Jan/Feb 2006 fellowship!

January/February 2006

One year later: Fellowship continues Southeast Asia tsunami relief

More than 225,000 people lost their lives, bringing a pro-found sense of suff ering and loss to those who survived.

An ocean away, Fellowship Baptists saw the destruction, and they responded. More than $2.56 million was contrib-uted to the Fellowship’s Asian Re-sponse fund, which is aiding in tsunami relief and development proj-ects in Southeast Asia. As of Dec. 6, more than $885,600 has been distributed to help in a multitude of restoration, rebuilding and development projects, which will continue through December 2007.· Th e tsunami fl ooded many wells and destroyed other means of obtaining clean water. Th rough drilling new wells and constructing water towers, clean water is being made available to communities. In one area where only 17 percent of water storage tanks were functional, repairs have restored the system to serve approximately 3,000 people. Th e Fellowship has also provided water purifi cation tablets in India and larger purifi cation systems capable of cleaning 600 gallons of water per hour. A new aff ordable well-drilling technology has been introduced by CBF and its partners in Sri Lanka with the intention of using this in other areas needing water.· In Sri Lanka, the Fellowship is partnering to build a new 77-house village that will house “squatter” families, who lived on borrowed land within 100

meters of the Indian Ocean. When buff er zones were established, these families lost their land. Th e new village will include a community center with specialized programming such as day care or various

skill training. · More than 45 schools have been helped through re-building or supplies such as

books, clothing and shoes.· Livelihood kits specifi c to occupations have been provided to get carpenters, fi shermen, farmers and mechanics back in business, thus providing an income for their families. More than 1,300 kits were distributed this fall.

Th e Fellowship has also helped repair or purchase fi shing boats to enable fi shermen to return to their livelihood.· Th e Fellowship continues to partner with local churches and interna-tional groups such as Habitat for Human-ity, Mercy Foundation and others for new housing projects. · Th e rainy season brings further com-plications. Some tents continually sit in puddles of water. Th e Fellowship helped provide wooden fl oors, which give temporary relief by lift ing tents and allowing water to fl ow underneath. · In India, where many churches were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami, the Fellowship is funding new church buildings.

Individuals and groups from churches volunteered in the area, helping with construction projects and in medical clinics that treated

thousands of tsunami survivors.

“Because of the outpouring of love and concern from CBF partners and friends, shattered lives are being restored, new hope is being engendered, and those who felt they had no future are slowly embracing courage to face another day,” said Jack Snell, interim

Global Missions coordinator. “We are deeply grateful to all whose on-going support through the Off ering for Global Missions enables

our personnel to be on the fi eld, and whose generosity has provided resources so we can respond to these devastating needs.”

Needs in the region are still great. Rebuilding is a slow process, but the Fellowship has committed to meet long-term needs.

LEARN – For more information on tsunami relief, visit www.thefellowship.info/disaster/tsunami. To make an online contribution to these efforts, visit www.thefellowship.info/Landing/giving.icm and give to the Offering for Global Missions.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

Dec. 26, 2004 should have been a day like

any other. At least it started out that way.

Fishermen set out with their boats to sea.

Women woke their children. Life was normal. But in

an instant — a roaring wave, a rush of water — life

changed for coastal residents of Southeast Asia.

January/February 2006

CBFfellowship! COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP | WWW.THEFELLOWSHIP.INFO

MONEY GIVEN last sum-mer to the Jimmy and Ro-salynn Carter Off ering for Religious Liberty and Hu-man Rights is being put to use to help hilltribe immi-grants in Th ailand obtain legal status in that country.

“Th is off ering has been extremely timely,” noted Rick Burnette, one of CBF’s Global Missions fi eld per-sonnel. “We don’t think it was merely coincidental.”

Rick and his wife, Ellen, work with various hilltribe people as liaisons with the Palaung and Kachin minor-ity networks, assisting com-munities in fi nding ways to make a living, including sus-tainable agriculture, and deal-ing with related rights issues.

Many of the Palaung and Kachin fl ed civil unrest in Myan-

mar over the last two decades and have settled in Th ailand near the border with Myanmar. Th ey live in villages that are squeezed by neighboring citrus planta-tions and national park land and depend on the ability to travel

to distant sites to work. As im-migrants, it has been diffi cult for them to get documentation to allow them to work.

Recently, Th ailand opened up an opportunity for some of these immigrants to obtain

alien resident cards which off er signifi cant residence rights. But the cost to regis-ter is generally beyond their means — about 5,100 baht, or approximately $123 at the cur-rent rate of exchange.

“Th at is a lot of money for most Palaung families,” Rick noted. “Th ey make some-where between a dollar to two dollars a day.”

Using $10,000 of the Carter off ering along with another $30,000 in donations from churches and individuals, the Burnettes, working with a Christian development project, have set up a revolving fund for those eligible to get this documentation. Currently, the Th ai government has said immigrants are eligible if they came to Th ailand before Oct.

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Carter offering makes resident status possible for Thailand hilltribe immigrants

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Thanks to money given to the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Offering for Religious Liberty and Human Rights, Rick Burnette, left, is able to help Thailand hilltribe immigrants to obtain legal status in that country.

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Generous contributions from Fellowship Baptists and churches helped fisherman devastated by the tsunami take steps to regain their livelihood.

An ocean away, Fellowship Baptists saw

the destruction, and they responded.

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Th e prototype for the Barnabas Project — an eff ort by CBF partner school Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio to place specifi cally-trained students in staff internships to meet identifi ed needs of the host church — began last sum-mer at First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, Okla. CBF of Oklahoma partnered fi nancially with BUA and First Baptist for the project.

Th rough their internships, Allan and Griselda Esco-bar, second-year stu-dents at BUA, will explore and help launch evangelism outreach eff orts to an estimated 30,000 Spanish-speaking residents in the Oklahoma City area.

“Bringing these interns into our commu-nity helps put our congregation in the very midst of the education of future ministers

and missionaries,” senior pastor Tom Ogburn pointed out. “It also helps us reach out to a segment of our community that we might

never have reached on our own.”“We also were looking for a diff erent,

more focused means to have two-way part-nerships that would benefi t our students as well as the host churches,” said Marconi Monteiro, vice president for student devel-opment at BUA.

BUA will be responsible for selecting the students with the best experience, educa-tion and gift s to meet a specifi c program-ming need and supplement their qualifi ca-tions with targeted one-on-one training from BUA professors.

First Baptist committed to underwrite scholarships, set up an emergency medi-

cal account, provide missions resources for the BUA library and provide supplemental support for the on-campus administra-tion of the project.

“We want to lay the groundwork for reaching these families and bringing them together through First Baptist’s Hispanic ministry initiative,” noted Allan Escobar.

Future Barnabas Project partnerships call for the local

church requests to be matched with students between October and February of each academic year. Th e specialized training will take place from February through May. f!

By contributing writer Craig Bird, San Antonio

Two CBF partner institutions are doing what Fellowship

Christians do best — partnering in mutually benefi cial ways to

do more than they could do separately.

Vol. 16, No. 1COORDINATOR • Daniel Vestal

COORDINATOR, COMMUNICATIONS & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT • Ben McDade

EDITOR • Lance Wallace

MANAGING EDITOR • Lisa M. Jones

PHONE • (770) 220-1600

FAX • (770) 220-1685

E-MAIL • [email protected]

WEB SITE • www.thefellowship.info

fellowship! is published 7 times a year in Sept./Oct., Special I (Oct.), Nov./Dec., Jan./Feb., Mar./Apr., May/June, Special II (Aug.) by The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Inc., 3001 Mercer University Dr., Atlanta, GA 30341-4115. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices. USPS #015-625

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “fellowship!” Newsletter, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 450329, Atlanta, GA 31145-0329

Two key Fellowship partners piloting Barnabas Project

Class Notes: News from partner schools

■ Baptist Seminary of Kentucky. The Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and the Lexington Theological Seminary have agreed to jointly exist on the historic Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) school campus near downtown Lexington. The Baptist Seminary of Kentucky has approximately 50 students enrolled for the academic year. They will join about 170 Lexington Theological Seminary students on the campus. The school had, since its establishment, used the facilities of Lexington’s Calvary Baptist Church as a temporary home. (ABP)

■ Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.The estate of Carlyle D. Teachey has provided a bequest of more than $200,000, which will contribute to the seminary’s current capital campaign, Building Our Future … Together.

■ Campbell University Divinity School. Students heard seven leaders of major world religions share common concerns for their faiths as they face the 21st century at the divinity school’s fi rst interfaith dialogue held on Nov. 8. Concerns discussed were stewardship of creation, pluralism, disease, funda-mentalism and erosion of morality.

