Month: July 2010

VBS children collect 150k pennies

ST. AUGUSTINE?Liberty Hill Baptist Church hadn’t had a Vacation Bible School in some time when Frank Holrath came as pastor nine years ago. Since then, the church has taken on VBS with an added twist: Penny wars.

No one gets hurt in this girls vs. boys contest; the respective groups compete to collect the most pennies for a missions cause.

This year the recipient was East Texas Baptist Family Ministry, an affiliated ministry of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. ETBFM accepted approximately $1,500?that’s 150,000 pennies packaged and loaded in a wheel barrow?from the children who attended VBS at Liberty Hill.

Holrath said for a smaller-attendance church, a $1,500 offering from children should be a challenge to churches of every size to encourage giving, especially in light of Southern Baptists’ charge to increase sacrificial missions giving at every level in the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report, he added.

Holrath said VBS has yielded spiritual blessings at his church far beyond the week of VBS, despite what sometimes seems “so little reward” for the laborious event.

“But even if one soul gets saved as a result, it’s all worth it,” he said.

Flood transforms mission for Arlington volunteers

In a matter of hours, the river rose. Homes vanished, swept away by the swirling floodwaters. Roads and bridges flooded, making them completely impassable. The mission team from The Church on Rush Creek in Arlington watched and prayed for the families who had just lost everything. The team was stranded, and their mission changed.

“What started out as a VBS compassion trip turned into a humanitarian mission to help flood victims,” team member Bree Adams said.

The team arrived in Morelos, Mexico on a Saturday?July 3?prepared to conduct a Vacation Bible School with a local church and minister to the city’s homeless living in the dump ground. Rush Creek has sent teams to Morelos for the past five years, and has built a strong relationship with the people. The church partners with Rancho dos Countries, a ministry run by Fernando and Debra Martinez to serve families living in the dump.

“We start planning this trip in February,” Brian McFadden, the community pastor at Rush Creek, said. “Throughout the year we’re sending school supplies and food and all kinds of supplies down there. We’ve taken groups of men to build a soup kitchen. We’ve worked on the ranch where teams stay when they come in. We have a long-term relationship with that ministry.

“There are probably 50 to 100 people living in the dump. We meet different people every time we’re there. They are the homeless of the community. They live in the dump because they make a living by going through people’s trash. They sort through to find aluminum cans and other items they can resell for money. They build makeshift houses out of tarps and old discarded mattresses.”

This year’s plans were no different from previous years. The team would conduct Vacation Bible School at the Primera Iglesia Bautista. They were also taking supplies to the soup kitchen in the dump, known as the Dream Center. This multi-purpose structure has bathroom and shower facilities and provides soap, shampoo, and other hygiene items. It also has a small schoolroom where a volunteer teacher comes in to teach the children living in the dump ground.

Primarily, though, it provides meals for the people living in the dump. This year, however, that food went to help the people of community as well as the homeless.

Change of plans

The team had only just begun their work when a wave of storms from tropical depression Alex hit the area. The storm system released so much water that the area quickly flooded as water surged through on its way down from the nearby mountains in northern Mexico.

What had begun as a mere trickle of water a few feet deep and a few feet wide roared to life overnight. Within three hours of the rains starting, the 14-foot-high bridge spanning the Rio Grande between Mexico and Texas was under water. By the next morning the full force of the river rushed through, taking out anything in its path.

“We got to do a couple of things on our schedule, but because of the rain and floods it changed all of our plans. We had taken down a whole lot of food and supplies for the Dream Center, so we used that food to give to other families affected by the flood as well. Because of the flooding, all of a sudden, the regular community had nothing.”

Though stranded by the flood and their plans for the week impeded, the team did not let their circumstances hinder them from ministering to the people around them. They chose to stay and help the families in any way they could.

The area hardest hit was Zaragoza, a smaller city outside of Morelos. The river had been a dry riverbed for as long as many residents could remember. When the flood came through unexpectedly, it washed away homes and roads. Homes that were not washed away were filled with mud. The people were cut off from the larger cities around them, unable to go into town to buy food.<

Men’s event draws harvest

TYLER It was a milestone for Harvest Ministries and evangelist Jay Lowder, an accomplished outdoorsman whose hunting prowess has placed him on the cover of ESPN Outdoors magazine.

But his satisfaction in duck hunting and other outdoor sports doesn’t belong in the same category as the joy of seeing 234 men make professions of faith in one evening, he said.

That was the case on July 3 in Tyler during a men’s outreach banquet hosted by Green Acres Baptist Church. Lowder, the primary evangelist used by the SBTC in evangelistic rallies geared toward men, drew the rapt attention of the 1,400-plus guys in attendance as he shared four lessons from his hunting and fishing ventures before turning a corner in his presentation.

“I’ve learned a lot in the great outdoors. The truth is a lot of these men would not set foot in your church to hear a sermon. But it’s not your typical sermon,” Lowder explained in an interview with the TEXAN.

