November/December 2005

Diverse Baptist partnership aims to fi ght poverty

Th e Cooperative Baptist Fel-lowship has committed to work with the Progressive National Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches USA, District of Columbia Baptist Conven-tion and Alliance of Baptists in long-term anti-poverty eff orts, namely working to prevent ra-cial and class discrimination in delivery of hurricane relief and recovery.

“No one church, organization, business or government can resolve poverty. It will take all of us working together. Partnership across denominational, racial and geographical lines is not an option or luxury. It is a necessity,” said CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal.

Vestal and leaders from the other Baptist bodies met for the fi rst time Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at Baton Rouge’s New Light Missionary Baptist Church, where they spoke with elected offi cials. East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden and Louisiana State Sen. Sharon Weston Broome applauded the relief eff orts of churches during a meeting Sept. 30.

Hurricane Katrina exposed widespread poverty. Some people didn’t have fi nancial resources to evacuate prior to Katrina’s landfall. Because the poverty revealed wears primarily a face of color, Vestal said it’s vital that the Baptist partnership cross racial and geographic lines.

Baptist leaders heard from several African-American pas-tors whose churches have been active in hurricane relief. Some told stories of how their church served as an evacuee shelter, found and are paying for lon-ger-term housing for evacuees, provided transportation or helped them fi nd jobs. But the pastors said their churches need

help in ministering to the vol-ume of people and needs. Th e Baptist leaders hope to come alongside the churches, provid-ing support and resources that will enable continued ministry, Vestal said.

Th e partnership is also a step toward racial reconciliation. H.B. Williams, who has served as pastor of New Light Missionary Baptist Church for more than 40 years, said the partnership is a continuation of the unfi nished Poor People’s Campaign, launched by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

“Th is is going to bring us together and make us strong,” Williams said. “God used Ka-trina to open up the doors and open up our eyes.”

Baptist leaders also visited area shelters, including the city’s largest, River Center, which was a temporary home to 932 evacu-ees on Oct. 1, nearly fi ve weeks aft er Hurricane Katrina hit. At that shelter and others, leaders heard stories of survival. One 70-year-old woman was carried by her son through chest-deep water that Katrina caused in New Orleans. Another woman and her two 10-month-old children were rescued by two strangers who fl oated the fam-ily to safety on air mattresses. Hearing these stories en-gaged the leaders in a ministry of pres-ence, Vestal said.

“It was both humbling and in-spiring. I hope we

gained greater understanding on how to help,” he said.

Th e Baptist leaders will meet again to further solidify a course of action.

“We have an opportunity to transform the face of poverty in this country,” said Tyrone Pitts, general secretary of the Progressive National Baptist

Convention. “We are going to come together to do some-thing remarkable.” f!

LEARN – “Lessons in Racism and Poverty,” a new curriculum, is available for free at www.thefellowship.info.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

In the aft ermath of Hurricane Katrina, a

new partnership to fi ght poverty is arising

among fi ve Baptist bodies.

November/December 2005

CBFfellowship! COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP | WWW.THEFELLOWSHIP.INFO

THE CBF Coordinating Coun-cil unanimously approved a new preamble for its constitution and bylaws at its fall meeting Oct. 13-14, sending the amendment to the General Assembly, which will meet in Atlanta June 22-23, 2006.

During the most re-cent General Assembly, June 30-July 1, in Grapevine, Texas, the participants approved an amended constitution and bylaws, which included a new purpose statement that refl ected the wording of the Fellowship’s mission state-ment. However, during the Assembly and the weeks fol-lowing, Fellowship churches and individual CBF members raised concerns that the lan-

guage omitted specifi c refer-ences to Jesus Christ and the Great Commission.

In response, newly-elected Moderator Joy Yee, senior pas-tor of Nineteenth Avenue Bap-

tist Church in San Francisco, Calif., appointed a special task force in July to address the changes in wording.

Headed by Council mem-ber Jack Glasgow, pastor of Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, N.C., the task force presented a recommendation

for a preamble to be added to the constitution and bylaws. Th e wording is as follows:

“As a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches, we celebrate our faith in the One

Triune God. We gladly declare our allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord and to His gospel as we seek to be the continu-ing presence of Christ in this world. Our passion is to obey

the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) of our Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to uphold Baptist principles of faith and practice as we partner with one another and other Christians.”

By adopting the preamble, the Council in eff ect recom-mended adoption of the pro-posed amendment to the full General Assembly.

Glasgow said the Fellow-ship had three main audi-ences respond to the wording changes made this summer — individuals and churches affi liated with the Fellowship, the general public and “unre-lenting and unloving critics.”

“I believe there is nothing we can do to make them stand up and applaud us,” Glasgow said. “But I care very deeply about those within the Fellow-ship and those in the general public who want to know who we are and what we’re about.”

Th e Council also gave an evening of discussion to the issue of broadening the inclusiveness of the Fellowship for a greater diversity of race and ethnicity. A panel discussion led by Networking Coordinator Bill Bruster and

— Continued on page 10

Council approves new constitutional preamble

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CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal talks with Margaret Edwards, a Hurricane Katrina evacuee who spent her 71st birthday at the New Light Missionary Baptist Church shelter in Baton Rouge, La.

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Coordinating Council members Sandee Elizondo, left, of San Antonio, Texas; Jim Ross, center, of Madison, Ga.; and Alton Taylor of Marietta, Ga., discuss Council business during the Oct. 13-14 meeting in Atlanta.

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Returning to the land where it was formed in 1905, the BWA, now an international fellowship of 32 million believers from 200-plus unions, set about the hard work of building unity.

Th e BWA also clarifi ed its theological identity, discussed ways to combat global ills and recognized a shift of Christianity’s center of gravity to Africa, Asia and South America.

California pastor Rick Warren, author of “Th e Purpose Driven Life,” called for “a new reformation” to adapt to the 21st-century world. He said the deeds of a new reformation will require mobilizing Christians, multiplying churches, evangelizing the world and eradicating global problems.

“Unity, unity, unity” was the recurrent theme of the fi ve-day meeting, said Denton Lotz, BWA general secretary.

“Too oft en, the world is more aware of what the church

is against than what it is for, and this is no strategy for winning lost people to

Jesus Christ,” said David Coff ey, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, who was elected BWA president.

In a Bible study for all delegates, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said division is like a cancer that is metastasizing within the body of Christ, presenting a negative image of Christians to the world that is “directly opposite the gentle aspect of the One we have chosen to worship.”

To mark their 100th anniversary, BWA adopted a new identity statement titled “Message from the Centenary Congress.”

“We, recognizing that this is a partial and incomplete confession of faith, boldly declare that we believe the truth is found in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Holy Scriptures,” the statement says in part. Th e Scriptures “have supreme authority as the written Word of God and are fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.”

Representatives approved BWA membership for three new unions — one from Africa, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist General Association of Virginia.

BWA also introduced a fi ve-year emphasis on evangelism, “Jesus Christ, Living Water.” f!

LEARN – For more information about BWA, visit www.bwanet.org.

By Greg Warner, Associated Baptist Press

About 13,000 Baptist Christians from around the world cele-

brated a century of togetherness this summer in Birmingham,

England, as part of the Baptist World Centenary Congress.

Vol. 15, No. 7COORDINATOR • 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 • fellowship@thefellowship.info

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

Baptists celebrate BWA’s 100th year with diversity, togetherness

Online devotionals

“FOLLOWING THE STAR,” an online Advent devotional produced in partnership with CBF, will start on the fi rst Sunday in Advent, Nov. 27. To access the devotional, visit www.followingthestar.org.

Following the Star seeks to provide a quiet place for refl ection in the middle of the busyness that often surrounds the holidays.

Passport, Inc., the producers of Following the Star and Journey to the Cross Lenten devotional, recently launched an online daily devotional geared to students called “d365.” The site, www.d365.org, will run year-long.

d365 will include Scripture and prayer. Students will also be able to submit prayers and poetry for use in future online devotionals.

“d365 will provide a virtual sanctuary where students and oth-ers might pause to pay attention to the presence of God in their daily lives. In light of Passport’s previous devotional offerings, this one is not to be missed,” said Rick Bennett, the Fellowship’s associ-ate coordinator for faith formation.

More than 150,000 readers from 91 countries visited the seasonal Advent and Lenten devotional sites, which will continue to be published as a part of d365, said Melissa Browning, d365 editor.