The divinity school will partner with the Charles B. Keesee Educational Fund Inc., to provide a maximum renewable grant of $4,000 annually for students from Virginia and North Carolina.

■ Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. The seminary will be hosting four pastors’ conferences this spring as a part of the Truett Pastoral Conference Series. Conferences include: Building Community through Small Groups Conference on Jan. 31-Feb.1, Conference for Pastors and Laymen on Feb. 6-8, Ministerial Ethics Workshop with Tony Campolo on Feb. 13-14 and Hispanic Preaching Conference on March 31-April 1.

THE GROUP was supposed to meet Tues-day to discuss what was going on in their lives and ministries. Instead, they ended up attending a funeral of one of their own.

Kyle Lake, the youngest member of a CBF peer learning network in Waco, Texas, was electrocuted and died in a freak acci-dent during a baptism on Oct. 30. Th e 33-year-old was pastor of University Baptist Church, an innovative congregation with a large population of college students.

“We feel a deep sense of loss,” said Burt Burleson, pastor of Dayspring Baptist Church and leader of the peer learning group. Burleson offi ciated at Lake’s funeral. Th e group recently gathered in a member’s home instead of at the restaurant coff ee house where they normally meet.

“We spent two hours, mostly talking about Kyle,” Burleson recalled. “It was a tender kind of experience.”

Th e peer learning network is one of 73 networks that meet on a monthly basis as part of the Fellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial Excellence funded with a $1.99 million Lily Endowment Inc. grant. Th e networks are designed to provide community to ministers in their fi rst seven years of ministry, ministers in rural settings and ministers in multi-staff congregations.

Th e groups meet monthly to discuss a variety of ministry issues, off er ongoing education needs and provide support for each other.

“It provides a safe place where they can share,” noted Terry Hamrick, CBF coor-dinator for leadership development. “Th ey can say what they need to say, share whatever concerns they have, and know that there will be peo-ple who understand.”

“(Th e peer learn-ing group) is a place to turn where you know these people are going to get it,” Bur-leson agreed. “We share the language we know together as persons in ministry.”

Other benefi ts include broadening min-isters’ perspectives, according to Burleson. Kyle Lake’s church is a case in point.

“Emergent churches don’t have the same kind of connective tissue denominationally as do traditional churches,” Burleson said. “Knowing Kyle gave us insight into the new thing that’s happening.”

In a quote about his own experience in peer learning groups on CBF’s Web site, Lake

said, “I look forward to our monthly meet-ings and MAKE SURE I always block out the time in the schedule because it’s a major pri-ority for my personal life and well-being.”

Waco’s network formed eight or nine years ago as a reading group

and then was “grandfa-thered” into CBF’s peer learning network.

“We oft en have some-thing to read, but the agenda has become more about our lives. We have truly come to love each other,” Burleson said.

Hamrick hopes that other groups will experience this type of support.

“I’m convinced that the primary value is not the content, as good as that is, but the primary value is the community and rela-tionship,” he explained. f!

LEARN – For more information about peer learning groups, contact Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1615 or [email protected] or visit www.thefellowship.info/Church Life/Leadership Development/IME/Peer Learning Networks.icm.

By contributing writer Alison Wingfi eld, Dallas

Waco peer learning group grieves loss of Kyle Lake

Allan Escobar interacts with Banjara youth in India while working with CBF Global Missions field personnel James and Robbi Francovich.

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“Th e peer learning group is a place to turn where you know these people are going to get it.”— Burt Burleson, peer learning group leader

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CBF Day on Campus expands relationships with partner schools

The Fellowship wants to increase aware-ness of CBF resources and opportunities among students, faculty and administra-tors at CBF partner schools, according to Clarissa Strickland, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for leader-ship development.

“If we’re going to be providing scholarship money, we are better stewards of our money if we keep students and faculty aware of and tied to the Fellowship, especially where the resources we offer are concerned,” Strickland said.

In the past, vari-ous CBF departments have traveled to partner schools at different times. Strickland explained that having the departments go to the schools at the same time makes the trips more cost effective for

CBF and is more efficient for the schools in the area of scheduling.

“I also think it’s good for those CBF staff who are participating because it keeps us

informed of what different areas of CBF are doing,” Strickland said.

The new initiative will give the Fellowship leadership an opportunity to interact with

students on a one-to-one basis or in a group setting, depending on the school’s desires. The ultimate purpose is to provide a time of intensive interaction with seminary students.

Depending on the school’s wishes, CBF can visit for as much as two full days or as little as a half day. Information presented can include an introduction to the CBF movement or information about CBF Global Missions,

church benefits planning, CBF reference and referral services, congregational life and chaplaincy and pastoral care.

Opportunities to talk with CBF Global Missions field personnel and representatives from CBF state and regional organizations will be made available when possible.

In the fall of 2005, Fellowship staff traveled to the Baptist House at Duke Divinity School, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Central Baptist Theologi-cal Seminary and Wake Forest Divin-ity School. Visits are planned to other schools in the early part of 2006. f!

LEARN – For more information, con-tact Clarissa Strickland at (770) 220-1635 or [email protected].

By Courtney Hodges, CBF Communications

The Fellowship is beginning a new initiative called CBF Day on

Campus to expand relationships with partner schools and to be a

more effective resource for students.

New endorsees

THE FELLOWSHIP recently endorsed the following chaplains and pastoral counselors, bringing the total to 507.

■ Hospice • Glenda Bumgarner, pastoral

counselor, chaplain, VistaCare USA, Greenville, S.C.

• Frances McKown, chaplain, Hospice of Yancey County, Burnsville, N.C.

• Rachel Shapard, part-time chaplain, Advanced Home Health & Hospice, Lubbock, Texas

• Charles Walters, chaplain, Hospice of North Central Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

■ Hospital • Cyrus Bush, CPE resident,

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.

• William Lemmond Jr., chaplain, The Baptist Health System of East Tennessee, Newport, Tenn.

• Beth Riddick, CPE resident, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.

• Tracey Robinson, CPE resident, MCV/VCU Health System, Richmond, Va.

• Rebecca Shoaf, part-time chaplain, Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, Ga.

■ Military• Otto Mazzoni, reserve

chaplain, United States Army Reserves, Danville, Va.

• Peter Ott, active duty chaplain, United States Navy, Yucaipa, Calif.

• Joshua Witt, chaplain candidate, United States Army, Shelby, N.C.

■ Pastoral Counselors • Laurice Rogers, pastoral

counselor, Life Care Counseling Center, Louisville, Ky.

• Gloria White, pastoral counselor, Care and Counseling Center of Georgia, Decatur, Ga.

“Significant ministry of the Fellowship is expressed through endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors who serve in hospice facilities, hospitals, military installations, business and industrial corporations, public safety services, correctional institutions, learning disability schools, and pastoral counseling centers and offices,” said George Pickle, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for chaplaincy and pastoral counseling. “These ministers in specialized settings are the presence of Christ in the trauma and drama of the world.”

LEARN – For more information, contact George Pickle at (770) 220-1617 or [email protected]. Visit www.thefellowship.info/Church Life/Chaplains PC/Endorsees.icm.


STREAMS WILL FLOW through Atlanta on Feb. 8-11, 2006, and will bring new cur-rents of activity. “Streams” is the theme for the seventh annual Current retreat.

“Current is an entry point to the Coopera-tive Baptist Fellowship. It is an opportunity to get introduced to CBF life and to meet other young ministers who care about the vision of CBF,” said Carol McEn-tyre, co-chair of the Cur-rent steering committee.

Current is CBF’s young leader’s network. Each year, the retreat is planned with the intention of attracting pastors, youth minis-ters, college ministers, seminarians and other young Baptist leaders.

“We want to have an educational component at this retreat,” said Current steering commit-tee member Rhonda Abbott. “We will fellow-ship, we will network and we will gain in-valuable tools to take back to our ministries. The folks we have invited to lead streams are some of the best and brightest in their fields.”

Stream topics center on five different areas. The Congregational ministry stream

will be led by David Odom, president of the Center for Congregational Health. The Bible study stream will be led by Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, associate professor of Old Testament and biblical languages at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology.

Sam Hestorff from Bayshore Baptist Church in Tampa, Fla., will lead the stream on youth ministry. The collegiate ministry stream will be led by Dick Ferrell of Emory University. Jana Kinnersley from Milledge Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., and Connie Campbell from First Baptist Church of Chattanoo-ga, Tenn., will lead the stream about children’s ministry.

“It’s important that young Baptist leaders from around the country are able to con-nect with each other, to be a resource for each other, and to

support each other in ministry,” said Current steering committee member Ryan Clark.

