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BP Ledger, Nov. 12 edition
by Staff
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

<i>EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received.</i>

Today's BP Ledger contains items from:
Campbellsville University 
Hardin-Simmons University
International Mission Board
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Campbellsville hears message on missions, giving
By Tanner Royalty, student newswriter

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University) -- "Why you? Why here? Why now?" the Rev. Scott Miller, pastor of Graceland Baptist Church in New Albany, Ind., asked those in attendance at Campbellsville University's weekly chapel service Oct. 10. Miller brought a message on missions, and taking the cause of Christ out into the whole world.

Miller asked, "Why was I born in America? Why were you born in America?" 

He emphasized how we as a country have been blessed with so much but give so little. 

Miller said 42 percent of the world population has never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, approximately 156,000 people die every day without knowing Christ, 25,000 die every day from starvation or hunger related diseases, 3.6 million die every year from a lack of clean water, and 70 percent of unreached people groups are preliterate meaning they have not had the opportunity to learn to read and write. 

Miller said, "Why have we been so blessed? Not to keep it to ourselves. The reason we as a country and as Christians have been blessed is to share our blessings and resources with the world." 

He referred to Acts 17:26-27, "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us." 

He used these verses to emphasize that we were born for a reason and that we are not accidents. He said, "You are here right now for a reason, and you were born in this great country of abundance for a reason."

Miller said as Americans we keep 97.75 cents of every dollar received, give 2.15 cents to places where the gospel has and is already being proclaimed, but only give 1/10 of a cent to places where the gospel has never been shared. Miller asked, "What is wrong with us that we can only sacrifice a tenth of a penny? What has happened to our country? What has happened to our believers?" 

America accounts for only 5 percent of the world's population but has 95 percent of the world's Christian resources, he said.

Fifty percent of the world's population today is under the age of 25, Miller said. "The millennial group has surpassed all groups before them but yet only 15 percent of the millennial group consider themselves Christ followers." 

Miller challenged the audience and said, "Maybe today will be your beginning. Maybe you began to feel the calling to another country to serve the cause of Christ, but if not, you are right in the middle of one of the biggest mission fields."

Miller providing three verses with three challenges. He said, "Read Matthew 9:37-38 and pray. Read 2 Corinthians 9:13 and give, and last but not least, read Acts 16:9-10 and go tell the world about Jesus."

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Faculty Members Share Encouraging Data for Graduating Students

ABILENE, Texas (Hardin-Simmons University) -- As students prepare to graduate from Hardin-Simmons University in December, faculty members have encouraging news. In a recent opportunity to respond to a question regarding what recent graduates are doing, they say student acceptance into grad schools is high. Faculty members also say job placement rates in many professions is extremely encouraging. In some cases, faculty members offered data concerning beginning salaries.

Below are some of the responses from HSU faculty members.

Dr. Chris McNair, dean of the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics, says, "One hundred percent of students majoring in the sciences last year were accepted into health professional programs for the 2012-2013 academic year. Graduated students were accepted to schools in medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, veterinary medicine, podiatry, graduate-level nursing, physician's assistant (PA), and optometry."

Dr. Carol Hill, head of the department of speech-language pathology, broadens the scope of students, saying, "Over the past three years, 100% of the graduates from HSU's program who have applied to highly competitive graduate schools have been admitted.

"The students who sought employment had several job offers from which to select, both in the Abilene area and in larger cities in Texas," says Hill. "We receive emails and phone calls weekly from potential employers inquiring about students who can start working immediately."

Students participating in one of Holland's graduate programs have enjoyed 100% job placement since 1997, says Dr. Janelle O'Connell, director of the physical therapy grad program. "Median salary of PTs in Abilene is $68,000 with the average starting salary for PT's in Abilene at $60,000." O'Connell also says that HSU students' pass rate on the PT licensure examination has been 98% for the last five years, and HSU students' matriculation rate is 95.5%, which is higher than the national average.

In the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts, Melissa Milliorn, head of the department of social work, says, "Of our 2012 graduates, 72% are employed in the field of social work, 14% are continuing their education, and another 14% postponed their careers for various reasons." Among those students who have reported their beginning salaries to Milliorn, the highest salary is $33,000. 

But primarily, Milliorn points to what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is saying about the rapid growth of social work job opportunities. The website at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Community-and-Social-Service/Social-workers.htm reveals a median income of $42,480 per year and an anticipated 25% growth rate in the profession through 2020. 

Milliorn says social work jobs are expected to increase from 650,500 jobs nationally to 821,700 jobs by 2020. She points out, "That's an increase of 161,200 social work jobs that will be added over the next seven years." 

Milliorn says that the government information further indicates that social work is one of the fastest growing professions. "Basically, the government website statistically supports what we already know. We need more social workers and the only way to become one is to graduate with a degree in social work from an accredited program like ours here at HSU," says Milliorn.

Michael Monhollon, dean of HSU's Kelley College of Business, says that the KCOB surveys all its alumni one year after graduation and for each of the past two years more than 90% had jobs or were in graduate school or both.

Looking at these statistics more specifically, Monhollon says, "Last spring 36 business students graduated. Eighteen accepted job offers during their last semester and another six were accepted into graduate school before graduation. Three students contacted us over the summer to let us know they had landed jobs in their field."

Good job placement figures also come out of the Irvin School of Education. David Stuckey, head of the department of fitness and health sciences, says graduates in athletic training will have no trouble once they enter the job market. "One hundred percent of our graduates for, at least, the last five years are either employed or are in graduate school," says Stuckey.

Logsdon School of Theology offers the link below, showing the results of a questionnaire answered by students pertaining to the academic preparedness and the effectiveness of the Logsdon graduate programs. http://www.logsdonseminary.org/forms/EducationalEffectiveness.pdf.

Dr. Wayne Dorothy, director of bands and professor of music in the HSU School of Music and Fine Arts, says, "All of our music majors have been successful in finding the employment they sought, whether in music or in another field. Others have successfully pursued additional study in graduate school."