“We hope to tackle issues that are important to students and that will give them guidance in their journeys,” Browning said. “Students long to be serious about their faith, and they just need a little direction to get them there.”

The devotional series is funded in part by a Lilly Endowment grant to the Samuel Project, a partnership between Passport and Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond to help students discern a calling to vocational ministry.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications, with contributions from Passport, Inc.

ASSOCIATED Baptist Press, Th e Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University and Smyth & Helwys Publishing share a common purpose of serving churches and Christians.

Th e three CBF partners are each marking their 15-year anniversaries with continued and expanding ministries.

Associated Baptist PressAs “the fi rst and only independent news

service created by and for Baptists,” Associ-ated Baptist Press seeks “to provide credible, compel-ling information about matters of faith,” said ABP Executive Editor Greg Warner.

Since its beginnings in 1990, the Jack-sonville, Fla.-based organization has been a “wholesale service” off ering news and feature articles to other publications, War-ner said. But ABP has increasingly evolved as a news “retailer” by providing news and feature content directly to readers through its Web site and “ABP Headlines,” a free, monthly, reproducible e-mail newsletter.

ABP has also broadened its content, Warner said. While it originally focused on

covering Baptist denominational news, it now also covers a broad range of topics that impact the lives of its readers.

The Center for Christian EthicsTh e mission of Th e Center for Christian

Ethics at Bay-lor Univer-sity in Waco, Texas, is to “create inno-vative, rich materials for the church related to Christian ethics and the development of moral character,” said Robert Kruschwitz, the center’s director.

Among those materials are “Christian Refl ection: A Series in Faith and Ethics,” a free, quarterly publication covering various ethical topics, and “BOUND!,” a customized journal for short-term missions experiences. Th e center also off ers a free, online ethics library and opportunities to participate in ethics-related conferences.

Smyth & Helwys PublishingSmyth & Helwys began in 1990 in Macon,

Ga., with the publication of “Studies in Acts” by theologian T.C. Smith. Today, the

publishing house off ers a range of Christian education materials — books, including a well-regarded commentary series; Sunday school curriculum; small-group studies; an annual study on a book of the Bible; and online resources such as “Learning Matters” and “NextSunday.com,” an online Christian education resource collection, said David Cassady, Smyth & Helwys’ executive vice president and publisher.

New initiatives include “Operation Antioch: Outreach for the Real World,” a church-wide outreach/evangelism emphasis kit; a youth ministry resource collection; and “Caleb’s Café,” a Web-based, small-group ministry resource. f!

LEARN – To contact ABP, call (800) 340-6626 or visit www.abpnews.com. To contact The Center for Christian Ethics, call (866) 298-2325 or visit www.ChristianEthics.ws. To contact Smyth & Helwys, call (800) 747-3016 or visit www.helwys.com.

By contributing writer Melanie Kieve, Alabaster, Ala.

CBF partners celebrate 15 years of service

Baptists from around the world celebrate a century of BWA in Birmingham, England, under the theme “Jesus Christ, Living Water.”

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C O N G R E G A T I O N A L L I F E

Fellowship taps Moraga to lead Hispanic Initiative

“We are trying to start 400 Hispanic churches nationwide, because the Hispanic population has just exploded,” said Bo Prosser, CBF coordinator for congregation-al life. Th e Hispanic Initiative aims to have these churches started by 2011.

Th e Hispanic Initiative, African-American Network and Asian Network were inspired by CBF’s desire to be “more of a refl ection of our culture and our society, and we have a desire to be more refl ective of the kingdom,” said CBF Networking Coordinator Bill Bruster.

Th e Fellowship entered into a formal partnership in 2003 with the Baptist Gen-eral Convention of Texas. Moraga serves as pastor of First Spanish Fruit Avenue Baptist Church in Albuquerque, N.M., and has

served as the Hispanic Network coordina-tor on a volunteer basis. Now he will serve

as a fi eld consultant for the Hispanic Initiative.

“Bernie has been in charge of the Hispanic Network, which is a loose gathering of all the Hispanic leaders in CBF, and with the magnitude of this work

we needed someone to come in and take charge of it,” Prosser said.

Moraga’s involvement began many years ago.

“I went to the early meetings in CBF. I realized I was a Baptist because of convic-

tion not convention, and I felt this was the main draw of CBF,” Moraga said. “Th e primary objective of CBF is to embrace people, not because we are ethnic, but be-cause we are Baptist.”

Th e Hispanic Initiative is in initial stages and leaders are assessing where CBF is needed. According to Prosser. CBF can have a bigger impact if eff orts are unique and directed toward areas where little min-istry is currently being done.

To accomplish this goal, the Fellowship will be working with churches.

“We need sponsor churches, and my job is going to be to try and create the awareness in CBF churches nationwide,” Moraga said. f!

LEARN – For more about the His-panic Initiative, contact Bernie Moraga at bmoraga@thefellowship.info. For more about CBF’s ministerial networks, visit www.thefel lowship.info/CL/BC/MinisterialNetworks.icm.

By Courtney Hodges, CBF Communications

CBF continues to develop networks in African-American, Asian

and Hispanic communities and has named New Mexico pastor

Bernie Moraga as a fi eld consultant to help grow the Fellowship

Hispanic Initiative.

Fellowship to offer regional spiritual formation retreats for pastors

CBF WILL SPONSOR four spiritual formation regional retreats in 2006 for pastors of the Fellowship’s partner churches.

Over the next year, pastors will have the opportunity to attend a two-night, three-day retreat in their region. The retreat is open to senior pastors, including pastors who serve as lone ministerial staff in smaller congregations.

The fi rst retreat is Jan. 23-25, 2006, at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, N.C. Other retreat locations are Texas, April 3-5; Kentucky, Sept. 11-13; and Atlanta at a date to be determined, said Rick Bennett, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for congregational life. Each retreat can accommodate up to 20 pastors, with preference that pastors attend a retreat in their region.

Led by CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal and Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s congregational life coordinator, each retreat will feature a third guest leader who varies according to location. At the retreat, pastors will explore spiritual practices and experience a time of spiritual nourishment, Prosser said.

“But this is not just about content and information. We want participants to leave enriched and refreshed in the spirit of God,” Prosser said.

Pastors will benefi t from this retreat because it’s an opportunity to spend some time in silence and prayer.

“We want to provide pastors with a place of retreat to allow their souls time to rest and rejuvenate,” Prosser said.

The retreat is a gift, according to Bennett, with pastors only fi nan-cially responsible for transportation to the event and the purchase of books that will enhance the retreat experience.

Registration is available on a fi rst-come basis. To register online, visit www.thefellowship.info/CL/FF/TrainingEvents/Registration.icm.

LEARN – For more information, contact Rick Bennett at (770) 220-1605 or rbennett@thefellowship.info.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

IN THE MIDST of war, everyone needs pastoral care — even chaplains.

Navy chaplain Mike Langston, who is endorsed by the Fel-lowship, serves in Afghanistan, where part of his responsi-bilities include pro-viding pastoral care to military chaplains.

Langston serves as the Joint Task Force chaplain for the Combined Forces Command, work-ing with members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and coalition forces.

“One of the most important jobs I have is to take care of chaplains, being the pastor to the pastors,” Langston said. “Th e chap-lains are out there doing hard work, and they need a pastor as well. Th ey are helping people deal with the trauma and horror of war, and they need help processing the horror they are exposed to.”

A week before he left for Afghanistan, Langston was promoted to captain. As captain and the Joint Task Force chaplain, Langston is asked to provide moral and eth-

ical advice to the command in Afghanistan. In addition, he is responsible for strategi-cally evaluating the religious and spiritual

needs of all the units and ensuring that these needs are being met.

“I’ll be on the for-ward edge of the battle area,” Langston said. “I’ll be traveling to the military camps in the thick of the war zone. I’ll be ministering to our men and women in uniform right when they are in the thick of battle.”

Langston began his career as an offi cer in the Marines, and aft er 11 years left to attend seminary. Later, he became a Navy Reserve chaplain and was called to active duty in 1998. Langston served during the Gulf War aboard the USS Guam. He has also served at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Nor-folk, Va.; the Naval Air Station in Kefl avik, Iceland; and at the Naval War College and Navy Chaplain School in Newport, R.I. f!

