FORT WORTH—Members of the SBTC communications department earned five awards during the Baptist Communicators Association (BCA) annual workshop and awards competition, April 11-14 in Fort Worth.

The BCA meeting draws journalists, public relations practitioners, graphic artists, videographers and photographers from Southern Baptist Convention agencies, state conventions and Baptist newspapers across the nation. Those entering work in the W.C. Fields Awards Competition are judged by outside professionals with expertise in the various awards categories.

Brent Burden, SBTC videographer, won first place in the news photography division, newspaper category, for his photo of a family gazing upon the charred remains of their home following the Bastrop wildfires last fall.

Tammi Reed Ledbetter, TEXAN news editor, won second place in the news writing division, newspaper category, for her article on new IMB President Tom Elliff titled “Elliff setting shoulder, heart ‘to the work.’”

Russell Lightner, SBTC graphic artist, won first place in the design division, booklet category, for the Church Ministries booklet called “CM Resource Guide.” He also won honorable mention in the brochure category for “Salt & Light … Bulb.”

Jerry Pierce, TEXAN managing editor, won first place in the news writing division, newspaper category, for a story on the Santa Muerte cult titled “‘Saint Death’ cult making inroads across U.S. Border.”

Numerous events are planned around the SBC Pastors’ Conference and annual meeting in New Orleans during the second and third weeks of June. The following list includes most of the meetings announced by press time:

• The Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship will meet June 15-16 at First Baptist Church in Kenner, La., 1400 Williams Boulevard, with a focus on discipleship and congregation planting. The sessions begin at 7 p.m. and 9 a.m., respectively. The group’s website is sbmessianic.net.
• Crossover, an evangelistic outreach encompassing greater New Orleans, will be Saturday, June 16. The New Orleans Baptist Association—with support from 35 New Orleans Baptist churches, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and NAMB—will coordinate multiple events including prayerwalking, block parties, door-to-door evangelism and servant evangelism. To register, visit joinnoba.com/crossover.
• The National African American Fellowship’s annual meeting will be June 16-20. The group’s business meeting will be Monday, June 18, from 4–6 p.m. in room 222 of the convention center. Its annual banquet on Tuesday, June 19 from 6:30–9:30 p.m. in rooms 220-221 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
• The Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network will focus on “The Father’s Business” at its annual awards on Sunday, June 17 from 2–5:30 p.m., at Suburban Baptist Church, 10501 Chef Menteur Hwy., with Jeffery Friend as host pastor.
• The Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Directors of Missions will emphasize passion in ministry at its June 17-18 meetings, to be held in Leavell Chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 3939 Gentilly Blvd. Registration and more details are available at sbcadom.org.
• The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists will hold preaching and business sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17 in the Napoleon Room of the New Orleans Hilton Riverside, Two Poydras St. The theme is “The Gospel: the Power of God Unto Salvation.” The group’s website is sbcevangelist.org.
• North American Mission Board’s Send North America luncheon will be Monday, June 18, from noon-1 p.m. in Hall F at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with speakers Kevin Ezell and Aaron Coe of NAMB. Online registration for the banquet-style luncheon is now open, with tickets priced at $10 each. To register, visit snaluncheon.com. Credit cards will be accepted until June 18, when cash only will be required.
• The Chinese Baptist Fellowship of the U.S. and Canada will meet Monday, June 18 from noon-4 p.m. at New Orleans Chinese Baptist Church, 3413 Continental Drive in Kenner, a New Orleans suburb. “Church Planting: Past, Present and Future” will be the fellowship’s theme, drawn from John 4:30-38.
• ”Avance Hispano,” for Hispanic pastors and leaders to celebrate Hispanic ministries, will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 18 in convention center rooms 213 and 218. The conference includes a luncheon. Josh del Risco of NAMB church mobilization and Robert Amaya, a Hispanic Southern Baptist pastor who starred in the film “Courageous,” will speak.
• The Fellowship of Native American Christians will install Gary Hawkins of Oklahoma as FoNAC’s first executive director during its Monday, June 18 meeting in New Orleans as a step toward a greater national presence. Meeting will be 9 a.m. in Room 333 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
• The Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America will meet Tuesday, June 19, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1400 Williams Blvd. in Kenner, La. Ken Weathersby, presidential ambassador for ethnic church relations at the North American Mission Board, will be the guest speaker. To register for the meeting, email Manao at rmanao@aol.com or call him at 610-580-8635.