Results from a survey, compiled by the HSU Career Services Office on the post-graduation plans of students who graduated as late as May 2011, shows which businesses employed HSU grads (315 students replied to the questionnaire).
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ASIA PRAYER REQUESTS

SOUTH ASIA (IMB)--Brief items reported by South Asia News of the International Mission Board (http://www.go2southasia.org) on Nov. 8 include:

BANGLADESH. November is the month of the year when we focus on thankfulness in the United States. Most Americans have food to eat, a bed to sleep in, and a roof over their head. In Bangladesh, the majority of the people struggle to have these things. Over half of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Please pray that they will be introduced to and accept the Bread of Life and that they will know that there is One who loves them and will provide for their needs. Please pray for those from the U.S. who are serving the Lord in Bangladesh, asking that they will have strength, wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit when they are faced daily (sometimes hourly) with the overwhelming amount of needs of people in Bangladesh.
 
BHUTAN. Many youth have migrated to India to do their upper level studies. Pray that while these young people are living in India they will be exposed to the Good News, accept the Truth and be equipped to share it with their families when they return home. Pray that the Holy Spirit would prepare the hearts of their families to embrace this new-found faith as their own and that house churches would spring forth throughout Bhutan.
 
DIASPORA. The rainy season has brought floods as usual to Myanmar, but this year, flooding has seemed particularly intense in and around the old capital. "A" has been regularly visiting villages around the old capital that are filled with Tamil people, and the floods this year have taken a terrible toll on their villages. Very deep waters have ruined food supplies and also made access to clean drinking water very difficult. A. and a cross-cultural worker have worked together, with help from Baptist Global Response, to provide water filters to approximately 500 families in this area, so they are able not only to have clean drinking water, but also to hear the Good News as the filters are distributed. Please lift up the five villages that A. has visited, asking that these floods will turn into an opportunity for more lives to be changed. Please lift up the follow-up ministry in this area, and pray that hearts will be open to the Good News.

INDIA. A worker in southern India writes,"Toward the end of a visit with 'F,' I extended an open invitation for her to come and visit me in my home. She graciously declined, explaining that her husband was very protective and would not let her out of the house. She said, 'If I come to visit you, you will hear him yelling and beating me through the walls.' My heart broke as I realized that not only does he protect her physically from the world, he also guards very closely what she follows spiritually. More than half of the Muslim population in Karnataka state are women. Please ask God to show us creative ways to share Jesus with this very protected, isolated segment of society." 
 
MALDIVES. Father is moving in this beautiful island nation. Thought to be 100 percent Islamic, Father is drawing people unto Himself one by one. People are hearing the Good News or reading Truth in their own language. Pray that the Holy Spirit would draw men, women and children unto Himself and they would be strong and courageous to share the Good News with those around them. Pray that small groups of believers would gather throughout the Maldives to study His Word. 
  
NEPAL. In the midst of training believers to share their story and His story, one man realized that he needed Jesus himself and chose to follow Him! One worker writes, "We had other opportunities to share about Jesus as we were out during our trainings, and just meeting with people in hotels and homes. Many of those we have shared with are good friends who follow other paths which do not lead to Truth. Please continue to pray for us as we continue sharing the Good News with those around us, for open hearts and minds as our friends hear Truth, that strongholds are broken, and they are saved."
  
PAKISTAN. Some national Christian families have experienced persecution and have fled the country. They are now seeking asylum status and are waiting to learn the location of their new country. Ask God to provide for their needs and to provide encouragement as they wait. Pray that He will guide the United Nations as they consider these applications. Praise the Lord that some foreign workers have recently received their official documents to work in Pakistan. Pray for others who continue to wait.
 
SRI LANKA. Chanting and shouts rang out in the village throughout the day and
on into the night as soothsayers from the local temple attempted to exorcize a demon from "S." Disappointed, S's husband, "A," hung his head in disbelief at the loss of $1,000 U.S dollars for the soothsayers' useless services. Over the months, S had become known throughout the village for being possessed by a demon who spoke through her, caused her to act violently, and often hurled her to the ground. Everyone avoided her. At his wit's end, A invited Pastor K into the home. As Pastor K prayed over S in the name of Jesus, the demon spoke to him and then left. Immediately A presented his restored wife to the village, and all were astonished. Pastor K loudly proclaimed the Gospel to the village people. S, A and several people in the village that day were reconciled to the all-powerful God of Creation. Pray for all the people in S's village to acknowledge the power of Jesus and proclaim Him as their Lord and Savior. Ask God to give Pastor K wisdom as he begins discipling these new believers and forms them into a healthy house church. 
  
GUTENBERG II. Last month you lifted up the new project in South Asia to provide selected stories from the Bible in video format to reach a specific audience of 500 million people. This month we ask you to pray that God would call out a native speaker of the language who can respond to the inquiries that come as a result of viewing the videos on-line. In September alone, over 3000 people viewed the videos. Please pray that God will call out someone who has a "heart for the nations" to fill this strategic role and that they will respond, "Here am I."
 
SOUTH ASIAN HINDU FESTIVALS. This month and especially on November 13, Hindus throughout India will be celebrating Divali. Known also as Deepavali or Diwali, this 'Festival of Lights' celebrates once again the victory of good over evil. Lamps will be lit to symbolize hope for a bright and prosperous future. Please pray for Hindus all over South Asia to recognize that the One who has vanquished the evil one for all times holds their very lives in His hands-and His plans for them are altogether good and perfect. Please pray that Hindus will call on Him and come and pray to Him. Pray that they will seek Him and find Him when they seek Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:12-13). We appreciate your partnership in seeing His kingdom come and His will being done in South Asia as it is in heaven!
 
SOUTH ASIANS OF CANADA. In the Vancouver area, there are South Asian women who have fallen into prostitution, drug addiction, mental illness and depression. God is drawing them to Jesus through the Light of Life Fellowship. Please pray for Muslim women who are coming to the fellowship, asking that God will open their hearts to the Gospel message. Others have already believed the Good News of salvation through Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit will motivate them to continue in the Word of Jesus, and really be His disciples (John 8:31). Please ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers here: men and women Urdu speakers, Punjabi speakers, and Hindi speakers who will proclaim the Gospel boldly like the Apostle Paul did. Ask Jesus to build His church among South Asians in Vancouver.
 