By contributing writer Patricia Heys, Atlanta

CBF-endorsed chaplain pastors chaplains in Afghanistan

Bernie Moraga

Chaplain Mike Langston assists the command in Afghanistan in dealing with religious issues.

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New endorsees

CBF RECENTLY ENDORSED 15 chaplains and pastoral counselors, for a total of 493.

The following individuals were endorsed:

■ Hospice • John Henson, chaplain, Southerncare Hos-

pice, Fort Worth, Texas

• Beth Ogburn, chaplain, Valir Health, Okla-homa City, Okla.

• Kimberly Sheehan, chaplain/spiritual care coordinator, Odyssey Hospice, Nashville, Tenn.

■ Hospital • Rebecca Brannon, part-time, Northeast

Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, Ga.

• Gail Davidson, chaplain, Arnold Palmer Hos-pital for Children & Women, Orlando, Fla.

• Scott Landes, CPE resident, South Texas Vet-erans Healthcare System, San Antonio, Texas

• Wesley Monfalcone, Director of CPE and Research, Florida Hospital, Orlando, Fla.

• Twyla Nelson, CPE resident, Anderson Area Medical Center, Anderson, S.C.

• Willie Smith, chaplain, Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg, Va.

• James Williams, chaplain, Baptist Health, Montgomery, Ala.

■ Learning Disability Schools• Billy Dunn, chaplain, Lufkin State School,

Lufkin, Texas

■ Pastoral Counselors • Robert Byrd II, minister of counseling and

pastoral care, Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C.

• Hobart Grooms, pastoral counselor, Samari-tan Counseling Center, Birmingham, Ala.

■ Professional Organization• Richard Foster Jr., Association of Profes-

sional Chaplains board certifi ed chaplain, Lynchburg, Va.

How to Respond

SERVE – For more information about CBF chaplaincy and pastoral counseling, con-tact George Pickle at (770) 220-1617 or gpickle@thefellowship.info or visit www.thefellow ship.info/Church Life/Chaplains PC/Endorsees.icm.

PRAY – To view a guide for praying for chap-lains, pastoral counselors and other ministers in specialized settings on their birthdays, visit www.thefellowship.info/church life/chaplains pc/prayer calendar.icm.

CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY Divinity School celebrated its 10th anniversary with a review of its heritage and a challenge for the future in the fall 2005 Covenant and Commis-sioning Service.

Daniel Vestal, keynote speaker and CBF coordina-tor, commended the school on its vitality and vibrance and reminded the students that the growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is “our problem.”

He told the 45 new stu-dents and the 600 other students and guests that “God is in Christ reconcil-ing the world to Himself. God is on a mission.

“God invites us to participate in His mission,” Vestal added. “He is a missional God who enables us to be a missional people.”

In addition to the challenge from Vestal, the new students heard about the growth that the school has experienced in its fi rst nine years. Opening its doors in 1996, the

divinity school received full accreditation from the largest accrediting body in the world aft er only six years.

Enrollment exceeded 200 in the fall of 2004, including 13 students in the charter class of the doctor of ministry program. In May 2005, the number of graduates sur-passed 200. Th e school graduated its fi rst class in 1998 with two. Graduates are serv-ing in 15 states and seven countries around the world.

Th e 10th year will mark additional mile-stones for the school. Th e school has more than 300 scholarships and an endowment

of $14.2 million. In addi-tion, another $2 million has been given toward a university chapel which will be built next door to Taylor Hall of Religion where the Divinity School is housed.

“Th e school opened a year earlier than planned, in 1996, and has been set-ting records ever since,” said Michael G. Cogdill, founding dean of the school. “Th e founding vision to be Christ-centered, Bible-based and ministry-focused is still the guiding principle of the divinity school. Jesus Christ

is what brings us together, what keeps us together and will help us continue.” f!

LEARN – For more information about Campbell University Divinity School, visit www.campbell.edu/divinity/.

By Irma Duke, Campbell University Divinity School Communications

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CBF leadership scholarships help ease burden of school life

“By knowing that the fi nancial burden of schooling was taken care of, I knew I could have the freedom to pick the min-istry opportunity that was right for me,” said CBF leadership scholarship recipient Patrick DeVane.

DeVane is fi nishing a M.Div. degree at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Th eology in Atlanta this semester, and pastoring a church. DeVane started serving as pastor full time at Pine Grove Baptist Church in June and his wife, Megan, was hired as the youth minister shortly aft er.

“We actually didn’t look for a place where we could both minister together,” DeVane said. “It was totally a God thing. As the pastor search committee was talking to me, the youth minister resigned.”

Th is year, the Fellowship provided a $5,000 scholarship to 71 students at partner schools. Th e scholarship includes $2,000 for each semester’s school expenses, and $1,000 to attend the General Assembly.

Leadership scholar Kelly Rhodes is a second-year student at Campbell Univer-sity Divinity School in North Carolina with

ambitions of earning a master’s degree in business administration, while complet-ing her M.Div. with a concentration in Christian education. Along with her school

work, she is fostering a passion for youth ministry.

“I hope that when I have a youth group of my own, full time, I can begin to move in that direction of really making and equipping disciples,” Rhodes said.

Both DeVane and Rhodes share a pas-sion for the church.

“Church and community in church hold

such amazing potential that excites me,” DeVane said.

Rhodes’ love for serving in the church and working with youth comes, not only from her sense of call, but from a long history of Sunday school, youth services and mission trips at her home church, First Baptist Church of Southern Pines, N.C.

But Rhodes’ role in the church has changed. She fi lls the role of minister when

she has time to volunteer. Dur-ing school semesters, Rhodes has little time for anything but school work. However, she was able to squeeze in an interim youth minister position from January to May at First Baptist Church of Raleigh, N.C.

Rhodes and DeVane are thankful for the CBF scholarship.

“Th rough a continuing partner-ship with CBF, I will have resources and a network of people that I will meet that will allow me to have a

more eff ective ministry,” Rhodes said.“CBF is committed to developing lead-

ers for congregations,” said the Fellowship’s coordinator for leadership development Terry Hamrick. “Our scholarship program is investing in the persons who are called to be those leaders.” f!

By Courtney Hodges, CBF Communications

Balancing classes and homework, a job, and personal

relationships can lead to a hectic schedule for today’s students.

With this type of juggling act, scholarship money for theology school

becomes a prized resource.

Vestal challenges students at Campbell’s 10th

CBF leadership scholar Kelly Rhodes, right, interacts with Camp Mundo Vista staffers Esther Shin, left, and Robyn Van Den Berg at the North Carolina Baptist Student Union Fall Conference in Charlotte, N.C.

Campbell University Divinity School CBF leadership scholars, students and faculty meet with CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal, center back row. From left: (back row) Brian Johnson, Matt Suggs, Dean Michael G. Cogdill, Daniel Vestal, Eric Freeman, Charles Walker, Joel Baucom; (front row) Laura Roach, Emily Johnson, Christina Suggs, Kelly Rhodes and Cokie Westfall.

CBF leadership scholars

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky — Jeremy Colliver, Bert Montgomery, Crystal Shepherd

Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University — Scott Davis

Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond — Josh Baumgardner, Laurie Baumgardner, Casey Callahan, Sam Duenckel, Amanda Hambrick, Renee Kenley, Elizabeth Lott, Susan Reed, Kim Siegenthaler

Campbell University Divinity School — Joel Baucom, Mary Hollings, Brian Johnson, Emily Johnson, Kelly Rhodes, Laura Roach, Christina Suggs, Charles Walker, Al Whitehouse Jr.

Candler School of Theology, Emory University — Sarah Doeppner, Michael Goodman, Erin Hall, Chad McGinnis

Central Baptist Theological Seminary — Patrick Hill, Tammy Jackson, Dawna Payne-Watkins

Duke Divinity School — Ben Boswell, Adrienne Denson, Brian Edmonds, Brian Harrington, John Thompson

M. Christopher White School of Divinity, Gardner-Webb University — Josh Apple, Cecelia Beck, Jamye Duncan, Terry Honeycutt, Martha Kearse, Lamont Littlejohn, Brandon Moore, Kathy Naish, Janie Toy

Logsdon School of Theology, Hardin-Simmons University — Dan Bullock, Robert Manley III, Josh Reglin, Alex Riggs, Meredith Stone

McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University — Patrick DeVane, Rebekah Duke, Ron Handlon, Jeff Howard, Gigi Kerr, Jennifer McClung, Cody Sanders, Eric Wickman, Angela Yarber

George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University — Kelly Bain, Josh Brewer, Casondra Brown, Graham Cook, Katie Homiak, Jaime McGlothlin, Jon Polk, Jon Mark Shillington, Emily Womack

Wake Forest Divinity School — Sarah Carver, Chad Crawford, Gil Gulick, Seth Hickman, Garrett Vickery

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How to Respond

LEARN – For more information about CBF partner schools, visit Leadership Development at www.thefellowship.info.