Jay Hogewood, pastor of University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., will be preaching and John Wiles will lead worship for the retreat. Breakout sessions are also offered, including video production, a mar-riage enrichment sampler, and an exploration

of body, mind and spirit for the minister. Nine different breakout sessions are offered throughout the retreat.

CBF staff will be leading three of the sessions. Associate Coordinator for Leadership Development Clarissa Strickland will lead a discussion about finding a ministerial position. CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal will lead a discussion about the future of CBF, and Fellowship church planters Johnny Lewis and Chris Raffield will discuss the postmodern church leader.

Current steering committee members agree that the Current retreat is essential for the Fellowship’s future.

“I think everyone realizes that the viabil-ity of our organization depends on those that follow us,” Abbott said. “In the leader-ship development of CBF, I think it’s wise to focus on the next generation.” f!

LEARN – Registration is $110 and includes streams, breakout sessions, fellowship games and activities and four meals. Register with Mary McCoy at (800) 352-8741. For more information, visit www.thefellowship.info/current/2006retreat.icm. Lodging is available at the Holiday Inn, located a block from the host church. To make reservations at a special rate of $79 a night, call (404) 371-0204. Rooms need to be reserved by Jan. 7.


Annual ‘Current’ retreat flows to Atlanta

The 2006 ‘Current’ retreat will include group worship times and breakout sessions.

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CBF Associate Coordinator for Leadership Development Clarissa Strickland talks with Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond student John Ivins during a CBF Day on Campus.

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Alabama church leaves imprint through missional commitment

“Being a missional church is fi nding where God is at work in our world. We then join God in God’s mission as God’s partners — something UBC had done from the beginning without realizing it,” said Robin Norsworthy, pastor of the 34-year-old congregation.

UBC works for racial equal-ity and provides vital resources for the underprivileged in Montevallo, a small college town that is home to Monte-vallo University. For more than 30 years, UBC has operated a daycare center to provide es-sential childcare while provid-ing internship experience for university and Upward Bound students.

Th e church is also a full participant in community eff orts through the United Way and Habitat for Humanity, whose offi ces were housed at the church for several years.

Currently in development at UBC are a single parent ministry and a tutoring program for children in the community who are at-risk academically. Th e list of UBC’s missional enterprises is long.

“We’ve provided garden space for the community to plant vegetable gardens, our basketball court is used daily by community youth, we’ve tutored school students and participated in ecumenical Lenten services, community VBS, Th anksgiving services and Easter sunrise services,” Norsworthy said.

To better minister to Montevallo’s college students, UBC partners with a

local Presbyterian church to off er program for students. More than 30 individuals working in ministry today have come through UBC.

“It says we’re doing something right, following the example of Jesus,”

Norsworthy said. “Th ese people are going out and following the example of Jesus.”

UBC’s missional reach has extended around the world. Th e church has been actively participating in the AlabamaCBF ministry in Perry County, Ala., called Sowing Seeds of Hope, a component of the Fellowship’s national rural poverty initiative. And the agricultural ministry of former UBC member, Ellen Burnette, one of the CBF’s Global Missions fi eld personnel working with her husband,

Rick, in northern Th ailand, has been the benefi ciary of chickens and pigs for their Upland Holistic Development Project.

Th e church is making preparations to send a team to Th ailand in February of 2007 to bring eyeglasses to the Palaung hilltribe people through a partnership with the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Optometry.

“I think this is quite an impressive list for a congregation of only 60 active

families, and I think this is the essence of being missional,” Norsworthy said.

Th e congregation has been a leader in recognizing the leadership and ministry gift s of women. UBC has had women deacons since its inception, and in calling Norsworthy as its pastor two years ago, the congregation fulfi lled its commitment to hire based on God’s leading and the merits of the candidate.

“It was not about being radical or cutting edge,” said Mimi Lawley, University’s deacon chair. “Th e congregation went looking for the right person to be our pastor, and that was Robin.”

UBC is a special church, proving that being missional is not about being big.

“I look forward to church every Sunday, leading a congregation that genuinely cares about the world,” Norsworthy said. “Being missional is the whole mindset of our church, from the beginning. Th ey do things because they need to be done in the community, and not because they are trying to add members. Th ey didn’t even know they were missional until I started pointing it out.” f!

By contributing writer Deb Walters of Atlanta and Lance Wallace of CBF Communications

University Baptist Church achieves the Fellowship’s vision of

being the presence of Christ in the world by connecting to the

community in Montevallo, Ala.

CBF offers new books

THREE BOOKS written by CBF constituents have been added to the list of materials offered by The CBF Store to aid in spiritual growth and understanding.

“Sacred Stories of Ordinary Families” was written by Diana Gar-land, chair of the School of Social Work at Baylor University.

The book highlights families actively living out faith in ordinary activities, crises, catastrophes, joy and loss.

Garland’s book includes guides for conversational groups.

“I think we think about faith very individually in this country, and it seemed to me that family ministry and congregation ought to be about grow-ing family life in faith,” Garland said.

Randy Hyde, pastor at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., has recently written “After God’s Own Heart: The Life and Faith of David.”

“I’ve taken what I think are the major points of David’s life and have tried to weave a sense of who David is and how his life has impacted the Judeo-Christian tradition,” Hyde said.

“I think there are a lot of situ-ations that almost everyone can identify with in their own pilgrimage of faith,” he added.

Hyde will be preparing a guide for individual and group study that will be available soon on the church’s Web site at phbchurch.org.

Pastor David Crocker started the focal point of his book, “Operation Inasmuch,” as an effort to revitalize Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., where he served as pastor in 1995.

Crocker’s motivation for writ-ing the book is “to provide this extremely effective model of local community ministry to as many churches as possible,” he said.

The book presents a model for community involvement and has stories of congregations that have implemented Operation Inasmuch.

The book includes a step-by-step process of how churches can plan and conduct their own Operation Inasmuch, as well as a DVD of the Operation Inasmuch experience in Knoxville, Tenn., a PowerPoint presentation and other download- able materials.

LEARN – Order from The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223 or www.thefellowship.info.


Own Heart: The Life

Kim Parker, center, delivers the children’s sermon as UBC Minister to Students Candice Griffin, right, also listens.

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LEARN – To learn more about the Fellowship’s Missional Church Initiative, visit www.thefellowship.info/CL/FF/MC/Home.icm or www.thefellowship.info/itstime, or call CBF Congregational Life at (770) 220-1631. “It’s Time: A Journey Toward Missional Faithfulness” can be ordered from The CBF Store at www.thefellowship.info or (888) 801-4223 for $49.95.

How to Respond

Cutline for p. 4:Kim Parker, center, delivers the children’s sermon as UBC Minister to Students Candice Griffin listens. Courtesy University Baptist

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Homeless center provides church with ecumenical opportunities

“Some people buy [food], some people fix it, and some people serve it,” said church member Sylvia McQuaig.

The church members involved range in age from an older adult Sunday school class that might buy or prepare the food to the youth group that serves the food. Even after 10 years, church involvement hasn’t waned, according to church member Joyce Hanson.

“We’ll have a waiting list of people wanting to go … from the teenagers to our very old-est members,” she said.

In addition to being intergenerational, the project is an ecumenical and commu-nity effort with many other churches, civic organizations and local businesses sharing the feeding responsibilities.

“We believe in community involvement. We’re ecumenical. It is part of who we are,” said church member Malcolm Hanson.

Hendricks Avenue was the first church to be involved with the Sulzbacher Center when it opened 10 years ago, with many youth also going another night a month to read to and play with children at the home-

less shelter. Some youth are very faithful, finding spiritual nourishment in the act of service with others, said Brett Foster, the church’s youth minister.

“It’s had a big impact on [the youth]. I have more kids who show up for a Mon-day feeding than a Friday night bowling event,” he said.

“The I.M. Sulzbacher was not simply a place for me to shine goodwill on others but a place to meet in communion and share in people’s journey and struggle,” said youth group member Davis Greene.

Sharing in the journey of people is perhaps what has kept the church involved. Since 1999, the Sulzbacher Center has held an an-nual “Transformations” event, where people who were restored through the center’s pro-grams share their stories of getting back on their feet. For Joyce Hanson, the event puts perspective on the church’s involvement.

“It’s more than just feeding people. It’s restoring people to useful life,” she said. f!

LEARN – To learn more about the Fellowship’s Missional Church Initiative, visit www.thefellowship.info/CL/FF/MC/Home.icm.


When something works, stick with it. Ten years ago, Hendricks

Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., found an

ecumenical local missions project for the whole congregation at the I.M.

Sulzbacher Center, a downtown Jacksonville homeless center.

