made by moderate James Slatton of Virginia. When the Committee on Committees proposed its nominees to the Committee on Boards, Slatton attempted to amend the committee's report by substituting each state convention president and each state Woman's Missionary Union president for the committee's slate of nominees. If adopted, Slatton's motion could have thwarted the conservatives' strategy to gain control of the convention by controlling the Committee on Boards. Initially, Stanley ruled that Slatton's substitute nominations had to be made on a state-by-state basis rather than all at once, but messengers voted to overturn his ruling. Then during a break, Stanley consulted with parliamentarians as well as the Committee on Order of Business and decided to rule Slatton's motion out of order -- a move that sparked considerable controversy, including a lawsuit against Stanley that eventually was dismissed. Finally, messengers adopted the original slate of nominees to the Committee on Boards. Ammerman called debate over the Committee on Committees report "as near chaos as I have ever seen at a Southern Baptist Convention." The debate contributed to the convention's decision to hire a professional parliamentarian beginning in 1986. After a session, "Charles expressed some concern as to whether he had ruled correctly on the Committee on Committees discussion in spite of the restlessness of a number of messengers," Chapman recounted. "The motions and discussions led to a complexity of procedures, but at the end of the day, a number of the people on the platform commended Dr. Stanley for doing a great job in a difficult setting." Jim Wells, SBC registration secretary since 2002, said then-registration secretary Lee Porter handled contentious votes with "utmost integrity," having tellers count votes twice in officer elections. "With no computers and, of course, no online registration," Wells said, Porter "had a system where he counted the churches that had their full allotment of 10 messengers by states. It was an elaborate system." "Point of no return" One hopeful action of the convention for Sherman and fellow moderates was the election of what became known as the Peace Committee, which would "seek to determine the sources of the controversies in our convention, and make findings and recommendations regarding these controversies." Sherman was among the committee's original 22 members, balanced between conservatives and moderates. At first, the proposed committee included no women, but Chapman's wife Jodi was added along with former national WMU president Christine Gregory. The two women, who often disagreed on doctrine and convention politics, became friends, referring to themselves as "Cagney and Lacey," a 1980s television duo of opposite-minded female police detectives. The Peace Committee reported in 1987 that theological differences were the primary cause of the SBC controversy. In particular, "the authority of the Word of God is the focus of differences," according to the committee's final report. Sherman eventually resigned from the Peace Committee in frustration, coming to believe the direction of the SBC was set. "Most Southern Baptists thought the Peace Committee was working toward reconciliation," Sherman wrote. "In fact, we were buying time for the Fundamentalist takeover to get past a point of no return." Though the Dallas meeting had ended, the Hale family was not finished with contentious votes. Using leftover ballots they had collected in the meeting hall, the children voted all the way home to Kentucky on where to take rest stops. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: June 14, 2015 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the YOU curriculum. Bible Passage: 2 Chronicles 20:1-7, 9, 12 Discussion Questions: What do you do and where do you go when problems, big or small, enter your world? How do victories from your past empower you to press beyond fear to faith? Food for Thought: A 2014 CareerBuilder.com survey revealed 10 roles Americans found most frightening. Surprisingly, kindergarten teachers, parents and stand-up comedians’ jobs were deemed just as horrifying as a politician’s. However, when equipped with the right tools, even politicians don’t have to be overwhelmed with fright. Today’s lesson focuses on one of Judah’s kings who was racked with fear because of a sudden invasion. His army’s weapons were prayer, praise and singing. Turns out, that’s all they needed for victory. Second Chronicles 19 gives the historical context for chapter 20. It shows how the prophet Jehu admonished Judah’s king, Jehoshaphat, for his alliance with King Ahab (pagan ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel). Consequently, God’s wrath would be on Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 19:2). However, His mercies would also be evident because of Jehoshaphat’s removal of the Asherah poles and his decision to seek God (2 Chronicles 19:3). Jehoshaphat’s army came out unscathed. However, God may not always answer us as we expect. Instead of vengeance, He may offer mercy to our enemies. Instead of an immediate victory, He may require us to wait patiently. He may allow our calm routine to become a tremendous struggle. Regardless, we must trust Him to work out His perfect will in His timing. Many times, we clean up our act and expect peaceful times to be ahead. Sometimes, though, that’s when trials hit us the hardest. This was the case with Jehoshaphat. Through his character, fervent prayer and actions, believers get a glimpse of what to do and where to go when our own problems -- big or small -- enter our world. We also realize that we don’t have to be powerless when we have a powerful God. We may not have to protect an entire nation, but we can get overwhelmed caring for aging parents, settling unexpected debt, or fighting illness. But when we focus on God and His power, we gain confidence in knowing we have all we need. When we recall our past triumphs with God and understand His character (eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, faithful, just and more), we’re able to trust Him regardless of the reality we face. YOU Intentionally focused on African-American, urban and multicultural believers, YOU is biblically based with culturally relevant and affirming lessons to help people connect, grow, serve, and ultimately be engaged in impacting the world for Christ. This flexible, non-dated all-in-one quarterly resource offers weekly Bible study for leaders and learners, devotionals and teaching plans, as well as articles on hot topics and missions. For additional online teaching resources, visit LifeWay.com/YOU. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ANALYSIS: Why gay marriage wouldn't surprise Paul by David Roach Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- It's common for proponents of gay marriage to claim that Scripture condemns only promiscuous, predatory and pedophilic homosexual behavior, as if the biblical authors had no knowledge of consensual, adult, monogamous homosexuality. In some cases, LGBT advocates state explicitly that the ancient world was ignorant of modern forms of homosexuality. But that claim is false. And believers should be prepared to engage its advocates in the ongoing cultural debate over same-sex marriage. The suggestion that Scripture doesn't condemn modern homosexuality is one component of the controversy surrounding Weatherly Heights Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., and its alleged approval of same-sex unions. Weatherly Heights pastor David Freeman asserted in a 2013 sermon that "the Bible does not address" "adult, loving, monogamous, same-sex relationships." Believers have wrongly asserted blanket condemnations of homosexual behavior, Freeman said, based on Scripture passages dealing only with promiscuity, predatory behavior and abuse. (Weatherly Heights was disfellowshipped from the Madison Baptist Association March 16 by a vote of the body's executive board. The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions withdrew fellowship from Weatherly Heights May 15, acting on behalf of the Alabama Baptist State Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is expected to take action on behalf of the SBC June 15 relative to the church's cooperation with the convention.) Pastor Danny Cortez made a similar argument in September when the SBC Executive Committee withdrew fellowship from New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, Calif., for its approval of same-sex marriage. Pro-gay author Matthew Vines asserted the ancient world's ignorance of adult, monogamous homosexuality in his 2014 book "God and the Gay Christian." Before Freeman, Cortez and Vines, the argument that Old and New Testament authors had in mind only dominating and violent forms of homosexuality dates back at last 33 years to Robin Scroggs' book "The New Testament and Homosexuality." Is this claim true? In a word, no. A forthcoming book from B&H Academic titled "Unchanging Witness: The Consistent Christian Teaching on Homosexuality" identifies numerous references in antiquity to adult, consensual and, in some cases, monogamous homosexuality, including gay marriage. Among the references cited by authors Donald Fortson and Rollin Grams: -- The tomb of Egypt's Pharaoh Niuserre from approximately 2600 B.C. pictures two of the monarch's male officials holding hands, embracing and touching noses -- a typical Egyptian way to depict kissing. A rendering of Pharaoh Ikhnaton some 1200 years later pictures the monarch as having a feminine shape and sitting nude with his son-in-law as the two stroke each other's chins. While the proper interpretation of these images is debated, they may confirm Leviticus 18:3's statement that Egyptians practiced the behaviors condemned in that chapter, including homosexual acts. -- In the first century A.D., the Jewish "Apocalypse of Abraham" described men expressing sexual passion for one another. -- Plutarch, a Greek author contemporaneous with the New Testament writers, spoke of both "unwilling" and "willing" sexual unions between men. -- A second- or third-century Jewish writing titled "Sifra" applied Leviticus 18:3's condemnation of homosexual acts to "a man married to a man and a woman [to] a woman." -- Juvenal, a first- and second-century Roman satirist, wrote of homosexual marriage, though it is not clear whether he knew of the practice or merely believed society was heading toward it. -- Sextus Empiricus wrote around A.D. 200 that a story of "burning love" between two male friends in Greek mythology contributed to acceptance of homosexual relationships in some cities. -- The second-century Greek writer Ptolemy referenced women who regarded other women as their wives. Of course, ancient writings also contain references to homosexual acts that are abusive, violent and involve minors. And some of the references above were penned after the New Testament was complete. Nonetheless, they refute the claim of LGBT advocates that adult, monogamous, loving homosexual relationships were unknown in the ancient world. Even the oft cited homosexual scholar John Boswell warned against exaggerating the difference between ancient and modern forms of homosexuality in his book "Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality." Ancient references to adult, consensual homosexuality -- including gay marriage -- should bolster believers' confidence that Moses, Paul and other biblical authors would not recoil in surprise if they learned about contemporary gay marriage. Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. Scripture's condemnation of homosexual acts prohibits every form of same-sex sexual expression. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fla.'s 51/49 CP split called 'great sacrifice' by Diana Chandler Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- The Florida Baptist Convention’s unprecedented decision to begin giving more of its Cooperative Program dollars to the Southern Baptist Convention than to the state signals a sacrificial commitment to the Great Commission, newly elected executive director J. Thomas Green told Baptist Press. Green, who began serving June 8 as executive director/treasurer of the FBC, has pledged beginning in 2016 to send 51 percent of CP gifts to the Southern Baptist Convention for international and national causes, and to keep only 49 percent within Florida for Baptist missions and ministries. “I believe we are in the midst of an amazing moment of ministry for the church and we must respond in a sacrificial manner,” Green said. “The Great Commission and the Great Commandment compel us to respond with generosity in order to reach the world for Christ.” If 2016 CP gifts received in Florida mirror the 2015 budgeted amount of $28,800,000, the funding shift would spell an additional $2.88 million in gifts to the SBC Executive Committee, with $1,445,000 of the increase going to the International Mission Board, and $656,000 to the North American Mission Board, according to state figures. “The importance of our unified efforts as churches in missions defines us as Southern Baptists,” said Green, whose pastorate First Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., gives 10 percent of undesignated gifts to the CP. “The critical nature of this hour cannot be missed and the tremendous opportunity needs to be embraced. The Scriptures teach us that unto whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).” Green plans to accomplish the change by steering the FBC toward “regionalization and personalization” in ministry, he said, while remaining “deeply committed to reach Florida and beyond with the Gospel.” The funding redistribution “will lead us to downsize our convention staff,” Green told BP, but will not decrease the emphasis on state ministry and missions. “This decision does not cause our State Convention work to cease or be weakened,” he told BP. “The resources that remain in Florida will by majority be reinvested in our local churches. The Florida Baptist Convention supports local churches in their mission of making disciples of all the nations. We are deeply committed to reach Florida and beyond with the Gospel.” Southern Baptist Convention leaders have applauded Green for the move, which goes beyond the CP’s 1925 founding recommendation that states divide CP receipts equally between the states and the SBC. “Those of us on the national level know that such a move will come with great sacrifice, but hopefully with great support from the churches,” SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page told BP. “We are hoping and praying that Florida Baptist churches will respond in increased support of this new and exciting direction. We believe that they will and that we will see great days ahead for God’s kingdom.” Florida is not the only state convention making sacrifices for Kingdom building, Page said. “Our state convention partners have been working hard in these last decades to become even more relevant to their churches and involved in doing Great Commission work. Many have strategically reduced their own staffing and ministries,” Page said. “In fact, the overall number of state executive employees has dropped from over 1,700 to 1,350 in just a few years. They are working diligently to become more focused and responding to the churches’ desires to see even more funds released to reach the nations for Christ.” The change will have an even greater impact on national and international funding, because the state will no longer retain four percent of CP gifts to cover shared expenses, but will establish a true 51/49 split, Florida Baptist Convention President James Peoples told BP. The 51/49 funding redistribution will give churches in Florida confidence that their CP gifts are being used wisely, said Peoples, who pastors Trinity Baptist Church in Keystone Heights, Fla. “I believe this step of sacrifice and generosity will speak clearly to the churches of our state and national convention,” Peoples said. “I think this move will strengthen the desire to give through the Cooperative Program because it will raise people’s confidence that those funds are being wisely utilized to make the deepest impact for spreading the Gospel and making disciples of the nations. Everyone wants their investments to be the most effective, and this move will strengthen people’s confidence.” The move can also encourage other states to follow suit, Peoples noted. “The impact of this move will have huge ramifications, not only in Florida, but across the SBC as a model for ministry,” he said. “If a true 51/49 split (with no shared ministries offset) can be accomplished in Florida, it can happen in any State convention.” North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell praised Green for his leadership. “I’m grateful for this bold step Tommy is leading Florida Baptists to take and I think churches in Florida will respond positively,” Ezell told BP. “This kind of leadership challenges all of us to think about how we can make greater sacrifices so more people can hear the Gospel. I am looking forward to working with Tommy and continuing to partner with Florida Baptists as we make the most of every opportunity to push back lostness in North America and around the globe.” International Mission Board President David Platt called Green’s leadership “courageous and visionary.” “His heart for the local church on mission from North America to the nations is evident not only in the past, but in his present commitment to move Florida Baptists to give over half of Florida's state convention budget to national and international SBC ministries and mission by 2016,” Platt told BP. “I praise God for his courageous and visionary leadership that I trust will mobilize thousands of Florida Baptist churches and over 1 million Southern Baptists in that state to be more involved than ever in the spread of the Gospel around the world.” R. Albert Mohler, president of both Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the SBC Council of Seminary Presidents, expressed excitement at Green’s initiative. “I am particularly excited about Dr. Green's plan for the future of the Cooperative Program for Florida Baptists and for Southern Baptists around the world,” Mohler told BP. “I know that Southern Baptists at large, and Florida Baptists in particular, will be very excited about his vision and committed to his leadership.” Mohler praised Green as a “pastor’s pastor,” and a faithful “Baptist statesman.” "Dr. Green served so effectively as chairman of the board of trustees of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I know I speak for the entire Council of Seminary Presidents in expressing our commitment to his leadership in Florida and our encouragement to him as he takes on this massive new responsibility,” Mohler said. “Personally, as a Florida native whose life was so greatly shaped by the Florida Baptist Convention, I find particular encouragement in this news." Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, offered similar praise. "From years of knowing him, I knew that Tommy Green was a bold, wise, courageous leader. But even I was surprised that anyone was able to accomplish such a forward-looking move in less than a day in office,” Moore told BP. “Florida Baptists are a model to the rest of the nation, and this move is a great encouragement for Southern Baptists of all sorts all over the country." Green was elected as FBC president in 2003 and 2004 and is completing a three-year term on the State Board of Missions, where he also served from 1999-2005. During his first tenure he was twice elected board president, holding the office from 2000-2002. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gift of ultrasound to open up ministry in Columbus by Tom Strode Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- For Michael Brooks, the gift of an ultrasound machine this Sunday means God is providing through Southern Baptists a way for Stowe Mission of Central Ohio to help desperate women, save unborn babies and share the Gospel. he desire of our hearts is not just to say, ‘Don’t have an abortion.’” – Michael Brooks]The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) will make the presentation to Stowe two days before the beginning of the SBC’s annual meeting in downtown Columbus, where the mission is located. The ERLC will present the sonogram machine during the June 14 corporate worship of Veritas Community Church, a Southern Baptist church in Columbus. The presentation will be the latest through the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project, which provides ultrasound machines for Gospel-focused pregnancy help centers throughout the United States. For Stowe, the machine will be a vital part of launching a ministry its leaders have seen a need for. Stowe -- an outreach of the Metro Columbus Baptist Association -- already offers a soup kitchen, food pantry, urgent care, dental clinic, eye clinic, HIV/STD testing, tutoring, job training, clothing distribution, as well as mental health screening in cooperation with other agencies. Such a diversified ministry has brought women in crisis through Stowe’s doors. “We see teenagers coming in pregnant,” said Brooks, Stowe’s president. “We have young women who are addicted to heroin and being worked by pimps, and we see them coming in pregnant. “It’s one thing to say, ‘Don’t abort, but go and be blessed,’ and not do any other things with them,” he told Baptist Press. “[T]he desire of our hearts is not just to say, ‘Don’t have an abortion’ but to be able to walk them through that process and show them that this is a real person that they have developing inside and give them a biblical worldview and then the best support that we can in bringing that person” into the world. Part of helping women with crisis pregnancies is “providing the emotional and spiritual support, practical assistance through God’s people to face a future with hope that only Christ can give,” Brooks said. “In many ways, we’re hoping this will open up our outreach to the community and allow us to share the Lord with them.” Brooks had dreamed of Stowe starting a pregnancy help ministry, but the need for money and personnel was an impediment. God seems to be “using the ERLC and Southern Baptists to put that package together,” he told BP. He acknowledged Stowe is “breaking the mold on how this usually works.” After ERLC staff visited Stowe and decided to donate a machine, Brooks said his worry was: “Okay, I’ve got this awesome piece of equipment that God’s given us, but I need staff to run this. And God’s honored that request too. So we have someone to put the clinic together and to run it, and we’ve got a whole folder full of names and phone numbers, nurses and folks that have been involved in pregnancy ministries that are calling and saying, ‘I’m on board. Just give me the call.’” The ERLC is thankful to be able to partner with Stowe in helping women and babies, said Dan Darling, the ERLC’s vice president for communications. "I'm inspired by the faithful service of the team at Stowe, which lives out a Gospel ethic by serving the least of these with holistic health services,” said Darling, who will speak about the Psalm 139 Project June 14 at Veritas. “We're excited about the unborn lives, created in the image of God, who will experience life due to this new ultrasound technology." ERLC President Russell Moore will preach on the Gospel and racial reconciliation during all three of the services at the Veritas campus where the presentation to Stowe will be made. The Metro Columbus Baptist Association has more than doubled its number of churches to 119 since 2004. Stowe’s ministry has increased dramatically as well. For instance, it has grown from about 20,000 meals served 12 years ago when Brooks arrived to nearly 165,000 last year. About 750 volunteers from local churches run the mission’s programs, he said. “I just sit in my chair and just am absolutely blown away and amazed at what God has put together here,” Brooks said. His wife, Janet, and he formerly served with the International Mission Board, then the North American Mission Board. “You dream and then you try to scheme and figure out how I can make this work and where can I get the money and those kinds of things. And God, He already knew that and has already put