SERVE – For more information about leadership scholarships, visit www.thefellowship.info/Church Life/Leadership Development/Theological Education/Scholarships.icm.

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Vo l u n t e e r s C o m m e m o r a t e 9 / 1 1 | S t u d e n t F e l l o w s h i p s i n S . C . | C l a s s N o t e s w w w . t h e f e l l o w s h i p . i n f o N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

Class Notes: News from partner schools

■ Baptist Theological Seminary at RichmondThe seminary held its 15th annual convocation and accepted 40 new students, as well as returning faculty and staff. BTSR also began renovations on Virginia Hall and Kraemer Dormitory. Renovations will include state-of-the-art instructional facilities, improved workspace, office space, handicap accessibility and living space for married couples.

■ Campbell University Divinity SchoolSteve Harmon, associate professor of Christian theology, was elected vice chair of the Doctrine and Interchurch Cooperation Commission for the Baptist World Alliance. His term will last from 2005-2010.

■ International Baptist Theological SeminaryIBTS hosted the annual meeting of the European Baptist Federation Council recently. Baptist churches from Iraq and Kosovo were welcomed as new members of the EBF.

■ Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor UniversityThe seminary hosted the second annual Black Preachers’ Conference in September with the theme “Celebrating the Art of Black Preaching.” The Parchman Endowed Lectures in October featured Eugene Peterson, author of 27 books on various aspects of spiritual theology including “The Message.”

Volunteers commemorate Sept. 11 with service projects

Across the nation Sept. 10, hundreds of CBF young leaders and friends participated in the 11-on-11 day of service sponsored by Current, the Fellowship’s young leaders network. The event honors Sept. 11 victims through missions projects held in at least 11 locations. This year, 14 projects took place.

Thirteen people volunteered at The Shepherd’s Center, the Atlanta Union Mission’s homeless shelter for men. The group cleaned bathrooms and sleeping rooms, organized the li-brary and picked up trash from the grounds.

In Shawnee, Okla., approxi-mately 15 youth and adults from First Baptist Church of Shawnee served a meal to 60 people at a local Salvation Army.

In North Carolina, 15 Raleigh-Durham area Baptists — divinity school students from Duke and Campbell universities and area ministers and laypeople — worked on

two Habitat for Humanity houses outside Siler City. They placed siding, primed walls and did construction cleanup.

The work day illustrated how, in the aftermath of a destructive act like Sept. 11, Christians have opportunities to be

“instruments of God’s grace, peace and building up,” said project coordinator Tyler Gillespie, a Duke Divinity School student.

Other 11-on-11 projects included …• Alabama: work in Perry County, a rural

poverty initiative ministry site, at a Hurricane Katrina evacuee shelter

• Florida: work with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando; building wheelchair ramps for a Tallahassee independent living center

• Kentucky: joint service projects alongside Lexington-area Muslims

• Missouri: providing a meal and doing lawn work at a Kansas City-area battered women’s shelter

• North Carolina: 11 church-wide service projects in Salisbury by First Baptist Church

• Tennessee: apartment cleaning for a Knoxville HIV/AIDS patient and yard cleanup for an elderly woman by West Hills Baptist Church; sorting clothes for Hurricane Katrina evacuees by First Baptist Church of Knoxville; yard work for a local elderly mother and daughter; and loading Hurricane Katrina relief supplies by Signal Mountain Baptist Church

• Texas: house painting in Waco • Virginia: yard and building projects

at Synergeo, a Richmond non-profit organization; clothes closet work at Tabernacle Baptist Church, Richmond. 11-on-11 was sponsored by several

CBF state and regional organizations, CBF partner theology schools and the Church Benefits Board. f!

LEARN – For more about Current, visit www.thefellowship.info/current.

By contributing Melanie Kieve, Alabaster, Ala.

In Georgia, volunteers cleaned a homeless shelter. In Oklahoma, they

prepared a meal at the Salvation Army. In North Carolina, they

helped with Habitat for Humanity projects.

IF YOU’VE RUN OUT of food, you’ve had a good night at the Cooperative Student Fellowship meeting. That’s just one way graduate student John Calloway measures the success of CSF as it moves into its second full year at First Baptist Church in Clemson, S.C.

“We always buy more than enough food so when it runs out, something is going right,” said Calloway, a member of the planning team for CSF since it was organized as an alternative to traditional Baptist campus ministry at Clemson University more than a year ago. It is one of three CSF groups in the state.

At Furman University in Greenville, a group of students successfully got a charter for CSF even before a director was hired. Given that enthusiasm, CBF of South Carolina hired former pastor Joe Farry to direct the program beginning in August.

“I see my role as a facilitator as students explore their roles in life and their identities as children of God and followers

of Jesus,” Farry said. In Rock Hill, Oakland

Baptist Church hired David Brown as associate minister to students early in 2005 and he has just begun CSF at Winthrop University.

“We began this semester with weeknight meals and Bible study, and will grow into more of a creative worship format,” he said. “I hope that the group will become strongly student-led, both discipleship and mission-focused, and open to all sorts of students — women and men, Baptist and otherwise.”

“I finally feel like I have found an organization that doesn’t force things on me as a student or make me feel uncomfortable,” said Calloway, a member of Fernwood Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C., who will work as

an intern with Clemson CSF this year. “One of our main goals from the very beginning was to make people feel welcome and accepted, and I think we do that.”

“Timing is everything,” said Tim Willis, who became minister to students at First Baptist Clemson a year ago after working for many years as the Baptist

campus minister at Clemson University. “Now is the time for CBF churches near a college campus to provide students with a Baptist perspective and option that has open arms of grace and mercy with an attitude that is inclusive, understanding and passionate about peace and justice. CBF churches can be agents of change for college students searching for their spiritual identity.

“CBF will benefit from CSF groups because they can help students find multiple avenues for ministry, which in turn strengthens the foundation and image of CBF,” Willis said. “College students are searching for those paths of authenticity that will help them be the messengers of mercy for the next generation.” f!

LEARN – For more about this approach to campus ministry, contact Tim Willis at (864) 654-2347.

By contributing writer Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C.

Cooperative Student Fellowship groups expand in South Carolina

Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond students Bryan Maupin, left, and Joshua Bair spruce up the landscaping in front of Synergeo, Inc., a non-profit organization located in the Richmond area inner city.

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Cooperative Student Fellowship participants, l-r, Casey Munn, Laura Tyner, Janet Ownley and Phillip Reynolds gather during a CSF retreat at a camp in the northern part of Greenville County, S.C.

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CBF provides relief to those in need

THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS with organizations around the world, the Fellowship helps meet the spiritual, emotional, medical, educational and economic needs of individuals experiencing personal tragedy and of the most neglected, those with the greatest needs and the fewest resources.

The Fellowship’s efforts to bring care to disaster victims is highlight-ed as part of CBF’s 2005-2006 Offering for Global Missions empha-sis. Contributions to the Offering make it possible for the Fellowship to have CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel respond immediately to tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and other catastrophic events. Based on John 6:35, this year’s Offering theme is “Famished Lands … The Bread of Life.” The Offering goal is $6.32 million.

Some of the areas of the world where the Fellowship has respond-ed include:

• Pakistan: at press time, CBF had sent $10,000 to support a search and rescue operation that is underway after an earthquake struck in October. The funds for earthquake relief have been sent to Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance.

• Guatemala: CBF provided $5,000 to help local Baptists in working with people whose homes were lost as a result of mud-slides caused by Hurricane Stan.

• Cambodia: CBF provided drought relief by giving $6,000 from its hunger relief funds through Baptist World Aid for construction of 50 wells for domestic and agri-cultural use in Baptist communities.