SOUTH ASIAN PARTNERS. It is not unusual for LEAD (Leadership Equipping and Developing) classes to include pastors' wives. Upon completing the program, one pastor's wife spoke of how it had helped in her scriptural understanding and small-group teaching ability, and made her a better pastor's wife. Her husband was a graduate and wanted his wife also to attend. She was hesitant, but finally became a very consistent and faithful student. She was in class, and the husband cared for the house and children in her absence. Give thanks to God that all of this together gave her more confidence as a person, improved her personal role as the pastor's wife, and improved the marriage and family. She took her certificate of completion and hugged "Mrs. LEAD Teacher" and told her that the hug was for all the LEAD teachers who had helped her for more than six years!

SOUTH ASIAN UNENGAGED. There has been an ever-increasing push in strategy to see all unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs) become engaged. UUPGs are people who, in known history, have no believers and no church-planting work among them. It's exciting to know that the Gospel is being made accessible to communities that have not had it before. Here are some Deccani Muslim UUPGs and their populations: More than 51,000 Naita Muslims, more than 42,000 Garodi Muslims, approximately 6,000 Kachera Muslims, and approximately 5,000 Gond Muslims. Pray that God will break their loyalty to traditions and community and shift that loyalty to the Truth, Jesus Christ. Ask God to make the truth plain and clear to them. Pray that the many Muslims here in South Asia who have heard the Gospel will turn to Christ today. Pray that God will give them faith, hope and the courage to face life in Jesus in the presence of family and community opposition.
 
SOUTH ASIAN UNENGAGED. They are carpenters by trade, but this is all that they share in common with Jesus. There are 96,481 of them, and they all hold to traditional Hindu beliefs. There are no evangelical believers among them, and no one is sharing Truth with them . . . yet. Pray that church planting being done in Orissa, India, will overflow with the result that the Badhai will hear the Gospel and many will become disciples. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work within them to enable them to cast aside their traditional Hindu beliefs in many gods to follow the one true God.
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USCIRF Registers Concern over Emerging Religious Freedom Violations in Ethiopia

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply concerned about the increasing deterioration of religious freedoms for Muslims in Ethiopia. Since July 2011, the Ethiopian government has sought to force a change in the sect of Islam practiced nationwide and has punished clergy and laity who have resisted. Muslims throughout Ethiopia have been arrested during peaceful protests: On October 29, the Ethiopia government charged 29 protestors with terrorism and attempting to establish an Islamic state.
"These charges are only the latest and most concerning attempt by the Ethiopian government to crush opposition to its efforts to control the practice of religion by imposing on Ethiopian Muslims a specific interpretation of Islam," said USCIRF Commissioner Azizah al-Hibri. "The individuals charged were among tens of thousands peacefully protesting the government's violations of international standards and their constitutional right to religious freedom.  The Ethiopian government should cease interfering in the internal affairs of its Muslim community and immediately and unconditionally release those wrongfully imprisoned."
Since July 2011, the Ethiopian government has sought to impose the al-Ahbash Islamic sect on the country's Muslim community, a community that traditionally has practiced the Sufi form of Islam. The government also has manipulated the election of the new leaders of the Ethiopia Islamic Affairs Supreme Council (EIASC). Previously viewed as an independent body, EIASC is now viewed as a government-controlled institution. The arrests, terrorism charges and takeover of EIASC signify a troubling escalation in the government's attempts to control Ethiopia's Muslim community and provide further evidence of a decline in religious freedom in Ethiopia.
"The U.S. government should raise with the new leadership in Addis Ababa the importance of abiding by Ethiopia's own constitution and international standards on freedom of religion of belief. USCIRF has found that repressing religious communities in the name of countering extremism leads to more extremism, greater instability, and possibly violence," said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.  "Given Ethiopia's strategic importance in the Horn of Africa and that Muslims account for more than one-third of all Ethiopians, it is vital that the Ethiopian government end its religious freedom abuses and allow Muslims to practice peacefully their faith as they see fit  Otherwise, the government's current policies and practices will lead to greater destabilization of an already volatile region."
Background
Ethiopian Muslims traditionally are Sufis. Article 27 of the Ethiopian constitution guarantees religious freedom and "the independence of the state from religion." 
However, due to a concern about the rise of Wahhabism in Ethiopia, the government in July 2011 brought al-Ahbash imams from Lebanon to train Ethiopian imams and Islamic school educators on that sect's beliefs to teach their students and worshippers. The government dismissed from their positions those who refused to be trained in or teach al-Ahbash and closed mosques and schools. Beginning in December 2011, protests have been held almost every Friday outside of mosques after prayers. While these demonstrations have taken place nationwide, they are centered at the Awalia Mosque and Islamic school in Addis Ababa. 
As the protests continued, an Arbitration Committee of 17 Islamic leaders was created this past spring to negotiate with the government about: 1) respecting the Ethiopian constitution's guarantees of religious freedom; 2) ending government imposition of al-Ahbash on Ethiopian Muslims, while allowing al-Ahbash to operate equally with other religious communities; 3) re-opening and returning schools and mosques to their original imams and administrators; and 4) holding new elections for the EIASC, and having these elections take place  in mosques, rather than in neighborhood government community centers, to ensure that the community's selections would be honored.
By July, the negotiations had failed and the protests increased in both size and frequency. In response, the Ethiopian government started to crack down on and intimidate the demonstrators, surrounding them with armed guards and conducting house-to-house searches. Between July 13 and 21, the government arrested all 17 members of the Arbitration Committee and at least 70 protestors. (While the government has confirmed 70 people were arrested, demonstrators place the number in the hundreds). Human rights organizations reported that the police used excessive force against individuals during the arrests and while in detention. While many were released after being held for a short time, nine of the Arbitration Committee members remain in jail.  
The charges the government leveled on October 29 were the first issued against any of the arrested protestors, including the nine Arbitration Committee members who were not released with their colleagues in July. The individuals charged were first detained and held in Maikelwai federal police detention center, which frequently houses political prisoners and is known for abusing prisoners, including torturing them during interrogations. The individuals detained also were charged under the nation's anti-terror law which has been used to target dissent, rather than to stop terrorism.
Protestors now hold up yellow or white placards to signal that they are peaceful and to condemn the arrests and charges. While the demonstrations largely have been peaceful, there have been a few violent incidents: On October 21, 2011 four Muslims were killed as they stormed a jail attempting to free protestors and in April 2012 five people were killed protesting the dismissal of an imam who refused to propagate al-Ahbash.
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On Veterans Day: Mojave cross restored
by Angela Lu/World News Service
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

CIMA, Calif. (BP) -- It has been a decade since 68-year-old Wanda Sandoz last saw the 6-foot-tall pipe cross in the Mojave Desert. She remembers when, as a school bus driver, she passed by the memorial to World War I's fallen soldiers four times a day.

