The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-12/31/2019 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Rural ministry more rewarding than expected, pastor says by Erin Roach/TEXAN Correspondent Date: December 31, 2019 - Tuesday MAYHILL, N.M. (BP) -- Rural ministry was not what pastor Matt Henslee envisioned for himself when he was growing up in the DFW Metroplex, but it's where God led him, and now he loves it. He's urging other pastors to consider that God does some of his best work in rural settings. As pastor of Mayhill Baptist Church in Mayhill, N.M., Henslee wrote "Replanting Rural Churches: God's Plan and Call for the Middle of Nowhere" with another rural southern New Mexico pastor, Kyle Bueermann of First Baptist Church in Alamogordo. Henslee was on the front row of his church in Grand Prairie from the age of 2, he said, and was saved at age 7. He was discipled by an associate pastor, visiting hospitals and nursing homes weekly until he was a teenager. In high school, he interned in the worship ministry at a church in Fort Worth and then served a church in Irving that met in a funeral home. "Later I returned to Grand Prairie to be the student pastor and after school director at Westridge Baptist Church, which is where I'd also meet Rebecca, who later became my wife the day before I went in view of a call as the pastor of worship and children at a church quite literally in the middle of nowhere, Josephine, Texas," Henslee told the TEXAN. "I fell in love with rural life and would later become the associate pastor at First Baptist Church Blue Ridge, which didn't have much more than a gas station, grocery store and a Mexican food restaurant that was rarely open." He ended up back in Grand Prairie as the pastor of students and education at Inglewood Baptist Church, and he and Rebecca adopted four girls through foster care. "It was then that I sensed God calling me to the pastorate and we moved to Pipe Creek, Texas, about 35 to 40 miles outside of San Antonio," Henslee said. "A little over two years later, I found myself choking back tears as I left to serve in Mayhill." He has been in New Mexico for more than two years. Along the way, Henslee earned a master of divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Now he's working on a doctorate in expository preaching at Southwestern, and along with pastoring serves as managing editor of LifeWay Pastors, a division of Facts & Trends. "Pastoring in small, rural towns requires creativity to reach people with the good news," Henslee said. "In Pipe Creek, I did all of my studying at a mom and pop coffee shop in town, which allowed me to meet folks passing through, tell them about Jesus and invite them to church. We grew from about 40 to just over 100 in worship during my time there. "In Mayhill, I do something similar. I often read outside the local café, where I'll evangelize and invite people to church. We've grown from about the same to as many as 170 in worship in a town of not much more than 60 to 70." A welcome difference Henslee noticed right away when he moved to Josephine years ago was how quiet rural life was compared to the city. The slower pace helps him slow down spiritually, he said, and the hour-long trips to make hospital visits give him time to pray, unwind or make phone calls. Certainly there are downsides to living so far out, he said, such as when his family runs out of sugar and must either travel an hour each way to the store or go to the nearest neighbor to ask for sugar. In rural America, neighbors rely on each other more, Henslee said. Also in Josephine, he noticed a farmer might invite him out to toss hay or some other task, which provided several hours of quality time talking with the farmer about life, marriage and spiritual matters while working together. "You can't really do that in the city with a banker," he said. Henslee's daughters "absolutely love" living in Mayhill and often spend their family days hiking in the mountains. "They have more fun doing that than when we would spend a day baking in the sun at Six Flags," he said. Bueermann, Henslee's coauthor, grew up in tiny Tahoka, Texas, and didn't think he wanted to pastor a small town church once he finished school, Henslee said, but it turns out he is passionate about ministering in Alamogordo after following God and falling in love with the New Mexico culture. "Never in a million years would I have thought that this is where I would like to be for the duration of my ministry," Henslee said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Grateful to God for the Wheelchairs by Aaron Menikoff Date: December 31, 2019 - Tuesday SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (BP) -- "Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life." (Proverbs 16:31) A couple of gray, dinged wheelchairs and a walker linger a few feet off the entrance of my church. They've been there for years, but I notice them more than I did before. Perhaps it's because I have a few gray hairs of my own! I'm glad they are there. Those medical devices serve the aged who need them. Not only that, they remind me the church is for young and old alike. When I came to pastor here more than a decade ago, I wanted to see younger people join the church. Everyone did. The "young" represented life, vitality and the future. A quiet children's ministry had the stench of death about it. We needed to grow as a church and subtly thought the best growth was young growth. By God's grace, our membership has increased over the years -- slowly and steadily. But now more than ever, I'm thankful for those wheelchairs. I rejoice at the sight of those wheelchairs because I believe the Bible: "Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life" (Proverbs 16:31). There is something honorable about aging gracefully. Not all the elderly are saints, but the saints who are elderly deserve special honor. I love those wheelchairs because Paul saw fit to commend "grandmother Lois" for investing in young Timothy, and I want a church filled with grandmothers like Lois (Connie, Carolyn, Sylvia, Jane and Fredda -- to name just a few of the grandmothers in my own congregation). Those wheelchairs mean a great deal to me because growing old is hard, and I long for the aged to lean