all those pieces in place.” Previously, the ERLC has provided ultrasound machines through the Psalm 139 Project to pregnancy centers based in San Marcos, Texas; New Albany, Ind.; Denver; Corinth, Miss.; Lakeland, Fla.; Phoenix; Louisiana; Houston; and Woodbridge, Va. The presentation to Stowe will mark the sixth consecutive year the ERLC has provided an ultrasound machine to a center near the location of the SBC’s annual meeting. The Psalm 139 Project gets its name from the well-known chapter in the Bible in which David testifies to God’s sovereign care for him when he was an unborn child. David wrote in verse 13 of that psalm, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” All gifts to the Psalm 139 Project go toward purchase, delivery and installation of ultrasound machines, as well as training for staff members, since the ERLC’s administrative costs are covered by the SBC’s Cooperative Program. Information on the Psalm 139 Project and how to give toward providing ultrasound machines through the ministry is available at http://psalm139project.com/. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Vietnam veterans to receive Southern Baptists' thanks by Tobin Perry Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- “Thank you, Captain Stringham, for bringing my son home from Vietnam.” A 95-year-old man spoke the words of gratitude to Glenn Stringham amid Hurricane Katrina deployment by Stringham and other Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers in 2005. “That’s nice of you to say that to me,” Stringham told the father of one of the men under his command three decades earlier. “But that’s not how it works. I was a commander. It was your son, one of my soldiers, who kept me alive during Vietnam.” While those simple expressions of gratitude have occurred too infrequently since the Vietnam War, Southern Baptists will say thank you during their annual meeting to the nearly 9 million Americans -- including an estimated 1 million Southern Baptists -- who served in the Vietnam War. The June 16 commemoration, on the opening morning of the two-day convention in Columbus, Ohio, coincides with a national effort signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2012 to honor Vietnam veterans during the 50th anniversary of key events during the war, culminating in 2025 marking its official end in 1975. The national commemoration effort aims to involve community groups throughout the country, including churches, in honoring Vietnam veterans. Doug Carver, executive director of chaplaincy for the North American Mission Board, noted, “Although these heroes made great sacrifices to keep us free and secure as a democratic nation, many of them came back home to an environment of hostility and disrespect shown toward the long war and even the members of the armed services.” Too many Vietnam veterans returned from their combat tour to face anti-war jeers, mockery and boos, Carver said. Some were even spat upon. For the first time in American history, a generation of veterans quickly put away their uniforms because of the war’s unpopularity. “The nation never formally welcomed our Vietnam veterans home with a heroes’ parade like we do today,” said Carver, a former U.S. Army chief of chaplains. “We never did something so important for anyone who is willing to lay down their lives for others --that’s simply to say, ‘Thanks and welcome home.’” Carver and SBC President Ronnie Floyd will lead the convention’s commemoration. Stringham, who served as a bivocational pastor after retiring from the Army, said he didn’t face much of the disrespect that other veterans encountered because he continued to serve in the military long after the war, but many of the men in his command did. The Vietnam War remains something he and his fellow veterans rarely discuss with others. “It was like, ‘You’re home.’ There wasn’t any kind of fanfare -- except with family -- but there wasn’t any kind of, ‘Hey, we’re glad you’re home, thank you for serving,’” said Stringham, who as a 24-year-old in the Army led nearly 200 men during his year serving in the Vietnam theater. “It was just like, ‘Okay, you’re home. You did it.’” Former SBC President Bobby Welch, a decorated Vietnam veteran himself, believes it’s important for Southern Baptists to honor Vietnam veterans. Welch recommitted his life to Christ after nearly dying when shot by a Viet Cong soldier. “Anytime a person gives their best to help us in any way, such an action has earned and deserves a heartfelt ‘thank you!’” said Welch, currently the associate executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. “Everyone agrees that is certainly true for the fireman, the policeman, the ambulance driver and workers. How much more is that true for military personnel who risk their lives, family, future and more to protect not only us personally but our country’s future? Regardless of political maneuvers in America or globally, all veterans of Vietnam are worthy of a sincere thank you.” Carver encourages churches that want to honor Vietnam veterans to do so in both public and small-group gatherings. Allowing veterans to share their stories -- both in worship services and in support group settings -- not only will educate younger generations on the sacrifices made by veterans but will contribute to the healing process as well. “Many of our Vietnam veterans have never shared their personal stories and combat experiences, especially those who sit in our church pews,” Carver said. “Because no one was interested in hearing their stories and the war was so unpopular, they basically closed that painful foot locker of their lives -- and never reopened it.” Welch reminds churches not to forget about the families who were left behind when American troops went to Vietnam. “Remind [your congregation] that those who stayed home also gave up a lot. Some never saw their loved ones return home,” Welch said. “As they look around, remind them how much and how many it takes to have a free country.” For more information about the Department of Defense’s Vietnam Veterans Commemoration Program, visit www.vietnamwar50th.