“CONGRESS SHALL make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

The above words from the First Amendment are key to the mission of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, an education and advocacy organization serving CBF and 13 other Baptist bodies. In 2006, the BJC will celebrate its 70th anniversary of working to promote religious liberty and uphold the separation of church and state.

Begun in 1936 by the South-ern Baptist Convention as the Committee on Public Relations, the group did not open their offices in Washington, D.C., or name a director, J.M. Dawson, until 1946.

“Over the past 60 years, we have tackled most every church/state issue that’s come down the pike in Congress or before the Supreme Court,” said current Executive Director J. Brent Walker.

The BJC files amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs in lawsuits involving religious liberty or church/state issues, explained Jeff Huett, BJC director of com-munications. The BJC also holds briefings for Congressional staff on issues such as the Faith-Based Initiative. Walker and BJC General Counsel Hollyn Hollman are often invited to testify before Congress.

“Baptists’ insistence on separation of church and state predates by more than a century the 1780s when it became en-sconced in the First Amendment,” Walker said. “Even though those words are not in

the First Amendment literally, the principle surely is. Religious liberty is best ensured when government does not take sides in matters of religion.”

To mark its 70th anniversary, the BJC launched a campaign in October 2005 to raise $5 million to fund a Center for Reli-gious Liberty on Capitol Hill. According to Walker, the center will not only house the BJC offices, but also provide space for coalition partners and serve as a state-of-the-art training center for youth, seminary students and pastors to prepare them to better advocate for religious liberty.

Other events will include the BJC’s

hosting and co-sponsoring the June 2006 meeting of the Baptist Heritage and History Society in Washington, D.C. In June 2007, the BJC will also be involved in the overlapping meetings of the CBF General Assembly and the biennial meeting of the American Baptist Churches USA in D.C.

In 1991, the Southern Baptist Conven-tion withdrew its financial support of the BJC. CBF, newly created, stepped in to pro-vide their support.

“Had it not been for funding from the CBF over the years, and particularly those first few years after half our budget was taken away, we very likely would not have made it,” Walker said.

Over the summer, the BJC joined with Associated Baptist Press, “Baptists Today” news journal and participating Baptist congregations to promote the First Freedoms Project. The project focuses on celebrating the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in the First Amendment, with an emphasis on religious liberty and freedom of the press. Several Fellowship churches have participated.

Walker encouraged churches to contact the BJC for assistance if they are interested in dedicating a worship service to celebrating religious freedom or sponsoring a forum on church and state. f!

LEARN – For more information, visit www.bjcpa.org or call (202) 544-4226.

By contributing writer Traci Rylands, Atlanta

Baptist Joint Committee celebrates 70th anniversary

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Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director J. Brent Walker speaks during a conference sponsored by the First Freedoms Project.

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CBF to sponsor ‘True Survivor VI’

CBF WILL HOST the sixth annual True Survivor conference for Christian educators on March 6-8.

The conference will be hosted by Providence Baptist Church, located on Daniel Island, just across the river from Charleston, S.C. Although the conference features survival tools for future ministry, it does not mimic the competitive games and voting people off the island from the popular CBS reality show, “Survivor,” said Bo Prosser, CBF coordinator for congregational life.

“True Survivor started six years ago as a continuing education op-portunity for Christian educators,” Prosser said. “This is a quality event both for retreat and refreshment, as well as learning and retooling.”

The conference will feature Ivy Beckwith, author of “Postmodern Children’s Ministry: Ministry to Children in the 21st Century Church,” and David Odom, president of the Center for Congregational Health.

“Dave has good insights into personal relationships, leadership and discerning God’s call and how that plays into leadership,” Prosser said. “Ivy understands the dynamics of a postmodern family. Many of us as Christian educators are either using old models for family ministry or we need more knowledge for how to minister to today’s family.”

The cost of the True Survivor VI conference is $50. This year the Children’s Ministry Network Retreat will be held at the same location directly after the True Survivor VI retreat. The cost of the Children’s Ministry Network Retreat is $25.

LEARN – To register, contact Toni Draper at (800) 352-8741 or [email protected]. Online registration is available at www.thefellowship.info/CL/FF/TrainingEvents/Registration.icm.


‘Theologians Under Hitler’ documentary

BAPTIST CENTER for Ethics is sponsoring a screening of the “Theologians Under Hitler” documentary at the CBF General Assembly in June. This documentary from Vital Visuals and producer-director Steven D. Martin examines how three of the most prominent German theologians in the 1930s capitulated to and helped promote Nazi ideology.

BCE formed a partnership co-sponsoring screenings of the documentary at Immanuel Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., in September 2005 and with CBF of Georgia and Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists in November.

A review of the documentary and an interview with the filmmaker are available at www.ethicsdaily.com.

Youth from Hendricks Avenue serve at the I.M. Sulzbacher Center.

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CBF continues hurricane response

Months after Hurricane Katrina, the Fellowship is continuing its response in coastal areas of Louisi-ana, Mississippi and Alabama.

More than $1.1 million has been contributed to the Fellowship’s hur-ricane response fund, which is being used for reconstruction and transfor-mational development projects.

In Lacombe, La., a small com-munity about 25 miles from New Orleans on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, numerous volunteer teams, including several from Can-ada, have helped clean out homes that experienced fl ooding.

“We’re trying to give them hope that life can get better,” said Reid Doster, disaster response coordina-tor for CBF of Louisiana.

Rotary International has partnered with the Fellowship in the Lacombe restoration effort through a $50,000 grant. Land in Lacombe, a predomi-nantly poor, African-American com-munity, has been passed down for as many as 10 generations.

Doster’s long-term vision in-cludes raising some of the houses above the fl ood plain so that La-combe residents don’t have to wor-ry about fl ooding again. Through a partnership with Habitat for Human-ity, Doster hopes to provide homes for four families whose houses are beyond repair.

At Starlight Missionary Baptist Church in nearby Slidell, La., volunteers helped restore the church’s fellowship hall, enabling this predominantly African-American congregation to return home.

In Pearlington, Miss., a commu-nity of 2,500 that had been largely overlooked because of destruction in other areas, Fellowship volun-teers have cleaned out fl ooded houses, putting residents one step closer to returning to their houses.

“It’s a place where there’s a lot of need,” said Greg Wolfe, disaster response coordinator for CBF of Mississippi.

Wolfe hopes to build fi ve or six houses for Pearlington residents who couldn’t otherwise afford rebuilding.

Through a partnership with Volunteers of America Southeast, AlabamaCBF has channeled Fellow-ship volunteers to Bayou La Batre, Ala., where some uninhabitable houses forced residents to live in FEMA travel trailers parked next to their damaged house. Volunteer efforts have allowed some families to return home.

“CBF churches, more so than any other, have stepped up to the plate and delivered in the initial stages with food, water, personal items, baby diapers, cleaning sup-plies, money and personnel. They have been and continue to make an impact,” said Henry “Digger” Creel of Volunteers of America Southeast.


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N E W C H U R C H S T A R T S

Partnership helps launch Native American church in Oklahoma

IN THE SMALL Oklahoma commu-nity of Canton, the presence of a Native American church has been restored thanks to a partnership between the Watonga Indian Baptist Church in Watonga, the Cooperat-ing Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma and the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region.

This town of 600 people hasn’t had a church geared for its Native American population in more than 15 years, when a former Baptist church disbanded.

Called the Native American Ministry Center, the church meets in a Canton house that was converted by volunteers into ministry space. In April, Richard Kahoe, a former pastor at the Watonga church and current pastor of a small Mennonite congregation outside of Canton, purchased the house for the Native American church to make its home.

Kahoe helps lead the Canton church’s Sunday afternoon service with co-pastor John David White Eagle. A former painter in Oklahoma City, White Eagle recently entered ministry after experiencing injury complications from two shattered leg bones. After meeting Kahoe, White Eagle started attending the Mennonite church. Soon after, the Native American Ministry Center was born.

Last summer, six CBF partner churches in the area volunteered at the new center, remodeling the house into useable ministry space and building a playground. Through hosting backyard Bible clubs and a block party, volunteers also helped start relationships within the com-munity, according to T Thomas, CBFO coordinator.

“It’s really helped this Native American church feel like they have some sister churches who care about them,” Thomas said.

The partnership approach of the Canton church gives greater poten-tial for the church’s success.

“Sole proprietorship fails 300 times more than partnership. We strategize to put together partnership starts rather than the old method of sole proprietorship,” said Phil Hester, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for church starts.

The church has gotten off to a good start, having 53 adults and children at its Easter service.

White Eagle is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work, which will equip him for the holistic ministry he desires to offer the Canton community.