into the church and for the church to lean into the aged. There is no time-stamp on Hebrews 3:13, "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Bob and Peg are hosting a small group at my church. Bob was born in 1929. He married a younger woman (she was born in '33). In 2020 their home will be filled at least once a month with some empty nesters, a single woman, and a young couple cutting their teeth at parenting. This is good. Being a multi-generational church has its challenges. For example, the worst of each generation expects all other generations to kowtow to its musical preferences. Not long ago we sang the older, "My God, How Wonderful You Are" and the newer, "King Forevermore," in the same service. We don't offer multiple services, so everybody needs to give a little. It's worth it; we are one church, one family. If I could go back ten years I would have spent less time worrying about when more young people would join the church, and more time engaging with the elderly saints who had called this church home for decades. Thankfully for me, it's not too late. I'm grateful to God for the wheelchairs. -------------------------------------------------------------------- New Orleans' Baptist Friendship House marks 75 years by Trennis Henderson, WMU National Correspondent Date: December 31, 2019 - Tuesday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Baptist Friendship House has stood as a beacon of hope in the heart of New Orleans for 75 years. For the past 20-plus years, Kay Bennett has played a key role in sharing that hope with area residents in need. "What keeps me motivated is the fulfillment of watching God work miracles in people's lives," explained Bennett, who has served as Friendship House's executive director since 1997. The ministry center, which first opened its doors in 1944, has operated from its current location a few blocks from New Orleans' famed French Quarter since 1947. "Over the years, the different ministries have kind of changed at Friendship House to meet the needs that are the greatest in our city," Bennett said. "That's kept it alive and vibrant as it has changed." As Baptist Friendship House marked its 75th anniversary this year, current ministries include aiding the homeless with such basic necessities as food, showers and clothing; transitional housing for women including mothers with their children; and day programs such as literacy, English as a Second Language, job readiness training and a community Bible study. Staff members also offer practical assistance to human trafficking survivors, ranging from providing temporary housing, connecting survivors with a safe house to arranging for involvement in long-term treatment programs or transportation back home. Friendship House also partners with National Woman's Missionary Union to provide Christian Women's Job Corps and WorldCrafts ministries and with the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board in providing thousands of backpacks filled with a variety of items for schoolchildren, the homeless and those escaping human trafficking. A lighthouse in the city Reflecting on the center's day-to-day ministry impact, Bennett said, "You can see someone that is at the bottom, that may be addicted and homeless and on the street, and you realize when they come through the door that you can't change that person, but you do know that Jesus can work in their lives. He can melt their hearts and bring healing, and you can see them just totally turn their lives around and change. It is so fulfilling to watch how He works and changes them. "It's just really cool to me to be able to be in a setting that has been here for so long because it's like a lighthouse in the city," she emphasized. "New Orleans is known as the city that care forgot. But here at Friendship House, we try to put a little bit of concern and care, and help and hope back in our people." With a well-earned reputation for making a difference in people's lives, Baptist Friendship House recently was among organizations honored by FBI director Christopher Wray who presented the ministry center with its distinguished Director's Community Leadership Award for its work in fighting human trafficking. "For many years, the FBI New Orleans field office and the Baptist Friendship House have worked together to combat human trafficking in the city of New Orleans," said Eric Rommal, FBI New Orleans special agent in charge. "Their staff continues to serve the shelter with compassion, dedication and professionalism." Bennett accepted the award on behalf of Baptist Friendship House at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. "Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, and it is all around us here in the United States," she pointed out. "I think it's very important that we, as Southern Baptists, look around us, assess needs, see what's going on and reach out to help people." Life-changing relationships Quoting I John 3:17-18, "If you have all that you need and see someone else in need and do not reach out to them, how can the love of God be in you? Let us not love merely through words and tongue but in action and in truth," Bennett said that is among the biblical truths that drive the center's ministries. "Our mission statement simply states, 'Meeting needs through love, action and truth.' We do that by basically walking alongside others and doing life with them," she noted. "It is in meeting people's basic physical and emotional needs, that it opens the door for us to minister to the greatest need of all which is the spiritual need, so that a life-changing relationship can begin with Jesus Christ." Peggy Day, who leads Friendship House's weekly community Bible study, said that perspective is typical of Bennett's ministry commitment. "She is such a blessing. She just never gives us. She's always hopeful and always positive and always encouraging and accepting," Day affirmed. "That's one of the big things here is that everybody is treated alike, they're accepted." As the ministry center focuses on clients' physical, emotional and spiritual needs, "we love having volunteers come to Friendship House and help us with our ministries," Bennett said. Inviting individuals, churches and mission groups to join the effort, she said