"I loved seeing it there, and I'm glad that I'd already retired when the box went on it," she said, referring to a plywood container that covered the cross for eight years before the entire structure was stolen in 2010.

But on Veteran's Day, after 13 years of litigation, including a U.S. Supreme Court case, Wanda and her husband Henry, 73, were finally able to fulfill a promise made to a friend in 1984 and see the cross legally reinstated on Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve. The federal government completed a lengthy land transfer on Nov. 9 and Henry's newly made pipe cross was unveiled on Sunday, Veterans Day.

"We are so, so happy that it's going up and staying up without opposition, since the Veterans of Foreign Wars owns it now," Wanda said. "We are so happy that it all came together and the veterans can have their memorial now." 

The original Mojave Desert cross was erected in 1934 and maintained by Riley Bembrey, a WWI veteran. When Bembrey fell ill in 1984, he asked the Sandozes to take care of the memorial, which by then had been missing for a couple of years. Henry re-erected the cross, and Wanda said they didn't anticipate any trouble since it was a war memorial located in the middle of the desert, a four-hour drive from Los Angeles.

But Wanda remembers the day in 2000 when the park superintendent came to their house asking Henry to take down the cross after complaints about it being a religious symbol on federal land. "&#91;Henry&#93; refused," Wanda recalled. "I thank God he's a stubborn guy, because otherwise it would have been over and done, and there'd be no World War I memorial." 

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), which owned the memorial, calling the cross unconstitutional because it violated the separation between church and state. A judge in Riverside, Calif., ruled that the cross couldn't be displayed and in 2002 the cross was covered, first with a bag, then with a plywood box. 

As court proceedings continued through the years, the Sandozes continued to hold Easter services at the site, with Henry bringing his own smaller cross. 

"All the years the cross was covered, I knew what was under that box and I kept thinking someday I'm going to look up and see the cross again," said Wanda, who regarded the cross as more than just a memorial, but a reminder of what Christ went through for her sins. 

After the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the ACLU, the VFW figured that the only way for the cross to stand was to swap the federal land the cross was on with private land owned by the veterans group. The 9th Circuit ruled the compromise faulty, and the case was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

In 2010, the high court ruled 5-4 that the land swap was permissible, with Justice Anthony Kennedy writing, "The goal of avoiding governmental endorsement &#91;of religion&#93; does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm." 

Days after the ruling, the cross was uprooted and stolen. Wanda said Henry immediately made another cross, but the federal government would not allow him to put it up -- even with a box over it -- until the land transfer had been completed.

Last Friday, the last details of the land transfer were finally worked out. Providentially, the missing cross was found in northern California and the Sandozes confirmed it is the stolen cross. Still, they planned to erect the new cross that Henry made on Sunday. 

The cross was unveiled at a ceremony that included the Sandozes, members of the VFW, attorneys from Liberty Institute who provided representation in the case, and an honor guard.

"It is really a restoration of this veterans memorial that from here on forward will honor our veterans," said Jeff Mateer, general counsel at Liberty Institute. "It's &#91;a feeling&#93; of satisfaction to see it finally restored like it should be." 

Liberty Institute currently is working on other religious symbol cases, including the Mount Soledad Memorial in San Diego and the Maryland Peace Cross. Mateer said the Mojave Desert cross has set a strong precedent for a land swap in these types of cases but added that Justice Kennedy's opinion affirmed that crosses can be displayed even without a land transfer.

Wanda Sandoz, who has been waiting for this moment for 13 years, said, "I'm just proud this one is there. I'm really proud we knew Riley &#91;Bembrey&#93; -- he was a wonderful man -- I'm so glad he was our friend and he asked us to do this for him, and we were able to." 
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Angela Lu writes for World News Service, an affiliate of WORLD magazine (www.worldmag.com). Used by permission.

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FIRST-PERSON: Letting go of things that hide true beauty
by Sue Z. McGray
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

NASHVILLE (BP) -- At 16, my family experienced a shattering event that forever changed our lives: the day my youngest sister was run over by our school bus. My mother lost her joy that day and never laughed again. I made a commitment that day that I would never be hurt like that again. I withdrew inside myself, overcome with anger, grief and resentment, symbolically burying my heart and feelings in a hole. If I no longer felt, I reasoned, I would never experience such pain.

When describing a devastating loss, people often remark, "You never get over it." I think that is true -- you never do get over the death of a loved one. You just eventually learn to get through it, but you'll never be the same because the scars go with us forever. After my sister's funeral, my family and I began the journey of "getting through it" as best we could. 

For many years I felt invisible to people around me because I believed the lie that I was insignificant. I didn't think I deserved God' love, success or anything else. It also was a way of dealing with grief because being "visible" around people was just too painful. I constantly compared myself with other women and always came up short.

I became a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant with the goal of earning a hundred dollars a week to help make ends meet. At the time, I didn't even know how to wear makeup, I didn't own a car, had no professional clothes and no money for extras. I got weak in the knees and red in the face when talking with anyone. My initial makeup parties were disasters, but through those failures -- and many others -- I learned the importance of getting up one more time than I fell down.

At a crisis point in my life, a Christian friend led me to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Even though I had grown up in a Christian home and my father was a pastor, I had never until that day made faith in God personal.