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Abedini beating intensifies calls for release by Staff Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday TEHRAN, Iran (BP) -- American pastor Saeed Abedini has been "viciously" beaten in the Iranian prison where he is being held for his Christian faith, the American Center for Law and Justice reported June 10, prompting renewed calls for Abedini's release as a condition of any nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran. "It is crucial to speak out for Saeed as we approach the June 30th deadline between the United States and Iran," Abedini's wife Naghmeh said in a June 10 Facebook post. She added June 30 "is also Saeed and I's 11th year anniversary." Naghmeh Abedini is scheduled to address the Pastors' Wives Conference in Columbus, Ohio, June 15 preceding the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 16-17. She will also briefly address the SBC Pastors' Conference June 15, delivering an update on her husband. Pastors' Conference attendees will then pray for her and Saeed. Fellow prisoners attacked Saeed Abedini June 3 as he attempted to leave his cell, punching him in the face and demolishing a table he used while studying and reading, the ACLJ reported. Prison guards stopped the attack and a prison doctor determined Abedini did not have any broken bones. Naghmeh Abedini explained in a second June 10 Facebook post, "Saeed's father was not able to see Saeed last week because of a holiday in Iran, but today he was truly shaken to learn of the beating that Saeed had endured. Saeed's father was also treated horribly and harassed by the prison guards and staff and could only visit Saeed for a short time." In testimony before Congress June 2, Naghmeh Abedini said U.S. negotiators should discuss her husband and other Americans held captive in Iran during nuclear talks rather than merely mentioning them on the sidelines. Click here to read Baptist Press' report. "As I shared in front of our Congress last week, the Iranian government might turn up the heat in the furnace (as in Daniel 3)," Naghmeh Abedini said on Facebook, "but Saeed refuses to deny his faith in Jesus Christ and continues to be a witness in that dark prison. Jesus is with Saeed in that fiery furnace. He wants you to know that he has felt your prayers in his darkest moments. Thank you." News of Abedini's most recent beating also prompted calls for action and expressions of sympathy on Twitter. Among them: -- "Not good, not good at all," conservative radio commentator Janet Parshall tweeted. "... Act quickly." -- "Please continue to pray for Pastor Saeed," the Calvary Chapel movement tweeted. "He was brutally beaten in prison this past week." -- "Take 2 minutes and urge John Kerry to prioritize freedom of Saeed Abedini in talks with Iran," a Christian blogger tweeted. -- "The more the so-called 'religion of peace' persecutes #christians like #PastorSaeed the more testimony will spread. Pray for him NOW!" one woman tweeted. ACLJ executive director Jordan Sekulow wrote in a news release of Abedini's Christian faith, calling him "beaten and bruised for the Gospel." "It is vitally important that as negotiations face an imposed June 30th deadline between the United States and Iran that our government make every effort -- use every tool in its diplomatic arsenal -- to bring Pastor Saeed -- a U.S. citizen -- home to his loving wife and two young children," Sekulow wrote. "With every beating, with every demand that he recant his faith in Christ and become Muslim or else be forced to serve even more than his 8-year-sentence, Pastor Saeed's situation becomes more dangerous," Sekulow wrote. Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran since Sept. 26, 2012, because of his Christian faith. He was sentenced Jan. 27, 2013, on charges he threatened Iranian national security by planting house churches years earlier, and had been under house arrest since July 2012. An online petition calling for Abedini's freedom has garnered more than 938,000 signatures. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Texas abortion law gets 2nd federal court win by Sharayah Colter/Southern Baptist TEXAN Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Contested portions of a 2013 Texas pro-life law, which continually have been challenged in court by abortion advocates, were upheld June 9 by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The decision to uphold the law as it was passed likely will mean that 49 licensed abortion clinics in Texas will be reduced to eight, as Texas House Bill No. 2 (HB 2) requires abortion facilities to comply with ambulatory surgical center standards. The nonprofit Texas Values pro-family organization called the standards “steps to protect women who go into abortion facilities from being less likely to jeopardize their own lives” in June 9 news release. Texas Values, led by attorney Jonathan Saenz, played an instrumental role in HB 2’s passage in 2013 and has since worked to defend the measure in court and in the public square. “Today we are thankful that the Fifth Circuit upheld a law that protects both women and children,” Saenz said. “The court’s decision ensures that abortion clinics must uphold basic health standards -- standards that are required of other surgical centers in the state.” An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is expected by HB2 opponents, with Center for Reproductive Rights senior counsel Stephanie Toti calling it “the best course of action” on Twitter. A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court noted in their published opinion that although many of the ambulatory surgical center (ASC) standards “seem benign and inexpensive … e.g. … ‘A liquid or foam soap dispenser shall be located at each hand washing facility,’ [the] plaintiffs conceded at oral argument that they made no effort to narrow their challenge to any particular standards of the ASC provision of H.B. 2 or its accompanying regulations. Instead, they ask us to invalidate the entire ASC requirement.” Those challenging the