—Compiled from Baptist Press reports

NEW ORLEANS—The recommendation of “Great Commission Baptists” as a descriptive name and the prospective election of the first ever African American president are on the horizon for the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 19–20 meeting in New Orleans.

Messengers will decide whether to adopt the informal, non-legal “Great Commission Baptists” descriptor as recommended by the SBC Executive Committee, embracing the suggestion of a special task force appointed to study changing the SBC’s name, deemed by some a regional barrier to the gospel.

“The overwhelming acceptance of the Executive Committee was the first major step,” SBC President Bryant Wright said of the proposed descriptor. “Obviously, the decision of the convention will be most important. If approved, our entities will lead the way in using the descriptor. I think it will be a 10- to 20-year process of helping Southern Baptists and the general public to think, ‘those people really are Great Commission Baptists,’ when they think of us.”

Fred Luter Jr., senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and current SBC first vice president, currently is unopposed for the SBC presidency. Luter would be the first African American to hold the post, on the heels of the SBC’s historic 2011 measure calling for greater accountability among its entities regarding ethnic diversity in leadership. David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, is expected to nominate Luter.

“Our election of Fred Luter as the first African American president of the SBC will send a great, hopeful, powerful message to our city, our culture, our convention and our country,” Crosby has said. “For many, it will make them rethink who Southern Baptists are, and it will help us reach the new diversity that we find in our cities. It is a statement that people of all ethnic groups make up the Southern Baptist Convention and are honored.”

The annual meeting will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the 2005 source of troubling images as thousands suffered hunger, thirst and lack of medical care as victims of Hurricane Katrina. The center has undergone $92.7 million in improvements since the storm, according to press reports.

THEME
“Jesus: to the Neighborhood and the Nations” is the annual meeting theme, drawn from Luke 24:47-48 and worded to convey the importance of dual missions at home and abroad, Wright said.

“Last year in Phoenix, God moved so powerfully it seemed more like a missions conference than a denominational business meeting,” Wright said. “It is my hope that with Jesus: to the Neighborhood and the Nations, we will once again see God’s Spirit convicting us and motivating us to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.”

Wright said his prayer is that messengers will have a “loving and caring Christian witness” at the annual meeting, “that the spirit of our messengers will be Christ-like to all we come in contact with.”
Concluding his final term as SBC president, Wright described his tenure as faith-enriching, energizing and exhausting, referencing the godly passion of young seminarians, the church-planting efforts of the North American Mission Board, frequent travel and communication opportunities, among other experiences.

“It has been energizing to see how God is leading us to embrace the unengaged and unreached people groups of the world,” Wright said. “It has been energizing to preach the gospel in so many settings, from small country churches to mega-churches in our great cities, and from churches in Egypt to students at Harvard.

“Two years is plenty,” he said of his tenure. “Although by the time you have some idea of the vast scope of Southern Baptist ministries around the world you’re going out of office.”

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM EXHIBIT
The Cooperative Program booth in the SBC exhibit hall will enjoy increased visibility, positioned next to the booths of the International and North American mission boards. The CP booth will feature two large, high definition video screens displaying live video interviews, panel discussions and live Twitter feeds. Similar positioning of the CP booth at the 2011 annual meeting attracted a wide array of SBC leaders and emphasized the benefits of Southern Baptists’ channel of support for state, national and international missions and ministries.

REGISTRATION
Conveniently register online at sbcannualmeeting.net, under the Messengers tab.

After online registration, each messenger will receive an eight-digit registration code to present at the annual meeting’s Express registration lane. There, the registration code can be entered into a computer and a nametag will be printed.

The traditional registration method also is available.

RESOLUTIONS
Messengers wishing to propose resolutions must submit them at least 15 days prior to the annual meeting. Detailed guidelines on submitting resolutions are available at www.sbcannualmeeting.net under the Messengers tab. Resolutions may be submitted online but must be followed up by a letter of credentials from the submitter’s church.