volunteer opportunities range from helping pack hygiene kits and snack packs, preparing meals for Bible studies to donating food and clothing or helping staff such annual events as Friendship Fest, Back to School Bash and Fall Festival. Citing Baptist Friendship House's ongoing influence and impact, Bennett concluded, "I'm just thankful that here at Friendship House, we don't judge people. It doesn't matter where you've been, what you've done. We're to be Jesus to others and treat them with respect, and treat them like Jesus treats all of us. He loves us no matter what." -------------------------------------------------------------------- State convention, association, church, and pastor named in sexual abuse lawsuit by Tess Schoonhoven Date: December 31, 2019 - Tuesday HOT SPRINGS, Ark., (BP) -- A lawsuit filed Dec. 16, 2019 alleges former Millcreek Baptist Church pastor Teddy Leon Hill engaged in sexual assault, battery, felonious conduct and the tort of outrage/intentional infliction emotional distress of a minor -- referred to as John Doe in the suit. Hill retired in 2018. The lawsuit also alleges Arkansas Baptist State Convention executive director James "Sonny" Tucker failed to report the suspected sexual abuse in the manner required by Arkansas law following a February 2018 meeting with Hill's ex-wife, Carolyn Latham. The suit claims Latham personally contacted Tucker on multiple occasions to report her suspicions regarding Hill and specifically the sexual abuse of Doe. The lawsuit says that Latham had reason to believe Hill was abusing other minors in addition to Doe, but that after her alleged reporting of the conduct to Tucker, the abuse of Doe "was allowed to continue on multiple occasions and for months after." Regarding the allegations related to Tucker, the ABSC told Baptist Press in a statement released December 28, "These are serious allegations which the Arkansas Baptist State Convention is taking very seriously. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention and Dr. Tucker are being represented by the law firm of Friday, Eldredge & Clark, which is thoroughly investigating this matter. So far, our lawyers have seen no indication of impropriety on the part of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention or Dr. Tucker." "The Arkansas Baptist State Convention has long placed a high priority on ministry and safety for children and students. For several years, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, under Dr. Tucker's leadership, has been involved in an intentional, statewide safety and training emphasis to equip churches to better prevent and respond to sexual abuse," the ABSC statement reads (see full statement below). In addition to the allegations regarding Hill and Tucker, the lawsuit seeks to hold Millcreek Baptist Church, Tucker, Diamond Lakes Baptist Association and the ABSC accountable for the actions of Hill. Millcreek Baptist Church is a cooperating church of the ABSC and the Diamond Lakes Baptist Association. The lawsuit claims the "defendants are part of a hierarchical institution in which there exists a system of oversight and control by ABSC over Diamond Lakes and Millcreek and Hill and by Diamond Lakes over Millcreek and Hill." The suit claims that all parties were responsible for the care of Doe because of each defendant's connection to one another. The ABSC stated "it appears the plaintiff does not understand the relationship between the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and the local church and pastor. Apparently, the plaintiff mistakenly believes that the Arkansas Baptist State Convention somehow controls the local church and should have been monitoring this local church pastor's actions. In any event, the Convention has no responsibility in this case for his and/or the local church's actions." A Statement from the ABSC - December 28, 2019 As some of you may already be aware, a lawsuit has recently been filed by the attorneys of a young man who alleges a Baptist pastor in Arkansas had an improper relationship with him. The suit has been filed against the pastor, the church, and the local association. This suit also includes the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and Dr. Sonny Tucker, as the Executive Director of the Convention, alleging that the Convention received information about the relationship and failed to report it to the authorities. To date, no charges have been filed against the pastor or anyone else as a result of the claims in the suit, nor have there been any criminal convictions. These are serious allegations which the Arkansas Baptist State Convention is taking very seriously. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention and Dr. Tucker are being represented by the law firm of Friday, Eldredge & Clark, which is thoroughly investigating this matter. So far, our lawyers have seen no indication of impropriety on the part of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention or Dr. Tucker. Rather, it appears the plaintiff does not understand the relationship between the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and the local church and pastor. Apparently, the plaintiff mistakenly believes that the Arkansas Baptist State Convention somehow controls the local church and should have been monitoring this local church pastor's actions. In any event, the Convention has no responsibility in this case for his and/or the local church's actions. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention has long placed a high priority on ministry and safety for children and students. For several years, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, under Dr. Tucker's leadership, has been involved in an intentional, statewide safety and training emphasis to equip churches to better prevent and respond to sexual abuse. We grieve with every victim of abuse and pray for them and their families. It is our sincere desire to see every church minister to victims and their families with love and support. We will continue to cooperate with our attorneys and defend what appears to be false accusations against the Convention and its Executive Director. We ask that you refer questions concerning this suit to Greg Addison, who may be reached at gaddison@absc.org.