In his typical preaching, Lowder is known for quoting lots of Scripture. But not in the presence of men unlikely to know the difference between the books of Malachi and Matthew.

“This is a night to hang out with buddies,” Lowder stressed.

FOUR LESSONS

The four lessons are: “One wrong decision can bring the regret of a lifetime,” “Understand decoys,” “Learn to follow a blood trail,” and “Make sure your weapon is sighted in.” After telling real-life stories of how each lesson was learned, Lowder changes course and applies them to a deeper context: one’s relationship with God.

For example, “the only way I could track that deer down was to follow the blood trail. But 2,000 years ago, the real blood trail was spilled,” Lowder explained. “I go through the gospel with just a brief explanation of the atonement. I talk about sin ? adultery, fornication, pride, greed. And then the good news, the ultimate blood trail leading to Calvary’s hill where you can meet a man named Christ.”

“It was just absolutely amazing,” said Joe Simmons, SBTC evangelism consultant who introduced Lowder at the event. Previously, the greatest number of men making salvation decisions in a Harvest meeting was 126 at The Church at Quail Creek in Amarillo several years ago, Simmons said.

“We believe that men respond to a challenge,” Lowder said. “If you want to get under my skin, just challenge me. These guys are conquerors, they are go-getters. A lot of these guys respond to ‘Hey, you are going to say yes or no to Jesus tonight?'”

Simmons said former SBC president Bobby Welch was in attendance and marveled at the response to the invitation, asking Simmons why more churches are not using such events to evangelize.

“He is the most effective evangelist we have doing this work,” Simmons said of Lowder. “His message was so on target and the men responded so well.”

Earlier in the evening, the men also heard a testimony from former University of Texas and Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy.

The next scheduled SBTC Harvest Outreach event is scheduled Sept 10-12 at First Baptist Church of Lake Fork in conjunction with a BASS Tour fishing event in the area.

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Criswell offering distance learning

DALLAS?Recognizing the need to train Christian leaders in different settings, Criswell College is offering a new distance learning program this fall, giving students the opportunity to receive a quality education away from Criswell’s Dallas campus.

Under the direction of Barry Creamer, recently named dean of distance education, the program will offer students two unique means of accessing classes.

The first opportunity is off-campus distance classes. These classes will be offered at Glen Meadows Baptist Church in San Angelo. Students on the Dallas campus and the San Angelo campus will interact with each other and the professor using video conferencing. Students who take classes off-campus will have the same academic requirements as students taking the same class on the Dallas campus. Prerequisites, time, term, and requirements are all the same.

According to Creamer, off-campus distance students will pay regular tuition for these classes, but there will be no other fees associated with these courses. San Angelo students will not pay application, admission, registration or late registration fees. However, this fee exemption is temporary and will change in upcoming semesters.

Classes offered off-campus this fall include Bible Introduction, Preaching from the Old Testament, Organizational Management, Personal Evangelism, Introduction to Biblical Exposition, Introduction to Counseling Psychology, and Bioethics on the undergraduate level. Graduate offerings include Modern-Postmodern Theology and Preparing Expository Sermons.

A second option is Online Distance Classes, which will be distinct from active classes on campus. These courses will provide an option for students with schedule and travel conflicts and provide students with the opportunity to get advanced standing before coming to campus.

Online courses are open to any student who wishes to take them and carry the same academic value as their on-campus counterparts, Creamer said. There is an additional cost for the online option as students will have a $150 fee per online class. This fee is for technology and development costs and is intended to promote on-campus classes and discourage independent studies.

There are also three additional requirements for online students. First, students must have access to a computer and a broadband Internet connection. Second, students must keep up with the pace of the class during the fall term; and third, because online classes are new this semester, students must expect some challenges and be willing to patiently work through any road blocks to complete the course requirements and to help improve the course offerings for future terms.

Undergraduate online courses offered this fall include Old Testament Intensive in the Minor Prophets, Systematic Theology 3, Bioethics, and Organizational Management. Old Testament Intensive in the Minor Prophets and Systematic Theology 3 will also be available on the graduate level online.

Creamer believes these distance learning options fit nicely with the mission of Criswell College.

“Criswell College equips Christian leaders,” Creamer said. “Where those leaders and future leaders have been able to find their way to our Dallas campus, we believe we have served them well with language, theology, Bible, counseling, education, and culture classes for the past 40 years. But there are also many Christian leaders who cannot leave either their current ministry or other obligations to come to Dallas for a few years of education. We want those ministers and lay leaders to be able to complete their education as well.”

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Amid floods, Living Water found in Monterrey

BROWNSVILLE?Disaster relief volunteers from First Baptist Church of Brownsville delivered 9,000 gallons of drinking water labeled with the gospel message into regions of northeastern Mexico flooded by rains from Hurricane Alex, resulting in dozens of salvations decisions.