“Help people and later on commitments to God will happen,” he said. “The main thing is to get people with God.”


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CBF church planter fulfills military obligations, affirms church leadership

Zayasbazan, pastor of Grace Chapel in Round Lake Beach, Ill., will soon be deployed to Iraq, where he will be stationed for a year in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While he is gone, his church will rely on its associate pastor and lay leadership to fi ll his role.

“Th e most important thing I have to face this next year is my mission in the war zone,” Zayas-bazan said.

“I’ll have one mission — to keep myself alive and to keep alive the people who are count-ing on me,” he said. “Th e church wants that to be my focus. Th ere are many retired military in the

church, and they have said to me, ‘Don’t worry about us.’ Th ey understand that I have a mission and a duty.”

Since its start four years ago, one of the goals of Grace Chapel has been to create a church that is self-suffi cient within its own leadership, meaning that if the pastor left , the leadership would continue on. Zayas-bazan described it as a teaching church, a place that trains the leaders of tomorrow. Th ose leaders, fi ve of whom have been

preaching on a regular basis, will continue to be counted on to fi ll the pulpit in Zayas-bazan’s absence.

In 2005, Grace Chapel became one of the youngest churches to host a Coopera-tive Baptist Fellowship regional meeting, hosting the North Central region. Zayasba-zan is the moderator-elect for that region.

“Jorge’s eff ective leadership is evi-dent in his ability to call on someone within his church’s current leader-ship to supply for him while he ful-fi lls his military obligation,” said Phil Hester, CBF’s associate coordinator for church starts. “I will continue to pray for Jorge, his family and the church’s interim leadership.”

Zayasbazan, who has started fi ve churches in the Round Lake area, said that Grace Chapel is unique because of its diversity.

“Th is church has surprised me in its range of ages and races,” Zayasbazan said. “Part of that refl ects

the community. Part of that may be helped by the fact that I am Cuban-born. We also try to be intentionally multi-cultural. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this in a church before. It’s a blessing for me to see.” f!

By contributing writer Patricia Heys, Atlanta

For years, Jorge Zayasbazan’s mission has been starting churches.

But now, as his National Guard unit heads to Iraq, he has an

entirely diff erent mission.

Partnerships strengthen Hispanic church startTHE RESOURCES for the fi rst Fellowship Hispanic church start in North Carolina had been developing for years before the fi rst service took place.

Last summer, it took only a few weeks for CBF and its partners with Student.Go; First Baptist Church of Wilson, N.C.; Memorial Baptist Church in Green-ville, N.C.; and Baptist University of the Américas to come together to share the gospel with Greenville’s large Spanish-speaking population.

By November, the Hispanic fellowship at Memorial Baptist was averaging 47 and growing.

“Memorial set up a mission task force that wanted to reach the rap-idly-growing Hispanic population of their city,” said David D’Amico, CBF Global Missions liaison for Hispanic advocacy in North Carolina. D’Amico contacted Gilberto Barbosa, pastor of the Hispanic mission of First Baptist Wil-son, who suggested Domingo Nicolas.

Meanwhile, Nicolas and his wife, Maria — students at BUA — had been praying about a defi nite call to spend the summer planting a Hispanic church. Turns out Bar-bosa and his congregation had been praying about the same thing for two years. So when

the Memorial task force headed up by Don and Joanna Bradley pushed the idea, the piec-es were there just waiting to be put together.

First Baptist Wilson provided housing, local transportation, medical care and some funding while Memorial provided

facilities, workers and additional funding. Student.Go trained the Nicolases along with other students, got them to and from North Carolina and paid a small stipend. D’Amico was their fi eld supervisor.

Student.Go is a joint venture of CBF Global Missions and Passport Inc. that provides summer and semester missions

opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

“Domingo and Maria were out visiting the second day they got here,” D’Amico said. “Th ey were very eager to work, very creative.”

Th e Nicolases brought not only their lan-guage skills and formal training in theology from BUA, but a deep cultural understanding.

“Th ere are two kinds of Hispan-ics in Greenville,” Nicolas explained, “the migrant workers and the settled immigrants who have good jobs and have settled. I’d been both.”

Th e young couple prayed for seven families to be the core of a Bible study and by the time they left , two months later, there were 30 prospect families. Last fall, a festival sponsored by Memorial’s middle schoolers attracted 75 to the church.

Abdias Mora, who heads up the South Roanoke Baptist Association’s Hispanic work, is now the pastor of the group. f!

LEARN – For more about the Hispanic Initiative, contact Bernie Moraga at [email protected].

By contributing writer Craig Bird, San Antonio

Jorge Zayasbazan, dressed in his National Guard uniform, watches as his daughter Carmen, center, tells a secret to her brother, Dylan.

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Domingo Nicolas, far right, prays with some of the core group of a church plant he and his wife, Maria, put together during summer 2005.

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How to Respond

LEARN – For more information on the Fellowship’s new church starts ministry, contact Phil Hester at (770) 220-1651 or [email protected] or visit www.thefellowship.info/CL/ChurchStarts.

G L O B A L M I S S I O N S & M I N I S T R I E S

E x p e r i e n c i n g A f r i c a | O f f e r i n g R e s o u r c e s C O O P E R A T I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P w w w . t h e f e l l o w s h i p . i n f o

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Churches experience sub-Saharan Africa with field personnel

Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., began fi nancial support of the Harrells in 2001. In November 2004, Pastor Chris Chapman led a group on a 10-day trip to Kenya.

“Th e number one goal for this fi rst trip was immersion, learning what we could about the richness and wisdom of African culture, people and land, as well as the tremendous needs created by poverty,” Chap-man said. “We were able to do wellness checks with children in several settings, begin a drip ir-rigation project in a Maasai vil-lage, lead a Bible School experience in two settings, interact with the wonderful Kenyan people and be-gin to assess with the Harrells how we might partner in the long term to strengthen their work.”

Th e Harrells’ ongoing partnership with Rosalind Hills

Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va., involves several aspects, according to Pastor Tom Stocks.

“First and foremost it has off ered ‘MIE’ (Mission Immersion

Experiences) to act as an educational/experiential conduit for our folks,” Stocks said. “Sam does an awesome job of creating an experience that off ers each person the chance to engage all of their senses in grasping a portion of African culture.”

“We also pray for Sam and Melody and have helped with certain fi nancial needs as they have arisen,” he added.

Th e Harrells’ ministry in Kenya is highlighted as part of MissionConnect, the Off ering for Global Mission’s spring emphasis, which encourages personal missions involvement. Based on John 6:35, this year’s Off ering theme is “Famished Lands … Th e Bread of Life.” Th e Off ering goal is $6.32 million.

Stocks said partnership with the Harrells has made “missions come alive” at Rosalind Hills with response seen “in overall involvement in church activities, involvement in local mission eff orts, increased giving to mission off erings, in realignment in materialistic thinking patterns, and willingness to share those experiences with others.”

Th e most obvious eff ect is “an increased understanding of CBF missions on the fi eld from a practical and philosophical standpoint,” he said.

At Knollwood, Chapman believes his church is gaining much more than it is

giving through the partnership.

“We gain a larger under-standing of the world, both the richness of other cultures and the needs that exceed our capacity to grasp,” Chapman said. “We gain a means of living out our faith, not just in terms of being able to help others in need, but being challenged to rethink how we live in this culture. … Most of all, we have gained a whole new set of friends — the Harrells and the people with whom they work.” f!

LEARN – The Fellowship, Buckner Orphan Care International and the All

Africa Baptist Fellowship have a ministry partnership that includes “KidsHeart Africa,” an initiative designed to meet the critical needs of orphans and vulnerable children under the age of 6 years. In Kenya, these objectives are met through the construction and operation of Integrated Child Development Centers. These centers are located among marginalized, rural communities and provide education and development opportunities that impact nursery school aged children. Contact the Harrells at [email protected] to learn more about how to be involved in this initiative.

By contributing writer Gay Campbell, Nashville, Tenn.

Two churches that partner in the mission immersion program of

Melody and Sam Harrell, CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel who

work to impact the lives of the poor and marginalized in sub-Saharan

Africa, have found their experiences overfl owing in opportunities for

ministry as well as spiritual growth.

LEARN – The following free promotional resources are available to help promote MissionConnect, the Offering for Global Mission’s spring emphasis. To order items, contact The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223 or www.thefellowship.info.

• MissionConnect PosterA complement to the Offering for Global Missions

poster designed to highlight MissionConnect.

• MissionConnect Bulletin InsertContains stories from CBF Global Missions fi eld

personnel who live and work in urban settings. The insert includes direct contact information for fi eld personnel.