• the Middle East: CBF sent $4,000 to help eight families of Gypsies who were recently forced from their homes because of an accidental fire.

• Haiti: CBF has sent $5,000 to World Hunger Relief, Inc., a Texas-based partner with a unit in Haiti, in an effort to help alleviate poverty.

• Mexico: CBF contributed $5,000 to rebuild four houses and make repairs to a local church that lost its roof when Hurricane Emily swept across northern Mexico in July, leaving thousands of families displaced when their homes were destroyed.

GIVE – Financial contributions to the Offering for Global Missions can be made online at www.thefellow ship.info/landing/giving.icm or by using the contribution envelope in this issue.

Compiled from reports by contributing writer Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C.

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A sign welcomes hurricane evacuees to South Main Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

Left to right, Phillip Reynolds, pastor of University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Miss.; Steve Street, CBF of Mississippi coordinator; and David Harding, the Fellowship’s international coordinator for disaster response, discuss possible long-term relief sites in Mississippi.

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Stacy Ahua, a University Baptist Church member, helps distribute relief items to the Hattiesburg, Miss., community.

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Roy Peterson, a member of Second Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., saws a fallen tree in Hattiesburg, Miss., as a part of the Fellowship’s relief effort.

Debris and remains of homes tell the

story of destruction in the wake of

Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Miss.

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Perry McCain, associate minister of music at Johns Creek Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., and church member Cliff Cordell load relief supplies into the storage compartment of a motor home bound for Mississippi.

Campus ministry leader leaves bequest to CBF Global Missions

THE LATE HOWARD BRAMLETTE left an indelible mark on the lives of hundreds of college students and campus ministers. He continues to leave a legacy of changed lives thanks to a $35,000 bequest from his estate to CBF Global Missions.

“He had long been a supporter of missions, and CBF became his favorite missions-minded place to make contributions,” said his niece Lynn Buchanan.

Bramlette, 81, died of compli-cations from Alzheimer’s disease Dec. 30, 2004, in Tyler, Texas. Ordained to ministry in 1951, his career was devoted to college ministry — fi rst as a Bible teacher and Baptist Student Secretary at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. He began work-ing as a consultant in the student department of the Baptist Sunday School Board in 1956. After work-ing as the director of placement and promotion for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Education Commission, Bramlette returned to the Sunday School Board as editor of “The Student,” an award-winning collegiate magazine.

“He was formative in shaping campus ministers and campus ministries,” said Connie McNeill, the Fellowship’s coordinator of administration.

In addition to being a popular speaker among college students, Bramlette was on the development council for Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. A noted writer and missions educator, he was in the fi rst edition of “Who’s Who in Religion” in the United States.

“Howard Bramlette was God’s gift to the student movement among Baptists for many years. Only God knows the number of lives he touched and helped shape. Now, in his death, his generous gift to Global Missions will continue to touch lives,” said Jack Snell, the interim coordinator for CBF Global Missions.

GIVE – For information about making a bequest to benefi t CBF Global Missions, contact Don Durham, CBF Foundation president, at (800) 352-8741 or ddurham@thefellowship.info.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

Perry McCain, associate minister of music at Johns Creek Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., and church member Cliff Cordell load relief supplies into the

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Hurricane Katrina evacuee La’Kiya, 4, gets her hair styled by her mother Amber Royal in the shelter at Houston’s South Main Baptist Church. “She hasn’t stopped playing since she got here,” her mother said.

Lisa Tran of Bayou La Batre, Ala., finds shoes at a local Volunteers of America distribution site at which AlabamaCBF has partnered.

Roy Peterson, a member of Second Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., saws a fallen tree in Hattiesburg, Miss., as a part of the Fellowship’s relief effort.

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Asian Baptist seminary consortium names Lim president

Lilian Lim of Singapore was elected president and a Japanese seminary was invited to join the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary in a historic meeting of the consortium’s board of trustees this summer in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lim, the fi rst woman to be elected president of the 46-year-old seminary consortium, succeeds Chow Lien-Hwa, who has served as president since 1994. Lim had been serving as the chair of the ABGTS board, a position that will now be held by Chaiwat Chawmuangman of Thailand.

“We all look up to Dr. Chow,” said Lim, who was elected to a six-year term. “He is the father of Asian Baptists.”

The former chaplain to Taiwan’s president Chiang Kai-shek, Chow was the fi rst Asian to serve as presi-dent of the board.

“The philosophy of the seminary has always been ‘by Asians, for Asians,’” Chow said. “I am glad that this will continue under Dr. Lim’s leadership.”

The seminary consortium was founded in 1959 as part of the mission work of the then-Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mercer Univer-sity in Macon, Ga., stepped in with supplemental funding to keep the seminary functioning in September 1999 when the International Mis-sion Board of the SBC pulled out.

CBF has provided support through scholarships and the work of CBF Global Missions Envoy Rita Mashburn, who has served from the ABGTS main offi ce in Hong Kong.

Anita and Jack Snell, who have served as CBF Global Missions asso-ciate coordinators for mission teams for Asia for the past fi ve years, have developed strong relationships with the leadership of ABGTS. For the past year, Jack Snell has served as a consultant for ABGTS and has super-vised doctoral students in Singapore for the consortium.

“This has been one of the most exciting partnerships for CBF in Asia,” said Jack Snell, interim coordinator of CBF Global Missions formerly based in Singapore.

The ABGTS is composed of the Baptist Theological Seminary of Indonesia; Baptist Theological Seminary, Singapore; Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary; Ko-rea Baptist Theological Seminary; Philippine Baptist Theological Semi-nary & Bible School Inc.; Seinan Gakuin University, Department of Theology, Japan; Taiwan Baptist Theological Seminary; and Thailand Baptist Theological Seminary.

In other action, for the fi rst time in ABGTS’ history, the board voted to extend membership in the consortium to an additional school – Japan Baptist Theological Seminary in Yokohama.

By Lance Wallace, CBF Communications

Catalyst Church strives to reach unchurched generation

Meeting in a local movie theater and utilizing creative media in worship, Catalyst Church in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, aims to help people fi nd and fulfi ll their God-given mis-sion, particularly people who have not traditionally gone to church.

“Catalyst fi lls a need for a church that uses the culture to reach people within the culture. We speak a language people can understand. We teach practical messages that aff ect people where they live,” said April Th oms, the church’s senior pastor. Her husband, Christopher, also serves as a pastor at the church. Susan Driskell has recently joined the leadership team as the director of young adult ministries. She also

off ers her skills as a pastoral counselor.Th e church’s name came from the church’s

desire to be a catalyst for change in people’s lives. Led by a team of core members called the

advisory council, the church has benefi ted from the energy and skills of its core group. Within that group are people with a passion for mission, out-reach and creative ministries, Th oms explained. Creating a community of car-ing people where they can grow together in Christ

is central to Catalyst’s mission, she added. Th e church also hosts the Catalyst Caba-

ret, a musical and theater performance “de-signed to draw people to the church who couldn’t imagine attending church in their wildest dreams,” Th oms said.

Th e church’s energy comes from its core members.

“God has sent us a small group of people who are really committed to making a diff er-ence in people’s lives,” Th oms said. “What we have is a core of dynamic people who have a deep passion for reaching others for Christ.”

One of the church’s other features is spe-cialized care groups that off er care and spiri-tual support in a small group atmosphere.

“Th ey have been a very innovative church start. Th ey’re reaching the not churched and that’s certainly non-traditional. It’s a very eff ective experiment,” said Phil Hester, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for new church starts.

And the experiment is working, accord-ing to church members.

“Th ey are truly interested in me and love me back,” said church member Diane Anelli. “We have become good friends, and they are my family.” f!

LEARN -- For more information on the Fellowship’s new church starts ministry, contact Phil Hester at (770) 220-1651 or phester@thefellowship.info or visit www.churchstarts.net.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

A CBF church start in Ohio is using culture to reach a new

generation of unchurched people.

Field personnel reach out to Banjara in India, internationals in BrusselsTHE FELLOWSHIP’S missions education cur-riculum for November and December 2005 tells the story of CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel who are working alongside the most neglected in India and Brussels, Belgium.

In India, CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel Eddie and Macarena Aldape and James and Robbi Fran-covich bring living water to Banjara Gypsies as members of the CBF Banjara Gypsy team.

