Baptist Press Archive

Friday, November 09, 2012

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  • FEMA chief praises Baptist DR; chaplains becoming a key need
    by Joe Conway, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    EDISON, N.J. (BP) -- On the 11th day after landfall of Hurricane Sandy, more than 750 Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were continuing to aid survivors in hard-hit communities. Their work has not gone unnoticed.

    Photo by Laura Sikes/NAMB
    Craig Fugate, chief of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, voiced appreciation to SBDR leaders in a conference call Nov. 7 for their response to Sandy.

    "Thanks to everyone," said Craig Fugate, FEMA administrator. "It has been a busy time. The president and the rest of the team appreciate Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. This will not be a short response. We still have a lot to do. Until people are back in their homes, Southern Baptist [volunteers] will be needed. Thank you for all that Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has done."

    Coordinating logistics with FEMA, the American Red Cross (ARC), The Salvation Army, state and local governments is a daily task for SBDR leaders. The North American Mission Board routinely maintains representation at the FEMA and ARC national headquarters for the duration of large-scale disaster responses such as Sandy.

    The recognition of that service came quickly from another government leader in the hard-hit community of Middletown, N.J., this week, Gov. Chris Christie.

    "Ah, my friends with disaster relief," the New Jersey governor said when he met SBDR volunteers from Oklahoma serving in Middletown Nov. 5. Christie thanked the volunteers for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the people of his state.

    SBDR volunteers who were among the first responders to Sandy will begin heading home soon. Replacement teams will begin arriving this weekend and into next week. One of those units is a Tennessee recovery team, which completed its 18th job Friday in the Norwalk, Ct., area.

    Maryland-Delaware incident commander Carl Brill reported an interesting occurrence in Crisfield, Md., where local leaders developed a system to collect needs and communicate them to volunteers.

    "They are using white towels to identify homes where help is needed," Brill said. ... Read More

  • Veterans Day offers ministry opportunities
    by Adam Miller, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    Photo by John Swain
    NORFOLK, Va. (BP) -- This Veterans Day churches throughout the United States are seeing a rise in the number of military veterans returning home after deployment. Many say it is an opportunity for churches to serve and help meet the needs of transitioning soldiers. Read More

  • Pro-life, pro-family hopes dim in new Congress
    by Tom Strode, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- A status quo election has left conservative evangelicals and other social conservatives with little optimism they will see pro-life and pro-family advances by the federal government in the next two years. Read More

  • Rep. Lankford (SBC) in line for No. 5 GOP slot
    by Staff, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- A Southern Baptist U.S. representative who surprised the political world by winning a seat two years ago now is the favorite to win the No. 5 spot in the House Republican leadership, according to Roll Call newspaper. Read More

  • Southern Baptist contingent in Congress grows
    by Anne Reiner, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- Southern Baptist representation in Congress increased in the latest election -- its highest number in recent history.

    Each Southern Baptist up for re-election in the Senate and House of Representatives held his seat Nov. 6. In addition, five members of Southern Baptist churches won races as non-incumbents.

    Five Southern Baptists joined the House of Representatives, bringing the total to 35. One Southern Baptist church member gained election to the Senate, making the ... Read More

  • Marijuana laws likely to face federal challenge
    by Staff, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- Marijuana initiatives approved by voters in Colorado and Washington may be short-lived, according to reports that the U.S. Department of Justice will challenge the laws, asserting federal supremacy.

    Kevin Sabet, a former drug adviser to three U.S. administrations, including President Obama, said marijuana remains illegal on the federal level and the measures in Colorado and Washington "will be curtailed."

    Governors in Colorado and Washington said they planned to talk... Read More

  • Wash. 9th state to legalize gay marriage
    by Staff, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    SEATTLE (BP) -- Washington state became the ninth state to legalize gay marriage Thursday (Nov. 9) when a race that was tight on Election Night finally was called, but the head of a traditional group there says he doesn't believe it's a turning point for the issue nationwide.