• Face2Face Promotional BrochureIncluded in this guide is the process by which

churches and individuals can connect with CBF to secure someone to share their ministry story as well as to listen to the needs of their congregation.

For more information, call (770) 220-1630 or e-mail [email protected].

• The Offering for Global Missions Web site: www.thefellowship.info/Global Missions/OGM/

GIVE – Churches and individuals can partner with the Harrells by providing the following tools:

• DEWALT DW818 4-1/2” small angle grinder

• DEWALT DW4701 4-1/2” heavy duty 18-volt cordless rotary laser kit

• DEWALT DC9096-2 18-volt XRP 2-battery combo pack

• DEWALT DW051K-2 heavy duty 3/8” 12-volt cordless compact impact wrench kit

For delivery information, contact Melody or Sam Harrell at [email protected].

Carter Offering— Continued from page 1

Volunteers from Knollwood Baptist Church, above, play a Maasai version of “duck, duck, goose.” Dr. Tom Ginn, left, does a wellness checkup at the Kids to Kids ministry in Nairobi. Pastor Chris Chapman, below, tells the story of Jacob and Esau to children at Kids to Kids during Bible School.

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13, 1985. Th ere is hope that those who entered aft er that will also have opportunities to register in the future.

“Among the Palaung and Kachin, we have identifi ed 247 persons who are eligible to receive assistance from this fund so as to secure legal registration,” Rick said.

Aft er determining who is eligible, the group is screened by their com-munities and if they are considered in good standing in the community, they can benefi t from the fund, and thus obtain legal registration. Th ey are expected to pay back what they have borrowed, with interest, over time, thus creating a sustainable fund.

“Th is fund eliminates a lot of un-certainty,” Rick said. “It (legal regis-tration) gives them rights to reside in Th ailand, to access various benefi ts, including healthcare and education.”

Legal registration provides a fi rst step for the Palaung and Kachin peoples toward realizing the religious liberty guaranteed in the Th ai consti-tution. Rick said the group hopes the Palaung and Kachin peoples will be able to access the sustainable fund in the future for other applications re-lated to land rights and forest rights.

About $45,000 was collected at the 2005 CBF General Assembly for the fi rst-ever Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Off ering for Religious Liber-ty and Human Rights, to be shared by the Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance.

Th e remainder of the CBF por-tion will be used to fund projects with Fellowship partner churches ministering in areas where religious liberty issues exist. Th e off ering will be collected again at the 2006 Gen-eral Assembly in Atlanta. f!

LEARN – For more about the Burnettes’ ministry, visit www.uhdp.org/uh/.

By contributing writer Alison Wingfi eld, Dallas

How to Respond

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G L O B A L M I S S I O N S & M I N I S T R I E S

Volunteers impact Chinese students

Unsure of all of the steps involved in doing volunteer missions work in China, Elizabeth Lively responded to a story in a church newsletter. Her “step of faith” has resulted in four trips to China in fi ve years, teaching English and sharing with college students at Guangxi University in Nanning, China.

“I needed something to work on, and the Lord provided this opportu-nity,” she said.

Elizabeth made two trips in 2001 and 2002 and convinced her husband, James, to accompany her in 2004 and 2005. Although Elizabeth had teaching experience, James is a physician and didn’t speak Chinese.

“They want English speakers to lead these classes so the students can learn the pacing, sentence structure, emphasis, as well as social customs and morality of western culture,” James said.

It is against Chinese law to preach on a street corner, or to go up to a person and share the gos-pel, Elizabeth explained.

“But if they ask, it opens the door for us to share with them,” she said.

Brenda Lisenby, one of CBF’s Global Missions fi eld personnel, who was based in China and helped facilitate volunteer projects like the English program at Guangxi University, said the impact the Livelys have had there cannot be fully measured.

“Students see that these volunteers are very educated Christians,” Lisenby said. “This is interesting to Chinese people who have been taught that educated people are not religious and religion is only for the superstitious and uneducated.”

Lisenby said potential volunteers shouldn’t be overwhelmed by differ-ences in language or culture.

“Our Chinese partners make every effort to welcome our volun-teers and make them comfortable, providing an interpreter to assist each team as needed,” she said.

“I believe God is always at work bringing people together to serve on these volunteer teaching teams each year,” she added.

LEARN – CBF’s January 2006 missions education curriculum focuses on volunteer missions. The February study highlights the Central Detroit community. Yearly subscriptions are $80 for preschool and children, and $20 for youth and adults. Order from The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223.

SERVE – For more about volunteer opportunities, contact Timothy Wood at (800) 782-2451 or [email protected] or visit www.thefellowship.info/Global Missions/Volunteer Missions.

By contributing writer Bob Perkins Jr., York, Pa.

Art therapy helps bring healing to tsunami-affected children

“We really started thinking about how can the arts play a part in this,” Tina re-called. “I’m not an art therapist, and I don’t claim to be, but I want to know more.”

Aft er e-mailing friends in the arts asking them about how to respond to children in trauma situations and talking to mem-bers of CBF’s member care/wellness team about resources, the couple received advice on how to proceed.

“Just getting children to draw is benefi cial, regardless,” said Tina, who serves with Jonathan as CBF Global Mis-sions fi eld personnel. “We just decided on getting drawing materi-als in the kid’s hands and trying not to give them guidance.”

Th e fi rst stop in the tsunami-aff ected area was a camp set up in a town that had lost 2,000 people. Tina led a small team that included a local artist. Since the town still had accessi-ble water, many displaced people from other areas came to the camp.

Of the approximately 200 children that the Baileys ministered among, about 80 percent of their artwork focused on the tsunami. Th e children, ranging in age from 5 to 10 years old, used every piece of paper the Baileys had available to draw people, houses and cars under water or images of a big wave.

When the children fi nished, they wanted to make sure their drawings were seen and wanted to talk about them. Th e artwork opened up conversations between the Baileys and the children about the trauma they had experienced. Tina recalled how one little boy drew a boat with a name on it, explaining that it was his daddy’s boat.

“Is your dad OK?” Tina asked. Th e boy couldn’t respond.

“He wanted to be asked that, but he couldn’t answer it,” Tina recalled. She steered the conversation to another topic, as the boy began the process of dealing with his loss.

Besides being therapeutic, the artwork helped alleviate the children’s boredom

from days lacking

their typical routines. Th e parents and other adults that were

around were very curious about the art therapy. When the Baileys needed help with the art projects, the adults jumped right in.

“In that kind of situation, some of the adults feel helpless,” Tina explained.

Th e Baileys also did art therapy with the children at medical clinics. Th e art therapy helped the clinics run more smoothly as those gathered in crowds had something to keep them occupied. Th e Baileys also worked with children at a boarding school.

Several local people helped with the art therapy. Since the Baileys knew their time with the art projects was short-term, they encouraged a local teacher to continue the projects with the children. Th e couple left crayons, colored pencils and drawing pads for the teacher to use.

Although the Baileys brought with them sheets of drawing paper and some watercolor paints, they were able to purchase crayons and colored pencils from a storekeeper in a town near the temporary camp for tsunami survivors.

Th e Baileys appreciated having funds available from CBF contributors to

purchase supplies on site and help the local economy.

“Th ey help sup-port us to be able to go and do this,” Tina said. “Th e funds helped buy the sup-plies which helped the children.”

Along with the art therapy done through

drawing, the Baileys used other art forms. Tina asked the children to teach her songs in their language. Aft er getting over their

initial giggles, the children sang willingly.

“Singing songs had meaning for them,” Tina said. Th e adults gathered around were listening and laughing.

“It helps to bring fond memories,” she added. “With so much trauma and disaster around them, singing songs familiar from their culture has

a healing eff ect as well.” When a couple of girls shared some lo-

cal dance steps, Tina showed them some ballet. “We were just loving the kids and listening to them.”

So far, the Fellowship has received more than $2.56 million for tsunami relief. f!

LEARN – For more information on the Fellowship’s Asian response, visit www.thefellowship.info/disaster.

By Lisa M. Jones, CBF Communications

When the December 2004 tsunamis swept through Southeast

Asia, Jonathan and Tina Bailey wondered how they could help

children aff ected by the natural disaster.

and I don’t claim to be, but I want from days lacking

brought with them sheets

from CBF contributors to

plies which helped the children.”

in their language. Aft er getting over their

so much trauma and disaster around them, singing songs

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‘A s We J o u r n e y ’ | L e a d e r s h i p P r o f i l e | G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y I n f o r m a t i o nC O O P E R A T I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P w w w . t h e f e l l o w s h i p . i n f o

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General Assembly to inform, educate

AUXILIARY EVENTS before and after the 16th annual CBF General Assembly June 22-23 will give Fellowship Baptists opportunity to explore this year’s theme of “Being the Presence of Christ for a World in Need.”

