Week of February 13, 2006 Potpourri WOODWORTH – Tall Timbers Conference Center: Ministry Assistants Retreat (for secretaries); March 7, 8:30 a.m. registration - 4 p.m.; Cindy Townsend, guest speaker; $30 per person, includes lunch; to register or for more information, call Karen Gillen at (318) 445-7306; or e-mail karen.gillen@pinevillepark.org; Sam White, camp manager. WESTLAKE – Westlake First church: The Louisiana College Chorale in concert; March 5, 6:30 p.m.; Jay Hellums, minister of music; Larry Thomspon, pastor. GOLDONNA – Goldonna church: “After God’s Own Heart” women’s seminar; Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. supper with seminar to follow; Jeanine Bozeman, guest speaker; Doyle McGrew, pastor. BOYCE – St. Clair church: The Pine Ridge Quartet in concert; Feb. 24, 7 p.m.; free admission; love offering accepted; Ronnie Parks, pastor. MANY – Alford Heights church: The Down East Boys and The New Sounds of Salvation in concert; Feb. 17, 7 p.m.; Wayne Chance, pastor. RIDGECREST – Ridgecrest church: Women’s Conference; Feb. 25, 8 a.m. registration – 2:30 p.m.; Donna Douglas, guest speaker; no registration fee; for information, call (318) 757-4076; Preston Holder, pastor. BASTROP – First church: … [Read more...]
Officials label 10 Alabama church fires as arson
BEAVERTON, Ala. (BP) – Another rural Baptist church in Alabama was damaged by fire Feb. 11, increasing to 10 the number of churches in recent days that have been torched by arson. By Baptist Press staff BEAVERTON, Ala. (BP) – Another rural Baptist church in Alabama was damaged by fire Feb. 11, increasing to 10 the number of churches in recent days that have been torched by arson. The latest church, Beaverton Free Will Baptist, was set on fire during the daytime – the first church thus far not set on fire at night. It was severely damaged. “We have found significant evidence to determine that this fire was deliberately set,” Alabama State Fire Marshal Richard Montgomery said. “We do not know if the fire is directly related to any of the other fires.” All of the churches have been Baptist. Five are predominantly black churches, five predominantly white. Four of the 10 churches were Southern Baptist. All the churches are located in a group of closely associated counties west and southwest of Birmingham. “Our prayers are with the Beaverton Free Will Baptist Church in Lamar County as the congregation must now deal with the aftermath of the destruction of their facilities,” Rick Lance, executive … [Read more...]
SBC briefs
Week of February 13, 2006 GuideStone’s assets reach new high ... DALLAS (BP) – As the financial books closed on Dec. 31, GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention attained a new all-time high in total organizational assets of $8.9 billion. The increase in assets was due to significant growth in retail and institutional investments, retirement rollovers, increased contributions from participants and the investment growth in assets. GuideStone assets closed at $8.3 billion in 2004 and at $7.3 billion in 2003. The 13 GuideStone Funds available to Southern Baptist participants turned in a positive performance for 2005 as well as positive returns since their inception on Aug. 27, 2001. (For additional information about GuideStone Funds, visit www.GuideStone.org.) Rainer inaugurated as LifeWay president ... NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Thom S. Rainer began his tenure as LifeWay Christian Resources’ ninth president by stating that the 115-year-old organization stands at a crossroads. “We can choose to ignore the realities of the changing culture around us, of the post-Christian era we are entering, and of the profound challenge of being the world’s largest Christian resource … [Read more...]
Missions a cornerstone for Texas church
MIDLAND, Texas – Reflecting a cornerstone in its commitment to missions, First Baptist Church in Midland gives more than 30 percent of its undesignated offerings to mission causes, including 14 percent to the Cooperative Program. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor MIDLAND, Texas – Reflecting a cornerstone in its commitment to missions, First Baptist Church in Midland gives more than 30 percent of its undesignated offerings to mission causes, including 14 percent to the Cooperative Program. “We constantly hear from those supported by Cooperative Program gifts as to how the Gospel is spreading,” said Gary Dyer, the Texas church’s pastor since 1995. “What more profitable investment could there be than that?” The Cooperative Program, also referred to as CP Missions, is the Southern Baptist method of pooling mission gifts for maximum effectiveness and efficiency around the world. “The support of the Cooperative Program is more than just a matter of interest to First Baptist Church in Midland,” Dyer said. “It is – and has historically been – a matter of unwavering commitment. We have remained steadfast in giving well over 10 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program because … [Read more...]
Dungy voices lessons learned from son’s suicide
DETROIT (BP) – An emotional Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, in his first speaking engagement since his son’s funeral, headlined the 19th annual Athletes in Action Super Bowl breakfast Feb. 4 at the Super Bowl XL headquarters hotel in Detroit, Mich. By Art Stricklin Baptist Press correspondent DETROIT (BP) – An emotional Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, in his first speaking engagement since his son’s funeral, headlined the 19th annual Athletes in Action Super Bowl breakfast Feb. 4 at the Super Bowl XL headquarters hotel in Detroit, Mich. New York Jets running back Curtis Martin received the Bart Starr Award, given annually to an NFL player on the basis of character and service. But all eyes were on Dungy, who was given two standing ovations in telling of the pain and the lessons from his son’s suicide in December. Dungy said he had learned a lot from his sons, Eric, 14 and Jordan, 5, “but the most important thing came from James, who would have been 19.” “He was a Christian and is today in heaven. He was struggling with the things of the world and took his own life. People ask how I could come back to work so soon. I’m not totally recovered, I don’t know if I ever will be, it’s … [Read more...]