Th e Francoviches’ focus has been on Bible translation, media and training of leaders for an indig-enous church planting movement among the Banjara.

Th e Aldapes impact the Banjara community through providing literacy training, English classes, nutrition and health programs, along with starting new work among Banjara. Eddie has also been involved with CBF’s disaster relief response following the tsunamis that hit Southeast Asia in December 2004.

Following is a short account from Eddie soon aft er the tsunamis:

“We have been averaging 120 patients per day, and the genuine care being given by the medical team is impacting lives. While not treating wounds and illnesses, they work hard under diffi cult conditions just to touch and hug the people as they

share their pain and relive those horrible moments of disaster. As time goes by, many more of the victims are emerging from their state of shock, and our team is

there to demonstrate God’s love to them.”Th rough their work with internationals

in Brussels, Belgium, Butch and Nell Green seek to share God’s love in a predominately Muslim, immigrant neighborhood. Th e Centre Oasis off ers English classes and social service projects. Th e Greens also partner with the Arab Evangelical Church.

On Christmas day, youth and a few adults at Arab Evangelical Church will perform a musi-cal that shares the signifi cance of Christmas.

“We hope to be an encouragement to the church and a witness to those visiting who want to discover why we celebrate this sea-

son of Jesus’ birth. We want to tell the story so people have the opportunity to hear and believe,” said the church’s youth music direc-tor, Janée Angel, one of CBF’s Global Service Corps fi eld personnel serving in Belgium.

Th is is Angel’s second year of involve-ment with the program. Th e multilingual musical includes singing in French and scripture readings in Arab and Farsi, which is essential to this multinational church, primarily with members from the Middle East or North Africa. f!

By CBF Communications

Youth from Catalyst Church gather in front of the movie theater where the congregation meets.

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Eddie Aldape, one of CBF’s field personnel, tells students at Baptist University of the Américas about his ministry among the Banjara.

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How to Respond

SERVE – For information about sup-porting Banjara ministry projects or student missions opportunities, visit http://banjara.gypsyministries.com/. For more about min-istry in Brussels, visit www.thefellowship.info/Global Missions/fieldteams/Intercluster/IChome.icm. For volunteer opportunities, visit www.thefellowship.info/Global Missions/Volunteer Missions/.

LEARN – Yearly subscriptions are $80 for the preschool and children’s curriculum (13 weekly sessions per quarter), and $20 for the youth and adult curriculum (one session per month). To preview a sample or order the curriculum, contact The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223.

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Worship service recordings sought for video library

CBF PARTNER churches will soon be able to share their worship ser-vices with CBF Global Missions field personnel around the world.

CBF Global Missions is starting a video library of recordings from worship services at partner church-es. Field personnel will be able to select recordings and participate in worship in their own language, which is the spiritual component some field personnel miss most during overseas assignments, according to Milton Womack, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for member care/wellness.

Many field personnel go to small, non-English services, if they exist. Home services are the only option for some.

“Imagine going three years with-out participating in congregational worship. The DVDs are a way they can just put them in their comput-ers or DVD player and participate in a worship service,” Womack said.

While some partner churches offer Web casts of their worship services, DVDs are best because field personnel might not have a reliable or fast enough Internet connection.

Submissions of thematic wor-ship series are also encouraged, Womack said.

In addition to supporting field personnel, participating churches will also make a long-term impact, Womack said. “We will build a his-tory of CBF church services that will be available to students of wor-ship and preaching for generations to come,” he said.

The recordings, which can be submitted on VHS tape or DVD, must include the whole worship service.

LEARN – For more information or to submit a recording, contact Jeremy Lewis at (770) 220-1651 or jlewis@thefellowship.info.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

CBF Global Missions online catalog

FOR ANNIVERSARY, birthday or holiday gifts that make a lasting im-pact, there’s a CBF Global Missions gift catalog that offers designated giving options in every price range.

The online catalog contains de-scriptions of the latest needs from CBF Global Missions field person-nel. CBF sends a card notifying a person that a gift was purchased on his or her behalf. Honorary and memorial gifts can also be made.

The gift catalog is available at www.thefellowship.info/Global Mis-sions/giftcatalog/giftcatalog.icm. You may also call (800) 352-8741 to request a catalog.

Florida church embraces local missions vision

“Otherwise, there would be no Christ-mas in a lot of these homes,” Johnson said.

This Christmas store is just one way Lakeland Fellowship, a CBF part-ner church, has been involved in the Parker Street ministry. Last Novem-ber, church members participated in an ecumenical cleanup effort that included painting houses and other beautification projects.

Parker Street is an approximately six-square-mile area of downtown that has deteriorated into one of the poorest areas in Lakeland, said Johnson, who is on the board of the 8-year-old ministry. Some church members also volunteer once a week for an after-school tutoring program.

“The school personnel tell us the chil-dren seem to be taking more of an interest in school, and behavioral problems are get-ting better,” Johnson said.

Parker Street has been a ministry prior-

ity for Lakeland Fellowship since the church was formed in spring 2004. The church

has also been involved with two southern Florida ministries, Touching Miami With Love and Open House Ministries. Each July, church members have purchased backpacks and school supplies for children at OHM. This year, the church — which averages 40-

50 people in attendance — sent more than 40 supply-filled backpacks to the ministry.

“Everybody really participates. They are very missions-minded people,” said Tom Cleary, who shares the church’s ministerial leadership with his wife, Joyce.

Lakeland Fellowship participates in oth-er local missions projects. Church mem-bers raised $2,000 through CROP Walk, where participants get monetary pledges

per mile they walk with proceeds going to local hunger-fighting organizations. Last year when three hurricanes swept through Polk County where the church is located, members helped with the Fellowship’s disaster relief ef-forts in addition to helping their neighbors.

“This is their heart. They are a missional church for sure,” Cleary said. f!

LEARN – For more information on the Fellowship’s new church starts ministry, contact Phil Hester

at (770) 220-1651 or phester@thefellowship.info or visit www.churchstarts.net. For more about Lakeland Fellowship, visit www.lake-landfellowship.org.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

Last Christmas, Sarah Johnson drove along Parker Street in

Lakeland, Fla., and saw the fruits of volunteer labor. A community

effort through the Parker Street Redevelopment Ministry resulted in area

children receiving more than 4,670 toys, bikes and other Christmas gifts

purchased by local churches and sold at discount rates to parents.

Global Missions matches grant for mentoring effortSOME ELEMENTARY school children in the United States had new friends this fall as a part of the national KIDS HOPE USA program, which pairs church members and at-risk children in a one-year, one-hour-a-week mentoring relationship.

CBF Global Missions matched a $7,000 grant from Fort Worth’s J.E.S. Edwards Foundation to provide scholarships for CBF partner churches wishing to participate in the KIDS HOPE USA program. Churches must pay a one-time affiliate fee, which covers program development, training courses and support. Churches can receive up to 50 percent, but no more than $1,000 toward the fee, which varies according to a church’s adult membership.

“Church members who possess the love and life-changing message of Jesus Christ are being asked to drive around the corner, into the schools, and the lives of children and families. This is a low-risk, high impact way for ordinary Christians to go into the neighborhood for Christ – to form rela-tionships with their neighbors and then

welcome them into the congregation,” said Virgil Gulker, KIDS HOPE USA founder.

CBF’s involvement in the program stems from a partnership with Buckner Baptist Benevolences signed last October at the We Love Missions conference in San Antonio.

Other partners in the pro-gram include the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Dallas Baptist Asso-ciation and Tarrant Baptist Association.

The Fellowship will help match seven churches with seven elementary schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where more than 179,000 children come from eco-nomically-disadvantaged families, according to

school district reports. Although the J.E.S. Edwards Foundation grant must be used in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the Fellowship has $13,000 available for churches in other areas of the United States. About $3,000 has already been disbursed to churches.

“This is a partnership the local church can be involved in, and CBF Global Mis-sions strongly believes in empowering the local church and reaching out to the com-munity,” said Laura Cadena, CBF Global

Missions partnership relationship manager. The program targets at-risk children,

who often struggle with reading or academ-ic skills, concentrating, making friends and self-esteem, said Carrie Tracy, an educator and director of the mentoring program at First Baptist Church of Richardson, Texas.

“That’s where we help,” she said. “KIDS HOPE USA mentors can meet the needs of children through a faithful, caring relationship.”

