Family ministry at First Baptist Church of Belton, Texas, includes helping meet the needs of a special breed of single parents – military spouses from nearby Fort Hood who function in that role temporarily. Family ministry at First Baptist Church of Belton, Texas, includes helping meet the needs of a special breed of single parents – military spouses from nearby Fort Hood who function in that role temporarily. When a parent in the armed services is deployed and the rest of the family is left at home, the remaining parent must learn how to fill multiple roles and single-handedly balance competing schedules, ministry leaders at the church note. Recognizing that, the church is working to offer practical help for the parents thrown into those roles. At the same time, they are not ignoring the children who find themselves now living with one parent. “We offer a parenting class because we see the need to teach them how to be single parents for a time,” preschool minister Tricia Kimbrough says. First Baptist Church provides a course called Enjoy, Not Destroy for military spouses, teaching them how to discipline their children properly when the at-home spouse is pressed into the role of being the only … [Read more...]

Week of June 13, 2005 Historic marriage vote An historic vote to legalize same-sex marriages in California ended in a surprising loss for homosexual activists earlier this month, giving social conservatives a rare victory in the state legislature. The California assembly defeated a same-sex marriage bill three times in two days, preventing the assembly from becoming the first legislative body in the United States to pass such a proposal. Needing 41 votes, it received support from only 37 members in the third and final. Thirty-six opposed it. In two earlier votes, the bill had fallen six votes short on identical 35-37 votes.  In the months leading up to the vote, the bill’s sponsor had expressed optimism that it would pass. But in the end, it failed. Nevertheless, it was an historical vote. No legislative body in the U.S. ever had voted on a bill legalizing same-sex marriages.  Opponents said the bill violates both the will of the people and the California constitution. In 2000, California voters passed an initiative explicitly banning same-sex marriages. It passed by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent. The state constitution prohibits the legislature from overriding a voter-backed initiative. Thus, even if the … [Read more...]

Baptist Retirement Center trustees have scheduled a called meeting of its membership at the end of the month to adopt a final plan of dissolution of the corporation. Baptist Retirement Center trustees have scheduled a called meeting of its membership at the end of the month to adopt a final plan of dissolution of the corporation. If approved, the action will signal an end to a long process that began with sale of the retirement center in 2003. Information regarding the meeting has been mailed to all Louisiana Baptist churches, which are defined as the members of Baptist Retirement Center of Arcadia, Inc. The churches are being asked to attend the meeting or to return a proxy form that will appoint Baptist Retirement Center trustee Chair Bobby Dye of Bossier City to vote for them at the called meeting, set for June 30 at 10 a.m. at the Arcadia Town Hall in Arcadia. At the meeting, members will vote on a dissolution plan as set forth in the letter to churches. Under the plan, Dye and fellow retirement center trustee Robert Spicer of West Monroe will act as co-liquidators of the Louisiana Baptist corporation. Assets from the sale of the retirement center then will be disbursed as follows: • All debts and … [Read more...]

A sense of anticipation fills the dining room inside Building A on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. By Brian Blackwell LBM Newswriter A sense of anticipation fills the dining room inside Building A on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. As each of the 66 soon-to-be seminary graduates pass by family members, some of the men give a “thumbs up,” while others hold up a finger to credit God in heaven. On this day, the graduates of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary extension program at the state’s only maximum security prison have completed one of the biggest accomplishments in their entire lives. “No matter how bad a day you’ve had, something better is coming,” Seminary President Chuck Kelley tells the prospective graduates – the largest class ever at Angola – during the commencement exercises. “You don’t have the opportunity to see the effect you’re having on the world. “What you’re doing here is becoming evident all over the world,” he continues. “Where there is Jesus, there is hope. People say in other places I go that if it can happen (at Angola), it can happen (at their places).” Kelley has described the seminary program at Angola … [Read more...]

Religious leaders from around the country and across the political spectrum have launched a massive political campaign to end hunger in America. Religious leaders from around the country and across the political spectrum have launched a massive political campaign to end hunger in America. They are calling on Congress to pass a hunger-related bill and asking President George Bush not cut federal funding of poverty and hunger programs. “Arguably, it is almost the whole of all organized religion in the United States,” Bread for the World President David Beckmann said of the religious leaders lobbying against hunger. “This is the beginning, we feel, we hope, of a new movement to overcome poverty.” A group of more than 600 activists participated in a recent weeklong conference on poverty and hunger. It was organized by Bread for the World, a Washington-based Christian anti-poverty group. The conference was designed to mobilize religious organizations. During the session, some participants traveled to Capitol Hill in a lobbying effort to protect federal food assistance programs from funding cuts and structural weakening. For many, the spiritual apex of the conference occurred when more than 1,500 people … [Read more...]