What a great joy it was to discover that Jesus loves and accepts me unconditionally, despite my shortcomings and failures! The Lord redirected my life and helped me learn to become "visible" by overcoming fear, insecurity, low self-esteem, regret and co-dependency. In my darkest and most discouraging adult moments, He demonstrated His love to me and gave me a peace that was beyond understanding.

For 37 years, I've worked with thousands of women across the nation, often observing hurt in their eyes and seeing some of the same fears that caused me to lock down my feelings and squash my dreams. In my experience, a lot of women sabotage themselves because they don't think they deserve anything better. They put themselves in a personal prison (or someone else may have put them there) and draw bad things to themselves because they have an "I don't count" victim mentality.

To get out of this rut -- or to help someone else get out of it -- we first have to understand that God loves and values us just as we are. No matter how we feel or how much hurt we've experienced, staying hidden in an emotional hole is not the answer, nor is it the place God wants us to be. He has so much more for us.

A person who internalizes emotional conflict can suffer from unnecessary guilt, anxiety, sickness and even self-rejection. Our bodies and souls are not designed to internalize sorrow, but to express it and to walk with one another through difficulties.

Today, God has me on a mission to help women step out of their personal prisons and let go of the things that hide their true beauty. My prayer is that each day I will be able to glorify God by encouraging and motivating women to become more than they ever thought they could.

We never really know the battles someone is dealing with, so I urge giving others the benefit of the doubt. Then, step out in kindness with a few words of hope and encouragement. Those few words may be the one thing that helps someone take the next step. We can't change or fix people, but we can reflect the light of God's grace by being an encourager to those the Lord puts in our path each day.
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Sue Z. McGray, on the Web at www.suezmcgray.com, is a Mary Kay independent national sales director emeritus, a level which only a few hundred of the 2 million-plus Mary Kay consultants reach. Her new book, "Becoming Visible: Letting Go of the Things that Hide Your True Beauty," is available at LifeWay Christian Stores. McGray and her husband Duane are members of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn. They have three adult children and five granddaughters.



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FIRST-PERSON: Can science rule out God?
by Waylan Owens
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- An article was published by LiveScience.com titled "Will Science Someday Rule Out the Possibility of God?" It seems that Christians should be shaking in their boots. Science, the article claims, is close to proving that God does not exist. What will we do?

Natalie Wolchover, the author of the article wrote, "Although cosmic mysteries remain, Sean Carroll, a theoretical cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, says there's good reason to think science will ultimately arrive at a complete understanding of the universe that leaves no grounds for God whatsoever."

While some Christians who read this might fear or, at least, wonder, the fact is that we should rejoice. Far from ruling out God, Wolchover, Carroll and this article from mid-September actually provide more scientific confirmation of God.

First, let's look at the statement just quoted, that science "will ultimately arrive" (which means science is not there and has a long way to go) "at a complete understanding of the universe" (which means that science now admits its understanding is vastly incomplete) "that leaves no grounds for God whatsoever" (which, were this to happen, would not rule out God, but rather would leave no scientific grounds for asserting God in creation -- two very different things).

All this means is that we currently do have solid grounds in science for God and that those grounds are significant. Otherwise, Carroll would be denying them outright. He obviously is eager and intent upon doing so.

Second, the article states that science has gathered evidence in favor of the "Big Bang theory." However, cosmologists admit having little to no clue what happened in the split second after the start of the Big Bang. If we assume the theory of the Big Bang is accurate, science still cannot account for how it all began. Carroll is quite certain that a new strand of theory called "quantum gravity theory" will account for that split second and will demonstrate that the universe has had many "Big Bangs" and is eternally re-creating itself. From this we see that Carroll and all other scientists like him are men of faith. His faith is in man to understand and to develop a theory that can explain eternity without reference to God.

Third, another possible version of quantum gravity theory asserts that time did start with a one-time Big Bang. Of this possibility, Carroll wrote, "Nothing in the fact that there is a first moment of time, in other words, necessitates that an external something is required to bring the universe about at that moment." While that might be true, it also means that nothing precludes that an external something is required. Science cannot speak to whether a creator was needed. Carroll is engaging in serious, biased speculation at this point, far beyond the simple faith Christians have in Genesis 1:1.

Wolchover also quoted astrophysicist Alex Filippenko as stating, "The Big Bang could've occurred as a result of just the laws of physics being there." Funny that God describes Himself as "being there," as the I Am. Filippenko continued, "With the laws of physics, you can get universes." Whoever or whatever wrote the laws of physics is the Creator God. Filippenko is so set against a personal God that he is willing to make the laws of physics into God. We are left to choose: Do we place our faith in the eternal, impersonal laws of physics that are self-generating or do we place our faith in the eternal, personal Creator God who lived among us, died for our forgiveness and who has spoken to us, telling us to call Him Father? Filippenko would rather believe in the laws of physics as his father.

Fourth, Carroll wrote, "Most scientists ... suspect that the search for ultimate explanations eventually terminates in some final theory of the world, along with the phrase 'and that's just how it is.'" When Christians look at the unanswerable questions of creation, refer to the Creator God, and say, "That's just how it is," scientists scoff. When scientists look at the unanswerable questions of creation, refer to a theory that cannot answer those same questions, and say, "That's just how it is," that is great science. The fact is that scientists know that some questions, such as the origin of matter, energy or the laws of physics cannot be answered by science and must succumb to the old parents' final answer, "Because we say so!" That also means that some scientists, like Carroll, are willing to abandon true science and its methods in order to deny God and to avoid the fact that science cannot answer ultimate questions.

So let's look at what the Wolchover article has taught us:

-- On origins of the universe, science has a long way to go.

-- Science admits that its understanding of the universe is vastly incomplete.

-- We currently do have solid and significant grounds in science for God.

-- Assuming the Big Bang theory is accurate, science still cannot account for how it all began.

-- Carroll and all other scientists like him are men of faith. His faith is in man to understand and to develop a theory that can explain eternity.

-- Science cannot speak to whether a creator was needed in the beginning or not.

