The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-09/08/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Second school leaves CCCU by J.C. Derrick/WORLD News Service Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- Oklahoma Wesleyan University has become the second institution to withdraw from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities after two member schools changed their hiring policies to include same-sex couples. "We believe in missional clarity and view the defense of the biblical definition of marriage as an issue of critical importance," said Everett Piper, president of the Bartlesville, Okla., school. "The CCCU's reluctance to make a swift decision sends a message of confusion rather than conviction." Oklahoma Wesleyan's Aug. 31 withdrawal comes six weeks after Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and Goshen College changed their hiring policies. EMU is a founding member of the CCCU, and its president, Loren Swartzendruber, sits on the CCCU board. CCCU's board announced in August it would begin a consultation process with member presidents to "carefully and prayerfully determine" the next steps regarding EMU and Goshen's membership. On Saturday, the CCCU board announced it would conclude the process on Sept. 21 with a special members-only conference call. "The process has allowed the CCCU board to consider how to balance the needs of its diverse membership," the board wrote in a statement. "In the last 30 days, the board has been fervently working to have personal conversations with each member president." According to the statement, CCCU's board has contacted 90 percent of its member presidents so far and plans to talk to the remaining 10 percent in early September. Member presidents who have already received their official call told WORLD News Service the council is headed toward moving EMU and Goshen to affiliate status -- affiliates are non-voting members that pay minimal membership dues. Some schools have indicated this would be sufficient for them to remain in the council, but others have said they would immediately withdraw (the exact number remains unclear). The Sept. 21 conference call will mark the first time member presidents have gathered since EMU and Goshen announced their policy changes on July 20. Some schools, including Union University, which withdrew earlier this month, had previously requested the opportunity for a group meeting to expedite the process. Piper said the council has known for months the direction EMU and Goshen were heading, so he views its strategy of engaging in discussion as an unwillingness to defend the biblical definition of marriage. "In doing so CCCU has not adequately represented Oklahoma Wesleyan and our legal interests," he said. CCCU's board acknowledged that not all schools agree with its deliberative process but added that it has "received overwhelming support" from most of its member institutions. "We understand they must act in their institutions' best interest and respect that decision," the board wrote in reference to dissenting schools such as Union. "It is our prayer this issue will not further divide the CCCU, but rather result in clarifying our identity as an association and fostering supportive unity of each other in our respective missions and calling from the Lord." Piper called the decision to withdraw a difficult one, but said it was done with the support of the school's faculty, staff and trustees. He said Oklahoma Wesleyan would confer with other like-minded schools, including Union, to discuss its best path forward. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE STATES: Fla. Evangelism/missions news; Texas, Boys missions news by Staff Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday Church called to a ministry of generosity By Barbara Denman/Florida Baptist Convention LAKE CITY, Fla. (BP) -- Every Sunday a 15-passenger van arrives at Lake City's work release center to gather inmates serving the last days of their sentences. Within months -- or even days -- they will be released to the community as free men -- having paid their debt to society. But while serving the final hours of their incarceration, they have turned to a group of people who will embrace them, love them and shower them with "Grace Unimaginable." The Vineyard Church in southwest Lake City is standing in the gap with acceptance and generosity for these men trying to turn around their lives. "I fell in love with the people," said James Pruitt, who was released from the work camp this past February and months later still attends The Vineyard. "They have been a huge blessing to me and have done more to help me in my recovery and rehabilitation than any other program I have ever done. This church helps me stay focused." Having served in the prison system for 13 years, William Tew, 36, is counting down the days until his release. "No one here judges me. They treat me like one of them. God is using them in my life." He intends to remain in the community and as a part of the church when he is released. The Vineyard Church congregation believes God has called them to a ministry of generosity. At least 25 percent of their income is given away, earmarked for ministries including a local pregnancy center, a home for troubled girls, the Florida Baptist Children's Homes and a student attending The Baptist College of Florida. Throughout 2015, they gathered toys with a goal to fill 300 shoeboxes for Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. At Christmas, members gave gift cards to the inmates to buy presents for their children. They have provided the men with work clothes and bikes so they can ride back and forth to their jobs, a requirement to participate in the work release program. They sponsored a fish fry on the grounds to reunite the men and their families away from their prison environment. "Our church is just unusually friendly," said Pastor Bo Hammock. "It is more about giving than it is taking. We look for ways to give to people." The men in the release program, who are nonviolent and nonsexual offenders, find ways to give back to the congregation by helping clean the church, making repairs and serving others, Hammock explained. "They have really been a blessing to us. And my people have been loving and receptive. We don't treat them any different." Hammock, a "Southern Baptist preacher" for 31 years and self-proclaimed fifth-generation "Florida cracker" from North Florida, planted The Vineyard Church in 2007. During some of his time, as he does now, The Baptist College of Florida graduate