law maintained during testimony in trial that “abortions can be safely performed in office-based settings, such as doctors’ offices and specialized clinics,” according to the ruling, and that “there is no medical basis for requiring facilities in which abortions are performed to meet ASC standards.” In opposing testimony, the state of Texas said “the sterile environment of an ASC was medically beneficial because surgical abortion involves invasive entry into the uterus, which is sterile.” The challenged portion of the law upheld in this most recent court decision joins another provision challenged and upheld in court regarding the requirement that doctors performing abortions must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the location where an abortion is performed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tenn. enacts ERLC-endorsed animal fighting bill by Tom Strode Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Tennessee has enacted an anti-animal fighting bill supported by the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity. In a public ceremony Wednesday (June 11), Gov. Bill Haslam signed a measure overwhelmingly approved by the state legislature that increases penalties for attendance at an animal fight and for taking a child to such a fight. The signing was ceremonial, because Haslam actually had signed the bill into law May 8. The law goes into effect July 1. The Tennessee Senate voted 24-1 for the legislation in March, while the House of Representatives passed it by 90-2 in April. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), commended the new law as “an important step in our communities.” “It's not just a step away from the cruelty and savagery of animal fighting; it is a move away from the exploitation of the poor through expanded gambling,” said Moore, who attended the June 11 signing ceremony. “By raising the penalties for animal fighting, Tennessee is making a strong statement that it takes seriously both the humane treatment of animals and the dignity of those whom organized gambling would like to exploit," he said in written comments for Baptist Press. The new law is designed to rein in a practice that involves the killing of animals for sport, gambling on the results of the fights and exposure of children to violence primarily against dogs and chickens. It increases an offense for being present at the location of an animal fight to a Class A misdemeanor, which carries punishments of less than a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500. The measure also makes causing a child under 18 years of age to attend an animal fight into a Class A misdemeanor. The minimum fine is $1,000, while the maximum fine is $2,500. A provision to elevate a second or subsequent offense of participation in cockfighting to a Class E felony was removed by amendment in the Senate. Previously, being a spectator at a cockfight carried maximum punishments of only a $50 fine and/or a 30-day jail sentence. Under the former law, being a spectator at a dogfight resulted in a maximum $500 fine and and/or six months in jail. In a March letter, Moore told Speaker of the House Beth Harwell the ERLC strongly supported the legislation. “[T]he incestuous relationship between animal fighting, gambling and organized crime continues to grow” with each year the legislature does not increase the penalties, he said in the letter. Efforts in the legislature to increase animal fighting penalties had failed repeatedly in recent years. Both dogfighting and cockfighting are marked by death or serious wounds to the animals involved. In dogfighting, either the winning dog kills the loser or the handler or owner kills it, with few exceptions, according to the Humane Society of the United States. In cockfighting, two roosters often fight with gaffs -- knife- or razor-like weapons -- strapped to their legs. The outcome often is death for at least one of the birds. Animal fighting is an “ongoing and vast problem” in Tennessee, primarily because of its low fines in contrast to stiffer penalties in the surrounding states of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Missouri and Arkansas, said Reasa Currier, the Humane Society’s strategic initiatives manager for Faith Outreach, in comments to BP in March. An “increasing and pronounced link between organized crime and animal fighting” has been observed in Tennessee, Currier said. It was not the first time the ERLC had endorsed an attempt to combat animal fighting. In 2012, the entity endorsed an initiative to strengthen penalties against cockfighting in South Carolina. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Baptist relief teams practice for preparedness by Kristen Camp Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- When a major disaster strikes in North America, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responds to provide help, healing and hope to survivors of the disaster. But what happens when there isn’t a major disaster? Occasionally, SBDR engages in a disaster simulation. SBDR’s most recent exercise occurred May 19 when SBDR staff and volunteer leaders simulated a hurricane hitting Charleston, S.C. “We simulated the hurricane to show the volunteers what they would have to do to support a large operation like that,” said Fritz Wilson, executive director of disaster relief for the North American Mission Board, of the May 19 exercise involving four SBDR staff members and 12 volunteers. “We even sent emails to everyone over the weekend giving updates about landfall to make it seem as real as possible -- as if it was live.” The response team came into the simulation as if it were 24 hours after landfall. At this point, SBDR would begin to move in, learn of specific needs and put teams into place to start ministering. SBDR participates in such simulations about four times a year. In mid-June, they additionally were slated to be part of a national mass care exercise, simulating a massive hurricane hitting Texas. This simulation entail a multi-agency response involving SBDR, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and