-- For Filippenko, the laws of physics are the creators. Whoever or whatever wrote the laws of physics is the Creator God.

-- Scientists know that some questions, such as the origin of matter and energy or the laws of physics cannot be answered by science.

The article goes on about reasons and parallel universes and then, "Judged by the standards of any other scientific theory, the 'God hypothesis' does not do very well, Carroll argues." One must wonder just what those standards are and why God only rates a "hypothesis" and not a "theory." To become a theory, a hypothesis must prove over time to be consistent with the evidence. All of the evidence amassed by science is consistent with a Creator God. Were it inconsistent, Carroll would not need to wait for a new theory to emerge that will leave no ground for God. He could happily assert his scientific deletion of God right away.

Despite the bravado of these pseudo-scientists who willingly acknowledge that they are ready to abandon science and its rules if they find it necessary in order to deny God's existence, Christians should listen closely to what they say. We will hear in their own words that ultimate questions require faith, that true science still points to God and that, as Francis Schaeffer so famously wrote of God, "He is there, and He is not silent."
--30--
Waylan Owens is dean of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Jack D. Terry, Jr. School of Church and Family Ministries and associate professor of church and family ministries. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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'Body of Christ in action' amid Hoboken's woes from Sandy
by Erin Roach
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

HOBOKEN, N.J. (BP) -- Two weeks after superstorm Sandy tore through New Jersey, thousands of people still lack food, clothing and water. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, nearly half of Hoboken's population of 50,000 was trapped in their homes by floodwaters.

It's in this setting that the members of Hoboken Grace Community Church, a Southern Baptist congregation, have been ministering tirelessly since the morning after the storm hit.

"We began by moving crews of volunteers to pump out basements," the church's pastor, Chris High, told Baptist Press. "As the water began to subside, we transitioned our teams to move from apartment to apartment assisting our neighbors and local charity organizations in cleaning out their destroyed apartments, offices and buildings."

Hoboken is a 2-square-mile city across the Hudson River from Manhattan, and it is home to many middle- and upper-class people under the age of 35, according to The Star-Ledger in Newark. As many as 90 percent of the residents were without power after the storm, and National Guard trucks were brought in to rescue people who could not escape their flooded homes.

The city's sidewalks have been completely covered with trash, High said. Garbage trucks in the city typically collect 62 tons of trash per day, The Star-Ledger said, but since the hurricane that number has increased to 309 tons as people lost many of their possessions to the floodwaters.

Hoboken Grace assisted a local food pantry that had been flooded. Members helped salvage what they could and then helped establish a new location from which the pantry could operate, High said.

"We also began collecting supplies ourselves and delivering them to the local housing authority," the pastor said. 

In the immediate aftermath, Hoboken Grace set up three grill stations in local housing projects to provide warm meals for people who were without electricity. 

"Throughout all of this it has been phenomenal to watch people give and to watch those with power and heat take in those without," High said. "This not only provided for those in need but also enabled us to come out day after day ready to assist those around us in any way possible."  

Hoboken Grace lost its offices to the flood, and High and his wife were out of their apartment while post-flooding repairs were being made.

"We've got a long road ahead," he said, "... but we're seeing what the body of Christ looks like in action."

The church is helping its community rebuild. They have set up a fund to replace lost food, find temporary housing and meet long-term needs.

"As the power comes back to Hoboken it can be easy to forget about those who lost so much or continue to be without, but we want to walk through this with them to the end," High said.

By Nov. 11, most of Hoboken had power restored, but a major cleanup was still underway. Warped floors and walls and thick dust was common in too many homes and businesses, according to a CBS affiliate in New York. People were not earning money, yet rent and mortgage payments still would be due. 

"Sadly, Hoboken has been so hard-hit by this," Mayor Dawn Zimmer said, according to CBS New York. 

The mayor's own home was damaged by floodwaters, enabling her to identify with the pain her city's residents are facing. By Sunday, she thought the city showed signs of recovery.

Even so, a caravan of trucks arrived in Hoboken Sunday to deliver supplies for people in need. A grassroots effort in another part of New Jersey resulted in two 18-wheelers, four box trucks and four hitch trailers carrying blankets, food, water and clothing, The Star-Ledger said.

"You have a lot of people who escaped with the clothing on their back and little else," an assistant business administrator for the city told the newspaper.
--30--
Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Hate speech in Saudi textbooks challenged
by Anne Reiner
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The United States government and religious leaders should press the Saudi Arabian government to remove hate speech from its textbooks, a key congressman said in affirming an appeal from U.S. major publishers. 

"It's an issue that people ought to be very, very concerned about," Rep. Frank Wolf, a leading congressional advocate for human rights, told Baptist Press. "&#91;We are&#93; finding anti-Semitic and anti-Christian literature in these books. ... For years people have been telling the Saudis to change and remove it. They say they are, and then they do not."

Seven current or former heads of major U.S. publishers -- including those for Amazon, Simon and Schuster, and Pantheon Books -- jointly appealed Oct. 17 for the Saudi government to remove hate speech from its textbooks.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America were products of the Saudi Arabian school system. In 2006, the U.S. State Department and the Saudi government enacted an agreement for the dangerous material to be removed by 2008. Little has changed over the years, however. Anti-Semitic material and religious minority hate speech is still taught as fact in many Saudi textbooks.

"Children who are indoctrinated with such hatred are susceptible to engage in bigotry and even violence," the publishers said in their appeal, which was published in The Daily Beast. "Hate speech is the precursor to genocide. First you get to hate and then you kill. This makes peaceful coexistence difficult, if not impossible."

Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom and a former member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, cited examples of the radical content in the textbooks in a National Review Online article about the publishers' appeal:

-- "The Jews and the Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims."

-- "The struggle of this &#91;Muslim&#93; nation with the Jews and Christians has endured, and it will continue as long as God wills." 

-- "Fighting Infidels and the Polytheists has certain conditions and controls, including: That they be invited and they refuse to enter it and refuse to pay Jizya &#91;a special tax&#93;. That Muslims have the power and the capacity to combat, that this be with the permission of the guardian and under his banner, that there be no guarantee between them and the Muslims not to combat." 