worked bivocationally at the Mayo Correctional Institute, originally as a chaplain. When budget cuts eliminated his job, he took an administrative role as a classification officer at the prison. It was when he began picking up his brother, who was incarcerated, to take him to church that Hammond began bringing other prisoners who could leave the premises to attend worship. Through a series of location changes -- a local restaurant, a video store and leasing space from another church -- the congregation has now found a permanent home, purchasing a church building of their own. Located in southwest Lake City, the facility previously was used by another church as a youth activity building. The sanctuary had been repurposed as an indoor mini golf course while rooms were utilized as video and game rooms. The building was left in disrepair with broken windows and damaged walls, Hammock said. The Vineyard members, along with men from the work release center, totally repainted, repaired and reroofed the facility into an attractive, warm and inviting house of worship fit for the King of Kings. "This is the place God provided us, and we wanted to fix it up and make it home," said church member Paula Richards. At every location the church has met, she added, "We have always made it home." The building was purchased in 2014 with a $114,609 interest free loan from the Florida Baptist Convention's Church Site Fund, made possible through the Maguire State Mission Offering. As a result, their monthly payments dropped from the $2,300 paid in rent "when we never had enough money to do anything extra," said church member Jimbo Thomas, to a $300 -- month mortgage payment. "We'd much rather put that money into helping others than in renting a building," added Richards. A recent church service drew many of the former work release inmates back to the church, including Greg Watson, who brought his family that Sunday. He recalled that even before he was transferred to the Lake City location, a friend told him about the kindheartedness of The Vineyard Church members. "This church is one of only two I have ever known who had enough heart to bring a van to pick up and bring us to church," he said, as church members warmly embraced him that day. "They have a generous heart to do the right thing for the least of these," he said, "a generous heart for the inmate. They have so much love, they almost pinch you on your cheek." ********** As Iron Sharpens Iron: Hands-on metal work teaches boys spiritual lessons By Keith Collier/Southern Baptist TEXAN Managing Editor NEWTON, Texas (BP) --Deep in the East Texas Pineywoods, more than 200 elementary age boys worked with their hands and were "forged" into followers of Christ during the third annual East Texas Baptist Encampment (ETBE) Boys Camp, June 7-10. Keeping with this year's theme, "Iron Sharpens Iron," 1st-6th grade boys learned skills of the trade from master blacksmiths, certified welders, and professional knife makers as they hammered out a sword on an anvil, welded pieces of metal, and fashioned their own knives. "We have a master blacksmith that is teaching them how when iron is heated, it can be shaped and sharpened, which goes along with our theme," Jason Glenn, pastor of Call Junction Baptist Church in Kirbyville and director of the four-day camp, told the TEXAN. "And God molds us that way. He molds us by all kinds of fires that we go through, and we're tried by fire. It gives (boys) an opportunity to use a hammer and an opportunity to do something cool. They're going to fool with fire, and they can see how things are shaped. And, hopefully, we can teach them that they're going to be shaped in the same way." Glenn, a former farrier and electrician, said God laid on his heart several years ago a desire to teach boys spiritual principles through hands-on activities. The first ETBE boys camp focused on Jesus as fully God and fully man, while boys learned about Jesus' life as a carpenter. Last year's theme was "Fishers of Men," where boys learned to make lures and competed in a fishing tournament in addition to being challenged to be disciples and make disciples as they share their faith. "I wanted a time where we could spend with just boys and men and not be in a co-ed situation -- not that it's wrong, but I just wanted to be able to talk to the boys without the things of the world on their minds," Glenn said. "Boys have an attitude … and men do too … where we don't want to learn from each other. We try to do it independently; we don't learn from the experiences of others. And this being a mentor-type camp, they're going to have to work shoulder-to shoulder with these men and learn their experiences." Glenn said the camp gives boys a chance to unplug from technology and other distractions, opening the door for meaningful conversations about Christ. "We want to do our part so we don't lose this generation," Glenn said. "We're wanting them to be men, and God wants us to raise men. In our world today, the line is all mixed up on what makes a man a man. … We've seen kids get exited about experiencing things that some of us grew up doing, but they never get a chance to do it." When ETBE Executive Director Andy Narramore came on to manage the encampment in 2011, he recognized that their girls camp was thriving but their boys camp had died four years earlier. As he began to pray and share his vision to revive the boys camp with area churches, Glenn came along and said he would direct the camp. The numbers have grown each year, and boys are accepting Christ and growing in their relationship with God. "The neat thing about it is that the men are here -- all ages, from young daddies to high school and college kids that want to be good role models to grandfathers -- doing men's stuff, and the boys love it," Narramore said. This influence of men in the lives of boys is a primary emphasis at the camp, so much so that they intentionally schedule it for four days beginning on the weekend so men only have to take a couple of days off work. "We want (the men) to be involved, to get in there with those kids," Glenn said. "It's not a vacation time; we want you with them, teaching them all the time." The added benefit comes as these relationships between men and boys continue in churches throughout the year. Glenn and others are currently writing a discipleship curriculum called Apprenticeship of the Master to aid churches in this process. "Years ago, let's say a master wagon-maker, would take a young boy on and teach him how to build wagons. And then when that master would get old and could no