Following a year when Lottie Moon Christmas Offering giving shattered old records and removed appointment restrictions, Southern Baptists raised nearly that amount again. Following a year when Lottie Moon Christmas Offering giving shattered old records and removed appointment restrictions, Southern Baptists raised nearly that amount again. All in all, Southern Baptists contributed almost $134 million through their annual offering for international missions. The offering is collected each year on a June 1-to-May 31 basis. Thus, when the 2004 Lottie Moon offering closed its books, gifts totaled $133,886,221. The total is the second-highest in offering history. However, it still fell short of last year’s $136 million offering and well shy of the $150 million giving goal for the year. The 115-year-old offering is used to support more than 5,200 missionaries on the field. In addition to the $133.8 million Lottie Moon total, Southern Baptists also have given more than $16.3 million to relief efforts following a deadly earthquake/tsunami in southern Asia and the Pacific Rim regions at the close of 2004. “We are overwhelmed with this testimony of Southern Baptists’ heart for missions and desire to reach our … [Read more...]

For those who have wondered what makes for a satisfying personal prayer life, a new study of Protestant ministers offers some definite clues. For those who have wondered what makes for a satisfying personal prayer life, a new study of Protestant ministers offers some definite clues. To begin, very few Protestant ministers are satisfied with their personal prayer lives – indeed, just 16 percent of them are, a new study by Ellison Research of Phoenix indicates. Another 47 percent of ministers are somewhat satisfied with their personal prayer lives, notes the study conducted for LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Meanwhile, 30 percent of the 868 Protestant church pastors included in the national survey indicated they were somewhat dissatisfied with their personal prayer lives. Seven percent of the pastors said they were very dissatisfied. There was a substantial difference in percentages reported by age group. Just 9 percent of pastors under age 45 are very satisfied with their personal prayer lives, compared to 13 percent among ministers age 45 to 59 and 30 percent among pastors 60 or older. The youngest pastors actually are more likely to be very dissatisfied with their … [Read more...]

What you end up with is usually determined by how you go about doing it. Case in point – how do you go about disposing of an eight-ton whale? What you end up with is usually determined by how you go about doing it. Case in point – how do you go about disposing of an eight-ton whale? Well, in 1970 (I’m late on my internet surfing) a 45-foot long, eight-ton whale washed up on a beach in Lane County, Ore. Imagine the distinct odor eight tons of rotting whale emits, not to mention the threat to the health of any living creature within several hundreds of yards of the rapidly-decaying carcass. The lot of removal of the whale fell to the Oregon State Highway Division. No one knows if the governor had it in for the folks in that division, but assuming that does seem appropriate. Engineers of the division, after considering several options, came up with what they thought would be a fail-proof plan to rid the beach of their whale of a problem. They decided to blow the smelly carcass to smithereens with dynamite. They figured that sea gulls and crabs quickly would consume the resulting tiny bits of whale blubber – and all traces of the sea behemoth would disappear. So, the engineers calculated how much … [Read more...]

To say that 92-year-old Woodrow Connors still carries his cross is an understatement. To say that 92-year-old Woodrow Connors still carries his cross is an understatement. The fact is he dangles several small, wooden crosses over his walker, distributing them – along with a smile and the gospel – to all who cross paths with him. Connors has served as a deacon at North Jacksonville (Fla.) Baptist Church for 40 years. During that time, he has made more than 20,000 of these reminders of Christ to give away. He said people tend to be astonished that their gift, often accompanied by a gospel tract, comes without a price. “The gospel is free,” Connors says. “Jesus didn’t charge anything. How can I?” The crosses open doors for ministry, with Connors noting, “Wherever I go, I carry a sack.” In a visit to a children’s hospital once, kids and parents draped them on their beds; Connors says he also is fond of leaving crosses at restaurants and hotels. He was introduced to the idea of making crosses by the late Dan Crawford, a local Lutheran he met at a woodworking club. Years of friendship and cross making ensued. A batch of 300 crosses initially was assembled and then distributed by a retreat group in … [Read more...]

Her limousine pulls into the church parking lot. An expectant crowd watches as the door opened and a pair of peach-colored stilettos step onto the pavement. Her limousine pulls into the church parking lot. An expectant crowd watches as the door opened and a pair of peach-colored stilettos step onto the pavement. Oprah Winfrey has arrived, looking every inch the star with glamorous hair and a form-fitting peach suit that instantly sets the crowd abuzz. But from the moment she bounds out of the limo, Winfrey presents herself as a simple churchgoer who merely craves a chance to visit the church of “my all-time favorite minister so far” – Otis Moss, pastor at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. Winfrey makes it clear that she is a fan of Moss – and the popular talk show host has visited Olivet on occasion. She seems as genuinely fond of the historic Quincy Avenue church as the congregation is of her. On this day, she is speaking to church members again as part of a special church emphasis. Several moments of the service that ensue noticeably touch Winfrey, including a soloist’s rendition of “I Surrender All.” Moss picked the song. He says he knew from his friendship with Winfrey that the … [Read more...]