-- "In Islamic law, &#91;jihad&#93; has two uses: 1. Specific usage: which means: Exerting effort in fighting unbelievers and tyrants." 

-- "As was cited in Ibn Abbas, and was said: The Apes are the people of the Sabbath, the Jews; and the Swine are the infidels of the communion of Jesus, the Christians."

The Saudi government has not removed the hate speech because it is not being pressured to remove it, said Wolf, R.-Va., noting that Saudi Arabia must have an incentive to change the curriculum.

"Our government is very, very silent. Leaders in the church have been very, very silent. So I was pleased to see these seven publishers speak out and raise this issue," Wolf said. 

The Obama administration opposed a bill that Wolfe proposed to the House of Representatives that would deal with issues like hate speech in textbooks. Although the House passed the Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act, H.R. 440, with a vote of 402-20 last year, the Senate has not acted upon it.

The Saudi government claims to be working on textbook reform and plans to have it completed by about 2014, said Dwight Bashir, deputy director for policy at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Saudi Arabia has been working on such changes for more than 10 years, and there is still a lot of "questionable content," Bashir told Baptist Press.

The material in these textbooks is dangerous for young people. "It can be traumatic; it can be confusing for children, because they are taught to hate &#91;non-Muslims&#93;," Bashir said.

The publishers' appeal to the Saudi government is important, Bashir said. Their action will maintain awareness of the issue of hate speech in the textbooks and will give the State Department more incentive to apply pressure, he said.

Controversial material in the textbooks stems from a more literal interpretation of the Koran and is adopted primarily by the Wahhabism, a branch of the Sunni Muslim sect in Saudi Arabia that has spawned terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. It has promoted violent extremism throughout many parts of Saudi Arabia and other countries, Bashir said. 

This small faction has taken the teaching of Islam and distorted it, turning it into something that it is not, Bashir said. The Wahhabi have also influenced other countries' mosques and clerics, trying to promote their brand of Islam, he said.

Teaching about religion takes up about 30 to 40 percent of the Saudi Arabian curriculum, which is much larger than many countries throughout the world, Bashir said. The overwhelming saturation of violent material causes children to have a "demonizing view of the rest of the world," he said.
--30--
Anne Reiner is an intern with the Washington bureau of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Azerbaijan police raid Baptist pastors' homes
by Staff
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

OSLO, Norway (BP) -- Police in Azerbaijan raided the homes of two Baptist pastors who are former prisoners of conscience.

On Nov. 7, about 10 police officers arrived at the home of Baptist pastor Zaur Balaev in Aliabad, where eight local church members were gathered. Balaev and his wife were in Moscow at the time, getting treatment for her cancer, according to Norway-based religious freedom monitor Forum 18.

Police produced a search warrant, took pictures of the house and seized more than a dozen Christian literature items, including New Testaments.

"They told us it is illegal to meet without registration," Ramiz Osmanov, a fellow Baptist, told Forum 18, noting that the officers were respectful. "They said they would check the books by sending them for religious expert analysis by the State Committee &#91;for Work with Religious Organizations&#93; in the capital Baku and would return them if there is nothing harmful."

Authorities forced Osmanov and another woman to write a statement about what church members were doing. Police then took Osmanov to a police station for questioning, releasing him after an hour and a half. They did not say if any charges would be filed against those meeting at the house. 

Balaev was imprisoned from May 2007 to March 2008 on charges of using violence against state representatives -- charges he and his community say were fabricated to punish him for his religious practices, Forum 18 reported.

At about the same time as the Nov. 7 raid on Balaev's house, police raided the nearby home of Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov while only he and his wife were there, according to Forum 18. Officers confiscated New Testaments and Bibles as well as Christian literature and cassettes.

"They told us we meet for worship illegally as we have no registration," Shabanov told Forum 18.

He said police made a list of the books they seized and told him they would send the literature to the State Committee in Baku.

"They told me that if the books were legal, they would be returned. If they were not, I would be fined," he told Forum 18.

Shabanov was taken to the police station, where he was held until 5 p.m. His wife chose to join him, and they were both required to write statements. 

According to Forum 18, police had arrested Shabanov in June 2008, holding him in pre-trial detention until he was convicted in February 2009 of possessing an illegal weapon and handed a two-year suspended sentence. Shabanov and fellow Baptists say the charges were fabricated to punish him for his religion. 

As evidence of that, Shabanov told Forum 18 that the district police chief's deputy, Kamandar Hasanov, threatened him a month before his arrest, warning Shabanov that if he and his fellow Baptists did not abandon their faith, he would force them to do so. 

"My lawyer asked him about this in court but he denied ever saying it," Shabanov told Forum 18. 

According to Forum 18's April 2012 religious freedom survey, Azerbaijan is trying to make exercising religious rights contingent upon state permission. Key issues include unfair trials, increased restrictions on exercising freedom of religion or belief, restrictive censorship, closure of worship places and jailing of prisoners of conscience. 

Among Azerbaijan's religious restrictions, the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations conducts strict censorship of all religious literature produced, imported and distributed, with religious literature frequently seized from private individuals. 

"Maybe there is something &#91;bad&#93; in these books -- we don't know what's in them," a State Committee spokesperson told Forum 18, arguing that since literature is returned if nothing illegal is found, the practice does not amount to censorship. The spokesman confirmed to Forum 18 that the State Committee keeps a list of banned religious books.

Baptists in Aliabad have long sought to register with the state to make their congregation legal, but Forum 18 reports they have been repeatedly thwarted. 

In 2011, the government changed registration rules so that religious communities need at least 50 adult citizens to apply, a threshold difficult to reach for smaller communities. No Baptists or Jehovah's Witness communities have been able to re-register, and Muslim communities not under state backing are banned.

The State Committee spokesperson rejected the idea that the agency prevents communities it does not like from re-registering. 