longer handle it, the young boy would take over and take care of that older man. In the same way, we as children of God need to do that. That will bridge the gap between (generations) in the church. With these older folks investing in these kids and the kids seeing 'that old man is cool, we can hang out with him,' then we can bridge those gaps, and that's what we're working toward." Throughout the week, boys hammered on a sword that the blacksmith fashioned into a show sword to mount on a wall at the camp. They also learned about welding techniques and safety, which led to discussions about the unbreakable bond Christians have with one another in Christ. A knife maker from Henry Brothers Knife Company in Kirbyville continued the week's theme, explaining how to make a knife and the proper way to sharpen it. "We're about trying to transfer the faith any way we can," Glenn said. Next year's theme will involve leatherworking, and boys will be taught that as Christians, they are marked by God and must represent him well in the world. ********** EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: We need a breakthrough by Ronnie Floyd Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) -- In days of seeking God deeply, I have been asking Him for insights about all that is happening in the world now. While my understanding grows, I want to share what is on my heart today. Global crises Across the globe, crises abound. The global spiritual crisis continues to grow as lostness escalates. Billions of people are in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With more than one-half of the global population now living in the cities of the world, missional strategies must emerge that address reaching these cities. Global political and military unrest are threatening the security of much of the world. These crises are responsible for creating millions of refugees and spawning the largest global humanitarian crisis today. Along with this, ISIS continues to march, advancing their radical Islamic agenda, killing those who will not deny their faith and join their vicious movement. The Middle East remains the powder keg of the world. With nuclear threat remaining in Iran and religious persecution growing, we are facing one of the most dangerous moments in our lifetime. In the background is a fragile global economy. Furthermore, in this season of glaring global realities, we are facing an unprecedented global leadership crisis. Where are the leaders of the world? We need a breakthrough. National crises Across the nation, missiologists tell us that three out of four people in America do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As lostness escalates across America, this spiritual crisis is undeniable. While we hope the churches in America would count this as a time to rise up to advance the Gospel, the reality is that 74 percent of our churches in America are plateaued or declining. Additionally, as a whole, the churches in America are in need of a spiritual visitation by the Holy Spirit that will call them out of their lukewarm status. Politically, America is in trouble. The disappointment of our political leaders not working together for the common good of our nation has Americans filled with all sorts of emotions, many of which are not healthy. Every political candidate who is running to be the next president of the United States is catching the brunt of this reality. Accompanying these spiritual and political crises is an ever-growing unstable and uncertain national economy that is also connected to a fragile global economy. As these crises converge, we find ourselves in a new territory judicially. Since the Supreme Court released its decision on marriage on June 26, we are now in a moral crisis that is spinning out of control. We are facing threats regarding religious liberty that are unprecedented not just to us, but in the entire history of the United States. And again, at times, it appears we are leaderless. Where are the leaders who will rise above the fray and lead toward a better future in America? Where are the leaders who are communicating a hopeful message for the future, seizing the hearts of all peoples cross-generationally? Where are the leaders in America? We need a breakthrough. Southern Baptist Convention crises There are so many things that are right within our Southern Baptist Convention. For the past 15 months that I have served as SBC president, I have tried to lead us forward, toward a future that is optimistic and hopeful. Yet today, I find myself more aware than ever of our own crises. We must emerge victorious in order to speak to our nation and world effectively. We are in our own crisis spiritually. Most of our own churches are in a deep and dire need for a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit among them. This becomes more evident with churches struggling with division and distrust. A lack of evangelistic zeal is undeniable and our convention's decline in baptisms is deplorable. The prayerlessness in our churches has led us to be powerless in our churches. Therefore, evangelism is no longer the priority in most of our churches today. Additionally, we are in our own crisis financially. Tithing is now almost taboo in many churches, while millions and millions of dollars are robbed from God annually by many of His children. Not only does financial selfishness exist in the lives of Christians, financial selfishness exists in many churches. We tend to applaud what we keep rather than what we give away to advance the Gospel to our lost and dying nation and world. Thankfully, the monies our churches give together through our Cooperative Program and our mission offerings are increasing. Yet, the increases at this point are still minimal. This needs to change. We need our churches to resolve to give more away for Gospel causes through the work of our partnership. Furthermore, our state conventions have to continually evaluate how they can have greater missional clarity, then simplify in alignment with their mission, and ultimately become agile in their ability to adjust. Additionally, they must accelerate their pace in forwarding more monies to our national and international ministries of our Southern Baptist Convention. Then, we must live within the means our churches have provided and maximize these resources for their Gospel work. Together, we must advance the Gospel to and plant churches in the unreached parts of America and the entire world. We do not have a choice. We are under a mandate from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are not under the Great Option, but the Great Commission. We do not want to be known for participating in the Great Omission, but we want to be known as being a Great Commission people. And yes, we also need pastor-leaders by the thousands to rise up and lead forward toward Gospel advancement beginning in their towns, cities, across America and the entire world. We need a breakthrough. God alone gives the breakthroughs We need a global breakthrough. We need a national breakthrough. We need a breakthrough across the entire Southern Baptist Convention. Since God alone gives the breakthroughs, we must talk to Him more now than ever before. We must move into seasons of fasting and prayer more than ever before. We must call our churches to go places with God they have never gone before. Then, we must rise up and lead filled with the power of God until the breakthroughs come. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Refugee crisis opening door for Gospel witness by Nicole Lee Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday BUDAPEST, Hungary (BP) -- The discovery of an abandoned refrigeration truck full of corpses on an Austrian highway on Aug. 27 and the body of a 3-year-old toddler washed up on the shores of Turkey on Sept. 2 have epitomized the tragic circumstances faced by masses of humanity trying to escape conditions in their home countries and find refuge in Europe. With more than 350,000 refugees crossing into Europe in the first eight months of 2015, this human migration is believed by many to be the greatest in Europe since World War II. But International Mission Board workers in the Middle East and Europe say this crisis is an unprecedented opportunity for hope. Acts 17:26-27 says God "made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him though He is not far from each one of us," said Franklin Lewis,* a theological consultant in Eurasia.  Lewis explained, "This Scripture gives us hope that the tragic events we see unfolding before us also reflect God's sovereign hand in bringing the people displaced into contact with the Gospel, that they might come to know Him. In that sense, this crisis is not only tragic, it is also an amazing opportunity for people to come to know Christ." This is the reality followers of Christ are witnessing as hundreds of thousands of refugees make their way through towns, countryside and train stations in Europe, where Christian laypeople and volunteers offer water, food, clothing and conversation. Many refugees are hearing the Gospel for the first time. "God is working through war and suffering to move peoples into places where they can encounter Christ," said James Keath,* an IMB strategy leader in the Middle East. During the last year, followers of Christ have seen people from seven different Syrian people groups, including Sunni, Orthodox and Shiite, come to faith, begin to meet as house groups and even reproduce groups in their refugee communities. "Syria is the humanitarian catastrophe of our day, but it is also one of the greatest opportunities of our day for Gospel advance among some of the least reached peoples on earth," Keath said. "In every country around Syria and now throughout Europe, we have the ability to openly engage Syrians like never before. And those working among refugees are finding not just broken lives but open hearts." In some places refugees pass through, like Serbia and Macedonia, churches are helping to distribute water, food and clothes, but the contact in those places is usually brief. Most refugees don't want to be detained until they get to a better destination -- perhaps Germany, Austria or Sweden -- somewhere that is more economically sound and generous to refugees. IMB worker Wayne Vinton* described one encounter in Macedonia. "We met some refugees on bicycles and spoke with them briefly and offered some water, as they were thirsty," he said. "We discussed some options of providing water along the road, but now that the border guards are watching for them, many are trying to cross at places away from the main border crossing, hoping to be undetected." Many refugees have been stuck in Budapest, where they await transport to another European Union country. IMB workers are joining forces with Hungarian relief workers to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The majority of the refugees are from Syria, where 4 million have fled the horrors of ISIS terrorists and the effects of four years of civil war. IMB worker Jennifer Freedman* spoke with a man in Budapest who explained what they are running from. "Da'esh [ISIS] was in our village … and they hit me, and they gave me 30 lashes on my back," the man said. "My son -- he saw a beheading. We had to leave. That's not life, that's not living. I want a better life for my kids than Da'esh, I want my kids to go to school, to be educated. So we left." His family's 1,800-mile journey was long and arduous, taking almost two months, and their hoped-for destination is Sweden. They plan to take a taxi to Vienna, since they have been thwarted at the Budapest train station while EU officials grapple with the biggest humanitarian crisis the EU has faced as a unified body. "The situation here is chaotic," said Trey Shaw, an IMB church planter in Budapest. "The numbers coming in are by far more than Budapest can handle. The nonprofits are trying to do what they can, but there is more work than workers."  Shaw's church plant, Agora, is helping refugees at Budapest's Keleti train station, collecting clothes and partnering with two nonprofit organizations to minister where they are able. Hungary has reportedly seen 50,000 new arrivals in the last month. Unsure of what to do with the influx of people, the country is looking to the rest of Europe to help with the crisis. Germany has begun accepting refugees who arrive there without having already been registered at their point of arrival in the European Union, so many of the refugees in Hungary are already making their way to Germany. Austria has welcomed thousands of refugees as well, but European nations are reportedly threatening to close their borders because they are overwhelmed by the large numbers of refugees seeking to enter Europe. Wesley Selway,* a teacher in Germany, said his small city near Cologne is one of many that have been asked to create a place to house 150 refugees while they are processed into the country. City officials transformed a local gym into a refugee center, and Selway and his wife Miranda* are among those allowed inside to help with new arrivals. More than 800,000 are expected to arrive