CBF leadership development and CBF Global Missions will co-sponsor a Global Poverty/HIV/AIDS Summit on Wednesday, June 21, from noon to 5 p.m. and continuing with breakfast on Thursday morning. The event will be held in lieu of a Congregational Leadership Institute.

Leadership development will also host a theological education banquet on Wednesday evening, June 21.

Following the General Assembly, Companions in Christ training will be available on Saturday, June 24, at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This will include training on “Companions in Christ,” “Exploring the Way,” “The Way of the Child” and other Companions resources.

When Fellowship Baptists gather at the Georgia World Congress Center for the Assembly’s opening night, author Trevor Hudson will be the keynote speaker. Hudson serves on the pastoral team at Northfi eld Methodist Church in Benoni, South Africa.

Al Staggs will serve as the Assembly worship leader. With degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Staggs was a Baptist minister for 24 years prior to becoming a full-time performance artist.

C. Michael Hawn, professor of church music and director of the master of sacred music program at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology, will be the Assembly’s “Artist in Residence.”

LEARN – Online registration and hotel reservations can be made at the Fellowship’s Web site, www.thefellowship.info.

See schedule on p. 11.

By Lisa M. Jones, CBF Communications

Identity, vision, passionIN OUR NEARLY 15 years as a Fellowship, we have oft en struggled with language to de-scribe ourselves. Others have not hesitated to use a number of adjectives to describe us, many of which are not very gracious. But to be honest, we also have searched for the best words to defi ne our identity. We have spoken of ourselves as “moderate Baptists,” “free Baptists” and “Fellowship Baptists.” More recently, many of us have begun to use the term “missional” to defi ne our identity.

Not long aft er becoming coordinator, I was speaking at an event and was accosted by a hostile pastor who accused CBF of all kinds of ridiculous behavior. Aft er he

fi nished his venting, he settled down and said, “Daniel, I like you and think you are a good person, but my problem with you is the people who identify with you.” It was one of those moments when I had an inspi-ration or an idea that to this day surprises me. I said, “You know that’s what a lot of people said about Jesus.” I’m a bit embar-rassed to admit that response because it sounds like I’m claiming to be something I’m not. In fact, I am far more concerned about how I am perceived or what people think of me than I would like to admit.

One of the lessons learned in CBF is that many of us are afraid of being labeled or mislabeled. We are defensive and very sen-sitive to being called a liberal, or a conser-vative, or a charismatic or something else. Why this fear? Could it be that our identity in Christ is not clear to us? Could it be that

we are clinging to a “false self ” for whom perfect theology, perfect behavior or suc-cess in the eyes of others is what defi nes us?

Th is is where Jesus was so radical and so amazing. He knew Himself to be the beloved Son of God. His identity and self-understanding were rooted in His relation-ship with God. Th erefore He was free to love all and suff er for all. He was also free to speak truth when it wasn’t popular, to rebuke those in power, to break with social taboo, to be a friend to sinners. Isn’t this who and what we want to be as individuals, as churches and as a Fellowship?

Increasingly the identity of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is being shaped by the mantra of “Being the Presence of Christ.” But this is more than a mantra. Th is is a deep yearning in all of our hearts that de-fi nes and shapes us. Th is is a commitment that more than anything else clarifi es and communicates who we are and who we want to become. It is true that CBF was born out of a certain historical context. It is also true that, as Baptists, we share some core values. And of course we are engaged in mission together. But our center is in fol-lowing, imitating and incarnating Christ. Th is is our vision. Th is is our passion. f!

As We journey By CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal

GARY SKEEN believes employee benefi ts work “behind-the-scenes” to provide a secure working relationship between churches and their staff . He works to ensure that the Church Benefi ts Board strengthens this relationship daily.

Skeen is president of the Church Ben-efi ts Board, a ministry of CBF which repre-sents the fi rst partner-ship between faith groups to provide employee benefi ts to churches. CBB helps provide caring work environments, as well as support in times of crisis, to church employees.

Prior to joining the Benefi ts Board, Skeen brought CPA experi-ence and an MBA in fi nance to Southwest-ern Baptist Th eologi-cal Seminary, where he became the direc-tor of Financial Services.

“In my years in public accounting, I worked with a great deal of churches and realized the need for fi nancial and admin-istrative help,” Skeen said.

Skeen served as the Fellowship’s fi rst fi nancial administrative coordinator from 1994-2000. He became very involved with benefi ts aft er the Fellowship’s General Assembly asked CBF staff to research solutions for churches.

It was determined that an auxiliary

of CBF should coordinate this ministry, which became a full-time responsibil-ity. CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal asked Skeen to continue in this role.

Th e CBB, organized in August 2000, started its operations two months later.

Skeen believes the CBB provides peace of mind, which comes with knowing benefi ts are avail-able when needed and may help those employees focus their energies on the im-portant work they do.

“We tend to only think of benefi ts in a crisis, which is what they are designed to do,” Skeen said. “Th ey do protect the church and staff members, but more than that, I think they help to create an environment that makes the church a

more attractive place to work and com-municate to everyone the attitude of the church.”

Mark Poland, minister of worship and administration at Sandstone Baptist Church in Sandstone, Va., had a very posi-tive experience with Skeen and the CBB.

“My impression of him is that he is very caring, very concerned about my issues, and he runs an effi cient organization,” Po-land said. “On one particular issue, Gary made extra phone calls in something that

was not in his area, and went the extra mile. I really enjoy working with these folks.”

Poland is joined by many others who appreciate Skeen’s eff orts. David Burroughs, president of Passport, Inc. in Birmingham, Ala., led Passport to join the Benefi ts Board because of his trust in Skeen.

“Our organization joined the Church Benefi ts Board several years ago as we moved our headquarters to Birming-ham and increased our administrative staff ,” Burroughs said. “We had a room full of people with diverse economic situations, all with lots of specifi c questions. Gary and his team helped us through the system eas-ily, even working out special circumstances as needed.”

Skeen tries to ease the diffi culties that come with times of crisis among churches. Currently, he is working to raise funds to assist ministers and staff in crisis.

He is keenly aware of the health care issues taking place in the United States and works to provide the best options available for churches.

“Medical insurance coverage is in crisis in our country, and more people are losing coverage every day,” Skeen said. “For many of our churches, medical coverage for their staff is becoming cost-prohibitive. We must fi nd alternative ways to at least provide major medical claims coverage.” f!

LEARN – To contact Gary Skeen, call (770) 220-1621 or e-mail gskeen@churchbenefi ts.org. For more information on the CBB, visit www.churchbenefi ts.org.

By contributing writer Ashley Grizzle, Atlanta

Skeen works to provide reliable church benefits

FOR A W RLD IN NEEDJ O H N 1 1 : 3 5

Stan

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As president of the Church Benefits Board, Gary Skeen strives to provide churches with the best benefits options available.

Correction: In the Nov./Dec. “fellowship!”

newsletter, “ABP Headlines” was incorrectly identifi ed as a monthly e-mail newsletter. “ABP Headlines” is a free, weekly news summary distributed via e-mail by request. We regret the error.

11

F e l l o w s h i p R o u n d u p w w w . t h e f e l l o w s h i p . i n f o J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6

I N S I D E C B F

Fellowship Roundup:News from CBF’s states, regions and national offices■ Alabama

Mart Gray, coordinator of AlabamaCBF since November 1997, announced his resignation. After eight years in this full-time role of ministry, he has accepted the full-time pastorate of Covenant Community Church of Elba, a congregation he has pastored bi-profes-sionally since its beginning in 2004.

• Sowing Seeds of Hope’s execu-tive director and health care coordina-tor, Frances Ford, was hon-ored for outstand-ing achievement in health care in the Alabama Black Belt at a reception in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Ar-tur Davis (D-Ala.) honored Ford and fi ve others at the third Annual Celebration of Excellence reception.

• April Hurst is the new adminis-trator with Global Women, a Christian organization based in Birmingham that promotes ministry and witness among women worldwide. Hurst replaces Su-zanah Raffi eld who resigned in June to pursue advanced studies in missions and theology. Meg Olive is the new student coordinator.