others. In addition to these simulation exercises, SBDR currently has several other recovery efforts and projects underway. “A lot of people think that we only deal with the giant disasters. But SBDR teams are doing something across North America every single day,” Wilson said. SBDR divides its work into four different areas: response, recovery, Baptist Global Response (BGR) and non-disaster events. Response Response teams perform the initial work after a disaster and typically are the “first responders” of SBDR. As of June 11, SBDR response teams were active in four states – flood response teams in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas and storm response teams in various parts of Arkansas. Recovery After the initial help from the response teams, recovery teams settle in to help affected individuals get back to normal through the long-term recovery process. SBDR currently has recovery efforts active in Colorado, New York and Texas. In addition, recovery and rebuilding is taking place in Detroit after major flooding swept through the city in 2014. “The Detroit flood was the largest disaster event last year, affecting 130,000 families, but it did not receive a lot of news coverage because it happened around the same time that the uproar in Ferguson took place,” Wilson said. SBDR sent more than 200 volunteers to respond to the floods and minister to the survivors, the majority of whom were either senior citizens, immigrants or members of unreached people groups identified by the International Mission Board. While in Detroit, SBDR volunteers developed a relationship with the town of Warren, Mich. So when the initial response ended, city officials said they would provide a school to house more volunteers if SBDR would come back and help with long-term recovery. Baptist Global Response BGR, the development and disaster group for the IMB, and SBDR work closely together during responses to major international disasters. “We usually send our teams in the initial stages of a response. Like in the last four weeks, we have been sending initial response teams and assessment teams to Nepal,” Wilson said. Non-disaster events When there are no major disasters occurring across the country, SBDR makes an intentional effort to find other uses for its equipment through non-disaster events. For instance, during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in in Columbus, Ohio, in June, SBCR is sending shower trailers from three different states for students who are attending the convention and being housed in churches. A non-disaster response also took place in early June at a church in South Carolina that experienced non-weather-related flooding. Shower trailers also are used throughout the year for various church mission projects, World Changers camps and other events. SBDR sent shower and laundry units for used by the National Guard in Baltimore earlier this year, for example. “We have the equipment. So instead of just waiting on disasters, we are continuously using it,” Wilson said. “Hardly a day goes by where we don’t have volunteers doing something to provide help, healing and hope -- whether they are in the midst of a disaster or not.” Those wishing to donate to SBDR relief can contact the Baptist convention in their state or visit https://donations.namb.net/dr-donations. For phone donations, call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for “Disaster Relief.” NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through partnerships with 42 state Baptist conventions, most of which have their own state Disaster Relief ministries. Southern Baptists have 65,000 trained volunteers -- including chaplains -- and 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, child care, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Lideraz-GO! by Jason Carlisle Date: June 11, 2015 - Thursday COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- Movilización Hispana de IMB presentara un taller singular en el marco de la celebración del Avance Hispano en la convención Anual de la SBC en Columbus Ohio. Como ya es tradicional, el domingo de tarde a partir de las 5, se darán cita pastores y líderes de todo el país para la Cena de Pastores, los talleres para toda la iglesia y el informe preliminar sobre la Red Nacional de Liderazgo. Los talleres serán presentados por NAMB, Lifeway y IMB en forma simultánea. Durante la Cena de pastores será reconocida la Iglesia Bautista Emanuel de Aurora, IL y su pastor Victor Mendoza como la iglesia Hechos 1:8 que ha encontrado la manera de ir a su ciudad, a otras ciudades de Estados Unidos, a Centroamérica, Canadá e India. Es una iglesia con Lideraz-GO! Tambien será reconocido el pastor Daniel Tuchez de la IB El Shaddai de Jackson, TN por su Lideraz-GO en la plantación de múltiples iglesias en poco tiempo. El taller Lideraz-GO apunta a ayudar a cada pastor e iglesia a identificar lo esencial para que ellos puedan implementar un plan audaz de Lideraz-GO que le permita impactar desde su barrio hasta el mundo. El Dr. Daniel Sanchez del Seminario Bautista del Sur de Fort Worth estará dirigiendo el taller. Además de su vasta experiencia en la obra hispana de Estados Unidos, el Dr. Sanchez volcará de su caudal de experiencia en la evaluación de los movimientos de plantación de iglesias en varios países del mundo. Los tres eventos de Avance Hispano son gratuitos. Sin embargo para recibir una entrada a la Cena de pastores, cada pastor deberá registrarse con antelación en Eventbrite*. Cada pastor podrá invitar un máximo de 2 personas. Los horarios para los eventos son los siguientes: Cena de pastores 5:00 PM a 6:15 Talleres para toda la iglesia 6:30 a 7:45 Red Nacional de Liderazgo 8:00 a 9:00 Todos los eventos se llevaran a cabo en el lugar de la Convención anual de SBC, el Greater Columbus Convention Center, en Columbus Ohio. *Para reservar su entrada vaya a la página web www.eventbrite.com; bajo Search escriba 'SBC' bajo Location escriba "Columbus, OH". En los resultados aparecerá la cena para pastores. Elijala y registrese incluyendo su información personal.