in the country by the end of 2015, and though Germany can meet their immediate physical needs, the refugees need something more. "They need relationships -- people to talk to them, engage them. As the relationship builds, they're more receptive to spiritual conversations," Selway said. "God is bringing them here, and there's an opening there for them to be engaged with the Gospel." Selway says God has designs to use this crisis among the German believers. As the community sees the church in action, they are more responsive to listening to what followers of Christ have to say. "We [the church] are connecting with all these German people who have like-minded hearts to help people, and we're getting into conversations with them, and that to me is a God-given gift," he said. Troy Staubach,* an IMB strategy leader in Europe, sees that as a trend in the days to come throughout Europe. "I believe that God is using a tragic situation to bring the Gospel to many and also to give the church a real opportunity to be the body of Christ for the hurting," he said. Pray -- Pray for IMB workers and national Christians as they are ministering to refugees. -- Pray for physical strength and stamina and for more churches to take the responsibility to love the refugees and introduce them to Christ. -- Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of the refugees that they will be willing to listen and open to learning about Jesus. -- Pray for EU governments as they try to determine how to accommodate the influx of refugees. -- Pray specifically for German city officials near Cologne who are trying to help but are overworked. Pray for supernatural strength, and pray they will see the power of the Gospel and experience it in their lives as churches display God's character. Other ways to help To help buy language workbooks, clothing and evangelical materials, people can give to the "German cluster relief work." Donations can be mailed to: International Mission Board, Attn: Finance/Global Hunger Relief – German cluster relief work, P.O. Box 6767, Richmond, VA 23230. Gifts can also be given online, by clicking here. In the comments section of the form enter "German cluster relief work." *Names changed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- NGU leaders asked to address president's departure by Baptist Courier Staff Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday GREENVILLE, S.C. (BP) -- North Greenville University officials have been asked to appear before the South Carolina Baptist Convention Executive Board Oct. 13 to explain the university's actions surrounding the departure of its former president, Jimmy Epting, in January. Dwight Easler, SCBC Executive Board chairman, has asked the university's board chairperson and vice chairperson, along with the interim president, to attend the fall meeting of the Executive Board in order to "give explanation of actions taken, and future actions to be taken to improve accountability and processes." In a Sept. 3 letter to Executive Board members, Easler said he and Richard Harris, interim SCBC executive director-treasurer, met for two hours with NGU leaders Aug. 31 and asked them to "address … the many rumors about what has transpired at NGU." "We are engaged and very concerned about this situation," Easler, pastor of Corinth Baptist Church in Gaffney, wrote. "We want to assure you that we desire godly integrity, appropriate accountability, cooperation and healthy collaboration with our universities." Easler said the Executive Board will delay payment of Cooperative Program funds to North Greenville until the board's budget and finance committee can determine an "appropriate recommendation" to the board. Easler said Executive Board leaders will have "other dialogues and meetings" with NGU until the full Executive Board meets. The university announced in January that Epting would take a sabbatical for the remainder of the school year and would retire at the end of the semester. A video titled "Epting Exposed" surfaced on YouTube on Aug. 27, raising questions about the circumstances that led to Epting's departure. It was unclear who posted the video. The same day the video became public, NGU's board of trustees issued a statement that the school's leaders "are expected to lead Christ-centered lives" and that current administrative staff and faculty members reflect the Baptist university's "legal, moral and ethical expectations" and are held to "the highest of standards." Epting's 23-year tenure as North Greenville's president began in 1991 when he was named the seventh president of the school, located in Tigerville, S.C., just north of Greenville. The full text of the letter from Easler to the SCBC Executive Board follows: Dear Friends, Many of you have contacted me about the ongoing situation at North Greenville University. We are engaged and very concerned about this situation. We are in discussions with the leadership of North Greenville University in regards to the departure of Dr. Epting, especially in light of the recent video that was placed by someone on YouTube. As your Executive Board chairman, I want to update you on some actions we are taking: 1. On Monday, August 31, Dr. Richard Harris and I met for over two hours with the interim president, the NGU Trustee Chairman and Vice Chairman. We asked them to address actions they have taken, actions they plan to take and the many rumors about what has transpired at NGU. 2. I have also asked these three NGU leaders to come to our full Executive Board meeting on October 13 to give explanation of actions taken, and future actions to be taken to improve accountability and processes. At this meeting there will be an opportunity for you to ask your own questions. We will continue to have other dialogues and meetings with NGU until the full board meets. Until we can conduct the full Executive Board Meeting in October, Marshall Blalock, the Budget and Finance Chairman, has authorized the delay of payments to North Greenville until the full Budget and Finance Committee can determine an appropriate recommendation to the Executive Board. We want to assure you that we desire godly integrity, appropriate accountability, cooperation and healthy collaboration with our universities. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC DIGEST: Floyd calls collegians to courage; ERLC now on NRB Network; Md.