■ FloridaOn April 28-29, the CBF of Florida

will host its annual retreat at the United Methodist Conference Center in Leesburg. The event will be preceded by a gathering for pastors on April 27. Speakers will be from Call to Renewal, the rural poverty initiative and the D.A.R.T organization, and include Tom Prevost of national CBF. Register for the retreat at www.fl oridacbf.org or by calling (888) 241-2233. For more

information, e-mail tdeal@fl oridacbf.org.• Keri Gage, who just completed

her term as a Global Service Corps member with CBF Global Missions, has been hired as assistant director for Touching Miami With Love. Two new, one-year interns are serving at TML. James Matchuk works in the area of homeless programs. Dalia Tobar is an intern from Student.Go whose ministry focuses on volunteers and children.

• Open House Ministry called Leah Crowley to serve as associate direc-tor for youth and families. She offi cially joined the OHM staff in June.

■ GeorgiaCBF of Georgia 2005 Fall Convoca-

tion was held on Nov. 13-14 at First Baptist Church of Griffi n. CBF/GA also hosted network gatherings for chap-lains, children’s ministers, educators, music ministers, student ministers and pastors. A showing of the fi lm, “Theolo-gians Under Hitler,” was also a part of the event.

• CBF/GA 2005-2006 scholarship recipients include students from the following schools : Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary: Martha Kate Berry; Emory University’s Can-dler School of Theology: Jeffrey Re-ese Davis, Michael Goodman, Beth Parlier; Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology: Ron Handlon, Jeannette Jordan, Gigi Kerr, Lanna Gail Liebman, Justin Nelson, Meg Olive, Beth Pirkle, Greg Smith and Jan Thompson.

• CBF/GA, Mercer University’s Christianity Department and offi ce of the minister to the university, The Cen-ter for Baptist Studies, Vineville Baptist Church in Macon and First Baptist Church of Christ of Macon are sponsor-ing a visit by Henry Mugabe Feb. 8-9. Mugabe is the president of the Baptist Theological Seminary in Zimbabwe. For additional information, contact Bruce T. Gourley at [email protected] or call (478) 301-5467.

• The CBF of Georgia General Assembly will be March 3-4 at First Baptist Church of Athens with guest preacher Jim Dant.

• March Mission Madness will be March 17-19 at First Baptist Church of Warm Springs and March 24-26 at First Baptist Church of Morrow. For ad-ditional information, e-mail Scott Ford at [email protected] or call (770) 860-0473.

• Directors of the independent news journal “Baptists Today” chose Jimmy Allen as their chair and hon-ored outgoing chair Tommy Boland.

■ North CarolinaFirst Baptist Church of Mebane

hosted 77 participants at the 2005 CBFNC Advisory Group on Oct. 11. David Odom, president of the Center for Congregational Health, facilitated the meeting which produced input that will be used by the Coordinating and Ministry Councils.

• More than 300 Fellowship Bap-tists gathered in Winston-Salem Nov. 15 for the Fall Fellowship Dinner during the Baptist State Convention of North Caro-lina. Ruby Fulbright, executive director of North Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union, provided the keynote address.

• Many North Carolina churches participated in “Christmas in the Bayou,” a CBFNC Hurricane Relief Christmas Ministry by collecting much-needed supplies to restock families’ homes in Lacombe, La. Each “Bayou Box” was a brightly wrapped gift fi lled with necessary supplies for a kitchen or a bedroom, along with an expres-sion of faith. The project was led by Christopher Ingram, minister of edu-cation at Ridge Road Baptist Church in Raleigh and coordinator of hurricane relief efforts for CBFNC.

■ OklahomaBLESS INDIA, a weekend retreat for

middle and high school students will take place near McAlester on Jan. 13-15. This missions event will highlight the country of India with worship, fellowship and breakout sessions led by Barbara and Paul Calmes, T Thomas and others.

• CBFO is once again sponsoring the annual Oklahoma Women in Bap-tist Life Retreat, Feb. 24-25 at First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City. This year’s theme is “Peace Along the Journey” and explores op-portunities for fi nding peace, making peace and journeying in peace on a personal level, through the church and globally with Grace Powell Freeman.

• The annual CBFO general assembly will be in Stillwater at University Heights Baptist Church on April 28-29 with speakers Daniel Vestal and Phil Hester. This past fall, CBFO continued its disaster relief efforts by partnering with CBF as members of CBFO-affi liated churches volunteered along the Gulf Coast. CBFO is working toward outfi tting its own disaster relief trailer and getting the necessary training to be better equipped in the face of another disaster.

• His Nets partnered with Global Women and the Banjara Women Lead-ers conference held in Hyderabad, India, in October to provide insecticide-treated nets for each participant.

■ South CarolinaMore than 225 people attended

the Fall Convocation of the CBF of South Carolina Nov. 14 in Columbia. With a theme of diversity, the highlight of the session was an hour-long panel discussion that included a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew. Primary speakers for the event were Walter Edgar from the University of South Carolina’s Institute of Southern Studies and Tom Long, professor

of preaching at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.

■ TennesseeCentral Baptist Theological Semi-

nary will offer a second semester of master of divinity courses in Murfrees-boro beginning in February. Application information is available from Steve Guinn at (800) 677-2287, ext. 107, or [email protected]. Course offerings can be found at www.cbts.edu. A generous scholar-ship grant is also available for qualifi ed students.

As part of the TCBF and Croatian Baptist Union partnership, Jerry Mantooth, pastor of Monte Vista Baptist Church in Maryville, hosted some Croatian university students last September. The students were part of a Christian band, Seekers Planet, that came to the U.S. to tour with a Christian band.

Dalen Jackson, associate profes-sor of biblical studies at Baptist Semi-nary of Kentucky, will lead an overview study of “Hebrews: Encouragement for a Life of Faith” on Jan. 14 at Cum-berland Baptist Church, Knoxville. Jack-son is the author of both the Teaching

Guide and Study Guide on Hebrews published by Smyth & Helwys for the 2006 Annual Bible Study. The event is sponsored by TCBF, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and Smyth & Helwys. Make reservations by calling the TCBF offi ce at (888) 661-8223.

■ TexasFrequent CBF volunteers Dr. C.R.

“Dick” and Jesmarie Hurst were awarded the Abner V. McCall Humanitarian Award by the Baylor University Alumni As-sociation. The award is given to Baylor graduates who have exhibited a Christian response to situations and persons around them in ways exempli-fi ed by the late Judge

McCall, Baylor’s president from 1961 to 1981.

Justice Anderson has written “An Evangelical Saga: Baptists and Their Precursors in Latin America,” which chronicles the history of Latin American Baptists. Anderson was a missionary-professor in Argentina for 17 years and also a professor of missiology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Coming AttractionsFEB. 8-11

Current RetreatCost: $110 Registration: Mary McCoy

(800) 352-8741 or visit www.thefellowship.info/current/2006retreat.icm.

MARCH 6-8True Survivor VIProvidence Baptist

Church, Daniel Island (Charleston), S.C.

Gathering for Christian educators

Cost: $50Contact: Toni Draper,

(800) 352-8741, [email protected]

Info: www.thefellowship.info/CL/FF/TrainingEvents/TrueSurvivor.icm

LEARN – For a complete schedule of events, go to www.thefellowship.info/Inside CBF/Calendar.

2006 General Assembly ScheduleGeorgia World Congress CenterAtlanta, Ga. • June 21-24

Wednesday, June 21 Auxiliary EventsNoon – 5:00 p.m. Global Poverty/HIV/AIDS Summit (will

continue on Thursday morning)7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Theological Education Banquet

Thursday, June 227:00 – 8:45 a.m Auxiliary Events8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Resource Fair Open9:00 – 10:10 a.m. Workshops 10:30 – 11:40 a.m. Business Session I11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch and Auxiliary Events2:00 – 3:10 p.m. Workshops (includes Business

Breakouts)3:45 – 5:00 p.m. State/Regional Meetings5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Dinner and Auxiliary Events6:45 p.m. Pre-Worship Gathering7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Worship8:30 p.m. Resource Fair Event

Friday, June 237:00 – 9:00 a.m. Auxiliary Events8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Resource Fair Open9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Business Session II 11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Fellowship Time11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch and Auxiliary Events2:00 – 3:10 p.m. Workshops 3:30 – 4:40 p.m. Workshops5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Dinner and Auxiliary Events6:45 p.m. Pre-Worship Gathering7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Worship and Communion8:30 p.m. Resource Fair Event

Saturday, June 24 Auxiliary Events9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Companions in Christ Training (will

be held off-site at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Atlanta)

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w.t

hef

ello

wsh

ip.i

nfo

Part

icip

ants

in th

e Pe

ts to

Peo

ple

min

istr

y ta

ke th

eir

four

-legg

ed

frie

nds

to v

isit

nurs

ing

hom

e re

side

nts.

Courtesy Calvary Baptist

Jan/Feb 2006 fellowship!

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Transcript of Jan/Feb 2006 fellowship!