    Referendum 74, as it was known, won with 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent of the vote, which was much tighter than most polls predicted but nevertheless disappointing for traditionalists in the state. The new law will take... Read More

  • Mo. Baptists gain via communication, cooperation
    by Allen Palmeri/The Pathway, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Buoyed by news that Cooperative Program giving is holding steady, messengers to the Missouri Baptist Convention's 178th annual meeting approved a $14.6 million budget and entered into new partnerships with New York and Mexico.

    The theme for the convention's Oct. 29-31 sessions in St. Louis was "Gratitude" based on Psalm 107:1. Registration totaled 923 messengers and 295 visitors from 398 churches.

    MBC Executive Director John Yeats, in his address to messengers, said t... Read More

  • N.Y. Baptists approve task force report
    by Staff, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    SCHROON LAKE, N.Y. (BP) -- The Baptist Convention of New York, at its 43rd annual meeting, approved the recommendations of its Vision Task Force along with the formation of an ad hoc team to implement the plan.

    The Vision Task Force, which BCNY messengers approved last year, made recommendations to refine the convention's vision and improve its effectiveness, made recommendations to improve cooperation and communication among BCNY staff, directors of missions, church planters and ministers;... Read More

  • CULTURE DIGEST: Attorney General Holder's family owns abortion clinic site
    by Staff, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    NASHVILLE (BP) -- United States Attorney General Eric Holder's wife and sister-in-law own a building used as an abortion clinic by a doctor who was indicted last year on charges of Medicaid fraud, according to an investigative report.

    Pro-life advocates suggested the connection may help explain Holder's refusal to prosecute abortion providers who violate federal law and his efforts to bring charges against sidewalk counselors outside abortion clinics.

    Watchdog.org reported on the link ... Read More

  • El Gobernador de Nueva Jersey agradecido con los voluntarios bautistas, su apoyo continua
    Por Joe Conway, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    MIDDLETOWN, N.J. (BP) -- El Día de las Elecciones llegó con los sobrevivientes de la tormenta Sandy yendo a votar en tiendas de campaña—junto con un recordatorio de lo preparado que están los voluntarios del Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Antes del golpe de la tormenta Sandy, Mark Gauthier, el comandante de área de SBDR, les recordó a los líderes de los equipos de apoyo en desastres que se aseguraran que los voluntarios votaran por correo antes de emprender el viaje para comenzar a ministrar.

    Foto de Mike Ebert/NAMB
    En este día también continuó la preparación de alimentos en los más de 16 sitios de apoyo y aumentaron bastante las peticiones de trabajos para remover el lodo. Un día antes, el Gobernador de Nueva Jersey Chris Christie felicitó a los voluntarios bautistas en Middletown, N.J. Los voluntarios bautistas usan playeras amarillas.

    Mientras tanto, Fritz Wilson, el director ejecutivo de apoyo en desastres en la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas, NAMB, dijo que el apoyo para el desastre causado por Sandy continuará por varios meses. Read More

  • 'El poder de la iglesia local' se demuestra en la Ciudad de Nueva York
    Por Diana Chandler, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    CIUDAD DE NUEVA YORK (BP)- Una mujer anciana tenía miedo de abrir la puerta. Sola en la oscuridad de su apartamento en el 23º piso del complejo habitacional gubernamental Fulton en el Parque Chelsea, días después del paso del Huracán Sandy, no estaba acostumbrada a recibir ayuda. Read More

  • COMPENDIO CULTURA: La fe de Obama puede estar evolucionando
    Por el personal, posted Friday, November 09, 2012 (11 years ago)

    NASHVILLE (BP) -- Cuando la campaña presidencial de este año se acercaba a su cierre, CNN.com publicó un artículo de 3.200 palabras que sugería que la fe cristiana del presidente Obama había evolucionado hacia un estilo más evangélico. Read More