-Del. seeks candidates for exec by Staff Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday Be a "generation of courage," Floyd urges collegians By Amanda Vernon JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) -- "These are days that are calling for a generation of courage," Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd said in a Union University chapel message Sept. 2. "If they scorn us, so be it. If they kill us, so be it," Floyd said at the Jackson, Tenn., campus. "God is greater than all of them." God has appointed today's Christians to live in this time and to influence the culture, Floyd said, but they first must evaluate the difference they currently are making. "You really only have one shot to live, one shot to do something big in your life, and one shot to even do something big for God that will outlast you and outlive you," Floyd said to "a generation that has the opportunity to change America, and a generation that has the opportunity to change the world." In this fast-paced era, Christians must place God at the center of their lives and be quick to ask God for their purpose --- and quicker to say yes when God calls, Floyd said. Prayer and courageous faith can bring spiritual awakening to the university, the city of Jackson and the United States as a whole, Floyd said, noting that no extraordinary movement of God ever began without prayer from His people. Prayer is a Christian's "greatest action," Floyd said, calling the students to develop "a culture of prayer … . That's really God's intention for every one of our lives … to experience His glory every day." "This is the time to rise up like never before in your life," Floyd said, yet cautioning the students, "… if you're not careful, you're going to miss the moment." "God can do more in a moment than you can ever do in a lifetime," Floyd said. "So sell out, all the way. Let's give him our all." Video of Floyd's address is available at new.livestream.com/uu/chapel. ERLC joins NRB Network's DIRECTV channel 378 By ERLC Staff NASHVILLE (BP) -- The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has partnered with the National Religious Broadcasters to broadcast on the NRB Network. ERLC TV airs Friday nights at 8 p.m. and midnight Eastern Time. The NRB Network is available to 45 million U.S. households on DIRECTV's channel 378 and select local affiliates. Thousands more stream the channel online at nrbtv.org, on mobile devices, via Roku streaming players and on Amazon Fire TV. The first season of ERLC TV features ERLC President Russell Moore and evangelical leaders and thinkers such as David Platt, R. Albert Mohler Jr., J.D. Greear and Rosaria Butterfield speaking on racial reconciliation, life and human dignity and other topics. "Our mission is to equip the church to apply the Gospel of the Kingdom to moral and ethical issues," said Dan Darling, ERLC vice president of communications. "This partnership with the NRB Network allows us offer our content to people on yet another platform. Surveys show that millions of people regularly tune into religious programming. We are excited to be on the top religious network on DIRECTV." Maryland/Delaware seeks executive director candidates By Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network Staff COLUMBIA, Md. (BP) -- The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, now also known as the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network, is accepting applications for the convention's executive director position through Oct. 15 via a portal on the network's website, bcmd.org/executive-search. "Our convention, which exists to plant new churches and strengthen existing churches, is strategically connected to our nation's capital and the great city of Baltimore," said Victor Kirk, chairperson of the network's executive director search committee. "We look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities presented to us by virtue of this proximity for our region's churches." The two-state convention, with offices in Columbia, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., serves and resources 550-plus churches in the Mid-Atlantic region that are in a cooperating relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention. Kirk said the search committee is "yielding to the will of God as we look for a God-fearing, Spirit-filled Southern Baptist man who has a vision for our region as well as a shepherd's heart for the people." A news release from the search committee noted, according to Kirk, that the executive director will lead with sensitivity and, as chief executive officer, will demonstrate planning, organizing, directing and the ability to utilize all resources to carry out and fulfill the convention's mission. The search committee includes administrative committee members from the convention's General Mission Board, a mixture of clergy and laity from Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network churches. The administrative committee oversees personnel, finances and general operations of the network with input from General Mission Board members. Interested candidates should post a resume and fill out a questionnaire at bcmd.org/executive-search. Alternatively, resumes may be emailed to the search committee at executive-search@bcmd.org or mailed to Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network, c/o Executive Search Committee, 10255 Old Columbia Road, Columbia, MD 20146. Those wishing to recommend an individual for the position must send a formal letter of recommendation with the candidate's resume to one of the above addresses. The search committee will screen applications based on written materials submitted. Candidates selected for preliminary interviews may be interviewed in person or by conference call. Finalists will be invited to a personal interview, with members of the convention participating. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Asian American lay leaders focus of 'A2CP2' by Shannon Baker Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday SILVER SPRING, Md. (BP) -- More than 40 Asian American lay church leaders, mostly younger professionals, gathered at Global Mission Church for the first "A2CP2" conference sponsored by local Baptist churches and the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. "A2" stands for "Asian American" and "CP2" stands for "Church Planting/Cooperative Program," explained Paul Kim, Asian American relations consultant for the SBC Executive Committee, Aug. 29. He organized the event with Robert Kim, language church strategist for the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network in Columbia, Md., and Chaplain (LTC) Felix Sermon with the U.S. Army in Woodbridge, Va. Sermon serves as the A2CP2 state coordinator for Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. The A2CP2 Leadership Network Conference, held in Silver Spring, Md., is designed for laypeople, especially for next generations of Asian American college students and young adults, to learn about SBC life, church planting and pastoral ministry from the Asian American relations consultant and other local church leaders who are involved as bivocational ministers. During the event, Paul Kim, pastor emeritus of Antioch Baptist Church in Cambridge, Mass., shared a video that was presented at the first Korean Baptist World Mission Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2014. The video showcased how first generation Asian believers who led at Berkeley (Calif.) Baptist Church moved to poverty-stricken cities in the world to plant churches, start orphanages, and provide medical care for the sick. "Several young professionals left their jobs in the U.S. to serve alongside these churches," Kim explained, urging the participants to get involved in Southern Baptist efforts. "You can do even greater things than this." Kim noted, "God has allowed you to be born in this nation -- as a second or third generation Asian -- to be 'fishers of men,'" he said, noting they should be proud of their culture and heritage. Pointing to a 58-page summary report of findings of the involvement of Asians in the Southern Baptist Convention, Kim said there are nearly 1,800 Southern Baptist churches, including Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian and Vietnamese Baptist churches. Comparatively, other reports revealed there are about 3,300 Hispanic churches and about 4,000 African American churches in the SBC. Kim noted Southern Baptist churches are "mostly smaller churches" with 90 percent of all SBC churches having 250 members or less. And churches with 250 or less members give twice as much to the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists' unified plan of giving to fund Southern Baptist missions and ministry. "Smaller churches drive CP!" he said, before showing the video, "Forged By Faith," highlighting CP's history. "Smaller churches are Plan A in the Cooperative Program strategy." Also on the program, three Southern Baptist lay leaders shared their testimonies about following Jesus. Joon Yim, M.D., now director of pathology at the Foot and Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic, did not grow up in church. He shared his journey of working really hard to succeed in school, college and eventually at medical school, only to realize his ambition had become a stumbling block that prevented him from experiencing God fully. He soon met spiritual leaders in his life who were "quite accomplished people who had laid worldly opportunities down to follow after Jesus," he said. "My idol had been my ambition and my future, which I ultimately surrendered to God." Over time, Yim, now a member of WorthyLife Church in Washington, D.C., said he realized that commitment to God required a commitment to a local body of believers. He faced the choice: do I forgo medical school, which required a move, or do I leave church? He knew in his heart he would choose medical school -- his own ambition -- and moved to study at UCLA's medical school. There, he acknowledged, he experienced the lowliest time of his life. "People underestimate the importance of church," Yim noted. "Where does it say one's location should be based on one's job or school instead of Christ's mission?" It was during this time when God really spoke to him about repentance and full surrender. Accordingly, he wrote a letter to his former pastor in repentance, only to discover the "seemingly random" letter was confirmation to the pastor to start a new church in Los Angeles. "By the grace of God, I was a part of the church again," Yim said. He went on to choose a medical profession that would not require an excessive amount from his schedule so he could stay involved in ministry. "Though my best [medical school] rotation was surgery, I wanted a field that would give me flexibility and time to minister at the church," he said, explaining he also chose a smaller hospital in which to do his residency. Yim says since then God has opened doors for him to minister to other medical students through his position as an adjunct faculty position and as a pathologist. "There's so much God can do through these students with their professional careers," he said. David Tan, Ph.D., who earned a doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University and is employed at the United States Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center in Washington, D.C., also shared his testimony. Also a member of WorthyLife Church, Tan attended youth group growing up but he was far more engrossed in playing video games -- so much so that he found himself delaying a visit to see his mother who had been rushed to the hospital. "Through this incident, I became very concerned about my hardened heart," Tan said. He shared even though he wanted to change, he felt increasingly helpless. "No one could rescue me except for Jesus." Tan, originally from Singapore, became a Christian and saw his addiction to video games broken. His grades at school dramatically improved. But then he spent two years in mandatory service in the Army, a time he calls his wilderness experience. "I realized I had gradually become like my old self before I had become a Christian," he said, indicating he was merely going through the motions of Christianity but was not experiencing its depth. He eventually studied at the University of Michigan for his undergraduate degree and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for grad school. While at grad school, Tan got involved at Antioch Baptist Church where he found spiritually-mature leaders who took the time to disciple him. "This family of God was very concretely living out Christ-centered relationships" despite their very busy schedules, he said. Over time and several life changes -- marriage, moves back to Singapore and then back to the U.S. -- Tan finished his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University, all while maintaining his relationship with his mentors. He served in ministry on the Johns Hopkins campus and now serves, with his wife, at Georgetown University ministering to the many Asian American and international students who study there. "I am attempting to shine God's light on this campus" in the same way leaders in his life has done over the years, he said. Felix Sermon, in his remarks, shared how he is the product of Southern Baptist mission work in the