First Baptist Richardson signed up for the program in January, seeing it as an effective opportunity to meet at-risk children’s needs, Tracy said. Even church members who can’t mentor can be involved through prayer. Each mentoring relationship has the prayer sup-port of a church member committed to pray daily for the child.

Other Fellowship partner churches that have recently committed to the program include University Baptist Church in Ar-lington, Texas, and First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn. f!

LEARN – For more information, contact Laura Cadena at (800) 352-8741, lcadena@thefellowship.info or visit www.thefellowship.info/Global Missions/gmpartnerships/buckner.icm.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

“Church members who possess the love and

life-changing message of Jesus Christ are being

asked to drive around the corner, into the schools, and the lives of children

and families.”— Virgil Gulker,

KIDS HOPE USA founder

Members of Lakeland Fellowship volunteer for the Christmas Store of Parker Street Redevelopment Ministry.

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General Assembly planned for Atlanta

THE 16TH ANNUAL CBF General Assembly will return to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, June 21-24.

Trevor Hudson, who serves on the pastoral team at Northfi eld Methodist Church in Benoni, South Africa, will be the keynote speaker during the Assembly’s opening night. Hudson has been in the Methodist ministry for more than 30 years, serving in and around Johannesburg. He has written seven books, including “Journey of the Spirit,” “One Day At A Time” and “A Mile In My Shoes.”

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.” A member of the Perkins faculty since 1992, Hawn was previously a profes-sor of church music at two Baptist seminaries for 15 years.

Friday evening’s concluding session will include the commissioning of new CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel.

Auxiliary events will be held June 21 and June 24, while the main Gen-eral Assembly meeting will be held June 22-23.

LEARN – Online registration and hotel reservations can be made at the Fellowship’s Web site, www.thefellowship.info. A hotel reservation form is also available in the September/October issue of the “fellowship!” newsletter.

Katrina and CBFSOMETIMES IT TAKES a catastrophe of biblical proportions to awaken our conscience to the importance of biblical values: justice, mercy, humility. Hurricane Katrina has exposed what we so easily forget. Th ere is a great divide in this country and around the world between rich and poor. Hurricane Katrina has also reminded us that the face of poverty is all too oft en a face of color.

In late September, my wife, Earlene, and I traveled to Baton Rouge, La., where we spent three days listening and learning about the impact of the hurricane and various respons-es in the region. We went in a delegation of Baptist leaders: Roy Medley, General Secre-tary of the American Baptist Churches USA; Cheryl Dudley, Associate Executive Director of National Ministries, ABC; Tyrone Pitts, Gen-eral Secretary of the National Progres-sive Baptist Con-vention and Jeff rey Haggray, Executive Minister of the Dis-trict of Columbia Baptist Convention. We were hosted by Dr. H.B. Williams, long time pastor of the New Light Missionary Baptist Church.

Th e trip was a memorable experi-ence as we listened to African-Ameri-can pastors chron-icle how their churches, most of them small, were feeding, sheltering and caring for evac-uees. We heard from elected and appointed government offi cials, and we observed nu-merous ministries that were involved in im-mediate and long term solutions. I left with several impressions about CBF.

Our Fellowship is already engaged in ministering to “the least of these.” Indeed our commitment to the most neglected is integral to who we are. CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel serve in holistic ministries around the world using their entrepreneurial gift s to serve and empower the poor. Th e Rural Poverty Initiative has captured the imagination and heart of CBF in ways few initiatives have. CBF has

entered into a partnership with Buckner Baptist Benevolences and the All Africa Baptist Fellowship to help children in Africa. State and regional organizations, as well as hundreds of individuals and churches, are giving, praying and ministering with the specifi c purpose of being the presence of Christ among poor people. More than a year ago our Coordinating Council voted for CBF to partner with “Call to Renewal” to be more intentional in advocating with elected offi cials on issues related to poverty. We are already engaged.

However, our Fellowship needs to be more engaged in ministering “to the least of these.” I reported to the Coordinating

Council about the work of “Th e ONE Campaign.” I am hoping that the Baton Rouge trip will result in new synergy and energy with other Baptist bodies to mobilize all of us in the struggle against poverty. I am also hoping that Christian Churches Together in the USA will launch next year with a focus on poverty as a major emphasis. I have asked our Global Missions offi ce to plan a “Baptist Summit on HIV/AIDS” before the General Assembly. But most of all, I am praying that each of us, and all of us, would do honest soul searching and ask the question, “Lord, what would you have me do?”

Let me be so bold to say that the fi rst thing I believe the Lord would have us do is

to repent. We have sinned by making poor people invisible and participating in sys-tems that favor the rich and hurt the poor. Let us ask God for “the gift of tears” and for hearts that are tender and teachable. Th en let us learn. Why is it that more Americans now live in poverty than ever before? Why is it that in spite of growing global econo-mies people die of starvation? Th ese ques-tions demand open minds that will search and struggle for real answers. Th en let us commit to community and collaboration. No one church, organization, business or government can resolve global poverty. It

will take all of us working together. Partnership is not an option or luxury. It is a necessity.

At a Saturday morning prayer breakfast, our host pastor off ered an eloquent and fervent prayer that touched me deeply. He con-fessed his belief that now was the time to fulfi ll the poor

people’s campaign of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He had been a colleague and friend of Dr. King and was refl ecting on the dream of racial reconciliation and economic jus-tice. As I was driving out of Baton Rouge, I called Dr. Williams on the phone and he

said to me, “I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment.” As I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, “So have I.” f!

As We journey By CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal

the coordinators of the three ethnic networks — Edgar Berryman of Jackson, Miss., African-American Network; Bernie Moraga of Albuquerque, N.M., Hispanic Network; and Yoo Jong Yoon of Dallas, Texas, Asian Network.

In his report, National Coordina-tor Daniel Vestal reiterated the theme of this summer’s General Assembly address focusing on global poverty.

Other items addressed during Council business included a report on the Fellowship’s fi nances. Th e Fellowship fi nished the 2004-2005 fi scal year with $24.6 million in rev-enues and an additional $1.2 million in contributions that were passed through to partners and related or-ganizations. Total expenditures were a little more than $21 million.

For the fi rst three months of fi s-cal year 2005-2006, the Fellowship’s undesignated receipts total $3.2 million compared to the budget projection of $2.9 million, nine per-cent ahead of the budget. f!

By Lance Wallace, CBF Communications

Council approves new constitution preamble— Continued from page 1

Elmo Winters, left, a Louisiana church planter who is program coordinator for Baton Rouge, talks with CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal.

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“Let us ask God for ‘the gift of tears’ and for

hearts that are tender and teachable ... let us commit to community

and collaboration.”

How to Respond

LEARN – To access Daniel Vestal’s ser-mon from the 2005 General Assembly, “Being the Presence of Christ in All the World,” visit www.thefellowship.info/News/050711 Vestal.icm.

GIVE – Financial gifts for hurricane relief can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/Landing/Giving.icm, or mailed to CBF, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392. Make checks pay-able to CBF and write ‘’Hurricane Relief Fund #17004’’ in the memo line.

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 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

I N S I D E C B F

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

The CBF/GA church leadership academy was held Oct. 15 at Royston Baptist Church for participants in the Northeast Georgia area.

• Baptist Women in Ministry of Georgia held their fall retreat Oct. 28 – 29 at the Calvin Center in Hampton. Alica Kirkpatrick-Bremer was the guest speaker.

• Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology and CBF/GA are teaming up to sponsor a one-day collegiate mission event: Now Serving: Atlanta 2006. The event is scheduled for Feb. 4 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Mercer University campus in Atlanta. Registration deadline is Jan. 18. Cost of $5 includes meals and a T-shirt. E-mail Ryan Clark at clark_ra@mercer.edu or Devita Parnell at dparnell@cbfga.org for more information.

• In response to hurricane relief efforts, CBF/GA Coordinator Frank Broome announced that CBF/GA has a volunteer housing coordinator, Carolyn Hale Cubbedge. She is focusing her efforts on pairing evacuees with Georgia churches and residents who are interested in providing housing. CBF/GA also has a partnership with Morningstar Baptist Treatment Services located in Darien. The facility was a retirement facility, but is now offering housing to orphans and mothers with children. CBF/GA is also working to compile a list of licensed pastoral counselors and chaplains to make available to shelters who will be housing survivors in Georgia.