Steve Dorman, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brownsville, said all 9,000 gallons of water came from anonymous donors, with 4,000 gallons of it offered unsolicited only a day after receiving the request from Monterrey in the wake of flooding from Hurricane Alex.

Iglesia Bautista Filadelfia in Monterrey was the hub for distributing the water, bottled with labels that include the gospel message. Adolfo Villarreal, a member of the First Baptist Brownsville pastoral staff and a Monterrey native, went to Monterrey to help with logistics in an area where water had been scarce for a week.

Preaching from the bed of a pickup as long lines of people gathered for the water in Monterrey, Villarreal reported that “80-90 people” recorded salvation decisions.

“All because of a little water being provided in the name of Jesus! Praise God! Thanks again for making this possible,” Dorman wrote in an e-mail to several people.

First Baptist Brownsville learned of the needs in Monterrey, Dorman said, from missionaries familiar with the Filadelfia church there.

“The price of water was exponentially high?if you could find it,” Dorman added. “So it’s just so exciting to see God putting all this together. We have nothing to do with it except we’ve been conveying information on the needs. God has been the provider.

“We’re excited and praying that God will use that and strengthen that church’s ministry to bring people to the Lord and that [Filadelfia church] would find itself in good favor in the city,” Dorman said.

Meanwhile, SBTC Disaster Relief teams were working in several areas along the Rio Grande.

Jim Richardson, SBTC DR director, said as of July 14, a mud-out unit from Del Rio-Uvalde Baptist Association was deployed with six volunteers in Eagle Pass, along with a New Mexico mud-out unit.

Also, SBTC cleanup and recovery volunteers along with chaplains and assessment teams were serving in Laredo and Rio Bravo, where seven people recorded salvation decisions. Laredo was also being helped by an SBTC shower unit, and a laundry unit from the Louisiana Baptist Convention.

Hurricane Alexand the tropical storm it became have brought torrential rains to northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border, causing thousands of people to evacuate to higher ground. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mexican authorities reported the immediate death toll as between 15 and 30 people and two weeks later, government authorities were only beginning to fully account of the damage.

One fatality included Jose Manuel Maldonado, mayor of Piedras Niegras, Mexico, who was touring the flooded areas in a small airplane near Eagle Pass, Texas when the plane crashed. Four others on board also died, according to news reports.

With the Rio Grande at its highest levels in decades, flooding forced two international bridges to close with water reportedly lapping the underside of the bridges. On July 7, Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered National Guard troops and other state emergency personnel to the area to help.

DR teams, BGR responding to Mexico floods

BROWNSVILLE?Disaster relief volunteers from First Baptist Church of Brownsville were loading 9,000 gallons of drinking water labeled with the gospel message for distribution across the border into regions of northeastern Mexico flooded by rains from Hurricane Alex.

Meanwhile, those living along the Rio Grande in Texas and northern Mexico were bracing for perhaps more flooding as additional rains were expected through July 9.

“We are loading approximately 4,000 gallons of water in Brownsville on a truck for Monterrey Thursday morning. This load was donated and the truck donated as well. Based upon what Mexico customs told us today, we should be able to cross the load without financial difficulties if we do it correctly,” Steve Dorman, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brownsville, said in an e-mail on July 8 to SBTC Disaster Relief Director Jim Richardson.

“We also have a truck loading ? in Matamoros with another 5,000 gallons of water that will be in Monterrey by Thursday evening. We are having to hire this truck.”

Dorman told the Southern Baptist TEXAN later by phone that the cost of the second truck was being covered by Baptist Global Response, a human relief organization that works closely with Southern Baptists. All 9,000 gallons of water have come from anonymous donors, with 4,000 gallons of it offered unsolicited only a day after receiving the request from Monterrey.

Iglesia Bautista Filadelfia in Monterrey is the hub for distributing the water, bottled with labels that include the gospel message. Adolfo Villarreal, a member of the First Baptist Brownsville pastoral staff and a Monterrey native, will go to Monterrey to help with logistics in an area where water has been scarce for a week.

First Baptist Brownsville learned of the needs in Monterrey, Dorman said, from missionaries familiar with the Filadelfia church there.

“The good thing is that Iglesia Baptist Filadephia will be the ones passing out the water. We’re excited and praying that God will us that and strengthen that church’s ministry to bring people to the Lord and that the church would find itself in good favor in the city,” Dorman said.

Hurricane Alexbrought torrential rains to northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border, causing thousands of people to evacuate to higher ground. Twelve people were reported dead in Nuevo Leon, Mexico and 130,000 were without drinking water, the Houston Chronicle reported.

With the Rio Grande at its highest levels in decades, weather forecasters were calling for perhaps more rain. Flooding has forced two international bridges to close with water reportedly lapping the underside of the bridges. On July 7, Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered National Guard troops and other state emergency personnel to the area to help.