Philippines and working hand in hand with International Mission Board missionaries in planting churches. He now serves as a North American Mission Board missionary as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. He also serves as the volunteer Asian American (A2CP2) state coordinator for Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Sermon explained chaplains serve in prisons, healthcare, corporations and in public safety and disaster relief efforts as well as in the military. Presently, there are more than 3,600 Southern Baptist chaplains (military and civilian) under the leadership of Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Douglas L. Carver, a retired United States Army officer who served as the 22nd Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army. Carver was the first Southern Baptist chaplain to be promoted to the position of Chief of Chaplains in more than 50 years. "We are Southern Baptist pastors in uniform," Sermon said, urging his listeners to consider chaplaincy work. He detailed the requirements to be a NAMB military chaplain: undergraduate and master of divinity degrees, active duty experience, ordination, as well as age and fitness requirements. Candidates must also be members of Southern Baptist churches. Next year, Global Mission Church will host a second annual A2CP2 conference, which will include testimonies and skits about Cooperative Program giving and church planting as well as a panel discussion. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Judge orders Davis freed from jail by Tom Strode Date: September 08, 2015 - Tuesday ASHLAND, Ky. (BP) -- A federal judge freed Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis from jail Tuesday (Sept. 8). David Bunning, a federal judge in Ashland, Ky., ordered Davis' release after he became convinced the deputy clerks in her Rowan County office had obeyed his order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. He ordered Davis to jail Sept. 3 when she again refused to comply with his previous order to grant licenses. In a two-page order, Bunning said Davis' release was on the condition she not "interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples," according to the newspaper. He would consider "appropriate sanctions" if Davis interferes, Bunning said. Liberty Counsel, which is representing Davis, did not confirm immediately whether Davis would obey Bunning's order, The Courier-Journal reported. Deputy clerks in Davis' office began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Sept. 4. After Bunning sent Davis to jail for contempt of court, five of the six deputy clerks told the judge Sept. 3 they would comply with his order. Liberty Counsel had asked the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati in two filings to provide for Davis' release. On Sept. 8, it requested the Sixth Circuit Court block Bunning's contempt of court order. The day before, the legal team urged the appeals court to halt enforcement of Gov. Steven Beshear's order for all county clerks to issue licenses bearing their names to gay couples. Davis' jailing is the latest repercussion from the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Citing her Christian beliefs about marriage, Davis halted the issuance of licenses from her office to all couples after the opinion. Some Republican presidential candidates have rallied support for her cause. An "I'm With Kim" rally -- sponsored by candidate Mike Huckabee -- was scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT Sept. 8. Huckabee and another GOP candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, reportedly were to meet with Davis in jail the same day. Since her jailing, crowds have gathered outside the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson, Ky., to support her. After a Sept. 7 visit with Davis, Liberty Counsel lawyer Harry Mihet said, "She exudes gentleness and is at peace. Her spirits remain high. She was brought to tears when she heard that so many people outside the jail and around the country are praying for her." Davis -- Mihet said in a written statement -- wanted to share a Bible passage with the public from 2 Timothy 1:7-8: "God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in the suffering for the Gospel and the power of God." Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, defended Davis Sept. 6 on ABC's "This Week" television program. Citing instances when Democratic officials ignored bans on same-sex marriage in the past, Huckabee said, "So when is it that liberals get to choose which laws they support? But a county clerk in Kentucky ... , acting on her Christian faith, is criminalized, jailed without bail, because she acted on her conscience and according to the only law that is in front of her." Despite Davis' request for the Kentucky legislature to pass a bill to protect her rights of conscience while maintaining her clerk's job, Beshear has declined to call a special session, according to the Associated Press. The legislature is not scheduled to convene until January. Religious freedom advocates, including leaders of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, have called for Beshear, a Democrat, and the state legislature to act to resolve the dilemma. The government could solve the impasse by providing accommodations for county clerks with conscientious objections, they have said. Among the accommodations suggested in Davis' case by Liberty Counsel are removing her name from marriage licenses and permitting the county's chief executive to issue licenses. The Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in June heightened concerns among religious liberty promoters regarding the threat legalized gay marriage poses to Christian individuals and institutions, as well as other defenders of biblical, traditional marriage. The opinion prompted some country clerks to resign their jobs rather than issue licenses to gay couples, while others have held onto their jobs while refusing to provide licenses. In the private sector, some businesses were closed even before the Supreme Court ruling as a result of the owners' refusal to compromise their belief that marriage is only between a man and a woman. Wedding vendors -- including florists, photographers and bakers -- have been especially vulnerable in states where gay marriage was already legal. Davis, a Democrat, has been described in news reports as an Apostolic Christian. She actively participates in her church and leads a weekly Bible study at a local jail, according to a legal document filed with the federal court.