■ LouisianaJohn Daugherty of Louisburg,

N.C., became the first full-time coordinator for CBF of Louisiana. Daugherty, former pastor of Maple Springs Baptist Church in Louisburg, began his new duties Oct. 1. “I am excited to have the opportunity to provide leadership among the CBF folks,” he said. The position, a consolidation of the part-time coordinator and missions coordinator roles, called for a person with a unique skill set. In addition to more than 20 years experience as

congregational staff, Daugherty has eight years of social work experience with children in foster and group care. Daugherty and his wife, Phyllis, will reside in the Alexandria area.

■ Mid-AtlanticThe Mid-Atlantic CBF has called

L.W. “Dub” Pool to serve as its new, full-time coordinator. Pool started in his new post in July 2005, following the retirement of Ron Mallow. Prior to coming to this position, Pool served as minister of education at Heritage Baptist Church in Annapolis, Md. He also served as Baptist Student Ministries director for 11 years at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. He is married to Donna Dillard Pool, and has two daughters, Becky and Jackie.

The Mid-Atlantic CBF has begun planning for a missions trip in the summer of 2006 to assist in hurricane recovery along the Gulf coast. This trip reflects a commitment by MACBF churches and individuals to the long-range needs of this storm-ravaged area. For more information, please contact Dub Pool at dpool@hotmail.com.

■ National• CBF Networking Coordinator Bill

Bruster has announced his retirement effective Dec. 31, 2005. On board with the Fellowship from its inception, Bruster has coordinated state and regional networks, interim pastors networks and most recently the ethnic networks. “You’ve enriched my life in wonderful ways, and I can’t end this without saying thanks to (former coordinator) Cecil (Sherman) and Daniel for giving me this opportunity,” Bruster told the CBF Coordinating Council during its recent meeting.

• CBF employees marking 5-year employment anniversaries include Charlotte Taylor and Lisa Jones.

• Is your church listed on the online CBF Church Locator? If not, send us

a message to request your church be included at contact@thefellowship.info.

■ North Carolina Nearly 350 youth attended the

September Fall Retreat at Myrtle Beach, S.C. This year’s theme was “Who Am I?” with a goal of helping youth define their identity as Christians and as Christian leaders. Besides participating in worship services and building sand sculptures, the youth ministered for half a day in nursing homes, thrift shops and among the beach combers. Upcoming youth events include a January ski retreat in Boone, N.C., a children’s choir festival, two youth retreats in March and a youth choir festival. Youth ministers are invited to attend the Youth Minister’s Retreat February 20-23. John D. Hendrix, retired professor of Christian education at Southern Seminary, will be the worship leader. Breakouts relevant to youth ministry will include “Protecting our Children and our Church,” “When Is It Time to Move?,” “Developing a Team,” and “Nothing Never Happens” among others. See the CBFNC Web site for more information at www.cbfnc.org.

■ OklahomaFrom Sept. 8-14, a team of CBF

volunteers from Oklahoma and Kansas traveled to Gulfport, Miss., to assist in

Katrina relief efforts. The team included Chad Fetzer, Glenn Smith Sr. and Bryan Royse from Northwest Baptist Church in Ardmore; Gary Royse from Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kan.; T Thomas, CBFO coordinator and member of NorthHaven Church in Norman; and Becky Holladay, whose parents are at NorthHaven. They worked primarily in debris removal and assisting two local churches to recover and minister to their community.

As a result, at the Sept. 24 CBFO Coordinating Council meeting, action was taken to formalize CBFO disaster preparedness efforts with equipment and training. CBFO will also be

following up on the work of this team by helping in pastor support in at least one affected church. This meeting provided an opportunity for a general update on CBF disaster relief by Bill Bruster, CBF networking coordinator, and an introduction to Perspectives on the World Christian Movement by Deborah Cassel.

• “Journey to Peace” is the theme of the Oklahoma Women in Baptist Life Retreat, which will be held Feb. 24-25 at First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City. Program personalities will include Kate Campbell and Grace Powell Freeman.

■ TennesseeBeth Duke is a student in the first

seminary class offered by Central Baptist Theological Seminary at First Baptist Church of Murfreesboro. Duke, from Smithville, is a nurse, wife, mother of two grown children, and an active member of First Baptist Church of Smithville. Like many of the other students in the Murfreesboro program, she has a strong desire to seek a seminary education but is deeply involved in her community. Relocating to pursue a seminary degree would not be practical.

To meet the needs of students like Duke, Central Seminary has implemented a new paradigm for

seminary education — bringing classes to students rather than bringing students to the Kansas City campus. The program began in four locations this fall. In addition to the Murfreesboro site, courses are being offered in Omaha, Neb., Oklahoma City, Okla., and Milwaukee, Wis. Steve Guinn, associate coordinator for enrollment services at the seminary, came to Murfreesboro in August for an orientation and information meeting for prospective students.

In September, the seminary began offering two Master of Divinity courses at the host church. The initial student body includes eight degree students and five continuing education students. Class members will be involved in online communication with the instructor between class meetings.

The Tennessee CBF facilitated the partnership with First Baptist Murfreesboro. TCBF coordinator Ircel Harrison serves as volunteer site coordinator.

• Michael McCullar challenged participants at the Church Leadership Academy held at First Baptist Church of Knoxville on Aug. 20. “The church of the future will be inclusive, relevant, not clannish, and eclectic. Most important, it will exist for those outside the church,” said McCullar, executive pastor of Johns Creek Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., to the assembly of laity and clergy.

McCullar was one of eight program personnel for the meeting that drew about 60 people from ten east

Tennessee churches. Other presenters were Mary Jayne Allen, Tammy Abee Blom, Connie Campbell, Devita B. Parnell, Bill Shiell, Frank Smith and Gene Wilder.

Fourteen workshops were offered for both lay leadership and church staff members. First Baptist Knoxville and Tennessee CBF sponsored the training conference.

• The director of Samaritan Ministry, a CBF Global Missions partner, was recently honored with a national award for his work in HIV/AIDS education. Wayne Smith, a member of Central Baptist Church of Bearden and director of the church’s Samaritan Ministry to HIV/AIDS patients in Knoxville, Tenn., received the National Ryan White Memorial HIV Education Award from the National Education Association. The award, given annually by the NEA Health Information Network, is presented to an NEA member who helps prevent future cases of HIV/AIDS and creates a safe and supportive school environment for students with the disease.

■ South Carolina Beverly Greer of Belton has been

named coordinator of missions for CBF of South Carolina. She most recently was chair of the missions committee for SC/CBF, and was minister of education for Clearview Baptist Church in Anderson. She has resigned both positions to begin this new work. Greer also previously served on the national CBF Coordinating Council for several years, including a term as chair of the Global Missions committee. She will work for SC/CBF as a volunteer.

• Joe Farry of Greenville has been named director of the Cooperative Student Fellowship at Furman University, a new campus organization. Farry was formerly pastor of Parisview Baptist Church in Greenville. There are now three CSF groups in South Carolina at Clemson University, Winthrop University in Rock Hill, and Furman (see article, p. 5 for more details).

• Marion Aldridge, coordinator of SC/CBF, took a three-month sabbatical leave from August through October. The sabbatical was made possible through a grant from the Lilly Endowment. He spent one month in Belgium, where SC/CBF, has a partnership, immersing himself in learning French. He spent one month at a halfway house in Allendale; and spent the third month traveling to places and meeting with people he ordinarily would not encounter. Ginger Barfield, director of the Baptist Studies Program at Lutheran Seminary in Columbia, served as interim coordinator.

Coming AttractionsMARCH 6-8

True Survivor VIProvidence Baptist Church, Daniel Island (Charleston), S.C.Gathering for Christian educatorsCost: $50Contact: Toni Draper, (800) 352-8741, tdraper@thefellowship.infoInfo: www.thefellowship.info/CL/FF/TrainingEvents/TrueSurvivor.icm

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

John Daugherty

Dub Pool

Beverly Greer

Bill Bruster

Volunteers Bryan Royse, front, and Chad Fetzer from Northwest Baptist Church remove debris as part of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

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Cooperative Baptist FellowshipP.O. Box 450329 • Atlanta, Georgia 31145-0329www.thefellowship.info(800) 352-8741

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