CONVENTION ARRANGEMENTS
Shuttle service will be available Sunday through Wednesday to and from the convention center from select hotels noted at www.sbcannualmeeting.net, under the Housing and Travel tab. Shuttle passes are available online for $12 and onsite for $15, with service provided 3–10 p.m. Sunday; 7 a.m.–10 pm. Monday; and 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Shuttle service to and from the airport to hotels is available for $35 roundtrip; tickets must be purchased online at least 24 hours in advance of flight arrivals.

EULESS—Don’t let your heart drift from God, Joel Engle, pastor of The Exchange Church in Keller, warned those attending the plenary session of the SENT Conference on April 28.  

Addressing his audience from 2 Samuel 11 and King David’s adultery with Bathsheba, Engle said those engaged in the mission are in danger of moral collapse until they get to heaven.

David’s first mistake was to stay behind as his troops went to war, but that decision was preceded by a heart that had begun to drift from God, Engle maintained.

Similarly, when the faithful stop depending on God, prayer becomes diminished and time with God, if it exists, is stale.

“Don’t let your heart play with sin,” Engle pleaded, noting Billy Graham’s statement that David’s sin was not his first look at Bathsheba but his second. Like lust, pride, jealousy and other struggles are deceptive.
Engle also noted David’s disastrous attempt to manage his sin and the collateral damage it caused not only his family but the kingdom.

Speaking of a 65-year-old missionary who committed adultery on the mission field, Engle warned, “You’re never out of the woods until you get home and he says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’”

NEW ORLEANS—Change is in the air for the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference, June 17-18 in New Orleans, themed “Changing: Lives, Communities, the World.”

“I am changing. You are changing. The world around us is changing,” said Grant Ethridge, president of the Pastors’ Conference and senior pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton, Va.

“But there is one thing that has not changed. God’s plan for getting the gospel to the ends of the earth is still the local church. Changing lives, communities and the world is not optional. It is the command of Jesus.”

Ethridge is praying that the Pastors’ Conference will impart “a burning desire to see lives changed in their community,” to encourage pastors in “believing that their church, no matter the location or size, can be used of God to change lives around the world.”

David Jeremiah, David Platt, Fred Luter Jr., Johnny Hunt, Jack Graham and Herb Reavis, Jr. are among speakers. Charles Billingsley, Jeff Askew, Sounds of Liberty, the Liberty Worship Choir and Chi Alpha will lead in worship.

Honoring Father’s Day, the Pastors’ Conference will spotlight four father-son teams as speakers: Don and Rob Wilton, Ronnie and Nick Floyd, Tony and Anthony Evans, and Bailey and Josh Smith.

Josh Smith, lead pastor at MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church of Irving, said he’s excited about God’s work in and through the SBC.

“Too often the statistics we give and the messages we communicate at the SBC paint a grim picture of the current and future state of the SBC. I don’t buy it. God is at work,” Smith said. “My desire is to simply encourage pastors to continue to be faithful to their local church, faithful to the mission of the church and faithful to their cooperation with the SBC in fulfilling the Great Commission.”

Smith wants to give and gain encouragement at the Pastors’ Conference.

“I don’t want to gather together this year and leave discouraged by statistics that communicate all we are not doing,” Smith said. “I want to leave encouraged, equipped and empowered to continue to work hard for the sake of the gospel.”

Smith said Ethridge, in planning the Pastors’ Conference, “has done a great job of honoring the past and looking forward to the future.

“We must not forget those who gave so much to get us where we are as a convention today, but we must also not forget to pass the baton to the next generation of pastors who are ready to run. I believe Grant is helping with that,” Smith said.

Such encouragement and motivation is essential, Smith said.

“Every pastor needs to be encouraged and motivated in the hard work of pastoral ministry. That is the point of the Pastors’ Conference,” he said. “I need it.”

Pastors’ Conference sessions at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans will be at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17, and at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 6 p.m. Monday, June 18.

For more information, visit sbcpc.net.

NEW ORLEANS—The annual Pastors’ Wives Conference will feature testimonies from Pam Tebow and Jeannie Elliff, and a roundtable discussion about parenting children of ministers.

The conference is scheduled from 8:30-11:45 a.m. Monday, June 18, in Hall B-1 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. There is no cost for the event and registration is not required. Women who serve in any facet of local church leadership, missions and denominational work are invited to attend.