"It is not true -- there is no discrimination," he told Forum 18. 
--30--
Compiled by John Evans, a writer in Houston. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Miss. president, 1st VP draw unanimous votes
by William H. Perkins Jr./The Baptist Record
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

JACKSON, Miss. (BP) -- Messengers to the 177th annual meeting of the Mississippi Baptist Convention reelected without opposition David Hamilton, pastor of West Heights Baptist Church in Pontotoc, to a second term as convention president and unanimously approved a Cooperative Program budget of $32,329,059 for the 2013 fiscal year.

The Oct.30-31 sessions at First Baptist Church in Jackson were attended by 920 messengers representing 457 churches.

Joe Pate, pastor of First Baptist Church in Greenwood, was elected without opposition to a first term as the convention's first vice president. Donnie Stuart, pastor of Rock Bluff Baptist Church in Pelahatchie, was elected over Gary Wyatt, pastor of North Morton Baptist Church in Morton, for a first term as second vice president. Michael Weeks, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Olive Branch, and Jerry Bingham, missions director for Benton-Tippah Baptist Association in Ripley, were reelected without opposition as recording secretary and associate recording secretary, respectively.

For the first time since 2009, the Cooperative Program budget for next year does not reflect a decrease. While the budget is the same amount as the current year, convention leaders have been heartened by the halt in year-over-year declining budgets.

Funding for Southern Baptist causes remains steady in the new budget at $11,719,284 (36.25 percent). Likewise, funding for Mississippi Baptist entities is the same at $8,103,903 (25.06 percent) and for Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) ministries at $11,635,872 (36 percent). The church retirement and protection category rounds out the budget at $870,000 (2.69 percent) and is the same amount as the current budget.

Messengers approved a resolution commending the use of a Sinner's Prayer as "a biblically sound and spiritually significant component of the evangelistic task of the church." Two other resolutions commended Edward L. McMillan, longtime professor at Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College in Clinton, upon his retirement after 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Historical Commission, and Ruthie Courtney upon her retirement after 26 years as secretary to the Mississippi Baptist Convention's Board of Ministerial Education.

Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and the first African American to serve as leader of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, received a standing ovation during his keynote message that closed out the annual meeting on the morning of Oct. 31. Luter also spoke at a post-meeting luncheon for Mississippi Baptist African American pastors hosted by the MBCB Mission Strategy Division.

Also preaching at the annual meeting were Hamilton, who delivered the president's address; Jim Phillips, senior pastor of North Greenwood Baptist Church in Greenwood, who delivered the convention sermon; and Jim Futral, MBCB executive director, who presented the 2013 MBCB theme interpretation, "Lordship." Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and former executive director of the Northwest Baptist Convention in Vancouver, Wash., presented devotional messages during each the annual meeting's four sessions.

Praise and Worship were provided by the praise team and sanctuary choir from West Heights Baptist Church; Mississippi Singing Churchmen; sanctuary choir of North Greenwood Baptist Church; Mississippi Baptist Combined Choirs and Music Worship Leaders; and Forgiven Quartet of First Baptist Church in Ridgeland. Congregational worship leaders included James Francis, minister of music at West Heights Baptist Church; Keith Stevens, minister of music at North Greenwood Baptist Church; Slater Murphy, MBCB director of church music; and Derrick Cowan, minister of arts and discipleship at First Baptist Church in Ridgeland.

Frank Gunn, chairman of the Time, Place, and Preacher Committee and retired pastor of First Baptist Church in Biloxi, reported that the 2013 annual meeting of the Mississippi Baptist Convention will be Oct. 29-30 at First Baptist Church in Jackson. Chip Stevens, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Starkville, will preach the convention sermon. Rickey Blythe, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Albany, was chosen as alternate preacher.
--30--
William H. Perkins Jr. is editor of The Baptist Record of the Mississippi Baptist Convention.

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Baptists to expand Sandy DR into December
by Joe Conway
Date: November 12, 2012 - Monday

EDISON, N.J. (BP) -- Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders are preparing to continue superstorm Sandy feeding efforts into December, and have opened a new avenue of service with long-term national implications.

"Although we've been told by New York officials that some of our kitchen operations may consolidate in the state, they told us to expect to continue providing meals into December," said Fritz Wilson, North American Mission Board disaster relief executive director. 

As of Nov. 11, Southern Baptists volunteers had served more than 670,000 meals to Sandy victims.

Volunteers are also providing leadership in a new rapid repair DR ministry method pioneered in response to Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana. NAMB DR team leader Mickey Caison helped forge the partnership for the rapid repair outreach.

"Volunteers from Tennessee are providing leadership and logistics for the rapid repair warehouse for the New Jersey response," said Caison. "The warehouse opened today in Port Monmouth, N.J., at Middletown. At the request of FEMA and the &#91;U.S. Army&#93; Corps of Engineers, Southern Baptists have been asked to give leadership among responding entities for this part of the response.

"FEMA and the Corps have been watching Southern Baptists," Caison said.  "They have seen our capacity, both in our size, and in the manner and amount of work that we accomplish. They feel we can bring critical leadership to this task."

Close to 900 SBDR volunteers from 27 states and Canada continued to provide ministry with shower trailers, mud-out and clean-up crews, and home repairs. Wilson is providing leadership from the New York and New Jersey incident command centers hosted by Raritan Valley Baptist Church in Edison, N.J. A second NAMB mobile incident command center is in transit to the church.

Missouri SBDR volunteers will man a second location in New York, Caison said. The warehouses are the central locations for construction supplies, such as roof tarps and lumber needed to make quick repairs to damaged homes. Caison said this opportunity could become a long-term ministry for Southern Baptists.

The Sandy response will also include childcare provided by SBDR volunteers, with units en route from Ohio and South Carolina. Planning continues to allow college students to use their holiday breaks to voluntarily serve in the affected areas.

Even when plans don't work out, God can still use available volunteers in a DR response, Wilson said. For example, members of a Michigan team delayed while awaiting deployment at Fort Dix, N.J., used the time to build a relationship with a person at the base, eventually sharing the Gospel and seeing the person come to faith in Christ, Wilson said.

From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the Southern Baptist Convention's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs.

SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, 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.

Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or contribute to NAMB's disaster relief fund via 
 namb.net/disaster-relief-donations . Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief."
--30--
Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