Olympics match Costa Rican skier, chaplain
TURIN, Italy (BP) – It might not be as widely known as the Jamaican bobsled team, but the Costa Rican cross-country skiing team has been a fixture at the Winter Olympics for more than two decades. By Tim Ellsworth Baptist Press correspondent TURIN, Italy (BP) – It might not be as widely known as the Jamaican bobsled team, but the Costa Rican cross-country skiing team has been a fixture at the Winter Olympics for more than two decades. Steve Sellers, a Southern Baptist pastor in Canada, serves as the coach for the lone member of the ski team, Arturo Kinch. “We came before the Jamaican bobsled team,” Sellers said. “It goes all the way back to 1980 in the Olympics in Lake Placid. “So [Kinch] was two Olympics before the Jamaican bobsled team.” In addition to his role as Kinch’s coach, Sellers also will serve as a chaplain during the Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. The Games officially began Feb. 10 with the opening ceremony, with athletes from across the world chasing Olympic gold for the next 16 days. Sellers hopes some of the athletes may encounter God amid their quest for Olympic glory. He recalls his experience as Olympic chaplain in 1998, when numerous athletes from Eastern European … [Read more...]
IMB trustees may reinstate Burleson
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – The executive committee of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board’s trustees has decided to ask the full board of trustees to consider a motion that would reverse the motion passed at its January meeting to recommend the removal from office of trustee Wade Burleson of Oklahoma. By Baptist Press staff RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – The executive committee of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board’s trustees has decided to ask the full board of trustees to consider a motion that would reverse the motion passed at its January meeting to recommend the removal from office of trustee Wade Burleson of Oklahoma. The trustee executive committee – which consists of the board’s chairman, first and second vice chairmen, recording secretary and chairmen of the board’s five primary standing committees – met in Atlanta Feb. 10 to review the Burleson action. IMB trustee chairman Tom Hatley will ask the trustees to consider reversing the motion passed in executive session during their Jan. 9-11 meeting in Richmond, Va. After the January meeting, Hatley stated the action was taken because of issues involving “broken trust and resistance to accountability, not Burleson’s opposition to … [Read more...]
Across the SBC
week of February 20, 2006 Shuttle service available for SBC meeting ... Nashville, Tenn. – Shuttles will be available to and from most Greensboro-area hotels to the coliseum for the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention sessions and for Sunday-Monday events such as the Pastors’ Conference and Woman’s Missionary Union sessions. Hotel shuttle tickets will be available at the Greesnboro Coliseum for $10, with children 12 and under riding free with parents who purchase tickets. New and expanded childcare and children’s conferences have been planned for the Greensboro meeting, with registration information available at the annual meeting section of the SBC’s www.sbc.net website. Local activities and tours also are being planned for the messengers and their families for Wednesday afternoon, June 14. Details also will be posted on www.sbc.net as they become available. Online registration for churches sending messengers to the annual meeting opened Feb. 1, with details also at www.sbc.net. Last year, the third year for the online service, 79.2 percent of messengers to the annual meeting in Nashville registered online, up from 57.2 percent for the 2004 annual meeting in Indianapolis. The traditional registration … [Read more...]
Pastor reflects on 46 years of ministry
ST. ROSE – These days, things are a bit quieter at First Baptist Church of St. Rose. By Brian Blackwell Staff writer ST. ROSE – These days, things are a bit quieter at First Baptist Church of St. Rose. There’s one less attender at the Woman’s Missionary Union meeting, one less person to comfort a grieving mother who lost her son in a car accident. After 46 years of service at First, St. Rose, W.O. Cottingham has retired as its pastor. However, just because he is no longer preaching from the pulpit on Sunday mornings doesn’t mean the 85-year-old great-grandfather is stepping aside from ministering to the South Louisiana community. For many in St. Rose, Cottingham was more than just a preacher. He was their friend. Whenever there was an illness in the community or someone who needed help paying their bills, Mary Lowe said Cottingham would do his best to help the needy persons. “If you were sick and not even a member of the church, he would still be one of the first people there,” said Lowe, one of Cottingham’s five children, one of whom died at the age of two. “If anyone needed help, he would try his best to provide whatever he could to aid the individual.” Lowe said her father crossed … [Read more...]
‘Beautiful feet’ ministry set for Celebration launch
LAFAYETTE - A new statewide ministry is to be launched at the upcoming Louisiana Missions Celebration March 31 and April 1 at First Baptist Church here. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor LAFAYETTE - A new statewide ministry is to be launched at the upcoming Louisiana Missions Celebration March 31 and April 1 at First Baptist Church here. “Beautiful Feet” is one of about two dozen highlights of the annual celebration sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Convention Women’s Missions and Ministry Team. “We want to paint a picture of missions extraordinaire,” said Cindy Townsend, Women’s Missions and Ministry Team director. “This whole weekend is to celebrate missions for every age group and every mission’s mindset.” About 1,000 people from across the state are expected to participate in the Missions Celebration, which is the single largest event of its kind in the state. Its slate of program presenters include the five-member Extravagant Grace worship team of Natchitoches. The annual event will focus on how members of Louisiana Southern Baptist churches can be on mission for God every day. “Beautiful Feet” is one example. Many missionaries sent out by the SBC’s International Mission Board … [Read more...]