Tebow, mother of NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, is a former missionary to the Philippines and the wife of an evangelist. She and her husband Bob have five children and four grandchildren. The notoriety of the Tebow family increased when Tim, their youngest son, won the Heisman Trophy following his sophomore football season with the Florida Gators. Because ESPN aired the portion of an interview with Pam that focused on her refusal to abort “Timmy” when she was advised to do so, she has gained a national platform for the pro-life message.

Elliff spends much of her time traveling with her husband Tom, who serves as president of the International Mission Board. The Elliffs served as Southern Baptist missionaries to Zimbabwe in the early 1980s. He also pastored churches in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. Eleven of their 25 grandchildren live overseas.

Music will be led by Eric and Kristin Yeldell of Naples, Fla. He serves as associate pastor of contemporary worship and ministries and they are parents to three preschoolers.

Susie Hawkins, author of “From One Ministry Wife to Another” and wife of GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins, will lead the roundtable discussion on parenting. Hawkins will be joined by Elliff and Carmen Howell, a pastor’s wife from First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., and mother of two daughters; Elicia Horton, a church planter’s wife from Koinonia Bible Church in Kansas City, Mo., and mother of two daughters; and Cindy King, a pastor’s wife from Ezekiel Baptist Church in Philadelphia and the mother of six children.

LifeWay Christian Resources and the North American Mission Board are assisting with funding for this year’s Pastors’ Wives Conference.

I have been on mission trips to a number of countries. I have been to the remote areas of South America witnessing to the Quechua Indians. On two different visits to Lebanon I went door to door to pass out Bibles in Shiite Muslim neighborhoods. Going to India last year was truly impactful. Preaching in villages where the gospel had never been proclaimed to people who imperil their lives when they become Jesus followers challenged me. There are very few experiences that rival sharing the gospel with someone who has never heard the name of Jesus!

Recently I made a different trip overseas. I had the unusual privilege to lead an SBC International Mission Board missionary cluster retreat in South Africa. It was like being a Christian USO troupe. Although I am not as funny as Bob Hope and we didn’t have any dancers, our job was to encourage our spiritual frontline troops.

A group from North Garland Baptist Fellowship helped with the children. Pastor Tony Mathews preached the Sunday morning message. Prestonwood Baptist Church supplied music leaders and youth workers. Everyone did a fantastic job. They are to be thanked for their willingness to give of themselves to those who are serving our Lord Jesus.

My wife, June, worked in the nursery and provided prayer support for me. I preached four mornings and taught four evenings. The messages were about relationships, family devotions and biblical examples of God’s supply of grace during difficult times. The theme for the nightly lessons was “Abiding in Christ.” Walking in the Spirit is no different on a distant mission field than in our Texas mission field.

Our missionaries need our prayer support. My family has prayed daily for 20 years, calling the names of a couple that has served in Africa. Some of our finest young couples are answering the call to go to some of the hardest places. We were with missionaries who were going to peoples who have never heard the name of Jesus. It is dangerous. It is dirty. It is demanding. They are willing to go. Let’s remember them in prayer.

Our missionaries need our encouragement. Individually we can lift them up by sending them a note or a care package. We can email them. We can call them. Occasionally let them know you are thinking about them. You can assist them by going to the field and working alongside them.

Our missionaries need our financial support. The Cooperative Program provides the best way for Southern Baptists to work together as we embrace the unengaged peoples. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is another funding channel for our missionary effort, as are the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions and our own Reach Texas Offering. Direct gifts to missionaries for ministry activities are obviously helpful. Giving is vitally important.

Being with the missionaries blessed me more than it did them. I am so grateful for their sacrifice. It is important that Southern Baptists keep their eye on the goal. Theological discussions on various positions within the Baptist Faith and Message are important. Debating practical aspects of living out our biblical faith needs to be done. However, reaching the unreached is what we do as Southern Baptists. Next month Southern Baptists will gather in New Orleans for the annual convention. We need to remember amidst the clamor of dividing controversies that our missionaries are embracing the ends of the earth.

Let us continue to give together. Let us go together. That means we must stay together. Our missionaries are counting on us. Reaching the unreached depends on it.